Chapter 3
Mercedees
Looking up from my glasses, I watched another potential client enter my establishment.
Nail Fairy’s had been my baby since I could remember.
At first, I was intrigued by the length of my mom’s nails.
She was stuck in the nineties, but it gave me so much inspiration. She was the goat little did she know.
“Welcome to Nail Fairy’s, what can we do for you?” Marli, my receptionist asked.
“Uh, yeah, is Mercedees here? My homegirl recommended her, so I’m here to see what her work is like.”
Marli looked back at me to see what I was on, and I gave her a slight head shake.
I was booked for the rest of the day and wouldn’t be able to squeeze anyone in.
Right after baby girl in the chair was done, I had a length and rhinestone client.
That would take at least two hours. To be honest, she had to settle on an appointment for next week. My time was accounted for.
“So, she is, but she is completely booked today and for the rest of the week for that matter. There’s availability for next week if you’d like to take a slot.”
“Damn, a whole week. Can you go see if she can squeeze me in today? I’ll pay whatever she ask for.”
“I’m sorry but paying extra won’t get you in. She doesn’t do bribes and never overcharges her customers. Can I sit you with another tech?”
“I don’t want another damn tech. I want Mercedees. Winnie said I was good if I came to see her. What’s the problem?” Her voice was still the loudest thing in the shop, and it was getting on my nerves quite frankly.
“Once again, I’m sorry for the inconvenience but Nail Fairy’s can’t serve you today. If you can please leave the building that would be great.” Marli was nice, gentle, and helpful. However, the bitch that chose her outside voice every time she spoke, gave her grief.
“Sorry? You ain’t did shit. Aye, whoever Mercedees is, can you speak the fuck up please? I need my nails done, and I ain’t leaving until they are!” she shouted.
The client seated in front of me looked at me with worried eyes.
The difference between the bitch at the counter and everybody else in the shop was they knew not to cause chaos in my shit.
I was the only muthafucka authorized to show my ass in here ‘cause I was the only muthafucka footing the bills.
“Cedees, what you ‘bout to do?” she whispered.
“Show her out. Marli already said what needed to be said. Give me a minute.” I reached in my drawer for my brass knuckles and slipped them on.
“Cedees, you’ gon’ go to jail,” she hissed.
“I doubt it,” I replied confidently and stood. I made my way to the front desk and put on a fake ass smile followed by, “Don’t make this harder than it has to be love. I got a busy schedule and won’t be available until next week. If you can’t wait, go somewhere else.”
The entire time I spoke, my hand was hidden behind my back. She had one time to talk to me crazy, and I was hopping on that ass. Disrespect wasn’t tolerated in no shape or form. I ran an easy-going environment no matter how much of a loose cannon I may seemed to be.
“Oh, so you’re Mercedees,” she scoffed.
“I am, and once again, I can’t serve you this week. If you don’t mind another tech handling you, we’d gladly service you. If that’s not what pleases you, then we have nothing for you. What’s it going to be?”
The kindness in me was leaving at a rapid pace. I was seconds away from saying fuck all the professionalism and throwing her rude ass out. My people weren’t used to bitchy ass folk, and she was one of them.
“I need my fuckin’ nails done. How is it my homegirl can come up here any time and get her shit done but I have to book an appointment?
Y’all playing favorites and I don’t like that.
I said I was willing to pay whatever the hell you asked for.
I got somewhere to be tonight. Make it happen for me the same way you do for her.
” She dug in her purse, pulled out a wad of cash, and flung it at me hitting me in the mouth.
The entire shop went quiet. It was so dead silent in this bitch I could hear the toilets flush in the back. Lil’ Miss Mamas was the only one unaware of the danger she was in. Busting a bitch in her grill was not on my agenda for the day.
Nodding, a soft chuckle escaped as I stepped forward.
Marli smoothly slid from behind her desk blocking my path.
A wicked grin graced my lips as I contemplated on my next move.
I mean, it was gon’ always be me hitting shawty in her shit, I just needed to figure out how I wanted to do it.
Was I gon’ straight up disregard Marli and knock her lil’ ass over to drop the bitch or kindly step to the side then drop her? Decisions, decisions.
“You’ve gotten very disrespectful. I think it’s in your best interest if you go ahead and leave, please, while things are still cool and calm,” Marli pleaded.
Akira walked right past us and locked the front door. “This bitch ain’t going nowhere but to the fuckin’ hospital. Bestie, drop this hoe.”
That was all the permission I needed. My bitch wasn’t gon’ let a soul touch me, either.
I chose the latter when it came to Marli, stepping around her.
I threw my first jab on the goofy hoe and dropped her where she stood.
Her hand immediately went to her mouth. When she stretched them out, her blood leaked onto my marble floors.
“Bitch did you just hit me?” she yelled.
“And she ‘bout to do it again,” Akira voiced as I stood over shawty.
One person that knew me better than anybody else was her. She knew the drill and when it came to beating a hoe down, I didn’t give a fuck who you was. If I wanted to lay hands, feet, or any other objects on yo’ muthafuckin’ ass, guess what the fuck I was gon’ do…
I gripped shawty by the hair and let my fist rain down in the same spot. Sad to say, my pussy got wet when I tagged a bitch eye repeatedly. Visibly watching it close did something to me. Maybe when that black eye subsided, she’d see more clearly on who the hell she was talking to.
Like I knew she would, Akira jumped in kicking the fuck out that girl.
All shawty had to do was visit the shop down the street or wait until next week.
The result to her problem was simple. I completely understood her wanting to get a set done by me but every bitch in my shop could sling them brushes something serious.
She could’ve been serviced by anyone else and got the same result.
I trained these heffas myself. Her rudeness got her the ass whooping she couldn’t wait to receive.
I didn’t get off the bitch until I was satisfied. Then again, it was Royce that felt like I’d done enough. Somehow him and Striker made their way into the shop. I had no idea they were even in the area. Neither one of them called to say they were stopping by either.
“Get the fuck off her, Cedees!” Striker yelled scooping me up by the waist. I quickly rested in his arms as Royce snatched up Akira.
Oh well.
“What the hell y’all on?” Royce questioned moving Akira to the back.
Striker followed behind with me still tucked in his grasp. “Aye, chill the fuck out with all that, Ma. You on that ratchet shit knowing you too pretty for that,” he whispered in my ear.
This man was gon’ call me out on my behavior every time he saw me out of character.
In his mind, I was supposed to always present myself as a lady.
Royce on the other hand didn’t give a fuck and used me as his personal hitter sometimes.
Striker ain’t never got down with all that fighting shit and he’d been that way since we were kids.
I was carried to the back office and placed down gently on my feet.
I strolled to the bathroom unbothered to clean myself off.
Her blood was coating my hands, and I instantly got irritated.
I ain’t know what diseases the bitch carried, yet her DNA was all over me.
Striker stood at the bathroom door shaking his head.
He always wore a look of disappointment with me.
“Don’t say it, Striker. I got it aight,” I stated as my eyes rolled to the ceiling.
“If you had it, I wouldn’t be here. You lucky me and this crazy nigga was in the area. Why you beating on that damn girl like that, Cedees? You don’t give a fuck ‘bout yo’ business, huh?” he questioned.
“Quite the contrary. I put paws on the hoe because I do. I was cool and collected. Any one of those ladies out there can vouch for that. She came in here starting shit, not me. Look, don’t piss me off, Striker. You see I ain’t in the mood,” I warned him.
His reaction to my empty threats was nothing more than a light chuckle. He was amused and felt no fear behind my words. He never did, so I didn’t expect it to start today.
Reaching toward my face, he swept my hair behind my ear. For those that got the rough edges of Striker, the Atkins women got the teddy bear side. He was as sweet as pie and soft as cotton with us. You couldn’t make that man treat us any different.
“It ain’t cute, Cedees. Stop giving these nothingness hoes attention. You got more to lose than they do. Wipe your neck off, Mama. You got blood splatters on it,” he pointed out before walking over to Akira.
I looked in the mirror and got annoyed all over again. It was one thing to have the bitch blood on my hands but for that shit to be on my neck… I released a deep sigh throwing the rag in the sink after wiping it off. I wanted that hoe head on a platter now.
Walking out the bathroom, I casually headed for the office door all to be yanked up once more. However, this time, Royce had me by my shirt. “Sit yo’ bald headed ass down. Goddamn!” he fussed.
“Fuck you, and Striker,” I said glaring at him.