Authors: Treasure Hernandez
Choosing Sides (14 page)
Chapter Twenty
“Y
ou got another john on his way up,” Tasha said into the phone.
ou got another john on his way up,” Tasha said into the phone.
“Okay, I'm ready.” Halleigh watched her last customer leave the room. She hung up the phone and took a long, deep breath. She walked over to the hotel's bathroom so she could freshen up before her next customer arrived. She glanced in the mirror and didn't recognize the face that was staring back at her.
The past weeks had flown by like a blur and she hated the person that she had become. What would her momma think if she saw her little girl now? What would Malek think? she wondered. Or was he even thinking about her at all? But she knew one thing. Not a day went by when Malek didn't cross her mind.
I can't believe he just up and left me like that. He promised me that he would always be here for me. I should've never told him about what happened that night. He probably thought less of me becauseâ
Before Halleigh could complete her thoughts, the sound of knocking on the door filled the air. She dropped her head and rested her hands on the sink as she remembered how much she hated exchanging sex for money. But it was the only way she knew to survive.
Halleigh wiped the semen from her cheek as she finished up her last job for the day. The overweight black man was looking at her with goo-goo eyes as he stroked his manhood until all of his juices were out.
“You something else, Sunshine!” he said, calling her by her working name, the one Manolo had branded her with. He pulled up his pants and zipped them up.
Halleigh looked at Barry and smiled as she stood to her feet. Barry was a regular customer of hers who loved to frequently call upon her to get a blowjob after work. She was totally disgusted by him, but she would never let him know that. Let Barry tell it, Halleigh enjoyed hitting him off just as much as he loved receiving it.
“Eighty dollars, Daddy.” Halleigh walked over to the bathroom sink totally nude, her voluptuous cakes shifting sides with every step.
Barry enjoyed the view and left a hundred-dollar bill on the bed, giving her a twenty-dollar tip. “See you next week, baby,” he said, admiring Halleigh's body. He headed for the door to return to his wife and children across town.
“I'll be waiting for you, Daddy,” she said, leaning halfway out of the bathroom and displaying her pretty smile. She glanced at the bed to make sure he had left her the cash and then focused back on him as he exited the hotel room.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she dropped her fake smile and went over to pick up her cash. She was glad that it was the end of the day so she could rest. She'd turned eight tricks that day, and her body was tired. After turning her first trick with Mitch, she had started keeping count, but now there had been so many, she'd lost count of how many tricks she'd turned in the past weeks .
She turned on the shower and flopped on the bed. She picked up the phone and called Tasha to let her know she had finished up with her last client. Tasha instructed her to meet her in her room when she finished showering.
After getting fresh, Halleigh walked to Tasha's room and knocked on the door.
“Come in. It's open!” she heard Tasha yell.
Halleigh opened the door and saw Tasha on the bed counting money. She had money stacks placed all over the bed as she sat Indian-style adding up the day's total. Halleigh couldn't understand why Tasha didn't have to turn tricks anymore, but although Tasha was only twenty-three, she had put in a lot of work for Manolo. She had been turning tricks since she was sixteen, and Manolo had a sweet spot for her.
“Hey, girl,” Tasha said as she looked at Halleigh with a smile. “How did you do tonight?”
“Not too bad. I made nearly eight hundred,” Halleigh replied, digging into her purse and pulling out a wad of money.
Tasha, still counting the money, replied, “Toss it on the bed.”
Following Tasha's instructions, Halleigh stated, “Girl, I'm tired as hell. I hate when you send stanky-ass Barry to me.”
“That nigga is fat and ugly as hell, but the nigga always request you. That's a part of the game though.” Tasha briefly stopped counting the money and looked at Halleigh. “Nolo gon' be happy with you. You made a killing tonight.”
“Yeah, they were tipping good.”
Mimi came storming in, a Newport hanging out of her mouth. “What's up, bitches?” Mimi said jokingly. She kicked off her stilettos. “These mu'fuckas are killing my feet.”
“Hey, Mimi,” Halleigh said as she watched Mimi dig into her bra and pull out wrinkled bills.
“Hey, girl,” Tasha said while she counted the money.
“I made five hundred tonight,” Mimi said, tossing money onto the bed near Tasha. “Damn, I'm good!” She looked at Halleigh. “How much you make?”
Tasha replied on Halleigh's behalf, “Eight hundred.”
Mimi got a salty look on her face and smacked her lips in jealousy. Tasha and Halleigh giggled at the sight of Mimi's bubble getting busted.
“Anyways!” Mimi said as she snapped her head and rolled her eyes, and she and Tasha began a conversation while Halleigh's mind was elsewhere.
Halleigh couldn't believe the life she was leading. She could've been preparing to graduate from school and be with the love of her life. But instead she was laid up in a cheap hotel, fucking anybody who was willing to throw her a little cash.
I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for Manolo's game. He took advantage of my situation, and now I can't get out. I wish I would have run away from his ass the day I met him,
she thought sadly to herself. Halleigh, ashamed of the things she was doing, knew that she had to get by any way that she could.
I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for Manolo's game. He took advantage of my situation, and now I can't get out. I wish I would have run away from his ass the day I met him,
she thought sadly to herself. Halleigh, ashamed of the things she was doing, knew that she had to get by any way that she could.
“Y'all coming to watch my set tonight?” Mimi asked. She often doubled up and made money in Manolo's and Sweets' strip club. She was all about her paper and figured that if she was gon' sell pussy, she might as well get extra customers from Wild Thangs.
Halleigh was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear Mimi. The only thing on her mind at that particular moment was Malek. She missed him, and the thought of him hurt so badly, she tried to suppress the fact that she ever had him in her life.
Ain't no point in thinking about what I can't have,
she thought.
Ain't no point in thinking about what I can't have,
she thought.
“Damn, Hal, what you thinking about?” Tasha asked. “You good, girl?”
“Yeah, I'm good,” she replied.
Mimi just stared at her. That wasn't the first time she'd seen Hal just completely blank out. She knew what the cause was too. Halleigh was heartbroken. “Fuck that nigga, Hal,” Mimi remarked. “He didn't deserve you anyway. I bet you his ass ain't losing no sleep over you.”
Tasha looked at Halleigh. “What nigga?”
Halleigh lowered her eyes to the floor and shook her head. “Nobody,” she said.
“It better be nobody. I hope you not talking about the kid, Malek. Manolo will kill both you and him if he even finds out you even thinking about him.”
“But he's not gon' find out,” Mimi cut in quickly. “Right, Tash?”
Tasha looked at Halleigh. “Yeah, I'll keep my mouth shut, but you get your head together, Hal.”
Halleigh tried to dismiss thoughts of Malek. “Ain't nothing to get together, Tasha. Don't worry, I'm okay.”
Tasha almost felt bad for Halleigh as she watched her drift back into wishful thinking. She knew that Halleigh wasn't built for the lifestyle she was leading.
It takes a strong bitch to make this money. You can't let it make you,
Tasha thought. She knew that Halleigh looked down on herself for what she had become, and it was the first time that she felt guilty for keeping one of Manolo's girls in line.
It takes a strong bitch to make this money. You can't let it make you,
Tasha thought. She knew that Halleigh looked down on herself for what she had become, and it was the first time that she felt guilty for keeping one of Manolo's girls in line.
“Let's get out of here.” Tasha stood and walked out of the room, heading toward home.
When they arrived at the house, Tasha went to give Manolo their earnings for the night. She tapped on his door lightly and then entered without waiting for a response. When she opened the door she saw Manolo kicked back on his king-size bed, one hand down his sweat pants, the other on the remote control.
“Bring that ass over here,” he ordered.
Tasha chortled and then walked over to the bed. She could tell that he had blown a couple trees from the scent of marijuana that still lingered in the air.
“You already know what I want,” he said, patting a spot on the bed next to him.
“Yeah, I know.” She pulled out and then dumped the rolled-up wads of money onto the bed beside him.
Manolo grabbed the cash and began counting,
twenty, forty, sixty, sixty-five, seventy . . .
until he reached two thousand seven hundred.
twenty, forty, sixty, sixty-five, seventy . . .
until he reached two thousand seven hundred.
“How much Mimi bring in?” he asked, a look of confusion on his face.
Tasha noticed. “Fiveâwhy you ask that?”
He ignored her question, but in his head he thought,
That bitch been shaving money off the top. She usually brings in at least seven bills a night.
That bitch been shaving money off the top. She usually brings in at least seven bills a night.
Once Tasha saw that he wasn't going to respond to her, she got up to leave.
Before she reached the door, he said, “Send Halleigh in here. I feel like getting my dick sucked.”
Tasha turned up her face. She hated when Manolo got beside himself. He usually treated his girls decent, but when something was bothering him, he would get to smelling hisself and start degrading his girls. She nodded and then walked out of the room.
Tasha entered the room Halleigh and Mimi shared in time to see Mimi standing with her back to the mirror and her head turned around as she watched herself work her ass muscles. She wore only a thong and was making her booty clap.
“Them other hoes don't got shit on me. Them bitches better hope my set ain't first, cuz it ain't gon' be no tip money left,” Mimi mumbled conceitedly.
Mimi was a different type of chick. She was confident and felt like she chose to do what she was doing. Her motto was, “If I'm a ho, I'm a top-dollar ho,” and she didn't mind sleeping with a different man every night as long as his pockets were heavy.
Tasha wished that Manolo had asked her to get Mimi for him instead of Halleigh, since she was beside herself as well. She knew that Halleigh wasn't built for hoeing and sooner or later it would break her. And she didn't need Manolo throwing her no extra work. “Hal, Nolo wants you,” Tasha stated.
Halleigh nodded and then left the room. She walked into Manolo's room and she could see the print of his hard dick through his baggy sweat pants. “Tasha said you wanted me.” Her tone was dead as she walked over and sat on the bed next to him.
He pulled out his manhood and began to stroke himself. “Hook me up, baby girl.”
The thought of pleasing Manolo almost made her gag. Now that she realized how he had played her, she was disgusted by him. She hated to be in the same room with him because he reminded her of all the things that had gone wrong in her life since losing Malek. Now whenever she looked at Manolo he reminded her of the rape because he left her feeling just as powerless. At least when she was raped, she fought back until the two men overpowered her. Now, it was like she was getting screwed in the ass, straight up, with no Vaseline. And it was like she had given him permission. As bad as her mother's drug habit was, as far as Halleigh knew, Sharina had never turned tricks for a living. She mainly got her money through boosting.
“Nolo, I have to get ready to go to the club,” she said in avoidance.
“I own the mu'fucka. That can wait.” He grabbed the back of her neck and slowly pulled her head into his lap. When she pulled in the opposite direction, he applied more force. “What are you running from, Halleigh? I said put your mouth on it!” he whispered through clenched teeth. As the words came out, he gripped her hair and pulled roughly.
“Oww! Manolo, you hurting me!” she yelled as she resisted more.
A few minutes later, Tasha and Mimi heard an ear-piercing scream that came out of Manolo's room. “Agghhh!!!”
“What is he doing to her?” Mimi asked.
Tasha hurried into Manolo's room. Hal was laid over the bed fighting against Manolo as he grabbed for her panties.
“Daddy, Daddy, wait!” Tasha reached for Manolo's raised fist as he prepared to strike Halleigh.
He pushed Tasha off of him and continued his rage against Halleigh. “You telling me no? How you gon' tell me I can't have what's mine?” he yelled. He bitch-slapped Halleigh in the mouth before she knew what had happened.
Just as he was about to hit Halleigh again, Tasha flung herself over her, blocking Manolo's blow. “Wait, Daddy, she didn't mean it. Halleigh hasn't been feeling too good. She's just tired. She made you eight hundred dollars today all by herself. She just don't want you to be in no stanky pussy, Daddy. She just wanna be fresh for you. She worked hard for you today.” Tasha was rambling and talking so fast, Manolo actually bought the bullshit that she was selling.
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