Page 136 of The Need to Know

Sadé came out of my bedroom and was making her way through the condo, letting her presence be known.

“I was mad at the time, too,” I got back to my story. “But Cease and…someone else talked me down. I was ducking Tee’s calls after that. Tonight there was no avoiding him.”

Nastasia got quizzical. “Who’s ‘someone else’?”

I had nothing to hide. “An old flame. Regina.”

“Ah.” Nastasia bobbed her head. “You guys talk about stuff like this?”

“It’s not like that,” I tried to let her know.

Nas didn’t hold off. “You said a few months ago, and we’ve known each other for almost four months now.”

I scratched at my chin, telling myself her suspicion came from having a cheating ex. And my reckless mouthing off at Leslie’s that one time. I’d known Nastasia for almost four months as she’d said, and hadn’t entertained or looked at another woman since. Unconsciously, I stayed on my best behavior.

“I talked to her that day we met actually. She runs a gentleman’s lounge where I used to go and do my thinking. After I met you I stopped going. I saw Regina last month at the club because she was worried about me after not seeing me for a while,” I came clean. “In the past, if I needed a place to think or someone to talk to that wasn’t Cesar, Regina was cool. She’s older, smart, and she’s good people. I told her about you.”

Nastasia folded her arms and let out a breath, looking off into the living room to search for a cat. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to check in with me, but I don’t want to be blindsided or surprised either.”

I nodded. When we weren’t together like that, I hadn’t liked not knowing her ex still popped up after I told him to fuck off. She’d brushed me off then and I didn’t like it. Regina wasn’t a threat to us. She had never been into bullshit like that, but I could understand and respect Nas’s stance.

I chuckled, soon shaking my head. Me at twenty-eight.

“You right,” I said. “Regina isn’t like that, but I get it.”

“Okay,” Nastasia settled down. “Now what?”

“After talking to my people, my head was on straight. I was mad at Pops at the time but then I cooled off and figured I had to show him I was serious about ownership. No women. No drama. Just work. Outside of falling for you,” I admitted with a shy smile, “I’ve been on it. Now here come Tee not taking my no for an answer. Tonight, he offered me a stake in a new club where I’m seventy percent owner to his thirty.”

Nastasia’s dark eyes enlarged as her mouth dropped open. Now she got it. “Damn.”

“Tell me about it.” I brushed a hand over my head, feeling the weight on my shoulders.

“What’s in it for him?”

“Outside of some tips on his spot? Pissin’ Pops off.”

Nastasia made a face. “That’s low.”

It was, but in a way it was still a win for the Marcusons. “Seventy/thirty is a lot.”

“Seventy/thirty is amazing, but you don’t have a seventy/thirty father. You have a dad who’s always been one hundred and that’s better than money,” Nastasia reasoned.

That was something only she could say. And I loved her for it.

We ate the wings and then we took it to the bedroom. All talk of clubs went out the window as I entwined my body with Nastasia’s. Seeing her smile, hearing her moans, feeling her nails dig into my skin, smelling the scent of her body, and tasting it, nothing beat it. But as the clock winded down and the clock struck eight, I was up, showered, dressed, and out the door for work.

It wasn’t until I was in the car on the highway speeding toward Atlanta that the tough decision hit me. In the morning, I was finally talking to Pops.

Nastasia left early Sunday morning regrettably. She took Scorsese and went home to prepare for a breakfast date with her parents. I’d been invited, but I really thought it was important for them to work on their relationship solo or as a trio.

Besides, I had to speak to Pops. At BLVCKJVCK last night, I’d given Cease the rundown on Tee and even he was stunned at the gracious offer.

It was my fault things had gotten this far. And as I sat with Pops out on the patio at his place, I intended to man up and fix it.

The late September morning air was a gentle breeze as we sat across from each other at the table. Pops had his morning paper and his sweet tea. I nursed a glass of ice water, but I was too shook up to drink it.

My mother was in the house watching TV with Brasco, per my request to speak to Pops alone. The setting was calm, safe, and pleasant, but I still didn’t know what to say.