Hustle Hard

by Saundra

  “Get them two hood rats the fuck up outta here,” Kirk ordered the security guards.

  And just like that, the commotion was over. I could not believe what had just gone down. Here we were, trying to have a good time, and these chicks come in here and ruin everything. Trying to fix ourselves back up, we looked at each other to be sure we were cool.

  “Everybody cool.” Kirk stepped in to check on us. “That was crazy.”

  “We good,” Secret said. “These bitches got to learn a lesson in respect. It’s levels, too, this shit.”

  “No doubt,” I cosigned. I did not like fighting at all, but I would not sit back and be hit. Ever. I could go from zero to one hundred real quick.

  “Yo, Isis. You one-two’d that big bitch real quick. It’s gone be a minute before she forget that.” Kirk laughed.

  “She better remember. How she gone run up on me when I’m only trying to help?” I said.

  “But who was them hoes?” Kirk asked.

  “A dude I used to mess wit’s wife . . . Yo, listen, I didn’t know he was married. But when I found out, I cut him off. If she would have let me explain instead of tryin’ to boss up, she coulda saved herself the ass whoopin’,” Courtney mouthed.

  “Next time she will.” Trina laughed.

  “I hope so. ’Cause I don’t need nobody messin’ up my hair and makeup. Now I’m mad,” I complained.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll buy you new hair and makeup.” Kirk chuckled. “Now turn back up, the night still young.”

  “That’s right. I’ll never let a bitch ruin my good time.” Secret was hype. “Aye, bartender, pour it up,” she shouted. And just like that, we went back to our party, and the night was great. We didn’t miss a drink or a beat.

  Chapter 29

  Secret

  The altercation at the club with Courtney and her ex’s wife turned out to be just a slight bump in the road. It didn’t spoil our night one bit. We were still so turned up, we decided to hit the strip club for a while. Our mode was definitely turn down for what! I was in such a good mood, I decided it was time to call Calvin; maybe I could let him off punishment. It had been a minute, and he still was blowing me up trying to get my attention. And tonight I was ready, because I was sexually frustrated.

  I rang his doorbell three times before he finally opened up. “Secret, what are you doing out here at three in the morning?” he asked me. I laughed at him because he looked so serious.

  “What are you, my dad now?” I pushed past him. “Wait?” I turned to him. “Did you really want an answer to that?”

  “I see somebody has been drinking,” he pointed out.

  This time I just looked at him. He was starting to annoy me quickly. “Listen, if you gone talk to me in the third person, I’m leaving.” I started toward the door.

  “No, Secret, wait.” He blocked my exit. “Listen, babe, I just missed you, that’s all.” I knew he wouldn’t let me leave. Plus, he was looking good, standing in front of me, so I let it slide.

  “Well, if you missed me so much, then maybe you wouldn’t play games.” I turned on my heel and made my way into his den. He had a huge Italian leather sectional in there that I absolutely adored. I bounced right down and kicked off my Manolos, then leaned back and slid out of my one-piece, cropped, fitted body dress and laid back.

  “What games?” He played dumb all the while lusting over my now naked body. Normally I would go off, but I was not in the mood. So he would get a friendly pass.

  “The next time you decide to ignore one of my calls, just remember. I don’t respond well to bullshit.”

  “Babe, so you ignored me for weeks because you assumed I ignored one of your calls? That’s not fair,” he all but whined.

  “And what in life is fair?” I raised my right eyebrow at him. This told him that I was done with that conversation.

  “Damn, woman, you have a heart that’s cold like ice.” He picked up both my feet and sucked the big toe on each. I moaned from pleasure. Calvin knew how to make me feel good. That’s the only reason he had a second chance to be in my good graces. “Even still, I crave you.” He smiled.

  “I know you do . . . Now climb up here,” I ordered, and I did not have to tell him twice.

  Calvin lay on top of me, and we came face-to-face. He opened his mouth, and I slid my tongue inside. I sucked his tongue so good he froze still from pleasure. Bringing his tongue from inside my mouth, he let it trail down my chest, then it found each one of my nipples. He sucked them so gently yet with so much passion, I screamed. My middle thumped so hard it all but called Calvin’s name. He lowered his head, and his strong tongue found my love and buried itself deep inside. My thighs wouldn’t stop shaking and my walls begged him to fill me; he pulled down his silk pajama pants. I smiled as I watched his member standing at attention. I pulled him back down toward me, and he slowly guided himself inside. I moaned from deep within and rode him from below begging, encouraging him to go deeper and deeper until I exploded.

  * * *

  “After the long night we just had hanging out, why you up in here this early showing eighty-eight?” Isis referred to the smile on my face. And she was right, it was early, but I felt good after a night on the town with my friends. And four orgasms later, I was on cloud nine.

  “Don’t be a hater, okay? It ain’t cute on you,” I joked.

  “I ain’t no hater. But you actin’ strange up in here. So what’s up? Spit it out, ’cause you ain’t never this happy in the a.m.” One thing I knew for sure, there was no fooling Isis; she knew me like a book, and if need be could recite me by the page. There was no getting over on her.

  “Girl, after I left y’all last night, I went over to Calvin’s. And I already told you, homeboy got skills. And let me just say he relieved all my frustrations. I’m a happy bitch because of him.”

  “Wait, after the way you dogged that poor man, snatched out his bleeding heart, and stuck it in your toilet, shit on it, he let your ass back in his life, his house? He must be desperate or in love. Either way it’s sad.” Isis chuckled.

  “Shut up.” I laughed at her dramatic breakdown of Calvin and the wrong I allegedly had done him. “Ain’t nobody dogged him or snatched out his pathetic heart. Hid ass know he ain’t never got the upper hand. And if he remember that, he might stay around a little longer.”

  “I swear on all that’s holy, you got game.” Isis laughed. “You keep this up and you gone be pimp of the year.”

  “Whatever, I ain’t interested in none of that. But you got to let these niggas know what’s up. What you need to do is find a man so that you can relieve some that frustration that you got. Shit, Rico been gone, it’s time to move on.” After Rico had ghosted, Isis had all but shut down when it came to men. All work and no play was her new reality. I knew she was hurt about Rico leaving, but Bobbi had left, too, and she had eventually gotten over it. But things just weren’t working out that way, now that Rico was gone. I had tried to set her up with all types of guys, but she refused, just saying she wasn’t ready or didn’t have the time. I hoped that she snapped out of that and soon, because at the end of the day she was a woman and she had needs. Needs that Custom Hot Rides, and all the money in the world, couldn’t ease.

  “See . . .” Isis started to respond but was cut off by a knock on the office door.

  “Come in,” we said in unison. Courtney opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Hey, y’all, I hate to interrupt.”

  “Ahh, it’s cool. What’s up?” I said.

  “I just wanted to say thanks again for having my back last night.”

  “No doubt,” Isis and I said in unison, again.

  “Besides, that bitch had it coming; she was all the way wrong. And I’ll fuck up any bitch that ever tries to destroy my good time.” I chuckled. “But real talk, you family; we always got you.”

  “And that’s real,” Isis agreed.

  “But yo, for real. You still messin’ wit’ dat nigga?” I had to know. I know
she hadn’t told Kirk but we were women, it was hard to share our business with a man.

  “Hell, yeah. I still got bills. But I’m ’bout to be done wit’ his lyin’ ass soon, though.”

  “I feel you.” I laughed.

  “I got to get back to the front, though. These niggas busy today droppin’ off and pickin’ up they whips. And they ain’t playin’,” Courtney said before shutting the door.

  “Yo, that was crazy. That bitch had balls to come up in there like that.”

  “Yep, she did.” Isis grinned. “I thought she was Duke’s girlfriend or something first.”

  “I didn’t know who she was, but I knew she was on some bullshit. Bitch wasn’t about to sneak me.” We both laughed. “That bitch did break code coming up there while we having a good time. You don’t fuck wit’ people’s money. And how the hell she get up in there anyway? I meant to ask Kirk.”

  “Hmmph, that’s easy. Wit’ that fat ass. You think them horny security niggas gone stop her. I don’t think so,” Isis said in a sarcastic tone.

  “I guess you right. ’Cause they ass be thirsty.”

  The office phone rang, and Isis hit the speaker button.

  “Isis, Bobbi out here and wants to speak to you,” Courtney said.

  Isis looked directly at me. I held my tongue. “Tell him to hold up,” Isis instructed. Courtney hung up.

  “Here we go again wit’ this thieving-ass hustler. You just can’t seem to get rid of him.”

  “Just chill.” Isis glared at me with a grin. “I’ll take care of it and be right back.” She stood up.

  “If you say so.” I sighed. Picking up my cell phone, I dialed up Penny. “You up?” I asked. Penny sounded like she was wide awake, which was a shock. I expected her to sound groggy, like she was still in bed.

  “Yes, I’m up. Hung out with Patrick last night at his house.”

  So that explained it. I didn’t want to dwell on it, so I didn’t ask any questions. I got to the point of me calling in the first place. “I called to remind you that we are going out to dinner tonight. So don’t forget.”

  “Ahhh, that’s tonight?”

  “Yes, I see you forgot already.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” she apologized, and somehow I had a feeling she was not done. “Can I please take a rain check, Secret? I got this date with Patrick tonight, and I can’t cancel on him.”

  “Cool,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t much care for Patrick. I felt like he was too weak to date my sister, but I didn’t want to upset her. “Call me later.” I ended the call just as Isis stepped back into the room. Whatever Bobbi had wanted hadn’t taken long, so I figured it was good news. “So what happened?”

  “He asked me out to dinner.” She released like it was no big deal. Her newfound calmness over Bobbi was a bit more than I cared for.

  “I hope you let him down easy before you spit in his face.” I was serious.

  “Spit in his face. Now you know I would not do no disgusting crap like that.” Isis chuckled. “I told him yes. I mean, why not? I don’t see anything wrong wit’ a free meal.” I couldn’t believe she was being serious. Maybe she was trying to get a rise out of me. But her facial expression led me to believe she was indeed serious.

  “That’s just it, it ain’t free when it comes from a snake like him. I’m sure you know by now that his intentions are not always good. But okay . . .” I held up my right hand. “Just watch out for him. Who cares that he gave that money back? It don’t change the fact that he is conniving. Maybe you have forgiven him, but I see right through him.”

  “I get it, Secret. Everything that you say about him, I agree wit’ it. But I’m just going out to dinner wit’ him, nothing more. And my position will be clear, and common sense should tell him that we will never be anything more than friends. Not even that too soon, but forgiving him does free a piece of me that I didn’t want to keep hostage anymore.”

  “Just take your gun wit’ you. Keep it close by, locked and loaded, at all times in case he tries to sneak you. And you already know to keep me on speed dial. Hell, matter of fact, just tell me where the dinner will be, and I’ll wait outside in my car. That way if you need me, I’m not far.”

  “That’s okay, I’m good. A Team,” she joked, but I was serious.

  I swear, I was beginning to think that Bobbi was to Isis like Jackie was Penny: baggage they could not seem to dump. No matter what these people did to them, they refused to just let them go. Why they couldn’t see danger and just drop them by the wayside was a plain mystery to me. Nobody deserved to do so much harm to a person and be forgiven for it. In Jackie’s case, she had done it to two people, damaged two people, yet she walked around with her heart in her hand, holding it out as if the ones she hurt should grab it. She convinced herself that we were selfish and ungrateful. Bobbi walked around with the feeling of entitlement. He felt that he was entitled to Isis’s forgiveness because he had paid her back and said, “I’m sorry.”

  Neither Jackie nor Bobbi ever acknowledged the true pain they caused, because they were never truly sorry. See, sorry is a word that is used in everyday sentences, and hardly ever is it meant. For Jackie and Bobbi it was a word that could get them close to what they wanted: their prey.

  Chapter 30

  Isis

  I know that Secret believed that I had forgiven Bobbi, and it was simple as that. But that simply was not true. Yes, I had forgiven him, but all was not forgotten. Going out to eat with him was a huge step. But something inside me urged me to take it, so I did, and I was not going to back out. Tonight was the night, and I was nervous; this would be the first time in a long time that we had actually sat down to a meal together and shared conversation. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect too much.

  The last thing I wanted to do was send him the wrong message. It taken me four hours to decide what to wear. I wanted everything to be right. I wanted to look my best, but I didn’t want to wear something that said I’m available, looking, or hoping for something. But it would be hard. The old me that Bobbi knew had cheap knock-off clothes from the closest outlet mall to the neighborhood. Now everything I owned was designer, so my clothes fit me like they were custom made, but only because they were expensive. So anything I wore was bound to make me look good.

  It was hard, but I figured out a way to tone it down. I threw on a pair of cut-up jeans, a cute designer blouse, and some red-bottoms. Even though I still had on over two thousand dollars’ worth of stuff, with my bag included, it was the best I could do to tone it down; otherwise I would look like Beyoncé. I decided to drive my Mercedes. I guess it really didn’t matter if I jumped in it, the Audi, or the Escalade; they all looked expensive. I put my music on, Xscape on Pandora; the last thing I wanted to do was listen to my Yo Gotti station. If I did, by the time I got to the restaurant, I might be shooting out his windows. Monica’s “You Shoulda Known Betta” blasted out of the speakers as I drove over to the Benihana, the restaurant we had chosen.

  After finding a parking space, I got out of the car and made my way inside. Secretly, I told myself that if he was not there, I would just leave. Unfortunately, he had already arrived. The hostess led me straight to the table. Bobbi stood up as I approached the table. He pulled out a chair for me. I was shocked. Never in the time had we been dating had he done that.

  “So you pulling out chairs now?” I couldn’t resist the sarcastic comment. But I was also being real. I wouldn’t hold back anything that I wanted to say or do.

  Bobbi gave a nervous chuckle. “You deserve that type of thing. But most of us men don’t know shit when it comes to women.”

  “I might have to agree.” I chuckled. Sitting down in the chair, I pulled it up to adjust to my liking.

  “You look nice.”

  “I try,” was my quick response. “I’m glad you like this place. I love it.”

  “Yeah, I ate here a few times. I forgot how soft your features were.” He kept his eyes glued to me. “But you have al
ways been beautiful.” He was openly flirting with me.

  “You can stop now.” I looked up at him with a grin. The waitress came back, and we both ordered steak with shrimp.

  “I know you don’t want to hear what I have to say. But I have to be honest, I have missed you so much, Isis. It has been unbearable . . . You don’t know how I wished I could have talked to you about was I was going through.”

  I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about him pouring out his heart. I had mixed feelings, but I had to be honest. “You know, Bobbi . . . you could have come to me, but you chose not to. I guess you didn’t love me the way that you claimed.” I looked him in his eyes. I couldn’t take his cries; he was not the only one in pain. He had caused my pain. I couldn’t help him through his.

  “I did love you very much. I still do love you.” I looked away, not wanting to see his eyes for fear of what I might find in them. “I wish I could have you back.” He tried to touch my hand as those words left his mouth, but I quickly snatched my hand back. But my eyes met his at that same moment. And I saw in them exactly what I wanted to avoid. Hope.

  I cleared my throat. Clarification, at this point, was a must. There could be no misunderstanding of intentions. “The only reason I came to this dinner with you tonight is because I want to move forward . . . No, I need to move forward, not have anger anymore . . . Because when I accepted your apology I really meant it.” A slight smile edged the corner of Bobbi’s lips. “But that’s it. Things can never be the way they used to be between us. We can never be together.” That smile faded, but I could still see a hint of hope in his eyes. I was ready to handle his reluctance, but he surprised me.

  He licked his lips and looked away for a brief second. “I got to say, those are not the words I wanted to hear . . . But I respect your wishes. I just really hoped they were different.” I didn’t have a response to that. I had said what I felt, and that was it. The back-and-forth of explanations or reasons were unnecessary and a waste of both of our time. The chef approached our table and began to set up.