Daddy's House (13 page)

When I opened the door, my eyes darted around the room. I stared in horror, and my mouth fell open, full of surprise. The bright red lipstick smeared on the walls and the mirrors sent me into a rage. Instantly, my bags hit the floor, and I walked around looking at how my room had been smashed. Somebody obviously hated me.

When I turned to see toilet tissue spread over the bathroom floor, my feet led me in that direction. The closer I got, the smell intensified. I stood speechless in the mirror, just like a character in the Candy Man movie. The lipstick read, “Slut, if you wanna live-go home.” This wasn’t the work of Big V. This was a hater.

By now, the smell was all in my nose. My adrenaline was on fire. I looked down into the blood-filled toilet and gagged. A combination of soiled sanitary napkins, and balled up bloody tissue stared me in the face. I flushed, and cupped my nose and mouth at the same time. None of it worked. As the toilet overflowed, the water soaked my shoes and freshly painted toes.

Reacting like a mad woman, I jetted from my room and stomped down the hall, still gagging along the way. My first instinct was to bang on Cat’s door until she opened, but after the first two loud clunks, something told me to turn the knob. Bam! It was open. Cat was calmly propped up on the bed in a pink-silk one-piece, like she was prepping for a porno set. I charged at her, ready to finish where we’d left off. Even though she saw me, she was caught off guard by my quick approach.

Before she could get off the bed, I grabbed her by her weave and landed a solid punch to the back of her head. Like Tyson in a heavyweight match, my swift aggressive hit knocked her to the floor. She jumped up, ready to fight back, but my anger, combined with frustration, was too much to handle. She started kicking and fighting wildly, with her arms swinging in the air. Big V had taught me that type of fighting was for whimps. I went postal. I snatched an extension cord from the wall, while she threw lashes at my back. I turned quickly, dove into her torso area, and twisted her arm into a painful position behind her back. The moment I knew I had her, I backed her into the wall.

My animalistic behavior had Cat in shock. Surprisingly, I was in shock too. Most would’ve thought I was on drugs or some type of crazy steroid, but it was simple. I had something to prove. I was tired of living in fear. Finally, I was able to get her in the perfect position. I wrapped the cord around her neck, and tightened it as much as I could. I grinned, seeing the sign of defeat on her face.

“
Get…the fuck…off me!” Cat shouted, in between breaths.

“
You gonna pay, ‘cause being nice don’t work with you,” I rambled, really getting the hang of being the torturer for once. “I tried to stay out your way…but noooooooooo...you wanna keep fucking with me,” I added, while tightening the extension cord even more.

Cat kept lifting her head, trying to sneak some extra air into her lungs. Nothing was working. I had her where I wanted her. I heard a few of the girls screaming behind me, but I blacked out. The real me was surfacing. I breathed heavily, trying to calm myself. It wasn’t working.

“
Let..meeeeeee...goooo. Let..meeeee...gooo,” Cat repeated.

“
Oh, I’m gonna let you go alright.” I yanked her by the arm that was held hostage by my forceful grip, and led her about two yards to her toilet. It was sparkling, the total opposite of mine. I got angrier, and forced her head down into the bowl. The cord had fallen off, but the imprint from the force on her neck was still there. I grinned again as she goggled the water to keep from drowning. My patience was running thin. I lifted her head momentarily, to see the fear in her face, and swiftly dunked her head back in. The bubbling noise made me feel good for once.

“
You like toilets, don’t you!” Of course I got no response. “Oh, so you don’t have any sarcastic remarks now, do you?” I questioned.

My hand had been gripping Cat’s head so tightly over the last three minutes, that my palm was now extra greasy. As my grip loosened, I took her head down for one last dive. By now, I had killed any fight left in her. She was as quiet as a church mouse. The most humble I’d ever seen her. I loved every minute of it.

The sudden sound of keys jiggling, told me my adventure was over. I felt Ms. Dottie’s hand on my shoulder, pushing me out of the way. She looked at Cat, who was down on her knees and hovering over the toilet in disgust.

“
Get up! This is it!” she yelled. “Time for an emergency meeting.” She looked at me and smiled. I wasn’t quite sure why. “I’ve already sent Daddy a text message. He’ll be here shortly. I’ve gotta tell you, Miss Candy, this is not good. I’ve seen this happen before, and Daddy doesn’t tolerate it,” she fussed, while writing on her pad. She never looked up again. She just rambled on telling me how the last time this happened, both girls were out the door. “I mean, we’ve gotta make examples outta people like you. Strangely, we didn’t have a problem out of Cat until you came along.”

She looked at me real evil-like. Although I turned away, her words cut through me like a sharp knife, just about the same time that she ripped my pink slip from her pad. The moment it touched my skin, I crumbled it up into the palm of my hand.

“
Fuck your damn fines. Did you see my room?” I yelled.

She shot me with her hand movement that showed she didn’t care. Palm to the face was her favorite. “Save it for Daddy. Moving right along,” she added.

I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms, and huffed loudly.

“
That won’t help you at all,” she fired back. “Have you ever watched the Apprentice?” she asked.

I thought it was a weird question, but answered with a sarcastic, “No!”

“
Just wondering. ‘Cause you may need to get packed.” I didn’t feed into her shit, but was definitely frightened by the sound of the front door downstairs being closed. Daddy’s voice yelling upstairs for Ms. Dottie to come down alone startled me. He was always sweet to me, but

I’d heard the stories about how he handled problems in the house...ruthless.

“
The two of you can behave yourselves, can’t you?”

I looked at Cat, but she turned away. I just nodded and kept my arms folded across my chest.

“
Stay in your own rooms, until I call for you,” she ordered.

I turned, headed to my room, expecting to hear remarks from Cat. Nothing. Not one sound. Inside my room, I closed the door just enough, leaving it slightly cracked. My goal was to eavesdrop. Nervous about how Daddy would react, I paced the floor.

I removed my clothes, and other accessories from the bag to keep my mind occupied. Seconds turned to minutes…minutes turned to almost a half an hour. Suddenly, through the crack in the door a large figure quickly passed by. It snuck past me, headed in the direction of Cat’s room. I didn’t see Ms Dottie, but figured she wouldn’t be far behind.

I sat on my bed as my heart raced. I just knew it was Daddy, on his way to see Cat, and then me next. My feet led me to the door for a quick snoop. I listened for a slap, but nothing was heard. No arguments, no loud talking, nothing.

After several minutes of total impatience, I gave up and moved toward my window. My fidgety frame of mind had gotten the best of me. Staring out my window, I felt a strange presence. When I turned to my fate, I wasn’t sure how to react. Daddy just looked at me, saying nothing. A minute went by before he even made a move. Chillingly, he walked toward my bed with long confident strides, still two yards away from me. His interest in my new clothes seemed out of the ordinary, but at least he left the door wide open. As he moved the fabrics around on the bed, scrutinizing each piece, his scowl remained merciless. Finally, he inhaled with frustration and spoke like a betrayed lover.

“
So, this is how you show your gratitude?” His voice was more rugged than I’d ever heard.

“
Uhh…it wasn’t my fault,” I confessed.

Before he could say anything else, my heart raced again. I kept my cool, after seeing Cat walk past the door with two heavy suitcases. I was sure my time was near. I guess this is what Ms. Dottie meant when she asked me if I’d seen the Apprentice. Cat was fired, and I was next.

“
These are some sexy pieces,” Daddy spoke. “Why don’t you model for me?”

I was in no mood for antics. I’d rather be fired on the spot.

He walked smoothly over to the door, and pushed it shut. “I’m your customer,” he uttered, then pulled a few hundred dollar bills from his money clip. “Here’s a little something for you, come get it,” he said, eyeing me like a piece of meat.

I figured the cash would be good, since I was well on my way to being evicted. I guess this would be my last hour at Daddy’s House. “Anything in particular?” I asked, with my hand pointing to the outfits.

“
The black halter dress,” he said briskly.

I turned my back and slipped the dress on quickly, wondering what would happen after I modeled. By the time I turned around, Daddy had pulled a chair to the center of the room and flipped the light switch. I slipped on my stilettos, and strutted around the room like a runway model for all of ten seconds. I breathed heavily, wondering if my quick show had satisfied him.

“
Is that what you think I wanted?” he questioned.

My head moved from right to left, as my anxiety grew.

“
I thought that you’d be impressed,” I stuttered.

“
If you really wanted to impress me, you would’ve taken her out.”

My jaw hung low. I couldn’t believe what he’d just said.

Daddy continued in a sort of sick-like tone, “It takes a real woman to turn another woman into a cripple. That’s how you get gangsta. That’s how you impress me. All that cat and dog fighting ain’t worth shit. You could’ve held her in an uncomfortable position, and fucked with her pressure points, prolonged stress positions, until she cracked.”

I just looked at him strangely, not sure whether to stay or run. He seemed a bit deranged.

“
Everybody has a secret, what’s yours?” he asked, still seated calmly. “I have one.”

“
It doesn’t have anything to do with Lisa, does it?” I asked.

“
Who told you about Lisa?” he barked.

“
Not really sure,” I spoke quickly. I was smart enough to know it was time to change the subject. “Well just so you know, I don’t have any secrets.” I walked toward Daddy in an effort to seduce him. I placed my hands on his shoulders as he sat stiffly, hoping he could smell the sweet scent on my neck. “You know, I thought coming here meant I was gonna be escorting political men to functions and social events.”

He snickered, which lightened the mood. “Well, we do have a political night. Me and the Mayor real tight,” he bragged. “It’s coming up soon. Really though…what’s your deal, Candy?” He looked up into my eyes.

“
What you mean?” I asked, avoiding direct eye contact.

“
I mean, why are you really here? Some people are here because they were already stripping. This is a step up, like a promotion for them. And others are here because they been fuckin’ since they was twelve. What’s your story?”

I just shrugged my shoulders.

“
I took you in on the strength of Luke. He tells me you runnin’ from some nigga.”

My heart raced. “Yeah, an old boyfriend. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“
Tell me why I should let you stay?”

I swallowed hard, and kissed at his neck.

“
Dance for me, Candy.” Daddy crossed his leg and reared back even more.

I blushed, and moved my hands briskly across his thighs. He seemed pleased. So, at that point, I figured he wanted a show, a real show. I backed up a bit, threw my hands high above my head, and moved to the invisible rhythm created in my head. R. Kelly, my favorite singer, always got me in the mood, so I thought about
12 Play
, one of my favorite songs.

“
Oh yeah,” he moaned, getting deep into my movements.

I closed my eyes and fantasized what it would be liketo be Mrs. Daddy, while I continued with my flexible, seductive moves. With my right foot forward, I pivoted in a circular motion. It was starting to even feel good to me, and sugar-coated what Daddy would do to me. When I started gyrating my hips from side to side, Daddy couldn’t control himself. He leaned forward, threw his arms on the side of my hips, and moaned, “Yesssssssss. Sweet

Candy!”

His touch gave me the chills. Good chills.

“
You know…I lost money by getting rid of Cat.” The words sizzled through his salivating tongue.

I kept dancing, not sure how to respond.

“
You’ve gotta make double now,” he announced.

“
Then you can stay.”

His words were so sharp, I knew there was no negotiation. I still didn’t respond, but I knew I was staying. The agreement was on the table. I’d have to make double what Cat made, to make sure Daddy’s loss was covered. I could handle that. Abruptly, I stopped dancing and moved closer, my body kissing at his chest. He smelled so good, so fresh, not old like most men his age.

My goal was to trick Daddy out of some more of that side cash, ‘cause my time around here wasn’t promised. I had to survive Ms. Dottie and Daddy, so I could afford to move way across the country. I was done with the east coast forever. Sushi was from Texas, and had already told me she had some good connections there. Plus, I had a secret out West.