From Ratchet to Riches

by Patrice Balark

  An awkward silence fell upon the table as they sat and ate their food. Mecca wasn’t sure if it was because she was hungry, but everything tasted amazing. She was glad that the conversation about school was now in the past. It was hard trying to explain why the Valedictorian wasn’t going to college.

  “Oh yeah, I meant to tell you. On our way in here, I got a text message.” Capone came out of nowhere and said, scaring Mecca a little.

  “A text message?” she replied before placing a fork full of baked macaroni and cheese in her mouth.

  “Remember that night you took that ride with me?” Shaking her head up and down, Capone continued. “That car dealership shit worked. In fact, it worked better than our previous method which means we were able to double the profit.” He excitedly explained.

  Untitled

  At first Mecca was confused, but then she remembered the conversation she had with Capone the night of the fire.

  “Aw straight up. That’s what’s up.” She smiled at him from across the table.

  The two stared into each other eyes like they did in the movies before the first kiss happened.

  “So anyway, where you get that Queen Pin ass idea from?” he asked, breaking the moment.

  “I mean, I don’t know. I guess it’s the hustler in me.” She smiled before taking a sip of her Pepsi.

  28

  Pip pulled into the driveway of her parents’ house and killed the engine on her Porsche. Snatching her iPhone out the cup holder along with her Chanel bag that rested on the passenger’s seat, Pip exited the car and headed up the stairs. Unlike Capone’s parents’ house, which was an elegant two-story brick home in the suburbs, Pip’s parents lived in a mansion in a gated community about fifteen minutes away from her. That was pointed out not to say Pip’s family was better off than Capone’s; in fact, they had the same income. Capone’s family was reserved and laid back while Pip’s family was flashy and fancy, the total opposite.

  “Hey ma, is daddy in his office?” Pip greeted her mom at the door with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Yes, he’s back there.” She replied with a smile before heading back into the kitchen.

  Pip took the long hall down to her father’s home office where she knocked lightly three times.

  “Come in.” Nate’s deep voice sounded from the other side of the wooden door.

  Turning the doorknob and sliding in, Pip closed the door behind her once she was inside.

  “Hey Princess, what brings you by?” Nate stood to his feet and walked around from his desk questioning.

  “I just wanted to check on you. See how things going Dad.” She replied, wrapping her arms around her father as he pulled her into a tight hug.

  After their brief embrace, Nate took a seat at his desk while Pip sat in the leather chair across from him. Pip watched her father light a cigar, taking three hard pulls from it before placing it in the ash tray.

  “So, let’s talk. How’s the house?” he shifted in his chair and questioned, giving Pip his undivided attention.

  “The house is the house.” She chuckled before continuing.

  “I got a few new girls who are in training.”

  “What about clientele?’ he pumped.

  “They couldn’t be better. I got Judge Ford on the list along with a few new NFL players. Business couldn’t be better in general.” She confirmed with a cocky smile.

  Seeing the look of approval on her father’s face made Pip feel good inside. She had always been a daddy’s girl and making her father proud was always something she aimed to do. Being the only child, Pip was raised in the family business. She moved back to Chicago from New York a few years ago and started Pip’s House there. Pip’s House was a brothel where some of the finest women from around the world worked to please nothing but high-end clients. Most, if not all, of Pip’s clients were married men, who loved or felt the need to cheat on their wives. There were very few men who were single that frequented there, but the majority were married.

  Pip’s House clients ranged from judges who sat on the Supreme Court to some of the best professional ball players in the world. Pip guaranteed secrecy and professionalism like no other prostitution home. In fact, she didn’t refer to her girls as prostitutes; they were just as much professionals as the men who paid to fuck them.

  “Those words are like music to my ears.” Nate finally replied, taking another pull from the cigar.

  The daughter and father duo sat around talking for another thirty minutes before she left and headed to the city. Pip told Danielle that she was picking her up from in front of the store at five and with the way traffic was set up, she needed to make moves early.

  Stopping at White Castle, she grabbed her something to eat since she hadn’t eaten all day. Arriving on the block ten minutes early, she smashed the number 2 with extra pickles while she waited. Glancing up, she noticed Danielle walking down the busy street, alert with her head held high. Honking her horn twice, she rolled down her window and motioned for Danielle to head her way.

  “What up Pip?” she spoke, opening the front door and getting in.

  “Young Bull, what’s going on?” she replied, giving her a warm smile before pulling off into traffic.

  Pip and Danielle held a small conversation, which pretty much consisted of Pip getting to know her better. She already had a feeling for Dani, just based off the few encounters the two had in the recent past. Pip took a liking to Danielle the moment she met her. What made her like her even more was fact she didn’t give a fuck. To Pip, Danielle seemed like one of those youths who didn’t have shit; therefore, she took risk because she had nothing to lose.

  “So, you ready to start making some money?” Pip asked as they pulled into a gated community.

  “I’m always down with making money, but I ain’t trying to be one of yo hoes Pip.” Danielle turned to her and answered.

  “A hoe? Is that what you think Dani? You think I’m a pimp?” she chuckled, backing into the driveway.

  “I mean yeah.” She answered truthfully, which Pip appreciated.

  “Well for starters, I’m not a pimp. I’m more like a madam and…”

  “And that’s a female pimp. I’m good.” Dani cut her off, stating.

  Pip laughed again at Danielle and her choice of words. From the inside looking in, yeah, Pip looked like a pimp, but it was deeper than that, and she planned on showing Dani just how deeper it was.

  “There’s a lot about the game you need to learn. Get out.”

  Pip exited the car first, noticing Dani hesitantly doing the same. The two of them walked to the porch of the mansion where two armed men stood in black suits. Although it was smack dead in the summer, Pip still required them to wear the attire. To her, looking the part was just as important as playing the part.

  “Good afternoon Ms. Pip.” The both of them said, greeting her in unison.

  “Raul, Potz, how y’all doing?” she replied as one of them held the door open for her to enter.

  When they walked in, Pip noticed the shock look on Danielle’s face as she eyed the décor.

  “Does this look like a hoe-house to you?” Pip smirked, walking deeper into the foyer.

  With Danielle following behind her, Pip led her downstairs where her office was located. Upon entering the pin code to enter the room, Pip allowed Danielle in first before closing the door behind her.

  “Take a seat.” She instructed as she flicked on the light before sitting on top of the cherry Oakwood desk.

  “Imma be real with you. I want you on my team, but I need to know if you down. No, I’m not trying to pimp you, but I do think you’ll fit in, especially in Tier 1.” She explained.

  “Tier 1?” Danielle repeated, confusion setting on her young face.

  “Yes. I run a very lucrative business. A business that is feeding my family and hopefully your family very soon.” Pip paused.

  “I take care all the women who walks through my door. I make sure they have everything they need. As long as
they take care of my business needs, I take care of them. The ladies in my house range from 18-60, depending on the client needs.” She continued.

  “Clients?” Danielle repeated.

  “Powerful married men who enjoy pleasure outside of their marriage come to Pip’s House seeking that pleasure.” She stated.

  “But where do I come in at?” Dani looked her in the eyes and asked.

  “Tier 1 is ages 18 to 21. These girls are being prepped to become Officials….”

  “And Officials are….”

  “Officials are the step before Professionals. The Officials handle the small claims while Professionals handle those high-end clients I was referring to earlier.” Pip broke it down to her by saying.

  “So back to this Tier 1…” Danielle replied, showing Pip that there was a little interest there.

  “Tier 1 starts on the street; those are the girls who are learning the game and getting their feet wet. That’s where you come in.” Pip paused again, allowing Danielle to inject but surprisingly, she remained quiet.

  “You’ll be Tier 1 manager. It’s your job to make sure all the girls in your unit stay in line. It’s your job to make sure that all the money is straight and that they are doing their job. “Pip finished.

  “But why me?” Danielle questioned.

  “I like you. You have heart like no other and that’s what I need on my team. You showed me the day you cut Simone’s ponytail and then when you followed up by killing her…”

  “That was an accident.” Dani quickly injected.

  “I know but you displayed no remorse which showed me another side of you.”

  “Now, if you accept this offer, just like everyone else in my organization, you will be well taken care of.” Pip stated, uncrossing her legs and standing to her feet.

  Pip knew the exact words to say to someone like Danielle. She had been finessing women for years. A poor teenage girl from the hood with no common sense and love was going to be an easy task.

  “So, you in or what?” Pip leaned forward on the desk and asked, completely invading Danielle’s personal space.

  “I’m in.” Dani smiled as Pip went inside her desk drawer and pulled out a black box, which she slid to her.

  Motioning with her head for Danielle to go ahead and open it, Dani followed instructions and did.

  “What’s this for?” Danielle asked with a wrinkle forehead.

  “Yo hands gon’ get you respected but this here gon’ get you RESPECTED RESPECTED.” Pip replied, pulling a pretty black and silver .22 out of the mysterious black box.

  Seeing the sinful smile inside of Danielle’s eyes let Pip know she was making the right decision. With a lot of training and learned discipline, Danielle was going to be running more than just tier 1. Pip saw something in Danielle that she’s never seen in any of her other girls before.

  29

  Danielle looked through the bags of clothes Mecca walked in with and smiled. She couldn’t believe how clutch Capone had been. Let Mecca tell it, he was nice just because, but Danielle felt like it was some bullshit. Not complaining because she was grateful, she just wondered why he was so gracious.

  “You like it?” Mecca asked from the doorway, smacking on a bag of chips.

  Looking up at her big sister, Dani grinned.

  “This shit so dope.”

  “Yeah, I told him he ain’t have do this, but he wouldn’t listen.” Mecca beamed, taking a seat on the bed.

  “I heard around the hood about how much money Capone got but damn…. Mecca you hit the jackpot.” Kay added in from her spot in the bed.

  “Jack pot? Girl it ain’t even like that.” Mecca defensively replied.

  “BITCH PLEASE! What nigga spending money just because he’s a nice nigga? He got a motive, that’s all I’m saying.” Kay snapped, standing to her feet and walking over to the window.

  “Like I said…. It ain’t even like that and besides, he got a girl.” Mecca told them.

  “He admitted that to you?” Kay quizzed from her spot at the window.

  “Yeah. He answered the phone on speaker and all that.”

  Danielle listened as Mecca and Kay rambled on back and forth about Capone. To her, he was cool as long as he didn’t play her sister.

  “Aight Dani remember… we have to be back here at four o clock to meet up with Nurse Peaches’ friend who’s going to try and help us get Yana back.” Danielle heard Mecca say.

  “Yeah I know. You just make sure you here. I don’t have a phone like you to call.” Dani replied, folding the last shirt.

  Once she placed the bags in Kay’s closet, Danielle headed out the door to meet Pip. Since agreeing to work with Pip yesterday, Dani’s mind had been racing nonstop. She never thought that she’ll be in a predicament such as the one she was in. She had agreed to work for Pip so quickly because of her sisters, she hadn’t even thought about herself. She knew the type of world they lived in; therefore, she had to get it by any means necessary.

  “What’s up Young Bull?” Pip greeted her as soon as she opened the door to her Porsche.

  “Hey, what’s good?” Dani replied, buckling her seatbelt as Pip pulled away from the curb.

  Danielle had no idea where they were headed; all she knew was Pip said they were handling business today.

  “Aye, reach in the back and grab that Sprint bag on the floor.”

  Dani looked at Pip out the side of her eye before doing as she asked.

  “Here.” Dani said, handing her the white plastic bag.

  “Nah, that’s for you. It’s a black wallet inside of there for you too.” Pip explained, looking over at Dani and then back at the road.

  Dani opened the bag and pulled out a rose gold iPhone and a black leather wallet. Going inside the wallet first, Danielle pulled out a wad of cash, full of different bills.

  “Now we gotta get you a State ID and driver license.” Pip said, pulling inside the DMV.

  “But I can’t drive.” Dani objected, shifting in her seat.

  “You’ll learn how to drive later, come on.” Pip said, getting out the car walking ahead of Danielle.

  Unsure of what type of strings Pip pulled at the DMV, but Danielle not only walked out with a State ID but a Driver’s license too without evening taking a test. How she provided the required documents was beyond her, but Pip got it done.

  After leaving the DMV, Pip took Danielle to Chase Bank, where she had her open a bank account. Pip explained to Danielle how the bank account was solely hers and how it was just to help her out. Most likely noticing the skeptical look on Danielle’s face, Pip suggest Danielle go in by herself and set the account up, even giving her some fake mail with a fake address on the envelop for secondary identification purposes.

  After opening the account, the two stopped at Chick-Fil-A, where they grabbed a quick meal. Pulling out the drive-thru, Pip went around and parked in a parking spot so they could eat.

  “You got somewhere safe you can keep that gun I got you?” Pip asked out the blue just as Dani stuffed a waffle fry in her mouth.

  “Nah, for real, I don’t.” Dani told her truthfully.

  “Aye, who do you live with?” Pip asked, taking a napkin and wiping her mouth with it.

  “Our crib burned down almost a month ago so technically I’m homeless, but I been staying at my sister’s friend’s house or sometimes at my friend Stephany’s house.” Danielle explained to her.

  “Damn, where yo parents?” Pip was alarmed, looking over at Danielle.

  “Never met my pops and my mom locked up.” Dani turned to her and replied.

  “I remember you saying you had siblings, how many?” Pip asked, turning looking back ahead.

  “Three, well two now. I have a little sister and big sister. My little brother Coby died.” Dani said, sadness taking over her.

  “I’m sorry to hear that…… What’s your sisters’ name?” Pip questioned.

  “My baby sister’s name is Yana and my older sister’s name is….”


  “HOLD ON. Let me answer this.” Pip interrupted Dani and said before answering her ringing phone.

  Danielle played with her new phone while Pip talked on the phone. Noticing the time, she had no idea it had gotten so late. Danielle was supposed to meet Mecca at Kay’s house in fifteen minutes.

  “Take this ride with me to the house. I need to check on something.” Pip said, pulling out of Chick-Fil-A parking lot.

  Wanting to object but also wanting to get a feel for the business, Dani decided to remain quiet and go for the ride. Mecca could go see Ms. Peaches without her and just fill her in later on what happened. Danielle spent the entire ride trying to convince herself that she made the right decision. She even thought about texting Mecca since she had finally memorized her number, but she didn’t want Mecca to know she had a phone yet. Her sister would ask a million questions and Dani planned on keeping Pip and their connection a secret as long as she could.

  “Come on, let me take you to Tier 1.” Pip said, pulling into the same gated community as before but this time, but they went to a different house.

  Just like the first visit, there were two men guarding the door. They greeted Pip before she entered the home, much like before.

  “Welcome to Tier 1. There are four bedrooms, each room has two girls, so there are eight girls in total. You are ultimately responsible for them all. This house also has a house manager who sees over the girls’ daily moves while inside the house. Although the house manager is responsible for them inside the home, you still have to make sure she is doing her job. That along with being an enforcer in the streets.”

  Danielle shook her head up and down in agreement as she soaked everything in. She had always thought her first job would be at McDonald’s or someplace like that. Never working at a prostitution house, making sure the hoes stayed in line.

  “It’s almost six-thirty which means all the girls are at the gym with the personal trainer. I’ll introduce you to everyone later.” Pip said, still glancing down at the Rolex on her arm.