Player Haters by Carl Weber Read Free Book Online

my desk, drumming my fingers on the wood like I was thinking.
    “I got money saved. How much is it—”
    I cut her off. “Look, forget about the demo for a minute, all right? Maybe there’s another way we can get your career started. Maybe we should start you off as a backup singer until you can get up enough money for a demo. I heard Alicia Keys is looking for backup singers for her new album. I can make a call.”
    “Backup singer! I don’t wanna be a backup singer!” She was pouting now. “You said you were gonna make me a star.”
    “I am, but it’s gonna take time. I can’t talk to Russell without a demo. I’d get laughed outta the room.”
    “Look, Trent, how much is it gonna cost to do a demo?”
    “I don’t know. I could probably get it done for about four grand.”
    “Four thousand dollars? Is that all? I thought you were gonna say something like twenty thousand.”
    I laughed. “You act like you just got four grand lying around or something.”
    “I do.” She kissed me, then ran into my bedroom.
    I took my time straightening out one of the framed records before I followed her. No need to act anxious. When I finally sauntered into the bedroom, she was standing by my dresser going through her purse. A few seconds later she was sitting on my bed with her checkbook and a pen in hand.
    “Who should I make the check payable to?” I was tempted to tell her just to make it out to cash, but I changed my mind when I saw it was written off a Citibank account.
    I reached down and picked up my pants. I took out my wallet and handed her a business card. “Here, make it out to After Midnight Entertainment. These guys are good. They do a lot of work with Puffy.”
    Without hesitation she wrote the check and handed it to me.
    “No offense, but you sure this check is good? These brothers are good but they’re thugs, and if this check bounces, they’re not coming to look for you, they’re coming straight after me.”
    She reached her arms around my neck and pulled me onto the bed. Then she shoved her checkbook in my face. “It’s good. Look at my balance.”
    “Oh, my God!” I exaggerated my tone. “Where’d you get all that money? You rob a bank or something?”
    “I hit the Pick Five about two weeks ago for a hundred thousand dollars.” She smiled.
    “Get the fuck outta here. You serious?” I raised my eyebrows, giving her a skeptical look.
    She shook her head, kissing me again, this time even more passionately.
    “Now, what’s that for?”
    “That’s for not trying to scam me. I was so afraid you were gonna tell me to write that check out to you.”
    “I wouldn’t do that,” I told her, glad that I hadn’t.
    “I know that now, but I had my doubts a few minutes ago.”
    “So you thought I was trying to scam you?”
    “Sorta. I wasn’t really sure. I mean, I believed you at the club, but then when you told me your car was in the shop and you needed a ride home, I thought you were full of shit.”
    “You thought I was full of shit?” I faked a look of wounded pride.
    “Yeah, but once we pulled in front of your apartment, I started to think that maybe I was wrong. I mean, this is one bad ass apartment. I don’t know too many black people who can afford to live on the water.”
    “So that’s what convinced you, huh?”
    “No. To be honest, I wasn’t completely convinced until I saw the gold records.”
    I had to hold back a laugh. Those damn gold records and professional plaques get ’em every time.
    “So when are we gonna do the demo?” she asked.
    “Well, today’s Friday, and I have to get my car from the shop and make arrangements with the studio. How ’bout next Wednesday afternoon?”
    “Wednesday?” she shouted. “That soon?”
    “Yeah, I can do it on Wednesday. That is, if you’re nice to me.”
    I kissed her and she kissed me back, reaching between my legs.
    “Oh, I think I can be nice to you.”

5
Wil
    Monday morning I went to work early to look over the