“As a matter of fact, bring that fine-ass nigga that came over to your house the other day.” Jada said, then realized that she just called one of his friends attractive.

  “You like my boy?”

  “Well he’s good looking, but you baby—you have substance. You are a man of character. I couldn’t date a man like that. He probably spends more time in the mirror than I do, but he’d be perfect for Lani.”

  “Ok I’ll call Shakur and we can meet at the W on 16th Street at eight o’clock.”

  “Perfect.”

  Lani and Jada sat at a table in the middle of the lounge and they’d already started a tab that Big Papa would have to pick up. The ladies drank mojitos while they waited on the men.

  Jada said, “I’m telling you, this man is drop dead gorgeous.”

  Lani was smiling but she said, “You know I’m not into pretty boys.”

  “I’m not into pretty boys either, but when you see this man, you’re going to be like ‘that motherfucker is perfection’. I mean tall with long, well maintained locs, perfect skin, and perfect teeth. Gorgeous, I’m telling you.”

  “What does he do?”

  “What do you think he do?”

  “Another D boy?”

  “Quit being concerned about that. All you need to know is that the motherfucker has money.”

  “I’m so tired of this lifestyle.”

  Jada looked at Lani like she’d lost her motherfucking mind. “So what are you going to do? Date a regular nigga with a nine to five?”

  “What’s so bad about that?”

  “Just do it and you’ll see. Dudes out there now be wanting to go Dutch with you on a damn forty dollar meal. I ain’t got time for that.”

  Big Papa and Shakur approached the table and Jada introduced Big Papa to Lani. They shook hands and Big Papa said, “Everybody, this is Shakur.”

  Lani thought this was the finest goddamned man she’d seen in her life as she marveled at his beautiful locs, his wide shoulders, and tiny waist. And that goddamned ‘I will fuck you to death’ smile made her pussy wet. Those damn teeth were sparkling white and just perfect. The genetic gods had been good to him.

  “How are you, Lani?”

  Lani thought she’d be fine once he put his dick inside her, but she had to act like a lady. “I’m doing okay.”

  Shakur sat beside her and he was wearing Aventis by Creed. It was mesmerizing. Everything about him was on point. Hair? Check. Teeth? Check. Body? Check. Style? Check. He was the complete package until she spotted a beaded necklace around his neck. That shit was gay but she’d give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

  He sat beside her, still smiling like he’d fuck her into a coma and then eat her out of it.

  The waitress came and Lani and Jada order two more mojitos. Shakur ordered a Red Bull, and Big Papa ordered a diet coke.

  Lani said to Shakur, “You don’t drink?”

  “I do. Been up since five a.m. so I’m a little tired.”

  Jada said, “And this nigga ordered a diet coke. How are ya’ll going to ask us out for drinks and not even drink?”

  Big Papa was grinning with his yellow ass teeth. “Gotta get this weight off me. Liquor equals calories.”

  Jada rubbed his back. “I’m so proud of you, baby. You’ve really been doing a good job.”

  Lani said to Shakur, “Why don’t you have a woman?”

  Shakur said, “Who said I didn’t?”

  Lani laughed and said, “My bad. So why are you here?”

  Shakur said, “I don’t have a woman. I was just fucking with you.”

  “You look like a player.”

  “I’ve heard that all my life.”

  “Are you?”

  “I’ve played women but I’ve also been played. That’s life, but right now you looking at a grown man. If I died today, I’ve had my share of pussy.”

  Lani sipped her drink thinking he must have gotten a lot of pussy with those sexy-ass lips.

  Shakur said, “What about you? Who is the lucky man?”

  “No man. He was murdered a few months ago.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “What happened? I mean, if you want to talk about it.”

  “I don’t know exactly what happened, but his body was found in the trunk of a Lincoln….”

  “Chris Jones?”

  “You knew Chris?”

  “Didn’t really know him, but I know Mike.”

  Lani shook her head and said, “It’s a small world.”

  Shakur called out to Big Papa, “Ty, this is Mike’s brother’s girlfriend.”

  Big Papa said, “No way.”

  “Yep,” Lani said.

  Shakur said to Lani, “That just happened. Are you ready to move on?”

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “If I meet somebody that is good to me. Not just financially and sexually, but faithfully. God knows I dealt with my share of dogs.”

  He laughed and said, “I want to take your mind off all those losers.”

  “You do?”

  “It’s my mission.”

  “Is that so?”

  “If you let me in.”

  With that body and that pussy-eating grin, she wanted to let him in. Damn did she want to let him in.

  *****

  Later that night Lani followed Shakur to his home in Riverdale, Georgia. It was a very modest two-story home, very surprising for a big drug dealer. Once they were inside and seated in the den, Shakur made them drinks. He handed one to Lani.

  “No thanks.”

  “So, you’re not drinking now?”

  “I would but I have to drive and besides I didn’t see you fix the drink.”

  He laughed and said, “Oh, so you think I would spike your drink?”

  “I’m not saying you would or you wouldn’t. I just said I didn’t see you fix it.”

  “You didn’t see them fix the drinks at the hotel.”

  “You didn’t drink at the hotel.”

  “Now that I’m home, I want to have a drink.”

  “But you said that you had to be up early in the morning.”

  Shakur laughed. “Look, we’re arguing about nothing. You don’t have to have the drink.” He set her drink on the table then sat beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder and said, “I like you a lot. What do you think of me?”

  Was he seriously asking her what she thought of him? She thought his tall chocolate ass was delicious, but she couldn’t say that since it wasn’t appropriate. “I think you’re a nice guy.”

  “Nice guys finish last. I don’t want to be a nice guy.”

  She blushed and said, “So what do you want me to say?”

  “Say what you want to say.”

  She was blushing hard as hell. She would not say what she wanted to say and she would try her damndest not to do what she wanted to do.

  “I like you.”

  “I don’t think you trust me.”

  “We just met.”

  “But I let you come to my house.”

  “I guess that means you trust me.”

  “Of course. Why would you be here?”

  Lani saw where this was going. Not only was Shakur fine, but he was an arrogant-ass motherfucker and in a weird way it was turning her the fuck on.

  He rubbed her knee and said, “I can tell you ain’t been touched in a while.”

  She avoided looking at those sexy-ass lips of his. She didn’t want this night to end up with her face down and her ass in the air. He was making it hard as fuck.

  He stood with the drink in hand and walked over and dimmed the lights then turned on his surround sound. Kanye West singing “Say You Will” came through the speakers. He removed his shirt and she couldn’t keep her eyes off the tats decorating that sexy, wide-ass back or his eight pack, but damn why did he still have that gay ass beaded necklace on? Yuck!! But she wanted him inside her.

  He sat beside her and placed his hands on her legs. Then he sipped his drink and leaned forward and kissed her. Before she knew it, they were tongue wrestling. His hand was now on her ass and her left hand was on his dick. He tried to remove her jeans but she resisted.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  He leaned into her and kissed her again. His hands gripped her ass and he tried to remove her jeans again but she still resisted.

  “Come on, you know you want to do it,” he said.

  “I do.”

  ‘Well what’s wrong?”

  “I’m a little too old for this bullshit. What happens when you don’t call me and I’m somewhere pissed the fuck off at myself because I allowed it to happen?”

  “I like you a lot, Lani.” He made his way over and scooped up his shirt and put it back on. “I don’t think you like me.”

  “So ‘like’ for you, is me face down and ass up?”

  “I thought we were feeling each other.”

  “Me too.”

  Shakur said, “I get it. You think I’m going to tell Mike if we have sex?”

  “Actually that hadn’t crossed my mind until now. You’re a grown man. I would hope you wouldn’t do something like that.”

  “I get good vibes about you, Lani. Regardless of what people have been saying about you in the street, I think you’re a good person.”

  “Lani said, “What did you just say?”

  “About what?”

  “What have people been saying about me in the street?”

  “Mike and his friends are saying that you set his brother up to get killed and then had some niggas come to his parents’ house and hold them hostage.”

  “What?”

  “I’m just telling you what they are saying.”

  “Nobody is saying that.”

  “I don’t know you. Why would I make some shit up like that? I don’t believe them, so what difference does it make?”

  “The reason why you don’t believe them is because it never happened.” Lani stood up, gathered her things and said, “I gotta go.”

  “I’ll walk you out to the car.”

  When they were in his driveway, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’ll be in touch.”

  *****

  When Lani drove away from Shakur’s home, she dialed Mike’s number. He didn’t pick up. She dialed it again and again until finally he picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Mike, I need to talk to you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “People are telling me that you think that I set your brother up, and I had your parents held hostage.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Mike, tell me you don’t think that?”

  “Look, Lani. All I know is those motherfuckers were at my parents house and you’re the only person that knows where my mom lives.”

  “Mike, you don’t believe that. You know I wouldn’t do nothing like that.”

  “I don’t know, Lani.”

  “Mike, that’s not the part that even hurt me the most. The part that really hurts me is that you’re saying I had Chris set up. I loved your brother.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Look, you don’t have to believe me.”

  “Good because I don’t believe you.” He ended the call.

  Chapter 18

  Jada met Craig in the parking deck of his office after work. She sat in the passenger side of a rental car. She said, “You’re looking well.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Have you been using?”

  “No, not in a few days. Why?”

  “Oh, I can just tell.”

  “So are we here for you to tell me how much of a junkie I am, or do you have some news about what I asked you?”

  “He doesn’t want to do it.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s only paying three thousand dollars for drug runs.”

  “Three thousand dollars? Not worth the risk.”

  “I know.”

  He took a deep breath. “Does he need any partners?”

  “What do you mean, partners?”

  “Well I’ve sold the two Maseratis. I have cash.”

  “You want to be a drug dealer?”

  “No. You know I don’t know the first thing about drug dealing. But I can invest some money.”

  Jada laughed and said, “You want to invest some money? Like what kind of money.”

  “I need to know the return first. Ask him if I invest a hundred thousand dollars. How much can I get back? I would want you to be in charge of it, of course.”

  “If you have money from selling your cars, why do you need to sell drugs? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Jada, I’m not selling, I’m investing.”

  “But it’s not making sense.”

  “I have a lot going on. I told you, my wife is trying to take everything.”

  “Okay, but you know you can go to prison?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  “You do.”

  He turned away and said, “Look, I’m embarrassed to tell you this but I have a few malpractice suits and my insurance is going through the roof. I need money.”

  “Malpractice? You’re the best.”

  “Hey, it happens to the best of us.”

  “I don’t think Shamari wants any partners.”

  “Ask him.”

  “Okay.”

  She was about to get out of the car and he stopped her. They stared into each other eyes for a long time and he said, “Thank you.”

  Later that night she texted him.

  Jada: For a hundred thousand, he said you’ll get a fifty thousand dollar return in a month but you’re going to have to bring it back for him.

  Craig: No Problem.

  *****

  The rooftop pool at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills was just fabulous. And Jada’s body looked just as spectacular as she wore a white thong and a very fitting bathing suit top that was struggling very hard to contain her tits. She’d thought about a yellow conservative one piece but decided at the last moment to wear the thong, after all this was Beverly Hills so she figured what the hell. Jada and Shamari stood next to the pool sipping drinks. Shamari was drinking a Hennessy and Coke and Jada had a white wine when Craig approached with a woman that looked like a black Barbie doll. The woman introduced herself as Imani. Imani had a very long weave and Jada could tell she’d had several nose jobs as well as cheek implants, chin implants, an eyebrow raise, veneers, and a breast augmentation.

  Shamari whispered to Jada, “This woman looks like a goddamn robot.”

  Jada said, “Hell, I hope I don’t look like that. Everything on this bitch is artificial.”

  Craig and Shamari shook hands without smiling and Jada suggested they go to the hotel room to discuss business. Though she loved the ambiance, she knew that nosey-ass people could still overhear their conversation.

  Once they were in their room, Jada said, “So why did you bring her?” Jada pointed to Imani.

  “She’s going to help me get it back to Atlanta.”

  “How is she going to get back to Atlanta?”

  “Drive.” Craig said.

  Shamari looked at her. She looked so goddamned fake, he figured she didn’t have the brains to get back to Atlanta. Could she read a map? Hell, could she even follow a GPS navigation system.

  Craig said, “Relax. I’m going to take care of her. Don’t worry, I’ll handle her.”

  Shamari said, “What do you want for doing this?”

  Jada said, “Yeah, what’s in it for you?”

  Craig said, “I’ll take care of her. We worked out a deal.”

  “I just want the perfect nose,” replied Imani.

  “This is crazy. I’ve never heard of anything like this in my life,” Jada said. She wanted to tell Imani she looked like a goddamned cat already. This woman did not need any more surgery.

  Shamari said, “Who the fuck are we to judge anybody as long as she gets what she wants?”

  Jada said, “Imani does not need any more surgery. She looks…”

  Imani smiled and said, “I look fake. I know. You can say it. I won’t be offended. When people say I look fake, it’s a compliment.”

  Shamari just stared at the crazy-ass bitch. What the fuck? He wondered how this happened. What had taken place in her life to get her to this point?

  Jada wanted to say something, but clearly the bitch was delusional and they were there for business, not to give this ho a psychological evaluation.

  Shamari said, “Where’s the money?”

  Craig presented him with a briefcase.

  “You’ll get your profit back in a month.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it,” Craig said.

  “Okay, meet us back in the hotel lobby at seven. I’ll have the product.”

  The two men shook hands.

  Shamari tossed the two kilos on Black’s table and Black said, “What the fuck? Why is the dope in these balloons? This shit has probably been cut a thousand goddamned times.”

  “No. I gave it to the courier and he thought that it was a good idea to take it out of the original wrapping.”

  “He? What the fuck do you mean he?

  “Yeah, bruh, it’s a white dude. I’m talking about a nerd-looking motherfucker who the police will never suspect.”

  Black was visibly upset. His eyes were red and he stared at Shamari and then back at the balloons on the table. “And what make you think this motherfucker won’t run his goddamned mouth, man?”

  Shamari turned from Black’s gaze and said, “He’s not just a runner. He invested with us.”

  “Who? We don’t need no investor.”

  “Look, all we gotta give him is fifty thousand dollars for a hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Motherfucker, that’s a fifty percent return. No wonder you ain’t got no goddamned money.”

  “It’s a fifty percent return if we give him the money right after we use the hundred thousand but I told him I would see him in a month. But you know how the game goes. That month might turn into two months. By the time I pay his ass, we’ll have made about three hundred thousand off his hundred.”

  “We don’t need him.”

  “He is the reason we got the heroin back to Atlanta. What’s the goddamned big deal? We are talking about pure heroin. We can afford to give him fifty thousand dollars.”

  “I don’t know why you keep saying pure. If you get it from niggas, it is not pure.”