Back 2 Business (Candy Shop 2)

by Nicety

  “Uh, yeah. Did I need to say something else?”

  She couldn’t believe it. She was practically giving him an out to the argument. The buzz of alcohol was running through her bloodstream so warm and thick that the initial look of shock or disbelieve became stuck on her face but wouldn’t allow her to cry. Her finger loosened allowing the cell to drop through her hand and onto the floor. Vomit rose in the back of her throat and flew out of her mouth as she grew dizzy and clasping her stomach and falling to the floor. Her knee slipped on the top stair sending her body plummeting down the staircase pumping her head, back and protruding stomach along the way.

  “Argh!” She bellowed from the bottom as she attempted to get up. “Help!”

  Amy looked around realizing she was the only one there and struggled to get up again. Her body was completely sore from the fall making it difficult for her to determine which of her limbs, if any, were broken. She screamed out in agony as she rose to her feet examining her body. Wiggling her arms, fingers and legs it appeared that she was going to be able to walk away from this accident unscathed. She limped over to the couch and took a seat relieved that everything was okay.

  Squish. As soon as she sat down she felt gooey ickiness on her ass cheeks. She slipped her hands in between her legs to investigate the gush she had sat in wondering was it already on the couch before she took the seat. When she raised her hand back up, the bloody wetness dripping down her hand shocked her. Amy panicked rising from the couch slowly to find her phone and call an ambulance. She could feel the blood rushing out of her like a waterfall now and immediately knew something was terribly wrong with the life inside of her.

  “Oh my God…Oh my God!” Amy spat shaking trying to steady her fingers to dial 911.

  “Amy! Where you at girl?” Danger yelled as he walked in the door slamming it behind him. “You still on that bullshit?”

  “I’m right here. Baby, something’s wrong.” Amy replied quietly with tears in her eyes and her mouth opened wide.

  “What…what’s wrong with you?” Danger asked as he walked into the room.

  Amy gradually raised her hand in the air showing him the excessive amount of blood on her hand as he walked up the stairs towards her. He slowed his movements almost in disbelief that this was happening. She began to cry hysterically knowing that she had fucked up royally, feeling incapable of telling him. She knew if she told him that he would go ballistic and she would get much worse than the choking she had received earlier.

  “What the fuck is happening?” Danger asked worriedly. “Come on let’s go…now!”

  Danger grabbed her hand almost dragging her down the stairs to the front door.

  “Wait! I can’t go that fast, Danger!”

  “You gotta try alright? We gotta make sure the baby is okay.”

  “I know but you’re hurting me!” Amy cried holding her arm underneath her stomach. “You’re dragging me!”

  “You gotta get to the hospital now!” Danger snapped unlocking the car door, shoving her in quickly. “My baby can’t die like this. Oh shit! I’m sorry, Amy. I’m so sorry!”

  “Just drive. It’ll be okay.”

  “No it won’t. I shouldn’t have choked you that badly. I shouldn’t have…I can’t forgive myself if this baby dies because of me, man.”

  “You? Oh, baby—“

  “Look when you get to the hospital just don’t tell them I choked you. I’m sorry and I promise to never put my hands on you again.” Danger said grabbing her hand interlocking their fingers together.

  Amy’s ears burned from his words. She wasn’t stupid or naïve and wondered why he often thought she was, talking to her as if she would buy his bullshit. She knew he was lying and would fuck her up easily the next chance he got since the door was open to it now. She side eyed him as they drove on pulling into the South Shore Hospital parking lot while his cell phone rang at the same time. He ignored it.

  “Sir. Excuse me sir. Can I help you?” A nurse asked flagging Danger down before he ran past her bursting through the surgery doors.

  “Yeah, my girl needs a doctor. She bleedin’ and shit man, something’s wrong with our fucking baby!”

  “Ok calm down sir. I need to get everything straight. Now what happened?”

  “She…I don’t know just something happened. Fucking help her man! Fucking help her!” Danger was hysterical.

  “D. calm down baby.” Amy pleaded clenching her belly in excruciating pain.

  “Sir, I am going to help her but you need to calm down.” The nurse replied calmly signaling for the other nurses to come and help her with their new patient.

  They scooped Amy up into a wheel chair and hauled her off through the back double doors of the emergency room. She looked back staring into Danger’s eyes. They were sending a secret message between the both of them that neither of them could decode with their words. As the dark skinned chunky nurse pushed papers in Danger’s face for him to fill out while he waited until he was able to go back there with Amy, his cell buzzed out of control.

  “Yeah, what up joe? I can’t talk right now man I got a fucking emergency.”

  “What’s da deal?” Messiah asked.

  “Nothing, just gotta see what’s wrong with the baby, man.”

  “Aight handle ya business. Hit me back.”

  “Yep.”

  Chapter 7

  Skid & Red

  “Ugh. Are you just going to sit there and look crazy all damn day or are you going to talk to pass the time away?” Red said throwing her feet up on the counter pissed at the fact that she was even there.

  “Yep.”

  “Damn, would it kill you to join the human race and interact for a change, Skid?”

  “Listen, I don’t even know why I’m here. Tired of babysitting grown motherfuckas in this bitch.”

  “What are you trippin’ for? I mean it ain’t like we working hard in this motherfucka or something. Don’t nobody come up in here unless they trying to rent a unit and shit for the most part everybody that comes here just opens the gate, handle their business, and leaves. You trippin’.” Red laughed as she picked at her nails realizing she was due for a touch-up.

  “No. I’m talking about babysitting you motherfuckas. Like I’m y’all daddy or some shit. Y’all grown. I should be out in the street doin’ real shit, big shit.” Skid slumped over in the chair stomping his feet on the floor, planting them.

  “Hmph. I thought you were doing real shit. Excuse the fuck out of me.”

  Skid side eyed Red then shook his head. She had no clue that she was never going to be able to replace Messiah’s one true love and he knew it. He wanted to snap on her and burst her bubble but her knew it wasn’t his place. Besides she would eventually get her feelings trampled on once Alexis got out of the hospital. It was only a matter of time before the cloud she was riding dissolved from under her sending her plummeting to the ground face first. Instead, Skid sighed heavily and folded his arms trying to keep his composure, focusing on the conversation he had earlier that day.

  “Fine. Sit there in silence all damn day. See if I care.” Red rolled her eyes and began fiddling with the computer trying to find music to play.

  “Ugh. Alright. What do you wanna talk about?”

  “Ah. I knew you’d see it my way. Well maybe you could tell me more about, oh I don’t know, Alexis.”

  “What? Man, look you ain’t about to have me sitting here pillow talking with your ass. You wanna know that man’s business then ask his ass. Alright?”

  “Yeah. Damn, my bad.” Red said flicking her long dark hair behind her ear. “It’s just I’ve never met her and with all the commotion that’s been going on I haven’t really had time to talk to Messiah.”

  Skid looked over at her pitiful beautiful face and couldn’t help but feel his heart pump for her. He was soft for women in distress and even though deep down inside he knew she was playing him he couldn’t help but to give her an answer she.

  “Aight, if that nig
ga asks we never spoke of this.”

  “No problem, Skid. I would never—“

  “Don’t fuck with me, okay? Just keep your mouth shut.” Skid said opening the compact refrigerator under the desk pulling out and orange Crush soda. “When Meech met Alexis I knew she was going to get his ass. She pretended to be this good girl going to college for law and shit. But really she was a gold digging ho who only saw dollar signs when she got with him.”

  “And he couldn’t see through her bullshit?”

  “Man, she had that nigga’s nose wide the fuck open. I tried to tell him at one point but I guess I waited too late to do it.”

  “Why’d you say that?”

  “Cause by the time I got a chance to talk to him he was already gone. Nigga said he was in love and shit and about to propose to the bitch and shit. He had never talked about no female like that. I don’t know there was just something about her.” Skid took a gulp of his soda.

  “Has…has he ever talked about me?” Red asked lightly, almost not wanting the answer.

  “Briefly.”

  “Are you really gonna make me ask, Skid?”

  “He just said that he used to babysit you and can’t believe how great you turned out. Up until the time you popped up out of thin air, he’s never said anything about you. Alexis was all he could think about.”

  Red had to admit that the truth stung a bit. She figured he never stopped thinking about her and his love was undeniably strong for her. Even if it could have been, Skid only confirmed her worst fear, which was that his wife had a hold on him. Her task now was to find out how much of a hold and if it could be broken. One thing was for sure she was tired of being put on the back burner and played because he was torn between them.

  “Look, I’m gonna be honest with you, Red. If you looking for that nigga to leave that bitch when she gets better, you crazy. He’ll never do it. She’s like a leech that you just can’t peel of your skin then all of a sudden you find your blood all drained out and then you die.”

  “He’s stressed though. If he was happy he wouldn’t be trying to get with me.”

  “Yeah true. I mean he fucked with them other bitches on some fucking shit cause it was hurt by all the niggas she fucked with on him including his own brother.”

  “What? Oh my God, no he didn’t.”

  “Yes he did and still was up until the car crash. Meech knew the whole time. He had me follow her every time she left the house late at night to find out the new ones she was banging. He kept count, fourteen.” Skid chuckled and shook his head.

  “Wow! But we haven’t had sex yet so that means he really cares about me. I’m not like those other bitches, not like Braze or Zadie.”

  “Ah, yeah. Zadie, that bitch was a beast. Damn shame. But Braze, well she’s got something you don’t have. I’m not sure how he feels about locking her down but he was soft on her, no doubt.”

  “Soft huh? Well I ain’t worried about that. Low level bitches like that are no competition to me. Wait, what does she have that I don’t have?”

  Skid looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. He knew she had to have known but she was playing the stupid card right then. The awkward silence filled the air as she stared into his eyes truly awaiting an answer. She had apparently forgotten all about where she had just came from and the morning’s events. Her patience grew thin waiting on him to answer her as she began to curl her lip up at him.

  “What?” Red blurted.

  “Are you that damn naïve or are you stupid?”

  “Okay we were just doing fine but you ain’t about to start disrespecting me calling me names and shit.”

  “Red, the one thing she has that you don’t have.” Skid said rocking his arms back and forth in a carriage motion.

  “Oh my God…” Red gasped realizing she was in fact being stupid. “The baby.”

  “Bingo!”

  “Shit. I totally forgot about the little bastard. Anyway we don’t know if that baby’s really his. I mean, she’s a hoe, she could’ve easily had gotten pregnant by anyone of you fools at the shop…right?”

  “I don’t know, Red” Skid shrugged. “But what I do know is that she was a virgin according to Zadie. She was mad that Messiah got to her cause she knew Braze would be like a helpless puppy for him. Especially when she got pregnant. That’s all I’m saying.” Skid said finishing off his soda and shooting it into the trash can cross the room as if he were in the NBA playoffs.

  “A virgin? That scandalous bitch told that lie. Braze looks like anything but.” Red tried to assure herself.

  Skid chuckled some more as he shook his head in disbelief at how naïve she truly was. Though she was young minded, he did believe that she had what it took to get what she wanted out of Messiah. It fascinated him how he got all of those young bitches on his dick like that and mostly attracted the ones that could easily get gone in the head. Skid looked down at his cell, gasping silently once he saw the number. He stuffed it back in his pocket determined not to answer it but the moment that it stopped it started back up again.

  “Aye, I’m gonna step outside for a minute.” He said to Red slapping his hand on the counter playfully.

  “Aight.” She replied still lost deep in her thoughts.

  Skid’s phone sang again. “Yeah.” He answered.

  “Ah, Mr. Alvin Johnson.” Haggley replied.

  Skid didn’t recognize the number but he knew who it was by the way he said his name. Only dicks called him by his government like that and accentuated every letter in it just to piss him off. He didn’t want to talk to him but he knew if he hung up it would be nothing but bullshit started. Sweat droplets fell from his face. Skid wiped them away blaming it on the hot, end of June sun beating on his pores but deep inside he knew better.

  “The fuck you want man.” Skid replied displeased.

  “Now is that any kind of way to talk to the man who is about to make you filthy stinking rich?” Haggley answered.

  “Man, speak on it man.”

  “I just called to find out how you were looking on that demonstration.” Haggley voice became stern and serious.

  “Dude, I told you I don’t know nothing.”

  “Ha ha ha. I’m sure you don’t. Well keep your ear to the streets. I will be in touch.”

  “Look man. I don’t know what you’re looking for him for but maybe he don’t wanna be found. Did you ever think of that?” Skid snapped into the phone.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Mr. Johnson. I could make life for you a living hell and you know that. I suggest you play ball with me on this one homeboy. You don’t know the kind of people that are involved here.” Haggley threatened.

  “What the fuck? Why me?”

  “Cause you’re the only nigga in the mix with that fool that could bring him down clean. I don’t need no problems in this and you are the right hand man, right? Then do your fucking job and get the work in. I don’t give a fuck how you do it, just do it. Got it?” With that, the rest of the conversation was a dial tone. Skid shoved the phone back down in his pocket angrily.

  “Fuck!” He bellowed wishing the day’s events had never occurred.

  He was stuck between a rock and a hard place not knowing which way to go. It was something he wasn’t prepared to think about at the moment wishing he had never answered the damn phone. Skid walked back inside the office trying to shield the disheveled look on his face from Red. He didn’t want her questioning him about what was wrong. He wiped his face and exhaled deeply as he took his seat back behind on the side of the counter.

  “So, who doesn’t want to be found?” Red said bopping her head to the beat of Lil’ Wayne’s Mrs. Officer blasting through the computer speakers.

  “Nobody.”

  “Why are you so guarded, Skid?”

  “Why are you so nosey, Red?”

  “Because sometimes people need to be pushed to get things off their chest. You look like you need somebody to talk to.”

  “Why you actin’ like you care? Y
ou playin’ Captain Save-A-Nigga now?”

  “No. I just know how if feels to be alone and not have anybody to listen to your problems and fully understand them. That’s all.” Red spat looking down at her flip-flops remembering the days when she was homeless on the cold streets of Chicago. “Everybody needs somebody.”

  “Yeah well I don’t need nobody. I’ve been on my own this long, taking care of myself and being my own best friend. So no, I don’t need nobody to talk to. Thank you.” Skid retorted folding his arms and staring blankly out of the glass door.

  “It’s still nice to have that option though. So just to let you know, whenever you need to, I’m here to talk. I don’t mind being your friend, Skid. Under all that hard muscular exterior lies a sweet soul waiting to express his self.”

  Skid looked over at her trying to figure out if she was for real or playing, with one eyebrow raised. It was funny to him to listen to anyone speak that way about him since no one had ever done so before. He knew she was really crazy after those words and huffed heavily as he slumped back more in his seat. She rose walking around the desk to the door just to get a look out at all of the cars driving down Cicero past their business in the cut. She longed for someone, anyone to walk into the store right then, as she was bored out of her everlasting mind.

  She removed the black short-sleeved jogging jacket that Amy had given her off and tossed it back behind the counter. The white tank top tucked inside of her matching thigh high jogging shorts seemed to be making her even hotter prompting her to tie it in a tight knot behind her back revealing her silky smooth skin and flat belly. Skid pretended not to watch but her ass seemed to protrude out commanding his eyes to its voluptuousness.

  “Ugh, it’s gotta be like ninety fucking degrees outside. How the hell did Bentley survive in this sweat shop?” She asked playfully.

  “He didn’t. He was too busy upstairs in the AC getting his ass busted in.” Skid replied watching the sweat droplets dance off of her back and shoulders.

  “Hell naw!” Red laughed as she headed back for the desk.

  Skid jumped in front of her grabbing her small waist and pulling her close to him. He caught her off guard slowly moving in kissing her ever so gently on the lips. Her pussy tingled as she obliged and kissed him back loving the sweet taste of his lips even though it tasted like some kind of cognac or vodka of some sort. His kiss was so passionate and so sensual it was hard to believe that he was the hard ass that he was. It was so fanatical and so erotic and so—