by Falicia Love
* * *
“That’s our book, nigga!” one of the inmates yelled out as he stood up and slammed his card on the table.
“Motherfucker, y’all cheating! That jack of spades been played. We taking that pot,” another guy yelled. After a few seconds, a fight broke out, and Thad stood watching them, shaking his head.
“These niggas fighting over a three-dollar pot? They crazy, man,” he said, laughing.
Thad sat on his bunk, hoping that his brother would come through for him. He had to get out of jail before he snapped.
Thad was in full thought of going straight to Jeryca’s house, picking her up, and getting a room. He was in need of some pussy, and at that moment, Jeryca was who he wanted. He liked her, but he knew she wanted more than he could offer her. He wasn’t ready for a relationship. He doubted that she would be the woman he would settle down with anyway. She was money hungry and always in need of something. He was well aware of what her and her friends were about. They all were cash hunters, and he wasn’t going to let anybody use him. Sure, he provided Jeryca with nice things and gave her a few dollars here and there, but he figured he’d cash out for good pussy. That’s what you do with hoes! he thought to himself.
“Thad Royster, you’re out of here. Get your belongings together, let’s go,” the guard yelled.
“Hell yeah! I’m out, my niggas. Y’all be easy and hold it down,” Thad said as he headed out of cellblock C. After he was processed, he headed toward the lobby.
“What’s up, bro? Man, I’m glad to see y’all motherfuckers!” Thad said as he embraced his crew.
“You know we weren’t going to leave you up in this bitch,” Toby said.
“Man, you good? You all intact?” Chris asked.
“Hell yeah, and what you mean am I intact?” Thad asked.
“You know, you didn’t drop the soap, did you?” Chris asked, laughing.
“Man, fuck you, nigga,” Thad said, laughing and playfully punching Chris.
“Aye, we need to talk, li’l bro. All jokes aside. We got to figure out a different way to deal with problems. We can’t keep wasting money with these crackers,” Toby said.
“Okay, man, we can have that talk, but can a brother get laid first? I mean, we can talk tomorrow,” Thad said.
“I guess, man. You need to call Bruce Jackson tomorrow too. Don’t get sidetracked,” Toby said.
“I won’t, man. Drop me off at the house so I can get my truck. Damn, let me call Jeryca and see if she can be ready in an hour. I need to fuck something for real,” Thad said.
“Man, that chick ain’t shit, bro. Why do you fuck with her?” Toby asked, shaking his head. Chris, Larry, and Keith agreed with Toby as they followed them to the truck.
“I know what Jeryca’s about, and trust me, I’m not trying to wife that ho,” Thad explained.
“That’s a THOT for sho,” Larry said, laughing.
“Yeah, well, when I fuck that THOT, I wear a condom. Can’t make no bitch that thirsty a baby momma ’cause you’re stuck with them for life, unlike you, my brother,” Thad said to Larry, laughing.
“Yeah, you know all Farrah see is dollar signs, Larry. She cornered her a check for eighteen years,” Chris said.
“Whatever,” Larry said, rolling his eyes, trying not to laugh. Larry knew he had fucked up, not only by having a kid with Farrah, but also because he was beginning to catch feelings for her. He would never reveal that to Toby and the rest of the guys ’cause they would straight clown him.
“Toby, why did you say that shit though?” Thad asked.
“What shit?” Toby asked.
“Man, don’t play. That shit you said ’bout Jeryca,” Thad said.
“Man, that ho called me this morning and asked if you were getting out today ’cause she needed to get her hair and nails done,” Toby answered.
Thad started laughing. “Oh, word? Well, she got to suck the hell out of my dick! She better swallow and all, my nigga. That’s why I say I know what I’m dealing with. Now let me call this trick and see where she at. We gon’ catch up with y’all later,” Thad said to Keith and Larry as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jeryca’s number.
Chapter Two
Jeryca was playing Monopoly with her little sister, Pam. She loved her sister and hoped that she would follow in her footsteps. She didn’t want her sister to settle for anything less than a rich man. Although they had different fathers, the bond they had was priceless.
“Pam, you see how I just capitalized on Ventnor Avenue? I just turned four small houses into a hotel! That’s what you got to do with your life, sis. Always capitalize on every aspect that you can, and use all your assets to gain wealth. You are beautiful, and that ass can get you all that you need,” Jeryca said as she placed her red hotel on the board.
“I don’t want a man to pay for my love. I want to be a pediatrician when I grow up. You never wanted to go to college, J?” Pam asked, calling her sister by her nickname.
“Yeah, I did, but I didn’t have the smarts to follow through with it,” Jeryca answered.
“What did you want to be?” Pam asked.
“I always wanted to be a school teacher, but they don’t make much loot, so I’m good doing what I do. I spend somebody else’s cash on the things I want and need,” Jeryca told Pam.
“Well, I just can’t see myself using a man like that. Do you care about Thad?” Pam asked.
“I care about him, yes, but I don’t love him. In time I’m sure my feelings will grow. Thad—” Jeryca started saying before her phone began to vibrate. She smiled at Pam as she showed her that Thad was calling. “Pure cash,” she said as she walked to her room.
“Hey, baby, I see they got you out. I’ve been so worried about you. I called everywhere trying to make sure my boo was okay. Did Toby tell you I called?” she asked Thad.
“No, he didn’t,” Thad lied.
“I wonder why not. I was livid when Farrah told me. I went off on her, Dana, and Stephanie earlier, and they got pissed and left. Farrah looked like she wanted to try me, but I know she knows better.” Jeryca was talking a mile a minute until Thad told her to shut up.
“Look, do you want to go out for a while and go get a room?” Thad asked.
“You know I do, baby. When will you get here?” she asked him.
“I will be there in about an hour. Is that enough time?” he asked.
“More than enough. I will see you then,” she said before she hung up.
Thad pulled up at 2:30, and when he saw how Jeryca looked, he was reminded of why he fucked with her. She always wore an outfit that was sexy, yet refined; and with her beauty and fat ass, he was very attracted to her, but he just couldn’t stand her. His plan was to fuck her until he was satisfied and give her over to his boys who ran his prostitution ring. Jeryca would bring in thousands of dollars, and he was going to make it happen in due time.
“Hey, baby,” Jeryca said as she got in Thad’s truck. As she leaned in to kiss him, he pulled away. She frowned at his movement and asked, “Why did you just do that, bae?”
“I got a question for you: how bad do you want your hair and nails done?”
She frowned with confusion. “Why do you ask that?”
“I was told that you called my brother, and your only concern was if I was going to make it home to give you some money,” Thad said.
“Baby, no! That’s not how it was at all. I was sick with worry,” Jeryca explained as she reached out to rub his arm.
“I got to tell you, Jeryca, he was very believable. Are you saying he lied to me?” Thad asked, looking at her through squinted eyes. Jeryca knew that if she called Toby a liar, it would cause issues, so she decided to own up to what she said to Toby.
“Ok, yes, I inquired as to whether or not I would see you today, and if I was going to get my nails and hair done. But, baby, honestly I was concerned also.”
“I’ll tell you what: since you showed such a lack of concern for me, I’ma need you to suck
my dick right now. Then we are going to the room and you’re going to earn the money you want,” Thad told her.
“But, baby—” Jeryca started, but was cut off immediately.
“You could do less talking if you fill your mouth up with this dick.”
Jeryca felt like a real ho. She had never been handled like that before. As she bent down to undo Thad’s pants, she asked herself repeatedly what had made her approach Toby the way that she did.
Thad knew that he made Jeryca feel some kind of way with his request, but he had to put her in her place so she would never get out of pocket again. She was his ho, nothing more, nothing less.
As they rode down the road and Jeryca proceeded in giving Thad a mean head job, a car that seemingly appeared from nowhere blew its horn, alerting Thad that he was about to collide head on into them. As he quickly slammed on the brakes, Jeryca slid forward, falling toward the floor and hitting her head against the steering wheel. As she sat up, stunned and holding her head, the woman who they almost hit shook her head in pure disgust when she realized what had really almost caused their wreck. She pulled off quickly, giving them the finger, and blew her horn one last time. Thad started laughing and pushed Jeryca away.
“You can finish me off when we get to the room. Just so you know, you got a lot of work cut out for you tonight. Once you’ve satisfied me, then you can get your hair and nails done. I will take you first thing in the morning,” Thad told her.
As they pulled into the parking lot of Motel 6, Jeryca couldn’t help but notice that throughout their relationship, Thad had never once taken her to his house. It never bothered her until today. She felt lower than dirt at that point, but she needed to do what she had to in order to get back in Thad’s good graces. After they got their room and got settled in, Thad’s cell phone rang.
“This is Thad. Talk to me,” he said as he answered.
“Yes, this is Bruce Jackson. I just got your message and I have one available appointment tomorrow. Can you be at my office in the morning at nine?” he asked.
Thad looked at Jeryca and turned his back to her. “Yes, sir, I can be there. I want to thank you for your attention to my case, Mr. Jackson.”
“You are welcome. I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Royster,” Bruce said before hanging up.
“Now that we are safely in this room, come over here and get my dick hard,” Thad said as he stood in front of Jeryca. She sat on the bed and started stroking his dick slowly without looking at him. Thad wanted to add insult to injury.
“Naw, get on your knees and put it in your mouth, Jeryca,” he said as he guided her to the floor.
Jeryca wanted to cry. She had never seen Thad act like that. She put his soft dick in her mouth, and as she sucked and stroked it slowly, she could feel it growing and hardening quickly. The more his shaft grew, the less she could take in her mouth. Thad noticed that she only had half of his dick in her mouth.
“Naw, motherfucker, put it all in there,” he said as he grabbed her head and moved the entire length of his manhood into her mouth. Jeryca started gagging and trying to pull back, but Thad laughed and moved his dick quicker and deeper down her throat until he came. He released all his seed in her mouth. She hated how she felt and wondered if it was all worth it.
Thad collapsed on the bed and pulled Jeryca with him. As he lay there, he began to drift off to sleep, but not before he decided that after a few more times with Jeryca, she was going to be his number one hooker. After he visited his attorney the next day, he was going to take Jeryca to his trap house where all his hoes chilled while they waited for their johns to pick them up. They weren’t the type of women who stood on the corner tricking. The guys who ran the trap also set up the ladies’ jobs. As the thought of all the money he was going to make off her crossed his mind, he smiled and hugged Jeryca as he went to sleep. After fucking her three times that night, he was completely satisfied and informed her that she had earned the money to get her hair and nails done.
* * *
“Farrah, where are the Nikes I told you to get Travis?” Larry asked.
“I got him some Nikes, Larry. Don’t start questioning me about nothing,” Farrah said angrily.
“Look, I will ask what I want. I give you enough money every week so you can get the things you need and want, so when I give you money specifically for Travis, I expect you to get what the fuck I tell your ass to get! Keep this up and you gon’ find yourself in the same position as your friend Jeryca!” Larry said in a low, but serious tone.
“Who the fuck—wait a minute, what do you mean ‘like Jeryca?’” Farrah asked with a half-frown and confused look on her face.
“Thad is about to teach Jeryca a lesson she won’t soon forget. After he learned about her reaction to him being locked up, he came up with a plan to check her ass. And you ’bout to be in the same boat as she is. Keep trying me, Farrah!” Larry said.
“Wow, I kind of figured she was going to play herself one day, acting like she is the queen of Brooklyn,” Farrah said.
“Ha! You are one to talk. I promise, you keep it up and I’m going to take my son, and you will be paying me child support,” Larry said as he walked away.
“You got to be crazy. Don’t ever threaten to take my son again!” she yelled.
“Farrah, that wasn’t a threat. That was a promise,” Larry said before getting in his car and pulling off.
Farrah stood at the door of her apartment with her mouth gaped wide open. She knew that Larry was serious. She shut the door and went to lie next to Travis. She cuddled with her son all night.
* * *
Thad got up and showered. He left Jeryca asleep while he got dressed. At about 7:30, he woke her up and told her to get dressed and to make it quick. He told her he had a few stops to make before he took her to get her hair and nails done.
Jeryca did exactly as she was told. Her body was sore from the abuse Thad had inflicted on her the night before. He put her body in every position he could think of sexually and didn’t seem to care that he was hurting her. She moved slowly, and Thad noticed how she was walking, and for a brief moment, he felt sorry for her and what he had done to her, but the feeling vanished quickly.
“Hell, she better get used to the feeling,” he muttered to himself. As the bathroom door closed, Thad called Chris. He needed to set his plan in motion now.
After Jeryca finished her shower and dressed, they left the Motel 6 and headed down the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway I-278. Thad had to meet Mr. Jackson first and foremost before he did anything else. He put his Tupac CD in and bobbed his head to the beat of Better Dayz. Jeryca watched Thad closely. She wondered what had really changed him. She was almost certain it wasn’t just about her reaction to him being in jail. She could only pray that it got better soon. As they veered off the expressway onto Ninety-second Street, Thad turned the music down and looked at Jeryca.
“Listen, I got to go and meet my attorney right quick, and I’m not sure how long it will take. You can go in with me, but I ain’t having no shit out of you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do. Thad, I’m not a child, you know. I do know how to conduct myself!” she said as she rolled her eyes.
Thad laughed out loud and shook his head at her. He didn’t say a word, but his silence and the look he gave her told her to chill out. She turned her head and looked out the window. They finally turned into a parking lot that was surrounded by several corporate buildings.
“Jackson and Associates law firm, here we go right here,” Thad whispered to himself.
As they pulled into an empty space, Thad looked at her once again. “Remember what I said.”
Jeryca just stared at him for a few seconds and got out of the truck. As they walked into the building, Jeryca looked around and couldn’t help but notice how elegant the office was. Everything was laid out in plush Italian leather. The wall trimmings were outlined in gold, and there were beautiful statues that stood in the middle of the room; but what really raised her eyebrow w
as the handsome Italian man that came out to greet them.
“Mr. Royster, how are you doing?” he asked as he extended his hand.
“I’m ok, assuming I can get out of the mess I find myself in today,” Thad answered. Jeryca couldn’t help but wonder if he was talking about her or his charges.
“This is my friend, Jeryca,” Thad continued as he pointed to her.
“Hi, how are you?” Jeryca said as she shook his hand.
“I’m great. Come into my office so we can see what we are dealing with,” Bruce said.
As they walked into the office, he looked at his secretary. “Hold all my calls.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
“Have a seat,” he said as they entered the office.
Thad looked at Jeryca and asked her if she could wait in the lobby until they were done. She got up quietly and walked out. While she sat out there, she wondered what was going on with Thad. She couldn’t help but feel like she was losing him. Is it another woman?
After forty minutes, Thad and Bruce emerged from the office talking and laughing. Jeryca figured that everything had gone okay. As they approached her, Jeryca overheard Thad telling Bruce that his secretary was very beautiful and he complimented his office. “Everything is lovely and elegant in here,” Thad said as he smiled at the lady. Jeryca rolled her eyes and walked out of the building.
“We got two more stops to make, and then you can get your hair and nails done,” Thad said without looking at her. Jeryca was now infuriated. Not only had Thad disrespected her, but he had also belittled her in several ways.
“That’s ok, Thad. I’m good. I will get them done another time. Go take care of what you need to, and I will get someone to pick me up from here. I don’t need this shit!” she said as she got out of the truck and walked into the office across from his attorney’s office. Thad sat in the truck for a few minutes, and then got out and followed her into the building. When he walked in, Jeryca was on the phone; Thad walked to where she stood.
“Get the fuck off the phone and let’s go now!” he said through clenched teeth.