When a set-up goes wrong and Six finds herself sleeping with the enemy, who will she choose, the man she loves, or the man she's supposed to hate? Detroit hustlers Free and Six have been together seven years, but their relationship has been nothing but drama. Free hasn't been faithful and Six has taken out her hurt by physically hurting the other women. Free ends up in jail for three years, and when he's sprung, he's not happy to learn that Six has been living the high-life on his dime and blown through $100,000! Then Six gets entangled in one of Free's schemes and finds herself in a role almost too good to be true—posing as the woman of another man who actually treats her with respect. Though you can bet there won't be a "happily ever after" for anyone involved. . ..
Release date:
June 8, 2011
Publisher:
Urban Books
Print pages:
240
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Free smirked and shook his head when he read the text message from his girlfriend of seven years. Six had been his backbone since he was twenty years old, and they had experienced plenty of ups and downs together. Although he loved Six to his core, in the past he had hurt her more than once with his cheating ways. He was young when they had first met, and it had taken him awhile to learn how to be a good man to her, but from the first day he saw her, he knew that she would be wifey. He knew that Six wasn’t making idle threats either. She had fucked up a couple chicks over him. The last time she caught him cheating, she had beaten a girl so badly that the girl was hospitalized for days. That had been over a year ago, and needless to say, no other chick in Wayne County had tried to come at Free since. Everybody knew what was up, Free was taken, and from that point on, he had been faithful. “She always thinking something,” he mumbled to himself as he pulled the small velvet box that contained the two-karat engagement ring that he planned on surprising her with. Six really didn’t know how much Free had grown. He was ready to make it official. He knew that no other woman could hold him down the way that Six could, and he was ready to make an honest woman out of her.
“You really gon’ ask her to marry you, huh?” Big Lou asked with a skeptical look on his face.
“Yeah, man. She’s getting antsy and shit. She been tripping on me lately, doubting me and all that. She keeps bringing up the past. She talking like I don’t love her. She still thinks that I’m on the same ol’ shit.”
“Nah, fam. Six knows what’s up. Y’all have been through a lot together. You would kill a nigga for her,” Big Lou replied as his New York accent oozed off of every word.
“Yeah, I got a good woman. It’s about time I settled down with her. I’m just trying to make her happy, man.”
Big Lou cracked a smile as he shook his head from side to side.
“What, nigga?” Free asked with a look of irritation on his face. He was trying to keep it funky with Big Lou because he wanted an honest opinion regarding what he was about to do.
“I never thought I would see the day when young Alfree would be ready to settle down with one chick,” Big Lou responded in disbelief.
“Don’t be calling me Alfree,” Free said. He hated his government name and had shortened it to Free a long time ago. He fumbled with the ring box, opening and closing it repeatedly as he felt the plane prepare for its landing. “She deserves this yo’. Those other chicks can’t do shit for me.”
“What about that bitch Asia? Shorty got a fat ass! You gon’ give all that up? Because I’ll step in and hit that since you gon’ be a one-woman man now. I’ll give her some of this King Kong,” Big Lou stated with laughter in his voice.
Free shook his head and replied, “Man, go for what you know. She do have the goods though, but I don’t love them hoes. The only one who matter is Six.”
“Six is a good chick. I ain’t ever met a woman like her. She a gangsta too. Congratulations, man,” Big Lou stated in a genuine tone.
“Thanks,” Free replied as he rested his head against the leather first-class seats. He closed his eyes and thought back to the first day that his world had been blessed by Six’s presence.
Seven Years Ago in NYC
The club filled quickly as New York’s elite walked through the door and prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Everybody who was anybody came out to bring in 2002 with Twin and his entourage. Twin was the most successful party promoter in the city, and he threw the biggest parties and invited all the boroughs. Free and Big Lou pulled up to the crowded club as they watched the line wrap around the corner.
“Damn, nigga! It’s jumping in that joint,” Big Lou stated as he took the safety off his automatic pistol.
“Good,” Free replied as he loaded his .45-caliber pistol with a full clip. He parked his black-on-black Navigator at the side of the busy street, and both men concealed the burners in their waistlines as they exited the vehicle. They walked up to the crowded club and headed toward the front of the line as they prepared to step into the club. They had no intentions of standing in the line. Big Lou had gotten them hooked up with VIP passes, so they didn’t have to wait. Partygoers complained as they watched Free and Big Lou disregard the entire line.
“Hold up, homeboy,” a big bodybuilder-type bouncer said as he held his hand up to stop the two from entering the building. “Y’all see that line back there?” he asked. “Unless y’all got VIP passes, y’all gon’ have to wait just like everybody else.”
Big Lou pulled two orange-colored, laminated passes that had VIP stamped on the front.
The bouncer chuckled and said, “Those ain’t gon’ get you up in here. Those passes are from last night’s event. They ain’t even the right color.”
“What? My man gave me these. What color they supposed to be?” Big Lou asked, getting heated that the bouncer was trying to chump him in front of the crowd of people gathered by the door.
“The only color that matter is green, nigga,” Free interrupted as he placed a knot of hundred-dollar bills in the bouncer’s hand.
“True,” the bouncer replied as he lifted the red velvet rope and let them into the club without even searching them.
“I’ma kill that mu’fuckin’ crackhead that sold me those damn passes,” Big Lou stated as they made their way to the bar.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. We about to get all that cake from the door. That money coming right back to me,” Free stated. Free and Big Lou sat back and enjoyed the party as they waited for the guest of honor to arrive. Free checked his cell phone and noted that it was only ten o’clock. The inside of the club was already packed and there were hundreds of people still waiting outside to get in. Free’s eyes scanned the room until he found the sign displayed above the door that displayed the maximum occupancy. This nigga is cleaning the fuck up. He charging fifty a head and this mu’fucka can hold a thousand people. That’s fifty stacks. Easy money, Free thought as he felt the cold steel that rested against his hip, ensuring that it was there if he should need to use it. Big Lou made the most of his time and entertained a group of women, but Free stayed focused, clocking each and every dollar that came into the club as he waited patiently for his plan to pop off.
“It’s showtime, kid,” Big Lou leaned over and whispered in Free’s ear as they both watched Twin and his entourage enter.
“There go that bitch Twin fucking with. She ain’t all that!” one of the girls said as they spit venom on the girl who walked in on Twin’s arm.
Free and Big Lou focused their attention on the brown-skinned female that had entered the club with Twin. The silk Lela Rose minidress that she wore rested perfectly on her five feet seven inch frame, showing off her thick thighs and long legs. Her body glistened a healthy glow that matched her green eyes that were obviously contacts, but she rocked them well. Her hair flowed loosely, but was pulled to one side and stopped right above her perky breast line. She was perfect from the top of her head to the bottom of her French-manicured toes and to top it off, Twin was holding onto her waist as if her pussy was laced in gold. Envious vibes spread through the room instantly as every man wished he was in Twin’s shoes, and every woman wanted to be whoever the girl was. Her name instantly became “that bitch” as girls who were normally confident became insecure in their own skin.
“Damn,” was all that Free and Big Lou could say as their eyes followed the woman’s ass as she stepped up the stairs that led to the VIP lounge. Any other day Free would have made it a point to step to her, but today he was on business.
“Keep your eye on the money,” Free stated as he watched the door. From the bar, they had a clear view of almost every angle in the club. They could even see Twin and his entourage through the clear glass of the upstairs VIP window. Free smiled as he watched money continue to flow through the door. Once the club reached its maximum occupancy, a huge smile spread across Free’s face. He checked the time again. “Ten minutes to midnight,” he said to himself as he watched Twin make his way from the VIP room to the DJ booth.
“What’s good, New York?” Twin asked as he took the microphone. He had a bottle of Cristal in one hand and the microphone in the other. “I want to thank all y’all mu’fuckas for coming through and bringing the New Year in right with your boy.”
Free smiled as he listened to Twin’s slurred speech. It was obvious that he was drunk. Twin wasn’t pissy, but Free knew that he had consumed enough liquor to knock him off his square. He reached for the girl who had entered the club with him and pulled her up into the DJ’s booth. “Now everybody grab your lady and grab a glass of champagne so we can count it down,” he said.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one—happy New Year!” Twin poured Cristal into his mouth straight from the bottle and then kissed his girl sloppily on the lips. “Now let’s keep this shit going,” he yelled into the microphone.
Everybody resumed their party antics…everyone except for Free and Big Lou. They watched Twin closely. He leaned into the girl’s ear and said, “Go collect my money and take it to the back.” Twin didn’t realize that he still had the microphone in his hand. Everyone was too busy to notice the comment, but Free picked up on it.
“Go toward the bathroom and wait for the bitch to come back there,” Free instructed. Big Lou nodded and made his way to the back of the club. Free’s eyes watched intently as the girl went to the door. She was handed a backpack full of money. She then made her way to the bar and collected from there as well. This nigga getting paid from the bar too! Free thought to himself as dollar signs filled his eyes.
He looked up toward the VIP where Twin had the crowd captivated as he threw dollar bills into the air, making it rain on the crowd. He was flashing his cash. It was obvious that Twin wanted everybody to know he was paid.
Yeah, I see you, nigga, Free thought to himself.
He refocused his attention on the girl who was collecting Twin’s money. He let her step a couple feet in front of him so that it would not be obvious that he was tailing her, and then he discreetly followed her down the dark, narrow hall way. When they were halfway down the hall, Free looked back to make sure the coast was clear and then pulled his .45 from his waist and grabbed the girl from behind. He put his hand over her mouth and pulled her into an empty office where Big Lou was already waiting.
“Listen… I’m not trying to hurt you. Don’t scream; if you do, you ain’t gon’ leave me no choice. I’m just here for the money. Do you understand?” Free asked in a low voice as he whispered in her ear.
The girl nodded her head, and Free removed his hand from her mouth.
“Give me the money,” Big Lou said as he roughly snatched the backpack away from her.
“Y’all niggas must really have a death wish,” she said as she shook her head from side to side. She sucked her teeth and shifted her weight to one leg.
“What?” Free asked.
“You really think you about to make it out of this club with that cash? You must not know how Twin got his nickname. That nigga keep the twin desert eagles on him. You mu’fuckas ain’t gon’ make it three feet out this door before he put them to use.”
Free grinned at the girl’s attitude.
“You think yo’ nigga big shit, huh? He’s a pussy. I’ll put something hot in his ass. Don’t think ya’ boy the only one with heat,” Free threatened.
“Man, don’t listen to this bitch. That nigga is drunk. He won’t know what hit him until it’s too late,” Big Lou stated. They prepared to open the door to leave.
“All right, take your asses out there and get popped if you want to. He got four niggas watching each door with the pistols already locked and loaded. Twin ain’t stupid. He knew somebody was gon’ try to flex tonight. He is waiting to twist a nigga cap back. Ain’t nobody walking out of here with them backpacks tonight. How does it feel to be fucked?”
“Stop flapping yo’ dick, suckers,” Big Lou stated as he chuckled at his own joke.
“Okay…go ahead. Go for what you know, but you ain’t getting out of here tonight, at least not walking with that backpack in your hands. I take it that was your only reason for coming. So tell me, how does it feel to be fucked?”
Big Lou got heated and pushed the girl against the wall. He pointed his pistol in her face and said, “Look, you smart mouth bitch!”
Free was sure that Big Lou would put fear in the girl’s heart. His six feet four inch frame and 280 pounds intimidated most people, but to his surprise, the girl didn’t flinch.
“No, you look, nigga. The way I see it, you got one of two choices. You can either get laid out in this mu’fucka and get carried out in bags, or you can put me on, give me a cut, and I’ll carry that bag out for you.”
Big Lou released her neck and looked at Free, who was contemplating the situation.
“You Twin’s bitch. You were just parading around here on his arm. Why would you help us? How I know you ain’t setting us up?” Free asked suspiciously.
“A bitch like money,” she replied, enunciating the word bitch to let him know she didn’t appreciate being called out of her name.
“Fuck it. What you got in mind?”
Big Lou walked out of the room and walked directly up the VIP area. “Hold up. You ain’t got a pass, so you can’t get in,” a bouncer said as he noticed that Big Lou wasn’t wearing a VIP tag. Big Lou immediately got loud, causing a scene.
“Man, fuck all that! I paid money just like the rest of these niggas. Why I can’t get in there? That’s where the party at.”
“You ain’t got a tag, so you ain’t getting in!” the bouncer said more forcefully this time. Big Lou threw a punch that knocked the bouncer out cold. He pulled his gun and started waving it in the air wildly. He fired a single shot into the air, causing pandemonium to erupt throughout the club. It was the perfect distraction. Then he ducked low as he bobbed and weaved, maneuvering his way through the crowd of bodies toward the front door.
“That’s our cue,” the girl said as she heard the screams inside the club. She ran out the back door. One of Twin’s guards stopped her on her way out. “Yo’, ma, where you going? You straight? You got Twin’s money?”
“Yeah, I got it. Hurry up, get in there, somebody’s shooting. You got to get Twin out of there,” she said in a panicked voice as she put the backpack on her back.
“Wait outside while we clear this shit out,” the bouncer replied as he pulled his gun and made his way into the club. She ran to her car and popped her trunk as she hurriedly placed the backpack inside.
“What you doing, ma? Give me the bag,” Free said eagerly as he looked from left to right.
“Nigga, you ain’t gon’ get ghost on me. I’ll meet you at Junior’s tomorrow at noon. I’ll bring the money with me; we’ll split it up then. Now go before Twin sees you.”
“Don’t fuck with me, shorty,” Free stated in a hushed tone as he grabbed her arm tightly.
“Look, I said I got you. Now go!”
Free reluctantly ran toward his car.
“Where the dough?” Big Lou asked as soon as Free got in.
“The bitch got it,” Free replied. “She gon’ meet me tomorrow, and we gon’ split it up then.”
“How you know she gon’ show up?”
Free looked out his window as he watched Twin run out to the girl. She instantly began to cry and her act was so realistic that he had to let out a laugh. “She’ll show.”
The next day Free waited anxiously in the back of the restaurant as he watched the girl approach. She was wearing an all-white Versace sundress, and her hair was pulled back off her face in a loose ponytail. The side of her face was swollen, and her lip was busted. She carried the backpack at her side as she limped toward him. Pain was written all over her face with each step that she took.
“Here’s the money,” she said.
“What happened to your face?” Free asked her as he watched her sit down tenderly, trying to avoid causing herself any further pain.
“I took an ass-whooping for forty grand,” she replied nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.
Free couldn’t help but to laugh at the girl before him. She was unlike any chick that he had ever encountered. He was intrigued by her arrogant swagger, and her beauty was comparable to none.
“Let’s go, shorty,” he said as he stood up and took the backpack from her hands.
“Go where? I got to get my cut so I can get back before Twin notices I’m gone,” she said.
“Fuck that nigga,” Free said as he stood up and stared down at her. “You rolling with me.”
“Excuse you? How you know I’m trying to fuck with you like that?” the girl replied with much attitude as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Don’t front, ma. You wouldn’t have let me get out of that club with your boy’s cash if you weren’t feeling a nigga.”
A smile involuntarily graced her lips as she put her Dior sunglasses on her face to hide her true feelings. “I don’t even know you,” she replied sweetly, keeping up her hard exterior and playing hard to get.
“I’m Free,” he replied as he held out his hand and turned to leave. “What. . .
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