Page 23 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“Stormi’s sexy ass doesn’t always be at dinner.”
There it was. I cut him a look. “Man, watch out.”
Yeah, she was there. Looking good as hell too. But I wasn’t about to give Rich the satisfaction. He stayed trying to stir the pot anytime Stormi’s name got brought up. And the thing was he wasn’t wrong. She was fine. Thicker than cold grits, sweet voice, all that. But that didn’t mean I was tryna talk about it.
Rich came at me with that usual grin, trying to rile me up. “So, tell me you don’t want her?”
I looked him dead in his eyes. “She fine as fuck, but I don’t do virgins. Too grown for that childish ass shit.”
Rich laughed like I was crazy. “Nigga got me fucked up. I’m the first and only nigga to get in that shit. I’m for sure locking in; might even start a family, let her know that’s my shit for life.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “Man, back your silly ass up.”
He kept pushing. “So, you not stepping down on shortie?”
Before I could say anything, Southside popped up outta nowhere. “’Cause if you’re not, I will.”
Both of them were there with me that day at the hospital when we first saw Stormi. Thick as hell, standing at the entrance, debating if she wanted to go in or bounce. Even in those baggy sweats, all you could see was that ass. And tonight, in those jeans? Man, her ass sat up like it was daring me to make a move. Had me wanting to take shorty straight to my bed. But a virgin? That was a headache I didn’t want.
I cracked a grin. “The only downfall is Jo for a mother-in-law.”
Southside and I both laughed. Everyone knew Jo was a whole mess. I felt for her kids; they had to deal with her 24/7.
I looked at Southside. “And Southside, fall the fuck back. She off limits.”
He nodded real quick. “My nigga.”
Rich smirked. “We knew that already.”
Rich laughed and teased, “Acting like he wasn’t about to step down on shortie ass. ‘Oh, I don’t do virgins.’ You do fat asses though.”
Southside shot back with a grin, “And the ass is there.”
They dapped each other up, and we headed out, locking the warehouse tight behind us.
Rich phone rang and he quickly walked away and yelled out he’ll catch us later.
Southside caught me just as I was about to walk off. “Hey, before you leave, I wanna talk to you about something.” Hisvoice was low, trying to keep it casual, but there was a weight behind it. Something he needed me to catch.
He leaned in, lowering his voice. “I put one of my dancers on Ronnie. Keep an eye on his moves. If she see any foul shit, report back to us. Something just ain’t sittin’ right with me.”
I shook my head, eyes narrowing. “Me either. You can trust her.” The air felt heavy, like every word carried weight like this wasn’t just about keeping tabs, but about staying ahead of something bigger.
“Most def,” he said, voice low but steady. No room for doubt here.
“Okay, let me know if something come up. We need to handle,” I said, feeling the pressure settle in my chest. It wasn’t just talk this was a warning, a call to stay sharp.
“Aight, one,” he replied, and the word hung in the air like a pact. Outside, the noise of the city kept rolling, oblivious to what we were about to dive into.
We both parted ways, jumped in our vehicles, and rolled off in separate directions. Something about this whole situation had me on edge, but I kept it cool. Just had to stay sharp.
It was just past midnight, and I figured this girl was probably already asleep. But I didn’t get her number. I had no way to call or text, so I had to pull up. Shit, with a mother like Jo, was that house ever quiet enough to sleep? Nah, never.
I hit the highway, pushing the ride to 90 mph, old-school jams blasting through the speakers to keep me locked in. Stormi’s house was my destination, gotta get her number, maybe take her out, and see how I feel after that. Half an hour later, I was pulling into their driveway. The house was dim, quiet. I walked up to the porch and knocked a few times. The porchlight flipped on, and a second later, she peeked her head out the window.
“Seth?” she said, voice low and sleepy as she cracked the door open.
“In the flesh,” I said, stepping inside like I belonged there.
