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  As Satin and Lou-Loc made to leave, Selina called her back. She pulled Satin to her and whispered into her ear. “You’ve made a fine choice, little one. The heart never lies. God bless you both.”

  Satin left the hospital feeling pleased with herself and her man. To her, a blessing from her aunt was as good as a blessing from God. She was pleased that Selina hadn’t mentioned Michael during their visit. She hadn’t yet gotten around to telling Lou-Loc about her affiliation with the rival gang. That was a week ago.

  *

  Lou-Loc and Satin spent a long time exploring each other in the shadows of scented candle light. It was as if it were the first time for both of them. Not just their first time with each other, but their first time with anyone. Lou-Loc was very gentle with her. Each time his tongue stroked her skin, she felt her nerves come alive. He kissed and sucked his way from her eyelids down to her belly. When he got to her vagina, she felt like sparks were going to pop out of her scalp.

  At first, he did it slow and sensual. He licked around it and grazed her clit with his tongue. When she tried to push his head down, he just pulled away and continued to tease her. When he finally did start handling his business, she was in another world. The way his tongue worked his way in and out of her spot, she thought she was going to pass out. She began to see spots and blurs with every stroke. It was the first time a man had ever made her orgasm, let alone with his tongue. She was into it and didn’t have any shame in her game about showing it. “Oh, that’s it baby!” She shouted. “That’s that shit! Oh, you nasty nigga you!”

  After about twenty minutes and a few orgasms, it was time to return the favor. Satin wasn’t as experienced as Lou-Loc in oral pleasure, but she wasn’t no slouch. The warmth from her mouth felt so good to Lou-Loc that he wanted to cum prematurely, but being the type of nigga that he was, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Her teeth scraped him a few times causing him to flinch, but she still satisfied him. He actually respected her more for not knowing how to give head. That showed that she had either never done it before or didn’t have much practice, unlike Martina, who was a pro.

  After a few moments of oral, Lou-Loc decided that it was time for him to bust her out. He carried Satin to the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. Lou-Loc slipped on a rubber, and tried to penetrate her. Even with the lubrication from the condom, she was still too tight. He dropped down to his knees and began to lick her spot in an attempt to add more moisture to the mix. Once she was thoroughly lubricated, he eased his way inside of her.

  He had only gotten it about halfway in when she began to whimper and cry. “You want me to stop?” he asked concerned.

  “You better not.” She said seriously. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting on this. Just keep going, I’ll be alright.”

  So keep going he did. It felt like it had been quite sometime since anyone had been inside Satin, and Lou-Loc loved her tightness. He stroked her slowly and with care at first, but once they had gotten into a rhythm, she begged him to give it to her harder. Lou-Loc was only too happy to accommodate her.

  They went at it for a good forty minutes before Lou-Loc reached his climax. After a brief intermission they were at it again. This time, they both went at it like wild animals, each one trying to out savage the other. Satin tore chunks of flesh from his back and arms while he plowed into her like a man possessed. Six position changes and an hour later, they lay in each other’s arms, and reflected on the lovemaking they had just shared.

  It was strange for Lou-Loc. For the first time in his life, he felt content. The burdens of the set weren’t hounding him, he wasn’t looking over his shoulder, and nobody was dying. Even if only for the few moments in the arms of this beautiful woman, he was free.

  “What ya thinking about?” Satin asked looking up at Lou-Loc.

  “Life.” he said smiling. The way Satin made him feel was something he’d been searching for most of his life. It was like this brown goddess was the piece he was missing. It felt so good that he wished it could go on forever. But why couldn’t it?

  Since he’d been old enough to bang, Lou-Loc had been putting in work for the set. He avenged his father’s death a dozen times over, and amassed a fair amount of paper. With the money he had put up, and his investments, he was good. Why not lay up with this bad ass bitch and live?

  Lou-Loc had a good run in the game, but time was getting short. All his niggaz was getting killed of getting football numbers in prison and Gutter getting shot hit too close to home. It pained Lou-Loc to think of his ace all tore up and shit, but he had to face the reality of the life he was living. He and Gutter had come up under the same codes, doing the same shit. Lou-Loc might have killed a few more people, but Gutter wasn’t no saint. He had much blood on his hands. The situation could’ve been reversed, and that could’ve been Lou-Loc with all those tubes running in and out of him. Satin coming to him was like God had taken a chance, and given his fallen angel a second shot at life. Hell, if that was the case, Lou-Loc had no intention on wasting it. He was going to take it and run with it.

  “Satin,” he said stroking her forehead, “I been...you know, thinking about what you said.”

  “And?”

  “Well, I ain’t gonna lie, you asking me to marry you was some weird shit, ya know? I don’t mean weird in a bad way. I mean, it caught me off guard.”

  “Yea,” she said getting up, “I played myself, right?”

  “Nah,” he protested, pulling her back down, “it ain’t like that. But are you sure that this is what you want?”

  “Listen boo,” she said in a serious tone, “life is too short to be pondering over things your heart is already telling you is right. You the one, baby. I don’t mean to sound thirsty or like I’m desperate, but that’s just how it is. I got a Jones for you, St. Louis Alexander, and I know you got one for me, so why fight it?”

  “Damn,” he said nodding his head, “that was straight forward and confident. You deep, girl.”

  “Lou-Loc, you know how I’m living, ain’t no shame in my game. You’re somebody I can build something with. You ain’t some simple ass corner nigga still trying to hustle up that Benz. You got yo shit together just like me. You and I could be serious together, as lovers and as partners. But you gotta understand, I can’t get wit no street nigga. I know you gonna be you, but lets do it the right way. Ya feel me?”

  Lou-Loc just sat back and smirked. This was a side of Satin that he hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. She was a bull when it came to something she wanted. It was an asset to her numerous other qualities. This was definitely someone he could be with.

  “Ma, you make a lot of sense. These streets put age on you quick. I ain’t even twenty four yet, and I done been through enough shit to last me two lifetimes. Maybe it is time to give the streets a rest.” Lou-Loc said.

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Lou-Loc. This shit is for the birds. Baby, write ya books and be the star you supposed to be. I’ve read your work, and I know you can do it.”

  Satin’s words of encouragement gave a boost to his ego. Not only had she taken the time to read the work he’d given her, but she liked it. Martina had never had time to read his work, let alone critique it. There was something special about her. Even though her peoples were from the other side of the color line, he decided to get over it and accept her.

  “Satin, I want to give you something.” he said reaching into his knapsack. He handed her a purple velvet box. When she opened the box, she was enthralled with the crater sized diamond.

  “Lou-Loc,” she squealed, “this is so beautiful. When did you...hold up? I know you ain’t trying to pass nothing off to me that you bought for that other bitch you was with?”

  “Nah,” he lied, “that’s just something I bought a while back. I always said I was going to save it for the day I met someone special enough to have it. Low and behold, here you go.” It was a little white lie that he told her, but technically it wasn’t that far from the truth. He had
bought the stone for Martina, but she had never actually owned it or even seen it for that matter.

  “That was sweet of you,” she said hugging him, “I’ll cherish it.”

  “Just think of it like this,” He said while putting their two rings side by side, “we gonna jump the broom, but not no time soon, we gotta get it together first. In the meantime these rings will be a symbol of our devotion to each other. When I get my affairs in order I’m gonna cop you a rock so big, that you’ll need a wheelbarrow to carry it around.”

  “You’re silly.” she said kissing him on the cheek.

  “Now, I got some moves to make, Satin. I’ll come by to check on you tomorrow.”

  “Lou-Loc, don’t go?” she pleaded.

  “Baby, you know I gotta handle business. I gotta get my affairs in order so we can do us. Within the next few days, we gonna put some distance between us and this shit hole.”

  “You serious, Lou-Loc?”

  “Am I serious? Baby, let me tell you how serious I am. When you wake up tomorrow, you go on down and tell your landlord that you’ll be moving out soon. I’m gonna float you the bread to pay off your last months of rent, so you shouldn’t have no static wit the old bird.”

  “Baby, if you ready to pull up, we can leave tonight.” she said eagerly.

  “Nah, honey.” he waved her off. “We gonna do it right. Take care of your crib and your gig. Within a week we outta here, straight gangsta.”

  As Lou-Loc headed for the door, Satin stopped him short. “Lou-Loc,” she called out, “I want you to promise me something?”

  “Anything, boo. What is it?”

  “Promise me that we’ll always be together? Baby, if I put my feelings into this like I want to, I wanna know that it’s something solid, and not just a fling?”

  “Baby,” he said pulling her close, “you’re the rainbow at the end of a storm. I wanna wake up and see your baby doll face next to me in the morning for a lot of years to come. You will forever be my heart, mama. In this life or the next, you’ll be the only girl for me.”

  “Then promise me, Lou-Loc. Tell me that you’ll never leave me, and I’m not a fool for loving you?”

  “Satin, honey, that’s a guarantee. Now, I gots to raise up and get right.’

  She didn’t want him to go, but she knew a man had to be a man, so she kissed him good night and let him go. She loved the shit out of Lou-Loc. Her biggest fear was that the streets would take him away from her before they really had a chance to appreciate each other. She had always been psychic about things like that.

  CHAPTER 20

  The penthouse of the Golden Arms’ apartment building off of Central Park west was about as plush as they came. The decorator, who was imported form France, laid it out to look like a Chinese palace. The walls were decorated with various art works from around the world. They were only prints, but it still gave the apartment an eccentric feel. As opposed to curtains, the windows were all fitted with bamboo shutters. Expensive furniture filled every room of the apartment. Even the toilet was hand crafted to certain specifications. A red carpet ran from the front door to the living room, giving those who entered, the feeling of being a celebrity. The owner liked to stroke his ego that way. This was the domain of El Diablo.

  El Diablo paced back and forth over his plush living room carpet, while Cisco looked on and smiled. “Michael,” Cisco crooned, “you’re going to upset your ulcer if you don’t calm down.”

  “Calm down?” Diablo snapped. “You announce that my sister is seeing one of the men I’m trying to have assassinated in front of those fucking apes on the council and make me look like a complete fool and I’m supposed to calm down?”

  Cisco leaned back in the recliner and lit a cigarette. He knew he couldn’t overplay his hand for fear of ruining everything. He had to nudge El Diablo on for fear of ruining everything. LC Blood would be his, but he had to be patient. “Michael,” he said exhaling a cloud of smoke, “I did things the way I did for your benefit. For one, if I told you in private, would you have taken me seriously? I told you at the council because I knew that would help you to realize the seriousness of the situation. For two I wanted all of those fucking eggplants to respect our gangsta. The streets are watching. Not only are they watching, but they’re talking. Some of our comrades feel that since you haven’t been on the scene for a while, that you might’ve gone soft.”

  “Soft?” El Diablo asked in disbelief. “I have spilled more blood on these streets than any ten of your best soldiers, Cisco. I have paid my dues.”

  “Oh, it’s not to me that you have anything to prove. It’s these fucking street rabbles that are trying to tarnish your good name. Then you got this meatball ass nigga from the other side sporting your sister on his arm which is only making things look more suspect. If you let this slide, then it’s only a matter of time before you have these fucking tar babies lining up to challenge your authority.” Cisco sat back and watched El Diablo pace the room as his words sank in.

  “You’re right, Cisco. This will not go unpunished. When El Diablo allows his own family to become Judas, he is no longer fit to lead.”

  “Just what I was thinking,” Cisco mumbled under his breath. “This is what I suggest Michael; give me a day or two to get with my contacts and I’ll have this Lou-Loc situation taken care of, but in the meantime you need to talk to Satin. We definitely have to resolve this situation but we have to do it right.”

  “Yes, I agree. I’ll talk to Satin and if she doesn’t go along with what I say then I’ll blow her boyfriend’s fucking brains out and put my foot knee deep in her ass!”

  “Now that’s the El Diablo I know,” Cisco continued to put the battery in him. He stood up and prepared to leave. “We’ll get this worked out Michael, I promise you this.” As Cisco made his way to the elevator he had to fight back the smile that was forming on his lips. Things were working out better than he had originally planned. Soon Lou-Loc would be dead, El Diablo would either be dead or in prison, either way LC would be his again.”

  *

  Lou-Loc dipped his car in and out of traffic like it was legal, feeling himself. He was on top of the world. He had some paper, a bad bitch, and a plan. In his mind he was good and no one could bring him down, or so he thought.

  The first call was to his crooked ass financial planner. He informed her that New York was no longer going to be his residence, and that he would need some cash to travel with. She assured him that he would be receiving the cash within twenty four hours, and the necessary paper work would be taken care of. The next call was to Pop Top, telling him that there would be an emergency meeting of the set leaders taking place in that night. Top kept asking him what the deal was, but Lou-Loc wouldn’t give. He knew a lot of the homeboys wouldn’t be too happy about him getting out, but fuck it. If niggaz really felt that strongly about it, they could see him in the streets. It’s not like he was abandoning them, he was just retiring while retirement was still an option.

  The hardest part would be saying goodbye to Gutter and Sharell. They were the only family he had on the east coast, so the bond between the three was strong. Sharell had always tried to tell Lou-Loc about Martina, but he wouldn’t listen. The first thing he would do when he met with her at the hospital was tell her that she was right about the broad before he made his peace with Gutter and went on with his life.

  By the time Lou-Loc made it to the hospital, the sun had set. Looking at the new evening made Lou-Loc think about Cross. He wondered if he should track his friend down and tell him that he would be leaving soon, but decided against it. He had put Cross through enough as it was and it was probably be best if he let him be, at least for a time. When he finally did decide to stab out he would tell his friend, but that night he needed to see Gutter and lay it all on the table. There was still no telling which way the wind would blow with his condition so he wanted to lay it all out for him while he still could.

  As Lou-Loc made his way through the hospital lobby, he tried to f
ind the right words, but he couldn’t. How do you tell your best friend, who happens to be in a coma, that you’re leaving, and you’ll probably never see him again? There was no easy way to say it. Lou-Loc promised himself that no matter where he was, if Gutter came out of his coma, he’d be on the first thing smoking back to his friend’s side. When he got off on Gutter’s floor, Sharell greeted him with open arms.

  “Where you been, boy?” She asked giving him her Sunday service smile. “I ain’t seen you in so long; I almost forgot what you looked like.”

  “Ain’t nothing, sis. I just been out trying to get my life together.”

  “Oh yea? I hear that. So you and that fast ass Spanish chick finally parted company?”

  “Yea, how you know?”

  “Boy, you know Harlem ain’t but so big. She was all out on the block crying and shit. She was talking bout how you left her for some square ass young girl.”

  “Yea, that’s my boo.”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “What you mean by that?”

  “St. Louis Alexander, you in love?”

  “Girl, you know me better than that.”

  “Yea, I know you and that’s why I said it. I knew from the first time you told me about her that she was something special. You know, I prayed on it for you, Lou-Loc. I asked the lord to send you someone to set yo ass straight, and in comes Miss Satin.”

  “Yea, Sharell. Satin is all that. She opened my eyes to a lot of shit. I’m trying to find a way out of this hell without doing it the way I’ve been doing it. We’ve even talked about getting married.”

  “Not you, mister player! Marriage so soon, she must’ve put that thang on you?”

  “Nah, it ain’t even like that with us. I mean we did the do, but that was after I’d been with her for a while. She’s a good girl, Sharell.”