Page 24 of Certified Pressure
Toni clapped loud. “Say one more thing, bitch! I swear on my mama?—”
Blaqson appeared outta nowhere like he was summoned, and Kay’Lo moved in behind him.
“Aye,” he said, his voice low but sharp. “Y’all ain’t finna tear this place up over some egos. Chill or y’all gon’ get put out.”
Kay’Lo followed with his drink still in his hand. “Sheesh. Y’all just got here. Don’t make me put y’all in y’all bunk beds.”
They both backed up—barely, but the tension was still hot enough to grill ribs on.
Toni muttered somethin’ under her breath and stormed off while Chanel fluffed her hair like nothin’ happened.
I stood off to the side, watchin’ all this shit unfold. I didn’t move. I just hit my blunt again, leaned into the leather of my chair, and nodded slow.
This was gonna be a wild-ass ride, and deep down, I already knew… these women wasn’t just here to impress me. They came tocompete.
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
The night was progressin’, and I was still tryna wrap my head around the fact that twenty women was walkin’ around my estate like this was some kinda luxury summer camp. I had my blunt between my fingers and a short glass of Louis XIII on the rocks restin’ in my palm, that slow brown swirl hittin’ just right. I wasn’t even halfway through the drink, but it was already warmin’ my chest.
Jayla Noelle had just dipped off, and I found myself actually smirkin’ a little after talkin’ to her. She was sweet—pretty face, smooth ass skin, that soft-spoken kinda confidence. She didn’t try too hard or act like she was starstruck by me, and I liked that. Then there was Renae Dior. She was cool as hell, and real fly. Somethin’ about the way she stood when she talked to me mademe wanna chop it up with her pretty ass all night. She had this calm energy that kept her from gettin’ lost in the chaos around her. And Kharie Belle? She had this innocent vibe, but her eyes said she seen some shit. She was real down-to-earth and actually listened when I spoke, like she wasn’t just tryna win a prize.
Still, even with all that, I was tryna adjust to the situation. I didn’t like new people in my space like that. I built this place to be private—peaceful—and now every room had a stranger in it. But I kept cool. My security team was already posted, watchin’ everything like hawks, and Renza, Kay’Lo, and Blaqson was somewhere nearby keepin’ their ears open. Everybody knew the stakes, and I needed to see who was really here for me and who just wanted a check.
After makin’ a quick round and noddin’ at a few of the girls postin’ up near the bar, I stepped out onto the back patio. The pool lights was glowin’, castin’ a soft blue shimmer across the water. The night air was warm, and just enough to feel like a break from the tension inside. That’s when I saw two women sittin’ on a curved lounge chair near the edge of the pool, just vibin’, and laughin’ like they didn’t have a care in the world. They wasn’t tryna be seen or extra as hell, and that’s what made me see ’em.
I walked over slow, lettin’ the smoke trail behind me, my Louis glass still in my hand. As I got closer, one of them turned her head a little and gave a lazy smile like she knew I was comin’ but wasn’t pressed. The other one just kept laughin’, her head tilted back a little, and her feet tucked under her.
I sat down on the edge of the lounge, close enough to feel the heat from the stone under me. My eyes dropped to the small silver tags clipped near their thighs.
PlutoandKashmere.
“Y’all the quiet ones,” I said, takin’ a slow sip. “Ain’t seen y’all talkin’ to nobody.”
Kashmere gave me a little smirk. “We talkin’ to each other.”
Pluto tilted her head slightly, her eyes meetin’ mine. “You been makin’ your rounds?”
“Somethin’ like that,” I said, flickin’ the ash off my blunt. “Just gettin’ a feel.”
She nodded, like she understood more than she let on. “How does it feel? Having so many women with different personalities in your house?”
I blew out the smoke, and watched it swirl between us. “Different.”
She smiled with her lips closed and looked out at the pool, then back at me. “What made you do this?”
I studied her for a second. I wasn’t ’bout to tell her the truth. I wasn’t gon’ sit here and admit that I ain’t even wanna do this shit, and that it was all politics, pressure, legacy and some arranged-marriage fairytale for people richer than God but messier than anybody I ever met in the hood. So, I gave her the clean version.
“I’m tryna try somethin’ new. See what happen if I open the door to somethin’ different.”
Pluto looked at me like she knew that wasn’t the full answer, but she didn’t push. Kashmere leaned back, her legs crossed at the ankles, her hair fallin’ down one shoulder.
Yeah, Kashmere was bad. Her body was crazy, face gorgeous, attitude cool. But Pluto… there was somethin’ in her quietness that made you look twice. She didn’t do too much, but her presence felt natural. She had this girl-next-door feel but it wasn’t borin’. It was comfortin’, like if she left the room, I’d notice.
“You two knew each other before this?” I asked, watchin’ how they moved around each other.
Pluto looked at Kashmere, then back at me. “We from the same side of town. We don’t know each other like that though. We ran into each other at the airport.”
Kashmere nodded, co-signing. “We just happened to be on the same flight.”
