Pointe of No Return: Giving You All I Got (6 page)

Papa’s home wasn’t filled with tons of furniture or home goods, but Demi felt like the leather sectional and mink rug was enough for the bachelor pad.

“I’m trying to get rid of that smell, I don’t be here that much,” Papa told her, coming back downstairs with a blunt in his mouth.

“And that’s supposed to help?” she asked.

Papa shrugged his shoulders. “Shit, it smells good to me.”

Demi asked for a tour but Papa told her, “Ain’t no tour. This is my crib, don’t let nobody know where you at and we good. Come on up here so I can show you how to work the remote.”

Demi had grown so used to his blatant behavior and tone of voice it didn’t even bother her anymore. She followed him upstairs and couldn’t wait to dive into the California king-size bed. It looked like it had never been slept in and Demi was about to be knocked out.

“I’m in heaven,” she said as she fell face-forward into the mattress.

“Me too,” Papa added, eyeing her now exposed butt. Demi’s dress was hiked up above her thigh. 

“This one remote works everything, movies, music, all that shit,” Papa explained to her.

“I’ma put your food in the fridge. It’s probably some Gatorade and Sprite in the pantry. I don’t have anything else here. Call me before you leave and don’t answer the door, even though nobody should be knocking.”

“Okay, basically, don’t leave from up here?” she said, taking everything he said in.

“Nah bae, I want you to relax,” he laughed.

“I’ll relax when you get back,” she told him, yawning.

“Get some rest, I’ll check on you later,” he told her.

“You’re not going to kiss me, Papa?” Demi asked, innocently.

Papa swore she said his name like he was a Don or something. He pulled his pants up over his waist and reached over and kissed her lips.

“That’s what you wanted right?” he asked, in a low and husky tone.

Demi nodded her head, unable to talk. She had missed his touch so much. That one time at his uncle’s house ran through her mind every night and at the weirdest times, but mostly when she was in the shower washing her intimate parts.

Demi was scared of what would transpire between the two of them. She felt the power Papa possessed oozing from his pores. She knew that without a doubt she would submit to him, and because this was her first time at the rodeo, Demi didn’t know if that’s how it worked or not.

She was ready to do anything for him, cook for him, pray for him, and even fall in love with him one day. Demi could totally see herself being the perfect girlfriend. She would chill out and let love and life take its course. But after a sensual kiss like that Demi wondered how long she was supposed to wait.

She didn’t want to put a time limit on her feelings with Papa. Although she had been raised on making a man wait and no one really being worthy of her time, all of that had just went out the window with that kiss.

The kiss she and Papa just shared set off every fire hydrant in her body. She wanted more and she wore a look of thirst and Papa peeped it too. But he knew Demi wasn’t ready for that just yet, plus he had something to go handle.

Demi could only muster up two words for Papa and that was, “Be safe.”

Papa bit her bottom lip and got up to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told her and left the room.

Demi lay down attempting to calm her raging hormones. She was on cloud nine which led her straight to sleep, and it was one of the best naps she ever had.

***

On the other side of town in broad daylight, Papa was chopping it up with one of his out of town homies about setting up a meeting with The Underworld.

“I don’t know about none of that, that’s why you called me?” Papa asked him.

“Man, don’t play me like a dummy. I know you getting it, just let me get in,” the dude pressed.

Papa shook his head. “I’m working at my uncle’s shop, man.”

Papa was about to dip. He didn’t like the tone the man was taking with him, and really this wasn’t even his friend, this was Malachi’s peoples.

“Let me holla at you later, I got more moves to make,” Papa told him and held his hand out for a dap. He didn’t want to turn his back on this nigga and end up with a bullet in his spine.

The man grimaced.  “You playing me like I’m a local joker, but it’s cool.  Tell Chi I’ma hit his line, I know he got me,” he said cockily.

Papa wanted to tell him Malachi was the reason he was here meeting with him today, but he had been working on bridling his tongue since everyone felt like Papa popped off too much.

“Shit, hit ‘em up,” Papa told the dude. He dapped him up and left the scene quickly. The nigga didn’t smell like the FEDS, but Papa would never put it past anybody.

He went to chop it up with his uncle at the shop before he made his way back to the crib. The time was 2:00 in the morning and Demi texted him a few hours ago saying she missed him. He responded with an, “On the way”, knowing he wasn’t nowhere near the crib.

Papa had been running the streets all day, so he was looking forward to kicking back with his girl, well his boo, young Demi.

“Rob, what it do?” one of the younger barbers spoke to Papa.

He hated when niggas that didn’t know him called him by his government. The only person who called him Rob was his Uncle Andre. Papa ignored him and went to his uncle’s station.

“What you doing out this late?” he asked his uncle.

The Barbershop never closed. At any given time of the day you could pull up to the shop and get your hair cut and chime in on very interesting conversation.

The Barbershop was a cornerstone in the hood and had been in their family for many years. It was his uncle’s prize possession and where he spent the majority of his time and bagged tons of women.  Andre loved the single women who would come in with their nappy-headed boys. Those were his favorite to take out and show a good time.

“Still talking shit, I’m about to go home in a minute,” Andre told his nephew.

Papa wasn’t worried about his uncle’s safety. Andre could hold his own, but still he rather him be home at 2:00 in the morning and not at the shop hanging out.

“Today was long and rough.” Papa stretched his legs in the seat facing his uncle’s station.

“It’s all in your eyes young buck,” Andre told Papa.

“I’m probably gone’ be in all day tomorrow. These late nights catching up to a pretty nigga.” Papa turned around and looked at his appearance.

Andre shook his head. His nephew was so stuck on himself. He was sure that if Papa never found love he wouldn’t be surprised because he loved himself enough.

“Don’t forget I’m going to see your grandma next weekend,” Andre reminded Papa. 

“I’ma go with you, just call me,” he told him.

Andre acted as if he didn’t see Papa every day, but he knew his uncle was getting old so he didn’t say anything.

“I ain’t want nothing, just stopping by because I saw your truck. I’m about to head to the crib,” Papa told his uncle.

“You must have company?” Andre asked.

Papa smiled. “Hell yeah. But it ain’t like that, we just chilling.”

“The same lil young girl from last time?” Andre questioned.

“Yeah her.” Papa nodded his head.

“You be careful and don’t catch your ass no case!”

Papa ignored him. “It ain’t nothing like that, Unc. She’s eighteen.”

“Barely!” Andre laughed. Papa ignored his uncle’s jokes only because he was the only one that could crack jokes on Demi’s age.

Papa said, “Catch you tomorrow, be safe.”

Andre told him the same and Papa walked out of the shop and hopped in his truck and headed to Demi.

When he entered his loft, Demi came towards the steps to make sure if it was him.

“PAPA?” she called out.

“If it wasn’t me, you would have been shot by now,” Papa scolded.

He would have to give Demi the rundown on how shit went, but it wouldn’t be tonight because he was too tired to be preaching and teaching.

“Come here boo,” his tone softened.

Demi came down the stairs and joined Papa in the kitchen where he was fucking the Benihana’s up.

“You didn’t want to reheat that?” she asked.

Papa mumbled, “I’m high”, which meant it didn’t matter anyway.

“How was your day?” Demi asked Papa.

‘Same shit.” He hated talking about his life with Demi; she was his escape from the streets.

Papa’s life had changed since joining The Underworld, but the difference between him and the men he considered brothers was that he genuinely loved the hood. Polo and the others had warned him about not elevating with everyone else, but Papa loved the streets, it was a part of him and that would never change.

While the other men such as Nasir, Malachi, Sean, and Roderick profited on a larger scale, Papa still somewhat hustled the block. No one understood why and they dared not question him, but Papa only had one time to fuck up or make shit hot by bringing attention to the Underworld and they were telling him either the hood or the Underworld. He couldn’t serve both.

Papa scarfed down his food down and sipped water from a plastic bottle.  “You well rested?” he asked Demi. She nodded her head. “Good, take your clothes off,” he commanded.

Demi eyed him nervously and tried to process what he had just told her.  Papa got in her personal space and removed the pajama shirt she wore, but Demi didn’t dare protest. Half of her wanted him to take control over her body, but the other half of her was seeing her mother shaking her head and wagging her finger, telling her she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

“Papa,” she said, her voice trembling. 

He ignored Demi and bent down to remove her pajama pants and socks from her feet. Papa reached up and removed his own shirt and jeans. He allowed them to drop and he climbed out of the clothing and stood before her in Polo boxers. He ran his hands down her frame slowly, awaking emotions and hormones she never knew she had.

Demi stared at him, wanting to see a warning sign in his pupils but there weren’t any. Could this encounter have a happy ending, perhaps a fairytale?  Was it even possible for him to not play her? Demi believed in love, it was evident in the stories she read to pass time throughout the summer days.

“Come on,” he told her, grabbing her hand and guiding her up the stairs.  Demi’s young body was cold from the temperature in the loft, her nipples hardened and the hairs on her neck stood up.

“Papa”, she said his name again, wanting some instructions or an outline of what was about to happen or what could happen. Demi needed a layout, a blueprint of some sort. Once they made it to his bedroom, Papa turned the lights off and lit a blunt.

Because the streetlights from the outside shone in, Demi could see him, but not as much as she wanted to. This was her first time getting a good look at his body and “covered” was an understatement for the amount of ink he had. More like smothered in tattoos; they were everywhere, his back, legs, hips, arms and stomach.

Demi wondered how someone could stand so much pain, but she knew Papa was a warrior of some sort.

“Lay with me, Demi,” Papa said, after he got comfortable in the bed.

Demi slightly laid her body on top of his, crossing her leg over his and curling close. 

Papa smoked his blunt as he reflected over his day. Although Demi was there with him she wasn’t on his mind. Papa had received enough pussy in his life to not feel the need to swoon over having a beauty in his bed. It did nothing to him. Sex was sex in his opinion, which is why he wasn’t pressed to devour her body. He wanted his uncle to move from the hood, but he knew he wouldn’t. Papa was about to set some shit up and he didn’t want him in the crossfire.

Demi ran her hands up and down his tight and defined stomach, which caused Papa to snap out of his thoughts.

“What you thinking about?” she asked him, sounding genuinely concerned.

“How you know I’m thinking about something?”

“I’m learning you, Papa,” she told him.

“You
think
you’re learning me,” he told her. Demi had so much to learn about him, but in due time, in due time….

“I can’t believe we’re lying in bed naked,” she told him in a schoolgirl voice. Oh so quickly, did she seem to always remind him of her age.

“You talked to your parents?” he asked.

Demi ignored him. “Can we go get breakfast in the morning?”

“Yeah that’s cool, so you staying over?” he asked.

Demi told him yes, then laid her head back down on his chest and her hands resumed roaming all over his body.

“Whoa,” he said once her hands somehow slipped in between his boxers.

Demi didn’t know what she was doing, but what could be so hard about touching his penis?  She knew it couldn’t be much to it, but to do it.

“Stop,” Papa told her, pulling her hand back to where it was in the safe zone.

“Why?” She cornered him for an answer.

“Because you not ready for that,” he said quickly.