by Cole Hart
“Yes. And from my understanding, he’s a notorious robber. Drug dealers and banks.”
“Is this accurate information?”
Mama Elizabeth touched Summer’s hand. “He works for me, baby, so I know.” Her hand then dropped to Summer’s inner thigh.
Summer stood and said, “I want in.”
Then they kissed.
Chapter 32
The following morning, Summer was parked in the lot of the strip club. The sun glared in her eyes as she watched and scanned every car from the driver’s seat of her Lexus. A glossy black Chrysler 300 pulled in on twenty-four inch rims and parked next to her.
“Hey, girlfriend. How you doing?” He tried hard to make his voice sound like a woman’s.
Summer casually stepped out the car, leaving the door open. “I need to contact the guy who owns this club.”
“Who, Shawn?” Mesha asked, confused. He knew exactly who Summer was talking about, but the look in her eyes told him something else.
Summer’s eyes penetrated his for a mere second or two. “Shawn is the manager, right?” she asked.
Mesha nodded. “So you talkin’ ‘bout Stacy then.”
Surprisingly, she pointed her finger, and a smile spread over her lips.
“Stacy,” she said. “I’ve been trying to think of his name.”
“I can call him for you if you want me to.”
“That’s alright. Jus’ give me his number.”
Mesha flipped down his visor and removed a business card. He scanned it quickly first to make sure it was the right one. Then he handed Summer the card. She looked at it, and there were three separate numbers listed. Stacy’s name was typed in bold letters across the bottom. Summer looked at Mesha and tucked the card in her pocket.
“We need to hook up sometime,” Summer told him.
Mesha’s facial muscles relaxed as he smiled. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“You cool with all the girls at the club?”
“Of course. Even the ones who don’t like me have to fuck with me.”
Summer took that statement in. Remembering what Mesha had said about Red Bone a week or two back, her mind took off at a high speed, going in all directions.
“You’ll be here tonight?” Summer asked, her voice soft and elegant.
“Yeah,” he responded. “It’ll be a few girls here from Atlanta and Charlotte. A lot of money will be in the place tonight. Stacks on deck, so I’ll be here.”
After they said their goodbyes, Summer got back inside her car and waited for Mesha to pull off. Once the Chrysler disappeared into the morning Broad Street traffic, she picked up the cell phone that Mama Elizabeth had provided her. She started to dial, and then she thought for a minute. The plan lingering in the back of her mind was that she wanted the club for herself. She needed a front to cover her money, and she knew the strippers would handle business for her. The entire seven years Summer was in federal prison she planned on how she would become a millionaire before the age of thirty-five. However, now that she had met Kiki and realized how much power he possessed, she was ready to use everything to her advantage. She used her body to get the attention she wanted. She used her mind to seal the deal. She started the car and dialed a number on speed dial.
*****
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Kiki sat outside on the balcony of the Hilton Hotel on the twenty-fifth floor. He wasn’t alone; the guy who handled business for him at Red Bone’s apartment accompanied him. Kiki learned that he went by Bookie in the streets and had just come home from serving a ten-year bid for armed robbery. Bookie admired Kiki and gave him respect. They both stood the same height, which was five-eight. However, Bookie packed much power inside his small frame. His mother’s name was tattooed in cursive on the left side of his neck and the words Only God Can Judge Me were on his left forearm.
Kiki fired up a cigarette just as his phone rang. He pressed the send button and inserted his earpiece.
“Hello.”
“Hey,” Summer said from the other end. “Can I see you today?”
Kiki drew from his cigarette and casually exhaled the smoke.
“Yeah, I’ll be in tonight. It ain’t no problem, is it?”
“No, it isn’t. I was jus’ preplanning something that I won’t talk to you about over the phone.”
He gave a half grin. That’s smart thinking on her part, he thought. “That’s good business. I’ll call you in a couple of hours.”
“Alright. See you later.”
After he heard the phone disconnect, he turned his focus back to Bookie, who split open a cigar and dumped the tobacco over the balcony. He then removed two mid-sized marijuana buds, and within seconds, he was wrapping the weed in the moist cigar leaf. He carefully sealed it with his lips.
Kiki snubbed half of the cigarette out into a clean ashtray. He looked at his watch, which let him know it was two minutes after three o’clock.
“These niggas are late,” he stated calmly, then stood up and walked to the cement wall to look over.
The vehicles passing through the maze streets looked like Hot Wheels from the floor he was on. His phone vibrated in his pocket again. He removed it and pressed the SEND button to answer.
“Yeah.”
“Hey, whazzup, pimp?” a guy asked in a deep, southern drawl.
“Where you at, bruh? You know I like to be prompt with everything I do.”
“Listen, partna, I got my kids with me and everythang. I ran into the back of this bitch’s car and gave her forty-five hundred so she wouldn’t call the police.”
“Alright, listen, where you at right now?” He turned and faced Bookie, who was watching him calmly.
“Over on Cascade, the Kroger Plaza.”
Kiki flipped his head at Bookie. “I tell you what. We’ll wait…”
“Naw, naw, I’m dirty. I need you to come through.”
“I’ll call you when I get in the area,” Kiki told him.
“Cool. I’m parked in a maroon Camry.”
“Forty minutes, bruh.” Kiki pressed the end button, removed the Bluetooth from his ear, and laid it on the table in front of him.
Bookie passed him the lit blunt. Kiki took a pull and released a stream of smoke, his eyes locking with Bookie’s.
“Now correct me if I’m wrong,” he said. “I got a nigga up here I’ve been knowing for the last ten years. I put him on wit’ the work, and I got him a house here in Atlanta.”
“Where he from?” Bookie asked. His eyes were nearly closed.
“He’s from Augusta. He’s jus’ been up here a few years. Anyway, I know this nigga like a Muslim knows the Quran, and he ain’t never sounded like this.”
“You think he’s trying to set you up?”
“Either wit’ the folks or he’s tryin’ to get some niggas to rob me.”
“So what ‘cha wanna do?” Bookie asked anxiously. He didn’t care what he had to do; he just wanted in.
Lost in thought, Kiki stared past Bookie for a minute. His mind was racing ninety miles per hour, even though he was a thinker and wasn’t too quick to jump. He looked at his watch again; time was steadily moving.
“I got to kill him,” he said in a whisper. “Not today, though.”
“Jus’ let me know what ‘cha want me to do.”
Kiki paused. His eyes were deadlier than a venomous snake. “I will. Trust me.”
Bookie rubbed his hands together. He couldn’t wait.
Chapter 33
A month later, Summer met up with a real estate agent from Century 21. Once again, she was in a rental car, a maroon Taurus. The agent–a white lady–pulled in front of the house in a cream Infinity. She stepped out casually dressed in a navy blue skirt and a white blouse, with her auburn hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She admired Summer as soon as she laid eyes on her. Summer was dressed in a Prada denim suit. Her toes were out, and her nails were painted black.
“Hello,” the agent said as they shook hands. “I’m Susan.”
Summer nodded casually, a small smile forming. “I’m Summer. We spoke with one another over the phone.”
Susan flashed an even set of white teeth. “Have you seen anything that you would like to purchase?”
“Well, I was thinking more of building my own house from the ground up, but I need to talk with someone of your caliber first. You know, like cheating my way into the real estate game.”
Susan gave a bewildered look. “So what is it that you’re looking for?” she asked, a bit nervous.
Summer’s tongue rolled out across her bottom lip. “You don’t really wanna know, do you?”
Susan looked into Summer’s eyes and saw where she was going with all of this. It just so happened that Susan had divorced her husband eight months ago because she found out he was cheating on her and had gotten another women pregnant. His infidelity crushed her heart.
She slowly extended her hand, and Summer took it. “I’ll give you a tour inside this house,” she said nervously.
Inside the living room, Summer didn’t waste any time. She locked the front door, pushed Susan against the wall, and began unbuttoning her blouse. Summer noticed her hard nipples pressing against the cotton bra. Closing her eyes, Susan started twitching her lower body.
“I’ve never been with a woman before,” she whispered.
“Have you ever thought about it?” Summer asked, then removed Susan’s bra so she could take her left nipple into her mouth. She kissed her breast and ran her hand underneath her skirt. To her surprise, Susan’s panties were soaked. Summer played with Susan’s clit through the fabric.
“Yes. It was a fantasy, though.” She reached behind her head and let her hair down, while taking short breaths. “Are you actually gonna eat my cunt?”
“Do you want me to?” Summer was inside her panties now, two fingers inserted into her tight, warm vagina.
“Yes…please.”
She came again. Shivering, she locked her hands around Summer’s waist.
Summer stared into her gray eyes and thought about the first time she’d seen Susan in the Sunday newspaper, how cute and innocent her face looked in the real estate section. Summer finally kissed her, and their tongues twirled around one another. Susan nearly fainted.
*****
Later, Summer pulled up at the club, which was now called Platinum Pieces. She parked in the space that read: Reserved for Owner. She stepped out of her Lexus, and the night air casually blew. She walked around to the side door, escaping the customers and the ladies that now worked for her. She met a beefed up security guy standing in the small, carpeted corridor.
“How you doin’, Summer?” he asked in a deep voice.
“I’m doing well,” she replied while unlocking the door to her office. She went inside, closed the door behind her, and took a seat at her desk. Summer had only held this position a little over two weeks, and the way she got it was unbelievable. She leaned back in her leather swivel chair and allowed her mind to drift back to the night it all happened.
In the middle of the night, Stacy was at home in his bed with his wife when the phone rang. He removed his arm from underneath the covers and reached for the phone on the nightstand.
“Hello.” He had been definitely sleeping by the way he sounded.
“May I speak with Stacy?” Summer asked when he answered.
Stacy looked at the clock. “Who the fuck is this callin’ me at two in the morning?”
“This is Summer, and I really…”
He cut her off. “You don’t really need to do nothin’ but hang up this phone and see me tomorrow.”
Pressing the power button, he ended the call, dropped the phone on the floor, and snuggled up against his wife. Before long, he was back to sleep.
The following morning, Bookie rang Stacy’s doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer. He turned his back to the door, facing the street where a stolen Grand Prix was parked. Nearly a minute passed. He checked his watch and realized how hard he was breathing. He then reached in his pocket, removed his asthma pump, and hit himself two quick times. He pressed the doorbell again, and within twenty seconds, he heard cursing and stomping as someone approached the door from the other side.
When the door swung open, Stacy stood there dressed in a pair of silk pajama pants. His chest, arms, and shoulders were ripped with muscles. With his face screwed up, he held a Glock .40 behind his right thigh.
“Who is you, partna?” Stacy asked.
Bookie held out a piece of paper. “I got a message for you.”
“A message? From who?”
“Here. Read it, dawg. I’m jus’ the delivery boy.”
“Well, you need to deliver the message. Read it to me yo’self.”
Bookie fought hard not to kill him; he tried not to show him how serious he could be. Bookie slowly unfolded the small piece of paper and began reading from it.
“To my friend Stacy, my lady friend gave you a call last night, and apparently, you got real fly out your mouth with her. I’ve set reservations for us to meet at the Radisson Hotel downtown in the lobby at ten o’clock this morning. Signed, Kiki.”
Confused, Stacy watched the back of Bookie’s head as he walked across the manicured front lawn and jumped into the car. Stacy’s anger had built up heavily. He knew Kiki personally and had heard about some of the things he’d done in the past. He also knew he wasn’t ready to deal with him on a confrontational level.
When Stacy got to the lobby of the Radisson, he saw Kiki and Summer sitting next to one another in separate chairs. There were two more chairs across from them. As Stacy walked in that direction, he noticed Kiki had on shades. He hated when someone wore shades that didn’t allow him to see their eyes. When he got to the table, Summer stood up and extended her hand, which he shook. Kiki never stood up; he didn’t even look at him.
“How y’all doin’?” Stacy asked.
“We’re fine,” Summer replied for the both of them. She gave him a smile and then crossed her legs. “When I called you the other night, I was offering you a price for your club, but since you refused to negotiate a price with me, I’ll assume you will take seventy-five grand today in cash.”
His eyes squinted as he looked at Kiki with a serious face. “What’s goin’ on, Kiki?”
Summer cleared her throat. “This meeting isn’t about Kiki, Stacy. Just you and I.”
Small beads of sweat began forming on Stacy’s forehead. He felt a lump in his throat. “I can’t sell my club for no seventy-five grand.”
“So what would you sell it for?” Summer asked, acting calm and very professional.
Again, his eyes went to Kiki, who was staring in another direction. Stacy felt the intimidation. Better yet, he saw it.
He looked back at Summer and said, “I’ma need a couple of days.”
“This has to be taken care of today. You opened the club twenty-eight months ago. You got seventeen ladies who are permanent there, not including the out-of-town bitches. You had a nice run, and you generated good paper. Don’t you think it’s time to pass the torch? Damn, let a bitch get in and get some paper. I promise that you will be rewarded in the long run.”
He wiped the sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. Then he dropped his head and shook it side to side.
Summer stared at him. She could care less about his feelings. This was extortion, and she didn’t give a damn who knew it.
“I guess I don’t have a choice,” he mumbled under his breath.
“But you do have a choice.”
A knock at Summer’s office door brought her back to the present. She raised her head.
“Come in.”
The door opened. It was Bookie, wearing a Dickies suit and sneakers. His dreads were hanging loose.
Summer smiled. “Whuzzup, Bookie?”
He sat down in the leather chair in front of her. “Kiki told me to come get you.”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
Bookie shrugged. “H
e jus’ told me to come get you.”
She stood up and walked toward the door with her eyes fixed on Bookie, who stood up and followed her.
Chapter 34
In the basement of a house in Blyth, Georgia, Red Bone was tied up naked and sitting in a dark corner on a cold concrete floor. Her feet were perfectly bound together and her hands wrapped behind her back, leaving her perky breasts exposed. The cold air gave her goose bumps and caused her nipples to harden. With her head lowered, her chin rested at the top of her chest. Two hours had passed since she last cried. Dealing with Kiki, she had given up all hope and lost faith in nearly everything except God.
The light came on. Red Bone raised her head and squinted her eyes. She heard keys rattling on the other side of the door. Her heart sped up, thumping rapidly inside her chest.
The door opened, and Kiki walked in first. He was in jeans and sneakers, no shirt, and a huge chain hung around his neck with his dreads tangled up in it. Summer came in behind him, her heels clicking against the concrete. She stared directly at Red Bone and immediately began to feel sorry for her. It was nearly unbearable to see her old friend destabilized in such a way. Summer was beside Kiki, and they both stood over her. Kiki squatted down in front of her and rested his forearms on each of his legs. He stared at Red Bone briefly in total silence. Feeling a chill run through her body, Summer wrapped her arms around herself.
“Now, I want you to tell Summer what you did and what you told me about her.”
Summer’s interest peaked. She swallowed hard and allowed her eyebrows to furrow. She was squinting so hard that small wrinkles appeared in the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t make me…”
Before she could finish, Kiki slapped her so hard that saliva flew from her mouth. She hollered and balled herself further into the corner, shivering.
“Tell her, bitch,” Kiki said between clenched teeth.
Red Bone shook her head uncontrollably. The right side of her face was blood red and swollen. Her eyes cut to Summer and her lips began to tremble.