Pink Lips, page 8
“She said she doesn’t drink cheap shit.” The waitress set the drink in front of Willow.
“Well, she sure as hell wears cheap shit,” Willow thought aloud as she chugged the remainder of her drink and made her way through the crowd, leaving the fruity mixture on the bar untouched.
“Next up to the stage is Choice,” the DJ spat through the microphone as the crowd went wild. “All y’all niggas and bitches get yo’ wallets out for this sexy-ass woman. Get your dough out and tip this woman.”
Willow made her way to the enormous square stage directly in the center of the first level. She eyed all around her as the lights dimmed and a crowd rushed to the stage. She put a piece of her mane behind her ear as she eagerly waited to see what all the commotion was about.
The lights flashed on as the music boomed throughout the club making the floor vibrate. Willow focused on the silk curtain that was in between two stage mirrors. She knew that Choice, her childhood friend, would enter through the curtain. She wasn’t new to the strip world; she had been to several strip clubs.
The curtain swung open as a girl with longish, brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders appeared. It contrasted with her gray-blue eyes well. Her skin was pale; not in an anemic way, but enough so that it suggested she didn’t go out much. Her smile was small and shy, but it spread across all of her features, making her eyes twinkle.
The girl started dancing as her legs, bowlegged as could be, shined without a mark on them. Her small waist was complemented by the colossal-sized ass that was unbelievable for the petite frame she owned. Her breasts were firm and her soft light-brown nipples stood erect as she cavorted around the stage.
“She bad.” Willow smirked. “She would be perfect.”
Willow watched as the stage went from brown to green from all of the money that filled it. There were some big-baller-type men in the building and she’d chosen the right night to come out of hiding to make some quick cash. She heard the song that was playing getting ready to end as she made her way to the DJ booth.
“Can I help you with summin,’ sweetheart?” the DJ asked, removing the headphones from one side of his face.
“Can you play a song for me?” Willow asked.
“You dancing?” he asked as claps erupted throughout the building as Choice made her way off the stage.
“Yeah.” Willow slowly unzipped the front of her Fendi dress. “Play ‘Pop That’ by French Montana,” she requested as she handed him her six hundred-dollar dress.
“You didn’t even tell me yo’ name, ma.” He threw the dress over his shoulder.
“I’m unknown.” She smiled as she went through the doors that led to the curtain.
Dirty looks took over the faces of all the other dancers that were waiting their turn. They all looked at Willow with hateful eyes and it pumped her up. That’s right, Willow thought to herself as she smiled at the dancers. I’m at yo’ job about to eat off yo’ plate. She laughed.
“Yo, who the fuck is that?” the girls whispered amongst themselves.
Don’t stop, pop that don’t stop, pop that pop that pop that don’t stop, came booming through the speakers and Willow knew it was her cue. “Don’t worry, bitches,” she said as she opened the curtains, “I’ll leave a few dollars in their wallets for you.”
Willow looked into the crowd and as the music grew louder, the closer she got to the pole. She wasn’t nervous; she knew she looked better than every woman there. She had never stripped before, but for the money they were throwing, she was about to learn. She started with skilled precision moves using her body and the pole. She slid down it, climbed up it, hung upside down from it as she controlled the muscles in her ass cheeks.
She removed her top, revealing her breasts as money started hitting the stage nonstop. She kept up her routine as the money flowed. Playing off the fantasy, she licked her lips at countless men as she massaged her nipples. She lay on her back and folded a hundred-dollar bill in half the long way. She put the bill down on the front of her g-strip and moved her legs in a circular motion. The crowd went wild as the hundred-dollar bill flew into the air off of Willow’s pussy.
“Yo, did you see that shit?” Tristan, a neighborhood hardhead, said to Duke as they watched from the VIP window. “I ain’t never seen no bitch do no shit like that.”
“Me either.” Duke removed his fitted cap and rubbed down his fade. “Tristan, make sure Cocoa gets home,” he said as he headed for the door.
“Why do I have to go home?” Cocoa asked Duke, stopping him in his tracks. “I’m good right here.” She fixed the sleeve of her deep-yellow dress.
Duke ignored her as he walked through the double doors. His Armani black button-up made shadows on the wall with each step he took. His jewelry played off the strobe lights as he made his way down the metal staircase. He approached the stage to get a close-up view on the bombshell that had caught his attention for the second time that night.
“Yo,” Duke yelled at Willow, her eyes reading his lips. “Let me get at you for a moment.”
“That was Unknown,” the DJ spat with excitement through the microphone. “Yo, whoever shorty is, she need to be a regular. Now, next to the stage is Kisses.”
Willow collected all of the money on the stage before she walked over to the DJ booth to get her dress, with Duke close behind. She eased the dress down over her body as she tossed the two large wads of cash—that had nothing but hundreds, fifties, and twenties inside—on the booth.
“Yo, Unknown, that shit was fire.” The DJ gave her a couple rubber bands for her money.
“Thank you.” She started to roll her cash. “Thanks for the song,” she said as she tossed some money to the DJ.
“So, your name is Unknown?” Duke asked from behind.
“Isn’t that what the DJ just said?” Willow responded as she hid the money on her body.
“I wanted to let you know that you’re too beautiful to be stripping. I think only one nigga should have the right to see yo’ body.” Duke handed her a wad of money. “But, since that’s your profession, I guess I’ll tip.”
“You good.” Willow handed him his wad of money back. “Plus, I don’t strip. I came here to find a friend and I couldn’t resist making some quick cash.”
“Is that right?” he asked as he looked her up and down.
“So do you know this woman, Duke?” Evelyn asked as she walked up on them with two bouncers surrounding her.
Evelyn had to pause and look at Willow a second time as she got closer. She looked so much like Melee to her. They had the same kind of skin, the same expression, even the same chin that mimicked the bottom of a heart. She was floored at the resemblance.
“I don’t know her at all, Evelyn,” Duke said.
“Well, somebody better know who the fuck she is because she just danced on my stage without permission.” Evelyn looked at Willow. “How much money did you make?”
“That’s my business.” Willow started to walk off. “I didn’t see your old ass up there dancing.”
“Grab her,” Evelyn told the bouncers as they dashed for Willow.
“Get the fuck back.” Willow turned around, her gun pointing at the bouncers.
“So you’re a thug?” Evelyn asked with her hands on her hips as she wondered where the gun could have been hidden on the girl’s body. “I don’t think this is a game you want to play. Lower the gun, give me the money you made, and we will call it even. I’ll even let you live.”
“No, no deal,” Willow said with a smile. “Why the fuck would I give you the money that I just made?”
“Because,” Evelyn said, smiling back, “if you don’t, you’re going to die where you stand; I promise you this.”
Evelyn pointed at the small red dot that was aimed at Willow’s chest as a small laugh overwhelmed her. Willow lowered her gun as the bouncers grabbed her quickly, taking her gun from her. They held her arms and pressed them, getting revenge for her pointing a gun at them.
“Yo, y’all being too rough with her,” Duke said.
“See, this is why you don’t play with grown-ups.” Evelyn smiled. “Take her ass to my office.”
“If this is what you call being grown, then I would consider you to be an infant.” Willow yelled out, “Where’s the red dot?”
Evelyn looked at Willow’s chest and the dot disappeared before her eyes. She looked up at the bodyguard from the near top of the building that she’d hired to scope out the place, and she could see his lifeless body lying face-down. Willow nodded toward her chest as a red dot was now aimed at Evelyn.
“Let her go,” Evelyn said as sweat poured from her forehead. “I said, let her fucking go,” she yelled.
“Willow?” Choice squinted her eyes. “Is that you?”
“Outside,” Willow told Choice as she grabbed her gun from the bouncer’s hand.
“Choice, you have two more dances tonight.” Evelyn pointed her finger at her. “If you leave, you’re done.”
“It’s more money for you with me so I suggest you come on,” Willow said, walking through the crowd to exit the building.
Choice followed her through the crowd. She was tired of stripping and after lying to her man telling him that she had stopped, she figured now was the time to. She wanted to hear Willow out to see if it was legit or not. If it wasn’t, she could always get her job back with Evelyn; she made her the most money.
“Yo, when did you get back to Philly?” Choice asked as the door to the club closed behind them. “Where is Kail and yo’ moms? Why y’all ain’t tell us y’all was coming back? We ain’t heard from y’all in years.”
“Follow me.” Willow stalked down the street, her heels going in and out of the snow sticking to the ground.
Willow and Choice walked in silence as the winds from the storm cut them like a sharp knife slicing into a tomato. Although it was cold, and they had on small dresses, they kept walking, showing no signs of discomfort. They reached a black Range Rover and Willow got inside signaling for Choice to get in the back. Although Choice hadn’t seen her in fourteen years, she trusted her, so she got inside.
“Look who I found,” Willow told Kail as she put her hands in front of the heat blasting from the vents.
“Choice,” Kail looked at her from the rearview mirror, “It’s good to see you, girl.”
“Y’all look the fucking same from when we was kids.” Choice observed her surroundings. “So what y’all doing back in Philly?”
“About to make a whole lot of fuckin’ money.” Kail turned around and looked at Choice.
“Doing what?” Choice asked.
“Doing whatever’s required. Listen, we not trying to put you on to nothing that you don’t want to do, but it’s money to be made and we can make it together.” Willow looked back at Choice.
“How much money?” Choice asked.
“More than this.” Willow took the two wads of money out of her clothes and tossed it on the dashboard. “No offense, but I know I made more than you, and this shit,” she said as her manicured nail pointed at the money, “couldn’t buy me a decent pair of shoes.”
“This y’all whip?” Choice asked.
“This is my whip.” Kail pointed at Willow. “This bitch got a Mercedes.”
“I drive a Cobalt.” Choice admired the interior of the car.
“A Cobalt.” Kail shook her head. “Listen, me and Willow a part of something. It’s kind of like an organization, but we think of it as a sisterhood. Me and her are the only two members left and we need at least another person.”
“An organization.” Choice leaned back against the cushion.
“Yes, you can say that. We call ourselves The Pink Lip Bandits. We take request from clients for a high price and fulfill those requests with no questions, no feelings, and no complications,” Willow said.
“What kind of requests?”
“Murder, sex, robbery,” Kail replied, facing forward, checking the mirrors and their surroundings. “If the money is right, we will do anything with a few twists.”
“And, I can get paid like this?” Choice asked.
“Paid?” Kail turned back around. “I guarantee you that the Cobalt that you driving will be parked while your ass flosses around the city driving in a luxury car that you bought in cash.”
“I’m in.” Choice leaned her head in the front seat. “So what do I have to do?”
“First,” Kail dug in her purse and pulled a golden container out, “let us see how you look with this powder-pink lipstick on.”
Willow sat in the front seat as her mind raced. She was finally three deep and her plan to resurrect The Pink Lip Bandits was now in effect. All she had to do was sit back and wait for the clients to reach out to her. And, after the little show she’d put on at the strip club, she knew word would get out about her.
Twelve
Evelyn sat at her cherry desk that seemed almost superfluous, since there was little to no paperwork to be seen. A deep-burgundy leather desk chair, which reclined to an almost obscene angle, held her up as she got her thoughts together. There were two small table lamps—one near the door atop a wicker table that clashed with the rest of the room’s executive motif, and another on the cherrywood desk with a long brass pull-cord. The absence of overhead light cast shadows into the corners, spilling under the desk and over top of the framed black-and-white pictures on the wall.
Evelyn blinked a few times as her long lashes went up and down. Is that Rock’s daughter? she thought to herself. She could have sworn that she was dead. Tony said she was dead, she thought as she looked at the baby-blue walls that had pictures of unfamiliar people scattered throughout the façade.
“You wanted to see me?” Duke walked into the office.
“Yes, have a seat.” Evelyn opened her hand toward a chair.
Duke sat down with an uneasy feeling. He knew that Evelyn didn’t like him. He’d known ever since he and Melee got together a few years back. If it wasn’t for his loyal work for Rock, Evelyn would have disposed of him. And, since Melee was missing, he hoped Evelyn didn’t suspect him.
“So you didn’t know that woman?” Evelyn asked.
“No, tonight was my first time seeing her.”
“Interesting.” She tapped on the desk. “Do you think she resembled Melee?”
“A little bit.”
Evelyn put her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream; she could hear her heart hammering in her ear, echoing through her head. As she realized that she was holding her breath, she eased the air out of her lungs slowly, and then the reality hit her. She tried to prevent the bile rising in her throat as the putrid truth invaded her thoughts.
The thought of Anoki and Willow being alive made her sick to her stomach. It was like a bad dream that she couldn’t wake up from. She had Rock exactly where she wanted him, and although their marriage wasn’t perfect by any means, it worked for her and she didn’t need anything or anyone to mess it up.
“I have a job for you.” She looked at Duke. “That girl that was just here; Willow is what Choice said her name was. I need you to get close to her.”
“Close to her fo’ what?” Duke asked.
“It’s none of your fucking business; just do it.” She waved him off. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Keep your mouth closed and report to me on everything that she tells you. You hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you.”
“Evelyn, it’s clear,” one of the bouncers said as he walked through the office door. “All the top levels of every building within a mile radius in every direction have been checked. There’s no one waiting for you to leave.”
“Thank you.” Evelyn stood. “And, Duke, one more other thing,” she said as she wrapped her body-length trench coat around her, “don’t think I didn’t notice that bitch you had in VIP with you. I don’t give a fuck what you do when you’re not around me, but the next time you disrespect the memory of my daughter in my place of business, you will be killed.”
Evelyn walked by the security, her long knee-high boots marking the floor as she made her way toward the back exit. She hit the alarm to her car as she got inside, immediately blasting the heater. She drove off and got on a main street to go see Vinny. She needed some advice on how to take care of the situation she was in and her Poppa always had the answers.
“Hello,” answered Tony through the phone.
“Can you explain to me why Willow just showed up at my club alive twenty-two years later?” she barked, holding the phone away from her ear and close to her mouth.
“That’s not possible. Are you sure? How do you know it was her?” he asked.
“Because, it was like looking at Melee, and oh, did I forget to mention that her name was Willow?”
“I’ll handle it.”
“No, you won’t.” Evelyn pulled into a retirement home on the outskirts of town. “You would die trying, because I don’t know how, but this little bitch is like her father when it comes to the streets. I had a mark on her, the next thing I know the shooter ended up dead, and I had a mark on me,” she screamed. “You hear me? A mark was on me.”
“I hear you.”
“I’ll take care of her. You just focus on Rock never finding out,” Evelyn said as she parked her car.
“I’m on it,” Tony said. “Is Anoki alive, too?”
“I don’t know yet.” Evelyn hung up the phone.
Evelyn got out of the car as she made her way to the entrance of Angel Arms, a retirement home for rich and famous people’s loved ones. Evelyn knew that Rock had connections with every realtor in the state. There was no way that she could put anything in her name for Vinny without him knowing. Putting him in a place that had no interest to her husband was her only solution.
It was past visiting hours, but with the agreement she’d made with the director, the extra million a year that she was paying, Evelyn could visit Vinny whenever her heart desired. She walked up to the door as she gently buzzed it for entrance. She looked up at the security camera as the door made a swoosh sound and opened in front of her.
Evelyn’s arms swayed, simultaneously, back and forth, as her thick legs seemed to be carrying her from point A to point B; mechanically in motion one leg thrust forward as the other tried, rhythmically, to catch up. She was in a rush to make it to his room. She had so much on her mind that she had to get out.
