D'Kass Black Present Jail's Bait: Doin Da Time (Book 2)

For a minnit no one moved after the bell rang at the front door.  Den Joop jumped up, his face all ready an set.  I knew dat look, he was bout to beat natural azz.

But Pops jumped up, and HE was bout to set it- I knew DAT look, too.  “Malik, if you don’t sit down NOW, I’ll send you back upstate myself,” Dad said real low and danger-like.

I knew when Dad got riled up like dat there wasn’t nuthin no one could do against him til he calmed down, which was even worse cause he got real quiet when he spoke, but it felt like he was yellin...  Joop got da hint tho, cause duke sat his ass right back down in da chair an stared at his empty plate, all quiet- like a pussy dat aint never had no dick.  Pops left the room then to get the door.

“Man, sumtimez yo pops iz scurry,” Joop said, grabbin da wine bottle an pourin some into his glass.

“Yo Joop, I aint know all about dat warden nicca using you to get at my pops,” I said to Joop.  “Yo let’s jus get through this dinner, this ONE TIME, an we aint gotta sit down wit da nicca no more.”

“Yo Mar, I aint cool eatin dinner wit a nicca I dune plannd to mope out,” Joop said to me low, shakin his head.  “It aint part of da code, yo…”

I nodded.  “Look, I'm sayin, maybe Pops an him already werked out they shyt; I mean he aint blackmailin Pops to cookfor him, knawmean?”

We leaned into each other, an I kissd Joop on dem sexy ass lips.  They still smelled an tasted like dat spliff we sparked earlier befo we fukkd, an my dick got stiff.  “Yo after da dinner we gonna go finish up what we started in my room,” I smiled at Joop.

He grinned back.  “Yo don’t be tryin ta make me not think about how madd I am at dat-”

“Boys, let me introduce you to my guest,” Pops interrupted us, comin into the dinin room wit someone right behind him.  Da grin on Joop’s face slid right off, an he slouchd back in his chair.

I looked up.  Standin wit Pops was a tall, real attractive, slim cut muscular older dude, dressd in slacks an a blazer, wit a short fade and a sexy sumthin about him.  When I got a good look at him I could see why Pops let it go, da blackmailin shyt.

This man smiled at me, an when he did dat I saw it- he reminded me of Joop… I had tried to forget dat my dad and Joop had fukkd before and shyt, but when I saw this dude I wondered if Dad hadn’t got wit him cause he looked like Joop so much, almost like he was still tryin ta be wit my nicca behind my back… I lost my appetite after thinkin dat.

My pops was tryin to make da intros.  “Lamar, this is Joe Hill; Joe, my son, Lamar.”  I stood to shake his hand, and that’s when I smelled JOOP- he even had on the same cologne..!

I got digusted an sat back down, starin at my own plate, not realizin that Joe Hill had held his hand out, an I aint take it.

My Dad gave me a real dark look an then went on, “And this is… Malik.”

I looked at Joe Hill, who had stopped smilin when he saw Joop.  “How are you,” Joe Hill asked, bein polite.

“Iight,” Joop said, not lookin up.

Dad showed Joe his seat at da table, across from Joop’s chair.  They sat down an then Pops spoke.  “I know this may be a little uncomfortable for everyone, but I wanted to get us all together and really meet, get to know one another.”  He looked so hopeful jus then that I made up in my head to help Pops out, an try an get over my feelin dat he was only wit this nicca cause he favored Joop.

We started to get our food, pilin chicken orange an veggies high on our plates.  It was real quiet for a couple minnits, den Joe Hill said, “This is excellent, Dan.  Chicken L’Orange… You cook like this?”

“It’s just something I threw together,” Dad mumbled, grinnin.

“I’m seriously going to get fat,” Joe Hill grinned back.

“Here, have some sauce,” Dad said, passin the sauce bowl to Joe Hill; “and you too, Malik,” he said.  “It’s really good.”

“Yeah,” I said to Joop, “it’s my favrit- I pour it on everything.”

Dad laffed too.  “He sure does… once, when he was 11, I had to stop him pouring leftover sauce on his ice cream…”

“Aww, c’mon, Dad,” I laffed.

“Well, I can't wait to try it,” Joe Hill said, pouring some on his chicken and passin da bowl to Joop.  “Here you go, Malik,” he said.  It almost sounded like he hadda force himself to speak ta Joop.

I frowned.  Joop aint reach out for it, so Joe Hill put it down- den Joop picked it up.

Da whole table knew what dat move was all about- Joop aint wanna touch nuthin dat Joe Hill was touchin.  Dad frowned at Joop, who aint look up but was pourin sauce on his chicken too.  Both Joe Hill and Joop took bites of the chicken, chewed, an den both of em spit it out at da same time.  They both started chokin, an both like clockwork reached for water, drinkin it down as fast as they could.

Dad an I had both sat up in shock- no one had EVER spit out Dad’s famous chicken orange before.  “What’s wrong,” my pops shouted out.  “What’s happened?”

“Joop, you iight?” I asked my nicca as he stoppd gagging.

“What’s in the sauce,” Joe Hill asked, still coughing.  “Is Cayenne Pepper in the sauce..?”

“Well, yes,” Pops said, it’s one of the secret ingredients.”

“I’m allergic to Cayenne Pepper,” Joop an Joe Hill BOTH said at da same time, den looked at each other, shocked.  Immediately both began scratching their ears.  “My ears break out when I eat Cayenne Pepper,” they BOTH said together, still givin each other strange looks.

“Whoa,” I said, “for both of yall to have da exact same reaction- dats sum strange shyt… I aint know you had a reaction to pepper, Joop.”

“Naw, only ‘Cayenne Pepper’,” Joop said, still scratchin his ears off.  “You ain't know cause I never eat it- stoppd when I wuz bout 7.  Not too many have dis shyt, it’s real rare.  Moms knew dat it might happn cause she said my… father used ta get it real badd.  It’s bout da only thang he lef me when he bouncd.”

“Dat’s too weird tho, for two people ta come up at da same table wit da same rare allergy,” I said again.

“It goes away,” Joe Hill said then, “if you…”  He got up an came over ta Joop’s side of da table an said, “If you don’t mind…” He reached into his jacket pocket an pulled out a travel size bottle of cocoa butter.  He squeezed some into his hand an rubbed it onto Joop’s ears.

Joop flinched at first but aint say nuthin, only sat back as Joe Hill rubbed da cocoa butter into his ears.  My pops had da strangest look on his face while he watched Joe Hill massagin cocoa butter on my nicca’s ears, but Joop moaned wit relief.  “Damn, dat feel way better,” he said, lookin up at Joe Hill, who nodded an went back to sit down.

“Uhh, ..thanks,” Joop said to Joe Hill.

“I know how it feels,” Joe Hill smiled at him.

“Wish my pops hadda been round to show me dat trick,” Joop said, “but dat punk ass nicca wasn’t shyt.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t stick around,” Joe Hill said, all kindly an shyt.  “I hope you didn’t mind me just rubbing on you like that… I wasn’t trying to come on to you or anything.”

“Oh I knew dat,” Joop said, a half-grin on his face.  “I ain't mind, an dats crazy cause usually I gotta really be cool wit someone ta let him touch on me an shyt.”

“I usually don’t touch strange men either,” Joe Hill remarked, “but it just felt… like you wouldn’t mind.”

“You scored cool points 2nite,” Joop said to Joe Hill, “even tho you blackmaild my nicca pops an threatend to toss me bac in prison, you aint all bad, I guess.”

“OKAY, who’s ready for dessert,” Pops jumped up, his eyes wide like wheels, tryin to change da convo.

Joe Hill looked at Joop.  “I wouldn’t have gone through with my threat, your Parole Officer here could have had me arrested for any number of charges, coercion and sexual attempt by force.”

“You mean like rape,” Joop said.

“It’s peach cobbler,” Dad said in a small voice, but it was too far gone by now.

“Yes, Malik, in certain courts that would be charged as a form of rape,” Joe Hill said.

“But you knew you wasn’t goin down cause you had videotape proof on me an Officer Dan tho,” Joop shot back.  “You had him good an you coulda sent me bac upstate, rite?  All cause you aint wanna have no lil youngin like me slingin dick where you couldn’t huh?”

Joe Hill sat up straight then, his smile gone.  “All that was in the past, Malik,” he said in a cold ass voice.  “Leave it there, please.”

“Maybe you might want some ice cream…” Dad said hopefully.

“So did you watch it more den once, dat tape of me diggin out yo shawty..?” Joop was sayin wit a dark smirk on his face, makin everyone in da room (even me) madd as hell dat he was bringin it up, him an my pops fukkin.  “Yo did u buss off watchin me long dick him, over an over in dat room just across from yo room, warden?  Or maybe you wuz watchin MY azz, huh?  Maybe you was madd as hell dat Officer Dan coulda got what you wanted- sum azz from a youngin thugg nicca like me huh?  You watched MY azz on yo tape, WARDN?”

Joe Hill jumped to his feet, slammin his hands down on da table.

“Joop!” I yelled, “stop dat shyt yo..!”

“MALIK!!!!”  Dad’s voice filled da dinin room.  “DON’T SPEAK LIKE THAT TO YOUR FATHER!!!”

We turned to my Dad, who clamped his hand to his mouth, eyes wide with fear as me, Joop, an Joe Hill stared at him, all too stunned to speak.  Then Joop an Joe Hill, both wit eyes wide, almost in slo-motion, turned to look at each other… without a word.