CHAPTER 17
Nichols’ funeral was a simple one, with a few friends, family, and residents from the community coming together and collecting donations to assist with the burial. After a short ceremony, she was about to be buried in a Bronx cemetery. It was a cloudy day with graying skies, and a gentle breeze pushed through the small crowd gathered around the casket.
Kola stood next to her teary-eyed mother, who was dressed in a black V-neck dress with black shoes and constantly wiping the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. Kola wore a short black dress, revealing her substantial cl-eavage and long legs, while sporting a pair of six-inch Christian Louboutin stilettos. Feeling no desire to comfort her crying mother, she stood near her sister’s casket, wearing a pair of dark Gucci shades to hide her crying eyes. She stood still, taking no one’s hand, as the preacher led the group into a prayer.
Remaining aloof, Kola’s eyes focused on the dark brown casket that she’d paid $1,500 for. The funeral was a little costly, but Kola wanted her little sister to go out in style. She clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the three dozen white roses that decorated Nichols’ casket.
The preacher and others in attendance recited the Lord’s Prayer, but Kola played no part in it, refusing to say any verses. She was furious, not seeing Apple at the wake or the burial. In fact, it had been almost a week since she had seen her sister, and she almost went berserk thinking about how disrespectful Apple was. How fuckin’ dare she! Kola thought.
People were asking her continuously, “How is Apple holding up? I haven’t seen her around. Where is she?”
Kola tried to ignore the questions concerning her sister. She didn’t want to hear about that bitch at all. Her beef with Apple was far from over. She felt Apple left her stranded with their mother, who was in shambles. Kola felt Apple should be bearing the burden that she’d caused their already dysfunctional family. But she was MIA.
After the burial, Kola didn’t stick around to speak to anyone, not even her mother, who called out for her. She trotted off the grass-covered cemetery and headed straight to Danny, who was waiting for her in the truck parked some distance from the internment. Once inside the truck, Kola sat back in her seat and instructed Danny to drive off. Danny nodded and turned the Tahoe off the green meadow and exited the cemetery into the busy Bronx street.
Kola sighed. “Wait till I see this fuckin’ bitch! It’s fuckin’ on! She don’t fuckin’ come to our sister’s funeral? She’s a dumb fuckin’ bitch! I swear, I’ma hurt that bitch when I see her. I’ma fuckin’ hurt her, Danny. She’s so fuckin’ disrespectful.”
Danny allowed Kola to rant as he steered the truck back to Harlem. Feeling the same way, he nodded in agreement with everything Kola said about her sister.
Within twenty minutes, they were back in Harlem. Danny parked in front of Lincoln Projects and waited for Kola to go inside to get a few things.
Kola had decided to leave her mother’s apartment and shack up with Danny at his place in Washington Heights. The day before the funeral, she’d cleared everything out of her bedroom with Danny’s help, tossed her things into a large trash bag, and threw it in the back of the Tahoe. Now, she was returning to pick up the few things she’d left behind. She only took clothes, money, shoes, and other accessories she needed, telling herself everything else could easily be replaced.
On her way to Danny’s apartment, Kola told him to pull over for a moment, and he did without question. She stepped out of the truck and peered out at her Harlem hood from an uphill block that had a phenomenal view of her urban world. Kola looked down at the city and smiled, thinking about the illicit business she was putting together with her young stable of hoes. With Mike-Mike locked up, she was still going to continue on with it. It was her dream to get paid and one day run the city, and Nichols’ murder gave her that extra push.
She then got back into the truck with a mission to accomplish. She closed her eyes and was ready to go to her new home, which was a decent distance from where tragedy had struck her family.
That same night in Danny’s studio apartment, he ate her out like it was his obligated duty. Now that Mike-Mike was locked up, Danny wanted to take his place. He wanted to be the one Kola relied on, for everything.
Kola wanted to get her mind off the past and her heartache, and sex was the only way she knew how. The duo was butt naked and all over each other, stirring up the white sheets with sex and sweat.
Kola tasted the tip of Danny’s thick dick, licking all around it like it was a lollipop. She then ran her tongue up and down the base, causing him to squirm with delight from the sensation. She sucked him so good, Danny nearly busted a nut in her mouth, but he held back and allowed her to straddle him so she could feel him deep inside of her.
Kola dug her nails into Danny’s chest as he plunged into her aggressively. Then he flipped her over and continued. He held Kola tightly, panting and twisting between her thighs. Soon, he came inside her, shuddering between her legs. Kola panted too with a spent look, while lying underneath Danny’s sweaty body.
Kola needed that release, but it didn’t fully cure her anger and bitterness over the loss she’d suffered. Still, she knew that in due time, she was going to be OK. She refused to let her world fall apart, and getting money was on her mind. Getting money would be her remedy.
*****
When Apple opened her eyes in the late evening, Supreme was navigating his truck down the busy DC streets, with its hectic rush-hour traffic and network of grid-like streets named after the different states. She had slept for a long time but wasn’t expecting to be in a different city when she woke up. The four-hour drive was her first real trip out of town, not including the short venture into New Jersey for Summer Jam.
She looked out the window in awe at the city’s magnificent structures, from the soaring Treasury Building to the United States Capitol. She yearned to get a glimpse of the White House, thinking about the country finally having a black president in the Oval Office.
As the evening continued on, DC became illuminated in a mixture of colors that extended for miles. Like lights on a Christmas tree, it captivated Apple’s eyes.
“You like?” Supreme asked.
“I never really been out of New York before,” she informed him.
“It’s fun. You’ll like it here.”
“We’re staying here?”
“Nah, just taking some time away from New York to get us situated. I know you don’t wanna be around that bullshit back home.”
Apple didn’t answer him. She just continued to look out the window, taking in the city’s scenery one block at a time, her mind far removed from home and her family. With the smile she had on her face, it felt like Nichols’ murder didn’t even happen. She was too caught up in Supreme and his promises.
Supreme drove Apple sightseeing around the lively city, taking her from Foggy Bottom to the National Mall, where millions of men and women had stood in the subzero cold to witness President Obama’s inauguration. Apple was wide-eyed when she saw the White House from a distance. She wondered if the president was actually home.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I’m actually this close to seeing the White House,” she exclaimed with joy.
“Yeah, there it is. Shit, we can be the first couple and shit,” Supreme joked.
Apple didn’t know Supreme had a humorous side. He wasn’t the monster loan-sharking pervert from her Harlem neighborhood; he was actually kind to her, smiling and treating her like she was his woman. Apple became more relaxed around him and didn’t know how she’d ended up in a different state with him. Miles away from home now, it didn’t strike her that she had missed her little sister’s funeral. In her mind, Supreme had helped her escape the poverty and harshness of her old life, which she wanted to leave behind.
As Supreme merged onto the 395 expressway, Apple asked, “Where we goin’?”
“It’s a surprise,” he stated with a pleasant smile. He inserted a Jay-Z CD into his truck’s system.
Apple was relaxed. The night was covering the city, and the traffic on 395 was slowly breaking away from the earlier traffic jam, making the lanes easier to drive through.
Forty minutes later, Apple found herself at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center located at National Harbor, a few miles south of DC. It was a phenomenal-looking place, where they were met by a suited valet at the front entrance of the largest non-gaming hotel and convention center on the East Coast.
Apple stepped out of the truck and looked around in astonishment. She had never been anywhere so classy in her life. She followed behind Supreme and entered the atrium, which offered a panoramic vista of the Potomac River, two-story replicas of a colonial-era mercantile shop, and the thousands of plants and trees that provided a magnificent atmosphere. Apple had her eyes fixed on the indoor water fountain with its synchronized lights, special effects, and patriotic musical score.
“Oh my God!”
“Wait till you see the rooms,” Supreme told her.
He walked up to the lavishly designed front desk made of rich oak and marble, where there was a string of hotel clerks ready to check in the guests. Supreme addressed a young, smiling girl in a burgundy blazer and tie, with her name tag reading, Michelle. She began the process of reserving one of the suites for the night. She smiled, wished him a good evening, and began processing his information into the computer.
Apple just marveled at the resort as she stood behind Supreme. The place was the size of a football field, maybe larger, and the height extended far beyond anyplace she’d ever been. It was a sure thing that she wasn’t in Harlem anymore.
The two soon made their way through the atrium, with Supreme holding the room keys, and they walked toward the elevators. Apple strutted through the reception area in her short denim skirt, heels, and tight top. She had no change of clothes, but since Supreme had promised to take her shopping the minute they were settled in, she was ready for a new look.
Their room was located in a maze of a hallway, with its miles of dazzling red carpeting spread throughout the corridor like the yellow brick road. Supreme got one of the best suites possible, to impress Apple. He knew she had never been anywhere and wanted her to feel like he was the best thing to happen to her. He wanted to have his enemy close. It was fun for him. In fact, he marveled at how easily he had Apple wrapped around his finger.
Soon, they found their room, which was located many doors from the elevator. Supreme walked in first, turned on the lights, and then Apple followed inside, looked around the room with a thrilled smile. “Wow!” she uttered.
She wanted to run around the two-bedroom suite like a three-year-old, but she kept her composure while admiring the room, with its king-sized bed and mini-bar stocked with snacks, wet bar, and plasma TV in the living room. She enjoyed the city’s canvas and the spectacular view of the flourishing mid-Atlantic panorama from a distance through the large bay windows.
When Apple walked into the bathroom, her mouth dropped open at the marble bath with its relaxing oasis, featuring a deep soaker tub, brass accents, and a separate glass shower. Immediately she ran a bath, adding the complimentary shower gel for bubbles. Overnight, she went from the shitty, roach-infested project apartment to something royal. She couldn’t wait to sink herself in the tub and unwind for the night.
Supreme walked up closely behind her in an intimate manner as she stood gazing at the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then moved his hand up her shirt. Squeezing her juicy b-reasts, he kissed her gently on the neck and slowly began undressing his young prize.
Apple went along with the program, his touch traveling along her curves, moving down her waist with much impatience, feeling ready to shove his hand into her skirt.
Supreme slowly unzipped it and allowed the material to drop around her ankles like a puddle. Then he started stimulating her c-lit with his two fingers, causing Apple to gasp.
Supreme moved her closer to the sunken tub and removed her panties then her top. Apple stood naked in front of her adult lover and was ready to spread her legs for him. Supreme smiled, marveling at her naked curves and long, defined legs. He eyed her with a lustful appetite, ready to take pleasure in every inch of her young body and bury himself within the depths of her youthful loving.
With the water teeming with bubbles, the two slowly slipped into the soothing warm tub, and Apple, little by little, straddled Supreme’s mega inches, feeling her walls opening up with his firm thrusts. With his back pressed against the granite tub, he explored Apple’s insides. She clutched Supreme’s strapping frame snugly—her arms wrapped around him for support—panting and cringing from the crazy fucking they were doing, her face warped somewhat from the thick, long dick tunneling deep into her.
Their episode went from the bathroom to the bedroom. Apple was now on her back, her legs spread like wings against the silk sheets, while Supreme pressed on top of her, sucking on her luscious light-brown nipples as he gripped her thighs.
Apple dug her nails into his back and felt herself ready to burst, her legs quivering next to Supreme’s sides, feeling every bit of him close to her. She cried out, “Oh shit! Ugh! Shit!” Apple came so hard, it felt like her heart had stopped from overindulgence.
Supreme then flipped her over onto her stomach and fucked her hard from the back until he got his nut. Spent, Apple lay pressed on her tits. Her face was in the pillow, and her pu-ssy felt like it needed fixing from the pounding.
Supreme got up and walked into the bathroom. Apple heard the water running but couldn’t move from where she lay, her breath taken and her body numb. She closed her eyes and soon was fast asleep, naked in the bed, looking forward to a new day.
*****
The next morning was bright. Through the bay windows, the dazzling sun slowly stimulated Apple and Supreme from their slumber. They were meshed with each other, clothes scattered across the floor, their naked bodies still tingling from the previous night.
Apple was the first to rise up. She stretched, got out of bed, and walked toward the window, where the sun beamed on her through the glass. She felt the warmth of it on her naked b-reasts and peered out at the scenery. She looked down at a distant DC from high up and couldn’t wait to explore the city. She stood looking out the window for a long moment, until Supreme called out to her.
“Nice morning, right?” he said amiably. He jumped out of bed with all his glory hanging between his legs, his chiseled structure looking like a plate of armor on him.
Apple turned to greet him with a grin that the eyes couldn’t hide; she’d had the time of her life last night.
Supreme approached her, pulling her into his arms and loving the way her soft, smooth skin rubbed against him. She was only seventeen, yet her pu-ssy was sweeter than anything he’d ever had. It was like candy. He moved his hands down her curvy backside and rested it on her round, succulent ass cheeks, which felt like a cushion in his hold.
He looked Apple in her eyes and saw how childlike she was despite her womanly exterior. Even though she was from the projects, rough in a way, and had been with men before him, Supreme knew she hadn’t experienced anything outside of Harlem. She was grown in her own way, but fresh to the world outside of her own. Supreme preyed on that, knowing that when you show a young girl like Apple something new and make her believe in you, she’ll be eternally indebted.
“You hungry?”
Apple nodded.
“A’ight, we’ll get something to eat first, and then I’ll take you shopping. We gotta have you looking fresh in DC.”
Apple smiled. She couldn’t wait to try on some new threads. The last few pieces of clothing she had purchased were from the local booster, Jay-Ray. Now Supreme was promising her a whole new wardrobe.
First, the two had morning sex. This time was different. Supreme pushed her against the bed and slowly inserted his morning hard-on into her. He proceeded gently, as if he knew her vagina was still sore from the previous evening. Apple just laid on her back, and Supreme did all the work, from eating her out until she came multiple times, to him actually making love to her—soft and tenderly.
After they made love, Supreme left Apple to rest it off for a moment. “I’ll be in the shower,” he said, staring down at her with contentment.
Apple nodded as she curled into the fetal position. The morning sun still twinkled down on her with its warmth, and the only sound in the suite was the shower running in the bathroom. Hypnotized by the immense silence, she turned onto her back and sprawled out. She didn’t want to go back to Harlem anytime soon. She tried to block out her past, turn away from the trouble she’d endured. She wanted to have a new identity, become someone else entirely. She was tired of poverty. Tired of the negative abuse coming from her mother. Yes, she had love for Denise, but she was more like a peer than a real mother.
Apple lay there until Supreme came out the bathroom wrapped in a towel, his well-built body glistening with droplets of water. She looked up at him and couldn’t help but admire his physique. She no longer saw Supreme, the malicious loan shark that tormented her with the debt she owed, but the man that took her away from her problems and placed her into better circumstances.
“Hurry up and get ready,” Supreme commanded lightly.
Apple jumped up and went into the bathroom, while Supreme began getting dressed.
An hour later, they both walked out the atrium to the shiny black Escalade that the valet had pulled up front. Supreme tipped the slim, pale young boy twenty dollars, causing him to smile, saying, “Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.”
Supreme nodded. “You ready?” He looked over at Apple and marveled at the sudden transformation he made happen. He remembered a week ago she hated his guts and was repulsed by just the sight of him. Now the gleam in her eyes was a clear indication that she wanted to be close to him. It was brainwashing at its finest.
Supreme drove off the resort and headed toward 295 N, which would take them into the DC area. Forty minutes later, he parked his truck on the streets of Georgetown and took Apple into every store she could imagine. Apple was wide-eyed while strutting through the dozens of exquisite boutiques and stores in the colorful, diverse Georgetown shopping district, a truly unique experience for her.
She was ready to expand her wardrobe with the chic, trendy offerings of Tory Burch, Fendi, Diane Von Furstenberg, Gucci, Prada, and Donna Karan. Apple and Supreme walked down M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, enjoying what the shops had to offer. They also indulged in the variety of foods from the eateries in the area. They went into Burberry, Juicy Couture, Diesel, Lacoste, Chanel, and many other stores that Apple had only heard of through commercials, word of mouth, and print ads, if she had heard of them at all.
When they went into the jewelry store, she picked out a doppio cuore pendant in 18-karat white gold with full diamonds and a pair of 5-karat diamond studs. She began wondering just how much money Supreme had, as he pulled out wads of cash to pay for the high-priced clothing and other items she’d picked out. The tremendous spending didn’t seem to faze him one bit.
By early evening, Apple had about a half-dozen bags in her hands and was ready to shop some more, so she dumped them into the trunk of the truck and continued shopping. Supreme had bought Apple Chanel sandals, Christian Louboutin stilettos, Gucci bags, Diesel jeans, Diane Von Furstenberg dresses, and items as simple as a Prada wallet to hold all the cash he was going to throw her way.
In Supreme’s eyes, Apple was becoming his young protégé. He didn’t mind spending money on her. It was an investment to him, with a greater interest later on. Supreme was always about money, and he liked Apple’s style.
After shopping, they had drinks and dinner at Sea Catch Restaurant, right off M Street. Apple was taken aback by its stone walls and narrow archways. The raw bar afforded a serene view of the canal and its towpath. In the dining room, oil-burning candles were situated on the sphere-shaped tables, and there was a 40-foot oak backed by a rough stone wall.
Supreme and Apple dined on the deck overlooking the canal. She had one of the live Maine lobsters that were in the tank by the door, and he ate the filet mignon and walnut-crusted chicken breast.
After dinner, they retreated to their suite at the Gaylord Resort, where Apple tried on her items of clothing and jewelry. She stared at herself in the mirror, finally thinking she was on the come-up. She had clothing and jewelry that would easily outdo anything Kola owned. Apple wished Kola was around so she could boast about her new clothes.
Supreme rested on the bed, watching Apple with a smile. “Try on some of the lingerie I bought you,” he suggested.
Ready to please him with a show, she willingly went into the bathroom to become eye-candy for him for the evening. She stripped from her stylish outfit and slipped into a black stretch lace micro-chemise with the off-the-shoulder scalloped neckline and body-conscious shape. She stepped out of the bathroom with a pair of clear stilettos to top off the outfit and slowly modeled for Supreme where he sat.
“Nice.” He nodded in approval and watched how her curves complemented the lingerie she wore. “Nice.”
“So I take it you like the way it looks on me.”
“I’m ready to take it off you.”
Apple smiled and then went back into the bathroom to try on another scanty outfit for Supreme. She wiggled out of the first and easily slipped into a red flyaway baby doll in a mix of sheer silk chiffon and lush velvet, with the velvet burnout bikini beneath. She put on some fiery red pumps to match. She walked out of the bathroom feeling like a queen bee.
Supreme loved this outfit even more.“Yeah, I like that one, baby. It looks so good on you.”
Apple smiled. She loved it too. She loved it so much that when she went back into the bathroom, she stared at herself for a long moment and thought about her future. Apple was sure of one thing. She didn’t want to go back to her old way of living—broke, unemployed, and scared. Even though she and Supreme had their bitter differences, he made her feel special, like his queen, and opened her up to a whole new world. It seemed like, overnight, she had gone from an unspeakable nightmare to a living Cinderella. She looked at her image strongly and vowed to never go back to her old way of living; it was too painful. She wasn’t going to ever be that poor nigger girl coming up in the ghetto. She had gotten a taste of the good life, with the shopping spree, touring DC, and dining at classy restaurants, and yearned for more.