Page 24 of Disrespectfully, Relic

Relic removed his coat, tossing it on the nearby chaise lounge before sauntering straight to his brother without acknowledging anyone else in the room. He gripped the side of Shabu’s head and meshed their foreheads together.

“When I give you my word, believe it. I already paid for her dress, so what else do you need from me?”

“We picked out the tuxedos, so grab a drink and get measured.” Shabu flung an arm around Relic’s shoulder and whispered, “Michi got the good shit in that body bag she’s holding. Drink half the champagne out ya flute and then fill the rest with liquor.”

Relic shook his head. “Y’all won’t ever have any fucking couth.”

“Nigga, stop talking to me in rich and just grab a goddamn drink ‘cause you need it. You’ve been more uptight than usual.”

“You try juggling these businesses, a family you been taking care of since a teen, and a fucking son who won’t even acknowledge you as his father and then tell me you wouldn’t be uptight.”

Before his brother could respond to his unwonted word vomit that spewed out against his will, Relic made an about face and headed for the table lined with flutes of bubbling liquid. Appetizers he’d seen Judith sell out of their small apartment before he started making real money were aligned beside it. He hadn’t eaten from the family’s restaurant in a while. After picking up a fried patty to bite, he redirected his attention toward the lush couch where Titan sat with Michi in his lap. Pierre and his girl were beside them, but the final guest he hadn’t expected caused his mouth to stop working mid-chew.

Relic was convinced he’d conjured Kennedy up as he stared at her, seated feet away from his folks in a single chair, nursing a glass of champagne. One corner of his mouth rose when she crossed one leg over the other, causing her wide legged jeans to rise and give him a glimpse of her pumps. His eyes grazed upward, taking the time to appreciate her oversized blazer layered over a lace top that concealed his most favorite part of her. When her glossed lips pursed at his obvious assessment, his dick jumped, making him frown. That involuntary reaction wasn’t one he expected.

He took another bite of his patty and crossed the room to greet his baby brother, dapping him up and then Pierre, who wore a goofy ass smile that forewarned Relic his folks was about to piss him off.

“Hungry ain’t you, gang? You fucking that patty up,” Pierre cracked, making Treasure stuff her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter. Relic chewed with a slow nod.

“Fuck you laughing at, brainiac? Matter fact, have some. You need to eat.” He held out his patty toward Treasure whose chin dropped to her chest in incredulity.

“I eat, thank you very much!”

“I can’t tell, zèl.”

“What’d you call me?!”

Pierre and Titan fell over each other in laughter, while Relic finished his patty, unmoved by the guileless eyes cutting into him. He was surprised Treasure had spoken to him at all.

She tended to avoid him since he’d seen her naked, thanks to Jessica, who’d lured the destitute girl into his sheets. Had Relic not assumed she was underage at the time; he’d have broken her in and turned her sheepish ass out for his baby mother to have her selling pussy out of a strip club like they’d done Michi. He deemed Treasure off limits once finding out that she was Savvy’s sister.

“He ain’t say shit bad, Bird. It means wings,” Pierre translated for her between laughs.

“Nah, it means, you’re so thin that it looks like you have bird wings. Why do you think he dubbed you Bird?” Relic exposed with a mocking grin. “I know, he sprinkled Blaise dust on that shit to make it nice and shiny, though. It ain’t yo fault, you can’t tell glitter from gold.”

Treasure leaned against her man and shook her head. Relic wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know about Pierre’s gift of gab.

“That’s not why he calls me Bird, and the reason he does isn’t meant for you to understand. It’s ours. Besides, he doesn’t use glitter... he has a secret sauce.”

“Say that shit, baby!” Pierre smacked a kiss on her cheek, making her cheese. “Folks trying to start shit, but he doesn’t know that we’re locked in. You know, he ain’t ever had a solid girl, so he doesn’t know nothing ‘bout this kind of bond. Both of his exes were hoes. You saw how his baby momma got down, and I think my bro fucked the other one.”

“You tell her, you fucked Jessica?” Relic snitched.

Michi stood to her feet at that, glancing around before she lied, “I swore, I heard Savvy call me. I’ll be back.”

“Nobody freaking called you! Why didn’t either of you tell me that!”

Treasure snatched away from Pierre who tried to hold her waist, so she wouldn’t leave. Her arm jammed into his gut, making him grunt before he hunched over as she glared at him and then leapt to her feet to follow her cousin. The moment she was out of earshot, Pierre shot Relic daggers.

“You’re taking shit too far now, folks.”

“When do you not take shit too far?” Relic countered, dusting his hands clean. “I’m just returning your energy. Ti frè, you think I went too far?”

Titan smirked and shook his locs from in front of his eyes. “No further than that nigga would’ve gone.”

“Exactly. What about you, big dog Kennedy? You think I overstepped?”

His eyes settled back where they’d been craving to land since he’d walked over, and he caught Kennedy’s frown at him mocking thebig dogmoniker his folks had given her. The unenthused bat of her curled lashes as she tapped a nail against her flute made him wonder if she’d been too deep in her head to pay attention, or if she simply didn’t care. Her shoulder lifting in response told him it was the latter.

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