Murdergram, Part 1

by Nisa Santiago

  “Well, on a real job interview I would know what to write or say because I would be applying for it,” she revealed.

  “Do you truly believe that?” E.P. returned.

  She nodded.

  “So would you lie depending on what position you were applying for?”

  “Hell yeah,” Cristal quickly answered.

  “Okay, so that’s skill number two . . . being manipulative,” he said. “Next.”

  “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that,” Cristal said with some panic in her voice. “You can’t use that.”

  “So, you’re indecisive?”

  “Huh?”

  He sighed.

  “I was asking you a question, and how can you say that, just tell me where all this is goin’,” she exclaimed. “Do I really need to answer you?”

  “Sweetheart, let’s get one thing straight. I’m the boss, so I can do whatever I want. Do you understand me?” he returned in a stern but cool voice. His eyes pierced into her while she was still wrapped with a bedroom sheet.

  Cristal nodded submissively.

  “Now, what is your last skill? Do you have any more? And Cristal, before you speak, I want to let you know it will get no realer than this job. You might want to keep that in the forefront of your mind,” E.P. said.

  While Cristal thought long and hard about her next answer, E.P. picked up the room phone and dialed a number. Someone picked up and E.P. said into the phone, “Yes, deliver me my usual today . . . over easy, and grilled.”

  E.P. glanced at Cristal while she was still mulling over the right answer to give him and asked, “Are you hungry?”

  She shook her head, no. E.P. ordered a few more things and hung up.

  The minute he was off the phone, Cristal blurted out, “I get really busy wit’ my hands. I have been known not only to beat bitches down, but I’m nice wit’ a razor and knives. I don’t get fucked wit’. I get mad respect in the hood.”

  That was all she had to give him. She exhaled, almost defeated. E.P. just nodded. He reached into his robe pulling out a few wad of bills and tossed the cash at Cristal. She caught it, confused, and then she watched him dismissively excuse himself from the room. He needed to take a shower before his room service arrived.

  Cristal stared at the money in her hand. Five hundred dollars he’d given her. She felt like a prostitute—such a slut. And then she started to question herself. She felt so stupid to think that she had some marketable skills for a job, especially when it came to working for a man like E.P. Ghetto and stupid was how she felt. The skills she’d told him about weren’t anything but average or subpar, things she could never put on any résumé, even if she were applying for a job at McDonald’s. She didn’t know anything about computers—advanced Excel, spreadsheets or how to put together a PowerPoint presentation. She had no real trade. The realization sunk into her: She was a hood bitch and there wasn’t any way she could ever work for someone like E.P. and his corporation.

  Cristal started to think about the females she saw at his party last night—classy women with eloquence and style who had mountains of degrees and spoke numerous languages. They were educated and intelligent. Cristal knew she wasn’t. She couldn’t hold a candle to these bitches. If they were on the streets, then it would have been a different story. These bitches would have been food to her. However, how could she have been roped in so easily by E.P.? All he wanted was an easy fuck and she lived up to it—gave him what he wanted.

  While E.P. was in the shower, Cristal removed the sheet from around her and walked around his suite naked, gathering her things. It was time to leave. She felt played and had overstayed her welcome. She slid back into her stolen dress which had been left on the terrace overnight, grabbed her shoes, and looked around for her panties and clutch.

  In the bedroom, she glanced down at the money he left for her on the ruffled comforter and soiled sheets. She wrestled with the decision of whether to take the money or not. She needed the extra cash.

  While E.P. was still in the shower, she searched frantically for her purse and panties. She didn’t want to leave anything behind. She found her Victoria’s Secret underwear and Chanel clutch wedged in between the sofa and pillows.

  Cristal knew this wasn’t her level. These people were so far out there, it hurt when she tried to breathe. She felt way in over her head. It had been fun while it lasted, but now the high she felt from last night came crashing down on her.

  With her things in her hand, she made a beeline for the door, but before she could make her exit, his voice boomed out. “Stop walking!”

  Cristal froze by the door. Her breath hitched. She turned around slowly to see E.P. standing behind her with a white towel draped around his waist and five hundred dollars clutched in his hand.

  “What do you want from me?” Cristal cried out. “I’m tired of the questions and these games.”

  “If you want the job, then you have to learn not to get too emotional. I gave you this money because I wanted you to have it. It’s yours,” he said coolly.

  “There isn’t any job, is there?”

  E.P. chuckled. “You’re going to need more work than I thought. Drop your things, take a shower, have breakfast with me, and I’ll explain everything.”

  Cristal was reluctant. She was filled with questioning and apprehension. Could she trust him? And what was hidden behind his layers? These were the hardest questions of her life.

  E.P. approached her slowly. Cristal stood still, not knowing what to do with herself. Their eyes locked; the room was still and brightly lit with the morning sun. Cristal couldn’t run from him. He reached for her things, taking her clutch bag from her hand and tossing it on the sofa as if to say, “Stay put!” He took her hand in his, pulled her forward, gently kissed her on the cheek and softly said, “Trust me. What I have to say will benefit you greatly.”

  Cristal felt she didn’t have a choice. She had the job whether she wanted it or not.

  Six

  Sharon just couldn’t turn her head away as she watched Pike walk around his apartment shirtless. He oozed sexiness. He was in the kitchen getting himself a beer from the fridge. Sharon was seated on the couch feeling ambivalent about being in Pike’s apartment alone. Why had she agreed to spend the night with him? She didn’t want to regret it. She really liked him, but men only wanted one thing—sex. And Pike was the epitome of a male dog. She wasn’t about to be some booty call. With her friends and Rich not around talking, smoking weed, and joking, Pike’s apartment felt a little more intimate than it had on her previous visits.

  Sharon decided to come back to his place after they left E.P.’s party because it was something to do. Her own home was in shambles and dysfunctional. Being at Pike’s place gave her some temporary peace of mind from her cracked-out mother and her mom’s perverted boyfriend.

  Pike had dropped her friends off in Brooklyn, and then Rich. Afterwards, the two went to get something to eat at a twenty-four-hour diner in the city, and then it was back to Harlem during the wee hours of the morning.

  She wasn’t tired at all. She wanted to sit and talk.

  Talk. Pike was never the one to talk when he had a woman over. There wasn’t one woman who didn’t surrender to his lust and desires—after a half-hour or less in his place, girls had their clothes and panties off, and took his dick whichever way he threw it inside of them.

  He had Sharon in his sight for next.

  Pike emerged from the kitchen taking a swig from the beer in his hand. He eyed Sharon seated on his cushy couch with her thick legs crossed. She appeared to be comfortable around him and was quiet. Pike’s abs rippled with sexiness and his smile was inviting. The basketball shorts he wore caught Sharon’s attention because his big, fat dick was bulging out from underneath, indicating he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

  “You good?” Pike asked.

  “I’m ok
ay.”

  “You sure you don’t want anything to drink?”

  “Pike, I had enough to drink at the party,” she said.

  Pike took another mouthful of beer. He burped loudly, which was followed up by a quick, “Excuse me. Where are my manners?”

  Sharon smiled. “It’s natural.”

  “Yeah, just like you,” Pike said with a lustful grin aimed at her.

  He decided to take a seat next to her. He was ready to make his move. Sharon’s thick thighs and balloon tits covered up snugly in the jumpsuit she wore were driving him crazy. He undressed her with his eyes and he instantly knew she had that good, chocolate berry pussy. He was ready to sink his dick into her like an anchor and fuck the shit out of her. Pike nestled himself next to Sharon and placed his arm around her. The TV was on, and he thanked God it wasn’t broken during the fight between Mesha, and Cristal’s crew.

  “You know, you’re beautiful, Sharon,” he said, smiling pleasantly.

  “Thank you.”

  “Why is it that you don’t have a man in your life yet?” he asked.

  “I’m still waiting on the right one,” she responded.

  “What’s your type of guy then?” he asked.

  It was a simple question to answer. Smiling with innocence, she said, “Someone who’s smart, ambitious, caring, and sexy.”

  “I can be that guy and more.”

  “You can, huh?”

  He nodded. He locked eyes with her and yearned to have Sharon twisted in every freaky position he could think of. He wanted to kiss her. Her lips were so full and pouty. Pike wanted to slip his tongue into her mouth and taste her breath.

  Leaning forward, he kissed the side of her neck gently and slowly. She laughed and smiled. “That tickles,” she uttered.

  “It do?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, what else is ticklish on you?” said Pike, placing his hand on her thigh and moving it upwards slowly.

  He was ready to palm some of her goodies. He neared his touch near her pussy, but Sharon wasn’t having any part of it. Not tonight, not now. She gripped his wrist and pulled away his touch. Her strength was impressive.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking perturbed that she interrupted his quest for her glory.

  “I didn’t come here for that,” she revealed.

  “So what did you come here for?” Pike spat.

  “I came to talk and get to know you better.”

  He chuckled, and then said, “This is how we get to know each other better.”

  Pike pressed forward, placing his hand against her thigh once more, yearning to fondle her goodies below and caress her breasts like a masseur. He tried to kiss her, but Sharon quickly pushed him away and stood up like she had been ejected from the seat. She straightened her ruffled jumpsuit.

  “C’mon! What the fuck, Sharon? I want you,” he hollered.

  Pike was enticing, Sharon had to admit that to herself, but he was spoiled. He was always the high-school and neighborhood star and the girls always gave in to him. The word “no” was a different language to him, but Sharon wanted to be different. He wasn’t going to have his way with her—this wasn’t Burger King. Yeah, her pussy throbbed and tingled for some dick, because it had been a long while since she’d had some, but she was able to resist the temptation. She wanted to be respected as a woman.

  “I’m not ready,” she said.

  “You a virgin?”

  “No!” she replied tersely.

  “So what is it?”

  “I’m just not fuckin’ you tonight,” she said with conviction.

  Pike looked aghast that this bitch had the audacity to turn him down. He glared at her. He had finer and better women than Sharon in his apartment, and they weren’t hard like she was.

  “You serious?”

  She nodded.

  Pike pulled down his basketball shorts and revealed the long, black and thick fleshy machine that hung between his legs. It was pulsating to be thrust inside of her. He palmed his dick and started stroking himself gently in front of Sharon. He had no shame in his game. He figured if Sharon wanted to be difficult then showing his big, black dick would definitely change her mind.

  Sharon was impressed by it, it looked so healthy and strong, but she still wasn’t changing her mind. She didn’t budge from her decision.

  “You know not wanting to fuck me quickly isn’t going to make me like you more,” said Pike with his arrogant thinking.

  “Sex can wait,” Sharon replied.

  “Wow, you really not trying to let me fuck tonight,” he said, feeling defeated. “Are you fuckin’ serious?!”

  “Just sit with me and let’s talk. I really like you, Pike. And honestly, I had this crush on you for a very long time, and I don’t want to be one of those girls feeling used by you. I want to be different,” she said wholeheartedly.

  “Different…” he laughed while pulling up his basketball shorts.

  “Yes.”

  “You know what, if you ain’t giving up the fuckin’ pussy, then you need to get the fuck out my crib. You ain’t nothin’ but a cock tease!” Pike barked angrily. “Fo’ real bitch, you know who the fuck I am, I always get what I want…and bitch, you ain’t no different.”

  Pike snatched her purse off the couch and then gripped her arm, and he started to drag Sharon to the front door, trying to expedite her departure.

  She yanked her arm away from his grip. She was upset.

  “Pike, I have no money to get back home. I thought you were going to drive me. And it’s late,” she told him.

  “I don’t give a fuck…walk home then, cuz if you ain’t fuckin’ me then you ain’t staying.”

  The transformation within him was abrupt. He was a different man suddenly. He was selfish and self-centered. Sharon was taken aback by his harsh outburst and his rudeness. She was truly hurt by his belligerent and callous action.

  It was 4am and it was going to be impossible to make it back to Brooklyn from Harlem with no cash and limited public transportation.

  Sharon stood in the center of his apartment becoming adamant. A few tears trickled down her cheeks. She glared at Pike and exclaimed, “Are you really goin’ to throw me out like this, Pike? Because I’m not fuckin’ you! I thought I was your friend and that you really liked me. Everything you said the other night, it was all a con for some pussy—a temporary pleasure. Then you know what? You gonna keep having temporary bitches in your life! I thought for once, maybe you might want something real in your life; a real fuckin’ woman like me. Ain’t you tired of all the bullshit with these bitches? You keep thinkin’ with your dick and you know what? You gonna miss out on the best thing in your life and end up alone, and if you lucky, maybe you won’t catch some STD. Cuz you know what, Pike? Karma is a bitch!”

  Sharon had said enough. She was seething and Pike seemed speechless. He stood near his front door with this surprised look. It was the first time any woman had stood up to him and been so frank. In high school, ladies kissed his ass and spoiled him because they knew he was going to make it to the NBA and they wanted a piece of that dream. After high school, they still wanted a piece of the dream. But Sharon, she treated him like a regular nigga. Yeah, she had a crush on him, but she wasn’t hyped to fall victim to his desires like every other bitch before her.

  With nonchalance in his voice, he said, “Only for one night, you can sleep on the couch, but in the morning, you better be gone.”

  He saw her hurt and decided to change his mind. Sharon sighed heavily, that sexual demon inside Pike was something vicious—it was another side of him that was definitely hard to deal with. But she fought it and it was the first time Pike ever relinquished his desires.

  Sharon couldn’t sleep. She sat on the couch wide awake and had some things on her mind. Dawn was coming. She looked around Pike’s u
ntidy apartment and shook her head. It was a mess, clothes everywhere, dishes piling up in the sink—the trash needed taking out and he had empty beer bottles all over.

  Damn, he was a slob, she thought.

  Being the woman that she was, she decided to do something about it. With morning approaching, her womanly instinct took over and the first task she decided to tackle was the sink. She washed every item in the sink thoroughly, hand-dried everything, and put things away like she was in her own kitchen. Next, she took out the trash, tossing a lumpy and smelly bag down the hallway chute. After that, it was the living room, where she picked up his scattered clothes and folded everything neatly. The ones that were really dirty she tossed in the clothes hamper, and if she’d had time, then she would have done his laundry.

  She cleaned Pike’s apartment in the early morning while he was sleeping in his bed like she was his paid maid—Florence Jefferson herself.

  Why was she doing this after Pike had been so rude and disrespectful to her? She wanted to show him how a real and thorough woman got down. She needed to demonstrate to Pike what a good woman was and the things she did—even when the man didn’t deserve it. A chickenhead, regular bitch would have thought she was crazy, and broke and smashed things in his place just to prove a point. Sharon refused to be that bitter. And though she was hurt, she wasn’t going to give Pike that pleasure of angering her. She was determined to be the better woman in this situation. And the better woman held her own and was patient.

  Exhausted, Sharon folded herself across his couch like paper and closed her eyes. Sleep caught up to her and she passed out on the couch in his now-cleaned apartment.

  Several hours had gone by when Sharon opened her eyes to the late morning sun flooding through the living-room window. She sat up and glanced at the time and saw that it was almost 10am. She was never the one to sleep long, and this morning wasn’t any different. Pike wasn’t up yet—he was a heavy and late sleeper, and with it being the weekend, he didn’t need to be in any rush to get out of bed before noon.