Syn: Sex Is Syn, Love Is Pain

by J Peach

  “Fuck dollars and quarters, just take me back to yo place and leave me in yo room for a minute. I bet the next time you see me I’ll have an all white one of those,” I pointed to the red Bentley outside of the window. I smiled at him as I ate a fork full of my potato.

  Parker barked out a laugh. “Damn, you gon’ rob a nigga, huh?”

  Nodding my head, I took a napkin and wiped my mouth. “That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. Okay, back on track. So you really live out here?” I asked, bringing us back to our earlier subject.

  “Yep, born and raised. I live a few blocks up the street, but with my work I go from Indy to yo neck of the woods and then back here. Bloomingdale just an in between city. Shid, it’s like a two, maybe three, hour drive from either place, which ain’t shit. I spend about a day or two a week in each city before making my way back here,” he explained and once he did it made sense.

  “That explains the once or twice a week visit to the club. Damn, that’s a lot of driving.”

  “N’all, it ain’t.” With that, he stopped talking and started eating. His ass was like a human vacuum the way he inhaled his food. I mean, he ate everything that was ordered.

  Chapter 16

  Angel

  I had finished my food before him and since he basically ended our conversation, I grabbed my phone. Immediately I saw that Leon had repeatedly texted me about what dude I was with. I ignored his messages while I texted the girls in a group message. All of them wanted to know if I gave up the coochie to Parker and if so, they wanted to know how it was. And they wanted to know if his dick was small from steroids. I read and reread that last bit and laughed loudly.

  “What’s funny?” Parker asked, bringing my attention back to him.

  “Are you on steroids?” I asked him.

  His brows furrowed as he gave me a crazy look. “Hell n’all, why you ask some dumb shit like that?” I handed him my phone so he could read the group messages. After a minute he started laughing. “What the fuck is wrong with these chicks? Because I’mma big nigga I gotta be shooting steroids?”

  Laughing, I nodded my head. “Yep.”

  “These mothafuckas crazy. Why you lie saying we ain’t fuck? Why you just won’t tell them the truth? I mean, lie about how we met, but shid, tell they ass we’ve been knowing each other. It’s crazy how you can keep it realer with me than you can them. If they ass ain’t gon’ accept what you do then baby girl you need to find yoself new friends,” Parker stated, still looking at my phone.

  I kind of got an attitude. “I never said they wouldn’t accept what I do, so don’t speak on shit you know nothing about,” I snapped at him, which brought his eyes to mine. Rolling my eyes, I looked away from him.

  “Yo, kill that right there. Shid, I wasn’t tryna piss you off, I’m just saying. You so straight up with me and basically every other nigga, but when it come to them, you wanna be hush-hush about shit. The way them bitches up strap on my ass for just grabbing you says they’re some down ass bitches that’ll rock with yo ass. But shid, you can’t even be straight up with them.”

  “I can and I’m going to tell them once I finish school.”

  Lie, that’s a damn lie.

  I didn’t plan on telling them about me dancing, I wasn’t ashamed or anything, but I knew them… then again, I really didn’t know how they’d react to something such as that. After a minute, I decided that it was best if I didn’t think about it so I stopped.

  “Yo girl single?” Parker suddenly asked.

  “What? Why?” Confusion was heavy in my voice. He held up my phone and a picture of Kimmy was on the screen.

  “This the chick that pulled that Eagle out on my ass right?” Laughing, I shrugged. “Yeah, it was her. She thick, my nigga—”

  I cut him off. “Nigga, you are not about to play match maker with my friends. Yo boys wouldn’t know what to do with my bitches, plus Kim is complicated at the moment.” Kimmy was between two different niggas, adding another into the mix would only cause more problems.

  “Complicated can become uncomplicated with just a phone call. Just like with yo situation.” The seriousness in his voice had me quiet for a second.

  “I don’t have a situation.”

  Looking up from my phone, his brows rose. “Could’ve fooled me. But I got a proposition for you.” Sitting up straight, he moved his plates out of the way. My ears were open to hear what he was offering. “If you wanna keep dancing, do what you want, but you don’t have to. School, I’ll take care of that, you know what I’m saying. You wouldn’t have to worry about that no mo’—”

  My sudden chuckle shut him up. “Wow, okay. And what do you want for doing this? Wait, let me guess. You need a body packer for yo shit? No, I’m not doing that. I’m not swallowing no fuckin’ baggies or stuffing shit up my ass and taking it out the country or to any prisons. Oh, if that’s not it, I’m not sleeping with no one and bringing you back ninety percent of what’s made, I’m nobodies hoe but my own. I’m not—”

  “Yo! What the fuck is you talkin’ ‘bout? I ain’t on no shit like that. The fuck type of niggas you fuck with?” He looked at me crazy with his face screwed up as if I was deranged.

  My mouth opened then closed as I stared at him in confusion. “Umm… Then what do you want? We already fuckin’, so what else is there?” I asked, still confused about the offer he was making.

  “I don’t share, simple as that. You can keep dancing if you want, but that little fuckin’ shit you doing on the side, you gon’ have to drop it,” he said with a shrug.

  “As good as that sounds… no. I already told you I’m doing good with what I do. My school payments get paid. Sweet offer tho’, but I’mma have to pass. Because I’m not going to wait until later on for you to come back at me with I owe you something. So I’m cool,” I told him truthfully.

  I’d dealt with a lot of niggas when I was younger and I had to do some crazy shit to repay them for their so called help. I had boyfriends that helped out with bills only to come back and ask for unthinkable favors. And those favors ranged anywhere from fuckin’ or suckin’ a friend to stuffing a few baggies of coke in my pussy to get that coke into a correctional facility. Once I got there, there was always some big handed ass nigga playing with my shit to get the drugs out. And that was only if the right guard was on watch.

  Niggas wasn’t shit. So even though Parker’s offer sounded good, there was always some bullshit attached to it in the long run.

  “Syn, I ain’t on no shit like that. On everything I ain’t, man. I just don’t want you fuckin’ no other niggas, yah understand me? You can even put in work so it won’t seem like a hand out,” he said.

  Laughing, my head shook. I knew there was something more to it. “What work would I have to do?” I asked with a heavy sigh. Sitting my phone down, he waved the waiter over before putting his hat half way on the left side of his head.

  “You wanna be a lawyer or close to that field? I gotda a few connections out there where you stay. So, I’ll speak good on you to a friend, have him teach you a few things, what they call that shit? Hands on training. Going to court and all that shit lawyers do. I’ll see to it you have all the benefits you need. But you gotta work for that shit, you understand me?” He looked so serious.

  “You gon’ be representing me,” he went on. “So I hope yo ass been up with yo studies, I ain’t tryna seem like no damn fool. It’s a catch, tho. If you take this, you gotta come to Bloomingdale with me three days outda the week when I’m coming in and out of the cities. The days I’m coming out, I’ll make sho you don’t have to work. That’s the only catch, I swear. I ain’t gon’ have you out here doing no other shit or come at you on some owing me shit. You got my word on that,” his voice held sincerity. “Before you throw this offer out the window, I’ll give you a few days to think on it. In the meantime, Google Brown—”

  “Brown and West’s Criminal Law firm? I put in an application there for a receptionist position…” trailing off, I checked my excit
ement at the mention of one of Gary’s biggest Criminal Law firms. I cleared my throat and shrugged as if it was nothing. “I mean, I applied there a few years ago, never got a call back, tho.” I tried to act nonchalant about it, but from the look on his face, I knew he saw right through me.

  “Like I said, think on it…” he mumbled as he looked down at my phone. Then he picked it up.

  I reached across the table and tried to grab it from him. Parker pushed my hand down to the table. “Hold on, it’s ringing.” Not thinking, I stopped trying to grab for it. “Yeah?”

  It wasn’t until he answered it that I came to my senses. “Parker, give me my damn phone,” I snapped, not believing that nigga answered my phone. I went to get out of the booth, but somebody slid in next to me. Seeing it was Mane, the dude from the gas station, I smiled. “Hey,” I spoke, but he didn’t return my friendly greeting. Instead, he mugged me.

  “You shot at me, I should strangle yo ass,” he threatened.

  My brow rose at that. “You can try, but if you’re smart you wouldn’t.” My brows furrowed as I stared at him. Where the hell did he even come from? I looked to a table behind me only to see Jason, the guy whose car I was about to take, and there were a few other dudes sitting next to him. That was then I noticed we were the only ones in there. I turned back to Mane and pushed him. “Would you move, damn. Go sit over there.”

  “Here,” Parker said, handing me my phone. “Leon called, I told him you were busy and you’ll call him back.” I mugged Parker hard as I pushed his friend again. “Would you leave that man alone? He ain’t done shit to you. Mane, move,” Parker said, already out of the booth. Once Mane got up, I went to slide out as well, but I was pushed back into the booth as Parker got in next to me. I pushed him. “What the fuck I say about putting yo hands on me? Make me slap yo ass.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pushed him again. He looked back at me and I laughed. “You better gone.” He didn’t even touch me and I was saying that. Grabbing my vibrating phone, I looked to see that I had a text from Leon.

  This’s how you doin, huh? Got niggas answering yo phone? Fuck you!

  Letting out a heavy breath, I texted Leon back.

  Ain’t yo bitch around? Stop textin’ me, Leon. I’m done fuckin with you. I’m not bullshittin!

  Then I turned off my phone. I wasn’t about to keep going back and forth with a nigga I wasn’t even dating. Good dick or not, his drama wasn’t worth it.

  I would’ve been lying if I’d said I didn’t like Leon. However, me liking Leon wasn’t on no relationship type of thing, it was only as a friend. I considered his feelings, and knowing how he felt about me, I didn’t want to hurt him.

  Yeah, he was a dog ass nigga when it came to bitches, but even so, Leon was always good to me. I’d just talk to him when I got back home.

  “What’s up, lord?” Came a hoarse, but slightly deep voice.

  I glanced up at the person and my eyes squinted as I looked at a slender built, mocha skinned, baby face dude. That nigga was pretty as hell. He was maybe six feet tall with long crisscross braids. A pretty black mole sat at the right corner of his top lip and the nigga had the nerve to have deep dimples when he smiled.

  Dude was fresh as hell, his clothes weren’t all that baggy. He wore light blue Polo jeans that hung just below his ass with a red polo shirt.

  Damn, I need to bring my bitches down here.

  “You know what? My girls just might like this,” I told Parker before grabbing my phone. I turned it back on, pulled up my camera, and took a picture of that pretty nigga. Then I quickly sent a text to the girls.

  So why the fuck this nigga pretty like this, tho? I sent to them.

  “Did she just take a picture of me?” Pretty dude asked, not seeming happy about that at all.

  “She’s right here and no I didn’t,” I lied. “I’m Angel, by the way,” I held my hand out for him to shake. He looked at it then back to me.

  Okay…

  “I know who you are,” after stating that fact, he went back to whispering something to Parker.

  Okay, so I take it he don’t like me.

  I felt hella salty. I pulled my hand back, trying to pretend that dismissal didn’t happen.

  “Baby girl, wipe that dusty ass look off yo face,” Mane, seeing the whole thing said with a laugh.

  Without looking at him, I snapped anyway. “Shut the fuck up!” Feeling his eyes on me, I glanced at him only to laugh at the wide Ronald McDonald smile on his face. Now that I was actually looking at him instead of being distracted by his big, hulk like form, I saw that Mane was a handsome six feet two, maybe three, chocolate man. That was exactly what he was, a man. Nothing about him said boy. For such a big dude, though, he had a kind of soft look to his hazel eyes that matched his boyish smile.

  “Don’t worry about Chris, he always like this. It’s probably his time of the month.” My brows rose at that, making him laugh. “You know that thing y’all chicks get once a month?”

  “A period?” Mane nodded at that before nodding towards Chris who was still whispering to Parker.

  “Yeah, that. He ‘bout pissy he can’t get that Spanish bitch he got to eat his pussy,” Mane laughed out loud.

  Covering my mouth, I tried not to laugh.

  “Nigga, shut the fuck up before you be eating my pussy,” Chris, the pretty dude snapped. “Bleeding or not, I still get my nut.”

  My face scrunched up as he said that. Why would he say that?

  “C, get the fuck outda here with that shit, man. Ain’t nobody tryna hear that. A nigga just ate.” Parker rubbed his hand over his head. “Sometimes I forget you a bitch until yo ass start talkin’ this bullshit.”

  That last sentence got my attention. “Wait, what?” I asked, looking at dude. I’m so lost right now. “Okay, I’m not trying to be rude, but you a girl?” I already got the feeling dude ain’t like me, I hoped asking that question didn’t make him go the fuck off on me if I was wrong.

  “N’all, I’m a nigga with a pussy, is all,” he answered, looking at me like I was dumb.

  Because of Missy I’d seen a lot of butch bitches, but that mothafucka right there? If it wasn’t for the fact that they told me, I would’ve thought he was born a dude—she was born a dude. My eyes went to his chest which was flat. Damn, I wanted to reach forward and press against his chest just to see if I felt any breasts.

  “Damn, Parker. My nigga, I been tryna get up with yo ass for a few weeks now,” some guy called from the side door we were facing. He had two other dudes with him.

  Even though the guy greeted Parker with a friendly tone of voice, his face and eyes told a different story. He looked like he didn’t want to be in the diner at that moment. Let alone want to talk to Parker. The table suddenly got dead quiet as dude and his friends made their way toward our table.

  Quiet was never a good thing where I was from. If a group of niggas suddenly stopped talking, there was either a snitch, a cop, or simply a nigga they didn’t fuck with around. My hand slipped into my purse which sat on my lap. Grabbing that steel handle, I quickly took the safety off.

  I didn’t know what to expect and no one had replied to the dude, so either one of them was about to start trouble or Parker and his boys were. Whichever was first, I was going to be ready to shoot and get the fuck out of there. I felt a foot tap my leg under the table. I looked up at Mane who shook his head at me as if he knew what I was thinking.

  Parker suddenly stretched before reaching in his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He then stretched out in the booth. Parker propped his right leg on the seat as he leaned into me, practically pushing me into the window.

  “Oh, you been looking for me?” He chuckled as he took a pull from his cigarette. “So you got that hunnit thou?” Parker didn’t wait for his reply as he looked over at Jason. “Aye, J, go get that machine from the back.”

  Dude let out a nervous laugh. “N’all, I ain’t got the hunnit, but shid, I was tryna get some work from you so I can g
et that shit. You know what I’m sayin’?”

  Parker looked from his right to the left side of the place and then nodded toward the door. I looked over to see Jason locking it.

  Oh, shit! I hope they don’t beat this niggas ass in front of me.

  “So you bring yo ass in here without my money or work and you asking for mo? To pay me off, right? Chris, how long have I been lookin’ for this mothafucka?” Parker pointed at dude as he made it known who he was referring to.

  Chris leaned against the table and shrugged. “Shid, foe, five, maybe six months. Even tried callin’ and still not a thang. If you ain’t got shit, what the fuck was you coming in here to buy with?” Chris asked him.

  God, I hope this man got some money! And why would his stupid ass come in here tryna cop some shit?

  “My dudes got fifty each.”

  He has to be the dumbest street nigga I ever came across.

  Parker sat up then. “Oh, yo peeps got fifty each? Chris, get that shit. You not tryna come in here and buy new shit with my money? Riel, you ain’t stupid to do no shit like that, is you?” Parker asked, still sitting down next to me. For a situation like that, Parker was hella relaxed. He wasn’t twitching, his leg wasn’t bouncing, nothing. Even his voice was calm and collected.

  “N’all, Parker, hell n’all. But we took a hit, some niggas run in the crib and took everything. Shid, I ain’t wanna come to you with that until I got some of yo shit back.”

  “Aye, ain’t this yo bag?” Chris called from the table in front of us with a Louis Vuitton book-bag. As he walked toward us, he was opening the front pouch. Once he had it open, he stopped walking. He looked up at Riel and then pulled out a thick, long diamond chain with an all diamond cross. “How much you think this run for?” He asked, tossing the chain to Parker. But Mane took it from him and started examining it.