A Lady & Her Sire: A Royal Love Affair Read online

  It's just his appearance that would make you think he didn't know much. He always had on a fresh pair of Timberlands that looked to be right out of the box, dreads that hung low on his back, tattoos that you could tell covered most of the top half of his body depending on what type of shirt he was wearing, and diamonds in each ear.

  “I was trying to study until I was rudely interrupted by some Skittles,” I told him.

  Ryan gave me a little sly smile before popping some in his mouth and taking a seat across the table from me. “I wanted you to taste the rainbow.”

  “I can't stand you,” I laughed. “What do you want?”

  “You know I really don't be wanting nothing. I was on my way to grab some grub and I saw you, so you know I had to fuck with you,” he shrugged.

  At the mention of food, my stomach instantly growled reminding me that I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast and it was going on three o'clock. I had a test coming up tomorrow and I was so adamant about studying that I hadn't even taken the time out to put some food in my system.

  “Oh, some food would be lovely right about now,” I sighed.

  “Well come on,” he said.

  “I can't Ry, I have to study for this test tomorrow. Besides, what would your girl say? I see them looks she be giving me and I heard how she be acting about these girls on campus.”

  “Lady, chill out and come on. She know damn well not to step to you on no bullshit like that,” he said as he grabbed my book up, closing it and reaching for my hand.

  Not having a choice, I just sighed and grabbed my backpack before grabbing his hand and letting him lead the way out of the school library. We walked through campus to his BMW, he hit the locks for us to get in and I gave him a look.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I don't wanna be all up in your business or anything but are you and your parents like rich or something?” I asked as I got in.

  “Nah, why you say that?” Ryan retorted.

  “Because, that's just the vibe I get from you and not to mention the fact that you're driving a BMW.”

  He just smiled and shook his head. “Nope, it was actually a graduation gift from my brother,” he said as he pulled off.

  I just nodded my head in understanding as I sat back and enjoyed the ride. Ryan put on Future’s Purple Reign mixtape for us to vibe out to, and we were on our way out. I just sat back in the seat and enjoyed the view outside my window.

  “How you liking Richmond so far?” Ryan asked as he reached over and turned the music down.

  I just shrugged my shoulders. “I don't know, it's cool, I guess.”

  “How the hell you gonna know if you like a place if all you do is sit in the house and go to school all day Lady? You have to get out and do things, get to know people, go places.” Ryan fussed.

  Since I moved to Richmond, I haven't taken the time to get out to do anything. I haven't had the energy or the motivation to do so. I left my life and everything I knew back home in Detroit where I was comfortable, to move out here where I knew nothing or no one. I don't know if I was depressed or what, but I was definitely not overjoyed to go out and see what the city of Richmond had to offer me, at all.

  “You're right, Ry, but I don't know anyone out here so it's not like I have anyone out here to show me around. I don't have friends out here,” I told him.

  “Damn, so what the fuck am I?” he asked as if I had offended him.

  “I don't mean it like that. I don't expect you to stop what you have going on in your life just to be my tour guide or whatever.”

  After I said that, we pulled up to a place called Mama J’s. I had never been here obviously, but I trusted Ryan’s decision making skills. He threw his car in park and looked at me.

  “Whatever, girl. I’mma get you out the house one way or another. Ain't no sense in you spending all your time in the house, Richmond is your home now. Get out and enjoy your city.”

  There was nothing I could say because Ryan was right. There was no sense in me just sitting in the house. Richmond was now my home and I didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon, so I might as well get out and enjoy the city a little more.

  -$-

  I was sitting at home getting caught up on Love & Hip Hop on my DVR when my phone decided to ring. I had a mind to ignore it because no ever called me, but when I saw it was Ryan calling me, I went ahead and answered it.

  “What's up, Ry?”

  “What up girl? What you doing?” he asked with a little commotion in his background.

  “Nothing really, just chilling and watching TV,” I informed him.

  “Aw, you lame as hell, Lady. It's Friday, what I tell you about that sitting in the house shit?” he cracked.

  I rolled my eyes like he could see me before sucking my teeth. I wasn't too sure what Ryan expected me to do. I didn't know my way around Richmond that good yet and I didn't know what there was to do on the weekends.

  “Ry, I—”

  “Aye, my boy having a little something right now. Why don't you come through? We not over here on no bullshit or no funny shit, Lady. I wouldn't even come at you like that,” he said and I could hear the sincerity in his voice.

  After debating about it within myself, I finally gave in. I didn't see what harm it would do to go out and meet new people and make new acquaintances. Besides, it's not like I was doing anything except sitting in the house letting my life pass me by.

  “Okay,” I said through a sigh. “What's the address?”

  Ryan gave me the address to where he wanted me to come to and I programmed it into the GPS in my phone, with promises that I would be there soon. After a quick shower and doing something to my hair, I was on my way. According to the GPS, I should reach my destination in about twenty minutes.

  Following the GPS, I pulled up to a neighborhood that looked really nice and upscale like rich people would live here.

  “You have reached your destination.”

  I parked my car a little ways from the house and called Ryan to let him know I was here.

  “You here?” he answered his phone.

  “Yea, I just pulled up.”

  “Alright, I’m about to come get you,” he said.

  “Okay, cool.”

  After hanging up with Ryan, I put my phone in my pocket and put on a coat of lip gloss before getting out the car. As I hit the lock, Ryan was walking out the front door and making his way towards me, with his dreads swinging. Ryan was a handsome little thing but I didn’t look at him like that. I got more of the brotherly feel from him so seeing him as anything but that would seem very inappropriate, and I just couldn’t see myself crossing that line. Besides, he had a girl and that was some drama that I just didn’t need in my life at all.

  “I’m surprise you came, I thought I was going to have to come snatch you out the house,” he said as he pulled me in for a hug.

  “I told you I would come and I’m a girl of my word, so here I am,” I said as he led us to the house.

  “Why you so tense girl? Relax Lady, ain’t nobody here gonna bite or hurt you. We’re all cool people.”

  I didn’t even realize I was tense until he said something. I wasn’t much of a people person at times and was very shy around new people. When we walked in the house, you could hear laughter and music coming from one of the rooms. Nervously, I walked side by side with Ryan as he led us to a room where his family and friends were.

  “Listen up y’all, this my girl Lady I was telling y’all about,” Ryan announced. “That’s my boy Toine, Montana, and my brother Sire.”

  Everybody spoke and greeted me but his brother. He just stared me up and down with cold eyes before looking away. It was something about the way he looked at me that gave me a slight chill, but I brushed it off.

  “What up ma? You want something to smoke on? Something to drink?” the one named Toine asked me.

  “Oh, no thank you. I’m fine.”

  “Don’t be acting like that now, you family now. All that shy shit
goes out the window when you’re around us,” Montana said.

  “You better tell her ass Monty,” Ryan said as they have each other some dap.

  I couldn’t do anything but laugh. Just that quick, my nervousness was gone and I could see that everyone was cool. Pretty much everyone welcomed me with open arms and was easy to have a conversation with. So far, I was happy that Ryan had got me out of the house.

  “Ry, where’s the bathroom?”

  “Just go down the hall, second door on the left,” Montana told me.

  “Thank you.”

  I followed Montana’s instructions until I reached the bathroom. Just as I was about to put my hand on the knob, the door swung open and out stepped Sire. He stepped up and towered over me with those same cold eyes that now seemed like they were piercing through my soul. He let his tongue run over his thick juicy lips and I swear I instantly creamed my panties.

  He ran his hands through his Rick Ross beard while continuing to stare down at me before hitting me with a little smirk.

  “Can I get through or what?” he questioned in a silky smooth voice.

  “O…oh, I’m sorry,” I’m stammered as I moved out of his way.

  He just shook his head with that smirk still on his face as he walked out, or should I say more like swaggered away. Quickly, I rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind me and letting out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. Damn that man is gorgeous, I thought to myself.

  I had to get myself together though because the last thing I needed to be doing was lusting over a man, especially one that damn fine. He had the words ‘trouble’ and ‘dangerous’ written all over him and after my last situation, I vowed to never get caught up like that again. Never.

  Three – Ryan

  With my dreads tucked inside my hoodie and my hood low over my head, covering my eyes, I removed my gun from my waistline and cocked it. Twisting my silencer on, I walked up to the car like a smooth criminal and tapped on the window with the pistol, surprising my unsuspecting victim and catching him in a compromising position.

  Tap, tap!

  “What the fu—”

  “It’s the reaper, muthufucka!” I let off two silent shots in his head.

  Checking my surroundings, I retracted my steps and walked backwards to my car. When I got in, I immediately dialed my brother up to let him know he had one less problem to worry about.

  “What up Ry?” Sire answered his phone.

  “A little birdie told me that other little situation you had on your hands was taken care of,” I let him know.

  The line was quiet for a few before Sire let out a sigh. “Come see me, now!” he said before hanging up.

  I wasn’t shocked by his reaction and I actually didn’t expect anything less. Sire wanted me to keep up this fucking façade like I was such a good ass schoolboy, when he and everybody else knew damn well that I wasn’t. The only reason I even went along with the college boy routine was because he was paying for it, and he actually believed that I smart enough to get a degree in something.

  That, along with the fact that my mama wanted one of her boys to make something of their life and me being the youngest, it fell on me to do it. I wasn’t no fucking college nigga, I was a hitta in every sense of the word, but Sire always claimed he was on a mission and that mission involved me sitting my ass in a classroom.

  Pulling up to his house, I got out of the car and jogged to his front door. Before I could even left my hand to knock, the door was swinging open.

  “You must’ve seen me pulling up on the security system,” I said.

  “You already know,” he replied as he granted me entrance.

  As always, I admired Sire’s house. He had come a long way from a nigga who used to run wild the North side on Chamberlayne, selling dope out of apartments and shit, to being one of the richest niggas in Richmond after his little stint in the pen. As we were making our way to the den, I cut my eyes at his bitch who was making her way from the kitchen.

  I couldn't stand Lexus’ little money hungry ass, but since Sire didn't open his mouth to speak on my girl, I didn't open my mouth to speak on his.

  “So tell me what the fuck you done went and did, after I told you to chill out,” he said while taking a seat on the couch.

  “That nigga, Marty that you said was running his mouth, well let's just say I ran into him and he won't be running his mouth no more,” I told him.

  Sire shook his head and ran his hands down his face before running his hands through that nappy ass beard he refused to cut.

  “Don’t get me wrong Ry, I appreciate you looking out and wanting to have my back and shit, but what did I tell you? Didn’t I tell you to fall back and focus on this school shit for right now?”

  “You’re sounding a little ungrateful right now, Si. Didn’t I tell you that school shit ain’t me but I would try? I go to that bullshit everyday even though I don’t want to, the least you could do is let me in on the action every once in awhile. I’m still a part of the team whether you want me to be or not,” I told his ass.

  “Never look at it as me trying to count you out, I’m just trying to protect you. At the end of the day, you’re still my baby brother and I’ll be damned if I allow anything to happen to you. Shit was getting crazy before and I almost lost you before, that’s why I told your little ass to fall back, but you don’t fucking listen, Ry. I’m telling you this shit for your own good,” Sire raised his voice.

  Visions of the night I almost lost my life six months ago, came rushing back to me.

  It was a dark and gloomy night with thunder and lightning cracking through the sky, but not a drop of rain was in sight. I had just left from Montana’s house and was on my way to meet up with our homeboy Court. He had been pressing me about some shit that he claimed he really needed to talk to me about, so since I was tired of him getting on my nerves, I agreed to meet up with his ass.

  Pulling up to the abandoned house, I reached in my pocket for my phone to let him know I was here, when I realized I didn’t have it.

  “Shit,” I said as I continued to pat my pockets. “I must’ve left it at Monty’s house,” I said out loud to myself before getting out my car.

  As I got out of the car, an eerie feeling came over me as a streak of lightning flashed through the sky. Brushing it off, I walked around to the back of the abandoned and condemned house where I was supposed to be meeting Court. Opening the door, I walked in to see him sitting at the table in a dimly lit room, which once used to be a dining room.

  “Damn nigga, you couldn’t find a more suitable place for us to meet up?” I complained as I looked around.

  “Nigga, after all the bullshit I had to go through just to get you to meet up with me, you really shouldn’t have shit to say about where we have a conversation,” he said.

  I had to take a minute and observe this nigga through squinted eyes. Something was really off about him but I couldn’t really put my fingers on it. Monty had told me about how Court had been acting strange lately, but I had been avoiding his ass like he had the bubonic plague so I wouldn’t really know. Now that I was standing face to face with him, I could definitely see that something was wrong with him.

  “You high?” I asked out of curiosity.

  Court let out a little chuckle while shaking his head. Then the next thing I knew, this nigga was in a full blown laugh. It wasn’t a normal laugh though. His ass was laughing like he had been possessed or some shit. Off instinct, I reached behind me for my gun because I wasn’t about to take any chances with his ass. Unfortunately, I was too slow. While I had my gun pointed at him, Court had his gun pointed at me.

  “You must think I’m stupid, nigga? I know all about you and that bitch ass nigga Montana’s plan to cut me out,” he said with venom dripping from his voice.

  “Nigga, you clearly don’t know shit,” I told him.

  Had Monty been coming to me with concerns of cutting Court off? Hell yea, but the fact that the three of us had com
e up together and had been boys since the sand box, had me wanting to keep Court on. Monty said that Court had been moving funny for a while now and it was crucial that we got rid of him, but I just couldn’t find it in my heart to let him go. Never did I think my decision would come back to bit me in the ass like this.

  “Fuck you, Ry! You ain’t shit! Neither one of you niggas would be on if it weren’t for me. Y’all would still be running behind Sire’s ass. I’m the one who lit the fire under y’all ass to get shit popping nigga! Me!” he yelled with spit flying out of his mouth.

  “Court, all I know is I’m giving you five seconds to get that damn gun out of my face or— “

  That was all I got out before I heard two gunshots go off and I felt a bullet pierce my chest.

  POW! POW!

  It wasn’t until I hit the floor that I realized that punk bitch shot me. I heard footsteps rushing in my direction and just knew it was going to be the end for me until I looked up to look my killer in his eyes and saw Monty standing over me.

  “Aw shit, hold on Ry. You better not die on me, nigga!” he yelled as he put his gun up before lifting me up.

  Due to me leaving my phone at Monty’s house, he was able to read through the messages and piece together what was about to go down. The same time Court was sending a bullet to my chest, Monty was sending one to the back of his head. Monty had to take me to a doctor Sire and Toine had on call since we couldn’t do the whole hospital thing, and he had to remove the bullet and stitch me up.

  I almost didn’t make it that night because the bullet was inches away from my heart and I flat lined not once, but twice. On top of that, I had lost a lot of blood. That was one of the main reasons Sire wanted me to chill out on the street shit for a while, because losing me almost drove our mama crazy. The thought of losing one of her boys was too much for her to handle, so I agreed to do it off the strength of her, but now the shit was just flat out boring to me and I needed some excitement in my life.