A Hustler's Queen

by Saundra

  “Get the price to Precious and she will get the money right over to you.”

  “Will do. It was nice doing business with you.” With that and to my surprise, Dexter handed me the keys, then reached out and shook DaVon’s hand.

  “Thank you so much, babe.” I jumped in DaVon’s arms. Dexter stared at us both and smiled before exiting. “I can never thank you enough.” I planted kisses all over DaVon’s sexy face.

  “It’s nothin’. Get whatever your heart desires, my sweetness. You get it fixed up in here and buy whatever you need to get it back going the way you want. Like I said, money is not a problem.” Leaning down, DaVon slowly slid his tongue in my mouth. Instantly, I was overexcited. Had my cell phone not rung, there was no telling what I might have done next.

  “Hello,” I answered the phone. DaVon dove back in and continued to suck on my neck.

  “What’s up, Precious? Yo ass done went missing again,” Keisha barked into the phone.

  DaVon held on to me but released my tongue so I could speak. “Here you go with that. I am not missing, just busy, Keisha.” I laughed. “But what’s up?”

  “Tryin’ to see if you down to have a few drinks with me and Buffy at the bar? A lil girl time.”

  DaVon’s phone started to ring. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip on me to answer it. I didn’t want his arms to move because I knew once his call was over, he was out. The hustle kept him on the move, but I was learning to accept that. It’s who he was. “Yeah, I’m down. But I have to drop DaVon at his whip first.”

  “That’s cool. I’ll text you the address. Tell DaVon’s apple-headed ass I said what’s up.”

  “You better stop talking bout my man.” I chuckled and ended the call.

  “Aye, work callin’,” DaVon said as soon as I ended the call.

  “I already know. But it’s cool. I’m going to meet up with Keisha and Buffy for drinks.”

  “A’ight, I guess we can resume this later.” He stuck his tongue in my mouth again and I had to end it quickly in order to control myself.

  * * *

  “What’s up, bitch?” Keisha sang as I took a seat at the bar where she and Buffy were held up.

  “What’s up, chic?” Buffy chimed in.

  “Hey, you two.” I couldn’t help but smile at Keisha. She was always hype. Not to mention I was getting used to being called a bitch in every sentence. In high school and in LA, that’s how friends greeted you, period. It was known and very normal. But for the past couple of years, I had almost fallen out of touch with my peers and other people my age. All of my time was spent at the dry cleaners. So when I got back out into society and Keisha started calling me a bitch every third word, I had to fight to keep from taking it personal when I knew it was not.

  “I guess it’s safe to say my boy DaVon is keeping you happy,” Keisha added.

  “And you would be right. He’s keeping me very happy.” I gloried. I was happy and there was no need to keep it a secret.

  “Shiddd, that’s what up. I’m glad to witness it. I was worried you would turn into a nun. Let’s get these drinks poppin’. Bartender, hit me with three shots of tequila all around.” Keisha pointed to Buffy, herself, then me.

  “Comin’ right up.” The bartender gave us a wink.

  “Yeah, you cute,” Keisha flirted.

  The bartender blushed and we all smiled. “I guess you in the mood to go hard,” I commented on the shots Keisha had ordered. I didn’t normally drink so heavily so early, but I was in the celebration mood.

  “Damn right. What’s the need to pussy around wit’ it. Real bitches drink up.” Buffy grinned, took the salt shaker, sprinkled it on the top of her hand, licked, and downed her drink. “Another one, bartender.”

  “Yo, don’t be surprised this bitch a G.” Keisha giggled.

  “Hey, I’m in a celebration mood anyhow. So let’s do it.” I followed suit with the salt routine and downed my shot. The salt was known to lessen the blow of the liquor. But to be honest it still burned my chest the same. “Haaah.” I breathed in from the heat of the tequila as it punished my chest.

  Buffy laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, the hair will grow on your chest soon.”

  “So what’s the celebration you talkin’ about? You pregnant?” Keisha let the words slide from her lips.

  That caught me off guard. Out of everything she could have guessed, that had been her choice? I was flabbergasted. “Uh, hell to the no.” My eyes bulged at her.

  “Hey, I was just giving it my best shot.”

  I would need another shot just to get over Keisha’s assumption. “No, my good news is . . . I just became the owner of my dad’s dry cleaners again.”

  “Wait, what? When?” Keisha was surprised. “I thought it was sold already.”

  “Well, turns out things didn’t work out with the first buyer. I found out about it and jumped right on it. DaVon and I met with the dealer today and DaVon closed the deal. I have the keys and all that.” I showcased them with a huge grin. And not only was my face smiling, so was my heart. When the place was sold I never thought I would own it again.

  “Yo, that’s what’s up, Precious. I know how much that place means to you,” Keisha said.

  “That place is my history . . . my dad worshipped that place,” I added.

  “Then he would be proud,” Keisha supposed. “So now what?”

  Keisha’s question threw me into think mode. I could only sigh when I thought about the work ahead. Buying the business back was just the easy part. “Hiring people is going to be top of the list because with school, I can’t do it. I mean I will be able to work there part-time, but I want the business to run full-time like when my dad owned it. But first I need to do a bit of upgrading and replacing the machinery. That was the biggest part of the business decline; we didn’t have enough machines that worked properly. So I got to make sure that’s all taken care of.”

  “A’ight. Sounds like you got a plan then.” Keisha nodded her head in agreement.

  “Damn, bitches be meetin’ them Nino Brown niggas and comin’ up,” Buffy said. I gave her a fake smile because I knew she was tryin’ to throw shade.

  “This bitch drunk, I swear,” Keisha commented, laughed, then ordered another drink.

  I ordered another shot also, but this time only took a sip.

  “Precious, you gotta come by the hair store,” Keisha reminded me. She had opened her hair store a week before.

  “What happened to the grand opening? I had plans to attend.”

  “Girl, my cousin’s ghetto ass got the dates all fucked up and it threw stuff off with the planners I was tryin’ to use. So my impatient ass said forget it.” Keisha waved it off.

  “Keisha, we gotta go. You know we got some moves to make before I go to work,” Buffy threw in all loud.

  “A’ight, bitch, calm down, let me finish my drink . . .” Keisha rolled her eyes at Buffy. But their behavior was normal. Someone who didn’t know them might think there was animosity between them. “Precious, we got to bounce though.”

  “It’s cool,” I said.

  We finished up our drinks and headed outside. Keisha suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Damn, Precious, is that your truck?”

  “Yep.” I smiled proudly.

  “I’m crushin’ on that. That shit on spice!” she replied, while still checking it out.

  “Thanks.” I wore a huge grin.

  “That damn fine-ass DaVon know he showing out, too bad I didn’t get to suck that dick first. I could have had one of these trucks,” Buffy boasted.

  Stunned, I just glared at her and took in her rude comment. I know she had a big mouth and was known to say whatever. But honestly, she was starting to strike a nerve. I gave her the second fake smile I had to offer that day. I was sweet as pie and it was no act. But I was not to be fooled with no more than that. “Buffy, we cool, but you need to hit the respect button. DaVon is my man now.”

  “Please, let this bitch know. Cause her ass crazy,” Keisha co
signed.

  Buffy looked at me but had no facial expression, then burst out laughing. “My bad, bitches be getting shook about the dick.” She gave a dramatic thrust forward with her shoulders. “It’s cool though. Again, my bad, Precious.” She smirked.

  I didn’t feel like she was being sincere at all, but beyond her spill I didn’t have a comment. Without another word, I jumped in my Mercedes. This day was going good for me and I would not allow anyone to ruin it, especially Buffy. Trina’s “Here We Go” came on my Pandora. Turning it up, the beat blasted through my speakers as I exited the parking lot feeling damn good.

  Chapter 14

  It had taken two months but I, with DaVon’s help, had been able to get the dry cleaners up and running. The building had been cleaned, painted, updated with new pictures and seating, new equipment, the whole nine. Last but not least, we had hired two staff members and I was excited that Katrina, aka K, was back in town. When she heard about the cleaners, she came down and secured her spot. I jumped at the chance to have her back, so I gave her a full-time position. To finish off the team, I hired Regina, another young lady, to work part-time. To balance it, I was going to work part-time too. The icing on the cake was the grand opening I had thrown together for today. I was so excited. In honor of the grand opening, we were giving out coupons for 40 percent off.

  I was amped to watch people arrive from the community. They were actually happy that we were reopening, and supported the business 100 percent. Especially all of Dad’s old customers. But there were plenty of unfamiliar faces.

  “Dang, Precious, I can’t believe you pulled this off. Your dad would be so proud.” Katrina beamed. It felt so good to have her here with me. She was like family.

  “I know. I’m still in shock myself, K. But here we are.” I looked around and admired the place.

  “Well, let me get one of these cute bite-size turkey snacks, I’m hungry.” Katrina moved toward the catered food we had set up for the guests.

  “What’s up, babe.” DaVon stepped inside, looking good enough to eat. He was late because he had been out of town on business for two days. But he had come as soon as he freshened up from the plane. He pulled me into his arms for a hug and it felt so good. Being in his arms confirmed how much I missed him.

  “What do you think? Look at the turnout.” I was proud to have him see the outcome of his support.

  “It’s nice. I didn’t expect anything else. You work hard, babe, and this is your family legacy. You got this.” He winked at me. Damn, that turned me on.

  “This is tight, Precious,” Quincy commented as he approached us, looking around. “I remember this used to be Keisha’s spot, always talkin’ bout drivin’ all the way over here from Brentwood to drop off her shit.”

  “She was a loyal customer,” I cosigned. “Where she at? She told me she would be here.” I glanced around the room to confirm that Keisha was nowhere in sight.

  “My bad, she told me to tell you she ain’t gone make it, she sick.”

  I didn’t expect to hear that. “Is she okay?” I asked.

  “She cool, I guess.” He didn’t sound too sure. “She ate something bad, I think.” I got the feeling he didn’t care. I made a mental to call her later myself.

  Clip stepped up beside me. “Yo, you flexin’, Precious.”

  “Thanks, Clip.” Clip was one of DaVon’s younger peons, but DaVon treated him like a little brother; they were really close. Clip was really cool and I liked him. But when it came to the streets, the best way to describe him was like O-Dog from the movie Menace II Society: young, black, and didn’t give a fuck. And the streets of LA were more than aware. But his loyalty was priceless, and that also was something you didn’t find with the life they led.

  DaVon grabbed me by the hand and led me toward the back, where he ducked off into my office. He closed the door behind me and pulled me into his arms. “I’ve waited for two days to do that, and that’s way too long,” DaVon whispered in my ear.

  “So why are we talkin’?” I went back in for his lips. He gripped my butt in his hands and I moaned.

  “Damn, I hate to release you from my arms. But I gotta make this run. Don’t worry though, I’ll be in early tonight.” He leaned in for another kiss. “So keep it tight.” He smacked me on the butt.

  It turned me on when he smacked me on the butt. “I’ll be ready.” I seductively licked my bottom lip. We walked back out to the front. I could see a few people had left, but more were coming in. I stood back and watched everyone, and for a brief moment I wondered if Dad’s murderer was in my presence. The thought of it made my stomach churn, realizing it could be any one of them. The police still didn’t have a clue who was responsible. But then I thought of DaVon and Clip and comfort consumed me. I took in a deep breath, knowing security from DaVon’s crew was all around me, and I knew that what happened to my father would not happen to me. DaVon made sure that everyone knew I was his girl and they knew what crossing him meant. And that alone brought me the respect that assured me that no one dared to touch me. So I wasn’t worried about me. But I feared what I might do if I ever found out who had dared murder my father.

  * * *

  From the moment Keisha open her front door I knew what Quincy said about her being sick had to be true. Her hair was frizzy and pulled back in a ponytail, there was not a speck of makeup on her face, and her skin was pale. Seeing her this way made me feel bad that it took me so long to come by and check on her. It had been a week since the grand opening and there were a few things I had to wrap up at the bank with payroll so that I could pay Katrina and Regina. Not to mention I still had class, so I had to do my schoolwork in between. Today was the first free day I had had to myself. Therefore, when Quincy stopped by the house two days ago to see DaVon and mentioned that Keisha was still sick, I made it my business to stop by today.

  “Dang, Keisha, you look awful. What bug you got? Have you been to the doctor?” I was concerned and almost scared to go inside, afraid that I might catch whatever she was battling.

  “Girl, yes.” She gripped the loose Nike T-shirt she was wearing closer to her body. Just talking made her look like she might be ill.

  “Well, what’d he say?” Reluctantly, I stepped inside the condo and closed the door behind me. I followed Keisha into the living room, where she sluggishly sat down on the sofa. She focused her attention on the television.

  “He talkin’ bout I’m gone have a baby.” She kept her attention on the television.

  At first, I was not sure if I heard her correctly. “You’re pregnant?” I repeated.

  “That’s what the doctor said. And I feel like I’m dying, so he must be right.” She rubbed her hand across her face.

  “Congratulations, Keisha.” I was happy for her. But she really didn’t look good at all.

  “Precious, this pregnancy is fuckin’ me over. I can’t eat shit, I feel dizzy most of the time. And I think I got the fuckin’ chills. Hell, it feels more like the flu than pregnancy.”

  I didn’t know much about pregnancy except from what I had learned in school. And her symptoms sounded classic from what I had learned. “That’s morning sickness I think. It should pass.” I waved it off.

  Keisha lifted herself, putting weight on her left elbow. “No, this shit last all day nonstop. Morning sickness my ass,” Keisha complained.

  “Did you tell the doctor?”

  “Yeah, Quincy took me to the clinic this morning. I couldn’t stop throwing up spit and guts. He examined me and didn’t find anything wrong. The doctor gave me something for the nausea. He said the dizziness and chills should pass.”

  “Are you taking the nausea medicine?”

  “Yeah, I took one about an hour ago, but I haven’t had an appetite to eat nothin’ yet. Shidd, really I think I’m afraid too, this throwin’ up got me traumatized . . . I don’t see how some of these bitches got all these kids if this what it’s like being pregnant.” Keisha stretched her legs out on the couch and covered up with a throw
blanket. I felt so bad for her; I had never seen her look so disheveled. Keisha was one of those chicks that always was in beast mode.

  “Let’s stay positive and hope the medicine kicks in soon.” I tried to be optimistic. “What Quincy say?”

  “Girl, his ass amped, he talkin’ about buying a big house cause he want the baby to have a backyard, with a tennis court. Can you believe that shit? That’s what this nigga worried about why I’m lying up in this bitch suffering.” Keisha rolled her eyes. “But I can’t front. I’m wit’ getting a bigger crib. Hell, maybe we’ll end up neighbors.” She gave a weak laugh. “Nah, I’m just bullshittin’ though . . . Quincy ain’t ballin’ like that.”

  “Don’t doubt that man. You never know,” I added.

  “Nah, but maybe one day if he stick close to DaVon. Plus my hair line might blow up.” She laughed, but again it was a weak one.

  I smiled at her ambition. “Aye, anything possible. Look at me with the dry cleaners that’s back up and running. If you had told me this a month’s ago I would have never believed it.” It made me emotional just talking about it.

  “I know, right. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the grand opening. But I swear I was so damn sick that day. How was it though?”

  “Everything was perfect. The community really showed up.”

  “So what did you do about hiring someone?”

  “Oh, I didn’t tell you? I got Katrina back.”

  “That’s what’s up.”

  “Yep, and I hired another girl named Regina for part-time. And I plan to work part-time.”

  “Damn, Precious, you got this under control, huh?”

  “I better. It’s too late to procrastinate.”

  “I feel you, Precious. Cause don’t nothin’ come to a sleeper but a dream.”

  I noticed while we were talking some of the color seemed to be coming back to Keisha’s face. I figured the medicine must have been working. And I for one was getting hungry. “Keisha, I’m gettin’ hungry. Do you feel like putting on some clothes? We can go and grab some wings.”