A/N: Hi, guys! Yayyyy! I updated again! This chap's a good one, so get ready! Follow, fav, and review!
I DO NOT OWN THE BOONDOCKS!
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~Jazmine~
My Über drops me off back at the hotel we're staying at, and I run inside, keeping my head down to hide my tears. My phone is blowing up with Huey's text, but the last thing I want to do is look at any of them right now. I enter the elevator and let it take me to the eighth floor, where I find our room and go inside. Caesar is lounging on the couch and scrolling through Instagram. He perks up at my entrance and is taken aback by my tears and glassy eyes.
I plop down on the couch next to him and bury my face in my hands. He puts an arm around me and attempts to comfort me.
I bet Huey seeing us like this would make his unloyal ass jealous, I internally snicker at this. Maybe I'll use Caesar to make that idiot jealous?
"Jaz, what the hell happened?" Caesar asked.
"Huey's cheating," I sniffle.
"What?!" His eyes are so wide they almost pop out of their sockets. He then shakes his head in disbelief. "Ah, hell nah. That doesn't sound like Huey at all. You sure you're not just jumping to conclusion?" he suggests. I grit my teeth and my hands latch onto his shoulders.
"Yes, I'm freaking sure, Caesar!"
"W-Well, who's he cheating?" The I sure look on his face gives away his lack of belief in my words.
"Her name is Cristal, Like the Champagne. Doesn't she sound like a total prostitute?!" I hiss.
"Uh, I think I remember Huey tellin' me something about her when we were kids." He scratches his head in thought. "I think she is a prostitute."
"She can't be because she's a teacher, just like him!" I cry. "Think about all the easy access she has to him! I bet they make out in the teacher's lounge, or he pretends she's some slutty student and spanks her with a ruler as some form of roleplay, or-" He claps his hand over my mouth.
"Deep breaths," he tells me in a calm voice. I obey and begin taking deep breaths. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Jaz. I don't know how Cristal got all the way here, or how she became a teacher, but I know that Huey's no cheater. Trust me." I rest my head on his shoulder and wipe my tears.
"I guess you're right," I agree.
…
I wait until 3:00 when I hear the front door opening, and I ensure I'm standing directly in front of the door with my hands on my hips and eyes full of fire. Huey enters and avoids my eyes. I've got him corner, so he can only drop his bag and keys next to him.
"Spill it, you jerk," I demand. I press my hand up against his chest, pinning him to the door.
"Jazmine, c'mo-"
"I don't wanna hear it!" I snap, turning away from him. He turns me back around so I'm facing him.
"Look, I'm sorry," he says. "I don't know how I can prove to you that I wasn't cheating, but...I wasn't!"
"So, why didn't you tell me you were working with a hooker?!" I interrogate him.
"Because she gave up being a hooker two years ago, and you don't know her, so I didn't feel the need to tell you."
"She seemed pretty fond of you today in class, though," I argue. "I don't believe you for a second!"
"She always hits on me, but I never show any signs of affection back. I want to report her, but she'd lose her job and become a prostitute again, and I don't want that to happen." I have no way to respond, except by looking him up and down for a moment.
"The party starts at 10. Be ready by then," I say.
~Caesar~
I decide to get at least 2 hours of work in at the club before the listening party. Dealing with all the drunks at the bar on the job is pretty annoying, but it pays well, and mixing drinks and socializing are two of my strongest points.
It's a Tuesday night, and the club is live. Random couples are bumping and grinding to some slow jams and trap anthems, the DJ's keeping the crowd going with remixes and combined versions of today's top hits, and I'm cleaning out a couple of shot glasses behind the counter, while my coworkers are taking orders.
"Ring" by Kehlani and Cardi B begins to play, and it's soft melodies fill up the venue.
Usually, people come to the club in pairs or groups, but a seemingly East Asian girl with turmeric skin and long and silky jet black hair that stops at her ass starts to approach the bar just as soon as the song begins. Her hips sashay from side to side in her sultry royal blue dress that stops at her mid-thighs. A silver purse with a chain strap hangs off of her shoulder and bounces off her hips. Looking at her matching sequin stellatos, some would say she's a stripper, but I think she's fine.
She sure knows how to walk in 'dem heels, I think in a slight state of awe of her. Damn…
She gently seats herself at the counter and sits her purse in her lap.
"Hey, what can I get for you?" I greet her.
"A mojito," she orders. She has an evaporated accent of some sort, giving away a hint that she's foreign.
"Coming right up."
I grab a clean glass from below the counter, some mint leaves, white rum, and other ingredients to start mixing the drink.
"You look a little lonely," I comment. "Drinking your sorrows away?"
"I'm fine, thank you very much," it came out more harsh than expected, but I wouldn't let that stop me. I couldn't let a girl like this slip from my hands tonight.
"Sassy," I chuckle as I pour the Sprite into her drink. I begin to mix it. "I like it."
"Are you hitting on me?" she questions, raising a brow.
"I could be." I shrug. "I just see a pretty girl, who looks like she might want to have a little fun but is just a little shy about it."
"Oh, yeah?" she retorts. "Who do you think you are, a mind reader? Or just some socio, who gets off on getting under girls' skin?" I lean over on the counter, leaning on my elbows and clasped hands in relaxed position.
"Well, I actually think I'm just Caesar." I put out my hand for her to shake. "Michael Caesar." I grab her mixed mojito and push it towards her. "And who might this drink be going to?" I ask. She loosened up a bit and shakes my hand.
"Ming. Ming Long Dou," she answers.
"Nice to meet you, Ming." I grin and wink at her. She fakes a cringe.
"Don't give me that corny wink," she teases. She then reaches into her purse to pay for the drink. "How much?" she asks.
"Don't worry, it's on the house," I reassure her. She sighs and rolls her eyes as she takes the drink and lightly sips it.
"Look, Caesar, this is sweet and all, but I already know what you're trying to do," she says. "I know that dry bartender's routine, that you call 'flirting'. I'm not just here to let some undeserving moron into my pants, but good try." She gets up to leave, and I follow.
"Ming, wait!" I call after her. I manage to get her to stop in her tracks and listen for a moment. "I'm not trying to get into your pants, I promise," I try to convince her. She waves me off and keeps walking.
"Save it, I've heard it all before," she responds, continuing to push me away.
"C'mon." I gently grab her arm. "Just one dance, or something? Or we can just sit and talk? It doesn't have to lead to anything because I'm generally interested in getting to know you." Her eyes narrow and she looks to the side, contemplating her next move.
"Alright," she finally gives in. "We can talk on the balcony."
The booming bass of the club speakers fades to a low hum as I follow her outside onto the club's balcony where some there are friends and singles flirting and admiring LA's nighttime scenery. She, too, is amazed by the sight and leans against the balcony railing to relax as she sips on her drink.
"Great sight, huh?" I ask, my back facing the city as I lean against the railing next to her.
"You're not even looking," she chuckles.
"Yeah, but working here every night, I've sorta got it memorized. It's still a pretty city." She takes another sip of her mojito.
"The smog reminds me of home," she comments.
"Where are you from?"
"Wushung, China. I was on its national kickball team for my grandfather, but I got tired of playing and decided to just take it easy here."
"That's pretty cool. I have a friend who can play kickball pretty well."
"Oh, really? Where are you from, Caesar?" She asks.
We talk for a couple moments. I tell her where I'm from, and we both go into further detail about our lives. After she finishes her drink, I decide that I want one, too. Ming also wants another one, so I go and grab the ingredients from behind the counter. My boss will be pissed at me for slacking off, but I'm really getting somewhere with Ming tonight, and I can't just pass this opportunity up.
Soon, we find ourselves in a secluded hallway next to the restrooms. I don't know how much time has passed, but I know that I'm going to be late for the party for damn sure. One hand is running through her silky hair, and the other is gripping her ass as I suck on her neck. Every now and then, when I kiss the right spot, one of her surprised little moans fills my ears and motivates me to continue.
As the passion is continuing to build, my phone suddenly buzzes in my pocket. It's Huey, telling me I'm late, of course. Ming snatches the phone from my hand and stuffs it in her bra.
"We're not finished until I say we are," she hisses in an irresistibly alluring tone. I smirk,
"Then, I guess, we're not finished," I reply.
"My place or yours?" she asks.
"What happened to not wanting to have sex tonight?" I lightly poke fun at her.
"I changed my mind." She chuckles and rolls her eyes.
"My roommates are out for the night, so we can head to my place."
~Cindy~
I remember when Riley and I used to get high behind the cafeteria back at Woodcrest High whenever I would get stressed out over some petty drama or some shit. I could use one of those blunts right about now; my anxiety has never been this bad.
Rollie and his goons have taken us to the listening party, and now I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. Riley and I are cuddled up in a corner of the party on a loveseat beneath the dimmed lighting of a chandelier above us. If we weren't practically slaves, this would be sorta...romantic. He offers me a drink to calm my nerves, so I take it. I can't get wasted, though; we gotta stay sharp for this plan to work.
Rollie's already had a couple drinks, though, so that gives me reassurance. What almost pushes me ova' the edge is a familiar brown face and big ass goofy afro comin' outta nowhere in the middle of the damn party. Riley sees him, too, and tenses up; this is gonna fuck us over. Rollie doesn't let us socialize at parties so we don't try to plot against him or escape. If he sees Huey over here with us, he's gonna be on our asses.
"What the hell is yo' brother doin' here?!" I whisper/yell to Riley.
"I dunno." He shrugs. Before I can restrain him, Riley get up to go speak to his brother. I'd call 'em a dumbass, but it's his brother, man. I can't hate on that. I just hope Rollie don't see us.
Riley gives Huey dap.
"Hey, Riley, what's goin' on?" Huey asks. His eyes are wide and he looks way happier than I've ever seen him before, even though he ain't smilin'.
"Nothin', but you gotta get outta here," Riley warns him.
"What do you mean?" Huey raises his brows with concern.
A car horn and some yelling from Tony outside catches the party's security's attention, but Rollie is too focused on us to notice! He immediately comes over to confront us with two of his big ass goons behind him.
"Hey, brotha'," Rollie says to Huey as he firmly shakes his hand. Huey subtly crunches his nose as Rollie speaks to him; Rollie's breath must spell like beer and ass. He looks tipsy right about now. "How ya doin'?"
"I'm cool," Huey says.
"Could you excuse me and my clients here fo' a second? We gotta talk business," Rollie explains.
"Uh, cool." Huey seems completely uneasy about this, although he don't admit to it as he nods in compliance.
Rollie takes Riley and me outside to "talk business".
~Huey~
Something's not right. I watch as the shady dude escorts Cindy and Riley outside. I didn't get to talk to them about their music duo, but I'm assuming that the dude is their manager, or something. I try to follow them, but end up losing them upstairs. This place is huge and has multiple rooms. Who knows where they could've gone?
Dammit, I curse to myself.
I go back inside the party and try to find Jazmine. She's at the bar, talking to some B-list celebrity and her manager. I manage to politely interrupt their conversation and pull Jazmine aside.
"I just saw Cindy and Riley here," I tell her. Her jaw drops with amusement and surprise.
"Really?" she questions.
"Yeah, but I think somethin's up. Their manager and two big dudes in black came and took them outside. I think they're in danger, but I lost them." She claps a hand over her mouth, flabbergasted.
"Oh my God, we have to look for them!" she exclaims.
~Jazmine~
If they weren't in danger like Huey said, I'd be happy that we finally found Cindy and Riley, but right now I'm fearing for their lives. Huey and I split up to search for them. I end up going upstairs and I stop outside of a door where I hear voices coming from.
"That mothafucka looked related to you, I mean you two look like twins!" a deep and husky voice says from inside the room. "Was that your brother, Riley?"
"I ain't got no brother! Now, tell yo' pussy goons to lemme go! OW!"
"Why are you lyin', Riley? I know who you are, I've seen your records, and I own you! That man's name was Huey Freeman, and he is in fact your brother!"
"Aight, fine! He is! But he don't know nothin', I swear!"
"Are you sure he doesn't know? What about you, Cindy? Did you try to tell him something?"
"I didn't say a word to him, bitch," Cindy hisses.
"Grab her." There are hints of struggle in Cindy's voice and rustling around in the room as, I can only presume, she is restrained. A high-pitched yelp comes from Cindy, and I burst into room, stupidly; these people could kill me.
There's a fat man in a leather coat and shades, holding a pocket knife to Cindy's throat. Two bigger men in black restrain an enraged Riley, and only one holds Cindy.
"Jazmine!" Cindy and Riley shout in unison.
"Make another move, and 'dis bitch is dead!" the fat man threatens, pressing the knife even deeper into Cindy's skin.
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A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, lol If you want more, follow, fav, and review to tell me what you think.
Also, how do you guys feel about Caesar x Ming?