by Nikki Turner
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “With all the drama, I almost forgot about him.”
I needed to call him so I could tell him about his boy, plus find out what the hell Li'l Man was doing in jail. I wasted no time hitting him up. As I dialed his number it hit me. I could use Young Boy as another option for loot!
With that in mind I was even more eager to speak to him.
Young Boy answered on the third ring.
“Yo?” he answered, as though he was sure it was one of his boys.
“Hey, Young Boy. It's Tee.”
“Oh! What up, baby girl? I didn't expect you to call, on the real. I figured that was just some of drunken club talk you was spittin'.”
“Naw. I ain't ‘bout no games. And that's exactly why I'm calling. You said you was trying to hook up, so let's make this happen.” I wasted no time getting to the point.
“Dat's what's up. I like a female dat's about her shit. How does tonight sound?”
Young Boy was moving just as I'd hoped. I was definitely on a mission, and I needed a dude like him on my team.
“Tonight is cool. How ‘bout nine?”
“Aight. You still in dat spot out Huntersville?” Young Boy asked, throwing me completely off.
“Yeah, and how exactly did you know that?” I asked.
“Come on, baby. I'm from the streets, you from the streets; Li'l Man from the streets … we all know how shit works. The easiest shit to get is information.”
The words he spoke were so true. It was nothing more I could say.
“Well, I guess I'll see you at nine then.”
“ ‘Nuff talk,” Young Boy stated, putting an end to our phone conversation.
Nine o'clock rolled around quicker than I'd expected. And like clockwork, Young Boy was at my door, ringing the bell. I sprayed on a little Escada Rockin’ Rio, grabbed my purse, and headed to the door.
“Hey,” I said as I opened it.
“Damn, you smell good,” Young Boy said.
“ThAnks.”
“You ready?” he asked.
I was surprised he didn't do the typical male thing and try to worm his way into my door and then into my pussy.
“I'm ready,” I replied, then smiled seductively as I followed him toward his brand-new Dodge Magnum. I could see nothing but my reflection as I walked toward the gleaming black car with black-tinted windows and black rims to match. If it wasn't for the chrome lip on the rims, this car might not have been identifiable in a dark parking lot. I made myself comfortable in the front seat as I examined the black interior and scanned Young Boy's large selection of CDs. After selecting his TI CD, I quickly reached toward the CD player to insert it.
“Hold it!” Young Boy said while grabbing my wrist. “Anything from this point over,” he said, drawing an imaginary line dividing the passenger side of the car from the driver's side, “you have total control over. So do as you please; but anything on the other side is my territory. So relax. I got something for us to listen to.”
I rolled my eyes as he inserted Kem.
“Come on, baby girl. Kill that pouting shit. TI for da club. We gon’ do grown-up things tonight. Like I said befo', relax. I got'chu.”
I was kinda pissed that Young Boy was insinuating I was young, but at the same time his thugged-out, put-me-in-my-place behavior turned me on. I didn't respond verbally. Instead I just smiled, placed my hand into his, and vibed to the relaxing sounds of Kem.
We drove to the ocean and had dinner at a busy restaurant overlooking the water. Throughout dinner I made sure that I sat and moved seductively. That was part of my plan to reel him in. At times I'd find Young Boy's eyes glued to my breasts or glancing up and down the length of my legs and thighs. Those were definite signs that my plan was working. Now that I had his attention and knew he'd do anything for the kitty cat, it was time to put in the hustle. I started gazing off at the ocean and picking at my food, trying to give signs of distraction and frustration. It wasn't long before Young Boy caught on.
“What's wrong?” he asked. ”Did I say something to upset you?”
“No, I just have a lot on my mind,” I said in a helpless tone.
“What is it? Maybe I can help.”
Perfect response! I thought as I continued to play the game. I couldn't believe this nigga was following my lead so easily.
“No, you can't.” I sighed. “Maybe we should just leave. I don't want to bring you down.”
“Come on, baby girl. You know I got'cha back. What's the deal?” he asked sincerely, taking my hand in his.
“Well, it's TJ. They … they … they took him from me.” I forced out the words as I broke down in tears.
No acting was needed for that. It actually hurt me to think about it. Tears began to well up in my eyes, and now I really wanted to leave the restaurant and go home.
“What! Who took him?” Young Boy asked, just as upset as if TJ. was his son.
I spent the rest of our dinner explaining to Young Boy how TJ. was taken and how Li'l Man was not there for us like he should have been. It didn't take long for Young Boy to vow to help me get TJ. back, and all that without even giving up the pussy. My game was tighter than I thought.
Mission accomplished! I thought as we headed to the car. Young Boy was now my major option, but I still had plans to execute the others if need be.
We arrived at my house a few minutes later. I told Young Boy good night and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. I agreed to give him a call tomorrow so we could start planning to get my son back. Of course, when I walked into the house the phone was ringing off the hook.
“HEllo?” I said in an annoyed tone as I answered the phone. Just as I figured, it was Li'l Man. As soon as I heard the operator informing me that I had a collect call from an inmate, I knew what was up. I accepted the call, and immediately Li'l Man started spitting shit.
“Why the fuck you ain't been answering the damn phone?” he yelled.
Click! I hung the phone right up in his ear without saying one word. I was not in the mood for his shit. If anyone should be yelling, it was me. Two seconds later the phone was ringing again.
“HEllo?” I said, just as annoyed as before, and then pressed one to accept the call. I knew it was costing me, accepting these collect calls, but I enjoyed the tingle in my clit that slamming the phone down in Li'l Man's ear provided.
“What's up with you?” Li'l Man said, now a little calmer than before.
“What the fuck do you want, Li'l Man? Why don't you call your damn girl, your sister, your son's godmother, or whoever the fuck she is to you?” I yelled into the phone.
“Man, I ain't fucking wit’ dat bitch!” he responded.
There was no way in hell I was going to believe that shit. He had to think I was a damn fool. I know jail talk when I hear it. Stacey was just sucking his dick last night, and now he was yelling he don't fuck with her. The words project chick might have been stamped all over my forehead, but dumb-ass project chick surely wasn't!
“Whateva, nigga,” I responded, sucking my teeth and picking at my fingernails. “Yo’ ass just ain't got nobody else to holler at right now, so you saying whatever you can to get me on your side.”
“I don't need shit. I was just calling to see how my son is doing.”
Little did he know he'd just said the wrong damn thing.
“First of all, he is no longer your son. That shit you did last night was the ultimate … just foul. If you're lucky, I might let you see him every once in a while, and that's only if I am around to supervise the visits. Second, right now I don't know how TJ. is, because Child Protective Services took him from me. And third, you can thank your little college, proper English-speaking princess for all of this shit!”
“Stacey told me you were going to use TJ. to pull me in whateva direction you wanted me to go. I should have listened to her a long time ago and made your ass get an abortion in the first damn place.”
Click! I hung up on Li'l Man's ass again. And agai
n he called right back. This was my final time accepting his call. One more outburst and there would be a block on the phone. Just as soon as I pressed one to accept the call, Li'l Man began speaking.
“Why you let them take my damn son anyway? What the fuck did you do? I knew yo’ ass was unfit!” Li'l Man went off on a tantrum.
“Look, muthafucka, if you blaming anybody it should be that bitch of yours. Don't you worry, though; I'm going to handle things with my son.”
“What did she do, Tee? Since you want to switch the blame, tell me, what exactly did Stacey do to make them take my son from you?” Li'l Man demanded to know.
I told him just as I had explained to the lady from social services and Young Boy By the time I was finished with my spiel, his whole attitude had changed.
For a minute, Li'l Man was silent. He sighed, then began to speak. “I'm sorry, Tee. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left him with her. I'll hit you back. I'm ‘bout to call her and see what's really going on,” Li'l Man said before hanging up the phone.
I could tell he was confused and didn't know what to believe. But he had to know that I would never do anything to hurt my own baby. He had to know that Brittani wouldn't do anything to hurt the baby either. It had to be Stacey. Although Li'l Man had apologized to me, there was one thing he said that stuck in my head and made my blood boil.
Stacey told me you were going to use T.J. to pull me in whateva direction you wanted me to go. I should have listened to her a long time ago and made your ass get an abortion in the first damn place.
The words pierced my heart. I always knew that bitch was jealous that I had Li'l Man's son.
While I waited for Li'l Man to call me back, I got undressed and called up my girl Coco, who worked at a strip club and brought in all kinds of loot. She'd been trying to bring me in since she started, but I always refused. Hell, I figured you only did that kind of shit if you were desperate for money. And I had never been that desperate—that was, until now.
Once I got Coco on the phone I told her my deal and plan to get T.J. back. She sounded glad to know I was ready to enter the strip scene. She was probably thrilled because misery loved company, and it had to be miserable keeping company with some of the grimy niggas that frequented the strip clubs. Although some strippers had anything-goes-to-make-a-buck standards, I did have a few restrictions. I told her that I could not participate with her during the week because she danced locally, but on the weekend she traveled to North Carolina and sometimes Washington, D.C. Those would be the times I would participate. She understood. Fuck dat. I was still Li'l Man's baby mama, and I had a reputation to uphold, and it was not that of a stripper.
My phone beeped just as Coco and I were wrapping up our conversation. Assuming it was Li'l Man, I answered right away without even looking at caller ID.
“HEllo?” I said.
“Where the fuck do you get off blaming me for T.J.'s sickness?” a voice yelled on the other end of the line.
It was Stacey, and I was glad it was her, because—fuck the dumb bitch—I needed to give her a piece of my mind for real. I was tired of playing games with her, trying to be calm when I was finding out what the hell happened with my son.
“Bitch, I got some for yo’ ass,” I snapped back. “I can't believe you even called my muthafuckin’ house! If you knew what was good—”
“Are you threatening me?” she asked.
“Nope! I promising yo’ ass. Fucking my man, then lying to my face is one thing, but fucking with my child is another. All I can say is, you betta stay in the house and never show yourself!” I stated before hanging up the phone.
A few minutes later the phone rang again. This time I glanced at the caller ID to see who it was. If it was Stacey, I was going to ride around the streets of Virginia Beach until I ran into her ass and then beat the fuck out of her. Lucky for her she'd decided not to call back; it was Li'l Man instead.
“Hey,” I said, after accepting the call.
“What up, Tee?” Li'l Man said, sounding exasperated. “I don't know what's up with that chick. She call her ass snapping on me for blaming her and shit. I put my foot down, though. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt, because we don't really know what the hell went on. It could have been my little sister. I told her y'all are going to have to squash that beef shit, because my son is at stake right now. She's got the key to my safe, so you're going to have to holla at her for a minute. She's supposed to hit you off with a grand tomorrow and, like, five hundred each week after that until I get out of here and can handle things on my own. I don't know when I'll be home, ‘cause these niggas talking some bullshit. They got me in here on some probation violation shit. But just try to deal wit’ Stacey until I can get out of here,” Li'l Man pleaded.
I was pissed at the fact that Li'l Man gave that bitch a break, because I knew she did it. I knew she was jealous of the bond me and Li'l Man had because of TJ. But for my son's sake, I'd have to deal with her.
“Okay, Li'l Man,” I replied. “But I'm only tolerating her ass for my son's sake.”
I agreed to let things ride without an argument. I didn't even bother telling Li'l Man about the earlier conversation I had with Stacey. I promised him that I was going to chill, so I would; but I still had plans to get her ass. Once things were said and done and I had my son back, I would definitely get that bitch. After I promised Li'l Man that I'd be on my best behavior, we got off the phone.
As the weeks passed I got my hustle on in a major way. I was thrilled all my hustles had turned out as planned. Young Boy had started putting out the loot, and, surprisingly, I still didn't have to put out the ass. All this nigga wanted was a little time and teasing. My strip hustle was coming along better than I had originally expected, too. I know I ain't no ugly chick, but I never knew I could pull in as much money as I was pulling in just from shaking a little ass in some pervert's face.
Dancing wasn't that bad, after all. Guys were excited to see a new face, some fresh meat on display. It didn't take long before I began to build a little clientele. Each weekend I knew there would be at least three guys I could depend on for major loot, and there was one guy in particular I actually looked forward to seeing each weekend—Roc.
Luckily, I was able to get him on the team. Of course, I put in a little work, but it wasn't nearly as hard as I'd expected. It started off with a simple dance; then it turned into dances with a little extra seduction, caressing, and sweet nothings in the ear. Then I pretended to be interested in things about him other than his money. Before long we'd become pretty close—close enough for me to tell him a little about my situation and for him to vow to help, and the good thing was, he agreed to do a little more than just hit me off with loot. He was my MVP.
It was getting closer and closer to T.J.'s date in family court. With the money Stacey was hitting me off on Li'l Man's behalf, the money Young Boy was giving, and the money I was making dancing, I was stacking major loot. I hired the best attorney that I could find. Shit was definitely coming together! The only problem and unfinished business I had was Stacey. Although we both agreed to chill for the moment, neither of us was really feeling the other. And recently the bitch hadn't been bringing my money over as directed. I had some ill feelings toward her from jump, but I had really been building up even more of them for her conniving ass.
After Stacey brought me the first one thousand dollars, as Li'l Man had instructed her to do—and it took her ass two weeks to nickel and dime me that—I ain't heard from or seen the bitch. At first I was complaining to Li'l Man left and right. He would call her to see what was up, and she was always supposed to be on her way. But after the first few days Stacey didn't show, I knew what the deal was. Li'l Man was sure he could straighten her ass out and she would be bringing me the money, but he was in for a big surprise.
After a week of him constantly calling Stacey and her making false promises, that bitch eventually put a block on her phone. That put an end to all contact. We tried calling her on a th
ree-way a couple of times, but that bitch was obviously hip to that shit, too, because she would never pick up. Of course, Li'l Man was boiling inside, but it was quite comical to me. I was happy Li'l Man finally got a chance to see Stacey's true colors. I couldn't help but tell him, “I told you so.”
“I told you the bitch was shiesty!” I would constantly remind Li'l Man. It didn't take long before my words got in his head, and he began to curse the ground Stacey walked on.
“Man, I should have known what was up with that bitch from the jump!” Li'l Man said, frustrated that Stacey didn't answer another one of our three-way-call attempts.
“Li'l Man, I don't even know why you tripping. I told you from the start that bitch was a hater! But you were so sure she had no reason to hate on me that you wouldn't listen. I read her from the jump. I knew after she gave up the first bit of dough that I wouldn't see her again. That bitch had no intention of bringing me shit else. That wasn't nothing but hush money.”
“You right, baby girl,” Li'l Man finally admitted. ”Now that I think back, there was a lot of little shit she used to say that I should have caught on to. She never wanted you to have the baby. Every day she had a reason why I should make you have an abortion, and believe it or not, the shit she was saying was really convincing. Then once she knew there was no changing my mind about you having the baby, she turned to convincing me that you were going to use TJ. against me to get whatever you wanted from me. At first I was like, ‘Nah,’ but then she started pointing out how often you called and little shit like that. I eventually fell sucka to that shit, too. I don't know what I was thinking. I fucked up, Tee. You were right. I don't know what else to say.”
Li'l Man had finally seen the light. I never thought I would see the day when he realized his little princess was really the devil's daughter. Now that Stacey had broken the truce, it was time for me to get my revenge, and I knew just how I would go about getting it.
