Page 5 of Love me Like XO

Nodding my head I started to make her drink.

“I can’t help but think I know your face from somewhere,” she spoke again.

When I was about to speak, she did. “Amia’s brother. You pick her up or drop her off when she comes to the shop.”

I nodded my head before I finished her drink. By then she had taken a seat in the bar chair.

“The least you could do is keep me company while your boy sits in my seat putting the moves on my sister.”

I chuckled again. She was outspoken and pretty as fuck up close. Not that she wasn’t pretty from afar, but she was gorgeous from less than a few feet away.

“I’m Empress by the way.”

“Zero.” I reached out and shook the small delicate hand she offered.

“Zero… I like that it sounds ambiguous.” She sipped from her drink then looked up at the TV. “Remind me why this fight is such a big deal again? We all know how it goes, right?”

“Money, shorty,” I responded, glancing up at the TV as well.

I felt her eyes on me before she responded. “You’re right.”

“It was good talking to you, Zero. How much do I owe you?” She motioned toward her drink.

“Nothing. It’s on the house.”

A giggle escaped her lips and she nodded. “A drink on the house and I didn’t get turned down nor did I throw myself at you. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” I winked at her.

She smiled at me before politely nodding and grabbing her drink to return to her table.

At the same time Malik returned to the bar with a big ass smile on his face. “I think I just met my future wife.”

“She folded?” I quizzed.

“Hell nah, but she laughed at all my jokes. So, yeah, I’m about to stalk her fine ass.”

“Yo, you’re fucking sick.” I shook my head at how serious he was.

“You think I’m playing, but on my mama I’m gonna trap her.”

“Trap her? Woah big fella you only talked to shorty for five minutes.” I peered at him in confusion.

“When you know, you know. How was your conversation with sis’?”

I shook my head and walked off on his stupid ass.

Standingin the middle of my warehouse I studied the productivity happening around me. The streets were happy, and the money was good, but I wanted more. I wanted to be the connect for the entire city, not just the west side. I wanted more which meant. I had to do…more.

“You look like you have something on your mind, brodie,” Malik’s voice broke my thought process.

“This ain’t enough. I want more. We need to be the connects for the whole damn city.”

He looked at me strangely. “You ‘ont like the way that shit goes. Shit can be messy if you know what I mean.”

“Let me know if I’m wrong. If this is enough for you let me know. At this rate we’ll both be in this game until we’re Mal’s age.” Mal was the nigga from Columbia who we copped from. He was willing to push us more for the whole city, we just had to gain the clients.

“Hell nah. You’re right but you know how you are about street wars.”

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