The girls found a town house and went out to celebrate. When they put their minds to something, it usually happened. They were at Club Trill, trying their best to enjoy life, even though they all felt like their lives were falling apart.
“Paige, damn, girl! That ass sitting up like you Serena Williams or something. I knew you was stuffed but not like a turkey,” Mad-Dog said. He stood six foot three and towered over Paige. He was cut up, with a swollen chest and arms that looked like he just finished benching a house. His chain had no piece drooping from it. He rocked one long platinum chain with no less than 60 pea-sized diamonds hanging from his neck. His complexion was perfect. His skin looked like it had been dipped in milk chocolate. Paige had a thing for shoes, so when she peeped the Hershey-colored alligator Giuseppe sneakers, she smiled.
While Rodney had become a big deal in East Baltimore, everybody knew that Mad-Dog was moving major weight all over Maryland and Virginia. He wasn’t cocky with it. He was smooth and exuded the demeanor of a true boss. He’d been looking at Paige for years, but she had made it clear she was in a relationship, so nobody came at her. But tonight, her energy was very different. Mad-Dog looked Paige up and down, and he might as well have had his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Nobody had seen Paige dressed like this in a long time.
“I see you are liking what you see,” Von said to Mad-Dog. “She look good, don’t she?”
“Looking good is an understatement,” he replied.
“That’s because this is the first time in a long time Paige has been free to play,” Von said, trying to encourage Mad-Dog to go after her girl.
“Why don’t you and your girls come sit up in VIP with me and da’ homies. Unless your boy Tony would have an issue with that. I’m not trying to disrespect nobody,” he said.
“Tony? Please. Tony’s ass went out with last week’s trash.”
Marla and Von giggled silently with each other. Paige had a couple of drinks so she was saying what was really on her mind.
“I just seen that cat Tony strolling through not too long ago. So don’t get yourself caught up,” Mad-Dog warned.
“Nah, we’re good,” Paige insisted. “Let’s go sit. My feet hurt,” she said. They walked over to VIP and sat down. Paige threw her legs over Mad-Dog’s lap and started laughing at nothing in particular. Mad-Dog peeped her game, but he let her play. He thought it was cute. Von and Marla sat in the booth as well and Mad-Dog began introducing them to his boys.
“This is Sconey, Charlie, and Marvin. All my mans from up McCabe,” Mad-Dog said. The men were all respectful and spoke kindly to the ladies. Sconey had his eye on Von, and Mad-Dog peeped it. “You sit tight, young lady. I’m hip to who you are.” She assumed he was referring to the fact that she was Rodney’s girl, but he didn’t even acknowledge that. “You’re my man Nasty’s li’l sister. That’s one of the realest that ever done it, and I got mad respect for him. Which means she’s off-limits.” Then he looked at Marla. “And you, you used to hang around Soulja a lot. I don’t know what that status is, but for now, your ass is off-limits too.” Marla sucked her teeth.
“Damn, what, you keeping tabs on my girls?” Paige said.
“And my brother knows I am grown. So, Sconey, you are free to buy me a drink if you want.”
Sconey smiled, then spoke. “Hell, naw. What you trying to do, baby girl, start a war? Everybody knows you fuck with Rodney, and he got that ass on lock.”
“I don’t mess with Rodney anymore,” Von said. “But if you’re scared, I understand.” Mad-Dog and Sconey got a real kick out of that.
“Yeah, I’m so scared, I might let you post up with me for the rest of the night. Then you could ride shotgun in my Maserati later. How’s that?” Sconey got up out of his seat and switched with Charlie so he could sit next to Von.
“Now, that’s better,” Von said.
Mad-Dog just shook his head and laughed. The waitress came over to the table, and Mad-Dog ordered 10 bottles of Ace of Spades and three bottles of Cîroc. He also got what looked like 100 chicken wings.
Paige’s legs were slipping from his lap, so he grabbed them and put them back in place. His touch was respectful. He wasn’t going to overstep his boundaries.
“So let me ask you a question, Paige. How come years of love and loyalty has gone out the window?” Mad-Dog asked out of curiosity. It really didn’t matter, but he just wanted confirmation that it was really over between her and Tony. He knew that couples argued and sometimes did things out of anger.
“Well, let’s just say he chose someone other than me.” There was a sadness in her voice that let Mad-Dog know that shit was serious.
“Word? I don’t see how that’s possible. You’re perfect from what I can see.”
“Not to him, obviously,” she said.
“Some men get tired of the same scenery and go out looking for a new show. But they soon find out the new show is a dud. He’ll be back.”
“I don’t want him back. But trust me, he is definitely missing the best thing he ever had.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Play your cards right and you won’t have to imagine,” she said flirtatiously. Just then, she spotted Tony. She instinctively moved her legs, but then thought better of it and pretended like she was getting comfortable. Then she wrapped her arms around Mad-Dog. He knew what was up, but continued to let her play.
Tony and Paige locked eyes. And instantly, hot lava ran through his veins. Paige was testing him, and he was about to let it be known that this shit was not okay. Paige smirked at the look of insanity on Tony’s face. She smiled and turned her attention back to Mad-Dog. It was her first time hanging out with a drug dealer and real thug. So his swag was setting her wick on fire.
Tony was not a hustler by any means. He was what the hood would have called a square. But Tony had heart. He’d let his gun off a few times before over her. Some dudes tested him because he wasn’t in the streets, thinking he was soft. But they quickly learned that he would do whatever over Paige. He had a job and worked a nine to five. He took care of his family, which consisted of Paige and their daughter.
He wasn’t a broke dude, but he didn’t have a whole lot of money. That’s why the ring he bought her was smaller than he wanted it to be. He paid cash and bought what he could afford. Paige didn’t care about his status. She was happy to be engaged to the love of her life. She was with a man who was loyal and loving. But after seeing the jewels on Mad-Dog’s neck and arms, and absorbing the boss-ass energy coming off of him, she felt like she deserved a little more.
Tony was indecisive about approaching Paige. He wasn’t scared of Mad-Dog by any means, but he was scared of getting embarrassed by Paige and having his ego stomped on like a welcome mat after a snowy day. Mad-Dog checked the time on his Audemars Piguet.
“Paige, I know you see this psychotic-looking bastard staring over here like he wanna bite your head off,” Marla said in a whisper. When Paige looked up, Tony had his arm stretched in front of him using his index finger, signaling for her to come over.
“You better go see what Slim want ‘fore you get it, ma. Homeboy looking like the Texas Strangler right now,” Mad-Dog joked.
“Whatever, Maddie,” Paige said, brushing him off.
“Oh, so you calling me li’l nicknames now?” he said.
They shared a laugh, and this infuriated Tony. This bitch must be out of her rabbit-ass mind, Tony thought to himself. She ignored his request to come to him. She continued sitting all up on Mad-Dog. Rage had taken over Tony’s normal thought processes. He angrily approached VIP, and the bodyguards stepped in front of him.
“Let him up,” Mad-Dog instructed. They moved out of the way.
“Mad-Dog, whattup?” Tony asked.
“Ain’t shit, just doing what I do. What’s been good with you, though?”
“Just trying to hold my temper together so I don’t accidently snap Paige’s neck.”
Sconey and Charlie busted out laughing, fueling Tony’s anger. But he tried to hold it together. Paige had turned her back to him. She decided to let her girls handle him. Von wanted to flip on Tony for threatening her girl like that. He had no right after what he did.
“Why don’t you go somewhere, Tony,” Marla said, with a screwed up expression on her face.
“Yeah. You’re worried about the wrong female. You need to go find your bat. I think I saw her flying around here earlier,” Von added.
“You couldn’t even go get a bird bitch; you got a bat. Which really is just a rat with wings!”
Mad-Dog tried his best not to laugh. He felt Tony’s pain.
“Forget y’all.” He turned his attention to Paige. “Baby, I need to talk to you. We got years in. We have a daughter.”
“She not trying to hear you, Tony. Leave it alone. She went from a broke joke to a paid, made man. There is nothing you can do for her. Go back to Sharise or whatever that bitch name is. Bye!”
Tony was two seconds short of peeling off his own skin. “Paige!” he yelled.
Her response was to stroke the top of Mad-Dog’s head, acting like Tony wasn’t standing right there. He couldn’t control himself and lunged for her. But Sconey stood in front him.
“Watch it. She’s with us now.” Sconey tapped his waist. Tony raised his hands showing that he wasn’t trying to have that type of problem at the moment.
“Yo, Mad-Dog, my beef ain’t with you, Slim, but I’m telling you now, Paige, if you try to keep my daughter away from me or have her around any other cat, I’ma hang your ass from the top of that telephone pole in front of the house. I swear to God on that one, baby.” Paige paid him no attention.
“Party’s over. This ain’t the place for all these threats,” Sconey said.
“Sconey, I’ma respect game where games is played. Just respect mine when I lay it down.” Tony winked his eye at Paige, and then turned and walked away. It took about 15 minutes for the stench of his anger to fade away and everybody could go back to chilling. Paige was feeling tipsy, so she hadn’t absorbed the full blow of Tony’s fury.
---------
It was three in the morning when everybody headed to the parking lot. Mad-Dog made sure the ladies were escorted to their car. His crew had the place looking like some top NBA players had parked out front. Mad-Dog’s li’l men had been holding fort like the Secret Service out front. All three of their cars were bulletproof, and all of his men were holding AR-15 handguns.
“So, Maddie, you keep this kind of protection everywhere you go?” Paige asked.
“Nah, this only for nightclubs, shorty. It’s always somebody laying in the cut waiting to catch a nicca slippin’. So if that target is me, they gets no chance. Plus, I can hold my own.”
“Maybe you can hold me,” Paige said stumbling. Mad-Dog caught her by her elbow and stood her up straight. He was glad she wasn’t driving and walked her to the backseat of Von’s 5 Series BMW.
“Nah, I’m good. That’s not happening.”
“So you’re not feeling me?” she asked leaning up against the car and pulling Maddie close to her.
“I’m not saying that. First, I don’t trust you. And second, I don’t take advantage of vulnerable women. If something happens between us, it will be because it was supposed to. Not like this. Have a good night, baby.” He turned and walked over to his Bentley Bentayga truck.
“Damn!” Paige, Marla, and Von said in unison. They watched him drive off.
“Whelp, Tony can kiss his old life good-bye,” Marla said.
They recognized that not only was Mad-Dog a real G, but he was the perfect gentleman as well. Shit was about to change.