The Secret Lives of Baltimore Girls 2

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Charlie Dixon always yearned for love. For a long time, she gave the saying “looking for love in all the wrong places” its meaning. She thought she had finally found true love, but now she is out for revenge. Charlie is pregnant, and she just found out her baby daddy is married. As far as Charlie is concerned, this cheater has to pay.
Emerson Dayle is a true Instagram influencer and just hooked up with her hometown’s NBA star. She has everything she wants in life and expects to live happily ever after, until a medical scare threatens to end it all.
Mikayla King has murdered her ex-husband, and it looks like she’s going to get away with it—if she can avoid the sexy police detective who’s trying to solve the murder.
These Baltimore girls are carrying secrets and dealing with challenges that could derail even the toughest women.
 

Release date: April 28, 2020

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

Two Months Earlier

“Girls, what did I tell you both about leaving your socks just laying everywhere around the house?” Mikayla groaned as she almost walked by a sock wedged between the living room couch and the wall behind it. She didn’t know what in the world her daughters, Zuri and Kai, did when she was upstairs in her room working on her women’s empowerment blog, but she was always finding things in the strangest places. The other day, she’d found socks in the toilet, and of course nobody could tell her what that was about.

“Sorry, Mom!” Zuri, the oldest daughter, said, rushing down the stairs of their two-story home.

Mikayla didn’t even have to point the sock out for Zuri to know exactly where it was. Mikayla shook her head. She just couldn’t believe how big they’d gotten right before her eyes.

Zuri snatched the sock and exited the living room as quickly as she came. Mikayla was sure she was going to hole herself up in her room and gossip to her best friend on the new cell phone Mikayla had just gotten her.

Almost two years had passed since she’d separated from their father, Charles, and Zuri was now in the sixth grade. Kai was right behind her in the fourth. They’d grown accustomed to a one-parent household, especially since they went to stay with their father every other weekend. It was an arrangement that Mikayla was okay with, especially since communication between her and Charles was kept at a bare minimum. What she wasn’t okay with, however, was the fact that Charles still hadn’t signed the divorce papers. He argued that Mikayla didn’t have anything when she came into the wedding, so she should leave with nothing more than the house and child support. Mikayla’s legal fees were eating away at the money she did have, and she had no choice but to find a way to make some or she would be broke. However, she wanted to do something she wanted to do. She had been an ant under Charles’s thumb for too long, and she was ready to reclaim her identity.

At the time, all she wanted to do was help women who were, or had been, in the same shoes as her. The women in the world who felt helpless and unheard. She wanted to give them a voice. So, she started a blog called The Sisterhood. It was a safe place for women to express themselves and help each other overcome obstacles of being survivors of any kind of abuse. And thank God for her girl Emerson. All it took was a few retweets and IG posts to her hundreds of thousands of followers to get Mikayla on the right start. Before she knew it, The Sisterhood had grown from more than just an online blog. Soon Mikayla was getting booked to give motivational speeches and even go on talk shows.

It all came so fast, but Mikayla had finally found her calling. She wasn’t built to be somebody’s wife and personal masturbation device. She had a place in the world, helping people. Sometimes Damian crossed her mind, and although she hadn’t seen him or her mother recently, she knew they would be back sooner or later. But when she saw her brother again, she hoped that maybe she could help him.

Mikayla put her hands on her hips and gave her clean home a once over to make sure there was nothing else out of place before she, too, disappeared in her room for the evening. The universe had other plans for her, however. As soon as she turned in the direction of the staircase, the doorbell sounded.

“It’s almost eight thirty at night,” she said, checking the gold watch on her wrist as she headed over to the door. “Who could be here?”

She peered through the peephole to see who her guest was and smacked her lips before opening the door.

“Dang, girl, it took you long enough!” Charlie said, bursting through the door with her son in her arms. “Here, hold MJ for me, please. I have to pee so bad! I was at the fabric store not too far from here, and I was going to try to make it home, but—”

“You didn’t make it,” Mikayla said, taking MJ from Charlie. “Go pee, girl. I’ll keep my nephew company. Isn’t that right, Man?” Mikayla called him by his nickname and kissed his chunky cheeks.

He was the cutest toddler with his caramel complexion and deep dimples. He was the perfect mixture of Charlie and her boyfriend, Mason. His eyes were wide like Charlie’s, and he had eyelashes so long they could make a woman jealous. He smiled at Mikayla before resting his head on her chest.

“Oh, my baby is tired. Poor baby, and your mama got you out and about,” she cooed down at him and ran her hands tenderly over his soft curls.

“Zuri!” Mikayla called out.

“Yes, Mommy?” Zuri said when she came back down the stairs. Her eyes lit up when she saw who was in her mother’s arms. “MJ!”

“Here, take his coat off and carry him upstairs with you and your sister so I can chat with Auntie Charlie for a bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Zuri said and whisked MJ back upstairs with her.

When they were gone, Mikayla went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of wine. She placed them down on the high-top dining room table and sat down, waiting for her friend.

She’d just taken a sip from her glass when Charlie rounded the hallway corner. She draped her burnt orange peacoat over the back of her chair at the table and sat down across from Mikayla. She was glowing, and the sight of it made Mikayla more than happy. She, Charlie, and Emerson tried to hit the gym together twice a week so all of their bodies looked good, but there was something else making Charlie look so great. Love. It was apparent by the way she walked that Mason was making her a happy woman.

Mikayla was glad that the two of them could live their happily ever after in peace. She had to admit it was weird at first seeing the two of them together—especially since Mason was Emerson’s ex-husband and they had been together for so long. But just like everything else, it was simply another hurdle to get over. It took Emerson some time to fully come around to the idea, but now she and MJ were almost inseparable.

“Whew, girl! I had to go bad!” Charlie said, fanning herself.

“Obviously. Especially since you’re popping up like this on a school night,” Mikayla responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Girl, who are you fooling? Those girls do not be ’sleep by nobody’s nine o’clock.”

“And how would you know?”

“Because Zuri called me last night at ten and asked me for my Netflix password,” Charlie answered matter-of factly, then realized she’d said too much. “I mean, that might not have been Zuri.”

“Uh-huh!” Mikayla said with a laugh. “Now I know I’m going to have to confiscate phones at bedtime.”

“Don’t do that to my baby,” Charlie said, giggling. “You’re going to get my titi privileges taken away.”

“Titi privileges?”

“Yeah, you know when your nieces come and tell you stuff that they can’t tell their mom,” Charlie said with a shrug. “So that we can, of course, tell their mom later.”

“Good save,” Mikayla said, lifting her glass.

“Always.” Charlie lifted her glass too, and they both took a few sips of wine.

“Have you talked to Em?” Charlie asked.

“Not since this morning. Why?”

“No reason. I’ve just been calling her since earlier, and she hasn’t answered the phone.”

“Oh, really? That’s weird,” Mikayla said and looked away quickly.

The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Charlie, who pointed her finger at Mikayla’s face. “You know something!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Like hell you don’t. Spill it!” Charlie coaxed.

“She asked me not to say anything.”

“Under the pretenses that you would tell me anyway so that she wouldn’t have to tell me.”

“What?” Mikayla made a face at her friend’s logic.

“Come onnnnn, Kay Kay! Wait!” Charlie’s mouth formed an O, and she gasped. “She got a man, didn’t she?”

Mikayla’s smile said it all, and Charlie screamed.

“Oh my God! She has a man? And she felt like she couldn’t tell me?”

“In all fairness, the only reason I found out was because I ran into the two of them at the grocery store.”

“They’re grocery shopping together?” Charlie asked incredulously. “Oh, this is serious then.”

“That’s what I said!” Mikayla explained, feeling herself growing excited. She finally had someone to talk about this exciting news. “And girl, he’s fine.”

“I heard the hell out of that. It’s about time since, well . . .”

“Since you stole her man?” Mikayla joked and instantly saw Charlie get tense. “Girl, I am just playing with you. We both know that Emerson and Mason were done way before you two got together. But still, it’s nice to see her finally jump back out there since her last dating scandal. That crap with Macy was just a mess.”

“True,” Charlie said and shuddered slightly. “Anyways, I’m glad our friend finally has a boo. And if not anything else, I just hope she has somebody who can knock the dust out that pussy.”

Mikayla choked on her wine. “Charlie!”

“What? I’m just saying. It’s been a while,” Charlie said with a knowing look. “Speaking of men, how have you been? Charles been giving you any trouble lately?”

“Besides trying to reason with me about this divorce? Nope.”

“How’s that going?”

“Well, if what my lawyer tells me is true, I’ll be getting half of everything plus a hefty amount in monthly child support until the girls are eighteen.”

“Good!” Charlie beamed but noticed the sad expression on Mikayla’s face. “Or not good? What’s wrong, Kay Kay?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I just never imagined my marriage going to shit like this. And as far as the money I’m going to get, Charles is right. I didn’t work to earn any of it.”

“Oh, no you don’t!”

“No I don’t what, girl?”

“Pulling that ‘I feel sorry for Charles’ crap. That man beat you and secluded you for years. I can’t even begin to imagine the hell you endured while being under the same roof as him, but because of it, you earned every penny. If I was the judge, I would give you everything. An evil man like that doesn’t even deserve a pot to piss in.”

“You’re right.”

“I know I’m right,” Charlie said, downing the rest of her glass.

“Whatever. How are things between you and Mason?”

“That man is an angel sent from God, Kay Kay. I tell you, he is so good to me and his son it almost makes no sense,” Charlie said quickly. “The other day, I came home to a trail of rose petals leading to the bedroom, and he was sitting on the bed with a box of chocolates over his—well, you know. It was beautiful. I love him.”

“I can tell you do,” Mikayla said with a smile. “You deserve it too. MJ looked like he’s getting big, too!”

“He’s almost in a size four. Can you believe it?”

“Gotta stop feeding him.”

“Shoot, if everything goes as planned with this clothing business, I’ll make his clothes myself,” Charlie beamed.

“I don’t think my nephew wants to wear tailored suits all the time, Charlie.” Mikayla giggled.

“Well, he might not have a choice,” Charlie said with a grin. She got up and put her coat on. “Well, baby, let me get out of here. I need to get home to my man before he sends a patrol car looking for me.”

“And we both know he will.” Mikayla stood up and gave Charlie a hug. “Maybe sometime this week the three of us can get some coffee after the gym and catch up?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Charlie released her and bounded up the stairs to get MJ.

When she came down, she was holding a sleeping toddler in her arms. “I don’t know what those girls of yours do to my son, but they knock him out every time. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Mikayla walked Charlie to the door and watched them safely get into the car and pull off before she shut and locked her door. She cleared the dining room table and rinsed out the wine glasses before turning off the lights to kitchen. She was about to go upstairs when she realized she had forgotten one thing. Mikayla walked toward the wall alarm by the garage door to set it.

She didn’t want to leave Mikayla’s house as quickly as she had. After all, they hadn’t seen each other in a little while. But the longer Charlie stayed, the longer she had to lie to her friend’s face. She glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at the sight of her son sleeping so peacefully in his car seat.

She might have been a little biased, but she thought that he was the most handsome baby boy in the world. She loved him to pieces and was thankful to be his mother, which was why it pained her to feel things falling apart with his father. She didn’t know what was happening between her and Mason, but it was something. A bad something. She barely saw him with his new work schedule. When he was home, he spent time with MJ and then disappeared inside of the bedroom for the rest of the night. Their lovemaking was almost nonexistent, and Charlie was even starting to question if Mason was still attracted to her. She knew for a moment she gained a few extra pounds after having the baby, but now her body was back snatched. Still, she knew it took more than having a good body to keep a man. If his heart wasn’t in it anymore, it didn’t matter what she looked like.

Charlie sighed when she pulled into the driveway of the home she shared with Mason. It was a house, but it wasn’t her dream house. When Mason showed her the house for the first time, she decided to focus on the positive aspects of the situation.

“So, what do you think?” Mason asked, standing in the living room.

Charlie, not wanting to hurt his feelings, said, “I love it.”

“I knew you would. The moment I saw it, I said to myself, ‘This house is the perfect place for my family.’ MJ will have his own bedroom and playroom.”

Charlie smiled. It was true that MJ would have plenty of room, but that didn’t make up for the small kitchen and the bathrooms that needed an update. Charlie went along with it, figuring that they would rent for a few years, then save enough to buy their own dream home.

But now, all Charlie could feel was him distancing himself. She got herself and MJ out of the car and hurried in the cold toward the front door. Before she reached it, it swung open, and she was happy that she didn’t have to dig in her purse to find her keys.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling when she saw Mason standing behind the door in his pajamas. “I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

“I was waiting for you and Little Man to get home. Here, let me help you,” he said and took MJ from her. “Wow, he’s really getting heavy.”

“Tell me about it,” Charlie said, shutting and locking the door behind her. “I don’t know what it is we’ve been feeding that boy, but he’s solid.”

“Like his old man,” Mason said. “I’m gonna go lay him down. There’s something I want to talk to you about. I’ll be right back.”

Charlie sat in the living room, waiting for Mason to finish with MJ. She wondered what he wanted to talk about. She had a bad feeling, and her stomach was churning with nerves. She leaned back on her soft black couch and inhaled the sweet aroma of the vanilla-scented candle burning, hoping it would calm her down.

She closed her eyes for a moment but opened them when she felt her shoe slide off. Mason had come back downstairs and was setting one of her boots to the side. He had her feet in his lap and smiled at her before he removed the other shoe.

“What are you doing?” Charlie asked.

“About to rub my woman’s feet. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Oh, is that right?” she asked and adjusted herself on the couch. “Well, I’m not going to pass on a good foot rub.”

Mason’s hands were so strong and warm that Charlie instantly felt her body relax. He worked his thumbs over every nook and cranny like a professional. A moan slipped from Charlie’s lips, and she didn’t even care.

“I know it’s been feeling like I’ve been neglecting you, and I apologize for that,” he said in a sensual, low tone. His eyes were on Charlie’s, and there was a genuine expression on his face. “I sometimes have to remind myself that the most important piece of me is you.”

Charlie was relieved to hear these words. They were exactly what she needed.

“Why have you been distant lately? Are you not attracted to me anymore?”

“Are you crazy?” Mason asked and looked at Charlie as if she were really crazy. “Have you seen yourself lately?”

“Then what is it? Is there somebody else?”

“Now you really sound crazy.” Mason let go of her foot and scooted closer to her. “Charlie, there is nobody else. Now, I will admit that my hours at work may get a little strenuous, but you gotta know that I love you and would never step out on this family. My caseload has been stacked lately. I don’t know what’s going on in this city, but the crime rate is soaring, and we’re short a detective, so I’ve had to take on extra cases. Okay?”

“Okay.” Ch. . .