Tyler gave a wholehearted laugh and shook his head.
“Naw, ma, you got it all wrong.” He crossed his arms and turned around so that his back leaned on the balcony.
Fuck it,
I thought. I'd already said it; might as well go with the flow.
“Oh, do I now?” I asked.
“Yea, you do.”
“Enlighten me then,” I told him.
Tyler looked at me and chuckled, shaking his head. “A'ight, ma, if you insist. You soundin' a little jealous, but I'll peep you on some shit if you can handle it,” he smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes at his comment.
“Fuck you, Ty, now talk.” I wrapped my towel more tightly around my waist.
“A'ight, ma, it's like this. I'm a fuckin' boss. If I feel like taking a trip, I'ma buy a fuckin' ticket. I'm never pressed for pussy, but if I have a bitch with me at the time I make my decision, then she's going be on that plane with me. If I plan on going on any trip, it's either going to be business or pleasure. If it's pleasure, I'ma fuck 'em, pluck 'em, and when we get back, I'm done with that bitch,” he told me bluntly.
“I thought you said I had it wrong, as in you didn't bring bitches with you,” I said smugly trying not to get mad. I mean, I didn't have a reason to be mad. He wasn't my nigga nor would he ever be.
“No, I said you had it all wrong 'cause you said they were special,” Tyler said matter-of-factly, smirking at me. “And in that sense, you had it all wrong.”
“Whatever, Tyler.” I couldn't keep the smile from coming. “One question, though.”
“What up, shorty?”
“What would you classify this as? Business or pleasure?” I knew I was pushing it, but I threw him a sexy smile anyway and swished my way to the bathroom inside of my bedroom. Before the door shut I caught one last glimpse of him on the balcony, watching me and biting his lip.
When I was finished cleansing every crevice of my body from sand, I lotioned myself up, making it silky smooth and decided to wear a coral-colored maxi dress. It wasn't too tight and left a few things to the imagination. The top was tubed, and it stopped a few inches above my ankles. I chose a pair of nude-colored gladiator sandals and accessorized accordingly. I made the choice to match him with my fragrance, and once I pinned my still wet curly hair atop of my head in a messy white-girl type bun, I walked down the stairs of the suite to see Tyler waiting at the door for me. The smile that spread on his face was priceless.
“You look beautiful,” he told me.
“I know.” I showed him all of my teeth and walked through the door he held open for me. “Thanks, though.”
Tyler shook his head at my cockiness.
“I have reservations at this nice spot. It has the best view of the city, and it's close enough to walk,” he said as he trailed alongside me.
“You took those hoes there?” I asked bumping my hip on his playfully as we made our way through crowds of people.
“You know,” Tyler said chuckling, “you need to really get that jealousy shit out cha system, ma. The shits not a good look, especially for a boss-ette.”
“I'm not jealous!” I snapped. “I just don't wanna go anywhere you shared memories with your bitches.”
On the strip, Tyler stopped abruptly and grabbed me softly by my shoulders.
“Sadie, chill out. We're here to have a good time and enjoy ourselves. Stop tripping. You know I wouldn't disrespect you like that. This is a spot that I actually have only come to by myself, and now I'm sharing it with you. Is that coo?”
I stared up into Tyler's eyes and saw the sincerity in them. Why he felt the need to explain was beyond my head, but I had peace of mind knowing he hadn't been up in the spot with some chickenhead. I nodded my OK and linked arms with him.
“I've been meaning to ask you something,” I told him as we walked through the loud groups of natives and tourists.
The sun was going down, and it gave our surroundings a beautiful glow. I never wanted to leave, but I knew this break from business was only temporary. But I still was curious about the reason why Ray stayed behind. I wanted some info on the person he was meeting, but I was waiting for the right moment to ask. Although, for the most part, I knew everything that was going on in the operation, there were some things Ray and Tyler kept from the rest of us.
“This way,” Tyler said, rounding a corner with me in tow. “What's up, shorty?”
Just as I was about to answer his question, a group of young Jamaicans, all with thick, long dreads, approached us on the strip.
“Ay, mon!” one of them said with a thick accent. “You smell like money. We dance for you, mon! And we get some?”
I looked at the five young kids and was curious of what they could do. I'd seen many strange talents on the strip, and this one looked like it would be at least seminormal. One of them had a stereo, and he set it down to prepare the act's song.
“What's your name?” Tyler asked in his deep intimidating voice.
“Blaze,” the kid said matter-of-factly, and something told me his mother didn't give him that name.
“A'ight, let's see what y'all can do,” Tyler told him nodding. “But waste my time, and I'll have all you little muhfuckas regretting the shit.”
The boys looked at each other somewhat nervously. An actual challenge had been placed on the table, and if they didn't beat it, there was no telling what the fuck Tyler would do. I folded my arms and stepped back to watch. As they got into their formation to start their performance, I felt a crowd slowly forming around us. The beat dropped, and once it did, they took off. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face as I watched them break dance; it gave me a rush! They were so good they should have been on that show
America's Best Dance Crew
. These little Jamaican niggas could get it! I grabbed on to Tyler's arm and squealed with joy as they did one final set of flips and ended the show. They, of course, got a huge round of applause, and Tyler himself even had a grin on his face.
“So what's up, mon?” Blaze asked out of breath.
Tyler stared them down for a moment, giving them each eye contact, before he reached in his pocket and peeled five hundred American dollars from a crisp stack of Ben Franks. He gave each of them one, and after seeing their eyes grow large, he grabbed my hand. Without another word to them, we began our journey to the restaurant once more. Seeing all that money in his hands reminded me of the question that I was meaning to ask him.
“So what's up, Say?” Tyler asked, clearly thinking about the question as well.
“That nigga trying to do business with usâ”
“Khiron?” Tyler asked.
“You said he's hot in the A, right?” I asked him as we walked.
“Yea, something like that. The little nigga is on the come up.”
“Why haven't I ever heard of him then? I know every hustler in every city. Why am I missing him?” I asked.
When Ray left me in charge of Amore, I did my research. Just in case a war started between us and whoever, I wanted to have every city on lock. I needed to know who the fuck was selling to whom, who was beefing, and what niggas were plotting. After a few snitching-ass niggas gave me all the info I needed on the major drug cartels in the big cities, I found that there was no one fuckin' with The Last Kings. The only one cutting close was Legacy in Miami, but that nigga wasn't stupid enough to test a nigga of Ray's caliber. See, Ray not only had The Last Kings, but he had the Italians on his side too, and
nobody
wanted to fuck with the Italian Mafia.
“That nigga been low,” Tyler began to explain. “A while back, his daddy got merked by the Italians. Nigga had a bad gambling problem.” Tyler shook his head. “After he died though, the empire Khiron should have inherited rightfully was dispersed to the greedy hands of Atlanta. The nigga had to practically claw his way from the bottom back to the top, which is why when he hit me up on business, I figured it was best for Ray to handle the situation.”
“Why?” I asked swerving to miss a drunken couple laughing and dancing along the sidewalk.
“Because that means the nigga is hungry,” Tyler said, his tone insinuating that I should already know that info. “A hungry nigga can be a good thing because that means he's ready to put in work. But a hungry nigga can also be the worst type of nigga. A hungry nigga can turn snake in a matter of seconds, and that nigga Ray can smell a snake from a mile away.”
I nodded agreeing with Tyler's judgment on having Ray handle the situation. If the nigga was on snake shit, I knew he would never make it back to Atlanta . . . in one piece anyway.
“We're here,” Tyler said bringing us to a stop in front of a small restaurant with all-glass windows. I was shocked because I definitely wouldn't have pegged Tyler as the type to enjoy such a place. He must have seen the expression on my face because he smiled. “I'm not too fond of these windows and shit, but the food is enough to keep a nigga coming back! Come on.”
I followed him inside, and the restaurant was genuinely beautiful. I had never seen anything like it back in the States. It was jungle themed with wild, colorful plants hanging everywhere, and it even had a large fountain in the middle shaped like a waterfall. We were quickly welcomed by a swarm of gorgeous women all looking hungrily at Tyler.
“I see another reason why you come back too,” I said under my breath, and he seemed not to have heard me. We were seated at a low table by a half-dressed woman.
“May I take your order?” she asked Tyler in very good English and completely ignored me.
I couldn't deny it, she was gorgeous, but I knew she for damn sure didn't look better than me. Her hair was short, and her mouth was large. She was shapely, but not proportioned well.
“What you want to drink, ma?” Tyler asked me, and I saw her roll her eyes on the sneak.
“Order me whatever,” I told him smiling flirtatiously to piss her off even more. “I know you got me.”
Tyler ordered us some food, ignoring the attitude the woman had suddenly started giving.
“Will that be all?” she asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes openly at me.
“Naw, shorty, but while you back there, get us a new server,” he told her calmly. “You don't even know me, and you pressed for a dick that would never even entertain that big-ass duck mouth of yours. Since you're being rude to my guest, the rest of the time I'm here, I don't want to see your fucking face, a'ight?”
Tyler stared so coldly at her I swear her chocolate face turned purple before she turned on her heels and basically ran back to the kitchen.
“You better have checked that bitch,” I told him, hiding my smile. “Those eyes were about to get snatched out of her fuckin' head!”
“You know I got you, ma, like you said,” he replied, staring into my eyes.
I bit my lip and had to look away. The way his eyes lingered on mine made me feel something in my stomach that I hadn't felt in years. The last person to make me feel that way was, of course, the person sitting across from me. There was just something about Tyler that I couldn't shake. It had always been like that. I'd just gotten used to ignoring the feeling. But now being alone with him, it was proving difficult to not mix business and pleasure in my mind.
“Look at me,” Tyler told me.
“I can't,” I said truthfully.
“Why not?”
I sighed. Our vacation was only a week, and I would need a lifetime to decipher my emotions. Being around Tyler that short time was making me feel all sorts of feelings for him that I knew I shouldn't have been feeling.
“I just can't,” I told him shaking my head looking at everything in the restaurant
but
him.
Without warning, Tyler reached across the table and cupped my chin gently in his hand, forcing me to look at him.
“Don't ever be afraid to look at me, ma, no matter what,” he told me in a soft but stern manner.
“But I am afraid,” I told him honestly.
“You weren't afraid back home,” he pointed out.
“Home is different. I know what's real when I'm there, I'm protected. But here . . . It's like I'm living out my fantasies. My dreams.”
Tyler stared at me, and for a brief second, the coldness that lived there disappeared, only to be replaced with a look of longing.
“You remember that night?” he asked in a low voice releasing my chin.
Of course I remember that night. Because I've spent the majority of my time the past few years trying to erase it from my memory.
I didn't say that though.
“I think about that shit all the time,” he kept going, and I knew I didn't want to hear what he had to say, but my ears were fixated on his words anyway. “I used to tell myself that I didn't know it was you, before I realized that it was. But something in me knew it was. I watched you grow up . . . You were like Ray's kid sister, so I just kind of adopted you as such too. But there was always something different about you, and I felt wrong for having those feelings for you. My eyes had traveled your body enough to know how it felt. And when my hands finally did touch . . . It was like heaven, ma. I wanted you so bad. Just like now. I mean, look at you. You're beautiful, and you have the mind-set of greatness. Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm. But I knew then, just like I know now, that it would never work. I can't be that man. This is business, and we can't let our personal feelings jeopardize what we have going. In this world, love is a weakness, and that's something I'm not willing to risk. You know it would never workâ”