“I didn’t know Trey had a brother,” Lani said.

  “Half brother. His dad was a whore, well mine was too,” Starr said as she thought about Ace’s infidelities.

  “Sounds like Black’s daddy. That man got twenty-three kids spread across Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.”

  “Damn. So Trey’s brother tried to holla,” Jada said.

  “Yeah, girl.”

  Lani said, “They’re obviously not close.”

  Starr sipped her drink and said, “He’s not like Trey. First he’s younger and went to college and works as a pharmacist. He’s a square.”

  Jada said, “I’ve fucked with a few squares in my day.”

  Starr said, “He’s attractive, but I can’t roll like that.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s Trey’s brother.”

  “Let me tell you something,” Jada said. “When a man decides he wants to fuck something, he’s going to fuck whoever and whomever he pleases.”

  “Not every man is like that,” Lani said.

  Jada said, “Not every man, but the men we deal with do. And that’s all I can speak on.”

  Jada turned to Starr and said, “If you like him, go out with him. You don’t have to fuck him.”

  Chapter 5

  Starr lay naked on a set of 1500 thread count sheets. She wanted to be held, needed to be fucked, but her man was somewhere holding somebody else, fucking somebody else. She stood up, and walked to her dresser to retrieve her white rabbit. It wasn’t a man that could hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright, but what it could do was aid her in getting off and right now she needed an orgasm more than anything. She rarely used toys. Most of the time when she did use them, it was with Trey. He used to love seeing her get herself off.

  She dimmed the light and retrieved some lube from the bathroom, lit some candles and crawled back into the bed. She turned on the battery-operated rabbit and stimulated her clitoris as she imagined Trey’s head between her legs. She loved how he would go down on her. She would often grab his head when he was down there even though he had hated it when she did that.

  Her mind wandered. She thought about what she would do without Trey and what he was going to say when she handed him the money. Suddenly, Troy popped into her head. She hated to admit that she thought he was attractive, but she wondered what it would be like to be with him sexually. Would he fuck her or would he make love to her? Sometimes she liked to be held and romanced while being made loved to and sometimes she liked to be fucked. Her ass smacked. Hair pulled and just manhandled. She knew Troy could make love, but a woman like her needed to be fucked and she didn’t know if she could find someone like Trey who was so in tune with her body.

  The white rabbit stroked her kitty and it felt damn good, better than Trey’s tongue. God she loved this. She was almost there, but she couldn’t quite get there without some help from her imagination. She’d have to rely on her mental rolodex.

  She remembered the time Trey had fucked her on the balcony in a Vegas hotel while the people in the suite above were looking at them. The memory was turning her the fuck on when Troy popped into her head again. In her mind, he was licking her kitty exactly how she liked it. She felt dirty for thinking about two men getting her off. Two brothers at the same time, but it was getting her off. Troy sucked her clit and now Trey bit her nipples. She exploded.

  Starr was dressed up in a blue pinstriped business suit and three inch heeled Louboutins made for work, when Trey showed up at her place and though she was wearing a business suit, she looked damn good to Trey. Her three-inch heels elevated her ass and Trey smiled when he saw the pantsuit struggling to contain it. Damn he missed those hips and that tiny-ass waistline, but more importantly he missed a great woman.

  “Why are you all dressed up?” Trey asked.

  “Been working.”

  “Working?”

  “Yeah, what regular people do, you know?”

  “What is that supposed to mean? I’m a regular person too.”

  Trey sat on the sofa and Starr sat across from him. Trey said, “So what’s been up? Did you miss me?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you do miss me.”

  “Maybe a little.”

  He smiled.

  “You look nice.”

  “Just nice?”

  “Well what do you want me to say? You’re wearing a pantsuit. I can’t say that you look sexy. I mean it’s a business suit.”

  “You can say whatever you want—you do whatever it is you want.”

  “So you want to argue?”

  “No, I don’t, but I can’t believe that you didn’t ask me where I work. I tell you I’ve been working and you have nothing to say about it.”

  “That was my next question.”

  “I work for myself. Since you’re so interested.” She was very sarcastic.

  “Doing what?” His tone was very demeaning, as if there was nothing she could possibly do to earn a living and needed to depend on him forever.

  “Interior design.”

  “I didn’t know that you liked doing that.”

  “Hmmph. That’s the problem, Trey. You don’t know me. Everybody that comes here talks about how I have an eye for design and how it comes natural to me, but my own man says he didn’t know I like that.”

  He grinned and said, “So I’m your man?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He laughed and said, “I’ve always encouraged you. You forgot about the salon.”

  “My heart wasn’t in that salon. That’s why I never go and it’s barely making money.”

  “I hate that you feel that way about me. I want the best for you.”

  “But you never encourage me. Even your brother complemented me on how nice the place looks.”

  “My brother has been here?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did he want?”

  “Looking for you,” Starr lied. She didn’t know why she lied but she did. She wasn’t ready to tell him that his brother had tried to hit on her. She wasn’t sure it was her place to tell him since they were no longer involved.

  “I wonder what he wanted.”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “How did he know I lived here?”

  Starr shrugged. “Maybe your baby’s mother. I didn’t ask.”

  “But he liked the place, huh? “

  “Yeah.”

  “Look, baby, I like what you’ve done too.”

  Starr stood and they made eye contact briefly before she turned away. She had to admit that she missed him—him and his dick.

  Finally, she said, “I’ll go get your money.”

  She made her way to the bedroom where the rest of the money was as he stared at her wonderful ass. She turned and said, “Oh, there is something that I forgot to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I spent some.”

  “I figured you were going to spend some. How much did you spend?”

  “Close to a hundred and forty thousand dollars.”

  “What did you spend that kind of money on?”

  “My showroom.”

  “Showroom?”

  “Yeah, for the business.”

  “Where is this place located? I mean I should at least know where my money went.”

  She disappeared into the bedroom and then reappeared with a gym bag containing the rest of the money. She passed it to him along with a business card.

  ” ‘A Starr is Born.’ I like that play on words.”

  “Thanks.”

  He pulled her into him until she was on his lap. Trey stared at her for a moment before leaning into her and they locked lips. They kissed passionately for five minutes; his mouth was warm and salty. Damn, she missed this man.

  Finally, he said, “I missed the hell out of you.”

  “I missed you too.”

  He kissed her again and then removed her suit-jacket. He removed her shirt and bra and began sucking her tits. Her nipples sprang to life as he licked and kissed them. She was rubbing his hair as he tongue kissed her neck. Trey knew this made her hot, and this time was no different. She stood and removed her pants. She stood in front of him only wearing some pink boy shorts. Her ass was even more amazing in the flesh. Trey missed the hell out of her.

  He stood and kicked off his shoes and his dick was now as hard as concrete. He dropped his pants, underwear and his dick was at full attention. The thickness and the veins were just beautiful to her. He sat back on the chair and she sat on his lap and stroked him. He continued to kiss her neck. She wanted him inside her. His hands were on her and she kept pushing him away.

  “I want you,” he said.

  “I want you more.”

  “Why do you keep pushing me away?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “This is crazy. If you want me, let me have you.”

  “I want you, but I’m confused. I mean, this isn’t right.”

  He kept trying to yank her boy-shorts down without results.

  “What’s not right about it?” Trey asked.

  “You love her.”

  “I love you.”

  “Do you have a condom?”

  “A what?”

  “A condom.”

  “No.”

  “I can’t do this. I can’t fuck you knowing you been fucking somebody else. I can’t take a chance with my life.”

  She stood and he said, “Are you fucking serious?”

  She scooped her pants from the floor and he was focused on that ass and those tits. This was absolute bullshit to him.

  He stood and picked up his pants and shoes. “So, you’re serious?”

  “Trey, I just can’t trust you.”

  “I ain’t got time for these silly-ass games,” Trey said.

  “I’m playing games? Motherfucker, as loyal as I was to you, and I’m the one playing games?”

  He slid into his pants and he was now lacing up his sneakers. He grabbed the gym bag with the money and made his way to the door.

  Chapter 6

  It was nine p.m. and Black was at Sasha’s house. She had one of those white Martinque headboards, the third woman that Black had slept with this year with a headboard like that. Her bedding was all light colored and too damn delicate looking for a roughneck-ass nigga like Black, but it was very inviting. The smell of lit vanilla scented candles filled the room. Black kicked off his Jordans and was about to sit on her bed.

  “Don’t sit on my bed with your jeans on,” Sasha said.

  Black sat on a chair in the corner of the bedroom. He said, “You women kill me with that ‘don’t sit on the bed with your jeans’ shit. You complain, then be eating,doing your nails and all kinds of shit in a man’s bed.”

  She smiled and said, “You’re so right. I never thought about that, but I just think of my bed as a kind of sanctuary.”

  “A sanctuary. No way is this bed a sanctuary.”

  “There’s more than one meaning of the word sanctuary, asshole. Sanctuary doesn’t have to be like a sacred place. It can also be a place of safety.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t go to college like you did.”

  “That’s why you need a woman like me. You can be the muscle, and I can handle the money.”

  “What money?”

  “Don’t play dumb.”

  “So, you want me for my money?”

  “No, I want you for that dick of yours, but I’m just saying that if you want someone to help you manage that money, I can invest it for you.”

  “How do you know if I have money?”

  “Am I wrong?”

  “I might have a few coins.”

  She stood from the bed and made her way into the bathroom. When she returned Beyonce’s XO was playing through the surround sound speakers. She was wearing a yellow thong that looked amazing on her. Her waistline was almost non-existent. Six-inch stripper heels made her ass sit high and round. Black couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  She was smiling. “I want you to do something kinky to me tonight.”

  Black stood, kicked his shoes off, and removed his shirt. He stood there in a pair of blue boxers that was fighting hard to contain his pulsating dick.

  She said, “How did you get the scars?”

  “Gunshot wounds.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sasha didn’t know why, but Black’s gunshot wounds and tats were turning her on in a weird kind of way. She was a princess and he was a bad boy. She wanted him to fuck the hell out of her and treat her like a slut.

  He made his way over to her and pulled her into him. His hands were now resting on her ass.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I wanna be spanked.”

  “You mean like when I’m hitting you from behind?”

  She laughed and said, “Hell no. I’m going to lie across your lap and you’re going to spank me.”

  “What the fuck?”

  She laughed and said, “Just do it. You’ll enjoy it. I promise you.”

  Black sat on the bed before he sprang back up. “Is it okay to sit on the bed? You know how you be tripping about your bed.”

  “Of course, silly.”

  He sat on the edge of the bed. She disappeared and came back with a small paddle and passed it to him.

  “Use this or use your hands. I’d prefer your hands,” she said.

  “I don’t know if I can do it.”

  She made a sad face. “Too weird for you?”

  “I’ve never done nothing like this before.”

  She sat on his lap, wrapped her legs around his, and kissed him and bit his ear. She whispered, “I want you to manhandle this pussy.”

  She sang along with Beyonce. Black closed his eyes, his dick was throbbing. He wanted to be inside her. She lay across his lap and said, “Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

  He smacked her ass.

  “Keep going.”

  He kept spanking her and she was squirming and gyrating on his knee. “Keep spanking me, Daddy. I’ve been a bad girl.”

  He paddled her ass and she was getting off. She was actually getting off from a spanking. In a weird kind of way, this was turning Black the fuck on. He kept spanking her ass. He pulled her thong aside and began fingering her and spanking her at the same.

  “Oh my god! You feel so goddamned good to me,” she cried as her body began to convulse and she reached multiple orgasms.

  He stopped spanking her and she lay across his lap for a moment, catching her breath. Finally she stood up and removed her thong.

  “I want you inside me,” she said.

  Black stood and dropped his boxers. He made his way over to his pants to get his Magnum.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Getting a condom.”

  “I want you inside me bareback. I want to feel that dick inside me.”

  “No more kids for me, I’m sorry I can’t do that.” Black would fuck only one person raw nowadays, and that was Lani because they had history.

  She made a sad face.

  “I’m sorry, baby, but I’m through having kids.” He removed the Magnum and slid it on. She propped herself on the bed and he entered her doggy-style.

  Two hours later they were still cuddling. “I gotta admit, I like you.”

  Black didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He’d told her that he wasn’t ready to be in a relationship and he was wondering about her alleged boyfriend.

  She laughed and said, “You don’t have to be quiet. I’m not trying to make you marry me.”

  “I know you said you have a boyfriend. Where is this mystery man?”

  “Don’t worry about him. I don’t ever ask you about all your women.”

  “Whatever.”

  “But seriously, I think there are a lot of things I can help you with.”

  “Like what?”

  “You ever think about not hustling. You know, making legitimate money.”

  “Who said I was a hustler?”

  “Come on. You don’t work. I can call you anytime of the day and you’re doing absolutely nothing. Besides, you told me yourself you were a bad guy. Your words, not mine.”

  “I did say that, didn’t I?” Black grinned.

  “You absolutely told me that.”

  “But you don’t have to be the bad guy? I can help you invest your money. Just give me a little at a time if you don’t trust me.”

  “What do you call a little?”

  “Well, there is this franchise opportunity that I’m interested in that requires about a hundred thousand dollars in capital. I can come up with the money myself, but I’d rather have a partner.”

  Black said, “Wait a minute. Your father is the mayor. He has money.”

  “That’s a misconception. He doesn’t make that much money as mayor. He has a little bit of money, but that’s his money, not mine. I’m a grown woman, what would I look like going to him? Besides, he’s done so much for me. He paid my tuition in full, so while most people my age are walking around here with student loans. I don’t and I’m grateful.”

  Black said, “I can respect that. What kind of franchise?”

  “Well, there are a few I’m interested in.”

  “Give me the details and I’ll consider it.”

  She scooted her ass next to his dick that was now rock solid. She reached for his dick and tried to put it inside her, but he resisted and said, “No, No, No. Not without a condom.”

  She grinned. “Well, you can’t knock a girl for trying.”

  Chapter 7

  Detective Mike Williams had contacted Lani and asked her if she wanted to meet up and answer a few questions. She gave him the name of her attorney, and a few hours later, her attorney, Tom Gilliam, contacted her.

  “Detective Mike Williams wants to meet and talk to you,” he said.

  “Do I have to talk to him?”

  “You don’t have to, but I think it’s best.”

  “Why?”

  “I just believe in being proactive. My job is to clear you and make sure nobody brings any charges against you. I spoke briefly with Joey Turch, and he told me the jist of what has been going on, but I can meet you at my office in a couple of hours and you can tell me your version of events. Then, I’ll drive you to the detective’s office.”