Stealing Candy (29 page)

“It’s not going down like that,” Flashy announced, shaking his
head and flinging a long, clip-on ponytail. “This is an auction and there are rules. The bidding will start in a few minutes.” True to his name, Flashy was wearing heavy makeup, super long eyelashes, a skintight sequined dress, stilettos, and he was carrying a sequined purse.

“Hold up! You ain’t running shit,” Bullet spat. “Your job is to dress the girls and make sure they look presentable.”

“Keep your voice down. I’m your partner now,” Flashy said in a whispered hiss. “I dressed Lollipop in bridal white so I could pass her off as a virgin.”

“She ain’t no virgin,” Bullet said, mimicking Flashy’s whispered tone. “Her cherry got popped the first night I snatched her.”

“Well, she’s
like
a virgin. Practically new. Didn’t you tell me that you used her lips more than you knocked her back out?”

“Yeah, back when I was training her. But I smash it on the regular now.”

“We don’t have to broadcast it. We can get a lot more than forty dollars off these tricks if you step back and let me handle this.”

Grumbling, Bullet reluctantly deferred to Flashy.

Finished bickering with Bullet, Flashy cleared his throat and turned to the waiting men with a smile. He pointed to Gianna and began speaking as if he were an auctioneer.

“Lollipop is young and eager to please. She’s already been broken in, so the hard part has been done for you. But don’t get it twisted, she’s only been with one other man and her young twat is practically brand-new. I’m starting the bidding at fifty dollars. Do I hear fifty-five?”

“Fifty-five dollars,” the man clasping the money yelled and waved his money in the air.

Tired from standing, Bubbles shifted her position, her shoulders slouched slightly. Bullet sauntered over to her. “You ready for some more target practice?” he hissed.

Looking grim, Bubbles straightened up immediately. Skittles did the same.

“Yo, Bubbles. Put a smile on your mug,” Bullet growled. Bubbles instantly obeyed, pasting a strained smile on her face. Imitating Bubbles, Skittles smiled also.

Annoyed at being interrupted, Flashy rolled his eyes at Bullet and then continued, “Lollipop’s little nookie can put a tight grip around a man packing any size. Big dick or little dick…it doesn’t matter.”

Smiling sheepishly, another man stood up. “Don’t get it twisted. I don’t have a little dick, by I’m willing to pay sixty bucks.” Leering at Gianna, he rubbed his crotch.

“I know we can do better than sixty dollars,” Flashy said. “If any of y’all want to get your grub on—” He paused and took a few dainty steps backward and patted Gianna’s pubic area. “This thing right here is as sweet as candy. There’s some good eating between Lollipop’s young thighs.”

“Sixty-five,” another man proposed, smiling lecherously, his tongue flicking out and licking his lips.

“Seventy!” shouted another.

“One hundred and fifty dollars,” barked the man who had placed the first bid.

“He’s trying to shut y’all down,” Flashy taunted the men. “Can I get two hundred?” he asked, cutting a look of triumph at Bullet.

“Work it,” Bullet encouraged, giving Flashy a smile of approval.

There was a low rumbling among the men, but no one was willing to pay two hundred dollars.

“Fifteen minutes,” Bullet reminded harshly as he collected the money from the winning bidder.

With his chest poked out, the high bidder grabbed Gianna’s hand possessively, and led her along a corridor.

Moving wobbly down the hallway, Gianna could hear Flashy
reopening the bidding. In her medicated state, the cruel world in which she existed seemed like a wonderful place. From Gianna’s drugged perspective, Flashy’s voice held the quality of a melody as he began to describe the sexual attributes of Bubbles and Skittles.

“Is it true what that gay fella said about you?” the suit-wearing man asked as they neared the bedroom.

“Uh-huh,” she replied with an affable smile, not recalling what Flashy had said.

“You look like the bridal doll I bought my granddaughter for Christmas,” he said as they crossed the threshold into the bedroom.

He closed the door, assuring them of privacy. He gazed at his watch and shook his head. “Only fifteen minutes. I’d like to have a lot more time with you.”

“Alright,” Gianna said obligingly.

“It’s not up to you, sweetness. But I’m going to make some kind of deal with those morons who are controlling this racket. They don’t deserve a pretty little chocolate doll baby like you.” He smiled at Gianna adoringly.

She smiled back.

“Come here, baby.” He held out his arms. Aiming to please, Gianna moved into his embrace. He lifted her up and rested her gently on the bed.

“You’re so young and precious. I can’t believe you’re a whore,” he said, shaking his head, incredulous.

“I’m a whore,” she replied dreamily.

His face tensed. “No! Don’t say that. You’re not a whore. You’re a bridal doll.”

“Okay.”

“What happened to your finger?”

“Cut.”

“Umph. Too pretty to be scarred. Lie still so I can check you out. I want to see if anybody’s been tampering with the rest of you.”

Gingerly, he removed her sexy-bride costume, kissing her feet in near worship as he pulled off the beaded shoes.

She lay naked before him.

“Perfection,” he uttered, rubbing his face anxiously. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

A worried look crossed his face. “I thought you were around twelve. Thirteen at the most. Tell me you’re twelve,” he demanded.

“I’m twelve,” she answered, giggling again.

“My goodness. You’re only twelve years old with luscious, womanly breasts,” he murmured his fantasy as if entranced. With hands that shook with excitement, he squeezed her plump and firm breasts.

His trembling fingers tickled her flesh. Gianna giggled softly.

Gently, he pushed up her legs and slowly pulled her knees wide apart until her glistening femininity was exposed to him.

Fully clothed, he crouched down at the bottom of the bed and buried his face in the thick dark hair of her pubis, his tongue stretching into the delicate opening.

Drinking from her youthful fountain, the man slurped greedily as though dying from thirst.

The bedroom door opened and slammed closed. Startled, the man jerked his head from between Gianna’s legs.

Bullet folded his arms, his legs spread apart. Looking at the man with disdain, he said, “Your fifteen minutes is up.”

“I need more time,” the man pleaded.

“Fuck that. You trying to eat her box out. Man, you gotta save a lil’ something for them other niggas. They tryna bust a grub,
too.” Bullet laughed at the ludicrous notion of men paying to indulge in oral sex.

The man scooted off the bed and stuffed his hand in his pocket, extracting a wad of cash. “I’ll pay more.”

Bullet looked at him sneeringly. “We ’bout to have another bidding war.” Bullet glared at Gianna. “Put that wedding shit back on and take your ass out there in the living room.”

Mechanically, Gianna picked up the sheer lingerie.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” the man said reproachfully.

“Fuck outta here. That’s my bitch. I talk to her anyway I want to.” He shot a look at Gianna. “Ain’t that right, ho?”

“You right,” Gianna agreed.

Using the palm of his hand, the man wiped the sheen from around his mouth. “I can’t let those slimy bastards maul her like she’s a piece of meat. Take the money.”

With a look of desperation in his eyes, he extended the hand that held the folded currency.

“That’s two hundred dollars. Let her stay here with me. Why bother to go through the motions when you know none of those cheapskates is willing to bid more than that?”

Bullet looked up in thought and then fixed his gaze on the greenbacks in the man’s hand. “Hold up; lemme go run this by my partner.”

Moments later, Bullet and Flashy entered the bedroom together.

“What’s the problem?” Flashy sashayed toward the bed and began picking up the pieces of Gianna’s bridal outfit.

“I’m offering two hundred to keep her with me.”

Flashy positioned the tiara on Gianna’s head. “There’s people out there waiting to bid on her. You’re not the only one who wants to sample the goods.” Flashy sucked his teeth.

“What’s the point in parading her back out there? I’m willing
to pay whatever you want.” The man smoothed his shiny black hair out of his face.

Flashy gave him a snide look. “Listen up, Senor El Creepo—”

“Yo, don’t be insulting the customers,” Bullet interjected.

“Well, I have a system in place. This Spanish-looking nigga needs to stick to the program. Lollipop will be back up for auction again as soon as I can get her in her costume,” Flashy said snippily, picking up the pair of white beaded heels. “She goes with the highest bidder!”

“I want to purchase her for the remainder of the night,” the persistent man said. “I’ll pay one thousand dollars if I can have her all to myself.”

“Sold!” Bullet shouted without hesitation.

Flashy frowned. “Not so fast, Bullet. We can make way more than that—”

Bullet snatched Flashy by the arm. “Who’s running this shit?”

“Don’t be so rough.”

“You stepping out of line, man. Don’t make me have to break your shit.” He gave Flashy a hard shove, causing him to stumble.

Flashy straightened himself up. “You don’t have to manhandle me to get your point across.”

“It’s a deal. Give me that stack, yo.” Bullet stretched out his palm.

“I can have her?” The man fidgeted with his tie, his eyes glimmering with lust.

“You got her for the next coupla hours, then you gotta bounce.”

 
 CHAPTER 34

The sun peeked through the dark night and began to faintly lighten the sky.

Through the back window of Bullet’s car, Gianna watched with interest as Bullet and the man in the suit stood outside the house having a discussion.

Skittles and Bubbles, also in the back seat of the car, sat slumped against each other, both snoring.

The medication had begun to wear off about an hour ago. Taking a huge and desperate risk, she’d told the man who called her his bridal doll the facts…how she’d been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. In a frantic whisper, she’d provided him with her parents’ names and phone numbers.

He seemed genuinely horrified that Gianna was an unwilling captive. “Though I have a fetish, I’m not a criminal,” he assured her. “I’ll get you away from the slimy pimp, even if I have pay twenty thousand dollars. You’re worth it to me. After I satisfy my fetish, I promise to return you to your family.”

She crossed the fingers of her good hand, watching Bullet and the man with the fetish, hoping for a successful outcome.

With both pockets bulging with money, Bullet took giant strides toward the Cadillac.

Looking dejected, the man in the suit walked over to a long, dark car that was parked discreetly beneath a large tree.

“Big pimpin’!” Bullet yelled happily as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “That auction was off the chain!”

Gianna looked out the back window one last time, her heart sinking as she watched the long black car drive away. The man who liked dolls wasn’t going to save her.

Flashy sat up front in the passenger’s seat, his lips poked out in irritation.

When sunlight broke through the twilight and flooded through the car windows, Bullet threw up his arm, blocking the sun’s glare.

“Find my shades,” he said to Flashy, using a bossy tone.

“Do I look like I’m your goddamn servant? Find your own fuckin’ shades.” Rolling his eyes in righteous indignation, Flashy reached inside his purse and took out a pair of rhinestone-studded sunglasses. With great flourish, he affixed the gaudy sunglasses to his face.

“Here you go with your bullshit.” Bullet fished around inside the side pocket of the car door. He located his dark shades and put them on.

“You got some nerve, leaving me out here in this stuffy car while you discuss business with El Perverto.”

“Man, there’s a time and a place for everything. A lot of mufuckas don’t want to talk business with a homo.”

“Hmph. Nobody seemed to mind the fly-ass way I ran that auction.” Flashy punctuated the statement with three finger snaps.

Bullet laughed. “Yeah, you was on point with the auction.”

“So what did that pervert want to discuss?”

“You ain’t gon’ believe what that mufucka asked me.”

Gianna’s body tensed as she waited to hear her fate. Maybe there was hope.

Flashy folded his arms huffily. “I’m all ears and I’m braced to hear what kind of stupid arrangements you made without my consent.”

“I don’t need your consent.”

“We’re partners, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have to run every decision by you.”

Flashy frowned. “So what did you discuss?”

Bullet laughed. “That sucka wanted to buy Lollipop.”

“For how much?”

“It don’t matter. She ain’t for sale. Lollipop is gon’ be bringing in lots of dough for years to come. I told him he could keep on paying for her services, but I’m not selling my cash cow.”

“How much did he offer? You know I need a big payday to get my surgery.”