Page 2 of Beautiful Harmonies

My mama had no idea that I needed an agent or a manager. She was both, and it stayed that way until the day she died. Once she left, I refused to hire anybody. Secondly, I couldn’t afford to hire anybody. I had my sister to take care of. There was no way I would have her living in the back seat of my mama’s car. That would have been fine for me, but Mi’Junae was our princess. Even if we couldn’t afford shit, we wanted to make sure shefeltlike she had the world.

When we got to the studio, my team exited the vehicle first, securing the area and making sure no one would have access to me. Typically, artists didn’t do shit like this on a day as major as today in the music industry, but fuck that. There were two things that had my complete loyalty and dedication… my sister and mymusic. She was taken care of, but I still needed to lay vocals on a track.

I didn’t give a fuck about the AMAs. My pockets meant so much more to me. My last single had generated a million dollars in streams in one weekend. My goal was to try to outdo myself. I was my only competition. I didn’t give a fuck about what anybody else was doing. I respected other artists and their hustle, but I never considered any of them to be better than me. As far as I was concerned, we were on a level playing field.

When they finally opened the door, and I stepped out of the car, it seemed like the media appeared from nowhere. Most of them crowded my area, but I noticed a few that went in another direction. I couldn’t help but be nosy and see who else was being hassled. LA was full of celebrities already, but there was even more here this weekend.

As I got a glimpse, my mouth watered. It was fucking Kamari, the sweet ass country girl I fantasized about all the time. She was so fucking fine. Her southern accent only made her sexier in my book. She was from Lafayette, Louisiana, and that Louisiana accent drove me insane. She was a country singer, but she didn’t fit the stereotype. Not only was she a black woman with natural hair, but she didn’t have the twang when she talked. I supposed her creole roots overpowered that shit.

I’d been following her career for a while, especially when she appeared on a rap song. You didn’t see many country artists journey to hip hop or R&B. I’d even watched the behind the scenes of them making that song, and I could tell she truly enjoyed it. When I read that rap music was her favorite genre of music, I was stunned. She sang country but had an affection for rap. That let me know that she may have had a lil hood in her.

I had been trying to convince myself that she wouldn’t want a nigga like me, but after reading more about her, I knew that I could possibly be just her type. She had said that there wasnothing like the black man and how her dad was a hardworking mechanic and had refused to quit his job when her career popped off. She was only seventeen when she became a country music phenom.

I realized I was standing still, staring at her in all her beauty. She had a huge smile on her face that adorned beautiful, straight teeth, like she’d worn braces before. Her thick, brown and copper colored curls were flying in the breeze, and they framed her gorgeous face perfectly. She seemed a little more tanned than she was the last time I’d seen her, but that was nearly six months ago. Her thick lips, high cheek bones, and slanted eyes drew me in like a moth to a flame.

When I finally gathered myself and was about to look away, our eyes met. She smiled bigger and winked.Shit.She had my nigga bricking up like he didn’t just get a taste this morning. It surely didn’t help that I was imagining I was fucking her.

I gave her a head nod then proceeded into the building. Apparently, she had the same idea as me. She was at the studio to work before the AMAs. Before I could get on the elevator, she appeared next to me. I smiled at her. For the first time in my damn life, I was nervous to talk to a woman.

“Hello, Deontray! I’m?—”

“Kamari. What’s up?”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. Before she could say anything else, I said, “I know you’re not shocked that I know who you are. Who could forget that beautiful voice, not to mention the beautiful face to match?”

She blushed. “Thank you. I just didn’t think you paid attention to country music.”

“I don’t. I just pay attention to Kamari Carrier. Congratulations on your nominations.”

She blushed again. “Well, I’m flattered.” She glanced at the two women with her, and said, “These are my best friends, the Disney Princesses.”

I frowned slightly, trying to figure out what the fuck she was talking about as she broke out in laughter. One of them extended her hand with a roll of her eyes. “Hi. I’m Tiana.”

I nodded at her as the other said, “And I’m Mulan.”

My eyebrows lifted, and I immediately caught the joke. My sister’s favorite Disney movies werePrincess and the FrogandMulan.I chuckled as Kamari laughed harder.

“I’m glad the two of you think that shit is funny,” Tiana said.

What made it even funnier was that the one named Mulan looked to have Chinese roots or Asian for certain. Tiana seemed to be straight hood though. She was just thick as fuck and light complexioned, even lighter than Kamari’s honey complexion. When the elevator doors opened, I extended my hand, allowing them to enter first. I caught a glimpse at Kamari’s physique. She was fine as hell. I had never been this close to her.

“You can stop looking at my ass, Deontray,” she said then laughed.

I walked on the elevator behind them along with two of our security guards. I didn’t know if she thought I would deny it or what, but since she brought it up, I would take it there. “Man, please. You want me to look at that peach, and I sure in the fuck don’t mind.”

She turned red as her friends giggled.That shit will hold her.Surprising me, she responded. “I don’t have a problem expressing what I want. My mind hadn’t actually gone there, but since it’s there now, there’s no harm in looking. It would take a lot more to go beyond that though.”

I smiled slightly as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, beautiful.”

I walked off the elevator without another word. I forced myself not to look back as I walked down the hallway to the studio. When I heard the elevator door close, I stopped and released the breath I seemed to be holding. Kamari was more outspoken than I thought she would be, but I liked that shit. There would be no guesswork involved with her.

I wanted her, and there was no doubt about it. She would be mine before she could count to ten.

“That nigga is so damn fine!”Tiana said as soon as the elevator doors closed.

I slightly rolled my eyes at her dramatics, but I was inclined to agree. “He really is. I’ve never been this close to him. The closer the damn better.”

Mulan giggled. “I know that’s right, sis. He really seems interested in you.”

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