Heaven Between Her Thighs: Stealing His Heart (3 page)

Before his mother could say anything else, his father was walking in and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. He motioned for her to go into the room they shared with one another and she obliged. Qyree looked up at his father as he smiled and winked at him, like the last fifteen minutes had never happened. It was at that moment that he realized this would be his norm.

***

He would never forget that night as he listened to his parents argue and fight about other women and he had a hard time going to sleep. It felt like he had just drifted off when his mother came in his room waking him up for school the next day. The smile she held on her face no longer reached her eyes, and those were the same sad eyes he looked into at that very moment.

“The reasons I stay, you may not ever understand, Qy,” Zaria answered his question, bringing him back to the moment.

He loved his mother and knew his father did too, but Qyree sometimes didn’t feel sorry for her as much as he used to. His father was a dog and he knew this because Jaxon had taught him everything he knew; including the fact that if a woman let you play her and never left then there was no reason to stop doing what it was that he wanted.

At first that sounded crazy to him, but over the years as the countless women came and went and his mother stayed, he started believing his father was right. If a woman lets you treat her any kind of way and at the end of the day won’t leave, she has no one to blame but herself. A man could only do what a woman allowed him to.

Qyree kissed his mother on the cheek and headed back to his original mission of showering so that he could handle his business.

“Don’t end up ruining some girl’s life, baby, when you find that one,” Zaria said before he got out of her room completely.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he said walking off, and that was the truth.

His mother didn’t have anything to worry about because he would never settle down. That just wasn’t something that he wanted, and he had his father to thank for that. Jaxon taught him how easy it was to get what he wanted from women and not have to have any strings attached.

The only reason Jaxon married Zaria was because she was there before he had anything, and she was the one who put him in position to build his dream. It wasn’t until he started getting a name for himself that the women started coming from every direction, and he wanted it no other way. Either Zaria kick rocks or deal with it. And from the looks of things, the latter had been her final answer.

Qyree loved his mother but he had to push her to the back of his mind at the moment. Valdosta State University was the school that they decided to hold this year’s talent search, held top priority for him. He had heard that some of the hottest undiscovered talent that came out of Valdosta, Georgia and attended that school. If Hype Lyfe could sign at least three of the top artists he had been scoping, this would guarantee his position as the head A&R, something that he had been looking forward to for as long as he could remember. His ear for music was exactly why he was the best for this position, and if he could pull this off then he knew his father would make that happen.

Pulling up to the campus after being on the road for a few hours, he couldn’t help the excitement he felt looking at all of the unsuspecting females that walked around. All he could think about was the paradise they held and how he knew he would bag a few before it was all said and done. Besides money and his family, the female body was something he yearned for but he couldn’t think about that right now. It was time to get the ball rolling with this event. He had to make sure this show was approved first before he could think about how many he would add to his roster.

Almost an hour and a half later, the meeting was complete and Qyree was heading to his car with one of the biggest smiles on his face that he had ever possessed. As soon as the dean agreed that he could move forward with everything, it was hard for him to sit through the rest of the meeting. They made sure to discuss all of the specifics along with the do’s and don’ts. Since they were on campus, they had to make sure that no underage drinking would go on along with having the proper security for the night. None of that was an issue for him because prior to the meeting, they had secured the local police department to be their security. With them there, all of the other possible mishaps should be to a minimum.

“Ssssss,” Qyree hissed as he spotted two women walking ahead of him. He couldn’t see their faces but that didn’t matter. Whatever their faces lacked he was sure their bodies made up for it. Shoot, when the lights were out, it was all the same anyway. Now that his business was done for the day, he could focus on getting him a few new play things. If his luck was good, he would have not just one but both.

He admired them for a minute before catching up to them. They were both on the thick side, which was his favorite, and the way their behinds sat up in their clothes was definitely a plus. Looking at them, he thought that maybe one was someone of importance by the cream business suit she had on, while the other could have just been a regular student. Clad in some jeans and Air Max, she even made the simple outfit stand out.

“Excuse me ladies, can I speak with you for a minute?” he asked, jogging up behind them.

Turning around, he was shocked to see someone from his past, and it was a pleasant surprise. Obviously, she was pleased as well by the smile she wore on her face.

“Omg, Qyree, how are you?” she said closing in the space between the two as she embraced him.

“I’m good. Man, it’s been a long time, for real,” he told her. “What you doing here?”

“Long isn’t the word. This is home for me and I just moved back not too long ago. Oh, I’m so rude. Von, this is Qyree Reeves; we attended USC together,” she introduced the two.

“Nice to meet you,” Von said. She wasn’t rude but Qyree could tell that she wasn’t in the mood.

“So what are you doing here?” Chey asked.

“I was just getting the final details for this talent event our company is holding here in two weeks. Trying to put a few people on, ya know?”

“That’s right. I forgot about your family’s record label. How’s that going?”

“It’s doing real good. Pops is changing the game right now and hopefully, this will elevate us more,” he said as they began walking towards the parking lot. Von walked ahead of them so that she wouldn’t be in their business. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way but she didn’t know what it was. Maybe the way his eyes roamed over her body when Chey was introducing them. Or maybe she was just tired from dealing with everything for one day.

“That’s awesome. God is so worthy. How is your mother?” she asked. While in school, Chey ended up meeting his mother during one of the times his parents came to visit. She would never forget Mrs. Reeves because she was just a beautiful spirit.

“My mother is doing good. She’s retired now, so of course she’s waiting on me to get married and have her a house full of grandbabies. But look, I will catch up with you later; work calls,” Qyree told her after looking at the screen on his vibrating phone. Looking down to see Natalia’s picture message let him know that he needed to hurry up ‘cause she was ready.

“Alright then. It was good seeing you,” Chey responded before getting in her car on the driver’s side.

Watching Qyree pull off like a bat out of hell, all she could do was imagine that he was on his way to a woman’s house. If he was anything like he used to be when they were in college, her assumptions would be dead on.

As Cheynese and Von sat in the third row of the small church, neither of them could deny the presence of God that they both felt. He was definitely letting His anointing fall fresh on each member that was in attendance. The word that was going forth was ministering to their souls and she couldn’t get enough.

So much had changed since she had been back home, but her childhood church, His Lighted Path Church of God In Christ, was still the same. Looking around the room, she saw familiar faces, along with people she had never seen before, and that was a good thing because it meant that the ministry was growing.

Tuning back in to what was going on with the message, she had just picked up on her pastor asking her to come and give them a selection. It had been years since she sang in a church but this shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her, considering her pastor was also her father.

Getting up, she politely excused herself from the pew and walked up to where her father was standing.

“You’re not slick,” she laughed at him as he winked and kissed her cheek before taking his seat.

“To God be the glory,” she said closing her eyes and raising her right hand in worship. “It’s been a long time since I have been up here but it feels so good. Being away from home for so long, I had my fair share of struggles, but God was there to see me through it all. So getting up here and lifting my voice unto Him is a praise that I owe to Him. Can I get an Amen somebody?”

“Amen,” came from almost everyone in the sanctuary, including Von. It had been so long since she had been able to be in church and for a long time, she was mad at God for something that she had caused. But with time and understanding of what He was trying to do in her life, she surrendered everything to Him and didn’t turn back. So the struggles Chey was talking about, she understood because she had her own.

“Won’t you all stand to your feet and just begin to give God some praise in this place. Forget about everyone else and just focus on the Master’s face as you just love on Him. Let Him know how grateful you are for all that he has done,” Chey said before she began her worship to the Lord.

“There’s a miracle in this room with my name on it. Glory to God. There’s a healing in this room and it’s here for me. If you know your healing is here today go ahead and claim it right now. There’s a breakthrough in this room and it’s got my name on it. So I’m gonna put a praise on it!”

Chey sang the popular Tasha Cobbs song “Put A Praise On It”. Von knew that Tasha was a beast when it came to singing but Chey was definitely giving her a run for her money.

The anointing that this woman held and that sickening run that she had just slayed, had every hand up and every eye wet from tears. God definitely had a hand on this woman’s life and Von was glad that He had placed her in her life.

By the time she had finished, people were at the altar giving their lives over to Christ and making a vow with our Father to not turn back to their old ways. Of course, some were just going through formality, but there were others that had finally gotten sick and tired of playing with the devil and meant what they had just confessed, Von included. It was at that moment that she decided if God would accept her again, she wasn’t turning back. Her son Amir’s life depended on it.

Once church was over and everyone was filing out, it seemed like Chey was getting stopped every few feet because someone wanted to welcome her back home, or let her know how beautifully she sang. She was so humble and just kept giving all of the glory to God.

The next day was Von’s first day of college and she was a bit nervous, but thanks to Chey and her encouragement when she got dropped off at the halfway house, she was prepared. Getting her high school diploma behind bars was as far as she had gone, but now that she was out and in a different head space, she knew that in order to get where she wanted to be, she had to challenge herself and college would do just that.

Just as Chey made it home and got her things prepared for the week, the release and refilling that she got from attending church a while ago gave her just what she needed to be recharged and ready to go come Monday morning. Standing in her closet, she was having the hardest time picking out something to wear the next day, when her phone rang.

“Hey sissy pooh!” she greeted her best friend.

“Hey honey dip. What you got going on?” Natalia asked her.

“Just got in from church not too long ago and getting things ready for tomorrow,” Chey said, still on the hunt for an outfit.

“I knew once you got back you would be at that church house every time the doors open,” she cackled.

“Mm hmm, and your behind needs to be right there beside me. Better yet, you need to bring a pillow and blanket and just lay at the altar until you get delivered,” Cheynese shot back with a laugh.

“Oh no ma’am. After all those years of my parents dragging me to church, I have had enough. That should be enough to get me inside the pearly gates when it’s time to kick the bucket.”

“You sound like a whole fool with that logic,” Chey said and they both laughed.

“Well, you know what the Bible says somewhere round third Peter, ‘Thou God loves all fools and babies’ so I’m a shoe in.”

“Hunty, whatever Bible you read that in I need you to return it and get your money back. That’s not even in one scripture and Peter only has two books. This is why you need to come and get taught and learn the word on your own,” she laughed.

“Anywaysss, how does it feel being back home?” Natalia asked.

“It’s good. You know I love being home. When you coming to visit since I’m back?”

“I don’t know. You know no matter when I pop up, it’s always some drama with Mama and Daddy,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as if Chey could see her.

The lifestyle that she chose to live over the one her parents tried their best instilling in her was always the topic of discussion, and Natalia wasn’t here for it. If she could just go home and be accepted for who she was instead of who she wasn’t by their standards, then she would be just fine. Until then, she would continue to do her.

“They only want the best for you and you know that,” Chey tried her best to rationalize.

“Yea, well, we’ll see. I may come home soon but it’s not set in stone and don’t quote me on that either. I know how you do.”

“I guess I will just have to take a trip to see you when I get some free time then.”

“And we gonna turn up when you do, too! Hold on a sec,” Natalia told her as she clicked over to her other line.

Cheynese found the perfect outfit with the matching shoes and put them over the back of the bench at the foot of her king size bed, before climbing up to the top. She loved everything about this bed, but she would love it even more when she had someone to share it with. Chey wasn’t in a rush to just settle with anyone; she wanted the man that she eventually married to be exactly what God sent to her. All her life she dreamed of the perfect man, but after many failed attempts at relationships, she decided that she would just wait on him to find her.

“I’m back, girl. That was bae and he’s on his way over, so I gotta freshen up before he gets here. Call me later this week and let me know if u can make it up this way. Love you, heffa!” Natalia ran off in one breath and ended the call before Chey could say anything back.

Just like always, Natalia was still making men her priority. It may not have been so bad if it was just one, but she had at least one that met each one of her needs. There was one she had to just pay her car note, another for her rent, one for her utilities, and so on. Chey knew she had to be doing them favors as well, but that wasn’t for her to call her out on. For as long as they had been friends, Natalia was just fast. People often wondered how they got along so well being they were total opposites, but it was just how they rolled with one another. They were sisters and hopefully one day Chey would rub off on her and she would see her own worth wasn’t found in a man.

Settling in with some leftovers and her remote, Chey relaxed and tuned in to some ratchet TV that she had recorded during the week. With her busy schedule, she rarely had time for anything other than church on Thursday nights, so she caught up on her missed episodes on Sunday. She had finished three episodes of
Love and Hip Hop
, but not long after she had gotten through the first half of
How to Get Away
with Murder
did her eyes betray her and sleep set in. She would just have to catch up another day.