his good girl

chapter three

Beth, Annie, Ruby, and I are sitting on this bench next to the kitchen. The man is looking around her kitchen while the two other men lean against the island or the wall watching us.

"Yo, this backsplash is dope" he breaks the silent room, pointing at the backsplash behind the stove, "Hey, what's it made out of? Marble? Yo, do you ever get any problems back there? Like if you're cooking a big pot of spaghetti sauce or something like that?"

Annie nudges Beth with her elbow to answer him, "No, I don't think so" she shakes her head.

"No?" he chuckles. Is he on drugs or something?

"We didn't know you owned the store," Ruby says.

He turns away from the stove and walks over to stand in front of us, he tucks his hands in his jacket pockets, "huh" he huffs, "i look like some kind of grocery store manager to you?" he looks down at what he's wearing before he glances at one of the men who is leaning against the island, "what? Like a rotary club or something. No, let's just say we got some arrangement with some local businesses" His eyes lock on mine, "We help each other out and whatnot. You know?"

"Like... money laundering for drugs?" Ruby speaks up, he finally tears his eyes from mine and looks to ruby, "i told you it was shady" she whispers to us.

"Why don't you stop worrying about my business dealings and start fingering how you're going to pay me my money back" he raises his voice which shuts all of us up.

"We can get it back" I say.

He licks his lips and looks back to me, "oh, that would be great"

"Some of it" Annie quickly says, she's still kind of shaking.

"Sorry what?"

"Some of it for sure," she says.

He scoffs and us three girls stare at her, "what? Like you didn't spend a dime." she whispers.

I groaned, "how much annie?"

"I don't know. I probably spend like... a hundred" we let out a sigh of relief, "grand"

We snap our heads back over to her, "what?!" we whisper-shout in union.

"I'm going to shoot you myself," Ruby says.

"Nah, you just going to pay me my money back is all" the man interrupts us, "I mean right quick too, with interest"

The man who was leaning against the wall starts to walk towards Beth, and Annie holds hands. The other man also follows him

"Well see you soon, yeah?" the man grabs his gun from the counter, he waves it infront of us, "you know, you really gotta be careful ladies. I mean citrus on marble, lemon or whatnot, that stuff will erode like crazy" He tucks his gun in the back of his pants, in the waistband before walking away. Him and I share a glance before he walks towards the front door where the other men had disappeared.

That night I sit in my room, I take the money from the drawer in my dresser and put it in a bag, I take my receipt from what I bought at Rosie's Romance, I grab the bag I have hidden from under my dresser where I keep my tips aka my savings. I had spent $391.90 at the store. I take that cash out of my savings, which leaves me with less than 200 dollars. At this point I might start doing full service again.

I put that money with the rest of the cash we had stolen. I called up my strip club manager and asked if I could come in tonight. If I have to start working all night just to be able to afford life, I guess I will.

While I'm at the club Beth calls me, to tell me to meet them at Annie's apartments. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave and come back so I would have to sneak away. I pull on a baggy T-shirt over my little red set and take my heels off. I put them into the locker and grab my money bag. Maybe if I take some of the money and leave it with the girls, Gean will think I didn't make much so I can have the majority of my money this time.