Chapter 14
Duke didn’t touch the money right away, it sat on his dresser for two days straight.
He left it there like the shit was going to bite him or something.
Diamond’s face crept into his head uninvited, aside from the plot, he actually liked her vibe.
The way she laughed with her whole chest when something was funny, the way she never blinked first, her toughness, the way she said his name like she wasn’t scared of what came with it.
“Damn,” he whispered to himself, looking up at the ceiling.
He grabbed his phone and shot her a text, he was going to do his job, but he was going to have fun doing it.
Duke: You busy tonight?
Diamond: Not really, my people want to go eat for my birthday.
Duke: It’s today?
Diamond: Yeah.
Duke: Damn, happy birthday, baby. I’m definitely seeing you tonight. 7 cool? Or you can’t see me no more?
Three dots popped up, disappeared then popped back up again.
Diamond: 7 is cool.
He chuckled to himself, that right there was what he liked. She dodged the bullshit and got straight to the point.
Duke: Bet.
Duke tossed his phone on the empty side of the bed and dozed off, by the time he woke up, the sun had gone down.
He hopped in the shower and was out the door, he parked further down from Diamond’s house because he didn’t want any smoke with her father.
That punch to the stomach was enough for him, but he had a bullet with his name on it if he ever touched him again.
When Diamond walked to his car, his dick damn near stood up in his pants. It was something different about her that night; it wasn’t the fact that she turned a different age, it wasn’t the fresh fit and shoes she had on, it was the way she looked at him when she climbed in his passenger seat.
He smiled and reached in the backseat to grab the flowers and bear he had grabbed from Jewel.
The smile on her face told him that he knocked one layer off tough ass Diamond.
That shit was going to be easier than he thought, she was just like every other female that sat in that seat, puddy in his hands.
He watched her as she laughed and vibed to the music playing.
He did something he never did; he took her on a real date.
Dave and Busters, Home Run Inn, then they rode around the city like they owned it, he even had her drinking Hennessy with him from the bottle.
It didn’t take much to get her tipsy, he knew Diamond was there because she was rubbing and caressing his face while singing to him.
They drove slowly and talked more, he couldn’t lie, he fucked with her.
He felt like he could be him with Diamond, no flexing, no street talk, just stories, laughter, a real vibe.
Even when silence crept upon them, it felt comfortable, not awkward.
Duke pulled in the back of his crib and killed the engine.
“Aye.”
“Yeah,” she looked over at him.
“Why do you feel like you have to be so hard?” he casually asked.
Diamond shrugged, “Some of us just don’t have a choice. When you’re soft, people tend to walk all over you.”
“You have a choice with me. I’m hard so you don’t have to be when you’re with me.”
She forced a smile like she wanted to believe him, her guard slipped, just a little.
“I appreciate that, but can I be real?” She asked with low eyes.
“Always.”
“I don’t know how to be soft, not even with you.”
“Let me teach you,” he leaned over and kissed her.
Her body tensed up, but she didn’t stop him and there it was, the hook. Was the hook on her or him? Was it the Hennessy? Duke felt something twist in his chest, it wasn’t guilt, it was something else. Ace’s words echoed in his head, break her.
“It’s ten, you want me to drop you off?”
When she looked in his eyes that time, it was different, it was soft.
“No, I want to stay with you tonight.”
“All night?”
“Yeah, I told my parents I was staying at my friend Mesha’s house, she stays out south so it’s all good.”
Duke chuckled, “I didn’t know you had friends.”
“I don’t. I have one and she’s been my friend since pre-school, but she moved after we graduated 8th grade.”
“That’s what’s up. All you need is one rider.”
“And that she is, she’s just like me.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I swear. So much so, we call one another Twin.”
“She ain’t got them hands like you,” he joked before hitting the locks, making her giggle.
Inside, Duke’s place was dim but not dark.
Diamond made herself at home on the same couch they slept on the last time she was there, but he motioned for her to come into the bedroom.
She didn’t hesitate, not even a little bit.
Duke wasn’t even into younger females, but Diamond was overly mature for her age.
He went back and forth with himself, for some reason, he wanted to protect her, not hurt her. The money waited on his dresser and the plan waited in his head. He wasn’t broke and he didn’t fuck with Ace or Stone, the fact that Ace rolled with his father’s alleged enemy snapped him back to reality.
“Tell me something that you think I should know,” he tried to open a segway to say what he wanted to say.
“What you mean?”
“Anything, and after you tell me, we start from scratch.”
She quickly looked away. “You go first.”
“Ok, mufuckas wanna see you hurt,” he blurted out as she gave him a stale look.
“What?” she quizzed.
Duke contemplated for a second but fuck Ace, he gave Diamond the whole spill.
“That’s crazy… all because my daddy knocked his bitch ass out?”
“Yup, I apologize for even taking the bread.”
“It’s cool, I’m glad you told me.”
“Your turn,” he shot back as she took a deep breath.
“Please don’t kill me. I took your jab a while back.”
Duke stared at her for a minute, he didn’t know if he was mad or intrigued.
“Ok, ok. We starting over, it’s cool, we even, but if you ever steal from me again, we gon’ have a problem,” Duke replied, walking over to the money and tossing it to her.
“I’m not a thief, Duke. What am I supposed to do with this?”
He hunched his shoulders, “Buy yourself something nice for your birthday or back to school shopping. You about to be a senior, right?”
“Yup,” Diamond said proudly.
“Right, you gotta stay fresh then.”
“And what about Ace?”
“Stick to the plan, act hurt when you see him. Tell your pop what’s up so his head is on a swivel.”
She frowned her face for a second, “Why you looking out for my father and he punched you in the stomach?”
He chuckled a little, “Because if you were my daughter, I would’ve punched a nigga, too.”