“A few hours.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Canyon stood up, picked her up, and carried her over to the bed where they had two rounds of unforgettable sex.
Diric sipped from his champagne as he eyed Raven from across the club. They had ended up in the same spot, and he hadn’t said anything to her. He was going to let her do her without crowding her, but he had his eye on her. As he was watching Raven, Omnique walked over to him and stood in front of him.
“You must really fuck with somebody, huh? You’ve never been this long without hitting me up. Damn, somebody got you on lock like that?”
Diric knew his dick was good, but a woman as pretty as Omnique should never beg for dick. His interests were clearly elsewhere, and he couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t just take that for an answer. “Yeah, I fuck with somebody, and she’s in here tonight.”
“So, what? You can’t talk to me?”
“No! Damn!” He barked. “Fuck you acting so got damn thirsty for. Beat it. Got damn.” She was getting on his damn nerves.
“Fuck you Diric with your ignorant ass,” she spat before storming off.
He stuck his middle finger up as she walked off. He took another swig of champagne, and his eyes drifted back over to Raven. Diric’s blood began to boil when he saw her twerking, and some clown ass nigga was all up on her. He was behind her, and she wasn’t touching him, but she was close enough to him dancing real nasty and provocative. She had Diric fucked up. Here he was adhering to their agreement and turning down pussy, and she was on some freak shit. His homie, Bryce passed him a blunt, and Diric hit the L feverishly in an effort to calm down.
Raven had on black biker shorts and a red lace shirt with thin straps. The shirt was see through, and even in the dark club, Diric could imagine that her nipples were on display. She had him fucked up. Diric passed the blunt back to Bryce and walked towards Raven. A few females tried to get his attention, but Diric had tunnel vision. When he got up on Raven, he glared at the nigga that she was dancing for.
“Move, nigga!”
The guy had no idea who Diric was, but he knew he didn’t want it with the man. He was just out trying to have a good time and trying to find someone to fuck after the club. He didn’t want any smoke. And with all the diamonds that Diric had around his neck, on his wrists, and in his mouth, he was sure the thug had a gun somewhere. He left fast as hell leaving Diric to glower at Raven. She looked up at him with a smirk, and that pissed him off further.
“You think this shit funny?” He looked her up and down. “You all up in here dressed like a slut dancing on niggas, and I’m supposed to believe you not fucking other niggas?”
Raven’s head jerked back. “Dressed like a slut? Boy, fuck you. And you got some nerve. A bitch was just all up in yo’ face, and she was for sure dressed like a slut, but you seemed to be enjoying her conversation.”
“You seem to be assuming and making an ass out of yourself. That bitch is pressed for the D, but I told her I rock with somebody and that she was in here tonight. Then I look up and see yo’ hoe ass all up on a nigga.”
“I know you’re mad, but you don’t have another name to call me. You better speak to me with some fuckin’ respect, or I’ll show you what a hoe do.”
Diric snapped and before he knew it, his hand was wrapped around her neck. He had anger issues anyway, but the alcohol in his system didn’t help at all. Being drunk killed his ability tothink before he acted. Diric could be impulsive as hell sober, and it was worse when he was drunk. Raven’s eyes widened when Diric started choking her, and her cousin ran over to Diric and started pulling at his arm.
“What are you doing? Let her go,” she hissed.
For one brief moment, the fear in Raven’s eyes brought Diric a small piece of joy. But it only lasted a second before he snapped back to reality. Diric let her go, and Raven punched him in the face and stormed off holding her neck. She was embarrassed and hurt while Diric stood there chest heaving up and down breathing like an angry bull. He walked over to Bryce and plucked the blunt from between his fingers. He hit it a few more times and told Bryce he was leaving. Diric drained the champagne from the bottle and headed out to his car.
He sat there for a minute before he sighed and ran his hand down his face. His anger had always been on the bad side, but his son dying made it worse. Diric leaned his head back on the headrest and thought about the day that Elana brought Kash home from the hospital.
He had been hustling all day, and he stopped by her house an hour after she got there. Elana had an attitude that he hadn’t been the one to bring Kash home from the hospital, but she relaxed some when he placed $4,500 in her hands. Diric walked over to the bassinet and peered down at his son. “He so damn little,” Diric stated while never taking his eyes off the tiny newborn.
“Can you watch him while I take a shower? I pumped some milk for him. If he starts crying the bottle is in the fridge. Put it in this warmer. He can’t drink cold milk. It will hurt his stomach.”
“Got it.”
Elana headed for the bathroom, while Diric just stared at his son not believing that he was somebody’s father. It wasscary because he never had a father, but he wasn’t going to use that as an excuse to be a shitty father. He had missed Kash coming home because the money had been coming nonstop, and he couldn’t walk away from it. But he was here now. Diric stared at his son for a few more minutes, then he sat down on the couch.
Elana was a really good braider. She could braid her ass off. She only did 1-2 heads a day, and she averaged $1,000 a week braiding. She lived in a small two bedroom house when her and Diric met, and she drove a Nissan. She was doing okay for herself, and he had no doubt she would be a good mother. Elana smoked weed, she drank liquor, and she liked to do hood rat shit with her friends but when she got pregnant, all that stopped. Diric hustled her entire pregnancy like a man on a mission. She was taking a month off from braiding, and he was going to ensure that her nor his son wanted for anything. Last month, he had given her enough money to pay her rent for six months. The kind of house that Canyon lived in, it was Diric’s goal to have his son living in a house like that by his first birthday. He wanted his son raised green and privileged.
Diric had been scrolling through his phone for about fifteen minutes, when he heard his son make a few grunts. That led to crying, so Diric headed to the kitchen to grab his bottle. After he placed it in the warmer, he picked his son up and cradled him in his arms. Kash was eating hungrily by the time Elana came from the bathroom. She was dressed in blue pajamas, and she looked tired.
“So, is it going to be a lot of you giving me money and a little of you being here, or are you really going to help me?”
Diric looked over at her. He wasn’t trying to argue, so he was gon’ speak calmly to keep her from getting defensive. “Money was coming like crazy. It’s the first of the month. I’m sorry I missed him coming home, but I’m here now, and I’m notleaving back out until in the morning. Your rent is covered for six months and that money I just gave you, should last a few months. I’m gon’ be here for sure, but me being here don’t mean shit if my lil’ man isn’t taken care of. You already said when you start back braiding hair, you’re going to have to pay your mom at least $400 a month to watch him, so her car payment will be covered. I’d rather your mom quit her part-time job and watch him than him going to daycare. So, I’ll pay your mom. My man gon’ be good.”
That satisfied Elana, and she decided not to beef with him. She was glad that Diric hadn’t taken her through any drama like her friend’s baby daddy. Elana and her best friend were pregnant at the same time, and their pregnancies were totally different. Every other month, Nadine’s dude was denying her baby, cheating, or doing other dumb shit. She went to take a nap while Diric bonded with his son. He took a nap too while Kash rested on his chest. Running the streets seventeen hours a day was catching up with him. Diric was more at peace than he’d ever been with his son cuddled up on him.
