“I truly appreciate that, Ricky. You’ve been an amazing friend, and I will forever be grateful for your listening ear and the attention that you give me. You’re always there just when I need you,” she said with a smile and a quick squeeze of his hand.
Carmen considered Ricky a good friend and a wonderful listener. As much as they were attracted to each other, they both knew that their relationship could never be more than sex. They had a mutual understanding. They were two consenting adults who played the game of sex without any of the nagging strings attached.
“I got something for you,” Carmen said before Ricky stood up and was ready to leave.
“I know you said I don’t have to pay you anymore, but here,” she said, passing Ricky a white envelope.
“Consider it another gift from me,” she smiled.
“I told you, Carmen—”
Carmen put her finger to his lips and stopped him midspeech. “Ricky, what you do for me is more than I can ever ask for. And I’m not just talking sexually. I’m talking about whenever I need a shoulder to lean on or a friend to cry to, I can always count on you. I know you don’t want to be a dancer all of your life, plus you have to take care of that pretty little daughter you got. We both know that when you eventually find that soul mate that you always tell me about, that our little fling will come to an end. Don’t worry about the money; you know I have access to plenty. Just promise me one thing,” she said seriously.
“What’s that?” Ricky asked, looking into her watery eyes.
Sighing, Carmen said, “That no matter what happens with our lives, that we will always be friends.” With that, the tears started falling down her face. Ricky walked up to Carmen, and they gave each other a long, affectionate hug.
“I promise you, Carmen. You’ll always be my friend,” he said sincerely.
After a soft kiss on the lips, Carmen watched as Ricky walked out of the apartment and shut the door. She went over to the window and watched him get inside of his BMW and drive off. After he had disappeared, she grabbed her Gucci jacket and purse and walked out the door. When she got inside her pearl-colored convertible Jaguar, she dropped the top, put on her matching Gucci frames, and sped off. As she headed toward the King of Prussia Shopping Mall, the wind blew through her long, black hair and the sounds of Lil’ Kim banged out of her speakers.
“Hello,” Carmen said answering her cell phone.
“Baby, it’s me, Hardrock,” a raspy voice said. “Where you been. I’ve been calling all morning.”
“I’ve been busy getting my daily workout in. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to call and tell you that they added a few more cities on the tour, so I’ll be on the road for a few more weeks.”
“Do you, boo. I’ll be all right,” she said.
Chester, PA, right outside of Philly
The terrified woman stood there crying while Roscoe had his .45-caliber pistol stuck down her throat. Her eyes were swollen and nose and mouth both bleeding from the brutal beating that Roscoe had just given her. The tears fell down her brown-skinned face. Her name was Robin, and she was a nineteen-year-old runaway from D.C. Roscoe would use her to sell drugs, prostitute, and set up people for him to kidnap. She was like his personal slave.
“Bitch, I told you about bringing me short money! If I come back over here one more time and my money ain’t right, I’ma beat your ass worse than I did today. You hear me?” Roscoe yelled angrily.
Robin nodded her head as she cried. He took his gun from out of her mouth and kicked her to the floor.
“Clean yourself up, bitch. You got my drugs and pussy to sell! I’ll be back in a few days!” he said, walking out of the house. When Roscoe got inside of his big black Escalade, Damon was already inside waiting for him.
“Man, I had to leave. You was beating the shit out of that bitch!” Damon said laughing. “Man, you hard on them bitches!” he concluded seriously.
“See, you can’t play with them bitches, homie. I don’t love none of those hoes. A bitch can’t do nothing for me but make me my money! Love is for suckas! And I’ll never be a sucker for love!” Roscoe said laughing. “Only one bitch got an invitation to my heart, and that’s my fiancée Tori. And she so strung out over this dick and all the money that I give her, she ain’t never gonna fuck up!” he laughed with confidence. “I don’t understand how niggas get weak over them bitches, how a nigga can cry over a no-good bitch. One thing for sure, Damon, a bitch will never break me, ’cause I’m a man who can’t be broken. And I don’t have no weaknesses,” he bragged, pulling his truck on the expressway.
“You got those X-pills ready?”
“Yeah, they bagged up and ready to go,” Damon said.
“Good, ’cause pretty boy left me another message on my voice mail. He’s ready again,” Roscoe said smiling.
“Man, stop trippin’ and light up that Haze. I told you the nigga is cool. Chill out.”
* * *
Inside Nancy’s private office, she was seated at her desk talking to a man.
“Did you think about the $30,000 offer?”
“I’m still thinking. I’ll let you know real soon,” he said.
“We did it before. This one will be a lot easier. We’ll both benefit,” Nancy said smiling.
“I have to go meet somebody. We’ll talk about it later tonight,” the man said, winking his eye and smiling, walking out of her office.
Nancy stood up from her desk. She walked over to the file cabinet and took out a manila folder with a few white sheets of paper inside of it. After walking out of her office and locking the door, she sat down at an empty table and called Big Nook over.
Chapter Seven
The Eyes of Hate
Tuesday afternoon
After Ricky left the bank, he got back into his car and headed to the club for dance practice. While at the bank, he deposited a thousand dollars into his personal account and the same amount into the account he had set up for his daughter, Asia. At least three days out of a week Ricky would do this. He had dreams of one day owning his own house, with a few acres of land surrounding the property. The money he would put into Asia’s account was to ensure that if anything happened to him, she would be set for life.
On his way toward the club, Ricky picked up DJ Twist on the corner of Fifty-second and Market street. As usual, DJ Twist was waiting patiently for Ricky’s arrival. If there was one thing that he could bet his last dollar on, it was that Twist would be on time. Twist was always dependable and someone that Ricky could count on in any situation. In fact, he was one of the most punctual people Ricky knew. Ricky didn’t have any qualms about recommending him for a job at Chances, or anywhere else, for that matter. He’d recommended him for several different events, and he’d never heard anything negative about him. The two men shook hands as DJ Twist got into the car. Not much was said after he entered, proving how comfortable the men were in each other’s presence. Ricky turned his radio up, then glanced in his side-view mirror before pulling away from the curb and making a right on Fifty-second Street.
Ricky and DJ Twist had met five years earlier at a local DJ competition. Back then, Ricky was a party promoter, and it was always good to see what DJ was the hottest in the city. The competition had all of the local DJs, including some that were from other cities in the tristate area. All of them were extremely talented. Some of them were capable of doing tricks Ricky never seen before, while effortlessly blending tracks together. DJ Twist was one of those with special tricks up his sleeve. He did one move where he spun in circles and changed the track so fast that it sounded like one song. There was no surprise when he came in first place.
Ricky was so impressed with DJ Twist’s turntable skills that he hired him to become his personal DJ. He used him for every event that he hosted. After speaking with Twist and being around him as often as he was, the two became friends. Twist was loyal and trustworthy. Those were just two of the qualities that he had. There was a time when after an event a few
men approached Ricky about a woman he’d been seeing. For them, it was the perfect time to approach him since he was alone. Without warning, Twist came from the rear with his gun drawn, forcing the unarmed men to back off. Ricky knew at that moment, he was someone that he definitely needed to keep around. After Nancy had fired the former DJ for drinking on the job, Ricky had gotten his young friend the vacant position.
“I made you a new CD, Ricky,” Twist said, digging into his large Nike sports bag, filled with CDs, records, and his DJ accessories. “You’re gonna love this one! Can I ask you something, Ricky?” Twist said with a serious look on his face.
“Yeah. What is it?” Ricky said, turning down the music.
“What’s up with Nancy?”
“Why you ask me that?” Ricky said, curiously.
“Because it seems like she got something against you. What’s up with that?” Twist questioned.
“It’s a long story, Twist. One that I wish to forget about,” Ricky said seriously.
Twist got the message and quickly changed the subject. “Okay, then, lover boy, what’s up with you and India? I ain’t crazy. Even a blind man can see the attraction y’all both have for each other.
“I saw India last night standing by the door watching you leave the club with the two honeys on your arm. I’m telling you, Ricky, pain was written all over her pretty face. How come y’all two ain’t never hook up?” Twist asked.
“We’re friends. You know she took my daughter to the zoo, and once in a while, we talk about things going on at the club. Plus, you know it’s not a good idea to mix business with pleasure,” Ricky said, stopping his car at a red light.
“Save it for the birds! If I had a young, fine shorty sweating me like India, I would just have to take my chances,” Twist said. “Everybody at the club wants to knock shorty’s boots, but the only person she show any kind of interest in is you. She’s young, beautiful, and educated. What is you waiting for?”
“I don’t know, Twist,” Ricky said, pulling off after the light changed. “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”
“Ricky, you’re my man, and I got plenty love for you, homie, but women like India don’t stick around too long. Niggas snatch that kind up real quick! I know you got more than enough women that you can call on, but if you ask me my opinion, Ricky, you can’t go wrong with India,” Twist said seriously.
Ricky just calmly nodded his head as he continued to drive.
Everything Twist said was right. Ricky did have plenty of women that he could call on, but at the same time, there was so much that Twist didn’t know about him and the women who paid him just to sex them. None of them were women he’d deal with otherwise.
When Ricky pulled his BMW up in front of the club, all the other dancers’ cars and trucks were parked outside. Across the street from the club, Ricky and Twist noticed Flex, Ricky’s number one competitor, standing beside Roscoe’s Cadillac Escalade talking to him.
“That dude Roscoe ain’t nothing but trouble!” Twist said, grabbing his sports bag and getting out of the car.
“Ain’t none of them dudes cool, Flex or Roscoe,” Ricky replied, grabbing his black leather sports bag from off the backseat and getting out of the car. Ricky saw Roscoe pass Flex a small brown paper bag. When Flex put the bag inside of his jacket pocket, Roscoe rolled up the truck window, and he and his friend Damon sped off down the street.
“What’s up?” Flex said walking across the street.
Both Ricky and Twist just nodded their heads. Flex was an ass-kissing backbiter that only a handful liked. Ricky was not one of them. A few times they had almost come to blows. After Ricky “Mr. Orgasm” Johnson, Flex was the next most popular exotic dancer at the club. Flex stood at six foot three, 185 pounds, and had a light complexion and a perfect physique. A few tattoos covered his muscular arms and back. Flex was a twenty-five-year-old pretty boy with an ugly attitude. His light hazel eyes and short black, curly hair would drive the women wild and crazy. His conceited, arrogant, stuck-up attitude didn’t keep them around for long, which is why Flex couldn’t get the number one exotic dance position at the club. Ricky was a much-better dancer with better skills. Whenever Ricky would perform his routine, he owned the stage. In his routine, he’d fly through the air or slide across the stage doing all kinds of acrobatics. This too would drive the women crazy. Ricky enjoyed performing for all his female fans. Seeing them smile, clapping, and screaming his name would always bring a smile to his heart. Flex was the total opposite. He only cared about three things: money, who he could sex, and the day he would get Ricky’s number one exotic dance title.
When Ricky and Twist walked into the club, everyone was standing around inside. Nancy and Big Nook were seated at a table going over some paperwork. A few dancers were on the stage already practicing their routines for the next show. India was sitting alone at a table keying something in on her laptop computer.
After Twist had gone upstairs to his DJ booth, Ricky walked over to India and sat down in an empty chair.
“What’s up, pretty? What are you doing?” he asked.
“Hi, Ricky. Soon, we’ll have a winner for your ultimate fan contest,” she said. “You have a lot of female admirers e-mailing you.”
“Will I be able to see a picture of the winner?”
“Nope. Sorry,” India smiled.
“Oh, well, maybe I’ll be lucky.”
“I see everybody wants a piece of ‘Mr. Orgasm,’” India said.
“I guess,” Ricky said softly.
“What’s wrong? Ain’t that what you want?” India asked seriously
“Sometimes I do, and sometimes, India, it can be one big headache. For real, all I want is my own dance studio one day and a nice big house for me and Asia to live in,” he said with a serious expression on his face.
“What about that special someone to share your quality time with? Every man needs a good woman by his side.”
“Maybe one day I’ll find her. I’m very picky.”
“I noticed,” India retorted. “How’s Asia doing?” she said, quickly changing the subject.
“Fine. She asked about you this morning. She really likes you,” Ricky smiled.
“I like her too. She’s such a beautiful little girl. Honestly, I can’t wait to have my own child one day,” India said, closing her laptop.
“Girl, you’re way too young to be thinking about having children,” he said playfully.
“Ricky, believe it or not, I’m old enough for a whole lot of things and anything that I don’t know, I’m willing to learn with the right teacher,” she said seriously.
Before Ricky could respond, Nancy approached the table.
“First of all, you’re late; second, you’re bothering India while she’s working,” Nancy said in an angry tone.
“Mom, he wasn’t bothering me. We were just talking about his fans on the Web site,” India said defensively.
“I’m sorry, Nancy, that I was late, but I had to go pick up Twist. Thanks for everything, India, we’ll finish this conversation some other time,” Ricky said, grabbing his bag and walking away.
When he left, India looked up at her mother and said, “Mom, why do you always do that when Ricky comes around? He’s your number one exotic dancer, and you treat him like he’s nothing. Why don’t you run Flex or the other dancers off when they come to talk to me? Why is it Ricky?” India asked seriously.
“I don’t have to explain nothing to you. You just stay away from Ricky, and that’s that!” Nancy said, walking away.
When Nancy walked by Ricky, he saw her eyes filled with hate and rage. He watched her walk into her office and slam the door. Ricky looked across the room at India and shrugged his shoulders. He saw the confused look on her face and just shook his head. India knew that sooner or later she and Ricky would have to talk. It was killing her to keep her emotions suppressed. If Ricky didn’t come to her soon, then India had already decided to go to him. She could hardly sleep at night thinking about Ricky.
So whatever the problem between her mother and Ricky was, India was now more determined to find out the answer.
Chapter Eight
If Only They Knew
When dance practice ended, everyone packed up their belongings and left the club. India was so upset with her mother that she walked out of the club without saying good-bye. Ricky and Twist watched India get inside her cherry Range Rover and sped off down the street.
“Ricky, I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Thunder said walking toward his parked car.
“Take it easy, big boy,” Ricky said as he and Twist climbed inside his BMW. Thunder was the biggest of all the male dancers. He stood at six foot five and 275 pounds. He had a light brown complexion. He kept his hair cut low, sporting a head full of waves. Out of all the dancers at the club, Thunder was Ricky’s closet friend. After Thunder got into his Hummer H3 and drove off, Ricky pulled off right behind him. Ricky had to drop Twist off at home. Then afterward, he had to go pick up Asia at her school.
Nancy, Flex, and Big Nook were the only people left inside the club.
“Nancy, I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” Big Nook said, grabbing his bag off a table.
“Make sure you and your boys get here an hour earlier. You know how Wednesday nights are. I want y’all to set up before all those horny-ass women start kicking the door down,” she said, walking Big Nook to the front door.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be here,” Big Nook replied, walking out the door without saying a word to Flex. Big Nook didn’t like Flex at all. Flex felt the same way. So the two of them just kept their distance. After Big Nook had gotten into his car and driven off, Nancy locked the door. Flex followed her back into her office. As soon as she shut the door, she started taking off her clothes.
“Do you think Big Nook knows about us?” Flex asked, undressing.
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry Page 7