by K Harris
“We gotta find you a man and quick,” I quipped. The other ladies that heard just enough of her statement started to laugh. Some of the newbies weren’t privy to my personal dilemma where Cage is concerned but I’m sure they speculated like so many others. Too bad there was no room in my mind to confirm or deny those inquiries.
“Sho do, she always instigating and shit.” Syd scowled.
“Whatever lil’ mama you need to hop up on this here bar and give a ‘Coyote Ugly’ worthy performance. Naming this bad boy ‘The Wolf’s Den’ fits perfectly, now represent.” Nix did a twirl and made her cheeks move one at a time.
“I hate you!” Syd laughed. We continued to enjoy our night and celebrate the accomplishment of one of our sisters. Next up was my turn. The double grand opening was scheduled for the next weekend and I couldn’t wait. The moment has finally come for me to shine bright like the diamond that I was meant to be. Life was making a startling turn and I was open for more.
~
“Are you excited?” Deloris asked as we browsed the racks of clothes. We decided to do a little shopping in the only boutique we had in town. It was owned by one of our newest members and also the wife of one of the Knights. Though I have shopped in her store in the past, we never said too much to one another besides being cordial. That could be said about just about all of the women in town. Everybody had their own circles until there was a common interest.
“More like nervous,” I admitted.
“Nervous? Why?” Debra asked.
“This is a big deal. Though the actual grand opening is only the beginning, the real work starts once that day has passed. It’s easy to have a great first impression but to keep the reputation from being tainted will be the hard part.”
“You know if you need an extra set of hands, we got your back.”
“Luckily, everyone that I have hired thus far seems quite capable of handling things. But I will definitely keep y’all in mind if I get into a bind.” We moved along to the intimate’s section. There were chairs and footstools in place to sit on with deep red décor signifying the area as a seductress’s lair.
“Tomorrow is the big day. Everything all set?” Earnestine, the owner asked. She was an older woman, but she was still stylish with her pixie cut and rings on every finger. The bell over the door rang and she cursed lowly when she peeked around the corner to see who entered. From the scowl on her face, it was apparently someone she didn’t care for. Peering around the corner to see just who made her entire demeanor change, I saw the skank squad browsing the area with their noses in the air. Did these bitches never get enough of annoying folks?
“As you can see, we don’t carry Rainbow attire here.” Earnestine sniggered. They were now standing just at the threshold where the two areas separated. From our stance, it resembled the part in the movie ‘School Daze’ when the Wannabe’s and Jiggaboo’s faced off. Too bad we weren’t looking at a civilized bunch, this was bound to turn ugly and it damn sure wouldn’t end in a dance battle.
“Everything in this bitch is tacky, especially your current company.” Candie leered in my direction.
“What is your problem little girl? You are like a temperamental toddler mad at mommy and daddy for having another baby or some shit.”
“Little girl? Bitch, I’m older than you.”
“That’s right, respect your elders.” Her little parakeet to the right had the nerve to add her shitty two cents.
“You hoes look like some damn elders,” Earnestine responded.
“I know your old ass ain’t talking. You just mad because your old man still seeks this pussy.” The bitch boasted.
“You silly tramps are pathetic, that isn’t something to brag about.” I laughed sarcastically. “That just shows how desperate you are. You have settled yourself into the role of a used cesspool and you have the nerve to be proud of it. That shit ain’t cute.”
“The nerve of you to try and preach about valuing yourself while you chase after Cage.”
“And there it is, the root of this petty shit. I don’t have to chase Cage.”
“You think you are hot shit right now because he fell for your gripe.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“We were to-to-tossed out be-because o-o-of yo-you.” The left side parakeet stammered with a permanent scowl. Not wanting to mock the special needs student, I forced myself to keep a straight face.
“What?!” The double mint twins shouted with a snort.
“What? I have no idea what that rambling was about. Does anybody speak skankanese or have a hooked-on hoe-phonics dictionary?”
“Cage put us out because of your ass!” Candie yelled.
“He didn’t do shit for me, lil’ mama, and I damn sure didn’t ask him to evict anyone.”
“I find that hard to believe. Now that your homely ass is back, he states there needs to be clear boundaries. Some of us have lived there for years. Why couldn’t you just stay away?”
“Did y’all know they no longer lived there?” Choosing to ignore the rest of what she said, I wanted to know who all knew about these new changes.
“I did,” Earnestine said.
“Me too,” the other ladies agreed.
“I thought Cage would have told you.” That must be some more of the changes that he has been making. What did that mean exactly? Candie or her skank-a-long gang were no longer easy access, so that was saying something.
“You think you are hot shit because you have his nose wide open for now, but your time is ticking, bitch.” She sneered. “Dagger should have killed your ass when he had the chance? Don’t think I don’t know you are to blame for Domino getting killed in prison?”
“You give me entirely too much credit, first off. As for Dagger and Domino’s silly asses, they should have held their vows to protect the club casting all other bullshit aside. Instead, they got greedy, power-hungry and wanted it all. That got them exactly what they deserved. Fuck them, fuck the bitches they rode on constantly,” I snarled right back at her ass. Looking at her from that nappy ass head to her crusty ass toes, I made it clear who I was referring to. “ALL of the skanks they rode.”
“Watch your back, bitch.”
“Look skank, I’m not going to be too many more bitches. Furthermore, if Cage kicked y’all washed up bitches out, that has nothing to do with me. And for the record,” I paused and stepped right in her face to put the most emphasis on my point possible. “Cage will forever be off-limits to the likes of you, whether he is with me or not.” Taking a step back, she made the mistake of pushing me.
That was all it took to unleash the beast on her ass. There was utter chaos in the building. Black, blue, red and whatever other colors one could flash in front of me was all that I saw aside from my steady fists flying in her direction. She tried to hit me back, but every aim was intercepted with a kick or punch. There was more to protect than just myself in this fight. Cage was going to hit the fucking roof when he found out about this shit.
That was fuel enough to wail more blows and kicks into her midsection successfully breaking her down to her knees. One hand had a good grip on the dry, loose, gross feeling braids she wore while I uppercut her ass into submission. How this turned into an all-out brawl, was all on her. All she had to do was keep it moving, I didn’t seek her approval or disapproval. Shouting and protests were heard as I felt hands trying to pry me away from my target. She was going to get this ass whooping to top all ass whooping’s. I was sick and tired of people assuming that I was weak.
“What the fuck?!”
“Destiny, let her go!” I heard.
“Damn, she is strong!”
While whoever was pulling me away from her, I continued to kick the hoe in the face and any other part of her body that I could reach with the bottom of my foot. These bitches have to learn one way or another and I was the right teacher for that ass today. When the angry haze faded enough, I accessed the damage that I had caused with my angry reaction of bei
ng taunted one too many times.
“I told Cage this was a bad fucking idea.” A man growled. I didn’t know him personally but the look on his face was enough to know that he was aiming his disdain straight at me.
“Shut the fuck up Grady,” the man I knew as Arapaho gritted out.
“What? Allowing them to call themselves associated with the Knights and this is what they do – fighting like some damn stray alley cats.”
“Grady, get the fuck out of my store and take these nasty hoes with you,” Earnestine shouted. Who I knew as her man was holding her hostage behind the checkout counter, he looked beyond livid.
“Yo, Travis help Grady get them out of here.”
“And y’all better keep your fucking traps shut about what happened here. This is club business, period.” Arapaho calmly stated and the sluts nodded.
“Now the club has to cover for this mess too. Unbelievable, this should be a civil matter.” Grady continued.
“I’m calling the police,” Candie tried to threaten.
“Good, I will help you out. Since you disrupted my business and destroyed my inventory, you will be the one going to jail. Try me.” Earnestine threatened.
At that realization that she really didn’t have a leg to stand up on, damn near literally not figuratively – she limped her ass out of the building with Grady’s help. Her little cronies made haste in getting out as well. She got the worst of this club smackdown so they helped her as best they could. Everyone that was now in attendance, tried to keep the humor at bay but was failing miserably.
“Earnestine, I’m sorry.”
“Dez, you have nothing to be sorry about. They brought their asses up in here starting shit, but we certainly finished it.” She laughed.
“You can say that again,” Debra and Deloris high fived.
“What the hell happened in here?” Auntie Leslie questioned walking through the door accessing the room.
“Damn niece, you couldn’t even shoot for a battery charge. You jumped straight to attempted murder.” Aunt Mae joked while peeking out the storefront windows. While everyone chose to poke fun at the situation at hand, I needed some air. This crime scene was feeling a bit too closed off for my liking.
“Prez, are you all right?” Deloris asked. “You look a little flushed,” Debra said.
“Too much excitement, I think I just need to lay it down for the day.” I sighed. “Let’s get this mess cleaned up.”
“Girl, if you don’t carry your ass on somewhere. I got this. It’s not that big of a deal. I was planning on closing tomorrow to support you anyway. Now I’m just closing up earlier than I originally planned.”
“But…”
“Let me drive you home,” Leslie said and I went to contest but something in her eyes made me keep my protests to myself.
“I will see y’all tomorrow.”
“Call us if you need us before opening time boo.” Deloris stated and the other women cosigned.
“Thanks y’all.”
“Follow us,” Leslie said and took my keys from my hand. Mae nodded and rushed to their truck. When we started to drive, I checked my reflection in the mirror to see if there was any damage to my face. Looking up, I realized that we weren’t headed to my house.
“Where are we going?”
“To the emergency room,” she glanced at me and then back to the road.
“Who is in the emergency room?”
“You!” Mae shouted and I didn’t bother to argue any further. Fighting was foolish, this I knew but it was also inevitable. What’s done is done, I just pray that I haven’t caused any unnecessary damage.
Chapter 22
Dez
The grand opening for the diner went over without a hitch. Everyone enjoyed the new design, and most importantly the name on the building. For the people who were fortunate to know my mom or come in contact with her all thought she was a wonderful woman with a kind spirit. Estelle’s Diner was replete with a 60s feel. From the checkered floors, red plush booths, and circular stools at the counter – it resembled a genuine flashback. The work attire was simpler though but fit perfectly with the theme.
Red pants, black polo shirts with a checkered strip down the right side, and black server aprons. The bold logo was embroidered into every piece. The new menus held all the specials that initially made this place a town favorite sat at each table. Anyone that frequented the place in the past called off their regular orders with glee and was pleasantly surprised that everything was phenomenally prepared just as before.
As for the bakery, the soft launch was better than anyone could have ever predicted a hard opening to be. Since it was a new business venture, I thought it was best to introduce The Sweet Shack to the patrons of Lincoln a little bit at a time. The last week has been a whirlwind of hard work and dedication. Fondant was prepped throughout the week for the custom cakes that were finished before things turned hectic.
Putting the fight from yesterday completely out of my mind, I attempted to do what I have been training so hard to do – wow the crowd. Arriving in the bakery at six this morning, I got cracking with the easy treats. Brownies, cookies, lemon squares, and an assortment of cupcakes were prepared with the help of my new staff.
A duel ribbon cutting was performed in the parking lot that the two buildings share. The local newspaper and even some neighboring critics were present. All that were present had their choice of going to the diner first or the bakery. Either way I didn’t stick around to see the debate for I was consumed with quick interviews, photo ops, and a slew of congratulations. For the next few hours, I popped back and forth between buildings to be sure everything was moving smoothly.
Thankfully, my family and all of my new friends were in attendance. They never hesitated to step up on my behalf to handle any issue that tried to spark if I was tending to something else. The technical communication system that Tech set up for us to talk between buildings was a Godsend. Finally, my vision was a reality and I didn’t have time to cry my grateful tears. Every so often, my aunties, who I named as the fairy godmothers would appear with their list of demands to slow down or drink this. Other than that, the day was a success and the next day I could rest.
Taking from the scripture that my mother often recited, “He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” She always aimed that at her husband for he didn’t bat an eyelash about working on Sunday and probably did his dirt too for all I knew. Giving honor to my mother in more ways than naming the diner after her, I adopted some of her beliefs, we were closed on Sunday. Who was I to argue with some downtime and time to reflect?
“Congratulations goes out to my sister on her dual opening today,” Syd shouted into the mic. We were now celebrating with an after-party at the strip club of all places. Besides the elder family members who traveled to support me, everyone was in attendance. The Lady Knights got together to put on this intimate get together. Whereas the rest of the town was probably thinking we were going to kick it at Syd’s place, they picked an obscure location instead. How they got the owner to shut down for this was a mystery to me though.
The party was all the way live; lap dances were given, and Nix even convinced me to climb up on stage to show out a bit. She was off duty tonight dancing fully clothed as the other women danced in bikinis. Though we were all open-minded, we didn’t want anyone else new to the setting to feel uncomfortable with titties and ass flopping without covering around the room.
“Shit, if you had danced like that for me – I wouldn’t have been so nice as to fall back.” Ethan leaned in so he wouldn’t have to shout over the music.
“Shut up fool,” I laughed.
“Damn if I can’t taste the juice, at least let me enjoy the show.” He held my hand in the air and gestured for me to do a little twirl. Slightly pushing him away from me, we laughed together.
“Let me holla at you,” Cage growled lowly near my ear. He scared the shit out of me. I didn’t even know that he was at the cl
ub.
“Cage, what is it?”
“Not here.”
“Why not? What is this about?” I was low-key afraid that he was angry about the fight that happened at Earnestine’s.
“Silence.”
“Going off somewhere to talk would raise all kinds of suspicions that I don’t need right now.”
“Either you come with me now or I raise all kinds of hell. Your little boyfriend is the first one on my fuck-up list.” He rumbled. “Don’t call my bluff, Destiny.”
“Fine, lead the way.”
“Good girl,” was his smart-ass remark and I wanted to bash his damn head in. As he walked me to the very back of the club, I took a quick glance around the club to see if anyone was watching. Before I could catch the eye of Ethan, Cage cut off my line of sight. “Keep moving.” His hand rested low on my back and I would be a liar if I said my body didn’t react. As soon as we stepped over the threshold of an office, I spun away from him to put some space between us.
“What do you want Cage?”
“Where is that sugary sweetness that you use on everyone else?”
“That was flushed down the toilet along with my feelings that you regurgitated last year.”
“Damn, that was a mouth full.”
“Silence.” My phone buzzed from the case that doubled as a wristlet and the name on the screen said Sway, which is Ethan’s road name. That could only mean that he was now looking for me.
“So, is that your way of saying that you really do hate me now?” At that question, I stopped typing the text message that I was about to send him. Though I hated the way Cage treated me in the past, I could never hate him. Mad at him, that was natural and justifiable but hating was too strong.
“Is that why you summoned me back here? To disclose my feelings towards you,” I angrily asked.
“I requested that you come with me because I figured it was past time that we talk.”
“About what?”
“About us,” he replied.
“There is no us or did you forget that those were the words that you uttered when I left here last year.”