Page 9

It’s been three weeks since I took leave from my job, and I was in no hurry to return. From spending time with my daughter to relaxing physically and mentally, I was enjoying my solitude. A few of my fellow agents tried to guilt-trip me about taking time off, but it went in one ear and out the other. Senior Special Agent Roberts sent an email wishing me wellness, and that meant everyone else could kiss my ass. The smile that shined on Bri’s face every morning when she woke up to her mommy was going to be well worth the three-month vacation.

“So… what are we doing today, Mommy?” she asked from the back seat of my newly purchased Chevy Trailblazer. I decided to reward myself after all my hard work over the last few months. Next on the agenda was finding my baby and me our forever home. “Are we going out for ice cream?”

“You don’t think it’s a little too cold for that, Briley Boo?” I glanced at her through the rearview mirror as we cruised through town. “Not to mention… we just went out for cupcakes two days ago. You want your teeth to fall out?”

“I’m only six, Mommy. They will grow back.” She waved me off, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Noticing that she went quiet, I brought my eyes back to her and was worried about the sad look that was now on her face.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Are you sending me to stay with Daddy?” she asked as she peered up at me with dejected eyes. “I heard him tell Nana June that you work too much, and he wants me to come stay with him. I don’t want to live with him.”

“Is he mean to you when you’re over there?” I glanced back at her when we approached a red light. I reached back and shook her little feet, hoping she gave me a small smile. “You can tell me anything…”

Looking down at her little fingers, she fondled them before she brought her eyes to mine. The light changed colors, but I made sure to watch her through the rearview mirror to gauge her expression.

“No… he’s not mean. He just doesn’t play with me the way you, Nana June, and Papa Joe do.” I exhaled the breath I didn’t know I was holding because had she said he was mistreating her, I was going to jail behind my child. “No one talks to me, but they’re not mean.”

“How about this?” I pulled into the lot of Kiddie Kingdom. Every day, I vowed to do something with her, and today, she wanted to go to an indoor playground. “I will tell him the only way I’ll let you come over a little more is if he promises to have more fun.” I turned and reached back to lift her chin. “More games. More pizza. More?—”

“…candy and ice cream?” She beamed as she unfastened her booster seat. “I love candy and ice cream, Mommy!”

“I know you do, baby.” I chuckled as I got out of the car before going into the backseat and pulling her out. “Your dad is actually going to join us here today. Is that okay?”

Nodding her head rapidly, she held my hand as she spoke a mile a minute about all the games she wanted to play. Stepping inside, I groaned at all of the kids running and playing. The local school district was out of school today for some bullshit holiday, so it was more crowded than when we usually came. After paying for our admission, I helped my baby put on her grip socks for the trampoline. Before she could run off, a shadow formed over us, and once he came fully into view, it took everything in me not to frown and groan.

“Hey, my pretty baby.” Bryce smiled as he pulled Briley into his arms and kissed her cheek. “You look so pretty today.”

“Hi, Daddy!” She giggled and hugged him back. Regardless of how much time she does or doesn’t spend with him, she loves the fucker. “I’m going to go jump. Watch how high I can go!”

“Stay where I can see you!” I yelled at her back as she took off running. Thankfully, the trampoline she wanted to play on was directly in front of an empty bench. Taking a seat, I watched my baby jump around and squeal as if she was having the time of her life.

“Well, hello to you too, Denim,” Bryce said as he took a seat a little too close for my liking. “You look nice today.”

“Thank you,” I responded dryly. “Your daughter loves Bluely, so she wanted us to dress alike.”

There was a time when I would light up and get so excited at the thought of spending time with Bryce and our daughter. Finding out he didn’t initially want her because he was married turned me off from him, and I never saw him the same way again.

“You could be a little happy about me being here,” he stated lowly as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. No matter where he went, he would always dress as if he was going to or coming from an important meeting. “You should be a little more thankful?—”

I cut him off and turned to him with a raised brow. “Thankful that you’re here spending time with your child? If you came here to argue, you can go on about your day, Bryce. I shouldn’t have even invited you since you think I’m going to let you petition to take my child from me.” The thought of it alone was pissing me off. “From what she tells me… you don’t even acknowledge her when she is with y’all.”

When it comes to Bryce spending time with Briley, we agreed on every other weekend, every other holiday, and every day after her birthday. That didn’t last long because the wife felt the arrangement was cutting into their daily life. Moving her schedule around so that her husband could see his child obviously wasn’t important. That was another reason I didn’t care for my child going over to their house. His wife didn’t want her there.

“We have fun.” He frowned in confusion as he turned and watched her as she jumped. “We have dinner together, and she also has toys… and a game room.”

I chuckled and angled my head. “Do you play with her? Do you ask her about her day?” Pausing, I waited for a response. When I was met with silence, I turned and looked at him. “Bryce… what’s her favorite color? Food? Cartoon? What did she name her newest stuffed animal? Do you know anything about your daughter?”

He said nothing as he peered at her. I could see his jaw tick as he mulled over the questions because he knew just as well as I did that he didn’t know the answers. “I had no idea that stuff mattered… she’s just a little girl. I didn’t think I needed to know…” He stopped himself before clearing the somber tone with a cough and dropping his head. “She must hate me.”

“No, that’s just me.” I smirked, causing him to chuckle. “Just do better. She wants to give you a chance. As much as I want to keep her away from you, I can’t… and I won’t. You’re her father as much as I’m her mother. She needs both of us.”

We sat in a brief silence and watched our baby go from station to station, playing her little heart out. She met another little girl and started dragging her around the play area, still within our view. Seeing her happy was the only thing that mattered to me.

“I’m sorry for how things have been between us these past few years.” I glanced over at him and found him staring at me intently. “I know I’ve done and said a lot of hurtful things over the seven years, but I do love my child. I love you for having my child, Denim.”

“If I knew you were married, we wouldn’t have had her,” I stated honestly. “I love my child with my whole heart, but I never would have consented to help you commit adultery, Bryce. That’s not me, and quite frankly, I understand why Rebecca doesn’t want Briley around?—”

“Who the hell said that?” He frowned as his posture stiffened. “She loves Briley.”

“Does she?” I stood and followed Bri and her new friend when I saw them skip farther down the row of trampolines. “When was the last time she asked you about having her over? Hell, asked you about her in general. Does she even bother to talk and play with her when she’s there? It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know how to play with her, but your wife is a woman who was once a girl—she knows what little girls like to do.”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought. Excuse me for not jumping every single time you want to have my kid at your house. I’m not entirely comfortable with it because of the animosity. This is chaos you created, and I need you to find a resolution. However, the answer isn’t to remove my daughter from my care. I know I work a lot, and I’m working on fixing that. Just don’t try to take her.” I looked at him with pleading eyes and prayed he understood. I wasn’t one to beg anyone for shit, but I didn’t mind when it came to Briley. “I will work on a better co-parenting relationship, but we can’t uproot her and cause unnecessary turmoil because of our situation.”

“Will you allow me to spend more time with her if I got a place in the city and figured out the answers to those questions before transitioning her to my house more often?”

Bryce is a smooth talker, and right now, he could very well be blowing smoke up my ass. If spending one-on-one time with our daughter would help him form a better father-daughter relationship, then I wouldn’t stand in the way.

“If you’re really willing to try, I won’t stand in the way of that.”

“You promise?” He looked at me with that panty-dropping smile of his, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Let’s hug on it then.”

“You tried it, nigga!” I pushed him away from me as Bri came barreling our way. I whispered, “You want to make things better? It starts now.”

I stepped back and watched as Briley ran to her father, and he caught her in his arms. He held her as she talked animatedly about the fun time she was having. Hanging on to every word, he carried her over to the ball pit and threw her inside. I smiled as she squealed with joy and begged him to join her. He did with no hesitation.

“Come on, Mommy!” she screamed with delight. “Come have fun with us!”

“Yeah, Mommy … come on!” Bryce laughed as he picked her up and threw her again.

Looking back and forth between them, I couldn’t help but think this was what I wanted for her. Briley deserved moments to cherish with her parents since she couldn’t be raised under one roof with us both.

“Oh, what the hell…” I conceded as I kicked off my shoes. “One time won’t hurt.”

* * *

“Sis, I am so happy to have you back in town. I can’t stand spending time with your other cousins.”

Laughing at Jerome, I turned to look at the various hot sauce bottles on the shelf in front of us. We decided to have a movie night at his house tonight, and I couldn’t wait. I decided to stand by my word and allow Bryce to keep Briley for the weekend. It’s been a week since our little family playdate, and he didn’t waste time finding an apartment in the city to spend more time with her. I made sure to let him know anytime I called, I needed him to answer. Bri picked up each time I called and let me know she was having the time of her life.

“They don’t deserve to be in the presence of greatness anyway,” I said as I pushed the shopping cart. He wanted to have a taco night, so we were getting all of the essentials. “I don’t get how they can be our family but hate our guts. I will never understand.”

As we walked through the store, we were so engulfed in our conversation about our trifling family members that we weren’t paying any attention to the person in front of us until the cart collided with the back of his ankles.

“Gahdamn, shorty!” He winced as he spun around and faced us with his hand on his hip. “I should shoot—oh. What’s up, Denim?”

A response was caught in my throat as I came face-to-face with Andre Boudreaux. Well, maybe not face-to-face because he was a lot taller than I remembered from the night at the club. I’ve met a lot of sexy men in my day, but nothing compared to Andre. His tattoos played peek-a-boo under his clothing, and the darkness of his eyes told me that he had some shit going on within him. Looking at him dressed in his Ralph Lauren hoodie and the iconic grey sweats, you would never think he was a corporate man. You’d never think he was a killer either; the nigga looked normal as hell.

“Denim, you’re not going to introduce me to this fine-ass man.” Jerome shoulder-bumped me and broke the stare-off Andre and I were having. “Shit… I’ll introduce myself.” He pushed me out of the way and held his hand out to Dre. “Hey, Mr. Sexy Man! I’m Jerome, but you can call me anything you want as long as you calling me something.”

Dragging his eyes to Rome, I gulped lightly because many men couldn’t handle being hit on by a gay man.

Instead of causing a scene, Dre smirked and shook his hand. “This dick is for pussy only, my dude.” Both of our eyes widened at his response as he continued, “Maybe your girl can try it out and gossip with you later.” He licked his lips as his eyes roamed my body. “Yeah, I’ll definitely give her fine ass a story to tell. The way I would toss her muthafuckin’ ass with her pussy?—”

“Oh my gosh, Dre!” I stepped between them and chuckled nervously. “How are you doing? You look different without the bop on your arm. Matter of fact, where is Tammy? I don’t want her coming around the corner thinking I’m making moves on her newest boo.”

From the moment I spotted Andre in the club, I knew who he was. As long as I’ve been building a case against him and his cousins, I could easily put a face to all the Boudreaux Mafia members. Little did he know, I knew more about him than he could imagine. I also knew Tammy and her brother’s bodies were dumped on her mother’s porch the morning after she left the club with him. Tammy and her brother were both grimy, so there is no telling what they did to meet their demise, but that still didn’t warrant them to be murdered.

He chuckled. “That was just something to get my dick wet. Between me and you, I didn’t even get my nut off.”

“Where is she?” I asked, trying to bait him. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Eyeing me closely, he smirked as if he knew my game. I’m sure he’s looked into me or will after this encounter. Just like with Nate, he would only find what I wanted him to see. The bureau database ensured my career as an agent was invisible.

“That’s not my hoe, baby.” He shrugged as he turned around to leave. “Keeping track of disposable shit ain’t really my thing. Nice to see you again.” He winked before he turned his attention to my cousin. “Be easy, Jerome.”

“Say my name… say my name!”

Dre chuckled and walked off without so much as a backward glance as Jerome sang Destiny’s Child. His confidence and cockiness was sickening, but I admit, he had me intrigued.

“Girl! You’re crazy as hell if you don’t go and get that man’s number!” Rome fussed as we walked over to the meat section in search of ground turkey. “He offered you, what I’m sure is some prime dick, and you didn’t hop on it. What is wrong with you?”

“He didn’t ask for my number…” I shrugged my shoulders and browsed the selection. The meat was so damn high—it was ridiculous. “That man just wants to have sex, and?—”

“And so do you!” He placed his hands on my shoulders and spun me around. “Look, sis… I get it. You don’t want the miles of a ’98 Honda on your cooch, but who gives a damn! Single people do single shit. Nobody said you had to fall in love with the man. Get you a good orgasm or two and go on with your life. Ain’t nothing wrong with getting your back cracked every now and then.”

Thinking about what he said, I agreed that he was right. The thing was—I didn’t want this situation to be similar to Nate's. I didn’t want to use my body to get what I needed from these men, but who was I to deny myself in this situation? On record, Andre wasn’t on our radar, so technically, I wasn’t doing anything wrong if I pursued him. Catching his eye again as he walked to the front of the store, I decided to throw caution to the wind. There was nothing wrong with me having a little fun. If I just so happened to stumble upon valuable information in the process, so be it.

“Andre…” I jogged up behind him and tapped his shoulder before he could check out. “I was wondering if I could get your number. Maybe we could go out sometime?”

With hooded eyes, he stepped toward me, hovering over my frame. This man’s aura was intimidating, and for a moment, I second-guessed myself. The feeling was short-lived once he smiled and reached for my phone.

“Just so you know… I’m not a drive-in type of guy.” He held my phone to my face to unlock it. “If you want to get in these draws, you gotta wine and dine me. You gone have to spend a check, love.”

“Is that right?” I giggled as he handed me his phone. Inputting my number, I looked up at him. “If I spend a check the first night, are you going to let me fuck?”

The older lady passing us gasped in shock, and I was immediately embarrassed. Covering my face with my hands, I could hear Dre’s infectious laugh.

“No need to be ashamed, baby.” He chuckled as he removed my hand from my face. “I promise to make the night well worth it. Just know that I’m not looking for anything major.” He lifted my chin and brought my eyes to his. “Dinner and dick is all I have to offer you, baby. Nothing more. You cool with that?”

“Y-Yes,” I stammered. How can something so vulgar be so sexy? “That’s all I want too.”

“Good.” He tapped my chin before returning to his shopping cart. “I’ll text you and let you know where I want to go. I expect to be picked up, so I’ll send you the address too. I want money for a haircut and?—”

“I know that’s right, Mr. Sexy Man!” Rome’s ignorant ass yelled, causing more attention our way. “Princess treatment only.”

Shaking my head at them both, I grabbed Rome’s arm and led him to the next available cashier. “Must you show out everywhere you go?”

“Girl, please.” He waved me off as he placed our items on the conveyor belt. “I’m the best thing in your life outside of my Briley Boo. Your life wouldn’t be shit without me.” He glanced over his shoulder as Andre left out of the store. “I can’t wait for you to ride that pony and tell me all about it. I just know he’s about to have you walking funny.”

As he continued loading our items for bagging, my eyes followed Andre all the way until he reached the parking lot. I felt like a creep watching him as he placed his groceries inside the brand-new Range Rover. I don’t know why he was in town or how long, but I hoped it was long enough to get the information I needed to take him and his cousins down.

This time, I was going to play my cards right and get the dick before the charges were pressed. Nate was tempting, but I was sure about going all the way with Andre Boudreaux. I knew I was playing with fire by attempting to seduce him with my pussy, but I had to try my luck. I also knew the stakes of me getting burned were higher with this man than they were with the previous. If what I knew about Dre was true, I could very well lose the dangerous game I was playing. My job, ethics, and morals were not the only things I was risking—I was risking my life. I could only hope that at the end of this arrangement, he would be in cuffs, and I would be once again the victor.