Page 95 of Own It

“Oop.” She picked the phone up, all while watching me, and placed a call to who I could surmise was Rakim and hopefully not security. “He’s not here yet, but he let me know you can go up,” she said once she hung up. “Walk all the way past the boxing rings and up those steps at the back where you see a row of offices.”

“Thank you.”

I was halfway up the stairs as I spoke and could already hear the many men grunting and punching either bags or their trainer’s boxing shields.

Stepping up into the large, bright boxing room, I watched as several different men trained in the rings while others worked on bags or exercise equipment.

As I scanned the area on my way toward the back of the room where the offices were lined in an elevated row, I spotted Josias with Tarin in his lap. The sight made me freeze up as if he were my nigga, because I still recalled the conversation I’d had with Kasia. As much as I liked Josias as my man’s brother, I didn’t like him for Kasia.

However, because I didn’t know her well enough, I didn’t think it was my place to report back to her Josias’s moves. The last thing I wanted was to have beef with her, Josias, and my man because I was trying to help. A lot of times, women didn’t wanna know what their nigga was up to so they wouldn’t look weak for staying—not me—and I hadn’t been able to peg which type Kasia was.

“Well, well, well.” A deep voice snatched my attention away from Josias who was occupied with his first baby mama.

The gym was so big that I knew Josias didn’t see me.

“Ayan.” I huffed. “How are you?” I queried, still remembering he actually did have a heart by the way he was sobbing at his brother’s funeral.

“I’m cool, but better now that you here.” He stepped up, panting, shirtless and sweaty.

He was a good-looking man, same exact height as Rakim, but he looked different and bore a lighter complexion than Rakim, though he wasn’t light skinned. He was more like a honeyed brown.

“Right.” I stepped back. “Excuse me.”

Blocking my path, he said, “Rah ain’t here at the moment. Nigga be lying sometimes.”

“He didn’t lie. This was a surprise visit. You seem like more of the lying twin.” I winked.

Ayan’s face fell at my jab, but he quickly recovered.

“Ayan!” His trainer called out, and when we both looked over there, I spotted Nate Godfrey’s creepy ass.

He was watching with an unreadable expression on his face. I couldn’t tell if he disapproved of Ayan’s behavior because of Rakim, or because he, himself, had made eyes at me. And I thought my damn family was shady.

“One second!” Ayan called back before looking down at me. “You are way too beautiful. I wanna get to know you.” Before I could go in on him, he continued. “I also wanna formally apologize for how I approached you in the past when I first met you. It wasn’t right.”

“K. Thanks.” I chuckled mirthlessly. “Say it with me, La-Mi-a. Remember her?”

Mentioning Rakim was pointless. He knew I was his and made it clear he didn’t care. I found Ayan funny, though, because he’d seen me on multiple occasions since the last time he opened his mouth to me but didn’t so much as speak, and I knew it was because Rakim was by my side.

This was his first opening to approach me where his brother was absent, and homie wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass him.

Waving my comment off with a frown, as if that weren’t even a problem, he replied, “She knows what it is and how this life goes. Worry about yourself and not her. When I finish up here, we can buy up the mall.” He ran his tongue across his teeth, and I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“I have my own money and my own business, Ayan.” It was nice to be spoiled by a man, one of my favorite pastimes, but I usually only wanted shit from a nigga I was interested in, not some random with a family and doing whatever he could to climb in your bed. “Plus, you know damn well I’m with and all about your better-looking brother.”

I watched him wince slightly at my words, confirming that Ayan had a one-sided beef with my man that was backed by a lot of envy. Here he was, prancing all over town with LaMia, his brother’s ex, putting kids in her in Rakim’s face, yet he was still bothered.

“I ain’t ready to leave LaMia, so it can be a secret between us.” He smirked.

“Ayan, I’m not sure why you think if you keep asking me the same shit over and over the answer will change. You need to take a break from being knocked around that ring and figure out why you crave everything your brother touches.” Stepping closer, I lowered my tone and said, “And unlike anything else he’s had in his possession, I can promise you that you will never touch me. I would rather hop in my car then drive to Hollywood and let a homeless man fuck me raw on the dirty ass curb before I ever even contemplate giving you my number.”

“You better watch yo’ fucking tone.” He cracked his knuckles as he dwarfed me, but then he backed away from me instantly, making me glance over my shoulder to see Rakim stepping up, eyes on some boxer who’d come up to his right side.

Like always, whenever he stepped into the room with that imposing height, perfect build, silky dark skin, and captivating aura, all attention was on him, even mine.

He hadn’t even peeped us yet, but Ayan was still terrified to be caught in my face.

“Scaredy cat,” I commented just before Ayan jogged back toward his father and trainer.