Guilty Gucci

by Ashley Antoinette

  “That’s twenty each,” Chanel said happily. Instead of scraping and stealing her dough a few hundred at a time, she had just come up nicely by putting in less than ten minutes worth of work. “This is chump change compared to the bigger dealers in town.”

  “I know. I think we need to keep it to a minimum though. I’m willing to do it again, but we have to be smart about it. We should only do one lick a month. The hood gets paid on the first and fifteenth of the month. That’s when niggas get big money because all of the smokers have that government check in their pockets. We need to do it on those days from here on out. This money is good money, but I guarantee we would have come out a lot nicer if we had hit ol’ boy on the right day,” Raegan said.

  “What do we do with the coke?” Chanel asked.

  “We definitely can’t sell that to anyone around here. That’ll be a dead giveaway. You try to meet some out-of-town hustlers and make some connections with them. This little bit ain’t worth selling right now, but I’m sure we’ll come across more. When we get our weight up we will wholesale it,” Raegan said. “You just work on finding buyers for it.”

  The girls split the pot, but Raegan’s money was already spent. After paying Micah the $10,000 she owed him she would only have $10,000 left. No matter what Chanel said, she knew that Gucci was a threat and she planned on paying her off to keep her silent.

  Raegan picked up the phone to call Micah. She was eager to see her baby. She had his money and now all she wanted was for him to give her baby back and stay out of her life.

  “We’re sorry. The number you have dialed has been changed. No new number is listed.”

  When Raegan heard the operator’s voice she was livid. This nigga thinks I’m playing about my son, she thought as she stood up. She grabbed the keys to Chanel’s car and headed out the door. She was tired of the back and forth charade Micah was playing. It was tit for tat with him. As she sped over to Micah’s house her blood pressure rose as she cussed him out in her head the entire way. She pulled up to the house and hopped out of the car. Everything in her was tired of him. His spiteful ways turned her off completely. Raegan would never regret her son, but she regretted the fact that she had made him with a man like Micah. Her fists pounded his door repeatedly, knocking so persistently that he didn’t have a choice but to answer her.

  “Where’s my son?” she asked as soon as he opened the door.

  His face was bruised from the once-over that Nahvid’s goons had given him. She threw the stack of money she had for him directly in his face. His tall frame blocked the door so she was unable to enter his home. “Give me my baby. You got your money.”

  “You can have him back when I say you can have him back,” Micah said.

  Tears filled her eyes. “Micah!” she cried out in frustration. “What is this really about? How can you keep him from me? I’m his mother.”

  “And I’m his father. Get the fuck off my doorstep before I blow your fucking head off,” Micah said hatefully. “Don’t come back. You wanted to leave so stay the fuck gone, but my son is staying right here.”

  He pushed her away from his door and slammed the door shut in her face.

  “Micah,” she yelled as tears trailed her cheeks. She pleaded on his doorstep until she had nothing left in her. When the lights went out she peeled herself off of the ground. Feeling hopeless she left, not knowing what else to do.

  Nahvid spotted Raegan from behind the bar at his soul food restaurant. Everywhere I go I’m seeing this girl, he thought. The two of them together were kismet in his eyes. He had never wanted to know more about a person. She sat in the corner of his bustling establishment, drinking a glass of wine as she stared out the window at the falling snowflakes. He thought that she was playing hard to get. He had no idea that she was preoccupied with other things. Starting something with him was the furthest thing from her mind. The fact that she didn’t seem to want him made him want her more. As if his energy had tapped her on the shoulder she turned her face toward his. The chandelier lights reflected off of the tears on her face and as he walked from behind his bar toward her, she gathered her things to leave.

  “Sunny Rae,” he said as he walked up behind her and whispered in her ear. “Let me find out that bum nigga of a baby daddy got you crying your eyes out.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve gotta go,” she said as she tried to leave. She couldn’t focus on him right now. She was too distracted. Her emotions were all over the place. She was distraught and a little tipsy from the wine she had been sipping on.

  “You can’t drive like this. Stay for a while until you calm down. Have you eaten?” he asked.

  She shook her head no and he snapped his finger to get one of the waitresses’ attention.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Please set up a private table on the second floor for me and my guest,” he instructed.

  He led her up to their table and then pulled out her chair as she sat down.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, it’s just been a long day for me,” she replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. Things have been crazy for me.”

  “I’ve been running into you a lot lately,” he said.

  “That’s a good thing right?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure just yet,” he replied. “I find myself thinking a lot about you ... wondering how you are and I don’t even know you.”

  She looked up at him in surprise. A man like Nahvid could have anyone he wanted, but he was stuck on her. Flattered was an understatement.

  “There’s not much to know,” she replied with a shy smile. “I’m like most girls.”

  “I highly doubt that,” he responded. “What do you spend most of your time doing?”

  Raegan thought about it and instantly became ashamed of her answer. She had been with Micah for three years and ever since meeting him her days and nights had revolved around him. “I’ve wasted a lot of time pleasing a man. I haven’t taken much time for myself.”

  “We’re going to have to change that,” he responded. “A man is supposed to make you his center of gravity ... not the other way around.”

  “So what do you do?” she asked.

  “So she feigns ignorance huh?” he asked with a smirk, knowing that she was aware of his street status.

  She shook her head and laughed slightly at his blunt nature. “No, I’ve heard about you ... but I want to hear it from you. The streets say you are a scary guy, but the man I’m sitting across from seems so different.”

  “I’m a businessman. I like to involve myself in anything profitable. I don’t like to take losses ... I guess over the years I’ve had to make a few examples out of people, but that’s not all that I am. I take care of the people I love,” he admitted.

  “I can tell. You seem very loyal,” she said.

  “Is that a trait that you possess?” he countered as he stared at her intensely.

  “Depends on the person,” she replied. “I’m loyal to a fault sometimes. I was loyal to my kid’s father and look where that got me.” Her voice cracked as fresh emotion seeped out into her tone. She smiled half-heartedly in an attempt to hide her distress.

  “He’s a dummy,” Nahvid said, sincerely. “His trash just may be my treasure.”

  Raegan smirked and rolled her eyes. “Here you go,” she scoffed with laughter.

  “You’re laughing but I’m not telling any jokes, ma. I’m a man who can recognize a good woman when she’s right in front of me. I know what I want and when I see something I’m interested in, I usually get it,” he answered.

  “Is that so?” she asked sweetly as she folded her hands beneath her chin, her eyes dancing with flattery.

  “That’s so, shorty,” he responded. “I don’t like to be told no.”

  The two conversed over dinner and wine as if they had known each other their entire lives. Their chemistry was off the charts and as they learned a little bit about one another their attractions grew.

  They
talked and laughed for hours, the wine loosening lips that were usually so airtight. Raegan had never felt an attraction like this before. He had a way of making her feel better about life as if nothing could break her, not even Micah.

  As the sun came up she yawned. “I have to get back home. I have my roommate’s car and I have to be somewhere in a few hours. I had a good time with you. You don’t even know how you turned my night around.”

  “Can I see you again?” he asked.

  “The way that our paths have been intertwined I’m sure that you will,” she replied. She stood and he escorted her to her car.

  “Am I going to have to kidnap you in order to take you out on a formal date?” he asked. He put his hand behind her head and massaged the nape of her neck gently with his fingers. His touch electrified her body, making her eyes flutter and her clit throb. She was beautiful and sexy and classy and innocent and mischievous all at the same time.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m playing games,” she whispered. “I’m just ...”

  “Playing games,” he said, finishing her sentence. He stepped closer to her, trapping her against the car and whispering in her ear as his body pressed against hers. “It’s okay though. I enjoy the chase, ma. I’m just wondering if I’m ever going to catch you.”

  Her nipples stuck out at full attention as her pussy rained her wanting onto her thigh. Her clit bloomed like a springtime flower and she gasped because he was making her hurt in a good way. The sexual tension between them was high and a thousand sensations shot through her body.

  “I’m caught,” she whispered as she took his lips into her mouth and kissed him seductively. His hands roamed her body until he reached her ass, squeezing tightly as he aligned his throbbing dick with her middle. He was hard and she could feel it through his jeans that he was thick and didn’t come with any shorts below the waistline. They were in pure heat as he lifted one of her legs and slid his hand up her dress, ripping the thong she wore. The street was deserted but the possibility of being caught by a passerby made it even better for Raegan. It heightened her pleasure. She wanted to tell him to stop and that they barely knew each other, but he was making her feel too good and the only thing that came out was sighs of pleasure as he played with her clit. He rolled it, smashed it, tugged at it ... pleasing her without ever sticking his dick inside of her.

  “Let’s go back inside,” she whispered. She was fien‘in’ for the dick and could no longer contain herself.

  Nahvid picked up her, holding her voluptuous ass in his palms as her legs wrapped around his waist and they kissed all the way back to the door. He pressed her against the glass, their grunts and moans filling the early morning streets. He would have made love to her right there but their moment was ruined when a car came down the street, the driver blaring his horn at them.

  Raegan and Nahvid were on cloud nine, but quickly came back down to earth when reality set in. He put her down and rested his forehead against hers.

  “You think I’m a ho now right?” she asked insecurely as she fixed her dress. “What the hell am I doing? This ain’t me ... I don’t move like this ...” she stammered as she spoke, feeling mortified at the way she was putting herself out to Nahvid. I’m playing myself right now, she thought. “I would pay to know what you’re thinking right now.” She shook her head in disappointment as she tried to brush past him.

  Nahvid stopped her and put a finger to her lips, silencing her nonsense. “I think that you’re beautiful and I want to see you again.”

  Her embarrassment was evident by the shade of red her cheeks had turned. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. He put his finger underneath her chin and lifted her face. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve smashed chicks who have made me wait forever and they still turned around and did me dirty. That means nothing to me, Raegan. We’re two grown individuals so whenever we decide to take it there it will be because we made the decision together ... responsibly. I don’t have expectations of you, only standards of myself and you meet every one of them. I respect loyalty. I caught you, now I got to trap your heart, ma. Spend tomorrow with me.”

  “I can’t. I have community service at the rehab center tomorrow. I have to complete two hundred fifty hours so that I can go back to the judge and try to fight for custody of my son again,” she said.

  “The director owes me a favor. You’re done with that. He’ll let the judge know you fulfilled your time. Now what’s your excuse?” he asked.

  She shook her head, unable to hide her smile. She was smitten with Nahvid. Whatever she needed he could make happen and it felt good to be handled with such care for a change. “I guess I don’t have one. Can you pick me up from the center? I have to stop in for a second in the morning to handle something,” she said.

  “Done, just text me when you’re ready” he replied.

  Raegan nodded and he kissed her lips as he admired her beauty, noticing the way her eyes glistened with insecurity when she was unsure. He grabbed her hand and walked her back to the car, tucking her safely inside before she pulled away.

  Chapter Eight

  Raegan walked into the rehab center paranoid that the police or, better yet, Gucci’s man, would come for her at any moment. Nahvid had made good on his promise by getting her out of the community service. As soon as I clear the air with Gucci, I’m blowing this joint, she thought. She quickly located Gucci and walked up behind her, grabbing her hand to drag her into the ladies’ single-stall bathroom. Raegan locked the door and took a deep breath as she turned around, preparing herself for a confrontation.

  “Look, Gucci ... I know you recognized me last night, but I want you to know that we were never going to hurt you. You were never in any danger,” Raegan said honestly. She reached into her purse and pulled out five stacks, handing them to Gucci. “This is half of what I earned last night,” she offered.

  Gucci was hesitant to take it. She felt betrayed by Raegan. “What’s this? Hush money?” Gucci asked.

  “It’s my way of saying I’m sorry,” Raegan responded.

  “So what? You pretended to be cool with me so you could get to Jamie? That was your plan all along?” she asked.

  “No. It wasn’t like that really,” Raegan replied.

  Gucci shook her head and said, “I don’t want the money. I want in.”

  “What?” Raegan exclaimed in surprise. She had not pegged Gucci as a hustler. She didn’t seem like the type. Gucci wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Raegan ... if she were, the two of them wouldn’t even be having a conversation. If the shoe were on the other foot, Raegan would have popped off on sight. Gucci was too nice ... too trusting ... and too understanding. As Raegan thought about how naive and innocent Gucci really was, a light bulb went off in her head. She’s perfect, Raegan thought. They will never see her coming.

  “I want in. I need a come-up, Raegan. This job is a dead end for me. Me and my mom are barely making it at home. I have to put up with bullshit from dudes like Jamie because without them I would be starving. I’m tired of it and I want in. I just want to get enough to set my mom up and send me on the first thing smoking out of this city,” Gucci said with a faraway look in her eyes.

  “I’m not in this by myself. I’ll have to run it by my girl. Can we meet you somewhere? Tomorrow night?” Raegan asked.

  “We can meet at my place. Maybe then you will see why I need y’all to put me on,” Gucci stated. Raegan was surprised that Gucci was singing this tale of poverty. She would have bet her bottom dollar on it that Gucci was living the champagne life, but from the look of desperation in her eye, Raegan knew that this wasn’t the case. Looks could be deceiving and Gucci had the world fooled. She was down bad and ready to climb her way to the top. Tired of watching other women get it ... envying chicks who had the world in the palms of their hands, she wanted to become a part of the big-girl club.

  As Chanel sat in Gucci’s driveway, anxiety filled her gut. “I don’t know about this, Raegan. We just robbed her boyfriend,” Chanel
said skeptically.

  “I’m not advocating either way. If she’s in that’s cool and if she ain’t that’s fine too. Just meet her. See what type of vibe you get and then we’ll decide from there.”

  When the three of them got together they clicked instantly. Their interactions were so natural that they appeared to be old friends. Gucci was so easygoing that she endeared herself to Chanel and Raegan. Her spirit was infectious and now that they had an additional set of eyes and ears, they were ready to take it to the next level.

  Gucci sat inside the crack house, her eyes discreetly roaming the room as she counted the number of people in the room. She had become a regular over the past month. Playing her part and getting as much information on their victims as she possibly could. The dirty clothes she wore and her ruffled hair made her almost fit in with the fiends around her. She stood and went to cop from one of the d-boys in the kitchen. Their operation was all the way sloppy. They allowed their customers to get high in the basement so that when their highs came down they didn’t miss the second helping sell. It was this tactic that allowed the girls to catch them slipping.

  Gucci kept her head low as she approached one of the young hustlers, “Can I get two twinky’s?” she asked. She handed him the twenty-dollar bill and took the beige-colored rocks out of his hand before scrambling back into the basement. She carefully searched the room until she found a young girl sitting idly in the corner. Eyes wide and shaking she was in need of a hit. She had been lingering in the dope spot all day trying to hit a lick on one of the other fiends. With no luck, she had the shakes and was irritated beyond belief. So when Gucci approached her with a proposition she jumped at the opportunity.

  “Hey you trying to hit this with me,” Gucci said as she sat down next to the girl.

  The girl eyed her suspiciously but all doubt was erased when she saw the twinky sitting in the palm of Gucci’s hand. She reached for it as if she were about to touch a precious art exhibit, but Gucci snapped her hand shut quickly ... right before the girl got to it.