Primal: Part One by Keith Thomas Walker Read Free Book Online

if you just want me,” the black girl said.
    “Or just me,” her friend threw in.
    Neither of them looked disappointed about Luke’s initial reaction.
    “A thousand dollars?” he scoffed.  “That’s crazy.”
    “I can spend an hour with you for five hundred,” the blonde offered.
    “Me, too,” her friend said.
    Luke continued to shake his head.  “Nah, that’s alright.  I think we’ll keep looking.”
    “You’re not gonna find anything better,” the black girl scoffed.  “Come find us when you change your mind.”
    They turned, and the men stared at their asses as they walked away.
    “ A thousand dollars ,” Luke grumbled when they got moving again.  “You knew they charged that much?”
    “I knew they were expensive, but I didn’t figure that,” Jovan told him.  “I thought you’d jump on that five hundred for an hour.”
    His brother gave him a look.  “Nigga, is you crazy?  You know how much they selling ass for in Overbrook Meadows?”
    “I have no idea.  I hope you don’t, either.”
    “Sixty, seventy dollars,” Luke stated.  “You can get a bitch for less than that, especially if they on crack.”
    Jovan was disgusted.  “Who the hell would want some nasty-ass crackhead?  I know you not getting down like that.”
    “Nah, I never have.”
    “Well how you know how much they charge?”
    “They be on Backpage,” Luke told him.  “You see the price right on their home page.”
    “What the hell is Backpage ?”  Jovan was genuinely perplexed.
    “It’s like Craigslist,” Luke told him, “except they got everything on there, like escorts and stuff.”
    Jovan shook his head in frustration.  “Yo, man, when we get home, we gotta have a serious talk.”
    “Cool.  Save it for when we get home.  For now, I’m gonna find some cheaper hoes.”
    “Every girl in this hotel is gonna charge the same,” his brother replied.  “They not stupid.”
    “That’s your opinion, Jovan.  You coming, or not?”
    He shook his head.  “Nah, man.  I’ma chill.”
    “Alright,” Luke said before he walked away.  “I’ll catch up with you later.”

 
    CHAPTER SIX
    WHEN IN ROME…
     
     
    Jovan headed for the nearest bar before he went to find Morris and Jesse.  He knew his brother’s extramarital activities were serious, but he never imagined Luke was hooking up with prostitutes back home.
    If he was going to cheat, Jovan figured hookers were probably Luke’s safest bet.  Those women were not likely to get emotionally attached, so they wouldn’t create a scandal or decide to kill him one day because they couldn’t stand to live without him.  But hooking up with prostitutes could still be a dangerous game.  Jovan knew of men who followed women to hotel rooms and were ambushed by armed thugs hiding in the closet.
    He thought it would be better if Luke never married in the first place, but that wasn’t right.  Cathy was a gem, and their children; Jovan’s nieces and nephew, were wonderful.  What he needed to do was convince Luke to keep his wayward penis at home, but how the hell could he do that – especially since Jovan was getting more ass than a G-string?  In fact, it was probably his exploits that influenced Luke.  Ever since they were little, Luke wanted to be just like his big brother.
    Jovan took a seat at the bar and ordered Cognac on the rocks.  He noticed a woman sitting on the barstool next to him, but he didn’t acknowledge her.  He was deep in thought when the bartender served his drink.
    He turned slightly and gave the woman a nod and a polite, “Good evening,” before turning away.
    But her smile caught his attention.  He turned back to her and realized the smile was definitely focused on him.
    “Hi,” she said.  Her eyes were sparkling.
    Jovan’s first thought was that he was being propositioned.  If so, this woman had picked the wrong john.  He never paid a woman outright for sex.  He wasn’t one to buy them purses or shoes,