A Woman's Worth

by Jahquel J

I sat there, looking at him like he was the devil.

  “I'm fucking with you,” he said, handing me a plate with bacon, eggs, French toast, and some decaf coffee.

  “Don’t play with my food. I will cut you.” We both laughed and ate brunch.

  “I was thinking we can spend the day and look at some properties … if that’s good with you.”

  “That’s cool with me. I’ll go get dressed,” I said, jumping up and running to my room, forgetting I was so hungry minutes before.

  I was dressed to kill. I had let my hair down and put some loose curls in it. I applied only blush lipstick, which complemented my skin tone and I was draped in a green silk backless maxi dress with a pair of yellow seven inch wedges. I had to wear my pearl color jumbo Chanel bag and of course my favorite Tom Ford shades. I even put a girdle to hold in my little pudge, so I was feeling sexy.

  I stepped out the bedroom and Quint’s face looked like it hit the ground. If I wasn’t killing it yesterday, I had just slayed the dragon with this outfit.

  “You ready to go?” I questioned, grabbing stuff out my clutch from last night.

  “Yeah, as soon as you go change, you got a nigga looking bad,” he joked.

  “Can we stop by Tyrisha’s house? I wanna take my daughter, if you don’t mind?”

  “Nah, not at all, it’s a fun day out.” He put on his tee from last night.

  ***

  I wonder if Tee is home, I thought as we pulled up into her driveway. I jumped out the car, excited to see my baby girl. It was just one night and I was already missing her like crazy.

  When I ran into the guest room where Madison was napping, I couldn’t help but pick her up and kiss her little chubby cheeks. She realized it was me, started slapping my face, and giving me wet gurgling kisses. I looked around the room for some clothes to put on her. I settled on a white dress and her Gucci loafers. I put her curly hair in a pig tails before running down the stairs to Quint.

  “Quint, this is my Maddie Caddie,” I introduced, playing with her.

  “Can I hold her?” he asked, reaching for her.

  Shockingly, she reached back for him and was laughing and playing with him while he made funny faces at her. I could get used to having this around me, even though we weren’t together and hadn’t even talked about it. It was good to have a man around who treated me right and enjoyed Maddie.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tone

  I hadn’t been home in over a week. I was busy in Puerto Rico with my new honey, Epiphany. I met her when she was leaving a café on Ocean Drive. It just happened that she was on an interview for a nanny position for Tiffany. I had to have her. She was something like I’ve never seen before. She was bad as hell and her green eyes did something to me. She wasn’t needy like Mezzie or antisocial like Tyrisha.

  She was cool and had her own money. She lived in Miami with her man. She moved from New York to be with him. I was for sure going to have to keep her around and under my wing. I didn’t give a fuck about her man.

  We had been shopping and fucking like crazy, only to take a break to eat and get re-energized before going at it again. I don’t know how I was going to juggle Tyrisha and Mezzie, but this Shawty was going to be added to my growing circle.

  Mezzie had been blowing my phone up like a crazy woman for the past week. I wasn’t trying to be involved in the drama. I was on vacation and enjoying my sexy ass company.

  I hadn’t heard from Tyrisha, but that was typical. Whenever I went ghost, she caught an attitude and didn’t associate herself with me. I was worried, but only about when the baby was going to come. If she would’ve called to say the baby was coming, I would’ve been on the next plane back to Miami.

  I was about to turn over and get into my second shift of sleep when my phone started ringing. It was my business phone and it was an unknown number I’ve never seen before.

  I answered, “Hello ... who’s this?” I waited for a response.

  “You stupid mothafucka! I'm homeless with no place for me and AJ and you ignoring my calls and not answering! I swear I hate your dumb ass. You’re so selfish and I'm fuckin’ done with the bull shit!” Mezzie screamed.

  She was calling me all types of ungodly names.

  “What the fuck do you mean you’re homeless?” I yelled, sitting up in bed.

  I woke Epiphany from her sleep. I tapped her ass to let her know to go back to sleep and she happily obliged.

  “Your so called wifey came and terminated the fucking lease. I had a week to get the fuck out, so now I'm going to be staying back with my aunt and uncle in Palm Springs,” she whined.

  As much as she got on my nerves, I didn’t want her stressing with my baby in her stomach and out on the streets with my son.

  “Aight, calm down. Go back to the rental office and fill out an application with your name. I’ll have Quint pay for everything once you’ve done all that…. How long we got until they move the stuff into storage?”

  “I said a week Tone. Don’t you fucking listen or do you got some pussy in your ears?” she said smartly.

  “Matter fact, I do. Stay at your aunt’s house,” I said and hung up on her.

  She called back all night, so I ended up turning off the ringer and getting comfortable in between Epiphany’s legs. I fucked her senseless.

  ***

  When I finally did get some sleep, I woke up to slurping sounds. My dick was hard as a rock. This bitch was literally slurping the nut out of my dick. The way she deep throated my shit without gagging was amazing. I fucked her face until I unleashed my children down her throat.

  I wasn’t done, yet. I told her to lie on her back and opened her legs. I started fingering her. She was going crazy as I pinched her second pair of lips together. I started French kissing her twat. She was on the urge of coming when I got up a rammed my dick into her creamy center. She rubbed her nipples, making them look like pink gum drops.

  “Yes, baby yes!” She screamed while I continued to dick her down.

  I was pumping in and out of her like I was in a race to see who came first. Let’s just say I won because she came all over my dick while I continued to murder her pussy. I had no remorse. I was taking out all my stress on her pussy and she didn’t even know.

  “Baby, you want something to eat?” Epiphany asked while I was in the shower.

  I knew she was trying to be nice, but she couldn’t cook worth shit. I had bigger shit to handle than to be laid up with her. My kids were fucking homeless.

  “Nah, I'm good. I'm about to head back to Miami. The room is paid up for another week, so enjoy,” I said, wrapping the towel around my waist.

  “Cool. I’ll fly my sister and cousin down to hang with me.”

  “That’s why I fuck with you.” I kissed her on her forehead and slapped her fat ass.

  ***

  I was back home in Miami that night. I handled shit with Mezzie. She was moved into another apartment in the same building, just one floor up. She was happy and stopped calling me once the movers came to move her stuff.

  Now, I was on the hunt for Tyrisha. The bitch was missing in action and didn’t answer her phone. I went to the house and all her shit was gone and my staff had been fired. I called Tiffany and she didn’t answer. I called Tyrisha’s mother in New York, but she hadn’t heard from her in a week. So, now, I was convinced that the bitch was either dead or had finally found out about Mezzie and my kids.

  “Yo, meet me at my office in an hour,” I said to Quint.

  “Ight,” was all he said before hanging up.

  No questions asked and that was why I fucked with him the long way.

  An hour later, we were sitting in my office, drinking a bottle of Ciroc and rolling up some loud. I was relaxed enough to address the problem that was at hand.

  “Have you seen or heard from Tyrisha, my nigga,” I asked him, paying close attention to how he responded.

  “I heard Tiff talking to her. That’s about it. Why? What’s up?” he asked, takin
g a puff from his blunt and blowing small circles.

  “That bitch went M.I.A and won’t answer my calls. I'm at the point where I'm not worried, but I'm pissed the fuck off right now. I want to know where the fuck she at right now.

  So, give Tiffany, the bitch ass liar, a message for me. Tell Tyrisha to call me or send me a fuckin’ telegram if she want, but I wanna know where the fuck she at and right now.” I threw my glass across the room at my receptionist desk.

  I was beyond pissed off with the run around game and it was becoming apparent because I never lost my cool like I just had.

  “First off, nigga, I ain’t a messenger. So, if you got a message for Tiffany, you can address her correctly and respectfully. And, if you must know your bitch has moved on. If you wasn’t spreading your seed in everybody you would know,” he said and walked out my office, leaving the blunt still lit in the ash tray.

  “Fuck you, too, nigga! Fuck everybody!” I screamed and threw my Tiffany vase across the room with the other glass I broke. I sat down, planning my next move.

  Quinton and Tyrisha, both, had to go and if Tiffany wanted some, she could go right along where they were going.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Quinton

  I left the office, got in my Jeep and took off toward home. Tiffany and Madison were staying there until her new house was done being renovated. She had moved out the hotel and decided to stay with me because she didn’t have to keep paying rent. It was soon, but I felt comfortable with them there. That was all that mattered.

  Tone had missed me with all that barking orders shit. The only reason I dealt with that nigga was because we were on a business level. We would occasionally have a drink or share some advice around the office from time to time, but nothing to where it would be personal. There was love lost. That nigga needed to stop running in every ratchet stripper and he wouldn’t have lost his bitch. He was lucky I left the office because I was going to lay his ass out and then smoke the rest of his weed.

  Tyrisha moved on. Everybody fucking knew she moved on. He was the only one thinking she was sitting around waiting for him to finally get his act together. She had been messing around with my brother for a long time. It was so obvious and it was sitting in his face. He was too dumb to notice.

  Moses and I were half-brothers, same father different mother. We had twin sisters, Epiphany and Promise, by our father. Promise lived in New York while Epiphany was running around Miami, but we didn’t get along, so I just stayed away. When Moses moved down here, we both continued my father’s car detailing businesses. He found out I was getting money selling coke and he got down with the plan. Now, we both were sitting on money. I went legit by partnering with Tone, to becoming a real estate agent, and slowed down in the drug game while Moses was still getting it by any means necessary.

  I didn’t know Tyrisha was fucking my brother until I came to Sunday dinner. She was there serving dinner. I was waiting for Tone to come out the bathroom, but when she kissed my brother, I figured it wasn’t my business and I wasn’t about to be the mailman delivering that package.

  Moses had Sunday dinner every Sunday following my father’s tradition he had before he died and everybody was supposed to attend. My ratchet ass sister Epiphany came every Sunday with a different dude with her hand out for money. I was planning on bringing Tiffany and Madison this Sunday because I was serious about her.

  When I came home from work, I was happy to see her and Madison in the living room watching TV. It made me feel good.

  I pulled out my phone to call Moses to let him know about what went down with Tone.

  “What’s good?” he asked, sounding just like my father.

  “I just came from seeing your boy,” I said.

  “What’s going on with him?” he asked, sounding like he could give two fucks.

  “Make Tyrisha tell that nigga. He bringing personal shit into my business and I ain’t with that shit.” I said as I took a seat next to Tiffany.

  “I got you, buoy,” he said, faking his Jamaican accent.

  “Ight I'm out.”

  “Wait, nigga, can you pick up Reshawn from the airport? I'm moving. Me and Tee don’t have room in this hotel room. Let him stay with you and I’ll give him the keys to my condo tomorrow,” he said quickly and hung up.

  Fuck! This nigga is always fucking up, I thought in my head. I knew I was going to have to explain to Tiffany why some nigga was staying with us when there were hotels he could stay in.

  We had made our relationship official and her only request was to never disrespect her and never cheat on her. I was cool with that as long as she stayed just how she was.

  “Babe, I gotta make a move. I have some family staying for the night, if that’s cool with you,” I said, praying she was cool.

  I didn’t feel like using my own money to help a grown ass man pay for a hotel room.

  “That’s cool. It’s your house. Me and Maddie are guests, too,” she said, handing me Maddie.

  “I want it to be y’all home, too, right Maddie?” I bounced Maddie up and down while she blew spit bubbles and laughed the entire time.

  “Too soon… Quint… too soon,” Tiffany said.

  ***

  This nigga’s plane had already landed and if he called me one more time, I was about to leave his ass standing there. I forgot I had to pick his ass up.

  Tiff had given me a massage and I went to sleep. I was asleep until Moses called and told me Reshawn had landed. I was trying to call his ass every ten minutes. I sped towards the airport with no ID and half dressed in a white wife-beater, slippers, and basketball shorts.

  When I pulled up, this nigga had the nerve to have a slight attitude ‘cause I was late.

  “Damn, nigga. I’ve been here for like an hour already.”

  “And, if you don’t wanna still be here, you’ll appreciate the ride or you can take a cab,” I said before pulling off and heading home.

  I was a year younger than Reshawn. Sometimes, I felt like he was my younger brother instead of Moses. Reshawn claimed to be up in New York, doing big things, but as always, he was begging to get bricks on consignment and needed to borrow money.

  I wasn’t that close with the nigga, so I didn’t know why he always saw the need to reach out to me whenever he couldn’t get in touch with Moses. I just wanted the night to go by fast and get him out my house by the morning.

  “My girl and her daughter is sleep, so be quiet when you come in the house,” I told him, without taking my eyes off the road.

  “No doubt. I'm tired my damn self, so I’ll crash on the couch,” he replied, looking out the window.

  “You gonna have to ‘cause her daughter took over the guest bedroom,” I laughed.

  We pulled into the driveway and the whole house was pitch-black, just how Tiffany liked to sleep. She even turned off the kitchen lights. I walked in the house with Reshawn right behind me. I showed him the living room and went upstairs to get back in my comfy bed with my babe.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tiffany

  I woke up with the sun shining in my face. I was happy for two reasons that morning. I had slept all night without Madison waking me. I woke up next to Quint’s sexy ass. I smelled bacon and Quint was still in bed, so I knew that it was his family that he said was coming. I figured I would introduce myself, make Madison’s bottle, and my morning cup of coffee.

  I put on Quint’s sweat shirt, a pair of leggings, and walked down the stairs. Whoever the guest was had finished cooking in the kitchen and had moved into the living room, so I stuck my head in the living room. I almost had a stroke at the sight of him on the couch.

  He must have been feeling the same way ‘cause if looks could kill I would’ve been dead.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Reshawn asked, sitting up on the couch.

  I didn’t have a response, I thought maybe I was hallucinating and he wasn’t really there, but when I heard him ask the same question again I knew I wasn’t. He was rig
ht there in the flesh.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you the same thing? Why the hell are you here?” I asked. Looking at him I could tell he was taking back from my bluntness but he continued with his usual dictator ways, always trying to take control of the situation.

  “How you know Quinton?”

  “That’s none of your business, when I left you, my business became just that, my busine-”

  Before I was able to get the rest of the sentence out, Reshawn jumped off the couch and hemmed me up against the wall, causing the lamp to fall to the floor and shatter.

  I heard footsteps running across the floor upstairs and thanked God because I knew Quinton was on his way downstairs.

  “What the fuck is going on down here? Reshawn, get the fuck off my girl,” he yelled shoving Reshawn so hard he fell on his ass.

  Reshawn got up and was ready to fight. I tried to stand in between the two, but Quinton pulled me behind him while looking at Reshawn with daggers in his eyes.

  Before Reshawn could get the upper hand in, the fight Quinton rushed him and body slammed him on the floor making the floor shake. He started punching him and giving Reshawn rib shots.

  Quinton and Reshawn were both over six feet and probably weighed about two hundred pounds, so my pushing and pulling wasn’t fazing them.

  “Get off of him Quinton, please,” I screamed while punching his back.

  I wasn’t defending Reshawn. I felt this ass whopping was well-deserved and he had earned every bit of it, but you can’t fight fire with fire and Quinton was just stooping down to his level.

  Quinton finally got up and I called myself taking control of the situation, until he pulled me close to him and grabbed me by the waist, to let Reshawn know I was his.

  “Fuck this shit. I aint with this. Yo, my man, just know when I catch you it’s over for you,” Reshawn threatened.

  Quinton looked cool and calm.

  “Nigga, I ain’t with the talking as you can see. If you wanna talk gun play you know where I’m at. Just don’t bring it to my front door. Now get the fuck out my house, punk ass bitch, and let Moses know I put the paws on ya ass,” Quinton said laughing, making Reshawn mad.