Thong on Fire (20 page)

“That was a bird-man move for real, Marshall. Don’t no real man do no foul shit like that.”

He shrugged and bit into a big piece of egg covered in gravy. “Whatever, baby. Why should I pay the rent when that nigga’s getting your pussy all gummy? My man Free is cool, though. Son done real good for himself in the game and I’m proud of him. But he got his own label and some hot new artists and ere’thang now. Let him set you up like a real willie do. You’ve got thirty days, Saucy. Thirty days. Then you gotta be out.”

I stood next to Marshall wanting to mush his face down in that nasty plate of brown eggs.

Instead I said, “And what? I’m supposed to cry now? You want me to get on my knees and beg because you putting me out your crib?”

He looked up at me, then started unbuckling his belt. “Nah, Saucy. You ain’t gotta cry, and you so fine I don’t want you down on your knees begging for nothing neither. But I got thirty days’ worth of your services left, so what I
do
want you to do,” he said, then stood up and opened his pants, “is find me one of my toys, then get on them little padded Chinese knees of yours and suck my fuckin’ dick.”

I couldn’t have blown my game with Marshall at a worse time.

Free was still playing me and I couldn’t even catch him on the phone.

I had gotten comfortable having a sugar daddy, and Marshall had been so sweet with his game that I had basically fallen off with all the other niggas I used to trick for money and luxuries. Now all of a sudden I had to worry about finding a place, paying rent, and buying clothes again. I knew I could kiss my drop-top Sebring goodbye because Marshall had already told me he was gonna confiscate that too. Actually, I wouldn’t do much crying over the loss of the whip. That shit was for show only, and Marshall knew what the hell he was doing when he leased it for me. I couldn’t drive it, and he had made it clear that he better not hear about no nigga driving it neither. The only play the damn thing got was when Tai got behind the wheel and took it for a spin, and that wasn’t all that often.

I thought about Tai and wished she would get her own damn apartment. She was still living with her mother, and at times like these that shit was real inconvenient for me because when I needed someplace to stay, Tai sure couldn’t help me.

I had called that crack-headed tennis star Zinger Jones and tried to sweet-talk my way up on him, but his bed was already occupied with his white bitch.

“Sorry, Saucy. My girlfriend just graduated from college, yo. She’s back in the city now so my shit is back to being legit.”

Miami was still sparking with the videos, and a director named Big Z had put in a good word for me with a producer down there. But that gig wasn’t starting for a couple of months, and even so, whatever they paid me wasn’t gonna be enough to find a quick apartment in New York City.

There were a few other minor niggas I probably coulda pushed in on, but I wasn’t trying to go backward. I was used to rubbing asses with the big willies and being seen with the in crowd. Nah, backward wasn’t gonna get it.

I looked around the apartment and frowned. Marshall had set it off real proper up in here. Designer furniture, thick carpet, granite countertops and a marble entryway. Some lucky bitch was gonna enjoy the hell outta this joint, but I could guarantee that Marshall’s ass wouldn’t be getting the kinda brain I’d been laying on him. That nigga was gonna miss me just as much as I missed him. Maybe more.

My mind was racing on fast-forward as I tried to come up with a move that would keep me on the board. I lit a dutchy and opened a bottle of Corona as I tried to figure out which nigga would serve me the best purpose right now. I tossed a hundred names around in my head, from drug runners on the corner, to A & Rs and CEOs of record labels. Every last one of them would have gladly whipped out some cheese to get some of this top action, but then what? I was looking for a willie who could take me on a longer trip, and no matter how many other dudes I thought of, my mind kept coming back to the only nigga who had ever turned me down in my life. Free.

B
UT THAT NIGGA
Freedom was on some serious shit.

I called his cell phone thirty-four times before he finally took the damn call.

“What’s good, Free,” I said, waiting to hear the tone of his voice to see if I could judge his mood.

“Life,” he answered.

I waited for him to say something else, but there was nothing but silence on the line.

“Well I hear that. I just called to see what you was getting into tonight. You know, to see if you felt like having a little company.”

“I already got company, Saucy.”

I looked at the phone like that nigga was bonkers for real.

“Who’s your company, Free? Oh, you got some other bitch there with you?”

I heard him sigh. “I don’t do bitches, Saucy. Especially drunk bitches.”

I just let everything go.

“I’m sorry, Free! Damn I had a little bit too much to drink! Is that a crime?”

“It could be.”

I knew he was talking about his mother and what she had done. “Come on, baby. You drink a little bit too.”

“Yeah, but I know my limits, Saucy. I got discipline with my shit. I’m never outta control, and I definitely don’t embarrass myself or nobody else in public.”

“So one mistake and you gone hold that against me forever? Damn, I’m sorry! I thought we was deeper than that.”

He sighed again and I knew I had that ass. “Okay, Saucy. Cool. I accept your apology.”

I giggled. “So we good, right?”

“Yeah, baby. We good.”

“Then I hope you ready for this tonight,” I whispered sexily, licking my lips. “I got something real hot waiting for you.”

He fucked me right up.

“Sorry, baby. I’ma have to get with you another time. I told you, I already got company.”

It had been two weeks since I’d seen Free. Every time I tried to get up in his crib he was either working or busy or too tired to see me. He would talk to me on the phone for hours, but y’all know I wasn’t satisfied with that. I had sixteen days left before Marshall tossed me and my shit out on the curb, and that meant I would have to work fast.

It took me a minute to come up with a plan, but once I had it, I knew it would work. I called Tai and begged her to go along with my scheme, and I couldn’t believe it when she tried to tell me no.

“You don’t even call me for damn-near forever, and then out of the blue I’m supposed to jump like a frog for some old woman in a nursing home? I don’t even cook like that no more, Saucy! I’m spending my time outside doing me now instead of in the kitchen.”

“Please, Tai. Just do me this one favor and I’ll never ask you for nothing else again. I swear! C’mon, this means a lot to me. This old lady I met is so sweet and you know I don’t even like old people. I can’t wait for you to meet her, Tai. She’s been in that nursing home for so long that she’s lonely. She cried so bad about being tired of eating hospital food, so I promised her I’d bring her some home-cooked stuff that’s been seasoned real good.”

“Well then you should cook her something then.”

“Tai! You trying to kill that old lady?!? You know I can’t cook!”

She sucked her teeth. “You get on my damn nerves, Saucy. I don’t know why I keep letting you talk me into doing all kinds of shit for you. I’m supposed to be your girl, not your damn cook. Besides. Maybe they feed that old lady oatmeal all day for a reason. Collard greens might tear her stomach up. Damn. You get me so sick, bitch. You want the chicken baked or fried?”

It was hard as hell getting that shopping cart in and out of that taxi.

I rolled it up into the lobby of Free’s building and waited for the elevator. And when it came I got in with my cart full of soul food goodies and stank that shit up real nice. The smell of baked chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and candied yams was so strong that my stomach started growling and I licked my lips.

I got off on the eighteenth floor and pulled the cart down to Free’s apartment with my heart beating fast. I had on a pair of Seven jeans and a matching blue shirt, and a pair of blue and red Prada sneakers and a red Prada purse. I had pulled my hair back in a French braid, and I had rubbed on just a little bit of lipstick.

That nigga let me ring that bell for a good two minutes before he opened the door, and I was just getting ready to say something nasty when he grinned.

“Sorry.”

I was waiting for him to tell me what took so long. Especially since the damn doorman had looked at me pulling a damn shopping cart like a bag lady and called up to tell him I was coming.

“What took you so long?”

He kept grinning. “You want the truth?”

I gave him a fucked-up look.

“Aiight. I was trying to decide whether or not I should let you in.”

I turned my ass right around and stomped back out the door.

“Saucy! Saucy!”

I let him follow me down the hall, switching my gangsta booty in them Seven jeans as hard as I could.

“Come on, Saucy,” he said, grabbing my arm. “You here now, girl. I was just playing with you, girl. Damn. I thought you liked to laugh?”

“Not when the fuckin’ joke is on me!”

“Okay,” he said, pulling me back toward the crib. “Look at you, got sweat poppin’ all off your nose and shit. And you left that big-ass laundry cart in my joint too. Come on back in.”

My lip was poked out but it didn’t slow my feet down. I went back inside with him and pulled the shopping cart into the kitchen and started unloading it.

“What did you cook?” Free asked, coming over to help me.

I smiled. “I got a little a this and a little that. Some chicken, macaroni and cheese, candied sweet potatoes, and some collard greens.” I reached down for the plastic cake holder that Tai had had sense enough to put into a box.

“And for dessert,” I said, setting it up on the counter. “I got my boo a 7Up cake!”

“Ummm,” Free said, kissing my neck. “That sounds real good, baby. Let me help you fix the plates.”

I touched my neck where his lips had just been. I was riding high and almost nutted off that one damn kiss. We ate in the living room and watched a movie. I don’t know what the hell happened, or which star was up in it or nothing. I ate a few bites of chicken and some greens, then spent the rest of the time striking sexy poses trying to turn Free on.

When he finished eating and took our plates into the kitchen, I figured he was ready for dessert. I ran into the bathroom and took a tiny yellow and green sunflower bra and matching thong from my purse and stripped outta my clothes and laid them across the hamper. I took my hair down and spread it around my shoulders the way he liked it, then walked back into the living room looking sexy as fuck.

I busted the look on his face when he saw me. I knew how bad he wanted me, and all he had to do was stop frontin’ and he could have me. I did a little stomach-roll move that used to drive niggas wild at the G-Spot. And it worked. His eyes got that fuck look in them and he smiled as I stood between his legs gyrating my hips to a slow sexy beat.

“Damn. You always serve up dessert like this after dinner?”

“Hey, a girl gotta do what she gotta do for her man, right?”

He ran his hands up my thighs and gripped my ass. “Yeah, that’s right.”

I pressed my crotch toward his face and rubbed the back of his neck.

“So we a couple again?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “For tonight.”

Tonight my ass. I let that nonsense comment roll right off my back. After I laid this prime pussy on him he was gonna be mesmerized and begging me to stay.

Free stood up to get undressed, and reached into his wallet and got out a condom. He stuck it between the cushions and kissed me and laid me back on the sofa. I reached out to touch him through his clothes, and the moment I did I felt his dick leap into action. I had missed him and I was holding some rock-hard proof in my hand that he had missed me too. He took off the rest of his gear and joined me naked on the couch.

I put my tongue on the tip of Free’s dick and tasted that nice sweet juice coating the head. He grabbed his dick and rolled it around all over my lips. I felt his hand sliding down my back as he entered my mouth. The veins on his dick stood out as I ran my lips and tongue up and down his shaft.

I moved Free’s hand outta the way and took control. I slid my body lower and slipped his dick in between my titties, mashing it in my cleavage and licking the head as it peeped through. He helped pump my titties together and I provided all the lip juice we needed to keep things nice and slick. Free got him a titty fuck for a few minutes, then I pushed him off and rolled over underneath him until I was on my stomach.

I felt him massaging my back as he slid down into spoon position behind me, gripping my hips. He humped on me, rubbing his dick on my ass, and I felt him search for his condom, then find it. I turned my head and watched when he took his hands off me to open it, and I was loving the way that dick looked raw and wished me and him got down like that.

With his condom on, Free raised me up into position and I felt my knees leave the sofa for a second as he slid deeply into my wetness. He rocked into me, pumping hard on some real break-up, make-up sex shit, driving me deeper down into the cushions with each thrust.

Free followed me, tagging my ass without mercy. I arched my back and he grabbed both of my titties and rubbed my nipples until I purred. He pulled me up toward him until my back was against his chest, and then he thrust into me real deep four or five times, then slammed me down extra hard on his dick and slid his hands up under my arms and lifted me straight off his dick. I was still in the air as he spun me around until I was facing him, then he lowered me back down on his pole and hit it even harder, juggling my ass cheeks as he guided me on my ride.

I was shocked and turned on by his strength. No other nigga had ever slapped that kinda in-the-air move on me before, and all I could do was rub all over his muscles as I came, bucking and screaming until he muffled my cries with his mouth.

Free wasn’t far behind me so I knew he hadn’t been fuckin’ nobody else. He came a lot faster than he normally did, and I accepted that nut with a smile on my face.

It was hot in the room and our bodies were sweaty. I wanted to ask him for a beer or something, but I was scared he’d think I was trying to get drunk. Instead I told him I was thinking about accepting a video assignment with an artist in Atlanta, just to see if he would ask me to stay.

He didn’t.

We got up and went into his sweet bedroom. Free pulled the sheets back and rubbed my ass as I slid between them. I laid there snuggled up under him with my head on his strong thick chest as he talked about the industry and how most black artists spent their money on stupid shit like hoes, clothes, and cars instead of making it work for them so they could earn even more money. He told me that from the very beginning of his career he had developed a five-year plan that would allow him to retire young and rich if he wanted to.

“I never thought I’d be retiring this soon, but I liked knowing my shit was set up proper, just in case. This business is full of sharks, Saucy. And some of these fools out here ain’t nothing but bait.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I told him. “But some people ain’t looking five years into the future, Free. What’s wrong with living today and having a good time while you young? You so damn serious all the time you sound like an old-ass man.”

“See, that’s the kinda thinking that fucks so many people up.”

“Oh, what, motherfucker?” I laughed. “You tryna say I’m fucked up or sumpthin’? Nigga please! I been using my head since I was six years old, son! I’ma get mines in this mother-fucker, regardless!”

I was still chuckling when I noticed Free had gone quiet.

“Damn, girl,” he said, shaking his head. “You so fine those kinda ugly words don’t even sound right coming out of your mouth. Slow ya gangsta roll down some, baby. Have some dignity about yourself. Some class. This is Freedom you talking to. You ain’t gotta be one of the sons, you know. A player like me needs a lady on his arm, Saucy. Not a dun dun or a hoodrat. Image is everything in this business and I’m trying to keep mine up.”

I shut up after that. I felt kinda bad, like Free was saying I didn’t live up to his high-class image or something. I slipped off to sleep thinking about that and it musta been around two in the morning when Free rolled over and kissed me softly on the back of my neck.

“It’s getting late, baby,” he said. “I got a early day tomorrow. A long one too. You ready?”

“I’m already there,” I mumbled, halfway asleep. I snuggled down deeper in his big bed, getting my sprawl on in his cool satin sheets. “Besides, I don’t have to be nowhere tomorrow. I can sleep all day.”

I felt him sit up.

“Well some of us gotta grind, baby. Get dressed. I’ll take you down to get a cab.”

I opened one eye. “You got jokes, right? After what I just laid on you, I can barely move.”

“Well you gotta make some moves tonight, doll. Right toward the door.” He pulled the covers off me and slapped me gently on my ass. “Let’s do this, Mami. I gotta be back up and out in couple of hours.”