Cheaper to Keep Her (part 1) (10 page)

“
You alright, Beautiful?” Duke asked me.

“
Oh, I’m fine. Can we hang out and get it on?” I faked a smile.

“
Naw, I gotta go again,” Duke said. “But I promise to see you either tomorrow or in a few days.” I felt a pang of disappointment. “But the good news is I have something for you.”

I perked right up. That always worked. Duke dug in his pocket while I waited with baited breath. I assumed he would pull out some more cash, which would’ve been fine with me. Imagine my fucking surprise when Duke pulled out the keys to a brand new BMW X-6.

“
Beautiful, these are yours. You can’t live in this condo driving that piece of shit you got,” he announced. I started jumping up and down. Duke led me to the balcony in the bedroom, which had a view of the front of the building and the parking lot. “There she is, the candy apple red one,” Duke pointed out my new car.

“
Oh, thank you baby!” I screamed, hugging him around his neck as tight as I could.

“
No problem. Just always be good. I gotta go now.”

I let him go. Hell, I was too excited about the car to be disappointed about him leaving. I guess living with what I knew about his business dealings with the doctor had just gotten a lot easier.

Cheaper to Keep Her Unique

Chapter 11—Money, Hoes & Clothes

When Duke left I raced downstairs and got into my new whip.

I really loved everything about it. I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and I tried to use the new car as a distraction to clear my mind from what I had heard earlier. It absolutely didn’t work. To think of my sweet man being involved in something that might hurt young girls or their babies left me feeling kind of sick. I wasn’t that trifling or shallow that a car or a million pairs of shoes could change how I felt.

After playing Duke’s conversation with Dr. Gavin repeatedly in my mind, I started doubting myself. I returned to the condo and tried to watch television. That shit didn’t work either. So I tried to play fashion show and tried on several of the clothes I had purchased over the past few weeks. Shit like that usually made me happy, but once again I struck out. I paced the condo before finally deciding to check out the den to see if Duke had left any evidence behind. Nothing.

My mind raced with all kinds of thoughts. “Sounded like an illegal baby snatching ring,” I stated aloud as I stood in the middle of the living room with my hands on my hips. “Arrgghh!” I screamed in frustration.

I had to stop driving myself crazy. Duke was nothing but a fucking gentleman and a businessman I told myself. I wanted to believe that I had not heard right. I needed somebody to take my mind off this shit. You guessed it, I called Diamond. After all, she was still my BFF.

“
Diamond!” I yelled into the phone. I sounded as if I would just bust out crying. Of course this alarmed her because we had just had a damn blast shopping. After she asked me what was wrong I went right into it.

“
Diamond, oh my God, you’re not going to believe this!” I said with urgency. She screamed in my ear telling me to get to the damn point. “I think Duke is into an illegal adoption and baby snatching ring!” I blurted out.

Diamond got kind of quiet.

“
Did you hear me?!” I asked her. I was confused as to why she wasn’t asking me for details. So I just started telling her. “I crept in on him having a conversation with a man named Dr. Gavin. That old bastard was showing Duke pictures of young pregnant chicks and Duke told him if they didn’t want to give up their babies that the doctor should just take them because he had a lot of money out there riding on this.” I relayed verbatim what I’d heard. I wanted Diamond to feel the effect of what I had overheard.

But Diamond was sullen and quiet until she told me she had something to tell me. Then she indeed dropped the bomb on my ass. She had already heard that Duke was in the illegal adoption business. Evidently Dr. Gavin was the front man who ran a homeless shelter in Chesapeake for pregnant women who were abused or raped. If the women didn’t want to give up their babies willingly, then Dr. Gavin would deliver the babies by C-section while the mother was knocked out. When the women awakened, Dr. Gavin would tell them their babies died at birth.

I gripped my cell to my ear in disbelief at what I was hearing. I had never held a phone so tightly. “Diamond, why didn’t you tell me this shit before now!” I screamed at her. Tears were running down my face. I didn’t want to believe my knight in shining armor was really a fucking grim reaper.

Diamond didn’t tell me because I was too caught up and so in love with Duke. She didn’t want me to accuse her of trying to break us up or hating on our relationship.

Hell, she was right.

Had I not heard it for myself and if Diamond had tried to tell me anything bad about Duke, I would’ve accused her of wanting him and being jealous that I had a good man.

“
What am I going to do now. If I move out he might be asking questions. I can’t let him know that I know anything,” I told her.

Diamond told me to sit tight and just enjoy the money and gifts. She told me not to worry about his business. She also warned me to be very careful because she had also heard that Duke could be a very violent and dangerous man.

That part didn’t sit right with me. Duke was definitely a businessman and maybe this whole baby shit was just a misunderstanding, but he was far from dangerous. “I don’t think he would hurt me Diamond. You have to see how good he treats me when we’re together. He has told me a billion times how much he loves my sex,” I reported to her.

Diamond wasn’t trying to hear it. She wasn’t convinced Duke wouldn’t hurt me. She told me if his business or money was compromised he might just kill his own mother.

I laughed and scoffed at Diamond’s paranoia. I kindly dismissed her warning and assured her again that Duke wouldn’t hurt me. “Girl, I got that man eating out the palm of my hands” I said.

But no matter what I said, Diamond wasn’t convinced at all
.

Cheaper to Keep Her Unique

Chapter 12—Is That Yo’ Bitch?

Before Diamond and I ended our conversation I agreed to meet her at the
Magic City
for a drink and just to hang out.

I hadn’t been to the club in days and I knew Neeko had probably fired me. I didn’t care. For now, that wasn’t my life anymore. I had a lot on my mind and I needed a drink and I also needed a hug from my BFF.

I drove my new whip to the club. When I pulled into the parking lot, Diamond was standing outside puffing on a cigarette and talking to the club’s DJ. She turned around for a minute but didn’t realize it was me driving the car. She took a drag off her cigarette and went back to her conversation. That is, until she saw me stepping out of the BMW. I saw the DJ motion towards me and Diamond turned back around. Her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, she flicked her cigarette to the ground and started screaming.

“
Ahhhh! Oh no he didn’t, bitch! Oh my God! Nini! He bought that ass a fucking X6!

Her excited ass raced over to me and snatched the keys out of my hand. “Bitch, you know I gotta test drive this shit!” her face lighting up like a kid at Christmas.

I was laughing. She had already taken my mind off the issue with Duke.

“
Come the fuck on! I might never get another chance to drive a fucking beamer!” Diamond urged as she pulled my arm.

We jumped back in my new car and Diamond peeled out of the club’s parking lot. “Slow down bitch, I just got it!” I said jokingly.

“
Oh my God, this fucking whip is so hot! I am so feeling it, Lynise!” Diamond complimented. I felt really good that she approved. We drove around while she continued screaming and acted overly excited. “Lynise, you better not leave that nigga over no fucking baby snatching bullshit. Look, them bitches’ babies are probably better off wherever he is selling them at.”

I couldn’t believe the shit out of Diamond’s mouth as she whipped my ride down the highway. “Oh my goodness, Diamond, I cannot believe you’re saying this shit because he bought me a car!” I yelled at her. “You was just telling me to be careful this and careful that . . . the nigga is dangerous, you said! Now you changing your damn tune?” I made my point as I smiled at how quickly a luxury whip had persuaded her that Duke was now a good guy.

“
Um . . . bitch! He bought you a car, gave you a condo and fucking enough cash for you to take me shopping with you!” she stated. “Ok, I’m thinking your ass need to be the fuck quiet and just ride! As long as you stay quiet and play your position my warnings won’t be needed.”

I shook my head at my girl. I was just amazed at the excitement in her voice. I actually think she had forgotten that fast the shit she was telling me about Duke.

“
I’m not going to say anything to him right now, but I still want you to remember that you were the one telling me the nigga might kill me or some shit,” I informed her.

“
Girl, fuck all that,” Diamond said with a hint of laughter in her voice. “Get what you can and make sure you stash in the process. Shit, if it was me I would have a nigga so sewn up that he wouldn’t know what to do and if that muthafucka ever tried to play me, I promise to show his ass that that old fucking saying, it’s cheaper to keep her . . . is the truth.”

Even with the laughter, I knew her ass was dead serious though.

We pulled back into the club’s parking lot. After hanging and cruising with Diamond for those few minutes I was already feeling better. I started having second thoughts about going into the club now. I mean, I did just up and walk out on my damn job.

“
C’mon girl. I’ma make sure I tell Neeko about your new ride. Let that greasy, jheri curl wearing asshole know you don’t need to be slanging no damn drinks for his grungy ass customers,” Diamond said.

Although I had plans to return to the condo after our short cruise, hearing her level of excitement made me want to stick around longer. So I decided to go inside and have a quick drink with Diamond. Besides, I knew Duke probably wouldn’t be coming back to the condo tonight. He hardly ever stayed the entire night with me.

Once inside, I noticed the club was already packed. The second thing I noticed was the clientele had changed. I saw less of the higher paying patrons and more of the losers that came in there to try to get cheap sex. I noticed some of the broke niggas I knew by name peppered throughout the smoky club. Both Diamond and I climbed up on barstools. It felt funny being on the other side of the bar.

Diamond tapped on the bar top and the girl I usually competed with for tips, Raven, came over to take our drink orders. She looked surprised to see me and twisted up her lips. I rolled my eyes and placed my newly purchased Gucci bag on top of the bar in Raven’s face. She took our orders and stomped away. I just laughed.

“
Girl, you better go get dressed for your set,” I told Diamond.

“
Fuck Neeko. When I’m ready I will get ready. Besides, I’m having a drink with my new rich friend!” Diamond said jokingly, slapping my thigh.

“
That is not funny girl,” I replied. “I am very far from rich. Let’s get it right. I don’t have shit . . . he has all the money.”

Raven slammed our drinks down in front of us. I had ordered a Pink Lady and Diamond ordered a Mojito. “What the fuck is wrong with that ugly bitch?” Diamond asked in response to Raven’s very apparent attitude.

“
I guess she didn’t ever expect me to be buying a drink instead of serving one.”

As we bullshitted at the bar and talked about everybody in the club, a dude approached and stood between us. That shit was rude to begin with. I looked at him with my face curled into a frown. He was a very dark skinned, short, big bellied, troll in my eyes. Diamond lifted her drink and rolled her eyes as if she knew who he was. I had never seen him before. I started talking over him. I wasn’t going to acknowledge his rude ass at all.

“
I’m saying can I get with you?” the little, charcoal colored stranger said to me. I turned around to look behind me to see if he was speaking to someone else and then looked back at him as if he was crazy. I just knew he couldn’t be talking to me.

“
What?” I snapped, disgust very apparent on my upturned face.

“
I’ll give you a hundred dollars for a champagne room dick suck,” he said with a nasty, perverted tone to his voice. Then he licked his ashy lips. I didn’t think I was hearing his ass correctly.

“
What did you say?” I retorted.

“
You heard me . . . I wanna get my dick sucked and I want you to do it,” the troll said, grabbing a handful of his own crotch. I could’ve thrown up on him at just the thought.

“
Muthfucka, get outta my face! I ain’t no fucking ho’! Ya dick probably ain’t even big enough to be sucked anyway! Get the fuck on!” I screamed at his ass.