The Art of Deceit

by Fabiola Joseph

  “Black, I have been with you since you were selling just nickel bags of weed. You didn’t have any money then. I even held you down when your ass was locked up. Ain’t none of them other bitches or so-called friends of yours even come down and see your ass. I was the only bitch to come down and keep your commissary up—”

  Black cut her off. No matter what he said she wasn’t going to get it. “You kept it up just as much as you kept your ass in the air. Yeah, don’t get me wrong. You did hold me down, but I always knew that I was eating ’cause of some other man’s money.”

  I was really getting into their conversation, but Tay’von kept trying to pull me away. I put my finger up in the air, trying to ask him for more time to eavesdrop, but he wouldn’t let me stay in the hallway. I gave up after realizing that he wasn’t going to stop until he got me in our bedroom. Once we got there, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulders.

  “You nosy as hell, girl. Let me find out you wanted to listen to them more than you wanted to fuck me,” Tay said as he sat me down on the bed.

  “No, that’s not it at all. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with them.” I was trying to lie, but he read right through it.

  “Well, it didn’t look like that to me. Face it, baby. You always want to be in someone else’s shit,” Tay joked as he laid me down and pulled my panties off. “Damn, baby, that camel toe looking phat as ever.”

  He was really in a good mood. I was just happy that he wasn’t holding what had happened with Amira over my head. As if to prove my thoughts right, he spread my legs like Carl had done two weeks ago and just stared at me.

  “What, are you just going to look at it, or are you going to do something to it?” I asked.

  He reached down and played with my clit.

  “So is this your way of telling me that you missed me?” I asked as I looked up at my Mr. Too Fine.

  He looked so damn sexy standing there, with his broad chest and strong arms. His shape-up was fresh, and I loved the way his diamonds sparkled in his ears. His eyes looked like they were lightly lined with a dark brown eyeliner, but you could tell that they were natural. His light eyes had the very same shine as the studs in his ears, and I realized that this man was born to be a star. I hadn’t felt that much lust for him in a while. He pulled off his shirt and smiled at me. In some sick, twisted way, even after all that I had done to him and him to me, we still wanted to be with each other. We loved and yearned for each other, and it was something that we just couldn’t understand, so we didn’t try.

  He rubbed my thighs as I looked him over. I let my eyes roam down to his waist. He had that V cut that some men had at the waistline, and it always drove me crazy. And let’s not forget the little trail of hair that led down to their dicks, pointing the way to the treasure like a map. I could see something dark on his chest, but that wasn’t my main focus. But wait . . . I rolled my eyes back up, and there it was. My name tattooed over his heart. I sat up and rubbed my fingers over the tattoo.

  “Oh my God, Tay’von. What . . . when . . . What made you get this?”

  “I just got up one day and did it. This shit is here forever, baby.”

  I touched it again and then looked up into his eyes. I could see a truth in them that wasn’t there before. I kissed him deeply. Then I leaned toward his already hard dick and slid it in my mouth. I sucked the hell out of him. His body was rock hard and defined. I looked down at his legs and got turned on by the structure of them. He looked like a strong, tall Adonis. He ran his hand through my hair and lightly massaged my scalp. He knew that doing this helped me relax so that I was able to take him deeper into my mouth.

  “Damn, Tangie. Suck that dick,” Tay said as he pulled my hair out of my face so that he could see my headwork.

  He fucked my mouth, and I didn’t stop him from pushing his dick deeper and deeper down my throat. Soon he tried to pull away, but I held him in my mouth. I wanted to taste his cum. I wanted to suck it out of him. He pushed himself in and out of my mouth faster. He was fucking it like he was in some pussy as I tried to make my mouth feel like a tight, wet one.

  “Baby, baby, I’m about to cum. You want me to pull out?” he cried.

  I shook my head no.

  I looked up at his Adam’s apple and watched it move up and down as he gasped for air. I pulled my head back so that his dick was at the tip of my tongue. I flicked it on the tip of his dick and sucked in at the same time as his cum shot to the back of my throat. He moaned as I moved forward and went so deep on his dick that my nose touched his stomach. He pulled himself out of my mouth slowly, and I made sure not to drop even a little bit of his cream. I lay back down as he spoke softly to me.

  “Damn, baby. You got me going crazy. I love the way you make me feel.”

  He just stood there looking at me. He went over my body slowly with his eyes. He picked up one of my feet and brought it to his mouth. He kissed and sucked on it, then moved to the other foot. Then he worked his way down to my clit. I opened wide and enjoyed the head. I soon felt like I was about to cum and tried to close my legs.

  “Come on, baby. I want to watch that cum drip down to your ass,” he told me.

  Just the sound of his voice made me lose it. My chest heaved up and down as I came. He didn’t stop until I took my feet and pushed his head away. I thought that he was going to just get on top of me, but he turned me over on my stomach and pulled me up on my knees.

  “Hold up, baby. Let me grab a pillow,” I said, thinking that I should get comfortable if he was going to hit it from the back.

  “Nah, you don’t need it yet. Just relax.”

  He leaned in and slid his tongue from my pussy to my ass. My body tingled with excitement. He worked my ass as if it were a pussy. I moaned more from this than him sucking on my clit.

  “You’re feeling really freaky tonight, baby. Oh shit. Eat that ass, Tay,” I cooed when he moved back to my clit as he began to finger my ass.

  The cum that dripped from my pussy and the saliva from his mouth left my ass so wet that I didn’t need any lube.

  “You gonna let me get some of this tight little ass, baby?”

  I didn’t even know why he asked. He knew that I would never say no to him sexually, unless I was holding back on purpose.

  “Put that big dick in my ass, but get my Mr. Purple. I’m gonna work this pussy while you work my ass.”

  He did as he was told, and we fucked me right. An hour later we were in the shower, fucking the old-fashioned way, and an hour after that, we were fast asleep.

  * * *

  The next morning I got up around ten and went down to the kitchen for some breakfast. Shamika was already there, without Black. I was sure she was ready for us to go shopping, because Black was driving her crazy, and she needed some time away from him. She asked what time we were leaving, and I told her that after I ate, I would get dressed so that we could leave.

  I let her drive while I read through the magazines Tay had brought home, but of course, that didn’t stop her from talking.

  “Man, Black got so bitchy after Tay brought them magazines out last night.”

  “Well, he’s going to have to cut that shit out. Tay and I are about to get a whole lot of press for the wedding. Then, after that, Tay is going to start working on his new album, so all this hype about us is not about to stop. That’s how it is when you’re number one in the country.”

  Now, I know this sounded like I was throwing shit in her face, but I was just telling her the truth. I saw her roll her eyes, but I didn’t jump on her about it. I knew that what I had just said stung her a little bit, but that was how the truth felt sometimes.

  “Yeah, well, I’m sure that you heard him yelling at me last night. It was all over shit that happened, like, a million years ago.”

  “Oh, really? I didn’t even hear that,” I lied. I was sparing her the embarrassment of knowing that I did hear him digging deep into her ass.

  “Girl, I know your house is big, but as lo
ud as he was, I’m sure you had to hear something. I just don’t know what’s up with him. But I’ll tell you one thing. If him having problems with his label makes him act like this, then I am ready to do whatever Carmello needs me to do. I just need to stop him from damn near breaking my neck every time he looks at me.”

  I put down the magazine I was reading and had to stop myself from jumping out of my seat and laughing hysterically. “Well, if you’re sure that it will make Black’s situation better, then do what you have got to do.”

  We pulled up to the store, and she gave the valet the car keys. He got in the car and looked at the magazines that I had left on the seat.

  “Oh, shit. You’re the girl who’s with that rapper Tay’von, right? I love his music, and my sister is in love with that dude.”

  Shamika and I stopped walking and turned around.

  “Oh, my bad. I didn’t mean to curse,” he said, thinking that he was being disrespectful.

  “It’s okay,” I told him. “I’m always pleased to meet one of Tay’von’s fans.”

  He went on to tell me how his girlfriend always wanted him to play Tay’s CD every time she got into his car. He even told me that his fifteen-year-old sister had Tay’s pictures all over her walls and called him her husband. I loved the love he and his people had for Tay and his music. It was because of fans like him that Tay was such a success and—let’s not forget—so rich. He made me feel good about Tay, his music, and his fame.

  “Girl, come on. We got other places to go after this,” Shamika demanded, with her hands on her hips.

  I told him to leave his name and address in my glove box. I also told him that I would send him concert tickets and a couple of backstage passes to Tay’s next show in New York. He got them a week later.

  I walked into the store without saying anything to Shamika’s ignorant ass. She just didn’t get the game of fame. It wasn’t just on the shoulders of the star; the star’s fame also belonged to the people around him or her. You had to know how to carry yourself and definitely how to interact with a star’s fans. If you were associated with celebrities in any way, shape, or form, and they not there, you took their place and had to represent them well. Telling her the rules to the game would have been a waste of time, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

  We picked up everything that we needed for my engagement party, which was being held that night. She walked out of the first store seven thousand dollars poorer, while I dropped twenty-six thousand on all my goods. We went to the next store for shoes, then headed home.

  We walked in the house, and I told Carl to go and get the bags out of the car. Black and Tay’von were sitting in the game room, playing video games.

  “Hey, baby. You get everything you need?” Tay asked as I gave him a kiss and sat on his lap.

  I didn’t answer him; I just handed him the bill. He looked at it, smiled, and put it in his pocket.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer.

  “Oh, it’s nothing, baby. It’s just that you can work the hell out of a credit card. But, hey, if that’s what it takes to keep your ass looking so fly, then so be it,” Tay said before giving me a quick peck on the lips.

  He then told me to get off his lap so that he could continue playing his game. I asked him to wake me up in an hour so that I could start getting ready for the party. Shamika got up to go upstairs with me but was stopped by Black.

  “Hey, Shamika. Where’s your receipt?”

  She walked over to him and gave it to him, knowing that he was going to have a problem with the amount of money she had spent.

  “Damn. What are you trying to do? Keep up with Tangie?” He tried to make it seem like a joke, but we all knew that he was so for real.

  “Calm down, dude,” Tay said. “You really got to stop bitching over money. This nigga stays paid, yet he’s always crying over dough. Man, fuck it. I’ll pay for her stuff. Give me the bill.”

  As soon as the words left Tay’s mouth, I knew that it was the wrong thing for him to say.

  “Man, fuck you. I don’t need you to pay for my girl’s shit. Just because I’m not about wasting my money don’t mean I need any of yours,” Black protested.

  Tay shrugged. “Yeah, okay. I’m just saying. You can’t be famous and still be crying over what, twenty, thirty thousand dollars? You make way more than that for one night when performing at a concert.”

  “I’m not trying to be like all of them other famous people out there, who sit around and talk about how much money they used to have. And who said I was talking about thirty thousand dollars? Shamika isn’t that crazy.”

  Tay reached over and grabbed the receipt out of Black’s hand.

  “Damn, nigga. You’re talking all this shit for a total of nine thousand dollars. I wish Tangie would shop like Shamika. It would save me a whole lot of money.”

  By then, Tay’von was really laughing hard, but Black didn’t find it funny.

  “Yeah, okay, keep spending up all your money on shit you and Tangie aren’t even going to be wearing next year. You’ll be calling me to help pay for her fifty-thousand-dollar shopping bill,” Black said as he pushed PLAY on the game.

  I understood why he felt this way. He felt like he was about to lose everything. I was just happy that they went back to playing the game without coming to blows. I didn’t want them fighting, because we had a lot of nice things in the house and, hey, it was not like Black could afford to replace them.

  * * *

  That night I got dressed in a deep red, long silk dress. It had a plunging neckline that turned into a sheer line that ran all the way down the dress. My hair was down and curled. I had one side pinned to the side of my head with a ruby and diamond heart-shaped hairpin, which made the curls fall on one shoulder. I slipped on the Jean Paul Gaultier dress, and Tay zipped me up. I iced up my look with the big rock Tay’von had given me and an invisible diamond necklace. All you saw was a sparkle in the middle of my neck.

  I turned around to face him, and he smiled. He had called in a makeup artist and hairstylist to make sure Shamika and I looked our best, and it was money well spent. He looked at me, then gave me a long kiss. I pushed him away playfully, but I was serious about keeping my looks intact.

  “Stop, baby. You’re going to mess up my makeup.”

  “Fuck your makeup. You’re looking good as hell in that dress.”

  “Yeah, and I want to keep it on. Just fasten my bracelet and go finish getting ready,” I told him.

  About ten minutes later we were all ready to go. We got into the limo and were on our way. I must say that we all looked like stars. Even Shamika had herself put together well. She had on the new black Dolce & Gabbana dress that I had picked out for her earlier that day. She had even kept it simple with the jewels. All the men had on nice trendy suits, with a hint of their own style thrown into the mix.

  We were getting close to the party when Tay told us that cameras for the top news show would be there. An hour-long segment was set to air the following week. First, they would tape the party, and two days later they were coming out to the house to sit and talk with us. I smiled to myself, knowing that after this, I was going to be just as known as Tay’von, if not more known than him. Hard work always paid off. We pulled up to the rented-out club, and you would have thought that we were at an awards show. There were cameras flashing, lots of celebs, and even a red carpet. The limo driver stopped the car and walked around to open the doors. Tony got out first, followed by Black, Carl, and Shamika.

  Tay told the driver to close the doors so that he could have a quick chat with me. He turned to me and took my hand while I waited for him to speak.

  “Baby, I just want you to know that you look beautiful tonight. I am very proud to be getting out of this limo with you, and I love you, Tangie, with all my heart, baby.” He leaned in and kissed me on my neck.

  I could hear everyone outside asking if Tay’von and Tangie were in the limo. Th
ey couldn’t wait to get a look at us up close, and we couldn’t wait to present ourselves. Tay knocked on the window, and the driver opened the door. Tay stepped out and reached back in the car and helped me out. Everyone’s mouths dropped, and I heard them gasp.

  Tay leaned in to me and gave me the greatest compliment. “See, baby, you’re a showstopper.”

  We walked down the red carpet and talked to the reporters. I was almost blinded from the flashing lights, but I loved every minute of it. We finally made it inside the club, and I was taken aback. Everything looked classy and expensive. You couldn’t even tell that you were inside a dance club. On one of the walls was the biggest picture I had ever seen of Tay and me. Thank God it was a cute one. I rubbed elbows with all the major rappers, singers, actors, and ballplayers who were at the top of their game at the time. That night we all let loose and got our party on. By the end of the night, we had so many gifts that we had them packed into two cars.

  We made it back home around four in the morning. We all were partied out, so we sat down in the living room before going to bed.

  “Out of all the parties I have ever been to, that had to be one of the best. That shit was decked out,” Shamika said as she leaned back in her chair.

  “Well, you knew it wasn’t going to be cheap. Everyone in there was paid,” Black answered. He was always thinking about money. It didn’t matter if it was someone else’s or his own.

  “I wasn’t even worried about that. I knew my boys were going to hook that shit up right. And did you see my baby tonight? All eyes were on her. Everyone was on her shit tonight.” Tay was so proud and was smiling from ear to ear.

  “Yeah, I know. People kept coming up to me and Black and asking how you met her, what she is like, or just saying how good she looks. It really was all about y’all tonight,” Shamika said as she got up for a soda.

  Tay asked her to bring us all back a drink, so she asked me to help. I thought I was just going to help her carry everything, but as soon as we got in the kitchen, she pulled me close.