The Takeover

by Meesha

  “If you touch me, I’ll bust yo’ muthafuckin’ head, dude.”

  His eyes grew to the size of golf balls and his face turned redder than a tomato. He lunged at me and grabbed me by my arms. He tried to kiss me and I kicked him in his dick. I would forever hear the loud howl he let fall from his throat. When he dropped to his knees, I kicked him in his face and ran out of the house. I’ve been on my own ever since.

  The ringing of my phone brought me back to reality. I looked at the screen and it was my girl Tammy calling. “What’s up, trick?” I said when I answered.

  “Did you see all those damn shootings on the damn news? All of this shit makes my ass scared to go the fuck outside. I was supposed to be at Paradise Kitty last night, I didn’t feel like partying after shaking my ass at Adrianna’s. That fine ass nigga Mauricio had a birthday party and his brother was one of the people that died.”

  Tammy was the ghetto newscaster. She knew about everything that happened in the street better than channels two, five, seven, and nine. If I had been thinking clearly, I could’ve found out everything I wanted to know from her ass. She stayed on all that shit like it was her job to know.

  “Do they know who did it?” I was trying to see if she had the inside scoop because the news didn’t have access to that information.

  “Word on the street is Floyd and his crew did it. Now them nigga’s ain’t nowhere to be found. Mauricio and nem clapped back because some of Floyd’s workers got popped outside the trap on 16th Street. Clout was one of em. I’m pissed off because I’m gon’ miss that nigga’s dick!”

  “Bitch really? Is that all you can say about that man and he’s dead? So disrespectful. How do you know Mauricio had something to do with that? Don’t be spreading rumors nah, Tammy.”

  “Girl bye, stop being so damn sensitive. He had a damn python between his legs. Who else did that shit? Anyway, I think it’s about to be a lot more bodies laid out.”

  “Don’t repeat that shit to nobody else. You don’t even know if the people you putting at the scene did what you’re implying. That’s some dangerous shit.” I tried to talk some sense into her ass, but she knew too much.

  “You act like you know them niggas, yo’ lame ass needs to get out so you can be up on the need to know. What you doing today? We should hang out.”

  I didn’t want to hang out with Tammy. She was on a mission to get the scoop on the latest crimes like she was a detective or something. I wanted no parts of that. I had to deal with her messiness when we stripped together. Now that I didn’t live that life anymore, our friendship wasn’t quite the same.

  “I’m not going out today. I will be staying in to get ready for work on Monday.”

  “Monday, Latorra, today is Saturday. If you don’t want to hang out, say you don’t want to hang out.” She said with an attitude.

  “Okay, Tammy, I don’t want to go out. Is that better?”

  “Fuck you then. Yo’ ass changed.” She said hanging up on me.

  I didn’t care if she was mad. I wasn’t into the things she was into anymore. I changed for the better, something she should look into doing. Picking up the mop, I finished what I had started and went to get my clothes out of the dryer. After hanging and folding most of my clothes I went to my room to take a nap.

  I don’t know how long I slept, but my phone ringing woke me. I snatched it up without checking to see who was calling. “Hello,” I croaked out and cleared my throat.

  “Were you sleep?” Mauricio asked quietly.

  “Nah, I was watching tv.”

  “Yo’ ass was sleep. I’ll hit you back later. I said I’d call when I was done with business.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m awake.”

  “You lying but okay, hit me with yo’ address. I want to take you out for dinner.”

  Looking at the time it was almost 6 o’clock. It didn’t feel like I’d slept that damn long. “I don’t know you like that to have you coming to my house.”

  “I’m not going through this with you tonight, Officer Smith. I want to spend time with you right now, don’t deprive me of the chance to get to know you. Plus, you would be just what I need to get my mind off the shit I’m going through right now.”

  “Okay, I’ll text you the address.” I said.

  “I’ll be on my way as soon as you send the location,” he said hanging up.

  I sent him my address and I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Showering quickly, I returned to my bedroom and oiled my body with shea butter. I really didn’t want to go out so convincing Ricio to stay inside was what I had on my mind. I chose a pair of black leggings and a red tank top to put on. With everything that was going on, I didn’t want someone to try to retaliate while he was with me. I might get hit by accident, I didn’t want to take a chance.

  As I waited for Mauricio to pull up, I put the last of my laundry away. He picked the right day to come through because usually during the week my place looked a mess. The hours I worked didn’t permit me to keep things in order.

  There was a knock on the door as I sat scrolling through my Facebook page. I looked at the time and it was six forty-five and I knew it was Mauricio. “Who is it?” I asked as I stood and walked to the door.

  “Who you want it to be?” He asked from the other side.

  His voice was so sexy to me and the tingle in my lower regimen was powerful. I wasn’t trying to sleep with this man knowing that he had many women flocking to him. But the way my hormones were raging, that was something I’d have to keep preaching to myself. Opening the door, my breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t find my voice.

  This man had on a white and black Givenchy shirt, with a pair of black jeans of the same brand, and black and Givenchy sneakers to match. His hair was tapered on the sides and braided neatly on the top of his head. His beard was shaped and the way his goatee framed his lips had my eyes stuck.

  “You gon’ make a nigga stand outside until you get dressed?” he asked snapping me out of my trance.

  “I’m sorry, come on in,” I said stepping to the side. “I don’t need to get dressed, I think we should order takeout instead.”

  I closed the door and led the way to the couch. Before I could walk past him, Mauricio grabbed me by the hand and brought my chest into his. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating . It was a struggle not to wrap my arms around his neck and plant a big kiss on his luscious lips.

  “Tell me, why don’t you want to go out for dinner?”

  “I um—You are going through a lot right now with your family situation,” I said looking away from him.

  He turned my head back to face him and looked in my eyes. “I don’t know what you have heard, but nothing will happen to you as long as you’re with me. That is something I can promise you. Now, go in there and get dressed, you don’t have to get all dolled up. We will go to Applebee’s or somewhere like that.”

  “I don’t know Mauricio. Do you know who did this to your brother?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I do. That’s not something you need to worry about, I got that handled. Trust me.”

  “How am I suppose to trust you when I don’t even know anything about you?”

  “That’s the reason I want to take you out. I want to get to know you. To be honest, we can stay here and order something. I won’t promise that I’d keep my hands to myself though.” Mauricio smirked.

  He slid his hand down to my ass and I reached back and moved his hand back to my waist. I wasn’t expecting him to say what he did, nor did I think he would palm my ass, but my mind was on being manish too. The thing was, I was trying to prevent that action from taking place. It has been a minute since I just sexed a guy before getting to know him. Playing the field wasn’t something I wanted to revert back to.

  “That won’t happen. I’m not one to get sexually aroused when I know I’m not giving up my goods. I’ll be back in a few, make yourself at home,” I said backing away from him.

  I walked to the coffee table, handed him the remo
te and turned toward my bedroom. Putting an extra swing to my hips, I turned my head to see if he was still watching me. He was and the way he licked his lips let me know if we stayed here, we would definitely end up fucking all over my apartment.

  “Hurry yo’ ass up, a nigga hungry,” he said getting comfortable on the couch.

  Rushing into my room, I scrambled through my closet trying to find something decent to put on. I decided on a black and pink sweat suit with my black Air Max sneakers. After tying my shoes, I looked in the mirror and saw a couple of strands of my hair was out of place. Quickly grabbing the brush, I smoothed my wrap back in place and slid some clear gloss across my lips.

  I grabbed my purse, making sure I had my wallet and keys. I walked down the short hall to the living room and Mauricio’s eyes were glued to the tv. He was watching the news with a scowl on his face. The segment was talking about the shooting at Paradise Kitty and the need for gun control in Chicago. The police superintendent was talking about bringing in the National Guard.

  Mauricio’s jaw was clenching tightly and his fists were opening and closing rapidly. There was a mixture of anger and hurt in his eyes. The murder of his brother was really hurting him but getting revenge was something he had to be thinking about strongly as well.

  Once the segment was over, I took that moment to walk over and turned the tv off. His eyes were still focused on the screen and it seemed as if he was looking straight through me. The light bounced off his light brown pupils and a slight mist brimmed his lower lids.

  “Mauricio, are you ready?” I asked softly.

  Looking up at me, he lowered his head and nodded yes before letting out the breath he was apparently holding. He stood and his phone started ringing. Taking it from his hip, he looked at it and silenced it with a push of a button before walking to the door. I picked my phone up from the coffee table and followed him.

  “Where are we going for dinner?”

  “We can go where ever you want to go. All I want to do is spend a little time with yo’ pretty ass,” he said as I locked up.

  “Chili’s, let’s go to Chili’s. Chicken quesadillas sound pretty good right about now. Not to mention, I could go for a couple of margaritas too.”

  “Let’s go then,” he said grabbing my hand and leading the way to his black Benz.

  Mauricio was quite the gentleman. He opened the passenger door for me, making sure I was comfortable before he closed the door. When he got in on the other side, he slid in smoothly and smiled at me. The dimple in his cheek was so cute. I looked away because my face heated up instantly. He started the car and the voice of 2Pac poured from the speakers.

  How many brothers fell victim to the streets?

  Rest in peace, young nigga, there’s a heaven for a G

  Be a lie if I told you that I never thought of death

  My niggas, we the last ones left, but life goes on

  Pushing the button on the steering wheel, Mauricio skipped the song to something more upbeat and happier. I could only imagine how many times he had listened to that track. We headed west on 79th street and I noticed how the neighborhood changed with every mile we drove. It went from abandoned buildings and liquor stores on every corner to nice houses and manicured lawns the closer we got to our destination.

  “What’s on your mind, Miss Smith?” Mauricio asked.

  “I was thinking about how the neighborhoods in the hood are run down and all these neighborhoods are nice. If I had the funds, I would invest in our neighborhoods. It’s sad how everything is today.”

  “Anyone can invest in these streets, but the niggas ain’t gon’ do nothing but tear it up all over again. The neighborhoods don’t need to change, the people are what needs to change,” he said shaking his head. “I’m in these streets doing what I do. I don’t plan on being in the streets for the rest of my life, but I’m gon’ do what I have to do before I leave it all alone,” he said as he turned into the parking lot of the mall.

  Mauricio pulled into a spot not far from the entrance and got out after turning the car off. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for me to get out. I had never had a man open and close a door for me in my life. I guess messing with good for nothing niggas was the reason why. Holding his hand out to help me out the car, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to lead the way into the mall.

  We were seated right away and it wasn’t too crowded for a Saturday evening. The waitress came over bringing water and menus for us to look over. I already knew what I had a taste for. Eating hadn’t been on my mind until Mauricio called to take me out.

  “Have you decided what you would like to eat, Miss Smith?”

  “Mauricio, why do you always call me by my last name? It makes me feel like an old ass woman. Latorra would be fine from here on out.”

  “Okay, Latorra. What are you eating tonight?” he said with a sly grin.

  “I will order once the waitress comes back. Do you know what you’re going to eat?”

  “Actually, I do. How have you been?” he asked taking a sip of water from his glass.

  “I’ve been alright. Working long and hard at that damn prison. I’m glad I have the next couple of days off, I can get some much needed rest. The prisoners are something else. I couldn’t imagine being locked up like an animal. Some of them are locked down twenty-three hours of the day. How do they expect them to act civilized if they are cooped up all damn day?”

  “Miss Smith—I mean Latorra, being locked up is something I have never experienced a day in my life. Not even county lock up. The life they live, is something I would never know about. The judicial system is really fucked up and most of the cases are bullshit. There are many black men locked up for shit that another muthafucka of another race would get a slap on the wrist for. I’m not defending any crimes that have been committed because some are guilty as hell, but the amount of time given, ain’t about shit. You need to go in there and do your job and go home. That’s it that’s all.”

  “I agree with the things you said and it’s a shame. I don’t socialize in that place because there’s nothing behind the walls of a prison that excites me.”

  “What type of things do you like, Latorra? I’m asking for myself?” he said sipping more water.

  “I like bowling, skating, going to poetry sets, movies, plays, reading, basically anything I can do and have fun doing it.” I said taking a sip of water.

  “You didn’t mention clubbing. It’s rare that a woman doesn’t like to go out and shake her ass every once in a while,” he laughed.

  My mind was racing because I didn’t know how much of my life, I wanted to share with him. Bringing up clubbing took me back to the days where clubbing was something, I did every weekend without hesitation. It also was the place that made me forget about all the shit I had been through.

  “I don’t club anymore, I work too much.” Keeping it simple, I was glad the waitress finally decided to come take our order.

  “Are you guys ready to order?” she said in her chipper voice.

  “Actually, we are. I would like the chicken quesadillas and the boneless buffalo wings as an appetizer.” I said placing my order.

  “Would you like salad or fries with that ma’am?”

  “I will take fries, thank you.”

  “Okay. what would you like, sir?”

  “I would like to have the Classic sirloin with the loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli topped with cheese. I would also like a half rack of ribs and a margarita and a strawberry lemonade.”

  “Okay, I will put your order in and your appetizers will be out soon. Thank you for choosing Chili’s.” She said as she collected the menus and walked away.

  Staring at Mauricio across the table, I took in all of his features and was able to see just how handsome he really was. He looked like he hadn’t been to sleep all night. The coloring under his eyes could be seen in the light above the table and the events of the night before came to mind. I didn’t know exactly what happ
ened, but I wanted to know how he was really dealing with what took place.

  “Mauricio, can I ask you a question?”

  “Yeah, what’s on your mind, ma?”

  “I want you to tell me how you’re really doing. You don’t have to tell me that you’re alright because I know you’re not. Tell me the truth, Mauricio.”

  “Losing my baby brother is something I never expected. This has opened the wound from when my parents were killed. I won’t sit here and say I don’t have revenge on my mind because I do. You don’t have to worry about any of that though. Enough about me, tell me about your life before being a correctional officer.”

  I was sipping on my water when he made that last statement, I started coughing uncontrollably because it went down the wrong pipe. Mauricio got up and sat next to me patting my back. Tears were running down my face and I was glad I didn’t have on any makeup. I was finally able to stop coughing and took another sip of water.

  “You good?” he asked with concern in his voice.

  “Yes, I’m alright, the water went down wrong.”

  “So, are you ready to tell me about Latorra?”

  “There’s not much to tell. I was raised in foster care after my mama died and I don’t know my father. I moved from foster home to foster home until I was sixteen and have been on my own since. I don’t have any kids, end of story.”

  He chuckled and looked over at me, “there is a back story in there somewhere. I won’t pressure you to disclose whatever it is until you’re ready. Until then, I would love to spend time with you. I will be kind of busy but I will put forth the effort to call and stop by if that’s okay with you.”

  “That would be fine, I’d like that. Here comes our food, you may want to go back to the other side of the table because I’m going to need all this space to smash this food.” I said jokingly.

  “I’m with you on that, I’m about to fuck some shit up too.”

  We both laughed as the waitress sat the food on the table along with the drinks. Once everything was placed, he got up and slid in the booth on the other side. Silently eating our food, I thought about how I was really starting to like Mauricio as more than a friend. I have never had a man hear the version of my life that I wanted to expose and leave it up to me to tell him more about it.