by Chunichi
The California Saga
Chunichi
www.urbanbooks.net
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1 - “A Drunk Person Speaks a Sober Mind”
Chapter 2 - “Truth Be Told”
Chapter 3 - “Bag That Bitch”
Chapter 4 - “Baby Momma Drama”
Chapter 5 - “One Love Out and Another One In”
Chapter 6 - “Juggling Chicks”
Chapter 7 - “Saved by C”
Chapter 8 - “Sex with You Is Like . . .”
Chapter 9 - “All Chicks Are the Same”
Chapter 10 - “Love & Hate”
Chapter 11 - “Down-ass Chick”
Chapter 12 - “Payback’s a Bitch”
Chapter 13 - “In the Heat of the Night”
Chapter 14 - “A Real Gangstress or Not?”
Chapter 15 - “Ready for War”
Chapter 16 - “Lovers and Friends”
Chapter 17 - “Opportunity Knocks”
Chapter 18 - “Back against the Wall”
Chapter 19 - “Money Scam”
Chapter 20 - “Temperatures Rising”
Chapter 21 - “Seal the Deal”
Chapter 22 - “Don’t Test Me”
Chapter 23 - “Label Me Ike Turner”
Chapter 24 - “My Time to Shine”
Chapter 25 - “Forced into the Game”
Chapter 26 - “Money over Bitches”
Chapter 27 - “I’m the King”
Chapter 28 - “Never Satisfied”
Chapter 29 - “Happy New Year”
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION 2
Chapter 1 - “Mad New Year”
Chapter 2 - “Home Sweet Home”
Chapter 3 - “Soldier Status”
Chapter 4 - “Living Nightmare”
Chapter 5 - “Sad Reality”
Chapter 6 - “Here Comes the Bride”
Chapter 7 - “Indecent Proposal”
Chapter 8 - “Snitch Bitch”
Chapter 9 - “Nurse Save-a-chick”
Chapter 10 - “Bitch Nigga”
Chapter 11 - “Always on the Grind”
Chapter 12 - “Back on the Scene”
Chapter 13 - “The Run-in”
Chapter 14 - “Fucked-up Luck”
Chapter 15 - “The Wedding’s Off”
Chapter 16 - “Cheating Death”
Chapter 17 - “Thin Line between Love and Hate”
Chapter 18 - “A New Woman”
Chapter 19 - “Doing Hard Time”
Chapter 20 - “New Man in Town”
Chapter 21 - “Get Your Boo”
Chapter 22 - “When a Man’s Fed Up”
Chapter 23 - “Charge It to the Game”
Chapter 24 - “Murder for Hire”
Chapter 25 - “Making a Move”
Chapter 26 - “Sweet Taste of Revenge”
Chapter 27 - “Unexpected Guest”
Chapter 28 - “Handling Business”
Chapter 29 - “A Day Full of Surprises”
Chapter 30 - “On a Mission”
Chapter 31 - “Payback’s a Bitch”
Chapter 32 - “Life on the Run”
Chapter 33 - “Judgment Day”
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION 3
Chapter 1 - “Snitch Bitch”
Chapter 2 - “One-way Ticket to Jail”
Chapter 3 - “Free My Man”
Chapter 4 - “Prank Calling”
Chapter 5 - “A Liar’s Lie”
Chapter 6 - “Baby Snatcher”
Chapter 7 - “Rude Awakening”
Chapter 8 - “Face to Face”
Chapter 9 - “Taking the Law into Your Own Hands”
Chapter 10 - “Woman of Destruction”
Chapter 11 - “On a Mission”
Chapter 12 - “You’ve Got Balls”
Chapter 13 - “I’m Watching You”
Chapter 14 - “Girl Talk”
Chapter 15 - “Unveiling the Truth”
Chapter 16 - “Does Someone Have Voodoo on Me?”
Chapter 17 - “Making a Change”
Chapter 18 - “Looking for a Pick-me-up”
Chapter 19 - “Sweet, Sweet Revenge”
Chapter 20 - “Sweet Seduction”
Chapter 21 - “Wicked Realization”
Chapter 22 - “It’s Over”
Chapter 23 - “Target on Your Back”
Chapter 24 - “Family Ties”
Chapter 25 - “’Til Death Do Us Part”
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my almighty God for continuing to bless me with the opportunity to write. Some careers are short lived and to others reaching such places is nothing more than a dream. But God has taken me places that I had never imaged and is still opening doors. To Him I give all the glory.
Thanks to my continuously growing fan base. I appreciate all the e-mails on Myspace and Facebook and all the wonderful comments. You all give that extra push to get these books out.
Much love to my literary fam. Thanks to Carl Weber of Urban Books and Mark Anthony of Q-Boro for tolerating my divalicous attitude and only being a phone call away. To my personal Urban Books chaperone, Denard aka G Buggy, you’re irreplaceable. Thanks to my super agent, Marc Gerald, for seeing the vision and setting the path. To my literary big sister, Nikki Turner, love you boo!
Thanks to all my girls for keeping me full of ideas. Toya, Tracey, Kicia, and Chele—your loyalty will never be forgotten. Anthoinette and Sophie, you both hold a special place in my heart. NeNe of Major Creations Hair Studio, you know I can do nothing with this head without you.
I send never ending hugs and kisses to my family. Mom, thanks for always shining so bright. No matter how dull my day is I can always count on you to brighten it. Dad and little bro, thanks for your support. Thanks to my wonderful husband, Aron, for being tough enough to keep me on track when I veer, yet loving enough to pamper me when I’m weak. To my Jamaican fam back home, don’t worry yuhself, mi soon come a yard!
I could go on forever with this section. I’ve learned so much in this past year about bad-minded, envious people, and haters. But rather than talk about it here, I’ll just write a book on it. So to all my haters, thanks for the continuous inspiration and making me rich! Smooches!
Prologue
California Jewel—Who in hell would name their child some shit like that? That’s the first question that comes to mind when someone hears my name. Jewel, the name I actually went by, was given to me by my grandmother. She said I was more precious to her than a priceless stone. Now, California, that shit came from my whore-ass momma. She named me California because I was the product of a one-night stand she had in California.
Although I hated the name, as reckless as it seemed, I was damned if any other name was more appropriate. California described me perfectly. Just like the state of California, I was full of sunshine. My pussy was wetter than a ripe California orange. I was definitely Hollywood when it came to my divalicious attitude, wanting what I want when I want it. But if you ever tried to cross me, I’d become more dangerous than the LAPD. To say the least, I was off the Richter, like a California earthquake which would know exactly what I meant.
As if my flawless five-foot four-inch frame wasn’t enough, I just had partnered up with a beast by the name of Michael Burroughs. He was Mike to his family and baby mothers, but to cats getting money on the streets, he was known as Calico, short for “California Connection.” And every nigga in the drug game dreamed of having a person like him on his side.
I, on the other han
d, had made a different kind of connection with him, but little did I know just how far that connection would take me.
Chapter 1
“A Drunk Person Speaks a Sober Mind”
Jewel
“Fuck you, bitch!” I held up my middle finger as I grabbed my oversized Chanel bag then stormed out of my now ex-manager’s office. “And take this and shove it up your big, white, cottage cheese ass,” I said to the overweight, unattractive wench that had just fired me. I knocked over the carnation flower arrangement that sat in the waiting area of the medical office then slung a few magazines across the floor on my way out the door.
Thinking of how that wicked witch had just tried to humiliate me, I just wasn’t quite satisfied with my tantrum, so I stopped in front of the huge window that covered the entire front of the office and pulled down my pants. “Oh, and you all can kiss my big, plump, juicy ass!” I yelled as I smacked my butt cheeks then ran off laughing. Now my heart was content, and I was able to get in my truck at ease. That bitch had some nerve calling me out in front of the entire staff and patients, making it seem like I was some sort of incompetent young black chick, I thought. I started up my white Range Rover, the words datbitch on my license plate, a message to let everyone know who was driving this here whip, and zoomed out of the parking lot, leaving nothing but dust.
Evidently that chick didn’t read between the lines of my resume. Of course, I had plenty of medical billing experience, but I also was first a born hustler that could game any nigga, and second a ghost writer, which translated to, “I’m not dependent solely on your fucking pissy-ass check, bitch!” That working shit was never for a chick like me anyway.
If it wasn’t for my homeboy Touch, I would have never been working in the first place. His words were still fresh in my head as I pulled out the parking lot and onto the busy street. “Keep you a li’l gig on the side, Jewel,” he’d say. This nigga insisted that I should always keep a plan B, no matter how much loot I had coming in. I enjoyed having the extra cash on hand, but I didn’t know if that advice was for my benefit or his. I think that was simply a way to keep me out of his pockets.
Touch was my boy, so if I were to ever fall on hard times, he would’ve definitely come through for me, but he knew that I liked keeping my pockets swollen. Regardless, I was on my grind and had money coming in from every direction. My new career as a ghostwriter was really taking off, and I always had a nigga or two that I was constantly gaming. Hell, that’s how I was able to afford my whip and my crib. Me getting fired from that job was actually a blessing in disguise. Now there would be less stress, and more time to focus on my writing, the real money-maker.
I connected my iPod to the radio and blasted the tune “Glamorous” by Fergie as I headed to the bank to deposit my check. I thought about my manager on the way. That bitch didn’t know I was already living the fucking glamorous life. She ain’t doing no damage here. I laughed as I pulled up to the bank’s drive-thru.
From the bank, I headed to the nail shop. I began to laugh again as I thought about what was happening. How many people get fired from their job then go get their nails done? Only a real fucking diva like myself.
I had to call my girl Sasha and let her in on my drama for the day. I smiled as I scrolled to her name in contacts and the picture of her from the back, wearing only a thong, with a whip thrown over her shoulder, popped up on the screen of my iPhone. Sasha was my girl. Although we’d only been friends a couple of years and we’d met on some strange terms at the strip club, she was still on a different level than any of my other friends. She and I had a little closer connection, a connection that I shared with her only.
I waited patiently for Sasha to pick up as I sang along to the reggae tune “Can’t Breathe” by Tanya Stephens, which she had set as her call tone. You can always tell what a bitch was going through by her call tone or voice mail.
“Hello?” Sasha answered right away.
“What’s up, Boobie?” I called her by her pet name. “I gotta tell you about my day at work.”
“Oh Lord! What the hell that fat bitch done this time?” Sasha was aware of the daily drama I had with my stupid-ass manager.
“Bitch, why that fat cow fire me?”
“For real, girl?” Sasha asked in disbelief.
“Yes, bitch. She gon’ come at me with some bullshit about the collections versus production is showing a huge gap”—My sentence was disrupted by the sight of a fine-ass nigga passing by in a black drop-top 2008 Mercedes Benz SL550 that screamed, “I’m that nigga!” My eyes were glued to him as he passed by slowly. I saw nothing but his cornrows, dark chocolate skin, ice grill, at least a three karat diamond stud in his right ear, as he chatted away on his cell phone. It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. I gave him my most seductive look, and he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
“Jewel! Jewel!”
“Oh, shit. Sorry about that baby. I just saw this fine-ass dude, umph!”
I felt a shiver in my pussy as I thought about what I could do with a guy like him on my team. He could possibly take the place of my MVP and turn him to a bench-rider. His looks were one thing, but his money was what really made my pussy wet. And after getting fired, I was definitely in search for a new player on the team to compensate for my lost wages.
I’d learned the rules to gaming a dude at a very young age. I’d watched my mom use and abuse men my entire life. Her father had left her at a young age, and it seemed liked she was never able to get past it. As a child, my mother taught me to trust no man, never wear my heart on my sleeve, and to always stand my ground, because kindness was a sign of weakness. A while later she taught me the power of beauty and the booty.
As an adult, I’d fallen right into my mother’s footsteps. I guess it’s true what they say, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, because I’d mastered the art of gold-digging, just as she did. It was like a gift. I could look at a guy and assess him in a matter of seconds and know approximately how much dough he was holding, and where it came from. In my book, looks alone didn’t get a man anywhere, but money would get him everywhere. Don’t get it twisted though, this book I’m referring to isn’t titled, The Whore Handbook. It’s more like The Gold-digger’s Guide to Financial Security.
“Girl, you crazy. You ain’t never gon’ change,” Sasha said in a disapproving tone.
“Why you sound like that? Did I say something wrong?”
I could tell by the tone of Sasha’s voice that something was bothering her. It was a tone I was way too familiar with. I just didn’t know whether it was something I said, or if it was a personal struggle.
When we’d first met, her life was going downhill, but we pulled together to turn things around. Sasha started off stripping at Blue Light in Hampton, a city about thirty minutes from Virginia Beach, and life was good for her. She had a house she lived in, a townhouse that she rented out to Section 8 recipients, and a nice car. She needed for nothing. But when she stabbed a chick during an altercation, she was fired from the club, and her world began to crumble. Sasha decided that the strip scene was no longer for her, and wanted to work.
Although she had little work experience and education, I was still able to put something together for her. Luckily, she’d actually gone to school for medical assistance and worked in a couple of medical offices. But during her time as a successful dancer, she figured she would never see this kind of money working a regular job, so she let her certification expire. Even though odds were against us, I created an exaggerated, yet professional resume and cover letter for her, and used some of my connections in the medical field to land her a job with Sentara Healthcare.
At first, everything was smooth sailing, more or less, but it didn’t last long. Nearly a year later it had almost become routine for Sasha to call me with some depressing news. It was as though someone had put a curse on her ass or something. In six months alone she’d gotten in trouble with the authorities for welfare fraud. Then she lost her i
nvestment property, and as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, her baby father got robbed.
“I can’t take this stress anymore,” Sasha said, bursting into tears.
“What stress, baby?” I asked, wanting to know what was bothering my friend.
“It’s like everything is going so wrong so fast. I’m working my ass off, but with my monthly bills, plus the money for daycare and gas, it’s just not worth it. I can’t keep living like this, Jewel.”
“So what you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m gonna have to start back dancing. I’ve got to get these bills caught up. Since Rick got robbed, he ain’t been able to help out, and I’m at risk of losing everything I own. I’m gonna lose my house.”
Now my first instinct was to tell her about that deadbeat-ass baby father of hers. There ain’t no way a broke-down dude would be living up in my shit and can’t even pay a light bill. Who gives a fuck if he got robbed? That’s part of the fucking game, and a real hustler always knows how to get back on.
Besides, where the fuck was his stash? I didn’t even bother going into that with Sasha because I’d heard all the excuses once before—“He decided to get out of the game since he got robbed. He’s trying to start his own business.” Trying to stay focused on Sasha’s needs instead of her downfalls, I directed my attention back to her statement.
“So how you gonna do that, Sasha?” I knew that once you got a bad rep in the stripping world in this area, your career was basically over. “I thought you were blackballed on the whole dance scene in this area?”
“Well, I heard girls be going to Atlanta and New York and be racking up. Maybe I could just go to Atlanta for a couple of weeks and then come back and hit New York on the weekends. All I need is money to get my business licenses and plane ticket. Plus, my mom lives in Columbus, Georgia. That’s only an hour away from Atlanta. I could take the boys there to stay with her until I get on my feet, and I could crash at her crib the weeks I’m there dancing. What you think?”