Down With the King of the South 2

by Diamond Johnson

  “In middle school, I started talking to Vonte about girlfriends and how he needed to be mindful of certain girls. We see this shit all the time with these girls pinning these babies on these men because of what they have or what they will one day have. That’s basically what Taylor did to Vonte. I called it like that from the jump, but when it came to Vonte, I tried not to be that ‘I told you so’ type of mother. I wanted him to see his fuck ups through clear lenses.

  “Bitches like Taylor are fuckin’ heartless, though. That little girl was in the hospital with me the night I was crying over my dead son. Her little ass saw my pain, yet she would have kept a lie going until she got caught by you. Can you imagine if I had actually held that baby and formed some type of bond, and then I found out later? Miami, I’m serious, I would have been in jail. Either way, it goes, it’s fucked up that I had to find out the way that I did, but this way was best,” I let him know.

  “I hear you, shorty. Believe it or not, you’re special to me. I wouldn’t have felt right keeping some shit like that from you. Trust me, I didn’t want to tell you that shit, but the longer I would have waited, the more love you would have had in your heart for that child, so it was only right that I went about it in the way that I did. I can’t even begin to know what something like that has got to feel like, but shorty you’re right, she ain’t worth your freedom. Whatever thoughts you have in your head, just dead it. Let God deal with her, yo,” he finished.

  I didn’t bother replying to him. During the ride, I found myself staring over at Miami every two to three minutes, just in complete awe of his entire appearance. Was it weird that I somewhat felt lucky? This man was beautiful enough to have any woman in the world, yet he was driving around in the car with me. I loved that serious look that he sported when he drove. The way his jaws would flex and tense up whenever a driver in front of us did something crazy that he didn’t like. Whenever he cut someone off, he did this thing where he would sit up in the seat with his left hand on the steering wheel, and a look of seriousness and concentration would fill his face. Although it was so simple, I loved it.

  When he wasn’t sitting up in his chair switching lanes, he was laid back, as if he was just cruising. It took a while, but in no time, I noticed that he was taking an exit toward Hollywood Beach. As long as I’d lived in Miami, I had never really come to this beach that much. Like everyone else, I was used to going to Miami Beach.

  Once Miami reached the exit, he turned the air off inside the car and rolled our windows down. He also turned the radio down a little bit. I loved the sound that came from outside. It was happiness. I heard music playing and people yelling and talking; I even heard a few babies crying. Eventually, the sounds started to die out as we drove further down.

  I was beginning to think that Miami was just riding us through this area to get us to where he was taking us, but he finally pulled the car into a nearby parking lot. From where he parked the car, I could see the water, although it was dark as hell outside. A few lights were out, which didn’t make it impossible to see, and as I sat there, I found myself noticing how beautiful and peaceful this was.

  “When I lost my mama, this is where I used to come. I would park my car in this same lot and sit out here for hours. At times, I would come out here around this hour, and it would be a whole new day before I knew it. I shed a lot of tears out here, did a lot of taking with both God and my mama, smoked a lot of blunts, and took a lot of shots to the head. I was leaving the club tonight when Jabari and I happened to pass by this same lot, and I instantly thought of you, which is why I was calling. Sometimes, with all the shit that’s going on, it’s like you just need a fuckin’ escape, and this peaceful ass place out here was that for me. Notice how all the commotion and shit died down? A lot of people don’t really be over here like that. They probably don’t come because it is too fuckin’ dark,” he let me know.

  The whole time Miami spoke, he didn’t look at me. He was looking ahead at the water.

  “You ever get out, or you just stay in here?” I asked him.

  “I usually stay inside and let the windows down. You want to get out?” he asked, and I nodded that I did. “Come on.”

  He shut the car off then got out and came around to help me get out. At first, we were walking on the concrete, but as we got close to the water, we started walking on sand. Because I was in sandals, I felt like my little feet were sinking into the sand. Miami had no problem walking, but I was struggling to keep up. I guess I should have thought about this before I agreed to come out here. It was so windy that I was glad I’d decided to put my hair in braids. If not, my hair would have been all over the place.

  Miami was right about people not walking over on this side of the beach because it felt like we were the only people out here.

  “We’re going to sit in the cabana over there. Let me carry your ass before you fall and break your neck. Then you’ll blame the shit on me,” he said.

  Miami lifted my little ass up like I weighed two pounds. For support, my hands went around his neck, and he carried me like a bride. I was holding my sandals in one hand, and Miami carried me with one arm while he used his other to hold his pants up, which were kind of falling down as we walked. The cabana wasn’t that far, although I wished it was, just so that I could have stayed in his arms a little longer. I swear I didn’t want him to put me down. I felt so safe. He smelled so good.

  We were finally in front of the cabana, and when he tried to place me down on my feet, I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, basically telling him not to let me go. There was a bench inside, which sat up high. He eventually sat me down on it while he stood before me. Taking the sandals from my hands, he dropped them down on the sand. Next, he pulled up my right foot and wiped away all of the sand. When he was finished with the right foot, he gave my left foot the same amount of attention. If it weren’t so dark outside, I wouldn’t have dared allowed Miami to see my feet because I was long overdue for a pedicure.

  “Where’s Taniya tonight?” I finally asked him, referring to his beautiful little daughter.

  “My ole boy has her for tonight. I’m taking her to Disney World in the morning. You want to go?” he asked.

  I was trying to read his face, just to see if he was serious or not, but I honestly couldn’t tell. Miami had one facial expression pretty much all the time, and it reflected how serious his character was. I looked at him for a few seconds, biting my lip and trying to figure out how I was going to answer him.

  “Ummm, I don’t know. I don’t want to impose. It’s daddy and daughter time, right?” I asked.

  “Impose on what, shorty? I’m asking you, which means I want you to come. When’s the last time you been to Disney World?” he asked.

  I really sat there thinking about it, and as if a light bulb had gone off inside my head, I snapped my fingers, all of a sudden remembering the last time that I’d been.

  “When Vonte turned ten. Mahogany and I took him. He hated it,” I said right before I laughed as I thought back on that day. “His little bad butt said that it was boring and hot. I remember getting back to the hotel and cursing hit little butt out. I’d spent so much money on those tickets. I’d bought the express passes and everything, just for him not to enjoy himself. After that, I promised him that I would never take him out there again, and I made good on that promise. Myself, on the other hand, I enjoyed it. My grandma didn’t take me to stuff like that when I was a kid. The most I got was going to the Youth Fair, and that only came once a year, but I was still very much appreciative of that,” I let him know.

  “Come with us then. I got us a big ass suite at the Nickelodeon hotel. It’s a whole bunch of room for you to come. We not leaving till a little bit after three in the afternoon because I have a few things that I need to handle first, and then we’ll get on the road. You got plenty of time to go and get your hair and toes done and shit,” he said.

  I looked at him like he was crazy for even calling me out on that. When he saw the fac
e that I made, he laughed while pulling down on his beard.

  “I ain’t even mean it like that, Choc. I know you, so I knew that you’re coming up with a bunch of excuses on your hair and shit not being done. That was just my way of ridding you of any type of excuses,” he said.

  “You said you know me. What all do you know?” I asked.

  He released a sigh and then looked at me with those beautiful hazel eyes, which felt like he was gazing into my soul.

  “Shit, I know you tired of being fuckin’ hurt! The world has been hurting you since you came into this shit. You lost the very same woman who gave birth to you in the exact moment that you came into this world. You lost Trip to the system, and you lost Vonte, which was the biggest loss of them all. I also know that you don’t know your worth,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow when he said that. I didn’t know if I was offended or what by his statement.

  “What do you mean? I do know my worth! What makes you think I don’t?” I asked, my voice dripping with attitude.

  He lifted my left hand and wiggled my ring finger.

  “The empty space on your finger tells me that you don’t! Shorty, you got all the fuckin’ qualities that one needs to be a wife. It’s no fuckin’ reason why you don’t have a fat ass ring on your finger by now. I know you don’t like when I talk about this shit with you, but when this shit is all said in done, you don’t get no reward at the end of the rope for holding that nigga down.

  “Shorty, I hate to sound so blunt, but yo’ baby daddy is going to die in that prison. This shit you doing right here, you want this to be your future? For the rest of your life, you telling me that you’re okay with this shit? You cool with sleeping in that big ass king sized bed by your lonely forever? Let me ask you a personal question, Choc. By personal, I mean really personal. When’s the last time you fucked? Got your pussy ate?” he bluntly asked me.

  I twiddled with my fingers and looked down at the sand before I looked up at him. He was waiting for me to answer his question.

  “Probably a week before Trip went in. Over ten years ago,” I let him know, and he shook his head.

  “You trippin’! I’d never make someone I love suffer like that. If I killed a nigga today, got picked up for it tomorrow, and was facing a life sentence, shorty I’m letting you go. That’s love. That’s how you show that you’re down for somebody, not by the sick shit this nigga got you doing,” Miami went on to say.

  I could tell he was pissed. It showed in the way he kept cursing, his facial expression, and the way his jaws kept flexing.

  “I’m not like the majority of women. I can’t just have sex with a man, and that be it. Trust me, it’s been times that I wanted to go out and have a little one night stand with someone, but damn, is it worth it? Tell me if it’s worth it, Toddrick. I’m sure you’re out here fuckin’ something,” I said, really my way of figuring out if he was fuckin’ somebody.

  No, we weren’t dating or anything, but it was no secret that I was crushing on him a little bit.

  “To me, it’s worth it, but I can’t say the same thing for you. Not to sound like a dog or no shit like that, but I can fuck a bitch tonight and not think about her for a second the next day. I don’t expect you to have the same type of mindset that I have, though. I actually like that you’re not out here like that. It’s attractive to me. Shit, it’s sexier than a motha fucka. I don’t want to be neck and neck with you when it comes to body counts. I don’t want to be around my niggas talking about bitches, and a handful of them can vouch and say that they fucked you. I like you because nobody else can tell me that they had you. I know how to love, though, and whoever I get with, she just got to know how to love me in return and be accepting of my love. For my shorty, I’ll spoil the fuck outta her, be faithful, fuck you and eat you to sleep however many nights out of the week that you want me to, and have you and your homegirls trying to find my flaw. I do my little thing when it comes to these women out here, but once I get into something serious, all that stops,” he said.

  “If you’re not opposed to love, then why are you still single? Don’t bullshit me, Miami. It’s no secret how fine you are. I’ve been out in public with you. If these hoes could, they would probably drop their skirts and let you fuck them right then and there. You have no problem getting a girl,” I shot back.

  “Cuz these hoes ain’t you! I ain’t looking for no girl either. I’m looking for a woman, preferably one who looks just like you, talks just like you, has the same body type and skin complexion. One with the same laugh, smile, and personality as yours. You the shit, Choc. I don’t think you hear that shit often enough,” he let me know.

  My legs were partially opened, and he was standing right in the middle of them. I could feel myself breathing heavy. I knew my upper lip was sweating without me even being in front of a mirror to see my reflection. A much-needed shower would have to take place when I made it back to my grandma’s house because my pussy was leaking. I could smell weed mixed with Doublemint gum on Miami’s breath, so I really didn’t know if he was telling me all of this because he was high or if he really felt this way about me. Either way it went, I was turned on. I was horny; I had visions of us fuckin’ right in this cabana and not giving a fuck who heard us. My pussy was thumping like he was already inside me.

  This man had a way of making me have an orgasm with just his words. He was looking at me as if daring me to kiss him. I wanted to, but I was so scared that he was going to reject me. I’d watched way too many movies where the man would make it seem like he was waiting for the woman to kiss him, and then when she actually leaned in to do it, he curved her. I didn’t want Miami to curve me. At the same time, I didn’t want to keep thinking about what his lips tasted like instead of just going in and doing it.

  With every nerve in my body on edge, I leaned in and I kissed him. His lips tasted just like he looked; good. When I pulled away from the kiss, his right hand went for the back of my head, and he pulled me back into him. Our lips crashed into each other again. By this point, I was past wet. My pussy was literally soaked. Swear it felt like I was pissing on myself.

  My hands were wrapped against his neck, and I was grinding myself into the bench, all the while, just hoping for Miami to just take my pants off, pull my panties to the side, and give me that dick that I was desperately craving. Miami kissed exactly the way I knew he would kiss. It was sexy the way we kissed. It wasn’t all fast and rushed like it had been with Trip for the past ten years.

  Miami took his time with me. He would feed me his tongue, allow me the time to taste it, and then let me suck on his lips. His hands went under the shirt that I was wearing, and since I didn’t have a bra on, he was able to grab my titties. While we continued to kiss, he fingered both of my nipples. From that stimulation alone, I felt like I was on the verge of an orgasm. I always had my reasons for believing that Miami had a big dick, but that shit was confirmed tonight. I could literally feel it pressing against my thigh.

  “Shit! I’m tripping,” Miami called out and pulled away from me.

  I was damn near out of breath when he said that, and I looked at him with eyes that kind of screamed my embarrassment.

  “Shit, Toddrick! Why did you—never mind. Let’s just got back to the car,” I said and jumped down from the bench.

  Miami caught me in midair and held me up with both of his strong arms.

  “It ain’t you, shorty. Feel my dick, yo,” he said. I reached down and felt it. His dick was so hard that I was afraid it would break. “I got too much respect for you to fuck you out here like this. We’re going to get our time, shorty. You coming with us to Orlando tomorrow, right?” he asked, and I nodded that I was.

  On our way back to the car, he carried me again so I wouldn’t get my feet dirty again from the sand. I had a question in my head that I wanted to ask him, but I was so scared to hear the answer. I stared at him hard when he got in the car and prepared himself to start it. He must have felt my eyes on him because he eventua
lly looked down at me.

  “What you gotta ask me, shorty?” His voice was so fuckin’ sexy.

  “Who’s going to take care of that for you tonight?” I asked, pointing at his dick that was still hard.

  Look at me, acting all crazy, and all we even did was kiss. I could only imagine how the hell I would act if we ever crossed that line and had sex.

  “Nobody. I know how to use my hands. I’m saving the real thing for you. I’m not bullshitting you either,” he let me know and kissed my lips one more time before he went ahead and started the car.

  I closed my eyes and bit my lip when he started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. Just thinking about how hard I was going to cum tonight from using that shower head had me excited.

  Toddrick “Miami” King

  “Choc is coming back to the hotel with us, right, Daddy?” Taniya asked me.

  I found myself smiling as she called Jashae a nickname that I had given to her years ago. My daughter loved Jashae. Swear I didn’t even exist to her ass all day. All day long, she wanted to follow Shae at Disney World, hold her hand, order the same foods that she was ordering and all.

  I was happier than a motha fucka when Jashae decided that she would join my daughter and me on this trip to Disney World. Granted, it would have still been special had it just been Taniya and me, but with Choc here, she just completed the picture.

  Since my daughter had been in this world, I’d never had another woman in her presence that I was dealing with besides her mama. My daughter was my soft spot; the one person who had what it took to bring out my vulnerable side, and to protect her, I didn’t bring females around.

  After my baby mama dropped Taniya off to me, within days, I had Choc around her. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I trusted Choc, and I knew she wouldn’t be on no crazy shit when it came to my child, which is why I didn’t mind having the two around each other.