Damn, how did I get to this point? Just days ago I was sitting on top of the world. I was queen bitch. At least that’s what I thought. I had used sex, wit and natural abilities to become a senior executive in a major ad firm. Most people take a lifetime to accomplish this. I did it by the age of twenty-five. Yeah, I broke some hearts in route, ruined a family, maybe two. Hell, I even had one idiot put a bullet through his head because of me. Out of everything that I did, I regret nothing. It was necessary and it made me who I am. It also put nearly a million dollars in my bank account, all of which is gone. Not lost, it was stolen. Stolen by a nigga who I loved, hell, I still love him, but he will pay for what he did to me. Candi didn’t come this far just to give up. To make matters worse, I lost my job. This was due to another mother fucker who had crossed me. He too would pay. Candi is known for its sweetness, but too much of it will kill you and they are going to get a heavy dose.

For now I had to concentrate on making my next move. I have a beautiful home, a brand new Lexus and barely 100K in the bank. This wouldn’t do, I had to get back on my feet and fast. My lifestyle and mortgage would run through my few dollars quickly. This was why I was on the phone now. This is why I had called one of the only two men I had ever loved… my first love.

His name is Darnell Washington. I guess you could call him my childhood sweetheart. We went to high school and college together. I watched him go from a nappy headed, dirty little boy to a megastar. He is now a young black millionaire, playing quarterback for the Philadelphia Gladiators. He once loved me. Everything he did was for me. He once spoiled me, giving me everything I ever asked for and things I never imagined having. I was his queen. That is until he walked into my bedroom and caught his teammate and so called friend fucking the shit out of me. We were sophomores in college when that happened. The last time I spoke to him was a few weeks afterwards. When he refused to forgive me I moved on. Well, I think it’s time to try and heal old wounds.

The phone rung three times before he picked up.

“Hello…hello…”

“Darnell…”

“Yes, who is this?”

“Ummm… hello Sugha, it’s Candence”

“Candi? What’s up? How did you get my number… is something wrong?”

“No, I …”

“Candi… do you need something?”

“Baby, can’t we talk? It has been over five years since we spoke. I just want to hear your voice. I need to have a conversation with you.”

“Candi, you fucked me up bad! If it wasn’t for football I would have probably killed myself. You say it has been five years, well I dream of you and Mark damn near every fucking night. The image of him driving his dick in and out of your mouth is branded in my brain. It might be five years for you, but it seems like yesterday for me. What in tha fuck could you possibly have to say to me!”

There was silence for a moment but he didn’t hang up, this was promising. His words had brought that day back to me and I was now crying. I kept seeing him standing in the doorway staring at us.

“Candi… why are you crying? Do you think I should be any different than I am? How do you think I feel?”

“Darnell, can we just meet … at least once? I need to see you Sugah. I know you are mad at me and I don’t expect anything, please tolerate me for just a few moments.”

“You want to meet? You are willing to come all the way to Philly to see me? Because I damn sure ain’t coming to see you.”

“Sugah I have lived in Philly for the past four years. I came here when you got picked up by the Gladiators.”

There was silence again. I think this caught him off guard. I didn’t move here for him but he didn’t have to know that. I could tell that he wanted to see me. If he didn’t he would have dismissed the suggestion without any thought.

“Come on Sugah, just meet me for lunch. I will give you the address to my place and we can have a nice homemade lunch. No strings attached. If you never want to see me again after that I will respect your wishes. I just need to see you, just once more.”

There was silence, but I waited. I didn’t want to push him to hard.

“Candi, I don’t know why I should, as a matter of fact I am almost certain I shouldn’t, but I will come. Don’t expect me to be great company.”

I gave him the address and he agreed to be at my place the next day around two pm for a late lunch.

As soon as I hung up the phone I got busy. This lunch would have to be perfect. The first thing I did was get my outfit together. I didn’t want to be over dressed nor too casual. I also didn’t want to be too sexy because Darnell would think that I was trying to seduce him. My plan was to be around him just long enough to pull some good memories to the surface. I would not seek him, he would seek me. All I needed to do was have patience. If it didn’t work I would move on. If it did work I would have a good support system and could focus on my new goals.