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“You want a dog, Stink?”

“Maybe.”

“Aight.” She looked over her shoulder trying to see if I was serious. When I kissed her forehead, she left it alone. I hadn’t planned on discussing any of this shit when I brought her here, but now that we had, I was ready to make shit happen. I don’t know how long she was going to need to accept Peanut wasn’t her nigga no more, but that shit was dead.

“You got everything but a pool in here.”

“Who said I didn’t have one? I would have showed it to you by now, but your ass keeps stopping to talk.” Pulling herself out my embrace, she walked toward the door, waiting for me to take her. After she oohed and aahed over there, I headed to the kitchen. I got started on dinner while Bubbles talked about everything. How it was growing up with Juanita, stories about her and Taffy, and even how she met Peanut. I didn’t give a fuck about him, but I let her talk. I continued to listen and give my input when needed. After a while, she came around the island to see what I was doing.

“That smells good.”

“It tastes better. Open your mouth.” I dipped a spoon in the sauce I was making for the chicken spaghetti and put it to her mouth. She sucked it off the spoon and her eyes rolled in the back of her head.

“Mmmm. Okay, Chef Anton.”

“That’s what I thought.” She dipped her finger in the spoon and sucked the sauce off her finger. The way her lips looked had me ready to say fuck this dinner. Throwing the spoon on the counter, I picked her up and sat her on the island. Her legs wrapped around my body as if we had done this a million times before. Leaning down, I kissed her. I could taste the sauce she had just eaten as I sucked her tongue. Bubbles’s hands went to the back of my head. My hands slid up her thighs and she stopped me.

“You supposed to be cooking.” Pulling away, I went back to stirring the sauce.

“You right. Why you bring your ass over here distracting me? Gone fuck around and make me burn my shit.”

“Don’t try to blame that shit on me if it comes out nasty. If you can’t cook, just say that.” I was about to talk shit when my doorbell rang.

“Watch the sauce while I get the door. Make sure my shit don’t burn.” She got off the island and walked over to the stove.

“You better hurry up. This is your meal, not mine.” Giving her a smile, I walked out, but the smile left as soon as I turned the corner. Walking to the drawer in the foyer, I grabbed my gun. Key was the only one that could access my gate, and he wouldn’t be ringing the bell. Snatching it open, I had my gun pointed until I saw who it was. Crystal. I looked past her, and toward my gate.

“How the fuck you get in my shit?”

“Anton, can I come in and talk?”

“I asked you a fucking question.” Instead of answering, she shifted from foot to foot. That’s when I noticed the grass in her hair. The bitch had jumped my shit. “You climbed over my wall?”

“I just wanted to talk to you. Can I please come inside?” She was whining, and that was about to annoy me.

“Naw. My girl here, and that bitch crazy. Fuck around and them leaves gone cover you while you six feet. You should be tired of them holes.”

“Oh, that’s what you want? Crazy. I can show you crazy. I showed up here, didn’t I?”

“Popping up at my shit ain’t crazy. It’s unsafe.” Before she could say anything else, Bubbles walked up.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

“Bubbles, it ain’t what you think.” I couldn’t believe this shit was happening. Out of all the bitches I’ve stopped fucking with none of them ever came back to my house. Now, this ditzy bitch pops up today of all days.

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“You should be thinking you need to go. Look at you. I can’t believe he brought your ghetto ass here.” I was about to intervene when Bubbles walked down to Crystal and stood in her face. This wasn’t her issue, but I wouldn’t mind if she dragged the dumb hoe off my property.

“Bitch, you look like somebody ordered a Barbie off Temu, and they shipped it in a lawn bag. What the fuck is that in your hair?” I fought back a laugh because Bubbles was really studying it trying to see.

“Girl, everything about you look cheap.” I wanted to yell out hit her ass, but I remained quiet and prayed I got my wish. I wasn’t a messy nigga, but this hoe just wasn’t getting it.

“Well, my nigga got money, so he can upgrade me, and if he your nigga too, you should have asked his ass to buy you a better wig.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Anton gave me fifty thousand just because I was about to leave. What he give you?” Crystal said smugly, and now I wanted to slap her ass.

“Hold on. I ain’t give you shit to stay. I gave it to you to never come back. That was your severance pay for a job no longer needed. Don’t try to make it something it ain’t.” Even though I corrected her, I could see the damage was already done. Bubbles was pissed.