DIVA: FEMALE HUSTLER

chapter 5

Ridgewood, New Jersey

After the dreadful lunch I rush back to the funeral home. I park in the back taking a few minutes to text Erica about lunch. I get out of the car going inside to my office. I drop my bag off at my desk then walk to the front."

Girl, her fine ass brother came this morning." Tiffany, you need to start paying attention to your surroundings. I lean against the wall behind her.

" I know, girl. Seeing him a couple times a week is like an added bonus. If he could give me five minutes of his time. I could be his wife." I cover my mouth while I laugh," girl, I'll call when I get off." She hangs the phone up, I wait a second before walking to her desk.

" Did they call yet?" She jumps from the sound of my voice," yes, they should be here in the next hour or two."

I walk back to my desk going through the little paperwork left. Tiffany knocks at the door," the drivers here."

" Thank you," I get up heading to the back door.

" Hey Tim," I wave, opening the door.

" Hey Dominique. How are you?"

" I'm good. How about yourself?" He opens the back door," I'm still kicking, so I'm doing good." I nod my head agreeing. I help him pull the cart out of the back to the basement door. I grab the key unlocking the door pushing it through.

" No matter how long I've been doing this. I still get the chills coming in one of these rooms."

" I know the feeling," we push the cart next to the cremation table.

"You ready?" I grab the side of the bag then nod my head. We pick the body up and place it on the other table.

" Thanks Tim."

" You're welcome. Have a good day," he push his cart.

" You too," I pull my phone calling Sean. I roll my sleeves up putting on gloves and a plastic apron.

" Yes, Nique."

" Stop calling me that."

" No what you want?"

" I need your help with cremation."

" Why didn't you call Chris?" I unzip the bag checking the body for any type of jewelry or metal.

" Cause that's what you do," Chris yells. "Since both of yall together. Come help me. "

" You need to find a man to work for you."

" Why when I have you two for free." I turn the heat on the cremation chamber," well be there in twenty."

" Thank you," I hang the phone up. I look at the body of the young girl. Who could have done this to her. The dark bruising on her face. The stab wounds on her stomach. I shake my head covering her back up.

"She's in here," Tiffany opens the door.

" Thanks," Chris walks pass her.

" What's your name," Sean stands next to Tiffany.

" Tiffany," she looks him up and down.

" Sean leave her alone. Tiffany you can go home."

" Okay, goodnight everyone," she stares at Chris before leaving.

" How do you have these girls in a trance without doing nothing," Sean walks over to us. Chris shrugs as they stand on either side of the body.

" Guess who we saw Today?" I look at Sean," I don't know your ex."

" f**k no. Not that dirty b***h. I can get amnesia and still won't f**k with her." I shake my head ," who?"

" Monique's son." Chris unzips the bag, staring at the body. Sean looks too," come on man," he pat Chris's shoulder. Chris stares at me before they put the body in the cremation chamber.

" Let's go to my office," I wave them to the door. The walk to the office was silent. I open the door seeing bags on my desk m," where yall go."

" To that jamaican spot you like." They grab their bags while I sit behind my desk. " Why did pops invite me to lunch with them at the restaurant? Trying to set me up with this fake businessman."

" What," Sean scrunch his face up.

" Yeah his suite was wrinkled and had some type of stain on his cuff." Chris shakes his head," who was he?"

" One of gram's friend's grandson. If Rico didn't make this fantastic lunch I would have left." They both laugh," we know greedy." I stick my young out," what y'all doing tonight?"

" Meeting at the harbor."

" How yall pull that off?" Chris swallows his food," Bobby is Monique's supplier. He's been scheming a little money off of his plug. Pops talk him into letting Bobby go."

" Y'all got what you want.Y'all just need to figure out how to take over Queens." After two hours, cremation was done.

Chris and Sean help me put the ashes in the unr.

" You rolling with us," Chris takes his gloves off.

" No, I'm not messing with them." I finish cleaning up then we go to my office. I grab my purse and turn the lights off. Sean sets the security code before we leave.

" See yall," I wave going to my car.

" See you," they get in theirs. I drive off heading to my condo. I park in the garage then head to the elevator. My phone rings showing Erica's name.

" Hello."

" You off work?" I step in the elevator," yeah."

" Good get ready. We going out."

" Erica."

" I don't want to hear it. We haven't been out in two months. Get your ass in that house and change into something else.

" I get off the elevator," where are we going?" I unlock the door and walk into my condo," Tay and Big D are having a party at one of the clubs in Queens." I roll my eyes going to my room," I don't even like Tay."

" He likes you and fears your brothers. We getting in tonight." I drop my bag on the dresser and take my heels off," bye."

" I'll be there in an hour." I throw my phone on the bed taking my clothes off. I walk to the bathroom naked turning the shower on. I get in washing and shaving fast. I get out drying off then go in my walk in closet. What to wear tonight? Gonna be a lot of good niggas there. I grab some ripped jeans and black spaghetti strap shirt. I throw on a matching bra and pantie set then the clothes.

I go to the bottom of my closet and grab black thigh high boots, leather jacket and clutch.

" b***h, where are you," Ercia barges in my room.

" You don't gotta do all that," I throw the last of my things in the clutch.

" Let me see what you got on," I spin around.

" You look cute."

"You look beautiful as usual," she wore cream pants with a cream off the shoulders top. Her brown boots and jacket set it off.

" Come on girl before all the VIP sections are taken." We walk out of my condo to the elevator," Kyrie might be there." She bumps my shoulder," it's not even like that."

" Mmhm," she rolls her eyes. We get in her all white Royce.

" Girl if you weren't my friend I would have thought you out tricking."

" The way the motherland between these legs are set up. I can take empires," we laugh. She pulls out the garage while I hook my phone up. I started playing some Megan thee stallion.

" Yea, that's my s**t," she starts bouncing in her seat. We rap and sing every song to the club. After parking a block down we get out," it's about to be hype." Erica gets geeked," not too hype. We don't need to be fighting." We walk past the line to the front door," tell these hating ass bitches that."Ron stands at the front door," why do know yall would be here." He unhooked the robe," you know the baddest going to come to the best parties." We walk through the door as the bass shakes through my body. Most of the tables are filled," come on." She drags me through the crowd of people.