A Hustler's Son

by T. Styles

  I put the cup down, slid next to her, and wrapped my arms around her. The moment I did, she fell into me.

  “I’ll look out for you,” I said not knowing where that came from.

  Niggas got in trouble for making promises to chicks they ain’t have no intentions on keeping, but I needed to get into Delonte’s room. I was willing to sell her some more shit if she’d buy it.

  “Boooyee stop playying wit me. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “I’m serious, girl.”

  I held her close because I knew girls liked that shit. For five minutes, Kenosha went on and on about shit I ain’t feel like hearing. I mean, I ain’t give a fuck about none of that shit he used to do for her. None of it. In my opinion he was a bum ass nigga and the world was better off without him.

  While she was in her own world, I scanned the house with my eyes. I gave her an occasional nod to make her think I was listening. All I saw was a bunch of dumb ass pictures of Delonte as a kid. When I saw the one of him and Mrs. Knight, I felt uncomfortable, again. Mrs. Knight held Delonte in her arms, as a baby. I thought about how my moms would feel if something fucked up happened to me. That’s probably why she was pressing the issue to bury his ass. Right when I felt a little weird, Kenosha ran her hand between my legs.

  “Whoa!” I let out.

  “What.”

  Silence.

  What was she doing? Gramps was upstairs in his room and although Mrs. Knight had just walked out the door, there was no telling when she’d be back. Plus I wasn’t trying to fuck Kenosha in Delonte’s house. I was cruddy but not that cruddy. There was a plan and I had to stick to it. I was there for the product and the loot, not to bang Kenosha’s back out. Although for real, I’d love to kill two birds with one stone.

  “Kenosha, don’t worry about shit, Delonte’s gonna show up. Trust me,” I said as I held the hand she had between my legs. “You getting all worked up over nothing.”

  She sat up, wiped the tears from her face and said, “Kelseee how old you is now?”

  “I’m fifteen but I’ll be sixteen next month. Why?”

  “Cuz you real cool. Your girl real lucky. I mean, you act older than most of the men my age.”

  I wasn’t trying to fall for Kenosha’s games but my chest was on swole for a minute. I mean, she was twenty-five or something and here she was feeling me. Any other time I’d have my dick in her ass, for bragging rights alone. But right now, there was a job to be done – finding out where Delonte kept his shit. I needed to think of something. I wish there was really a thinking cap, because I needed that mothafucka. Now I wondered if he was lying or if he really kept his shit here. It’s not like it wouldn’t be a good place. Nobody would suspect drugs and loot in this old ass house unless a drug dealer lived here.

  I ain’t never been inside Delonte’s peoples house so I had no idea of the set up. The closest I got to his place was the front porch and he never invited me in. I should’ve known then that he ain’t fuck with me. I knew he had a room somewhere in the house, and I figured what I was looking for would be in there somewhere. I had to think of a way to get from up under Kenosha.

  “Kenosha, where’s the bathroom?”

  “What you gonna do Kelseeee, number one or two?”

  “Girl stop playing. Where the bathroom at?”

  “I’m just playing, boyyee. It’s at the top of the stairs to the left. But don’t be dropping no stupid loads for reall! And only use a lil bit of toilet paper. It can stop up the toilet.”

  I jumped up and made my way to the bathroom. Once upstairs, I peeped the layout. The bathroom was the first door I came to and the bedrooms were next. I looked downstairs and noticed that as long as Kenosha kept her ass on the couch, she wouldn’t be able to see me, or what I was doing. This just may work!

  I opened the bathroom door and ran the water in the sink, then closed it behind me. I wanted her to think I was doing whatever in the bathroom and not in the rest of the house.

  Slowly and carefully I moved toward his room. I knew which one it was because it said “Delonte’s Room” on the door. I shook my head and laughed that a man his age, had a sign on his door. I mean, I’m a teenager and I wouldn’t be caught dead with that shit on my door.

  When I opened the door to his room, the same cologne smell I hated, filled the air. It was so strong that it smelled like the bottle was broken. When I looked around the room again, I noticed everything was out of place. Who in the fuck been in here? There was enough light from the window, so I could definitely see what was going on. Somebody had beaten me to Delonte’s room! Shit! Everything was everywhere but where it needed to be.

  Still, I had to check. There was no way I’d tell my mother I got an easy ride to Delonte’s house and didn’t look for anything. So I looked on the dresser, under the bed, in his closet and even on the floor. I wasn’t trying to make too much noise although I doubted anybody could hear me, since Gramps was snoring like a bear in the room next door. I was pushing shit over with my feet and trying to make my way through the mess. I wasn’t sure, but something told me I wasn’t finding no weight or money in this room, let alone, this house.

  Somebody fucked his room up good! I mean, all of his stuff was knocked off the dresser and most of the stuff was on his bed and the floor. I was getting ready to give up and turn around, until I saw Kenosha standing behind me. Her tiny waist and round hips almost turned me on until I realized I wasn’t supposed to be in that mothafucka.

  “What you doing, boy? Why you in my cuzzin’s room?”

  Shit! I was so pressed trying to find his shit, that I was caught slipping. I had to think of something quick.

  “Girl, don’t play wit me. You know what the fuck is up,” I said giving my best Denzel Washington impression that I could.

  “No, Kelsee. I don’t,” she said with an attitude. “Now what the fuck you doing in my cuzzin’s room?” She asked with her hands on her hips. “Something looking real conspi-shious around here and I don’t like it! So what the fuck is going on, Kelllssee?!”

  “Fuck that shit you tell me!” I was giving it to her hard. “You down there playing games feeling on my dick and shit, what the fuck you think I’m doing in here? I’m looking for a rubber so we can handle business. Unless you scared.”

  Her expression changed from “I know you ain’t sneaking in my cuzzin’s room” to “Oooo Kelsee for real?”

  She licked her lips looked me up and down and said, “Well did you find what you were looking for?”

  Since she bought that shit, I tried to sell her something else too. I figured I would hint around to finding up who’d been in his room so I said, “Naw, I ain’t find shit in this mothafucka! I can’t believe he kept his shit like this. His drawers were on the floor.”

  She laughed and pushed me toward the bed. I moved some of that shit on the floor and got settled. With my legs hanging off the edge and my back up against the wall, she straddled me in the sitting position.

  “Boyeee, Delonte ain’t leave his room like this, my grandmother did. She was trying to find some info ‘bout where he may be but she found something else instead and like to lost her mind.”

  Kenosha ain’t have to say shit else because I knew what she found. Delonte’s stash. My only question now was what did she do with it? But how was I gonna ask Kenosha? I ain’t have no business over there and I ain’t have no business looking for his shit. But that didn’t help the fact that I wanted to know.

  Fuck it! I thought. I’ll ask her anyway.

  “Straight up!” I said fake surprised. “What she find?” I asked as I squeezed her ass and moved into her. Damn! That felt good too.

  She looked at me and kissed me. “She found,” kiss “something,” kiss kiss, “that she shouldn’t have found.” Kiss kiss.

  I knew it! Mrs. Knight found Delonte’s shit and got it the fuck out her house. She lived in D.C. long enough to know that the government ain’t have no mercy just because you old. They would have dragged Mr
. and Mrs. Knight’s asses straight to jail if they raided this place. Shit! It was almost a complete waste of time to be over here, until I looked at how sexy Kenosha looked on top of me. I might as well make the best of it.

  “You soft as shit,” I moaned as I grabbed her fat ass, pulling her down to grind on my dick.

  “And you hard.” She laughed.

  “You got a condom?” I asked as I smiled at her.

  “You know iiiiitttt,” she said as she winked at me, reached in her bra and pulled one out.

  “Damn, Kenosha. Its like that?”

  “Boy, I knew I was fucking you the moment you got in my car. It ain’t but one thing that gets my mind off stuff and talking ain’t it.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I thought you wanted me here to chill with you. You know, cuz Delonte missing and shit.”

  “I do, but the best way to get over shit is by fucking.”

  “I’m wit it.”

  This girl was a freak, but damn was she sexy. With the corner of her teeth she tore off the edge of the condom and spit it out. With the half opened pack dangling in her mouth, she unzipped my pants, pulled my dick out my boxers and slid it on.

  Then for some reason, my mother popped in my head. Never use their condoms Kelsi. Trust me. Them fast ass little girls will try to set you up and get pregnant. Always carry your own shit. When I remembered that, I had all intentions of telling shawty it was no haps, but before I got to do that, she was getting into position. As she lifted her waist and slid down on me, I thought to myself, “What mama don’t know won’t hurt her.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SEPTEMBER 28th

  WEDNESDAY, 6:30PM

  JANET

  Trying not to blow up about every little thing was becoming harder to do. I’ve come to realize that I’m a perfectionist and with perfection, comes stress. I wanted the murder to be done smoothly, his money to be collected and for us to move on with our lives. But it wasn’t working like that. I realize this is what happens in this lifestyle but it doesn’t make things any easier.

  It didn’t help that Kelsi called to tell me that he was with Kenosha. These little girls just won’t leave my baby alone. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy he had an easy way into Delonte’s house, even though he ain’t find shit but I despised her ass. I didn’t want that bitch to have the hold on Kelsi that she had on Delonte. She was sneaky and underhanded. I just as soon walk him down the aisle with Lakeisha before I’d see him with Kenosha.

  Don’t get me wrong; if she had met two other niggas, I wouldn’t care. I may have even respected her game or liked her. But she was trying to use sex to hold her own cousin, my man, and now my son. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had her eyes on Kelsi for the longest. I mean, my baby is handsome but don’t nothing about his mind or his body say fifteen anything, besides the love he has for me. I hope that never changes.

  “Okay, Kelsi but what I tell you about talking about this kind of stuff on the home phone?”

  “I know, Ma, I just wanted you to know what was up.”

  Click Click. That was the third time the other line had beeped since I’d been talking to Kelsi and each time it was Keisha. These bitches were driving me crazy around here.

  “Look, Kelsi, the other line’s for me. I’ll talk to you later, baby.” I clicked on the other line.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello?”

  “Yes?” I said as I plopped on the couch and propped the phone on my shoulder so I could free my hands to remove my shoes.

  “Hi, Ms. Stayley, is Kelsi there?”

  I could’ve said no, but I thought of a plan to rid Kelsi of Lakeisha. No matter what the age, no woman liked her man keeping time with another bitch, especially a bitch named Kenosha. So in my fakest and friendliest voice I could find I said, “Hey, baby. How are you?”

  The moment my words came out, I immediately wanted to throw up. But I’m an actress first, always.

  “Uh, Ms. Stayley, this is uh Keisha,” she responded, shocked by my tone of voice. It was then that I realized that she was aware I couldn’t stand her ass too.

  “I know, honey.” I giggled. “I can’t ask how you’re doing?”

  “Uh…yes. I’m fine, Ms. Stayley.”

  “Great! What’s going on?”

  “I’ve been looking for Kelsi. Is he home?”

  “No,” I said as if I didn’t want to break her heart. “But you’re welcome to call him on his cell phone. Do you have the number?”

  “Yes, but he ain’t answering.”

  “Baby, I want to tell you something. You know, woman to woman.”

  “Sure, Ms. Stayley!” She thought this sista-girl moment was the perfect opportunity to pick the mother of her boyfriend’s mind. “What is it?”

  “First things first, call me Janet.”

  “Okay,” she said shocked by my request, because I had told that little bitch the next time she called me Janet I would be dragging her ass by the hair and out of my house for good! But that was then.

  “Secondly, what I’m about to tell you, I’m telling you because I like you. If it ever gets back to Kelsi that I told you, I won’t have any respect for you and you won’t be allowed to call or come over here ever again. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Ms. Stayley, she responded in between heavy breaths. “But I’m scared. I’m not sure I want to hear this.”

  “I know you are honey but this is all a part of being a woman. You have to hear certain things and be able to take ‘em, even though you don’t want to. Think of me as your big sister and your friend. Sometimes you have to hear things you don’t want to, in order to make the right decisions for yourself. You understand?”

  “I understand, Ms. Stayley, I mean, Janet,” she said as she started crying.

  This was sickening. What the fuck was she crying about? I hadn’t even told her anything yet. I already knew now that she was going to be out of the picture no matter what I did. So as far as I was concerned, I was just helping the process along and the more she showed she ain’t have heart, the more I hated her guts. My son was getting ready to sit on an empire and her weak ass would probably get him killed.

  “Well, Keisha it’s like this, Kelsi ain’t here cuz he’s with Kenosha. I don’t know if you realize it, but they’ve been spending a lot of time together. You may have to consider moving on. I told Kelsi ya’ll too young anyway to be in a relationship,” I stopped after realizing my true feelings about this bitch were starting to seep out again, so I had to play it off. “But when I met you and got to know you even more, I thought you were perfect for him. This is why I’m telling you what’s going on between Kenosha and Kelsi. They’re acting like they’re in love. You may have even seen them together lately. Have you?”

  At this time she was crying so hard, that I didn’t know if she was able to hear anything I said outside of Kelsi being with Kenosha.

  “Uh, yes I have seen her around him. Just the other day. Ms. Janet, I mean, Janet, what I’m gonna do without Kelsi? I don’t have no life without him.”

  “What are you gonna do? A lot of things! For starters you can make his ass come to you by not calling him or taking his shit. I mean he’s my son and all but he’s still a man who needs to be put in his place.”

  “Put in his place?” She repeated in between sniffling.

  “Yes. Make him want you…just as much as you want him.”

  I thought about what I was telling her for a minute and I decided that if anyone was feeding me half of the shit I was feeding her, I would have known what was up. But like I said, Keisha ain’t have no heart so she believed everything I said. After all, why would I lie? I was his mother.

  “You right, Janet. I’m not saying shit to Kelsi until he does right by me. He’ll call me before I’ll call him!”

  “That’s right, girl but be careful about the time you put on it. A man hasn’t been fully broken down until you hold back on the pussy, sto
p calling, start dating new people and leave him alone for at least two months.”

  “Oh no, Ms. Stayley, Kelsi and I aren’t sleeping with each other.”

  “Keisha, please. I just confided in you and you’re going to lie to me? I know you and K-man fucking. Hell, I told him how to put on a condom. Plus, you be at my house every weekend. Do you think I’m that stupid?”

  She was silent before she said, “You right, Janet. I wasn’t trying to lie to you, it’s just kinda of embarrassing that’s all.”

  “Well we have to be real with each other Lakeisha.”

  “You’re right. And I’m gonna take your advice starting today. Don’t bother telling Kelsi I called cuz I’m gonna give him a taste of his own medicine.”

  “Good idea, Keisha. Hey, what you think about Bricks?”

  “What you mean, Janet?”

  “What do you think about him?”

  “Nothing!” She shot back. “He’s Kelsi’s best friend.”

  “Listen to me. What I’m about to tell you may save you and Kelsi’s relationship.” I said in a low voice. “It’s actually one of the oldest tricks in the book.”

  I know her ear was so close to the phone; at one point I could have sworn I felt it.

  “A man is weak when it comes to his best friend and his girlfriend. Maybe hanging around him a little will give Kelsi a taste of his own medicine.”

  “I don’t know about that Ms. Stayley, I mean, Ms. Janet, I mean, Janet,” she said nervous by the idea.

  “Trust me. Spending time with your man’s best friend is the best way to get even. Now I’m not saying sleep with him, just spend time with him. Now you can’t let Bricks know what you’re doing. I have a feeling about him and if I’m right, he won’t appreciate what you’re doing. When you talk to him, tell him you’re trying to find out what’s going on with Kelsi and why he won’t talk to you. Don’t let him know he’s a part of your plan to get back at him.”

  “You sure about this, Janet?” She asked in a hesitated tone.