Junior's Principal

I sat in Meek Rollins State of the Art, Very Improved Recording Studio.... I should say, MY State of the Art, Very Improved Recording Studio, since I'd bought it from him a few months ago....

His recording studio now belonged to me...or rather my company..Morris Communications and Investigations...MC&I.... I'm Kevin Morris, CEO of Morris Communications... A multi media company that has a Satellite Radio Station, A Satellite Television station, Music Streaming service...Several Music and sports video streaming services...On line Magazines and News Service as well as print Magazines and Newspapers... All housed in one building that Chris and Chess gave me when I bought Hype Magazine from the Harris Group with the help of Chris , Chess, My Wife Sepia and Bonita's Real Estate firm and my friend, Clerow and Owen Todd's company...We pooled our money and we bought the Magazine lock stock and barrel and I turned it into Morris Communications...Except for this recording studio , everything else is in my building..

In the sub-basement of my building lies the offices of Morris Investigations....I'm a Private Investigator on the side...My friends, Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson bought state of the art spyware and crime detection equipment that would rival the feds or most metropolitan police forces...We hired five additional investigators with CIA/KGB ties and of course my friends, Clerow, Owen Todd, Sean Jackson and Kool Kat still help me with my investigations when needed..

Morris Communications now has 100 employees who handle administrative duties as well as the writing and creative business that makes it successful....

Morris Investigations has 30 administrative staff personell, all vetted who handle their duties from 9-5 ,Monday thru Friday...

It makes my life easy.....Being partners with Meek Rollins doesn't... He's a Producer...He dressed Hip, wears a Pork Pie Hat and sunglasses, even in the dark  and creates great music...with the likes of

Reed Nelson...

Downtown Rob Brown..

My Main man, Kerry "88" Moore

Cooler than Ice, Bone Hampton

 Sissy's father ,Dutch Van Buren

Chazz Gillison and the Liquid Love Band...

He has produced them all...

and he's got a singer from the islands named "Fancy '' Dan.

Today I was sitting in his studio watching him and his engineers record him and listening to him pitch me an idea...

"Kev, thank you so much for keeping my studio open.."said Meek Rollins..

"It's open because I bought it and paid off your back taxes..." I said.


"I know and I'm grateful to you...Listen I'm making good money...My royalties from my songwriting and arranging and Producing these cats is solid...and I get a percentage of their concert vigs because I manage them...I'm doing good man, even moved into a new place...Your wife ,sold it to me.." he said..

"I know...I saw it..It is a nice spot...So the studio is making money huh?" I asked.

"Oh yeaaah..look at the books...Bills paid on time...even turning a profit..." he said.

I checked his books...He was right...Right down to the penny..perhaps I was wrong about him...

"This state of the art equipment?" I asked.. "How did you swing that?" I asked..

"Aww Kev...After you bought this joint and paid off my debts...I didn't have the heart to ask you for any more dough so I took out a loan..." he said.

''A loan? With your credit?? What bank gave you a loan?" I asked.

"I uh ,I uh didn't get it from a bank Kev..I uh know a guy....This guy fronted me the money and I paid him back...Every cent...I swear...I'm free and clear...I told you...This studio is a money maker..." said Meek..

''Who is this guy? A juice man??"I asked..

"Well uh, kinda sorta....I mean he is a businessman...Got his hands in a little real estate...and a little of this and that..." said Meek...

"You paid him in full right?" I said..

"Yeah Kev, Yeah...Look at me...Do I have any bruises or broken bones? Not a hair on my head is dismayed...Unlike other people who borrow money...I had my payments on time..."said Meek Rollins..

''Who is this guy Meek?" I asked...I could tell he didn't want to tell me..

"His name is Mikey...A young guy...You uh know his father.." said Meek ,smiling sheepishly...

"I do?" I said..

"Yeah uh, you stuffed his father in a washing machine a few years back..." said Meek Rollins ,slyly laughing..

"Mike Traine??"  I said...

"Not Him...He's serving two life stretches without parole for murder and his whole gang is up the river...This is his son...Mikey Jr. He aint no hood Kev...Just a guy who throws a little money around.."said Meek..

"Nobody just throws a little money around...just be glad you paid him back on time..."I said..

II-

At this very moment...My wife, Sepia and her partner, Bonita Foxworth and their new partners, Clerow and Owen Todd were looking at some new housing that was just developed..

 "Clerow...These new units look great on the outside.." said my wife Sepia..

"They look even better on the inside.." said Bonita...

Clerow smiled that toothy Louisiana grin of his..

"That developer Branner gave us a nice option on these properties..." he said.

"Between the four of us, we can have these places filled within a week...This area is hot.."said Owen Todd.

My associate Sean Jackson, off from work today was snapping photos of them...

"Yeah these places are nice...I remember when they were burned out crack houses...That guy Branner is the truth..He gutted these structures and completely rehabbed them...If I was single ,I'd move in one of these spots myself.." he said.

"Where is Mr. Branner? He was supposed to meet us here an hour ago..."asked Sepia..

A car pulled up...A well dressed young man got out...He ,like Clerow had a toothy grin...

"You won't be dealing with Mr. Branner...You'll be dealing with me....I'm Micheal Traine.." he said.

Sepia looked him up and down..

"Micheal Traine?? That name sounds familiar.." she said..

He looked her up and down...She was wearing some tight jeans... He smiled sheepishly...

"I don't know you...but I'm not against knowing either of you beautiful young ladies..." he said.

''We had a contract with Mr. Branner..We signed it already...He optioned us these units..."said Bonita..

''Well then I'll have someone come by your office with another contract and we'll renegotiate that contract....I know where your office is...The Unity Group right?" he said, smiling that toothy grin..

"Mr. Branner just sold you these properties like that?" asked Sepia , who was very skeptical..

''Yeah, just like that!  He found out I was interested and uh, I can be very persuasive..You know what I'm sayin? Like uh right now...I'd like to uh persuade you to have dinner with me.." he said to Sepia..

"Uh you aren't that persuasive playa...I'm Married and I have a baby waiting to have dinner with me.."said Sepia..

"But uh don'tcha want to get away from all that?" he asked grinning..

"Like I said...You aren't that persuasive..."said Sepia..

"Drop by our office with the contracts.." said Bonita...

He eyed her..

"You married too?" he asked..

She showed him her ring...

"I'm afraid so lover boy and I too have a baby..." she said.

He smiled..

"All the good girls are..." he said.  "Well, I'll be seeing you pretty ladies.." he said and got back in the car..

His driver pulled off...

Clerow wasn't smiling....

"Everything about that guy smells like gangster." he said..

Sean Jackson and Owen Todd nodded their heads in agreement.

III-

Josies was jumping tonight...

It was a Wednesday Night...Meek Rollins and I walked in and saddled up to the bar...Gus smiled.

"Kevin what are you doing with this bum?" he joked ,looking at Meek Rollins..

"I been at his recording studio with him all day, listening to him produce new music and listening to him talk.."I said to Gus,laughing..

''Oh then you need a drink.." laughed Gus..

"Gus..Kevin drinks for free...Give him whatever he wants and as for me...Brandy...a bottle of your best stuff."said Meek Rollins..

"Oh Boy ,Big spender..."laughed Gus...

 Downtown Rob Brown

Bone Hampton

 Dutch Van Buren

and Chazz Gillison were pitching a bitch on the floor...Playing with some musicians from Puerto Rico, A Guitarist, A Bassist, A Drummer and a Persussionist and a cat on Marimba...They sounded great...

Meek looked at me...

"I'm producing those guys next week.." he said.

I smiled..

Just then, A well dressed young man got out...He ,like Clerow had a toothy grin...He was wearing a dark black, tailored suit...Black silk shirt...White Tie, Black shoes that cost maybe $500.00 easy...He snatched Meek's bottle of Brandy..

"Mikey...What do ya know? What do ya say?" laughed Meek nervously...

"Top shelf Brandy eh Meek? You drinking this good and you owe me money?" laughed the man..

"Owe you money?  I don't owe you anything...I paid you back in full, plus a little extra as gratitude..I don't owe you any money.."protested Meek...

"Ahhhh but here's the rub...Yeah you did pay me in full, but now you owe me the PRINCIPAL!!!" said the man..

"Mikey you didn't say anything about no principal...I borrowed that money and I paid you back on time in full, are you joking?" asked Meek..

"I don't joke about money Meek...You pay or that studio of yours is mine.." he said.

I snatched the bottle out of his hands and passed it back to Meek..

''Man says he paid you in full...That sounds square to me...Don't look like he owes you any money."I said.

He looked angrily at me...

"You know...You need to mind your own business..You might live longer that way.." he said.

I smiled..

"Considering he sold that studio to me months ago...I would say it is my business and I'm not paying you a red cent..."I said.

"Is that Right?" he snarled..

"That's right"I said and cracked my knuckles... "You think you got the stones to try and collect?" I asked him and stared in his eyes...

" I don't believe what I'm hearin." said the man..

"YOU HEARD WHAT THE MAN SAID NOW GET TO STEPPIN...UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO SAIL YOUR PUNK ASS OUT THE DOOR!" came the voice of Walter "Kool Kat" Jones..

He turned around and caught one of Kool Kat's frighteningly baleful stares....The kind of stare that has sent chills down the spine of many a so called tough gangster...He was no different....He looked downright terrified.....

"You're Mikey Traine Jr. aren't you?   I knew your father....I stuffed your father in a washing machine years ago...If Mr. Rollins or any of his employees so much as catches a cold...If you try to firebomb that recording studio.... You'd better find yourself another city to live in....Now get the hell out of here!" I said.

He smiled..

"You know...your wife was a lot nicer than you were today...Ask her about me when you get home...I'm her new partner...Business partner!" he smirked and then turned around and left...

I looked at Meek Rollins..

"I told you...I told you about people like him....If you needed money, you could have come to me..."I said .."Or Chris and Chess.."I said.

"How much you into him for?" asked Kool Kat..

"He's not...He's paid him in full,with interest." I said.

"Ohhhh, what he's doin is collecting on the principal...eh?  Kev, I'll call Chris and Chess...They'll put some guys on that studio and on your house...and I'll personally make sure Bad girl and my god-daughter get to work and day care safely..."said Kool Kat...

A new saxophonist and a female singer was performing....

The crowd was jumping...

"Thanks Kools...I got a feeling this guy is going to be trouble.." I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED)