Save Room for Us (Crenshaw Kings Book 7)

by Shvonne Latrice

“How ’bout you walk off while you still can, nigga. ’Cause if I have to put hands on you, then I gotta shoot you, and I don’t think getting bodied is worth a woman you never gon’ have. But you let me know.”

“Why can’t I be looking for a man? After what I endured, I deserve it.” “Because when you start looking, yo’ eyes need to land on me.”

“So you ready to play step daddy?” “That’s already in a nigga’s blood. You forgot? I was put on earth to be a step daddy.” He smiled and I chortled, thinking of Lisara. “But I don’t play no roles, love. I live in the shit, show other muthafuckas how it’s done. That was supposed to be my baby anyway.” “I didn’t know you when she was created.” I hated myself for cheesing at this shit he was laying down, but I couldn’t help it. “Now you do. You bet not have another fucking baby that ain’t carrying my DNA.”

“I’m gon’ put it to you like this though: Either you fucking with me or you single.” He shrugged subtly and nonchalantly.

the fact that Asif was awakening even a little bit of something inside of me said a lot.

“My ex was a psycho,” I admitted. “Nah, he a coward. And I can tell you right now he not willing to do what I am for you.” His eye contact was so strong I had to glance away here and there. “He don’t even have the ability to.” “What are you willing to do for me?” I put it as a joke, but I truly wanted to know. “Anything.” He lifted his brows briefly.

“I’ll let you be though, love. I’ll make sure no more niggas come bothering you tonight, tomorrow, the rest of the fucking year.”

He reminded me of my ex, and that made me a little bit uncomfortable, but I tried not to show it. It wasn’t his fault that he was similar in looks and build as Cedric.

wouldn’t treat you like that, baby. I would do you right.” He made his way closer to me, filling me with a little bit of fright just like Cedric did.

“Poor guy. He was just being nice,” I said, setting out the things I thought I would need for the day. “He ain’t being nice, love. He trying to be ya man, and I’m not having the shit. Like I said, when you in the market for a new nigga, I want you having tunnel vision, with me at the end of that muthafucka. Plus, only bodyguard you need is me. You don’t know these other niggas I got working for me, so you need something, you come to me only.”

I noticed Asif leaning in the doorway, watching. It was only then that I understood why everyone was on edge around him. He had this demeanor that made you anxious. I’d treated stab wounds one hundred times over, especially ones of this nature, yet I was anxious knowing he was there watching.

“Don’t get no ideas, nigga. She spoken for,” Asif called out, causing Taj and me to laugh.

“You perfect for this shit. Nigga was so busy admiring you he forgot he was stabbed.”

“You didn’t have to stay, Asif. I locked the door.” “I did have to stay. I told you I was gon’ look out for you while you was here. No way would I leave you in this fucking warehouse alone. And I don’t trust nobody else to protect you, so it is what it is.” He pulled open my driver’s door for me, taking my workbag in the process.

You focus on Cedric and where he’s going, which isn’t far since he’s in a coma,” I shot back, knowing I was wrong for going that far. “Then again, you don’t care about what he does, either. That’s why you didn’t give a fuck when he beat me.”

“You are disgusting. It doesn’t matter what he did. He didn’t deserve to be shot, Stazi.” Gabriel’s lids lowered in disdain. Though I had said some foul things, his last comment bothered the hell out of me. “Okay, y’all need to get the fuck out!” I snapped.

“I get that you are upset that Cedric has been shot, and his life is hanging in the balance, but you must understand that he was not a good man. He beat and terrorized her, so when you do horrifying things, they come with horrifying consequences.”

The words Khari rapped, mentioning how he’d never wife a freak joint rang true as fuck right now as I took Milan’s actions in. But as he also said, they were good for fucking.

“I said I don’t want my woman acting like that.” I corrected her, and she was confused for a split second before nodding. “You free to do you. I enjoyed the show. I wanna see you do that later with no clothes though.”

“Nah, you shouldn’t, and it don’t fucking matter what she look like, nigga. She not there for that, and even if she was, it’s not on the table for you,” I finally spoke up.

I kept my hands in my pockets, something that had become a habit of mine when I didn’t wanna haul off and clock a nigga, like right now.

“She not in a place to be dating right now. She dealing with shit, and all she wanna do is make her money and get through this bullshit with her ex. She trusted me to provide her with a safe place of employment, and that means barring you muthafuckas from pushing up on her, even outside of the workplace.”

“And are you truly ready for that type of shit? You the same nigga who falls asleep in the strip club and you in yo’ mid-thirties. Are you really about to put all that shit behind you to take care of Anastazia and her baby?” “I am. For her.” “Nah, you not.” I shook my head, staring down at him. “I suggest you leave that shit alone, Grady, ’cause if you fuck with and fuck over Anastazia, I’m gon’ murk you.”

“End of the day, boss, we all grown, and she can do what she want.” I nodded, glancing off for a second and said, “Yeah, she can, but if you go against me, we gon’ have an issue. Can’t enjoy Anastazia if you dead, cuz. Keep that in mind.”

“I ain’t about to go back and forth with somebody I don’t belong to, Milan.” I kept it blunt. “You wanna argue for the night, I can drop you off to the next nigga. When you ready to kick it and leave that other shit at the door, we can possibly link up.”

“What I need you to comprehend though, baby, is you not ready for no real shit. Even if I wanted you to be mine, it ain’t in you. You like too much attention and accolades to fuck with a low-key nigga like me. Me admiring you wouldn’t be enough, because you want other niggas doing it too.”

“A nigga can’t trust you, Milan. Anything you feel like you can’t do in front of me, you shouldn’t be doing the shit at all. If you gotta stop some shit when I walk into the room, that means you on some flaw ass type of timing.”

need you to understand where I’m coming from when I say it won’t ever be you and me on some real shit. All I’m doing is giving you a few reasons why.”

“I want Anastazia.” “What? Why?” Shrugging one shoulder, I said, “I just do. I always have. She piqued my interest from the first time I met her. And now that she’s around me more, I know it’s gon’ go further. So I want you to know ahead of time so there won’t be any surprises and shit. Or in case my time ain’t as free, if I’m not working, I’m working on her.” I caught her gaze briefly, and her eyes were clouded with tears. “I ain’t trying to hurt you, love, but you been knew what the deal was. And you not stupid. You don’ caught me watching her on several occasions when we in the same room. I didn’t have the opportunity before, but now I do, and I’m gon’ take it.”

It all depends on Anastazia.”

As she talked, I just watched her, admiring not only her but the way she thought. I’d never in my life met someone so selfless, not since my stepmother. A lot of women would go without in favor of their kids, but Lisara and now Anastazia were on a different fucking level. They went beyond going without. The shit was more like a sacrifice. And coming from a nigga with a mother who didn’t give two fucks about me, it was hard not to find Anastazia’s mindset commendable.

“So you like me, huh?” She squinted her eyes after putting some cornbread into her mouth. “Very much.” “Don’t you think I’m too old and damaged for you?” “No and hell no. How old you think I am?”

“As much as this may sound like game or bullshit, Anastazia, from the day we made eye contact in my brother’s office, I thought about you at least once a day. Never forgot your face, your name, your voice. And when my brother actually married Leeci, I was happy for him, but I was even fucking happier to have you close. I knew with yo’ sister being my sister-in-law, I would always know you.”

“I have a lot of stuff to overcome, and you deserve better than to have to clean up the mess the last nigga made.”

“Well, for starters, love, you don’t know me well enough to say what I need. The woman you just described as my perfect match, I don’ hit ten times over and don’ ran into triple that amount. And that nigga ain’t make as big of a mess as you may think he did. In fact, I think he might’ve made you stronger.”

“So you telling me another nigga can come into yo’ life and do you the same way that nigga did?” “Hell no.” She frowned, but then it dissipated when she saw my point. “Exactly, and I know you can read niggas’ intentions better now,” I stated, and she nodded slowly like it was just now coming to her. “And baby, with six fucking brothers in the house growing up, I been cleaning up after other niggas all my life.”

’Cause any nigga who called himself becoming besties with Anastazia Chase, I was gon’ have to pay him a visit, and no muthafucka with a working brain wanted a visit from me.

Even though I had my back to her, I knew she was smiling, because whenever her pretty ass smiled, it was all of a sudden warm as fuck, and I felt that shit right now.

“Nigga don’ had a crush on you for a minute is all. I know he happy as shit to have you around all the fucking time.” “He’s crushing on me because he doesn’t know me. If he did, he would run for the hills.” I chuckled, standing and grabbing my purse. “I doubt it. Asif ain’t what you think. Nigga twenty-six in age but ‘bout forty in the head.”

“Thank God, Leeci, that you don’t know what it’s like to be afraid of a man the way I was afraid. At first, I said nothing because I was ashamed, and then it went from shame to fear, not only for you all but myself. When you have the police coming to your home and not doing anything or telling you they can arrest him, but he’ll be out soon, you start to lose hope, and that’s what happened to me. “Cedric is a man who would lose his own life to be sure he took mine. So I was scared, ashamed, and felt weak; I was weak. I was putting on a mask around you guys, pretending I was good and fine, and it was the only way I could make it through the day, honestly.”

“Grandma? Is that how you plan to woo me? By calling me an old lady?” “I mean, you be acting like you old enough to be my grandma when I got ’bout three brothers even older than you. But you the sexiest, prettiest fucking grandma a nigga don’ ever seen, ya heard me?”

“I guess you can come. I will tell my other little friend next time,” I joked. “You very funny, Anastazia. Do what you gotta do though, and let that nigga know he can’t go. I see I gotta start putting the word out that you ain’t accepting friendships of any kind.”

“Just in case you try to wild out, I won’t feel bad about laying a nigga out if he already knew what was up.”

“I thought we were just being friends, Asif.” “We are, but I’m that possessive ass friend. The kind that get upset when you try to add muthafuckas to the clique.”

I moved past him, but he grabbed my hand, tugging me back gently and embracing my body. He smelled so good, and his hard body felt amazing against my… much less hard one. Keeping me close to him, he tilted my head back some and then pressed his lips to my forehead. I loved the way his beard scratched against my face. It’d been a minute since I was this close to an actual man and wasn’t trying to defend myself. “Don’t walk past me without some type of greeting, Anastazia.”

“You put ya daughter first a lot.” “Yeah. I honestly don’t even remember what I did with my free time when I didn’t have her.” I chuckled.

“I want some of that free time, love.” “Some?” “I’ll share with Sophie, of course. But everything else, let me have it. I don’t wanna give you any free space or time to spend on another nigga. I don’t give a fuck if it’s ten minutes, I want it.”

It was hard not to hover over Sophie, which both my mom and Lisara said was normal. I chuckled, remembering Lisara say she didn’t even want family to babysit Khari, but by the time Lequay came, she would let the mailman watch them both if he offered.

anything Asif was okay doing, I was too.

Outside of you though, nah.”