Page 8 of Are You Going to Love Me

Eden hadn’t even realized she was eavesdropping so hard until the third woman said, “bitch, what the fuck you ear hustling for?”

“M-my bad,” Eden slightly stuttered before turning back to get dressed.

“That’s that new pussy Mama got,” the center of attention spoke up. “How much you owe her? That’s the only reason a pretty bitch like you is in here with us. You give her a taste of that? Watch out, she like to get hers at the end of the night too.”

Eden said nothing. It was no one’s business.

“She gon’ play quiet now, Pri,” the first stated, standing from her vanity. “A little piece of advice, mind your business and stay out of our business. It ain’t nothing to turn you out.”

The chime signaling it was time for them to hit the stage sounded off. Eden finished dressing in barely anything and started out of the door in the cluster. On her way out, she caught a pair of dark, deep-set eyes. They seemed so focused but so distant as he ran his eyes over her. His strong jawline clenched, and his hair was in desperate need of tender love and care. Before Eden could get caught up in the ruggedness of his features, she blinked, looked away, and headed to her destination – Mama’s office.

She waited in the hall for the quieted conversation to stop and the door to open. A man strolled out in tandem with Mama, whistling and snapping her fingers at her niece. Eden stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.

“You tell your momma or better yet, my demented ass momma you were in here about to be swinging from a pole?”

“No, she doesn’t answer my calls even if I did call.”

“That bitch. The whole family is fucked up huh?” Mama chuckled bitterly. “You’re shadowing Priya tonight. She’s my biggest money maker.”

“How long am I here? Like what’s the number?”

“Not even a thank you, TT? You know I could’ve had your ass upstairs on your back serving niggas and their bitches back-to-back. You got that little body on you and a handful of ass, they’ll pay good money for you. Shit, fuckin’ might put some hips on you.”

“I understand, I just-”

“Don’t have a plan. You don’t have a plan. Your momma was and still is a hoe, but the bitch had a plan. My momma was a Trae Way Gangsta with a fucking plan. What’s your plan?”

Eden couldn’t answer that. She only knew that she didn’t want to be in Trae Way longer than she had to. At twenty-six years old, it had already been too damn long.

“That’s what I thought. You have no plan. So, until you can tell me something that involves you and Stay getting out of here and Poppi doing something other than cussing at the plants and shit, on the pole is where you’ll be. At least that way, I can control the niggas you want to run game on and keep y’all silly asses out of jail.”

Eden looked at her oddly.

“Get out my face and go make me some money. And if you think about stealing from me, I’ll beat your ass worse than I do these other bitches.”

Eden nodded in understanding and moved out of the office into the hall. She found Priya lingering with the hooded man.

“He asked me about this shit,” she whispered, holding out a test. “What am I supposed to do, tell him that while he was gone, we were fucking every chance we got?”

“Don’t tell him shit. Didn’t I tell you I was going to get him out the way? I already made a deal with Mama to be the main one over her shipments. I got you.”

“Alright, Aug. I’m trusting you. I’m not getting another abortion for you, them people at the clinic already looking at me funny.”

“Hey, hey,” the man said, lifting her chin. “What I tell you?”

“That you got me.”

“Then I got you. Go make your money, baby, I’ll call you,” he said with a smack against her ass and kiss to the side of her face.

Priya gave him a small smile before walking away, finding Eden in her way. “You a nosey bitch, you know that?”

“I was minding my business. Mama said I’m with you.”

Priya rolled her eyes. “Can’t believe she’s putting your green ass with me. Can you even dance?”

“Studied dance at Waynesville State University before I dropped out,” Eden shared, making Priya curl her lip. “What?”

“Bring your ass on so I can show you where the ballers at and get back to my shit.”

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