No Sister Of Mine

Chapter Nine: With Friends Like These

“I don’t know how much longer I can wait, Daddy.” Candace gives Henry Sr. A sexy voice that would give a dead man a hard on as she stands outside of the emergency room entrance on the phone with him. “I miss gagging on that dick.” Two nearby nurses roll their eyes at her dirty mouth and smoke on cigarettes.

“I miss you too, baby. You have no idea what I’ve been going through over here. But we’ll get together real soon, baby. I promise you that.”

“You keep promising me that,” she says with a pout.

“I know and I’ll keep my promise. I have to go okay. I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” Candace gives him kisses through the phone and hangs up. She blows a kiss at the nosy eavesdroppers on her way back inside. It doesn’t take long for her to get back to her friend’s room to continue with her visit.

“Everything cool?”

“Yeah, we straight.”

“When y’all gonna hook up again?”

“I don’t know, Vanna. He still won’t give me a answer for that.” Candace rubs her friend’s bruised face. “Don’t you worry about that though. I know it’ll be soon. That old pervert is in love with me for real. He’ll come through.”

“I wish it was that easy with his son.” Vanna fights back tears at the mere mention of Henn…

~

Love can be a beautiful thing. Real, true love can make miracles happen when the right hearts collide. Unfortunately for Henry Cooper, his heart has collided with Candace’s and her heart is filled with everything but love.

Candace has made her living by draining the wallets of thirsty old men since she was 14 years old. After ten years in the game she’s become a certified pro. Her clients get richer and richer with each conquest. Henry is her biggest fish yet. The crazy interaction she had with Honey almost made her chalk this trick up as a loss and move on. There’s no room for drama like that in her business. But Henry called and professed his love for her promising that he would marry her when things die down at home. He even bought her a new car as a “ be patient” gift. She could keep her distance from his family in return for the large payday. That’s why she bought Vanna along for the ride. Loyalty means everything to her so it was nothing to share the wealth with her bestie. Too bad things between Vanna and Henn didn’t work out.

Or so she thought…

~

“Don’t even trip off that nigga, Van. Soon as you heal up you’ll catch another one. You know how we do,” Candace says. She pulls up the bedside chair and sits next to Vanna.

“Have you heard anything about him?”

“Who Henn? Girl, naw. He been laying low from what his father told me. You sure you don’t wanna press charges on his ass?”

Vanna shakes her head. “I don’t wanna mess up things for you and Henry.”

“I’ll give that shit up if you want me to.” The blatant lie slides through Candace’s lips like Crisco.

“I wouldn’t ever let you do that, sis. I got away with my life so I’m good. That nigga is dead to me.” Vanna does her best to put a serious look her face that will cover up very own her fib. The truth is that she and Henn are very much together. He took her to the emergency room under the guise that she was attacked by someone else. He told her he needs a little space and Vanna is more than willing to give him that as long as they can remain together. When she leaves the hospital the couple will pick up where they left off. He told her everything he had in his heart. That he is confused about his feelings right now but he loves her and he will stick with her. Vanna can never tell Candace this. A black hearted temptress like her doesn’t know the first thing about having a real relationship with a man. Besides, Vanna is breaking the number one rule of con-women everywhere: Never fall for the mark.