Back in the Hood

by Treasure Hernandez

  “Don’t get any ideas, mister.” Halleigh playfully smacked Malek’s hands. “Although I could never get enough of you, we have a boat to catch. It leaves in an hour. I’m only showering with you to save time. So here.” She handed Malek a rag. “Get to washing my back, will you?” She winked and smiled at her man then turned her back to him.

  “Oh, so it’s like that? You just using a brother for convenience ?”

  “Hmmm . . . something like that.” She handed him the bar of soap.

  Malek wet Halleigh’s rag then lathered it up with soap. Just touching her was turning him on, and his manhood stiffened. “Not even just a quickie?” he whispered into Halleigh’s ear, brushing his lips against it.

  Malek’s soft breath blowing into her ear and just the mere touch of his lips sent chills through Halleigh’s body. “Ummmm,” she moaned. “Just a quickie, did you say?”

  “Yeah, in and out. Nobody gets hurt.” By now Malek had dropped both the soap and the rag and was rubbing his hands down Halleigh’s sides.

  Halleigh abruptly turned to face him. “Make it quick, daddy,” she said, throwing her leg up around his waist. “We got a boat to catch.”

  Almost an hour later, Halleigh and Malek were running down the pier. The quickie had turned out not to be so quick after all.

  “Wait!” Halleigh yelled as she ran toward the departing boat. “We’re coming!”

  The dock person held the boat for Halleigh and Malek. Halleigh smiled excitedly and boarded the boat first.

  Malek, still on the dock, pulled out a wad of money and asked, “How much, my man?”

  “We don’t accept cash, sir,” the attendant said.

  “What? What do you mean, you don’t accept cash? You don’t accept American money or something?”

  “You have to go back to the resort and set up an account,” the man replied. “All excursion payments must be made at the front desk.”

  “But we’ll miss the boat!” Halleigh exclaimed, wondering why the clerk she had spoken to didn’t tell her that when she was on the phone earlier. “Can’t you just accept cash this one time? It all spends the same.”

  “I’m sorry, miss. I will lose my job,” the guy stated. “We are not allowed to accept any cash from guests. I would if I could, but it’s grounds for immediate termination, whether you really turn in the money or not.”

  A man who happened to be passing by stopped and interjected, “It’s okay. You can charge their boat passes on my account card.” He was a blond-haired, blue-eyed man with a tan that looked like it was designed specially by God. He wore Dolce & Gabbana linen pants and a shirt with sandals.

  He smiled at Halleigh. “Sounds like the lady here really wants to go on this boat ride.” Still smiling, he looked at Malek. “Gotta give the ladies what they want.”

  “Thanks! We’ll pay you the money,” Halleigh said excitedly as Malek stepped onto the boat.

  Malek immediately began to count out the bills to hand over to the kind stranger.

  The white man shook his head. “No need. I have a house on the island. I’m a regular here, so I have a lot of resort credit,” he assured them with the wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Malek shook his head. “No, we’ll pay you for it.” If he hadn’t learned anything else on the streets, he’d learned that everything came with a price. He’d always found it better to set his own price and pay it up front rather than receive the bill later with a much higher price than he’d been willing to pay.

  Malek peeled off the exact amount of the boat ride plus an extra fifty for the man’s trouble—sort of a convenience fee for him and Halleigh. He handed it to the man.

  The guy smiled and nodded. “Okay, I understand. I like a man that pays his own way.” He called a ship worker over and handed him the money Malek had just given him. “Bring us a bottle of your finest champagne, and please bring me and my guests menus up to the promenade.”

  “Right away, sir,” the ship worker replied and then disappeared.

  Malek watched the man give away the money as if it wasn’t shit. Back home, that would’ve paid somebody’s rent, he thought.

  “I’m Gary, by the way,” the man said as he extended his hand to Malek.

  Malek shook his hand and introduced himself.

  “I’m Halleigh.”

  The man took Halleigh’s hand and planted a light kiss on the back of it. “Nice to meet you, Halleigh.”

  At first, Malek thought dude might be trying to disrespect him, you know, steal on his girl right in his face like he wasn’t nothing, but then he had a change of heart when a gorgeous woman came up and stood next to the man. Her hair was blowing in the wind, and she wore huge designer shades on her face.

  Halleigh admired the way the woman walked. She looked like one of the print models in a high-fashion magazine.

  “Hey, I thought you forgot about me,” the woman said to Gary, not even noticing the couple that stood with him.

  “Um, Marie, I want you to meet Halleigh and Malek,” Gary said. “They were having a little bit of trouble boarding. I’ve arranged for us to have drinks and lunch on the promenade deck.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you both,” she said with a nod. She rested her arms on Gary’s shoulders, not bothering to extend them to shake either Halleigh’s or Malek’s hand. “Shall we?” she said. Then she led the way to the promenade deck.

  Halleigh looked at Malek and made a face that let him know she was impressed with the lady’s elegance. They were definitely out of their league, but each was carefully taking note of how Gary and Marie carried themselves.

  The young couple from Flint didn’t know that only the richest of the rich frequented the Turks, but they’d made up their minds that by the time they revisited the island, they’d fit right in.

  When they arrived at their table, Gary asked, “So, Malek, where are you guys from?”

  “Flint. Flint, Michigan,” he answered. “What about you and your wife?”

  “Well, Marie is not my wife; she’s the mistress.” Gary said it like having a mistress on the side was a normal practice to just flaunt. Perhaps that was true where Gary came from, but in the hood, it was grounds for a nigga to get cut.

  Gary kissed Marie’s cheek. She appeared proud to bear the title of “Gary’s mistress.”

  Noticing Halleigh’s expression of surprise, Marie spoke up. “Oh no, sweetheart, don’t look like that,” she said to Halleigh in a comforting tone. “I’m not the mistress because I have to be. I’m the mistress because I choose to be.” She looked over at Gary. “Isn’t that right, love?”

  Gary nodded in agreement, and then Marie turned her attention back to Halleigh. “You see, Gary’s wife gets to play Susie Homemaker while I fly around the world, shop mercilessly, and fuck the shit out of her husband. I play my position very well,” she stated with an arrogant yet confident smile.

  Halleigh’s eyebrows rose in amazement. She looked at Malek, who sat smiling. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned him playfully.

  Gary laughed. “He wouldn’t dare. I wouldn’t need a mistress if my wife was as beautiful as you, Halleigh. You’re a lucky man, Malek.” He held up his champagne flute, and the rest of the group raised theirs as well before taking a sip.

  “Halleigh, you are just glowing. How far along are you?” Marie asked.

  Halleigh blushed and then removed some of the hair from her face. “Oh . . . um, I’m three months. I didn’t know I was showing yet. Most people don’t even notice.” Halleigh looked down at her champagne glass, wondering if Marie was trying to be funny by asking her about her pregnancy. She began to feel a little guilty.

  “Oh, not to worry,” Marie said, noticing the look on Halleigh’s face. “I’m sure a little sip of champagne won’t hurt for now. But, remember, you got a little one in there to look out for.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Halleigh said, feeling strangely as though Marie was more like a mother figure.

  “Marie will be fi
ne. Save the ‘ma’am’ stuff for your elders.” Marie winked and then took another sip of her champagne. “Besides, I can barely tell you’re pregnant. You have a tiny baby bump, but your skin and hair are shining with only the vitamins that children can produce.”

  “You have kids?” Halleigh asked.

  “Oh God, no!” Marie downed some more champagne. “I’m not the motherly type, if you know what I mean. I always get jealous when I see what pregnancy does to your complexion, hair, and nails, though. It’s like the perfect tan. It’s gorgeous. Still, I don’t envy mothers the least bit when I see what pregnancy does to their figures. But you look as though you are going to carry yours well.”

  Halleigh couldn’t help but laugh at how shallow the girl was. “Thank you, Marie,” she managed to say between chuckles.

  “So, where did you say you were from?” Malek asked Gary.

  “Miami, but I have a home here as well. I try to visit as much as I can. It’s really beautiful here.” Gary leaned back and looked out over the water for a minute, then said, “If you guys aren’t busy tonight, you’re more than welcome to come and join us for dinner. There’s this cultural tribe coming to play music for me at my home. You’ll love it. You’ll get to see and hear some real Caicos flavor,” he explained with a charming smile. “What do you say? Does it sound like something you’d be interested in?”

  “Of course they are,” Marie stated, answering on their behalf. “It’ll be fun. I’m glad we met some friends on this island who aren’t ancient.”

  “I’ll toast to that.” Gary smiled and lifted his glass yet again as they drank to the newfound friendship.

  The foursome really became glued at the hip for the remainder of the boat ride. They explored the entire ship, spending most of their time on the bottom of the boat watching the tropical fish through the clear bottom. The couples literally had nothing in common, but that’s what made their interaction refreshing.

  Halleigh was proud of Malek for holding his own in his conversation with Gary. She noticed that Gary never spoke over Malek’s head, and that Malek was speaking politics with Gary as if he had studied it like a science. Malek and Halleigh felt like they were entering high society.

  Chapter Nine

  Malek and Halleigh took Gary and Marie up on their offer and joined them for dinner. Upon entering Gary’s home they were practically speechless.

  “Oh my God! This is so unreal. Your home is crazy.” Halleigh admired the high vaulted ceiling entryway and marble-lined foyer. Entering the home was like entering paradise, its light-colored décor giving the effect of an indoor beachfront.

  Gary laughed at her description and replied, “I hope that’s a good thing.”

  “It is,” she answered.

  “Well, I want you and Malek to make yourselves at home for the remainder of your stay here. If you’d like, you can check out of the resort and stay here. There’s plenty of room. The guest wing is like having your very own private quarters. Trust me, you won’t be in our way. In addition, staying here will save you the cost of paying for a villa.”

  Halleigh and Malek looked at each other. It was a wonderful offer, and Gary’s home made their villa look like something out of the projects, but they didn’t want to impose.

  Taking note of their hesitance, Gary said, “I have more than enough room here, and the resort allows me to access all of the amenities. Like I said, it’s everything staying over at your villa has to offer and more.”

  “No, we can’t, but thanks anyway, man,” Malek decided.

  “No? That’s a word I haven’t heard in quite some time,” Gary said as he walked over to his white leather bar with a glass top and poured two glasses of cognac. “Malek, the first rule to getting rich is learning when you’re getting a great deal, and now is one of those times. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  “Yeah, Halleigh, you guys might as well stay put here. That way Gary and Malek can talk business while you and I take care of business.”

  Halleigh looked at Marie with a puzzled expression.

  “Shopping, sweetheart,” Marie told her. “You and I have a lot of shopping to do.”

  Halleigh turned to Malek skeptically and asked, “Should we?”

  Gary walked over to Malek and handed him one of the glasses with the dark liquor. “Of course you should. The bedrooms are upstairs.” Gary motioned his head toward the spiral staircase, which was covered with thick white carpet. “Like I said, make yourselves at home.”

  Malek finally nodded and shook hands with Gary. “Okay, I appreciate it, man.”

  “Fine. I’ll call over to the resort and have someone pack up all of your things and bring them here. I’ll also make sure you receive full credit for the unused portion of your stay.”

  “There, then it’s all settled,” Marie said. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

  Marie led Halleigh up the stairs to their deluxe guest quarters, while the men remained downstairs and drank up.

  The couples enjoyed their cultural evening with the local band and danced the night away, just the four of them. Malek didn’t really dance, but he watched Halleigh have a good time, and enjoyed sipping on the fine liquor.

  Later that night, Malek and Halleigh held each other in their bed as they stared out of the open balcony window into the moonlight.

  “Today was amazing, Malek,” Halleigh said. “Marie and Gary are really cool. I’m so glad we agreed to stay here. And I can’t believe the resort agreed to refund all of our money for the room,” she added, amazed by the amount of pull Gary had on the island.

  “I know, Hal. This is all more than I could have ever imagined, and you deserve it.”

  “No, Malek,” Halleigh corrected him. “We deserve it.”

  Smiling down at his woman, Malek agreed. “You’re right. We deserve it. Now get some sleep, ma. I love you.”

  “I love you forever, Malek.”

  They dozed off to the sounds of the waves hitting the shore beneath them.

  Over the next few days, the couples did everything together, including gambling, sightseeing, and shopping. They dined in the finest restaurants and shopped in designer boutiques, some of which Halleigh had never even heard of. Gary took them to his office in the Turks and showed them where he worked. From the look of the expensive office building and the mini-staff he had, Malek could tell Gary was a man of importance. He was intelligent, and was an excellent people person.

  Malek was even more surprised to find that Gary was a high school dropout. Here this man had never even finished high school, let alone graduated college, and he was obviously a multimillionaire. To Malek, Gary was hope personified. He was evidence that a man could reach any heights he wanted to, no matter what odds were stacked against him. Malek couldn’t wait to get to that level of professionalism. Once he was so far removed from the streets where he couldn’t remember what gunpowder and crack cocaine smelled like, like Biggie Smalls said, “Sky was the limit.”

  On their fourth night together, Malek finally asked Gary something he’d been wondering all along. “How did you get all of this, fam? You seem to be pretty young to be this rich and successful. Your parents put you on or something?”

  Gary had never volunteered just what type of work he did, and Malek had never asked, but now curiosity finally got the better of him. He had to know what it would take to reach this level of wealth, and whether he had enough money on reserve to invest in such endeavors.

  The ladies were gone out to dinner, so it was only Gary and Malek in the house. They were in the private theater watching an old Al Pacino movie, and Malek hoped that asking Gary about his profession with just the two of them present would make him more apt to share the secret to his fortune.

  “I don’t mind sharing at all,” Gary answered. “I grew up in a trailer park. Everything I have, I got through hard work and making the right connections.”

  Gary paused for a minute and stared at Malek. Then he added, “Let me ask you a question, Malek. D
o you have any credit cards, any 401 (k)’s set up? A house? Don’t mistake me. I know you are not stupid or broke, so please don’t be insulted. I’m just saying I’ve seen you pull out wads of money all day, which leads me to believe that you are in a business that has no future.”

  Malek’s silence confirmed Gary’s suspicions. “Don’t get me wrong, Malek, nor be offended, my friend. That trade you’re dabbling in is a gold mine, but you have a girl and baby to think of. You say you’re trying to get money like this? Then you have to allow your money to make money. I made my first million through connections and investments.”

  Malek nodded his head in agreement. “I hear you, G,” Malek said, using the name he’d penned Gary with over the last couple of days. “I had this local lawyer working on my financials, but he couldn’t handle the amount of paper I was bringing to him. Then he got greedy and wanted to dip into the cookie jar, so I just said, ‘Fuck it! I got a brain and two hands. I can count all this money myself. ’ Nah mean?”

  “I hear you, Malek.” Gary nodded.

  “How can I get my paper up like this?” Malek looked around Gary’s house, admiring all of the expensive furnishings. “I mean, look at all the nice shit you have. I want a piece of this pie.”

  Malek appreciated Gary taking the time to talk to him. He knew businessmen didn’t like to share secrets. “I know you have no reason to do this for me, but I’m going to ask you anyway. I have more than a million in a safe at my house back home. I want to make that into two hundred million. I want to go into business with you. I know my money doesn’t sound like much to you, but it’s all I got, and I worked just as hard as the next man to get it.”

  “Whoa, Malek, slow down,” Gary said, holding his hands up as if to halt Malek’s words. “I’m not into the illegal thing. I don’t want to jeopardize myself.”

  “I know. And I wouldn’t even put you in that kind of position. My trip to these islands is kind of like a celebration of my retirement from the game. I’m not into that anymore. I just have this money sitting around, but it’s not enough. I need stupid money. Any advice you can give me, I’d appreciate.”