The Hustler's Daughter {DC Bookdiva Publications} (28 page)

“They
killed my baby; I could have been a wonderful mother! But no those bitches did
some sucker shit and fucking jumped me and killed my baby.” She was drunk and
pissed. She let all of her feelings out.

“Yeah
we know Mercedes, but life goes on. Don’t let that bitch get to you Ma. She’ll
get hers, trust and believe that.” Candy advised. They pulled up to Mercedes’
house. She was drunk, but she still worried about her girls and wondered how
they were getting home.

“Lamar
is going to give us a ride, he’s right behind us.” Candy assured her as she
walked her inside. “We’ll be good just go upstairs and get some rest. Mercedes
opened the door and walked upstairs to find Emilio sitting on the edge of the
bed waiting for her.

“Where
were you?”

“Last
time I checked, you weren’t my fucking Daddy!” Mercedes spat.

“Whoa,
whoa, hold up Mercedes.” He noticed she was stumbling across the room as she
tried to take off her clothes. “Have you been drinking?”

“Why
the fuck do you care?”

“Because
I care about you Mercedes, I love you.” Emilio said with sincerity.

“Please
nigga!” Mercedes slurred her words and eyed him viciously. “You don’t love me,
you’re a liar…everything about you is a lie! You lied to me about your name…you
said you were from Cuba, but your ID says your from Cali. I don’t even know who
the fuck you are Emilio or Francisco.”

“I
can explain Mercedes…” Emilio tried to explain, but she cut him off.

“I
don’t want to fucking hear it! Mercedes spat. “I want you out of my fucking
house and out my life. I don’t know who you are. There’s something about you
that I hate and I don’t know what it is. Even though I love you; it’s slowly
killing me inside.” Mercedes broke down to her knees and cried. Emilio tried to
console her, but she pushed him off of her.

“Don’t
you fucking touch me!” Emilio had never seen Mercedes like this. He didn’t know
how to make it better, so he just grabbed his jacket and left. Mercedes crawled
to the bed, while still fully dressed, and cried herself to sleep. Emilio
walked outside with his fists balled up.

   “I’m
going to make her want me even more…I’ll do whatever it takes, even if that
means being the last person she can lean on.” Emilio said as he got in his car
and slammed it shut.  He had been keeping tabs on Maria for a week now and was
waiting for the perfect time to make his next move. The opportunity had
presented itself and he was ready for action.

Left for Dead

The
next morning Maria found herself home alone. She needed some rest and time to
unwind. Brenda was called in to work early and she asked Maria to take the kids
to school. She dropped them off and came right back to the empty house. She
decided she would put on some music and fumbled through some CD’s until she
found one of her favorites.  It was Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life.
She turned it on and proceeded to make some breakfast. She planned to enjoy her
‘me’ time. She began cooking and heard the doorbell ring. 

“Who
is it?” She asked before unlocking the door. She wasn’t expecting company and
only her family members knew where she was.

“Emilio!”
Maria was surprised to hear his name and wondered how he knew that she was
there. Nonetheless, she opened the door and was met with a gun to her face. Her
expression changed drastically when she knew she was in danger.

“What
are you doing Emilio?” Maria panicked.

“Shut
up and sit the fuck down!” Emilio demanded as he pulled a chair from the table
and pushed Maria down in it. He grabbed some duct tape from his pocket and
placed it around her hands and feet, preventing her from running.

 “What
the fuck do you want?” Maria asked.

 “You
know what I want!” Emilio screamed. “Where’s the fucking safe?”

“What
safe? I-I don’t know what safe you’re talking about…” Maria was genuinely
clueless to the safe and its’ contents.  Emilio struck her with the butt of his
gun, causing her to fall with the chair.  He picked the chair up and dragged
her body off the floor. He angrily pushed her back into the chair.

“Stop
it, stop fucking lying to me! I know your husband kept a fucking safe with the
money and drugs. Where is it?”

“I
swear, I don’t know.” Maria cried. She was telling the truth; her husband never
told her anything about a safe. “If I knew I would tell you, but I don’t know.”

“You’re
a lying little bitch!” Emilio spat as he pointed the gun at her.

“You
ran away from Cuba to be with Don Carter, a notorious drug dealer. It’s your
fault that your husband got killed. It’s your fault that Frank and his other
workers died. And last but not least, it’s your fault your brother-in-law Roy
is dead too.”

“What
are you talking about?” Maria had no idea what he was referring to.

“Don’t
play stupid bitch!” Emilio yelled. “You knew this whole time didn’t you? You
knew your father would come looking for you. You left Cuba without telling your
own father and you disobeyed one of his most important rules. Don’t ever mess
with any of his customers-and you did it anyway! Now look what you created, a
bloodbath for the Carter family!”

“I
had no choice!” Maria shouted. “I had to leave or my father would have killed
me and my baby. You don’t know shit! You don’t know what love is, even if it
showed up and smacked you in the fucking face.”

“I
love your daughter, and she’s falling in love with me too. And I’m not going to
have anyone standing in my way…I killed Chino, your husband, and I killed Roy!”
Emilio smiled with pride.

 “I
was sent here by your father to find you and bring you back to Cuba. I honestly
don’t give a fuck if you live or die. Niggas don’t play by the rules out here
anymore. I killed them to be with your daughter. I love her and even you can’t
stop me! I can’t allow anyone to ruin what we have and the love that we share.
That’s why it’s your time to go.”

“You
stay away from my daughter you sick bastard!” Maria spit at Emilio as she tried
to get out of the chair, but she was unable to do so. He wiped the spit off his
face and rushed towards. He wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezed. 

   “You
better keep that spit in your mouth before you won’t have a tongue anymore.
It’s time for you to be with your husband and the rest of the Carter family!”
Emilio told her. He grabbed and twisted her jaw.

“Fuck
you Emilio, go to hell!” Maria still managed to yell with his hand tightly
crushing her jaw.

“You’re
the one who’s about to feel like you’re in hell, since that’s what you put your
family through!” Emilio got closer to Maria and placed some duct tape over her
mouth to keep her from screaming.

He
poured gasoline on the floor and all around the living room. He made sure he
poured it all over Maria’s arms and legs as well. He laughed callously during
this process; he only cared about killing the last person who could come
between him and Mercedes. He pulled out a match, lit it and dropped it at her
feet. Flames surrounded Maria and jumped onto her fuel soaked skin. 

“Say
hello to Don Carter for me.” He tossed the match and stood there watching her
burn for several seconds before turning around and running out of the house.
The fire spread quickly; he needed to leave before he was trapped as well.
Emilio watched the home erupt in a ball of flames from his car. He knew Maria
was dead. He took pride in annihilating the entire Carter family. Emilio beamed
with pride that he was able to carry out such a difficult task. He would
finally have Mercedes to himself and there was no one who could stop him. He
figured with her family dead, her only choice would be to lean on him. He was
ready to take care of her in her vulnerable state. Piece by piece, his plan was
starting to come together.

xxxxxxxxxx

   It
had been a few days since Mercedes last saw Emilio. He constantly called her,
but she sent his calls straight to voicemail. When she wouldn’t accept the
calls, he showed up at the house. She pretended she wasn’t there. She really
cared and had love for Emilio, but she didn’t know the real him. She often
wondered why he kept secrets from her and hid his true identity. She couldn’t
be with someone who wasn’t truthful.

One
day while Mercedes lay across her bed reading, she heard the doorbell ring. She
knew it wasn’t any of her friends; they always called to let her know they were
coming.

“Who
is it?” She asked, while waiting for a response. Her heart jumped in her throat
when she heard the voice on the other side of the door.

“It’s
Emilio.” He was hoping for a chance to talk with her.

“What
do you want Emilio…I mean Francisco.” Mercedes mockingly said. She leaned her
back against the door.

“Please
Mercedes, open the door and let me explain.” He begged and pleaded as Mercedes
rolled her eyes. She eventually unlocked the front door and folded her arms
across her breasts.

“Can
I please come in?” Emilio asked. Mercedes looked down and saw he was holding a
bouquet of red roses in his hand. He tried to hand them to her, but she ignored
them and stepped aside. She was allowing him inside, only for a minute.

“I
brought these for you.” Emilio presented her with the flowers. They were
accompanied by a weak smile.

 “Put
them on the table.” Mercedes rudely responded as she eyed him up and down.

“I’m
here to apologize Mercedes. I’m so sorry I lied to you about who I am. I’ve
just been through a lot. I changed my name when I came here. I was born in
Cuba, but I moved to California. I didn’t like the person I was in Cuba; I
wanted to start over.  I understand if you don’t want to forgive me. I just
want you to know I want to be with you. I want you to love me for me and not my
past.” He grabbed her hands to appear more genuine.

“Okay,
are you done?” Mercedes uncompromisingly asked.

“You’re
so damn arrogant.” Emilio smiled. “Please Mercedes, just give me another
chance. I need to prove myself to you. I want to show you how much I really
love you. You’re the woman of my dreams.” He gently grabbed her hands and
kissed them. “Let me make it up to you, PLEASE!”

“How?”
Mercedes was interested to know how he was going to make up to her this time.

“A
vacation for two, you and me in the Bahamas for three days. How does that
sound?” Emilio pulled out the tickets and flashed them in Mercedes’ face. “You
know you want too!”

   “When
are we leaving?” Mercedes smiled and her façade of anger quickly faded. She
definitely needed a vacation. She had seen the beauty of the Bahamas in
pictures; she was ready to see it up close and personal.

   “We
can leave today, if you want.”

   “I’m
not packed or prepared to up and leave just like that.”

   “You
have until twelve-thirty, so get ready.” Emilio winked at her. He knew he had
her under his spell.

   “Boy
you are so slick. You knew you would get me.” She playfully nudged him in the
shoulder.

“I’m
going to go pack so we can leave.” Mercedes ran upstairs to pack her things.
She immediately pulled out her pink Louis Vuitton bag and began stuffing
clothes and bathing suits inside. After she finished packing, she ran down the
steps and found Emilio sitting on the couch reading a XXL magazine. She was
ready to head to the airport. 

They
left in his car. Mercedes was excited and dialed her mother’s number. She
wasn’t able to reach her. She was a bit concerned because it had been a few
days since they spoke. They usually spoke daily. Emilio noticed her discomfort
and reached over to touch her leg. 

“Babe,
are you okay?”

   “Yeah,
I’m fine.” Mercedes smiled. She was trying to put the worry out of her head as
they arrived at the airport. She smiled and placed her hand on top of his. She
wanted to make the best of the situation, but her nerves were telling her
otherwise.

You and I

   The
Bahamas was a dream come true for Mercedes. She had dreamed to visit this place
since she was a little girl. They got off the plane and took a cab to their
hotel, which happened to be one of the most expensive in Nassau. As they
entered their room and settled in, Mercedes walked over to the window.  She saw
a magnificent view of the waters. It was breathtaking.

   “Babe,
get ready. We’re going out to get something to eat.”  Emilio said to her. He
wanted to show her a good time and help her forget about everything. She did as
she was told and proceeded to get ready for dinner.

They
entered the dining hall and were escorted to their table. Within minutes, they
were enjoying their meal of exotic seafood and pasta. Emilio looked at her in
amazement and satisfaction. He raised his glass to her and began to speak with
emotion. 

“I
want to let you know, Mercedes, that I love you. I finally have you to myself
and you’re all mine. It’s just you and me against the world. No one can ever
come between us.” Emilio smiled as he reached across the table and kissed her.
“A toast to you and me.”

Mercedes
smiled as she raised her glass. After they finished eating their meals, Emilio
grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear. “I want to walk around on the
beach.”

   “Alright,
let’s go.”

Mercedes
and Emilio took a stroll down the beautiful beach and walked hand in hand. The
sun was already set and the light from the restaurants shone onto the sand.
They stopped briefly to look at the stars. Mercedes gazed at the sky as she
leaned her back head onto Emilio’s chest while he embraced her from behind. No
matter what happened, she always thought of Chino when she looked at the stars.
A single tear fell from her eyes and landed on her cheek. Through her tears she
still smiled, for she knew Chino was looking down on her and protecting her.

“This
is beautiful.” Mercedes smiled. Emilio stood behind her and kissed her on the
neck.

   “Not
as beautiful as you.”

   “Oh,
is that so?” Mercedes turned around smiling and wrapped her hands around his
neck and kissed him on the lips.

   “Yes,
no one is as beautiful as you Mercedes.” Emilio assured her. “Well you’re
almost as cute as me.” Emilio joked.

   Mercedes
giggled and playfully pushed him in the sand. She hopped on top of him to give
him a passionate kiss.

   “Emilio,”
she stopped briefly and looked him square in the eyes.

   “Yes
Mercedes.”

   “I
just want to apologize for that night when we were arguing. I’m just going
through a lot and I don’t know what I was thinking…” He cut her off by placing
his fingers up her succulent lips.

“Shh,
Ma, I understand. I’m not mad.” Emilio assured her. “Just make love to me.”
Mercedes slid her tongue inside of his mouth and they danced to the tune of
their beating hearts. She pulled up her skirt and he slid her panties to the
side and positioned himself beneath her. He opened his zipper and his erection
popped through his boxers. She discreetly sat on his lap and began moving up
and down as she rode his dick.  This was her first time making love on the
beach, and she was enjoying it.

They
both moved in unison to the waves crashing ashore. Emilio slipped her breast
out of her top, freeing it to roam his lips. Mercedes moaned as his tongue
tickled her nipples. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as he ran his
fingers through her hair. The speed increased and they both became more
aroused.

 “Mercedes!
Ahhhh, Mami.” Emilio yelled her name and held onto her hips as she worked it.
Mercedes smirked as she noticed him moaning and groaning. She was putting it on
him.

   Emilio
couldn’t take it anymore and flipped her over into the sand. They were under a
sand dune and it was dark, but they didn’t want to take chances. He straddled
her and with every stroke Mercedes scratched his back. He crammed his meat into
her body. She looked into the sky and watched the stars dance. She couldn’t
help but think of Chino. Her heart wanted what it wanted, regardless of who she
was with. As much as she wanted to let go, a piece of her always remained with
Chino. Her thoughts were invaded by Emilio’s voice as he whispered to her
softly during climax.

   “I
love you Ma.”  He then released his seed in her and they breathlessly collapsed
onto the sand.

xxxxxxxxxx

After
their midnight rendezvous on the beach, Mercedes woke up in bed with no clue as
to how she got there. The sun beamed into her eyes and she looked around in the
bed and didn’t see Emilio. 

   “Emilio!”
In he walked wearing only boxers and holding breakfast on a tray.

   “Good
morning Babe.” Emilio greeted her and walked over to the bed and placed the tray
of food on the bed.

   “Morning.”

“Damn,
Baby something smells good.” Mercedes reached over and kissed him on lips.

 Mercedes
eyed the tray of food.  It was French toast, sausages, eggs and pancakes. She
licked her lips as her stomach growled. “You made all of this for me?”

   “Yes,
all for you. I already ate.” Emilio plopped down on the bed and turned on the
TV. He relaxed while watching SportsCenter and Mercedes indulged in her
breakfast in bed. 

   “Damn,
you were really hungry Baby?”        

“Yeah
this food was delicious.” Mercedes placed the tray on a table and sat back with
a pillow behind her back. She lay back on the bed and Emilio made his way
between her legs.

“I
bet you taste better.” Emilio reached over and removed the sheets from her nude
body. He began placing kisses on her taut stomach. He explored her mound and
traveled down to her clit. He slowly kissed it. He kissed soft and slow and
Mercedes moaned as her legs quivered. Climax was imminent and Emilio took it
all in. He enjoyed her and cleverly smiled as she looked at the ceiling. She
was spent.

“Well,
I was right. You do taste better.” He said while licking his lips.

   “Yes
I do, I’m going to get dressed. I don’t want to spend all day in bed, although
it would be nice.” She got off the bed and headed into the shower. She turned
the water on and began lathering up. Soon, Emilio came in and wanted to join.

“May
I join you?” He asked.

“You’re
already in here.” Mercedes chuckled. Emilio got behind her and caressed her
body. They both began to get aroused again.

“Let’s
stop before we stay in the shower for hours.”

 Mercedes
winked at him and washed up. She left him in the shower and threw on her outfit
for the day. She chose to wear a black Gucci bikini and shorts to match. She
wanted to relax and maybe swim a little. Her goal was to enjoy this vacation as
much as possible.

“Babe,
come on. I want to show you around and take you shopping.” Emilio yelled out
from the bedroom.

   “Alright,
I’m coming.” Mercedes applied her clear lip gloss and walked in to find Emilio
just getting dressed.

   “You
were rushing me and you ain’t even ready.” Mercedes lightheartedly rolled her
eyes.

   “My
bad Babe, let’s roll.” Emilio smiled.

Mercedes
wrapped her arm in his and they left to spend the day together. They hopped in
a cab and explored all the sights. They shopped and ate and enjoyed themselves
a great deal. They exited the Versace store and made their way back to the
hotel to drop off their bags. After they did, they ventured out to the beach.
Reclining in a lounge chair, Mercedes closed her eyes and soaked in the
Bahamian sun.

   Emilio
sat on the edge of the chair. He was chilling and looking as the sun shone on
her body. The sun tan lotion she wore made her skin sparkle. Her bikini showed
off her sexy body and flat stomach.     

“It
feels really good out here, doesn’t it Babe?” Emilio asked as he looked around
and enjoyed the beautiful view.

   “Yeah,
it really is perfect out here.” Mercedes said.

   “I’ve
been thinking…what if we could move out here?” Emilio asked.

   Mercedes
sat up in horror at the thought of leaving her mother behind. Her heart
literally began palpitating. She didn’t know if the sun was making her hot, but
she began sweating profusely.

“I
can’t leave my mother, she’s all that I have left.” A tear formed in her eye as
she thought of being away from the one person she had left who represented the
Carter name. 

   “Babe,
you have to learn that when you grow up you move on from childish things. You
have to do things on your own. Your mother won’t always be there.”

Mercedes
looked away and Emilio put his hand on her thigh. “Are you alright Mercedes?”
Emilio noticed she was silent for a while.

“Yeah,
I’m fine Emilio.” She looked at him with a smile and turned away.

“Are
you sure? You don’t look too sure.” Emilio wanted to know what was going
through her head. He placed the seed of doubt into her head. He was trying to
make her understand that she would be able to survive without her mother. He
needed to make sure that his point was well-taken.

“I
still haven’t heard from my mom. I have a weird feeling that something terrible
has happened.” Mercedes took a deep breath.

“Maybe
she’s on a vacation or something.” Emilio was trying to make excuses. Mercedes
cut him off, she knew better.

“No,
that’s not like my mother. She would have called. We usually speak daily; she
would have wanted to know if I was out of the country.”

Mercedes
got up from the chair and grabbed her towel. She walked away from Emilio. He
called out to her, but she ignored him. She wanted to be left alone. She headed
toward the elevator and decided to try once more to reach her mother. After a
couple of rings it went to the voicemail. Mercedes decided to leave a message
to let her know she was worried.

“Hey
Ma, it’s Mercedes and I’m really starting to worry about you. Please, can you
give me a call to let me know that you’re okay? Alright love you Ma.” Mercedes
hung up the phone and got on the elevator heading up to the room. Once she
arrived on her floor, the elevator doors opened. She got off and approached the
room. She opened it with the keycard and immediately began stripping into more
comfortable clothes. She was overcome with anxiety. She walked out onto the
balcony to clear her thoughts. Emilio walked in and interrupted her train of
thought. However, he didn’t deter her from speaking her mind.

“I
want to go back home.” Mercedes said.

“Why?”
he asked.

“Emilio
please, I want to go home!”

Mercedes
turned to him and spoke gently with tears in her eyes. “I want to go back home,
if that’s okay with you.” She walked back inside and sat on the edge of the
bed.

“Alright
Mercedes, we can leave tonight.” Emilio sighed. He watched her pack her things.
His plan failed and she still wanted to leave. Some things couldn’t be avoided;
Mercedes would soon have to depend on him for everything.

She
continued trying to reach her mother to no avail. Frustration was written on
her face and Emilio saw it. The plane ride was a silent one. Neither of them
had nothing to say. He thought the choices he made on her behalf would make
them closer. In actuality, it would tear them apart.