I Gave Him My Heart (14 page)

I looked at her, laughter subsiding. “Wait a minute. How did you know who this nigga was and what he looked like? There are no pictures of this nigga anywhere.”

“Me and the crew went to the strip club last night. Ya nigga was there, painting this mural on the wall of the strippers. Oh, it was awesome. The nigga wasn’t even thinkin about them bitches.” Pretty looked Knox’s way. “Shit, the mural he painted looked a lot better than them tired hoes.”

I looked over in Knox’s direction, watching people already begin to crowd around his table.

It wasn’t too long before my crew from Baltimore showed up to our table, which was right alongside the registration table that I sat at with Pretty. Fallon had the goodies, and my team had the gift bags for the people who came to look at our table. While I was setting up my booth, I couldn’t help but miss Nina. Expos were once her thing. It was my first expo without her. She was home, taking care of her baby, while I was out, making a name for myself and my new businesses. I missed her so much.

“You look like you’re deep in thought.” I heard that young nigga’s smooth yet rugged voice again.

I looked up from my beef supreme Chalupa, with no lettuce or tomato, into Knox’s face. I wanted to roll my eyes, but he was looking too cute. And that got-damn smile of his. “What do you want, youngin’?” I huffed.

“Just a chance to chill wit’cha. Everybody is taking a lunch break but you. I thought you might be lonely, so I came over to chill with’cha, that is, if you don’t mind.” Knox came over and sat in the chair next to mine.

I laughed a little. “Actually I do mind. I’m not lonely; I like eating alone.”

Knox shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think you like eating alone. I just think eating is your personal time, and you don’t like getting personal with anyone. Anyone that isn’t Nina Nicolas.”

I stopped mid-bite to look into that nigga’s face. This boy was one of the busiest niggas that I’d heard of, yet he had the time to stalk my life. “You stalkin’ me, little nigga?”

Knox scoffed. “Stalkin’ you? Who’s stalkin’ you? The Nicolas’ are always in the spotlight. I’ve seen your face all over social media, not to mention TMZ, BET, MTV, and Reelz TV. I don’t even have much time to watch television, but best believe, I see your face just about every time I turn it on. And every time I see a show featuring you, you were with Nina. Rumor has it, you’re doing that reality show, The Life of a Nicolas. They say you’re shooting the pilot for the show on New Year’s, when you open up your club in the Dominican Republic.”

I couldn’t help but grin. Yup, he was a stalker. “Stalkin’ ass.” I laughed, eating the rest of my Chalupa.

Knox grinned, shaking his head to himself. “Yeah, I guess I do sound like a stalker, huh?”

I nodded. “Yes; yes, you do.”

“But I made you smile though.” Knox smiled at me, bright brown eyes searching my face.

I looked into his face. I can't believe this young ass dude has the nerve to step to me, trying to kick some game, I thought to myself. Looking like he just hit puberty. Is he even potty trained? The muthafucka can't be older than twenty-five... But he is sexy though.

“I’ve seen hundreds of thousands of your paintings from the time I was in middle school until now. My cousin, Nina, was obsessed with you. I swore up and down that you were white until Nina told me that she saw you when you were a kid, painting a mural of your sister on a museum wall in San Diego. Your family is so rich, snobbish, worldly, and you’re so…” I hesitated.

“Hood?” Knox finished my sentence for me.

“Not like them were the words that I was looking for.” I shook my head. “I haven’t seen one photo of you anywhere, in any magazine or on any television show. Why? Why aren’t you associated with them?”

Knox just looked at me a few seconds before taking the Chalupa from my hands to take a bite. I watched him lick the sour cream from his lips before handing me back my food. “You wouldn’t understand my pain, Ma.” Knox said after a long moment of silence.

I disagreed. “Nah, hun, I know pain, trust me.”

Knox shook his head. “Not my kind of pain.”

I looked his face over before taking a bite out of my food.

We sat there in awkward silence for a minute. A few people passed by, pointing at Knox along the way. It was sort of surreal to be around a billionaire who didn’t really acknowledge how much he was worth. He was young, and I hated young niggas because they were so thirsty. But, Knox was different. He was Saint’s friend, so I already knew the nigga was arrogant and cocky as a muthafucka. Every nigga Saint knew was conceited and overly confident. A façade to cover up the fact that he was hopelessly insecure.

“So, how old are you anyway?” I broke the silence.

“Old enough,” Knox huffed.

I rolled my eyes. “You forgot that my sista grew up admiring you. You had to be like five or six when she first saw you. We were twelve then, so you can’t be over twenty-five.” I looked him over a little.

“I’m twenty-six.” Knox corrected me, grinning a little. “Age ain’t nothing but a got-damn number. Don’t be so quick to judge me, Kourtney. I know a lot about you to judge you if I wanted to, but I’m not. You’re older than me and have done plenty of irresponsible, childish shit, but who am I to judge?”

I smacked my lips at him. “Nigga, go ‘head with all that bullshit.” I crumbled up the wrapper that my Chalupa came out of. “You need to go ‘head on, wit’cha young ass. You don’t know shit about me, Knox. And the only thing I know about you is that you can paint. I didn’t come all the way up here from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to have small talk with a nigga who doesn’t even know his worth.”

Knox scoffed. “My worth?”

“Yes, nigga, your worth. I heard that just your signature is worth a couple of millions, yet you’re over here talkin’ to a chick who is making it perfectly obvious that, no matter how much got-damn money you make, she’s not interested in young niggas. All these women in here and you chose the one who doesn’t want anything to do with you; that says a lot about you.” I shook my head at him. “You must like rejection.”

“Nah, I just like a challenge.” Knox slid me a flyer.

I looked down at the flyer, reading the invitation. As soon as I saw the words, ‘New Year’s Eve Party’, I slid the shit back to him. “Where is this party, Knox? Chuck E. Cheese?”

Knox laughed out loud, “The fuck? Chuck E. Cheese? Man, you are really something else! Just chop a nigga all the way down. Damn. It’s at the Baltimore Arena. My nigga, Joe Kendrix, is throwing a party. You’re guaranteed to have a good time, Kourtney. I’ll get’cha back to your hotel safe. Or better yet, I’ll bring you back to my place.”

I watched this young muthafucka lick his lips. It took everything in me not to grab his face and kiss him. I remained calm and full of attitude. “Boy, bye. Dude, my bar opens in Punta Cana on New Year’s Eve. And even if it didn’t, ain’t nobody tryin’ to kick it with a bunch of preschoolers.” I watched Knox exhale deeply before getting up from my table.

“Who you kickin’ it with tonight, Ma?” Knox tried again.

“Not with you.” I rolled my neck and my eyes.

Knox grinned. “Whatcha doing tonight, Ma? Why you playin’? Let me buy you a drank or take you out.”

I smacked my lips. “Boy, bye. I’ve lived in North Carolina for twelve years. I know my way around this muthafucka, dude. I don’t have time for you. And I don’t date, fuck, or suck niggas in their twenties. I’m sorry that I’m not sorry, dude.”

“Yo.” Knox laughed out loud. “Your ass is crazy…” His eyes searched my face.

“And I like that shit.”

My heart sped up in my chest a little.

“You’re not even gonna get to know me before you swear me off altogether? I promise you; I’m not like any other man you’ve ever met, twenty-something or not. I could teach you a thang or two if you give me the chance.” Knox stood before me, so cute and seemed so sincere.

But I had to shut him down. “I’ve learned enough from niggas to know that y’all are all the same. The next nigga who gets any of Kourtney is gonna have to do more than look good. The next nigga is gonna have to work for this. And the next nigga is gonna have to be older than got-damn twenty-six. You’re barely legal, dude. Billionaire or not, you’re not my type. Now beat it.”

Knox laughed a little to himself. “Yeah, we’re gonna have to do something about that attitude. You fuckin’ with the right one.” Knox lowered his baseball cap a little before walking away from me.

I could finally breath when he walked away. I let out a long sigh. That young dude was everything, but my heart had been through enough turmoil. Once I let Niq’ back into my soul, I knew I needed some serious help. I was all confused. Had no direction. Every man I’d given my heart to had hurt me, from the man who I believed was my father to the man who belonged to a girl I’d grown up with. I’d taken a break from sex because that was all it was. It didn’t mean anything. I can actually count the amount of times that I’d orgasmed. Sex just gave me control. It made me feel important. It wasn’t until Brittanie revealed that Peanut had HIV that I realized how lucky I was. It wasn’t until Brittanie put Niq’s lifestyle on blast that I realized I was nothing but the easy girl, the one niggas went to when they needed a fix. I was tired of being that girl.

Chapter Six

Bébela

“Kourtney, you met Timothy Knoxberry?” You should have seen the look on Nina’s face the following weekend, after me and my girls made it back to Punta Cana. Nina was
too
pressed.

I rolled my eyes, sliding into my Adidas sandals. “Girl, yes.”

“The nigga tried to get with her at the expo, and she totally dissed him.” Pretty was in her feelings about that shit. “That beautiful nigga, with all those tattoos, and those perfect teeth, and those got-damn dimples! Whoot! She crazy as a muthafucka!”

“Y’all already know that I don’t fuck with young niggas. If I make that nigga cum, I already know he’s gonna be stressing the fuck outta me. You know how young niggas are.” I rolled my eyes, watching Chelsea brewing coffee in the corner of the shop. I looked back at Nina, who was grinning at me from ear to ear. “What?”

“Did’ja give the nigga your number or what, Kourtney?” Nina ignored me because she already knew I was lying to myself about my attraction to Knox.

“No,” Fallon, who had flown in to spend a few weeks in the DR for the holidays, smacked her lips. “But best believe that nigga is gonna show his face soon. I’ve only been here a few hours, but when I went to the corner market to get some soda for the ‘fridge, I bumped into this dude name Juan. His family owns the corner market. Juan was like, ‘hey, I remember you; you were at the expo in Raleigh.’ I was like, ‘yeah, cutie, I was.’” Fallon laughed to herself.

Lailah rolled her eyes. “Girl, get to the got-damn point before customers start rollin’ in. Damn.”

Fallon rolled her big brown eyes. “He said that he works at one of Timothy Knoxberry’s tattoo shops. Juan said that he was in town for a few weeks, for the holidays, and that Timothy Knoxberry
might
be here for Christmas or for New Years. He wasn’t sure which one, but he said the young muthafucka is coming!”

I rolled my eyes, rubbing my head anxiously, irritated by how happy everyone was that Knox was coming to town to stalk my ass. “Lordt.”

Nina nudged me. “Now, do you remember all those pep talks you gave me last year about getting to know Saint?”

“Yes, Nina, I fuckin’ remember,” I snapped, knowing she was just
waiting
for the day that she could pay me back. “And look how
that
shit turned out! I told you to get with Saint, and you ended up marrying his brother! Apparently, my matchmaker skills are off, boo. I’m trying to get my bar that’s here together. Trying to get Young Chambers afloat. Shit, Insertion is opening a week after my bar here is. The executive producers at Reelz TV have stalked me for months. If they catch wind that Timothy Knoxberry is trying to holla at me, oh, they’re gonna have a field day, and y’all know it.”

“You like this nigga, huh?” Nina ignored me again.

I just looked at the grin on her face. I wasn’t even gonna lie; I couldn’t get his smile or the sound of his voice out of my head. I tried doing research on the dude, but there was nothing on that nigga. I tried Googling him and nothing. He was a mystery. A sexy mystery.

“No, I don’t like him. Okay?” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know anything about him. I tried Googling the little nigga, and there’s nothing on him. Nothing but his name, and the fact that he’s an architect, photographer, and tattoo artist. When I Googled his family name, there were pictures of his family all over the muthafucka. All I found with Knox’s name on it were his paintings and buildings that he helped construct or design.”

“Well, his sista is a dancer. Roxanne Knoxberry. I know her.” Fallon spoke up. “We had a few classes together at Howard. She dances for Black Beauty.
And
she’s about to be in Jamie Green’s new video,
Panties Off
. That lucky bitch. Anyway, Knox owns like six tattoo shops in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.”

We all looked at Fallon.

Fallon shrugged. “What? I used to fuck with his friend, Joe Harris. He works with Knox at one of his shops in Baltimore. Knox doesn’t associate himself with his family, and apparently the muthafuckas don’t associate themselves with him or his sista.”

“‘Knox’?” Nina looked at the both of us.

I nodded. “You know I don’t like muthafuckas named ‘Tim’. If I was gonna have to deal with him at the expo, his name was gonna be ‘Knox’.”

Nina grinned. “I can’t believe you know this dude!” She squealed. “I can’t wait to meet him! Invite him over for dinner! You have his number right?”

I just looked at her like she was crazy.

“Yes.” Fallon spoke up. “I got his number from Juan.
And
I gave Juan Kourtney’s number for him to call her.”

I huffed. “Ugh! Y’all bitches can’t—”

“Can’t what? Too late, boss lady; I already did!” Fallon laughed.

“You’re fired.” I pouted. “I’m not going out with this little nigga, so y’all can just forget it. My pussy has been closed for business for eight months.”

“Well,” Daniella laughed. “It’s about to have a grand opening sale in a few weeks!” Daniella and the rest of the crew at the shop burst out laughing. “Y’all should have seen the way that nigga was scoping her. When he gets that pussy, he’s gonna
kill
that pussy!”

I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. “Y’all hoes are crazy.” I snickered to myself, watching Nina laugh so hard that there were tears in her eyes.

“I’m happy for you.” Nina smiled at me, nudging me.

I looked at her.

“I’m happy for you about everything. Now, I have some
real
competition.” Nina grinned, throwing her arms around me. I’m telling you, it took everything in my soul to keep me from crying. That was the best hug I’d received in all my life. I didn’t want my boo upset that I was leaving her, even though I knew she was in her feelings that I was partnering up with Saint.

***

Saint laughed out loud in his Maserati on New Year’s Eve, the day of the grand opening of Bébela. “So, did you enroll in the Knoxberry School of Arts or what, Ma?”

I rolled my eyes at Saint. He was trippin’ off the story of my life. I didn’t see shit funny about it. “I went to check the school out back in November. I’d already enrolled in the school, way before I met Knox’s ass. It has nothing to do with him. I start on January 9
th
. Why the fuck are you laughing at me?”

“Because, yo, you’re past all that shit that you’ve been through, Ma.” Saint leaned back in his seat. We were parked outside of Bébela. “You’ve come a long way from the girl who was molested by her own muthafuckin’ cousin. From the chick who was raped by her cousin’s boyfriend. From the girl who was hurt by the first nigga she’d ever loved. From the girl who just didn’t give a fuck. I know you’re tired of being lied to. Tired of being trapped in the middle of bullshit. You’re doing good, Ma.”

I sighed. I’d never told anyone, not even Nina, all the shit I’d gone through. I didn’t think she could relate to my pain. I felt guilty. I felt lost. I felt abandoned. I felt… pain. “You know, I never told anyone about what my cousin did to me.” I whispered. “You’re the first person I’ve ever talked to about
any
of this.”

“I’m always here to listen, hermana. If I can’t do anything else, I can listen,” Saint responded.

“I appreciate that, hun, real talk. Most people just blow me off when I start talkin’, but you actually listen and that means a lot.” I was relieved to have gotten everything off my chest.

Saint sighed. “You’ve been through a lot, Ma. I can see why you put your guards up, but you need to let ‘em down sometimes. You gotta confide in someone.”

“I just confided in you, homie. I’m good.” I rolled my eyes, drying the tears from my face.

Saint laughed a little. “I mean, someone other than me, your brutha.”

I looked at him, loving the fact that he considered himself to be my brutha,

“Knox, as you call him, is a good dude. Yeah, he’s a playa, but trust me, he’ll slow down for the right one.” Saint watched me roll my eyes. “He flew in this morning. He’s over at my nigga, Juan’s place.”

I looked at Saint.

Saint grinned.

I shook my head. “I swear, if that nigga shows up to my party uninvited, I will beat’cha ass, Saint! Don’t play! He’s not even old enough to hang with us!”

Saint laughed out loud. “You act like the nigga is in high school!”

“He might as well be. What the fuck am I gonna do with someone that young? I don’t have time to be teaching a muthafucka.” I sighed. “Saint, I don’t have time for him. I have too much going on and so does that nigga.”

“He’ll make time for you, I’m sure. He called me this morning, asking about you. Your girl, Lailah, said he called Mi Tinta last week, making an appointment with you.” Saint laughed at the ‘oh hell muthafuckin’ nah’ expression on my face. “That nigga isn’t tryin’ to stay in that friend zone. This nigga is persistent. You know how we roll, Ma.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” I shrunk back in my chair. “This is payback for me pushing you and Nina together. It’s that bitch-ass Karma. Man, I hate that bitch!”

Saint laughed. “You’re gonna be a’ight, Ma.”

I looked at Saint, his eyes smiling. “You coming to my party tonight?” I watched Saint shaking his head. “Boo, you
have
to be there! The only reason I got the confidence to do any of this shit was because of you! I’m running a bar here in Punta Cana, a club with Young in Baltimore, and I have my very own tattoo shop! I’m doing it big, and it’s all because of you, bruh!” I shoved him in his arm. “You’re my nigga. And I can’t see myself throwing an opening without you, my hitta.”

Saint grinned, tears in his eyes. “I might roll through.”

I nodded, “That’s more like it. We’re on that black and white suit and tie shit tonight, boo. So you betta represent.”

“Oh, you already know.” Saint had that ‘you betta recognize’ look on his face.

So, there I was that night, standing in front of the full-length mirror in my hallway, eying myself in my tight, white, strapless, mini-dress and white Christian Louboutin red-bottoms. Pretty helped flat iron my hair that night. All my girls stood outside of my house, waiting for Saint’s limo to come pick us up. My crew looked so fly. My girls from G-Boro and B-More were gonna be in the spot. We were about to turn my bar the fuck out that night. People from all over were rollin’ through the spot; not to mention, a few of our customers who went to our shop in Goldsboro had flown in to show their love. I was nervous out of my mind, even though they all told me that I had nothing to worry about. Nina didn’t make it to my house that evening. Nina was at home, still waiting on Ricque to make it back. You already know she wasn’t going anywhere without him. That was probably what had me really on edge. I needed that girl by my side, but she needed to know that Ricque was safe. Every time he left her, I think that girl held her breath until he made it back to her.

“Boo,” Pretty called out to me from my front door. “Our ride is here!”

I sighed, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I smiled big to make sure my merlot-colored lipstick wasn’t on my teeth. I grabbed my clutch purse from the bookshelf in the hallway and hurried towards the door. When I got to my doorway, I stopped in my tracks, almost tripping over my own Red Bottoms. There, at the foot of my steps, stood Knox. He stood there in a crisp, European cut, black suit and leather shoes. He had a black bow tie underneath his crisp, white collar. Black Cartier shades covered his eyes. Oh, his haircut was on point. His waves were perfect. His sideburns were perfect. That goatee was trimmed to perfection. He was classic. Not too much jewelry, just diamond studs on his ears and a black and chrome Cartier watch wrapped around his wrist.

I sighed, watching my girls making their way to the limo as it pulled up in my circular driveway. I glanced over at his chrome Bentley Flying Spur parked in my driveway. Then, I looked at Knox and the velvet heart shaped box that he held in his hands.

Knox grinned at me as I made my way down my porch steps to meet him at the foot of the steps.

I got to him, looking up at him as he removed his shades. I glanced over at the limo as it made its way out of my parking lot, leaving me to have no choice but to show up at the opening of my bar with Knox. The press was about to be at my club. Trench Carter, from Reelz TV, and a few more of his co-producers were about to film a few scenes from my opening. I agreed to do the show as long as they promised to give my tattoo artists from both my shop and Nina’s some airtime. Willimena, Sophie,and a few more of the Nicolas girls were going to be at the bar. They were all so rich and bougie. I was so hood compared to all of them, which is probably why they wanted me on the show. They thought I was going to bring the drama. The opening of my bar was important. I really didn’t have time to mingle with Knox. But there he was. Looking good as a muthafucka at that.

“What’s up, Chambers?” Knox removed the shades from his face.

I looked up at him, trying my best not to smile. “Who are you supposed to be? My prince coming to take me to the ball? This event is thirty and over, boo. Sorry.”

Knox grinned, sticking his shades in his pocket. “You look beautiful tonight. I just thought you might have wanted some fly to match your fly. I clean up nice, huh?” Knox brushed off his shoulder.