“That’s why I’m not trying to be around those muthafuckas. I can just see myself having to slap a bitch.”
“Right, right. We can’t have that cause you know I gotta roll with you, sister-in-law.”
“Carmella, you saw your brother?” Brenda asked as she stepped into the living room.
“Nope. I haven’t seen him since he left with those niggas last night.”
“His ass was supposed to be back two hours ago. He supposed to be the pallbearer at that boy’s funeral.”
Necole shook her head. Something deep inside told her that Carmelo was somewhere getting high. Right then, she had more pressing things to concern herself with. She just prayed that he had enough sense to stay sober.
Once Chocolate finished her hair, she stood in a full-length mirror checking herself out. She wore a simple black dress with black Christian Dior stilettos. She still looked beautiful even though her dress was less than forty dollars. She could still hear Amber’s voice in her head.
Bitch, you make the clothes, the clothes don’t make you. Everything you wear don’t have to have a name. You rock that shit just like you got it from Gucci.
Her girl gave her the talk after she admitted feeling down about not being able to afford those expensive clothes anymore. Thankfully, she could still fit the clothes she had before she had her baby and they were so plentiful that one never knew that she hadn’t bought anything in over a year. She had so many shoes that she still had pairs that she’d yet to pull out the boxes. Still, when she’d go buy something here and there, it wasn’t the top notch things she was used to. Her girl made her feel better about that though.
She took a deep breath. “Here we go,” she grabbed her purse before heading out of the door. She was glad that her mom had her kids, because she wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with anybody other than herself. She drove to the funeral alone. Cali and Corrine had flown out and she knew that they were probably already there.
Necole pulled up to the church and parked. She sat in the lot and wiped the tears that slid out of her eyes. The lot was damn near filled to capacity. She was barely able to find a spot at the very back of the lot.
Right as she was about to get out of her car, a black Range Rover pulled up next to her. Once they were parked, she opened her door. There was barely enough room for her to get out. She thought about cussing whoever the driver was. “Shit,” she mumbled as she struggled to get out without scraping her door on the expensive ride.
“Did I block you in?” a guy asked.
She looked up and saw him. “Umm, you’re okay, I guess.”
“Damn. How are you doing, Necole?” Mark questioned, realizing who she was.
“I’m okay,” she choked up.
Mark hated that they were seeing each other under the circumstances. He’d been asking about her and everybody said that she was still with Carmelo. He’d also just found out that they’d had a second baby. He was imagining her out of shape and broke; but she was still the same Necole. In fact, her ass seemed a little rounder. A part of him wanted her to be bad off since she’d chosen another cat. That way he wouldn’t want her anymore. The moment he laid eyes on her, he felt the desire burning at the pit of his stomach.
Necole studied Mark. Although it had been just two years, he now seemed like a man. He was now sporting a neatly-trimmed goatee and his hair was clipped and edged to perfection. He wore a black Polo Ralph Lauren shirt with black Polo slacks. On his feet were black Cole Haans. His black big faced watch was sparkling with diamonds. He looked and smelled like money.
“Where is that nigga, Black? He didn’t come with you?”
She shook her head.
“Damn,” he sighed. “Well, do you mind if I walk in with you?”
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Cool,” he nodded.
They both walked in the church. It was packed. They found seats near the back. It wasn’t long before Corrine and Cali spotted Necole and walked over to her. When she spotted them, she stood and hugged them both. They all began to cry together. Mark sat not knowing what to say.
“Where’s Carmelo?” Corrine questioned as she released Necole.
Necole shrugged. “I think he’s at Lil’ Daddy’s funeral.”
“He didn’t come to support you?” Cali asked in disbelief.
“No. He said that he couldn’t miss his best friend’s funeral.”
“Whatever,” Cali rolled her eyes.
Corrine looked down at Mark. “Hi,” she smiled through the tears. “I haven’t seen you in a minute.”
“What’s up?” he spoke.
Corrine shook her head. “Just trying to get through this. You mind scooting over?”
“Yeah, okay,” he slid over so that Cali and Corrine could sit down. Cali made sure to leave enough space for Necole to sit next to Mark.
Throughout the sermon, the girls cried. A few times, a tear slid down Mark’s cheek. He had known Amber for a while; even before she’d moved to the suburbs. They’d grown up together and he would miss her. A few of his boys were there as well, but a majority were at Lil’ Daddy’s funeral. Personally, he was closer to Amber so the choice was simple for him.
“Nooo!” Necole cried out. She was taking it hard, but she wasn’t the only one. Amber’s sister and mom were inconsolable. Her mom had to be escorted out. The entire church was in tears. It was always a harder pill to swallow when the loved one was so young. There was so much that she’d never get to see and do.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Mark whispered in Necole’s ear as he wrapped his arms around her.
Necole relaxed in his embrace, needing to be comforted. She laid her head on his shoulder and wept until she had no more to give.
Once the funeral was over, everyone headed to Amber’s parents’ home. Mark decided to go mainly because he wanted to spend a little more time with Necole. She was damn near like a zombie. She seemed spaced out for a second. She sat staring at Brielle who had no clue that she was now parentless. She couldn’t imagine her children being left alone like that.
“Aye, you alright?” Mark asked concerned.
She nodded.
“You sure?” he asked with a raised brow.
“No, but I’m trying to be,” she placed her face in her palms.
“Hey, hey,” he whispered as he hugged her tightly. “I’m right here if you need me.”
She nodded.
While everyone mingled, he stayed right at her side. He could tell that she needed someone there for her. It was fucked up that her man wasn’t there, but that wasn’t the time to bring that to her attention.
By the end of the night, she was all cried out. She dried her face and sniffed. “Okay, that’s enough with the depressing shit. I got to drive my ass home.”
He chuckled a bit. “I hear you. So…you going straight home?”
“Umm…I don’t know,” she bit her bottom lip.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not ready for you to go. I mean…we can shake this spot, but I would like to hang with you for a little longer.”
Necole really didn’t feel like going back home seeing Carmelo right then. “Okay, we can hang.”
Mark smiled. “That’s what’s up. I saw that you didn’t eat anything here. You mind if we grab something to eat?”
“That’s cool,” she nodded.
“Alright. Just follow me,” he told her as he stood. He stuck out his hand to help her stand. She grabbed it and stood.
Necole said her goodbyes before they headed outside to their rides. She hopped in her car, while he climbed into his Rover.
They ended up at Cheddar’s drinking more than eating. Necole was happy that she’d run into him. Even though there were still plenty of reasons to cry, he made her smile. They laughed and reminisced about Amber and her many antics. It made her feel better.
“So…tell me, Necole…how is that nigga treating you?” Mark finally asked the burning question.
Necole took a few seconds to think a
bout it. “To be honest, it hasn’t been easy,” she admitted.
Mark had heard stories. He just wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth. “How so?”
“Well…you know that he used to smoke wet, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Well, in the beginning I didn’t.”
“You were green, huh?”
“Very much so. But I learned quickly, thanks to him. He has taken me through some things. Me and my mom’s relationship is damaged; and every day I live in fear of him coming home fucked up and taking his frustrations out on me.”
He shook his head as he heart filled with anger. “So why do you stay?”
“Well, for one, he hasn’t been acting up lately. He’s been doing good for a while now. I left him while I was pregnant with the last baby and he promised to get it together. So far he’s stayed true to his words, but I have a feeling that we might have problems in the future. He might use this incident as an excuse to get high again.”
“And if he does, what are you prepared to do?” he wanted to know.
She thought about it. “I’ll have to leave him for good.”
He shook his head before sipping from his drink. “That’s what you say, but I hope you mean that shit. Never underestimate a nigga on that water. You saw how your girl just lost her life, mama. You got kids and shit.”
“Mark, I know that.”
“I’m just saying…I can’t believe you ended up with that nigga anyway. I thought that you had higher standards.”
She gave him a look. “So what are you trying to say?”
“I just said it. You could’ve done better. I mean…the nigga is talented, don’t get me wrong…but Carmelo could have had a record deal a long time ago if it wasn’t for his dope head ways. Niggas is scared to get in bed with him on the business tip. He’s a financial risk. One minute he’s doing good and then he gets on that shit and says fuck everything else. I can’t tell you how many club promoters won’t book that nigga cause of the way he flip flops. It’s like the most gifted niggas around are all tormented. I feel like you got so much potential; and I just don’t see you with him and being successful all at the same time. The two just can’t co-exist.”
“I hear you, but what are you doing with yourself, Mark?” Necole asked, not liking how he down talked Carmelo. It was just her natural instincts to defend him.
Mark shook his head. “Baby, don’t do me like that. I ain’t trying to bash that nigga or his hustle. If you were some bitch that I was just trying to fuck, I wouldn’t even open my mouth. But it ain’t like that, so I would be less of man if I didn’t try to look out for you. You too good for that and I hate that you chose this fucked up path for yourself. Now, I ain’t saying that I’m the most righteous dude, but you ain’t got to worry about me scratching my head and losing my mind. I gets my hustle on, but I know that this shit don’t last forever. I’m just a nigga from the ghetto trying to make it.”
Necole nodded, not knowing what else to say. Mark was never the one to mince his words and she appreciated that.
Mark silently stared at her for a few seconds before speaking. “Necole, do you know how beautiful you are?”
She smiled.
“No, I’m serious. Keeping it real…I’ve been with my fair share of chicks, but I have yet to find somebody that could make me forget about you.”
She shook her head. “Okay, you had me for a sec, but you can’t expect me to believe that you’ve been going around thinking about me like that. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked you too…but what we shared never got that deep.”
He sucked his teeth. “Man, I ain’t got no reason to lie to you. I guess that I liked you more than you liked me, because I had been peeping you. I knew where you lived, I knew that you were an only child and I knew that you were Spelman bound. I did my homework. I had everything planned. I gave myself two months to make you my girlfriend and then you had to fuck it up. I was so pissed that you gave that nigga some play.”
“Wow,” Necole stressed. “I might be flattered if you hadn’t dated Tory after the fact.”
“Dated? I don’t think that’s the right word for what we did. I fucked her a few times, but that was as deep as it got. Shit…if I wanted her like that, I would’ve got with her from the beginning.”
“Well, she was claiming that you were her man.”
“I guess she told you that to make herself feel better. Truthfully, the only reason I said anything to her was because she claimed that she was going to help me get at you. After a while, I realized that she was full of shit.”
“But you still fucked her.”
He shrugged. “I never denied that. If you giving it up, I’ma take it.”
Necole shook her head. “You’re a mess.”
“Naw, I’m just keeping it real.”
She rolled her eyes.
“That’s real talk, man. And stop doing ya eyes like that before they get stuck like that.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” she piped sarcastically as her cell went off. By the ringtone, she knew that it was Melo. She didn’t feel like talking, so she let the voicemail catch the call.
Time was flying by and before they knew it, it was twelve o’clock. Necole knew that she needed to take her ass home, but she was really enjoying Mark’s company. So when he invited her to his house she didn’t refuse.
“Yeah, this is the La Casa,” he said as they both stepped into his home. Necole thought that he lived in an apartment. She couldn’t believe that at twenty years old he was living in a two story, four-car garage home.
“This is nice, Mark,” she said as she took in the décor. He had black leather couches and a huge flat screen TV in his living room. It was obvious that he was a bachelor, but the home was still immaculate.
“Thank you, mama. Get comfortable,” he told her as he flopped down on his couch. Necole’s cell phone rang for the sixth time. “That nigga gon fuck you up.”
“Whatever,” Necole shrugged as she sat next to him. She was somehow so relaxed around him that she naturally leaned on him.
He wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t let me get used to this.”
“I’ll try,” she yawned. Necole didn’t realize how tired she was. In just minutes, she’d fallen asleep.
Mark enjoyed her body on his. He was disappointed that she’d fallen asleep, but he didn’t attempt to wake her. He knew that if she got up, she’d go home. He was telling the truth when he told her that no chick could make him forget about her. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he wanted her badly. Maybe it was because she was the one that got away, but he couldn’t shake his desires. Yeah, she had a lot of baggage…really more than he wanted. He didn’t think that he could be a step daddy or anything, but he definitely wanted to lay her down.
Necole’s eyes fluttered open. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep. It was still dark and she was grateful that the sun hadn’t caught her there. “Shit,” she mumbled as she sat up on the couch.
“You finally up, huh?” Mark asked as he sat in a chair rolling up on a magazine.
She stretched and yawned. “Yeah, what time is it?”
“Three in the morning.”
“Fuck!” she let out. “Why did you let me fall asleep?”
He shrugged. “I figured that you needed a little rest.”
She sucked her teeth as she stood. Her dress had rode up her thighs. She pulled it down, but not before Mark got a glimpse of her laced panties.
“Damn,” he mumbled, damn near drooling all over himself.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, mama.”
She walked over to him. “Let me hit that before I go.”
He licked the blunt to seal in the weed. “You smoke?”
“Yeah, if you have some good.”
He pulled a lighter out of his pocket. “That’s all I smoke, baby,” he told her as he lit the blunt. He took a few drags before passing it to her.
She puffed. “Dam
n,” she hit her chest as the smoke burned her throat. “This is some fire.”
He smiled. “I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him off as she took another toke.
She took a seat on the couch and they passed the weed back and forth. It had been a minute since Necole had gotten high and it was much needed.
“Look at you, you fucked up,” he teased as he looked at the glossed over look in her eyes.
“Fuck you,” she giggled as she stood.
“Where you going?”
“I need to use the restroom.”
“It’s back there,” he pointed.
“Okay,” she nodded. She was so high that she went to use the bathroom and left the door wide open. Mark stood in the hall seeing all of her goodies.
She wiped herself, stood and washed her hands all the while her dressed remained up over her ass. Her panties were down at her ankles.
Mark stepped into the bathroom while she stood at the sink. “You know what you doing,” he whispered as he placed his hands on her hips.
“What are you talking about?” she asked as she looked at him through the mirror.
“You know,” he breathed on her neck as he eased his hand to the face of her pussy. He cuffed it before sticking his index finger into her slit.
“What are you doing?” she trembled as she watched him play between her thighs. “Umm,” she moaned as she arched her back.
“You like that?” he asked as he kissed her neck.
“Ooh,” she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“No, look at me,” he sensually demanded.
She looked into the mirror.
“Tell me what you want me to do with this wet, juicy pussy.”
“I…I want you to make me cum.”
“How you want to cum? You want this finger to take you there or do you want this dick?”
Just then his finger found a groove causing her knees to become weak. “Oh…I want that dick.”
“Yeah?” he asked as he used his other hand to undo his pants. He whipped out his pipe. Out of curiosity, she turned to see what he was working with. She was surprised to see that he an anaconda between his legs. “Turn around,” he told her.
Love is Blind (G Street Chronicles Presents) Page 19
