by K'wan
Black Ice first took Dena through the mall where they did a little shopping. Dena picked out some dynamite outfits for herself and even picked up something for Mo. Other than a Stacy Adam’s hat, Ice didn’t buy anything for himself. He seemed to just be enjoying watching Dena shop, which suited her just fine. When they left the mall, Ice took Dena to a cute little spot called Ms. Tootsie’s. Technically, it wasn’t even the right day for the spot to be opened for business, but after a well-placed phone call they opened their doors for Ice and his guest.
“I take it you come here a lot?” Dena asked, checking out the décor.
“Only when I’m in town,” he replied, pulling her chair out for her.
“And how often might that be?” she prodded.
“As often as necessary,” he said, before calling the waitress over. Ms. Tootsie’s didn’t serve alcohol, but they managed to scrounge up a bottle of Pinot for the Ice Man. Black Ice excused himself from the table to use the bathroom, which he had been doing throughout the day. Dena chalked it up to all the vitamin water he had consumed on the way down, even joking that he had a weak bladder. When he returned, his movements seemed more sluggish and there was a sleepy look in his eyes. Something was out of place, but Dena didn’t dwell on it.
Black Ice and Dena sipped wine and made small talk under the dim lights of Ms. Tootsie’s. A few times during the conversation Ice’s words trailed off midsentence, but he recovered gracefully. They compared notes on each other’s lives and gazed passionately into each other’s eyes until the food came. Ice had liver and onions with white rice and gravy, which he just picked at, while Dena selected steak and mashed potatoes. Dena didn’t even know they made steaks as big as the Porterhouse in front of her. It was safe to say that Black Ice had her thoroughly impressed.
They both left the restaurant feeling like stuffed pigs. Black Ice was telling Dena about the history of the city, but she only half-listened. When Ice realized he was talking to himself he called her on it.
“You still thinking about homey?” He touched her arm.
“Nah, Lazy is yesterday’s news,” she assured him. “I’m just thinking about our little road trip.”
“What, you didn’t have a good time?”
“No, that’s not it at all. I actually had a great time. It’s not every day that a man whisks you off to another city for dinner.”
“It could be,” he said seriously. “A nigga could see himself spending some heavy time with you, Dena.”
“Ice, you got too many hos on your plate as it is,” she told him.
“Who, Wendy and them? Nah, its more of a business relationship than anything.”
“And your business is flesh peddling, right?” She finally put it out there.
Black Ice gave her a comical look. “Dena, I haven’t pedaled anything since I fell off my bike in the seventh grade. I’m a manager for adult entertainers,” he told her. She gave him a disbelieving look, so he explained: “What I do is all about supply and demand. See, sex does and always will sell. I don’t put a gun to those girls’ heads and make them climb on them poles; they do it because they want to. Hell, the majority of them were in the life when I found em, all I did was show them how to manage their money.”
“By pocketing it?” There was no malice in her tone, but a dire curiosity.
“Dena, you got me fucked up,” he began. “You think that I put these girls on the street and take their money so I can live, right? I don’t just drop them off and pick them up; I clothe them, feed them, and keep a roof over their heads. Lisa is enrolled in medical school off my dime, so it’s a two-way street. Black Ice and his ladies aren’t just people, we’re a business. Them girls you see on my arm got ownership in barbershops, Laundromats, and a whole slew of other shit, so the money ain’t all going in my pocket.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said, feeling like she was out of bounds.
“I ain’t offended, Dena, just telling you what it is. It’s easy to confuse what I do with pimping, but that ain’t the case. All I do is give hope to the hopeless.”
Black Ice said he wasn’t offended, but his body language said otherwise. What he said made sense to Dena. She knew countless girls who were running the streets lawless and ended up broke with worn-out pussies. All his girls stayed fly and they seemed pleased as punch with his treatment of them.
“So, where to now?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“I don’t know, I thought you might wanna get back to the city?” Ice said.
“Nah, I’m not really in a rush. I thought maybe we could hang out a little while longer. I know you know some hot spots in Philly?”
A wicked smile crept across his lips. “I think I know a place.”
Chapter 32
JAH LAID IN THEIR KING-SIZE BED, BASKING IN THE glow of the mind-blowing sex they had just had, with his lady resting peacefully on his chest. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and admired how beautiful she was, and how that beauty was almost stolen from him.
When he saw the men with the guns, instincts took over. He didn’t think about himself or anyone else on the block, all he knew was that there was danger and Yoshi had to be protected at all costs. Without thinking, he engaged the enemy—and his girl had gotten shot because of his impulsiveness. She was lucky this time, but what would happen if there was a next time? Would Yoshi catch a fatal shot? Would he be gunned down? The thought of being away from her made him frantic.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
“Huh, nothing, baby,” he lied. “Go back to sleep.”
“Jah, don’t lie to me. Your heart is beating out of your chest, so I know something has got you rattled.” She tried to sit up, but winced in pain when she tried to put weight on her injured arm.
“Yoshi, you shouldn’t be moving around like that.” He tried to help her up.
“Jah, cut it out. I’m shot, not paralyzed.” She swatted him away. “Besides, you weren’t saying that when you had my ass cocked in the air,” she teased him.
Jah smiled. “You know how I like it, ma.”
“Yep, face down, ass up!” she giggled. “But for real, what’s bothering you?”
Jah hesitated before speaking. “I don’t know, I was just thinking about what happened.”
“Jah, I know you didn’t put me in harm’s way on purpose. You saw some niggaz with guns and did what you felt you had to do.”
“That’s just the thing, Yoshi, I didn’t have to do anything,” he told her. “Them boys were coming for True and I put my nose where it didn’t belong, and you almost died because of it.”
“Jah, I didn’t almost die, I got shot in the arm,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but what about the next time?” he asked emotionally. “Baby, it’s just an arm this time; but what happens the next time I fly off the handle? I’m supposed to protect you, not get you caught in cross-fires.” He sat up and turned his back to her so she wouldn’t see the moisture that was building in his eyes.
“Jah,” Yoshi placed a warm hand on his back. “You’re a young man that’s had a very hard life. All you know is the law of the jungle, so you act accordingly. Yeah, it was dumb of you to bang out with those cats, but what would’ve happened if they were coming for you and you didn’t react?” She slid around and straddled his lap, facing him. Though she had seen him get emotional before, this was the first time he looked like he was gonna cry.
“Baby.” She stroked his cheek. “I can’t lie and say that I don’t want you to outgrow this thug-ass exterior of yours, but at the same time, this is the person that I fell in love with. When I was down you were my rider. You’ve done things that another man would’ve never dreamed of, to see that I was safe.”
“I only did what I felt I had to, ma,” he said.
“And I love you for that, Jah. But on the flip side of things, we both agreed to do things differently when we got together. I stopped stripping and you hung up your pistol—that was the d
eal. I know you can’t effect change overnight, but I want to help you try, if you’re willing?”
“Yoshi, I’d move heaven and earth for you,” he said sincerely.
“And so you have.” She kissed him gently on the lips. “Now, I want you to do one more thing for me.”
“What?” he asked suspiciously. Yoshi whispered in his ear, bringing a smile to his grim face. “Now, that I can do,” he said, leaning back in anticipation of round two.
DENA LAY ON THE PLUSH bed of the Hyatt hotel, located near Philadelphia’s airport, waiting for Black Ice to come out of the bathroom. Rose petals decorated the bed sheet and floor surrounding the bed. On the nightstand sat a half-empty bottle of champagne, and pinched between her fingers was a blunt of Cali cush. She took light tokes of the sweet-smelling blunt and watched the yellowish clouds waft to the ceiling. She was so high that it was almost as interesting as watching one of her favorite shows.
Coming to the hotel was supposed to be a spontaneous move, but when they arrived, the room had already been prepped. Ice obviously had it up his sleeve from the gate, but she wasn’t mad at him. She wanted it just as much as he did, if not more.
Black Ice came out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. Standing there under the dim lights, he looked like a chocolate god, with his rippled stomach and bulging chest. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body and came to rest on another bulge. Never taking his eyes off her, Ice crawled onto the bed and hovered over her.
“Ice, it’s been a while since—,” she began, but a finger over her lips quieted her.
“Lets not ruin this with words, baby,” he whispered. Black Ice placed soft kisses on her lips and chin, making Dena shudder. Lazy was a great kisser, but Ice had it down to a science. He seemed to know just where to kiss her to get a reaction, as if he had studied the art, which he had. From her chin, he worked his way down her neck and chest. Taking great care, he ran his tongue around one nipple and then the other. Once the nipples were fully erect, he made his way south to her love cave.
Dena had her pussy eaten before, but mostly by guys closer to her age. Ice lapped at her clit, using just the tip of his tongue, until it puffed out. He then stuck his tongue deeper inside her. Ice’s tongue felt like a hot spear as it explored the walls of her pussy. Just as she was about to get into it, he stopped.
“Where’re you going?” she asked, as he scooted off the bed.
“Just setting the mood, baby,” Ice said, fishing around in his pocket. He produced a small piece of tin foil and returned to the bed.
“Is that coke?” she asked, looking on curiously as he unfolded it.
Ice gave her that charming laugh. “Nah, baby, this ain’t coke.” He dipped one finger into the powder and held it out for her to examine. “This here is a ticket to on the Love Boat.” He ran the powder over his gums.
“I don’t know how you can do that shit,” she said.
“Dena, we come from two different worlds, so there’s a lot of shit I do that you wouldn’t understand,” he said, this time taking a snort. As the powder entered his system his eyes took on a dreamy look.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ice took a minute to clear his sinuses. “What it means is that you’re a square,” he said flatly.
“Ice, I know you ain’t bring me all the way down to Philly to try and play me?” she snapped.
“Calm down, sweet lady. I didn’t mean no disrespect by the statement.” He stroked her cheek to soothe her. “Dena, all I’m saying is that I’m a street nigga and prone to do street shit. The world I come from is about flash and cash, while the world you come from is about going to school for sixteen to twenty years so you can work for another twenty and retire with half pay. Now, ain’t nothing wrong with being a square—that’s part of what attracted me to you in the first place: your purity. Personally, I think we need more women like you in the world. Beauty and intelligence is a rare thing.” He kissed her forehead.
“So, because I want to be something in life means I ain’t good enough for you?” she asked, trying to hide the hurt.
“On the contrary, Ms. Jones, you’re too good for me.” Ice let his eyes water up for effect. “Dena, I care for you so much, but I know that we can never be together the way I want, because of the fact that we’re from two different worlds. All I’d do is bring you down.”
“Ice, don’t talk like that,” she said, taking his face in her hands. “I feel you too, baby. I want us to be together,” she said seriously.
“We can’t.” He snatched his face away. It took every last bit of his self-control to keep from laughing. “You don’t know anything about the world I come from, and it’d be wrong of me to bring you into it.” With that statement he let a lone tear run down his face.
Seeing him like that made him seem more like a real person than a superstar. In her mind, she saw her and Ice as some sort of power couple, with him dominating in the streets and she in the boardroom. It was at that moment of vulnerability and need that Dena decided that Ice was the man whom her soul called to.
“Then let me in,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Let me in,” she repeated. “Ice, let me be there for you. Let me into your world.”
“Dena—,” he began, but this time it was her finger that silenced him.
“Let’s not ruin it with words.” She traced the line of his jaw with her fingers. “Make me feel good.” She looked down at the heroin.
Black Ice looked at her with sorrowful eyes, but his wicked brain was praising his pimp god. When he’d first decided to recruit her, he thought it would take a minute to crack the tough young girl from Bed-Stuy, but at the end she was like so many others: a young girl who just wanted to be loved. It was almost sad that his black heart was incapable of the emotion, because, had things been different, he could’ve seen himself wifing her. But that was the life of a square nigga who believed in that kind of thing. Black Ice was forged in the fires and battle-tested on the streets. There was nothing that could override the code that had been instilled in him since birth, not even what was left of his cold-ass heart. He was forged in the fires of macking and hoing, so the logic of a square could never make sense to him. After he traced a line through the powder, he ran his stained finger over her lips and whispered, “Baby, only if you want to.”
She licked the heroin greedily off his finger. “I want to.”
Grinning wickedly, Black Ice moved on to the next phase of the turnout.
FIVE MINUTES AFTER TAKING HER first snort of heroin, Dena threw up the meal they had just consumed as well as parts of a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel she’d had for breakfast. If it weren’t for Black Ice swiftly placing the hotel wastebasket beneath her, she’d have ruined the green carpet.
Dena tried to lift her head and found that the room was spinning. She tried to focus on something, anything, to stop the whirlwind that was now her senses, but she couldn’t. The sick feeling, eventually faded, giving way to what felt like a dream. Out of nowhere her eyelids began to droop and there was nothing she could do to stop them. It was as if she was nodding off, but couldn’t quite cross the finish line to sleep.
“How do you feel?” Black Ice asked her. He was speaking normally, but to Dena, his voice sounded distorted.
“I don’t know.” She tried to shake her head to clear it, but couldn’t seem to do it. “What’s happening to me?” She stared around the room as if she was trying to figure out the where it had come from.
“You’re on the Love Boat, baby.” He ran his leg up her exposed thigh, sending chills through her.
She moaned under his touch. “Daddy, I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Don’t worry baby, it gets better.” He slid off the bed. When Ice came back to the bed he was holding the bucket that the champagne had been cooling in.
“And what do you plan to do with that?” she asked, with a dopey grin on her face.
He smiled. “You�
��ll see.”
Ice popped two ice cubes in his mouth and slid up the length of Dena’s body. Just the feel of his skin against hers made her moist, but it was nothing compared to what she was about to experience. With the ice in his mouth, he went back to work on Dena’s breasts. At first the cold was uncomfortable, but she got used to it and even started enjoying it. Again he retraced his steps down her stomach to her vagina. Using his tongue, he slipped the first ice cube in, drawing a yelp from Dena. She tried to pull his head back, but he swatted her hands and plunged the cube deeper.
The best way to describe what Dena was feeling was like an out-of-body experience. Waves of pleasure swept through her body and carried her to a place of flowers and pink clouds. From the tips of her toes to the top of her head, everything was tingling. Through her blissful haze, Dena could see Ice unwrapping the towel from around his waist. When his horse dick flopped out from between his legs Dena wanted to scream “Sweet Jesus!” None of the boys in her school were hung like that. Ice lowered himself for penetration, but Dena stopped him.
“No glove, no love.” She placed a hand against his chest.
Ice ran his hand under the pillow and produced a box of magnum condoms, which he held up for her to examine. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Dena was putty to be molded in the hands of the experienced man. Even with the condom on, Ice had an extremely hard time penetrating her. She hissed like an alley cat as he tried over and over to dip into her warm, until he finally hit pay dirt. He fucked her on her back and stomach, and then flipped her into several positions that she had never even seen, let alone tried. Ice had been with hundreds of women in his young life, but Dena’s pussy went into the top ten. When it was all said and done, Ice had cum so hard that the condom almost came off inside her. Ice rolled over on his back to catch his breath while Dena lay there trembling.