by T. Styles
“I know this is crazy.” He paused. “I do. But for now it’s all I can offer. But if you can hang in there, I’m sure I can make it worth your liking. I promise.”
“Well I have to go.” She said.
He nodded and hung up without saying bye, something Quinn was used to by now.
Caught up in a cloud of Quinn, when he pulled off he was unaware that Danny and Jay were following him from behind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AM’RAK
Anja straddled Am’rak as she looked down into his eyes in the living room of her apartment. She had been thinking about moving on ever since she found Parade in his bed but as always he managed to bring her back.
“I know you tired of waiting but this is kinda your fault,” he said seriously.
She frowned. “My fault?”
“Yeah, had I not been trying to catch you fucking for money when—”
“You dumped me, Am!” She yelled. “Already told you that. So I had to go back to what I know. How else could I take care of myself?” She shrugged. “I started back working because I thought you didn’t want me no more.”
“Nah, you started back selling pussy because you wanted money even though I told you I would always take care of you.”
Anja got up and sat next to him. “I don’t get it. I mean, what is your thing with her anyway?”
“It’s a long story,” he said. ”Let’s just say that we have history and more than that I need her to get me out of a situation.”
“Do you love her?”
“Not even close.” He paused. “And for now that’s all I can say.” He looked away and then at her again. “I’ll also add this…she took something from me but when this is all said and done she’ll give me more and I won’t have to play the games anymore.”
“Am’rak, I really hope that’s true.” She said.
“She’s nothing like you.” He stood up and walked toward the door. “I left you some money on the table in your room. But don’t let me catch you on that app again. Or we really over.” He walked out.
****
AM’RAK
Parade packaged the last bag of heroin with her fingers when Am’rak walked up to her in the kitchen at the house down south. She thought it was odd that he didn’t want her to use gloves but he was all about keeping her in the dark. And she was all about making him relaxed.
“You done?”
She nodded.
“You look high too.” He glared.
“I did a little something before you came,” she paused. “I’m fine now though.”
He sat at the table and looked at everything. “Put it in the bags.” He pointed at the floor to the sacks that were waiting. “You gotta drop them off later.”
When his phone beeped he took it out of his pocket and looked at the number. It was from one of the many burners that he used and threw away when done. He made a quick text and then put the phone on the table, wiping his hand down his face. He was visibly irritated.
“I gotta take a shower.”
“Everything okay?”
He glared. “You a junkie and you asking if shit fine?” He shook his head and stood up. “Fuck out of here and put my stuff in the sacks like I told you. You gotta make that run.” He stormed upstairs.
Parade immediately fulfilled the order and when she looked up and saw the phone was still on the table her heart thumped. This was her big break. Wasting no time, she picked it up and dialed a number. The first voice she heard caused her to cry softly until she slammed her own hand over her mouth.
Removing it slowly she said, “Landon, I miss you.” She cried harder. “So much. How…how are you and your brother?”
“We fine, ma but where are you?” He said as he started to cry too. “When you coming home?”
“I don’t know. I—”
That quickly Parade had been slapped down to the floor. In her angst to talk to her family she was careless. After striking her hard, Am’rak picked up the phone and hung up before throwing it across the room. Next he grabbed her hair and with a closed fist pounded her face several times.
“Please,” she begged with a mouthful of blood. “No….no more.”
But Am’rak was relentless. Parade went against the grain even after he forbade her not too so he made her pay. Normally he would’ve been more careful but he thought the drugs would subdue her a little and make her more submissive. Besides, it happened to his mother when his father left her as a child.
He saw it with his own eyes.
The news that he received earlier on the phone that the cops had still been asking about his aunt fucked up his mind. He had been placing Parade in locations he knew the cops visited hoping that they would think she was in charge. This was another reason he wanted drug residue on her hands, knowing full well it would be in her blood if the cops ever picked her up. But nothing seemed to work. They weren’t making the drug Queen Pin and Parade connection.
He had plans to shower, beat his dick and take a nap but now Parade had given him an avenue for his anger and so he took his rage out on her.
In the worst way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JAY
Mercer finally agreed to meet Quinn at a hotel after all this fucking time. And to make sure I could see and hear what was going on we rented two rooms that connected from the bedroom. The plan was simple. He would come over and when he went to the bathroom I would slip into the closet and try and catch any clues I could hear that would lead to my wife.
As open as he was for her I was sure my plan would work.
After he left her job a few days ago we followed him to a condo but he didn’t lead us to the dude who had Parade. It was time to change things up. And I’m not gonna lie, I was feeling desperate.
“Listen, when he comes don’t act weird,” I said to her in the bedroom. “Just be yourself. Smile, laugh at his jokes and whatever—”
“Jay, I may be crazy when it comes to you but I’m still a woman.” She smiled. “I know how to talk to dudes.”
I sat down on the bed and looked up at her. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t gotta be sorry.” She sat next to me. “I’m just happy I can do this for you.”
I nodded. She said that already. Actually she said it all the time which creeped me out. “I treated you fucked up when you left the hospital and now…now I’m putting you in a situation where I need your help. Talk about karma.”
“Jay, I’m not gonna lie, it hurt when you first told me you didn’t want anything to do with me but then something changed.”
“What?”
“I imagined that you were my husband and you were trying to fight for my return. I mean, she’s lucky and I just hope I’ll find someone to fight for me the way you do for Parade.” She ran her fingers through my curly hair and then dropped her hands in her lap. “Big head.”
“You the one with the big ass head,” I joked.
“Me?” She pointed to herself while giggling. “I don’t even know how you carry that—”
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
We both jumped up and I moved to the connecting door. “Lock this when I leave because I know this type dude and he’s gonna check it. And when he goes to the bathroom he’s gonna check it again. But unlock it right before you go to bed for the night and he takes off his clothes. I’ll slip inside after that.”
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
“I got it, I got it,” she said pushing me out. “Now go.”
I walked into the other room and waited patiently.
****
QUINN
Quinn walked to the door and opened it with a smile. In the moment she was scared. He was glaring, hands inside the large grey sweatshirt he was wearing. “What took you so long?”
“Was in the bathroom?” She frowned. “Why? Are you—”
He pushed inside and ran through the hotel room. He looked in the closets, under the beds and even in the bathroom and shower. When he saw the adjoining ro
om door he glared at her.
“What?”
Without waiting he opened the adjoining door but was met with another door that led to the other room. He twisted the knob but it wouldn’t open.
“What’s wrong, Mercer?” She asked sitting on the bed. “You making me feel uncomfortable.”
“My bad.” He took a deep breath. “I guess I got trust issues.” He removed his sweatshirt and the gun that was inside and placed it on the chair in the room. The one next to him. “Listen, I’m sorry. The last thing I want is to put you on edge.”
Just seeing the gun caused her immediate fright but she kept it together. Besides, Jay was near. For some reason it wasn’t until that moment that she realized how serious things really were.
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said. “You don’t have to be so suspicious around me.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry. I…I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Her heart jumped. “I’m falling for you too,” she lied.
“Good, because I’ve killed before. Even took out a dirty cop at my man’s house who was trying to do surveillance on him a few weeks back. I know I just gave you a lot but it’s important that you know to never cross me. Because if I killed police, I won’t have a problem killing anybody.”
She smiled awkwardly. “Hungry?” She swallowed the lump in her throat.
He nodded.
“We could do pizza or…?”
“Let’s do Chinese.” He paused. “Need some rice.” He exhaled, grabbed his gun and pointed to the bathroom with his thumb. “I be back.”
She smiled although horrified and called a local delivery service. Since she didn’t know what he wanted she ordered large portions of the black folk classic, beef and broccoli and chicken and broccoli with sides of fried rice.
When he came out, just as Jay said, he tried the door again to the adjoining room. When he still couldn’t get in he shrugged and said, “It’s the hood nigga in me I guess.”
“Look, if you don’t trust me just leave, Mercer.” She stood up and moved near the door. “I don’t have time for this because all I’m trying to do is love you and you making me feel dumb for it.”
He looked down. “I’m sorry. Please, please don’t feel that way. I been fucked up for so long and it’s been awhile since somebody wanted to really deal with a nigga. You know?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He extended his hand. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the night.” She rolled her eyes and walked over to him. Grabbing his hand he slowly pulled her into his lap. “What you order?”
“Beef and broccoli and chicken with rice.”
He smiled. “Damn, you know me.”
She giggled.
Three hours later his guard was down and they were in bed kicking shit. Feeling like things were good, when he went to the bathroom again she unlocked the door. Jay slid inside the room and walked into the closet across from the bed, something Quinn didn’t realize he was going to do.
Now she wanted to shit her thong because he was so near but she had to be more relaxed. When Mercer walked out the bathroom he looked at the adjoining door but this time moved straight for the bed. She breathed an invisible sigh of relief. “So, tell me some stuff about yourself?” She asked him. “Where you work?”
He looked at her funny. “You really are green aren’t you?”
She frowned. “I’m not from the streets but I’m not green either.” She said softly. “But why you say that?” She crawled on top of him, straddled him and looked down at his face.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged looking up at her. “To me what I do and who I am is obvious.”
“I still don’t get it.”
He laughed lightly. “And I don’t want you to either. I want to keep safe any idea you have of me in your mind. Just know that I’m a hood nigga. And sometimes I do hood nigga things.”
“I like you,” she said.
“Oh yeah,” he winked.
“Yeah.”
When she felt him stiffening she rose up a little and inserted him inside her pussy. “That’s better. You’re more comfortable in there.”
“Whoa,” Mercer said as he felt her juicy tight pussy. “And this thing is right too.” He bit his bottom lip.
“I’m not for everybody.” She paused. “Don’t believe in ruining my body for just any nigga. Ain’t nobody breaking down the walls of this pussy.”
He nodded. “I know that.”
Wanting to hear more of what was being done and said, Jay opened the closet door just to see a little. He was fine with listening from the inside but when they started fucking their voices were too low. The moment he opened the door and he saw Quinn bucking them yellow hips back and forth, his dick stiffened.
No he wasn’t thinking about being with her on the official tip. But he didn’t see nothing wrong with thinking about how good the pussy was, especially since he was sure his wife was putting out too.
After Quinn and Mercer finished, Mercer got dressed and kissed her after his phone rang with a call from Am’rak.
“Before you leave I want to say something, Mercer. I’m sorry about that thing with that dude,” she said. “I didn’t know he was going to break into your friend’s house. And I’m glad you still trust me.”
He nodded. “Can’t lie, it was pretty fucked up,” he paused. “Am’rak be tripping sometimes which is why I can’t let him know about you.”
She smiled and kissed him again. “Can’t wait to see you later. When you have time for me.”
He didn’t say a word and Jay understood. He had that same feeling when he was with Parade in the beginning. Where you already gone but you trying to hold it together.
Jay may not have found out anything additional through Mercer other than Am’rak’s name but he was reminded of how fine Quinn was.
When Quinn walked Mercer to the door and returned, Jay was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting. “Good job.” He clapped. “Outstanding actually.”
She sensed sarcasm in his voice. “How was it good?” She said flopping next to him. “We don’t know nothing else other than Am’rak’s name.”
He looked at her closely.
“What, Jay?”
“Did you like fucking him? Because it looked like you had a good time.” He joked.
“That performance was for you. Since I knew you were watching.”
He shook his head. “Go ‘head with that shit.”
She got on her knees between his legs and unleashed his dick. “That was for you, Jay.” She ran her tongue on the side of his stiffness. “But now here’s the ending.” She inhaled him before he could say no.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
JAY
I overslept in the hotel with Quinn and guilt rocked me to the core. Why the fuck I let that girl suck my dick? And it wasn’t like I wasn’t thinking about Parade in order to bust a nut either.
On the ride back to her house she kept smiling and touching my thigh and shit. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that nothing changed with me. Or that being with her was the first time I’d touched a woman in years other than my wife.
I had a moment of weakness.
The second we walked through the door Wayne was standing in front of it with his arms crossed over his body. “Where were you?” He asked Quinn and then me. “Why are you just getting back now?”
Quinn looked at him, smiled and walked to her bedroom.
I took a deep breath because Quinn left me alone. “We couldn’t leave right away.” I crossed my arms over my chest then dropped them at my sides. For some reason I couldn’t get comfortable. Maybe it was the hard way he was looking at me. “We needed to make sure the coast was clear.”
“Jay Hernandez!” He yelled. “Your ass is lying.”
I walked away and flopped on the sofa.
“Did you fuck that girl?” Wayne continued.
“Nah.”
“You lying.”
“Listen, you no
t my mother or my wife so I don’t owe you no explanation. Now I said I didn’t fuck the girl and you gonna have to believe it or not.”
“Well while you were out doing I don’t know what, Parade called.” He said.
I jumped up and approached him. “Called who? Called where?”
“Your son. Landon.” He walked away and headed to the kitchen. I followed closely behind him.
“Well what did she say?” I felt like I was about to hit the floor. Fuck was I thinking posting up with this broad when I was here for my wife? “Did she…did she tell him where she was? Did she…I mean…”
“She didn’t get a chance to say anything because he must’ve hit her.” Wayne opened the refrigerator and grabbed some orange juice and then a glass from the cabinet.
I snatched the jug from him and slammed it on the counter. “What happened to her?”
“I TOLD YOU ALL I FUCKING KNOW!” He yelled. “AND IF YOU CARED SO MUCH YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE INSTEAD OF RUNNING AROUND WITH THAT BITCH! NOW GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY FACE!” He stormed off.
As mad as I was that I wasn’t there to talk to my son or find out more information Wayne was right. I shouldn’t have been in a hotel letting Quinn suck my dick. I should’ve been on guard to make sure I was able to receive any call that Parade placed and now…I mean…everything is all fucked up.
Later on that day I called my son and got as much information as I could but he pretty much said what Wayne said, that Parade was cut off before she could say much of anything.
After speaking to my kids and asking Adrian if he needed anything to care for them, I walked to Quinn’s bedroom where she was folding clothes. The moment she saw me she rushed over to me, grabbed my hands and closed the door and turned the lock.
I walked inside and sat on the edge of the bed. “I owe you an apology, Quinn.”
She shook her head. “No, no, no,” she sat next to me. “Please don’t do this to me.”
“I’m not doing anything to you.”