by Lucinda John
“I know, I’m just a complete fuck up,” I cried.
“No, you’re just learning. Every woman falls for the same shit that you’re going through now, so don’t feel like you’re the only one. Use this experience to help you grow. You are an eighteen-year-old millionaire that is smart and beautiful. You have the complete package now; stop selling yourself short.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“No need to thank me, that’s what friends are for. Now go wash your ass so we can get out this house.”
With the help of Shantika, I was able to hide the bruises on my face. Dressed in a black spandex cat suit with a pair of red pumps, I was ready for a ladies night out. On the outside I looked like a million bucks, but in the inside I felt like a penny. It was going to take me time, however, I was determined to get Geek out of my system.
When we made it to Karu Night Club; there was a line around the building. Trina was performing and everybody was hype to see the baddest bitch. When we made it inside the club; Shantika got us a VIP table that was in the back. She was obsessed with watching who walked in and out of the club, so she wanted a seat that gave her full view of the door.
I wasn’t old enough to drink, but Shantika slipped our waitress some money to slip me an orange wristband, that gave me permission to have a few drinks. We both ordered hot wings and shots of Patron. The scenery was different than what I was used to. I partied a lot with my high school friends growing up, but we never went to a club like this. Girls were barely dressed and practically dry fucking niggas on the dance floor.
“Is this seat taken?” A voice asked, causing up to look up.
I looked up to a sexy man that had his eyes trained on Shantika. By the way Shantika was looking at him with wide eyes, I had a feeling they may know each other. They both stood there, staring at each other as if they were having a full-blown staring contest.
“Damn! I can’t get a hello? ” the man asked.
“Where are my manners? Hello, beautiful, my name is Journi,” he said, reaching his hand out for me to shake.
“Hey Journi, I’m Karrueche,” I replied, shaking his hand
“Nice to meet you Karrueche, do you mind if I have a seat?”
“No, be my guest,” I replied. “I’m going to the bathroom, are you going to be okay?” I asked Shantika.
She nodded at me, still staring a hole in Journi’s face. I got up from the table and walked to the bathroom. Dodging catcalls and ignoring the request for my number, I finally made it to the bathroom. When I walked inside, I rushed to a stall and handled my business. After washing my hands, I walked out of the bathroom and right into Smoke, who was having conversation with a pretty girl. I was about to walk past them, until he grabbed my hand.
“Hey girl, looks like you’re feeling better,” he smiled.
“Yeah, I had no choice, Shantika made sure of it.” I laughed.
“That’s what’s up. Well go on and have your fun, I’ll catch up with you later,” he said, before turning his attention back to the girl he was talking to.
For a split second, a twinge of jealousy shot through my body. There was no reason I should be feeling jealous over a man that wasn’t even mine. I couldn’t lie and say the attraction for Smoke wasn’t there, but he had me in the friend zone. Hell, he probably was already spoken for.
When I made it back to the table, Shantika and Journi were in a heated argument.
“Karrueche, are you ready to go?” She asked.
“It’s whatever you want to do,” I replied.
“Ok, let’s go,” she said, reaching in her bag to pay our bill.
Journi looked as if he wanted to follow behind us, but the mug Shantika shot him had him sitting back down. Shantika practically ran out of the club, as if it was on fire. She was fuming out the ears as we made our way to her car and headed to my house.
“What happened back there?” I asked.
“Girl that was some stupid nigga I had a one-week fling with back in Fort Myers.”
“Ok, so what happened?”
“That nigga had the nerve to try to get at me while he was in the club with his bitch!” She yelled.
“What bitch?”
“The bitch that came to our table talking out the side of her neck to me. That nigga sent her home. And like the lost puppy she was, she followed his orders. Then, he had the nerve to ask me to chill with him. What type of shit is that?” She said.
By the way Shantika was acting, I could tell she was feeling him, but didn’t want to admit it. She was cursing up a storm, displaying how hurt she was. That Journi character must have really left an impression on her, because she was definitely hooked.
Chapter Eleven
Shantika
Since Karrueche was buried in her schoolwork, I was forced to go house shopping alone. Everything with my old job was finalized and I had one week left, until I went back to work. I scored me a nice condo, two buildings down from Karrueche and I was ready to decorate. I was in Target minding my business when I heard my name being called. Turning around, I bumped right into a pissed off Tommy.
“I’m not pregnant anymore,” I said, before he could go off on me.
“What do you mean anymore?” He asked.
“The baby was growing in my tubes, so I had to have the baby and one of my tubes removed,” I said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked. “That was some foul shit you pulled. How the fuck do you skip town while carrying my seed, and not have the decency to call me? ”
“Hey, baby, is everything ok?” KiKi asked, pushing a cart towards us.
“This is why,” I asked, pointing at KiKi.
It was funny how the same hoe your nigga swears he wasn’t fucking with, is the same hoe he ends up with once y’all break up.
“Excuse me?” KiKi said, getting in my face.
“Jump stupid and get laid the fuck out if you want to,” I warned her.
“KiKi, man chill out,” Tommy said.
“Yes, tame your beast,” I smirked, daring her to pop off at the mouth.
“We need to talk,” Tommy said.
“Ain’t shit to talk about. We’re not together and there is no longer a baby,” I said, walking off.
It hurt so bad seeing Tommy with KiKi, but I knew better than to let her see me sweat. I could feel the tears burning my eyes, but I forced them down. I wasn’t going to, cry nor was I going to let them run me out of the store. Getting myself together, I finished up my shopping and paid everything off with my black card.
I was struggling to put everything in my car when I felt hands around my waist.
“You need a bigger car ma,” the sexy voice said.
I turned around ready to snap on Journi, but his hazel eyes had me at a loss for words.
“What the fuck do you want Journi?” I asked.
“Is that how you talk to your man?” He chuckled.
“My man? Where? You better go home to that dog-faced hoe that you were in the club with,” I sassed.
“That dog-faced hoe is my ex, who I am no longer fucking with like that,” he said.
“Yeah, okay,” I said, waving him off. “Can you get off me so I can go home?”
“How? All that shit ain’t gonna fit in that small ass car,” he said
“Imma make it fit,” I sucked my teeth.
“Drop the attitude ma and let me bring you home.”
“So, I’m supposed to leave my car here?” I asked.
“I’ll call up my boy and have him come get it.”
“Hell fucking no!” I yelled.
“Well how about you drive my car and I’ll follow you?” He suggested.
“Whatever, but after you help me load my stuff in my house, you have to go.”
“Bet,” he replied, helping me put my things in his Escalade.
When everything was in, he waited for me to pull off before following behind me. Every time I would stop at a red light, I would snoop through his car for any signs of a woman
. I spotted his phone in the cup holder, so I picked it up and swiped it open. I kept my eyes on the road, while I went through his phone.
I looked through the contacts first for any names saved under ‘boo, bae, baby, or wifey’. When I didn’t see any, I went through the text messages and looked for anything that stood out. The only text thread that caught my attention was one from Neeka. She was basically begging for him to come over and fuck her the way he used to. I wanted to read through everything, but I was pulling up in my driveway. Going back to the home page, I locked his phone and placed it back in the cup holder.
“I bet you were in there looking through my shit,” he smirked
“Boy, nobody is worried about you,” I lied, walking to the door.
I sat back and watched him as he unloaded everything and placed them in my house. When he was done, he leaned his tall frame against the entrance of my door with his lips poking out. I couldn’t deny it, Journi was mad sexy and his swag was sick.
“What are you doing?” I asked
“Waiting on my tip.”
“Boy bye. If you don’t go home to Neeka and get that kiss,” I said, not realizing I let the girl name to slip.
“So you went through my phone?” He laughed.
“Does it matter?” I asked.
“Yes, because now you know Neeka don’t mean shit to my anymore. Now stop playing with a nigga and give me kiss,” he replied, pulling me into his chest.
I melted like warm piece chocolate as he used his tongue to trace the outline of my lips. He kissed my forehead, the bridge of my nose, then my lips. When I wouldn’t kiss him back, he pinned my body against the wall and forced his tongue down my throat,causing a soft moan to escape from my lips.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He smirked.
“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes, walking in the house.
Instead of leaving like I prayed he would, he walked in behind me, locking the front door.
“This is your new spot, huh?” He asked, looking around.
“Yup, this is me.”
“What do you do for a living?” He asked.
“I am the president at a Bank.”
“Big money,” He whistled.
“I do my thing.”
“Why did you change your number on me?” He asked,
“I took things for what it was,” I replied.
“And what is that.”
“A fun week, nothing more, nothing less,” I shrugged.
“Well now that we’re basically living in the same city, can we have more fun weeks?” He asked, filling in the gap that was between us.
“Hmm, I don’t know how Neeka or any other females you fuck with, will feel about that.”
“Why are you worrying about other bitches when my main concern is you?”
“I don’t compete with other bitches,” I said.
“Who said you had to?” He asked.
I bit the inside of my jaw and enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms rubbing my ass.
“Damn, I missed you,” he said, kissing my neck.
“What did you miss about me?”
“Everything, especially this,” he said, grabbing my pussy.
“Hmmm,” I moaned, feeling him rub my twat though my shorts.
“You can’t have all this ass wearing shorts these little,” he said, unbuckling them.
“Why not?”
“You gonna make somebody put something in ya,” he replied, plunging his fingers deep in my box.
“Uhhhhhh,” I groaned.
Just as I was about to cum all over his fingers, my doorbell rang. I was about to ignore the visitor, but then my phone started ringing. Sucking my teeth, I picked my shorts up off the floor and slide them up my ass. I stomped to the door, ready to curse out the person that interrupted my nut, until I looked through the peephole and saw Karrueche standing there with a bag of food in her hand.
“Damn, what took you so long?” She asked, when I opened the door.
“My bad girl, I just came from Target and I was putting some stuff up,” I replied.
“Ummhmm,” she said, looking over my shoulder at Journi.
“Hey Karrueche,” Journi greeted her.
“Hey Journi,” Karrueche smiled.
“Well, I brought lunch and a helping hand, but I guess I can come back later,” she said.
“No, you good, I have to hit up my partner real quick, but I’ll be back,” Journi said, kissing me on the lips.
I wanted to protest, but I decided to keep my cool.
“Walk me to my car,” Journi said.
I slipped my feet in my house shoes and followed him to the car. When we made it to his truck, he grabbed me by the waist and brought me close to him. Pressing his lips to mine, we shared a nice, long kiss, until he decided to pull away.
“Can I come back later?” He asked.
“It don’t matter,” I shrugged.
“Stop being stubborn, if you want a nigga to slide up on you later, then say so.”
“It’s up to you,” I shrugged.
“Okay,” he said, with a hint of attitude before getting in his car and driving off.
“You little hoe,” Karrueche smirked, when I walked back in the house.
“Oh, please, he just helped me bring all my things home.”
“Did he help himself inside your panties too?” She asked, pointing to my powder blue thong that was lying on the ground.
“Shut up,” I laughed, picking them up. “You gonna help me or what?”
“Yes, after you spill the tea.”
“Well, in that case let’s eat first.”
We sat at my dining room table and ate Fire House Subs while I filled her in on everything.
“Damn, I really thought Tommy was different,” she said.
“Girl them twins are alike, I’m done fucking with him though,” I said, meaning every word.
“Is it because of Journi?” She asked.
“No, it’s because I deserved someone better than him, Journi is just something to do,” I said.
She giggled.
“You’re a mess.”
“I know,” I replied.
After we ate our meals, we started on the task of getting my house in order. All of my furniture was in place, we just had to hang up pictures and decorate the rooms. When we finally finished, it was close to midnight. Once Karrueche left, I rushed to the shower to freshen up before Journi arrived. It was close to three in the morning when I realized that he wasn’t coming.
“That nigga is probably laid up with his bitch,” I said, to myself as I got in my bed.
I checked my phone for any phone calls or messages, but then I remembered, he didn’t have my new number. Turning my phone off, I made myself comfortable and laid in bed. Since I wasn’t scheduled to get cable until the following day, I settled for a nice hood book. I couldn’t have the perfect guy in real life, but I could have him in a book, I laughed to myself, as I flipped through my Kindle.
Chapter Twelve
Smoke
I was having lunch with Tangi, but my mind couldn’t stay off of Karrueche. Seeing her so hurt off a nigga had me ready to fly in and save her. I wanted her in the worse way, but had to lay off because she was vulnerable. I didn’t want Karrueche to rush in to anything with me and was still fucked up over her ex, so I kept her in the friend zone.
“Smoke, are you listening to me?” Tangi asked.
“Yes baby, I’m sorry,” I smiled.
Tangi, was a pretty chick, I met at the African braiding shop. I was walking in to pay for my mother’s hair when I knocked her down with the door. After helping her to her feet and apologizing, I was drawn to her. We exchanged numbers and have been on a few dates.
Tangi was exactly how I like my women. She was educated with two degrees; she was beautiful, older, and independent. I usually went with the older chicks because the younger ones were too stuck on stupid to appreciate a real man. I loved how Tangi and I could sit around
and have stimulating conversations. If I wanted to stay in to play video games, she would come over and grab a controller, playing me in a few games.
“Why do I feel like your head isn’t into our date?” She asked, snapping me back to reality.
“It is, I just got a lot on my mind,” I said.
“Work?”
“Yeah, work,” I lied.
I wouldn’t dare tell her while we were enjoying our date that I was thinking about another woman. When we finished up our meal at Ruby Tuesday’s and the check came ,Tangi reached for it, surprising me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You paid last time, I’ll get it this time,” she smiled.
“No, you don’t have to.”
“It’s no worry,” she said, pulling out her wallet. She paid for the bill and dropped two twenties on the table as a tip for our waitress.
“You never cease to amaze me.” I kissed her on the cheeks.
“Wait until I get you in bed,” she giggled.
“Oh weee!” I howled, causing her to laugh.
After lunch I had some business errands to run with Journi, so I dropped Tangi off at home. She pouted the whole drive home, letting me know she wasn’t excited that our time was coming to an end. When I made it to her house, she sat in the car, instead of getting out.
“I’ll slide back through when I’m done,” I said.
“You promise?” She asked.
“Pinky promise,” I replied
She kissed me until my dick was harder than a brick, before walking to her front door, switching her ass from the left to the right. I sat there watching her ass jiggle in her pencil skirt, before pulling off. I was definitely coming back to hit, I thought to myself.
*****
“Nice doing business with you,” I smiled, handing Geek his suitcase full of money.
“Yeah ok, all the money better be in there too,” he said, causing Journi to laugh.
“And if it ain’t?” Journi challenged.
“Then you’re gonna have to see me about my paper,” he said, poking out his chest.
If it wasn’t for Stacks, I would have been made that nigga kick rocks. He thought he was the shit because he was irreplaceable, little did he know there was a million different pharmacist ready to take his spot. I made sure all the pills were there before throwing the bag in my trunk and pulling off.
