A black limousine pulled up to the curb. The driver exited and rushed to the back door to open it. Boss walked toward the limousine with his family following close behind. He signaled to the man looking at them from afar with a rifle in his hand to let him know that everything was cool.
A new car smell met them at the door. They all slid one by one into the black leather seats. Darkness fell with the close of the door; an open chest with refreshments and snacks waited for them. The limousine drove off smoothly as Aphtan sat up in her seat to watch the view of the projects get smaller with each second that passed.
“Where are we going?” Simone laid her head on Boss’s shoulder.
“It’s a surprise.” He kissed her forehead.
“I love surprises.” Aphtan turned around and sat down in the seat.
“I know.” Boss pinched her cheek.
The small subdivision of South Lake came into view after thirty minutes of driving. Beautiful brick homes filled the streets as the owners walked around merrily without a care in the world. The yards were huge and as green as they could be. Luxury cars filled every parking spot. Dogs played free as kids danced around them with smiles on their faces.
Simone looked on with awe. She had never seen a neighborhood so lively in her years of living. There were no crack heads, boys sagging on the corner, or prostitutes walking around with missing teeth and too little clothing. This was an actual neighborhood. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Simone watched Aphtan roll the window down and hold her tongue out as if she wanted to taste the air to see if it was different. Although her husband had power in the hood, she didn’t have the same sense of calmness this area alone brought. Her face lit up as the limousine stopped in front of a two-story Victorian-style home.
“What are we doing here?” Simone’s eyes focused on the house in front of them.
“It’s a party here for us.” Boss signaled for the driver to get out and open the door.
“Why would there be a party for us?” Simone placed shades on her eyes.
“To celebrate us moving into our new home,” Boss said as the door opened.
“Boss.” Simone grabbed his face. “You bought this house for us?” she asked before a smile spread across her face.
“Yes.” He kissed her lips. “I’ve been hearing you complain about being in the projects. I hear you when you say you don’t shit where you eat. I get it, and I want this to be our family home.”
“I love you,” Simone screamed.
“I can’t wait for my friend Mila to see this house.” Aphtan bolted out of the car.
They walked up to the mansion, because it was exactly that, with gravel crunching underfoot. Soft, distant conversation reached them from inside. The tinkling of conversation was like the fine crystal glasses that were abundant in the hands of the wealthy that they passed; the wealthy that surrounded them on their ascent to the estate.
The chauffeur wore a crisp white suit; his head bowed respectfully ahead like a routine machine, oozing professionalism. Simone caught his eye, and he offered her a small smile that she took gratefully, her confidence ebbing dangerously.
Simone couldn’t help but smile as she walked next to her family. It was a rare moment for them to have Boss’s full attention. Looking up, Simone’s eyes searched Boss’s, adding warmth to the designer-label dress that she wore. Every step she took closer to the mansion, every time she noticed another window, another butterfly joined her stomach and fluttered ferociously.
It was only when they were several paces from the door that the true size of the house hit them. It was a huge, graceful structure of plaster and glass, brick and slate. So many of the windows were lit up, but for each that was lit, there were three that they could see unattended.
It was a beautiful home that connoted majesty and dignity. They approached the door and awe once again flitted to anxiety through Simone’s body. So unaccustomed to this alien environment, Simone didn’t know what to expect. So foreign to it, she didn’t know how to act.
They entered the mansion as people that they knew and some that they didn’t clapped and cheered. Women ran up to Simone to give her hugs. Boss was greeted with handshakes and nods. Aphtan spun around in the foyer in excitement as she dashed off to check out the house.
“Congratulations, brother.” Money fixed the collar on Boss’s suit. “This is a nice house.”
“Thank you, blood.” Boss looked up at the high ceilings as Simone leaned into him. “You’re next.”
“I’m not rushing it.” He held up his hands. “It’ll come when it comes.”
“It will happen sooner than later.” He grabbed his shoulder.
Money picked at his goatee as Simone caught him stealing glances at her beauty. She knew everything about her drove him crazy. She thought about how all of them had met as kids. She remembered their first kiss and their last. She could see Money’s anger because she belonged to another man building from a couple feet away. It was the same song and dance every time they were in a room together.
Boss and Simone walked off as Boss went and engaged in conversation with some of the new neighbors. Money made his way through the crowd toward Simone, who had joined some of her friends. His eyes were locked on Simone’s. All the women in the room, and she could see he was only looking at her. He only had eyes for her. He was in love with her. She was certain he would move mountains for her if she asked.
Simone saw him coming as she smiled in the circle of women around her. She felt the same about Money. She loved him just as much. He wasn’t Boss, though. He didn’t have the drive. He didn’t have the ambition. Money had become full, and Boss stayed hungry and wanting more.
“Simone.” Money grabbed her hand and kissed it. “You look as beautiful as ever,” he said as the woman having a conversation with Simone walked away slowly.
“Do I?” Simone adjusted her long black hair behind her ear. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”
“Better than your husband?” Money looked behind him to make sure no one was looking before he guided his fingers up the opening of her small dress.
Simone’s chest felt tight at his touch. It was a dangerous joy that she knew all too well. An overwhelming, fluttering pain shot through her that made it difficult for her to breathe. Her stomach felt queasy, making her feel as if she would throw up at any moment.
She slapped his hand repeatedly in vain. She worried that Boss would kill them both in cold blood if he ever found out about their escapades. It was a risk that she didn’t mind taking at the price of pleasure that Money provided. It would have been worth it to her.
“Stop, Money,” Simone begged.
“You don’t mean it.” He worked his finger up her thigh a little more as her eyes closed.
She thought to herself that she should have avoided him at all costs. Every time they made eye contact, she got scared and excited at the same time. Her hands became clammy as Money played with her sweet box in the middle of the party.
She felt dizzy, as if she would pass out. She looked into his red eyes as she creamed on the knuckle of his middle finger. She watched him seductively as he took his finger out of her, licked the cream off, winked at her, and walked away.
Simone watched the man who had her heart as the light from the chandelier above her shimmered on the jewelry she wore. Looking around the party, she searched for something that made her happy, yet she couldn’t find it. A mansion wasn’t anything if you had to lie next to a man you weren’t in love with.
Simone walked quickly to an empty room and closed the door behind her. She rummaged through her pocketbook until she felt the pipe that she used every so often to let her mind escape from the world. She took out a lighter as she leaned against the door to block anyone from entering.
She held the lighter under the pipe, flicked it with her thumb, and put her mouth on the opening to get her first high of that day. She closed her eyes and exhaled the thick, white clouds of smoke as her legs buckled
from how good it felt.
“Mama?” Aphtan called from the other side of the door. “Are you in there?” She knocked softly.
“Yes, baby.” She put everything in her purse in a hurry. “One moment.”
Simone pulled out her pocket mirror and lipstick to touch up her face. She couldn’t look anything other than beautiful. She was the wife of the head of an empire and she had to look the part at all times. Anything else would have been unacceptable.
She opened the door and put her arm around Aphtan’s neck. They walked back into the heart of the party, the crowd even bigger than before. Simone didn’t know it, but the good life that they were just introduced to would be short-lived. You had to give something to get something, and what they were trading would be too much to bear.
* * *
The texture of the red couch felt good to Money as a red strobe light from the ceiling of the room flashed in his eyes. The stripper entered the private room of Pearl Tongue, the hottest strip club for hundreds of miles, and danced for him. A stack of money sat next to him, and he threw some when he saw fit. The blunt in his hand slowly shortened a little more with each hit that he took.
The stripper gyrated on him real fast, making his manhood rise. He was enjoying her company so much that his erection could be seen through his slacks. Wanting to get the ultimate tip, she unzipped his pants and wrapped her mouth around his penis. She sucked it ferociously as faint moans left his mouth.
“Make it disappear,” he ordered as he held her head in place with a firm grip.
The curtain separating the private room from the rest of the strip club opened as a man walked through. He was a tall white man with short dirty-blond hair. His cold blue eyes checked the room out as he stood still in one spot. Everything about him screamed that he was a cop. Anyone from around the way could tell that in a heartbeat.
The man closed the curtain behind him. He adjusted his blazer, waiting for Money to acknowledge him. The stripper continued her work as Money watched the man. He could see the frustration on the cop’s face, but he didn’t care.
“Money.” The man tapped the watch on his wrist with his hand. “We need to talk.”
“I know what the fuck we need to do.” Money controlled the woman’s head to go faster. “Don’t you see me getting my dick sucked?”
“I do see you participating in oral activities.” The man raised his voice. “But I’m risking everything by coming here in broad daylight to talk to you.” He pointed at Money.
“Don’t spit.” Money’s body tensed up as he released his seed into the stripper’s mouth. “Clean me off, and you can bounce.”
“Do you hear me, Money?” The man put one hand behind his ear.
“You talk too fucking much,” Money spat. “In front of too many people. Let this beautiful bitch leave the room first.” He slapped her ass.
The man folded his arms in frustration as Money lay back and let the stripper clean off his weapon. She placed it back inside of his drawers, fastened his pants, grabbed the stack of money, and disappeared through the curtain. Money patted the seat next to his own, giving the man permission to sit down.
The man sat down and helped himself to the bottle of top-shelf dark liquor that sat on the table in front of them. He grabbed a cigar from the open box next to the liquor and put it into his mouth.
“You’re early.” Money handed him a lighter.
“I’m not on your time.” The man dipped the cigar in the liquor, then lit it. “I’m trying to do you a favor.”
“Is it really a favor?” Money sipped from his already full glass. “Favors don’t cost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“You want the department to arrest and prosecute a man that we have no evidence on? Lester Epps is innocent to us. He’s as clean as bleach.” The man leaned back. “We have more dirt on you than him.”
“You don’t now.” Money snapped his fingers, and Scooter walked through the thick cloth curtain with a folder in his hand.
“Jesus, is that a kid all mixed up in this?” the man asked as his eyes almost popped out of his head.
“He has more blood on his hands than me.” Money grabbed the folder from Scooter and tossed it onto the man’s lap. “Don’t let his face fool you. Everyone who has is no longer with us,” he advised as the young soldier stood there with his arms crossed.
The man looked over the folder. Countless pictures and documents stared him in the face. It was enough evidence to bury Boss underneath the prison. He stood up and grabbed the briefcase that Money pointed to on the side of the couch.
“Do we have a deal?” Money asked as the blunt hung sideways from his mouth.
“I’ll get it done.” The man walked to the curtain, the briefcase in a tight grip in his hand. “We will get right on it.”
Scooter sat next to Money after the curtain closed behind the man. Scooter was fond of Boss. He took him off the streets and put cash in his pockets. He looked out for him and made sure he was good. He remembered what Boss had told him as he sat there. Business was business, and he had to keep reminding himself that to make the guilt go away.
“I’m going to make you a lieutenant when I become boss,” Money told Scooter as two strippers entered the room.
“Why not just kill him?” Scooter asked as one of the strippers sat on his lap.
“He’s like family.” Money flicked the end of the blunt into the cup in his hand. “That would be cruel.”
CHAPTER 4
The fury of the dark clouds loomed over the fields, slowly engulfing the world in its magnificent artwork. The people and animals scurried to the comfort of their homes while the trees swayed with the wind. Slowly, the water droplets were released from the cloud’s cage. Like a ballerina, they danced across the perimeter as if marking their territory.
Simone stood outside in the backyard of the house in a damp cyan halter top. The wet soil from the garden squished beneath her, crawling between her toes. Looking into the skies, she saw the light shining through gaps in the clouds as what Money had said into the receiver of the cordless phone registered in her mind.
Simone walked over to the spacious, large, and wide oval cabana, painted in her favorite relaxing colors. She listened to the surreal built-in waterfall releasing a relaxing sound of water as she took a seat on the wooden furniture. To the far side of the waterfall was a hidden flat-screen television that would make any homeowner envious.
She held the phone to her ear, panting, saying nothing as she rocked back and forth. She thought about Aphtan and how the news she had just gotten would affect her. A tear fell from her half-closed eyes as the wind brought a slight sprinkle inside of the cabana. She put her head in her knees and exhaled wildly.
“Simone?” Money called through the phone. “Are you still there?”
“Yes.” She stood up and peeked through the sheer covering of the cabana. “This isn’t right.”
“We can finally be together.”
“You think I would want to be with you after you put my child’s father in jail?” She paced back and forth. “The shit will never be accepted. Even if Boss goes to jail, the streets wouldn’t accept any shit like that. The shit wouldn’t end well. We would look too grimy, and he got too many niggas following him to let us live.”
“I can protect us,” Money pleaded.
“I have Aphtan to think about.” Simone bit down on her index finger. “I can’t betray my family. Not like this.”
The silence on the other end of the phone told Simone that Money finally understood that she would never leave Boss for him. The love that they had for each other wasn’t enough. The last thing she wanted to do was make Money feel like a fool, but she needed for him to let her go.
“They’re on the way,” Money spoke softly. “I love you, Simone. Remember that.” He hung up the phone.
Simone pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it as the clicking noise attacked her eardrum. She paced toward the house, using the stone walkway a
s her guide. She burst through the glass double doors, leaving them open as her fast walk turned into a run.
Bumping into the grand piano, she stopped in her tracks to rub her knee. The phone call had left her speechless. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest as her breathing went from quick to next to nothing at all. In her state of numbness, the phone had dropped from her hand and clattered to the ground, and the next thing she knew, she was running again. Feet pounding against the Italian marble, only one thought raced through her mind: How did this happen?
Simone bit back on the need to curl up on the stairs and scream out her inner feelings. Instead, she settled on running faster. Panting, her eyes burned slowly; whether it was from holding her tears back or the air licking at them, she was unsure. The settling feeling of depression rankled her mind again as she took an immediate right to the bedroom.
Just a few more steps, she told herself, grinding her teeth together as she ran swiftly, then waited impatiently for the heavy door to open, which seemed to go slowly just to torment her. Rage flamed through her body like a fire mixed with gasoline, quickly spreading to create destruction.
She walked into the bedroom, which was as big as a school cafeteria. It had shiny, pure-white walls that seemed to emit an angelic glow. Boss lay asleep in the bed, which was larger than a king-sized bed and had a canopy of sheer drapes spread out gracefully above it. It was placed in the center of the room, just in front of two ceiling-high windows that looked out to the beautiful scenery just beyond.
On the right side of the room stood a very old, very large, beautiful mirror of pure gold. The light of the moon caught it at the perfect angle. On the other side of the room was a hot tub of sparkling white marble. When in use, the aroma from the bubbles of the water made the room smell of a rose garden. Overall, the room was of incomparable beauty. Any artist who could skillfully capture each corner of its fascinating uniqueness would have sold the painting for millions of dollars.
“Boss.” She jumped into the bed and shook his upper body. “Boss, wake up.”
Pearl Tongue Page 3
