by Kaige Keira
Avery nodded his head as he looked at her. “I know. I’m sorry. But I did tell your mother. I just wanted you to focus on school and passing. You came to far to be bother with the dumb shit your sister got going on. I want you to be successful. That’s why I stayed away when you said you had to study. So, stop acting like a nigga isn’t in your corner. I been rocking with you since day one.”
Autumn stepped to him until they were standing chest to chest. They locked eyes as no words passed between them. “Fuck you,” Autumn whispered. Avery gave her a smirk as he brought his lips to hers. She loved how he tasted like beer and began to open her mouth wider so she can taste him more.
Avery pushed her up against the vending machine and pinned her hands to the side of her body as he made his way to her neck. He made sure to leave passion marks as her body begged for him to let her hands go. She wanted to feel him and touch him.
Autumn gasped when Avery placed her hand on his dick. It was nice and hard. “You are not playing fair, baby,” Autumn whispered as she looked at him.
Avery nipped on her ear as he brought his lips to her ear. “Neither do you. But you don’t see me complaining.” Avery moved his hands down her body and grabbed her ass. He pulled her closer to him as she felt his dick by her pelvis. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t turned on.
“But I want to wait,” Autumn said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Avery was definitely messing with her common sense. “I told you this.”
Avery placed his hand under her chin. “I want you. But not in a sexual way. I know we started off kind of rocky and that made you distrust me. But I’m here to fight for you. I need you in my life.”
Autumn glanced deeply into Avery’s eyes. She knew his words were sincere. His voice didn’t falter as he expressed his emotions for her. Autumn suddenly felt guilty for letting Chicago get close to her like that. If she was planning on staying with Avery, she definitely needed to leave Chicago where the fuck he was at.
Autumn was about to speak until she saw Priest leaving out of Blessings room. She quickly tapped Avery on his shoulders and nodded in Priest’s direction. Avery looked behind him to see his man walking to the elevators with his head down. “Let me go check on him,” Avery told Autumn. He kissed Autumn on the cheek as he moved away from her.
He had to catch up with Priest before he got on the elevator. “Hey, Priest, man, wait up.” Avery broke into a light jog to shorten the distance between them. “Did you talk to Blessings?” Avery stopped in his tracks when Priest looked at him with puffy red eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I fucked up,” Priest whispered. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, son. She is carrying my seed. She was my world. She is my world. Everything I wanted in a woman, it was in her. But I was too dumb to see that shit. You know how that shit feels? Too know that the reason your woman is hurting is because of you is hurtful as fuck, B.”
Avery walked up to Priest and gave him a hug. He never saw his homie in so much agony until now. He knew Asha and Imani was going to take a toll on both Blessings and Priest. But he didn’t think it would go this far. They all were like a family. Avery treated Blessings like a little sister and never interfere with her personal business. He gave her that respect to do what she need to do before she did what she wanted to do. He treated Priest the same way.
“It’s alright,” Avery said as he patted Priest on the back. “Everything would work out. Just got to play the waiting game.”
Autumn watched from the distance as Avery tried to console his friend. She didn’t know Priest, but she was pissed he broke her friend’s heart. Autumn turned her attention towards the vending machine to get a bag of chips.
“You need to go home,” Dina said as she approached her daughter. Autumn sighed as she held the dollar in her hand.
“I just need something to hold me over,” Autumn replied as she looked at her mother. “Is that a crime?”
“Yes, it is,” Dina exclaimed as she grabbed the dollar out of Autumn’s hand. “Now go home. I cooked yesterday and there should be some leftovers in the fridge.”
“Where are you going,” Autumn said as she eyed her mother. “Did you talk to your baby daddy?”
Dina laughed as she stepped back. “First of all, I am grown. I am the parent and you are the child. Second of all, you better not have any boys over. I got called in to work. I take my lunch break at around four a.m.” Dina flicked Autumn on her nose as she looked at her daughter. Proud was an understatement where Autumn was concerned.
“Yea, yea, I will head home and fix you a plate and have Avery drop it off too you,” Autumn said as she looked at her mother. Dina raised her left eyebrow.
“He is cute, by the way,” Dina said. “Real respectable. I like him.”
Autumn rolled her eyes as she scoffed. “You like him because you know he not getting the draws.”
“Keep it that way.”
“Mom!”
Dina laughed as she inserted the dollar into the vending machine. She pressed the buttons to get a snicker bar. “Uh-uh. You didn’t have dinner yet, ma’am,” Autumn said as she eyed her mother.
“Stay out of grown folk’s business,” Dina said nonchalantly as she broke a piece off a piece of snicker. She handed the rest to Autumn as she placed the piece into her mouth. “I’m about to go. Text me when you make it home. Yes, Avery can spend the night but don’t do anything.” Dina pointed her finger at Autumn.
“Can I go check up on Blessings,” Autumn asked as she moved her mother’s finger out of her face. “I think Ms. Nancy is staying here tonight so I’m sure Avery would want to be here anyway.”
Dina sighed as she suddenly remembers the conversation between Nancy and Larenz. “I also need to talk to Avery. But that can wait.” Autumn looked at her mother, with curiosity dancing in her eyes. “Mind your business. Tell Avery to drop off my plate and that we need to talk.”
“What is it about?”
“It’s about you going home and being a good girl,” Dina said as she walked off. “And no fucking either!”
Chapter 19
Chicago entered his apartment and halted when he noticed his mother was sitting on his sofa, drinking on a glass of wine. “Too what do I owe this pleasure,” Chicago asked as he closed his front door.
“You haven’t been doing your job,” his mother spoke up as she turned to look at her only child. “I asked you to do one thing and you do the complete opposite.” His mother reached into her purse and pulled out a manila folder. “You are fucking with the wrong sister.”
Chicago sighed as he headed towards his kitchen. “I’m not fucking nobody, Marissa.” Chicago called his mother by her first name when he was irritated by her actions. “You really need to grow up.”
Marissa hopped off the sofa and followed her son into the kitchen. “I am trying to secure our future. Your father has done nothing but try his best to make sure we are financially secured. You can show some gratitude every once and awhile and thank him. He did pay for this apartment you are living lavishly in.” Marissa slanted her eyes as Chicago grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator.
“First of all,” Chicago said as he took a swig of beer. “He isn’t my father. My father was just a random you fucked when Larenz wasn’t doing his job. Second of all, Tori is his daughter. Why would you want to get rid of her? She didn’t do you shit and last time I checked he isn’t on child support. Third, I paid for this apartment seeing as though you charged me for it.”
“Please,” Marissa hissed. “You saw that house. You really believe that ghetto trash paid for all that with no type of help.” Marissa was furious. Dina’s house was much bigger than her own house. There was no way one of Larenz’s hoes could be living more lavishly without Larenz footing the bill. He was obviously still fucking the woman.
“The woman is a nurse,” Chicago said as he shook his head at his mother. His mother was money hungry and didn’t care about nobody but herself. All his life, Chicago could count on one
hand, how many times his mother actually gave a damn about him. When he was born, Marissa had given her rights over to his grandmother. The only time he was allowed to even go by Larenz and Marissa house was for holiday time. When he turned eighteen, his maw-maw had passed. But before she died, she had left everything to Chicago. Marissa was furious cause the insurance policy her mother had was a little over a million dollars. Once Chicago took care of funeral expenses and paid what needed to be paid, he was left with a little bit over a seven hundred grand.
His mother tried her best to get access to the cookie jar, but he didn’t let her. It wasn’t until he found himself looking for his own place to live, did she try again. She used Larenz money to purchase the condo Chicago was staying in and told him to furnish it, then provided receipts for reimbursement, plus interest. Chicago gave her the money with no problem but after his last business idea failed through, costing his balance to hit zero. He turned to the one woman he secretly loathed.
“I told you I will pay you thirty grand if you were able to get the little bitch hooked on drugs so she could die of a drug overdose,” Marissa explained. She smoothed the front of her black dress. “Imagine my surprise when I leave to go the store and I see her there with some chick.”
Chicago rolled his eyes. He did what he had to do. He had his friend, Jeremy, get with the young teen and introduce her to a world she didn’t even know existed. It took him a year a half before he had Tori right where he wanted her. When Jeremy told him, he had Tori smoking behind him, it didn’t take much to add cocaine to his blunts. Jeremy was already lacing his blunts way before he even met Tori. Tori was addicted through and through. Chicago didn’t have any remorse. It was all about the money but soon everything went left when he fell for Autumn.
Autumn had this effect on him that made him take pause. She invaded his thoughts like she was an intruder. She was slowing stealing everything and he didn’t care. He wanted her. Fuck whoever he had to get rid of just to be with her. It was only a matter of time before Autumn gave him what he wanted. It had to be faith that she was untouched. It was like she was saving herself just for him.
“I did what you asked,” Chicago said as he eyed his mother. “Now hand me the rest of the money.”
Marissa laughed as she pulled out a folded-up check and held it in the air for her son to see. “I still have more work for you to do,” Marissa stated as she tore the check down the middle. Chicago looked away as he felt his skin growing hot. Marissa walked over to him and made him look her in the eyes. She didn’t care how much he needed the money. He was still her child. “Fix it,” she said in barely a whisper. “And I mean fix it now.”
AUTUMN WALKED INTO the house and quickly went into the kitchen to fix her mother a to-go plate. Her stomach was slowly touching her back and she was two seconds from passing out. She grabbed the food out of the fridge as she grabbed an apple as well. She hummed her favorite tune as she began fixing the plates. Avery walked in behind her and watched as Autumn walked around the kitchen. Something was different about Autumn. She was smiling and humming a soft tune. Avery could honestly say he was indeed in love with this amazing woman. She aspired him to be different. Meanwhile, she was starting to come out of her shell more and more. She was definitely becoming more vocal and have no problem with telling it like it is. He wonders if she picked that up from him or Blessings.
“Did your mother said what she wanted to talk to me about,” Avery asked as Autumn placed her mother’s plate in a bag. Autumn turned around and looked at him.
“She basically told me to mind my own business,” Autumn said as she handed him the bag. “Remember she works in the emergency room. Ms. Jackie should be at the desk. So, just tell her you are there for Dina.”
Avery nodded his head as he grabbed Autumn’s hand and pulled him closer to her. “I’m lucky to have you in my life,” he said as she gave him a kiss. “Hurry back, so we can start movie night,” Autumn said as she giggled. She pushed him out of the door and smiled. She made her decision. It was gone be all about Avery until the wheels fall off. Tonight, is the night, she said to herself as she walked into her room.
MARK PARKED A FEW BLOCKS down as him and Yvonne hopped out. They were both were dressed in all black to try to blend in. The initial plan was to get in and get out. But Mark wanted to collect on that higher payout. Dina definitely had to go. “Can you walk up,” he asked as he eyed Yvonne. Yvonne was walking a few steps behind him. After Tori had come back from the gas station, the whole mood of the room had changed. Yvonne did her best not to look Tori in her eyes as Mark explained they was going out to see about selling more drugs. She knew Tori was not going to believe that bullshit ass story that Mark was trying to sell. Yvonne just prayed that Dina wasn’t home. She knew firsthand what it is like to feel motherless. That was a different kind of pain.
“Can we just go home,” Yvonne asked when she noticed a car in the driveway. Her heart had suddenly started to beat faster. She was sure somebody was home. The question was, who? “We don’t know who is here.
Mark stopped in his tracks as he looked at Yvonne. “Shut the fuck up and let’s get this shit over with.” Mark walked around the side of the house until he located a small box. He opened it and then proceeded to cut a few wires. “The alarm is connected to the phone. So cut the phone line, you cut the alarm off.” Mark looked at Yvonne, who was standing there, speechless.
They walked to the front door and stopped. Mark reached into his jacket pocket and produced a few items. He handed Yvonne a ski mask and pair of black gloves. He slid on his gloves as he looked at Yvonne before sliding on his mask.
“Go time,” Mark said as he slid a key into the front door.
TO BE CONTINUE......
Letter from the Author
Thank you for taking time out to reading this book and giving me a chance. As a fellow reader, I know how hard it is to try some one or somebody new. I just want to thank a few people who pushed me and aspire me to do better and to go independent. First up would be Markesha Smith. She was in my dms almost every day telling me to do better and not to doubt my craft. I didn’t listen to her the first time but now I am hearing her loud and clear. Second person is Kira. I read almost her whole catalogue and she gave me some pointers about a lot of things. Her books are amazing. So please go and check her out. My favorite book by her is Yazid and Yari. Mally would have you wishing he was real. Third person is Daynice Cochran. I be in her dm’s like I’m trying to holla. Because of her, I was able to set up my own website and find out more important things that I didn’t think I needed to know. Last person I would like to thank is Chandra Shinholster. She is my to-go to person when I am starting a story. I love her amazing feedback. There is nothing wrong with helping a fellow QUEEN on her journey to becoming successful. These three QUEENS remind me of that every day. Thank you.