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  Dixyn’s tears flowed uncontrollably now, and it seemed like an eternity before she was able to whisper, “Yes.” Then she screamed, “Yes, yes, yes!” She admired her ring from afar and then up close. It was beautiful. Bryce chose perfectly; it was exactly what she wanted. He knew her too well. “Yes, Bryce, I will be your wife. I’ll hold you down forever, no doubt, baby.” She kissed him passionately and led him to the bed. Dixyn was immediately overcome by a heightened state of emotional bliss. She began aggressively tearing his clothes off; their desire could be suppressed no longer.

  Bryce’s heart beat wildly in anticipation of what was to come. Pure desperation drove him to quickly remove all remaining clothing.

  Dixyn gently grabbed a handful of his rock-hard manhood, fondling it before dropping to her knees. She immediately opened her mouth and lovingly licked his dick, running her tongue from the tip to the base. Dixyn’s pace was slow and deliberate as she tasted every inch of his love. As soon as she had enough of teasing Bryce, she took his shaft inside her warm, alluring mouth. Bryce knew exactly what was coming next. Dixyn gripped his dick with both hands and began bobbing her head wildly as she moved her hands in opposite directions. This was Dixyn’s signature move. It was something that drove Bryce wild. He grabbed her head as he feverishly began making love to her mouth.

  Dixyn’s head game was addictive. She could bring Bryce to orgasm in a matter of seconds; they both knew that. Tonight was like any other night and Bryce wasn’t fighting the feeling. Soon his body began to emit the faint sounds of heavy breathing and moans, which were music to Dixyn’s ears; it made her work even harder to please her man. Meanwhile, Bryce had fallen into a frenzy. He drove his dick in and out of Dixyn’s mouth, accidentally causing her to gag a few times.

  Suddenly the head of his dick began to swell and a strong surge of semen burst from the top, filling Dixyn’s mouth. “Oh my god!” Bryce exclaimed. Dixyn swallowed the fluid effortlessly and kept on going. As hard as he tried, Bryce couldn’t pry her off his dick. Dixyn incessantly attacked his member as if her life depended on it.

  For her efforts, Dixyn was rewarded with a rock-hard penis in her mouth again. Even Bryce was amazed by her sexual prowess. She had never done anything like this before. He didn’t know what had gotten into her, but he hoped that there was more where that came from. Fully erect, Bryce was now ready to be inside of Dixyn. He helped her to her feet and led her to the bed. Once there, he shoved her to the mattress.

  Bryce knew just how Dixyn liked it: rough. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to please his woman. Spreading her legs, Bryce placed her in the missionary position. Slowly he guided the head of his penis into her wet, warm vagina, filling her with every inch of his manhood. Bryce quickly skipped the loving preludes, the slow probing strokes, and began to pound the insides of Dixyn’s pussy.

  “Yes, harder, baby, right there, baby!” she yelled. “Please don’t stop!” Dixyn was far from being a dead fuck. She began grinding her hips, meeting Bryce’s every movement with one of her own. He was putting it down and Dixyn was throwing it back. A thin coat of sweat glistened on the couple’s bodies as they worked each other ferociously.

  Bryce switched positions, flipping Dixyn onto her stomach. From the back was Dixyn’s favorite position. She arched the small of her back and poked out her ass in an effort to receive all of him. Bryce knew he was hitting her spot as soon as he entered her, as Dixyn’s groans grew louder and louder. In a trance, Bryce suppressed the strong urge to come again.

  “Damn, this feels so fucking good!” she cried out. The harder and faster Bryce went, the closer Dixyn came to having an orgasm. Her excitement grew with each thrust.

  Fucking her hard from behind, Bryce could only watch as Dixyn’s body began to freeze. Suddenly, Dixyn clenched her walls tightly around Bryce’s dick, releasing her orgasm wave after wave. “Mmmmmmm,” she purred.

  Knowing that he had satisfied his woman, Bryce allowed himself to release over Dixyn’s buttocks. Then he immediately collapsed. He rolled onto his back, reached over, and pulled Dixyn close to him. She placed her head on his chest as they both lay exhausted on the bed. The peaceful silence of sleep quickly replaced the heavy breathing.

  * * *

  The loud sounds coming from the home security system jolted Dixyn from her slumber. Still groggy, it took a few seconds for the noise to fully register. Then Dixyn heard loud footsteps ascending the stairs. Frightened, she did the only thing she could do: she desperately shook Bryce until he awoke.

  “What?” he said, irritated. Bryce hated when his serene sleep was interrupted.

  “Bryce, wake up! The alarm is going off and someone’s coming up the stairs.”

  Before Bryce could respond, the cause of the security alert was at the closed bedroom door. Dixyn cringed and hid behind Bryce. In a split second, the door burst open. “DEA!” a deep voice shouted. “Put your hands where we can see ’em.” Flashlight beams suddenly illuminated the room and two husky Caucasian men rushed in, followed by half a dozen other officers dressed in black army fatigues and bulletproof vests. Dixyn was yanked out of bed naked, flung to the floor, and handcuffed. Bryce received harsher treatment, as he was body-slammed down hard and handcuffed tightly.

  “Bryce Winters?” the federal agent barked as he rolled Bryce over onto his back. Another agent came over with an eight-by-ten photograph and handed it to his superior. The first agent stared at the picture and then shone his flashlight down on his captive. “Yeah, it’s him. Looks like we came at a bad time, huh, Bryce? Looks like you and the old lady was rolling around in the sack. Hope it was good, because that is the last piece of ass you’re gonna get for the next twenty years. Unless you start liking boys.” The room burst into laughter. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak with an attorney and have one present during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you.”

  Dixyn lay handcuffed on the floor, confused, but Bryce knew exactly what this was about. He had committed a cardinal sin: selling large quantities of drugs to a customer who turned out to be a federal agent. Initially he’d had a funny feeling about the guy, but another well-trusted client had reassured him that the guy was “good money.” This momentary lapse in judgment had now come back to haunt him.

  Chapter Two

  Three months later

  “Eight hundred bucks, take it or leave it, miss, but that’s my final offer,” the pawn shop owner said.

  “But you told me on the phone you would give me fifteen hundred!” Dixyn fired back.

  “Listen, I know what I said. But—and this is a big but—that was before I saw the merchandise. I thought it was one thing; it turned out to be another. You can never be too sure about these things, especially jewelry, until you see it,” he calmly replied. “Now, as I said before, it’s eight hundred. Take it or leave it.”

  A lot had changed in Dixyn’s life since Bryce was arrested, though she felt lucky not to have been locked up along with him. Financially, things were going from bad to worse. Bryce’s impending federal trial had already exhausted any money he had stashed on the streets. Dixyn’s car had been repossessed by the dealer; the Range Rover would be taken too as soon as the repo caught up with her. The town house was in foreclosure. It seemed like every day the bills continued to mount. Her money woes were so troubling that Dixyn felt like she was losing her sanity.

  She nervously fiddled with the engagement ring that her fiancé had given her. It was more than just a ring to her. There was no dollar amount that she could place on it. Yet on the other hand, it was one of the few remaining items of value that she had left. Dixyn was torn by her need to sell the ring in order to stay above water, and the romantic notion of keeping it and suffering in silence.

  “I don’t have all day, miss. What are we going to do here?” the pawn shop owner asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Okay, I’ll tak
e it,” Dixyn said regretfully, handing over her engagement ring.

  Secretly, the man smiled. He knew he had gotten over big time on Dixyn. The resale value on that ring was a whole lot more than the measly sum he was paying out to her, but he didn’t feel one ounce of remorse. He wasn’t in the caring business, he was in the business of making money: buy low and sell high. It was business, never personal.

  “Gimme a minute. I have to write up a ticket and give you a receipt. The terms and conditions, as far as payments go, will be on the back. I suggest you read them carefully. I’ll be right back with your cash.”

  Given the depth of Dixyn’s financial woes, this money wouldn’t go far in helping her get back on her feet. As far as she was concerned, the money was already spent. Dixyn planned on using the cash to take care of some of her basic necessities, like turning her electricity back on, and whatever remained she would use to buy gas and go grocery shopping.

  Cash in hand, Dixyn exited the pawn shop, even more stressed out than when she had entered. She agonized for days over this. The engagement ring was the last piece of Bryce she had. Now it was gone. Dixyn knew she wouldn’t dare bring herself to tell him what she had done. She was too ashamed. As she drove away, her mind ran wild with all kinds of thoughts about Bryce and her financial future.

  But Dixyn was in self-preservation mode right now. While Bryce had his legal matters to deal with, she had her own day-to-day, real-life issues to address, like taking care of her daughter and keeping a roof over their heads. With her breadwinner gone, suddenly she had a different set of priorities, like surviving. Dixyn stared into the abyss of an uncertain future. With no education other than a high school diploma, her sources of income were limited at best. Dixyn knew some tough times lay ahead if she didn’t do something, and fast.

  Immediately after Bryce’s arrest, his brother B-Dub called Dixyn up and said he was going to hold her down financially. But as of yet, that hadn’t materialized. Dixyn had never even him before and hadn’t heard a word from him since. Even Kendra had warned her about this mythical dark knight who was supposed to ride into town and save the day.

  “Bitch, you better stop waiting on some nigga you don’t know to help you. You better get up, get out, and get something on your own. A nigga got you into this predicament in the first place. D, save ya’self. You are the solution to all your problems. You wait on that nigga if you want. Just don’t hold your breath. I been tryin’ to tell you how to get this money, but your uppity ass won’t listen to me.”

  Dixyn had to admit that Kendra had some valid points. Kendra was a hustler; she and Dixyn weren’t of the same ilk. Kendra was a go-getter while Dixyn was used to having everything handed to her. As long as she’d known Kendra, she always had her own shit. Fuck niggas, get money was Kendra’s mantra. Unfortunately for her, it was an attitude that got her in trouble from time to time. And now, with Bryce gone, Kendra was beginning to heavily influence Dixyn.

  After running some errands and paying the electric company, Dixyn returned home to find the lights back on. As she put away her groceries, Dixyn briefly contemplated bringing her daughter back home. She felt like she couldn’t take another day alone in the quiet house. Dixyn’s mother had been watching the child on the night of her birthday—the morning after her home had been raided, she had asked her mother to keep the child while she dealt with the mess. But the months were passing.

  Dixyn pushed the thought of reuniting with her child out of her mind. In this state, she would be unable to properly care for her daughter. Besides that, with no cable TV, no access to the Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, Dixyn would be hard-pressed to entertain her. Cable TV and the Internet used to be necessities, but they had suddenly turned into luxuries that she couldn’t afford. Now Kendra crossed her mind again, so she picked up her cell phone.

  “Well, it’s about fuckin’ time! You were supposed to have been called me back, bitch!” Kendra snapped on the other end of the line. “What’s poppin’? Where you been?”

  “Pawn shop,” Dixyn mumbled.

  “Bitch, speak up! I ain’t understand a word you said.”

  “I said I was at the pawn shop,” Dixyn repeated as her eyes began to water.

  “Doin’ what?”

  “Kendra, don’t play dumb. I finally did what I told you I was thinkin’ about doin’.” Dixyn shook her head, reliving the painful memory.

  “Oooooohhhhh! How much you get?

  “Eight hundred,” Dixyn spat.

  “Daaaaammmmmnnnn! That’s all?”

  “Yup.”

  “You lyin’!”

  “Kendra, why would I lie? That’s all I got.”

  “Girlfriend, you got more than eight hundred funky-ass dollars,” Kendra said. “You also got played. Ain’t no fuckin’ way in the world you let them muthafuckas at the pawn shop lowball you like that. You should have known better than to go for that.”

  One thing Dixyn didn’t like about Kendra was that she was sometimes quick to criticize and she didn’t always take time to listen, let alone sympathize. But regardless, like it or not, Kendra kept it real. Dixyn could have called someone else to hear what she wanted to hear, but Kendra always said what she thought.

  Dixyn snapped, “Well maybe if you would have come like you said you would, then it wouldn’t have gone down like that. Shit, what the fuck I know about pawning something?”

  “Bitch, don’t be mad at me ’cause I ain’t go! I got problems of my own. I can’t be holdin’ ya hand every minute of the day. Every goddamn day I let you cry on my shoulder. Ain’t that enough? Anyway, what else did you take up there? I know Bryce had a lot of other shit worth something.”

  “No, he didn’t. I thought I told you that already. When they raided the house, the feds grabbed all of Bryce’s jewelry and about seventy thousand in cash that he had stashed.”

  Kendra let loose a whistle into the phone. “That’s a lot of racks.”

  “Tell me about it!” Dixyn cracked. “A bitch like me could use some of that money right now. Did I tell you that the bank is foreclosing on the town house? I got the car dealer calling me every other day, saying that if I don’t turn in the Range, the delinquent payments will negatively affect my credit . . .”

  Dixyn launched into the host of financial troubles she was currently experiencing. She had never confided in Kendra as much as she did now. But she needed a confidante, and Kendra was there.

  Kendra sat on the other in of the phone halfheartedly listening while watching a repeat episode of Love & Hip Hop. She had heard this sad song before. Quite frankly, Dixyn was beginning to sound like a broken record. Kendra knew exactly how to help Dixyn out of her predicament, but her friend was either too stubborn or too scared to take her up on the offer.

  After about an hour of venting to Kendra, a realization set in for Dixyn. She had two choices: she could either keep crying and complaining, or she could do something. “Kendra, what’s up with the club?” she suddenly asked. “I’m about ready to take you up on that offer.”

  “What?” Kendra called out. “You kiddin’ me, right?”

  “Nope.”

  “Dead ass?” Kendra asked.

  “Yup. Whatever that means.”

  “I’m on my way over there right now,” Kendra announced. “Bitch, we needs to talk. Shit just got real.”

  * * *

  An hour later, Kendra pulled her red Mercedes Benz C-Class coupe into the driveway and honked the horn. Dixyn hurried to the window, peeking through the blinds before opening the door. Dixyn was glad she had showed up this time.

  “Kendra!” Dixyn greeted happily, hugging her friend.

  As Kendra sashayed inside the house, Dixyn couldn’t help but notice how her butt bulged out of her low-rise True Religion jeans. “Damn, Kendra, is it me or is your ass getting bigger?”

  “Anal sex,” Kendra replied bluntly, playfully smacking her behind.

  “What?”

  “Anal sex,” Kendra repeated. “It makes ya ass fatt
er. I been fuckin’ wit’ dis dude and that’s all he likes to do.”

  “Better hope that nigga ain’t gay.”

  “With a dick that big, it would be a shame. Besides, don’t knock it till you try it,” she joked.

  “I hear that.”

  With Kendra leading the way, the duo walked through the house until they reached the kitchen. Kendra made herself at home, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “I bought you somethin’,” she said as she rummaged around in her purse. “If I could only find it now. Damn, there it is.”

  Kendra removed a plastic bag of kush, a high-grade form of marijuana, and handed it to Dixyn, who put the weed to her nose and inhaled its aroma. The smile that adorned her face signaled her approval.

  “Here, bitch,” Kendra added, tossing her a blunt wrap from her bag. “You can’t do nuttin’ without this.”

  Dixyn caught the blunt wrap and busied herself rolling up the kush. Moments later, she was hungrily licking the blunt to seal it. She inhaled deeply while igniting the flame, then exhaled through her nose, releasing a huge cloud of smoke.

  Meanwhile, Kendra calmly removed a dollar bill from her purse and unfolded it, exposing the white powdery substance. She carefully dug her pinky nail into the mound of cocaine and shoveled hit after hit into her nostrils, then looked up to find Dixyn staring at her in amazement.

  “What, bitch? You act like you ain’t never seen nobody sniff coke.”

  “Ah . . .” Dixyn began to say. “Nothing.” She was surprised by Kendra’s drug of choice. But she was even more surprised by her friend’s lack of discretion. It was as if this was normal everyday shit for her.

  “Anyway,” Kendra said as she put away her drug, “this stripping shit is easy. All you gotta do is shake ya ass for some thirsty-ass niggas and you can get your money. Easy.”