Being vulnerable wasn’t something Savio did well, but Twizz was like a son to him. As much as they joked around, they created a safe space between them to talk freely.
“You know I can’t give no advice on women, but what I will say is don’t let yo’ emotions land you in a prison cell. Last thing I need.”
Savio knew Twizz had a hard time when he was locked up. Yeah, he was free, but Savio was the only person Twizz truly had. Vice versa. They were all they had. It wasn’t easy, but they made it through. Savio wouldn’t put them through that again.
“Last thing I need, too, lil nigga.” Savio put his arm around Twizz’s neck. Twizz put the blunt between his lips and playfully boxed Savio off. They goofed around for a moment before Savio said, “Everything goin’ aight with Ivoree?”
“Yeah, man. She cool people. Easy money.”
Savio stared at him for a moment. “Keep ya head on straight.”
Twizz chuckled as he exhaled smoke through his mouth and nose. “I ain’t about to mess this shit up for you. I know how important staying on the legal side of the law is to you. I ain’t goin’ to go against that in any way, which means I ain’t gonna bag shorty for some quick relief. I got other hos for that.”
“’Preciate that. You been stayin’ out the streets? You know this ain’t just for me. It’s a fresh start for you too.”
Twizz shrugged. “Yeah, I hear you. And yeah, I been stayin’ out the streets, but I’m bored, man. I won’t lie.”
Savio clapped Twizz on the back. “Boring ain’t always a bad thing.”
They chopped it up for a couple more minutes before Twizz flicked the butt of his blunt and got into his truck. After he pulled out of the driveway, Savio made his way back inside.
Cashmere’s staff kept the home smelling like vanilla and amber. That was what he smelled when he first walked in, but the closer he got to the kitchen, the more it smelled like some bomb ass home cooking.
He found Cashmere in the kitchen tidying up. As he leaned against the arch of the entryway, Savio watched her. She was naturally so pretty without even trying. The kind of woman who wanted to act tough, but she had such a soft aura. He wasdrawn to her energy and wished she would let her guard down more with him, especially if he had to go through the motions of fighting off every nigga that stepped to her.
“You know you have staff to do all that, right?”
Cashmere jumped and then cursed under her breath. When she faced him, her eyes were cut into slits, and he grinned.
“Bells! You need fuckin’ bells.”
“Nah, you’re just scary.”
She grunted and turned back to the dishwasher. Savio spotted his full plate and walked over to the drawer with the foil so he could wrap it up. Once it was in the refrigerator, he picked up a dirty plate and handed it to her to put in the dishwasher.
“You know it’s not in your job description to help with this, right?”
“Like I said, you got people to do this shit too. Why you doin’ it?”
Cashmere shrugged as she accepted a dirty pan he handed her. “Calms me. I went a long time not having a home to do housework in. Same with cooking. I didn’t have a kitchen for a long time . . . or food.” She glanced at him, and he noticed her cheekbones tint red. “I try not to take the little things for granted. I only hired staff to clean and handle the household duties because I’m too busy to do it all the time myself.”
He nodded in respect to her response. “Busy bein’ a queen pin?”
“I’m not a queen pin.” She snorted.
“Looks that way to me. You done found your way up out the gutta to the top, baby. What you call it?”
“A queen pin deals in drugs. I don’t. I deal in stolen goods. There’s way more money there.”
“I’m still tryna figure out how you managed to do all this.” He gestured around the space, indicating the mansion she owned.
Cashmere dropped her eyes and busied herself with starting the dishwasher. Finally, she turned to him again and said, “With a lot of help.”
He could tell she wouldn’t elaborate, so he dropped the subject, but he wasn’t about to forget it. He wanted to know Cashmere’s story, and he hoped one day she was comfortable enough to tell him.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier.”
Cashmere cocked her head to the side. “What for?”
