Joi’s nose scrunched at the thought. “I don’t want to go down there with those desperate men and thirsty hoes. That’s why we’re up here.”
“True, to chill, but we can’t dance up here. So bring your ass. I need to burn this off so I can be ready for another.”
“Ny…” Joi whined, knowing it wasn’t going to do her one bit of good.
Nyelle didn’t get out much because of work and Nick, so when she did, she went all in. Tonight would be no different.
“Ny,my ass. Bring yours and let's go turn these men out then shut them down right after.” She blew Joi a kiss and grabbed her arm, pulling her girl to her feet.
The two women eased out of their section and headed to the elevators that would take them to the main level where the DJ and dance floor were. They were so caught up in their pre-dance hype session that neither of them noticed they had eyes on them.
East was only a few feet away but stopped to examine both women after recognizing Joi. It didn’t take much; he couldn’t forget someone like her, and the fact that she was there and seemingly in a much better mood than she had been when they crossed paths earlier made him curious. Well, that and the tight, ripped black jeans and midriff shirt she wore.Damn shorty is sexy.East watched the women, mainly Joi, until the elevator doors closed then continued to the section where he knew Ace was posted up.
Normally, he would make his presence known if he was interested in a woman, but tonight was different. He was exhausted and only showed up out of respect for Ace. The fact that his brother, Vega, was home after doing three years was the cause of tonight’s celebration. When the invite was extended to East personally by Ace, he almost declined. As cool as he was with the OG, public association was not a good look.
Ace was the name to reference with any type of illegal activity that moved through not only the city but the state of Georgia, along with Florida and the Carolinas. Ace had even made a few moves out west because of his status. Guns, drugs, hits, youname it, and Ace had his hands not only in it but controlling it. Everyone knew East had come from the streets under the tutelage of Ace and even wondered if he still pushed a little something here and there, but they didn’t know for sure. Being seen with Ace might give them reason to believe what they assumed was true. That wasn’t the type of attention East wanted these days.
“Ay, look who’s in the muhfuckin’ building, the OG, East.”
A few people who were familiar with East turned when one of the youngsters shouted him out. Almost the entire section was drunk or high, so they erupted with admiration for East. He had done his time and earned a certain level of respect a lot of them were now chasing.
“Young G. I didn’t think you would make it.”
Ace had been chilling all night and addressing the people around him with a nod or an extended hand. Now, on his feet, he dapped East and pulled him into a brotherly hug before returning to his spot, allowing East to take up one next to him. Everyone around knew it was a sign of respect. Ace had invited East into his personal space. It was a gesture none of the other attendees had been afforded.
East’s long body relaxed into the soft leather. He extended his legs and placed them shoulder-width apart for comfort before he looked around.
“You paid for the whole floor?” East was curious to know if Joi and her girl were partying with men from the south side and the bluff.
“Tried to. That one in the middle belongs to somebody else. Two women, but they’re not an issue,” Ace tossed out, throwing his head in that direction. “What’s good with you? I didn’t think you would show. I know this isn’t your scene.”
East raked his hand down his face and nodded. This definitely wasn’t his scene. He didn’t like big crowds and clubsonly drew a bunch of drunk ass muthafuckers chasing pussy and women trying to latch onto one with money. It was rare that anyone came out in this type of environment just to chill, which had him thinking about Joi again.Was she on that type of mission?
“Nah, you know it’s not. I don’t do crowds. I’m also not the group type, but Vega is home, and you asked me to fall through.”
Ace chuckled and nodded. He knew East only showed his face out of respect for him. East was familiar with Vega through association, but East wasn’t the type to forge friendships or connections with people. Not even Vega, considering how close East had been to Ace. He was and had always been a loner. It worked best for him that way. Ace knew East was a solid dude, even if he stayed to himself. No best friends or partners to speak of because East only really trusted himself. Ace was a lot like that in a sense, which was why he put East on back in the day. He could see himself in the young kid.
At sixteen, East had more heart than most men twice his age. He was also smarter than them too, considering he had done ten solid years in the game, stacked money, then switched things up. He now owned several legitimate businesses and was doing well for himself.
Ace respected East’s hustle but respected his business sense even more. He was a supplier of all things illegal but big on business. He wanted the people under him to want more than just pushing weight in the streets as a career. Some listened when he counseled, but most didn’t. East was one of the men who took his advice. Ace was proud of him and wished more would mirror his choices.
“I appreciate it. I hope Vega learned some shit after this bid. I need him to be more like you. Street smart is one thing, but business-minded tops all that shit when all is said and done. He needs to figure some things out, and quick.”
“You must be talking about me. I feel that shit.” Vega walked up and stood in front of the two men.
East stood then dapped and hugged Vega the same as he had done with Ace. East and Vega were cordial, but they didn’t know each other well. Vega was wild, always into shit, and full of reckless behavior since Ace was his big brother. East was always about business and didn’t have time to mirror the carefree ways Vega lived by. East enjoyed life, but his grind was more important than blowing money, checking muthafuckers in pointless ego contests, and partying with women.
“Yeah, we are talking about you. I was just telling East I hope you learned some shit. It’s time for you to grow the fuck up and get some business about yourself.”
Vega gritted his teeth. He was a man before anything and didn’t like anyone trying to control or plan his life for him. Especially not Ace. Being the baby brother of someone like Ace occasionally complicated things. He had access to the luxuries life offered but also had to live in his brother’s shadow. Vega wasn’t Ace and never would be. He struggled with it, which was the reason for a lot of his reckless behavior. Now that he was months shy of his thirtieth birthday, he needed to get his life back on track. Vega was too old to live the way he lived and those three years he lost were proof of it. He went down over a bullshit charge that could have been avoided had he been smarter.
“I told you I am. Let’s not keep bringing that shit up, Ace. I just touched down. Tonight, we party and tomorrow I get on some next level shit.”
East remained quiet. It wasn’t his place to speak on another man’s family business, so the conversation Vega and Ace were having wasn’t his concern.
“You got that,” Ace stated smoothly, knowing he was about to put his foot in Vega’s ass after tonight to make sure he was on the straight and narrow.
“East, what’s good with you? I’ve been hearing your name a lot.” Vega smiled genuinely at East. He also respected him the same as Ace. East had always been focused, something Vega knew he lacked, so he admired that quality in East and wanted the same for himself.
