Thug Lovin' by Wahida Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

y’all don’t pay me to do public relations.” Bobbi rambled on all in one breath.
    “Bobbi, just take a message like any other normal secretary would do. We have a publicist. Several. Give them Courtney’s number.
     Is Kaylin in yet?” Angel snapped as she held
The New York Times
tightly under her arms.
    “He was here when I got here, Mrs. Santos. He’s been on the phone all morning.”
    Angel stormed off in search of Kaylin. His door was open, his back was turned and the phone was glued to his ear. Angel slammed
     the door, causing him to turn around. She tossed the article in front of him. “Hang up the phone, Kaylin.”
    His smile turned into a frown.
    “Now, Kaylin.” While she was in Colorado on a business trip, she had been calling Kaylin repeatedly since she heard about
     Papi Chulo’s and his mother’s deaths. Kaylin had refused to talk to her over the phone. He continued his conversation as he
     watched her pace back and forth. He knew she was pissed because he wouldn’t talk to her. He knew that all she wanted to do
     was grill him. He ended the call and stood up.
    “I’m glad to see you too. How was your trip?”
    “Kaylin, don’t even try it. If you would have answered your phone you would have known.” She picked up the newspaper and tossed
     the article on Papi and his mother at him. He caught it and placed the newspaper on his desk. Papi had taken his mother on
     a cruise and they had both been found murdered.
    “Red, I found out about this the other night. You know I wasn’t going to discuss this with you over the phone, so I don’t
     know why you trippin’.” Kaylin turned up the music in his office because he knew what was coming next. He walked over to her
     and Angel started crying.
    “You know I liked him, Kaylin.”
    “So did I, Red. He was our number one moneymaker.”
    “Why did they do this? We should have never sent them on the cruise,” Angel bawled.
    “Baby, it’s not our fault,” Kaylin assured her.
    She looked into his eyes to see if it was true or not. What she saw made her stomach clench. She pushed him away and went
     into her office.
    *  *  *
    California here and now…
    Trae and Tasha were sitting in the family room. The twins were now almost three years old and Caliph was going on one. Caliph
     was in his playpen and the twins were playing with their toys. Trae was filling Tasha in on Stephon’s pitch for the nightclub.
     He could sense that Tasha wasn’t quite sold.
    “The bottom line,” he continued, “is that I can clean up a nice amount of this cash we sittin’ on. The longer we have it sittin’
     around the more uncomfortable I’m getting. You understand what I’m saying?”
    “Of course I understand. But do you understand what I’m saying? Matter of fact, are you even listening to what
I’m
saying?”
    “What are you saying, Tasha?”
    “Why does it have to be a club? Nightclubs are very risky. There are so many other business ventures that you could use to
     clean up some money.”
    “Yes, but a business venture with your peoples that I can control, baby. This opportunity just fell into my lap. And to make
     it even sweeter, he has a board of directors that are made up of the most powerful people in California. I won’t have to explain
     to them where the money came from. It’s like I’m doing business with the connect’s connect. Plus, it’s
our
club. When we go out we will be going to
our
club.”
    “I don’t know.” She was shaking her head.
    “You don’t know what?”
    “By no means am I insecure, but a club? I don’t know about these West Coast hoes having access to my husband,” Tasha said,
     clearly not feeling this nightclub thing.
    “Oh, so now we’re getting to what this is really about.”
    “Trae, be for real. I’m looking at the future. You know you will be swimming in bitches. Bitches mean drama. We both know
     this.”
    “Tasha, this is business.”
    “Nigga, you must have forgot who you talkin’ to.