Chapter 6
I wasn’t built to sit on my ass all day.
A week had passed since the take down at Aura and I was still jobless. My mother had returned to work, and I was sitting at home, twiddling my thumbs. I didn’t have to clean much because Mama kept the house spotless. There really weren’t any errands to run that would take an extended about of time to complete. And visiting family was a no go right now. They would ask too many questions about what I had going. One wrong answer and one they’d be all in my damn face trying to slide in my business.
Other than hanging with Shar when she wasn’t at work, I’d been lounging around the house, filling out applications. I hated being jobless. I’d been making my own money since I was fifteen years old. This was the longest I had been without a job and steady income, and it was really taking a toll on me.
After sulking around the house for a good three hours, I decided to get up and do something with myself. It was only around noon, so I still had the whole day to lift my spirits. After taking a shower, I dress myself in a simple but cute outfit of a crop top, joggers, and my favorite sandals and headed out to the nail salon.
Getting my nails done with my favorite pastime and always manage to make me feel better. The cherry on top today would be getting a pedicure and my eyebrows and lashes done as well. It wasn’t like I had anybody to look cute for, so I would just do it for myself.
Twenty minutes after I left the house, I was sitting in the massage chair, picking out a color for my toes. I had been rocking my signature white polish for a while now and decided to switch it up with a blood red. With the color chosen, I settled into the massage chair to look for inspiration for my nails.
The buzz of salon chatter filled the air. Every so often, the alarm above the door went off, signifying a new customer. I was a bit of a people watcher, so every time did chimed, I looked up. The last time it chimed, my head lifted and my eyes met two of the baddest bitches I had ever seen.
They were dressed designer from head to toe. Everything from the forty-inch bust downs to their jewelry to their handbags screamed money. Heels that cost more than I made in a month clicked across the tile floor to the pedicure chairs. It was just my luck that they took the spot right beside me.
Surprisingly, both of them smiled at me and waved. I return the sentiment before continuing my quest.
“Can we get two glasses of champagne please?” one of them asked the hostess. “Actually, you can make it three. One for this beauty next to me.” She pointed at me.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I protested.
“Nonsense. Pretty girls treat other pretty girls.”
I found myself blushing. “Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I’m Salima.”
“I’m Jaeda. This is my sister Mia.”
Mia gave me a finger wave.
“It’s nice to meet you both. Do you come here often? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you.”
“We’ve been here a few times,” Jaeda confirmed. “This luxury spa package is love!”
“I’ve never gotten that one.”
“Oh, you have to! That massage will have you wishing you were home with your man, girl. As a matter of fact…” She got my tech’s attention. “Give her the spa treatment. It’s on me.”
“Oh, I can’t let you do that!” I exclaimed.
“Honey, just let it happen,” Mia said, waving her hand. “My sister here loves spending money. between you and me, I think it turns her on.”
Jaeda playfully smacked her arm. “Shut up. Consider this my good deed for the day,” she added, winking at me.
Just as I went to protest again, her phone rang. She rolled her eyes as she answered it.
“Yes, dear pain in my ass… in my skin… ugh! Mia and I are having girl time and Beno’s Nail Spa… what?… Please don’t come up here… hello?”
She ended the call. “Son of a bitch.”
“Boyfriend?” I asked.
“Older brother. He just loves to be a pain in my ass.”
I giggled. “Well I’m an only child so I don’t have those problems.”
“Do you want them? I have four brothers. You can have one. Shit, have them all.”
“I’m sure you’d be coming back to claim them.”
“I assure you, I won’t. Wait until you meet him. You’ll understand.”
She turned to her sister and said something in a language I couldn’t understand. Mia looked at me and smiled as she responded in the same language. I wondered what that was about. As my pedicure got underway, we continued to make conversation. They seemed like nice girls, but I was sure Shar would think they were bougie as hell. Like me, she didn’t hang out with too many females. For one, Shar liked to fight, and she wasn’t shy about fighting. All it took was saying the wrong thing, and she was ready to square up.
The bell above the door at the salon rang, and once again my head lifted its direction. Immediately a frown appeared on my face.
“Oh my God…” I groaned. “Not again.”
“What’s wrong?” Jaeda asked, a smile on her face.
“This asshole.”
I pointed at Deuce, who was making his way toward us with a smirk on his face. I’d almost be mad if he wasn’t looking so fucking fine dressed in black from head to toe. There was something about a fine nigga in all black. However, his association came from him pointing that gun in my face.
“I’ve seen him more times than I care to.”
“Trust me the feeling is mutual… that’s my brother.”
I almost choked on my Champagne. “What!”
She gave me a sympathetic look, as Deuce approached us.
“Ms. Navarro. I’m beginning to think you’re the one stalking me.”
“I would never waste my time like that.”
His sisters snickered causing him to throw them a dirty look.
“Deuce, I told you not to come here,” Jaeda said.
“Since when do I listen?”
Mia chimed in. “Well, since you don’t know how to listen, you can take care of our bill.”
“Now why would I pay for you to get your crusty ass feet done?”
“You need to pull up a chair because your feet look like you’ve been kicking rocks and walking on hot coals all day.”
“Fuck you, Mia.”
She laughed at him as she returned her attention to her phone.
Jaeda sighed. “What do you want Deuce? You are interrupting girl time with our new friend here.”
“I just needed to lay eyes on you. You know I’ve been outta town for a couple of days. I just wanted to make sure my sisters were straight.”
Awww, that’s so sweet, I thought. Immediately after I thought, Bitch ain’t nothing about this man sweet. Stop being a fucking simp.
Jaeda smiled. “Awww you missed us!”
“I didn’t say all that.”
I kissed my teeth and muttered under my breath. “Asshole.”
Deuce looked over at me. “You got something to say, Ms. Navarro?”
“Not to you.”
Jaeda shooed him away. “Deuce, leave our new friend alone.”
“New friend, huh?” He smirked at me. “Bet.”
He stepped in between them and kissed both their cheeks.
“Since I’m feeling generous, I’ll cover your tab today.”
Both Jaeda and Mia smiled. That “new friend” line had me looking at them sideways. I remember what Shar told me about their family’s illegal activities. I was not a ride or die type of bitch. I couldn’t do jail and I was bound to snitch if the police or the feds came knocking at my door.
I didn’t want to judge them, but I couldn’t see them being into the same shit as their brother. They were so fucking pretty. I couldn’t imagine either of them with a gun. Then again, Shar was beautiful and my bitch would bust back.
My thoughts were interrupted by Deuce’s tall figure casting a shadow over me. I looked up at him and I swear my panties were instantly ruined.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
He smirked as he plucked my phone from my hands.
“Excuse you!” I exclaimed, reaching for it.
He snapped his fingers at me, and I was so taken aback by it that I instantly shut my mouth. Who the fuck did he think he was? I wasn’t sure what he was doing but a few seconds later, he handed me the phone back.
“I’ll be in touch. I expect you to answer.”
“I know you didn’t just call yourself from my phone.”
“I did. And I erased the call so you can’t block me.”
“Is it crack? Are you smoking that good shit? It’s that or you rode that short yellow bus to school.”
His sisters didn’t bother to hold back their laughter.
“Short bus shawty!” Jaeda said, cackling at her own joke.
Deuce shot them a look that ceased all laughter. He turned back to me. Resting his hands on either side of my chair and his gaze on my face. His eyes… damn his eyes did something to me. They commanded every drop of my attention, and I couldn’t help but to give it to him.
“I’m not a man that asks for things twice, Ms. Navarro. Once is a courtesy before I go after it myself.”
His eyes dropped to my lips as he tucked his bottom one between his teeth.
“Answer my call.”
Without another word, he stood and walked away.
“And if I don’t?” I called after him.
“You will.”
My mouth dropped as I watched him walk to the front, stopping briefly to pay for his sisters’ services. When he walked out, Jaeda reached over and closed my mouth.
“Well… I think it’s safe to say my brother likes you and you’re intrigued by him.”
“Intrigued isn’t the word I would use. Ugh! The nerve of him.”
Mia giggled. “Yeah, one thing Deuce is never short on is audacity. You’ll get used to it.”
“No, I won’t. I’m not a woman that likes to be told what to do. Maybe he’s used to docile women, but that ain’t me. I talk back and I don’t listen. Your brother will learn that.”
I sat back and crossed my arms with a deep frown on my face. If I hadn’t put this number on the dozens of applications I put in this week, I’d just change it. I was beginning to wish I’d never crossed paths with this man.
Not only was he a criminal, he was out of his fucking mind.
If you didn’t like it, your pussy wouldn’t be wet right now, my inner voice said.
I shook my head at myself. Why was there so much thrill in danger?
M uch to my surprise, Deuce’s audacious ass paid for my feet and nails, along with his sisters. For a man that said he wasn’t nice, he did nice shit. That still wouldn’t sway me into answering his call though. I couldn’t believe he’d just taken my number the way he did. More than that, I could believe his arrogance turned me on like that.
I loved a hood nigga, but this man wasn’t the average hood nigga. He had the confidence and demeanor of a savage. He commanded attention when he walked into a room, and I was sure he had the respect to go along with it. The thing about me was I didn’t care who he could intimidate, he wouldn’t intimidate me. That snapping his finger shit threw me off and if I wasn’t in a public setting, I would have cursed him slap the fuck out.
Mia and Jaeda invited me to grab something to eat with them since our services finished shortly after mine. I was sitting in my car when Jaeda tapped on my window with the invite. My first mind told me to decline solely because I didn’t need their brother showing up uninvited again, but they seemed like nice girls. Still, knowing who they were had me a little uneasy, so I asked if I could invite Shar. They agreed, and she met us at an upscale restaurant in the city called Catch 22. When we walked in, the hostess immediately called a waitress, and we were seated at a private table in the back. She took our drink orders, but something seemed a little off about her. She seemed to know exactly who these girls were, and her eyes held a bit of nervousness in them.
“Did y’all do something to that girl?” Shar asked, obviously noticing it too.
My girl wasn’t afraid to ask anything. If she wanted to know something, she never hesitated to bring it up.
Jaeda giggled. “What would make you think that?”
“She looked scared.”
“We own the restaurant,” Mia explained.
“Well, that’s not surprising at all,” Shar commented. “Y’all own practically the city.”
Jaeda rested her perfectly manicured hand under her chin. “You seem to know alot about my family.”
“I know what I’ve heard from credible sources.”
“And what have you heard?”
“Your last name rings bells and pumps fear into people’s hearts. Not me though. I can go rounds with the toughest bitch out there and still hold my own.”
Mia and Jaeda looked at each other before breaking into laughter.
“I like you, Shar,” Jaeda said. “I love a feisty bitch. No disrespect.”
“None taken.”
“How long have you two been friends?” Mia asked.
I smiled. “Practically our whole life. She’s like my sister. This is my ride or die.”
“Til the fucking casket drops,” Shar added.
Jaeda smiled. “Good to know. Family is great but friends who become family hit different. We don’t have many genuine friends outside of our family. People only want to get close to us for the benefits.”
“And that’s when a bitch or nigga can come up missing,” Mia stated.
I almost choked on my drink. So much for the sweet, innocent face.
Jaeda glared at her. “Please excuse my little sister. She’s seemed to have forgotten her decorum.”
“Are y’all really criminals?” Shar asked boldly.
“Sharina!” I exclaimed.
“What! I’m sure they know what people say about them. It’s not a secret. Besides, I’m trying to see what’s good with the other brother. You know hood niggas make the coochie purr.”
Mia gagged. “Please don’t talk about your coochie purring for any of my ugly ass brothers.”
“Girl, I know that’s your blood, but you can’t deny that God laid his blessed hands on them. I give him all the praise for how fine the two I’ve met are. Back to my question?”
I held up a hand. “You don’t have to answer that.”
Jaeda took a sip of her drink. When she placed the glass back on the table, she clasped her hands together. She smiled and I couldn’t tell if she was offended.
“Whatever you’ve heard about us, you should probably believe it. I won’t confirm or deny it, but everybody can’t be a liar, can they? I will say this… we don’t typically fuck with people who don’t fuck with us first. Now on the off chance we do fuck with you first, you probably had it coming. There are consequences for every action. We are that consequence.”
I swallowed hard. I wasn’t a scary bitch by any means, but I knew when to pick my battles. The way she said that sent chills up my spine. This bitch was probably as unhinged as her brother. I looked over at Sharina and she didn’t look phased at all.
“Does this make you uncomfortable, Salima,” Jaeda asked.
“Your brother put a gun to my head, then showed up at my house the next morning handing me ten grand in cash. Pardon me if I’m a little cautious of your family. I’m still trying to figure out how he knew where I lived.”
Jaeda’s pretty face glowed with a red hue. “I might have given him the information.”
“Might have?”
Her eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Let’s just say I have a special skill set.”
“You’re a hacker,” Shar said.
“I won’t confirm or deny that.”
“Oh baby, I can read between the lines.”
I shook my head. “So, when he said he could find out anything he wanted to know about me, he was referee to you?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew who I was when you sat down?”
“Guilty, again.”
I scoffed. “Unbelievable. Did he put you up to this? Am I part of some sick, twisted scheme of his and you two are being nice to me on his behalf?”
Mia frowned. “Girl, please. I love my brother, but I wouldn’t scheme to help him get some pussy. It’s not that serious.”
“What it is, is weird. And I want no parts of it. How could you sit in my face knowing you’ve dug all through my business? You’re just as weird as your brother.”
Mia stood from her seat, glaring at me defensively. Jaeda snapped her fingers.
“Mia.”
Her sister looked over at her, and Jaeda shook her head. Slowly, she sat back down. Jaeda cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I meant no harm.”
“Thank you for the invite, but I think it’s best if I leave.”
I pushed my chair back from the table and stood. Shar followed suit. Without another word, we left the private booth and headed out of the restaurant.
“Bitch… she was gonna beat your ass,” Shar said as we approached our cars.
“She might have, but she was gonna have a fight on her hands.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “This is why I can’t be a friendly bitch. I stick with you and leave the weird ass bird behavior to those other hos.”
Shar went to respond, but her stomach growled.
“You’re still hungry. I’m sorry, pooh.”
“Girl, it’s okay. I probably wouldn’t have eaten that overpriced as food anyway. We can just go grab my catfish sandwich and I’ll be straight. Stick to what we know, right?”
“Right.”
We climbed in our cars and headed back to our own neck of the woods. Just like that, I was over trying to make new friends.