Let the bitch ever say I stole her fucking dress after this and she’ll look like a damn fool, Sabre thought as she continued the interview.
Tyra chatted with Sabre like they were girlfriends hanging out on the sofa in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn. Sabre was really comfortable.
Mimi also secured a layout in a holiday edition of Seventeen. With Tyra’s connections in the fashion industry, the show’s producers were able to get a photo from the shoot. There was a collective gasp throughout the audience when the photo appeared on the monitors. Sabre was breathtakingly gorgeous in a midnight blue party dress accented with bold silver jewelry. With silver lipstick and dark smoky eyes, she was almost unrecognizable and looked like another person…extremely sophisticated and very worldly.
“Sure, I have a couple of hidden talents,” Sabre confessed to Tyra, and giggled. “Watch this.” The camera went in for a close-up as Sabre stuck her tongue on her nose. Then she moved off the sofa and did a full split, which drew howls and cat whistles from the audience.
“You guys are funny,” Sabre said, and laughed. “I had to do splits because I was a cheerleader.” After she performed her smash hit single, Sabre’s segment was over.
When Sabre arrived backstage, Eduardo ran up to her.
“You are such a star, Miss Thing. I bow humbly before you.”
“Ahhhh,” the rest of Sabre’s glam squad chorused as Eduardo handed her a rose.
“Thank you, guys. You’re the best team in the world.” Sabre was sweeter than sugar.
“Girlfriend, when you did that split I said, oh no, she didn’t. You’re going to have every man on the planet groveling at your feet. I can’t stand that much competition,” Eduardo declared as he tried to focus the attention back on himself.
“She going to have the universe groveling at her feet. I hear Oprah calling, darling, because you just became an OPP.” Mimi smiled proudly.
“What’s an OPP?” Lolita asked quietly.
“Oh, chile, where were you?” Eduardo was in the middle of the group gyrating his hips. “Everybody knows OPP means other people’s puss…”
“Don’t say it,” Dawn cut in. “Boy, you are so nasty. We can’t take you nowhere. Cuttin’ up like this at The Tyra Banks Show.”
“Aw, hell. Let’s call Miss Tyra in here and ask her because you know girlfriend knows what it means.” Eduardo grinned.
“Well, it certainly doesn’t mean other people’s puss or whatever it was you were about to say,” Mimi chided while the others burst into laughter. “What?” She stared at them with a blank expression on her face.
“It means other people’s property. It’s from an old song by Naughty by Nature,” Dawn explained quietly. “Eduardo was just being his usual nasty self.”
Mimi looked totally irritated with the glam squad. She turned to Sabre and focused her attention solely on her. “Well, in this case, it doesn’t mean any of that. It means Oprah’s personal friend, which Tyra definitely is and you will be too.” She put her arm around Sabre and led her to the door. “Come on. Let’s go have a drink and celebrate. Dawn can drop those things by your place.”
Everyone had to hug and kiss Sabre before she could leave. Mimi stood by the door like a watchdog, waiting with a smile plastered on her face. After all, she would be leaving with the star, not them. Their work was done.
“Make sure you do something I would do.” Eduardo laughed happily.
“Mimi, can you hook me up with an organization that does stuff for breast cancer? My grandmother died from breast cancer and I’d really like to do something to help them out in memory of my grandmother,” Sabre asked as Mimi drove them down Melrose in her BMW to their next destination.
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” Mimi turned her big blue eyes on Sabre when they paused in traffic. “There are lots of things we can find for you to do like the Revlon walk that Halle does every year.”
“That sounds interesting. I’d like to do something else, something different.” Sabre thought about the Chocolate Affair that the “Black Friends” recently held but decided against mentioning it.
“I’ll do some research. We’ll come up with something absolutely perfect.” Mimi did a U-turn on Melrose and stopped the car in front of a nondescript building with a line of people waiting to go inside. A parking attendant opened the door.
“You’ve been to Dolce before, haven’t you?” Mimi asked as they walked right inside. Sabre looked blank so Mimi kept talking. “Ashton Kutcher is one of the owners. You do know who he is, don’t you?”
Sabre resisted the urge to kick Mimi’s ass right there in the middle of Dolce. Instead she ignored her. Do I know who Ashton Kutcher is? Stupid ass bitch. But Mimi was much too valuable to her, so she focused on the black leather tablecloths covering the table in the booth.
The dimly lit restaurant was noisy, but Sabre immediately loved its clublike atmosphere. She eagerly opened the menu the waiter placed in front of her. Much to her chagrin, it was written in Italian, and what few words there were in English she couldn’t understand. Don’t they have any cheeseburgers in this fucking place? Sabre continued flipping through the menu, frustrated. She couldn’t even buy a clue. She tossed her menu back on the table and looked up to see Jennifer Aniston and her date being seated at a nearby table.
“Is that the girl from Friends that was married to Brad Pitt?” Sabre tried her best not to yell.
“Yes.” Mimi smiled and closed her menu. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m not hungry,” Sabre lied. She hadn’t eaten all day because she was nervous about doing Tyra’s show and now her stomach was growling.
“Sure you are,” Mimi replied, taking charge as usual. When the waiter came she ordered salmon for herself, spaghetti with seafood for Sabre, Caesar salad, and chocolate soufflé with vanilla bean ice cream for them to share. “Diddy’s here with a bunch of friends. We’ll have to go to the Hamptons to one of his parties,” Mimi offered. “I want you to come here as often as you can so you can be photographed and written about in the tabloids. Bring your friends.”
Maybe I can bring Victor here. Sabre tentatively cut into the pasta covered with white sauce. She had never eaten spaghetti that wasn’t drenched in red tomato sauce. She was surprised when she actually liked it. She would have to get the name of the dish from Mimi before she came again.
Her mind drifted to Sky. This would be the perfect spot for us to have drinks and talk to all the rich cuties. But she hadn’t spoken to Sky since they had lunch at The Ivy with Nina. She knew she had behaved like a real bitch, and now she was sorry. It would be a miracle if Sky even spoke to her. Maybe we can be stars together. I can’t always hang out with Mimi.
A waiter brought the soufflé and served it. Sabre had never tasted anything as good as that soufflé in her life. She finished her portion before she realized it and caught herself eyeing Mimi’s, who was sending text messages on her BlackBerry. She pushed the plate across the table to Sabre.
“Here sweetie, finish mine. You’re the one with the trainer.”
“No thanks, Mimi. I can’t eat another bite.” Sabre wanted the rest of that soufflé badly, but she wasn’t eating anyone’s leftovers again, not even Mimi’s. She did enough of that when she was in foster care. Now she was a bona fide A-list star and everyone knew it. She had fought all of her life and survived. I made it. The realization suddenly hit her. Like Grandma always said, cream rises to the top.
Chapter 13
Nina rolled up to The Diamond in her Range Rover, pulled into the lot, and parked as far away as she could from the building. She reached in her bag and pulled out the plastic baggie of chronic she just purchased and rolled herself a blunt. She looked around to be sure no one was watching when she lit it and took a big hit.
Her BlackBerry buzzed and vibrated, but she ignored it. “Can’t a sista just get a few minutes to herself?” Nina yelled at the device. The day of Sky’s showcase had finally arrived, and she wanted to be ready for
anything. She inhaled one last time and carefully extinguished the marijuana cigarette. Waves of guilt flooded her heart and mind as she found a small container of air freshener and sprayed the car. She hadn’t been high since the day she became a wife and mother. No more after the showcase, she had promised herself. It’ll all be over after tonight. She rolled down the windows and sprayed Marc Jacobs in her hair and on her hands and clothing.
The BlackBerry vibrated again, and this time she answered.
“Nina.” It was Kenjay, Sky’s young manager, who was also a rapper. He came to the studio one night while Missy Elliott was laying down tracks, trying to talk Missy into listening to his CD and Nina into giving him a deal. Kenjay said he was the next Jay-Z, but his rhymes were tired and his beats and flow were terrible. So he called himself a manager, ordered business cards, and became a permanent fixture in Sky’s life. He was also from Brooklyn and grew up in her hood. Sky had been lonely ever since Sabre dissed her, so Kenjay quickly became her new best friend.
“What is it now, Kenjay?” He’d called on Nina incessantly during the last few weeks. The jury was still out deciding if he was more of a hindrance than a help.
“I need to get ten more of my peeps in the showcase.”
“Ten? Are you crazy? We’re over capacity already.”
“But I gotta get ’em in.”
“Who are these people, Kenjay?”
“Some of my boys are flying in from New York. They’ve all got major connections in the biz.”
“What kind of connections?”
“One of ’em did some work with Keyshia Cole. He said she’s looking for an opening act for her tour.”
“I haven’t heard anything about Keyshia Cole going on tour, although it would be an excellent opportunity for Sky.”
“That’s why I gotta get my boy in tonight.”
“A’ight, Kenjay, this better be legit. Call Anita and tell her I said to put them on the guest list.”
“Cool. I’m out.”
Nina clicked off and her phone rang again. “Talk,” she answered dryly.
“It’s Kyle, your husband. Remember me?”
“Hey, honey.” Nina smiled into the phone. “You’re coming tonight, right?”
“I might.”
“Kyle, please come. Sky’s gonna knock this one out of the ballpark, to use one of your sports analogies. You have to be here.”
There was a long silence before he spoke. “I’ll be there.”
“Okay, baby. I’ll see you later. I love you,” Nina added sincerely, but he had already hung up the phone. She sat there thinking about her husband. Somehow things had really gone south in her marriage. Kyle would never hang up on her without saying good-bye or cracking one of his dumb jokes. I’ll take him away for some alone time as soon as all of this is over, she promised, and typed a reminder to check into tickets for Hawaii and Jamaica.
Nina grabbed her briefcase and a few other bags and slid out of the truck. She thought she had lost her buzz until she felt a little off balance as she pulled open the door to the restaurant. Jade was in deep conversation with one of the finest black men Nina had ever seen. A smile lit up Jade’s face as soon as she saw Nina.
“Here’s Nina now. This is her event tonight, and I want everything a thousand percent right. It’s a very important showcase for Revelation Music.” Jade spoke with authority. “This is Greggo, Nina. He’s The Diamond’s new restaurant manager.”
Greggo was a tall, handsome Jamaican man with smooth, dark chocolate skin and beautiful white teeth. He shook Nina’s hand. “Everything is under control and running right on schedule.”
Nina watched him walk away. “Damn, girl. Where’d you find him? He is fine as shit.”
Jade’s eyes widened, surprised by Nina’s language. “Greggo’s my cousin. Why are you talking like that? I should wash your mouth out with soap.”
“I’m sorry, girl. It’s from being in the studio with those hip-hop producers.”
“Just watch the expletives. Next thing I’ll be using them, and you know how Sean is. Sometimes I think I’m living with my father.”
“I hear you, girl, but that’s just his way of loving you. And Kyle is his older brother.” Nina laughed and Jade joined in.
“You’re in an awfully good mood. You sounded so stressed when we spoke earlier.” Jade led her to a table and placed a plate of assorted rolls in front of her.
“Just lettin’ off a little steam. I had to chill before I blew a gasket. I’ve been stressed about this showcase for weeks.”
“Well, you can relax now.”
“I won’t relax until Sky’s CD is in the store and at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100.”
Nina was just about to bite into a roll when her cell rang. She groaned and looked at the display. “It’s Sky. I’d better take it.” She spoke into the headpiece. “What’s going on, Sky?”
“Nina, my clothes for the showcase don’t fit,” Sky yelled.
“What do you mean your clothes don’t fit?” Nina yelled back. “I saw you in them the other day and you looked wonderful.”
“I got my period today. I’m really bloated and I can’t zip up my pants.” Sky was crying hysterically.
“Calm down, Sky. Call Kenjay and have him take you shopping,” Nina commanded.
“I don’t want to go shopping with Kenjay. He doesn’t know anything about fashion. Can’t you take me?”
Nina let out a long sigh. “I have to arrange the seating for the show, Sky. Isn’t there anyone else you can call?”
“I’ll take her shopping,” Jade offered.
Nina focused on Jade. “You have a restaurant to run. You can’t go shopping.”
“That’s why I hired Greggo. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay.” Nina resumed her conversation with Sky. “Jade’s gonna help you pick out something.”
Sky sniffed and blew her nose. “Is she the pretty black Chinese girl who handpainted our jeans for the So Fine showcase?”
“That’s her, but Jade’s not Chinese.”
“I loved those jeans. I still have mine,” Sky continued.
Nina clicked off her BlackBerry and looked at Jade. “I have been putting out fires all day long. I put one out and another is already blazing.”
“How do you say it? I got this.” Jade smiled again and Nina teared up. “Aw, honey. Everything’s gonna be just fine.”
“You don’t know how hard things have been,” Nina cried. “I’ve been in the studio for weeks. Kyle’s mad at me. I haven’t spent any time with Niki, and Mr. Katz is just waiting for me to fuck up so he can fire me.”
Jade was silent as she rubbed Nina’s back. Nina reached into her handbag and took a credit card out of her wallet.
“Girl, put that thing away. I told you, I got this.”
“You’re the best friend in the world. I could have never done this showcase without you.” Tears streamed out of Nina’s eyes.
“Just don’t stay out all night again without telling Kyle.”
“You know about that?”
“You know there are no secrets between the Ross brothers.”
That’s what you think, Nina almost said.
“Sit here, do your seating, and take your calls. I’ll be back with your superstar artist.” Jade grinned.
“Jade, don’t let Sky talk you into any of that tacky hip-hop shit.”
“I got this, girl.” Jade was out the door.
Nina’s focus had been solely on Sky, and now the significance of the event hit her like a ton of bricks as she looked over all the RSVPs—Big Boy at Power 106, the hottest hip-hop station on the planet. Everyone wanted to be on Big Boy’s show. Dre and the Game, Lil Jon, E-40, and Eve were just a few of the celebrities attending. Billboard, Vibe, The Source, and XXL were also on the list.
Tonight isn’t about Sky or me, but Jamil, Nina realized. People were coming to support Jamil and the new venture that would carry on his musical legacy. Sky and Nina had been given the opportunity
of a lifetime.
Nina was shaking when she left Greggo to finish the seating arrangements. She snuck back out to her truck to finish off the blunt. Her nerves were fried and she needed to chill. Surprisingly her phone was quiet.
When she returned to the restaurant she was nicely buzzed. Jade and Sky walked in right behind her. Nina followed them into Sky’s dressing room so the hairstylist could put a few curls in her hair.
“Where’s my tea?” Sky demanded. It was more than obvious that she was nervous. “I need tea. I have to warm up my voice.”
There were no beverages or food in the dressing room, only a huge bouquet of flowers.
“Sky needs tea. And there’s no food in the dressing room,” Nina barked at Greggo. “Where’s the food for the dressing room?”
“There was no food or tea ordered for the dressing room,” Greggo replied.
“Singers always need tea before a performance.” Nina looked at Greggo like he was an idiot. “Even if they don’t drink the damn tea, it’s always there.”
“Then that request should have been included in the artist’s rider,” Greggo fired back smoothly.
“Didn’t you get a rider?”
“If we had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“What’s going on?” Jade walked up as things continued to escalate between Nina and Greggo.
“There’s no tea or food in Sky’s dressing room,” Nina repeated.
“We can fix that. Greggo, have one of the girls take a teapot of hot water, tea bags…”
“Honey,” Nina cut in.
“And honey into the dressing room,” Jade requested.
“Those things should have been there in the first place,” Nina snapped.
“What about my sound check, Nina? I haven’t had a sound check.” Sky looked beautiful in the Versace dress and shoes that Jade had helped her pick out, but she still seemed to be coming unglued with every passing minute.
“I’m going to kill Kenjay’s fucking inexperienced ass,” Nina yelled. “He’s supposed to be handling these things, not me.” Nina took out her BlackBerry. “Kenjay, where the hell are you?”
Diamond Revelation Page 9
