BETWEEN BRUTHAS -16

Everyday is the same when working for a company like UPS. The
work/deliveries are never ending, the traffic is horrible, and the
customers are either rude or ungrateful. Milton Howard comes home from
work, feeling tired and hungry as usual. But his wife (Demeecee), has
other plans in mind.

"Dinner and a play??" he asked, standing in the middle of the bedroom in
his boxers and uniform shirt.

"Did you forget? We promised Linda and Kendall at their halloween party
that we'd join them for their anniversary dinner." reminded Deme,
applying her make up.

"Damn, Dee...!" complained Milton, only wanting to fill his belly and
watch television until he fell asleep and had to start the process all
over again in the morning.

"Milt...! We have an obligation to our friends! We promised!" said Deme,
having made those plans AFTER that halloween party. But she knew Milt
would never know the difference. Men never remembered shit.

"I don't feel like going out tonight!" whined Milton, looking at the bed,
which seemed to be calling his name.

"Okay!" said Deme, turning away from the mirror to remove her bathrobe.
Milton's eyes drank in her busty form as she walked over to their closet
in nothing but her panties and bra. "I'll go myself! You stay here and
order yourself a pizza or something!" she added, pulling out her black
dress.
Milton felt his dick starting to inch down his leg.

"Or..." he said, walking up behind her. "...maybe we can nicks the play,
stay in, and eat ice cream off each other all night?" he said, grabbed
her up in his arms.

"No Milt, stop!" said Demeecee, wiggling away. "No pudding for you, if we
don't go out tonight!"

"Maybe you can persuade me...?" suggested Milt, pulling Deme back into
his arms.

"Stop Milton..., we don't have time for this..." struggled Deme, not
wanting to mess up her hair and make-up.

"We'll make time!" said Milt, sinking to his knees. Deme stood still
while Milt pulled down her panties. "Milt...don't...I'm serious!" she
sighed, as he pressed his face up in her bush.
Giving in, Deme felt Milt's lips and tongue licking at her clit. He
attached his mouth and sucked at it, tasting her familiar flavor as he
latched his hands around her legs. Demeecee felt herself becoming flush
with heated excitement. She looked down at her husband's face as he dined
on her genitalia, devouring her like a hungry man getting his first taste
of food in months. She began to breath hard, loving the way he ate her.
He gripped her legs tighter, pushing his face further up in her snatch.
He extended his tongue, slipping it in and out of her hole as she parted
her legs to give him room.

Feeling the room start to spin, Deme dropped her dress as she reached
out for the closet door to balance her wobbly legs. She felt his mouth
pulling at her pussy lips, sucking harder at her tingling clit. Milton
swirled his head around in her bush, french kissing her pussy as he would
her mouth. He munched and ate at her vagina, humming happily as he
enjoyed his meal. He loved eating pussy, making a woman's body tremble
with orgasm as her clit swells in his mouth just before she cums.
Deme grabbed at the dresser with her other hand, while still holding the
door. Milt reached up under her bra, squeezing her breast as she held on
for dear life. He felt her body starting to shake, sure signs that she
was getting close. This prompted him to munch harder. Deme felt her
orgasm coming on strong. She parted her legs further, allowing him to go
crazy in her bush. When her orgasm hit, her breathing was harsh, as if
she'd just run a marathon. Milt felt the juices seeping from her as he
devoured it all. His dick was brick hard, sticking out of the fly of his
boxers while his hands clawed at her breasts and thighs.

Deme slowly came down off her high, feeling a great deal relieved. She
pushed Milt's head away, hearing his lips "smack" from the suction he
created. She reached down and pulled back up her panties, then grabbed
her black dress off the floor. "Hurry up and get dressed..." she said,
stepping over him as he lay waiting on the floor (his face wet with her
juices), "...we're going to be late!"
45 minutes later, Milt and Deme were on their way, driving down town in
their Cutlass Supreme.

"You know you were wrong." he said, driving through traffic. Deme sat in
the passenger seat, writing out a list as she ignored his comment.
"Letting me eat you out like that, then making me wait for sex." he said,
-his dick still hard from the mere thought of giving her an orgasm. "You
know you have control issues."

"Control issues?" she asked, falling for his bait.

"Yeah. CONTROL issues. He heard all about them on Dr. Phil!" he said,
keeping his eyes on the road.

"Whatever." responded Demeecee, getting back to her list.

"I'm serious. There was this episode of women who try to control their
husbands by manipulating them through sex!" continued Milt. "They try to
wear the pants in the family. Some of them make the man stay home to cook
and clean and raise the kids while they go off to work! Is that what you
want?"

"Whatever, Milt! Since when do YOU start watching Dr Phil?" laughed
Demeecee.

"Hey..., the man has good judgement and character!" defended Milt.

"If he knew the answers to everything, he wouldn't be fat AND bald!" said
Demeecee, getting back to her list. Milt chuckled.

"What you writing?" he asked, looking over at her.

"A guests list. For our Christmas dinner." she said, mater of factly.

"We doing that this year?" asked Milt, reserved.

"Why not?"

"I don't know..., I just thought..."

"We have to get back in the swing of things, Milt. We have to go on as if
nothing's happened in order for this to work." reasoned Deme.

"I know, I know..., I just... Who's on the list?" asked Milt, going along
with it.

"All the regulars; my mom, my dad, your parents, Carl, Charmaine, the
baby..., Crystal, Rachelle, Crystal's new boyfriend -Marcus, Linda,
Kendall, Cheryl, my brother Marlon, and his new friend..., -Curtis."

"Curtis? Why him?" asked Milt. "We barely know him."

"Cause he's Marlon's new..., friend." said Deme, closing the book to her
list.

"So? I'm sure Cheryl has friends..., but you're not inviting any of her
friends."

"But Curtis is Marlon's SPECIAL friend." said Deme, checking her make-up
in her purse mirror.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Milt, unsure.

"You know what happened to Marlon in jail." said Deme, flatly.

"Yeah..., but what's that got to do with anything?"

"I think prison made my brother gay." said Deme, straight to the point.

"Gay??" asked Milt, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah. Why else would he have let you fuck him up the ass?" asked Deme.

"He already told you..., we got drunk...!" started Milt.

"I KNOW the story, Milt!" interrupted Deme. "I can understand how YOU
could've mistaken him for me while you were drunk and hard up..., but HE
sure as hell didn't think it was a woman shoving her dick up his ass! He
HAD to have known it was YOU laying behind him! And even if not..., what
kind of man lets another man fuck him if he not gay?"

"You know he was raped repeatedly..."

"That was in prison..., he's OUT of jail now! That shit just don't fly!"
swore Deme.

"So..., you think Marlon let me fuck him on purpose?" asked Milton,
trying to figure out where his wife's head was.

"Don't you?" asked Deme. "I mean, THINK about it! If he didn't like
getting fucked up the ass, he would've jumped right up when he first
pushed up on him! Instead, he let you fuck him! Even IF he was getting
raped in prison, if he didn't like it, he would've fought back! Right?"

"...? I..., I don't know... I guess..." said Milt, tongue tied. "So...,
what's that got to do with his friend Curtis?"

"They're probably lovers!" concluded Deme.

"What makes you think HE's gay?" asked Milt, giving the young thug the
benefit of the doubt.

"Birds of a feather, baby. Why would he be hanging around Marlon unless
he tapping it?"

"That's not right, Dee." said Milt, disagreeing. "You don't even know
dude. You can't assume he's gay cause you THINK Marlon is! Or that he
even KNOWS about Marlon if he is! There's no way of knowing!"

"That's why I invited him..., to find out at the dinner party." smiled
Deme, happy with her strategy.
Milt pulled the car up to the valet. He wasn't sure he liked Deme's set
up with Marlon, but he had to admit he was curious about their
relationship as well. He got a strange vibe from Curtis when he was
introduced..., like they were competing for the same prize. He hoped it
was all in his imagination, especially since Marlon made no mention of
it.

The valet got behind the wheel, and drove off just as Deme spotted their
friends Linda and Kendall waiting for them outside the restaurant.
Halloween had been a turning point for Milton Howard, finding out that
one of his closest friends (Kendall Graham) was a bisexual with a fetish
for transvestites. Milt was having issues with his own sexuality, now he
had to contend with Kendall's. Fortunately Kendall knew nothing of Milt's
relationship with Marlon, so it was easy to deny having had sex with any
men when Kendall questioned Milton on the subject back at the party after
Milton caught him admiring Marlon's ass while dressed as Tina Turner.
Milton's blood turned cold when the question was posed, and he was glad
that nothing about his masculine character indicated his encounters with
Marlon and their homosexual relationship.
But it wasn't until Milton and his wife Demeecee met up with Kendall and
his wife Linda for dinner at a nice restaurant that he found himself in
close proximity with him again. Kendall shook Milt's hand as they all met
up in front of the place. But unlike hand shakes of the past, this time
there was a knowing kinship shared between the two.

"Everything alright, Milt?" asked Kendall, sensing some tension between
them as their wives hugged each other "hello" beside them.

"It's all good, hommie." smiled Milton, trying to play off the tension of
his conversation with Deme, AND his feeling of Kendall's omission.
Kendall pulled Milt ahead of the women, wanting to set some things
straight between them before the ladies caught onto their tension.

"Look Milt..., I hope what I told you last month didn't make you feel
uncomfortable about being around me, man. I hope this doesn't change our
friendship."

"No..., no, it's kewl man." lied Milt, seeing his friend in a different
light.

"Good, cause I really wouldn't want something like that to get around.
You know?" laughed Kendall, nervously.

"I bet." answered Milt.

"What you guys talking about?" asked Linda, walking up behind them with
Demeecee.

"uh..., just talking about what a shame it is that Carl and Charmaine
couldn't make it tonight." lied Kendall, thinking fast.

"Oh yeah, ain't that a shame?" said Linda, turning to Demeecee as both
Kendall and Milt held the restaurant's doors open for them. "But I
suppose the new baby is keeping them busy."

"Yeah. What I want to know is..., who the trifling bitch was that gave
him HEAD at the party!" said Deme, causing Milton to clear his throat
nervously, and Kendall to smirk knowingly. "Any idea who the whore was?"

"None!" answered Linda. "I was too busy hosting to notice him slip away
with anyone. How about you, honey?"

"Oh, uh..., I didn't see anything either." lied Kendall, having seen Carl
with Marlon behind the big tree in his back yard.

"And you, Milt?" asked Linda, heading towards the matri'd.

"uh..., I ain't seen nothing either." answered Milton.

"Girl, you know them men stick together like shit on a sidewalk!" said
Deme, rolling her eyes. "They not hardly going to snitch on each other!"
she added, stopping in front of the matri'd. "Howard, party of four."

"Right this way." said the man, leading the foursome across the room and
to their table. The waiter came over and handed them their menus. After a
brief read, he took their orders and served their wine and appetizers.

"Did she say what color lips stick it was?" asked Deme, biting into her
shrimp cocktail.

"Who?" asked Linda, taking a sip of wine.

"Charmaine." answered Deme. "Did she say what shade of lipstick she saw
on her husband's...., penis?"

"What difference does that make?" asked Milton, sampling the sour dough
bread sprinkled with a drizzle of olive oil.

"Well, if she knows what color lipstick was covering Carl's wee-wee, we
could probably narrow down the stank skank that sucked his dick in the
middle of a house party." said detective Deme.

"No, she never mentioned what color it was...." said Linda, suddenly
curious herself. "...think maybe we should ask?"

"How's that gonna narrow it down?" asked Kendall, sharing Milt's
thoughts. "There must've been over 25 people there, and over half of them
women!"

"Just like a man not to notice a woman's makeup." snarled Linda, getting
a knowing smirk from Demeecee. "It was a costume party, honey. There was
black lipstick, silver lipstick, gold lipstick, pink lipstick, and many
other colors and shades."

"So it should be very easy to narrow it down if Charmaine knows which
color it was." added Deme, getting a chill up Milton's spine. Vampira
(Roslynn) wore black lipstick, as did the girl who dressed as the ghost
from the movie "the Grudge", and Marlon as Tina! That drastically
narrowed the count down to three! And with what Deme knew of Marlon's
prison experiences, he knew she would know who the 1 in 3 was!

"Excuse me..." said Milton, needing a break from the table.
"...bathroom."

"Might as well join him..., -before the food comes." said Kendall,
getting up with Milton. They briskly walked over across the room toward
the restrooms. Milton pushed open the door and went straight over to the
urinals. He unzipped and whipped out his placid penis, and began peeing
into the bowl while Kendall leaned back against the sinks and laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Milt, somewhat annoyed as he looked back over
his shoulder.

"I'm just laughing at Carl!" said Kendall, checking out his reflection in
the mirrors. "He done gone and got himself into some serious trouble!" he
added, satisfied with his image. "Seems Charlie's Angels out there're
gonna find their man come hell or high water!"

"Man?" asked Milt.

"Yeah..., -Marlon!" said Kendall, standing next to Milt at the urinal. "I
SAW Marlon and Carl disappear behind the old oak tree behind my house.
Marlon had dirty knees when they came from behind that tree." he smiled
with a wink. "I told you that brother in-law of yours was down like
that!" He added, looking down at Milt's dick just as he finished pissing,
and licking his lips wantonly. "What surprised me, is that CARL let
Marlon suck his dick. I wouldn't have pegged HIM as the type to do that."

"And what "type" do you think would?" asked Milt, shaking the drips off
the tip before tucking it.

"I don't know..." said Kendall, reaching down to caress Milton's meat
before he put it away. "...but I'm hoping that it runs in the family!"

"Yo...!" reacts Milton, jumping back in defense as he pushed his dick
back into his pants and zipped up. "I thought you only fucked
transvestites?"

"They fuck ME!" said Kendall, falling to his knees. "We have to be quiet,
and quick...., before the girls notice we're gone too long!"

"Look Kendall, I"m flattered man, but I don't roll that way!" said Milt,
stepping back out of the way.

"Oh?" asked Kendall, looking up from below. "That's not what Linda tells
me!" he said, catching Milton completely off guard.

"What?!! And what do LINDA tells you?" asked Milt, holding back his shock
and anger.

"She tells me that Deme told her that she found you and her brother
Marlon wrapped up in BED together!" said Kendall maliciously, getting up
off his knees.

"Is that so?" asked Milt, angrily. "So what, everybody knows now?" he
asked, thinking about his other close friends and family members. How
will he be able to face them?

"I don't know who else Deme's told..., all I know is what Linda told me."
answered Kendall, his eyes on the package. Milt walked over to the sinks,
grabbing the edge as he stared at himself in disbelief through the
mirror. How could Deme have done this to him? Who knows how many people
knew now? "So..., since it's out in the open now..., why not let me in on
it?" asked Kendall, touching Milt's shoulder. Milt looked over at him.
"Who knows..., I might be able to make you feel better than your wife
does." smiled Kendall.

"Don't touch me!" yelled Milton, grabbing Kendall by his collar and
throwing him back up against the wall! "I TOLD you, I don't roll that
way!"

"But Linda said..."

"I don't give a fuck what ANYbody said! I ain't NObody's pansy!" insisted
Milt, tightening his grip.

"Okay, man! Okay!" conceded Kendall, fearing a confrontation. "I..., I
just thought..., maybe we could help each other out!"

"Well, we can't!" said Milton, releasing his grip. Kendall watched Milt
walk out of the mens room angrily, and reached down between his legs to
straighten out his hardon.
Milt walked briskly over to their table. Demeecee and Linda were just
finishing up their conversation, when Milton announced that they were
leaving!

"Leaving?" asked Deme, surprised. "But we just got here, Milton. And we
have plans for a play afterwards..." reminded Deme.

"I'm leaving." insisted Milt. "If you want a ride home, I suggest you be
in the car in 2 minutes!" he added, walking out.
Deme apologized to Linda, not knowing what THAT was all about. She
promised to call her later, then grabbed her purse and followed Milt
outside to the valet parking.

"What was that for?" she asked, once comfortably planted in their car.
"Do you know how embarrassing that was? Linda's one of my best
friends...!"

"How fucking embarrassing do you think it was for ME having her husband
come up to me in the restaurant's rest room of all places, to tell me
that everybody knows about me and Marlon?" yelled Milt.

"Huh?" asked Demeecee, surprised as well.

"You told Linda?!" asked Milt in an accusing tone. "What the fuck were
you thinking?!"

"I, uh..."

"You told you fuckin GIRLfriend that I slept with your brother?! Why
would you do that?! What was going through your mind?!" asked Milt, in
disbelief.

"I..., was mad!" defended Deme. "I didn't know what was going on! I told
her BEFORE I know the truth! I didn't know you were drunk..., I needed
SOMEBODY to talk to...!"

"So you tell LINDA, of all people?! You know she can't keep no fucking
secrets!" said Milt, pissed off.

"I HAD to talk to someone, Milt! My gosh..., I'd just found my HUSBAND in
bed with my brother! What was I supposed to do, -grocery shop??"

"You could've talked to ME about it, like I'd been begging you to!"
yelled Milt. "Now ONE little indiscretion is going to make me the talk of
the town! Now everybody thinks I'm gay!"

"Oh relax..., you said it only happened once." said Demeecee, looking at
her husband from the passenger's seat.

"It only takes once in this society, for people to start treating you
like you're gay!" reasoned Milt.

"Will you relax Milton..., she only told her husband..."

"Who knows ALL of my other friends!" pointed Milt. "You think Kendall's
gonna keep this to himself?? Hell, he couldn't wait to follow ME into the
rest room to gossip about it, and I'M the topic of the story!"

"Your REAL friends will know the truth." said Deme, okay with the
consequence.

"Get REAL, Dee...!" sighed Milt.

"Well, what am I supposed to do about it now, Milt? What's done is done!
I can't take it back, no more than you can take back what I saw! Get over
it!" said Demeecee, totally okay with the situation. Milt had made his
bed, now he had to lay in it.
Milt stopped the car. "Wha..., what'r you doing...?" asked Demeecee, as
he put the car in park and got out.

"Drive home..." he said, walking away. "...I'm going to a bar for a
drink!"

HOURS LATER..., Milt pulls up in a cab in front of Carl's apartment
complex. He pays the driver, then climbs out of the back seat and
stumbles up the front walk. Milton's brother sees him from his front
window, and comes out to greet his younger sibling.

"What the fuck'r you doing here?" asked Carl, having gotten a cell phone
call from Milt announcing his arrival. "You smell like a damn brewery!
Where you been?"

"We need to talk, Carl. In private!" said Milt, somewhat drunk. Carl
thought for a minute.

"Come on, we can use Marlon's place!" he said, taking Milt around to the
side of the complex.

"Is Marlon home?" asked Milt, not really looking to see him just yet.

"We'll find out." said Carl, using his spare key to get in. Luckily it
was empty, but that prompted Milt to wonder where he was at this time of
night? "Okay bruh, what's so important?" asked Carl.

"Demeecee told Linda about me and Marlon." said Milt, flopping down on
Marlon's futon. He looked down at the futon he was resting on, realizing
that the last time he sat on it, he was fucking Marlon. His dick started
to act.

"Damn..." whistled Carl, at the news. "How'd you find out?" he asked,
curiously.

"Kendall told me inna bathroom..." said Milt.

"What bathroom?" asked Carl.

"The bathroom at the Palace..., you know, that swanky restaurant in
town!" reminded Milt. "He cornered me in the bathroom..."

"Restroom."

"...whatever! Do you wanna hear this or what?" screamed Milt, a little
drunker than he thought.

"Go on..."

"He cornered me inna BATHROOM, and tried to touch my dick! When I told
him I wasn't into that kinda shit, he told me that Deme told Linda that I
she caught me fucking Marlon in our bed!"

"Wait, wait, wait..., Kendall tried to touch your dick?" asked Carl,
seeking clarity.

"Yeah..., he likes drag queens..." mumbled Milt. "But you missin the
point...! Deme TOLD Linda! Who told Kendall! Who told EVERYBODY!"

"How do you know Kendall told everybody?" asked Carl.

"You know Kendall can't keep his mouth closed for shit!" reasoned Milt.
"Mother fucker's like a woman; blab, blab, blab, blab, blab! All he do is
talk shit all day! Shit about his job! Shit about his car! Shit about his
house! Shit about how much money he makes! Shit about how much pussy he
get! Talk, talk talk! That's all that nigga do!" rattled Milt.

"Are you sure?" asked Carl. "Cause I haven't heard anything from anybody!
And you know these trifling niggahs, ONE of them would've stepped to me
by now asking me if it were true! And NObody's come up to me yet, lil'
bruh! So I don't think he's said anything!"

"You think so?" asked Milt, wanting to believe that.

"Why would he? You've got just as much dirt on HIM as he does on you!"

"Dirt? What dirt?" asked Milt, feeling woozy.

"The fact that you said Kendall was bisexual! That he likes drag queens?
If he tells anyone about you, he'll be risking his own secret being
exposed! I'm sure he wouldn't want THAT to happen, do you?" asked Carl.

"Nope."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Milt. In fact, I'll have
a talk with Kendall, -to make SURE he knows to keep his mouth shut!" said
Carl.

"Watch your back, bruh..., they gunning for YOU too!" informed Milt.

"Who?" asked Carl.

"Deme and Linda! They talking about calling Charmaine and asking her what
shade lipstick was on your dick, so they can narrow it down to what women
were at the party!"

"I'm not worried about that..." said Carl. "...there was over 15 women at
that party!" he laughed. "It'll be like looking for a needle in a hay
stack! Let them look!"

"Naw..., naw man, see..., they clever n'shit! They got it all narrowed
down to who was wearing what colors! Only 3 people were wearing BLACK
lipstick; Roslynn, Modean, and..."

"Marlon..." said Carl, realizing the implications.

"And with Marlon's connections with ME, coupled with being YOUR
handyman..."

"...it'll only be a matter of time before they put 2 and 2 together!"
hissed Carl. "DAMN! Fuck Linda and that nosey ass wife of yours!"

"See what I mean...?" asked Milt, slumping back in his seat. Carl's mind
was at work, trying to figure out a strategy out of this mess. "Where's
Marlon?" asked Milt, feeling tired, sleepy, and horny.

"I don't know!" said Carl, thinking.

"Is he here? Did you see him tonight?" asked Milt.

"Fuck Marlon! I don't know where he is!" yelled Carl, trying to THINK!

"What about that guy..., Curfuss? Did you see him?" asked Milt.

"Curtis! Yeah. I saw him earlier. With Marlon, in fact!" remembered Carl.
Milt perked up.

"Which apt is he in?"


APARTMENT 2-B
The music was jumping inside Donte and Trelic's apt. Hour-d'oeuvres and
cocktails were being served, as the couple threw a small shindig in honor
of their celebration. They invited their closest friends over to help
celebrated the festive occasion, but held off on the announcement until
everyone was present.
In attendance were; Angie and Byron (the str8 couple in unit 1-A).
Friends of Donte's; Seko and Malik (from chap-10). And Rashawn and Aaron
(friends of Trelic's from work) better known as "Snow" to his friends and
hommies, for reasons that will become obvious as you read on...

"So when do we get this party started?" asked Rashawn, drink in hand and
ready to get his groove on! "Is THIS all that's coming?" he asked,
looking around. "Where'r all the girls at?"

"You at the WRONG party, chile!" said Seko, tasting a slice of cantaloupe
from his fruit salad mixed with 100 proof Vodka.

"Well, we also invited Charmaine and Carl, -our landlord and his wife,
but they just had a new baby on Thanks giving and declined our offer. AND
I invited Curtis from across the hall, and his new friend! So just sit
tight!" announced Donte, serving refreshments.

"Is that all? One chick?" asked Rashawn, looking at Angie as she hugged
up next to her man.

"Relax..., I'm here!" smiled Seko.

"I'm STRAIGHT!" said Rashawn, flat out.

"Oh, so am I!" said Seko. "Straight to the point! And I likes what I
see!" he said, eyeing Shawn up and down like eye candy. Rashawn blushed.
"Hey Donny, what about that handsome handyman we met at the club? Is HE
coming too?" asked Seko, abandoning Shawn for the moment.

"You mean -Marlon." snarled Malik, dripping with attitude. "Geez Seko,
you sucked the man's dick at the club, the least you could do is remember
his name!" griped Malik, causing a snicker throughout the room. Everyone
laughed except Byron, whom wondered if Marlon had told anyone of their
week long affair while Angie was out of town.

"Like I ever get caught up in the little details!" waved Seko, his focus
returning back to Tre's friend.

"And to think, I had tried setting him up with my sister -Deniece! Boy
did I feel stupid when she told me he was gay after their first date!"
laughed Angie.

"Date? Honey that must've been like 2 lesbians bumping kootchies!"
laughed Seko, graphically. "Besides..., who uses the word DATING
anymore?"

"People who actually DATE, I suppose!" said Donte. "Not that a hoe like
YOU would ever know what that means!" he smiled, batting his lashes.

"I know full well what "dating" is...," said Seko, sarcastically.
"...it's that thing young white girls do before they lose their
virginities! Right Aaron?"

"Yo, why you askin me dawg? Cuz I'm white?" asked "Snow". "Yo, check this
out..., I ain't never dated a white girl a day in my life!"

"How bout white boys?" asked Donte, curiously?"

"That either! I'm strictly down wit tha brown skin brothas! If ya
nuh'mean?"

"Oh shit!" laughed Donte, Malik, and Seko! "I see we've got a real live
Teena Marie here on our hands here, eh?"

"Whatever, dawg!" said Snow, irritated. "Why we all gotta be separated?
I'm as black as any of yall here!"

"Bullshit!" Chimed in Byron, feeling a nerve plucked.

"Yo man, no disrespect, but I come from tha HOOD! I was raised around
Gray's Fairy Ave, I know what's it's like to be singled out by tha cops
for not doin shit but mindin yur own business!" explained Snow.

"Whatever, man! Unless you BLACK, you don't know shit about being black!"
insisted Byron. "When was the last time YOU were racially profiled and
stopped by the cops for driving in a nice neighborhood inna hoopty? When
was the last time YOU were turned down from a good paying job because you
didn't quality because of inadequate schooling or because of your zip
code? When was the last time someone pointed you out inna police line-up
because you happened to have a dark complexion and all the victim know of
the assailant was that he was dark skin?"

"I..., I ain't..., never!"

"Right! So how you as black as the rest of us?" asked Byron, walking over
to the other side of the room.

"And besides that, what's wrong with dating white boys? What you got
against your own kind?" asked Malik.

"Yo man, I ain't got shit in common wid em, Yo!" said Snow. "Seriously!
We don't listen to tha same music, we don't eat tha same foods, we don't
even watch tha same TV shows...!"

"So what kind of food and music do you like?" asked Seko.

"Same as you, nicca! Hip-hop, R & B, House, Club..."

"Yo, wait up..., what you just call me?" asked Seko. "Did you just call
me a nigger?"

"Naw homs..., I said nicca! A'ight? You kno how we talk inna HOOD, man!
You kno how we roll!" explained Snow.

"No! I know how WE roll! I don't know shit about you WHITE boiz!" said
Seko, insulted.

"Oh, so I can't call you 'my nicca' cuz I'm white?" asked Snow, insulted.

"Damn skippy, -Skippy!" said Rashawn. "I be telling your dumb ass THAT
all the time! Black people ain't down with the "N" word from white
people, -no matter how "down" you THINK you are!"

"Here! Here!" agreed Trelic. "I don't even like it when our own bruthas
use it! It degrades us all! You're calling yourselves and each other
-ignorant!"

"Hold on now..." intercepted Byron, "...I agree that "Frosty" shouldn't
be using the word..."

"It's SNOW!" corrected Snow.

"...but between the bruthas...? We use it as a term of endearment! We
strip the negative power whites used it for and turned it into something
positive! It's like calling you my hommie!"

"Yeah, positive..., POSITIVELY stupid!" said Tre. "You can never empower
a word that was created to BE negative! A word that was formed to destroy
Black Self Image!I needs to be abolished, not embraced!"

"Preach it, honey!" shouted Donte.

"Well..., I don't see anything wrong with it." concluded Byron. "I use
it..., it's the same way women empowered the use of the word Bitch! Ain't
that right baby?" he asked his girl.

"Yeah, right..." said Angie, sipping her apple martini. "...by the way,
did I tell you your mother called? The BITCH said to say hello."

"Let's get back to Snow and this 'I only date brown brothas'...!" said
Malik, not quite finished. "So you only date black men, because you have
more in common with us, correct?"

"Thas wussup, dawg!" said Snow.

"And it has absolutely nothing to do with the attribute of the black male
penis?"

"Huh?"

"Dick size, Susie-Q..., he means you only like black men cause we got BIG
dicks!" explained Seko.

"Well..., thas just an extra added bonus..." smiled Snow.

"So it's actually got nothing to do with being in "common" with a
brutha..., all you want is a big dick to slide down on!" asked Donte.

"What's wrong wid that?" asked Snow, totally clueless.

"Some brothas don't want to be defined by their skin color, or the size
of their penises." said Tre.

"Speak for yourself, Bro..., some of us are handlin' pretty well!"
coughed Rashawn.

"Some of us'r handlin' inna DOUBLE DIGITS!" boasted Byron. Angie rolled
her eyes.

"Can we change the subject, please? Before yall start whipping them out
to compare!" she sighed.

"Yeah, cause first dick I see, -is MINE!" joked Seko -seriously, staring
over at Rashawn. "So tell me..., Shawn is it? How did you come to know
Trelic? Do you both belong to the same Republican club?"

"Very funny!" said Tre, refreshing everyone's glass with apple martinis.
Just then there was a knock at the door. Donte went to answer it.

"Curtis! Marlon! So glad you 2 could make it!" greeted Donte, with fake
warmth in his voice. "About time yall showed up, seeing how you just live
ACROSS THE HALL!" he added coldly.

"My bad, man..." said Curt, leaning in to whisper. "...I hadda break Mar
off a lil' sumpthin sumpthin!" he added with a wink, making Marlon blush.

"Yeah well, T-M-I! T-M-I! Drinks are in the kitchen..., follow Tre and
he'll set you up!" insisted Donte, closing the door behind them.
Curtis and Marlon greeted everyone there, shaking hands and making their
way into the kitchen for Tre signature drink.

"So what's this big announcement you were going to make?" asked Malik.

"Well...," started Tre, handing Marlon and Curtis their drinks before
rushing out to stand next to Donte as they faced their 8 guests. "...we
invited you all here to announce..., that Donte and I have decided to
have a commitment ceremony!"

"What's that?" asked Rahsawn and Byron.

"A Marriage! We're getting Married dumbasses!" said Donte.

"Married? Is that legal here?" asked Snow.

"And your point?" asked Donte.

"We're more concerned with the symbolic meaning it expresses of our love
and commitment to one another, than we are the legal aspects." said
Trelic, placing his arm around his man.

"Then Congratulations, man! Count me in as your best man!" cheered
Rashawn.

"Hold up hommie..., why YOU getta be best man? You not even gay?" asked
Snow.

"No..., but I look good in a tux!" smiled Shawn.

"So does a Penguin!" snapped Snow.

"Oh, you got jokes?" asked Shawn, annoyed by the laughter going on around
him.

Outside in the hallway..., Milt stood in front of Curt's door, his heart
beating a mile a minute as he tried to come up with a good excuse to
knock. He was afraid of what to say, or what he might see. He knew he had
no true claim to Marlon, that as a married man he had no real right to
expect monogamy from a single man that wasn't committed to him. But deep
down, he needed to know where things stood with Marlon and Curtis. If
he'd found someone new, and moved on..., or if they had something worth
exploring?
He took a deep breath, then knocked. The door opened across the hall.