Authors: Cynthia White
Chapter 3
Gina gave birth to our son one cold
-
ass morning in the middle of October. He was stillborn. Death wasn’t through with me yet
; t
hat wild nigga had infected my world and was slowly ripping away everybody I had love for. I felt like I was starting to lose my damn mind. I missed my mother
, and
I missed my big sister more. I had nightmares about my family and son almost every single night
; s
leep grew almost as painful as real life. I couldn’t forget
,
so I got high.
When m
y high
started
to come down
,
I
’
d get high again. I went from woman to woman
,
fucking anything with a fat ass and a pulse. Sex was just another drug to me. When I was inside a bitch
,
I didn’t have to think
; a
ll I had to do was feel
-
and nothing felt as good as pussy.
While I was
trying my best
to run through every bitch in St. Louis
,
Gina got pregnant by another nigga
- and n
ine months later
,
she gave birth to his son. As soon as li
’
l man arrived
,
her babydaddy got gone
; t
hat bitch stayed choosing the wrong niggas. I felt bad for her
,
so I hooked her and her shorty up with a crib, a car seat, some clothes
,
and some cash to get whatever else they needed. Gina cried her pretty little eyes out while thanking me over and over again
,
like I
’
d just given her the keys to the kingdom. The truth was that I really didn’t do it for her
-
I did it for li
’
l man
; j
ust because his father wasn’t man enough to take care of his responsibilities didn’t mean that he wasn’t worth somebody caring about. My deadbeat
-
ass father didn’t care about me, but I promised myself that whenever I had a shorty I
’
d be there, that I
’
d take care of them, provide for them
,
and
–
most importantly
–
I
’
d know them. Muthafuckas could say what they wanted to say about Boss
-
but they can>> but tould never say a nigga wasn’t loyal.
Li
’
l Man was only three weeks old when Gina’s moms kicked them both out of her house
; s
he had three little kids of her own to take care of and
had
warned Gina a long time ago that she wouldn’t be raising no grandbabies. The woman might have been cruel
,
but she wasn’t no bullshitter. She gave Gina twenty
-
four hours to find somewhere else to stay
– and i
t wasn’t long before my cell started blowing up. At first I said no, absolutely not, but that bitch knew how to play dirty. She was probably pinching the shit out of li
’
l man
‘
cause as soon as I turned her down he started screaming at the top of his lungs.
Dirty bitch
. She hit me right where it hurt. Fifteen minutes later
,
I was out in the middle of a fuckin
g
rainstorm
,
driving halfway across town to pick up a hoe I used to fuck and her baby by another nigga. If I didn’t know myself better
,
I would have sworn that I was some sucka
-
ass nigga.
The way that bitch smiled when she climbed into my warm truck made me want to grab her ass up by the throat.
“Thanks Boss
,
”
s
he whispered in
the
little cartoon voice she only used when she was trying to come off all sweet and innocent. “I really appreciate this.”
“This ain’t no free ride, Gina.” I shut her and her
‘
little good girl
’
act down instantly. “You wanna stay at my place
,
you gonna have to live by my rules.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?” My anger spilled out of my mouth and spread through the air like an epidemic. I wasn’t in the mood to play her little games. I
’
d fucked with Gina long enough to know how she got down
; s
he craved drama
,
while a nigga like me was certified drama
-
free.
“Boss, I’ll do anything you want me to do. I’ll cook. I’ll clean. I’ll take good care of you and the baby.”
The tears welling up in her eyes weren’t as
e
ffective as she would have liked them to be. That shit didn’t work on me anymore
; i
f she wanted me to believe that she could hold shit down like a real bitch
,
she was going to have to stop
talking
about it and start
being
about it.
“We’ll see
,
” I replied back in a tone
dripping with sarcasm. “One chance
,
Gina
; t
hat’s all I’m givin’ yo ass.”
My warning was stern, but I didn’t want there to be any confusion on her part
; w
e weren’t a couple. I was concerned for her son, but he wasn’t mine. I had known way too many niggas that got trapped in some shit they really didn’t want to be in
-
all because they had pity for some chick. Not me
;
I knew when to cash out. Me and Gina didn’t wohey didnrk for a reason. She wanted one thing out of life
,
and I wanted something altogether different. Once I was done
,
I was done for good. I didn’t see the need to play games.
O
n the way back to my place
, t
he rain started to fall twice as heavy
, and t
rying to drive in that shit was a nightmare
;
I couldn’t see anything beyond the beam of my headlights. My truck had never been driven that slow before. Li
’
l man wasn’t in a car seat
,
so I didn’t want to take any chances. I used the extra time to strategize. My mind was overflowing with ideas. It was time for me to move up a notch or two. I was only sixteen
-
years-old, but in my eyes I was a man, a grown
-
ass man with bills and countless other responsibilities. Eventually, I wanted to be the most powerful nigga in the STL
-
and I was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.
Chapter 4
Th
e
very next morning
,
I woke up to the fire
-
ass smell of hot buttermilk pancakes, cheese eggs
,
and thick-cut maple bacon still sizzling in the skillet. Gina had something to prove
, but
I really didn’t give a damn what her motivation was
- m
y stomach was growling like a mad Pit bull. I rolled out of bed hungry as hell and headed straight for the kitchen.
“Mornin’
,
Boss.” Gina looked over her shoulder just long enough to greet a nigga and toss him
a
sweet smile. “This bacon will be done in a minute.”
I didn’t say anything at first. Gina never was a hard nut to crack
; t
he bitch was as transparent as a roll of Scotch tape. Still, I sat down at my kitchen table and watched her while she worked. The long white
T
-shirt she was wearing barely blocked my view
, and h
er ass was magnificent. I thought about fuckin
g
her again
– but t
hen I thought about all the bullshit that came along with that ass. My big head said it wasn’t worth it
, but m
y little head screamed
,
N
igga fuck that shit! She owe you
. They both had their good points and their bad. Gina was a good fuck. Her body was built for it
; t
hat bitch had moves that could cast a spell on a nigga. You had to be careful when dealing with some shit like that. A bitch with some good pussy had the potential to be dangerous
– and a
bitch with some good pussy who knew her shit was fire could ruin a nigga and bring down an entire empire.
“Here you go.” Gina smiled at me again as she put the plate of pancakes, bacon
,
and scrambled eggs down in front of me. “You want some orange juice?” She batted her naturally long eyelashes
,
then ran her hands through her thick
,
wavy hair.
I wasn’t buying what she was selling. My eyes may have
been
focused on
the
hard nipples peeking out from underneath the thin cotton fabric
her body, but I could control myself. I wasn’t a fuckin
g
animal.
“Yeah, I’ll take some OJ
,
” I answered her back
,
then gave my full attention to the feast before me. That was one thing I missed about living with my big sisters
: t
hey fed a nigga. Ever since I
’
d been living on my own
,
my breakfasts mostly consisted of Fruit Loops, Cap’n Crunch, or Cocoa Puffs. Half the time
,
I didn’t even have milk for the shit
;
I
’
d just stuff my hand in the box, grab up a handful
,
then hit the streets. I didn’t get paid to eat. If a dopefiend hit the block looking for a rock and I was nowhere to be found
,
they weren’t about to wait around
; t
hey were moving on to the next hustler. I couldn’t knock them. It was just how the game was played
;
always had been
,
and always would be. You either understood it or you suited up, put on a tie
,
and got a nine
-
to
-
five.
“Go on and get that sack off my nightstand and roll me up a blunt
,
” I mumbled to Gina with a mouth full of some of the best pancakes a nigga had ever eaten. “Make it a fat one.”
“I got you.” She took her orders with respect
,
like a good little soldier. “I’ll be right back.”
As she rushed off to complete her chore
,
my eyes once again locked in on her booty
– and s
he must have known I was looking because her little fast ass started switchin
g
extra hard. If she didn’t care that she wasn’t wearing any panties
,
then neither did I. Gina was fine. She always had been. Her looks were never the issue
- h
er self-esteem was. She didn’t have any. Not even a drop. Some niggas might have liked that shit
,
but I didn’t. I had to be with a bitch that looked the part as well as acted the part. A Boss nigga needs a Boss bitch. Even though it hurt like hell when our son was stillborn
,
a small part of me was relieved that I wouldn’t have to be tied to Gina for the rest of my life. Looking out for her was one thing, but I didn’t love her simple ass. I couldn’t
...s
he didn’t even love herself.
Five minutes after she disappeared into my room
,
Gina reappeared with a blunt the size of my thumb
- a
nd I was a nigga with some big
-
ass hands. She fired it up for me
,
then held it up to my lips while I took a few long puffs.
All of a sudden, t
he pancakes were even more fire than before. I hit that shit again
,
and my orange juice seemed to get colder and more flavorful. I continued to smoke and eat for the next fifteen minutes. When I hit that first Newport
,
I was done for. All I really felt like doing was loungin
g
around all day, smokin
g,
and watchin
g
some of my favorite DVDs. I was full as a muthafucka
,
and being full always made me want to be lazy. Too bad lazy niggas don’t get paid
; s
,
it was time to hit the block.
I was out on my grind, mindin
’
my own damn business when she caught my eye. This chick was more than bad
; s
he was absolute perfection. The last thing I needed in my life was another complication
-
but trying to tell that to my dick was impossible. He didn’t listen for shit. He tried to tell me that this one was something altogether different, maybe even special, but I wasn’t tryin
g
to hear his ass. He was a troublemaker. All I wanted to do was get paid
, and a
ll his horny ass wanted to do was get laid. There was no compromise. Once he got a taste
,
it was on
; o
ne bitch turned into two
,
and two multiplied into four.
It was a known fact that I loved pussy. It was my second favorite thing
-
but money would always be number one. Sometimes I couldn’t even enjoy fuckin
g
because I
’
d be thinkin
g
about all the money I was missing. I had a savings account with a ten thousand dollar balance and safe in my apartment with just over eighteen grand, but it wasn’t enough
...
I was still hungry.