She Gave Her All to the Hood’s Finest 2

by Shvonne Latrice

  The next morning…

  I gasped heavily as the upper half of my body shot up. My eyes darted to the clock on the cable box, and I saw it was 11 a.m.

  “Oh my gosh.” I snatched my phone up off the nightstand and checked my messages. My heart dropped seeing Armonn had called and texted a bunch of times.

  Without waking Eitan, I quickly got dressed and left.

  The whole drive home, I felt weird for sleeping with Eitan. Yes, I liked him, a lot, and yes, he was sexy, but I hadn’t figured things out yet. I just prayed Armonn wasn’t too angry and that I could keep this from him. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if that would be the last time I fucked Eitan.

  “Rubie, damn. I thought some shit happened to you.” Armonn hopped from the couch as soon as I arrived home.

  “Umm, no. My stupid ass worked so late that I called myself taking a nap on the couch in my office but ended up going into full on sleep mode.” I shook my head as I removed my jacket.

  “Next time, text me that or something. I would’ve called the police, but I wanted to be sure.” He neared me, and I feared he’d smell Eitan’s cologne. “You okay?” he inquired when I smoothly moved from his touch.

  “Yes, just feel dirty.”

  I hurried to the bathroom, shutting the door, before cutting the shower on. As I began to undress, I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket.

  E: Why you leave? We could’ve went to breakfast.

  I smiled as I read it about fifty times.

  Yeah, that was definitely not gonna be the last time I sat on that dick. What Armonn didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

  5

  Rahim

  My wife was coming to visit me later this week, and I was beyond excited for the shit. Despite my behavior and infidelity, I loved Amara. Just thinking about her being here and with my baby girl had me smiling for no damn reason.

  I wanted to be prepared, so I was going to the grocery store to pick up anything I remembered seeing in our kitchen back home. I couldn’t wait to have one of my wife’s home cooked meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Shit was about to be lit as fuck.

  After finding a park, I pulled out my generic list to be sure I got everything. I even looked up a few recipes to the dishes I liked and documented the ingredients Amara would need to be able to make it for me. I’d only been in the store for a little over fifteen minutes, and my basket was almost tipping over. I loved buying food but hated having to put that shit away.

  As I checked off my list in my phone, I glanced up momentarily. Shanece caught my eye, and she was on the same aisle as last time, eyeing sauces. Even though I lived pretty far from this store, it always had every damn thing I needed, so on occasions, I made that trip.

  I told myself I was going to ignore Shanece and keep it moving, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t have her thinking that Phoebe and I were some real shit. Hell, if that was the case, I’d rather her know about Amara, a woman I was actually in love with, not my damn sidepiece.

  “Damn, long time no see.” I neared her, making sure to move my basket to the side so that it wouldn’t bump her.

  Looking over at me, Shanece gave me a disingenuous smile.

  “Hi, Rahim.” She placed the bottle of sauce into the top portion of her basket.

  “How you been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Not to mention our last encounter wasn’t the best.”

  “No, our last two encounters weren’t the best.” She reached for a hot sauce bottle. “But I’m well, I guess.”

  I noticed her eyes were sad as fuck, but a part of me didn’t want to pry too much.

  “Cool, cool.”

  “You got a lot of shit. What are you, taking in a family of ten?” Her eyes ran amuck all over my basket.

  “Oh nah. See, I love this store in particular, so I like to stock up when I come here so I won’t have to drive back for a minute.”

  “I see.”

  “And Shanece, I want you to know that Phoebe, the girl I was with back at the mall, was not and is not my girl.”

  “Rahim, my husband, who I love, is very sick right now. I couldn’t care less about a man I have no ties to, having a girlfriend.”

  Damn.

  “Aight. Well… how is he doing?”

  Shanece said nothing; she just stared blankly at the snacks in a round cart, which was in the middle of the aisle.

  “He’s not doing well, Rahim. Things have gotten worse, and honestly, seeing you for some reason only depresses me further because of what happened between us.” She finally let her eyes meet mine.

  “I understand that. Makes perfect sense.” I nodded. “This may be a stretch, and the last thing you want, but if you need someone to talk to whenever, you can call me. Calls are safe. We don’t have to see one another. And if we do, we can meet up in public with a lot of people around.”

  Shanece chuckled, which was nice to see. She looked good in jeans, some heels that showed her nice toes, and a turtleneck sweater in gold. Her caramel skin was clear as usual, but I wasn’t sure if she had on makeup or not. Although sad, her hazel eyes still glistened, and her braided hair smelled like maraschino cherries every time she moved them. I didn’t know what it was about this woman, but she had me like a damn moth to a flame. I couldn’t let her ass be. Shit was almost like a lightweight obsession.

  “I appreciate that, truly. If I run of out people, I guess I can give you a call, but only a call.”

  “Cool.” I reached to shake her hand.

  She half smiled as she slipped hers into mine. I promptly let it go so I wouldn’t scare her off, and then after an awkward ass silence, we said our goodbyes.

  I hoped like a muthafucka that she actually called me, even though I’d told myself the opposite.

  Later that week…

  “Hello?” I answered my phone when I saw Tony’s name on the screen.

  “Aye, you coming through tonight, right? Ten p.m. sharp, my nigga.” He didn’t even speak back with his rude ass.

  “Damn, nigga. I said hello.”

  “I don’t got all fucking day, nigga. You want somebody to talk to yo’ little hoe ass all sweet, call up one of ya bitches when I hang up.”

  Chuckling, I inquired, “How is saying ‘hello’ sweet? It’s normal, my nigga.”

  “Is you gon’ be there or not? Gay ass.”

  “Yeah, I am.” I shook my head, laughing. “Camarih gon’ be there?”

  He was quiet, so I knew he’d gotten the wrong impression.

  “I’m gon’ pretend you ain’t just ask about my bitch. I don’t like that shit, cuz.”

  “What I meant was, is Shanece gon’ be there?”

  “Nah, that strong face ass hoe ain’t gon’ be here. Why? You trying to fuck?”

  “Man, stop with that hoe shit. That’s a married woman. And her face is pretty as hell.”

  “Still stronger than a muthafucka, and plenty of hoes is married, nigga. You think a married bitch ain’t never sucked me up?”

  “Aight, but not Shanece.”

  “That hoe not gon’ be here. You need to be though, and on time, bitch.” He hung up.

  “Crazy ass nigga.” I mumbled as I made sure I had everything I needed.

  Getting into my whip, I cut some music on then headed toward the freeway so I could get Amara and my daughter from the airport. It took me about twenty-five minutes to get there, and it was 6:30 p.m. when I left. Amara’s flight landed at 6 p.m., so she should’ve for sure been done picking up her luggage and shit.

  As I drove down, nearing the Delta terminal, I spotted her and my baby girl looking just how I left them, thank God. I couldn’t pull over fast enough.

  “Daddy!” Ahmira screeched as soon as I got out of the car.

  “Hey, beautiful!” I scooped her up, hugging her tightly as hell.

  “Daddy, ya gonna kill me!” She hollered, making both Amara and I laugh.

  “I’m sorry, baby girl. I just missed you.” I kissed her face before placing her to her feet. />
  “Where my bags go?” Ahmira asked. She was grown as hell for her age, something I didn’t too much like. She wasn’t disrespectful, but I feared she’d be doing shit she was too young to do once she got older.

  “That’s your baby.” Amara shook her head as I wrapped my arms around her body. She looked good, like on some my jaw hit the floor and I could barely pick it up good.

  Her hair was freshly done, hanging down her back, and the jeans she wore hugged her thick frame perfectly. She wore a normal t-shirt, but Amara made anything look sexy. On her feet were some Hermés sandals in black.

  “I need to get you home ASAP.” I stepped back some to admire my woman.

  “First, let get these bags in, babe.” She giggled as I kissed her repeatedly.

  I put their luggage up and then opened the doors for both of them, making sure Ahmira was strapped in correctly.

  “I’m hungry as hell. I bought all kinds of shit so you can make me a meal. I was thinking some fried chicken for lunch.” I grinned, glancing over to see Amara’s face.

  “Oh, okay. Well this is kind of a vacation for me, babe, so I would like to get a break from cooking. I was thinking we could go out to eat.”

  “Right, yeah. Shit, my bad. I didn’t even think about that. I just miss ya food so fucking much.”

  “I know, and I got you tomorrow. Just today and tonight, I’m taking a little hiatus. I still have to cook for your daughter back home, so just because you’re gone doesn’t mean I haven’t had to be a chef.”

  I nodded, continuing onto the freeway. After dropping the bags off at home, the three of us went to have dinner at Bestia, this cool Italian spot I’d had before. Amara loved Italian food, and living in Vegas, they had the best of the best Italian.

  “So besides me being gone, how has everything been in Nevada?” I asked her once the three of us were seated and looking over the menu.

  “Pretty great. I mean, I don’t have my man, but I got a raise, so I’m making ninety thousand a year at this moment. I even got a little bonus, so I was thinking of going on vacation. Ahmira hasn’t been anywhere, and I think she’s at a great age where she will remember this.”

  Nodding, I just grinned at my wife. She was so smart and always thinking of shit I never would.

  “That’s actually a dope idea, and congratulations. I’m hoping I can keep up with you.”

  “Oh, you will, and will surpass me, I’m sure. I heard some producers make two hundred thousand dollars for one beat sometimes.”

  “They do. I feel my time is coming, and the niggas I’m working with are solid.”

  “What are their names again? Tony and…”

  “Eitan.”

  “Right. I don’t know how I forgot when I heard him on the radio. I couldn’t believe your song made it out there. I was so excited!”

  “I was baffled when you called to tell me. I thought the shit was only spinning locally, but I guess word got around.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, taking a sip of her wine that had been delivered. “I guess you were right when you said Tony knew what he was doing.”

  “That’s why the three of us make a dope ass team.”

  “Ass team.” Ahmira repeated that part purposely, making her mother and I stare her down. “Sorry.” She covered her mouth and giggled.

  I shook my head before focusing back on my beautiful, laughing wife.

  We finished dinner, and by the time we got to my crib, it was 8:45 p.m. I had to be at the studio in a little over an hour, so I helped Amara with getting Ahmira to bed, which brought the time to 9:30 p.m.

  “Wait, where are you going?” Amara walked from the bathroom, rubbing lotion into her hands. She’d showered while I was reading a bedtime story to Ahmira so she could pass out.

  “Oh, I gotta work. I should be back by like 1 a.m., so I hope you’re still up.” I snaked my arms around her body and pecked her.

  “Well, what am I supposed to do here?”

  “What you usually do at home?”

  “Well, I have more to do there. I like to read, watch TV, or play computer games. You don’t even have Netflix or Hulu, do you?” Amara frowned. Her light face was a bit red, which was always the case when fresh out the shower. Her body was warm, making me not want to let her go.

  “Nah, I don’t. How quick can I get that? What’s the cost?”

  “You need a device for it, Rahim. How about you take me with you? I wanna see you in action.”

  As smart as I’d like to think I was, Amara asking to come to the studio never even crossed my fucking mind. Of course, she would wanna come at least once, but I never even thought she would inquire. My fucking worlds were starting to collide.

  “Uh… it’s gonna run late, and what about Ahmira? I don’t want my baby in that studio with niggas smoking, drinking, and talking all loudly.”

  “There aren’t other rooms in the studio? She can sleep in one of those.”

  “Nah, she can’t come.”

  “So what, Rahim, I’m never gonna see the studio? It’s not like I won’t have Ahmira the whole time I’m here.”

  “No, Amara, and I’m done talking about the shit.”

  “Fine.” She smiled and walked back to the bedroom.

  “Aight, baby, you can come.” I caught up to her. The last thing I wanted to do was fight with my wife while she was here. I hated fighting with her period.

  “Okay! Let me put on some clothes. You can get Ahmira to the car.”

  I nodded and went to do what she’d said while she got dressed. After buckling my sleeping daughter in, I waited for a little bit, and finally, Amara emerged in some jeans, a long-sleeved top, and heels. I loved how she dressed appropriately but was still sexy as hell. Her hair swung right along with her hips as she neared the car to get in.

  “Damn, woman.” I rubbed her leg as she laughed.

  “You say that when I wear anything.”

  “You that damn pretty, that’s why.” I shook my head, pulling off.

  I could barely keep up conversation with Amara because all I kept thinking of were different scenarios that would go down at the studio.

  We got there about five minutes before 10 p.m., so I took that moment to go inside to see where I could lie Ahmira.

  “’Sup, nigga.” Tony frowned since I was holding my baby girl. “This ain’t no fucking daycare, bruh.”

  “Nah, I know. Uh, is there a free room she can nap in?”

  “Who the fuck is she?” He frowned. This nigga was ignorant as hell.

  “My daughter, Wacko, who else?”

  “Shit, I don’t know, muthafucka. And chill out. You asking me for a muthafuckin’ favor.” He left the studio room, so I followed, chuckling.

  He unlocked one room and pushed the door. It was small and had nothing in it other than a big ass couch and a bunch of cases of water.

  “Oh, this is cool.” I laid my baby on the couch with her blanket and then set the monitor up that Amara had brought to town.

  “She bet not be shitting all over my shit, nigga, or I’m fucking you up.”

  Laughing, I asked, “Why would she shit everywhere?”

  “Because that’s what them little muthafuckas do. I bet not smell a muthafuckin thing when the night is over.”

  “I promise you won’t.” I chuckled. “Just gotta go get my stuff.”

  “Hurry the fuck up.” He went back to the initial studio room as I exited. I saw Eitan and Abel, so I dapped them up before getting my bag and helping Amara out.

  “This looks legit.” Amara surveyed the hallway as we treaded through.

  “’Cause it is legit. But aye, Tony is a little off, so don’t pay him no mind, aight.” I whispered as soon as we hit the doorway of the room we’d be working in. Tony was that friend you had to warn niggas about.

  “I hope he’s not that tall ass one,” she whispered back, low-key pointing to Tony at the mixer holding a blunt to his lips.

  “He is.” I laughed when she bucked her eyes. “And
why are women here?” She added, but thankfully, Tony began talking so I didn’t have to answer.

  “Aight, muthafuckas. I got shit to do, so I’m not trying to be here all fucking night. And y’all two ugly ass hoes don’t post or snap shit because I don’t want muthafckas thinking I got busted ass females in my sessions.” Tony singled out two of the eight women in here, snatching their phones and pocketing them.

  Everyone laughed, even Amara, but I could tell she was shocked. I just gave her a look saying, ‘I told you.’

  As she and I entered further, Tony noticed us.

  “Hi.” Amara waved to him.

  “Damn, muthafucka. How many hoes you bringing tonight?” His brows lowered, as he eyed Amara.

  “Nigga, my fucking daughter don’t count!” I hissed. Everyone in earshot burst into laughter at this ignorant ass nigga.

  “Nigga, who the fuck you popping at! A hoe is whomever the fuck I call a hoe!” Tony barked back, making Cornell jump up to stand between us. “I’ll knock yo’ stupid ass out in front of both them bitches!”

  “Okay, gentlemen! It’s very nice to meet you, Tony.” Amara simpered, extending her hand around Cornell to reach Tony.

  “You one of his hoes?” Tony asked coolly, making my stomach drop because I again remembered they didn’t know about her.

  “My wife.” I shook my head, putting my bag down. I felt Amara look at me.

  “Oh wife, right, my bad.” Tony tried to play it off, but I could see how surprised and puzzled he was. Amara did too. “You fine, in an uptight corporate bitch type of way.”

  I closed my eyes to take in what he’d just said as Amara giggled, and the rest of the room chortled.

  “Go sit right over there, baby.” I moved her from being in front of Tony. I didn’t like how she was smiling and shit, even though he’d called her a bitch.

  We got right to work, and I kept checking on Amara, who kept going to check on Ahmira. By 1 a.m., Tony said he was done and for everybody to get the fuck out. He for real followed me to the room where Ahmira was and sniffed all around it to make sure she hadn’t shit nowhere.

  Once in the car and on the road, my mind was running rampant.