Good Girls Ain't No Fun Boxed Set (The SIX romance and urban fiction volumes of the LOVE, SEX, LIES series)

by Jessica Watkins

  I could hear Cory gasp as he gabbed. “Thiiiiiis bitch is delusional!”

  Still Evette didn’t hear a thing, and I just let her rant and rave. “We are back together, so I bet’ not catch your ass anywhere around my husband again. I bet’ not catch you at any of the parties either! Your man-stealing ass is banned, okay? Don’t call my husband anymore! Don’t text him! Don’t instant message him! Don’t even send him a fucking smoke signal! Do you hear me?!”

  I really wanted to burst her bubble; let her know that her husband was actually the one falling in love with and stalking me, but like I said, I wanted her out of the building as soon as possible, so just let her have this one.

  “Understood,” I simply responded as I nodded my head. ”Enjoy your marriage. He’s all yours.”

  Then I closed the door.

  Cory and I fell out laughing.

  A few hours later, I was getting ready for my first date with James with some help from Cory.

  After the altercation with Evette, I was more than ready to enjoy an intimate night with someone on the normal side of the fence. For the past few years, my dating habits have been extreme. My first same-sex experience with Sonia went straight downhill. Then there was bitter ass Veronica.

  I was just ready to relax, relate, and release with a man who has no interest in a threesome, that doesn’t have a woman who shares sexual interest in me, and without a woman in the background who is emotionally attached to either one of us.

  I was ready to experience some, of what society refers to as, normalcy.

  “I think you look hot. Not too much, but not too little,” Cory confirmed as I stood in front of him.

  James said that we were simply going to grab a bite to eat, and, if I felt like it, some drinks at a lounge he frequents; just a laid back evening to give us a chance to get to know one another face-to-face.

  Since casualty was the theme of the evening, Cory and I chose a pair of black leggings, black three-inch peep-toe pumps, and a black Geisha Ed Hardy tank with plenty of rhinestones. With my hair in a lightly feathered bob and heavy Chinese bang, I looked very rock star-ish.

  When I opened the door for James, he looked at me in a way that affirmed that I made the striking impression that I intended. Though he just bashfully smiled and gave me a favorable nod before hugging me, I knew that I won him over for the night.

  Our date was short, but very sweet. We grabbed a bite to eat at a laid back Japanese restaurant in Tinley Park that was equipped with a bar, allowing us to have a few drinks as well.

  Our conversation was light and humorous, but also revealing. I learned a lot about his past relationships. His stories were a lot like those of any other man; women who got too clingy, crazy, and/or both. I left out my stories of infidelity, bisexuality, and scandal. I just wanted to have a regular love life for once, even if I had to lie my way through it. I simply told James that I was newly separated from a fiancé and that the engagement ended because we couldn’t get along.

  He was sure to tell me that he wasn’t ready or interested in being in a relationship at the moment. This would have turned me off if I was in search of a replacement for Bradley, but since I am far from willing to jump into another relationship anytime soon, it sounded like a breath of fresh air to me.

  Since neither one of us was looking for “the one”, there was a high level of comfort between us, giving us freedom to just simply be ourselves. Without the need to impress, we were relieved of the usual burdens and anxiousness that accompany first dates. We just laughed and played like old friends catching up and having a good time.

  Towards the end of the night, I honestly hated that our time together was over so soon. Having had such a stressful existence as of late, I just couldn’t bear to leave his car and return to my tense, edgy life. However, if James and I were never to see one another again, the time spent with him reminded me that I needed to make some profound changes in my life. It was time for me to realize how much I missed Bradley and allow myself to cry those tears and work through the void that he left behind.

  I made my bed; it was finally time to lie in it.

  TRICEY

  I was just waiting for them to kill me.

  I prayed; asked God to make my death as painless as possible. I wondered if they would kill me as soon as Blood got here or make me watch them kill him first.

  My eyes were swollen shut. After my attempts to call Blood failed, the dark-skinned guy would punch me, angry that I couldn’t give him what he wanted. They discussed killing me as I lie on the floor still bleeding from the head. The aftermath of the beatings was starting to set in; so many of my limbs were painful to the touch.

  I thanked God that they were at least kind enough not to hit me in my belly. But I knew that was coming next. The more Blood didn’t return my calls, the more pain he would intentionally inflict on me as the light-skinned one stood beside him taking his orders.

  I wondered why Blood wasn’t answering. I wondered if he had an idea of what was happening and was sitting somewhere contemplating whether to save me or to save himself. When I didn’t think I could be any more petrified, the anxiety of whether Blood would ever answer or return my callsworsened my fear. There had never been a day that it took Blood so long to get back to me.

  The two guys were smart enough not to make me call Blood too much. They didn’t want it to seem obvious that I was trying to get Blood home on purpose. They wanted to give him the opportunity to show up on his own so that they could catch him off guard.

  In the meantime, they tore my house up looking for Blood’s stash. After tying my hands behind my back and taping my mouth shut, they went through every closet, loose floorboard, and mattress. The absence of money and drugs only pissed them off more, and they showed it to me by smacking me until my face burned like fire.

  The dark-skinned one grabbed me by the hair and snatched me up from my lying position on the floor. “Get yo' ass up!”

  I guessed that at this point it was after midnight since it had been dark for so long. I was too tired to flinch or fight. My hands were still bound behind my back, and they already scared me straight about screaming, so when they ripped the duct tape off, I didn’t say a word. I was so scared to even speak that I peed on myself several times versus asking to use the bathroom.

  The dark-skinned one had my cell phone in his hand. I knew he was dialing Blood’s number again. I didn’t know what I was going to say when he answered. I didn’t know if I could stomach beckoning him to his death, but I did know that I wanted out of this misery as soon as possible.

  Their ability to inflict such pain gave me the impression that I was about to die for Blood, regardless of whether he showed up or not.

  “Hello?”

  I wanted to break into tears at the sound of his voice. When they heard Blood’s voice, their anxiety seemed like it went into overdrive. They both stood over me; the light-skinned one pointing the gun in my face and the dark one still holding my hair tightly.

  “Say whateva you got to say to get that nigga ova here,” the dark one demanded quietly.

  Before I could say anything, Blood was apologizing.

  “Baby, I am so sorry. I left without my cell phone this morning. I’ve been in the west suburbs with Smith all day.”

  “It’s okay. Are you coming by tonight?”

  “Do you need me to?”

  “Yes.” Then I began to cry. The guilt was so overwhelming that I couldn’t fake it despite the threats they were whispering into my ears.

  “What’s wrong, babe?!”

  Before I could say anything, the dark skinned one had his hand around my throat. His grip was so sudden and tight that it caused my neck to snap.

  I could hear Blood calling for me. “Babe?”

  “I will kill you, bitch,” was whispered into my ear. “I swear I’ll kill you, and I’ll still find that nigga.”

  Tears shed from my eyes from the lack oxygen.

  “Hello?”

  Whe
n it seemed as if Blood was starting to notice that something was wrong, he finally let my throat go and I gasped for air.

  “Tricey?! What’s wrong?! Is it the baby?!”

  “Yes,” I lied. “I think the baby is coming. I’ve tried to call Vic and Lyric; even my mom. No one will answer. Can you please come take me to the hospital?”

  “I got you, babe. I’m on the way right now.”

  The dark-skinned one hung up the phone before I could say anything else.

  At that point I gave up on wanting to preserve my life. I could no longer live with them torturing me, and I couldn’t live with knowing that I set Blood up, so I cried and wailed. It wasn’t for anyone to hear me. I was simply tired and wracked with guilt.

  The dark-skinned one got so fed up with me. He began to shout for me to shut the fuck up as he stood over me, but I ignored him. I buried my face in my arms and just cried and screamed. I couldn’t believe that I tricked the person who has had my back so selflessly for almost a year to his death. I knew they were going to kill him and that it was going to be all because I deceived him into coming to help me.

  Soon he began to kick me. He kicked me with so much force that I could swear he was mad at someone else. It was as if he was taking out the weight of the world on me. He kicked me everywhere; my legs, my back, my arms, everywhere. I knew that in order to stop him all I had to do was shut up, but I couldn’t stop the moans and weeping. I just kept crying and rolled myself into a ball, trying to protect my baby as much as I could.

  I was ready to die. The hours of anxiety and beatings had worn me out, so I was ready to die if that would make all of this go away.

  Nineteen

  Sunday, August 9, 2009

  TRICEY

  The light-skinned one finally stopped him from kicking me.

  “Damn, man! That’s enough! You want the nigga to hear you when he get here?”

  “Shut this bitch up before I kill her!”

  Between the swollen eyes and the tears, I couldn’t see much. I could feel someone getting closer and closer as other footsteps went into the kitchen.

  The light one stood over me whispering. “You gotta be quiet, okay? Stop all that fuckin’ cryin’. You pissin’ him off. You gone get the both of us off’ed.”

  I was at the point of hyperventilation. The more I tried to stop the tears, the more I had to gasp for air. I hadn’t cried this hard since I was twelve years old.

  Then I could hear Blood’s key in the back door. No sooner that it was clear that Blood had finally got here, I could hear the dark-skinned one running back into the living room. Suddenly, he was sweeping me off the floor. Then he put his hand so tightly around my mouth that his nails dug into the skin on my face. I could feel the barrel of a gun on my temple. When I heard the cock of the chamber, I nearly fainted.

  “One scream; make one motherfuckin’ peep and all I gotta do is pull this trigga”.

  As the dark-skinned one whispered into my ear, I could hear Blood opening and closing doors. Blood only used the back door when he was bringing in work, so I knew that he was taking the time to hide his stash.

  “Tricey! Tricey, you ready?”

  My heart began to beat one hundred miles an hour as I could hear him going through the house looking for me. I could hear him going in the bathroom and then checking my bedroom.

  There were only a few lights on throughout the condo. The living room was barely lit by a lamp, so I and the two guys were very well hidden as they stood at either side of the entrance of the living room. Both of their guns were drawn; however, the dark-skinned one still held his at my temple as he fought to stay hidden while pinning me against the wall.

  “Tricey, where you at? Let’s go, babe.”

  His voice was coming closer and closer. I could hear the sound of his shoes as he left the hard wood floors of the dining room and stepped onto the carpet that lead into the living room.

  No sooner than a piece of Blood could be seen, the light-skinned one cocked the chamber of his gun and ambushed Blood so suddenly that he was quickly able to overcomeBlood by standing behind him as he held him in a choke hold and the gun to his head.

  When it seemed as if Blood could overpower him, the dark-skinned one threw me to the ground and helped the other guy subdue Blood.

  I didn’t want to scream, because I didn’t want to make them shoot us if it wasn’t already in their plans. I fought to find Blood’s eyes. At first, he fought with them. They wrestled in the entrance of the living room as I sat on the floor wondering what to do.

  Then suddenly Blood just stopped struggling. He didn’t say a word. He simply stood still as they held guns to his head.

  Finally, I was able to look at him and wait for him to show me a sign of what to do. When he saw my beat up face, it was as if life left his body. Suddenly, he was weightless and nearly fell to his knees.

  “I am so sorry,” I cried to him quietly.

  He merely responded, “Sssshhh. It’s okay, babe. It’s okay.”

  The dark-skinned one barked at him. “Man, shut the fuck up!” Then he ordered the light-skinned one to lead the way as they left out of the back door.

  When Blood went so willingly, I snapped. I couldn’t imagine him walking out and me never seeing him again. I ran behind them as they led Blood away and grabbed him around his waist as I cried and pleaded for God to help him.

  Luckily, the light-skinned one grabbed me instead. He held me down on the ground as the dark-skinned one continued to lead Blood away by gunpoint.

  I screamed his name in a high pitched wail. I wanted him to say something, to do something, to fight or get away, anything.

  All he did was turn around and mouth, “Don’t call the police.”

  Since it was evident that he had given up, I also gave up. I lay on the floor of the dining room weeping as I heard them leaving out of the back door.

  Then I realized that, though I was in pain, bleeding, and bruised, I was alive. So, with all my might, I stood and ran as quickly as I could to the back door and locked it frantically.

  I could still hear them cursing demands at Blood as they led him down the back steps, but I didn’t hear Blood saying one word. I began to cry all over again and pray for God to give him strength to fight since it was obvious that he had none left.

  VICTORIA

  “May I speak with Victoria, please?”

  The fact that the female voice on the other end of the phone called me by my government name sent chills down my spine. I quickly checked the Caller ID of my house phone, but the only thing it read was the number of a cell phone.

  “This is she. May I ask who’s calling?”

  “My name is Jolanda.”

  “How may I help you?”

  “Well, my father told me that you’re my sister ...”

  Jesse’s audacity hit me like a Mack truck. I stood in the living room staring at the wall as I held DeSire in my arms, while she played with a toy cell phone in her Sunday dress.

  “And?”

  That was all I could say. I didn’t want to get too angry. I seriously needed to go to church and knew that I wouldn’t make it if I let this get me so upset that I needed to take another Valium.

  “You are Victoria Brown, right?”

  The young lady, Jolanda, sounded caught off guard; as if she couldn’t understand why I was coming off so harsh. I guess her father didn’t tell her that he molested and beat the shit out of me so I really don’t give a shit about having a sister.

  “Yes, I am,” I told her. “And I am on my way out of the door.”

  “Well, I just wanted to say hello and give you my cell phone number. I’ve always wanted a big sister, so when my father finally told me about you, I was so excited! My brother, well, our brother, was very happy to learn about you too.”

  This child actually sounded very sweet and genuinely excited to speak with me.

  Nevertheless, her approach did not change who her father was.

  “Well, sweetie, yo
ur father has a lot more to tell you about me, apparently.Please don’t call my house again.”

  Then I hung up, grabbed my purse and DeSire’s diaper bag, and immediately walked out of the door. Had I stalled one bit to reflect on this bullshit, I knew I would be sitting in the house crying instead of at church praying, which is where I obviously need to be.

  Since Thursday night, I have been prayed up. After realizing that Taij will never be the man in my life that I desperately need and want him to be, I just prayed long and hard. I prayed that God help me realize my destiny, His plan for my life. I prayed and asked Him to prepare me to be single, if that’s what He had ordained for me. I prayed that He would help me define myself without a man being in the definition. I prayed that He would give me the strength to live my life rewardingly and gratifyingly, whether single or not. I prayed that He would please see it in His heart to bless my life with the real man that it has never experienced, and, if not, to help me deal with that solitude.

  As I strapped DeSire into her car seat and climbed into the driver’s seat, I began to pray again. I prayed that He wouldn’t punish me for not wanting to know my own family. I prayed that He would remove Jesse from my life just as quickly as he resurfaced. I prayed for peace in every aspect of my life and spoke it into existence with such authority that I began to cry tears of joy for the peace that it would bring me.

  Lynn and I were in the vestibule of the church. Many of the congregation was inside paying offering and tithes before Pastor Jackson got up to preach his sermon.

  Lynn and I just happened to bump into one another as I was exiting and she was entering the bathroom. I hadn’t seen or heard from her much since Thursday evening. I immediately asked her where she has been, and she replied that she has been at her mom’s with her children.

  “Have you talked to Ray?”