“Trenton, but everyone calls me Trent.”
“Oh,” Kendra giggled. “Trenton? As in Trenton, New Jersey?”
“Yeah, shawty. I see you know your geography.”
They talked for well over two hours. Kendra told him about her interests and how she was dancing to pay for college. When Kendra noticed the time, she panicked, but Trent calmed her fears. He told her that he had paid for her to be his company until the club closed. Upon hearing this, Kendra got a little more comfortable, and they continued to talk. They were so wrapped up in their heavy conversation, talking about her goals and ambitions, that they didn’t notice that the club was closing. Security had to let them know that their time was up. When the lights came on, Kendra looked up at Trent and noticed that, even though he wasn’t all that tall, he was very good looking. His skin was a peanut butter complexion, and he sported neat cornrows.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to dance for you, Trent.”
“Nah, shawty. I didn’t pay to see you dance. Like I said, I want to get to know you.”
He wrote his number on a napkin and handed it to her as they walked out of the boom boom room. Kendra turned around to meet his stare. Then, he cleared his throat and asked, “Are you ready to give up this lifestyle?”
Kendra looked at him blankly. Confusion was written on her face. Her heart said yeah, but her mouth said otherwise as she answered, “I have bills and tuition fees to pay.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Are you ready to give it up, Kendra, or do you still want to be Spice?”
For the second time that evening, Kendra was caught off guard. She had never had anyone give her an ultimatum, especially not someone she had only known for a few hours, but he had spent a lot of money to get to know her, and, at that point, he wasn’t trying to get any ass from her, so she figured she could give him an honest answer. Kendra thought it through quickly and answered, ”Yes, I’m ready to give up Spice.”
Trent kissed her softly on her lips and asked, “Do you trust me?”
She whispered, “Yes.”
Then, he smiled and said, “Now, go get dressed, lil mama, so I can take you home.”
“Excuse me, Trent, but you don’t own me. Besides, I have my own car, so I can drive myself home. Thank you very much,” Kendra said dryly as she backed away from him.
Trent knew, just by Kendra’s reaction, that she was a little rough around the edges.
“C’mon now, shawty. We can pick your car up tomorrow. You just said you trusted me, so where’s the trust at? I’ll meet you out front.”
Before she could protest, Trent kissed her once more. Then, he took off towards the exit. Kendra made her way to the locker room. She was glad that the other dancers were already gone. She didn’t have time for their hating. To Kendra, this was a job that she had to do to make ends meet. She was not trying to befriend anyone.
After she grabbed her duffel bag out of the locker, she went to the restroom and took a quick shower. The security guard stuck his head in and yelled, “Yo, Spice! I’m locking up in ten. Are you dressed?”
She appeared from the back and answered, “Yes, I am, and, by the way, my name is Kendra.”
“Whoa! Whoa! I see you on some fly shit now, huh, Spi… I mean Kendra?” the security guard said, laughing.
“Tank, can you walk me out, so I don’t have to fuck you up?”
Once outside, Kendra handed Tank a one hundred dollar bill.
“No, no. Go on ahead and keep that,” Tank exclaimed.
She hugged him and waved goodbye. Then, she turned and walked to the parking lot. Just as promised, Trent was waiting for her. He was leaning against his black on black Escalade. As she approached, he asked, “You ready, lil mama?”
Kendra smiled and nodded. He grabbed her bag and opened her door for her. After placing her bag in the backseat, he climbed into the driver’s seat. He started up his truck and pulled off. They drove in silence for fifteen minutes. Kendra broke the silence when she said, “Don’t think, ‘cause you dropped some loot, you bought me cuz I ain’t fo’ sale!”
“Whoa, shawty! You got me wrong. A brotha tryna get to know you and show you some things. Do I have to keep telling you to trust me? Relax, shawty,” Trent said as he caressed her face.
Moments later, they pulled into a cul-de-sac in Palms, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. After he had parked in front of a beautiful home, Trent turned off the engine of his Escalade.
“This is not where I live. I live in the hood,” Kendra said, folding her arms and pouting.
“Oh, I see you a little bossy. Imma have to break that fo’ real,” Trent chuckled.
His teasing made Kendra ease up. They exited the truck and went into the house. Kendra was amazed by the décor of the house. There were sculptures throughout. The foyer was made of granite and had the name MOORE engraved in the tile. Trent showed her to the family room, where he lit himself a blunt and poured both of them a shot of Henney.
“Come here, lil mama. I won’t hurt you. I’ll be a gentleman.”
Kendra laughed at Trent’s persistence as she sat on the chaise.
“Nice house,” she said.
“Thanks, but I don’t live here.”
Kendra raised a brow.
“Before you say anything, this is my parent’s house. They are vacationing in the Bahamas. I have a condo four blocks away from here.”
Kendra relaxed some more, and they chatted until she fell asleep. The next morning, when she awoke, she found Trent staring at her.
“So, how did you sleep?” he asked.
“It’s not my bed, but I slept just fine,” Kendra answered softly.
She gave Trent an A plus because he had kept his word and had been a perfect gentleman.
“You hungry?” Trent asked.
“No, but can you direct me to the bathroom?” Kendra replied.
“Down the hall and make a left. I already put some towels out for you.”
“Thanks,” Kendra said as she made her way out of the family room.
“Not a problem. My sister’s room is across the hall. If you can find anything useful in there, go right ahead,” Trent said as he went into the kitchen.
Kendra made her way down the long hallway. Once inside the bathroom, she ran the water. After setting the temperature, she hopped right in and thought about her night- how she just up and left with a complete stranger.
“Shit!” she said. “I’m fucking crazy.”
After a long, steamy shower, her mind relaxed. She was lucky that she always brought extra clothes to the club with her. After drying off, she threw on a sundress and pinned her hair up. As soon as she opened the door, Trent was standing there.
“Oh, my gosh! Don’t do that shit! You scared me!” Kendra screamed, while holding her chest and breathing heavily.
“My bad, beautiful. I was just checking to see if you wanted to go eat?” Trent smiled, looking her up and down.
“Nah, I’m not hungry, but can I get a rain check? Besides, I have to pay some bills. Then, I have to stop by my school and drop my art class, so can you keep being the gentleman that you have been and take me to my car?” Kendra said, batting her eyelashes.
“Sure thing, lil mama. I’m good on my word. I’ll take you to get your whip.”
Once outside, Kendra noticed that the Escalade was gone, and a beat up 1992 Honda Accord was in its place. Kendra was confused. Trent felt her hesitation, so he turned her way and said, “Look, shawty, I know this is not what we drove in last night. My man picked up my truck and left me my work car. I have to switch up to keep them boys off me while I’m handling business. I gotta keep a low profile.”
Kendra really didn’t know what she was stepping into, but she couldn’t help it. He had intrigued and charmed her, and she had charmed him, as well, when she asked, “So, when you say ‘boys,’ you mean the police, right?”