Free Hard Candy by Amaleka McCall Page A

Candy,” Tuck said, putting his hand down to his side when he realized she wasn’t going to shake it. “Look, I don’t ever agree with that hitting-on-a-woman bullshit. Broady is a little asshole that wants to be a man so bad like his brother. That was some bullshit.”
    â€œYeah, well, birds of a feather . . . ” Candice walked away from him in a huff. She wanted to turn back and look at him so badly, but her pride and ego would not allow it. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was watching her. You’re on a mission. You ain’t here to look at no dudes. Getcha mind right, Candy.
    Love for a man wasn’t something Uncle Rock had taught her. In fact, he had warned her against falling in love. “Falling in love is a waste of time,” Uncle Rock had cautioned her on numerous occasions. “It never lasts.”
    But Candice couldn’t help thinking about the tiny possibility of falling in love. When she was sixteen, she would stay in Uncle Rock’s bathroom for hours practicing kisses on her hand, making a pair of makeshift lips with the edges of her thumb and index finger. As she grew older, she began to explore the erogenous zones of her body with her hands. Uncle Rock would always ask her what was taking her so long in there, and she would reply, “I was memorizing my pressure points.”
    Candice planned to tell Shana that she was done with Broady, Junior, and the entire scene at Club Skyye. She was going to let Shana know that she was leaving and that Shana was more than welcome to accompany her. But when she saw Shana by Broady’s side and pretending that all was well, she just shook her head from left to right. This poor girl .
    â€œYo, apologize to my fuckin’ brother,” Broady growled at Shana, who stood by his side, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, looking like she had to urinate urgently.
    Pitiful . The whole scene infuriated Candice and she had to will herself to keep her cool. She thought she’d come to Shana’s rescue, but Shana didn’t want to even help herself.
    â€œI apologize, Junior. I was just joking,” Shana said, in a real soft baby voice.
    Candice squinted her eyes into evil slits, and her nostrils opened and closed with every breath she took. Now she wanted to slap Shana herself for being so meek and stupid.
    â€œCandy, this is Junior. Junior, this is Candy.” Shana introduced her as though they hadn’t even met earlier in the evening. If it was a formal introduction they wanted, Shana was aiming to please.
    As Junior extended his hand toward Candice, she twisted her lips into a scowl, keeping her hands at her sides.
    â€œShana, I just came to tell you that I was leaving. Call me when you can,” Candice said, holding eye contact with Junior, then Shana.
    â€œOh, okay. That’s fine, Candy,” Shana said, avoiding eye contact.
    â€œDamn! These bitches get more and more breezy the older I get. I guess it’s hard to find a quiet, obedient motherfucker to lay on her back and bring up the rear,” Junior remarked as he was set to turn away. “It was nice to meet you, anyway. What’s your name, again? Lollipop or something like that?” Junior looked into Candice’s eyes like he had seen them a thousand times before.
    Candice inhaled deeply, willing the hot sensation of anger welling in her chest to dissipate. She finally broke her gaze with Junior and sashayed away from the group without another word, her heart thumping wildly in her chest and the fine hairs standing up on her neck. She wanted to pull out her gun and make Junior’s head explode. Candice’s emotions were taking over, and she had to get out fast. She was breaking a cardinal rule in Uncle Rock’s training manual—keep a cool head, no matter what the provocation.
    â€œCandy! Hold up!” Razor called after her.
    Fuming mad, Candice picked up her pace, with Razor close on her