Thirsty

by Mike Sanders

  Later in the evening, we ventured down to the recreation room in my large basement for a few drinks and shot a few games of pool. I had sparked up some weed and offered it to her but she declined, stating that her job required random drug testing and she didn’t want to get caught out there. I respected it and commenced to get lifted without her.

  While showing her how to properly hold the pool stick, I knew she could feel my dick as it pressed against her ass while I stood behind her, giving her pointers. My semi-erect dick was only a preview of what was in store for her.

  We drank, conversed, and got to know one another a little better as we lounged in the basement area listening to music.

  “So, what happened to your friend?” Janeka’s sexy voice was straining to be heard over the music. She was seated on my white loveseat as I lay back on the matching colored recliner near the digital speakers that pumped Anthony Hamilton’s latest joint. All of the furniture in my house was pure white, unlike the furniture in my condo, which was all green. The green represented money and the white represented how I was making it.

  I took a sip of the Goose and pineapple that she had made for me from my well-stocked bar, and then responded to her question.

  “Some coward gunned him down while he was sittin’ in his truck mindin’ his bizness.”

  The thought of my partner being six feet under brought back that dreadful feeling again.

  Janeka must have peeped my mood change because she commented, “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t wanna.”

  “Nah, it’s cool,” I answered. I needed to vent anyway. “Yeah, it was retaliation for some shit that jumped off awhile back.”

  “Retaliation?” she asked with raised eyebrows. She then gave me a puzzling look, which I interpreted as “intrigue.” That gangsta shit was turning this bitch on. So, I decided to give it to her ass raw. “Oh, you like that gangsta shit, huh?” I asked, smiling.

  Janeka smiled back sensuously while chewing her bottom lip. I knew that deep down inside, all good girls liked gangstas, but Janeka seemed to be getting off on that shit. She got up and turned down the stereo so she could hear me better.

  “See, some muthafuckas robbed one o’ my mans. And we got at them niggas. But one of ‘em apparently got back at us and Ali paid for it.”

  While I spoke, Janeka had walked over and taken a seat on the arm of the recliner I was sitting in and began caressing my chest and shoulders.

  She whispered in my ear, “Damn, baby, you’re a dangerous man, huh?”

  She was breathing in my ear, making my dick do the Bankhead Bounce in my shorts.

  I was enjoying the feel of her small hands on my chest.

  “Nah, I ain’t dangerous. I’m just nothin’ to fuck with.”

  This girl was so sexy. I wanted to fuck this bitch bad, and from the look in her smoldering eyes it seemed as if she was ready to rip off her own panties for me.

  “I bet if I pissed you off, you’d put out a hit on me or something, huh?” she jokingly questioned while gazing at me with those doeshaped eyes.

  “Nah, I only strike when necessary,” I returned while running my fingers through her silky hair. “All the niggas I’ve ever put in the dirt… it was necessary to give them a permanent nap,” I added while pulling her onto my lap, kissing her soft, sweet lips. Her hand rubbed my dick as I removed her shirt and pulled up her lace bra, exposing the most perfect set of titties I’d ever seen. I caressed them as she moaned softly while continuing to massage my dick through my shorts.

  Janeka purred in my ear, “Oooh, baaaaby, you making my pussy wet. My clit’s throbbin’.”

  I began sucking her nipples and in between licks I said, “My niggas... love AKs…T.G.I. Fridays was my work.”

  That shit had her moaning and pulling my head into her breasts urging me to suck harder. While still licking and sucking her titties, I let my hand slide down between her thighs in an attempt to see just how wet that pussy really was. Just as my hand felt the heat radiating from her hot pussy she clamped her legs shut.

  She moaned softly, “Wait a minute, baby. This pussy ain’t heard enough yet.”

  She was looking at me with lusting eyes.

  “Oh, I’m talkin’ to the pussy now?” I laughed.

  Then I looked intently into her eyes and peeped a slight change in her demeanor as if she were trying to decide whether or not to let me get it. I reached for her crotch again, and again she avoided my hand. A strange feeling washed over me for a moment and just as I was about to question her actions I heard the unmistakable sound of my front door come crashing in.

  I looked at the sinister smile on Janeka’s face and knew at that instance that I’d been snaked! I threw that bitch off my lap and dashed for my pistol, which was stashed behind the entertainment center. If I was going out, I wasn’t going out by myself and this snake bitch was gonna be the first to get it!

  I looked over at Janeka as she was hastily putting her top back on and mumbling to herself.

  I thought I heard her say, “We’re in the basement. He’s strapped.”

  “Fuck you talkin’ to?” I hissed at her and pointed the pistol in her direction, ready to squeeze.

  “Carlos, you don’t wanna do that. I suggest you put the gun down and we can both come out of this situation unharmed.”

  She was speaking with calmness that I’d never heard her speak with since I had been dating her.

  “Bitch, shut the fuck up, and don’t move,” I demanded as I heard some niggas moving about above us like they were headed towards the basement where we were. I yelled as I walked toward her with fire in my eyes.

  “Who da fuck you send at me? You fuckin’ wit’ Monk, ain’t you?”

  “Carlos, don’t point that damn gun at me!” she stated, more like demanded.

  “Bitch, you got me fucked up!” I hissed as I cocked my pistol back, loading one into the chamber. I was ready to blow this bitch’s wig back.

  I heard footsteps getting closer as Janeka stared toward the stairs with a look of apprehension in her eyes. She took a step toward the staircase and I knew she was thinking about running, so I grabbed her by the throat and put my arm around her neck. I held her in a choke hold with my pistol resting on her temple. I could feel her body trembling with fear as the footsteps got closer to the stairs. I positioned her body in front of mine so that she would catch the first piece of lead from her people’s guns.

  “Carlos, you hurtin’ me, let me g...”

  Those were the only words she was able to get out before I looked up and saw my worst fear become a reality!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE MONK

  Tan and I were sitting in D.C.’s living room blowing Haze and relaxing. I blew a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling as I thought, Sixty-two grand ain’t bad for an unexpected bonus.

  After I’d slumped that nigga Ali, I went back into hibernation because I thought Carlos and his boys would be on a rampage. But word on the street was that Carlos had subsequently met an unfortunate circumstance and just as I figured, his boys were lost without him. They say if you strike the shepherd the sheep will scatter. That old proverb was so true in the situation at hand because those niggas couldn’t even think without him.

  Once Carlos was gone, I’d turned the game up on them. I stalked them from a distance until I’d found out where they were hanging out. They were congregating at a condo out in Ballentyne, which was on the outskirts of Charlotte. This spot was so secluded that if you weren’t actually looking for it you’d probably miss it. They thought they were being discreet, but they had no idea I was laying on them. Preying on niggas was second nature to me because it becomes a habit for a trueto-heart stick up kid.

  Every time I thought about what I’d done to those niggas it brought about a hearty, satisfying laugh because I had definitely made them feel me late one Friday night as they exited the condo. I emptied my clip on them niggas and saw two of them fall before I fled the scene. The element of surprise is a be
autiful thing.

  I sat back on D.C.’s sofa and thought about what I’d heard about Carlos and how he’d went out and it made me laugh out loud, causing me to choke on the blunt I’d been puffing on. Tan reached over to pat my back and offered, “You good?”

  “Yeah, I’m aiight,” I responded between coughs as I passed her the weed.

  Tan and I had been lounging on the sofa listening to the quiet storm for the past hour or so in a state of total relaxation. I’d been spending quite a bit of QT time with her over the past couple of weeks and had really been enjoying her company. Since I’d been laying low, her and my sister were the only people I’d been in contact with because I didn’t need anybody else in my mix at this point.

  By Tan not being from Charlotte, she was clueless as to what was going on and she had no idea that I was in the middle of a fuckin’ war. My predicament was foreign to her, so that alone made her the perfect person to hang out with. She’d been playing hard with the ass, but I could tell she was about to break at any minute because she’d become too comfortable around me. I was just waiting it out like a Mexican stand-off.

  I turned up the volume on the stereo with the remote when I heard “Seems Like You’re Ready,” an old school joint by R. Kelly. Tan began singing along with the radio. It was at that minute when I actually took a good look at her and realized just how beautiful this girl was. Tan had a natural beauty that most women of her ethnicity were blessed with and her body was unbelievable!

  As I stared at her through half-closed eyes, I thought about when I’d run up in her house and slapped her around. It made me feel kind of bad about the whole incident. My feeling half sorry for her was another reason I’d been spending time with her and wasn’t pressing her for the pussy. I felt like I owed her, in a weird kind of way. She was cool as hell with a kindred spirit and was seemingly green to the street life. I admired that about her because I was tired of dealing with those wannabe half ass slick bitches. And the fact that she was bi-sexual, something that she still hadn’t openly admitted, was a turn on all within itself.

  Being around Tan was therapeutic for me because she seemed so genuine and down to earth, and I needed that. She never questioned me about my life in the streets and she never once passed judgment. However, she did mention that I should consider slowing down once I’d told her that D.C. had gotten gunned down.

  My silent thoughts on her suggestion of me slowing down were, Thanks, but no thanks. Shit is way too thick out here for a nigga to slow down.

  As I lay back in the plush leather I let the weed do its thing. I thought about Carlos again and how he’d fell for the okey-doke like a true cone head. True enough, I’d always known that every man has a thumbscrew, a weakness, and Carlos’s weakness had always been pretty bitches with phat asses. But like that old school group BBD once sang “Never trust a big butt and a smile.” That broad had really been poison. But I guessed that was just one of life’s many curve balls that he just couldn’t manage to duck. Ole girl had really rocked him to sleep.

  I kicked my feet up on D.C.’s coffee table and looked over at Tan while she sang the last verse of R. Kelly’s joint. I thought about what my sister had suggested about going back home and I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a bad idea. I hadn’t been back to Chi-town since I was a kid and I was now kind of looking forward to the return trip. Justice was right, Charlotte had become too much for a nigga and I was getting tired of trying to maneuver while constantly having to look over my shoulder. It was bad enough that I had to worry about niggas who I’d robbed trying to get some get-back, but I had to be on point about a nigga who I didn’t rob but wanted me dead. The game was starting to get deeper, and the more thought I gave it, the more I realized that I was getting burnt out on that shit.

  “Did you hear me?” Tan asked. Apparently she’d been talking to me while I was lost in thought.

  “Say what?” I was barely able to hold my eyes open.

  “I said you look like a black Bruce Lee. I can’t even see your eyes. Are they even open?” she joked.

  “You got jokes tonight, huh?” I smiled at her.

  We talked well into the night until at one point she checked her watch and told me that she had to get home but she’d see me again soon. I stopped her as she arose from the sofa to grab her purse.

  Holding her hand, I said, “I’m leavin’ in a few days. Me and my sister going to Cali for a minute, and I’on’ even know if I’m comin’ back.” I lied with a straight face.

  Tan gave me an inquisitive stare for a minute, and then said, “Just when we were getting to know one another.”

  She had a hint of disappointment in her voice.

  I wanted to say, “Bitch, you don’t even know my real name, so how we getting to know one another?” But what I actually said was, “Yeah, I know. But I wanna keep in touch wit’ choo though.” I was caressing her hand.

  “No doubt,” she responded. “But you betta not leave before we see each other again. Because I got something I wanna give you. I been waiting to let you have it for quite some time now, but I guess you can have it as a going away gift.”

  She licked her lips, running her tongue from one corner of her mouth to the other in slow motion. There was no misunderstanding her meaning because she was making it more than obvious.

  I stood up and told her, “Hell, you can give it to me right now! Why make a nigga wait?” I was pulling her into my arms as I spoke.

  She pulled away slowly and started towards the door, smiling, “Nah, I think I’ll wait ’til I see you again. That way I’ll be sure you won’t leave without gettin’ at me. Look at it this way, you’ve got something to look forward to next time we see each other.”

  With that said, she was out the door.

  That girl had just teased the shit out of a nigga. But it was all good because the next time I would see her I’d be digging up in those guts. She had made it quite clear that the ass was only a phone call away, and I was anxious as hell to tear down those sugar walls. I’d always had a fantasy of hearing a bitch speak that Spanish shit in my ear and call me Papi while I fucked the shit out of her. Now, I was going to finally get that chance. I was thinking that maybe I’d get lucky and she’d bring ToWanda’s tall ass with her for a threesome. It was wishful thinking, but I was just glad that things were starting to look up for me.

  After Tan had left, I secured D.C.’s deadbolts, grabbed my two glocks and peeped out of both the front and back windows, Malcolm X-style, to make sure shit was still tranquil outside. Faded or not, I was still on point and conscious of my surroundings because I knew at any given time a foe could step out of the shadows and try to put a nigga to sleep. But I was on point, ready for whoever wanted it with me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR JUSTICE

  Ever since I had suggested that me and Monk take a trip back home I’d been looking forward to the day when we would leave. I had talked to J.T. and told him that I had been thinking about going back to Chicago for awhile and as expected, he didn’t want me to leave. I really didn’t want to leave him either, but I knew as long as I stayed in Charlotte I’d never be able to live a peaceful life. Besides, I couldn’t stay cooped up in J.T.’s house forever.

  Although Carlos had been met with an unfortunate circumstance, I knew his henchmen were still lurking in the cut, waiting for me to resurface. And I couldn’t live my life constantly being paranoid, not knowing whether I’d catch a bullet while walking down the street or while pumping gas like the victims of the D.C. sniper, I couldn’t live like that.

  I was thrilled when Monk had told me that he’d made up his mind to go back home with me. With each day that passed without me hearing from him had me in suspended terror. I was worried about my brother’s safety because Monk was the only family I had. I didn’t know what I’d do if I was to lose him.

  Everything had seemed to be getting better for me, until one morning I was laying in J.T.’s bed when his home phone rang. He’d already left for the day, and out of re
spect I still wasn’t answering his phone so I just let it ring. After a few rings his answering machine picked up. Apparently he’d forgotten to turn the volume down because I heard a chick’s voice loud and clear. I started to reach over and turn down the volume, but the voice sounded very familiar and it piqued my curiosity so I let it play.

  “J.T., this is Joy again. I’m tired of callin’ you and you ain’t callin’ a bitch back. I wants my money nigga! I ain’t playin’! You an’ Red ain’t gonna play me like that. If you don’t want me to call Lil’ Joe and Supreme an’ nem and tell ’em what really happened, you betta come up off my stacks and I mean today muthafucka!”

  Anger crept up on me and I started to pick up the phone and blaze that heifer, but her next words made me sit straight up in the bed and gasp.

  Joy said, “How you think Justice and Monk would feel if they knew the truth? Oh, you think I didn’t know you been layin’ up wit’ that bitch? You betta get at me nigga!”

  It was Sapphire’s cousin Joy, and after she’d hung up I sat there spellbound, staring wide-eyed at that damn machine as if it would get up and walk away at any given second.

  “What the hell!?” I said aloud. What the fuck had she meant by “how Justice would feel if she knew the truth?” What fuckin’ “truth”? And what did Carlos’s boys have to do with J.T.? I didn’t know that J.T. even knew those niggas. And why in the hell had my name just come outta this bitch’s mouth?

  I thought, Oh hell nah, lemme call this bitch back!

  My tongue ring had unconsciously begun tapping my teeth. I jumped my naked ass out of bed with a scarf tied around my

  head. Titties were bouncing everywhere as I reached for the phone and pressed *69 to return the call. I listened as a recording picked up and announced that the number would not accept incoming calls.

  Damn! Think Justice! Think!