Page 13 of Bodyguard My Heart

“Naveah, that was years ago. I’m not tripping off that high school shit.” I waved her off. I had long ago stopped caring about what had gone down between us. To Naveah, I was a going nowhere in life hood nigga, and I was cool with that. I’d used it as fuel to become the boss I am today.

“High school or not, you were my first love.” She was quiet for a minute before speaking again. “Just for the record: When I left, I was waiting for a grand gesture of love, Meechie. When you just let me go without a fight, I knew you weren’t as invested as you pretended to be.”

I listened to her. Everything she was saying was true. Falling in love with Samara had revealed that to me. I would go to the ends of the fucking earth for Samara, but Naveah couldn’t even get me to go to Chicago.

“I wasn’t ready for all that back then. Besides, you wanted me to be something that I’m not. I’m a gangster, Naveah. It’s what I was born to be.”

“I see more. I’ve always seen more,” she replied. A comfortable silence fell over us before she stood from the couch.

“I better be getting back. Hug.” She opened her arms. Standing, I pulled her into a friendly hug.

“Stay safe, Demetrius.” She pulled away and walked down the stairs. Bumping into Royale on her way out, they embraced and shared a moment before she was on the other side of the club.

“You and Samara are still on that bullshit, I see.” Royale’s voice thundered over the music as he entered my section at the strip club. I returned to my seat, pulling the big booty in front of me down on my lap before dapping up my best friend.

“What’s up, nigga!” I greeted him as he took a seat next to me. I was surprised he’d accepted my invitation to hang out tonight. Monroe had that boy’s head so far gone he acted like a nigga didn’t exist. I wasn’t complaining, though. My nigga was in love, and Monroe was cool people. If I could get Samara to act right, I’d be ducked off too.

“Sup.” He eyed me and the stripper awkwardly as he dapped up Fabian. I needed to holla at my boy briefly, but I wanted to get up with shorty later. I hadn’t fucked in months, and I was backed up since I was no longer fucking with Samara like that.

“I need to holla at my niggas, but I want to link with you later. That cool?” I whispered in her ear. There was no need to beat around the bush. All of the strippers in here already knew who I was and what I was about.

“Yeah, that’s cool,” she replied.Damn, this chick sounds like a man, I thought as I surveyed her neck for an Adam’s apple.

“What’s your government, beautiful?” I questioned.

“Raina.”

“Raina, what?”

“Jackson,” she replied. The first and last name was more for Fabian than for me. He ran anybody I met up with through a background check. In my line of work, I couldn’t trust anybody. Niggas weren’t above sending a woman to do their dirty work, so I had to be careful.

“Put your number in my phone. I want to get us a room when you get off.”

“Okay.” Her husky voice swooned.

She was lucky she was cute, ’cause her voice was deep as fuck. Taking my phone in her hands, she slid off my lap. My eyesmet Royale’s. I knew he was going to have something to say in a minute.

“I get off at five,” she whispered into my ear before sashaying away. She put an extra twist in her hips for me. It wasn’t needed. I’d already decided she would do for the night. I watched her disappear from the section before cutting my eyes to Royale. He stared at me, and for the first time since we’d been friends, I couldn’t read him. I hated that Samara had exposed her brother to our shit. It was bad enough that I’d married his sister behind his back, but now I had to tell half truths about being in a relationship with her, and that shit was fucking with me.

“Really?” Royale’s head cocked to the side.

“What?” I shrugged. I knew what he was talking about, but I played dumb.

“Nigga, am I going to have to beat yo’ ass about my sister?”

We all shared a laugh, but I knew he was serious.

“If I were fucking her over, I’d beat my ass,” I replied. “Samara ain’t fucking with me.”

“What’s up with that? I thought y’all were doing good. Y’all broke up?”

“Something like that.” I took another puff of the blunt. I didn’t like discussing Samara with Royale. He was her brother. He thought Samara and I were just dating, and I didn’t like lying to him. In the beginning, we lied to stop Royale from stepping in and taking over the cartel. Now we were just lying for our own selfish reasons. We both didn’t want to deal with the fallout that telling Ro the truth would cause.

“Samara only sees a nigga as a gangster. She only sees—"

“Our father,” he cut me off, finishing my sentence.

I nodded my head. “Exactly!”