{"id":474,"date":"2024-07-12T08:51:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?p=474"},"modified":"2024-07-12T08:51:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:51:14","slug":"queens-of-orla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?p=474","title":{"rendered":"Queens of Orla"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lesbian Country Noir reprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI fuckin hate that guy.\u201d Leo and her twin brother lounged poolside watching the host of the party walk around trying to look good. \u201cThere anybody you don\u2019t hate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo\u2019s upper lip curled as Lenny watched her face. \u201cHis wife. I\u2019d hit that raw.\u201d Lenny pulled a face. \u201cMan you nasty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo turned to look at him. \u201cShut up. You know you would. Look at her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy Florentino was one fine mother fucker. Redbone with a cute fade and body for days. When she smiled at the twins they smiled back. \u201cYeah and she\u2019s married and straight, what you gonna do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe might be married but she ain\u2019t straight. Imma fuck the ass off of her.\u201d Lenny laughed. \u201cThis is not \u2018Bound\u2019 Leontyne and he\u2019d kill you. Come on let\u2019s go hit the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo went along but kept sneaking glances at Sissy. Lenny wandered away and Leo examined a bookshelf, muttering to herself. \u201cFuckin\u2019 bullshit shit. You know he ain\u2019t never read a thing on this shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy spoke from her left, her Houston via New Orleans drawl made Leo shiver. \u201cYou\u2019re right darlin\u2019. That dummy ain\u2019t hardly even looked at nary a one of these. You wanna see mine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy\u2019s tone was obscene and Leo smiled. \u201cMmhmm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arm in arm they walked into Sissy\u2019s study. It was pink and frilly and packed with overflowing bookshelves. Leo stared open mouthed. \u201cHoly damn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy stretched out on a pale ivory couch. \u201cI have a modest little collection. You know my husband is dumber than a box of hammers so I gotta do something to keep myself entertained. See anything you like?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo pulled a copy of Sappho\u2019s poetry <\/em>from the shelf. \u201cI suppose I do.\u201d Before she could say anything as nasty as she was thinking, Sissy\u2019s husband, Johnny Blue \u2013his cowboy horse shit name was just another reason she hated him- walked in.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
[image caption: two Black women facing each other, holding hands.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cLadies, my darlin\u2019 girls. Look how pretty y\u2019all are lookin. I am so pleased y\u2019all have taken to each other. I just came in to tell you that the party is windin\u2019 down so if you two want to go do your little girl talk or whatever that\u2019s just fine. Us ole boys got some business to do.\u201d Sissy rose and kissed his cheek, pouting. \u201cBusiness? I was hoping we could spend some, quality time together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her tone was so saccharine that Leo faked a little cough to cover a snort. Johnny beamed and hugged her. \u201cOh princess. Look, why don\u2019t you have your little friend stay the night and y\u2019all can go shopping tomorrow my treat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy mewed like a kitten and sighed before answering. \u201cI guess. But you owe me. We\u2019re gonna go retire to my room. Send up some drinks?\u201d Johnny squeezed his wife, then put a damp kiss on Leo\u2019s cheek. He tipped his hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cG\u2019night darlins.\u201d The two women moved to stand next to each other, waved and smiled. They spoke in unison. \u201cNight Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnny turned an interesting shade of burgundy and left. Sissy rolled her eyes and smiled at Leo. \u201cI hope you didn\u2019t have other plans. I\u2019ve been wanting to get to know you Miss Leontyne.\u201d Leo let herself be led into a frilly frothy pink dream of a cowgirl dollhouse bedroom. Sissy spoke while she stripped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know don\u2019t ask. He thought I\u2019d like it cause I grew up a little poor redbone girl in the Ninth Ward. So this is my lil Princess Cowgirl getaway. Now you gonna take that off or are we skinny dippin?\u201d\u00a0 Leo bit her lower lip and took a few steps back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHold on. Let\u2019s get something straight. You tryin\u2019 to fuck me or are we doing some straight girlfriend bonding thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy laughed. \u201cYou are cuter than shit. Bonding yes, straight no and how about you take off that damn dress. And might be fuckin at a later date. Clear?\u201d Leo stripped and trailed Sissy into a marble and gold bathroom fit for two queens to get drunk in a tub full of bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months of night outs, shopping trips and columns in the tabloids about the exploits of Leontyne the Orla Cowgirl and Sissy the DFW Socialite, later Leo sat in the living room at the family homestead in Orla with her three favorite guns laid out in pieces to be cleaned. Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell crooned on the stereo and her cranky old dog lay watching her from a sunspot on the floor. \u201cLenny stop staring at me like that. I thought you lit out for the auction half hour ago, why you creepin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod damn it Leontyne, is this Johnny I kill mother fuckers for lookin Blue\u2019s wife bucky naked, blowing you kisses with her fuckin\u2019 pussy?\u201d Leo giggled. \u201cYeah. He thinks we sext to help each other\u2019s self-esteem. I\u2019ll explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny sat and picked up the packed pipe. \u201cGod damn it. You silly some\u2019 bitch I shoulda-. I knew yo sneaky ass was up to some shit. Riding horses, girl nights in Mexico, girlfriend Oprah shit-\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up Lenny. Stop having a hissy fit like some little girl. Smoke that shit and lemme explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They mean mugged each other and Lenny relented first as usual. He smoked fine home grown Orla weed and listened. \u201cWait wait wait. So y\u2019all ain\u2019t fixin to kill him? He\u2019s goin to jail? You callin a favor with the familia or what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo grinned at him. \u201cThere you go booboo. Now you got it. Before you ask Jr and them are already on board.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a risky plan but, he liked the influence Sissy had on his sister. Most of Leo\u2019s previous girlfriends had been irritating or experimenting and breaking her heart. He knew it was hard enough being out in Texas, in Orla it wasn\u2019t a huge problem but he saw what it did to her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnny loved the relationship between his girls. In an interview with some Dallas society gossip rag he bragged.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I know how important lady friends are and those two are just two sweet peas in a pod. I introduced them you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was telling all of his douchebag associates that he was sleeping with both of them and that it was the greatest thing ever. Sissy had someone to talk to and do girly things with and he had free range ass in his two favorite shades, ebony and redbone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Johnny bragged to his shady associates, Sissy and Leo were falling in love in Orla. One night they lay together in one of the back pastures watching the stars. \u201cLeo? I don\u2019t think this is gonna work.\u201d Leo sighed and took her hand. \u201cI know. We need a new plan. He needs to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They watched the stars and let the plan take shape. Naked they danced and fucked until the wee hours, everything was going to be okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy\u2019s job was to introduce her husband via a stripper named Peaches to crystal meth. Leo\u2019s job was to invite Johnny out to Orla to party and finally let him make one of his lies true. The big night came after a few weeks of Johnny\u2019s escalating meth use and mentions of his Red N Ebony three-way. \u201cSissy, I do not want to touch him.\u201d Sissy was kneeling between Leo\u2019s legs with a razor, shaking her head. \u201cCalm down. Jesus. Don\u2019t let a little dick ruin your damn day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo spread her legs wider and kept on complaining. \u201cI thought he was gonna watch.\u201d Sissy kept her eyes on her task. \u201cHe was but Peaches got him high as fuck and you know what happens when there\u2019s meth and dick in the same room. Be still. Anyway, that sap is happier \u2018n a two peckered dog. Dumb son of a bitch, has no idea what\u2019s coming.\u201d Leo grumbled while examining the job Sissy was doing on her pubes, \u201cOh good job ain\u2019t I pretty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy stood up laughing. \u201cRinse off you dirty ass bumpkin. Put on those booty shorts and I\u2019ll go see if Daddy wants a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it was the lingering taste of Mt, Dew on it from the bottle the meth been shaken in or it was the prospect of finally getting what he\u2019d been begging for, Johnny Blue went all the way the fuck in. He\u2019d brought his own big baggy of shitty shake n bake meth, bottles of some bullshit pink booze for the girls and his priapic dick to the party.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLadies, what y\u2019all been doin\u2019 in there all this time? Oh my, Miss Leontyne don\u2019t you look cute in them little shorts. You know how to give a lapdance princess?\u201d Leo smiled in his face, turned her back and twerked. He hooted. \u201cYes, ma\u2019am. Baby, baby look at all that there. That\u2019s 100% grade A Texas ass right there, I tell you what.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before he got grabby, Sissy sat in his lap and got to work. While Leo stripped and bounced her ass, Sissy sat in Johnny\u2019s lap alternating sweet nothings and weird twisted mutterings in his ear. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna fuckin kill ya\u2019 Daddy.\u201d Johnny started. \u201cWhat you say darlin?\u201d Sissy batted her lashes at him, \u201cwhat? Nothin\u2019 are you okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More meth, more ass, more meth. A few hours later he was sweating and red faced, trying to get them both in his lap. \u201cCome on now ladies, be nice to Daddy and Daddy will be real nice to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was something brittle in his tone and his bloodshot eyes jittered in their sockets. It was time. Both women pulled away from him and stood half naked, arms crossed and staring at him. \u201cWe\u2019ll be right back.\u201d Sissy purred, Leo just glared. In the bathroom Leo made the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo dialed the local deputy Bucky, whispering into her phone. \u201cBucky, Bucky get over here right now. Johnny is\u2026he\u2019s-\u201d Sissy took a big deep breath and let out a blood curdling scream. Leo followed suit and dropped her phone. Johnny busted in wild eyed and they stared up at him in horror. \u201cJohnny, JOHNNY NO.\u201d Johnny played his part beautifully, hollering at them both to shut up and when they cowered in the corner of the bathroom he did what men who do too much meth do, he started swinging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took no less than a Herculean effort on Leo\u2019s part not to beat the dog shit out of him but that was not in the plan. What Johnny lacked in skill he made up for in effort. Within a minute both women\u2019s faces were bloodied and their cries were of real pain. Leo made as if to go for the gun tucked into a barely open drawer when she heard sirens. She knew it took three minutes full out to get from Bucky\u2019s place to hers, now it was up to Johnny not to shoot either of them before he got there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou son of a bitch. How dare you put your hands on me.\u201d Sissy launched herself at him howling and he snatched the gun, turned and lumbered back towards the living room. The dog was running around the screened in back porch barking and howling, the music was blaring and Leo darted out and started throwing things not quite at Johnny\u2019s head but close. She\u2019d had time to pull on a camisole and she spat blood the floor. \u201cJohnny what is wrong with you? Mother fucker get the fuck up out my house before I geld you.\u201d Johnny was beyond reason and trying like hell to find the safety on the gun. Blue lights started to bounce off of the walls and Leo screamed louder.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bucky came through the door like a raging bear. \u201cPolice! Put the gun down.\u201d As Johnny drew down, he fired. One clean shot right in Johnny Blue\u2019s lying ass forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sissy and Leo clung to each other sobbing, Bucky secured the gun and turned off the music. \u201cWhat in the absolute fuck happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story came out over the next few weeks in all the papers. Headlines screamed, Notorious Gangster Johnathan \u201cBlue\u201d Florentino Shot Dead at scene of meth fueled assault. Shit like that. Leo and Sissy made their first public appearance a month after the funeral and stood together at a press conference trembling and sweet. \u201cI just thank God that my husband is at peace now. He was a troubled man and I couldn\u2019t help him. Thank you to the community of Orla for taking me in and making me one of their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At home, Lenny sat across from Leontyne shaking his head as she painted Sissy\u2019s toenails. \u201cSo that wasn\u2019t planned?\u201d Both women shook their heads. \u201cAnd he just happened to go meth fuck crazy on Bucky\u2019s one night off?\u201d Leo looked up from her work. \u201cLenny, you know Orla takes care of its own.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny was quiet for a long moment and nodded at them both, \u201cyeah it do. Orla takes care of its own.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lesbian Country Noir reprint. \u201cI fuckin hate that guy.\u201d Leo and her twin brother lounged poolside watching the host of the party walk around trying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,47,46,9,15],"class_list":["post-474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-black-lesbians","tag-lesbian","tag-noir","tag-reprints","tag-short-fiction"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","gbox-medium":"","gbox-large":"","gbox-vertical":"","gbox-horizontal":"","gbox-hlarge":"","slider-bg":"","card-grid":"","card-list":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Shanz","author_link":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?author=1"},"category_info":"Uncategorized<\/a>","tag_info":"Uncategorized","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions\/476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}