The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy (10 page)

Read The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy Online

Authors: JaQuavis Coleman

Tags: #Fiction, #African American, #General, #Urban

BOOK: The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy
3.37Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
AMERICAN DREAMIN’
Chapter Twelve
Nautica gripped the woodgrain steering wheel and rode down the freeway going east toward Baltimore. She smiled as she looked around the car and its leather interior. Sweetie had left the car title in the glove compartment, like a dumb ass, so Nautica knew she had just got a new car. Her smile eventually turned into a pained look as she remembered how she and Khia always talked about their first Benz.
She began talking to herself, trying to sort out her thoughts about her next move.
“Now that I got the money, I’m good. I am about to go to Baltimore and get on my shit, watch!” she said, trying to convince herself that everything was okay. She looked down at the navigational screen that sat just above the CD player. She had set it to lead her straight to Baltimore. She still planned on going to the open audition that the casting director invited her to, because by the way the bag felt, she knew that Sweetie had spent a nice chunk of the money.
Nautica couldn’t shake the thought of her dead cousin, though. No matter how hard she tried, tears seemed to keep coming. “My heart hurts. But I know you are up there watching me, bitch.” She smiled. Khia and her used to always call each other bitches good-naturedly. Nautica had never thought so much about the little things they shared.
I’ma be okay and I’m still going to live out our dream, K
.
Nautica felt as if she had an angel with her, and she promised herself and Khia that she would have the American dream, just like they had planned before Khia’s untimely demise.
Nautica made it to the place where the auditions were being held. She walked through the mall with confidence, rocking her tight Dior jeans with a white bebe shirt, and the heels had her behind sitting upright and perfect for the viewing eye. She had her hair pulled back tightly, and her soft baby hair rested flawlessly around her edges. She felt alive again, as she hid behind the black Dolce & Gabbana shades. She had stopped at a couple malls along the way to Baltimore to get fresh and, yes, she was fresh to death.
She’d counted the money and discovered that she had just about $55,000 left. She couldn’t believe Sweetie had spent close to $25,000 in a day’s time, but she was grateful that she at least got some of the money back. The Mercedes Benz wasn’t too shabby either.
As Nautica got closer to the middle of the mall, where all the cameras were, she saw a long line of females waiting to get auditioned. Her heart dropped as she saw the hundreds of girls waiting to take her part.
Oh, hell naw
. She stopped in her tracks. She took her place in line as she got prepared for a long wait. A very long wait.
A girl with a ghetto weave job and long fake nails said, “Girl, I got this shit. It’s a wrap! As soon as they see me, I’ma get the part.” She wrapped her gum around her finger and continued to talk loudly to her friend in front of her in the line.
Nautica looked the girl up and down.
Bitch, please
. She kept thinking about the money in her trunk. She had to hurry up and get back to it. She didn’t want to lose it again.
Nautica had been in line for about two hours and was now only three people back from the start of the line. She had been looking over the small script that one of the directors had given every girl. The paper only had five lines on it, which she memorized within fifteen minutes. She smiled as she saw Benny sitting next to the director auditioning the girls. He didn’t see her in line, but Nautica knew that once he saw her again, she would get the part.
The ghetto girl in front was still talking loud. “Yeah, girl, I got this shit.” She looked at herself in her pocket-sized mirror. “Benny Donovan, the casting director, gave me a personal invitation.” She whipped out the same business card that Nautica had.
Fuck!
Nautica wasn’t feeling so special any more. She shook her head and looked over her line one last time.
“That’s it!” a white man said, waving his arms. “That’s a wrap! Auditions are over.” He hopped out of his chair.
Nautica’s jaws dropped as she looked around in confusion, and an abundance of displeased sighs and mumbles erupted from the rest of the girls in line.
The ghetto girl in front of Nautica in the line began to throw a fit. “What the fuck you mean, that’s a wrap? Wrap my ass!” she yelled. “I have been standing here for two hours! Somebody gon’ audition me!” She threw her hands on her hip and waved her arm in the air, snapping and jerking her neck.
Nautica threw both of her hands in the air. She had driven all the way to Baltimore for nothing. She threw the paper with the lines on it onto the floor and stormed off.
Her heels clicking the floor got Benny’s attention. He saw her profile as she turned to leave. “Yo’, hold up,” he said to the producer as he ran after Nautica. “We got one more audition!”
Nautica looked back and saw Benny coming after her.
“Hold up, ma!” he said as he approached her. “I thought you weren’t coming.” Benny led her back to the video shooting area. “Let’s see what you got.”
The same ghetto girl stepped out of line and in their path. “Why that bitch get to audition? I was in line before her!”
Benny yelled, “Security!” and just like that, two bulky, cock-diesel men escorted her out the building kicking and screaming.
Nautica smiled and walked past the other girls.
Here goes nothing,
she thought as she walked in front of the director to show him what she could do.
“You did great,” Benny said as he sat down with Nautica at the food court.
Nautica smiled and sipped on her milk shake, feeling antsy inside. She knew she did well by the way the directors’ faces lit up after her audition. They’d told her on the spot that she had the part. “Thanks,” she said, trying not to sound too excited.
“We will go over the paperwork tomorrow morning.” Benny dug into the Chinese food in front of him.
Nautica shook her head. She studied Benny’s appearance. She couldn’t see herself being more than friends with him. She wasn’t feeling the pretty boy S-curl and the manicured fingernails. She agreed to have lunch with him just because he was the reason she got the part. She would play the stripper girlfriend of one of the corner boys on the show. It was a small role, but it paid $10,000 an episode, which was good money to Nautica.
“Benny, I just want to say thank you again for the opportunity. You really looked out.”
“It’s all good. You have a lot of talent, and you have a face for television.” He made a rectangle with his hands around her face as if she was on a television screen. “But, look, let’s celebrate.” He wiped his hands with a napkin. “Everyone from the set is going out tonight and partying just before we start filming. You game?”
Nautica said as she lit up, knowing that the stars of the show would be in attendance. “Yeah, I’m down.”
“Cool. I’m going to introduce you to some directors and heavy people in the business. A lot of movie stars and filmmakers are going to be there. It’s a good way to network. It’s a very exclusive event.”
“Cool.” Nautica was beginning to like Baltimore more and more by the minute. She’d only been there for a couple of hours, and already she’d landed an acting job and an invite to an industry party.
“Here is the address. Meet me there at ten.” Benny wrote an address on a napkin. “It’s a white party.” He got up, dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table for a tip, and walked out.
Nautica smiled as she watched Benny walk away.
I could get used to this
. She put the napkin in her purse along with the hundred-dollar bill he’d left for the waitress. “I’ll take that.” She slid the bill into her purse.
THE WHITE PARTY
Chapter Thirteen
Nautica pulled up to the loading dock’s parking lot, where the bright lights that shined from the huge yacht captivated everyone’s attention. She saw people loading the dock from the long red carpet that led up to it.
She had gotten a hotel room near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, a place she decided to call her home until she knew her next move. She’d stood in the hotel’s mirror for hours to get just right for the spectacle, and she knew she was the shit that night. She took a deep breath and gave herself one last look in her visor’s mirror to make sure her shit was intact.
Nautica stepped out and graced the pavement with her brand-new Manolo Blahnik. She pulled down her small black dress that attempted to rise up. Lines of luxury cars occupied the spacious car lot, which looked like a Mercedes dealer’s lot, with all the Benzes lined next to each other. Her heart began to speed up as she approached the ladder that led to the boat, as all the lights overwhelmed her.
I couldn’t get used to this
. She made her way up the yacht and approached the man with a clipboard who stood at the top of the ladder. She smiled and said, “Nautica Fairfax.”
The big brawny guy ran his index finger down the list. He flipped the page and repeated the same thing, mumbling. After a couple of seconds he looked at her and shook his head from side to side. “Sorry, ma. Your name isn’t on the list.”
“Are you sure? It’s Nautica Fairfax.” Nautica said as she took a glance at his list for him.
He quickly pulled the clipboard close to his chest and shook his head no. Nautica cocked her hip to the side, trying to show him her full figure. He took a glance at the pretty sight, but he wasn’t falling for it. He continued to shake his head and began to wave other people to come up past her.
“This some bullshit,” Nautica whispered. She turned to head back down the stairs. She was so embarrassed because she people had to step aside to let her down. It was like the walk of shame.
“Yo’, Nautica! Nautica!” a man’s voice called.
Nautica turned around and saw Benny waving for her to come up. He was standing right next to the same man who’d told her she wasn’t on the list. She smiled and headed back up the stairs.
When Nautica reached the top of the stairs again, Benny, a bottle of Moët in his hands, took a look at her up and down. “Hey, what’s going on?” He wrapped one arm around her.
“Hey, Benny.” Nautica brushed past the doorman and gave him a menacing stare. She followed Benny up another set of stairs, wraparound stairs made of glass, that sat in the middle of the deck. She’d never seen anything like it.
They reached the beautiful, gigantic dance floor at the top, where people were two-stepping to the sounds of R. Kelly and the place was crowded. The sub woofers let out a crisp sound of harmony as everyone was dancing and having a great time.
Benny looked Nautica up and down and giggled loudly.
“What’s so funny?” Nautica nervously pulled down her dress and looked at herself.
“No, it’s nothing. I just see you decided to be different, huh?” He brushed off his white linen shirt with his free hand.
Nautica began to see a trend. She looked around and noticed everyone seemed to be wearing white. She had fucked up
.
She’d been so nervous, she hadn’t even noticed.
A white party,
she said in her head. She put her hand over her face in embarrassment and began to laugh. She thought that meant that the party was going to be full of Caucasian people. “Oh my God.”
“It’s cool.” Benny grabbed a flute glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter and handed it to Nautica.
Nautica graciously accepted it and downed it just as quick as she got it. She needed something to loosen her up, get her more relaxed.
“Let’s go in the VIP section so I can introduce you to some people.” Benny extended his forearm so Nautica could latch on. She wrapped her arm around his, and he led her to the back of the gigantic yacht.
The back section was sectioned off by velvet ropes and had its own bar and bartender. Mostly everyone in the section had their own bottle of champagne in their hand, and most of the attention was toward the back, where a group of men sat.
Benny led Nautica to the bar and ordered a bottle of Grey Goose. Nautica sat next to him and slowly sipped from her flute glass. She noticed a group of girls focusing their attention on one particular man, who sat in the middle of the entourage. The man didn’t pay any mind to the woman who danced seductively around him, obviously trying to get his attention. Nautica knew instantly he was someone important.
The men in his entourage were drooling over the woman, but he acted as if they weren’t even there, just slowly bobbing his head and sipping on the bottle of Moët in his hand.
Nautica kept her eye on him as Benny tried to spark small talk with her. She was trying to listen to Benny, but her attention was on the man that seemed to be so important.
Benny noticed that Nautica’s attention was on the crowd in the corner. He glanced at them and then back at her. “That’s Tical Manny,” he said, grabbing the Grey Goose bottle and cracking it open. He took a sip of the liquor. “He is a financial backer for the show. He helped pay for it, before the network picked it up. He’s real tight with the creator of the show.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nautica couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. She was surprised to hear he was a part of the show; he didn’t seem like that type.
Tical was young and had a rugged look. His facial hair laid on his face perfectly, yet wildly. His five o’clock shadow reminded her of the rapper Jim Jones. He wore a crisp white Polo shirt with white linen pants, and his white fitted cap was pulled down just above his thick, dark eyebrows, barely displaying his hazel brown eyes. His brown skin was sort of an almond color. He had on a platinum chain that hung to his belt buckle that totally outshined any piece of jewelry on the boat. He gave off an aura that screamed
power
.
Nautica was feeling him and definitely wanted to learn more. She stopped staring and focused her attention on Benny. She caught a glimpse of his manicured nails and wondered if he was gay. Usually her “gaydar” was on point, and though she really couldn’t tell with Benny, she had her suspicions.
A butch-looking female with cornrows, about five foot four, walked over to Benny with an extended hand. She wore an all-white tee with baggy jeans. She slowly pulled up her sagging pants. “What’s good, Benny?” The woman slapped palms with Benny.
“What’s good, Scoop?” Benny embraced her.
“Ain’t shit. What’s been going on?” she asked in her deep Baltimore accent.
“Nothing. Just getting ready for filming to start.” Benny turned to Nautica. “Yo’, I want you to meet Nautica. She’s going to be playing the love interest of one of the corner boys this season. Nautica, this is Scoop. She’s going to have a big role this season.”
Scoop looked at Nautica up and down and slowly began to rub her hands together. She had such a heavy thug demeanor, Nautica briefly forgot she was a girl.
“What’s good, ma?” Scoop continued to stare at Nautica’s shape.
“Hello.” Nautica extended her hand. She quickly turned her attention back to the bar and took a sip of her drink. She didn’t want Scoop to think she swung that way.
“Yo’, listen, we about to blow a spliff on the roof,” Scoop said to Benny. “You coming?” She pulled out a bag of lime-green Kush from her pocket.
Benny put on a big smile and nodded his head. He followed the weed as if it was a pendulum being held by a hypnotist. “Yeah. You smoke, Nautica?”
Nautica wasn’t a heavy smoker, but she wanted to mingle and not throw a wrench in the plans. “Yeah, a little,” she said as she stood up off the bar stool.
They all went up to the roof on the vacant third level with perfectly polished wooden floors and running Jacuzzi in the center. The vibration of the music from the bottom floor thumped against their feet as they walked to the edge of the boat and stool by the rails of the ship.
Nautica stared at the big ocean that lay before her, and inhaled the invigorating fresh air. The moon’s glow shined brightly and created a purple hue that bounced off the massive water, and the sound of the waves created a relaxing melody.
Scoop began to twist up the smoke, her eyes on Nautica, but Nautica continued to stare out into the ocean, while Benny stood next to her downing his liquor.
“Here.” Benny attempted to hand Nautica the bottle of liquor, but Nautica put her hand up, not wanting to get too drunk in the midst of so many people she didn’t know.
She stood there looking at the ocean as Benny and Scoop conversed. She saw right through Benny. He was corny and boastful. She quit listening after the fifth time he mentioned his fleet of Benzes.
Benny pulled a couple red pills out of his pocket and slipped one to Scoop. He thought he was being slick about it, but Nautica saw when he went into his pocket. She immediately knew they were ecstasy pills.
Nautica took a deep breath and turned her head, like she didn’t see him pass it.
I don’t know what kind of party this nigga thinks it is. But he’s got another thing coming.
She rolled her eyes. She wanted to leave her past life in Flint. She didn’t want to start rolling again.
She felt hands go up her dress and quickly turned around and slapped them away. Scoop had tried to rub her vagina. Nautica looked over at Benny, thinking he would have interjected, but he was holding his crotch and staring at her body.
Scoop inched closer to Nautica. “Come on, ma. Don’t be shy.”
Nautica placed her hand on Scoop’s small-breasted chest, to stop her from invading her personal space. “Back the fuck up. I don’t get down like that.” She glanced at Benny, waiting for him to jump in, but instead he grabbed her behind.
“Man, I thought you said she was a jump-off.” Scoop waved her hand in dismissal and headed toward the stairs.
Benny became more aggressive and grabbed Nautica by the waist, pulling her close to him. Nautica tried to push him away, but Benny was too strong. She felt his tongue on her neck.
“Stop, Benny!” Nautica yelled. “Stop, mu’-fucka!” She smacked the shit out of him.
Benny immediately looked at her like she was crazy. “You li’l ghetto bitch. I’m the one who got you the part and you acting like a bitch?” He cocked his hand back, and Nautica flinched and closed her eyes.
Out of nowhere a hand came and grabbed Benny.
“What the fuck?” Benny turned around to fight whoever was getting into his business, but his attitude quickly changed when he saw the hazel eyes looking down at him.
Nautica opened her eyes and saw the same man she’d noticed earlier releasing Benny’s arm. The hazel-eyed man had another muscular man standing next to him, both of them staring at Benny.
“You drunk, Benny. Yo’, Gunplay,” he said calmly, displaying his charming smirk.
“Yeah.” The well-built man stepped up closer to Benny.
“Show this nigga the door. He needs to go home and sleep that liquor off.”
Benny looked back at Nautica and then back at the man. He straightened up his collar. “You right, Tical.” He started to walk toward the stairs, Gunplay escorting him.
Tical placed his hand on Benny’s chest and stopped him in his tracks. “You forgetting something.” He threw his head in the direction of Nautica, who was fixing her dress.
“Oh, yeah.” He turned toward Nautica and began to walk up on her with an apologetic face. “Nautica, I’m sorry abo—”
Nautica didn’t give him a chance. She gave him a firm smack to the side of his face that echoed throughout the top deck, and left a handprint on Benny’s face, which instantly became red.
Gunplay let out a small chuckle. “Shorty ain’t playing no games,” he said, instigating.
Benny’s reaction was totally different from the way he acted when she’d smacked him the first time. He just bowed his head and turned around to leave.
Nautica shook her head in disgust. She then focused on the handsome man that stood before her. She knew he was an important person, from the way Benny reacted to him. She tried to straighten up her hair. “Thank you,”
“It ain’t nothing. You good?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I don’t know what’s wrong with that fool. I don’t get down like that.”
“Don’t trip. Benny just gets stupid sometimes. I’m Tical. So what’s your name?”
The man stared into Nautica’s eyes. He didn’t smile, but he had a softness that shined through his beautiful hazel eyes. He had a small teardrop tattooed just under his right eyelid, which Nautica found very attractive.
“I’m Nautica.” Nautica extended her hand. She realized she was still frowning from Benny’s actions and quickly straightened her face up. She shook his hand and quickly turned around. She regretted slapping Benny. She knew she’d just blown her chance at the acting role. She stared into the ocean, totally ignoring the man behind her.
Tical joined her and looked into the ocean also. “What’s wrong?”

Other books

Blaze by Andrew Thorp King
Friday's Child by Clare Revell
Fixin’ Tyrone by Walker, Keith Thomas
The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie Jr.
Shiver by Cooke, Cynthia
Anna Finch and the Hired Gun by Kathleen Y'Barbo
The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne
Evergreen Falls by Kimberley Freeman