by Niyah Moore
He gently pulled my arm so that I was standing beside him. “You nervous or somethin’?” he asked, ringing the doorbell. Before I could answer, he said in the sexiest tone I’d ever heard, “Don’t be nervous, babe.”
The massive front door opened, and the smell of weed hit me in the face. I tried not to look as if I smelled a skunk’s spray, but that shit stank so bad.
“Hey, Luxury is here,” Frill announced, with his blunt hanging from his lips, and a few dreads hanging in his face. “Come in, bruh,” he said before slapping hands with him. “What took ya ass so . . . Yo, is this . . . ?”
“Desirae,” Luxury said, stepping inside. “You know her, don’t you?”
I followed him inside the house, thinking it sounded weird for him to call me by my real name. Honestly, I hadn’t heard anyone call me by my actual name in years.
“You mean Desire,” Frill said, correcting his brother. “Yeah, I know her.”
It was crazy how Frill had been all up in Queen’s, and yet he was still underage, only nineteen. Two years behind me, he had been only sixteen years old when I first started dancing. He had requested me once, and I had given him a lap dance. People went crazy for him because he stood out as the better rapper when compared to Lavish.
Frill led us to the living room. Music played in the background but was not too loud. His dreads French braided to the back, Lavish was sitting on one of the couches, smoking a weed-filled hookah with three other chicks.
“Hey, everybody, this is Desire,” Frill announced. “Desire, you already know Lavish. That’s Lala, our stylist. . . That’s Nia, our barber. And that’s Egypt, our personal assistant. These our homegirls.”
Everyone said, “What’s up?” The ladies smiled, but I felt a little awkward. Though Frill had said these bitches were their homegirls, the guy to girl ratio was now off: four bitches and three niggas. I took a good look at these “homegirls” to see which one was supposed to be there for Luxury.
Lala had golden brown skin and long, flowing jet-black hair, and baby hairs swirled around her hairline. She was dressed in distressed jean shorts and a green-and-white sparkly shirt with the words Pretty Girl. She was puffing on that hookah, looking at me.
Nia was about the same shade of brown as Lala. She was rocking a cute blond bob that was parted down the middle. Everything about that bob said she was a hairstylist. It was one of the best lace-front wigs I had ever seen. She was wearing an airbrushed purple and blue jean jacket and had a black bra on underneath it, and she also sported black spandex booty shorts. The way she was all up on Lavish, I could tell she was fucking him.
Egypt was light skinned and had a short wavy cut. Her hair texture made her look mixed. She was wearing a yellow spandex dress with spaghetti straps. Her toenails matched her dress. She reminded me of a young Mariah Carey, especially her face. The way she was mugging me had me staring right back at her. She might’ve been the one who had a thing for Luxury, but I couldn’t tell yet.
“You can have a seat on the couch right here,” Luxury told me. “You want a cocktail or something?”
“What y’all got?” I asked, feeling like I really needed a little something to take the edge off.
“I’ll bring you something,” he replied and then walked with Frill to the kitchen, which was only an island away.
I sat down on the empty couch.
“Hey, I been sayin’ she’s sexy as fuck. That ass, though,” I could hear Frill say to Luxury. “You know that’s my crush right there.”
“Cool it, li’l nigga. That’s me. I already told you that.” Luxury went through the cabinets to find some cups. When he saw them, he went to the freezer for some ice.
“That’s you? Since when?” Frill scoffed.
“Since now, bruh. You gotta find you a new crush now.”
I smiled on the inside. Luxury was putting a claim on me. That was sweet, but I hoped he didn’t think an outfit and a couple of bands was all it would take. Shit, he had made me wait for three years, so I was going to make him work a little harder if he wanted to claim me.
“How long you’ve been knowing Luxury?” the assistant, Egypt, asked me.
I fluttered my eyelids as I looked at her. I was about to give her a smart-ass answer, but I didn’t get a chance.
Luxury responded from the kitchen, “We’ve known each other for three years. Hey, it’s Desire’s birthday, so show her some love.”
“Happy Birthday,” Lala and Nia said in unison.
With a fake smile on her face, Egypt replied, “I don’t usually see her at kickbacks or parties with you. I was just asking.”
Luxury acted like he didn’t hear her.
“Don’t you work at Queen of Diamonds?” Lala asked after taking a puff of the hookah.
I nodded without speaking.
“Okay, that’s where I heard your name. You’re a stripper.” Lala snapped her fingers. “I thought you looked familiar.”
“The best muhfuckin’ stripper Queen’s got right now. Happy Birthday, Desire,” Frill shouted and then downed a shot. “Lav, why you ain’t talkin’?”
“Nigga, I’m enjoyin’ my high.” Lavish lit a blunt and took two drags. He stood up and walked over to hand it to me. “Happy Birthday, though, young stunna.”
I put my hand up. “Thank you, but I don’t smoke.”
Lavish shrugged and exhaled smoke. He stood there, glaring down at me. “Where ya girl Exxxotic at?”
He always requested her when he was at Queen’s, and from time to time, they fucked. Everybody at Queen’s knew this. Mina had admitted to giving him a blow job a couple of times to pay a few bills.
“She’s at home with her family tonight,” I said, trying to make sure he understood that what happened at the club stayed at the club.
He didn’t respond as Luxury handed me a brownish-pink drink in a transparent plastic cup.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Henny and Red Bull mixed with a splash of cranberry.”
Luxury held a cup of straight Henny as he sat next to me.
“At least you drink,” Lavish said after letting some smoke exit through his mouth and nose. “I was about to say, Luxury why you bring this square-ass bitch up in here?”
The three women laughed like what he had said was so funny.
I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink. I had never had this mixture before, and it was good. I tried not to take offense to Lavish calling me a square-ass bitch.
Luxury said, looking into my eyes, “Don’t let this fucked-up-ass nigga or any nigga get you to do some shit you don’t do.” His eyes moved from my eyes to my plump lips. Then they traveled to my titties, my small waist, and my thick thighs. “You fine just the way you are.”
I smiled at him.
Lavish said, “We goin’ downstairs or what? Y’all niggas playin’.”
Frill yelled, “Hell yeah. I got some heat to lay down. Let’s go.”
The girls hopped up from the couch and followed Frill and Lavish to a door just past the kitchen.
“What’s downstairs?” I asked. My mind instantly was on some freaky shit. I’d seen some orgies pop off out of nowhere before, but I wasn’t down with no dungeon freak-type shit.
“The studio,” Luxury informed me.
I felt relieved and excited at the same time. Who wouldn’t want to see the Monnahan Boyz in their element?
“Luxury, you rap? I ain’t never heard you on a track before,” I said.
“Nah, I’m the CEO. I don’t rhyme. I’m the nigga with the most money. Remember that, baby.”
I nodded and sipped my yummy drink. I was feeling a little buzz. “I heard the fuck outta that. I likes that.”
“I know you do, baby. Come on.”
When we got downstairs, loud music blared through the speakers. Lavish had a bomb-ass studio. It wasn’t one of those “just starting out” basement studios. I had been in plenty of those in my day. This was some professional shit. The girls were dancing as Frill
was rapping in the booth and Lavish was sitting at the board. Luxury and I sat on the couch and bobbed our heads. I had thought it would be hot down there, but the AC was pumping, and it felt good.
The girls were shaking their asses and snapping their fingers as they danced.
Nia pushed her blond hair behind her ear and said, “Come on, Desire. We know you know how to shake that fat ass.”
I shook my head and enjoyed my drink, which was nearly gone. I wanted a refill but didn’t say anything. I crunched on the ice.
“Who gone get up in here and spit?” Frill asked to the beat. “E?”
“You know I can’t rap,” Egypt shouted and laughed. “That’s why I’m the assistant. I leave the rapping to the rappers.”
“Get in here, birthday girl. Let’s see what you got,” Frill called.
I hopped up. I had played around a lot in the studio with this one dude I had dated the year before. I had freestyled a few times. I didn’t think I was good, but I was feeling myself. I handed my cup to Luxury. I sashayed over to the booth, stepped inside, and put on the headphones.
“Okay, y’all, don’t laugh at me,” I said into the mic, with a serious face. “I ain’t done this in a minute. Let me see if I still got it.”
Everybody was already looking like they were ready to laugh at my first line.
“Give me a dope beat, Lav,” I said, looking at him.
“A’ight,” he replied and put on the next track.
The hard-hitting trap sound came through the speakers. Closing my eyes, I pretended that no one was in that booth but me. I nodded my head for a few counts before I started.
“Aye yo, I’m the new baddest bitch in the game. She goes by the name d-e-s . . . i-r-e. And ain’t no other bitch as fine as me. Yo quiero estar contigo. Tu quieres estar conmigo. Money, money, money always on my mind. Gimme a can of Sprite with a twist of lime. My flow be bringin’ all the boys to the yard. I am such a fuckin’ lady, let me do my curtsy. Fuck a dry-pussy bitch ’cause she stay thirsty.”
I tossed off the headphones and walked out of the booth, laughing my ass off. I was the only one laughing. Lavish was nodding his head as he played it back. I hated the way my voice sounded. I shook my head as I sat down next to Luxury.
“Look what y’all made me do. I sound goofy as hell,” I said, then laughed.
“Nah, you killed that shit,” Frill said. “You rap before?”
“Kind of, but I . . . just be fuckin’ around.”
Luxury was staring at me as if he was impressed. “Hey, Spanish mami got hidden talents. Not only can you entertain with your dance moves, but you also know how to rhyme. Why you stop? You should’ve kept goin’, baby.”
“Nah, I don’t really like to rap.”
“I liked that Spanish part, though,” Luxury said.
I giggled. “You did? What I say?”
“I want to be with you. You want to be with me.” He nodded. “That shit sounded sexy as fuck.”
“You speak Spanish?” I asked in surprise.
“Muyyy poco,” he answered, overpronouncing the words.
I laughed again. “Yeah, okay. I see you.”
Suddenly, the music was cut off. Lavish spun around in the chair and looked dead at me. “Desire, you got heat, playing around or not. We need our first female on this label. There ain’t too many females killin’ the game, and it would be dope as fuck if we had another out of Miami, and you speak Spanish. We would kill the fuckin’ game.”
I shook my head. “Come on. Now, y’all straight pumpin’ my head up. It wasn’t all that. I just let off whatever came into my head.”
“That’s what makes the shit hot. What if Frill writes a song for you? Will you record it? At least try it out?” Luxury said. “Lav can produce it, and Frill can be featured on it.”
What was he talking about? I was just joking around, but by the looks on everyone’s faces, they truly were feeling it.
“Can I think about it?” I heard myself say.
I had never thought about rapping or being a rapper for real, but it was something I could think over, especially if that meant I would get to hang out with Luxury.
“Yeah, but don’t keep us waiting too long,” Lavish said. “Let Luxury know when you ready.”
“Okay.”
Luxury looked at his watch and said, “A’ight, y’all. We about to roll out.”
“Bye,” the chicks said and waved.
Luxury stood up from the couch and grabbed my hand. After I stood, he gave Lavish and Frill a hand hug. I made sure to grab my purse before we headed up the stairs.
“Where we going now?” I asked.
“Let’s go chill at my place. Is that cool?”
“I’m down.”
“Yeah, you always down, huh?”
“All day, every day. Down like two flat tires.”
He chuckled. “You so goddamned cute. Let’s ride.”
6
DESIRE
Livin’ in the Lap of Luxury
I would always be down so I could be with him. I wanted to get out of these clothes, get comfy, and lie down. The liquor had me feeling sleepy, and I yawned as we got in his car. We drove for only about eight minutes as he lived up near the next freeway exit. When he pulled up to his house, I couldn’t stop staring. I thought Lavish’s pad was nice, but Luxury’s crib outdid his brother’s by far in terms of its size.
We got out of the car and walked up the stairs to his front door. As soon as he unlocked the front door and we stepped inside, I took off my shoes and left them at the door.
I smiled. “Your house is nice.”
His marble floors and that staircase with the crystal chandelier that hung from the high-ass ceiling had me in awe.
“Thanks. I just copped this, like, a few weeks ago. It’s taking some getting used to because it’s so big, you know.”
I followed him up the stairs, looking around as I went. I wouldn’t mind spending all my spare time here if he wanted me to. Once we were in his bedroom, I smiled. It was everything I imagined a king’s bedroom would look like. King-size bed, sixty-inch flat-screen on the wall, brown suede sitting bench in front of the bed. Blown-up pictures of the Monnahan Boyz onstage were plastered on the walls.
His bedroom smelled so good, just like his cologne, but my clothes stank from all that weed smoke.
“Is to cool if I take a shower?” I asked him.
“Knock yourself out.” Luxury took his gun out of his waist and placed it in the top drawer of his dresser. He went into his bathroom to turn on the light for me. Then he invited me in, handed me two towels and a white robe, and left me alone.
I wished he had stayed to shower with me. I could’ve said something to that effect, but he left the bathroom before I could muster up the courage to ask.
Before I got undressed, I took a picture of myself in his bathroom mirror and saved it. I was tempted to post it on my Instagram, but I didn’t want him to see it, so I didn’t do it. I was just so excited to be with Luxury in his house. I already knew we were about to fuck. Well, at least that was what I wanted to do. I was ready to put it on him. As bad as I wanted to text Mina right now, I was going to have to give her the full scoop in the morning.
I took off my clothes, jumped in the shower, and washed with his silky shower gel. It was a man’s fragrance, but I didn’t care, because I wanted to smell like him. I turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and dried off. Then I put on the robe and walked into his bedroom.
Luxury was lighting a candle on a chocolate cupcake with a sliced strawberry on top.
“Awww,” I said. “You gone sing to me?”
“I can’t sing for shit, but, uh, Happy Birthday. You gonna blow out the candle?”
I stood in front of him, closed my eyes, made a wish, and blew the candle out. I picked up the strawberry and put it into my mouth. He popped a bottle of rosé champagne and poured some into a flute. As he handed it to me, I caught sight of a nightie lying in the middle of t
he bed.
“Is that what you want me to wear?”
“Yup.”
“This has been the best birthday, hands down. You definitely surprised me.”
“I meant to holla at you a while ago.” He kept his body close to mine.
“And say what?”
“When I met you, you were too young for me, but I thought you were fine as hell. I wanted to see what you were about first before I got your number.”
“Oh, like if I was one of those girls fuckin’ and suckin’ dick for a dollar?”
He smirked. “Nah. Well, I wanted to see what you were made of. I ain’t never heard no bad shit ’bout you or seen no shit I ain’t like. You work hard, and I’ve watched you even when it seemed like I wasn’t. You have every right to be happy about your accomplishments.”
“I am happy. I need my job.”
“Nah.” He shook his head, staring into my eyes. “The only thing you need is me.” He stared deeply into my eyes now. “You like taking off your clothes for money?”
I shrugged. “I make a shitload of money doing it. Look, I know people look at me crazy, but—”
He cut me off. “What if I told you I have a way for you never to step foot in the strip club again, unless it’s for your own pleasure? You definitely wouldn’t be stripping if it were up to me.”
“But it’s not up to you.”
He squinted his eyes. “Why are you so guarded? You don’t like to open up to folk, huh? I’m not sure if it’s because of your past or whatnot, but after seeing you rapping in that booth tonight . . . Real talk, I see so much potential in you. You’re too talented, and you don’t even know it.”
I drank some champagne and hummed as I went over to his bed to look at the lingerie. It was a short see-through black gown with lace panties and bra. I looked to see the size of the bra and discovered this nigga had my exact size.
“You had all this planned for me?”
He nodded and drank straight from the champagne bottle. “I already had intentions of making you mine. I was just waiting for the right opportunity . . . You know, I’ve helped my brothers become stars, and I can make you one too. We can make millions together.”
