Hakeem & Tasia 2: A Brick City Love Story Page 2

  “We are. It took us awhile to figure things out but we finally did and I’m happy.”

  “Girl, I feel you. I’m going through it right now with Nate. I just don’t know about him sometimes. I mean, we have history and everything but sometimes being with someone for years doesn’t mean that it’s worth the headache. I love him but I don’t know if I’m in love with him anymore. It kind of feels like I’m just going through the motions sometimes because it’s easier to stay than it is to start all over again with someone new.”

  “True, but if you’re not happy then it might not be worth staying. Life is too short to settle, and I feel like there’s somebody for everybody. He might not be your somebody.” I hated giving people advice because it’s not like I was an expert on love or anything. Keem and I just worked. We had issues and hopefully we were over that now, but there were never any guarantees.

  “I guess you’re right. I’m giving it time. Maybe I’ll luck up and find that Tasia and Keem kind of love,” Sky smiled.

  “It wasn’t easy but I wouldn’t trade him for the world,” I admitted truthfully

  “Aight boo, I’ll see you at dinner tonight.” Sky walked over and gave me a hug and moved towards the door.

  “Is Nate coming tonight?” I asked just before she left.

  “Not sure yet,” Sky said, as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

  “Alright girl, I’ll see you tonight.” And with that, Sky was gone. I finished packing up my office, grabbed my purse, shut and locked my door. A few minutes later I was in my car heading home. I was exhausted and ready to crash and praying that I would make it through dinner, but either way I was taking my ass to sleep early tonight. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any more drama, because I was running on empty and didn’t think I could handle it.

  It was after six when I finally walked through the door and I could tell right away that Keem had cleaned up everything, because the apartment was spotless and everything that the cops had moved around was back in place. Keem, of course, was in the center of my bed on his back, with one arm folded behind his head while the other lay across his chest, knocked out.

  Seeing him lying there, I really wanted to shed my clothes and climb in bed with him, but I knew if I did that was a guarantee that I wouldn’t make it do dinner. Instead, I stripped down to nothing, went straight to the bathroom and thirty minutes later, I was walking around my room wrapped in a towel trying to find something to wear.

  Keem was still in the same place. I swear the earth could shatter all around us and as long as this bed was still here and untouched, he would be sleeping peacefully.

  Since it was just a casual dinner with my people, I decided to get fly but comfortable. Dressed in cropped jeans and a strapless shear top, I made my way back to the bathroom to fix my hair. I wasn’t really a makeup kind of person because I was literally too lazy to invest the time, but for the most part I didn’t really need it so it was all good.

  “How long you been here?” Keem’s voice startled me, but I smiled when his arms found their way around my waist and his lips brushed against my jaw line.

  “A little over an hour. You were out cold,” I said. Seeing us, our reflection in the mirror, still took some getting used to. There was a time when I didn’t think it would ever happen.

  “You should have just laid down with me,” he said resting his chin on my shoulder.

  “Trust me, I wanted to, but I knew if I did I wasn’t getting back up.”

  Keem held up his wrist up to check the time. “We still doing this dinner thing?”

  “Yeah why?” I frowned because I already knew the answer. He didn’t want to go and as much as I wanted him there, I didn’t have the heart to force him.

  “I’d rather just chill with you, but let me hop in the shower real quick so I can get ready.” He exhaled, kissed the side of my face and then released me.

  “You don’t have to go if—”

  “I’m going. You want me there, so I’m there.” He winked at me, turned on the shower and then left the bathroom. I had just finished securing my hair into a messy bun on top of my head when Keem returned in just his boxers, which he quickly stepped out of and into the shower.

  “I need you to pick a place Tay. This little ass shit is not working. I can reach the ceiling if I hold my hands up over my head.”

  “Stop, Keem. It’s not that small,” I said.

  He stuck his head out the curtain and smiled. “Yes the fuck it is and you know it. Pick a place Tay or I’m doing it for you.”

  I just shook my head and laughed before I left him in the bathroom. I guess I had better put that on the top of my to-do list. While I was in the closet searching for shoes, I heard my phone ringing so I grabbed a pair of wedges, before I jetted to my purse to get my phone and smiled when I noticed it was Britt. It had been a minute since I talked to my sister and since we were actually getting along now, I was missing my Britt Brat.

  “Hey boo, whatcha up to?” I sang into the phone when I answered.

  “Not much. I was just thinking about you and wanted to call.”

  “Awe, you miss me Britt Brat?”

  “Maybe, but if I tell you I’ll have to kill you,” she said and laughed.

  “So what’s going on? How’s Brick City?”

  “Same, can’t kill shit here ‘cause shit won’t die. You already know.”

  “Dang, Britt, it’s not that bad, is it?”

  “It’s Newark, Tay.”

  “I feel you, how’s Jaysyn, you guys good?”

  “We’re real good. In fact, I was thinking about heading your way to visit. He wants me to check out NYU so on the way back, we were thinking about stopping by to see you and Keem.”

  “That works, just let me know when. You’re always welcome.”

  Just as I got the words out my mouth, Keem came walking out the bathroom in just his boxers. I damn near dropped the phone because I got so caught up watching him.

  “Who’s always welcome?” he asked ignoring my visual rape, as he walked straight to the closet.

  “Britt and Jaysyn,” I said snapping back to reality.

  Keem walked out of the closet buttoning a pair of camo cargo pants, which were hanging low around his waist because he didn’t have a belt on yet.

  “Not in this little ass shit. Where are they gonna sleep, in the bed with us?” Keem said and chuckled.

  “He’s right Tay, your spot is tiny as hell,” Britt said.

  “All of you can get off my apartment. It was just me and all I could afford. New York is expensive,” I snapped checking both of them.

  “I’m not hatin’ Tay, I’m just saying it is. It's not just you anymore and we need something bigger.” Keem walked over to me, leaned towards the bed and kissed me on the cheek before he stood again to put his belt on.

  “Daddy has spoken,” Britt said, sounding a little too amused.

  “Shut up Britt! Tell Mom and Dad I said ‘hi’ and I miss them but I’ve gotta go. We’re about to head out.”

  “Alright boo, love you and tell my brother-in-law I said what’s up.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I said.

  “Bye Tay.”

  I ended the call and watched Keem as he moved around the room getting dressed.

  “You keep eye fucking me like that and we’re not going anywhere, so I suggest you get those eyes of yours in check,” Keem said with a grin, forcing those damn craters in his cheeks to cave in deeper.

  “Ain’t nobody sweating you, with your arrogant self.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” he said and laughed, as he slid his watch on his wrist. “You ready?” he asked, after he made sure his phone and wallet were in his pocket.

  “Waiting on you,” I said and stood up. I grabbed my purse while Keem waited at the door for me, and as soon as I was close to him, he pulled me into a hug letting his hands rest on the small of my back.

  “You look beautiful, but you always look beautiful.” He let his lips touch mine befo
re he kissed me, gently tugging my bottom lip and then released it. “You sure you wanna go out? It’s not too late to cancel this shit,” he said, looking into my eyes in a way that was pleading for me to agree.

  “We won’t be long, I promise,” I said.

  He let his head fall slightly back before he reached for the door and opened it. I laughed because he really didn’t want to go but he was doing it for me.

  When we finally reached the restaurant, I walked inside while Keem finished a call with Jodie. I could see him watching me through the glass doors as I stood in front of the hostess and waited for her to finish with the couple in front of me.

  After she had them squared away she smiled and greeted me. “Good evening, do you have a reservation?”

  “Yes, under Clark.”

  She looked down and then back at me. “Got it right here. Give me just a minute and we’ll get your table set up. She signaled for a guy that was standing behind her and he walked over. After she instructed him about our guest, he grabbed menus and smiled at me.

  “Good evening Ms. Clark, I’ll show you to your table. Keem walked in just then, sliding his phone into his pocket and placing his hand on my back. It was cute because he was staking claim since our hostess was a guy, and standing in my personal space.

  “We followed him to our table and Keem pulled out my chair, waited for me to be seated and then sat down next to me.

  After our server came and took our drink orders, Keem looked around the restaurant and frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  You know I don’t do this fancy shit Tay.”

  “It’s not fancy,” I said looking around, but laughed just as I caught his eye again. There were a lot of business people in suits and women in evening wear and heels. I had been here a few times but it was mostly during the day when the atmosphere was a lot more causal.

  “Look at these damn people in here,” he said. “They probably think we can’t afford this shit.” He had a cocky grin on his face.

  “Who cares what they think,” I said not wanting him to make a big deal out of it. Hakeem was who he was and never tried to hide it no matter what the situation was.

  “Shit, you know I don’t, I was just making a point. Don’t worry though, I’m not gonna act up in here and embarrass you,” he said and then winked at me.

  I just shook my head because he already knew what I was thinking.

  “Lovely, lovely, lovely, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Jacob said as he strutted to the table, leaned down and kissed the side of my face. “And you, handsome, need to be on the cover of Sexy and Edible.”

  Keem looked at Jacob liked he wanted to strangle the life out of him, but he just let out a sigh and shook his head. He tolerated Jacob but couldn’t take him for extended periods of time. Jacob was not fazed at all. He just took a seat next to me, thank God, which I assumed was so that he could have a full visual of Hakeem, and started talking a mile a minute about everything under the sun.

  Keem actually did good conversing with Jacob, especially once they got on the topic of sports. Jacob was a LeBron fan strictly because he was in love with LeBron’s body, which I knew but Keem didn’t, while Keem was a diehard Durant fan, so they went back and forth with that for a while until Sky finally showed.

  She didn’t have Nate with her, so I figured that they were still going through their situation, but either way, I was just excited to have everyone here. We discussed business a little, and everyone seemed thrilled about the idea of my new company, which I still couldn't believe was a reality. We made plans for everyone to meet at our new location and Keem promised them a tour of the club since it was literally next door.

  A few hours later, dinner was done. We all survived, and I was grateful and ready to go home with my man, so after the waiter came with the check, Keem covered the bill and then excused himself to the bathroom, while Sky excused herself to take a call. I chatted with Jacob while we waited, pleased that our first company dinner had been a success.

  -3-

  Hakeem

  “I behaved tonight just for you, but since we’re out of sight, how about I let you sample what’s to come.”

  This bitch, I thought as I stepped out the bathroom and Sky was leaning against the wall waiting. I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t looking good as hell in a green dress that hugged her body and barely covered her ass, her natural green eyes catching the reflection of the light above us as they smiled at me. She had a completely different build from Tasia, who was slim and toned, almost petite but perfectly portioned, while Sky was short, thick as hell, with thighs that had my mind wondering if they were worth spreading. I might be in love but I was a man first, and I had eyes that saw things that probably shouldn't have been focused on but fuck, it was hard to avoid.

  “There isn’t a damn thing coming as far as you and I are concerned, so please get that thought out of your head. You know my situation and I don’t give a fuck about yours,” I said, hoping that I sounded convincing.

  Those damn green eyes locked into mine and she called my bluff, letting her hand slide down my chest and then gripping the buckle of my belt, holding securely to the front of my cargo pants, pulling me closer to her. Before I could object, her lips met mine briefly and she released me, moving slowly away as she glanced over her shoulder.

  Fuck. I was heading down a dark path and I knew it. This was not going to work on any type of level. I could already feel the trouble brewing. I stood there massaging my temple trying to think, but I kept coming back to the same thing. Sky was about to get me caught up and I didn't think I was going to be able to stop it, no matter how hard I tried.

  ***

  “You okay?” Tasia asked as we took the elevator up to her apartment.

  “I’m good, what’s up?” I smiled, but my mind was still on the Sky situation.

  “You’ve just been quiet since we left the restaurant. I know you didn’t really—”

  I quickly cut her off. In no way did I want her feeling like my mood had anything to do with her, or the fact that she was doing her thing. I was so proud of my baby girl that I couldn’t even put it into words.

  “You’re good, don’t even say that shit. I’m here for whatever you need, whenever you need it and I put that on everything. I’m proud of you Tay, and I’ll do whatever necessary to make sure I’m always in your corner.”

  Her face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning and that had me feeling all types of happy.

  “Thank you.” She leaned into me and kissed me just as the elevator doors opened. We stepped off and walked to the door, as she waited while I unlocked it and stepped inside to check things out. It was strictly habit and after the whole situation with the cops running up on us here, I wasn’t taking any chances with my life, and I damn sure wasn't gonna get caught slipping with Tay’s.

  “I’m so tired,” she said, as she dropped her purse on her desk and started coming out of her clothes.

  I watched her as I emptied my pockets, placing the contents on the dresser and then, my gun in the drawer of the nightstand on my side of the bed before I walked up behind her. “You too tired for this?” I let me lips graze the side of her face before I kissed it.

  “Are you?” She turned to face me letting her arms go around my neck, as she shifted her weight to the balls of her feet to reach my lips.

  “Never that, you already know.” My arms wrapped around her waist before I let my hands slide down her body towards her thighs and she automatically leaned her body into me.

  She obviously got the reaction that she was looking for because she looked down and grinned.

  “You want that?” I asked following her eyes.

  With a slight nod, she smiled moving away from me. I watched as she left a trail of clothes leading to the bed and by the time she reached it, she was completely naked.

  “You going to just stand there or you joining me?” She asked while standing at the foot of the bed smiling seductively.r />
  Fuck that she didn’t have to ask my twice. I followed her lead pulling my shirt over my head, stepping out of my cargos and boxers. Once our bodies were close again, our lips met and her hands made their way up my back. There was something about the way she touched me, that had me weak. Something as simple as her hand on my back had me feeling like I was about to lose it. She had a certain power over me that was dangerous. I chuckled to myself because I was about to put in work and Tay had better be ready for it.

  ***

  Pulling up on the block felt strange to me since I hadn’t been there in a while. Not much had changed though, so the feeling didn’t last for long. After I parked in front of one of our spots, I got out and heard someone call my name.

  “Yo, Keem!” I looked down the block and saw Talen heading my way, so I leaned against my truck and waited for him.

  “Damn, so you still know your way back across that bridge?” Talen looked up and down the block before he focused on me.

  “Hell yeah, you know this shit is permanently programmed. What’s good around here?”

  “Same shit. You know how that goes. We miss your ass though. Jodie can’t ball worth shit but he thinks he’s fucking Curry or Kobe, real talk. We lost five stacks yesterday,” Talen laughed and shook his head.

  “Aight, don’t let him hear you say that shit.”

  “Man, fuck Jodie, he already knows. So what’s up with your club? That shit coming together?”

  “Slowly. I just hired a contractor to start making the changes I need and hopefully they’ll be on their shit.”

  “Good, ‘cause you know Jersey’s making that drive and taking over. We’re gonna have to show ‘em how we get down on this side of the bridge.”

  “Shit, you already know,” I said and dapped Talen. “Where the hell is Jodie anyway? He been out here today?”

  “Nah, he called and said he’s got Angel so he’s chillin’. I think he’s at the crib though.”

  “Aight, well I’m about to check him out.” I dapped Talen and headed towards the corner store to get something for Angel. My little mami always expected me to show up with a surprise for her. Before I hit the door of Benny’s store, Jaysyn came stepping out of our stash house, so I decided to holla at him first.