Drama 99 FM

by Janine A. Morris

  “You know I’m shy. I’m not trying anything,” Naomi said.

  “Well, you better toughen up. New York men don’t wait around for shy.”

  Naomi knew what Devora meant. Still, she knew she wasn’t on Tyreek’s level. Tyreek probably had a slew of girls, and if they looked anything like the girls he was dancing with in the video, Naomi didn’t feel she stood a chance.

  Chapter 9

  Monday morning everything was as usual at the radio station—except the midday jock wasn’t in yet. Madison was running around trying to see if he would be there in time for his shift, which began in five minutes. No one could get him on the phone, and he hadn’t reached out to anyone. For all anyone knew, he was oversleeping in a deep coma from the fun night out the station staff had had the night before. She’d told him to leave more than once because he needed to be at the station on time regardless. He never did listen to her, and it looked like—just as she predicted—the evening and his drinks had taken a toll on him.

  “Alexis, go to the studio and ask someone from the morning show to fill in for his shift until he gets here,” Madison said to her assistant who was sitting at her computer.

  “OK,” Alexis said as she stood to walk to the back.

  Madison went into her office. She hated starting off her work weeks on a bad foot. She began checking her messages and getting settled in. The third message was from Neil, manager of Polytics. He was inviting Madison to Polytics’s album listening party that Wednesday night at the Hit Factory. Madison penciled down the information, erased the message, and continued on. By the time she was done, she saw Alexis’s head bopping down the hall toward her.

  “OK, Citrus is going to do it,” Alexis said.

  “Great, thanks.”

  Alexis turned toward her desk to sit back down. Madison then thought about how Citrus had the tendency to be on the wild side.

  “Alexis, call him and let him know to tone it down some and stick to the music scheduled—no slipups!” Madison yelled.

  Madison went back to what she was doing. She finished responding to some e-mails and returning some calls. Before she knew it, it was a quarter to twelve, and the “New Music at Noon” was about to begin. Madison finished her coffee and walked back to the studio to make sure Citrus understood which songs to play in this segment. She made her way back and on the way glanced up at the picture of Polytics’s album cover on the wall. She remembered the conversation they’d had when they met and how she’d wondered if Kristin thought she was flirting. She thought about it all of forty seconds until she was standing in the studio doorway trying to get Citrus’s attention. The “on air” light was off, but he was prerecording some breaks for his weekend show. After he saw Madison standing there, he quickly finished his sentence, wrapped up, and hit the STOP button. Madison informed him what the rules were for the show and showed him the list of songs he was allowed to choose from for the next thirty minutes. Citrus expressed his understanding of the rules, and Madison went about her business. After spending a few moments in a colleague’s office, Madison made it back to her office. Coincidently, as soon as she walked in, she heard Citrus introducing the next new song of the day, Polytics’s upcoming single. Madison could only chuckle on the inside.

  Just as she sat back in her office chair, she noticed that SoundScan had been sent over, and she instantly opened it and began to look through the report. She got lost in the data, looking at nationwide sales versus New York sales, etc. She took notes on some of the albums and singles she wanted to discuss with her programming staff and placed some sticky notes on the report. Just as she was wrapping up, her assistant came into her doorway.

  “Jamahl is on the phone,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Madison said and immediately picked up her phone receiver. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey,” he replied. “I was calling to remind you we have that dinner Wednesday after work.”

  “Oh, yeah, for your cousin’s graduation. Yes, I remember. I’ll meet you there after work.”

  “OK, that’s fine.”

  A moment went by, and neither of them said anything.

  “Is that the only reason you called?” she asked.

  “Well, that and to say hello. I didn’t get to see you or speak to you much yesterday.”

  “That’s very true. I did miss you. We should do dinner later tonight. What you think?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Jamahl replied.

  “OK, call me when you get off. We can go somewhere around here.”

  After they finished making their plan, Madison hung up and went back to her computer. She began drafting her e-mail to her staff regarding the SoundScan reports and the points she felt they should discuss in their meeting tomorrow. She decided she was going to make another cup of coffee to get her a quick boost of energy. She went to the kitchen, made her cup of coffee while chatting with some of her colleagues, and blew on her hot cup to cool it off on her way back. It was already close to two o’clock by the time Madison took a seat in her office—half the day was gone. She was well aware she wasn’t leaving at exactly five o’clock anyway, but she was happy to see that the business day was almost over.

  “Madison, Neil is on the phone,” Alexis announced.

  “OK,” Madison replied. She sipped her coffee and then answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Maddie, it’s me, Neil. I was calling to put you through with Polytics. He wanted to speak with you.”

  “OK,” Madison replied.

  “Hold on one second.”

  Madison’s mind wondered what this could be about and how Polytics had some nerve to have someone call her for him and expect her to hold.

  “Madison?” Polytics asked.

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “Hi, how are you? So sorry to have you on hold. I just didn’t want to call and cause any excitement with your assistants or whoever.”

  It was as if Polytics had read her mind.

  “Oh, it’s no problem.”

  “Well, I was calling because I wanted to personally invite you to my album listening session this Wednesday.”

  “Oh, yes. Neil left me a message this morning.”

  “I know, I told him to. But I wanted to call and invite you myself and let you know how very disappointed I would be if you didn’t make it out.”

  Just as Madison was about to say of course she would be there, she remembered her reminder call from Jamahl a few hours prior.

  “You know what, Polytics…I do have another engagement to attend, but—”

  “Oh, no. Don’t make me postpone it just for you. I really want you there.”

  Madison blushed slightly; she didn’t want him to notice she was actually a bit flattered. “I was just going to say I will figure out how to do both.”

  “OK, great. I will be looking out for you. I won’t let them press PLAY until I see you in the building,” Polytics said.

  “Bet.”

  Madison still was a bit uncomfortable speaking with Polytics because they hadn’t formed enough of a relationship for her to tell exactly how he was coming at her, so she decided to wrap up the phone call on that note.

  “So, I’ll see you then.”

  “OK,” he said.

  “OK, bye.”

  Madison hung up before he could interject with anything else. She felt like he was surrounding her. Because of his music, his pictures, and his calls, she felt like he was all she had been able to think about all day. Now she was trying to figure out how she was going to keep her commitment to attend his album listening event and the dinner with her fiancé. It was absolutely normal for her to attend an album release party or a listening party, and there was no reason this one should be any different. She was starting to wonder if she was making something bigger out of this than it was.

  Chapter 10

  Sereeta used her key to open the door to Corey’s home; she saw two of his cars in the driveway, and she wasn’t sure if he was there or not. She was coming by
to get his bags ready for the next few games on the road, and she had to be done within an hour and back to the stadium to put his press suit in the cleaners.

  As soon as she stepped indoors, she noticed the place was a mess. She looked around and noticed pillows from the couch on the floor, the magazine rack knocked over, and chairs and cushions all over the living room. She figured Corey had had company over the night before, and she hadn’t been invited. She walked farther into the house and noticed some articles of clothing in different parts of the house. How wild did the party get that everyone forgot stuff behind? Sereeta asked herself. She left everything right where it was; her job duties didn’t include being a maid, so she wasn’t about to create any expectations on his part.

  She walked through the living room and the family room and made her way up the staircase. As she reached the top of the stairs, she spotted feet and legs in the bathroom ahead. She stopped at first, thinking it was Corey and not wanting to surprise him while he wasn’t fully dressed. Having heard her steps, the person poked his head out of the bathroom door, and Sereeta realized it wasn’t Corey. It was one of the guys from his team, but Sereeta didn’t know his name—he didn’t play that much.

  “Hi, there,” the guy said.

  “Hi,” Sereeta said as she slowly took a few more steps down the hall.

  “Darnell,” the guy said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “My name is Darnell. What’s yours again?”

  “Oh, Sereeta. Nice to meet you…again,” Sereeta said, trying not to show her discomfort.

  Lemme find out Corey is with that down-low stuff, Sereeta thought. She was mad she had stumbled upon this guy brushing his teeth in the bathroom after having spent the night at Corey’s house. This was one of those big secrets that would be hard for Sereeta to pretend she didn’t notice. Although Sereeta was definitely uncomfortable, Darnell didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by her presence. Sereeta continued past the bathroom and down the hall toward Corey’s bedroom. The door was cracked a bit, and Sereeta could see that one of the lamps was on inside. Once she pushed the door open, she instantly noticed a half-naked woman lying in the bed. Sereeta jumped.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sereeta said.

  “Oh, no problem,” the young lady said as she pulled the sheet over her body.

  Sereeta didn’t know if she should leave or continue with her assignment.

  “You came to join the party?” the young lady asked Sereeta after she noticed she wasn’t leaving the room.

  “Excuse me?” Sereeta said.

  Just as she was waiting for the lady to respond, she heard a voice coming from the other side of the room.

  “Who are you talking to, Kyleea?” said a young lady coming out of the master bathroom.

  Sereeta looked her up and down and noticed she was in a robe—looked like it was Corey’s robe at that.

  “Oh, hi,” the chick said.

  “Hi,” Sereeta said.

  “I’m Bianca,” the girl said.

  “Hi, I’m Sereeta. Corey’s personal assistant.”

  The girls giggled.

  “Aren’t you lucky,” Bianca said.

  “I guess,” Sereeta said. “I’ll be right back. Can you excuse me?”

  Sereeta stepped out and down the hallway. Darnell was still in the bathroom washing his face. Sereeta put it together now; Darnell wasn’t ashamed of being caught in his boxers in Corey’s house because there were plenty of women to go around in the Cox mansion.

  Sereeta took out her phone and called Corey.

  “Hi, Corey, I’m sorry to bother you, but I just got to your house to pack your bags, and you still have guests in your bedroom; I’m not sure if I should do this later.”

  “No, no. Tell them to go downstairs to the living room, or have Darnell get them out. I need my bags here on time, and I need my suits here now; the on-site cleaners can’t take the players’ clothes for same-day service after one PM.”

  “OK,” Sereeta replied. “So just ask them to go downstairs?”

  “No, tell them. Listen, Sereeta, you got to get that stuff here. There’s no time to be shy.”

  “OK,” Sereeta said.

  A bit angered by the fact that Corey was getting a bit smart, especially when he was the one having orgies in his house, she headed back into the bedroom.

  “Bianca, Kyleea…I’m sorry, but I have to take care of some things in here. Would you ladies mind sitting downstairs for a while or going into the guest bedroom for now? Darnell is out there.”

  “Who is Darnell?” Kyleea asked Bianca.

  “The one I was with—Corey’s teammate,” Bianca answered.

  “Oh.” Kyleea giggled as she scooted off the bed.

  The two of them took their time as they began to gather some of their things and head out of the bedroom.

  “Thank you, guys. When I’m done you can come back up.”

  Sereeta didn’t bother to see where they went—downstairs or into the guest bedroom. All she wanted to do was pack Corey’s bags and get out of there. She didn’t even want to know exactly what had gone on last night between Corey, Darnell, and whoever else was over.

  Sereeta began packing some tracksuits and jeans out of Corey’s drawers and closets. He had instructed her before as to what exactly he liked to pack for road games and how much of everything. This was only his second trip she had packed for him, but she already had a grasp on what she was doing. She took the three pairs of 7 For All Mankind jeans out of the closet and placed them in his bag, tucked everything to the side, and closed the bag. She filled the front pouch with his socks and wristbands, put his boxers and wife beaters on the other side, and zipped the bag completely closed. She grabbed suits and things off closet hooks and then headed downstairs with his bag and clothes in hand.

  Once she got midway down the stairs she began to hear the giggle of one of the females. Sereeta rolled her eyes and continued down. She reached the living room and saw one of the girls lying on top of Darnell, kissing his neck with her left hand in his pants. The other young lady was sitting close by with a big grin on her face. Darnell looked over and saw Sereeta standing there.

  “You finished up?” he asked, speaking over the girl whose face was buried in his neck.

  “Uh, yeah,” Sereeta said.

  “OK, tell Corey I’ll lock up and be at the stadium in an hour.”

  “OK, will do.”

  The lady stayed in action during their exchange of words, as though Sereeta’s presence had no effect on her little porno movie. Sereeta turned away and headed toward the door; neither girl said good-bye, and neither did she. Sereeta was grown, so it wasn’t as though she was naive that things of that nature actually happened for real—and not just in the music videos and movies—but to witness it firsthand just threw her for a loop. She had to ask herself what these chicks were doing that to themselves for—they couldn’t possibly understand how gross they looked. Sereeta wondered sometimes if she was the one missing something—maybe they were the smart ones, and she was the dummy. Besides, she was the one working like a slave to earn her check when all they had to do was open their legs.

  Sereeta hopped in the Suburban Corey had provided her for the day. The driver turned back and said, “To the stadium?”

  “Yes,” she replied. She instantly pulled out her cell phone. Within a few moments, Reyna was on the other end. “You wouldn’t believe what some girls are willing to do just to be in these guys’ presence,” she blurted out as soon as Reyna said hello.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I just left Corey’s house, and these chicks were in there with his teammate, and it was just disgusting.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “Well, while I was there, not so much, but last night and before I got there, who knows.”

  Before Reyna could inquire more, Sereeta’s phone beeped. Sereeta looked at the phone and saw it was Corey.

  “Hold on,” she told Reyna. “Hel
lo?” she said to Corey.

  “Hey, you on your way here?” he asked.

  “Yes, I will be there in about fifteen minutes.”

  “OK, great. I am also going to need you to book two flights.”

  “OK,” Sereeta said as she pulled out her pad.

  “Both from JFK to Cleveland—one for Bianca Watts, and the other for Kyleea Jones. If you need any of their information, call Darnell at the house—he will have it.”

  Sereeta couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “OK, I’ll get right to it,” she responded.

  “Alright, I will see you soon,” he said.

  Sereeta hung up and clicked back over to Reyna. “Girl, I have to go. I have to go book flights for those two skanks I was telling you about.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah, I guess they want them to continue pleasuring them when they get to their next game in Cleveland. So let me go book these flights before he calls me with something else.”

  Reyna laughed. “OK, talk to you later.”

  Sereeta took the airline number out of her BlackBerry and called Darnell to get the ladies’ information. She had already told herself she wouldn’t talk directly to the chicks—she didn’t want any part of what was going on.

  Chapter 11

  The high-waist jeans and button-up top were far from the most fashionable outfit in the place, but Madison felt confident. Her gold stilettos and exposed cleavage added the touch of sexy she needed, and she was good to go. She walked around the room looking for Polytics or Neil to let them know she had arrived, but neither of them were anywhere to be found.

  The room was huge, almost resembling a giant Manhattan loft. Off to her left behind her was a large glass wall that separated the room from the studio. From the open area you could see directly into the studio where all the equipment, speakers, and microphones were. There were a few couches and tables scattered along the wall, and there was a bar in one corner of the room. It was a new studio Madison hadn’t been to yet—most of the listening parties she attended were at Sony Studios. She wasn’t surprised that Polytics would want to use the new and “exclusive” Hit Factory studio for his listening event.