you take it to this extreme?”
“Because you and Lincoln took it to this extreme.”
“You’re blowing this out of proportion. I asked you a question, King. No one did anything yet. I wanted to speak to you about it.”
“No, you wanted to play another mind game. You wanted to test me to see if I’d go for it. For a split second, you were blinded by the money. I believe you probably see you shouldn’t have listened to Lincoln, but once again, you didn’t appreciate what I bring to the table because if you did, you would have shut him down fast.”
“I went to bat for you, King.”
“If you went to bat for me, Ricky, then you left before the first inning was over. If you’d truly went to bat for me, Ricky, you wouldn’t even have made that call, and you damn sure wouldn’t be standing right here. Since you apparently know so much about me, things that were none of your business, then you must know I’m not afraid to defend what’s mine.” The two stared each other down. “You’ve given me all these tests, mind fucks. I played along like I didn’t know what you were doing. I wasn’t born yesterday. You play games twenty-four-seven. You’re a smart businessman but your emotional maturity is lacking. Since you’re always trying to get over, you think everyone is trying to get over on you, too, and I’m just not with this shit. You say you saw me like a son. Well, I looked up to you, too. I admired you.”
Suri looked down at the canvas before her, slid it out, then turned back towards the window. Ricky shook his head.
“I’m disappointed, King. I drove all the way over here for a reason.”
“I’m disappointed, too, and I want out. Without trust, there’s nothing. Oh, and please believe those designs have already been claimed for trademarks, so make sure Lincoln knows that before he runs off into the sunset with my shit. While you two were playing checkers, I was playing chess. I’m far from stupid. Fuck Lincoln and fuck this entire agreement, and I’ll say that shit to his face unlike him, who couldn’t even face me. He’s a coward. He sent you to do his bidding, and he wasn’t even man enough to tell me his concerns himself. I hope you both have a good time, an absolute blast, because you’ve burnt this bridge. Lincoln could’ve gotten ten more designs from me and made triple the money, probably more. You need to think about that next time you strike a deal with him. He just messed both of y’all up. I hope it was worth it.”
Ricky stared at him for a long while, then lowered his head and looked away.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, King. All right, this isn’t going anywhere. I’ll take care of the paperwork in the next couple of days.” The older man turned away and began to walk to his car, then paused. “King, you’re speaking out of anger right now. I get it. You just signed for a new apartment and bought a car. You’ll need the money from your job because the money you’re due won’t be paid right away as you know. Don’t let your rage put you in a precarious financial situation. You’re not thinking this through. You’re allowed to change your mind. Call me if you do.”
Suri jumped up, opened the window wider, and jammed her head out.
“Ricky, he’ll be okay! I got his back. He won’t be homeless, and he won’t be out here getting repoed, either. I work. He works. God works. But thank you for your concern! We’re good!”
She slammed the window shut with venom, not bothering to wait to see King’s reaction or Ricky’s response, and went back to flipping through the canvases.
And then, she burst out in tears when she landed on the one he’d done of her…
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
April Showers, Bring May Flowers
“Shit, I could move in here.” Shane slung his bag over his shoulder and looked about, admiring King’s new digs. “Since I helped you move into this mothafucka and all you gave me was beer and pizza, you can at least let me crash here for a few months. Rent free,” he teased. King smirked and shook his head. “How’s the website going? Everything cool?”
“Definitely. Even better than expected. I got my logo on there and Gino helped me get the payment situation all taken care of, too.” Shane nodded. “I can make