by K'wan
“Nah, that ain’t about nothing.” Swann assured him. “Big Doc was close to Poppa. He knew the old man had a plan for his youngest son, and inheriting this bullshit wasn’t part of it. We can talk about history, but right now I need you with me.” He got up.
“Where we going?” Tech asked.
“To give you a glimpse into your future.”
CHAPTER 6
The minute Honey stepped through the glass doors, the worried fiancé fell away, and the queen of the rose in her place. She was wearing a cream dress, trimmed around the sleeves and hems in autumn to match Shai’s tie and shoes. The dress hugged her swollen breasts but flared out over her stomach, ending in a train that barely dusted the ground. She could have gone with a more over-the-top outfit, but she wanted to kill them without looking like she was trying to. The men standing around tried to act like they weren’t staring at Shai’s lady, but she could feel their eyes on her. She smiled inwardly knowing that even pregnant, she still had it.
The photographers sprang to attention when they saw the couple finally arrive. They had been waiting for over an hour, but for what Shai was paying them, nobody complained. They had some trouble getting through the wave of guests who had moved to pay homage to the royal couple, but Brutus was on it. He moved like a black barrier, keeping the guests at a fair distance until the photographers got the shots they needed. The couple walked arm in arm into the yard, immediately drawing a crowd of people wanting to congratulate them or kiss their asses. Brutus, Shai’s new watchdog, formed a wedge between them and their guests, keeping them at a fair distance until the photographers got the shots they needed. The camera loved Honey and she loved it right back, striking all the necessary poses to best capture her in all her radiance. Of course, she would have to approve every single photo before anyone was able to see them. While she and Shai took pictures, Honey was also assessing the crowd. Her eyes swept the lawn making mental notes of who had shown up and who hadn’t. She was petty like that. Off in the cut she spotted a few of the wives and girlfriends of Shai’s inner circle. In their eyes, she saw a range of things; from adoration, to sadness, with a touch of envy sprinkled in for good measure. For the most part she got along with the counterparts of Shai’s friends, but there were a few of them who still hadn’t learned their places. There had been a time or two when Honey felt like she was being tested by little things she’d pick up through the grapevine. They’d been attempting to bait her into a response, but when you are a beautiful woman on the arm of a powerful man, there really isn’t much more that needed to be said.
“You guys ready?” Brutus asked once the photographers had gotten enough shots of Shai and Honey.
“In a second,” Shai craned his neck to scan the crowd. He spotted someone, who Honey couldn’t see, and waved them over. A few seconds later, Star came busting through the crowd with Paula doing her best to try and keep up. “We gotta do it again.”
“Shai, you can’t be serious?” Honey asked with an attitude.
“I promised her she could do her walk and you know I’m a man of my word.” Shai took Star by the hand and led her back toward the house. With little other choice, Honey reluctantly followed.
After entering the party - for the second time - and letting Star do her Princess wave, Honey was ready to embrace her moment. Star had gone off with Paula again, while Shai and Honey made a brief circuit of the yard to greet their guests. Honey had received more kisses on the cheeks and people trying to rub her stomach for luck than she could count. She received everyone graciously, but knew half of the people wishing her well were full of shit, and her hormones were making it hard for her to hold her tongue. She was actually glad when Shai branched off to handle his business and instructed Brutus to take her to their table.
Brutus took Honey gently by the hand and navigated the crowd. She watched his muscular back through the suit jacket as he guided her towards the table. He moved like a black shadow, occasionally plucking people out of the way who stumbled into their path or got too close to Honey. Women’s eyes seemed to follow Brutus as he moved and Honey couldn’t say that she blamed them. Brutus was as handsome as he was deadly.
“How you holding up?” Brutus asked over his shoulder as if he could feel Honey staring at him.
“I’m cool for now. I just didn’t expect there to be this many people,” Honey told him.
“I don’t know why not. You and Shai’s special day has been the talk of the street for the last two months.”
“Funny, you spend so much time around the house making sure we’re good, I didn’t know you still kept your ear to the streets like that,” Honey joked.
“Just because I’m not technically in the streets anymore doesn’t mean I’m not aware of what’s going on in them. It’s my job to keep you guys safe from enemies foreign and domestic,” he said seriously.
Their table was situated on a slightly raised platform that would give them a view of the entire yard and everyone in it. Honey had decided to forgo the traditional baby shower chair and instead would be seated in a brass throne, with Shai occupying one similar. Shai had been against it, saying that the thrones were overkill, but she argued him down until he finally relented. For Honey, the shower was as much about celebrating their pending new addition to the family, as it was flaunting her position. Humility could find her another time; that day she was out to stunt.
Brutus helped her up the few stairs and into the throne. He took a minute to relay some last-minute instructions to the two members of his team who had been assigned to guard that section, before preparing to take his leave. “I gotta go make the rounds, but I ain’t going far. If you need anything at all, just let me know.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” Honey said, not meaning it quite like it sounded.
Brutus gave Honey an awkward smile before excusing himself and disappearing into the ground.
“You and that fucking mouth, Melissa.” Honey cursed herself for the slip. Since Shai was gone a lot, she often found herself in the company of Brutus. He had become more like a friend than a bodyguard, so sometimes she got a little more comfortable around him than what some would have deemed appropriate, but it hadn’t always been like that.
Initially Honey had been leery of the smooth chocolate brother with the mysterious past. He was a new face, and in the lifestyle they led, having new faces around could be dangerous. Shai never talked to her much about Brutus’ past, but from what she had been able to piece together from ear-hustling and asking some of the soldiers, Brutus and Shai went back as far as high school. He, Shai and Swann were like the three amigos, until Swann and Brutus had a falling out, but he and Shai remained cool. Rumor had it that Brutus had even saved Shai’s life once when a man tried to shoot Shai over his daughter. After graduation, Shai went off to college but Brutus had entered the military. Supposedly he was a part of some sort of black-ops team that had participated in some truly gruesome shit. Honey spent a lot of time around Brutus, and after having gotten to know him, she found it hard to believe some of the stories were true…but if he didn’t have a monster hiding somewhere inside him, there was no way Shai would have trusted him with his life, let alone the lives of his family.
“You better keep them goo-goo eyes to yourself.” Giselle startled Honey when she appeared in the seat next to her. She was the mother of Swann’s daughter, and Honey’s friend. She was a pretty Spanish girl who was teetering on the chunky side, but still had a nice shape.
“Girl, what you talking about?” Honey tried to play it off.
Giselle gave her a look.
Honey sucked her teeth. “Damn, I’m engaged not dead!”
“Yeah, but you will be if Shai had reason to believe you getting too close to the help,” Giselle warned. “Though the nigga is fine as all hell.” A sly smile crossed her face.
Honey chuckled. “And you talk about me. If I were you, I’d take my own advice. Shai can push a button and make it happen, but Swann is the button.”
“Chile please,�
�� Giselle waved her off. “Swann is too busy chasing pussy to worry about what I’m doing.”
“Get out of here. I thought Swann cleaned his act up?”
“He has, meaning he’s putting a little more shade on his bullshit,” Giselle said honestly. “He got a second phone he doesn’t think I know about, and now he takes his whores to New Jersey instead of fucking them in hotels in the city.”
“Damn girl, you on it! How the fuck do you know all that?” Honey asked, impressed by her friend’s detective skills.
Giselle shrugged. “Because men are sloppy. Find a receipt here, a dirty glare from a bitch you never met there, and eventually shit starts to add up.”
“That’s crazy.” Honey shook her head in disbelief. “So, if Swann is out there playing, why do you stay?”
Giselle laughed. “Because I got time in. You must be bugging if you think I’m gonna spend eight years of my life polishing that ignorant ass nigga and teaching him how to boss up to let my feelings open the lane up for some random bitch to reap the benefits of my work. They can have his dick so long as I got papers on his heart and his bank account. The only thing Swann loves nearly as much as our daughter Mara is fresh pussy. I don’t like it, but it’s something I’ve come to accept. It’s just a part of who he is.”
“Damn Giselle, you better than me. The last time I caught Shai on some bullshit, I left him,” Honey said, recalling the time she had caught Shai messing around with a young stripper from Miami named Reign. It hadn’t been the first time she had caught him cheating, but it was the last straw for her. “I cut that nigga smooth off. You should’ve heard him pulling up in front of my sister’s crib at 3A.M. singing “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” at the top of his lungs,” she laughed. “He knew that I was really leaving him that time.”
“And you’d have been a damn fool,” Giselle countered. “Sweetie, our men are two young, fine and powerful niggas who operate on the wrong side of the law. Thirsty bitches come with the territory. Let them take the headaches, abortions and gun charges, while we rest and dress in the finest shit. I ain’t stressing myself over something I can’t change. As far as I’m concerned, my baby daddy can knock down all the pawns he needs to feed that ego, so long as everybody is clear on who the queen is.” She sat back and crossed her legs for emphasis.
As it generally went after their chats, Giselle had given Honey some food for thought. They were roughly the same age, but for as long as she had known Giselle, she had always had a wisdom about her that women only acquired with time and experience. When Honey had first met Giselle, she and Shai hadn’t been dating that long, while Giselle had already been with Swann for years and had a baby by him. Honey had been dating hustlers all her life, but none played anywhere near the level Shai was at. It was Giselle and her familiarity with the family who assisted with Honey’s transition to the next level. Over the years, Honey had grown closer to Giselle than some of her oldest friends, including Paula.
One of the servers ascended the steps holding a platter full of champagne flutes. She was a cute girl, brown skinned with short hair and an ass that threatened to burst from the black slacks she was wearing. Across her wrist was a tattoo of a rosary. Giselle glared at her, before snatching two flutes from the platter, downing one while keeping her eyes locked on the server. The server ignored Giselle’s look and turned the platter to Honey.
“What are you, retarded? Don’t you see she’s pregnant?” Giselle snapped.
The server covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“Don’t be sorry, be careful. Now scat,” Giselle shooed her away.
“Giselle, why did you have to be so rude to that girl? She’s just doing her job!” Honey scolded her.
“One of her jobs. When she ain’t serving drinks, she shakes her ass at that strip club Swann loves to spend our money in. Found a video of her in my dumb ass baby daddy’s phone. I almost didn’t recognize her fully clothed, but that tattoo on her wrist gave it away.”
“Cut it out, Giselle. Rosaries are popular tattoos. I’m sure she ain’t the only one with it,” Honey reasoned.
“Yeah, that tattoo is common, but that ass is undeniable,” Giselle said in a matter-of-fact tone, before going back to her sipping.
Honey sat laughing at her friend’s theatrics, while looking out over her guests. She spotted her man, shaking hands and handling business like a boss was supposed to. He stopped to embrace an older man who Honey had seen on television once. He was some kind of politician, though she was unsure of what office he held. It made her heart swell with pride to see her man.
Finally growing into his new status. He had come a long way since she had first started dating him, and would go even further if she had anything to say about it.
Her proud moment was short-lived as a pretty young girl came into the picture. Next to Honey, she wasn’t much to look at, but she seemed to be holding Shai’s attention.
“Yo Giselle,” Honey tapped her leg to get her attention. “Who is that bitch? The one with the tiny black skirt on.”
Giselle’s eyes narrowed as she saw what Honey saw. The girl and Shai were smiling a little too hard at each other for her taste. “I don’t know, but I’ll go find out if you want.” She stood, but Honey stopped her.
“Nah, just chill for a minute. I wanna see how this plays out before I start handing out split wigs.”
CHAPTER 7
Now that Honey was out of his hair, it freed Shai up to handle more pressing business. He had a lot to take care of that day, and was already running behind schedule.
Shai moved through the yard, shaking hands and whispering into the ears of his guests. He had put together quite the function, and people were climbing over each other to show their appreciation, especially for the free food and drink. The event served two purposes; to celebrate the pending birth of his and Honey’s child and to address family business. With as hot as the streets were, meeting with some of his affiliates out in the open was becoming increasingly riskier. Since his ascension to the throne, he was under constant surveillance. He could barely take a piss without a cop standing over his shoulder offering to hold his dick. He had to be careful how he moved and who he was seen associating with. There was a guy in the organization who had gotten years on a conspiracy charge just for hanging out with the wrong muthafucka and Shai would be damned if he was going out like that. Tommy had warned him about the weight that came with the crown, but it still couldn’t prepare his little brother for how heavy it was. He had a whole new respect for his father for being able to live like that for all those years and still hold onto his sanity.
His newfound notoriety was one of the reasons he decided to handle his business at the house that day under the cover of the baby shower. All of his normal haunts, as well as those of his associates, were susceptible to being bugged or watched, but not his home. Shai had invested tons of money into personal security and all the latest anti-surveillance gear, including cell phone jamming towers that he could turn on and off at his pleasure. He even had the property swept for bugs twice per week. The police or anyone else couldn’t get within one hundred yards without Shai knowing about it. He spared no expense fortifying his home, which is why it was one of the only places he felt safe discussing business.
“Behold the prince of the ghetto!” Chance King approached wearing a broad smile with his arms spread.
Bringing up the rear were his wife and two of his children.
“Good to see you, Chance, and thanks for coming.” Shai hugged the older man.
“Stop that. You know me and the family wouldn’t miss this. We were just in the car saying how happy we were for you guys! Ain’t that right, Ghost?” The eldest King boy grumbled something inaudible.
“Sup, Ghost?” Shai addressed him.
“Ain’t shit. Just chilling. Congratulations, by the way,” Ghost said dryly.
“Thanks.” Shai matched his tone.
“And you remember my wife, M
aureen, don’t you?” Chance draped his arm around her and nudged her forward.
“Now that can’t be Mrs. King? Surely it’s one of your daughters and you’re playing a trick on me.” Shai took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “How are you, Mrs. King?”
“I’m fine and after all this time I think it’s okay for you to call me, Maureen.” She blushed.
“Watch that shit, youngster.” Chance half-joked.
“You gonna kiss my hand too, Shai?” a voice spoke up. She was a walnut-colored young woman with rich brown eyes, wearing a short black dress that hugged her athletic frame.
Shai had to do a double take to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. “Lolli?” The last time he had seen Lolli, King had been at Hope’s sweet sixteen party. Back then she had been a scrawny girl with braces, who was beating the dog shit out of a boy who tried to touch her developing boobs.
“Careful, Shai. I’d hate to have your future baby mama get in her feelings over the way you’re staring at my daughter,” Maureen warned.
Shai composed himself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect. It’s just that I hardly recognized little Lolli.”
“I ain’t so little anymore, huh?” Lolli’s tone was flirtatious.
“You ain’t got nothing to worry about, mama. You know Lolli don’t like boys no more,” Ghost remarked.
“Shai ain’t no boy,” Lolli shot back slyly. She was doing it just to get under Ghost’s skin.
“The both of y’all cut that shit and act like you got some home training!” Chance cut in. “As a matter of fact, go busy yourself at the bar or something. I need to talk to Shai.”
“Maybe I should stick around, pop,” Ghost suggested.
“Nah, I got it, Ghost,” Chance assured him. “Go on with ya mom and sister.”
Ghost continued to linger, until his mother rested a reassuring hand on his. “Come on, baby. Let your daddy tend to his business.”
Ghost gave Shai a last look before allowing his mother to lead him away.
