That Bona Fide Hood Love

by Shvonne Latrice

  Kasslyn

  “Okay, I’m done.” I held my chest since it was in pain from all that damn coughing.

  I rolled my eyes at a laughing Kaseem. Even though he was annoying, he looked so damn fine and hood, smoking.

  “You sure?” He attempted to put it to my mouth, and when I slapped his hand, he began cackling. “You too pretty for this shit anyway.”

  “You don’t like women who smoke?”

  “I don’t give a fuck either way, as long as she don’t come ’round me smelling like a dime sack 24/7.”

  “Well you don’t have to worry about that with me.”

  Kaseem turned to look up at me. I was sitting upright, with my back against the headboard, and he was lying on his side, with his feet hanging off since he was so tall.

  “I don’t have to worry about a lot of shit when it comes to you.” He took a few more hits, sexily of course, before ashing the small stick in the tray on the nightstand closer to him.

  “You still sleep with Everly and Alexis?”

  “Not lately. Just you.” He sat up to take off my top, then laid me down to remove my tights and panties. “Why? You like me or some shit?” He yanked off his hoodie and shirt, exposing his deep chocolate chest, tattoos, and muscles.

  “No.”

  “You want me to be your nigga or some shit?” He gave me a crooked smile, giving a glimpse of his perfect white teeth as he climbed off the bed to push down his bottoms.

  “No,” I lied. Being Kaseem’s girlfriend sounded like a dream no woman would be able to make possible, so I knew better.

  “You don’t?”

  He got back between my legs, after we both got under the covers, and began kissing me. I loved the way his lips felt on mine, and on my neck and body.

  “No.”

  The head of his dick was positioned at my opening, and he pushed inside as his big hand wrapped around my neck while he sucked my lips.

  “You mine anyway,” he spoke against my ear, sucking on it.

  That sounded so good, so I simply nodded as he continued to fuck me.

  One week later…

  The past week had been pretty nice, despite the circumstances. Kaseem and I had been spending a lot of time together whether at the office or at home. Occasionally, I wouldn’t see him for hours, but that was when Jamal didn’t have to work and would act like he wanted to be around me. Even though he threatened me and seemed to care, I just didn’t feel like he cared for me as much as Kaseem did. And because of that, I didn’t feel any remorse for letting Kaseem fuck me damn near every night.

  It was so bad that I looked forward to Kaseem climbing into my bed in the middle of the night. I remember some months back, not even sweating getting some dick, and now I was addicted. And no matter how many times I toyed with the idea of going back to Jane’s, I knew I was too attached to Kaseem in more ways than one.

  Speaking of him, last night after one of our many sex sessions and food runs, he broke me off with a nice wad of money. I still had the cash he paid me for the logo job, but he didn’t care. He told me to go shopping or something; just get out of the house, instead of sitting there waiting for Jamal.

  Jamal had explained that if I wasn’t at work, he expected me to be home, but I knew Kaseem would protect me against him if it came down to it.

  “Welcome. Do you have an appointment?” The pretty, light-skinned girl behind the desk smiled up at me.

  I was here at the salon because I’d decided to get my hair done. I saw a style I wanted while on Instagram, and it was done here at this shop by a stylist named Rhea.

  “Yes, I do, at 10:30 a.m. for Kasslyn Collins.”

  “Perfect. Have a seat, and I will let Rhea know you’re here.” The girl smiled before writing something down and then going to the back to, I guess let the stylist know.

  A couple minutes later, the woman returned and waved for me to follow her through the pretty, nice shop. It wasn’t packed, but there were a nice amount of ladies getting their hair done and talking, some yelling across the shop at each other.

  “Hi, Kasslyn?” Another light-skinned woman with hair down her back grinned widely as she stood behind the styling chair.

  “Yes, are you Rhea?”

  “I am. Nice to meet you. You are so bomb.” She looked me up and down.

  “Me? Thank you.”

  “Yes you. Have a seat.” She patted the chair then nodded for the front desk girl to leave. “You got some nice ass hair too. I can tell you take care of it. So you want a short haircut but for it to be a weave, right?”

  “Yes. I don’t want to cut my real hair, but I think the short look would be nice on me.” I nodded as she tossed the cape around my neck and fastened it.

  “Girl, you can wear any style. Your face shape is perfect for hair shows. There are a lot of beautiful women, but that doesn’t mean they can wear any style. You, on the other hand,” she spun me to face the mirror, “have that luxury.”

  “Wow, thank you.” I giggled.

  For the next hour or so, Rhea and I talked about general things as she combed out my hair then washed and conditioned it. We even talked as I sat under the dryer, allowing the product to penetrate my hair; at least that’s what she said it was doing. Just twenty-five minutes later, my conditioner was rinsed, my hair was dry, and she was putting braids in the middle to sew on.

  “Are you going on a date or something tonight?” Rhea inquired as she put the last braid in.

  “No… not a date really. I do have someone I want to look good for.” I smiled at the thought of Kaseem.

  “Ooh, girl, don’t we all.” The lady doing hair next to Rhea chimed in.

  “Well I will make sure you look extra special for him then.” Rhea winked.

  An hour later, I was done, and it looked so good. I was happy I’d chosen to do my makeup before coming here because I immediately began taking selfies. I even had Rhea take some for me.

  I booked another appointment with Rhea because she said in three weeks, she knew another style that I would love and wondered if she could do it for free on me. I liked free, and since I trusted her wonderful hands, I agreed.

  Walking out of the shop, I sent one of the pictures Rhea had taken for me to Kaseem.

  Seem: Damn

  Seem: You can pull off anything.

  Feeling myself blush, I locked my phone and then slipped it into my purse so I could go meet Leila for lunch.

  I told Leila I couldn’t get her from Jane’s, for obvious reasons, so she agreed to meet me at this clothing boutique around the way. When I pulled up, she was standing outside, and I laughed, seeing her stare suspiciously at the nice car with tinted windows.

  Rolling the passenger side window down, I yelled, “Are you coming or not?”

  “Oh shit, bitch!” She rushed toward the car, so I hit the locks, allowing her to slide inside. “Where you get this?”

  “It’s not mine.” I pulled off, hitting the button so her window would roll up. I felt her staring at the side of my face, so I laughed. “A friend let me borrow it.”

  “A friend? What kind of friends do you have? Is this Jamal’s?”

  “Nope.”

  I turned the music up so that Leila couldn’t ask any more questions. We got to the restaurant fifteen minutes later, and since I had a reservation, we were seated immediately.

  “Okay, you need to tell me where you got that car. You haven’t worked in forever, and that little money you got for your logo definitely didn’t pay for that nice piece of machinery.”

  “No, it didn’t.” I took a deep breath, allowing the waitress to sit down our glasses of water and basket of bread. “It’s Jamal’s brother’s car. He let me drive it.”

  “Damn, his family is nice.”

  “Yep. But I haven’t really told you everything.”

  “You said you and Jamal weren’t clicking like you thought you would. I knew it.”

  “What? You were the main one rooting for me to be with him.”

>   “Yes, to get those coins and enroll in school, but I knew he wasn’t about to be the love of your life.” She bit into the bread.

  “Right, but I left something out. I—”

  “Are you ladies ready to order?”

  “Umm, yes.” Leila nodded after looking at me to be sure.

  We placed our orders, and I chuckled when Leila rolled her eyes, happy the waitress had gone on about her way. Someone else came to drop off our alcoholic drinks, however.

  “Anyway, Jamal’s brother and I have gotten pretty close.”

  “The fine ass nigga you caught fucking on Jane?” Her mouth hung open.

  “Yep, him.”

  “The nigga you said you couldn’t stand and hated you?”

  “Yes, Leila!” I laughed.

  “How close?” She was chewing the bread fast like a rabbit did a carrot.

  “Close enough to cause an orgasm.”

  I burst into laughter at the shock that spread across Leila’s face.

  Closing her eyes, she replied, “Wait, so you ain’t getting along with Jamal, and you’re fucking his fine brother?”

  “Yes. He paid for my hair today, gave me spending money, and let me use the Range Rover, but—”

  “So what’s the problem?” She drank her cocktail.

  “The problem is that I’m engaged,” I flashed her my ring, “to his damn brother. His brother who is not as nice and harmless as I thought he was.”

  “I say, fuck Jamal. He ain’t as rich, fine, or strong.”

  “I know this, but I feel like they’ll fight, then realize it wasn’t worth it, and both of them will kick me back to where I started.”

  “Which is why you need to enroll in design school.”

  I nodded, taking in Leila’s words.

  After lunch, we went to the nail shop, my treat… or Kaseem’s treat, and then I headed home.

  I had a craving for some Drumstick ice cream, so I decided to stop by the grocery store in the neighborhood.

  As I surveyed the flavor options, I heard the sound of heels nearing me. I paid it no mind since there were others in the store, but the person knocked on the freezer door that I had ajar, as if it were my home.

  “Hey, did you need to get right here?” I quizzed the woman with a round chubby face and caramel skin. She was dressed up very nicely, and her perfume let me know she was well off.

  “No, what you think, because I’m fat I want ice cream?” she spat.

  “What? No, because you knocked on the damn door to the section of food I’m looking at.” I frowned, realizing she had a problem with me when I didn’t even know her ass.

  Rolling her eyes, she asked, “Are you Kasslyn?”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Catharine. I’m sure you’ve heard of me since you’re Jamal’s supposed fiancée.”

  I had heard of her, but I wasn’t about to admit it.

  “No, actually, I’ve never heard your name in his mouth. Who are you to him, and how do you know we’re engaged?” I played dumb.

  Seething, she answered, “Because he is mine. I don’t know what he has going on with you, but know that it is temporary, and you two will not make it down the aisle.”

  “Okay, great.”

  “You think you’re going to get married in the house of God when your union is based on false pretenses?”

  “Girl, bye. You need a life and to realize that Jamal has moved on.” I waved her off, grabbed my box of ice cream, and switched away.

  “I will show you, watch!” she barked at my back, but I continued to the register and checked out.

  Rhea Yates

  A few days later…

  “You coming in tomorrow?” one of the ladies who rented a booth at my shop, Ashley, quizzed me.

  “No. Tonight is probably gonna be a long one, so I made sure not to schedule anyone tomorrow.”

  “Oh, okay, damn. My friend wanted you to do a ponytail on her.”

  “Sorry. Tell her if she can come day after tomorrow, early in the a.m., I can work it out.” I swept the last little bit of hair into the dustpan.

  “Damn, Rhea skipping out on money? What’s happening tonight? Bet not be the club.” Ashley continued cleaning the mirrors at the stations.

  “Umm, no. I love the damn club, but not enough to miss out on some cash.” I paused, smiling to myself at the thought of seeing Kaseem tonight. “My man and I are gonna have a little date night.”

  “Oh, you still fucking with Kaseem?”

  “Yes, for eleven years now. Nothing has changed, and you know that.” I looked up after putting the broom to the side. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Why did you ask me that, Ashley? You know better than anybody that Kaseem is my man and has been my man for over a decade. So you asking me if I’m still fucking with him is suspicious.”

  My heart beat rapidly as I watched Ashley wipe the last mirror before placing the rag and spray down on the vanity. The deep breath she took scared me even more.

  “I’ve just been hearing that he’s got a couple friends.”

  “A couple friends?”

  “Yeah. Word on the street is that he got a girlfriend, not you, and then something on the side he’s been messing with.”

  “Well tell whomever told you that, that it’s a lie. Everybody who knows Kaseem, knows Rhea is his woman.”

  “I know I do.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ashley and I finished closing up the shop, and the whole time I thought about that news she’d dropped. It was true. I’d been with Kaseem for most of my life, and everyone knew me as his woman. However, there were plenty of times when I couldn’t reach him and when he would act like he was too busy to see me. If I was being honest with myself, there was plenty of room for Kaseem to cheat.

  Yes, I did my dirt too, but it was because I felt lonely a lot of the time. If Kaseem paid me the attention that he used to, during the first six and a half years, I wouldn’t even be doing what I was with Jamal. I didn’t even want Jamal, not even in the slightest, but the dick and time was always available when I wanted. If only his brother was the same.

  After locking up, I hopped into my BMW and let the heated seats calm me down a bit. I continued my thoughts all the way to my house, and as soon as I got there, I showered.

  Since Kaseem and I were going out to dinner, I chose a burgundy dress that hugged my voluptuous frame, and some matching Aquazzura stilettos that Kaseem bought me. I switched my essentials to my YSL bag, and by the time I had on my jewelry, Kaseem was outside. I’d done my hair yesterday night, so all I had to do was smooth down my edges.

  “Damn.” Kaseem stood outside my door once I opened it.

  “You like?” I cocked my head, letting my fresh hair fall perfectly.

  “I do.” He stepped in, grabbing my ass and kissing on my neck. “Come on before we don’t even make it there.”

  I felt myself grinning widely as I placed my hand into Kaseem’s, allowing him to lead me out. He helped me into his Maserati, and then peeled off.

  We ended up at my favorite steakhouse, and it felt good to know he remembered that I loved it here. That quickly, Ashley’s comments were gone with the wind.

  We were seated fairly quickly, and once we had our drinks and appetizer, we started up normal conversation.

  “How’s the shop and shit?” Kaseem looked at me from across the table.

  “It’s going great. I’m getting so many clients daily that it’s ridiculous. But at least I can afford to take two days off a week now.”

  “Making money. That shit is sexy.” He smirked with his fine ass.

  “Yea—”

  His ringing phone cut me off, and when I looked at the screen, it read Baby Girl. Before I could say anything, he pointed to what he wanted off the menu and then got up to take the call.

  Kaseem had no sisters or female cousins, so the only person Baby Girl could be was some bitch he was fucking.

  I placed both of our orde
rs once the waiter came, and moments after he left, I saw Kaseem headed my way. He looked so debonair in the suit he was rocking. His Burberry cologne got to the table before he did, and although I was upset, I enjoyed it like always.

  “My bad.” He sat down.

  “Who was that?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you have her stored as Baby Girl. I know she’s not family, so who the fuck is she, Seem?”

  “Did you order my food?”

  “Nigga, tell me who was on your fucking phone!” I roared over the upscale restaurant, banging my fist down onto the table.

  Kaseem sniffled, keeping his composure like he always did when I got irate. I suddenly remembered he always told me he hated how I couldn’t keep myself together and always chose the wrong time and place to act out. But I didn’t give a fuck! I wanted to know who the fuck this bitch was!

  “Yell like that again and watch what the fuck I do to yo’ ignorant ass.” He spoke lowly and through his perfect teeth.

  “Are you fucking her?” I whimpered.

  Typical Kaseem ignored me, munching on the appetizer even as I sat there crying softly. I put it on pause when our food came, and we ate in silence. Every time I peered up at him, he seemed unbothered by the fact that I was bothered, and it hurt me.

  Being the asshole that he was, he ordered dessert, even though it was obvious that I wanted to go home. I watched him finish the pie, and then we left out once he paid the bill.

  “Kaseem, please tell me if you’re fucking her?”

  “Fucking who?” He finally snapped as he sped down the dark streets, only illuminated by the streetlights.

  “Baby Girl!”

  “You hear how dumb you fucking sound? You ain’t even got a damn name! Just because you saw a muthafuckin nickname, you on some bullshit!”

  “Are you cheating on me!”

  “Leave me the fuck alone, Rhea.” He shook his head. “Can’t even do something nice for yo’ ass, because you gotta act a fucking fool all the time.”

  “Fuck you, nigga! You just want me to sit around and accept whatever the fuck you do!”