“We’re not,” I replied. “He’s just talking like most men do,” I smiled.
I didn’t know what her definition of a thing was, but anything that Hymn and I were doing was none of her business. The men had exited the kitchen after getting their drinks.
“I think they’d make a cute couple,” London smiled mischievously. “I need to put a bug in my boy’s ear.”
Her comment made me groan.
“Seriously, though. Football players live hectic lives. During the season they’re always on the road. The women are out in droves. If you have three kids at home, how often could you travel with him? Sending your man to all those different states with groupies ready and waiting is a recipe for disaster,” Shannon continued to throw salt.
“Well, thank you for the heads up but as we speak, I don’t have a man in the NFL. And if I wanted one, I’d worry about all that when the time came.”
“Period,” Mya chimed in.
It never took me long to remember that some of those women could be exhausting to be around. Everything was a competition. Most of them spent their entire lives trying to one up the next, and it was childish. If Isaac sent London three dozen flowers, a week later, one of the other ladies would get three dozen roses delivered every day for a week. I didn’t desire those types of fake ass friendships. London was cool, and we were becoming closer. However, the other women, I kept at arm’s length.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw that I had a text message from Hymn. He had a way of making me feel giddy, but I kept my expression neutral since I knew Shannon was watching my every move.
Hymn: I swear I hate to come across as a sex crazed pervert, but you just do something to me. You looking too good in there. I had to go ahead and mark my territory before Ken and Hakeem got too friendly.
It was hard enough trying to navigate my new feelings of disdain toward Corey while having a crush on Hymn. It was getting even harder as we got to know one another more because what the hell were we doing, and wasn’t it too soon for me to be doing anything other than simply having fun?
CHAPTER 15
HYMN
Isaac hatedwhen the camera crew was at his house so when they were scheduled to come, he always invited some of the guys over. All I had been doing was sitting in the house, so I agreed. I didn’t know Brion would be there but per usual, the moment we locked eyes, my dick got hard. I gave no fucks about the cameras rolling or the nosey ass women that were present. I wasn’t going to pretend like I didn’t know her. And whatever slipped out of my mouth was what slipped out of my mouth. Her bitch ass baby daddy didn’t pick the girls up, so she had to wait until they were asleep to come over.
When she told me what Shannon said, all I could do was laugh. How was a woman that couldn’t keep a man her damn self, giving someone else advice? After Brion left my place, I sent her $2,000 via Zelle. Minutes after the payment went through, she called.
“I know I’m not a prostitute, so what’s the money for?”
With a chuckle, I shook my head. Brion had been holding back from venting about her ex because she didn’t want to bring baggage into our situation, but when she told me how he didn’t do shit, and she didn’t have him on child support it made me want to help her.
“Because I see you working hard as hell, and it was either give it to you or buy some sneakers with it.”
There was a pause, and I knew Brion was trying to figure out how to process my generosity. Another reason why I liked her. I had money out the ass. Spoiling a woman wasn’t an issue, but I wasn’t tricking on a womanjustbecause she spread her legs for me. A woman like Shannon would have expected a $10,000 purse after the first time we interacted. I was more than certain the money that I gave Brion would be put to good use.
“I just need you to understand that I don’t deal with you for your money. However, my mama didn’t raise no fool. I’m not turning it down, but that’s not my motive. And money doesn’t replace certain things.”
That was her way of telling me that giving her money wasn’t going to give me a pass to play in her face, and I respected that.
“Trust me, I know how to peep game, and I know that’s not why you deal with me.”
We talked until she made it home. I was ready to go to bed my damn self, but I got a call from Divine. I wasn’t at the house when Divine, my grandmother, and one of the nurses took my mother to the rehabilitation center that she’d be in for the next two months, but I heard she showed her ass. Cursing and spitting. She even tried to pull Divine’s hair. If my sister was calling me this late, it had to be something going on.
“What’s up?” I answered the phone with a sigh.
“I just got a call from the county jail. Huncho is locked up under a $100,000 bond for possession of marijuana, Xanax, and Percocet’s.”
My eyes closed while my jaw muscle ticked. I should have known the shit was too good to be true. Huncho was determined to fuck his life up, and I was tired of trying to stop it. When I spoke, I spoke with finality. “I’m not bailing him out, and you better not either.”
Divine knew I was serious, and she wasn’t going to go against the grain. If his father couldn’t get him out, I didn’t know who would. Possibly my grandmother, and I damn sure couldn’t tell her what to do. Huncho needed to learn that I wasn’t a sucka that would keep running to his rescue when he wasn’t even trying to do right. I wasn’t worried about going broke, but I had watched an episode of Snapped where an NBA player ran through fifty-five M’s. By the time he was cut from his team, he was broke, and his ex-wife killed his ass for the insurance money.
It was easy to run through money when a person was constantly spending and giving it out. I wasn’t hurting because I had other business ventures, but I wasn’t about to keep throwing my money away helping people that didn’t want to be saved.
“I’m not going to bail him out. I promise, but I’m just curious. If no one else gets him out, how long are you willing to let him sit in there?”
“He’ll be there for as long as he has to be there. Huncho hasn’t even gone to court for his last charge that I bailed him out on. I’m done. He can sit there until his court date. The judge can either give him time served, or he’ll leave from jail and go to prison. Either way it’s not my problem.”
