“What?”
“Mya and your father had been having sex since she was twelve, and he was the father of her baby!”
“What? That can’t be true!”
“That’s what I thought, but it was, and that’s the reason the baby was born with so many defects. I forgave Mya and moved on, and she promised me that she would never have sex with him again and I believed her. That’s when she got pregnant again. Everything was cool until I found them a little too close one day and I had to leave her alone. That’s why I asked you if your father had ever hurt you before.”
“I can’t believe that, Marlo. I just can’t. I guess that’s what she thought I knew about, and I guess that’s why she blames me for his death. Damn, I should have known something was going on between the two of them. They were just too close,” I said as tears began to flow. “I wish I could have helped her.”
“I tried to help her. She even agreed to go to counseling, but she wanted it, Sugar, so she didn’t want to be helped. It’s not your fault, though. Don’t ever think that.”
“I know. I’m just upset that I didn’t find out sooner. Now there’s nothing I can do to help her since she never wants to see me again.”
“She will, she’ll just need some time to get over it. That’s all.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Marlo drove me to my car so I could make the drive home. Mya’s heartbroken face was all I could see on the ride. I never wanted to hurt Mya, and I wished that there had been some way to soften the blow. I knew that with the death of our parents she needed a friend, and I couldn’t be there for her. I wanted to go and let her lean on my shoulder and tell her that everything would be OK, and it hurt every time I thought about it. I didn’t want to be blamed for their deaths because there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I couldn’t understand how she could want to continue a sexual relationship with our own father. I would have never guessed that something like that was going on. I could now understand why it was too much for Marlo to deal with. It was too much for me to deal with, and I wasn’t as closely tied to the situation as him.
Once I reached the house I took a shower and lay down, and once Marlo came home he crawled in bed behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I loved the feeling that I got from our closeness. I had never felt that close in any other relationship I had been in. I looked forward to waking up and seeing Marlo’s face. I looked forward to spending my days with him and making love to him at night. As I tried to drift off to sleep, thoughts of my mother and father flooded my mind. I wished that I had gotten a chance to say good-bye. I hadn’t even seen my father since the day I left home. I was filled with so many different emotions, and after about an hour of tossing and turning, I was finally out for the count. The following day I tried to contact Mya, but was unsuccessful. I knew that she didn’t have any money for a funeral, so I wanted to help out as much as I could. I used Marlo’s cell phone to call her since I figured she would answer a call from him, and of course I was right.
“Hey, what’s up?” she said, in a low tone.
“Mya it’s Sugar. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day.”
“Yeah, I know!”
“I want to give you the money for a funeral.”
“Why? You didn’t give a fuck about them when they were alive, so why do you care now? I’ll take care of it myself.”
“That’s not true, Mya. I did care about them, and I want to help.”
“Fuck your money, Sugar. I don’t need your kind of help!”
“We are still sisters, and we are supposed to stick together.”
“Bullshit! You stole the two men that I loved the most.”
“I didn’t steal him. You two weren’t together! And I had nothing to do with what Daddy did. You’re sick, Mya, You actually enjoyed sleeping with Dad? I know that I was wrong for what I did with Marlo, but you and Dad? I didn’t make him set the apartment on fire.”
“It’s funny that you can believe that. Marlo was mine, we were working things out!”
“That’s not what he told me, and that’s not what you told me either!”
“He’s a man, of course he’ll tell you anything to get some pussy!”
“It’s more than that. I’m sorry that I hurt you, but he loves me. Look what you did to him. You hurt him.”
“Yeah, you’re sorry all right. You’re not sorry enough to let him go!” she yelled.
“Even if I did let him go, he wouldn’t be with you. That wouldn’t make things better for anybody.”
“I really don’t have anything more to say to you, so please don’t call me again!”
“Mya, please!”
Click. I stared at the phone for a few seconds before giving it back to Marlo.
“What happened?” he asked.
“She still doesn’t want to talk. She blames me for everything.”
“I’m sorry, babe,” he said, hugging me.
“I just want to help with the funeral, that’s all. They were my parents too.”
“Well don’t worry. I’ll give her the money for the funeral, OK?”
“You will?”
“Yeah, I’ll give it to her. Everything will be cool. She’ll forgive you.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m your man. I’m supposed to look out for you.”
I felt better knowing that Mya would have the money to give them the proper burial. Even if she didn’t want my help directly, she would receive it indirectly. After Marlo gave her the money he accompanied her to the funeral home to make the arrangements. At first I was a little nervous about him spending time with her, but she was the mother of his child. The funeral was set for Saturday, and I decided that I was going to go whether she wanted me to or not.
After I was dressed it took everything minus the Jaws of Life to get me out of the house. It was finally hitting me that they were really gone. Marlo practically dragged me out to the car and put me in the seat. On the long drive to the church I cried tears for all the pain that came from my parents, in life and in death. Once we entered the almost empty church I took a deep breath. We didn’t have much family, but my grandmother and a few of our aunts from New York were seated in the pews. Some of their drug addict friends were seated as well. I made my way up to the closed caskets with Marlo by my side. Once I reached them, I put my hands on both of the caskets and closed my eyes. I immediately thought of the happy times, before the abuse. The times that we would all go out to the park as a family and play basketball and anything else we could think of.
Tears began to form as I heard Mya behind me whispering, “I don’t why she’s here. I’ve never known a more fake person in my life!”
I ignored her comments as I kissed my fingers and placed a kiss on each of there caskets and said, “I love you both.”
As I turned to walk to be seated, I received only angry looks from the people in attendance, including my grandmother. I assumed that Mya had informed them about Marlo and me.
The funeral seemed to go on forever, and after going to the burial, we all returned to the church for the repast. Marlo and I sat at a table in the back.
I noticed Mya coming over to the table and prepared for the worst. Marlo told me that if I was ready to leave we could go. I opted to stay and hear what she had to say.
“You’re not welcome here!”
“Mya, now is not the time for this.”
“You just had to rub the shit in my face, didn’t you? You had to come here together.”
“Chill out, Mya,” Marlo yelled.
“You need to leave, Sugar.”
“I’ll leave when I ready!” I said, standing up.
“I can assist you if you want me to.”
“I wish you would touch me, Mya. That will be the last thing you touch!”
“Bitch, I will kill you!” she said, walking around the table in my direction.
“Hey, hey, hey cut this out! Your mother wo
uld not want you two fighting,” my grandmother instructed.
“Grandmom, I wasn’t bothering her.”
“What’s going on with you two?” she asked us both.
“She’s fucking my son’s father!”
“Watch your language, young lady! Is that true, Sugar?”
“Yeah, it’s true, tell her!” Mya yelled.
“She was asking me!” I retorted.
“Well, answer her, you trifling ho!”
“You know what, Mya? Fuck you! I apologized for what I did, but that’s not really what this is about. You only want Marlo because Daddy’s gone!” I yelled.
“Sugar, don’t do this here,” Marlo said, grabbing my arm.
“No, fuck that. She wants to embarrass me. Tell them, Mya, you only want Marlo back ’cause Daddy’s not here to fuck you anymore!”
“What are you talking about, Sugar?” my grandmother asked, confused.
“Ask her, you see she doesn’t have much to say now. She lost Marlo because she was too busy fucking our father! She even had a baby by him, now how dysfunctional is that?” I yelled as I looked around the room. Everyone was staring, and the room was so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop.
“Mya is that true?” she asked.
Mya just stared at me with hate in her eyes before turning and running out of the church. Everyone turned and looked at me, including Marlo, who was shaking his head in disbelief.
“Why is everyone staring at me? I came here to pay my respects and she couldn’t even allow me to do that. Blame it on her, not me. Marlo, let’s go,” I said before grabbing him by the hand and walking toward the door. I turned around before walking out and spoke, “I’m not the one to blame here. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
After getting in the car, Marlo stared at me before turning the car on.
“What?”
“That was fucked up what you did. I want you to know that.”
“It was fucked up I what I did? What about her? Are you taking her side now?”
“It ain’t about that, Sugar. That was some hurtful shit you said to her, and of all days you pick this one.”
“She picked the fight with me. Was I supposed to sit there quiet while she reamed me out?”
“I asked you if you wanted to leave.”
“Why should I have to run away from her? They were my parents too, and I shouldn’t have to leave because of her.”
“The time was just not appropriate for that. Now all of your family is looking at you sideways!”
“I don’t care about them. They never cared about me when my mother was there whipping my ass for shit that Mya did. Or when they were buying drugs and not feeding us. Fuck them. I’m tired of taking the blame for her. I was abused damn near every night because she wanted to go out and get fucked. Well, it’s time she took responsibility for something.”
“Look, I understand you being upset, but it still wasn’t the place and time for that.”
“Well, maybe you’re right, but I would have never went off like that if she wouldn’t have kept fucking with me.”
“Well, let’s just go home and chill. You got me now, and I’m going to make it better. I got something that will clear your mind.”
“Oh, really?” I said, smiling even though I was still angry about what had just happened.
“Yeah, you know I do,” he said as he licked his lips.
Once we entered the house, Marlo palmed my ass with both of his hands and begin to kiss me on the back of my neck. I leaned my head to the side as I began to play with my hardened nipples through my shirt. I turned around to face him as stuck my tongue in his mouth as he began to remove my shirt and bra. Once he succeeded he began to play with my nipples with his fingers as we continued to tongue each other down. I reached down and loosened his belt and unbuttoned his pants. After his pants hit the floor I put my hands on his hardness and after removing the pre-cum with my fingers I backed away and licked it off of each finger. Marlo, extremely turned on, stepped out of his pants and began to massage his pole as I removed the remainder of my clothing.
“Come fuck me,” I instructed in a sexy tone.
Marlo moved toward me as I backed up and sat on the edge of the chaise. I bent one leg up and began to massage my clit, waiting for him to meet me. He moved closer to me and stuck his stick in my wide open mouth as I continued to play with me clit. I took him all in as he guided my head with his hands. After he was satisfied, he pushed my legs back and entered me, going deep inside of me. He continued to pound me until we both exploded. Exhausted, we fell asleep on the floor wrapped in each other’s arms. My mind was definitely off of Mya and the earlier incident. Though my relationship with Mya was in ruins, I could move on knowing that I once tried to mend our broken relationship.
Chapter 10
Sugar Walls . . .
I came up with the idea to call my club Sugar Walls after listening to Jackie-O’s CD. Though my name was Sugar, the meaning of the song fit the scheme perfectly. I sat down with my designer Noelle and explained what I wanted. And once I decided on a building, the contractors began working. The floors were glazed marble, and the Sugar Walls sign lighted the entrance hall. There would be two booths where the bouncers would sit with the pay station directly in the center. Once inside the main room, there would be four side stages with one main center stage, each equipped with a pole in the middle. The lighting would surround each stage perfectly to spotlight the dancers when they performed. The black tables that would surround the entire room would be covered with crisp, white tablecloths and imported centerpieces. The DJ’s booth would be close to the bar, which would feature three bartenders to take food and drink orders from waitresses.
Upstairs would be the two VIP rooms for big ballers and celebrities with a private bar and a private dancing room in each one. The last two rooms would be for peep shows, where customers could pay to see private themed dances on the opposite side of glass. Each room would have four stations total. The color scheme would be red, black, and white, and the art would be a collection of exotic women in different poses in different places.
During the construction of the building, I went to Kinko’s to have flyers made to advertise the grand opening. I also posted flyers for an interview day. The open positions were for two cooks, three bartenders, one DJ, four bouncers, two cashiers, three waitresses, two for cleaning, and a minimum of twelve dancers. I also needed a manager and an accountant to keep things running smoothly. I set up a pay scale where the dancers would have to pay me fifteen percent of their earnings. I designed uniforms for all the waitresses, which were similar to a naughty maid’s outfit. I was excited about my interviews at the end of the week, and I was surprised when the line formed, wrapping around the corner. I called Marlo in for some assistance with picking the dancers and waitresses.
The first dancer that I chose went by the stage name Chocolate. Born and raised in North Philly, she possessed a gift of consuming your attention. Her smooth, dark skin was perfect, and her body was shaped like a Coke bottle. Her dancing style was graceful but sexy at the same time. She would definitely be a headliner, and Marlo agreed with me. Next was Kitten, who was from Baltimore. Her complexion was caramel, and her forty DD’s made her a sure winner. She had long, glowing legs and she demonstrated how they could wrap around the pole. I automatically put her on the headliner list as well. Diamond was a beauty with golden brown skin. She was the girl next door who could be a runway model. I was mesmerized by her beauty and agreed to make her the third headliner. Brooklyn was the final headliner I chose, and well worth the title. She had a backside that the men would go crazy over at first sight. Her dancing and her booty shaking demonstration won me over within the first few seconds.
Marlo had four of his workers come to be bouncers, and after a long day I had eight peep show girls with names ranging from Vixen to Peaches. The waitresses were Mina, Tressa, and Lexi—three bombshells. The bartenders were all women as well. The cooks were the hardest
to find, but with the help of Marlo, I was able to find two excellent cooks that could fix any upscale meal. The DJ, Razor, was a neighborhood dude that played at all of the hood parties, and I chose him because his style was unique. The cashiers and cleaning staff were held off until the following day when I searched for a manager and an accountant. In a matter of two days I had found and hired each person to complete the business.
It was two weeks before the construction was complete, and after filing the necessary papers and passing inspection, the club was ready to open. I had the place decorated for the grand opening, and I went and picked out the perfect outfit to match my decor. In total, Marlo had given me over $100,000 to complete the club, and it was well worth it. Basically, he came in as a silent partner. I was grateful for the help, and I was surely going to prove to him that his money was well spent. His investment was going to make us both rich. I was determined to make sure his money didn’t go to waste, and I was just as determined to be on top.
Opening night was more intense than I expected. I had knots in my stomach as Marlo assured me that I had nothing to worry about. I kissed him as I cut the ribbon and opened the door, allowing the first customer to enter. The customers—both male and female—began to crowd the main room where both Chocolate and Kitten were already dancing. Jenna came down to support me, as well as Marissa, whom I hadn’t seen in such a long time. I was surprised when she showed up, and we hugged for about a minute before letting go. High rollers stopped in as well and purchased bottles of Dom and Cristal to gain entry to the VIP rooms.
I walked around and greeted most of the customers, and after one walkthrough, I heard a male voice call my name.
“Sugar, Sugar, Sugar. Damn, you look good.”
“What the hell are you doing here, JT?”
“I’m here as a customer just like everyone else. I see that nigga is treating you well.”
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