BFF's Forever

Book 0: Best Frenemies Forever Series

by Brenda Hampton

Genres: African American Women's Fiction

Synopsis

Jealousy, greed, and violent revenge are all at the forefront in this page-turner by Brenda Hampton, the queen of girlfriends' drama. Kayla, Evelyn, and Trina have been on-and-off-again girlfriends for many years, but the lines of true friendship have been crossed, the knives that went into another friend's back cut deep, and trust no longer applies when one woman has an affair with another's man. Once the lines of true friendship have been crossed, will this trio ever be able to regain the bond of loyalty they once shared?

Release date: May 29, 2018

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 400

Sample

No words in the dictionary—not even the urban dictionary—could define how Cedric Thompson made me feel right about now. There was so much hatred in my heart for the man whom I used to love with every fiber of my being. Surely, we’d had our ups and downs, highs and lows, but lately things had gone beyond anything I had ever imagined. He’d become disrespectful. He ignored my demands and how dare he try to sit back and call all of the shots. I tried my best to get him to see why we needed to be together, but he wasn’t trying to hear me. He wanted everything to be his way, or no way at all. That was why the time had come for me to finally have it my way.

Thinking about this fucking disease he gave me, I glared straight ahead while driving my car in the direction of his house. My vision was blurred from tears in my water-filled eyes. The scars that he’d left cut deep; I was damaged beyond repair. For days, I pondered about what to do with the man who told me that he loved me and said that I meant everything in the world to him. Yet, when it came down to it, his actions didn’t show what his mouth confessed. I was a fool to believe anything he’d said. The shame was on me for putting myself in this predicament. That in itself was hard for me to swallow, and so was the baseball-sized lump in my throat that was stuck there. As much as I swallowed, it wouldn’t go away. The pain in my heart lingered, and the only satisfaction I would get was when Cedric Thompson lay dead in his grave.

With black leather gloves on, I squeezed the steering wheel tight. I could feel beads of sweat dot my forehead, and when I looked in the rearview mirror, my smudged mascara cascaded down my face with tears. Anger was trapped in my eyes. I was so upset that I growled loudly and slammed my foot harder on the pedal. I saw the speedometer needle jump from 60 to 90 mph as my car flew down the highway. My legs trembled from the crazy thoughts in my head, but I couldn’t help but to crack a tiny smile when a vision of Cedric’s dead body flashed before me. Needless to say, I was eager to get this over with. It was time. Time for him to answer for all the dirt he’d done, and go stand before his Maker. Oh, how I wished I could be there to hear his explanation for being such an asshole. He may have manipulated or gotten over on me, but there was no getting over on his Maker. Cedric would have to answer for his actions, and the punishment would be more brutal than the way I intended to do away with him.

My car rocked as I made my exit, rolling over a few bumps on the road. I decided to slow down, because the last thing I needed was for the police to come after me. I was so sure that I would be questioned after my beef was settled, but I had planned this day for many months. I already knew what to do, when to say it and how to say it. I suspected that no fingers would point to me, and with all of the trifling bitches in Cedric’s life, finding the killer would be like searching for a needle in a hoestack. Or, at least, that was what I hoped. I hoped that this would be the end. That I would never have to look back on this day, feeling sorrow or having regrets.

Instead of parking my car in the curvy driveway, I parked down the street. My eyes searched the neighbors’ houses that were close by Cedric’s. I had to be sure that no one saw me. The darkness enabled me to hide the shotgun by my side, so I raced toward the front door with my heart slamming hard against my chest. A hoodie was thrown over my head, and the baggy jeans I sported barely hung onto my butt. My white tennis shoes were the only things that reflected in the night, but I wore them just in case I needed to run.

While at the door, I pulled a black mask over my face. With the leather gloves still on, I reached for the brass doorknob, turning it. The door clicked and opened immediately. I was surprised by the easy access, but rich people were always leaving their doors unlocked. Thing is, I had no idea where Cedric was inside. I had spoken to him today, and I’d seen him already too. All I knew was he was here. Somewhere inside. Unaware that he was minutes away from sucking in his last breath.

I tiptoed across the floor then step-by-step I climbed the carpeted staircase that led me to Cedric’s bedroom. I expected to find him in bed, possibly rocking the shit out of it or asleep. But when I pushed on the double doors, they squeaked. The king-sized bed was empty and so was the rest of his bedroom. I inhaled the smell of his masculine cologne, then I went into his walk-in closet to look around. His tailored business suits, in almost every color, were neatly hung. His expensive leather shoes were stored in separate compartments and an island with drawers sat in the middle of the floor. On top of it were several expensive watches, gold cuff links, and diamond earrings that I assumed cost a fortune. I swiped up the items, stuffing them into my pockets. Since he had made me a homeless woman, I had to get something out of the deal.

I took a few steps away from the closet, causing the floor to squeak. That was when I heard Cedric’s voice and realized that he was downstairs.

“Jacoby,” he shouted. “Is that you?”

Of course, I didn’t respond. I held my breath as I heard his hard footsteps on the stairs. While peeking through the cracked door, I observed as Cedric went into Jacoby’s bedroom, looking for him. I suspected that Jacoby would be here soon, so I had to hurry and finish the job. Then, I needed to get the hell out of there.

I made another move and took a few more steps to get closer to the door. I could see Cedric coming my way, dressed in a silk robe. He reached inside to scratch above his dick, and when he pushed on the door, he was met with the barrel of my shotgun, aiming steady at his face. His eyes grew wide then they squinted as if he were trying to figure out who I was. That was kind of hard to do, because every inch of me was covered in black, with the exception of my tennis shoes.

“Wha—what do you want?” Cedric stuttered.

He carefully eased his hands in the air, keeping his eyes locked with mine. Fear was trapped in his eyes, and I was delighted to see the scared look he presented.

I held my finger on the trigger and Cedric’s eyes shifted to it. “Please,” he begged. “Don’t do this. I’ll give you anything you want. Wha—what is it that you want?”

I released my finger from the trigger and placed it over my red, glossy lips, signaling for him to hush. When my finger returned to the trigger, I took a few steps forward, causing him to step back. As I moved, he moved. He kept squinting and searching into my eyes, trying to figure out who I was. At this point, I didn’t give a damn if he recognized me or not. We halted our steps at the top of the stairs, and that was when I signaled good-bye with a slow wink. His mouth opened, but before any words came out I lowered the shotgun to his buffed chest and happily squeezed the trigger.

The force from the gun jerked me backward, but I remained standing. I got much pleasure in watching Cedric’s body tumble down the stairs. His blood stained the clean carpet, and several of the rails broke loose as he tried to reach for them to break his fall. His body, however, landed on the cold, marble floor in the foyer. He lay there with his arms stretched wide, eyes gazing at the high ceiling. I moved slowly down the stairs, keeping a close watch on him as he gasped to catch his breath. Blood dripped from the corner of his dry mouth, and it also trickled from a deep scar on his forehead. I reached the bottom stair and stood over him with a wide smile that was visible behind the mask. His eyes fluttered, and wanting him to see who I was, I removed the mask and raked my fingers through my sweaty hair.

“Don’t you know, Cedric? Too much pussy ain’t good for you.”

He strained to speak, but no words could be comprehended. His eyes fluttered a few more times before they shut and never opened again. His head tilted and the heaving of his chest came to a halt. I sucked in a deep breath then sighed from relief and grief. My mission was accomplished, or at least that was what I thought, until I saw someone staring at me through the glass front door. Right then I knew I was busted.

It had been a long day at work. I was completely exhausted. I breezed my Lincoln Navigator through the busy traffic in downtown St. Louis, trying to make my way home. My loft was on Washington Avenue. It was good to know that I was only ten minutes away from relaxation. My stomach was growling and my bed was calling me. I had worked overtime today so I could have extra money in my pockets to pay down the rising debt I found myself in. My girlfriends, Kayla and Trina, were the only ones who knew how messed up my financial situation was. But just so I didn’t have to borrow any more money from them, I decided to pick up more hours at work. I also decided to do something else—something that I suspected my girls wouldn’t approve of. That was find a man who could help me crawl out of my unfortunate situation. He was exactly what the doctor ordered. And there was no question that I had to give a little in order to get a whole lot. On-call pussy was what he wanted, but that didn’t bother me one bit. I was willing and able to give him whatever, and for the past three months I realized how beneficial this relationship could be to me.

Minutes later, I entered the parking garage, parking my SUV into the reserved spot. That was the plus side of living in a loft apartment. I appreciated the privacy it offered. I used my swipe card to open the elevator that took me to my loft on the third floor. Dressed in a black pencil skirt and silver blouse, I sashayed down the narrow, carpeted hallway like a runway model. I had always wanted to be a model, and my slim figure had brought about many opportunities in the past. But then life happened. Moneywise, things didn’t pan out for me. What I settled for was being a customer service representative, working for a white man who did nothing but boss our entire department around. It pained me to get up everyday and go to work, but I was blessed to have a job. Therefore, my complaints were kept to a minimum. I just had to put up with the bullshit until I could get the man in my life to save me by forking out more money.

I approached the bright red door to my loft with a smile plastered on my face; partially because I was home, but mainly because of the written note I saw taped to the door that instructed me to enter at my own risk. That meant Cedric was inside, waiting for me. I was delighted that he was there, only because we hadn’t seen each other for almost two weeks. Our relationship was . . . complicated, but it was a relationship that I refused to tear myself away from.

I hurried to put the key in the door. The moment I walked inside, I was hit with the scent of Cedric’s masculine cologne. A trail of pink and red rose petals were scattered on the hardwood, shiny floors. The petals made a path that led straight to my bedroom door. The door was closed and there was another note taped on it. I squinted behind my silver-framed glasses and still couldn’t read the note. Eager to see what was up, I put my purse on the kitchen island and removed my high-heel pumps. My hair was parted through the middle and making sure everything was in order, I teased the flowing, blond-tinted tresses of curls with the tips of my fingers. I didn’t have time to freshen my makeup, but with it being M•A•C, I was sure that it still looked fresh. My light, silky skin glowed from the shimmery lotion I wore. It didn’t take much for me to present myself as sexy.

As I neared the door, the words on the note became clearer: SOMETHING GOOD AWAITS YOU! HURRY!

I rushed to open the door, feeling as if I had entered paradise. The strawberry-scented room was dim from the melting, flaming candles that burned on my nightstands. The trail of rose petals continued to the foot of the bed and a white sheet rested on the bottom half of Cedric’s muscular frame. A smile was washed across his face, and as our eyes locked together in a trance, my heart started to race from excitement.

“What’s up, sexy?” Cedric said, flashing his pearly-white teeth. “I hate to say it, but you know you looking more and more like my future wife, Evelyn Lozada, everyday. And not because of the first-name thing, baby, but because I said so.”

My smile turned into a smirk as I started to undo my silky blouse. I pulled it away from my shoulders and began to create a pile behind me.

“I hate when you compare me to other women, and must I remind you that she doesn’t have it like this.” I flashed my goodies, hoping that Cedric appreciated what I was offering. “So, on another note, I’m glad you let yourself in. I’m highly interested in learning about the risk you mentioned at the front door, so why don’t you tell me more about it?”

Cedric moved the sheet aside, exposing his flawless body that looked as if it had been dipped in creamy, milk chocolate. His dick stood at full attention, and as he relaxed sideways on his elbow, I walked to the bed and crawled my way up to him. Our eyes remained connected. When our lips finally touched, all I could do was shut my eyes and savor the taste of pure sweetness. My tongue danced with his, and like always, the lip-lock was intense.

Cedric held the sides of my face then backed away from me. “What did I ever do to deserve all of this?” he questioned.

“I could ask the same question, but I won’t. I’ll just say that we both should feel grateful and leave it there.”

Cedric nodded then lay back on the bed. I straddled the top of him as he tucked a fluffy pillow behind his head and narrowed his light brown eyes to stare at me. His eyes scanned down my naked body. It didn’t take much longer for his hands to roam. From the small curves in my hips to my plump ass that was just right, Cedric squeezed all of that and then some. I was so hungry for him that I reached for his package and positioned it to enter me. As my pussy lips sucked him into the heat I was packing, he closed his eyes. His hips started to grind in circles with mine, and the sound of my creamy juices being stirred played like theme music to our ears.

Minutes later, things sped up and we were going at it like two dogs in heat. The mattress squeaked and the loose headboard kept slamming against the wall. I was putting in some serious overtime, doing my best to please the one man who kept me satisfied more than any other.

“Yeah, you bad. Work that pussy on me, baby,” Cedric said with a healthy portion of my ass gripped in his hands.

I rubbed the minimal hair on his buffed chest, and then gripped his broad shoulders so I could have something to hold on to when I increased my pace. I always got excited when he talked dirty to me, but there were times when he got too animated and went a little overboard.

“That’s right, bitch!” he spewed through gritted teeth and smacked my ass. “Serve Daddy like you supposed to! Do that shit, girl, do it!”

By now sweat was raining down on my body. Per his request I was doing it. My pussy felt swollen from being beat by his mammoth-sized package that Cedric always used as a weapon. I was just about ready to cum. The moment my toes curled Cedric hurried to lay me on my back. He threw my long legs over his shoulders and broke into my insides like a thief in the night. For fifteen more minutes, we went at it. Then it happened: The same thing that happened every time we got together. It was always the one thing that brought our sex sessions to an end. I couldn’t help myself from going there. I wanted to know what his wife had been up to, because I hadn’t heard from her today.

“Why go there?” Cedric looked down at me with a blank expression on his face. “Why must you bring up her name every time we get together?”

“Because I can’t help but to wonder how she would feel about all of this? I mean, do you fuck her as well as you screw me? I hate to keep asking, because one of you is lying. She says you do, you say you don’t. What’s really the truth?”

Cedric eased his dripping wet goodness from my insides, causing my coochie lips to lock. He released a deep sigh and shook his head.

“The truth is, all that shit you talking right now don’t matter. I always try to do nice things for you, Evelyn, just so you’ll recognize how much you really mean to me. You’re pushing me away with your bullshit. Don’t be mad at me when I tell you I’ve had enough.”

As Cedric got dressed to go, I sat on the bed and pouted. Maybe I had been too hard on him, but then again, maybe not. After all, he was my friend’s husband. Kayla would kill us if she knew about this, but this was not about me being in love with Cedric. I was in love with his money: Money that I needed right now and saw no other way to get it. Kayla had everything in life she wanted. Sharing a piece of her husband’s dick wasn’t going to cause her world to come tumbling down. She knew Cedric was no good, and after fifteen years of marriage all they did was put up with each other.

I honestly didn’t view this situation as a big betrayal. I assumed that Cedric didn’t love Kayla anymore and that she didn’t love him. They stayed in their marriage because of their sixteen-year-old son, Jacoby. That in itself was the wrong reason.

Feeling kind of bad for bringing up Kayla around Cedric, I realized that I had some quick making up to do. But when I got out of bed, Cedric was dressed and ready to go. He was one fine man who knew how to turn up the heat in the bedroom. He also knew how to present himself as a professional businessman. The business suit he wore clung to his athletic frame that had been there since college. At thirty-eight, Cedric had his act together. I wasn’t the only woman who craved him. Many people thought he was the real Columbus Short, and some women were foolish enough to run up to him for an autograph. So, not only did Kayla have her hands full with me, but she also had her hands full with tricks who desired to have her husband for his looks, and with those who wanted him for his money.

“I’m out,” he said, glaring at me as I stood in front of him. He buttoned his suit jacket and backed away from me when I lifted my arms to place them on his shoulders.

“Evelyn, we’re done for the night. Sex was good, but if you learn to keep your mouth shut you can always make it better.”

He turned to walk away, but I followed him. “Forgive me,” I said, knowing that he would. “I let the thoughts of Kayla get to me sometimes. I guess I shouldn’t do that.”

Cedric removed his keys from the living-room table then turned to face me. “I said it once and I’ll say it again. Kayla is my concern, not yours.”

“You’re so right. From here on you will not hear me speak her name around you again. On another note, were you able—”

“Yes. The deposit is there. Check your account to be sure. If the money hasn’t been deposited, let me know.”

Cedric walked around me, making his way to the door. Knowing that the money was mostly likely in my account, the least I could do was send him off with a good-bye kiss. I hurried past him, just so he could get once last glimpse of my naked ass and come back for more. I reached for the doorknob to unlock the door, but Cedric stopped me when he inched close to me, pressing his body against my backside. He moved my hair away from my neck and planted a trail of soft kisses on it.

“I guess I’m forgiven,” I said with a smile.

“Always,” he whispered in my ear. “Especially since I can’t resist that cute little dimple you have on your left ass cheek. Every time I see it, I just want to bow down and kiss it.”

I wasn’t sure if the dimple thingy was a compliment or not, but when Cedric squatted to kiss my ass I laughed. He laughed too then told me he needed to get going before he changed his mind about leaving.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” He kissed my cheek and reached for the doorknob. I moved out of the way to let him exit.

“Tell Kayla I said hello.”

Cedric glared at me then walked out. I watched as he smooth-walked his way to the elevator. Before it closed, I waved and he gave me a nod by tossing his head back.

Needing a shower, I closed the door and went into my bedroom. I turned my backside to the huge floor mirror that sat against my wall to check out the dimple on my ass. My ass and thighs were cellulite free, but Cedric was right. There was a dimple on my left cheek, and at thirty-six I didn’t appreciate it. I frowned as I made my way to the bathroom to take a shower, but when I got out and checked my bank account, the money Cedric had deposited was there. That left a smile on my face. I wanted to call and thank him again, but instead I called Kayla.

“I’m in the middle of something,” she whispered into the phone. “Can I call you back?”

I hoped that she wasn’t in the middle of having sex. Just for the hell of it, I had to be sure. “You and Cedric are too horny for me. Why would you answer the phone during sex?”

“Uh, no. I’m at Jacoby’s band concert. Don’t you hear all the music in the background?”

“Oh, I do. Tell him that I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I’ll make it next time. From what I can hear, though, the band sounds good. Is Cedric there too?”

“No. He hasn’t made it yet. I’m not sure if he’s coming. I don’t care, either, but let me call you back, okay?”

“Sure. Sorry for interrupting. Don’t forget to tell Jacoby what I said.”

Kayla said she would and ended the call. I sat on the bed, thinking that if she didn’t hold Cedric accountable for not being there for her and Jacoby, why should I care about all that was transpiring behind closed doors? As far as I knew, nobody suspected that anything was going on between Cedric and me. If he wasn’t going to tell, neither would I. I was getting what I wanted; that was all that mattered. I swiped my hands together after I clicked the send button on my laptop to make my rental payment on time.

The school’s auditorium was filled with plenty of parents, as well as grandparents and siblings, there to show support for the high school students in the jazz band. Jacoby had learned to play the saxophone years ago. His solo performance brought tears to my eyes. I sat proudly and my heart was filled with joy. There was a little disappointment too, as the chair next to me remained empty. Cedric said he would do his best to come, but I guess he couldn’t pull himself away from his office chair that he was forever glued to. Either that or he could have been out somewhere wining and dining one of his tricks. I had a gut feeling that Cedric had been stepping out on our marriage, but after so many years together, some things weren’t worth bringing to the kitchen table anymore. We had been there, done that before.

My main gripe was the relationship Cedric had with his son. Needless to say, I was disappointed. There was a time when the two of them were very close, but as Jacoby got older he started pulling away from Cedric. Jacoby barely wanted anything to do with him anymore, and they often walked around the house like two people who didn’t know each other. I expressed my concerns to Cedric, but he blamed it on Jacoby’s age. He said that as a growing teenager, Jacoby didn’t want to be bothered and the two of us needed to back off and let him grow up. I agreed with that too, but there was much more to it that Cedric wasn’t seeing. I figured it was up to Jacoby to tell him what was really going on with his attitude. I’d be lying if I said the way things were turning out didn’t hurt.

The band instructor announced the last song of the night. That was when I looked up and saw Cedric walking down the stairs and making his way up to me. I wasn’t sure if Jacoby saw him or not, but to be honest I was rather embarrassed by his late appearance. I crossed my legs, causing the slit in my ruffled yellow dress to slide over and show my cinnamon-brown skin. My metallic, pointed-toe heels matched my accessories, and my long, thin braids that flowed midway down my back were pulled away from my round face. My makeup was on like a work of art. The rich, plum lipstick I wore made me resemble Lauryn Hill, which was a plus because she was one of my favorite artists.

Cedric noticed me from all the brightness I added to the room. He displayed a forced smile before sitting next to me.

“You’re late,” I said with a little snap in my voice.

“Thanks for the announcement, but at least I’m here.”

“Then maybe the standing ovation at the end of the concert should be for you. And by the way”—I turned my head toward him—“you should have showered before you came. The smell of sex can be calmed with hot water, you know.”

Cedric held a smirk on his face and straightened his suit jacket. “And a loud mouth can always be silenced with a fist. Wrong place, wrong time, Kay. Silence yourself to prevent the embarrassment.”

“You’ve already done that, and I welcome the idea of you putting your hands on me. You remember what happened last time you tried that mess. If I can recall, you lost a whole lot of sleep that night. Save your threats for that slimy hooker who didn’t encourage you to wash up before you left her.”

“Woman, would you shut up!”

The tone of Cedric’s loud voice caused several people in front of us to turn around. It was a good thing that the band was louder than his voice, but I’d had enough. I got up from the seat I was in and went to sit in another one. I hated to carry on like this, but being around Cedric made me this way. There was a time when I loved him to death. I dropped out of college when I got pregnant with Jacoby. Shortly thereafter, Cedric and I got married. He finished college and jumped right into business with two other guys he’d met while in school. They all had computer science degrees that helped them create a profitable software development company that made them millionaires in less than five years.

Moneywise, we didn’t have much to complain about, but everything else in our lives was a mess. The more money Cedric made, the more controlling, arrogant, and disrespectful he’d gotten. There were plenty of times that I wanted to leave him, but at this point I didn’t have much to fall back on. I didn’t want to start over and giving up all that I had didn’t seem like the sensible thing to do. Then there was Jacoby. He was accustomed to the way we lived, even though he didn’t always seem happy. He hated to hear Cedric and me arguing. I knew that the way we carried on was tearing him apart. That was why I did my best to hold my piece around him. The only time I confronted Cedric about my concerns was when Jacoby wasn’t around. He still knew things weren’t the best between his father and me, and the constant frowns on my face made my unhappiness quite clear.

The band was given a standing ovation after the concert was over. Cedric and I waited in the crowded hallway for Jacoby to put his instrument away and join us. Moments later he did. We both congratulated him on a job well done, and when he inquired about a critique of his solo performance, I quickly spoke up so Cedric didn’t have to.

“It was awesome. Practice pays off and you are getting better by the day,” I said.

Jacoby gave me a hug then he waited for a reply from Cedric. There was no doubt that he wanted his father’s approval. For whatever reason, it meant more to Jacoby than my approval did. Cedric did what he knew best and lied.

“Yeah, that was the best I ever heard you play. Keep up the good work, son, I’m proud of you.”

Cedric patted his back, but I suspected that Jacoby knew his father had only been there for ten minutes. Either way, we left the school together as a family. Jacoby and Cedric rode together in his Mercedes. I pulled off the parking lot in my black Jaguar. It was almost nine o’clock, but I figured Evelyn was still awake so I returned her call from earlier.

“Hello,” she answered in a soft tone.

“Are you in bed already?”

“Yes, I am. I’ve been working a lot of overtime and I’m tired.”

“I can understand that, but you’ve been sleeping a lot lately. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“Hell no, I’m not. I haven’t had sex in almost a year. Besides that, you know I’ve had difficulties with getting pregnant.”

“Well, you really need to take care of that D-thing because no woman your age should be without sex. I thought you were thinking about calling Marc again. He was real nice, Evelyn, and I don’t think you gave him a fair chance.”

“I did, but he failed the test. Nice, but broke. I’m already broke. The last thing I need is a broke man in my life.”

“A rich man ain’t all that, either, but you didn’t hear that tad bit of information from me.”

“Yes I did, and you, my sista, have no room to complain. Cedric is a for-real provider, and from what you say, he’s pretty darn good in the bedroom too.”

“That’s fine and dandy, but his sexual capabilities don’t matter right now. Do you know that he was late for Jacoby’s concert tonight? And when he did get here, coochie was on his breath. Right after he sat next to me I could smell sex on him. Then again, maybe I’m saying these things because I’m upset about his tardiness. I don’t know if he’s been seeing other women or not, but it’s hard for me to believe that he works late all the time.”

Like always, Evelyn defended him.