Beating the Odds

by Sherrod Tunstall

  Taylor glared at him with disgust. She drifted off as he continued to go on and on about the future he wanted with her. Please, you idiot. I only give my goodies up to the rich and famous or for the right price, and you meet none of those qualifications. Not one, so stop fooling yourself. This is all Desmond’s.

  Taylor interrupted his rambling. “I’ll let you know something soon.” She licked the tip of his nose as she got up. She strutted to the door then blew him a kiss before walking out.

  That fast, Desmond was back in her thoughts. First a bath, brush my teeth to get his taste out of my mouth, and then my Desmond.

  Chapter 7

  First Encounter

  Club Zero Zero’s vibe was hot that night. It was so thick with partygoers that you could barely move. They were playing the latest music by both North America and South America’s hottest artists.

  Armand walked in, looking sharp in an olive-colored Ralph Lauren suit and black Armani loafers. Diamond was by his side, shining in her new outfit and looking like a real trophy. Her MAC makeup was on point, and her hair was full of loose curls. She had all the men in the club turning their heads, wondering where Armand had found another beauty. The two of them found their table, where many of their guests already were.

  A six foot four Italian man stood up with his hand extended. “Mr. Castro, nice to see you again.”

  They shook hands.

  “Please, Bruno, call me Armand.”

  Armand had wanted to do business with Bruno Bello, a well-known mobster, for some time now. He was the leader of the Bello crime family that had been around for decades. They were known for drugs, illegal gambling, money laundering, loan sharking and other activities that were all covered up by the Bellos’ multi-billion-dollar empire. From law firms to construction companies, real estate firms, and even record companies in St. Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Italy, and Tokyo . . . they owned it all. Now he wanted to expand his empire into Rio, and he was there to make a connection with the right partners.

  Diamond couldn’t believe how handsome Bruno was. In her eyes, he resembled HBO’s True Blood actor, Joe Manganiello. He had the body to match, which showed well in a white Perry Ellis suit and his Kenneth Cole shoes.

  Bruno’s eyes shifted to Diamond. “Armand, who is this sexy bombshell?”

  He eyed her up and down like she was melted ice cream on his lips that he wanted to lick. His stare made Armand furious, but he had to remember that he was conducting business and Diamond was his key to success.

  “This is my lady, Diamond.”

  Bruno reached for Diamond’s hand, kissing it. “Mmmm. You truly are a diamond, babe.”

  A female cleared her throat at Bruno’s table then rolled her eyes. To Diamond, the woman was extremely attractive, and she could tell that she was a model. She rocked a sleeveless cowl-neck dress with Michael Kors red heels. She sparkled in a David Yurman diamond necklace with matching oval earrings. Her hair was black, with Chinese bangs resting on her forehead.

  “Diamond, this is my date, Milena.”

  “Hello,” she said.

  The waiter came to take their drink orders.

  “Let me get a caipirinha,” Armand said.

  “Make that two,” Bruno replied, giving the peace sign.

  “A red wine for me,” Milena said softly.

  Before Diamond could say what she wanted, Armand said, “Get her water.”

  Milena looked at Armand. Asshole. She looked over at Diamond, who had so much sadness in her eyes. This girl has a story to tell. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she really didn’t care, especially when the DJ played a hit song by Brazil’s up-and-coming underground rapper,

  Love Bullet. His song “Mimi” was off the chain. There was a touch of Tyga, Trey Songz, and Kanye West all wrapped into his music.

  Milena got up and snapped her fingers. “This is my song.” She pulled on Bruno’s suit jacket. “Come on, Bruno. Dance with me.”

  “No, babe. I got business to take care of.” He pulled out a Cuban cigar.

  Milena looked over at Diamond. “Come on, girl. You want to have some fun, don’t you?”

  Before Diamond could say anything, Milena took her hand, pulling her out of the chair. They hit the dance floor, dancing wildly and sexy as ever. Armand narrowed his eyes as he looked over at Sandino, who was standing by the bar. Sandino knew what that signal meant.

  Outside on the patio Brad, his crew, and the girls from The Nuth were enjoying the cool night air and drinking. Brad looked at the dance floor to see who or what the crowd was looking at. He couldn’t really see, but the second he went inside, he saw his dream girl, Diamond. She was dancing up close and personal with Milena. That, of course, made him smile.

  Once the music quieted down, the crowd shifted in another direction, causing Brad to lose sight of her. He kept peeking over the partygoers, and that’s when he saw her enter the ladies’ room with Milena.

  * * *

  While in the ladies room, Milena was touching up her makeup. She glanced at Diamond, who was washing her hands with a sad look on her face.

  “Are you okay, doll?”

  “Yes, but I . . . I just wish I could go home,” Diamond answered.

  “Don’t worry. Armand and Bruno’s meeting will—”

  “No, not that home.” Diamond cut her off and started to cry. “I just want to be free and be my own woman.”

  Milena had a whole new view of this woman, one very different than what Taylor had described. She cleared her throat.

  “Come on. Let’s fix your makeup.”

  Once Milena was finished getting Diamond’s makeup together, she opened her purse and pulled out her card. “If you need anything, call me.”

  Diamond nodded. “Thank you.”

  Milena walked out.

  Diamond threw the card in the trash. “This won’t help me. Armand doesn’t let me use the phone.” She sighed. “I hate this. I wish my real prince charming would come to save me from this hellhole.”

  The second she left the bathroom, she was face to face with Brad, who had a sexy smile on his face. She looked at Brad with amazement. To her, he was so handsome, even for a big man. There was a strange chemistry between them each time their eyes connected. It was a feeling that Diamond had never felt, and in the moment, all they could do was smile at each other.

  “What’s up, ma?” Brad said.

  “Nothing, sir.” Diamond quickly put her head down, afraid that Armand would catch her eyeing another man.

  To Brad, there was something mesmerizing about Diamond. She was like a puzzle he just had to solve, no matter what the consequences were. He took his hand and lifted her head up.

  “None of that ‘sir’ stuff. Just call me Brad or B, a’ight?”

  She blushed.

  “So, what you doin’ up in here?”

  “I’m just being the whore of the night for Armand and his latest contact. I hate living like this.” Realizing that she was telling too much of her personal life to Brad, she paused then turned her head.

  Brad was determined to get more information from her, but he wasn’t sure if it was the right time. Nonetheless, he got Diamond to face him. “Don’t worry, ma. Things will get better.”

  Diamond blushed again.

  “Yo, me and my boys are outside. Do you wanna join us?”

  “No, I can’t. I have to get back.”

  “Come on. Just for a minute.” Brad took her hand, and she nervously followed behind him.

  “Brad, stop. No, I can’t.” Diamond was so frightened as she looked out for Armand and Sandino. There was no sign of them.

  Thank God. I don’t want them to see me, and I don’t want anything to happen to Brad.

  “Chill, a’ight? I’ll protect you, so come on.”

  Brad kissed her hand, trying to put her at ease. For whatever reason, she felt safe with him.

  When they reached the outside, Brad saw most of his crew. Stan, however, was nowhere to be found. Tyler and Travi
s were on the dance floor, dancing with the twins. Swag was tonguing Star down.

  Brad and Diamond sat down at the table, talking. When Swag spotted his cousin, he was pissed. He shook his head, thinking what a big mistake that was. His attention diverted back to kissing Star, especially since she started touching his hard muscle that was growing larger by the second. In an instant, she made Swag forget about the trouble Brad was going to get himself into.

  A waitress came to the table, asking for their drink orders.

  “Let me get a Bud Light,” Brad said.

  “Water,” Diamond said dryly.

  “No, get her a Coke.”

  “No, Armand said that’ll get me fat.”

  “Forget what Armand said. You’re skinny enough.” Brad frowned as he looked at the waitress. “Coke and a Bud Light. Thanks.”

  The waitress left, and Brad still couldn’t believe that he was sitting face to face with his dream girl. “So, have you lived in Rio all your life?”

  Diamond felt comfortable with Brad, so his question didn’t bother her one bit. “No, I’m originally from Belize.”

  “Belize, wow.” He was amazed. “How did you get to Rio then?”

  “Yeah, I had a beautiful life in Belize,” Diamond said, smiling as she remembered the happy times of her life.

  Brad loved her smiles. It made her glow.

  “But all that changed when I was nine years old.” Diamond choked, trying to hold her tears back.

  Brad rubbed her shoulders. “Ma, it’s okay. What happened?”

  Diamond paused, fretting about the terror of her past. “Armand.”

  Brad’s heart dropped. “That bastard, but yet that pedophile.” Thinking about it made Brad’s blood boil. “Damn, ma.”

  Diamond’s head just hurt thinking of the pain Armand had put her through the last ten years of her life. She never cared about anyone but her parents, but being face to face with Brad after their last talk at the bakery, she felt comfortable. In a weird way, she cared about what happened to him. Looking into his eyes, she could tell he had a beautiful soul.

  “Brad, for the last time, be careful around Armand. I don’t want him to hurt or even kill you on account of me.”

  Brad shook his head, laughing. “Ma, don’t ever worry about that. I ain’t afraid of that Goodfellas mob prick wannabe. I’m from the Lou, and I can get just as dirty as these assholes in this country.”

  Diamond breathed hard like she was about to have a panic attack. “Brad, I’m serious.” She paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She felt tears coming down but quickly wiped them off. “Brad, that demon has taken so much from me. He took my identity, my dignity, and my—”

  Before Diamond could say another word, Armand came up to their table. “Well, well, well. There you are.” Armand smiled at her, but Diamond knew he was only smiling because Brad was at the table. She could tell in his eyes that he was pissed off.

  “What’s up, B? You and your friends having a good time in Rio so far?”

  “Yeah, man, it’s cool.” Brad looked behind Armand only to see his sidekick, Sandino.

  “Great. Continue to have fun, and I’ll see you soon. Meanwhile, my Diamond, we should go now.” Armand held out his hand.

  Brad looked at Diamond’s eyes. He could tell that she was scared shitless. If Sandino weren’t around, and if Armand weren’t so powerful, Brad would’ve spoken up and taken Diamond with him, but he didn’t want to deal with any confrontations. He also didn’t want to do anything that would stop him from getting his hands on those fifty Gs.

  Diamond took Armand’s hand and stood up. He put his arm around her waist, and just for a split second, Diamond turned her head to take one last glimpse at Brad.

  To him, something in her eyes was screaming, “Free me from this prison.” But just like that, he was distracted by Sandino snapping his fingers in his face. Brad cocked his head back, looking at him.

  Sandino shook his head then lifted up his shirt. Brad saw his gun that was a warning for him to back away. After that, Sandino walked away.

  Damn it! If we was back in the Lou, things would be on and popping. Brad was heated.

  From a short distance, Swag smiled and shook his head. That’ll teach him.

  Chapter 8

  Where Do I Go from Here?

  The next morning, sunlight hit Taylor’s face as she slept peacefully after a night on the town and a steamy lovemaking session with Desmond. She woke up with white sheets covering her naked body. She looked over at the other side of the bed to see that her man wasn’t there. Nonetheless, she smiled, got up out of bed, and went to the bathroom, examining herself in the mirror. Her thick, curly hair was all over the place, but she managed to put almost every hair in its rightful place. She looked at her face, which was bare without a touch of makeup. She didn’t look bad, but Taylor also knew that she wasn’t getting any younger or sexier. She needed to rid herself of Armand fast, and she was eager to have Desmond’s child, just one, so she could instantly regain her figure. She was willing to put forth the exercise, especially for something that she wanted and dreamed of quite often.

  She laughed as her head filled with these thoughts. And then she turned to the Jacuzzi tub, where she and Desmond had made love a million times. Just thinking about it made Taylor wet all over again

  Before going downstairs, she put on one of Desmond’s shirts and boxer shorts. Wearing his clothes made her feel more connected to him, but living with him would be even better.

  His villa was definitely up to her high standards. It was three stories with seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, a workout room, a trophy room, and a game room. All of the furniture in the home was mixed with urban and classic in white, black, and brown hues. She wouldn’t change one single thing, and it pleased her heart to love a man who had very good taste.

  When Taylor couldn’t find Desmond in the workout room or in the kitchen, she went into the backyard, where he had a zen garden. It was full of plants, flowers, trees, a big swimming pool, and a statue of Buddha. The outside scenery was to die for. You could see the city of Rio, as well as a clear view of the sandy beaches and mountains.

  Taylor looked over and smiled when she saw Desmond meditating. He was wearing only his sweatpants and was barefooted while sitting cross-legged. She slowly walked over to him, not wanting to bother him. He looked like a handsome statue, one that she could keep in her possession and hold onto forever.

  Taylor quickly turned her head after hearing a bird chirping. It held her attention for a brief second, until she felt a tug on her arm.

  “Ahhh.” Taylor was being pulled down and ended up lying on top of her man. They both laughed and shared a passionate kiss.

  Desmond searched deep into Taylor’s eyes. Even though she was fourteen years older than him, he always felt he was with a young lady. “You’re always so beautiful. How can you look so sexy this early in the morning?”

  Taylor laughed and kissed Desmond’s cheek.

  He softly touched her face then she kissed his hand. “So, Pinky, did you think about what I said last night?”

  Taylor knew exactly what Desmond was talking about, but she didn’t want to screw up the romantic mood, especially so early in the morning and after a night of makeup sex. She played the dumb blond model role.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “You know what I’m talking about.” A serious look was fixed on Desmond’s face.

  Damn, will he just leave the subject alone? He’s so messing up my mood. Taylor faked a giggle. She tried to kiss Desmond again, but he stopped her.

  “No,” he said in a firm voice.

  Taylor sighed. “Come on, Dez, don’t mess up the mood so early in the morning.” She planted kisses on his cheek before making her way down to his chest and nipples.

  “Pinky, when are you going to tell your husband about us?” Desmond put his hands behind his back.

  Taylor’s good mood was over. She had to deal with reality. She loo
ked at him. “What did you say again?” she asked.

  “You heard me. When are you going to tell Armand about us?”

  “Soon. Very, very soon.” Taylor tried to play it down as if it were no big deal.

  “Pinky, soon expired a long time ago. I’m tired of sharing you with that Al Pacino, Godfather wannabe faggot. I don’t want another man inside of my woman. And—”

  “Baby, trust and believe Armand hasn’t touched my pink lips in three years. So it’s all yours, Dez. But leaving him isn’t that simple.”

  He cocked his head back after hearing the breaking news. “Why’s that?”

  “For one, he’s a big drug lord here in Rio, and I don’t want to see you or me killed. Also—”

  “Baby, fuck all that. I ain’t never scared. Remember, Pinky, not only am I a MMA fighter, but I’m a street fighter too. I got some partners in Colombia who’re in the Colombian mob. They’ve been after Armand’s ass for years. They can take him out of the picture just like that.” Desmond snapped his fingers. “Believe that shit.”

  “No, I don’t want to take any chances of getting you killed.” Taylor thought about her family, knowing that they would kill anyone in a second for screwing over their daughter. Still, she didn’t want to bother her parents, who were now retired from the life of crime on South Beach but still had the game on lock. If only Desmond knew who she really was.

  “But there’s my magazine, Brazilian Kouture. Even if he doesn’t even find out about you, if we do the whole divorce thing, he’ll try to take the magazine away from me. He’s a big investor in that magazine, and he’ll take what I worked for nine years to build.”

  “Baby, forget all that! I got money. I can take care of us. Got any more excuses? I can take care of Armand, and your finances will be okay once you’re my wife. Now what?”

  Taylor took a deep breath and thought about all of the consequences of leaving Armand for another man. Her head started to hurt, especially since Desmond wouldn’t let it go.

  “Look, Pinky, I love you and all. You’re my world, my baby. I wanna one day marry you—hell, if it was possible, I would marry you right now. I want you to be the mother of my kids. If you think it’s too dangerous for us to be together, just let me know now. Otherwise, I’m giving you thirty days.”