He moved around to her line of vision so she could see the imitation shark-skin suit he was wearing. “Don’t act like that, baby girl. I’m just trying to buy you a drink.”

“Thanks, but I can pay for my own drink.”

“You yellow bitches kill me,” he said, getting indignant. “Always acting like your pussy is sweeter than the next ho’s because yo skin is lighter.”

“Bitch?” Billy spun around on her stool. The movement was so swift that the wannabe pimp jumped back. “You got me fucked up with one of them weak-minded bitches you got working for you. Nigga, don’t you know I will cut your fucking face?” She grabbed a bottle off the bar.

“No need for that,” Cat said, grabbing Billy’s arm from behind. She was dressed in a long robe, covering her entire body except her hands and face. “He was just about to leave, weren’t you?” she asked the faux pimp, who looked at the bottle still clutched in Billy’s hand and scurried away.

“Some niggaz ain’t got no class.” Billy placed the bottle back on the bar.

Cat shrugged. “What do you expect in a place like this? Marcus should be down in a second, he’s in the office. He shouldn’t be too long, but in the meantime I’m about to go onstage. Why don’t you enjoy the show; you might change your mind about me.” Cat winked and sauntered off to the stage stairs.

The lights in the club went dim when the DJ announced Cat was about to take the stage. The bass of hip-hop was replaced by African drums. The spotlight went on and Cat came out under it. Her eyes scanned the crowd as if she were hunting for someone in particular. Slowly, she began swaying back and forth, jerking in tune with the beat. The heat in the room seemed to skyrocket as Cat did her thing onstage. Dropping the robe, Cat exposed the tiger stripes painted onto her thighs, arms, and breasts. Her muscled legs stretched out into a split, and she bounced twice before popping back up. Every man in the house damn near salivated on themselves as they heaped cash at Cat’s feet. By the time it was over, you couldn’t see the stage floor through all the singles spread on it. Billy had to admit that Cat knew how to move.

“Enjoying the show?” A feminine voice brought Billy out of her trance. She turned from the vision onstage and had to blink at the one standing in front of her. Yoshi was dressed in a white bikini top that had stars covering the nipples. Her sarong clung to her hips, only exposing the top of her white thong.

“You look stank,” Billy joked.

“Go to hell.” Yoshi pushed her playfully. “I see Cat got y’all ready to trick off the rent money.”