My Thug Got A Rider (6 page)

***

Ashanti

“Bitch, I know you lying.” Shauna stopped in the middle of brushing her teeth to turn around and stare at me.

“No. I really wish I was lying. Both of them fools just stood there looking stupid.” Shauna rinsed her mouth out before busting out laughing.

“What your stupid ass say? I know you said something dumb.” I came over early so I didn’t mind waiting on her to get ready, hell I still needed to borrow something out of her closet to wear. Our top halves were total opposites but we exchanged jeans so often, I know I had at least seven pairs in her closet.

“I just gave her the same advice she gave me.” Shauna shook her head and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black, long sleeved, body hugging dress that stopped at the middle of her thigh. Her usually curly hair was pressed and hung down to the dimples in her back. “Okay. I see you. Go, best friend. That’s my best friend, that’s my best friend. Yasss! You betta’ you betta’ Oh!” I sang while she popped her ass in the floor-length mirror. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Shauna stayed acting a fool.

“What are you looking for? I got this cute two-piece from Body Gear. I couldn’t fit the shirt though.” I sat on the bed while she went through her closet. “Here it is.” I picked up the black spandex outfit from the bed and looked at it. “Go try it on.” I stepped in the bathroom and slid on the skirt that fit perfectly around my thick hips. “Aight, bish you cute. Now give me my make-up bag so that I can beat this face to the gawds!” I slid the shirt over my head and analyzed myself in the mirror. The top had a diamond shaped cut in the front that showed off a large amount of cleavage. My black-laced strapless bra showed from the cut out and added the perfect touch to the outfit.

I finished my hair and applied a light coat of lip-gloss while waiting on Shauna. Once she got done, she looked down at my feet and frowned.

“Where you think I’m going with you and those shoes?” I hated how stuck up her ass was sometimes.

“Well, Ms. Perfect, give me some of yours to wear.” I kicked off my black, six-inch heels and slid on the red pumps she handed me. The gold spikes on the straps gave me an edgy look. I hoped her shoe-loving ass put some money away for fashion school.

“I’m ready. Did you get the I.D.’s?”

I pulled out the fake identification cards from my bag and put them in the red MK purse with the gold chain that she let me borrow. “Yep. Let’s go.” 

On our way down the winding staircase, I noticed her shoes. “Where you get those?” I pointed to the tall silver, fringed heels that strapped up to her ankle. “Girl, Daddy bought these for me.” I knew by the way she smiled when she said it, that it wasn’t her father she was referring to.

“Let me find out boss man been trickin’.” After the way Carter had come for Kenyon’s ass that day, you’d think this nigga had never paid a female for anything in his life.

“Yep. He still isn’t getting none though.” My mouth just about hit the floor. I never knew Shauna to hold out for any nigga, especially one who bought her shit. Her motto had always been, “You gotta pay to play.” She wasn’t giving it up for free and the shoes she had on had to have set him back a good rack or two. Either she made him pay up first and he was waiting until today when her young ass finally turned eighteen, or he was sprung. I knew they had something going on, but she never told me much. I wasn’t going to press either because from the look of things, Carter had her taking a vow of silence.

Once we got in the car, I turned the radio on and the heat. Here it was mid-September and the weather was already on the verge of December. Indiana weather was so fucking unpredictable. Shauna rolled one up and smoked at least half before handing the blunt to me. I didn’t like being too high, but I was sure Shauna could smoke Snoop Dogg under a table. Singing along to the radio, I put the address of Suite 38 in the GPS to make sure I didn’t get lost. In anybody else’s car, I could tell you a million ways to get to one destination, but driving my own, I was in a foreign country. Naptown wasn’t even that big.

“Want to stop anywhere before we go in?” I knew we were too early and Shauna liked to make a nigga wait on her.

“Yeah. I’m hungry.” I knew she was about to say that, but I also knew that I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so I was right with her.

“Where you want to stop?” The only restaurant that I knew of close to the club was Red Lobster and I knew she wasn’t trying to go in there smelling like a seafood dinner.

“Let’s go to B-Dubs.” My mouth instantly started watering. Some garlic-parmesan wings would be just what I needed. Instead of going to the one downtown, I waited until we got to the west side.

***

Kenyon

“Nigga, I told you it starts at eleven-thirty and I’m going in early to get the VIP cleared out. I need to talk to the owner so I can pay him off for hosting Shauna’s party.” This nigga had to be out his damn mind talking about paying for this underage girl to have her party at a club. I wasn’t mad at him though; she was eighteen so there wasn’t anything wrong with it.

“Aight, well I still need to go find something to wear tonight and you know I’m going to be there if shorty coming through.” I had an outfit in mind, but I had to go buy it before the mall closed.

“How you sprung already?”

He didn’t have room to talk about nobody. “You over here buying clubs out but I can’t buy a shirt and some shoes? Get the hell outta here, nigga.”

“Yeah, but she calls me Daddy. Ashanti has never said two words to you except ‘No, thank you’.”

“That’s probably because yo’ ass old enough to be her damn daddy. Ain’t she like, twelve and you what? Thirty-five?”

Carter laughed, “Nah, nigga you trying to be funny. She’s an eighteen-year old grown ass woman. I’m thirty-two my nigga and ain’t met a bitch yet, who got everything together like she do.” I shook my head at that sprung ass dude on the phone who had just gave me the speech about thinking with my head and not my dick. At least I wasn’t out here tricking. Carter gave me the address before he hung up and I saved the location in my GPS. Castleton mall was far out and I still needed to go pick up something for tonight. I couldn’t show up empty handed either, but Shauna was a stoner so I had the perfect gift that I didn’t even have to buy. It was a win-win situation. 

Ashanti

I knew that I made a mistake when I saw the parking lot to the restaurant was jam-packed. I hated being around a lot of people, especially the ghetto ass females like the ones that were standing outside smoking cigarettes.

“Isn’t that C.J.’s new bitch, right there? She thinks she’s cute, too.” One short Hispanic chick wearing close to nothing, had the nerve to point and roll her eyes at Shauna. I recognized her as one of the groupies that constantly came in the shoe store trying to be in Carter’s face. All I knew was that she looked too old to be coming for my bitch like that with her funny built ass. She looked like a shorter version of Lexi, but with long black hair that hung down her back.

“Do we have a problem?” I instantly jumped to my best friend’s defense. The light skinned, familiar looking chick standing next to her was the one trying to cool the situation down and ended up starting an argument between them.

Shauna finally turned around. “Girl. Let that broke hoe be mad. It’s my birthday, bitch. I’m too cute and too high to fight tonight, plus my shoes alone could buy and sell her.” Shauna flipped her hair and walked right past the girl, into the building.

***

Kenyon

HONK
!

Some idiot swerved his car, crashing into the side of my baby.

“Stupid mothafucka!” I couldn’t believe it. My white 2015 Charger was sideswiped by some ignorant ass man racing down the street in some Dukes of Hazard look alike car with the confederate flag hanging off the antennae. “Got dammit!” I hit the horn as hard as I could and took the early exit. As I finally pulled up to the mall I surveyed the damage and realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I definitely wasn’t pulling up to the club and possibly pulling off with Shorty with my car looking the way it did. My father did teach me some valuable life lessons before he left though, like to never go to a mechanic’s garage for shit.

“If you need something done on your car, no matter what it is. Do not go to the mechanic’s garage. They will fix the problem, but they’ll also make more problems until you have to buy a new one altogether. Or at least they’ll make you pay what you could’ve spent on a new car, for repairs that you don’t even need. In the case that you would ever need something done, go to Tristan.” My father stood in the kitchen loading his briefcase with papers from all of his storefront businesses and a few grams of cocaine. I watched as he closed the hidden compartment and took off his latex gloves. He handed me a card that had a guy’s name and number scribbled on it. I assumed he was one of the many men or important people that owed him favors.

I had never used the card until now, but I quickly dialed him up while walking toward the mall, only to find out my luck had just run out again and the mall was closed for repairs. I hurried up and wrapped up the call, after explaining a thousand times that I was indeed Kenny’s son. The Tristan guy said it was on the house and proceeded to tell me how it was an honor that I called him up. He asked if I’d seen my father and that ended the conversation right there. I hated when people brought him up to me. I was sure the only highlight of my night would be seeing Ashanti’s fine ass and I felt myself getting hard just thinking about her.

***

Ashanti

After we finished eating and no more drama ensued, we headed down to the club. Our high had worn off, so Shauna’s pot head ass decided to spark up another one.

“Damn Shauna.” I fanned the smoke out of my face.

“What? I’m trying to get lit, so I can have a good time.”

I shook my head and put in the DS2 CD. If anything could hype me up, it was Future. “Ayyyyyyye. Fuck it up, fuck it up.” I twerked in my seat while Shauna cheered me on. We sat in the car laughing and acting a fool until Carter broke the mood, calling her cell phone.

“Hey, Daddy. Yeah we’re here. Uh-huh but the line is still long as hell. I don’t care about the capacity. Well, do whatever you have to do and let them in. Tell the old bitches to go home, tell the lame niggas to go home and the ugly hoes. It’s my birthday not yours, not Gotti’s, not the muthafuckin’ owner’s, MINE! Tell him to let them in so I can come in or I’m going home.”

Shauna’s spoiled ass hung up the phone and pointed to the line. We weren’t even twenty-one yet and already had bitches getting kicked out the club. Getting out of the car, we made our way to the front of the line.

“I.D.’s please.” The security guard stepped in front of us. I handed him the cards and he looked at us funny. “Y’all are some young looking twenty-one year olds.” I smiled and Shauna’s high ass busted out laughing. “Something funny? Or is there something in the air that gave you the giggles, little girl?” This big man who looked like a bigger version of Dewayne Johnson, had a serious anger problem and Shauna wasn’t helping.

“Go get Carter. Let him tell you who the fuck I am.” Speaking of the Devil, Carter stepped out of the club. He looked different outside of the referee shirt and slacks he always had on at work. Wearing a pair of black Levi’s, a black Polo shirt, and some black Timberland boots, he looked way more hood. His long dreads were tied in a knot at the back of his head and his face was neatly lined up as usual. For a nigga in his early thirties, he knew how to dress very young.

“What’s up CJ?” We looked at each other.

“CJ?” Carter smiled and told him to let us in.

“Carter J. Hardwick, is my full name. Everybody from Post Road to Haughville knows me as C.J. When I grew up the name stuck, but I prefer to be called Carter.”

I had never been in a club before. The lighting and setting was nice as hell. He led us to the V.I.P section, sat down and pulled Shauna on his lap. I sat on the longer couch across from them and was  happy seeing them so happy.

“So, when did this happen?” I pointed between the two of them. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Remember that day y’all was being nosey?” He said as I rolled my eyes.

“Ha! That was funny. So how long was it, after that, that you decided you wanted to stop being scared and go ahead and wife up one of the baddest bitches in Nap?”

Carter busted out laughing. “Who else is bad?”

I stood up and did a spin. “Yours truly, but I’m not a basic bitch that needs someone to tell me that. I already know.”

Shauna waved her hand in the air. “Preach.” I laughed until I felt somebody walk up behind me.

“What’s good fam?” Kenyon slid in the seat next to me, after dapping up with Carter.

“Waiting on you to give me the word.” Kenyon was looking so damn fine in a simple pair of khaki’s, work boots, a black hoodie and his usual black and white Los Angeles Kings hat. He smiled at me with those pearly whites. 

“So it’s your birthday?” he asked. Shauna cleared her throat from the other side of the table.

“Now it is. Happy birthday, bitch. You like my present?” She said and I couldn’t help but laugh at my silly best friend. Kenyon and Carter looked confused.

“No. It’s hers.” I pointed to Shauna who was mugging a group of females that were staring at us from across the room.

“Aye. I’ll be right back. Kenwood, let me holla at you for a minute.” Carter and Kenyon got up and left us sitting at the table by ourselves.

***

Kenyon

“What’s up?” Carter had pulled me to the side and was pointing at some bitch across the way.

“Why the fuck is she here?” I squinted until I saw Monica’s fat ass walking toward the VIP section.

“Looks like she’s about to check your girl, man.” The look on his face was priceless. I never seen my boy so lost over no bitch in all our lives. “Nigga is she pregnant?” I stared at her big ass belly as she walked up, talking to the ladies. They all looked calm, so I wasn’t worried about them beating her pregnant ass. Monica had a mouth on her and if it wasn’t for her contact I would’ve put a bullet through her wide ass a long time ago.

“Not by me! But that explains why she wanted to talk. She must think I want her hoe ass.”

I remember the day I told that nigga that his bitch wasn’t shit. C.J was too much of a good guy, being captain save-a-hoe that he thought he could change her thot ass ways. She played that nigga all the way to the left and smashed three of the homies at the same time. They recorded her and I had to keep Carter from busting a few rounds off in her. It was the wrong time and definitely the wrong place but had it been anywhere else, I would’ve gave him the gun myself. Here she was pregnant and all I could think about, while my boy was having a conniption, was which one of these mark ass niggas was the daddy. I made sure to pop two of them off top for disrespecting my brother but the third one got away. It was safe to say that I was the hot head of the two and Carter was the calmer one.

“Speaking of bitches, what are you going to do about TaNeeka? Why haven’t you taken care of her ass yet?”

I really didn’t know the answer to that. I guess I hadn’t had time to think about that and the condition of my team. My crew was falling apart and I couldn’t figure out what to do besides follow my father’s advice and cut those niggas off. I just needed a real good reason to do it.

“What happened to your car though? I saw that shit when I went outside.

“Some raggedy ass confederate flag flying son of a bitch was speeding and side-swiped the shit out of my baby.” He knew I was mad as hell. Tristan couldn't fix it until the next day so I was stuck.

“Not confederate flag. Nigga you don’t have any sense.” Carter said and busted out laughing.

I cut his laugh short and elbowed him in his side.

“Yeah and you know Monica doesn’t have any chill so you might want to take your black ass back over there.” Monica’s neck was rolling and I already knew nothing more than bullshit was coming out her mouth. Those Spanish bitches wasn’t nothing to play with.

“Nah, I’m telling you, Shauna can hold her own.” We watched for a few more seconds before we finally decided to go back.

***

Ashanti

“Why does she look so familiar? I swear, I just saw that bitch somewhere.” I looked up and there was the chick from Buffalo Wild Wings walking our way. I tried to remember whether I saw her belly the last time. She looked about five or six months pregnant.

The weed was definitely fucking with me. “Oh, I guess you think you got something, huh? Fucking with my nigga. Did he tell you I was pregnant?”

Shauna frowned up her face, looking from the girl’s feet up to her head, squinting. “Who are you again?”

The girl rubbed her belly.

“I’m Monica, C.J.’s baby-mama.” I hated when bitches referred to themselves as “baby-mama” what kind of woman said shit like that? I mean, the least they could do was say “baby’s mother” and have a little bit of class about themselves. I knew from the way she was wearing those distressed leggings and tube-top, she was ghetto; never mind the fact that she was smoking when I saw her earlier. Now she was pregnant at the club. In my hood we called females like that, trash.

“You say that’s Carter’s baby. From the way you’re dressed, I’ll say any nigga in here making minimum wage could be the daddy.” Monica looked like somebody had slapped her across the face.

“What did you call him?” She asked as I saw Carter and Kenyon walking back to the table.

“I said Car-ter, bitch. Can you hear? When four and five niggas are fucking at the same time it’s hard to tell whose nut landed where. Also, aren’t you, like, forty-five? Why are you here trying to find a father to your child?” Ouch. My bitch could be ruthless when pushed. Kenyon and Carter finally made it back to the table.

“Hey bae.” Carter bent down and kissed Shauna on the lips in front of Monica. He sat down and pulled her on his lap. Kenyon poured us all a drink and downed his in a matter of seconds.

Sipping his Hennessey, Carter looked at Shauna and nodded to Monica. “Is this your friend?”

Shauna took a sip from his cup and shook her head. “Nope. She says she’s your friend. Close friend.”

Carter looked her up and down. “Nah. What’s your name again?”

Looking defeated, Monica snapped, “Really? That’s how you are going to do me? Just fuck me and our son, huh? You know what? Fuck you, puto!”

“Last time I checked, I didn’t have any kids. Try that shit with one of these gullible niggas. NEXT!” Monica walked away and if looks could kill, my girl and her boo would be dead.

Unfazed and unbothered, Shauna and Carter were in their own little world when Kenyon scooted close to me on the couch.

“Who you all dressed up for? Gotti can’t see you. All those hoes down there got his attention. You up here getting me mugged by them hatin’ ass niggas.”  He pointed to a few guys that were staring hard into the VIP section.

“They just wanted to see some Jerry Springer shit go down. Who are you trying to hide from with that hat all the way down on your eyes like that?” I took a long swig from my drink. He laughed and pulled his hat up a little bit. Those light brown eyes, along with those high cheekbones and thick lips did something to me. His smooth caramel skin and all those tattoos. Damn. I thought back to the last time I’d got some D. My thighs clenched together. Yeah, it had been way too long.

“Nobody. I don’t have no reason to hide.” I laughed and we talked about life for what seemed like hours. Things were going good and I felt he had made one hell of a first impression. He was from the West side while I was born and raised in every place in between. Kenyon had been tight with Carter from childhood and he considered him a brother. Between the liquor, the weed and the conversation, I was sitting on cloud nine.  Aside from Kenyon being a drug dealer, he had crazy book smarts.