...Ain't Gold (Part Thirteen)
“Rich?”
“What’s up baby?”
“Hi. Just callin to check on you. Make sure you're alright.”
“Everything is tight, mama,” he said, slapping Toots hands away from the bricks in front of him.
“Do you think I could come over?”
He looked around. There was no way he could let her in his apartment with it looking like this. There was cocaine everywhere. “Actually, I was gone pick you up for dinner.”
“Oh! Oh, okay. What should I wear?”
“Anything I can see your sexy body through.”
Nicole giggled on the other line. “Alright. Call me when you’re downstairs.”
“Aright baby. Bye.”
Toots had her hands on her hips. “Now how you gone tell her that fat white one when you know we gotta get this shit weighed an took out of here?”
“You let me worry about that.”
“Rich, there ain't no way you gone make it to the Bronx and back in enough time to see her.”
He put up a hand that said ‘say somethin else’. “I got this, Toots, aright? I said let me handle it.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Fine, big baller. Whatever. But I’m tellin you now, I told you so.” She went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Toots helped him load up the trunk. Rich looked at his watch. “It should take us about twenty minutes to get out there and twenty minutes back. She gone call me when she ready, so that should be within the hour. She gotta do her hair and take a shower, so we should have ten minutes left over.”
The ride to the Bronx went smoothly. Then the unexpected happened. A police car stopped them on the Concourse. Rich punched the steering wheel hard.
“Come on man, don’t do this to me. Not tonight.” He rolled down his window.
“License and registration please.”
He pointed. “It’s in my glove compartment.” Toots handed it to him. She knew he kept his Beretta in the glove compartment. She’d taken the paperwork out when she saw the sirens. If the officer saw a weapon, and unlicensed, they’d be hauled downtown so fast their heads would spin.
“We’re checking all vehicles that fit this description, sir. There was a homicide in the tri-state area this morning and a vehicle similar to this one fits. But today’s your lucky day. Our perp was white. Ya’ll have a good night, now.”
“Thanks officer.” Rich sucked his teeth. They made it to the spot without a hitch. As soon as they got there, they encountered another problem. Their connect was trying to get a larger cut off the work from their backs. They had argued back and forth until Rich threatened the man’s life. He choked him and told him he wouldn’t let go next time. No one tried anything stupid because they all respected and feared Rich. They left with the connect agreeing on his usual ten percent.
“Take the Cross Bronx. It’ll be faster.” Against his better judgment, Rich did. There was a multi car pile up and it was backing up traffic along the entire route. “Nice goin, Toots,” he said. “Take the Cross Bronx. It’ll be faster,” he mocked. The traffic was a crawl at best. There was a small spurt and they began moving slowly forward. His phone rang. Rich looked down at his watch. He was already over an hour late. He flipped his SideKick to Toots. “Answer that.”
“Hello?”
“Who’s this?” Nicole asked suspiciously.
“This is Toots.”
“Who are you and why are you answerin his phone? Where’s Rich?”
“He’s right here.”
“Put him on the phone, please.”
Toots handed the phone to Rich, like it was a parasite. “You bought to get chewed out, nigga,” she said. He rolled his eyes at her, taking the phone.
“Hey, Nik. This Rich.”
“Don’t hey Nik me. Who was that?”
“That was Toots. She’s my-”
Nicole cut him off. “She’s your what? Why is she on your phone?”
“I told her to answer it for me.”
“What are you doing that you can’t answer your phone?”
“I’m driving,” he replied.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on the Expressway.”
“What expressway? You got some girl in your car, Richard?”
“I’m not in the car with some girl, Nikki. I’m with Toots. She’s my friend.”
“Your friend. Right. Do I look like Biz Markie to you? When were you planning on callin me?”
“You told me to call you when I got downstairs. I’m not downstairs.”
“Where you comin from?”
He sighed. “From the Bronx.”
“What were you doing in the Bronx?”
Jeez. “I had to take care of something and then I was comin right back to get you. But I got pulled over and then I got stuck in traffic.”
Nicole was hardly buying it. “Whatever Rich. Look, forget it. Just stay wherever you are.”
“Nicole. Why you actin like that? You actin like I’m tryna play you or somethin.”
“You are tryna play me, Rich. I called you almost an hour and a half ago. Then I call again, some bitch picks up the phone and you ain't nowhere near my house, claimin you stuck in traffic. Just go home.”
“Nicole, you trippin, for real. There ain't no reason for you to be actin like I did somethin wrong. I ain't got no reason to lie to you!”
“Just go home, aright? I don’t feel like seein you tonight.” She hung up.
By this time they had made it off the expressway. Rich looked at the phone in disbelief. “Who the fuck she talkin to like that?” he asked no one in particular.
“What she say?” Toots asked.
“Talkin bout don’t come get her. She just played herself, for real. I don’t know who she used to fuck wit, but I ain't none of them old niggas.” He sped towards 169th street, dropping Toots off. Making a neat U-turn, he went back in the direction of 155th. Parking outside her building, Rich stormed angrily to the front door. He buzzed her apartment.
“Who?”
“Open this door, Nicole.” To his surprise, she buzzed him in. He was too angry to take the elevator, so he walked to her floor. He knocked on her door.
“What do you want, Rich?”
He pushed past her into the apartment, shutting the door, taking her hand and sitting her down in the living room. He took off his coat, tossing on the couch next to her, but remained standing in front of her. He needed to talk this out or he would punch her in the face.
“You wanna know where I was at, Nicole? Aight. When you called me, I was countin money. I had to go to the Bronx so I could move some weight. I got pulled over by a cop cuz they lookin for somebody whose car looks like mine. Then I get to the Bronx. Shit got a little hectic wit my connect, took me a while to leave. When I left up out of there, I got on the Expressway so I could get here faster cuz I promised I would come see you. There was an accident on the highway in case you ain't know. The pope couldn’t get through if he wanted to. Then you called me. Toots is my friend. She works with me. I ain't datin her, I ain't fuckin her, so get that out your head right now. I asked her to answer my phone cuz I was drivin. I known her for ten years and I ain't ever seen he like that.
“You know what I do, Nikki. You know how I’m livin my life. And in case you don’t, we gone get it straight right now. I’m a hustla, mama. I’m out there. I’m grindin, on some serious shit. You wanna really know? I drove to the Bronx wit two hundred fifty kilos in my trunk. When the fuckin cop pulled me over, I was scared. I might not ever see the streets again if he told me to pop the trunk. But worse than that. I would never see you again. I was holdin my breath til he said okay. I’m out there hopin I can last the night and come see you and all you can do is bitch about who’s on my phone?
“I don’t know who you was wit before me, but if they took that shit from you, I’ma tell you somethin; I ain't havin it. I ain't fuckin ask you to be my girl so I could make up fucked up excuses to fuck other bitches behind your back. I wanna be wit you. If you wanna be wit me, you best be gettin your trust issues together, cuz I ain't fittin to be goin through this shit wit you every time I tell somebody to answer my phone for me. Now what you got to say about that?”
Nicole thought Rich was incredibly sexy at the moment. She heard every word he’d said and understood. She bit her lip, trying not to turn pink from embarrassment. She lowered her head, then stood up and walked over to him with her arms outstretched. “I’m sorry.”
He glared at her for a hot minute, then his light eyes softened. He pulled her close to him. “I don’t wanna yell at you like that no more, Nik, for real.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He kissed her, then spun her around. “I thought you was getting dressed up?”
“I didn’t think you were still coming here. You surprised me.”
“Shit, you surprised me! I ain't think you was the type to be comin at me like you did.”
“I didn’t mean it, Rich. I guess I’ve been through so many changes that I’m tryna sabotage a good relationship to prove a point.”
“So then you know better about Toots, right?”
“I do now.”
He nodded, walking into her kitchen. His bad mood all but evaporated. He looked around. “You know this the first time I ever been in here, right?”
She followed him. “Yeah. I wish it was under better circumstances though.”
He pulled her closer to him. “We could make them better,” he whispered, rolling his tongue around her ear. Nicole felt herself going and she kissed his lips gently, pulling away.
“You know it’s not time for that yet.”
Rich threw his head back and groaned. “We can’t fight if we can’t have makeup sex, Nik.”
“That’s what you came here for? Makeup sex?” she asked.
“Hell yeah,” he said, dodging the blow she tried to land on his arm. He looked at his watch. “You really feel like goin out?”
She shook her head. “Not really. You wanna watch a movie or somethin?”
“Aight.” Rich went into the living room and got comfortable, hanging his coat in the closet and putting his boots in the foyer. Nicole left the kitchen, entered her bedroom briefly and returned with her hair in two pigtails. She went into the kitchen and came back with a big bowl of popcorn and two beers.
“Where’d you get that?”
“The popcorn? I keep some under the counter, in case I get the munchies. What do you wanna watch?”
“What have you got?”
“Menace II Society, Boyz in the Hood, South Central, Juice, Belly, things of that nature.”
“Put on Menace.”
When the love scene between Ronnie and Kaydee came on, she felt Rich hands sliding to her thighs. She didn’t notice it at first, but then he started kneading her leg. He lost all focus in the movie as he put a hickie on her neck, reaching down and trying to unbutton her pants. Laying her back, he climbed on top of her and kissed her passionately.
He had her jeans open when Nicole felt him pressing up through his pants. Whoa. She put her hand in his chest.
“Rich.”
“Hmm?”
“You better stop.”
“We just kissin, ma,” he whispered.
“I know, but I want you Rich.”
He groaned and kissed her neck again. She could not do this right now. “You sure, Nikki?”
“Not yet.”
“How long I gotta wait?”
“Until I’m ready.”
He could live with that, but he wasn’t sure how much longer. Rich sat up and put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug.
“You spendin the night?”
“I don’t know. You see this?” he asked, pointing downward.
Nicole covered her mouth and giggled. She put her index in his lips. “Listen. If you promise to wait for me, I promise to make it better than you’ve ever had, okay?”
He cut her a smile. “I can live with that.”Rich ended up spending the night. They shared her bed, both hot for each other in their separate corners. Nicole slid a pillow in between her legs and bit her lip as she finally drifted off to sleep. This wasn’t going to be easy for her either.
“What’s up baby?”
“Hi. Just callin to check on you. Make sure you're alright.”
“Everything is tight, mama,” he said, slapping Toots hands away from the bricks in front of him.
“Do you think I could come over?”
He looked around. There was no way he could let her in his apartment with it looking like this. There was cocaine everywhere. “Actually, I was gone pick you up for dinner.”
“Oh! Oh, okay. What should I wear?”
“Anything I can see your sexy body through.”
Nicole giggled on the other line. “Alright. Call me when you’re downstairs.”
“Aright baby. Bye.”
Toots had her hands on her hips. “Now how you gone tell her that fat white one when you know we gotta get this shit weighed an took out of here?”
“You let me worry about that.”
“Rich, there ain't no way you gone make it to the Bronx and back in enough time to see her.”
He put up a hand that said ‘say somethin else’. “I got this, Toots, aright? I said let me handle it.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Fine, big baller. Whatever. But I’m tellin you now, I told you so.” She went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Toots helped him load up the trunk. Rich looked at his watch. “It should take us about twenty minutes to get out there and twenty minutes back. She gone call me when she ready, so that should be within the hour. She gotta do her hair and take a shower, so we should have ten minutes left over.”
The ride to the Bronx went smoothly. Then the unexpected happened. A police car stopped them on the Concourse. Rich punched the steering wheel hard.
“Come on man, don’t do this to me. Not tonight.” He rolled down his window.
“License and registration please.”
He pointed. “It’s in my glove compartment.” Toots handed it to him. She knew he kept his Beretta in the glove compartment. She’d taken the paperwork out when she saw the sirens. If the officer saw a weapon, and unlicensed, they’d be hauled downtown so fast their heads would spin.
“We’re checking all vehicles that fit this description, sir. There was a homicide in the tri-state area this morning and a vehicle similar to this one fits. But today’s your lucky day. Our perp was white. Ya’ll have a good night, now.”
“Thanks officer.” Rich sucked his teeth. They made it to the spot without a hitch. As soon as they got there, they encountered another problem. Their connect was trying to get a larger cut off the work from their backs. They had argued back and forth until Rich threatened the man’s life. He choked him and told him he wouldn’t let go next time. No one tried anything stupid because they all respected and feared Rich. They left with the connect agreeing on his usual ten percent.
“Take the Cross Bronx. It’ll be faster.” Against his better judgment, Rich did. There was a multi car pile up and it was backing up traffic along the entire route. “Nice goin, Toots,” he said. “Take the Cross Bronx. It’ll be faster,” he mocked. The traffic was a crawl at best. There was a small spurt and they began moving slowly forward. His phone rang. Rich looked down at his watch. He was already over an hour late. He flipped his SideKick to Toots. “Answer that.”
“Hello?”
“Who’s this?” Nicole asked suspiciously.
“This is Toots.”
“Who are you and why are you answerin his phone? Where’s Rich?”
“He’s right here.”
“Put him on the phone, please.”
Toots handed the phone to Rich, like it was a parasite. “You bought to get chewed out, nigga,” she said. He rolled his eyes at her, taking the phone.
“Hey, Nik. This Rich.”
“Don’t hey Nik me. Who was that?”
“That was Toots. She’s my-”
Nicole cut him off. “She’s your what? Why is she on your phone?”
“I told her to answer it for me.”
“What are you doing that you can’t answer your phone?”
“I’m driving,” he replied.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on the Expressway.”
“What expressway? You got some girl in your car, Richard?”
“I’m not in the car with some girl, Nikki. I’m with Toots. She’s my friend.”
“Your friend. Right. Do I look like Biz Markie to you? When were you planning on callin me?”
“You told me to call you when I got downstairs. I’m not downstairs.”
“Where you comin from?”
He sighed. “From the Bronx.”
“What were you doing in the Bronx?”
Jeez. “I had to take care of something and then I was comin right back to get you. But I got pulled over and then I got stuck in traffic.”
Nicole was hardly buying it. “Whatever Rich. Look, forget it. Just stay wherever you are.”
“Nicole. Why you actin like that? You actin like I’m tryna play you or somethin.”
“You are tryna play me, Rich. I called you almost an hour and a half ago. Then I call again, some bitch picks up the phone and you ain't nowhere near my house, claimin you stuck in traffic. Just go home.”
“Nicole, you trippin, for real. There ain't no reason for you to be actin like I did somethin wrong. I ain't got no reason to lie to you!”
“Just go home, aright? I don’t feel like seein you tonight.” She hung up.
By this time they had made it off the expressway. Rich looked at the phone in disbelief. “Who the fuck she talkin to like that?” he asked no one in particular.
“What she say?” Toots asked.
“Talkin bout don’t come get her. She just played herself, for real. I don’t know who she used to fuck wit, but I ain't none of them old niggas.” He sped towards 169th street, dropping Toots off. Making a neat U-turn, he went back in the direction of 155th. Parking outside her building, Rich stormed angrily to the front door. He buzzed her apartment.
“Who?”
“Open this door, Nicole.” To his surprise, she buzzed him in. He was too angry to take the elevator, so he walked to her floor. He knocked on her door.
“What do you want, Rich?”
He pushed past her into the apartment, shutting the door, taking her hand and sitting her down in the living room. He took off his coat, tossing on the couch next to her, but remained standing in front of her. He needed to talk this out or he would punch her in the face.
“You wanna know where I was at, Nicole? Aight. When you called me, I was countin money. I had to go to the Bronx so I could move some weight. I got pulled over by a cop cuz they lookin for somebody whose car looks like mine. Then I get to the Bronx. Shit got a little hectic wit my connect, took me a while to leave. When I left up out of there, I got on the Expressway so I could get here faster cuz I promised I would come see you. There was an accident on the highway in case you ain't know. The pope couldn’t get through if he wanted to. Then you called me. Toots is my friend. She works with me. I ain't datin her, I ain't fuckin her, so get that out your head right now. I asked her to answer my phone cuz I was drivin. I known her for ten years and I ain't ever seen he like that.
“You know what I do, Nikki. You know how I’m livin my life. And in case you don’t, we gone get it straight right now. I’m a hustla, mama. I’m out there. I’m grindin, on some serious shit. You wanna really know? I drove to the Bronx wit two hundred fifty kilos in my trunk. When the fuckin cop pulled me over, I was scared. I might not ever see the streets again if he told me to pop the trunk. But worse than that. I would never see you again. I was holdin my breath til he said okay. I’m out there hopin I can last the night and come see you and all you can do is bitch about who’s on my phone?
“I don’t know who you was wit before me, but if they took that shit from you, I’ma tell you somethin; I ain't havin it. I ain't fuckin ask you to be my girl so I could make up fucked up excuses to fuck other bitches behind your back. I wanna be wit you. If you wanna be wit me, you best be gettin your trust issues together, cuz I ain't fittin to be goin through this shit wit you every time I tell somebody to answer my phone for me. Now what you got to say about that?”
Nicole thought Rich was incredibly sexy at the moment. She heard every word he’d said and understood. She bit her lip, trying not to turn pink from embarrassment. She lowered her head, then stood up and walked over to him with her arms outstretched. “I’m sorry.”
He glared at her for a hot minute, then his light eyes softened. He pulled her close to him. “I don’t wanna yell at you like that no more, Nik, for real.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He kissed her, then spun her around. “I thought you was getting dressed up?”
“I didn’t think you were still coming here. You surprised me.”
“Shit, you surprised me! I ain't think you was the type to be comin at me like you did.”
“I didn’t mean it, Rich. I guess I’ve been through so many changes that I’m tryna sabotage a good relationship to prove a point.”
“So then you know better about Toots, right?”
“I do now.”
He nodded, walking into her kitchen. His bad mood all but evaporated. He looked around. “You know this the first time I ever been in here, right?”
She followed him. “Yeah. I wish it was under better circumstances though.”
He pulled her closer to him. “We could make them better,” he whispered, rolling his tongue around her ear. Nicole felt herself going and she kissed his lips gently, pulling away.
“You know it’s not time for that yet.”
Rich threw his head back and groaned. “We can’t fight if we can’t have makeup sex, Nik.”
“That’s what you came here for? Makeup sex?” she asked.
“Hell yeah,” he said, dodging the blow she tried to land on his arm. He looked at his watch. “You really feel like goin out?”
She shook her head. “Not really. You wanna watch a movie or somethin?”
“Aight.” Rich went into the living room and got comfortable, hanging his coat in the closet and putting his boots in the foyer. Nicole left the kitchen, entered her bedroom briefly and returned with her hair in two pigtails. She went into the kitchen and came back with a big bowl of popcorn and two beers.
“Where’d you get that?”
“The popcorn? I keep some under the counter, in case I get the munchies. What do you wanna watch?”
“What have you got?”
“Menace II Society, Boyz in the Hood, South Central, Juice, Belly, things of that nature.”
“Put on Menace.”
When the love scene between Ronnie and Kaydee came on, she felt Rich hands sliding to her thighs. She didn’t notice it at first, but then he started kneading her leg. He lost all focus in the movie as he put a hickie on her neck, reaching down and trying to unbutton her pants. Laying her back, he climbed on top of her and kissed her passionately.
He had her jeans open when Nicole felt him pressing up through his pants. Whoa. She put her hand in his chest.
“Rich.”
“Hmm?”
“You better stop.”
“We just kissin, ma,” he whispered.
“I know, but I want you Rich.”
He groaned and kissed her neck again. She could not do this right now. “You sure, Nikki?”
“Not yet.”
“How long I gotta wait?”
“Until I’m ready.”
He could live with that, but he wasn’t sure how much longer. Rich sat up and put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug.
“You spendin the night?”
“I don’t know. You see this?” he asked, pointing downward.
Nicole covered her mouth and giggled. She put her index in his lips. “Listen. If you promise to wait for me, I promise to make it better than you’ve ever had, okay?”
He cut her a smile. “I can live with that.”Rich ended up spending the night. They shared her bed, both hot for each other in their separate corners. Nicole slid a pillow in between her legs and bit her lip as she finally drifted off to sleep. This wasn’t going to be easy for her either.
posted by Jacki Simmons at 1:28 AM
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