When Your Hustling Days Are Gone 2: A Bad Boy Romance

By Charmanie Saquea

What do you do when the man you gave your all to, hurts you in the worst way possible? You boss up on him and make him regret ever messing you over.
Everyone's favorite boss chick, Poca, is back to take us on another drama filled ride. While trying to get over the hurt and pain her husband Makhai caused, Poca plans to cause hell in the worst way he could ever imagine. On her side is the rude yet sexy Caz who's seeming to work his way into her now cold heart.
Trying to recover from his loses due to his scorned wife, Makhai has more problems coming his way than he thought. When Makhai realizes that his kingdom is nothing without his Queen, he pulls out all the stops to make an amends with her. Only thing is, it's not easy with his new nemesis Caz in the picture and Liya in the background refusing to let go.
Cali is back, trying to do better as well as be a better man, still doing everything in his power to prove to his woman that he's done playing games and she's the only one he wants. Will his efforts be to no avail when he finds out Love could possibly be moving forward with someone else?
Sergio now feels his family is complete with his woman, Tasia and his two kids. He plans on making an honest woman out of her and making her his wife but when an unwanted blast from Tasia's past comes back to cause trouble, Sergio will be left asking the question 'is it even worth it?'
Follow these characters as they take you on an unforgettable journey through love, pain, and everything in between.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royalty Publishing House
• Release date: Mar 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781648407819

Book preview

Royalty Publishing House is now accepting manuscripts from aspiring or experienced urban romance authors!

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WHAT MAY PLACE YOU ABOVE THE REST:

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Heroes who are the ultimate book bae: strong-willed, maybe a little rough around the edges but willing to risk it all for the woman he loves.

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Heroines who are the ultimate match: the girl next door type, not perfect - has her faults but is still a decent person. One who is willing to risk it all for the man she loves.

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The rest is up to you! Just be creative, think out of the box, keep it sexy and intriguing!

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Synopsis

Icy and Majestic Brooks both have a past being girls from around the way; the girls who looked, found, and lost any love they thought existed. Both are just looking for a love that they never received from a mother who abandoned them, or a father they never knew. They have a foster mother who turned to drugs then let the state have them, leaving them to find their own way in this world they’re supposed to call home. Icy is the big sister and will do anything to protect her little sister, but who will protect Icy when her world comes crashing down even more? Majestic is a broken girl who needs saving from herself. From pills to hard drugs, she’s just looking for a way out.

Genesis and Bakari both have been through it all; fresh out of jail for doing what they felt was necessary to make ends meet. It seems like everybody they thought had their backs and would ride for them gave up on them as soon as they were out of the way. Genesis is who you call when you want to be put on, and Bakari is who you call when you want somebody to be taken care of.

Icy and Majestic run into the legendary Genesis Hernandez and Bakari Diaz at a party and sparks ignite, leading them to get to know one another. But when they get too close, a strange somebody comes into the picture and tries to ruin any chances of happiness between the four.

1

Icy

Icouldn’t for the life of me find out where my sister was. I was searching all the known traps that sold heroin, pills, or crack. That’s just the kind of shit she was into. I’ve spent months trying to get her clean of that shit just for her ex-boyfriend, Maine to break her heart. When she’s feeling like her back is against the wall, she runs to the drugs for clarity. I don’t know where she gets that shit from because I’ve never picked up drugs a day in my life, except for the weed that I smoke a lot. That’s how I deal with my pain of the things I’ve been through. It helps me cope with the cards I’ve been dealt.

Not having parents really fucked me and my sister up. We were given to the state, then to a foster mom who was never in her right mind. She was always doing things that just didn’t make any sense. When it got bad enough, the state had no choice but to take me and my sister, Majestic, away and put us into a group home until we both were of age. Then, without a thought, they put us on the streets.

I busted my ass for my sister and I to have a life where we didn’t have to worry about anything. She has stolen from me, fought me and talked so much shit to me that at one point, I didn’t know what I was going to do to help her. I never put my hands on her because of the simple fact that I know she’s broken and doesn’t mean half the shit that she says. It’s the drugs, so I can’t blame her.

We lived a hard life and when I say we’re proof of living the hard knock life; we are. From being homeless, to living in and out of hotels, to living in shelters with people we didn’t know. Men have tried to pick us up and we’ve had to steal food just to have something to eat. I think I’ve been locked up over times for stealing. That includes when I was young and our foster mom used mostly all her money to get high instead of making sure we had food in the house.

Turning my car into the next trap house, I got out, leaving the engine running. I strolled up to the door and they had a guy walk out with a gun in his hand. What can I get for you? he asked, licking his lips and looking me up and down.

Nothing. I’m looking for my sister. She’s 5’4, brown skinned, long black hair and she’s kind of thick. Have you seen her?

Nah. I would remember. What’s your name?

Icy, I replied, heading back to my car. Getting inside, I was about to drive off when he came to it and knocked on the window. Rolling it down, I looked up at him.

I’ll let you know if I see her. My name is Bakari.

Thank you. Um, how are you going to get in touch with me if you see her?

Shoot me your number.

He gave me his phone and I put my number in it then handed it back to him. Backing out of the driveway, I headed to the next trap house, but when I got there it was boarded up, so that let me know it was closed. Where the fuck are you Majestic? I asked myself.

Deciding to head back to the apartment that we shared, I pulled into the parking lot and sat there for a minute before getting out. I really hoped that she came home because I didn’t know how much of this I could take. I was so worried about her that it was crazy, and I could barely sleep. She’d been missing in action for a full day now. She usually always came home when she’d had enough of whatever she was doing.

When I got into the house, I sat on the black sectional and put my head in my hands. Letting the tears slip, they made their way down my cheeks and to my clothes. I was heaving and my breathing was getting weirder and weirder. Getting up, I went into the bedroom to get my inhaler. Sliding down on the floor, I got into a fetus position and pumped my inhaler into my mouth once before throwing it to the floor and just lying there.

My mind was so fucked up. I don’t know why she would leave and not use her phone to call me if she was in trouble or to let me know where she was and that she’s okay. Why do I feel like a mother when she’s a grown woman? I know why; I’m her big sister and it’s up to me to protect her. She’s her own worst enemy and her demons were ganging up on her.

She had a suicidal attempt the day before she left, and she was mad at me because I stopped her from jumping off the ledge. It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She’s my baby and it’s not her fault that we went through the things that we went through. Our mother abandoned us when we were kids and we barely knew our father. All we knew was his last name and that’s only because he signed the birth certificate the day we both were born. We were strangers to ourselves and the sad part is I couldn’t find myself because I was always helping Majestic see that she’s so strong that she could make it through anything. But when I was feeling weak and lonely, I had to give myself a pep talk.

I couldn’t afford to be off my game when I had her to look out for.

Finally getting off the floor, I wiped my tears and got into my bed. It was going on ten o’clock at night, which is the time I’m usually in the bed because I must be up at five if I want to make it to work on time. Laying back in the bed, I thought about her and started to break down once again. I was so sick of crying and feeling worthless.

I had my own things going on and the only thing I could think about was something happening to her. She needed to be home with me, not out roaming the streets or doing whatever the fuck she was doing. My sister wasn’t always like this. She used to be the light that I needed to know what I needed to do. She was the one that could smile and light up any room that she walked into. But I guess some people just break sometimes. She broke for real this time, and I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get her back.

Sitting up in the bed, I rolled me a blunt and was about to put it to my mouth, but instead sat it down and laid right back down. Rolling over on my side, I stared into the darkness before shutting my eyes and dozing off.

The sun beaming into my bedroom made me flip over the other way. I didn’t want to get up for work, but I didn’t have a choice. Somebody had to make sure the bills were paid. I wanted us to keep this roof over our heads because we needed it. We moved around so much that we barely unpacked because we knew that we would be finding another place soon after moving.

We didn’t stay in the nicest apartment complex, but it was way better than us sleeping in my car by the beach every night and praying that nobody tried to break in or succeeded and hurt the both of us.

Getting out of the bed, I walked out of my bedroom and to her bedroom. Hoping and silently praying that she was laying in her bed, I pushed the door open and her bed was still made up, letting me know that she didn’t come home. Moving away from it, I shut the door back and went to handle my personal hygiene so that I could get ready for work.

Once I was finished, I smoked and got dressed. Grabbing my keys, wallet and phone, I headed out of the house and to my car. I just wanted to call off so that I could go find my sister, but I didn’t have any more time, so they would fire me if I called off again. They didn’t care about my sister or anything; they just wanted me to come to work, which I didn’t blame them for.

Climbing into my car, I started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. The entire ride to work, I headed down some of the streets that were close to the office and looked to see if maybe I saw her. When I didn’t, I shook my head and went to work.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I sat in my car for a second while looking at the other workers who were walking into the building. I couldn’t stand half the people I worked with, but none of that mattered, I just wanted to go make my money and leave.

I had a feeling that she would come home today, so that was the only thing I was looking forward to. Opening my car door, I got out of the car and went inside of the building. Everybody was looking at me like I had something on my shoes, so I looked down then back at them, Am I missing something? I asked one of the girls that I was close to, Kimbra Mackling.

No. You know these motherfuckers don’t know how to mind their own business. They’re always worried about other people’s business; that’s why they don’t make no money and don’t last long, Kimbra spoke, looking at the girls and gay boys who were staring at me. They all strolled away, and I went to my desk. Sitting down, I put my headset on and started answering calls. I didn’t care about none of these people or the shit they were saying. People have talked about me my whole life, so they don’t phase me at all, but I am in the mood to bust a bitch ass if she jump crazy. I hope they start feeling froggy so I can put them on their asses because today is not the day to be fucking with me.

Break time was spent with me calling Majestic’s phone back to back. She wasn’t answering or texting back and that had me worried, so I decided my next move, which was to call the cops. It had been almost 24 hours, so I