The Trophy Wife (11 page)

Kalil watched as Jada ran anxiously to the play area, where other kids were playing. He reluctantly had to bring her along because he didn't have time to drop her off before the meeting. As he sat in the passenger side of June's cocaine-white Lexus, he listened as his old friend told him about his buyer from D.C.

“Thirty-five a brick?” Kalil knew that he could get the bricks from Hova at twelve apiece, which could turn a $22,000-profit off each one sold. Kalil began to get the old itch that he used to have. He knew the feeling too well, the feeling of coming up on some serious cash.

“Yep. It's a drought going on back home. Niggas can't get their hands on anything good. Cats are paying top dollar for quality dope right now. I know you have a plug on the bricks and this would be a come up, nah mean?” June looked over at Kalil.

Kalil's mind began to race. He glanced at Jada playing on the swings as he thought about what he was about to do. He did the math in his head and realized that he could make a lot of money off just one transaction. “How do you know this cat is serious? Have you dealt with him before?” Kalil asked as he began to play mental chess.

“No doubt. He goes by the name Mateo. I hooked up with him about five years ago, during a bid in Sing Sing. He's a Dominican mu'fucka with long paper. He actually wanted more than thirty, but he wants to see how good the quality is. I told him you had the connect on the best the streets has to offer. When I said you were connected with Hova, he wanted in pronto!” June replied as he was growing more excited by the moment.

“And what do you get out of all of this?” Kalil asked, knowing that June wasn't going to just plug him in without a finder's fee.

“Ten percent, my nigga, of what he spends. So that would be . . . one hundred and five thousand,” June said while he smiled at the thought of making some much-needed money.

Kalil respected the rules of the streets and knew that ten percent wasn't a bad due. He weighed the options in his mind, and his conscience had its own session of tug-of-war.
I have to get out of Quinn's house and provide a place for my daughter by hook or crook. Just this one flip and I'm out . . . I'm out,
Kalil thought to himself as he remained silent. “It's a wrap. Contact yo' man and tell him I'll have them on deck,” Kalil said as he slowly nodded his head.

“That's what I'm talking about. Let's get this money fam!” June said as he reached out his hand and slapped Kalil's palms. Kalil could see the urgency in June's eyes. It was the same look Kalil used to have when in pursuit of money.

“I'll hit you as soon as I get them,” Kalil said as he exited the car. He was about to get paid so he could take care of his daughter and provide for London. He knew that London was meant to be with him and he wasn't going to let a financial problem be the reason why he couldn't be with his soul mate.

“Come on, baby girl, it's time to go,” he said as he reached out his hand for his daughter.

Jada put her hands on her tiny hips. “Already, Daddy?”

“Yeah, Daddy got to take care of business, but I promise I'll bring you back soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jada joined her father as he hailed a cab to make it back to Quinn's house. Kalil was about to drop her off with Roxi and prepare to make his final power move. “Let's get it,” Kalil said to himself as he thought about seeing Hova, the man with the “keys to the city.”

 

 

London sat at the one end of the long dinner table, while Jake sat at the other. The large dining room was silent and she picked at her food as her mind raced.

“Jake, when can I go back to the school?” London knew that if she could get to the school then she would be able to contact Kalil.

“You're not going back to the school. I think that we need to concentrate on our marriage. That school is a distraction to you.” Jake calmly picked up his champagne flute and sipped some Dom Pérignon.

“I need to go back, Jake. I love that school. It's the only way I can dance,” she pleaded. Out loud she was pleading to dance, but in her heart she was pleading for him to let her out so that she could run to Kalil. She could feel her heart breaking more with each passing day.

“You heard what I said! Why are you so adamant about that damn ghetto-ass school? You're not going back there,” Jake stated sternly.

London dropped the subject and decided to approach the situation differently. She could no longer afford to reason with her husband. He'd become too brutal and abusive toward her. Living was no longer what she did. She was surviving, because she knew that it wouldn't be long before Jake lost his temper and killed her. She was going to turn the tables on him.
I have to be the wife that he wants me to be. If I don't, he will never let me out,
she thought to herself.

“I'm sorry, Jake. You're right. I don't need to go back there. All I need is you,” London stated with a fake smile.

Jake looked up in surprise as the words slipped from London's tongue. He had gotten so used to her cold and deviant nature toward him.

“I love you.”

She stood up and walked toward him. The bruises that covered the right side of her face and neck didn't take away from her exotic beauty.

“I'm sorry, baby. You're my husband and I just want to make you happy.” She stood directly in front of him.

Jake removed the linen napkin that lay across his lap and wiped his hands on it before running his hands up and down London's defined hips and thighs. She had the body of a voluptuous stripper, but was toned like a prima ballerina. The feel of her soft skin caused a bulge to form in his Armani slacks.

London winced from his touch. Her entire body was sore, but she knew what she needed to do. “I miss you, Jake. I miss how you make love to me,” she whispered as he stood to his feet, running his hands up her body as he arose. He didn't say a word, but London knew that she had him right where she wanted when she saw the lustful look in his eyes.

“Jake, fuck me,” she whispered as she took his hand and led him up the stairs. She removed a piece of her clothing with each step that she took until she reached her bedroom. She then began to undress him.

“Hmm,” he moaned as he kissed her aggressively while she stroked his penis.

She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him.

“Close your eyes,” she said seductively. Her pussy wasn't wet at all. In fact, she was disgusted by the man beneath her, but she had to proceed with her plan.

Jake closed his eyes, and London put her index finger in her mouth, wetting it thoroughly, and then she inserted it into her vagina to make sure that her husband thought she was in the mood. She fingered herself and massaged her clitoris until her juices formed in a puddle on Jake's stomach. She then slid herself down on his pole.

His hands immediately found their place on her hips, and she rode him slowly. Jake matched her motions in his own unique way as he developed a slow rhythm. She turned around, riding him backwards, because she knew that it was his favorite position. She was forced to close her eyes when she felt tears welling up. She couldn't believe that she was doing this.

“Ride it for me, London,” he stated as he smacked her firm behind lightly.

I should kill him right now for all the shit he's put me through,
she thought as she looked down at Jake, who was enjoying their sexual escapade with his eyes closed. He bit his bottom lip in pleasure. If she had a razor, she probably would have turned her thoughts into actions. She felt his body tense up and she knew that he was about to explode. London couldn't stand the thought of having his sperm inside of her, so she jumped up and allowed him to release his seed on the bedspread.

“Ohh . . . ohh,” he moaned in elation.

She could see him slipping out of consciousness almost instantly, his eyelids half-open.

“I love you,” he stated.

She didn't reply, but she lay beside him waiting for him to fall asleep. It never failed. Every time she put it on him, he would be knocked out for hours. She was always able to put him into a deep sleep. It had been so long since she had actually consented to have sex with him, she knew that once she gave him some, he would be out for the count.

“Jake,” she called after a half hour of silence. She waited for his response, but when she heard the light snore coming from him, she knew that it was a wrap. It was either now or never. If she didn't make it out of the house that night then she never would. This was her only chance.

She slowly moved from underneath him as the bed squeaked slightly. She frowned as her motion rocked the bed.
God, please let this mu'fucka stay 'sleep,
she prayed silently as she tiptoed around the room. She opened her dresser drawer quietly and pulled out a black and silver BCBG sweatpants and a black baby tee that had the logo across the front in rhinestones. She quickly slipped into the clothing and grabbed a couple more outfits, stuffing them into a gym bag. She grabbed her wedding ring off the dresser, not for sentimental reasons, but because she knew the worth of it. She didn't have one red cent to her name, but she knew that she could get at least ten stacks for her $100,000 ring.

Jake shifted in his sleep as he changed positions, and London almost shit bricks because she thought he would wake up and catch her trying to leave. She stood completely still until she was sure that he was still asleep and then crept with catlike skills down the wraparound staircase, grabbing her keys to her Lexus on her way out the door.

Once she was outside she sprinted to her car, threw her gym bag in the back, and sped up the street as her breathing came out in erratic spurts of energy. Her adrenaline was pumping as her survival instincts kicked into full gear. Although she was nervous as ever as she whipped the luxury car away from Jake, she felt liberated.

Now that she was out of that house there was no way that she was going back. She sped through the streets of New York. She was so anxious to see Kalil that she shed tears as she maneuvered in and out of traffic. She looked at her wedding ring and decided to stop by a local pawnshop first. She knew that she and Kalil would need money in order to get out of town. She was so close to being with the man that she loved, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

 

 

Kalil patted his daughter's head softly as she slept soundly in his lap. He knew what he was about to do was risky. If he got caught, he would be facing a life sentence in a federal penitentiary. He tried to not think of the what-ifs and focus on what was. The fact was he was broke. He was struggling to maintain and stay out of the game when everybody knew that he was born to move keys. It was what he did best. Getting money the illegal way was Kalil's specialty, and now that he had taken Jada from her mother, he definitely needed to come up on some serious cash.

June's hookup seemed to be the best way to do it. It was a one-time flip.
All I got to do is make it happen . . . make this money.
Kalil dialed the first three numbers to Hova's cell. He hesitated as he stared down at his daughter.
Be a man. You ain't ever been scared of this money before. Look at Jada, she's counting on you. You can't even get your woman because your pockets ain't healthy,
he told himself as he thought of Jada and London at the same time.

Quinn entered the apartment and noticed that Kalil was sitting in the dark. “You a'ight, fam?”

“Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking about this run. I love this little girl right here, man.” Kalil became emotional, and a tear slid from his eyes. He sniffed loudly and wiped the tear away quickly. “I can't go back upstate.”

“Yo, I'm not trying to see you get sent back up. You sure you want to fuck with that nigga June? I know he's your peoples and all, but I don't trust him.”

“I know, fam. I know you feel some kind of way about my man, June, but I think June is one hunnid. I'm not really trying to get my hands dirty like this again, but I'm a man. I got to take care of my daughter. I've been down long enough. You don't know how that shit feels, yo, to be a grown man crawling in society. I got to stand on my own two again, nah mean?”

“I would still feel much better if you let me roll. I know that I got your back, no matter what pop off. I can't say the same for your man, June.”

“Nah, bro. I need you here. If some shit do pop off, I gotta know that there's someone still here to take care of my shorty. She's my world. I'm gon' always be here, through her. As long as she's straight, that's all that matters.”

It was at that moment that he decided to go through with June's plan. He flipped up the face to his cell and dialed Hova's number.

“Hello?”

“Yo, Hov, this Kalil.”

“Kalil, how have things been for you? That legit role must not be working out too well if you're calling me,” Hova stated playfully.

“Nah, I'm ready to do me again, that's all. I know I haven't been in the loop for a while, but is that discount still good?”

“The party is still at twelve o'clock,” Hova responded in code, letting Kalil know that the price for the bricks was twelve thousand apiece. “How many guests?”

“Thirty,” Kalil replied. “They on deck?”

“Yeah. I can drop 'em off to you in about an hour.”

Kalil gave Hova directions to Quinn's apartment building and then hung up the phone. The feeling that was racing through his body was a mixture of anxiety and regret, but the deal was already done—Hova was on his way.

Kalil lifted Jada's head off his lap and stood up. He knelt beside her, kissed her forehead, and watched her sleep peacefully. He prayed to God that he'd come back home to her.