And because he had blocked her, she felt the need to just show up to his doorstep. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to talk to her, one-on-one or shit would get really uncomfortable for him.
She reached to grab her second cell from the dashboard of her new Infiniti. She was just about to send another text message to Trevor when she saw him walking in her direction. At a point she would’ve been smiling from ear to ear at his laid-back strut, his nice physique, and the air of bad boy that blanketed him. But on this day, when the sun was just trying to peek through the clouds, she wanted to mow him down in the street.
She just wasn’t ready to lose her freedom for the murderous act.
But oh, the fuckin’ urge…
She stared daggers through him. The look he gave her, with tight eyes, a tight jawline, and no smile to be heard of, spoke volumes of, ‘You’re not worthy of breathing the same air as me…’ The disdain was clear in his voice when he said, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Just what the text said. We need to talk.”
He produced a hard shrug, and a twitch of his head. His green eyes held hate inside. “Talking is done. I’m only out here to tell you in your face, one more time, to stay the fuck away from me, Alyssa. Don’t have me get a restraining order.”
“Ohhh, you sure you don’t wanna get one of your bitches to run up on me?”
“I don’t have bitches.”
“Not even the one that you walked into your house, early this morning? The one who could barely stand up? The one who’s still in there now?”
Trevor took a step back, his jaw tightening. He was too angry to speak, and Alyssa knew that. It’s what she wanted—a reaction.
“Drive off, Alyssa,” he said, starting to walk away. “And that other number you texted from… it’s already blocked.”
“Trevor!” she called out, mockingly. “Don’t go, baby. Let me get some of that angry dick. I’m sure it’ll hurt so fuckin’ good. Or is it already used up on the drunk bitch? Do I need to come with you, to introduce myself?”
The sound of Alyssa’s car door closing, caused Trevor to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder. The look of shock on his face was evident, upon seeing her just a few yards behind him.
He quickly doubled back.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Alyssa? Are you fuckin’ sick in the goddamn head? I told you to drive the fuck off.”
“Or what, Trevor?” She leaned her head to the side, and smiled. “Or what?”
“You don’t wanna know.”
“Another threat? I’m getting kind of used to those.”
Alyssa followed his eyes as he performed a survey of the area, in both directions. When he was sure the coast was clear, he grabbed her by the arm, and began to briskly escort her back to her vehicle. She giggled wickedly the whole way. When they reached her car, Trevor checked over his shoulder, then turned back to her.
“Listen to me,” he growled, bringing his face close to hers. “I’m trying to be nice, but you’re—”
“Okay… okay.” She bit down on the meat of her bottom lip, in contemplation. “Let go,” she said, yanking her arm away from him. “I’m leaving.” She playfully nudged at his chest with her forefinger. “Under one condition, though...”
“Fuck that,” he said, walking off from her. “Shit’s not conditional at all. Leave… or the next time it won’t be pretty. You might think playing crazy is gonna make shit go in your favor. But you’re sadly mistaken. Don’t play these kinds of games if you’re not ready for the consequences.”
Trevor stopped when he reached the curb in front of his house, then pushed his hand against the air as if to shoo her away.
Alyssa smiled from behind the driver’s seat, then started her engine. “Have it your way, Daddy.” She smoothed her hand over a flat abdomen. “But if all went according to plan, you might be hearing from me again sooner than later. Asshole…”
And with that, she drove off.
32 | SKAI
I struggled to wake up. My eyes were heavy as hell. Like stubborn shutters that refused to open, even when the lever was twisted. Shit, an attempt to raise my head, proved that to be even heavier. I took slow, steady breaths, puffing out the air through a small hole formed between my lips. I mean, that air fell from me like I had just gone on a long-ass jog that I knew I wasn’t equipped for. But what was I even doing all of it for? I honestly had to pose that question to myself, in my near-wake state. Or was the shit all a dream? Maybe I wasn’t sleep at all. Maybe this was one of those weird-ass spaces in the REM world where I thought I was sleep, but…
Mmmm!
Okay, so then I turned to the left and felt like my body was trying to rebel against gravity. Stiffness everywhere, was all I felt. The struggle wasn’t just with my eyes and my head. It was my arms, my neck… legs! All of me!
Go slow. Small, steady movements.
With my eyes still closed, I reached to the side of me to grab a pillow for a little extra security, leverage. Maybe then, I could fall back into some kind of sleep. Because judging by how snail-like I was moving, my butt was far from ready to rise and shine.
Ahhh…
There…
That’s what I needed.
The pillow tucked between my thighs, assisted my mind with descending to a more relaxing place. One without stiff bodies, and overactive brain activity.
Sleep is on the way again…
As I dozed off, my thoughts took me back. I was getting dressed for Trevor’s party. It was nice to be home, be able to hang out, and be all about me for once. No clients, no responsibilities, other than to have fun. And, the party… my God, the party. A mansion with multiple levels, indoor pool, a kitchen large enough to put my apartment into—three times! Then there was the food. Only Trevor would have a mixture of Thai, fried chicken, and pizza for a sophisticated event. But I can’t even lie, it was all delicious as hell.
And I ate way too much.
Hell, I drank… way too much.
A lot of drinking. I should’ve known better. I hadn’t had a real adult beverage, in a hot minute. Well, outside of wine. But last night, and into the wee hours… wasn’t wine. Last night was the hard liquor. Patron shots. Amaretto sours. Wait, a few Amaretto sours…
And then dancing. And then being on the stage… dancing.
Wait. On a stage dancing.
Then Trevor carrying me from the… Oh shit.
My eyes shot open, and my body sprang into an upright position. It took a quarter of a second to realize that I wasn’t at home. That the pillow I’d held so tightly was not my own! My panicked gaze shot around the room taking in all the masculinity—from the black sheets that covered me, to the enormous double gaming screens mounted across the room.
Gaming…
Trevor.
A loud gasp pushed out from my chest. I frantically snatched away the sheets to check my coverings. My dress was now an oversized t-shirt. My thong was now a pair of men’s boxers.
“No, no, noooo…”
I jumped from the bed, taking in more elements of the bachelor space, with its all black furniture décor, expensive carpeting, and ceiling to floor electric blinds. After the room stopped spinning in slow motion, I took baby steps toward the bedroom door.
In the distance I heard faint noises. Voices. It sounded like television, but I couldn’t be sure. But I wasn’t about to stand there, ear-hustling, and playing name that sound. No, I was going to find out.
Grab ahold of your dignity.
Be bold about it.
I took a few deep breaths, straightened out my shoulders and made the bold move to stumble out of the bedroom.
Into the hallway I crept, in search of answers to a few burning questions, that were now hovering over me like one of those nagging-ass fruit flies over a bowl of fruit…
33 | TREVOR
I was surprised when I heard Skai’s voice behind me.
“What are you doing up?” she asked. I thought
she was going to sleep well into the afternoon. And I planned to let her get as much rest as she wanted, without waking her up. She had partied hard, and drank even harder. She needed the rest. But, apparently, I was the only one who thought so; because there she stood. “I hope you didn’t have the nerve to have one of those skanks in here while I was sleep upstairs. That would, for real, gross me out.”
“Would you be grossed out if I told you that I let her munch on your carpet while you were knocked the fuck out?”
I turned away from the television and looked over at Skai, whose entire face had dropped. When I saw how wide her eyes had gotten, I laughed from the gut—hard. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a while, and I couldn’t stop. The long, overdue laughter came with a major perk—Skai was speechless. I hadn’t seen Skai’s ass speechless. Ever. So, that made it even funnier.
“I don’t see shit funny, Trevor. I would fuck her and you up if some shit like that happened.”
“So violent. How can such an educated woman, who likes to act like she’s above the clouds… be so violent? I just don’t get it. Should I be afraid in my own house, you thug?”
“Whatever.” Skai laughed. “I’m not a thug.”
“Tuh! Yeah, okay.”
I returned my attention to the television, and pressed the button for the guide to pop up. I was tired of watching old episodes of CSI Miami.
“Yeah, turn that. Who binge watches CSI Miami?”
“I do. That’s who.”
“Well, let’s see what’s on Netflix.”
My brows furrowed, and I turned to look at Skai, who had now taken a seat not far from me. “Netflix? What are we Netflix and Chillin’ at damn near dawn?”
“Why not? I’m up. You’re up. Put on Netflix.”
“Why am I surprised that you get up out of an almost-drunken stupor and still manage to be bossy as fuck, and talk shit?” I laughed. “You can’t be like the normal person and just wake up and greet the day.”
As much as Skai was getting on my nerves, I liked having the company. I wouldn’t tell her that, but I did.
“I was not in a drunken stupor!” she corrected. “I was just… a little bit tipsy.”
“Ha! Yeah, okay. If that’s what you wanna call it, who am I to challenge that?”
“I knew you’d see things my way.”
“You’ll just keep going if I don’t. So—”
“Just let me have my way.” She sprang from her seat and moved in closer, playfully pinching my cheek. “And see how you just fell into silence right there?”
“I don’t think I had a choice.”
“Exactly! That’s why you’re my best friend. You get it.”
“Best friend, huh?”
“Yeah. You really are. I didn’t just come home to see my family. I came to check on you, in person. I know we FaceTime and all that, but I wanted to see you to ask how you were doing. Like, are you really good?”
I was still busy hearing, ‘best friend.’ Not that being her best friend wasn’t an honor. But the way she said it, just made shit sound like we would always be in the friend zone.
“I’m good.”
“I don’t believe that, Trev. You don’t look like you’ve been to sleep at all. And you partied just as hard as I did. You’re sitting in here watching TV, and still in your clothes, minus the shirt. Talk to me. You got shot. In your own house . . . and was in the hospital for a whole—”
“What happened to Netflix’n & Chill’n?”
“But—”
“Skai . . .” I called out, to stop her from going on and on.
Her eyes widened, and she nodded. “Huh?”
I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh. “I’m good.”
She laid her soft hand on top of mine. “Lies,” she declared. “But that’s okay. I understand you not wanting to talk about it. Just know that I’m here if you change your mind.”
I inhaled a deep breath, then nodded on exhale. “Will do.”
“Cool.” A second later she stood up, and the outline of her breasts showed through my t-shirt. Damn. I gawked for about a second before snapping my attention away. “So, the sun’ll be up in a minute and I need to get out of your clothes. We didn’t have sex did we, Trevor?” she asked, nonchalant as hell.
“Skai…”
“What? Did we, or not?”
“If we did, you would remember it. Drunk or not.”
“The ego of it all. Geez,” she sighed. “So basically, you just dressed me for bed,” she confirmed. “You’re so sweet. And I really mean that. You get on my nerves. But you’re the best. I’m gonna go home and take a shower, and then I’ll call you. If you haven’t dozed off, wanna come over and eat breakfast with me?”
Eat you for breakfast? Sure. Why the fuck not.
“Sure. We ordering from Uber Eats, orrr . . .”
“Please. That’s an insult. Your fave restaurant ain’t got nothin’ on me. I come from a long line of cooks. You can come and keep me company, or help, or just show up when it’s done. Up to you.”
After instructing Alexa to turn off the television, I stood from the sofa. “Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be right over.”
“Key’ll be under the mat!” she yelled out, as she took off to get her belongings.
34 | ELISE
“You’re kidding me, Dina. I’m begging you to please tell me that you’re kidding.”
“I wish I could, Elise. Honest to God, I wish I could.” Dina looked down and shook her head, slowly. “I’m not kidding. It happened. It’s all my fault. I take full responsibility.”
“Oh honey, I know it was your fault. Don’t say that like you’re taking one for the damn team. My sister had no business anywhere near that party, Dina. Why you felt the need to do that is beyond me. Especially, when you know full damn well what’s going on around here.”
“Elise . . . I just . . . I had this idea for the banana pudding. I just . . . I wanted to—”
“Excuse me?” Elise asked sternly. “What the hell does banana pudding have to do with a goddamn thing?”
Dina hesitated a few short seconds. “I wanted to make an impression on the client. But then, I disinvited Alyssa and she—”
“Not just any client. Cicely McCall! My aunt’s good friend. But go ahead.” Elise folded her arms across her chest. The tense demeanor, along with the daggers pointed in Dina’s direction, spoke to just how angry she was.
“Right. I know. And because of that, I had a lot to prove. I wanted things perfect, and I felt making a statement would be a bonus, not just for me, but most importantly, for the company.”
“Cicely already knows the company, Dina. She knows the company, and she knows the brand. And best damn believe she knows the goddamn banana pudding! Are you and my sister in cahoots or something, against me?” she charged.
“No, no, nooo. That would never… ever… be the case, Elise. Not ever. I promise you that.”
“When Cicely called me, she was livid. Do you hear me? Livid. And I don’t blame her. I put you in charge of residential events, and you go and do this? When I put all that trust in you?”
Dina began to cry tears of fury, in that moment. She was hurt. She was disappointed in herself. “I get it, Elise,” she sobbed. “I can’t express to you how fucked . . . excuse my language,” she said. “How effed up I feel. I haven’t slept at all. I just really thought that Sable’s banana pudding would make a huge statement for the people at the party. I was trying to think beyond the client that was already familiar with us, and think about the audience at large. It was meant to be a signature piece that could possibly lure new business.”
“New business for who, Dina? For you? Is this about you trying to branch out on your own, and sabotage A Queenz Plan in the process?”
“How could you even think that, Elise? How? This is my career home. My dedication, my loyalty, is to this company. I would never do such a thing. Not for any amount of money. This was not what I expected. She promised me that if I got
her into the party, that she would agree to sit down and talk to you!” Dina’s cries came in hard sobs. “I want so badly for you girls to work it out. That’s what your aunt would want. That’s what should be. I just. . .”
Elise padded to a small area in her living room and produced a box of Kleenex from a small glass cabinet. She snatched out a few sheets, then walked the items over to an emotional Dina.
“Here,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to make you cry, Dina. But what you did was not smart. And now it could cost me a client. Residential is still just as important as the large corporate events. One is no better than the other. Would you have taken someone to one of the corporate events? No, you wouldn’t have. And you shouldn’t have taken anybody to this one. And I don’t know if you knew or not, but the man whose party that was, is somebody that Alyssa convinced herself that she’s in love with. She has her damn nose so far up his ass she can’t see straight. She damn near can’t see straight any other time. But damn sure where it has to do with his white ass.”
Dina took a few moments to allow her sobs to simmer. “I feel so stupid. It all makes sense now. I was in the middle of telling her that she needed to leave, when she said that she was going to talk to him, I didn’t… I didn’t think...” Dina shook her head, all the while her thin lips pinched together tightly. “I just didn’t think anything like that would ensue,” she continued. “I was shocked, and devastated. I—”
“Girl! You’re still apologizing into the next day?” Both Elise and Dina looked toward the arched walkway of the living room, and in pranced Alyssa. Standing behind her was Elise’s girlfriend with shoulders hunched in defeat, who mouthed, ‘I’m sorry,’ before disappearing from sight. “It’s really not that serious, Dina. Damn.”
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