SIX

EIGHT YEARS LATER

“I NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND YOUR PEOPLE,” THE white, middle-aged Canadian said as he unfolded his clasped hands. He then grabbed the cigar out of the ashtray and took a pull. “Blacks always want it all. So selfish with what could be easily shared,” he said with an arrogant smirk on his face. Baron sat across from him while A’shai also joined them at the table. They were on Baron’s estate to discuss business. They sat poolside as an oversized umbrella loomed over them, blocking the beaming rays of the sun. Bonzi, the Canadian, wanted Baron to give up some of his territory so that he could move in. The name of the game was cocaine and that’s what Baron sold wholesale to the streets. Bonzi was Baron’s source of the illegal substance, and now he wanted to move his nephew in town so that he could get a piece of the pie. Needless to say, Baron wasn’t having it.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, my friend,” Baron said as he took a sip of his cognac and then rubbed his neatly lined salt-and-pepper goatee. A’shai stayed silent as usual, as he sat back and listened. Baron always had A’shai sit in on his business meetings, legal or illegal, so that he could soak up the game. Since the day Baron had taken A’shai in, he began grooming him to be a better version of himself. Although the same blood didn’t run through their veins, A’shai was Baron’s boy. A’shai, now at the age of twenty-one, was a well-seasoned businessman and although he was a month away from receiving his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, he had already gotten a Ph.D from the streets.

“So, what’s it going to be? My nephew is a knucklehead from back home. I’m just trying to get his feet wet. I want to set up on the lower Eastside, and that’s just a small portion of your region,” Bonzi stated.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do it. The Eastside is one of my most lucrative areas. I can set him up in a small city just outside of Detroit. Maybe Flint perhaps?” Baron said trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

“You niggers just don’t know your place,” Bonzi mumbled under his breath as he shook his head in disbelief. Still smiling, Bonzi put out his cigar. He couldn’t take a black man telling him what he couldn’t do. His hidden racism reared its ugly head. A’shai quickly slid his hand down to his .45 caliber pistol after hearing the insults from the millionaire druglord that sat to the left of him. Baron smoothly put his hand on top of A’shai’s and tapped it, signaling for him to cool down.

“I guess our business is done here,” Baron said as he smiled and extended his hand.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Bonzi agreed as he downed his cognac. It was unspoken but it was evident that their business relationship had just ended. A’shai was burning up inside as he clenched his teeth and stared at Bonzi, displaying his chiseled jaw line. Bonzi paid the youngster no mind and focused his attention on Baron. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Bonzi asked. The underlying threat didn’t go unnoticed by Baron.

“I’m positive,” Baron said as he extended his hand to Bonzi. A’shai began to rub the scar on the right side of his cheek. He had a bad habit of doing that when he was angry. A’shai couldn’t understand why his father was bowing down to Bonzi.

“Let me pour you a shot of my finest cognac, before you leave. I insist,” Baron said knowing that Bonzi was a fan of good aged cognac. Baron threw his hand in the air as he motioned to his butler who was standing by the guest house.

“Winston, please bring me the special bottle that I have in the china cabinet,” Baron yelled. Just as quickly as he said it, the butler disappeared into the house to retrieve the drink. A’shai was still boiling as he rubbed the side of his face. Baron patted his thigh under the table, signaling him to calm down. Baron unleashed his perfect smile at his son and then focused back on Bonzi who couldn’t believe that Baron had refused his offer. A man of Bonzi’s stature rarely received ‘no’ for an answer.

“You’re going to learn, Baron. You have to change with the times. You have run the black market in Detroit for far too long. It’s time for change. It’s time for a new era,” Bonzi said, already thinking about how he and his goons would move in on Baron’s territory.

“I agree. It is time for a change. That’s why my son is going to take over for me,” Baron said as he patted A’shai’s back and smiled. A’shai was still looking at Bonzi. Just give me the word, I’ll put two holes in his head, he thought as he sat there tight-lipped. He hated to be disrespected and by Bonzi disrespecting Baron, A’shai felt it also. He couldn’t believe that Baron was backing down and letting Bonzi’s threats slide. At that moment, the butler came with the bottle of cognac on a sterling silver platter.

“Thanks Winston,” Baron said as he grabbed the cognac and poured Bonzi a glass.

“Well, gentlemen, I think that’s my cue. I will see you again,” Bonzi said as he stood up and downed the cognac. Bonzi’s bodyguard stood about twenty feet away and moved on request as Bonzi motioned to him, indicating that it was time to leave.

“I’m sorry it had to go down like this,” Baron said as he stood up and buttoned up his Armani blazer. “Excuse us. Winston will see you out.” Baron extended his hand and headed towards the house. A’shai followed suit and slid his hands in his pants as he walked alongside Baron.

“Pops, why did you let him talk to you like that? I was ready to body that mu’fucka,” A’shai said as he expressed his anger.

Baron threw his arm around his son and stopped walking. “Look son, you have a lot to learn. Please believe I wanted to put a hole in his head right then and there. However, would that be smart? His bodyguard was about ten feet behind us . . . strapped. Plus, we’re at our home. Your mother is in the house. Let me drop you some knowledge, Shai: bad boys move in silence,” Baron said as he gave his son his infamous smile. “Now take a look over there.” Baron looked back towards the pool where Bonzi was on the ground going into convulsions. Bonzi’s bodyguard dropped to his knees and tried to grasp what was going on. Foam began to spill out of Bonzi’s mouth as he shook violently. A’shai couldn’t believe his eyes. He watched as Winston smoothly walked over while pulling a gun with a silencer attached to the tip. Winston walked behind the kneeling bodyguard and swiftly dropped two bullets in the back of the bodyguard’s head.

“What Bonzi just drank is a special brew called Black Tea, a creole tea that can kill you slowly if sipped. In Bonzi’s case, he drank enough to kill an army. I wanted him to suffer for talking to me like that. Like I said, bad boys move in silence,” Baron repeated as he patted A’shai’s back and turned him around towards the house. “Now let’s go grab some lunch,” he said smoothly. At that moment, A’shai realized that Baron didn’t concede to Bonzi. He just outsmarted him. Baron handled the situation like a true gangster and he had just taught A’shai a lesson in the streets. That’s why he admired Baron; he handled his street affairs just like he would a legit business deal: professional and with class. As they approached the door Baron added, “Guess I’m going to call up my old friend, Samad. Looks like we need a new coke connect.”

* * *

A’shai tossed his car keys on top of the counter and began to pull off his blazer. He inherited his sense of style from Baron. Although, he was a street nigga he dressed as if he was a Wall Street banker, wearing top of the line Italian threads. A .45 pistol rested in his holster on his belt buckle. He had grown to be a strategic, intelligent young man. Baron and Willow groomed him for success and home schooled him until he was in ninth grade. At first it was rough for him to adjust because he had no previous schooling, but with Willow’s persistence and patience he had caught up to other kids his age just in time for high school. He walked into his plush living room and stopped at the picture that sat on his end table. It was a photo of Baron, Willow, and him just shortly after they took him in. He smiled as he remembered that time so vividly. He knew that if it had not been for them, he would have been dead or in a dormant situation. He then noticed the scar on his face and then he began to think back on how he got the blemish.

“I hope you okay out there, Liberty,” A’shai whispered to himself as he thought about his childhood friend. Frequently he would think about her and the more he did, the guiltier he felt. He had come from the same place as her, but he got lucky and met Baron and Willow. The fact that he didn’t know where she was or how she was doing ate him up inside. Just as he finished his thought, he heard a noise coming from the back room. He quickly reached for his pistol and clicked off the safety. The first thought that crossed his mind was Bonzi.

Is one of his goons in the back?

Paranoia filled A’shai as he slowly crept to the back of the apartment. His killer instinct kicked in and he listened closely and noticed that the sound was coming from the master bedroom. As A’shai approached the door he gripped the gun tightly. He crept to the door and kicked it open with his gun pointed and ready to pop. What he saw blew his mind. Jenny, his current girlfriend, was in red-lace lingerie sprawled out on his bed waiting for him.

“Hey, Papi,” the Latino beauty said as she posed as if she was in a photo shoot. A’shai slowly lowered his gun and smiled as he looked at her oiled up body.

“What up, ma?” he said, breathing a sigh of relief as he put his gun in his holster. “How did you get in?” he asked as he walked over to the bed.

“I have my ways,” she responded in her heavy-accented tone. She was a full-blooded Latino with big brown eyes that always made A’shai melt. He wanted to inquire further about how she got in, but she began unbuttoning his pants and he figured he would ask later. She unbuckled his belt and then his slacks. His pants dropped to the floor and the bulge in his boxer briefs was on full display. She quickly pulled down the front part of his boxers, unleashing his slightly erect monster. His chocolate rod was very thick and began to rise at Jenny’s touch. She quickly took him into her mouth and moaned while she tasted him. He threw his head back in pleasure as he rested his hand on the back of her head, guiding her.

“Damn baby,” he crooned as he looked down, watching his rod appear and disappear over and over again. He reached down and released her breasts from her corset to rub her erect nipples. Her D-cup breasts sat up perky and firm, only adding to her already stunning beauty. Jenny worked her tongue like a pro as she made her tongue do circles around A’shai’s rock-hard pipe. She grabbed his balls and massaged them as she worked her head game.

“I want to feel you, Papi,” she whined as her hand made its way down to her neatly shaved love box, which was soaking wet. She pulled her panties to the side and began to slowly rub her clitoris in a circular motion. “Ooh, I can’t wait any longer,” she said as she sat back on her elbows and spread her legs. Her pinkness was exposed, and her slightly oversized clitoris was on full display. Her fat yoni lips were glazed with love juice, and A’shai slowly stroked himself as he looked on in pleasure. Jenny began to slowly scoot back, giving him room to get on the bed. The king-sized bed was about to become A’shai’s den and he was the lion. The lioness, Jenny, was about to get what she had been waiting for all day. A’shai took off his clothes slowly while never breaking eye contact with her, understanding that he had to make love with her mind before he did so with her body. His piercing eyes and raven black skin were nothing short of beautiful to Jenny. She slowly raised her index finger and signaled for A’shai to come to her. A’shai smiled and climbed onto the bed. He slowly approached his prey, and the sweet smell of her love box invaded his nostrils as he neared his destination. He slowly spread Jenny’s legs and raised them up in the air. That’s when he attacked her love box with his tongue, slowly tongue-kissing her throbbing clitoris. Instantly she came, releasing a small squirt out of her love box. The juices dripped down his chin as he continued to orally please her.

“Ooh. Don’t stop, Shai,” she said as her body quivered and her toes cracked in total pleasure. He eased his two index fingers inside of Jenny and began to pop her while he continued to orally please her clitoris. Jenny was going crazy as she grabbed his head and pushed his face into her love box. A’shai was a great lover and on top of that he was a powerful guy in the streets. That combination had her ready to nut again. Jenny felt another orgasm coming and her body tensed up, but just before she got off, A’shai stopped.

“Nooo, Papi,” she screamed as she opened her eyes from what seemed to be a dream. A’shai stood up on his knees and grabbed his erection. She slowly rubbed his tip on her clitoris. Up and down, side to side, and round and round. He finally entered her love box, making her back arch in pure bliss. He gave her long and hard strokes as he pushed her legs over her head. A’shai worked his hips like a Latin dancer and let his balls swing, smacking her on the other entrance. Jenny placed her hands on A’shai’s behind, urging him to go deeper inside of her. She screamed in pleasure as he went deep inside of her, filling all of her space. A’shai stroked her with authority but also with care. A’shai continued to make love to her until they were satisfied, leaving them both breathless.