“Jazz, I’m coming! Oh Jazz!” She screamed.
She held me so tightly I couldn’t move. I was ready to disengage and get away from her, kinda like a dog waiting to unknot. It was bad enough that I’d brought her to orgasm, which I had not intended to do. I just laid there waiting for her to finish so she could let me go and I could get up. When she finally let me go, she rolled over and grabbed a silver case from the nightstand. She took a cigarette from the case and handed me her lighter. I reluctantly lit her cigarette. She took a long deep draw from the small white cylinder. The gray smoke tumbled from her lips and unfurled slowly as she exhaled in satisfaction.
“That’s just what I needed!” She said before slapping my ass hard.“Okay your work is done. You can leave now.” She added.
“Cool, I’m out!”
If she thought dismissing me after getting what she wanted was demeaning to me, it wasn’t. It was a relief because I didn’t want to talk to her beyond what we’d just done. When I got to my truck, I sat behind the wheel for a moment to get my composure. As I sat there thinking about what I had just done, I was disgusted with the person I’d become. A year before, I would have kicked anybody’s ass for threatening me. I wouldn’t have even thought about giving in to them. “Hell no! I can’t go out like this!” I said to myself. I jumped out and went back to the door to tell Marlena exactly what was on my mind. She opened the door quickly while I was still pounding on it.
“Well, it was that good huh? You don’t have to beat the door down. I’ll give you some more. Come on in, sexy.” She said with an annoying smirk on her face.
“You’re a ruthless bitch and I hate the day I ever met your evil ass.”
“I don’t have time to listen to this shit again.” She said as she tried to shut the door in my face. Something in me snapped. I put my foot in the doorway and pushed my way inside.
“You’re gonna listen! I allowed you to mess over me for the sake of my career. Fuck you, this company, and all of your bullshit. My dignity is worth more. I should have beaten the hell out of you when you threatened Zeke.”
“You need to come by the office tomorrow and we can talk then. I’ve decided to drop you and terminate your contract anyway. I had planned on getting a few more rides on ‘Jazz The Wonder Horse’ though, but it’s O.K. Your kind comes a dime a dozen.”
“Is this the part where I am supposed to react? Bitch you don’t pull no strings with me, not anymore.”
“Well, I already got what I wanted, so frankly I’m finished with you. As a matter of fact, do you mind wrapping up your little temper tantrum? I have some fresh dick on the way.”
“You should be ashamed you old washed up whore!”
After saying my peace, I wasn’t interested in a back and forth verbal tussle with her. I got up and began walking to the bedroom.
“Where are you going? Who the hell do you think you are?” She protested.
Ignoring her, I picked up the envelope containing the blackmail pictures of Zeke and I, which I’d noticed earlier on her dresser. It felt unusually heavy. I walked out of the bedroom with her following closely behind.
“Give me that! Negro did you hear me? Give me that envelope right now, you bastard!" She yelled. When I didn’t acknowledge her, she hit me in the back of the head and clawed angrily at my back. I turned around and pushed her down into a chair.”
“You won’t even be able to get a job at Wal-Mart when I get through with you. I’m calling the police on your ass right now.”
“You are gonna sit your ass down in that chair and shut the hell up!”
“Nobody talks to Marlena Dalton that way. You are finished! Do you hear me?” She yelled in her shrill, sharp voice”.
Her voice annoyed me and I could stand to hear it no longer. I grabbed her entire face with my right hand and pushed her backwards in the chair, then balled up my fist and dared her to get up. I took a moment to verify the contents of the envelope before I left. The first thing I pulled out was a quarterly earnings statement for all the songs I’d done. There were 2 statements and they were both for the same time period, and the same songs, but the figures were different. The one with the lower figures matched all the checks I’d received from the record label during the last quarter.
It immediately dawned on me that she had been keeping a fraudulent second set of books and had cheated me out of about $500,000. The shady accounting was as clear as day. The pictures were still in there, but there were also about 3 pages of handwritten notes that documented every move Zeke and I had made over a period of about 3 months. She’d had someone watching us. I was fuming.
“You are so finished in this business forever. Kiss your black ass goodbye.” She said.
“You have been stealing my royalties, blackmailed me into sleeping with you, and messed up the best relationship I ever had! You got some nerve to threaten me. I should kill your leeching ass!”
“I’m calling the police.” She huffed.
I snatched the cordless phone out of her hand and threw it against the marble floor, smashing it to pieces.
“Sit your ass down! Get up again and I’m gonna beat the shit out of your conniving, lowdown, devious ass.” I said as I roughly pushed her back into the chair.
“I’m gonna sue the dust off of your tired ass!”
“I got friends everywhere. This will never even make it into any court.”
Marlena lunged at me. I tried to hold her off, but she started swinging like she was possessed. I gave her several warnings to stop, but she insisted on taking me there so I obliged her. I slapped the hell out of her ass. She looked at me in shock. She’d succeeded in pissing me off and brought my rage forth, full throttle! We began to scuffle. I slapped her twice then I really got tired of playing with her. I grabbed her, picked her up over my head and body slammed her on the sofa hard as hell. I made her sit there as I went through the whole house. I then made her open the wall safe and there I found a second set of pictures, negatives, and accounting statements. I took everything.
“That’s it! I’m gonna make sure you get exactly what you deserve. You are about to see who Jazz really is. Bitch, I’m gonna be your worst nightmare!” I said as I gritted my teeth in anger. I knew she wasn’t gonna call police after I’d discovered her fraud.
When I got in my truck all I could think about was Zeke and how much I missed him. The more I thought about him the heavier my eyes became with sorrow. When I walked away from Zeke, he said, “But I need you Jazz.” I knew then I was making a mistake, but I was too stupid or too proud to go back and admit the mistake I was making.
The next morning I went to the record company’s studio to remix some parts of a song I’d been working on. When I got there I saw Shay shoving all of her belongings into a box on her desk.
“Good Morning, Shay. Hey what’s up? What’s going on?”
“I quit.”
“Just like that?”
“I’ll have to call you and tell you about it later. I don’t want to get into it here.”
“Okay. I sure hate to see you go. You got to do what you got to do though.”
“Yeah, here is my number. Keep in touch.”
“Okay, I’ll do that Shay. It won’t be the same around here without you.”
After finishing the song I thought about Zeke. A feeling just came over me and I didn’t care about consequences, I needed to get Zeke back. I called him and got no answer. I decided to go by and talk to Alton face to face. I was prepared because I knew I was not his favorite person after leaving Zeke like I did.
When I pulled up Alton was walking out of his house to his truck.
“Alton, before you say anything you can’t hate me more than I’ve hated myself for months.”
“Jazz my cousin was really hurt over what you did. I really wanted to mess you up bad until I thought about what Randall did.”
“Randall was only part of it. I left to protect Zeke. Alton you know how I feel about him. I love Zeke with all my heart a
nd I need to tell him. Marlena blackmailed me to make me sleep with her. I resisted her threats about hurting my career. When she said she would mess up Zeke’s career, I couldn’t let that happen so I left. If I wasn’t with him then she would have no reason to do anything to him. I don’t care about the business, the hit records, or anything else if Zeke can’t be a part of it. Nothing is more important to me than him. I can’t let a secret hold me hostage anymore.”
“Jazz I believe you. You need to tell Zeke. He won’t admit it but he is still not over you. He didn’t want to get over you.”
“Where is Zeke? I can’t get him on the phone.”
“Zeke is at the airport about to go to California. They start shooting the movie next week. You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t. I gotta get to him.”
“Get in. I am going to the airport to see him off.”
“Great! Thanks man!”
We got there just in time due to being delayed with all of the damn security searches. The boarding line had already formed. I searched for Zeke in a panic. Finally I spotted him. He was in the middle of the line that was entering the corridor.
“Zeke!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Zeke looked back to see who called his name. I called him twice more and he finally found me with his eyes.
“Zeke I love you! I made the biggest mistake of my life, but I did it to protect you Zeke. Please forgive me! I really need you in my life!” I begged as my tears began to fall.
I felt a tap on my left shoulder. When I turned around there were police officers everywhere.
“Are you Jazz Hardaway also known as Slade?” One officer asked.“Yeah. What’s going on?”
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can and will be held against you in a court of law.” He recited as he Mirandized and handcuffed me.
“What is going on? What are you arresting me for?”
“You are under arrest for the assault and murder of Marlena Dalton.” He said.
“What assault and murder? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Come with us sir?” He stated.
I turned to look toward the plane entrance corridor and Zeke was looking directly at me. He was trying to get to me but police blocked him and forced him to board the plane. I could hear him yelling for them to let him come back. Finally he was given a choice of boarding the plane or being arrested. He went ahead and boarded the plane.
Alton looked confused and horrified at the same time.
“Alton I am innocent. I swear I don’t know what they are talking about. Tell Zeke I am innocent, please. This is a mistake!”
Nadiah
Things happened so fast it was somewhat of a blur to me. The thing that attracts me most to Anthony is that he is not a pushover. Whenever a man gives in to me, I use it to my advantage. Normally I demand my independence and privacy. That’s why I am so surprised I agreed to marry my new beau. Soon I felt myself getting restless. I didn’t want a repeat of my marriage to Alton. I had a new man and a new life so it was up to me not to mess it up. There was not going to be any moving in together without a ring on my finger. We got a quick wedding at the justice of the peace. I didn’t tell anyone, not even my family. Alton did get a call from me to rub it in his face.
It took a week for the new to wear off. Ingrid and I worked out our differences and began spending time together. My new man closed in on me asking where I’d been, why it took me so long to get home, how long I would be gone when I left. I was definitely the wrong woman to try that on. I was not about to come and go according to any man’s rules.
“Listen I don’t know what you did with your other wife but I don’t like all these questions. If you are gonna be with me then you have to trust me. I don’t appreciate you asking me where I’ve been and when I’m coming back. Please don’t start smothering me.”
“Wait a minute woman, smothering you? I have a right to know your whereabouts at all times if you are my wife.”
“Here we go again. I’m your wife not your child.”
“Look I don’t want to argue, so I am going to drop this before I get angry.”
“Before you get angry? I don’t care if you get angry. You are not going to give me the third degree every time I come and go. You need to get that straight.”
Before I even finished the sentence he walked away from me, which is a definite no-no in my book. As a natural reaction throwback from my days with Alton, I ran up behind him and hit him across the back of his head. I found out quickly he was not at all like Alton. He turned around and slapped me so hard I saw stars.
“Don’t ever run up behind me. I’ll kill your ass woman! You hear me? Since we are getting shit straight I don’t like your friend Ingrid and don’t bring that bitch in my house again!” He shouted.
“Why she gotta be a bitch? You don’t know her like that.”
“I know all I need to know. Don’t let me find out she’s been in my house. As a matter of fact don’t you see or talk to her again. You do and you’ll regret it.”
“Who do you think you are? You don’t tell me who I can be friends with.”
“Don’t do what I say and I’ll show you who I really am.”
I left the house without saying anything and he didn’t try to stop me.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I asked myself as I pulled into the parking spot at the restaurant. In defiance as soon as I left my driveway I called Ingrid just because he told me not to.
“I can’t believe that bastard hit me. It’s still sore.” I complained.
“I don’t know why you can’t believe it. You hit him first. All men won’t take the stuff Alton took from you.”
“I thought you were on my side.”
“I am just telling you the truth. You can’t be putting your hands on people thinking they’ll excuse it because they love you.”
“Well nice to have your support. Let’s change the subject.”“Let’s.”
The waiter came to take our orders.
“He told me not to see or talk to you again. I told him he couldn’t control who I am friends with.”
“I don’t know Nadiah he sounds crazy. You may not want to play with him. If you are gonna be with him then you need to leave me alone. I am not playing that game with you again.”
“He won’t do a damn thing. Don’t worry.”
“You can’t keep playing with people like that. You’re gonna meet your match. He just may be it.”
“You sound more afraid than I am. I ain’t scared of any man and that goes for this one too.”
The waiter came to bring our order. After he set the plates down he didn’t leave. I knew he wasn’t waiting for a tip because we were still sitting there.
“Ma’am.” He said.
“Yes.”
“This is compliments of the gentleman at the bar.” The waiter said as he placed a bottle of wine on the table with a note.
“Enjoy your disobedience. I keep all my promises.” –Ant.
I was caught completely off guard by the note. I looked toward the bar but no one was there.”
“Who sent this?”
“There was a gentleman at the bar he must have moved.” The waiter said with confusion.
I decided to ignore the attempt to rattle my nerves and continued eating. That man was gonna get a big surprise when I got home after he followed me and pulled that little stunt. After taking my time and eating as slowly as I could, I finally decided to go home. I took my sweet time driving home too. The closer I got the angrier I became. How dare he try to scare me. He needed to be taught a lesson.
When I got home I didn’t bother putting my car in the garage. I was prepared to have an all-out war!
“Where are you? That was a nice little trick you pulled and I didn’t appreciate it one bit. Don’t hide from me. Where the hell are you?” I called out as I walked around the house looking for him.
When I reached the bedroom, the bed w
as made and the lamp over the bed was pointed toward some papers in the middle of the bed. When I picked the papers up I noticed what it was immediately. It was a letter I’d written to Ingrid a while back but never gave to her. Seeing that made me irate because that meant he’d searched my purse. That bastard had some nerve going in my purse. I still hadn’t seen him so I checked the garage and saw that his car was gone. I was gonna make him sorry he pulled that little stunt.
Sixteen
Ezekiel Nelson
My plane ride was tense for good reason. I had no idea what was going on with Jazz nor did I get a chance to ask any questions. It had to be serious because it looked like half the police force was there to arrest him.
When the plane landed I couldn’t wait to get my luggage and get to the hotel to find out what in the hell was going on. I couldn’t use my cell phone on the flight so I packed it in my bag, or so I thought. When I got to the hotel I searched all of my bags 3 times and my phone was nowhere to be found. I called my cell phone provider and found no one had used it, so I decided against suspending service in case I ran across it.
There was no need to worry about it since I couldn’t do anything immediately anyway. I had to meet with the producers and director of the movie later that evening. In the meantime I figured I would unwind. I turned the television on and changed into my lounging clothes. Something caught my attention on the television and I turned the sound up.
“The body of famous record producer Marlena Dalton was discovered last night in her Atlanta home. Details are sketchy, but police have confirmed that she was beaten to death and possibly sexually assaulted sometime last night. This morning police arrested popular Atlanta Hip Hop Artist Slade, whose real name is Jazz Hardaway, in connection with the vicious homicide. We will update this story as we receive more details.” The reporter said.
Get Somebody New Page 23
