by Amarie Avant
“Now turn left and you shall see a shaft in which to dump her body,” Burt adds. I look around, since we are on a rooftop, but there are so many taller buildings around. I know my butler is nearby, orchestrating my every move, as I allow Suyoung’s 100-pound body to fall into the dark hole.
There’s movement to my left. A Mexican man, with a Corona in his hands and an artistic beanie on his head, has a confused look on his face. The marijuana cologne provides him with enough time for this to register in his brain and he says, “Hey–”
My fist goes straight to his mouth. He’s knocked out cold and the party is still going on. So, I turn and mix back into the crowd as a Taylor Swift song comes on. When I make it back to the u-shaped whicker seat, I notice the women are surrounding Graham. There isn’t a vacant seat, and Luxury isn't in any of the chairs.
“Where is she?” I bark.
“Gone! Luxury left a few minutes after you stole my lady! Serves you right, Vic. Lux is much better than any of the girls falling at your feet.” Graham turns to the women who are eating up the fact that he has money to burn and shouts, “Body shots!”
A host of gorgeous ladies surround him, shouting in happiness.
I shake my head and push through the crowd a bit harder than necessary. One guy looks at me as if he wants to fight. The glare in my eye sets his subpar testosterone at bay, and he semi-apologizes. There’s a crowd at the elevator, and still no Lux. So, I take to the stairs two at a time. I jump the last step, swirl around and around, and continue on since the club is 15 stories up.
“Burt,” I say in an irritated tone.
“Don’t worry, I’m on it. Fuyoung is nearby and I’m going to find her. That is a promise,” Burt assures. “Don’t be snippy with me, Victor,” he begins in this fatherly tone as I continue down with 5 floors left to go.
“This is a situation that you’ve gotten yourself into,” he says, and I can hear the sound of movement on his part as he vigorously searches. After more fatherly reprimanding, he says, “The club is clear.”
“How will that help? Lux is on her way down.” I jump down the last step and, quickly pass through the double doors. I rush outside and look toward a side street. I'm trying to calculate the timeframe. I can only hope that Lux hadn’t already started down the street and slipped into one of the alleys or other side streets.
“I’ve cleared the east and south side of the building, Vic. I’m working on the west. Trust me, Lux doesn’t deserve to be mixed into this situation, so I’m doing everything humanly possible to ensure that she’s not in Fuyoung’s line of fire,” Burt argues.
I take to the north, since Burt won’t have a visual in that direction. There are shops, most of them closed, but people are roaming around like werewolves on a full moon.
“Damn,” I reply. Reconsidering the dynamics, for Luxury to have gotten downstairs, I don’t believe that she’s gotten a taxi already. “Fuck,” if something has happened to her… Like Burt said, she didn’t deserve to be caught up in my situation.
This has become my situation, now that I on took the mission and didn’t fulfill it. With Luxury by my side, she enters the realm of prey as well. I’m sure the anonymous man will send more than the Japanese, Siamese twins after I find and murder that bitch, Fuyoung, like her sister. Then there’s the situation with Dr. Whitson. He’s been marked, but now I’m on the list too for switching loyalties.
My first priority is Lux.
“Vic! West alley, Luxury just started down it, I’m on it!” He tells me, then huffs, “I can’t… I can’t get a good visual…”
I’m built for agility and speed and hit the concrete at top speed. I split the corner at Gerry Ave and turn into the alley just as Luxury enters. Fuyoung is toward the end of it, appearing to be the meekest of the Siamese twins, but in all actuality, she is much more dangerous than her sister.
“Lux!” I shout.
Luxury turns to me, smirks, flips her middle finger and then continues. My legs stretch to their limit and I swiftly catch up to the irate young woman. Grabbing her tiny arm, I spin her around with so much force that she almost twists her ankle.
“Owe…Vic, what’s wrong with you? Huh?” she asks.
“We need to talk.” I try to hide my concern for her safety.
“Well, owww…” Luxury leans into me and begins to take off her left shoe. She turns around, looking toward the other end of the alley. Lux snaps, “Suyoung and I were going to share a taxi back. She said you ditched her for another girl after I saw the two of you disappear during that slow dance. You know what, I don’t even want to know what you are up to. Switching girlfriends with your brother, is that what you do? I think Graham really liked her.” She peers through the alley, and Fuyoung is lost to the darkness. That little liar must’ve been upstairs for a while, watching me dance with her twin!
Shit, I realize that Fuyoung knows her sister is dead.
“No,” I go along with Fuyoung’s lie, staying nonchalant. If Fuyoung wants to pretend to be Suyoung, that’s fine by me. She just won’t be getting closer to Luxury. So, against my better judgment, I tell a story too, “We were talking about Graham. She wanted to know what types of things he likes.”
Lux looks up at me and shakes her head. “Was I born yesterday? Is that how you see me?” Luxury starts walking back down the street, without waiting for a response. “I’m going home, okay?” There’s an unspoken belief that she won’t be seeing me again. I will allow it for the time being.
I hail a taxi and give the driver more than enough funds to get her home safely.
“Until I see you again,” I tell Luxury as I hold the back door open.
Luxury shakes her head no and rejects my hand while getting inside the car. I watch as the yellow cab zips down the street and out of sight. Even though it’s useless, I travel back toward the alley. It’s empty. So Fuyoung is playing games. Lethal games.
Luxury
That was an exhausting date, no matter how invisible I felt in such an expensive dress. Every time Victor made a move as we walked through the club, women’s eyes would follow. They were like swarm of moths to a single flame. Yeah, a flame that seems to simmer on forever, without any regard for anyone else’s feelings.
My first thought as I get home is to take a quick, hot shower and put on the yellow-polka dot pajamas. But those PJs are reserved for heartbreak. I feel worse for Graham than I do myself. I even feel bad for Suyoung. She looked sad as she told me that the brothers liked to play games with women. I’m glad that I didn’t get to the taxicab she had flagged down across the street, because I was not in the mood for men bashing. Even if Graham plays games with women, maybe just maybe, he really did like Suyoung. The look of being second to Victor for a lifetime surrounded him like a cloak.
Aliyah’s phone number pops up on my phone as I start out for my morning Zumba class. “Hey, Mamacita,” I say, walking down the street, dressed in hot pink tights, an oversized t-shirt, and purple and pink Nike’s.
“What’s up, lovely?”
“You tell me, Aliyah. I know you aren’t up this early in the morning. If you are, then you need to be on time to work to help me clear the florist.”
“Hey, hey, hey, I didn’t call to get reprimanded by my boss.”
“Um hum, it’s 6am I expect you at Urban Gardens at 8:30 sharp to help me clear the morning romantics. Now what kind of emergency has you calling so early?” I ask. I was considering calling Suyoung. I was surprised when Suyoung texted, asking if I had gotten home safely. Then we got to texting about nothing in particular, and I told her about the Zumba class that I take. She said she would come, but I don’t recall giving her directions since it was so late. It’s a wonder I’m up early, ready to party. Oh, yeah, Vic dashed my spirit at 10 pm last night with his overtly flirtatious self. I was in bed before midnight.
“Tommy wants to do a double.”
“With who?” I snap, passing by the singing trio on the street corner. I drop a few of my crummy dollars in
support of their harmonizing.
“Lux, don’t get brand new with me. You’ve met his cousin, Stan.”
I roll my eyes, glad that she can’t see my expression. “Aliyah, maybe later. I’m not in the mood for going out on a date. And first dates suck ass.”
“What do you mean first dates suck ass. They are the best. New love is everything!” Aliyah sighs. “Okay, not Stan. What about... Deondre? You haven’t been in a relationship for over a year, or out on a date for even longer. Lord knows, Arnold was lame.”
I press on the cross-light button extra hard, and reply, “Actually, I went out on a date–”
“With who? When? Where?” Aliyah says all on one breath. “Good Lawd, was it with the British guy? It was with that British guy! Move over Tom Hardy! Did you give him the nooky? You did give him the nooky!”
I blush. “Can I speak?”
“What kind of question is that? Lux, you could’ve jumped in anytime. That’s how we do!” Aliyah’s ranting ends on a whimper with, “See, you don’t tell me anything?”
“I’ll go out with you and Tommy Boy,” I reply, not in the mood to rehash sex with Victor because that’s all Aliyah would want to know. And if I take it there, I might want to forgive him for flirting with Suyoung.
“Okay, now I know you’re trying to sidestep this swirl situation you have going on. I shall get to the bottom of that, after I get back to sleep. Tommy had me up all night–”
“Eewww,” I say. “Look, I have to go.” I hang up. And walk into the lobby of the dance studio. They have already started with a warm up to one of Shakira’s up-tempo songs. The Latin instructor has an even bigger booty than I do. I soon catch up on the workout. I’m sweating and feeling sexy as my hips begin to twirl around to the beat.
“Hey, Lux,” a female voice says from the side. Suyoung scoots up. As she stands beside me and starts to catch the beat, I wonder if that mole on the bottom of her chin was there before. I shrug and continue to let off some steam while doing the cumbia.
Victor
Getting rid of Graham was difficult. He knows of my vices and after I explained who Suyoung was and the infamous Fuyoung, he seemed to understand. But still harped about not being respected.
“It’s beside the point, Vic, I really think I was in love with Suyoung.” He had allowed the world’s dumbest words to exit his mouth, even after knowing their true identities.
Lux had more of an impact than I had expected. Graham packed his things, for his home in Australia, saying that he needed a fresh start, but not before requesting an apology about ruining his chance with Elena in prep school. Could you believe that? Lux has that much of a lasting impression that Graham went so far as to want to be vindicated for something done 20 years ago. As I reminded him that Elena came after me and not the other way around, Burt the Butler gave Graham’s own butler the rundown of the situation too. I decide to head to Harlem yet again, in order to keep tabs on Luxury.
Seems I’ll be here indefinitely. I need to find Fuyoung, and see if X-Member or Whitson’s anonymous grim reaper sent the twins. If it is just the silent requester, then I can deal with that, but if X-Member has learned that I have taken the assignment only to renege, they will send a fleet of members against me. It’s on the other side of a week since I took this assignment.
Lux’s ass mesmerizes my eyes as she walks down the street. It’s early in the morning. I’m close enough to her to get jealous at the fact that she will be going out on a date with another man. Then she makes it to a dance studio and I take up shop across the street at an artsy boutique. I pretend to be window shopping and waiting for Fuyoung to make her next move. If Fuyoung has gotten Luxury to befriend her, then the naïve girl is really in a vulnerable state.
“Shit,” I shout as I see Fuyoung hurrying inside in her own workout gear. The crowd of shoppers looks at me as if I’ve just been diagnosed with turrets syndrome.
After the class, there’s a swarm of females in every shape and size. I watch for Fuyoung and Lux to come out, and when they do, Luxury has another friend with her. She's chatting with Jamaican woman, who I’ve seen around the block. Fuyoung glances from across the street and wiggles her eyebrows. She walks east with the women.
I put my sunglasses on. I also bought a Yankee cap from a sidewalk vendor, and follow leisurely, pacing a few clicks behind as the Jamaican begins to provide the proper seasonings for “her famous” oxtails.
“See you later ladies,” Fuyoung says, waving. She stops and waits for me as the girls continue on. “Hello Vic,” she says, knowing me only by my first name. Her fingers go to my jawline. She softly caresses. “I’ve always wanted to be a solo act. Suyoung really did bring down the morale. So, I must thank you for fulfilling my desire.”
“Thank me. How so?” I stand rigidly, mentally aligning with Fuyoung’s every move.
“Su’ would go after any and every mark that came our way. Now I like your style, Victor. You were never one for the easy ones. The highest bidder always requested you. I came to notice that instead of taking each and every assignment, like Suyoung would have, you chose the ones that required precision. Tasks that required a certain set of skills.”
I nod. Fuyoung is right about that. And then I took this seemingly easy assignment, all because I have rarely been in the States.
Fuyoung completes her consideration with a sardonic statement, “I’m sure you will be missed.”
“Missed,” I chuckle. “Where the fuck am I going?”
Fuyoung looks around and delights at how busy the street is. “You aren’t wearing your watch with its Inspector Gadget capabilities. I can only presume, that you are left to your natural devices,” she says. Her eyes sweep up and down my body. “Even still, you outweigh me by 100 pounds?”
“Easy.” 215. Pure muscle.
She chuckles, knowing exactly what I’m implying. We know how easy it would be to put this little trickster out of her misery.
“You’ve done me a solid Vic. there’s no rift between you and I. Now that you are no longer employed through X-Member, I believe there is a place for me.”
My eyes lock onto Fuyoung to determine if she’s telling the truth. “You’re not here to avenge Suyoung’s death?”
“No. On the contrary,” Fuyoung’s fingers creep up my shoulder, “Besides reveling in the fact that I will become the newest and most sought out assassin with X-Member, the others will be coming after you. I only have one request.” She licks thin, pink lips.
“What is that?” I smile.
“To fuck you, one last time before the others arrive…”
We end up at the Hilton, where Fuyoung has a double bed. It’s a standard room of various colors of beige. The room is half way to the top of the building, with no focal view for possible snipers. Soon as we step inside, Fuyoung is all over me. Her tongue goes twirling into my mouth. At this very instant, I remember fucking the Siamese Twins. No, I wasn’t just talking a good game when Suyoung had spoken of our ménage a trios in Rome. These women were really unforgettable. However, I do recall washing my mouth out very well after that time. Their tongues had this snake like effect, and not in a good way.
Fuyoung drenches my mouth with spit, and her tongue traces every inch of my mouth. I complete my view of the hotel room. One exit. A few possible weapons, though nothing that she could use.
Fuyoung’s legs wrap around me. I grab her tiny waist, and plant her on the ground. I have become fully cognizant of the tactics that are readily available to her. Her tight eyes narrow for a second at being disregarded, then Fuyoung stops. My knuckles graze Fuyoung’s cheek. Taking a deep breath, she slowly closes her eyes, becoming vulnerable.
I lean in closer, watching the rise and fall of her breasts underneath her sports bra. Her neck pulse is exposed and calling out to me. My lips nibble at that soft velvety skin, feeling her heart quicken even more. Fuyoung is doing her best to be submissive, even though she’s a take-charge type.
As my lips travel up her collarbo
ne, she almost wavers. I wrap my hands at the small of her back. Then I continue to kiss behind her ear, and then softly whisper, “What do you want to do to me?”
It’s so hard for her to speak at the moment. She almost stammers on her words. She’s visibly frustrated. My lips take to Fuyoung’s earlobe, weakening her resolve. “Tell me,” I command.
“Mmmake… love to me,” Fuyoung murmurs.
Never.
“Make love to yourself,” I reply.
Fuyoung starts to remove her bra.
“Stop.”
Fuyoung is baffled again. I’m beyond irritated. “Slowly,” I plant myself behind her, and press my manhood against her spandex bottoms.
“Mmmm,” Fuyoung moans. Her back arches as she slips out of the sports bra.
Soon as it hits the floor, I rub my hand up her thin waist. Fuyoung’s skin is velvet to the touch as I take her hands. I bring them around, helping her place them in her panties.
“Tell me how it feels,” I ask, beginning to disconnect myself from Fuyoung’s version of rationality. She’s emitting sex; it’s mingling with my testosterone so well that Fuyoung has forgotten to fear me.
“I can feel your dick, Victor, as it plunges inside of me. In my mouth, in my cunt, in my a–”
SNAP. The sound is low, yet pristine in the quiet hotel room. Her long, and once graceful, neck hits the floor.
Lux
While wearing a stretchy-type of cheap dress, Aliyah looks me up and down for opting for jeans, leather boots and a sweater. “What, it’s going to be cold this evening.” I tell Aliyah, while closing the gate that leads to my loft upstairs. “Besides, Stan is licking his lips, so my attire is douche bag approved,” I reply, looking into the front seat of the late-model green Explorer where Stan is riding shotgun with his cousin Tommy.
Deondre’s kid sister had a Hollow’s Eve performance at the Ballet Academy this evening, so he had to opt out. However, I haven’t begun to regret agreeing to this double date.
