Childhood Sweethearts PT 4 Read online

  15

  China looked at the clock glowing red on the nightstand and saw that it was 3:00 a.m. Tracy was in bed asleep next to her.

  Where the fuck is Smooth? China thought as she slowly got out of bed and then walked into the living room. Zorro stirred from his sleep and began to follow her from the living room to the kitchen. She was hoping to find Smooth asleep on the sofa, but she didn’t.

  What the fuck is wrong with him? she thought, fed up as she poured herself a glass of 100 percent orange juice. Zorro began to growl and run toward the door.

  “Calm down, Zorro. Don’t be barking!” China said as the front door could be heard being unlocked.

  When Zorro saw that it was Smooth, he jumped all over him, happy to see his master.

  “Hey, boy! What’s good?” Smooth exclaimed, pulling the dog by his jaws as Zorro stood on his back legs.

  “It’s three o’clock in the morning, Smooth. Why are you staying out? And please don’t give me that trapping bullshit. Because ain’t nobody out working when the feds are out looking for the killers,” China whispered before starting to shout as she got up in his face.

  Zorro sensed the negative energy and ran inside the kitchen. China was trying her best not to wake up Tracy.

  “Listen, baby.”

  “Nigga, don’t baby me! Smooth, you think a bitch about to be up losing sleep because you don’t want to open your damn eyes?”

  “China, please. Let’s not go through this, okay?” Smooth begged.

  “What the fuck you mean please don’t go through this?” China exploded, pushing Smooth and almost knocking him over the turned-up rug.

  “You watch it!” Smooth exploded.

  “Or what, Smooth, huh? You want to beat my ass? Go ahead, nigga, because I am not stepping down. Prison and death are the only things out at three in the morning—and your muthafuckin’ sideline bitches! Who the fuck do you take me for, huh?”

  Before China could finish, Smooth grabbed her face with a death grip and looked her in her eyes, which were watery from crying.

  He smells like a woman, she thought.

  “I think you’re a completely different person that I take for as my woman and best friend, China. Stop fighting with me ’bout craziness. You blow up about the smallest things,” Smooth said as she pulled away and pushed him again.

  “Get the fuck off me, nigga. I don’t even use Rogue, and it’s all over you, Smooth. I’m glad to know that you take me as a damn fool. What, your cooking girl showered herself in Rogue? Man, get out of my face!” China exclaimed as she stormed into the bedroom, waking up Tracy from her sleep.

  She then began to grab clothes off the hangers in her closet.

  “Tracy, let’s go! I’m done. This nigga has the nerve to walk in here smelling like a damn bitch!” China screamed.

  “Really, Smooth?” Tracy yelled.

  “Stay the fuck out of this, Tracy! Please! She tripping!”

  “Oh, now I’m tripping, nigga!” China erupted with a flood of tears streaming down her face.

  “China, you’re blowing up about nothing. Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

  “My place!”

  Smack!

  Before Tracy could get her words out, Smooth backhanded the taste out of her mouth, causing her to fly back onto the bed. The slap had her seeing stars, and the room was dead silent. Smooth looked at China, who could only stare at him in disbelief. She had never seen Smooth act violently toward any woman. When she looked over at Tracy, who was quiet and balled into the fetal position, she ran to her aid.

  “Tracy, baby, are you okay?” China asked as she turned Tracy around and embraced her.

  “I’m out! He hit me! I want out, China!” Tracy cried.

  “We’re both out!” China said coldly.

  “Oh yeah?” Smooth said, staring at China with an evil look on his face.

  China didn’t know the man staring back at her, from Adam. Nor did he recognize the woman who had just decided to walk out of his life. They got through whatever together, and the only thing he could now transparently see was that Tracy had changed them completely from the very beginning. China would never admit it, but she had told Smooth how shit went down between them from day one, when he was in the hospital. Smooth saw that China loved Tracy more than the bond they had built from childhood. And that hurt him to his soul. There was no guilt trip to reproach with, nothing but a hole in his heart.

  “I’m done, Smooth! I gave you plenty of heads up, yet you refused to pay attention. I used to dream of us being a happy family when I came home, yet I came home to you almost lying on your damn death bed. I asked you to leave the game alone. We have money to just be comfortable, but you want to be out there on the front lines with your niggas and do what the fuck you want to do, Smooth. I thought we would get married, and you haven’t asked me yet. Smooth, I’m in love with Tracy, and that’s all I’m focused on. I am done with men!” China said, looking Smooth in his eyes.

  Smooth walked up to China and stared her in the eyes.

  “You’re leaving me for a woman, huh?” Smooth asked her.

  “Yeah, I’m leaving you for a woman! Now put your hands on me, Smooth. I swear you’ll regret it!”

  “Just like you will regret losing a real nigga, China! When I return, I don’t want to see you or your bitch in here.”

  “You won’t. I promise you that!” China replied.

  Before he exploded further on China, Smooth turned on his heels and left the apartment. He was furious and couldn’t believe his ears. China had left him for a lot of reasons. He had no one for a mentor but one person. Smooth walked down to Miranda’s apartment and knocked on her door. He waited patiently for the door to open. When it did, Miranda stood there looking sexy as hell in her pajamas, with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “What’s the problem? It’s almost four o’clock in the morning,” Miranda whispered.

  “You were right, Miranda.”

  “What are you talking about, Smooth?” Miranda asked in a whisper.

  “She left me and declared her love for Tracy!” Smooth sighed and then badly wanted to get out of the hallway. “Can I come in?”

  “Not tonight, Smooth. I have company,” Miranda said, being honest with him.

  That’s why she’s whispering, huh, Smooth thought.

  “Damn! When did this happen?”

  Really? Miranda thought.

  “Smooth, listen. We’re friends. I have no obligation to tell you who it is I’m sharing my bed with. I’m not the one to stick around and wait on a dream to come true. Come back when the sun comes up, and we will talk,” Miranda told him.

  “I feel that! Sorry for waking you, Miranda.”

  “It’s okay, Smooth. You did nothing wrong. Just come back in the morning, and we can talk, okay?”

  “Yeah,” Smooth replied as he walked away from the door a sad puppy.

  He didn’t want to head back to his place and be alone, so he got inside his Range Rover, pulled out his phone, and called up his newest frustration pad.

  “Hello.”

  “What are you doing, beautiful?” Smooth asked.

  “I’m just sitting up thinking about you, handsome.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Something like that!”

  “I’m coming over so we can both think together,” Smooth said.

  “Okay,” Jane replied, eager to get back in the sack with Smooth.

  * * *

  Tracy couldn’t believe that Smooth had put his hands on her. Little did he know that she was used to black eyes and busted lips. Putting his hands on her was a grave mistake. She now had his bitch, and she wouldn’t let China run back to him if she had to kill her herself. Together, she and China packed up all that they could and went over to Tracy’s apartment in North Miami. Tracy might have taken a hit from Smooth, but she had won, and he had taken a loss. Any baller in Miami would drop their entire squad of females to be with China.

 
And here it was, the dumbass taking shit as a game! Tracy thought as she lay in bed with China in her arms.

  China was still up and could sense that Tracy was as well. Tracy was one of a whirlwind of thoughts in China’s mind.

  “What are you thinking about?” China asked.

  “I’m just thinking how dumb he is letting you get away.”

  “He didn’t let me get away, remember? We walked away together.”

  “Are you serious about letting him go, China?”

  “I don’t know. My soul says yes, but my heart is indecisive. He’s all I know.”

  “And he’s hurt you by not considering your heart, baby,” Tracy said to China as she sat up in bed and crossed her arms.

  China looked up at Tracy and saw her split busted lip.

  “I can’t believe he hit you.”

  “There’s a first time for everything. If it wasn’t me, then he would have hit you!” Tracy said.

  China wasn’t a gullible person. There wasn’t anything that Tracy could possibly say to make her believe that Smooth would have put his hands on her. China knew why Smooth had slapped Tracy.

  He doesn’t love her like he loves me, China thought.

  “I don’t think he would have put his hands on me, baby. But I could never say never or not put it past any man. It’s just we’ve been together too long,” China said.

  “And now you have new love and new meaning. You don’t have to worry about me coming home. Not everyone who has a childhood sweetheart lives with their childhood sweetheart forever, baby. If it was forever, then we wouldn’t love each other today. Since day one, you’ve been hurting and worried about one day becoming a damn widow because he don’t know how to be a real boss like Juan and let his friends and workers handle business. If he would have bought that big-ass house for $2.3 million, what convincing did he do to prove that we wouldn’t be left in the big-ass house alone?” Tracy asked.

  She has a point, China thought as she laid her head in Tracy’s lap.

  Tracy immediately began to run her fingers through China’s locks.

  “I just don’t want to be hurt, China. If you’re done, then be done! If not, then at least let me know. Woman, I love you so much. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Tracy said as the inevitable tears fell from her eyes and onto China’s face.

  China sat up and gently kissed Tracy on her busted lip. Tracy had nothing on but a T-shirt. China slowly removed it and began sucking on her erect brown nipples.

  “Mmmmm!” Tracy moaned out as China sucked on both nipples slowly and passionately.

  China came back up and kissed Tracy’s teary face. She licked her tears like a dog licks his wounds.

  “Don’t cry,” China begged into Tracy’s ear as she began sucking on her ears and neck.

  “Okay, baby!” Tracy purred. “I love you, China.”

  “I love you too, beautiful,” China said as she descended Tracy’s body, planting kisses until she came to the wet mount between Tracy’s legs.

  China spread apart her pussy lips and began sucking and licking on her walls.

  “Mmmm!” Tracy purred when China stuck two fingers inside her and then began finger fucking her and sucking on her clit. “Yes, baby!”

  “Who’s pussy is this?”

  “Yours, baby! Yours!”

  “Who is yours, bitch?”

  “China, baby! This is your pussy!” Tracy moaned out as China rapidly fist fucked her. “Oh my gosh! That shit feels so good, China. Mmmmm!”

  “You love me, baby?” China asked.

  “Yes, I do, baby. I love you so much!”

  “I love you too, baby, okay?”

  “Yes, baby. I’m coming!” Tracy panted loudly.

  “I know you are. Now come all over this fist, baby!” China ordered.

  “Oh shit, baby! I’m coming!” Tracy shrilled in ecstasy as she came to her orgasm.

  When China saw that Tracy was convulsing, she pulled her fist out of Tracy’s pussy and let her lick her hand clean.

  “Mmmmm!” China moaned as she and Tracy licked her hand like an ice cream cone. “I love you, baby,” China said.

  “I love you too, baby,” Tracy replied.

  16

  It seemed that the sun came up at the same moment that Smooth had collapsed and closed his eyes after fucking Jane for an hour straight, from foreplay to deep penetration. Jane woke up Smooth to get on his way. She got what she wanted; now it was time for her to be on her way to work.

  “Smooth, boy, get yo ass up before you get caught up,” Jane warned Smooth, who threw the pillow over his head, too tired to move out of bed.

  Jane had no car and was restricted from driving for five years after her release from prison. So she caught a ride to work with Tabby every morning.

  I bet he get his ass up when he hear his bitch name, Jane thought.

  “China is on her way to bring me to work, boy.”

  “Say what?” Smooth shouted as he sprung from the bed and started putting on his clothes in a hurry.

  “Do it look like I’d be standing here if it was her. My girl Tabby is coming, and I don’t need her to be all in my business,” Jane explained.

  “Alright. Um, just call me later when you get off.”

  “So you’ll be back tonight?” she asked.

  “Of course I will. We locked in, ma,” Smooth said as he leaned down and kissed her on her sexy lips.

  “Okay,” Jane said as she melted in the aftermath of his kiss.

  Damn, I’m feeling this nigga. If only he knew there’s no way out, Jane thought as she watched Smooth put on his bulletproof vest and leave.

  When he was gone, Jane hurried to the bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet. She grabbed her pill bottle and then popped her daily medications for her illness. After washing the pills down, she walked into her kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. She loved milk because besides her medication, dairy was one of the products that kept her weight up. When she heard Tabby’s horn, she hurried out of the apartment feeling like a million bucks.

  “Girl, why you so damn happy this morning? You must’ve got you some dick!” Tabby said to a gleeful Jane.

  “The man of my dreams paid a visit to me, that’s all!”

  “And who is that?” Tabby asked.

  “If I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you. And I don’t want to kill a good friend of mine.”

  “Well, keep it to yourself. Guess what? I have some good news!”

  “What? You lost weight or gained more ass?” Jane joked.

  “No, silly, it’s nothing like that. Well, it could serve as an element to gaining weight, I guess,” Tabby responded.

  “Well, what is it? I’m burnt out and don’t have the energy to be guessing, homegirl.”

  “I’m pregnant!” Tabby spit out.

  “Get the fuck out of here, girl! That is wonderful news. Who’s the daddy?”

  “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” Tabby laughed.

  “Whatever, bitch!” Jane replied, with a smile on her face.

  “Girl, you already know I ain’t fucking nobody but Money’s insecure ass. That nigga will kill me if I fuck another nigga,” Tabby announced as she turned into the restaurant parking lot.

  At 7:00 a.m., Roxy and Nicole had the place running, and it was already booming with business.

  “Pretty soon, Roxy gonna have to open up another restaurant. Shit! Her business be drawing people all the way from South Beach!” Jane explained.

  “Yeah, then we could be managers at the other one.”

  “Roxy too smart not to be already thinking like that,” Tabby added.

  “I’ma see. Shit! I’d think she would make China run one of them before anybody else, right?” Jane asked.

  “I would if it was my sister and plans,” Tabby said as she parked then stepped out of the car.

  Together, Jane and Tabby walked through the door and clocked in.

  “Good morning you two chicken
heads!” Roxy said to the women.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “Jane!” Tabby exclaimed, not appreciating Jane putting her business out there so early.

  “Well, I’ll be damned! Is it true?”

  “Yes, it’s true, Roxy. I should be the one announcing it,” Tabby said.

  “Girl, you know a bitch can’t hold water!” Roxy said.

  “Yeah, I guess. Where’s China and Tracy?” Tabby asked, not seeing either of them on the clock.

  “They’re on their way now,” Roxy said as she walked off to take a customer’s order. “Let’s get to work, ladies.”

  * * *

  Smooth arrived at his apartment tired and exhausted. On his way up on the elevator, all he could think about was China.

  How the fuck did I lose my girl for years to a bitch she just met? I guess it’s true that love is like a bullet. It has no name on it, meaning anybody could get it, Smooth thought.

  He knew that half of the problem was him fucking up, but he couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t put his hands on Tracy, it would have been the same result.

  Shit! China was packing her things before I hit Tracy in her shit! Smooth thought as the elevator doors opened.

  When Smooth stepped off the elevator, he saw two Mexican men cleaning the big window down toward where his apartment was located. He could hear Zorro barking as he got closer. Nothing struck him as amiss, being that his mind was so trained on China.

  It’s time for me to take Zorro for a walk, Smooth thought as he neared his door.

  When Smooth made it to the door, just as he was about to insert the key, something prompted him to take a double take at the men. He could now hear Zorro growling. Using his peripheral vision, Smooth saw one of the Mexicans making a move. He only had a split second to react, and timed the movement exactly. Smooth stuck the key into the door, pushed it open with one hand, and reached for his Glock .40. As the door opened, he fell to the floor but was able to squeeze off two quick shots, hitting the Mexican who was creeping up on him.

  The second Mexican pulled out a TEC-9 from the bucket and sprayed Smooth’s apartment. Smooth was back on his feet by this time. As he was running with Zorro behind, bullets bounced off the living room walls. The Mexican assassin came further into the apartment in search of Smooth. When he walked into the kitchen, he shot blindly until he saw that it was empty. Smooth couldn’t believe it.