Chapter One:
The Playa’s Playground
***Raheim Starz***
It’s one thing to talk a lot of smack but it’s completely different to live it. See I’m that dude who keeps the ladies wet at night make em fall out calling on Jesus to bring em water because I’m so hot. My name is Raheim Starz and yes that’s my real name. Tonight I’m lying in bed with my Tuesday night and although it’s Friday she called me begging. Her name is Kelly and she’s a red bone tall, thin, small tits but an ass like a donkey so that’s why I came on through. Everybody has a preference, which usually includes the light skinned honeys at the top of the list, but my preference is the chocolate sistahs or the honey colored chicks with the thick hips. Kelly ain’t a dime but my motto goes “Pussy don’t have a face only a smell and a taste” so I don’t discriminate.
I could hear the water running in the bathroom next to the bedroom door so I knew she was giving herself a quick wash down something she should have done before I got here. I don’t claim to be God’s great gift but I’m never pressed. My looks have carried me since I was in diapers. My 6’4 frame is appreciated by both men and women alike, and my light brown complexion looks like I have a 365-day tan. My jet-black hair is thick and curly but I like to keep it in cornrows that I have done for free on an every three-day basis. I’m not one to hit the gym but for dramatic effect I do 300 sit-ups and 300 pushups a day to keep my body tight. My best feature is my green eyes. Yeah I’m pretty but don’t let my looks fool you. I’m quick to grip a niggas ass up. Especially if he thinks I’m soft.
“Yo Kelly, I’m about to bounce” She was going to interfere with my original Friday and that ain’t about to happen. See Friday belongs to Felicia her fine ass is as dark as night. Her hair is naturally long and black with auburn tint. Her smile is enough to get my wood excited. She has a body that God created only to show off with a small waist, thick legs and tits that set it all off. Felicia topped everybody. I could sit and pretend she was wifey not press her for sex and treat her like everybody treats me. Spoiled!!!! What I like most about her is that she is funny as hell and she doesn’t sweat me like these other chicks do.
Kelly swung the bedroom door open wearing a pink tank top and white boy shorts, the ones I love, that show the bottom of her ass.
“You ain’t going nowhere,” she said, “I ain’t tell you? I’m keeping you for the night” I decided not to correct her until after I got what I came here for. She straddled me and it was times like this that made me wish she had tits. Her hips started gyrating to a silent tune while she unbuckled my belt.
“You real happy to see me huh?” I leaned my back against the wall because she didn’t have a headboard so I could get a better look.
“I missed you baby. I get crazy when I don’t see my man” Her man? I couldn’t help but laugh she was trying to claim a nigga after I already told her we’re only friends with benefits and since I only see her once a week its more benefits than friendship.
“Your man? When did I become your man?” I asked with a smile still on my face.
“When you started coming over here to fuck me.” She stopped moving and gave me a death stare. I didn’t need this shit tonight especially when I came to play. I put my arms around her waist and started kissing her on her neck. Her body as stiff as a board waiting for me to confirm that I was hers. I did what I do best and dodged the bullet.
“Listen baby right now I want to enjoy you ok? We’re gonna talk about that later” She didn’t move for a minute until I started kissing her neck.
“Ok but don’t fuck with me Raheim” or what? I thought. Tonight is the last night I’m coming over here. The mistake most men make is to lie and say they belong to somebody. I tell everybody I mess with that I don’t have a girlfriend and don’t want one. Relationships are too much drama and rules that I don’t have the patience to follow. She started getting real hype bouncing up and down and I ain’t have my pants off yet. I stood up knowing I looked good in my fresh white button down and dark blue Roca Wear jeans. She started taking my shirt off while I reached for the condoms in my pants pocket.
“You don’t need a condom tonight. I’m on the pill” she talked through kisses on my stomach.
“That’s cool babe, but I never go out in the rain without my umbrella” She stopped again this time eyes on fire
“What? You don’t trust me?”
“Hell NO!” I was dead serious I’ve been down here before every girl and their mama tryna have my baby. I had one girl say she had condoms only to find out that she poked 16 holes in the tip. Calling me six o’clock in the morning crying, talking about “I’m pregnant” like she ain’t plan the shit. I was at her door acting like a mad man. I gripped her ass up and dragged her to the nearest clinic. I don’t believe in abortions or at least I didn’t until I realized that I would have to deal with Tanisha’s trifling ass for a life time and besides I couldn’t love a kid knowing their mom set me up.
“Then why are you here if you don’t trust me?”
“Because you called me.”
I started buckling my belt I just didn’t have the energy.
“Where you going?” she snapped
“I’m gone, it’s obvious you on some other shit tonight, I didn’t come here to be aggravated” I put my Timbs back on tucking my strings in. She started to panic
“You don’t need to leave I’m sorry”
“It’s cool, some other time” She ran over to her bedroom door trying to block it.
“Kelly move, I’ll be back next week when you’ve taken your medicine”
“Don’t do that”
“Do what?”
“Try to play me Raheim; I said I was sorry damn. You can wear the condom I don’t care”
“See that’s the thing baby girl you turned me off so watch yourself” I lifted her by the waist and moved her from in front of the door. She started following me out of the apartment complex talking loud.
“Please stay, I said I was sorry,” I didn’t answer nor did I stop which, made her act crazier.
“Don’t come back then nigga, you leave now I don’t want you coming back” She tried to raise her voice so I stopped for a moment catching the look of satisfaction on her face.
“Alright then” I kept going and she started crying.
“Why you acting all serious? You know I’m only playing” I walked to my black Expedition with the iced out rims and sped off. I saved myself a shower. I checked my cell phone to see how many calls I missed. Most of them from my Monday and Thursday girls. They both acted desperate too and that’s why I’m about to cut them off. I pressed # 1 to speed dial Felicia, she answered on the third ring anybody else and I wouldn’t have heard the phone ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, do you mind if I come over now?” I tried not to sound hype.
“Well right now my girls are here. They want to go out tonight.” I felt jealous but I wasn’t saying nothing.
“Oh alright, maybe I’ll check you later then”
“We’ll be at club Six-Nine; if you want you can meet me there”
“Tell his fine ass to be there,” one of her girlfriends shouted in the background.
“You already know I don’t do the club thing, especially Six-Nine. You too good to be going to that cheap ass place.” I didn’t mean to sound frustrated but I wanted to see her.
“I know, and why you sounding all jealous? Last time I checked we didn’t have any strings and anyway my girl Beverly is getting married”
“So yall go to a club?” I knew she’d appreciate my sarcasm. She said
“Exactly.” Before starting to laugh.
“I have to go but I want to see you” This drove me crazy. I hated being surrounded by a bunch of suckas who started hating as soon as my foot hit the door. Some of them tried to test me by spilling drinks on my clothes so they could catch me out there. But I didn’t have anything else to do and I really did want to see her.
“A’ight, about what time?” She told me to be there around eleven. I glanced at my platinum and diamond Cartier watch. I had to wait three hours. I made a quick decision to check out my aunt. She raised me and my baby brother. My mom’s crazy ass is locked up for life she killed my dad when I was eleven after she found him laid up with an Italian broad. I was done with her ass the year before when she kicked me out for looking like my pops. You heard me right eleven years old with nothing but my busted bobos and superman t-shirt. I cried for a long time out on the concrete steps of our apartment building before I remembered my dad’s sister. I walked half the day to get to Yeadon before I reached her suburban house going purely off of memory. When I told my aunt what happened she started crying and dialed my mom on the phone calling her every bitch in the book. She had custody over me and my brother a year later.
I didn’t need to use my key because she never locked her door.
“Anybody home?” I stepped into the living room. The TV was on in the kitchen. I bought her a 52’ flat screen for her birthday last year and she still chose to record and watch her trash shows on the outdated 13’ in the kitchen.
“I’m in here.” I gave her a kiss on her forehead before sitting at the table across from her.
“What you watching?”
“Maury, I swear I don’t understand you young people. Why in the hell would anybody want to have nine men take a DNA test?”
“It’s all about publicity, you don’t know that?” I asked sarcastically.
“Your brother was here yesterday” Her eyes never left the screen.
“Janet sent him a letter last week. She wants him to come visit,” She continued.
“His crazy ass can if he want to. Excuse my language but she’ll see me on judgment day when God show her how she did me” My aunt knew how I felt about my mom and she never forced me to change my mind.
“I understand, Amir said he gonna check with you first” I stood up looking around the pots she had sitting on top of the stove changing the subject abruptly.
“What’s cooking?”
“I knew your greedy ass didn’t come here to see me, get you a bowl out of the cabinet and get some of that spaghetti.”
“How old is it?” I joked with her.
“About as old as your mouth” she swatted me on the back with her hand.
“Seriously though, she ain’t been tryna to talk to us and all of a sudden 15 years later and you want a heart” I ate the spaghetti as fast as I put it in the bowl. The one thing I could say about my aunt is that Sadie can cook.
The phone rang on the kitchen wall. I grabbed it before she could.
“Hello? Who’s calling?”
“It’s Valerie, who’s this Amir?”
“No it’s Raheim and for that Ms. Val my moms can’t talk to you” Ms. Val was my aunt’s best friend and she helped my aunt and uncle look after us whenever she could when we were growing up.
“Boy if you don’t give me my damn phone” She snatched the phone out my hand
“I know he done gone and went crazy” She laughed into the receiver while I took the chance to take a nap in my old room. I took the spiral staircase in the kitchen. Nothing changed. My real, dark wood bed frame still looked new except for the heart with my initials and my first love Cassandra Norman’s carved into the bedpost. The posters of bikini-clad chic’s posing on motorcycles were still plastered all over the walls. My dresser holding my trophies from track needed to be dusted. My Uncle Billy pulled me to the side one day and said getting the local honeys was cool but I needed to step up my game and join a sport. I told him track because I’d need to run from all of the ladies. At the time I didn’t know how true that really was.
***Janet Starz***
Sitting in my cell waiting for the overweight C.O to do a head count I contemplated my next move. I need to win over Raheim or I would be here for another ten years.
“Janet Starz?” The C.O yelled out.
“I’m still here” I liked being sarcastic.
“A simple here is sufficient Mrs. Starz” She always said Mrs. When I irritated her trying to remind me of why I’m here. I don’t need a reminder; every day in this hellhole reminds me that Carlos’ ass wasn’t worth it.
“Carla Wilson?”
“Here” my roommate shouted from her bed. The C.O moved on, keys hitting her wide hips.
“You finished your plan yet?” I knew she thought I was crazy and that’s why I carefully gave her only half of my business.
“Carla don’t start no shit with me today ok?”
“I’m only saying your old ass needs to get used to the idea of being here is all” Carla teased.
“I don’t have to get use to shit, he’s gonna come around” I barked back.
I lie down on my thin cot staring at the top of her bunk. 15 years is a long time to think about your life. I understood Raheim and what I remember most is that he was a stubborn bastard just like his father. Right when my eyes began to close I could feel Carla slide into the spot beside me covering my tits with her hand. She always knew when to make me feel better. The room felt less cold when her soft mouth cupped my nipple. I closed my eyes and remembered Carlos.
***Raheim Starz***
The music in the club was so loud it made the floor jump. Right away I noticed the thick cloud of smoke hanging over everybody’s head like a bad news cloud. All of the wanna be ballers stood around the bar watching all the ladies on the dance floor. A tall dark skinned brotha was already eyeing me hard from the corner. “And the shit begins” I thought. I didn’t see Felicia or any of her girls so I took the first available seat at a table full of honeys all rockin’ knock off Gucci bags.
“Can I sit here?” I yelled over the music and not waiting for an answer I slid into the booth.
“Damn Papi, can I get your name and number?” The girl sitting directly in front of me asked. I gave her a quick once over. Her white tube top was to low and showed about sixty stretch marks crawling up her saggy tits. She had on about six $2.00 colorful plastic bangle bracelets and enough foundation to cover a small elephant. However, I’m not one to disrespect.
“I’ll tell you my name if you tell me yours. “ All eyes were on me all but one of her girls who was giving her the evil eye.
“My name is Simone and you can have my home #, cell number # and my mama’s # if you want that too” She started giggling and her girls followed.
“Well Ms. Simone my name is Vic” I gave one of my aliases no need having her telling everybody she knows me.
“Vic? I like that.”
“What yall drinking?” I asked. I didn’t have a problem paying for one round of drinks. Simone quickly spoke up
“Rum and coke” I gave her a fifty-dollar bill and told her and two of her girls to get five rum and cokes leaving me at the table with the finest of the four. The one with the evil eye.
“Why you looking so mad?” She didn’t say nothing for a second.
“I’m ok; it’s just that my girls act so desperate sometimes.” I took a card with my number on it and slid it across the table, she grabbed it and stuffed it in her purse before the giggling trio came back talking loud and dancing along to one of Beyoncé’s throwbacks All The Single Ladies. No sooner than my drink hit the table Felicia’s fine ass walked up. She had about twenty girls with her and they all watched the table.
“Excuse me ladies, can I borrow him for a minute?” She took me by the hand and we walked off. That’s what I loved about her she didn’t act out but stole the show.
“How long you been here?” she leaned her body against me until I could smell her hair. It was driving me crazy.
“Not that long” I wrapped my arms around her waist and watched the haters hate. She looked sexy as hell in a black jersey knit halter-top cat suit with a gold chain belt and matching open toe gold sandals.
“Do Beverly’s old man know she in here shaking her ass?”
“I ‘on know, but be quiet Raheim” She started dancing up on me moving her hips to Jamie Fox’ joint blame it on the alcohol. I knew I didn’t want any alcohol when I laid it on her. I started feeling the music and pulled her ass into my hardness.
Her girls surrounded us forming a circle like some shit straight from off of soul train. But just when I started feeling ok about coming to this broke down club the dark skinned brotha with the eye problem stepped up in the circle with a serious attitude. He stood in front of me like he might try something. I kept dancing daring that nigga to make a move. Felicia slowed down a bit her body tensing up.
“Relax baby this muthafucka can’t be that crazy” I whispered in her ear. Seconds later he grabbed her by the arm like he wanted to be smooth and tried to pull her to him but she yanked her arm away and one of her girls grabbed my arm.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
“You talking to me?” his voice had ten times the base.
“No muthafucka I’m talking to the ugly nigga behind you. Did I give your dumb ass permission to come over here and touch somebody?” I gritted on him hard and if need be I would knock his ass out. I could see a few people stop dancing and start to crowd around exactly what I didn’t want.
“Nobody want that stank bitch anyway” Felicia was two seconds from swinging at his face before Beverly pulled her by the waist. “You got about two fucking minutes to back the fuck off before I whip your ugly ass.” With no warning he swung his heavy fist near my face catching the bridge of my nose. I jerked back before charging at him. Hitting him with a left hook to his chin and a right to his temple. I went back to my first ass whipping my uncle Billy gave me for coming home crying after I lost a fight. I ain’t ever do that again. After I had him on the floor I stood up and started kicking him in his back and shoulders. He had blood all over his ear but he was still coming for more. I could hear Felicia screaming “Stop, Rah come on. Somebody help” That made me hit him harder until I heard his jaw crack. His eyes were closed and for a minute I thought that he was dead until I saw his chest moving up and down. When I stood up my white linen suit was covered with blood. I felt fine so I knew it had to be his. Everybody started gasping and pushing through to see who was stretched out on the floor. Dudes who heard the heat started jetting before they got there. Felicia had all of her girl’s crowd around me in case the police were out front. The night air hit my face making me realize how hot it was up inside the small club. They followed me around the block until we reached my Expedition. That nigga had me trippin. She told her girls she was riding out with me and they started hugging like I was kidnapping her or something. I knew they under estimated my ability just like the sucka lying on the club floor did.
For a long while no one said anything. I headed in the direction of my downtown apartment. No other girl had the privilege of coming to my place. It was always strictly there house. The # 1 rule is if you don’t have your own shit I don’t fuck with you. I’m not one of these dudes only interested in the pussy. I turn welfare bitches into career broads. We pulled up to my reserved parking space. I stopped paying rent about three years ago when I first starting breaking off my landlord. She is hot as hell for a white chic. I got out the car and opened Felicia’s door. She was still quiet. To tell the truth I didn’t feel much like talking either. I didn’t want to tell her that my right hand was starting to swell either.
When we walked in she pretended not to look around but I designed it so you had to. I had a cream wrap around couch with a pure crystal and marble coffee table. My wall mounted 52’ inch television was wired with surround sound and voice activated CD player. I had 6’ tall tropical plants on either side of the TV and art deco pictures on two of the walls. My dining room had a wall-to-wall tropical fish tank that gave an aquarium feel in the dark. Almost everything in my house was given to me even down to my four-poster bed with the serpent, and Adam and Eve carved on each post.
My life was easy for the most part and I had to keep it that way. Instinct kicked in and Felicia went into the kitchen filling a freezer bag with ice cubes. I heard cabinet doors open and close before she appeared in the doorway with a glass of water and the bag of ice.
“Where’s your aspirin?” She asked concerned.
“I don’t have any” I watched her move around and thought for a brief moment that I could get used to this. But like I said it was a brief moment. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small bottle of Motrin. She watched me swallow all three extra strength tablets before she went into the bathroom. When she came back she had a bottle of rubbing alcohol, peroxide and a few q-tips.
“So what you’re my nurse now?” I put on my brave face but my hand hurt like hell. It was starting to look like Professor Klump’s in the Nutty Professor.
“You know I think you’re crazy right?” She stared at me with her big brown eyes.
“Why? He came at me first. This is why I don’t do the club thing” I avoided stating it was because of her and her trifling ass girl Beverly that I was there in the first place.
She placed the ice pack on my hand and started swabbing my nose with peroxide.
“Play Halo by Beyoncé,” I instructed and instantly the CD player searched then played one of Felicia’s favorite hits. I took a moment to enjoy the serene movement of the fish swimming in the tank, the music and the beautiful woman before me. Felicia started to dance seductively in front of me.
Damn this girl is beautiful. She towered over my chair staring down at me like some type of Amazon woman. I could feel my pants getting tighter. When I looked down I remembered the blood on my clothes.
“Oh shit” I went to stand up and she pushed me back down. Her tiny fingers undid all of the buttons on my shirt when she was done she slid my shirt to the floor and eased my wife beater over my head. She undid my watch and placed it on the dining room table.
“You ever wanted to make love?” She was serious and it caught me off guard.
“What you talking about?” My eyes followed the sway of her hips and I put one had over my hardness.
“Making love? What you mean like slow fucking? Then yeah” I answered and she smiled and looked at me with sad eyes. Halo started over.
“No I mean like express your emotions, how you feel about someone through your body, through touch?” Her eyes never left mind and it was hot all of a sudden. I wanted to take a shower get the blood off of me but something told me that if I moved I’d be ruining something.
She started taking off her cat suit exposing her bare breast. Her dark nipples looked like Hershey Kisses on top of chocolate cupcakes. My dick started jumping especially when she got to her flat stomach. Her stomach was perfect; even skin tone, no blemishes or stretch marks. My dick was out of control when I saw that she wasn’t wearing panties. Her pubic hair was trimmed in a perfect triangle above her pussy. It was already slick with juices. I wanted to grab her and fuck the shit out of her but instead I stood up and picked her up by the waist. She wrapped her legs around me and her arms around my shoulders. Her fingers stroked the lines of my cornrows while I used my tongue to outline her lips. When we reached my room I lay her down on the bed gently while I undid my pants. She only stared at me in a silent trance. It was in that moment that I saw something in her eyes that looked like lust or could it be love. Feeling close to an explosion I lay in between her legs pressing my chest against her pussy. I didn’t care about my hand or anything else at that moment. I focused all of my energy on softly biting her stomach. I understood slow sex, I understood fucking but what she wanted me to do I haven’t done before.
I don’t make love not to anyone. Why? Because love is deceptive it smiles in your face while it plots on how to hurt you. I have yet to fall in love and you will never hear me say that shit to anybody. She used her fingertips to trace the outline of my face. Her romantic mood was throwing me off a bit. I didn’t know if I made her hot or if she enjoyed watching me kicking another man’s ass. I moved down to her pussy and blew on it to see her clit jump that shit turned me on. Moans started from her stomach and escaped from her mouth. Causing me to press my mouth against her clit. All of her juices soaked my lips before my tongue spread her open. I sucked like I was hungry. I pulled her into my mouth flicking my tongue softly until her legs started to jerk and her hands pulled my face closer into her wetness and just when I thought she might cum I moved my mouth. She arched her back gripping my white goose feathered comforter between her fingers. I put my arm around her waist using my wounded hand to lift her up as I slid inside of her inch by inch until she started sucking my ear. I knew if she felt as good as I did she was in a damn good place. Our eyes locked and for the first time in my life I looked a woman in the eyes during sex. The moment was too intense so I looked away first. Did I like Felicia? Yes, but was I in love? I didn’t want to allow myself to go there. Her pussy wrapped around my dick like a fitted glove causing me to move closer to a climax with each stroke. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I heard her scream…
***Felicia***
When Raheim broke our stare it said it all. He wasn’t mine and never would be. I’m not one of these stupid chicks who runs after him because he’s fine, and he is fine, and I don’t walk around oblivious to the fact that he has multiple women. But when he’s with me he makes me feel like I’m the only one in the room. He doesn’t look at other women when I’m around and I always have his undivided attention. Just from studying Rah I know I can’t be clingy it turns him off. So I make myself unavailable, I don’t answer my calls every once in a while and I’m not so quick to give up the goods. We have a policy where neither of us says anything we know the other doesn’t want to hear and so far it’s worked but I’m beginning to feel like its backfiring. Tonight I wanted to tell Rah that I loved him. That I know it’s crazy and most would say stupid but it’s true. When I stared into his eyes I wanted to see if he felt the same but he looked away and I knew he didn’t. I was turned off but I knew I’d have to fake an orgasm to make him move up off me. The affection I felt a moment ago faded quickly. I started moving faster and faster on his dick.
“Yeah, ohhhh right there” He started moving faster and faster until I could feel his dick stretch my pussy. I was all ready to fake it when he did the unexpected: kissing me slow and intense until I began to shake. He knew I was a sucka for a good kiss. He spoke into my cheek and the heat of his breath made me want to be closer.
“Be real with me Felicia, you said make love to you and I want to but you may have to teach me” I didn’t want to cry but my eyes began to water. Not because he said his best line but because I didn’t want to have to show him how to love me. If he didn’t feel love I couldn’t teach him. I kissed him for a long moment and moved in circles up and down his shaft. I wanted to remember our last time. I could only be his friend and I was cool with that but I couldn’t handle the emotional shit that came along with loving him. He was the epitome of every woman’s dream. He was universally fine, he had long money, and his crib was lavish and just being with him bumped up your status. He told me once that sometimes his looks were a blessing and a curse and I could believe that.
Every woman wanted him for a reason and most of it was for status or materialistic reasons. But me, I just wanted to love him. An hour later and he was sound asleep. I made sure his hand was wrapped tight with a ripped t-shirt and I threw his bloody linen suit into a trash bag. I was gonna burn it when I got home. I took one last look around and tried not to picture myself as his woman. The night was a little breezy especially for what I was wearing. I got my hustle on walking to the corner to look for a cab. His block was too eerie. Nothing but shadows and tall trees and lawns that looked professionally manicured in the day but gruesome and spooky at night. I tried to look straight ahead when I noticed a silver BMW riding slow beside me. When I looked over to find an old white man wearing black rimmed glasses and silvering yellow hair sitting behind the wheel I felt a little better until he asked
“How much do you charge?”