That established the pattern for the next few months. I'd get home from school and Angel would be plopped up on my couch, wearing her 'house uniform', as she called it. Really tiny bikini panties and nothing else, and she made sure she went through some pretty elaborate stretching before giving me a kiss. "Hey, baby. "
"Hey yourself, you sexy devil. What smells so good?"
"Me, I hope. I been in heat for about three hours now, waiting on you. Oh, and there's a cassserole in the oven."
"Turn it off so it don't burn."
Every time I thought it couldn't get more intense she would surprise me. We'd collapse into a puddle when we stopped, and snuggle. Then she'd giggle and bounce to the bathroom, clean up a little, and go turn supper back on. When she was in the kitchen I insisted she wear an apron so nothing interesting got burned. She'd found a frilly little red and white gingham number that looked sexy as hell on her. It was not grandma's apron.
She'd spend two or three days and then disappear. It was getting old, but she deflected everytime I brought it up. I finally put an end to it after six months, when a friend told me she was dealin' over at Central Piedmont, the local community college. She was often seen with this huge black guy, and while they weren't affectionate, they were linked together somehow.
She was there on Tuesday afternoon, all smiles and sexy as hell. Her smile turned to a frown when I told her I wanted her key back.
"What's wrong, sugar? Why you like this all of a sudden?"
"If you don't know how I feel about you by now, you never will, but I don't need a part time woman. I need you in my bed, in my life, a hundred per cent. If you can't do it, and something makes me think you can't, then we're quits. I know you're dealing at Central. I also know who your supplier is. Big Ollie. Really? Couldn't he find a more ganster name? I'm not gonna go through life wondering when I'm going to get a call wanting me to bail you out, or watch you go to jail, because of your lifestyle. Or worse yet, get a call form the hospital or morgue wanting me to claim your body. Walk away from it. You know by now I got money and you'd be safe with me."
Honey broke into tears, that turned into wails, that went to snuffling. I tried to be strong but when she started wailing I opened my arms, and she flew into them. When she finally stopped she looked at me with the saddest eyes I'd ever seen.
"It ain't that simple. If it was you couldn't run me off with a stick. But I owe him, and Big Ollie always gets his money. Until I get him paid off, I have to keep dealin'"
"How much?"
"How much what?"
I snorted. "How much do you owe him?"
"Six grand."
"Why so much?"
"My momma was sick, and then she died. She didn't get the medical attention she needed because she couldn't pay, and who cared about a brokeass old nigger woman? He helped with the bills, then paid for the funeral. I owed him fifteen grand, and I been working for him for two years. He was willing to take it out in trade, but I didn't want to be one of his bitches on Trade Street, so he made me deal."
"Well then, we'll just go see him, give him the money, and tell him to leave you alone."
"Even if you got that kind of money, he won't let me go."
"I think he will, especially if I ask him nicely. Set it up for Friday, and if you leave before then, don't come back."
She went to the bedroom and didn't come back out. I made supper and knocked, telling her it was ready. It was pretty easy to see the tear tracks on her face. Honey was quiet while she ate, then did the dishes and tidyed up before coming into the living room and snuggling beside me.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why you doin' this for me. You're white and i'm just a ni..."
My hand was over her mouth so fast she didn't have time to blink. "I know what you were going to say. You're just a nice girl. And you're right. You know why I'm doing it, nd if you don't you're a bigger idiot than I thought possible. And just so you know, I won't allow anyone to disrespect you, even yourself. You say something stupid and see how quick that hot little ass gets warmed up."
"But..."
I cut her off again. "Why don't we both stop talking? I can think of way better things to do with our mouths."
Everytime she tried to speak for the rest of the night ended up with my tongue in her mouth. Pretty soon she stopped trying, and we went to bed. We just snuggled, instead of our usual habit of trying to break the bed. We'd already broken one, and I didn't think this one would make another month.
She was really quiet when I got home the next day. Finally, she asked me how it could happen. "You go to him, you give him the cash, wish him the best of luck, and leave. It's that simple. What's he gonna say? I don't want the money?"
"More than likely. With him, it's more about the the power than the money, and he still wants me to be one of his girls. I've dodged it by being one of his best dealers, but sooner or later he would have forced the issue. That's why I carry my knife. He might get me, but he's gonna get gaped up a little if he does."
"He ain't takin' you. When we get done he'll be so much dust under your shoes. Believe me?"
"I want to."
......................................................................
The next day, after class, I asked a guy to have a beer with me. We went to the Double Door and got a table off by ourselves. Nat was like me, a vet, but he was a bit different. Nat was about 5'7" tall, and might weigh a hundred twenty. He'd been a tunnel rat in 'Nam, and that took a whole different level of balls, crawling into the tunnels, dodging poison snakes while looking for Charlie, carrying just a pistol and a knife. I'd seen his scars once in a pickup basketball game.
He was having troubles adjusting, and I'd been sharing my homegrown with him from time to time, to keep him on an even keel. We never talked about our service, except in general terms, and I had to talk him down from killing some asshole that called him 'babykiller'. He had the guy against a wall, a Kabar to his neck, and the guy was crying, begging, and had already pissed his pants.
Once I got Nat to let him go, I gently suggest the best thing he could do was keep as much space between him and Nate as possible, and he took it to heart. If they were passing each other on the sidewalk, he walked across the street. Word got out, and most avoided him like the plague.
I laid my problem out to him. He liked Angel, a lot. Said he reminded him of his sister. A sister who'd overdosed on heroin. Except for the occasional weed, he hated drugs with a passion.
Once I was done, I asked for suggestions.
"You don't want to go in there without backup. You could probably beat the shit out of him or anyone he sends, but you can't whip them all at the same time. I'll go."
"All I was askin' for was advice."
"And I'm givin' it to you. If I'm there it might not go sideways, but if it does I got your back."
He wouldn't let it go, so I listened to his advice.
That Friday, a very nervous Angel, Nat, and I took a little trip to the projects on the south side of the city. Ollie was laid up in an apartment, and there were guys hanging around outside, his enforcers, according to Angel. They kind of grouped around us. Nat and Angel were cool, but I was a white guy and stood out.
"What you want?"
I grinned at the guy, which surprised him. The fact that I looked kinda bored didn't make him any happier. "I got business with Ollie. Now, I could go in, or you could have him come out. It don't matter as long as I get to talk to him."
Most were lookin' at me, but a few were payin' attention to Nat. Before it could get ugly I heard a booming voice. "Where the fuck you been, bitch?"
