All that - 1

Chapter 1 - Calvin

"I'm leaving for work now." Sera yelled up the stairs to her housemate and best friend.

"Girl what time is it?." A reply came.

"It's 2.30...

The bedroom door opened and a tattooed, built man stood in the doorway in just his sweat pants. "You working already?."

Sera nodded. "Yeah, I've got a shift at the store until 6.3o and then I'm at Dazzlers for my usual Friday night shift." She told him. "I made you lunch it's in the oven." She blew him a kiss and left.

Calvin was 25, they had known each other since they were 14 and she was 12. They were best friends and helped each other through losses and hard times. They had both fallen on hard times and decided to pool their money together to live with each other. They had been doing this for over a year now and it seemed to work.

Sera worked mainly as a stripper and pole dancer in a gentleman's club called Dazzlers. The tips were good and it was quite a high profile place with men with money always on hand. Sera had a sugar daddy, this was a recent thing. He was a lot older than her and all he wanted from her was to be on his arm at private elite functions and to throw in the odd private dance for him as and when he was at the club.

Calvin didn't really like what Sera did, but she was her own woman and he respected that. He himself had a recent new girl called Chelsea. She was 19 and annoying as hell to Sera who had taken an instant dislike to her.

Calvin wandered downstairs and took the plate of Beef and dumplings out of the oven. The plate was still warm so he sat to eat it. Their place was a small two bed apartment. Crammed in amongst a whole bunch of small apartments. They lived in quite a tough, hard knock neighbourhood but he always looked out for Sera. Especially as she would be coming home from a late shift with a good night in tips on her person.

His head ached and he reached for the pain killers. He had been out all night at a club with his friends and had drank his body weight in Hennessy.
He looked at his cellphone as it rang. He sighed and picked it up. "Lester.. sup man."

"How's yo head mother fucker!."

"I feel like I've been hit by a bus." He replied. "What the fuck happened man."

Lester laughed. "You don't remember?... shit man.. yo face was glued to China's face and titties all night.. I'm surprised you didn't take her home.. she was stuck to you like a damn leach."

"Fuck.. please don't tell me Chelsea saw?..

"Naw she left early.. fuck me man, how much did you drink, yo ass can't remember shit!."

"I don't even know... but she ain't gonna leave me alone now for sure..

"Well the new deal we got is the reason we all sank more than we should have last night... but we need to meet to talk about it today.. so sober yo ass up and I'll pick you up in an hour"

"Yeah.. I hear you." He said as the call ended.

He took the medication and sat on the couch. He felt like shit but knew he had to get his ass in gear. He heard a knock at the door and he got up to answer it. He smiled and let Chelsea in. "Wow, you look fucking awful."

"Thanks baby.. you know just how to make a man feel good."

"So i take it, it turned into a big night after I left?." She said to him.

He nodded. "Yeah.. though I don't know what the hell happened.. I don't remember shit." He told her and pulled her to him for a hug. "I need a hug baby" he pouted like a child and Chelsea laughed.

"Where is Sera?." She said looking around. She knew that she didn't like her and was always wary when she was around.

"She's at work..

"Good." She said and pushed him on to the couch, sitting astride his lap. She pulled off her top and unhooked her bra.

"Chelsea baby.. I don't even know if I'm gonna be able to get it up." He told her. "All yo man needs is a hug, a pizza and just sleep."

Chelsea put her top back on and jumped up so that Calvin could order pizza. "Order the pizza then." She had no idea that he had just eaten and wasn't quite ready for pizza yet. "So Who else was at the club after I left?." She asked him.

He glanced at her as if it was a trick question. "Umm..me, Lester.. Blake... a few others..." he said treading carefully.

"and who was a few others Calvin?." She said to him with her eyebrows raised.

"Clarice and China were there....

"China?..." she narrowed her eyes to him and he wouldn't even dare look at her. "I fucking hate that bitch!."

" I know right, she is as annoying as hell." He said finding it much easier to agree with her and move the conversation on to something else. "What pizza do you want?." He asked her.

"Pepperoni.. with garlic and herb dip." She said to him.

Calvin rolled his eyes as he moved away from where she was so that he could make the order for the pizzas and let Lester know that he was going to be late, because he daren't turn her away right now, not with the heat of her stare that was beginning to burn into him as he knew that she already had her suspicions.

Chelsea looked around at the place. " I can't believe that you and HER Live in this small place together... And you mean to tell me that neither of you have ever wanted to explore each other?."

Calvin sighed loudly. " not again Chelsea! I have told you that me and Sera are good friends and have been for many years. Men and women can actually be friends without having to have a sexual relationship you know."

"Hmmmm" was all she answered with her face screwed up.