You Needed Me: A Love Story

by Shvonne Latrice

  The four of us left and climbed into the all black Escalade we’d rented while being out here. Rhys was in the driver seat unfortunately, and I was in the passenger directing him, while Lendsey and Britain smoked a blunt in the back seat.

  We pulled up to a nice ass mansion, and both Rhys and I nodded approvingly. This was a big, nice ass house, but I knew this Jasper cat was an idiot. For starters, the nigga had us come to the place he laid his head at. You never wanted anybody in this business that wasn’t family, knowing where you lived. It was too dangerous because things always changed, and the person you once called your friend could easily become your enemy.

  “Aight, come on knuckleheads,” Rhys said to Britain and Lendsey as we all exited the car. There was no need for the four of us to come along, but right now I didn’t care to speak up.

  The four of us tread up the walkway, and Britain rang the doorbell. We waited about one minute before a beautiful ass girl answered the door. She was thick in all the right places, and not afraid to show it off. I could tell by the menacing look in her eyes, and the sensual way she shifted her weight from one hip to the other, that she was fucking more than just Jasper.

  “Good evening, you must be TQ?” she smirked and nodded.

  “I am, and these three are my brothers. Is it cool if they come in?”

  “Of course,” she licked her lips with her eyes locked on Lendsey. I knew he was gonna fuck her, and I just hoped it didn’t mess with my business. “I’m Jataria by the way, Jasper’s wife.” And this nigga let us meet his wife? He had to be a rookie in the game. I did feel bad though because dude for sure had a straight up skeezer for a spouse.

  “Nice to meet you, Jataria.”

  We walked into the home, and she led me to the area Jasper was in. She then took my brothers to the kitchen so they could eat whatever she’d made for dinner. I swear I hated when these niggas came on jobs with me, but they insisted. That’s just how we were because we didn’t want shit happening to the other. Most times when it was this many siblings, there was some animosity involved, but not with the Quintons. You fucked with one of us, you fucked with us all, including Saya.

  “TQ,” Jasper got up from his couch.

  I walked down the three short steps into his den, and admired the scenery. It reminded me of my home in Bridgeport, which then brought on memories of all the shit I did to Kimberlyn’s sexy ass body while out there. Damn, shorty had fucked my mind up.

  “Jasper, nice to meet you.” I shook his hand, and then we both took a seat.

  Jataria then walked in carrying a tray, holding two glasses of some sort of brown liquor. I wasn’t in the mood to chill like that, so I put my hand up to decline. I didn’t like drinking during meetings of this kind anyway. Niggas thought if you indulged in conversation, and threw a few drinks back that they could swindle you up out of a good deal.

  “Come on man, you can’t deny a drink, that’s rude,” Jasper chuckled and took both glasses from the tray, handing one to me.

  “I won’t be long, Jasper. Now my father explained to me that you wanted four shipments per week?” I frowned. That was a lot, and I’d never seen anybody move that much, not even Gang.

  “Yeah, I can do that shit. I don’t care how much it costs. Y’all got that good shit and I’m sure I will have no problems.”

  “And you know the terms?”

  “I think so.”

  “Money is to be paid upfront when picking up, and on time when returning profits. There won’t be any redistributions, and if so, we will be forced to handle you.”

  “Oh yeah?” he chuckled but I didn’t crack a smile so his faded.

  “Now, I’m not gonna bring product down here four times a week. I will deliver in full, and you must in turn pay in full.”

  “Man, that’s a lot of fuckin’ money up front.” Didn’t he just say he didn’t care how much it cost?

  “Take it or leave it,” I stated sternly and waited for his answer.

  He turned to look through the huge ass bay window ahead of us, before turning his attention back to me.

  “That’s cool.”

  Jasper and I discussed some more details, then he gave me the name of the individual he would have picking up the product, and I did the same. I didn’t like him for some reason though. He gave me a bad taste in my mouth. He seemed like he was a snake or a snitch, and all it would take was a cold barrel to his dome for him to sing. But it was up to my father to decide who to give product to, so I couldn’t say much in that department. The only time I could deny a distributor was if they didn’t agree to the terms.

  I left out of the den area, and then went to fetch my brothers. Just like I thought, Lendsey was flirting with Jasper’s wife all up in his house. I shook my head and then tapped my ring against the counter to snap him out of it before Jasper entered.

  “Let’s go, niggas.” I left out of his house with my brothers following me.

  We made it back to our suite, and as promised, Britain brought about ten hoes through. The nigga said seven, but clearly he was lying. I made myself a drink as I unwillingly listened to Britain get some head from one of them in the rooms. I just shook my head and chuckled at his ass.

  KNOCK! KNOCK!

  I went to answer the door, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Jasper’s wife Jataria standing there. I stepped back and let her saunter into the room, then Lendsey came from the room he was sleeping in, and waved shorty over with a smile. She damn near ran, and then closed the door behind herself.

  “Hey,” some girl walked up to me as “Fight Night” by Migos blasted in our suite.

  “What’s up?” I grinned. She was beautiful as hell, with a nice fat ass that I could almost see from the front. Shit.

  Just then, Britain walked out with old girl, buckling his pants. I wished Rhys had stayed in here, but that nigga went and got his own suite when he saw Britain was serious. I probably should’ve done the same.

  “Can we chill in your room?” the girl reached up to grab my chin, then tilted it down to face her. She raised her brow, letting me know she was feeling frisky.

  “Hold up,” I told her and then left out to the balcony. I closed the door behind me, and let the cool night air hit my face. I then pulled my phone out to dial my shorty. Yes, she had me calling her instead of sliding up in something scrumptious as fuck.

  “Hello?” she answered sweetly. That shit made me smile just from hearing her voice; crazy. I loved how bona fide and sincere she was.

  “What you doing?” I asked and then sipped my drink. I was leaning on the balcony, looking over the city of Columbia.

  “I’m just watching a movie with Matikah and Goldie. What are you doing?”

  “I just got back from that business meeting I told you about, and now I’m gonna go to bed and shit. I guess I should let you go since you’re chilling with your cousin.”

  “No, you do—”

  “Hey baby, you coming back in soon?” the girl with the fat ass came onto the balcony and rubbed my back gently.

  “Going to sleep, huh?” Kimberlyn quizzed.

  “Baby—”

  Click.

  “Yo, get yo’ hoe ass outta my face, shorty! Fuck you coming out here for when you see me on the fucking phone!” I marched that little bitch back up into the suite. I tried calling Kimberlyn back a couple times, but she didn’t answer me.

  Me: Baby, she’s just one of the girls Britain invited.

  I texted her but got no response after standing out in the cold for fifteen minutes. By this time, I was furious with her assuming ass.

  When I walked back in, two other girls were in my face and looking good as hell. Fuck it, Kimberlyn was on some bullshit anyways. If she would get that mad over nothing, then maybe it wasn’t meant. I led the two girls to my room to get it poppin’.

  Chapter Six: Britain Quinton

  Two weeks later…

  This week it was my turn to handle the business of the family’s car wash, so I was current
ly in the office going over the books. Since I was in charge of the money, being the official loan officer of QCF, I was the best at balancing books. I got a certificate in accounting and finance from Massachusetts Community College, a year and some change ago at the urging of my dad. I didn’t want to, but oddly I came to love numbers and shit. I took pride in being able to solve math problems in my head easily, even small things like calculating the tip at restaurants.

  The office phone began ringing, and I already knew who the fuck it was because she’d been blowing up my cell phone before, so I had to put that shit on Do Not Disturb. My girlfriend, Tekeya, was gonna be the death of me, and I was only twenty-three. She stayed on my fuckin’ bumper and the shit was tiring. If you asked me why I was with her, I couldn’t give you an answer because the good pussy was barely enough anymore.

  Yeah, I cheated on her constantly, but she had no proof I was still doing dirt. She only caught me twice, with the second time ending pretty badly, but that was a year ago. Since then, she’s had no reason to be on me the way that she was. She needed to understand that I was gonna do me regardless. Either she could get with the fuckin’ program or get to stepping.

  BRNNGGG!

  I picked the phone up and slammed it down, hanging up in her face. If it was someone else, they would have to find another way to get through for right now.

  I finished crunching these numbers and smiled because we were consistently moving on up like The Jeffersons. We had four car washes spread over Boston, mainly in Brighton and Jamaica Plain, and they were all bringing in a little over two million dollars a year, each. It paid to have rich niggas come through and floss by having all four of their luxury cars cleaned; especially when some cars came in at $150 per wash.

  The car wash was pretty legit all the way around, but TQ occasionally used it to clean money. It was initially for that purpose, but TQ started requesting the distributors to have the money cleaned before passing it over to him. Every now and then if TQ felt the distributor fucked up, he would run it through here though.

  I stood up and sipped the milkshake I’d bought earlier, while looking out of the window. I saw some guy who was waiting on his Bentley GT, doing the most to get some shorty’s attention. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t really remember from where. She was beautiful as fuck, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen her. I shrugged it off, and then grabbed my things so I could head home to re-shower and get dressed. Tonight my brothers and I were going to the strip club, and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get ready.

  I made it home to my condo on Washington in Brighton, and parked my midnight blue Tesla underground. Getting out, I hit the alarm and then nodded my head to say what’s up to this shorty who lived in my building named Faith. She and I flirted a little here and there, and she gave me some head once, but we were nothing major. I liked that she wasn’t clingy, and understood her place from jump.

  “About time!” Tekeya barked before the front door could even close good.

  “Yo, why the fuck are you in my crib anyway? How the fuck you get in here?” I hissed as I put the locks on.

  “I had a key made, nigga!” she dangled the lone key before slipping it back into her jean pocket.

  I bought a house for Tekeya and I to move into when I was clearly not in my right mind. She moved in, and I kept procrastinating with my shit. I knew I didn’t want that shit with her at this time in my life, so I bought myself a condo to stay at. She lived in the mansion I bought, and I lived here. I purposely didn’t give her a key, but clearly she caught me slipping.

  “Oh my gosh, yo,” I mumbled as I made my way to the bathroom to get my shit ready for a shower.

  “And where the fuck are you going?”

  “With my brothers Key, damn!”

  “Britain, we need to talk. I’ve been living in that big ass house by myself for eight damn months now! When are you gonna grow up and get rid of this bachelor pad?”

  “Never with the way you’re always sweating me, ma! I can’t do shit without you breathing down my neck like some damn dragon!”

  Before I could even finish tying my dreads up for the shower, Tekeya was taking off on me. Like always, I had to dodge her heavy-handed ass, and grip her wrists to constrain her. Tekeya was a 5’2” beast, but because I was 6’5” and strong, if I hit her little ass I would surely kill her. And I was taught to keep my hands to myself, with women anyway, but damn did she make it hard.

  I stared down at her expressionless as she panted heavily like some wild animal. Tekeya was beautiful with her smooth dark skin, and thick ass body. She had the body of a BBW, except her stomach was flat and toned. She was rocking a four pack, but it wasn’t masculine, it was sexy. She kept her hair in a cut Rihanna used to wear in her younger days; I think they call the shit a bob or something. Tekeya was bad, and any nigga that laid eyes on her was always left drooling. But as the saying goes, for every beautiful woman, there is a nigga who is tired of fucking her, and in Tekeya’s case, that was me.

  I could barely fuck her with the way she acted. I used to believe personality didn’t matter when it came to sex, but it definitely did. Every time I tried to get some pussy, my dick just wouldn’t do what I wanted because her bad attitude was always fresh in my mind. And when I did get hard by thinking about another bitch I fucked, the sex was still underwhelming. She seemed to still like it thought.

  “Britain, please,” she began to sob hysterically.

  I swear this was the same routine, every got damn day, except it wasn’t in my damn condo. I would see her, she would go off on me and then try to fight. Once I stopped her blows, she would glare at me for a bit before crying.

  “You’re running me low, Key, fuck,” I sighed and pulled my shirt off.

  “Baby, I know I’ve been a handful, but it’s just that I can’t get what you did out of my mind. All I see are those girls you fucked behind my back. And then you won’t even move in.”

  “Key, please move so I can close the door and shower.”

  She stared up at me, trying to get sympathy but I wasn’t having it. I was muthafuckin’ tired! As soon as I closed the door, I heard her start to weep loudly. I couldn’t get out of here and to the strip club fast enough. But before I did, I was gettin’ my damn key.

  Chapter Six: Matikah

  A couple days later…

  Kimberlyn and I were sitting on my grandmother’s porch just watching people walk and drive by. It was sunny, but a little bit nippier than usual. Goldie would be coming over in a short bit, and we were all gonna go to the movies since we wanted to help keep Kimberlyn’s mind off of TQ.

  “Are you gonna keep checking your phone?” I looked over at Kimberlyn.

  “I’m trying not to,” she chuckled, although I could tell she was sad that he hadn’t contacted her ass.

  “Why did you hang up on him without letting him explain anyway?” I frowned.

  “Because there was nothing to explain. I heard the girl call him baby and ask if he was coming back. He told me he was going to bed with his lying ass.”

  “So why check your phone so much if you’re done?”

  She just shrugged and then leaned back on her elbows. Suddenly, we heard loud music coming from a black Lamborghini that had just hit the corner. The windows were dark, and they were flying down our street, making everyone outside stare. Kimberlyn and I tensed up a bit, hoping that this wasn’t someone coming to do a drive-by. Our neighborhood, Roxbury, wasn’t the safest, and it’d been given plenty of nicknames, alluding to the danger that could be found here.

  The sports car swooped in front of my grandmother’s house, making Kimberlyn and I stand up and start heading inside.

  “Matikah!” a familiar voice called out to me. I turned around to see Lendsey, and was annoyed at how a smile appeared on my face. I hadn’t talked to him since I visited his condo, despite his efforts to get at me through numerous texts and phone calls.

  “Can I help you?” I walked back to the edge of t
he porch and poked my hip out, folding my arms across my chest.

  “Yeah, you can help me with a lot of things.” He licked his sexy lips as he rounded the front of his car to step onto the sidewalk. I loved how much style he had, and even his cocky ass attitude. “Come with me and let’s get something to eat, ma.”

  “Lend—”

  “Come on, man, you’re tripping on me for no fucking reason. You’re really gon’ dis me because of some fuckin’ phone call?”

  I looked off to my left, squinting my eyes at the sun. I then looked over my shoulder at Kimberlyn, who shrugged saying she had no advice for me.

  “Where do you wanna eat?” I asked, and the biggest most beautiful grin appeared on his sexy face.

  “Wherever you wanna go.”

  “I want Tasty Burger,” I suggested one of my favorite spots to eat. I was obsessed with burgers, and thank God I was naturally in shape or I would be like a hot air balloon by now.

  “Aight, bet.”

  “Tell grandma for me?” I looked to Kimberlyn, and she nodded while holding onto the screen door of the home.

  “And you quit giving my bro a hard time, shorty,” Lendsey pointed to Kimberlyn, as he held his passenger door open for me.

  Kimberlyn just rolled her eyes and went into the house.

  “So whose car is this?” I asked as Lendsey pulled from the curb, headed to the burger joint.

  “This is my car; I have two of them. I change cars depending on how I’m feeling that particular day, ma.”

  “Oh, excuse me. I wish I had one damn car.” I looked out of the window as he made a left turn.

  “Maybe I can make that happen for you.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, but that depends on how you act. All that running off shit ain’t gon’ get you a car, shorty.”

  “What makes you think I’d want a car from you? You’d probably hold it over my head for the rest of my life.”