by AP Jermaine
“So, you still don’t trust me bru?” He asked.
“Almost. But we’ll see when you get back.”
I gave Jack and Jill, five bundles a piece and told them they could come back wit Bubba if they wanted to. By the time Lauryn pulled up in front of mama Sonya’s crib, the next morning around 11:30, I was still trapping and still hadn’t been to sleep. But as soon as I sat down into the plush seats of that 600 Benz, I was out like a light! With me, I had a McDonald’s bag full of bundles, and five ounces of coke. Two hard, three soft. When I woke up it was 12:30 and we were pulling out of the parking lot of Cracker Barrel on Hillsborough Rd. There was money in my lap. I glanced to the left and saw Sandy leaving the parking lot with Bill and Hank. I counted the money in my lap. Two hundred and eighty dollars. Four bundles worth. Lauryn was looking at me smiling as she pulled into the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn. “I know you didn’t just sell them some shit outta this bag?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How the hell yo know what to give em?”
“Teddy I’m a lawyer. And a large amount of my clients are drug dealers. They pay well. There’s no amount of drugs, that I haven’t seen, or know about. I didn’t wanna wake you. Don’t worry everything’s fine.” She said smiling as she reached in her pocketbook for her ID and credit card.
“You crazy as a motherfucker. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes baby. Crazy over you.” She kissed me on the cheek, got out and headed to check us into a room. Damn. Peaches was right. I gotta quit fucking these chics so good. One of these broads is gone kill me!
Chapter 64 “Official”
By the time I got to work at 8:00 Monday morning, I was exhausted. One from grinding all week end with lack of sleep. And two, from Lauryn fucking the shitt outta me all night. She sucked me so dry I couldn’t even piss! Ishmeel was outside in the back talking on his cell. I knew it was important because he was speaking in Arabic. I sat on the edge of an empty case and waited for him to get off, before I walked up and handed him the Adidas bag with $74,000 in it.
“What’s this?” He asked as he accepted the bag.
“It’s $74,000 thousand. It’s your thirty - five even, plus thirty- nine thousand more. I’d like to get the same thing plus another half a key of coke if possible.”
“I see. Our agreement was for one month. It’s only been a week.”
“Yeah, I know but I want you to know I aint bullshitting. That’s why I’m paying for mine.”
“If I thought you were bullshitting Theodore, then you wouldn’t be standing here. Two things I live by, is that I always keep my word, and I never go back on a deal. Ever. So, you can pay me the thirty- five thousand, and pay me nine thousand for the half. The rest is still on consignment. Take the rest of the money back with you. I trust that you prospered well this week?”
I thought about the thirty- five bands I had at the Ross Road spot, and the thirty- two that Lauryn was holding. “Yes sir, I prospered well.”
“Good. Good. Come follow me I have something for you.” We walked to the front, where he reached into his desk and handed me a card. Theodore Banks. (Licensed Sales Consultant)
“What’s this for?”
“It’s your license to buy and sell cars.”
“So, you want me to sell cars now?” I was confused.
“No not really. But it also gives you a license to start a banking account. Get a safety deposit box first. No one can look in that. Then start your savings account. Start off with eight or nine thousand. Then put a few thousand into it every week.”
“What about the Feds?”
“What about them? This card says you’re a legitimate buyer and seller of vehicles. Just let me know when and how much you’re depositing each week so I can make sure the tax records are in order. The Feds can’t touch you. It’s the American way.” Ishmeel grinned from ear to ear. “Spread your money around. Tika says you’re a lady’s man, so leave some with this one, leave some with that one. Make them all feel as it’s all the money you have in this world. But never leave more money in any one place than you can afford to lose. There’s a drought right now up and down the east coast. Trust me I know. We are not affected by this. So, as they say, you can make it rain. Now, if there’s no more questions, clean cages 3, 9, and 11, wash the burgundy Suburban and then go get you some rest. You look like shit.”
Chapter 65 “Chief”
The next day I went to see Chief. A known rich nigga who had been selling dope since the eighties although only a year older than me. Chief and I grew up in the projects together. His two brothers Lake and Ron were get money niggas too, although nowhere near on the level that Chief was. Mostly they got their work from, and hustled for, Chief; who was the oldest of the three. Their mother Squeeky was a known crackhead and trick. Chief had three dope houses in the top of McDougald Terrace. There was a drought, although Flame was still running around the projects selling dope, so I knew Shell’s man Azar in Charlotte was still straight. Neither of Chief’s three dope houses were active at the moment, so I knew he was hurting. That’s what I went to talk to him about. Chief was surprised to see me, although he admitted the he’d heard through the grapevine, that I knew some Haitians with some drop dead heroin. He said his people didn’t have shit and that he was losing cliental and money every day. I told him I knew the streets were fucked up, and since we went back, I came to him with a proposition. His brother Lake’s baby mother Katina stayed in North Durham on Calvin St. I needed to put some dope out there pronto. I’d hit him with six ounces of “Black Magic,” for $28,000. Yeah, there were no more, low prices. I told him to make sure Lake got an ounce of it to take to North Durham. Lake happened to pull up with Katina and his daughter while we were talking, and he was more than happy to take the dope over to the North. He saw this as his chance to finally get his weight up. I also would provide them with twenty thousand of the black cellophane “Black Magic” stamped bags. I told them as long as they came correct, my people would come correct. And so it went. Chief, even after I told him everything was locked and loaded for the next day, stepped off and brought me back twenty bands right then! Lake would be responsible for the other four. Chief wasn’t taking any chances at not getting his hands on some boy.
“Ay yo Chief. I ain’t making but a couple dollars off this deal. My peoples told me to find somebody reliable, and the first nigga I thought of was you. I don’t need my name getting hot out there on credit. You feel me?”
“Nigga who is you? I don’t even know you.” Chief responded as he made a questioning face.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” I told him as we dapped each other up and I stepped off. Anywhere that bitch ass nigga Shell was eating, I intended on snatching his food off the table and replacing it with my own. And as long as I kept it hot on his ass, I knew it wouldn’t be long before his ribs started showing.
Chapter 66 “Olivia”
I wired bubba the money for the morphine, and let Tamia drive me to the halfway point to pick it, and Jill up. I watched Jill extremely close this time while she cut the dope. Next time I planned to do It myself. The kilo and a half of coke Ishmeel gave me this time, was raw fish scale. Just to make her feel good, I let Keisha cook up the whole brick for me. She brought back 46 ounces easy. Ten extra. The half a kilo I kept soft. I hit Keisha with four and a half ounces for three bands, and I hit Dino with 2 ounces for $500 apiece. His pay for holding down the trap. I knew he’d probably snort up half the shit, but fuck it, that’s his business. I paid him. Frank was proving that he wanted, and was ready to be Frank Money again. I hit him with half a kilo this time and told him to bring me back eighteen thousand. The nigga hugged me and damn near cried. He said out of all the niggas he’d looked out for when he was on, I was the only one who’d ever believed in him. For that he said, he would fight to the death for me. I think I believed him. He said I was his only true friend. Lex, I hit with the half a kilo for fifteen stacks, simply because those were the numbers I�
��d promised. If I hit him again, the numbers would have to go up. It was election time, it was a drought, and I was going against one of my own rules by being out here trapping. But I couldn’t slow down yet. Not until I knew that nigga that I’d once called my brother was crushed down to nothing. Then I’d slow down. Chief, I took the six ounces of boy just as we’d planned. He was so happy, it was just like we were kids again playing kickball. I also dropped him off twenty thousand “Black Magic” baggies. Two days later he was ready for six more ounces. I still fucked around with the niggas in The Key, although I deaded the block hustling. If I was out walking around, I didn’t have shit on me except maybe a lil tree to blow. Most of the time I’d just have a broad ride me around all day while I trapped off my phone. When I didn’t feel like being bothered, I’d simply cut my trap phone off. When I decided to cut it back on, it would come on either ringing or vibrating. The shit never stopped.
By Friday I was almost out of work and decided to finally check out the phone that Mishka had given me. Tika had been calling me at least once a day, asking me why I wouldn’t answer it. Finally, I went and got the motherfucker and turned the shit on. Ten minutes later a text message alert came across it. An offer for a dinner date. 8:00 p.m. If available. 102 Hogan Woods Circle. Come as you are. Call or text to confirm. (919) 259-4623. Chapel Hill. Hmmm… A dinner date? What the hell. You only live once, and I was curious as shit to see what this phone was about. I definitely had a clue, but was this on some ol Backpage type shit or what? I texted back and said I’d be there at eight. My Plymouth Reliant finally conked out on me. It needed a new motor. So, at 7:55 a.m. I pulled into the driveway at 102 Hogan Woods Circle in Chapel Hill, in a 2010 Ford fusion with dealer tags on it. It was one off the lot at Ishmeel’s dealership.
The house was huge! It had a pond the size of Northgate mall with ducks swimming around in it. There was a three - car garage, although a black C 350 Benz was sitting at the top of the long spiraling driveway. I sat at the bottom of the driveway for a minute, wondering if I was in the right place, until a white chic in a pink dress and heels stepped out the front door and motioned for me to drive on up. Once I go to the top she told me to come on inside, she had the table set
and dinner was ready. Oh, so we were eating here. I hoped this wasn’t some crazy white broad trying to drug a nigga through his food then tie me up and beat the shit out of me on some “Misery” type shit! Her name was Olivia. She looked to be in her early to mid- fifties and had a rock on her ring finger the size of a small car! Her hair was auburn mixed with gray. The inside of her home was immaculate! She ushered me in, asked if she could get me anything, and then led me to the dining room where a full course meal was laid out. She was actually still very attractive, and whatever type perfume she was wearing, was intoxicating. After being seated, she insisted on fixing my plate for me. Lamb chops, baked potato, sweet peas, corn and sweet bread. She piled my shit up like I was eating for three people! All the while humming some type of song. I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to expect. After fixing my plate she fixed her own and sat at the opposite end of the table from me. Like husband and wife.
“So, Theodore,” she spoke my name as if she’d been knowing me since childhood. “I’ve been trying to reach you for dinner for some time now. You must be a busy man.” She smiled at me as she cut into her lamb chops.
“Uh, yes mam. Lately I’ve been kinda tied up. Business.”
“Mam? Please. Don’t insult me. Mam is for old ladies. I don’t consider myself one yet.” I was nervous for a second until I saw her smiling at me deviously. “My name is Olivia”
“Well excuse me Olivia. Young lady.” I smiled back as I followed her lead and started to eat.
“Now you’re catching on. You don’t have to be nervous Theodore. I know this is your first time and I promise to be gentle.” I looked up and that devious smile was back.
“Well thank you. That’s very considerate of you Olivia. Although I can’t promise you the same. Sometimes I can be anything but gentle.”
“Oh promises, promises. Don’t tease.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I never tease. But I always please.”
“Oooh? is that right?” Her eyes lit like glitter and I saw where this conversation was going. But damn, she was old enough to be my grandmother. Could she really still get down? “I tell you what then big mouth. Eat your dinner. Well talk when we’re done. I spent all day making this meal.”
“As you wish young lady.” She looked at me and her eyes said it all.
The food was actually delicious, and after she filled my plate again and I knocked that down too, I was full as a tick. After clearing the table, she led me to a large living room area where all the pictures on the mantle were turned around. I guess she didn’t wanna look in her husband’s face. “Would you like a drink?” She asked as she walked to a mini bar in the corner.
“You got Hennessy?”
“Of course. Single or double?”
“Triple.”
“Oooh. You trying to get wasted?”
“I might.”
“Do you smoke?”
“Only weed.”
“You got some?”
“Always.”
“Well go ahead then. Do whatever you usually do. Don’t change please. I want the real thing. Not an imitation.” She grinned as she came over to sit beside me, handing me a tall glass of Hennessey. Luckily, after some thought, I’d decided to bring along a couple Dutches and some Orange Crush Killer, the new chronic that Neese was pumping.
“You got a paper towel?” I asked Olivia after busting a blunt.
“Oh sure.” She got up and walked into the kitchen with what looked to me to be an extra swing in her hips, before returning with a paper towel. In no time at all I had the blunt rolled, lit, and was smoking it while sipping on the Cognac, when Olivia turned in her seat and faced me. “Excuse me for a second Theodore, I’ll be right back.” She patted me on the thigh before standing and leaving the room. A few minutes later the affects of the Orange Crush and Henny was starting to take its toll, when I looked up and my eyes almost jumped outta my head! Olivia walked back into the room naked as the day she was born! Except for a pair of pink six- inch high heels! It was obvious she’d had her tits done, as they stood up perky and round staring at me! Her pussy was clean shaven and had a tattoo of a small strawberry right above her clit. Her skin was tanned and smooth. She smiled at my astonishment as she strode over and stood in front of me. I can remember thinking, Is this shit for real? “I’m not embarrassing you am I Theodore?”
“No not really.” I recovered quickly. True I was shocked, but embarrassed I could never be.
