“Yeah, when do we get to see some real money?” Simone had asked.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said, shedding thoughts of Sasha from my mind. “I think we need to go out and see if we can drum up some business.”
Bella had a worried look across her face, but it was Simone who fired questions at me. “Drum up business? Why? I thought you had that all under control. You mean we gotta go out and get the johns?” She sucked her teeth.
“Okay, first off, these are not johns. These are very important clients who are a bit lonely and are willing to pay for the company of an attractive lady,” I corrected.
“Whatever,” Simone snapped.
“I think what she means is, we thought things were a bit more organized and setup already,” Bella informed me. “I didn’t think we’d actually have to go out there and have to get our own clients.”
Simone jumped up. “I don’t know about this,” she said.
“I thought you guys were ready to make some paper. I guess I was mistaken.” I shrugged.
“Yeah, but I ain’t about to go on the stroll,” Simone said and smacked her lips.
“Nobody’s asking you to go on the stroll. All I’m saying is, right now my client list isn’t enough to sustain us all, and I don’t think it would hurt to do some networking at some exclusive events.”
“So how do we get ourselves invited to these exclusive events?” Simone asked.
“I know exactly where we’ll start.”
“Where?
“Sensations.”
Sensations was a nightclub frequented by our target clientele. My plan was a simple one.
Advertise.
If you have a product and you wanted to get maximum product recognition with your target group, you have to advertise. Get that product out in front of your target group. Once a week we would go to Sensations.
“Are you guys gonna trust me or what?” I needed to know. “I’m telling you, we’re doing the right thing.”
Simone was a bit reluctant, but after some convincing, quite a bit actually, she agreed. Once I had Simone, Bella fell right in line. By the time Diane arrived, it was agreed we’d go to Sensations the very next Friday night.
That night I realized that my new family had found their voice. Simone was by far the strongest personality of the three. Bella was soft as butter, and Diane was just glad to be down, so she went along with whatever everybody else was doing.
But not Simone, her favorite line was, “I don’t understand this at all,” she would say, laced with attitude. Which to me always meant that she wasn’t with what I was sayin’, and before we moved on, I needed to make it clear what we were talking about and more importantly, how it would benefit everybody. I knew that once I had Simone on my side it was over.
We spent the day shopping for that evening’s attire. Simone chose a Nicole Miller stretch, satin ruched slip dress with spaghetti straps. I couldn’t really appreciate the straight neckline, but I did like the ruching at center bust and at the front and back bodice. When she first walked out of the fitting room, I wasn’t sure I liked the dress.
“Work it, girl,” Diane encouraged.
And when Simone worked it, it was like she gave the dress a life of its own.
“I think that’s the one,” I told her.
“You like it?” she asked Bella.
“It’s nice. And obviously you know how to work it,” she said excitedly.
With Simone out of the way, we turned our attention to finding just the right outfit for Bella. I was flipping through a nearby rack of dresses when my head snapped toward a squeal coming from Diane.
“Well, I’ll be damned!”
I turned to see Bella strolling out in a bodysuit. But this wasn’t just any bodysuit; it was a sleek one-piece that hugged her curves.
She strutted and ran her hands along the length of her body.
“I feel so sexy.” She giggled. She spun, then struck a pose.
“Girl, you are too fierce in that getup,” I said.
“You think I should get it, Jada? I mean, you don’t think it’s-I don’t know”-she shrugged-“too much?”
“Too much?” I stepped a bit closer to her. “Girl, you look hot!”
“For real, with that outfit on, I just pray we’ll be able to get some play up in the club standing next to you,” Diane cosigned.
“Okay, if you guys like it, then I’ll get it,” she said before turning and rushing into the fitting room.
Once we piled into the car, Diane turned to me and said, “How come you didn’t get anything?”
“Yeah,” Bella added.
“Please, all the stuff I have in that closet; some of that shit still has tags dangling from them.”
When Snoop’s new cut came on, we all started rocking to the beat. All the while I thought about the black Just Cavalli satin bustier dress, laced with a leopard-print tie. It was just the right mixture of elegance and class; the perfect outfit for the Queen B. When I thought about it, I knew for sure that the night would belong to us.
Everyone agreed to meet at my place by seven. After I went over the plan again, we got dressed and was sipping champagne while we waited for the bewitching hour. Our game plan didn’t involve going to the club to party, we were strictly there for business. I had put in a standing reservation for a limo to pick us up every Friday night at eleven o'clock shape. We would arrive at the club and make our grand entrance at exactly midnight.
Knowing that the club would be crowded by the time we got there, I made arrangements with Sherman, the club’s manager, to have one of the circular couches close to the VIP room, reserved for us. “Money isn’t an issue,” I said when I talked to him over the phone.
“I think you and your party would be more comfortable in the VIP room,” Sherman said.
“No, Sherman, but thank you. I’m sure we’ll be just fine outside the VIP room.”
When I got off the phone, naturally, Simone questioned my logic. “Why don’t we wanna be in the VIP room?”
“Because all of our target market won’t be in VIP room. We need to position ourselves where we would get the maximum exposure. The driver will be here soon,” I said, as the clock got close to eleven. “Is everybody ready for this?”
“Shit, I been ready,” Diane said quickly. “Let’s do the damn thing. Oh, I mean, yes, Jada, I am ready to proceed to the club.” She laughed at herself, as did everybody else.
“We’re gonna take Sensations by storm, ladies. They’re not ready for this,” Bella added, standing up to do a model’s runway turn.
“The world is ours!” Simone began shouting, and Diane and Bella joined in. I was so proud of them, especially Diane; she had worked so hard and had come so far from where she was. The chant of the “world is ours” continued until the phone rang. “Quiet down, ladies,” I said and answered the phone. “Yes, Alfred.”
“Your driver is here.” Alfred the doorman called to say.
“We’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”
While the ladies talked amongst themselves, I hung up the phone and slipped into the bathroom and took one final look. Once I was done, I joined my family. I stood in front of Diane until everyone was quiet. “What?” she asked.
“Let’s do the damn thing.”
When our stretch Chrysler 300 limo pulled up at the club’s entrance, I noticed the stares from people standing in line. Some were blatantly staring, while others tried to act like the vehicle’s sleek appearance was no big deal. We sat parked for at least ten minutes before the driver stepped out to get our door.
He opened the door and extended his hand to me. I accepted his hand, stepped out of the limo and struck a pose. I could hear the buzz of small talk from those who were in line. The driver held out his hand for Diane and she stood next to me. By the time Bella was out of the limo and standing next to Diane, I knew we had everyone’s attention. When Simone got out and stood next to Bella, the only sound to be heard was coming from the cars passing by.
I started walking toward the entrance. As planned, Diane walked next to me while Bella and Simone followed
