Hold U Down (7 page)

“I will,” Unique lied.

Closing her cell phone shut, Unique tried her best to will back the tears that were forming in her eyes, but she couldn't. She felt as if her life were going to spiral out of control at any moment. Yes, Kay Kay was right; Syleena was never going to be the mother that Unique and Patience deserved, but she was still their mother. There was no way that she could give up on her.

Unique placed her hands over her eyes and cried uncontrollably. At that moment, she didn't care whether Bigg heard or not. Crying for herself and her mother, she prayed to God that their life would somehow get better.

All of her life Unique prayed that her mother would make a full recovery, but as the years continued to pass, it became more and more apparent that it was never going to happen. Praying for a miracle, Unique wished that somehow she could regain her life and start from scratch. No playing men, no stealing cars, no tricking herself for the highest bidder—if she could, she would wish that all away.

On the other side of the door, Bigg sat on the bed smoking a blunt filled with Purple Haze. He was trying his best to calm his nerves. He had no idea that Unique was in the bathroom crying, until he began to hear muffled noises. He turned down the television and listened for the sound again. Not hearing anything, he turned the volume back up.
I'm high and tripping
, he told himself. Then suddenly the sound became more apparent. Bigg went over to the door and knocked.

“What?”

“You a'ight?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Damn, what did I just say?”

Thinking that her crying was over him, Bigg apologetically replied, “I'm sorry. I ain't mean to hurt your feelings earlier—”

“Nigga, please. This ain't got nothing to do with you. Just leave me alone, okay?” Unique shouted, holding her chest with one hand and wiping her nose with the other one.

“Yo, I was just tryin' to help yo' funky ass. Hurry the fuck up. I got to get in there too,” Bigg shouted back, banging on the door.

Seeing that the old Unique was back, Bigg shook his head and returned to his spot on the bed. No matter how hard he tried to understand her, Bigg couldn't quite get a grip on who the real Unique was. Was it the tough, hardcore girl from the block, or was it the vulnerable, insecure girl that had presented herself over the past two days? Never in his life had Bigg met a girl who was so pretty but acted so mean.

Once Unique pulled herself together, she got out of the tub, lotioned up, and put on an all-black La Perla chemise. She grabbed her toiletries and opened the door only to find Bigg standing there. Not even acknowledging his presence, she slid past him. Ignoring her, too, Bigg walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Unique lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her head, counting down the minutes until Bigg joined her. Even though he annoyed the hell outta her, she still liked being in his presence. The way he nurtured and took care of her made Unique feel safe and secure.

Twenty minutes later, after showering, he bopped out of the bathroom smelling so fresh and so clean. Unique pretended to be asleep. As he pulled the covers back, Bigg gazed over her well-toned back. Immediately his dick began to rise. He wanted to feel the touch of her skin again. Just as he was about to give in to his desires, Unique's words from earlier crept back into his head.
I can't fuck wit' you like that. I'm here to do a job. Nothing more, nothing less. We're on two different levels.

Fuck that bitch
, Bigg thought. He turned off the light and stared at the wall. He had plenty of hoes back home on his jock. He didn't have time to chase after Unique. Unbeknownst to him, she was on the other side of the bed thinking the very same thing.

Saturday, the day of their meeting with the connect, Unique and Bigg tiptoed around the hotel room, trying their best to avoid one another. Not a single word had been spoken except for
hello, yes, maybe,
and
no
.

With just an hour until the meeting started, Unique slipped into her champagne-colored, open-back Luca Luca cocktail dress. On her feet she wore a pair of champagne-colored Alexander McQueen heels, and her hair was pulled up into slick ponytail. Although she wasn't one, Unique looked every bit a top model.

Bigg, being the thug he was, opted to wear a black-and-red LRG jacket, matching T-shirt, jeans, and black Prada tennis shoes. His black-and-red Phillies hat was cocked to the side as usual, and the only jewelry he rocked was a pair of five-carat diamond earrings. Catching glimpses of him out of the corner of her eye, Unique couldn't deny that the boy had style.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” she replied, grabbing her purse.

The ride over to Jackson's place was a quiet one. Neither of them said a thing. Both Bigg and Unique were too headstrong to admit when they were wrong.

After a twenty-minute ride they pulled up to Jackson's mansion. The man was doing the damn thing. Trying to be nice, Bigg got out of the car and opened the door for Unique.

“Thank you,” she said as she got out of the truck.

“Ay, let me holla at you before we go up in there.”

“What is it?”

“When we get in there, let me do all the talkin', okay?”

“Why? You think I can't handle myself?”

“I know more about this kind of stuff than you do. If we were stealing a car I would let you handle it, but we're not.”

“Oh, I see. You tryin' to play me.”

“I'm just stating the facts, ma. Stick to stealing cars. I got this.”

Before Unique could come back with a snappy remark of her own, one of Jackson's henchmen approached them. Without a word he walked up on Bigg and patted him down. Once he saw that Bigg wasn't packing any heat, he checked Unique.

“Can you open the briefcase please?” the guard asked after seeing that both of them were cool.

“No problem,” Bigg replied as he placed the silver briefcase he was carrying on top of the hood. Opening it up, he revealed well over eighty thousand dollars.

“Thank you. Mr. Smith will see you now.”

“Come on.” Bigg grabbed Unique's arm and began to walk.

“Don't touch me,” she hissed, pulling her arm away. Walking in front of him, Unique made sure that she was the first one to speak to Jackson.

“I'm glad you all could make it.” Jackson greeted them with a warm smile.

Jackson wasn't at all what Unique expected. She had expected to meet a man dressed in loud colors with about five or six golds in his mouth. Instead she was greeted by a middle-aged man with sunkissed skin. Jackson was about six feet tall, medium build, with sandy brown curly hair. If Unique was into older men, she would have gotten on him.

“Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Unique.” She smiled, extending her hand.

“If I'm being forward, forgive me, but Unique, you are absolutely breathtaking,” Jackson said, taking her hand into his. Instead of shaking her hand, he gently placed Unique's hand up to his mouth and kissed it.

Watching while Jackson fawned over Unique, Bigg became jealous. The veins in his neck were thumping overtime.

“And you must be Bigg.”

“Nice to meet you, man.” Bigg shook Jackson's hand.

“If you two will follow me, dinner has just been served.”

Walking throughout the mansion, Unique admired Jackson's interior design. The walls were a deep chocolate brown. All of the furniture was brown, tan, or mahogany. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows adorned the walls. Entering the dining area, Unique was greeted with a long mahogany table. Twelve chairs were strategically placed around it, and Jackson's best china was delicately placed on top.

Wanting to show a united front, Bigg politely pulled out Unique's chair for her. Still pissed, she glanced up at him and gave him a tight-lipped, “Thank you.”

“So, how was the drive down?” Jackson asked as the maid poured glasses of red wine.

“It was cool. Kinda long, but cool. Unique slept the entire time,” Bigg joked.

“A girl has to get her beauty rest.” Unique smirked, rolling her eyes at him.

“Would you like a glass of wine, ma'am?” the maid asked Unique, ready to pour.

“Yes. Fill it up, please.”

Unique let the warm wine coat her throat. Suddenly the sadness she had felt over the past twenty-four hours seemed to melt away.

“Have you done any sightseeing yet?” Jackson asked, continuing the conversation.

“Yeah, we went over to Canal Place yesterday,” Bigg answered.

“Good, good. So, let's get down to business. What we talkin' here, Bigg? Candy or sneakers?” Jackson was speaking in code.

“I hear your candy is sweet.” Bigg rubbed his chin. “But I also hear your sneakers are fly as hell.”

“Really? Well, that's good to know. How many pairs would you like?”

“About ten of them thangs.”

Not knowing what the hell they were talking about, Unique became frustrated and irritated.

“Look, I don't mean to be rude or nothing, but I went to the mall yesterday. Can we discuss this in layman's terms? My man Cezar wanted us to come down here to set up something with you, and frankly, I don't have time to beat around the bush, so can we please get to the point?” Unique stated firmly.

Studying her for a second, Jackson didn't reply. He simply looked at Unique as if she had lost her mind. Anger wasn't even the word to describe how mad he was. Jackson had never been so disrespected in his life. Leaning back in his chair, he clasped his hands together, looked at Bigg, and said, “Is this your friend?”

“Yo, my bad. I don't know what her problem is.”

“Should I assume she has a wire on?”

“Nah, man, it ain't even that kind of party,” Bigg reasoned, glaring over at Unique.

“I'm gonna leave you two alone,” Jackson replied, getting up.

Once they were alone, Bigg grabbed Unique by the neck and yelled, “What the fuck is yo' problem? Have you lost your fuckin' mind? You trying to get us knocked?”

“Nigga, you better get your hands off of me.” She pushed his hand away.

“Nah, fuck that. I should kick yo' inexperienced ass. Look, you might be pretty and all, but yo' ass gon' get us killed up in here talkin' that nonsense. You know what? As a matter of fact, get the fuck out. Your ass is through.”

“What the fuck you mean I'm through?”

“Beat it! Take yo' ass back to the car. I got it from here.”

“Go back to the car? Nigga, please. Like I give a fuck. Get your chips and dip or whatever the fuck you were talkin' about and hurry the fuck up. I don't want to be here no way.”

Feeling embarrassed but trying her best to disguise it, Unique walked out of the room with her head held high. As she walked back to the car, she bypassed Jackson. She smiled at him and said good-bye, but he only ignored her. Unique couldn't believe that she had really played herself.

Just as she hit the front door, she heard Jackson say, “And make sure she stays out.” Willing herself not to cry, Unique hurried to the car.

 

 

Over an hour passed by, and Bigg still hadn't returned to the car. The entire time Unique sat there alone, she replayed the conversation over and over again in her mind. She thought that coming hard and direct was the way to handle a man like Jackson, but evidently she was wrong. Trying to outdo Bigg had almost cost her her life.
How stupid can you be?
she thought as tears fell from her eyes.

Get the fuck out. You trying to get us knocked?
she remembered.
You might be pretty.

“Damn, he did say I was pretty, didn't he? So, that nigga has been checkin' me,” Unique said out loud and smirked.

Hearing Bigg's voice, she wiped her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice she had been crying.

“Once again, sorry for the little inconvenience earlier. It was nice meeting you,” he apologized, giving Jackson dap.

Pulling Bigg close, Jackson whispered into his ear, “Call me before you leave. I have something I would like to discuss with you.”

“A'ight,” Bigg responded, wondering what Jackson could possibly want to discuss. Back in the truck, he gave Jackson one more head nod then peeled off. Turning the volume down on the radio, he looked at Unique and shook his head.

“Don't be shaking your head at me,” she snapped.

“Look, I don't even feel like arguing wit' you,” Bigg shot, getting on the highway.

“Then don't be lookin' at me like that.”

“See, that right there,” he said, pointing to her mouth. “That's your problem—your fuckin' mouth. You talk too much. I told you before we got in there to let me handle it, but nah, you just had to do things your way.”

“Whatever! I don't want to hear that shit.” Unique rolled her eyes. “I fucked up, okay?”

“You damn right you fucked up.”

“You know what? Fuck you! I ain't gotta apologize to you. You ain't nobody.”

“Whatever, Unique.”

“Yeah, whatever, Bigg.”

Twenty minutes later, Unique and Bigg were still going at it as they entered their hotel suite. Holding her by the arm, Bigg opened the door and yanked her into the room.

“Get yo' ass in here and sit the fuck down,” he ordered, pushing her down onto the bed.

“Ow, nigga, that hurt! Don't be grabbing me like that,” Unique snapped, rubbing her arm.

“Don't you know you could've gotten us killed? You could've fucked up the whole deal with that shit you was talkin'.”

“Fuck that deal!”

“Fuck that deal? Bitch, is you crazy? Yo, I can't even deal wit' you right now. I can't wait to get back to St. Louis so I can get the fuck away from you.”

“Are you done? 'Cause, nigga, I can't wait to be away from you either,” Unique yelled, looking him square in the eyes.

“You know what? Just shut the fuck up talkin' to me,” Bigg barked, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

 

 

By the time Bigg made it out of the bathroom, Unique was knocked out asleep on the foot of the bed. Securing the soft cotton towel around his waist, he walked over to her. It never failed. No matter how mad she made him, he could never stay mad at her for long. Lightly touching her face, Bigg brushed her hair to the side, revealing Unique's pretty, slanted eyes. He then gently took the remote from her hand and pulled the covers back. Letting his towel fall from his waist, Bigg lifted up Unique's limp body. As if on cue, she wrapped her arms around his neck. After he laid her down, Bigg grabbed her hands so he could release her grip, only for Unique to hold on even tighter.

“Don't leave me,” she whispered in her sleep.

“I won't,” he said seriously.

Bigg didn't know what it was about her, but from the first moment he had laid eyes on Unique, he was hooked. Even though she played tough, he knew that a softer side lurked deep inside.

Since she wouldn't let go of his neck, Bigg slid his way into bed, lying down next to her. Now face-to-face, he gazed at her.

To him she was gorgeous. Focusing his eyes elsewhere, he rested them upon her full breasts and slim waist. Instantly, his dick began to rise. Bigg couldn't take it anymore. His body was telling him he had to have her.

Even though she was still in a deep sleep, Unique's body naturally responded to Bigg's advances. She touched him back while scooting closer. Once she was where she wanted to be, Unique rested her head directly in front of his.

Bigg held her tight and kissed her forehead. Making his way down, he then kissed her eyes, nose, cheeks, and chin, all before kissing her lips. He then brought her face to his. Slowly he kissed her mouth.

Coming out of her sleep, Unique wrapped her left leg around his while moaning his name.

“Bigg,” she whispered softly, barely able to speak.

“Yes, baby?” he said in between licking and sucking her lips.

“I'm sorry.”

“I know.”

“Bigg?”

“Yes.”

“Make love to me.”

“Are you sure? 'Cause once we go there, ain't no turning back.”

“I know.” She gazed sleepily into his eyes.

Fully awake, Unique knew exactly what she was saying. She was tired of the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am sex she had been having since she was seventeen. Unique wanted to know what it felt like to be loved and wanted.

Looking into her big, brown eyes, Bigg placed his warm body onto hers while parting her legs with his. Her face was in his hands as he kissed her passionately. Bigg couldn't get enough of Unique's lips. They were soft and moist—just how he liked them. After kissing her lips, he feasted on her tongue for a while then sucked on her bottom lip.

Running his hands down her thighs, Bigg pushed her dress up. At that moment, there was no other place in the world that he would rather be than between her knees, kissing her lips and caressing her body. Desperately wanting to feel him inside of her, Unique wrapped her legs around Bigg's back, pulling him in closer. He then took off her dress, unsnapped her bra, and threw it across the room.

As he kissed her neck, the burning desire to explore her honey-colored breasts took over. Taking one into his hand while massaging the other, Bigg wrapped his lips around Unique's hardening nipple. Excited, he circled his tongue around each one as she bit into her lower lip. Once he had her where he wanted her, Bigg made his way down.