You Needed Me III: A Love Story

by Shvonne Latrice

  “Stony!” Mrs. Quinton reached to touch the hand that the gun was holding.

  “Daddy, stop!” Saya screeched.

  “Move.” Mr. Quinton looked at Mrs. Quinton with an evil expression, causing her to back up and pull Saya with her. “Out!” he hollered so loudly that I literally felt myself jump out of my skin.

  “They ain’t going nowhere.” Rhys pulled his gun out as well as he stood to his feet.

  “Ah!” Summer screamed when Mr. Quinton yanked her over to him and placed his gun to the side of her head, while hugging her neck from behind. She was crying so hard that I started to cry.

  “Get out, or I will blow her head open right here and now.”

  I could see in Rhys’ face that he didn’t want to back down, but he also didn’t want Summer getting killed. After staring at his father for an eternity it seemed, he placed his gun back into his waist and helped Indiya stand up. Lendsey escorted Matikah and I towards the exit, just as Mr. Quinton walked Summer to the door with the gun still to her head. Once we were all out of the house, he shoved Summer across the threshold and slammed the door.

  What the hell just happened?

  Matikah and Lendsey agreed to give me a ride home, Rhys and Indiya left together, and since Summer drove herself and Goldie, she was able to just go home. Although not her man anymore, I saw Rhys hugging her tightly as she cried, just before she got into the car. Indiya didn’t seem to mind, and I guess it was because she understood why Summer was so shaken up; we all did. I would’ve had my baby if that gun were to my head like that. And Mr. Quinton would kill her ass for real if we didn’t cooperate; we all knew that.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I got out of the car.

  “Let me walk you up. Come on, Matikah.” Lendsey shut the engine off and climbed out of the car. Usually I would’ve decline, but I was scared that Mr. Quinton had someone up there waiting for me.

  The three of us went inside of TQ’s condo building, and got onto the elevator. Once we made it to the door, Lendsey had me unlock it before he went inside alone. After he checked the place thoroughly with his gun in hand, he came back to let me know I could come inside.

  “I called TQ, but he hasn’t answered. Just wait here for him,” he said.

  “Where is he? What if he’s not okay?” I sobbed as I sat down on the couch. I could see tears in Matikah’s eyes as well as she looked at me with sympathy.

  “He is ma, don’t think like that. TQ gon’ always be alright.” Lendsey half smiled, trying to make me feel better.

  I just nodded before he and Matikah both gave me a hug. Once they were gone, I stared at the huge TV mounted on the wall for a bit. I then called TQ five times back to back, and he didn’t answer one of them. I was gonna text him but for some reason I felt that wasn’t a good idea. Getting up off of the couch, I made myself some hot chocolate, and downed it before passing out on the couch.

  ***

  I woke up in the bed, and I could see through the curtains that it was still nighttime. Looking the other way, I saw TQ sitting in the La-Z-Boy across the room, drinking some brown liquor. When he saw me sitting up, he removed his gun from his lap and set it on the dresser. I got out of the bed, and that’s when I realized I was in one of his white t-shirts.

  “How are you feeling?” he questioned before taking another sip. As I got closer, he placed the glass next to the gun to welcome me into his lap.

  “Your dad—”

  “I know, I know shorty,” he sighed. “I’m gonna have to get at him.”

  “What do you mean?” I kissed his forehead and changed my sitting position so that I was straddling him.

  “I’m gonna have to kill him, Kimberlyn. What he did tonight was the last straw. The disrespect, and just the way he moves, I can’t take it anymore.”

  “TQ, don’t kill him. Maybe just meet with him first, and try to talk things out.” I held his handsome face in my hands and searched his beautiful blue gray eyes.

  He chuckled before asking, “What you think he’s gonna kill me first?”

  “No, of course not. I just don’t want you and your father to be at odds because of me. We’re supposed to be a family remember?”

  “Shorty, listen, killing my father has nothing to do with you. For a long time he’s been rubbing my brothers and I the wrong way. Since I was a little boy, he and I have always been at odds. When I was sixteen, I flew in a shipment and was missing one key of product. When he found out he put me in the hospital, he and his goons. They whooped my ass. I had broken ribs and everything,” he explained, as he looked off a little bit. He chuckled lightly, but I knew he was still bothered by it.

  “I don’t know what a key is, but I’m sure it wasn’t that serious. If you kill him for yourself I don’t mind, but don’t do it for me or for us girls.”

  “I ain’t gon’ lie, baby, part of the reason is because of y’all. I love you and I will take out anything that tries to harm you. That’s just life. A man that isn’t willing to lay his life on the line for you doesn’t deserve you. I’m here to protect you.”

  “You’re here to love me and make me happy.”

  “And a part of me loving you is making sure that no one touches you. I don’t care who it is, family or not, I refuse to let someone come at you. I already fucked up with that Monica shit, but I’ll be damned if I let it happen again.”

  “We could run away,” I smiled.

  “Your smile is so beautiful, shorty. And yes we could, but men don’t run away from their problems, they face them.”

  “You love me that much?”

  “Absolutely, you and him.” He rubbed my belly and kissed my neck. “Have you told anyone what it is?”

  “No, I’m gonna wait until the delivery date.”

  “I can’t wait,” he whispered.

  Draping my arms around his neck, I hugged him tightly, and he did the same but hugged my torso. I caressed the back of his head before kissing his ear and pulling away. We made eye contact for a few seconds, before kissing hungrily, but gently. Whatever he wanted to do, I was gonna have his back because I loved him.

  Lendsey Quinton

  Two days later…

  “Yes, she should be in tomorrow morning as requested. I just wanted to know if she would have her own room?”

  I was at work, talking to one of the employers who worked with my father’s unemployment agency. She’d hired one of our people to be her housekeeper, and since it was a live in situation, I wanted to make sure our party would have her own room. That was mandatory if you wanted one of ours to move in. Too many times people, mainly men, would try to take advantage of the Russian women we sent out, and I wasn’t having that shit. That’s why I made sure to keep in contact with them so they’d let me know if some shit popped off.

  “Yes, she actually has her own living quarters, Mr. Quinton.”

  “Wow, okay great. Well, everything looks good, so look for her around 9am. She will be dropped off. Thanks.” I hung up the line and exhaled with my eyes closed.

  What happened the other night was still very fresh in my mind, and it was to the point where I could barely sleep. My father had always been a hot head, but he completely disrespected Rhys, our women, and me. I mean putting a gun to Summer’s head was severely over the top, not to mention the fact that we had no idea why the nigga was even doing all of that. If I were to sweep that shit under the rug, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. He was my father, but if he didn’t give a fuck about me, why should I care about his ass?

  As I was thinking, I looked up to see Alyona standing in the doorway fidgeting. I hated that she did that instead of letting me know she was here. She would always wait for me to look at her before she said anything, and sometimes she would stay planted in my doorway for ten minutes straight. I was sure that when I took naps here she watched me, but that was another story for another day.

  “Yes, Alyona?” I frowned, irritated by her.

  “The-there is someone here to see you, Mr. Qui
nton.” She smiled and glanced away for a bit.

  “Close the door and come here,” I stated sternly. “Close it and come here,” I repeated since she was just staring at me like a deer in headlights.

  She did as I asked, and then came over to me slowly. I just sat there for a bit, scanning her frame and taking her in. She was so weird to me, and I wanted her to open up some. I was a nice guy, so there was no need for her to be so damn shy when talking to me. I also wanted to make sure that once my father was ‘gone’ she’d still be down for the team, and not go run her mouth because of her loyalty to my father.

  “Did you want me to ma-make you a drink, sir?” she questioned.

  “No, I don’t. Do you like me, Alyona?”

  “Yes, you are very nice, Mr. Quinton,” she nodded. I stood up, and she inhaled sharply as I circled her for a little bit.

  “No, do you like me? Meaning you find me attractive.”

  “I’m, I... Yes.”

  “Is that why you’re so shy all the time?” I stepped back from her, and she turned to face me. She tensed up at first, but finally relaxed her shoulders and nodded. “You need to chill out, Alyona. Don’t you find me to be a pretty nice guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then promise me you will relax.”

  I needed her to be comfortable with me, because that way we could develop a friendship, giving this loyalty a stronger foundation. If she was scared of me she would flip on my ass in a hot second.

  “I will, yes I will relax.”

  “Thank you. Alyona, there may be some changes and I wanna make sure that if those changes go through, you will continue to have the family’s back.”

  “Have the family’s back?” she cocked her head. I hated when Russians didn’t understand slang, especially because I used it frequently.

  “Meaning that you will still work with us and be dedicated to the cause. We don’t want the changes to affect the way you feel about QCF.”

  “Oh yes, I mean no. No sir, it won’t change anything. I am appreciative of what has been done for me, and I plan to be around no matter what.”

  “Great, now who is out there waiting for me?” I sat down and turned my computer on. She hadn’t responded, so I looked to her, snapping her out of her trance.

  “Uh, she said her name was Rosie Huerta.”

  “Send her back, thanks, Alyona.” I said, not really paying attention to who she said was out there.

  “Of course, Mr. Quinton.” She stood there for a few, and then turned to go and get my guest to bring them back here to me. When she returned, I was surprised by who I saw. Lendsey, you need to start remembering these hoes’ names. I swear it was like I needed to see the person to recall.

  “Rosie?” I frowned.

  Rosie was Dania’s cousin, or someone she liked to call her cousin. I wasn’t friendly with everyone in Dania’s family, but I could tell that she wasn’t Dania’s actual family member. Anyway, I’d let Rosie suck me off a few times, but it never went past that. I don’t know, for some reason I wasn’t interested in getting some pussy. She had some big ass juicy lips, and I only wanted her to suck my dick. After I busted I would be off her and that’s just how our ‘relationship’ was.

  “Hey, Len,” she smirked. I looked at Alyona who was still standing there, so she finally left out, closing the door behind her.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came here because I need some help around the house, and I know you guys assist people in getting services like that.”

  I forgot her ass had six kids by four different men. That was why I never wanted to fuck her; she was way too damn fertile for my blood. Every nigga I knew that smashed, soon became her baby daddy. One nigga even said he wore a condom, and although I don’t know how true that is, I believed you could nut on Rosie’s knee and it would make its way inside of her. That’s why I stayed up by the mouth, and even that was dangerous with a bitch like her, which is why I never busted in her mouth.

  “Rosie, there is a process before we can send you someone. How soon did you need the help?” I began clicking on my computer.

  “As soon as possible. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?” She rose to her feet.

  She had six kids, but her body said otherwise. Rosie had a fat ass, big titties, a flat stomach, and sexy long legs. Trust me it was hard not to slide up in her, but I had been victorious in the past, and I would continue to succeed in turning her down. And only a fool would cheat on mean ass Matikah again.

  “No, there isn’t. Sit down please.”

  “Why, Lendsey? You don’t like looking at me anymore?” I just glared at her, so she giggled and took a seat. “Now that Dania is gone, maybe we can chill sometime.”

  “When did Dania stop us from chilling in the past?”

  “She didn’t, but she was the reason you were stingy with the dick. And now that her ass is in the ground, bless her heart, I can finally get what I’ve been wanting for years.”

  “Ain’t you fucking with some nigga named Carlo?”

  “No,” she lied. “Even if I was, you wouldn’t care. I was never single in the past when I gave you head, daddy, so that shouldn’t even be a concern.”

  “Yeah, well I was, and now I’m not so I’m gonna have to turn down the offer.” Even if I didn’t have Matikah, I wasn’t sliding up in that baby factory.

  “Was? So it’s true, you have a girl? I thought Dania was bugging.”

  “Nah, she wasn’t bugging. Ain’t Dania your damn cousin? Why you be doing her dirty like that?” I frowned, a little bit disgusted by her disloyalty.

  “Doing her like what? You didn’t care about her when I gave you some head.”

  “But she ain’t my family. And then on top of that you would be telling her shit so that she’d stop fucking with me. For one I wouldn’t have cared, and two, I still wouldn’t have fucked you. Get yo’ ass up outta my office as a matter of fact.”

  “What? Lendsey, I didn’t mean to make you mad, I was just stating facts.”

  I ignored her as I opened my drawer and removed my pistol. Once I slid my loaded magazine into it, she hopped up out of her chair and started backing away.

  “Get out of here and don’t even think about coming back. Spread the word to the rest of these hoes that I have a girlfriend, and if any of you try to shake that shit up I will put a bullet in you.”

  She just nodded with her eyes bucked before turning around and leaving. Once she was gone, I laughed to myself as I put the gun up.

  These hoes man…

  Chapter Two: Goldie Taylor

  My annoying ass sister hit me up the other day saying she had some news to tell me. I wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten my number, but I was annoyed as fuck. I usually would have told her to go fly a kite, but a part of me wondered if it was important. I didn’t want to wave her off and she be dying or some shit, because strangely enough I would feel bad. I didn’t hate my sister; I just really disliked her fake ass.

  I sat down at a table inside of this bar named Eastern Standard. I chose this place because they had some really good ass food, and some of the seating was outside. Now that I was pregnant, it seemed like I was always sick, but fresh air helped a lot. So food to feed my baby, and cool outside air sounded like a perfect combination. While waiting, a waitress came over, so I decided to put in my food order. I knew it was impolite to do so, but fuck Chenaye, I was hungry.

  About five minutes after the waitress walked away, Chenaye came sashaying in wearing the tightest dress I’d ever seen. It was fairly cold outside in Boston, and also Chenaye never dressed like that. She was always in pants, and if she did wear shorts, skirts, or dresses, they were at her knees. As she got closer I saw that my mother was with her, and I almost wanted to get up and leave. More than I disliked Chenaye, I disliked my mother. I hated that she was so judgmental and always talking shit. Suddenly I wanted to cancel my food order and take my ass home.

  “It’s uncouth not to stand when your guests
arrive to the table,” my mother said before sitting down. I just stared at her for a few before turning my attention to Chenaye.

  “Why am I here?”

  “Well, first mama wants to talk and then you and I will have some sister chat when she leaves,” Chenaye grinned.

  “Well,” I looked to my mom.

  “Your father and I—”

  “He’s not my father.”

  “Roger and I are losing the home, Goldie. We put a lot of money into the church to keep it open, so we eventually had to dip into our bill money. I figured you could help us out, especially since our money is gone for a good cause,” she finished, removing her leather Gucci gloves.

  My mother was beautiful with her fair skin and dark hair, and she seemed to have stopped aging years ago. Her waistline however, expanded and seemed to never stop. She wasn’t morbidly obese, but because she used to be so skinny, it was crazy to see her at the size she was. I used to think it was happy weight, but overtime I knew it was the exact opposite. She looked like an overweight version of Paula Patton, and I couldn’t say that was a good thing.

  “How would I help?” I furrowed my brows.

  “Not you necessarily, but that man of yours. Chenaye tells me you’ve been able to benefit from all your premarital activities,” she said, enunciating when she hit each of her T’s. “Ask him for the money. He’s sleeping with you; he should be able to give you some money.”

  “And what reason do I have to ask him? You have the nerve to come in here and insult me, all while asking for some money? Are you serious? Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “I can’t help that I speak the truth, Goldie. I’m not trying to insult you, I’m merely trying to get you to see that your ways will send you straight to hell. However, if you are going to gallivant around town like a jezebel, you might as well do some good. Roger and I have devoted our lives and money to the Lord, and the least you can do is have that man replenish it.”

  “No.” I shot daggers at her.

  “Well, Goldie, just know that God is watching you turn down your own mother. I have cared for you and done my best to make something more than a slut out of you.”