She tried to hop down off the counter, but I didn't let her go.
"Uh-uh. Where you goin'?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "To mind my business, like your mama need to." I laughed, shaking my head, gripping her hips tighter as I pulled her back against me.
"Nah, you tryna run 'cause you mad. You don't gotta do that." She sucked her teeth. "I ain't mad." I lifted a brow. "You ain't?" she folded her arms, staring at me. "Nope."
I tilted my head, letting my fingers trace the hem of her dress, grazing the soft skin of her thighs. "Then why you tryna leave me?" She exhaled, rolling her eyes again, but I caught the way her breathing changed, the way she shifted slightly under my touch. I leaned in, my lips brushing against her ear. "You gon' let my mama get in your head?" She let out a low scoff, tilting her chin up. "Please."
I smirked against her skin. "Then act like it." She opened her mouth to respond, but I caught her chin, pulling her lips back to mine, kissing her slow, deep, making sure she felt that I wasn't letting her overthink this shit. When I pulled back, her lips were slightly parted, her eyes locked on mine. "We goin' to dinner tomorrow," I murmured, my thumb brushing over her bottom lip. "Together."
She held my gaze for a long second before exhaling. "Fine." I grinned. Then I lifted her off the counter before she could argue, gripping her ass as she wrapped her legs around my waist. "Now let me take your mind off my mama for a minute."
She smirked. "You think you that good?" I chuckled, already carrying her out the kitchen. "I know I am."
_
I glanced down at my phone, messages piling up from my pops and my brothers. I was late. Laid up with Chiana, losing track of time, wrapped up in her . I ran a brush over my waves one more time, making sure I was clean, then stepped out of the bathroom, putting on my watch as I moved. Chiana was sprawled out in the bed, knocked the hell out, one leg hanging from under the blanket, her braids messy against the pillows. I shook my head, smirking. I grabbed my phone and was just about to exit the bedroom when she stirred, her body shifting against the sheets.
"Where you going?" Her voice was low, thick with sleep, soft in a way that did something to me. I turned, glancing over my shoulder. She still had her eyes closed, but she reached out for my pillow, hugging it against her like she was trying to pull me back in. "Thought you weren't working today. Thought you was gon' lay under me today."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Baeeby, when I said that?" Her brows pulled together slightly, still not opening her eyes. "Mmm, whatever, Juste." I smirked. "Exactly."
She hummed, shifting onto her side. "Nia asked me to get drinks anyway." I paused, adjusting my watch. "Where at?" She sighed, finally opening her eyes, but they were still heavy, still filled with sleep. "That spot we went to last time. The one with the good margaritas." I nodded. "I'll check in with you." She didn't say anything, just blinked slow, watching me for a second before closing her eyes again. I smirked, shaking my head before stepping out the room. One thing about this dick , it was gon put her ass to sleep.
I grabbed my keys, sliding into the driver's seat of my car, letting the engine purr to life before pulling off toward Pops' house—a small, ducked-off spot in the city that we used strictly for business. It was discreet, looked regular, nothing flashy about it from the outside, which was exactly how Pops liked to keep shit. By the time I pulled up, I could already see everybody's cars lined up outside—Jules' truck, Noles' black Charger, Pierre's Audi, and of course, Pops' old-school Cadillac that he still drove like it wasn't damn near an antique.
I ran a hand over my waves, shaking my head as I stepped out and made my way to the door. As soon as I pushed it open, I was greeted with Pierre’s' loud ass mouth. "Finally, we been waitin' on this fuck nigga for thirty minutes." I smirked, stepping inside as I caught sight of everybody—Pops, Jules, Noles, and Pierre, all posted up at the table. "Fuck ya." I shot back without hesitation, taking a seat.
Jules leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "For real though, nigga, we got lives too. We know your ass in love and shit, but you gon' have to learn how to climb out the pussy when it comes to business." Noles snickered, nodding in agreement. I frowned. "Man, both you niggas can suck my dick."
Pierre let out a low whistle, laughing to himself as he lit up a blunt. Pops sighed, rubbing his temples. "Aight, chill the fuck out." I let out a deep breath, leaning back in my chair as I grabbed the drink sitting in front of me. "What we on?" Pops looked at Jules, signaling for him to speak. Jules nodded. "Shipment comes in next Friday. We lookin' at about a mil worth of product. Gotta make sure it comes in clean, no hiccups, no eyes on us." I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. "Security?" Pierre spoke up. "Locked in. We got our regular crew runnin' it, plus a few extra eyes at the boat yard."
Noles exhaled smoke. "Question is, what we doin' with the extra money? We still got hella shit movin' through the clubs, but if we bringin' in more, we gon' need another avenue." I rubbed my chin, already knowing what needed to be done. "We goin' legit with another business."
Jules lifted a brow. "You sure?" Pops nodded slowly, his sharp eyes locked on me. "What you got in mind?" I leaned forward, setting my drink down, my fingers tapping against the glass. "A Black-owned shopping center. Black-owned shops, Black-owned restaurants. Keep the money circulating in our communities, give folks a place to build somethin' real. Something we control."
Pierre let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "This nigga swear he a civil rights activist." Noles snorted, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Forreal though, what's next? A march on Bourbon Street?" Jules smirked but stayed quiet, watching Pops for his reaction.
Pops rubbed his chin, letting the idea settle. He wasn't quick to cosign anything—he thought shit through, made sure it made sense before giving it the green light. And when he finally nodded, That's how you knew it was solid. "It actually might be smart." His deep voice carried through the room, making everybody shut up. "Do a few giveaways, give back to the community. Help small, local businesses get off the ground. That's how you keep the streets loyal. "He smirked. "Yeah, I'm feelin' it."
Noles shrugged, taking another hit from his blunt. "Shit, if the money right, I'm down. You know niggas love a grand opening with free shit. "Pierre chuckled. "You ain't never lied."
Pops pointed a finger at me. "You gon' need the books tight on this. If we do it, it has to be legit, careful, and calculated."
I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Ima have Chiana look into it, see how it'll balance the books, and let you know more."
At the mention of her name, Jules smirked. "That girl gon' fuck around and be runnin' the whole damn empire at this rate." I shrugged. "She good at what she do.” Noles side-eyed me, amused. "Man, you got this girl locked in, huh?"
I gave him a look, my smirk fading slightly. "You got a problem with that?" Noles held his hands up, grinning. "Nah, big bro, I respect it. Just funny seein' you like this." I scoffed. "Like what?" Pierre smirked. "Domestic." Jules laughed, shaking his head as he took a slow sip of his drink.
"Nigga went from shootin' up cars to talkin' about openin' Black-owned businesses with his woman in his ear."
Pops let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head, but I caught the pride in his expression, even if he wasn't saying it outright.
I squinted at Jules, leaning back in my chair. "Shut your dumb ass up." Pierre and Noles laughed, while Jules just smirked, clearly enjoying himself. Pops exhaled, swirling his drink in his glass before looking at me. "Ion know," he muttered, his deep voice smooth, thoughtful. "It's kinda refreshing to see the nigga happy and bubbly."
The whole table erupted into laughter. I chuckled, shaking my head. "Ain't shit bubbly about me, man." Noles wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Nah, bro, you out here soft as hell, callin' up Chiana just to 'check in' and shit."
Pierre grinned. "Bet he the type to send 'good morning' texts with heart emojis now." Jules leaned forward, pretending to be me, lowering his voice mockingly. "'You eat today, baeeby? You drink enough water?” Noles clutched his chest, fake sniffling. "I just be worried about you, baeeby."
