Cheaper to Keep Her
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Cheaper to Keep Her. Copyright 2010 by Unique. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without written consent except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Publisher’s address:
K.S. Publications
P.O. Box 68878
Virginia Beach, VA 23471
Website: www.kikiswinson.net
Email: [email protected]
ISBN-13: 978-0984529032
ISBN-10: 0-984529039
First Edition: December 2010
1098765
Editors: J. Wooden & Tenisha Oliphant
Interior & Cover Design: Davida Baldwin (OddBalldsgn.com)
Cover Photo: Davida Baldwin
KS Publications
www.kikiswinson.net
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Still Wifey Material
Wifey 4-Life
Mad Shambles
The Candy Shop
Still Candy Shopping
A Sticky Situation
Sleeping with the Enemy (with Wahida Clark)
Heist (with De’nesha Diamond)
Playing Dirty
Notorious
Cheaper To Keep Her Unique
Prologue
“Bitch! You better open this fucking door!”
When I heard his voice, the banging and then the kicking on the door, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. A hot flash came over my body at the sound of his deep, baritone voice. I could tell he was more than livid. I immediately started rushing through the luxury high-rise condominium I had been living in for the past six months. Duke owned it. It was time to put my Plan B into motion. Quick, fast and in a hurry.
“Damn, damn, shit!” I cursed as I gathered shit up. I didn’t know how I had let myself get caught slipping. I planned to be the fuck out of dodge before Duke could get wind of my bad deeds. I had definitely not planned my escape correctly.
“Lynise!” Duke’s voice boomed again with additional angry urgency. He started banging even harder and jiggling the doorknob. I was scared too death, but I wasn’t shocked. I knew sooner or later he would come. After all the shit I had done to him, I would’ve come after my ass too.
“Lynise! Open this fucking door now!” Duke continued to bark from the other side of the door. He didn’t sound like the man I had met and fell in love with. He damn sure didn’t sound like he was about to shower me with cash and gifts like he used to. Not after all the shit I had done . . . or undone, I should say.
“Open the fucking door!” he screamed again.
I was shaking all over now. From the sound of his voice I could tell he wasn’t fucking around.
“Shit!” I whispered as I slung my bag of money over my shoulder and thought about my escape. I whirled around aimlessly but soon realized that my Plan B didn’t include Duke being at the front door of his fifth floor condo. There was nowhere for me to go. It was only one way in and one way out and I damn sure wasn’t jumping off the balcony. If it was the second floor, maybe I would’ve taken a chance but I wasn’t trying to die.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I cursed as I saw my time running out. Duke was a six foot tall hunk of solid muscle. I knew I had no wins.
“Bitch! I’m about to take this fucking door down!” Duke screamed. This time I could hear him hitting the door hard. I couldn’t tell if he was kicking the door or putting his shoulder into it. Although it was his condo, I had changed the locks to keep his ass out.
I spun around and around repeatedly, trying to get my thoughts together before the hinges gave in to his brute power. Hiding the money I had stolen was paramount. My mind kept beating that thought in my head. I raced into the master bedroom and rushed into the walk-in closet. I began frantically snatching clothes off the hangers. I needed to use them to hide my bag of cash.
Wham!
“Oh my God!” I blurted out when I heard the front door slam open with a clang. I threw the bag onto the floor and covered it with piles of designer clothes. Things Duke and I had shopped for together when shit was good between us.
“Bitch, you thought I was playing with you?” Duke’s powerful voice roared. “Didn’t I tell you, you had to get the fuck out of my crib?”
He was up on me within seconds. I stood defenseless as he advanced on me so fast I didn’t even have time to react. I threw my hands up, trying to shield myself from what I expected to come when he reached out for me. But I was too late. He grabbed me around my neck so hard and tight I could swear little pieces of my esophagus had crumbled.
“Duke, wait!” I said in a raspy voice as he squeezed my neck harder. I started scratching at his big hands trying to free myself so I could breathe.
“What bitch? I told you if you ever fucked with me you wouldn’t like it!” he snarled. Tears immediately rushed down my face as I fought for air. “Ain’t no use in crying now. You should’ve thought ’bout that shit a long time ago.”
Duke finally released me with a shove. I went stumbling back and fell on my ass so hard it started throbbing. I tried to scramble up off the floor, but before I could get my bearings I felt his hands on me again. His strong hand was winding into my long hair.
“Ouch!” I wailed, bending my head to try to relieve some of the pressure he was putting on my head.
Duke yanked me up by my hair. Sharp, stabbing pains shot through my scalp.
“Owww!” I cried out as he wrung me around by my hair. I tried to put my small hands on top of his huge, animal hands, but it was no use. Hands I had once loved, I now despised and wished would just fall off.
“You thought it was all good right! You a fucking trifling ass bitch and I want you the fuck out of here!” Duke gritted. Then he lifted his free hand and slapped me across my face with all his might.
“Pl-pl-pl-please!” I begged him for mercy. But Duke hit me again.
I was crying hysterically. Partly from the pain of his abuse, but more so from our past. I would have never thought our relationship would come to this. It had been a long road and all I wanted to do was teach him a lesson when I did the shit I did. I never thought I would have been facing this type of torment.
“I want all your shit out of here, you scandalous bitch! And don’t take nothing that I fucking bought!” Duke roared, then he hit me again. This time I felt blood trickle from my nose. My ears were still ringing from the previous blow to my head. He hit me again. I was sure he had knocked one of my teeth loose.
“Yo Ak, get this bitch shit and throw it the fuck out,” Duke called out to one of his boys. He never traveled anywhere alone. There were always two dudes with him at all times. The one I knew as Chris rushed into the closet and started scooping up my clothes and shoes.
“Wait!” I screamed, but it was for nothing.
“Shut the fuck up!” Duke screamed in response, slapping me again.
I could actually feel my eyes starting to swell. I finally gave up. My spirit was broken, my body was sore. I watched as Chris and another one of Duke’s boys slid back the glass balcony doors and started tossing all my shit over. I doubled over crying. More and more shit went over and I was sure it was raining down on the beautifully manicured lawn below.
“Yeah . . . that’s enough. Don’t throw none of that jewelry or those furs outside. I got bitches I could give that shit to,”
Duke said maliciously. His words hurt. “A’ight bitch . . . ya time is up.”
I shrunk back thinking he was going to hit me again. But he didn’t. He grabbed me by the arm roughly. “Oww!” I cried out.
Duke was squeezing my arm so hard the pain was crazy. “Let’s go,” he said, pulling me towards the door.
“Nooooo!” I screamed and then I dropped my body weight down towards the floor so he couldn’t pull me.
“Oh bitch, you getting the fuck outta here,” Duke roared. He bent down, hoisted me over his shoulder and started carrying me kicking and screaming towards the door.
“You can’t do this to me! You will regret this Duke Carrington!!” I hollered.
“Fuck you!” he spat in return, opening the condo door and tossing me out into the hallway like a piece of discarded trash. I can’t even describe the feeling that came over me. It was a mixture of hurt, shame and embarrassment all rolled into one.
Duke slammed the door in my face and I yelled for him to listen to me. My cries fell on deaf ears. My shoulders slumped down in defeat. Duke had left me in the hallway with no shoes, a short nightgown and nothing but my belongings on the lawn outside. I didn’t even have the key to my BMW X6.
“Aggghhh!” I grunted in anger and frustration as I raked my hands through my tangled hair. I vowed from that minute on that Duke Carrington would learn just what all men have been saying for years . . . it’s cheaper to keep her.
As I limped down the hallway of the building, all of the memories of how I had gotten to this point came rushing back.
Cheaper to Keep Her Unique
Chapter 1—Magic City
One Year Earlier.
I walked into the Magic City and was immediately disgusted by the crowd that was already hanging around my post.
Same shit, different day, I thought to myself. I had been working at the well known strip club for a minute and it seemed like each passing month, more and more thirsty ass niggas showed up to spend their hard earned money on a fantasy. I crinkled my face and looked at my watch just to make sure I had the right time. It was only eight-thirty in the evening and niggas were already starting to pack the club. I mean, damn, didn’t they have wives at home giving them some ass. Maybe not, judging from how they came up in the club and made it rain almost every night.
I noticed a few of the regulars sitting around. Of course, the ones that were there early were the older, more broke niggas that wanted to take advantage of the specials. The ballers usually rolled in after midnight and when they did all the girls who worked at the club would put their best foot forward and try to get some of that baller dough.
I scanned the bar area and rolled my eyes as I headed for my post behind the bar. I wasn’t no stripper chick. Bartending was my thing. I could mix the fuck out of a drink, but I wasn’t about to shake my ass for dollars. I didn’t know how the chicks up in the Magic City did it. Men touching them all over their bodies for as little as a single dollar bill. Hell naw! Not me. All of those different hands all over my body, I would be sick after that shit. Then all that ass shaking, pole hopping and these chicks may or may not make a single dime. Not me, I needed guaranteed money. Even though these thirsty ass dudes didn’t tip bartenders like they used to, they still wanted to sit up in my face and try to spit game my way. I probably turned down sixty niggas a night. I had so many of them telling me how beautiful I was. Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all. One nigga even told me I looked like Jada Pinkett Smith. Well, a few people told me that. Maybe it’s true, maybe not. I did know that I was official. I kept my shit together: hair, nails and clothes. Although money was definitely an issue, the package had to be presentable.
As a bartender, I had listened to every type of story about life there was, especially the same old story men told about their dry ass wives at home who didn’t give up the pussy. Yada, yada, yada. All that said, bartending at the club paid the bills. At least until a better opportunity came along, bartending was my gig.
I switched my ass past the early bird hounds who were already surrounding the bar trying to be the first to get their seats at the stage. It was Thursday, which meant, their favorite stripper was about to grace them with her presence.
Diamond was all the rage at the Magic City and she was also my best friend and roommate. She had left for work before I did since she had to set up her look and her music. She was the club’s Thursday night feature. A different stripper was featured each night of the week.
Needless to say, Thursdays were when the club was most packed. All the men loved Diamond. I mean, she was beautiful. She had a sweet baby face and the body of a video vixen.
I was almost to my post behind the bar when I felt a presence. I jumped.
“It’s about damn time you showed the hell up!” I heard the voice and then felt somebody grab my arm.
“What the—” My statement was cut off. I was a bit thrown off.
“Lynise . . . I need a big favor,” Diamond said in a pleading voice. Her words rushed out of her mouth like running water. She looked as if she had seen a damn ghost.
“Damn girl, you scared me grabbing on me like that,” I huffed, looking at Diamond as if she was crazy. “What’s the matter with you?” I asked confused.
“I need to borrow some cash quick before Neeko gets here. I ain’t got the money to pay for my sets tonight,” Diamond said, with urgency in her voice. She was rubbing her arms fanatically. The nervousness was written all over her face. I hated when she acted spooked and it had been happening more often lately. I sucked my teeth at her.
“Why you need to borrow money Diamond? Didn’t you do a couple of sets last night? I saw niggas making it rain all around you,” I said, frustrated. There was no reason Diamond didn’t have any money when I was sure she had probably made over five hundred dollars just the night before.
“I know but I had to loan some to Brian,” Diamond replied.
I threw my hands up in her face. I already knew she had given her no-good ass, wanna-be hustler boyfriend her money. I despised Diamond’s boyfriend, Brian, but I tried to stay out of her business. He looked and acted like a buster if you asked me. However, Diamond was madly in love with his raggedy ass. He always had his hand out. I told her a million times it was supposed to be the other way around. Brian should’ve been taking care of her and trying to get her the hell up out of the Magic City. That’s the way I saw it anyway. But there was no turning Diamond against the slouch.
“How the fuck you keep giving that nigga all your money?” I barked at her. “He is a grown ass, able bodied man! If he can’t hustle up money or go get a damn job then you need to leave his ass! You a sucka for love or what?” I was fed up with Brian or better yet, I was fed up with Diamond falling for his shit. He was always at our apartment, eating up our food and never lifting a finger or putting a dime in the pot.
Diamond put her head down and wore a sad frown when I told her about herself and her man. I knew I had hurt her feelings and I was immediately sorry. I loved Diamond. She was my road dog. We had been through hell and back together. Neither one of us came from good homes and we had been down for each other for years. I just wanted her to make better decisions and be smarter with her money. I guess I should have been a little more sensitive. But I was too mad to be nice.
“Lynise, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t really need this,” Diamond said somberly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as if she had ants in her damn pants. I noticed she was fidgety as hell.
“Yo, this is the last time I’m loaning you money Diamond. We both struggling to pay rent and bills, remember?” I chastised her, taking my bag off my shoulder and placing it on a barstool so I could get my wallet. I dug into my purse and handed her a hundred dollars. That was enough for her to pay Neeko so she could do a few sets and make some money. That would lead to more sets. I knew she hated doing lap dances, but I was sure she would be doing some tonight to get some extra money. It was part of the game. And as much as we hated it, sometimes
the game ruled us.
Diamond smiled and snatched the money from my hand. Then she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. “Thanks girl, you’re a lifesaver, that’s why I love you,” Diamond said, all of a sudden in a cheery mood.
“Just go knock them dead tonight bitch, ‘cause we need to eat dammit,” I said jokingly. Diamond smiled. She was so pretty when she smiled. I smiled back. I really loved my best friend. I watched as she trotted off to go get dressed for her sets. I shook my head as she finally disappeared down the steps to the Magic City’s dressing rooms.
“That damn girl gon’ drive my ass crazy,” I mumbled.
I still didn’t see how she thought this stripping shit was the best thing. The strippers at the club had to give Neeko, the club owner, twenty dollars for each set just to let them dance in his club. Then they had to pay the DJ twenty-five dollars for each set to play their theme music. Diamond told me on a good night she usually picked up around two hundred each set. To her, that made it worth it.
I couldn’t help but think about the bad nights. To me, none of it was worth it. The idea of having hundreds, maybe thousands of strange hands all over my body freaked me out. It didn’t seem to really bother Diamond. However, deep down inside I think she felt just like I did about stripping.
One night, I watched from behind the bar as Diamond did her set. She got on her back at the edge of the stage, opened her legs like a scissor and spread her pussy lips open for a bunch of dudes sitting in the front row. I think she was just expecting them to throw dollars at her like usual. But I watched in horror as an old ass man, who I knew had no teeth, got up and actually put his mouth right on Diamond’s spread eagle pussy and started slurping on her flesh. She definitely wasn’t expecting it. The shock on her face spoke volumes. Diamond slammed her legs closed, smashing the man’s head and he immediately jumped up. The man was smiling and wiping his lips. I thought I would throw up. Diamond looked horrified as she scrambled to her feet. The crowd of men burst into cheers and money flew everywhere. Although I could tell Diamond was disgusted, she stayed up there and picked up every dollar.
Cheaper to Keep Her (part 1) Page 1