“Not like that ma, I want you to come be a bartender or waitress at my club?”
“A strip club?” she asked skeptically.
“Not at all, you remember club Xscape right?”
“Yea, that’s your club?” she asked shocked.
“Yup and I want you to come work for me, you can think about it for a while then give me a call with your answer.” He said opening her car do for her.
“Alright, put your number in my phone.” She said handing him her iPhone.
He put his number in her phone then called his phone so he could have her number also.
“Aight, I’ll lock you in my phone, now get home safe.”
When Neicey got home, she talked to Mykell about the job offer to see how he would feel about it. At first he was skeptical about it because he didn’t want his fiancé working at a club but he also didn’t care for her working at Hooters either. He would prefer for her to stay at home and let him take care of her but he knew that would never happen. Eventually he gave in because he knew that once her mind was made up, there was no changing it.
Neicey went upstairs and checked on MJ, he was in the bed sleeping peacefully like he didn’t have a care in the world. She kissed him on the forehead and headed to the master bedroom. She pulled out her phone and called Kamil. He answered the phone on the second ring. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so early.”
She chuckled, “Well hello to you too Boss Man”
“Ahh Boss Man, so I take it that you accept my job offer?” he said hopefully.
“Yes, but under certain circumstances,”
“I’m open to anything.”
“Okay well, you know I’m also in school so therefore I would probably only be able to work the weekends.”
“Ohh that’s fine, I understand that education comes first. So we can work with that.”
That made her smile, “Okay so when do you want me to start Boss Man?”
“This weekend, come to the club around 8:00 so I can get you ready and get you everything you need.” He said happily.
“Alright, I can do that. See you then.”
*****
That Friday, Neicey walked through the doors of club Xscape at 8:00 on the dot. She was ready to see what the night would bring. She spotted Kamil sitting at the bar talking to the bartender so she went over and tapped him on the shoulder. “How you doing Boss Man?”
“There she is, I was just talking about you,” he said as he got up to hug her.
“All good things I hope.” She hugged him back.
“Of course, this is Johnny, he will be helping you out tonight with the bar.” He said introducing her to the bartender.
“Hey Johnny,”
“Hey to yourself, nice to finally meet you Reneice.”
“Nice to meet you too and call me Neicey.” She turned to Kamil and asked him what she needed to learn first.
“Well first we have to get you into uniform. Would you rather wear shorts or a skirt?”
“I think I’ll start off in the shorts.”
“Okay I’ll go get them for you, what’s your size and I need a shirt size too.”
“7 and medium.”
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
Five minutes later he came back with some short black shorts and and a white tank top with Xscape written on the front in black letters. “I see you came prepared with black heels on but maybe next time you should wear more comfortable shoes, unless you can work long hours in them.” He said wanting her to be as comfortable as possible.
“I got this Boss Man, I wouldn’t wear them if they weren’t comfortable. Watch ya girl work.”
He laughed at her feistiness.
“Alright Miss Thang, let me show you to the dressing room.
When she came from the back he had to try not to stare so hard. Her thighs looked nice and thick like an athlete’s. The heels she had on made them look like they went on forever even though she was kind of short.
Kamil went back to his office and watched on the surveillance cameras as Johnny taught Neicey everything she needed to know. He taught her how to mix drinks and she caught on very quickly. He knew that it would be hard keeping it just business between them but he would make it work somehow. He didn’t know who her man was but he did remember her being snatched off the dance floor the night of his grand opening. He didn’t miss the rock on her finger either.
“Her nigga better act right because the moment he fuck up, I’ma be right there.” He thought to himself smiling.
Then, Kamil’s phone started buzzing and he rolled his eyes at the text message, he put the phone back in his pocket without responding.
Neicey’s first night at the club was fun. She laughed and smiled the whole night. Johnny was fun to work with and he was very patience with her, she even got tipped graciously. It was around 3:00 when she left the bar and she knew that Mykell and MJ would be asleep when she got home.
When she got home she crept into the house quietly not to wake anybody. She went into MJ’s room and checked on him like she did every night and kissed him. Then she headed to the room that she shared with her fiancé, he was knocked out. She smiled at his snoring and thought to herself that she was so lucky to have a guy like him. No he wasn’t perfect but nobody was. She went into the bathroom and took a shower. When she got out she climbed in bed with her man. She smiled when she felt his arm wrap around her and pull her close.
“I don’t know how I’ma like this new job.” he said in a sleepy voice. She just smiled and knew this is what she really wanted.
Chapter 8
2 Years Later
Things had changed a lot in the past two years, but not for the better. Niecey was out of school so that meant that she was able to put more hours in at the club. Her and Kamil had become like best friends. MJ was now seven years old and was doing real well in school, he frequently asked Neicey when she was going to give him a little sister and she would always tell him in due time. Mykell was another story, he and Neicey were not as close as they used to be. He had been acting real funny towards her for the past year and she didn’t know what his problem was. Whenever she tried to talk to him about it he would always brush her off and say he was stressed out. When he said that, she would leave him alone.
Neicey decided to go into work early that night because she wanted to talk to Kamil about some things. He had become a very big factor in her understanding men and how they work. She would talk about things with him that she wouldn’t talk to her brother about.
She knocked on his office door and he told her to come in. He was sitting behind his desk wearing black from head to toe. He had on a black snapback, black V-Neck, black jeans and black Timberland boots.
“Wassup Boss Man, where you going looking all mischievous?” she asked jokingly.
He laughed, “So I see we got jokes. What brings you in so early, you're not on the clock for another hour,” he said looking at his watch.
“Well it’s time for another one of our talks Kamil, I don’t know why the sudden change but I know I’m not feeling it.”
Kamil sighed, he knew it was serious when she called him Kamil instead of Boss Man or Mil Mil. “You know what ma, maybe it’s time for y’all to sit down and talk about it. Ain’t no sense in walking around avoiding each other. Y’all are engaged and you do live together.”
“I know Kamil but he won't even talk to talk to me, he will run his mouth to his brother or my brother but when I try to talk he wants to turn into a mute. But he won’t hesitate to open his mouth he he wants to have sex,” she sighed, she was starting to get tired of the whole situation.
“I went to the doctors earlier today and I found out, I’m pregnant.” she said, as she played with her engagement ring wondering where they went wrong.
Kamil wasn’t shocked about her news. He had been telling her for two weeks to go to the doctors to see what was wrong.
“How far along are you?” he inquired.
“2 months,” she
said enthusiastically
“Well when are you going to tell him?”
Reneice shrugged, “I don’t even know if I want to keep it, especially with the way things are between us. A baby would only complicate things more and I really don’t need that.” said Reneice, on the verge of tears.
“I think you should still tell him. It’s his baby just as much as it is yours and he should know.”
Reneice rolled her eyes at his statement. She really didn’t want to hear that. “Whatever Kamil,”
Kamil got up and pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Baby girl you already know how I feel about you. So you know I’ma be here for you no matter what, any decision you make, I’m behind you one-hundred percent. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said sincerely.
A while back Kamil had expressed to Reneice that he was growing feelings for her. He told her that he knew she was engaged so he would stay in his place and not overstep his boundaries. Unlike most women who would stay far away from him, she told him she was not the one to cheat, no matter how many problems she was having in her relationship. She told him that she didn’t look at him any differently and they could be friends.
“I knew he would fuck up eventually, I just have to be a little more patient.” thought Kamil.
“It’s cool. Let me get out of here so I can clock in I don’t want you docking my pay.” She joked
When Neicey got home, it was 4:00 in the morning. She noticed Mykell’s car wasn’t in the garage, which was weird. She went in the house and headed straight for for MJ’s room. She was shocked but also relieved to see him sound asleep, she went to her room and was surprised when she didn’t see Mykell. She called his phone and it went straight to voicemail. I wonder where the fuck his black ass at, she thought to herself. She took a shower and climbed in bed, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was in dreamland.
Mykell rolled over out his sleep to the annoying sound of Kya’s snoring. He grabbed his phone to check the time and realized it was turned off. He never turned his phone off so he knew Kya was the culprit. He was a surprised that he didn’t have any voicemails from Neicey. He just knew she would blow up his phone to see where he was at and why he wasn’t home. Instead, there was nothing. He had started back missing with Kya six months ago. It wasn’t a part of the plan but it happened. Neicey was spending more time at work than she was with him and his son. He showed up at Kya’s doorstep one night and they been fucking ever since.
At 6:30 Mykell crept into the house, he was hoping that Neicey wa sleep so he wouldn’t have to explain himself. He kicked his shoes off and climbed into bed and wrapped his arm around Neicey. Half asleep, she caught a whiff of a fragrance that she didn’t recognized. She knew he was with another woman but she was too sleepy to fight with him about it.
“His trifling ass could have at least took a shower and washed the traces of the bitch off him”. She thought before she went back to sleep.
The next morning, Mykell woke up around 2:00 and Neicey wasn’t in bed. He didn’t smell any food and that was unusual. Neicey cooked breakfast every morning. He went to MJ’s room and he wasn’t in there. He showered and watched TV in the living room until he heard the front door closing about an hour later. MJ ran through the house with bags full of clothes and shoes in his hand. He knew that she was out using his black card.
“Mykell Jr. what I tell you about running in the house!” Neicey yelled.
Then, she walked into the living room on the phone, telling somebody that she would meet them in 20 minutes. She walked right past Mykell like he wasn’t there. He had to admit that she was looking real delicious in her off the shoulder half shirt, short khaki shorts, her concords and a cute messy bun on the top of her head.
Reneice came back into the living room and headed straight for the front door.
“Yea I’m on my way out the door now, alright, bye.”
She was still acting like she didn’t see Mykell and it was pissing him off.
“Well hello to you too and where the fuck you going?” He asked.
She looked at him, rolled her eyes and put on her Chanel sunglasses before she walked out the door. Mykell sat there dumbfounded, he didn’t knew what her problem was.
MJ came back down the stairs ready to play his video games.
“You hungry lil man?” Mykell asked.
“Nope, mommy took me out to eat already.” MJ replied, without ever looking up.
Mykell walked into the kitchen shaking his head.
“How the fuck did we go from the perfect lil family to this shit,” he thought as he fixed himself something to eat.
Then, he went back into the living room and sat with his son.
“I’m going to be a big brother,” MJ said out of nowhere damn near making Mykell choke.
“What you talkin bout lil man?”
“I heard mommy on the phone with somebody saying she was pregnant, she said she just found out yesterday. So I’ma be a brother.” He smiled happily not knowing that he just started an uproar.
Leave it up to kids to tell everything.
Reneice was laying on Kamil’s couch venting. She decided that she was going to stay there until it was time for her to go to work, she didn’t want to be around Mykell after the shit he pulled the previous night. She even turned her phone off.
“Yes, Mil Mil. He climbed his sorry ass in the bed with me and didn’t even have the decency to wash the bitch off him.” Kamil sat quiet listening to her vent. He knew Mykell would fuck up eventually.
“So what did you do?” He asked anxious to hear how she handled the situation.
“I went and swiped that nigga black card at any and every store I could think of, that’s what I did. I was too sleepy to confront him last night so I did some revenge shopping.” She chuckled.
Kamil just shook his head. “You are a hot mess girl.”
“I know. He knows I like to spend his money when I mad at him.” She laughed.
When she ran her fingers through her hair, he noticed she didn’t have her ring on. “So where’s your ring?”
“In the drawer, I refuse to wear it if our so called relationship is going to be like this and if he wants to cheat. I don’t even know if I want to be with him anymore, I mean don’t get me wrong, I love him to death but I’m not going to keep somebody who doesn’t want to be kept. I don’t mind co-parenting.”
Mykell had been trying to call Reneice for an hour straight and every time he got her voicemail. He was fuming. He had no idea where she was, he wanted to know if what MJ said was true. He knew his son had no reason to lie, but he wanted to hear it from Neicey’s mouth. He was happy that she was pregnant, that way she would quit her job, spen more time at home and they could repair their relationship. He was getting frustrated and annoyed because Kya was blowing his phone up. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to her and he had more important things to worry about.
Neicey had fell asleep in Kamil’s guest bedroom, she took a much needed nap. She smelled something good in the air so she went downstairs to see what it was. She went to the kitchen where she found Kamil standing over the stove. He felt her presence, “Hey sleeping beauty,” he said without turning around.
“You got jokes huh?”
“No but you did sleep for five hours straight,” he laughed. “That pregnancy must be really getting to you.”
“Shut up punk, but what you cooking?”
“Chicken fajitas. I thought you might like something to eat before you go to work.”
“You're not coming in tonight?” she asked.
“Only for a minute, then I gotta go.” he explained.
“Oh,” she said sounding disappointed
“Cheer up big head, we can chill in my office til I leave.”
“What makes you think I want to chill with you Boss Man?” She joked.
“Because you do, now shut up and eat.” he placed a plate of food in front of her.
*****
Mykell was going c
razy. He called everyone he could think of asking them have they seen Neicey but nobody has seen her. When Lani came to pick up MJ, he asked her did they meet up earlier. She said no and he was confused because he thought she was the one Neicey was on the phone with earlier. He reached in his drawer for a blunt he had already rolled; he needed something to calm his nerves. When he reached into the drawer, he saw her ring. He was shocked because since the day he put that ring on her finger, she had never taken it off, not even to shower.
Reneice was standing behind the bar feeling sick. She figured her baby didn’t like the fajitas that she ate earlier. She felt the food coming up and made it to the bathroom just in time. She threw up for five minutes and Johnny sent one of the waitresses to check on her. She called Kamil to tell him she was sick.
“Wassup ma?” he asked her.
“Mil. I’m sick, I don’t they the baby liked those fajitas. I been throwing up for ten minutes.” she said sounding the way she felt.
“Aww, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset the baby, you just go home and get some rest and feel better. As a matter of fact, take a couple of days off, don’t worry I’ll still pay you.”
“Thanks Boss Man, I really appreciate it.”
“No problem baby, you just get better.”
“Alright, I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Aight, one.”
Reneice went back to the bar and told Johnny that she was leaving. She walked out to her car and was looking for her keys. She dug around in her purse but she couldn’t find them. Then, she felt something hit her in the back of the head and she fell to the ground! Her attacker began stomping her in her back and side. He then bent down and pulled her skirt up, exposing her panties. She started groaning and tried to scream but he punched her in the mouth. He pulled his dick out, pushed her panties to the side and forced himself inside her roughly. He kept pumping until he let off inside her.
“Tell Mykell’s bitch ass I said wassup.” the attacker said before he heard footsteps and ran.
Johnny was looking for Neicey to tell her she dropped her keys, but when he saw her laying on the ground bloody and unconscious he took out his cell phone and called 9-1-1 and stayed with her until they came.
PPP Box Set Page 6
