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Authors: Treasure Hernandez

BOOK: Choosing Sides
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Halleigh was sniffling and crying violently.
“Go help her fix her shit up. We got to be at the club in thirty minutes!” he yelled.
Tasha quickly pulled Halleigh out of the room.
Manolo slammed the door behind them, but not before they heard him mumble, “Ungrateful-ass bitch!”
“Are you all right?” Mimi asked Halleigh when they came back into her room.
Halleigh couldn't stop crying. She hated her life.
How did I get here?
she asked herself.
“She's fine. Help me clean her up,” Tasha said.
Halleigh had a busted lip, and Mimi quickly went to retrieve a washcloth to wipe up the blood. She also grabbed Tasha's makeup kit.
“What were you thinking,” Tasha asked her, “boss'n up on Manolo? When he asks for something, you give it to him—plain and simple.”
“I can't,” Halleigh choked out words in between her tears.
“What you mean, you can't? You better.” Mimi began to put makeup on Hal. “And quit crying. You fucking up my work.”
Halleigh held the tears inside. “I can't do this no more. This is not me. This is not how my life was supposed to be.”
Tasha turned Halleigh's head toward her so she could look her in the eyes. “Listen, Hal, you have to get yourself together. This may not be what you had planned, but this is what you got. You better deal with whatever you going through before you get yourself hurt. Manolo don't play that shit. You the one told him that he could do this to you. Now you got to live with your decision.”
“I told him? I didn't tell him he could pimp me,” Halleigh said in a harsh whisper. Visions of how she could have been at prom with Malek, or how she could now be walking across the stage at her graduation to get her diploma danced through her mind.
“You told him that he was Daddy. You gave him permission to do this to you. You have to just accept it and get used to it. There is no way out, Hal. He will kill you before he lets you leave. All you have to do is do what he tells you, and you will be fine, I promise,” Tasha stated. “Okay?”
Halleigh nodded, and both girls embraced her to make her feel better.
“Okay, okay! Let's go, so y'all bitches can watch me work,” Mimi stated with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Chapter Twenty-one
W
hen Manolo and the girls had first entered the club, 50 Cent's “Hustler's Ambition” was blasting. The crowd swayed back and forth to the rhythm.
Meanwhile, people addressed Mimi as though she were a hood celebrity. One patron called out, “Mimi, you on tonight?”
Mimi nodded and then went straight to the dressing room to prepare for her set. Manolo, Tasha, and Halleigh sat in the large booth of the strip joint as they all waited for Mimi to come on stage.
The club was crowded, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The club's patrons consisted of many of the major Flint players, hustlers, pimps and whores. The women wore mini dresses, jumpsuits, and capri pants, and the men wore anything from suits to casual wear. All the pimps wore bright colors, from canary yellow to parakeet green, carried gold canes, and wore different styles of hats to distinguish themselves.
“You okay, Hal?” Tasha asked as she leaned in toward her to whisper the words in her ear.
Halleigh nodded, but Tasha knew differently. She could tell that Halleigh was uncomfortable. Her body language said it all. She sat with her hands tucked tightly in between her legs and she hadn't said a word all night. Tasha hoped that the young girl would develop a thick skin. Otherwise, she'd never make it.
She has to if she wants to survive in this game.
Tasha stared at Halleigh with a sympathetic look in her eyes.
As much money as she is pulling in, Manolo ain't trying to cut her loose no time soon.
Tasha was familiar with Manolo's tactics. First, he lured the young girls in. He made them feel as if he would take care of them even though no one else wanted them. Although his girls knew that he was a pimp, he always made each one feel as if she was more special than the next. After he was sure that he was inside their head, he would flip the script on them. He would remind them of all the things that he'd done for them and make them feel indebted to him. It was never too long before he put a girl to work. He also knew how to keep them pitted against each other with suspicion and envy. By the time these girls realized they were being pimped, it was too late. Manolo had them so afraid of him that they did it just to avoid upsetting him.
Tasha knew the game well because she had been through it. She was different than the other girls, though. She was strong-minded and let Manolo know up front that she wasn't trying to trick her entire life.
They came up with the agreement that if she watched over the other girls and helped him keep them in line, then he wouldn't put her to work. Tasha was twenty-three and hadn't turned a trick in almost three years. In fact, she was instrumental in Manolo's operation, helping to instill the fear in the rest of his girls. With Halleigh it was different, though. She now felt guilty for trapping the young girl.
A half-hour had gone by before Mimi finally came on stage. That's when the DJ, on cue, began to spin T-Pain's “I'm N Love (wit a Stripper).” She was wearing a “Catwoman” outfit and glasses before she slowly stripped down to her thong. All eyes were on her as she hopped to the top of the pole, intertwining her legs through it and spinning seductively to the bottom. She worked the pole like the professional that she was, seducing the pole like she was handling a hard dick. She also knew how to clap her ass cheeks without missing a beat.
Tasha smirked as she looked around the club and noticed how the men practically worshiped Mimi. She had to admit,
That bitch is good
.
Mimi rolled her stomach as she held onto the pole with one hand. She walked around picking up as many dollar bills as she could without interrupting her entrancing dance. She then turned toward the crowd and did the move she'd practiced at home. Men crowded the stage when her thick ass and thighs jiggled as she made her ass clap.
Mimi wrapped one leg around the neck of one of the spectators and grinded her pussy in his face. It didn't surprise Tasha when the man stuck his tongue out and took a taste of Mimi's spot. She continued to dance in front of him as she held out her hand, waiting for him to bless her with some cash. By the end of the song, she'd made about three hundred easily.
Mimi sashayed off stage and went over to Manolo's table. “How I do, Daddy?” she asked.
“I don't know. You tell me?” he responded, referring to how much money she'd just made.
Mimi discreetly rolled her eyes and pulled out the crumbled bills. Manolo took his cut and then handed the rest back to her. The split was always the same, 80/20 in Manolo's favor.
This nigga always taking all the money, but he don't put in no work,
Mimi complained silently.
They all knew that the way the money was cut up was unfair, but no one was stupid enough to say anything to Manolo about it. They signed on to be his mami, and unfortunately, what he said was law.
Manolo sat back, and with Mimi on one side and Halleigh on the other, wrapped his arms tightly around their shoulders. Tasha sat next to Halleigh.
A bright-skinned girl with shoulder-length, kinky hair came walking by. She stopped at the table. “Hey, Daddy, what you drinking?” she asked Manolo.
Tasha rolled her eyes and Mimi gave the girl a dirty look. The girl's name was Keesha. She'd been trying to get down for the longest. She wanted to be a Manolo mami so bad, whenever one of Manolo's girls did something wrong, she was the first to report it to him, hoping he'd get rid of them and allow her to take their place. Her little trick hadn't benefited her thus far, though.
Big nose-ass, snitchin'-ass, stanky-pussy bitch.
Mimi crossed her legs.
She want to get down. That bitch is a dirty trick, and her pussy stank, that's why she only serving drinks. Ain't nobody trying to fuck her.
“Yeah, bring us all some Long Islands, top-shelf, and keep 'em coming. I feel like getting loose tonight,” Manolo said.
They all kicked back.
They were having a good time, and even Halleigh began to chill. When she got that liquor in her, she let her guard down and actually forgot about her current circumstances. For a moment, she felt like she was on top of the world. The way Keesha kept pushing up on Manolo, it made her feel like she was a member of an exclusive club. The whole world was the fools and Manolo's mamis were the ones who really had it going on.
Maybe life wasn't so bad after all
, she thought, when the liquor oozed into her bloodstream.
“Uh-oh, here comes this bitch again,” Mimi mumbled. She moved over and sat between Tasha and Halleigh.
“Why y'all don't like her?” Halleigh whispered as she watched Keesha approach.
“Uh-um, ain't no
y'all
. Bitch, you don't like her either,” Mimi stated. “That bitch is a snitch and a wannabe.” Mimi's lips curled into a sneer of hatred.
Manolo ignored their conversation, but he tightened up when he saw a male approach Mimi. He knew exactly who the baldhead dude was. “What can I do for you, Troy?” he asked, obviously irritated.
“You can't do shit for me,” Troy told him. “My business is with li'l mama.”
Halleigh looked at Tasha, who looked at Manolo. They all waited for a response.
“She is my business, player. So what can I do for you today, my man?” Manolo took a sip of his drink.
Suddenly, a level of unrest overtook the room. Tension was high at the table, and the girls kept looking back and forth, waiting to see how the situation would play out.
Troy pulled out a badge and flipped it open, along with a hundred-dollar bill. “Look, man, I come in peace. I'm just looking for”—he paused to kiss Mimi's shoulder—“a little entertainment, that's all.”
Manolo nodded his head and thought about what he could gain out of having a cop in his pocket.
This dumb mu'fucka will risk his entire career for some pussy. I'm-a make sure I tape this shit.
“I think we can waive the payment under these circumstances.” Manolo said. “I'm a man who likes to form business relationships, you know? A favor for a favor. You can have all the entertainment you'd like if you are willing to overlook certain things.”
“Consider it done,” Troy responded.
Mimi looked on in astonishment.
I know this nigga ain't serious,
she thought to herself.
He 'bout to make me give this pussy up for free?
Manolo nodded his head as a signal for Mimi to leave with Troy.
She smacked her lips loudly and said, “Fuck that. I ain't messing with no cop. Especially if the mu'fucka ain't paying. Y'all got me fucked up. I'm about to get back to work.” She rose from the booth.
Halleigh could see Manolo's temperature rise at Mimi's disrespect.
“Bitch!” he yelled. “You gon' do whatever the fuck I tell you to.” He grabbed Mimi's arm forcefully and bent it backwards, as if he was trying to break it.
“Awww!” Mimi cried out.
Tasha immediately jumped up and pulled Mimi into her side of the booth. She stepped over to Troy and whispered in his ear, causing a smile to spread across his face.
“I'll take her,” Troy stated, looking Tasha up and down as if he could taste between her legs already.
“I'll take care of him, Daddy,” she said to Manolo, getting Mimi off the hook. “Calm down and enjoy your night.”
Tasha held on to Troy, who was now palming her ass, and mean-mugged Mimi as she walked away with him. She hadn't had to turn a trick in years and now here she was saving Mimi's ass—literally.
What's happening to me?
Tasha thought.
Since when do I have feeling for these bitches and care whether or not they get their ass kicked by Manolo?
Tasha could tell by the way Manolo was gritting his teeth that he was furious at Mimi though, and that an ass-kickin' might still be in store for her. Tasha's thoughts continued as she walked away to handle her business with Troy.
This dumb bitch, she don't even know what she just got herself into. Why would she do that shit after what happened earlier with Halleigh telling the nigga no? Now she got me out here about to hit this nigga off just to keep shit peaceful. I ain't tryin'-a fuck with this blue-vested mu'fucka either, but it's all a part of the game.
Once they were back in the so-called VIP (Very Important Pussy) room, Tasha thought as she lifted her dress and guided Troy's face to her vagina,
Me doing this is gon' keep Mimi's dumb ass out of jail next time. This nigga ain't about to get shit from me. He gon' eat my pussy and beat his own dick. My shit so good, he won't know the difference. If Mimi was as bad as she thinks she is, she wouldn't have to fuck the nigga. Real bitches do real things. You can't be a street diva if you don't know how to make the game work for you.
And that's just what Tasha did, make the game work for her.

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