Wicked Deceptions: A novella

by B, Johnna

  Getting him out of the hotel and into the parking lot proved simple enough, but getting the trunk into the back of her SUV was a different story.

  “Let me help you with that, ma’am,” one of the valets offered.

  “Oh, and they said chivalry is dead,” Courtnie smiled and stepped back to let him load the trunk into her SUV.

  “Umm, I think I…”

  Her sentence was cut short when he went to lift it.

  “Geez! What’ve you got in here? A dead body?” the valet joked, as he struggled with the steamer trunk.

  “No, just a few essentials. I’m starting over in a new place, and everything dear to me is packed in that trunk,” Courtnie told him.

  When he finally got the trunk loaded, Courtnie handed him a fifty dollar bill.

  “Wow! Thanks, lady!”

  “No, thank you,” she told him and jumped behind the wheel. “You’re all mine now, Adonis,” she whispered before peeling out of the parking lot.

  Chapter 8

  Blue Eyed Devil

  “Where in the hell is my son?” Adonis’s mother, Rachel, yelled into the phone before Angela could even say hello.

  “I don’t know. He said he would be back last night but never came back.” Angela felt like such a fool for practically begging him to come home only for him to pull this bullshit.

  “What do you mean ‘he didn’t come home last night’? I been calling him for almost two weeks, and I haven’t heard from him,” she fumed.

  “Well, that doesn’t have anything to do me! Maybe there is a reason he hasn’t wanted to talk to you!” Angela capped back.

  His mother could lick the crack of her ass. She couldn’t stand the old bat, and her funeral would make her life complete.

  “Bullshit! It wouldn’t surprise me if your trifling ass has done something to my Adonis. I told him not to make you the beneficiary on his life insurance policy.”

  “You sound crazy, old lady,” Angela said.

  “Let’s see how crazy I am when I call the police, you little, ungrateful bitch. If something has happened to my son, you will see me soon. Bet that!”

  Adonis’s mother was still ranting on the other end when Angela ended the call. Angela regarded her phone as if it had grown two heads. It was bad enough she was pissed about her husband not coming home, but now she had to deal with his stupid-ass momma. They had never liked each other. Rachel thought she wasn’t good enough for her son, and Angela thought his momma might have breast-fed him too long.

  Angela sighed deeply. She had been calling his phone all night and all day and still hadn’t spoken to him.

  “Where the hell are you, Adonis?”

  All it took was a quick call to their credit card company to find out where Adonis had been staying. The kids weren’t home from school yet, so she was free to pop up at the hotel to see if he was still there. When she got to the hotel, she asked to speak to the manager. After confirming her identity, he told her that Adonis had checked out the day before. Now, she began to worry. He didn’t have many friends or regular hangout spots, so the list of places for her to look for him was a short one, with the first stop being Coffee & Delicacies. They went there just about every morning, so, with any luck, maybe someone had seen him and could point her in the right direction.

  ****

  Courtnie’s eyes got as big as saucers when she saw Angela walk through the doors of Coffee & Delicacies. From her wrinkled clothes and the look on her face, it was obvious that there was something wrong. When Angela started toward the register, Courtnie got up to greet her. Normally, she couldn’t stand the site of the woman, but today was different. Courtnie walked up with an arrogance and a smile that said, I know something you don’t.

  “How can I help you?” Courtnie flashed her phoniest smile.

  “Ummm…I know this may sound crazy, but has my husband been in here this morning?” Angela sounded like a lost child who was trying to find her mother.

  “No, ma’am, I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks. Is everything okay?” Courtnie faked concern.

  Angela opened her mouth to speak, but she got choked up, and the first tears fell.

  “Aww, honey. Come into my office.” She pulled Angela around the counter and back into her office.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Angela was crying so hard her whole body convulsed. “He said he would be back last night but never showed up. I checked the hotel he was staying at. They said he had already checked out. I’m afraid something has happened to him.”

  Angela wasn’t sure why she was spilling her guts to a stranger other than the fact that she didn’t have anyone else she could talk to about it.

  Courtnie smiled inwardly as she listened to Angela, knowing that she would never see her husband again. “It’s gonna be okay, honey. I’m sure he’ll pop up.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m rambling on and on. You don’t even know me.” Angela wiped her eyes.

  “Honey, I don’t need to know you personally to know you need comfort.” Courtnie rubbed her back, trying to show some sort of sympathy.

  “My name is Angela,” she formally introduced herself.

  I know just who you are, bitch, is what Courtnie wanted to say, but, instead, she just replied, “Courtnie.”

  For quite some time, Courtnie and Angela sat in the office talking about life and love. Courtnie was younger than Angela, but seemed wise beyond her years. Talking to the white girl seemed to make her feel better about what was going on. Angela had seen Courtnie just about every time she and Adonis came into the coffee shop, but she had never really paid her much attention until then. She was a beautiful girl, with a firm, young body. Angela couldn’t help but reminisce about when her body was young and firm, before kids and marriage. A part of her was envious.

  Angela tore her eyes away from Courtnie and looked down at her watch.

  “Wow, I’ve been in here talking your ears off and keeping you from running your business. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. I’m the boss, so it isn’t like I can get fired,” Courtnie joked. “Angela, I know how it is to need someone to talk to and have nowhere to turn, so it’s okay. Trust me. You’re welcome to come back any time if you need to talk.”

  “Thank you, Courtnie. You’re a blessing,” Angela said.

  “I’ve been called worse.” Courtnie laughed.

  “Well, I guess I’d better be going,” Angela said as she stood to leave.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Angela. And please feel free to come back if there’s anything I can do for you, and I do mean anything.”

  Angela wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she simply smiled and nodded before walking out.

  Angela’s visit had been a blessing in disguise. From what she had gathered, nobody had any idea what had happened to Adonis. She had pulled it off. Something else she made a note of was how Angela had been looking at her while they talked. Behind those tear-filled eyes was something else…something dark and sinful. Courtnie filed that bit of information away to use at a later date if the situation called for it. For now, she would just keep a close eye on Angela.

  ****

  When Adonis awoke, he had a strong sense of bewilderment. The room was spiraling out of control, and he felt nauseated. He went to rub his eyes, but noticed his arms wouldn’t move. He looked around frantically, trying to see what was going on. He couldn’t lift his head but, from what he could see, he was in someone’s bedroom. Once he took full assessment of his situation, it set in that he was lying as naked as the day he was born in the middle of a bed. He tried moving his body parts, but they wouldn’t cooperate. Nothing was moving but his eyes. He couldn’t even yell for help. His mind began to race, trying to remember anything that would help him figure out what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered was going to see his kids and wife.

  What the fuck is going on? He wondered. He tried to move his limbs again, but nothing happened. He looked over and could see an IV line going into his a
rm. Wait a minute! What in the hell? Help! Help! He tried to scream, but found that his mouth seemed to be having trouble working. His body was numb, and the only thing he knew for sure he could move was his eyes. He looked around desperately and tried to get a better look at his surroundings. The room was dimly lit with candles all over the place, and he was lying on purple satin sheets. Help! Help! Help! He yelled and yelled for hours with no response until he fell asleep. He hadn’t realized yet that no one would ever hear him because all the yelling he was doing was inside his head.

  The sound of heels clicking against a wooden floor startled Adonis out of his forced slumber. He blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the lighting. Someone had turned on all the lights in the room. When his eyes finally adjusted, his gaze landed on a smiling Courtnie.

  “Hi, there,” she waved as she slid down onto the bed next to him.

  You? You crazy bitch! His eye balls shifted from left to right at top speed. He couldn’t speak to her, but the murderous look in his eyes told her what he was thinking.

  “You look like you have some questions. I’ll answer a few in no particular order,” she said as rubbed her fingers up and down his chiseled torso. He could see that she was touching him, and he thanked God he couldn’t feel it. The sight of her made his stomach churn.

  “First of all, yes, I took you, and it took a lot of energy to get you from the hotel to my home. You’re a pretty solid fella.” She laughed as she grabbed hold of his penis and began to massage it. “What am I going to do to you? I am going to enjoy you in every way I possibly can. Will you be here long? It depends on your body, if it gives out on me, because I plan to test its limits. Please believe that. And, no, the effects of the drug are not permanent, but they are some good side effects, don’t you think? Your body is still fully functional, but you can’t move.”

  She stopped talking to look into his eyes and could see tears running down the sides of his face. She wiped his tears away and continued. “But I have something to help with some of those side effects because, surely, we can’t have all of you numb! I will be enjoying all of you while I have you. Oh, and don’t worry. Me and your wife are going to be the best of friends. I’ll be sure to fill you in on all the details of our budding relationship. But enough with all this talking, I’ll be back in a little bit to test the waters.”

  She kissed him all over his face. She lingered on his lips, and Adonis wished like hell he could have bit her lips off.

  How did it come to this? What did I get myself into? He asked himself as he watched her get off the bed and walk out of the room. Arrrrhhhhhh! He screamed silently as he watched the door slam on the rest of his life.

  Chapter 9

  The Undoing

  Courtnie sat with her legs folded behind her, thinking of the crazy things she had done. She reasoned that it was all the result of what her best friend had done to her all those years ago. Some might’ve called Courtnie a horrible person for some of her deeds, but they didn’t understand her motive—revenge. Courtnie made it her mission in life to teach all men who cheated, beat, and mistreated women a hard lesson. One by one, she lured them in, seduced them, and used them until she had no more use for them. Then, she discarded them, the same way men did to women. When it was all said and done, it would be Courtnie who would be praised as the avenging angel for womankind. Courtnie was a living example of the phrase “One man can make one woman hate all men.”

  Several years prior:

  “What’s up, Boom-Boom Lisal,” Courtnie’s best friend Brittany teased her as she walked up to her after calculus.

  “Nothing. On my way to meet Kirk at the coffee shop.” Courtnie smiled, as she always did, when speaking of Kirk.

  She had fallen head over heels for the captain of the football team. Kirk was on the radar of nearly every girl on campus, but he had chosen to be date Courtnie. This drew major shade from more than a few. Courtnie wasn’t popular. She wasn’t a cheerleader, and she didn’t party, so what Kirk saw in the bookworm was beyond the understanding of most.

  “Oh, you two getting serious, huh?” Brittany inquired.

  “No, not really. I like him, and he likes me, but, right now, we’re just feeling each other out. It’s only been a month, and I don’t want to rush it.”

  “Have you two done the nasty yet?” Brittany asked with a sly smile.

  “No!” Courtnie answered quickly, embarrassed by the question.

  She wasn’t a virgin, but she wasn’t what you would call sexually active. She’d experimented with sex, but was saving her real sexual journey for someone special and deserving.

  Brittany gave her a dumbfounded look. “How do you expect to keep a football player not giving up any ass?”

  Brittany had slept with half of the football team and still couldn’t get one of them to make her their one and only, but Courtnie had the biggest fish in the pond going ga-ga over her, and she hadn’t fucked him yet. She and Courtnie had been best friends and roommates since freshman year of college. Now, they were in their senior year, and Courtnie’s star seemed to be rising, while hers wasn’t. Brittany was secretly envious of Courtnie and how everything seemed to come so easy to her. Courtnie got straight As, studied instead of partied, didn’t wear makeup or sleep around, and attracted hot guys like flies on shit. Brittany was on the cheerleading team, just as pretty as Courtnie, wore nothing but designer clothes, and everyone on campus knew her. Her grades weren’t as good because she spent more time partying than studying, but she could hold her own academically. Still, she never seemed to be able to measure up.

  “Well, when and if I feel like he’s the right one, I’ll make sure it will be worth the wait,” Courtnie continued.

  Brittany rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Courtnie. So, are you going to the frat party tonight?”

  “I don’t think so. I have a test in Econ tomorrow and need to cram,” Courtnie said disappointedly.

  It seemed like all her life consisted of was exams, and she would be glad when senior year was over, so she didn’t have to take anymore damn tests. Courtnie had worked extremely hard to get to the point she was at academically. There were more than a few times that she wanted to give up, but she pressed on and had almost made it through four years of college. Her bachelor’s degree in business management was within her reach.

  “Courtnie, all this studying is going to fry your brain. You need to come out and let your hair down,” Brittany said.

  “I really can’t. I have to study.”

  “Come on, just for a little bit.” Brittany pleaded.

  Courtnie hated to tell Brittany no when she got like that. If she didn’t go, she’d have to deal with her childish attitude for the rest of the week.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll come out and have one drink.”

  “Or two… or three…or four,” Brittany joked. “Who knows? You might even decide to give up that precious pussy tonight.”

  ****

  Courtnie stood timidly against the wall, bobbing her head and singing along with Carry Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” She wasn’t really into the party scene and didn’t really know anybody there. She and Brittany were supposed to be hanging out, but her friend had abandoned her within a half hour of arriving at the party. She was, no doubt, in search of her next narcotic or one night stand. Courtnie told herself that she would only stay for another fifteen minutes or so, and then she was leaving.

  “Hey, beautiful. Why are you standing here all alone?” Kirk startled Courtnie when he walked up behind her.

  “Oh, hi. I’m okay, just hanging,” she said, trying to keep from blushing.

  She always blushed when she was around Kirk. He slipped a strong hand behind her head and pulled her in for a deep kiss. When their lips finally parted, Courtnie felt breathless.

  “I brought something for you.” Kirk handed her a plastic cup.

  “Thanks.” Courtnie looked down at the cup, which was filled to the brim.

  She hadn’t planned on drinking that h
eavy, but didn’t want to say anything to disappoint Kirk, so she took a gulp. It damn near gagged her, but she kept her game face on for Kirk.

  “Let’s take a walk. I wanna talk to you about something.” Kirk took Courtnie by the hand and pulled her along behind him.

  As Courtnie stepped through the doors with Kirk, she looked over her shoulder and saw Brittany glaring at her from across the room. Kirk led her from the frat house, around the side of the house, and into the backyard where the garage sat. Once they were inside, Courtnie felt like she had stepped into Dante’s Inferno. It was hot in the garage, and the liquor she had been slow sipping to calm her nerves wasn’t helping. She hadn’t even consumed that much, but, for some reason, it was hitting her incredibly hard. For a second, she thought she felt the floor move, but the feeling passed as quickly as it had come.

  “You know you are the most beautiful girl in the whole school, right?” Kirk said as he stroked her cheek.

  “Thank you,” Courtnie said, trying to fight off the feeling of nausea that was trying to overcome her.

  Her mouth kept watering up like she had to spit, but it would’ve been unladylike to do that in front of Kirk, so she swallowed it back as best she could.

  “You okay, baby?” Kirk asked, tilting her head up, so he could look in her eyes.

  From the way her pupils were dilating, he could tell the drug that he’d slipped her was taking effect.

  “I don’t feel so good,” Courtnie said.

  She lost her grip on her cup, and it hit the floor, splashing Kirk’s new sneakers. She expected him to get upset, but he barely seemed to notice.