Page 59 of A King’s Obsession

“I called to tell you she knows her shit. You was right about hiring her.”

I pulled the phone away and looked at it, making sure he heard me laughing when I put it back. I’d been waiting on that admission since he gave me hell over the interview.

“Say it again,” I told him, grinning harder. “Put some respect on it this time.”

“But I still wanna fire her,” he added, completely ignoring me.

“Here your ass go again.” I shook my head, already knowing this conversation was about to go left.

Ashlynn stopped folding a shirt and looked in my direction. “Who he firing?”

“Your friend,” I answered, watching her expression change immediately.

She dropped the shirt onto the bed and walked straight over, reaching for my wrist. “Put that nigga on speaker.”

I did, holding the phone between us while she planted her hand on her hip.

“Ezra, if you want my friend that bad, do something about it,” she started, her voice carrying that familiar attitude I was getting used to. “Hell, Malachi made me marry him and trapped me. Better figure it the fuck out. But don’t fire my bitch and leave her with no income. She ain’t a fan of the sugar baby association.”

I bent forward laughing, looking up at her like she'd lost her damn mind. “The what?”

“You heard me.” She bumped my shoulder, but she was smiling too. “Jru likes her own money.”

E went quiet long enough for us to look at each other. Then his voice came through the speaker, louder than before.

“Y’all motherfuckers married?”

I rubbed my hand over my beard, still grinning. “Yeah. About that, nigga… yeah.”

“When the fuck was somebody gonna tell me?” he demanded, and I could practically picture the look on his face.

“When you stopped acting like my friend’s employment was a personal attack,” Ashlynn answered before I could, snatching the shirt back off the bed.

He laughed then, low and disbelieving. “Damn, Chi. She got you signing papers and carrying bags?”

“Don’t be mad ’cause I ain’t scared to take what I want,” I shot back, glancing at my wife. “You down there scared of a woman you flew to Miami.”

“Ain’t nobody scared,” he argued, his tone turning defensive.

“Then quit threatening her job every time your ass get uncomfortable.”

Ashlynn nodded beside me like I was giving a sermon. I slipped my arm around her waist, and she leaned against me while E let out a long breath.

“So y’all want me to make a woman I ain’t even sniffed her pussy yet marry me?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused by the suggestion.

That shit caught me so off guard I nearly dropped the phone. Ashlynn folded against my chest laughing, one hand gripping my shirt.

“Yet?” she managed between laughs, lifting her head to look at the phone. “Listen to your thirsty ass.”

“Both of y’all can kiss my ass,” he muttered while we continued laughing at his expense.

I waited until I could get a sentence out without laughing. “Nigga, start with telling her you want her. You skipped all that and went straight to the unemployment line.”

“I know how to talk to a woman,” he insisted.

“Then do that,” Ashlynn told him, finally managing to straighten herself. “She grown. Let her tell you what she wants.”

I kissed the side of her head before easing away. “Let me finish talking to this nigga.”