Deliver Us From Evil

"Kevin....I broke up with Deborah last night." said Reed Nelson , who was in tears and inconsolable as I sat with him in Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food restaraunt and enjoyed some Spare Ribs and Collard Greens and Sweet Potatoes with him.

"Reed...I can't understand why you would do that...She did everything she could to make sure you were safe and unharmed..She's the one that contacted me.." I pleaded with him.

He pulled out an envelope and showed me several glossies....They were photos of Debbie...a younger Debbie , pole dancing at a strip club.....Giving guys lap dances and worse...in bed with Eddie Manga...

"See that Kevin? and it gets worse...I got a DVD with live action footage of her in bed with several guys ,doing all kinds of things....I can't be with a woman like that man..." said Reed.

"Reed...Reed...That was a lifetime ago...All of us have a past...I know I haven't been an angel and I know back in Patterson, you probably did some things too man..Aint nobody perfect.....All I know is that that woman loves you and she was willing to do whatever to save your life and that's got to count for something." I said as we both finished off our food.

"I know Kev, but I can't get the images out of my mind man..I just can't... Hey, put your wallet away..I got this..your money aint no good whenever I'm around...you saved my life man." he said as he paid our bill.

"Be Easy Reed and think about what I said." I said as Reed tipped his pork pie hat and walked out into the street.

I pulled my Blackberry out and called Clerow and Donald Smooth......I had some unfinished business of my own with Mr. Eddie Manga and since he had made the first move...now was as good a time as any to take care of it.

I could imagine he was infuriated at having been bested by me and knowing his type...He probably had people looking for me.....The last thing he probably expected was to see me boldly walking into his watering hole, The Mermaid Club!

I walked in with Clerow at my side...The Bartender, Joe Neptune looked up and immediately pointed to the booth where Eddie Manga and a young lady were sitting. As usual, Joe didn't say a word!

I smiled at the young lady and said politely-

"Would you mind if I talk to Mr. Manga for just a minute...I won't be long Darlin."

"Oh sure....Can you buy me a drink babe?" she said to me.

"Sure thing baby." I said as I tossed her a five dollar bill.

Eddie Manga was furious...He pounded his fist on the table!

"You gotta lotta nerve comin in here like this....I got people on the streets lookin for you." He screamed.

"Hmmm, you do? Well they can't be very good...Anybody else would have found me by now and they left you unguarded like this too? You need to employ better muscle." I said.

"Yeah, well you know how it is...good help is hard to find." He said.

"I hear ya man." I said. We both shook our heads in agreement. Then after our one moment of civility, the bad man snapped back into reality....

" I'm armed...you put your hands on me, I'll plug ya." he screamed.

"I'm not here for any violence " I said dropping a small manilla envelope on the table.

"What's this?" he said.

"Something you oughta look at." I said. Clerow was now laughing uncontrollably... "Youse a freak , dog.." he kept saying and shaking his head...I smiled too and nudged him to keep it together.

I had glossies too..... Color Photos of Eddie Manga, with a dog collar around his neck and a leash attached to it....on all fours and a heavy set, huge breasted white woman with a cat of nine tails beating him...I had close to twenty photos.

His mouth was wide open...Then tears streamed down his face and he put his head in his hands....

"W-Who-Who-Who else has seen these?" he said in tears...

"Well, Me, my man Clerow here and the guys who took the photos...Now....I can make these photos go away....because you know, something like this..is bound to get out....Can you imagine what Fathead Newton, The Diaz Brothers, and other playas will think if they see what a real freak you really are?" I laughed.

"What do you want?, What do you want?" he said....the tears now streaming down his face....

" Well first off, I want you to call your contract on me off.....then, I want you to pack your bags and get out of Philly....and never come back."I said.

"Done....I'll get my things together and leave tomorrow." he said.

"Good.....You leave and I give you my word...Nobody else will ever see these photos." I said with a smirk on my face that betrayed the pity I now felt for the former bad man who had now lost all of his swagger.

Clerow and I walked out to my car...Donald Smooth was standing by the door.

"So that's it? You think he'll go for it?" asked Smooth.

"Yeah man...if anybody else got to see those photos, his reputation would be shot....You shoulda seen the way he froze up and come correct when Kevin showed him them photos." laughed Clerow.

We all got in my car and pulled off. A little while later...I was at home with Sepia relaxing when my phone rang. Sepia answered it.

"Kev..it's for you...it's Tom." she said.

"Sorry to disturb you my friend...but I have something for you to hear..I'm in the van outside your house." He said.

I walked out to the van and Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson played me a

final recording they pulled from Eddie Manga's gym.

"Looks like your boy made his point...I'm leavin.....What did you come by here for anyway? What? Your man put you down once he found out what a cheap whore you really are? heheheheheheheheh...Just a parting gift... Hey put that heater away....You aint got the heart....HEYYYYYYYY."

There is the sound of three loud gunshots! Then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

"That's it Kev...We pulled this recording an hour ago..Somebody plugged Eddie

Manga...He's dead....but whoever it was was smart enough not to utter a sound..

I wish we still had the place wired for visual you know? We could've at least seen the killer." He said.

"Don't worry about it Tom.....Whoever killed him did the city a public service."

I said.

"You got that right Kev" said Lockpick Johnson.

"Good night gentlemen" I said as I smiled and went back in my house.

*******************************************************************

Later on that night I dropped by Debbie's house....Reed's car was parked outside, it was a warm night...The window was open..I could hear a bed squeaking and hear the sounds of sweet lovemaking...

"Ohhhhhhhhhh,ouuuuuuuuuu, Ohhhhhh Reed, I love you sooooo much..."

"Ohhhhhhhhh baby....ohhhhhhhhhhh you feel soooo goood...ummmmmph.."

"Ouuuuuuu, Ohhhh Reeed, Ohhhhhh myy....ohhhhhhhhh..."

I smiled...They were working it out... I had no doubt in my mind who had shot and killed Eddie Manga....I wasn't going to look into it any further..It was one of the good things about me not being a cop...I turned around and got back in my car....Sepia smiled at me..

"I guess Reed forgave her..." said Sepia.

"If he really looked at those photos and saw the things she was doing and he DIDN'T forgive her..I would have shot him myself.." I laughed... Sepia playfully punched me in the arm..

I laughed...."Now how about us going home and making an x rated movie?"

She looked at me and laughed... "You so nasty...I never knew you were so nasty."

The things that people don't know, I mused.

For B.J.

Come Across

The More I thought about the situation, the more I felt as though there was something that just didn't make sense. I was glad and releived to know that Reed Nelson was alive somewhere....but here in was the problem...Why was he still alive? Most players like Fathead and Eddie Manga would have just had him hit and have been done with it ,if it was just a matter of dis-respect. Most playas would not have clipped a guy just over some woman..especially a "civilian" like Reed...someone , "not in the game." So if he was alive somewhere there had to be a reason.

It wasn't money...Reed paid his debts....It had to start with the woman and that woman had to be Debbie. I enlisted Gus's guys...Eddie and Albert and my friend, Big Nasty to sit on Manga's people. They weren't playas, so Mangas guys had no reason to suspect them. They all had rental cars and to the naked eye..they just resembled normal citizens. Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson had not only bugged his office and his gym, but had a device that was picking up his cell phone calls.... There was coded language on the calls about a "safehouse" and "the guy"...but nothing that gave me any indication as to just where Reed was being held.

Lockpick Johnson had installed a GPS device on Eddie Manga's car and on the Black Jeep Cherokee that his boys rode around in.....but so far, no one had gone near anyplace where Reed might be being held.

Clerow and I followed Eddie Manga around most of the next day.....Finnally, we stopped in a very familiar place...Debbie's house. What was he doing here? I mused...as if my suspicions hadn't been correct.

We sat and watched...We hadn't bugged Debbie's house...but we didn't need to...Eddie and one of his thugs brought her out of her house and shoved her into his car and pulled off.

"Let's get him boss" said Clerow....cocking his pistol.

"Chill out killer." I said.."Let's see where he takes her." I said and we followed them.

Eddie and his thug dragged her into the gym.....And now we indeed could hear the conversation...

"You cheap trick....why didn't you tell your boy about us?" screamed Eddie Manga.

"Us? There wasn't no us.....That was a one night thing..." said Debbie.

"Apparently, you didn't tell him about what you used to do before you got so high fallutin.....eh? You a business woman now...Got you a fancy Bachelors degree, Got you a MBA huh?.....Dressin like a million bucks...Rollin in dough..livin in a fancy crib...dating a musician...Nobody knows that you financed part of your college education layin on your back, staring at the ceiling huh?" he snapped.

"That was the past...." she said...

"It wasn't that long ago sista gurl.... I took you away from that...I paid for your grad school ,I got you set up....and then you got to smellin yourself..left old Eddie behind....Like I wasn't gonna find you huh?" he said.

"What have you done with Reed?" she said.

"He's alive....For the moment....." said Eddie Manga.

"Look, I gave you what you wanted...I slept with you...now release Reed and let me go about my business." she pleaded.

"See...I was gonna do that, just rough him up a bit and toss his ass back in the water, but you hired some gumshoe to try and circumvent what I was doing....
Yeah...I went to community college for a minute...I know some big words too...
yeah.....Some dude come in here...beat my guys up...roughed me up and now done got two of my main dudes locked up......So the game done changed.....Your
boy is as good as gone soon and you gone come across baby and be my lady or else the whole world gone know what little Debbie used to do for a living." he snapped.

"Please...Please don't hurt Reed...I'll do whatever you want..." she said.

"You gone do whatever I want anyway trick....now get out of here..and tell your boy Kevin , aint that his name? that my guys are still huntin him and when they find him..he's as dead as Reed Nelson is gonna be." snapped Eddie Manga.

"You're pure evil" she snapped..

"Aint it the truth babe,heheheheheheheheh." he laughed.

I had heard enough...just then...my Blackberry went off.....It was Big Nasty.

"Hi ya handsome...We found the trumpet player...He's being held in a house in
West Oak Lane...We outside the house now...It looks like at least three guys are in the house with him... it might be more" she said.

"Good Work..don't do anything....Clerow and I are on our way..let me write down that address." I said.

Clerow looked at me and smiled.....I gave him a high five.....I had to make another stop, then we were gonna close this case.

An hour later...Sepia ,Clerow and I sat outside of the house...a free standing house at the corner of the block... Eddie and Albert were in the back with shotguns ready..Clerow and Big Nasty were in the bushes with guns drawn...

"Dag Kevin...I look like a hooker in this dress and with these heels." she said...

"I'm sorry baby...but it's the only way we can attract those guys and get them off guard...oh and by the way...you have got to wear this around the house for me." I laughed.

"Not on your life." she snapped, then laughed.

Sepia walked to the door and rang the bell. A tall man about 29 came to the door..

"Whoaaa mama...what's good baby?" he said ,smiling from ear to ear....

"Is Rudolfo here?" said Sepia....

"Nah,aint no Rudolfo here, but I'll be Rudolfo or whoever you want me to be...heh,heh,heh..damn baby, you got a body on you..." he laughed.....

"Yeah..well, what you is now is our prisoner." said Big Nasty as she put a sawed off shotgun to his stomach.

"Hey ,what's goin on out there? Who you talkin to?" said another guy who came to the door...Clerow put his .45 to the back of the guy's neck and then I walked up on the porch. We brought both guys out and tied them up..

"How many others are in there...talk to me quick..I'm not here to play." I said.

"Four...Four others" said the one.

"Hey man, shut up.." said the other one.

Eddie and Albert broke in the back door and easily subdued the other four....I
walked in and found Reed Nelson...blindfolded and tied up...but otherwise..okay.

"Kev?? Oh man...am I glad to see you...." he said...

"I'm glad to see you too buddy...breathing and alive..."I laughed...

I called the police and they came and rounded up the thugs we had subdued.
I returned Reed to his home. Even though I told him to lay low...He didn't...
That night...He and his band performed in Josie's...Everybody was glad to see
him...Especially his woman, Debbie.

She came up to me during one of the sets...

"Oh Kevin...Oh God....I can't thank you enough.....but you better watch yourself...Eddie Manga is probably mad as hell right now...He already has a contract out on you...Once he finds out that Reed is free..He may come after all of us." she said.

I hugged her...

"Don't worry about me Debbie.....I've already got a plan to take care of Mister Manga." I laughed.

Tonight though..We were all just a happy family....Eating,Drinking and listening to cool jazz music in our spot, Josie's Bar.

(Conclusion Next)

In The Devil's Lair

Another Day went by and still no sighting of Trumpet Player, Reed Nelson...People were beginning to ask about him and worry... "88" and the guys in the band were particularly worried...They had a tour coming up in about a week. Deborah was distraught...It was as if she already believed him to be dead.

I started re-creating his last known moments. He had stayed with Deborah and had left her house in the morning..Several neighbors had seen him getting in his car and driving away. He probably was tired ,which was why he didn't stop at Sam Mother's spot to eat ,like he usually would have..
Two of his neighbors said that they saw two men in a Black Jeep Cherokee pull up behind his car that morning.. One neighbor said that he heard a loud , yelling and screaming type argument and then silence...Nobody remembered seeing or hearing the car pull off or seeing Reed leave his place and yet...He was gone and his place looked as though he had just left suddenly.

Then I remembered that a player named Eddie Manga had been looking for him...There was a phone call from him delivered after midnight....He probably didn't pick up...He wasn't home..and then either Sam Mother or Joe Neptune had said that Eddie Manga had come around looking for Reed... Had to go pay this Manga fellow a visit. Had to find out either where he laid his head at night or where he hung out....One person for sure would know!

"Ohhh Kevin, you know how to find the most dangerous guys to ask after don't you?" said Gus, the bartender at Josie's.

"Oh so this is a rough charactor huh?" I laughed.

"Indeed...Eddie Manga has been around awhile...He's a juice man...He's got money on the streets and a crew of leg breakers to enforce his "laws"....He's what I call a very nasty piece of business..
I told Reed not to fool with him when he come in here...but Reed love them damn horses and was
always puttin down bets....I tried to warn him?" said Gus.

"So Manga was in here?" I asked..

"Yeah..the night before Reed went missin....They had a big argument about somethin....Eddie got up and left though...." said Gus.

"I need his address Gus.." I said.

"Okay..but take some back up with you Kevin...I'm serious." he said.

"I will" I lied.

I didn't have time to find Clerow and Sean was probably out with Sheila.....and time being of the essence, I got in my car and drove to the ratty little gymnasium, with an office on top of it, where
Eddie Manga was known to be during the day.

The place smelled like sweat and generations of urine...and it looked even worse..like something out of the movies....Either this guy was using this as a front to throw off suspicion or he wasn't yet the player he aspired to be.

I walked into his "office", which wasn't much of anything and saw him sitting down behind a desk. A skinny little guy with a pencil thin mustache and brown skin the color of a paper bag. he was nattily dressed and was smoking a smelly cigar.

"Who the hell are you?" he said.

'Who I am is not important...who I'm looking for is more important....Reed Nelson!! The name ring a bell?" I said.

"Rock, Muhammad, Ralph....take this jamolk out of here and teach him some damn manners." snapped Eddie Manga without giving me a second glance.... Three guys seemingly appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards me... I had been taking kickboxing lessons for a few months now at one of Chess and Chris's gyms....Time to see if the lessons were any good.

I landed a nice well placed kick in the first guy's solar plexus and then spun around and threw a side kick to his jaw which sent him flying....The second guy grabbed me and threw me up against the wall...I kneed him in his groin and landed a left to his jaw and a roundhouse right to his temple which sent him to the floor...The third guy didn't get a punch off...I hit him in his stomach
and then countered with another well placed kick which sent him into the wall and then to the floor.

Eddie Manga went to go in a drawer, probably to grab a gun, but I slammed the drawer on his hand which made him groan with pain and put my .45 to his nose, which made him sit down and
pipe down...

"Now...As I was saying....Reed Nelson??" I said.

"Uggggghhhhh....I aint tellin you nothin and if you was gonna kill me, you woulda done it already.. you apparently don't know who you dealin wit nigga.." He groaned... I hit him over the head with the butt of my pistol...

"You don't either and if I find out you hurt my friend or had anything to do with him missing..I'm coming back ...Feel me?" I said.

"Screw you...You're a dead man...whoever you are...wait til I find out who you are...And I will nigga, I got ways...uhhhhhh..." he groaned...

"Nice meetin ya...Hope we can meet under , uh more auspicious terms next time.....I'll let myself
out." I said as I left his gym with my gun drawn as his goons began to get up off the floor.

I sat in my car, a block away from his gym and watched as two of the guys I had just beaten
up came running out....They looked around and then got in their car and pulled off...I followed them...I knew where they were going....The Mermaid Club.

I stood outside and heard Joe Neptune yelling-

"Heyy, don't tear up my joint....cut it out...He's over there...come on guys....cool it."

I walked in behind them to see them roughing up Symphony Sam...

"I didn't say nothin....ouuuu....I swear, I didn't tell nobody nothin ummmmmph......ouch...."


"That's right guys...he didn't say nothing.." I said....

They spun around with guns drawn.....I fired and one guy grabbed his shoulder and let out a yell,
before hitting the ground...The other guy just stood there.....

"Drop your heater....Drop it or you're next...." I said....

When he failed to move quick enough,I shot him in the foot....He fell down and tossed his gun.

I grabbed Symphony Sam and pulled him out of the bar with me...The Police would clean these two thugs up...I'm sure they had records and with the guns they had on them...It didn't take a genius to know that they would have a lot of explaining to do. Joe Neptune would be too afraid to implicate me as their shooter...He would "know nothing"

I took Symphony Sam out to my car and cocked my gun and put it to his temple....I hated doing this to him....I had nothing against him, but time was of the essence.

"REED NELSON...IS HE DEAD?" I asked.

"No...not yet..." said Symphony Sam...

"What is this about?" I asked.

"Man, Eddie Manga was in Josie's and he tried to put the moves on Deborah..Well you know how Reed is about what's his....Even though Debbie had already rebuffed Eddie..Reed Stepped to him.
I told Reed to just let it go..that he didn't want to be goin chest up with Manga, but Reed stepped to him anyway,,He said that Eddie had seen him with Debbie all night and that he was being dis respectful." said Symphony Sam.

"So this is about Reed disrespecting him, right?" I asked.

"Yeah...Eddie didn't like being challenged , especially in front of some women... He came in Josie's and demanded that Reed apologize to him and Reed told him that he should be apologizing to him for dis resecting him. He didn't like that so I guess he had his guys snatch Reed." said Symphony Sam.

"Where they got him?" I said.

"That,I don't know...but he's as good as gone man....I'm sorry,I didn't mean for it to come to this." he said, almost crying... I took the gun off of him....I opened my car door and let him go.

"Sam, lay low man...stay out of sight until this is over.."

"Kevin, what you gonna do? " he asked.

"I'm going to try and find Reed....." I said.

(To Be Continued....)

Looking For A Friend

Sepia and I were enjoying some refreshing tumblers of Ice Tea at the outdoor tables that Gus had installed outside of Josie's... It was a surprisingly warm day in Philly...With near record temperatures (for this time of year) at 80 degrees. Some people were walking around in shorts and sandals..Others in open shirts.

"Hmmph....People better remember that it's still spring...It aint summer yet." said Sepia as she took a sip of her drink.

I smiled... On such a beautiful day, I wasn't worried about what other people were or were not wearing. Everything was cool and copasetic...I still had a job at the magazine....My private detective hobby had turned into a lucrative business that was making me a pile of money on the side and with help from both Bonita Turner and Robert Foxworth...Sepia had finally sold a couple of homes and made considerable money herself... We had everything to be happy about at this moment.

"Kevin!!!...Kevin!!!! Oh my god...I'm so glad I found you..." came the voice of a female...a female I barely knew. I looked up....and raised an eyebrow...She was very shapely and comely and very stylishly dressed....It then hit me as to who she was...Her name was Deborah and she was the girlfriend of Reed Nelson...The trumpet player and band leader at Josie's Bar.

"Hi Deborah...How are you doing? This is my wife, Sepia ." I said , getting that out of the way before there was any more conversation. My wife was already giving me the side eye as this woman came to our table.

"Kevin...It's Reed...He's vanished...and I'm certain he has met with foul play...I haven't seen him in a day..You have to help me." she said.

"Vanished? Are you sure?? Maybe he's playing a gig somewhere." I said.

"No...You can ask Gus....They were supposed to play Josie's last night and the entire band showed up...but Reed didn't... That has never happened. He's fined guys in the band for being five minutes late to a rehearsal.....That's not like Reed not to show up and not to call...He is always a stickler about time...He gets mad at me if I'm late for a date." she said.

"Honey, that's all of these men....they just don't understand our need to look our best for them." laughed Sepia.

"Gurl, I know that's right." laughed Debbie.

"When is the last time you saw Reed?" I asked.

''Wednesday Night..Thursday morning...We went to Atlantic City and he stayed over...He left that morning.. He called me Thursday afternoon and said that he wanted to go and get some seafood and hang out that night...I told him that I couldn't because I had a meeting with a potential client in the afternoon and I expected to be hung up...He said he'd call me later....He never did. Around nine o'clock that night, I went over to his house. His car was there...and the door was opened and the lights were on in his house...The Television was on...but Reed wasn't there...He would never leave his house and leave the tv on...." she explained.

"You go to the cops?" I asked.

"Yeah, but they can't open a missing persons investigation until a man's been missing for 48 hours....and Kevin, I know you can go places and do things the cops can't do...Please say you'll help me....Reed is kind of like a friend to you.." she said almost pleadingly....She didn't have to say anymore...I hadn't yet come across a mystery that I didn't feel like solving and since Reed Nelson was indeed an associate of mine....I felt duty bound to investigate.

Since we had arrived in Sepia's car...The three of us went to Reed Nelson's house. It was an immaculate place. I wasn't surprised..Reed was an immaculate man. Most Jazz musicians are.
He was well dressed and very particular about nearly everything in his life.

Debbie hadn't lied...His car was sitting in front of his house. It didn't look as if it had been driven anywhere. Inside, I found his license and car keys and his wallet, full of cash and credit cards.
The lights were indeed on. Debbie had turned the television off. The bed was made and hadn't looked slept in....His clothes were neatly hung in his closet and his sink had dishes in it from days before. There didn't look like there had been any kind of struggle....It looked more like he had left suddenly.

I checked his phone....There was one call..From an E. Manga. It was Friday morning...Other than that...Nothing. This was very strange.

"Debbie...You know an E. Manga?" I asked.

"Oh that's Eddie....He's kind of like a bookie...Reed bet on the horses sometimes." said Debbie.

"Reed have any beef with anybody?" asked Sepia, to my surprise! What was she an investigator now? I mused as I smiled to myself.

"Reed? Well, maybe Symphony Sam....He did cause him to lose that gig at Josie's...but those two have been rivals for years ...I don't think he takes Reed seriously, nor vice versa." said Debbie.

"Well that's as good a place as ever to start" I said.

The three of us drove over to Symphony Sam's favorite watering hole...The Mermaid club...

Joe Neptune, the bartender,pointed to Symphony Sam as soon as we walked in...It was almost as
if he instinctively knew that that was who we had come looking for. Symphony Sam was sitting in a corner of the bar as if he was holding court...only no one else was there but him.

"Reed missin huh? Well, don't look at me....I didn't have nothin to do with it." he said.

"Nothing to do with what ? I didn't accuse you of anything." I said.

"Well Kevin...I know you're a detective and all.." he said.

"Private detective Sam." I reiterated.

"Oh okay...well whatever...you wouldn't be nosin around me unless you thought I was involved somehow in Reed missin. I aint seen him since that night in Josie's when he tricked me into lettin that horrible girl singer front my band and Gus threw me, her and my band out...We aint had a decent gig since." said Symphony Sam.

For some reason I felt as though Symphony Sam knew a lot more than he was telling. I wasn't going to pressure him just yet...I just looked at him. He looked a bit nervous.. He tried to joke his way out of the situation...

"Wow..you must be doing something right Kev...you got two fine babes at your side..heh heh heh.
Listen...why don't you talk to Sam Mother over at "Mother's Diner" That's where Reed eats every morning.." he finnally said. I smiled and said nothing....but left.

Sam Mother's eyes lit up when he saw Sepia and Deborah walk into his diner......but when he saw me come behind them, he frowned...

"What's goin on Kevin? " he said dryly....

"I'm looking for Reed Nelson. The Trumpet player." I said.

"Funny you ask.....I haven't seen him either....You know, he been havin his breakfast here everyday like clockwork ,since he moved to philly...Everyday he usually was here at six on the dot when I open up and was always the first to order. He usually ordered the same exact thing everyday..Scrambled Eggs light, Hash browns and bacon...with orange juice and coffee...Then
Thursday mornin....I don't see him , Friday mornin..No Reed...and today, No Reed...."88" came in here askin if I seen him and I said....'I thought maybe you guys went outta town for a gig..and "88" said "Nah...we aint got no outside gigs for at least a month." said Sam.

"So you haven't seen him?" I asked.

"Nah....some cat named Eddie Manga was lookin for him Wednesday...I told him that Reed had just left." said Sam Mother.

"Deb...This Eddie Manga..you said he's a bookie.....you think Reed owed him money?" I asked.

"Reed might have owed him a few bucks....but nothin heavy.....Reed always paid all of his debts."
said Deborah.

"He a rough charactor?" I asked.

"I don't really know him Kevin."

"Well I'm going to get to know him." I said.

We dropped Deborah off at her place and then we drove home... Sepia looked at me funny and then she asked the question that Debbie probably didn't want to ask.

"Kevin, do you think Reed is dead?" she asked.

"I really don't know...I sure hope not." I said.


(To Be Continued...)

Somewhere In My Heart

ART: "Reflections Of A Queen" By A. Smith

Somewhere in my life
there were a set of keys
and a door so far away./

Somewhere in my dreams
there was sunken treasure
but I was much too late..
you gave it all away../

and
somewhere in my heart
I always knew the truth
somewhere deep down inside..
you knew that I knew it too.
never was any use
so who was I fooling?
never was any use
so why the delusion??/

Somewhere in my head
there was your illusion
and it brought a smile to my face
Somewhere in my sight
reality's painful intrusion
seemed to make my smile so out of place../

Yes I know
how to be creative
I know
how to be
demonstrative..
and if the truth be known...
then the one thing that was true should have shown.../

Somewhere in my madness
somewhere in my sadness
I found me a river flowing
I found music to which I could dance
I took a chance..
and now I am going.../

And yesterday maybe I could laugh
but yesterday is the past
and now all that matters
is what we say and where we are going today../

Somewhere in your heart
didn't you know that I was fascinated by you??
Somewhere in your heart
I always figured you knew
Somewhere in my heart ,I was fascinated
and it wasn't fiction...it was true..../

Today Is My Birthday!

I'm on vacation, but I'll be back tomorrow.

We Can Kick It

Day in
And Day Out
I watch you
and there's no doubt
you're sleepin on an opportunity
because you should be...
checkin for me../

Maybe
Maybe baby
we could negotiate over a cup of coffee
Crazy
Call me crazy
but I happen to know a nice place
a real nice place....
I promise...
your time, I will not waste./

Just tell me we can kick it tonight
because I've got so many thoughts in my mind..
So much I want to say to you...
all you have to do is just say the word..
just tell me it's kool./

From Midnight
to daybreak..
I watch..
and I wait..
Hoping ...
Hoping for the time
when you'll finnally be mine../

Maybe
Maybe baby
you could get into
you could get into a guy like me...
Conversation over coffee for two
could give you a clue..
To future possibilities../

Just Tell me we can kick it tonight...
because I've got a lot of things on my mind..
anything you feel you've been needin..
is right here in my heart to find..
just tell me we can kick it tonight..../

Just tell me we can kick it tonight
because I've got so many thoughts in my mind..
So much I want to say to you...
all you have to do is just say the word..
just tell me it's kool./

We can kick it!
We can kick it!/

That Sinking Feeling

"Everybody does whatever it is they do until they hit rock bottom..Whatever is rock bottom for one person might not be rock bottom for another, but until they hit their personal rock bottom..No amount of therapy is going to help them." said Brooke Taylor, the sexy little number that was currently playing the Guitar at Josie's this month.

I couldn't believe that she had let me take her out after all of the shenanigans she had witnessed going on in Josie's between me and Dr. Tracy Luckette, my former sex rehab therapist who was now revealing herself to be both an alcoholic and a nymphomaniac. I had sat in Josie's on one of the rare nights that she didn't come in and had listened to Brooke's band play two sets. I offered to buy her a drink..She refused. Then I asked her if I could take her down the street after her last set for a cup of coffee and some ice cream. To my delight and utter surprise..she accepted.

We drank two tumblers of coffee and had two big bowls of ice cream and we just, talked. She was the first pretty woman in years that I could recall just talking to and not having a side plot of
getting in her pants afterwards. Don't get me wrong..I would love to get in Brookes pants..but unlike before ,it was not an all consuming priority. There was no smart remarks, no come ons, none of that..We just talked.

I told her about my two failed marriages and my battles with Cindy Waters and my other women..I told her about the sex rehab and how Tracy had turned out to be more than what I bargained for. Brooke talked about how guilty she still felt about getting drunk that night and hitting and killing that woman with her car.

This was our second "date" ...I met her at her place and took her to a nice Thai Restaraunt that Chess and Kevin had told me about. The food was off the chain and the cool sounds of Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis played in the background. Who says that Philly doesn't have some classy joints?

"My rock bottom was when I killed that woman......I was so drunk and so high that I didn't even remember them using the jaws of life to get me out the car....I don't remember nothing...I sat in that courtroom in a daze and when the judge gave me eight years....I didn't wince...I wanted to die. I survived...and slowly..very slowly, I began to realize that my addictions is what brought me to that point that sinking feeling....I didn't go to therapy or one session in the joint." said Brooke.

"No? And they still paroled you? I asked.

"Yeah...I kept my nose clean...learned how to play chess....got pretty good at it....and when I wasn't playing Chess...I was playing my guitar in my cell. I haven't touched a cigarette, any alcohol or any drugs since I went to jail. That's why I refused your offer to buy me a drink."
she said.

"Wow..that's some story." I said.

"Didn't need no therapy to get on drugs...or to drink and didn't use none to get off...I stopped when I got ready." she said.

She felt the way I felt about those rehab sessions...I'm sure some are good ..but now of days everybody has a rehab for every thing. I just felt it was a racket. A week ago ,I had a client in my office and Tracy came by my office...She was drunk!! In the middle of the day...I told her that I had a client and that I'd talk to her in a minute...

"Roberrtttttttt....I'm not wearing any panties!!!!!" she yells out... My client, A Black man, gave me a sheepish look and winked- "Handle yo business bruh....I can come back!" I was not amused at all...And this was a different me...I wasn't turned on and looked at Tracy now in a completely different light...She was a mess....She was attractive to me when she was my Therapist and was serious and no nonsense....Not a drunk ,sex crazed looney....Half the time now, her hair wasn't made up...her clothes were wrinkled and she was on the verge of collapse...
I didn't know what to make of her....For about a week I had been keeping my distance.

Brooke on the other hand was different. We finished eating..I paid the tab and we walked out to my car...I drove her to her house. I got out and walked her to the door...I sat on the steps with
her..We talked until well after two in the morning...A first for me....Talking this late to a woman..
by now, panties and bras would be flung across the room and some serious lovemaking would be going on.

"Well Counselor...It has been nice....but a girl has got to get her beauty rest...You comin in?" she said.

And here was my cue, but surprisingly I said-

"Maybe some other time.....I enjoyed myself tonight and last week just talking to you..that was
nice." I said...

"It was nice...Sure you don't want to stay? It is late....Last time I'm going to ask" She said.

Hell, I'm no fool.......Once inside , we wasted no time getting undressed, getting into bed and each
other...We kissed each other slow, yet hungrily......I buried my tongue into her mouth..Her lips were surprisingly as soft as butter and when I finnally entered her...I found that to be warm and wonderful too....She wrapped her legs around my back and I just drilled myself into her....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Robert,I've needed this soooo muchhhh baby...ohhhhhhhhhh..." she moaned.

Eventually ,she wound up on top ,bouncing up and down like crazy. I nearly went deaf when she screamed out in pleasure as she climaxed......and it wasn't too long before I was there myself...

We held each other that entire night in bed. It was some of the most peaceful sleep I'd had in awhile....

Epilouge-

Dr.Tracy Luckette did step down as the Therapist at the Sexual rehab clinic. She entered AA and has quit drinking...I haven't seen her in awhile, but I hear she is doing well. I didn't see Brooke again after that night...Her band got a gig on the West Coast and she's presently out there now...

Me? I'm not seeing anybody.....I'm going cold turkey on sex all by myself for the time being...perhaps I've experienced that sinking feeling..perhaps I've hit my own rock bottom.

Broke Bed, Mounting

A few days later, I sat in Josie's drinking a beer and watching Brooke Taylor , a foxy young thing with a guitar play a set.. She had a Bass player, A Drummer, A Keyboardist and tonight a guy on congas playing with her...They sounded really good. She looked even better... Skillet Jackson , my former neighbor was sitting at the bar with me, eating peanuts and drinking beer and chatting with Gus...

I looked up and there she was...Dr. Tracy Luckette...Her hair was in a bun...she had on her horn rimmed glasses and she had a very sharp and stylish mini skirt, that showed off those gorgeous and shapely legs of hers. She had on matching high heels and a very professional white blouse.
She looked like the no nonsense therapist I had known from the therapy sessions and not the wild woman ,I had bedded only a few nights ago. There was no smile on her face as she walked towards me with a peice of paper.

"Good evening Mr. Foxworth." she said.

"Evening Dr. Luckette." I said as she thrusted the paper in my hands...

"What's this?" I asked.

"What that is...is a bill." she said.

"Yeah ,I can see that....It's for fifteen hundred dollars." I said.

"Yes..You broke my bed....all four of the legs are snapped and the headboard is split in half" she said.


"Hot damn boy, I knew you'd break something....Can't you just lay down with a woman without
breakin anything?" said Skillet Jackson who heard the entire conversation.

I ignored him and I turned to Dr. Luckette-

"As I recall, we both broke that bed....It wasn't just me.." I said in my defense...The money wasn't bothering me...I could pay it...it was the principal of the thing.

"Well, I see you finnally got what you wanted...You took advantage of me." she said.

"What? You're on crack...You started in on me here in the bar...I had to practically pull you off of me." I said.

"Well, at least that's how you remember it.." she said...

"How I remember it? It's the truth." I said.

"Just have me a check ready so I can buy a new bed....That headboard was imported Norweigan wood...I had that bed shipped to me from Norway.." she said.

"Yeah..well you should have asked for your money back." I said.

"Now hold on youngins...I couldn't help but overhear your conversation.... I'm pretty good with upholstering and fixing wooden items....I used to run a furniture store for years...Let me come over and take a look at your bed and I might be able to fix your bed for you." said Skillet Jackson.

"Really? Well Okay, let me write my address down for you." she said as she wrote her address and phone number on a peice of paper.

''And you youngin will pay me for any supplies or equipment needed." said Skillet.

Gus was behind the bar laughing at the entire thing.

Dr. Luckette then looked at me and said...

"Well, now that that's settled...you can open up a tab for me."

"Are you crazy? After you just tried to take me for a G. and a half?" I said.

"I think I'm worth it....You obviously did the other night." she said and winked as both Skillet Jackson and Gus the bartender laughed and slapped their sides in the background...

She started with a Long Island Ice tea....then another one, and another one and one more...Then she ordered some Cuevo. She drank two beers and then had a margarita. Gus and Skillet were
astounded...So was Fathead Newton who was also in the bar and Chess and Chris Thompson. They all looked at her, then me, then turned their heads away.

She ordered another Margarita and then did another shot of cuevo....I was getting scared. Alcohol obviously brought out another side of her personality...Right now, I didn't know if it was good or bad.

"Robert...I'm a fraud....Here I am a Therapist...I do Sex Rehab sessions and I get a little alcohol in me and the next thing I know,I'm as horny as a cat...I don't do this with just anybody...I only drank around you because I wanted you and I had to be drunk to get the nerve......Ohhhh who am I kidding? I can't keep running those sessions..it's a big joke...I'm a borderline alcoholic and I've slept with one of my students...I have to resign......" she said.

"Oh Dr. Luckette...Now don't go gettin all half cocked...That's just the alcohol talkin..Nobody knows we did anything ..Nobody that can hurt your career...you're a fine therapist..This is what you do..." I said.

"Ohh you're just saying that to be nice...I'm a phony...a fraud...I can't continue on there at the institute..I can't..." she said.

"Ohh come on now Dr. Luckette.." I said.

"Call me Tracy...We might as well be on a first name basis now...You've seen me naked.." she said.

I didn't realize how loud she was talking....Fathead,Chess, Chris, Gus, Skillet and the guitarist,Brooke Taylor , who was at the bar between sets ,all turned around and looked at both of us...I guess this pretty much killed any chance I would have of getting next to Brooke in the future.

"Come on...I'm going to take you home " I said after I paid her tab..which was close to $75.00.

"Robert.....I have no bed to sleep in.." she said.

"Alright ,well look...I'll take you to my house for the night and in the morning..I'll take you to your car and I'll join the guys and see if we can fix your bed." I said.

"Ohhhhhh,you just want some more..that's all...My goodness..didn't you get enough a few nights
ago?" she proclaimed.

For the second time...Heads turned....Chris gave me a thumbs up...So did Chess and Fathead..

"Don't break your bed counselor...I aint fixin yours." laughed Skillet Jackson... Gus was behind the bar beside himself with laughter now..I just shook my head.

I drove her to my house...She slept the entire drive to my home. I picked her up and took her
inside...She appeared to be zonked. I took her shoes off and then undressed her and laid her down in my bed...She woke up then....

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable with them off in the bed.." I said innocently.

"You sly dog...You just wanted to get me in the bed again." she said.

"No..I'm going to sleep in the other room." I said.

"Robert...get in this bed and make love to me and stop beating around the bush." she said. That was the alcohol...but that body was definitely for real...Who was I to refuse her?

That night my neighbors heard the bed sqeaking something crazy.....and the headboard slamming against the wall...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh Doctor Luckette....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Robert..Robert..Robertttttttttt,ouuuuuuuuuuuuu,call me Tracyyyyyy...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu call me tracy.....daddddyyyyy..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

"Ummmmmmmghhhhhh....ohhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Darlingggg!!!"

"Babyyyyyyy..ughhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Ouuuuuuuuuuu....."

**************************************************************


The Next Morning as promised...I drove Tracy back to her apartment... Gus and Skillet were waiting outside for us.

"Here's a cup of coffee boy...You need it more than I do...Now lets look at that bed." said Skillet.

Upon seeing the bed...Gus shook his head..So did Skillet.

"My, My, My...I aint never seen nothin like that in my life.....Boy, you is something else...Lawd
have mercy.....Come on Gus..let's get to work.." said Skillet.

The two of them totally repaired the wooden legs of the bed...but there was nothing they could do with the headboard. However..She could at least sleep in the bed. I found another Headboard
made of Norwegian wood on Ebay and ordered it. It arrived in two weeks and Gus and Skillet came back and fixed it...The Bed was as good as new.

"I re-inforced the legs with metal for ya Missy...It'll be harder for the counselor here to break it down again." said Skillet.

"Oh there will be no again..not in this bed." said Dr.Luckette, who was back in professional mode.

"Thanks for all of your help, I can't thank you enough." she said finnally as Gus and Skillet took their tool box and walked to their car. They had saved me a g and a half. That headboard I ordered looked like Norweigan wood , but it wasn't....who would know?

"Well,I guess I'd better be going." I said.

"Roberttttttttttt....take off your clothes." she cooed.

"What?" I said.

"I was just kidding..I didn't want them to know what we were doing." she said slyly..

"You aint had a drink today? ,I know you haven't.." I said..

She walked over to me and gave me a sweet and tender kiss... then she unzippered my pants and began fondling me...Was This the woman who was a Sex Rehab therapist?

"No I haven't...and I haven't had other things tended to either..." she said as she pulled me down on the bed and continued to give me wet sloppy kisses and undo my pants...

(Conclusion Next....)

The Good Date

The last day of Sex Rehab was finnally here and no one felt better about it being over than I did. The past few sessions I hadn't even participated...I had just listened quietly and nodded my head.

Dr. Tracy Luckette, the Therapist and moderator of the sessions still looked as luscious as ever..but outside of daydreams about her...I hadn't so much as asked her for the time of day since my first attempt had failed on the very first day of the sessions.

As I was leaving the session room, Dr. Luckette called to me. She called me over to the side in a way that wayyy too seductive sounding to me...or was it my imagination?? Was my imagination ,mixed with my great lust for her making me hear things?

"Mr. Foxworth....Now that the sessions are over..I'd like to know what you thought of them?" she asked.

"Honest answer?" I said.

"Yes...that's the only answer that is ever valid." she said.

"I thought this whole thing was a crock...a racket designed to take people's money. Just becausee I happen to have a healthy libido and enjoy myself from time to time does not make me a freak or mean that there is something wrong with me." I said. Since the session was over and I didn't expect to ever see Dr. Luckette again...I was frank, rather than telling her what I thought she might want to hear..like the others.

"Mr. Foxworth...you've missed the entire point of these sessions....Which was to create a healthy sexuality and drive that knows it's own place and doesn't hinder you from other areas of your life." she said.

"That's the point...I'm not hindered....When it comes to my job and what I do...I'm strictly business and always prepared...I win 89% of my cases." I said.

"Wouldn't you like to win 100 %?" she asked.

"I don't know one attorney who wins all of their cases." I said.

"I'd really like to discuss this with you further.....Perhaps now we could have that Ice cream and a cup of coffee you talked about." she said kind of slyly.


"Nah....Like you said...that would be un-professional...you being my therapist and all." I said with an equally slick grin and walked out of the building, got in my car and drove off!

Later that afternoon, I was at Josie's....Listening to some cool jazz sounds....

"Hey Gus...Who is that?" I asked.

"Pretty little thing isn't she? She's a Guitarist from Jersey City, Name is Brooke Taylor.....This is her first night here, Her and her trio..." said Gus.

"I'm impressed...Where's Reed and "88"?" I asked.

"They're in San-Francisco.......They should be back next week...Brooke is a friend of his....He got her this gig here until he comes back." said Gus.

"Hmmmm, you think she might be in need of some legal representation?" I laughed.

"You somethin...Didn't you just get outta sex rehab???Besides..this gal just got outta the joint."
said Gus.

"The joint?" I said.

"She got drunk one night and struck and killed a woman in her car...She did 4 years of a 8 year sentence for vehicular manslaughter....She's on parole...Reed Nelson helped her get back on her feet...She's doin good." said Gus as we both listened to her play.

"I thought I'd find you here." came the familiar voice of Dr. Tracy Luckette.

"Well, Hello Dr. Luckette....What are you doing, slummin?.....Never expected to find someone such as yourself in this neck of the woods." I smirked.

"Shut up and buy me a drink." she laughed...Now this was strange and a big departure from the straight laced super serious, no nonsense Therapist I had sat in my sessions with. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea for her and another Corona for myself.

She gulped that drink down in record time....Then ordered another one...and polished that off too. She then ordered a rum and coke and polished that off too. Gus looked at me and raised an eyebrow...I shrugged...I hardly knew this woman socially.

I finished my one beer and began munching on some Fried Chicken.....Dr. Luckette was now on her fourth drink....Another rum and coke!!! Gus looked astounded!!!! So did I for that matter.
The surprising thing was..With all this drinking..She wasn't drunk!!!

Finnally to my and Gus's releif..she ordered one last Long Island Iced tea and called it a night. I was stunned...She wasn't even staggering or wobbling.

"You sure you don't want to take me for some coffee and ice cream?" she asked, now not hiding the seductiveness in her voice and now squeezing and fondling my crotch area. I was astounded.
I never expected this.

"Dr. Luckette..uh...er..uh..ahhhh....not in here..." I said. Was this me talking? She squeezed again
and then looked at me and smiled...

"Ohhhh myyyy Mr. Foxworth...you've got a weapon of mass destruction in your pants." she said
with a giggle.

"Dr. Luckette, you've been drinking...Maybe you ought not to drive...I'll drive you home and come and get you tomorrow morning and take you to your car." I said.

"I may be drinking...but I know what I feel in your pants....Good gracious Mr. Foxworth..I do that to you? I turn you on like that?" she exclaimed...still giggling.

"Uh Gus.....CHECK PLEASE!!!" I said.

Gus looked at me, then looked at her ....then smiled....Just then ,Skillet Jackson, my old neighbor from my first apartment walked in...Took one look at the situation and looked at Gus and shook his head.

"Attorney.....go easy on the springs....wouldn't want you goin through nobody else's ceiling." he said and nudged me...Luckily for me ,Dr. Luckette didn't hear him. I ignored him and walked Dr.
Luckette to my car and helped her into the seat.

As we pulled off...She smiled and to my horror pulled a marijuana joint out of her pocketbook and lit it up!

"Mind if I smoke?" she laughed as she puffed....

"Helll no...put that thing out..." I said as we turned the corner of her block and I parked the car.

"Ohhhhh, okay...." she giggled.

"Coming in?" she asked....

"Well uh, er ...ahhhh..." I mumbled.... Before I could stop her, she undid my zipper and bent down and consumed my now raging erection in her mouth...I was in utter shock...I was glad it was late night...Anybody could have walked by and witnessed this...

"Ohhhhhhh, ohhhhh Mr. Foxworth...you are huge.....I...you....you don't know how long I dreamed about doing this.....how long I had to control myself in those sessions..ooouuuuuu, oh my gawd...ummmmmmmmph, this is so good...ohhhhhhhh.." she moaned as she continued....

I pinched myself...This was better than any daydream I'd had in that classroom...We eventually wound up in her living room on the couch....Kissing each other as if it was going out of style and her running her hands up and down my penis...

"Take your clothes off...I want you inside me now....NOW!!!" she said...

I quickly obeyed.....She took her skirt and pantyhose off and tossed her heels over into a corner.
Her blouse and bra followed and I lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom, with her hungrily kissing me over and over.....

I wasted no time entering her and "going to town"..the words , the disgraced corporate President in our session said he used with his mistress...We did it doggy style, then a 69....and finnally back to the missionary position...The headboard of her bed split in half and all four legs broke off and we continued to thrust at each other wildly.. We both exploded in a burst of passion that left us both totally exhausted.... I couldn't believe it.. I drifted off to sleep....

I didn't sleep long...I awoke to her trying to stuff, my surprisingly still hard penis in her mouth..

"I need more Robert, more..." she bellowed... I tried not to let her down. This would go on at least seven more times throughtout the night until we both finnally collapsed.

I woke up the next morning, nude and on a bed with four broken legs and a split headboard....
I slipped on my boxers and my socks and my undershirt....I sifted through my clothes and found my pants and my shirt.....

Tracy Luckette had gotten up some time in the night and gotten partially dressed...She had her bra on and her blouse and had even put her pantyhose back on...but that was it...She lie face down by the window of the bedroom, snoring like an old man....her beautiful long hair all over the place..

I heard a sparrow singing outside the window.....Wait until I tell Gus this, I thought....What I couldn't know was that ..this was probably the best part of my time with Tracy Luckette....The
'Fun" hadn't even started yet.

(To Be Continued.....)

Wet Dreamz

The water from the shower splashed on her flawless brown skin...Her skin was the color of
maple syrup.... I pulled out her hairpins and watched as her long jet black hair flowed to the nape of her back....I turned her towards me....her breasts, as huge as honey dew mellons were so perky....I playfully rubbed them with the shower gel and smiled a sly smile as the soap and lather began to cover them and run down her perfectly flat stomach and down those baby making hips of hers......I had waited for this moment for so long.....

She reached up and kissed me with those full lips of hers for a long time...She began to feel my ever hardening erection..she gasped at my girth...

"Oh Mr. Foxworth..." she exclaimed... "You're huge...."

I smiled and I began to moan....

"Ohhh Dr. Luckette....Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Call me Tracy....Call me Tracy, daddy..." she moaned....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh....." I moaned......

"Ohhhhhhhh Mr. Foxworth...ouuuuuuuuuuuu....." she moaned.....

"Mister FOXWORTH!!!!! Earth to Mister Foxworth." said Dr. Luckette... I snapped to attention
immediately...I had been daydreaming about her again...I couldn't believe it.

"Do you have anything to add to today's discussion?" She asked.

"Uhhhh No, I do not.." I said.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes...something was on my mind...uh..one of my cases." I said.

"Sure it was a legal breif Mr. Foxworth?" she asked

The classroom laughed.....I blushed...imagine that?

I had been in these rehab classes for three months now... I usually added something from my past to the discussions...I read the text books and the pamphlets and I didn't try to flirt with Dr.Luckette anymore. I still couldn't get her out of my mind though....but I usually didn't daydream about her...Not like I was doing now....I only had a few more sessions to go.

I couldn't see what good they were doing...I was still seeing Bonita from time to time and Vonetta as well... I even had a late night tryst with Paris and Blake's horny ex landlady who I'd once represented only a few weeks ago...but they were far and few between. I was concentrating on my work more and not running after the women the way I'd once done.

I seemed pre-occupied now of days... I wanted Tracy Luckette in the worst way..I hadn't figured out how to get her, but I was sure there was a way...I just had to find it.

(To Be Continued....)

Coffee,Ice Cream, Me?

"My name is Robert Louis Foxworth, I'm an attorney at law. I am a damn good attorney if I don't say so myself...I also am a sexual addict." I said on my first day in Sex Rehab...I had never held much creedence in this type of thing and had often laughed and scoffed at people who went in for this type of thing. My Ex-Wife, Sissy Van Buren...Now a Homicide detective in the Philadelphia Police Department suggested I get some help.

She had been a beautiful and wonderful wife....but I had fallen deeply in lust with a woman named Cindy Waters and our affair had been discovered. It ruined my marriage to the best and finest human being I had ever known. I married again...A hot young Chica named Corrine. We had a nice home and even talked about having kids... Once again...I was caught in the sack with Cindy Waters...a hot young collegue of mine at the time.

You might say that Cindy Waters was my problem....but I didn't marry her. For the next two years we both tried to one up each other....Doing some of the most hateful and spiteful things to each other. It cost us both jobs in that corporate law world we ran in. I have my own private practice today and I'm doing pretty well and Cindy isn't even in Philadelphia anymore from what I hear.

Both of my wives forgave me and continued to sleep with me for awhile....It was nothing for me to sleep with my ex wife, Sissy at lunch, Sleep with my other ex-wife, Corrine , near closing time,
Sleep with one of my clients, Alice Pinkston the next day and then a Real Estate agent I once worked with named Bonita Turner the day after that and then a funeral director named Vonetta
Anderson another day who helped me over my greif with Marjorie, a woman I met and bedded who died in the bed with me after giving me the best sex I'd ever had....It just seemed as though I could never get enough and never ran out of women willing to give me what I craved....

I told all of this to the focus group at the sex rehab I was in....There was a disgraced golfer , whose wife had smashed the windows of his SUV, when she caught him in their home with 16 women in their bedroom. There was the President of a huge corporation, USA interests Inc. that was caught with his young secretary, giving him a blow job in his office while he dined on pizza and smoked cigars....and then there was the Married Football player who was at the clinic with his injured leg in a whirlpool, while his therapist, a comely and buxom blonde was in the whirlpool with him giving him the ride of his life... He bought his wife a brand new Jaguar...She demanded instead that he join this sex rehab forum.

All of us had a story and all of us were spilling our guts out while a moderator, a pretty brown skinned woman who wore her hair in a bun and wore thick coke bottle glasses sat in the middle and guided the discussion. Her name was Tracy, Dr. Tracy Luckette. She was wearing a short skirt and she had shapely legs like I liked and nice full hips....She had a great shape and there was no denying she had a great body up under that business suit and that lab jacket that she wore. I tried to avert my eyes , but I know she caught me checking her out a few times.

Look at me..Here I was in Sex Rehab and here I was checking out the therapist...I was pathetic. If I ever wanted to be whole again...Have a real relationship...Like Kevin and Sepia...Chess and Rell, Sean and Sheila, my fellow attorney, Conrad and his wife, Jill....Former playboy jock, Cock Robbins and his lovely wife...I had to get over my addiction....but I couldn't get over my attraction to Dr. Luckette.

It was funny, but I kept getting the feeling that she was checking me out too...I think I caught her staring at the erection I was trying to hide...while we talked..I wonder if the other guys were checking her out and thinking what I was thinking? Sure they were..They were like me..sex addicts.

The Session for that day ended and I was heading for the lobby when I saw Dr. Luckette. I decided to strike up a conversation.

"Dr. Luckette? or can I call you Tracy?" I said trying to slyly break the ice.

"You can refer to me as Dr. Luckette." she said in a no nonsense way.

"Uh, I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the two sessions you've had and I'm really starting to learn some things about myself. I have a copy of your book "Self Actualization and the Sexual
being." and I would like to discuss some chapters with you over some coffee and perhaps a scoop of ice cream. I know a really nice coffee shop a few blocks from here." I said.

"I'm sure you would and I bet you do , but you know I can't do that, don't you Mr. Foxworth." she said.

"An innocent cup of coffee and a scoop of ice cream couldn't hurt anybody ." I said.

"Come on counselor....You're trying to pick me up....This is sex rehab......I'm not stupid...You think you're the first guy to ask me out?....See, this is your problem...You see a woman and the first thing you want to do is take her to bed...You've got to focus...Stop thinking about sex.." she said with a smile. "Start thinking of women as human beings and not notches on your bedpost."

"Yeah, you're right.... In a sense...but you got me all wrong doc...I have no notches on my bed post." I said.

"Okay Mr. Foxworth... but you've got about six women keeping you busy...." she laughed. I wondered if she was just making a statement or if she was asking?

"No, not really....My ex wife Corrine is getting married and she's stopped coming around...My ex
wife, Sissy has just stopped sleeping with me period..She says it's not right..She suggested I come to these sessions....Alice is involved with some guy, so I don't see her anymore and Bonita
and Vonetta are very busy." I said.

"Oh My word.....Listen to that list of women....I've got to cool that thing of yours off." she said as
she pretended to fan my crotch area...She had a nice sense of humor...I liked this.

"Okay...Okay Doc...I get it....Nothin happening.." I said.

"Good....I hope that doesn't stop you from coming back to the next session....I really would like to help you Mr. Foxworth." she said and offered her hand for me to shake.

"Come on ,I don't shake women's hands....Can I get a hug instead?" I laughed.

"Ohhhh, you are impossible Mr. Foxworth. No you can't , Now come on..I want you to take these sessions seriously" she laughed.

"Okay...Okay.....I'm sorry." I said and shook her hand....I wasn't sure, but I thought I felt her shiver or shudder a little..It was probably my imagination.

"So I'll see you at the next session Mr. Foxworth?" she asked.

''Call me Robert." I said.

"No, It's Mr. Foxworth." she said.

"Ohhh alright..you drive a hard bargain." I said.

"I'm a professional Mr. Foxworth." she said.

"So am I...I mean..I'm a lawyer...uh an Attorney....that's, that's uh a profession." I said.

She smiled shook her head and walked away...I stood there staring at her as she walked down the hall, wanting her more than ever...It was clear that Sex rehab was going to be hard for me under these conditions. I walked down the street to the coffee shop and ordered a cup of coffee

and two scoops of Vanilla Bean Ice cream.

(To Be Continued....)

Pull His Coat

Donald "Smooth" and I sat in the Diner and drank two tumblers of coffee. Roscoe and Ralph Mole came in and joined us at the table. I ordered two more tumblers of coffee.

"Where's the big man?" I asked , meaning Fathead.....and knowing that he would not be at this meeting...Not with someone trying to kill him right now.

"He's around" said Roscoe.

"Laying Low huh?" I said.

"Gots to...Until we find out who's behind this." said Ralph Mole.

"That's why I asked you to come here...I think I know." I said.

"Yeah? ,Who?" asked Roscoe.

"Either of you know a guy named Micah? I don't have a last name...just his first name." I said.

They both looked astonished....but it was a look that told me they knew exactly who I was talking about.

"Yeah , we know him.....He used to be a big time operator....He was George "Goldie" Thomas's enforcer....One of em anyway....Once we rid ourselves of Georgie boy...He and what was left of his organization scattered. We thought he had left town." said Ralph Mole.

"Well he's back in town..and he's in cahoots with Georgie's sister....The same girl that's got Chris's nose so wide open right now." I said.

"You mean Wendy? I thought that babe looked familiar...." said Roscoe.

"So how do we find Micah?" asked Ralph Mole.

"That's the problem.. I don't know where he is...He's somewhere near by, he's keepin a real
low profile...and he's calling in big time hitters from somewhere." I said.

"Damn Chess...how do you know all of this?" asked Roscoe.

"I got him on tape talking to Wendy.....He seemed to know all of the particulars about the Goldie hit.....He knew that Sonny Templeton did the job...He knew that Chris bailed him out for Fathead, He knew everything..."I said.

"So he's back in town to avenge his boy.....He's using the girl to get to Chris, who he hated with a passion....and he's callin in muscle to hit Fathead who ran him out of town. Okay Chess...Ya did good....We'll start huntin..We'll find him...somebody on the street will know something." said Roscoe..

"Or we'll uh vigorously persuade them to know somethin...ya get my drift?" laughed Ralph Mole.

"You gotta find your boy and pull his coat ....The longer he's with that girl, the more danger he's in." said Roscoe as he and Ralph got up to leave.

"Yeah...I'll do what I can." I said.

I called Chris's cell phone....I was lucky today..He answered it.

"Yo, what up Chess?" he said.

"Where you at man?" I asked.

"I'm at my crib." he answered sleepily.

"You by yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact..I am....the babe was here last night..but she left this morning." he said
with a yawn.

"Listen..you gotta trust me...Sit tight..don't go anywhere and load your peice...Ya here me..Load it and be ready..Me and Donnie are on our way." I said.

"What's this about Chess?" said Chris.

"Just be ready." I said.

Donald Smooth and I got in my car and we hit the expressway..It would be the fastest way to get to Chris before someone else did... As we were driving , my Blackberry went off..Luckily, I had on a Blue tooth.

"Hello" I said.

"Hello Chess..This is Kevin."

"Hey Kev, what's up?" I said.

"I pulled the number of that guy who called your friend's girl and I gave it to a friend of mine in
law enforcement who owed me a favor....I found out the general area of where the calls are coming from." he said.

"Kevin, you're a life saver.....I owe you big time man." I said after he gave me the address.

I called Roscoe and Ralph Mole and gave them the information.

"Chess, I don't know how you're gettin this information...but I'm glad you're on my side baby....
Don't you worry..Ralph and me will take care of Mister Micah...Just get to Chris...I'm sure he's sent somebody after him." said Roscoe.

"We on it ." I said.

When we got to one of Chris's apartments...The first thing we noticed was a Black Escalade parked halfway down the block. There was a heavy set, dark skinned man at the wheel with a black muscle shirt on ,under a suit jacket and dark shades...He was just sitting.

"Chess....you head toward Chris's place...I got this guy covered." said Smooth.

I began walking towards Chris's Apartment complex...Just as we thought..The man in the Escalade got out and began walking behind me...He pulled out a Silver.44 Magnum pistol with a
laser site on it....Definitely not a cop.....He aimed right at the back of my head.....but not before two well placed rounds...dropped him where he stood....Courtesy of Donald "Smooth", who looked at me and winked. He dragged the dead gangster back to the Escalade and deposited him in the drivers seat.. Donald motioned for me to duck down. I ducked down behind a car, just in time to see another guy, also heavily muscled and with a big gun parading Chris out of his apartment and down the street towards the Black Escalade.

When they got to the car they were astonished first to see a trail of blood in the street and then the bloody and very dead corpse of his partner in the drivers seat.

"What The hell is goin on here?" said the Hitman.

"How am I supposed to know?, you the one with the gun." said Chris.

"Shut up nigga." said the hitman.

I had a clear shot and I had to make it good...I fired....My shot hit the big man right in the back of his head...He fell up against the car, dead as could be and then fell down on to the pavement..

Chris turned around startled...Then looked releived as he saw Donald "Smooth" and Me.....

"Chess, Smooth..You saved my life....What's going on?" he asked.

"That's what I been tryin to tell you...Your babe set you up...She's Goldie's sister..she was workin with a guy named Micah....They were here to kill everyone she thought was involved in her brother's death in anyway....They got a bounty on Fathead and you." I said.

"Damn man....I owe you Chess...I was out of control....She left while I was sleepin and probably called these goons and told em where I lay my head..." said Chris. "Thanks for pullin my coat on this." he said.

"Oh and you don't have to worry about Micah....We know where he lays his head....Roscoe and Ralph went to have a little talk with him..He won't be callin any hits on anybody anymore."laughed Donald "Smooth"

Chris put his arms around me and Donald "Smooth." -"My Niggas" he said.

The next day, I read in the papers that one Micah Thompson, reputed drug trafficer and suspect in several murders was found shot to death on a private boat at Penn's Landing. Chris and I both went to Wendy's apartment to confront her , but when we got there it was empty..She had probably heard about what had happened to Micah and caught the fastest thing smoking out of Philly....I didn't think we'd seen the last of her...I was certain she'd be back.

"Wow Chess...As long as I been in this game and I let a broad fool me....I must be slippin man...That woulda never of happened to me a few years ago...I'm a player Chess, the ultimate playa and I got played.." said Chris as we sat in Josies that night.

"It can happen to anyone man..We meet a hot woman and for a time we get lost." I said.

Chris smiled, he turned his beer bottle up and guzzled the last of it....He signaled to Gus for another one.

"It won't happen to me again." he said.

"Yeah? You think so, huh?" I laughed.

"Yeah....This is somethin that's supposed to happen to you, not me." laughed Chris....

"Uh Huh...talk your talk Mister Boss playa." I said and we both laughed as Gus brought us both two more beers.


(For SLC)

She Ain't Righteous!

I stood in the cemetary alone...A Black Mercedes Benz pulled up and the lights were cut low....He was alone as I had asked... He got out of the car and walked over to me.

"Chess...Man is you crazy? Paging me at this time of night and asking me to meet you here..
what's up?" asked Chris.

"Chris, how long we been knowin each other?" I asked him.

"Since the third or fourth grade man, what is this about?" he asked.

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

"Yeah man, more than anybody else....Man you startin to scare me." said Chris.

"So if I ask you this...will you tell me the truth ?" I said.

"What man? What?" he asked.

"Remember Goldie? Georgie boy??" I asked..

"George Thomas...yeah, how could I forget him?" said Chris.

"He was in jail...and you bailed him out and right after you bailed him out he turns up dead...You told me not to ask any questions I didn't want to know the answer to.but now I gotta know Chris. Did you kill him?" I asked.

Chris looked at me strangely.....He was quiet. He looked around....There wasn't a person or a car in sight...he began frisking me as if I was wearing a wire.

"Chris...I aint wearing no wire..this aint no police thing...This is me talking to you man to man,brother to brother, friend to friend......Now I'm asking you man...did you kill him?" I said.

"No!" said Chris blandly.

I looked at him.....He looked at me......Then he quietly said-

"Not personally, no.....but I bailed him out....as a favor to Fathead......" said Chris.

"You knew what Fathead was going to do, didn't you?" I said.

"I did....but I did it to save lives....You remember how lethal Goldy was...He was wild and reckless...He and Fathead would have killed half of the city if their little war had of continued or eventually they would've brought the New York boys into it which would have further complicated things.....I just wanted the streets quiet again...So when Fathead asked me to take the bail money down there and cut him loose...of course I knew what was going to happen next.. but I did it...and I got to live with that." said Chris.

"Who did him? Was it Roscoe??, Ralph Mole??, Donald "Smooth"?" I asked.

"Nah, it wasn't none of them...The guy that got the contract was that old bust out...that cat that was runnin with that freak, Lockjohn...Sonny something or other..Sonny Templeton." said Chris.

"Oh yeah him.....but he's dead now himself..." I said.

'That's right..he is....Fathead didn't want to use any of his people..Didn't want to chance it gettin back to him..so he had Ralph Mole contract Sonny Templeton to do the job..He came cheap." said Chris...

"Where did they find him....the old hitman's home?" I said.

Chris laughed for the first time that night......He continued to look around as if he expected cops to come charging out of the woodworks..There was none.

"Why you bring me out here Chess?" he asked again.

"That babe...that girl you layin up with is Goldie's sister man......She's here to get revenge or something....I didn't want anybody to see me talking to you about her or to eaves drop..but you could be in danger...She's settin you up man." I said.

"So you bring me out to the freakin cemetary at this god awful time of night to tell me this Chess? Mannnnn, you crazy ,We coulda had this discussion in the office, during the daytime...." said Chris.

"Chris man, that girl aint righteous. She Aint righteous holmes" I said.

"Chess, how do you know this? I mean ,so what if she's Goldy's sister? That aint got nothing to do with me. It aint like she in the game.."said Chris.

"Don't you find it funny that there have been two attempts on Fathead's life since she showed up?" I said.

"Three" said Chris.

"Huh, what?" I said.

"His car exploded in flames tonight......just seconds before he would have gotten into it." said Chris.

"See? it's her...She's back here to get him for having her brother whacked." I said.

"You hang around Kevin too much Chess...Always seein a conspiracy where they aint none...She aint that kind of girl man...She's the sweetest mellowest babe I ever met.. Man....I'm serious Chess..She's so mellow and when I'm with her...I feel different..I am different...I aint never felt like that before with anyone." said Chris.

I realized that I couldn't talk to him....He was lost..I shook my head and said...

"I'm happy for ya bruh...really I am...just be careful man...keep your eyes and ears open for any possibility okay?" I said.

"Always bruh...Always." said Chris as he walked back to his car and drove away....

Later on that night, I hooked up with Kevin at the home of his friends , Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson in Northeast Philly.

"What you got Kev?" I asked him. I had hired Kevin to wire Wendy Thomas's apartment and to dig up what he could find on her...

"Listen to this recording...it's a phone conversation." said Kevin.

"What did you find out Micah?" said Wendy..

"The man that actually killed your brother, Sonny Templeton is dead and has been dead for months....He was killed in an unrelated incident so we can cross him off.." came another voice.

"Did you get the fat man?" asked Wendy.

"Nah, we missed him again...He's the luckiest bastard in three states..but I don't give up that easily...the fat man will fall ...if I have to kill him myself....Something else I found out that may be of interest.." came the male voice.

"What's that Micah?" said Wendy.

"Your boyfriend....Chris Thompson.....Used to be the man in these parts...He sold all of his connects to Fathead Newton......Here's where it gets interesting my dear...The Feds pinched your brother and had him in custody...Guess who bailed him out?? Your boy,Chris Thompson! He bails him out and then two hours later , Sonny Templeton puts two slugs in the back of his head...Co-incidence?? I think not.....I think he was doing one last favor to Fathead." came the male voice.

"This is really bad news Micah...I was beginning to really feel something for Chris Thompson..I didn't know he was involved in all of this....Well.....you gotta do what you gotta do. Fathead falls and Chris falls too." said Wendy coldly.

"Good..Glad you got your head on straight girlie..." came the male voice.

"Chess, they're gonna do Chris and Fathead" said Kevin.

"Not if I can help it...I got this from here Kev...thanks for all of your help man." I said.

"You sure you don't need any back up?" said my good friend.

"Nah...I got this. But one thing you can do...See if you can pull that number, the number of the guy she was talking to...find out if you can trace where that call is coming from." I said.

"I got a friend in the FBI...He don't like to do stuff like this...but I think if I ask real nice...he'll get me a scope on that number." said Kevin.

"Thanks man." I said as I left.

I had to find out who this Micah fellow was and stop him...A tall order indeed!

(Conclusion Next)

Hot Sauce

"Yeah Chess...I heard that Chris is seein some babe..I seen him driving her around town yesterday in his Benz. So She must be special...Chris usually drive his other babes around in the Jag...If they in the Benz..they must be special."Laughed Fathead Newton as we stood on the corner outside of Ciro's Nightclub in North Philly and talked.

"Man, I heard that somebody shot at you the other night." I said.

"Yeah....there was a guy driving the wrong way down the street and another guy shooting at me." said Fathead.

"If they were driving the wrong way down that street..that means they were from out of town..Because everybody in Philly knows how that street runs." I laughed.

"I'm still tryin to figure out who is making a move on me....I'm cool with everybody in South Philly and none of the North Philly playas got the heart or the muscle to step to me...So far, don't nobody know who this is." he said.

"You think New York?" I asked.

"Nah...Even though Allejandro is in jail...he still running the show and I called him last night and he assured me that nobody from there or North Jersey was behind it. So I figure this must be some new playas....But nobody on the street has a clue." said Fathead...

Just then a Black Escalade came speeding down the street...Fathead grabbed me and through me down as he joined me on the pavement...a stacatto of bullets flew... Roscoe came running out of the building with two of his associates. They all had guns blazing and the lit the Escalade up...popped the tires ..shot out the windows...and watched it go up in flames!

"Chess..Fathead..come on..get in my car...Let's get out of here." barked Roscoe as we scurried to his car and pulled off...We'd leave it to the police to figure out who the would be hitters were.

"See Chess?...it aint safe to be me." said Fathead as we sped off into the night.

The next morning in our downtown office, far away from the hood...I told Chris about the whole thing and about the prior attempt on Fathead's life. He didn't seem the least bit concerned...He spun around in his chair and looked pensive at first and then said-

"Well Chess , maybe you need to stop hangin with Fathead.....This is a gangsta's life...Someone always wanting to topple the king. He the king now...Somebody trying to take his crown....That's why I gave that up...That's why I come into business with you.....I aint got nothin nobody want no more. We businessmen now Chess...We need a whole new group of friends." he said.

He sounded like me, which was why I was kind of taken back. He looked at me and then shrugged-

"Look man, I'm so far from that gangsta mess now that I don't even know the new playas..probably some young punks looking to move up." said Chris.

"They were young...The driver was just 19 and the shooter was 25......They weren't from here, they were from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic respectively....both had long rap sheets." I said.

"Hmmmm....New York?" asked Chris.

"Nah, Allejandro and Fathead talked..he assured him that they didn't have anything to do with it." I said.

"Then it's a new playa....Maybe from out of town, maybe from right here.....who's lookin to move up. That's Fathead's problem...not yours , nor mine Chess...he got capable people..he'll handle it." laughed Chris.

"Where you been man? I aint seen you in like, two days?" I asked.

"I was rounding up hitmen to take Fathead out..I want back in......hahahahahahahaahha, why you ask that Chess, you know where I was..Wit my baby." said Chris looking like a wistful schoolboy.

"Wendy huh?" I asked.

"Yeah man....Chess....she's some kind of fantastic man....I met her in Josie's believe it or not...That night they had that god awful singer in there and people was throwing stuff at the stage...You shoulda seen Gus...Oh man, you woulda cracked up.. You know? I'm sittin there gettin ready to walk out and this babe sends me a drink....I take it and she comes over, wearing like the tightest black micro mini I ever did see....looking all kinds of tight..We talkin, drinkin and what not and next thing I know, We drivin to AC at 2:00 in the morning.." said Chris.

'Wow...AC huh?" I said.

"Yeah man...We went to a couple of speak easys and got crunk and then rented a room....Chess,I couldn't believe it...that girl did things to me in bed...that I aint never had done to me before..

'Chess man, for starters..she poured a bottle of hot sauce on my johnson and got down on all fours and licked it clean... she took all of me in her mouth.....not something the average babe can do....cause you know me...I come with a thunder...Man, I must have come about four ,five times..just with her doing that.....then we went into the bedroom..I tried to break her back Chess..We went at it for hours...missionary position, doggy style, scissors..and finnally with her riding on top of me....I don't know how many times I came that night...but I was exhausted, then we wound up going into the bathroom..She took that hot sauce and rubbed it across those huge breasts of hers and I licked it and devoured them like a hungry homeless man...Then she stood up on the toilet seat and lowered herself on me and we were at it again right up against the wall.....man by the next morning...I was dehydrated Chess..and it's been like that everytime I'm with her." said Chris.

"Really man?" I said.

"I'm for real Chess....it's just intoxicating." said Chris.

That was a fantastic story.....It had me thinking about going home and finding Rell. I shook my head and smiled..

"So Chris...you think this might be the one?" I asked.

"Possible man...Very,very possible...and you know me..I aint never said that about nobody." said Chris...

"She sure got you sprung." I laughed...

"Sprung? Beyond sprung baby!!!...Oh, that's my Blackberry..that's probably her now." said Chrisas he picked up the Black berry and began giggling...I had never seen him like this as long as I had known him...I just scratched my head and laughed as I left the office and got in my car and left.

That night I was in Josies, drinking a Corona when Gus walked over to where I was sitting.

"Where's your boy?" he asked.

"Probably with his new girl, Wendy." I laughed.

Gus looked at me kind of funny, shook his head, then leaned down and spoke where only I could hear him.

"Yall don't know who that gal is do ya?" said Gus.

"Just some girl Chris met in here." I said.

"That girl , you say her name is Wendy Thomas right?" said Gus.

'Yeah" I said...

"Does the name George Goldberg Thomas mean anything to you?" he asked.

"Georgie boy...yeah....He used to run things in West Philly for a minute right after Chris stepped down...." I said.

"Yeah and right before our boy, Fathead took over the streets....Well ,she claims she's his widow." said Gus.

"His widow? Georgie wasn't married." I said.

"That's right..he wasn't..That's his sister."said Gus.

(To Be Continued......)