Chapter 20
twenty
“Now what the fuck you dug into that got you coming out of hiding,” Nate asked, walking into Sal’s Cutz, finding Cairo in a chair with his head tilted back. “Nigga, you lined up and shit, hair look like you didn’t brush no braids like that one rapper.”
“You talkin’ about dude from up north that dresses in the shiny jorts. The senior citizen with the teenager vibe?” Sal asked with laughter. “Nigga definitely hops out the chair freshly braided and brushes them shits.”
Cairo sniggered. “Ay, stop all that fuckin’ joking by my face, nigga.”
Nate sat adjacent from Cairo and quieted his laughter. “How was the session last night?” He studied the subtle glee in Cairo’s face.
“Fire,” Cairo commented. “Ekho is about to be huge. If I can get him like six more tracks, we out of here.”
“What you waiting for then, nigga? Go play on them keys or something,” Nate replied, truly happy for his boy.
“Got to start pivotin’,” Cairo directed.
The empty barbershop was on purpose. Sal’s was another place in the hood him and Fredo used to move product and money.
Since Tiny took it upon himself to mimic the sauce and get caught up, Cairo knew he wasn’t going to stay quiet.
If anything, the next couple weeks were going to be critical.
Staying ahead of the game was how Cairo managed to fly under the radar for now.
“We need to unload?” Sal questioned.
“Everything. Give them to Tres. Let him flood the streets. He needs something to do other than drink, fuck, and talk shit,” Cairo spoke. “I’ve already set it up.”
“Update on the niggas that went up with Tiny?” Sal asked.
“Mountain Lions picking at them. Should’ve chose the right side,” Cairo muttered.
“Damn, you didn’t let none of ‘em come back down?” Sal blew.
Cairo opened his eyes and looked at Sal.
The chilling look in Cairo’s eyes reminded him that even through Cairo’s newfound lightheartedness, he was still forged in the fire by killers.
Tiny survived off the strength he’d been too close to Cairo.
He could also slip out of whatever Tiny thought he was going to set up for him.
The other niggas he left with would run their mouths and create a mountain of issues he’d spend more time than he wanted cleaning up.
“Aight,” Sal stated, understanding every word Cairo didn’t speak. “Got you.”
Sal finished up the haircut, took the money from Cairo, and headed to the back of the shop to start making moves to get everything stashed to Tres.
“You sure you want Tres to have all this work?” Nate asked.
Cairo avoided the mirror. He wanted the first time he saw himself after letting go of the trauma he wore to be through her eyes. Checking his phone for the two texts he requested from Kamilla, he gave Nate his attention.
“Absolutely. We call that el karma. His wickedness returned. We all got our shit coming back to us. This is his,” Cairo spoke, heading toward the door. “We gotta be at the club by eleven. I’m not trying to be out all night.”
“You did say you were getting that nigga back one way or another,” Nate spoke with a chuckle.
“I told you. That bitch almost burnt down my granny’s house,” Cairo grumbled, the mere thought of his ex, caused his jaw to clench.
Nate shook his head. “You got a thing for crossing the blocks to get your women.”
“First of all nigga, fuck you. She was frontin’, can’t blame me that my vice is someone pretty with soft features these niggas ain’t ran through.
Second, she got off light. I kept Sapphire off her ass for real.
She knew once the fire started to get her ass the fuck on.
But Tres, for every dollar he paid her to try to take me out, I owe him back ten times over,” Cairo shared.
“Apparently, blowing up his fuckin’ Impala with that ratty ass dog in it wasn’t enough.
That’s cool, though. Give him the work, have a bitch drop it off.
Since he can’t think without his dick in his hand. ”
Thinking about the past always seemed to put him in a mood that made felonious thoughts run rabid without restraint. What smothered the flame of aggravation was knowing that Kamilla was in his house waiting on him.
“Where you headed now?” Nate posed. “You not about to blow something else up, are you?”
“K’s hungry. She’s been working all day. I’m going to handle that. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Nigga, you in love?” Nate asked, knowing the answer.
Cairo didn’t offer him an answer, instead he walked out of the barbershop, got in his car and headed to the Chinese spot. After picking up the order she called in, Cairo pulled up to his house eager to get inside.
“Mariposa,” he called out, his raspy voice softer than he’d ever heard it.
From the small living room, he could see bedroom door open. Securing the door behind him and placing the food down on the space table, he moved down the hall, finding her studying herself in the foggy mirror.
“Damn,” he blew at her petite body clad in a form-fitting blue dress. She stood on her tiptoes as if she were talking herself out of wearing it.
Kamilla’s eyes found his and immediately, the worry melted away.
“Damn yourself.” She nipped her lip as her eyes lit up. “Wow.”
“Oh, come on, a nigga wasn’t beastly,” he grumbled, fighting the smile she could see in its fullness.
Kamilla closed the space between them and reached up to touch his face. Automatically, his hands rested on her waist and his neck craned so she could inspect his newness with ease. Everything that was motivating him was for her ease.
“No,” Kamilla spoke, just above a whisper. “Never beastly. Weighted, protected, healing. But this…damn.”
“You like it?” he mused.
“Love it,” she replied, before nipping her lip and pulling back. Cairo caught it and her and pulled her back into the space they were suspended in. “I mean – this look is you coming out. Stepping out of one chapter into another. I’m proud of you.”
“I haven’t done shit yet for real,” he muttered.
“You’ve done more than you thought you could. Do you know how big tonight is? You thought you were flying before, when you hear it tonight and you see how people respond you’ll be soaring.”
Cairo groaned, kissing his forehead with hers. “Probably can’t compare to what I’m feeling right now.”
She returned the groan, softly kissing his lips and pulling away. “It’ll surpass it. Just don’t fly too close.”
“You think I’m gon’ elevate and leave you here on the ground?” he asked, leaning his back on the wall as she pulled the dress off gingerly. The tag still on. He knew the play. She was going to wear it and return it later.
“I think…tonight is huge for you-”
“Us. Tonight is huge for us. As a team,” he corrected.
“Cairo.”
“Damn, what happened to Cai, baby, and all that other shit when I had you on my tongue?” he posed.
Kamilla rolled her eyes and smirked. “Cai Baby. Better?”
“What would be better if you tell me what that was, or you want me to pull it out of you?” he countered.
Kamilla frowned as pulled the dress over her head. “What does that even mean?”
“You trying to find out?” he asked, raising a thick brow. “The easy way is to say what’s on your mind, then I can feed you, and you put that pussy on my face.”
“The difficult way?” she sassed.
“So you are trying to find out?” he challenged, knowing that she was. Kamilla was as stubborn as they came and it wasn’t until she found herself in something she couldn’t get out of, that she listened. “Aight.”
Cairo stepped out of his shoes, placed his gun on the dresser and boxed her in.
Those dreamy eyes floated up to him with a glint in them. As long as she was suspended in him, danger meant nothing to her. Danger didn’t exist to her when she was with him and that’s exactly where he wanted to keep her – suspended.
“This is your last chance to get it off your chest,” he offered.
“It’s nothing, Cai-”
“Cai what?”
Kamilla rolled her eyes again. The little attitude was zapped as he lifted her atop the dresser and parted her thighs. She yelped. “Cai Baby.”
“You too damn soft and gushy to be trying to give ya nigga a headache,” he grunted, finding her bud through the seat of her panties. “Been itching like an addict all day to get back to you and you got this little baby ass attitude. You know how I get rid of that shit?”
“No clue,” she groaned at the feel of his fingers inch inside of her. “Sss, Cai.”
“Say it, Mariposa,” he urged, letting his fingers dance inside of her, grinning at her wetness coating him. “You scared?”
Kamilla squirmed, moaned, and nodded.
“Nah, we’re not playing that game. I want your words. I need your words, baby. You gotta say what it is. If not, I’m gon’ have you leaking all over the dresser and the bed until you do. In case you haven’t realized yet, I need to be in your skin.”
She gasped, trying to get her words out.
Cairo could feel her body tense, he didn’t want her coming yet.
Pulling his fingers from her depths, he sucked the nectar from them before scooping her off of the dresser and depositing her onto the bed.
He pulled his shirt off, stepping out of his shorts and boxers.
He’d pay money to forever have her look at him like this. Purposely withholding what he wanted to lure him to touch her. When he would’ve done it without the extras. Cairo reached down, pulling her close by the collar.
“Last chance,” he urged.
“I told you,” she breathed.
“Aight, baby,” he nodded with a devilish smirk. “Turn around. Don’t give me that look either.”
She squinted at him before turning around and nipping a smirk. Cairo hooked her panties and tore them off. He boxed her in again, his dick applying pressure and parting her lower lips.
“If this is what you wanted, all you had to do was say it,” he groaned at the feel of her heat sucking him in inch for inch. “But you want to do shit the hard way.”
He leaned down more, turned her face to him so he could kiss her lips. Slow strokes caused her mouth to fall open and beautiful moans and winces flowed into the side of his face.
“Arch that back for me, let me all the way in,” he groaned. “This what you wanted, huh?”
“Mmhmm,” she groaned, holding on to the blanket and arching her back. “I missed you.”
“You had to be stubborn, though? You can tell me whatever,” he groaned in her ear. “Whatever and you don’t have to be scared of the answer. You hear me, baby?”
“Y-yes. I hear you,” she whined.
“Good. Match my rhythm. Throw that pretty ass back,” he coached, leaning back to guide her hips. “Look at you. Learning.”
Kamilla found the rhythm of his stroke and threw her head back. “Fuck.”
Cairo wrapped his hand around her throat and kissed her. “She can cuss.”
“You’re so – so deep.”
“I told you I was gonna pull that shit out of you,” he huskily grunted, grinding into her. “I need you to tell me what’s on that beautiful mind.”
“I-ss-mm. Cai Baby, please.”
He nipped her chin. “Nah. I gave you a chance to get out of this. Now, use that pretty mouth and say what it is.”
Cairo didn’t offer her a reprieve from the grinds. She was leaking over him, pussy squeezing him.
“You scared?” he prompted.
Kamilla nodded. “Yessss.”
“Don’t be. I got you. I told you that. If I’m soaring, so are you, Mariposa.
So are you,” he gritted, pulling out and repositioning them.
He pressed his body against his, kissing her lips, neck, and breasts while he eased back inside.
Cairo continued to kiss her as she engulfed him in her arms and legs.
“They’re going to have to pry you out my dead hands. You hear me? Don’t be scared.”
He took in the tears sitting at the brim of her eyes. Cairo’s head pressed against hers.
“You promise?”
“That’s on everything. Aight? I’m never letting you go. Never.”
Kamilla’s whimper was in tandem with the shiver in her legs. “Okay. You’re trying to ruin me.”
He laughed against her lips. “Mm, marking my fucking territory. Tell me you don’t want it.”
“No,” she whimpered. “I want everything.”
“Aight, then take your dick, baby.”
Hours later, after a much needed reset, and reheating of the food, the couple was dressed and headed toward to the club.
The last time he did this, he was walking in behind KP.
He did a set and ended fighting his way out the club.
He was invited off of being in the studio, delivering another pack.
He was kept around because when KP threw the first punch, Cairo was throwing the second.
KP could trust him. That trust was better than any currency.
Kamilla squeezed his hand, feeling the heaviness creep back onto his shoulders. She gently nudged him, bringing him back. “You good?”
Cairo offered her the signature nod, sunglasses covering his eyes. “You good?”
She returned an excited smile. “Steal the moon.”
Inside the section with Ekho, Fahaad, and Nate and Dania, Cairo sat, taking in the space, letting Kamilla’s thumb caress his hand.
While Dania danced, Ekho bobbed, Fahaad pecked away on his phone and Nate enjoyed the drinks, Cairo absorbed this moment.
Every snapshot just in case tomorrow, it was snatched away.
He was still in the streets and he knew how a nigga could be on top the world one minute, a hater sniffed it out and it was gone.
When the deejay finally spun the record, Cairo’s eyes floated closed and he ingested every melody.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the glee, the bodies just as hype as his girl and his friends.
Ekho moved from the railing to Cairo. “Nigga, you got to do the whole album. What you say?”
“On Azul?” Cairo posed.
Ekho pointed over his shoulder. “You don’t see this shit? Nigga, we up. On Azul. I’ll be back at the studio tomorrow night. Take this in, life is about to change. For all of us.”
Cairo caught Nate and Fahaad shaking each other’s shoulders.
Nate leaned in to Fahaad, patted his shoulder and stated. “Welcome back, nigga. Welcome back.”
Cairo turned to Kamilla who’s eyes almost disappeared behind her smile. “We stealing the moon.”