Naked Hustle

by Trey Parker

  Latoya had never seen Taq so alive. He was more enthusiastic as he had ever been. Day in and day out he had been running around the city and making moves. His first focus was to buy some more real estate properties. He wanted to buy duplexes, triplexes, and apartment complexes to create a consistent cash flow. He even put Latoya to work. Her job was to go around Atlanta looking for foreclosures and properties that appeared to be cheap. She was told to contact realtors to see if they knew of any good real estate deals for Taq to invest in. She enjoyed it. While she was filling up her tank at the gas station, her phone started ringing. She saw that it was Lisa Smith. She ignored it. She figured it was her just trying to apologize again. Then she had another incoming call from Poison. She answered.

  “Where are you?” asked Poison.

  “I’m at the BP gas station off of Buford Highway. Why?”

  “Ok. Don’t panic. This is not a drill. Taq’s in trouble. Someone has him hostage as we speak.”

  “Really?! How?! What’s wrong?!”

  “Remain calm! Do not call him, someone has his phone and is trying to set you up next.”

  “Oh shit! I’m scared Poison, what should I do?”

  “Just stay there! I’m coming to get you now! I’m not too far. Do not move!”

  “Ok! I’ll stay here.”

  Latoya sat in her car and locked the doors. She was terrified. Ten minutes passed and she was getting a call from Taharq. She knew it was a set up. Poison said not to call him, he didn’t say anything about Taq calling her. But what if he escaped? She answered.

  “Hello,” answered Latoya in fear.

  “Hey baby. Did you eat already?”

  “Everything ok?! Thank God it’s you! Are you still a hostage?!Did you escape?!”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? Escape what?!”

  Knock. Knock. Knock. Poison knocked on the driver side car window.

  “Poison said that you were in trouble… Wait a minute he’s hear now,” Latoya opened the door.

  Poison grabs Latoya and yanks her out of the car. Four guys hop out Poison’s car dressed in black with ski masks. They had on gloves and carried a rope. Latoya tries to escape Poison’s grasp and she tries to scream. “No!! Stop! One of the men punches Latoya in the face and she passes out.

  Latoya eventually wakes up dreadfully in fear. Her hands and feet are tied together. She’s in a warehouse. The heat had sweat dripping profusely from her pores. It smelled like something had died. Panting. She looks to her left and sees a dead body with his hands tied, slumped over. She recognized the body. It was Pat. She screamed! She looked to her right and saw Farren, tied up sitting next to her. Farren was still alive but she looked defeated.

  “What is this all about?! Are you responsible for this too?! Another set up. You and Poison?! Which one of y’all murdered Pat?”

  Farren shook her head. “You’re right. It’s my fault. I’m sorry Latoya. I’m sorry that I brought you into this life. I’m sorry that I introduced you to Poison. I’m sorry that I created Black Vanity. I always knew that you’d be the shit when I first met you. Deep down inside I envied you because I knew you’d become bigger and better than me. I’m sorry that I talked shit about you behind your back. I’m sorry that I jumped you in the Dreamville parking lot. You didn’t deserve this, I love you, Latoya.”

  With tears of fear running down her cheeks, Latoya said, “Now is not the time to apologize. We’re going to make it out of this. We’re going to be ok. Right? Where the fuck are we?” Latoya said.

  “I have no clue. Somewhere in one of Musa’s warehouses. But I do know one thing. If I make it out alive, I’m done. I’m done with it all. I’m going legit. I swear to God, I’m going to stop. I’m done with the naked hustle.”

  “I am too. I’m done with it all.”

  “I’m going to mentor little girls to not take this path. I’m going to start my own beauty and skin care line. Make-up, Eye-lashes, Hair, all that shit!”

  “What is it going to be called?” asked Latoya.

  “Vanity-Kisses Inc. My name and your name put together. We can launch it together too.”

  The warehouse doors swung open and the guys that kidnapped Latoya walked in. They still had their ski masks on. They then took them off. Three of the guys, Latoya didn’t recognize. One of the guys was Poison.

  “Poison, why are you doing this?!” yelled Latoya.

  Poison smiled and walked over to Latoya. “Latoya, aka Black Vanity, aka Mrs. BWS. You know I was in love with you. I would’ve spared your life if you would’ve just gave me a chance. I protected you from dangers that you didn’t even know existed. Not Taq. I did! You and I could’ve lived happily ever after. But you didn’t appreciate my service to you. You overlooked me. So now, it’s time for you and Taq to pay the price. With your lives.”

  “Poison! You know this shit is going to cost you your life too! This is like suicide. You and I go way back. You’re smarter than this. Don’t go through with this,” said Farren.

  “Shhhhh. Hush up!” said Poison. “The real boss is coming. Musa doesn’t want any squealing from y’all. He wants everything to be done quickly and quietly. Y’all both lived a fantastic life. Sorry, it won’t end the way y’all would like it to.”

  Moments later. A dark shadow came from around the corner. It was the devil himself. Latoya was dumbfounded.

  “Surprise, surprise. Well look what the tide brought in. Latoya. My crush from awhile back. From working in construction to the stripper pole. You are a multifaceted young lady aren’t you. How’s that bitch, Tina, doing?!”

  “Wait Marvin? You’re Musa?!” said Latoya.

  “Ding. Ding. Ding. Marvin Maples aka Musa. You got it! In the flesh. The one and only. The legend himself. The guy everyone loves to hate. Now, you’re probably wondering why we’re all gathered here today. My money is the one thing that I don’t play about. The streets have spoken, and they are saying that y’all robbed me. About two years ago, $75,000 of my money was stolen from me. And my accountant Booker was found dead. Y’all remember that? It was all over the news.”

  “We don’t remember,” said Latoya.

  “I thought you’d say that. Well, I remember. See my friend, Poison here, told me how everything went down with Booker. So, I know EVERYTHING. He was hired by Taq to rob me. Along with you two. But see, I like Poison. He’s the best in the business. It’s hard to find a good hard working hitman like Poison. That’s why I decided not to kill him. I actually decided to help him switch teams. Now he’s with the winning team. I can use a killer like him. But you two, y’all are disposable.”

  “Musa, please. Spare us. Latoya had nothing to do with this. It was all me. I forced her to come,” said Farren.

  “Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck about who did what at this point. All I know is that my money is gone and somebody will pay the price, plus interest. And when I mean pay, I mean with your lives,” he looks at Poison. “Fire her.”

  Latoya looked at Farren, she looked confused. Poison pointed his gun at Farren and pulled the trigger. The loud pop of the gun startled Latoya and she screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked at Farren’s body as it pulsated, pumping blood from her like a waterfall making a lake around her.

  Poison ran up to Latoya with the gun and pointed it at her head. “Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! Before I blow your brains out next.”

  She was quiet but still whimpering in horror.

  “Let her be. Let her be. Let me talk to her for a second before she is fired,” Marvin walked up close to her and made Poison back up.

  “Latoya. Or better yet. Black Vanity. You know I liked you. Like, I really did. When I first saw you when Tina had you in my house, I was amazed at how beautiful you were. Fine as wine. If I would’ve had to choose between you and Tina, I would’ve chose you. You had some bomb-ass coochie. I mean, damn. Whoever taught you how to fuck should be proud of themselves. But when Tina found out about our little secret, it was all ruined. And I thou
ght I would never see you again. But, see how destiny works. We were meant to run into each other again. Different circumstances of course, but either way, we’re together. So, I get one more chance. One more chance to make love to you. To fuck you like it’s our last time. Which it will be because you’ll be dead afterwards. And the fact that you’re Taq’s fiancée now is even better. If I fuck you on tape, then send it to him, it’s like a fuck you message to him. You get it? Knocking two birds out with one stone. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I’m going to fuck you, my men are going to record it, and then we’re going to send it to him as a message not to fuck with us. I crack myself up. Then you’ll be fired just like your friend, Red Kisses.” He smiled and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “Alright, Teddy, go take her in the room and let her undress. Bring the gun and watch her closely, so she don’t try no funny shit. If she do, shoot the shit out of her.”

  They took her in a room. A big black fat dude name Teddy with a big gun stood and watched her. He was like 6’5” 300 lbs. She sat there, still sobbing and in disbelief. Knowing that her demise was near, she reflected on her life. Thinking about what had all transpired to bring her to this point. She thought about Martha’s life. She thought about her grandma Betsy. Then she started crying again. She couldn’t stop.

  “Baby girl, Musa said you gotta get undressed. You can’t just sit here. No crying.” Said Teddy.

  She thought to herself. She can just sit here. Her life is over. She had given up. They can just kill her at this point. There was no way out of this one. Until she remembered something. She looked at Teddy’s leg and saw that there were two rectangular objects in his pocket. Teddy had her phone. That was a sign not to give up. She looked at Teddy with the big gun. And she thought of a plan. She was going to do whatever it took to escape.

  “Ummm. Teddy. Are you going to be the one who is going to kill me?”

  “Nah, baby girl. Just get undressed, like Musa said.”

  “Because you’re too damn good looking to be killing people,” said Latoya looking him up and down.

  “That’s how you feel huh?”

  “Uhh yea. If I survive this. I will fuck the shit out of your big black sexy ass.”

  Teddy Laughed. “I feel you, but it won’t happen.”

  “So, you wouldn’t want to fuck me? Be honest? It’s just me and you here.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Good. Because I would do you for sure. As a matter of fact, if I don’t survive, I want you to remember me. I want you to masturbate to me when I’m gone.”

  “Jack off to a dead bitch? Nah, I’m not that freaky.”

  “I bet you I can change your mind. Hand me my phone and I’ll show you something.”

  “Fuck no. Why do you need your phone? It’s off,” he said pulling it out and showing her that it was off.

  “I’m going to send you some naked pictures of me. It only takes a second for me to send them. The same pictures that I send to my man, Taq.”

  He hesitated. “I can turn your phone on and send them for you.”

  “No! I have them hid in my phone. I don’t keep my nudes in my gallery. They’re in a secret place.”

  He didn’t say anything for a second then he handed her the phone. “Hurry up and send them.”

  She turned the phone on. “Ok, I will. Just give me a second. What’s your number?”

  “678-458-7835.”

  “Ok. Sending them now.” She had her phone and she attempted to send her location to Taq. Right before pressing the send button, Teddy snatched the phone. “Bitch!” Then slaps her upside the head. “You must think I’m stupid.”

  “Teddy, bring that bitch out,” yelled Marvin from the other room.

  She came out with just a towel on. Teddy escorted her to Musa’s room with a gun pointed at her. Musa was in a robe. There was a camera on a tripod. The room had nothing in it but a mattress and a shelf. There was an empty glass and a bottle of some type of liquor plus a red pill. Musa poured the liquor into the glass and picked the pill up. Take this to the head. “You’re going to need a little motivation,” Terry held the gun to her head.

  Latoya then lays on the bed with the towel on. Musa proceeds to take his robe off. Suddenly shots are fired from the other warehouse room.

  Musa peaks out the room and sees a tall figure with multiple guns in hand. He sees two of the his men shot dead.

  Musa grabs Latoya by the neck, points a gun to her head and slowly escorts her out the room.

  “Hey! Hold fire! Is the what you want?!” yells Musa walking into the main room. The gunshots stopped. Teddy and Poison, have guns pointed at Taq and he had guns pointed at them.

  “Poison you know better. I trusted you. You know that you just committed suicide by betraying me.” Said Taq.

  “No. No. No. See, Poison is smart. He joined the winning side. He knows that you’re weak now. He knows where the biggest opportunity is, unlike you,” says Musa.

  “Drop your gun, Taq. The game is over for you, three on one, you lose,” said Poison.

  “No, you drop your gun! I trusted you with my life, Poison. Whatever happened to loyalty? You were like a little brother to me. You could’ve stepped to me like a man if you weren’t happy with me.”

  “My son! Oh my son, I see you haven’t changed one bit! You don’t know shit about loyalty. Because if you knew anything about loyalty, you would’ve stayed working for me and we wouldn’t be in this mess now. But you’re still stubborn and ignorant just like you were growing up,” said Musa.

  “I’m not your son, anymore. Don’t call me son!” said Taharq.

  “Oh really? Who taught you everything that you know! Who raised you?! Who took you in when you were homeless? Who put food on your plate? Who gave you your first million?! Huh?”

  “I earned my first million!” said Taq.

  “You earned that million because I put you in a position to win! And this is what I get in return? You leave my organization to start your own little operation. Then you rob your own father?!”

  “You’re not my father! My father’s dead, just like you’ll be soon. And I robbed you because you tried to kill me three years ago, Musa. That’s why I robbed you!”

  Marvin chuckled. “Ok. Ok. I will admit that I did try to wipe you out. Because you were dealing in my territory. And you know better, not to fuck with Musa’s money! So how about this. I’m going to give you an offer you can’t refuse. How about we settle all of this and you just join my organization and shut down your operation. Be smart like Poison. Just like the good ole days. Or I blow your girlfriend’s fucking brains out all over this dusty warehouse floor.”

  “Fuck you, Musa,” said Taharq.

  “Wrong answer.”

  Shots rang in the air. Latoya closed her eyes in terror. However, she felt nothing. Musa stumbled and appeared disheveled. Latoya escapes Musa’s grasp, runs and ducks for cover. Musa looked down and saw that he was shot in the leg. Then immediately another shot in the chest. He fell to the ground. Poison looked at him confused from where the bullet came from. Then fired shots at Taharq, hitting him in the arm and leg. Taharq stumbles and falls to the ground. Poison then gets hit in the chest by another bullet. Poison then realized that Teddy was the one that had shot him and Musa. He turns and fires at Teddy, killing Teddy. That’s when Taharq fired a bullet right through Poison’s head. And he was killed instantly.

  Wounded, but determined, Taq managed to get back on his feet. He limps over to Teddy. Teddy laid on his back with his eyes wide open in a puddle of blood. Taq whispers “Thank you,” in Teddy’s ear and closes his eyelids. He grabs Teddy’s gun then he limps over to Musa.

  Struggling to stay alive, Musa is laying on the ground, gasping for air with a mouth full of blood.

  “Now, looks like I’m not the only one that doesn’t understand loyalty,” says Taq.

  Taharq shoots Musa in the head. Latoya ran to Taharq’s arms.

  1

  NAKED HUSTLE

 
1

  NAKED HUSTLE

  41. Ride or Die

  Taq’s Estate

  That night, Latoya and Taq were home watching the news.

  “A massacre has occurred in the city of Atlanta today. The assassination of the CEO of Maples Construction, Marvin Maples has shocked the city. Marvin Maples’ body was found alongside four other bodies in an abandoned warehouse off of Candler Rd. Investigators have identified the other four bodies as Farren Hernandez, Patrick Williams, Peter “Poison” Porter, and Teddy Henderson. Investigators believe that this could’ve been a drug deal gone wrong that turned into a bloodbath. Although Marvin Maples was a super successful business man in the community, some sources say that Maples may have been one of the most successful drug lords in the country. Estimating that he had a net worth of over 100 million dollars. Investigators believe that there is one suspect by the name of Taharq “Taq” Taylor, a rival drug lord that is still at large. If anyone has any tips that can lead to the whereabouts of Taharq “Taq” Taylor, they will be awarded $100,000.”

  Taq’s arms and legs were wrapped firmly with clothing and bandages from the bullet wounds. But that didn’t stop Taq’s arms from being firmly wrapped around Latoya. They laid on the couch naked, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The sweat from their bodies dripped onto each other. They had just finished making the most passionate love they had ever made as if it was there last time. Escaping the reality of what they had just been through; temporarily releasing the stress and the worry of what the near future held. With the remote in her hand pointed at the television, she wished she could turn the channel of their life to something more pleasant and peaceful. Instead, their present circumstances were painful. Latoya couldn’t turn on the television or even stroll through her phone without seeing Musa or Taq’s name.

  “What are we going to do? Shouldn’t we be leaving the country right now? We have our passports,” Latoya said looking up to Taq.

  “There’s no need to run. I’m going to turn myself in. Then you’re going to bail me out.”