TTW 3 ( Thicker Than Water 3 )

by Takerra, Allen

  The officer’s hand stopped mid air before the donut could ever reach his dropped-jaw mouth, while the other apparently had a loss of memory as his steaming hot coffee slipped from his hand and landed in his lap.

  “Holy fucking shit! Goddammit!” He screamed jumping up. “Han-hands above y-y-your head motherfucker!” The officer shifted his eyes from Ree to the back of the precinct quickly.

  “Roberts, we got a live one!” He shouted anxiously, still looking at Ree as if he would disappear.

  “And you’re not gonna believe who the fuck it is!” He added.

  The other officer remained frozen as his eyes stayed fixated on the man they knew as Respect. Turn himself in? What the fuck was this nigger up to?

  Ree smirked and put his weed out on the countertop after his last toke. And then he slowly lifted his hands and placed them on his head.

  The arrogance in his motions showed that he knew exactly what he was doing. And within seconds a dozen officers surrounded him and had him cuffed. Phase one was in full effect.

  …Oh lover! Don’t you dare slow down...Go longer, you can last more rounds…

  Push harder, you’re almost there now…So go lover, make mama proud…

  Bleek lay back with his hands crossed behind his head. The feel of the red satin sheets against his skin felt good, but not as good as the warm tongue that traced the shaft of his dick and now was trailing from his washboard stomach up his slim and cut up torso.

  …And when we’re done, I don’t wanna feel my… legssss…

  The sounds of the sex music combined with the scented candle and her perfect, oiled up naked body should’ve been enough to have his full attention…but it was not.

  “Mmm…I told you I was gonna take good care of you, didn’t I? Mama gon’ make you an addict tonight, baby…” Jayde brought her red lips up to Bleek’s left ear and used the tip of her tongue to tickle his lobe but Bleek continued to stare at the ceiling, lost. After a few seconds of silence, Jayde’s mouth dropped in a frown and she grabbed his face with her red-stained nails.

  “Hey!”

  He shifted his baby browns to her face but kept his blank expression.

  “You know…I don’t believe this shit,” she chuckled. “You got a wet pussy staring you in the face and you thinking about your girlfriend like a little bitch?”

  Bleek stared at her but didn’t respond. If he could get his dick past the semi-hard phase, he planned on shoving it down her throat so hard it bruised her tonsils, just for her slick ass mouth. But his mind…his mind was on pause.

  “I mean…I wanna fuck tonight. And you should be thrilled. Don’t disappoint me, Bleek. That bitch’ll still be there when you get home.”

  “Hey. Chill on the bitches,” he warned, still having a good amount of respect for his baby’s mother. “…And I’m not thinking about her.”

  “Yeah right,” Jayde tittered, having no idea that he was speaking the truth.

  Just then, his phone rang and Jayde picked it up from the nightstand.

  “Yo…mind ya business,” he told her, snatching it from her hand. Jayde smirked.

  After taking a long look and thoughtful moment, Bleek answered.

  “Yo…”

  There was a brief silence. And then…

  “Hey.”

  Bleek took a deep breath, for some reason feeling guilty at the sound of her voice.

  “Hey…what’s up?”

  He stood up and walked away from Jayde, toward the bathroom as he tried to ignore the scowl she wore. Jayde was not used to being ignored, and she didn’t like it.

  “We need to talk,” Sasha blurted out, feeling like the courage may dwindle if she didn’t just go all in. “You know…about what happened. Did you get my text?”

  “Yeah…” he answered nonchalantly.

  “So…why didn’t you answer? Can you meet me?”

  Bleek took a deep breath.

  “It depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On what you wanna meet about,” he answered truthfully. “If it’s about that bullshit you wrote, about it being a mistake and all that…then nah…I’m good. You said that already. You don’t need to say that no more.”

  He tried to speak low so Jayde couldn’t ear hustle. “But if you wanna talk about the truth…how you liked it just as much as I did. How you can’t stop thinking about it…that’s why you wanna see me in person…then we can do that.”

  The silence couldn’t reveal it but Sasha had dropped her jaw on the other line. Bleek was bonafide crazy with a death wish.

  “Bleek! Liked it?” She asked him. “Are you crazy? I couldn’t like it if I wanted to. Look…I’m with Chauncey. That shit that happened…it was…you just caught me at a weak moment. I mean…I love Chauncey.”

  “I know,” he told her boldly. “But right now, my man ain’t really got the time for you that I do. And we both know a chick like you require time like a muhfucka. So I figure, why not spend it with me…and I use that time to convince you that it just may be something here.”

  Sasha took a deep breath. When did Bleek get so bold about this? She just wanted to clean up her mistake before anyone got hurt, more specifically her and Bleek. She knew Chauncey would kill them both if he found out they’d slipped up.

  “Bleek…I don’t… I mean, I thought that was ya man?”

  Bleek having respect for Chauncey, but also not denying the things he was feeling for Sasha, decided to keep it 100% real.

  “Nah shawty…that’s your man. I respect C, I do. But business is business. This here is something else. Trust me ma…”

  Bleek ran his hand over his smooth face and peeked over at Jayde to make sure she was clueless to his conversation. When he saw her laying back playing with herself in another world, he continued in a hushed whisper.

  “I’m feeling you. And the shit keeps going. I ‘ont know how to stop it. I tried…but I can’t.”

  Sasha, who was now starting to walk into the hospital where she was dropping off a resume, had to halt in her steps in shock. What had she done?

  “Bleek…don’t…don’t get me wrong...” She pulled back the heavy door to the entrance and started down the corridor, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “You’re…you’re attractive. And you’re funny, and I have fun with you…”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “My man is the problem.”

  “That’s right…now what’s the solution?”

  Bleek was just like Chauncey in some ways…relentless. The way he was playing it reminded Sasha so much of Chauncey’s arrogance. Maybe that’s what attracted her. But she knew he couldn’t compare to the history her and Chauncey had.

  “And here I was thinkin’ you was so big on loyalty,” she quipped, remembering all that he preached when he looked out for her on the strength of Chauncey.

  “I am,” he stated confidently. “I’d never cross anybody on the levels that we deal. Me and C deal on this get money level, and I’d be loyal to him on that. But I’m also big on going after what I want…and taking what’s yours.”

  “And I’m yours?” Sasha asked sarcastically. Bleek’s chuckle was his response.

  “Bleek, we had a moment. We made a mistake. Let’s just leave it at that.” She wanted to tell him not to end his young life so soon. Messing with Chauncey was like suicide.

  “Oh you know it was more than that, ma…” Before Bleek could say anymore he saw Jayde standing in the doorway.

  “Bleek, let’s wrap it up. Tell your sweetheart you’ve got work to do.” Jayde spoke loud enough for whoever it was to hear her clearly as she shot him a seductive wink.

  “Ha! I should’ve known you were with Jayde. Well, go ahead. I’m sure she has a lot of work for you to do!” Sasha teased sarcastically as she neared the reception desk.

  “But see, why you sounding jealous, tho’?” Bleek questioned as he watched Jayde strut back to the bed.

  “I’m not! Trust me. Besides, I have to go; I’
m meeting Chauncey for dinner. So go ahead! Tell Jayde I said hello…I’m sure she’s gonna work the hell out of you,” Sasha tittered.

  “Yeah, aight…” Bleek shot as Sasha disconnected the call. He couldn’t front, the thought of her and Chauncey having an evening alone had him a little jealous. And he never was the jealous type. He had dealt with chicks in the past and watched them be with other dudes after, and it wouldn’t faze him. His first love had even broke his heart and skated on him for another dude, and he’d let it go. He even ended up being cool with dude after because he knew he still slid her the pipe occasionally. That’s how little stuff like that used to be to him. But now…now was different.

  “Was your girlfriend mad?” Jayde asked, snapping him out of his thoughts as he made his way back over to her. He knew she didn’t give a fuck.

  “Uh…nah. Nah, she was straight.”

  Jayde watched him take a seat on the edge of the bed and light up a blunt as if he hadn’t just lied to her face. At that moment she knew something was up but she didn’t show it. If it wasn’t his demeanor that gave it away, or the fifteen minute long conversation, it was the fact that Jayde knew the number she had seen on his screen when she handed him the phone. And if he had to lie about it being Sasha who had called him, then the two of them had something to hide. And Jayde was determined to find out what it was.

  “I’m sorry I missed Dr. Grant. The traffic out there is insane. I guess from the rain.” Sasha smiled at the young girl and handed over her detailed and professional resume enclosed in a plastic case.

  Sasha looked sharp in her three quarter Chanel rain coat and pumps, even though her damp hair had began to stick to her face slightly.

  The girl smiled at her shyly, admiring Sasha’s beauty.

  “It’s fine. He said to just leave it and he’ll give you a call…Sasha,” the girl read slowly reading the resume.

  “That’s right. Okay, thanks!” Sasha waved, turning and beginning to strut off. Just then, pieces of what she’d just heard began to come back to the young nurse.

  “Um…excuse me! Sasha! Sasha, wait...”

  She jogged after her anxiously and Sasha turned, hearing the last call and footsteps.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m…I’m sorry,” the nurse started, a little out of breath. “It’s just…your name is Sasha.”

  Sasha looked at her like she was crazy.

  “Um…yeah…”

  “And…and you said… on the phone. You…you know a man named Chauncey?”

  Sasha took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. If Chauncey was messing around with this Chinese looking chick she was going to kill him. He better had not started his cheating shit again.

  “Yeah, and?” Sasha shot with a little attitude.

  “And uhm…I’m sorry…but you also said you know…someone named Jayde?”

  Sasha wrinkled her brows and threw her hand on her hip.

  “Were you spying on my conversation?”

  “No… I mean, yes… I mean…please. Do you know someone named Jayde? I swear it’s important” The girl seemed distressed, desperate even. Sasha sighed.

  “Yeah. She’s my frien- …I mean, she’s my sist-” Sasha cut herself short, wanting nothing to do with anything Jayde may have gotten into. “Look…sweetie… If she did something to you…or to someone you know… just, trust me. Leave it alone. Leave her alone.”

  Sasha turned to walk but the girl grabbed her arm.

  “No! Please…I have…I have something I think you should hear.” The way she leaned in and whispered piqued Sasha’s interest, but if it had to do with Jayde, she really wanted no parts.

  “Adriana! I need those charts, please,” another nurse called out and interrupted. Adriana looked down at the clipboard in her hand and then up at Sasha who she was sure was someone from the tape she had heard. The more she looked at her, she kinda looked like one of the girls from the picture, even though Adriana thought all black girls looked alike. Still, it was all too much of a coincidence. Sasha, Chauncey, Jayde…

  “Now, Adriana!” The nurse yelled.

  “Please…just wait here. I’ll be right back!”

  Adriana ran rapid speed down the hall and handed the nurse her clipboards in haste, anxious to get back to Sasha and finally try to do some justice for the young girl who had lost her life.

  Don’t worry Penelope…I think we’ve got something…she’ll pay for what she did... Adriana said to herself in hope as she jogged back.

  But when she returned, Sasha was nowhere in sight.

  ***

  “And this right here…this is the Romano cheese. If you mix it with your parmesan, it makes the taste sharper.”

  “Aight, bet…so give me some of that Romano, too.”

  “Sure thing,” the woman behind the deli table smiled as she walked away from Chauncey. Chauncey had every female’s attention as he stood in the middle of Whole Foods, with a shopper’s basket containing all of the ingredients for the romantic dinner he planned on cooking for Sasha.

  He knew he was wrong for snapping on her the way he did at the wedding, and since they returned she had been letting him know it too. She’d been throwing him straight shade. Instead of apologizing the old fashioned way, Chauncey figured he’d do things the way he did them best, the nigga way, doing something to make her smile and hope she forget about it.

  “I see nothing’s changed. Still driving the girls crazy…even the cheese lady done got her panties wet, huh?”

  Chauncey shifted his eyes over to where the voice came from and couldn’t believe what he saw.

  “Lizette?”

  She smiled bright, showing a white set of teeth surrounded by pink glossed lips. Lizette was a girl from Newark who used to strip at the Cherry Bar with Kim. E had even told Chauncey she was a sure freak and had done some shit with him and Kim. Chauncey never knew whether to know if that nigga was exaggerating or not though. Just thinking of E caused him to chuckle slightly.

  “Yeah, it’s me…what brings you to the A?” She asked in her Puerto Rican dipped voice. Being in the south, anyone from up north really paid attention to each other’s accents on the rare occasions they got to hear it.

  “Can ask you the same thing,” Chauncey shot, never being one to reveal too much.

  She shrugged.

  “Long story. But the synopsis. Met a ball player, jumped state, didn’t work out. Here I am. Your turn.”

  “Change of scenery,” he kept it simple.

  Lizette studied Chauncey in his jeans, designer flannel shirt, Prada sneakers, and signature ice. Dark skin, waves, and goatee always was on point. He was the man in Brick City and he seemed to be the man here too.

  “Cooking dinner?” She smiled, placing her thumb on the pocket of her short denim shorts. They covered little, just like the white wife beater she wore over her visible leopard print bra and matching stilettos. Her long blond dyed hair was wet and wavy in the way those Hispanic girls could do it. She looked good, but not in the classic sense. “Lucky lady,” she added.

  “You know her,” he stated smoothly.

  Lizette’s eyes widened but she hid her jealousy. She hated Sasha, always had. Tatum was also a second runner up on her ‘fuck that bitch’ list.

  “No!” She exclaimed in shock. “So she still putting up with ya ass, huh? Glad y’all made it thru all that.”

  Chauncey knew what she meant. There weren’t many who didn’t know about the whole Chauncey almost killing Neli in the hotel room after she set him up to reveal their affair to Sasha shebang.

  “Yeah…thanks.”

  Chauncey stepped up and took his packaged cheese from the grinning cheese lady.

  “Wish I was the one you were cooking for,” the chubby deli lady said with a grin. Lizette smirked.

  “Guess I gotta take a number, huh?” She spoke as she walked over and took a number from the red machine, but Chauncey had a feeling she wasn’t talking about the line for the cold cuts.