Never Again, No More 2 Read online

  Never Again, No More 2:

  Getting Back to Me

  Untamed

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue - Trinity

  Chapter One - Lucinda

  Chapter Two - Trinity

  Chapter Three - Trinity

  Chapter Four - LaMeka

  Chapter Five - Trinity

  Chapter Six - Charice

  Chapter Seven - Lucinda

  Chapter Eight - Charice

  Chapter Nine - Lucinda

  Chapter Ten - LaMeka

  Chapter Eleven - Charice

  Chapter Twelve - Trinity

  Chapter Thirteen - Lucinda

  Chapter Fourteen - Charice

  Chapter Fifteen - Trinity

  Chapter Sixteen - Lucinda

  Chapter Seventeen - LaMeka

  Chapter Eighteen - Charice

  Chapter Nineteen - Trinity

  Epilogue - LaMeka

  Never Again, No More 3:

  Urban Books, LLC

  300 Farmingdale Road, NY-Route 109

  Farmingdale, NY 11735

  Never Again, No More 2: Getting Back to Me

  Copyright © 2020 Untamed

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN: 978-1-6455-6090-6

  eISBN 13: 978-1-64556-091-3

  eISBN 10: 1-64556-091-0

  First Trade Paperback Printing August 2020

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.

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  To Da’Ja, Mary, Keshia, Thelma, Velvie, Annie, and Christina: women who’ve meant the world to me and now watch over me.

  Acknowledgments

  I begin my thank-yous as I always have and always will, thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. None of this would be possible without you. Thank you for this talent you’ve given me and the vision to see it through.

  To my husband, Chris, and my children, thank you for loving me enough to share your time and space with this craft. Without your blessings and support, I could not write one single word. You come first in my world and everything I do is for you. I love you from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul.

  To my pillars, my dad and Aunt Irene, thank you for your guidance, support, and your love.

  To my family near, far, and extended, I love you all and thank you for always being in my corner, fam!

  To my A1’s,*in my DMX voice* there is Sabrina, LaKesha, Chinek, Chia, about three Tam’s, Vulyncia, Gina. Diane, I met her through my girl Patrice, by way of Stacey, LaDonna, Denise, Kiana, Kisha, Jessica, and Kathy. And if I left someone out, blame my head, not my heart, and please don’t @ me, LOL! Thank you, ladies, for humbly supporting me not just as an author but as my friend.

  To my brothers, Kenny, Dom, Smiz, and JC, thank y’all for holding your sis down!

  To N’Tyse and the Literary Champagne Suite crew and Urban Books, as always, thank you for believing and helping me deliver on this dream. The opportunities are limitless, and I’m looking forward to every one of them.

  To all the supportive interviewers, authors, and readers who have helped me along this literary journey, I appreciate every share, tweet, retweet, like, love, comment, review, and purchase. You all give me literary life! Thank you all so much.

  Y’all ready for round two? Hold on because you’re about to enter Untamed Territory.

  Prologue

  Trinity

  Previously from Never Again, No More

  As I drifted off, my mind began to reminisce about the awesome night I’d had with my ex, Terrence, or rather my personal love-name for him, Dreads, and I felt myself smiling. I loved Dreads, and I wanted him so bad. I knew I had to figure out a way to get back to him, but real talk, a part of me still felt obligated to my man, Pooch. He’d been there for me when I couldn’t depend on anybody else, and I’d just betrayed him in the worst way. Did it mean I still wanted to be in the relationship? Absolutely not. I wanted Dreads. If I was truthful with myself, it’d always been Dreads for me, and it always would be. I’d choose him a hundred times over. But like Dreads said, if I was nothing else, I was loyal, and that was the part that made me feel bad for the exit I would soon make from this relationship with Pooch. If only I knew exactly how to do that . . . safely.

  Ugh! It bothered me that I didn’t know what or how I was going to do anything. The only thing I knew for sure was that even though I had love for Pooch, in my heart, I was in love with Dreads, and I longed to be with him.

  With thoughts of Dreads on my mind, I didn’t even hear my cell phone ringing with another call from Pooch.

  Charice

  “Baby, I don’t think there is anything else I can say or do to show you how much I love you and want to be with you other than to show you that my commitment is permanent. Love is strange. It strikes at the oddest times in the most unexpected places. But once you have it, you hold on to it, and you cherish it for life. That’s what I want to do for you, baby. I want to love you for a lifetime. I want to love the triplets for a lifetime. I want to love our future babies for a lifetime. I want to be married to you for a lifetime. Will you accept this ring as my commitment to you? Charice, will you marry me?”

  Nodding my head rapidly, I cried, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  Lincoln teased me earlier that he would have me up all night, and now, I had to agree. Oh yes, tonight was most definitely going to be an all-nighter! After all the turmoil I’d endured since tenth grade with my triplets’ father, Ryan, from giving my whole heart to him for him to shatter it over and over, to breakups, to makeups, to him not supporting me or the kids for his NFL career, I finally had a real man who loved me just as much as I loved him. I was so very happy that I, Ms. Charice Taylor, was about to become Mrs. Charice Harper!

  Now we just had to break the news to Ryan. How could we tell him that Lincoln, his teammate and best friend, and his babies’ mother were not only dating but officially engaged?

  Lucinda

  “Wait, Pooch,” I called out before he hung up. I couldn’t believe I was going to ask this. But my daughter Nadia’s picture on my keychain stared back at me, and for her, I’d do the unthinkable. “Um, do you, um, do you need any, you know, dancers at Moet?” I asked timidly, hiding my eyes as I even asked the question.

  “I mean, we always auditioning. If you got talent, we’ll put you on. Of course, you know they make good.”

  “Can I audition?”

  Pooch paused for a moment and then slowly said, “You do realize by ‘dance’ I mean strip? Moet is a strip club, Lu.”

  “I know that. I’m desperate.”

  “Damn,” he grumbled before continuing. “Well, if you’re serious, meet me and my manager, Greg, down there at eight tonight. We’ll audition you on the stage. You gon’ have to strip. Thongs and sexy heels only. No tops, not even a bra. You got to show us some true skill, something we can claim as your specialty.”

  Wait. I knew I would do anything for Nadia, but that pushed the limits. He couldn’t p
ossibly mean I would have to strip in front of him. Nope. “Pooch, I ain’t auditioning in front of you! You’re my best friend’s man!”

  “Your choice, Lu. You called me. Greg and I make that decision together. Trust me, it’s only business. If you feel like you can’t do it, then don’t be there. But I’m trying to lace your pockets, mama.”

  He was serious. Wow. I’d hit a true crossroads. I sat there for a moment in contemplation. “I don’t have to get down with y’all to get on, do I? ’Cause I’m not betraying Trinity like that. Hell, I’m not even sure I want to betray her by the audition.”

  “Hell naw. I’m a businessman, Lu. Too many of these skank-ass bitches get down with these grimy-ass niggas. I ain’t bringing my babe back shit, and I’m scared shitless of that fuckin’ package.”

  “A loyal thug.”

  “You know how I am about Trin any-fuckin’-way. So, look, all I’m saying is you got an audition, so show up and you could have a job. Don’t show up, and that’s your choice too, but then don’t call me again, because money I have to blow, but time I don’t,” Pooch said seriously.

  “I hear you,” I said, still undecided.

  “So I’m going to say see you at eight o’clock. Whether you do or don’t is up to you, but you’ve been put on notice. Remember that shit.”

  “Yeah, I know. Thanks,” I said plainly.

  “It’s all love,” he said and hung up.

  Holding my head in my hands, I sat there for a few minutes. Then I called information to get the unemployment office’s number and made an appointment to go down there about my unemployment. At least that was taken care of. It was a start.

  After I hung up, I noticed a message on my cell phone. I retrieved it and was reminded about my overdue light bill. Disconnection was set for next week if I didn’t have their money. When it rained, it fucking poured. I shook my head at the message and my predicament. Anger consumed me. Fuck it. Fuck my deadbeat baby’s daddy, Raul. Fuck my old job at National Cross. Fuck school. Fuck my entire life. Wrong or not, I had to do what I had to do. I couldn’t allow Nadia to go without because of my fucked-up life. Rolling my eyes at my phone, I deleted the message and cranked up my car.

  I headed downtown to go shoe shopping for some sexy heels. I had an appointment to keep tonight at eight.

  LaMeka

  “What are we doing here?” Misha asked.

  “You are going back to Mom’s. I can’t deal with you,” I said angrily.

  “No, Meka, please,” she pleaded.

  “Get out of my car,” I said sternly, looking at her.

  “LaMeka—”

  I looked straight ahead as she slowly opened the door and slid out.

  “I’m sorry, Meka. I don’t know how to make it right—”

  “Go home, finish school, and grow the fuck up,” I interrupted and then drove away. I didn’t even have the heart to make sure she made it in the house first.

  I drove until I pulled up to a twenty-four-hour shelter for abused women and children. The pastor had told me about it. Now that the adrenaline rush from the incident at my house—when I found out that my now-estranged boyfriend, Tony, had slept with my sister, Misha, and he tried to kill us both in his coke-induced high—had worn off, I felt weak from the loss of blood. I got out of the car somehow and staggered to the door of the shelter, which was half open. My pastor was standing in the foyer, engrossed in a conversation with some lady.

  “Pastor Gaines,” I said weakly, stumbling inside.

  “Oh God, LaMeka,” he yelled. My legs finally gave out, and Pastor Gaines caught me just before I hit the floor.

  “My babies are in the car. I’m too weak. I need a place . . . ”

  And suddenly everything went black.

  Chapter One

  Lucinda

  As I sat on the other end of the phone call, I was happy but sad. Here my girl Charice was finally confiding in us about her new man and that they just got engaged five days ago while I was waiting to go inside to perform at Club Moet. My stage name: Spanish Fly.

  At the audition, I was drunk as fuck, but I managed to perform for them. Obviously, I got the gig, as I referred to it, because it sure as hell couldn’t be considered a job. Pooch gave me the nickname Spanish Fly afterward because I have a tattoo of a butterfly that covered my entire ass. Each butt cheek had a wing, and when I dropped and did my backward split, it spread like it was flying away. I felt so disgusted when I performed for my best friend’s man and even lower as I saw Greg and him smiling and critiquing my moves, then realigning their dicks, trying not to get a hard-on. Men could say whatever the fuck they wanted, but their dicks don’t discriminate against pussy.

  Pooch told me that was my signature move and to end every show with it. Then he asked Greg to show me the ropes. Luckily, Greg and Pooch thought with the head on their shoulders and not the one between their legs, regardless of how turned on they were. They kept it strictly business with me after the performance. However, I could bet you a dime to a dozen, Pooch dicked down Trinity real good that night. Surprisingly, Pooch kept his word and didn’t put my business out, so none of my friends and family knew. I was sure eventually they’d find out from dudes on the block, but that’s the only way. I wasn’t volunteering shit, and apparently, neither was Pooch.

  Back to the situation at hand. Charice had called Trinity and me on three-way and told us all of the details of her vacation/proposal. We were shocked out of our minds to find out her new man was Lincoln Harper! How this bitch ended up with kids by one NFL star and engaged to another—her baby daddy’s best friend, no less—was beyond my stretch of imagination. This heifer was going to live the good life no matter what. All I wanted was a little bit of the financial comfort that she had. Just a little bit. I didn’t have to be balling out of control. I would settle for an education and a decent job that paid well enough to pay my bills and leave me with a fair amount of money for extras. That’s all. Instead, I was an unemployed, uneducated, single mother who stripped for a living.

  I knew Charice was excited, but I had to go. She was my girl, and I was happy for her, but admittedly her newfound love bothered me because of my current circumstances. It was like shit was working out for everyone around me and not me. I wanted to be included. I wanted to be the one to bear good news instead of always griping about my troubles. And honestly, it was so hard to fully be excited for someone else when the weight of the world was on your shoulders. It may have been wrong, but it was my truth.

  I congratulated her again so I could end the call. But before I could disconnect, she made me promise not to say a word to anybody until after they had officially broken the news to Ryan, who didn’t know about their relationship either. I just shook my head and promised. I wanted to tell her she should’ve told him sooner, because I had no doubt in my mind that those two dudes would kill each other. Ryan may have been an ass in high school and college, but now he loved Charice, like loved her. Part of me felt bad for him because he was forever trying to get back with her and was totally oblivious to the fact that Lincoln was sneaking in from the back door.

  Honestly, even though I felt bad for Ryan, that part had made me want to high-five the hell out of Charice. It takes a bold and bad bitch to pull some shit like that, and she did it without even trying to be malicious. That’s what made that shit so cold. She wasn’t trying to be mean, and neither was Lincoln. They honestly loved each other. But the reality was it also made that situation that much more dangerous.

  Shit, but enough about her. I had my own problems. I had to figure out how the fuck I could stop stripping and find something that I wasn’t afraid to tell my friends and family about. I ain’t gon’ lie now, stripping paid the bills. After my show, I normally did private table dances for a few of my regulars, and that’s how I made good for the week. On average, I pulled $1,000 to $2,500 a week. Sundays and Mondays were my days off, and I worked Tuesday through Saturday night. I was going to start getting my unemployment check soon, and I wa
s slated to start classes this summer. So even though Charice’s news made me feel a little bad, I could admit that not everything was so bad, but stripping was definitely not good.

  After hanging up, I walked in the dressing room and put on my leather panty covers, bustier, and black heels. As I brushed my hair, a set of girls came in the back.

  “Girl, Spanish Fly, the club is packed, and the niggas is ballin’ tonight,” Alize shouted as she counted her money.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked just to make small talk and threw back my third shot of Jose Cuervo.

  “Hell yeah,” Chocolate Flava yelled as they high-fived each other. “One of them niggas asked us to do a private party at his house! That nigga is paying six Gs. You need to be down with us. We could split it three ways. You know niggas be crazy for y’all Spanish chicks, and then there’s that damn sexy-ass split you do,” Chocolate said as she walked over and threw her arms around my neck. “That shit gets me hot myself, boo,” she said, gliding her hand across my titties. “Real hot.”

  “Ah shit,” Alize said. “Do I need to leave up out of here?” She laughed with some of the other chicks.

  I slapped Chocolate’s hand away. “Nah, I’m good, and I like dick only.”

  “That’s ’cause she ain’t never had Flava lick that cat before,” another chick named Black Pearl said.

  Flava looked up at Pearl with a sexy glint in her eyes, then sexily waltzed up to her, and they kissed. “Don’t knock it ’til you try it, Spanish Fly,” Pearl added as the other chicks hooted and hollered.

  I downed another shot. See why I had to get away from this environment?