Page 22 of Hired By My Rich Baby Daddy 2

PB shook his head with a little smile on his face. “She was looking good. I ain’t even gon’ front. But she said she got a man now.”

“Word?”

“Word.” He shrugged. “Last time we ain’t exchange numbers, I only had hers. And by the time everything settled, and I actually tried to call, her number was changed. So, I said fuck it and made sure this time I called myself from her phone.” He turned his glass in his hand. “But seeing her today kind of brightened up my whole day, I’m not gon’ lie. I wasn’t in a bad mood or anything like that but seeing her took my mind off shit with Paisley.”

I shook my head. “What she on now?”

PB sat up, elbows on his knees, then looked over at me. “Man, that damn girl tried to fuck me.”

“I told you,” I said, laughing. “I told you moving your baby mama up in your crib wasn’t a good idea. How long you been dry now?”

PB sighed. “Too goddamn long. And if I do wanna be with somebody, I gotta get a room or pull up on them, and you know I don’t even like doing shit like that.”

“Nah, that’s facts.” I leaned forward. “But hold on. What happened? Y’all fuck?”

“Nah. You called me about the situation with Noree right in the middle of it. Saved by the bell.” PB laughed. “She was pouting and throwing a whole tantrum about it, but honestly? If you ain’t call, I probably would have.”

We both damn near fell out.

“Man, you hell,” I said.

“I’m just being honest, big bruh. She be walking around the house in her bra and panties, tempting me on purpose. But she too damn jealous for me. I ain’t got the energy for it. Right now, her living with me is straight. But the minute I get serious with somebody?” He shook his head. “She gotta get the fuck on. I’ll get her a crib, make sure she straight, pay the bills over there and everything. But she can’t be up under me.”

I nodded in agreement, and for a moment, we got quiet again.

Then PB said, “So since Opal interviewed Noree, they probably got her email, her number, all that shit on the paperwork.” He looked at me. “You gon’ hit shawty up?”

“What make you think I wanna call her?”

“’Cause you sitting over there looking like a sore loser right now. Sad-puppy-looking-ass nigga.”

I sat with that for a second, but I really needed to let that shit go. She wasn’t tryna talk to a nigga no way, and she probably got a man now too.

“Nah, I’m looking like this because I lost my biggest brand deal today,” I said, tryna play it off. “I was just talking to Unc about it before you walked in.”

“Damn. My bad, bruh.” He held his glass up. “But fuck them.”

I laughed. “Everybody keep saying that.”

“Nah, for real, though. You could really do your own thing. Your own product, your own line, whatever. You don’t need them. You don’t need nobody.”

“Yeah. I know.”

I finished off what was in my glass and got up to pour myself another.

“As far as Noree, though, she looked good as hell. Thicker than she was before but filled out in all the right places.” I turned around. “And goddamn, her ass got fatter.”

PB choked on his drink. “Nourah’s got fatter too. Man, them some fine-ass sisters, for real.”

“Nigga, you ain’t never lied.”

We laughed for a good while off that one, and then he got quiet again.

“So, what you gon’ do about Gin?”

I sighed and leaned back against the bar. “I don’t know. I really fuck with her. But I’m fifty-fifty right now. Shit be real good between us, then it go sour real fast. Almost like she putting on a front sometimes.”

“Yeah.” PB set his glass down. “I ain’t gon’ lie to you, big bruh. She ain’t the one for you. And all that shit about staying with her because she was there when you was going through it? I appreciate her for that, especially because you wasn’t opening up to me then. But you ain’t gotta be with somebody just because they showed up for you.”