Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
Trouble will find me.
“Leodis, he’s coming back.”
“Get behind my desk, Sherry. Keep quiet.”
“Leodis– he has a g–”
“I’ll see you in hell, Po–.”
My mind wandered to the hurtful place I revisited more often than not. The voicemail my mother had left the day she and my father were murdered replayed in my head again. It was cut short by the sound of fire. Bullets were lodged into my mother’s head and into my father’s heart.
I still hadn’t forgiven myself for not answering that call. Just four and a half blocks away, I didn’t feel the need to. I would be pulling up on her within a few minutes. I’d talk to her then.
What I didn’t know was I’d never talk to her again. I walked into my father’s shop, immediately feeling a sense of uneasiness. The sight of my parents lying on the floor, blood joining near the end of his desk, was one I couldn’t scrub from my memories if I tried.
I shook my head, forcing the image from it as I turned another corner.
“Early in the morning. Late at night,” I sang. “It don’t even matter what time it is.”
Bobbing my head, attempting to bring myself from the hell I lived in since the death of my parents, I hit another corner.
“I will wait for you.”
The fresh bouquet of flowers was riding shotgun. We had a very special lady to visit. And, the mere thought of her had a nigga smiling behind the tint. Anticipation was kicking my ass. Popping up unannounced had become my least favorite pastime with Hyphen, but it was addictive. So was she.
I kept coming, hoping one day she’d be behind that door, inviting me in or simply keeping me company on the porch. I wasn’t pressed to gain entry into her private quarters, but I was pressed to be in her presence.
Baby girl kept me yearning. I wasn’t sure if she understood how much the thought of her made my heart ache.
She was something I needed. Something my body needed.
Not just something I wanted for the thrill, the chase, or the title.
I genuinely wanted her around because I knew that I would treat her well.
Treat her right. Treat her with care. Treat her with respect. Treat her with fairness. Spoil her pretty ass. Fuck her right. And, keep her laced with the finest. I’d work my fingers to the bone to make sure Hyphen didn’t go without shit.
I made the final turn onto baby girl’s street. Heat rushed through me. The smile I’d been sporting quickly faded. I sat up, unlocking my seat belt. My fingers gripped the wheel tighter as I watched Hyphen run out to the blue Vette. She opened the door, dropping her ass right in his seat.
And this nigga got my bitch touching handles and shit. Fuck she get this pussy from?
The jumper thing she wore had her ass sitting perfectly. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Shades covered her eyes.
You gone make me catch a case, Trouble.
Instead of falling back, I waited until they pulled off and pulled behind them. Block after block, I tailed the unsuspecting duo, sure to keep a healthy distance.
Baisleigh’s House was the first stop. They filled their bellies and hopped back in the whip. As we hopped on the e-way, my sense of direction kicked in and I decided to take another route to the shopping plaza I was certain Hyphen was headed to.
Ding.
The sound of the bell ringing above my head in the pizzeria announced my presence.
It hadn’t taken me long to find the blue corvette in the plaza once I arrived.
My patience was at an all-time high. Instead of waiting in my car, I slid into a booth beside the window that gave me a clear view across the street and took a good look at the menu. I’d be here for a minute.
“What can I get for you today, sir?”
“A cup of water to drink.”
“And to eat?”
“Give me a minute.”
“Sure. I’ll be right back with that water.”
I settled in and prepared to stalk my prey for the remainder of the day.
Night had fallen before they emerged from the plaza. I’d managed to take a trip back to Dooley to switch cars and have a full meal at Pizzoni’s, the pizza shop.
Four cars behind Hyph and the nigga she’d just had spend a fucking bag or two on her, I watched us pass the bridge that led to the underside of the city. That led to home. That led to the jungle.
With a twisted face, I continued following them into the suburbs. Out of the city. The scenery changed. Unfortunately, my mind hadn’t.
We entered Huffington Mills and continued north. Near the hills, at a home on the corner with a manicured yard, a two car garage, perfectly green grass, and windows higher than my entire home.
Bingo.
I watched the couple exit the car. Silently, I slid the mask down my face. The engine of my mother’s Kia was still running when I hopped out, draco in my hand. I waited until the lame ass, duck ass nigga opened the front door and let Hyph in before forcefully pushing my way into the home.
“What the–”
“Hm?” Hyphen was clueless. So was her duck.
She’d plucked the nigga already. It was my turn.
I hit him across the head, knocking him out cold. He went down like a sack of bricks. I kicked his legs out of the way and closed the door behind me.
Hyphen stared at the floor, repulsed by the man on the ground. She looked back up at me, fear in her eyes.
“I have six hundred dollars in my handbag. It’s yours. Just let me get the fuck out of here alive.”
Her hands were in the air. The cracking in her voice cracked my heart. I couldn’t stand to see this discontent in those big brown eyes.
I stepped over the dead weight between us. My fingers wrapped around her neck as I pulled her closer. She softened upon my arrival. As the revelation hit her, I pressed my lips against hers, shoving my tongue down her mouth. She accepted me.
Her mouth was warm. Just like her touch. She tasted like the Juicy Fruit gum she chewed often. I savored her sweetness as I pulled back, wiping my lips. I’d made a mess.
“You’re insane,” she breathed out, breathlessly.
“And, you’re mine. I don’t know what part of that shit you not getting.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Robbing this nigga, Trouble. Fuck it looks like?”
“Trouble? Robbing?”
“Him and every other nigga I catch you with.”
“F–”
“Shhhhh.” I placed a finger over her lips.
“Now go sit your fine ass up and be ready to nurse this nigga back to reality,” I instructed, taking off down the hall, prepared to hit every spot I assumed he’d be holding cash.
I snatched Hyphen’s bag off her arm in the process. The motherfucker was big enough to hold anything I came across in the crib.
“Did this nigga just call me Trouble?”
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
I gripped my forty, pulling it from the table. A quick count of the stacks on the wood made it less torturous to shove the money into the LV bag. The uncounted bills slid into the box that had been waiting near my foot for the final count.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Completely perturbed, I stood from my couch and headed for the door, fully expecting my neighbor Nevaeh to be standing behind the burglar bars with a bowl of watermelon or some homemade cookies she’d spent all day in the kitchen making.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Hyph rushed out, hand on her hip as she rolled her neck.
A smile parted my lips. She was no longer in the all over fit she had on. She was in a dress with a collar, stopping at her thighs and exposing the ink on her legs.
Cheetah print ran up her right thigh. I wanted to follow it to her pot of gold. Flowers began at her left ankle and grew wider until they disappeared underneath her dress. I’d never wanted to be a tattoo so fucking bad.
“It’s late. You should be asleep.”
Sarcastically, she chuckled, tossing her hands in the air. Her natural hair moved from one side to the other. Her bang swayed as she sighed. Baby girl was heated, but that hadn’t stopped her from going home and getting herself together before coming to my crib. I was honored.
“Take another step, Hyph, and you gone piss me off real bad.”
Her rebellious nature wouldn’t allow her to halt. She took another step. And then another. And then another.
I pushed my door open and was at the end of my steps in a flash. I lowered my body, lifting Hyphen onto my shoulder.
“Put me down,” she demanded.
She wasn’t convincing. Her body relaxed against mine. No tension. Not kicking. No flexing her muscles. Just two pieces of the same puzzle fitting together perfectly.
I entered my home, Trouble in tow.
“Floc–”
Hand to ass. Hyphen was a very bad girl and her ass whooping had been in the making for weeks.
“Laurence. My fucking name is Laurence,” I corrected, landing my hand on her ass again.
“Put me down.”
I did as I’d been told. Trouble flopped onto my bed, ruffling my covers. Her dress slid up her ass, exposing her bald pussy.
No bikini.
No thong.
No boy shorts.
Nothing.
Her intentions were clear. She attempted to pull her dress down. Her efforts were pointless. So was her dress and my boxers.
I shoved my shorts and briefs down my ass, allowing them to hit the floor. Hyphen’s eyes grew twice their size.
“Lesson number ten, Hyph,” I breathed out, gripping the tail end of her dress.
She didn’t protest. She lifted her arms, assisting me with her disrobing. Her breast sat high on her chest. They were perfectly round. Her nipples were simultaneously brown and pink. Fine bumps surrounded them.
I pulled one into my mouth. And then the other. Her back arched, pushing herself further into my embrace.
“Mmmmm.”
With my hand around her neck, I led Trouble’s body to the mattress. She was no longer sitting. She was lying down.
Naked.
Vulnerable.
Sexually frustrated.
Willing.
Submissive.
Quiet.
Open.
Wet.
So fucking wet.
I entered her oasis with two fingers.
“Laurence,” she moaned.
I entered her mouth with my tongue.
Fuck.
She was warm all over.
“When you want some dick, I’ll always give it to you. No matter the place, time, or circumstances.”