by MìChaune
“Can’t believe what?” Prince grabbed her hand, bringing her to reality.
Memories flooded Leshaun’s mind of how Prince wooed her and how they began their illegal, but tolerated, love affair. One thing Prince brought out of her was the desire to see the world beyond Buncombe County. Prince was the one who took her to Charlotte on her fifteenth birthday to visit some of his Mexican friends who threw her a quinceanera. Even though she wasn’t a daughter, the family wanted a reason to celebrate and her birthday was just as good a reason as any. The family even watched 9ine as she danced, pregnant with Ten, and acted like a fifteen-year-old for once.
For her sweet sixteen, Prince bought Leshaun her first plane ticket and they flew to Dallas, Texas. Truth was she didn’t know where she wanted to go, so Prince laid a map in front of her, closed her eyes, and told her to pick a place on the table. Her finger actually landed on Fort Worth, but Dallas was close enough. There, she’d caught Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope Tour and visited Texas School Book Depository, where she got to learn about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She also hung out at the Arts District and the African American Museum and enjoyed staying with Prince at the Howard Johnson.
“Just everything.” Leshaun let go. She looked at Prince and couldn’t believe he had a smile on his face.
“We are going to be fine,” Prince promised.
“We?” Leshaun asked. “I didn’t know ‘we’ existed.”
“No matter where I lay my head, we will always exist.”
Leshaun removed her hand from Prince’s. She looked around. The plane wasn’t packed to capacity, as the row in front of them was empty. They actually had someone who was supposed to sit between them but whoever it was never showed up. “You must think we’re Cookie and Lucious Lyon.”
Leshaun wanted to take out her phone and check on the progress made to the hotel. She and Prince had spent the past few days helping the patrons with their insurance claims and making sure any of the lingering refunds had been settled. Prince was always good for making sure Leshaun handled her legal business, and it felt good working with him on dealing with State Farm investigators and local law enforcement. Everyone wanted to make sure she didn’t start the fire to collect a check. The lawyers were in and out of her face, making sure all the paperwork was signed and that she’d had her T’s crossed and I’s dotted.
“We came before Empire,” Prince boasted as he stretched out in the seat and enjoyed the ride.
“I’m not going to go back and forth with you,” Leshaun vowed. “Eventually, I will find a man who will appreciate everything I have to offer, can meet me financially, and makes me only deal with you when it comes to Ten and her children.”
“You forget 9ine and Zay are my sons, too.” Leshaun could feel the venom in Prince’s voice. She didn’t mean to imply that Prince was a bad father and she knew that wasn’t what she said.
“I’d like to be married, one day,” Leshaun admitted. She’d never spoken those words before because even with all the money and businesses, Leshaun never thought marriage was possible. Who would want a woman who’d given birth to her cousin at thirteen, had a daughter at fifteen, and was sleeping with the man who theoretically was her adopted son? For the longest, she wanted Prince to be that man.
“You can get married.” Prince sarcastically encouraged her.
“I know you don’t want to tie the knot, so I know not to ask you,” she told him pointedly and then laid her head back onto the headrest and closed her eyes. “I didn’t bring this up to argue. I’m just . . . I’m at an age and a stage when I’m starting to see that there is more to life than what I’m doing. I’m in my thirties, and I still don’t know what I want my final result to be, other than to experience marriage.” Prince reached for her hand again, and Leshaun rejected him. “A part of me just wants to ask Janae and Lysa why? I know some nigga was behind it all but why?”
Leshaun had long deduced that Janae and Lysa attempted to do her in. She didn’t need the unanswered phone calls, being blocked on their social media sites, or the fact that they were keeping their distance to vouch for what they’d done. And, of course, she wasn’t a snitch.
“Ain’t no need for all that.” Prince leaned and put his head on her shoulder. “You know what you need to do.” He lowered the tone of his voice. “And I’m gonna help you do whatever it is that needs to be done to fix the problem.”
Leshaun turned to the side. “How are you going to fix my problem?” Leshaun had some ideas, and she knew what Prince had in mind. “I don’t want no shit, Prince.”
“They started it.” He pouted like he was a toddler. “But I’m going to finish it. Don’t worry, you’ll be happy with the result.”
Prince continued resting his head on Leshaun’s shoulder. She couldn’t wait until he was on top of her. At the moment, she enjoyed the intimacy.
“The plane will be landing in thirty minutes,” one of the flight attendants announced.
In an hour, Leshaun may get what she was craving. Most importantly, her feet would be on the ground, and she and Prince would have more time to discuss his plan in private.
* * *
Dom’s Paradice was the ultimate hip-hop and reggae club in Birmingham, Alabama. This two-story club Leshaun owned was a perfect getaway spot from the drama Asheville had become.
In Dom’s Paradice, Leshaun flexed her legitimate business skills. She knew she couldn’t scheme or assassinate people forever. Dom’s Paradice was supposed to be a getaway for women, but after studying some of the clubs in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Houston, she realized she’d make more money if she let the men have a little piece of the pie too. But she only gave them Friday nights. She kept Saturday and Sunday nights for the ladies and flew in as many top strippers as she could afford. Old-school hip-hop and club bangers could be heard on Mondays and Wednesdays, reggae and reggaton blasted the stereo on Tuesdays, and she hosted her “Throwdown Thursdays” where she brought in top R&B singers to give mini-concerts featuring their slow jams.
With the money she made at Dom’s Paradice, she didn’t have scheme or kill anyone. All she had to do was open the doors, and keep the bills paid and her staff happy, and the customers came on their own. Her addiction to the fast life kept a foot between her legal and illegal business activities.
“Good to see you back,” Johntae, her business manager, greeted her when she walked in the door. Method Man was encouraging people to “Bring the Pain, ” and she appreciated the Wu-Tang Clan member’s word play and delivery.
“I need a drink. And, before you ask, bring it to my private office in the back. I need to unwind.”
Johntae briefly stared at his boss before he replied, “Not a problem.”
Unwinding was on Leshaun’s mind as she headed upstairs to her private suite. Inside, she briefly admired the new leather furnishings. She took off her shoes and left them at the door. She walked past the kitchenette area and headed straight to the bathroom. Inside her bathroom was a medium-sized tub already filled with hot water and bubbles that overflowed at the rim. She smiled, knowing that she had trained her business manager well. Her strawberry mimosa was ready for her, and she dipped her hand into the water. Satisfied with the temperature, she took off her clothes and stepped in. The water soothed and freed her spirit of the day’s events. She took a sip of the mimosa and put it back on the counter. Taking in a deep breath, Leshaun looked around her then closed her eyes, exhaled, and let her mind wander free as she sank to the bottom of the tub.
“You’re gonna get started without me?” Prince asked as he opened the door.
Leshaun was startled because she hadn’t let Prince in on this part of the club. Nevertheless, she enjoyed watching Prince undress. His slim body moved flawlessly as he walked to the tub. Dark fruit waited to grow and be aroused to its full length, yet it had her hypnotized as she still couldn’t believe it was the darkest thing on his body.
“It’s a good thing there’s room for two.” Leshaun mo
ved forward so that Prince could get in behind her.
Prince stepped in and slowly lowered his body behind Leshaun, his legs enveloping hers and his broad chest providing the perfect body pillow for Leshaun to lean back into. “Me too.” Prince leaned back in the tub and enjoyed the feeling of being in water with Leshaun on his body.
* * *
Leshaun rolled away from Prince’s nude frame under the sheets when her smartphone chimed. She yawned and took notice of the time glowing on the touchscreen. Shit! It’s fucking ten minutes to midnight! She glanced back at the man who had her mind and body twisted. All ideas of robbing his handsome ass were traded with a craving for more dick. I’m tripping for real. She kicked the sheets off and sat up on the edge of the bed.
“What’s up, girl?” Leshaun kept her voice low.
“Bitches up! And bum-ass niggas down!” Gogo replied with loud music in the background.
Leshaun got up and took the call into the bathroom. “Bitch, where you at?”
“At the spot watching Lloyd and crew.”
Leshaun eased the bathroom door shut and kept the lights off. “The chop shop?” she whispered.
“Yep. And you know what that means?”
“You hit a lick!”
“Shole fucking did! And, girl, I got on my bullshit fo’ real. I couldn’t text or call because I had to get up with Lloyd.”
“Who did you get?”
Gogo laughed. “Girl, you won’t believe this shit! But word on er’thing, I found Lysa and Janae!”
“How the hell you pull it off?” Leshaun asked.
“They not being careful. You know how these dumb bitches do. Lloyd all about the pussy so if he think an opportunity landed in his hands, he gonna take it.”
Leshaun smacked her lips. She knew of Lloyd’s hustle all too well. Admittedly, he taught her some shit.
“All that bullshit aside,” Gogo interrupted her thoughts, “that muthafucka got some good dick. We should be trickin’ him; what a fucking waste. But anyway, bitch, we came off tonight! Lloyd’s people said I can get eight bands for the Benz!”
Leshaun breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“What’s up with you and where your black ass at?” Gogo asked, hyped up.
Leshaun turned the vanity lights on over the mirror and sink. “Nothing,” she lied.
“Laid up somewhere with Prince!” Gogo griped.
“Bitch, please. I needed some me time before I got into some crazy shit, so I bounced out of Asheville. I got a room in Knoxville,” Leshaun lied again as she thought about the good moments she had with Prince before sex.
“So what’s up? You staying there tonight?”
Leshaun wanted to spend the night in Prince’s arms. She felt he could remain her secret since she had some money coming her way. “Yeah, but I’ll leave in the morning.”
“Okay, I’ll have your half of the bread when I see you tomorrow. And, girl, I gotta tell you all the details about the lick. Well, I’ll holla at you later. And um, you still got my spare key?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I have to go talk to Lloyd so let me get off this phone.”
“Bye, girl.” Leshaun ended the call and tried to justify the lies she told her bestie. All she came up with were warm feelings directed at Prince. The more she thought about him, the more she realized he was the oldest man she had fucked. Her pussy jumped, and a slickness began to dampen the soft folds between her legs.
Chapter Thirteen
Leshaun hadn’t felt right since she pulled the trigger on Tiana. She tried to forget what happened, but watching the bullets entering Tiana’s flesh and the failed attempts to reach Tiana by phone troubled her deeply. The nightmares of the blood exiting her pierced skin swam over Leshaun like eels, and her tears fondled her 2,000 body parts like a bar of Lever soap. Her guilt played tricks on her, making her believe that if she called Tiana one more time or messaged her on Facebook, her friend would come back to life.
The alcohol relaxed her, made her quit shuddering and, in some ways, made her more accessible to Prince, which she didn’t mind because that made her feel like she was a woman. The first time she felt a buzz was with Prince, and it had been moments after they just made love.
She didn’t have a hangover from the drinking, but the alcohol didn’t make her feel right either. She hit that pipe and, for a moment in time, she felt like she was in heaven. No more thoughts of Tiana falling by her hands. No more thinking about how Lysa and Janae betrayed her. No more burned down hotel. No bad dreams about her parents spitting on her or beating her ass with broomsticks, extension cords or switches. No more Prince and his other bitches she knew he was still screwing even though she was wifey, main bitch number one. Being drunk was a temporary solution that allowed her to escape the cares of the world.
After the first time she got drunk, she couldn’t believe that Prince was in the room with her masturbating as he watched a random female trying to get her off. The licks felt good, but she wasn’t about to return the favor, and she’d rather see his face between her legs giving her that pleasure. Leshaun decided then that whoever the bitch was getting off on her would be the first and last chick she had that kind of experience with.
“What’s going on with you?” Prince rolled over. It disturbed him that she was still up when his stroke game should’ve put her to sleep.
“Nothing. I’m just thinking about some shit.”
Prince looked at her sideways like she might’ve been lying. Leshaun was about to throw him the finger because he was the last person to question her integrity, seriously. “I told you not to bug out on Lysa and Janae. Replace them bitches. I thought I trained you better than that.” He continued to interrogate like he was 5-0.
“Train me how?” Leshaun sat up. She didn’t bother to lift up a cover to conceal her breasts.
“There you go with this sensitive shit.” Prince turned to the side.
“You rude muthafucka!” Leshaun was trying to decide whether she was going to kick Prince out of the bed. “I’m sensitive because I got a lot going on. You acting like because I fly you out here and you give me some dick, that solves all my problems. If your dick were so amazing, I wouldn’t have any problems, bruh. I would rule the world. My hoes would have another hotel to work out of. I wouldn’t have to flex my brain to remember credit card info. I would be set for life.”
“Shit, if my dick did all that, I’d never leave the bed.”
Leshaun tried to kick Prince out of the bed, and she almost succeeded. He grabbed on to the edge of the mattress and appeared to hover over the side. She tried to kick his arm, but that upper body strength was too strong.
“Bitch, are you crazy!” Prince still struggled to get on the bed.
“Bitch!” Leshaun repeated as she kicked him in the face. That was the magic combination as Prince lost his balance and fell on the floor. “Who the fuck you calling a bitch?”
Prince tried to grab her but, when he failed, he retreated and covered his face. His agony expressed itself through bloodcurdling screams and Prince gasping for air. She took a peek in his direction to see if he was leaking blood. That was not what she wanted to be paying for.
“Fucking crazy,” Prince cursed as he struggled to get up but fell again.
“You better remember that.” Leshaun reached over the bed and pulled out her .45. She didn’t want to have to kill her baby daddy, but she would if she had to. And Prince needed a reminder. “You need to get out.”
Leshaun watched as Prince stumbled to find his wallet, phone, and keys. He seemed to be getting his bearings together. She tightened the grip on her .45. A part of her felt like maybe she overreacted. But she wasn’t with him calling her no bitch. Or being selfish when it came to her need to grieve.
There was the problem. She had yet to respond to any text messages from her “sons” or phone calls from her friends. And Leshaun was disappointed in herself because this was not how she conducted business. No one was supposed to see her bre
ak a sweat, not even Prince. Lately, the rules were a little bit past fucked up. If she wasn’t trying to blow her brains out, she was making hasty and costly decisions.
The door slammed, and Leshaun bolted out of the bed. She walked cautiously, gun slightly leveled at her hip. Once she made it to the door, she turned the lock and put the bar over the top lock. A part of her felt guilty. Maybe she did overreact a little bit.
The phone rang, and she took baby steps to answer it. Seeing 9ine’s name blink on her screen made her smile. Slowly, she picked up the phone and slid the button on her screen to talk. “Hey, baby.” Leshaun tried to hide any worry or fear in her voice.
“Mom, where are you?” The inquiry was genuine, but she knew that Prince was notorious for using 9ine or Ten to relay information to her.
“Safe.” Her answer was blunt and firm. It wasn’t safe telling 9ine where she was at, even though Prince left her room.
“Okay, Mom. We just picked up Kofi from Greensboro. He thinks he has a way for us to get some more money to rebuild the property. Also, Dad mentioned something about a property on Tunnel Road that might be available. It’s one story with about fifty rooms and an easy fixer-upper. Zay and I checked it out, and we think we can do the painting ourselves. Dad may know some people who’ll drop what they’re doing and make the hotel a priority. Also, word on the street that a bed and breakfast on Kimberly Avenue near the Grove Park Inn may be available. I know it’s not what you’re used to, but I like it. I’ve been to it a few times and, truthfully, I think you should get both properties now and fix the hotel later with the revenue from that.”