Vega knew exactly what the issue was but refused to discuss it with Nyelle. He couldn’t shake the fact that the woman who played a role in him doing time was out in the world just fucking chillin’ like she didn’t pull some shady shit that cost him in a major way. Vega did, however, release the thought as much as he could before crossing the kitchen to the stove where Nyelle was. He kept his eyes on her the entire time because the burgundy, strapless, cotton one piece she wore had been challenging his willpower since he got there. The way her ass and breasts moved freely, there was no way she wore anything under it.
When Vega was close enough, he removed the dish towel from her hands and pulled her by the waist until her body made contact with his. Nyelle moaned slightly from the feel of him against her stomach. She had been trying her best to keep things platonic while they figured out what they were doing but she was fighting a losing battle.
“I just have a lot on my mind. It’s not about you or him.” Vega’s eyes shot past Nyelle to Nick before he had them on her again. “I’m in this as long as you trust me to be. I like little dude. He bucked on me the second I stepped in here.” Vega chuckled at his introduction to Nick when he arrived. Nick stepped right in front of his mother, arms folded, glaring at Vega before he asked if he had a gun. After Vega admitted he didn’t, which was the truth since he elected to show up unstrapped, Nick quickly demanded that Vega be nice to his mother because she was nice to everyone or Vega would have to deal with him.
As embarrassed as Nyelle was, she was proud to know she was raising a son who would grow up to be a man who wouldprotect the women in his life. Vega also admired and respected it as well.
“Are you sure?”
Vega’s brows lifted slightly before a scowl stretched across his handsome face. “Why the fuck you doubting me all of a sudden?”
“I’m not. I just…” Nyelle paused and shook her head. “I just really want this with you, and if you don’t, tell me now so that I can…”
Vega stopped her words with a kiss that made Nyelle’s knees weak. When he allowed her to come up for air, she grinned, briefly biting down on her lip to hide the smile he created.
“Nah, don’t hide that shit. Let me see how I make you feel,” Vega teased the second he noticed her blushing.
“I’m not.”
“You are but it’s cool. We have plenty of time for me to see that pretty smile of yours, but listen, we’re not going to keep going back and forth about this. I told you from day one I wanted you. Wanting you means having some sort of role in his life. You have to define that, and when you do, let me know what I need to do and it’s done. For now, he’s just my little homie and you can tell him we’re friends if that makes you feel better. I’m not trying to replace his bitch ass daddy.”
Nyelle narrowed her eyes at Vega who only chuckled. “Shit, I’m not. That’s my word because we both know there is no comparison. But, what I will tell you is that I’ll be good to both of you. That’s my word. Now hook this food up and I’m going to chill with Nick. My damn stomach is doing backflips because you got it smelling good in here.” Vega winked at Nyelle before his hand landed palm flat on her ass, in a way that caused her to jump.
“Don’t do that.” Nyelle’s face balled up, causing Vega to chuckle.
“Aight, bet. I’ll ease up for now but when shorty is down for the count, you’re gonna be begging me to slap that ass while I’m tapping your lungs with a vengeance.”
He walked off as Nyelle’s mouth dropped open, her nipples hardened, and her panties drenched. Instead of sipping the wine she poured herself, Nyelle lifted the bottle of Hennessy Vega was working on instead. After removing the top, she turned it up and allowed the smooth warm liquor to fill her mouth then flow down her throat. It was extreme, but she needed it in order to survive the night without locking themselves in her room and allowing Vega to prove his point before dinner was served.
26
“Who’s there?” Reg’s head turned slightly to his left and over his shoulder when he heard a door slam. He made out two sets of footsteps moving across concrete from behind him. He was scared as shit, sitting tied to a metal chair with something thick and dark draped over his head and secured around his neck. From what he could determine, he had been there for hours. Early that morning, as he was leaving his apartment and approaching his car, someone caught him from behind with a sharp blow to the head. Reg was knocked out cold and woke up hours later with his head pounding and no idea where he was.
From the fact that his stomach was in knots from hunger, his throat was dry from thirst, and he had pissed his clothes because his body could no longer handle the task of managing the urge to release his bladder, Reg concluded it was late in the evening and he had been here all day.
“Take that shit off so he can see me,” East instructed Chuck. Chuck was the one who ran up on Reg and had gotten him to the warehouse he used to store the product East purchased from Cabo. From time to time it didn’t hit the streets all atonce, so a safe place that held no connection to either of them was occasionally necessary for storage. Chuck had also recently gotten into selling illegal firearms, so those were kept there as well. East had never stepped foot in the building prior to today because he was cautious about keeping himself separate from the business Chuck managed for him. But today it was necessary.
“What the fuck is this about?” Reg squinted a few times since he had been in darkness for so long because of the canvas bag Chuck secured over his head. Reg’s vision was skewed but he knew it was East a few feet from him.East is the reason I’m here.
Not one to waste his time, East took two long strides and his fist landed against the left side of Reg’s face. Due to the fact that Reg’s body was so weak and the impact was so hard, the chair he was in tumbled over with ease, causing Reg’s limp body to land with a thud on the cold concrete floor. Pain shot through him, starting at his face from the hit then moving to his side and shoulder which made contact with the ground.
“Untie him so his bitch ass can pretend to be a man and take this shit.”
Chuck smirked and removed the switchblade from his pocket. After kneeling next to Reg he quickly cut him loose then stood upright again.
“Get up,” East gritted, cracking his knuckles while he waited. Reg shook off the daze from the first hit and flexed his jaw, sitting up slightly while his eyes darted back and forth between Chuck and East. He knew he had fucked up. Since the night he put his hands on Joi, Reg had been cautious about his moves, barely showing his face. Because of his fear of running into East, he had even given most of his work to Riggs, knowing it was necessary for his safety to keep a low profile.
“I didn’t mean for things to go down how they did. I was drunk that night and shit just got out of hand. You know how that shit goes?—"
“Nah, I don’t. Now get your ass up because if I have to wait any longer your family is gonna have a hard time making peace with what they find.”
“East, come on, man. I just?—"
“Ay, I know you’re not too bright, but I suggest you get your ass up… and fast.” Chuck smirked at Reg who then scrambled to get to his feet. It didn’t last long because East approached him with a left so nice that teeth flew from Reg’s mouth as his head spun from the impact. Reg attempted to defend himself as best he could, but the blows came back to back with so much force that he eventually just ducked under his arms, using them as a shield to protect himself as best as he could.
East unleashed all the frustration he had been dealing with recently on Reg until he was a bloody mess on the ground wheezing through labored breath. It wasn’t until Chuck pulled him back that East snapped out of his zone. “Ay, you said you didn’t want to kill him. Stop now or he isn’t gonna be breathing in the next few minutes.”
Just as quickly as East had gone into beast mode, he was calm again. He looked down at his bloody hands and smirked. It had been a while since he felt the high of almost taking a life with them. East didn’t always like the dark places he slipped into, but he respected it as a means of survival.
