ME&U

Chapter 1...

Bahamas...1month ago

"You ruined me." That was the only warning Sasha Maxwell got before her husband's open hand slapped her hard across the face. He grabbed her by the collar of her dress and slung her on the couch in their living room. She touched her throbbing cheek and scooted back on the cushions as he came closer.

"N-no...Sam...wait!" Her eyes bulged as he wrapped his hand around her throat in a tight-death grip and pulled her up to eye level. She tried to fight him off of her, but he was just too strong. She could see the rage pooling in his dark eyes. Her husband's anger made his normally golden brown skin become red with veins pumping hard. Samuel Maxwell voice growled in her ear.

"I get this dvd in the mail...and what does it show?" He held up the empty case. "My lovely wife Sasha giving some braided hair bitch the only copy of my signature recipe...my restaurant's trademark dish...do you know how much that recipe is worth?!" He flung her back against the couch and paced in front of her as she watched him with fear. How could someone know about that? She made sure that the surveillance cameras were off.

"My whole career rode on that one stupid dish...a fuckin‘ family recipe." He spat out the words as if it was hot bile in his mouth. "The hotel kept me open because of that one dish...some true love recipe!!" Samuel laughed  at the absurdity of such a thing. He dragged a chair and plopped down in front of her.

"...I studied all over the world and trained under the Masters of Modern Cuisine...and my only claim to fame was a damn chicken recipe my grandpa stole from some bitch out of Mississippi." He shouted in her crying face and snatched her up by one of her arms.

"Please...Sam...you are hurting me!" Her cries fell on deaf ears. He pushed her to the floor in front of their TV. The frozen scene on the flat screen was her giving the black woman a folded piece of paper. He straddled his chair and looked down at her pitiful state.

"You stood there all of that time not saying a word...while everything just crumbled like a house of cards. Not. One. Fuckin'. Word." He dragged a hand over his face.

"There was something else on it too." He pressed play and a new scene emerged. This one shows her and some unidentified white man having sex among some trees. She gasps as it zooms on them. The camera's angle displayed everything. Sasha covered her face and cried harder.

"Sam...please tu-turn it off...I don't want to see it!" He turned the volume up louder and hidden within the everyday rhythms of island life was the harsh groans and moans of sex. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Now I might be wrong...a brotha' is in his 40's and some Lasik surgery maybe in order...but Bitch... is that you hugging a palm tree with some cracker's dick up your ass?!"

"Turn it off!"

"Look at It!! White boy is putting in work... I give his ass that one...Did you forget about all of those cameras every-fuckin-where!!" He jumped up so quick that the chair tipped over. She got up quickly and hugged the wall. Her face was splotchy and tears flowed like a river from her ashamed blue eyes. She nervously ran a hand thru her tangled blonde hair.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry!!" She pleaded as Sam stalked her every move. The only recurring scene in his head was his hands around her lifeless pale neck.

"I gave you everything...you never had to raise a finger...I made sure that it was at your beck and call. You were my everything..." Samuel's voice was a flat murmur and his face... just an empty mask. Her husband wasn't there anymore. It was a complete stranger.

Sasha made her way over to the bookcase that held their antiques and collectibles. He slammed her into the unforgiving wood as his hands began to crush her air supply. She gagged and scratched his face but his grip never loosens. Sasha grabbed the first thing her hand came in contact with and with her remaining strength, bashed her husband over the head.

The sickening pop of sterling silver on bone echoed in the living room. He crumbled to the floor in a lifeless heap. Sasha fell to her knees beside him trying to force much needed oxygen into her body. She watched the faint movement of his chest rising and falling. He wasn't dead just unconscious. She crawled to the TV, retrieved the DVD and grabbed her purse that was slung to the floor when he first slapped her.

Whenever Samuel wakes up, she will not be here. Her husband will hunt her down and everyone involved. Sasha dragged herself up on unsteady legs. She needed to get in contact with Malcolm. He will help her...he had too.

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Luminensce, MS...Jace and Tabby's wedding night

"I'm not going anywhere and before all of this is over...you will be with me."

Mal's warning replayed in Coco's head over and over like a scratched record. She grumbled to herself about moving back to New York as she walked her sister to the waiting SUV that was going to take Tabby and Jace to the airstrip. Tabby warily watched her sister as she mumbled to herself about moving up north and no Brits.  She stole a glance over her shoulder and saw that her husband was deep in conversation with his own sibling. She nibbled on her bottom lip and lightly popped her sister on her furrowed forehead.       

"CoCo...promise me that you will be good while I'm gone."  Tabby's sister stopped mumbling and frowned.

"Huh...what?" Tabby rubbed her belly and cocked her head to the side. Linnette came out the front door with a huge wrapped gift and walked to the SUV.

"Promise me that you will be good while I'm gone." The bride had her hands on her hips and squinted at her sister. CoCo gave Tabby an innocent face.

"What are you talking about? I'm always good."

"Bitch...don't lie to me! I'm not going be here for a month...30 days." Tabby turned to CoCo's cousin. "How long is you staying, Linny?"

"A couple weeks...I wanted to visit Armani's daddy in Angola while I'm here." Jethro Bullocks was CoCo's father and Linnette's favorite uncle. He was serving a life sentence and the girls would make monthly trips to the prison and visit.

"Ok...good hopefully she can keep an eye on you." Tabby grinned. CoCo pointed to herself.

"Ummm...Tabby. I don't need a freaking babysitter. Last time I checked... I was grown." Linnette and Tabby gave each other a sideways glance and started giggling. Anybody that knew CoCo  knew for a fact the petite she-devil needed constant supervision. Tabby wiped her face and let out a sigh.

"Whatever...promise me on your niece..." Tabby pointed to her rounded belly. "...that you will be good while I'm gone, CoCo." Tabby and Linnette smiled at CoCo as she rolled her eyes.

"Ugh...I promise that I will be as good as I can...while my black ass is out of your range of vision." Tabby narrowed her gaze and pointed a finger at her.

"CoCo...ok...act as much of a fool as you want to. My brother-in-law will fill me in on your ass..." CoCo gave the brother-in-law in question a sneer. He turned and gave her a wink and continued talking to Jace.

"You got Mal watching me?"

"Yep...might as well. He's doing it anyway." Tabby smiled smugly. CoCo frowned.

"I hate you."

"I love you too."

After some idle threats and tearful goodbyes CoCo waved her sister and Jace off into the night with Mal as their chauffeur. She took a sip out of her glass of wine and smiled sadly. She missed her Tabby already. Linnette went back to the house to get her purse. CoCo, her cousin, Calise and her girlfriend was going to hit the clubs and celebrate Tabby's good fortune. CoCo started to walk around the house when Auntie Loose Booty stepped out into her path.

"Well...well...lookah here...lil' Cayenne...I thought that was your Ghetto Twin of a cousin I saw prancing around looking like a basic version of Nicki Minaj." Francis looked down her nose at her petite niece. Auntie Loose Booty was decked out in her typical fashion...too short, too tight and not enough material. CoCo just groaned and chugged back the rest of her wine. Francis would try to say something smart-ass to her while her stupid husband was out of shouting range.

"Wow...I will give you this...you are bold...you are definitely bold."

"I was hoping to catch Mal before he left to take the newlyweds to the airstrip" The taller woman spoke softly watching for any reaction. "...I wanted to talk to him about some private matters..." CoCo just snorted.

"Oh...you want to go in on that shit already." CoCo just shook her head at her aunt's week attempts to get her riled up.

"I hope that you know...those little digs ain't fazing me none. I'm in a good mood and I'm drunk...but here's a warning... Tread lightly." CoCo gave the taller woman a chilly smile.

Francis swung her extensions over her bare shoulder. She was itching for the black bitch to touch her...so she could call Durbin.

"Humph...lil' CoCo has her hair down and is dressed in the finest of couture'...she's finally acting like she has class...your mother should be proud." CoCo knew that Francis wasn't talking about Mary. The way the woman spat out mother like it was dosed in acid gave her all the clues she needed.

She swore to her sister and her niece that she was going to be good...why does it seem like the damn Devil is always busy?!  CoCo needed to walk away or this bitch will be the next one in a ditch!

"...You know what Loose Booty? I would kick you in ya' damn snatch, but you're so much of a fuckin' slut that ya ass would probably nutt all over my Jimmy Choos...so I'm gonna say this shit again. Tread Lightly..." CoCo warned thru clenched teeth. Francis stepped to CoCo and the petite woman arched an eyebrow. The two women didn't notice that Linette had come around the corner with Calise and Princess. Francis hissed at CoCo as she chunked her wine glass in the bushes.

"No baby...you need to listen to your own warning..."  CoCo interrupted Francis rant with a raised open hand. CoCo was getting tired of this same old bullshit, ever since she came back from New York. Francis had chip on her shoulder the size of a mountain...and if the silicone injected heifer took another step into her personal space then all bets are off. Didn't Uncle Darren warned this damn girl?

"I really don't know why you hate my ass so fuckin' much and I truly don't care...but I'm going to tell you this again like I told you a while back...I didn't fuck your Daddy and had him break your Ma's heart...Cayenne did." CoCo walked around the momentarily stunned woman. Francis uttered a growl and snatched CoCo back by her arm.

"You fuckin' bitch!!" Francis screamed. Linnette, Calise and Princess started running when they heard Francis shout. CoCo stumbled back but quickly recovered her footing. She really did try to keep her promise to her sister...

"Cuz!! You promised Tabby!!" Linnette hollered in vain as CoCo's fist made hard contact with Francis's face.