No Matter What

by Nicole Jackson

  She lightly giggled. “Yeah, okay.”

  He tilted his head sideways. “So, that aint the real?”

  She tooted her lips. “I’ma let you believe whatever you wanna believe. Now, you can excuse yourself. I’m done with this conversation.”

  “Oh, so, you wanna stay with this lil’ attitude, huh?” he quizzed.

  She rolled her eyes. “Nah, I aint got a attitude. I’m just trying to get these clothes out of the dryer so I can grab my baby, go upstairs, and lay down with my man.”

  Without warning, Mix gripped her neck. “Quit fucking playing with me,” he gritted, while shaking her.

  Deviously, she laughed.

  “Oh, you think this shit is fucking funny?” he growled, while roughly driving her up against the washer and dryer.

  “Yep. The same way you’ve been playing in my face all day today. You wanna sit and keke with Rumor, then I’m finna go upstairs and let Levi rub on my booty.”

  Mix paused. “Aye. Now, you taking this shit a little too far. All bullshit aside. You go and do that, and I’ma come kick that door down, take my son, before I burn this bitch down to the ground.”

  She gasped. “With me still in here too?”

  “Hey, if you make it out, you make it out.”

  “Wow, I can’t believe you—”

  “Man, shut up,” he commanded, gripping her boy shorts. She didn’t stop him, as he dropped the shorts to the floor, and guided her to step out of them.

  With absolutely nothing on below the waist, Nunnie allowed him to lift her up, and place her on top of the dryer. He then dropped his jeans and boxers, before positioning himself between her legs.

  Staring into her eyes, he gripped her ass, pulling her closer. She opened her legs wide, as he slid inside.

  “Umm,” she moaned, while biting her bottom lip.

  While delivering long strokes, Mix removed his tee, keeping on his muscle shirt, but placing the front behind his neck. He then took joy in watching Nunnie’s cream coat his dick, while he took his time pumping in and out of her.

  “Damn,” he huffed out, as he reached up, gripping her bra, releasing her breasts. He then toyed with her nipples, while continuously driving the dick into her.

  Nunnie found herself rocking her hips, as she feverishly fucked him back. Soon, their skin was clapping, as Mix pulled her into his arms, bear hugging her. After a while, he was holding her up with no support for the dryer, as he pounded into her, working up a sweat.

  “Uh, uh, uh, uh,” she uttered with every stroke he delivered, as he had her bouncing hard on the dick, while she held on tightly to his neck.

  “Now, what you gon do?” he asked her. “Huh?” he ventured balls deep within her. “You gon go up where and let that nigga feel on what?”

  “I…I…I was just talking,” she stuttered.

  “Nah,” he shook his head, while holding her hips, and hammering away. “You meant that shit.”

  “No, no, I didn’t,” she panted. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Well, tell daddy you sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, daddy. I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

  He crashed their bodies up against the dryer, while he twitched inside of her. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  For a long moment, they just remained in that position, sharing breaths, until Nunnie broke the silence.

  “Well, I guess you aint gon turn my loose until you drop every piece of cum you got in you.”

  He chuckled. “Aye, why you worried? You said that you was pregnant, anyway.”

  She shoved him back. “I was bullshitting.”

  He was still smiling. “Well, you shouldn’t have started the shit. Nobody ever told you that the tongue was mighty? You done spoke some shit up. Now, I gotta make it a reality.”

  “Boy, fuck you.” she gave him the finger, as she hopped off the dryer.

  “You just did.”

  She waved him off. “Yeah, whatever. You just remember to keep that bitch Rumor out of your face.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t listen. I keep telling you that I’m tired of playing this game, but you keep insisting that we keep it going. So, if that’s the case, then cool. While we in this house, I’ma play it, and ole girl is a part of that. You can’t call no shots, either. Don’t like it? Pack your fucking bags. Otherwise…the bitch might just get fucked.”

  Still naked, Nunnie rushed Mix in the closed in space. “You muthafucka!” she clawed at his face.

  Grabbing both of her hands, he hemmed her up against a wall. “Aye, calm your ass down.”

  “Get off me,” she fumed. “Now, bitch,” her voice cracked, before tears slipped from her eyes.

  He took a deep breath. “Girl, the fuck is you crying for?”

  “So, you’d really fuck that bitch?” she blubbered.

  He shook his head. “This shit crazy. How the fuck you want me to accept you going upstairs tonight with that nigga at some point? You want me to just hope that he don’t ease the dick in you when you sleep or some shit. But you in here crying, cause I’ma do me. Nah, make this shit make sense.”

  Nunnie sniveled uncontrollably from just the mere thought of Mix fucking another girl. She couldn’t stomach it. “Okay,” blurted, snot dripping from her nose. “I won’t sleep in the bed with him no more. Just don’t touch herrrr,” she cried, practically hyperventilating.

  He sucked his teeth, as she really stood in there bawling her eyes out. “Man, I can’t do this with you,” he grumbled, as he knelt over, picking up his boxers and jeans.

  He readjusted his clothes, before leaving her alone in the laundry room to drown in her tears.

  Chapter 18

  “Damn, it took you long enough to open the muthafuckin’ door,” Dreka scoffed, as she sauntered into the house.

  Nunnie sucked her teeth, as she switched behind her sister. “Girl, bye. Any who, what’s tea?”

  Dreka glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t know. You tell me—” she got out, before wandering into the living room and discovering that Rumor was casually lounging on the couch, watching TV. She grimaced, while mumbling. “The fuck?”

  Nunnie shook her head. “Exactly.”

  “Oh, hey, girl,” Rumor waved.

  “Hey.” Dreka poked out her bottom lip, as she shook her head. “Where’s Levi?”

  “He’s somewhere around here,” Nunnie responded.

  Dreka bucked her eyes. “That nigga still haven’t carried his ass off to work?”

  “Nope.”

  “This shit crazy.”

  Nunnie exhaled. “Tell me about it. But yeah, come on, let’s go outside by the pool. It’s pretty warm today.”

  “Alright, cool,” Dreka agreed, before following her baby sis outside. Once they’d found a nice spot in some lounging chairs right near the pool, it dawned on her. She hadn’t seen her nephew. “Where’s Mix and the baby?”

  “Mix took him to see Ms. Gertie.”

  Dreka lifted a brow. “And you didn’t want to go?”

  Nunnie grabbed the back of her neck. “I was about to go, but Levi came downstairs on some bullshit. He pulled me aside wanting to argue. Thank God we took it to a guest room, because if Mix would’ve felt for a second that he was coming too hostile it would’ve been over.”

  “Wait, wait, bitch, let me get this straight. Your man can’t check you now, according to Mix?”

  Nunnie fluttered her lashes. “Not in his presence.”

  Dreka howled with laughter. “You muthafuckas are fucking nuts. I’m convinced. OMG. Anyway, what was Levi tripping about today?”

  Nunnie smacked her lips. “He was mad because I didn’t sleep in the bed with him last night.”

  Dreka’s eyes brightened. “Oh, you didn’t? So, where did you sleep?”

  “On the couch for most of the night.”

  “And what about the rest?”

  “I ended up falling asleep in the room where my baby was.”

  Dreka gasped. “Naveriah, I know damn well
you didn’t. You mean to tell me that you really went and laid up with Mix, while that man was home?”

  “No, it didn’t happen like that. I was really only going in there to get my baby, and I just fell asleep. The next thing I know it was morning.”

  “Girl, what if that man would have caught you in there?”

  “Then he would’ve just found me in bed with somebody he knows as my cousin.” Nunnie shrugged.

  “Is that right?” Dreka lifted her chin. “Let me ask you this.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you fucking Mix in this man’s house, Nunnie?”

  Nunnie tucked her lips into her mouth.

  Dreka allowed her head to fall back. “Oh my God. If that man killed you niggas dead I couldn’t even blame him, cause you niggas is foul.”

  Nunnie’s jaw dropped. “Don’t say that.”

  Dreka lowered her head and tittered. “Oh, you don’t want to hear the truth? Because you know that’s all I’ma give you. You on some other shit, right now. It was one thing to lie to get Mix in here. I mean, I get it. You wanted him here and off them streets. But now you playing a dangerous game, little sister. I aint gon even lie…and what’s up with Rumor? What the fuck is she still doing here? Is she staying here too?”

  “Girl,” Nunnie pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “That bitch is chasing after Mix, and Levi is encouraging her. In the meantime, his insecure ass refuses to go to work. It’s almost like he doesn’t believe that Mix is my cousin, but he won’t call me out on my bullshit for whatever reason. I mean, if he did, we’d just have it out, and we’d probably leave, but he won’t go there. But fuck him. I get tired of yall trying to paint that nigga out to be the victim. He got a whole lot of bullshit with him. I just don’t run to yall with it.”

  Dreka nodded. “And that might be so, but let’s keep it real. You don’t give a fuck one way or another. That nigga could move a whole other bitch in here and you wouldn’t give two fucks. You and that nigga Mix gon do yall no matter what. And it’s fuck everybody else in the process. That much is clear. But the one thing I always admired about you was that you always seemed to take life a little more serious than I do. Like you always try. So, I’m hoping that through all this drama that’s going on right now that there’s some type of bigger picture in this. Something that will make this make sense when it’s all said and done. I mean, unless I had it wrong, and your ass is just as scandalous as all the rest of us.”

  “Whatever.” Nunnie scratched her scalp. “Well, I guess only time will tell, huh?”

  ***

  “You wanna eat-eat? Huh? You want a bottle?” Mix asked Maizie, as he held him in his arms while they stood in the middle of the kitchen, while Nunnie stood at the stove frying chicken.

  “He probably is hungry,” Nunnie thought about it, as she flipped over a wing.

  Rumor stepped into the room. “Nunnie, how much longer are you going to be? I have to get in here and start preparing for tomorrow.”

  The following day was Thanksgiving and Rumor was supposed to prepare a large portion of the food there. Nunnie had willingly allowed her to take over from primarily a sheer lack of experience. She really only knew how to cook the basics, so preparing a huge feast was out of her bounds. With Rumor being 25 she had more experience in the kitchen and was seemingly eager to put in work. However, the bitch still needed to understand that this wasn’t her house, as far as Nunnie was concerned.

  “Look, Rumor, don’t come in here working my nerves, okay,” Nunnie griped. “I know you gotta cook, but we gotta eat around here today too. So, that comes first. And I’ll be done whenever the fuck you see me done eating and I leave out of this bitch. Anything else? Or you could always take your ass home. There’s always that option too, because I definitely didn’t sign up to be cohabitating with another bitch.”

  “Honey, let me get out of here, before I disrespect Levi’s house, cause, ba-by,” Rumor stamped out of the room.

  Mix chuckled. “She must be from Mo City somewhere. Katy or some shit. The outer skirts. Cause you be handling her ass.”

  Nunnie sucked her teeth. “Fuck her. That hoe get out of line and I’ma pop her. On my son.”

  “Aye, that’s your cousin-in-law, girl,” he teased.

  “Bitch aint no cousin-in-law of mine. She some kin to you?”

  Mix beamed. “Not that I know of.”

  “Exactly.”

  Just then, Levi waltzed into the kitchen. “It smells good in here.”

  “Thanks,” Nunnie forced out. As of late, anything Levi did worked her last nerve, but she tried to shake her disposition.

  “What sides are you making with it?” he queried.

  “Mashed potatoes and broccoli with cheese.”

  Levi rubbed his hands together. “Sounds good.” He glanced over at Mix once again holding Maizie. At this point he officially felt a way about it. Even when he’d request the baby, he was denied, and it was beginning to become a problem. He’d tried to ignore it, but something deep in his soul told him that something wasn’t right with Mix. It had only been a few days, and he didn’t think that they’d make it a few more. He couldn’t function with the cat under his roof, and he needed to put his mind at ease. “Aye, Mix, my man.”

  “Yeah?” Mix lifted his chin.

  “I need to go out and make a store run. I gotta pick up a few propane tanks and what not, along with charcoal, so I could really use another hand. You mind taking the ride with me?”

  Mix stroked his waves, while rocking the baby. “Yeah, uh, I got you.”

  “Bet. So, come on, let’s roll out. By the time we come back, I’m sure all the food will be good and ready.”

  “A’ight.” Mix nodded, as he placed Maizie in his swing. He glanced up at Nunnie. “Don’t forget he needs his bottle.”

  Levi stood there frowning.

  Nunnie giggled, while waving Mix off. “Boy, bye. That’s my baby. I got him.”

  “I’m saying. You cooking and shit, but I know that he’s overdue for a bottle,” Mix carried on, worried that she’d starve his child.

  Nunnie nodded. “Okay.”

  Levi stood there, feeling extremely uncomfortable, as his eyes wandered back and forth from Mix to Maizie, really taking the time to compare their features. The more he looked…the more he didn’t like what he saw. Maizie resembled Mix more than he favored his own mama. Sure, Nunnie claimed that Mix was her first cousin, which could explain away the family resemblance, but you never know. Hell, he really didn’t know what to think, and he’d lived enough to know that in this life anything was possible.

  “A’ight, we can be on our way,” Mix voiced, as he headed out of the kitchen.

  “Cool,” Levi commented. “We can roll out in the Rover.”

  Silently, they traveled to the Range parked outside of the house and hopped inside. Levi backed out of the driveway, while Mix’s cell rang. Glancing down at the screen, he ignored the call. The caller hung up and called again. Shaking his head, Mix sent the call to voicemail.

  “Your BM?” Levi guessed, trying to make conversation.

  “Nah,” Mix replied. “The BM straight. I wouldn’t send her to voicemail, anyway.”

  “Yeah, I hear that. I try to keep that same attitude with my kids’ mom, but it’s a struggle sometimes.”

  “She be with the bullshit?” Mix asked, as if he really gave a damn.

  “All the time, man. She’s still bitter about the divorce, and understandably so, but she uses the kids as a weapon. At this point, it’s the only card she has, but she fails to realize that she’s only going to hurt the kids in the long run. You know?”

  Mix nodded. “That’s crazy…so, uh, are your kids coming over tomorrow?”

  Levi shook his head. “Nah, I doubt it. Lauren still has issues with them being around Naveriah.”

  “Yeah?” Mix pondered on what he was hearing. “But I thought that your kids sometimes come over here.”

  “Yeah, but that’s after their
mom leaves them with my mom. I take them from my mom’s and my ex is unaware of them being here.”

  “So, she don’t want the kids around Nunu?”

  “Nunu?” Levi furrowed his brows.

  “Yeah, Naveriah.”

  “Oh. Yeah, she has some issues with Naveriah, and until she can get past those issues, we’re just stuck, man.”

  “So, how often do you see your kids…you know, with her having problems with them coming to your house.”

  “Um, sometimes…once a month if I’m lucky. That’s if I don’t have to work.”

  “Damn,” Mix mumbled, thinking that Levi was the weakest nigga on the planet.

  A blind man could see that Levi had some issues with Mix’s attachment to Maizie, but he hadn’t stepped to Mix about it as a man. That was one thing, but after learning that Levi had his own children that he rarely saw, Mix saw the man in an entirely new light. Maizie should’ve been the least of his concerns when everything wasn’t right with him and his own seeds. That should’ve been that man’s number one priority, but he seemed rather nonchalant about it. His kids not spending the holidays with him was mentioned, but there was no somberness behind it. It was merely stated matter-of-factly. Hell, he’d been off for days now, and not once had he mentioned trying to see them. Nor were there any real conversations about them. All the cat ever remotely talked about was his business endeavors, friends, and Naveriah.

  “Yeah, man, anyway, I was thinking,” Levi cleared his throat. “After the holidays, you can come down to the yard. We need some help with logging the driver’s and dispatching. It’s simple and we train on site.”

  “Yeah?” Mix rubbed his chin, considering the offer. “How much is the pay?”

  “It starts off at about 12 or 13 an hour.”

  “Oh, okay. But say, what’s with the CDL? I wouldn’t mind seeing what’s up with that. You know? They say that’s where the real money at.”

  “CDL?” Levi stroked his waves. “Aww, man. Getting that CDL requires going through a lot of red tape. A fucking headache, for real. You gotta do this and that. It’s probably more than you’d wanna deal with, right now. Especially, if trying to get paid right here and now is your ultimate goal.”