He was sitting in his office at the club going over some of the videotapes. He liked to stay up on who was parlaying at his club. With who, how often and what they were doing. He had several disguised cameras throughout the club. The majority of them only he knew about and only he could access with a special code.
His mind was still on Woo and Tami’s betrayal. He was half watching the videotape but he became totally focused when he caught a glimpse of two people. He stopped the tape, hit rewind and let the tape roll. He was glued to the screen and couldn’t blink. What he saw on the camera that covered the stockroom sealed the deal that he was about to make with the devil. Sharia was leaning up against cases of liquor; her head was rolling side to side as Woo was on his knees eating her pussy as if his life depended on it. She was serving up the same sexy moans and grinds that she gave him. Bitches! He shut his eyes tight. He refused to watch it go any further. He turned the recorder off and chuckled. That nigga always talkin’ about he don’t eat pussy. Leave it to Sharia to turn his bitch ass out.
Damn. He hadn’t even seen that shit coming. He remembered Forever telling him that Woo wanted to be him, wanted what he had, and for Briggen to watch his back. And now look. The nigga is fuckin’ two of my bitches? Don’t muthafuckas know that I’m not to be fucked with? They must have forgot. I guess it’s time to remind them who I am. They want to play? We can play but there can only be one winner . . . me!
“You mad at me?” Shan was holding her breath as she twirled one of her locks around her finger mercilessly.
“What you think, Shan?” Peanut growled. “Go ahead. Tell me what the fuck you think! You doin’ some reckless shit. Here I am doing all I can to protect you and for what?”
“Protect me from what, Peanut?”
“These damn streets, girl. What the fuck you think?”
“You trippin’. I made a mistake.”
“Girl, shut. The. Fuck. Up, with that bullshit. A mistake is when you accidentally dent a car or step on somebody’s toe. This shit is beyond a fuckin’ mistake.”
“What you want me to say? Damn. I’m sorry.”
“Uh-uh. Sorry ain’t gonna cut it. Naw, it’s what I want you to do, gotdammit.”
“Okay, but why you gotta talk to me like that? What you want me to do, Peanut?” She was feeling bad for letting her brother down. She had always felt obligated to do the things that would make him proud of her. “Can you calm down a little bit?”
“Hell no! Because when a nigga calm down with yo’ ass you go and do dumb shit. Like all this sneaking around, lying, hidin’ shit like you ten or something.” Peanut was heated and there was no mistake about it. She knew that he was about to blow his lid. “Look, Shan, we a team, baby girl. I ain’t the enemy. But you got to get rid of this cat Briggen. Something ain’t right. Leave the nigga alone.”
“Hold up, Peanut. What does he have to do with this?”
“You gonna make me beat yo’ ass, girl. What the fuck is the matter with you? Don’t make me come up there and drag yo’ ass back to Memphis. I’ll do it and won’t think twice about it,” he threatened.
“I done had it with all this chastising you call yourself doing. You are not my daddy and I am not a fuckin’ child. I’m grown as hell.”
“Shit, you don’t act like it. Look, I’m just trying to look out for you. All Briggen is doing is using you just like the rest of his hoes.”
“Is that what you think? You talkin’ about some shit you don’t even know anything about. All of them hoes work for him. It’s just business.”
“Business! You big dummy!” He shut up to allow his words to sink in. “Business? If you call fuckin’ them business, then I’m in the wrong one. Listen, do you know what comes with the territory of being a hustler’s wife? Do you?” he yelled at her. “You see the outcome every time you go to work, or pass a funeral home. You couldn’t possibly be that fuckin’ blind.”
“Boy, I suggest that you calm the fuck down. I done told you I am grown. You think I’m actually listening to you with all this hollering you’re doing?”
“You so grown but yet you’re fuckin’ your life up! Leaving that nigga alone, now that’s being grown.” It got quiet. “Hello, hello!” Then he heard the dial tone. “I know her ass didn’t just hang up on me.” Peanut slammed the phone down.
“Tami, why the fuck you ain’t answering your phone!” Woo snapped.
“Why you sweatin’ me, Woo? I told you shit ain’t happening with us no more. It’s over.”
“Bitch, please. Don’t flatter yourself. I hit it and quit it . . . next!” Woo said laughing. “No, fo’real, I was callin’ to reason with you. You should think about what is going to happen once you tell that nigga about us fuckin’. It’s going to fuck everything up. And I can’t let you do that.”
“Nigga, your dick game ain’t all of that, so don’t flatter yourself. And who you think you’re talkin’ to? You Benson-ass nigga. I admit that this shit is my own fault. I played myself, fuckin’ with the help. I ain’t worried about what Briggen gone say or do. He don’t own me. I was fuckin’ both of y’all. I got what I wanted and needed. You’ve already been dissed and dismissed.”
“The help? Bitch, you got me fucked up. Help? Woo ain’t never been the help, I—” All he heard was dial tone. “I’ma fuck this bitch up!” Woo redialed her number only to get the voice mail. He hung up and began pacing the floor. Fifteen minutes later he was dialing Briggen.
Briggen checked his caller ID and saw that it was Woo and decided not to pick up. He wasn’t ready to speak to him just yet. An hour later the phone rang again. He checked the caller ID and it was Tami.
“Look at these muhfuckas trying to cover their tracks,” he sneered, still not answering. He wasn’t ready to talk to her neither. They say that Payback is a Mutha, so he knew he needed to hit the both of them where it hurt.
The next time the phone rang, the caller ID read Silk. Briggen, who was chillin’ at what he and Shan called his city beach house, picked up the phone. “What up, dawg?” he greeted his family.
“Where you at, nigga? Woo been tryna reach you. He got some info for you. That info you been dyin’ to get.”
“Why he ain’t tell you then?”
“He said you need to hear this shit, hot off the press and straight outta the donkey’s mouth.” Silk chuckled at his own attempt at a joke.
“Aiight, maine. I’ll call him now.” Briggen hung up and dialed Woo, who answered on the first ring.
“Yo, I’ve been trying to hit you up. Where you at? You spoke to Silk?”
“I’m chillin’, what’s the word?” Briggen braced himself for the bullshit as he leaned back massaging the Ben Wa balls.
“When is the last time you talked to Tami?” Woo tried to mask his excitement. “She on some bullshit and I didn’t want you to get caught slippin’.”
“Oh yeah? What’s the deal?”
“Check it. The deal is that she and Sharia was behind that drive-by at the mall.”
It took a minute before what Woo said sunk in. Till this day, he had never found out who was behind the hit that had him laid up in a hospital bed. That very same drive-by could have killed him and Shan. The thought of it put a nasty taste in his mouth. He was hoping this nigga was really going all out to cover his tracks. Because he knew firsthand how bad he wanted to know who was behind that drive-by. And here all of this time . . . Briggen had to admit this was a low blow. I mean accusing Tami and Sharia of trying to take him out? And what a coincidence that he’s fucking both of them. The plot was definitely thickening.
“You still there? I know a nigga is shocked. Hell, so am I,” Woo said.
“Where you get this info from and how accurate is it?”
Woo began breakin’ it all down to him. He had way too many intimate details. So much so that he could have been in on it. For once, Briggen was absolutely speechless. After he hung up all he could do was sit there and stare into space and plot his next move.
Three d
ays later . . .
Sharia was trying to figure out what she could get into for the day. She didn’t have to be at the club until six so she wanted to chill out. She picked up her phone to check her voice mail. Thoughts of her and Briggen going on a nice cruise filled her head. She smiled but then immediately began to frown and the hair began to stand up on her neck when she heard Tami’s voice.
“Hey girl, it’s me. Just wanted to put you up on the latest. Somebody is pregnant and it ain’t me. Is it you?” Sarcasm dripping throughout her voice. “If so . . . you did that!” Her tone far from sounding sincere.
Sharia immediately clicked out of voice mail and dialed Tami’s number with trembling hands. What the fuck is she talking about?
“Pregnant? Who the fuck is pregnant? It ain’t me. This nigga done got somebody pregnant?” Sharia was mumbling as well as getting pissed off because Tami wouldn’t answer her phone. She decided to call Mia; she needed to get to the bottom of this immediately. Bad enough Briggen was fuckin’ all of them. Now someone was pregnant and it wasn’t her and it wasn’t Tami. It’s that day care bitch. Her sneaky ass. All she wants to do is keep Briggen sniffin’ up her ass. She needs to grow the fuck up and get this money like the rest of us.
“Hello.”
“Mia, this Sharia. I just got a message from Tami—”
“Look, I already heard.” Mia wasted no time cutting Sharia off. “And like I told Tami’s messy ass, it’s none of y’alls business. And if I was pregnant, I wouldn’t have told y’all no way. Y’all bitches worried about the wrong thing. Find something to do. Plus, you are callin’ the wrong person because if y’all wanted to know so bad, call Briggen up and ask him.” Click. She hung up on Sharia.
“That bitch!” Sharia ranted. “If she ain’t pregnant and Tami ain’t, then who the fuck is?” Sharia bounced up and began pacing back and forth across her brand-new carpet. “Damn it!” she spat. “This bitch done messed up my whole day.” She went to the phone and tried to catch Tami again, but all she got was her voice mail. Still pacing back and forth, she almost jumped out of her skin when the front door popped open. When she saw him a snarl spread across her face. She wanted him to know that she was pissed off and wanted him to ask why, just so she could spaz out on him.
“I forgot you had a key. You haven’t used it in God knows when.” She folded her arms across her chest.
He didn’t bother to respond, and she watched him head straight for the stairwell. She recalled the day when his handsome ass swooped her off her feet, rocked her world and loved her to death. But she had to admit that it was strange to her that she couldn’t remember the day when he stopped loving her. Or the day that she felt he no longer loved her. Or the day that their relationship turned all business.
She watched him as he came down the stairs carrying a duffel bag and strolled into the kitchen. He came out carrying bottled water, staring at her. She could tell that there was something different about his demeanor. But as usual she didn’t know what it was. She always had a hard time reading him. Then he sat the duffel bag on the couch next to him, tossed a folder on the coffee table, pulled out a pen and set it on top of the folder. “I need you to sign these papers.”
“Who is she, Briggen?” She didn’t pick up the pen but was glaring at him.
He picked up the pen for her, opened the folder and calmly pointed to the red Post-it arrow. “Sign right here.” He held out the pen.
“Who is she?”
“Who is who?”
“The bitch you got pregnant, that’s who, Briggen.”
She signed her name and made an attempt to read his facial expression as he flipped to another page and pointed.
“Where you getting this information from?” He kept on his game face as he watched her sign and then turned to another page.
“So you’re saying that you don’t have a baby on the way?”
He flipped to another page. “Last one. What if I do, Sharia? What? You want to give Daddy a baby?” He had a cocky grin on his face.
She was speechless as she signed for the last time. Give him a baby? She looked at him to see if he was being funny or if he was being for real. Unable to figure him out, she swallowed hard and decided to look over the document, wanting to know what business he was putting into her name. She was making a killing off the club and was living lovely. She straightened up the folder and went to the first page. He leaned over and gently took it out of her hands.
“Don’t I have a right to see what you’re putting in my name?”
“You didn’t answer me. You want to have my baby?”
“Briggen, what is this all about?”
She could now tell that something was up and it wasn’t to her benefit. “What are you putting into my name?”
“Is he going to put something in your name?” He had this smug smirk on his face.
“W-what?”
“Did you think about that? You didn’t even weigh your options before you fucked him? Did you?” He popped the top off the bottled water and took a huge swig. He watched as the color drained out of her beautiful caramel-colored skin. She reminded him of the actress Meagan Good.
She finally caught her bearings and sat upright. She was busted. “I know you ain’t mad at me.”
He shrugged. “Naw, I ain’t mad, just hurt.”
“Hurt, huh? I’m sure you heard that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander?”
“Don’t even try it. You know what the deal was from day one. But you chose to play.”
“Oh well, Payback is a Mutha, ain’t it?”
He laughed. “You killin’ me with the cliché’s, but you know what?” He pulled out his wallet and set two one-dollar bills on the coffee table.
“What?” she snapped, feelin’ herself.
“I got the final payback. You just signed over a six-figure-a-year business to a nigga for just two dollars. I’m out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Boy, you better stop playing with me. You already on my bad side,” Janay snapped.
“Hold up, how did I get on your bad side?” Skye was playing dumb.
“For standing me up the other night.”
“Aww, man, I know you ain’t gonna hold a nigga to that. My bad, baby girl. Tell Daddy how I can make it up to you.”
“Daddy? Please, spare me. Just give me ole boy’s address and I might let you make it up to me.”
“All right, I’ll give it to you, but I’m ridin’ with you. You just can’t roll up on dude tryin’ to check him. He’ll probably smack you again.”
“Nah, nigga. I ain’t gonna check him, but Ms. Pearl is.”
“Who is Ms. Pearl?”
“My .380.”
“I’m sure you nice with the hardware but even the best of ’em roll with somebody. You’ll be a fool to roll dolo.”
Janay released an exasperated sigh. All she wanted was the fuckin’ address of the nigga who slapped her at the car wash. Her pride would not allow her to let him get away with it. Didn’t he know who the fuck she was? If he didn’t, he and everyone else would know by the time she finished with him. “Okay, Robin. You can go.” She finally gave in.
“Who do you think you are? Batman?” Skye asked her.
“Yup, and you’re my trusty sidekick. Ha. Ha. Ha.”
“You want me to come scoop you up?”
“Naw, nigga, you know the routine. Meet me at our spot.”
“Oh, how cute. We have a spot,” he teased. “But seriously, we ridin’ together. We can’t ride up on these niggas in two cars.”
“Don’t underestimate me because I’m a girl,” she scoffed.
“You think you are so damn tough. Show me what you workin’ with.”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Aiight then, it’s on.”
Shan and Briggen were in the driveway fogging up the windows of his truck. The driver’s seat was pulled all the way back and Shan was straddling his lap, maneuvering so that all nine and a half inches we
re buried deep inside her. If any of their new neighbors were peeking out of their windows and saw the fog and the bouncing up and down of the truck, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was taking place.
“Mmmmm,” Briggen groaned as he palmed both of her ass cheeks and thrust his hips upward, causing his dick to hit that back wall.
“Ooooh,” she purred, and shuddered at the same time. She wanted to tell him to make that move again but nothing escaped but moans. She felt as if she were floating. Her pussy and hips were winding in a slow rhythm, causing her clit to get all the friction that she could handle. She could feel her pussy driving him crazy as the tight small muscles gripped and grazed up and down the length of his dick.
“I-I-I’m done, baby, ah shit, I’m done.” Briggen shut his eyes tight and gritted his teeth, and his dick swelled and his balls were ready to burst with semen.
“B-babeee,” she squealed, tossing her head back, as his dick game drew out stream after stream of her juices. She jerked and twisted while he held her with all of his strength, wanting her to take all he had to give, until he fell limp. She lay motionless on top of him as they both enjoyed the aftershocks of that mind-blowing orgasm.
He ran his fingers through her hair.
“You tryna kill a nigga or what?”
A lazy grin spread across her lips. “Of course I’m not trying to kill you. I just want to remind you of what you’re leaving here in Detroit each time you go back to Memphis.”
“Aww that’s cold. Especially since you know I’ma always come back to my baby. You know that, right?” His eyes locked intensely with hers.
“Yeah, I know that. But that doesn’t stop me from missing you. Then on top of that you rush in and rush out.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do, Briggen. Look at us! We fuckin’ in your car when we got all of them bedrooms up there.”
Payback With Ya Life Page 19