Black Lace: Book 4 of the Black Butterfly Series

by Nika Michelle

  There was an anxious look on his face when he stepped inside my office.

  “You wanted to see me Miss Beauvois?” He asked as he passed me my mail.

  “Thank you and yes. Please have a seat,” I said as I pointed to the chair right across from me.

  He sat down and nodded.

  “I know I thanked you yesterday, but I don’t think that was enough. Gratitude does not have a price, but I do know that you’re too qualified to be working in the mail room. I would like to offer you a promotion and a bonus.”

  There was a huge smile on Brock’s face and I knew that he was satisfied with my way of showing my appreciation.

  “Really? I mean, I did just get my BS a few months ago. I was waiting for this. Thank you so much.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he spoke.

  “You’re welcome. You are now in sales, so I want you to show what you learned in all of those business and economics classes. Soon you may be in management. You have definitely showed that you are a man of action.” I smiled at him as I clasped my hands together on top of my desk.

  Brock cleared his throat and then fixed his aqua blue eyes upon mine. His demeanor changed suddenly as he nervously rubbed his hands together.

  “You’re right. I am a man of action and that’s why I have to do this. What happened yesterday further proves that life is too short for regrets.”

  When he reached across the desk to grab my hand, I knew where the conversation was headed. There was no way to avoid the inevitable. As much as I wanted him to shut up, he continued with his confession. Before he could protest, I moved my hand out of his reach and waited for the train wreck that was about to happen.

  “I’m in love with you. I have been since the moment I laid eyes on you. That was before I even came to work here. There was no way I was going to let Grady take you away from me. You may look at me and think I’m just some young man who is still wet behind the ears, but that’s not the case. I know what I want and that’s you. There’s no way I could let another day go by without telling you how I feel. Please, just think about it. I know that this is overwhelming, but…”

  I cut him off before he could embarrass himself any further.

  “I’m so sorry Brock, but my feelings are not the same as yours. As you know, I have a child and a fiancée. Our relationship is strictly professional. I am grateful to you for saving my life, but I cannot reciprocate those feelings. Now, let’s forget that you even said any of that if you want to keep your job and your bonus. Okay.” I had agreed to let him keep his job although I knew I should’ve fired him. Still, the fact that he was the office hero made that hard.

  He looked hurt, but pulled himself together quickly. There was suddenly a smile on his face, despite the fact that I had rejected him.

  “I would like to keep my job. Don’t worry. I’m not some psycho like Grady. I just figured it was a chance worth taking. I kind of knew in my heart that there was no way in hell I’d be lucky enough to get you. Thank you for everything Miss Beauvois.” He stood up and quickly left my office.

  After that, I decided that it was time for me to head home. On my way there a feeling of uncertainty washed over me. Had I made a mistake by keeping Brock on board? There was just something about his sudden expression of feelings for me. For some reason I felt uneasy, but obligated to let him keep his job. Something told me I would live to regret it. His claim to not be a psycho made me question just that.

  Chapter 8

  Seantay

  “No, I’m not putting my child through that again,” Angeline said giving me and Raheem a scrutinizing look.

  We had decided to meet her at an upscale seafood restaurant in South Beach. Elise was away at Howard University in Washington, DC, but was aware of the fact that Dean was getting another trial.

  “But she will have to if we want to avoid any…trouble,” Rah pointed out.

  Angeline placed a finger under her chin and stared off into space like she was in deep thought. After letting out a deep sigh she relented.

  “I guess you’re right. I just didn’t think it would come to this. I thought we had an open and shut case. I guess it is coming back to haunt us now,” she said as she shook her head.

  “If Elisa sticks to what she said before, it should all work out fine,” I said not really believing that myself. I just wanted to make sure that there were no holes in her story to make it look like a lie.

  “They say that they have evidence to prove that he’s innocent. Is there any way we can find out what that is, so we’ll know what we’re fighting against,” Elise said looking like she wanted to just throw in the towel at any second.

  The stress she’d been under since her husband’s public scandal and Dean’s first trial had taken its toll on her and it was obvious.

  I looked up and made eye contact with her. “Money talks, so getting that information is actually the easiest part. Believe me Angelina, I’m on it.”

  She managed to smile as she put on a pair of black, oversized sunglasses. “I have to go, but please keep me posted on that.”

  “I will,” I agreed to her back as she sashayed away.

  Rah squeezed my hand and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

  “It’s going to be okay baby. Everything’s going to work out,” he whispered in my ear reassuringly.

  “I hope so…” Even as I said that, I didn’t think it would.

  * * *

  Later on that evening I was lounging on the balcony overlooking the beautiful view of the city with LaTisha. We were taking shots of coconut 1800 and smoking a fat ass blunt. It was a much needed session because we were both feeling the pressure about Dean’s new trial.

  “I can’t believe that bullshit though Tay!” LaTisha yelled as she flicked ashes from the blunt into the crystal ashtray that sat on the patio table.

  “Me either. It hasn’t even been that long. Where the fuck did he get the money for a lawyer? I thought Elisa got most of his estate and shit,” I said before taking another shot of the sweet liquor.

  “Hmm, I read on Media Take Out that he has a fan club of women who had set up a Fundme.com account to raise money for him. Shit, I heard that he got almost a hundred stacks the first month.” She shook her head. “Thirsty ass bitches trip me out. They’d do anything for a damn man. If one of our asses were locked up we’d just be shit outta luck. Ain’t no niggas goin’ be lined up to devote all that time and effort to get us out. I mean, your folks got you, but the average chick would rot in fuckin’ prison.”

  I sighed and took the blunt from her outstretched hand. As I took a pull, I heard the glass patio doors open and close.

  “Baby, do you and Tisha want something to eat? I know you haven’t had anything since lunch with Angelina,” Raheem said as he made his way closer to me.

  “I am a little hungry babe. Are you going to cook?” I asked rubbing my stomach for emphasis.

  He let out a chuckle. “Nah, I was going to get our personal chef to do it.”

  “Well, that is what I’m used to,” I said giving him the eye.

  “I know,” he said taking the blunt from me. He took a couple pulls and continued. “So, what do you ladies have a taste for?”

  “Uh, I don’t know,” LaTisha said. “What can you cook?”

  “If you can say it, I can cook it.”

  I shook my head at my man. He was always bragging about what he could do.

  “I’m really not that hungry, so something light will be good. How about a tossed salad. There’s some Romaine lettuce in there. Make sure you add some cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded cheese and add some of that grilled salmon we got yesterday. That shit was amazing. Oh and is there still some Balsamic Vinaigrette in there?”

  “A whole bottle.”

  “Is that cool with you Tisha?” I asked as Rah passed her the blunt.

  “Yeah. Sounds good to me.”

  Rah went back inside and left us to continue our conversation.

  “So,” LaTisha asked with
a sly look on her face. “What’s the plan? I know you got one.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “For now just remember what you initially said. I have something in mind that will have the DA like putty in my hands.”

  “Word?” The curious look she was wearing told me that she wanted to know exactly what the plan was.

  Since she’d been in on that shit with me since day one, I didn’t hesitate to tell her. So far she’d been loyal as hell, so I felt that there was a level of trust between us.

  “Damn,” she squealed once the scheme I was going to pull was out in the open. “You think it’s gonna work?”

  “I have no idea, but it’s damn sure worth a try.”

  Tisha filled our shot glasses and then raised hers for a toast.

  “To making sure the past stays locked in the past,” she said clinking her glass with mine.

  “I second that one boo.” I took the shot like a champ.

  “It has to work Tay, or we’re fucked,” she said all of a sudden sounding skeptical.

  I didn’t say anything. All I could do was think about the repercussions of our actions.

  * * *

  Panic set in as I looked around frantically in the pitch black dark. I couldn’t see anything in front of me, so I started to use my sense of hearing to make observations of my surrounding. There was nothing but the sound of quiet. I had to be in my bedroom, but usually the room was a lot brighter being that I lived in the city. There was also a strong smell of something burning.

  When I tried to move my legs, I realized that they were tied up behind me and so were my hands.

  “Arrgghh!!” I tried to yell out, but it was muffled by something over my mouth.

  I thought about Rah. Where was he? I had fell asleep beside him in a drunk stupor right after LaTisha left.

  Something told me that I wasn’t in my apartment anymore. Then the smell of smoke got stronger and I could see bright orange embers dancing around me. The fire lit up the room and I could see that I was in a strange place. I was on a bed, but it wasn’t my bed in my apartment and Rah wasn’t there.

  Tears burned my eyes as the flames licked the bedding and then spread quickly. When I looked up I spotted Dean and Nafis walking into the room.

  “I wish we could watch that bitch burn alive, but we have to get out of here before the place blows,” Dean said with a sly grin on his face.

  The flames glowed on their faces making them look like the devils that they were. All I could do was cry and pray. It wasn’t like I could move, or plead for them to let me go. Then I thought about my family, Reba and Rah. I wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to them.

  “Mi ravished the pum pum while she was out,” Nafis said with a cackle of laughter.

  That asshole had raped me when I was passed out? If only I could get my hands loose. I was scared, but the fear had brought out the fight in me. I tried to free my hands and ankles, but it was to no avail.

  Nafis and Dean just stood there laughing at me as the flames started to get closer. I closed my eyes and prayed harder at that point. There wasn’t anything else to do. The flames were on my flesh and the burning sensation made me scream out in agony as the two men stood there with malice in their dark, empty eyes.

  “Baby, it’s okay. It was just a nightmare,” I heard Raheem whisper in my ear.

  My eyes jerked open and I realized that I had been having a bad dream. The white, sheer curtains swooshed around the opened window. The bright lights from the city casted a glow into the room that illuminated Rah’s face. I could feel the sweat that had accumulated on my body and face from the fear I’d just experienced. Tears also fell to my lips as Rah kissed me softly.

  “It’s okay baby. I’m gonna get a wet cloth for your face and something for you to change out of those sweaty clothes,” he said getting up to do what he’d said.

  I was still shaking and hadn’t said anything at all. I was just sitting there thinking about how real that damn dream seemed. What if it was a revelation of what was bound to happen? Damn, I had to do something and I had to do it fast. Either that, or I was going to go fucking crazy worrying about what they were going to do to me.

  * * *

  Two days had passed and Chang finally had something for me and Raheem. The new DA was named Richard Monroe. He was a handsome white man in his mid-fifties. With salt and pepper hair and sexy light brown eyes, he resembled George Clooney. It had been rumored that just like Franklin Williams, he was also a lady’s man. I knew that with the right dirt on him, I could get exactly what I wanted.

  “Our “lady’s man” has a huge secret,” Chang filled me and Rah in.

  We were at the loft and I was hoping he had something I could really work with.

  “Okay. What is it?” I asked ready to move my plans forward. If I could black mail the DA, I could find out what evidence Dean had to clear himself. If what he had was bad enough, I could ensure a guilty verdict in Dean’s second trial. All I wanted was for him to serve his sentence out.

  Chang pulled out his lap top and started clicking away and shit as he talked. “So, I hacked DA Monroe’s email accounts and found out that he has been corresponding with some prostitute that he met on Craigslist. The thing is, the prostitute is an eighteen year old man. Come to find out, the DA has a thing for young boys. I accessed his bank accounts and found out that he’s been paying a pretty penny for the young man’s services. That’s all the proof I have though. I emailed one Chris Love in hopes that he will help you set Monroe up.”

  My thoughts were way off base with what Chang exposed. Never in a million years would I have been prepared for that. All I thought we were going to find was maybe an extra marital affair with some younger woman. Shit, what Chang had to say was not expected at all and left my mouth hanging open. I had to consider the fact that you really couldn’t put anything past anybody.

  “Damn, he’s gay? Eww. I wouldn’t have ever thought. To think he’s fifty and his man whore is eighteen. He’s a perv,” I said with a disgusted look that contorted my beauty into pure ugliness.

  “Yup,” Chang agreed. “It’s called Ephebophilia.”

  “Huh?” I asked glancing at Rah, who was studying what Chang had pulled up on the computer screen.

  “It’s when a middle aged man is attracted to males

  from the ages of 15-19. Shit, never mind,” Chang chuckled.

  I wished he’d just leave the scientific terms out of the conversation.

  “Has he responded to your message yet?” Rah asked.

  “Not yet, but I’m sure that he will soon. From the messages between them, I gather that Chris is trying to pay his college tuition and he has not come out to his family yet. The black mail can go both ways and with a little money thrown in the pot, I’m sure he’ll be down to do whatever you ask,” Chang replied with an awkward look on his face. “You don’t want to read any further Rah. I promise.”

  Rah looked away from the computer and then grabbed my hand for a squeeze. “Well, set up a meeting with him and let me know when.”

  “Okay,” Chang said as he closed his lap top and glanced at his watch. “I have to pick Reba up from class in fifteen minutes, so I’ll hit you up asap.”

  “Tell Reb to call me,” I said as an afterthought. We hadn’t really talked since I got the news about Dean.

  “Will do,” Chang said on his way out.

  “Well, I have dinner with the folks in a couple hours, so I’m going to take a shower. You want to give your girl some of that good dick first?” I asked Rah as I nibbled on his earlobe.

  He grabbed me around my waist and pulled my body into his. “You think I’m gonna refuse that good good?”

  “You better not,” I smiled and kissed him. It was all in an effort to forget about what was going on with Dean and Nafis.

  I had changed my number and hoped that Nafis would just leave me alone. Maybe my man was right. There was no way Nafis could just get released from jail like that. He was just trying to fuck with
me. Raheem stood up and followed me to the bathroom. I figured a love session with my man would be just what I needed to put my mind and body at ease.

  Chapter 9

  Seandra

  I was bursting to tell my sisters about what Ahmad had done and how I really felt about it, but I kept quiet instead. They had a million questions about Pierre though, but I played it off like it was nothing. Deep down inside I was intrigued by him. We had just had a dinner of smoked brisket, rice pilaf, grilled asparagus and fresh baked sour dough bread with our parents. On the way to our vehicles, Seantay started the line of questioning again.

  “Fine ass Pierre.” She shook her head. “Are you even tempted?”

  “No,” I said quickly

  Renell gave me an accusing glance before focusing on Seantay. “Stop it Tay. Don’t put ideas in her head.”

  “Don’t talk about me like I’m not right here. I swear,” I spat as I got behind the wheel of my car.

  “I’m not. It’s just…well…I know how a man like him can be very enticing,” Renell said looking regretful all of a sudden.

  “Whatever. You act like I’m some thirsty ass chick or something. I’m happy with my man. If you’d be tempted that’s you. I guess Ricky isn’t hitting it right, or something since you’re so damn worried about me and what the hell I’m tempted to do,” I said getting all offended.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that Seandra. It wasn’t like that, but since you want to get all serious…”

  “Look, calm down ya’ll. Damn. What the hell?” Seantay spoke up with a worried look on her face. “Now, we’re not going to do this. I know we all have a lot going on, but this is not the way to deal with it.”