Chapter 11
Jasmine
Needy
I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it. I mean I knew that it was going to happen sooner or later but I could say I was shocked to be sitting back on Alex’s couch and at his request. Rewind about fifteen minutes ago and this was how the scene went down:
I was in my apartment lying across the bed daydreaming about my life-to-be when my front doorbell chimed. It startled me because I didn’t get many visitors. I didn’t have many friends. Anyway, I got up and made sure that I looked okay to be answering the door. I had no clue as to who it was.
To my surprise, it was Alex standing on the other side of the door. I instantly perked up and opened the door. “Everything okay?” I asked with much concern in my voice. He had a slight frown on his face.
“Yes, I need you,” he said with a smile on his face. Damn, he had nice smile.
“I need you too,” I slipped up and said it back to him. I wanted to bang my head up against the doorpost for being so stupid.
“Huh?” He looked at me in bewilderment.
I was so pissed that I began to mumble to myself.
“Are you okay?” he asked me with even more confusion on his face.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I am having a rough day.” I tried to smile as hard as I could so it would distract him from the fool I made of myself.
“That’s understandable.” He smiled back. His smile made me quiver on the inside. He was so damn fine. I wanted to jump on him right here and now and give him the goodies between my legs. “I need to talk to you for a minute. Can you come over to my place for a few? I need your help.”
“Sure.” I nodded my head. Holding back my excitement was really hard. “Could you give me a few minutes to get decent and then I can come over?”
“Yes, sure.” He then turned and went into his apartment and I closed the door to my own.
I then ran over to my loveseat and grabbed a pillow and screamed into it with all of my might as if I was a teenage girl dealing with some puppy love. I could feel my dreams coming true.
After about another quick minute I was in bathroom freshening up and then in my closet putting on my best outfit. I exited my apartment and stood in front of his door. My adrenaline was through the roof. I pushed the button on his door to alert him of my presence and it didn’t take long before he was standing with the door open and his mouth open as well.
“Hey.” I gave him a shy and innocent smile and batted my eyelids. I was giving him everything.
“Wow. You look . . .” He didn’t even finish his statement because he was so caught up in my appearance. I had on some pink coochie cutter Victoria’s Secret sleeping shorts and a midriff matching shirt that came down about an inch or two past my cleavage. I never dressed this way in public and all he saw me in most of the time was my scrubs or some regular street wear.
“Thank you.” I smiled again and then tugged at my shirt as if I was trying to make it stay, covering my ample breasts. They jiggled and he smiled as he looked at them lustfully.
“You said you needed me.” I reminded him of his request and my dream that was now becoming a reality.
“Yes, I . . . did,” he said trying to stay focused on my face. “Come in. Come on in.” He finally stepped back and let me in his apartment.
So here I was now waiting for him to come back in the room. He said he had to use the bathroom, but I knew that his dick was swollen from the outfit that I had on. He had to go in there and calm that bad boy down. I wouldn’t be surprised if he squeezed out a nut while he was in there.
“I am woman, hear me roar.”
I laughed at that one myself. It didn’t take him long to make his way back into the room and I could tell that it was hard to control himself around a beautiful woman. He shifted himself around a couple of times as he sat on the couch with me. I was on one side of the couch and he was on the other, but I could tell he wanted to be closer. He wanted to fuck my brains out right here on this couch. I knew it. I could feel it.
“So what’s the problem?” I asked as I looked intently into his eyes.
“The problem?” he said like he had no clue as to why I was in his apartment and on his couch with my pussy damn near hanging out. From the way he was looking at me I may have involuntarily left some of my juices right there on the couch. He was turning me on by the way he was looking at me. It was pure lust in his eyes.
“Oh, yeah. Damn, I lost my train of thought for a moment.”
“That happens,” I replied and tugged at my shirt again.
“I need you to do me a huge favor.” His monster was growing in his pants and I was hoping he wanted to start working on our family right now. He saw me look but he continued with what he was saying. “I need you to be my girlfriend.”
“Excuse me?” I looked at him in false bewilderment. I almost stripped down out of the little that I had on to rock him to sleep better than his mother ever could.
“Yes, I need you to be an alibi for me.”
“Alibi?” I asked.
“Yes, a couple of chicks I screwed ended up dead and I was the last to be with them before they got murdered. The cops had me down at the station and everything.” He shook his head. I could see a twinkling of fear in his eye. He looked desperate.
“They deserved it. I mean, how could they accuse you of such a thing? You are not that type of person.” I needed to get myself together. I was slipping up too much.
“I know, right.” He nodded his head. I was so glad he didn’t pay that slip-up any mind.
“So what do you need me to do?” I asked, bubbling with joy on the inside.
“I need you to go down to the station with me and act like I was with you on the days after I was with those chicks. I also need you to keep this between us. My sister and my family don’t need to know about this. You okay with that?”
“Sure, that is what friends are for.”
“So what can I do for you to return this favor?” he asked.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s the least that I can do for a friend.”
“Now that is what I like to hear. I am so glad I can count on you for this. And I will find a way to pay you back for this.”
“Aww, that is so sweet, but you really don’t have to. Let’s hope you return the favor when I need it. Let me know when we have to go down to the station and I will be by your side.”
“Again, thank you so much,” he said as he got up from the side of the couch he was on. I did the same.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” I said as I made my way to the door. Everything in me was hoping that he came up behind me and forced his tongue down my throat but that did not happen.
I left his apartment and walked into my own with some more plans on my mind. I was so glad that my man was coming to his senses. Who knew that murdering a couple of bitches for him would cause him to get closer to me? I hoped that he left them shady broads alone and then I wouldn’t have to kill those bitches. Maybe he would be leaving them alone for good and now I could make my move on him so we could be the happy couple that we were supposed to be.
I went to bed a happy camper. I almost couldn’t sleep because of my nagging mother’s voice. I took me a sleeping pill, covered my head with a pillow, and drifted off into la-la land.
Chapter 12
Troy
Moving Forward
I sat at my desk trying to think of a way to get Alex dismissed as a suspect from this case. It wasn’t because I thought he was innocent. I didn’t give a fuck about his innocence or guilt. I had plans for him and I didn’t want the system to get him before I did. He owed my family some blood and I was going to get him and his sisters if it was the last thing I did. I’d been waiting and waiting for this opportunity and now that it was here I wasn’t going to let it or anything stop me from stopping this bloodline from ruining any more lives. I had to do this. I promised that I would. I was groomed for this very task.
I had finished high school early, enrolled into the police academy soon after, and excelled until I was promoted to a detective a few months ago. This was my first major case and my superiors assigned me because of my exemplary record with the force in these last four years. I was a decorated officer early on and was hated by many in the precinct where I was stationed. I didn’t take any bullshit and I didn’t give any out. I wasn’t here to make friends. I was there to get a job done and to protect and serve. Yes, I had my own agenda going on but I took my discipline as a hardworking individual seriously. My life was fucked up early on and I was pushing ahead to clean up the mess.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on my office door. One of the front desk officers escorted Alex Black and Ashley’s best friend, Jasmine, into the office. I didn’t know but there was something about Jasmine that made me a little curious about her. She was different and I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was that was different about her.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Black,” I said as I stood up out of my chair to greet him. I greeted him as if I didn’t know him. It was easy, because again, I couldn’t stand him. He resembled bad blood to me like his other two siblings. All three were going to pay.
Wait and see.
“Good afternoon, Detective Lee.” He reached out to shake my hand. I masked the disdain for him behind a smile.
“Please take a seat.” I pointed to the two chairs in front of my desk as I closed the door to my office. I then walked back to my desk and took a seat. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’m following up with my alibi for those dates you asked me about a few days ago.” He looked confident in every word he spoke. It was a quality that all three of them had: confidence. It made me furious on the inside. My leg was shaking uncontrollably underneath my desk.
“Okay.” I looked at him waiting for his proof.
“Well, on those three days I was with my girlfriend and she can vouch for my whereabouts. Right, baby?” He reached over and grasped Jasmine’s hand into his.
“Yes, my baby was with me all night long.” Jasmine smiled from ear to ear. I had to admit she was a very attractive woman. But again, something was off with her. I could feel it.
“So you are saying that you know that he was sleeping with these women and he would come home to you? You know about this?” I looked at her intently waiting for any glitches of a lie being told.
“What?” She looked at him as outrage instantly flared up in her. I was amazed at how fast her temper rose. Then all of a sudden she reached back and slapped him. The look on his face was of pure shock. “You was with some bitches before you came over my house. You said they were clients. You lied to me? How could you do this to me?” She stood up and went for the door.
Alex immediately rose out of his chair. “Baby, wait, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” He walked up to her and tried to touch her, but she pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me.” Her head quickly snapped in his direction. “You said this wouldn’t happen again. You said she wouldn’t hurt me again.” Tears streamed down her face one after the other.
“Baby, please. It won’t happen again. I mean it this time.” He was damn near begging her.
I was actually enjoying the show.
“I don’t know.” She turned toward him with a frown on her face. “You promise?”
“Yes, I promise,” he said as he eased over to her until she voluntarily accepted his embrace. She melted up into his arms. Pretty soon they were kissing passionately. So much so that I was getting aroused. I cleared my throat to get their attention.
“Excuse me; I don’t want to be rude.” I looked at both of them emotionlessly. “But I need you, Jasmine, to sign an affidavit to all that you are saying. Are you willing to do that?”
“Yes, I am,” she said as she freed herself from Alex’s embrace and they sat back down in front of me.
“Okay, let me get my tape recorder and paperwork ready. I will need to state the dates and location that you both were together and then sign a few pieces of paperwork and you two lovebirds can be on your way.”
They both smiled and nodded in agreement.
After about an hour Jasmine and Alex were out of my office and I was documenting some more notes to show to my boss before I left for the day. I was shocked to know that those two were even in a relationship. They didn’t act like it when we were around each other. I planned on inquiring to Ashley about it even though I really didn’t care.
When I got off of work I had to visit Ma Dear and then it was on to a date with Ashley. I was feeling good because I had things going the way I wanted them to go. Payback was hard to fulfill, but rewarding to say the least. I wouldn’t be completely happy until their blood was running out of their lifeless bodies like a running faucet.
Chapter 13
Ashley
The Ill Na Na
A few days had passed and I was so excited about having dinner with Troy tonight. I was so excited about this relationship. It was so promising. I could see me marrying him and starting a family with him. Sure, he had his moments, but I was willing to look past them because I had my own issues going on as well. I thought tonight was the night I was going to tell him about my past. I wanted to continue this relationship with honesty like he did with me. No more lies.
I was sitting at a nice, charming table in the back of a restaurant that was sophisticated and classy. It had white tablecloths, candles, soft music playing, and low lighting to give off a romantic ambiance. It was enchanting as I looked around the room at the twelve or so tables that were spread out across the room. It was an adult atmosphere. I was still in disbelief that I was even in a setting like this one without causing a scene or something. I was a scene maker for sure. Well, at least I
was
a scene maker. I had grown up some and I was quite proud of my reserved attitude. I was wondering if it was a lasting change or one that I had forced onto myself. Well, time would tell.
Troy had texted me a few minutes ago letting me know that he was running late but he was on his way. He was caught up in traffic on I-695. Traffic on I-695 could be problematic if you caught it at the wrong time of day or if an accident occurred. I knew that he wouldn’t be here for at least another fifteen or twenty minutes. It was all right with me because I was loving this place and the wine that I ordered was keeping me good company. I loved being an adult. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. I even swayed in my seat a bit.
My moment of solitude was interrupted by a tap on my hand that was calmly sitting on the table. My eyes popped open and then I closed them again hoping that I was dreaming.
This couldn’t be happening. This had to be my karma or something. I couldn’t believe it.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
I screamed in my head.
I slowly opened up my eyes to the reality before me. “Antoinette,” I spoke as dryly as I possibly could. I wanted her to know that she was not welcome here, at all. But then I looked at her attire. It was a chef’s uniform. This bitch, excuse me, woman, worked here. This was her place of employment.
Ugh!
I would have thought that since this was well outside the city limits I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew or who knew of me, but alas, here I was with a run-in in front of me.
“I was having a rough day until I came out here for a break, looked across the room, and saw you.” She was smiling like the Cheshire cat.
It made me sick to my stomach.
“You a sight for sore eyes, girl. Ump, ump, ump.” She leaned over and looked me up and down from the side. “Your ass spilling out of that seat you in.”
It made me feel creepy. “Really?” It was rhetorical, but I knew this bitch, I mean woman, was going to misinterpret it any way I said it to her. She was causing me to revert to my old ways.
This is what happens when your past shows up all of a sudden and catches you off guard. They want to drag you backward. No, sah, not today!
“Yeah, girl.” She smiled hard, again. “You got that ill na na.” She even danced a little in her seat to the beat that was probably playing in her head.
Truth was it played a little in my head as well. But I moved past the moment because I wanted her to move on past this one. “Antoinette, this is not the time for this. Actually, there is no time for this.” I looked at her with as much seriousness as I could muster up. I was hoping that she got the point and moved on graciously and with haste.
“Oh, you out on a date?” She looked at me with a little surprise on her face. “You got you a little bitch you about to work over tonight? Y’all want some company? I can’t promise I won’t dominate the scene but I can’t wait to taste you again.”
“What!” I looked at her in shock. Every part of that statement was crazy. She looked crazy saying it. Her ass had to be about fifty-five or older. Who in the hell was she going to toss up? “Are you serious?”
“You remember the way I used to do you. I know that you do. There is no denying that you liked it.” She looked at me hoping I was going to bite the bait she was feeding me called memories. This piece of fish wasn’t biting.
“Antoinette, where are we at now?” I asked her.
“Huh?” She looked dumbfounded. “We at my job.”
“No, boo, we are in the present. You know, the right now. And right now I am not trying to hear any of that. I am glad you have your memories. Try licking on those for old times’ sake. Because you will never taste me again.”
“Oh, so it’s like that.” She sat up straight and leaned back farther away from me.
“I’ve been trying to be nice to you, but you weren’t trying to take the hint. I’m not on that side of the street anymore, if you get my drift.”
“Oh, really.” She had an even more shocked look on her face now.
“Yes, really.” I twisted my lips up giving her the “now get the fuck on” look.
“Hey, baby, who’s this?” Troy said as he walked up to the table, catching us both off guard.
“Oh, ahhh. This is . . .” My voice trailed off as I looked at Antoinette. “This is a friend of mine.”
“Friend?” Antoinette got up and looked at me and then Troy. “We were more than that.” She cocked a slick smile on her face.
“Huh?” Troy looked at her and then me in confusion. I wanted to melt like the Wicked Witch in
The Wizard of Oz.
“Girl, stop playing.” I reached out and playfully pushed her on the shoulder.
“I’m not playing.” She looked at Troy. “She didn’t tell you that she liked pussy?”
“Huh?” Troy looked at me confused. I wanted to punch this bitch straight in her mouth. But I kept my cool.
I opened my mouth but nothing came out to explain the situation that I was currently in. This was not supposed to go down like this. I so wanted to tell him myself and not have it come to him like it was right now. Yeah, karma was definitely a bitch named Antoinette.
“Yeah, man, I’m surprised you didn’t see my name tattooed across that twat of hers. I licked her so much she probably still got my tongue print down there. I used to have her twisted up worse than two wrestlers in a ring.” She laughed as she said that.
Troy looked at me, waiting for me to say something. I did something that I never did before. I bitched up and I ran. To the bathroom that is. As soon as I got to the bathroom, I checked to see if anyone else was in there with me. After I made sure I was alone, I locked the door. I didn’t know how I was going to show my face again. The look of pure shock on Troy’s face was etched in my mind. He looked like a deer caught in some headlights. Antoinette’s face showed pure satisfaction. I wanted to crawl out of the restaurant on my hands and knees to escape Troy or my truth that was spilled all over that table. But, my purse was still at the table. I was pissed at myself for not grabbing that before I stormed off. But this whole messed-up situation didn’t allow for any thinking. Just me hauling ass out of there. That was the first time in my life that I ran from anything. I mean I hid some stuff but I didn’t run from anything. I caused people to run, but now the table was turned and here I was huddled up in a bathroom stuck on stupid.
There was a knock on the door. I hoped it wasn’t someone who really needed to go to the bathroom because she was going to be a pissy or shitty mess waiting for me to come out.
There was another knock on the door letting me know that the person wasn’t going away.
“Ashley,” Troy’s voice called out from behind the door. I tensed up and got quiet. Maybe he would go away.
There was another knock. “Ashley, I know you are in there. Come on out so we can talk. I’m not mad at you. Come out and talk.”
The muscles in my body started to relax. I was still afraid though. Afraid of what he thought of me. Was he going to stop dating me after this? Was he going to believe anything else I said after today?
Ashley, get yourself together. It wasn’t a lie. You didn’t tell him everything. You left out some stuff. People do it all of the time.
“Right,” I said as I looked at myself in the mirror. “We can get past this.”
I walked over to the door, unlocked it, and then opened it. Troy was standing there with a smile on his face. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said back trying to continue to look into his eyes as he did me.
“Let’s go back to the table. We can salvage this.” He pulled me by the waist, close to him, and kissed me on the lips.
We slowly separated and I looked at him in his eyes. “Okay.”
It was the first time I felt good not being in control. It felt fabulous.
As we made our way back to the table, me in front of him, there was no one staring at us. I was amazed because I was sure somebody in the restaurant heard the incident.
We took our seats and he looked at me for a few moments before he spoke again. I didn’t really have anything to say. I was still in a vulnerable place right now.
“Ashley, you have nothing to be ashamed of. We all have a past. My thoughts of you have not changed at all.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I looked at him with tears threatening to fall. I was pissed that I was being this emotional right now. This was definitely a first for me.
“You don’t have to say a thing. It’s behind us. We are moving forward,” he reassured me. The look in his eyes was sincere. It moved me on the inside.
I was speechless once again. This moment was too unreal. All this emotion and drama was too much for me at the moment.
“Tell you what, let’s get out of here and go to another restaurant before anything else happens in here. I want to enjoy the rest of the day. It was quite eventful enough for the both of us.” He laughed and I let a smile open up onto my face.
The rest of the night was uneventful and both went our separate ways afterward. He called to make sure I got home safely and then it was the shower and to bed for me. A good night’s sleep was needed for me.