Authors: Allison Hobbs
B
rick absently pushed the buttons on the controller. Every five minutes, he checked the time. It was after twelve in the afternoon. Where the hell was Misty? She never stayed out all night and into the next day like this. It wasn’t like her to be this inconsiderate. She could at least let him know that she was okay.
There was movement outside the apartment door. Voices. The clatter of keys. “Misty!” Brick threw the controller on the floor, leapt up, jumped over the coffee table and rushed to the front door. When the door opened, thinking he was seeing Misty and the ghost of Shane, Brick fell up against the wall, his hand protectively covering his pounding heart. “What the fuck?”
“I know, boo. He looks just like Shane, doesn’t he?” Misty said, just as casually as if she hadn’t stayed out all night. She took a few steps and set her encased laptop on the dining room table. “Brick, this is Dane,” Misty proudly introduced. “Can you believe that shit? They look alike and their names rhyme.” Her smile was wider than Brick had ever seen it. “Dane, this is Brick.”
Dane set his luggage next to his feet, on the floor. He and Brick bumped shoulders, stood back and checked each other out.
“’Sup, man?” Dane mumbled.
“It’s all good,” Brick said, though his expression and vocal tone contradicted his words. His eyes swept downward and settled on the duffle bag and suitcase.
Brick looked at Misty with an arched brow. “Is he staying with us?”
“For a minute. Dane’s gonna be our houseguest, while he helps me expand our business.”
Brick puffed up in fury. “Oh yeah? Just like that. You stay out all night, come back with dude and expect everything to be gravy?” Hurt feelings, along with rage, flared in Brick’s eyes.
“I know. That was real ignorant of me. I’m sorry, Brick. But I was making moves and I really thought you’d be happy about how things turned out,” Misty said, trying to pacify Brick, who looked like he was ready to go into a fit of rage. She couldn’t control Brick when he went off like that. It was easier to manipulate him, when he was nice and calm. “Look at him,” she said, giving Brick a lovely smile as she waved her hand and toward Dane. “Can you believe how much he looks like Shane?”
Softened by her smile, Brick exhaled. “Yeah, the resemblance is crazy,” he admitted, squinting at Dane. “Scared the shit outta me. For a hot second, I thought I was seeing a ghost.” He gave a relieved chuckle. “But damn, Misty, you could have warned me that you were bringing dude home.”
“I apologize for the misunderstanding, man. I thought Lil’ Bit had handled her business.”
Brick didn’t appreciate Dane calling Misty by a new nickname, but he kept his feelings to himself.
“I’m not the type of dude who would try to come between a man and his woman, yo.” Dane bent and picked up his duffle bag. “So, check this out, Lil’ Bit. Give me a ride back to my cousin’s crib. I don’t want no trouble, yo. You told me it was cool. I ain’t no home wrecker. Y’ah mean?”
Misty shot Brick daggers. “Why are you acting like this? You know we need his help. As much as you complain about all the work you have to do, I thought you’d appreciate the fact that I went out of my way to find someone who could help take some of the weight off you.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re so ungrateful; you get on my fuckin’ nerves, Brick.” She turned and faced Dane.
Dane looked past her, locked eyes with Brick. “I feel you, my man. I wouldn’t want another nigga rolling up in my crib either. I only came through ’cause Lil’ Bit said you was aiight with it.” Dane nodded his head toward the door. “Let’s bounce, Lil’ Bit,” Dane demanded. “I didn’t come here to cause a commotion or to disrespect this man’s crib.”
“Brick!” Misty shrieked. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
Brick’s eyes flitted about nervously. If he didn’t rectify the situation, Misty would be hell to live with. “Dude can stay. I was just thrown off guard and shit…”
“See, you don’t have to go nowhere. This ain’t even Brick’s fuckin’ crib!” Misty reached for Dane’s duffle bag, tried to yank it out of his hand, but he pulled it away.
“I said, let’s roll,” Dane said emphatically.
Misty glowered at Brick. “Nigga, if you don’t open your mouth! And you better come correct…”
“Yo, dude, I was just trippin’,” Brick spoke quickly. “You’re welcome to stay here with us as long as you want.” Brick extended himself in false friendship. He even managed to spread his lips into a convincing smile. “If Misty likes it, I love it. That’s how we do. It’s all good. Unpack your stuff; make yourself at home, man.”
Grinning, Misty looked up at Dane. “See, I told you Brick wouldn’t be jealous.” She glanced back at Brick. “Tell him in your own words, Brick. Go ’head, tell him.”
“Jealous! Me?” He snorted. “Never that. Me and Misty been kicking it since we was kids. I acted the way I did because y’all took a nigga off guard.” Brick took a breath and continued his sales pitch. “On some man-to-man shit, I know you gotta feel me, yo.” Brick gave a short laugh. “A nigga don’t like surprises.” He laughed again, put more effort into the sound, making sure it rang out convincingly. “On the real, though, man, it’s cool. Me and Misty got an understanding. We cool like that.”
“H
e’s telling the truth, Dane,” Misty said with a wide smile. “Our relationship is open. Wide open,” she added for emphasis. Proving her point further, she stood up on her tiptoes to give Dane a kiss. Dane hesitated; cut an eye at Brick.
“Do your thing, man.” Brick smiled as if Dane were being silly to even think he was concerned over a little kiss. While the two love birds fed each other tongue, Brick looked away and gripped his chest. His poor heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces.
Misty made the thumbs-up sign and beamed with pride.
“Aiight, then.” Dane set the duffle bag down again. “What we plan to do, man, is take some of the weight off you. You’ve been holding it down alone, so Misty came to me and asked if I could help lighten the load.”
“I appreciate it, man,” Brick said, his tone convincingly sincere.
“I’m gon’ recruit some hustlers; grip up some dope boys off the corner. Them lil’ young niggas out there grinding should be more than happy to put in some work that pays well and provides pussy as an extra benefit.” Dane laughed.
Brick chuckled, but lowered his head in embarrassment, wondering if Misty had told Dane that the majority of the clients were male.
“Once I recruit and train those young thugs, you might be able to retire,” Dane boasted as if he was the man in charge of the business.
Brick shot a look at Misty, trying to gauge how she was handling the nigga acting large and in charge, but she was smiling up at dude like he was some sort of financial genius. Shit, dude didn’t even have his own whip, how the hell was he gon’ recruit a bunch of niggas? Oh, well. The only thing Brick could do was go along with the charade. It wouldn’t be long before Misty figured out that just like Shane turned out to be, this dude was as slimy as they come.
“I’m gon help Dane unpack. Finish playing your game, Brick,” Misty said with an edge to her voice.
Trying to keep the hurt off his face, Brick picked up the controller, started clicking. Eyes squinted in concentration as he blasted figures zooming across the screen.
Dane and Misty went inside the bedroom. At the sound of the closing door, Brick paused the game, set the controller down, rubbed perspiration from his brow as he slumped in his seat, and stared vacantly at the frozen television screen.
Their soft voices, filled with laughter, drifted from the bedroom. He heard the sounds of drawers opening and closing, the clang of clothes hangers. Then their voices dropped to a low murmur. He heard the sound of bed springs, creaking rhythmically.
Brick thought he would die when he heard the familiar sound of Misty’s moan. Dane’s low groan confirmed his suspicion—Misty and Dane were in there fucking.
Brick put the controller down. He stood up and crept toward the bedroom. Standing with his ear pressed against the bedroom door, an anguished Brick grabbed the wooden frame for support. Did Misty want him to come in and join them? Should he knock or just go in and sit on the bed and wait for her to tell him what to do? Without explicit instructions, Brick wasn’t sure how to make his move. Meekly, he gave the doorknob a twist. But the doorknob refused to turn.
“You want this dick?” he heard Dane groan.
He gripped the doorframe so hard, his short fingernails chipped. His free hand, having other business to attend to, wormed its way inside his sweat pants. Aroused by the sex sounds on the other side of the door, Brick unconsciously stroked his penis. Humiliation and agony, combined with overpowering feelings of sexual stimulation, had him bent at the waist, holding on to the doorframe, gasping as his fingers tightened around his swelling length.
“You know I want it.” Misty’s voice sounded choked, high-pitched—desperate.
“Say, please.” Dane’s voice was low, guttural.
“Please, baby,” Misty pleaded.
Brick had never heard Misty even come close to begging. Not even with Shane. Not with anyone, ever! His swollen member grew harder and longer, requiring two hands to handle its throbbing girth.
“Whose pussy is this?” Dane shouted. Curious, Brick became quiet. He stood stock still. With a glimmer of hope, he held his breath waiting for Misty’s answer. Brick couldn’t make out her whispered response. The creaking bedsprings muffled Misty’s voice.
Tell him, Misty!
Brick shouted in his head.
Tell dude that’s my pussy he’s fucking! It belongs to me! Tell him, Misty, baby. Please.
Hunched over, his huge penis in his hand, Brick was a peculiar sight as he moaned in sorrow and groaned in sexual bliss.
“Say that shit like you mean it,” Dane demanded.
“This pussy belongs to you, Dane,” she shouted, like she meant it with all her heart.
“And I don’t want no other nigga up in my shit, ya heard!”
“I won’t let nobody else hit it. Just you.”
The headboard banged against the wall; harsh-ass slaps echoed loudly.
“Oh yes, baby. Slap my ass, pull my fuckin’ hair. Tear this coochie up.”
Some hot sex was going down on the other side of the door. Brick couldn’t control his libido—couldn’t make his pulsating dick understand that it was out of line—behaving inappropriately. It was inexcusable for his dick to betray him right now.
That ain’t no porno chick; that’s Misty in there, mufucka,
he reprimanded his dick, yanking it in anger, trying to bully it into getting a grip. Mad at his dick, mad at the world, he was two seconds from kicking the door down, and pulling that mufucka off his pretty baby. He’d throw that lanky mufucka up against the wall. He’d snap Dane’s back. A broke-back nigga sure can’t fuck with another man’s girl.
Yeah, he could feel his emotions trying to rage out of control. He was about ready to rip the door off the hinges, get in there and stomp the shit out of that nigga; crush the bones in his pretty-boy face. Subconsciously, Brick lifted his foot, picturing himself using his Timberland to shatter all Dane’s bones; especially those in his face. Stomp that bitch until his face wasn’t nothing but blood and mush. Misty wouldn’t be trying to get it in with dude if his face was all fucked up.
“Ooo, you give it so good,” Misty shouted in an impassioned voice that Brick had never heard. “Oh, Dane, I can’t get enough.”
“You sure?” Dane asked, headboard slamming.
“I ain’t never giving this away. It’s yours. You got my coochie on lock.”
Listening to Misty’s wailing was beyond disturbing. When Misty and Shane used to go at it, they both kept their voices down, out of respect for Brick. But Misty was screaming at the top of her lungs, shouting a love chant like her ass was possessed.
Conflicting emotions knotted in the pit of Brick’s stomach. His libido battled with his heart. His heart was wounded, but his libido was powerful; strong.
A long groan traveled up Brick’s throat and escaped his lips. The fornicating couple didn’t hear him. Their rambling, pounding flesh, and the creaking bedsprings drowned out Brick’s heavy breathing and sexual groaning, as his mighty libido disregarded his injured heart.
Misty moaned louder; Brick’s hand moved faster. “Give her that dick, man,” Brick mumbled between panting breaths. “Get up in that coochie. Fuck it hard, like I do.” Caught up, Brick lost control; anguished groans became loud and audible. Misty and Dane could hear every word. “Fuck her, man! Get real deep up in that coochie! Hit that spot! Make her cum!”
Misty cried out, her voice a strident, high-pitched feminine sound. Dane released a pleasure shout—his tenor note accompanied Misty’s music. Brick jerked his dick, fast and desperately. His face contorted, as a white eruption shot out and splashed all over his hand. His ringing baritone added a bottom note to the ménage à trois of sex sounds.
L
ater, worn out from hard fucking, Dane fell into a deep sleep. Misty unlocked the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, nude. She sucked her teeth when she discovered Brick stretched out on the floor outside the bedroom. Snoring loudly, his pants gathered around his ankles and dried cum caked on his thighs and his hand, Brick could really look disgusting when he wanted to.
“Brick!” she whispered, not wanting to wake Dane. Brick stirred slightly. “Brick!” she hissed louder, and then gave him a swift kick.
He jerked awake. “What? What’s wrong?” he blabbered. Disoriented, his arm flew up defensively. When Misty came into focus, he relaxed and lowered his arm.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you out here, sleeping on the floor?”
“I was listening to y’all. I fell asleep by accident.” He wiped drool off the corner of his mouth.
“Look at you!” She pointed downward. “You came all over yourself and didn’t even wash up. You’re disgusting.” She sneered at him.
Brick looked down and frowned at the dried evidence. “Umph,” he muttered and shook his head.
“Yeah, we heard all that noise you made. Damn, Brick. Why did you have to embarrass me like that? I’m trying to make a good impression and you out in the hallway jerking off while we’re making love. You are so ignorant and rude.”
“I’m sorry, Misty. I didn’t know. I thought you wanted me to come in and join y’all—like we talked about.”
“Brick,” she said, injecting patience in her tone. “That’s between me and you. Some things have to be kept on the low until the time is right. Dane doesn’t have to know about that. Not yet. I’m gonna fill him in—eventually. I hope you’re not deliberately trying to mess up my new relationship.”
“No! I was trying to help, Misty. You know I wouldn’t do nothing to hurt you.”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “You didn’t help when I needed you to get Shane straight.”
“Misty, I didn’t have nothing to do with that. I don’t know why Shane bounced.”
“He bounced because he didn’t want to come between you and me. You were supposed to tell Shane that you were willing to step back and let him be number one. You knew how much I loved him and you never stepped up to the plate.”
“I tried Misty. Shane thought I was talking about a threesome and he didn’t want any part of that.”
“Whatever!” She gave him a hand flip. “I’m not gonna let you mess this up, you hear me?”
“I’m not trying to mess it up.” His head was low and remorseful.
She sucked her teeth. Sighed. “Go run my bath water, Brick.”
He nodded.
“Wash yourself up first.”
“Aiight.”
“We gotta talk. On some serious shit, we really gotta talk, Brick,” Misty said, her tone ominous.
Brick stumbled to his feet, pulled his pants up. Terrified that he had fucked up to the point of causing Misty to want to put him out on the street. He searched her face, looking for a clue—some hint of what she intended to say. “Hurry up, boo,” she said softly.
Boo.
That term of endearment gave him a glimmer of hope. Straightening his shoulders, he walked down the hall toward the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, Brick stood at the sink washing up. He stared in the mirror. Uglier than ever, he shook his head at his reflection. Misty was going to give him his walking papers, he could feel it. She was going to tell his sorry ass he had to take an early retirement. He couldn’t blame her.
With that pretty boy working for her, what does she need me for? She don’t need me for nothing,
he responded to his own, troubling thoughts.
Minutes later, he ran Misty’s bathwater, poured in her favorite scented bath gel to add some bubbles and hopefully get his baby in a forgiving mood. He gathered her fluffy monogrammed bath towels, placed them on the ledge of the tub.
He thought about his wanton behavior—how he’d carried on so recklessly outside the bedroom door. What the fuck was he thinking? Knowing Misty, she probably had a plan in mind, was going to let dude know about Brick’s sickness in her own good time. But Brick had careened out of his lane and fucked up her plan.
You dumbass,
he scolded himself. He’d ruined the good impression Misty was trying to make with Dane.
Misty padded down the hallway. As her footsteps grew closer, Brick became consumed by a sense of impending doom. His heart hammered inside his chest as he envisioned homelessness. Living among bums. Crawling in and out of a cardboard box; scrounging around for food.
“Brick.” Misty stood in the doorway, wearing a white terry robe.
“Yeah, Misty, baby?” Too ashamed to look at her face, Brick fixed his eyes on her name, which was monogrammed on her terry robe above her left breast. His eyes lingered on the vibrant pink, fancy-script. He gazed long and hard at the embroidered stitching.
Misty!
He spoke her name in his head, feeling as if he were gazing at her personalized insignia for the very last time.
Choked up, he mentally braced himself for the ax to fall. He bit his lip and looked in her eyes. Feeling ready, he cocked his head to the side. “Give it to me, straight. Whassup, Misty?”
“Oh, Brick, what am I gonna do?” She looked distraught; her words were followed with a sigh.
“Whatchu mean?”
“What am I gonna do about Dane? This is bad, Brick. I’m so in love with him. It’s worse than the way I felt about Shane.” Misty’s shoulders shook, tears spilled from her eyes. “Brick! You gotta help me. Oh, God. I’m in so much trouble.” She sagged against the bathroom closet. Brick instantly swooped her up in his arms.
“I gotchu, Misty.” He lowered the lid on the toilet, sat down with Misty cradled in his arms. “I ain’t gon’ let nothing bad happen to you, Misty. I gotchu, girl.”
“You can’t leave me, Brick. You hear me?”
“You ain’t gotta worry about that, Misty. I’d never leave you.”
“No matter what?” she asked, sniffling and wiping away tears.
“I’m gon’ ride this out. Who knows, you might be able to get him out of your system.”
“I don’t think so, Brick.”
“You never know, Misty.” Brick hugged her close as a physical show of support. He kissed her tear-stained face.
“You’re right. Anything’s possible. But, what are we gonna do in the meantime? You know…while I’m all caught up like this?”
Brick shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll figure something out. You know how we do.”
Misty pulled Brick’s hand up to her lips. Kissed the back of his hand. It was a rare and tender moment. Brick’s heart soared. Then she lowered his hand, positioned it between her legs. Knowing what she wanted, he allowed his longest finger to travel inside her core. In and out, he plunged deeply; her pussy made loud, squishing sounds. Misty reached down and withdrew his finger. Held it up for Brick to appraise his finger, which was stained by another man’s cum.
He felt his erection building. “Whatchu want me to do?” he murmured, overcome by a hazy sensation. Feeling himself giving in to lust. “If you want me to lick your pussy, just say the word. I’ll do it,” Brick offered in a pleading tone. He eased Misty off his lap and immediately lowered himself to a kneeled position on the fluffy bathroom rug.
Misty looked down at him and shook her head. “That’s not what I want.”
“Whatchu want?”
“Give me a bath.”
Brick shot up, ready to do her bidding.
“But, not right now.”
“Oh!” He waited while Misty looked up in thought.
“Did you wash all that dried cum off your dick like I said?”
“Yeah.”
Misty flung off the robe, surprising Brick as she joined him on the floor. “Okay, then. Come and get Dane’s sloppy seconds, boo. I want you to get acquainted with Dane’s seed. That’s a good way to start off a good friendship with him. Don’t you think?”
Anxiously aligning the mushroom-capped head of his dick against her moist opening, Brick plunged in to the hilt.
“Do you feel it, Brick? My coochie is filled up with Dane’s cum.”
Brick growled as he drove in deeper. “Hell, yeah. I feel his nut all over my dick.”
Misty lifted to meet his next powerful thrust. He slammed into her; the sound of slapping flesh echoed in the bathroom.
“We living, baby. This is that shit we been fantasizing about,” Brick exclaimed, fucking fast, giving it to her as hard as he could.
“Don’t I take good care of you?” Misty murmured.
“Yeah,” he moaned.
“Are you my bitch?”
What?
Brick went silent and slowed his pace. Misty had never referred to him in that derogatory manner. She’d joked about putting that caption under one of his flicks on the internet, said she was gonna call him
Kitchen Bitch
, or something like that. But, she was just playing around; he had assumed. But she’d never, ever called him her bitch. He couldn’t respond; didn’t know what to say. Trying to be on point with his fuck game, trying to make sure he was serving her right, was difficult while grappling with confusing emotions all at the same time.
Bitch!
His mind shouted in righteous indignation. His dick, however, began to expand. It stretched a little longer, making it clear that it didn’t have a problem with Brick being called a bitch. In fact, the way his dick was thumping and pulsing and secreting pre-ejaculation, it was obvious that his dick loved hearing Brick being called out of his name.
He’d always been weak when it came to standing up to Misty. When pitted against overbearing Misty and his strong-willed male appendage, Brick’s personal emotions had to be pushed aside. “I’m not gon’ front. We both know what it is—I’m your bitch.” There, he’d said it and the words could not be taken back. Oddly, he felt much better. Purged.
Brick arched his back; pulled up Misty’s legs. Obligingly, she wrapped them around his back. Aiming for her secret spot, he drove in deep and hard. He knew he’d touched it when she started shaking, whispering his name. Instead of hitting it hard, he pulled back.
“Why you stop?” Misty snarled. “You was just about to hit my spot.”
“You confusing me. Calling me Brick. What is it? Am I Brick or am I your bitch?”
“Shut up and fuck me. I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want.”
Brick took the insult; felt it was deserved. Determined to make Misty feel good, he served long strokes, as he sought to relocate her spot. He hit it. She cried out. He pressed against it; driving her wild. Writhing with carnal pleasure, Misty’s vagina clenched as ripples of an orgasm rocked her body. She cursed Brick. Debased him. Called him obscene names, inciting him to release his seed, joining her as she writhed in the final moments of gasping completion.
While Misty lay panting for breath, Brick turned on the hot water faucet, warming her bath. He looked over at his pretty little princess, curled on the floor in a knot.
“You want me to give you a bath?”
“Yes,” Misty whispered, hugging herself.
“Come on, baby, let me clean you up.” Brick lifted her in his arms and lowered her into the warm, sudsy water.
“I love you, Misty. With all my heart.”
“I know you do, Brick. But you can’t expect much from me. Not right now.”
He nodded. “I don’t expect nothing from you. You feelin’ ya boy, Dane, right now. I can dig it. Like you said, we gon’ ride it out. In the meantime, I’ll keep busy—work hard. Feel me? Go ahead and set up as many appointments for me as you want. Shit, give me some Red Bull and a couple swigs of ginseng and I’m good,” Brick said with false bravado. Determined to show love, he washed every inch of her body, inside and behind her ears, between her fingers and toes. When he got to her vagina, Misty opened her legs. With extra loving care, he guided his cloth-covered finger inside her tunnel, twisting it to thoroughly clean every crevice.
Brick felt needed. Loneliness, destitution, and homelessness no longer loomed.
Misty had her eyes closed. She wasn’t listening to one word that Brick was saying. Imagining herself preparing a romantic dinner for two, her mind was on soft music and candlelight.