Page 1

Chapter 1

Bird on the Wire

ROBIN

B eep! Beep! Beep!

“Wake that ass up. It’s DJ Envy, and Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God …” I groan, smacking my alarm clock, sighing as I blink at my screwed bonnet, not wanting to get up at all. Maybe I can sleep in?

As soon as the words leave my lips, like fucking clockwork my phone vibrates loud and fucking ominously with my mom’s picture on my nightstand.

Without hesitation, I snatch it up and place it on speaker, rolling over on my back.

“Hello?”

“Where you at?” her voice comes through loud and very much annoyed, and for no damn reason I bet.

“I’m still in bed, Mama. I just got up because I have to head out to go see Marcus,” I remind her and she snorts.

“Well, scrap that. I need you to take me to the store to get some canned Vienna sausages and Spam, water, and crackers. They say Hurricane Bertha is on her way in and is projected to make landfall as early as tonight. I’on got nothing here to eat in case we lose power, and knowing CenterPoint, we bound to not have power fa days,” she explains and I yawn, sitting up, fixing my screwed up top.

“Mama, I just took you grocery shopping yesterday. I?—”

“Well I need to go again. Come on, I want to get there before the stores get crowded.”

“Ma, I can’t. I need to go see Marcus. Can’t you get Gerica to take you? Or Vic?” I groan, swinging my feet out of bed and rubbing my face before going to the bathroom. I pull down my clothes to pee, not wanting to deal with this.

“You know damn well Gerica got work and Vic ass is busy. Come on now, I don’t have time to b?—”

“But I promised Marcus I’d come visit. I missed last week and?—”

“Marcus ass ain’t going no damn where. He’s been sitting his ass in prison for fifteen damn years, he can sit there and wait for a lil’ longer. Come take me to the store,” she demands and hangs up before I can even say much else. Shit!

I look down at my phone, baffled as hell and pull open my text to send a message to Gerica.

Robin: Can you take mama to the store today? I have to go see Marcus

Gerica: Nope I’m busy. My man coming over.

Robin: Gerica please it’s just a quickly trip to Food Town. I’ll owe you one

Gerica: Robin you smoking dope if you believe mama gone make any trip to the store quick.

Gerica: No, but tell Marcus I said hey

Robin: or you can come up there with me. He has you and the kids name on the visiting list.

Gerica: I’m good.

Robin: then at least add money to your Securus account so he can call

Gerica: I’m straight

“Uggghhhhhh!” I resist the urge to throw my phone down and instead set it on the sink after wiping and washing my hands, then brush my teeth. I barely have time to put on something decent because now I have to rush out the house. I made sure to get wake up with just enough time to get breakfast and shit because I knew that two-hour drive would be hellish, but I didn’t count on taking my mama to the store.

“Shit!” I rush out of the house, putting on my tennis shoes before locking my front door and running over to my Tesla. When I get inside, I groan, throwing my head back because I forgot to charge it last night and I know it’s cutting it close with taking my mama to Food Town, knowing they ass ain’t got no damn charging stations…

I could take her to Target and charge up there but… I shake my head, thinking better of it. I know damn well my mama don’t want to shop at Target with their overpriced selves… she wants to bargain shop, and you can’t beat Food Town. Oh well, I’ll just make this stop quick and then head to Marcus… besides, I need some groceries too.

When I make it to my mama house, I see her outside on the front porch talking to Mr. Richard her neighbor, but when I drive up, she doesn’t acknowledge me. My first instinct is to blow the horn, but I already know that’s the easiest way to get smacked by Dorothy Grey, so I just sit there and wait for her to finish her conversation while I scroll on my phone… or well, attempt to. Fuuuck!

I reach around, grabbing my purse from the back seat to try to look for it, but it’s not there. Damn it! I bang my head on the steering wheel . I must have left it on the bathroom sink.

Stepping out of the car, I reluctantly try to get my mama’s attention, but she ignores me.

“Ma!” I shout, but she says nothing. “Mama!” I shout again, causing her to glare at me.

“What, girl?!”

“I left my phone at home, and I’m already la?—”

“Oh, I’on need to go anymore. Richard and his wife brought some extra stuff over. You can go,” she cuts me off nonchalantly, while I stand there dumbfounded, narrowing my eyes.

“Are you serious?! I’ve been waiting here for an hour!” I yell incredulously and she curls her lip like I’m a whole damn bother, even though I’m the one who went out of my way to help her.

“And? It’s not like you were doing anything anyway. Marcus ass in prison. He ain’t going nowhere,” she spits. I refrain from fisting my hands even though I’m upset, because what’s the point? It’s not getting to get me anywhere. She always says this, and honestly as much as it pisses me off, there’s no point in trying to say otherwise.

My mama simply doesn’t give a damn about Marcus and me. We are the kids she had with the daddies she hates the most… the ones she had outside of her marriage, unlike our other brothers and sisters, who are by her husband.

“Alright, Mama,” I get back into my car and drive off, not even bothering to say much else. I just bypass my place and go straight to see my brother. No point in driving back to pick up my phone. Hell, I’m already late as it is.

Instead, I just click the Audible app in my car and turn on Their Itty Bitty Kitty by Rose Marie, the supernatural fantasy reverse harem omegaverse dark romance I’ve been hooked onto. I shudder when the Alpha King growls, running a claw over her clit, making the Black feline female main character scream out.

“Heeeerrrreeee pussy pussy pussssyyyyy,” he snarls through the speakers, making my cat tingle at the sinister way the voice actor captures him. “You can’t run from me, Pussy Kat… you’re more like a bitch in heat than a feline. I can smell you feening for this dick. I can smell the others’ nut inside you. Why don’t you come out so I can lap at that sore cat a little?” he laughs and I feel my heart squeeze in envy.

Ughnnn! To have a man want you so much he’s willing to chase you through the woods!

Ugh! How come all the book girlies get the dangerous men?!

I chuckle at myself. Duh, it’s because men like that don’t exist.

While I listen, my body lights up and I mutter, wishing I’d grabbed a change of panties because listening to him fuck her so hard while she meows for help as the other men in the pack join and they cross swords! Lord! I swallow, driving up to the prison, sighing.

Hell, I can barely pay attention to the guard and only snap out of my ravenous state when I hear the guard growl, annoyed.

“Step out and lift the hood of your car.” I’ve heard these words more times than I can count. At least once, if not more every other month for the last fifteen years.

Without hesitation, I unbuckle my seatbelt, pop my hood, and unlock my car door, stepping out and lifting the hood. As the guard checks for… well, God knows what, I head to the other doors to open them so he can do the routine check. For fuck’s sake, what the hell does he expect to be in here?

“You may close the doors and step back into the vehicle.” Again, I follow orders because the last thing I want to do is disobey and have them deny my visit.

Once he hands me back my license, he points to the direction where I need to park, and I follow the instructions to a T, parking where I know the guard standing watch with a rifle can see me. I step out, already feeling fucking drained. Bear with it, Robin… he’ll be out soon and then… then we can really start to live life!

I make my way over to the small room where the check-in guards are and I groan, hearing one even a few feet away. Damn… this is going to be a long wait. I walk in and sure fucking enough, the check in guard has her feet propped on the desk, popping gum while on the phone cackling louder than a motherfucker as if she don’t see me, but I don’t say shit.

I’ve dealt with check in guards like her in the past. The moment I open my mouth, I can hear it now… I have no doubt she’d say, “Visitation denied.” Lord knows I’d probably end up fighting the bitch and wind up in prison my damn self.

Unfortunately for her, I didn’t get up out my comfortable queen size Sealy damn Posturepedic mattress and drive two hours in this one-hundred-and-fucking-four degree record-breaking Texas heat only to be denied a visitation to see my brother for a reason as petty as a bitch not being able to do her job right. So I just stay the fuck quiet and smile, holding up my driver’s license until she finally looks my way, annoyed that I’m still here five whole fucking minutes later.

“Yo license.” She sits up as I hold it out and she snatches it from me. Whhhheeeeewwww ROOOBBBIIIINNNNN MOTHER FUCKING GREY YOU HAD BETTER KEEP THAT SMILE ON YOUR FACE!!!!! “And who are you here to see?” She pops her gum, looking through the papers, and I close my eyes. holding in a sigh.

“LaMarcus Grey.”

“I’on see him on the list,” she scowls, and I roll my eyes because the second I glance down, I see his name clear as mother fucking day.

“La-Mar-cus Grey,” I repeat slower as she shuffles through the papers.

“Oh, I found him.” Yeah, I bet… “And you’re his half-sister?” she asks, cutting her eyes up at me, looking me over. I’m not going to lie, no matter how many times I hear the word, “half-sister,” my heart aches. LaMarcus and the rest of my siblings might have different daddies, but we all rocked together in that two-bedroom apartment with our mama. Ain’t no half nothing! On God, that’s my brother and my row dog, but I smile.

“Correct.”

“Uhm…” she pauses and looks me up and down, raising a brow like they always do. Yeah, I know he and I look nothing alike. LaMarcus takes after his father, and I’m the spitting image of our mama, but that’s none of this bitch’s business. All she needs to do is sign and let me the fuck in. I’m already thirty minutes late, and I just know he’s anxious up in there thinking I couldn’t make it. “You don’t look like him,” she curls her lip, and I know what’s going on immediately.

She must be one of them guards that got bust down by him and she think I’m lying trying to sneak a visit. Well, think again, wantch.

“I brought my birth certificate as well as his, if you need to see it,” I cheese like a Cheshire cat, showing all teeth so this hoe know I’ll bite her ass if she keeps playing with me.

“No need,” she snorts and signs off, handing me my paper as the other guard who’d checked my car comes over to wand and pat me down as I take off my shoes. Thankfully, he’s at least better than her personality-wise, but I notice his slick-ass copping a feel.

“Done,” he tells me. I leave the room, not bothering to thank either of them. Man, I hate coming up here.

I wait for them to open the gate, set my license in the bucket and wait for her to use the pulley to check it from the top of the guard tower when a sudden gust of wind barrels through, nearly knocking me over and causing the slip of paper to fly from my hands. I catch that shit quick fast and in a hurry before it blows away because who knows how got damn long it’ll be before they can get me another one. I can guarantee that bitch would take her sweet time, and I ain’t got the patience for that right now.

Grumbling, my eyes gravitate to the sky. Shit… those dark-ass grey clouds look ominous as hell. On God I’ma be pissed if I get stuck in that damn hurricane and have to wait on the highway for hours before I get to my place! Ain’t nobody got time for that shit!

I’m hungry! I’m tired, and I have work Monday morning. I’ll have to smile and grin in them white folks face being all performative and shit… I just want to go home, listen to a nasty audio book or read smut, play with my pussy, and sleep!

I swear we are the only damn state that can have all four seasons in one day. Nervous at the winds that are picking up, I chew my lip, wondering if I really should cancel, but it would be a waste. It’s a short visit… I’m sure the weather will be okay by the time I leave.

When the lookout guard sends my license back down, I open the next gate and march over to the building where my visit is. I go check in and sit where the monitor places me, but before I take a seat, I pull out my pack of quarters and buy all my brother’s favorite things.

It’s funny how this negro been in prison for fifteen years but he still a picky eater. I grab the plate and napkins, wipe them down, and pop the three bags of cheesy Doritos open, dumping them on the napkin-covered plate and taking it over to our area along with the Starburst and Sprite, setting everything down as I wait for him.

Thankfully it doesn’t take long and soon I see his big light-skinned self come out, cheesing hard as hell. I go around and stop at the red carpet to give him a big hug and take our picture before I go back around and sit across from him.

“I thought you weren’t gon’ make it,” he grumbles with his gritty accent, picking up a chip and crunching.

“You know that wasn’t going to happen,” I raise a brow, crossing my arms, a bit frustrated with him as his buff ass scarfs down all the chips.

“Yeah, I know, but still… I wasn’t sure.” He glances up, and I sigh.

“Well, after all this time, you should know, Marcus. When have I never not kept my promise?” I rebut, and he sits back, popping open the Sprite with a nod.

“Yeah, I ought to know better, but still…”

“But. Still. Nothing. I said I was gon’ ta visit, so here I am,” I strain out, annoyed that my country ass Acres Homes accent slips out even though I’ve done everything in my damn power to rid myself of it. Working downtown and dealing with high-value men and women with more zeros in their banks than I thought could exist, you have to have a certain dialect and attitude to make them white folk respect you and trust you with their assets.

So, keeping my cool and playing the game is how I survive, but Marcus, along with the rest of my bogus ass family, always finds a way to push my mother fucking buttons.

He sighs and scratches his head, sitting back while looking me over in my casual wear, and I already know he gon’ have something to say.

“I get it. My bad, Robbie. Thanks for coming. I always appreciate it since you and Cassidy are the only ones who show up for me,” he states, talking about his baby mama who surprisingly has been holding it down for him since he went to prison all those years ago.

You look nice today. I never get to see my baby sister in her casual clothes,” he smiles wide, calling me by my childhood nickname that no one even calls me by no more because I absolutely fucking hate it, but he’s been locked up so long I don’t even have the heart to correct him, so he’s the only one who calls me that nowadays.

“Thanks, but I didn’t go to work today. I just hopped out of bed and come right on over,” I let him know, leaving out the part about Mama. I usually visit him on Saturdays after work, but this is a rare off day for me. In reality, anyone would think I’m crazy as hell to drive all the way to Rosharon on my off day when I could be laying my butt at home doing nothing, but I’m the only one of our siblings willing to make the drive. I know these visits are important to him, so I don’t mind giving up my Saturdays for him.

“Ah,” he nods. “That explains it,” he adds as he opens up a pack of Starbursts.

“How you been, Marcus? Are they treating you right up in there? I know you’re getting ready to come up for parole, and I heard guys get jealous and start trying to mess up people chances of getting out.” I sit forward, looking him over, worried even though I know I shouldn’t be because LaMarcus is not the typa nigga to let someone get the best of him. And though he’s a changed man after all this time, I can tell by his knuckles he’s still got them rocka bye babies.

“You already know the answer to that, baby sis. Nobody in here stupid enough to fuck up my chances, and if they are…” he smirks, trailing off, and I sit back, relieved.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. You know Mama and the others be worried about you,” I tell him and he snorts.

“Then tell Mama and the others ta come see me.”

“Well, I can’t really speak for the others beyond the fact they have families and be working all of the time, but as for Mama… you know how she feels about seeing you locked up,” I tell him, trying to shield him from the truth.

“Well shit, don’t you have a job, too? Hell, if they be working that much, how come you’re the only one putting money on my commissary?” he speaks out and I shift uncomfortably.

“Like I said, they have families and kids, Marcus. You have been locked up for fifteen years. The world looks different today. A hundred dollars don’t get you nearly as far as it used to. Hell, I’m barely making ends meet by my dang on self, so imagine that struggle with kids,” I defend our other siblings, but in truth they asses could very much so come visit and help Marcus out, but they’re as stingy as can be.

Either way, I’m not about to talk down on them because how they live their life and spend their money is their prerogative. As much as I love my brother, he also needs to understand us helping him is not a requirement. It’s a choice, but I keep my mouth closed because I didn’t come here to argue today.

“I get that, but why hasn’t Mama come and seen me? You said it yourself, right? I have been locked up fa fifteen whole damn years, but you’re the only one who’s been coming up here the whole time. If Mama miss me so damn bad, she should bring her ass u?—”

“HEY!” I cut him off, and he holds his hands up.

“I’m sorry, Robbie. I had a moment…”

“Yeah, I bet you did,” I curl my lip because even after all she puts me through, that’s our Mama. I love my brother, but he’s the one who chose the life of crime. We all shouldn’t have to pay the price with him, but I’m not about to say that. Even if I agree with what he’s saying.

“How are they?” he softens and looks down, and my heart goes out to him. I know he misses everyone, especially Mama, but she refuses to visit, no matter how many times I’ve pleaded with her even though it’s not like the last place he was at. That shit was like the jail in the Katt Williams and Tiffany Haddish.

Even though I hate coming here, it’s leaps and bounds better than county.

“Everyone is good,” I smile, giving him a generic answer because I don’t have the heart to tell him that most of us don’t even speak to each other anymore. Not because we fell out, but because we be in our own lanes minding the business that pays us. “We have the family reunion coming up on the Fourth of July. I’ll make sure to send you some pictures,” I tell him, always wanting to send him something for comfort.

Our yearly family reunion is the best time to show him an act of solidarity with our family because that seems to be the only damn time we can all come together and semi-pretend to be interested in what we all have been up to for the remaining year.

“Robbie? You know damn well I plan on being out by then,” he chuckles, and I sit up straight. Shit… I’ve been so overwhelmed with work and dealing with mama ass that I forgot just how soon he’ll be out.

“Oh, you’re right. S-sorry, Marcus, I just have a lot on my mind,” I apologize, feeling awful that I could ever forget something so important.

“It’s cool. I understand work be hectic… and Mama? How is she?”

“She’s goo—” My voice cuts off as a guard opens the door, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I immediately lock eyes with… hell, I don’t know what he is. All I know is my lungs stop functioning. My breath hitches as stone-cold fear ravages my body, causing my pussy to clench.

“Fucking Saw…” I hear my brother mutter under his breath. Damn, even his name sounds dangerous… Saw? I wonder what the fuck he did to get a name like that? I just know that white boy killed somebody… uhmm. I lick my lips.

And sweat beads at my hairline, sweating out my silk press, and my hands go clammy, so I rub them against my jeans. My heart thumps in my chest loudly and alarm bells ring in my head. Look away! Look away… LOOK A-FUCKING-WAY!

But I can’t, as fear has gripped me entirely, causing my throat to close and my lips to tremble, leaving me only able to take him in as he does me. My body wants to recoil as his lightish brown eyes roam over me insidiously in a manner that screams he will eat me up and spit me out, happily leaving me for dead after having his fill.

His full and wide pink lips that seem like they offer nothing but hateful words and degradation, hands that look big enough to wrap around a motherfucka’s neck and crush it without an ounce of remorse, and a body so big that he has to duck and tilt sideways to come out from where the other inmates are sitting for their visits.

I can tell he’s every last bit of two hundred and fifty pounds of lean muscle and taller than my brother, who is six-two. Jesus… I have seen many men in the fifteen years that I have been visiting my brother in all the prisons he’s been transferred and carted off to. Most just look like regular men. One would never be able to tell what crime they committed to get locked up.

But this one… no, I don’t need a transcript to know this mother fucker is here for murder, and probably not just any murder, but a serial offense. Even still, he’s got to be hands down the sexiest man I’ve ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on.

I take in his massive, tattooed arms, chest, and hands, licking my lips, nipples hardening. I know those massive hands would choke me while those hateful eyes glare at me exactly as he is now… as he’s brutally fucking me… even though I don’t want to and I know I shouldn’t, my eyes travel down to his lower half where I see an unmistakably long, thick, and hard dick print in his prison uniform. Damn… I look away, flustered.

However, I made it my mission to never judge a book by its cover knowing my brother is in prison and is, while gruff, as sweet as they come. So even though the bells in my head ring like a firehouse siren telling me to run, I swallow and give him a smile, as I always do to the inmates here, because I know they’re having a hard time, and a smile goes a long way.

Never in the fifteen years have my smiles not been reciprocated. Not ever , but my smile falters when this big ass mother fucker curls his lip at me, seemingly disgusted at my act of kindness and that cold glare has me squeezing my legs tight as cream fills my panties and my pussy walls tremble, cumming thinking about it. Uuuunnng fuck…

“ROBIN!”

“H-H-HUH?! WH-WHAT HAPPENED?!” I pant, sweating, heart racing, and cutting my eyes to my brother, smiling brightly as fuck, trying to play it off like my pussy ain’t throbbing for whatever the fuck that inmate is packing.

“Nothing. You scared me… you suddenly looked in pain,” he frowns, and I wipe the sweat from my brow.

“I…” I take a deep breath. “I’m good.” I huff out, standing abruptly… “I… Imma be back. Just… I need to go to the bathroom,” I quickly rush off, not even waiting for him to respond. I know my way around this damn place, so I don’t even have to ask where the bathrooms are.

Rushing in, I thank God no one else is inside as I wash my hands and grab a napkin to lock the door because this place can be nasty as fuck, but it ain’t stopping shit. I place some toilet paper on the commode, plop down on the seat after pulling my pants down, and spread my legs, strumming my mother fucking clit hard and good, stuffing three fingers inside, rolling my eyes to the back of my head, thinking about him choking me.

It’s been so long, but it doesn’t matter. That mean mother fucker look like he ain’t good fa shit but be slanging dick. He is not the type of man you fall for. He is not the type of man you marry or spend the rest of your life with, but what I wouldn’t give for just a small taste… to be under that big body as he grunts, taking his fill nastily. I grind relentlessly, humping my fingers, holding in my moans, heart racing as I hold my breath as long as I can, thinking about him hunting me down and… I gush all over the floor, gasping for air, still playing with my pussy.

I sit there panting for a hot lil ol’ minute while I collect myself then clean up my mess, washing the toilet and my hands thoroughly, mind on ten.

Damn, should I ask about him and get me a pen pal?

Nah, I would never want to deal with a mother fucker like that in real life. But he’s great resource material for my fantasy… it’s dark and twisted and disgusting to have such desires, but I can’t help it. I have always dreamt of being dominated to stupidness in the bedroom.

When I talk to my friends about it, they look at me like I’m crazy, claiming I have a rape fetish, but that’s not it. I don’t want it to happen in real life just… ugh… I don’t know how to explain it. Just for fake, I want to have a nigga take me to places I would never truly want from anyone else.

Even in the books that I tend to gravitate to, the girl’s will has been stripped from her, and the author has to write the smut in a way that the female is primarily getting off from the male main character getting off on her. It’s wrong, I know, but… I don’t need some cheesy, lovey-dovey storyline.

Give me some primal, open that pussy up or I’ll make you, any day… in fantasy and books, of course. In real life, I wish a nigga would. I’m not bout that life of letting a man control me, but the fantasy of it all… YES PLEASE! Honestly, I’m probably too bullheaded for some shit like that in real life anyway. I chuckle inwardly at the thought.

“Ma’am, is everything okay in there?” the attendant calls from outside, making me jump with shame.

“Y-yes… coming out!” I answer as I dry my hands and leave the bathroom, avoiding her gaze.

But whatever, I don’t even have the time for shit like that. Not when I’m so close to getting promoted from store manager at the bank to district manager. On top of that, Marcus is about to get out of prison soon, so I need to get him set up to transition into society after being locked up for fifteen years. I don’t have time to be letting a nigga run shit when he’ll probably just run me into the ground.

I just need to continue to focus on me and mine.

Leaving the bathroom, I nearly bump into a woman who’s running full speed out of the facility in tears. Damn… she must have gotten broken up with…

I’ll ask Marcus. We have a good amount of time left on our visit, and gossiping about his prison friends is always a good ass time.

I’ve seen that more than a few times in the fifteen years I’ve been coming up here. I make my way back to my brother, only to see him looking disturbed and irate. Shit, I took way too long in there, huh…

“I… I’m sorry I?—”

“Robbie, go home,” he blurts out, shocking me.

“What? Why? Did I make you mad o?—”

“No, fuck all of that. You need to go home. Now. Fuck this visit. As a matter of fact, fuck coming up here ever again.” He stands, knocking his chair back, throwing me for a whole damn loop.

“Wait, what the fuck are you saying?!” When he ignores me, I slam my hand down on the wooden table. “LaMarcus!” He pauses at the door he came out of, leaving me in shock as he walks away. This has never happened before.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you have to go,” I frown, looking at the door, exasperated and beyond confused, but there ain’t shit I can do about it. Once they go to the back, the visit is over. Shit!

What the fuck happened?