Chapter 3
The rest of that week Miki secretly wished she accidentally bumped into Bebe. When she got to Téa’s class, her friend Kennedi would already be there and his name, Blyss Blakemore, would be signed by Kennedi’s. In the evenings, Kennedi would already be gone but there would be different signatures. Joyce Blakemore and Deja Blakemore. Miki wondered who those two women were.
“Miki!”
She snapped out of her daydream about Bebe. She looked over at Redd. “Huh?”
“What the fuck you over there thinking about?”
“Oh nothing.” Miki said. “Is Alicia dropping Chanta off this weekend?”
“Nope. I told her we have plans,” Redd said.
Miki smiled at him, “We?”
Redd smiled back, “Yeah, we. We going out.”
“Where are we going?”
“Out,” he said. He kissed her on the nose. He stood back and looked her up and down. “You slimming down. You look good. Keep it up.”
Miki grinned. “You noticed.”
“Uh-huh. Let me notice what it look like with you naked,” he said sneakily.
“Téa is up,” Miki whispered.
“She watching cartoons. C’mon, let’s go upstairs real quick,” he suggested.
Miki led the way upstairs. They stopped briefly only to tell Téa that they would be right back.
Miki was eager to sex Redd. With all of his running around in the streets and overseeing his businesses their lovemaking had dwindled down to twice a week.
Miki remembered when Redd made her his side chic nine years before. Back then he was with Tamika. She thought she was going to take Raquel’s place as wifey. Miki, at seventeen stole her spot. A few years later Miki was his number one. Although he was still married to Raquel she wasn’t his wife. However, they never stopped fooling around. Miki knew Redd fooled with all of his baby mamas: Raquel, Tamika, Alicia and her.
Between the four of them he had six kids. His oldest was fifteen and his youngest was Téa at four. And nobody had him on child support.
Redd was a big-time drug dealer that laundered money through his businesses. He owned the barbershop/beauty shop Kings & Queens that Kat worked at. He also owned Club Envy, a popular urban nightclub. Then there were the two designer urban clothing stores, Black Elite and he partnered with Oscar in an auto audio/detail shop, M & M’s. His paperwork was so clean the feds hadn’t been able to touch him.
Redd was well known in the streets. Some loved him, others hated him. Women vied for his attention. Years ago, Miki felt like she had won the lottery when he noticed her at his cousin’s basketball game. She had been on the step team. He was twenty-six and didn’t care she wasn’t entirely out of high school or the fact she was four months from turning eighteen.
He approached her, got her number, called, picked her up, took her out, took her back to his spot, fucked her and she’s been Redd’s girl since.
As Miki rode him she looked down at him and wondered what he thought of the cranberry bruises on her thighs, sides, and back. She could guess he was thinking she wouldn’t have those bruises if she’d stop fucking with him.
Redd reached up and palmed her breasts. “You can ride the hell out of this dick baby.”
Miki caught her bottom lip in between her teeth as she continued to work her body. He pulled her down holding her around the small of her back. They shared a deep kiss, but Miki didn’t feel a connection. It didn’t move her. She was just going through the motions pretending like it was the best sex she ever had. Bebe crossed her mind and she smiled. He looked like he could put it down in the bedroom with his sexy bow legs and slight pigeon toes.
Thinking of him Miki didn’t realize Redd had come. Redd asked, “What the fuck you smiling for?”
Miki blushed, “Just feeling good.”
Redd laughed. “Girl, get your goofy ass off me.”
Miki moved aside so that Redd could get up. She laid there staring up at the ceiling. How could she talk to Bebe without being caught?
___________
Miki and Kat found their way to their usual VIP seating. It wasn’t really VIP, it was more like the owner’s private suite. Miki and Kat stood by the railing overlooking the dance floor.
Tonight, at Envy, The Lord’s Wrath was having a biking party. There were all kinds of folks in the building showcasing their colors. Showing their colors was simply wearing their particular vests or armbands that represented their club. There had to be about twenty different bike clubs in there.
“I know he don’t expect for you to stay up here all night,” Kat said about Redd.
“You know how he is,” Miki said.
“Let’s go to the floor,” Kat said pulling on Miki.
“Redd ain’t gon’ be mad at me.”
“What I say the other day? Fuck that nigga! I bet he somewhere in some bitch face. All we tryna do is have fun.”
It was easy for Kat to talk bold and brave; Oscar was on parole. He wasn’t trying to get the police called on him no time soon. So, he wasn’t laying hands on Kat like how he used to in the past. Redd wasn’t on paper.
“Let’s go,” Kat said grabbing Miki’s arm. They headed down the stairs to the main floor. Kat and Miki had to immediately start rejecting advances from guys who didn’t know who they were.
A lot of people, especially within the biking crowd didn’t see Miki. Redd rarely took Miki around this kind of crowd. She always graced his arm at a private party or something more formal.
The crowd was hyped and lively. Miki was stunned by some of the dancing going on. The ladies were taking twerking to another level. Then there was the way many of them were dressed. It was like they thought the least material they wore the flyer they were. They had on outfits that looked like monokinis.
Miki said, “Kat, what is this? Is this some type of freak party?”
“Girl naw. Folks just be ratchet,” Kat said. “Let’s dance.”
Miki followed Kat to the dance floor. All she could hear was the usual catcalling.
“Hey girl!”
“Damn! You see her ass?”
“Ay, blue pants!”
“Lemme holla atcha.”
“Got-damn!”
Men were so animalistic, Miki thought. No sense of discretion whatsoever.
Kat and Miki bumped into three more girls that ran in their circle on the floor. Mokeba, Kim, and Toya.
“What’s up chicas!” Toya shrilled.
“What? Donnie let you out?” Miki teased.
“I can say the same about you. Where Redd?” Toya asked.
“That mothafucka prob’ly watching your ass on the cameras,” Mokeba said.
Kat said, “You know what Miki? That’s probably what they doing for real.”
It was too late to run back to their section now. If he was mad now, he would still be mad if she went back. Miki said, “Oh well.”
“We’ll know in a minute,” Mokeba said smacking her lips.
“I gotta get a drink. What about you Miki?” Kat said.
“I’m coming.”