Prologue

I stood behind my styling chair as I worked on a client’s hair giving the girl a layered cut after touching up the relaxer in her hair. I turned and looked at the clock on the wall above the door, it was a little past three in the afternoon and I hadn’t heard from Justin since yesterday morning. I was starting to get a bit worried, anxious and also angry. I have been talking to him for about a month or so. We weren’t serious, we were just talking for the time being, but since I had been talking to him I expected him to have a little more respect for me by now to just to pick up the telephone and call me at least let me know that he was alright if he wasn’t going to tell me anything else. I suppose my friends were right, maybe I shouldn’t worry about him. It wasn’t like we were dating, and if I ever decided to actually consider dating him I wouldn’t want someone that wasn’t going to call me when I hadn’t seen him in two days. My friends thought he was creeping, and the way things were going any other woman would have thought the same thing or started thinking it by now. I called him an hour ago and I felt like calling him again, but I didn’t want to be the nagging female so I would give him another hour or two to call me and that would be it.

“Leena, girl, I’m telling you, he's creeping. That no good bastard is cheating on you. I told you from the very start that he was no good,” my bestfriend Erika explained as she worked on an older woman's hair.

I just nodded and turned away from her. I didn't want her to see that I was just getting the slightest bit upset over him. I looked back over the clock which hadn't even moved yet and I turned back to concenrate on my clients hair. I really did like Justin. He was very laid back and relaxed, he just kept his cool about everything.

I looked up as the bell above the door rang to see him walk in with a smile.

"Hey, baby girl."

He walked over to me stepping behind the chair excusing himself as he placed his hand on my hip and kissed my cheek.

"Looks like the dog decided to stroll in," Erika commented sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes.

Justin looked over at her, "Mind your business."

He pointed at her and then looked at me smiling again, then it faded once he noticed I was wearing the same smile.

"Have a seat Justin, I'll be right with you," I pointed to an unoccupied leather seat and continued on with my clients hair; blow drying it and putting curls into her hair.

He looked at me and sighed, walking over and sat down pulling his hood over his head to shade his face.

"Trifling ass," Erika hissed at him as she held a bobby pin in her mouth.

"I'm gonna dismiss that comment you said," Justin replied. He remained calm as he sat in the chair stretching his legs out a little. His elbow was propped up on the arm rest as his head leaned against the edge of the back seat.

"Erika, leave him alone, please." I looked over to her.

She just rolled her eyes again and went back to doing her clients hair as I finished with mine. It was about quarter to eight when I was finish with my last two clients of the night and I was sweeping up my station while Justin lied asleep in the chair while the rest of the hair dressers had one or two heads to finish. I counted up my money and handed to my booth rental money to Andrea, the owner of the shop. I grabbed my bag and went over to Justin, slapping his leg.

"Wake up and come on."

He shifted and looked at me. He looked as though he hasn't slept for days and I wanted to know why.

He got up and adjusted his sweat jacket. The Chicago air was starting to get chilly enough for a jacket. I grabbed mine from the coat racket as we exited the shop and I said good-bye to everyone. As we walked out into the cool air Justin grabbed my arm and pulled me to him, placing his hands on my waist to pull me even closer, and then wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into my neck.

"Damn, girl, I missed you."

He pulled back and leaned down for a kiss and I turned my head looking out to the street.

"All right, all right, what's up with you?"

He pulled back sticking his hands into his jacket pocket and tilting his head to the side to look at me.

I pulled my brown hair behind my ear, "Where you been Jay? You go two days without calling me, where you been?"

He sighed and looked away from me and then back at me.

"I had to do some hustling around town, you know how I do."

He looked at me with his blue eyes and I just rolled my eyes. That wasn't a good enough answer for me.

"I've known you for a whole month and I'm supposed to know how you do, Justin?"

He looked at me and sighed again, running his hand over his low cut hair. It was starting to grow back from the last time I had cut from him. I just turned on my heels and started walking to catch the bus to my apartments.

Seconds later he came jogging up behind me.

"Look, I'm sorry, I should of called you, but I never had the chance to sit down and talk, you know."

I turned around and looked at him. I really did want to believe him, I really did, but it was a bit hard for me. I guess you could say it was my friends fault, and also mine.

"You cheating on me? I mean, wait a minute, are you female hopping? Because if you are then you need to skip over me because I'm not the one for those games."

His face frowned, "Am I female hopping? Where the hell you get that shit from?"

"Just answer the question Justin," I folded my arms as he looked dead into my eyes.

"Hell nah I'm not female hopping. You got that shit from Erika. I know you did because every time I come around and she start saying really smart shit to me, we always have one of these arguments," he shook his head.

"Erika doesn't have anything to do with this."

"That's bull shit Lee and you know it. I'm getting tired of her bull real quick, and I ain't even known ya'll that long. But listen to me instead of listening to all your friends hatin on the shit you got. Imma need you to listen to me Lee. I need to know if you down... down with me or I can get up out of here," he looked at me as he stepped a little closer looking down at me.

What was he trying to say? That he wanted me to be his girl? He reached out and placed his hands on my face cupping it.

"I'm really feeling you, Lee, and you know that. Now I know you feeling me, or otherwise you would told my ass to get going back in the shop. I want you to be my girl, my number one girl, the only. Bt I need you to stop listening to all that shit your girl playin in your ear, and I know it's going to be hard because she is your home girl and she do be looking out for you, but right now she just hating like every other female up here. So I need to know if you down."

I placed my hands around his wrists and smiled up at him.

"Yeah, I'm with you Jay."

He shook his head, looking deep into my eyes, "No, are you down for me and everything that comes with me?"

I knew what he was talking about. All the hustling he did around town. I didn't know if I was ready for that, but I knew that I wanted to be with him more than anything and I would just have to deal with that when the time came

"I'm down."

He smiled leaning down placing his lips against mine as he drew me into a kiss. I kissed him back passionately as his hands dropped and wrapped around my waist and my arms went around his neck. He felt so good.

Never did I know that the good always comes with the big, bad and ugly.