Working Girls Read online

  Tasha realized that she’d hit a nerve, and so she decided to go for the jugular. She let out a menacing chuckle. “Huh? Nothing like her? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re just like her. Matter of fact . . .”—Tasha got up and went over to her purse, pulled out a M•A•C makeup compact, opened it up and held the mirror in front of Halleigh—“See. Look at yourself. Just look at you.”

  Halleigh turned. She didn’t want to see herself. She could only imagine what her reflection looked like. “Stop it! No!” Halleigh continued to struggle.

  Tasha grabbed her tightly by the chin to hold her face steady and rammed the mirror in front of her. “I said look! Look at you. If you’re not your mother, then who are you?”

  Halleigh began to weep, but it didn’t stop Tasha from making her point. “Who are you then?”

  When Halleigh’s eyes met those looking back at her in the mirror, she shut them tight and began to cry. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I don’t know who I am anymore. Oh, God,” she cried with heaving shoulders.

  Tasha uttered a sigh of relief, figuring she’d made her point and that Halleigh had had enough. Tasha took Halleigh into her arms and rocked her.

  Just then, a thought came into Halleigh’s mind. “I hear what you’re saying, Tasha,”—She rattled the handcuffs—“about me being locked down and all, but what will Manolo say? He’ll know that I’m fucked up when he sees that I’m not bringing in any money. I’m better off killing myself with drugs anyway after he gets a hold of me.”

  But Tasha knew that was just a last-ditch drug addict tactic to convince her to let Halleigh go.

  Halleigh was right about Manolo’s cash, though. If he sensed that the money was coming short, he would definitely put a foot in their asses. That’s why Tasha decided to come out of retirement. She didn’t want to go back to ho’ing, but she knew that she had to, to keep Halleigh’s condition a secret from Manolo. She’d promised herself that she would never turn a trick again, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And this was definitely one of those times. Halleigh was like a little sister to her, and she refused to let her continue down the path she was taking.

  You have to make this game your hustle, not your life. Tricks get in this game for the wrong reasons.

  Tasha released Halleigh and then stood up to head for the door. “I’ve taken care of that.” She opened the compact she already had in her hands and touched up her face with the powder puff.

  Tasha knew being a prostitute wasn’t easy. It was best to get money and then get out because in this game, if you stay in it too long, it becomes you. And when the streets become you, there is no turning back.

  Tasha had on her four-inch stilettos and a black miniskirt. Before walking out the door, she walked over to the dresser mirror to apply some mascara. She could hear Halleigh moaning in the background in obvious pain, and she wanted so badly to uncuff her, but that would only be enabling her friend to go and do more drugs.

  “Sorry, Hal,” Tasha whispered as Halleigh continued to moan loudly, “but this is for your own good.” Tasha finished applying her mascara then headed for the door.

  “Please help me, Tasha. I hurt so badly,” Halleigh said, tears streaming down her face. Her body was craving the drug, and sharp pains shot through her stomach as the monkey jumped on her back.

  It’s for her own good. Tasha exited the room. Somebody had to fill in for Halleigh, and Tasha was taking one for the team.

  “Please! Please, Tash, help me out. I need a fix. I swear this will be the last time,” Halleigh begged.

  Tasha knew that if she looked back at Halleigh, she would give in, so she just exited the room with tears in her eyes and never looked back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You like that, Daddy?” Tasha asked the john seductively as she massaged his balls with one hand and gripped his pipe with the other. Tasha peeked up at the man, and he was in pure bliss. He was about to cum, and she hadn’t even put her mouth on his dick yet. This is what she called “easy money.” As she continued to massage his balls and blow on his manhood, she felt his legs stiffen up. She gave him one good stroke and licked his head, and that was it. Game over.

  Tasha hadn’t lost her touch. She made that fool cum in under a minute. She wasn’t the best for nothing.

  “That’s a hundred and fifty dollars, Daddy.” Tasha got off her knees and held out her palm. She had charged him for a head job, when in actuality he only got jerked off. The fool was so in love, he didn’t know the difference. Tasha could peep vulnerable men from a mile away. The way he was moaning and looking into Tasha’s eyes, she knew from jump that she could overcharge him.

  The man handed Tasha two crisp hundred dollar bills. “Keep the change.”

  Tasha got the money and then hopped out of his two-door Cadillac. She walked the track, trying to pick up her next john. She had only been on the ho stroll for a couple of hours, and she almost had six hundred dollars, just that quick. As luck would have it, she ran into one of her better customers, who was more than happy to see her back on the grind.

  Tasha was a veteran. She knew which johns to service and which johns not to. If a john didn’t look like he was spending big dough, she passed on him. For her, being out there all night fucking with small-timers just wasn’t worth it.

  Tasha grew hungry and stopped at the chicken spot on the corner of Clio and Stewart to grab a bite to eat and to use their bathroom to freshen up a little. She picked up two chicken dinners then walked out of the spot.

  “Hey, miss.”

  She turned and saw the store owner coming her way. He was the one who had just waited on her.

  Once he finally caught up with her, he said, “You uh, you uh, forgot your change.” The way he said it was kind of peculiar, and he seemed to be looking around to make sure no one was watching him.

  “Oh, did I?” Tasha could have sworn that he’d given it to her.

  She started to check her purse, but then he extended his hand to her. Inside of it was a hundred dollar bill.

  Tasha took it out of his hand and looked at it like it was nothing but a dollar bill. “And what’s this for?”

  “Oh, yeah, I, uh, just was wondering if you could do something for me.”

  Once again, Tasha looked at the hundred dollar bill like it was nothing.

  The man continued. “I was just, uh, wondering if you could come with me to my truck. It’s, uh, right over there.”

  Tasha’s eyes followed his finger to the black SUV with tinted windows. “And?”

  “And just watch me.”

  A puzzled look came across Tasha’s face. Seeing her confusion, the man went on. “And just watch me, you know, take care of my business.”

  “Ohhh,” Tasha said, nodding her head. She smiled and then licked her lips. Once again, a vulnerable one. She loved how she attracted his kind. She knew that she could have easily manipulated him out of more money if she threw in a couple of extra treats, but to watch him jerk off for a bill was good enough. Besides, she didn’t want her food to get cold, so she obliged him, joining him over in his truck and watching him, while he watched her watch him jerk off.

  Three minutes tops was all it took. Now that was easy money!

  Tasha’s feet were killing her as she headed back to the hotel. She hadn’t strolled in stilettos in almost two years and was paying the price.

  When Tasha made it to the room, her heart dropped when she opened the door. Halleigh was gone. She’d found a way to slither out of the handcuffs. Tasha flopped on the bed and buried her face in her hands, knowing that she’d failed Halleigh.

  A noise from the bathroom startled Tasha, and she quickly looked in the direction of the commotion. She walked to the bathroom and opened the door to find Halleigh with her head over the toilet bowl.

  “Halleigh, are you okay, girl?” Tasha dropped to her knees and pulled Halleigh’s hair away from her face. Halleigh looked horrible, like she had lost even more weight within the pa
st couple of hours. Her body was soaking wet because of all of the sweating she was doing. Halleigh trembled as a chill ran through her body.

  “I stayed in the room. I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t go,” Halleigh said in a child-like, whiny voice. “See? You can trust me.”

  “I know, baby, I know.” Tasha continued to rub her hair. She understood that Halleigh was actually trying to beat her addiction because she didn’t leave the room when she had a chance.

  “Come on, girl.” Tasha helped Halleigh up and began to pull off her sweaty clothes.

  Tasha helped her into the shower and let the water hit her face and body. She stood right by her side, washing her and holding her up. Halleigh’s body was so weak. The dependence on the drug had gotten the best of her.

  She’s so young. I can barely handle this life and I’m twenty-four, Tasha thought.

  Tasha had been involved in the pimp game for years. Just seeing Halleigh in this position and being reminded of Loita, whom she herself had introduced to the game, Tasha decided that she couldn’t do this anymore. It was time for a change. The first chance she got, she would come up with a plan to do something better with her life. When she did finally decide to make the move, she promised herself that she would take Halleigh with her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Halleigh’s eyes darted frantically around the room as she tried to gather her bearings. She felt like she was dying. Her body hurt so badly, and no matter what she did, nothing eased the pain. She couldn’t believe that her life had gotten so bad in such a short period of time, and she was ashamed of herself for losing control. All of those years she’d watched her mother’s condition deteriorate because of drugs. Now she was following in her footsteps. What would Malek think if he saw her now?

  Halleigh’s body shook violently as the draft in the room sent cold shivers up her spine. She was freezing, and nothing she did could warm her body. She broke out in constant cold sweats as she squirmed and wrapped herself with the covers on the bed. The slightest touch hurt her skin, and she felt like the sun was burning out her eyes every time she attempted to open them.

  She’d been trying to kick her habit for weeks, and it just didn’t seem to be working. The only time she could ever seem to pull herself together was when Tasha warned her that Manolo might be dropping by. Of course, Tasha always told him that Halleigh was with a john, but how much longer would that little stunt of theirs work before he started getting suspicious?

  Just last week, when Manolo dropped by the hotel to check things out, Tasha was sure her little plan was about to be discovered. It was the motel keeper who almost made the plan backfire. The skinny, gray-haired man, his skin the color of coffee with a hint of cream, said to Manolo when he saw him entering the motel and heading over to the elevators, “Business picking up, I see.”

  Manolo simply nodded. He wasn’t into talking about his business with strangers. As far as he was concerned, old dude could have recently been bought by the feds to try to trap him, or something. But on second thought, Manolo knew that if anything was in the works, his hired cop, Troy, would have tipped him off. After all, that’s why Troy got his pick of the litter of free pussy from the Manolo Mamis, plus a little green on the side.

  Right before the elevator door opened to welcome Manolo’s presence, the motel keeper added, “Yeah, when your girl came down a few weeks ago and added another room to your already-set block of five, I knew things must be picking up for you.”

  Manolo had already gotten inside the elevator and the doors were about to close, but hearing the man’s last comment, he held his hand out, stopping the doors. “What did you say?” Manolo inquired. “Another room?”

  “Well, yeah,” the clerk said with a tone and expression on his face that said maybe he had spoken on something that he shouldn’t have. “You, uh, have the six rooms now, right?”

  When Manolo’s facial expression clearly showed that he knew nothing about adding another room to their block of five, the clerk tried to clean things up. After all, he didn’t want to mess up his money by spilling the beans on something he shouldn’t have. “Maybe I made a mistake.”

  “Nah,” Manolo said. “You don’t look like the type of fella who makes mistakes. But just to be sure, why don’t you double-check your records?”

  “Uh, well, uh, yes, sir,” the man stammered as he shuffled through some paperwork and receipts. After resting on one piece of paper in particular, he held it up and said, “You’re right. I didn’t make a mistake. Six rooms as of last month.”

  Fire shot out of Manolo’s nostrils as he snatched the paper from the man and read the receipt that showed Tasha had been paying for an extra room. What the fuck is going on, and why is my money being spent on shit without my prior consent?

  He had agreed with Tasha as far as paying for the rooms twenty-four/seven, but she hadn’t said anything about adding an extra room to the block. Tasha, he was sure, never made mistakes. That’s why she held the rank with him that she did. So he was almost one hundred percent certain that this wasn’t an oversight on her part, but deliberate deception instead. But why? Why would Tasha decide to play him after all these years? Not once was the money ever short. She’d never beat him for one red cent, and now here she was trying to do something extra on the side without his knowledge. He expected this type of thing from Mimi, but not Tasha.

  Is she trying to start up her own thing on the side, steal my business?

  If she was, she wouldn’t have been the first. The madam Manolo had before Tasha tried to pull that exact same stunt. All the while she was supposed to be minding the Manolo Mami business, she was minding her own on the side, forming a prostitution ring so that once she slipped out from under Manolo, she would already have her own thing set up.

  Of course, that didn’t sit too well with Manolo, and unfortunately for her—but fortunate for Tasha—the woman went missing right on time for Tasha to take her spot in Manolo’s ring. But if Tasha called herself doing the same thing, who would he get to replace her when she went missing?

  With the paper in hand, Manolo turned back toward the elevator with every intention of going to confront Tasha with this newfound information. But as he stood there waiting on the elevator, he had a second thought. He wouldn’t outright confront her just yet. Instead, he would test her and watch her, to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary with her. He didn’t want to believe that Tasha would try to double-cross him. Hell, even Tina Turner stuck it out with Ike, and Manolo treated Tasha way better than Ike treated Tina. But if he’d learned anything about putting his trust in someone, it was not to—no exceptions.

  Manolo simply folded the paper, placed it in his pocket and got on the elevator, heading up to check in with Tasha, to make sure it was business as usual. And for her sake, it better be.

  Tasha had just returned from trickin’ with a john when Manolo entered the hotel room. “Oh shit!” she exclaimed.

  “What’s the matter, baby girl? Did I scare you?” Manolo walked over to her, grabbed her by the back of her hair, and stared her in the eyes.

  She tried her best not to tremble. “What?” she asked Manolo, wondering why he was just standing there looking down at her like she’d stolen something from him.

  Manolo didn’t speak. He just tightened his grip and then proceeded to ram his tongue down her throat.

  Tasha wanted to throw up. Manolo’s touch used to reassure her of her role in his life, but now it only sickened her. Besides, if he only knew what she’d just done with that tongue of hers, he’d reconsider sticking his in her mouth.

  After tonguing Tasha down for a few seconds, Manolo pulled her away from him and stared in her eyes again.

  “What, Daddy? What is it?”

  Manolo just stood there searching her eyes. Usually, if someone was deceiving him, their eyes were a dead giveaway, but when he looked at Tasha, he saw the same thing that he always saw in her eyes—loyalty. “Nothing,” Manolo finally replied. “I just missed you, is all.
”

  Tasha relaxed a little. For a minute there, she was afraid that Manolo might have heard something about her from the street. But she showed no fear as she maintained her composure. “I missed you too.” Tasha pulled away from Manolo and headed toward the bathroom.

  “Where you going?” Manolo looked her up and down. He noticed that she was a little bit more dressed up than usual.

  “Uh, just to the bathroom. I just got back from walking to the store. I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

  “Well, aren’t you a little overdressed for the store?”

  “You know when I step out I always gotta do it right. After all, I’m a walking advertisement for the Manolo Mamis. Niggas see me, and like stray little puppies, they wanna follow me home. And home is where the money is,” Tasha said, thinking quick on her feet.

  She walked back over toward Manolo and said seductively, “Anyway, like I was saying, I didn’t know you were stopping by. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten myself all sweaty and stuff down there. I would have kept it crisp for you.” She ran her fingers across Manolo’s lips. “You know, with me running this spot twenty-four hours now, I never get to see you as often, and a girl has needs too, Daddy. And I know you ain’t gon’ leave me hanging. You gotta hit me off with a little something because God knows when I’ll get the chance to be alone with you again.”

  Manolo closed his eyes and moaned as Tasha cupped his manhood and began to massage it.

  “Oh shit, baby. You know Daddy wouldn’t do you like that.”

  “Good.” Tasha backed away from him slowly and sensually toward the bathroom. “Then you stay right there. Promise me you won’t leave me, Daddy,” Tasha begged.

  “Promise.” Manolo watched her disappear behind the bathroom door. “Mm-mm-mm,” he said to himself. He began to undress, and reasonable doubt regarding Tasha’s loyalty to him slowly began to vacate his mind. Maybe business was booming, and she had to get an extra room and just didn’t worry about telling me, since it’s not going to be a regular thing. Yeah, that’s probably it.