Hell House Returns 4: Reality TV Drama

by Brenda Hampton

  HELL HOUSE

  RETURNS

  Brenda Hampton

  Brenda Hampton Entertainment

  P.O. Box 773

  Bridgeton, MO 63044

  Hell House Returns

  Copyright © 2017 Brenda Hampton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.

  Printed in the United States of America

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  JADA

  OMG! I was so glad when I received a call from, Alex, the new producer of Hell House, asking if I wanted to come back and host the new show. Since I was considered the winner and everything from last time, I couldn’t say no. I wasn’t sure who else would return to the house or how many new people would come, but I was all for it. I had been on pins and needles, ever since I got the call. When I told my fake-ass friends about the invitation, I mean the offer, they advised me not to go there again. Why? I didn’t know. I didn’t have anything to lose, and since me and my cheap boyfriend had gone our separate ways, I was now single again. Plus, Alex said I would be paid ten grand for hosting Hell House. I’d be a fool to turn down that kind of money, especially since the money Jaylin had given me had already run out. I tried to spend it wisely, but I always had an urge to have brand-named stuff and the finer things in life. The good thing was, I had purchased a car; a car that was slightly banged up because I’d gotten in a little accident. The old, gray-haired woman in the other car claimed the accident was my fault, even though she was the one driving slow. She slammed on the brakes, causing me to hit the back of her car so hard that her wig fell off. All I did was bruised my breasts when they’d hit the steering wheel. Sadly, though, I didn’t have insurance. My car didn’t get fixed, neither did hers. She was in the process of trying to sue me, so I hoped that Jeff would be able to give me the ten grand upfront. I surely needed the money, and I was on my way to Hell House right now to claim it.

  The Uber driver had been running her crooked mouth ever since I’d gotten in her car. It was smoky as hell, and I was kind of upset because the smell had drowned out my sweet smelling perfume. I didn’t want to return to Hell House looking like crap. There were some nasty things said about me last time, and if any of those fools from before returned, I wanted to show them I had kicked things up a notch. The tight Levi’s I wore tucked in the extra weight I’d picked up just fine. My money-green blouse was low-cut and showed a healthy portion of my cleavage that my bra couldn’t contain. I sported green contact lenses, MAC eyelashes and my sandy-brown hair was in a bushy ponytail that looked every bit of natural. Thick and sexy defined me, and the glow of my brown skin was simply irresistible. Maybe I would find somebody to hook up with this time; then again, I wasn’t really looking for my soulmate in Hell House. All I would get there was a wet ass—I needed more than that for sure. Still, I couldn’t help but to wonder what the men would look like this time around. And the last person I wanted to see, again, was Prince. I could deal with Roc again—even with Jaylin. But if Prince showed up, Jeff would have to offer me twenty grand to stay, instead of ten.

  “I should be at your destination in about ten more minutes,” said the woman driver while looking in the rearview mirror. “This is a long way. I don’t ever think I’ve been to this area before, and the houses are nice. Who do you know over this way? Your man or someone else?”

  She had been asking me too many damn questions. When I’d first gotten in the car, she asked how many kids I had. Then she wanted to know if I was married. Now, she’s asking about my man. What’s next . . . my dog? What about the size of my panties? Did she need to know that too?

  “A friend of mine lives out here,” I said, rolling my eyes. I didn’t care if she saw me or not. It was a hint for her to mind her own business.

  “Well, your friend must be filthy rich. What does he or she do for a living?”

  I sighed, before getting her in check real quick.

  “Look lady. I don’t know why you keep asking me questions, but where I’m going, who I’m with and how much money they have really ain’t your business. Just take me to my destination and stop trying to be pacific about my whereabouts.”

  Caught off guard by my attitude, she snapped her head to the side, causing the car to swerve. I wobbled around in the back and had to hold on to the seat so I wouldn’t hurt myself.

  “Will you please turn around and watch where you going? You don’t need to turn your head to look at me. The rearview mirror works just fine.”

  She winced while evil-eyeing me in the rearview mirror.

  “Excuse me for asking you too many questions. I was just trying to spark up a conversation so the ride would go by faster. And by the way, I wasn’t trying to be specific, not pacific, about your whereabouts. You already told me where you were going, so I’m not sure why you’re barking at me.”

  “Dogs bark. Pretty bitches like me clap back. In my dictionary, the word is pacific. I’m sticking to it and there you have it.”

  She shrugged and tightened her lips the rest of the way there. Less than ten minutes later, she parked in front of the house to let me out. I felt slightly bad about my attitude, so after grabbing my luggage from the car, I whispered a soft “thanks.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” she said in a nasty tone. “Have a nice day.”

  “You do the same, ol’ nappy head ho. That’s why you got gum in your hair. Good luck on getting it out.”

  I purposely put the gum in her hair because she had been working my nerves. She sped off, almost knocking me down with her car. I was sure to call and report her later, but for now, it was too early in the morning for me to be ugly. Alex told me to arrive anywhere between nine and ten; it was only 8:55 a.m. I surely didn’t want to be late, and with a gray Mercedes parked in the driveway, I assumed he was already here. I strolled my two pieces of luggage up the long driveway, smiling and breathing in fresh air as thoughts of this house brought back so many memories. I wondered how much the inside had changed, and after looking inside of the window, there didn’t appear to be many changes, especially pertaining to the contemporary slash modern furniture I saw. I also noticed some of the same colorful artwork on the walls that stretched to the high vaulted ceilings. Seeing the same ol’ stuff worried me a bit, because being in one bedroom with other people was a headache for me. Hopefully, I would be allowed to sleep elsewhere, since I was hosting this time.

  With my luggage by my side, I reached out to ring the doorbell. Almost immediately, a white guy who resembled Jeff, the previous Hell House producer, opened the door. He was slim, preppy, very attractive with brown hair, and he had a welcoming smile. Kind of reminded me of the New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, but not quite.

  “You must be Jada,” he said, widening the door for me to come inside.

  “That would be me.” I reached for my luggage, but he grabbed both pieces from the porch, bringing them inside.

  “I’ll take your luggage to the bedroom later, and I’m so glad you’re here. We have an enormous amount of things to cover, before the other participants arrive. So follow me and relax.”

  Alex made his way down the hallway and into the sitting area that was near the opened kitchen. The furniture was different, but the large gray sectional and comfy chairs provided plenty of seating for everyone. The kitchen now had a round glass table with five chairs surrounding it. Cabinet
s were white with crystal handles. Hardwood floors were a darker wood, and a humongous TV was mounted on a wall-to-wall entertainment center.

  “Before you have a seat,” Alex said. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m good. I already ate breakfast, and on the drive over here I finished off my orange juice.”

  “Great. Well, have a seat and allow me to give you more details about the people you’re going to meet soon. More so, about why they’ve agreed to come here.”

  I placed my Michael Kors purse on the table then sat on the sofa to listen. My lips pursed instantly when Alex removed a manila folder from his briefcase, laying it on the table. The first photo I saw was of Chase. I rolled my eyes, causing Alex to chuckle a bit.

  “Yes, I’m well aware of how things ended between the two of you, but Chase agreed to come back here because she said there was some unfinished business she wanted to take care of. We’re not exactly sure what that business consists of, but she was just as delighted to get the call from us as you were.”

  “Well, I was delighted because you mentioned ten thousand dollars. And since we’re on the subject, when can I expect to get it? I don’t want no tricky shit like the last time. I want my money upfront, if that’s at all possible.”

  “I’m willing to give you five now, five when this is over.”

  “How about seven now, three later?”

  “I’ll have to speak to the other–”

  I quickly stood and reached for my purse. “You go ahead and talk to whoever you need to about this and let me know what y’all decide. I need seven upfront or else I’m out of here. I almost left here emptyhanded last time. So you can understand why, if I’m investing my time in this, I would want most of my money upfront.”

  “I do understand, and I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Just allow me to make a phone call or two, and I’ll have an answer for you soon.”

  “Cool.” I sat back down and crossed my legs. My red-bottom shoes were off the hook, and as soon as I got my money, I was going to buy me another pair. “I’ll be right here, so go ahead and make those calls. If you need my checking account number to deposit the funds, just let me know.”

  Alex looked at me as if I had lost my mind, but I wasn’t having it. I was tired of folks trying to screw me over and use me all the time. I needed to make sure they paid me for this, especially since I had to deal with Chase’s craziness again. Lord knows I didn’t want to see that heifer; I was sure she wouldn’t be excited to see me either.

  Alex walked off to another room. I could hear him talking to someone from a distance. And while he was away, I peeked at the other folders in his briefcase, trying to see who else was coming. I saw a folder with Roc’s photo attached to it. Hated he was coming back too—him and me definitely didn’t end things on a good note. Two other folders had photos of women I didn’t know. They were cute, but they didn’t have nothing on me. When I reached for another folder, my eyes damn near broke from the sockets. It was a photo of our new black president. President of the United States! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—there had to be some kind of mistake.

  When I heard Alex coming this way again, I quickly shoved the folders back into his briefcase and scooted over. My shocking expression was still there; I was a bit confused by what I’d seen. I figured I’d wait until he told me about the money deal, before I said anything.

  “I have good news and a little bad news,” he said, sitting on the sofa again.

  I sat with my arms crossed, waiting to hear what he was about to tell me. “I’m listening.”

  “We’re willing to give you the seven grand, but it won’t be deposited until next week. We just want to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain and you don’t bail out on us. Besides, even if we put the funds into your account today or tomorrow, you won’t be able to utilize the money because you’ll be here. Like the last time, no one will be allowed to leave the premises.”

  My head started rolling as I spoke. “I don’t care about not being able to utilize the money. I just want to make sure it’s in my account. I’m going to roll with it this time, but come next week, my money better be in my account. I will be able to have access to my phone and check, right?”

  “Yes. You’re the only one who will be allowed to have a phone.”

  That definitely put a smile on my face. Any privileges I had around here would be beneficial to me. Now that we had the money situation clear, I had to ask him about the photo of the president I’d seen on the folder.

  “Thanks for letting me keep my phone. I’m sure I’ll need it, just in case I have to call my posse on these tricks in here. Meanwhile, while you were in the other room, I took a look at some of the other folders. Why did I see a photo of the president?”

  Alex smiled and sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. “Because he’ll be here too.”

  I clenched my chest and widened my eyes even more. “Are you serious? I mean, why would he, of all people, come here?”

  “This time around, Hell House is for people who need space, more than anything. People who are dealing with things in their lives or who may need to just step away from their situations and come here to relax. We reached out to the president, and against his advisors’ wishes, he thought coming here would be a good idea. In addition to the money we’re offering, not many people were willing to say no this time.”

  “I still don’t get why he would want to come here. With the VP now in charge of things, shit could get ugly while he’s away from the White House. I’m good with him being here, but if y’all expect me to stand for the anthem when he’s in my presence, or just because, that ain’t happening. I’m sitting my black ass down.”

  “Nobody expects you to stand for the anthem and that’s definitely your choice. I don’t see why you would need to stand—”

  “Because we’re supposed to show the president some respect, right?” I swallowed, wondering if this was the right move for me or not, especially if I would have to behave better. “In my opinion, all that foolishness that happened last time can’t happen with the president being around. I just don’t know—”

  I paused when I heard a female’s voice, asking if anyone was here. Alex stood and so did I, just so we could see who it was. Seconds later, in walked a real pretty bitch that caused me to scan her from head to toe. Her hair was full of loose, long and wavy curls, makeup was flawless and curves were in all the right and wrong places. The super tight jeans she wore showed off her shapely figure, and with red-bottom heels on, too, Alex was drooling. He rushed up to her, extending his hand.

  “I recognize you from the photos,” he said. “Scorpio Valentino, correct?”

  “In the flesh,” she said, looking at him with a flirting smile. “I know I’m early, but I asked a friend to drop me off. This was the only time she could do it.”

  “No problem. I was just speaking to Jada about her duties here. We still have a lot to discuss, so if you wouldn’t mind stepping outside by the pool area and having a drink or two until we’re done, that would be great.”

  “I don’t mind at all. Take your time and let me know when the two of you are done.”

  That trick walked off without even looking my way or speaking to me. Nonetheless, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. I had never seen that kind of beauty up close and personal, other than looking in the mirror at myself. She must’ve had somebody helping her look that good. I would die for a body like hers, and I just didn’t understand what some women did to make their asses look so perfect like that. It wasn’t that mine was bad, but in order for it to look that good, I had to straighten and tighten things up with a girdle. I had on one now, and it was cutting the shit out of my upper thighs. She was probably wearing one too, cause ain’t no way she had it going on like that without one.

  I turned to address Alex, but his lustful eyes were still locked on Miss Valentino who was now outside. I waved my hand in front of his face to get his attention.

&
nbsp; “Excuse me, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s her story? Who is she and why is she here?”

  “I can’t say it’s for the money, because she’s already pretty wealthy. The million-dollar payout we’re offering this time is—”

  I stepped back and held up my hand. “Hold up and wait one doggone minute. Did you say a million dollars?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I did. It’s what we’re offering the winner this time. Pretty neat, huh?”

  “Pretty neat my ass. How y’all gon’ give me a lousy ten grand and then offer the winner one-million dollars? Something ain’t right about that, and I feel shortchanged. Obviously, I’ll have to stay here until all of this shit is over. I probably have to do all the cooking around here too, because by the looks of that chick out there,” I nudged my head toward Miss Scorpio. “She don’t look like she’s done any cooking in her life.”

  “We would like for you to do most of the cooking, but that was a request from one of the producers. He felt as if you were a wonderful cook last time and the new people would appreciate your services.”

  “Don’t be trying to make me feel good about this. I want more money or I’m checking out of here. You got until tomorrow to get me more money—at least fifty g’s. Y’all are so lucky that I’m willing to stay. Money aside, tell me more about the people coming and what I can expect.”

  “You already know Chase is coming back and the president will be here. Scorpio is already here, and she happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Jaylin Rogers who was here the last time with you. They have two children together, and they had a long relationship, before he remarried. Scorpio was married too, but she’s recently divorced.”

  “Umph. She is definitely Jaylin’s type, but then again, what ho ain’t? I wish Sylvia was here so she could tell Scorpio all about what happened the last time. Then again, it probably don’t matter. Chase ol’ desperate self won’t like her, and just so you know, when they start going to blows with each other, I will not interfere. I’m not responsible for breaking up fights, am I?”