Crooked G's

by S. K. Collins

  Latrice felt stupid for taking the drug and wanted to get the hell out of there.

  “What time is it?” Latrice asked, looking around for a clock.

  “It’s ten thirty-eight.”

  “Oh shit! I gotta go.” Latrice hopped up to put on her clothes. She felt sharp pains in her head after every movement she made.

  “What’s wrong? Why you got to leave so quickly?”

  “I got to catch a call that I’m supposed to get at eleven. I can’t miss that shit.”

  “I need to get your number before you go.” Clarity walked over to her purse to retrieve her cell phone.

  Once Latrice was dressed, they both exchanged numbers, and promised they would keep in touch and talk about doing business.

  Latrice got in her car and found it very difficult to drive with her excruciating headache. By the time she pulled up to her apartment building, it was 11:02 a.m. She hoped Bay hadn’t called yet and hurried to get out of the car. As she ran through the entrance doors, she heard the phone ringing. She skipped steps trying to make it to the third floor in time. She quickly put her keys in the door, and once she was running over to the phone, it had stopped ringing. Latrice was devastated.

  Latrice was so blown that she missed Bay’s call that she plopped down in a chair and threw her purse across the room. She knew Bay could easily try to call back again, but the amount of anger he would have when he did wasn’t worth the stress. Bay hated when his instructions weren’t followed through correctly, and those who didn’t follow them received heavy consequences due to their error. He was very violent and Latrice didn’t want to have anything to do with making him upset, and taking out his rage on her when he came out, but it may have been too late. Latrice thought about everything she’d accomplished the day before and hoped it was enough to keep Bay off her ass. She had successfully secured the signing of two different acts and the possibility of a third. She had everything set in place to establish the record label and now only needed Bay’s approval. But she wouldn’t know how Bay would perceive her efforts until he called back again.

  CHAPTER 9

  Shakita woke up to the smell of coffee and a fully dressed Eric, sitting on his sofa and staring at her. She didn’t realize she had slept through the night, but appreciated how refreshed she felt as her eyes adjusted to the light.

  “Did you sleep good?” Eric asked as he spun his coffee cup around in his hand on the table in front of him.

  “Yes. It felt like the best sleep ever.” Shakita stretched and then rolled out of bed before she wrapped the satin sheet around her. She walked over to Eric and sat beside him.

  “I got you some coffee.” Eric peered his eyes down at the other cup that was on the table.

  Shakita picked up the cup and smelled the aroma coming from the lip opening. “I love Saxby’s coffee.”

  “I remember. How could I forget?”

  Eric had known so much about Shakita that sometimes it scared her. He was aware what could make her laugh, make her cry, and everything else in between. He was like her unclaimed soul mate. Shakita took a sip of the coffee and savored the taste of the caramel, espresso, and white chocolate blend. It was exactly what she needed after an incredible night of sex.

  “After you drink your coffee, you can get dressed and go shopping.”

  Shakita nodded her head yes as she took another sip of the hot delicious brew.

  Eric then rose to his feet. “I’ll give you the money after you finish working tonight.”

  “Thank you so much, Eric. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

  “It’s no problem. It’s no problem at all.” Eric started to walk away but stopped and turned to her. “Oh yeah. You start on the gold floor at eight p.m.” He then looked at his watch. “So that gives you ten hours to roam. Don’t be late.”

  “I won’t.”

  He gave her a wink and then walked out of the room as he sipped his coffee.

  Shakita curled up on the couch and thought about the night ahead of her. She had never worked on the gold floor and didn’t know what to expect. She hoped to get the money she needed for Latrice really fast. She didn’t know what she was going to be doing on the gold level but was so curious to find out. She needed to get herself ready so she could go shopping to get some outfits to wear for work.

  She got in the shower and put on the same clothes once she stepped out, except for her bra and underwear. She threw her undergarments in the wastebasket knowing she was about to get all brand-new stuff. She pressed the button for the elevator and once it arrived, she inserted her card again. The elevator took her directly to the lobby where she passed the guard again, and then walked over to the receptionist to turn in her card.

  “Thank you. And I will have your gold card for you when you return.”

  Shakita wasn’t surprised that the receptionist was already aware of who she was. Eric had a keen way of keeping all his people informed about everything that was going on. Eric loved to keep his operation running smoothly.

  “Thank you,” Shakita said as she smiled at the receptionist before walking out the door.

  Shakita’s first stop was Victoria’s Secret. She needed to get all the right outfits so that the customers would spend more money with her. Victoria’s Secret was the perfect place. Since the floor she was working on had the gold theme, she needed to get all matching accessories. She picked out some white, black, and gold teddies and baby-doll halters.

  When she was finally done shopping, she managed to still have one hundred and eighty-five dollars left from the thousand that Eric had given her. She wished she wouldn’t have spent that much money, but she strongly believed that it took money to make money. The new wardrobe was an investment for all the money she would make the rest of the week. The money she had left and the money she planned to make tonight would be used to go gambling. She had to make as much as she could in hopes to win everything back that she’d lost.

  Shakita had time to kill after she was done shopping and wanted to drop off all of her bags at her apartment before she went to work. As she was en route to her house, her phone started to ring. She looked at her phone and saw that Latrice was calling her again. “Damn!” Shakita said as she put her phone back in her purse. She thought that maybe Latrice knew that the money was missing and was trying to question her about it. Latrice already told her that she couldn’t flip any of the money and would be the first person to come to if the shit came up missing.

  When her phone stopped ringing, she reached back in her purse and pulled out a cigarette. She lit up the cigarette and turned up the stereo on full blast. She drove nervously trying to think of a way to tell Latrice what had happened to the money if she were accused of taking it. She couldn’t think of a more logical way of explaining than simply telling the truth. Shakita was only willing to do that if she were caught in the act. Shakita planned to avoid Latrice as long as she could in order to stall for more time. She only had a month to make it all happen.

  Shakita arrived back at the spa around 7:30 p.m. That gave her a good half hour to get comfortable before she started working. When she walked through the door, she could see dozens of men waiting for their appointments. She quickly eyeballed all the customers wondering which one of them would be her first client. She thought that he might not even be there yet, so she continued to the receptionist area.

  “Welcome back,” the receptionist said, giving her a bright smile.

  “Thanks.” Shakita wondered if the lady were very happy to see her or really loved her job.

  “Here’s your card.”

  Shakita looked at the two-toned gold card as it sparkled in her hand. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. My name is Monique. If you need any assistance from me, just pick up any phone on the floor and dial one.”

  “Okay, Monique. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Please have a good night.”

  “One more thing, Monique, before I go. Are any of these men he
re my first appointment?” Shakita whispered.

  Monique looked over the sign-in sheet before she could give Shakita an answer. “No. He hasn’t arrived yet.”

  Shakita became relaxed and no longer had a problem looking at the men now.

  “Thanks. I’ll see you later, Monique.”

  “Okay. Remember to call me if you need anything.”

  Shakita nodded her head and smiled while walking to the elevator. She once again flashed her card at the guard before he let her pass. She pressed the button and within seconds the doors opened. She inserted her card into the panel and the voice prompter told her she was going to the gold level.

  When she stepped onto the gold marble floor, she was amazed at how glamorous everything looked. Shakita was overwhelmed with all the great designer features that the floor had to offer. In the foyer there were white leather sofas with matching coffee and end tables. Each coffee table had a large oval gold bowl filled with water and white floating candles. The end tables had clear Duncan & Miller footed vases on them filled with white roses. There were tall bronze statues of angels and knights that were spaced out along the floor. The entire area smelled of cinnamon and lilac, which was a pleasant combination to anyone who came on the floor.

  Shakita began to walk the hall as crystal chandeliers hung over her head. The walls were painted metallic gold with expensive paintings that hung from them that Shakita couldn’t help to look at as she passed. She then looked on the bottom of her card to see what room she would be working out of tonight. She saw that the card had “G8” on the bottom of it and began looking for that room. She was almost at the end of the hallway and saw the door with “G8.” She inserted her card in the door and waited for the green light to flash allowing her entrance. The green light flashed and Shakita made her way into the room. She was more than impressed with the complete layout of the huge suite. To the left of the room there was a square-shaped Jacuzzi with a wet bar surrounding it. On the other side of the room there was a living room with a white fluffy sectional, a large glass table, along with a sixty-inch flat-screen television.

  Behind the living room, there was a massage table and directly in the center at the end of the dining area was the bedroom. Shakita walked through the sheer gold curtains and walked into the white and gold heavily decorated bedroom. Inside the bedroom there was a bathroom that Shakita walked into so she could change her clothes. The bathroom had a round tub with a walk-in shower. Shakita set her bag down on the sink and gazed into the mirror. She looked at how pretty she was and felt confident she would do good tonight. Her first client was going to be there shortly so she had to get dressed.

  Shakita looked herself over in the mirror once more as she sprayed on her perfume. She was applying some lip gloss when she heard the front door open. Her heart started to flutter, as being face to face with her first client was becoming a reality. She took a deep breath and strutted slowly out of the bathroom.

  Shakita separated the curtains and saw her client sitting down in the living room. She could only see the back of him and was curious to know what he looked like. The man heard Shakita approaching and he turned around to see her. His eyes were as amazed at what he saw like Shakita’s were. He was a tall, fair-skinned man wearing a gray suit with a black dress shirt. He was damn sure easy on the eyes, which made Shakita want to fuck him for the hell of it. If they would have met on different circumstances, she probably would have, but since it was about getting money, she couldn’t afford to give away any free pussy.

  The man looked Shakita up and down from head to toe and was marveled by her good looks and amazing body. Shakita was wearing a white lace teddy and gold heels with her hair pinned up in a bun. The man couldn’t help himself to say something to her.

  “Hey. How are you doing?” he asked smoothly.

  “I’m good now that I’m in your company,” Shakita spoke seductively.

  The man laughed. “That’s funny. I was feeling the same way about you. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “You can call me Miss Trump.” It was for the girls’ protection not to give out their real names to try and avoid stalkers.

  “And your name?”

  “My name is Daniel, but you can call me Danny.”

  “Okay, Danny. What would you like me to do for you first?”

  “Well, Miss Trump. You can start off by telling me how you got that name.”

  “I love to gamble.”

  “You love to gamble, huh? What’s your favorite game to play?”

  “My favorites are slots and roulette.”

  “Then what is your worst?”

  “My worst are keno…and gambling with my life.”

  “I never tried my luck with keno, but I gamble with my life every day, and so far I’ve become quite good at it,” Danny said, laughing.

  “Well, right now, I’m doing pretty damn bad at it.”

  “You know we all can’t be good at everything? We have to pinpoint our talents and be the best at what we were born to do.”

  Shakita thought it was cute that he was giving her a life lesson. “Are you some type of professor or something?”

  “No. Actually I’m an investment banker. I read a lot of motivational books during my down time.”

  Shakita didn’t read much so she didn’t know what book he was referencing from. “I don’t read that often. The last time I read a book was in high school.”

  “That’s too bad. You’re missing out on a whole world of information that’s right at your fingertips. You should find a book that could help you with your life gambling problem.”

  “That’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll look for one.”

  “If I can be of any assistance, let me know.”

  “I certainly will.” Shakita didn’t want to talk about herself anymore and wanted to move on to other subjects. “Now that you know my name, can I make you a drink?”

  “Yes, you may.”

  “What would you like?” Shakita asked, as she walked over to the refrigerator that was part of the wet bar.

  “How about starting off with a little bit of champagne?”

  Shakita opened up the fridge and saw three bottles of Cristal on chill. The red level only stocked Moët in which Shakita wasn’t use to this type of treatment. She took out a bottle and removed two champagne flutes from the rack. She filled the champagne up to the middle of both glasses and went back in the fridge for something else that piqued her interest.

  Shakita grabbed a small handful of fresh-cut strawberries that were in a bowl on the bottom shelf, and placed some in both glasses. Shakita thought that adding the strawberries was like putting the icing on the cake. She was going to get Danny to spend as much as possible.

  Make that money, girl. Make that mothafucking money, she said to herself walking back to him and carrying both glasses with a devilish smile on her face.

  CHAPTER 10

  Latrice had gone back to sleep after missing Bay’s call since she was tired and still had an excruciating headache. It was late evening when she was awakened by her hungry stomach and needed to get something to eat. She walked slowly into the kitchen still feeling out of it, as she struggled to put a frozen pizza in the microwave. After Latrice ate her pizza and drank some juice, she started to feel better. She still couldn’t believe what she’d done the previous night and hoped the deed served its purpose. She couldn’t wait for Bay to get out so that Clarity would be locked into her deal. If Clarity backed out before she was able to sign a contract, then all Latrice would have is a wet pussy to show for it. Latrice definitely didn’t want that so she needed to keep close tabs on Clarity until the deal went through.

  While thinking about Clarity, Latrice remembered that she still had Teyron’s demo. Hopefully, Teyron’s music was what she needed to get her mind off of Clarity for a minute, and on to other potential artists. Latrice grabbed his CD out of her purse and put it into her portable DVD player. She plugged in some headphones and lay back in her bed so she could g
et comfortable. The first song came on and Latrice was struck by the sound of the beat. She turned the volume up a little louder so she could really hear the music. She looked on the back of the CD case to see if there were any song titles. She was pleased to see that there were so she could familiarize herself with the music. There were a total of five songs and the first track was entitled “Krispy Klean.” Latrice thought that Teyron was some ordinary singer, but when Teyron started to sing on, she was blown away by his sound.

  As Teyron sang, Latrice thought he sounded like a cross between Raheem DeVaughn and Trey Songz, yet still having his own unique style. Latrice closely listened to the lyrics and understood he was talking about how he’d gotten into an argument with his girlfriend. She thought about leaving him. He thought his girl was so damn sexy in her fuck’em dress that he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted to use sex to save his relationship. He wanted them to start over fresh. “Krispy Klean” made Latrice feel good to be the sexy woman that she was. She had a full closet of fuck’em dresses and loved putting each one of them on when the time was right. Latrice could relate oh so well to this make-up sex song.

  The next track was so good it started to make Latrice feel the heat between her legs. Each spot that Teyron said he touched on his girlfriend was the same places that made Latrice weak. Her nipples started to harden, imagining that Teyron was touching her body. Latrice was so much into the hook that she closed her eyes and found her hand lost in her boy shorts. She was so turned on by Teyron’s aggressive lyrics that she began to be aggressive with herself. Latrice licked her lips as the song faded out and waited for the next one to start. Latrice found his confidence a turn-on, which caused her to become wetter and wetter as she fingered herself forcefully. Latrice was so into herself that she jumped up when the CD abruptly stopped playing. She couldn’t believe that she’d gotten so caught up in his music that it had led her to masturbate. This was a first for her and she was convinced something had to be special about Teyron and his music. Teyron was going to be a rare commodity in the music business, and Latrice was going to make sure that she signed him as soon as she could.