You Needed Me III: A Love Story

by Shvonne Latrice

  “Dom, I live in a condo, and my girl is there all the damn time. I don’t think she would approve of someone like you cleaning.”

  “What? Why? I have man.”

  “It’s ‘I have a man’,” I corrected her. “But she won’t care. How about I give you a job cleaning my father’s home? My mother is moving back in soon, once the renovations she ordered are complete. When that happens you can work for her.”

  “Oh! I would love to work for Mrs. Quinton! Will Mr. Quinton be okay with this?”

  “He’d love the idea if he were here. My father passed recently, Dominika. I thought you knew.” I gave her a sympathetic smile as if I were broken up about it. I wasn’t happy about it, but I wasn’t on the verge of bawling either.

  “I had no idea. I’m so sorry for your loss, let me make you some black bread.” She half smiled.

  “That won’t be necessary, but thank you. Actually, you know what, I would like some. After all I’ve done for you, I deserve a nice loaf,” I chuckled and she smiled widely.

  “I will get right to it. Umm, when would I start?”

  “The renovations won’t be done for another two weeks. But because we are close, and I care about you, I will write you a check to cover bills, food, and some extra spending money for that time frame. You said rent is $1,000?”

  “It’s actually $2,600, Mr. Quinton,” she giggled.

  “What? Why? You moved?”

  “Yes, my new job was paying well so we moved to Downtown Boston. It’s a beautiful place. We still don’t have enough bedrooms for all of us, but the neighborhood is safer.”

  “All that and still not enough rooms? At least it’s safer though, like you said. I’m gonna have to come by sometime and see it. I’m also gonna have to start watching you.” I furrowed my brows making her snicker. Pulling out the Quinton Workforce checkbook, I quickly filled out a check for her. “Here. That’s $8,000. That should cover rent, and anything else for at least two months until your money starts coming in nicely from my mother.”

  “Thank you so much! I promise this is the last time I will need to change jobs! Mrs. Quinton and I get along very well.” She flashed her pretty smile as she stood up.

  “I bet. And tell your man that he needs to help you out. He ain’t doing his job right now if you’re living the way you are. He needs to relieve some of that burden for you.”

  “He’s looking for job now.”

  “It’s a job, Dominika. And he better be. Tell him to come talk to me if he needs help finding work okay?”

  “Yes, thank you!”

  Once she left I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I was so tired from staying up all night making moves. That bitch, Isabetta, was on my radar, and she was about to feel my wrath like no other. She could do whatever she wanted to me, but my shorty was off limits. I used to actually think her ass had more sense than Dania and Rosie, but she was no better; it just took longer to bring it out of her. They were three disturbed ass bitches, and it was no surprise that none of them could keep a fucking man.

  After a couple minutes, I opened my eyes to see my assistant, Alyona, standing there fidgeting… again. I sat up, blew out hot air, and then looked in her direction.

  “Baby girl, don’t do that! How many times do I have to say that? When you come in here, make yourself known okay?”

  “I didn’t want to bother you, you looked like you were in deep thought.”

  “I appreciate that, but I would prefer it if you did bother me and tell me what you needed. It’s a bit creepy for me to look over and see you standing there.”

  “Yes, I will keep that in mind, sir.” She blushed like always. “There is someone here to see you, can I send them back?”

  “Who is it?”

  “Janine Hudson.”

  “No, tell her that you thought I was here, but when you walked in you saw that I had already step—”

  “Son in law!” Janine came in boastfully. Alyona just smiled shyly and rushed out, leaving me alone with her predator ass.

  “Janine, what can I do you for?”

  “You can do me for a lot of things. Namely for a nice orgasm.” She plopped down on the leather couch in my office. Her dress was so short, that I was sure her ass was hanging out at the bottom.

  “Why are you here?”

  “You’re not gonna offer me a drink?”

  Janine was a very beautiful woman. In fact Matikah looked just like her. They both had big curly hair, slim frames, and light complexions. The only difference was that one was young and had morals, and the other was an old hoe trying to fuck her daughter’s man.

  “No, I was on my way out so I’m not gonna offer you a drink. Just tell me what you need so I can go. No, I mean tell me why you are here.” I changed it when I saw that creepy ass smile appear. This bitch could make a bible scripture sound sexual.

  “I decided to stop by because I’m leaving town soon, and I wanted to give you one more chance to get a piece.”

  “A piece of?” I raised a brow. Please be talking about a going away cake.

  “Look, Lendsey, you don’t have to play the role with me. I’ve done my digging already. As soon as my mother told me that Matikah was dating you, I had some old friends find out who you were. What I got back was very interesting.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yes. Turns out you’re very important out here in Boston for some reason, and people respect you. I don’t even know how Matikah got you. Anyway, what really piqued my interest was the fact that you’re a ladies man.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Since when darling?”

  “Since your daughter.”

  “A man doesn’t change that quickly for anybody. I don’t care how much he loves a woman.” She got up and moved closer to me. “I’m not in the business of snitching. It’ll just be one time. I know I’m not the only one who is curious about the other.” She cocked her head, staring up into my face. “You are so handsome.” She reached up to touch my cheek, but I stopped her. “Those blue eyes make you look so innocent, but I know you’re not.”

  Reaching behind me, I pulled my gun from my waist and placed it in the middle of her forehead, causing her to gasp.

  “What I’m about to say, I’m only gonna say once. The only woman I’m curious about is my girlfriend, Matikah. I have no interest in fulfilling your cougar meets the cub fantasies in any way, shape, or form. I love Matikah, and she’s having my baby. There ain’t shit else out there for me, I already looked. Now I want you to walk up outta here, and prepare to go back to wherever you came from. If I see you around again, I will pull this trigger, and trust me no one will care, not even Matikah. Please don’t test me, ma.”

  She glared at me, and then snatched her purse off of the couch before storming out. I wasn’t playing with that bitch. Matikah’s mom or not, I would pop her ass in a hurry and go on about my muthafucking business.

  My phone ringing snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked down to see it was my dummy phone. Picking it up, I tapped the green button to answer.

  “I got the stuff for tonight,” Britain said.

  “Cool, did Andrei give you the address for later?”

  “Sure did. Only thing is that y’all may not be able to go there until the morning. We can still do the job tonight though.”

  “Alright cool.” I hung up and grinned before getting my shit and dipping.

  Goldie

  Chenaye had been bugging me to have what she called a sister’s night, and I’d finally agreed. I told her we could do one thing together, but we would not be hanging out the whole night. If I’m being perfectly honest, the only reason I was hanging out with her was because she was my sister. Her personality was whack as hell, and if she were a random bitch we would never be friends. Chenaye was so fake to me, and anybody like that didn’t belong anywhere near my circle. That’s why all my life I’ve only fucked with Kimberlyn and Matikah. They were as far from fake as you could get, and that was more my sty
le.

  “After you sister,” Chenaye beamed, opening the door to this Italian restaurant on Hanover. She chose this place because my mom and her husband used to always take us here after Wednesday night bible class. “Over there.” She pointed to a table, and I saw that girl, Hope, sitting down drinking wine.

  “Really, Chenaye? Why did I need to come if you have her here?” I rubbed my belly and sighed. I would much rather be eating at Britain’s house while he rubbed my feet. I missed him already.

  “Hope is my best friend, and I want you guys to get along that’s all.”

  Hope seemed to be cool, but she was one of those girls who appeared to be sneaky, but you had no proof. I think it was just her facial expressions that threw me off; I wasn’t sure. She just gave off the vibe that she was a shiesty hoe. She was the type of bitch to fuck your husband and then try to still be cool with you after. Kind of like how Chenaye did with Ethan. No wonder they were best friends. However, I did find it strange that I’d never heard of Hope until recently. The only friend I remember Chenaye having was this girl named, Cerise, but they just stopped being friends one day, not sure why.

  “Wow, you are ready to pop, G!” Hope grinned as I sat down.

  “It’s Goldie, and yes I know. I can’t wait.”

  “So what is it? A boy or a girl?”

  “It’s a boy. Hope, how did you meet Chenaye?” I questioned. Hope’s eyes darted to Chenaye, before landing back on me. I raised one brow to let her know I was still waiting.

  “Well, umm we were—”

  “In church,” Chenaye cut in. “We both teach Sunday school for the toddlers. She has the 8am service, and I have the 11am, so we crossed paths.”

  “I see, and you’re already best friends. How old are you Hope?”

  “I’m twenty-one, same age as Chenay—” she stopped when Chenaye began shaking her head ‘no’.

  “Chenaye is twenty-six.”

  “Oh I know.” She let out a breathy chuckle before gulping some of her wine.

  “Of course you do. Do you have a boyfriend? Are you originally from Boston?”

  “No I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment. I was born in Portland, but my father got a job in Boston so we moved here about three years ago.”

  “All the way from Oregon?”

  “No from Maine. It’s not much different from Boston, well it is, in some areas. But it was easy to make friends here and stuff.” Her demeanor was very skittish, so I knew she was hiding something.

  I just nodded as her eyes kept going from me to Chenaye nervously. I didn’t know what was up with her, but I was sure and the fuck gonna find out. Like I said, Chenaye was a fraud ass bitch, so you never knew what her ass was up to.

  The waitress came over to take our orders, and once she left it was quiet for a little while.

  “Have any Quinton parties come up?” Hope inquired.

  “Why?”

  “We’d like to go to the next one that they throw. I hear about them all the time, but I’ve never been to one. I don’t even know how to get invited, but I guess you have to know someone.”

  “Girl, they are good,” Chenaye chuckled.

  “How would you know? You’ve never even been to one.”

  “That night at the club—”

  “That was at the club, an event open to everyone. A Quinton party is never held at a public establishment, Chenaye. Speak on what you know so that you won’t embarrass yourself okay?”

  “So if Britain tells you about one, you should bring Chenaye and I. I’m sure it would be a lot of fun. Chilling with you, your friends, and the Quintons,” Hope giggled in unison with Chenaye.

  “Is Rhys still with Indiya?” Chenaye asked.

  “Yes, he is. You know he is and I told you to leave that shit alone. Stop trying to mess with him Chenaye. That nigga is crazy and crazy about that girl.”

  “I saw the way he looked at me at the club that night. You should’ve seen the way he looked at me, Hope.”

  “Yeah he looked at her ass like he wanted to strangle her. But in delusional minds like Chenaye’s, I’m sure that means love.”

  “Goldie you don’t have to be so mean. Just because Britain is with you doesn’t mean that you’re better than us. So what you lucked up and got a man, thanks to Kimberlyn,” Chenaye spat.

  “What does Kimberlyn have to do with me and Britain being together? Yes she was my ticket to the party, but she wasn’t there when we talked to one another, spent time, and she definitely wasn’t there when we made this baby!”

  “You know what I mean. Just like Kimberlyn got you access to Britain, you should get us access!”

  “Access to what huh? A Quinton? They’re all taken, Naye!”

  “Rhys—”

  “Is taken! Lendsey is taken, and TQ is taken. We won’t discuss Britain because you already know the answer, and that will get you killed.”

  “Rhys was taken when I met him the first time.”

  “Okay, you know what, I can’t do this.”

  All I could think about was when Britain told me people would be nice to me in order to get close to them. I knew he was telling the truth, but I didn’t think it would really happen like that. Chenaye and Hope were proving him right.

  This Hope bitch and my sister were trying to use me to get close to some niggas who wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. And why the fuck would I bring their asses to a party, knowing their intentions? Lendsey and TQ were with my best friends, and even though Indiya wasn’t my best friend, I liked her and she was Rhys’ woman. For me to intentionally put other women in their faces would be the shadiest shit in the world.

  “Stay, Goldie, please. We didn’t mean to upset you, we just thought you’d want us to enjoy the same life you have,” Hope said, pleading with her eyes for me to sit down.

  “You don’t need a Quinton to find love.”

  “No, but you have a new car, condo, and a little bit of hood fame. You can’t get that from these regular ass niggas in Boston,” Chenaye huffed.

  “If we don’t change the subject, I’m gonna leave.”

  “Okay, okay, we can talk about something else, but just promise that we can come to the party. I swear we won’t be all in their faces. We’ll be chill, right, Chenaye?” Hope looked into her eyes.

  “Right.”

  I wouldn’t invite these bitches to a party even if my life depended on it.

  Summer

  Tonight I was going over to Romeo’s house, and I was overjoyed to say the least. We’d been spending a lot of time together, and I wasn’t complaining. It reminded me of the days when I first started dating Rhys. Although just a teenager at the time, I was smitten with him and never got tired of being in his presence.

  When it came to Hakim, I found myself forcing something that wasn’t there, but with Romeo it was natural. Just thinking about him at random moments would make me smile, and I hadn’t felt that way in a very long time.

  I walked across the street after parking my car, and entered the beautiful condo building that he lived in, in Downtown. I could tell by how the lobby looked that this was a very expensive place. I wasn’t surprised though because Romeo was very well off. He was ten years my senior, thirty-four, and I think that’s part of what attracted me to him. I liked older men, and that was something that I liked about Rhys, even though he was only three years older than I.

  I got off the elevator, and followed the sign to know which direction to walk in. Arriving to his door, I took a deep breath before knocking lightly. As I waited, I smoothed down my casual red dress, and tousled my dreads from one side to the other. The door finally came open, and a woman stood there. She didn’t look young, but she wasn’t decrepit either.

  “Hi, is this the residence of Romeo Smith?”

  “Yes it is. You must be Ms. Gillies.”

  “I am.”

  “Perfect. Come in honey and let me take your coat. My name is Althea; I am Mr. Smith’s housekeeper. He’s expecting you, so I will
show you to the living room.” She hung my coat up and closed the door behind me.

  When I say this condo was nice, it was nice as fuck. It reminded me a lot of the one I lived in with Rhys, but somewhat nicer. Thinking about Rhys made me smile a small smile as I followed behind Althea. Sometimes I missed him a lot, but I just had to remember that we would always be in each other’s lives. I continued admiring the condo until we got to the living room.

  “Wow do you ever have a bad day?” Romeo got up from his huge couch wearing a grin.

  He looked so sexy even though he wasn’t dressed up at all. He wore black joggers, a plain black t-shirt, and some black socks. His hair and facial hair were freshly lined up, and a chain hung from his neck. His cologne was very prevalent, but it wasn’t too much. I loved that he was about his money, legit money, but wasn’t a total bore like Hakim.

  “I do, but I won’t ever let you see them.”

  “I hope you do, because that means progress. Take a seat, ma. Would you like anything to drink?”

  “Whatever wine or champagne you have is fine. I’m not too picky,” I shrugged one shoulder as I sat down on his comfy couch.

  “Bring the Ace of Spades, Althea. Thank you,” he told his housekeeper and she nodded before leaving.

  “Ace of Spades? What’s the occasion?”

  “You.” His eyes scanned me from head to toe, making me shift a little bit. I was in love with his demeanor, and had been since the moment I laid eyes on him. He just had that look that told you he had his shit together, and I liked that. Rhys had the same look, he just had a little crazy mixed in, too.

  “Tell me something about you, Romeo. I feel like every time we’re together, I’m only talking about myself. All I know is that you own a restaurant and you have a very nice condo.”

  Just as I finished, Althea walked in carrying a big silver tray. It had a bottle of Ace of Spades, two flutes already filled, and a platter with fruit, cheese, and crackers. She set it down on the coffee table right in front of us, before handing off the flutes.