Page 7 of Nobody Praying for Me

“Rizz, you’re finally back,” Zuri said with a smile, coming to sit beside me. Her arms wrapped around my waist, and she rested her head on my shoulder. “Are you feeling better? I was so worried about you, and Bryaire literally came back here every day looking and asking for you. Isn’t that your bestie?”

I knew she was being funny and had no clue that everything between me and him had changed now. Instead of replying, I pinched my leg and used the pain to distract myself from the true pain in my heart. I dropped my head on my hand, “Um, yeah, I am. Thanks for being concerned. I’m good now though.” Glancing up at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was nearing ten in the evening, which meant business should be picking up. It was a Saturday night, the most lucrative of the week. “You better get out there before Ruby comes back here trippin’ on you.”

She huffed a breath and released me. I watched her eyes roll to the back of her head through the mirror. “You’re right, and I’m not in the mood for her nasty-ass attitude tonight.” She softly shoulder-bumped me with a kind smile. “I’ll see you out there, baby.”

I nodded because the ability to speak fled from my list of abilities. I was thankful all the girls rushed to the floor, giving me a little time to myself to prepare. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I wished I’d gotten a chance to live a different life, but the strip club was all I knew. Being raised in a family where my mother and grandmother danced and sold their pussies to make a living left me limited options when it came to role models.

I had a sister somewhere in the world, but her father took her away when he realized our mother was raising us to live the same lifestyle she did. While I never sold my pussy, I did begin dancing at sixteen when my mother, Rayven, was killed by her pimp, Noisy. Statistically, I never even had a fucking chance to be somebody out here, and now I spent every day fighting for my life. I was just so fucking tired and lowkey ready to run up on God when I got to heaven so I could ask Him what I did to deserve this shitty life. Was I paying back karma from a past life or what? I was waiting for an answer because this was too much for one person to handle.

When I finished my hair and makeup, I oiled up my body and sprayed my favorite perfume before heading out to the floor. It was crazy how in this life, looks could be so deceiving because when I looked in the mirror, I looked flawless, but on the inside, my heart was riddled with bullet holes and frostbite. I ran into Ruby in the hallway, and she clapped her hands together with a cute little bounce.

“Okay, the baddest bitch is back on the floor. I know that’s right,” she complimented after smacking me on the ass. Tonight, I was wearing a two-piece, orange outfit that glowed in the dark. My titties filled out the bikini top perfectly, and my ass looked fat from all angles. I would surely rack in a good little coin by the time I called it quits.

I knew I’d better get into character now, or else it was going to be even harder once I got on the floor. Swallowing everything I was feeling, I rolled it up into a ball and stuffed it in the back of my mind. Charisma took a nap while I allowed Rizz to take over. She was the only way I was going to make it through the night without having to be checked into a mental ward.

Smiling brightly at her, I did a little twirl and kicked my leg up. “And you know how I do. You got a bean on you?”

She bounced her titties, doing the Young Ho dance, before pulling a plastic baggy from between them. She wiggled it at me with a wink. “You know how I do, boo. You about to take all the money tonight.”

I stuck my tongue out, allowing her to pop the little pill on the tip. I used my saliva to gulp it down and felt at ease, knowing I would soon be floating in outer space. By the time the drug flooded my bloodstream, none of this shit would matter to me. She continued yapping while I made my way out to the floor. She parted from me to go get one of the girls together. I was too busy looking up at the money floating through the air, feeling the bean begin to kick in.

My first stop was the bar, where I ordered two shots of tequila. Once I had a buzz, I vibed on my way through the crowd. I was very selective about who I gave dances to. The dim lights in the club nor the bean were enough to not keep me on my toes. I’d been in this space too long to know the niggas worth dancing for versus the ones who couldn’t even put a gallon of gas in my car.

Walking to the back of the stage, I waited for the DJ to introduce me. All the lights were shut off before blue lasers shot from wall to wall. “And coming to the stage is the baddest on the Parlay roster. Trust me when I say she is the best way to spend your hard-earned money tonight. Make some noise for Rizz.”

The piano notes for YFN Lucci’s “Wet” began playing as I slowly walked out on the stage. All my feelings and thoughts disappeared the second my fingers touched the cold steel of the pole. It was easy to begin twirling around the pole when I had drugs coursing through my veins. It made the sultry beat of the song come alive by the time I kicked myself upside down. I was in my zone as I twisted gracefully until I was holding the pole in the crease of my right arm with my legs spread wide into a split. Money showers poured over me, and I convinced myself that having to come back to work wasn’t so bad.

By the time my set was over, I’d collected four bags worth of bills, and the bean had me activated. I went to the bar for another shot then returned to walk the floor. My body swayed to the beat of DVSN’s “Do It Well” because it was my song. Out of nowhere, I felt an arm around my waist before I was yanked down in someone’s lap. The action instantly ruined my mood. “Who the fuck?” I fussed, ready to spazz until I smelled familiar cologne greet my nostrils like a warm hug.

Through hazy eyes, I found myself looking up into the eyes of Kalm Alexander Savage. “What are you doing here?” I questioned while my eyes studied him. Tonight, he was wearing a Solaire Suns jersey with black cargo shorts, long, white socks, and Nike sneakers to match the red and gold jersey. His fitted cap was tilted back, making it easy for me to see his hair was freshly cut too. I tucked my bottom lip to keep myself from drooling when he smiled to show off his mouth full of gold.

He nodded behind me and said, “Them niggas forced me to come, but I’m happy I did because I get to see you.” I had to hide my face in his chest because the nigga had me blushing. “What are you doing here?” he asked, even though I knew he knew the answer by my outfit and commanding presence as I walked the floor.

If I wasn’t off the bean, I probably would’ve felt ashamed that he’d found out about my occupation. However, the drugs and alcohol wouldn’t let me give a damn. With a smirk, I lifted then turned in his lap. I wound my hips on him before bending over to plant my hands on the floor. I bounced my ass cheeks to the music, completely feeling the beat feed my every inhale.

Whap! I glanced over my shoulder with a grin when he smacked me on the ass. Leaning back against him, I kept rolling my body and cuddled his face. I glanced up, seeing the money he threw in the air for me. I was used to men who couldn’t control their hands when I was close, but this one had self-control out of this world. Turning around so that I was straddling his lap, I continued to dance while staring deeply into his dark eyes. He looked so sexy, biting his bottom lip while hungrily feasting on me with his eyes. The world seemed to fade away, apart from the music and his hands on my waist that kept me steady.

“Really, Kalm?” some preppy and high-pitched voice asked from behind me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a light-skinned ho standing there in a black minidress and stilettos. I smiled at Kalm before bending forward to whisper in his ear. “You want me, or you want her?” I bit my lip as I continued to dance as if she wasn’t even there.

He hooked my chin and pulled me forward until his lips brushed softly over mine. My clit thumped against the thin fabric of my floss, thirsty for some attention, while my pussy leaked in awe. “You.” That one word was satisfying to hear and felt like fire licking up my spine.

Turning back to the girl who still stood there with her arms folded over her chest, I said, “He’s busy.”

Flipping around, I continued to put on a show for Kalm, who continued to toss money in the air that rained down on me. He looked so fucking powerful and magnetizing with his glass of dark liquor that he sipped every now and then. “Bitch, get your thirsty ass the fuck away from my man,” the girl said.

She just didn’t know I had so much pent-up anger and was looking for someone to take it out on. She barely had the words out before I decked her right in the mouth. She swung back clumsily, but I dodged it and got her a few more times. Kalm hopped up quickly to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me back into his chest. “Chill, Pretty.” He laughed from behind me. “You’re wild as fuck. That girl don’t mean nothing to me.”

Turning around to face him, I said, “Let another ho approach me, and I’m going to black your eye next.”

He held his hands up in surrender. “I don’t want no problems, Rizz. Sound like you hit hard as fuck,” he joked. We both knew he had no true fear of me and could absolutely beat me to a bloody pulp if he wanted to.

I balled his jersey up in my hand. He obviously heard the name from when I was introduced before my set. “What did you call me? Don’t call me that ever again.” I frowned because the sound of my nickname falling off his lips made my ears itch.

“Rizz,” he repeated, challenging me. “What you want me to call you then?”

I gave him an icy glare. “You know what to call me. Just know Rizz ain’t it.”