Hustle Hard

by Martin Blaine

  Checking myself, I let go of her arm. I ordered another drink and chugged it. I got up and carefully scanned the crowd. Partygoers were blowing smoke at my new clothes. I was getting angrier by the second.

  Bria came through wearing a sexy snakeskin top that showcased her big knockers and tiny waist. Her ass never looked better. Veronica followed closely behind her. My attitude went from fury to delight. I walked up to her and greeted her, then led her to the bar. I ordered drinks and felt my confidence steeled by her smile.

  “If I said I wasn’t happy to see you, I’d be lying.”

  She quickly glanced at me and nervously looked away. Her pulse seemed to quicken.

  “Same here, Jaden… There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time,” she said putting her hand on my forearam. The world disappeared. “I’ve been missing you, J.”

  “For real…? Uh I’m saying, I knew you would by now. Look, I’m not even gonna front. I’ve been missing you, too,” I said touching her hand and pulling her closer.

  “I broke up with you for all the wrong reasons. I said that we grew apart but that wasn’t true. I was just trying to plan my future without you around.”

  “So you wouldn’t have had one with me, is what you’re saying? Oh, I know what it is. You think we’d be eating sardines and noodles everyday?”

  She smiled and rocked her hips as Crime Mob blasted.

  “You don’t need to get all loud with me, Jaden. I still love… I mean, I like you and all but…”

  “I know exactly what you’re sayin’! You sayin’ you love me! I knew that nigga couldn’t replace me! All right, all right, I’ll calm down. Let me buy you another drink for old time’s sake.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her for a second while we sat at the bar waiting for our drinks. The price of a drink slapped me back into reality.

  “Seven dollars for a damn shot?”

  “Oh, now you don’t wanna spend any money on the best thing to ever happen to your life?”

  “Ha, ha, you might be right. I was thinking I need to get on some economical shit and slip my own brew in. But never mind that.” I hugged her and continued. “Baby, drop that zero, Will and roll with me tonight?”

  “Let me think about it, J,” she said leaning closer.

  “Ain’t nothing to think about. I look good, you look good and I lay pipe good. Am I right?”

  “Hmm...”

  She sucked on the straw in the sexiest way. I leaned back and squinted.

  “What you mean by that?”

  She pressed her finger under my chin and drew me closer.

  “Nobody’s gonna replace you, okay? I just want somebody that’s gonna make plans for us, not himself. When you used talk about getting a fat contract, you never mentioned me in any of your plans. That really hurt, J.”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. Then I brought her face to mine and said, “Well, I… I never knew that’s how you felt. That’s crazy.”

  Bria swiveled to face me. I gripped her arms like she was all mine.

  “What will it take to get you back, sweetness?”

  “I need a commitment to us, not just you.”

  “You want it, you got it.”

  We leaned in and kissed. It was the hottest kiss I ever had.

  “Look, this is too good and moving too damn fast. So here’s what you do, cancel that loser and start from scratch tonight with me?”

  “I’d love that Jaden,” she said.

  As Bria kissed me, Eric bumped us killing the moment.

  “Yo J, we found dude at the other end of the bar. Oh, pardon me. Hi Bria, ha, ha! Will’s gonna kick both y’all asses! Can I watch?”

  I excused myself and pulled Eric to the side.

  “Ain’t no way that clown is whipping my ass, E. You know that shit. Seriously though, can’t this shit wait?”

  “It’s now or never. They either gonna kick his ass out, or he driving home drunk and running his shit off a bridge somewhere. He can’t drink no more fam. There he go over there wearing that LRG shirt.”

  I rejoined Bria. “Baby, I gotta go handle some business.”

  “Uh huh… Try not to make the news at 11. I’m not stupid, everybody knows your boy Eric is strictly bad news.”

  “I’m a call you later, gorgeous,” I said and we kissed.

  “Don’t call me for bail money,” she said and disappeared.

  I followed Eric to where the mark was. He was a drunk white guy, and judging by the way he slouched on the bar stool, he was desperate for attention. He was built like a ferret, and a malnourished one at that. Anyone could tell that by the way he latched onto women’s elbows and refused to let go until they broke away, heading in another direction. My plan was gonna work better than I’d expected.

  “I got your back, fam,” he replied. I set the wheels in motion and sat next to him.

  “‘Sup my dude? Lots a ladies here tonight, huh?”

  The drunk’s hand shook as he laboriously reached for his beer bottle and grabbed it after a fumble. It was a done deal. This guy could barely hold his brew without spilling it on himself. The mark brushed his jacket open and I saw the butt of a gun. I rethought the situation and called Nick over.

  “You need a drink, my man?”

  “Very funny, Jaden…”

  “Round up Dana and tell her that she’s got some money if she helps us out. This is how we’ll do it…” I whispered in his ear.

  I approached the drunk and rested my hand on his shoulder like we were friends.

  “Yo fam, I got one of the hottest girls in this place waiting for you, if you’ve got a little cash. Matter of fact, never mind, I see what you drinking. If you’ve been chugging Coors Light all night, then I know your blood ain’t rich enough to rock with her. I know you don’t have the ends to…”

  “Hold on, now. I’ve got money,” he replied pulling out a money clip overstuffed with twenties and C-notes. I struggled to hide my excitement.

  “She’s right over here, fam. Just follow me.”

  I led the way to the back exit. When I pushed the door open, Dana was behind it smiling.

  “Hey baby, you want to party tonight,” she greeted.

  Her boobs were smashed together in a top two sizes too tight. Her makeup was on thick and her clothes so tight her body was bursting out of them.

  The mark grabbed a tissue from his pocket and wiped his brow dry. He was clearly pleased. They slipped into a dark alley and got down to business.

  “One hundred for loving and fifty for blow.”

  “What? Before Giuliani screwed everything up on 42nd street, it used to be sixty and thirty.”

  She looked him up and down with attitude. She popped her gum before replying,

  “This Harlem and that was years ago. Bush got the economy all fucked up, so a sista need more paper. When I’m done, you ain’t gonna be able to do nothing with your dick but piss for at least a day. Pay up or get to stepping.”

  Nick crept up behind him as the white guy croaked, “I’m not paying that much, bitch. You’re not worth it.”

  “I guess that means you’ll have to step off then.”

  “What?”

  Nick went upside his head with a crow bar. Blood shot from him like strawberry syrup. Dana jumped back and squealed but not before her shirt was stained red.

  I grabbed the weapon off his hip. He stumbled and fell, holding his hand up to block Nick’s swings. He groaned when Nick slammed the blunt object into his forehead. Holding his gushing face, he couldn’t crawl fast enough and his eye ball swam in blood.

  “What are you doing? Do you know who I am?” he whined.

  “I don’t give a fuck who you are!”

  Nick wrapped the bar twice into his rib cage, making him curl up in the fetal position, making him cough up blood. Blood bubbled from his lips and his head lay the concrete. Shit was nasty. Dana grabbed his diamond-encrusted pendant and I kept the chain.

  “Jackpot, he’s got eight
hundred dollars on him! Let’s see who you be,” I flipped the his wallet open and checked his ID. “Victor Humphries. Hmm… Why does that name sound familiar, homie?”

  “Oh shit,” Nick replied. Then he started pacing back and forth. He banged the soft part of his fist against a wall.

  “Who is this dude, Nick? Talk to me?”

  “Oh my God. I knew we shouldn’t have done this,” Dana said.

  “That’s Humphries man! The sheriff’s kid! He’ll send the whole force out looking for him.”

  I rubbed my head and started pacing.

  “One thing’s for sure, we can’t leave him here. He’s seen our faces. He’s gotta roll with us,” I said.

  “You’re trying to make him a hostage? Are you out of your mind?”

  “We don’t have a choice. That is, unless you’re ready to end his life right here and now.” I shot back.

  “Nah, in case you forgot, I just got out of lockdown,” Nick reminded.

  Dana took baby steps backward, thinking she could slip away undetected. I watched her from the corner of my eye the whole time. “We can’t trust you now, Dana. Sorry, you gotta stick with us,” I said.

  She turned and ran. Nick stayed with the vic. I took off after her.

  It was hard to believe a big-boned girl could run the way Dana did, turning over garbage cans to slow me down. It was like a light day of football practice with no pads for me. She cut through dark alleys and hid next to a garbage can, panting up a storm. I stopped and looked around with no sign of her. The heavy breathing gave her away. I took two steps and sought her out then yanked her up by her weave.

  “Don’t you dare disrespect me like that, motherfucker! Let go of my hair!”

  “Bitch, you disrespect yourself waking up everyday. We’re sticking together tonight.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  THREE’S A PARTY

  I woke up at Nick’s place with a major headache. I wanted to bury my morning wood inside Dana, the second I saw her bubble butt. Robbing people was definitely not a long-term career move. I needed a scout to give me another chance at a football career in college or get some type of job training. I needed something. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I heard a weird clank against a pipe.

  “Get me the fuck out of these handcuffs, you hear me! My father will have your heads for this!”

  I had to chuckle a few times as I watched Victor tug on the handcuffs like a frightened animal.

  “Don’t pull on those cuffs too hard, Vic. I don’t want your Dad to be any madder than he already is when he sees bruises all over your wrists.”

  The radiator wasn’t going anywhere. A few floorboards shifted when he pulled but that was about it. Nick popped up out of the bathroom and sat next to our hostage.

  “So what are we going to do with this dude, chief?” I sat up and said.

  “You’re gonna let me get your ass in a sling when my father catches word of this.”

  My punch landed on his lips and he quieted after tasting his own blood. I tried to reason with him.

  “Look, we don’t want you here anymore than you want to be here. But you’ve seen our faces, so letting you go isn’t an option. Until we get some leverage against you, you’re staying with us.”

  The night wore on and the troubles on my mind got to me. I needed a fix and suggested we get some drinks.

  “Yo Nick, you should head to the liquor store and pick up something hard, like vodka or sump’n, sump’n to numb this pain. Take your girlfriend with you.”

  I slapped Victor in the back of his head when he tried to put in an order for a six-pack of Yueng Ling. Then I thought about how I’d feel in his position and decided to let his order go through.

  “What the hell. A six-pack won’t help us or hurt us,” I said, then I slid down and sat next to him and rubbed my head to relieve the pressure.

  “Wait a minute, aren’t you that football player from Lincoln High School? You were awesome. What happened?”

  I sighed and stared at him.

  “Now you definitely can’t leave anytime soon. I guess you haven’t watched the news lately. Since we got time to kill, I’ll let you in on the secret. A so-called friend of mine lied about me using steroids. It ruined my career. All the scouts backed away from me. Maybe one will call eventually. I ain’t holding my breath. You feel me, chief?”

  “Come on man, you’ve rushed for twelve hundred yards last year. An agent will come calling one day. You’ve gotta believe, man,” he said nodding his head.

  Sports had a funny effect on people. I guess it’s the hero factor. Even though I helped whoop his ass and open us his face, he still appreciated my efforts as a top high school football player.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  I hung my head and imagined hitting the turf again. I dozed off a little. The sound of Nick’s keys at the door woke me up.

  Dana came in with a big bottle of dark liquor in each hand. Nick followed with a few six-packs.

  “Six-pack for Victor the victim,” he said before handing one to Victor. He smiled and popped the top with his teeth.

  “Now why would a cutie like you go and mess up your teeth like that, Victor?” Dana asked.

  “You think I’m cute?”

  “Of course I do, sweetie. You a cute little whigga,” she said stooping low to caress his face. She brought her lips dangerously close to his. Her voice was dripping with sex when she added, “I could just eat you up.”

  By then Nick and I were slamming beers down.

  “She used to be a stripper, you know. She’ll put it on you. Shake it, Dana!”

  Dana cracked a tall bottle of E&J open, chugged and started sexily rolling her hips. Then she peeled her jacket off and turned around, standing over Victor. She propped her leg up on the couch nearby by and hurled her fat ass toward Victor’s smiling face. Dana squatted really low, so he could almost kiss it.

  We laughed when he said, “Yummy! Smells like candy!”

  She squealed when he pinched her bottom with his free hand and backed away like she was shy. After chugging six shots and four beers, a light bulb lit up in my brain. Maybe a quick piece would make everything all right for a while.

  “Ain’t no way Victor is gonna have all the fun tonight. Stick that booty out, girl!” I hollered.

  She gave in to my request. Her ass wobbled in slow motion. I had to have it. She leaned on Vic and bumped her butt into my crotch. I nearly took it from her and held her hips as I dry-humped her. She went through her old stripping routine. Drunkenness had set in and she lost her balance. Nick conveniently broke her fall and let her hold his arms while grinding into me, bringing her head dangerously close to his family jewels. We were on the cusp of a fucking gang bang. I switched spots with my boy just to feed her liquor.

  “Drink up, baby! It ain’t nothing but a party!”

  I lifted up my shirt and she purred, raking fake nails across my abs. I saw my friend peel her pants down slow while she licked me along my waistline. I grabbed the bottle and chugged hard. By the time I put it down she’d already yanked my manhood out of my drawers. Next, she rubbed her lips on it and stuffed her mouth full. Her aggressive actions forced a grunt out of me.

  “Whew! Easy, girl! No teeth, baby! Please!”

  I went back and forth between ecstasy and disgust as this hood rat’s tongue glazed my dick. She came up panting and switched off to Victor and blew him with the same excitement. Dana was so horny, if Vic didn’t drop his trousers fast enough, I was sure she would’ve eaten his belt.

  She switched back to me and squealed before jamming it down her windpipe. I looked up to find it was Nick serving her back-shots. He better had put a rubber on. I wasn’t about to be outdone, so I grabbed her head and drove it down on my pole. She coughed, spat, wiped her mouth clean and deep-throated me.

  “Oh shit! You like sucking me off, huh?”

  “Hmm-hmm,” she mumbled as she grabbed Vic’s pipe, jacking him off.

  I grabbed her
face and offered words of encouragement.

  “Yeah you suck my joint good, girl! Remember back when we were younger and you used to do it in the Laundry room?”

  I plugged her sucking mouth until I felt a hot sensation fly through my shaft. Splash! Hot DNA soaked the inside of her cheeks. It was a wrap.

  “Let the hostage get some! Don’t be selfish!”

  She looked hotter when she was sweaty. Her honey skin tone glistened. Dana plopped down on the white boy’s lap, strapped a condom on and rode. In just a few minutes Dude crumbled panting. Nick fed her his meat, I fixed my clothes and chugged a fresh brew.

  I picked up a video recorder and watched. Dana was doing her thing. I figured in the right frame of mind, I’d join them. Maybe I could sell it in the hood for five bucks a pop. Dana was working her ass and getting us out of trouble. I kept recording the evidence as she rode Victor. After the session Victor made his plea for freedom.

  “Please let me outta these cuffs! I swear I won’t tell!”

  “Your Dad will protect you, won’t he?”

  “I promise I won’t tell on you guys. I can’t have them looking after me.”

  Nick looked at me for the final word. I gave the approving nod to let him go.

  “Just remember one thing,” I cautioned. “We need each other. Leave your number with us. We’ll be doing business together real soon.”

  We let Victor loose and led him outside. He removed a mangled pack of Marlboro UltraLights and lit one. The morning sun was still out and blinding.

  “God, it feels good to be free!”

  “Just keep your mouth shut and you won’t have any problems, all right Vic?”

  “Not a problem. The last thing I want is for—”

  “Just call your Dad up and tell him some story. It better be good, too. If he doesn’t believe it he’ll be after us and we’ll be coming for you.”

  He paced nervously in front of us while making the call.

  “Put the conversation on speakerphone.” I requested.

  “What’s up, pop…”

  After the call, everything was secured. We exchanged daps and headed in opposite directions. My sixth sense was tingling. I automatically double-checked for the brass knuckles and hit the train to my aunt’s place. I wanted to be ready for anything.