“Where you at Ma?” Cam asked when his mother answered his auntie’s phone.
Cam listened to her reply and assured her that he was on his way. Demi was unusually quiet and she had been that way for a few days. Cam always asked her if she was okay, and she always said that she was. Demi always dominated the conversation and Cam knew that something was up.
“What’s on your mind Demi? And don’t say it’s nothing. I can tell when you have something to say,” Can said while looking at her.
“I’m good,” Demi said while looking out of the window.
“Don’t do that Demi. Talk to me,” Cam pleaded.
“Are you still having sex with Courtney?” Demi blurted out.
Her question caught Cam off guard, but he had no problem answering it.
“I was,” Cam replied honestly.
“What does that mean Camden?” Demi asked with an attitude.
“It means just what I said. I was, but I’m not anymore,” Cam replied.
“You must have a thing for married women,” Demi said, rolling her eyes.
“Don’t play with me, girl. Y’all married heifers need to leave me alone,” Cam laughed.
“How long has it been since you slept with her?” Demi wanted to know. She was in lawyer mode, but it was sexy as hell to him.
“Are you jealous Demi?” Cam asked with a smirk.
“It’s not funny Cam. You’re running around here telling people that I’m your girlfriend, knowing that you’re still fucking your ex. This bitch was just sitting in your car like she was invited there and shit,” Demi snapped.
“Man, I just told you that I’m not dealing with that girl like that no more. But, you need to make up your mind Demi,” Cam said while shaking his head.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Demi asked.
“You need to figure out what you want. One day you’re throwing your marriage up in my face and telling me that we should wait. Then, you’re begging me to give you an upside-down orgasm the day after,” Cam replied.
“I’m sorry Cam, but this is all new to me. I’ve never been with anybody else aside from my husband. I didn’t really date or have boyfriends like a lot of other girls. He was my first real relationship and I married him fresh out of college. Aside from you, he was my only sex partner,” Demi confessed.
“Damn, that’s why that shit be so tight,” Cam said as his eyes traveled over and looked between her legs.
“Shut up Camden,” Demi laughed. “But, I’m serious. Hopefully, I’ll be divorced in six months or less. I know he should have gotten the papers by now.”
“So, you want me to wait for you? Is that what you’re asking me to do?” Cam asked.
“No, I’m asking you to be patient and wait with me. I’m enjoying getting to know you better and I don’t want what we have to end,” Demi confessed.
“It won’t,” Cam assured her while kissing her hand and stopping his truck at his destination.
“What the hell are we doing here?” Demi snapped as she looked up and saw where they were.
“I need to drop my mama’s phone off to her. She’s over here with her sister,” Cam replied.
“Who lives here?” Demi questioned.
“My cousin Laila. She’s Lacey’s sister,” Cam replied.
“Wow. This is the house that I followed my husband to. Remember when I told you about that?” Demi asked.
“You sure it was this house?” Cam questioned.
“Yes Camden, I’m positive. Me and my sister stood on that porch and he came out of that house,” Demi swore as she pointed to Laila’s front door.
“I’ll be right back,” Cam said as he got out of the car and jogged up the stairs.
Demi had him curious about a lot of things. He remembered her telling him the story about following her husband to a house, but he never suspected that it was his own cousin’s house. He didn’t go to Laila’s house that often, unless he was invited. Cam knew that his cousin messed with Asha’s brother, Quincy, but it sounded like she might have been dealing with Demi’s husband too. Demi’s husband told her that it was a customer’s house that he went to, but that was probably a lie. Quincy had his own connect and Laila didn’t sell dope, as far as he knew. Maybe Kobe could shed some light on everything because Cam was coming up empty.
“Who does your cousin live here with?” Demi asked when Cam got back into the car.
“She lives by herself,” Cam replied as he drove off.
Demi didn’t reply, but the wheels in her head were turning. She wondered if Cam’s cousin was the woman who her husband dropped off drugs to, or if that was true at all. They could have been messing around and he lied to Demi about why he was there. It was okay because there was nothing that she could do about it now. Kamari and all his drama was about to be a thing of the past. Demi forgot about her problems for a while when they pulled up to the restaurant and went inside. As soon as they were seated and ordered their food, she started talking to Cam about something else that had been on her mind.
“So, I promised Imani that I would ask you something, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to say yes,” Demi started.
“I’m listening,” Cam replied.
“She’s getting married soon and my husband was supposed to be in her wedding. Since she hates his guts now, she kicked him out and she wants to know if you’d be his replacement. You don’t have to do it Cam. I just promised her that I’d ask,” Demi rambled.
“What would I have to do? I’ve never been in a wedding before,” Cam admitted.
“Nothing much. You just have to get fitted for the tux. She’s gonna have practice the Thursday and Friday before, so everybody will know what to do and how to walk with their partners,” Demi replied.
“If I say yes, will I be walking with you?” Cam asked.
“Yes,” Demi answered.
“Cool, tell her I’m in.” Cam smiled.
He and Demi enjoyed their breakfast and decided to go catch a movie soon after. With the help of Demi, Cam had hired an advertising firm to start promoting his business that was scheduled to open in two more weeks. Demi and Lacey were taking their time decorating the house, but Cam was too focused on his business to worry himself with that. Demi was still undecided about moving in with him, and Cam had given up on asking.
“I hope you don’t pick nothing stupid Cam,” Demi said, referring to the movie that they were about to go see.
“Don’t tell me what to pick. Didn’t you pick last time? Had me watching niggas fucking grapefruits and women pissing on people,” Cam said, talking about the movie ‘Girls Trip’ that she begged him to take her to.
“That is not what that movie was about. You said yourself that it was good,” Demi said as she grabbed his hand and walked out of the restaurant.
“It was good,” Cam replied with a smile. His smile broadened when they got outside and he saw two familiar faces headed in their direction.
“Oh God,” Demi groaned in disgust.
Cam let go of Demi’s hand and extended it to one of the men for a handshake, but the other man wasn’t in a friendly mood. Instead of shaking his hand, the man hauled off and hit Cam, slightly knocking him off balance.
“The fuck!” Cam yelled, quickly getting himself back on track.
He pushed Demi out of the way and started throwing blows like he was in a boxing ring. Cam loved a good fight and that was all that he did when he was growing up. He had a reputation for knocking niggas out in jail and he was about to make an example out of his sparring partner. He didn’t know what made Lo run up on him, but that was a mistake that he would live to regret. Cam was ready to punish him, but the fight was being broken up before he had a chance to. Lo’s boy, Lawrence, and two other men who were walking out of the restaurant, pulled them apart a short time later. Demi was a nervous wreck when Cam walked back over to her.
“Are you okay Cam? I’m so sorry about all this,” Demi said as she grabbed a napkin from her purse and wiped the b
lood that was trickling from his bottom lip.
Lo had sucker punched Cam and got a good lick in before he realized what was going. Lo was born and raised in the street, so fighting was like second nature to him. He wasn’t the best fighter, but he wasn’t the worst either.
“Are you serious right now Demi? You’re fucking the help now. A nigga that I fed for years,” Kamari said out of breath, as Lawrence held him back.
He had never seen his wife with another man and his heart was beating out of his chest. Demi just wasn’t with any man, she was with Cam, a nigga that he’d done business with for years. He and Cam were always cool, but he wanted to put a bullet in his head now. Of all the bitches in the world that he could have fucked with, he just had to choose his wife.
“Nigga, you ain’t never fed me a day in your fucking life. If anything, I was putting food on your table,” Cam fumed.
Kamari’s comment about him being the help had rubbed him the wrong way. Cam was told by his mother that his father’s wife used to refer to her the same way when she was pregnant with him.
“I can’t believe that this is happening,” Demi said in horror.
“How do you know this nigga, Demi?” Cam asked while looking down at her.
“That’s Kamari, my husband,” she replied.
“Your husband! You’re married to Lo!” Cam yelled, shocked that Lo had a wife at all. He was so low key that Cam didn’t even know if he had a woman in his life at all.
“Who?” Demi asked in confusion.
Their last name was Logan, but nobody called them by that. If that was her husband’s nickname on the streets, she knew nothing about it. It seemed as if she didn’t really know the man that she had married at all.
“Let’s go Demi,” Cam said while grabbing her hand and attempting to walk away.
“She ain’t going nowhere with your punk ass!” Kamari yelled, trying to break free from his boy’s hold.
“Calm down bruh. You can’t force her to go with you. You gon’ fuck around and go to jail out here,” Lawrence said, low enough for only his friend to hear him.
Kamari swore that he only wanted to talk to Demi, but that was before he saw who she was with. The chick that Lawrence was dealing with had finally come through with the info that he needed and she passed it along to Kamari. Lawrence was happy that he went with him because he was wilding out. It was bad enough that Demi had sent him separation papers, but she was out in public with a nigga that they were very familiar. She was gonna drive his boy crazy, if she hadn’t already.
“Let me talk to you, Demi,” Kamari requested while trying his best to remain calm.
“Are you okay Cam?” Demi asked while looking up at him and ignoring her husband.
“The fuck you worrying about that nigga for? You gotta get his permission to talk to me now,” Kamari snapped in anger.
“She ain’t being held against her will nigga. I’m not trippin’ baby. You can go talk to that clown if you want to. I’ll wait for you in the truck,” Cam replied.
“Can we just go Cam, please?” Demi begged.
She didn’t have to ask him twice. Cam grabbed her hand and turned to walk away. Kamari was like a raging bull seeing red after that. He broke free from Lawrence’s hold and charged right at them. Demi felt like a rag doll when she was snatched from behind by her hair. She hit the ground with force, causing Cam to stop walking. Lawrence was trying to regain control of Kamari, but Cam wanted blood. After helping Demi up from the ground, Cam rushed over and delivered a blow to Demi’s husband’s face that had him on the ground sleeping the moment his fist made contact.
“Oh, my God, Cam! Let’s go before somebody calls the police,” Demi said in a panic.
“You’re dead homie. I hope you know that. You’re a dead man walking,” Lawrence threatened while trying to get his friend to the car. Lo was knocked out cold, so he was dead weight.
“Make it happen then, nigga. Don’t talk about it, be about it,” Cam said as he backed up to his truck, refusing to turn his back on his enemies.
He made sure that Demi was safely inside the truck before he got in and pulled off. Cam felt bad when he saw her crying softly in the passenger’s seat. He wasn’t trying to bring more drama into her life and, at that point, leaving her alone was probably the best thing for him to do.
“I’m sorry baby. Maybe it’s best if we cool off for a while. I’m not trying to bring you through all these changes,” Cam said as he drove away from their problems.
“No!” Demi yelled while shaking her head. “That’s not what I want.”
“It’s not what I want either, but maybe it’s for the best,” Cam replied.
“So, you’re breaking up with me?” Demi asked.
“Breaking up with you? How can I do that if you’re not my girlfriend?” Cam asked her.
“What?” Demi asked with confusion written all over her face.
“Those are your words, not mine.” Cam shrugged.
“Are you trying to make me cry Camden?” Demi questioned.
“You’re already crying and I wish you would stop. I hate to see women shed tears,” Cam said while wiping her eyes.
“I need clothes Cam,” Demi said out of the blue.
“Clothes for what?” he asked her.
“Can I stay at your house tonight? What if he comes to my mama’s house looking for me? My mama is always by her boyfriend, so I’ll be there by myself,” Demi answered.
“You want me to put you up at a hotel for a while?” Cam offered.
“No, I hate hotels. What, you don’t want me at your house or something?” Demi questioned.
“Don’t go there with me, Demi. I was damn near begging you to come to my apartment, but you never wanted to. I just want you to feel comfortable,” Cam noted.
“As long as I don’t have to sleep in the same bed that you and your ex were in, I’ll be fine,” Demi replied.
“I don’t even sleep in there,” Cam admitted.
“Where do you sleep?” Demi asked.
“On the sofa most of the time or in one of the other bedrooms. And don’t be trying to touch on me and shit. I’m done with married women. Y’all got too many issues for me,” Cam smirked, hoping to make her smile. He was happy when he saw the corners of her lips slightly turn up when she replied.
“I’m not gonna touch you. Just make sure you don’t look at me or wink at me or lick your lips or take your shirt off or blow kisses, and we’ll be okay,” Demi rambled.
“Damn Demi, can a nigga breathe?” Cam questioned.
“Yeah, just as long as it’s not on me,” she replied.
“Damn man, I can’t believe that you’re married to Lo,” Cam said, shaking his head.
“I can’t believe that the world is so damn small. I went from having a boring, quiet life, to having an affair with one of my husband’s former customers,” Demi said, making him laugh.
“Getting dicked down the proper way,” Cam laughed.
“Shut up Cam. I guess I really need to get with Lacey about decorating the new house. It looks like I might be there a little more than I planned to,” Demi said, making him smile.
She was going into a blind situation, but being with Cam felt right. She hadn’t known him very long, but that didn’t matter. She’d known Kamari for years and he was like a complete stranger to her now.
Chapter 21
“Man fuck!” Randy yelled as he threw his phone on the bed and paced the floor.
Asha removed the covers from her head and looked at him through bloodshot eyes. His sudden outburst woke her from a peaceful sleep and had her ready to go off.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” she asked as she got up from the bed and stretched.
“Everything is wrong. Have you been listening to anything that I’ve told you over the past two weeks?” Randy asked.
“You need to calm down and relax a little. You act like Cam owning a business is the end of the world,” Asha said as she went to the bathroom and r
elieved her bladder.
As soon as she was done, she got right back in the bed like she didn’t have a care in the world. Regret was starting to set in the more Randy thought about betraying his best friend to be with her. Since they moved in together, all Asha did was eat, sleep, and shop. She never cooked or cleaned and she barely did the laundry. He thought he was getting a trophy with Asha, but she turned out to be a disappointment instead. Now, he knew why Cam was always complaining about her. Randy was focused on her outer appearance and ended up with dead weight.
“Man, it’s not just about him owning a business Asha. Cam was the reason why I got so much business in the first place. He goes to those car shows and connects with people. Once they see what he can do, they’re sold. That nigga Kobe was the next best thing, but his punk ass quit and went with Cam. My money is about to be all fucked up now,” Randy fumed.
“How, when you’re making money hand over fist with Lo?” Asha questioned.
“The money from my business is how I was able to start up with Lo to begin with,” Randy noted, pissing her off.
Just like he was having regrets, so was Asha. Randy whined like a bitch and it was unattractive. Asha hated that Cam knew about them being together, but it was too late to hide it. She didn’t even think to take the ring that Randy had given her off before she went to his house. When Randy came home with a bloody, swollen nose, Asha already knew what was up. His scary ass had the nerve to get mad at her, claiming that she exposed their relationship on purpose. That was a lie because Asha never wanted it to get out, especially since she was trying to make things right with Cam. She’d been calling and texting him every day, apologizing for what she’d done. Cam was stubborn, so she knew it would take a while for him to come around. She knew that he was also in his feelings about her and Randy, but he would take her back eventually.
I Heard It All Before Page 16