by Nick Cannon
The energy felt higher than ever. I knew that was because I was dancing with Killa Bean and the crew for the first time in front of a crowd. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous. I stood by the bar watching the scene. I peeped the fact that Dada was upstairs holding court with his usual goons. I saw Kutan, his enforcer, standing at the top of the railing with his gun visible in his shoulder holster. The air was thick with peril, adrenaline, and a raw, haunting energy. I tossed back so many shots of Hennessy at the bar that Casanova took notice.
“Nuttin’ to be nervous about, brethren. Ya name is Tarzan. Ya rule The Jungle. Dis’ shit come naturally.”
I nodded, fronting that I had more confidence than I really felt. I started to say something else, but I stopped midsentence when I saw Maya getting ready to take the dance floor with her girls. She and her crew were dressed in denim booty shorts that left nothing to the imagination. In fact, the shorts looked more like denim thongs. I didn’t appreciate seeing my lady with all her goodies on display like that. I stepped to her and let her know.
“Yo, what’s this shit you got on?”
“Tarzan, mi nah time for ya nonsense, ya hear me?”
“I’m just saying … you need some more fabric on these outfits.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation. Mi not ya concern anymore.”
I was crushed. But, before I could respond, Killa Bean was at my side.
“Let’s go!” He nodded toward the crew behind him. “We’re on.”
It was time to hit the floor. I watched Maya walk away, and I followed Killa to the center of the floor. Toasta threw on our track.
“Gimme the Light” came on at full volume. The speakers vibrated with the pulse of the bass. Me and Killa Bean took our places at the front of the crew. The rest of the All Star Blazers were hype. This was it. We looked good. All of us were dressed in simple tank tops, jeans, and NY Yankees fitted caps. We wore dark sunglasses, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. I knew our Yankee look would stand out. And that it would piss Dada off.
The Hennessy had kicked in and my adrenaline was racing. I wasn’t nervous now. It was game time. All eyes were on us. We started our routine in the center of the dance floor.
Our moves were energetic, tight, and fluid. From behind my shades, I watched the crowd as I danced. All eyes were on us. We held beer bottles in our left hands, waving them like torches while we danced. We flipped the bottles to the rhythm of the drum beat, sending them spinning toward the sky, and caught them in midair. The crowd went crazy.
We kept going and it was just like Killa Bean had described. Each move illustrated our swagger, and it felt effortless. The All Star Blazers were bosses, and our movements out on that dance floor left no doubt about it. The women were screaming for us, and everyone had to give us love. Toasta was hype, jumping around in the deejay booth. The only ones standing still were Dada and his bitch ass crew up in his little fake VIP section. We nailed the final steps as the song ended. The crowd was cheering and yelling, their hands in the air. It was official. I was part of the dancehall family, and I had never felt more at home in my life.
My boys and I celebrated as Toasta bigged us up on the mic.
“All Star Blazers! Big up! We tear the roof! All stars!”
We were swarmed by women, and we took a bunch of pictures with our cars and motorcycles. Our sports cars and tricked-out bikes were parked out front. We were flexing, holding up money, weed, and bottles of rum. I went back inside to look for Maya, and somehow wound up at the bar. It felt like I was swept up in a wave of love from the adoring crowd who had seen what we had just done on the dance floor. It turned out that all the weeks of hard work had paid off. Practicing that routine with the bottle had nearly made me question my hand-eye coordination. But, tonight we nailed it. I toasted with Killa Bean and Casanova at the bar.
As I set my glass down, a gorgeous young lady approached the dance floor. Her walk was sultry and seductive. I had seen her around before. It was hard not to notice an ass like that. In fact, she was beautiful all the way around. Her body was like an hourglass and her face was like a work of art. She looked like a goddess. Her crew walked in behind her. They called themselves The Laydeez.
“That’s Kaydeen,” said Casanova. “Ass look like a’ onion!”
The Laydeez performed a sultry, sexy routine that caught the eye of every heterosexual man in the room. Grown men appeared weak in the knees at the sight of Kaydeen and her crew winding, twisting, and rolling on the floor. It was wild. Killa tapped me to follow him, and before I knew it, me and the All Star Blazers were on the floor with Kaydeen and her crew. Kaydeen grinned and came right toward me. She pushed up on me, grinding, and I gave it right back. Our dance was hot and powerful, the energy between us intense. The crowd was loving it.
Maya pushed her way through the crowd and shut it down. She pushed me off the dance floor, and I was grateful that my cousin switched the song up and kept the party going.
To my surprise, Kaydeen walked over and stepped between us.
“Well, look who it is! Maya Fenster.” Kaydeen was smiling, and she looked even more gorgeous than usual. “Ya still around, eh?”
I looked from one woman to the other, confused.
“Never left yard. Unlike some of us.” Maya looked at Kaydeen like she was a roach.
“Silly likkle pickney hating on mi education.”
Maya balked at that. “Education? Just ’cause ya go fi school don’t mean ya smart. Lek mi learn ya! Mi show ya education!”
I was worried that Maya was going to fight Kaydeen. But as she walked off toward the dance floor, I remembered where I was. This was the dancehall, where scores were settled different from the way we did things in Brooklyn.
Kaydeen looked at me, still wearing that lovely smile I was starting to enjoy too much.
“I’ll be back for you, Mr. Tarzan.” She winked and followed Maya to the dance floor.
I stood there, speechless. She knew my name.
Toasta threw on the track Maya had been practicing to for weeks. I knew she had been struggling with this routine. I watched as Maya and The Dutty Gals started off.
Maya was killing it. Kaydeen and her crew watched for a minute. Then they rushed the floor, and challenged them with moves of their own. The crowd roared louder for The Laydeez, and it seemed like their cheers only made Kaydeen bolder. She danced even harder, right in Maya’s face. Maya gave it back. But, when Kaydeen did a headstand and popped all that booty to the beat, it was clear that The Laydeez had won. The entire dancehall went crazy, cheering, and drowning out the music.
Toasta spun the record back.
“Di winner is Tarzan! King of The Jungle!” He sounded his air horn. “He make di Dutty Gals and Di Laydeez battle for his crown! Big up!” The air horn again. I was gonna kick his ass when I got to him.
“All Star Blazers in di building!” Toasta yelled.
Kaydeen and her girls gathered together on the sidelines afterward, celebrating. I watched, sipping my cognac. I couldn’t front. I was intrigued, and a little turned on by the display I had just witnessed.
Maya appeared out of nowhere and caught me staring.
“See sum’n ya want?”
“Huh?” It was all I had.
“Ya gawking over her?” Maya looked angrier than I had ever seen her before.
“What are you talking about? Nobody was gawking. You’re bugging right now.”
“Oh really? Buggin’, eh?”
“Yeah. You’re acting real insecure right now. I didn’t know that’s how you get down. I’m not really feeling it, to be honest with you.” The look on my face said it better than my words did. The last thing I wanted was another Tameka. I had dealt with enough drama from women like that. I thought Maya was different. But, right now she was looking real familiar.
“Dat gal bad news! She nah good, Tarzan. Ya hear mi say?”
I frowned at her. “I don’t understand. You said yourself that all
of this shit is just dancing. That’s all that was. We was all just dancing! Why are you mad? You having a fit like I was having sex with her.”
“You want to?”
“Want to what?”
“Have sex with her?”
I didn’t want to lie. At that point I wanted to have sex period. I had been so focused on Maya that I still hadn’t crossed that hurdle since my release from jail.
“I don’t even know her!”
“It don’t matter. Answer mi question! Ya wan’ sex her?”
“I’m gonna tell you one more time. It’s just dancing. Remember that concept, Maya? You’re the one who taught it to me.”
“Ya wan’ sex that skank? Go head!”
“Maybe I should since you won’t give me none.”
The minute I said it I realized it was a mistake. Maya looked at me, crushed, and slapped the shit out of me. By the time I recovered, she was gone.
She had caused a scene and now everyone was looking at me for all the wrong reasons. I turned to Casanova behind the bar. He had seen the whole thing.
“Mr. Casanova. Lemme get a Red Stripe. I need it. Right now.”
He handed me the beer, and I took a long sip.
“It better to lose a woman,” he said, “than to lose ya character. Another soon come.”
I nodded. “Okay. You’re the Casanova. You know women better than I do.”
Casanova cleared his throat, and tapped me on the shoulder. He gestured slyly toward Kaydeen, walking toward us. The sway of her hips was mesmerizing.
“Another soon come,” Casanova repeated.
SENSUAL SEDUCTION
Kaydeen approached. This time, her smile wasn’t as broad. It looked sympathetic.
“Are you okay? I saw that likkle scene a minute ago. She seemed upset.”
“Yeah. Sorry you had to see that. But, I’m good. Thank you.”
“My name is Kaydeen.”
“I’m—”
“Tarzan. The Yankee.” She held my gaze, her eyes full of mischief.
“I see you’ve done your research.”
“I heard a ting or two.” She was smiling wider now. Several people at the bar interrupted and asked for pictures with her. She was gracious, and allowed it. Then, she gave her attention back to me.
I commented on it.
“I guess I should be doing my research, too. Because everybody around here is treating you like royalty or something.”
“I am royalty. Ya don’t know?”
I laughed. She didn’t. She seemed serious.
“I grew up around here,” she said.
“Really?” I nodded. “Beautiful place.”
“It is. I went to school abroad, though. I finished high school in the UK and currently I’m a student at Juilliard.”
“In New York?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m from Brooklyn.”
“I heard.” She winked.
“Oh, that’s right. Your research.”
She shrugged. Again, we were interrupted by her adoring crowd.
When I had her attention again, I offered her a drink. She ordered a gin and tonic. A tough drink for such a delicate thang.
“So, you said you went to school in the UK. Why don’t you speak with a British accent?”
She smirked. “Jamaicans don’t always speak patois, you know?” She put on a crisp British accent that would have impressed the queen. “I also got my New York swagger, too.” Now, she sounded like one of Tameka’s friends. “You know what I’m saying, son?”
I was impressed. “Okay, damn, Wonder Woman! You speak Chinese, too?”
She took a sip of her drink. “Well, actually, I do speak a little Mandarin.”
She saw the skeptical expression on my face.
“I have a little Chinese in my blood, too.”
“You’re like the United Nations up in here.” She did have that exotic look. Long wavy hair, light skin, and striking eyes.
“I like to think of myself as an international woman of mystery.”
“Okay. Well, one mystery I need solved is what’s up with you and Maya?”
She shrugged off the question and sipped her drink again. “The bishop’s daughter? She’s just red eye.” She waved her hand, dramatically. “She’s been jealous of me ever since grade school.”
“Jealous? Really? Maya never seemed like the jealous type.”
At least not before tonight. I had seen a very ugly side of her that evening, and it was unexpected.
“You never know a dog until you step ’pon its tail.” Kaydeen looked at me, seriously.
I thought about that.
“Come hang,” she said. “We can talk at my table.”
I followed her to the VIP section upstairs. Killa and the crew followed suit. I had my eyes open for Dada, but I didn’t see him. Kutan was there, though. So, I made sure to stay alert.
Kaydeen had a little table in the corner where a few of her girls were seated. They smiled when I approached. Kaydeen introduced us, but I was too twisted by then to remember names.
“Tarzan, this is The Laydeez crew.”
“Pleasure is all mine,” I said. “I saw you doing your thing out there on the floor. Nice moves. You made it hard for me and my boys to keep up.”
There were bottles on the table, and I could tell Kaydeen and her crew were balling.
“I see you ladies are having a good time tonight.”
“It’s a lifestyle. A lady should be treated like a lady. Girls nah know ’bout this life. This is a woman ting.”
“Seems like you and my lady don’t get along too well.”
Her friends went off to dance and Kaydeen and I sat down.
“She’s yours, eh?”
“Something like that.”
She made a sad face. “That’s too bad.” She shrugged. “The bishop’s daughter and I have never been close. She doesn’t really care for mi family.”
“Who’s your family?”
It seemed like something out of a movie. Like a dark cloud descended on us then, and I could sense that something had shifted in the atmosphere. It was the most ominous answer to my question.
“Soft cha-cha boy. What ya do over here wit mi sister?”
I heard Dada’s voice, and a cold chill ran down my spine. I stood up and faced him. Two of his goons stood behind him. Kutan was nearby, watching like always.
“Oh. Okay. I see. So, this is your sister?”
Kaydeen stood up, too.
“Donovan, I’m fine. We are just sitting here talking. Go away.”
Dada was smirking at me, but I could tell he didn’t find this funny at all.
“Yankee! Don’t put ya hat where ya can’t reach it. Dis sail too fancy for ya boat, ya hear me? Ya nah belong here. Ya nah good enough to sit with mi family.”
“Look, white boy, you don’t even know me. Your goons and all that gully talk don’t scare me. I’m sitting here.” I sat back down to illustrate my point. “And until the lady wants me to leave, I will continue to sit here.”
My boys stepped up. Killa Bean and the All Star Blazers rushed forward, ready for war. They stood behind me, facing Dada and his crew.
Dada sucked his teeth. “Aww. Him a badman, eh? Well, I come here to give you straight talk. The Jungle. Kingston. Jamaica. It’s all mine. My property. You operate here. You operate ’pon di streets. You report to me. Ya understand?”
I looked at my boys and laughed.
“I don’t report to nobody.”
Dada laughed, too.
“You are a long way from home, Yankee boy. You better be careful who ya make enemies with.”
This was nothing new to me. Turf wars and bullies like Dada who thought they could tell other men where they could get money—that was old news. I had dealt with that back in East New York. Dudes thought they could be selfish and keep all the wealth to themselves. It sounded like that’s what this clown was accustomed to. His rich daddy had somehow managed to secure the major
ity of the island’s wealth. Now, Dada thought that entitled him to stomp around Kingston and do the same. It was all a joke to me, and I had to resist the urge to spit in his face. That’s how little I respected him and everything he stood for. Dada thought he was a kingpin, when all he would ever be was a pussy.
“I’m here,” I said. “This is my home now, too. I ain’t going nowhere. So, you and your friends should probably get out of my face.”
I stood up to face Dada eye to eye. His goons drew their guns.
Killa Bean pulled out his machete. The look of it alone was menacing. The fact that he had used it before with deadly results was an unspoken fact.
Dada looked at Killa Bean.
“Ya better be pulling that knife out to butter mi bread!”
My boys pressed in closer, and I stepped forward, too. I was ready for whatever. I knew at that moment that I might die tonight. Dada had a point to prove, and a reputation to uphold. Everything I had been told about him indicated that he was the type to stop at nothing to prove a point. But, so was I. And, I was ready to take this shit all the way.
Kaydeen stepped in between us. Mr. Casanova noticed what was happening and summoned his guards over. They rushed in with their guns drawn.
The place was eerily silent with everyone’s weapons drawn.
Dada was smiling. “Now it’s a party!”
“Donovan, stop!” Kaydeen’s voice cracked with emotion. She seemed to know that her brother and I were both capable of taking this all the way. “I said I was fine. As a matter of fact, we were just leaving. Right, Tarzan?” She looked at me. “Right?”
I didn’t say anything. I just kept staring her brother down, unfazed. I wasn’t scared of this bitch ass rich boy. He was nothing to me. I knew this guy would never survive where I came from. Here, they treated him and his family like royalty because they owned the town. But, in my eyes, he was a piece of shit. And I was starting to wonder whether his sister was trouble, too.