Project Queen

by Teresa D. Patterson

  “Yeah.”

  He placed three marshmallows into her cup and a handful into his own. He smiled mischievously at her as he did so.

  “When I was a lil jit, I couldn’t have but two marshmallows. But, I’m a grown man now. I can have all the marshmallows I want,” he joked, bouncing back to his old self.

  “So?” They both took a seat at the kitchen table. “Are you going to stay? I mean, since my aunt ain’t here, you don’t have to feel uncomfortable,” he added.

  “I- I guess I’ll stay. It ain’t like nobody will be worried or nothing.” She took a sip of the hot drink. It should have soothed her insides, but it didn’t.

  “I didn’t know you had it so bad,” Larry said. “All those years and you never said a word. Why didn’t you say something? You could have told me. I mean- I’m your best friend. It’s just so much to deal with by yourself.”

  “I’ve put up with it this long. I ain’t crazy yet.” She tried to joke about it, but suddenly felt like crying.

  “Shae.” His eyes held such concern.

  “I’m okay.” She took another swallow of cocoa, trying to wash away the pain. It didn’t work.

  “I guess it’s best to talk about something else.” He picked up his own mug. “A week after school’s out, I’m leaving for Ohio.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “James, he leaves for basic training the day after tomorrow.”

  “I know,” she repeated.

  “Well, I guess since you know everything, I have nothing left to talk about.” His attempt at lightening the mood failed, so he grew silent. They finished drinking their cocoa then sat staring at each other.

  The pendulum clock on the wall ticked back and forth. The silence between them grew. Larry decided to throw caution to the wind and tell Shae exactly how he felt about her.

  “About this afternoon,” he blurted out. “You regret what we did?”

  Shae looked at him for quite a while. “No,” she finally answered. “What about you?”

  “Never,” he said quickly. “It still feels like a dream or something,” he admitted.

  “It’s about the only real thing that’s happened in my life. I’ll never regret it,” she told him.

  “Would you do it again?” he asked and fixed her with an intense gaze. “Right now?” She stared back and saw the love in his eyes that he’d tried, unsuccessfully, to hide. It amazed her that he loved her. She wasn’t anyone special, just a project queen.

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she got up and went over to him. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was long and sweet. It reached down to his soul and stirred the very essence of him.

  “Shae, can I make love to you?” he whispered. She nodded, so he stood. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. Larry swooped her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he took off his shirt. He then aligned his body with hers. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, looking into her glazed eyes.

  “Yes.” She pulled his face to hers, kissing him with passion. She let her tongue slide into his mouth. He groaned aloud as his hands roamed over her body. Needing to feel her skin pressed against his, Larry quickly removed her clothing. He gazed at her nakedness with hunger, stood and removed the rest of his clothes.

  She stared at him boldly. His penis stood fully erect, and she could see the head of it throbbing. For some reason, she moved to the corner of the bed and leaned toward it. Her lips felt his member jerk forward. Shae opened her mouth and received him. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. She bobbed up and down and licked it like a delicious lollipop. She could tell that Larry really enjoyed it, and it made her feel wicked in a sensuous way. When he got near the point of no return, she pulled back.

  When she stopped, Larry bent down between her thighs. She moaned aloud when his tongue touched her clit. She rested back on the bed and spread her legs to allow him complete access. He licked, sucked, and blew on her until she writhed and pulled the sheets. Her moans of pleasure excited him.

  This time, he was prepared with a condom. He didn’t want anything to spoil the moment. He tore the package open and hurriedly slid on the protective glove. When he positioned himself between her legs, she was more than ready to receive him. He slid into her wetness. She rose to meet his powerful thrust and wrapped her legs around his waist. She wanted him to go deep. She needed to lose herself in him.

  He began to move in and out, and she matched him stroke for stroke. Soon, sweat drenched both of them. Larry felt himself slipping. He groaned as he climaxed. Shae’s head spun as she reached orgasm, one after the next. She could hear Larry moaning and saying how much he loved her. She found herself saying the words back.

  After she came back down to earth, she stared at Larry. He had always been her best friend. He’d be leaving soon and she didn’t know when and if she’d ever see him again. He’d been a part of her life for so long. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live without him. She hadn’t realized the depth of her feelings until that moment.

  “I do love you, Larry,” she revealed. His eyes widened. He gazed at her for a long time.

  “You mean that, don’t you?” he finally asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. He hugged her close to him as his eyes misted over. His dream had finally come true.

  “I love you, too, Shae,” he admitted. “So damn much that it hurts.”

  He just held her, experiencing so much joy that he could barely contain it. A tough little girl wearing pigtails and a frilly dress stole his heart one day at recess. As a woman, she still held it in her hands. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do to keep her in his life.

  It didn’t take long before he felt himself stir again. He put on a fresh Magnum, feeling proud that he could wear the brand with confidence. This time, he made love to her slowly. He kissed the inner side of her thighs, and even sucked her toes. When he entered her, she felt a million fireworks explode inside her head. She called out his name over and over until her voice became hoarse. Exhausted and completely satisfied, they slept like two fat cats basking in the warm sun.

  A dark figure stood underneath the broken streetlight and watched the pink house with the white shutters. He’d seen the pretty girl and the guy go inside an hour and a half earlier. He’d waited and he’d watched. Now, as he flicked the butt of the cigarette he’d been smoking on the ground, he realized that she wasn’t coming out. At least, she wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

  He’d witnessed the two figures embrace, silhouetted by the light in the kitchen. He knew what was up when the guy had carried the girl from the room.

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin and licked his lips. He knew that Diamond Dog wouldn’t be too pleased to hear the news. But, someone had to tell him. Since he’d already gotten paid to do the job, he’d be the one. He got on his Beach Cruiser and rode off into the night.

  Dana’s car was parked in front of the house where he’d gone earlier that week. He, a guy named Kenny, and another man sat around a glass table and counted money. Drugs, ranging from cocaine, marijuana, speed, X-tasy, to crack scattered the counter top.

  “Man, we made mo’ money tonight than we eva made,” one of the guys lisped. He had a big gap between his teeth, which protruded outward.

  “Yo, Bucky, man, don’t go getting too excited,” Wade cautioned, turning from the window where he’d been standing guard. “When you go getting too happy, that’s when the Green Team go kickin’ in ya do’ and bust ya ass.” He turned back to the window. “Yo, y’all chill,” he whispered a warning and hit the lights.

  They could see very little from the glare of the television in the far corner. Their faces held panic as a heavy knock sounded on the door.

  “Who is it?” Wade stood to the side of the door. He had drawn his revolver.

  “Yo, man, open up. It’s me, Sly,” the voice on the other side called out.

  Everyone exhaled in relief. Wade unlocked t
he door, which took quite a while since there were several dead bolts and chains. Finally, Sly stepped into the room. Wade immediately locked the door again.

  “What’s up, and it betta be good?” Wade snapped. “You know not to interrupt us at this time of night. You know what we doin’.”

  “Man, calm down, you might wet ya self.” Sly said and the others laughed. Sly took a seat without being instructed to do so. “I came to see Dog,” he said.

  Dana’s head snapped up. For some reason, he knew that Sly would have bad news. His eyes narrowed in anticipation.

  “What’s up?” he drawled.

  “I did what you told me, man,” Sly said, licking his lips anxiously. “I watched that chick all day. Every thing was going fine ‘til she came runnin’ out her place like it had caught on fire or somethin’. Then that nigga, what’s his name? The brown skinned dude with the fucked up birthmark on his face? Uh- yeah, Larry, he stopped her. They talked for a while then they went to his house.”

  “What the fuck?” Dana exploded, spittle flying across the room and landing on Sly. “That bitch.”

  Sly frowned, wiped the spit off and continued. “Yo man, I didn’t wanna hafta tell you this, but it happened like that. I saw ‘em through the window. They was kissin’ and shit.” Dana seemed to get angrier as Sly spoke. “Then he picked her up and, I assume, they made for the bedroom,” Sly finished. He delighted in relaying bad news because he thrived on the reactions. He could see the large veins standing out in Dana’s neck. Dog had to be furious. It looked like he was about to do a number two right in his pants.

  “So, what you gonna do, Dog?” Kenny asked. “I know I’d teach the ho’ a lesson. Bitches these days think they can play games and shit with a nigga’s heart. I ain’t with that. You gotta knock a ho side the head every once in a while to keep her in line. Know what I mean, fellas?” All of the guys except Wade nodded in agreement, but no one noticed his displeasure.

  “My lady knows I mean business,” Bucky lisped. “After I stomped a few knots on her ass, she got right. Now she treats me like a king. She be givin’ me massages and shit, rubbin’ my feet, and suckin’ my dick without me having to ask. That’s the way it should be. You gotta have the upper hand. If you don’t,” he shrugged his thin shoulders. “Then she’ll treat you like a bear skin rug. She’ll walk all over ya soft ass.” They all nodded again, exclaiming, “Um huhs” in union.

  “I ain’t got no lady,” Wade finally spoke. “All them bitches ain’t nothin’ but trouble.” He grabbed a hand of money off the table. “This right here is all the pussy I need.” All of them laughed except Dana. A pulse throbbed in his temple, and he saw red. He could barely contain his anger, and it was giving him a headache.

  Dana thought about how he’d make Shae pay for her mistake. He’d known not to trust her. She was too beautiful. She was just like his no good ass mama who had fucked over his daddy. His daddy had kept taking her back because he loved her so much. But, the slut had kept on screwing around. She’d ended up getting pregnant from somebody else. That’s when his dad snapped. One night he crept into the other man’s home and caught the two butt-naked in the bedroom. Without saying a word, he blew both of their brains out. He was serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole for their murders.

  The first thing his dad had told him when he’d visited was, “Make the money. Don’t let the money make you.” The last thing he’d told him was, “Never trust a bitch as far as you can throw her.” Dana could understand why his dad had flipped out.

  He felt a blinding rage boiling inside his chest. Nobody fucked over Diamond Dog Dana without suffering the consequences. That bitch was supposed to be pure when he fucked her. Now he had to go behind another nigga. Some other Nigga was getting his piece of ass. Hell to the nah. He’d have to rectify the situation in only a way that would be satisfying to him.

  * * *

  Shae got up early, a little past nine o’clock. She slipped from the bed, trying not to disturb Larry. She felt sticky from their lovemaking and wanted to take a shower.

  Larry sighed in his sleep and turned onto his side. He slung his arm over and felt for Shae. “Shae?” Opening his eyes and seeing that she wasn’t there caused his heart to drop. He felt relief when he heard water running.

  Larry got up, headed for the bathroom, cracked the door, and peered in. He could hear Shae singing. She was tearing up a song by Keyshia Cole.

  “Oh shit, that’s the song,” Larry said. Smiling, he pulled back the shower curtain.

  “Larry,” she gasped. “I thought you was still sleep.” Soapy suds covered her entire body.

  “I was. Then I started missing you,” he said, bringing forth a smile from her.

  “Get in,” she told him. “Come on. I need you to scrub my back.”

  “Hey, no need to tell me twice.” Larry stepped into the shower, under the streaming, warm water. “Turn around,” he instructed. Shae did and he took a washcloth, lathered it with soap, and gently scrubbed her back. When he finished, she did the same to him. Soon, it turned into a game. They forgot about the shower as they touched each other intimately. Their bodies became heated. Larry lifted Shae up and he slid his organ into her hot sheath. He could immediately feel her muscles tighten around him.

  “Girl, you are so wonderful.” He pumped in and out of her. Shae bounced up and down and together they reached an explosive climax as the water cascaded down on them.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The minute Shae entered the apartment, her mother yelled at her.“So, you think you grown now, right? Think you can come and go as you damn well please? Let me tell you something, Miss Bitch. If you come up pregnant, I’ll kick the shit out you. Hear me?” Shae didn’t answer. She closed her mind to anything that her mother said so her words fell on deaf ears. The slap she received brought her back to the present. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Don’t be slapping me,” Shae yelled back.

  “I’ll do what I damn well please. I can’t tell y’all grown-acting children nothing no mo’. While you were in the streets, ya brother done messed up and got arrested.”

  “What?” The words shocked her so much that she forgot about being hit. She needed to know what happened to Toby. “He got arrested? When?”

  “Yeah. The PoPo came around here early this morning. Drug the boy out the bed in his drawers. They didn’t even give him time enough to put on his clothes.”

  “What did he do?” Shae asked, sliding a finger in the corner of her mouth and biting down on the nail.

  “They said he shot somebody. Some dope fiend or other. Now, if you had ya ass home last night, you wouldn’t have to ask these fucking questions. Get outta my face befo’ I smack ya ass again.” Shae stepped back. She actually believed that her mother was crazy. The lady switched off and on like a faulty light. She just shook her head and left the room.

  She figured if she stayed busy, she wouldn’t worry. Upstairs, she cleaned the twins’ room. She dusted and vacuumed to take her mind off things. When she stood in the middle of the floor and stared around the neat room, the weight of Toby’s arrest rested on her shoulders.

  For some reason, she remembered James talking about a drug dealer named Chancey getting killed. Could the person responsible be her brother? She’d known that his dealing drugs would lead to no good. Easy money always brought trouble. But, she refused to believe that Toby could be a cold-blooded murderer. Now, he sat behind bars, probably scared and confused. She had to do something to get him out of jail.

  A little after noon, her grandmother’s voice float up the stairs. “Shae, somebody’s here to see you.” She peered out the window. Seeing the pimped out Chevy, she knew that Dana had popped up.

  Downstairs, she checked to make sure that her mother had left. She could barely leave the house because her mama wanted her there 24/7. But she had to get out today. She needed to put her plan into action. She figured that in two weeks she’d have what she needed. With Dana’s money, sh
e would be out of the projects and away from her mother for good.

  “Hey baby,” Dana greeted. “Let’s go for a ride.”

  “Okay. Wait a sec.” She stepped back inside. “Ma Violet, I’ll be back before the twins come home from school. Okay?” Her grandmother nodded, and Shae flounced out. She wore Baby Phat gear, from the Kimora Lee Simmons clothing line. Her figure filled out the tee-shirt and jeans shorts.

  “So, what did you do last night?” Dana asked casually, a little too casually. Shae failed to pick up on the dangerous undertones as she got into his car.

  “I stayed home and watched TV.” The lie came easily. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him that she’d been making out with Larry. She tingled all over, remembering what happened the night before.

  “Is that so?” Dana drawled. He got in on the driver’s side and put the key in the ignition.

  Lying bitch. He could tell by looking at her that she’d been fucked. Picturing her being tossed and turned, getting hit from the back by another nigga burned him up. He felt like punching the steering wheel, but held his anger in check. He’d take care of her deceitful ass in due time.

  “Where we going?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” he stated, starting the car.

  “I love surprises,” Shae said.

  “Oh you do?” I have a one helluva surprise for you. She gazed out the window, missing the evil look he threw her way.

  Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in front of a huge apartment complex where she could see a sparkling rectangular shaped pool. The grounds looked clean and well-maintained.

  “You live here?” she questioned.

  “Yeah.” Dana climbed out. She noticed that he didn’t come around and open the door for her. She decided not to make a big deal out of it, got out and followed him to an elevator. Even though they rode in silence, Shae didn’t catch on that something was wrong.