by Roy Glenn
“What did he mean about why we’re talkin’ here?” Veneshia asked.
“He means Kirk is looking for you ladies, because all of you are witnesses to us killing Silky and that’s why you’re gonna hand him two grand every Tuesday.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Fuck!” I shouted and Veneshia began to massage my shoulders.
“You are so tense, Daddy. You want me to get Juicy to give you a massage?”
“I do,” Bobby said quickly.
“Maybe tomorrow, we got too much to do now,” I said and stood up.
“Like what?” Bobby stood up and asked.
“What you talkin’ ’bout, Bobby?”
“What we got to do?” he asked as he followed me out the door.
“We were going to Co-op to roll up on Pago and his set. Remember, it was your idea.”
“Of course I remember, but what woulda been the harm in getting a massage or whatever?”
“’Cause we got shit to do.”
“We always have shit to do. When has that ever stopped us?” Bobby asked, and I didn’t answer. We just got on the elevator.
“You know you’re right.”
I thought about it. There was a time when I would have said, yes I do, faster than Bobby. I might have even made Veneshia strip down and do it herself. She has amazingly strong hands among her other many talents.
“Fuck it,” I said when he started up the car. “It’s December. We’re supposed to be getting fucked up and fuckin’ as many hos as we can.”
“Damn right. So where we going?” he asked as we drove away.
“Where they at?”
“How do you want them?” Bobby laughed. “Hoish, ghetto or classy?”
“We just left the hos.”
“You wanna go back?”
“Na.” I thought for a second or two. “How about ghetto classy?”
Bobby laughed. “So you wanna fuck with some ghetto girls that think they the shit but will fuck because they think you got money.”
“Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”
“Fake phony bitches coming up. I know somebody’s gotta be having a phony bitch happy hour somewhere.”
“I’m thinking Sweet Nectar’s,” I said, pulled out a bob and pressed the lighter.
“Excellent choice, sir,” he said and raised the bottle in recognition of my choice. Bobby laughed and passed the bottle. “All I gotta say in there is my name is Bobby Ray.”
“I know who you are,” I said in my ghetto girl voice, neck twisting and all.
“Stop that,” Bobby said and drove to Sweet Nectar’s.
When we got there, it wasn’t that crowded, so we went to the bar to get a drink. Bobby sees two women at the other end of the bar looking all ghetto classy, sipping wine out of a goblet. They were both pretty; nice bodies from what I could tell. The one Bobby was on was a little outside of his taste, meaning she wasn’t flat chested. The other one was very pretty, but she was very fake. Long silky straight jet black hair down her back, long ass nails and grey eyes. She had a good sized chest and I wondered was that fake too.
Anyway, he makes eye contact with one and sends her a drink. She waves him over. Bobby talks to her for a minute and then he waves me over. I get there just in time for the introductions.
“My name is Bobby Ray.”
“I know who you are,” she said with that look in her eyes.
Her friend’s neck snapped around and she looked up at me. “And you’re Mike Black?”
Their names were Ramona and Malaya, they were regulars at Sweet Nectar’s, Ramona informed Bobby and that’s why she knew who we were.
“’Cause I be seeing you up here sometimes,” Ramona said.
Malaya moved a little closer to me. “So you Mike Black, huh? I heard a lot about you,” she said and put her body on me and I was thinking that this was going to be easier than I thought. Halfway through the second drink, she set it out for me. “It’s noisy in here. Maybe we should go someplace quiet, so we can talk and get to know each other better.”
“I’m sure we can find someplace nearby, you know … so we can talk.”
Now I’ll be honest with you. There was a time when I would have invited her to the bathroom and the farthest I would have gone with her would be the back seat of Bobby’s car.
Talk about a changed man.
Anyway, there was a motel nearby and I got to know Malaya all I wanted to know. Her titties were real, by the way, but the rest of her, fake as hell.
“How do I get in touch with you?” Malaya asked when we dropped her and Ramona back at Sweet Nectar’s.
“I’ll find you,” I said, closed the car door, Bobby drove off and it was on to the next episode.
Chapter FIVE
December 17
I couldn’t tell you what time it was when me and Bobby got to The Late Night, but it was packed. So packed that I lost Bobby making my way to the office. When I opened the door, Wanda was seated behind the desk. She quickly cut her eyes to the left.
Not this guy again.
“Kirk.”
I shook my head. First Cavanagh, now him.
“You don’t look so good, Black,” Kirk said.
“I’ve been drinking.” I came and sat down on the couch next to him. More because I needed to sit down than anything else. “What can I do for you, Detective?”
“Oh, nothing. I was in the area, so I thought I’d drop by to see you. But since you weren’t here, Wanda was nice enough to keep me company. I was just about to leave and here you are.”
“Well I’m here now, so, what can I do for you, Detective?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Getting to know you, Black. I told you, I’ve been talking to people about you, trying to figure out what kind of man you are.” Kirk paused. “You see, Black, once I figure out the kind of man you are, I’ll get to know how you think. Once I do that, I’ll be able to get inside your head.” Kirk laughed. “Once I get in your head, you’ll be mine.”
I said nothing.
“Wanda was telling me all about you. That she’s known you for as long as she can remember and what a good man you are.” I looked over at her, and Wanda winked at me. “I told her that if she wanted to have a future, that she should get as far away from you as she can as soon as she can.”
Kirk stood up at the same time Bobby came bursting through the door. “Jap said that Kirk …”
“Bobby Ray,” Kirk said and walked up to him. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“What you wanna see me for?”
“I wanna talk to you about this guy,” Kirk said and pointed at me.
Bobby took a step forward. “What you wanna know?” he asked being sure to breathe in Kirk’s face.
“Why don’t we talk when you’re sober,” Kirk said and backed off Bobby.
He laughed and stepped to the detective again. “Then I’ll talk to you in January … no wait, mid-January. I’ll be drunk and disorderly until then.”
“Something you two trying to forget?” Kirk backed off Bobby. “Like murdering Silky, Lisa Benson, Marquez Hernandez, Montel Lamont and Bodie Ringling?”
Bobby laughed and got in his face again. “No. We’re celebrating our birthday, Kirk. You wanna have a drink with us?”
“No, Bobby. Another time.” Now it was Kirk that stepped to Bobby’s chest. “We’ll talk another time.” He turned and looked at Wanda. “Nice talking with you, Wanda.” He looked at me and pointed. “I’ll catch you later, Black,” Kirk said and started toward the door.
“Good night, Detective,” I said as he shut the door behind himself.
“What was that about?” Bobby asked, and I put my finger over my lips. I looked at Wanda and motioned for her to get her coat and come on. She got up, grabbed her coat and followed me and Bobby out of The Late Night. I wasn’t saying another word in there or Veneshia’s, or any of our other spots until we get them all swept for bugs. In fact, I
needed to make that a daily process in all our spots.
Cavanagh was right, this guy was on me.
“How long was he there?” I asked Wanda the second we were outside and away from the crowd.
“Not long, five minutes, maybe and I didn’t tell him shit, Mike,” Wanda said and pulled the hood over her head.
“I know that. He was just blowing smoke with that.”
“I guess Cavanagh is gonna have to earn that money,” Bobby said, and Wanda looked confused.
“What does Cavanagh have to do with this?” Wanda asked.
“He was at Veneshia’s tonight.”
“Why? What was he doing there?”
“Money. Why do dirty cops do anything?” Bobby asked.
“Kirk is convinced that I killed Silky and he’s been looking for the eye witnesses to the murder.”
“Great.”
“Meeting us there was Cavanagh’s way of telling us that he knows where those witnesses are and then he stuck his hand in to the tune of two grand a week to keep Kirk off of us.”
“What are we gonna do?” Wanda asked.
“What can we do?”
“Nothing,” Bobby said. “We’re caught in the middle. All we can do is keep going forward.”
“Bobby’s right. We keep doing what we’re doing. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Bobby said.
“Agreed,” Wanda said.
“I’m out. It’s fuckin’ cold,” I said.
“Before you go,” Wanda said. “I went to Morris’s Deli and talked to Larry today. I gave him the thirty-five thousand dollars in earnest money and made arrangements for our accountant to go over his books.”
“Sounds good. You need me for anything?”
“No, I don’t think so, Mike.”
“So, I don’t need to be there?” Bobby asked.
“No,” Wanda said. “We’re just gonna review his books, we’re not closing the deal or anything major like that. If I need you two, I’ll call you.”
“Good, then I’m out,” I said and turned to leave.
“I’ll get with you in the morning,” Bobby said and went back in the club.
“You wanna ride?” Wanda asked.
“No. I need to clear my head and think,” I said and kept walking. On the walk to my apartment, the cold December air cleared my head all right. That wind slapped me in the face and I wondered why I told Wanda I wanted to walk. I could have at least got her to take me to Cynt’s, but fuck that, Lo-Lo and Anya know how to come home when they get finished dancing. I had to laugh at myself at how comfortable I was getting with the two of them and us pretty much living together.
When I got to the warmth of my apartment, I wasn’t as fucked up as I was, and my mind was much clearer, so after a nice long hot shower, I rolled a bob, poured a drink and relaxed.
As I sat there smoking, I thought about Vickie and the last time we were in this room together. I’ve replayed that night in my mind more times than I can count and more times than I wanted to. Sometimes I can’t stop myself from thinking about it. You know, all the things I should have done but didn’t.
I took a big swallow and tried not to think about it.
After a while, I got up and got in bed. I woke up late the next morning, laying on my back and felt a hand stroking my hard dick. I opened my eyes to the pleasurable sight of Lo-Lo and Anya engaged in a very intense sixty-nine while Lo-Lo jerked me off. I watched and enjoyed the sensation and the visual before I got to my knees and joined the fun.
I pulled Lo-Lo’s hips away from Anya’s wicked tongue and plunged my dick as deep in her as it could get.
“Yes! Yes!” Lo-Lo screamed, as I began pounding away.
“That’s right, Black,” Anya encouraged, “Get all your pussy,” she said and eased out from under Lo-Lo. She laid on the bed in front of us and began fingering herself because she knows that me and Lo-Lo loved watching her masturbate.
“Fuck that pussy, you sexy fuckin’ bitch,” Lo-Lo said to Anya and buried her head between Anya's thighs while I kept fucking her. They were amazing to watch, to be with them was incredible because they made me feel amazing. They were both insatiable and they were both mine. Once we had our fill of each other, we passed out and went back to sleep.
“Phone is ringing,” Anya said.
“I’m closer,” Lo-Lo said. “You want me to get it?”
“Go ahead.”
“Hello,” I heard her say. “He’s right here.” She handed me the phone. “It’s Bobby.”
“Hello.”
“We still goin’ to look for Gun?”
“Hell yeah. I’ma jump in the shower,” I said, got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
“I’ll be over there,” Bobby said and hung up.
While I was in there, I heard the phone ringing again.
“You want me to get it?” Lo-Lo shouted.
“Go ahead,” I shouted back and turned off the water.
“It’s Wanda,” she said and handed me the phone when I came in the room. She took the towel from me and began to dry me off.
“Hello.”
“I know you’re busy … got them answering your phone now,” Wanda said, and I could just see her head shaking through the phone. “But I need you.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m at Morris’s Deli with Erica,” Wanda began.
“Who’s Erica?”
“Erica Hines. She is a friend of mine that is working on her master’s in forensic accounting. We’re here to go over the books.”
“What’s the problem?”
“We’re women.”
“Huh?”
“I thought I’d be doing business with Mike,” Wanda said imitating the way Larry spoke. “He won’t let us see the books until you get here. His old fat chauvinistic ass pissed us the hell off, especially Erica.” She laughed. “But we’re good for the time being. Larry let Erica sample the shrimp salad and that mellowed her out. Now he’s feeding her pastry.”
“Bobby’s on his way here and then we’ll be over there.”
While I was getting dressed the phone rang again.
Lo-Lo smiled. “You want me to get it?”
“Might as well. You been answering it all morning.”
“Hello,” Lo-Lo answered. Whoever it was, said whatever they said and Lo-Lo slowly said, “Lo-Lo,” before she giggled and said, “He’s right here,” and handed me the phone.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hey, Mike, it’s Shawna. Andre needs to see you sometime today.”
“Tell him I got a couple of stops to make and then I’ll be through there,” I said and hung up.
When Bobby got there, we went to Morris’s Deli to meet Wanda and Larry. By the time we got there, Erica was stuffed on Larry’s pastry and he literally had her eating out of his hand. I basically shook his hand, he said we have a deal and that was it. I promised that I would see him the next day and we were out of there. Now that that was out of the way, we had a couple of places that Bobby thought we might find Gun. He wasn’t at any of those spots either.
I still needed to see what Andre wanted so we headed for the real estate office. Although I respected Andre, I knew that I never could trust him completely. He was too self-serving for me to think anything else. But this shit with him not telling us that Crazy Nicky and Johnny Boy were coming after us took me and him to an entirely different place. A place that I don’t think will be good for us. It proved that he could be my enemy if and when it suited him. He demands loyalty and gives none in return. It would only continue what seemed to be my lockstep march to killing him someday.
It was well after five when we got to the real estate office and we’re surprised to see that Shawna’s Jaguar was still parked outside. When we went inside, we could hear that Andre and Shawna were into it again. Both of them yelling at the top of their lungs. I banged on the office door and got no answer, but the yelling continued.
So, Bobby and I sat down and made ourselves
comfortable and waited for Shawna to come storming out of the office cursing. Without speaking or even looking in our direction, she grabbed her purse from her desk and slammed the door on her way out.
“Fuck you too!” Andre shouted when he came to the door, and that was when he saw us sitting there.
“What you two doing here?” Andre asked.
“Shawna said you wanted to see us.”
“Yeah. I forgot I told her to call you,” he said. “Come on in.” Me and Bobby got up and followed him in to his office. “You wanna drink?”
“Shit yeah,” Bobby said.
Andre laughed. “That’s right, this y’alls birthday month,” he said and went to the spot where he kept his liquor. “I hate I gotta interrupt the celebration, but I need you to pay Smitty a visit and kill him if he don’t have my money.”
I stood up and we shot our drinks. “Anything else you need from us?”
He laughed. “No, Mike, you take care of that for me and y’all can get back to the celebration.”
“That was the plan,” Bobby said, and he followed me out of the office and both of us knew that Smitty wasn’t gonna have his money, so we were going to kill Smitty.
“Smitty’s always late with Andre’s money. Why all of a sudden he gotta die for it?” Bobby asked when we drove away from there.
“You know Sandra?”
“Smitty’s woman. I used to fuck her. What about her fine ass?”
“Andre’s fucking her.”
Which usually meant that Andre was throwing money at her. I thought for a second and realized that was probably what Shawna was mad about. She always finds out because Andre doesn’t even try to keep it a secret. Shawna blows up, Andre will throw a bunch of money at her and she’ll be all right until he loses interest in Sandra and the next one comes along.
“And that’s why we gotta kill him,” Bobby said, and I thought about all the times that he’s sent us to kill somebody because he was fucking the guy’s woman.
“Let’s just get this over with. I got shit to do.”
“What you gotta do?”
“Get fucked up and get as much pussy as I can,” I said like he should know better and he should.
