Chi-Town Bosses & the Women That Love Em 2

by Anna Black

  “I’ll be fucking got’damn,” I said as I hit end on my phone. That muthafucka not only put me out, but he also took my wheels. “The Fuck!” I yelled and headed back to my unit. I paced and tried to figure out what to do, but nothing came to mind.

  I went for the liquor and threw back a couple of shots of Patron before I went down onto the floor. I had lost him and everything else in the process, and I had no one to blame but myself. They had to figure out something or had to know something for him to do that, and I needed to know what. I dialed Jas, and she agreed to come to help me pack my personal stuff and said I was welcome to crash with her. She came with boxes and Lex that afternoon. We mainly packed my clothes and personals. I didn’t give a fuck about the kitchen shit, I wasn’t a cook, and all of the furniture was compliments of Gutta. So, besides a few art pieces and décor, I didn’t need everything. It took us three days to pack and remove the things I would keep and then get them to my storage. When it was all said and done, I put the keys to the condo on the counter, locked the doorknob lock, and made my final exit.

  Yes, I wanted to go all out, roll up on her and him, run-up in his club to clap back, but I wasn’t no gangsta chick. If I wanted to do anything to either of them, I’d have to devise a plan and catch them off guard. Either way, at the moment, I was again defeated. I wished I could just simply let his ass go, but my heart, body, mind, and soul continued to ache for him. Gutta was it for me. I didn’t know how I’d get over him, let go, or stop longing for him. I missed his touch, missed his kiss, missed his voice and the dick. I dreamt of the dick far more often than I wanted to and I’d go for now. I’ll go quietly without making a lot of noise, but I'll never stop, I told myself as I climbed into the passenger seat of my girls SUV.

  “You okay?” Jas asked.

  I nodded and then sniffled. “As okay as I can be.”

  “There are other men out there, Tee, fuck! You just have to stop obsessing over Gutta’s ass. I mean, he fuckin’ fine and all, but I don’t get why you can’t just let that nigga go and get over that shit,” Lex said, giving a fucking opinion that I didn’t ask for.

  “So, stop fuckin’ tryin’ to get it, Lex, damn! Ho’s always on the outside looking in, tryin’ to comprehend and shit!” I blasted. I wanted to punch her in the damn face.

  “Oh no, bitch, I got yo’ ho.’ You need to bring all of that shit down real quick okay. Yo’ ass ain’t no better or different than either of us. All the time you were fucking Gutta on a regular, a bitch should have secured shit like making sure yo’ fucking name was on the damn deed of that fucking condo and shit,” she snapped, clapping at me with her words.

  “Damn, Lex, fuckin’stop,” Jas intervened.

  “No, the fuck I won’t. She calling mofo’s ho’s and shit like she is better than bitches, but newsflash, you back where the fuck you started, bitch, in Jasmine’s guest room. So don’t even be throwing heat my way, unless you wanna get burned. I mean, six years of you acting like you better than us because of Gutta putting yo’ ass up like you a damn queen and now what, Gutta done dismissed yo’ ass!” she shot.

  All the things she said rang true, but I didn’t want to hear shit else from her. “Just shut the fuck up, Lex, damn, bitch!” I yelled.

  “Yes, please, the both of you need to stop, for real, for real,” Jas said, trying to calm the situation.

  I shot Lex a look, she rolled her eyes, gave me her middle finger, and then turned to look out the window without a word. We just rode in silence like they already knew to just give me some fucking space. Maybe Lex was right, or hell, maybe I was fucking crazy, but everything inside of me still wanted him back. I had no clue of how or when, but I wasn’t going to fucking be defeated. I had to find a way to get rid of Gabby’s ass once and for all, and that is what I’d do as soon as I figured out how.

  28

  Chas

  It was the night before Gabby’s wedding, and only me, my girls and two other stylists were at my salon. We hadn’t heard a peep out of Chris, but I still had Rolley, my bodyguard/security guy, with me when I was away from home. I wondered if he had a family because my days started at nine a.m. and ended some nights after seven. They’d send someone to the shop to give Rolley breaks in between, but he was with me most of the time.

  “Rel still got security with you?” Gabby asked, rubbing her little bump. She was only five months and still didn’t look pregnant to me, but she swore she was big as Tori who was now eight months. Tori was petite, so her bump was tiny. And from the back of her, you couldn’t even tell she was pregnant.

  “Yes, Chris has been quiet, but Rel isn’t comfortable with me being alone. He is convinced a nigga like Chris won’t stay away forever.”

  “I can understand. Although we found a way to run Trina off, Gutta says an evil ass bitch like that has something to prove, so he doesn’t dismiss the fact that she may resurface.”

  “Girl, crazy-ass exes are too damn extra,” I said.

  “I know, but I thank God I figured out that bitch was following me when I did, and she didn't try no crazy shit to cause me to have to have a damn bodyguard.”

  “I don’t think I need one either, but Rolley being here gives us all a sense of security, and it's not so bad having him around. He has turned into my driver because he comes to the house and drives me to work in my car. Then he takes me home and leaves after he makes sure I’m safely inside, so I’m not complaining,” I said, reaching for another rod. Gutta loved Gabby’s natural curls, so I was just giving her a two-strand twist rod set, and I’d separate and pick it out the next day.

  “Girl, having a driver is so sweet,” Gabby agreed.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Grace interrupted. “You two always carry on about the goodness and sweet shit about Gutta and Rel, but I have something to share too,” she cooed.

  “Come on, spill,” Gemma said.

  “Yes, tell it,” one of my stylists said. She was working on Gemma’s hair. To keep things simple for me the next day, everyone was getting prepped and set since none of my stylists would be off the next day to help me finish them up.

  “Well, Malice and I have been chatting a bit, you know. It started with the good mornings, good afternoons, and have a good day. Now it’s good morning babe and good afternoon sweetheart. And today, he finally asked me out,” she squealed.

  Gemma burst into laughter. “What are y’all like twelve? I mean, it’s been months, and that’s all the juice you have?”

  Grace rolled her eyes. “It’s romantic taking things slow, and we do friend stuff. Why are you such a stick in the mud, Gemma, damn?” she said. It was clear that Grace was upset with Gemma’s comment.

  “Hey, hey, hey, sisters, don’t do that, okay. And, Gemma, for once stop acting like Gloria Jean Jackson, please! Can ya’ do that?” Gabby spat.

  “Yes, Gemma, for real, for real,” Tori said, rubbing her belly.

  “Gloria Jean damn junior in the got’damn flesh,” I added.

  She covered her mouth. “Oh, my God. I do act like momma,” she said as if the truth had just finally set in. “Grace, I’m so sorry, sis. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. What I said, what I said,” she tried to explain.

  “It’s okay, Gemma, just stop looking for gut punches. It’s like you and momma are waiting on an opportunity to gut-punch somebody, have the last word or just make a person feel opposite of what they want to feel.”

  “I’m sorry, sis, I didn’t mean to. I’m a straight shooter, just like momma and a shit starter, just like momma, but we don’t mean to be malicious, well at least I don’t, not all the time, but some folks need to be told,” Gemma said, and we all laughed. “Anyhow, tell us about you and Malice.”

  “Michael is so sweet. He works a lot, too much in my opinion, but he is dedicated to his security company, and he goes out of his way to make sure his brothers have any and all that they need. Like when Rel said he needed someone to protect Chas, he said he would have done it himself, but he pulled his top man from his h
ighest paying customer, so Chas would be in good hands. He is tough, no doubt, but there is this soft side of him that I see and I, I don’t know. He gives me butterflies. Like, he loves poetry like I do, and I told him how I love romance novels, and he said he’d like to read some of my favorites,” Grace beamed, and I knew that smile. She was falling, but apparently, she didn’t know it yet. “I may be getting a little ahead of myself, and maybe this thing with Michael will be a good friendship, but I like him,” Grace blushed with her eyes to the floor. I could tell she was already sweet on Malice, and I secretly hoped he was sweet on her too, because she was the only one in our crew that hadn’t had a real relationship and never talked about sex with a man.

  “Oh hell, another Wilkerson love story to come. I mean, who's next, Royal?”

  “Now that’s a fine piece of chocolate right there,” Gemma chimed in quickly.

  “Spill it, spill it, spill it! Say what it is you mean, the youngest child of Boris and Gloria Jean Jackson!” Gabby shouted.

  “There is nothing to spill. I mean, the last few times we were close, his face was in his phone as if it was his lifeline. I am not interested in a man that cannot put his phone down in my presence. I am too fabulous for that, and plus he talks way too much shit,” Gemma said.

  “Just like you,” I said, and we laughed. She gave me the finger, and I shot a finger right back at her ass. “However,” I continued. “I know that is real about them damn cellphones, so when Rel and I walk through the door, our phones go straight to the chargers, and we get all into each other.”

  “That is what I’m talking about, baby. My husband and I put our phones on do not disturb now in the evenings. The important people are in our favorites, so we no longer do phones after seven,” my stylist, Loren, said.

  “I need to tell Gutta about that because my man’s phone is always blowing up,” Gabby said. “But in his defense, it’s normal work stuff. Gutta isn’t at his clubs every night, so there is always some type of business call that interrupts our evening.”

  “Well, work is work,” Tori added. “I know my husband has a new practice, but even the nurses call after hours for questions that they are unable to answer on the nurse hotline, so it just depends what your man does.”

  “Well, my man is unemployed, so when I get home, I’m taking his ma’fuckin phone and powering that bitch off,” my other stylist, Carmen, said, and we all roared in laughter.

  We continued to talk and finish prepping for the next day. Rolley drove me home, and I was surprised to see my man home since we did a pre-glam slash bachelorette party at the shop with drinks and good girl conversations for Gabby. I thought for sure he’d still be out with his brothers.

  “Hey babe,” I said as I put my purse and work bag down. I went over to greet him with a kiss.

  “Hey, you! How was your night with the girls?”

  “It was good. I thought you’d still be out with the boys, what’s up?”

  “We hung out but did more set-up for the reception tomorrow at Desire. You know we keep our circle super tight, so other than my brothers, we only had a handful of fellas to come out. We were more focused on tomorrow after the wedding, so we toasted, threw back a few shots and that was pretty much it.”

  “Oh, okay, and don’t get me wrong, I want you to enjoy your strippers and whatnot at your bachelor party, but if you can keep it as simple, clean and quick as tonight like Gutta’s bachelor party, I’d love that,” I said.

  He kissed my nose. “Well, times have changed, and strippers don’t excite many men that have real love in their lives or me. If I do decide to have a bachelor party, trust it will be to only celebrate my love for you and the celebration of a black king making a beautiful black queen his wife. Not his ride or die, baby mama or his side-piece. What gets me today is that we are too progressive to still keep dogging black women or saying that they have attitudes and this bullshit that scares brothers into the arms of other race women. Yes, some of y’all have attitudes and are mouthy, and neck twisting, but the right man can alter shit. The right strong man with patience and love can teach a woman how to bring it down and not be all extra. There is a balance, and we can all teach each other something.”

  I kissed him again, just because I loved kissing on my man and then asked, “Like what? Give me an example.”

  “I’ll give you two. You and me. When we met, all I wanted was the pussy. All you wanted was the dick, and we both had our minds made up on what we wanted to invest. However, we fucked, I dicked you down, you popped that pussy, and that shit was amazing, but our nights went from heated sheets to conversation. Conversations that we both started to enjoy. Then our no sleepover rule was out the window and boom, we fell in love. The night we met, we had no idea that we’d be here. I’m deeply in love, and I know that I tore down a few walls to get this close to you. You tore down a few walls to get this close to me. When two people want it, and they are feeling it on the same page, they learn and make changes. We are an example of that.”

  I had no more questions. “I love you so much, Mr. Wilkerson.”

  “Show me,” he said, tugging at my top.

  “Oh, you want that good, good,” I teased and traced his lips with my tongue.

  “Yeah, I do,” he confirmed.

  We didn’t make it far. He fucked me on the kitchen island, and I called out his name over and over again that night. He was right. There was that one somebody out there for everyone, and just like I found my one, my prayer that night was for every woman out there to find their one. I had a lot of clients, heard so many heartbreak stories, and I wanted all of them to have what I had with Rel, good love. The next morning, I woke up, fired up for my girl to marry the love of her life. And just as I was happy for her, I was happy for myself. Rel was my everything, and I was finally at my happiest.

  29

  Chas

  Both of my best friends were living in love and happiness and finally, so was I. Gabby was married to a man that only got engaged to her in less than one year after so many years of being engaged to an asshole like Mario’s cheating ass. And Tori had given birth to a little boy that was so adorable that I cried real tears when I held him. My relationship was perfect, and Rel was made for me. Everything about us was noteworthy from the way we spoiled and loved on each other. Like my car. I thought he took the ten grand that I gave him and put a down payment on my new wheels, but that wasn’t the case. He presented me with a title with my name on it, and when I asked him why’d he do that when we agreed to finance, he explained that in the twelve years since he’d been in business, he had made millions, so there was no need to finance something he could pay for in full. He then added that he put the ten grand I gave him into his safe, and it was there whenever I wanted it back.

  I wasn’t a gold-digging chick or after his money, but I was learning to let him love me in his way, and I agreed on a winter wedding. It wouldn’t be elaborate or fancy, just intimate like Gutta’s and Gabby’s. And since I didn’t have a church home, we agreed it would be his parent's church. Mother Wilkerson was a little much to deal with in the beginning, but after Gabby advised me to be just as firm with her, she softened up and welcomed me with open arms. We spent a lot of time with his family and a lot of weekends at Desire and Passions. When Gabby gave birth to her baby girl, it was a week before my birthday. And even though she didn’t party like a rock star, she and Gutta were there along with my man and girls to celebrate with me.

  My life was perfect, and I had the best man on the planet. I was back to driving myself to work, and there were no more bodyguards to protect me. I hadn’t heard a word from Chris or seen his face until that night. The night I wished away, but it was real, and there was no way I could go back in time.

  I had two more clients to service. Three of my stylists were still there, and we jammed to the sounds of Jill Scott as we styled hair. Styling hair was just a natural thing for me, and I praised God no one ever got up out of my seat unhappy with their hair. Well, not sinc
e I left Cosmetology school. The thing was I was a damn good stylist, but I was also grateful for my gift.

  As my stylist finished, I finally had my last client in my chair, and it was close to nine. Way later than I planned to be at my salon, but hey that’s the way it sometimes was in the hair industry. You worked until the last client walked out the door.

  “I’m going to load the wash,” Carmen said. “Do you have any towels you want me to take back?” I quickly grabbed the towels from my station that I was done with and handed to her. “I’m going to head out after I start this load of towels, boss,” she said.

  “That’s cool, babe. It will take me less than ten minutes to curl her, so I’m out the door soon too,” I assured her and then she disappeared to the back.

  My client and I chatted, and when I heard the door chime, I knew Carmen had gone. I continued to work on my client. We giggled about love, and once we were all done, I cashed her out and then let her out the front door. I locked it immediately and then went to clean my station. This had been my routine. I still listened to Jill Scott on my speakers as I sanitized my combs and brushes. I left them in the solution and then went for the washer to put the towels that Carmen had washed into the dryer. As I was loading them, singing along with Jill, a loud banging rang out on the back door.

  I knew everything was locked and secured. And I also knew there were cameras posted inside, so I tried not to panic. I went back to what I was doing, telling myself that it was all good, but the loud, thunderous banging began again. I rushed to my phone and brought my cameras up to see a man in a hoody at the door. I couldn’t see his face or who he was, but I was sure that it was all good, and he couldn’t get in. I was sure that Carmen locked the door, or did she? My heart began to race, and I called Rel immediately.