“You don’t need him to start no label. You can do it by yourself. Damn that. You and me can start one if that’s what it will take for you to leave him alone.”
“You know we would not be good in business together. On top of that, neither one of us have any damn money like that to start a label.”
“How do you even know Bay got money like that anymore? What if he’s just trying to spin you to keep you around?” Shakita asked with concern.
“No, he has money. I know this for sure.”
“And what makes you so certain of this? Just because he said so?”
“I’m holding his money here until he gets out. I’m the only one he trusts with it.”
“For real? Did he give you a lot?”
“Let’s just say he gave me enough. It’s enough to make this thing really work.”
“Girl, stop teasing me and tell me how much.”
“Two hundred fifty thousand.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m so serious. I hid the money in the vent in my room. I’m only telling you this just in case someone comes looking for it. I’m not sure who Bay’s enemies are, but if something ever happened to me, I want someone to know where it is.” Latrice saw a diminutive glimmer in Shakita’s eyes and could tell exactly what she was thinking. “Shakita. You can’t use this money to gamble with. I want to make that very clear. My life depends on it.” Latrice emphasized the seriousness of her situation. Shakita was an impulsive gambler and being around money was her Achilles’ heel. Latrice really had no one else to trust with the money. She had no choice but to tell Shakita.
“Latrice, I would never do anything to jeopardize your life. I know how crazy Bay is. He just threatened to kill me over some bullshit, so I know what he’ll do about his money,” Shakita said with sincerity.
“He did? When?” Latrice asked in shock.
“I ran into him downstairs. He told me not to have any niggas around you. I blew him off and he grabbed me up and said he would kill me if I thought he was playing.”
Latrice shook her head in sadness. She was hit with the realization that Bay had more control over her life than she did. Even in jail he would still be her oppressor. An impious puppeteer pulling her strings as he saw fit. She had to find a way to get the upper hand, or at least become his equal. Without her independence, she would be swallowed up in the music world. Bay’s jealous and reckless temper would stop her from establishing any connections. No one would want to do deals with her if violence was how Bay conducted his business. She looked at Shakita as she thought about her future.
“That’s why his money can’t be touched under any circumstances. It’s not ours to die over. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
Shakita stared Latrice in the eyes and felt ashamed for even thinking about taking the money. As much as she would have loved to use it for her own personal gain, she couldn’t go through with it. She hated Bay to the core, but crossing him would be death to both of them. She had to do what was right to keep Latrice out of harm’s way. “I promise I won’t touch the money. You have my word.”
Latrice could tell that Shakita was being honest by the mood of her eyes. They were no longer narrow and filled with complicity. They had changed to being broad and lenient. Now that Latrice had Shakita’s sworn word, she could focus on getting her life plan together. The record label was her main priority, and she had to learn more about the industry, she was so desperately trying to be a part of. She had to make moves quickly, so she would be at the top of her game by the time Bay got out. Swollen nose and all, she was determined to make every second count. She was ready to leave out since the bleeding had ceased, and remembered that Shakita must have stopped by to see her for a reason.
“So now that we have an understanding about the money, what made you stop by?”
Shakita wanted to tell Latrice everything she had gone through lately, but she wouldn’t be the right person for that. Latrice was too critical about the way Shakita led her life. She could only tell Latrice bits and pieces, which would be more than enough information. She once again decided to tell her the half-truth.
“My air conditioner is broke, and I wanted to see if I could stay here until it gets fixed.”
“Of course, girl, that’s never a problem. It’s been too hot this summer to be going without AC.” Latrice grabbed her purse and headed to the door. She then stopped and turned to Shakita. “You already know my spare key is on top of the freezer. I’m about to go check some things out. I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait a minute. You don’t want me to go with you?”
“No, that’s okay. This is something I need to do by myself.” Latrice smiled softly.
“Okay. Well, I’ll be here. I’ll see you when you get back. And don’t worry about nothing, girl. We’re going to get through this Bay situation together.”
Latrice beamed as she looked gratefully at her best friend. All they had were each other, and it touched her heart to know that no matter what she went through, she was never alone. She valued their friendship more than anything in the world. Latrice was rest assured that she could leave Shakita alone with the money.
“Thanks, girl.” She grinned as she left out the door.
Latrice had been long gone while Shakita lay jittery on the couch as she watched TV. She was alone with the money and couldn’t stop thinking about it. She sporadically peered into Latrice’s room where the large stash had been securely hidden.
I promised. I just have to find another way, she said to herself as guilt overshadowed her urge for deception. Time and time again Latrice had been her only benefactor. There was no one else willing to help advocate her struggle with addiction, which allowed loyalty to override her shameful obsession. Shakita vowed that she would do right by her friend this time, and find another alternative to get the money she needed.
• • •
As the days went on, Shakita still couldn’t come up with a solution to resolve all her financial needs. When she went back to her apartment to get more clothes, she discovered that her water had been shut off. Shakita was now without electricity, water, and soon facing eviction. She now had her back completely against the wall. Her face grimaced as the thought of failure overwhelmed her mind. She withdrew her last cigarette from her pack as tension impeded on her emotions.
Latrice had started to leave her alone in the apartment more often than she should have. The more her trust was tested, the harder it became to resist temptation. She paced in front of Latrice’s bedroom as the urge to enter heightened. Shakita swore that she wouldn’t touch the money, but the more she stayed around it, the harder it became to resist. All she needed was to take enough to pay off her expenses and gamble with, then put it back once she won. She believed she was good for it, and decided to take a chance.
Her heart pounded as she crept toward the money. She removed the air vent cover, then reached inside and pulled out the heavy plastic bag. She feasted her eyes on the numerous bands of hundred-dollar bills as drool fell from her open mouth. The more she marveled over the bundles of cash, the less she felt guilty for going after it.
“All I got to do is win and put it back. Latrice will never know it was missing. I can do this,” Shakita assured herself.
She quickly placed a total of ten bands in her purse that equaled ten thousand dollars. She then slid the plastic bag back in the vent, and then closed it up as if it never had been opened. Shakita sighed deeply as she closed Latrice’s bedroom door. From that point on there was no turning back. Her time was now, and she felt confident in her decision to take a chance with Bay’s money. She then walked out of the apartment unknowingly, that her life would be forever altered for the worst.
CHAPTER 3
PRESENT DAY
“It’s about to be on and popping for you, man. As soon as Bay gets out, we’re going to have you in the studio the same day,” Latrice promised Killa D, as she pitched to him over the phone. Killa D was one half of th
e gangster rap group that Bay had taken an interest in while he was still out on the street. Killa D and Piff were the best underground group in D.C., and Bay wanted them to be the first to sign to his label. Latrice handled all of Bay’s business affairs while he was gone, and was instructed to keep the group attracted to the label. Latrice continued to spit game to Killa D over the phone making sure she kept his attention.
“You and Piff gonna be the biggest group to take over hip-hop in years. With the producers that we already have lined up to do your first album, ain’t nobody gonna be able to fuck with you two.”
“Who are the producers y’all got to work on it?”
“We got Butta Mo, Skip, The Go-Go Boyz, Chris Beats, Perry Mason, and Rooftop Productions just to name a few,” Latrice happily informed him.
“Damn! That’s enough already. With those cats doin’ our production, we can’t lose.”
Latrice could tell by the way he reacted that he was smiling on the other end of the phone. She had him right where she wanted him.
“I told you. Getting down with Bangspot Records would be the best move you could make. We’re gonna take over the whole fucking industry. With your kills and our marketing plan, you’re guaranteed to at least go platinum. That’s even with record sales slumping due to illegal downloading. None of your shit will even be affected.”
Killa D thought about all the success they would have with Bangspot Records, and couldn’t wait to get in the studio and put out their first hit single. Latrice couldn’t wait either.
“So are you trying to get down with Bangspot or what?” Latrice asked, trying to close the deal.
Killa D didn’t even have to think hard about it. He already knew what he wanted.
“We’re down as long as you stay down.”
“Cool. We gonna keep in touch, ya dig?”
“Gotchu.”
Latrice got off the phone and started to attend to other matters. She had to hurry to get dressed, so she could get to the post office. She needed to mail off the copyright and business license materials Bay needed to officially register his company name in order to establish his business. She’d forged his signature on all of the documents precisely like Bay had instructed her so everything would run smooth.
Latrice needed to go purchase a ticket to see a female rapper named Clarity that she was hoping to sign to Bangspot Records. Clarity’s style was the new hotness in D.C., and Latrice felt that everyone in the world needed to hear her. Clarity was performing that night at the Fantasy Lounge and Latrice had to be there. Latrice was confident she would be able to talk Clarity into signing with them. With Killa D, Piff and Clarity on the team, Latrice would get much praise from Bay.
After that night, Latrice hoped to have a lot of good news to tell Bay once he called in the morning. From their last conversation, Bay told her he would call her again Friday morning at eleven-thirty. She was going to make sure she didn’t miss his call. She never knew the next time she would speak to him. But with Bay getting out of jail soon, Latrice felt that if she missed his call, he would call her every day until he found out how she was handling his business. She liked the way things had been going between them lately, and it was in her best interest to do anything to keep it that way. There was no way she would miss that call.
CHAPTER 4
Latrice danced in the bathroom mirror to Beyoncé’s song “Upgrade U” that was playing out of her MP3 stereo docking system. She was putting the finishing touches on her hair. She spritzed her short hairstyle to give it a spiky look, as she bounced her ass to the music. Latrice -was a dark-chocolate baby doll with the toned, sculpted body of a fitness instructor. Although she had all the right moves and knew all of the latest dances, she still had no aspiration in being a video queen. Latrice’s dream was to become a record executive and then transition into becoming her own boss. She wanted the big money and having her own label would get it for her. Latrice didn’t want to be some ordinary chick floating around in the industry. She wanted to be that top bitch that made shit happen and everyone had no choice but to respect her.
Latrice sang out the words to the song as it brought more meaning to her life than it ever had before. She planned to upgrade Bay from a notorious street hustler to CEO of Bangspot Records. She had it all figured out and couldn’t wait for him to get out of jail for everything to fall into place. With what she had planned, Latrice was going to take a start-up rap label from the bottom, to the pinnacle of the whole music industry. She continued to sing knowing that she would become a big part of Bangspot’s success.
Latrice drove her midnight-blue Pontiac G6 down to the post office and did everything necessary to make sure her package would be delivered without incident. Latrice then left the post office and headed over to the Fantasy Lounge on K Street to purchase a ticket for Clarity’s show. She didn’t know if the club would be open this early, but she wanted to be assured that she was able to get into the venue tonight. When Latrice pulled up in front of the club, she couldn’t tell if anyone was in there or not. She took a chance at the door handle and to her surprise, it was open. She walked in the dark club and didn’t see anybody at the ticket window.
“Hellooo!” Latrice called out, after patiently waiting for someone to finally come up to the window. “I’m here to buy a ticket for tonight’s show!” Latrice spoke out again hoping to get the attention of whoever was in there. “This is some bullshit,” Latrice said under her breath as she became tired of waiting for someone to come up to the front. Fuck this. I’ll come back later. She turned for the front door to leave, until she heard a noise coming from behind another door. As she walked closer to the door, she heard another noise. She assumed that the door led to the entrance of the club, and whoever was in there could sell her a ticket.
She walked into the lounge area and turned her nose up at the club’s awful appearance. She looked at the scruffy-looking tables and the worn-out pleather that covered the booths. This place is far from upscale, Latrice thought as she continued to walk around the club. She didn’t see how anyone would call this place the Fantasy Lounge when it was obviously far from that. Maybe it was nice back in the day when it first opened, but it looks like some shit now.
Latrice heard another noise coming from behind the curtain on the stage. “Hello!” Latrice hoped that the person behind the curtain heard her this time and would come out.
“Whatchu doin’ in here?” a lady asked, quickly poking her head out of the curtain.
“I was trying to buy a ticket for tonight’s show, but no one was up at the window. I thought I heard someone back here, so I came to see if someone could sell me one.”
“That’s cool,” the lady said as she started to walk off the stage toward Latrice. “At first, by the way you were dressed, I thought you were the damn inspector people.”
Latrice had on a white blouse, black skirt, and four-inch BCBG heels. She considered her wardrobe very classy but didn’t think her outfit spelled out professional.
“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. My name is Latrice,” she said as she extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Latrice. My name is Fantasy.”
“You’re Fantasy?” Latrice found it shocking as hell to find out that this light-skinned, overweight woman was the one and only Fantasy. But then again, Latrice took one look at Fantasy’s matted hair and dingy clothes, and it became clear to her why the club had such a shabby appearance. “You got a nice spot here,” Latrice said, not knowing what else nice to say about her.
Fantasy waved off her compliment. “Girl, you ain’t gotta lie to me. I know this joint ain’t nothin’ but a damn hole in the wall. This place ain’t been up to par in years.”
“Why don’t you fix it up?”
“I ain’t got the money to do much of anything with this place now. Shit, I can’t even change a light bulb in here without feeling it the next month.”
“Well, if keeping this place is so much of a problem, then why don’t you sell it?”
Fantasy sighed. “This place needs so much work done to it, I don’t know who in their right mind would buy it. Besides, I couldn’t sell it anyway. This used to be my daddy’s place. He named it after me and this was the only thing he had to give me before he died. He loved me and this club. I just don’t have it in my heart to ever sell it.”
Latrice felt sorry for Fantasy and knew first-hand what she was going through. When Latrice was fourteen, she’d lost her mother to ovarian cancer, and the only thing she had to pass down was her old engagement ring. Latrice’s father had broken off their engagement, and as a result of a broken heart, her mother kept the ring. Latrice’s mother was a strong believer that if a man gave a woman something, she should never have to give it back. While on her deathbed, she made Latrice promise to never let a man take anything away from her. As long as it was in her possession, then it was considered hers. Latrice made the vow to one day live by her mother’s words.
“Don’t you have a lot of acts that come here every month?” Latrice asked. “I heard the shows be sold out all the time.”
“They do, but I still got bills to pay. The lights don’t stay on for free, ya know,” Fantasy said with her hands on her hips, as she looked at Latrice with a duh expression on her face.
Latrice didn’t know how much Fantasy’s electric bill or anything else she paid was, but she was damn sure smart enough to know that Fantasy was barely breaking even each month. Latrice felt there was something suspect about Fantasy but didn’t know exactly what. She decided to forget about what was really up with Fantasy and changed the subject.
“What time does the show start?”
“It starts at eight, but we start letting people in at seven-thirty.”
“Okay. I just need one ticket, please. How much are they?”
“Twenty before the show and thirty at the door.” Latrice reached in her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.
“The tickets are behind the window. Let’s take a walk up front.”
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