“Give it up for Ursula Starr!” the DJ announced.
None of these sleazy brothers clapped, and they hissed and booed even louder. This Ursula chick pathetically reached down to scrape the few singles that were thrown to her off the black stage. “Fuck every last one of y’all!” she yelled.
I laughed, thinking, that’s some sad-ass shit right there.
The DJ, some wigger with corn rolls, stood in front of a turntable mixing one rap song after the next. When he put on Trina’s “Red Bottoms,” I wanted to get up out of my seat and shake my ass to that jam.
“That’s my bitch right there,” I said to myself.
“All right, niggas, loosen your ties, get outcha seats, and grab your dicks, ’cause let me introduce you to Tallahassee’s baddest bitch in the 8-5-0, Katiesha!”
It was her, the chick I had waited for, the bitch who hated Bree about as much as I did. Katiesha slinked out on stage, wearing a leopard-print two-piece, a blond wig that draped down her back, and black, red-bottom platforms. She had a pretty caramel complexion with round, brown titties and a thick booty. Now, I’m not saying that I’m gay or nothing, but if I was, I would probably holler, no lie.
So that’s the infamous Katiesha?
The bitch had given Bree shit for years. Katiesha was who I was looking for, who would be instrumental in the next phase of my plan to break up Bree and Kashawn. The suits were making it rain with dollar bills as she wrapped herself seductively around the steel pole, grinding her pussy against it like it was a dick. She had these fools eating out of her hands, and would soon leave them with empty wallets and brick-hard dicks. I pulled a C-note out of my cleavage, walked slowly past these sex-thirsty men to the stage, and handed the money to Katiesha. All the eyes in the club were on me. These mutts were cheering like a bunch of pussy-hungry frat boys, like they wanted me to join Katiesha up on stage. Dirty fucks. When it comes to pussy, men will do anything, including sit and roll over. The way Katiesha made her ass jiggle and clap on stage, she had them drooling all over themselves.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, the way she swung herself around the pole like some kind of exotic boa constrictor. She even had a bitch like me captivated by her talent. After her performance, she came out in the lounge area of the club, dressed in a red robe with lace trim on the sleeves and at the hem. The suits pulled at her like she was some famous porn star, all of them aching for a minute of her time, but she kept her light-brown eyes zeroed in on me, knowing, as well as I, that those fools were trifling and low-pro.
“How you doing tonight?” she asked.
“Sitting here, enjoying my drink and the sexy entertainment. I gotta tell you, ma, you were doing your thing up on the stage.”
“Thank you. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Hell yeah. I love how you have these fools puffing and panting on you.”
“So what brings you out tonight?”
“I’m just out, seeing what kind of trouble I can get into.”
“I feel you,” Katiesha said. “So, um…you want to go in back for a lap dance?”
“Lead the way, baby girl.”
Katiesha took me by the hand, leading me toward a back room at the rear of the club. The room was dimly lit with a red and black color scheme. The floor was blacker than the devil’s asshole, and the walls and plush booth seats were as red as sin. Katiesha picked a private corner of the room where she sat me down.
“I just want to let you know before we get started that it’s two-hundred bucks an hour.”
“Not a problem,” I told her.
I was willing to pay whatever it took to get Katiesha on my team, to do what I needed her to do. I plucked two hundred-dollar bills out of my silver clutch and handed them to her. She stuffed them seductively down into the leopard-print bra part of her bikini. I started to ask her where she purchased it from, but decided against it. Katiesha worked herself between my thighs, grinding her booty in my lap. If I had a dick, I would have been bone-hard that night.
“What do you think I could get for a thousand?”
Katiesha gyrated around slowly with a seductive expression on her face. “Pretty much anything you want, baby.” She gleamed. “What do you have in mind?”
“How about just talking?”
“Talk? Talk about what?”
“A mutual friend of ours.”
“I don’t have any friends.”
“This bitch you would know. Bree Parker.”
As soon as I mentioned Bree’s name, Katiesha gawked at me like it was a mortal sin to say Bree’s name in her presence. “Who the fuck are you?” She spoke with venom in her voice.
“Someone who wants to see Bree get exactly what she deserves.”
Katiesha kept on dancing. “It’s been a hot minute since I last heard that name. You still haven’t told me who you are and what you want.”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“Is this some kind of joke? Did that bitch send you here to punk me?”
“Bree didn’t send me. I’m an old roommate of hers. We lived together back when she was stripping here at the club.”
“Okay, and?”
“She always talked about how she couldn’t stand you.”
“Well, the feeling was mutual. How is that stank pussy bitch anyway?”
“We can’t talk here. Meet me in the parking lot after your shift is over, and I’ll fill you in on everything. I drive a black Mustang. It’s parked in the back of the parking lot.” I handed Katiesha a fifty-dollar bill to let her know that I wasn’t fucking around. “And there’s plenty more where that came from if you’re interested.” I walked out of the back room, leaving Katiesha with her curiosity piqued.
It felt good to breathe in some fresh air, to get away from the stench of period pussy and cigarettes. I waited almost two hours for Katiesha before she made her way out of the club, but I would have waited all night if it meant I would get what I came for. She was dressed from tip to tail in a black jacket, a black corset, and a black mini that was so short, you could see her fallopian tubes. She had on these eight-inch thigh-highs that I would have killed for. Black wavy weave came down over her shoulders.
Ho couture, I thought. I unlocked the passenger-side door for Katiesha to get in.
“Damn, these boots are killin’ me,” she said as she slid into the passenger seat.
“You know what they say: beauty is pain.”
“Shit. You ain’t never lied.”
“You hungry? There’s a Whataburger a block up the street. They have the best double cheeseburgers you ever want to sink your teeth into.”
Katiesha was skin and bones, like she hadn’t eaten a month from Sunday. “You ain’t weird or anything, are you? I’m not into that kinky shit.”
“I’m not weird, kinky, or crazy. I just want to do some business with you, that’s all. Lady to lady.”
“I guess I can use a little something to eat, but can you stop me off to Walgreens to get some cigarettes?”
I started my car. “Whatever you need, ma.”
15
BREE
“Baby, who was that?” Kashawn asked as he took me from behind, kissing along the nape of my neck.
“Um…it was Tangela. She asked if I wanted to have a girl’s night out tonight. I told her I would call her back and let her know for sure.” I felt terrible lying to Kashawn. I’d told so many lies to cover the truth, I had lost count. “I wouldn’t object to spending a quiet Saturday night with my man.”
“Baby, I have so much work to catch up on here. You should go. It’s better than sitting around the house.”
“Well, you want me to bring you some dinner home?”
“I’ll probably order takeout. It’s likely I will be burning the midnight oil tonight with all of these patient files.”
“So have you thought about this stuff with your biological father?”
“It’s all I’ve thought about. I need to work right now to take my mind off things.”
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“You know I’m here for you, no matter what you decide,” I said as I seductively roped my arms around Kashawn’s torso.
“And I could use that support system right now.” Kashawn and I came together in a long kiss.
“Are you sure you want to stay cooped up in your study all night?” I asked, caressing the bulge in his pants I was responsible for causing.
“If I don’t try to get some work done tonight, it will only pile up on me.”
I licked and kissed Kashawn’s top lip. “How about I pile up on you instead?”
When I started for his zipper, he eased away. “Let’s do this when I get from under all this paperwork, baby.”
“Are you sure you don’t want a little taste before you head off to the office?”
“Hell no, I’m not sure,” he laughed, “but if I don’t leave, I’m going to end up throwing you over this desk and fucking you gorilla style.”
“Where’s the bad in that?”
“Damn, girl,” he said, looking back at me as he reached for the doorknob.
“Your loss.” I ran my index finger across my cleavage, something that would give Kashawn the initiative to do what he had to do, so he could fuck me stupid later.
16
TANGELA
For someone who was skin and bones, Katiesha had the appetite of a moose. She ordered just about everything off the menu. Two double cheeseburgers, two large orders of fries, a large root beer, and two pineapple pies. The fast-food greasy spoon was packed with college kid drunks from the bar across the street. I picked a booth seat in a corner where Katiesha and I could run our mouths. The smell of hot grease bit my senses. Katiesha not only finished off what she ordered, but ate half of what I had on my tray. It was like she was a bottomless pit the way she scarfed down burgers and fries. Damn, to be that skinny and not gain an ounce should be a damn crime.
“So what that ho up to these days?” Katiesha asked, stuffing fries into her mouth. “Didn’t she get married to some hot-shot doctor?”
“Yeah, Dr. Kashawn Parker,” I said.
“I saw a picture of them in the paper. I wasn’t feeling that ugly-ass wedding dress she wore. Who is she fooling, wearing white like she’s some virgin princess? Bougie bitch. Bree always did think she was better than everybody.”
I swirled my straw around in my sweet tea. “More than ever now that she got a ring on it,” I added.
“Hell, that doesn’t mean nothing. She stoops over and shits like the rest of us.”
I don’t know what I was sickened by the most: Katiesha’s greasy fingers from the hamburgers, or her talking with her mouth full. Who taught this bitch proper table manners, Slimer from Ghostbusters? I’ve seen babies with better manners.
“So what’s up? You mentioned something about a business proposition.”
“So you know Bree’s husband?”
“Who hasn’t? I can’t stand that bitch, but, damn, she’s got good taste in men. The girls at the club steady be talking about how fine he is. Bree better not slip ’cause a bitch might push up on it.”
The thought of Katiesha doing anything to my Kashawn almost made me throw up in my mouth, but I had to keep my composure to get this shit done. “And how much would it take for you to push up on that?”
“Whatchu mean?” Katiesha dipped two fries into a container of spicy ketchup.
“What would you say if I told you I would pay you five grand to fuck Bree’s man?”
“I would say stop pulling my dick.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious.”
Katiesha started laughing. She took a napkin, realizing its use, and wiped her mouth. Hell, for a minute there, I thought I would have to get this girl a bib.
“Let’s go outside. I need a cigarette,” she said.
We walked outside where we leaned against my Mustang. Katiesha rested the cigarette between her lips, took out a green lighter, and lit the end until it burned orange-red. Smoke spirited from the cave of her nose, the crease of her lips.
“When are you talking about doing this?”
“Kashawn should be home now.”
“Hold up. I know you ain’t talking about doing this shit tonight.”
“Tonight is the only time it can be done. I might not have another opportunity like this.”
“So what’s in this shit for you?”
I wasn’t about to tell home girl my business. “That’s not important.”
“You trying to break their marriage up?”
“Question is will you do it?”
“That’s it, isn’t it? You wet for Bree’s man.”
I ignored Katiesha, growing more and more annoyed with her trying to get all up in my business. “It has to be done tonight and we need to move fast.”
“Well, I’ve never been one to turn down good money, but make it ten G’s and you got a deal.”
“Damn, ten grand?”
“Cash motherfucking money.”
I didn’t want to give into her demands. “Okay, I will give you five now and another five when the job is done.”
Katiesha took a drag from her cigarette as she considered my plan. I knew good and well it was an offer she wasn’t going to refuse. “That’s what’s up. Let’s do this.”
“And this has to be kept between you and me. If I find out that you told anyone, the deal is off, no money.”
“I gotchu. I’m down for whatever.”
I knew I couldn’t trust Katiesha’s ass as far as I could throw her. The girl was a stripper after all, which is why I was going to see this through. I already had Deanthony fucking my shit up, and I wasn’t about to have her throw a kink into my game.
“I need to clean up first, wash my pussy.”
“What?”
“My vagina. You want me to have a clean vagina, don’t you?”
“Do what you gotta do.”
As Katiesha went to the bathroom to freshen up, I couldn’t help but think what the hell I was getting myself into with this chick. I called Bree to see what was up. Deanthony should have done his part by now.
17
BREE
Fuck is Deanthony’s problem, calling me here? I need to have my damn head examined for agreeing to have drinks with him. As I cleared off the kitchen table, my iPhone rang. I studied the tiny flat-screen. It was Tangela.
“Girl, I’m so glad you called.”
“Hey, you all right? You sound upset.”
“I just got off the phone with Deanthony.”
“He called again? What does he want this time?” Tangela asked.
“He wants to have a drink tonight, make up for calling me and scaring the hell out of me the other day.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him I would meet up for one drink, but I’m thinking about calling him back and cancelling.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with talking to Deanthony. It’s not like you can move to another country.”
“I have a bone to pick with him anyway. Kashawn came home last night, drunk and pissed off.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Something about Edrick not being their real daddy.”
“Damn, that’s fucked up. Do they know of the whereabouts of their real daddy?”
“No, and it’s been bothering Kashawn ever since he found out. He hasn’t slept much and he’s spending a lot of time at the hospital and drowning himself in work to take his mind off things.”
“So where is he, at the hospital?”
“He’s in his study catching up on some work.”
I slipped on a simple white tank top and some jeans, nothing special, to meet with Deanthony. My hands were already starting to sweat at the thought of meeting up with D, but I knew Tangela was right. There was no running away from the man, no matter how much I wanted to avoid him. I grabbed my keys to the Mustang and hauled ass out the door.
“So what is Kashawn going to do?” Tangela asked.
“If I know him, he’s going to track h
is real daddy down.”
“That’s good, though, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t want him to set himself up for disappointment.”
“If he does, then you will be there to pick up the pieces,” Tangela said.
• • •
“Tange, I wish you were going with me.”
“You want me to meet you at The Mockingbird, lie back in case he tries something sneaky?”
“I would love that, but I want to find out why he came back here.”
I remembered the Marlboros I had stashed under the driver’s side seat. I struggled to quit for Kashawn, who hated that I smoked. I reached under and pulled the pack from under the seat. As soon as I hit a stoplight, I fished a cancer stick out of the pack and rested it between my lips. With a cheap lighter I’d purchased from CVS, I lit the end and took a drag.
“Well, let me go so I can get this over with.”
“Call me after. Let me know how everything goes,” Tangela said.
“You know I will.”
I pressed the red END CALL button on my cell and dropped it in my black leather clutch. The cigarette was what I needed to calm my ass down. I hadn’t set eyes on Deanthony since the birthday party at Mama Liz’s. I took a drag off my cigarette and then exhaled, blowing a body of smoke out into the warm spring air.
I was nervous as hell when I pulled into the lot of The Mockingbird. My heart was beating crazy. When I walked in, he was sitting at the bar, nursing on a Bud.
“All right, girl, let’s do this,” I said to myself. I went over and tagged Deanthony on the shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey, what’s up, you made it.”
“Sorry I’m late. I know you said seven o’clock.”
“It’s all good. I just got here anyway.”
A cute, brown-skinned bartender walked over to where we were sitting.
“You want something to drink?” Deanthony asked. “Vodka Cranberry, right?”
“You remembered.”
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