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  “FUCK YOU!” I screamed.

  Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I refused to let them. Alexi had never seen me shed a tear especially over a nigga and I wasn’t going to start.

  “Fuck you, too!” he said.

  Governor opened the door to his truck and pulled off. He was probably in the neighborhood all day and didn’t stop by to check up on me. No call nor text. I was losing him and I had to figure out a way to keep him in my life.

  “Let’s go to Pussers on the water. Nucci is having a day party and I told him I was comin’ through. We can get fucked up and mingle. You know he’s been checkin’ for you,” Alexi said. Nucci had been wanting me since I stripped at his club, but he was a known man whore.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  We got into the car and Alexi passed me her vapor pen and a miniature Patrón bottle. Maybe I needed some new dick to take my mind off Governor because he was beginning to get on my bad side. He’d behave himself if he knew what was good for him.

  *********

  The day party was crowded, and a few people were in the water on jet skis. Annapolis’ water was brown, and I wouldn’t dare get on anything other than a boat. Alexi was yelling over the music and I couldn’t make out what she was saying because I was already tipsy.

  “Bitch, you’re getting’ on my nerves!”

  “NUCCI SAID COME HERE!” she screamed.

  We’d been in the party for only ten minutes and Nucci was already sweating me. He was staring at me when I looked over my shoulders. Nucci stood around six-foot-one and weighed around two-hundred pounds. He was light-skinned and had tattoos on his face but not too many; I counted four tattoos which was a turnoff for me despite his good looks. Nucci was heavy in the streets as well but not as deep as Governor and his brother. I heard Nucci only sold weapons and prescription pills instead of pushing weight. He motioned for me to walk over to his table where he sat with a lot of men including Alexi’s man. We headed towards the table, pushing our way through the crowd. By the time we made it, Nucci was the only one seated.

  “Let me talk to Rochelle alone,” Nucci said to Alexi. She shrugged her shoulders and walked over to her boyfriend.

  “Why do you keep playin’ games with me, shorty? Is it because of that nigga, Governor? He got you livin’ in the projects and shit. I got a crib on the other side of town. All you have to do is say the word and you can move in. You know how I feel about you,” he said.

  “What about your wife?”

  “Fuck that bitch. You see she ain’t here. I do what the fuck I want to do!” he replied.

  “We’ll see how this goes, but in the meantime, I’m gonna finish partyin’. Thanks for the invite,” I replied. I stood up and Nucci grabbed a handful of my ass cheek and I playfully smacked him away.

  “Boy, stop before someone tells my nigga.”

  “Aight, but the offer is, and will always be, on the table. Just remember that,” he said. I pulled away from Nucci and walked back over to the bar area where Alexi and her boyfriend, Frost, were standing. He had his arms wrapped around her while groping her backside. I went outside and partied by myself while Alexi stayed underneath her boyfriend. Those two were inseparable and at times it was annoying because Governor wasn’t affectionate, nor did he display how much he cared about me in public.

  Three hours later…

  It was eight o’clock at night by the time Alexi dropped me off at home. I stumbled into my apartment and kicked off my heels. I heard the shower running when I walked in and I thought maybe I was hearing things.

  “Governor!” I slurred but he didn’t answer me.

  “Governor!”

  I pushed the door open and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Sinna’s dirty ass man was in my bathroom washing his nasty ass with my decorative washcloths.

  “Ain’t no mountain highhhhhh enoughhhhhhhhh! Ain’t no river wide enoughhhhhhh!” he sang with his eyes closed. He didn’t know I was standing in the doorway. My shower curtain was pulled all the way back while he let water splash onto my floor. He jumped and knocked my shampoo rack down when I let out a scream.

  “Oh, shit! This your apartment? The front door was unlocked. Did you see the note I left you on the bathroom door? It says, ‘Do Not Disturb.’ Bitch, why are you in here?” he asked with a serious face.

  “Get your dirty little dick ass out of my shower!” I screamed.

  His dirty clothes were hanging off my sink and his underwear had the biggest shit stain I had ever seen. The smell from his drawers and socks made me sick. I couldn’t curse him out the way I wanted to because the liquor came up in the toilet.

  “You pregnant?” he asked.

  A lot was happening, and the room was spinning. I stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed a knife when I noticed Dade was wearing my silk bonnet.

  “I’m going to kill you!” I screamed.

  Dade ran down the hallway of my apartment with water dripping everywhere and his clothes in his hands. I was stumbling and almost lost my balance when I chased him down the stairs. He screamed I was trying to kill him when he ran out of the building. Essa tripped him up and he fell down the stairs, exposing himself. I wanted to stab him.

  “Bitch, have you lost your mind? How in the fuck did you get inside of my apartment?”

  “The door was unlocked! Look, put down the knife. We didn’t have any soap and I told Sinna I’d check to see whose door was unlocked. To my surprise, your door wasn’t closed all the way so I went in for a bar of soap but then I had the runs. So, I shitted in your toilet and got into the shower. Bitch, you should’ve closed the door if you ain’t want me to come in!” Dade yelled.

  “You foul for that!” Essa said to Dade.

  “Shut your buffalo-eating ass the fuck up!” Dade yelled at Essa.

  “I have soap to wash my ass with though, dirty dick. You’re covered in soap and still smell like shit,” Essa said.

  A few people standing outside the building laughed at Dade. He got up and ran down the street. I didn’t have the guts to stab anyone, but I was satisfied with scaring him. Essa was asking me something, but I didn’t want to be bothered.

  “Are you okay?” I finally made out what she was saying.

  “YES!”

  Everyone in the building made me sick to my stomach and I needed a way out. Sure, I could take Nucci’s money, but I loved Governor and he had more money than Nucci could ever dream of so I’d be a fool to downgrade. Soon as I went into my apartment, I called Governor’s phone and shockingly he answered on the second ring.

  “Get your ass over here now! Sinna’s dirty ass boyfriend broke into my apartment, took a shit and used my shower. It smells so bad in here! It’s like someone cleaned chitterlings in my bathroom with a mixture of sour bleach. Please get me out of here, Governor!” I screamed.

  “Did he steal or touch you?”

  “No, but that’s besides the damn point! You’re the landlord! You need to do sumthin about these people!”

  “These people? The fuck is that supposed to mean? You belittlin’ what I worked hard for? Those people need a roof over their heads! I’ll handle Dade but don’t call me on that bullshit!” he shouted into the phone. I heard a woman’s voice in the background and she was asking Governor what he wanted to eat and I got furious.

  “Who are you with? I almost got killed and you’re up in the next bitch’s ass!”

  “Dade is a pest but that nigga ain’t dumb enough to steal or touch you so it ain’t that serious, shorty. I’ll handle him but get some rest and clean the bathroom up. I’ll be over there tomorrow,” he said and hung up. When I called back, I got his voicemail.

  I got something for his ass! Governor is going to wish he ain’t never fucked with me. PERIODT!

  Sinna

  An hour later…

  T he summer heat beat down on my skin and caused me to perspire through my thin T-shirt when I stepped out the small sandwich shop. I felt sticky and dirty because Dade didn’t buy us any so
ap, so I had to use the off-brand dish detergent to take a bath with. The little bit of money I had left was going towards the dollar store, but everything was closed except for Walmart. I didn’t have a ride; the buses weren’t running, and the cabs were too expensive. I cursed myself for having to use Ranira’s baby wash. When I made it to the block, a crowd was circulating around the building. I realized my window was opened and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Dade had a ladder against the building, trying to break into my apartment through the window.

  I screamed for him to stop because Governor would be pissed off if he had to replace the window for the sixth time.

  “No, bitch, I’m not stoppin’! This is my house, too! I’ve been livin’ on the streets all day today! Let me in or I’m gonna blow this building up!” Dade yelled. He wasn’t wearing anything but dingy shorts and dirty shoes. Dade was disgusting and barely took showers.

  “GET THE FUCK DOWN!” I screamed when he pulled out a hammer, threatening to smash the window.

  “FUCK YOU, BITCH!” Dade yelled. I ran through the crowd and grabbed the ladder.

  “I NEED HELP!” I shouted while everyone watched with their camera phones out, recording the stupid shit Dade was known for doing. The crowd wouldn’t help me since Dade’s antics were more interesting.

  “GET OFF!” Dade shouted when I wiggled the ladder.

  A man came through the crowed wearing a du-rag, house coat and Nike slides. He was yelling and screaming at the top of lungs, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying because Dade was cursing me out, calling me all kinds of no-edges having bitches.

  “This is my ladder!” the man yelled and pushed the ladder onto the ground.

  “Y’all crackheads are gettin’ terrible! This son-of-a-bitch took it off my work truck and sumthin told me to come down here, and I’ll be damned!” the stranger fussed. He picked up the ladder and Dade fell onto the steps screaming. The stranger rushed to Dade and grabbed him around the throat.

  “HOE, HELP ME!” Dade yelled for me.

  The stranger was about six-foot-three and weighed close to three-hundred pounds. Dade was on his own and I almost felt sorry for him after I watched the stranger beat him up. Governor’s truck sped down the street, coming to a halt and the bystanders disappeared. Governor rushed to the fight and broke it up.

  “GET THE FUCK OFF MY PROPERTY!” Governor yelled but the stranger was ramming Dade’s head into the railing in front of the building. Governor fired his gun into the air and the stranger pulled away from Dade who laid on the steps holding his bloody head.

  “I’m out but you better keep these fuckin’ crackheads on a leash! This is the third time I had to walk over here to get sumthin of mine! I was very proud of you for givin’ some of these people a home but now this place has gone from sugar to shit. Me and my wife lived in our house for thirty years and we ain’t never had things stolen out of our cars. I’m gonna report all of this shit!” the stranger warned Governor. The man picked up his ladder and dragged it down the street. Governor looked at me and Dade with murder in his eyes.

  “Nigga, what the fuck did I tell you the last time I put a gun to your head? Why in the fuck you keep fuckin’ with the neighborhood and you broke into Rochelle’s apartment!” Governor yelled at Dade.

  “No, I didn’t. The door was unlocked. Please, man, just let me go. My head bleedin’,” Dade said. Governor kicked him down the stairs and told him to leave the property before he killed him. Dade got up and stumbled down the street, cursing me out and calling me whores.

  “We need to talk!” Governor spat.

  He opened the door to the building and we walked upstairs to the second floor where I lived. I unlocked the door and I wanted to hide my face in embarrassment. My apartment was dirty and Dade’s funky shoes by the door wasn’t a welcoming smell. Baby clothes were sprawled out throughout the living room and the trash was filled to the top. I used to have a clean apartment, but it was hard with an infant and a nigga like Dade. Governor looked around my apartment and shook his head.

  “Yo, this can’t be it, shorty. What the fuck is this, Sinna? You know inspections are comin’ up and this is the type of shit you do? And who wrote, ‘Bitch’ on the wall right here? Don’t tell me your daughter did it,” Governor said.

  “Dade did it the other day. Look, I’m very sorry for this but I will be homeless if you put me out. I know the rent is due, but I don’t have the money. I’m starting a new job soon. Please, just bear with me.”

  Governor leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He was wearing shorts and a black wife beater. The gold diamond chain around his neck gave him major sex appeal and his chocolate velvety arms didn’t make it any better. The man was finer than Trevonte Rhodes and the brother was the finest thing I’d seen.

  “So, you let a nigga bring you down?” Governor asked.

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  “Shorty, I’m not tryna get in your business but this shit is affectin’ my building. Do you understand this nigga is about to have you out on the street? You have holes in the walls and the carpet is a fucking mess, shorty. Fuck that, you better get this shit together. I’ve been lookin’ out for you and this is the thanks I get?” he barked.

  “You aren’t doing me any favors! Section-8 pays a big portion so I’m not understandin’ any this.”

  “Yo, I don’t give a fuck if your rent was five fuckin’ dollas! Muthafucka, I need mine because this whole property is MINE! You don’t know shit about ownin’ nothin’ but that raggedy-ass nigga you take care of who ain’t even on the lease. Not to mention he disturbs the residents so by all means you owe me every fuckin’ penny!”

  “But yet Rochelle doesn’t pay shit. Matter of fact, I heard she’s the only one in this building who isn’t on a voucher or no other program, so why is her rent free? What happened to treatin’ your residents equally? It doesn’t say anything about fuckin’ the landlord in my lease unless her lease says sumthin else,” I replied. Governor pushed himself off the wall and stepped into my face. He gazed into my eyes before staring at my lips. My knees almost buckled and my pussy throbbed as I pictured Governor picking me up and bouncing me on his dick. I knew he was packing by the way he walked.

  “You want me to fuck you, shorty?” he asked while tilting my chin up. He sexily smiled, showing me those sexy-ass fronts of his. His cologne smelled like it cost more than everything inside my apartment, including me.

  “Huh?”

  “You heard what the fuck I asked. Do you want me to fuck you?” he asked in a husky tone.

  “Yes.”

  “Exactly. That’s why you’re askin’ me about Rochelle which isn’t none of your fuckin’ business. Clean this shit up! I want my money soon as you get paid. I’m lettin’ you off the hook for the last time, so don’t fuck me over, Sinna. I mean that shit. Get some rest and kiss your daughter for me. Where is she at anyway?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “She’s over my friend, Chelsie’s house because I have an interview tomorrow mornin’.”

  Governor went into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He peeled off a few one-hundred-dollar bills and placed them into my hand.

  “This is for the baby, and get yourself together, shorty. You can’t go on an interview lookin’ like you don’t give a fuck. What time is your interview?” he asked.

  “Eleven o’clock.”

  “You got time to fix yourself up beforehand. I’ll send a cab to the building for you at eight o’clock sharp,” he said.

  “Thank you so much.”

  Governor left my apartment and I sat on the couch distraught. I counted the eight-hundred dollars and almost fainted. The last time I had that much money Dade stole it and brought a trailer home that caught on fire the next day. The only reason I stuck it out with Dade is because he was somewhat of a help when I really needed him to be. But Governor always manages to save the day. He was everything I wanted in a man. I had to get myself together for him and prove that I could b
e as fly as that bitch upstairs, Rochelle. By the time I got done with everything, me and Ranira would be in one of his high-rise apartments and living lavishly.

  The next day…

  The salon wasn’t too crowded when I walked in. I wore a cute summer dress with stacked wedge heels. There were barely any clean clothes in my closet but I got lucky when I came across an outfit I had when I was in high school.

  “Who do you have an appointment with?” a man asked while popping his gum. He was giving an older lady a fresh curl set. There were only five stylists and I needed something quick. I saw a few wigs being advertised in the window. The one I wanted cost six-hundred dollars.