23. Four
Four
It’d been three days since my fight with Kenbral.
I hated fighting him, hearing his bones break as I snapped his wrist and broke a few of his ribs.
But I also got the best rush from it. When I stepped into the ring, Kenbral was no longer my brother, just a man who needed his ass beat, and I was the one to do it.
After it was over, we went back to the locker room, and that was the last time I saw him.
We weren’t supposed to reach out, in case Robert was watching. Everything had to look legit.
“You look like death is knocking on your door,” Nine said, walking up to me. We dapped each other up, then separated. “You good?”
“Just tired,” I told him as I wiped my hand over my mouth. “My new client is on my ass about numbers and shit.”
“You need some help?”
I cut my eyes to him and shook my head. “What the hell are you going to do?” I asked him, laughing. “Numbers like this ain’t your speed.”
“I was just offering,” he replied, looking around. “You heard from Trey?”
“Nah,” I answered, shaking my head. I hated keeping him out of the loop, but I understood why they insisted on it. “You heard from Eight?”
“Nah,” he replied. “He was on some fuck shit talking about you took it too far with that shit. I don’t know. I told that nigga I was staying out of it. What you and your brother was doing was y’all business. I got other shit to figure out.”
I nodded. “What are we doing back here?” I asked, looking around at the crowd.
“Marus asked us to stop by to see this fighter,” he answered. We headed towards the ring where a fight was taking place. “I told him I didn’t have time for this shit, but he said I would be interested.”
“Business or personal?”
“For Marus, it's all the same,” he replied.
We moved through the crowd, and we both stopped short at what we saw, but for different reasons.
We were looking at the same person, though.
“What the fuck?” A woman was standing in the middle of the ring, squaring up with another woman, and nigga twice her size stood outside the ring, yelling. “Where the fuck is Citrine?”
“I don’t know,” I said, looking around. I spotted him coming through the crowd with a mug on his face. I hit Nine’s arm to get his attention. “Right there!” I pointed to Citrine.
“What the fuck is this shit?” Nine asked him when Citrine was close enough.
He pointed to the ring but not at the women.
His eyes were locked on the nigga outside yelling.
He was too aggressive and over the top with what was going on.
Citrine allowed women to fight just like men. But this nigga was doing too much.
“Not my shit,” Citrine answered, shaking his head.
“This is some shit Marus put on. Changed the names at the last minute, and I just got here. I left my phone at home and had to go back and get it. I had thirty missed calls by the time I got it, and when I called Yeti back, I found out about this. We both got here as soon as we could.” He ran his tongue over his teeth.
“He knows Maria’s manager was barred from standing ringside. He gets too involved.”
“Kill her, Maria!” the manager yelled. “Kill that bitch so we can get paid!” He climbed onto the ring, pulled the ropes apart, and stepped inside. “Kill that bitch!”
“Fuck this shit,” Nine said, walking away.
He climbed into the ring, snatched the woman off Maria, pulled his gun from the back of his pants, and shot the manager.
The crowd was instantly silent. Nine didn’t give a fuck.
He dragged one of the women from the ring and towards Citrine.
“Take her name off every fucking fight.”
“You can’t just-“
“Tell him your damn name,” Nine said, cutting her off.
She looked at Nine, matching his glare with her own.
“Tell him your fucking name.” When she didn’t say anything, Nine laughed and nodded.
“Mama, let me tell you something. You either tell him your name, or I will find out everything there is to know about you the hard way. When I do, there won't be one person connected to you who’s safe from my wrath. Now do what the fuck I said and tell him your damn name.”
She licked her lips, then looked away. Nine used his free hand to turn her face back to his and lift his brow. “Cross DeCorte,” she finally said.
Nine nodded then turned to Citrine. “Take her name off every list,” he said. “And if a nigga has a problem with what I just did, let them know I can and will find them.”
“Alright,” Citrine said, nodding.
Nine turned to me. “I’ll holla at you later,” he said. Cross looked between us, her brown eyes narrowed when she met my gaze, and for a second, I thought she would recognize me, but she didn’t say anything. “Let’s go.” Nine interlaced their fingers, and they walked out of the room.
“I knew her name,” Citrine chuckled and shook his head as we watched them walk away. He looked over at me, dapped me up, then wiped his hand over his hair. “Let me get the clean-up crew out here. You good?”
“Yeah,” I answered with a nod. “I’m good.”
We dapped each other up and parted ways. I walked out of the building and to my car when my phone rang. I answered it as I started my car.
“Hello?”
“I miss you.”
“You don’t know me to miss me,” I said, shaking my head as I pulled out of my parking spot.
“I do.”
“You don’t; you just want dick,” I replied. She laughed softly, and I knew that shit was true.
“Okay, so I miss your dick,” she said.
“You ain’t ever had it,” I replied.
“I want to,” she countered. “Stop by and have a drink with me.”
I looked at the clock and saw it was only ten. I wouldn’t be going to sleep any time soon, and I hadn’t fucked in what felt like forever. I needed to work off some of my anxiety that came with worrying about Trey and Eight.
“Alright,” I agreed, then hung up. I made a U-turn in the middle of the street, then drove to the other side of town, where Melissa was staying.
She wasn’t my girl; hell, she wasn’t my type, but she was cool to chill with.
When we met at Citrine’s spot that night, I thought she was there for Marus and had no intention of speaking to her again, but she made it clear that she wasn’t there for him and didn’t even know him.
Nine mentioned it to Marus and he didn’t even know who we were talking about.
Melissa and I exchanged numbers, and she called nonstop.
I rarely answered, and when I did, she was basically telling me she just wanted some dick.
Tonight, she was getting what she wanted.
***
“You look stressed,” Melissa said, leaning into me. She had on a dress so short that if she bent over, I would see her pussy. “What can I do to fix that?”
“Nothing,” I told her, shaking my head.
“You knew what this was coming over here, and now I can’t help you?
” She laughed softly and shook her head.
We were in her hotel room chillin’ on the couch.
She’d had a few drinks but wasn’t drunk.
I didn’t fuck drunk women. I always needed consent.
She kissed my neck, and I sat there holding my bottle of water.
She put her mouth to my ear. “Can I make you feel good?”
“Do what you gotta do,” I told her. She tried to kiss me on the lips, and I turned my head. “I don’t kiss.”
“At least have a drink with me,” she said, climbing onto my lap. She put her hands under my shirt and rubbed my chest. “I know you said you don’t drink, but one won't hurt.”
“I’m good.” I held up an empty bottle of water and showed her.
“Have another water then,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Alright,” I said, nodding.
Melissa climbed from my lap, took my empty water bottle, then went into the small kitchenette area.
“I’ma pee right fast,” I told her as I stood.
“Bathroom is right that way,” Melissa said, pointing to the bathroom door.
I nodded then went to handle my business.
When I came out of the bathroom, Melissa was standing in the middle of the room naked.
“I don’t want to bullshit with you, Four.
I want to fuck. I want you to hurt me in the best possible way.
” She grabbed her nipples and pulled them.
“Can you do that? Can you fuck me until I cum all over your dick?”
“Yeah,” I told her. She was a beautiful girl, but she would be nothing more than something I used to release my frustrations.
Melissa approached me and knelt in front of me.
She unbuttoned my pants, then pushed them and my boxers down.
My dick was hard, and she put it in her mouth.
I closed my eyes and let her work. She sucked my dick until I was about to cum, then pulled back.
She stood, pushed me back to the couch, had me sit, then climbed onto my lap.
“Ay nah,” I said, stopping her before she could put my dick inside of her. “Condom.”
“I’m clean,” she whined as she rubbed the top of my dick over her clit.
“That don’t mean shit,” I told her, shaking my head. “Condom or no dick.” I started to push her away.
“Wait!” She quickly said, then climbed from my lap.
“I have some hold on.” She went to the side table next to the bed, took out a box, opened it, then took out a condom.
By the time she got back to me, she had the condom open and immediately put it on my dick, then climbed back on top of me. “Shit.”
“No talking,” I told her as I pushed into her.
“Don’t say shit, not even a whimper.” I fucked her from below.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her face.
Even though I couldn’t feel pain, I could feel pleasure.
Robert knew that and had Josie fuck me for years.
I didn’t enjoy sex with her. Now, as a grown-ass man, I had only had sex when I needed the release and nothing more.
Melissa started to whimper, and I stopped moving.
“I can't help it,” she moaned as she started moving. “You make me feel good.” She kissed my neck. “Fuck I’m about to cum. Cum with me.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I told her, shaking my head.
I moved her off me, stood, then turned her around so that her face was buried into the couch pillows.
I pushed back into her. My nut was close.
I looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to see shit.
I grabbed her waist and fucked her until I nut into the condom.
I pulled out, and Melissa slumped into the couch.
“Shit,” she panted. She looked over her shoulder to see me taking off the condom and put her hand out.
“I’ll throw it away.” I tied a knot into the condom and handed it to her.
Melissa took the condom to the bathroom with her.
She turned on the water, and through the mirror I watched her drop the condom into the toilet.
“Flush it,” I told her as I fixed my clothes.
She nodded, then flushed the toilet. “I leave tomorrow, but I want to get together again. You free for breakfast?” she asked as she cleaned herself.
“No,” I told her, shaking my head. “I have a flight in the morning.” I pulled some money from my pocket, counted it, then dropped it on the table. “I’ll holla at you the next time you’re in town.”
I left her hotel room, took my phone from my pocket, and blocked her number. When I got to my car, I called Uncle Bradon.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Any word?” I asked him when I started my car.
“Yeah,” he said. “Robert came to see Trey at the hospital.”
“You need me to fly back to KC?”
“No,” he answered. “Your brother’s got this. He and Eight are doing what they are doing. I need you to play your part, Four. I know this shit is hard, but you being there is for the best. If Robert thinks you’re around, he will go back underground.”
“Alright,” I said, nodding. “I’ll check back in with you in a few days.”
“Later, nephew.”
I hung up then dropped the phone into the cup holder.
My car was in gear; all I needed to do was pull off, but I couldn’t.
I put it back in park, shut it off, then grabbed my phone and got out.
I made my way back upstairs to Melissa’s room.
I stepped off the elevator to see her standing in the doorway in a robe, talking to a cleaning lady.
She looked up, and her eyes were full of surprise.
“You’re back?” she asked, smiling.
“Yeah, I ain’t done yet,” I told her.
“I’m not complaining.” She handed the cleaning lady the trash bag, then stepped aside so I could walk into the room. I barely glanced in her direction as I stepped past her. “Thank you for coming up and getting the trash.”
“No problem,” the cleaning lady said, nodding.
Melissa closed the door, removed her robe, and smiled at me.