Chapter 2 🫦

"What'll it be, sugar?"

"You on my face, then on my dick." This younger guy, around the age of 18-19 says. It kinda throws me. I've never had a guy be so straightforward like that, and I sure as hell haven't had a guy eat me out. They are too damn nasty, but this guy looks clean. College kid, perhaps.

"We can fuck all day long, but I'm not so sure I want you anywhere near my pussy with your mouth."

The guy just cocks his head to the side, "and just way not sugar," he drawls?"

"How am I supposed to know where that tongue has been?" I ask him.

"How do you know where my dick has been?" He counters.

"Two things, my friend... one, I can rub that dick with alcohol wipes until I'm satisfied it's clean. Put a condom on it... two, we do what I say, not what you say. Any more questions?"

💋

My night goes by fast with the Johns. It's Saturday, so it's a pretty good night... It's also when we make the most of our money. By the time I finally make it back to my apartment, I'm dead to the world. I crawl my ass in my bed and don't wake back up until around 2:30 in the afternoon. Sunday's are always my off days, so once I get up I walk into the kitchen to see what I have to cook but there is nothing because I only got a few things yesterday, so I take this time to take Martin his portion of what I made last night/ this morning, then I walk to the store to get a thing of chicken, marinara sauce, pepperonis, and mozzarella cheese. I get back to my apartment once I have all the things I need. As I'm approaching my apartment, there are cops everywhere. "What the hell."

I see Layla standing back with tears in her eyes, so I walk up to her and ask her what's going on?

"It's Candy.... Corky. They found her body a block down the road in an alleyway."

My stomach larches to my throat. We've been hearing about some of the corner girls in the next town being found murdered, but I never thought it would come true to this part of the tracts.

"What happened Layla?"

"Someone slashed her throat. An undercover officer tells me as he walks up to us," I presume to ask us some questions. I recognize the officer as officer Adams.

"Well, thank you for that tidbit of information... Deputy Dewey." I say with all the sarcasm I can muster up, because fuck, he didn't have to be so blunt about it.

I can see the wheels turning in his head at the comment about Deputy Dewey.

"Ha-ha, figure that one out, asshole".

"Corky, why do you always have to be a bitch when we are only trying to do our jobs?"

"Don't know... maybe because I just don't like you."

"Well, newsflash whore... we don't particularly like you, either." One of the other cops says as he's walking up beside officer Adams."

"Anyways, what was it you needed, officer Adams...." Layla says, giving him her best smile.

"How well did you know the victim?" Officer Adams asks us.

"For about 5 years. She was very young when she came." Layla tells them.

"So, younger than Corky?" Adams asks.

"Yes," Layla says on a sob. She is taking this very hard. "Are we through here? I would like to get Layla upstairs and get her calmed down."

"Yes, go ahead," Adams tells me.

"Come on, Layla, let's get you up to my apartment." I don't realize it, but the two officers follow us up the stairs and try to come into my apartment. "What are you doing?" I ask them.

"We need to make sure the apartment is safe. Corky... the murder happened just right down the road."

"And it probably happened last night... Adams, there is nobody in my apartment."

"I'm not fuckin' leaving until I check it out." Adams growls under his breath, then pushes his way into my apartment.

"Damn, this apartment is a lot cleaner than I imagined it to be from the outside." Officer dude-drop says, and I just roll my eyes at him. "Do what it is you need to do, then leave, please. Layla is upset enough without you to make it worse. Do-not-touch-anything I grit out."

💋

Later, after the cops have left, Layla calmed down on the couch watching a movie. I made my way into the kitchen to start the supper I was going to cook for myself. I make sure I put enough chicken in the pan that it will feed me and Layla.

"Corky girl, I think this is the first time I have been in your apartment. It really looks very nice. Now, if Martin will do something with that outside so it doesn't look like such a dump."

"Yea, well, that will never happen, and we both know that." Once I'm done prepping the food and getting it in the oven, I walk back into the living room and sit down beside Layla, and we watch tv for about an hour, then I check on the food.

"Umm, it looks and smells so good." I get Layla and me a plate out, and pile them full of food, then I carry the plates into the living room, and we dig in.

"Oh, Corky girl, this shit is to die for. How come I never knew you could cook?"

"Not something we bring up when we are fishing for Johns." I told her.

"Corky girl, has anybody ever told you... you are a smartass sometimes?"

I smile at her... "you tell me that here and there."

Layla looks at me with her sad eyes. "Cork, promise me you will be careful from now on."

"I promise you I will watch my back, besides that's why I wear boots, Layla baby. I always carry a knife with me."

"Smart girl. Okay, well, I have taken up enough of your time and hospitality for one day. I think I'm going to go home and clean my house for once. You're making me look like a slob Corky girl, but seriously, you have the inside of this apartment looking beautiful."

"Thank you, but you don't have to go if you don't want to. We can watch something else on TV if you like, or we can listen to music?" I tell Layla for some reason I'm not wanting her to leave.

"Are you scared, Corky girl?"

"For you... Yes, terrified."

"I'm going to be okay, Corky girl... you don't need to worry about me."

"Look alive, Corky girl, we have live bait."

I look up and sure enough, a few cars come pulling up, so I walk over to the second car and let Layla have the first one.

"Hey there sugar." I say as I'm leaning into the car... and fuck, I recognize the John right away. NYPD's finest. "Come on, man, why can't you guys just leave us alone and let us do our jobs? Go arrest some real criminals. Hey, I have an idea... how about you find that person who killed Candy?"

"Just get in Corky." Deputy Dewey orders.

"And what if I don't, officer douchey mcdouche?" I ask the handsome cop... I've had several run ins over the past few years, but nothing in a while until yesterday. I haven't seen or heard a peep out of him.

He arches a brow at me. "Just get in Corky.... don't make me cause a seen, then you won't have any client tail tonight or for several nights."

"Fine, I say in a huff. Layla, I got me one." I tell my street partner, and she gives me a thumbs up, saying she does too.

"Okay deputy Dewey, spill it. What did you drag me away from potential clients for, and why not Layla or one of the other girls?"

He clenches his teeth but doesn't say another word, once I get into the car, and that doesn't set right with me. "What in the hell are you doing? "I ask him, then try to get out of the car before he drives off.... but he has already locked the doors, then drives off.

"Where are you taking me, you pervert?"

He cocks his head at me. "Really Corky? I'm the fuckin' safest thing you have for the night, so watch your tone with me.... and to answer your question, I'm taking you to that white van that's park just a block away, so we can have a little chat about something."

"The fuck we are, Adams. You are going to get me killed. Do you not realize the danger you're putting me in just for being in your car? Martin has eyes everywhere, and he's not stupid to who you are."

"Corky, why do we go through this every few months? You know why we come to you. You're the most popular, um- of your kind, and Martin looks for you to do the most. We just need you to get in better with your boss. Have him tell you who's selling him the drugs that he's supplying to these young kids. That's killing them. Would you like to know the number of daily fentanyl poisoning deaths among children aged 12 to 20? Do you get what I'm saying Corky, are you just not giving a shit?"

Do I give a shit? Should I give a shit? I've been in this life for so long I've had to put blocks around my heart so I don't break at every little thing I see on the streets. I don't know if I have the I care gene any longer.

"No, dipshit I don't care mommy and daddy should watch their kids better... is all I'm saying. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to get back to." I get the door unlocked and jump out of his moving car like it's setting steel and start walking back to my street corner, hoping to get a real paying John this time.

I hear Adams yell at me... but I just can't give a fuck right now, and let's face it, he's asking a druggy to help get drugs off the fuckin' street. Where in his head did he think that was going to go?

I get back to my post and stand on the corner for a little while longer when a gentleman in his 40s comes driving up in a beat-up cavalier. "What'll it be tonight, sugar?" I say as I'm leaning down in his passenger window.

"Can we just ride around for a bit?" The john asks, and it throws me for a minute. Nobody normally asks to just ride around... but hey if he just wants a friend to talk to, who am I to deny him? "It'll be $50 dollars for just a ride, and $100 if you decide you want anything else, and that will go up depending on what you ask for, sugar."

"Damn $50 just to talk. Well, alright then." The john says, then leans over to open the passenger door for me.

In the distance I can see Adams and his cop buddies watching me. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel a little safe tonight, having them watch us with these creeps."

The john does as promised. We ride around for about an hour, and then he stops in an alleyway. I don't particularly like it when Johns do this... it gives me the heebie-jeebies, but this guy seems like an okay guy. He turns around and looks at me, and when he does, I see a change in his eyes. Then I see why. He has a gun at his side.

"Well, shit, so much for being a good guy."

"Take off all your clothes, " the john thells. At first, I just look at him like he's stupid, but then he puts the gun to my head. "I said, take off all of your clothes, whore."

He did not just call me a whore. I take my clothes off like he so nicely requested. "Once they are off, what are you going to do, rape me, then throw me out of your car without pay?"

"You can't rape the welling bitch."

"Well, I kinda became none-willing when you demanded that I take my clothes off, asshole."

"You have a fucking smart mouth on you... don't you, whore?" He says, then hits me upside the head with the butt of his gun.

This shit just got fuckin' real. My head was bleeding when he hit me, so I'm trying to hold my head... but take my clothes off before he gets madder. The guy seems unsatisfied with my speed, so he tears my dress off and quickly climbs on top of me while laying the passenger seat back.

I resist him since I am not intoxicated enough for this... and I know what will take place once he gets what he wants. I become the next victim. "Could he be the one behind the murders of the corner girls?" As I'm fighting him swing for swing. The window on the driver's side burst, and a hand came through the door to open it. Before I know it, the john is on the ground in handcuffs.

"You bitch... you're a fuckin' Newark."

"I wasn't... but for this one time, I'm glad the douchebag cops were following me."

"Corky shut up." Adams says behind me, and the prick handcuffs me. "What in the hell did I do?" I ask him.

He doesn't respond, he just halls my ass into the van he was trying to get me into earlier. "Smooth motherfucker... smooth."

Once the other cop drives away with the guy that attacked me, Adams gets into the van and checks my cuts and bruises, then gives me a jacket to cover up with.

"Awe, you care." I sass.

"Corky, I swear I'm going to strangle you myself if you don't knock the tough girl act off."

"Who says it's a fuckin' act, dickhead?"

Adams rubs his index fingers to his temples like he's trying to rub a headache away.