Around the Way Girls 8

by Tina Brooks McKinney

  “In fact, fuck him. Come over here and get this money right now,” another man shouted, gripping a fistful of money.

  “Let her dance, man. Ain’t shit else going on in here,” one of the guys yelled.

  The girls that were still in the room acted like they were about to act a fool, so I kept talking.

  “That’s too bad. I saw some of the ladies on your Web site and I wasn’t impressed.” I took my time getting up. I spread my legs wide, giving the other two men at the bar a sneak peek. My eyes were glued to the dicks of both men closest to me. Not surprisingly, they were fighting the hardness that was poking against the fabric of their dress slacks. I smiled.

  “She’s here, man, why don’t you let her dance?”

  “Yeah, let her dance. We could use some entertainment,” seconded the other man at the bar. I wanted to kiss both of them; they boosted my self-esteem. I didn’t move a muscle. I didn’t want to appear as anxious as I felt. Spears shrugged his shoulders, as if he couldn’t care less what I did, but I refused to let his lackadaisical attitude bother me.

  “If you let this go,” I said, “your boys are going to wonder what kind of man you are. Like Prince said, ‘I think I wanna dance’.” I sauntered over to the nearest table and stood in front of the mirrored walls. Sucking up all the courage I had inside, I seductively pulled my top over my head.

  Spears nodded his head toward the DJ’s booth and the lights dimmed in the club.

  My hair was tousled, giving me a fresh out-of-bed look that men dream about. I smiled at my reflection and winked. When I turned around, my breasts sprang free and I was encouraged by the collective gasp from the men at the bar. My nipples puckered, reacting to the cool breeze from the air-conditioning and they stood like erotic soldiers, popped tall and ready for battle.

  The lights came up and I immediately started moving my hips seductively. Everyone else in the room disappeared as I danced. This was my time. My space. My sexy that all of these swinging dicks was gonna pay money to look at. I turned my hips to the side and gave them my T&A profile. I knew it was a banging sight and their lustful shouts only confirmed it.

  “Oh yeah!”

  “Shake that money-maker! Shake that money-maker!”

  “Ah, shit! Shake what your mama gave you! Get-er-done!”

  Now it’s on! Time for these fellas to take a ride.

  I bent over to the front and touched my toes. I mashed my titties together and licked at both of my nipples. I slapped my ass while I looked them in the eye, changing their heartbeats with the sound of my hands whipping my full ass. I did the butterfly dance, from the front and the back, one man screaming for me to stop. I let them see my tits jiggle. I fired their imagination; hit the spot where carnality resided. I teased them with a promise of tomorrow. My sex is hotness, and in my world, that is all that matters. In school I took dance and gymnastics and I used every move I was taught.

  I pulled a small bottle of baby oil from the back of my bikini. I unscrewed the top with my lips and poured the oil over my head. As the oil dripped from my hair, I worked it into my skin, making my body shimmer. The music wasn’t the best but I made it work for me. I made love to the mirror and if anyone was watching, they felt what it would be like to make love to me. As the song came to an end, I dropped down low, resting my arms on my thighs and waited for a response. My heart was pounding and I was sure it could be heard by everyone in the room.

  Someone came out of what I later found out was the DJ booth clapping. He tossed two hundred dollars on the table. “Fuck me again.” He shook his head and walked off. The front of his pants was wet.

  I struggled to hide my smile. If he was any indication of how I performed, it was all good. He must have been the person who lowered the lights.

  “Stop fucking around, Spears, and hire her.”

  Spears just looked at me with a scowl on his face. I didn’t like him. There was something about his eyes that made me feel off-kilter. My hair was in my face so I pushed it away as I waited. It was only a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime. I tried to act like I was comfortable with the intensity of his stare and it took everything in me to stand there, near naked, before his watchful gaze.

  “Young girls bring drama and I don’t need no drama.”

  “I say let her dance. I like the way she moves,” said the first guy at the bar.

  “Man, she made my dick hard and my shit stopped working so long ago I forgot what it felt like. Let the bitch dance.”

  The second man openly stroked his dick and I wanted to reach between his legs and snatch his nuts right out the sack. I wanted to turn my head from his blatant expression of self-gratification, but if I was going to get this money, I had to get used to this type of knee-jerk reaction.

  “Let me see something else,” Spears asked.

  I thought about it for a brief moment but decided not to do it. If he liked my dancing, one was enough. “No, the first one was a freebie. The next time I take off my clothes I expect to get paid.” I slid on my jeans and put my money in my back pocket. Even though I needed this job I wasn’t about to let him or anybody else exploit me. If my boldness resulted in my not getting the job, I was just going to be like Willie Lump Lump and keep it moving.

  “You a bad bitch, ain’t you?” Spears chuckled but it wasn’t intended as a compliment.

  “Yes, I am.” My voice was low but I think he got my message. He had one more time to call me a bitch. Sometimes I used the word with Reshunda, but in general, the only time I let someone call me a bitch was right before I kicked their ass. It was not a term of endearment as far as I was concerned and this asshole betta recognize.

  “Spears, I asked you to stop fucking around and hire the girl.” The white man who I thought was the DJ spoke sternly.

  Spears dropped his head and mumbled to himself. “I already told her she got the job, man, back off,” Spears stated. He waited till the white guy went back to the booth before he spoke to me again. “You got the boss’s eye. However, I run this. Don’t bring all that drama up in this camp. I’m gonna be watching you. Be here at eight.”

  He got up off his stool and left the room, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

  “Hey, don’t worry about him,” one guy said, pointing at Spears’s back.

  “Yeah, every now and then he gets his head stuck up his ass and today’s one of them days. You got my dick hard, so you’re all right with me.” He peeled several bills off his stack and slid them to me.

  I took the extra money before I slid my top back over my head and adjusted my hair.

  “See you tonight.” I walked out, barely able to contain myself. I felt one step closer to getting my mother out of jail, and for the first time in a long time, I felt good.

  Chapter Fourteen

  RESHUNDA WYLDE

  “Girl, when did you start working here?” I screamed when I caught up with Valencia coming out of the main room. She was looking good and I was excited to see her.

  “For starters, I haven’t seen you and since you don’t pick up the phone and call nobody . . .” She was about to steal my joy and I wasn’t about to let it happen.

  “When did you get the job?”

  “I got started working the same day Ebony gave me her ass to kiss.”

  Valencia was all smiles so I didn’t trip. “You go, girl, you’re here now and that’s all that matters. Look at you all fixed up and shit.” She turned around so I could admire her outfit and I felt a slight twinge of jealousy. Valencia looked good in everything. She had an effortless beauty and it’d been a long time since I’d seen her take time to apply makeup. Her hair was curled and it looked like a lion’s mane.

  “Thank you, boo, I’ve been doing a little extra since I had to audition to get the job.”

  She caught me off guard. “Are you serious, you had to audition?” I was stunned. If Valencia, with all her beauty, had to audition, I wondered what Ebony had to do in order to get top billing at the club. My stupid behind thought
all she had to do was fill out an application.

  “What? You thought I was going to walk up in here and they be like ‘we need you’ or some shit like that? Everybody can’t have a hookup.”

  I could tell she wasn’t being spiteful when she said it. She was just stating the facts.

  “This ain’t a fucking social club,” snarled a man I’d never seen before. The bass in his voice scared the shit out of me.

  “I gotta change. This thong is riding me like a bicycle without the seat, all up in my ass,” Valencia snapped back with the same amount of vigor.

  I watched their exchange with growing curiosity.

  “Then hurry the fuck up and get back on the floor.” He disappeared out the door into the main room.

  “Who the hell was that?” I demanded. I had half a mind to go after him and let him know he couldn’t be talking to my friend like that.

  “That’s Spears. Come go with me to the dressing room. That motherfucker is getting on my damn nerves.”

  I followed Val into the dressing room. Several women were in various stages of undress and I felt uncomfortable being around them. Thus far, I hadn’t spent any time with the other dancers and, by the looks of things in the community dressing room, I thanked my lucky stars that I didn’t have to. I changed in Ebony’s dressing room so I wasn’t exposed to the backbiting and petty arguments going on in the tiny room. I could tell from the evil stares that I wasn’t welcome into their space, so I kept my eyes low and waited for Valencia to change so we could get the fuck up out of there. She grabbed a few things from her locker and we left.

  “What did you have to do for your audition?” I asked, when we were alone in the bathroom.

  “I just danced, but the owner was in the club and he made Spears hire me, and he’s been pissy to me ever since.”

  “I’m scared of you! I haven’t met any of them yet and from the way Spears was handling you, I don’t want to.”

  “I’m not scared of him. I just want to do my thing so I can get what I need.”

  Valencia was always bold and confident but something about her had changed. “You were awesome. And did you see Ebony’s face when you walked down the stairs?” I was still excited just having my girl with me and getting paid was an extra bonus.

  “Yeah, she looked like she wanted to shit a brick!” Valencia made a face mimicking Ebony and it was hysterical. I laughed so hard I started crying.

  “Oh God, you look just like her.” I should have felt ashamed of myself for laughing at my own cousin, but funny was funny.

  “We’d better get back out there. What time are you leaving?”

  “Probably around twelve. Do you want a ride? I’ve got my dad’s car.”

  “Yeah, that would be cool. I hate catching the bus dressed like this.” She smiled and winked at me.

  “All right, then. I’ll meet you at the front door at twelve,” I said, as we exited the bathroom.

  “She’s going to be mad at you when you get home.”

  She was right, but I would deal with Ebony when I saw her. For now, I was enjoying being with my friend again, almost like we used to be.

  “Hey, since we both got money, how about we go get something to eat.”

  A smile lit up Valencia’s face but it was quickly wiped away. “I can’t spend this money. I’ve got to save everything I make so I can hire my mother a decent lawyer.”

  I couldn’t believe how quickly I’d forgotten the reason she was there in the first place and I wanted to kick myself for even making the suggestion that she go out and blow her money.

  “Sorry, boo, I wasn’t thinking, but don’t worry. I’m gonna help you get that lawyer. You can have half of what I make until you get enough to hire someone.” I could tell by the look on her face that she was shocked.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Of course, you’re my best friend.” I felt better being able to help for a change. She rushed toward me and gave me the tightest hug as we cried.

  “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me and my mother.”

  “And I’m still treating you to dinner with the money I have left.” We both laughed.

  We took our time getting dressed since Ebony had kicked us out of her dressing room. Things were so different now that Valencia was there. Ebony made me feel inadequate when it was just the two of us, but with Val, I felt like we were playing on an even field.

  “Wait, isn’t that Ebony at the bar?” Valencia asked.

  I looked back over my shoulder and, sure enough, Ebony was at the bar with two older white men. She had a drink in both hands and didn’t seem to mind that the men had their hands all over her body.

  “Oh shit, she’s drunk. Look at her.” Ebony was taking shots and the men at the bar were cheering her on. I was conflicted. Ebony was a grown-ass woman but I was afraid she was in over her head. “Should we do something?” I was really talking to myself because I knew Valencia had no love for Ebony, but she was still my cousin.

  “I think we should stay and make sure she gets home all right. I didn’t want to tell you this, but word in the dressing room says your cousin’s is into some other type of shit.”

  “What do you mean?” A cold chill went up my spine and I shivered.

  “Drugs were mentioned, but since I don’t deal with those silly bitches, you know they weren’t going to say anything to me about it. Let’s just stick around and see what happens.”

  “Thanks, I was hoping you would say that, but since we’re still underage we can’t go in the bar.”

  Valencia shook her head. “That’s some bullshit. We’re old enough to shake our ass but they’re protecting us by not letting us drink. How the hell does that make sense?”

  “I know, but what can we do?” I felt the same way as Valencia but I wasn’t ready to test the rules that were drilled into our heads when hired. The club would lose its license if we were caught drinking in the main bar. The rules were a little different in the private lounge, but since Ebony wasn’t in that lounge, we were forced to stand by and watch her make a fool of herself.

  “Why don’t we wait in the car? These heels are killing me. We can catch her when she leaves and make sure she’s okay before she does something stupid, like get behind the wheel of her car.”

  “Good idea.” Valencia followed me outside to my car. My father had officially given it to me because there was no telling when he would be sober enough to ever get his license back. He said he’d buy himself another one when he was ready.

  “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way because I’m not trying to pick a fight with you—”

  “Say what’s on your mind.” I immediately tensed up because we had just gotten to a familiar place and I thought she was about to ruin it.

  “Uh, maybe I should keep my big mouth shut.”

  “No, go ahead,” I urged her.

  “Your cousin, she seems like she’s changing and I don’t mean for the better.” I could tell her comment wasn’t coming from a bad place so I couldn’t take offense, especially since I agreed with her.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. She’s getting phone calls at all hours of the night, slipping out the house and when she does come back, she’s fucked up.”

  “Don’t you think you should say something to her? I mean, I don’t want her to get hurt or something like that.”

  My heart began to beat faster because it was almost like she was reading my mind. I was worried about Ebony’s behavior and it had been on my mind for a few weeks, and I felt like there was no one I could talk to about it. Before I knew it, I was crying.

  “Hey, are you crying?” There was alarm in Valencia’s voice.

  I tried to wipe away the tears but they kept coming faster. “I’m so scared for her but she ain’t gonna listen to me. She thinks she knows every damn thing.” I had tried to tell Ebony to slow her roll but she was quick to remind me that she was older and to stay in my lane.

  “What about your dad, do you
think he could talk some sense into her?”

  I could tell that Valencia was really worried and this surprised me. I wiped away the last tear as I spoke. “She won’t listen to my dad. Hell, how can he give her advice when he spends most of his time fucked up?” I pulled my car around to the side of the club and turned off the engine. I was tired and a little annoyed that I couldn’t eat and get in bed because of Ebony’s wild ass.

  “One day, my mom was real upset. She’d been on the phone with my Aunt Candace. She was yelling and screaming at her. When I came into the room, I could tell she’d been crying, but when I went to hug her she pushed me away and told me to go to my room. I pretended to leave but I stayed in the hallway and listened.”

  “When was this?” Valencia asked.

  I had to think about it because I’d tried to pretty much block all those negative thoughts from my mind. “It was probably a week or two before she died. I don’t know for sure, but it sounded like my auntie was fucking around with the guy my mother introduced her to. My mother was trying to tell her he wasn’t the one to fuck with but my auntie wasn’t trying to hear it.”

  “Damn girl, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

  “Why, what does it mean?” I had no idea where Valencia was going with this.

  “I got to go see my mom.”

  “Why, what’s going on?” I was nervous. If Valencia had figured out what really happened that night, I needed her to share it with me. I reached in my purse and grabbed my money and handed it to her.

  “I’ll tell you what I think once I talk to my mother. Don’t worry, I’ll go see her tomorrow.”

  “Here, it’s twenty-five hundred, put it toward the lawyer fund.” She didn’t get a chance to respond.

  “Shit, there’s Ebony.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  VALENCIA ROBERTS

  Ebony came out of the club with one of the men who’d been buying her drinks. I recognized the look on his face but Reshunda and I were not about to let it go down the way he planned it. It was a good thing we hung around because nothing good would have come out of this situation. Reshunda and I leaped out of the car and rushed toward Ebony.