Page 26 of SIN Looks Good On Us!

Every legit business I owned served a purpose. The clubs, the car lots, the warehouses and the real estate... all of it made dirty money look clean. On paper, I was just another businessman. The businesses paid the taxes. The streets paid me. As long as product kept moving and everybody stayed in line, the money kept coming.

I woke up every morning free, healthy, and blessed. The least I could do was pay my tithes.

And before anybody asks... yeah, I paid my tithes every month. Call it tradition or call it respect, either way I never missed it. There were some habits I never questioned. I just did them.

I slid another file across the desk. "Tell Marley I want cameras installed before anybody moves a damn box."

"He already got the contractors lined up."

"And security?"

"Hired."

"Good." I took another sip of my coffee. "Anything else?"

Poncho looked up from the laptop and smirked. "You still thinking about that girl?"

I didn't even bother looking up. "What girl?"

"The one from the club."

"I meet women every weekend."

"Uh-huh." He leaned back laughing. "Boy, you cooked."

Now I looked at him. "The fuck that supposed to mean?"

"You got curved."

"I ain't get curved."

"You absolutely got curved. I had one conversation, and somehow she thanked you for the bottle and left."

Out the corner of my eye, I caught Hulk's beard twitch. It was damn near impossible to make that nigga laugh.

"I wasn't trying to leave with her."

"Yeah right."

"I wasn't."

Poncho closed the laptop. "So why you keep staring off into space like you writing wedding vows?"

I laughed. "You talk too damn much."

"And you thinking too damn hard."

"I'm good."

"You ain't."

"I am."

"You ain't never had to introduce yourself twice, and yet you kinda did with her."

"I didn't."

He threw both hands up. "A’ight. If that's what you wanna tell yourself."