by Cole Hart
“Oh, jus’ a lil’ friend now, right?”
“Jus’ chill, dawg,” Kiki said. His eyes fell to the machine where he was carefully counting the money.
“Nigga, you know dat’ bitch suspect to be on camcorder. I know she’ll suck every dick at this table.”
Kiki didn’t respond. The only sound in the room was the flickering of the machine. He pulled on the cigarette again and then thumped the burning butt directly at the guy.
The guy’s eyes widened, and he quickly stood up. “Nigga, what da…”
Before he finished his statement, Kiki pulled his Glock from his waist and aimed it at the guy’s stomach. He shot him twice and watched him bleed a slow, awaiting death.
The remainder of the eyes in the room didn’t show any signs of emotions. Nothing. Everybody just went back to counting money. Even Kiki.
Chapter 28
Summer drummed her nails on the wooden kitchen table. Apparently, she was lost in thought. Her eyes gazed downward, nearly penetrating the table. Frankie Beverly and Maze was playing over and over in her head, a tune she’d heard while in prison. When the phone rang, it scared her for a minute.
“I’m comin’ over da’ Fifteenth Street Bridge now,” Kiki said from the other end when she answered.
Summer’s eyes widened a little as she quickly stood to her feet and cleared her throat.
“Okay,” she finally said. “When you come through the first light, make a left at the next light, and the second right, I’ll be waiting outside. What’chu in?”
“A green Range Rover,” he replied. “You might as well stay on the phone.”
She smiled and walked outside still holding her cordless phone to her ear. “Where are you now?” Her eyes scanned the street, and she grew excited at the sound of the thunderous bass that vibrated the windows of every apartment.
Seconds later, she saw him coming from around the corner. His rims reflected any light that hit them. As he slowly pulled up to her, he rolled his window down.
“Whazzup, lil’ lady?”
Her smile spread across her face. “I’m alright. How you doin’?”
Kiki put the Range in park and politely stepped down out of it. As they stood face-to-face, she could smell menthol smoke in his clothes and on his breath. Her smile slowly disappeared.
Kiki studied her eyes. They were attractive as hell. Straight beauty.
“What’s on yo’ mind?” he asked, more serious this time as if he knew something was wrong.
Her eyes drifted toward the ground, and then they swept across the evenly lined red brick projects. Kids were laughing somewhere in the background. An old man was underneath the hood of an old Dodge right across the street.
She looked into Kiki’s eyes again and said, “I have a very serious problem.”
“Get in.”
Over the next twenty minutes, Summer told Kiki everything she knew concerning her boys, while he studied every one that rolled off of her tongue. Lil’ Danté appeared on the small slab of concrete that was called the back porch. As he watched his mother and the stranger from a distance, an evil stare lurked in his eyes. Kiki continued talking to Summer, but he kept his eyes on everything, even Lil’ Danté.
The following day, a few calls were made to the district attorney’s office from a lawyer who Kiki had hired for the purpose of the twins. Today he stood out front of the Richmond County Jail with Summer. Kiki checked his watch and realized his personal attorney was late. Staring toward the blue sky from behind an expensive pair of shades, he took a deep breath and retrieved a cigarette. Summer studied his reactions. She admired his coolness, and he was more than fond of her.
“Is he comin’?” she asked.
Kiki just continued to stare toward the sky. Smoking slowly on his cigarette, he ignored her. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wine-colored Lexus coming through the parking lot. Kiki never would’ve thought his own attorney would let him down. The Lexus pulled up and stopped directly in front of him and Summer. She stared at the slick, blonde-headed guy, but Kiki continued gazing toward the sky and smoking his cigarette.
“Do I not pay you good?” Kiki said, never looking his attorney’s way.
“Of course you do, Kiki.”
“Well, nigga, why da fuck you late?”
“Uhhh…I…” he stuttered nervously.
“Jus’ go in and handle business.” He finally looked toward the white attorney and lifted his glasses from his eyes.
“I’ll handle it,” the attorney said in a whispered tone, then carefully pulled off and found a parking space.
Summer stared at Kiki in disbelief. “Why you talk to him like that?” She didn’t want anything to prevent her sons from getting out.
Kiki thumped his unfinished cigarette across the parking lot and placed his shades on Summer’s face. “You look good in these,” he said.
“That didn’t answer my question, though.”
“I stopped answering questions two years ago.”
She shrugged. “Well…”
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. Her arms slipped around his waist. She felt a lump underneath his shirt and knew he had to be crazy for having a gun on him while standing in the county jail parking lot.
“You ain’t got shit to worry ‘bout, okay?”
She looked into his eyes briefly and slowly laid her head on his shoulder.
*****
Big Will stood in his parents’ living room that was neatly decorated with tropical flowers. The ceiling was nearly fourteen feet high, and the room was crowded with expensive furniture. He turned around as his mother came down the stairs, and they made eye contact. She was in her early sixties, maybe late fifties by the way she carried herself, and was dressed in denim jeans, a cream-colored silk blouse, and a matching scarf around her neck. Her name was Julia, and her walk was more than elegant. She greeted her son with a hug and kiss. Then they sat down next to one another.
“What’s going on, Will?” she asked soothingly.
Without hesitating, he replied, “I got twin sons that nobody knows about. I didn’t really know myself. Something happened when I was young and… Well, that doesn’t matter right now. My sons are currently locked up, and I wanna be there for them.”
Julia sat in shock for a moment, turning her gaze toward a huge family portrait hanging over the mantelpiece. Her son’s smile had been so gorgeous back then, his eyes bright and gleaming. Julia allowed her eyes to find their way back to Will’s; she stared into them and took a deep breath.
Finally, she whispered, “You’re my only son, Will.” She paused and took another deep breath. “Twin gran’boys you say?”
He nodded. “They’re mine; I had the blood test.”
There was a short period of silence.
“And you haven’t spoken with your father?”
“Ma, listen please. I know I haven’t been the best son, but please let me try to be a father to my boys.”
His words cut through her like a razor. She pressed her lips together and felt a tear forming in the corner of her eyes. The silence in the room seemed to go on forever.
Then she said, “Alright.”
Chapter 29
The aroma wafted through the restaurant. The groomed waiter brought out a steaming, neatly-decorated platter of lobster tails, three kinds of shrimp, and two side orders, sitting everything down carefully before them.
Kiki sat patiently, but his stomach was in knots. Summer was across the table from him. He looked like money, and from the way he carried himself so far, she felt she could grow with him… in her own way, though.
Their eyes met briefly. Summer broke off the stare first and reached for a shrimp. She nibbled it with her glossy lips and wet tongue. Kiki never looked away from her; he could feel himself growing hard in his jeans. In the background, they could hear glasses clinking together as if a couple were toasting near them. They had a window seat in Red Lobster, but their view of the county ja
il wasn’t stunning at all.
Kiki’s phone vibrated against his hip. He removed it from his pocket and pressed the button to answer it.
“Yeah.”
Summer eyes were dead on him; she stared so hard that he broke off their eye contact. It was the attorney on the other end.
“Everything seems to be working out on the other end. I got a few more strings to pull and…”
Kiki cut him off. “Well, what’s the hold up?”
The attorney informed him that the kids’ grandparents on their father’s side had hired another attorney.
Kiki felt a surge of energy flow through his body. His eyebrows rose sharply, and his stare focused suddenly on Summer. He then reached inside his pocket and removed a pack of cigarettes.
“Another lawyer?” he asked in his low, southern drawl.
Summer was fast on the conversation. Another lawyer? She thought. Her look was one of bewilderment.
Kiki lit a cigarette and exchanged a few more words with the attorney before ending the call. He pulled the cigarette and French rolled a majority of the smoke as he exhaled, then looked at Summer. “My people said everything’s good, but the boys’ grandparents hired another attorney to help out, I guess.”
Her eyebrows bunched together, and her mouth suddenly went dry. Still, she found her words. “It must be their grandparents on their father’s side. And that’s something they should’ve talked to me about first.”
Kiki blew out a thin line of smoke. His dreads were not partially covering his face. “Who’s their daddy?” His words were thicker than lava.
She paused briefly and cleared her throat. Her eyes locked into his. “Far as I know, his name is Big Will. Nobody really. He’s supposed to have played ball in the NBA.”
“I never heard of him.” Kiki didn’t look surprised at all and damn sure wasn’t intimidated by any man on the face of this earth. He took another drag from his menthol Newport, then sat it in the glass ashtray and asked, “So is y’all together or what?”
Without any hesitation, she shook her head. “No,” she responded, then added, “We were never together. He fucked me without my consent when I was in high school.”
The waiter appeared at their table. “Is everything fine? Do you guys need anything?”
Kiki told him no and dismissed him with a hundred dollar tip. After he walked away, Kiki focused his attention back on Summer.
“Just to let you know, I don’t see this Big Will gentleman as a threat,” he told her.
“I don’t see him as a gentleman, either.”
Kiki grinned, his platinum diamond grill sparkling.
“You have no other choice to see him as a gentleman.”
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Because I’m a gangsta. And that’s from the heart.”
Summer smiled. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Taking another drag from his cigarette, Kiki took a long pause and then softly replied, “Things that are understood don’t need to be explained.”
He left it at that, giving her something to think about.
Three hours later, the twins were escorted from the Augusta Regional Detention Center to the 401 County Jail. Then they were turned over to the custody of Summer. She and Kiki waited out in the parking lot. They were standing in front of the Range Rover when the attorney escorted the twins outside.
Summer’s eyes watered with happiness as she raced over toward them with open arms. Both sons hugged her, and they made one big happy circle. Kiki watched from a distance with another Newport pressed between his thumb and forefinger. The attorney walked over to Kiki, and they exchanged a few words nonchalantly. Moments later, the attorney was gone. Summer brought the twins over to meet Kiki. She introduced the three of them, and minutes later, they were all loaded into the SUV.
Later that night, Kiki took the whole family out to eat at an expensive restaurant in Columbia County. They all sat comfortably around a monolithic marble slab table that matched the rose-veined marble floors. Fine elegant music played in the background. This was a high-class environment that seriously impressed Summer. The kids had never seen anything such as this, and Mrs. Diane was so impressed that she just knew Kiki could do no wrong.
Then, out of nowhere, Jeremy said, “You got dat work, don’t cha?”
Summer eyed her son angrily, and by the time everyone else around the table caught wind to it, she was already on her feet.
“Y’all, please excuse me.” Maintaining her focus on her son, she told him with her eyes to remove himself from the table, and he did.
Summer led Jeremy to the lobby area of the restaurant. She turned and faced him; he towered over her, looking down at his mother.
She pointed her long, manicured fingernail in his face and told him, “Don’t ever disrespect me.”
His heart raced rapidly; deep down inside he feared his mother. Her eyes were cold. He took a mental note of their deadly look. He licked his lips while keeping his eyes on her.
“Yes, ma’am,” he finally said.
Back at the table, Summer watched the chef as he entertained them. However, she was in a totally different mind state. She was hungrier than anyone around her, and her appetite was for money and the finer things in life. She wanted the best for her children. She wanted them out of the projects, and with her ambition, she would get it.
A few house later, Kiki stood behind Summer in a spacious bathroom of his penthouse in Evans, Georgia. They were both naked and surrounded by mirrors. Summer was bent over at the waist, her hands gripping the marble countertop and her back covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her back arched perfectly. Summer pretended to be nervous. He slowly allowed his hands to gently rub from her soft shoulders down to her curvy ass. He removed his right hand and gripped his hard, veined penis to guide it in between her warm cheeks.
She tensed a little, then in a begging voice she said, “Fuck me.”
She watched Kiki’s facial expression in the wall mirror. She knew he was excited; she saw it in his eyes.
“Put it inside me, Kiki. Slide it in real slow.”
Despite her request, Kiki entered her roughly, which caught her off guard. She was tight and wet. She gasped, and her eyes widened as if she was in fear. He spread her vagina and filled her up quickly.
“You want all of it?” he asked, holding on to her small waist.
She didn’t respond, at least not with her mouth anyway. Instead, Summer backed up into him, inviting him, letting him know she wanted everything he had to offer. He reached underneath her, cupped her firm breast, and rammed every inch he had inside her. He was rough, but she liked it. She sucked her teeth hard, and he rammed her again.
She screamed loud.
He drove again, deeper this time. Her moans and screams got louder, but she never stopped slamming herself against him.
“My pussy’s hot, baby,” she purred lustfully. “Make me cum. Make me cum.”
Those words rang in his ears for the next several hours.
Chapter 30
The following morning, they woke up in each other’s arms. Thin streaks of sunlight filled the room. Summer looked over at him.
“You want breakfast?” she asked, her eyes penetrating his.
A thin line of sun caught his left eye. He grinned a little and said, “Damn right, if you can cook.”
Summer smiled and then slowly started inching her way down to his penis. She massaged him gently until he began to get hard. Then she wrapped her lips around his throbbing head and flicked her tongue like a lizard. He looked down at her, and to his surprise, her eyes were waiting for his.
He ran his fingers through her hair, his heart pounding heavily again. He could feel his nerves jumping in his toes. What is she doing to me? he thought.
She had him. Slowly, she guided the full length of his penis in her mouth while clawing at his stomach. She could feel him tensing up, his stomach muscles tightened. He closed his eyes, and then they popped open.
“What about breakfast?” he asked.
With a freaky and seductive look blazing from her eyes, she paused and removed his penis from her mouth. “Can I finish eating first?” she asked.
Smiling, Kiki dropped his head back on the pillow. “You are too much,” he said.
The phone rang from the nightstand. He thought seriously about not answering it, but slowly reached over and clutched it.
“Yeah.”
“Hey, baby. How you doin’?”
“I’m coolin’,” he replied, his toes curling again as he guided Summer’s head. Then he added, “What about ya’self?”
“I’m good. However, I caught two fish last night that came in from Jacksonville, Florida.”
She’d caught his interest that fast. “What you think they’re playin’ with?”
“I’m not sure. They made it sprinkle in the club last night, so I’ll say they probably fuckin’ with at least two bricks or better.”
“Fo’ sho, huh?”
“Damn right. You know I don’t call about no bullshit.”
It took Kiki a few seconds to let those words sink in because Summer had him about to cum. “I’ll be to see you tonight,” he managed to say.
“Let’s not fuck around and miss this lick.”
There was a long pause.
“We won’t.”
After hanging up, he thought about asking Summer to marry him. She had him out there now, and that was really something he hated because women were his weakness. At least he knew it, though. Still, he would never reveal that to any of his associates. Not verbally anyway.
Now in the kitchen, Summer was preparing two T-Bone steaks with potatoes, onions, and red peppers. The aroma emerged from the cast iron skillet. Her head wrapped in a silk scarf, she paraded around barefoot in a colorful cropped camisole and boy shorts. Across the kitchen in the living room, she noticed Kiki coming downstairs. He was dressed in jeans and no shirt. A nice expensive diamond chain was around his neck, and he was talking to someone on his Bluetooth earpiece. Summer was flipping the steaks when he walked up behind her. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her softly on the neck.