Cheaper to Keep Her (part 1) (2 page)

I switched my ass past the early bird hounds who were already surrounding the bar trying to be the first to get their seats at the stage. It was Thursday, which meant, their favorite stripper was about to grace them with her presence.

Diamond was all the rage at the Magic City and she was also my best friend and roommate. She had left for work before I did since she had to set up her look and her music. She was the club’s Thursday night feature. A different stripper was featured each night of the week.

Needless to say, Thursdays were when the club was most packed. All the men loved Diamond. I mean, she was beautiful. She had a sweet baby face and the body of a video vixen.

I was almost to my post behind the bar when I felt a presence. I jumped.

“
It’s about damn time you showed the hell up!” I heard the voice and then felt somebody grab my arm.

“
What the—” My statement was cut off. I was a bit thrown off.

“
Lynise . . . I need a big favor,” Diamond said in a pleading voice. Her words rushed out of her mouth like running water. She looked as if she had seen a damn ghost.

“
Damn girl, you scared me grabbing on me like that,” I huffed, looking at Diamond as if she was crazy. “What’s the matter with you?” I asked confused.

“
I need to borrow some cash quick before Neeko gets here. I ain’t got the money to pay for my sets tonight,” Diamond said, with urgency in her voice. She was rubbing her arms fanatically. The nervousness was written all over her face. I hated when she acted spooked and it had been happening more often lately. I sucked my teeth at her.

“
Why you need to borrow money Diamond? Didn’t you do a couple of sets last night? I saw niggas making it rain all around you,” I said, frustrated. There was no reason Diamond didn’t have any money when I was sure she had probably made over five hundred dollars just the night before.

“
I know but I had to loan some to Brian,” Diamond replied.

I threw my hands up in her face. I already knew she had given her no-good ass, wanna-be hustler boyfriend her money. I despised Diamond’s boyfriend, Brian, but I tried to stay out of her business. He looked and acted like a buster if you asked me. However, Diamond was madly in love with his raggedy ass. He always had his hand out. I told her a million times it was supposed to be the other way around. Brian should’ve been taking care of her and trying to get her the hell up out of the Magic City
.
That’s the way I saw it anyway. But there was no turning Diamond against the slouch.

“
How the fuck you keep giving that nigga all your money?” I barked at her. “He is a grown ass, able bodied man! If he can’t hustle up money or go get a damn job then you need to leave his ass! You a sucka for love or what?” I was fed up with Brian or better yet, I was fed up with Diamond falling for his shit. He was always at our apartment, eating up our food and never lifting a finger or putting a dime in the pot.

Diamond put her head down and wore a sad frown when I told her about herself and her man. I knew I had hurt her feelings and I was immediately sorry. I loved Diamond. She was my road dog. We had been through hell and back together. Neither one of us came from good homes and we had been down for each other for years. I just wanted her to make better decisions and be smarter with her money. I guess I should have been a little more sensitive. But I was too mad to be nice.

“
Lynise, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t really need this,” Diamond said somberly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as if she had ants in her damn pants. I noticed she was fidgety as hell.

“
Yo, this is the last time I’m loaning you money Diamond. We both struggling to pay rent and bills, remember?” I chastised her, taking my bag off my shoulder and placing it on a barstool so I could get my wallet. I dug into my purse and handed her a hundred dollars. That was enough for her to pay Neeko so she could do a few sets and make some money. That would lead to more sets. I knew she hated doing lap dances, but I was sure she would be doing some tonight to get some extra money. It was part of the game
.
And as much as we hated it, sometimes the game ruled us.

Diamond smiled and snatched the money from my hand. Then she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. “Thanks girl, you’re a lifesaver, that’s why I love you,” Diamond said, all of a sudden in a cheery mood.

“
Just go knock them dead tonight bitch, ‘cause we need to eat dammit,” I said jokingly. Diamond smiled. She was so pretty when she smiled. I smiled back. I really loved my best friend. I watched as she trotted off to go get dressed for her sets. I shook my head as she finally disappeared down the steps to the Magic City’s dressing rooms.

“
That damn girl gon’ drive my ass crazy,” I mumbled.

I still didn’t see how she thought this stripping shit was the best thing. The strippers at the club had to give Neeko, the club owner, twenty dollars for each set just to let them dance in his club. Then they had to pay the DJ twenty-five dollars for each set to play their theme music. Diamond told me on a good night she usually picked up around two hundred each set. To her, that made it worth it.

I couldn’t help but think about the bad nights. To me, none of it was worth it. The idea of having hundreds, maybe thousands of strange hands all over my body freaked me out. It didn’t seem to really bother Diamond. However, deep down inside I think she felt just like I did about stripping.

One night, I watched from behind the bar as Diamond did her set. She got on her back at the edge of the stage, opened her legs like a scissor and spread her pussy lips open for a bunch of dudes sitting in the front row. I think she was just expecting them to throw dollars at her like usual. But I watched in horror as an old ass man, who I knew had no teeth, got up and actually put his mouth right on Diamond’s spread eagle pussy and started slurping on her flesh. She definitely wasn’t expecting it. The shock on her face spoke volumes. Diamond slammed her legs closed, smashing the man’s head and he immediately jumped up. The man was smiling and wiping his lips. I thought I would throw up. Diamond looked horrified as she scrambled to her feet. The crowd of men burst into cheers and money flew everywhere. Although I could tell Diamond was disgusted, she stayed up there and picked up every dollar.

That night, as we drove to our apartment, neither one of us said a word about the incident. Once we got inside, I heard Diamond crying in the bathroom as she took a scalding hot shower. That’s when I knew I would never, ever, strip for anyone.

I was four hours into my shift and I still had only made sixty dollars in tips. Talk about a slow ass night. I looked at the little chump change and sucked my teeth. Then just when I thought my night couldn’t get any worse, in walks Devin, my sorry ass ex. I acted like I didn’t see his ass at first, but he wasn’t hard to miss.

“
Wassup, Nini? You ready to take me back?” Devin said with a big smile on his face as he slid onto a barstool where I was mixing a drink for another one of the Magic City’s regulars. I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes at him. I slid the drink to my customer and rolled my eyes at the one dollar tip the cheap son-of-a-bitch placed on the bar. Devin noticed my disgust at the measly tip and of course he couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“
See if you was still with a nigga like me you wouldn’t have to accept those penny ass tips,” Devin said, flashing his perfect smile. Although I couldn’t stand his ass for what he had done to me, he was still fine as hell.

“
If you could keep your dick in your pants, maybe I would still be with you,” I retorted, folding my arms across my chest.

“
C’mon baby, you met me in a fucking strip club . . . did you really think I could control that,” Devin said snidely. I swear I could’ve slapped the living shit out of him. All my thoughts of finding him fucking one of the white strippers in the club’s champagne room came flooding back. The nerve of that muthafucka! While I was right outside at the bar working, he was fucking this bitch.

One of the other girls had come and told me I needed to go into the back and check things out. Initially, I was hesitant, but she insisted. When I found Devin and that bitch, I went off. I hit him in the head with a Heineken bottle and I tried to rip that bitch’s hair extensions from her scalp. Neeko almost tossed my ass out in the street over that shit. My forgiveness was paying for a couple of broken mirrors and tables. From that day forward, I vowed never to fuck with none of the club’s patrons. Devin had taught me a valuable lesson. If a nigga is in a strip club, he ain’t gon’ be faithful for shit.

“
You’re a fucking animal. Get the fuck out of my face,” I spat in response to his snide comment. I turned my back to him and went about my work.

“
A’ight, suit yourself. When you ready to get out the hood, holla at ya boy,” he said. Then he slammed a fifty-dollar bill on the bar. As bad as I needed that fucking money, my pride wouldn’t let me take it. I snatched it up, crumpled it into a ball and threw it at him.

“
Don’t ever leave no money on this fucking bar unless you’re buying a drink!” I screamed in a pissed off state over the music. “I don’t need or want shit you got, you fucking pencil dick asshole!” That asshole just laughed. But I was seething inside.

My anger was overcome by the sound of Diamond’s theme music. I immediately forgot about that fucking idiot, Devin, and turned to see my girl do her thing.

Diamond looked stunning in her all-white corset and thong set. She had feathers in her hair and her make-up made her look like an angel. I watched her jump up on that pole with the skill of a gymnast. She twirled around it, letting her long, dancer’s legs sway through the air artistically. Once she slid down to the floor, Diamond did a full split and with one pull of a trick string her corset flew off. The men in the crowd went crazy when Diamond’s perfect C cup breasts flew free. She lifted one of her perky breasts and stuck her long tongue out and licked her own nipple. That was it. More cheers erupted from the crowd and once again, more money flew.

I couldn’t front, the woman was damn good at what she did. She knew how to work her body and work the crowd. She continued her dance until she was completely naked. Then out the corner of my eye, I saw Brian walk into the club.

“
Shit!” I grumbled.

Brian never came to the club. He knew what Diamond did for a living and had agreed to stay away. I was instantly on high alert when I saw him. He was looking around with a crazed look in his eyes.

“
Awww shit,” I whispered to myself. I saw Brian walking towards the stage. I started to make my way from behind the bar. Diamond was making her booty clap and a few of her regulars were slapping her butt cheeks and putting money in her ass crack.

Before I could make it to Brian’s location or the stage, he had rushed to the edge of the stage. He grabbed one of the customers that had his hands on Diamond’s ass and punched the man in his face. Screams erupted and the DJ started yelling on the microphone for security.

“
Brian!” Diamond screeched when she noticed what was going on.

The crazy muthafucka was outnumbered. All the guys in the front were together. Brian had just punched their boy. It was only a matter of seconds before the entire group jumped him. They had him on the floor punching and kicking him. Bottles were flying, chairs were being turned over. Then other niggas in the club just started going in on each other. Sheer pandemonium broke out. What the fuck? Did they think this was a John Wayne fucking western or what?

The security guards were truly overwhelmed and they couldn’t get a handle on all of the chaos. It wasn’t until the DJ screamed that the police were on their way that everybody started to scatter. When the raucous group of guys jetted from the
club,
Brian was left in a bloody heap on the floor.

“
Get him the fuck out of here!” Neeko screamed. Security came to hoist Brian’s battered body off the floor.

Diamond ran to his side. “Brian! Please wake up!” she cried out. She grabbed his battered head and his bloody skull covered her breasts. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

“
This your man? Well you can get the fuck outta here with him,” Neeko boomed at Diamond. Security put both Diamond and Brian out. I rushed downstairs and grabbed Diamond’s bag with her clothes. When I got outside I helped her get dressed. When the ambulance got there, they put Brian in the back and Diamond climbed in with him. I watched as it pulled off. I covered my eyes with my hands. I had to get my thoughts together.

Finally, I turned towards the club and stared at the glowing sign that was in the shape of a stiletto heel. I shook my head, knowing I had to go back inside to get my things and my money. It was like my feet were cemented to the ground. That was how much I didn’t want to go back into the club. I was so tired of working there. The whole club scene was taking its toll on me physically and emotionally. I stood outside as if I was standing at the gates of hell, waiting for the Devil to eat me alive.