Charmed By A Steel City Hustler
Chapter 12 — Man to Man

Adonis:

I pulled up to the local bar and turned my engine off. This was a new low for me. Lois needed to be put back on her damn leash. This was my only option right now, and I hated it. The firm had been up my ass about Yasmine and if I could win her case. My confidence was starting to wane.

The more dirt my private investigator dug up the less my chances were for a victory. That left me no time to deal with my wayward wife. I got out the car, and a loud thunderclap boomed across the evening sky. I hated to get any of my suits wet, so I jogged to the front door. The mood inside the small establishment was old school and calm. I had not stepped foot inside here for years it felt like.

"Donnie, what are you doing in my neck of the woods, partna?"

I walked over to the bar and sat down in front of Bash. He was dressed down as always in baggy attire with a fitted cap on. How the hell did he work in that sweaty thing anyway? The bar was a nice front to his actual means of income. Lola had no idea what he really did for a living, or how much he was truly worth.

"I am here on behalf of our wives."

Bash started laughing as he cleaned out a glass and damn near choked. There was nothing comical about my statement.

"Lola asked me to speak with you man to man regarding your recent disappearing acts."

"First the fuck off no fool is going to come at me about my damn pussy. Secondly, what the hell does this have to do with Lois?"

That crude language always made my eye twitch. Why did we as black people always reach for curse words to express our displeasure? By the look on Bash's face, he did not care about my opinion of him. I cleared my throat and began to speak again.

"I don't think that is of any concern to you."

"Dude, did you come into my place of business speaking about my wife? Then say I can't ask about yours. Get the fuck out of here with that soap opera drama."

"Okay, okay calm down there is no need to get loud about it. Look, Sebastian, I could care less about your marital problems. I think Lola can do better than you, but that is not my decision. She is helping me with Lois, so this is me holding up my end of the deal. A word of advice from someone who has been married longer than you. Happiness comes in many forms if one fails seek out others."

Bash looked at me with a straight face and did not crack a smile at all. I felt a shiver go down my back and was worried he would shoot me. A female voice called out to him, and he held his hand up in her direction. He poured a shot of Ciroc into a glass and threw it back quickly.

"This is not a conversation for the public ears. So why don't we go on back to my office."

I nodded my head and followed him through the flip doors and down a long hallway. This place was much bigger on the inside. Bash held up a magnetized badge to the door, and it popped open with a lick. That was a bit elaborate for a bar. The décor was nice as hell, there was expensive art photos displayed on two of the walls. A massive fish tank in the corner with a variety of aquatic life inside it.

"Sebastian this is damn nice, shit you actually got taste. The renovations are far better than I could imagine."

"Cut the act D we are in private now. Nobody can hear or see us. You're here because Lois left your square ass, right? I guess she found a better dick to slide down." I frowned my face up and seriously considered taking a swing at him. I blew out an exasperated gasp and loosened my tie.

"Why the hell do you have to be so over the top in public with the language?"

"Fam why do you have to be such a dick head in public? You are Uncle Z's son man, that fool act like he never ate a syrup sandwich or government cheese." "Bash, what the fuck is a...never mind."

"Ha ah. I just saw him at my mom's house the other day. That fool got an even bigger stick up his ass than you do. So glad that shit did not fall into my damn genes."

We stared at each other and started laughing. Bash reached his hand over to me, and I shook it happily. Sebastian was my first cousin on my father's side. His mom, Aunt Charlotte, was the black sheep of the family.

Aunt Charlotte married a street king and was black balled from the family legacy decades ago. Sebastian and I met as teenagers one day. Dome fluke shit and created a bond despite the drama within our family. No one could have ever predicted that our worlds would clash years later, and we would marry sisters.

"So, have you heard from her?"

I spoke to him as I cracked open a cigarillo and emptied the guts into the trash bin at my feet. Bash tossed a bag of marijuana across the desk to me. I put it to my nose and whiffed it in. I had not smoked in at least a year. Lois' recent antics have forced me to revert back to old ways.

"Cuzzo, I haven't she is fazing me out as well."

I ran my tongue along the blunt as Bash spoke. Something told me that he was lying. Lois had been different since her torrid affair started. The monitor on her cell phone let me know she spoke with him daily.

Since our blow up two weeks ago, there have been no calls or out-going messages to him. The private investigator following her had not sent me any new photos. That didn't mean they were not in contact some way or another. Bash was far from stupid, and so was I.

I opened the baggy up and begin to sprinkle the greenery into the cigar. I completed my task and patted my pockets down for a lighter. Bash had it in his outstretched arm with a grin on his face.

I snatched it from his hand and lit up. He was still looking at me but not saying anything. I puffed the weed a few times and inhaled that good shit. Whoo, this was some fire. "What fool!"

I yelled over to him, and he chuckled to himself.

"I was wondering what your high society colleagues would think of you in this 'seedy' bar consorting with the lower-class folk. Not to mention you just rolled a blunt to perfection filled with that Lemon Haze loud." "Shut the fuck up, yo."

"And your ass is cussing too, with slang language. Shit, I need to record your ass for real. Yo puff puff give fool, fucking up the rotation," Bash said, and I passed him the blunt. This scene felt very familiar to me. It was in this same office nearly seven months ago where we discussed our wives for the first time.

Seven Months Ago "D, I'm glad you could come by fam we need to talk," Bash said as I followed him back to his office. I was dead tired from work and dreading going home. Lois had been in a pissy mood lately since we had a huge argument. I had been busting my ass at the firm. My bid for partner was damn near a done deal.

I walked into the office behind Bash and shut the door. There was a blunt and lighter on the desk, so I knew this was something serious. We only got together in private to discuss business. We had not let on to our wives that we were cousins. The drama stemming from our family was too damn much. Plus, we had our own reasons for keeping it from the women. They might catch on to our plan of bringing their father down. I sparked up the blunt and begin to puff on it when Bash spoke to me.

"I fucked Lois last weekend."

I immediately began choking and dropped the blunt to the desk. This was not what I was expecting to hear. I lunged over the desk and caught Bash with a right hook. He countered by head-butting me and pushing me back into the seat. We had never fought each other as teens.

I had no idea what to expect from him. He damn sure was not a punk, and that head-butt gave me instant pain. I stood up ready to go toe to toe with him and caught him with a second hit that nicked his jawline. Bash shook it off and hit me twice more. I lunged at him pinning him against the wall.

I saw nothing but red as I squeezed his neck with all my strength. Bash kneed me the stomach causing my hands to let go. He pushed me on to his desk and prepared to swing when I kicked him between the legs. A cheap shot I know, but damn that he was not beating my ass to a pulp.

"How the fuck could you betray me like that Sebastian! You supposed to be my blood."

PLOP! PLOP!

I yelled out and hit him two more times in the mouth. Bash sucked them up as he was holding on to his dick for dear life. We were both breathing heavy at this point and bent over trying to recover from the scuffle. There was knocking at his office door and a woman's voice yelling.

"Boss man are you okay in there?"

"Yes, Trice I'm good, go on back to work sweetheart."

Bash pulled his shirt off and rubbed at his chin and mouth. There was a fine slit and blood seeping out of his mouth. A result of my handy work. I was damn proud that I had injured him somewhat. Bash was big in the streets and had a reputation for being ruthless.

The fact that a 'square fool' went toe to toe with him and survived had me smiling on the inside. I had quite a few fights back in my younger years and always gave it my all. My father always told me to do my fighting in the courtroom or with the law. My mother said that self-preservation was a part of survival, and every form of fighting was needed.

"Look fam it just happened. She came in like a woman on a rampage all dressed up and shit. I was looking out for you initially, taking her keys and letting her get shit faced. She went on and on about how much of a dickhead you were being. Then what can I say she was all emotional looking just like Lola with that look in her eyes and whoooo shit."

I stood up from the chair I was resting in and reached across his desk punching him one more time in the mouth. That motherfucker was rubbing it in about sexing my wife. Family or not he was dead ass wrong.

"Bash have you lost your fucking mind! You slept with my wife and explaining it like that mess is okay. We're family and I thought we were better than that. Thought we were better than our parents," I said to him and realized how weak it came off. I loved Lois despite my uncaring manner as of late. This was betrayal on a whole other level. How could she do this to me?

Bash I half expect it given who his father was. Lois was supposed to be that one woman who could walk through the depths of hell with me and come out unsinged.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.org is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

"You right pussy should not come between us ever, nothing should. We could use this to our advantage, Adonis. Leo Jennings has been a thorn in both our sides for years. You have had no luck legally bringing him down, right?" I looked at him as if he grew two fucking heads before my eyes. My expression spoke for me.

"Adonis, we can fight again or argue all damn night, if that's what you want. Tomorrow you will wake up with the same attitude regarding Lois and Lola's father. You can hate me for fucking Lo, but what about her betrayal? We can take what he holds dearly and break it in two. This incident with her and me should fuel your motivation to bring her father down even more."

"Yo Donnie where the fuck did you go just now? Cuz, your ass been staring off into space the past five minutes."

I shook away the past thoughts and noticed Bash had blazed up another blunt. Damn, I blacked out and missed the first one almost entirely. Bash had that high look on his face that I couldn't stand to be plastered on my own. Our plan was going smooth until recently, and it needed to be back on course.

"Lois is out of character right now. I need her for work appearances and just to be the fuck at home. I got the most recent photos of you two. She seemed happy?"

"Damn fam did you die a little just now saying those words?"

Bash said with a smirk on his face. This never gave me any type of pleasure to discuss my wife fucking another man. The photos were taken by a private investigator, and a means to an end. I never considered resorting to blackmail or using my wife as a pawn in my sick game. I wanted to spare her from the wrath coming for her dad.

After Bash made that admission, she was fair game. I figured it was a one-time thing until my curiosity got the best of me and I had her followed. A week after our brawl I received confirmation that Lois had met up with him again. I mentally forgave Lois months ago to keep up my charade of a marriage.

I owned up to my role in her mistake. That did curb my sexual appetite toward her. She made comments about my lack of sexual prowess toward her. It is hard to get excited for a woman that is busting it wide open for your cousin. Hell, I had stepped out early in our marriage, and I just figured this was karma coming back around. Lois could have fucked around with any other man, and it may not have cut me as deep.

"D, I'm not about to discuss what I do to your wife in my bedroom. Bruh that shit is awkward as hell. Lois is different now I will say that. Whatever you doing to her is fucking with her mental. Not even my dick game can turn her around. Why don't you get Yasmine Tate off your dick for starters? That bitch is going get you caught up and sitting behind bars."

I laughed at his marital advice. This coming from the man who is screwing his sister-in-law. Lois was different, but Bash had to know more. The phone records were a pretty good indication that they had long deep conversations. He had a point about Yasmine in more ways than one.

"Sebastian, we are both in the fire right now. So, for argument's sake let's both go home and cater to our wives. Lola is not the ghetto push over you think she is. I have known both ladies longer than you. They are not to be underestimated by any means. Yasmine Tate is not a worry I got her under control, without fucking. You could learn a thing or two about that."

I had a little base in my voice with those last few words and stood up to leave his office. Bash yelled out to me right before I exited.

"I can handle women without using my dick. Don't forget you gave me permission to keep fucking your wife. Now go enjoy that pussy and remember to hold out longer than five minutes fam. Oh and talk that shit in her ear while you are beating that pussy up from the back. That shit drives her crazy, Lola, too!"

I slammed his door and stormed out of the bar and out into a tsunami. The rain was coming down as if the heavens were having a war up the clouds. I ran to my vehicle and quickly hopped in. Bash was getting too damn cocky and comfortable with our arrangement. He was not going to continue disrespecting me.

Our plan needed to be executed and soon. Lois was just a means to an end at this point. She had fallen for my cousin, and there was no coming back from that. The joke would be on her once she found out he was no better than me.