Mea Culpa

Chapter 1

The room smelled of alcohol, tobacco and sweat and the lights were low as Cardi B's I Like It pumped through the speakers at full volume. Bishop, Angel, Coco, Creeper and Gilly sat around their usual table, laughing and relaxed, with one special guest in attendance, Happy Lowman.

"Oh, he's so handsome, what's his name?" Roxy sang in a whisper into Happy's ear from behind. 

He jumped a little, her plan to scare him working, and turned quickly. His scowl instantly flipped into a smile when he saw her grinning from ear to ear

"Rox," he said with a deep, raspy laugh. "You work here?"

"I do," she laughed.

"You're stripping?" He asked, his smile fading.

"I'm actually just a shot girl tonight," she pushed him to sit again and whispered into his ear, "I only dance on Saturdays."

He looked at her again, very clearly disapproving of her employment and turned to the Mayans. "You guys let her work here?"

"You think we got control over her?" Gilly laughed. "We just don't come in when she's up there," he gestured to the stage. "Bish hates it," Gilly said teasingly.

"Marcus know?" Happy asked Bishop.

"No," he grumbled. "And he's not gonna."

"Ain't gonna hear shit from me," Happy said. He watched as she bounced around serving drinks and flirting wildly with the mostly male clientele.

"You don't talk to her?" Coco asked him.

"Sometimes," he shrugged.

"I don't think Hap's a big talker," Angel joked.

The conversation ebbed and flowed and at one point Coco slipped away from the table when most of them were distracted. He passed Roxy and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along with him out the side fire exit.

"Hey," she smirked. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You know he was coming?"

"No," she shook her head. "Did you?"

"I figured when they said someone was coming from SanWa," he said dismissively. "You look good," he spoke low, inching closer until he had her against the brick wall.

"I know," she said seductively.

Coco ran his tongue from her clavicle, up her neck and along her jaw until he found her lips.

"You coming by later?" She asked him as their kiss ended.

"Yeah, as soon as I finish up with your homeboy."

Roxy rolled her eyes and instead of a kiss goodbye she bit down on his lower lip and rubbed her hand along his crotch.

"I'll be waiting," she said before slipping away.

*Later That Evening*

"Hey, E," Roxy said with a smile as she entered her apartment. "Everything good?"

"Great," he said. "Like always, he's a good kid."

She smiled and nodded. "Thankfully he's more Alvarez than Teller."

"You'd know more about that than I would," he shrugged. "Need anything else?"

"I'm good," Roxy said as she hugged him. "I really appreciate it."

"You got it," he gave her his usual broad smile. "Have a good night," EZ added on his way out of the apartment.

He took the stairs, bounding down them swiftly, and as he stepped out of the lobby doors he saw Coco leaning against a parking meter.