Cover Girl

by Brittani Williams

  Tommy licked his lips in anticipation at Brooklyn’s round breasts, which sat just above the water. He slowly moved his hands down to his throbbing dick and began to stroke it. Through the rising steam, she watched as he pleasured himself with his eyes on her.

  “Do you want me to taste you again?” he quizzed. She seemed anxious to be touched.

  Brooklyn nodded her head yes, and he moved close to her, her hard nipples touching his chest as their lips met, and they instantly began to massage each other’s tongues. The sweet taste of her lip gloss excited him as he moved his hands down to her wet pussy. She moaned as he slowly slid one finger at a time deep inside of her, and the warmth of her tunnel sent him wild.

  He moved his kisses from her lips to her neck, and she tilted her neck to the side to give him full access. The scent of her perfume turning her on, he continued to tickle her clit.

  “Bend over,” he said.

  Brooklyn bent over so that her ass was facing him, her erect nipples touching the water.

  Tommy started caressing her perfectly round ass, which was just waiting to be kissed, and soon he was planting French kisses all over it. He stiffened his tongue and began to massage her asshole, which was delivering sweet nectar to his taste buds, holding on to her waist, forcing his tongue deep inside, until she couldn’t take anymore.

  Next Brooklyn sat on the edge of the hot tub with her legs opened wide. Her juicy mound was like art that deserved delicate attention. He got down on his knees and stared at her wetness as she held her lips open for him, and slowly licked her clit, making figure eight with his thick tongue over and over and sending her wild. Then he sucked on her wet clit and slowly let it slip from his lips a few times before burying his face deep inside.

  While he was making love to her with his tongue, she was palming the back of his head for a deeper grind. She began to tremble as she reached her peak yet again. But Tommy kept going and sucked up all of the come that she released.

  Brooklyn sat on the edge of the hot tub exhausted, but more than willing to return the favor.

  Tommy was ready as he stood up over her. With one leg over her shoulder, he rocked his hips back and forth and made love to her face as she began to suck on his hard dick.

  “Right there!” he moaned. He enjoyed letting his juices run down her chin. “Keep sucking, baby!” he yelled as he neared an orgasm. It wasn’t long before he was coming, and barely able to stand.

  Afterward, Tommy sat down next to Brooklyn, while she licked her lips. The experience was so special, neither of them could come up with a word to describe how good they felt.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Hitting the Fan 1993

  “Where are you going?” Tommy hollered from the rear of the apartment.

  “I have to make a few stops.” Just then, Brooklyn snuck into his coat pocket and peeled off forty dollars, hoping he wouldn’t miss it. “I’ll be back shortly.”

  “All right. Well, pick me up something to eat on your way back.”

  “OK,” she replied, though she had other plans that surely didn’t involve food. She walked out of the door, and to the corner where Stacey was waiting for her.

  “Did you get it?” Stacey asked.

  “Yeah, I got it. Let’s go.”

  The two turned the corner and began the six-block walk to their destination, a small row home where they’d be able to purchase the drugs they were looking for. With the money Brooklyn had stolen from Tommy, she and Stacey could buy a four-day supply of heroin and cocaine. As they did on most days, they would go inside and get high and try to maintain their normal lives. If Brooklyn couldn’t steal cash from Tommy, she would steal items and sell them to support her habit. She didn’t care who it came from or what she had to do to get it. Of course, with so much drug use, she had become thin and frail.

  The two patiently waited in line for their product and hurried to the corner to prepare to get high. After leaving the house they roamed the streets. Most days they would walk for hours and accomplish nothing.

  Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s mother and children were living in a condemned home. Part of the roof had fallen in, and there was no gas. They were sharing a room that they used to do pretty much everything. They would bathe and even cook on an electric hot plate in the same room that they’d all cuddle up and sleep in. Brooklyn occasionally popped in and out but not often enough. Most of her visits led to fistfights with her mother and arguments with her oldest daughter.

  Brooklyn headed back to the house empty-handed, forgetting all about the food Tommy had asked for, and entered calmly.

  “Where the fuck is my money, Brooklyn?”

  “What money?”

  “You know what money I’m talking about,” he yelled. “Forty dollars is missing out of my coat.” Tommy was aware of Brooklyn’s drug habit in the past but had been fooled into thinking she had quit. Lately, money was missing and bills weren’t getting paid, so he already assumed she’d been using the money to get high. Deep down, he was hoping it wasn’t true, that she was actually using the money for something else.

  She stood there trying to come up with an answer, the effects of the drugs she’d used earlier having worn off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tommy. I don’t have any of your money.”

  “Oh, yeah? Well, clear your pockets.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Clear your pockets and show me what’s inside.” He moved in closer to her, breathing hard on her face.

  “I’m a grown-ass woman, Tommy. I’m not clearing shit. I already told you I didn’t take your fucking money. Now back up,” she yelled, nudging him away.

  “I know you’re out there getting high again. I told you, if I found out about it, you were getting out. I’m not living with no fucking junkie, you hear me?”

  “I just told you I’m not getting high.”

  Tommy pushed her onto the sofa and sat on top of her, holding her arms down. As she tried to resist, he dug in her pockets and pulled out the bags of heroin she had inside.

  Waving the bags in the air, he looked at her with hatred, wondering how the hell he’d fallen for her in the first place. “You’re not on anything? Then what the hell is this?”

  “Get off of me, Tommy! I’m not going to sit here and argue with you. If you want me gone, then fine, I’m gone.”

  Tommy stood off her and let her rise from the sofa, and she headed to the back room to attempt to gather her belongings. He stormed into the room behind her, snatching the bag from her hand.

  “You’re not taking anything of mine. Everything that I paid for is staying here.”

  She frowned her face up before turning to leave the room. She knew he’d come looking for her as he normally did, begging her to come back, so she walked out without any hesitation.

  Within a week she was right back home, and back to stealing his money every chance she got, so she could go out and run the streets.

  She was slowed down a great deal, once she learned that she was once again pregnant. She was pissed that she had to deal with the responsibility of a baby once again. She was absent in her children’s life and didn’t fight to change it, so she knew the same thing would happen with this one. She even contemplated abortion but was certain if she got her hands on that type of money, getting rid of the baby would be the last thing on her mind.

  Tommy wasn’t too excited, but he was hoping that a baby would be just the thing she needed to slow her down. As much as he begged her to stop getting high for the sake of the baby, it still didn’t matter one bit.

  Of course, with a woman like Brooklyn, there was no winning when she had her mind set on doing something. She wasn’t ready to quit and didn’t plan on it anytime soon. Months into the pregnancy she was still running the streets. She was barely gaining weight and would oftentimes get sick when she got high, but would still look for more once her stomach settled.

  A few weeks short of her delivery, she attempted to take a break, hoping the drugs in her
system would go unnoticed. She didn’t realize that her baby would experience withdrawal symptoms as well. She ended up right back on the drugs to avoid getting sick.

  After a long day on the streets, she realized that her water had broken, and she was rushed to the hospital in more pain than she could remember being in. Even being high didn’t mask the pain.

  She cursed almost everyone she came in contact with during the delivery, including Tommy, who arrived an hour after she’d gotten there. Stacey, who had been with her the whole day, was at her side, trying to calm her. She gave birth to a boy, who was instantly taken to the newborn intensive care unit to be treated. The baby was hooked on the drugs his mother used daily, had respiratory problems, and an extremely fast heart rate.

  After weeks of intensive care, Tommy Jr. was allowed to go home with his dad. Since Brooklyn wasn’t living at Tommy’s house, he was granted custody after a complete background check.

  After the baby was home, Brooklyn spent a lot of time with him, but it became stressful and couldn’t keep her still. During the day she would run the streets and go there at night, staying up with the baby all night, while Tommy worked. Life with the baby wasn’t something she was used to or even wanted to get used to.

  Meanwhile, Tommy struggled and was becoming more fed up with each passing day.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Keep On Walking 1994

  “How’s the baby?” Tommy asked as he entered the living room.

  “He’s fine,” she snapped.

  “Why all the attitude tonight?”

  “Tommy, please don’t start.”

  “Don’t tell me what the hell to do. I asked you a question!”

  “Nothing, Tommy. I’m just tired. I have a newborn baby that keeps me up all night. I guess you wouldn’t know, because you’re never here.”

  “What did you say? Don’t blame me for him keeping you up. If your ass wasn’t a crackhead, he’d be fine, so you can’t blame anyone but yourself for that one.”

  “Forget it, Tommy. I’m in no mood to argue with you tonight.”

  “Well, guess what, Brooklyn? You don’t make the fucking rules! I pay the bills in here, so I’ll talk about what I want when I want,” Tommy said, grabbing her arm tightly.

  “Tommy, you’re hurting my arm.”

  “I don’t care, and unless you plan on stopping me—”

  “Calm down. You’re going to wake the baby up.”

  “I told you not to tell me what to do, didn’t I?”

  “Tommy!” she screamed.

  “Fuck you, OK!” He spat in her face and walked toward the door.

  Brooklyn broke down as she wiped his spit from her face. She had never been so disrespected in her entire life. Why me? she thought. Why is this happening to me?

  Instead of looking in the mirror at the true cause, Brooklyn never accepted responsibility for her mistakes and often blamed everyone else when things went wrong. She knew their relationship was pretty much done at this point, but now that a baby was involved, it wasn’t as simple to walk away as she’d done with him many times in the past.

  Tired of worrying about his attitude, or the times when the baby needed to eat, she was ready to be on her own. She knew what people thought of her, but she didn’t care. After Tommy left, she put the baby to sleep, got dressed, and left a note that she wouldn’t be back.

  Tommy returned to the house an hour later to find the baby still asleep and Brooklyn missing. He searched the house thinking that she’d possibly just fallen asleep in another room, since she’d claimed she was tired. After returning to the room where the baby was sleeping, he found her note. He sat down on the edge of the bed staring at it and shaking his head in disbelief. He realized at that moment that, regardless of how hard she’d tried, she was never gonna be the woman he fell in love with. He had to give up on her if he was going to be a good father to his son.

  Brooklyn had just arrived at Stacey’s house, and as she waited for her to open the door, she thought about the life she was leaving behind. She was sure Tommy and the baby would be better off without her.

  Stacey opened the door with a smile. “Girl, what are you doing here?”

  “I left them,” she replied, walking into the house.

  “You left who?”

  “Tommy and the baby.”

  “What do you mean you left them?”

  “I walked out. I left a note telling him I wasn’t coming back. I’m tired, Stacey, and I can’t do it no more. I can’t sit around always worrying about someone else. I need to think about me.”

  “You don’t really mean that, Brooklyn.”

  “Why not? I mean, look at me, Stacey—I look like shit and I have kids I don’t even think about. No one needs me. They are all better off without me.”

  “That’s not true, Brooklyn. They do need you. Hell, I need you. Remember when we talked about getting clean together? I think now is the time. We both had bright futures and let the streets ruin it. I think they’ll all be able to forgive you if you get your life back on track.”

  “I don’t think they’ll ever forgive me, and I deserve it. I treated my family like shit. I was always addicted to something, you know. Before drugs there were men and money, and they were just as damaging to me. There’s no reason to quit, because there’s nothing to live for anymore.”

  “Look, I know you’re just upset, so you’re saying things that you don’t mean, but I know how it feels to be down, and on top as well. We can’t sit thinking about the things we could’ve had. We have to think about what we currently have and the things we want to get.”

  Brooklyn sat there taking in every word, yet she was feeling like she wasn’t strong enough to make a step toward getting better, like a mere pawn in a game she could never win.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  They Keep Calling 1996

  Brooklyn stood in the mirror looking at herself as she prepared to go see her family. She’d been running the streets and hadn’t seen her children in almost a year. She wanted to look as presentable as possible when she showed her face, to spare herself as much embarrassment as she could. She wasn’t really enthusiastic about stopping in but felt it was about time that she went.

  It was mid-morning when she left Stacey’s house to head over. The weather was cold, but she was bundled up enough to shield herself from the wind that almost blew her over when she tried to cross a street. She hadn’t seen Stacey since the night before, so she stopped by their local hotspot on the way, just to let her know where she’d be for the evening. As she walked toward the house she spotted some commotion in the alley a couple of feet from the house. She glanced over but knew not to stick her nose in other people’s business, especially in that neighborhood.

  Right as she walked past the alley, she heard a scream from a voice that sounded like Stacey’s. She then walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

  “Stacey,” she called out as she walked closer. She couldn’t see her through the crowd but could hear her sobs a mile away. She called out her name again, pushing her way through the crowd.

  Once she made it to the front of the group, she found Stacey on her hands and knees, leaning over a man’s lifeless body. She couldn’t see who it was, but something told her she knew the man. She called Stacey’s name again, grabbing a hold of her shoulder, so she could see who it was. She almost fainted when she saw Sincere’s face.

  She got down next to Stacey and grabbed hold of Sincere’s blood-soaked shirt, trying to shake him, but he wasn’t moving. He was already gone, but neither of them was ready to believe that.

  “Come on, Sincere, get up,” Brooklyn said, shaking him repeatedly.

  Sincere had been shot the night before and left in the alley, hence the reason for the dried up blood on his clothes. A man who had gone in the alley to urinate saw his motionless body and screamed, causing the group to form. The bystanders looked on as the two women cried over the man they loved, a man who’d fathered a child by both w
omen.

  “What happened? What the hell happened to him?” Brooklyn screamed into the crowd, while Stacey was sitting there in a daze, tears pouring down her cheeks.

  Brooklyn couldn’t believe her eyes and was hoping it was all a dream. Though they’d had a tumultuous relationship, she’d always loved him and never wanted to see him hurt. Everyone standing around was acting as if they had no clue, when they probably knew a whole lot more.

  Soon she heard the cops pulling up and entering the alley, pushing everyone away from the scene, including herself and Stacey, who had to be practically pried away from his body.

  Both women knew that, with the life he lived, there was a strong possibility that someone would try to get rid of him. Now that the situation was staring them right in the face, they were having a hard time coping with it, even though he wasn’t much of a father to their kids. Brooklyn stood the stronger of the two, holding it together, as the officer spread a sheet over his dead body.

  Sidney pulled up a few moments later and was trying to bust through the police tape to see Sincere’s body, but the officers guarding the area denied him access. He quickly got back in his car and sped off.

  Brooklyn’s plan of going to see her family had now changed. She wasn’t prepared to tell Sasha that her father had been murdered. She decided on taking Stacey home. The remainder of the day she sat staring out the window, a million questions running through her head, as Stacey lay in a blanket on the couch. She wondered who the culprit was and imagined taking them out for what they’d done.

  The following day Brooklyn broke the news to her daughter, who took it hard. She wanted to make sure to be there for her, totally ignoring the fact that she needed someone as well.

  Brooklyn had never lost anyone she’d cared about, so she didn’t know how to deal with her loss. She cried often but would straighten up to be the backbone for everyone else, using drugs to take her mind off the situation. Slowly it was eating away at her, feeling like she couldn’t talk to anyone. Now she’d turned into someone unlovable, even to herself, and wasn’t sure how to handle it. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became. She remembered her life before Sincere and how bad she wanted to grow up. She often wondered, if she hadn’t gotten with him, would her life have been any different?