Passion of the Streets Read online

  Gia was more than positive that if she, Gia, the most reserved and goody-good female in the universe, had given up the goods to a practical stranger, then Oni had as well.

  She was sitting in the large fluffy chair in the center of the lobby reading the newspaper when she saw Oni and Iverson headed their way. Both of them looked terrible, Oni a little more than Iverson. With the same clothing from the day before, they moved sluggishly, with a very visible hangover still lingering.

  “The fuck y’all been doing all night?” Jamil asked as soon as Iverson held his hand out to dap him up.

  A slick smile spread across Iverson’s face as he shook his head subtly. “Shit, what haven’t we been doing is the question.”

  Gia frowned as she looked up at Oni standing there looking crazy. Her clothing was stretched out, hair all over the place, and she looked tired as hell. Her hands were crossed in front of her as she looked down at the floor. She looked as if she was embarrassed, but Gia knew that couldn’t be it.

  Oni had never been the type of female to be embarrassed about anything that she’d done. Iverson must have had her doing some seriously off-the-wall mess for her to be standing there acting as if she was afraid to even make eye contact. Gia’s gaze shot up toward Iverson as he whispered to Jamil before her frown deepened.

  “Come with me to the bathroom.” Gia stood from the chair and pulled Oni’s arm in one swift movement.

  Oni followed obediently as they made their way through the lobby and over to the restrooms in the corner. Once they were inside, Gia pulled her toward the sink and stared at her in the mirror. The two of them were quiet for a minute while Oni kept her eyes cast down to the floor.

  “Oni, what is wrong with you? What did that nigga do?” Gia’s voice held a little more authority than it had before.

  “Nothing.”

  “Well, why he out there smiling and telling Jamil all your business while you standing in here looking like a fool?”

  Oni looked up at Gia only to look away again. She shrugged. “Of course we had sex.”

  “You have sex all the time. What’s different this time?”

  “It wasn’t the kind I always have.” She looked a little sad as she looked away again. “It was different.”

  “How?” Gia probed. “Worse than granddaddy dick?” Gia tried to make a joke about Isaac to lighten the mood, but it didn’t help.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it right now. Can we just wait until we get home? I’m so tired.”

  Gia genuinely felt sorry for her cousin, so she agreed to wait to finish their conversation. Though their talk was going to wait, Oni’s appearance was not. Still dressed in the dark blue striped dress and red sandals, Oni stood still, obviously waiting for Gia to tell her what to do next.

  Gia dug into her purse and pulled out the black brush she’d bought for her Auntie Ann the day before at the outlet and turned Oni so that she was facing the mirror. Once she flipped the water on and stood behind her, she began brushing her hair for her.

  The moment the water hit Oni’s hair, it began to curl up even more than before. Gia brushed over the loose curls in her head, smoothing them out so that her hair would go into a neat ball. Oni stood obediently still in front of Gia until she finished. Gia then wet some paper towels and handed them to Oni.

  “Wash your face,” Gia said to Oni, putting the brush back in her purse.

  Oni did that, then added the lotion and lip gloss Gia had extended to her. Seeing herself starting to come back to life must have perked her up some, because once she handed Gia her things back, she smoothed her dress out over her small body.

  “Feel better?” Gia smiled at her.

  Oni nodded with a light smile.

  “You look better. Here, chew this, because if you ain’t even comb your hair this morning, I’m sure you ain’t brush your teeth either.” The small stick of gum disappeared from Gia’s hand and into Oni’s mouth. “Now come on. At least let the man know why he fucked you like a lunatic last night. Don’t be around here looking like no damn prostitute no more.”

  Gia and Oni chuckled as they left the bathroom together. Oni looped her arm through Gia’s and laid her head on her shoulder as they walked back to the men.

  “Thanks, bestie,” Oni whispered as they walked. “And it was definitely worse than granddaddy dick.” She giggled and so did Gia.

  “No problem. We all have our moments, but that’s hard to believe.” Gia was speaking to Oni but had just caught Jamil’s eyes.

  He was staring at her so intently it almost made her feel as if she was completely nude in the packed lobby. The way his eyes trekked up and down her body, pausing on her face, had her stuck. She’d almost stopped walking when she watched him bite his bottom lip before winking. She blushed and he turned his head.

  “Gia, Jamil so fine, girl,” Oni said.

  “You just don’t know the half.”

  “What took y’all so long? Y’all stomach must hurt or something,” Iverson asked as the ladies approached them.

  Like it had done earlier, Gia’s nose turned up at him. “Boy, shut up. Y’all ready to go?” She looked between Jamil and Iverson.

  Once they all agreed to leave, they walked out to Iverson’s truck and got on the road back to Columbus. They hadn’t been driving any longer than maybe thirty minutes, and in Gia’s opinion, they were getting there too fast.

  Being cuddled up on the backseat with Jamil was everything, and she wasn’t ready for it to end. She wished she could stay with him all day and do absolutely nothing, but she already knew that wasn’t happening. She and Oni had stayed out all night, and even though they had done their best to put themselves back together, they were still in need of showers and fresh clothes.

  “What’s on your mind?” Jamil’s soft lips brushed against her ear as he whispered to her.

  “You,” she replied. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders with her head pulled close to his chest.

  “What about me?”

  “Spending time with you.”

  “What’s up with it, then? You chilling with me when we get back or what?”

  Gia shook her head. “Not right away. We have to go home.”

  Jamil nodded and sat back in the seat. With her head still resting in the crook of his arm, he gazed out the window.

  Gia pushed some of his hair from his face, giving herself a better view of his profile. Jamil was so gorgeous. She didn’t know where such a unique-looking man had ever come from, but she was thankful.

  The dark orange stubble along his jawline, the strong features of such a rugged-looking man aligned with those perfectly plump lips, made Gia’s heart flutter. Gia had it bad for this man, and she wasn’t even ashamed. Though it had only been a few days, the feeling of him inside her body last night had pushed her into an entirely different element. He was hers, and she wanted so desperately to be his.

  “I can come scoop you up later if you want me to,” Jamil offered.

  “From where?”

  He shrugged. “Your spot. Wherever, it don’t matter to me. Wherever you gon’ be, I want to be there too.”

  Gia was smiling when he looked down at her. She nodded at him, letting him know that she would like that.

  “Okay, just let me get home and fill some things out first, then I’ll let you know.”

  “Cool.”

  For the rest of the ride home they sat cuddled up on the backseat and whispered to each other about anything and everything. When Iverson finally stopped the truck in the Walmart parking lot where Oni had left her truck, Gia was slightly disappointed.

  But instead of wallowing in her disappointment, she grabbed her things and prepared to get out. Jamil opened his door and slid out before helping her the rest of the way. When she was standing upright, he moved to the back of the truck and began getting the bags they’d gotten from the outlet and putting them into Oni’s trunk.

  “Your friend is so lazy,” Gia told him as they stood at the back of Oni�
�s truck.

  Not that Jamil needed any help, but Iverson hadn’t moved from the front seat yet, not offering to help Jamil with the bags or even hugging Oni goodbye. Gia could tell it bothered Oni a little just by the way she lingered at his window begging him to get out.

  When he’d told her no for the fifth time, Gia got disgusted and turned her attention back to Jamil. He was standing directly in front of her with his hands resting comfortably in his pockets, his long, bright locs resting around his bulging shoulders and chest muscles. His hazel eyes studied her face as she looked at Iverson with disdain.

  “That’s just how that nigga is. He too pretty to do anything hard,” Jamil said, taking note of the look Gia had given Iverson.

  “That’s no excuse for having poor manners.”

  “As long as I don’t have poor manners, then it doesn’t matter.” Jamil stepped closer to her and pecked the tip of her nose. “Am I going to see you later?”

  “I told you I don’t know yet. I have to see when we get back to Oni’s house.”

  He nodded and released his hands from his pockets to pull her to him for a hug. He held on to her tightly, pulling her as close as he could get her to him. Her smaller frame tucked perfectly against his. With her arms circling his waist while his went around the top of her shoulders, he kissed the side of her face and whispered into her ear.

  “We still living in last night?”

  She nodded.

  “Maybe that’s why I can still feel your body gripping mine.” He kissed the side of her face again when she shivered in his embrace. “The way you held me close when I was up in it had me feeling too good.” He let one of his hands drift down the side of her body, gripping her thick, toned thigh before stopping and rubbing it lightly. “I feel safe with these around me.”

  “Jamil.” She sighed into his chest.

  Gia couldn’t take it. The way he was talking to her had her body and mind on fire. Was this the way it was supposed to be when you were with a man? Because in the past when she’d been with Kainoa, it had been nothing of the sort. It was cool, and he got the job done, but Jamil felt new. He made her feel like she had been missing out on her entire life just by being in his arms.

  It was crazy, because now she understood fully why Oni was always entertaining men. If any of them made Oni feel how Jamil made Gia feel, then she was about to be on the same path as her cousin, but with Jamil, of course.

  “You remember how you was breathing in my ear and running your hands through my hair last night?”

  Gia nodded.

  “I loved that shit. I swear I did. Then when you finally bust, your pussy was squeezing my dick so tight like it didn’t want to let it go or something.” He kissed her ear, then the side of her neck before pulling back some so that he could look into her face. “I didn’t want you to let me go.”

  Gia tried her hardest to match the intensity in his stare, but it was hard because he was so unnerving. The way he looked at her made her feel nervous on the inside. That’s why when he leaned forward and pressed his lips onto hers, she had to hold on to his shirt for support. If she hadn’t, she probably would have fainted right there in the parking lot.

  A deep moan escaped her lips in the form of his name when he finally pulled away. “You make my heart beat fast.”

  “Good.” He pecked her lips once more before pulling her fully back into his embrace. He hugged her for a long time before letting her go and pulling her hand so that he could lead her to the passenger side of Oni’s truck. After helping her in, he winked at her once more before heading back to Iverson’s truck.

  Gia watched him until he was in the car and they were pulling away. “Jamil is too much,” she told Oni as she buckled her seat belt.

  “Girl, you’re lucky.” Oni looked over at her.

  “I thought Iverson was cool? Tell me what happened.”

  Oni shook her head. “Nah, let me get me a shower and relax some first. I need to get my mind right.”

  Gia’s face distorted some in confusion. “What that nigga do to you, Oni? It had to be something, because you’re acting like you’re scared to talk. It must have been serious.”

  “It was, girl. It was.”

  That was all of the talking that the girls did on the ride home. Gia was still a little tired from her late night and early-morning run, so she hopped in the shower again before going to her room to take a nap. Oni had told her she was about to do the same thing and that they would talk once they got up. With no objections, Gia went to the guest room and climbed into the comfortable bed.

  She was about to close her eyes when she had the strong urge to talk to Jamil. She leaned over the bed, quickly snatched her phone from her purse, and sent him a text.

  Gia: Thinking about you

  She lay there waiting for a reply, but it never came. However, when her phone rang, she remembered his no-texting policy. She slapped her forehead lightly before answering it hesitantly.

  “What’s up, Gee? With your hardheaded ass.”

  She giggled beneath the covers. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting.”

  “I see. What’s going on, li’l chocolate baby? Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Gia smiled at him calling her his li’l chocolate baby.

  “Nothing for real. I was just about to take a nap and wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.”

  “Nah, nigga, give me my money. You know what you owe. Don’t fuck around,” Gia heard him say before he cleared his throat and came back onto the line.

  “My fault, baby. These niggas out here trying to play games.”

  “It’s cool.”

  “But you said you was thinking about me?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, let me give you something else to think about real quick. You listening?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When we chill later, I want you to sit on my lap and wrap your legs around my waist. You think you can do that for me?”

  Gia could feel heat rising over her body, and she wasn’t even near him.

  “You think you can handle that, Gee?”

  “Yeah, I can do that.” She spoke quietly.

  “A’ight. Get you some rest, baby. Daddy will holla at you later.”

  Gia’s smile spread further across her face. “Who said you were my daddy?”

  “Ask me that again later and I’ll tell you. For right now just say I’ll see you later, Daddy, and get off the phone.”

  A laugh rolled off of her lips effortlessly. “I am not about to call you Daddy, Jamil.”

  She could hear him laughing. “You will soon. Get some rest, Gee.”

  “Bye, Milli.”

  “Peace, bae.”

  Gia hung her phone up, completely enthralled in Jamil. She lay on her back thinking about him and their night together as she closed her eyes. If she was lucky, she would dream of him while she slept.

  * * *

  The block was jumping so hard from the one night he’d been away, and all day Jamil had been paying for it. Going from here to there picking up the money he’d missed out on was slowly becoming a headache. Niggas was trying to duck and dodge instead of just paying what they owed, and quite frankly he was growing tired of it.

  He had been on the block pretty much his entire life. Truth be told, he was ready for something new. The game was getting to be too much of a struggle, and he was getting bored. He’d been stacking his paper and building since he was a kid. He was ready for something bigger. If the job in Miami didn’t come into play soon, he was going to explode.

  Now a grown man, he was ready to move past the normal street life. It just didn’t feel like the block had much to offer him. His only issue was what he could do to change it. Hustling day in and day out, running dope for others until he was established enough to work for himself had been his main plan. Now that he’d done it, it didn’t mean as much. He was ready to be the boss.

  When he was a child looking up to the dealers who had put him on, all
he aspired to be was larger than them one day. He worked as hard as he could, doing whatever he could to make things happen. Though it didn’t always come easy, it came. By his sixteenth birthday he was seeing more money than any young hustler his age.

  Because of the way he moved and stayed to himself, Jamil ended up gaining the respect of many of the older cats, which in return garnered the respect of the ones his age as well. He had a good street team and more money than he knew what to do with. For most people from his hood that was the American dream, but not for Jamil.

  He was different and always had been. From his social status to his personal life at home, he wasn’t like everyone else. Always having been a private person, no one really knew anything about him other than what he told them, which was next to nothing. He never really saw the point of letting his left hand know what his right hand was doing.

  That was the main reason he was struggling with the biggest decision of his life right then. Shock had called him that morning with a few updates on the Miami spot, and though that was what he had been wanting, Jamil was hesitant to take it. Had these same stipulations been mentioned a few weeks ago, Jamil probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But today, today he wasn’t feeling it.

  Shock had asked Jamil and Iverson to meet with him later to discuss specifics, but just from the rundown he’d received on the phone, Jamil could already tell this wasn’t an avenue he wanted to travel. He was tired of being looked at as the bad kid; the boy who would never grow up to be anything. For some reason he was ready to prove everyone wrong. His only issue was there was no way that he could. Not without messing things up with Gia.

  “Where you been?” Zanetta asked as soon as Jamil walked in the front door.

  “Out. Why?”

  She continued washing the windows with the dusty rag and the bottle of cleaner. “You hungry?”

  Jamil scrunched his eyes up at her. What in the hell had she been smoking that had her caring whether he was hungry or not? She never asked that. If she cooked, she made sure to feed herself and Owen. Anything left he was free to have, but to just ask was he hungry, now that was unheard of.