by T. Styles
“Ain’t you paying attention? I already destroyed my husband. Now you want me to go against his wishes too?”
He took a deep breath and sat back, just as a waitress brought us two plates of fried chicken and rice.
“Parade, what…what is your plan?”
I sighed and grabbed my fork and scooped rice in my mouth. I knew he was fishing and I didn’t want to have a long drawn out conversation with Wayne that I knew he wouldn’t win. At the end of the day I would do things my way.
“Parade.” He paused. “Answer me, girl.”
“You know what I’m planning on doing.”
He leaned forward, looked around and back at me. “Nah, I don’t.” He paused. “So make it clearer.”
I sighed. “I gotta get my hands on $90,000 to get our house back and my business.” I tore off a piece of chicken and ate it. “I mean if you got it that could save me a lot of time but at the end of the day I’ma do what I have to do. No matter what it is.”
“You know if I had the money it would be yours, Parade. But with the money we spending on the restaurant, the surgeries and—”
“Wayne, I don’t want your money.” I reached over and touched his hand, squeezing it softly. “I just want you to understand what I’m going through and I want you not to judge my decisions.” I paused. “To be honest even if you had it I wouldn’t take it because I gotta do this my way.”
“But…” He picked his fork up and dropped it back down. “But what does that mean? Because you dancing around and not answering my question. How you intend on scratching up all them stacks?”
“Wayne…” I looked at him. “You’re a very intelligent young man.”
“Oh, so you gonna fuck your way to ninety grand?” He said. “You got that much whoring in you?”
I shook my head. “After all these years you still the same judgmental ass nigga I knew from the Manor…”
“Nah.” He pointed at me, which I hated. “The problem is so many people associate with fake people that they don’t know a real friend when they see one. I’m not here to support your every decision if it will destroy you.” He reached over and touched me. “And this will destroy you, Parade.” He took a deep breath. “You know how it feels to sit across from a friend that I have loved most of my life and say you’re wrong, even if it means losing her?”
“I didn’t ask you to come.”
“Do you know how it fucking feels?” He slammed his hand on the table, his feminine voice replaced by his natural masculine tone. Something that always scared me when I heard it, which was rarely.
“Wayne, just—”
“No need to tell me to leave.” He snatched his purse out the seat. “Miss Wayne knows when to make an exit, trust me.”
He stormed away.
****
PARADE
“Well, it depends on what you want.” I said to a man I met on Play More Pay More, a dating site that was really nothing more than a sex site. “And what you’re willing to pay.”
I flopped on the motel bed in the room Wayne was staying in before he temporarily moved in with a friend in Maryland, before going back to L.A. early after our argument. The room was paid up for a week so I decided to make use of it for privacy.
The terrible part was this, we only had a fight yesterday and already I missed him so much. But there was work to be done. I had to convince myself that I could be reckless in order to help the bigger picture.
I had to use my body.
What else was at my disposal?
Still, just thinking about it made my stomach turn and it bothered me beyond belief. When things got real bad, I thought about how Jay could still die and that if he lived I wanted him back in our house. Not with his mother who would probably tear us apart if we lived with her. That alone helped me make things easier. I don’t care what I had to do.
“Well I want my dick sucked.” He said right off the top. “And maybe fuck them titties or somethin’ like that.”
Disgusted, I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed. He sounded so vulgar and gross and that quickly I was starting to realize maybe I was making a mistake. But what was I going to do? Beg for hair clients online when I didn’t have an online presence in Maryland? That would take more time than I had.
Or live with Jay’s mother for life? Move with Wayne and anger Jay even more? My mother was dead. My father wasn’t an option after recalling how he molested me as a child and even more how I accepted it.
What was left?
I had to use my body.
My cell phone rang. I picked it up off the bed and answered. “Ma.”
It’s Landon. “Hey, son. How—”
“Where are you, ma?” He paused. His voice sounded broken and sad and that made me want to break into tears. “What’s going on? And why didn’t you go with us to see pops today? Grams said you haven’t been at all.”
I took a deep breath. I hadn’t been to see Jay since they flew him to the Maryland hospital. It hurt too much. “A lot is happening.”
“Then explain it to me!” He yelled. “Because you’re wherever you are and I need you here! With us!” He yelled and I could hear he was crying. “Did you hear me? I need you here with…me.”
I placed my hand over my mouth to silence my own cries.
“Don’t get me wrong, I care about Grandma,” he continued. “Logan and Ella do too but she’s not always nice.”
I jumped up. “Is she hurting you?”
“No!”
I sat back down slowly.
“But, I don’t like being around people who disrespect my mother.”
I was so angry I trembled. “What is she saying this time?”
“It doesn’t matter, ma.” He paused “I just want us all to go back home, to L.A. where we can be together. Can you, I mean, can you do something about that?”
That was all the motivation I needed.
It was time to get to work and I was taking all callers.
CHAPTER SEVEN
PARADE
Parade walked into the small soul food restaurant that was closed for the night. Pete Chris, the overweight white and married owner, locked the door and licked his lips when he saw her enter. “The picture lied,” he said as he observed her body and fished for his dick in his khaki’s before grabbing it in his pants. “And for the first time I’m happy about that.”
She sighed. “Thank you.”
“Well it’s true,” he continued. “You’re much sexier in person.”
Parade looked down. The song and dance he was giving her was boring to say the least. She wanted to do her job as professionally as possible and bounce. “Where you want…” She looked at him. “You know…us to go?”
He pointed toward the back, his eyes filled with lust as he focused on her small breasts. “Follow me.” He led her to the kitchen and toward the stainless steel worktable. They were definitely alone. “Right there. That’s as good a place as any.”
She looked at it and frowned. “But, isn’t that used to prepare your meals?”
“Why you worried about it?” He paused. “You don’t have a nasty disease do you?” He licked his lips. “Now take off your clothes.”
She frowned. “Put the money in my app first.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket.
He smiled. “I don’t get to sample the goods?”
Irritated, she quickly walked toward the exit and he grabbed her hand softly. “Somebody’s all about business.” He removed his cell. “Just hope the pussy is as sweet as your game.”
She gave him the information he needed to transfer the funds and when she received a notification that the money was in her account she placed her phone into her pocket. “Where you want me?”
“Waist down on the table.” He unbuttoned his pants. “Ass up.”
She complied. Slowly she placed her upper body on the table as he yanked down her black pants and eased behind her.
“Condom.”
“I don’t have any—”
He rolled his eyes, eased the condom out of the jacket and slid it on. As he entered her body she cried silently although he didn’t know or care. She couldn’t remember the last time another man touched her outside of Jay. Parade knew in her heart that her body belonged to her husband and yet there she was, allowing another person the honor.
Still, there was a reason.
She had zero money in her accounts because the banks took it all and the bills were mounting. There were no credit cards. No secret stash and no hope. And in that one foul act, less than ten minutes, she gained three hundred dollars, enough for Melissa’s rent.
Her plan was simple.
Only deal with older men who could afford her up charge. So far married white men contacted her who had a craving for women with chocolate skin. And as long as they were paying she would be their fantasy but if she was being honest she couldn’t see an end in sight for the ninety grand and yet she had to start somewhere.
****
PARADE
The second man she slept with was simple. He ordered her to lie down on her back in his daughter’s bed as he entered her body. Things seemed normal until he pulled up to her ear and began yelling about how much he hated her calling her by a name she didn’t know. And how ungrateful she was as his child. It was clear he had some secret hate-love-attraction to his daughter and that spooked her out.
His harsh words immediately brought tears to her eyes and for one moment in her mind she replaced his face and voice with Jay’s. Since they were both Spanish the leap wasn’t difficult to achieve. Being spoken too in a foul way was her way of taking the verbal abuse that she felt Jay had a right to inflict on her for causing the accident.
But things were about to get worse.
****
It had been three days and Parade managed to save up twenty five hundred dollars. She was exhausted when she made it to the motel for her next appointment. Her client was different than she normally dealt with because he was younger but he already paid a deposit of five hundred dollars with a promise to pay more once she got there and answered a few questions.
In all honesty she was hoping he’d say never mind which is why she asked for so much money. She was wiped out and wanted a day’s break but he was willing to pay the vig.
Taking a deep breath she walked up to the door and sighed. When she was ready she knocked three times.
“It’s open,” a male’s voice called out from the other side.
Parade pushed the door open and she was immediately shocked at what she saw. She saw his picture on the app but he looked much different.
Did he put up a false photo?
And if so why?
Her client was sitting on the bed, facing the door, hands clutched in front of him. What caught her off guard was how attractive he was. He definitely didn’t look like a man who would be involved in buying whores. Then again, she didn’t look like a whore either.
What she also noticed was the sudden surprise he appeared to have when he saw her. It was as if he’d met her before although they hadn’t.
His locs, freshly twisted and tied, ran down his back. A goatee sat against his brown face and highlighted his smooth chocolate skin, sexy eyes and white teeth. Even though he was wearing a white t-shirt, designer blue jeans and fresh black Nike boots. His demeanor said king.
What shook her soul was that something about his presence, something about how he looked at her made her feel ashamed. As if he knew who she really was on the inside and was disappointed, despite the man never saying a word.
She closed the door and cleared her throat. It was her way to regain her composure. “The rest of my money please.”
He grabbed his phone off the bed, pressed a few keys and she received a notification on her phone. When she pulled it out of her pocket she was surprised at the thousand dollars he deposited, eight hundred over their agreed amount.
“You do realize you gave me—”
He stood up. “On your knees, Lisa.”
He used the fake name she gave him. “Wait, what—”
“I just paid you more,” he said firmer. “So get the fuck on your knees.”
She cleared her throat and slowly got down, before stuffing her phone into her pocket. After all he had paid more and successfully pushed her closer to the amount she needed to get their home back. Even if it was only a little closer.
“Now crawl.”
She took a deep breath and moved slowly to him on hands and knees. Once she sat at his feet he looked down at her.
“So…um…so what now?” She asked, almost shaking.
He continued to stare.
“Um…so, what—” She cleared her throat. “What’s next?”
Silence.
Tiring of being on her hands and knees she sat down and looked up at him. “What is this about? Huh? You paying all this money to look at me like you hate me? What’s up with that? I mean what do you want to do?”
Silence.
She cleared her throat. “Listen, if you’re going to be weird then…” She paused. “I’m leaving.”
He continued to look down at her, hands clutched in front of him. For some reason when she looked at him she could feel a burning sensation above her cheeks and suddenly tears rose up in her eyes, before rolling down her face. The man had barely opened his mouth and yet something about his very essence had her weak.
Before she could stop herself she balled out crying and still he said nothing. It was so weird that she wasn’t sure if he was even real. I mean, how was it possible for a man to be that silent and that overpowering?
Since he had yet to say more she got up and looked down at him. “Fuck you!” She yelled. “Do you hear me? Fuck you!”
He remained unmoved.
“I don’t know what kind of game this is but I’m out.” She turned to run out the door.
****
MERCER
Mercer sat on the toilet as his latest girl treat, Lanis, stood in front of him in the bathroom in the motel room. He removed her shirt about ten minutes ago, leaving her in her bra and jeans.
“Beautiful,” He said gazing at her body.
She smiled. “Thank you, Mercer.”
He unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them to her ankles. Placing his nose near her crotch, he inhaled deeply. Afterwards he frowned when he realized she wasn’t wearing panties. “Why?” He asked.
“Why what?”
“You were out at the movies with me like this? It’s a little whorish isn’t it?”
She frowned. “Mercer, please stop the crazy shit or I’m gone.”
Although disappointed in the lack of class, the last thing he wanted her to do was bounce. A serial killer for life, he wanted to kill her first. “Tell me you love me.”
“You know how I feel about you,” she said. “Stop with the games.”
“I want to hear the words.”
“I love you.”
He smiled.
“Mercer,” she continued. “You ask me that every time we’re together. What happens if I don’t say it?”
He ran the tub. “Get in.” He paused. “I need to wash you.”
RING. RING.
Mercer grabbed his cell phone off the sink. “Hello.”
“Look, I need you to check out this female for me,” Am’rak said.
“What’s her name?”
“Just got her screen name, Lisa, and a pic.” Am’rak paused. “But after I send it I need you to get on top of it ASAP.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
PARADE
I could barely see as I walked down the street because tears continued to roll down my face. The worst part was I didn’t know why.
Who was that nigga with his judgmental ass? And why would he pay $1,500 just to look down on me li
ke I was some whore? I mean, I was doing whorish things, but, he didn’t know my story. He knew nothing about me. And where is my fucking Uber?
It wasn’t until I remembered that I told the driver to meet me in front of the motel that I realized I had walked five blocks away. He would never be able to find me down here. Since I was wearing heels my feet throbbed and I had to sit down for a minute to catch my breath before taking the hike back. And yet the entire time all I could think about was his screen name MRCEEREEYUS, which I now believed meant Mr. Serious.
When I spotted a stoop in front of a building I sat down and took off one of my heels to rub my foot. The moment I was seated a black beamer pulled up and parked on the street in front of me.
It was Mr. Serious.
My jaw dropped because he must’ve searched for me and I looked the other way. Why was he following me? Because there was no way I was having sex with him after how he treated me.
He rolled the passenger window down and leaned toward it. “You need a ride?” He asked.
His voice was deep and full of base. The kind of sound that went with a man who could make a grown woman cry without speaking. “I know you hear me over there,” He said with a smile.
“Leave me alone.”
“Listen, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I shrugged as I continued to look away from him. “You didn’t touch me remember? So ain’t nothing to be sorry for.”
“Maybe that was the problem.”
I glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He smiled.
Please, God. Get this man away from me.
I wanted him gone not for the reasons some may think. Yes he was attractive. Yes he smelled like expensive cologne when I entered the room. And yes he was younger than me, which meant he could probably make a person weak in bed if he wanted.