Page 12 of Giving Him Something He Can Feel

I waited until I parked the car before I looked in her direction for a full explanation. “Dumb it down for me, because I swear I don’t get it.”

“Cartrek and Cartier run the Ace Boys. Aylo is their rival if niggas even call it that. He runs the Mafia niggas. They’re not exactly beefing, but shit is thick with them. Meaning any little thing will have these niggas beefing and bullets flying.”

“And my brother is Ace.”

“Ace affiliate because he occasionally handles shit for them from time to time.” She shrugged.

“And how do you know this?”

“Who doesn’t? I mean with the exception of you, it’s public knowledge.” She shrugged. “So, Aylo. You give him your number?”

“Uh yeah, he was fine and had a little bit of personality.”

Jovie laughed. “I heard them Mafia niggas didn’t eat coochie, but that’s an ocean you gotta crosson yo’ own.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her stupid ass. “What is wrong with you, girl?”

“Shit, nothing. What Steve say ‘bout thinking like a man? When I see these niggas I think about sex. Nothing more nothing less.”

I nodded. “If that’s true, then what’s the problem with Cartier?”

“Everything. Nothing. Too much. Not enough.”

“English, Jovie.”

“Deep pockets, good dick, and a God complex. My fucking type, but he’s too friendly with the dick. I ain’t trying to marry the man or anything like that, but him fucking with Taylor blindsided the fuck out of me. Hell, I don’t know why it even bothered me.”

“Because you like him. I peeped the fear in yo’ eyes that night when you thought I had familiarity with him. He might not have but I di?—”

She nodded. “He did, then he cornered me about it while you were over there showing your thirty-two to Trek.”

“I was not. I was thanking him for the MacBook.”

“The MacBook? Bitch what are you not telling me?”

`I sighed, before running down the whole thing to her. Of course by the end of my story she was cheesing hard as hell.

“Well from experience I know Ace niggas eat coochie and spend the dough.” She hopped out of my truck at the same time as I did. We met at the back, walking toward the mall.

“Again how do you know I’ma sleep with the nigga, Jo?”

“Hell you betta. Test the fucking waters. You saw how unfair that love shit was last time you gave it a chance. We ain’t getting any younger either.”

That she was right about. I had done the love thing and got done dirty. Maybe it was time for me to just be with no expectations.

Chapter Three

Jovie

My eyes hurt because I had been staring at this damn board in front of me for hours. I don’t know what it was missing, but it was something. I prided myself in near perfect events so the fact that I felt like something was missing with this one irritated me. Made me wanna pull my hair out, bite my nails to the beds and scream. Something was off, and I couldn’t place it. Something with this ghetto ass shindig was completely off. Maybe it was the fact that this vision clashed with what I was used to. No expense was spared, but it was something. Then again maybe it was the fact this was a first. I’d never planned a shoe ball. I always shied away from the low budget events with no real purpose. However this one I couldn’t, the money was plentiful, and the nigga was flashy.

My phone buzzed on my desk, prompting me to turn around. I already knew who it was, it had been him the last day and a half. Cartier was too cool for this shit, but also the type of nigga not used to being told no. Gotta admit that even though I longed to be the bitch telling him yes, I liked grounding his ego.

I was inclined to let the call rollover, but he would just call back. He wasn’t a good morning text type of nigga. He was a let me call you at the ass crack of dawn and have a whole ass conversation about a day that hasn’t started yet.

“Cartier it’s called stalking.” I picked the phone up putting it on speaker, before going back over to my work area.

“I’on give a fuck. Buzz me in.”

---