Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 (The Saga Continues) (3 page)

Bishop took a deep breath and said, “I’ve had a chance to look at the books from the club and the numbers are off like a muthafucka!”

“Did you approach her with it?”

“Yeah, I did. But she’s not giving me the answers that I need.”

I shook my head in disbelief and said, “Now I can’t tell you who actually killed Neeko because I was behind bars. And I can’t tell you if I saw Katrina stealing money from the club. But I will say that I heard Neeko fussing a few times about money was coming up short.”

“Who was he talking to when he said that?”

“He was talking to Katrina. But she brushed him off and told him he needed to stop drinking so much because it’s messing with his head. And that’s about it.”

Bishop fell silent once again. I wished I had more information for him but I didn’t. I honestly never saw Katrina take anything from the club. And if she did, she damn sure did a hell of a job hiding it. “So, how do you plan to find out if she was stealing money from him?” I asked.

“Don’t worry because I’ve got it all figured out.”

The coldness in his tone gave me the chills all over.

Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 Unique

My Pussy Is All I Got-Chapter Three

One hour passed while Bishop and I sat in the hotel room and watched TV.

I grew tired of sitting around and wanted to take a shower. I wanted so badly to get out of my clothes but not having a change of clothing posed a problem. So I looked at Bishop and asked him if he’d lend me a few dollars so I could run across the street to Pembroke Mall to get a few things. “How much do you think you’ll need?” he asked me.

I thought for a second but I couldn’t come to an appropriate amount to ask him for. I’d only known him for about two hours so for me to ask him for a specific dollar amount would be insane. I told him I didn’t know. Then I said, “Why don’t you walk with me over to the mall. That way I could pick out what I need and then you could pay for it.”

Bishop smiled at me and his response was, “And what am I going to get in return?”

“What do you mean by that?” I blurted. Was he insinuating that I fuck him for the things I needed from the mall? I mean, if that’s what he wanted, then he’d have to do more than just buy me a pair of panties with a fucking shirt and pair of pants. He’d have to put me in a fucking house like Duke’s slimy ass did. And he’d have to put me in something better than that BMW X6 I was driving too. I know I haven’t always lived in an upscale apartment building with a doorman and wore all the latest labels, but I did have a chance to experience it. So I couldn’t accept anything else.

Finally, Bishop smiled at me and said, “I’m just pulling your leg, sweetheart. Come on, let’s go. I need to go over there to pick up a pair of black dress socks.”

Instead of saying something sassy to him, I smiled and then I stood to my feet. He stood up right after I did and retrieved the hotel key card from the TV stand. I opened the door of the room and then we both made our exit.

Pembroke Mall was directly across the street from the hotel so it took us approximately five minutes to get there. We made small talk along the way. “Have you ever shopped at this mall?” he started off.

“Not really. The only time I’d come over here was to get take-out from the food court or to pay my cell phone bill at the kiosk. This mall is geared towards young white kids who like to wear that skateboard clothing. They got plenty of white people clothing stores in here. That’s why black people either go to Lynnhaven Mall or Military Circle Mall.”

“Well, if they only have white people stores at this mall then why are we coming here?”

“They got a department store inside the mall called Kohl’s, so I should be able to find me something presentable. I mean, all I need is something to change into after I take me a long hot shower. It could be a ten-dollar sundress for all I care. My main concern is to get out of these clothes I got on my back now. The label on the inside of the clothes don’t matter to me at this point.”

Bishop smiled at me once again and then he reached for the door to enter the mall and opened it.

Right after we entered into the mall we stopped inside of the store called Legends. Legends catered to both black and white people, so I knew I’d fine something either way I looked at it. I sifted through the clothes on the rack while Bishop’s phone began to ring. He took it from the holster and then he looked at the caller ID screen. “It’s Katrina,” he said to me and answered, “Hello.”

He stepped away from me and headed to the entrance of the store. I realized he wanted some privacy so I turned my back to him and pretended to mind my business. I couldn’t hear every word he uttered but I heard enough to know he was getting irritated with her.

“But I thought that they were only charging you ten grand,” he said. I wish I could hear what Katrina was saying in return. “So, why are they asking you for another five grand?” he asked and then he waited for Katrina to respond. “Look Katrina, I understand all of that, but at the end of the day they’re pouring salt in the fucking game. And I don’t like being played.” His conversation continued. “I’m going to need to see something in black and white before I shell out another dime. Neeko had a life insurance policy with Lincoln Life, so that’s who you need to be calling.” And right after he uttered those last few words, he ended his call.

I acted as if I hadn't heard bits and pieces of his conversation by pretending to search through the clothes on the racks. He approached me from behind. “I can’t wait to get through this week so I can head back up north,” he said.

I looked back at him. “I take it you just got rubbed the wrong way.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” he replied and then he switched gears and asked me if I’d found something I’d want to wear? I showed him a couple of shirts along with a couple of pants that complimented the shirts. He gave me the nod of approval so we headed over towards the store clerk. The total came up to one hundred and twenty-two dollars. He acted as if he expected to pay more. I patted him on his shoulder and thanked him.

When we left Legends we stopped in Kohl’s to get me a couple pairs of bra and panties sets. Bishop picked himself up a pair of dress socks and then we left the mall completely. On our way back to the hotel Bishop got yet another call. This time I could tell that it wasn’t Katrina. He slowed his pace down so I could walk ahead of him. The tone of his voice changed too. It was no secret that he was talking to a woman. What she meant to him was a different question altogether. “I just left the mall,” I heard him say. And then he laughed. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want anything out of that mall. I only stopped in there to get a pair of dress socks for the funeral,” he explained.

Telling the woman on the other end of the phone that she wouldn’t want anything from Pembroke Mall only meant that she was a high maintenance chick. Judging from his conversation, I figured she only shopped at places like Barneys’ or Saks’. And the fact that he reminded her about the choice of places she shopped meant that he remembered going on shopping sprees with her.

Meanwhile, during his intimate chat with a woman that was obviously his main squeeze, I noticed we were being followed by a black guy. He looked like an average cat, so it was hard to tell whether or not he was some random stalker or a hit man for Duke. I felt uneasy and right when I was about to get Bishop’s attention, he suddenly disappeared. One minute he was in plain sight and the next minute he was gone. I started to back track my steps to see if he was lingering around one of the corners, but I changed my mind and continued to do what I came here to do in the first place.

Bishop was in his own world. His conversation with this woman lasted until we got in the lobby area of the hotel. When he realized his window for privacy was about to end, I heard him tell her he loved her too and then he ended the call. We got on the elevator and took it to our floor. As we exited the elevator I smiled at him and said, “It’s good to know that some people are still in love.”

I laid my things on the bed and took a seat next to them. “You know it’s not a trick question. So, just answer it. All you’ve got to say is yes or no.”

Bishop stood there in front of me and gave me the cutest smile ever. I was about to fucking melt. He was beginning to turn me on and the crazy part about all of this was that I knew he had someone in his life but I could really care less.

“Give me some time to think about it and then I’ll get back with you,” he said as he walked towards the bathroom. “Excuse me for a second. Gotta go to the men’s room.”

“Take your time,” I replied.

After he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door I turned my focus to my things and began to sort them out. Meanwhile, I heard Bishop’s cell phone ring from the bathroom. “Hello,” I heard him say, and then he fell silent. A few seconds later he said, “I’m in room 512.” And when he told the caller what room we were in, I knew right off the bat that it was Katrina he was talking to. Immediately after, he ended the call, he walked out of the bathroom and confirmed what I thought was true. “Katrina is on her way up to the room.”

“Oh, really,” I replied nonchalantly as I continued doing what I was doing.

By the time she knocked on the door, I was already in the bathroom trying to get out of my clothes so I could take a quick shower. I had no idea if they had plans for us to leave the room. But I figured if they did, I’d be ready.

“What are you doing here so early?” Bishop asked.

“We need to talk.”

“What’s up?” I heard Bishop ask. I waited for Katrina to speak. I stood by the bathroom door quietly. I even found myself holding my breath. Unfortunately for me, all of what I did was done in vain because when I heard the hotel room door closed, I knew that they had taken their conversation into the hallway. I sucked my teeth and proceeded to take a shower.

While I bathed myself, I couldn’t help but wonder what was so secretive that Katrina didn’t want me to hear what she had to say to Bishop. Since I wasn’t that close to Bishop, I knew it would be like pulling teeth to get him to fill me in on what she had to say. People are so shiesty these days that it wouldn’t surprise me if that bitch was trying to plot on me. She’d better come correct because I’m not in the fucking mood. Especially with all the shit I’d been through with Duke’s scandalous ass! I’ve vowed to stay two steps ahead of ever motherfucker I came in contact with. And that’s my word.

I wasn’t the bitch to fuck with anymore.

Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 Unique

Scandalous Bitches-Chapter Four

It only took me about ten minutes to shower.

By the time I exited the bathroom Katrina and Bishop were back in the room. I looked at Katrina and said hello. She looked at me with a funny expression and acted as if she didn't want to speak back. I rolled my eyes. The shit didn’t matter to me. But I did make it my business to put her stupid ass on Front Street. “You okay?” I asked.

“I'm fine,” Katrina replied.

I immediately looked at Bishop. He shook his head while Katrina had her back turned. And then he said, “I am going to need you to stay here while Katrina and I head out to the club.”

“How long are you going to be?” I asked.

“Not too long,” he replied as he stuck the hotel key into his front pocket. Ten seconds later, he and Katrina were gone.

When the door closed I took a seat on the bed. There I was sitting in the room all by myself. I had no idea what I was going to do while they were gone. And that’s when I realized I had no friends or family to call. I wasn't a bad person so why was I alone? At that very moment I thought back on my life and tried to remember how many people I had done wrong? I knew there were at least two men I had used for my own personal gain. But I didn’t believe I caused this much karma. I mean, all I'd ever done was use those cats for their money. That was it.

So for me to go to jail for something I did not do was really fucked up. I can count the fingers on one hand for the times I did someone wrong. But I would need to use my hands and my feet to count the many times I had been done wrong. It seemed as if I couldn’t get any sympathy from anyone around me. But when the shoe was on the other foot people were quick to point fingers. I couldn’t express it enough about how it was going to be about me from this day forward. I was stepping on any and everybody’s fucking feet to get where I got needed to go. No more Miss Nice Girl. I was going to be the biggest bitch ever. Fuck that! Nice Girl died in jail, now only the Bitch with Attitude was left.

Instead of being in the room I grabbed the key card and headed down to the lobby of the hotel. I figured getting some fresh air would take my mind off the bullshit I had running through my mind. I had no idea where I was going but I knew I needed to take a walk. I headed out to Virginia Beach Boulevard and headed toward Barnes and Noble bookstore. I didn't have a penny in my pocket to buy anything but I knew that I couldn’t cause any harm by browsing through the books and magazines when I got there. Thank God the weather was nice, so my walk went fairly quick. I was greeted by one of the store clerks and was told that if I needed anything, don't hesitate to ask.

“Can you tell me where the African American section is?” I asked.

The young lady pointed me in the right direction of the African American section was, I thanked her and went on my merry way.

When I was in jail I was turned on to a book called Keep the Faith by Faith Evans. My cellmate at the time was reading it and told me I had to read it. So I took it after she was done and when I read the first page I was hooked. So I figured since I'm not doing anything why not see if I can find another book by her. I mean who knows, I could probably read damn near an entire book while Bishop and Katrina were out.