Payback With Ya Life (15 page)

“I gotta be one hunned. We gonna stay on the nigga until it’s just that.” Skye leaned back and got comfortable in his seat.

“Damn, what if I gotta go to the bathroom?”

“Man, you still got a dick. Piss in that bottle and just shut up and chill. As a matter of fact, smoke on this.” He handed him a freshly rolled spliff.

Peanut and Nyla were having a conversation over a seafood platter appetizer. “So has Tameerah questioned you any further about the strange man that isn’t her father coming around?”

“You know she has, every chance she gets. So far she likes you but I think that’s only because you keep buying her toys.”

Just then his celly must have vibrated because he pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. “I’ve been waiting on this call. Excuse me, I need a few minutes.”

“Go right ahead.” Nyla smiled at him.

Peanut got up and took the call. While he was talking he had his eyes on Nyla. She was obviously in deep thought as her gaze was fixed straight ahead. When he sat back down she gave him a weak grin as she twirled a straw and kept circling it around in a tall glass of iced tea.

“A penny for your thoughts, baby girl.” The concern and sincerity in his voice were unmistakable.

“I’m just thinking about us . . . me . . . Tameerah.” She looked up at him and couldn’t help but think about the cards that were on the table and the two times that they had gotten busy. Their first time was a straight fuck . . . and that’s exactly how she’d wanted it. After five long years of very little dick, hell, she needed it, and it was damned good. But the second time they took their time and it felt as if they were really making love. Shit, Nyla was now engaging in a mental battle about the entire situation. She didn’t want to put herself out there, and for what?

He reached over and slid his fingers down her cheek and ran his thumb lightly across her bottom lip. She liked it when he did that. “Talk to me, boo. I’m all ears. What’s up? Finish your train of thought. I need to hear what’s on your mind.”

“Where are we going with this, Peanut?”

He could hear the nervousness in her voice. “I think that’s up to you, Nyla. I’m sure that there is no doubt in your mind that I’m really diggin’ you. You’re the one who’s holding back.” He stroked the side of her face.

“How is it up to me? I’m walking away from a nigga that I’ve been with for the past seven years. Am I just a fuck to you or are you ready to make a commitment?” She moved his hand away from her cheek.

“The ball is in your court. I’ve been checkin’ you for a minute now. I know you’ve got a difficult decision at hand. But check it. I’m not about to be a fill-in while you wait on that nigga to come home.”

“Oh, so it’s all about some temporary pussy, huh? And since you didn’t respond to my question on commitment, I surmise that it’s out of the question. Damn.” She frowned up. “I fucked up a near-perfect relationship for this? What the fuck was I thinking?”

“Naw. It ain’t even like that. Let me hip you to some shit. I know you still love dude. And you’re right, I don’t want a commitment from you. For all I know, that nigga could come home tomorrow and you would leave me hangin’.” Nyla’s face tensed up. “Exactly. Look at your face. All distorted and shit. I’ma roll witchu, shawty. But if you want to fuck with me on the next level, ain’t no turning back. I play for keeps.”

Just as the conversation was getting heated, the waitress appeared with their meals. Peanut canceled his and decided on drinking instead. Just like a good drunk, he always told a sober story. Peanut did not hold back. He ended up telling Nyla his heart’s story, revealing details about all the bitches he went through and how they left him for dead when they thought he was on his way to the joint. But during the entire time he was in jail all he could think about was her. That won Nyla over. Before they knew it they lost track of time and were closing down the restaurant along with the employees.

Melky tapped Skye on the leg. “Here goes your man.” Melky started up the car, ready to tail them.

After Applebee’s they had followed Peanut’s Denali all the way to Nyla’s house where they parked in the cut and waited . . . and waited.

Skye glanced at his watch.

“It’s 3:27,” Melky answered for him.

They watched as Peanut and Nyla indulged in many goodbye hugs, kisses and feels. For a minute it looked as if they were gonna fuck standing right there in the doorway.

“I seen enough of this shit. C’mon, nigga,” Skye was mumbling in an attempt to will Peanut to hurry the fuck up. He didn’t want to leave and miss something. Finally Nyla closed the door and Peanut got in his truck and pulled off, with Skye wanting to follow him but it would have been too obvious to do so at four in the morning. “Another time,” he promised. “Another time.”

Melky started up his Range Rover and pulled off.

Peanut had circled around the block and ended up following
them
home. “Y’all niggas don’t know who the fuck I am or who y’all fuckin’ wit!” Peanut said as he watched them go inside
their
crib.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

B
riggen and Shan were lying in their king-size bed in their new home. Briggen had just retired from fucking her brains out and now the only sounds in the room were the rain and branches pounding against the windowpanes mixed with Briggen’s light snores.

Shan’s gaze was locked on the branches tapping against the window.
What the fuck am I doing?
she kept asking herself.
Am I insane? This is the second time I did this shit. I know Peanut is going to quirk out. And what is Briggen going to do? None of them hoes he got is pregnant. Maybe he had himself un-fixed
. She started giggling at the choice of her new word.

“What’s so funny?” Briggen sleepily asked while startling her at the same time.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Naw, you busted. What’s so funny?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah,” he grunted, eyes still closed and groggy.

“I was thinking that you had a vasectomy and then got it undone.”

“A vasectomy? Where did you get that shit from?” he asked, becoming fully awake.

“Because of all them bitches you fuckin’. Why don’t you have any babies?”

Briggen’s eyes darted over to the bedroom clock and it read 2:21 a.m. He closed his eyes. “It’s three in the morning and you worrying about who I’m fucking and why they don’t have any babies? Go to sleep, Shan,” he calmly nixed her off.

She remained lying on her stomach staring out the window. “So . . . why don’t you have any babies?” she kept prodding. “Briggen, answer me, please. I need to know.”

“Naw, baby, I’m not shooting blanks.”

“So, how come there aren’t any little Briggens running around?”

“Ain’t nobody tryna give me no little Briggens. The bitches I fucks with is only concerned with gettin’ paid. That’s how I like it and how I pick ’em. Why you trippin’ on babies? You tryna give Daddy a little Briggen?” he teased. As soon as he thought about what he had said his eyes popped wide open. He slowly slid the sheet off him, turned over and scooted close to Shan. “What? You tryna give me a little Briggen?” He brushed his lips over her shoulder. She wouldn’t say anything so this time he nibbled slightly on her back. “We can start working on it right now.” Briggen was now very much wide awake and ready to fuck. “You feel that?” He tossed one of his legs across her and began grinding against her ass.

“Briggen, stop,” Shan whined.

“I thought you was ready to give me a little Briggen.” He ran his hand down to her thigh and raised her ass up. He easily and slowly slid his dick inside her. “Yeah, you ready,” he whispered. “Look how wet you are.” He stroked her pussy long and slow. “Ahhh . . . shit this feels good. I’m glad you woke me up. You wanna carry Big Daddy’s son?” he groaned as he pumped a little faster. “Whoa, baby.” His dick grew harder as her sweltering juices caused his knees to buck. He thrust into her deeper but when he looked down at her she was crying.

“Fuck!” he grunted as he pulled out of her, and was out of breath. “Was I hurting you?” She buried her face in the pillow. “Shan, what’s the matter? Talk to me, baby,” he pleaded as she continued crying into the pillow.
What the fuck is wrong with her?
“Shan.” He rolled her over onto her back and she covered her face with both hands. “What I do, baby?” He pulled her hands from over her face.

“I-I—I’m p-pregnant,” she sobbed.

He leaned back on his knees and scanned her body, especially her stomach. “You’re pregnant?” he whispered, still looking at her stomach. “Damn.” He remained frozen in place. Finally, he drew a line from her chest down over her stomach. “You got pregnant quick, girl. When did you find out?” He was talking more to himself than to her. He was very much surprised by this revelation and felt as if he was going into shock.

“Let me up, Briggen.” She wouldn’t look him in the face.

“When did you find out?”

“My first day of my orientation. They gave us all a physical.”

“So . . . why are you crying, Shan?”

“
Why
am I crying, Briggen?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, why are you crying?” he wanted to know. In his eyes he saw no reason that she should be shedding tears because she was pregnant by him. Shit, after all he was Briggen.

“This is embarrassing for me. Now get from over me, Briggen. Let me up.”

She pushed him off her, got up, stormed into the bathroom and locked the door. She grabbed his robe off the hook and put it on. She stood in front of the mirror and was not happy with the person staring back at her. The person in the mirror looked a mess. Her eyes were red and swollen, her nose was runny and puffy. The person in the mirror was asking, “How could you do this again?” She turned on the cold water and splashed it onto her face. The person in the mirror was extremely disappointed. This was a replay of the drama that she had just weeks ago narrowly escaped.

She squeezed her eyes tight when she heard Briggen tap on the door.

“Shan, open the door.” He turned the doorknob. She wet a washcloth and dabbed at her face.

“Give me a minute, Briggen.”

He turned the doorknob loose and repeatedly beat his forehead against the door. “Pregnant,” he mumbled. This was all-new territory for him. None of the chicks he was with were trying to get pregnant. Their focus was on stacking that dough and he was cool with that. Children? As far as he was concerned, a child wasn’t supposed to come until later on. Now he could truly forget about fixing his relationship with Forever. Even if Forever didn’t want Shan anymore, with him getting her pregnant, he knew that Forever would be like it’s the principle of the whole thing. He was kicking himself for not being more careful. This would be the first and the last time that he would slip up like this.

He heard the lock release and backed up. The door came open and Shan walked right past him and headed over to the window. The heavy rains were still pounding against them. She hugged herself as she tried to formulate her words.

Briggen stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. His gaze was fixed on the rain as well.

“What have I gotten myself into? I didn’t plan this. How—”

“Shhhh. Listen to me, baby, let’s just take this one day at a time. Can we do that?” He placed a soft kiss on her neck. “One day at a time. I know this caught you off guard, hell it caught me off guard too. This is very, very new to me.”

“I don’t know what to do, Briggen.”

“We’ll figure it out. It’s no rush. Let’s get some more sleep and maybe we can start hashing it out tomorrow. Plus, I’m supposed to go look at this spot that Markeeta found for a beauty salon. I want you to come with me. I want the shop to be yours.”

“You what?”

“I’m offering you a business, Shan. A chance to stack some dough.”

“Oh, so now you’re revealing your true motives. You’re ready to lure me in and lump me in with the rest of your bitches! What’s in it for you?”

“You know what’s in it for me. I gotta wash my money. It ain’t like you won’t be eating nice off the arrangement.”

“I’m not like the rest of them hoes, money is not my number one motivator.” She waved him off. “I’m going to bed. I’ll be in the guest room.” He stood there and watched her storm out.

What? No she didn’t just storm out like she’s starring on one of them damn soap operas. Shit, this is going to be harder than I thought. And hell, money motivates all them other hoes. Why she gotta be different?
Briggen was talking to himself.

Peanut had memorized the license plate of the Range Rover. He lay back for a half hour before driving off and remembering the address where the Range Rover had pulled up into the driveway and parked. “Nigga, where the fuck you been?” Skye snapped at Forever.

“I’m in transit. I’m out here in redneck Oklahoma City.”

“In transit! They movin’ you? I thought you had pull up in that muhfucka. What happened yo?”

“It’s a long story. I just found out that they sendin’ me to Milan, Michigan. As soon as I get situated you gotta come through; it’s important. I’ll be in touch. And keep this line open.”

“Yo, nigga, hold up. I got some shit you need to hear.”

“Make it quick. They gettin’ ready to count.”

“Your boy, Peanut, I’ve been watching him and he been fuckin’ wifey, man.”

As Forever’s heart unraveled it felt as if it were going to pound through his chest. He was finally getting the news that he had been dreading. “Is this fact or rumor, maine?”

“Nigga you know I ain’t one to come at you with no fuckin’ bitch-ass rumors. I told you I’ve been watchin’ the nigga. I caught them out at Applebee’s and I followed them home and he left the crib about three. I thought they was going to fuck in the doorway, the way they were all over one another.”

“Aiight, man.” Forever had heard enough. He was crushed.

Skye hung up feeling some kinda way because he had had to break that news to Forever. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be locked up and have your shorty walk away from you and leave you for dead. Forever definitely had drama, but Forever was no longer his focus as he zoned in on the honey getting out of the candy-apple-red Corvette. Skye and every other male in the detail shop were drooling. Some were being slick, while others were just outright lusting and making loud and lewd remarks.

The honey apparently had heard enough. “Y’all niggas act like y’all never seen a beautiful lady before,” Janay snapped as she made her way into the shop.

“Aww, bitch! You ain’t all of that. Take yo’ black ass on in there,” a tall lanky, freckle-faced thug yelled out. The two guys with him folded over in laughter.

Janay stuck her head back out the door and said, “If you see a bitch, then smack a bitch, you yellow-ass punk.”

That got a series of oohs and aahs from the customers and workers standing around.

“Youngin, leave that lady alone. She come here all the time,” said the bald old-timer who kept the front of the shop cleaned up and presentable.

“Fuck you, old man! Mind yo’ business,” the freckle-faced thug spat before he hawked up a wad of phlegm and spit it on him.

“That’s a damn shame,” a lady with a McDonald’s uniform sighed as she watched the old man wipe the phlegm off his shirt while mumbling obscenities. The only ones laughing were Freckles and his two boys. Everyone else was looking on in disgust.

Skye lay in the cut with his cap down low, checking out everything as he fingered his Glock. He watched as the men shined up his Vette and wiped Armor All on the tires.

“I’ma make that bitch swallow my nutsack, watch,” Freckles taunted.

The attendant who was working on freckle-face’s ride whistled and held up his keys. “Here you go, maine.”

“Rus, go park my shit. I’ma wait on this bitch,” Freckles ordered. “And tip that nigga. I’ma get you back,” he lied.

“Maine, fuck that bitch! Sharonda and ’em waiting on us,” Rus reminded him.

“Nigga, this shit ain’t gonna take long.” Freckle-face went to the front door and peeked in. “See, here she come now.”

Everyone’s attention, especially Skye’s, went to the tall, fine, bodacious and chocolate Janay coming out the door. The attendant was calling Skye but he brushed him off.

Freckles hauled off and smacked her dead across the face. “I see a bitch so I’m smackin’ a bitch,” he gritted on a stunned Janay. “Now whatchu got to say?” he based up, as he got all up in her face.

“I ain’t got shit to say. I let my pistol do the muthafuckin’ talkin’.” She whipped out her pistol and aimed it at his face.

“Nooooo!” Skye yelled out, and a shot rang as he pounced on Janay. Everyone in the parking lot ran and ducked for cover.

“That bitch aimed at me,” Freckles cried in disbelief.

“Aimed? She shot at you!” Rus yelled. “C’mon, man, let’s get the fuck outta here.”

DunDee, the owner, came running out.

“Y’all got five minutes before the po-leece get here. I told y’all hoodlums before, don’t bring dem guns ’round my ’stablishment. This a place of bidness. If anybody gonna be shootin’ it’s gonna be me!” his southern baritone voice bellowed throughout the parking lot.

“You all right?” Skye looked Janay over.

“Hell no. Thanks to you, I missed,” she seethed.

“Put your piece away and get outta here. Is that punk-ass nigga worth you takin’ residency in the penitentiary? You got any kids? Trust me, my girl is in the penitentiary. You don’t want to be there. Especially for no bullshit.” Skye was trying to get her to think logically.

“That punk muthafucka put his hands on me! My damn daddy don’t even do that.” She was so mad her face was feeling hot as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

He took her by her elbow and led her to her ride. “C’mon, we need to get out of here.”

“Damn it! I didn’t even get his license plate. I gotta go after him.” She was now shaking. The attendant gave her the keys and they fell to the ground.

“Calm down, Miss Lady. You ain’t in no shape to go after nobody. Don’t worry about them. I can find them for you. Get in.” He helped her into the car. “We need to get out of here before the po-po comes.” He could have sworn that he saw steam come out of her nose.