Page 26 of Allure

I held my hand up to stop him. “I don’t give a fuck, Kole. Give me my key and get the fuck out.”

I held my hand out for him to drop the shit into my hand.

“Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be this mad. Well, if I’m being real, I didn’t expect you to find out. I’m going to make this shit right. Even if I had to explain this to your wife, all you have to do was tell me the time and place,” he said as he dropped my key into my palm.

I walked away without saying another word. I was sure he knew I was done with the conversation. When I heard the front door closing behind him, I made my way over, locking everything up. I then headed for the garage to drive to grab food, then head back to my wife.

If there was a moment I needed her, it was now. I hopped in my truck and then lifted the garage door to back out. After making sure it was closed all the way, I made my way back toward the gate. I checked my texts before pulling completely out and Lore had sent me a message with what she wanted to eat so I headed for the best Hibachi spot. My phone rang and Alexis’s name popped up on the screen.

“What’s up?” I answered.

“Well, hello to you, too, brother. I can already see you’re in a bad mood,” she responded, which let me know Kole had already called her.

“I’m sure you know why.”

She cleared her throat and then replied, “I do. Kole called me and your response to the situation was valid. But you know he does stupid shit.”

I shook my head because this was the same excuse every time Kole did some shit that wasn’t right. It was as if everyone in my family knew something I didn’t, which was why he always got a pass. I didn’t give a fuck because his mistakes would interfere with my life.

“Here y’all go making excuses for everything he does. That was fucked up, what he pulled. What if I would have been walking into that house with my wife?” I asked.

“I understand. I’m not saying you’re wrong, Niko. I’m saying don’t stay mad forever and allow him to give you a proper apology to fix this. We’re family,” she said calmly.

I understood where she was coming from and I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t be mad forever, let alone past tonight, but he needed to realize his choices affect more than just himself, and in this case, me.

“I hear you. Well, now I have to go into this house and explain the situation to my wife before she sees the picture of that woman leaving my house. There were a ton of reporters outside of my gate, waiting for something like this to happen. You have a good night and I’ll talk to you later.”

“Damn it, Kole. All right, Niko. I’ll check on you later this week, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” she asked.

“I hear you.”

“Love you, baby brother.”

I groaned because she loved to say that shit. “Love you, sis.”

I ended the call and said a silent prayer because I knew I would have some explaining to do. Or at least that was what I thought.

I swayed to the music as I continued to paint in my space. I didn’t know how much time had gone by since Niko left to get his things. I hadn’t heard the doorbell ring or anything, which was why I knew he hadn’t gotten here yet. I took a step back from the canvas to get a good look and I fell more in love with this piece with each stroke of my brush.

Just then, the doorbell rang, alerting me that I had company. I left the room and jogged downstairs. Looking through the peephole, Niko held food and his bags on the other side. I quickly unlocked the door and opened it wide. I tried to reach out to grab something but he let me know he was all right.

He placed his bag down by the edge of the couch, then walked toward the kitchen to bring the hibachi in. My stomach began to growl at the sight of the food. I couldn’t wait to dig in. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten so this would be exactly what I needed.

Once I made it into the kitchen, he had laid the food out on the island and had a box placed on the counter too. I was intrigued, so I walked over and lifted it. It was a card game for couples called Let’s Get Deep. I looked up at Niko, who had a somber expression on his face.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You were fine when you left earlier,” I asked.

I immediately walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, then placed my chin on his chest to look up at him. He leaned down and kissed me a few times before answering.

“You know, I went to my place, which my brother and sister have access to even when I am not home, you know, for emergencies. Long story short, I walked in and it sounded like someone was fucking in my house. I went upstairs and Kole was in there with some female, getting it in in my guest room. It didn’t make it any better that every reporter known to man was outside of my gate. I just don’t know when he is going to grow up. I had to take my damn key back. Speaking of that, you can have his,” he said.

Niko reached into his pocket and then handed me the key. I craned my head to the side to check his expression. I knew he was irritated so I didn’t want to push that even further, but I had questions.

“So what did he say when you confronted him about it?” I asked.

“The same ole shit. He didn’t know what he was thinking and it was his bad. He didn’t mean to cause drama in my life or do the shit in my house. Then Alexis called me, pleading his case like I wasn’t the one who was wronged,” he vented.

I could tell by his tone this was something he experienced often with his family. It was almost as if it wasn’t required for some of them to take responsibility for their actions. I chose to stay quiet because this was something between him and his siblings that he had under control without me making it worse.

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