“Normani, chill. They won’t be up here the whole time. Let me just go and speak to my cousin, and then we can get a spot further away from all of this,” Twinkle told me.
We were nearing Billionaire, who was now sitting on the couch. Two women were on his lap, seductively dancing on him. I had never watched porn a day in my life, but that was what I believed I was witnessing at that moment. Billionaire held stacks and stacks of money in his hands, and there was even a duffel bag right next to him on the couch that he was taking more money out of and pouring it on the women. For someone who had just gotten out of prison, he sure did have a lot of money.
“Nigga, I know you better tell these bitches to move, so I can give my cousin a hug,” Twinkle called out once we were close enough.
Billionaire’s eyes lit up when he saw Twinkle, and I watched as he whispered something to both women. They quickly removed themselves from his lap. He rushed to stand up, so he could get to Twinkle. When he did, he lifted her in the air and kissed her a couple of times on her cheek. He had such a beautiful smile.
“Still the smallest thing in the fuckin’ room, but you got the biggest fuckin’ mouth! What’s going on, baby cuz? I missed you, man. Yo, I was bragging on you when I was behind them walls. I told my niggas in there that my baby cousin be designing clothes, and Beyoncé be wearing her shit. I’m happy for you, beautiful. We gotta get you a storefront and shit. Have you putting your boutiques out in Cali, where the rich folks like to shop,” Billionaire told her.
The whole time he spoke, Billionaire wore a big smile. There was no need to question the love he had for his cousin because it showed. He looked at her like a big brother would look at their little sister. Twinkle was taking it all in, and as she did, Billionaire’s eyes landed on me. He boldly looked at me, not even trying to be discreet. However, he didn’t come off like a creep, unlike the security guards at the door.
“This your doctor friend that you be telling me about?” he asked Twinkle, but his eyes were still on me.
I ended up looking away, unable to keep up with the heat that he threw my way with his gaze. I didn’t think I’d ever been in the presence of anyone who was so openly bold.
“Yes. This is Normani. Normani, this is my cousin, Billionaire, that I was telling you about,” Twinkle introduced us.
I didn’t say anything; I couldn’t even think of anything to say, although telling him that it was nice to meet him would have more than likely been a good thing. Usually, I wasn’t even the shy type, but for whatever reason, I just couldn’t seem to find my voice.
“Your girl don’t talk?” he asked Twinkle, who laughed.
His comment annoyed me. For one, he was talking as if I wasn’t standing right there.
“I talk. You asked about me, not the other way around. What did you expect me to say?” I questioned.
I think I was just annoyed by the whole situation. Introductions were literally being done while people were standing and sitting around smoking weed. There were nude dancers all around us, and I was just uncomfortable, aggravated, and I wanted to go home now!
Twinkle bumped my shoulder, more than likely, in an attempt to get me to calm down.
Her cousin ended up laughing like something was funny.
“I’ll hurt your feelings, shorty, so Ima pretend that you didn’t even say shit to me. Your daddy even know you out at a strip club? Pipe down with all that shit because you know that if your ole boy comes in here, he’ll take his belt off and beat your ass in front of everybody. You a pastor’s kid, right?” he asked.
My legs started shaking, and so did my hands. I felt like I was back in school when people would bully me because I was a pastor’s child.
“Billion, stop. This club thing ain’t my girl’s thing. She came out for me. Chill out,” Twinkle told him.
While she talked to her cousin, his eyes were on me. Mine were on him too, but I was no longer looking at him in amazement like I had done when I was downstairs looking up at him. I never allowed people to make me this angry, but just that fast, he’d pissed me off. I didn’t want to stand around him anymore, so I walked away, found a secluded spot, and sat by myself.
In just a few short moments, Twinkle came over and took a seat next to me. She playfully laughed as she massaged my shoulders.
“Normani, relax. I would even offer you to hit a blunt with me or take a shot, but I know you won’t, so I won’t even ask. It’s really not that bad, is it?” she asked, looking over at me.
I didn’t respond because I was still annoyed about what her cousin had said to me. After about five minutes or so, she was able to perk me up a little bit by making jokes about some of the women who were standing at the entrance line of the section, trying to get through, but the security wouldn’t let them in.
“Girl, these silly bitches are still just as dumb over my cousin as they were before he went in. These hoes are seriously forming a line, more than likely just to get close enough to look at him. If you’re not family or friends, he’s gonna tell security not to let them through. Prison changed him. It gave him a third eye and taught him not to be as trusting as he was in the past,” Twinkle said as she reached over to the small table in front of us and picked up a bottle that was resting in a bucket of ice.
I watched as she poured herself a drink.
“What did he go to prison for?” I questioned.
“Riding with dirty guns in the car. Billion used to run heavy with this guy named Trucks. They were like brothers. We all grew up together. My cousin jumped in the dope game young. I’m talking fifteen years old, he was standing on the block, moving dime bags, when his ass should have been at home doing his homework. His mama, who is my auntie, Paulette, had him at a young age. She was fourteen when she had him. Pretty much still a baby herself, so she always let Billion run wild and do whatever the hell he wanted. Billion’s father, my uncle Roy, is in the picture, but shit, he moved dope too, so it wasn’t like he was telling his son not to do it. Even if he had, he would have come off like a hypocrite.
“Billion is hard-headed, though. Even if somebody tells him not to do something, if he already has it made up in his mind what he’s going to do, then it’s no stopping him. I know that you’re green when it comes to stuff like this, but years went by, and Billion had finally saved up enough money to meet up with a plug. So, he, Monterius, and Trucks started moving weight for this Columbian dude named Felix. He was paidddddd. Anybody who moved weight for Felix was liable to start eating, and their circumstances were gonna change for real.
“My cousin was the man. I mean, he had pretty much always been the man in Miami, but add on him being paid, and the bitches flocked. Niggas became envious of him. He was doing shit that niggas wished they could do. Moved my auntie Paulette out of the projects and hooked her up with a beautiful house out on Star Island. She’s good at doing nails, so he even got her a nail salon.
“Billion did the right shit with his money. Like once a month, he would put on these big productions where he would feed the homeless and bless the kids with everything they needed for back to school, Christmas, all of that. Yeah, he was living wrong, but he always said that he didn’t plan to do this forever. He just wanted to stack up enough money to one day go legit.
“You know with money comes a lot of problems. Out of all the niggas who could be envious of Billion, it turned out to be someone close to him. Someone he was with on a daily basis. Trucks had kidney problems, and Billion even went and got checked to see if he was a match because he was willing to give Trucks one of his kidneys. I don’t know if Trucks couldn’t stand to see my cousin be successful or what, but he deliberately had those guns placed in Billion’s car that night. He even tipped off the cops to pull him over. Billion had to do five years for some weapons that didn’t even belong to him.
“My cousin ain’t no saint, and granted, he could have been doing life for the lifestyle that he was living, but he somehow dodged that bullet. To this day, I just have to thank God. Wha
t if Trucks had decided to snitch and say some shit about the drugs that they were moving? I think the only reason he didn’t go that far is that he was just as deep in the game as Billion was. He probably would have incriminated himself in the process,” Twinkle told me.
“Wow. That’s so deep. So sad too. The Trucks guy… where is he?” I asked, just feeling the need to know.
Twinkle looked at me, and then she let out a low laugh right before she shook her head.
“You often preach about heaven or hell. A guy like Trucks, I’m sure he made it over to hell and fit right in, if you know what I mean,” Twinkle said, sending chills through my body because I knew she was basically saying that Trucks was dead.
“Is that why your cousin has all that money? He’s going to go back to doing what he used to do before? If so, don’t you think that’s stupid? I believe in God sending angels down to watch after his children. All those years of hustling and feeling invincible were just because of the angels that God had watching over him. Why even play around with your luck like that? It wouldn’t even make sense,” I said, getting deep with Twinkle.
“He’s done. He says that he has a plan, but he doesn’t want to say anything about it and get his hopes all up for nothing. I know my cousin. He’s not going to tell me that he’s out the game and don’t mean it. Look over there at the woman standing by the rails in the black romper.” Twinkle pointed to a very curvaceous woman, who I could only see from behind. She had a short hairstyle that was so pretty.
“That’s his baby mama, Sidnesha. They have a ten-year-old son together. Billion went in when his son was five, and his son is now in the fifth grade. Now, look over there at the other woman. The one in the black skirt with the bodysuit on.” She pointed, and I saw who she was referring to.
I was really hoping that this wasn’t going to be another one of his baby mamas. She was very beautiful, though. Dark-skinned like me, and because she was standing, I could see that she was just as curvaceous as the first woman that Twinkle had me look at. If this was his second baby mother, then I knew for a fact that he didn’t want anything to do with my skinny self.
“That’s his second baby mama, Denim. They have an eight-year-old daughter. Billion can fuck around and have to be away from his children again if he goes back to doing the same shit that he was doing before. My cousin loves his kids more than life. He probably can’t stand his baby mamas worth a damn, but those kids, I know for a fact that he will die for them. I know he’s gonna go legit, get his shit in order, and do what’s right. He just needs a strong, solid woman in his life who is going to be of good encouragement. Sidnesha and Denim, they are certified hood bitches, and all they want to do is be a dope boy’s wife. They going to fuck with his ego and tell him that they prefer him in the streets.
“Granted, Billion can think for himself, but still, I just want him around positivity. My cousin never had a good woman before. Sidnesha and Denim were both just fucks who didn’t give it to him real and try to tell him to watch his company and to get out the game. Behind every strong man needs to be an even stronger woman because, let’s be real, us women come with the brain,” Twinkle said.
We talked for a little while longer until Monterius came and dragged her away. He was taking her to the dance floor, and she promised me that she wouldn’t be gone for longer than five minutes. I hated that I was now left alone in the section, so I pulled out my phone and acted like it was keeping my attention.
“Damn, chocolate. I swear I will get a straw and drink all your fuckin’ bathwater. You can even piss in that tub, and I’ll still drink it. You fuckin’ beautiful, yo,” a dude walked over to me and said.
I ignored him and put my head back in my phone.
“You don’t hear me talking to you, shorty? I said I’ll drink your bathwater,” he repeated.
His words slurred, so I knew he had to have been drunk. I didn’t want to call any of God’s children ugly, but he was a different sight to look at. He was tall, medium built, and I could smell the stench of his old dreads from where I was sitting. His clothes were dingy looking, and his shirt looked like a U-neck instead of a V-neck, which let me know that he probably grabbed that shirt out of the dirty hamper to come to the club. As he talked, I spotted white stuff on the inside of his mouth, which just turned me off altogether.
“Fuck you then! Black ass bitch!” he snapped at me.
Just when I was about to respond, he was put in a headlock from behind. Billionaire was choking this man out and looked like he was about to kill him.
I put my hands over my mouth, shocked by what was happening.
“Tell her you sorry before I break your motha fuckin’ neck!” his deep voice barked as he walked over to me with the poor guy still in a chokehold.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorrrryyyy. I ain’t know this was you right here, Billion. Man, she cute. I’m fucked up, man. I ain’t mean nothing by it.” The guy was crying now.
“I don’t know how the fuck your bum ass even got the fuck in here. Get the fuck out. Be careful what woman you call a bitch because the right nigga just might kill your ass,” Billionaire told the guy, and then he pushed him real hard, making him fall in the process.
The guy quickly stood up, and then he all but ran out of the section. I watched as Billionaire straightened his clothes and then looked over at me. I could smell his cologne; it was Clive Christian. That cologne was very expensive, running at almost $800. I recognized it because it was the only cologne that my father liked to wear.
“You straight?” he nonchalantly asked, like two seconds ago, he wasn’t just choking someone.
I stood up and pulled my dress down because it had risen while I was sitting. The whole time, his eyes were on me.
“Yeah. I’m about to leave. I’ve witnessed enough action for the night,” I blurted out.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered, but I quickly shook my head.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to do that,” I said.
With a solemn expression on his face, he came closer.
“I look like I let someone tell me what I don’t have to do? You a woman! A woman in a dress, and for whatever fuckin’ reason, when some men see a woman in a dress, they act like fuckin’ vultures. Ion want shit from you, ma. Ion want your name, your phone number, a kiss, a hug, not even a thank you. Let me just walk you to your car, then I’ll go on about my night, and you can do the same,” he spat.
He was so rude. I looked at him long and hard before I turned on my heels and led the way out of the section. We had to pass the dance floor to get out of the club. Slow music played throughout the club, and Twinkle and Monterius were damn near having sex on the dance floor. He had her bent over and was slowly moving his pelvis against her. She had the nerve to tell me that she was only going to be gone for ten minutes. I would text her when I got in the car to let her know that I had left. She was going home with Monterius anyway, so it wasn’t like I was leaving her.
“Damn, Billion. You leaving already? Me and my girls are just getting here,” a very beautiful woman said to Billionaire as soon as we reached the door, and he opened it for me.
“I’m coming back,” was all he told her, and then we walked out together.
We didn’t say anything to each other on the walk to my car. I pulled my keys out from my clutch, and in just a few seconds, I had popped the lock and let myself inside. He stood by the driver’s side door, watching me.
“Thank you,” I told him.
“I don’t need a thank you, shorty. Drive safe,” he said, and just like that, he hit the hood of my car and left.
I watched as Billion swaggered back into the club. He was right; he really didn’t want my name or my number. It was cool because, just like I felt that he was out of my league, I was sure he more than likely felt the same way about me.
“Damn, ma! Ride that dick just like that… just like that! Shit!” I groaned and tossed my head back, removing the blunt that I was smoking on from my mouth. Fu
ck around and choke on this good ass blunt while I was getting my dick rode straight up nasty style.
It wasn’t the best pussy in the world, but it was enough to have my toes curling, throwing up gang signs and shit. It was four in the morning, and I’d just gotten to my hotel suite from my welcome home party. I had two of the prettiest bitches in the room with me, and they were doing some sinful shit, not only to me but to each other.
I won’t even act like I went five years without sliding in some pussy. While I was locked up, my baby mama, Denim, would come and see about a nigga every other week. She would bless a nigga with that royal shit that sat between her legs too. It was always quick shit, though. Quick and on edge because either I would have her watching to make sure that the fuck ass guards didn’t catch us, or I would be the one looking out. Those type of visits always required Denim to come in either a dress or a skirt, giving a nigga easy access. That fingering under the table shit just wasn’t for a nigga like me. I needed to feel it, dig in it, and bust all in it.
I don’t know why Florida didn’t just go ahead and make conjugal visits legal because niggas be in that visitation room, risking it all for a quick ass nut. Then again, Florida legalizing conjugal visits didn’t have shit to do with me because I swear I wasn’t going back. I’d kill myself before I did a day in prison again. I don’t give a fuck what anybody says, that prison life will bring the hardest nigga to their fuckin’ knees. They kept us caged up for twenty-three hours out of the fuckin’ day, and during those twenty-three hours, you’re forced to be locked inside of something equivalent to a fuckin’ box. That shit was made to kill us.
The circumstances that came along with prison was meant for us, especially the niggas, to off ourselves. Before I was put in the back of that squad car, I used to think that I was fuckin’ invincible. I had been doing bad shit since I was five years old. In kindergarten, I would go to the back of the classroom and steal my teacher’s candies and shit that she had for the kids who behaved well. I never got none of that fuckin’ candy because I was always bad. Because I knew that I wouldn’t get any of it, shit, I would just take it.
Turned Out by His Hood Mentality 1 Page 4
