by King, Deja
“And you’re sexy to me too. That’s why it’s getting more and more difficult for me not being able to have my way with you. I mean you let me touch but you never let me explore. How long you gon’ make a nigga wait?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I haven’t decided yet. It’s gon’ happen but when I’m not sure. But you’ll be the second to know.”
“You a funny one, but I like it. No worries I’ve waited this long I can wait some more, plus you worth it.”
“D’Mario, you act like you’ve been holding out for over a year, it’s only been a few months.”
“True, but it feels like so much longer. I mean damn, look at you! Even right now you got on that short, what type of dress is this,” he said grabbing the bottom of it.
“It’s called a baby doll dress.”
“Yep, and you looking just like a doll. This dress shows enough to turn a nigga on but not too much so you also make a nigga curious what’s under it. How do you expect me to not want to get closer to you?”
“I get it and all that will happen in due time.”
“I thought you said you were following my lead today.”
“Oh, I didn’t mention that certain restrictions apply.” We both laughed as D’Mario parked the car so we could go inside. We were dead in the middle of Beverly Hills holding hands walking in the restaurant like we were a couple and for that brief moment I didn’t care who saw. I think watching my parent’s marriage ending right before my eyes and being rejected by Amir made me want to rebel against everything that was supposed to be right.
I couldn’t front for the first couple months it crushed me that Amir had chosen Justina over me. Although I had always been super attracted to D’Mario, I kinda threw myself in this thing with him to help get over the disappointment of Amir not wanting me but as time went on I had developed real feelings for him. So now I no longer had to listen to Justina gush over her boyfriend, I had one too, except he was a man and not a boy.
When we walked in the quaint Italian restaurant the first thing I noticed was that Ja Khel was coming towards us. But to my surprise he wasn’t totting some arm candy along he had a guy with him.
“What’s up man, hey Aaliyah.”
“Hey, Ja Khel.” I was too busy eyeing the guy he was with to really pay attention to Ja Khel. The guy seemed familiar to me for some reason.
“I thought you said you were laying low today.”
“I planned to but Aaliyah got hungry,” he said squeezing my hand playfully. “Aaliyah, this quiet dude with Ja Khel is my brother Darius.” Now I understood why he seemed familiar to me he looked like D’Mario but a more mature version, I thought to myself.
“It’s good to meet you.” He remained mute and just nodded his head.
“So are ya’ll staying or leaving?”
“We on our way out.”
“Cool, I’ll call you later. We have a few things to discuss.” D’Mario watched as they made their exit out before we followed the hostess to our table.
“So when are we going to discuss what I brought up to you earlier?”
“Ma, I got you. I have to find the right thing for you to do. But on the real I’m hoping you’ll change your mind.”
“Why would you hope that for?”
“Because you one of those rich girls looking for a good time. Ain’t nothing good about this shit but the money.”
“Yeah, and it must be nice to have a bunch of it and not have to ask nobody for nothing.”
“Everybody answer to somebody, Aaliyah. I don’t care how high up they are, there is always somebody higher.”
“I hear a sermon ‘bout to come from you so let’s order our food and move to another topic.”
“I’m not tryna preach and it sound like you catching an attitude.”
“No attitude”No att. I’m just not interested in you trying to give me some long drawn out story to change my mind. If you not gon’ do it, say that and then let’s move on.”
“You so fuckin’ feisty.”
“I know. So what’s good on the menu? I’m ready to eat.”
I had to end that going nowhere conversation with D’Mario before he got me livid. I understood if he didn’t want me involved in his illegal activities because there were valid reasons to be concerned but what I wasn’t interested in was a lecture. I got enough of them from my parents and my grandfather. I would continue to have fun with D’Mario but I knew there was no chance we would ever be Bonnie and Clyde.
***
“I can’t believe in a few months we’ll be done with high school. And then I can go spend the summer with my baby.”
“So I take it things are still going good with you and Amir?”
“Not good, great! We finally did it and it was amazing!” My upper body lifted up so quickly off the chaise lounge when I heard what Justina said that I almost dropped my strawberry daiquiri.
“When you said did it are you talking about sex?”
“Keep your voice down. My nosey mother might be lurking around somewhere.”
“We’re outside by the pool, she’s in the house. I doubt she can hear what we’re saying.”
“Trust me her hearing is exceptional. Ask my dad. He’s been caught creepin’ more than a couple of times for that very reason.”
“Fine,” I said lowering my voice. “You and Amir had sex?”
“No, we made love and it was beautiful. We did it when I went to visit him for Christmas break. If I’d known the sex would be that incredible I wouldn’t have waited at all. The size of his dick is like ridiculous. But it’s not like it’s so big he’ll rip your insides up. That’s just disgusting.”
“I can’t believe you’re just now telling me. I also can’t believe you had sex before me. I’m probably like the only eighteen year old virgin in Beverly Hills.”
“You’re still a virgin?”
“Isn’t that what I just said and there’s no need to rub it in.”
“I wasn’t trying to rub it in. I was under the impression that you and D’Mario had been having sex. I mean you’re with him all the time.”
“We mess around but never all the way.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well you better hurry up. A guy that fine is definitely getting it in with somebody.”
“As long as I don’t know about it, it’s not my problem. Plus, I’m not about to fuck D’Mario because I’m afraid he’s getting pussy from some other chick. If that’s what he wants to do, it will happen regardless if we’re having sex or not.”
“I think it’s important to please your man. I’ve been practicing on a banana how to give Amir the perfect blow job.”
“You can’t be serious. A fuckin’ banana, Justina. That’s like the lamest shit I’ve ever heard.”
“Call it lame if you want but my man ain’t complaining and that’s all that matters.”
I laid down and put my sunglasses back on so Justina couldn’t see the loathing in my eyes. It was like she thought she was such hot shit because of her relationship with Amir. And now that they were fucking, you couldn’t tell her nothing. But I could lie to Justina but I couldn’t lie to myself. There was a twinge of jealousy burning inside of me. She got the man and he popped her cherry. I was tired of being the hottest virgin running around here. I made up my mind that before high school ended the word ‘virgin’ would no longer be a part of my description.
After leaving Justina’s house I headed over to D’Mario’s crib. He cooked some of his mouth watering Salmon that I simply adored. My stomach was fixated on how good I knew that food would taste but my mind kept replaying what Justina had revealed to me earlier when we were lounging by the pool. As I drove with the windows down and the nighttime air blowing in my face I wondered if I would find a guy that made me as happy as Amir made Justina. D’Mario was super cool and sexy as all get out but I knew he wasn’t
‘the one’. But I guess he would have to do for now, I resolved myself to accept that as I drove up in his condo complex. When I got out the car, D’Mario was outside on the phone pacing back and forth. When he realized I was walking up he nodded his head telling me to go inside. There was soft music playing and our dinner was laid out t bas laidreal elegantly on the dining room table with flowers and candles. It was sophisticated but sexy at the same time. I was glad that I had on a cute silk dress so it seemed I was dressed appropriately for the occasion. When I sat down at the table the candles made the low cut neckline embellished with sparkling beads and stones appear to illuminate.
I continued to sit at the table waiting patiently for D’Mario to come back in but the time was ticking away. I wanted us to share this moment together but I was starving so I began devouring my Salmon. He put some sort of special sauce on it that he refused to share with me which made this the best piece of fish I had ever tasted in my entire life. By the time I was halfway done, D’Mario still hadn’t come back inside so it was a clear indication I made the right decision eating my food instead of waiting for him.
“Damn, you ate already,” he said with a borderline frown on his face when he walked back in as I was finishing up my last few bites.
“I tried to wait but you were out there forever. You see what time it is.”
“Fuck, I didn’t realize I was on the phone for that long,” he said looking at the clock on his wall.”
“Why were you talking outside anyway?”
“This a bullshit phone and I can’t really get no reception in here.”
“Oh, I know you’re ready to eat. Do you want me to warm up your food for you?”
“No, I lost my fuckin’ appetite.”
“Does it have anything to do with that phone conversation you just had?”
“Everything.”
“Tell me what happened.” D’Mario looked away from me as if resisting the urge to spill the details. “You can talk to me. I am your girlfriend…right?”
“Really, you tell me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve been wanting you to be my girlfriend for a while now. But I feel like you fighting against it.”
“That’s not true.”
“One minute you seem all in it then the next you easing back. So I’m not sure if you’re my girlfriend or not.”
“I’m telling you I am. I mean if that’s something you still want.” D’Mario walked over to an end table in the hallway and opened the drawer. He pulled out a long black box.
“I’ve been wanting to give you this,” he said handing the box to me.” When I opened the box my mouth dropped.
“Omifuckingoodness! You got me Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. These earrings cost like twenty-five thousand dollars. I know this because a few weeks ago I went shopping with my mother and she was contemplating getting them but didn’t. I can’t believe you bought them for me, they’re beautiful. Thank you so much!” I stood up and put the 4”18k YG and Briolette Diamond earrings on. My jet black curls fell perfectly to make them sparkle even more.
“I take it that you like them.”
“You knew I would fuckin’ love them. Who wouldn’t! How long have you had them and why are you just now giving them to me?”
“For a couple weeks. I didn’t want you to think I was trying to buy you in order to make you mine.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that.”
“You’re so hard to read, Aaliyah. The only reason I knew you wanted to be my girl is because of what you said a minute ago. You never gave me any indication you wanted us to be exclusive.”
“Well I do and if you keep giving me jewelry like this I might be trying to move in.”
“Don’t say it unless you mean it. I don’t think you understand how much I’m into you.” D’Mario tugged me closer, kissing me. “And those earrings look beautiful on you.”
“Thank you. And thank you for having such amazing taste in jewelry. Now that you’re feeling more relaxed will you tell me what had you so upset.”
D’Mario rubbed his hand over his face. The loving smile that he had a second ago vanished and a look of skepticism now etched his face. “A problem came up and it got me concerned.”
“Tell me what the problem is.”
“For the last year every other week this guy that works for me goes to Culver City and meets my main connec0em main ct. All he does is pickup an envelope that has a key in it and the location of my product, because my connect switches it up each time. But for some reason dude has vanished and tomorrow is the pickup.”
“What do you mean vanished?”
“He’s disappeared.”
“When was the last time you spoke to him?”
“Earlier in the week but he ain’t answering his phone, he ain’t at his crib. Not only am I worried about getting that envelope tomorrow but I’m also worried about dude. He’s good people”
“Why don’t you just go get the envelope?”
“Nah. I’ve only met with my connect one time in person. He prefers we always use an in-between in case somebody is watching. It’s worked so far so I wanna keep it like that and I don’t want to piss my connect off ‘cause he mad paranoid.”
“I’m sure you know somebody that can go in that other guys place.”
“Nobody that I trust a hundred percent. You have to understand, the person that gets that envelope has access to my drugs before I do. People out here thirsty right now. I can’t take those types of chances.”
“Why don’t you call the guy and reschedule.”
“He don’t fuck wit’ the phone. If somebody don’t show up tomorrow to get that envelope he might think some funny shit is up and cut me off. That’s why I’m stressing.”
“I can go.” D’Mario raised his head up and from the look he gave me I knew he was unconvinced. “You need somebody to go, and I can do it. It’s a one time thing and you can trust me.”
“I don’t know, Aaliyah,” D’Mario said, shaking his head as he stood up from the chair.
“Real talk, it’s not like you have any other options. Unless you’re willing to lose your connect.”
“Are you sure you’re comfortable with this?”
“All I’m doing is picking up an envelope.”
“Yeah, a very important envelope.”
“Yep, and I’ll do my job very well since I know I’ll be well compensated for it.”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you mean excuse me? You didn’t think I was doing it for free. I’m sure your little dude that’s missing got paid and so will I.”
“Can’t dispute that. This can work and if dude stay missing, it’ll give me two weeks to find a replacement.”
“Yep, so it’s a win, win situation.” D’Mario didn’t know it but I hoped the replacement would be me. I could see myself making this a permanent gig. Getting paid easy money to go pick up an envelope and if I played my cards right I could parlay it into something much bigger.
Amir
Let It Go
When I saw my dad and Nico pulling up I thought I would feel a sense of relief but I didn’t. Their arrival simply made me more anxious. My dad got out the car first and walked over to me while Nico was on the phone.
“What took you so long to get here?” I could tell my dad didn’t appreciate the tone of my question but he didn’t address it. Probably because he knew it was due to my frustration over Aaliyah.
“When we got the call we were in Long Island and the traffic was horrible. What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you all had the answers. I’ve been in my car waiting. Nobody in the precinct is telling me anything.”
“Nico is on the phone with his attorney so hopefully we’ll know soon.”
“What I do know is they’re charging her with murder.”
“Yeah, first degree. Here comes Nico now, maybe the attorney gave him some more information.”
“Hey, Amir.
”
“Hey, did you find out anything?”
“Not really. My attorney said they’re on some real secretive bullshit right now. He’s in LA but he’s getting on a redeye so he can hfac so he andle things on Aaliyah’s behalf. Amir, you wait here. Genesis, come with me inside and let’s see what we can find out.”
“I wanna come,” I uttered more aggressively than I meant to.
“Do like Nico asked and wait here. We’ll be back.” The tenor in my father’s voice let me know the request wasn’t up for debate. I literally kicked rocks trying to find a way to release my irritation. I had been waiting all this time and the last thing I wanted to do was wait some more. I wanted to be inside and find out what was going on with Aaliyah. But instead I found myself back in my car remembering how things were already becoming complicated only a few months ago.
***
“So exactly what are we going to do while you’re here? I know you and your boo want to spend some alone time together but hopefully we can all do some fun things together too,” Aaliyah smiled as we drove down Mulholland Drive.
“Of course we’re going to all hang out, that’s why I’m here. We celebrating my birthday so all we doing is fun shit.”
“I’m glad you came to the west coast to celebrate.”
“You all couldn’t make it to New York and I had a couple days off from school so why not. I needed some LA fresh air anyway,” which was true. As many times as I came to the west coast, I never grew tired of driving down Mulholland Dr. at night, gazing at the Santa Monica Mountains and the panoramic views of LA, including the Hollywood Sign.
“Yeah, there’s no place like LA except New York which beats everything. I wish I could have some of their pizza right now.”
“Yo, why you even mention pizza ‘cause I’m starving.”
“Me too. I have the perfect place for us to go. There’s this Italian spot right in Beverly Hills. The food is off the chain. D’Mario and I go all the time. Let’s go there.”
“That works. Let’s go. Speaking of D’Mario how’s that working out?”
“It’s working out good. You see these earrings I have on, he got them for me.”