Page 34 of Perfect Rhythm
“Shit, trying to chill. You know your brother’s club be jumping on Sundays.”
“Fo sho,” I replied.
“What’s up, Trace?” he said, peeking over my shoulder. “I see you drinking. You must be off duty?”
“Hell yeah. But I’m always on if I need to be, so don’t get to acting stupid in here. You know how you get when you get a few drinks in you.”
Mecca sucked his teeth. “You ain’t got to worry about all that. I’m chilling tonight.”
“Hey, babe,” one of the strippers purred as she looped her arms around Mecca’s neck.
He peeled them off. “Yo, chill with all that. I’m talking to my boys.”
She looked at me and Trace, then nibbled on her bottom lip. “So...what are you boys getting into tonight?”
“Not interested,” Trace said, his tone flat. “I’ll be back.” He threw a quick nod at the on-duty security, then slipped away to the bar.
“Damn, so it’s like that?” she questioned.
“Hey, Chanel, shouldn’t you be in a private room shaking your ass or some shit?” Mecca shot back.
“Wow, you’re really on one tonight.” She pressed her hands against his chest while smiling. “I hope you’re not still tripping about what happened yesterday.”
“I’m not tripping on shit. I’m good.”
“Good. So I hope that means you got your bitch in check because?—”
Mecca yanked Chanel by her wrist. His eyes turned dark, and for a second, I thought he was about to do some serious damage.
“You better not ever let the wordbitchfly out your mouth when you refer to her again. Don’t get it twisted, the pass you have to ride this dick doesn’t go beyond that. You don’t know shit about my life, and you don’t know shit about Skye, so you keep your fucking mouth shut when it comes to her. Understood?”
I could tell Chanel was scared, but at the same time, she didn’t want to willingly give in to his demands.
This was the same bullshit I’d seen from Mecca a million times. The world didn’t know about him and Skye, but the people in his circle were well aware. She was all he talked about. But the way he treated her was sad. He kept her on a tight leash while he slipped in and out of a different female damn near every night. But Skye couldn’t so much as breathe on another nigga without him getting in his feelings.
“Let me go, Mecca,” Chanel insisted.
“Not until you let me know that you understand the fucking assignment.”
She briefly closed her eyes, then looked back at him. “I understand.”
He released her from his grasp.
As soon as she turned around, he gave her a hard slap on the ass. “You look good as fuck in that little outfit. Bring that shit when you come see me tonight.”
I thought for sure she would’ve told him to go fuck himself. But instead, she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and shot him a wink. “I’ll wear it just for you, daddy.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Now, go make that money.” He tossed a big wad of cash her way, and she caught it in her arms before running off.
“Man, that shit is wild as fuck,” I said.
“What? Sometimes you’ve got to be tough on a bitch.”
I shook my head and swallowed down whatever liquor was left in my glass. “Or sometimes, you just need to let they ass go.”
“Nah, I ain’t never letting that one go. She does whatever the hell I say. Oh, and she sucks and fucks like a pro.”
“Okay, well, if you want to get it in with her so bad, why don’t you just leave Skye’s ass alone?”
