Cameron 6 (9 page)

16

Marcus did an immediate double take when he noticed Cameron standing next to Juicy. He was rolling, and for a second he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Marcus’ jaw tensed as he thought about whether or not he should say something.
So this is Juicy’s new lil’ friend.
He’d saw the little boy sitting on his floor in the living room, but he didn’t put two and two together. After all, Justin was just a baby when he went to prison.

Marcus wasn’t the only one whose voice was caught in his throat. Cameron was at a total loss for words as she stared at her ex-boyfriend. All of the memories from their past came rushing back. Suddenly, Cam didn’t feel so comfortable being there.

Juicy didn’t miss the awkward interaction between the two. Normally people would’ve greeted each other; but they just stood there staring strangely at one another. She had no idea that her home girl used to date her man.

“I’m — uh… I’m not feeling too well,” Cameron quickly said. “I think I’ma call it an early night. I’ll hit you up later.”

“What — Cam—”

She rushed off and headed to the dressing room to get the fuck out of there. Cameron knew then that she couldn’t return to the life she’d once led. If she continued with this lifestyle it’d only lead to more pain, misery, and faces she’d fought hard to forget.

Cameron pulled her every day clothes over her dancing wear, and left the building through the back. She didn’t even want to walk past Marcus again. As a matter of fact, she didn’t even want to look at him. At that moment, Cam realized why she’d moved in the first place. There wasn’t anything in Cleveland for her other than bad memories.

Cam couldn’t walk to her car fast enough. She’d almost reached her door when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Cameron quickly turned around and was shocked to find Marcus standing several feet from her. The motherfucker actually had time to dress.

“Damn. It’s like that?” he asked.

“What do you want from me, Marcus?” Cameron snapped. She could vividly remember the night he threw her out his truck for talking back. When they first got together, he was nothing short of perfection. But over time his true colors began to surface.

“A greeting at the very least. Damn. I mean, shit. We did spend a whole year and a half together—”

“And I take I take it Juicy don’t know about that year and a half — or about you being out here talking to me right now. What would she think—”

“Fuck what she think. We ain’t talkin’ ‘bout her right now,” Marcus said. “How’s lil’ man?”

“You don’t need to know how he’s doing—”

“Don’t be a bitch, Cam. I was his daddy before you ran off with that weak nigga. I deserve to know.”

“He’s fine, Marcus. He’s great,” Cameron said, opening her door. She went to climb in and close it, but he grabbed the door.

“How are you?”

“I think you need to go back inside.”

“Don’t tell me what I need to do, Cam. I’m right where I need to be… and, as fate would have it, so are you. Why you bein’ so cold to me?”

“Maybe its because of the way we crashed and burned. I just really ain’t trying to talk now.”

“Cam, that shit we went through… I’ll be thirty years old soon. Man, we were young then—”

“That’s no excuse.”

“Don’t pass judgment, Cam ‘cuz you weren’t perfect either. And what about ya nigga now? He ain’t about much of shit either if he still got you strippin’—”

“Nobody
got
me stripping,” Cameron corrected him. “And don’t worry about my nigga, me, or Justin. You just said so yourself you’re 30 years old, and you still out here shaking your dick for a couple dollars? Nigga, you’re a fucking joke. Worry about yaself and ya own priorities.”

Marcus narrowed his eyes after Cameron’s tongue-lashing. She was just as feisty and reckless as he’d remembered. It was clear no one had yet to put her in her place, but she had the right nigga.

Whap!

Cameron was totally caught off guard after he smacked the taste out her mouth. Her bottom lip instantly split open after the blow. That was the last reaction she expected.

“Bitch, you must’ve forgotten who the fuck I am!” he spat. “I’m him! Not them! Act like you know, Cam.”

Cameron grabbed her stinging cheek in shock. She couldn’t believe Marcus had actually put his hands on her. If the setting and circumstances were different, she would’ve had his bum ass touched. Apparently, he didn’t know who the hell he was dealing with.

Cameron quickly reached for her glove compartment. Inside was a loaded Taurus. All of a sudden, someone else beat her to the punch. She gasped when she saw someone grab him from behind and twist his arm.

“Ah!” Marcus yelped in pain.

Jag had his shit hemmed up at an awkward angle. It wouldn’t have taken any effort at all to snap his shit in two.

Slamming him against Cameron’s car, he applied more pressure. “What do you want me to do with this motherfucker, Cam? It’s your call.”

“Get the fuck off m—
Ahhhhh!
” Marcus cried out. Jag had just twisted his arm further back. He was in excruciating pain but it was clear Jag wasn’t going to let up.

Cameron had never been happier to see him.

“So wassup?” Jag asked. “What’chu wanna do?”

A look of fear flashed across Marcus’ face. He’d quickly gone from bold to bitch. He pled with his eyes for her to have mercy. Cam almost did until she remembered the bruise on Juicy’s face, and the fact that he’d slapped her.

“Break it,” she said heartlessly.

***

“You know that I can take care of myself, Jag,” she said over I-Hop’s blueberry pancakes. “I don’t need you playing security for me.”

“I’m not gonna argue with you, Cam. I’m gonna pretend you know exactly what you doing for the sake of keeping peace. At the end of the day, you know what’s up.”

“How’d you find me?”

“Social media makes it hard for a person to fully vanish.”

“I’m deleting that shit tomorrow.”

“I would’ve found you regardless,” he said. Jag could’ve easily tracked her down if he wanted to. After all, that’s what was he was paid to.

“I wasn’t trying to run from you, Jag.”

“You were running from the situation,” he said. “Unfortunately though, I’m apart of that situation.”

“You’re not.”

“Then why didn’t you hit me up? I had to find out about you through a fuckin’ networking site. That’s not cool, Cam. And it’s not cool what you doing right now. You’ll never make progress by taking steps backwards. You’re better than that shit,” he said in regards to her stripping.

“I don’t need a lecturing, Jag.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” Cameron asked.

“Shut me out. It’s clear you have some wall around you, but I ain’t the enemy, Cam. I never was.”

Cameron suddenly softened her disposition. Slowly, she reached over and placed her hand on top of Jag’s. It was surprisingly cold. “You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

Jag looked down at her hand covering his. It’d been months since they had any physical contact. He didn’t quite know how to take it at first so he moved his hand away. Jag loved Cam, but she intimidated him at the same time. She was the only person in the world who had control over him. He felt powerless with her.

With the women he dealt with, things were much more straightforward and uncomplicated. He fucked and sent their asses on their merry way… He never even kissed them. He didn’t want that level of intimacy with any of them. But with Cam… shit was different. He was different. She didn’t know it, but he was like putty in her hands. She did things to him — unexplainable things that both scared and excited him.

Cameron noticed his odd gesture, but decided not to speak on it.

“You know if you ever needed help — or anything, I got you. You don’t always have to feel like you have to do everything on your own.”

“I get tired of asking you for favors. And to be honest, I don’t want some dude taking care of me.”

“I’m not some dude.”

“You know what I mean,” Cameron said. “I just don’t…” she paused. “I guess I just don’t want you — or anyone else turning into Jude. Do you know what he said to me the day I left? His ass told me he saved me by modifying my life. Can you believe that? I don’t want anyone else to make me feel as low as that comment made feel—”

Jag reached over and touched her hand. “First off, I’m not Jude — or anything like him. You can come to me. I want you to… and there’s no imposition. You don’t owe me shit… just don’t change ya number on me again, a'ight,” he smiled.

Cameron laughed and shook her head. “Why’re you so good to me, Jag?”

“’Cuz I…” his voice trailed off.

Cameron’s grin grew wider. “Because you what? Say it,” she pressed.

“’Cuz I… admire you…” Jag couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘love.’ He’d already let her in once, only for his sentiments not to be returned. Jag had too much pride to allow that to happen again. Besides, Cam knew how he felt. He didn’t need to say it.

“You admire me?”
she repeated. Cam stared at him sideways. She knew he was fronting, but she granted him a pass.

Jag gave her an enigmatic smile before looking down at their hands. He loved the way their different skin tones complimented each other. “That, among other things,” he simply said.

“I’ll take that,” she told him. “Anyway yesterday me and Juicy did this private party downtown. Things got a little crazy towards the end but I met this guy… Cole. He stood up for me when one of the niggas started harassing me. He wanted to maybe see each other again afterwards.”

Jag slowly moved his hand away again. He was silent, and annoyed that she was even telling him that shit.

“He was a normal guy,” she laughed. “I don’t know why that’s so weird and foreign to me now. He seemed sweet. Not into any BS — or so he claims. He works at a warehouse.”

There was still no response on Jag’s end.

Cameron looked confused. “You don’t have anything to say?”

“You want me to be happy you met some square?” Jag asked sarcastically. “Fuck that dude.”

“Somebody ‘s the jealous type.”

“I’m not into any BS. Will that make me more interesting to you?”

Cameron laughed. “Whatever. You keep your hand in all types of shit, Jag.”

He guffawed. “No, I’m serious. I’m legit now.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow. She didn’t believe him. “How so?”

“Invested some of my savings into a restaurant for my mother,” he lied.

“You bought your mother a restaurant?” Cameron had no idea his mother was actually dead.

“Yeah. Well… you know how much she loves to cook. I figured it’d be good for her. Something to keep her preoccupied in Savannah. My sister helps out by waitressing on the weekends.”

“Wow, Jag. That was really sweet of you.”

Jag felt horrible for lying, but he didn’t want to tell her the truth. He feared she would blame herself and feel guilty for his loss. That was not what he wanted.

“I keep my hands clean,” Jag continued to lie.

Cam nodded her head, clearly impressed. It was good to know he was taking care of himself and actually staying out of trouble. Had she known the truth, she would’ve probably left Jude a long time ago.

After a hearty breakfast, Jag paid the bill and walked Cam to her truck. “Sorry about that,” he said, noticing a small dent near her door.

Cameron shrugged. “It was worth it,” she said nonchalantly.

Jag pulled out his wallet and handed her a bundle of folded up Franklins. “Go take it to get fixed and detailed.”

“Thanks.”

Jag lightly pinched her chin and caressed her cheek. “I wanna be there for you, Cam… but I can’t if you don’t let me.”

“I won’t shut you out again,” she promised. “I knew what I was trying to do at the time… but I guess I was going about it the wrong way.”

Jag leaned in close to Cameron and smiled. “You know what I just noticed?”

Looking up, she gazed into his pale blue eyes. They reminded her of the morning sky. “What?”

“You’re single.”

Cameron giggled. “I’m separated.”

“Whatever you wanna call it. You’re fair game now…”

“Is that right?”

Jag lips slowly covered hers. Cameron closed her eyes and melted into his firm body. She missed his intoxicating touch and scent.

Gently pushing her against the truck, Jag grabbed her small waist and held her. His tongue eagerly slipped inside her mouth, mating with hers. He sucked the taste of peppermint off it; he wanted her right then and there.

Cameron nibbled on his bottom lip as she tugged at his shirt. She could feel his erection pressing against her. Jag placed delicate kisses along her jawline and neck, causing her to shiver in response. She would never understand how he was easily able to find her spot. Her clit throbbed nonstop underneath her panties. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.