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  About the Author

  Copyright Page

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  Acknowledgments

  Well, at this point I think I’ve pretty much thanked everyone, but let me run through it again just to be sure.

  I’d first like to thank God and my mother. My mother, for blessing me with this gift, and God for empowering me with the good sense to do something with it. It was not so long ago that the three of us sat down and spoke about my stepping down because I felt that my time might have run its course. Then you unlocked yet another dimension within me and I came to understand what it was you required of me. I used to try and shut out the voices, but now I embrace them. Thank you both for creating such a powerful vessel.

  What can I say about my scholar (Ni Jaa) and my actress (Alexandria)? Even if I were to sell millions of books, you two would still be my greatest accomplishments. Not only do I love you more than I can put into words, but you represent something that I can never get back, innocence. For as long as there is breath in my body, I will do any and all things necessary to see that you hold on to yours as long as possible. My life for yours.

  My grandmother, Ethel “Nana” Foye, and my aunt, Quintella “Tee-Tee” Harris. Neither of you will probably ever comprehend the amount of love that I have for you. We butt heads from time to time, but it’s not because I’m ungrateful, it’s because just as my mother’s was, mine is a spirit that cannot be caged. Since I was a shorty, with no direction and more anger than my little body could contain, you both have always been loving and patient with me. Even when I didn’t want me, you did. If I don’t do anything else, I’m going to make sure that you both know at least a little happiness in this lifetime.

  The whole Foye clan: Les, Darryl, Frankie, and especially my Uncle Eric. You already know, so I ain’t gotta say it. See you same time next week.

  Charlotte … hmmm … I watched you nearly bleed out on the table bringing Ali into the world, yet the desire to be here for our child kept you with us. Now that’s GANGSTA!!! We’ve had some ups, downs, and sideways, yet the bond only grew stronger. You even managed to tame the untamable. Apparently Kismet is more than just a word.

  Denise. Right about now you probably expect me to say something off the wall or belittling of you. Nah, it ain’t even that serious. You birthed my oldest mischief maker, and I love her unconditionally. Besides, the world is so much bigger than that. Making sure my daughter receives equal love from the both of us outweighs any petty squabbles we can’t seem to put to rest.

  I’d like to thank Monique Patterson and the staff at St. Martin’s Press. Your professionalism and strategies have been most enlightening and each passing year teaches me something new about sharpening my swords. Six books in and still producing like a champ. Trust in my talent enough to let me take the gloves off and I will show you storytelling in its truest form.

  * * *

  You had to know there was more:

  Tony and Tyrone Council; they took my arms, but I’m still out here fighting. I would hope that by the time this book drops, all the drama will have worked itself out and y’all niggaz is on the street with me, but only time can tell that. Still, we press on and try to keep fighting the good fight. But for all the friendship that this world has brought and will surely continue to bring us, I have but one request. Will the real niggaz stand up and the bitches lay down? When you lie to save your own ass it affects more than just the people you point fingers at.

  Vickie Stringer, keep reaching new heights and handling business. Haters will always have their say, but the truth always makes itself known in time.

  My man Derek Vitatoe. I know it took a minute, but you thugged it out and now your book is tearing up the shelves. We might be small, but we can walk with our heads held high because larceny doesn’t dwell anywhere in these ranks. I, as well as everyone affiliated with BLACK DAWN, INC., am glad to have you on the roster. Once someone helped me out and I’m glad to have been able to do the same for you.

  Mark Anthony (Q-Boro) and Nakea Murray (As the Page Turns) you both get special shout-outs. I asked a million and one questions when I was structuring the publishing division of Black Dawn, but you guys always made time to answer them. You didn’t do it because you wanted something in return, but because you wanted to see me do well with my project. I got nothing but respect for y’all. Thank you.

  For my folks:

  All the kids. There’s too many of y’all to add, but you know who you are. This is the blueprint for something way bigger than anything I’ll accomplish in this lifetime. We’re entrusting you with the world, so make it count!

  Young Koo-Koo. It’s a damn shame that as old as you are you don’t have any ID. But you know what, you still my dude. From out the trunk to the New York Times, lets get it! Party Tyme, I’m glad to see you on your way to the big check we always talked about. Now hurry up and cash it so we can party it up like we used to do! Cousin Mark, stop acting like that. Billy Greene (my pops), Cousin Shae, cut it out. Killa Free, it ain’t ya fault, son. I was there from the cookie days. Tommy Greene, the Jefferson crew, Young Star, Shaq, Val Castro. Page, aka Wild Out. The entire Douglass projects (Monster Island), at least the stand-up cats. My dude Eric Gray, one day they’re gonna stop sleeping on you. Anthony Whyte and Jay from Augustus, Treasure Blue, Shannon Holmes, Tracy Brown, Tu-Shonda Whitaker, what a brilliant author. T. N. Baker, Danielle Santiago, Keisha Ervin Kashamba Williams, Daryl King, and the rest of T.C.P. Brandon McCalla, get your head in the game!!! Roc Wells (Brolick), L. A. Banks, Miesha Holmes, Jamise Dames, and the few other authors who I rock with, but might have missed. I hope you all continue to be successful and lay the ground word for those who will come behind us. Dirty Boo, White Al, you got more soul than most brothers I know. Mighty Budda, lil Mexico and Sean, all my peoples in Delaware, Philly, Detroit, Baltimore, and every other town I’ve touched. Can’t forget the bookstores, book clubs, vendors, and distributors who’ve helped to make the movement what it is. I told you I was coming!

  An extraspecial shout-out to the readers who have been holding me down since ’02, as well as the ones who are just getting up on game. Thank you so much for keeping my heart in the game with your kind letters, e-mails, and support. I do this for you.

  It wouldn’t be right for me not to thank all the women in my life now, or in days long gone, who gave me the inspiration to write this novel. Good or bad, you or your actions have had enough of an impact on me to make me sit down and spin this comical, yet very tragic tale. Don’t take it personal, it’s only a story … hahahaha.

  Part One

  I’ll Bet You Know Somebody Like This

  1

  “That’s right, nigga, fuck this pussy!” Yoshi grunted as she threw it back. The muscles flexed in her toned arms as she gripped the semiclean bed sheets of the motel room. Her back arched and flattened with the motion of his stroke, making slapping sounds as his thighs hit her ass. The young man cursed and rained spittle on her back as he went for broke on the fine light-skinned girl. From all the noise she was making, you’d have
thought he was wrecking it, but it was all a show on her part. She learned early in the game how to get into a man’s head and make him blow his wad. Two minutes later, it was a done deal.

  “Damn, Yoshi. That shit was the bomb!” he huffed, flopping on his back.

  She brushed a strand of her jet black hair from her forehead. “Yeah, daddy. You laid it down.”

  “Yo, I was thinking,” he said as he slid a little closer to her, “maybe if you’re not doing anything Saturday, we could get together. My uncle is having a cookout and—”

  “Nah, don’t think I can make it,” she cut him off.

  “Well, maybe Sunday? We could go to dinner or something.”

  Yoshi reached over to the nightstand and removed a Newport from the half-empty pack. She lit the cigarette and casually blew the smoke into the air. “Check this, Rel. You’re cool, but it ain’t that serious. You knew what it was before we laid down, so don’t try to make it more than that.”

  Rel was glad the room was dark so she couldn’t see his facial expression. He felt like someone had cocked over and took a shit in his mouth. Rel had met Yoshi at a strip club where she danced the weekend prior. All his boys had kicked shit on her name, but he believed in giving everyone a chance. He had gone back to the club on several occasions, just to see the yellow tender, and try to get close to her. After having a few drinks and a few dollars, he decided that she was cool peoples. His man had told him not to get roped up with the fast chick from Harlem, but Rel allowed his heart to lead him. Sure, she was a stripper, but he dug her as a person. His theory was, if he could show her a different way to live, they might have a chance at building something. Now he realized that he was panning for fool’s gold.

  “Damn, it’s like that?” he asked.

  She blew rings into the air. “It ain’t like nothing. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

  “I don’t fucking believe this shit.” He angrily slid his jeans and T-shirt back on. “Here I am trying to show you love and you’re shitting on me.”

  “Love ain’t got no place in my world, boo-boo. I ain’t looking for a man, Rel, just a come-up. You can leave that bread on the nightstand.”

  Rel pulled some bills from his pocket and tossed them at her. “You’re a cold bitch, Yoshi. I should’ve known you can’t reform no ho!”

  Using her leg, she swept the bills closer to her. “Call me what you want, nigga, but you won’t call me broke. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

  Rel glared at her, contemplating kicking her ass and taking his money back, but figured he’d be worse off for it. When they had begun undressing, he peeped her stashing a .22 under the pillow. Clenching his jaw, he stormed out the door, slamming it so hard that one of the dime store portraits on the wall fell and broke.

  Yoshi never even flinched. She took her time counting through the bills, making sure he hadn’t shortchanged her. Folding the bills and placing them in her Coach bag, Yoshi placed the bolt on the motel door and headed into the bathroom. It was only 1:45. If she hurried, she could make it back to the club in time to catch another trick. Time was money.

  * * *

  Reese stood on the corner of 135th and Fifth Avenue, tapping her foot impatiently. She was five foot four, with brown skin and hair that stopped just below her earlobes. Reese had a nice ass and healthy breasts, but her face wasn’t all that. She wasn’t an ugly girl, but lost points for her wide nose and crooked teeth. Word on the streets was what she lacked in looks she made up for in skills. Reese had the reputation of being a head specialist.

  Glancing at her watch, she noted that she had been standing there for almost a half hour, twenty-five minutes longer than she should have. Her boo told her that he would be there and once again he pulled the bullshit. You’d have thought that as much as he did it she’d be used to it by now. She decided that if he didn’t arrive within the next five minutes she was leaving.

  No sooner than Reese had the thought, a silver Benz pulled up to the curb. The car’s tints were so heavy that the onlookers were probably not only wondering who was in the car, but how they were able to even see out the window. Reese pushed the ill thoughts she had had a few seconds prior out of her head and hopped in.

  “Hey, baby.” He kissed her on the cheek, scratching her with his beard. Teddy was a heavyset cat with cocoa-colored skin and pearl white teeth. He was a working-class dude in his early forties who had taken to messing with girls half his age to feel like he was still in the loop. Most bitches only dealt with him because he was a trick, but Reese actually liked him.

  “Ted, you know how long you had me out here waiting?” She clicked her gum.

  “Stop acting like that, you know I be in the mix.” He waved her off.

  “So fucking what, you still could’ve called my cell phone!” she barked, holding up the Motorola he had bought her the month before.

  “Look, I just had to go through some shit with Penny and I really ain’t in the mood to hear it from you,” he told her.

  Reese slit her eyes at him. “I should’ve known.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that I’m about tired of her cutting into my time. Every time I turn around you’re late or pulling no-shows because you had something to do for her.”

  Teddy ran his hands across the top of his waved-up fade, as he often did when he was frustrated. “Reese, don’t start this shit. You already know what it is.”

  “Yeah, I know what it is and I’m about sick of it,” she said. “Why the fuck do I always have to take a backseat to that bitch?”

  “Ain’t no need to be slinging names, ma. You need to hold your head.”

  “Hold my head?” she asked as if the statement was offensive. “Teddy, how long have I been holding my head? This shit is getting tired.”

  “Reese, what do you want me to do? Penny is my wife.”

  “And I’m supposed to be your girl!” she snapped. “How long have you been promising me that you were gonna leave her?”

  “It ain’t that easy, ma. I can’t just go home and say, ‘Penny, I’ve fallen in love with someone else. It’s over.’”

  “Why not, Teddy? You claim you love me, so why do I have to keep waiting around for you to tell this bitch what the real deal is?” Reese had been seeing Teddy for a little over four months. At first she didn’t know he was married, but by the time she found out, she was already hopelessly in love with the man. When she confronted him, he fed her a story about how the marriage was already on the rocks and how he was about to file for a divorce from his wife of ten years. Though her brain screamed he was a fat fucking liar, and she should cut him loose, her heart vetoed it. Teddy had his fucked-up ways about him, but for the most part he was good to Reese. He spent money on her and made her feel beautiful. Though in her heart she knew there was more to love than that, it was enough for the moment.

  “Reese, a situation like this requires tact. Penny is an emotional woman. If I break it to her like that, there ain’t no telling what she might do. I’d feel like shit if I found out she killed herself ’cause I left her,” he said, flattering himself. “I promise, baby.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Just give me a little more time and it’ll just be me and you.”

  “Whatever,” Reese said, pouting like a child.

  For the next five minutes they drove in silence. Teddy fumbled with the radio while Reese busied herself looking out the window, watching the blur of faces. When they reached 125th Street, Teddy made a right instead of busting a left to head to the east side.

  “Teddy, where are you going? Madison Avenue is the other way,” Reese pointed out.

  Teddy kept his eyes directly in front of him as he navigated through the busy traffic and turned left on Seventh Avenue. “I know, boo, but I gotta stop by the spot right quick.”

  “Come on, Teddy, I wanna get to the store before they run out of my size in those new Dior shoes.”

  Teddy pulled in f
ront of a building on 124th and Seventh and parked the car. “Baby, them shoes ain’t going nowhere. Big daddy got you.” Without giving her a chance to protest, he hopped out and began walking toward the building.

  On the third floor, Teddy led her into what he liked to call his Honeycomb Hideout. It was a sparsely furnished studio apartment that he kept in Harlem, unbeknownst to his wife. Reese had been there a few times, but he kept her visits limited and wouldn’t allow her to have a key. The reason for this was he claimed to have work on that block, but didn’t want the niggaz from around there getting too familiar with anyone he cared about. Teddy had a bullshit story for every occasion.

  “Teddy, please don’t take forever,” Reese said, leaning against the wall.

  “Baby girl, you’re too uptight,” he said, kissing her gently on the forehead while palming her ass. “Why don’t you let daddy work some of that tension up outta you?”

  “Cut it out.” She pushed him away. “I ain’t trying get all sweaty with you up in here.”

  “Reese, I know you ain’t gonna deny me. I ain’t tasted that sweet fruit in like a week,” he pleaded.

  “That’s because you were laid up with your wife,” she shot back.

  Teddy ignored her comment and continued kissing her on the neck and lips. “Lets not talk about her, this is our time. Come on, baby, let daddy get a little something.”

  “I told you I ain’t trying to get all sweaty and end up having to go home and change. You better go see Penny about some pussy.”

  “Yo, you know how sexy you are when you’re trying to be mad?” He cupped her breasts. “Reese, you don’t know how bad I want you right now.”

  Teddy placed his hand behind Reese’s head and began to kiss her passionately. As much as she wanted to pull away so they could get back outside, she found herself helpless under his strong touch and onslaught of kisses. Gradually he started pushing down on the top of her head. Reese knew what time it was and didn’t resist. Dropping down on her knees, she proceeded to undo Teddy’s jeans. She pulled his thick penis out and examined it.