by K'wan
“I know that’s right. Yo, shorty,” Butter said, stopping a waitress, “bring us a bottle of Crys.” The waitress went off to get Butter’s champagne. “So,” he continued, “how’s life in the free world?”
“Can’t complain. I’m just glad to be home, ya know?” she said, downing the last of her drink.
“Fortunately, I don’t.” Butter smiled. “I ain’t never been caught for none of my bullshit, and I’m trying to keep it that way. But seriously, how was it in there?”
“Man,” she shook her head, “it wasn’t nothing nice. I mean, the spot they had me in wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t fun. I didn’t get into too much drama, but just being up in that piece was horrible. The food tasted like shit, and there were roaches everywhere. I’m gonna cherish my freedom.”
“And we’re gonna make sure of it,” Cassidy added.
Everyone at the table nodded in agreement. Eve was still the baby of the crew. They all tried to look out for her like a little sister, even if she rebelled against them every chance she got. That was just her way.
The waitress eventually made it back to the table. In one hand she held the bucket, which had a bottle of Crystal tucked securely into a mountain of ice. In the other hand, she held several plastic champagne flutes. She sat the glasses down and filled them all halfway. She hesitated for a moment and cast a glance at Butter. Apparently she was waiting for a tip. Butter took the opportunity to stunt for the crowd.
“Here you go, ma,” he said, peeling off five hundred of Dre’s money. “Keep the change.” The waitress gave him a seductive smile and melted back into the crowd.
“I hear that, big time,” Cassidy said.
“It’s only money.” Butter winked. “I’d like to propose a toast.” He raised his glass. “To Eve. Baby, we’re glad to have you back amongst us, and we’re all gonna do our part to keep your crazy ass out of trouble.”
“To Eve.” Felon added to it.
“To Eve!” they all said in unison.
Eve crossed her legs, raised her glass, and toasted with her friends.
For the next few minutes, everyone drank and made small talk. Every so often Eve would notice Felon staring at her. Whenever she tried to meet his gaze, he turned away. Between the heat and the alcohol, Eve was feeling good. She decided to take the opportunity to fuck with Felon. Sliding one foot from her loafer, she began rubbing it up and down Felon’s shin. She could see the look of surprise in his face and smiled at him. He sat there dumbfounded for a few seconds, then took it a step beyond, placing the foot on his lap.
Out of view of everyone else, he began to massage it. Felon’s strong hands sent goose bumps up her leg. His hands worked her instep and heel, expertly tempting her to close her eyes. She looked over at Felon, who was now wearing a triumphant look on his face. Quite unexpectedly she began to feel moisture building between her legs. It had been quite some time since she had been touched by a guy, and it was never like that.
The goose bumps up Eve’s thigh caused butterflies in her stomach. She eyed Felon hungrily and he returned the stare. Visions of him taking those same muscular hands and gripping her about the waist caused her to blush. At that moment Felon looked like an object of pleasure that had been placed on the earth solely for her. Carmen passed behind their booth and touched Felon’s shoulder. He paused momentarily, turning to see who it was. By the time he returned his attention to Eve, her facial expression had changed.
Eve glared at the girl and removed her foot from Felon’s lap. When he tried to reach for it again, she moved it farther out of his reach and slipped it back into the shoe. Felon looked defeated and she was just pissed that a wayward lay had broken such a magical spell.
Eve managed to put the situation with Carmen behind her and get back into the flow. The childhood friends drank and talked shit until the joint closed. Eve was having so much fun that she found herself getting teary-eyed several times over the course of the night. Felon had disappeared sometime during the night. Eve didn’t miss the fact that Carmen had seemed to vanish also. Butter and Cassidy had plans to spend the evening together, so they dropped Eve and Rhonda off on the way.
During the elevator ride in Butter’s apartment building, Cassidy fondled him. She stroked his penis through the thin slacks and whispered into his ear. He pressed the back of his head against the wall and moaned softly as she licked his exposed throat. By the time they made it into the apartment, Butter was hopping out of his clothes.
He lay back on the couch while Cassidy did a little dance for him. She slowly peeled out of her dress while Butter eyed her hungrily. When she was stripped down to just her white thong she moved to the couch and leaned over him, supporting her weight with her arms. Her chocolate nipples dangled above him while he touched each one with his tongue. The sensation sent chills down Cassidy’s spine, but she had other plans for his mouth.
Standing on the couch with a leg on either side, she held her vagina near his face. The sweet scent of her mingled with the light tinge of sweat made Butter begin to salivate. Cassidy knew just how to bring the beast out of a man. She dipped her hips in his direction, but kept her love box out of his reach. When Butter felt as if he could take it no more, he grabbed her roughly by the hips and pulled her to him.
With his hands still fastened around her waist, Butter ripped her thong off with his teeth. He kissed her first on her belly button, then down near her vagina. Cassidy squealed and giggled as his tongue found the object of its desire. He thrust his tongue deep inside her, then alternated between tongue-fucking her and sucking her clit. Cassidy’s body tensed and she began to climax. Waves of tremors overcame her as she came in sprays. Butter was careful not to let one drop of Cassidy’s essence escape his parched throat.
Cassidy sighed, enjoying the oral pleasure he was giving her. After letting go one more burst, she decided to show him who was really the boss. She planned to hit Butter up for enough cheddar a new summer wardrobe. So she went to work
Cassidy abruptly pulled herself away from his skillful mouth, causing a wet sucking noise. Butter rose to pull her back down, but she put her hand against his chest and shook her head. She leaned in and began kissing her juice from his mouth, then worked her way south. Pulling his nine-inch penis from his boxers, Cassidy one-hand massaged him. Then she dipped her head beneath his balls and started licking in a circular motion. Butter panted and stroked the back of her neck in anticipation.
Once he was good and swollen, Cassidy put the head in her mouth. Butter’s eyes began to flutter as the heat radiated from below his waist to the rest of his body. She licked around the rim of his dick with the tip of her tongue while massaging his balls with her free hand. Then she got into it and started to bob up and down on his dick, each time taking a little more into her throat. Butter could’ve sworn he was going to black out when she took the whole thing.
From the way his body trembled and his dick was getting even harder, she knew he was about to pop. But she wasn’t ready yet. She pulled back and gripped the head of his penis roughly. Reaching beneath the couch cushion, Cassidy produced a Magnum. Butter always kept a stash nearby. After using her teeth to rip open the wrapper, she used her mouth to roll it on him. When she deemed it moist enough, she mounted him. The heat from Cassidy’s mouth was nothing compared to the inferno that was her pussy. She ground on him slowly at first, then began to buck wildly.
Butter’s eyes rolled back in his head as she took him to the moon and back. He grabbed her about the waist so tight that she knew his hands would leave a bruise. It would be well worth it when he set that paper out. Opening her eyes to admire her handywork, she noticed Butter’s face had twisted into a hideous mask. Oh, no, the fuck he ain’t, she thought to herself. Becoming stiff as a board, Butter exploded into the condom. He bucked a few more times, then his body went limp. But his dick was still hard and Cassidy had every intention on getting hers. She continued to ride his dick until she had pleased herself twice more. Once satisfied, she lay agains
t his heaving chest and joined him in peaceful slumber.
10.
Eve was up and out early the next morning. She was never one to sleep late, but today she had added motivation. It would be her first meeting with her parole officer. Eve removed the necessary documents from her duffel bag and placed them into a black Coach purse. Normally she didn’t bother with them, but she had to present certain documents to her PO and didn’t want to risk losing them. She dressed in a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans and a form-fitting black T-shirt that made her red hair and blue-green eyes stand out. It was a nice day, but there was a slight chill in the air. This suited her fine, because she had slight hangover from the night before. Before she went away, Eve had been able to hold her liquor just as well as any guy from the crew, but after being sober for so long, she had the tolerance of a novice. She welcomed the cool breeze against her face.
The block was relatively empty, considering it was nine in the morning. The only people on the streets were the working class and the hustlers serving the fiends their morning wake-up. Eve ignored the youngsters making their transactions and kept stepping. The faces might have changed, but the routine was still the same.
She still had some time before she had to be downtown, so Eve stopped in the corner bodega on 124th and 7th to get something in her system. Her stomach told her that she was starving, but her common sense told her to eat light. The last thing she needed was to be on the train and catch a bad case of the shits. She decided to get a bagel and some orange juice to hold her until she came back up top. When she got to the counter, she was greeted by the store owner.
“Is that little Eve?” he asked, giving her a yellowing smile.
“What up, ahck?” she said, giving him dap.
“Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’ve been away. Had to take a little vacation.” She shrugged, placing her wrists together to mimic being cuffed.
“You were locked down?” he said, genuinely concerned. Mohammad was one of the coolest store owners in Harlem. The whole hood might not have had love for him, but they respected him. He was good to the people he serviced. If you were tight with him, he had no problem giving out store credit or stashing your package, but if you crossed him, he had no problem touching you. On more than one occasion, Eve had witnessed Mohammad and his brothers locking some unsuspecting loudmouth in the store and putting the smack down.
“Yeah,” she nodded, “but I’m home now.”
“Praise Allah,” he said, giving her a warm smile. “How’s your friend, Cassidy?”
“She’s cool.”
“Tell her to come by and see me.” Mohammad had a thing for Cassidy longer than Butter did. He was always giving her free goods and trying to holla, but Cassidy wasn’t interested. It’s not that she had anything against him, but he wasn’t the most attractive cat. Mohammad was short, with funny-shaped ears, and was going bald on the top.
“A’ight, ahck.” Eve reached into her pocket to pay for her breakfast, but he stopped her short.
“Don’t insult me, Eve. You’re just coming home, so it’s on me. You just make sure you stay out of trouble. Okay?”
“Sure thing. Later, Mo.” Eve gave him dap and left the store. She strolled farther north and cut across 125th. The business owners were just opening their shops or standing around, swapping the latest gossip. Opposite the stores were the book vendors. These had to be some of the hardest working cats on two-fifth. Rain, sleet, or snow, they were out there with their tables. Eve stopped at one of the tables to purchase a book. She enjoyed reading on the train as opposed to sleeping or sitting around looking stupid.
A book called Hoodlum caught her eye, so she picked it up to read the synopsis. When she saw that it was written by K’wan, she purchased it. He was one of her favorite authors and you couldn’t go wrong with one of his novels. With the novel tucked in her purse, she continued her trek to the A train.
As Eve rounded the corner of St. Nicholas, a familiar face caught her eye. The girl was about five-four with a curvaceous body. Her leather miniskirt bareley covered her shapely ass. She stood, wide legged in her thigh-high boots, talking to one of the cab drivers. Her hair was cut a little shorter, but Eve recognized the face.
“Jasmine?” Eve called out.
Jasmine turned around, eyes wide with shock. She thought it might’ve been her mother, or someone who knew her family, so she was prepared to take off running. When she recognized Eve, the fear gave way to a warm smile. “Eve!” she squealed. “What’s up, girl?”
“Chilling.” Eve leaned in and hugged her. “What you doing out here?”
“Trying to live,” Jasmine responded, trying to look like she wasn’t embarrassed that Eve had caught her. Jasmine was one of the junior members of Twenty-Gang. She couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen, but she had the body of a full-grown woman. When Eve left, Jasmine was just another little girl, trying to find out where she belonged in the world. Apparently she had. Her search for acceptance landed her on the hoe stroll.
“Trying to live, huh?” Eve twisted her lips. “What are you really doing out here? I know you ain’t doing what I think you’re doing.”
“Come on, Eve. Don’t start. I’m just trying to get my weight up,” Jasmine whined.
“Looks like you’re doing a little more than trying to get your weight up. What’re you doing out here with these hard-luck muthafuckas?”
“If they spending, I’m winning,” Jasmine said, trying to make a joke out of the situation.
“Jasmine, don’t play with me,” Eve said in a deadly tone. “You ain’t nothing but a baby, and you’re out here selling your ass?”
“Come on, baby,” the cab driver yelled out the window, “you getting in or what?”
“Hell no, she ain’t getting in,” Eve said, walking over to the cab.
“You’re pretty,” the cab driver said, licking his lips. “No need to hate, baby. I got enough money to take the both of you on.”
“What you working with?” Eve asked, formulating a plan in her head. She cocked her hip, leaned down into the passenger side window, and gave him a cold smile. He was mesmerized by her ocean-like eyes and toasted skin. The cab driver pulled out a wad of bills, which Eve leaned in and snatched. “Let me let you in on a secret. That girl you’re trying to pick up is a baby. As in: not legal. I just saved your stupid ass from a charge.”
He looked stunned, then angry. “You stupid bitch! You’re trying to get me locked up. Get away!” the driver shouted angrily at Jasmine.
“Eve!” Jasmine barked.
“What? You feeling bold?” Eve asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Jasmine, realizing who she was talking to, toned her voice down. “You’re taking money out of my pocket.”
“I’m trying to save your life. Your lil ass ain’t got no business out here. You’re gonna fuck around and make the headlines. Does your mother know you’re out here?”
“No,” Jasmine said, looking at her boots. “I ran away.”
“Why did you do a fool thing like that?”
“Her boyfriend. About six months ago, Mom started dating this guy from a Hundred and Thirty-first. The old dude that hangs out by the supermarket. Wears a patch over his eye.”
“I know who you mean,” Eve said, searching through her mind. “What about him?”
“Well, about two weeks into the relationship, he starts staying with us. He throws moms a few dollars from his SSI check once a month, so she’s loving this nigga. Well, he started coming on to me. It was real subtle at first, but after subtlety doesn’t work, he gets on his gorilla shit. I woke up one day and found him standing over my bed touching himself.”
“That’s some sick shit,” Eve said, heated. “Did you tell your mom about it?”
“I told her,” she sniffled, “but he said that it was the other way around and I tried to come on to him. Naturally, she believed him. She starts calling me all kinds of whores and cursing me out over this nigg
a. That night I packed my shit and got in the wind. I’ve been staying from place to place and trying to turn tricks, just so I wouldn’t starve out here. I didn’t know what else to do, Eve.”
Eve could feel the rage mounting inside her. Jasmine was barely more than a child. The thought of a grown-ass man trying her like that caused Eve’s blood to boil. “Check it,” Eve said, handing Jasmine the cab driver’s bankroll. “Go get yourself a room somewhere. Take a shower and put on some respectable clothes. I’m gonna handle this for you.”
“Eve, I don’t want you going back to jail over this,” Jasmine pleaded.
“Quit talking crazy.” Eve stroked her cheek. “Twenty-Gang takes care of their own.”
“But Eve—”
“Just do like I told you, Jasmine. Meet me on the block at about eight-thirty and this shit is gonna get handled.” Eve hugged Jasmine and escorted her to another cab.
“Hey,” the first cab driver said, hopping out of his ride, “what about my money?”
“You mean my money, chump.” Eve glared at him. “You’re out here trying to have sex with minors. That’s illegal in this country, and a capital crime when it’s one of my peoples. Now, you got three choices. One, you try for this money and I end up beating the hell out of you. Two, I could report you for this and cause a big stink. Three, you get the fuck out of here and take it as a learning experience.”
The cab driver sized Eve up and thought about it. He easily outweighed her, but something in Eve’s eyes screamed trouble. If she did report him to the police, they would find out that he was in the country illegally, and that would be a bad thing. He decided to leave the situation alone. The driver flipped Eve the finger and sped off in his cab.
Eve stood there and waited until Jasmine was safely away before she descended into the train station. She was prepared to do battle with the cab driver, but she was glad that she didn’t have to. It seemed that the hood was full of surprises since last she came through. Felon and Butter were top dawgz and little Jasmine was selling ass. Eve had her work cut out for her. No matter what, though, Evelyn Panelli was home and everyone was going to know it.