Money-Makin' Mamas (16 page)

“Hell, yeah, they were wrong, but two wrongs will make it right. They will be dealt with. That ain't no threat; it's a promise.”

“As for the bitch thing, Miss Mama, I call it as I see fit.”

I turned to my girls who had a “we told you so” look on their faces. I wanted to give this nigga the benefit of the doubt, but I wasn't going to waste another minute with him. Besides, I had to catch my flight to Vegas. I figured I'd be delayed at the airport or would have to take another flight.

I held out my hand and snapped my finger. “Strike three. Chyna, give it here,” I ordered.

Chyna reached behind her and pulled out the Glock 9 that she'd gotten while we were at the house. I knew my daughters well. She must have known that it would come in handy when she said she had to use the bathroom while we were back at the house. She tossed the gun to me, and catching everyone but her off guard, I turned the gun sideways and pulled the trigger three times, causing me to jerk backward. The bullets whistled in the air, before landing right into the center of Reno's chest, busting it wide open. Blood splattered as his back slammed against the white door and his eyes bugged in shock. His trembling, bloody fingers wiggled in front of his chest, and we all watched as he slid down the door then fell on his ass. His head slumped then his body tilted over and hit the floor.

Chyna smiled, Simone covered her mouth, and Karrine appeared to be frozen in time. Somebody had to pay for the delay of my trip. This smart-mouth motherfucking nigga seemed like the perfect choice.

“Take a deep breath,” I said to my daughters. “Straighten your backs and find me five thousand dollars for my troubles before y'all get out of here.” I reached in my purse and distributed black leather gloves to each of them. “Don't touch a damn thing. I'll be waiting in the car. Y'all got five minutes before I pull off, and I will pull off because Vegas is awaiting me.”

I put my gloves on and kicked that lousy motherfucker away from the door with my red bottom shoes. I hated to use my shoes on this trashy nigga, but I wasn't about to touch his ass, gloves or no gloves.

When I opened the door, the crackhead bitch was sitting on the steps. She looked at me and I looked at her. “You didn't see me and I didn't see you, right?” I said.

“No, ma'am, I didn't see a thing.”

“Good.” I reached in my purse then pulled out a hundred dollar bill and gave it to her. “Make sure you keep it that way or else I'll be back.”

She nodded and watched as I headed to the car. I used my cell phone to quickly call Honey.

“What up,” he said.

“Got 'im. This petty nigga been stealin' from us for a long time. No more worries on this end. It's a wrap.”

“Sounds good,” he said. “Enjoy Vegas, and I'll see you when you get back.”

I ended the call and my thoughts turned to Reno who had been a thorn in my side for a long time. He had a bad reputation in the streets, and he'd been cheating Honey out of his money for a long time. Honey hired him to handle his business over four years ago, but Reno had been smoking up the product and he always made excuses about being robbed or the police being after him. Anybody who fucked Honey, fucked me. While Reno had never seen me a day in his life, it was unfortunate that we had to meet like this today. My girls didn't know shit, and this little incident was about more than me having their backs. They would definitely see it that way, and I damn sure was going to let them keep on thinking it.

Less than five minutes later, they came running out of Reno's apartment with several things in their hands. They hopped into the car and the tires screeched as I drove off.

“Let's see what we got here,” Simone said, opening a black bag with jewelry inside.

I could certainly see the platinum, gold, and diamonds from where I was sitting, so I knew she was on to something. Karrine had a wallet that had several hundred-dollar bills inside, and Chyna had three black socks that were stuffed with cash too. She scooted forward and waved the bills near my face.

“After givin' you yo' five Gs, do I get to keep the rest?” she asked.

“No,” I said, snatching the money from her hand. “Drop all of that shit on the floor up here, 'cause we ain't divvying up shit. I'm getting the hell out of here for a while. Y'all can stay at home and wait until that officer returns. Deal with it, ladies. Handle yo' business, because Mama is going bye-bye.”

I went back to the house to get my luggage, and almost six hours later, I was happily on my way to Vegas with plenty of money in my pockets to spend.

I didn't give a damn what anybody said about my mama; she was all right with me. I loved that woman to death and I was glad that she was on vacation, doing what she loved to do best: gamble.

That left me, Karrine, and Simone at the crib doing our thing. I was gearing up for a long night in front of the computer monitor and was looking forward to it, too. Video porn relaxed me, and after what had happened today, I was a little worried that the police would come to the house and arrest us for Reno's murder. I was glad that Mama had put that nigga out of his misery because he deserved it. And like she said, think before you act and speak. You just never know who the fuck can say the wrong shit to, and Reno's ass had finally met his match.

If or whenever the police came back to the house, the plan was for us to keep our mouths shut. We didn't know anything, and everybody who knew Reno, they knew he'd had hella enemies. I suspected that fingers would point to me and Simone, but finger-pointing didn't mean shit. The only person who kind of knew how that shit went down was that crackhead chick who was at Reno's apartment. I was going to make some calls later, just to be sure that she wasn't running her mouth. If she wasn't, she was good. If she was, then I'd have to deal with her myself. Mama had done her part and the rest was on us.

Another thing I intended to deal with was this situation with Honey and Karrine. Ever since what I had witnessed that day at the club, they'd been on my mind. I had to be careful about my approach because Karrine was known for saying the wrong motherfucking thing sometimes and setting me off. She needed to come clean about that situation. It was time that I knew the truth.

Before I went to work tonight, I knocked on her bedroom door then opened it. Karrine was lying across the bed while talking on her cell phone. The moment she saw me, she ended the call.

“Who was that?” I asked. “Honey?”

She frowned as if I didn't know what was up. “Why would I be talkin' to Honey?”

I walked farther into the room and sat on her bed. “Because, Karrine, I saw you kissin' him at the club. What's up with that? Ain't he supposed to be like our brother? I don't get what's goin' on with you lately. I'm startin' to feel like you ain't down with us no more.”

Karrine started to bite her nails. “I'm always down with y'all, Chyna, you know this. It's just that me and Mama have our issues sometimes 'cause she be trippin'. As for me and Honey, I guess it really ain't no surprise to you that Ray really wasn't my daddy. So, technically, Honey is you and Simone's brother, not mine. I met him years ago and we hooked up. By then, I knew the deal with Ray, and Honey and me been seein' each other ever since.”

“I'm not surprised about Ray either, but this thing with Honey is a shock to me. So, in other words, when we went to the motel to rob him that day, you knew who he was? And not only that, but he was fuckin' Simone. That's nasty. I don't understand how you're down with that shit.”

“Simone was the one who got on top of him. If she had known he was her brother, she wouldn't have gone there. But ain't nobody tell her that she had to fuck him. That was on her and it has nothin' to do with me.”

“I disagree, but you're you and I'm me. I don't like the idea of you fuckin' with Honey. Somethin' about that whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Karrine just shrugged her shoulders. “I can understand how you feel, but what do you want me to do about it? And just in case you don't already know, I'm not fuckin' with him no more. Mama put closure to that bullshit. She don't want us to see each other anymore.”

“I know what me and Mama want, but what do you want? Are you in love with him or what? Are you goin' to continue to see him, even though we're against it?”

“I'm not in love with nobody. Don't know love, don't show love, unless it's for Mama or for the love of my sisters, right? That's how it goes, and for now, I'm stickin' to it. I may have my gripes about shit, more than you and Simone do, but that's just me.”

I stood and reached out my arms to give Karrine a hug. I understood how she felt. My only hope was that she meant what she'd said about her love for us. Lately, I hadn't been feeling it.

“I need to get out of here so I don't be late for my ten o'clock appointment. How many dates do you have tonight?” I asked.

“Six or seven. I need to get dressed too, so I'll holla at you in the a.m. I'ma take me a long nap afterward; then we'll hit up breakfast at IHOP, okay?”

“Maybe so. I'll let you know for sure.”

I left Karrine's room, feeling good about her being honest with me, but still skeptical overall. We had been keeping so many secrets from each other, like the one I'd been keeping about my man on the side. The thing was, I really liked Marc too. He was the kind of nigga who I could see myself one day marrying and having a whole lot of babies with.

With me being the oldest sister, I really wanted to start a family. I still had dreams of moving away with my family, but me and my man would always live close by. Marc and I had been kicking it for about two years, but not on a regular basis. He lived in St. Louis. I had to drive there to see him, or he had to come here to see me. He had a decent job in the real estate business and his paper was long. We talked on the phone at least four or five times a week, but sadly, Marc had no idea what I had been doing in the privacy of my bedroom. I told him that I worked in sales. Whenever he'd come to Chicago, I invited him to a one-bedroom apartment that I'd gotten over a year ago. That was where we'd met. Nobody knew that I'd had the apartment, nor did they know where it was. I had to keep it that way, because I was certain that Mama wouldn't approve. Maybe not even understand that, even though I was happy, at least by the age of thirty I wanted to be out of this house for good, living in Cali or Miami and being with the man of my dreams.

While thinking about Marc, I changed into a royal blue baby doll negligee made of sheer material. It accentuated the color of my chocolate skin perfectly. With my long braids falling way past my shoulders, I looked like a million bucks. Before my first appointment, I picked up my cell phone to call Marc.

“What's up, li'l mama?” he said, putting a smile on my face.

“Nothin' much. Just gettin' ready to go hang out with my sisters. I wanted to call and tell you that I'll be there tomorrow around noon. Do you want me to meet you at your loft or at your office?”

“Meet me at my loft. The key will be underneath the mat so make yourself at home. I have a short meeting at twelve-thirty, but I should be home after that.”

“Okay, boo. I'll see you tomorrow. Until then, be good.”

“You too, ma. Luv ya.”

“Me too.”

We ended the call. I was so hyped about seeing Marc tomorrow that I put on one hell of a show for my clients. I'd already had about three orgasms, just from imagining that the dildo I was riding while on the bed was Marc's big dick sliding in and out of me.

“Give it to me, daddy,” I shouted while riding the dilly and spreading my ass cheeks so that Gregg could see it easing in and out of me while looking at his monitor. I let out a painful groan each time the dilly went into my dripping wet pussy.

“Gregg, I don't know what I'm goin' to do with you and this big dick! No other man has ever fucked me like this. You sure do know how to make a bitch's pussy dance for you.”

I released my healthy chocolate ass cheeks then backed it up closely to the monitor.

“Lick me, daddy. Stick yo' tongue in my pretty pussy and lick me all over. I want to feel your tongue deep in there, baby. Get it far up in there.”

I couldn't see if Gregg was licking the screen, but his words told me that he was.

“It's so pretty, Dynasty. I could eat this shit forever. I love to watch my dick and tongue turns circles in you. Get on your back so I can see all of it. I want to taste all of you.”

My play name was Dynasty, and this time, I faced the monitor and spread my legs wide. I scooted my pussy as close to the screen as I could get it and toyed with my pearl as Gregg “licked” me.

“Come for me, baby,” he said. “Squirt that shit at me, so I can see how good I've been to you.”

Within a few minutes, I faked an orgasm that satisfied Gregg. His time was up, so I blew him a kiss then waved good-bye.

After cleaning myself up and changing into another negligee, I was on to the next nigga for the night. I didn't get finished with my gig until almost four in the morning. When I went to Simone's room, she was asleep. Karrine had just wrapped up a session and she was down for the count too.

“I'm goin' to sleep,” I said to her as I stuck my head in the doorway. “I may have to miss breakfast in the mornin'. Since Mama is in Vegas, I'm gon' take advantage of it and get away for a few days. You think you and Simone will be okay?”

“I hope so. Tell your mystery man I said hello. If Mama calls, what do you want me to say?”

“Say what you always do. You don't know where I'm at and I'm not in yo' back pocket. Tell her to call me. I'll answer my cell phone.”

“Will do. Get some sleep ‘cause you look tired. So am I. I sholl hate we missed out on goin' to Vegas. Wherever you're goin', don't go too far, just in case the police come back to question us.”

“I won't. I'll be in the area. You can call me, too, if they do show up.”

Karrine said that she would call me. She picked up her phone to make a call then got in the bed. I closed her door, but instead of going to sleep, I packed up a few things and headed to St. Louis.

It only took about four hours to get there, and if anything happened at home, it wouldn't be hard to get back. I needed to get the fuck away for a few days. I hadn't seen Marc for about two months. I hated our long-distance relationship, but for now, it worked for both of us. I was always hyped to see him. This time was no exception.

Marc lived in a downtown loft that required a code to get in. Once I put in the four-digit code, I took the elevator up to the ninth floor. I knocked on the door first, but when I got no answer, I looked underneath the mat for a key. It was there, so I unlocked the door and went inside.

Marc's loft only had one bedroom, but it was laid the fuck out. It was a huge open space with hardwood floors, a double-sided fireplace, a balcony that viewed the Gateway Arch, and a kitchen that any chef would adore.

I tiptoed to his master bedroom, but he wasn't there. The king bed was covered with black silk sheets and fury, fluffy pillows. Black art covered the walls and scented incense burning gave the room a cinnamon smell. Marc must've just left, because I could still see the dripping wet shower inside of his spacious bathroom. I reached for my cell phone to call him.

“Yo',” he said in a playful manner.

“I'm here. I just got to your loft and you got it smellin' pretty damn good in here.”

“I did that just for you, because my funky socks tend to take over when I know you're not coming. Make yourself at home and don't be eating up all those chocolate-covered strawberries in the fridge that I bought for you. Save me some.”

I walked to the fridge. Inside were some chocolate-covered strawberries and a dozen red roses. Marc could tell by my silence that I was looking at them.

“Those are for you too,” he said. “I hope you like them.”

I smiled and shared a little love with my man. “I do, and thanks, babe. I love you.”

“Not as much as I do, but I gotta go. I'll see you in a bit, all right?”

I told Marc that I would see him soon and made myself at home. Knowing that all we would do was fuck the day away and chill, I changed into a silk, button-down pajama shirt that cut right above my knees. Marc had some chicken breasts in the fridge, so I decided to make me a grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing. As I started to prepare the food, my cell phone rang. It was Karrine calling.

“What up?” I said.

“Where are you?”

“Away.”

“Away as in far away or close by?”

“Close by,” I lied.

“Well, the police are here to talk to you and Simone. They're downstairs, but I told them that you went to the grocery store and would be back soon. Can you make it here or not?”

“Unfortunately, I can't, but handle that shit, Karrine. Y'all need to stop dependin' on me for every doggone thing and learn to take care of shit if I'm not there.”

“The problem is you said that you would be here if I called, and the last time I checked you and Simone were the ones who did that shit to Reno at the club. What if the police are here to talk about what happened at his crib? What the fuck am I supposed to say?”

I released a deep sigh. “Get a clue, Karrine. Say what the hell you wish, or better yet, just keep your mouth shut and don't say nothin'. Is that so hard to do? I won't be home until Sunday. Until then, do you.”

Karrine hung up on me, and even though I told her to call me if anything went down, I had hoped that, for once, they could have my back and handle shit while I was away. I was seriously to the point where I was getting tired of seeing about everyone else. What about me? I had a life too, and being with Marc made me feel as if I had a bright future ahead of me. I couldn't help but to think about us, but then my thoughts turned back to my conversation with Karrine. I felt bad about the shit. I hated to go off on her, but when I called back to apologize, she didn't answer. That had me worried. What if I needed to be there to speak to the police myself? I called again, and again, and after the fourth time, Karrine finally answered.