Brooklyn Bounce: The Fall Of James Key

By Joe Kidd

James, both charismatic and successful hides a destructive secret. Fed up with living a life of infidelity, he embarks on a perilous journey to break free from the chains of his womanizing ways. But there's a catch: James, accustomed to the thrill of seduction, has never learned the art of choosing the right woman.

 

With his world unraveling, James finds himself entangled in a captivating web of relationships and desires, grappling with his conscience and the consequences of his actions.

 

Readers will be captivated by his relentless pursuit of redemption, wondering if he can truly leave behind a life defined by betrayal.

 

Against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn New York neighborhood, delve into the complex world of James as he navigates the labyrinth of his own making.

 

Will he rise above his past or be forever ensnared in the shadows of his own mistakes?
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lily Pad Publishing
• Release date: Aug 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798988896203

Book preview

Chapter 1

‘I ’m Tellin’ You All , It All Falls Down" – Kanye West

HOT WAS NOT THE WORD for it. It was downright steamy. One of those New York City summer nights where you can actually see a thin misty haze in front of you, the humidity making your skin feel slightly sticky and moist. It was about 9:13 pm.  James walked along the spotless street, from the place where he parked his car, to the apartment where number 3 lived. Yep, that’s what he called her. Number 3. But frankly speaking, he gave them all numbers. All of his women, that is. And he literally made it a point not to use their real names. He would refer to them with names like miss, or missy.  And they all seemed to like that. The idea of him giving them what seemed to be exclusive pet names. Or so he thought. But his motivations were clear: Less of a chance for confusion, he would say. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he climbed the one concrete step leading to the buildings’ entrance.

Damn. This is really starting to get tiring. I'm gettin' too old for this shit he said aloud as he pushed open the door leading to the foyer area. He searched for, found, and then mashed the tiny copper brown button for the intercom. Apartment B16. As he waited for a response, he thought about the gray hairs in his beard number 3 discovered a couple of nights ago...

DAMN JAMES, YOU GETTIN’ grays already? she asked playfully, but with a not too veiled concern. Startled by the question, James’ hand shot reflexively to his chin, and he began to furiously comb his fingers through the closely cropped hairs that formed his perfectly trimmed goatee.

Wow. Damn. How many do you see, yo? he asked, halfheartedly lifting his chin in her direction.

At this point, he thought he might be able to end the scene by turning slightly and moving away from her, but no. No. 3 wasn’t having any of that. She quickly re-positioned herself directly in front of him.

Oh, I don’t know she answered, a little breathless from such a fast maneuver. She reached up with both hands and gently pulled his face down towards hers. Let’s see....

She closely scanned his chin. He was at least seven to eight inches taller than her so she had to stand on her toes.

Hmm. Two? Maybe three.

James tried to be subtle in moving his chin up and away from her. No. 3 tried holding onto his face but he was just too tall.  She gave up. And he was momentarily relieved.

You know, he said, still stroking the hairs on his chin. This shit is really strange. Especially since my father didn’t have one gray hair.

But this was only half true. His father did have gray hairs, but only later in his life, with only a few strands on his head. James wondered why he couldn’t just tell her that. But he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell No. 3 anything that would give her even the slightest interest in asking any more questions than he deemed necessary. And it was becoming a real fuckin' burden for him. The lying and deception, that is.  Always having to avoid issues pertaining to the more intimate details of his life. No. 3 just stared into his eyes with that half smile she seemed to have perpetually plastered on her face. Not that the smile was a problem. But in this particular situation, that half smile definitely would have unnerved a lesser player. He knew he needed to maintain eye contact or he would lose her confidence. He also knew he needed to break the spell of the moment somehow.  Playfully, he softly pushed her back.

Why you all up in my damned grill anyway, Missy? he asked, trying to force a smile.

He smoothed his fingers through her hair, his hand coming to rest on her ponytail.  He grabbed it firmly, giving it a slight tug, while gently guiding her face towards his. He pushed his lips against hers, holding them there a little too long. When he felt her tongue begin its search for his, he smoothly pulled away....

WHO?

The loud, mechanical sharpness of the voice through the intercom was like wet slap, startling James, and snapping him back to the present moment.

Me, he answered, feeling slightly flustered.

Okay, came the reply.

The door let out a loud buzz. James pushed it, and the electronic latch gave way.

Noisy assed door! he murmured, as he entered the large lobby area and walked towards the elevator. I hate this neighborhood.

He waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. Actually, no. 3 lived in a pretty decent, upscale neighborhood in Bayside Queens. It was also a predominately white neighborhood. Which James knew meant that any black male face would not be greeted too kindly. Especially a seemingly young face. James was 34 years old but looked as if he were in his early twenties.  He was about 6 ft. 2, dark skinned and physically fit, and was considered extremely handsome in most circles. He had a youthful face, high cheekbones and, to his pleasant surprise, nice teeth. He routinely attracted women in their early twenties, while even older" women in his own age group were equally taken in.  And yet, he had profound self-esteem issues and feelings of inadequacy stemming from a childhood where, because of his dark skin, he was made fun of. Friends, neighbors, even adult strangers he’d never seen before in his life would comment on his ‘blackness’. He’d always wondered about that. About how a grown person could walk past a child and openly make insulting comments about his looks just as easily and casually as someone talking about the weather. By the time he was six years old he had probably heard every demeaning and hurtful term used to describe the very dark skinned people in his community.  At that moment, the elevator arrived. James made sure to stand back about 5 feet and to the left, so that anyone exiting could get a clear look at him. Two very pretty, young Asian women emerged, engrossed in conversation, when the one to the right suddenly noticed James and was clearly startled. She grabbed the arm of her friend and pushed her along, out towards the electronic door. As they exited, she glanced quickly over her shoulder, throwing what James felt sure was a pretty nasty scowl. He stepped inside the elevator.

Bitches, he murmured, as the elevator door closed.

DARLENE, OR NO. 3, was a good catch, based on any man’s standards. Extremely intelligent, she was an only child from a comfortable working class family in upstate N.Y.  As a child, she worked twice as hard as any of the other kids in school, partly to show her teachers, who didn’t feel she would, or even could compete, and also for her parents, who she felt secretly really wanted a boy. As a result, she became somewhat of a tomboy, excelled in sports, and developed an outspoken personality.  Her academic successes ultimately led her to Cornell medical school, and she was now an outstanding doctor of obstetrics. She was 33 years old, with looks that were more than adequate, although James didn’t feel she was as good-looking as some of the other chicks he dated. At 5'7" with smooth caramel brown skin, long thick shapely legs, a flat stomach and double-d breasts for days, she had a face that could be pretty at times, with a beautiful smile, although her nose was a little too big, and she occasionally had a mild case of acne. She also had the longest toes he had ever seen on a woman. But they were well manicured and taken care of, and he liked that. Fortunately, she knew how to work what the good lord gave her. She was after all, a Scorpio. That night, true to her zodiac pedigree, Darlene opened the door to her spacious apartment to reveal herself standing there in a matching red thong and bra set. Her breasts seemed to be suspended out over her flat stomach, making them appear even larger. Her plump nipples poked through the sheer material. He looked down and saw her fat pussy pushing through the tight thong. She smiled at him seductively.

Hey baby she purred.

James felt himself stiffen.

What’s up Missy? he said, closing the apartment door behind him. He pressed his lips against hers, pulling her to him, then palmed her ass with both hands. ‘Kind of flat, but ample’, he thought, as he tongue kissed her over to the couch and pushed her down to a sitting position. He stood over her, loosening his belt and pants and undid his zipper. She began grabbing at his rock hard dick.

I’ve been waiting for this. Darlene said breathlessly, through low moans. She reached into his boxer briefs and tugged gently at his tool, pulling it out and rubbing it across her full lips. James looked down at her, watching her mouth as it made his dick disappear into it.

Shit! he exclaimed. Yo! You doin' your thing ma-ma. The sensations sent chills through his legs.

Just for you, she mumbled between slurps as she moved her head steadily up and down.

Just then, James felt something vibrating against his ankle, startling him.

‘My pager. Shit!’ he thought. 'I could’ve sworn I put that thing on silent!'

He hoped Darlene wouldn’t notice, but the damned thing kept vibrating. And vibrating. Until his pants slipped all the way to the floor from the vibrations. And now the fucking thing was buzzing against the floor! Loudly! At that moment, everything seemed to stand still. Him, with his pants around his ankles, the pager, buzzing on the floor and Darlene, looking up at him with his dick in her mouth!

‘Damned if this ain’t a Kodak moment' he thought. 'If this was a movie, it would be funny as hell!'

But of course, it wasn’t a movie. It was real life. His life. And he now had one of his patented situations on his hands. Darlene’s face turned sour. She pulled his member out of her mouth. James imagined it making a ‘plopping’ sound as it popped through her lips. This made him smile.

What the hell is so funny? Darlene snapped.  She looked down at his pants, now crumpled around his ankles.  You gonna check that? she asked, referring to the pager.

James hurriedly picked up his pants, unclipped the pager from the belt loop and looked at it intently.

'Damn!' he thought.  'Its no.2!  Shit.  Why is she paging me now?  She knows damned well I'm supposed to see her later tonight.  Better play this off.' He stared harder at the pager.

Hmm he said, I wonder who the hell this is calling me? Better not be the job. I did my time today.

Of course, it wasn’t his job. And he knew Darlene knew it too.

‘But so fucking what’, he thought. ‘She should know I get calls from all kinds of business associates. Besides, what if it really was business, would she still be twisted?’

He fingered the pager a little longer, pressing and tapping the buttons as if he were trying to give it a spanking.

It’s Just Ray, he finally said. I’ll get back to that punk later.

Darlene just stared at him. She looked as if she was waiting for just such a lie. He noticed the uncomfortable tickle of a bead of sweat begin a slow decent down the contours of his face.

'Damned humidity!' he thought. 'Now she’s gonna think I'm nervous'.

Darlene’s lips curled into the type of scowl that can only come from a black woman scorned. Then she sucked her teeth loudly.

And I'm a stupid bitch! she snarled.

What are you talkin' about? James countered. I said it was Ray. You want me to lie to you or something?

'What are you saying?' James thought to himself. 'You ARE fucking lying!'

Pangs of guilt began to creep in. Sort of like a conscience, if you will.

'I know I shouldn’t be doing this to her', he thought.  'Shit, I shouldn’t even BE here!'

Darlene reached over and picked up her cordless phone, which was resting on a nearby lamp-table, and pushed it in his direction. As if he was stupid enough to use it.

So call him. she shot back while wiping the excess slob from her lips. James wanted to smile again, but knew better.

I ain’t callin' him just to prove something to you, he shouted. Damn. We go through this shit all the time. When are you gonna get it through your head that every call is not some chick?  I mean, I can arrange to call one for you, if that’s what you really want.

Darlene stood up. She was furious now.

Look, she admonished. I’m not one of those stupid bitches that you can just say anything to. I’m a pretty smart girl. You said it wasn’t a female so all I can do is take your word for it.  I’m not gonna snatch your pager and call the number back. Even though I should.

James shivered at the thought.

But you would think, she continued, If a brotha had himself a good girl like me, he would try to treat her a little better than this!

James sighed deeply. He knew she was right. His conscience made sure he knew. He thought of all the things she did for him, all the things she had bought for him. And not just frivolous things. Darlene studied him. She knew what he liked and didn’t like. She knew what he had