A Gangster's Dream

by Charmanie Saquea

“Not this time playboy.”

  Carmelo just smiled at her as he watched her head for the stairs. He had to thank God that he and Summer walked into that shop that day. He knew his Dream was heaven-sent and he would do whatever he had to do to keep her here with him.

  “Yo,” he called out to her just before she reached the stairs.

  “What's up?”

  “You know you’re my Dream right?” he asked.

  Dream smiled. “Of course, I'm a gangster’s dream.” She winked before walking up the stairs.

  Melo spent a few minutes devouring his food and thinking about the proposal he made to Dream about her moving in. He didn’t regret asking her. He just hoped that with all the shit that was going on, if she did accept, she wouldn’t grow to regret it. He wasn’t out to fuck up her life with his bullshit, but he figured by that time Dream knew and understood that if she was going to be with him, she had to accept everything that came with it. Only time would really tell if she understood that but Melo wanted that time to be spent with them together. To him, it made perfect sense. He knew it did to her as well; she was just scared for whatever reason.

  After finishing his food, he washed the dishes and headed up to take a shower, before joining his Dream in the bed. He wrapped his arms around her as she scooted back so her ass rested against his manhood.

  “Why you gotta play?” Carmelo laughed as he reached between her legs.

  “Stop Melo,” Dream whined but made no effort to move his hand.

  “Stop Melo,” Carmelo mocked her as he pushed her boyshorts to the side and inserted two fingers in her. Dream opened her legs wider so he could get better access, he pushed her on her back and climbed on top of her. “I don’t know why you be fronting like you don’t want it. You wouldn’t be this wet if you didn’t want it.”

  “Carmelo, will you please stop taking shit and just take care of business?” Dream rolled her eyes.

  Carmelo released his tool from his boxers and rubbed it back and forth against her clit. “Aren’t we a little feisty?” he asked as he rammed into her. Dream let out a loud moan and arched her back. No matter how many times they have been intimate, she still couldn’t get used to his size.

  “Shit,” she cussed as she dug her nails into his back. Carmelo loved that shit, he picked up her right leg and put it on his shoulder so he could dig deeper. “Yessss Melo!” Dream cried out as he hit her spot.

  Carmelo buried his face in Dream’s neck and bit down on his bottom lip. He had to pause for a minute to keep from busting prematurely. “Girl, this pussy would make a nigga commit murder,” he said seriously.

  That statement made Dream giggle. “As a matter of fact, get up,” he said as he pulled out of her and laid on his back.

  “Really Melo, are you really going to make me do all the work?” she asked as she climbed on top.

  “Giddy up,” he smiled as he slapped her on the ass. Dream rotated her pelvis in a circular motion before lifting up so that only the head of his dick was in and slowly came down while squeezing her pussy muscles. She put both of her hands on his chest before getting into a leap frog position and bouncing up and down. Carmelo grabbed her by her waist as his head fell back.

  Dream bounced up and did a complete spin so that her back was towards him while his dick was still inside her.

  “Oh shit!” Carmelo let out as his toes curled. He had been with plenty of women in his days but Dream was so different. She was the epitome of a lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets and she was only a freak for him.

  Dream continued to ride him as she was in her zone. It was just something about Carmelo that made her do the wildest things in the bedroom.

  “Hold on baby,” Carmelo said as he felt himself about to cum.

  Dream ignored him and as she felt her body shaking. She slowed up a little as she came. “Ahh fuck!” she hollered out. She fell forward on the bed and Carmelo slapped her on the ass.

  “Since you got yours, is it alright if I get mines?” he laughed.

  “I can’t go no more,” Dream said as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Bullshit,” he said as she slid back in her and grabbed and handful of her hair. Dream just got on her knees and obliged him. She knew she wasn’t going to leave him hanging like that. She found some energy and started throwing it back on him as she looked back.

  Carmelo grabbed two handfuls of her ass and gripped it tightly. He looked down and let out a low whistle as he watched his dick move in and out of her. Dream knew all the tricks to use on her man so she gripped his dick with her pussy muscles.

  “You should get a tattoo on your ass that says ‘Carmelo’s Ass.’” He smiled.

  “Whatever,” she laughed. He grabbed ahold of her waist and started pumping in and out of her faster as he felt himself about to cum. It was just something about fucking Dream doggy style that made him bust quickly.

  “Fuck!” he yelled as he released his seeds inside her.

  Dream fell on the bed as Carmelo went to the bathroom for a rag. He came back and washed Dream up as she started to doze up. He jumped in the shower one more time before climbing back in bed. Dream cuddled up to him and laid her head on his chest. “I love you Melo,” she said in a sleepy voice.

  “I love you too Dream.” He smiled. It actually felt good to say that to someone and actually mean it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day, Melo slipped out the bed, showered, got dressed and hit the street before Dream woke up. He needed to go to his crib in Queens to pick up a few things but didn’t wanna risk having to take Dream with him. Her nightmares had finally stopped completely and he didn’t want taking her back to the scene to trigger something and have them start back up again. He didn’t plan on being long any way.

  It took all of fifteen minutes for Melo to grab what it was that he needed to get. He wasn’t surprised that he had yet to get a call from Dream. She was up late the night before so sleeping in was definitely on her agenda. He wanted to get back to Staten Island, maybe even surprise her with some breakfast. Melo got a kick out of doing little shit for Dream that he never did for another female, that was his way of showing her how special she really was. She understood and appreciated it. It was nothing for him to throw money and gifts at her, but chicks valued time and being appreciated the most. At least chicks like Dream did.

  He was walking out the front door of his house when he was met face to face with Shaq. Shaquille was the last person he wanted to see. Even though he couldn’t prove Shaq was on some snake shit, Melo felt it, and that alone was enough to keep the nigga at a distance.

  “What you doing here, son?” Melo asked.

  “We been trying to reach you all morning, Melo. Andre, Pat, and Mike got caught early this morning coming from picking up work. Niggas sprayed the car. All of them got hit. Pat and Mike ain’t make it. Last I heard, Andre was in surgery, his aunt said the doctor told her he was going to make but I haven’t been updated yet. You wasn’t answering, so I just came through to put you on,” Shaq said.

  Melo was lost for words. Not only was he pissed and hurt that he lost two of his boys, he was mad because Andre had no business being in the car with them coming from a pick up. He told niggas shit that Dre wasn’t allowed to do and that was one of them. It was so much shit that he wanted to say, but the pain he felt behind his boy’s situation and the animosity he felt toward Shaq was stopping him.

  “Aight Shaq, I’m go see Pat and Mike family later, and hit up Dre aunt so I can go check him,” Melo said before walking to his truck and climbing in.

  Carmelo sat in the car with the key in the ignition and his head leaned back on the headrest. The fact that his niggas were gone over his beef was eating away at him. He already knew who was behind the hit because Drell was the only nigga he was beefing with. There were always casualties in a war. Melo just wished it didn’t have to be his niggas.

  Melo turned his head to look at the passenger side and window and was met by Shaq’s stare.
He knew he probably should have driven off, but he was stuck. The thoughts of his lost homeboys, Dre fighting for his life and his dwindling friendship with Shaq had his thoughts all over the place. He and Shaq had been thick as thieves since day one, so the fact that he had to question every little thing Shaq did or didn’t do bothered him. Shaq crossed the line when he went after Dream, and instead of taking Melo’s wrath because he was in the wrong, he dug himself a deeper hole by slacking when it came to putting in work and handling business.

  He gave every nigga in his unit exactly what he expected in return and that was loyalty and respect. That’s the reason why he was feeling the way he was feeling toward Shaq. It wasn’t over Dream, because even though she wasn’t the typical chick and he was really feeling her, chicks still came a dime a dozen. Having real loyal, down for whatever niggas on your team didn’t. That’s what Shaq was supposed to be for Melo, but he wasn’t.

  Despite the fact that Melo and Shaq had a relationship envied by most blood brothers, a woman had come in between them. If a few years back you would have told Carmelo that the sight of his best friend would make his stomach turn, he would have laughed in your face, probably even bodied you just for insinuating that his main nigga wasn’t on the up and up.

  A tap on Melo’s car window grabbed his attention. He sat up in his seat and looked up at the one person he really wished would go about his business.

  “Open the door,” Shaq requested.

  Melo removed his gun from his waist band and set it on his lap. He wasn’t putting shit past nobody, not even Shaq.

  “This is what it is between us now Melo, over a bitch at that?” Shaq said in disbelief.

  Carmelo shot Shaq a look while trying to calm himself, but he was beyond that place in his head. He grabbed his gun off his lap and stepped out of his car. He watched Shaq’s eyes get big as Melo rested the gun down at his side. Carmelo didn’t want to take it where it was going, however he wanted it to be known that the relationship that he and Shaq once had was reduced to nothing. He didn’t trust him, and Melo felt if you couldn’t trust the niggas in your circle, why the fuck were they in it?

  Not in a million years did he think that he would want to use the gun that he held on Shaq. They had known each other since grade school. Even then, they ran the playground together. Everyone knew that those were the two niggas not to go against. They had the biggest reputations for being hood niggas from youth.

  “Nigga, this has nothing to do with Dream. The problem is you mistaking who the fuck I am. This has everything to do with respect, and that, my nigga, you’re clearly lacking,” Carmelo told Shaq.

  “Real shit Melo, fuck you, son. You in your feelings over Dream whether you wanna admit that or not. You can’t keep it real with me if you can’t keep it real with yourself. Aight, I tried to fuck with her. So fuckin what son, you acting like we never fucked the same chicks before.”

  Melo tightened the grip he had on his gun, causing Shaq to take a step back.

  “You want to shoot me son? You see this shit. I just told you two of your niggas was dirt napping and one was barely clinging on to his life but you still wanna beef with me over some lame ass shit.”

  Shaq had struck a nerve. Melo cocked his head to the side and allowed what Shaquille had said to him to set in. In that moment, he was indeed worried about the wrong things. His issues with Shaquille would be there until they resolved them. His main priority should have been making niggas pay for killing his boys. Melo was definitely slipping.

  He nodded his head at Shaq in a manner that told him he had it, before walking back to his car, jumping in and pulling off. Even though initially he wanted to get back to Dream quick, fast, and in a hurry, that wasn’t his destination either. He needed to get with the only nigga in the world he knew would always have his back, Caiden. It was time for them to put in some work together and make niggas feel the pain he felt after hearing he was going to have to attend two funeral services.

  <><><><>

  Melo was aware that Caiden wasn’t the same type of nigga he was. They were twins but couldn’t be any more different. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see Caiden so willing to put in work. The days following the death of their homies, they shed blood in every hood Shondrell was known to chill in. Caiden didn’t hesitate because even though he wasn’t heavy in the street like Melo, he still considered Melo’s boys family. They all had been in each other’s lives for years. So for him, it was worth it, somebody had to pay.

  It wasn’t until the days of Pat and Mike’s funeral that Melo decided to chill on his warpath. Like the game of chess, he had made his move and the only thing left for him to do was wait for his opponent to make his. He felt like his shit was getting out of hand. Shondrell was causing all this bloodshed and hurt over some petty ass shit.

  He could understand how Shondrell would be pissed at him for setting him up. But the way he saw it, Shondrell really wasn't doing anything grand to contribute to what Carmelo had built. He was that nigga before he put Shondrell on, during and after. He knew Shondrell would want to get at him over the situation but Carmelo had no respect for him for the way he was going about things.

  People were losing their lives over some old ass shit that Shondrell couldn't let go of. Truth be told, if he wasn’t so fucking sloppy and hadn’t have gotten caught slipping, he would have never gotten locked up. Carmelo didn’t have time for egos, attitudes or bitch made niggas and sloppiness in his unit. He liked everything to be precise, in order and family-like, but Shondrell didn’t know what that meant.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Carmelo had been wrapped up in the shit he had going on in the streets and knew he had been neglecting Dream a little bit. The last thing he wanted her to do was feel as if she was on the bottom of his to-do list. It wasn’t like that at all, but at the end of the day when the streets called, he had to answer. It was business. All he could do was hope that she understood like he would have if she had to spend mad time at her shop or working with clients doing customs and shit.

  For the first day in a while, he had time to kick back and chill. He could have spent the free time doing anything he pleased but, of course, he choose to do something with his Dream.

  “You look good as fuck,” Melo admitted, admiring the red bodycon dress that clung to Dream’s frame, accentuating her already shapely figure.

  “If you say that one more time Carmelo,” Dream chuckled.

  “Shit, it’s not my fault.”

  After closing the passenger side door, he grabbed her hand. Hand-in-hand, they walked up the street toward the SoCo where they would be dinning for lunch. Dream was busy laughing at a corny joke Carmelo told and playfully slapping him on the arm when she spotted a truck slowly down as it approached them, through her peripheral.

  “Bae--,” she started to warn Carmelo, but he was already on it.

  He pushed Dream to the side and drew his gun. Just as the occupants of the car let shots off, so did he.

  Tat, Tat, Tat, Tat

  The sound of rapid gun fire could be heard over screams, shattering glass, and car alarms. Carmelo used the forest green Tahoe as cover and continued to fire at his targets who had stopped their truck and were busting off at him relentlessly. Between dodging the bullets that whizzed past his head and focusing on taking at least one of them out, he looked back at Dream. She was nearly behind the car that was ahead of him, shaken. He wanted to rush to her side to console her but he couldn’t. Not until they retreated.

  Tat, Tat, Tat

  He busted back continuously until, finally, the dudes who were after him sped off. Not being one to stand around and waste any more time than necessary, Carmelo rushed to where Dream was sitting, swept her up into his arms and made his way down the street to his truck. After sliding her into the back seat, he climbed in, started up the whip, and burned rubber.

  Twenty-five minutes after the shooting, Carmelo and Dream pulled up to his house. Even after the car was shut down, the two of them sat
in the car in silence. He stared at Dream through his rearview and a wave of sorrow flowed over him. He felt bad that she was put in danger. Things that day could have gone totally differently. Dream could have gotten hurt or worse, so could he. He knew that it wasn’t a life that she was accustomed to but was trying her hardest to deal with it because of how she felt about him. Somewhere deep down inside of him he knew that after that incident she would leave. In the crazy event that she decided to stay, nothing would ever be the same.

  “You could have died Carmelo,” Dream whispered.

  “But I didn’t,” he said.

  “That’s not the point. We can’t even go out and enjoy lunch without something like this happening. What was I supposed to do if things went differently Carmelo? It’s not supposed to be like that. I never thought that… I don’t even know what I want to say right now. I just can’t believe this happened. Who wants you dead?”

  “Shit happens, Dream. This my world. I live it, been living, and probably won’t stop living it. I feel like shit that you had to witness that shit, trust me, I am but ain’t nothing I can do now but go out there and handle the niggas that’s trying to handle me.”

  Dream sighed. “So when does it end? You go after them, they go after you… Okay and then what? When does it end? When you’re dead? I don’t wanna stick around only to have to bury you Melo. I don’t.”

  “So you want out?”

  “I didn’t say that…”

  “Look, go inside, Dream. I’m going to make a phone call then I’ll be in there and we can continue this conversation.”

  She didn’t reply. Instead, she reached for the handle to let herself. Carmelo looked on as she walked up the driveway toward the front door. Once he saw her disappear and the front door close behind her, he pulled out his phone and called his brother.

  “What up, Twin?”

  “What’s good Cai? I’m not really trying to get into details over the phone about this but some shit popped off while Dream and I was in Brooklyn.”