Crooked G's

by S. K. Collins

  “I don’t drink it. It’s only for whenever I have company.”

  “You know how much us girls like to drink. Are you sure you have any left?”

  “Yes. It’s not even opened yet, smart ass.” Latrice laughed. “I’ll get you some water since you like to tell jokes.”

  “Nooo. I was just playing. Can I have some wine, please?”

  Teyron smiled and rolled his eyes at her as he walked to the kitchen. While Latrice waited for him to return, she noticed that there wasn’t a television in the living room. She would ask him why when he returned and decided to pick up a magazine in the meantime.

  Teyron’s magazine selection ranged from Bizarre, XXL, F.E.D.S., Entertainment Weekly, and Don Diva.

  “I’m going to be on this cover one day,” Latrice said as she picked up an XXL issue. By the time she was able to flip through a couple of pages, Teyron was back. He handed her a glass of wine.

  “Thank you. I noticed that you don’t have a TV in here. What’s up with that?”

  “My TV’s in my bedroom.”

  “Is that where you entertain your guests?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not even going to answer that.”

  “I think you already did.”

  “Whatever. I’m not in here that much. That’s why I don’t have one in here.”

  “Whatever. You know you do that so you can lure innocent girls to your room.”

  “For your information, whoever goes in my room ain’t innocent.”

  “Well, excuse me, playa playa. I guess I’ll never be watching anything in your room, huh?”

  “I guess not. I only mess with innocent girls now,” Teyron said, giving her a wink.

  “You know what? I’m not even going to comment on that,” Latrice said, refraining from not saying what was really on her mind. She was as freaky as the next girl but didn’t want Teyron to know that about her yet.

  He sat down beside her as he cracked the top off his bottled water. “So you really like my demo, huh?”

  “Do I?” She turned to face him and got more comfortable on the couch. “That thing cranked. I couldn’t believe that every song on that joint was like that…And ‘Teyronimo.’ That shit right there was off the hook. Whenever girls hear that song you’re going to have panties wet all over the world.”

  Teyron laughed at her exaggerated compliment of his work. He believed he would do some damage but not like she was saying.

  “I have to ask you something. Did you write all those songs yourself?”

  “Yes. I wrote and produced them.”

  Latrice was shocked. “You made those beats yourself?”

  “Yeap. All by myself.”

  “What studio do you record at?”

  “I got my own studio here.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. It’s in the back room.”

  “Wow. You really got your shit together, don’t you?”

  “Not quite. I still don’t have a deal.”

  “Yes you do,” Latrice assured him.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Hell yeah. I’m offering you a deal with Bangspot. I don’t have a contract prepared yet, but I know we can get everything worked out. Do you accept?”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Believe it, boo. Everything I say is real. So do you want the deal?”

  “Yes,” Teyron said, struggling to hold his composure.

  “Then it’s settled. Welcome to Bangspot.” Latrice extended her hand for him to shake.

  Teyron grabbed her hand and pulled her in close for a hug.

  “I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t. I believe in you.”

  Teyron still couldn’t believe he’d gotten a record deal. After dozens of major labels closed the door in his face telling him his style wouldn’t work, and that his voice wasn’t good enough, Teyron still didn’t stop at accomplishing his dream. He was determined to be a singer amongst the best of them, despite what the majors thought of him. He knew in his heart that he was a star in the making and was going to do everything in his power to prove them all wrong. After four years of hustling, grinding, and dedication, he’d finally gotten a shot to show the world who he was. Teyron had Latrice and Bangspot to thank for that. He realized Bangspot was up and coming but so was he, and he believed that they could make it happen for him, and for that reason alone he was going to take a chance.

  “As soon as my business partner gets out of jail, you can sign a contract. He’ll be home in less than thirty days.”

  “Cool. I’ll be ready. Did you ever talk Clarity into signing, too?”

  “Matter of fact, I did, and she’ll be your label mate.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Teyron was charged up and saw bigger things for Bangspot knowing that they were going to both be on the same team. “I got this track that I want Clarity to spit on. I want you to come hear it.” Teyron stood up and reached out for Latrice’s hand.

  Latrice grabbed his hand as she carried her wineglass in the other one. They began to walk down the hallway to his studio room. Teyron didn’t have all the state-of-the-art equipment like a real studio, but he had what was necessary to produce good music. He had a Yamaha AW 2400 and an 808 machine. He had a laptop that stored all his music and he used his closet as the recording booth with the microphone connected to the inside wall. Latrice was impressed with his little mini hit factory.

  “All right. Let me play this track.” Teyron sat down at his desk and searched for the song he was looking for on his computer. He quickly found the track and Latrice started to listen.

  Latrice was feeling the song and thought the beat sounded like something that Drake would use. As the music played, Teyron had the lights in the room synced together with certain instruments, making everything look like a flashing disco. Latrice liked Teyron’s uniqueness and could definitely hear Clarity spitting over the track.

  “That shit was like that,” Latrice informed him when he stopped playing the track. “Thanks. With Clarity and me on that track, we’ll tear it up. If you like that…Believe me, I got a whole lot more for you to hear.” He then looked for another track to play.

  Latrice indeed wanted to hear more of his music, but she also wanted to hear more about him.

  “Teyron. Do you have a girlfriend?”

  “No. I’m afraid I don’t.”

  “You know. I find that quite odd. You make all this baby-making music and you don’t have a girl? What’s up with that? I mean, if you don’t want no main chick and just want to have your friends, I can understand.”

  “It’s not that. I’m not out to get a bunch of hoes, if that’s what you’re thinking. I wouldn’t mind having a girl, but most women can’t vibe with me.”

  Latrice twisted her lips. “Are you trying to say that most women aren’t on your level?”

  “It’s not that,” Teyron said as he went back to searching through tracks, leaving the conversation still open.

  “Then what is it?”

  He sighed. “Okay. You really want to know?”

  Latrice nodded her head yes as she waited.

  “When I first meet a girl and she listens to my music, she wants to know the person singing the songs instead of me. They get so caught up in the music that they don’t have a clue who I really am. They don’t understand what I’m saying at all. They only hear how I’m saying it. All I want is for someone to know me.”

  Latrice was touched by what he said and felt remorseful, for she, too, was also drawn to him by his music. She relived hours ago when she was listening to his demo in her bed, as she pleased herself with the help from his words and rhythm. Latrice was suddenly speechless and had to break her stare from him as she became guilty of what all the other women that he met shared.

  “Listen to this track,” Teyron said, changing the subject to ease the awkwardness that suddenly came between them.

  The beat came on and it revamped her emotio
ns again. She got a chill down her back as he broke the song in with his notes. Latrice was perplexed by what she was feeling, as it reminded her of how she felt in her bedroom earlier. She wanted Teyron more by the second and wanted him to know as well. She walked up to him and stood in front of him as she stared into his eyes.

  Teyron’s heart started to beat faster now that he knew what was about to happen. His first encounter with Latrice at the club was no accident. He wanted her as soon as he saw her, but didn’t think they would both end up where they were now. Latrice stared into his timid eyes and didn’t see him making the first move. If anything was going to happen between them, she would have to initiate the act. Without warning, she grabbed his face and they started to kiss heavily. She climbed up on his lap and began to grind on him intensely. They both began to peel their top layers off as the rubbing and kissing heightened. Teyron picked Latrice up and carried her over to the wall. He managed to quickly get both of their pants down. He then picked her up and engulfed her wet insides with himself.

  Latrice’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she blinked heavily as the flashing lights toyed with her vision. All Teyron could hear were her loud seductive moans, as he attempted to feed her mind with his sexy wordplay, while his lips nuzzled her earlobe. But all Latrice could hear was his music beyond everything else, only further proving that Teyron was right about why he was single. They never could hear his real song; they never could hear him.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Good morning. My name is Bev and I’ll be your waitress. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  Latrice quickly browsed over the menu. “Yes. Can I have an orange juice for now? I’m still waiting for my friend to arrive.”

  “No problem. We’ll give ’em a few more minutes. I’ll be back,” Bev said with a smile, as she walked off to go wait on another table.

  Latrice tried to study the menu, but the thoughts of her and Teyron kept filling her mind. Her experience with him completely overshadowed the one she’d had with Clarity. The sex was so good that she was almost able to block that aspect about Clarity out of her mind. The special moment that she and Clarity had was a bust and would never be retried again.

  Shakita walked casually into Afterwords Café. She was wearing her sunglasses to hide the bags under her eyes from getting only a minimal amount of sleep. She didn’t get home until five in the morning after another great night at work. She’d made another three thousand-plus in tips and was feeling good about her earning potential.

  “Hello, miss. Will it be just you today?” the hostess asked.

  “No. My friend should already be here.”

  “Do you know the name she would be under?”

  “Probably under… Never mind. I see her,” Shakita said as she spotted Latrice. Latrice got up to greet her as Shakita walked down the steps.

  “What up, girl?” Latrice said, hugging her tightly.

  Shakita rocked her back and forth. “What’s going on?”

  “I feel like I ain’t seen you in like two months.”

  “It does seem that way, don’t it?”

  Shakita tried to hide her uncomfortable disposition of what she was doing with most of her time from Latrice. So far she was doing a good job with the help of her glasses. They both sat down and started looking at their menus.

  “Nice shades, by the way,” Latrice said, complimenting Shakita on her stylish frames.

  “Thank you. So what’s new?” Shakita quickly asked, changing the subject to keep Latrice from asking her to take her glasses off.

  Latrice couldn’t help but to tell Shakita about her new-found friend, but since the waitress came back around, it would have to wait.

  “Hi. Are you two ready?”

  “Yes, I would like the Nouvelle Leo, please,” Latrice said before closing her menu.

  “And you, miss?”

  “I’ll have the Soho Omelet with an order of turkey sausage and wheat toast.”

  “And what would you like to drink?” she asked Shakita.

  “I’ll have a cappuccino and an iced coffee.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Bev said as she took both of their menus and walked off.

  Latrice gave Shakita a puzzled look. “When did you start drinking coffee?”

  “I’m trying something new, that’s all.” She really needed the caffeine to keep herself awake.

  Latrice didn’t want to spend too much time trying to figure Shakita out. She thought she was going through her usual phase and wanted to talk about something more important.

  “Girl, I gotta tell you about what I was doing last night,” Latrice said, with a glow on her face.

  “What happened?” Shakita asked, gladly to keep the spotlight off of her.

  “I met this dude, right. Well… he’s this new artist I’m signing to our label. I was listening to his demo and that shit was cranking. So he invited me to his house so I could listen to more of his music, right? Then one thing led to another. And girl, it was so so good,” Latrice said, covering up her face as she reminisced.

  Shakita shook her head and was not amused by Latrice’s story.

  “Don’t you find it funny that you always end up fucking all the artists you meet?”

  Before Latrice could defend herself, the waitress came back with Shakita’s coffee.

  “Here you go.” Bev set both of her beverages on the table. “Your meals should be out shortly.” Bev then walked away to assist another table.

  “I don’t fuck all the artists I meet,” Latrice said to Shakita as she was adding sugar to her iced coffee.

  Shakita sucked her teeth. “Latrice, please. Every artist you always take interest in, you end up fucking them.”

  Latrice became bashful when Shakita called her out on the way she was.

  “If you want to be the best in the biz, you can’t go around fucking all your artists. Then they won’t just be calling you a CEO. The whole industry will be calling you the CEO Hoe. You don’t want that, do you?”

  The waitress came with their food giving Latrice a minute to think about what Shakita had said. She was always attracted to talented singers and rappers and couldn’t deny that Shakita was telling the truth. She knew right then that she had to be taken more seriously and would stop her naive ways.

  “Damn, girl. You really put that shit in perspective for me. I got to stop being stupid. I should’ve never fucked youngin’ last night.”

  “Don’t even worry about it. So what, you fucked him. What’s done is done. Besides, it’s not too often you get good dick anyway.” Shakita smiled.

  They both broke out in laughter as they continued eating their food. This was what true friendship was all about, they both thought to themselves. They knew each other so well that they never took it to heart when they were called out on their foolish habits. It was all love between them, and that alone outshined any character flaw that caused them to make bad decisions.

  “Is there anything else I can get you ladies?” Bev asked, picking up their empty plates.

  “Just the check, please. Thank you.” Shakita took the bill from Bev and dug into her purse for her money.

  “How much is it?” Latrice asked.

  “Don’t worry about it. I got it.”

  Latrice was shocked.

  “That’s a first.”

  “Like I said earlier, I’m trying something new.”

  “Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” Latrice said as Shakita handed Bev the money.

  “I’ll be right back with your change.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Keep it,” Shakita informed her.

  “Well, thank you. You two have a nice day,” Bev said as she walked off with a big smile.

  “All right. So what you about to get into?” Shakita asked.

  “I was about to ask if you wanted to go to the mall with me?”

  “Nah, homie. I got something I got to do.”

  “Aw, come on, Kita. You can go to the mall with
me. That’s the least you could do since you carried me like shit by not going to the club last night.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I wish I could go with you, but I really can’t.”

  Latrice knew something wasn’t right.

  “What is going on with you? You ain’t acting yourself.”

  “I’m good. I really got some important things I got to handle right now. I’m the same old me.”

  “Is everything okay? Do you need me to go with you?”

  “No. I’ll be fine.” Shakita’s conscience was starting to get to her and she needed to leave. “Look. I got to go,” Shakita said as she rose out her seat.

  “Tomorrow I’m not doing anything. We can get together then. Okay?”

  “Whatever,” Latrice said with an attitude. “Well then, answer me this. Are you in some type of trouble?”

  “No, everything is straight, okay? I’ll call you later.” Shakita quickly left the restaurant leaving her friend still sitting at the table. Her emotions were starting to get to her and she had to leave before she started crying. Holding on to the secret was starting to become all too much for her.

  She hated lying to her best friend, but it was the wisest thing to do right now. Shakita couldn’t tell her about the money. She got in her car and removed her sunglasses. She cracked open a Red Bull that was in the cup holder and took a few sips. Shakita had money in her pocket and was going to go put it to good use. She was off to Hollywood Casino to add interest to the money she already had. Shakita was feeling lucky and didn’t think that losing was going to be a part of her day; she was ready to gamble.

  CHAPTER 15

  Shakita arrived at Hollywood Casino in exactly one hour and a few Red Bulls later. Charles Town, West Virginia had the closest casino to D.C. until Maryland Live! opened up in the next few weeks. She wanted to get a few hours of gambling in before she started work so for now, Hollywood Casino served its purpose. Shakita lost her last dollar here a few days ago, and hoped to win some of her money back, hopefully all of it. She sat down right beside a lady who looked like she had been at the same machine for hours. Shakita thought the lady was playing away her pension by the way she hesitated to put dollars in the machine.