The Dirty Red Series

by Vickie M. Stringer

  Sasha’s eyes caught Red’s and then trailed back to Blue. “Who is that?” Sasha mouthed.

  Red didn’t reply.

  In one smooth move, Sasha sat on the stool next to Blue, who looked over and saw the short-haired sassy woman, and he was on to the next episode. Shit, the way he felt, Red had been playing too much. What the fuck did she think he wanted? A reunion? They should have been upstairs buck wild by now, but she wanted to play forty questions.

  Blue turned his attention to Sasha. Red turned to her, too.

  “Hey girl,” Red said, setting it up.

  “What’s up?” Sasha replied, a twinge of attitude in her voice, showing off for Blue.

  Sasha didn’t think anything of pushing up on him.

  “Red, who this lovely dime?” Blue rubbed his forehead, feigning the removal of sweat.

  “Oh yeah, this my roommate, Sasha.”

  “Sasha. I like that name.” Blue rubbed the sides of his low faded beard.

  Same shit he said to me, Red thought. Next he gon’ start bragging.

  Blue did just that and Red stifled a laugh.

  “Yeah, I’m just in town on business and shit. You know, came by to see an old friend.” Blue winked at Red.

  “Oh, so you remember your friends, huh?” Sasha flirted.

  “Sasha, you hungry?” Red asked, switching gears.

  “Yeah, smells good. I think I’ll join you.” Sasha flashed a big smile.

  “Do that,” Blue said.

  “Let’s get a drink and go into the dining room, while Red hooks us up with her mamacita shit,” Sasha replied.

  “Yeah, let’s do that,” Blue said.

  “Blue, make yourself at home.” Red shooed with her hands for them to go into the other room.

  When they left the kitchen, a wicked thought popped into Red’s head. What if I got the last laugh on a nigga? She was too old to be petty and fuck up his ride again. So she simply chilled. No, she had to come up with a different strategy.

  As Red stirred the ground beef and mixed in the onions and tomatoes to stuff the enchiladas, an idea came to mind.

  Red left the towel on the counter and walked into the half bath off the kitchen, grabbing a small saucer on the way. Inside the bathroom, she slipped her pants down and sat on the toilet. Red began to strain with all her might, trying to relieve her intestines of the fecal matter it contained. She grunted once, and then she grunted again. Suddenly her anus opened and she felt her bowels moving. A tiny plunk was heard in the toilet as shit hit water.

  Soon another turd followed the first. Red wiped herself with the Charmin and turned to look at the two turds floating in the toilet.

  She placed her hand in the chilly water and removed the longest piece of the two. She placed the turd on the saucer and covered it with several pieces of toilet paper.

  When Red peeked into the dining room, Sasha and Blue were sitting in there, waiting.

  Muthafucka think he gon’ come visit me and shit on me? Well, he can eat shit.

  With that thought, Red proceeded to mash and mix the dookey into the ground beef. The somewhat soft turd folded quite nicely as she flipped and smashed it with the spatula. The more she turned, the more the meat blended into the bowl.

  Red continued to stuff the tortillas until she had folded the enchiladas nicely. She placed two of them on the plate and walked over to the table. Blue couldn’t wait to grab his fork and commence to get his grub on.

  “This shit . . .” Blue said with a full mouth of food, “is the B-O-M-B!” He slapped Red on her backside. “You definitely can cook, girl.”

  Red suppressed a smirk, then smiled like a modest chef.

  “Where’s my plate?” Sasha asked.

  “In the kitchen.” Red motioned for Sasha to follow her into the kitchen where she could talk to her. “Girl, you don’t want to eat that.”

  “What’s up? Shit, I’m hungry.”

  “No, it’s really spicy.” Red knew that Sasha hated hot foods.

  “Damn, girl, you know how I love Mexican food.”

  “Better try Taco Bell. I didn’t know you would be here, so I didn’t think to make any for you,” Red replied.

  “Anyway girl, I was talking to that nigga and he said he wanted to do a threesome with us for some money,” Sasha said. “You with it or what?”

  “Nah, I ain’t with it,” Red said.

  Red watched the back of Blue’s neck bob up and down. She felt no remorse. With the information that Sasha had just given her, she was more than happy she made the nigga eat her shit.

  “Look, Red, you know I need money,” Sasha pleaded. “And if the nigga want to trick off, why not let him.”

  “Handle your business, then.” Red tossed all the items she’d used to mix the shit into the garbage, including the utensils.

  “Don’t you know I would have preferred that? I invited him up to my room, especially after the money he said he wanted to pay. But he wants to have a threesome. Me, you and him.” Sasha tugged at Red’s arm.

  “Hell no! Fuck that nigga.”

  “He paying ten thousand. We can both get five slacks apiece,” Sasha coaxed.

  “If it’s that important to you, then give me six thousand and I’ll do it.”

  “That’s fucked up. You know I need that money.”

  “Exactly. You need it. I don’t need it that bad that I can’t come out on top. And I’m fucking, not sucking his dick or kissing him.”

  Sasha thought about the money again, then thought about the fact she ain’t had no dick in a long time. “Damn, bitch, I’m horny as hell, too,” she whined in a tone that really pissed Red off.

  “So what the fuck you gon’ do?”

  Sasha had to back off, because she didn’t want to fuck it up. For four thousand, she was willing to do all the above.

  “Fuck it. I’m gon’ tell him that we with it,” Sasha said.

  “Nah, let me tell him. I want to verify what you’re saying.”

  “Verify?” Sasha said with an attitude.

  “Verify. I don’t know where that nigga dick done been, and I just want to make sure we getting paid.”

  “Whatever. While you playing select over some dough, I’m headed upstairs for a shower. We can do it in my room.”

  “I know you didn’t think it was going down in my room,” Red snapped.

  Sasha waved her off. “Bitch, whatever. Don’t get brand-new.”

  She walked off as Blue walked up with an empty plate. “Any more food?”

  “Nah, nigga, you ate your share today,” Red replied.

  “So, what’s up? You ready to go upstairs and handle your business?” Blue asked Red.

  Red ignored him. She had her plan in motion so she sidestepped the question. They went up to Sasha’s room and waited for her to finish her shower.

  “You still remember how to suck it like I like it?” Blue asked. His eyes locked on Red’s expression.

  Before she could respond, Sasha came from the hall bathroom wearing a purple thong panty set. Red stood, still fully dressed. Blue began to unbutton his clothing, piece by piece, layer by layer.

  Blue positioned himself comfortably on the queen-size bed, enjoying the satin sheets.

  “Don’t lay your funky ass on my sheets, nigga,” Sasha said.

  Blue didn’t pay her no attention. He didn’t care. He noticed the lavender color scheme and his mind told him this was his scene, fit for a king. He couldn’t believe how easy this had gone down.

  Red began to undress slowly. She took her time and watched the two of them go at each other. Blue looked at Red and took her into his arms as Sasha rubbed on Red’s back and placed fake play kisses along the sides of her arms.

  Red whispered into Blue’s ear, “Make her eat me.”

  “What?” Blue asked.

  “I want my pussy ate,” Red explained in his ear.

  Their eyes met and Blue understood.

  “Sasha, I want to watch you eat Red out.”

  S
asha looked shocked but began to obey as Red lay on her back, waiting to be served, enjoying every minute.

  Red grabbed pieces of Sasha’s hair, pulling tighter and watching as Blue looked on.

  “I want you to fuck me, Blue,” Red said to excite him.

  “Get it wet for me, Sasha . . . Suck that pussy and get it right for me,” Blue said.

  The deeper Red pushed Sasha into her pussy, the more Sasha gyrated her face. Blue was egging her on as Red spread her vaginal lips apart.

  When Red reached her climax, Sasha’s chin was left dripping and Red noticed tears in her eyes. She didn’t give a fuck. It was time to let the hammer fall.

  Blue climbed on top of Red and penetrated her. Moaning and groaning, Blue came after just a short while. Every attempt he made to kiss her, Red dodged his lips. There was no way she was going to kiss his shit mouth. She pretended she was not interested in catching feelings. Every time Blue tried to kiss her, she replied, “This is business, remember?”

  That was enough to throw him off guard.

  Yeah, you gon’ make me think you want me again, Red thought as he finished up his last groan.

  As Blue lay in bed, the girls went into the bathroom to clean up. Standing before the mirror, Sasha saw Red enter the bathroom and close the door behind her.

  “Bitch, how in the fuck you gon’ have me eat your stankin’ ass pussy?”

  “Oh, did it stink?” Red replied, her arms folded.

  “Yeah, you funky bitch. You know that shit was wrong. We were supposed to be fake fuckin’, but you grabbed my head like you was my nigga or something.”

  “Look, you wanted to do this. Besides, the next time you call me on the three-way, bitch, clear your other line.”

  Sasha was motionless for a moment, trying to play it off. “Clear my line? What are you talking about?”

  “Sasha, when you called me to ask about Bacon and the loft, you had Catfish on the three-way.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sasha protested, feigning innocence.

  “Let me explain it to you, then. When you called me, there was background noise. When I asked you about it, you had no explanation.

  “It was jailhouse background noise that, if I was on my toes, I would have realized what it was.”

  Red faced Sasha eye to eye as she snarled, “Bitch, pack your bags and I don’t give a fuck where you go. Tricks are for kids.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Droppin’ the Soap

  The other girls were still asleep when Red backed out of the garage into the chilly morning air. Sasha obviously hadn’t taken Red’s eviction order seriously because she was still in the house. The girls required way too much bed rest but Red knew that the early bird got the worm. She stopped three blocks away at Starbucks, purchased a large mocha latte, and hit the expressway, headed west on I-94.

  As Red drove, she listened to the messages on her cell phone from the night before.

  What up, girl? It’s Terry. Hit me back, it’s urgent.

  Yeah, right, Red thought, waiting for the next message to chime in.

  Red, this is your mom. Remember me? I need you to stop by the house. I’ve got something to tell you.

  Red felt her foot ease up off the pedal and then press down again. The sound of her mother’s voice gave rise to mixed feelings. It had been almost a year since they had spoken on the phone with each other. Red wished their relationship was Brady Bunch-ish, but it simply could not be. No matter how badly she wanted it, she could not get the fairy tale to be true. Red’s mother was a piece of work, there wasn’t much she could do to change that.

  “What the fuck does she want?” Red asked herself. There was a time when Red would break her moms off a C-note here or there. Every time she made a come up, she would look out for her mother, but that got old. She needed to feel loved by her mother and buying her affection didn’t work against her mother’s need to stay with Jerome, the man who changed Red’s young world.

  The melodic sound of Destiny’s Child’s “Cater 2 U” filled the car. It seemed as though the trio was cruising with her, which made Red’s cares begin to melt away. She thought of Q, who, unlike her mother, was like a blanket on a winter’s night.

  Red found herself having new feelings. When she was with Q, she felt peace and security. She had once loved Blue until her eyes were swollen, but that was puppy love. Blue didn’t care one bit about her.

  Then there was Bacon. That relationship had been so dysfunctional that she was unable to compare it to anything. And yet Bacon was all she had to consider as real. The times when she crossed him or lied to him made her wonder if she was right or wrong.

  It really was baffling to her—this thing called love. And how could she gauge it? No one had ever loved her. She just thought that Q loved the baby and was himself getting confused with his affection.

  Turning into the prison yard, she began to prepare herself for another visit with Bacon. If it were not for the book deal, she would leave his ass to rot. She had no intention of keeping the baby, whosever it was, and was going to have an abortion as soon as she could sneak it in.

  Red put the car in park and felt the gravel underneath her Carlos Santana boots as she headed toward the building. After enduring the formalities of a prison visit, she was seated at the cold plastic table and chairs to wait for him. Prison took everyone down. Why should I reduce myself ’cause a nigga got knocked? she wondered as she waited for Bacon.

  After an hour, Bacon emerged from behind the sliding door, looking handsome in a starched khaki uniform.

  He slid his chair next to Red’s and gently kissed her on the cheek.

  Red knew she was looking good in her white Capris and white top. She knew from nightly care her skin was so soft that it felt like a baby’s ass.

  The scent of Bulgari had Bacon open, even though he’d had time since her last visit to analyze their past life together.

  Just when he began to want to trust and love a woman, he felt her slipping away. It seemed that every time a person got locked, he thought of the finer things in life—the things that mattered. He wondered if the streets had made him the man he was and caused him to treat Red the way he did. It was fucked up, but doing time allowed him to charge some of his transgressions to the game, instead of to his own actions.

  “So, where’s the next payment for the book?” Bacon asked, holding his fingers in a steeple shape as though he were the DA interrogating her.

  “No hello, how are you, kiss my ass. Just, where’s my dough?”

  “I ain’t got time to play with you. I seen that book all over every bestsellers list there is. In Essence magazine, Vibe, Smooth, you name it, it was there. All the niggas on the pound reading that shit. But I ain’t got no more money for it.”

  “The next payment comes in six months.”

  “That’s bullshit. I know you, Red. You smarter than that to negotiate such a fucked-up deal.”

  Red flipped it. “Nigga, I did the best I could do. You wanted a deal and I got you one. I’m the one who said don’t go with Triple Crown Publications, but a major like HarperCollins or some shit, but noooooo. You wanted to be down for yo’ crown. So you see, nigga, dey da ones playing you. You were the one talking that shit about how TCP was the hit maker and you wanted your book with them. So, well . . . that’s how the deal went.”

  “I want to see a contract.”

  “Oh, let’s make this clear. You asked me to come up here to tell me that you don’t trust me?” Red tilted her head to the side, placed her arms akimbo, and rolled her eyes up in her head as if she were highly insulted.

  “Something like that. Your shit has been funny.”

  “Here you go with your drama.” Acting miffed, Red released her fists, then threw her hands up in the air.

  “I’m just saying. I still can’t get through on the phones and shit just don’t seem right.”

  “Keep your mind on getting free. Don’t be greedy about this book shit. You want it all—
socks-and-draws type shit.” After all, how could he continue to knock the only person who was trying to get him some help toward freedom?

  Bacon sat there staring at her. Red stared right back with her hazel eyes. She knew she had put him in check. She paused for a moment and then kept it moving. Red wasn’t about to sit up in jail and let a muthafucka insult her, even if it was the truth.

  “So you want chicken or pizza from the vending machine?”

  Bacon bit his tongue, momentarily. “Chicken!”

  • • •

  After eating with Bacon, Red left the jail with one thing on her mind—the phone call from her mother, Julia. Red drove back into town lost in thought. She didn’t even cut on the radio as she drove; she reminisced on her childhood. Red hoped that she was calling to say that she’d left Jerome. This was Red’s dream, and her prayer.

  As Red pulled into her mother’s driveway on Sheridan Street, a single tear fell from her right eye. Julia’s home was a little brown brick house surrounded by tall weeds on a corner lot across the street from a run-down, unattended church.

  As Red opened the car door, her mother flung open her front door. She walked out looking like a middle-aged homeless woman, with hair that looked like it hadn’t been combed in weeks.

  “Red,” she called out, a smile on her face.

  “Hey, Momma.” Feeling pensive, Red heaved a deep sigh and slowly entered the house, where dark furniture filled each room. The smoke from her mother’s cigarette choked Red as she stepped into the door. The aura of the house filled Red with vivid memories.

  “Don’t look so thrilled to be here.”

  “I ain’t. You called, so what’s up?” Red asked, flopping down on the couch.

  “I just wanted to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  “About you.”

  “Momma, there ain’t shit to talk about when it comes to me.”

  “Well, how is your life?”

  “Why the hell do you care?”

  “Damn it! How long you gonna hate me, Red?”

  “As long as you fuckin’ Jerome!”

  Julia gasped and put her hand up to her heart. “Oh, you gonna let that childhood shit continue to ruin your life?”