Love is Blind (G Street Chronicles Presents)

by Nicole Jackson

  “Where’s your car?” he asked as he pulled out of the complex.

  “Impounded,” she cried feeling less than shit.

  “How did that happen?”

  “Carmelo,” she sobbed. “I’m just so tired.”

  Mark didn’t quite know what to say. He could only imagine what she’d been going through. He saw a few bruises on her face and she just didn’t seem like the Necole he knew.

  “Where is your car exactly?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I don’t have the money to get it out. My mom won’t even help me.”

  “What about Carmelo? He didn’t give you any money toward it?”

  “Tuh,” she let out exasperated. “Carmelo doesn’t have money for anything other than that bullshit he smokes.”

  “Damn,” he mumbled. “Well, call around and see where your car is, mama.”

  She looked up at him. “For what? Didn’t you just hear me say that I don’t have the money?”

  “Yeah, I heard you. Just call around like I asked you,” he said as he stared at her through the rearview mirror.

  In just thirty minutes, Necole located her car. It was going to cost two fifty to get it out. She reluctantly told Mark and he headed to the pound. Twenty minutes later, she had her car back.

  “Thank you so much,” she said after he’d placed everything she had in her trunk.

  “It was nothing,” he assured her as he stood at her window.

  “Still, thank you,” Just then, her cell phone began to ring. It was her neighbor Carla calling. “Hold up, let me get this,” she said before answering her phone. “Hello.”

  “Necole?”

  “Yeah, this is me.”

  “Hey, I think that you should know that someone just kicked in your door.”

  “What?!”

  “Yeah, I think that they were looking for your boyfriend. They tried questioning us, but I told them that I didn’t know where he was. He had just left.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “And I remember one of the guys.”

  Necole gasped. “From where?”

  “He used to be over at your place,” those words sent a chill down Necole’s spine. She knew exactly who the guy was.

  “Thank you so much, Carla.”

  “You’re welcome. You just make sure that you and those babies are somewhere safe.”

  “I will. Thanks again,” she said before ending the call.

  “What was that about?” Mark asked curiously.

  “That was my neighbor. She said that someone just kicked in my door.”

  “For real?”

  “Yeah. Carmelo and Lil’ Daddy had it out with two dudes. They were me and Amber’s friends. Carmelo pistol whipped my friend, while Lil’ Daddy shot Amber’s friend. They swore that they were going to get at our baby daddies, but so much time had passed that I thought that they had let it go.”

  “You talking about Julian and Bucket Head?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “How did you know?”

  “Shit…everybody knew about that. Those niggas have had two shootouts since then.”

  “What niggas?”

  “Your baby daddy and those two niggas. He never told you?”

  “Hell no,” she shook her head. “I can’t believe that he would keep something like that from me. What if my kids would have been home today?”

  He hunched his shoulders. “Hey, that’s the nigga you chose to be with.”

  Necole eyed him. “You know what…I’m not going to entertain you.”

  “I’m just keeping it real…anyway, where are you going now?”

  She thought for a second. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll try and go to Carmelo’s mom’s house.”

  “You’re joking right?”

  “What other option do I have?”

  “What about your mom?”

  “She’s out of town right now. She won’t be back for at least a week.”

  “So, you’re going to go to that nigga’s people’s house? I mean…how do you ever expect to break away from the nigga doing shit like that?”

  “Look…I know that his mom’s house isn’t the best place to get away from him, but my kids have to go somewhere.”

  “And you don’t have any friends that you can call on?”

  “Cali and Corrine are back at school and Amber is…you know.”

  He rubbed his goatee. “Damn. Well…if you want you can crash at my spot until your mama come back into town.”

  She shook her head. “Mark, I don’t want to impose on you like that. I have two small kids that would drive you up the wall.”

  “Naw, it’s okay. My house is big enough. Ya’ll can stay in the room at the back of the house, far away from my room,” he laughed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Hey, hey what did I say? Now, just follow me,” he told her before walking to his car.

  Necole absently followed him while her babies whined. It smelled like Junior had shitted on himself. She felt like she was about to have a nervous breakdown as she thought about him having only a few diapers. “I got to get my shit together,” she mumbled to herself. Even though Carmelo had not been pulling his weight lately, she still felt less of a woman. Her kids were never supposed to go without. It was her fault because she had brought them into this.

  Chapter 17

  “Just make yourself at home,” Mark said as Necole laid Carma in the guest’s bed.

  “Okay,” she nodded as she sat down with Junior in her arms.

  “Look…there’s food in the fridge. I gotta go make some runs. Just hit my cell if you need me.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yeah. You got the whole house to yourself, mama.”

  She sighed. “Okay.”

  He glanced at her. “Why the sad face?”

  She shrugged. “I just have a lot on my mind. But it’s all good. You go and handle your business.”

  He studied her. “Don’t look so down, okay. I’ll be back.”

  “Alright.”

  He left her and the kids alone. So she decided to draw them a bath. She hated to see her babies dirty. Technically, they were not dirty, but having them out in just diapers was too much.

  “You dirty butts have to get clean,” she told them as she held Carma while Junior played in the bubbles.

  “Look ma-ma,” he laughed. “Bubble,” he pointed.

  “Yeah, I see bubbles,” Just then, Necole heard someone coming up the stairs. She turned around. “Mark must be back,” she mumbled. “Mark?”

  No one answered her but the footsteps got louder.

  “Mark, I know you hear me,” she said right before she heard heels clacking on the hardwood floor.

  “Who the hell are you?” a woman asked as she stood in the bathroom’s doorway.

  “Who are you?” Necole shot back.

  “Where is Mark?” the chick seethed.

  Necole checked her out. She was light-skinned with long sandy brown hair. She was about 5’11” in height and was slim. Her face possessed an authentic poise. She could have been on somebody’s runway with her striking looks.

  Necole could not have felt more shabby right then. She was in sweats and her hair was in a ponytail. The broad was looking down at her and she felt small. “Umm, are you his girlfriend or something?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am,” she folded her arms.

  “Well, he’s not here right now.”

  The chick sucked her teeth. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Mark’s friend.”

  The girl reached for her purse and for a second Necole thought that she was pulling out a gun. Instead, she retrieved her cell and dialed Mark up. “Babe, who is this girl in your house?”

  Necole sat and watched the girl’s face turn beet red.

  “What the fuck do you mean? She what?” the girl fumed as she stepped away from the bathroom. “I don’t give a damn. I…I can’t believe you. Well…I’m…you know…fuck
you!” she snapped as she hung up her cell.

  Necole listened as she heard the girl storm down the stairs and then slam the door shut. She laughed to herself as she thought about calling Mark before she realized that he knew what had just happened.She shrugged it off figuring that it was his problem to handle. Hell, she had her own problems.

  As the night went on, Necole put her kids to bed before lying down herself. She was deep in thought when she got a call from Carmelo. “Baby, are you alright?” he questioned.

  “First of all, I’m not your baby and secondly, me and my children are fine.”

  “That’s what’s up. When are you coming home?”

  Necole had to look at her phone. “You can’t be serious. I know you saw that someone kicked my door in.”

  “Yeah, I know, but don’t worry about that. I got it all under control.”

  “You know what, I was suspicious but now I know. You have officially lost your everlasting mind. I will not come anywhere near that apartment. You have compromised my children’s safety. The only thing I’m doing is packing my shit and moving as far away from you as humanly possible.”

  “What? I…” she didn’t stay on the line long enough to hear him out. She was so done with being the fool. The Carmelo era was over.

  * * * * *

  “Ay, Necole!”

  Necole was in the mirror flat-ironing her hair. “Yeah?”

  “Where you at?”

  “I’m up here in the bathroom.”

  “What’s the business, baby?” he asked as made it to the second floor.

  She sighed. “Nothing.”

  He stood in the doorway. “Yeah? I see you getting your hair together. You going somewhere?”

  She shrugged as she handled the flat-iron like a pro.

  Mark enjoyed the sight before his eyes. She wore a black and white horizontally striped mini skirt with a small black tube top. Her flat stomach was fully exposed and the skirt barely covered her ass. She had gained weight over time; still it was all in the ass. The curve of her hips almost seemed sculptured.

  “What are you looking at?” she asked as she eyed him in the mirror.

  “You,” he smiled. Their eyes met and for a few seconds they were both stuck.

  Necole decided to break the tension. “You’ve been one busy guy, huh?”

  He smirked. “Yeah. So what have you been doing for the past two days?”

  “Trying to get my mind right.”

  “That’s what’s up,” he nodded.

  “But you are so damn rude,” she playfully rolled her eyes.

  He raised a brow. “Why you say that?”

  “For one, you left me here for three days; but then you don’t bother to tell me that you have a girlfriend. And if that isn’t enough, she has a key to your house.”

  He chuckled as he looked at the floor. He was so cute that Necole couldn’t find it within her to be mad at him.

  “My bad, real talk. I didn’t know that she still had a key.”

  “So, she’s your girlfriend?”

  He looked up at her. “Umm…something like that. We are off and on. She’s too damn sneaky. She gave me my key back two months ago. Or so I thought.”

  Necole shook her head. “So how did you explain my being here?”

  “I told her that you are a very good friend and that you needed to crash here for a few days.”

  “And she was cool with that?”

  He laughed. “What do you think?”

  She giggled. “So, let me guess…you’re in the doghouse.”

  He gave her a look. “What? Come on, man. I ain’t keeping nobody that don’t want to be kept. So if she wants to leave, she’s free to go; but ain’t no such thing as a doghouse. Some people do what they can, I do what I want.”

  “Uh, I’m scared of you,” she laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You. You’re talking all this suave shit. A few years ago, I would have been impressed, but now I’m feeling like I’ve seen this before. Women love you and you love women, right?”

  He stared at her trying to fully understand what she was saying. “Wait. Don’t start comparing me to that nigga. I ain’t shit like him.”

  She shook her head as her hazel eyes pierced through him. “I never said that you were. I’m just not enthused with guys that have all the extra in their lives. Shit…if I could go back in time, I’d take everything back. Carmelo showed me that having a player, a hustler, or a thug is not what I want.”

  “Well, I’m just me. A nigga trying to make it.”

  She shrugged. “Hey, I’m not here to judge. I’m sure you know what’s best for you.”

  He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms. “I can only imagine what you and that nigga fought about. You are more than a handful. You know that?”

  She turned around. “Am I?”

  His eyes wandered up and down. “Yeah you are,” he grabbed her by the waist. “You were probably driving that nigga crazy,” he lifted her skirt and felt a rough patch of skin.

  “Why does your skin feel like this?” he asked as he softly stroked that spot.

  She sighed. “Carmelo. When he was dragging me across the carpet, he gave me carpet burn.”

  He had to bite his lips. He couldn’t understand how any man could treat his woman that way. Carmelo was anything but a man in his eyes. He had to shake the thoughts of merking that dude, so he resumed his mission.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as she stared into his eyes.

  He slowly pulled her panties down to her ankles. “Sit down,” he whispered as he turned her around before pushing her into the counter. She didn’t move fast enough for him she he lifted her up onto the counter.

  He undid his jeans and pulled his boxers down. His dick stood at attention. He pushed her legs apart and slowly entered her. They rocked slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  He leaned his head back to get a better look at her. Her eyes were closed shut while her mouth was wide open. It was such a beautiful sight. He had to kiss her, so he eased his tongue into her mouth. They took turns tasting each other.

  He lifted her tube top revealing her breasts. He cupped one and gently squeezed. She lifted her feet onto the counter and rolled her hips. “Ugh, ugh,” she uttered as they breathed heavily.

  “Fuck,” he moaned against her mouth. He then gripped her thighs and lifted her off the counter. He walked with her wrapped around him. Once they made it to his bedroom, he eased her onto the bed. He never broke the connection as he drilled into her.

  She softly bit his neck as he hit her spot. He moved down and took a nipple into his mouth. “Yessss,” she hissed.

  He softly kissed her. “Tell me when you cum.”

  The selfish part of her refused to say a word. Yeah, she’d cum once, but she wasn’t done yet.

  “Baby, did you cum, ‘cause I don’t think that I can hold this back,” he panted as he deep stroked her.

  “Then let it rain.”

  “Let it rain, huh?” he pulled out of her. With his dick in hand he shot hot semen all over her stomach. “Damn,” he breathed as he stroked himself one last time.

  “Mommy,” Little Carmelo cried from the other room.

  “Shit,” Necole climbed out of bed. “You have this cum all over me,” she complained as she went to the bathroom.

  “You’ll live,” Mark lay out in his bed, trying to recover from the huge nut he’d just busted.

  Necole hurried to clean herself so that she could tend to her son. Once she was done, she headed to the guest’s bedroom. As soon as she entered the room, she knew why he was crying. He had obviously shitted on himself.

  She scrounged up her nose as she picked him up. “Uh, you stink. Mommy needs to potty train you,” Just as the words left her mouth, she realized that he was down to his last diaper.

  Necole didn’t know what to do. She had too much pride to ask Mark to buy some pampers. She had never been in that position. Times wer
e never this hard. Her circumstances were looking so grim that she couldn’t stop the tears that escaped her eyes.

  “Damn, he stinks,” Mark waved as he held his nose as he stood in the doorway. He noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks before she could wipe them away. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she shook her head.

  “Aye, don’t lie to me,” he stepped into the room.

  She took a deep breath. “My kids need pampers.”

  “Okay, and?”

  She sniffed. “And I don’t have any money.”

  “Necole, don’t do me like that, man. Real talk. I thought that you had a real problem. What size diapers do they need?”

  “A size one and three.”

  “Okay, cool. I’ll be right back.”

  Just as promised, Mark came right back. He had four cases of Huggies’ diapers with him. “Will this do?”

  Necole weakly smiled. “Yeah.”

  “Now, what’s the problem?” he asked as he sat next to her on the couch.

  “My bad, if it seems like I don’t appreciate what you just did. It’s just that I feel fucked up for even having to ask someone else to buy something for my kids. This is not how it’s supposed to be.”

  “I hear you, mama. I know that taking handouts is killing your spoiled ass. Still, you should just think of this as a blessing. Some people are worse off than you, trust me.”

  “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes.

  “That’s straight up. If…” he was cut off as his cell rang. “Hold up,” he told her as he answered his phone. “Hello. Aye, what’s up? Huh? Naw, I’m about to come. Just give me a few minutes.”

  Necole rolled her eyes knowing that he was about to leave again.

  He ended the call. “Hey, you good?”

  She nodded as she bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  “Cool. I’ll be back,” he said as he stood to leave.

  * * * * *

  It was Wednesday and Janet was now in town. Necole hadn’t spoken to her since she refused to wire her the money to get her car out of the pound. She knew that her mom was trying to show her tough love; still it hurt all the same.

  She hated having to call her mom to rescue her. She wanted to find a way on her own, but she knew that it was time to go. Mark had been hospitable, but she knew that she was invading his space. He was a single man with no children, so she knew that she was cutting into his down time. Several women had been ringing his house phone off the hook. She figured that he’d get with them once she left there, since he was always in and out. He’d only slept there twice in the entire nine days she’d been there.