Knee Deep in the Game Read online

  Fresh piped his girl down until he couldn’t take it anymore. As soon as he was about to explode, he quickly pulled out and came all over Amanda’s fat, but firm butt cheeks. Before he could even finish putting his clothes on, he noticed that Amanda was already falling asleep.

  “My work here is done,” Fresh said, chuckling, as he headed out the door.

  Chapter Two

  “Boy, get your lazy ass up!” Teresa yelled, poking Pop in the ribs with a broomstick.

  “What you want?” Pop growled, wiping the crust from his eyes.

  “I want you to get a job and go to school, but we know that’s not happening, she said, rolling her eyes. “Go to the store and get me a loaf of bread.” Teresa tossed Pop three quarters and began to walk out of the room.

  “Yo, dis not even enough,” Pop called back angrily.

  “Make it enough,” Teresa shot back, snaking her neck.

  “I can’t wait ’til I get some money so I can get the fuck up out of here,” Pop huffed as he stormed past his mother.

  “I can’t wait either, mu’fucka!” Teresa yelled over her shoulder before Pop walked out the door.

  “A yo, ock’ I’m going to need some bread, but I only got seventy-five cents. I’ll pay you back when my moms get her welfare check,” Pop said, feeling embarrassed that he was short again.

  “It’s okay, B. I know how it be sometimes,” the Arab responded, trying extra hard to sound cool.

  As Pop exited the store and headed toward his building, he saw an old lady coming in his direction. He noticed she was wearing way too much jewelry for a woman of her age. Fuck, she walking around here jeweled from head to toe? I should take that shit just because she ’s asking for it, he thought as he eyed the woman.

  “Nah, I’m not robbing no old lady,” Pop said, trying to talk himself out of doing something stupid, but he just couldn’t resist. His main objective was to save up enough money so he could move out of his mother’s house, and that old lady was the perfect come-up.

  When Pop got close enough to the old lady he quickly snatched her necklace, followed by her pocketbook. Once he had what he wanted, he violently pushed the old lady to the ground as he took off running into his building. When he made it upstairs he made sure he caught his breath before entering his house to avoid any unnecessary questioning from his mother.

  “What the fuck took you so long?” Teresa barked.

  “The store was crowded,” he lied.

  “Yeah right, you lying bastard, that’s why I hate sending you to the store,” Teresa snarled as she snatched the loaf of bread from his hands.

  “If I take so long, then go to the store yourself next time,” Pop said with ice in his tone, as he walked back out the door.

  “You better watch your nasty-ass mouth, boy, before you get your ass whipped in this mu’fucka!” Teresa yelled, hoping Pop heard her.

  Pop headed straight to the staircase, where he left the old lady’s pocketbook.

  “Jackpot,” he said, finding $400 cash in the pocketbook.

  “Fuck that, I need this more than her,” he reasoned as he tossed the pocketbook on the staircase floor and headed outside.

  When he stepped outside, he saw a big crowd in front of the next building.

  “What the fuck is going on over there?” Pop wondered, looking at the sea of black faces.

  When he got closer, he saw that it was just Fresh and his crew that drew all the attention.

  “Fuck them niggas,” Pop said to himself as he sat over on an empty bench. He didn’t know Fresh, but he knew who he was and what he was about, and so did everybody else who lived in the projects.

  Pop sat on the bench, watching Fresh’s crew sell drugs like it was water. “Them fools don’t even know what to do with all that money,” Pop commented bitterly as he imagined himself being in their shoes.

  Ten minutes later he noticed some diesel guy walking toward him. Pop, not being a fool, could smell beef from a mile away. He knew that there was bad blood just from the screw face that the dude was giving him. Pop quickly hopped up off the bench to stand his ground.

  “Hey, my man, is your name Pop?” the big guy asked, cracking his knuckles.

  “Maybe,” Pop answered nonchalantly as he pulled up his sagging pants and stared the dude directly in his eyes. Despite the fact that the guy was twice his size, he was determined to let him know that there was not a bitch bone in his body.

  “Yo, I don’t got time for games. Either you Pop or you not! That mu’fucka robbed my grandmother. You better hope you not him!” the big man yelled, talking with his hands and making a scene. Pop had learned early on that a loud nigga was a scared nigga. If someone really was about their business then all the talking wasn’t necessary.

  “So you wanna fight over an old wrinkled bitch?” Pop said as he threw a quick jab, catching the big man in his mouth.

  “That’s all you got?” the big man asked, not even being fazed by the jab. In one quick motion the big man threw a wild haymaker, trying to take Pop’s head off.

  Pop quickly sidestepped the haymaker, and caught him with a short left hook followed by a right uppercut.

  “Yo, them niggas over there getting ’em on,” Fresh said as he and the whole crowd headed over to see the fight.

  The big man knew his hand skills were no match for the young kid, so he went to plan B. He grabbed Pop in a bear hug, and then belly to belly slammed him on the hard concrete. The impact of his back against the concrete knocked the wind out of Pop and he grimaced in pain as the whole crowd erupted in oohs and aahs when they saw Pop get slammed to the ground. “Goddamn,” some kid in a white T-shirt said, looking on in amazement.

  Once the big man was on top of Pop, he started throwing punches from every angle. Pop did everything he could to get the big man off him, but nothing he did seemed to work, so he just balled up in a fetal position, trying to block as many punches as he could.

  When Fresh saw the fight getting out of hand, he quickly stepped in and broke it up.

  “Yo, that’s enough. Get off the li’l nigga,” Fresh said, pushing the big man off of Pop.

  “Don’t put your mu’fuckin’ hands on—” The big man held on to the rest of his sentence when he realized who had pushed him.

  “Get the fuck up out of here,” Fresh nonchalantly said, dismissing the big man. Without saying a word the big man walked off a winner, but felt like a loser inside.

  “Yo, shorty, you okay?” Fresh asked, helping Pop get back to his feet.

  “Yeah, I’m good, I had that clown right where I wanted him,” Pop responded as he dusted himself off and headed toward his building. Fresh stood silent as he watched the young soldier walk away with his head held high.

  “Little mu’fucka got heart,” Fresh said to himself as he watched Pop walk away. “Yo, Rusty, who is that li’l nigga?”

  “Some li’l street punk, he’s a real scumbag, loser-type nigga,” Rusty answered, laughing.

  “I like that li’l nigga’s style,” Fresh said to himself as he hopped in his Range Rover and peeled off.

  Amanda sat on the 1 train watching two bums sing and dance for spare change.

  “Some people will do anything for a high,” she said to herself as she finished watching the bums perform. Amanda hated riding the train in New York; there were just too many people in the city. She was going to take her road test in a week, because Fresh wouldn’t let her drive without a license and when she did, she wouldn’t be caught dead on another train. She used to always get Fresh to drive her places, but after a while he put an end to that. He was a busy man and didn’t have time to be driving her all over the place, so he told her if she was tired of taking the train, then she better learn how to drive.

  When Amanda finally made it home she stripped naked and hopped in the shower. She aimed the shower head directly on her face and let the warm water massage her scalp as she washed her sins away. After her shower she laid spread across her king-sized bed, naked. Her fingers be
gan to take on a mind of their own as she fondled her nipple with one hand and rubbed her clitoris in circles with the other. Feeling her sex rise and the sticky wetness on her fingertips, she tasted herself, putting one sweet finger in her mouth. She was horny and needed her man.

  I wonder what Fresh is doing? she thought to herself as she picked up the phone and dialed his number.

  “I thought you forgot about me for a minute,” Vanessa said as she answered the door naked. As Fresh stared lustfully at Vanessa’s voluptuous figure, he licked his lips in anticipation. She was so different from Amanda. Her five feet five inch frame, wide hips, and firm behind were the complete opposite of Amanda, but he was feeling her all the same. He was a hustler who could have any chick he wanted on his arm. He knew it was wrong, but it was all in the game. Although he loved his girl, one woman wasn’t enough. New pussy always excited him, which is why his dick rocked instantly at the sight of Vanessa’s flawless body. He adjusted his hardness in his jeans as he stepped into her apartment.

  “You know I was coming to see you, I just had to take care of something real quick,” Fresh responded, looking at Vanessa’s body glowing from all the baby oil she covered her body with.

  “Come give me some love, I haven’t seen you in two weeks,” Vanessa said as she jumped up on Fresh, wrapping her legs around his waist.

  “I missed you baby,” she whispered as she gave Fresh a wet, sloppy kiss.

  “I missed you, too” Fresh replied, roughly tossing Vanessa on the bed.

  “Bring that dick over here,” Vanessa said once all of his clothes were removed.

  Vanessa aggressively slammed him on the satin sheets that laid on her queen-sized bed. She straddled her legs on Fresh and winced as he spread her love wide open with his thickness. Vanessa bounced until he filled her, then contracted her muscles as she lifted her knees and slid up and down his pole. Fresh lifted his head to watch his member disappear into her flesh and he rotated his hips in an attempt to match her stroke. Vanessa abruptly stopped and kissed his lips before swallowing his dick down her deep throat. She licked him from the tip of his manhood to the entrance of his backside, while she stroked him and fondled his balls.

  “Oh, shit,” he moaned as he put his hands in her hair and guided her up and down, making her appear as if she were bobbing for apples. She hopped back on top and rode him backward, giving him a magnificent view of her voluptuous ass cheeks. He parted them, wet his finger, and tickled her crack.

  “Boy, you know that makes me cum,” she whined. “Stop, Fresh ... I want to ride this dick all day.”

  Her pleas fell on deaf ears, because Fresh continued to stroke her crack until he reached her anus. He stuck a finger inside and she sucked him in like a vacuum. She began to ride him faster, her big behind bouncing on his balls, causing shivers to run the length of his spine. She worked her muscles and clapped her ass cheeks all while he fingered her hole until they both climaxed in ecstasy. The ringing of his cell phone interrupted them. Fresh tapped her on the behind gently, signaling for her to get up so that he could retrieve the call. He reached for his pants and looked at the caller ID to see that it was Amanda. He put his finger to his lips to signal for Vanessa to be quiet. She rolled her eyes, knowing that it had to be another bitch and got up from the bed as Fresh took his call. She wanted to tell him not to disrespect her by talking to his chick right in front of her, but she knew her place. She was happy to just have her spot in his life. A lot of women around her way would kill to be Fresh’s side chick, so she had to play her position. She’d rather be number two than have no spot on the team at all.

  “Hey, baby, what’s good?” he answered.

  “Nothing. I was thinking about you. What you doing?”

  “Chilling down town with this nigga, Rusty,” Fresh lied.

  “Okay, baby, handle your business. When you finish, come by and check me, if it’s not too late,” she said, her woman’s intuition kicking in, making her feel insecure.

  “I got you, baby,” Fresh replied, flipping his phone closed. He looked toward Vanessa, who wore her heart on her sleeve. Her quivering lip, folded arms, and sad eyes were a clear indication that she was unhappy.

  “How long am I going to be a secret?” Vanessa snarled, snaking her neck.

  “Come on, don’t start that shit,” Fresh warned, brushing past her as he headed to the bathroom to clean up.

  “Fuck that shit,” Vanessa sighed. “I ain’t nobody s secret, mu’fucka. I don’t know why you always fuckin’ with them Dominican bitches, anyway,” Vanessa screamed loud enough so Fresh could hear her.

  Fresh sighed and smartly replied, “Because Dominican bitches don’t get at me with all that lip.”

  Vanessa stuck up her middle finger and he shook his head.

  “Yo, listen this ain’t no Dominican and black thing, I fuck wit’ who I’m feeling, you dig? I don’t want to hear that bullshit come out your mouth again,” he stated firmly.

  “I’m sorry, baby, I just want to be your main chick, you can’t be mad at that,” Vanessa said as tears flowed freely down her face.

  “Vanessa, I don’t have one main chick. Every chick plays a certain part in my life, smell me?” Fresh said, wiping away her tears.

  “Yeah, I understand,” Vanessa slurred.

  Deep down inside Vanessa really loved Fresh, but she knew she would never be Fresh’s number-one chick. She knew that she was playing herself by allowing him to have her and any other woman he wanted as well, but it was all in the game. She knew that he would never love her the way that she did him, so she took the little pieces of himself that he was willing to share. The lonely nights and broken promises were not enough to make her let him go. Fresh had gotten inside her head, which is why she put up with his shit. As Fresh put his clothes back on, she wished that he could stay, but she decided not to even make herself look stupid by asking.

  “Okay, baby, be careful out there,” Vanessa said, kissing Fresh on his lips as she watched him walk out the door.

  When he stepped foot out of Vanessa’s building he was met by Rusty and Pooh Bear.

  Pooh Bear was a nineteen-year-old fat kid who would do anything if the price was right. He had been working for Fresh for a year and a half; he and Rusty were the only two loyal enforcers Fresh had left; everybody else were just workers and runners.

  “Pooh, what’s popping?” Fresh asked, giving the young man dap.

  “Out here chasing the dollar as usual,” Pooh replied.

  “Yo, I’m going to need you to go to Queens and pick up that package Bamboo got waiting for me,” Fresh instructed.

  “Say no more,” Pooh said as he walked to the corner to wave down a cab.

  “Yo, I’m going to need you to do me a favor too,” Fresh said, looking at Rusty.

  “I need you to go to 142nd and Broadway and see why Papi and the rest of them Spanish mu’fuckas are taking so long to come up with that paper. After you talk to them clowns hit me up and let me know what’s good.”

  “It’s already done, my nigga,” Rusty responded as the two men went their separate ways.

  Chapter Three

  “Damn, I have to hurry up and find me a vic, Pop said to himself as he noticed the sun starting to go down. Once again, Pop was starving. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, but to him this was a daily routine. It was the same struggles a different day.

  As Pop sat on the bench thinking about his next move, he saw his dream girl walk past, looking sexy as usual. Her long brown hair hung down to her butt, with her bang barely touching her eyebrows, and to top it off her ass was so big it looked like two asses in one.

  “That’s my word, that girl is going to be my future wife,” Pop said to himself as he studied the Dominican girl as she walked through the projects to get to her building.

  Pop’s whole facial expression changed when he saw his dream girl stop and start talking to Fresh.

  “Damn, that nigga got all the hoes,” Pop said, admiring the young street legend.
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  “What you doing getting in this late?” Fresh asked as he stopped Melissa in front of the building.

  “Nothing, I stayed after school for some extra credit,” Melissa answered. “I’m surprised you’re not upstairs with my sister,” she said, letting out a light chuckle.

  “Nah, I’m about to head downtown in a minute, but tell Amanda I’m going to call her later on tonight.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell her. Be careful,” Melissa said as she headed into the building.

  As soon as Pop was about to give up and go home, a miracle happened.

  “Excuse me, do you know which building is 3758?” a middle-aged white man asked.

  “Yeah, it’s right there,” Pop said, pointing toward a building.

  When the white guy looked to see which building the helpful young man was pointing to, Pop had already knocked him out with a sharp right hook to the temple.

  He quickly searched through the white man’s pockets, until he found the man’s wallet.

  “Good-looking fam,” Pop chuckled, stepping over the white man’s unconscious body.

  When Fresh saw what happened a big smile appeared across his face. That li ’l nigga gives no fucks. He ruthless.

  “Hey, yo, shorty!” Fresh yelled.

  “What’s poppin’?” Pop asked defensively.

  “Nice work back there,” Fresh said as handed the young warrior $500 dollars.

  “I’m looking for a good soldier like you. I been seeing you put in a lot of work around here lately,” he told Pop.

  “I’m just trying to eat, man. I got to do me,” Pop said honestly.

  “What’s your name, shorty?”

  “Pop,” he answered.

  “Everybody calls me Fresh. How ’bout you come take a ride with me?” Fresh posed it as a question, but it was more like a demand as he stepped away from the building, knowing that Pop would follow.

  “A’ight bet,” Pop replied.

  With no hesitation he hopped in the passenger seat of the Range Rover.