by Roy Glenn
The next afternoon I made it a point to talk to Bella about the conversation she and Chanté had the night before at the club. It must have been on her mind as well, because as soon as I sat down, Bella came to me with her concerns. “Chanté doesn’t know what we do?” she asked that afternoon.
“No, what’s up?”
“Just curious, because last night, she just seemed to be all up in my grill. I mean she was fishing for information; I didn’t say anything though,” Bella had reported proudly.
“What exactly was she questioning you about?”
“Well, she wanted to know how we made money, what we did for a living, how we were able to buy such nice clothes and things like that.”
“And what did you say when she asked?” I had to handle Bella gently. I didn’t want her to think she’d done anything wrong.
She shrugged. “I just told her she needed to talk to you.”
“What did she say after that?”
Bella thought for a moment, smirked, then said, “You know, I don’t think she really said anything about it. But she wasn’t like salty or anything like that. I just remember saying it to her; then I think you walked back up on us, so she dropped it.”
“I see,” I had said.
“Did I do good, Jada?” Bella asked, waiting for my approval.
“Yeah, Bella, you did just fine. You tell Chanté, or anybody else with questions about our family, to come to me and I’ll handle them from there.”
Bella actually breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that she went at Bella was a bit troubling. I mean, Chanté and I had spent a lot of time together and she had plenty of chances to ask whatever she wanted to ask. In fact, I’d been waiting for her to come at me with questions. I knew for sure I needed to check Chanté out a little closer.
11
Chanté
I woke up early that morning and got ready to go. When I started up my car, I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, thinking about what I was doing. “It’s just another job,” I told myself. “No different from any other. Then why am I making it so complicated?" I knew the answer and I was afraid of what I’d discovered about myself.
I know what they’re doing. They’re high-priced hookers, even though they are all so discreet about it. They were breaking the law and I had violated the rules and gotten personally involved.
The truth was I liked Jada; she was mad cool. Over the last few weeks I’d really gotten to like her and the ladies, as Jada called them. We were friends.
Jada rarely goes anywhere without calling me and inviting me to hang out with them. We have lunch and dinner together all the time in some of finest spots in town. We’ve gone to clubs, release parties, and we shop. Damn, Jada West is one shopping don’t-give-a-fuck-what-it-costs, I-just-know-it-fits-and-I-want-it woman.
Jada has a style about her that I liked, even envied. She always wore the finest clothes. She’s chauffeured around like a celebrity just about everywhere she goes. And I loved being a part of that lifestyle.
I put the car in drive and pulled off. While I drove, I thought about how I got into this in the first place.
“Come on in and have a seat, Rachael,” Gineconna said to me as I came into his office that first day.
First off, my name is not Chanté. My name is Rachael Dawkins and I’m a cop.
“Thank you, lieutenant,” I said and took a seat in front of his desk.
“How’s it feel to be back?”
“I was happy to be able to sleep in my own bed after seven months.”
I had been on loan to the DEA, infiltrating a drug ring that was operating heavily on the East Coast.
“You’ll be glad to know that thanks to the work you did, three dozen arrests were made, as well as a substantial amount of drugs and money confiscated. Damn fine piece of work.”
“Thanks, Lieu.”
“So, are you ready to be a cop again?” he asked, knowing that I had no say in the matter.
“No. I was hoping for a little time off. You know … an all-expense-paid trip to the Bahamas. At the DEA’s expense of course,” I replied, since I knew it wasn’t happening anyway.
“Wouldn’t we all, Rachael. Wouldn’t we all.”
“So, what you got for me?”
“You ever hear of a club called Sensations?”
“Big club, upscale clientele; I’ve been there once or twice. Why?”
“Well, Sam’s been working there trying to get a handle on what we believe is one of the largest drug operations in the city. He reported that there’s also a prostitution ring that’s been operating out of there. It’s run by a woman named Jada West.”
“A woman?”
“Yes, a woman. What’s the matter, Rachael; I know you aren’t going to tell me that you’re discriminating against women being pimps?”
“Not at all. A crook is a crook is a crook, all day long. I’m just a little surprised.”
“So far, Sam hasn’t been able to get close to them.”
“Say it ain’t so.” Sam used to be my partner. I can’t stand him. “What’s the matter, Super Sam can’t crack a girly pimp?”
“He’s working the drug angle and doesn’t want to tip his hand. A couple of other male officers have tried to get close to her, but she won’t bite.”
“Sounds like she’s got good instincts; she can smell a cop.”
“I agree. That’s why we’re trying a different approach with you. Anyway, there was a murder there, totally unrelated to the drugs or the prostitution ring, but since then they’ve stopped coming. I want you to start hanging out there … see if you can find out where they disappeared to. If they show back up, you get close to them and let’s see if we can shut them down.”
“So, you want me to be a prostitute?”
“No. But if it comes to that, we’ll work something out, so you won’t have to take it there.”
That’s how it began.
During the time that they were absent from the club, I went to work. The address and phone number she gave when they brought her in for questioning were dead. She had moved out of that apartment and changed her cell number.
Knowing Jada like I know her now, she probably sniffed Sam out as a cop. Bringing her in for questioning on that murder was what made her go underground, not the murder. So, I was at the fuckin’ club every night because I had a feeling they’d be back. Every night I’d talk to men. It wasn’t easy, but I finally found one of her clients and bought him a drink. I told him that I was a lesbian, which kept him from being all over me, but also served another purpose as well.
Once I got him drunk and talkin’, I told him that I’d seen one of her girls and, “She was a goddess. I would pay anything to get with her, but they stopped coming here.”
“I know which one you’re talking about,” my drinking buddy said and began describing Diane. “Here,” he said and reached in his pocket for a pen. “Here’s her number.”
Jackpot.
By the time they came back to the club, I knew everything about Jada West. Father dead, mother doing fed time. I knew about her and Diane at Ecstasy. I knew all about Simone and Bella. The Lieutenant was happy to hear that I had made contact with them rather easily on their first night back in the club.
Since then, I’ve had nothing to report and he’s growing impatient. At our last meeting he reminded me that I was better than this.
“I understand from talking to her that Jada West is smart. But shit! It shouldn’t take this long for you to crack her. Either way, Rachael, I need to see some results soon or I’ll have to pull you off this thing.”
I parked my car behind the building and went inside. I saw my old partner Sam coming toward me.
“How’s it going, Rachael?”
Sam is the most disgusting man I’ve ever met. Always talking about his big dick and what he could do to me with it. You can’t turn your back on him, or his hands will be all over you.
Fuckin’ pig.
“Great, Sam. How ab
out you?” I replied like I was happy to see him.
“Same old same, day in and day out. We should get together … you know, to catch up.”
“I’d like that,” I lied. “I’ll stop by when I’m done,” I lied again. I’m not giving you any pussy and nothing you have to say is of any interest to me, I thought as I made my way to an appointment that I was already very late for.
“Good morning, Rachael,” Gineconna’s admin said to me.
“Is he in?”
“Yes, but he’s on a call and wants you to wait for him.
I nodded my head and took a seat. Suddenly, Gineconna’s door swung open. “Come on in and have a seat, Rachael,” I heard him yell.
I went in his office and made my report, which was basically the same as the one I’d made last week. “Nothing new to report.”
“So, you mean to tell me nothing has happened yet?”
“No, sir … I mean we go out clubbing a lot. Sometimes we go to these parties, mostly for up and coming rappers. We’ve been to a few celebrity birthday parties and that kind of stuff. And we shop, a lot,” I said, only half lying.
“No mention of where the money comes from?”
“Not a word. When I asked, all I got was giggles, and was told to ask Jada. These things take time. You know that.”
“And you’ve never witnessed any exchange of money for sex or sexual favors?”
“None that I’ve witnessed personally, no. As far as I know and can prove, they’re just four girlfriends that hang out together. Jada never speaks to me about what they do. And ‘the ladies,’ as she calls them, basically only speak when Jada says they can,” I said.
“Okay, so when you’re at these parties what goes on? What does she say she does for a living?”
“She says she sells insurance.”
“And?” Gineconna asked.
“She has a license, a Web site, and she speaks knowledgeably when she has to. When we’re at these events she collects business cards, just like everybody else. My guy says that he met her at a record company party, and he gave her his card. A couple of weeks later, she calls and sets up a date for lunch. She broke it to him over salad.”
Gineconna let out a frustrated sigh and I took the opening. “What it comes down to is how bad do you want them?”
“Will your guy testify?”
“Not likely.”
“What about the girls? Can you turn one of them?”
“I’ll stay on it and see what I can do, but I’ll be honest … those ladies are loyal to Jada. She walks on water in their eyes. Turning one of them will take time and I’ll run the risk of blowing my cover.”
“Right now, we don’t have enough evidence to make a case that will stick,” Gineconna said. “You think you can turn up another client of hers?”
“Sure, but it will take time. How bad you want her?”
“Bad. But I can’t continue to justify the use of resources and the overtime on the four little girls selling pussy with no results insight. I need you back in the rotation, catching cases.”
I tried my best to look disappointed. “Damn. I just need a little more time.” But that was exactly what I wanted. “I tell you what, Lieu, you do what you gotta do; I’ll continue to work it on my own time. I’ll stay close to Ms. Jada West; try to flip either one of her clients or one of the girls.”
Gineconna smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear, Rachael. I knew I could count on you. As flamboyant as West is, and the way these girls seem to love the spotlight, I’m sure they’ll make a mistake.”
I left Gineconna’s office feeling great. I got exactly what I wanted. I was officially off the case, but still had an official reason to remain in contact with them. After a while, Jada would be off of Gineconna’s radar. I’d already told them I was going to have to get a job, so I’ve got a reason to be unavailable at times. But I could go on being Chanté.
I loved being Chanté and I was starting to wonder if Chanté was who I really was. I didn’t believe it. But I do. I love being Chanté.
The last time we were together, Jada asked if I could take a weekend trip with them. “All expenses paid of course,” Jada explained. “It’s just going to be us and the ladies hanging out in the Bahamas.”
I told her I’d think about it, but I knew deep down inside I wanted to go. And since how I did my job was pretty much my business, I figured I’d be able to go with no worries.
But Gineconna was right about one thing: I know Jada could live without it, but the ladies do love the spotlight. Sooner or later, hanging out at that club will be their downfall. My job now was to keep Jada out of the clubs, or this could all come crashing down on me. I’ve had nightmares about blowing my cover and fearing Jada’s disappointment once she realized the truth. My challenge was to find a way to prevent that from happening, at all cost.
12
Jada West
It was a little before midnight on a Wednesday night and the ladies and I had been sitting around talking and drinking. Everybody, myself included, had an appointment earlier that night and had come back to my place.
“So, I say we polish these off and go find some real trouble to get into,” I said, looking around the room.
“One more of these and I ain’t gonna have to try too hard to find trouble,” Diane said hoisting up her glass.
“Okay, we’re all feeling real nice and nobody’s got an appointment—” I winked. “so, we should just call an end to this bonding, then go kick up some dust.” I glanced at the ladies. “Who’s down?” I asked.
“Count me in!” Diane said, hyped and drunk at the same time.
“You ain’t said nothing but a word,” Simone tossed in, as she turned up her glass.
Just then the phone rang.
“Does this mean I can give it away for free tonight?” Bella giggled.
Diane got up and removed the drink from Bella’s hands. “I think you’ve had enough,” she said, in a dramatic fashion. We all started cracking up as I picked up the phone.
“House of Beauty, this is cutie,” I sang into the receiver.
“Hey, cutie, sounds like there’s a party going on over there. How come I didn’t get an invite?” Chanté said into my ear.
“Oh, hey, Chanté. We’re just sitting around trying to decide what to get into,” I answered. I had planned on talking to Chanté about her conversation with Bella, but it was a conversation I wanted to have in person.
“Hmmm, seems to me like that’s where I need to be,” Chanté said.
“Well, come on through then,” I challenged.
As I hung up, Simone turned to me and asked, “Who was that? Chanté?”
“That was her,” I confirmed.
“So, what’s up? Is Chanté gonna be down or what?” Simone asked.
“I don’t think so. I mean she’s cool and all, but ours isn’t the kind of business you can just welcome someone into,” I said to Simone, even though that was exactly how I got her. I placed the phone back in its cradle and swallowed the last of my drink. I had nice buzz going and this wasn’t really a conversation I felt like having with Simone. But I knew she wasn’t about to give up.
“So, we just continue to have her hanging around? I mean, pretty soon she’ll figure it out, don’t you think? Nobody can be that fuckin’ dumb.” Simone snickered.
“Well, she hasn’t said anything to make me think she’s even curious.” I lied just to shut Simone up. She had a way of questioning everything. I hadn’t forgotten about the questions Chanté had asked Bella, but a part of me was a little suspicious about why Chanté never approached me. “Why don’t we think about getting our groove on,” I offered, trying to keep things light.
“Yeah, I feel you on that. So, what’s up with the bachelorette party Diane mentioned?” Simone asked.
“Bachelorette party?” Bella questioned. “Diane, you are getting too gay for me.”
“Look, it’s like I told her. I don’t think we need to even start doing events like
that. I mean, we make good money now. We start going out like that, I’m just afraid it could turn into something we don’t want.”
Simone didn’t look like she agreed too much with my response, but I meant what I said. “I didn’t start this business only to go right back to where I’d started. I see no real money in the stripping thing; especially since we make three or four times what a stripper earns on a good night. This is easy money for a few hours on your back.”
I knew for sure that old saying … been there and done that … applied in this case. It made no sense to start stripping at parties. And honestly, I was a bit pissed at Diane for even bringing it up in the first place. I went and sat down next to Diane.
“Did you ever imagine things would turn out this way?” I asked.
“I always knew you were destined for the big-time. I watched how you came to Ecstasy and took over. Yeah, there were prettier girls working there. Better dancers too. I was a better dancer than you.” Diane laughed. “But you knew how to give those men what they wanted, and you made the money. So, when you said you were gonna do this, I knew this was where the money was gonna be. Why do you think I begged you to be down?” Diane smirked.
“Smart girl.” I leaned closer to her. “So, why do you want to take a step backwards and go back to shaking your ass? I know it can’t be the money.”
“Honestly,” Diane said softly, “Crème asked me if I would do the party with her. I already told her what you said, but she wants to get with us bad and she’s trying anything.”
“I knew there had to be something else to it. I tell you what, why don’t you and me go by Ecstasy and I’ll tell Crème myself. That should get her off you.”
“Thanks, Jada. Once she hears no from you, maybe she’ll stop bugging me about it.”
Diane and I stood up and started getting ready to leave. “We’re gonna make a quick run, ladies,” I said to Bella and Simone. “Chanté is on her way. Give me a call and let me know where y’all end up and we’ll meet you there.”
