Sen and Neicey- Life After Love

by Briann Danae

  Walking over to her, Juvie pulled her into a hug and placed a kiss upon her forehead, letting his lips stay planted. “You need to learn to control your temper,” she voiced softly, squeezing him tight.

  “I will, baby. Damn, you just saved a nigga’s life.”

  Watching the couple embrace one another, Meechi pulled his phone from his pocket and was getting ready to call Erica, but saw he had a message from her. Opening their thread, a content, light smile graced his face at the picture she sent. On one side of her, Daiya was curled up under her and Lil Meechi’s body was stretched out over Erica’s. Attached was a text that said, “All we’re missing is you.”

  Meechi texted back and let her know he’d be home soon. And, he always would. For his family, he made a promise to himself that the streets would never get what belonged to them. He didn’t owe the streets shit, and he was hoping like hell Sen didn’t think he did either.

  ***

  Regardless of the number of times they had discussed what to do if Sen ever went to jail, everything Sen told Neicey went out the window when Solai called her. It had been well over five hours since she had asked Ms. Price to take over the receptionist desk for the day and, if they didn’t release her man soon, she was about to show her entire ass. The only reason she hadn’t yet was because she was sure Sen had already done the most… and she was right.

  In the back of the precinct, Sen released what seemed like the hundredth yawn and scratched his scalp. “Look, man. I don’t know what type of information you trying to get up out of me, but a nigga is tired, you feel me?”

  The detective who was trying to find his big break in the department sat with a tight face. Sen had already told his ass to loosen up. It looked like he was constipated, and he might as well have been because he and the cops who brought Sen in were full of shit. And in just a few minutes when Sen’s lawyer returned, they’d be called out for it.

  “I don’t feel you. You think you’re some type of God going around murdering people and thinking you can get off with it? Not on my watch.”

  Sitting back in his seat, Sen gave him a blank stare. “Don’t ya’ll?”

  “Are you calling us murderers?”

  Chuckling, Sen shrugged his shoulders. He was a damn rookie detective incriminating himself, and Sen hadn’t even said much. “Call yourself what you want. I’m calling it how I see it. You mufuckas ain’t no better than the murderers out there on the streets, if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t ask you shit!” he spat, jumping from his seat. The act didn’t faze Sen one bit.

  “Actually,” he replied holding up one finger, “you did. But, hey! You’re in charge here, right?”

  Before he could answer the question with a smart remark, Sen’s lawyer burst through the door. Briefcase in hand and a file he received from the judge that the arresting cops swore they received a warrant from, he had a smug look on his face. After tracking the judge down, it was revealed that the warrant was a fake and the judge had no clue of a warrant.

  “Mr. Giordano, my apologies for my late arrival, but I can assure you that we will be seeing this department in court. A fake warrant? How professional, gentleman.”

  Shaking his head, Sen stood from the chair and grinned. “Real classy, Smith and Charles. Real fucking classy of you guys. I need to take notes,” he said to the arresting cops, who were in the doorway.

  “This isn’t over,” the detective said.

  Tossing his middle finger up, Sen walked out of the door with Mr. Taylor behind him. “This is indeed over,” he spoke on behalf of his client.

  After gathering his belongings, which didn’t take long at all to retrieve under the circumstances, they walked out of the doors and down the steps where Neicey was waiting. Being mature, she opted out of arguing with the bitch behind the front desk and waited outside. Both of them couldn’t be hauled up.

  “Taylor!” Sen called out to his lawyer. “Get me all the dirt you can on that detective and have his ass resign.”

  “The arresting cops?”

  Sen chuckled. “Fuck em’. They’ll get there’s.”

  Nodding his head, Mr. Taylor spoke to Neicey, who gave him a slight head nod. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone but Sen and figure out why the fuck he was getting arrested.

  “So, you finally got arrested. Is that enough to make you get out the game?” Neicey questioned once they were on the highway.

  With his head leaning against the seat, Sen remained silent. He didn’t know what the fuck she was trying to hint at, but he wasn’t about to entertain it. All he wanted to do was get to the crib, shit, shower, and smoke a blunt. Arguing was nowhere on the menu. When Neicey realized he wasn’t going to answer, she continued.

  “This street shit is overrated, Sen. I understand that it’s a way of life, but there are other ways. You don’t have to limit yourself to hustling and killing for the rest of your life. What if you wouldn’t have been let go? Then what? I don’t know about you, but-”

  “Did you fuck that nigga?” Sen interrupted her and asked as calmly as he could muster up.

  Confusion swept over Neicey’s face and she frowned before glancing his way. “What are you talking about?”

  Clenching his jaw, Sen sat up some in the passenger seat, and Neicey felt her throat go dry. “That nigga from California, and you can gon’ head and lie if you want to.”

  Neicey’s eyes bucked, but Sen missed the notion because he was looking straight ahead, waiting for her to give him an answer. While some men’s worst nightmare was their women telling the truth, Sen couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t do something he’d really regret this time if Neicey lied. He was a real nigga and knew she had probably had sex with him. A woman scorned and wanting revenge or attention, in his opinion, would fuck around with the next nigga if she was hurt. And even though they weren’t in a relationship, Sen knew she had a right to do whatever she wanted, but fucking the next nigga? Nah, he wasn’t feeling that.

  In the back of Neicey’s mind, she knew whatever answer she gave wouldn’t matter because the deed was already done. While she thought Sen had been arrested for his affiliation to the streets, he had been brought in and questioned about the murder of Dino. He was the friend of Vance’s, the guy Erica called herself using to get over Meechi when they were on break. Trying to be sneaky and take a trip to California, Meechi and Sen popped up, claimed what belonged to them, and flew back home. Not before Dino’s life was taken, though.

  Technically, she didn’t sleep with Dino, but receiving oral sex from him was still considered sex. Though she could have kept that to herself, Neicey was trying to do better with telling the truth. This truth wasn’t as nearly as bad as the one she hoped Sen would never be given the chance to confront her about.

  “I didn’t fuck him, but he did eat me out,” she said in her normal tone, clear and loud enough for Sen to hear.

  With a subtle head nod, Sen sat back in his seat. “Didn’t matter if you fucked him or not. I was still going to kill the nigga. And the next time you want to question me about some shit, make sure you know what you’re talking about. I was sitting in that muthafucka for six hours because I’m muthafucking crazy about your ass, and you wanna talk about some street shit.”

  “Okay, and what you call yourself doing? You blaming me for that or something? No one told you to go out and fucking cheat on me! Had you not, I wouldn’t have been on the other side of the world getting my pussy licked!”

  Pissed off, Neicey hollered what she had been wanting to tell Sen for the longest. Getting brain matter splattered across her face was an image that would forever be embedded into her memory. Thanks to Sen’s careless behavior of caring for her feelings, Neicey had gone out and found temporary comfort with someone else. Did she blame herself for Dino’s death? Yes, all the time, and she shouldn’t have because in the end, Sen had lit the match that set their relationship ablaze, then to ashes.

  Chuckling, Sen gave Neicey that one. He wanted to backhand the
fuck out of her, but he had never put his hands on her, and he wouldn’t let a dead nigga be the reason he started.

  “You know what… you’re right. I should have taken care of home, instead of worrying about the next bitch, and I’m sorry as fuck for that shit. I’ma tell you this though and hear me good, cause I ain’t gone tell your hardheaded ass again. When I told you I loved you, I meant that shit. You’re mine. Property of muthafucking Sensay Giordano. Any disrespect to you will be handled how I see fit. If I have to kill every nigga who disrespects you, then that’s just what the fuck it’s going to be, you hear me?”

  With a clogged throat and on the verge of tears, Neicey nodded her head. She couldn’t even speak, from being too emotional. Leaning over, Sen kissed her cheek before sitting back in his seat.

  “Good. You better have been listening loud and clearly. Now, get us home, so I can put your ass to bed with this dick. You done pissed me off, but you held a nigga down today and you deserve more than a kiss on the cheek.”

  Neicey wanted to tell him she deserved more than some dick too, but didn’t bother. She couldn’t remember a time Sen had openly expressed his feeling besides the time he had cheated, and this moment had Neicey in her feelings tough. She just knew he was about to spazz out on her, but he had done almost the total opposite. In true Sensay fashion, he expressed his feelings like only he could and got Neicey in check. As her man, her lover, provider, and best friend in his eyes, Sen would never be on no grimy, cheating shit with her for as long as they were together. Losing her once to his reckless ways was enough for him and, if Neicey didn’t realize that before, she surely had tonight.

  Chapter Seven

  With the week she had, the last thing Neicey wanted to be doing was sitting in Dex’s office with his fine ass leaned over her shoulder. She was leaving early from work today to head to her mama’s for her brother’s party over the weekend, and today was the only day she had time. With the company implementing the new software starting Monday morning, Neicey was sure she could learn it in a half of day. The statement would hold some truth, had Dex’s intoxicating smell not been clouding her brain.

  “Alright, so right here is where you’ll enter everyone’s codes in who may have forgotten to clock out. Jim over in payroll explained how he was tired of calculating up two weeks’ worth of non-work time,” Dex explained.

  Neicey sucked her teeth. “And, that’s for me to handle? These are grown men and women.”

  “You do it already; this just helps make it simpler. Everyone will be grouped together, so all you have to do is drag the mouse over their names, right-click, and place them on break.” Highlighting the demo section of names, Dex right-clicked and showed Neicey how simple it was, much simpler than the system she was using now.

  Placing her hand on the mouse, Dex’s fingertips brushed across her hand and Neicey snatched her hand back. “What’s up with you?” he asked, taking a seat on the edge of the desk and facing her.

  Neicey rolled her eyes. “What you mean? I’m fine.”

  “Nah. Ever since our first meeting, you’ve been all jumpy and shit like I don’t know you. I make you nervous or something?”

  Dex wasn’t trying to make her feel uncomfortable at all. That wasn’t his thing. With them being coworkers, he figured they cleared the air before it gotten to the point where Neicey began to find it difficult to work with him. The thing was, she didn’t know what her problem was. She had an idea of why, but didn’t want to openly admit it to Dex or herself.

  Chuckling, she pushed herself slightly away from his desk and looked up at him. “Dex, when have I ever been nervous around you?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I know the setting we’re in is different, but I’m still the same cool nigga from back in the day. I’m just rocking a business suit and running the show instead of you this go around,” he smirked, making Neicey shake her head.

  “I guess it’s just awkward. Well, it was,” she admitted, looking into his eyes.

  What she wanted to tell him was that he was too fine to be looking at her the way he was. That he had always been a perfect gentleman and didn’t know why she was slightly attracted to him, but she was. Neicey didn’t get attached to any of her customers, ever. It wasn’t her thing, but she and Dex had developed somewhat of a friendship. He had never creeped her out, paid her handsomely when he slid through, and Neicey was trying to figure out why he didn’t pursue anything more with her after they had sex. Thing was, Dex wanted to, but he went away to school and was slightly intimidated by Neicey’s independent lifestyle.

  A woman of her caliber was hard to impress back then. He saw all the ballers who had tried to snag her and, Dex felt like if Neicey wanted to further whatever it was they were doing, she would have. And since she hadn’t, Dex didn’t voice his true feelings and let years pass and, by fate, their futures had aligned and at perfect timing, for him at least. Neicey was most definitely in a relationship and would not compromise it for anyone.

  Tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear, Dex gave her his sexy smile that had reeled Neicey in back in the day. “Don’t make it awkward, love. I’m not on no creep shit with you,” he chuckled, making her smile. “Aside from working with you, I’m trying to catch up with you. See how life has been treating you. That’s it. I don’t want anything else.”

  Just then, his stomach growled, and Neicey cocked her eyebrow. “Some food, maybe?” she laughed.

  Standing from the desk, Dex nodded. “I could eat.” Looking at his watch, it was ten minutes until lunch and he had to take the opportunity to ask her out to lunch. “Wanna grab a bite to eat with me?”

  “This isn’t a date. I’m hungry, too,” Neicey confirmed, standing from the chair.

  One Friday out of the month, the entire office got to wear jeans, and she was rocking the hell out of pair she had on. With a simple cream v-neck to match and some army green slides, she was comfortable and dressed for their road trip once she left. Though simple, Dex admired how her hips tapered into long thick legs and a flat, toned stomach. Neicey’s seductive young body had him wanting to question whether she still went by the name Storm on weekends, but he’d wait to ask until she had some food on her stomach. From years of being around women, he knew not to mess around with a hungry one.

  Catching him staring, Dex licked his lips and tucked his hands in the pocket of his suit pants. “Not a date at all. This is strictly two platonic friends grabbing lunch.”

  Telling herself not to look down at his print, Neicey beat temptation and logged out of his computer. “Good. As long as you know,” she said, walking out of his office door. Grabbing his wallet out of his drawer, Dex followed behind her with a smirk on his face. He couldn’t wait to pick her brain.

  ***

  Biting into her Chipotle chicken avocado melt, Neicey’s eyes closed as the zesty taste coated her tongue. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until now. Panera Bread was in walking distance and the weather was nice, so the duo took the three-minute walk and were sitting out in the patio section. Slowly peeling her eyes open, Dex shook his head.

  “I should have gotten that instead,” he chuckled, looking down at his BBQ chicken flatbread and salad.

  “It’s fire!”

  “I see. How you like owning your own business?” Once they were seated, Dex didn’t waste any time asking what other job Neicey had, besides a receptionist. He knew the hustler in her wouldn’t be working part-time for the hell of it.

  A wide smile spread across Neicey’s cheeks. Sensations was her baby. Though it was a surprise gift from Sen, she had put in enough work over the years; her studio was earned. After a while, stripping wasn’t just a means to pay bills for Neicey. She loved the way it made her feel and the art of the profession. Some strippers she knew couldn’t do shit on the pole. Like they were still in high school, they only knew how to twerk, which was amateur in her eyes. If men wanted to see women twerk, they could watch them on YouTube.

  Neicey pe
rfected her craft over the years, built up her clientele, and escaped the naked hustle life to focus on what was considered her calling. She didn’t know it at the beginning of her career, but her helping women feel sexy and giving them confidence was exactly what she wished she didn’t need from a man before she met Sen. In a strange way, pole dancing was her therapy.

  “It’s hard work, but I love it. I swear, there’s no better feeling than waking up every day, loving what you do. You know what I’m saying?”

  Dex nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. Though he had told her he wasn’t a dope boy, that wasn’t technically the truth. He had tried his hand in the streets, but that life wasn’t for him at all. He was more interested in numbers, computers, and solving other people’s technical issues. Going away to school had been the best decision of his.

  “People spend their entire lives working for someone else and then complain about not living their dreams or working their dream job. Not me,” she laughed, biting into her pickle. “Once I realized how much money I could make on my own, it was time to shake. Plus, I grew as a woman, so it was only right I reevaluated my future. I couldn’t be no damn stripper at forty years old.”

  Laughing, Dex shrugged his shoulders unconvinced. “Shit. I bet you would still have the body and stamina.”

  Neicey gave him the side eyes and a grin. “Of course, I will. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.” The vibration from her phone against the table made her break their gaze.

  “Shit,” she hissed, seeing Sen’s name flash across her skin. “Hello?”

  “You gone make me fuck you up, dawg,” he spat into the phone.

  The way the street was set up, the direction Sen was coming from to pick her up from work put Panera Bread’s patio section on full display for the busy street to see. Stuck at the red light, he was for sure his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw Neicey’s blonde weave sway from side to side when she laughed. Already planning to pull up on whoever the broad was if it wasn’t Neicey, Sen decided to call her up instead, just to make sure he wasn’t jumping to conclusions.