Sugah & Spice (25 page)

Java said goodnight to Coffee and tried to sleep. That night she was plagued with nightmares about her son being taken away from her.
The dream was always the same, but that night it was
different. That night Java got a chance to touch him, hold him and love him. When she tried to reach him, she did. In the other dreams she never got close enough to him to feel him.
 

Sugah was speechless
by
the way Java tried to pretend nothing was happening. “Who does she think I am? I can smell bullshit
from miles away,” Sugah said
to herself. Her phone buzzed, causing her to jump. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Espresso.

“Where in the hell have you been all day, bruh? I have been trying to get in touch with you for hours on end. There is some strange shit going on and we need to talk.” Espresso rubbed his chin. He needed to shave but all he could think about was what Coffee told him regarding Simone and the possibility of Mya being back.

“Hold up a minute Sugah, damn. Slow down! What’s up? I have been working my ass off and I got all of your messages. I just decided to call you once I got home. What are you bitching about,” he asked in an annoyed tone.

“Don’t talk to me like that, So. I
am
all messed up in the head right now. I mysterious woman show up in my class, stares me down and tonight she and a woman who looks just like her, make threats towards me, no, that isn’t going to work. I called you to see if you knew anything about this. Who in the hell is Simone? And before you
do so, please don’t tell me no
one because I already
know
that’s a lie.” That got Espresso’s attention now more than ever. He didn’t want to be the one to tell Sugah about the twins but he owed her that much. She was like a sister to him and if he could protect her from Simone and Mya, he would do just that.

“Sugah, calm down, I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. I’m sorry!” Espresso genuinely meant being sorry for hollering at her. “I should have probably told you about this earlier but better late than never, right.” He tried to laugh to
en
lighten the
tension that
was so thick
he could cut it get a knife
,
but Sugah didn’t find anything amusing.

“So, just spill it
then
, dude! These two bitches are on some other shit, from the way they were watching me. I don’t like people like that. If you know something, I deserve to know it. I didn’t
want any part of this but I was the one who called the number from the business card, so that makes me entitled.”

Sugah was right, Espresso agreed. “Okay but this stays between the two of us. If the others find out that I told you this, they won’t ever trust me again. I took an oath and now I’m about to break
it
, all because I truly care about you, girl.”

Espresso
took a deep breath before beginning. “Well, we told you that Coffee was the founder of the organization but that’s not entirely true. Latte, Mocha and Cap think so too but it was Java and her ex-husband who started the business. Coffee and I have been boys since high school and when things got out of hand, he called me. We were in college and Java had just finished. She was pregnant and didn’t know where else to turn. Anyway, Simone and her twin sister, Mya, used to work for her and her husband. She took them under her wing and got burned, badly. Her husband wai
ted until she gave birth to their
son and took him.”

“Wait…what do you mean took him? That doesn’t make any sense. What man takes a newborn away from their mother?”

“Sugah, you don’t know him like I do. He is as scandalous as they come. When Java got out of the hospital and went to their home, she caught him there with Mya. Simone was nowhere to be found, as well as her son. He threw her out, threatening to take everything away from her if she didn’t leave and never look back. That is when she called Coffee. She branched away from her husband and start
ed
do
ing
things legit. He
r husband
was and has always been a manipulator, but as the years pressed on, it only got worse. We haven’t seen him in years but we do know that he lives somewhere in the city. Don’t ask how that is possible but it’s the truth. Java could pass by her son every day and never know it. He was only hours old when she last saw him. Simone and Mya
helped h
er husband
deceive her.
Sugah, Java
hasn’t been the same since.”
Espresso stopped talking to catch
his breath again.

“Mya and I were in a relationship. She and I attended the same university. She helped me get through a tough time, after I left school to go pro and didn’t make it because I hurt my knee. I trusted her. She wasn’t like any other woman I was with. She was loving, kind and helped me in ways I couldn’t imagine. I was going to propose to her. When I learned of what happened with Java’s ex-husband, I was crushed. I wanted her dead. She took anything from me, Sugah. I still haven’t been able to
forgive
her.
I will never trust her again, and
I don’t even trust myself around her. Simone was in a relationship with Coffee. Mya and I introduced the two of them. He couldn’t forgive her for doing that to his sister but the killing part was that weeks later, Coffee went to visit Simone to work things out and caught her in bed with Java’s husband
instead
. It was and still is a huge mess. No one got closure and now there is an innocent young man out there, probably thinking
that his mother abandoned him.
Who does that, Sugah? How can two sisters, twins share the same man? That is just
some
sick
shit
!
Trifling bitches!
”

Sugah set listening to Espresso. She didn’t know what to say. How could people be so evil and wicked? She could tell from the sadness in Espresso’s voice that he still cared for Mya. “So, I’m so sorry that this happened. If I could change it all, I would. You deserve to be happy and it seemed as though Mya was that special someone for you. I’m here if you need me.”

“Thanks, that means a lot.
I really appreciate it, Sugah. We just have to wait and see what happens. Mya is coldhearted. Simone does anything she says, so this situation can be tricky. I haven’t talked with Java or Coffee today
,
but I
will
see them tomorrow
at a business meeting. We will come up with a plan and take things as they come. You just be careful. I know that if Java’s ex gets wind that you work with us, he will come at you with everything in him.
The dude really has
a thing for beautiful, young girls. All he wants is
pussy and
money.
He will do anything for it and if getting next to you is his way, he will pull out all the stops. I swear if anything happens to you…!” Espresso didn’t finish his last sentence. “If you see Simone and Mya again, turn and go the other way.
Those bitches are vicious and you don’t need to be anywhere near that type of shit.
”

“Espresso, I don’t run from any one, never have, never will. If those two want a fight, then that’s exactly what they will get. I don’t back down easily.”

“Sugah, I am not telling you to back down. I am just telling you to walk away as the bigger person
, to try and avoid any trouble
. That will get to them more than you standing up to them. They strive off that kind of s
hit, girl
. Mya is ruthless. She will do any and everything to prove a point. Simone follows her every lead and can become just as ruthless. You wouldn’t stand a chance up against the both of them.”

Sugar was now slightly pissed. She was tired of everyone telling her to watch out, let it go, leave it alone. Hell
,
she could handle herself. If anything, those two bitches should be the ones watching out for her. She didn’t bother addressing her thoughts knowing they would fall upon death ears.
“
So, i
f you truly feel this way, you clearly don’t know me at all. But if you want me to stay away from them, that is what I will do
for now. I will be cool for
but I can’t promise you that I will just roll over and play dead for long. And So, just so you know, I eat bitches for breakfast, lunch and dinner, shit them out and bury them
in it. Don’t ever underestimate me again!”

Espresso was speechless by Sugah’s comment. She was definitely a few screws loose in the brain. Deep down he was also proud that she wouldn’t just let anyone walk all over her and do her any kind of way. Espresso’s level of respect for her soared higher than ever, he also suddenly felt sorr
y for anyone who got in her way;
If Simone, Mya or anyone else tried to attack Sugah, they would be in for a rude awakening.
It was long overdue for the evil twins to finally write a check that their asses couldn’t cash.
Sugah Payne was a force to be reckoned with, and he would stand by her side as long as he could. But if he had to choose, Espresso wasn’t so sure whose side he would end up on. Love and pussy made people, especially men do crazy things.

Chapter 20

             
Charlotte Payne was ecstatic. Her daughter was in a fashion show. She was so proud of her, in more ways
than
Sugah could imagine. She hated that their time was probably limited
due to her illness
but she would make sure to love and spend as much time with her only child as possible.
Being diagnosed with breast cancer was one of the hardest things she
had
faced
since..
.
Charlotte didn’t wanna think about that now. What was done was done and there was nothing she could do about it. She thought of her daughter instead.
Pushing Sugah away from her by being mean was what Charlotte planned on doing
at first
, but that simply wasn’t an option for her anymore.
She would make the best of it no matter how ever long they had left.
Without Richard, she could have already been dead. He was her s
avior. Because of him
she could afford the proper treatment to give her more time. After she learned of his late wife’s unfortunate battle against the deadly disease, Charlotte’s heart went out to him. He was sweet and charming, a man she had always wanted in her life. The more time she got to know him, the more she fell in love with him. She didn’t care that he had money, could
bu
y her anything her heart desired, she cared about the person he was on the inside. Beauty from within was rare.
And
Richard Blakemore possessed
such quality
.
It warmed her heart all over.

Charlotte wanted to get an early start
on the day
. She wante
d to look her best when she was
introduced as Sugah’s mother. First impressions were lasting impressions
,
she
always
told herself as well as her daughter. Looking her very best was essential.
Her mother taught her the same thing when she was just a small child. That philosophy was embedded in her head and s
he did the same with Sugah
.
Because no matter what, someone was always looking! Charlotte didn’t want to let Sugah down by not looking her best. Sure she had lost a few pounds due to the treatments, but she wasn’t bad looking in the least. She could still give any thirty something year old a run for their
money, Charlotte
acknowledged looking at herself in the mirror. Her skin still was flawless thanks to her Happi 2 B Natural raw Shea butter, which made her glow like the sun
and feel softer than silk
.

Richard watched the woman he was falling in love with do her makeup.
She didn’t need it at all, s
he looked radiant. In ways she reminded him of his late wife
Sophia
,
but w
ith the
will to fight to stay alive. The fact that she didn’t shut him out of her life warmed him in places he didn’t think possible. His intentions toward
Charlotte’s
daughter in the beginning made him feel ashamed but after confe
ssing those feelings to h
e
r
and her assurance that it was only natural, made him cherish her more with each passing minute. Anyone else would have called or looked at him as a dirty old man, pushed him out of her life
,
or even had him locked away by the law.
Although Sugah was eighteen, she was still
just
barely legal.

“What are you smiling about,” Charlotte asked
, looking up at the man she loved.

Richard b
l
ushed
,
walking further into her room
.
“I was just admiring such beauty. Charlotte you are so beautiful. Why couldn’t we meet years ago? I can s
ee exactly where Sugah gets hers from, both inside and out. You are truly one of a kind.” Charlotte felt butterflies in her stomach. She got up from her vanity and walked over to the man of her dreams. She embraced him. They kissed passionately, taking each other’s breath away.
“You are so sweet to say so Richard”, she said blushing. He always knew the exact words to say, and just how to say them to make her feel like a young girl again.