A Favor for a Favor Page 9

  “C-Note, you outdid yo’self wit’ dis one, boy. Damn! I ain’t neva seen nuttin’ like dis, man. Dem real octopuses?” a club-goer asked, looking around like he was standing in the Taj Mahal.

  “C’mon, bruh. You know I don’t do nothin’ halfway. Wait ‘til you see the main show on the shark stage. Ain’t nobody neva did it like me. Lux goin’ down in history!”

  “Yeah, mans. You definitely doin’ it! Now all you gotta do is get one of yo’ girls to gimme a free lap dance. Dey walkin’ ‘round here lookin’ like mermaids. Make a nigga wanna take a swim,” he laughed.

  “C’mon, bruh. It don’t cost nothin’ to look, but chu gotta pay to touch.”

  “I’m fuckin’ wit’ chu, C-Note. But I love yo’ spot. You ‘bout to shut down all the clubs in Dallas. They gon’ have to step they game up. A’ight, man. Lemme get back to watchin’ all this ass.”

  C-Note smiled as he watched the stranger walk away. Everyone was having a good time, laughing, drinking, dancing, spending money. Niggas was already making it rain, and the main show hadn’t even started yet.

  C-Note was about to go find Artie and Lucci when a tall Mexican walked into the club. He wore a dark, tailored suit and a serious face. “Damn, Edwardo, smile sometimes. Where the big man at? I been waitin’ on him all night.”

  The security guard looked around the club suspiciously as he spoke. “He outside. I came to take a look around, see where our party will be.”

  “I got y’all in VIP, especially built for high-profile people. Got a view of both exits and the main stage. I even picked a couple Latin girls to keep him company. Go get the boss. I need him to celebrate wit’ me.”

  After a last look around, Edwardo left. He came back a couple minutes later with a party of eight: five bodyguards, Gonzo, and two men C-Note had never seen before. Security took Gonzo and his people directly to the VIP section.

  Club Lux had ten of them. They weren’t rooms, but spacious coves in the walls. They were separated from the club by Plexiglas windows that, at the push of a button, would change from transparent to snow white. This gave the guests privacy. Inside each cove were couches, tables, and a stripper pole.

  After Gonzo was settled in, C-Note went to pay a visit. “Gonzo! What up, big man?”

  “C-Note! How are you, mi amigo? I see the grand opening is good, no?”

  “It’s better than good. It’s great! You see, all these people came to be part of the new era in strip clubs.”

  “And what do they think about the upgrades? Nobody has fish tanks and sharks. This makes you one-of-a-kind, no?”

  “At first I thought you was trippin’ when you told me about the tanks, but after seein’ the blueprints and now the finished project, you a genius, man. That’s why you the boss of all bosses. And it don’t hurt that yo’ investment helped pay for it all. I couldn’t’ve did this without you.”

  “You are too, kind, my friend. Too kind. I cannot thank you enough for saving my life. What I’ve done for you is a small thing. Money is nothing. Loyalty cannot be bought. Oh, and these are my son and nephew, Omar and Julio. They have secret thing for dark skin, so I bring them,” he laughed.

  “It’s all good. Ain’t nothin’ in the world taste better than chocolate. Hey, I gotta get out on this floor and mingle some more. I’ma send you some bottle girls and dancers. Let me know if y’all need anything.”

  “Okay, mi amigo. Send the best girls. I feel good tonight. And where is Shooter?”

  “He out here movin’ around. I’ma let him know you here when I see him.”

  After leaving the VIP section, c-Note went to find Pop Somethin’. He was by the bar wearing a serious face, watching the crowd.

  “Damn, nigga. Do you eva just chill and have a good time? Why you always serious?’”

  “What chu think I’m doin’, nigga?” Pop said, taking a sip from his drink.

  “This not havin’ fun, bruh. Go get some lap dances. Make it rain. Party. Turn up.”

  “My bitch a stripper. I can get a lap dance whenever I want. I ain’t one of these stupid-ass niggas that check a bag just to throw it in the air or give it to some bitches I ain’t finna fuck. Niggas is stupid. You don’t gotta throw money to have a good time, and turnin’ up is how niggas slip and get killed. I’m cool wit’ my cranberry on ice and watchin’ niggas act stupid.”

  C-Note shook his head at Pop before turning to the bartender. “Kesha, send some girls to the VIP to check on my boy Gonzo, and let me get a bottle of Cîroc. This nigga blowin’ my buzz.”

  “How long Gonzo been here?” Pop asked.

  “I don’t know, not that long. He asked about you.”

  “I’ma make my way to see him in a minute. You still ain’t gon’ tell him ‘bout the fed case? You know if he find out, shit gon’ get sour.”

  “C’mon, Pop. You know I can’t do that. He the best plug I ever had. Whole thang fo’ five Gs. And he dropped a hundred on them fish tanks just to say thanks for savin’ his life. Shit, I’ma run it up for as long as I can. When he find out, I’ma let him cut the ties. By then you should have yo’ mil and I should be set. Shit, we both should be millionaires real soon.”

  “That’s a fucked up plan, C-Note. He a cartel boss. You think he gon’ let chu walk away? Gonzo and the niggas he fuck wit’ play for keeps. One way in, one way out.”

  “I don’t got no choice. I’m burnin’ up either way it go. I’d rather keep doin’ what I’m doin’ than break it off. I ain’t neva had it like this, and this money too sweet to walk away. I gotta ride this out and see where it go.”

  Pop gave him a long stare. “A’ight. It’s yo’ life.”

  “Fuck that shit. Where Queenie an’ ‘em at? It’s ‘bout time for the show to start.”

  “I just seen ‘em. They in the back.”

  “I’ma go check on ‘em. Go holla at Gonzo.”

  C-Note spun away from Pop Somethin’, about to head to the back room when something caught his eye. No, not something. Someone. Franco. Him and ABLE Team had just walked in. They were ten deep, men and women. They all wore surprise and awe on their faces as they looked around. C-Note forgot about Queenie as he went to greet ABLE Team. This was his opportunity to jack and stunts. He wanted to humiliate Franco like he had been humiliated when he first got out of prison.

  “Franco, what’s good? I see ABLE Team in the buildin’!” C-Note smiled.

  “So, this you, huh? For real, for real?” Franco asked, an envious look in his eyes.

  “Yeah. I told you I was gon’ do it big. This that lucrative shit I was tellin’ you ‘bout. You see my nigga Gonzo in VIP,” C-Note pointed out. “I fuck wit’ bosses. Hunnit Gs on fish tanks an’ shit. I know most niggas ain’t gotta hunnit racks to spend on fish. Nigga, my main stage is a shark tank! Real sharks, nigga!” C-Note laughed.

  Franco and the rest of ABLE Team mugged C-Note, but he didn’t care. He was feeling himself.

  “Yeah, you doin’ it, bruh. I didn’t see this comin’,” Franco said, sucking the back of his teeth.

  “I know. Most niggas can’t look at a tree and see a house. You gotta have vision for that,” C-Note laughed, loving the look on Franco’s face as he gave him a dose of his own medicine. “Lemme getcha all a spot in the VIP. I know you didn’t ask for it, but it’s on me. Show you how we do it in the Lux.”

  C-Note led ABLE Team to a VIP cove, standing at the door as they passed by. And that’s when he noticed the two women. It was Franco’s wife and her sister. Michelle noticed C-Note at the same time he noticed her. Her eyes grew wide as the moon when recognition set in. Pop Somethin’s warning about leaving witnesses flashed in C-Note’s mind.

  He turned his head, trying to avoid her, but he knew it was too late.

  “A’ight, y’all. Chill and relax. I’ma send some bottle girls,” C-Note said before leaving. Panic rushed through him as he left the cove. Of all the nights for him to run into Franco’s girl, it had to be the night of the grand opening of Lux. He tried to process the
possible outcomes, but kept coming up with one: a shootout with Radar in the middle of the club. That would ruin his opening, and possibly his success. He needed to find Pop Somethin’ and come up with a plan. His success depended on it.

  Fortunately the shooter wasn’t far. The muscle-bound, bearded killer stuck out in the club like a white girl at the Million Man March. He was in the VIP cove with Gonzo. C-Note rushed into the room like he had fire ants in his pants. “Pop, lemme holla at chu!”

  Everyone in the room could hear the panic in his voice. Gonzo spoke up. “You okay, amigo?”

  C-Note gave a fake smile. “Yeah. Uh, I just. It’s just some business. I need to borrow Shooter.”

  Pop Somethin’ eyed C-Note as they left the VIP cove and walked through the club. “Fuck wrong wit’ chu, nigga?”

  “It’s all bad, Pop. Let’s go toward the back. Look in VIP cove six.”

  Pop Somethin’ searched until he found what C-Note was talking about. His eyes immediately locked with Franco, and then Radar. They stood with aggressive looks on their faces, watching C-Note and Pop Somethin’. “I see yo’ girlfriends showed up,” Pop laughed.

  “They know I robbed ‘em. He brought his girl and her sister. Soon as she seen me, she got spooked. Damn, I shoulda wore a mask. These niggas gon’ fuck up my grand openin’. Fuck!”

  “I don’t wanna say I told you so, but I told you so. Neva leave a witness, my nigga. Mommas, daddies, aunties. E’erybody gotta go. Even kids, ‘cause they can grow up and fuck you up when they get old enough. But you should be good for now. It’s cameras in here, so they shouldn’t do shit. Where Artie an’ ‘em?”

  “They runnin’ ‘round here somewhere. Fuck! If this nigga fuck up my opening, I’m killin’ they whole family. Kids and all. E’erybody gotta go!”

  Pop laughed. “Chill out, nigga. Tell Artie and Lucci to lay low and out the way. Ain’t no sense in them niggas gettin’ in this shit, even though Franco prolly know they was wit’ chu. If you want, we can grab Beast Mode and Trench and put they ass out. That way we don’t give ‘em a chance to do shit in the club.”

  C-Note turned up. “Hell yeah! Get they bitch-asses outta here! I can’t risk them fuckin’ up my spot or shootin’ one of my tanks. Put ‘em out!”

  Pop Somethin’ grabbed four security guards, including Beast Mode and Trench. All of them were big and muscular. They moved toward VIP cove six like men on mission.

  Pop was the first person in the room. “I hate to break up y’all party, but y’all gotta go!”

  Radar jumped to his feet, hand close to his waist.

  “If you pull it, you betta use it,” Pop warned.

  The shooters had a stare-down. Hostilities were exchanged without them saying a word.’

  “Chill, Radar,” Franco spoke up, standing to his feet. “So, this how it is, C-Note? You gon’ get cho goons to kick me out cho club? My money ain’t no good?”

  “It ain’t like that. This a business decision. I gotta do what’s best for my business.”

  Franco turned up. “My money started this business, nigga! Yo’ coward-ass robbed my bitch while I was outta town, fuck-nigga! Put my nephew in a coma. I’ma leave yo’ bitch-ass club. Too many witnesses. But don’t think this shit clever, nigga. You gon’ get yours!”

  C-Note wasn’t about to let Franco get the last word, so he turned it up a notch. “Fuck you, yo’ bitch, and yo’ nephew, nigga. I shoulda cooked his li’l ho-ass!”

  Franco made a move like he was goin’ for C-Note. A security guard grabbed the ABLE Team leader. Radar went to protect his boss and punched the security guard in the face. Pop Somethin’ swung on Radar, sending ABLE Team’s shooter stumbling backward toward the couch. After he caught his balance, Radar went for his waist.

  Pop Somethin’ was faster. Before Radar could pull his pistol, Pop had a Glock pointed in his face. “You ‘bout to piss me off! Move yo’ hand or I’ma knock yo’ shit back,” Pop threatened.

  Radar moved slowly, mugging Pop Somethin’ as he lowered his hand. With all the ass and action happening in the club, only a few people noticed the commotion in the VIP area.

  After taking the clip from Radar’s gun, the security squad kicked ABLE Team out of the club. “You know that just started some shit, right?” Pop Somethin’ told C-Note.

  “I know. Damn. As soon as shit start lookin’ up for me, I gotta get drug back in the gutta.”

  “That’s life, my nigga. Ups and downs. Hills and valleys. Bitter and sweet. It’s all about how you react to what life throw at chu. We know what’s comin’. You wanna play offense or defense?”

  “Damn, Pop. I don’t wanna focus on this shit right now. I just wanna deal with tonight. I need everybody to have a good time. I need to put Lux on the map.”

  “A’ight. You handle the business. I’ma handle security. It’s ‘bout time for the main show. Go handle that.”

  ***

  The lights in the club dimmed as Blac Youngsta’s Booty flowed through Lux’s state-of-the-art sound system. The main stage was dark. Even the lights in the tank were off, but slowly they came on, revealing the baby sharks swimming frantically in a panicked state. Two big, shiny, fish-like creatures swam from the back of the tank. At first glance they looked like adult sharks swimming with the babies.

  Upon further inspection, they weren’t sharks, but humans. Women painted in silver body paint with mermaid fins on their feet. They wore goggles, breathing masks, and small oxygen tanks on their backs. They swam up to the front of the tank, pressing their flesh against the glass and doing water tricks. The women in the water looked identical. It was Queenie and her sister Princess. After entertaining the crowd with seductive aquatic techniques, they swam to the back of the tank, disappearing from sight.

  Movement on the stage got everyone’s attention. A tall, thick woman with fiery-red hair crab-walked into view. It was Skittlez. Her face and hands were painted red, and she wore a red body suit. The latex fit her body like a glove, showing off her killer curves. She danced around the stage, shaking her ass and gyrating to the music. Then she moved to the pole and did tricks, twists, and turns most women in pole dancing classes were afraid to try.

  And just when the crowd thought the main event couldn’t get any better, it did. Queenie and Princess came from behind the curtain crawling on their knees. The twins had shed their mermaid gear and were naked except for the silver body paint and silver thongs. Although they were twins, they didn’t have the same body structure. Queenie was thick and curvy. Princess was slim with an athletic build. While Skittlez worked the pole, the twins worked the stage. They tumbled, twerked, did the splits, grinded on each other, and slapped ass.

  When Skittlez joined them, the stage heated up. The red-painted stripper went over to Queenie and kissed her aggressively. Princess got in on the kissing right before the sisters began pawing at the body-hugging latex suit, ripping holes and exposing Skittlez’s red-painted flesh. They continued ripping her suit until she was naked, then they ripped each other’s thongs off.

  When everybody was butt-naked, the freak show began. A pussy-licking threesome brought money raining down on the stage. Skittlez was on her back, Queenie was between her legs, and Princess rode the red-painted woman’s face. Silver and red bodies gyrated in sexual rhythms. Then Princess stood to her feet, fingering her clit above Skittlez’s face. At that same instant Queenie’s pussy-eating skills had Skittlez’s orgasm building. The redhead arched her back and let out a scream of passion. The sound of Skittlez passion pushed Princess over the edge. She lifted her head toward the ceiling and cried out as clear fluid gushed from her pussy onto Skittlez’s face.

  C-Note stood by the stage, clapping with the rest of the crowd. He knew the performance had entertained the crowd and everybody would be talking about his club. Lux would be the best thing smoking in Dallas for a long time.

  Chapter 12

  “Queenie, wake up! Queenie,” Princess called, shaking her sister awake.

  “What, Prince
ss? Damn! I’m trynna sleep,” she said groggily. They had another late night at Lux and she was dead tired.

  “It’s almost noon. Get up. I need you to show me around. I ran outta pills. Where the percs at, bitch?”

  “Tell Pop. I’m sleep.”

  “Pop gone. Get up.”

  Queenie perked up and looked around the room. When she confirmed Pop was really gone, she looked at her sister. They shared the same dark chocolate skin, chinky eyes, and high cheekbones. Their hair was also dreadlocked with reddish-blonde dye. The only way to tell them apart was the silver studs in Princess’ cheeks and their body shapes. The slimmer sister stood at the foot of the bed wearing a body-hugging yellow jumpsuit and black knee-high leather boots.

  “Yo’ ass woke up when you heard yo’ man was gone. Don’t tell me you fallin’ in love. You know how we do.”

  Queenie rolled her eyes. “Shut up, bitch. It ain’t like that.”

  “What is it like, then? You the one talkin’ ‘bout movin’ to Jamaica wit’ this nigga. You only knew him a couple months. You movin’ way too fast.”

  “I know it seem fast, but Pop is different. He not like other niggas I fucked wit’. He real.”

  “You said the same thing about Travis back in the day. That nigga didn’t think twice about givin’ me some dick.”

  “Gurl, we was sixteen. I didn’t know no better. Travis was a forty-year-old pedophile fuckin’ wit’ us. And you wasn’t supposed to fuck him. It was a test to see if he would. Key word ‘would.’”