by Jade Jones
Cameron broke out laughing as soon as they walked in the bedroom. “You are too damn much. You know that shit?”
Their bedroom was expansive with ten-foot ceilings and a skylight. The north wall was completely covered in glass. The only furniture in the room was a California king canopy bed and slipcovered chair in the corner. Directly in the center of the room was a tall, brass dance pole.
“Shit, you gotta keep in shape, right? What better way than entertainin’ yo’ nigga?”
“I can’t believe you,” she said, shaking her head. “Place is barely furnished and yet you made time to buy a damn stripper pole.”
Gently pulling her by the hand, he led her towards the bed. “C’mon. Let me know you ain’t rusty.”
“Whatever, Jude. You know I ain’t get rusty,” she giggled.
“Show me. Prove it.”
“Boy, you know I don’t even do that no more,” she whined. Cam was already tired and he wanted to see her backflip on a pole.
“Just one dance,” he said.
Cameron shook her head and laughed. “Oh my God. Fine, okay. You know I spoil you, right?” she teased.
Jude chuckled, and took a seat on the edge of the bed before pulling out his phone.
“You gon’ record me too?” she laughed.
“Nah, I’m finna put some music on.”
Cameron kicked off her shoes and pulled her top over her head. Jude moved his dreads out his face to get a better view. A few seconds later, Tory Lanez “Say It” started playing.
Grabbing the pole, Cam slowly strutted around it in a sensual manner. She looked sexy in nothing but a black Victoria’s Secret pushup bra and a pair of skintight DSquared jeans. Since she was barefoot, she moved with the precision, rhythm and grace of a ballerina.
Jude lustfully watched her climb the pole halfway before doing an elegant spin. When she came down, he curled his index finger and beckoned her to come closer. He could no longer contain himself. He wanted her just as badly as he did the day they met.
Jude didn’t take his eyes off Cam’s as he unbuttoned and roughly snatched her jeans down. Her panties came off next and he leaned in and licked her pussy—
She gasped and tried to push his head away. “Baby, I should probably shower first. That was a long ass flight—”
“Girl, I don’t give a fuck about that.”
Jude picked her up and placed her down on the pillow top mattress. After pulling off his Givenchy tee, he climbed down at her waist, and buried his face. Cam bit her lip and ran her fingers through his dreads.
As he pleasured her, she found herself wondering how she could’ve ever been without him. Once he made her cum from sucking on her clit, he slid in between her thighs.
Cameron fumbled with unbuttoning his jeans. He barely pulled them down all the way before slipping inside her. Cam’s back arched as he penetrated her with 10-inches.
Jude sensually glided his tongue along her neck. He kissed and nibbled her chin a little, and sucked her bottom lip like a piece of fruit. “I love you, Cameron,” he whispered.
“I love you too, baby.”
“I’m not losing you again,” he said.
“You never will…”
***
ScHoolboy Q’s “Grooveline Part 2” poured through the speakers of Rico’s strip club. Since ScHoolboy was his favorite rapper he kept that nigga in rotation. It was packed on a Saturday night and some of the baddest women Juicy ever saw strutted through the place in nothing but bikinis and heels. With all of the beautiful women Rico dealt with she wondered how he could happily share a bed with just her every night—save for Milena, occasionally.
Check the forecast, it's wavy Q…
I should make the news…
My fortune said that I'll be pimpin' you and your pussy juice…
Super sweet, sell a trick a treat…
Hope your lips in shape, ‘cuz you worked yo feet…
As you stroll them streets…
Juicy walked through the club, making sure everything seemed in order. She was a part-time manager and house mom so there was always something to do. Rico was in the back office handling business, counting money, and probably getting his dick sucked by one of the bitches. He was quite the corporate thug.
Juicy was on her way to join him when a group of drunk niggas stopped her. “Damn, you one of the baddest mufuckas in here. What’chu gettin’ into for the night? You should roll with us.”
“I have plans,” Juicy said smugly.
“When you gettin’ up on stage then?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t dance on stage.”
“Shit, you need to be dancin’ on this dick,” another said.
She tried to walk around them but they blocked her path.
“Damn, why you runnin’ off, baby? We make you nervous or some shit?”
One boldly grabbed her ass.
“Look, I told ya’ll I don’t strip. Okay? It’s over twenty other girls here ya’ll can harass. I’m just the manager.”
“Oh, I got somethin’ you can manage, bitch.”
“Is there a problem?” Rico asked, walking up.
The dancer that left out his office with him disappeared inside the bathroom to wash the bitter taste of cum out her mouth.
“It wasn’t one. Might be now though,” the apparent leader said. They didn’t know Rico was the owner, or that he had a gun tucked in his waist with a silencer screwed on.
“Fuck is you? Her man?” the other asked.
“Nah…her soon-to-be-husband,” Rico corrected him.
A smile pulled at Juicy’s lips after hearing that. She didn’t know if it was game or if he was being serious, but it sounded nice either way.
“Oh, is that right? Well, nigga she soon-to-be gang-fucked. How you feel ‘bout that?” When he bravely stepped in Rico’s face all hell broke loose!
The bartenders grabbed shotguns from underneath the counter, Kina pulled a razor out her mouth, and Milena busted a bottle on the table to use as a weapon. They were ready to kill for their beloved procurer. They’d do anything for Rico; twist a blunt, take the rap, and murder in cold blood. They were as loyal as they came. Once, Juicy had asked if he had any male friends and he replied there was no need. She finally understood why.
After realizing they were outnumbered, the assholes backed down and left the club in one peace. Rico could’ve easily had them killed where they stood, but he didn’t want the blood in his carpet, or the task of cleaning up the mess.
Now that all was in order, everyone carried on with their tasks. Juicy was just about to find something to do to keep herself busy when she saw a familiar face walk in.
“…What the hell is he doing here?”
Juicy wanted to disintegrate when she saw him. She wanted to vanish, or just flat out disappear. Nothing could’ve prepared her for seeing Wayne some five-hundred miles from home. What the fuck was he doing in Atlanta? Why in the hell was he at Rico’s club? And more importantly, how did he find her?
Juicy’s night had gone from bad to worse.
Wayne spotted her over by the bar and walked over. She thought about running, but her legs wouldn’t budge. Is he coming to start trouble, she wondered. They hadn’t spoken since the accident, and Juicy wasn’t quite sure where they stood. Maybe he blamed her wholeheartedly for his son’s death. If she were him, she would have.
“Hello, Diana,” he said once he reached her.
“Wayne, I—hi…How…why are you here? I mean—”
“Can we go somewhere alone and talk in private?” he asked, nervously.
“Is it safe to be alone with you?”
Wayne gave her a sympathetic, softhearted look. “Is that what you think I came here for? I would never hurt you, Diana. Ever,” he stressed. “I do wish you had the same consideration for me though.”
“Wayne—”
“You just left. Disappeared. I needed you, D. I…” His voice trailed off and there was a faraway look in his eyes. “I went thr
ough hell and high water to find you,” he said.
“Why?”
“…Tabitha divorced me,” he finally said. “She took the kids, my money, and my home… I’m fucked up.” Wayne looked like he was on the verge of tears.
It took everything in her to avoid saying ‘not my problem.’
“I’m lost. So, what? You expect me to move you into my place and take you now that Tabitha don’t want you? Look, Wayne, I’m really sorry about everything that’s happened but—”
“You can’t turn me away now, Diana,” he said. “I tried to do the best I could by you in spite of my situation.”
“It wasn’t a situation. You were married—”
“Don’t shut me out just ‘cuz I’m a lil’ down on my luck now. I lost my son behind this, for Christ’s sakes. Show some humility for a man that once spent over $20,000 on you a month—”
“It’s not about the money, Wayne! It’s not about any of that shit.” Juicy paused. She hesitated with telling the truth. She already had a boo, and Rico damn sure didn’t share. Just tell him there’s someone’s in your life, her conscience scolded. Technically, there were some people in her life, but he didn’t need to know all the details.
Before Juicy could be honest, Rico walked up and joined them. He’d been intercepting all night like a football player.
“Who’s your friend, Diana?” His gaze deliberately slid over her head to look at Wayne. There was a phony smile plastered on his face, and only she picked up on the irritation in his tone.
Wayne held his hand out. “Wayne Baxter. I’m Diana’s boyfriend.”
Boyfriend?
Both Juicy and Rico’s eyes got big after hearing that. She was unsure as to when they’d started using labels. Wayne was surreptitiously laying it on thick. However, forcing himself on Juicy wouldn’t win her heart over.
“Tariq Haddad,” he said, shaking his hand. “I’m the owner.”
Juicy was surprised that he didn’t act belligerent.
“Nice to meet you. Quite an establishment you got here.”
“Shukran. ‘Preciate it, brother. I just like to introduce myself whenever I see a new face,” Rico told him. “Aye, Scarlett, give my man a round,” he said to the bartender. Rico patted Wayne on the back in a friendly manner. “What’chu drinkin, brother?”
“Scotch’ll be great,” he said.
As Wayne reached for his drink, Rico noticed the branded Greek-letter scar on his upper forearm. “What fraternity did you pledge?” he asked, curiously.
“Alpha Phi Alpha,” he said, proudly. “Cornell University. Graduated ’96.”
“Up in Ithaca, right?”
“Yes sir.” Wayne sipped the liquor.
“Interesting. I’m from New York myself. Attended Syracuse University but dropped out my sophomore year.”
Juicy stood idly by listening to two men she had feelings for chatter. She felt some kind of way that Rico was opening up more to Wayne than he ever did with her. She didn’t even know his last name until tonight.
“Hey, well, you know college isn’t for everyone,” Wayne said. “But things definitely look like they turned out good for you anyway.”
“’Preciate it. Aye, you pretty cool, man. I get a good vibe from you. Why don’t you let me show you around really quick? I just had the VIP suite remodeled. First lap dance will be on me.”
Wayne looked at Juicy to see if it was okay with her and she just shrugged.
“You don’t mind if I steal him for a second do you, Ms. Diana?”
Rico was trying to be funny, but the only thing he was doing was pushing her buttons. “Do you,” she said, dryly.
The last thing she heard was him mention sports to Wayne before they walked off.
“Bitch, who was that?” Milena said, walking up. “He was finer than a mothafucka.”
Juicy waved him off. “Nobody. Just an old friend.”
While they talked shit, Rico led Wayne through the club and towards the rear exit doors. Since he’d never been there before, Wayne naively believed he was being taken to VIP. He was sadly mistaken.
As soon as Wayne saw the exit sign he realized something was wrong. Before he could ask why he was there, Rico shoved him roughly through the doors. Wayne staggered a bit but didn’t fall. You would’ve thought he was a loser being tossed out for making trouble while drunk. Unfortunately, Rico’s beef had nothing to do with Wayne’s alcohol consumption, and everything to do with Juicy. He didn’t want Wayne coming and fucking up what he had going with Juicy.
“Aye, man, what the fuck is yo’ prob—”
WHAP!
Rico punched his ass so hard in the jaw that his back molar flew out. Wayne dropped to the ground instantly. Flo and Kina walked outside in their stripping attire. They’d saw Rico leave with Wayne and knew some shit was about to pop off.
“You stupid mothafucka. You got a lot of balls showin’ yo’ mothafuckin’ face around here!”
Wayne tried to stand but was dazed after the brutal blow. “I should’ve known your ass was full of shit,” he said with a swollen cheek. Wayne knew right away that Rico was fucking Juicy. He just wished he would’ve peeped game sooner. Wayne spit a mouthful of blood onto the asphalt. “We fuckin’ around with emotions, huh? I ain’t know a piece of pussy would make a mothafucka wanna throw blows. I never had to fight for a woman.”
Amused by the older man’s bravado, Rico chuckled.
“You right,” he said. “I don’t fight for women.”
PHT!
Neither woman blinked or flinched when Rico put a bullet in his skull.
Wayne’s body hit the ground with a hard thud, his eyes still open.
“Get this stupid mothafucka off my property. I’m tired of lookin’ at his pussy ass.” Rico tucked the gun back in his waistline and turned to leave. He didn’t have to remind his girls to make sure it didn’t trace back to him. They were no strangers when it came to covering up his tracks.
Rico stepped inside the club and left the two women to it. He found Juicy over by the bar still talking to Milena—who secretly was keeping her distracted.
“Where’s Wayne?” Juicy asked, looking over his shoulder.
“He left. And you ain’t gotta worry about that mothafucka no more.”
31
“So, what is it that you do?” Roxie asked Kwon over dinner at Canoe. This was their first official date and she wanted to pick his brain a little.
“I—uh—I’mma DJ,” he said, rather quickly.
Because he faltered, Roxie automatically assumed that he was lying. “A DJ?” she repeated with sarcasm. “Didn’t expect that. What’s your DJ name?”
“…DJ Kwon,” he said.
Roxie gave him a skeptical look. “I don’t know why I anticipated something cleverer and more creative.”
“Was that shade?” he laughed.
She laughed with him. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just…it took me for surprise. I’ll just say that,” she said. “So where do you DJ?”
“You wouldn’t know it. It’s a club in Seoul.”
“Is that where you’re from.”
“Yes. Born and raised.”
“Do you live there still?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re just visiting Atlanta?”
“Yes, for business…” he said. “But a certain someone recently made me extend my stay.”
“Aren’t you sweet,” Roxie gushed.
“What about you?” he asked. “I’m not that interesting. Tell me something about you. Where are you from?”
“Georgia-bred, baby.” She smiled and it made his heart flutter.
“Do you travel a lot?” Kwon asked.
“From time to time.”
“Have you ever been to Asia?”
“No. I wouldn’t mind visiting one day though.”
“Maybe we can arrange that.”
Roxie blushed. For some reason, she found herself picturing what their babies would loo
k like. “So,” she began. “You ever dated a black girl before?”
Kwon’s cheeks flushed and it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “Does it matter?” he asked.
“Well…”
“I don’t think it matters,” he said.
“It doesn’t…but I’m kinda curious.”
“Next question,” he chuckled.
“Okay, then. Do you have kids?” she asked.
“No. But I would love to have some though—after marriage and everything, of course,” he added.
“Are you good with kids?”
“Yeah, I love them. I have a bunch of nieces and nephews. I’m very good with all of them.”
Kwon pulled out his phone and showed her pictures of him and his loved ones.
“Are these your sisters?”
“Yes. I have five in total. No brothers.”
“They’re really pretty. Wow, you’ve got a big family, Kwon.”
Roxie looked over all the photos. His life was fascinating to her. She could tell he came from wealth. “Who’s that?” Roxie asked. She pointed to a suited older man who wore a no-nonsense expression. He hadn’t smiled in a single picture.
“My father.”
“And what does he do? He looks presidential.”
“He’s…a businessman,” was all Kwon said.
“Unh-huh. So how would they act if you introduced me?”
Kwon hesitated. “Honestly, I’m not quite sure.”
“Aha! So you’ve never dated a black girl!”
A few people turned in their seats and scowled at Roxie.
“I didn’t say that,” he said. “It’s just that most of my family have never left Korea. Therefore, they’ve seen and had limited interaction with different cultures.”
“So what you’re saying is they might be racist.”
Kwon laughed. “That’s definitely not what I’m implying,” he said. “Let’s just put it this way, whoever I decide to love they will respect, no matter what. They have no choice but to.”