by Marian Grey
Even though he never made it past high school due to lack of finances. He loved to read and in his spare time which was rare. He would read the classics that he had downloaded onto his kindle. He was intelligent and could hold his own in a debate so he made sure his crew never got taken advantage of. Money was a necessity and it felt like he never had enough. Wayne read through all the contracts before he signed and crossed the t’s and dotted all the i’s, nothing got pass him.
It seemed like while he and Cherry were getting hot and heavy on the inside, things had gotten heated on the outside.
“Wayne damn it man, where were you guys? I been looking all over the place for you.”
“Calm down Fat Boy, what did I miss?”
“It’s retaliation for the Bainbridge Boys not wanting to pay for the goods earlier. Sizzla done messed with the leader’s girl from Bainbridge. He knows that side ain’t friendly but he ain’t never listen when nobody talks. Now her man is here and they gonna throw down outside.”
“Shit. Is Crazy T with him?”
“Yeah man.”
“Cherry go sit by the bar until we get back.”
“Ok hun. Be safe guys.”
“Where they at Fat Boy?”
“Follow me.”
They pushed and shoved their way through the crowd until they made it out to the back parking lot. Already a crowd had gathered to watch the fight. Inside the club was neutral territory, no weapons allowed but outside was fair game. Sizzla’s loud mouth could be heard above the uproar of the crowd.
“You think you can just come into my territory and start shit.”
“That’s my girl pussy face bwoy, you had your tongue down her fucking throat when I caught you both red handed, you gonna pay for that asshole.”
“Let me go!” the young girl screamed. She looked barely eighteen and those grown ass men were fighting over her like a dog with a bone.
“Shut yo damn mouth and get in the car.” His homeboys dragged her ass to the car and tossed her in like a sack of potatoes. Treated her like she weighed nothing, not caring if she got hurt as a result of their abuse. Her sobs could be heard as she dreaded whatever fate awaited her for disrespecting her man in public. Crazy T approached the Bainbridge Leader wielding a sharp butcher knife. How he got that into the club was beyond Wayne.
“Nigga cage that animal.” He indicated to Sizzla, he was getting ready to fight. “This is between me and you unless you is a real pussy.”
“Wah do this batty bwoy, I gwey chop up you blood klaat, fi romp with this family.” Crazy T's eyes blazed fiery red from the grabba he smoked earlier. It was a potent mixture of high grade weed and tobacco.
“Nigga this ain’t your fight stay the fuck out of it.” He pointed to Crazy T.
“Bullshit! I ain’t no coward.” Sizzla approached him ready to fight.
Sizzla looked his opponent in the face and wanted to murder him for trying hard to embarrass him in public. His reputation was on the line, Bainbridge couldn’t be allowed to joke around with their money. He had to put him in his place which was beneath him and this was a good way for the Dutty Bloodz to get their street credibility increased. So that everyone would know that the Dutty Bloodz were seasoned and not to be messed with.
They were slowly stepping up their game and planned to be around for many more years to come. If business kept up Sizzla could look to spread his hookah business across states. Somewhere along the line, he had stopped thinking of the business as a joint venture. Wayne walked up to them cautiously. He knew that the Bainbridge boys would react bloodthirsty if he intervened. He would just have to keep an eye on them all and ensure that there was no funny business.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The Bainbridge leader threw the first punch and knocked Sizzla off balance. Sizzla made a quick recovery, he sprang towards the Bainbridge leader and head butted him, catching him by surprise then bit off his left ear. The Bainbridge leader reeled in shock that this was happening to him. He really thought Sizzla was a coward that hid behind Crazy T. He realized his grievous error too late.
All you could see was flying blood and fists as Sizzla pummeled his opponents face and knocked out a few of his teeth from the front row. Sensing their leader might fail, the Bainbridge boys jumped in and it became a free for all. Blood splattered in whichever direction Crazy T wielded his long butcher knife like a maniac. It quickly escalated and gun shots were fired in to the air. For the noise had alerted the cops. Bodies sprinted in different directions. They scraped all the injured Dutty Bloodz they could find and ran with them to the nearest vehicles.
Wayne and Fat Boy went back into the club. He had to find Cherry and call a cab to take them home. While Fat Boy had to wait until Powder finished his spin on the turntable and got paid. Then they could both find their way home with relative ease.
Powder was the clubs resident DJ and surprisingly the life of the party. It seemed as if once he was around a turntable his whole persona changed. He became brash and daring with his words that if unchecked could get him into serious trouble. This quirk and the fact that they were twins ensured that Fat Boy followed him everywhere when he was on a job. Powder didn’t mind because not only were they close but Fat Boy made him feel safe.
While Powder was slender Fat Boy was the opposite and often doubled as a body guard to make ends meet when Powder couldn’t get any gigs. Powder got his name because as a child he suffered from athlete’s foot and often put two much powder in his shoes leaving a trail behind him. His friends never let him live it down so the moniker stuck.
Powder was as good at DJing as Fat Boy was at eating and if he ever got the exposure he deserved, he would blow up and be the next big thing. Powder had the club going with all the booty songs he could play in recognition of the butt he saw earlier that day. When they had stopped at Big Benny’s Burgers earlier Lou was the customer service rep that took their order. Powder was in awe, she was here at the club. The same broad whose ass the twins had been preeing earlier. They had no idea that all their lives would soon collide.
Chapter 3
“Just relax and let me show you what I am capable of, I promise you’ll have no regrets. I can be anything you want me to be. What’s your fantasy?”
“Look, you’re out of my league.”
“I think that’s a poor choice of words. You’re the one that’s prejudiced. If you can’t let go of what people think. Lance, I don’t think that I’m better than you or that I’m high society. Let’s not do labels. I can be a good or bad girl, whatever you want baby, doesn’t matter. Just as long as you’re aware that I’m the right girl for you.”
“You talk a good game Kiki but you can’t be for real and my mama didn’t raise no fool. You can’t possibly be that naïve. Your people would never let us be together even if I was interested.”
Something inside him clicked when he saw Lou. He recognized her ass from the party last night. This woman was dangerous she could turn a gay man straight with her beautiful body and sinfully wicked smile. He felt an instant connection between them and she had spunk, he admired that. He also like her classy style and swagger. She was easy to be around and not hard on the eyes. A winning combination if he ever decided to be a gambling man.
Here he was getting into the role, body, mind and spirit. If Kiki was anything like Lou in real life no wonder Lance succumbed to her wiles, he never stood a chance. He was really getting immersed into the role, no doubt Lance would have been drawn to Kiki too. In the space of a few minutes he had placed himself in Lance's shoes and felt how he would have reacted if some rich goody too shoes tried to make a move on him.
“So how’s the party going, did I miss anything?” Her amazing hazel eyes sparkled, the flecks of green similar to that of a kiwi fruit. Those eyes of hers missed nothing and followed his every movement.
“Actually, I’ve just arrived myself, taking in the scenery.”
“Nice choice of words to describe those scantily clad naked women in the cl
ub. When did these thin strips of cloth become acceptable? Must be a man who designed them.”
Her eyes were lit and merry. The little minx was teasing him. Wayne looked at her and smiled, he relished the moment when she smiled back at him. She seemed like she thoroughly enjoyed herself doing it too. If she wanted to act like a bad girl he could set her straight. Wayne moved in closer, he knew that most women became intimated by him, acting all nervous and giddy headed until they knew him to know he was harmless and be comfortable around him. Lou held her ground when he invaded her space. She stood firm and stared him straight in the eyes until he broke eye contact first. She gave no indication that his nearness unsettled her in any manner.
She had on a thin cotton t-shirt with a plunging neckline. It was tight and molded to her chest like a second skin. Her nipples were hard and peaked out despite the wire rimmed bra she wore. Clearly she too enjoyed their light hearted debate. The t-shirt stopped right above her navel and showcased a diamond encrusted navel ring that sparkled whenever the light hit it. Maybe because she didn’t act like the type that sported piercings. He wondered what else he would discover, maybe she pierced her clit. Still he was not sure what was so provocative about it but it was a huge turn on. He wondered if there was any more room for him in those jeans because they were so tight and hung low on her hips. What she lacked in breasts she made up for it in ass. She tilted her head to the side and gave him that knowing look that women gave men when they caught them checking out their goods.
“Did you miss anything or would you like me to turn around?” Clearly he had hit a nerve because he picked up on some unease despite the fact that she play it casual and tried to laugh it all off.
He chuckled. Amused by her obvious attempt to chastise him for objectifying her. “Duly noted.”
He had a lot of women in his life but he had never reacted to a woman like this before. He felt like she was giving off 'come get me' pheromones that stimulated his senses and made him think of smoldering sweaty sex right there on the compound for all to see. Why be a voyeur when a banquet fit for a king was laid out in front of him to feast on. She was definitely his for the taking and he felt man enough to prove it.
“Don’t worry about it.” She winked at him. “Come closer and let me fill you in on a little secret.”
She enticed him to lean forward while her breast heaved provocatively causing his eyes to stray from her face to her chest. She harrumphed and cleared her throat, he ignored her and continued to ogle her breasts.
“Even good girls get wet too.” His facial expression showed his shock at her suggestive words. That was the last thing he expected to hear, she had him salivating like a hungry puppy. She could snap her fingers and he would have been brought to heel.
“CUTTTTT--!!” who knew that pint sized director had such a loud booming voice. It cut through Lou’s spell and brought him back to earth. “That was incredible! You guys are a natural. We would love to have the pair of you join us for rehearsal on Monday 6:00 am sharp. Make it a date and don’t be late. Be sure to get the set location as well as contracts from my personal assistant before you go. You got this long weekend to think this all over, rest and come to work refreshed and ready to take on the day. This has been your moment to shine, enjoy it while it lasts, time waits on no man.”
Wayne received the news with aplomb, he was calm and unflappable as always while Lou could barely contain her excitement. She would go to work tomorrow, it would be her final day as far as she was concerned she would hand in her resignation to take immediate effect. She felt a little bit of trepidation giving up the known for the unknown. But what did she have to lose. Jobs like her current one were a dime a dozen. When companies paid minimum wage they would expect to have a high turn around in staff. No one would be comfortable in such a position for too long without feeling stagnant. As far as she was concerned there was always a restaurant somewhere with a help wanted sign. However, there was no guarantee that this once in a lifetime opportunity would ever occur again. She couldn’t have imagined such a positive outcome even if she tried.
“The night is young we can let things end like this. Let us go and celebrate our good fortune together.” Said Wayne.
“Sure no problem.” She replied. Not very far from the auditorium was a small pub that catered mostly to soccer fans. No one paid them any mind, too glued to the television to notice the new arrivals. The hostess put them in a dark corner away from the crowd which suited them both. They found that they could relax and hear themselves talk despite the deafening noise that cheered or booed depending on how the match was going down.
“What would you like to drink?” Wayne signaled to a waitress.
“I’ll have what you’re having.”
“We’ll have a round of beer and some nachos please in the meantime until we decide what we want to eat.” The waitress brought those items in under five minutes.
“Help yourself to the nachos Lou, I guarantee you’re gonna love this.” The nachos tasted real good and came with your choice of salsa or a spicy cheese dip that was so hot it scorched their tongues. It was freshly made and the crunchiness was a winner in both their eyes.
“I think our chef was too busy watching the soccer match to realize that his hand was heavy with the pepper.” Lou giggled.
When Lou was relaxed she looked younger and carefree. She sat across from him with her legs crossed and whenever she laughed her legs brushed his calf and caused a knee jerk reaction that travel all the way up his spine and heightened his senses to her every movement. She took a swig of the beer and tapped her feet to the music playing on the nearby speakers. One swig led to another and he marveled as she took her tongue and slowly licked the froth off her upper lip. She had really nice plump lips that were wide and showcased even white teeth whenever she smiled.
He like that she found the beer enjoyable and ate the nachos with gusto. She wasn’t one of those nitpickers that felt they had to watch their weight or ask how many calories was in the cheese dip. They hadn’t even noticed they waited over forty five minutes for the food to arrive as they were so deep in conversation.
“Why did you decide to try acting Wayne?” she asked.
He responded. “All my life I have to be many things to different people. Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know myself anymore because I’m so good at being whoever you want me to be. So when I saw this paper I thought this was the flyer to my dreams. I could finally get paid to do something I’ve been doing all my life. Does that make sense?”
“Sort of.”
“Look at it this way, in this world we are all actors on a stage. Each person affects another whether positively or negatively. When the curtain call falls I don’t want to be standing on the wrong side. Life is short, if you get my meaning. All my life I’ve lived in this city and followed other peoples’ whims and fancy. Now I feel like it’s my time to do my own thing, work on bettering myself, and put me first for once in my life. So when I saw this audition, I went for it.”
Slightly embarrassed, Wayne realized that he had just summarized his entire life to a complete stranger. Normally he kept everyone at a distance, no one ever knew the full deal about him. What was it about this woman that caught him off guard and made him susceptible to her wiles? That he would want to bare his soul and share his most intimate details about his existence. Lou continued to sip her beer lost in her own little world and oblivious to his inner turmoil. He liked that she didn’t look down on him or sat in the judgment seat.
She just listened without any interruptions or objections to his way of thinking. At certain parts of his rambling she would nod her head in agreement as if to portray that they were two peas in a pod. They had led similar lives and shared the same kind of thinking and mentality about life. She too wanted to get out of the rat race and find her own niche in life. Wayne finally felt that here was a woman, who would look past his physical appearance and outward trappings and see deep down to the realness inside that was hidden. H
e wondered if once she knew everything about him would she stick around or abandon him like everyone else eventually did?
Then she asked that dreaded question. “So, what do you do for a living?”
He gave her the evasive response he gave most women. He couldn’t exactly find the words to tell her that he sold party drugs for a living. So he said the next best thing. Technically it wasn’t a lie.
“I’m the ultimate party promoter, with me around you won’t have to worry about anything on your special occasion. If you need radio/internet/television advertising, sponsorship, consignment for liquor I’m also the man for the job. I have friends in all the right places and guarantee decent crowd support. You were at my hookah party, you saw the type of crowd we draw, we are a part of a network of promoters that tell their friends to join in the fun so that news of your party always gets around.” He handed her a business card while he talked.
“Parties are work, don’t just look at the outcome and think it’s an easy road. The path to a successful party, if not handled right can lead to debt, headaches and stress if not handled correctly. I can provide a safe environment for you to fulfill all your desires and have a grand time. Don’t keep this to yourself, tell all your friends and let them partake in what I have to offer as well.”
She couldn’t help but be impressed by his business acumen. He had gone over into full sales pitch mode. As if he was always this aggressive about the business. It would explain his expensive taste in clothes, jewelry and the car, it all made sense. Maybe she should look into this promoting business if it paid so well. She was impressed and smothered her suspicions about his apparent wealth.
