Shakira was Black's oldest son Dion's mother. Dion was fifteen.

  "Oh that bitch. What did she have to say?"

  "Says you haven't seen your son in months. So I guess I'm lucky that my kids get to see you."

  Black listened. He knew what she was saying was right but he had his reasons. He didn't care for Shakira and he'd almost got into a fight with her new man, so in his mind he had good reasons for his negligence. He'd lost the love of his life and people were out to kill him. He didn't want to risk putting his kids in jeopardy. He couldn't stay away from Tierany and Man-Man too long because they were his youngest.

  "Have you seen any of the others?" Asia asked.

  "No," Black said then paused. "Your point?"

  "My point is that you used to be a good dad and that's the one thing me and all of your other kids' mothers could agree on. Not only did you give them money, but you used to be there for them. You know how many times I have to hear Man-Man say, 'Is my daddy going to come to my game?' or Tierany ask if you're going to see her gymnastics performance? And I have to say that you have to work."

  "What are you saying?"

  "You're not a dad. Not a dad that I can be proud of anymore. You've got shot twice. You're going to jail every other week. What the fuck? How can you look in the mirror and call yourself a good man?"

  "I never said that." Black stood and said, "You're just trying to justify the foul shit you did."

  "I did what I did. Yeah, I kinda wanted you to go to jail because I'd rather tell the kids that you are in prison than dead."

  Black stood there pondering. His phone buzzed. A text from TeTe. He would read it later. He knew what Asia was saying was absolutely right. But his plan was to get next to the connect, open even more Wing Kings and go one hundred percent legit if he could. But he knew that he'd have to find something else that would give him that rush. He knew he was sick because he felt a high that he couldn't explain—not from doing drugs, but from getting away with illegal shit. He loved being the bad guy. It was a role that he would miss.

  "Look, I'm going to be a better father."

  "Be a better person, Black. God has blessed you with wonderful children and a family that cares about you. And you are about to throw it all away. And who was that crazy bitch you brought to my house? Something is not right with that woman."

  Black laughed and said, "You tripping."

  Asia said, "I ain't gonna lie. That old bitch was fly but she looked crazy, like she'll cut your dick off crazy."

  Black was laughing his ass off because he knew that TeTe would indeed cut your dick off.

  Chapter 14

  Cato wiped his mouth with a paper towel after finishing the grilled ham and cheese sandwich that he'd ordered Sapphire to prepare for him.

  "Come here, bitch."

  She moseyed that big ass of hers over in his direction. When she was face to face with him, he removed his penis from his pants. Though he was a short man, he had a huge penis. Thick, chocolate and veiny. The women loved it. He ordered her on her knees.

  "Todd will be here in a second. "

  "You said that twenty minutes ago." He brandished the knife and placed the cold steel against her neck and said, "Get your ass on your knees."

  Seconds later, she was down on her knees with her mouth wide open. He placed that blade right against her cheek and said, "If you bite me, I swear to God I will slash your goddamned pretty face."

  She deep throated him, thinking that he must have read her mind because she had thought about biting the fuck out of him. But she knew he had weapons. Instead, she did exactly as he'd told her. His balls smelled like musty armpits and she wanted to gag. She would suck and suck and every three minutes she would pause to get some air.

  When she stopped for air, he said, "We don't take breaks around here. Get back to work."

  Why wasn't he cumming, Sapphire thought. He hadn't showered from the anal sex that they'd had earlier, but luckily they used a condom, otherwise she'd really be disgusted.

  She stopped and he frowned but before he could say it, she said it for him, "I know, we don't take breaks around here."

  He smiled. "You're learning."

  "My jaw hurts."

  "Your fucking neck is going to be hurting if you don't get back to work."

  "Why won't you cum? What is wrong with you?"

  Now she was pissing him off. He poked her in her pretty little face with the blade. He didn't cut her, but she knew that he would, so she started sucking as hard as she could. Spit and vacuum sounds filled the room. He smiled, and minutes later, he came hard. Semen travelled down the side of her mouth and she smiled. Although this was totally against her will, she still took a sick delight in pleasing him. She stood and began to make a beeline to the restroom.

  "Where are you going?" Cato asked.

  She opened her mouth revealing the ocean of semen and pointed to let him know that she wanted to spit it out.

  "We swallow around here."

  She made a sad face. He poked her in the leg with the knife, piercing her skin and he said, "Open your mouth."

  She opened her mouth again.

  "Swallow like a good little girl."

  She gulped down his sour, disgusting semen. She could only imagine what his diet was like.

  The doorbell chimed and he struggled to zip up his pants. He removed the gun from his waistband and hid behind the door.

  Sapphire said, "Who is it?"

  "Todd."

  Cato whispered a script for her to repeat.

  "Wait a minute, Todd. Let me slip into some clothes."

  Todd said, "Stay naked."

  Cato stood still behind the door, being as quiet as he possibly could. His gun cocked and she opened the door.

  Todd said, "What's up, baby! Why are you wearing clothes?"

  Cato was thinking of the things that he was going to do to this bitch ass nigga. He would strip him of his clothes. Burn him with the iron. Sprinkle hot grease on his balls. Pull his pubic hair out and douse him with alcohol. He would make this bitch pay before he decided to kill him and he would have to kill her too. He couldn't leave any witnesses.

  She peeled out of the bathrobe and Todd said, "You know I'm a sucker for your body. Why are you doing this to me?"

  When Cato could just see Todd, he kicked the door shut. He was surprised when he and Todd were face to face and he realized Todd was holding a gun, but he didn't flinch; instead, he fired. Nothing came out. His gun had jammed. He didn't have time to figure out what the fuck was going on; instead, he lunged forward at Todd. Todd fired two shots into Cato's head, He collapsed onto the wall, his brains spilling from his head. Cato died immediately.

  She said, "Damn, I'm so glad you came."

  "Well, when I got your 911 text with the pictures, I knew you were in trouble."

  "Thank you. You saved my life."

  "I read the 911 text."

  "Yeah I'm surprised the stupid motherfucker didn't ask to see my phone."

  He cleaned the gun up and passed it to her. "Tell the police that he tried to break in and you shot him."

  "But his DNA is in the bedroom and even inside of me."

  "You fucked him?"

  "We were tricking."

  "Well, tell them that you fucked him and he left and came back with a gun and tried to force himself on you at gunpoint. You had to kill him. Your phone in your name?"

  "No."

  "Good, give it to me. You call them from a neighbor's house."

  "Okay, I will."

  He hugged her and said, "I'll bring your phone back in a week. Or call me when you get another phone."

  Chapter 15

  Chanel was wearing a little, tight, backless dress that clung to her perfect body when Q picked her up in his Range Rover. He really didn't know her and he didn't want her to know what he did or exactly what kind of money he could get his hands on. She lived in some condo near Lennox mall.

  He watched her pretty ass as she strolled to the car. When she finally made it to the car, he hopped out and opened the door for her.

  She hopped inside the car and he greeted her with a hug.

  "Nice ride," she said.

  "Thanks."

  "I have a white one."

  He glanced over at her. He wasn't surprised. Everybody in Atlanta seemed to be driving Range Rovers. But he knew that most of them couldn't afford them. He knew she could probably afford hers though. She made it clear that she liked nice things and that she was willing to work for them. Plus she had made it clear that she was a woman of high expectations. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. The Geto Boys were playing on his Pandora Station.

  "What's that on the radio?"

  "Geto Boys. You ever heard of them?"

  "Yeah."

  "Scarface Station on Pandora."

  "My Uncle Ray liked Scarface. Can you put it on something else? That's kind of old school."

  "What you wanna listen to, Ms. Chanel?"

  "I don't know. Meek Mills, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, you know, anything more up to date. I don't like old stuff."

  "Damn, I'm glad you told me that. I was thinking about picking you up in my old pickup truck."

  "Then we would have rode in separate cars."

  "Are you serious?"

  "I am serious. I don't like old cars, old homes or old clothes."

  "And old rap artists."

  "Exactly."

  "Well, I'm ten years older than you, at least."

  "It's okay. I like older guys."

  "Why do you think you like older guys?"

  Q was zooming up Peachtree and they were listening to Rhianna's Bitch Better Have My Money.

  She said, "Older men know what they want. Well, most of them. Guys my age don't have their shit together and most aren't as ambitious as I am. I'm looking for a husband and I haven't met anybody on my level."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Not in Atlanta."

  "What about the guy that you had been dating?"

  She looked startled and she actually turned away from his glance and looked pensively out the window. "How did you know I was dating someone?"

  "You told me."

  "I told you that?" She seemed to be trying to remember when she told him. She didn't remember telling him anything like that.

  "Well, you said that everyone has someone."

  "You're right. I remember now." She laughed revealing a perfect smile. He could tell Chanel was the kind of girl that got her teeth whitened regularly. She seemed very vain, but it didn't bother him too much because he liked a woman that took pride in her looks.

  "Tell me about him."

  "Only if you tell me about her."

  "What do you want to know about her?"

  "Where does she live?"

  "Atlanta."

  "What don't you like about her?"

  "I like everything about her."

  "So why ain't you with her?" She paused and said, "Or are you with her?"

  "If I was with her, I wouldn't be here."

  "I don't know. You know how these Atlanta guys are."

  "I ain't from Atlanta."

  "Well, what's the deal, Q? Why ain't you with your girl?"

  He sighed and said, "She's on the insecure side."

  "Is she overweight?"

  "No, she's gorgeous."

  Now he was pissing Chanel off. What the fuck was he here with her for claiming that another bitch was gorgeous? She would not let on that this was bothering her though. She turned to him and said, "So what did you do, Q?"

  "What made you think I did something?"

  "I mean someone made her insecure. Did you cheat on her with some exotic girl? You know how dudes are nowadays. How they want something exotic. Is that what you want, Q? Some exotic girl? Some foreign girl? Black girls aren't good enough anymore?"

  "No. Nothing like that. It's all on her. Her ex dogged her out pretty bad and had a baby on her."

  "How you know what she's telling you is true?"

  "Me and her ex were friends."

  "And you took that man's girl? What the fuck?" She looked disgusted.

  "No, he was murdered."

  "Oh."

  "So, if she didn't want a break, you would be with her?"

  "Maybe."

  Moments later, they arrived at RA sushi and they were seated in a booth up near the entrance. She ordered the spicy tuna roll. He decided not to eat.

  "So you're not eating?" she asked.

  He said, "Only niggas trying to be bourgeoisie eat this shit."

  She laughed and said, "People say that I'm bourgeoisie."

  "What would you say?"

  She smiled and said, "Maybe." She sipped her water and then said, "Do you still like me?"

  "Of course."

  She blushed and she had to admit that she liked him too. There were qualities about him that told her he was a very sophisticated man whether he wanted to admit it or not. He reminded her that he'd grown up poor and she was almost certain that he was the type of man that could handle a girl like her.

  After they left the restaurant, he felt a buzz and she was looking great to him. He reached over and rubbed her leg but she stopped him.

  "Look, I like you, but I don't want to do it just yet. I'm not some one night stand."

  He smiled and said, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, we can do it tomorrow too."

  She laughed at his brashness. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, but she could tell that he was in love with this other woman. She knew that they could be a power couple but she had to guard her heart.

  When he pulled up in front of her home, he leaned forward and said, "I like you, Chanel."

  "You like me? How do you know that?"

  "What do you mean? How do I know that?"

  "How does anyone know if they like someone? I mean, sometimes men get caught up in the outer appearance. They don't take time to get to know me and when they do get to know me, they realize I'm a lot to handle."

  Q knew she was a lot to handle. He had been with women like her before. She was the kind of girl that wouldn't eat at a local steakhouse. She needed designer things, which meant that she was a little insecure, but so was he. At least he knew what to expect.

  He said, "I know more about you than you think."

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "Let's just go with the flow."

  "Let's do that."

  He leaned into her and kissed her. The taste of her tongue reminded him of peaches but what else would you expect from a girl like Chanel?

  Chapter 16

  His name was Mayor Phil Anderson. He liked expensive suits and expensive cars. He liked the forbidden. He was fifty-four and the mayor of one of the most electrifying cites in the U.S. It was a place where the influencers of the south wanted to be. A city full of athletes, entertainers, and international businessmen that were willing to pay for favors, and he was willing to give it to them if the price was right. He'd made a small fortune selling favors.

  As soon as this term was over, he would take a year off and travel the world and maybe run for governor. He wasn't passionate about politics, but he loved the power and he loved the benefits. Especially here in Atlanta. It was nothing for a celebrity to send him an envelope full of cash in exchange for a small favor or send over some strippers to keep him entertained. Drug dealers would send cash for him to use his influence to get the police chief to keep the heat off their asses—at least the ones that played the game.

  But there was one drug dealer that he had to eliminate. He was getting too close for comfort and had too much influence over his daughter. He'd learned about him months ago when he had a P.I. tail Sasha. The P.I. witnessed a meeting with Sasha, a woman named Rashida and Tyrann Massey, a.k.a. Black. The P.I. came back saying that Black was a known drug dealer and was suspected of selling heroin; the same heroin that he had declared war on during a press conference months ago. The heroin was off the street and Black had gotten arrested but someone else had taken the fall for him.

  For the past few days, the mayor had tried to contact Sasha, but she'd avoided him and so now he decided that he would show up at her home to see what was going on. He took a swig of Grand Marnier before tiptoeing into her condo. He found her sitting Indian style on her sofa typing on her MacBook Air.

  She looked up from her computer. They made eye contact as he barged right into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of alkaline water from the fridge. Fancy water in a fancy bottle, he thought. A waste of goddamned money if you asked him. Her eyeballs trailed him as he unscrewed the top off the water. He sat across from her on an armchair.

  He sipped his water and said, "You haven't answered my calls."

  She kept pecking away on her laptop without answering or looking up at him.

  "I know you hear me."

  "I do."

  "Okay. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  She sat the laptop down and said, "No, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

  "It's that dope dealer friend of yours."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You didn't think I knew about him, huh?"

  "Actually, I don`t care if you know about him or not. I can do whatever I want to. I'm tired of you trying to control me. I don't want to be controlled. Look, I know I work for you but you don't own me."

  The mayor set the water down on the table and looked at her. "Where is all this resentment coming from? I've been nothing but good to you. I sent you to the best schools. I've given you your job and this is how you thank me? By being rude to me?"

  "Please." Her eyes sparked with anger. "What part of, 'You can't control me' don't you understand?"

  "I've never tried to control you."

  He made his way over to her. She set the MacBook Air down and stood up. He grabbed her arms and she said, "You get away from me. I'll scream. I swear if you touch me, I will scream."

  He grabbed her arms and she screamed for a second before he used his hands to muffle the sound. She stumbled back on the sofa with him still on top of her, his hand cuffing her mouth.

  "You ungrateful hussy." He removed his hand and replaced it with his mouth. He kissed her like he'd done so many times before. He attempted to remove her shirt. The usual routine was that he'd remove her bra, play with her nipples and then spank her ass or lick her VJ. The first time he'd licked her VJ was when she was eight years old, before she'd heard anything about sex. All she knew was that Daddy made her feel good when he did that and she thought it was normal. But he would always tell her not to tell anybody. Not even mommy. This went on for years, until one day she learned the word molestation and found out that what Daddy was doing was wrong. She felt disgusted and ever since that day, she felt unworthy of love. So she did all she could to block these deeds out of her mind.