by Bri Noreen
That jumpstarted the tears. I mean this nigga started boo fucking hooing at the mention of his grandmother. I smirked. Finally, I would get some answers. I had other shit I needed to do. And he was wasting my time.
“I’ve only had contact with one nigga. He never told me his name. He just offered me and Tone money to come out here and hit certain areas. You know, make some noise to get your attention.”
Get my attention, huh? So this was about me, not this nigga trying to take over my shit. This was personal. Well, if this fucking ghost wanted it with me, he’d have to come see me like a real nigga. I looked at the two men and shook my head. They just didn’t know they had signed a death warrant behind this nameless coward.
“Not much by the way of answers, but it’ll do. Oh, and by the way, tell ya grams that I’m sorry she had to become collateral damage.” I paused just so that I could bask in the dread that filled his eyes. “Oh, I forgot. Ya’ll probably going to two different places.”
With that, I fired a single bullet into his forehead and watched as it exited the back of his skull and lodged in the wall behind him. He dropped down to the concrete like a sack of potatoes right into the blood pool that had formed from his snipped off fingers. I frowned at the few specks of blood that landed on my Tom Ford suit and walked out of the warehouse.
“Get the janitor in here,” I grumbled to my security team, Dame and Frankie. “And make sure the nigga that’s breathing goes home with a souvenir to give his boss.”
I handed Frankie the gun and hopped in the back of the black Escalade that was waiting for me. As soon as the door shut, the driver took off, and I became immersed in my own thoughts. I was feeling some type of way, and I didn’t know how to shake it.
Who had I turned into? I was murking niggas and chopping off body parts now? That wasn’t who I was. At least not before I had gone into business with Hero. When I ran my operation in Detroit, I had people that handled the cleanup and took out the trash for me, but now it was almost like I looked forward to this part of my job the most. I wanted to be the one that witnessed the terror in their eyes and put the fear in their hearts. Even though Hero was gone, he had managed to snake his way into my brain and forced me to adopt every quality I used to despise about him. I was now that fucking nigga, and everyone knew not to fuck with me.
Well, except whoever this phantom-ass nigga was. When I left the D, there was no one on my head about shit, and I couldn’t think of anyone that would be gunning for me in LA. The fact that this nigga could be from the A really fucked with my head because I had never really done business there. The only person that I knew personally in Georgia was Ma Dukes, and she was somehow related to my father…whoever that nigga was. My moms had told me about her a few months before she passed, stating she was the only other family I had left. I had the feeling that Ma Dukes had been trying to tell me something when I saw her recently, but I didn’t know what. But I was sure of one thing. A nigga didn’t have the patience to be putting together clues and hunting down evidence and shit like I was on Law and Order. I had money to make, and nothing and nobody was going to stop my hustle.
Blaze
August 2015
I looked over at my phone and saw Grey’s name appear on the screen. My heart stopped beating for a moment as I continued to let it ring. I had been ducking and dodging Grey ever since I had met with Roman. Two weeks had gone by without me seeing my baby, and I was sick without him. But I couldn’t bring myself to go around him, knowing the position I was in with Roman.
And what a fucked up position it was. I couldn’t believe that my past had come back to haunt not only me but Grey too. If I could go back and hit redo on my last mistake, even if that meant I wouldn’t have my shop, I would. Then I wouldn’t have to help Roman kill the love of my life. I was still kicking myself for agreeing to meet with Roman and for almost falling under his spell, knowing how deeply I felt about Grey.
I watched as the voicemail notification popped up on the screen, and my heart started hurting at the thought of what I was doing to this man. Refusing to think about it any longer, I grabbed the glass of 2007 Cardinale red wine I’d poured myself and walked out to the patio, breathing in the fresh air. The patio that stretched from one end of my house to the other boasted a pretty, scenic view of the valley. It wasn’t as beautiful as the view from Grey’s bedroom, but it was still breathtaking to me. It was a little chilly for an August night in L.A., and a light drizzle had started to fall from the sky. I didn’t mind the weather, though because it matched my mood.
I took a sip from my glass, and my mind raced. How was I going to get out of this shit? There was no way that I was going to have a hand in getting that nigga remotely close to Grey or Kimani, but I believed Roman when he said that he had people watching my every move. I had no doubt in my mind that he would turn me over to him if I uttered a word about his plans for Grey. But I loved that man. My heart would literally break into pieces if something were to happen to him, so I had to come up with a way to stop whatever Roman had planned. Deep in my thoughts, I lifted my glass to my lips, hoping that a buzz from the alcohol would take away some of my worries.
“So this what we on?” Grey’s voice boomed.
I was so shaken by his presence that I jumped, spilling wine all over myself. Grey made his way to me as I placed the glass on the outdoor table. Spinning me around to face him, he eased the cardigan I wore off my shoulders.
“Let me help you with that.”
With my sweater completely off, Grey removed my stained shirt and tossed it onto the ground. Slowly, he rolled his tongue across my breast catching the drops of wine that had fallen from my glass. My body shuddered at the feel of his tongue on my flesh. Wrapping me up in his arms, he let his tongue trail up my chest and to my neck, aggressively biting and sucking on the most tender part of me. I whimpered softly when he grabbed my ass and inhaled sharply when he eased his hand underneath my skirt.
“You thought you could keep this away from me?” he whispered in my ear.
I wanted to respond, but his fingers had shifted the lace fabric of my thong to the side and the feeling of his fingers sliding in me caused me to lose my breath. I gripped his shoulder as he stirred the juices that were now leaking out of me. So many thoughts ran through my mind that I started feeling a little fucking insane. He felt good. Hell, he felt great, but I was too caught up to entertain him. With regret, I pushed his hand away, and he looked at me with concern in his eyes.
“Grey, I can’t do this.” I sighed heavily.
“You can’t do what?”
“This… this….” I stuttered. I didn’t know what to say. I just wanted him to go. I needed to think.
“B, what are you talking about? What’s wrong?” Genuine concern radiated from his words, and I instantly felt like shit.
I kneeled down to grab my shirt, but also to keep Grey from seeing the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. I wanted to tell him about Roman and what he was forcing me to do. But if I were to tell him that, then I would also have to tell him what he was holding over my head that would cause me to even consider doing something so atrocious. The thought of Grey knowing anything about my past caused a chill to fall over me, and I shook my head. There was no way. I felt Grey’s strong hands lock onto my arms and pull me from my kneeling position. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my eyes of the water works.
“What is going on, bae? Hey, look at me.” He used his finger to turn my chin toward him. I bit down on my lip as I looked into his stormy grey eyes.
“Nothing. I just need some time.”
“Time? Time for what?”
“I just…I can’t explain it…I just…”
“The fuck you mean you can’t explain it?” He inched closer to my face, and I started to tremble underneath his shadow.
“It’s just a lot going on in my life right now, and I just need some space.”
Grey fell silent as he stared a hole in my head. He looked like he
was searching my eyes for an answer, and I hoped that they wouldn’t give away the fear and regret that was consuming me at the moment. Finally, he backed up, ran his hand over his mouth, and chuckled.
“A lot going on? What the fuck happened between the time I left for the D and now?”
“Nothing. I just…” I trailed off. I didn’t know what to say to him. I couldn’t tell him about Roman and risk having to explain my past or lie and possibly push him away. Neither of the situations would have me come out on top.
“Yo, you acting like you don’t speak English. Tell me what’s going on. We were just fine.”
Grasping at straws, a lie tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. “I just can’t do this! You’re always gone, and I’m putting my life at risk being around you and what you do. It’s just too much!”
Grey looked at me with the Nick Young face as he tried to figure out if I was serious or not. I paced the floor and ran my hands through my hair, hoping that he had bought my lie and would just give me the space I was asking for. What I had just said couldn’t be further from the truth, and I really didn’t care what he did to make his money. I loved him and no career choice was going to change that. But I needed to say something.
“Did something happen when I was gone?” he asked cautiously.
“No, Grey. I—”
He cut me off. “Then where the hell is this coming from?” He paused. “You know what? I don’t need this shit right now. You want space, you got it. I’m done.”
My heart fell from my chest and exploded like C-4 when those words came out of his mouth. Without much thought, I ran and reached for him as he entered my house from the patio. He pulled away from me and continued walking.
“Grey! Wait! I don’t want to be done. I just need some time!”
Before I could get another word out, Grey had whipped around and crossed the room. He was so close to my face that I could see his soul through his eyes.
“Time for what, man? Do you know how much shit I risked to be with you? And out of the blue you need some fucking space? You women don’t know what the fuck you want! But I ain’t got time for this bipolar shit. You want time, well you just got forever.”
I couldn’t hold the tears in anymore. They came bursting from my eyes like a dam with a leak. As hurt as I was behind Grey’s words, I didn’t fight with him. I watched him walk out the door, and as soon as it slammed, my body collapsed to the floor. I never thought I would lose him like this. I had started to protest when he left, but maybe, just maybe, what I was doing would save his life.
Roman
August 2015
She was intoxicating. Everything about her, from her scent to the way that she laughed, was extremely appealing to me. I was fighting a losing battle to keep things strictly professional because all I really wanted to do was bend her over and hear what she sounded like with my dick up in her. I was trying to be respectful of the atmosphere being that we were in a booth at a crowded restaurant, but I was ready to say fuck it.
“Roman, are you even listening to me?”
Her voice brought me back to reality; the reality in which we were partners in a revenge plot and not lovers. I let my eyes drink her in before I attempted to respond. She looked fucking delectable in the skintight tan dress that clung to her body for dear life. Her breasts sat up and peeked out of the low neckline, showcasing her sun kissed caramel skin and almost revealed what I imagined to be Hershey kiss like nipples. The thin straps that held the dress up fell over her shoulders and traveled down to the curve of her back, leading my eyes to her juicy ass. I swear I felt a few beads of sweat form at the top of my forehead from the amount of restraint I was currently exercising. I was ready to rip that whole fit to shreds to get up in them guts and satisfy my craving.
I had asked her to meet me at RockSugar, an upscale Pan Asian restaurant in L.A. to discuss the completion of our plan. Lately I had been feeling like we were starting to get a little off track and I needed to refocus our mission. I thought that inviting her to a public place to discuss business would help keep my mind away from thoughts of fucking her, but I was sadly mistaken.
“Yeah…,” I said slowly not able to come up with another response.
“So you said that you were sending Ashlynn in early. When are you talking?” Karma pulled the black cherry from her fruity martini and dangled it an inch away from her lips. Liquor droplets from the cherry fell and landed right on her succulent bottom lip and my dick swelled in my pants instantly.
“Next week.”
Finally she placed the cherry inside her mouth, pursing her lips around it first as her eyes caught mine. Not able to stand it anymore, I signaled for our waiter and told him to leave us alone for a while. He nodded his head and walked away. I closed the semi sheer curtains surrounding the booth once he disappeared, leaned back against the tufted leather of the booth and stared at Karma.
“Something you want to say?” she asked with a hint of a smirk forming on her lips.
“More like something I want to do.”
“Here?”
“Fuck this restaurant. You over here teasing a nigga like I’m a fucking punk. But I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Before she could speak again I pulled her close to me so that her back was touching my chest. I roughly placed her left leg up on the seat of the booth and stretched the right far away from the other. I hiked her dress up over her wide and round hips exposing her thick honey brown frame. Unable to keep my hands to myself, I immediately encased her in an aggressive embrace. One hand grabbed at her wide hips and the other eased over her flat stomach, under the thin stretch fabric and up to her left breast. I squeezed it hard, like I was trying to juice that mothafucka and she let out the sexiest moan my ears had ever heard.
“I need to taste you.” I whispered as I buried my head in the crook of her neck.
“Need?”
Her breath was becoming short and staccato like she was struggling to breathe correctly. I let my hands travel to her neck and I squeezed with just enough pressure to cause goosebumps to appear on her skin. I snuck my finger into her mouth and she latched on like a baby with a bottle. Her warm, wet mouth enveloped my finger and her tongue twisted around it painfully slow. I sucked in a breath at the same time that she sucked on my finger, toying with it in her mouth like it was a Blow Pop sucker.
“Yes, need. As in it’s imperative. Crucial. Vital. Don’t make me turn thesaurus on that ass. I need to taste you.”
I let go of her body and instructed her to turn around towards me. She did as she told. I propped her foot back up on the seat but left the other one planted firmly on the floor. Using the palm of my hand, I eased her upper body down so that it was flat against the seat of the booth. I popped the band of her g string that sat perfectly on her hip and let out a guttural groan. Fuck, what was she doing to me? I had been around bad bitches before but it seemed like her aura was releasing some type of spell in the air that I couldn’t escape. I was entranced with this woman. Not only was she physically attractive but I felt like our minds convened on the same level and that was so fucking sexy. She wasn’t sugar and spice like all these other boring bitches out here. She was complex and layered. She had a depth to her that most women lacked and the fact that we shared a common enemy and she was willing to put in the work to take him down, made me want her more. I craved her and even though I couldn’t fuck her in the restaurant, I was damn sure about to sample something that wasn’t on the menu. I moved the pale yellow lace fabric of her panties to the side and smiled.
“Just as pretty as I thought it would be.” I licked my lips.
Before she could say anything, I brought myself level to her pretty pussy and I dove in head first. From the first lick, I knew she was going to forever be my favorite fruit to eat. I devoured her from top to bottom and her shell broke letting her juicy center flow onto my tongue. I felt her hand land on top of my head and her fingernails raked through my bushy curls and I went h
arder. It turned me on even more to know that there were people right outside that thin ass curtain that could probably hear and see us and that Karma didn’t even give a fuck. She was a wild one. Wrapping my hands around her thick thighs, I pulled her body closer to my face. I could suffocate and drown in her forever. My tongue slid all over her pussy like choreographed dance moves and I could feel her body quake in my hands.
“Roman…baby,” she moaned lightly.
I took her swollen clit into my mouth and sucked on it gently causing an orgasm to rain down her body and land in droplets on my chin. My fingers found their way inside of her and her back arched in surprise. I took pride in the way I was making her react and instantly knew I wanted to be the only one to make her feel this way. Karma was mine. I removed my fingers from the waterfall between her legs and grabbed ahold of her butter brown titties while my tongue continued to lap up her creamy center until she came all over my face two more time. I took one last drink from her fountain before I pulled my head from my new favorite place. I sat up and took the cloth napkin my silverware had been wrapped in and used it to wipe my face of her juices. Karma sat up and faced me.
“You trying to make me fall in love, playboy?” She asked breathlessly.
I chuckled and threw my hands up in surrender. Taking me by surprise, Karma grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me to her. Our lips collided and our tongues intertwined in a sensual battle of passion. I ran my fingers through her hair and pulled on it roughly as she bit down on my bottom lip. She was going to make me pipe her down right here at this table if she didn’t quit. I pulled away and took a sip of the neat scotch that I had ordered.
“Stop distracting me.” I laughed lightly.