When A Woman Hustles, Danielle Martin [books to read in your 20s .TXT] 📗

to do." Pumpkin turned towards her, making eye contact. She reached into her duffle bag and pulled out an old school beeper. Reese hadn’t seen a beeper in years and had no idea they still existed. She looked down at the device as Pumpkin handed it over placing it in the palm of her hand. "This is going to be a quick job tonight, so it won’t take very long for this thing to go off. As soon as you hear it beep, I need you to hop out, come upstairs, and get to room 224 as fast as you can." Pumpkin gave directions. Dumbfounded, Reese sat quiet as she ran out responses. Pumpkin continuously caught her off guard with sudden surprises and Reese still had not figured out how to react. "Wait a minute, slow down." Reese held her hands up. She was overwhelmed and needed time to marinate what was going on. "What’s really up Pumpkin? I'm not trying to go into this blind sighted." She probed for more information.
Pumpkin ignored her as usual. She glanced in the rearview mirror examining her makeup. She toyed with her curls using her fingers, letting them spill over her shoulder as she adjusted her cleavage. Reese continued to stare in silence. What am I doing here? What have I gotten myself into???

"I don’t know about this." Reese mumbled under her breath, a bad feeling rushing into the pit of her stomach. She had no idea what type of mess she was involving herself in and Pumpkin gave her no reassurance.

She stopped toying with her hair. Pumpkin turned her body in the seat, no longer laughing or smiling. Her tone became serious as she switched into business mode. "Listen, as long as you rocking with me, I’m going to make sure you have everything you want and need. I can make you rich. But nothing comes easy in life. You got to work for it the same way I did. Are you ready to work? Or should I extend my offer elsewhere?"
They stared at each other for a moment, neither saying a word. All money ain’t good money. Reese could hear Jayla ridiculing her in the back of her head. Something was about to go down. Her heart thumped out of her chest as she contemplated her next move. She began to second guess her existence. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Do I really need money this bad? She dropped her head knowing the answer to her questions. What other options did she have? Going back to Mr. Franks to flip chicken? She began to second guess herself. Pumpkin continued to stare her down as she awaited an answer. The pressure was on. There was no running from it. Looking back at Pumpkin, Reese took a deep breath, feeling as if she were about to sell her soul to the devil. She looked down at the pager. She was holding her fate in the palm of her hands. "What if I miss the beep?" she asked hesitantly, her hands still shaken.
Pumpkin smirked. The offer was accepted. She slipped on a pair of school girl glasses before pushing the driver’s door open. "Don’t worry, you won’t miss it." She hopped out the car, swiftly shutting the door behind her leaving Reese on her lonesome. She stuck her head inside the window, "Remember. Room 224." With that being said, Pumpkin turned on her heel and trotted towards the entrance, her long trench coat dragging behind her as she approached the door. Reese held her breath, her anxiety kicking in full force. The time was here. There was no turning back. As much as she wanted to run, she couldn’t now. Reese closed her eyes silently praying to herself. Please God. Don’t make me regret this.

 

Chapter 7

 Chapter 7. 

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.
Reese jolted awake out of her sleep as the pager that she was holding beeped in the palm of her hand. Shit. She had dozed off. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard which read 8:02 pm. She sat forward rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Pumpkin told her this wouldn’t take long but she had already been inside for almost 45 minutes. Reese shut off the pager. Looking around, she began to absorb her surroundings while recollecting Pumpkins directions. As soon as you hear it beep, I need you to hop out, come upstairs, and get to room 224 as fast as you can. Reese cracked her knuckles, knowing she wasn’t moving as quickly as she should. She had no idea what the hell she was walking into and was extremely on edge about it. Reese took a deep breath, slowly meditating herself as she reached for the door handle. She had never been a spur of the moment type of woman or a risk taker. She was gambling with her life and had no idea how to feel about it. Reese could feel her body go numb as she pushed open the door handle, stepping out of the car and shutting it behind her. She stuck the pager in the back of her jeans and began walking towards the entrance, the same direction she seen Pumpkin travel. She held her breath with each step she took. Approaching the door, Reese felt out of place and extremely awkward as the valet smiled at her while holding the door allowing to walk in. She nervously said hello while trotting inside the hotel. Reese walked into the foyer. She looked around. The hotel was upscale the way she imagined it. She admired the marble floors and matching chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. She couldn’t help but look around, observing how elegant the lobby was. She had never been here before or stepped foot inside a fancy hotel ever. I don’t belong here. What am I doing? She ignored her gut feeling as headed towards the stairs, too nervous to take the elevator. Reese stopped at the hotel map to check where room 224 was. How did I get here? How did I get here? She continued to chant inside her head. Reese headed towards the stairwell going straight up the stairs heading for the 2nd floor. She became anxious with each step she took. Everything about this scenario was giving her a bad feeling but it didn’t stop her as she proceeded. Approaching the top of the stairs, Reese began thinking about the money. The car. The bills. She had too much to lose... She trotted down the hallway nervously cracking her knuckles as she passed room 221...223....She stopped in front of 224. She took a deep breath. Reese had no idea what stood behind these walls. There could be a room full of perverts prepared to gang rape her, then again Pumpkin could have been the culprit setting her up all along. She raised her fist to knock, hoping if she screamed someone would be able to hear her through these thick walls. She waited as she heard Pumpkins voice behind the door, which gave her no type of relief. In seconds, the door crept open. Pumpkin stuck her head out, looking both ways to make sure the coast was clear. She didn’t speak or say anything. She waved for Reese to come inside. She hesitated before stepping forward inside the dimly lit room. Pumpkin shut the door behind her as she allowed Reese to walk ahead of her. It was dark but lit enough for Reese to look around and absorb her surroundings. The room was standard. Two queen beds, a nightstand, and a flat screen T.V. An eerie silence floated through the room. Nervously she looked around coming to the realization they were not alone. Her eyes fell upon a figure sitting in a chair positioned in a dark corner of the hotel room. What the hell is going on? What am I supposed to do next?  No one spoke, which made her sudden entrance feel even more sinister. Reese inched forward to get a better view, unsure if the figure sitting in the corner was a man, a woman, or even a human at all. No! No! No! The room began to spin. Reese could feel her eyes widen in shock as she inched closer. No! No! No! I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing! No fucking way! She caught her balance as she lightly stumbled in shock. Reese stared face to face a living nightmare.

Slowly, she turned to Pumpkin. I have to be hallucinating! This is all a bad dream! She wasn’t dreaming. This was real. Pumpkin stood close to the door. Her trench coat and jewelry had been removed. Reese swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes fell upon the silver 9mm handgun Pumpkin was holding in her hand. She inched towards the figure sitting in the corner of the room with the gun drawn. Reese couldn’t breathe as Pumpkin walked past her, the gun inches away from her face. She began to feel claustrophobic but she didn’t move, frozen in place too afraid to do anything sudden. Reese mustered up the courage to get a better look, finally realizing the figure in the corner was a man. He was heavy set. Approximately 280 pounds with a firm build and dark brown skin. Reese couldn’t see much. His eyes, m outh and hands were tied tightly together. She watched as he squirmed, making subtle sounds as if someone could hear him. Reese couldn’t speak. She was scared shitless, terrified to make the wrong move. "Pumpkin." Reese called out her name, her voice shook as he spoke. Pumpkin didn’t answer. In response, she nudged her head towards a black duffle bag in the corner of the room. "Grab the bag." Her tone was cold. Pumpkin continued to hold the gun, walking up to the man pressing the steel piece against his temple. Reese closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see what was going to happen next and prayed she was not about to witness this man’s murder. “Reese!” Pumpkin snapped at her again. “Get the damn bag!” she spoke forcefully. She snapped out of her daze quickly. Scurrying across the room, she obeyed Pumpkins orders in fear that she may turn the gun on her. Dropping down to her knees, she grabbed the black bag which weighed a ton and whipped it over her shoulder. She stood by the door, hoping this bag was all Pumpkin came for. Reese stood by as Pumpkin removed the duct tape from around his mouth leaving his eyes covered. He yelled out as soon as he was able. Pumpkin raised her hand smacking him directly across the mouth. "Shut the fuck up!" She glared at him, still standing over his body with the gun in her hand. "You make another sound, I swear I will fucking kill you!" She spoke. The man obeyed his orders, pressing his lips together as Pumpkin leaned forward, her face directly facing his. "Now this is how things are going to work tonight. I'm going to untie your hands and your feet. Then I’m going to walk out that door and leave. My gun will be on you the entire time. So don’t make any sudden movements. I will stand outside that door for approximately 10 minutes to make