Chapter II

Tenants

Mark and James have been friends since forever. They liked to say they were friends from the cradle to the grave. The only time they spent any real time apart from each other was when James went away to college. Even then Mark would visit some weekends and anytime James knew of a big party. While James was away for his four years getting his degree in communications Mark was home in PG County carving out a notch for him self in the home contracting business. When James graduated it was a forgone conclusion that he would come back home to hook up with Mark and get some kind of business venture in the works. Mark banked a lot of his early earnings as seed money. James did his part working during his time in school to add to the capital they would need. Once James came home Marked invited him to come stay with him until they got their venture off and running and he could afford his own place; that's how they ended up at the Bontemps.

Mark sat waiting in the visitor’s area looking at everyone, he loved to people watch.  He had been here so often he nearly forgot it was the visiting area of a maximum security prison.  He watched as parents visited sons, wives visited husbands, children visited fathers, girlfriends visited boyfriends and in some cases boyfriends visited boyfriends.  As he sat there waiting for his brother to come into the room He could over hear an inmate talking to his visiting mother.  The mother was in tears as the young boy explained to her that he was going to be killed if he didn’t put at least $200 on the book of one of the inmate that ran his cell block.

“Mom they know I’m getting out in a few day and they don’t want that.  He said if I don’t get him the money they gonna kill me.  You have to do it Ma!”

“I don’t have it Eric baby.”  The weeping mother replied.  I just don’t have it.  I could barely pay for your lawyer and the rest of the bills this month." 

Brian continued ear hustling until he noticed a guard waving him over.  The guard that always brought Mark's brother in appeared at the door with a funny look on his face, there was something wrong.  Mark tucked the $500 he had in his hands to put on his brothers books into his pocket.  He thought back to the time he came to visit and could not because he had gotten in to some kind of altercation and had been put in solitary confinement, not this bullshit again he thought. 

"Hey Mark, how's it going?"

"Not bad man, where's my brother?  I've been waiting here for almost and hour."

"Man, I thought someone would have called you."  The look on his face was one

of fear and disappointment.

"Your brother was killed last night Mark.  I know they are being real hush-hush

about it but I thought they would have gotten word to the family by now."

Brian could not believe what he was hearing.  So many memories danced around in his head as he stood there fighting back tears.  The look of that prison visiting room suddenly started to sicken him.  There was a smell to it that he had blocked out all these years, it turned his stomach.  He had always said that he would never visit anyone in prison and his brother initially didn’t want any visitors but about three years into a 25 years bid it started to get to him and he called Mark and asked him to come visit.  It was a no brainier; Mark was on his way his way the next day.  And he continued once a month until today.

Mark shook hands with the guard and headed for the exit for the last time.  As he made his way across the room that mother and son caught his attention again.  The mother was still in tears and the son’s battle to not shed any tears was lost.  The wad of money he had in his pocket seemed to become as heavy as lead.  When he reached their table, without saying a word, Mark stopped and counted off ten $20 bills and dropped it in front of the young dude.  He then dropped the remaining 20's, $300 worth, into the mother's hands.  "Have a nice day."  Her eyes, full of tears, looking up at him spoke volumes.  Before she could say anything before Mark walked off, out of that visiting room never to return again.

*****

James sat on the couch looking around Mark's condo.  He thought Mark must have been doing very well with his contracting business to afford this place.  He was feeling very happy for his friend; it only fed his drive to get things going for himself. He walked to the guest room, where he was now calling his room for the time being, and admired the décor.  Mark was doing very well.  The more he looked around the guilt started to filter in.  Here he was living in what seemed like the lap of luxury compared to where he came from.  Compared to where his mother still lived.  He sometimes got these feelings of guilt while away at school.  When he got a full ride to VCU he could not wait to get away from all the shit going on all around him in the streets of D.C.  One spring break he came home and one of his worse fears seemed to come true.  He could tell that his mother was on drugs.  He tried to talk to her but she didn't want to talk about it.  After that James came home only when he had to.  To stop from having to ask his mother for anything and to use as an excuse not to come home he got a job near school.  This shit would have never happened had he not gone away to school he thought.  He would have never allowed it and no one would have sold his mother drug because they knew he would have fucked them up without giving it a second thought.

Growing up in one of the toughest areas of D.C. James held his own in the streets.  In fact that how James and Mark meet; James came to Mark's rescue one day.  Now this happened when they both were in grade school but hey, it was the beginning of their friendship.  Growing up, together, they got into a lot of fights.  And it became known that you didn't want to fuck with James and Mark, especially James.  But once James left for school he wanted to leave all that behind him. But now he was back, back and ready to do some good.  He figured if he and Mark could get their thing, whatever it was, off the ground he could move his mom out of the old neighborhood and get her straight.  She'd been dating some guy over the last few mouths so James figured that how she had the money to do the shit she did.  He must have also been the one that turned her on to it, she would never have known where to go to get it and if she would have gone to anyone in the neighborhood they would not have given it to her because of James.

"Fuck!"  He silently screamed; I'm done thinking about this shit.  He sat there for a minute then she came to his mind.  The only she that he every really cared about, Dana.  Her birthday was in a few days, he didn't realize it until just now.  But in his mine that was a good thing.  He'd done a good job of forgetting about her and he thought of this as a major set back.  Her birthday had become sort of a sore spot for him.  He used to love to spend that day with her, they would do whatever she wanted to do.  But for the last three year she'd had someone else in her life and they were getting the attention he wished he could.  So for that reason he'd decided to move on.  It wasn't just that easy but he was doing well with it.  That is until he came home and saw he; that fucked him up.  While he was away at school it was easier.  He could deal with it a little better because she was hundreds of miles away.  When he realized that she was seeing someone it crushed him, almost broke his spirits. For awhile his grades suffered but he knew if that continued he'd lose his scholarship and lose his ride so he got that shirt straight real quick.  After that he lost himself in work and school.  All he had on his mind was finishing school so he could get home and get something up and going with Mark.  He'd made the decision to push Dana out of his mind or at least to the back of it.  But sometime that was just too hard to do. 

Unit #4

It was about 9:30 Saturday morning when the moving truck pulled up in front of The Bontemps Condominiums.  Without wasting any time the four men jumped out of the cab of the truck and got right to work.  The street was empty and the building was quiet as they worked to move the contents of the truck into unit #4.  Mrs. Williams curious about what was going on peeked out of her window to see what the ruckus was.  What she was seeing was the movers moving in the belongings of Tiera Fisher. 

Tiera Fisher she is not from the area, she was moving to Maryland from North Carolina for a new job.  If you asked her it was her dream job.  Excited was too weak a word to describe how she felt about her new job and moving in to her new place, she could not wait to get to the DMV.  She'd visited once when she was in her early twenties and had a ball.  Every since then she'd had her heart set on moving here and working on Capital Hill.

In no time the movers were all finished and all of her belongings, still boxed, were moved in.  The bigger items; bed, dresser, and tables were all set up per Tiera's instructions.  Just as the movers were putting the last box inside up pulled a black Honda sedan.  The smile was so big on her Tiera's face that it could be seen before she even got out of the car.  When she did get out she danced around in celebration.  This was the beginning of her dream.  The only time Tiera had been away from home and her parents was when she was away at school but this was different.  This was her own place, un-chaperoned and able to do anything she wanted to.  When she finished school she moved back home and searched for a job.  She found one but it paid just enough to start paying off her student loans and put a little money in her pockets.  So at home with her parents is where she stayed for the next 8 years.  But all her hard work had finally paid off.  She'd gotten the job she'd always wanted.  To make things even better the job was paying all her moving expenses and her Mom and Dad helped out by giving her a house warming gift of ten thousand dollars.  Tiera was ready to take on the world.

All that needed to be done now was to get the boxes emptied.  The first thing she did when she got inside was pull out her Mac book and soon the sounds of John Legend's "Who Do We Think We Are" filled the beautiful space that she now called HERS!  Happy, Tiera danced and unpacked ready to face her new life head-on.

Chapter I

Welcome to The Bontemps Condominiums in the quiet suburban town of Angelou Maryland; located about 30 minutes west of Washington D.C.  A fairly new area, it is a cross between fast paced city life and slower country living.  Those that find their way here like the fact that it's still sort of a secret; but not for long.  New homes are being built everyday and before long it's going to be just another crowed little town.  Right now the population of Angelou Maryland is about 481 and the residents would love to keep it that way.

The Bontemps Condominiums are owned by Lawrence Edmonds.  He's your normal everyday guy.  He battles the beltway traffic like most in the area as he travels to and from work in downtown D.C.  He had the idea of buying the building and renting the units.  Along with owning the condos he also lives there.  When the place was being built he had them make changes to the top floor.  The three floor building has two Condominiums per floor, all but the third floor that is.  Lawrence had them make the two Condos on the third floor into one.  There is a small elevator in the build that is used mainly for moving things in and out but a key is needed to go all the way to the third floor.

At this time three of the other four Condominiums are occupied.  The fourth is all ready for the new tenant that will be moving in within the next week.    The first to move in and in unit #1 is Mrs. Williams.  She is a quiet elderly woman that moved in the same time as Lawrence moved in.  Right now she is the only one who knows that Lawrence is the building owner.  Unit #2 is occupied by a married couple from D.C, John and Tonya Strong both in their mid 30's.  On the second floor in unit #3 is young couple from Maryland, Donna and Ted both in their late 20's.  They are newly engaged and this is their first place together.  The last unit on the second floor is currently vacant but will be getting a renter very soon.

 

*****

 It had been a long day as always for Lawrence as he pulled up to the curb and waited for the garage door to open.  While he sat there his body ached, in a good way, from his workout.  He saw Mrs. Williams getting groceries out of her car.

"Hello Mrs. Williams" Lawrence called out.  "If you give me a few moments I'll     come help you with your things."

She turned and smiled at Lawrence, she liked him; he was always very helpful to her.  "Ok baby, take your time." She replied.

Lawrence parked and lifted his still sweat drenched body from his truck.  The Under Armour shirt he wore clung to his sculpted body like a second skin.  Mrs. Williams smiled as he approached.  She reached out to hug his 6'2, 245 pound frame, he dwarfed her.  Without giving it a second thought Lawrence grabbed the four bags she had and followed her to her into her apartment.  Her pet cat, freckles, greeted them at the door.

 *****

Unit #1

Mrs. Williams kept her place immaculate, not a thing out of place.  Even thought her place was very neat and clean it had a very eclectic.  The condo it's self was a very modern look, but Mrs. Williams decorating was very old fashioned.  Every time Lawrence entered her place his grandmother came to mind.  As he placed her bags on the counter just like she always does she tried to give him two dollars for helping her with the bags.  He laughed and told her no thanks every time.  "Take it and buy yourself a soda or something baby." She'd always say.  Heading out the door Lawrence said he's good byes and closed the door behind him.  Mrs. Williams went about the business of putting her groceries away as she talked to her cat like she always did.

Mrs. Williams was a 75 year old woman that grew up in the Washington D.C. area but spent most of her adult life living in California.  She lost her husband of 50 years five years ago and had been on her own since then.  A few years before that her only son was gunned down caught up in the street life of DC's inner city.  She lived a quiet life, other than members of her church and Lawrence Mrs. Williams never had company.

After everything was in its proper place Mrs. Williams fed Freckles and sat down in her chair with her bible.  Turned on the TV and watched her programs, Jeopardy, the evening new and The Home Shopping Network, like she always did then off to bed by 9:15.

*****

Unit #5

Lawrence dropped the mail on the counter and grabbed a protein shake from the fridge.  His body ached and he loved that feeling.  He was almost back to a hundred percent and that was something no one thought would happen, even he doubted it sometimes.  To always motivate himself he kept a reminder of what could have been.  That was a wheelchair that sat in the corner of his living room.  He knew that he should throw it out but it held too many memories so for now he let it stay there.  After downing his drink he turned the shower on full blast; in no time clouds of steam floated from the behind the shower curtain.  Lawrence pealed off the layers of sweat soaked clothes and stepped into the stream of hot water.  He turned to let the water beat down on his right shoulder.  As he slowly rubbed the soap into his skin his finger traced the scars that ran all along his shoulder and chest.  He massaged it causing a little pain but nothing he couldn't handle.  The hot shower did him good; he was now ready to pass out.  It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was sleep.  Wrapped in his robe he lay across his bed.  As his eyes started to close he looked up at the picture of a woman holding a young boy in her arms.  Tears came to his eyes so he turned away as a burning pain in his chest grew inside of him.  He let out a primal scream as tears pooled in his eyes.  He tried to calm himself as mind raced with thoughts of that baby boy, the baby boy that was taken from him.  Tears welled up in his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

 

*****

Unit #2

John closed the door behind him as he stepped into the living room.  His work day was officially over.  He put down his bag and breathed a sigh of relief.  Tonya, his beautiful wife of three years, stood in the kitchen at the sink.  "Hey babe" she called to him.  "How was your day?"  Before she knew it he was behind her, pressed against her back and thick ass.  Her form fitting dress accented her curves.  John kissed his wife on the neck as his hands traced her lovely outline.  "My day is much better now."  He said in between the kisses he now placed on her cheek.  Tonya turned around and hugged her man.  She kissed him fully on the lips and they enjoyed the feel of each other.  "How was your day?" he asked before he buried his face in her neck.  She giggled from the feeling of him licking her neck.  "My day is better now" she said repeating her husband's sentiment.  After another big hug John grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and made his way to the couch and Tonya continued what she was doing in the sink.

"You remember we have that thing tonight right?"  Tonya asked.

"Yeah I remember.  What time are we supposed to be there?"

"I believe they want us there by 9."

"Cool.  That gives me time to get a little nap."

"Me too" Tonya said, it had been a long day for her as well.

John laid his head back and closed his eyes.  It had been a long week and he was so glad it was over.  John was a pretty buttoned down guy.  He was a go to work, come home to his wife kind of guy.  Every now and then he'd hang of with a few of his buddies but most of his outings involved things with his wife and shared friends.  Tonya was just a little different.  Tonya got together with her girlfriends a little more often than John did with his boys but that was not an issue for either of them.  They both had their own circle of friends but enjoyed spending time together; in their eyes it was perfect. 

As John sat there he could hear Tonya coming towards him and anticipated her touch. John loved this woman with all his heart and she felt the same about him.  He often thought about how lucky he was to have a wife as beautiful and smart as Tonya was.  They'd met about five years ago in the grocery store and have been inseparable ever since.  For John it was love at first sight and he knew that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.  Tonya did not feel as strong in the beginning but that's not to say that she did not like John right from the start.  She had been hurt before so she was just being cautious with her feelings.  But once she saw that John was genuine she was all in and it's been them against the world.

Tonya sat on his lap facing him and kissed him softly on his lips.  He could feel her unbuttoning his shirt as their tongues danced.  She opened his shirt and without warning ripped his T-shirt open.  Tonya slid down to her knees and started to kiss his chest taking time to suck and bite his nipples.  John moaned in delight as she continued.  While her tongue darted in and out of his navel her hands worked to undo his belt and pants.  Soon his manhood was free and sprung towards her.  "Ooo" is all she said before sucking his warm cock into her mouth.  John body tensed as he enjoyed the feeling and sight of Tonya swallowing his manhood.  John tried to move he wanted to be inside of his wife but she would not let him get up.

"No, sit back and enjoy babe.  It's all about you right now."

John did just what he was told.  The sounds of her slurping and gagging on his dick was just too much for him to take and within minutes John was sending his load rushing forward into Tonya's waiting mouth.  "BABY!!!" he groaned as his body twitched and shivered.  As if she was trying to drive him go crazy Tonya continued to stroke his sensitive man part while her warm tongue circled the head of his dick causing spasm after spasm to send streams of cum shooting into the air. 

Slowly John's member lost its girth as he tried to catch his breath. 

"That was great baby" he said as he kissed Tonya softly on her lips.  Tonya laughed as she got up and walked off towards the bedroom.

"Thank you honey; now clean up your mess and come on.  We need to get ready for tonight."