Lickin' License Read online

  “We figured you worked up an appetite last night,” Candy said. “Even though you did a lot of eating.” She laughed.

  “Speaking of our diet, I never would have expected you to be the type that likes drinking.” Rich's eyes rolled from Candy's lips to his dick.

  Vanessa and Candy laughed as they finished preparing breakfast. They sat beside each other at the large glass table, opposite Rich.

  Rich looked at the soy bacon, tofu eggs and wheat pancakes on his plate. He picked up a piece of bacon. “Soy everything. This is my only problem with her, Candy.”

  “I could get used to it,” Candy said, staring seductively at Vanessa who smiled.

  “So you ladies thinking about having some more slumber parties in the future?” Rich chewed the piece of soy bacon.

  “Can you handle it?” Vanessa asked.

  “You know I like to sling pipe like a plumber,” Rich said. “And I ain't never been a party pooper.”

  “We'll see,” Candy said.

  Rich was pleased but confused. Pleased that future threesomes were on the agenda, but confused about how open Vanessa and Candy were with each other. He hoped that he was not witnessing Candy taking the only woman in his life away from him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  CANDY

  While Vanessa was in the shower, Rich was sitting on the couch, sipping the fresh smoothie Candy had made. Candy stepped in front of him, gazing into his eyes. She could not stop thinking about the feeling of his dick pumping into her, his firm hands flipping her body into countless positions. “Everything they say about you is true,” she said.

  “Everything like what?” He set his smoothie on the table.

  Candy sat next to him. She reached beneath his robe and grabbed his dick. It expanded in her hand. “Everything about that. I been wanting to find out for myself since that day in the elevator.”

  Rich stared at her hand as she unleashed his dick from underneath his silk robe. “Now you know Vanessa gon' be out that shower any minute.”

  “I don't think she'll mind after last night. Besides, I just wanna see it close up.” She leaned down, inches away from his erect penis. Candy had never seen a man so well hung. She kissed his dick, slid her tongue around the head, then closed his robe and stood up.

  “After all that we been through last night, I would have never figured you was a dick teaser,” Rich said.

  Candy lifted her skirt and bent over, her ass just a foot away from his face. “You can have me anytime you want, any place you want, however you want.” She turned and faced Rich. “With or without Vanessa.”

  * * *

  Later that morning, Candy and Vanessa were at the shop before it opened. They were discussing their threesome. Candy had confessed that she had never been with a man that was as large and as experienced as Rich was. She leaned against her desk, near Vanessa. “And you. You just took what we do to the next level. It's like Rich brought something new out of you that I never saw before.”

  Vanessa grabbed Candy by her waist. “I couldn't have done it without you. You and him together.” She closed her eyes. “It was unbelievable.”

  Candy had also felt the power of three. It was a first for her, just like Vanessa. Simply thinking of their experience made her wet. The threesome was the first time that Candy's body had been stimulated totally. No part of her body went untouched by the caress of a hand, lick of a tongue or stroke of Rich's dick. She had identified new feelings and erogenous zones that she would forever crave.

  But Candy realized that she wanted all of Rich's attention. She needed his strokes to make up for all of the men who had entered and exited between her legs before she reached her peak. She desired the feeling of Rich inside her womb, his eyes staring into hers, as if she was the only woman who existed in the world, while her arms wrapped his body. She wanted Vanessa's passionate tale of her and Rich to become sensual stories of Candy and Rich. She did not want to steal Vanessa's man. She just wanted to borrow him.

  “You know, he asked me 'how did I feel after last night?”' Vanessa said.

  “What did you tell him?” Candy asked.

  “That it felt so good I didn't want it to end.”

  “Who in their right mind would want what we felt to end? I still can't believe I was with a man. And I loved it.”

  “So you're bisexual?”

  “I don't know. It's been so long since I've been with a man. I thought that I could never feel like this again after Dez.” Candy shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I'm just going through a phase.”

  “You're no different than me,” said Vanessa.

  Candy had no intentions of putting men back on her “must-have” list. She was content with Rich, although she didn't know how long their new relations would last. Neither did she know how intense they would become. Would there be sex sessions monthly, biweekly, weekly? Their schedule would most likely be determined by their demand. Judging from what Candy knew of Vanessa and what she sensed about Rich, there would be a strong demand.

  “I meant to ask you yesterday,” Vanessa said. “What's up with Vera? I greeted her yesterday and she frowned her face up. She ignored me and damn near knocked me down when she stormed in here.”

  “She's a done deal. We're through.”

  “What happened?”

  “She don't understand the concept of friends with benefits.”

  “You never talk to me about her.”

  “Nothing to talk about.”

  “How is she?” Vanessa asked, inquisitively.

  Candy kissed Vanessa. “Nothing like you. That's the problem.”

  “What's so special about me?”

  “You're open-minded, cool to hang with, you're very sensual, your lips are sweeter than chocolate, your pussy smells like roses, you make me cum harder than any woman has and I love you.” Candy slid her tongue into Vanessa's mouth, kissing her lovingly as she wrapped Vanessa in her arms.

  “I love you too.”

  Candy leaned back when the whispered words entered her ear. She stared directly into Vanessa's eyes.

  “I love you,” Vanessa repeated, without a blink. She said she had thought long and hard about Candy and she could not deny the feelings she felt for her. They were more than pleasure. Vanessa was beginning to have the same gut emotion when in Candy's presence that she had when she was around Rich. She felt wanted, needed and safe each time she was in the same room with Candy.

  “I want you to understand that I don't expect you to leave Rich for me,” said Candy.

  “Okay.”

  “And I understand that what we have is between us.”

  Vanessa nodded.

  Candy embraced her. The mood Vanessa's body generated within Candy was proof that they belonged together. The emotion Candy was experiencing was new and intense. It was something that she could not fully define or explain, but her heart, mind and body told her it was right. It did not matter that many people would consider their relationship taboo. It did not matter that Candy had to withhold truth from the woman she considered family. The only thing that mattered to Candy was that Vanessa continued to spark that inextinguishable flame within her that warmed her body each time they came together. What mattered was the love they each shared for one another.

  VANESSA

  The following month for Vanessa brought her closer to Rich than she imagined time would. She had moved into his penthouse. She had also been busy with her book, but she managed to make time for Rich. They spent time together throughout New York City when they were not at home. It was Vanessa's first time living with a man, and she learned that she enjoyed cooking, cleaning and comforting a man on a daily basis. She also appreciated that Rich often had the Jacuzzi or a warm bath ready for her after work, along with a meal she had cooked and Rich had reheated. Sex between them had become more passionate since they were spending more time together.

  Candy had also been spending more time with Vanessa. They often had sexual episodes in Candy's office. Since Vanessa had mo
ved in with Rich, but left her furniture and most of her belongings behind, she and Candy had also been using Vanessa's apartment for personal time together. The apartment had become Vanessa's second home. There, she and Candy cuddled and listened to neo soul and watched DVDs of The Wire when they weren't sexing each other.

  Candy had begun spending weekends over at the penthouse with Vanessa and Rich. The trio had sex all hours of the day and night. They played strip poker and often Vanessa and Candy performed like strippers, dancing with each other and giving Rich lap dances. Vanessa had not discussed it with Rich nor Candy, but there seemed to be an understanding that Rich and Candy were not to have sex unless Vanessa was involved. Though weekends were the scheduled days for Candy to spend nights over, Candy often visited during weekdays, sometimes spending the night.

  It was a Saturday night when Vanessa and Candy strolled through the front door of the penthouse.

  “I'm gonna see if he's got the Jacuzzi ready,” Vanessa said.

  “Okay.” Candy put down her Gucci bag and stepped into the bedroom.

  As Vanessa neared the balcony, she heard Rich arguing. She posted up behind a grandfather clock where she could see the balcony. Rich was pacing back and forth in front of Chase.

  “I tried to call you the day this little bastard Pana got at me,” Chase said. “Your number changed. When the fuck that happen?”

  “When I stopped hustling. That phone was for you and me on the drug tip. Even though we never talked reckless on it, it was for us to keep tabs on shit. You know that. Why you didn't use my legit line? My business line?” Rich asked.

  “I lost that shit, man. Fuck, I ain't Free or one of the motherfuckers you be talking stocks and bonds with. It's me, man. Chase.”

  “And you shouldn't have disappeared for a month like you jumped bail or ducking the Feds. All type of shit was going through my mind. I don't know if you sleeping in a casket or lying in a hospital bed. I put the word out on the streets and half of Harlem was looking for you. Everybody acting like they blind or hard of hearing.”

  “Vanessa—”

  Vanessa turned to Candy, silencing her with her index finger covering her lips. She pointed to the terrace, as Candy stepped over.

  “It boils down to this,” Chase said. “I went OT to lay low and let this shit die down so I can rock these motherfuckers to sleep. I told you who sent this little bastard to murder me. You know you the only one I trust. I got this shit planned, and it gotta go down tonight. I'm killing both of them motherfuckers. But I need you to hold me down.” Chase pulled an automatic handgun from his waist.

  Oh my God. No. Please don't take it, baby. Vanessa's heart was beating faster than Marion Jones, as she stared at the gun. She wanted to run on the balcony, snatch the gun and throw it off the twenty-one stories.

  “I ain't that far removed from the game that I don't got a gun, so you can put that away.”

  Chase smiled and tucked his gun in his waistline. “Okay.”

  “But I left the game to get out of this shit,” Rich said, shaking his head. “I ain't living for me no more.”

  Chase's eyebrows inverted and his lips twisted with anger. “If it don't be for me, you wouldn’t be living at all. You’d be fucking dead. Another name on a mural on a fuckin' handball court in a park in Harlem.”

  “You right, Chase. I'm a hold you down, but you gonna put your own work in. And this is it for me,” Rich said, shaking his head. “I told you game was over and to get out. I hope this shit is a wake-up call to get you up out of this street sleep you in.”

  Vanessa led Candy into their bedroom. Her tear-soaked eyes were wider than silver dollars. “What are we gonna do? We gotta stop him.”

  “Just calm down,” said Candy.

  “But we gotta do something.” Vanessa had never been so scared. She felt helpless. Her world had become a fantasy when Rich swept her off her feet. Now the solid foundation they had created was crumbling before her eyes. She was faced with the reality that her life could change for the worse in a second based on the decision of the man she loved.

  RICH

  Rich stepped off the terrace with Chase.

  “I'll be downstairs in the car,” Chase said, walking out the front door.

  Rich watched him close the door. He loved Chase. Chase had been the brother Rich never had. He knew Chase would do anything for him. He had already proven it. But Rich was coming to grips with the reality that he and Chase had grown apart. Yet Rich felt obligated to help him. His mind was made up. There was no choice.

  Rich stepped into the bedroom, spotting Vanessa and Candy. “When y' all get here?” he asked.

  Vanessa bolted into his arms and hugged him tightly. I love you so much. Please don't go with Chase. Don't leave this house. Please,” she begged.

  Candy stepped over. “Rich, you can't go. It's not worth it. I don't wanna see you end up like Dez.” She wrapped her arms around him and Vanessa, forming a group hug.

  Why the hell they had to be here? Rich rubbed their backs, comforting them. “I'm gon' be all right.”

  When Vanessa and Candy lifted their heads from Rich's shoulders, their eyes were puffy and red. Rich felt like someone had snatched his heart from his chest and stomped it. He had never seen either of them shed a tear. They had only brought joy to his life, that came by way of smiles and seductive stares. They were too beautiful to cry, too delicate to face the hardship he was putting them through.

  Rich sat down between them on the bed. He wiped away the tears from each of their faces. He kissed each of them on the cheek, then put his arms around their shoulders. “I promise y'all, tonight I'm coming back through that front door.”

  Vanessa took his face into her palms. Her eyes began tearing again. “Every time I look into your eyes I see me,” she said. “I love you more than I love life itself. It was you who took me through Harlem and showed me how you escaped all of that madness. Don't go back and become a statistic.” She hugged Rich for a minute and then slowly let him go.

  “Listen to me, Rich,” said Candy, as he faced her. “I been knowing you for over twenty years, when you was knee-deep in the game and you felt you had no choice. You do now. Vanessa loves you and I care about you a lot.” She kissed him on the lips. “You knew Dez.” Her eyes began watering and Rich wiped them. “When Dez got killed, I didn't want to live no more. And Vanessa loves you way more than I loved Dez. The point is, what the hell are we supposed to do if you're dead or in Sing Sing?”

  Rich got on his knees and faced Vanessa and Candy. “I didn't survive and thrive on these streets from age nine to thirty-five because I had a horseshoe up my ass and a rabbit's foot in my pocket. I know my way around. And I'm not even into bracelets, so you know I don't get along with handcuffs. Plus, we got a lot more living to do and that ain't gonna work if I'm hanging out with Biggie and Pac. I never let neither one of y'all down and I ain't about to start now. Trust me.”

  They stood and hugged. Then he stepped into his closet. Seconds later he came out with a handgun. He tucked it on his waistline and pulled his white mock neck over it. Rich squatted and tightened the shoelaces on his Wallabies. When he looked up, Vanessa and Candy were sitting on the bed, hugging each other and rocking back and forth. The sight of them crying was eating at Rich. He turned and walked out the room. He tried to rid the image of them from his mind. He knew that he would need to be focused for the mission he was going on with Chase. Distractions on the street could easily lead to death.

  * * *

  It was midnight and Rich was wheeling the black Ford Taurus with Chase in the passenger seat. Vanessa and Candy were still fresh on his mind. He had been on many missions like the one he found himself on, and never had a woman occupied space in his mind while he was focused on drama. Now he had two women clouding his thoughts. This new phenomenon indicated two things. First, although Rich once had virtually no feelings for women, he now had feelings for two. Second, while he used to be so deep in the game that nothing superseded it, he wa
s now so far removed from the game that it was no longer his top priority.

  “Park right there,” Chase said, pointing to the corner in front of a Fish & Chips restaurant that was closed. Then he pointed to another building in the center of the block. “That's the building.”

  “That tenement?” Rich asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Rich surveyed the six-story apartment building and the rest of the block where they were parked. It was deserted, an unusual occurrence for most Harlem blocks on a summer night. But there were many cars parked on the strip of concrete and tar that was lined with another tenement, brownstones and a large yard connected to the restaurant at the corner on which they were parked.

  “These motherfuckers gotta get it,” Chase said.

  “So, what's poppin'? How it's going down?”

  Chase said, “We lay until we see Biz pushin' that white Tahoe. It's gonna park in front of the tenement to pick up that little bastard Pana. By the time they get to this corner, I'ma be out there waitin’.”

  “Good, 'cause I'm just gonna be here laying to hold you down. That's it!” Rich said, emphatically.

  “Right.” Chase nodded. “But I need you to cut them off, so they can't drive away. Once they stop, that's when I'm airing the whole truck out.”

  The plan seemed simple to Rich. “Cool.” He pulled out his .45-caliber Glock. He partially cocked it back, checking to make sure there was a bullet in the chamber.

  “Fourteen shots. I know you keep 'em full,” Chase said. “Still know how to handle that hammer?”

  “You never forget how to protect yourself.”

  “Shit, you was on offense a whole lot more than defense,” said Chase.

  Rich was silent, taking in the truth in Chase's statement. Most of the people Rich and Chase had shot or killed were not people who tried to kill them.