The Pink Palace

by Marlon McCaulsky

  “Explain what, nigga? How you thought you could rob me and get away with that shit?”

  “I was gonna get right back with ya,” Cornell yells.

  “What? Fuck you, nigga!” I blast a nigga in the head.

  The girl screams as Cornell lies bleeding on the floor. I turn and look at the bitch. “You ain’t seen shit, right?” I say, pointing my gun at her.

  “No! No, no!” she cries.

  “Damn, ma, you looking all lovely and shit. Thick-ass thighs. Don’t worry about it. This nigga was a punk anyway. I’ma call ya, though.”

  I walk out of the room, jump in the whip, and pull off. Honey was fine, but I’m glad I got that nigga. Have to show niggas that you can’t take shit from me without consequences. Like Pac said, “Revenge is the sweetest joy next to getting pussy.”

  NIKKI

  I can’t believe Mo left Penny and me at the party the other night. I’ve been calling her cell, but she won’t pick up. I dial her number from Penny’s cell, and she finally answers.

  “Hello,” Mo’Nique says.

  “Well, damn, you don’t wanna talk to me now?”

  “Nikki, I just need to take care of some things.”

  “So you can’t call me back?” I say to her, pissed.

  “Nikki, to be honest with you, I needed some space to get my mind right.”

  “Why? What did I do to you?”

  “That whole shit at Trey-D’s party really put things in perspective for me. I need to do something with my life.”

  “Oh God, why you trippin’, girl? It was just a party, and I was making some extra cash.”

  “Nikki . . . I saw you and Penny freaking that dude upstairs. I can’t get down with that anymore. If you wanna do that, go ahead, but I’m done.”

  “Mo’Nique, just because Tommy set you up at his house don’t mean you better than us now!” I yell at her.

  “No, I’m not better than you. I’m better than dancing for dumb niggas who just wanna use me,” she says.

  “So, what you gonna do? How you gonna make money then?” I ask her.

  “I’m gonna get a part-time job and I’m going to night school.”

  “Oh, excuse me. Guess you don’t need me no more.”

  “Nikki, I just need to get my life right. I don’t got no problem with you. I love you. I just needed to do this for me.”

  “Okay, whatever, girl. I gotta go. Bye.” I hang up, pissed.

  That fool at the party paid Penny and me three grand to freak his ass. I wasn’t gonna let that shit go. If she wants to be all uptight now, that’s her problem. I can’t believe how ungrateful that girl is! I took her ass in when she didn’t have nowhere to live. Put her up on game. Just because she got Tommy in her life now she thinks she’s the shit. Just wait till that nigga breaks her heart. They always do! Then her ass will come back here.

  Why am I so concerned about what she does anyway? It’s not like she’s stopping my hustle. I almost feel jealous, but screw that. It’s not like she’s doing anything I want. I got these dumb-ass tricks to hustle. As a matter of fact, I’m getting ready to see Dre. It’s been two weeks since Dre’s cousin’s funeral. Dre’s been wanting to catch up with Damien and Horse. This is gonna turn into an all-out war. Luckily, Damien’s been up in New York for a month now.

  I go to The Pink Palace and make my money as usual, but I can’t help but think about what Mo’Nique said to me. I can’t really be mad at her. Lord knows in the past I thought about quitting this shit and doing something different, but I love making this money. I can’t go back to minimum wages.

  Dre comes into the club with two other dudes and they sit at a table in the back. I walk over to them.

  “Hey, Dre.”

  “What’s up, Nikki?” Dre says in a distressed tone.

  I sit at the table. “How you doing?” I ask him.

  “I just buried my cousin. What do you think?”

  “I’m sorry, Dre.”

  “Yeah, so where’s that New York nigga been at?” Dre says, pissed.

  “Last I heard he went back up to New York,” I tell him.

  “So you don’t know when he’ll be back?”

  “Not really. We ain’t close like that. When he comes back is his business.”

  “He better stay where he at then, ’cause when dat nigga do, it’s on,” Dre says with a dreadful look on his face. “This nigga come into my town and start pushin’ weight on my corners, messin’ wit’ my lady, and kill my cousin? We gonna show him how we do things down in the A, for sure,” he promises.

  “Since when am I your lady, Dre?” I ask him.

  “You know you’ll always be my lady.”

  Dre’s partners get up and go sit closer to the stage.

  “That’s nice of you to say, Dre, but I don’t want no man in my life,” I tell him.

  “You don’t have to be my lady. I just wanna know can a nigga cut?”

  “You know how that works, Dre,” I say to him, rubbing my fingers together.

  “That’s cool wit’ me, but I ain’t talking about no VIP room, either.”

  “I think we can change that,” I tell him.

  We end up going back to his place in Bankhead and cuttin’. Dre’s really in an exceptional form tonight. He works my ass in almost every position he can bend me. We’re tearing down the walls in his room for about three hours before he finally wears himself out. Thank God for K-Y Jelly, or I’d be tore up, for real. It seems like Dre’s taking his anger out on my pussy. I’m worried about what Damien would do to me if he finds out about Dre. I’m probably gonna stop doing him after tonight. These two niggas are gonna kill each other.

  I have him drop me off at my place. Dre hits me off with $500. I don’t care what Mo’Nique says; there ain’t no money like trick money.

  MO’NIQUE

  I’m really sorry Nikki thinks I’m avoiding her, but I have to step off and do what I have to do. After the party that night, I got on the Internet and signed up to complete my GED. The next day, I’m at a job fair at the Georgia Convention Center, and I see my old high school friend, Nadia. I walk up to her in the huge convention lobby.

  “Nadia?”

  “Janelle, what’s up, girl?” Nadia says and gives me a hug.

  “Just trying to find a J-O-B, that’s all. You too?”

  “No, girl, I work at Harland in the call center. I just drove my cousin, Shay, down here to fill out some applications.”

  “Why don’t you get her a job where you work?”

  “I did, but the little heifer didn’t like being on the phone all day and started calling in all the time until they fired her ass,” Nadia says and laughs. “But why don’t you come down and try it?”

  “Yeah, that’s cool. They hiring now?”

  “Hell yeah! Come on, girl, let’s get you down there. When you fill out your applications put my name down as your reference so I can get my hundred dollar bonus.”

  “Look at you trying to make some extra on the side! Nadia, I don’t think I ever really thanked you and your mom for taking me in back then,” I say.

  “Girl, my momma loved you. I’m just sorry I couldn’t do more to help you back then. You never did tell me why you left home, but I figured it had something to do with your stepdad.”

  “Something like that. Thank you for not pushing.”

  “So, what have you been doing with yourself since high school?” she asks.

  “Well, you know . . . odd jobs here and there,” I say, avoiding the fact that I shake my ass at The Pink Palace. But Nadia has always known the gossip on everybody in high school, so chances are she knows about my working there. Better I say it than have her bring it up. “And I used to dance at The Pink Palace.”

  “Oh, you did?” Nadia says, faking like she’s shocked to hear that.

  “Nadia, you already knew that, so don’t act.”

  “Well, I did hear something like that from Shardae that was in our algebra class. Her brother, Rashad, said he saw you dan
cing up there.”

  “Well, the rumors were true.”

  “Girl, don’t be ashamed of doing what you had to do to survive. A lot of these bitches out here be having two or three babies from different niggas, living off of child support and welfare. You don’t got any kids, do you?” she asks me.

  “Naw . . . not yet. Do you?”

  “Yeah, I got a little girl,” Nadia says and shows me her pictures.

  “Damn, you had a baby?”

  “Yep, me of all people. I don’t even like other people’s kids!” Nadia says and we both laugh.

  We spend the rest of the day catching up with each other. I’m sorry I lost contact with her, but I won’t let that happen again.

  Nadia hooks me up with an interview at Harland. After I interviewed at the call center in Decatur, I get the job and they put me in a training class starting that Wednesday.

  It’s been weird working in an office for the first time. No half-naked girls walking around, no drunk niggas grabbing my ass. Just a clean and professional part-time job that’s easy and that I can handle. It gives me plenty of time to study for the math and science test I have this Friday. I almost feel like I’m back in school.

  Tommy calls me and tells me he’s gonna be back in town next week and that he can’t wait to see me. I can’t wait to see him, either. I’ve never been so excited to see a man.

  This past week has been refreshing for me, like I can really start my life over again. But you know as soon as you think things are all good, your past reminds you of where you came from.

  I’m on break at the Harland building, sitting outside, eating a sandwich, when two guys stop and stare at me. I’m used to guys looking at me, but these fools are cheesing and snickering to each other. I don’t know them, but I know they recognize me from The Pink Palace.

  “Excuse me, miss?” one of the guys says. I pretend not to hear him. Then he walks up to the table.

  “Hey, do I know you from somewhere?” he says.

  “No, you don’t,” I respond.

  “Damn, you fine. I’d like to see you sometime.”

  “Sorry, I got a man,” I tell him.

  “Come on, girl. I’ve seen you dancing at The Pink Palace before. You were the finest thing up in there. I just wanna get a little private dance.”

  “Listen, I don’t dance anymore, so if you and your little friend wanna point and laugh at me, I’ll be happy to report you to human resources.”

  “Damn, give a ho a job and she don’t know how to act. You ain’t dat fine.” He gets up from the table.

  “And you ain’t fine at all, ya troll-looking nigga.”

  “Oh, it must be your ass, ’cause it sure ain’t yo’ face! Go on and pop, lock, and drop it for me,” he says as the other guy cracks up. Here we go again.

  “That’s right, my ass. My fine red ass you had to pay to see ’cause that’s the only way you could ever see it. So, when you’re jacking off tonight, make sure you thinking about my soft ass that my man is hitting,” I say to them and walk away. That felt good, telling that asshole off. I wish Tommy could have seen me. Damn, I miss him.

  7

  Indecent Proposals

  JAYSON

  Since my unexpected encounter with Vanessa the other night, I haven’t been able to think straight. At this point I can’t afford to be caught slipping, or I could end up with a bullet in my head.

  I told Mo’Nique that I’d be coming back to Atlanta in two days and that I couldn’t wait to see her. She says a lot has changed with her in the last month. She told me that I would be proud of her. I feel so guilty now that she’s changing her life for a man that doesn’t even exist.

  Lieutenant McNiven calls me on my cell and says that he wants to meet with me as soon as I return to Atlanta. I tell him that King and Vanessa are also coming down with Damien and me. He hasn’t told me when the deal is scheduled to go down, or how they plan on bringing the cocaine into the city, so I guess King is taking extra precaution to make sure nothing goes wrong.

  Damien told us about the guy he killed the other night—some dude that used to hustle for him who stole some bricks and money. It’s just another charge to add to the case when we bring him down. It seems like Damien has become more reckless since being back in New York.

  Damien and King are close, but I can see Damien becoming tired of being number two. King’s the brains behind the empire, and Damien’s his homeboy from back in the day. Damien, however, is growing more ambitious as time goes by.

  As far as I can see, Vanessa is telling the truth. She has nothing to do with King’s operation. She’s not exactly a captive prisoner of King’s, either. She’s well taken care of. She spends most of her days shopping or hanging with some girlfriends. She always has a driver to take her wherever and a bodyguard to protect her, but she says he won’t let her go. I wouldn’t either.

  The district attorney in New York is only interested in bringing King down. This would be one of the biggest drug busts in state history. The most they’ve ever been able to charge him with is money laundering—accusations which were thrown out of court for lack of evidence. King’s covered his illegal dealings even better since they came after him. He knows the feds are watching him, and he’s literally given the system the middle finger, saying, “You can’t touch me.”

  Today, King brought us out to Rucker Park to watch a street ball tournament he throws for kids in Harlem. Rucker Park is the home of legends like Pee Wee Kirkland, who once led Rucker in scoring during the 1970 and 1971 season. He once signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls, but because of drugs, he couldn’t play. Pee Wee once scored 135 points in a semi-pro game and averaged 70 points per game in one season. To this day, NBA players still come and play at the park during the off season, and they better bring their A game, too. Street ballers here are known for schooling the NBA’s best.

  King does this annual event to look good in front of the community. He buys a truckload of Nike and Rocawear clothing and gives it away to the local kids. He says he loves the kids, but then he turns around and sells crack to them on the streets. This guy is a walking contradiction in every sense of the term. I can’t help but wonder how many kids here look up to this nigga and wanna be like him when they grow up, because that’s the reality of what we’re talking about here. As soon as we take down King, there will be another nigga to take his place. The cycle won’t stop.

  “Foul that nigga!” King yells as his team is trailing by two points. “Dumb-ass ma’fuckas,” he utters to himself.

  “Calm down, baby,” Vanessa says, rubbing his arm. It’s hard to believe I was just fucking the hell out of her the other night, and now she’s hanging on King’s arm like a faithful wife.

  “Take the charge!” King yells again.

  “Yo, King, take Horton out and sub him with Campbell,” I tell him.

  “Why?” he asks.

  “Because Campbell can back their man down in the paint, forcing the double team. Then he can kick it out to Sidwell, who can bury the three if you can free him up.”

  King looks at me then makes the call to substitute Horton for Campbell. “I hope you know what you talking about,” King remarks.

  “Trust me.”

  Just as I said, Campbell gets the double team and then passes it out to Sidwell, who hits the three at the buzzer.

  “Yes!” King yells. “Real good call, Tommy.”

  “Sounds like you used to play ball in high school,” Vanessa says to me, knowing I did. She was a cheerleader for the team.

  “Yeah, I used to ball a little.”

  “Bet you had all the girls on your jock, huh?” King remarks.

  “Naw, just one girl, and she never left my side.” I stare at Vanessa. She looks away, trying not to show her feelings in front of King.

  Later on that night, I’m on a flight back to Atlanta.

  MO’NIQUE

  Tommy calls me and tells me he should be here in about thirty minutes. I can’t wait to see
him. I got no idea how I’m going to feel when he gets here. I feel so excited inside that it’s killing me. Maybe I shouldn’t let all my feelings out. Tommy is still in the game, and anything can happen, although I get the feeling when I’m around him that he doesn’t want to be doing the things he’s doing.

  We never really talk about the stuff he does with Damien. I don’t wanna be getting all in his business. Maybe I should talk to him about it. I don’t know. I don’t care right now. All I want to do is be with him.

  I straighten up the house and go to LongHorn to get a steak for him. It’s the best I can do, seeing as I don’t know how to cook. I don’t want him to come home hungry to the aroma of Pine-Sol.

  I wonder if Nikki is gonna do anything for Damien when he gets home? I doubt it. I hear a key push in the doorknob, and my heart skips a beat. The door opens, and I see Tommy standing there, looking so damn sexy.

  “Hey, you,” he says.

  “Hey,” I say as my heart continues to rush.

  Tommy puts down his suitcase and walks in. We stare at each other for a moment, and then I walk over and kiss him. Our lips tug at each other, and our tongues reconnect. I feel myself getting so wet. I pull away slowly, resisting the urge to rip his clothes off and rape him.

  “How was your flight?”

  “It was good. Damn, you look good,” Tommy remarks.

  “Stop that. Are you hungry? I bought some food for you at LongHorn. I would have cooked you something, but I tend to burn shit. I figure you wouldn’t want to eat something that tastes burnt . . .”

  Tommy stops me from babbling. “Mo’Nique, I’m not hungry for that.”

  “Then what do you want?” I ask.

  Tommy steps to me and puts his arms around me, kissing my lips again. He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to the bedroom.

  Tommy lays me down on the bed and unzips my pants, pulling them off. Then he stares at me in my shirt and baby blue thong.

  “You’ve been all I can think about, Mo’Nique.”