Risqué 3

by Perri Forrest

  “No y’all. It’s just me. And nobody brought me anywhere. I didn’t need Trevor to tell me where you lived. I have other ways.”

  “Well great. And I have other shit to do. So, what do you want? We don’t have a goddamn thing in common. If you’re looking for some kind of apology, you dug up my address for no fuckin’ reason.”

  “You’re such an angry little bird, huh?”

  “Bird? Yeah…” She laughed. “You need to go. I’m not about to go back and forth with a woman, two… three times my age. You lucky I had time to calm down from you putting your hands on me. Because I said that if I ever saw you again, I was gonna drag yo’ ass.”

  “Do it, Alyssa,” Cicely challenged, with a menacing grin. “I dare you.”

  “You need to be getting the fuck out,” Alyssa said, still holding post in the same spot.

  CiCi’s tone was flat, firm. “Close the door,” she said.

  Alyssa laughed out loud. “Excuse me. Bitch, you—”

  “Close the door,” Cicely stressed calmly. It was more than the words she spoke. It was more than the sharpness of her tone. The real threat that brought the weight of the situation home, was the weapon that Cicely now had aimed in Alyssa’s direction. “Like I said…” she repeated. “Close… the goddamn door.”

  42 | CICELY

  The laugh that poured from Cicely, was sinister. She knew the big-mouthed little bitch with the bad attitude was shitting her pants. As cool as she tried to play it, Cicely knew she had her trembling on the inside. She loved it. It’s what an ingrate like her deserved. After she had forced Alyssa to close the door and come further inside, CiCi set about taunting her.

  “Ohhh, is that fear I see in your pretty little brown eyes? Because you were so very bold a few minutes ago.”

  “No bitch, you don’t see fear. Put that gun down and let’s see just how bad you really are. Why don’t we do that?”

  “Oh sweetheart, let’s be clear. I don’t need the gun to deal with you. I just don’t feel like doing things any other way. See, I have somewhere very important to be after this is over, and I don’t feel like breaking a sweat.” Cicely stated the words as solemnly as she could, all while twisting a silver noise suppressor onto the front of its mate—a pink on chrome 9mm. As she was on the final twist, Cicely saw her nemesis flinch as though attempting to defeat her plans. “Don’t even think about it,” she hissed, through clenched teeth. “Your nice little body will hit the floor in a split second.”

  “What the fuck do you even want?” Alyssa asked. “Why are you here?”

  “This…” Cicely’s eyes rested on her opponent. She held her weapon tight, while reaching into her pocket to retrieve a small prescription bottle.

  “W-w-what… is that?” Alyssa stammered, and her voice quivered. She appeared to have finally caught onto the fact that she might be in her last moments of life.

  Cicely rattled the bottle, and pills could be heard hitting against the plastic. “Oh, this right here? This is your candy. It’s going to give you a sweet sendoff. It won’t seem like much at first; but you’ll feel really good after a few minutes. You might even thank me for it.”

  Alyssa shook her head adamantly. “I’m… I’m n-n-not tak—”

  “Oh, but you are. It’s a slower demise than feeling this lead. It’s really your call.” Cicely checked the time on her Baume & Mercier. “I have about twenty more minutes before I have to leave. So, we need to get this going.”

  “Please listen…” Alyssa tried reasoning.

  “There’s nothing to listen to. Nothing you could ever say would be of interest to me. You’ve said enough.”

  Alyssa put her hands together, and held them up to her mouth, her eyes pleading. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why? Why have you done any of the foul shit you’ve done? You’ve been sooo disrespectful. To everybody—including me.”

  “B-b-but we can talk this out. If it’s an apology you want… I’ll… I’ll give you that,” she petitioned; her hands outstretched. “Let’s just… let’s just talk it out.”

  “I’m over the chat. You went from being very rude and nasty, to now wanting to mellow out. I’m not interested in conversing with you. I’m interested in seeing you take these pills and then going fast asleep,” Cicely said sternly.

  “But—”

  “Here!” Cicely hissed, shoving two pills in her direction. “Two at a time.”

  Alyssa inhaled a deep breath, then puffed her chest out defiantly. “There’s no way that I’m taking that.”

  Having reached that phase of survival mode, Alyssa’s pleading had stopped. In its place was a firm stance that CiCi could almost respect.

  “That’s cute. I like that strength and gusto. Too bad it doesn’t serve this moment.”

  “I’m not trying to serve a moment. I’m just not—”

  “Of course, you are,” Cicely insisted, aiming the gun higher. “In case you haven’t noticed, the ball is not in your court. Do it!” she ordered, pushing her hand forward. “I don’t have all day.”

  Sticking firm to her decision, Alyssa shook her head, her eyes pinched closed. On the verge of tears, she replied, “I’m not—!” The side of the gun’s butt came smashing across the left side of her skull, sending her to her knees. “Nooo!” she yelped in pain. “Please! Why are you doing this?” she sobbed, as she held onto the newly-battered area of her face.

  “Take. The. Pills. The next time I have to say it, it’ll be different. Wouldn’t you rather fall asleep than—”

  “Neither!” she cried. “I don’t want either. What… what I want… is my baby,” she cried. “Why would you kill my baby?”

  “What the fuck did you say?”

  Alyssa held onto the side of her head, blood streaming down her hand and onto the floor beneath her. “My baby,” she blurted, through the pain. “I’m pregnant. And it’s Trevor’s…”

  43 | SKAI

  After I latched on my seatbelt, I laid my head against the headrest and rubbed my stomach. “I’m so full. That little place has to have some of the best food in the world.” I turned to look at Trevor in the driver’s seat. He seemed oddly quiet. I grabbed his wrist. “You good?” I asked him, as he pulled away from the curb.

  “Yeah, I’m good. That food was fire. I think I might have to hire me a chef to come in and cook Thai for me once a week.”

  “Right?! Shit, you do that, I’ll be home at least twice a month—at your house!”

  Trevor looked over at me for a few seconds, and then back at the road. “You know you’re welcome, right?”

  “I know.”

  “Mind if I ask you something?”

  “Since when do you ask if I mind?”

  “Since I’m figuring it’s kind of a sensitive topic.”

  “Oh shit. What is it?” I asked, slightly afraid.

  “Your dad. How is he? Haven’t seen him in years.”

  “And why would you? Him and my Mama are divorced. He don’t have any business… even on the block.”

  “I would’ve thought that he’d come to visit since you’re staying at the house. Unless he has, and I just didn’t see him.”

  “No, he hasn’t. I don’t really fuck with him like that.”

  “Serious?” He turned to look at me. “You must’ve taken your mom’s side in the divorce? I know that happens sometimes.”

  “The fact that he risked his whole family to lay down with a hoe, turned me off from him.”

  “Hold on. Not a hoe-hoe? By profession?”

  “It’s all the same to me. Just one is smarter than the other. The ones bustin’ it wide for whoever smiles at their bum asses, and not gettin’ paid… are dumb. Period. At least a pro-hoe is walking away with some type of payment for her services. You know a little something about that, right?” I shot.

  “Aww! That cut deep!”

  “I couldn’t help it. You left the door wide open for that one.”

  “Kinda like you left the door wide open for m
y tongue, huh?”

  “See!” I brought my hands to my face, and suddenly found myself laughing hysterically. “Why did you have to take it there? Just why?”

  “You started it by going on the attack. I was merely trying to have a conversation about the family dynamics. Then you took it there.”

  “Okay, well let me bring it on back then.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Trevor laughed.

  “But no, he hasn’t been to the house. He doesn’t even know that I’m in town. I haven’t called to tell him. Don’t even know if I will.”

  “I understand. Relationships with the parents can get kinda complex at times.”

  “What about you and your parents?” I asked.

  He shrugged, right as he switched the blinker to turn onto our block. “It is what it is with them. They sent money for my birthday. They called the night of the party. That was about it. Not the tightest knit, you know?”

  “They hired Lewis for you, though. So, they do care, Trevor.”

  “Yeah,” he stated dryly. “What are you doing for the rest of the night?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m super full. I’ll probably just lay it down.”

  Telling Trevor that I was going to lay down was for a specific reason—so he wouldn’t ask to come in. Or for me to come over. What happened between us felt really good. I couldn’t deny that even if I wanted to. But even as good as it felt, I didn’t know if I was ready for it to go further than that. Trevor was wild, with a lot of women. And I was career-focused. And we were friends! The best of them. So… yeah. And besides, would we even be able to have anything of substance if we were to take things all the way to exclusive? Honestly, I didn’t think so.

  We pulled into his driveway, and exited the vehicle.

  “Lewis is heading out of town soon; so I told him I’d hang out.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  All that time I spent going over a response in my head, and it was for no reason. I chuckled under my breath.

  “What’s funny?”

  Having been busted, I pushed out a fake cough to try confusing the situation. “Oh, I wasn’t laughing. It was a cough. I guess I’ll head in so you can go get ready.” I leaned in to give my friend a hug. “I had fun.”

  “Yeah, me too. But that’s always when we get to hang out.” He looked down at me, and our eyes lingered for a few seconds. “Alright, well let me walk you—”

  “It’s okay, Trevor. I’m good.”

  “That might be. Still walking you over. Come on.”

  Two hours later, I found myself doing something I hadn’t done in years… inconspicuously watching out my bedroom window as Trevor left the house all dressed up, and on his way out for the night. As usual, he looked amazing, wearing another one of his fedoras. There wasn’t enough light shining on him for me to see the colors, but I knew he had on tailored pants and a button-down that he had tucked in. It was a look similar to the one he wore for his party.

  As Trevor drove off, I reflected on how non-existent my social life had become. All I did was work, then go home, and then work some more. My career was flourishing; so, wasn’t it worth the sacrifice? I had for sure tried convincing myself that it was. Sometimes, though, the more I tried to convince myself that it was natural and beneficial for my future, the more I realized that I was lying to myself.

  I was home on vacation. Vacation was meant to be enjoyed, not to be spent as a recluse. “At all,” I found myself voicing out loud.

  So, with that, I went in search of my cellphone. It was time to scroll through and find a few old friends. Maybe I needed to get into a little something myself.

  44 | ELISE

  Centennial Hills

  Elise Brown stood in the large, open living space of her home. She stared out into the night, hypnotized by the soft ripples of water dancing on the surface of her swimming pool. She had been standing in that same spot for the past half hour. Being home alone was exactly what Elise needed. She loved her woman, but any time Elise went quiet, she had to constantly hear Samantha ask, “Baby, are you okay?” Or more specifically, “Does this have something to do with your sister?” And Elise just wasn’t up for that intrusion at the moment. No, in this moment, peace was what her soul desired.

  The truth of the matter was that, lately, everything had to do with Alyssa—including the turmoil that currently existed in her relationship with Samantha. Samantha was tired, and Elise couldn’t blame her. She was tired her damn self. Tired of disrespectful shenanigans from the big sister, who had taken on the role of the little sister. Alyssa had lost her damn mind, and Elise couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that happened, only that she was worse than she had ever been. On the outside looking in, Alyssa had literally set about being an adult version of the brat she was, as a child.

  What Elise wanted to do was beat the hell out of her, to let her know that she wasn’t to be fucked with. Take her ass down the way she often had to do when they were teenagers, and Alyssa let some foul shit pour from her mouth.

  The fuck is wrong with her stupid ass? Elise silently pondered, as though the magic of the swimming pool’s water would somehow provide her an answer. But there were no answers; only questions. Why would Alyssa be so committed to destroying what their aunt built from scratch? From blood, sweat, and tears! Why was she so hateful in her actions? Why did she feel such a sense of entitlement? The list of why’s could go on and on, and there would still be no answers at the end of the list. This much Elise knew.

  At this point, she felt that it was probably in her best interest to just give Alyssa what she was asking for, so that she could get the fuck on with her life. In that way, Elise would be left to continue growing the dynasty—without drama, without issues. And with the last voicemail, that was part threat, and part nice-nasty, settling would be the best thing. It would drive them apart forever. That hurt Elise for the sole reason, that they were all each other had. At least, as far as family went. There were no other siblings. They hadn’t been raised around any extended family.

  Tears came to Elise’s eyes. Sadness overtook her. They were the sisters that a lot of people often mistook for twins. They looked that much alike. However, their similarities stopped there. “Damn…” she sighed, breaking from her trance. She tilted her head back and looked skyward. With her eyes closed, she began to converse with her guardian angel:

  “Auntie, I miss you every day. I hope that while you’re watching, my actions are making you proud. I hope that while you’re watching that you know I plan to do everything to build A Queenz Plan into something bigger than you ever imagined. I want to thank you for having faith in me. I want to thank you for your guidance, and for being all that you were for my life. There is nothing and nobody that will rob me of your life’s dream. I promise you that. I guess I just need you to know that your legacy is, and always has been safe with me. I love you, Auntie…”

  “She is watching, baby… and she knows.”

  It was Samantha’s soothing voice from behind her. Samantha’s arms found their way around Elise, engulfing her in warmth right when she needed it most. Feeling safe, Elise finally let her guard down, succumbed to the hurt, and allowed the load of pent-up emotions to overtake her for the very first time. The tears were for the loss of life as she once knew it, and realizing that she had to be okay with what would now be her new normal.

  45 | TREVOR

  “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite guys.”

  “Hey, Amber, what’s up?”

  “Nothing much. What’s up with you, Lewis… Trevor? You guys up to no good tonight?”

  “Thought we were,” I answered. “But my boy Lew, here… has looked at his watch like twenty times already.”

  “Aww shit. You caught that?” Lewis asked.

  “Every time.” I picked up my drink and did an air toast. “I guess somebody’s waiting somewhere.”

  “Really?” Amber snapped. “Replaced me before I could even get a date.”

  I looked up at
Amber and shook my head, before taking a drag off my cigar.

  “A date?” Lewis asked, after doing the same. “Don’t you have a man?”

  “Had a man,” she answered.

  “Well, shit, that was quick,” I responded. “What happened? Did he find out that you were still single while he was in a relationship?”

  “Whatever, Trevor. It just wasn’t the right time.”

  “I hope you gave that man his ring back,” I said, causing Lewis to laugh. “No really. Did you?” I asked Amber.

  “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”

  “Translation… you still have it.”

  “And?”

  “Give that man back his ring,” Lewis commented.

  “You gonna take me out?” she asked him. “If I give him back the ring, are we going out?”

  I stood from my seat, then grabbed my drink off the table. “I’m gonna leave you guys to this little game of tag. I’ll be back.”

  ~*~*~

  “Hey, can you I hand this over to you, man?”

  “Oh, for sure,” the bartender answered with a nod and a smile.

  The thing about Davidoff’s was that it had some of the best customer service in Vegas. They kept a great crowd, the bartenders knew their shit, the best cigars, and the hosts and hostesses were next-level.

  I passed my glass over the bar to him. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “You want another?” he asked.

  “Nah, I’m good. Got a feeling I’ll be leaving soon.”

  “Okay, let me know if you change your mind.”

  From the bar area, I could see that Amber was still keeping Lewis company. “Ha!” I chuckled under my breath. I had no doubts that he was going to have her out of her thong by the end of the night.

  I was preparing to step away from the bar area when I felt eyes on me—hard. I didn’t bother investigating because as crazy as it sounds, I wasn’t really looking to take a chick home with me. So, it didn’t make sense to start something I had no plans to finish.