Aubrey

I knocked on the back of Theodore's gas station door and waited on somebody to unlock the door. I hate coming around here sometimes but I gotta drop off this money and re-up. Every time I come around here, his minions are always watching me as if they're ready to kill me at a moment's notice. They've all seen me around here plenty of times before in the past month but I guess they're just doing their job. It just makes me uncomfortable to have this many people watching me.

"Nervous about something?" A deep voice spoke behind me.

I slightly turned around and saw Donny walking up behind me. Something about this nigga was of to me too. He looked familiar but I just couldn't put my finger on where I knew him but I definitely know him. I've come across him before. He's probably one of the lame niggas that couldn't hang in California and came out here to start over and get his career started. He looks weak as fuck with these gelled down Nipsey Hussle pigtails.

"Nah, I'm cool fam."

He chuckled as he pushed past me so he could unlock the door. "You sure? You look a little nervous, like you hiding something."

"I said I'm good."

He stood in front of the door so I couldn't get in as he folded his arms across his chest. He looked down on me, just starring at me so I looked right in his eyes. He was a lot taller than me but I wasn't going to back down especially to a goofy nigga like him.

"You tryna get smart with me?"

I sucked my teeth. "Nah, I'm not tryna get smart with you. I'm just tryna do my job and drop this money off."

"I handle all monetary affairs, so you can give the money to me."

"Okay, that's good for you but I'd rather give it to Prince."

Donny smirked. "Nigga, I don't care about what you'd rather do. I said I handle monetary affairs so you gon' give me the money. We don't do that shit around here. We got a system that you need to abide by."

"I've been giving the money to Prince for the past month so I'm not gonna switch up. Now, move over so I can drop this shit off. I'm not looking for any problems right now."

"Yeah, I'mma move," he said as he stepped to the side and pushed the door open for me, "but just know I'm fucking your bitch every night and she loves it."

"That's good for you. You can have her."

I was walking away from him but he kept talking. Damn. What's wrong with this nigga? The conversation is over but it's like he always wants to have the last word. The thing he doesn't know is that I like to have the last word too.

"And you better not fuck with my cousins."

"Who might that be?" I asked, turning around, finally giving him the attention he's been craving for.

"Prince and Lindsey. I saw you looking at her last night. Don't fuck with them."

Cousins? Since when did they have a cousin named Donny? I've been around Theodore and his family most of my life and I've never heard him mention a cousin named Donny so I don't believe it. And besides me not believing this clown, I'm not afraid of him. All he is, is talk. He can fuck Jaz as much as he wants because I don't want her; she's old news and nothing I want to be stuck on. I want to be her friend but I'm more into Lindsey right now. Jaz changed.

"Don't worry about me and what I'm doing. If I want Lindsey, I could have her. And with a snap of my fingers, I could take my leftovers from you too. You're fucking with the wrong one Donny."

"Nah. You fucking with the wrong one little nigga!" he yelled after me but I just turned my back and kept walking back to Theodore's office. I don't know what his problem is but if he wants to pick a fight with me every time I come over here then I'm ready for it.

I turned down a hallway and was just about to knock on Theodore's office door but stopped once I heard screaming coming from the other end. Some other guy was inside screaming about wanting Prince to stop hitting him.

"Why should I fuckin' stop!" Theodore yelled from inside the office. "You fucked over my sister! I told yo' ass if I caught you doing something else to her that I was gonna kill you!"

"M-man, Prince! We like fami--"

I jumped a little when I heard the guy get pistol whipped. I knew the sound of getting pistol whipped since it always happened in prison. "Shut the fuck up! We ain't family! We stopped being family a long ass time ago! You fucked on strippers, random bitches and now you fuckin' with somebody I consider my family. That's too far Cashmere."

"I-I'm sorry..."

Damn. So now everything is making sense. When I came to Lindsey's apartment about a month ago, the guy who pushed me out of his way was named Cashmere. I remember hearing Lindsey say his name. And now that Theodore is naming everything he's done, since I've heard so much about his notorious reputation for cheating on Lindsey, everything is starting to make a lot more sense than they had in the past. Shit. I don't blame Theodore for checking this clown though. I'd be doing the same thing if I found out a nigga was constantly treating my sister like shit too.

"Nah. You've said sorry too many times Cashmere and sorry doesn't mean shit anymore. I'm sick and tired of hearing your sorry ass apologies and I'm sure my sister is too. I told you five years ago when you met her to not cross her because you'd have to deal with me but you underestimated me. Y'all niggas always underestimate me but I'mma show everybody I'm not a weak nigga. They'll see once I kill you and hang your fat ass outside so then everybody can drive by and see how much of a goofy ass, clown ass nigga you are. Say goodbye Cashmere and I hope you slowly burn in hell."

"Pr--Theodore, STOP! Pl--"

I froze in my shoes when I heard Theodore shoot him three times. Everybody down here turned to Theodore's office, looked at the door for a few seconds and then went back to what they were doing as if this was normal.

Theodore's office door swung open and blood was splattered everywhere, including on Theodore. Blood stained his white shirt as well as his face but one of his minions quickly ran up to him with a change of clothes in a plastic bag and a team of more minions to clean up his office. Theodore took the shirt out of the guys' hand and didn't say anything to me. He just nodded for me to follow him and I complied. Theodore turned down a hallway and unlocked a door before I followed him down another flight of stairs. At the end of the stair case was two doors. One was master locked and had a large 'KEEP OUT' sign written across it, which is where they probably kept the money and the product. The other door was a bathroom that Theodore and I walked into.

As soon as I closed the door behind myself, Theodore started laughing. "You heard what went down?"

"Yeah," I scrunched up my face. "You good?"

He nodded his head as he turned on the water to wipe his face and arms down since he was covered in blood. "Hell yeah. I'm good now that I got the message through to him. He shouldn't be fucking with Lindsey in the future."

"Yeah, he won't be fucking with anybody where he's going," I replied. "Oh, I got your money."

"How much is it?" he asked as he wiped his arms down.

"Like almost two grand."

He smiled. "Damn. You sold all the weight I gave you this morning?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I been out there hustling. I told you I'm tryna earn your trust back by doing the right thing, and hustling is the only thing I know how to do right."

"I see. As much as I gave you, that was supposed to last you like two days. You been staying in the spots I told you to sell at?"

"Yeah. More people have been coming around and since I'm on the corner next to the high school, I stand around there before school, at lunch and after school. They're all gonna be looking to get this weed off of me and I'm always sold out after they get out of school. And while I'm waiting on lunch time and after school, I'm down the street with the crackheads and heroine addicts giving them their fixes. I got this whole thing worked out man. I really need some more product though."

Theodore wiped down his face once last time before turning off the water and turning to me. "Fasho. I usually don't let new guys move more weight than I know they can handle but I'm gonna give you more under one condition."

"What?"

"Switch up your routine sometimes. If you get too comfortable doing the same thing, people will start to catch on. Either the police will catch you and you'll get arrested or some other niggas gon' rob you, which means they're robbing me and I don't play about my money."

"I know. I'll switch up my moves," I said as I handed him the money.

"A'ight, go upstairs to my office and I'll meet you up there."

"But..."

He chuckled. "It'll be fine."

I nodded my head and just took his word on it. I'll be damned if I sit in his office with a dead body but since he claims it'll be fine, I'll go up there and see what's going on. I know those guys were supposed to be cleaning up but I doubt they cleaned up that quickly. When I looked inside, there was blood everywhere. I walked back upstairs to Theodore's office and to my surprise, there wasn't a spec of blood anywhere in the office. Damn. Those niggas cleaned up fast as hell.

I sat down in the seat in front of his desk and didn't move or look at anything. I just kept my eyes in my lap because I didn't like the atmosphere of this place. Everything seems really shady here, like at a moments notice, they'll kill me like Cashmere, clean up my body within ten minutes and leave me outside like I'm an attraction to the people driving by or something. I don't want to die; well not right now at least.

I slightly jumped when I heard the office door slam close before Theodore walked around me and sat down at his desk. He had the weight wrapped up in a brown paper bag but he placed it inside of a drawstring bag. "That's three grand worth of product in there. I want my three grand or more when you see me again. When do you think you'll be able to get all of this weight off of you?"

"Give me 36 hours."

"If you can sell it in 24 hours, I'll give you your next set for free."

I smiled. "A'ight, I can do that."

"Don't disappoint me Aub."

"I won't fam. I got'chu. Oh, what's the move for tonight? We going out again?"

Theodore shook his head. "After that bullshit last night, I'm not going out with them girls again. I gotta handle some business at one of my clubs tonight and Thursday nights are always lit, so come through. It's at Platinum. There's gonna be buy five, get two free wings tonight and the dancers are putting on a big show tonight. You should come through."

I smirked. "Oh, I'll definitely be there. Y'all got lemon pepper wings?"

"Of course," he laughed.

"Alright, that's what's up. I'll be there tonight. I'll see you later fam."

"Bye Aub and stay clear of Donny."

"Tell him to get off of my nuts. He was on me as soon as I walked in here."

He nodded his head. "I know and I'll talk to him but just stay out of his way."

"A'ight, I will."

I grabbed the drawstring bag and walked out of Theodore's office. I'll stay out of Donny's way since I need this money but he's not going to be talking to me like he's lost his mind anymore. I know that's for sure. Regardless of my past with Jaz and Lindsey, Donny will respect me.

Victoria

Today was Teddy's last day in California. We were on our way to the airport since he had a flight out to Atlanta in a couple of hours. I can't stand Teddy sometimes but I do miss having him around. I miss having my friend around physically. I can always call him or text him but it's nothing like having him here physically and five years away from your best friend is really hard to do.

I turned to Teddy, who was sitting beside me in the backseat of his Escalade. He had one of his drivers taking us to the airport since he wanted me to see him off. I swear, Teddy still acts like a big baby sometimes. Every time he comes to California, he wants me to meet him at the airport and whenever he leaves, he wants me to see him off.

"You know, I didn't mean to get you upset last night," I told him. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

He sighed. "I know."

"I don't like people taking advantage of you Teddy. You've been through too much in your life to let one simple-minded girl take advantage of you and ruin everything you've created for yourself and our family."

Teddy finally turned my way. "Milan can't touch anything I've created, trust me. I may have married the girl but what's mine is mine and what's hers is mine since I've bought everything she's ever had."

I chuckled. "Including those hard titties?"

Teddy smirked. "Yeah. You know, when I first met her, she was flat chested as hell. I went from being able to grab all over your big ass titties to her A-cups so she had to see Dr. Miami," he said as the two of us started laughing. "I paid for her to get them done because I wasn't about to be sucking on her heart. I need some titties, so I had to upgrade her."

"How do those feel?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at my boobs. "Like titties, I guess, but she ain't got nothing on you baby girl. You so damn pretty Tori."

I smiled. "Thanks Teddy."

"And I know you probably don't wanna hear this, but you're too damn pretty to be marrying a lame nigga like Jayvion. He's a lawyer. He's boring. That's not what you need in your life because trust and believe, you'll get bored quickly."

It's been five years and I haven't gotten bored with Jayvion. It's more to a man than what he can buy for me. It's the love, loyalty and consistency that I love about Jayvion. "Since you know so much about me, what do you think I need in my life?"

"A tycoon, a mogul, a multimillionaire. A businessman that makes his money without having to lift a finger. The people under him do his work and make his money for him so he can afford to live in between California and Georgia and still take care of his family and his wife, whom he thinks deserves the world."

I slightly smiled. "As sweet as that sounds, it's not always about the money when I have my own and I'm not your wife anymore."

"You gon' forever be my wife Victoria Reed."

"So you got two wives now?"

"I got a wife I'm legally bonded to by law but I got another wife that I really love but she's playing games with me. It's been five damn years Victoria. How long are you gonna keep holding out on me? Damn. I figured you'd dump that nigga Jayvion by now."

I laughed. "Why are you so mad Teddy? I told you that the two of us can be friends but you know how things get between us when we're together. We're better off as friends with this 2,000 mile distance between us because you know after awhile we'll get sick of each other and start acting a fool. I like you as my friend Theodore."

"I can't be friends with a woman I'm in love with."

"Well you're just gonna have to deal with it because we're going to be friends forever. I'm getting married to Jayvion at the end of this year, and even if our relationship doesn't work out, me and you can't ever be together again. It's too stressful."

"I got an idea...and it still involves us being friends. Friends with benefits."

I rolled my eyes. "You're joking, right? Teddy, we're too old to still be creeping around. Either we're committed or we're not and we're not. We're friends and nothing more than just platonic friends. And since we're platonic friends, I want you to come to my wedding this August. It's going to be small. We're having it in Jamaica. I want you to be there."

Teddy sucked his teeth. "I'm not going to that, stop playing."

"Why?"

"For one, you didn't even come to my wedding and two, I don't agree with my wife marrying a lame nigga."

I rolled my eyes. "At this point in time, I figured we were adult enough to support each other in our other endeavors. I didn't come to your wedding because the feelings and wounds were still fresh. It's been five ye--"

"Stop being a damn liar. You wouldn't have come to my wedding if it was five, ten or even fifteen years later and you know that. You wouldn't come because you still love me and I still love you and I don't agree with you marrying somebody else if you still have feelings for your ex."

"I'm gonna always have feelings for you because we spent so much time together but our relationship is dead. I'm not gonna force you to come to my wedding but it would be nice if you'd come to support me. I don't have many friends and I'd like it if you were there because I doubt if the kids will come."

Teddy heavily sighed as the driver pulled up in front of the airport. The driver parked the car in front of the entrance and got out to unload Teddy's suitcase. Teddy and I both got out of the car so he could get his luggage. "Look, I love you a lot Victoria but I don't think I'm gonna be able to come to your wedding. I know I won't be able to bring myself to do it. But I support you and anything you do, just not getting married when you have resolved feelings for me."

I sighed. "I understand and I love you for being honest with me."

"I love you too," he said as he pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm loving you enough to let you go. You can marry him but I'd die if you had any children with him. That would break my heart."

I smiled as I looked up at him. "Well you're in luck, I can't even have children anymore. I've had my two babies with you so you're lucky," I informed him for the hundredth time since he always likes to bring up how he'd be so heart broken if I had children with another man as if he doesn't have a child with another woman. "But on the other hand, you need to go on into the airport before you miss your flight. You know you need to get back to the arena in Atlanta so you can play with your balls."

Teddy sucked his teeth. "I can't stand you Tori but you know that's all I want you to do to me."

"Whatever. Bye Teddy."

"Bye Victoria Reed."

Teddy kissed my forehead before he walked into the airport. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. I think Teddy and I are better off as friends and I plan on keeping our relationship platonic for as long as I possibly can.

Theodore III

After that little encounter with Cashmere earlier, I needed to head over to one of my clubs to clear my mind. I considered Cashmere to be apart of the family--distant family-- but still family and he double crossed me. He should just be glad I let him off easy. I have too much on my mind right now to torture him like I wanted to. Only now, the message was embedded in him to never fuck with my family again and to never take me for granted. I may not be one of the oldest, most knowledgeable or swole like the rest of the niggas running things around here but I've learned from the best and I've learned to be ruthless. And if that meant making an example out of Cashmere, then so be it. He deserves everything, and more, than what I dished him today.

Tone dropped me off in front of Platinum and I walked right into the club. Since it was getting close to opening up for the night, people were already lined up outside and the dancers were already inside, as well as the bouncers, bartenders and waiters. I was greeted as soon as I stepped foot into the club. I returned their greetings but I had other things on my mind today. I needed to see what the fuck was up with Goldie since she just played me and left me hanging. If she didn't want anything to do with me then she could've just told me instead of walking around like I don't exist or as if we didn't have a connection.

I'm not one to chase after women because I can easily find them anywhere. Just like last night with Danity. I let her fuck me in the whip, I dropped her off at home and I don't plan on having any interactions with her anymore because she was just something to do last night. The two of us don't connect at all but Goldie was different. I let my guard down just for her. She met my family. She came to my home. She spent time with my daughter and I. Even if she doesn't want anything to do with me, she owes me an explanation as to why she just stopped coming around.

I gave her, her time but three weeks is long enough time to think and sort your feelings out since we weren't that serious. I can't have any hard feelings if she doesn't want anything to do with me but leading me on and not speaking to me for weeks is unacceptable.

I walked back to the dancers' dressing room to confront Goldie about playing with me like I'm some average nigga. I knocked on the dressing room door before walking inside and getting lust-filled stares from my employees.

"Hey Prince," Beauty smiled as she walked up to me with nothing on but a g-string.

I bit my lip, trying to keep my eyes on hers. I swear she did this shit on purpose. Beauty was definitely a beauty and lived up to her name. She had long jet black hair the stopped just at the top of her ass, which protruded just a little too far. I knew she had ass shots and had gotten her titties done too but it all looked good to me. But the best part of her was her smooth caramel skin and the numerous tattoos that covered her luscious skin. Beauty reminded me a lot of Blac Chyna.

If I was as careless as I wanted to be, I wouldn't have hired Beauty. I would've kept her for my own pleasure but I knew better than to house all of my ladies. I put them on stage so every other nigga in Georgia could see how beautiful they were. I've never laid a finger on any of my girls except for Goldie and Mocha. Mocha was one of the first girls I hired when I acquired the clubs from King. I was young and dumb when I first started fucking with Mocha, and after awhile, I couldn't stop. She was easy on the eyes and on the dick. Mocha is beautiful and there's no doubt about that but that's just about all she has to offer. Her personality is trash.

The next girl I got my hands on was Goldie because she was different. She wasn't like the rest of the girls around here that were stripping just to make a career out of this, she was actually trying to put herself through school. While there were other ways to make money, this was quick and I couldn't knock her hustle. She knew how to handle herself, and whether or not she was sleeping with other niggas around here, I wouldn't have known since she's so private with her life. Her privacy and refusal to be like the rest of the girls is what intrigued me. I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know what she did once her shift was over.

I smirked. "Beauty," I replied, still trying to keep my eyes focused on hers. "You wearing that tonight for your set?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe not for my set but for a special someone after I get off of work." Beauty looked around at the other girls who were getting themselves ready for their shifts tonight and not paying us any attention before she took a step closer to me, ultimately pressing her hard titties up against my chest. She placed her hands on my shoulders as she continued to look me deep in my eyes as if she was trying to read me or something. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Working."

She smacked her lips. "I mean afterwards or when do you get a break tonight? I have the first set of the night so I should be done fairly quickly."

I chuckled as I took a step back, removing her hands from my shoulders. "As nice as that sounds Beauty, I gotta keep things professional between us. You work for me and I can't be mixing business and pleasure but trust and believe if you didn't work for me, you would've never had to approach me. I would've had you a long ass time ago. Now, I suggest you continue getting ready before you start some shit you can't finish."

"Yes sir."

A seductive smirk graced her face as she walked back to her vanity. Even though she was walking away, I knew that wasn't the end of her. I knew she'd be back around for more another time. It's like no matter how nicely you let people down, they always take your kindness as something unimportant and mediocre. It isn't until I finally snap that people take me seriously.

I shook Beauty out of my mind as I walked through the dressing room to get to Goldie's area. She never really hung out with the rest of the girls that much, instead she stayed to herself, made her money and did her own thing. I looked to my left and there she was doing her makeup in the vanity. I cleared my throat, causing her to look my way. She only looked my way for half of a second before she focused on her makeup again.

"Hi Prince," she retorted, sounding annoyed to be in my presence.

I took a deep breath. These girls are always trying to test me. "You got a minute to talk?"

"I really have to get ready for tonight."

"It'll only take a few minutes."

"Alright, fine," she huffed.

What ever I did to make Goldie treat me this way was beyond me. I never disrespected this girl or did anything wrong to her so I don't know why she's being so damn mean. I stepped to the side and watched as she stood from her vanity, pulling her pink satin robe closed over her naked body. I knew she was naked underneath based on how she left it slightly open before she stood up. Damn. Goldie was a tease and wasn't easy to fuck with like the rest of these girls and she knew that.

I led the way out of the dressing room and as soon as I opened the door, I saw Banga, one of the little niggas that pushed weight for me. He was an average nigga off the streets with nothing really going for him but he did know how to push weight. Although he smoked more than he sold and could be a jackass most of the time, he always had all of my money whenever he needed more weight. But in all of his years working for me, he always seemed a little off to me. I knew he was too afraid to ever be a snitch but he was a goofy nigga, to say the least. But he was even goofier to be standing outside of the dressing room.

"What's up Prince," he said as he gave me some dap but his attention was elsewhere.

"What's up? What'chu doing back here? This is for employees only."

"I know but I was looking for somebody important."

"A'ight, well look for that person and handle your business where all the patrons can be but not where my employees are getting ready for work. You stepped over an entire rope and disregarded a big ass sign that said for "Employees Only"," I explained to him. "Who are you looking for anyways?"

"Well I'm not looking no more, I found her."

I turned around and looked at Goldie, who looked like she had gotten caught up. Oh. So this is why she's been pushing me away. She's sleeping with one of the guys that works for me. Damn. What's wrong with girls these days? Why sleep with a nigga that's working for somebody else when you can just fuck with the boss? "Oh, you were looking for Goldie?"

Banga nodded his head. "Yeah. This is my girl."

I slowly nodded my head. "Oh, a'ight. That's what's up," I replied. That whole girlfriend comment caught me off guard. I knew Goldie had a life outside of the club but I didn't think she'd be associating with low class, bottom of the barrel niggas like Banga. He was selling dope for a living and still barely getting by. He was a clown. "I gotta holla at her for a second though so give us some privacy."

"No need for privacy. Whatever you gotta tell her, you can tell me since she planned on giving you her letter of resignation today."

"Banga, what the hell are you talking about?" Goldie finally spoke up, and it was about damn time that she did.

I scrunched up my face as I turned to Goldie, who looked just as confused as I did. "Letter of resignation? Nah, Banga. She's not leaving my club until I hear the words come out of her mouth that she wants to quit. And whenever she can say the words to my face, then I'll let her go. But for now, I'mma need you to get the hell out of club before you get escorted off of the premises."

Banga kissed his teeth as a slight chuckle escaped his mouth. "A'ight. I see how it is now Prince. Goldie, I need to talk to you right now."

He reached out for Goldie but I pushed his hand away from her and stood in between them. "You handle your personal business outside of my club but this is a place of business and no bullshit is about to go down tonight unless you tryna deal with me," I warned him.

Banga posed no threat to me at all, so if he wanted to start throwing hands then I'd be ready for whatever was coming my way. But he's not going to disrespect me, my club or my employees. Fuck him. I looked beyond Banga at Tone, who was watching the scene unfold from a distance. I gave him a slight head nod, which was enough for him to make his way over to us.

"Is everything all right Prince?" he asked.

"Nah, I need you to take some trash out. This weak nigga right here," I pointed to Banga, "isn't allowed here so take his goofy ass out of here and don't let his ass back in here again."

"Damn," Banga chuckled as Tone grabbed his shoulder to begin escorting him out. "So it's like that now bro? I thought we were cool!"

"We were until you decided you wanted to start fucking with my money. Get him out of here Tone," I demanded.

"Let's go sir." Tone kept his firm grip on Banga's shoulder but Banga wasn't budging. He was bent on standing here, mugging me as if his life depended on it. "I said let's mother fuckin' go blood!" Tone pulled Banga out of the frozen state he was in but Banga pushed him away.

"Get'cho fuckin' hands off of me! I can leave this place on my own," he said before he turned to me but Tone was still pulling him away. "I see how it is now Prince but don't think this shit is over. Fuck you and fuck that bitch! Y'all niggas gon' hear from me soon."

I smiled, "I'll be waiting to hear from you." Tone grabbed him by the neck and threw him out of the club, and as soon as he did, I turned to Goldie. "That's your nigga? That's who you rocking with now?"

Goldie sighed. "It isn't even like that Prince, I swear."

"So what's it like then? Because I'm confused. Just three weeks ago, shit was fine. I let you into my world. You know shit about me that nobody else knows, you spent time with my family, you came to my house. I let you spend time with my daughter. And now shit's different because you're with a new nigga. You were supposed to chill with me and my daughter and you left us hanging," I spoke lowly so only she could hear. "If you didn't wanna be around us then you could've just said it instead of leaving us in the dark. My baby girl's been asking about you for weeks now."

Goldie took another deep breath. "Can we please talk somewhere else?"

I shook my head and pushed past her as I walked further down the hallway to my office. I stepped inside and Goldie followed, closing the door behind herself. I leaned against the edge of my desk while she stood against the door, creating more distance between us.

"You can speak now," I told her.

"Look, Banga and I might be together but it's not even a relationship I'm pushing to make work. We've been on and off for about seven months now and I can't get rid of him. I don't know why he won't just let me go but he's demanding and I'm trying to listen to him because I don't want things to blow up in my face."

"You wanna be with him?"

She shook her head. "No. I always thought he was kind of weird but he pressured me into being with him. He courted me, became obsessed with me and here I am seven months later taking care of a grown ass man. I don't want him and I've been dropping hints to him for months about the two of us going our separate ways but that's not apart of his agenda. And I swear I never meant to stand you and Princess up. The night I was supposed to come over, I had all of my things packed and I was ready to go but he came home and cancelled my plans."

"Oh, so you live with that clown?"

"Yeah. When his Mama kicked him out, he was supposed to stay with me temporarily but temporarily turned into permanent and now he's running my home. I'm paying all of the bills and ultimately taking care of him but he just won't let me leave no matter how hard I try."

"So why'd you just walk around ignoring me the past few weeks? Was it because of him?" I asked. The more Goldie told me about her relationship with Banga, the worse I felt for her. I normally don't care much about what happens to people but I guess I got a soft spot for Goldie; a soft spot I knew I'd have to get rid of since she's one of my employees.

"Yes," she nodded her head. "He wouldn't let me do anything. He took my phone so I couldn't call you and explain what was going on. But even if he hadn't taken my phone, you'd still be clueless. He stayed around me 24/7 to make sure I wasn't cheating on him or talking to any other guys. He dropped me off here, he and his friends stayed the entire time and watched everything I did, he took me home and either him or one of his friends stayed and watched me the entire night. It was nights he didn't even sleep because he thought I would leave so he'd literally sit in bed all night and watch me sleep because he was so paranoid. He's crazy."

"Yeah, I see that. I just wish you would've told me sooner. Goldie, you know I fuck with you. You could've just told me something, dropped some hints so I could've known what was going on so I was left in the dark."

"I was trying to handle things on my own before I told anyone else."

"So what's your next move?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "At this point, I don't even know. But I know Banga's gonna be pissed off when he goes home. I had the locks changed this morning after he left. He hasn't been back to the apartment since this morning so he should be pretty surprised when he gets back. I just hope he doesn't get too crazy when he sees his stuff sitting on the front porch."

I laughed. "You kicked the nigga out?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, it's the only way I know how to start pushing him away from me because talking to him like an adult isn't working. I just hope nobody stole his stuff, even though I'm sure it might be gone. I set it all out earlier this morning."

"You already know the crackheads done took his shit. He's gonna be pissed off. You think you gon' be able to go home tonight alone?"

"I don't know, I'll be able to handle it."

I knew I wouldn't be able to take Goldie home tonight because I wanted to get back at a decent time. I can't have Princess' nanny taking care of her day in and day out. I wanna be able to watch my daughter too and I wanna wake up early enough to help her get ready for school tomorrow morning because there's not much I can get done when I'm running off of three to four hours of sleep per night. I'm tired as hell.

"How about I have one of my guards take you home tonight and make sure you get into the house safely? I can have one of them stay the night in case Banga decides he wants to play some games tonight."

"Staying the night is too much Prince. I can hold my own against Banga. I'm not afraid of him but one of them making sure I get home safely is fine with me," she said as she walked towards me. She pushed the chair sitting in front of me out of the way as she took its spot. She stood in front of me looking good as hell. Goldie hadn't finished her makeup but she was so damn beautiful to me; one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on. Before I could make a move on her, she slipped her arms around my neck. "Prince, how come you never told me you moved?"

I scrunched up my face. "Huh?" How did she know I moved? I never told anybody that I moved.

"I went by your condo yesterday to try to explain myself to you but you weren't there. The condo was empty so I went downstairs to Lindsey's condo and hers was empty too. It's like you guys just disappeared."

Good. That's what I wanted it to look like. I didn't want anybody knowing who moved, where we moved, when we moved or what we moved. It wasn't anybody else's business.

I was about to respond but Goldie's gesture stopped me. She grabbed my hands and placed them on her waist, making me slightly smile. "Oh yeah, we just moved a few weeks ago. You know, I can't stay in one place for too long. Ion need niggas knowing where me and my daughter lay our heads and it was getting too dangerous to keep my family there," I explained.

Besides random niggas like Aubrey just popping up and finding out where we stay, I needed to get Princess away from Nicole and the vibe she bought with her. Nicole was negative, a hoe and somebody I didn't want rubbing off on Princess. I wanted Princess to have a relationship with her mother but Nicole doesn't want to be a mother. Nicole wants to act like she doesn't have a child so I played along with her game and took her child away from her. Now she doesn't have a child to pretend to take care of anymore.

"Where do you live now?"

"I can't really say. I'm trying to keep my life private."

Goldie smiled. Damn, she was beautiful. "Even from me?"

I was getting hard just looking at her. I think Goldie knew what she did to me and she made sure she did this when ever she wanted to get her way with me. But I can't say it never worked in her favor. No female has ever been able to make me cave the way Goldie does, maybe Tee Tee but I was young and dumb back then. I didn't know any better, and now that I've experienced all kinds of women, I knew I shouldn't have been mesmerized by Tee Tee and her games. Now Goldie, she's different.

"Let me take you out," I said, changing the subject.

Of course I wanted to take Goldie back to my crib but I just couldn't, especially not after what just happened. I know Goldie's genuine but she was with a fraud ass nigga. I trust her but her baggage can't be around my daughter, not until I know she's safe. I don't need Banga popping up on no stupid shit and Princess is around. I can handle Banga on my own but I'd die if something happened to Princess. I know it's not Goldie's fault things are the way they are but it's the company she keeps. Goldie is too dangerous right now to know where my daughter and I stay.

And shit, all of this could be a game. Nowadays, females can be just as tricky and deceiving as men and I don't need Goldie tricking me just so Banga can get close to me and cross me. I've been played too many times by the women in my life, so I'm going about things with Goldie differently.

She smiled. "When?"

"Tomorrow night."

"I have to work."

"I'll pay you double."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll just call off tomorrow night. I don't want to take your money."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I hate having you pay for us hanging out."

"Alright, well make sure you wear something sexy. You like seafood?"

"Yeah."

I had the perfect idea for a date, especially since I knew she liked seafood. I mean, she told me before she liked it and I remembered she did. I just didn't want her thinking I remembered every single detail she told me about herself even though I did. Goldie intrigues me. My date with Goldie was going to be perfect but I had to make a few calls to validate everything. I just dreaded having to make a phone call to my Dad though. I can't stand him.

"Alright, well Tone will pick you up tomorrow afternoon around 12 and make sure you bring enough clothes for the weekend. You mind if Princess comes with us?""

"Of course not. You know I love Princess, Prince."

I smiled. That's something else I liked about Goldie. She accepted Princess. She leaned over and tried to kiss my lips but I stopped her. "Call me Theodore." I grabbed her face and kissed her soft lips but I quickly pulled away. I didn't want anything happening between Goldie and I tonight. I wanted to wait until our date tomorrow night. "Go back to work Mya."

She smiled as she backed away from me, turning red as hell. "Bye Prince."

As soon as she walked out of my office, my smile turned into a frown since I had to call my Dad. I wanted this date to go smoothly and I know he just made a ridiculous purchase and I needed to borrow that purchase for the night. Of course I could just buy it for myself, but why would I buy a yacht just for one date? I walked around to the back of my desk and pulled out my phone so I could call my Dad. He answered on the first ring.

"Theodore Reed the third? Has my son finally called me? I'm surprised," he answered, already on that bullshit.

I kissed my teeth. "Man, you always on that bullshit. I haven't talked to you in a couple weeks so we good."

"I wanna hear from you more. Lindsey call me everyday and I hear from Isaiah a few times a week. My youngest son doesn't even communicate with me. You're my name sake son, you're supposed to keep in touch with me. We live in the same state and don't even see each other. You never even told me you were moving either. And where's my Granddaughter? You know, I've only got one of those and I barely see her."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I know, I know," I replied. "Me and Princess been handling business. That's why we're so busy."

"A'ight, I'll take that excuse since I've been busy as well. We should meet up tomorrow for lunch. I can clear up my schedule for you. We can do lunch at 12."

"Actually I was a little busy at 12 tomorrow. I was calling to see if I could borrow your yacht for the weekend."

"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, making me regret every asking him. "I have an even better idea. I can take the entire family down to Savannah tomorrow and stay the weekend on the yacht. I'll even get your mother and her new bitch to come with us."

I can't stand my Dad but his hatred for Jayvion was hilarious. "I was actually trying to impress a girl tomorrow night Pops."

"Oh, who, Mya? Or you moved on from that?"

"Nah, it's Mya."

"Oh good. I thought she was good for you. She had a strong head on her shoulders," he told me. "You know, there's four bedrooms in the yacht so she can stay even if the family comes. Plus Victoria needs to meet her. It'll put her at ease since she thinks you're too caught up with work and not looking for a wife. Look, don't even worry about it son. I'll have my assistant sort out all of the details and invite the entire family. You, Princess and Mya meet at my house tomorrow afternoon at 12. Does that sound good?"

I sighed. "Yeah, it sounds great Dad."

I really wanted it to be a quiet weekend with Princess and Mya but I can't argue with the man over his yacht. I'll just have to get my own in the future. I don't mind spending the weekend with my family but I know the type of trouble they bring with them. My Dad is just messy and will be all over Mama and Milan. Jayvion will be mad but won't really be able to say much since King will more than definitely be here if Mama comes. King will be causing trouble because he always does. And if King comes then Charmaine will come. All Charmaine does is gossip and keep drama going. And if Lindsey comes, then she'll just be feeding into the drama with Adonis and Jazmine. Jesus, Jazmine can't come and neither can Aubrey.

Damn. Now I'm regretting even putting this thought in my Dad's head. It's going to be a weekend from hell. I'll be lucky if Goldie even wants anything to do with me after she gets a dose of my family this weekend.

~~~

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How do you guys feel about this chapter? How do you guys feel about Aubrey? Is he as genuine as he's claiming he is? How do you guys feel about what Theodore did to Cashmere? Did he deserve to get shot? How will Lindsey react? How do you guys feel about Teddy and Victoria's relationship? Will it remain platonic? Will Banga retaliate against Theodore and Goldie? How will this weekend on the boat go?