Cartel Dreams: A Love Story (5 page)

“I don’t need you to speak for me. I’m a grown ass woman.” I shot Embry a wide eye trying to let her know that she needed to leave me out of her flirting escapades. “Besides, he heard what I said.”

“Yeah, I did hear what you said.” The man hopped down the stairs crossing the small patch of grass separating our lands before approaching my porch. “But you didn’t have to be so nasty about it though.”

“She didn’t mean it,” Embry snickered, blushing like a schoolgirl in his face. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Embry, Embry Maddox. And you are?”

“Well, the ladies call me Q. It’s nice to meet you Embry.” Q winked his eye at her before turning to me stepping one leg on the step to lean on his knee over into my space. “And what prey tale is your name beautiful?”

“Oh that’s my girl, Daisy. She’s cool. Aren’t you D girl?” Embry shot me a serious eye like she didn’t want me to fuck up her game.

“Yeah, yeah I’m Daisy,” I sighed obliging his handshake as I turned my attention further down the street at nothing in particular.

“Well it was nice to meet you both ladies. I’m having a barbecue later on tonight. As you can smell I’ve got my guys already on it right now. You’re welcomed to come if you like.” Q smiled refusing to release my hand until I snatched it away.

“Thanks but no thanks. We’re going to work out tonight, so…” I began.

“Daisy we can miss one little lousy class. I’m sure it won’t hurt nothing.” Embry winked before turning to smile flirting with him.

I wanted to bust her game right there. We’d been friends for what seemed like forever but she would throw you under the bus just to make herself look good. It was annoying but that was her own selfish way. More and more each day I was finding it hard to remember why we were still friends in the first place. She used to be the type to give you the shirt off her back and make you smile when you were down. But it seemed like in the last few years she had been growing cold in her ways for one reason or another. If it weren’t for our history, I would have axed her out of my life a long time ago.

“I don’t like missing class so I guess we’ll have to decline your offer. But thanks though.” I waved him off letting him know whatever wolf tickets he was selling we weren’t buying.

“Well, if you ladies decide to change your mind just ring the doorbell,” Q laughed as he headed back towards his porch.

“Bye Q,” Embry called after in a sly voice before turning to hit me once he was out of sight. “Bitch why you tell him that shit? I wanna go to his party.”

“His parties are nothing more than late night orgies waiting to happen, okay. That nigga ain’t on shit. You should be happy that I saved you from a lifetime of pain. Besides, that nigga ain’t got enough money to afford you anyhow.” I knew just what to say to get her back down to reality.

“I’m a big girl, Daisy. Let me decide who is and ain’t right for me. Okay?”

“Excuse the shit out of me. I was just trying to help you out.” I was a little taken aback by her tone.

“I’m like I know what I like and what I want but that man is fine. So what I might not marry the nigga but he looks like he could fuck and satisfy a beached whale. I’m just trying to see what that be like.” Embry licked her lips like she was hungry for Q’s dick. “Shit just ‘cause you ain’t getting none don’t mean the rest of us can’t.”

“You’re absolutely correct. Just don’t come at me when the nigga gives you gonorrhea or chlamydia or worse.”

“Like I said before, I’m a big girl.” She rolled her eyes at me.

“Well big girl, you going or not?”

“I just might go,” she paused looking up into my eyes. “You gonna go or what? A party ain’t a party without you, D.”

She irked the shit out of me. Turning on her kind sweet voice wasn’t going to do it either. I was tired of being the butt end of the joke simply because I refused to give my pussy up to just any old body. My pussy was sacred to me. If I didn’t have shit else in this world I had that. I stared in her eyes knowing that she really wanted me to go to have her back while she got wasted just in case anything popped off that she didn’t want to happen.

For a chick that came from an upstanding upbringing, she sure didn’t have much trouble slumming it in my hood. She didn’t know shit about around here even though it really wasn’t bad at all. I was tired of playing the designated bitch and if she wanted to be such a “big girl” then it was high time she began wearing those drawers.

“Naw, you can chill here until later when it kicks off though.” I assured her heading back into the house wishing I hadn’t said that. After seeing Q’s tatted up physique again coupled with his deep voice, I felt like I needed another visit from my bullet again.

“Yes,” she danced, hearing all she needed to hear.

Chapter 5

Quince

It was only fucking 9:15pm. The numbers on my IPhone had just changed as I waited for the guest of honor to arrive. My feet stepped out of the double doors to my large deck and already I was getting tired of this place. Whenever I got that boring itch that meant it was time for me to move around. Another reason why I never remained in one place more than a few months. B.o.B blared through the speakers about Strange Clouds as a few of them floated throughout the air. Niggas flocked to me, giving me pound and showing love as they handed me small wads of dough wrapped tightly in rubber bands. Not that icky you smoke but the kind that appreciates in value.

…All night, all you see is strange clouds

Strange clouds, strange clouds

Well ain't no question, yes, it's B.o.B yes definitely

Up in the studio, I got on my necessities

If you want that real shit, you made the right selection

I'm Decatur 'til I die, yes, I rep that definitely

They say I'm a celebrity, what the fuck's a celebrity?

I guess I must invest in the proper form of protection

And I, say it's a curse but it's emotionally a blessing

To a nigga from the hood tryna aim for the top…

I was loving it but my mind was starting to wonder if shorty had declined my invitation tonight. She was feisty this afternoon but I thought that to be just some simple playful banter. I mean all I could think about were those thick as peanut butter ass thighs she crossed with that perfectly bronzed brown ass skin. I'm a firm believer in spiritual auras and hers was definitely speaking to me.

I ain't gonna lie, I was feeling myself tonight. I was suited and booted for the occasion dressed from head to toe in all white. A V-neck tee, some casual shorts and my loafers were all I needed to have the females flocking to this sexiness. My twenty-four thousand dollar Cartier watch and the smell of my Gucci cologne were added magnetic factors as well. A fresh hair cut and tapered goatee connected to a thinly shaped beard made them wet every time. But for some reason, shorty wasn't checking for me like the others. That shit irked the fuck out of me only fucking my head up even more.

"Ah. Look at my son. Beautiful, simply beautiful," Paris, an older Italian lady that held down one of my traps, gasped staring at me as I walked up to receive her dual cheek kisses. "Ma ma doesn't he look stunning?"

She and her moms ran the spot on the near north side for me. They were old school mob wives from back in the day so they knew how to hold the business down. Paris was forty five years old and Yessi was sixty eight. They used to be good friends of my parents before they fell off the face of the earth. I went to them when I was first starting out on my own because I knew their background and they were more than happy to jump in business with me.

Now they were my employees and I was making them very rich women. At least I did, but I had a sure fire way of making that happen once again without fail this time. They loved me so much they considered me their son and not having much family of my own, I gratefully accepted.

"He is a sight for sore eyes, this one. Com' here you and give your grammy some sugar," Yessi said grabbing my face to plant a wet one on my cheek.

"I see you ladies have the cake ready. Happy 24th Birthday Q. Yep, I guess its official now," I smirked and they chuckled as we glared down at the cake they sat on the counter.

"I tried to call around to find your father,” Yessi said pressing her lips together hard as she looked up to me with worried eyes. “I couldn’t get a hold of him but I know he wishes you all his love.”

“No he doesn’t. Why even pretend he does?”

“I’m sorry baby,” Paris said lovingly caressing my left cheek as if I was ten years old again and that would make it all better.

“Naw, I mean its cool. Why would him or her want to show up today? I mean it’s only his only son’s birthday.”

“Q—“

“Naw, don’t trip. If anybody wants me I’ll be upstairs in the office blazin’,” I said walking off headed towards the front door instead.

It was too stuffy in the crib. I needed to step out and get some fresh air before I felt suffocated from all the bullshit. The music pounded my backyard and the voices of the small crowd filled the air along with it. I plopped down on the porch thinking about my absentee parents and what could have made them want to leave their only child alone in this world. How the fuck could they just abandon me never to be seen again? It was then that I vowed whenever I had a seed that I would never leave his or her side. Nothing but death could keep me from them.

My fingers pearled the sticky green filled cigarillo as I took out my lighter and blazed that shit up. I took a few long pulls before catching the girl next door’s door fly open with the quickness. My eyes got buck hoping shorty was coming out to kick it with a nigga for his birthday. Short thickset legs emerged from the door and I realized it was that Embry girl.

"Hey you. Party over yet?” She asked bouncing over towards me.

"Does it look over baby girl?” I didn’t mean to be mean to her but she was asking a dumb ass question.

“Well you’re sitting out here instead of inside having fun so technically the party’s over.” She winked at me sounding educated and making me feel a bit shitty for thinking otherwise.

“Naw, I just came out here to get a little me time. That’s all.” I blew a cloud of smoke away from her.

“Well mind some company?”

“Naw, I don’t mind.”

Embry sat down as I handed her the blunt. “So what’s your story shorty?”

“What do you mean, my story?” She giggled taking the blunt and puffing like she had been smoking for years.

“I mean like tell me about yourself.”

“Hmm, so he wants to get to know me huh? Sounds like he’s trying to get on a personal level if I'm not mistaken.” Embry handed the blunt back to me blowing out a thick cloud in the process.

“Shit, I’m just trying to make conversation with you.” Honestly I could care less about her status. She was just another chick to me.

“That’s cool. But we’ve got plenty of time for all that. Let’s just enjoy each other’s presence for now.” She patted my knee before rubbing it soothingly. “So what’s the party for?”

I looked up knowing exactly what she was on. No words needed to be spoken. Shorty wanted to fuck and I was just the nigga to give her that dick too. Only thing was I knew if I fucked her, I could kiss all chances of getting with Daisy goodbye. It was a tough decision to make because even though I wanted her friend, Embry was checking for me hard as ever and Daisy wasn’t.

Any other day that kind of shit wouldn't have bothered me but there was something about Daisy that I just had to figure out. I couldn't put my finger on it but she had me feeling her swag hard as fuck. I needed to get close to her and see where her head was at before I placed her in the same categories as the other chicks that come and go in my life.

“I was born today.” I turned slightly looking up to the second floor of Daisy’s house noticing a shadow in one of the rooms. It had to be her.

“Awe, happy birthday. Why didn’t you tell us that earlier? I could’ve gone to buy you something.” Embry smiled.

“Naw you good. Just you being here is good enough.”

“So is this all that you’re gonna do for your birthday?” She asked.

“I don’t know. I wanna just chill far away somewhere.” It was the truth but there were many factors that played a part in that not happening at this point.

“You got the funds to make it happen?”

I side eyed her slightly turning up my lips. She didn’t know that I was sitting with five figures in the bank. She didn’t know the type of nigga she was fucking with. I wasn’t as big as I wanted to be but I for damn sure was about to be there in a few months no doubt. It was already in the works and the nigga that was going to make it all happen had just pulled up in front of my house. He turned his lights off and blazed up a square letting me know that he wasn’t getting out the car for shit.

“Hey baby. Why don’t you go on in there and make some friends? I need to handle some business real quick.” I told her helping her to her feet, giving her a teasing tap on her voluptuous ass.

“Okay, I’mma be waiting for you.” She winked as she clicked her long heels inside shutting the door behind her.

Once she was in, I turned headed for the old school black BMW parked a few cars back. I hopped in with the quickness, checking the backseat for other bodies. I knew this nigga from the club but I didn’t know him like that. He approached me in Creed with a business proposition that I couldn’t refuse. After having one of my dips scope the nigga’s background out and he came back clean, I set up this little meeting. He was a younger tall and slim Columbian cat looking to expand his dough and knew through the grapevine that I worked with Mata Amigos. The coast looked clear as I snatched my back up blunt from my ear and fired it up. I took a few puffs before handing it over to him watching out of the rearview mirror to make sure no one was on us being nosey.