“Sure you do,” J.T. said and rolled a bottle of water to him. “Here…rinse and spit.”
Chase did as he was told and when he finished, he felt better.
“Did you get any on you?” J.T. asked.
Chase laughed wryly, without much humor. “Nah. I’m a master at avoiding the splash-back. I make it my business not to get any on me.”
J.T. looked at him like he didn’t find any of it funny. “You gonna be okay gettin’ home?”
“I’m okay. I guess I just needed to sick that shit up.”
“I know the shit you really need to sick up. His name is Cyrus,” J.T. said quietly. “Man, you need to change your life while you still can. The brass ring is within your reach, but you’ll never be able to grab it long as you keep fuckin’ around with Cyrus. You know that as well as I do.”
“Yeah, you’re right, J.T.”
J.T. smiled at him sadly. “I know I am, but me being right won’t make you listen to me, will it? Even now, you’re loyal to Cyrus—even when it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that he couldn’t give a serious fuck less about you and Corey. But I understand. You keep hoping he will. You always have. But I got news for you, Chase…Cyrus will never change. I don’t believe it’s in him to clean up his act. I’d say he’ll die that way, but he’s already dead—at least his soul is.”
Chase nodded slowly. “I think you may be on to something, J.T.”
They got back in the car and drove the block to J.T.’s place. J.T. started to get out but then changed his mind. He turned to look at Chase. “You know, Chase, you and me been ride or die since the third grade. To this day, I’ll drop everything to drive your getaway car…but we’re not kids anymore. Sooner or later, you stop having kid luck.” He paused and touched his shoulder. “I might die for you, but I ain’t dyin’ for Cyrus. This shit has got to end somewhere, and it may as well end here. You laid these niggas out for shootin’ Cyrus, so I think you should let him handle Wolf on his own. Let him and Khalid clean up their own damn messes from now on.”
“I hear what you’re sayin’, J.T., but you know the only reason I do what he says is because of Corey. What about my little brother? I can’t just let Cyrus push him into this shit, forcing him to pick up my slack. He’ll get himself killed or locked up for good, and you know that.”
“Corey’s not a little boy anymore, Chase, even though you still treat him like one. You can’t protect him from everything. He could get killed walking across the street. You know what I think you should do?”
“What?”
“I think you should flat-out refuse to help Cyrus with Wolf. You’ve done enough for him. I think you should send Corey away. Maybe you could open another club in Atlanta or somewhere far away from here and send him and Dee down to oversee it. Meanwhile, you got me and Bliss up here to help you with the clubs you already have. When the club in ATL is up and running successfully, you open another one. Keep Corey’s ass down there until Wolf takes care of Cyrus or he gets his stupid ass killed by somebody that ain’t scared of him…or of you.”
Chase rubbed absently at the scar that ran along the back of his fingers and stared out the windshield. It made sense—all kinds of sense. “For what it’s worth, I am listening to you, J.T.”
J.T. nodded. “That’s all I ask. Just try it on and see how it fits.”
“I will.”
J.T. looked at his watch. “It’s late, man, and we both had a long day. Why don’t you go find that fine-ass woman of yours and let her rub your back and put you to sleep.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks, J.T.”
J.T. looked at him seriously. “You my boy, Chase—ride or die,” he said before he got out of the car and disappeared into his building.
Chase drove home with a million things racing through his mind. As he parked the Charger, he thought about Bliss’s reaction to it. She was right: It was a hearse, of sorts—a fucking death car. He went upstairs and took a hot shower, then redressed quickly. He’d stuffed the clothes he’d been wearing into another garbage bag and hustled his ass downstairs with it.
A private company picked the garbage, and he heard the truck rumbling. He put the garage door up and ran out with the bag. The truck was stopped at a store down the block. Chase left the bag at the curb, then went back into the garage. He peeled out to the street in his Porsche and hit Riverside Drive. Ten minutes later, he was in front of Bliss’s building, hitting her on her cell phone.
She picked up on the second ring. “Are you done?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m here. Can I come up?”
“Of course you can. I’ve been wonderin’ when you’d get here.”
When he got off the elevator, Bliss was at the door waiting for him. He had to stop himself from running to her, and he kept his cool, forcing himself to walk a little slower. Bliss was wearing a short pink cotton nightgown with a little ruffle at the bottom. He doubted she knew the light behind her was shining through it the way it was, showing her body in a stark and lovely silhouette. Chase swallowed hard. Her hair was slightly tousled, as if she’d been lying down, but she didn’t look sleepy. She simply looked…beautiful.
Bliss held the door open further and let him in. He put his hands on her waist and started kissing her. He couldn’t help it and didn’t want to. He loved the feel of her lips on his and the taste of her sweet mouth. He loved the tingle that went up his spine when she danced her sexy little tongue over his. Bliss made his knees weak.
She broke the kiss and put her arms around him for a tight hug. “I was worried about you, Chase.”
He hugged her back and kissed the corner of her mouth. “I told you I’d be okay, baby.”
She touched his face. “I didn’t sleep. I waited up for you.”
“I’m glad. I needed to see you.”
She smiled at him. “I could never turn you away.”
He felt a sudden stab at his heart, and he didn’t smile back. “Never say never,” he said, fearing that maybe—if she knew enough—she could and would shut him out of her life. He didn’t expect her to tolerate the things he did for Cyrus. As a matter of fact, he felt that if she ever found out about that shit, she’d kick his ass to the curb in less than ten seconds, rightfully so. J.T. had been right, for the most part, but he hadn’t thought it all the way through. Chase needed to relocate too—to start over somewhere far away from Cyrus. He’d just slashed his last throat for Cyrus, and he was ready to disengage.
Bliss was running her hands over his biceps and looking into his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Chase looked away and shook his head. “Nothin’, baby. The last couple hours were hard, that’s all.”
“How’s Cyrus?”
“I don’t want to talk about tonight right now. I just want to be with you.”
She smiled sweetly and took his hand. “Okay. Come on then.” She led him down the hall and around the corner to her room.
Chase wasn’t surprised a bit when he saw it. It was very girly, from the lacy fans on the walls, to the flowers in bud vases, to the upholstered headboard. Chase’s mind wasn’t on her décor, though, and he didn’t want his back rubbed either. He grasped the hem of her short nightgown and started pulling it up.
Bliss didn’t argue. She only raised her arms and let him whisk it off of her.
Chase took his shirt off and went for her lips again, taking great pleasure in the silky feel of her soft, bare skin against his. His fingers drifted up her body until they found her breasts. He ran his thumbs over her nipples in slow circles until they felt like pearls and gave no resistance.
Bliss’s breath was getting short. She moaned and arched her back, reaching for the buckle of his belt. She managed to unbuckle it as Chase traded his thumb for his mouth. Bliss unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the zipper down. She started pushing his clothes off, in a rush to get at him.
Chase kicked his sneakers off an
d stepped out of his pants. He turned with her so that her back was against the wall. Her hand was on him, holding him tight and gliding up and down with a maddeningly sweet friction. Her thumb swirled over the top, and he sucked in air through his teeth.
Chase put his hands just under her ass and stepped between her thighs. He swung her up from the floor in one easy, smooth move. Bliss’s arms went around his neck, and the two of them stared at each other as he lowered her down, sliding in slow, then pumping at her briskly at that crazy angle. She shuddered and made a sound that wasn’t quite a scream.
Chase grinned and stepped away from the wall with her. His hands slid up until her ass was in his palms. “Hold on, Bliss.” He bounced her right into an orgasm that was so strong, she went through it like she was fighting him, but Chase held on to her. He walked the few steps to the bed with her and sat down. He lay on his back with Bliss on her knees, riding him like he was her very own personal pony. She ran her hands over his body luxuriously, then ran them over her own. Chase found that incredibly sexy and put his hands on her hips, going in a little deeper.
Bliss made that little screamy sound again and put her hands on his abs and started grinding into him hard. She was squeezing herself around him, tightening down on him until he couldn’t take it anymore. He flipped her over and drove himself into her, losing control, cummin’ so hard it startled him. He felt her nails trail down his back and her hips rise to meet his.
The pleasure was exquisite, and he simply couldn’t stop. He wanted to squeeze every last bit of himself into her. Chase put his hands under her shoulder blades and pulled himself in until his heart was slamming in his chest and he was weak. He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him. Chase held her close, and to his surprise, found himself falling rapidly toward sleep. “I love you, Bliss…very, very much.”
“I love you, too, Chase.”
The lovers slept in each other’s arms, happy and satisfied.
Chapter 12
Cyrus was currently convalescing at the condo of his sometimes-lover, Valerie Durant, in Brooklyn Heights. Valerie was a CPA in a large and storied midtown firm, five names long. She currently had her round, shapely ass turned up at him in the downward dog position, going through her yoga moves like he wasn’t even there.
She was real nice to look at, medium height, with milk chocolate skin without a blemish on it. Her hair was shoulder length, black, and glossy, but she swept it up in a ponytail to do her workout. Her eyes were large and so dark that they almost looked black. She was small on top with a tiny waist, but her bottom half more than made up for any shortcomings.
Cyrus was admiring it with great interest as she stretched. Cyrus smiled to himself, remembering when she used to be Chase’s woman, when Chase was only nineteen or twenty. To Cyrus, they seemed a bit too young to be that involved with each other. He didn’t need Chase getting caught up with his nose open like that, so he made sure their romance was squashed before he did a bid for his gun charge. He preyed on Valerie’s naiveté and inexperience at the time, knowing she’d fall for every young girl’s dream of being with an older man and living ‘hood fabulous by dating a drug dealer.
He went about crushing their relationship by working it out so Chase would catch the two of them together. Sure, it had broken Chase’s little young-boy heart, but Cyrus slept well at night, secure in the fact that he was doing it for Chase’s own good—keeping Chase’s chest from puffing out too hard. Chase was an emotional guy, and Cyrus knew he was much more malleable when he was bruised up and crying with his feelings hurt. When he was like that, even though it wasn’t simple, it was easier to manipulate him into doing shit. It was when he got cold and standoffish that he was damned near immovable. Chase had always been a problem—always. Oh, well. Enough about Chase, he scolded himself. That boy had been taking up entirely too much space in his mind lately, and Cyrus smelled a rebellion on the horizon.
He looked at Valerie’s ass again. “How much longer you plan on stayin’ in that position?”
“Until I’m done. If it’s heating you up, you’re welcome to jerk off in the shower, ‘cause you ain’t getting’ none of this,” she said coldly as she stood straight up and looked him in the eye.
The goodwill fell out of Cyrus’s face. “A bitch could get a smack for that.”
She raised an elegant eyebrow and patted the sweat off her chest with a towel. “You lay a damn finger on me, and I got the cops on speed-dial…after I finish stabbing your trifling ass, Cyrus. You need to be easy up in here. I don’t have to let you stay here, you know.”
He laughed. “Then why do you?”
She smiled at him frostily. “Why do you think?”
He laughed with genuine humor. “For Chase?”
“You know it. He’s always out saving your ass, even if you are too stupid to realize his influence is what’s keeping you and that monkey Khalid’s heads above water. He called and asked me to let you stay here, and then he told Corey to put a bug in your ear so your simple-minded ass would have you asking me, thinking you made the decision your-damn-self. You are not the genius you think you are, Cyrus, and Chase tries hard not to be the monster you’ve made him into. You’re the fucking monster, Cyrus. How could you do that to your own brother?”
Cyrus laughed. “You’re the one who left the angel with the busted wings and twisted halo for the devil with the pitchfork. We all got our flaws, Princess. Yours is that you’re a whore who broke a guy’s heart by fucking his brother. You—”
He was cut off by the wad of warm spit that hit him in his right eye. Rage took over before he had time to realize what he was doing. His hand curled into a fist, and he hit her square in the jaw as hard as he could.
Valerie went down like her legs were made of rubber, knocked out cold.
“Stupid bitch!” Cyrus yelled and spat on her. He pulled out his cell phone and called Corey. “Corey, I ain’t got my car. Drop whatever useless shit you’re doin’ and come get me out of this stupid, disrespectful, cunt’s house right now! Fuck that! Now, Corey! I’ll be downstairs.” He threw his things into the leather valise he’d brought with him and vacated the premises, but not before he turned around and kicked Valerie right in her round, lovely ass with all the force he could muster. Then he slammed out of the apartment. He guessed he’d be hearing from Chase about the whole ordeal, but he didn’t give a shit. Fuck his punk ass.
When he got to the lobby, Khalid was walking through the doors. He looked first at Cyrus, then at his bag. “What’s up, man? Goin’ somewhere?”
“Can’t stay here. I just knocked Valerie’s ass out.”
Khalid frowned. “Was she gettin’ at you ‘bout Chase?”
“I could have lived with that, but that bitch spat on me like she was crazy, and I dropped her ass. She’s up there laid out on the living room floor.”
“Damn, Cyrus.”
“I can’t take shorts from no ho, Khalid. You know me.” He eyed Khalid warily, ”What brings you here so early anyway?”
Khalid looked around. “I can’t talk about it in the open like this. Come on…let’s take a ride.”
“I got Corey comin’ to get me.”
Khalid shrugged. “So? Let him go up and find that ho sprawled out and cry to Chase. That’s what he’s gonna do anyway. You can hit him later and let him know you’re with me.”
They didn’t speak again until they were in Khalid’s car and on the road.
“So…what’s up?” Cyrus asked, settling into his seat.
“What’s up? We started a war, I think. Smoke left his callin’ card, and Wolf ain’t havin’ it. He wants to have the last word, so to speak.”
Cyrus wasn’t sure he wanted to hear whatever else Khalid had to say. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning, Smoke might not have done us a favor by takin’ out Mooch and Post. From what I understand, he just sliced through Post’s throat, but Mooch’s ass was barely recognizable. They say he was cut up pretty bad. You know Mooch was Wolf’s
first cousin, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So he ain’t takin’ that shit light. Don’t you watch the news, Cyrus? ‘Bout one o’clock this mornin’, Wolf got rid of Breeze and Willie—shot ‘em in the back of the head while they was sittin’ in Willie’s car, like somethin’ right outta Gangland, execution style. I’m tellin’ you, it’s a fuckin’ war, Cyrus. I think Smoke threw gasoline on the shit we started. What’s up with him anyway? What’s takin’ him so long? We need him to take the damn head off the snake. If he takes Wolf out, all the rest a them niggas will fall by the wayside or find their own hustle. You need to light a fire under your boy, Cyrus…and you need to do that shit today!”
Cyrus sank down in his seat and stared out the window. He had a problem on his hands, and he knew it. Chase was not being cooperative at all, and his behavior was erratic at best. He was totally wishy-washy and making threats to take his leave. He’d done what he said and got some retribution for Cyrus being shot. He’d even given his word about hitting Wolf, but since he’d taken out Mooch and Post, he’d been dragging his feet about Wolf. No…worse: He’d dug his heels in and wasn’t moving at all. Chase was barely speaking to him, and when he did, he was hugely disrespectful and angry. Ungrateful little bastard.
If it wasn’t for Cyrus, Chase and Corey would have been left to fend for themselves after their mother died. Cyrus had taken care of their snot-nosed asses, and the only thing he’d asked in return was compliance, but he was only getting that from Corey, and not all the time from Chase’s moody ass. It all depended on what side of the bed he’d woken up on. It seemed if he wanted Chase to do anything for him now, he had to twist his arm up behind his back and scrub his face into the ground. It wasn’t winning Chase any points with Cyrus, because Cyrus had harbored anger for Chase since the day the doctor had smacked his ass when he cried into the world.
Cyrus was fifteen years older than Chase. His mother didn’t even bother to tell him she was pregnant, even when he saw her belly getting bigger and bigger, growing like there was a fucking tumor in it—and as far as he was concerned, that was just what the fuck Chase was. It wasn’t just the circumstances of his brother’s birth, but also the fact that when his mother squeezed that baby out into the world, all of Cyrus’s sugar dried up. Everything was suddenly split in half, and he had to share everything with him. All her extra money went toward that damn baby. Cyrus wasn’t a punk, and he sucked it up, but he was deeply resentful of that little bastard for a whole lot of reasons, and he let him know it.
Chasing Bliss Page 14