Page 51 of The Prodigy

I looked at Eris and frowned. “Which girl?”

“Your wife, nigga!”

“Oh.” I chuckled. “Damn, I be forgetting that shit sometimes.”

“So, y’all good?”

“I mean…she’s cool.”

“So what’s it like being married? Locked down.”

“I wouldn’t know. We ain’tmarriedmarried. Y’all know that.”

“So basically, you ain’t smash yet. That’s what you sayin’, right?”

I sighed. “Basically.”

It was embarrassing. I’d never had a problem getting ass. In fact, I used to have to beat hoes off with a stick. The fact that I had one laying next to me every night who was legally bound to me andstillwouldn’t let me beat was demoralizing as fuck.

“Look, this marriage is about keeping her mouth shut. The sooner all this shit blows over, the quicker I can get divorced or annulled or whatever the fuck.”

“So she really went along with this shit? That’s wild.”

“She ain’t have a choice.”

“You was gon’ pop her for real?”

I smiled at Nay. “If I had to.”

After we finished handling business, I headed up to my room. I was tired as fuck and wanted a nap, but I had too much shit to do. I was pulling up on Joe today, then I had to go out and check on our bakery and the clothing shop that got broken into.

Kings never sleep.

Malika was sitting up in the bed reading one of her books. I can’t explain why, but seeing her reading like a little nerd was sexy as fuck. Maybe it was because I was used to ratchets, and ratchets don’t read shit but club flyers and fast food menus.

She didn’t look up when I passed her to go into my closet. I opened the safe and retrieved what I was looking for before sitting next to her on the bed.

“Aye, here.”

She stared at her phone like she couldn’t believe it was there. “You’re letting me have it? For good?”

“Yeah.”

When she took it, her fingers brushed my palm. Eventhatmade my dick hard.

I was down bad.

“Thank you for this.”

“You ain’t gotta thank me.” I shrugged. “It’s your shit.”

“I know, but…you know. For trusting me. Finally.”

I nodded. I hadn’t realized it until that moment. I guess I did trust her a little b