“I do, but trust me, I ain’t on that. I’m on money, in the worst way.”
“Don’t I know it? We got that in common.”
“And chicks, all they want to do is take from you, and if you ain’t got none, they ain’t got nothing for you.”
She turned her head from side to side, taking in what he said, and she had to agree. “I can’t front. You right.”
“I know, so all I can do is focus on that, be a good person, and God will bless me with a good woman and money too.”
“God will provide, that’s for sure.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“The guys chasing you?”
“Not really, but the only thing that I care about that has anything to do with a chase is Chase bank.”
He laughed then his phone interrupted them again.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Just business.”
“By all means, don’t let me stand in your way.” She didn’t have to wonder what kind of business he was in. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that he was into selling some kind of drugs.
“Naw, I’m going to go handle it later after I drop you back off, but I just wanted you to eat.”
“Thank you. That’s sweet.” She really did appreciate Black. He wasn’t her type of guy per se, but was definitely her knight in shining gold teeth. His entire persona was the total opposite of Caesar. He was as dark chocolate as they come, and was kind of chubby, whereas Caesar was in the best physical condition. He wore baggy clothes, whereas Caesar dressed very conservative preppy. There wasn’t much physical attraction to him, and she almost felt bad. She was sure she didn’t want to lead him on, though, but was so grateful to have him.
As she sat finishing up the lobster dinner—the special that the host was trying to get them to try the other day—she was taking in how beautiful everything was.
Black asked, “So what’s up with the room? How much is it for another week?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t even know. I gotta find out.” Sad to say that she hadn’t even wrapped her head around that issue. What was she going to do?
“Well, I’ma try to take care of it for another week for you.”
“No, I can’t do that. I really can’t accept that from you.”
“Look,” Black said, “I’m not the richest man or anything like that, but whatever I got, you can get. And that’s real.”
“Nah,” she said. “I’m going to get some money. Don’t worry.”
“Look, real talk, you can’t be going into these people’s stores down here and boosting they shit. The tech is a li’l different, and I don’t want you late,” he said, being that he came to her rescue the other day when she was trying to boost from a store.
“Yeah, I know.” She listened. What he was saying was sinking in. The truth of the matter was that she did need a crew to make things happen the way she used to, and she was playing in an entirely different arena. “But trust me, I’m going to figure out something.”
“I believe that,” he said to her, “but until you do, I’ma do what I can.”
She took a deep breath. “Why?”
“I mean, you got anybody else out here?”
“Nope,” she admitted.
“Look, it’s like this. Everybody need somebody to hold them down in tough times, to have their back at all times.”
“True.” She couldn’t deny that.
“To catch them when they slipping, celebrate their successes,” he said, looking at his phone. “You know, we all need somebody.”
“You are right,” she replied, still skeptical. “But why me? Why you?”
“Well, why not you? And if I don’t have you, who else is going to?”
She sat silent for a minute as she thought. That was some real live shit he was kicking to her. It made good sense, and the reality was that the answer to the question was what it always was: Nobody!
Before she could say thank you and graciously accept his help, she could hear Caesar in the back of her head. Never accept anything from people, because you have to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Suddenly, Black’s s phone rang. “I gotta take this.” She nodded and began to people watch as he politicked over the phone.
“You want anything else?” he asked when the waiter came with the check, as he still talked on the phone. She shook her head and then continued to watch the characters from all walks of life that strolled the strip.
As he paid the bill, she caught sight of someone and got up from the table quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
Her Air Maxes felt like roller skates as she made her way down the crowded sidewalk. Her eyes never lost sight of their target. In her mind, it seemed like she was moving in slow motion, but Bianca was swift on her feet. In a matter of minutes, she was on the woman’s heels. She grabbed her from the back. “You snitch-ass bitch!” Bianca said as she yanked the hell out of the stripper who had been wearing the zebra-print outfit and told Rocco that she had the Mollies. She was with a masculine-looking female. Bianca hauled off and punched her.
“What the fuck?” she screamed, and the crowd began to swarm to see the cat fight going on.
Zebra was in shock and didn’t know what to do, so the butch-looking girl who was with her began hitting Bianca.
“Fuck off of her, bitch!” That’s when Black body-slammed the butch one onto the pavement.
Bianca wouldn’t let go of the hold she had on Zebra. She had her on the ground and was on top of her, punching her and choking her. “Bitch, you almost had me killed.”
“Come on, we gotta go! We gotta go!” Black was trying to tell Bianca, but Bianca had snapped out, and the only thing that ran through her head were snippets of how Rocco had beat her ass in that bathroom in
