One of the guys, Terry, saw me in the club when I was out with Jamie and decided to ask some questions. I really didn't acknowledge him, nor did I give him the answers he wanted to hear. I left him in limbo, but he was rather intelligent and pieced the information together in the end. "Why are you playing games?" "Honestly, my life is my business. Do I question you? Matter fact, have I ever?" "So that's how it is now? I see you have the attitude down pat. Don't worry, someone is gonna catch you. Me, I'm not that kind of guy. You know this." "Look, Terry, I'm not what you think nor is it what you think. I answer phones and that's it. Is that really anyone's business? Get these punks off my back, cause I am a square girl and you know what we do, right? We call cops!" With a wink Terry got the hint and killed the few rumors that were being spread.
The battle was something similar to one that I had in Las Vegas with a notorious pimp named Lumps. I was going to Ra, the nightclub in the Luxor hotel and casino, but he swore up and down that I was working. He tried to talk to me, but I kept up the role of the ditsy tourist from Canada who was looking for her friends. He followed me into the club and I went straight to the bar and ordered my Sapphire bombay and tonic with lime. When the bartender told me the price I looked Lumps and said "if you're gonna follow me around like my man, you better act like him too." That whole comment threw him off. At that point he was convinced I was a tourist, but enjoyed my company.
We spent most of the night at Ra, then we went into the casino and started gambling. Him and I became friends. Eventually I told him the truth, but by this point he wasn't concerned with trying to make me his girl, instead, he drove me around Las Vegas. One time he acquired this new girl from Minnesota who wasn't the brightest of the bunch and he asked me to train her. I took her around with me. I connected her with an agency that she could sign in with, but didn't have to run back and forth to do drops with, which would allow her a chance to walk the carpet and stay on call if she didn't get any fish to bite on the floor. She really didn't have much of a clue on what was going on, but she was an easy sell for me; tall, skinny, blonde, blue eyes, complete with a decent shape. Not only would Lumps give me money for training her, but tricks would give me money for referring them like an agency fee.
Sometimes I could do a double sell when I was with her and we would do the whole threesome thing. That always made our job easier cause we would basically fool around with each other while the guy would handle himself watching us. She was cute, but definitely not all there. She would let me do all the talking and for a good reason. Lumps would trip out on her if she didn't make enough money.
Him and I maintained a friendship throughout my duration in Las Vegas. He stopped trying to get me to work for him because I had told him about my daughter and the situation with her father. Occasionally, Lumps would pick me up from the airport and take me to the hotel, but usually I rented a car. One time I had to return the car early because they were fully booked over the weekend and I could only have the car for two days. Lumps followed me to drop off the car and waited for me to sign the vehicle out of my name. It was around 4pm in the afternoon when we had arrived there. We had plans to get something to eat after and then he was going to come to the hotel with me and wait till I was ready for work and drop me off on the strip. Unfortunately, the exit at the rental car place had those guards that blew your tires out if the attendant didn't lower them. Lumps waved at the guy and the guy waved back, but he had forgotten to lower the guards and all four tires were torn to shreds.
The attendant took responsibility for the incident and the company gave me a rental car for one night for free while they repaired his car, but we didn't end up getting out of the lot until 9pm. It was too late to get anything to eat and he couldn't wait for me to get ready because he had to grab his girls and drop them off too. So he dropped me off at the hotel room. I went up the stairs and walked in the room to find Ronnie flipping through channels on the television. "Where have you been?" "I went to get my nails done, but they were busy, so I went to the mall. I was bored and couldn't sleep." "What time did you go to get your nails done Corey?" "I believe I left here around 3 o'clock."
He hit me in the face and gave me a black eye. I guess he knew I was lying. Either that or he was just being a prick. I fell over and hit my head on the table. "How did you get home from the mall?" "I was in a taxi." He had his shoe pressed against my throat and on my chest. I wrapped my arms around his leg in an attempt to get his foot off of me. I did a quick spin and tried to hit the back of his knee so he would lose balance, but I missed and he kicked me in the ribs. "I'm going to ask you again, how did you get home from the mall?" "I told you I took a taxi." "Since when do taxi drivers have unmarked Toyota corollas?" I knew he was standing in the window, but I was going to play stupid. I didn't have Lumps number in my phone, it was in my head. I knew if he even tried to pull the same stunt with Lumps like he did with Tim, he would be dead and as much as I wanted him dead, I wanted my daughter alive more.
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about Ronnie! Get off of me before I scream!" He bent over and grabbed my throat and raised me up. After he slammed me against the wall he said "Oh princess, you wouldn't dare scream now would you?" It was lights out for me. I woke up to him on top of me grunting and sweaty. My clothes were torn off and lights were left on so he could watch me come to consciousness. I spat in his face and wrapped my right ankle around his left leg and pushed with my left arm. I managed to get him off of me, but not enough. Ronnie liked it when I fought back, it seemed to turn him on. I was genuinely fighting to try and get him off, but he was stronger than me. I knew it was better to just take it than resist, but tonight was one of the nights that I didn't want it.
My left eye was swollen and tender and it was hard for me to breathe because of the blow I took to my side. As soon as he finished, I got up and took a hot shower. I was in so much pain it hurt to cry, so I just sat in the shower for as long as I possibly could letting the hot water run down my body until he called. "Corey. Get out of the shower, I have a flight to catch." "I'll be there in a sec." I washed my hair as slow as I could, hoping he would just leave. As I was putting the conditioner in my hair he came in the bathroom and opened the curtain "I said get out of the shower. I have a flight to catch." "I was washing my hair. Let me rinse the conditioner, I'll be right there. My sides hurt, so I can't rush." "Hurry the fuck up and get out here."
I got out of the shower, wrapped my body with a towel and went into the living area of the room. "Yes Ronnie?" "I got you a gift, since it's your birthday and I probably won't be seeing you this week now that you can't work." I looked at him carelessly. "Look, if you don't want it I'll throw it away." I took the card first and it was signed pimp forrest. I looked at him unimpressed and said "gee thanks" sarcastically. "Go ahead, open the gift." I started unwrapping the box that was the size of a shoe box and inside was a framed photo of Kiarrah. "I'm really not trippin off that guy that drives you around. The beating was more to give you the next week off cause it's your birthday."
After Ronnie had left I called Lumps and told him what had just happened. I grabbed some ice from my refrigerator and sat on the couch staring at the picture I had placed of Kiarrah on my coffee table that Ronnie had just given me. He had done it all intentionally. This asshole planned on coming out here, planned on giving me a beating and it wouldn't have mattered what for and all so I didn't have to go back to Seattle this week or bring him any money. Which means I also don't get to see my daughter, so he brought me a photograph, a very beautiful photograph of my precious baby girl. I missed her so much and couldn't stand to be without her. I kept praying for an answer and a way out.
After Lumps dropped off his girls he came straight over to see me. "Are you o... damn girl, look what that nigga did to your eye! You look like you just lost a fight with Tyson. I mean, I scare my girls, but I ain't neva done no shit like that!" "What can I say, Ronnie goes all out for birthday gifts. He thinks them through long and hard. He even brought me a picture of my daughter cause he knew I wasn't going to get to see her after he beat me." "Here, you gotta put some pressure on it." "Awwww Lumpy bear, are you gettin a soft spot for lil ol' me?" "Girl, you know if it was a different time and a different place it would be you and me against the world!" Lumps and I laughed and watched a movie before he had to head out and do his round ups.
After Lumps left, I decided I was going to watch a movie on T.V. Unfortunately, I missed most of the movie thinking about how Ronnie actually came out to Vegas for a few hours so he could beat me as a birthday gift. I guess he needed a reason to give me a week off from work so I didn't have to fly to Seattle. He couldn't just give it to me... that would have been much too simple for his complex mind. His sick and twisted brain needed an excuse.
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