***Random horrible draft I found in my google docs*** lmao
“Welcome to Summertime in the A!” Frank Godfrey yelled into the mic, signaling the beginning of the party. He took a sip of his drink, letting the liquor burn his throat, hoping to ease his headache as he plopped back down on the plush couch.
Just below was nothing but dollar signs and bodies to him. He was a man of business and everything to him could be a profit if flipped right. Right now, he was running the biggest record label in the south with his family after funding it with money from the streets to get it off the ground.
He was a blessed man to say he no longer had to turn to that lifestyle but the facade was still there. People still feared him and his brother Lucas, and he used that to his advantage. He ran his business like a gang where you had to be loyal to move with his people. You had to be down if you were a woman looking to move up in ranks. He was the Diddy of the south, if not worth more but he played it cool and remained humbled to keep the blessings coming.
“How much longer do we have to sit here?”
He turned to look at his wife, Nina as she popped a pill into her mouth before taking a shot back to the head.
“You ready to go?” he asked, leaning in close as he brushed her hair back from her face. Wife was as beautiful as she wanted to be. She touched her head and closed her eyes briefly before glaring at me.
“You know I’m too old for this shit, Frank,” she said with a laugh, “I didn’t even want to come.”
“You know we gotta make an appearance, keep the attention on us while an album is coming out,” Frank sighed, leaning back with his head resting on his arm. He kept the other hand on his wife’s thigh in a protective stance as they watched everyone in VIP dance and have a good time.
“Frank, what up play boi?!”
Frank leaned forward with a smile before standing up as he slapped hands with an old time friend and business partner, Ronnie Mike. Having running the streets together, he sat down with his drink as a few others grabbed a seat beside him, and instantly the memories began to flow along with the drinks.
“I remember when he met you Nina! Oooo wee, I remember he kept talking about this yella bone he was feeling–––”
“Everybody was after her!” Frank boasted, looking proudly at his wife.
“And the first thing this fool gon say to me is, what’chu mixed with?” Nina cracked with a roll of her eyes, “not hey, how you doing? Hello? You beautiful...no, it's what’chu mixed with? I said, none of ya damn business.”
“Mama, white as hell,” Frank added as the table erupted in laughter. Frank waved for another tray of drinks to be brought over as he watched his head security motion for his people to stand in place, everyone strapped and standing accordingly as Frank continued, feeling fine after that mental check. Public settings like this always made him feel uncomfortable, despite living that lifestyle in the past decades ago.
“We started getting money together, running the streets together, running through bitches!” Ronnie went on as Frank’s brother Lucas sat down next to Nina with a blunt propped in his mouth.
“We popped niggas together!” Lucas added.
“You see my daughters don’t even know how good they got it!” Frank exclaimed, pointing at his weakness, Lyric and Krystal standing by the balcony taking pictures, looking just like their mama. “They grew up knowing no struggle!”
“That’s not true!” Nina argued. “I was still staying with my mama because you refused to let me move in by the time both were born. I was dealing with two babies at my mama’s house while he was out roaming.”
“I was doing some shit that had no business mixing with you and my daughters. I didn’t want yall caught in that,” Frank said, taking a sip of his wife’s drink, “but I told you I was gonna make you a rich woman if you just stuck it out with me, through all the bullshit, I need you to hold it down while I get this money, and you did just that. Now look at you.”
Nina smiled, showing off her third diamond ring before standing up and spinning in a circle to show herself off altogether. Frank grabbed her by the arm to bring her back down, never caring for men staring longer than they needed to.
“Justin?!” Frank yelled out. “J?!”
His main security looked back with a raise of his brows in question. There was nothing to be said. Justin knew exactly what his boss wanted. A woman to keep him company for the night and he knew his exact type. Something exotic, quiet, and willing.
“Yall know we got the black Kardasian family out here tonight?! Where they at?!” the DJ yelled as Frank laughed. Nina stood up with a sudden burst of energy from the pill as she called her daughters to come over so they could lean over the rail and wave. Frank stood up, finishing off his drink and gathered with his brother and homies to lean over the balcony rail and look down at the pickings for tonight. It was dark with nothing but phones in the air filming back at their faces but Lucas managed to point to one in particular that caught his eye.
“Look how bad she looks, damn! Yall see her!” Lucas laughed. “Long hair baby, walking towards the bar.”
“AYE DJ?!” Frank yelled, cupping his mouth to amplify his voice, “cut the music! Cut the music!”
The songs came to a scratching hault as Frank pointed to the latina, careful not to lose her in the crowd.
“Oh you see somebody you like?! Point em out and let’s see if we can find her! We searching for new talent for the label!” Lucas yelled. “Mood Music! Mafia Baddies!”
“Aye! Baby girl in the red dress! Long hair, red dress walking towards the bar!” the DJ yelled.
“You want me to send somebody after her?” Justin asked Frank as he leaned against the rail with an amused expression behind his shades.
The spot light centered around the girl who looked spanish as she pointed to herself with a grin, looking up at the brothers with a curious smile. Lucas was already motioning for her to come forward when her homegirl stepped into the light to playfully fix her hair and dress, like she was getting her ready for her big night.
“Ladies, we got all night! The Godfrey brothers are here looking for talented, very talented beautiful ladies to add to the label! If you believe that is you, then get seen!” the DJ went on, “you see anybody else?!”
Lucas held up a zero as the music immediately cut back on. Justin sent someone out to grab the girl as Frank and the rest sat back down with Nina sitting by his side with a fresh drink.
“I hope the girl is cute,” Nina huffed with annoyance.
“If you don’t like her, we can find somebody else,” Frank said as he leaned back with a quick blow of smoke from his lips. He took the blunt to his curled lips, inhaling the high as he watched the tanned woman in the red dress with the split dropping down the center of her body, exposing everything. Her long black hair and dark brows did something for Frank when she smiled, and waved at everyone. Frank looked towards his wife who grinned, believing she still looked better than the girl so there was no threat.
“What’s ya name, beautiful?” Frank asked.
“Taina,” she said, accent thick and sexy like he liked them. Lucas smiled as more men on our team began to crowd around, circling her like a pack ready to come down on their meal.
“Bring the home girl up here too!” Ronnie yelled.
“How old are you Taina?” Frank asked.
“I’m twenty eight,” she popped. “I’m not like these young girls out here…”
“I can see that,” Frank laughed just as Justin suddenly charged for the stairs.
“I told you, you weren’t allowed in here!”
“Aye, aye hold up! Hold up! Let her through J! She ain’t hurting nobody!” Ronnie let out, standing up to see what the commotion was about on the stairs. The music was so loud, you could hardly hear but as soon as Justin stepped aside, the home girl tugged at her off the shoulder dress and looked around, wide eyed, chocolate skin, body just as shapely as her homegirl. She was so focused on her surroundings and the excitement of being in VIP that when she finally turned to face the label, she waved.
Frank’s eyes widened as he sat up against the chair while Lucas’s mouth dropped at the sight of her. Most of her afro covered her head and hovered over her eyes, but it was more than enough to recognize her face. Her lips, her nose, her eyes… it was the spitting image of his mistake. His biggest guilt that he carried with him till this day, but it couldn’t be her...
Nobody said a word at the table. Nina was grabbing her husband’s arm, attempting to get his attention because she couldn’t understand where the tension was coming from. The people hanging around VIP were starting to get curious as the two ladies looked at each other, confused.
“Aye…” Ronnie pointed before laughing, “you look just like that bitch from back in the day… Janice, yall remember her?! Yall remember Janice Brown! We called her J-Nasty on how she got down with the crew?!”
“Nigga excuse you?” the girl said with a roll of her neck, “that’s my mother you’re talking about. Janice Brown is my mother.”
“Sheeeit, you ain’t gotta tell me,” he laughed, letting the alcohol take over, “yo daddy sitting right there!”
You could hear the gasps throughout the corner of the club as everyone turned to look at Frank.