Fornication Volume One (Honey Dip) Read online

  Honey flicked the cigarette into the sink. "You want to play, Rahim? We can play, but I guarantee you if you put your hands on me that's the last thing you'll do with them."

  Peanut came in the back door. His eyes darted between Honey and Rahim. "Is there a problem here?" He stepped in front of Honey and faced Rahim. He pulled his shirt up to show the gun in his waistband. "I know we don't have a problem, homey."

  Rahim looked at the gun and took a step back. "No, we don't have a problem at all."

  Peanut smiled and dropped his shirt. "Now that's what's up. You hear that, Honey? Rahim doesn't want any problems. I like the sound of that." He extended his hand towards Rahim.

  Rahim hesitated a few seconds before shaking it. His eyes were wide and frightened.

  Peanut shook his hand but did not release it when Rahim tried to pull away. "Remember that you don't want any problems with me, because it would end badly if you did."

  Rahim cleared his throat. "I understand," he whispered.

  When Peanut let his hand go, Rahim practically ran out of the kitchen. "Yo, April, I'm out of here," he hollered up the steps before walking out of the door.

  "Wait, Rahim! I'm almost ready." April flew down the steps wearing a black mini dress and six inch stilettos. She raced to the door, but Rahim was already gone. She walked into the kitchen. "What the hell happened? Why did he just leave like that?"

  Peanut shrugged and Honey lit another cigarette.

  "Why don't you ask him?"

  "I'm asking you."

  "I'm not in the mood for your shit today, April. If you want to know why he left, you should get into your little car and chase after him."

  "No, not until you tell me what the fuck you said to him to make him leave."

  "Maybe he left because he fucking wanted to."

  "He wouldn’t just leave me," April said.

  "Well, he just did."

  April picked up the telephone off of the hook on the wall and dialed Rahim's number. He didn't pick up. She dialed him again, still no answer. April's eyes filled with tears and she slammed the phone back on its base.

  She took her earrings off and kicked off her shoes. "I am so sick and tired of everyone trying to fuck up my relationship with Rahim."

  Honey laughed.

  Peanut hopped up on the counter with a grin. "Let's get ready to rumble!"

  Mookie walked into the kitchen. "What the hell is going on?"

  Peanut waved her over to him. “We are about to witness the fight of the century.”

  April looked at Mookie. “Don’t blink, because this shit will be over quick.” She looked at Honey. “You’ve been asking for this ass whooping for a long time,” she said before charging.

  Honey side stepped and punched April in the face. The force of the blow knocked April’s head back, but she recovered quickly. She wiped the blood off of her face and kicked Honey in the gut. Honey doubled over with a groan. The pain in her stomach threatened to bring her to her knees.

  "Damn," Peanut whispered to Mookie. He frowned and rubbed his stomach. "I know that shit hurt."

  Mookie laughed. "My money’s on April. She’s like a black belt with that karate shit."

  Peanut looked at Mookie like she was crazy. "Oh, I'll take that bet," he said, extending his hand. "I'll bet a grand that Honey beats the dog shit out of April."

  "I'll cover that one easy, little boy."

  Peanut grabbed his dick. "I got your little boy right here."

  Mookie smirked. "I know you do."

  "That's not funny."

  April walked over to her. "What's the matter, Honey? You bad, right?” She bent over and whispered in Honey's ear. "Oh, I see, you just act like you're bad."

  "Oh, sweetheart, it's no act." Honey grabbed April's chain and yanked her to the floor. Before April had a chance to react, Honey punched her in the face and snatched her wig off. She grabbed her hair and knocked her head on the kitchen floor. April screamed.

  She latched onto to Honey's hair and folded in on herself, bringing her legs up and around Honey's neck. With a grunt she locked her legs and flipped Honey over onto her ass. She grabbed Honey's arm and yanked it back.

  “Get the fuck off of me,” Honey screamed. Her arm felt like it was about to be ripped from the socket. “Let me go!”

  Babygirl walked into the kitchen in her Strawberry Shortcake pajamas—a pink baby doll top and ruffled panties. “What are you guys doing?”

  Mookie stared at what Babygirl had on and shook her head. “Where the fuck do you get those clothes?”

  Babygirl blushed. She stepped over Honey and April and walked toward the sink. “Portia bought this for me.”

  “Figures,” Mookie said.

  Peanut winked at Babygirl. “You look cute.”

  “Thank you, Peanut. At least you have good taste.” She turned on the hot water, grabbed the sprayer and pointed it at April and Honey. “I told you guys to knock it off.”

  Honey clawed at April’s legs with her free hand but could not get loose. She turned her head around and bit April’s leg.

  “You crazy bitch,” April screamed.

  Babygirl turned the cold water on and sprayed both of them. “You guys better break this shit up before Portia gets back and decides to get all trigger happy. I don’t feel like getting shot today.” The water shocked the girls long enough to allow Mookie and Peanut time to pull them apart.

  Peanut hopped off the counter and scooped April up off the floor.

  “Get off of me,” April screamed. Mookie offered a hand to Honey and pulled her off the floor as well.

  April's face began to bruise. Her lip was cut and swollen. She bucked and flailed her arms about until Peanut let her go.

  "Calm down, April. It’s not that serious."

  April wiped the water from her eyes. She looked at everyone in turn. "I hate you all." She picked up her wig, earrings and shoes before leaving the kitchen. "I really hate you all."

  Chapter Seven

  The water thundered out of the faucet and rumbled into the the tub. Honey watched as steam filled the bathroom. Portia had tricked this out. Everything was redone—from the burnt orange terracotta tiles on the floors and walls, and the cherry wood cabinets with silver fixtures, to the Jacuzzi tub, Portia had dumped a lot of money into the bathroom. She said people who worked hard, no matter what they did for a living, deserved a bit of comfort, and she ain’t never lied.

  Flicking her cigarette into the toilet, she lit two apple cinnamon candles and sat them at the base of the tub. I'm going to have to buy that girl another pack of Newports before the day is out, she thought as she pulled off her wet t-shirt and bra. Her stomach ached where April had kicked her. That little girl definitely has some fight in her, though, she thought with a smile. She shimmied out of her jeans and stepped into the tub. Sliding down into the water, she enjoyed the bite of the extreme heat. She dipped her head back and let the water lap against her shoulder. “This is definitely not my mother fucking day.” George’s smug smile floated through her mind’s eye. What a dick head, she thought as she reached for the scented bath oils on the shelf. Closing her eyes, she pictured his neat little house in Frankford with the wall of family photos. An image of George spinning around after she punched him in the face flashed through her mind’s eye and pain sliced her heart in two. “You ain’t never gonna get to see Tiana now, Honey-Dip. You can tuck that dream right away—tuck it right next to the dream of having a normal life, because shit like that just ain’t in the cards for you.”

  The door creaked open and Portia poked her head in.

  “You wanna explain to me why the kitchen looks like a hurricane passed through it?”

  “Not really.”

  Portia walked in, flipped the lid down on the toilet and took a seat. “Nobody else is talking, either. I thought I’d get an explanation out of you.”

  “Why the hell did you think that?”

  “Beats the fuck out of me,” Portia said as she leaned back and cros
sed her legs. “How did things go with Tiana?”

  “It went okay.” Honey soaped up her rag and began to wash her legs. “You’re dressed to kill. Where the fuck are you going?”

  “I have a business meeting in an hour. I just came home to check up on you.”

  “I’m touched.”

  “Not yet, but I’ll touch the fuck out of you if you don’t tell me what happened with my niece today.”

  “I didn’t see her.”

  Portia sat up and spoke softly. “What the fuck you mean, you didn’t see her?”

  Honey noted the change of tone. She looked her old friend in the eye to answer the unspoken question. I’m not high. “George lied. Tiana didn’t want to see me. He set that shit up to get a little head and I was stupid enough to fall for it; just another dumb trick from over the bridge.”

  Portia stood up and stretched. “You leave him the money?”

  Honey nodded.

  “Okay,” Portia walked to the door. “You had a fucked up couple of days, so you’ve earned a few hours of pouting.”

  Honey stared down at the sudsy water.

  “Look at me,” Portia commanded.

  Honey met and held Portia’s gaze.

  Portia’s jaw twitched and that was the only outward sign of how pissed she was. “You are not a dumb trick. You’re a call girl with Fornication, and nobody sells pussy like us. Wash your ass. You have a party to plan.”

  **********

  Portia walked out into the hallway. “Peanut,” she hollered down the stairs.

  “I’m in April’s room.”

  Portia walked to the back room. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

  “I chased the love of April’s life out of the house earlier today, so I’m hooking up her surround sound to make nice.”

  Well, that partially explains why my kitchen’s fucked up, Portia thought. “Why does she care about a mofo that’s not paying her rent?”

  “I told you, she’s in love.” Peanut pushed play and the whole upstairs was filled with thunderous classical music.

  Portia just shook her head.

  “What’s up?” Peanut asked as he turned the volume down.

  “I need you to pay dear old George a visit and teach him that there are consequences for hurting my friends.”

  “What the fuck did he do to Honey?”

  “She didn’t say, and it doesn’t really matter. He hurt her, so we’re gonna hurt him.”

  Peanut nodded grimly.

  “I want you to make him bleed.”

  **********

  Peanut opened the bathroom door and grabbed a towel off the rack. He looked at those kind eyes and those brown curves and his blood began to boil. He’d had a crush on Honey since he was eleven years old, and he would cancel any dude that put a finger on her.

  Honey smiled and unstopped the tub. “You’re a little old for the Peeping Tom routine, Peanut.”

  “I could never get tired of seeing you naked,” he said, holding out the towel for her.

  Honey stepped into it.

  Peanut wrapped it around her, and tucked it in. He slid his arms around her waist. “You okay?”

  Honey patted his arms and frowned. “I’m fine, Andrew. Are you all right?”

  He rested his chin on her shoulder. “You know I love it when you call me by my real name.”

  “I know, that’s why I do it.”

  He smiled and held her a little closer. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve been through a lot these last couple of days, and I wanted to check on you.”

  Peanut’s honest affection touched a soft spot inside of Honey. She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m touched that you’re worried about me, Peanut, but I’m okay.” She raised three fingers to her temple. “Prostitute’s honor.”

  He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to choose to believe that.” He squeezed her again and then let her go. “For now, anyway. Do you need any help with the party?”

  “No, I think I got it covered. I’m going to book the penthouse of the Riverview Hotel. The owner owes me a favor. I’m headed to my room to call my regular now. We’re going to go shopping for the girls.”

  “Okay, just let me know if you need anything. I got you covered.” Peanut watched Honey’s smile spread slowly across her face and his heart began to ache. He knew she had no idea how much he loved her.

  **********

  Roger pulled his dick out as soon as he put his shiny white Escalade in gear. He knew it was wrong. “I got a wife and three kids, for God’s sake,” he mumbled softly as he turned onto the expressway. He stroked his dick thinking of Honey’s thick thighs wrapped around his body. He wanted to nibble on those hard nipples of hers and hear all of those soft moans. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. “Bitch’s pussy has grips on it.” He let go of his dick before he bussed all over his uniform pants. He’d had a hard on ever since she called him and his dick threatened to pop at a moment’s notice.

  Shit didn’t even go down after Denise, his wife, bitched at him about the savings account. She didn’t understand. No one would. But if he didn’t have money, he got no more Honey and he couldn’t live without his Honey. She made him feel alive, like a man, he thought. She didn’t argue, bitch or criticize. She didn’t complain about bills or kids or the fucking dishes, and she damn sure didn’t just lie there like a dead dried up old log when he fucked her. Naw, Honey moaned and wiggled and rode a dick like she was practicing for the rodeo. “I’ll empty my wife’s account, max out all of our credit cards and go into the kids’ college funds for this bitch.”

  He turned off the highway at Girard and pulled into a gas station. He fastened his pants, hopped out of the truck and bought a box of condoms. He remembered what had happened the last time he tried to enter Honey raw. It was an ugly mistake on his part and he still had the scars to prove it.

  He filled up the tank while he was there. Honey said she needed to go shopping and he knew from experience that he was going to need the gas and the ten Gs in his pocket to accomplish that. He pulled out his cell phone and booked them a couple of nights at a ragtag motel that they frequented. He used his wife’s credit card because he just didn’t give a fuck about what she knew anymore. She can pack the kids up and leave for all I care, he thought. Everything about her, from her voice to her frumpy outfits, paled in comparison to Honey-Dip. Denise and those damn kids are the only keeping me from the love of my life, anyway.

  He turned onto Clifford Street and honked the horn. Babygirl came to the door dressed in her signature pink pajamas. She is so cute, Roger thought. She looks better than my Honey but she lacks in the curves department. I need a woman to have meat on her bones.

  She waved and motioned for him to roll down his window. “Hey, Roger. Honey told me to tell you to park and come inside. She needs a few more minutes to get ready.”

  Roger parked without hesitation. Maybe I’ll get a little somethin’ somethin’ before we go on this shopping spree, he thought. He grinned like a little boy and locked up his truck. It took all of his restraint not to pull his dick out and slide a condom on right at that moment, he was so excited.

  He ran up the steps and met Peanut coming out of the door. Roger backed up a few paces because Peanut made him nervous. “What’s up, Peanut?” he asked, extending his hand. Peanut looked down at Roger’s hand and then back up to his eyes. If looks could kill Roger would be dead where he stood. He quickly dropped his hand and tried to melt into the railing as Peanut walked by. He walked into the house frowning. He’d had always got the feeling that Peanut didn’t like him, but that look confirmed it. Roger closed the door behind him and looked at Babygirl who came out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal. “What’s the matter with him?”

  “Who, Peanut?” Babygirl asked as she sat down on the floor in front of the TV and crossed her legs Indian style.

  “Yeah, he seems pretty mad about something.”

  Babygirl flagged her hand at the d
oor. “Don’t worry about Peanut, Roger; he’s on his period or something.”

  Roger laughed and started to take a seat on the couch.

  “Go on upstairs, Honey said it was all right.”

  “Okay,” Roger said as he ran upstairs.

  That dude has it bad, Babygirl thought as she clicked on the cartoons. He is sprung for days.

  **********

  Denise followed her husband’s truck on the highway. She borrowed her friend’s car so he wouldn’t notice her. She needed to know where all of their money was going. She had a good idea—she wasn’t stupid, she just needed to see it with her own eyes.

  She circled the block before parking down the street from his truck. “So this is where the ho lives,” she said softly. Her stomach twisted as a skinny, high-yellow bitch came to the door. Roger smiled and got out of the truck just as happy as you please. No one would know he had just been arguing with his wife and breaking things around the house. Denise clutched at her chest and gulped in air. Her heart was breaking and the pain of it all was driving her insane.

  “We had a good life,” she said to herself breathlessly. “We have a beautiful home in the suburbs, three beautiful kids. I know that our sex life has been a little boring lately but Mya is only two years old. She’s a handful and I’m so tired all the time.” Tears came to her eyes and she rolled down the window to get some air. She needed to breathe. Her life was unraveling right before her eyes. Roger had turned into a monster, a man she barely knew, could barely recognize. She wanted to go to him. She wanted to beg and plead with him to come home.

  “I can be whoever you need me to be. I can do whatever you need me to do. Say the word and I’ll change.” She slammed her hand down on the console repeatedly. “You didn’t even give me a chance. You didn’t give us a chance.” Salty tears leaked into her mouth as she spoke. She wiped her nose on her sleeve trying to compose herself.