Page 1 of Soft On Her
Prologue
Nine Years Ago
(Pronounced: Snow)
The strong aroma of my father’s famous barbecue wafted through the backyard of my family’s massive compound. Spanning sixty acres, our property housed five different homes, with my parents’ home being the most expansive. It featured the largest pool, a full outdoor kitchen, and a sprawling entertaining space designed to host our entire family with ease. Kids ran around with water guns, spraying others, splashing around in the pool, and sugar high from the assortment of sweets displayed on the treat table. There were lifeguards and nannies on duty so the adults could relax, smoke their weed, and drink uninterrupted. My close and distant family gathered to celebrate my milestone for theentire weekend, and the party wouldn’t stop until Sunday, when everybody went home.
Finishing my plate of brisket, macaroni, and collard greens, I was stuffed. If Luis Black wasn’t the head of one of the most powerful mafia families in Sand Cranes, Florida, he still would’ve made out like a fat rat opening a few barbecue joints. It was rare for him to bless us with his masterful grilling skills. He was a busy man and wouldn’t hesitate to hire a team to prepare meals for special occasions. But this was my graduation party, and like the spoiled only child I was, I always got my way.
Music was an integral part of my life, so my father hired DJ Star, my favorite DJ, to curate the music for the party. The music went fromLockjawby Kodak Black toMarch Madnessby Future as I tossed my plate into the trash. I was taking a gap year to figure out whether I wanted to go to college, start a business, try my hand at being a DJ, or step into my father’s world and become the first woman in Sand Cranes to be groomed to lead one of the four families that controlled our city. If your last name was Harris, Black, Newton, or Ellis, you were practically royalty.
Since I hit puberty and started developing breasts at age ten, my father decided that was also the signal to start preparing me for a life I didn’t fully understand yet. My days became structured around more than schoolwork and extracurricular activities. I was taught how to read a room before anyone ever opened their mouths to speak, how to shoot a gun with deadly precision, and how to fight like every match was a UFC main event. When my father first started taking me to the gun range and forcing me to attend meetings where I wasn’t allowed to speak, only to observe and later answer questions about each member, I was annoyed. However, the older I got, the more I understood the world I was born into. No matter if I liked it or not, the skills my father taught me were key to my survival.
My cousins Levi and Terrel sat on opposite sides of me underneath the gazebo rolling their own blunts. I waited in anticipation because the shade from the gazebo provided the perfect amount of shade for a summer smoke session before we ate.
“I know y’all not rolling up out here. Sneaux is eighteen, you two motha fuckas are still underage. Do that shit out of my eyesight!” My father’s deep voice shouted across the backyard.
“Yes sir,” they replied in unison.
“With y’all scary asses,” I whispered to them.
They stood, and I followed suit because I could already smell how potent the weed was, and they weren’t about to leave me out.
“Congratulations niecey pooh!” my aunt Bunny strutted across the backyard wearing a black Versace one piece, matching slides, and a pair of oversized Chanel shades covering her face. There were three large Louis Vuitton gift bags in her hands. My Aunt Bunny didn’t have kids, so she spoiled us like we were her own.
“Hey Levi and Terrel, y’all smell like a pound of weed as usual. It looks like you’ve already ingested enough for the day. I swear the next time y’all catch a weed charge I’m going to let y’all asses sit for a night or two before I tell your parents. Just watch.”
“Come on, TT, stop that. We already told you we won’t get caught slipping like that again. Plus, our parents forbid us from having weed in the car, so it won’t happen again. They not about to take my keys again,” Terrel laughed before they both leaned in to embrace her with a hug.
“No!” Aunt Bunny squealed and raised both her hands to stop them. “Don’t either of you dare put your hands on me. I’m liable to catch a contact high from a hug alone, and I have somewhere to be after I leave here.”
They forced Aunt Bunny into a group hug anyway, and she quickly swatted them away before they took off running towards the sliding glass doors.
“Yo stiff ass could use a little weed, aunty!” Terrel joked and then disappeared into the house.
“Ohhhh they get on my nerves,” she laughed before turning to address me with a suspicious grin. “Is that one of the bathing suits I bought?”
“I have no idea,” I looked down at the black matte Gucci halter neck bikini and shrugged my shoulders. Between my regular shopping trips and everything my Aunt Bunny and parents bought me, I had no idea where each piece in my massive closet came from.
“Either way, you look phenomenal. Your body is on my vision board. I need to get on your workout plan so I can have a flat stomach too.”
“That would take dedication, aunty. You haven’t even been able to commit to our morning runs, miss me with the veil plans. Let’s just focus on how late you are when you literally live across the street?” I commented, wrapping her up in a hug.
Two of the five houses on the compound were vacant. The other three were occupied by my parents and me; my paternal aunt, Cassandra, and her husband, along with my cousins Terrel and Levi; and the final house belonged to my aunt Bunny. One would eventually be remodeled to fit whatever aesthetic I chose, while the other had once belonged to my late paternal grandparents before they passed within months of each other. Even with Aunt Bunny living a brief golf cart ride away, she still found herself late to everything.
“You talking mess like you don’t see these Louie bags in my hands. Or do I need to take them back?”
“No, I want them,” I laughed, accepting the gifts.
“Plus, I didn’t come from across the street. I came from court. I had to attend an emergency hearing this afternoon. Your dad is being too extra anyway. Who plans an entire graduation slash birthday partyweekend?”
“Luis Black does,” I grinned, and glanced at my father who was on the phone near the grill. “I just know I’m not fake smiling and hugging a bunch of people I don’t even remember tomorrow. I’ve smiled and hugged so many people that my cheeks are sore.”
“Prepare to smile and hug some more. Your mom told me that there are a lot of people who couldn’t make it today, so they are flying in tomorrow. You have a large, loving family,” she explained, scanning the backyard. “Pool party today. Lunch, field day, and dinner tomorrow, then send off brunch on Sunday. Who is Luis feeling like? A family reunion?”
“Don’t hate on my daddy. I’m the only child, so when has he not shown out for me?” I laughed, carrying the bags over to the gift table, where there was a mountain of other gifts.
“You know what. You right? Your father is the same man who paid to start Sand Crane’s own little league football team when they deemed you ineligible to play for the county team.”
