Working Girls (10 page)

 

Sassy awakened to the sound of Los's loud snoring. Her head was hurting from the alcohol and weed mixture. Her mouth felt like a cotton ball in the Sahara Desert. She got up and walked to the kitchen and grabbed a water from his well-stocked refrigerator and walked back to the bedroom. Her attention was drawn to her left. She had a nose for money, and it was as if the scent of it had just breezed past her nostrils. Sassy stopped and doubled back. When she looked down, she noticed, as she had the last few times she had been there, that the door to the safe on the floor was ajar.
This nigga is so messy,
she concluded.

The average person might have been nervous and skeptical, but Sassy had balls like a man, let her tell it. She had already told herself that if the safe was open again whenever she returned, she would dip into the money again, only this time she would take more than just a bill or two. And that was exactly what she planned to do. She tiptoed closer to the safe and took a look inside it.
Holy shit
! she declared. There were nothing but hundred-dollar bills in the partially cracked safe. There appeared to be a lot more bills in it than there'd been last time she was there. They were neatly stacked inside the metal box. Sassy had never seen so much money at one time.

She cautiously looked around, then grimaced and shook her head.
Bitch
,
make sure you know what you're doing,
she reasoned with herself. She bent down and ran her fingers over a few bills. She guessed that there were over fifty Gs in the safe. She turned quickly to see if Los was awake. Sassy noticed his eyes were closed and his snoring was still loud. She grabbed a handful of bills and quietly hurried into the bathroom to put them in her clutch, which was on the bathroom counter. She returned to the safe to make sure that everything by it was just as it had been when she first approached it. To play it off more, she went to the living room and retrieved her undergarments and put them back on, then grabbed two water bottles from the fridge, went back to the bedroom, and climbed back into bed.

“Baby,” she called as she placed tiny kisses on Los's neck.

Los's eyes slowly opened. He stretch and yawned.

“Hey, gorgeous. You ready for round two?” he asked as he grabbed his manhood.

Sassy flashed him half a smile.

Truth be told, all she wanted at that moment was to get dressed and go home. As far as she was concerned, she had got what she had come for, and so had he, so their business for the time being was coming to an end. Besides, her intuition was getting the best of her. It would not allow her to continue to be in his presence after she had stolen from him this time around and had done it for no other reason than the money was there.

Ironically, she didn't need the money. She had more than she knew what to do with.
The two racks I got from him is a new Hermès bag, at minimum
, she thought. She told herself he wouldn't miss it. But for some reason, she felt different than she had all the other times she had stolen from Los, and she did not like the feeling. She had gotten away with it the other two times and wanted that to be the case this time.

Sassy's thoughts were invaded by Los's movement as he climbed off the bed. He ignored Sassy's attempt to hold him hostage in the bed.

Los went into the bathroom, suppressing his first desire, and made his way to the shower to wash off the previous night's sex. But then, while the shower was running, he stepped into the other room, the one where his safe was. It took only a glance for him to know what the deal was. He went back into the bathroom and jumped in the shower. He needed to clear his head so he could better deal with the situation at hand. He had thought Sassy wasn't like the hoes he usually dealt with.

After his shower, he returned to the bedroom to find his bed made and the pillows fluffed. He paid this no mind, though. He had other things on his mind. He quickly dressed in a tank and basketball shorts and exited the room with his phone in tow. His fingers wasted no time sending out a text.

We have a problem. I'ma start the solving process, but I'm going to need you to finish it.

Within a minute there was a reply, which read, No doubt!

Los was met with the aroma of bacon frying as soon as he entered the kitchen. He closed his phone and walked toward Sassy, who was frying turkey bacon, scrambling cheese eggs, and making wheat toast to serve on the side. He was still feeling some type of way, but for the moment his hunger distracted him, enabling him to ignore his emotions. He greeted her with a peck on the forehead. He sat down at the dining-room table and waited to be served. Sassy presented him with the cooked breakfast, orange juice, and a blunt she had rolled for him. He ate in silence while sending texts and reading e-mails from his phone. Sassy wondered what was wrong. Normally, he was more affectionate and attentive, but he didn't seem quite like himself, and her paranoia immediately set in.

“I'm gonna go after I'm done eating,” she informed Los.

She was considering leaving without being paid, but she didn't want to make any move that would draw suspicion. She sat there and played with her eggs as she said something else to Los. She didn't even hear Buster enter the penthouse. One minute he was not there; the next minute there he was. When she caught sight of him, she instantly tried to cover herself with her hands. She was still in her bra and panties. She proceeded to get up in order to go hide in Los's bedroom.

“Didn't know you were expecting company.” She stared at Los. “I'll just get my things and catch a cab or something,” she offered.

“No need to run off. Buster has seen what you got before.”

Sassy did not like the look plastered on Los's face as he spoke. Her gut feeling was throwing all types of daggers at her stomach.

This nigga knows.
A sense of fear swept through her body. For a brief second, she was tempted to come clean and confess, but then she thought better of it. She believed it would only make matters worse. Besides, she was not really sure if she was just overreacting or if Los really knew anything.

“Yeah, I know, but I still feel funny, you know?” She conjured up a smile as best she could.

“No worries, boo!” Los now had a smug look on his face.

Sassy felt even more uneasy now. Before she knew it and had time even to shield herself, Los smacked the shit out of her. The blows dropped her to the floor. Sassy was in shock and began to cry.

“Yeah, bitch!” Los said in a booming voice. “What the fuck you thought? Shit was sweet?” he yelled as he hauled off and kicked Sassy in the midsection. “You fucking thieving whore!” he bellowed

Sassy just sat on the floor, doubled over from the kick and holding her cheek with one hand and her stomach with the other, attempting to alleviate the sting coming from her face.

“I am sorry!” she cried. “I'll give it back!”

“Save all that pleadin' and beggin' shit, bitch!” Los barked as he walked over to her and stood over her. He kicked her again in the stomach, then grabbed a handful of her hair and slammed her head on the floor. Sassy kicked, scratched, and clawed but was unsuccessful at stopping Los's attack on her. She let out wails and cries of pain, but Los kept up his assault.

No one could hear her because of the soundproof walls and door. He became more enraged with each blow. Then, out of nowhere, he did the unexpected. He turned her on her stomach and pulled her panties down. He dropped to his knees and rammed his dick deep inside her ass. Had the crib not been soundproof, Sassy's cries would've been heard throughout the city. She let out such a loud cry of pain that it could have shattered the windows. He pumped her ass four good times before dragging her over to the side of the couch in the living room. Sassy lay there, paralyzed by pain and fear.

What would Jewels do in this situation
? she wondered as her bottom lip quivered and her body trembled.
If I can just make it to my phone,
she thought. But that was wishful thinking. The spit that landed just below her right eye brought her back to the imminent danger she was presently faced with.

“Bitch, all you had to do was ask, and I probably would've broken your dumb ass off. But you wanna be on some sneaky thief shit.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair. “You dumb-ass bitch! I thought you was stealing from me the last time. This time I knew exactly what to do. I bet if I look in your bag right fucking now, that bill I marked will be there. Stupid fucking bitch!” Los kicked her again, only this time in the face. “To think I was ready to make you . . .” Los raised his fist to land a much-deserved blow to her face.

“Yo, come on. That's enough,” Buster said, intervening, holding Los's arm.

Los spun in his direction. He could see Buster's stone face and demeanor. Although Los was the boss now that his brother was dead, Los still knew better than to go up against Buster. His reputation exceeded him. He had put more work in the streets than a slave in a cotton field. Buster had been his brother's gunman, and now he was his. The last thing he wanted to do was put himself on the other side of Buster's barrel. He had the utmost respect for Buster, and his response demonstrated as much.

“My bad about this situation with that fucking thieving bitch,” Los replied. Not only did he respect Buster, but Buster was Los's old head. The one from his neighborhood who had made it easy and safe for cats like him and his brother to eat and live in the streets. “Shit just got out of hand. Next time I won't let it get this far,” he promised.

“Don't worry about it. Let's just clean this mess up,” Buster replied. “And how about you just make sure there isn't a next time?” he added in a cold tone.

Los couldn't argue with him on that. Because of his temper, a girl was dead, and had it not been for Buster taking care of it, Los could be sitting in jail. “You right,” he told Buster. “But the good thing is, ain't nobody gonna miss this bitch,” Los asserted.

Buster shook his head. “It ain't about that,” Buster reminded him. “We got other shit to handle. We don't got time for this type of shit, li'l bro.”

Los nodded in agreement. “I feel you, bro. After this I'ma tighten up,” Los assured him. “This bitch is all yours,” he then said. He wiped his mouth to remove the residue of spit that dripped from it after he had hog spit in Sassy's face. “Do what you do best. I'ma go handle what I'm supposed to be handling.” Los stepped over Sassy's limp body.

A sinister smirk appeared on Buster's face. He sat the large suitcase he was holding on top of the dining-room table and opened it. Sassy had noticed him standing there with the suitcase in hand. She hadn't given it any thought until he pulled out the contents inside it. Her eyes widened with fear when Buster spun around to face her.

Oh, God, please hear me right now. I don't want to die like this. Please don't let this happen to me. Please . . . take care of Jewels....
Sassy closed her eyes and knew that this was just part of the game she played and that there was no getting out of it.

The following morning, Jewels woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. The aroma of eggs, sausages, and pancake syrup hit her nose as soon as she entered her kitchen. She couldn't believe her eyes. Rome stood over her stove, in a wife beater and navy and white Adidas sweatpants, scrambling some cheese eggs, while the sausage grease popped and the pancakes were waiting to be flipped. She could see the dented muscles all over his back. She inhaled, then exhaled lightly. She tightened up at the right time. Detecting her sudden presence, Rome spun to face her.

“Hey, you hungry?” Rome greeted.

Jewels nodded. It had been a long time since she'd had a home-cooked meal. The closest she got to homemade food was at a Waffle House, when she found the time to visit one. Fast food during the day and fancy restaurants at night was how she'd gotten used to living. The one thing she was missing in her life was a man. Not to take care of her, but just for his presence. She realized she was more like her mama than she had thought. It had taken her a long time to figure out what Ice had meant to her mother. She saw the same qualities in Rome.

Growing up, all she had ever known about Ice was that he had everything a man could ever wish for—a beautiful place to call home, a growing empire, fancy cars, and money coming out his ass. And he'd had his share of females through the years. But no matter how many women he had, Jewels remembered that her mother was always his number one, and he took care of his number one.

“Here. Have a seat.” He pulled out a chair at the table for her.

Jewels felt like a high school girl. She was both surprised by and impressed with his gesture. The days he had spent under her roof were enough to convince her that she had him pegged all wrong, and this was just one more thing to prove that. She had seen him only as a hard-core street dude, the type that Sassy went for, but the fact of the matter was that he was no different than her. Someone who had made the best out of the hand they were dealt. She believed they both were hustlers of two different products, but nonetheless, they both sold something in exchanged for financial gain in order to survive. She had learned a lot about Rome, as well as about herself, while he stayed with her. She had actually enjoyed him being there, in more ways than one. She smiled at the thought.

“Well, I guess I'm going to have to repay you for this big breakfast, then, because I haven't been treated like this in a while,” she said.

“You don't have to do that. You don't owe me anything. I should be thanking you,” Rome replied. “It's the least I could do. I did it out of the kindness of my heart.” He smiled.

Jewels returned his smile. For the first time, she smelled the oil he wore. It was a refreshing scent, one like none she had ever smelled. She knew it was an oil because she had smelled the same fragrance when he'd burned the oil in her oil burner in the bedroom he occupied. It was also a scent she had thought about while lying in her bed at night, pleasuring herself.

Bitch, get it together,
Jewels told herself.
Money over niggas. Remember that.

“Well, thank you,” she replied, shaking off the spell she had almost succumb to from his smell.

“No need to thank me,” Rome offered. He set a plate in front of Jewels, along with a cup of the coffee he had brewed from the grounds he'd found in the cabinet. He then snatched up his plate and made his way back over to the table and pulled out a chair. After he sat, Jewels watched as he bowed his head and closed his eyes to say grace.

You can't be serious
, Jewels thought in disbelief. She never would have thought that Rome was someone who said grace over his food. She had taken him for a “sit down and dig straight in” type of dude. She appreciated seeing this. Melody had stressed to her the importance of thanking God for the food He provided, no matter what was going on in her life, where she was, or how little it was.

When Rome opened his eyes, he saw Jewels staring at him.

“Wassup?”

“What?” Jewels shook her head.

“You were looking at me.”

She hadn't even realized it. “I'm sorry,” she said, apologizing.

Rome laughed. “You good.” He took a monstrous bite of the sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich he had put together on a soft buttered and toasted roll.

For the next few minutes, they ate in silence. Rome was the first to finish. He saw that Jewels didn't have much left on her plate. He stood to clear his plate and carried it over to the sink.

“I'm done,” Jewels announced, and he returned and took her plate over to the sink.

She watched as he loaded her dishwasher with the dirty dishes.
He has to be the only dude in the streets who moves like this.
Jewels was convinced of this.

“I know you said I didn't have to, but thanks again. That was really nice of you.” She walked over to Rome and extended her hand. He dried his right hand on the bottom of his wife beater and took her hand.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, remembering the last token of his appreciation that he had for her. He stuck his hand in his sweatpants pocket. “This is for you. For the extra days.” He handed her a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills wrapped in a twenty-five-hundred-dollar wrapper.

Jewels smiled with her eyes. “You don't have to give me anything extra.” She held out her hand and pushed the stack back in Rome's direction.

“Nah. You straight,” he insisted. “I'd be insulted if you didn't.” He pushed it back toward her.

You don't have to tell me twice
. Jewels laughed inside. “Thanks.”

“No prob.” He smiled. “Well, I gotta get outta here, but take my number down,” he then said.

“Okay.” Jewels didn't hesitate to pull out her phone, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if she would ever even dial it or need it for anything.

Rome took her phone, punched his number in, and dialed his own phone.

“Got you,” he told her. He handed Jewels back her phone. Then out of nowhere, he threw his arms around her and said, “Be safe, baby girl.” Then he released her.

“You too,” she cooed. She was still trying to process how good his arms had felt around her.

“You a'ight?” He chuckled. He stared at her oddly.

She joined him in his laughter. “Yes, I'm fine.”

He gave her a thumbs-up. “I'ma grab my bag, and then I'ma be out.”

Jewels nodded.

Within minutes, Rome was headed to the front door, with his duffel bag hiked over his shoulder. Jewels walked him to the door.

“Feel free to use that number whenever. I'm single and nobody answers that line but me.” He wanted her to know that.

“I'll keep that in mind.” She smiled.

There was an awkward silence, but Rome broke it.

“Thanks again, lady. You definitely good peoples,” Rome told her.

“Appreciate that,” she shot back.

He walked out, and then she closed the door behind him, the man who had been her temporary roommate and had saved her life.

* * *

Rome sat in his SUV for a moment, staring back at the place he had grown fond of in the week and a half he had stayed there. In that short period of time, he had gotten to see another side of the female he had perceived as stuck-up and self-centered. He wasn't too knowledgeable about the game she played in, but he knew when somebody had hustle in them. Aside from having a pretty face and a banging body, she had struck him as a money-getter chick after he had observed her in her own surroundings.
Tighten up, nigga
, Rome chastised himself. He snapped out of the daze he was in. He smiled at the fact that it was not the first time Jewels had been the cause of him drifting off.
If only things were different, things could be different
, he thought.
Wishful thinking about what could be,
he observed silently as he started the ignition on his SUV.