money into it.”
“And I poured my time and energy into it. Those are my designs. My property.”
“The designs were just one component, King. It takes a lot more than that to make a thing like this go.”
“It wasn’t going anywhere for years until I came onto the scene. You both said that yourselves. If Lincoln could make moves, he would’ve succeeded at this by now. His designs were trash! I saw his shit and tried to be gentle and kind with telling him. Even the material of his original shirts sucked, and instead of being an asshole about it, I gave him suggestions and put in the work. I’m not the expert here, you two are, so you think you can fuck me over.”
“King, that’s not—”
“Ya know, none of this surprises me.” He laughed dismally. “I knew not to trust you mothafuckas! You are just like everyone else. Bottom feeders.”
“King, you’re crossing the line.”
“You crossed the gotdamn finish line fifty miles ago when you called me with this bullshit! How’d you expect me to act? Are you honestly surprised that I’d be okay letting you jip me? Treat me like some ho, some trick?! I don’t fuck for free! I don’t design for free! I don’t do anything but love for free! I’m an artist, not an idiot. Not a starving artist. None of that. I know how to make money. Hustling is in my blood. I got it honestly from my father.”
“King, this wasn’t my decision.”
“Oh, so this is Lincoln’s idea, huh? Mr. Big Shot fashion designer who’s been texting me all the time, acting like he and I are buddy buddy now but behind my back, he is about to stab me with a knife. And he’s got you being the bad guy?”
“King, I want you to think of this from our perspective. It’s a numbers game.”
“I don’t want to hear all of that and the fact that you let him run you like this is even worse because that means you refused to stand up to his greedy ass! After everything I’ve done for you, man!”
He heard his name being called, then Suri appeared, worry in her eyes. He looked away, his heart pumping, his rage bursting out of him like water from a broken dam.
“Let’s talk in person. I shouldn’t have done this over the phone. I can show you the numbers and—”
“I’ve been runnin’ all over the fuckin’ city for you, dropping shit off which, by the way, I knew wasn’t always on the up and up. But I did it for you because you were compensating me and I thought we had a level of respect for one another. All the late hours at that damn shop, all the time I’ve put in! Sometimes I was in there until almost midnight putting up new displays, working my ass off, and this is the thanks I get, huh?! I could’ve been working on stuff for my show, which is sure to bring in some money, or spending time with my woman, but no, I’m in that fuckin’ store wrestling with mannequins! I’m a fuckin’ bodyguard to those women you always hire because idiots and pervs keep comin’ in the store to look at their tits and say inappropriate dumb shit to ’em. Making them feel uncomfortable. You haven’t hired any protection for them so I have to do that, too. I’m a damn therapist to the customers half the time. I can barely even take a piss in there without being interrupted and you have the fuckin’ audacity, the unbelievable nerve, to call me and tell me this shit, to tell me you’re going to give me less than I deserve because you want to be gluttonous and gobble the whole pie!”
He felt Suri’s hand on his shoulder and flinched, feeling out of sorts, needing an anchor, but not sure how.
“Can I speak to you in person, King?” Oddly enough, Ricky wasn’t fighting back the way he thought he would. In fact, he sounded downright deflated. “Please. I can come over, if that’s all right?”
“Speak to me in person for what? So you can bring one of your goons with ya? I know all about you, man. The circles you run with’. You’ve beat the fuck outta people and hired people to do the same, and now you expect me to open my door to you after I’ve told you about yourself? Really? As if I still trust you after this. Oh, and if you