by Prenisha Aja
Out of sheer desperation to be done with the argument, Star nodded her head, anxious to stop talking about Kevia and just go home. After giving her a long, calculating look, Polo unlocked the rest of the doors to let her in.
Thank God, she thought as she walked to the passenger side. Another crisis was averted for the moment. She still had to figure out what she was going to do about Polo’s insistence that she drop Kevia, but that would be a battle for another day.
“The only person you can trust in this world is me,” Polo told her as he cut a corner, heading toward the city. “Friends come and go, and Roxy should’ve shown you already that family ain’t shit. I take care of you, and I put my neck on the line to make sure you’re good. So, fuck anyone else, it’s you and me, you feel me?”
Reaching out, Polo laced his fingers through hers and lifted her hand, pressing it against his lips. The feel of his kiss sent a ripple through her thighs, and her body responded in ways that only he’d been able to master.
“I love you, bae,” he continued, holding her hand. “All I ask is that you give me that same love back.”
“I love you, too,” Star said, genuinely speaking from her heart.
Although a constant nagging in her mind told her that something didn’t feel right, she ignored it every time. Having never experienced it for herself or even observed it in person, what Polo declared as love was all she had to go by. She told herself to stop chasing what she’d seen in the movies because that wasn’t what she should expect. This was real life, and maybe, for her, this was as close to love as she was going to get.
Chapter Four
“No, this the plan. Once the old man is gone, this shit is mine, all mine, and I don’t give a fuck. If a bitch stands in my way, they leavin’ in body bags as usual,” Polo ranted.
Star awoke from a deep slumber, stretching her arms out wide in her king-sized bed. Her dark purple silk sheets fell from her chest as she sat up, a placid ray of sunlight shining bright through her sheer curtains. The lower region of her body ached, her pussy lips still swollen and sore after a long session of make up sex.
Furtively, she reached under the sheets and touched her swollen mound, taken aback by how tender it still felt. From outside her door, she could hear Polo talking on the phone. It was early, and he probably thought that she was still asleep. She normally didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn.
“... and that nigga, Key Low, I don’t want to see his ass no more. You and the folks need to go pay him a visit. Do a magic trick and make that nigga disap—”
Polo was interrupted by the creek of springs in a bed, and he turned toward Star’s closed door, wondering if she was awake. Preening his ears, he listened, and, after not hearing anything for a few seconds, he continued his call.
“I’on give a fuck. The nigga caught a case and the bail bondsman said he didn’t bond him out. I sure in the fuck didn’t bond him out, so who did? Them people did—he must be workin’ with the Feds, so I ain’t taking no chances. Make that muthafucka disappear!”
With that, Polo hung up the phone and strolled over to Star’s room, not bothering to knock before he turned the knob and opened her door. Lying in the bed, pretending to still be asleep, she yawned wide and blinked as he walked in, hoping that he bought her act and thought that she was just now starting to wake.
“The fuck you up so early for?” he asked, pulling out a wad of money from his pocket.
His shirt was off, he had on Versace pajamas pants, sagging low, and his brawny muscular chest and tats were on full display. His abs had that sexy V-shape at the bottom that women loved. Polo was a handful to deal with, but Star often reminded herself that a lot of chicks would happily take her place. He had the body of a god and the status of a boss. The power and prestige that came with being on his arm was worth dealing with his random mood swings.
“Here you go,” he said, passing her a wad of cash.
Frowning, Star sat up in the bed, propped on her elbows. She grabbed the stacks and flipped through the bills, looking at him with a raised brow.
“What’s this for?”
“You a Gangstress and my chick. That makes you a boss, and you gotta run this shit like one. You know I’ma always make sure you stay caked up,” he said, easing into the bed next to her.
He ran his hand along the side of her breast, and she only hoped that he wouldn’t want to have sex with her again right then. She didn’t know how much more her body could take.
Her nose picked up on the smell of something fragrant emanating off his body, some kind of cologne. The scent of it tickled her nose.
“Thank you.” She bent her lips into a smile and placed the money beside her.
With a deep sigh, Polo toyed with the hairs on his chin as he began to speak again.
“I’ve been thinkin’… I’m serious about you—about us. But I’m ’bout ten years older than you. How you feel about that?” He tossed the question out there like it had been troubling him. “I mean… sometimes I wonder if you’re really mature enough to fuck with a nigga like me.”
Star cocked her head to the side and frowned, feeling the need to defend herself as if he’d slighted her.
“What my age gotta do with anything?”
He looked down and paused, as if he were carefully trying to find his words. Over time, he’d gotten so good with his manipulations, playing women like the keys on a piano, that sometimes he didn’t even realize when he was doing it.
“I’m just sayin’ that a nigga like me needs a boss ass bitch by his side—a rider. Tonya was full of shit, but one thing I can say about her is that she always put a nigga first. It didn’t matter what I asked her to do, she did that, no questions asked. She was loyal.”
Although she wasn’t speaking, Star’s chest heaved as her body filled with anger at the mention of Tonya. That was the last bitch she ever wanted to be compared to, especially when it came to Polo.
“I’m loyal,” Star shot back with a little more bite in her tone than she’d intended. “And I’m better than her. You upgraded in every way.”
“Is that right?” Polo asked with a grin so wide, he showed off every bit of his gold grill. It sparkled in the sunlight when he ran his tongue over it, and Star nodded.
“You think you can be a bad bitch, too, huh? You can be my rider?”
Star sucked her teeth and looked him square in the eyes. “I’m badder. And I’m definitely a rider.”
With a half-smile, he nodded his approval and then leaned over to give her a kiss. She blossomed under his touch, loving the way that he was making her feel.
“It’s just that I ain’t really been feeling chicks like this—like I’m feelin’ you,” he added. “I mean, I really dig you, your swag, your style, the way you carry yourself, and how you throw that pussy back at a nigga, takin’ in all this pipe.” He beamed and grabbed his dick through his pajamas. “I just don’t want what we have goin’ to get fucked up because you can’t handle it. If you ride with me, there ain’t shit that me and you can’t achieve, feel me?”
“Mm hmm.” Star nodded her head, feeling lifted. She was eating up everything that he said, and he was feeding her enough for a full buffet.
“You just can’t let nobody come between us. I know you ain’t like how I did ole girl—yo’ friend—but I really feel like she in the way. She’s jealous of what we got. You know that nigga Sloan creepin’ on her. He got a whole family, a baby mama and kid out in the suburbs.”
Star’s eyes widened in shock.
“She ain’t tell you?” Polo frowned as if he didn’t already know. “See, that’s what I mean. Shit ain’t right with her. Why wouldn’t she tell her homegirl the real deal? She up here flossin’ in front of you, pretendin’ her situation is sweet when it ain’t. Then she sees what you got… I brought you in my crib, break you off with fat wads of cash, and give you whatever you want. Trust me, she don’t like that shit. People want you to do good but never better than them.”
Star
slowly nodded, not wanting to believe what Polo was saying about Kevia but unable to ignore the last part of what he’d said.
People want you to do good but never better than them.
Once before, she had heard her grandmother say the same thing, but there was no way she could believe that Kevia would feel that way. She was her biggest supporter.
Just as Star was feeling uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was going, Polo did something that completely caught her off guard. He pulled out a big ass two-carat engagement ring and passed it over to her.
“Wha—wha—what am I supposed to do with this?” she gasped, grasping her chest like she was having a stroke. The ring shined with a kaleidoscope of bright colors, sparkling like a miniature chandelier.
“It’s yours, ma. I told you, I fucks with you for real. You just gotta fuck with me the same way.” Polo was grinning hard like a Cheshire cat.
Star’s eyes watered. It was like her every dream was coming true, and she couldn’t believe it. When he took the ring and placed it on her finger, the only thing she could think was that she couldn’t wait to take a picture of it and show it to Kevia. But, Polo’s warning made her think twice. Even if she didn’t believe she was jealous, Star didn’t want to create anything by flaunting her gifts from Polo when she knew what Kevia was dealing with concerning Sloan.
“Does this mean we’re engaged?” Star asked tensely. Her insides were bubbling with excitement.
“Hell naw! But, like I said, it means I really fucks with you,” he clarified as she admired the ring. Then, for no particular reason other than her own satisfaction, she decided to ask a question that had popped up in her mind.
“Did you ever buy Tonya a ring?”
Polo looked at her with a quizzical expression, making her feel stupid for asking. Instantly, she regretted the question, but her female animus had to know.
Silence passed between them with Polo staring at her, making her feel smaller and smaller with each passing moment. She began to second guess herself, trying to pick up on what he wanted her to say through the very strong vibes he was sending.
“We talkin’ ’bout me and you, ma. Why you always worried about the next bitch? That’s some childish shit.”
Star’s skin burned, and she ran her tongue over her teeth while listening to him. This would be the last time she brought up what he’d done for Tonya in the past because she was getting heated at how it was turning out for her. He was making her feel like a child for asking.
“From here on out, fuck the past,” Polo told her, swiping his hands out in front of him as if saying ‘that’s it’. “We need to focus on our future.”
“Like college,” Star started, remembering that she needed to speak to him about the letter she had received from Northwestern. Now seemed like the right moment to bring it up and was also a good way to change the subject. “I wanted to tell you that I received an acceptance letter from Northwestern, and—”
All of a sudden, Polo pulled away from her and sat up, making her abruptly stop speaking.
“And… so you leavin’ me?” he asked with his handsome brown eyes tapered at the ends. It felt like she had been punched in her gut.
“No, never that. I don’t want to leave you, not now, not ever. But… I just thought it was a great opportunity.” She couldn’t help but glance at the big ass ring on her finger, sparkling with every movement of her hand.
“So is being a Gangstress, riding around in big whips, toting big money, and fucking a nigga like me,” Polo countered like he’d had the line rehearsed for this moment. “What you sayin’ tho?”
He frowned, and it looked like the sun outside the window started to diminish along with the sudden gloom she felt.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” She pouted and turned her head away from him to conceal her hurt as her heart drummed in her chest. “It was just an idea.”
“So, think of another one,” he retorted and threw back the silk sheets before rising out of the bed.
“I just thought it would make my grandma proud if I went to college,” Star said with tears in her voice. For some reason, she was choking up emotionally. “She’s never said it, but I know if I tell her that I’m going, she’ll be happy, and I’ll—”
He suddenly turned and looked at her. “First off, yo’ grandma don’t care about that shit for real because she knows how society works. So, I’ma give you some game. Schools, colleges, even as far back as elementary schools, are designed to teach you how to be dependent on others. They teach you what to think, how to think, and, in some cases, when to think. But the moral to the story is this, people go to school to get more money, to get a better job, correct?” Polo asked and then waited for her to respond.
Star gave him a tart nod and looked out the large window across from them.
“So, if you already got access to money, you already living large, and you already got everything you want, what the fuck you going to college for? What the hell you tryin’ to leave me for?”
“Th—That’s not what I said…” she stammered.
“Answer me this. The richest people in the world—billionaires—Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ralph Lauren, and more, what do they all have in common?”
“I don’t know.” Star felt annoyed about the entire subject. He was making her feel stupid… immature just because she had opened her mouth and shared her dreams with him.
“None of them graduated from college, and you know why?”
“No.”
Polo was only too happy to fill her in, not even worried about the devastation that was clearly etched across her face.
“Because, to them, college is a joke. It only teaches you how to work for other muthafuckas. How to be a slave to the system. It doesn't teach you how to be an entrepreneur, it teaches you how to be dependent on a system. It’s a sad joke to them that white people share with a few token niggas. But if me and you already getting millions, why the fuck you gon’ ruin that?”
“Because that’s your money, I want my own!” Star said, speaking honestly.
She heard what he was saying, but what was the difference between going to college and depending on someone to get a job and staying here and depending on him? At least, with a job, she would be getting it for herself.
Enraged, Polo gritted his teeth, hating the fact that she was actually trying to debate this topic with him.
“You know what? Give me back that fuckin’ ring.” He held his hand out for it, and Star instinctively backed away from him, covering the ring with her opposite hand.
“No, you just gave it to me!”
“Only because you said you was goin’ to be a rider—a grown woman who knew what it meant to be loyal! Now, not even thirty minutes later, you on some other shit. Talkin’ ’bout what you want like it’s better than what’s best for both of us. So, give it back to me.”
Star looked from the stubborn look in his eyes to his outstretched hand and then shook her head. With her shoulders dropping in anguish, she decided that she wasn’t prepared for the fight that she was about to start. She had to give in.
“I’m sorry for makin’ you feel that way, but it’s not true. I would never leave you.”
With the words out, she kept her head down and waited, hoping that he would forgive her quickly, so they could just drop the subject for good. Above her, Polo could barely hold in his grin. He was proud of her… she was learning fast. In no time, she would be who he needed her to be.
Reaching down, he placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head until her eyes met his. She looked into them, noting how quickly his mood changed as soon as she backed down.
“We buildin’ an empire together, Star. You’re my lady, my love. If you wanna leave me, I can’t keep you here, but I can’t even lie, another bitch definitely gon’ take yo’ place at the throne.” At that, Star felt the back of her neck prickle with jealousy. “And, of course, there are going to be consequences if you leave the organization…
”
“Consequences…” Star muttered, knowing full well what he was talking about. She had taken a death oath, blood in and blood out, meaning the only way she could get out the gang was by death—bleeding to death to be more specific.
He would kill her.
With that threat looming, Star’s brain was in an uproar. She was so confused—how could a man go from professing his love in one moment to threatening her life in the next?
“Okay, get dressed,” Polo said, his tone much lighter than before, as if he hadn’t just threatened her with deadly violence. “We ’bout to go visit my nigga, Kato, and get to the bottom of a lot of shit that has been puzzling the fuck out of a nigga. I been waitin’ for this shit.”
All of a sudden Star sat up straight. This was too much to bear. It felt like she was hyperventilating, and it took everything in her power to keep a straight face.
“He’s awake?” Her voice cracked timorously. She hoped he didn’t notice.
Polo smirked, cheesing hard as he punched his fist victoriously into the palm of his other hand.
“Hell yeah, my nigga back like he never left. By the way, I got somethin’ for you.”
She tried to quell her fears as he walked over to the closet and threw two huge boxes on the bed that were big enough to conceal a small child. They were decorated with elegant letters. She opened it, and her jaw dropped when she looked inside. There was a Hermes bag with a matching keychain and wallet. She was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Then she opened the second box, there was a blue Prada dress with matching shoes and a jacket. She was impressed, but her heart was too numb, almost impassive.
All Star could think about was crazy ass Kato seeing her and saying, “That’s the bitch who shot me and killed your brother, Polo!”
“Damn, a nigga laced you with a big ass rock on your finger and over ten thousand dollars’ worth of expensive designer clothes and shit, but you don’t even look impressed. Do I need to step my game up or somethin’?” Polo scowled.