“So, you got the heat?” Mike asked me as he chalked his pool stick. “It’s gon’ happen in less than twenty-four hours, so we gotta be ready.”
“I’ll get it tomorrow, man. I already talked to Steel, and he got that shit ready. I’m ready.”
Mike nodded as Dank hit the cue ball and sent the colored balls rolling across the pool table. “A’ight. ’Cause we ain’t got time for fuckups.”
“I know that. I got this shit,” I said. “Don’t forget this shit’s goin’ down ’cause of me. I know what the fuck I’m doin’. You handle the drug shit, and I’ll handle what I’m good at.”
One thing about me was, I wasn’t a dope boy. It took too damn long to make any real money that way. There were also too many risks. I liked fast money. I’d started out as a jack boy and graduated to a professional crook. I was a master of disguise who could break into anything and had a sure shot. That explained the name Pistol. I’d robbed a few banks in VA and NC, and now I was wanted by the Feds because my partner Flex had snitched.
Mike looked pissed off at my remark, so Dank spoke up to dispel his bad mood. “You playin’ pool this round, man?” Dank’s eyes were on me.
I sipped a Long Island Iced Tea as I sat there, and shook my head. “Nah, man. Y’all play. I’m chillin’.”
When I looked up, I spotted this bitch named Niya, whom I had fucked with about a month ago, walking toward me. I’d cut old girl off because her hygiene wasn’t up to par. She was also one of those nasty chicks who didn’t keep her crib clean. She’d get her nails and hair done, but she didn’t clean up or cook. What the fuck type of shit was that? Her hand was always out, and she was always offering to give some head, but she had no ambition. After a while that shit got old.
“What’s up, mu’fucka? I figured I’d find you here.” She stood there in front of me with her hand on one of her wide hips.
“Why the fuck you lookin’ for me?” I asked before sipping my drink again.
“Are you seriously askin’ me that right now?” She looked back at her two friends. “This nigga can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious, shawty. We fucked and all that, but I told you what it was. Walk away ’fore I embarrass your ass. I don’t even wanna do that shit.”
Niya laughed and shook her head. “Please don’t act like you wasn’t all up in this pussy like you wanted to be reborn. Miss me wit’ the bullshit.” She batted her fake lashes and tossed her long, wavy black weave over her shoulder.
Why the fuck did I always go for her type? I loved those thick-ass bitches with the fake hair, lashes, and nails. They’d have on a glob of makeup like a damn mask. Now that I thought about it, those hoes obviously had something to hide. Her outfit was worth more than anything in her mom’s crib, where she laid her head. The ho was ratchet, and I didn’t want shit to do with her ass.
Niya went on. “Nigga, bye. You can’t embarrass me. I don’t give a damn what none of y’all buster-ass niggas think about me. I stay on fleek, face is always beat, and my pussy is fiyah.” She waved me off and proceeded to talk shit. “Fuck you, Pistol. You frontin’ for your boys, like you don’t be checkin’ for me and shit.”
“Let’s not go there, Ma. You don’t wanna go there,” I told her. “I don’t know. Yo’ musty ass don’t even bathe every day, so I moved on. I like fuckin’ clean bitches.”
My niggas laughed.
Dank had to butt in. “Damn. I think you better walk on off, shawty. I know cuz, and shit ’bout to get real.”
Niya sucked her teeth. “I ain’t scared of that nigga.”
“I don’t want you to be scared of me, shawty. All I want you to do is leave me the fuck alone. You can do that, right?” I eyed her as she turned beet red.
She bit her bottom lip, and I could tell that she wanted to cry because I’d called her out. “Nigga, I don’t fuck wit’ you like that any fuckin’ way. All I wanted was yo’ fuckin’ money. You tryin’a play me to the left and shit, but …” As if sensing something was up, her homegirls walked over to us.
I shook my head. “Y’all bitches just don’t know when to stop these days. Go ’head on, Niya. For real, yo. You didn’t get no money, and you ain’t gettin’ no money.”
One of Niya’s girls eyed me, with a smile on her face. Was that bitch flirting? I ignored her.
“Fuck this nigga!” Niya told her homegirls and then looked up at me with a devilish grin. “I got something for your ass.”
“Whatever.” I nonchalantly gulped my drink. “Get the fuck on, yo.”
She turned and walked off, and her girls were on her heels. I could only imagine what they had to say.
“Damn, nigga. She bad. You didn’t tell me she was funky and shit,” Mike blurted out as he wore an amused expression.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t want to tell y’all that shit now, but shawty asked for it.”
Dank spoke up. “Shit. You better be careful, man. Ole girl’s pissed off.”
“That bitch don’t move me. She’s just some pussy that I ain’t tryin’a get wit’ no mo’. Even if I’m just fuckin’ a bitch, she gotta come better than that. At least keep clean sheets on your bed and use deodorant. Damn. She need to get outta her feelings.”
My phone vibrated. I took it out of my pocket and saw it was this chick I’d met about a week ago. I sent her to voice mail really quick, and she sent me a text.
Kendra: Hey. I was hoping to see u.
Me: I just wanna fuck. If u ain’t down, don’t text me no more tonight.
Kendra: I’m down.
“I’m ’bout to leave. I’ll holla at y’all niggas tomorrow,” I said as I stood up.
Mike flashed an anxious look my way. “Yo, call me early, nigga.”
“For real,” Dank said. “We gotta know what’s up, man.”
“I got y’all. Damn.” I pounded them up as I shook my head, and then I left. Once I was outside, I texted Kendra.
Me: Your address?
Kendra: 135 Creek Court, Lithonia, Georgia.
Me: Be there in twenty.
Kendra: Okay.
*
“You are one sexy-ass mu’fucka,” I announced when Kendra opened the door.
Kendra was looking all hot in a short-ass pair of shorts and a tank top through which I could literally see the nipples of her D cups. She was brown skinned and thick as hell, like I liked. Still, all I could think about was Daisha. Where the fuck was she, and was she okay? That was all I wanted to know, but I hadn’t busted a real nut in weeks. Shit. A nigga needed to get his rocks off.
She pulled me into the bedroom and pointed to the bed. “Lay back, baby,” she purred seductively as she removed her clothes.
I undressed and did as she said. My eyes were roaming all over Kendra’s curvy frame, but Daisha was still on my mind. All I could envision in my head was her beautiful curly locks and her flawless, smooth skin—minus the bruises from that nigga. Her facial features were perfect, and I especially loved her nose. It was wide but prominent at the same time, which spoke of her African and Native American heritage. Her natural beauty spoke volumes. Every time I had seen Daisha, her makeup was at a minimum. All she wore was lip gloss in a shimmery color and eye shadow. Although she wore the uniform of a corset and short shorts at the strip club, it didn’t seem whorish on her. Instead, I saw her as a woman who was doing what she felt she had to do.
“What’s on your mind, baby?” Kendra asked as she straddled me on the bed.
“You,” I lied as she slowly made a trail down my abs with her tongue.
When her warm tongue wrapped around my hardness, I closed my eyes, trying to ward off thoughts of Daisha. Damn. I needed to cum to relieve some pent-up stress.
“Mmm,” Kendra moaned as she played with my balls.
My dick was literally down her throat now, and that shit felt good as hell. I held on to the back of her head, and then the sound of her ten-month-old baby crying fucked up the mood. Kendra just kept right on sucking, like she didn�
��t hear that shit.
“Um, yo’ kid’s cryin’, shawty. You don’t hear that shit?” I knew from experience that mothers knew how to tune out their children, but that shit was loud as fuck.
“Uh-huh, but she’ll stop.” That bitch kept right on sucking and slurping on my dick.
I wasn’t feeling that shit, so I pushed her away. “I’m good, yo. Tend to yo’ baby.” I stood up and started to get dressed.
“You act like you ain’t never heard a baby cry before.” That chick had the nerve to grab my dick.
“I have, but cryin’ babies that ain’t mine make my dick soft. Specially when the mama ain’t got the decency to make sure her baby’s good. Later, yo.”
I left her standing there in her bedroom, naked and horny as hell, but I didn’t give a fuck. Women like her needed to get their priorities straight. Chasing a nigga and a nut was the reason she was in that position in the first place.
I left her place and got behind the wheel of my ride and put the window down before I turned the key in the ignition. Thoughts of Daisha flooded my mind as I started the engine, hit the gas, and peeled out of that bitch’s neighborhood. Finding Daisha was on my mind, but damn, I didn’t know where to start looking.
Chapter 3
Daisha
That nigga Pistol had been nice as hell to me, but I had had to leave his place. One thing I’d learned during my twenty-two years was that when a man did something nice for you, he expected something in return. No matter how genuine they seemed to be, men did whatever they had to do to get what they wanted.
As grateful as I was to him for helping me, I knew what he was up to. He flirted with me every time he came to the club, and the hundred-dollar tip was his way of showing off how much money he had at his disposal. It just so happened that he walked up on me when I was getting stumped out by Raekwan, and that was his moment to play “captain save a ho.” What he didn’t know was that I didn’t want to be saved. Well, at least to a certain extent. It was a good thing that he’d intervened, but I didn’t want to take things any further.
Damn, he was fine, though, with his flawless dark chocolate skin and nice full lips. When he did smile, it lit up his menacing hazel eyes. Such light eyes looked sexy and exotic against his beautiful dark skin. He also had perfect, straight white teeth. I could tell by the way his clothes fit him that he had a nice cut-up body to go with his tall stature. He had to be at least six feet tall. Not only that, but his hair was close cut, and his facial hair was nice and neat too.
Even with his clean-cut looks, I knew that he was a thug-ass nigga. I had a weakness for dudes like him, though, which had been my downfall. The thing was, I was done with the bad boy type. And after what I’d just gone through with Rae, I was done with men for a while. It was time for me to focus on myself.
I had been taking classes toward a BA in psychology when I met Rae. It had been my second year as a part-time student at Clark Atlanta University. When I first saw him, there had been an immediate attraction, but there’d also been a feeling of uneasiness. It was like I could sense something about him, but I’d put the physical over my common sense. That had a bad idea.
Less than a year later, I’d withdrawn from school because Rae was so over the top with his jealousy. That nigga had accused me of fucking everybody, from the professors to the damn janitors. It was ridiculous, and the last straw had been when he came up to the school and punched a random dude whom he saw talking to me. It wasn’t even anything like he’d thought. Dude had simply been asking me where the admissions office was, because he was a freshman.
After that, I couldn’t risk anybody else getting hurt. I decided to just be the dutiful girlfriend and let him be the breadwinner, like he’d promised. Besides, it wasn’t like I really had anybody who was there for me like that. And so instead of just leaving him, I decided to tough it out. I thought I could change him. Well, obviously I couldn’t. And the stories of how his father had physically abused him made me feel pity for him. Whenever I threatened to leave, he’d throw it up in my face that everybody left him. That made me stay, because I knew how it felt to be neglected and abandoned.
Then, suddenly, he started cutting me off financially. He even stopped paying the bills. In an effort to make ends meet, I went to work at Wendy’s while he hustled, but he was spending his money only on weed, Jordans, video games, and other bitches. Wendy’s didn’t pay enough, and that was why I ended up working at the Blue Flame.
“Damn! What happened to your face, bitch?” Kevia asked as she stared at me in the dim light of my black Honda Civic. We were parked down the street from her building.
I had contacted Uber when I left Pistol’s spot and had gone to get my car. After that I had ridden around, had got something to eat, and had chilled in my car until the sun went down. I couldn’t go back home, and my only close friend, Kevia, was my only option. The thing was, I didn’t really trust her, because she was Rae’s first cousin. They were very close, and she was the one who had introduced us when he moved to Atlanta from Macon three years ago. If only I had known then what I knew now.
“Your fuckin’ crazy-ass cousin happened to my face.”
She looked surprised. “What? No the fuck he didn’t!”
“Yes the fuck he did. He found out about me takin’ the job at the Blue Flame. Did you tell him?” I just came out with it.
“Hell no! I can’t believe you asked me that shit. Rae’s my cousin, but you’re my best friend. I can’t believe he put his hands on you like that. What you gon’ do? I know you ain’t gon’ stay wit’ him after that shit.”
“No, I’m not, but I gotta get my shit outta the crib. I don’t care ’bout breakin’ the damn lease. You gotta go get my stuff for me. I don’t wanna run into his crazy ass. He already threatened to kill me, and I ain’t chancin’ it.”
“Where you gon’ go? I’d let you stay wit’ me, but what if Rae pop up and shit and …”
“I’ll figure that part out. I just need you to get my shit and put it in storage. I’ll give you the money. Can you handle that for me?” I still didn’t know if I could trust her, but who the fuck else did I have in my corner?
I hadn’t spoken to my mother in over four years, and I definitely didn’t plan on going back to Decatur to stay with her. Hell no. It had been a disaster when I was younger, so I could only imagine how it would be now that I was an adult.
She nodded vigorously. “I got you.” After that, she lit up a blunt and took a long pull. “My cousin’s really lost his damn mind.”
“Tell me about it. I mean, he’s always been crazy, but I never expected him to try to kill me.”
“You think he really would’ve?”
“I know he would’ve.”
She cringed. “So, what stopped him?”
After she passed me the blunt, I took a hit before answering. “This dude saw what was going on, and he pulled out a gun on him.”
Kevia’s eyes were wide. “Oh shit. What happened after that?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “He helped me, and I spent the night in my car.”
“You know the dude?”
I shook my head. “Nah. He was just some nigga who was at the club.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he was there. You sure he didn’t shoot cuz, because I ain’t heard from him all day.”
“Nah, he didn’t shoot him. I wish he had, though.”
Kevia gave me a funny look and then narrowed her copper-brown eyes at me.
“What?” I said. “You see what he did to me.”
She sighed. “Yeah, but he’s still my cousin.”
I rolled my eyes. “I got shit to do. I’ll holla at you later.”
“Damn. It’s like that? You mad ’cause I don’t want my cousin to get killed? I mean, I don’t want you to get hurt, either, but—”
Cutting her off, I said, “You good. Just handle gettin’ my shit, and don’t let him know that you saw me.”
She nodded. “I got you.”
Dam
n. I really hoped I could trust her. I was still in pain and was glad that bottle of Lortabs was in my bag. “Okay. I gotta go. I’ll holla at you tomorrow.”
“Where you gon’ go?” Kevia asked, wearing a concerned expression on her caramel-toned face.
She didn’t need to know, so I kept it vague with her. Besides, it was possible that she’d tell Rae, and I didn’t want that. “I’ll probably just get a room somewhere for now.”
Kevia hugged me. “I love you, girl. You know that. Be safe out there.”
“I will. Love you too.”
After she finally pulled away from me, she stepped out of the car and closed the door. She made her way down the sidewalk to her building, and before I pulled off, I watched as she walked inside.
I’d learned to hide my money, because I had had my suspicions that Rae had stolen from me before. That was why I had a stash spot in the trunk of my car. Rae had never driven my car, because he’d said it was a chick car. That had turned out to be a good thing, given that I had two stacks in the stash. I headed to an extended-stay motel on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. Rae wouldn’t have any clue that I was there.
When I got there, night had fallen. I parked and headed to the lobby. With my oversize dark shades on, I booked a room with the front desk attendant, who flashed me curious looks. It was clearly dark outside, and I was at a seedy motel. Although I knew that she had put two and two together, I didn’t want to reveal the bruises around my eyes, so I kept the shades on.
“Will you be paying monthly, by the week, or by the day?” she quizzed.
“Let me pay for a week for now,” I simply stated.
The ho just kept staring at me and shit. “Okay, that’ll be four hundred fifteen dollars.”
I pulled out four hundred twenty dollars in cash and passed it to her. My patience was wearing thin by now. All I wanted her to do was hurry the fuck up. Finally, she gave me the five dollars I was owed.
“Here is your key. Your room number is three-twelve,” she informed me, holding out the key.
Love's Grip Page 2
