RedBone (44 page)

“Your oldest brother,” Shadow said.

“You mean my only brother,” she corrected him, opening the door. When she saw who was standing next to him, she felt light. “Oh ... I didn’t know you had company. I would’ve put something else on.”

“I don’t have company. You do. Who the fuck is this nigga?” Shadow pointed to Slade.

“Should I come back later?” Slade asked.

“No!” Farah said quickly. There was no way on earth she was letting him get away from her this time. And he looked so good ... standing in her doorway. “Come in. I’m not doing anything.”

“Who is this, sis?” he persisted.

“Damn, Shadow! You act like you fucking me or something.” He glared at the vile idea. “If you must know, this is my friend, and his name is Slade. So I got it from here, thank you.”

“Slade, huh.” Shadow looked him up and down. “Well, whoever you are, you betta treat my sister right.”

Slade didn’t respond because he was overprotective of his siblings too. “It’s not even like that, man.” He looked at Farah. “I’m just here to settle a debt and after that I’m out.”

Shadow looked at Slade and then at his sister. “Let me know if you need me.” He walked away.

She nervously smoothed her hair and said, “Come in. I was just watching TV. If you got a few minutes anyway you can sit with me.” When he walked inside, she locked the door.

Slade stood in the middle of her room, and was about to walk to a chair when he heard Lesa and her friends. It would be guts and butts all night and she knew it. “What’s that? Somebody had a hangover or something?”

Farah tried to act as if she didn’t hear all the commotion outside her door. She didn’t want him thinking she was a troublemaker, or somebody capable of hurting another. In his eyes, she wanted to be innocent and pure. “I don’t hear anything,” she lied. “Whatever it is, you don’t need to worry about it. My roommate could be doing anything.” She cleared a place on her bed. “Sit down right there. The chair is broke.” He took a seat. “You want something to drink? I can whip you up a mixed drink right quick.”

When she said that, Courtney yelled, “Bitch, I’m not drinking nothing else in this mothafucka! I can’t believe you tried to kill us!”

Slade grinned and looked at the closed door. “Naw, I’ll pass.” He reached in his pocket and handed her some cash. “That’s all the money I owe you. For bailing me out and for breaking your charger. I appreciate you looking out, because you didn’t have to.”

When she looked down at the green money, it was tinged with blood. She figured he took it from some unsuspecting victim, or victims. She slowly tucked the cash in her pocket, and hoped this wasn’t the last time she’d have a reason to be around him. “You didn’t have to give it to me right away. I mean ... I could’ve waited a few more days. I know how tough shit be.”

“Naw ... I pay what I owe. Always.” He looked up at her. “I said I was going to hit you back and so I did.”

She couldn’t lie, she needed the money because the landlord had already begun eviction proceedings. With her son missing, she was impatient and heartless. Even the tenant down the hall, who was pregnant and alone, got the cold shoulder when she asked for a few days after going into labor. Farah didn’t feel like dealing with her so Slade was just on time. “Thank you. I needed it.” She sat next to him. “Can I tell you something?” She looked down into her hands. “I think about you. A lot. I think we got off to a bad start, and I don’t want it to be that way. If we get to know each other, maybe we can be good friends.”

Slade was caught off guard. “Why you say that?”

Farah felt stupid for opening up to him so quickly. Instead of being shy around him, she decided to do the opposite, and now felt as if it were an epic failure. “No reason. Just drop it.”

“A’ight, well, let me go.” He stood up and walked into the living room, with Farah on his heels.

“You sure I can’t get you something to drink before you leave?”

At that exact moment, Lady crawled out of Lesa’s room and into the hallway on all fours. “I hate you, Farah Cotton, and you gonna get everything you deserve, too!” Lady stood herself up using the counter, grabbed a bowl, and put some ice cubes into it. Then she looked at Slade and said, “If I were you, I’d stay the fuck away from her.”

When she ambled back to Lesa’s bedroom and closed the door, he said, “Naw, I’m good. I don’t need nothing to drink.”

“No, really, it’s water.” Slade didn’t feel comforted. “Bottled water.” She didn’t want him to leave, and was trying her hardest to get him to stay. She couldn’t fix her lips to say the words, so she used every other trick in the book. “It’s not open.”

“Bottled water will be cool.”

Farah rushed into the kitchen and handed him the water. But when her finger brushed over his, the bottle dropped out of his hands, and bounced to the floor. She quickly picked it up and said, “I’m sorry, Slade. I must be clumsy today.” She wiped off the bottle and handed it to him. “It was me not you.” She swallowed. “Look ... you sure you don’t wanna go back into my room? So we can have some privacy? And maybe talk?”

When Chloe and Audio came out, she was blown. “Chloe, what do you want now?” Audio was right behind her.

“I wanted to see how everything was rolling. With our plan?”

She rolled her eyes and said, “Good, now go back in your room.”

“Audio, you not over here getting into shit, are you? Slade asked.

Audio rolled his eyes. “I told you we should’ve stayed in the room,” he said to Chloe. “I knew I heard my brother’s rough-ass voice out here. Now he trying to treat me like I’m a fucking kid again.” He looked at Chloe and said, “Can we go back now? Even though I can’t get no pussy, because your sister won’t take her ass to sleep.”

When they were gone, Slade stepped closer to Farah. She loved his scent. It was natural, and not intrusive. Everything about him made her pussy water. “Like I was saying, you wanna go in my room and chill?”

“I got a few minutes. Somebody in the house waiting on my brother’s call, so for now I’ll be fine.”

“One of the brothers I met the other day?”

“No. It’s a long story.”

She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, so she wouldn’t press the issue. On the way to her room, they bypassed several evil stares from Lesa, Courtney, and Lady, as they sat on her floor and bed. When they made it to her room she closed and locked the door. “You sure everything cool here? Your roommate friends don’t look so good.”

“They’re not my friends and it’s a long story.” She sat on her bed and tried to think of something witty to say; it was no haps. “Thank you for keeping your promise ... with my money. I love when somebody says they’re gonna do something, and do it.” She looked into his eyes. “That shit’s real attractive to me.”

“It wasn’t easy. I’m fucked up out here now, but I’m working on changing my game. You can’t do too much of nothing without cash in your pockets. You know?”

“Yes, and if I can do anything to help, let me know.” She smiled. “Maybe I can help you look for a job or something.”

He laughed. “Naw, sweetheart, I’m never working for anybody.” Then he sat next to her. “So I finally did something you were attracted to?” He searched her eyes. “Because you had me feeling all I could do was wrong when it came to you.”

“Well, you not good with reading women.” She sat closer to him and he moved away. “What is it with you? Every time I go to touch you, you pull away. Yet you get mad at me when I’m quiet.”

“I know ... it’s not you.”

“Don’t lie.” She looked at his eyes but he looked away. “I’m not pretty to you? Is that it? What kind of girls you like? Maybe I can learn to be better.”

“You got to be fucking kidding me. There ain’t shit about you I don’t like.”

“Then what is it?” She moved to touch his leg and he jumped up again. “What am I doing wrong? Am I too rough? Too ugly? Too dumb? Talk to me!”

“No! Why you acting all weird?”

“Then why won’t you connect with me?”

“Look, I came to bring you your money. I gotta go now.”

“Please don’t go, Slade. Don’t leave me. I don’t want you to.” He stopped. His back faced her. “Please don’t leave without telling me what I can do. To make you like me. Or to make you mine.”

“You got a man.” He turned around. “What you want with me? I don’t have shit to offer.” He looked around her room. “Everything in here probably cost more than I made all month.”

“That’s why I want you. You’re not like the rest. You a real nigga. Who gonna do what he gotta to take care of his woman.” She was so close, if he moved an inch she’d be touching him and she wanted it so badly. “What if I’m the right one, and you’re pushing me away?”

“Listen, you don’t know the kind of nigga I am. If you really care about that dude, you would leave me alone. I can seriously hurt him, Farah, if I even thought you were still dealing with him and me at the same time.”

“What if I tell you that I’m ready to let him go? Would he even matter?”

Chapter 49

“That ain’t enough for me. Not anymore.”

—Farah

Farah pulled the warm covers over her head. She wasn’t feeling well and realized she needed to get some medicine. She needed to kill. Her only problem was that her body was so weak, she could barely move out of bed. When Slade left last night, she was disappointed that they still didn’t make a connection. Because of it, she was suffering from a broken heart of the worst kind.

Realizing sleep would not come anytime soon, she decided to jump into the shower. Before getting inside, she allowed the water to run for a while, so the bathroom could be steamy. Normally steam would cause havoc on her hair, but since she was going to wash it anyway, it didn’t matter. Dropping the robe to the floor, she wiped the mirror with her hand, and examined her yellow skin in its reflection. She was both beautiful and sexy, and yet she couldn’t see it. When she felt a heat rush come over her, she moved toward the toilet, and threw up an empty stomach.

When she was done, she stepped into the shower, grabbed her soap and washcloth and formed a thick lather. Wiping the vomit off of her mouth, she scrubbed her neck and upper body. She washed her body several times before realizing her back needed some love too, so she grabbed the long wooden back brush hanging off the showerhead. She lathered the bristles and cleaned her back thoroughly. For some reason she was horny and decided to pleasure herself. Easing down onto the shower floor, she allowed the warm water to spray against her face. She spread her legs, and used the opposite end of the brush to push it into her pussy. Thinking about Slade caused her to feel hornier than she ever did in her entire life.

“Slade,” she moaned. The sloppy sound of the handle entering and exiting her pussy got louder. Her body was shivering and she felt she was about to cum. “Slade.” She continued saying his name again. “Fuck me, Slade. Please.”

“Bitch, Slade not in here!” Chloe moaned.

Farah hopped up and threw the brush down. From behind the blue curtain she said, “Chloe, what the fuck you doing in here?” She remained hidden and waited for her response. She was tired of her morphing abilities.

“Shitting.” Farah could hear large plops hitting the toilet water. “I had to go bad.”

“Bitch, how come you not in your own room?” She wiped soap out of her eyes. “I’m tired of not having no fucking privacy around here!”

“I can’t go in my room because Mia shitting in there.”

“Why you ain’t use the guest room?”

“Because Shadow shitting in there.”

Farah felt like screaming on everybody. She wanted privacy, but now she had anything but. To make matters worse, her first orgasm on Slade was thwarted thanks to her baby sister.

“What were you doing playing with your pussy? That’s what I want to know.” She giggled.

Farah was overcome with embarrassment, as she thought about all the people she would probably tell. “You don’t know what the fuck you talking about.” She could smell shit in the air, and was five seconds from slapping Chloe in the face with her wet foot. “Just hurry the fuck up and get out. Damn!”

The toilet flushed and for a moment the water turned cold. “Girl, you so ridiculous. Instead of playing with your old-ass pussy, you need to go see about that nigga.” She washed her hands. “Because if his fuck game anything like Audio’s, you’re in for a treat.”

When Chloe walked out, Farah hopped out of the shower with the water still running. The cold air smacked her body and she closed the door. Easing back into the shower she decided to wash her hair and forget about busting a nut. Turning the top off of her shampoo, she shut her eyes and poured it over her head. For some reason, she felt things crawling over her face. At first they felt like leaves, but they seemed to have feet. Whatever was on her, she was sure it wasn’t shampoo. When she put the bottle down, and opened her eyes, she saw that her body was covered in roaches. One of her greatest fears was taking place, and there was nothing she could do. Although they were just bugs, she couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. Her chest hardened and despite the water being hot, she felt chills all over her body.

“What the fuck is that?” she screamed, hopping around. “Oh, my God! Help me!” They were on her arms, lips, hair, and feet. A few of them were even moving rapidly toward her vagina, in an attempt to get away. Unable to fight a phobia that plagued her all her life, she fell into the shower curtain, and it smacked against the floor.

When Farah opened her eyes, she was on the bed. She looked at the white ceilings before looking down. She blinked several times when she saw Chloe, Mia, Shadow, and Audio staring in her direction. She smiled at first, thinking it was all a dream. But when she looked at the bathroom floor, the curtain was still down. Remembering everything, she hopped wildly out of the bed. Everyone moved out of her way to prevent getting hit. Farah shook her head and arms, thinking the bugs were still on her body. She continued to flail like a madwoman, until she got so tired she could only sit down. With her hair all over her head, she breathed heavily and looked at everyone.