Thicker Than Water (5 page)

Ree squatted down to the height of the girls and introduced himself. Even the miniature girls were impressed. He stood back up and was almost nose to nose with Tatum. She could feel the attraction brewing between them. He cracked a smile and she backed up to give space, only to bump into a young thug.

"Yo what the fu-"

The young thug interrupted his own statement at the sight of Respect. He looked at Ree with fear in his eyes, and then back at Tatum.

"My bad Ree. I'm sorry Miss, you okay?" The young thug asked, dusting Tatum off as if she had fell and being over polite.

Tatum wasn't about games but she knew how to turn a nigga on. Ree could see the lust in her eyes and the way she batted those pretty browns at him, she was lucky he remained a gentleman. Ree was used to having his way with women, sometimes sharing but never really caring, but there was definitely something different about Tatum. Having enough of the chasing game, he finally cut to the chase.

"Listen Miss, I’m trying to know you, get into your head, see what you about. I'd like to spend some time with you tonight."

"Tonight?" Tatum asked, a little flustered.

Sasha just sat there smiling and excited for her girl. It had been a long time since Tatum had a man and this dude seemed like a God. Both times they saw him he looked fresh, had a fly ride, and spit some real shit. Not to mention the fact that he was sexy as hell.

"Tonight Ms. Lady, you like Mr. Chow's?" He questioned, already setting a date. The only time Tatum had heard of Mr. Chow's was in a rap song.

Tatum sighed but then gave him her address, and he told her he'd be there around eight. As the girls walked away Tatum turned and caught one final look at Ree. He was answering a call on his phone and he looked so mysterious, so deep in thought. She wondered if she could tap into that mystery; get to know all of him.
Oh well, we'll see.

Chapter 3 - Passion

Kim got to work that night at 9 pm. This was actually early for a Saturday night because all of the big spenders didn’t come into the club until around midnight. Kim had been stripping at The Cherry Bar since she was seventeen and she was damn good at it. Sometimes she enjoyed it, sometimes she didn’t, but she always appeared like she did.

She quickly got dressed and went onstage with Lizette. Sasha and Tatum hated Lizette but Kim didn’t have a problem with her, besides the fact that she was full blown dyke. Even during their performances Kim could tell Lizette wanted her. For Kim it was all just acting, although on some nights like tonight when she popped an E pill, she looked forward to it.

Kim wore a black thong, black leather thigh high boots, and a black cowboy hat. Lizette, who was a pretty tanned Puerto Rican girl with long curly brown hair, wore red lace boy short panties, a red lace see thru camisole and red 6 inch platforms. They went on stage and began performing. As they danced on each other, the other dancers walked around to try to get some personals. Kim and Lizette played their role though, they knew some horny bastard would pay to take both of them to The Champagne Room, and they were right.

Pablo, the owner came over to them and said that a gentleman had requested them. Looking over, Kim saw that it was Chauncey’s right hand man E.

Kim couldn’t even talk, she just looked at Lizette and then at E, and then at E’s diamond encrusted watch. Then her lust for sex and her lust for money led her into the room after them.

Once they got inside they wasted no time. E wanted to watch first so he could get in the mood, he liked a show. Lizette immediately began licking and kissing all over Kim as Kim concentrated on seducing E. Lizette licked Kim’s neck to her breasts and down to her bellybutton. Kim resisted at first when Lizette tugged at her panties but eventually gave in and allowed herself to be pleasured.

After a short lesbian show, E got into the action and soon it was a freaky ménage a’ trois. By the time everyone had been sucked and fucked, 2 grand was lying on the table and E was out the door. Lizette took a G and gave Kim a kiss as Kim’s sedated body lay on the floor hardly able to talk or move. Lizette leaned down to her ear.

“I’m gonna definitely see you again,” she whispered and then went back to work. Kim just lay there, high, confused, and still a little horny.

The date was going so great. It was like something out of a book or a song. After a lavish 5 star meal where the chef prepared the food in front of them, they were now at a secret location airport flying out to South Beach, Miami in Ree’s private jet. The nigga was definitely large.

“You sure you're not gonna keep me out all night?” Tatum asked looking around the jet, which looked like someone’s apartment.

“Only if you want me to,” he joked. “You worried sweetheart?” he added, smoothly lighting his Cuban cigar.

“Well. it’s just I have to work on this paper before Monday.” Ree was impressed by her dedication. She had mentioned this paper at least twice since dinner and it showed him that she was serious about school. It was another quality that shined about Tatum.

“Well you just tell me when and we’ll hop right back on the jet, have you home in no time. Is that alright?” He asked, staring into her eyes.

Hell yeah!
Tatum wanted to shout. The man was the shit. He was fly, sexy, powerful, and not to mention extremely intelligent.

Tatum and Ree had talked over dinner about everything from school and work to politics, the war in Iraq, and the New Black Panthers. The shit he kicked was pure inspirational. Tatum was feeling his level.

“Yeah that’s alright.”

Tatum glanced at the boy’s jewelry. It wasn’t over the top, but it was enough to blind a bitch momentarily, make her forget she was dealing with a straight cold blooded killer.

“That’s a nice bracelet, Ree,” she complimented, getting comfortable in the plane’s leather chair.

“Thank you sweetheart, when we get back to Jersey I’ll buy you one.”

Is this guy serious?

“Um, thanks. But Ree, I don’t wear diamonds. There are children in Africa dying over them.”

Ree was beyond impressed. He himself knew this, but couldn’t bring himself to pull away from the attraction of them.

“You’re absolutely right, Ms. Lady. I guess you can just call it a weakness of mine, you know how you do something even though it may be a little bad.”

Tatum cracked a smile, thinking of her doing something with just the two of them on that plane that may be “a little bad”. For a while they just sat there staring at each other. Tatum was in a trance. He had an aura about him that made you want to get close to him. His eyes, his lips, the way he walked, the way he talked, smooth, slow, and in control. But most of all the boy had swagger. As Ree puffed on his cigar, Tatum wondered what he was thinking.

She’s so fucking bad.
Ree thought to himself. He hadn’t even kissed her and he was already turned on. Just the way she moved her mouth and the shit that came out when she spoke made his dick hard. And the white form fitting dress she wore didn’t hurt either. Her jet black hair was straight down her back tonight and her long mocha legs looked like satin. He wanted to wrap them around him and give her what he knew she’d been missing. Not just sex either, but a protector. Someone to take her pain away.

Tatum realized he was asking her the question that she sometimes lay in bed and wondered to herself. But why is he asking this? Does he mean he would want to be her man? Tatum quickly imagined the luxury of possibly being Ree’s girl. She summed it up real nice though.

“Eventually,” she answered nonchalantly.

“Tell me about it,” he insisted, adjusting his seat and tuning into her.

“Well Ree, niggas, or brothers shall I say, are all confused these days. They want this good girl wifey that cooks and cleans, is completely independent driving her own car and holding a good job, sucks and fucks like a porn star but is miraculously a virgin having no sexual track record whatsoever all the while putting up with his shit, baby mamas, bangin, drug-slingin, collect calls, bail, and chicken heads, but when they get her they either don’t know how to treat her or aint worth shit themselves. Tell me Ree, why does a man with nothing want a woman with everything?” She asked matter of factly. He retorted back quickly.

“Why can’t it be a man with something just wants a woman with something too?”

“That’s not usually the way it works though Ree. There’s always one person who has more to offer than the other. And that person ends up feeling all in control like they’re needed and more important than the other person,” she answered intensely.

Ree let out a sigh and shook his head before responding.

“Damn sweetheart.” He leaned forward as if about to say something just meant for the two of them, even though they were the only people on the jet besides the pilot in the cockpit. “You’re smart Tatum, but you got a lot of growing up to do.” He was dead serious. Tatum was offended. No one had ever said that to her.

“Excuse me?” Was all she could come up with in response.

“I mean, don’t take it the wrong way but we all got a lot of growing up to do baby. It’s just that you have a close minded view on relationships. Sometimes people just like to do nice things for others. It’s not about power or importance. Maybe one person has more to offer financially while the other has an abundance in knowledge and guidance. Spiritual wealth, which by the way Ms. Lady is much more of value than any dollar.” Tatum’s heart sank to her stomach. He had her. Everything that she thought she knew about he already knew. He’d been there, mentally he was with her and a man was actually teaching her something. She knew that he was different and she knew right there, that she was in trouble.

It was 9:30 p.m. when Neli stepped out of the bathtub and slid into her silk camisole and panties. She hadn’t seen Ray at all since she’d come home this morning and was running over the excuse she would feed him when she finally did see him.
‘I spent the night at Kim’s last night because I was too drunk to drive and I would have called but…Oh yeah, my phone died.’
She smiled at her own cleverness.

She walked down the stairs slowly, allowing the plush carpet to massage her toes as she admired the beautiful house she lived in. It was extremely comfortable, and although it was a price to pay, like sleeping next to a man you barely knew, and liked even less, it was kind of worth it. Neli went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a vanilla yogurt. Just as she was grabbing a spoon and heading to the living room to catch a rerun of Sex and the City, she heard keys jingling in the door. The thoughts in her head were going a mile a minute.

‘
I was at Kim’s, no we went out. Then, I fell asleep at Kim’s and I forgot my phone, no my phone went dead. My phone went dead.’

“Where were you?” He demanded, storming into the kitchen.

“Hello to you too Ray,” Neli answered sarcastically.

“Where the hell have you been Penelope? You think that I’m going to marry a woman that spends the night out whenever the hell she feels like it, huh?” Ray yelled slamming his car keys down on the counter. Neli turned around to face him and stared him dead in the eye.
‘He’s so pathetic.’