Trickin', page 6
Ra’Keeyah swung at Shayna’s hand. “Bitch, you betta’ gon’. I don’t get down like that,” Ra’Keeyah laughed too, easing some of her anxiety.
“Here, let me help you.” Shayna grabbed Ra’Keeyah’s strings and tied them around her neck. “Why you shakin’?”
“I ain’t gon’ lie, I’m a little nervous,” Ra’Keeyah admitted.
Shayna walked over to the dresser and poured a shot of St. Claire Green Tea Vodka in a shot glass. “Here, drink this,” she said shoving it in Ra’Keeyah’s face. “This’ll calm your nerves.”
“I’m cool. You know I don’t drink,” Ra’Keeyah said, moving the shot glass out of her face. “You remember what happened the last time I drank some liquor.”
Both Quiana and Shayna began to laugh. “Yeah, we had to carry your ass all the way home,” Quiana said, taking the shot from Shayna’s hand and taking it to the head.
“You was sick for days,” Shayna laughed.
The thought of how she’d felt that night got Ra’Keeyah lightweight queasy. “I know, man. I was sick as a dog.”
“You haven’t drank nothin’ since then, have you?” Shayna asked, as she buckled up her three-inch stilettos.
“Nope, and don’t plan on it,” Ra’Keeyah said, before applying lip gloss to her lips.
“I wonder how many gon’ show up,” Quiana said. “I’m tryin’a make some doe tonight.”
“I don’t know, but I’m ready to do this and get it over with,” Ra’Keeyah said while rubbing glitter on her breasts.
Shayna peeked out the door and smiled. “Okay, ladies, y’all ready? Calvin just nodded his head, giving us the okay to come on out.”
“That’s what’s up!” Quiana said, excited.
Ra’Keeyah’s heart raced as they walked out of the bedroom and out to the sitting quarters.
“Have mercy,” a couple of the men said simultaneously.
“What I tell you?” Calvin boasted. “I told you they’d be gorgeous,” he said with a huge smile.
“My goodness, you didn’t lie,” one of the men replied.
“Okay, fellows, calm down,” Shayna announced to the six men in the room. “Me and my lovely friends are about to put on a show that will definitely get yo’ dicks hard,” she said with laughter.
Laughter rang throughout the room. “Bring it on then,” someone shouted.
Shayna walked over to the boom box and pushed PLAY. Plies “Put It On Ya” came blaring out of the speakers. They were bumping and grinding to the beat. The way they moved, anyone that didn’t know them would have thought dancing was their profession. Money was flying from every direction. The more money that landed on the floor, the harder the girls gyrated.
The plan was once the first song went off, Beyoncé’s “Ego” would come on; then they would separate and gyrate all over the men for extra cash. Things didn’t go as planned, at least not for Ra’Keeyah. Once Plies went off, she was stuck in one spot. She couldn’t bring herself to let them old men fondle her. One of the men stood from his chair and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her over to him. She looked down at the light blue veins on the back of his hands and instantly got freaked out.
Shayna tried to discreetly mean-mug Ra’Keeyah while making her money all at the same time. Quiana was so engrossed in making her own money, she didn’t even notice what was going on.
Ra’Keeyah quickly snatched away from the man and ran back into the bedroom. She wiped at her skin as she sat on the bed. A few seconds later, Shayna walked into the room.
“You okay?” she asked her best friend.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a few minutes to pull myself together, that’s all,” Ra’Keeyah replied.
“Okay, well, bitch, it’s rainin’ twenties out there. I’m bouta’ go get paid,” Shayna smiled.
Ra’Keeyah smiled back. “I ain’t mad at you.”
Ra’Keeyah stood up from the bed and paced back and forth. As bad as she didn’t want to go back out there, she knew she had to. Too much money was being made out there; money that she most definitely needed. She looked over at the St. Claire Green Tea Vodka that sat on the dresser, walked over, poured herself a shot and took it to the head. A few seconds later, she took another to the face. Not feeling the effects quick enough, she put the bottle up to her lips and took a long drink before slamming the bottle back down on top of the dresser.
Ra’Keeyah wiped her mouth, applied more lip gloss, and headed back out to the party. Shayna looked over at her best friend and smiled. Beyoncé’s “Video Phone” was playing. She started dancing and getting back into the groove of things. The three ladies walked back into the middle of the floor. Cali Swag “Teach Me How To Dougie” came on, and they broke out into another routine that required them rubbing on each other’s breasts, which sent the old men over the edge.
Ra’Keeyah turned around and bent over and made her ass clap like hands. If that didn’t get the old men’s desert bones hard, they didn’t know what else would. Ra’Keeyah made it rain with that move. Money started flying like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Shayna didn’t know what caused the sudden change in Ra’Keeyah, but whatever it was, she definitely wasn’t mad at her! Chris Brown’s “Deuces” was the last song on the CD. When that came on, the girls knew the party was almost over, which made them step their game up.
Ra’Keeyah gyrated all over the men’s laps, literally dry fucking each one she danced on. She decided if she was going to belittle herself by dancing for these old men, her pockets would most definitely be on swole when she got finished.
At the end of the night the girls were pleased with the outcome. Once Quiana had counted her money, she didn’t mind giving Shayna her fifty-dollar finder’s fee. She still had over eight hundred dollars to herself. The men loved the ladies so much that they set up another party for the following Saturday. Quiana was ecstatic. If left up to her, she’d dance for them every night of the week. Shayna was happy as well.
“Well, ’cuz, you came through with this one,” Quiana said to Shayna.
Shayna smiled. “Thanks. You know I wouldn’t steer you and Ra’Keeyah wrong. All I ask y’all to do is trust me.”
Quiana looked at her stack of bills again before speaking. “I won’t ever doubt you again.”
Shayna looked over at Ra’Keeyah who was sprawled out on the California king-sized bed knocked out. A little after the men had left she lay across the bed and started counting her money and before long, she was snoring. Shayna gathered her best friend’s money and put it in her purse before throwing the comforter over her body.
“We ain’t leavin’?” Quiana asked.
Shayna looked at Quiana like she’d just asked one of the dumbest questions in the world. “Bitch, this suite is paid for tonight, so why would we leave?”
“I feel you,” Quiana smiled widely and lay down next to Ra’Keeyah and drifted off to sleep with her money still in her hand.
Shayna looked down at her two sleeping friends before going into the bathroom to remove her makeup. As she stared at herself in the mirror, her horrible past began to haunt her all over again. Thoughts of the abuse she’d endured as a child popped up in her mind. As hard as she tried to forget and move on with her life, something wouldn’t let her. She burst into tears as she thought about all the horrible things her mother had let happen to her. She tried to stop the tears, but it was useless; they continued to flow. Shayna stuck her head out the bathroom door to make sure Ra’Keeyah and Quiana were still asleep. She wiped the tears away the best she could and walked out of the bathroom. She walked past the girls out to the sitting area, balled up on the sofa, and cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Nine
For the next two months, Ra’Keeyah, Shayna, and Quiana danced for the men every Saturday. What started out as them dancing for six men quickly turned into ten men. They didn’t complain because the more men they danced for meant more money in their pockets. For the first time in her life, Ra’Keeyah had money of her own. She’d started paying her own cell phone bill, buying her own clothes, and even kicking her mother out a few ends to pay some bills. She’d even gone as far as buying her little brother the latest Jordans and a couple of summer outfits.
Ra’Keeyah’s mother was finally proud of her because she was really stepping up and showing responsibility. But she also threatened to put her out if she found out that she was messing around with any drug dealers. Ra’Keeyah assured her mother that she wasn’t and had lied and told her that she had a job at Mr. Wilson’s corner store. At first, her mother wasn’t too pleased with the place her daughter chose to work, knowing Mr. Wilson had a thing for young girls, but ended up giving her credit for even finding a job. Still skeptical because of all the money Ra’Keeyah was spending, her mother asked her if she was sleeping with Mr. Wilson for money. The look Ra’Keeyah shot her mother told her she definitely wasn’t.
It was Sunday morning and Ra’Keeyah was determined to sleep in. She would have if it wasn’t for her mother laughing out loud while she talked on the phone. Ra’Keeyah’s body was sore from all the dancing she’d done the night before. Shayna and Quiana were amazed when she started doing splits. Actually, Ra’Keeyah had amazed herself, because she hadn’t done splits since she was a cheerleader in middle school.
Ra’Keeyah heard her mother walking toward her bedroom and closed her eyes, pretending she was still asleep. That just let Ra’Keeyah know that she was about to talk about something that she didn’t want Ra’Keeyah to hear. Her mother stuck her head in the door, waited a few seconds, and shut the door back.
Ra’Keeyah waited a few minutes and climbed out of the bed when she heard her mother’s bedroom door close. She slowly opened her bedroom door, snuck into the hallway, eased up to her mother’s door, and put her ear up against it. She overheard her mother telling the person on the phone that she was going to Mr. Wilson’s store before heading to work and ask him if she really worked for him. Ra’Keeyah thought she’d convinced her mother how she made her money, but she’d thought wrong.
Ain’t that about a bitch! Ra’Keeyah thought as she snuck back into her bedroom and eased the door closed. “I gotta trick for her connivin’ ass,” she said, lying back down in her bed trying to come up with a plan. Before long, Ra’Keeyah had drifted off to sleep for some much-needed rest.
She woke up to her little brother staring down into her face. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “Move, li’l nigga,” Ra’Keeyah yelled while pushing Jaylen out of her face.
“I’m hungry, Ra’Keeyah,” he said.
“What you tellin’ me for? I ain’t none of yo’ momma,” she said, throwing the covers back and sitting up. “Where Momma at anyways?”
“She went to work.”
Ra’Keeyah climbed out of bed and stretched her arms. “She didn’t feed you before she left?”
“No, she was runnin’ late,” Jaylen answered. “She told me to wake you up and have you fix me somethin’.”
“I guess you’ll be starvin’ till she bring her black ass home,” Ra’Keeyah laughed as she walked out of her room and into the bathroom.
“Key-Key,” her brother whined.
“Shut up, crybaby, and go down to the kitchen and wait on me. I’ll be down there,” she said before closing the door in his face.
Ra’Keeyah washed her face and brushed her teeth before going down to the kitchen and fixing her brother something to eat. After she washed up the few dishes she’d messed up, she made Jaylen get in the tub and get dressed.
“Shit,” she said as she brushed her little brother’s hair, hoping her mother didn’t go to Mr. Wilson’s store.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Did Mommy say she was goin’ to Mr. Wilson’s store before she went to work?”
“No, I told you she was runnin’ late,” Jaylen said.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Well, go downstairs and watch TV or play your Xbox until I get dressed. And if you be good, I’ll take you to the store and buy you some candy.”
“Okay,” Jaylen said and ran down the stairs to watch Sponge Bob.
Ra’Keeyah was relieved that her mom hadn’t had time to stop at Mr. Wilson’s store to give him the third degree yet. She knew she had to beat her mother to the punch. She ran into her room and found one of the shortest miniskirts she had and a shirt that showed off the belly ring that she’d kept hidden from her mother. Mr. Wilson liked young girls so Ra’Keeyah knew if she dressed the part, she could get him to do anything she wanted him to do. She dug in her drawer finding a pair of thongs and ran into the bathroom and jumped in the shower.
Once Ra’Keeyah got dressed, she brushed her hair into a side ponytail, applied some lip gloss to her lips, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She turned around to check out her backside before pulling her thongs up so you could see the top of them. Pleased with what she saw, Ra’Keeyah hurried down the stairs.
“Come on, boy,” she said to Jaylen who was glued to the television.
Jaylen looked away from the television and asked, “We goin’ to get my candy?”
“Yep.”
Jaylen hit the PAUSE button on the remote so he could pick back up where he’d left off when they returned from the store. “Key-Key, why you got them clothes on?” Jaylen asked as they walked out the door.
Ra’Keeyah looked down at her outfit and asked, “What’s wrong wit’ my clothes?” she asked defensively.
“They look too little,” he answered innocently. “Key-Key, what’s that stickin’ outta yo’ stomach?”
Ra’Keeyah quickly covered her navel. “It’s a belly button ring,” she answered as they walked down the street.
“Do Mommy got a belly button ring?”
“No, Jaylen,” Ra’Keeyah rolled her eyes.
“Well, I’ma tell her to get one ’cuz it looks cool,” Jaylen smiled.
“No, Jaylen, you can’t tell Mommy I got a belly button ring,” Ra’Keeyah said quickly. “She would kill me if she found out!”
“Why?”
“Mommy don’t like piercings or tattoos,” Ra’Keeyah explained. “So she would be real mad at me if she found out that I got a piercing. It’s gon’ be our little secret, okay?”
“Okay, Key-Key, I won’t tell her, I promise,” Jaylen said as they stood at the busy intersection waiting to cross the street.
Ra’Keeyah grabbed her brother’s hand before walking across the street. “Okay, you better not,” she warned.
“I won’t,” he reassured her before opening up the door to Mr. Wilson’s corner store.
Ra’Keeyah took her hand and smoothed down her hair. “Pick you out some candy. I’m about to go talk to Mr. Wilson,” she said to Jaylen.
“Okay.”
Ra’Keeyah sashayed up to the counter with a huge smile on her face. Mr. Wilson was so busy counting his packs of cigarettes he didn’t even notice Ra’Keeyah standing at the counter. She cleared her throat, catching his attention. He turned around and once he laid eyes on her, a huge smile crept across his face.
“Hey, Mr. Wilson,” Ra’Keeyah smiled back. “What you doin’?”
“Countin’ my cigarettes; what it look like, gal?” he said.
Don’t get smart you old watered-down pimp, she wanted to say and would have if she didn’t need him to lie to her mother for her. “I need a favor,” Ra’Keeyah said.
Mr. Wilson leaned over the counter with a huge smile on his face. He was close enough Ra’Keeyah could smell the stale liquor coming out of his pores. “What you need me to do, pretty gal?” he asked as he eyeballed her from head to toe.
Ra’Keeyah wanted to throw up all over the counter and then slap him across the face for eye-fuckin’ her without her consent. “I told my mom I work for you, and she said she was gon’ come ask you,” Ra’Keeyah said.
“Yo’ mommy don’t even come in here. She act like she too good to come in ol’ Petey Wilson’s store,” he said, sucking his teeth. “And if she did come in here and ask me, what you want me to do? Lie to her?”
Well, duh? Ra’Keeyah thought. “Could you do that for me?” she asked, before squinting her eyes and biting down on her bottom lip as a form of seduction. Ra’Keeyah’s eyes went straight to Mr. Wilson’s package and like she knew it would be, it was standing at attention.
“What you gon’ do for me?” he asked in a slight whisper.
Give you a toothbrush for that one tooth you got danglin’ in yo’ mouth. Ra’Keeyah laughed at the thought. “What you want me to do?”
“How old are you, gal?”
Normally Ra’Keeyah would have lied about her age in a heartbeat, but in a situation like this, she had no choice but to tell the truth. Especially if Mr. Wilson wanted what she thought he did. “Sixteen,” she answered without hesitation, hoping that would keep him from asking her for sex. But even if he did, him lying to her mother was not worth her letting him climb his old, decrepit tail on top of her.
“Aww, man, you jailbait. I’ll go to jail for fuckin’ wit’ you,” he said, disappointed.
Ra’Keeyah was more than relieved. “Yea, you would,” she said, acting as if she was disappointed as well.
“You sho’ gotta body like a grown woman,” Mr. Wilson said. “Well, since I can’t stick it, let me lick it.”
Nigga, are you crazy! “You can go to jail for that too, Mr. Wilson,” Ra’Keeyah said.
“Well, you gotta let me do somethin’ for lyin’ to yo’ momma. Shit, I ain’t gon’ do it for free,” he stated. “At least let me touch it.”
This nigga is a straight perv, lookin’ just like Jerome off of Martin! “Okay,” Ra’Keeyah agreed, thinking, how bad could that be? And he was right; nothing in this world is free!
“I’m about to go look at these shoes Mr. Wilson got in the back of the store,” Ra’Keeyah hollered over at Jaylen who was busy watching the TV that hung on the wall.
“Hurry up, while ain’t no customers in here,” Mr. Wilson said, sounding like a sneaky freak. Ra’Keeyah quickly followed him to the back of the store. He led her into the storeroom and closed the door behind them. Ra’Keeyah wasted no time lifting up her short mini, trying to get this over with. She then held her panties to the side, revealing her freshly waxed pouch. Mr. Wilson’s mouth began to moisten at the sight.
