Page 2 of Treason's Temptation
“Keep talking shit and you’ll learn first-hand I am who I think I am,” I smirked, looking him up and down, “Fuck out of my face.”
Disgusted, I left Victor fuming, but the day was far from over. On the way downtown to meet Fallon and Jaleb, my phone buzzed with texts I wasn’t in the mood to answer. My homeboy, Ward, drove laughing each time I scanned the screen and flipped my phone back over. When we reached the campaign office, Fallon was already pacing, mid-spiral.
“Don’t sit down,” she yelped when I walked in. “We have a problem.”
“I need coffee before you hit me withproblems.”
“On your desk already, smart ass,” she rebutted. “Victor Jackson blamed the city’s revitalization plan being stalled on you.”
“Good,” I muttered. “Means I hit a nerve.”
Jaleb didn’t look up either. “You hit nerves all day. That’s not the issue.”
“Give it to me. I know you didn’t come down here to kick it because you miss a nigga.”
“Optics, Tre. We’re months out. You have momentum, but this city isn’t voting for a lone wolf. You want to win? You need someone next to you. Even my money can’t fix that,” Jaleb reiterated.
The Langstons were black royalty in Madison Pointe. They had old money, known for their influence in business, politics, and philanthropy.
I raised a brow. “This shit again?”
“Yes,this shit again,” Fallon said flatly, “because I’m very good at my job. That’s why you begged me to come work for you.”
“Pipe down.Beggedis a stretch.”
In her mind, asking and begging were the same. She had been my homegirl since our freshman year of undergrad. In a world full of frauds and cowards, Fallon was my voice of reason and down for whatever.
Usually.
“You need a woman the public believes in. Someone who softens you up without bringing you down.”
Jaleb added, “I love your down-to-earth approach, but thehoodcan’t win you this election on its own. You need votes from the prominent districts.”
“Why the fuck does that matter to them?”
“Perception is everything, and the right one can take you far,” Jaleb explained.
Then Fallon scolded, “Unfortunately, being painted as an unpredictable, singlehoewill not.”
She tossed the tablet on my desk, filled with profiles of suitable candidates. Laughing at what my life had become, Ward watched from the corner.
“We don’t need perfect. We need believable,” Fallon coerced.
They were right to a degree, but the idea of picking a girlfriend from a fuckin’ catalogue was crazy.
“Yassah is available,” Jaleb offered.
Ward lifted his head at Jaleb, offering his baby sister on a silver platter. He tuned out most conversations, but we didn’t come from a world where image and legacy came first. Where we came from, a nigga would never offer his sister to be used.
“You really wanna’ do that?”
“It’s not like she’s bringing better men home on her own. Trust me, you’re an upgrade, and my parents would sing your praises forever. Yassah is polished and knows how to play the game.”
“You’re already in good with the family. That alone would cancel any questions about the timeline of your relationship.Using the upcoming gala as your coming-out party is brilliant, especially since Yassah was named the CEO of Langston Media. That’s money in the bank,” Fallon rattled off a bunch of shit I already knew, but it didn’t change my stance.
“I’m good on that.”
They were family. I couldn’t imagine going down that road even if it was fake.
