“I’m nervous and I feel guilty. He asked me for your name today.”
“Is that why you’re nervous, lil’ mama? I can take care of myself. If I was in his shoes I’d be asking the same thing. Yo, but listen, it was just a movie, right?”
“Yeah. Just a movie.”
“When you’re ready to do a little something more, just let me know.” He reluctantly let her hands go. “Let me walk you to your car.” He grabbed one of her hands and she giggled.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“What? You are laughing because I can’t stop touching you?”
She took out her keys and unlocked the door. “Good night, Peanut.”
He put his hand on the door handle. “You know I want to kiss you, right? What would you do if I kissed you?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, his tongue was parting her lips as one of his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her in close. He felt her hand glide up and caress his chest, and just as quickly she gently pushed him away.
Nyla leaned back and gazed up into his eyes. “We just kissed. Didn’t we?”
“Yeah, we did. If you need to blame somebody, blame me. I initiated it. I’ve been waiting and wanting to do that for a long time, girl.”
“I gotta get going. Thanks for the movie.”
Peanut grabbed her wrist. “Do you feel guilty for kissing me?”
“Yes and no.”
Peanut chuckled. “What’s that supposed to mean? Talk to me.”
“Later, okay? I need to go and pick up my daughter.”
“So when can I see you again?”
“I’ll call you.”
He opened the door for her and stood by as she started her ride and drove off.
Nyla made it to her sister Lisha’s house in record time. She was in a zombie state of mind. She heard Lisha yell out before peeking through the mini-blinds. Nyla heard the several locks being released and then the door flew open.
“Hi,” Nyla said to her sister.
“Nyla, what are you doing here after midnight? Tameerah is sound asleep!”
“So . . . can I come in?”
Lisha sucked her teeth and pushed the screen door open. “Forever has been calling here all night looking for you. Where were you?”
“What did you tell him?”
Lisha looked at her baby sister and could tell that something wasn’t right. “I told him I didn’t know.”
“Oh, my God.” Nyla gasped. “My plan of making him sweat is in full effect. That nigga ain’t gonna get no sleep tonight.”
“Don’t tell me you were creepin’ out on Forever.” Lisha stood there holding her robe closed. When Nyla didn’t respond, she yelled, “Oh, no you didn’t!”
“I went on a date, Lisha.” Nyla started crying as she flopped down on the couch and covered her face.
Lisha jumped up to get her sister some tissues. When she came back, Nyla was pacing back and forth, hugging herself and still crying.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Start with drying your face. How you gonna get to the end of the bid and start fucking around on him?”
“I didn’t fuck around on him!” Nyla spat defensively. Then she said above a whisper, “But part of me wanted to.”
“Oookay.” Lisha backed away from her sister as if she was in shock.
“Lisha, you don’t know what it’s like. You never been with a nigga that’s locked up. I’ve been doing this shit for five years. Five long years, Lisha.”
“Lower your voice, you’ll wake up the kids. And, bitch, please, I know how long it’s been. I been doing the damn time with you; that’s why I said it’s almost over. You can’t hang in there a little while longer?”
“Oh, girl, you just don’t know how hard I’m trying. I miss him so much. And I used to love him more than I love myself.”
“Used to?”
“Yes, used to.” She blew her nose. “Forever got some other bitch pregnant, Lisha.”
“He what!” Lisha shrieked.
“You heard me. She was the computer teacher up there. He was fuckin’ her and he had her bringing in his dope.”
“Aww hell to the naw! That’s fucked up! He went up in that bitch raw-dog? Damn, Nyla, I would have . . . shit . . .” She thought about it. “I don’t know what the fuck I would have done. That is so fucked up. When did you find all of this out? And why are you just telling me?”
Nyla laughed. “Girl, I was just as shocked as you are. The shit happened so fast. Then I had this brilliant idea, since he claimed that it was just business and she was expendable. I said, ‘Let’s set this bitch up so that you can come home.’ The nigga didn’t want to do it but I didn’t give him a choice in the matter.”
“So what happened? What’s up with that? And you? Setting somebody up? Forever snitchin’? This story is getting crazier by the minute.”
“The shit fell through. He gave her the dope and everything but she quit. Just like that. My baby would have been home, Lisha,” Nyla cried.
“Damn, that’s some foul shit, Nyla. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Me neither. I was so angry at him, at her, and now he has a baby on the way . . . by her, Lisha. I’m still angry with him. More than angry. I’m so hurt. I can’t believe he would do this to me. And niggas be wondering why bitches leave them for dead. This is why. After five long years . . . this is the thanks I get.”
Nyla’s cell phone rang, startling both of them.
“Who is that?” Lisha looked at the phone as if it were a snake, then said, “I bet you it’s either one of two people, your husband on them gotdamned contraband cell phones or the nigga you was out with tonight. You need to answer it.”
“Hell no.” After the fourth ring it went to voice mail. Nyla breathed a sigh of relief.
“Girl, this is too much for me,” Lisha told her as she looked at the word unavailable on the caller ID.
It started ringing again. “Oh shit!” Lisha yelled out. “You need to handle that. It’s probably the nigga you were with.”
Nyla thought about it, and then smiled. She said, “Hello,” sounding all cute.
“Nyla, it’s me.”
It was Forever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Here come that nigga now,” said Silk, Briggen’s man under Woo. He and his sister Tee Tee were sitting in the back parking lot of the mall smoking a blunt.
“I hate this cocky-ass nigga,” Tee Tee snapped. Silk started choking, eyes watering, as he passed her the blunt. “Breathe, nigga. You still don’t know how to smoke?” She put the blunt out as she watched Skye get out of his truck and go over to the passenger side. He opened the door, pulled out a large black duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder before closing the door.
Silk turned the engine on and flipped a few switches and Tee Tee slid back a trap door. She pulled out four vacuum-sealed Ziploc bags filled with money and gave them to Silk. When Silk stepped out of their ride, Skye was standing there peeking over at Tee Tee.
“Don’t be lookin’ at her, man. She said she don’t like cocky-ass niggas like you.” They made the exchange and Silk passed him the duffel bag filled with the birds that Skye had jacked the night before from Doc. Silk walked Skye away from the car while Tee Tee checked it out and put the dope away.
“What it lookin’ like?” Silk asked him.
“Nigga, this me you dealin’ wit. It’s lookin’ lovely.”
“It’s not like I don’t trust you or no shit like that,” Silk joked.
“Whatever, yo, I know your sister checking shit out as we stand here.” Skye smirked.
Silk started laughing. “No doubt, baby boy. Of course she gonna check shit out.” He gave Skye some dap and headed back to the ride. Skye followed but went around to the passenger’s side. He tapped on the window.
Tee Tee slowly turned toward him and looked at him as if he smelled like shit.
“So you hate a cocky-ass nigga like myself, huh?” Skye was definitel
y full of himself.
“Why ask questions you already know the answer to?” She kept her gaze locked with his.
“What kind of niggas you like?” When he saw that she wasn’t going to answer he winked at Silk. “Don’t tell me you done got used to these lame-ass bamma niggas down here. When you step your game up, holla at a real G.”
She sucked her teeth. “Your dough ain’t long enough for me,” she snapped. “Let’s go, Silk.”
“Baby girl, my money real long, just like my dick.”
Tee Tee threw her head back and laughed.
“Nigga, we out.” Silk put the car in reverse and pulled off.
Skye stood there watching as the car disappeared. “Bitches,” he mumbled but as always was turned the fuck on. After he put the Ziploc bags of cash into the stash spot he made his way into the mall. Shit, it was Saturday and he was going to get fly and find some bitch to gut out.
He strolled inside the mall and headed straight for the food court. A cookies ’n’ cream milkshake was calling his name. He got in line and began eyeing all the honeys that were out and about. “Umm umm ummph,” he mumbled at the eye candy all around him.
“Can I help you, sir?” asked the young kid who was working the counter at Baskin-Robbins. Skye was still eyeing all the ass that he could take in. “Sir, can I help you?” the cashier asked again.
“Yeah, umm, give me a cookies ’n’ cream milkshake.”
“Are you treating?” the two shawties standing behind him asked, causing him to turn around.
“Depends,” Skye stated as he checked them out.
“On what?” the shorter of the two chicks asked.
“On your age.”
“I’m eighteen,” the tallest one said.
“I’m seventeen.” Her partner giggled.
Skye thought about it as he looked them over. Average. “Yo, money, give these young ladies what they want.” He put a ten on the counter. The clerk passed him his milkshake, he took it and said to the two girls, “Y’all be easy.”
“Thanks,” they sang in unison and then both burst into giggles. Their mission of coming up on some free ice cream was accomplished.
Damn, I haven’t been in here for a good five minutes and already I’m trickin’ off my loot. Then he spotted her. The honey-brown shawty that was struttin’ through the mall as if she owned it. He imagined himself climbing up those never-ending legs. And that ass! Her ass was outta this world. Her hair was cut in sexy layers, complementing her angelic face with dimples that would make a nigga want to fall in love.
Oh shit, the gods must be smilin’ down on me. On further inspection he recognized her as Big Choppa’s daughter. Which one? He wasn’t sure. They looked just alike to him and fo’real it didn’t even matter. As long as he got in.
He found himself following her. She went into the first three stores and came out empty-handed. Damn, she is . . . my fantasy. He tossed the last of his milkshake in the trash and followed her into Neiman Marcus. He was mesmerized and after about twenty minutes he was ready to fuck her.
She had a handful of items that she took to the shoe section. Skye got bold and sat down. He watched as she matched up several pairs of shoes with her outfits. The sales associate came over to offer her some assistance and his fantasy handed her four different shoes.
“Can I see all of these in an eight and a half?” she asked. Then holding up a pair of Chloe pumps, she asked, “Do you have these in tan?”
The sales associate nodded her head in approval and disappeared.
She sat down across from Skye and locked her gaze on him. “What? Did I tire you out?” she asked as she took her time checking out this big thugged-out, confident-ass nigga sitting across from her. His long legs were stretched out and on the end of them were some Cole Haan Nike boots. The Evisu jeans and Knowledge Tee looked brand-new. The leather Pelle Pelle jacket looked as if it cost a grand. The ice on his wrist, the bling around his neck and the rocks in his ears got her pussy to tingling. Yeah, I’d do him. He was smiling. What a gorgeous set of teeth. What a little cutie, in a thugged-out way. Light green eyes and all. She smirked.
The sales associate brought out the shoes and set them in front of her.
“Thank you.” She took her gaze off Skye and focused on the shoes. Skye watched his soon-to-be new fantasy pussy and lick as she tried on all the shoes and pranced in front of the mirror. He had to have her.
“You don’t want my opinion on which pair to get?”
“No. Because I’m getting all four pairs.”
“I see.” He nodded in approval.
“Can I get you anything else?” The sales associate reappeared as if on cue.
“I’ll take all of these, thank you.”
“Great.” The associate gathered up the boxes as Skye watched his lick gather up the rest of her items. When they headed for the cash register, he jumped up and followed them.
As the sales associate rang up the items, Skye whispered in Shawty’s ear, “I got this.”
“I’m good, playboy. Maybe I’ll grab you a couple of pairs. You see anything you like?”
He smiled. “Bossy.” Skye mimicked Kelis, “But, yo, I gotchu.”
“All right then. Go right ahead. Be my guest. You’ve been following me for an hour. It’s the least I can do.”
“Straight up. We just happened to be going to the same place.”
“Yeah, okay,” she responded, sounding unconvinced.
“Look. What’s good? I’ma grab me a shirt but I’m pickin’ out what I want to see you in tonight. Just tell me what time to pick you up.”
“That will be three thousand two hundred and eighty-five dollars. Will that be cash or charge?”
“We got a deal?” he asked her as he pulled out a knot, causing the saleslady to blush.
She was seriously mulling it over. Shit, just because a nigga dropped four grand don’t mean shit. “What if I already have plans for tonight?”
“Cancel them. So we on or what?” he pressed.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Born was cruisin’ the flea market in an attempt to clear his head. He had been up drinking all night and snortin’ mad lines. It seemed that shit just went haywire . . . overnight. Shadee getting shot, and now he was laid up in the hospital barely hanging on to his life. Then there was Doc. The nigga got jacked for seven birds in his house. That shit was suspect to Born. Then to add insult to injury, the streets were coming up empty as far as who had touched Doc.
Born stopped and picked up a couple of packs of Bayer aspirin and some orange juice. He paid the cashier, stood there and popped the aspirin while chasing it down with the bottle of orange juice. In the background “Side 2 Side” by Three 6 Mafia was blaring. Born let out a loud belch, gave the empty bottle to the clerk and headed over to where the music was. A dude named Datsun had a booth of mix tapes, DVDs, incense, T-shirts . . . the whole nine.
Born scanned the huge selection. This dude had everything, all of the latest CDs and tons of independent shit. Born thought it was funny that people were getting mad paid off crazy shit like Bum Fights, Bar Brawls, Cat Fights Unleashed, Ghetto Fights and Crackheadz Gone Wild. What was even crazier, he was a fan of the bullshit. He had a nice collection in his truck. He went back to the DVDs and scanned over Rump Shaker, Katt Williams: Live, Gang Wars, but one stood out that he didn’t have: Shadee Presents: Where My Dawgs At? Born went back to that one and picked it up. He inspected it closely.
“Yo, money, where you get this?”
Datsun eyed Born as if he were speaking a foreign language. “What?”
“Fuck it! Let me see your DVD player right quick.”
“It’s broke, man. You got one in your ride, big balla!”
Born pulled out a twenty and threw it at him. He grabbed the DVD and went to his pimped-out Caddy and popped the disc in, expecting to see Sha and the crew doing some dumb shit, like clownin’ in front of dope, money and hoes. But what he saw knocked the air out of his chest an
d made his head spin. He turned the DVD player off and jumped out of his ride. He was practically knocking over the flea market patrons as he headed for Datsun’s booth. He stormed into the booth, grabbing Datsun by his shirt, and they both pummeled into a rack of CDs and went crashing to the floor.
“Where the fuck you get that disc from?” Born screamed while shaking him.
“What disc? What the fuck you talkin’ about? I got a shitload of DVDs, nigga.” Datsun got wide-eyed as he looked up at a crazed nigga, with bloodshot eyes and spittle flying out of his mouth.
“You wanna fuckin’ play dumb-ass games?” Born banged Datsun’s head onto the floor, stood up and pulled out his forty-five.
“Oh shit! He got a gun!” some little dude said as he backed out of the booth.
Born aimed the burner at Datsun’s head. “I’ma ask you one more time. Who gave you that DVD?” Born gritted.
“Okay, maine. Damn, put the heater away.”
“Give me a name, nigga.”
“Freddie, man, I got ’em from Big Freddie.”
Born tucked the heater inside his waistband and stormed out.
“Man, you gettin’ all fly. I thought you was going to work.” Melky, Skye’s little brother, rolled around in his wheelchair circling Skye as he got dressed. Melky had gotten a bullet in his spine during a jacking that he and Skye did almost three years before.
“This is work, nigga.”
“I can’t tell, boy. What’s her name?”
Skye was smoothing out his goatee and started grinning.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dawg, I don’t even know her name.”
“Man, you stupid. How you gonna go out with a chick and you don’t even know her name?”
“Nigga, I don’t need to know her name. It’s Big Choppa’s daughter.” When he saw the look on Melky’s face he said, “Yeah nigga! I told you it was work.”
“Damn bruh, how’d you do that? Which one of them honeys is it?”
“What difference do it make?” Skye snapped.
Melky started laughing. “Fool, you don’t even know, do you? Let me find out, you slippin’, son.” Melky was showing his New York roots. They were born and raised in Brooklyn but when things got hot they found their way down to Memphis. And been there for the past three years. “But check it. How many times we went over this one? Son, if it’s a lick you planning, you want Janay. She the one running thangs. If it’s Crystal, all she do is parlay.”
Payback With Ya Life Page 7
