Pretty Girls in the Vip (9781617730283) (20 page)

S
ometimes you have to live in your own truth, and my truth is that I like my men rich, with swagger and lots of money. Since I've been in Philly and Ian's been back and forth in Miami, we have been falling apart. I'm grateful for his help with the club. I'm certain that without him and Keldrick, I wouldn't have been able to open it, but enough is enough. I'm going to have to break away from them, but not just yet. I want him to leave me so I won't have to deal with him saying that as soon as you came up you left me.

In the meantime I'm going to meet up with Shelton today. There is something so alluring about him, even though he is married. I hadn't been this excited in years about a man. We've been texting a lot and had a few conversations, and we've seen each other at the club, but this is the first time we are going to actually hang out. He has a very hectic work schedule and so do I.

The plan was to talk, enjoy the scenic river view on Kelly Drive, and then maybe go somewhere and have lunch. I knew it was so wrong to be doing any of this, but I'm grown up—and he is married, I'm not.

My eyes saw Shelton and immediately I got all type of urges. I wanted him bad. His navy suit fit his body perfectly, and he smelled amazing. He must have had a meticulous regime to keep everything so together. He was so handsome. I was glad I didn't dress down for the park. I'd kept on my stilettos instead of the flats sitting on the floor of the back of the car.

“Hey, beautiful. So, what are we doing?” he asked me as he leaned in for a quick hug.

“I don't know, you tell me. I thought I was just coming to meet you and walk and talk a little. You're so hard to catch up with.”

We walked down to a small café at the end of the river's edge. It was pretty crowded for the afternoon, but we were able to find a table in the back. I noticed Shelton looking around to make sure he didn't see anyone he knew.

“Are you looking for your wife's friends?” I asked.

“No, I'm allowed to have business meetings.”

“Business meetings, right.” I winked at him and said, “So, you practice entertainment law.”

“Yes, I do. I also do criminal cases here and there, and I used to dabble in family law. Family law made me want to scream.”

“Family law like custody court?”

“Yes, those type of cases. It was a lot. I saw so many broken families with angry moms and dads with child support and custody issues. Then their bratty kids would be screaming and crying, telling their parents not to argue. I just couldn't take the bickering anymore. I wanted to do something fun. I would rather read over contracts and help my clients make money than listen to parents complain.”

“That's funny. That might be me one day. I hate that my daughter is back and forth with her dad and his fiancée in an entirely different state, but I deal with it.”

“How about you? What did you do before becoming a club owner?”

“I used to work at a nursing home as a registered nurse.”

“So, you know how to take care of people.”

“I do.”

“Where is your man and why aren't you wearing your ring?”

“Because I'm not sure if I want to be married to him, and he is in Florida. He is a film director and has a hectic schedule right now. Your wife?”

“The truth?”

I shook my head yes, that I wanted him to share the real reason he was attempting to engage in a romantic liaison with me.

“She is a doctor. She works in the emergency room at Jefferson.”

“So, what's your issue with her?”

“I think we both have our issues. I wouldn't say
issues
. I would say we have circumstances that we need to find out how we are going to handle.” He was speaking in code some, but then he addressed the obvious. “I like you and you like me, but I'm married and you're engaged, so now what?”

“It's up to you. We can be friends—or more.” I wanted to let him know that I was interested in him in any and every capacity if he wanted me.

“More, huh? Well, I can tell you I don't really have a lot of time for a girlfriend. I have a wife and a full-time career. So, me, I'm interested in having fun, but not much else.”

“How do you know I'm not interested in just fun also?” I asked him.

“Are you sure about that? You know how some women say they can handle certain situations, but then they get in it and they can't handle it?”

“I'm not like most women, and a good friend is all I really need,” I said.

“And what do you require of your friends?”

“You're Mr. Google. I think friendship is easily defined and self-explanatory.”

Once we established that we were going to be friends, we then took our friendship outside and to the next level. I don't know who convinced whom to fuck in the backseat of his car, but that's where we ended up. I felt like a slut. Like a truck-stop whore, but that didn't stop me from pulling down my thong and straddling him. The idea that we might get caught by joggers passing by intensified the sexual energy between us. Impatiently, I tugged on the front of his pants, urging him to hurry up and give his dick some freedom. I didn't have to waste time getting him ready because he was already as hard as granite, and he was having a hard time getting it out of his pants.

Once it was out and standing ready in his hand, I eased down on it, and let out a soft sigh as he filled me with all of him. His hands cinched my waist, bouncing me up and down on his stiffness. “Fuck me,” I cried out as he delivered a hard pounding. “Harder,” I demanded, and he obliged. He covered my mouth with his, tasting my tongue as he mixed tenderness with the hard pounding he was putting me through. I rode him, matching his frantic pace. Moments later, we released together, and together we took deep breaths until our heartbeats finally slowed down.

I cracked my eyes open and was surprised that I couldn't see anything outside. The windows were so steamed up, it was apparent that we'd had complete privacy; no one could have seen a thing through those foggy windows.

 

My rendezvous with Shelton gave me just what I needed: a distraction from the club and all the goings-on. His friendship was welcome, whether it was full- or part-time. I was sitting in my office reminiscing about our last encounter.

I had already fired Summer, and now I was about to get rid of Joi's ass. The other night she had this group of Hispanic and white guys who were ordering drinks and asking for everything. They looked nice and clean-cut, but when I was not looking she let the transaction go through without checking their identification. So today, I learned by way of the Bank of America fraud department, that the unauthorized charges would not be processed. I was so frustrated and angry. I'd just left a message on her answering machine demanding for her to come and speak with me. Once I was done with her, Ian called and detected my negative energy.

“What's going on with you?” he asked.

“Nothing, I'm just having a bad day. This club is driving me crazy. I'm tired and I have dumb people working for me.”

“What happened now?”

“I'm about to fire Joi, because she accepted a bad credit card with a tab of fifteen hundred dollars. Which means I have to hire and train someone else.”

“Why are you going to let her go?”

I took the phone away from my ear and stared at it as if he could see me. “Why? Because she just cost me fifteen hundred dollars, Ian.”

“Give her another chance. I'm sure she didn't mean to. You know how crowded it is, and you want them to hurry up, get drinks, run credit cards, and then she probably just forgot.”

“So, I'm supposed to just eat fifteen hundred dollars. I can't do that.”

“Take it out of her paycheck or her tips until she pays you back. She made an honest mistake. That's Keldrick's girl, and he says she is a good person. She just comes from a rough background,” Ian said.

“Don't we all? I'm going to give her one more chance because of Keldrick. She should thank him because she doesn't know how close she was to being gone.”

“All right, Adrienne, that's done. Listen. I have some good news.”

“What's that?”

“I have all the money for the movie. We start shooting next week. I'm calling the crew and cast, and we are finally going to do this.
Falcon Boys
is finally going to happen.”

“That's great, babe. I'm so proud of you.”

“I know you are. So, come home. I need you to fly down and celebrate with me.”

“I will as soon as I get a moment to breathe.”

“Adrienne, I need you here.”

“Okay, let me see what day I can get away.” I looked up at my door and saw Joi nervously standing there. “I'll call you back. Joi just got here.” I hung up the phone.

“Have a seat, Joi.” She looked very scared as I closed my office door and said, “I want to talk to you about something.”

“Yes, I already know. Can I can explain what happened?”

“You can explain what? Just because someone looks nice doesn't mean they are not a thief. You cost me over a thousand dollars.”

“I'm so sorry, Adrienne. It was a mistake. Please don't fire me. I really need this job. I love working here.”

“All I have to say is, please don't accept any more cards without I.D. You can keep your job this time. But next time I'm going to let you go.”

“Thank you. It won't happen again. I promise.”

“Oh, and it will be deducted out of your tips until it is paid back.”

T
he music video I shot was on YouTube and got a few hits. The majority of them were probably from me and Courtney. As soon as it was posted, we texted the link to everyone and kept watching it over and over again ourselves. I followed Wellzo on Twitter and he followed me back and thanked me for being in the video. Courtney and I were talking about Shani Amore the video girl for like a week straight, but that was it. No one else really saw it, but I was still grateful for the chance to go to New York and be in a video.

Today I was taking my daughter out to the mall and Valerie couldn't say anything, because I had my own car now and a booster seat. She had to give me my child without any excuses. I called her and said, “Valerie, I'm coming to get Raven.”

“How are you coming to get her? She can't be on the bus.”

“Valerie, I'm driving.”

“I don't want her driving around with just any strange man. Plus, you don't have a booster seat.”

“It's my car and I have a booster seat for her.” Something told me she was going to try to give me a hard time with my picking up Raven. I thought about all of the excuses she could possibly give me and came up with a solution for every one.

“Well, you can come and get her, but you must have her back before dinner.”

“Fine.”

 

I pulled up in the driveway in front of their big house with lots of grass and big windows, to see my daughter's father, Ray, the college man. He still was handsome, but he had gained some weight. Initially he didn't realize it was me, and when he did, he opened my car door and said, “Nice car, Shanice.” I got out and he surprised me with a quick hug.

“Thanks.”

“So, what have you been doing with yourself lately?”

“Working, how about you?”

“The same. I get my master's degree at the end of the year. I'm a little behind. But what's an extra year or two?”

“Yeah, must be nice to take as long as you want in school,” I said. “Well, I have to go. I'm picking up Raven, and your mom wants her back by dinner. Let me knock on the door.” Before I could get up the driveway, I saw Valerie stomping toward me with Raven in tow. She didn't want me anywhere near her precious son. What did she think? I was going to get pregnant by him again by talking? Ray looked over at Raven and said that she was getting big.

“You live here. When was the last time you saw her?” I asked him, confused.

“I don't know. I don't be here like that.”

I shook my head and then said, “Raven, say hi to your daddy.” She gave him a quick smile, then took my hand and said good-bye to her grandmother. Valerie watched as I strapped Raven in, and I pulled off before she could make any more excuses about why I couldn't spend time with my daughter.

I brought Raven to the apartment to see Aunt Rhonda and Courtney. They hadn't seen her in almost a year. They both commented on how big and pretty she was getting. Raven was being shy at first, but then she got on the floor and started playing with Ayana with her toys. While I had Raven I wanted to spend quality time with her and take her somewhere special.

“Courtney, let's take them to the movies or something.”

“You treating, working girl?” Courtney asked, turning her lips up.

“Yeah, I'm treating. Hurry up and get dressed because I only have her for a few hours.”

 

We took the kids to the mall and I bought them a few outfits apiece from The Gap and The Children's Place. There weren't any kid-friendly movies playing, so we just settled with going to the Chinese Buffet and then the playground. The girls were happy just to run around the park with each other. They licked on their ice cream cones, and we sat on the bench watching them and talking.

“They are having fun. We have to do this more often,” Courtney suggested.

“Yeah, I know. Do you know how long it's been since I was able to get Raven on my own? Valerie be really acting like she hers. That shit makes me so angry.”

“She had her for such a long time, she probably forgot that she didn't actually give birth to her. But you are still a good mom, though, Shani. You go get her and buy her stuff. But I do think when you try to take her back, Valerie is going to fight you for her.”

“Yeah, well, as long as she don't have full custody paperwork, she has to let me see her, and I'm her mom so I always can take her back when I want to.”

“You got it made. I wish Ayana knew her other family. Antwan don't even be bothered with her.”

“I know I'm lucky, that's why I don't really make a big deal about anything. I just don't want her to forget that I'm her mom. She already don't call me mommy.” My phone started chiming.

“Hey, Shanice, where y'all at? I just wanted to spend some time with y'all.”

“Who is this?” I asked, not recognizing the number.

“It's Ray.”

“Ray?” I repeated and looked at the phone. What the hell did he want? He hadn't called me since I'd told him I was pregnant six years ago.

“What's up, Ray?”

“I just wanted to say you looked real nice and maybe we can go out or something and talk.”

“I don't know about that. I be working all the time, so I don't think so. But I'm sure our daughter would love to hang out with you.” I hung up the call in disbelief. I'm not sure why Ray thought I still wanted him.

“Tell me that wasn't your baby dad, Ray?” Courtney asked.

“It was. He wants to go out and talk.”

“People can smell when you up, huh? Shaking my head. He seen you looking cute and you got a car now and he trying to get at you. He really need to go somewhere and have a seat. You don't want him. Do you?”

“Hell no. He don't have shit I want.”

“Yeah, he was just like, look at my BM in her new car. By the way, what happened to that guy that gave you the car?”

“I don't know. I called him to keep my end of the deal and go out on a date with him, but he is always busy.”

“Well, forget him. You got the car already.”

“Yup, and Ray can go somewhere too.” I looked over at Raven and Ayana. They were taking turns chasing each other on the slide. Raven ran over to me and gave me a kiss and then went off playing again. Courtney stood up and said, “So, cousin, I wasn't feeling what you was saying about the job before. But now I get it. You think you can hook me up if I come down there to the club? Do they need anyone else?”

“Yeah, I think I can. This girl supposed to be getting fired for accepting a stolen credit card. These guys ran this huge bill up. She was bragging, talking about she made all this money and they gave her a two hundred tip, and that shit didn't even go through.”

“I know she was played.”

“Yes, she was. I'll ask my boss, Adrienne. She's real cool. I'll just bring you to my job tomorrow and see if she can interview you on the spot.”

Courtney was definitely cute. She pulled way more dudes than I did, but she didn't know how to turn her hood on and off like I did or I was learning to. Like that bitch on that video set, I would have handed her her hair and eyeballs, but Darcel reminded me why I didn't need to fight. Courtney was hood twenty-four/seven, and my boss, Adrienne, is kind of bougie and I don't know if it will work, but it was at least worth a try.

 

When we dropped my baby girl off, she started crying, “Shani, I want to go with you.” I had to pull her out of my car. She was crying so hard I was beginning to cry myself. I calmed her down and gave her a hug and promised I would come and get her the next week. Ms. Valerie grabbed her hand and snatched her away from me. She looked so aggravated, like I did something wrong to my daughter. At that moment, I decided it was time to start making plans to get my daughter back.

On the ride home Courtney was asking me what I thought she should wear to impress my boss, Adrienne. I knew she should try to pin her hair up and talk as little as possible. My phone began ringing, and I couldn't reach it, so I asked Courtney to answer it. She handed it to me, placing it against my ear. I said hello, and the caller on the other end said, “So, just wanted to let you know I'm a fan, Shani Amore.”

“Shani Amore? Who is this?” I asked, shocked.

“Jabril. Remember, you, me, and my boy, Lloyd, was all hanging out after that club opened in Philly.”

“Oh yeah, I do. How did you get my number?”

“I know people that know people.”

“Is that so? So how are you a fan?” I asked, surprised.

“I saw you in that Wellzo video. My man sent me the video yesterday. He said you got to check out this jawn, she bad, she from Philly. And so I looked at the video a few times. And I was like, that's my girl. I know her. You were looking sexy as hell. The way you was moving those hips had me thinking all kinds of things.”

“Did it? Thank you. So that's what you called to tell me. You like the way I move my hips.”

“Yeah, pretty much. But more importantly, I wanted to link up with you next time I come to town. This is my number, so lock it in and get with me.”

“All right. I will. I'm going to call you.” I added his number to my contacts.

“Matter fact, I'm coming to town tomorrow. You want to come to my game?”

“Yeah, I want to come.” I gave him my full name and he said he was leaving me tickets at the will-call window. Courtney was right, people can smell when you up. I had my daughter's father all up on me, and now I had a basketball player, too! What a day.

“Who was that?”

“You're never going to guess! All I'm going to say is, we going to a basketball game tomorrow. The dude I was trying to get you to come down and meet. Well, he coming to town tomorrow, and he said he is going to have two tickets waiting for me. He said he saw me in the video.”

“Shut the fuck up. Cousin, oh my God. Oh shit, I need two outfits. One for the game, the other for the job interview.”

“Remember my first night working at the club, and I came home with all that money.”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“This is crazy, because I was on him from the beginning. But I fucked his teammate because he came at me first. He was supposed to call me, but he never did.”

“Right. So, how you wound up fucking his bull, too?”

“The first dude, Lloyd, let him in and he was just watching, and then when he finished, me and the bull, Jabril, started going at it.”

“Damn, well, he must not care and he must have liked the way you worked it, because he calling.”

“Right, we there.”

“Yes, we are. We going to your job and then to the game.”

 

I took Courtney past my job to meet Adrienne, and I think she is going to get the job. Courtney was very mannerly, using big words and being extra-polite to Adrienne. I could tell Courtney was nervous, but she did a good job answering all of Adrienne's questions.

Once we left Belize, we went to the Wells Fargo Center to pick up the tickets. I forgot where he said to go to get them from. I tried calling his number, but his voice mail kept answering. I asked someone where we picked up tickets on hold. They directed us to this window; there were a few people in line. Once we reached the window, I gave my name and the man kept saying he didn't see anything. He asked me how to spell my name a bunch of times and still wasn't coming up with anything. By the fifth time I spelled and sounded it out for him, I was becoming concerned. He looked around some more in the office and in the computer and then said he still didn't see anything.

“Oh my God, he probably ain't leave no tickets for you,” Courtney sighed, pouting.

I waited calmly, ignoring Courtney and wishing that she would shut up. Then the man said, “Oh, here they go. I got them right here. I just need your ID.” I handed him my license and he said he couldn't find the tickets at first because my name was spelled wrong. It didn't matter. I just wanted to hurry and get to our seats and watch the game.

 

Our seats were so close to the floor, we were stopped by these men in black, Secret Service–looking type men. They checked our tickets with a scanner and then ushered us to our seats on the third row right by the team. The game had already begun, and I didn't see Jabril anywhere. Then I looked over at the bench and there he was with a towel over his head. He didn't see us, though. He looked better than I remembered, and when I pointed him out to Courtney she couldn't believe it.

“So, that's really him. He looking too fucking good. I might have to help you out with that. If that's what be coming in that club, I can't wait to be working at your job, too. I need to meet me someone like that.” I didn't know how to tell Courtney I already got a text from Adrienne that she was not what Belize was looking for. I felt sad for my cousin because she was really trying to get it together now. I don't know. Maybe I could help her find something at another club.

 

We left the game and Jabril texted he wanted me to meet him at his hotel. I wanted to bring Courtney with me, but I was a little afraid she might try to be up on him, so I dropped her ass off.

When I got to Jabril's hotel room, he answered looking more than good. He said what's up and then stretched out on his bed. I could barely concentrate when he asked me to have a seat at the edge of the bed. His muscles were showing off the tattoos peeking out from under his green T-shirt.

“So, what's up with you besides looking good in videos, Miss Shani Amore?” he said, sliding over to me and touching my cheek.