by K'wan
“I’d be lying if I said the media and public opinion couldn’t sometimes be cruel, but I don’t give a shit about what other people think or say about me. My job is to take that field week in and week out and give my all to my team and the organization. Outside of that anybody with an opinion about Vaughn Tate and what he does off the field can go to hell. I’m willing to take the heat if you are too.”
Persia couldn’t stop the tears that had forced their way out of her eyes. She had carried the burden of that secret for so long, thinking that Vaughn wouldn’t want her if he knew who she really was. Not only did Vaughn accept her for who she was, he wanted to add on to who she was trying to become. Persia was so full of emotions that she couldn’t find the words so she let her actions speak for her and jumped into Vaughn’s lap, planting kisses all over his face.
“Thank you for understanding,” Persia said between kisses.
“No, thank you for being honest.” Vaughn kissed her on the lips.
“Get a room, why don’t you?” Asia joked when she rejoined them at the table.
“Sorry about that,” Persia said, embarrassed.
“No need to be sorry, sweetie. I take it everything worked out like I said it would?” Asia asked.
“Yes, it did. And thank you for helping me find the courage to be honest.”
“That’s what friends are for; at least, real friends.” Asia smiled. “Well, it’s getting late, and I’ve got school tomorrow.”
Persia looked at her watch and saw that it was just after midnight. “Wow, I didn’t even realize. It’s almost a shame to end such a perfect night, but I know you’ve got to get back to Philadelphia, Vaughn.”
“I’m not due to be back until the team meeting tomorrow to watch game tape, so maybe the night doesn’t have to end so soon, unless you’ve got a curfew or something,” Vaughn said suggestively.
“My mom is likely asleep already,” Persia told him. She knew what he wanted and she was finally ready to give it to him.
“Asia, do you need a ride?” Vaughn asked.
“No, I’ll call Basil and have him pick me up. You kids have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Asia said playfully.
“Whatever, heifer. I’ll call you after school,” Persia said, getting up from the table.
“Make sure you do, because I want all the dirty details,” Asia told her.
Vaughn stood and held out his elbow to Persia. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely,” Persia said taking his arm.
Vaughn, Persia, and Asia waited outside until Basil arrived and Asia was safely in the car. After Asia had gone Vaughn and Persia headed to his SUV and pulled out into traffic. Vaughn and Persia were so caught up in the anticipation of their long-awaited night that they never noticed the red BMW following them.
CHAPTER 39
By the end of the night Li’l Monk was running on fumes. He hadn’t had a chance to eat or sleep and his whole body ached. For as much as he wanted to just get some rest there was still too much left to do.
His hopes had rested on finding Chucky at the apartment Persia had sent him to, but they were dashed when he arrived to find no sign of Chucky and one of the girls who knew the truth dead. Out of options he switched to his plan B, which was where Kunta came in.
Li’l Monk had Kunta shadowing Ramses all day. He knew that after he started tearing shit up in Harlem it would force Ramses to take action, but he couldn’t make a move without conferring with Pharaoh first. Knowing Pharaoh the way he did he wouldn’t talk business on a phone so they would have to meet in person. If Li’l Monk planned on killing Pharaoh, he would first need to know where to find him.
Li’l Monk and Kunta arranged to meet on 114th Street near Morningside Park. When Li’l Monk arrived, he found Kunta already there, sitting behind the wheel of a car he’d stolen to get around for the day.
“How’d everything go?” Li’l Monk asked.
“Just as you said it would,” Kunta informed him. “After I lifted Ramses’s wallet I went and staked out his home. He returned there shortly after his meeting with King Tut, but he only stayed for a few minutes. I followed him to a diner out in Queens where he met with a man in an expensive suit.”
“Pharaoh,” Li’l Monk said in disgust. “Did you happen to get a look at him?”
“Sadly, I did not. He was wearing a large brimmed hat that obscured his face, so I was never able to get a clear look, but I can tell you he was light skinned.”
It wasn’t much, but it was more than Li’l Monk had to go on when he started. “So what happened after the meeting?”
“They got into two separate cars and left. I already knew where Ramses was going so I figured it best to follow the other man. I tailed his car out to Queens where his Rolls-Royce pulled into a parking garage. It came out a few minutes later, and I was about to continue following until I noticed that the man in the suit was no longer in the car, but slipping away on foot. I followed him for several blocks into a residential neighborhood where he entered a large house through the back door.”
“You mean to say you know where Pharaoh lays his head?” Li’l Monk asked in disbelief.
“If this man I followed was indeed this Pharaoh, yes. I do not know the address, but I’m sure I could find the house again if we went out there,” Kunta said confidently.
“Kunta, I could kiss you!” Li’l Monk grabbed him in a bear hug.
“Li’l Monk, I am fond of you, but not that fond,” Kunta joked.
“So, where was this house located?” Li’l Monk asked, already making plans in his mind.
“Long Island City,” Kunta told him.
“What?” Li’l Monk asked, not really understanding. He didn’t know much about Long Island City, other than the fact that it was where Persia had moved to when Face took them out of Harlem. What were the odds that Pharaoh and Persia coincidentally lived in the same neighborhood? “I need you to show me.”
An hour later Li’l Monk and Kunta were riding in the car they had stolen through the neighborhood where Kunta had followed Pharaoh to. The whole time Li’l Monk had been putting different scenarios together in his head, none of which ended well. What he was thinking was impossible, it had to be. When Kunta pulled to a stop and pointed to the big house across the street Li’l Monk’s heart sank.
“Kunta, are you absolutely sure?” Li’l Monk asked, hoping it had been some kind of mistake.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Kunta insisted. “What’s the matter? Do you know this place?”
“I thought I did, but these days I don’t know what I know anymore,” Li’l Monk said sadly.
“So what now, do we go in and kill Pharaoh?” Kunta asked.
“Not yet. Let’s head back to the city. I need you to find my father and relay Face’s message; after that you’re done. You’ve been more of a help than you know, Kunta, and I really appreciate it,” Li’l Monk told him.
“Little brother, we’ve come too far together for me to abandon you now. I gave my word I would look out for you,” Kunta told him.
“And you have. You’ve honored your promise, but I have to go at it alone from here,” Li’l Monk said.
Kunta didn’t like it, but he had learned in his short time around Li’l Monk that he was a man who could not be swayed once his mind was made up. “As you wish,” he reluctantly agreed and pulled away from the house.
The ride back to the city was a somber one, and Li’l Monk had much to think about. If what Kunta was right about what he was saying the situation has just gotten way more complicated. Before he did anything he needed to be absolutely certain that the person he was about to murder was indeed Pharaoh, and there was only one person he knew of besides Ramses who could make a positive ID.
CHAPTER 40
Vaughn took Persia to the Times Square Marriot, where he had rented a suite for the night. It seemed like as soon as they arrived the paparazzi were on them snapping pictures. Persia hadn’t known where they were going before they got there so
she had no clue how they knew. It was like they had GPS trackers on celebrities and always knew where they would be. Vaughn smiled and played it up for the cameras while Persia tried to hide her face.
“No need to be shy, baby.” Vaughn pried her hands away from her face so that the cameras could get a shot of her. “You’re with me now.” He planted a kiss on her lips for all to see. After fielding a few questions and posing for a couple more pictures, Vaughn whisked her into the elevator.
Persia pressed her back against the wall and exhaled. “Jesus, do they ever quit?”
“Nah, they don’t. Some of them can be real pushy about it, but for the most part they’re okay.”
“I don’t know how you can keep your sanity with people jamming cameras in your face twenty-four hours a day,” Persia said.
“It’s all a part of the life. After a while I got used to it and you will too.” Vaughn put his arm around her.
“So you must plan on keeping me around for a while, huh?”
“As long as you wanna be kept,” he said seriously. “I wasn’t bullshitting when I said I wanted you to be mine, Persia. Now I get the chance to show you how serious I am.” He kissed her.
They had barely crossed the threshold of the suite before Vaughn and Persia were all over each other, kissing and fondling. It had been so long since Persia had given herself to a man willingly that she almost couldn’t contain herself.
Vaughn scooped Persia up and carried her into the bedroom of the suite, where he laid her gently on the pillow-top bed. He looked at her hungrily as he tore out of his expensive suit and tossed it on the floor as if it was a dollar store T-shirt. Persia made to take off her clothes, but Vaughn stopped her. “Allow me,” he said and began to slowly strip her. When Vaughn beheld her naked body his eyes misted up and for a minute she thought he was going to cry.
Persia reached up and pulled Vaughn on top of her. She had a fire raging between her legs and needed his throbbing cock to put it out. She wanted the dick, but he wasn’t quite ready to give it to her. Vaughn kissed her tenderly, staring at her lips then working his way down her body. He flicked his tongue over her nipples until they stood just as erect as his dick. He continued kissing her, making his way down her stomach and found his way to her love nest. When Vaughn’s tongue slipped inside her, Persia gasped as if she had just been touched with a live wire.
Vaughn’s tongue explored every inch of her insides, causing her eyes to roll back in her head. Every time she came she felt like she died a little bit. “I want you inside me, Vaughn,” she panted.
“Ask me nicely.” He toyed with her clit.
“Please, baby, let me feel it,” she begged.
Vaughn took a minute to grab his pants from the floor and grabbed a condom from his pocket. He took his time rolling it over his erect dick, before hovering over her. Balancing himself on his powerful arms he slid inside her. Granted, he wasn’t as well hung as Chucky, but what he lacked in size he made up for in technique. His pole slipped in and out of her, slowly, giving her long and deep strokes. “You like that, don’t you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Oh I love it.” Persia moaned. “Damn I love this dick.”
“I’m gonna make you love me like you love this dick.” Vaughn told her before flipping Persia onto her stomach and entering her from behind. He gripped her about the waist and began plowing into her in a steady rhythm. “Shit, Persia. Oh shit,” he rasped, letting her know that he was about to cum.
“That’s right, say my name, say my name,” Persia demanded and started throwing it back, getting turned on by the sound of her ass hitting against his washboard stomach. She winced when she felt Vaughn’s nails digging into her sides, but she didn’t ask him to stop. She was dancing somewhere between pleasure and pain and it felt good to her.
They came at the same time, with Vaughn collapsing on top of her. They lay there for a few minutes, feeling each other’s heartbeats and basking in the moment. Once Vaughn was done emptying himself, he rolled off her and lay on his side, breathing like he had just run a marathon.
“That was fucking awesome!” Vaughn said.
“You weren’t so bad yourself,” Persia said jokingly. She was silent for a few minutes after, as the realization of what she had just done set in. Persia wasn’t a virgin, but she was no loose girl either. She could count her sex partners on one hand and still have fingers left over. Giving her body to someone was a big deal for her. “So what does this mean?” she asked him.
Without her having to elaborate, Vaughn knew what she meant. “It means you now belong to me and I belong to you, if that’s what you want.”
“Vaughn, since I was a little girl all I ever wanted was someone who I could care for and who would care for me with no strings attached.”
“I don’t care about you, Persia, I love you,” Vaughn told her.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean, Vaughn.”
Vaughn propped himself on his elbow and looked her directly in the eyes. “I never say things I don’t mean. From the minute I saw you at the club with that clown-ass nigga you were with I knew that I loved you, I just never thought it would be possible for me to have you.”
“Well you’ve got me and you’re stuck with me.” Persia pinched his nipple playfully.
Vaughn pulled Persia to him and kissed her on the forehead. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Persia buried her face into Vaughn’s chest so that he wouldn’t see the tears falling from her eyes. After what she had been through with Chucky she had given up on love or ever finding her happy place, but Vaughn had shown her there was still hope. With these thoughts in mind she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Persia felt like she had just drifted off when she was awakened by a heavy knocking on the hotel suite’s door. She lifted her head from the pillow and looked at the clock. It was 5:00 a.m. Her mother was going to shit a brick about her staying out all night.
The banging on the door continued.
She woke Vaughn. “You expecting somebody?”
“Hell no,” Vaughn said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got out of bed and slipped on his pants before going to the door. “Can I help you?” He looked through the peephole.
“Hotel security, sir.” The man on the other side flashed something that looked like a badge, but the movement was too quick for Vaughn to clearly make it out. “We’ve had some complaints about screaming coming from the room.”
Vaughn smirked confidently figuring someone had heard Persia screaming when he was tearing that ass up. “We’re good in here, thanks,” Vaughn said through the door.
“Okay, sir, but we’re still going to need you to open the door so we can ensure that there’s no one in the room being harmed,” the voice on the other side replied.
Vaughn sucked his teeth in frustration before opening the door. “Listen, man, I told you we’re good. Ain’t nobody hurt.”
“Not yet they ain’t,” the man said before clocking Vaughn upside the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him out. He stepped over Vaughn and went into the bedroom where Persia was still stretched out naked.
When Persia saw the man appear in the bedroom doorway she gasped in horror. “Chucky?”
“Yeah, bitch, it’s me. I’ll bet I was the last person you expected, especially after you sent your little guard dog to kill me.”
“Wait, I can explain!”
“Explain it to God when you see Him, you traitorous whore!” Chucky grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the bed.
CHAPTER 41
Vaughn awoke with a splitting headache. He was lying face down on the floor of his hotel suite trying to remember how the hell he got there. He went to push himself up from the floor and realized he couldn’t move his hands, because they were bound behind his back. It was then he remembered the fake hotel security and being cold-cocked.
“Glad to see that little love tap I gave you didn’t do too much damage. Wouldn’t want you not to
be able to play in next week’s game,” a voice called from somewhere behind Vaughn.
Vaughn craned his neck and saw the man who had identified himself as hotel security standing over him. Upon closer inspection he realized that it wasn’t the first time he’d seen him. It was the same dude he had seen in the club with Persia the night they first met. “What the fuck is this?”
“What the fuck does it look like?” Chucky snapped.
“Look, if it’s cash you’re looking for I got about fifteen hundred dollars in my wallet. Take it and get the fuck out of here,” Vaughn told him.
Chucky kicked Vaughn in the ass so hard that he slid a few inches across the floor. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with fifteen hundred funky-ass dollars? See, in the beginning it was about money, but now this shit is all about karma.” He grabbed Vaughn by one of his arms and dragged him into the bedroom. He tossed him into the corner next to Persia, who was sitting in a chair with her hands tied in front of her. She wasn’t naked anymore, instead wearing one of the hotel’s bathrobes. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“Baby, did he hurt you?” Vaughn asked in a concerned tone.
“No, I’m okay,” Persia told him.
“For the moment.” Chucky stalked over. “And what the fuck was you supposed to do if I did hurt her, pussy?” He kicked Vaughn in the gut.
“Leave him alone! This is about me and you, not Vaughn!” Persia shouted.
“You made it about him when you brought another nigga into our relationship,” Chucky snapped.
“Relationship? You’re blackmailing me; we aren’t in a fucking relationship!”
“Stop being all muthafucking technical about the shit! You know what I mean.” Chucky began pacing the floor. “I can’t believe you. I’m out here risking my life and my freedom so I can build a future for us, and this is how you do me? You gonna give another nigga my pussy after all I’ve done for you?”
“The only thing you’ve ever done for me is ruin my life. For the love of God, Chucky, why can’t you just leave me alone?” Persia sobbed.
