Diamond Playgirls

by Daaimah S. Poole; Miasha; King Deja; T. Styles

  Chloe did one last double take of the place and followed Margie out the door.

  “Miss Margie, how are you?”

  “Oh, hi, Dior.” Margie turned to Chloe. “This is the girl I was telling you about who lives downstairs in the garden apartment. She’s French. Dior, this is Chloe. She’s moving into unit two next week.”

  Dior smiled and extended her hand toward Chloe. “It’s good to meet you, and welcome to the building. I’m sure we’ll be good friends.”

  Not likely, Chloe thought as she pasted a smile on her face. Having female friends had never been her strong suit. Most, like Kari, would start showing their jealousy after only a short while. “Good to meet you, too,” she said in a polite but distant tone. She turned back to Margie. “So, are we finished here? I see my friend is here, and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

  Chloe climbed into Christopher’s silver Range Rover waiting for her. “I hope you weren’t waiting for me too long.”

  “Nope, I got here about five minutes ago. So, how did you like the place?”

  “I loved it. It was more perfect than I’d imagined. In Texas they don’t have homes like this.”

  “So I take it you’re getting the place.”

  “Without a doubt. I’m coming back tomorrow to bring the landlady a money order.”

  “Do you need any help with the money you have to put down? I know how these owners be trying to rape you with these prices. With you just being an assistant and all, I know your funds are tight. I’ll be more than happy to help you out.”

  “I appreciate that but I’ll be fine. And I actually might be getting a promotion, which would mean more money.”

  “Is that right? So what’s the new position?”

  “Features editor. I would have a lot more responsibility and do a ton of traveling. If I can get this job, it could lead to so much more.”

  “More things like what?”

  “Like everything. I mean, I hope to run Posh magazine one day.”

  “Chloe, I don’t want to burst your bubble because I think you’re incredibly bright, but to go from being an assistant to running a company would be practically impossible with your background. You don’t have that type of experience. I mean, I admire your drive, I really do, but in reality what you’re reaching for is basically impossible.”

  “That sounds strange coming from you. If anything I thought you would be my biggest supporter since you beat the odds and became a success story.”

  “That’s why I’m giving it to you raw with no chaser,” Christopher continued as he pulled onto the FDR going north. “Because I had to break my back to get where I am today.”

  “I’m willing to break my back, too, if that’s what it takes.”

  “But you don’t have to. Dealing with the snakes you’ll have to encounter climbing that corporate ladder is no joke. They’re vicious and more than willing to draw blood to ensure you never make it to the top. That type of bullshit will make you bitter and you’re too sweet and beautiful for that. Chloe, I can take care of you. I know you’ve never had a man in your life who could provide for you, but I can. If you’re with me you’ll never have to struggle again. No more busting your ass at some job trying to make the rent. I got you.”

  Chloe didn’t know whether to feel flattered or offended with Christopher’s declaration. Originally she felt it wasn’t of any concern to inform Christopher she was a daughter of a billionaire with a trust fund that guaranteed neither her nor any of her unborn children would ever have to work a day in their lives if they chose not to do so. But now with Christopher offering to take care of her as if she was a charity case, maybe the truth was warranted. “Christopher, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Hold on, baby, I need to take this call.” Christopher turned the volume completely down as his face grew intense by whatever the person on the other end of the phone was saying. “Yo, you sure? I mean, when I signed that label deal it was airtight, my lawyer made sure of that. I’m not about to sit back and let this bullshit go down. I’ll be in my attorney’s office first thing tomorrow morning to straighten this out.”

  “Is everything okay?” Chloe asked after Christopher finished his call.

  “Remember those snakes I was just warning you about? Well, here they go.”

  “What happened?”

  “Corporate bullshit, that’s what. But before I get too vexed I’m going to have a conversation with my lawyer and if need be prepare myself for war.”

  “War? Who would want to go to war with you?” Chloe asked, getting out of the truck.

  “I don’t know, but I intend on finding out.”

  “Chloe, do you have the wardrobe revisions for the Halle Berry shoot on Friday?” Kari demanded hastily.

  “Good morning to you, too,” Chloe responded sweetly, handing Kari the finished list of revisions. “All the designers also agreed to include garments from next season that even store buyers haven’t seen yet.”

  “What’s the kicker? They better not try to stick us with any bullshit on the back end.”

  “Come on, Kari, this is Halle Berry. Plus, it’s free publicity for them if we choose to use one of their designs.”

  “Don’t try to school me on how this game works. You’re just a cosmetics girl, remember. These designers pretend to be so helpful, but trust me, they always have an underlying motive and I hope you didn’t agree to give them anything extra because it’s your ass on the line.”

  “I didn’t, so don’t worry. Now, if that’s all I need to get back to work.” Chloe exhaled as Kari tossed her blond bob to the side and strutted her bony ass back to her office. Right when Chloe wanted to scream out in disgust, her phone started vibrating and Christopher’s name popped up on the screen. “Hello.”

  “Hello to you. I was calling to see what you’re doing tonight. I thought maybe we could have dinner.”

  “We can have dinner but only if I get you for dessert.”

  “That goes without saying. So I’ll pick you up around six from work.”

  “Make that seven. I’m sure there’ll be something my boss will want me to get done at the last minute.”

  “Then seven it is.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “What has you smiling so hard?”

  Chloe jumped, getting caught off guard by Kari’s question. “Didn’t you just go in your office? What? Are you like the floor patrol?”

  “Funny. And no personal calls are allowed during working hours.”

  “What can I do for you, Kari?”

  “I have an event to attend next week, so I need you to go to the ‘closet’ and pull a few dresses for me. You know my size.”

  “Yeah, less than zero,” Chloe mumbled.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

  “I said of course I know your size and taste. I’ll get right on it.”

  “Good, and don’t forget my lunch at noon. Grilled chicken sandwich—”

  “On rye, hold the mayo,” Chloe said, finishing her sentence. “I know, Kari, I’ve gotten you the same meal every day for weeks now.”

  Before going to the “closet” and selecting some dresses for Kari, Chloe made a detour and hopped in a cab headed to Harlem. She promised Margie she’d drop off her money order and didn’t want to take the chance of anyone else getting her apartment.

  “Pull over to the left in front of the green and white brownstone,” Chloe directed the cabdriver. After handing him fifteen dollars, which included a five-dollar tip, Chloe shut the door and was greeted by the same knucklehead she had come across yesterday.

  “Hey there, pretty lady. You miss Jerome already?”

  Chloe couldn’t decide what irritated her more, his grimy smirk or his uncombed hair. “Excuse me, you said your name was what? Jerome?”

  “That’s right. The one and only.”

  “Praise the Lord for that, but I need you to move out of my way, sweetie. I came back here today to see Margie, not to make sm
all talk with you. So please go sniff after someone else, preferably on a whole other block, city, or state.”

  “Well, don’t you have an attitude? You uppity broads with your designer clothes and slick corporate talk kill me. Don’t no player like myself want to be bothered with that nonsense because women like you don’t know how to treat a real man anyway. I already got me a woman. A professional woman with a good job. I hope some suave Casanova comes along and ruins your credit.”

  “Jerome, what I tell you about harassing my tenants? Get your trifling ass away from my property, you low-life no good-for-nothing. Don’t make me call you out again, hear?” Margie yelled as she walked toward the brownstone.

  Jerome turned his lip up and pimp-walked off in his beat-up Timberlands.

  “Why me?” Chloe repeated, shaking her head. “Margie, hi, I was coming to drop off my money order. But if you have one moment can I ask you a quick question?”

  “Go ’head, dear, but make it quick because I only got that one moment you said you needed.”

  “I didn’t mean that literally, but okay.” Chloe realized she needed to speed up her question when Margie started tapping on her watch. “Does Jerome not have a job or is harassing women on the block what he does for a living?”

  “Child, Jerome is harmless. He’s been trying to bother the other girls here, too, but just keep ignoring him and eventually he’ll get the message. But if he keeps at you, I got a baseball bat that I keep right here in the hallway that you’re more than welcome to use. Now I must be going, I got things to do.”

  Chloe was starting to have second thoughts about her decision to move to Harlem, but she had already given Margie her money and the apartment was drop-dead gorgeous. She paused as she watched a light-brown-skinned woman trot down the stairs. Another twenty-something female neighbor. I hope she doesn’t want to be friends, too.

  Still, things could be worse, Chloe reasoned before hopping in a cab and heading back to work.

  “Where have you been?” Kari belted, walking up to Chloe’s desk.

  “Making sure I had everything you requested. Here is your lunch and in your office you have six beautiful dresses waiting for you.”

  “But I just came from downstairs and you weren’t in the closet.”

  “Of course not, I was too busy arranging your dress choices in your office. I’m sure we had just missed each other.”

  “But you were missing for a very long time.”

  “The line was much longer than usual at the deli and when they finally did give me your order it was cold. So of course I had them make your sandwich all over again. I know how much you hate lukewarm food. So you better hurry before this one gets cold, too.”

  Kari gave Chloe a suspicious glare but said nothing more. Chloe grabbed her purse and headed to the restroom to freshen up. When she got back to the office and saw how much time had passed, she was like the Energizer Bunny rushing to make up for lost time.

  “Hi, Chloe,” Leslie’s assistant chirped when she entered the bathroom. The two rarely had time to chat but were always friendly when they would run into each other.

  “Hi, how’s it going?”

  “Pretty good, you know, working hard. Leslie wouldn’t expect any less.”

  “Yeah, I’m actually coming to take a quick break from my boss.”

  “From what I hear Kari won’t be your boss for much longer.”

  “Really, who told you that?”

  “Of course this stays between us, but Leslie is really pushing for you to get the job as features editor. She loves your work and feels you’ll be perfect. Although Kari is a witch she does have her supporters, but Leslie carries a lot of clout, so your chances are excellent. But you didn’t hear this from me.”

  “Thanks, Lily, you’re the best.”

  “No problem. If I hear anything else I’ll let you know. Now let me get back to work before the floor patrol comes looking for me.”

  Chloe wanted to break out into a celebratory dance at the idea of landing the coveted position but knew it was too soon. Having an endorsement from Leslie was priceless but not a guarantee. When Chloe got back to her desk the conversation she’d had with Lily motivated her to work even harder. She started working on articles Leslie gave her that weren’t due for another two weeks. Chloe also completed another assignment Kari threw on her desk just so she didn’t have to hear her mouth. By the time all her tasks were completed it was seven o’clock and she was ready for her date with Christopher.

  She thought this evening was a perfect time to reveal who she really was to him. Not to say he didn’t know her, but a lot of men were either intimidated, a Leon Johnson groupie, or felt they could never measure up to her father’s reputation and no longer wanted to date her. But Chloe felt that she and Christopher spent enough time together that he had grown to care about her as a person and that her being the daughter of Leon Johnson wouldn’t matter to him one way or the other.

  Chloe’s eyes started dancing when she stepped outside and saw Christopher standing in front of the car waiting for her.

  “As always you look beautiful,” he said before opening the door for her.

  “I hope you’ll always feel that way about me.” Chloe got comfortable while Christopher walked around the other side and got in.

  “Pablo, take us to Nobu 57 on 40 West 57th Street. Have you ever been there before?” he asked Chloe.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “It’s one of my favorites for Japanese food. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked…do you even like Japanese food? Because we can go somewhere else.”

  “Japanese is fine.”

  “Are you sure? Being a southern girl, you might not have had much exposure to different cultures.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve had my share.”

  There was no question in Chloe’s mind she had to come clean with Christopher. She knew he didn’t mean any harm, but his assumption that she was some clueless hick was misguided and she needed to set the record straight.

  Upon their arrival the hostess greeted Christopher with a “we’ve been friends forever” smile, making it clear he was a regular. They bypassed the boisterous crowd at the first-floor bar and sat down in the sprawling dining room on the second-level balcony, which felt busy with rich woods, fabrics, and patterns. “Here’s your regular table, Mr. McNeil, and enjoy your meal.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “I take it you sit here when you come,” Chloe said as they sat down.

  “From the first day the restaurant opened. I used to go to Nobu’s downtown, but when they opened this one in Midtown it was much more convenient.”

  “Good evening, Mr. McNeil. Will you be having your usual?”

  “Yes.”

  “And your guest?”

  “Why don’t you order for me since I’m sure you know what’s good?” Chloe said demurely.

  “My date will be having the black cod—if only for bragging rights you have to be able to tell everyone about your brush with this silky, brightly sweetened fish. It’s mouthwatering.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “You can also bring me a bottle of wine.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “I must admit I’m getting used to spending time with you and I’m enjoying it immensely,” Christopher said, turning back to Chloe.

  “I feel the exact same way. I only look forward to two things—moving into my new brownstone next week and spending time with you. The more I see you, the more I want to see you, if that makes any sense.”

  “It does.”

  “So, how was work today?” Chloe changed the subject to something less personal as the waiter came back to the table and opened their bottle of wine.

  “Eventful. Remember the snake I told you about who is trying to buy out my record label from right under my nose?”

  “Oh yeah, did you find out who it is?”

  “Yes, this son of a bitch named Leon Johnson.”

  Chloe choked and sp
at out the glass of wine the waiter had just handed her when Christopher revealed the name.

  “Chloe, are you okay?” Christopher stood up in concern. Everyone turned to see what was going on. The waiter gently patted Chloe’s back, making sure she wasn’t about to fall out in the middle of the restaurant.

  “I’m fine. The wine went down my pipe the wrong way. No need to panic.”

  Christopher sat back down, looking relieved.

  “Continue on about that snake you discovered.”

  “Are you sure? That can wait. Making sure you’re okay is more important.”

  “I promise you I’m all better. Please continue, this is very interesting.”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard of Leon Johnson. If you haven’t you must be living under a rock. He’s our black Bill Gates and I’m still trying to figure out why in the world he wants to get into the music business. This man has more money than God but wants to fuck with mine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I had my attorney look into it. Supposedly he wants to buy Atomic Records, which is my parent company. Then once he does that he plans on selling off all the boutique labels, which would include mine. I thought my contract was structured so that they couldn’t sell off my label without my consent, but if a new owner takes over Atomic, it nullifies that part of the contract.”

  Chloe recalled the conversation she’d had with her father some weeks ago when he mentioned a deal he was considering that had to do with the music business. It was just her luck that the label would have to belong to the man she was head over heels for.

  “So, what are your options?”

  “My attorney is strategizing now, but this is a whole other ball game. I knew I would have to go to war with a big dog but not the king of the entire domain. I mean, he can bleed like anyone else. It’s just a matter of me finding his weakness, because we all have one.”

  Chloe knew this was not the time to reveal she was the daughter of the snake he wanted to shred to pieces. She barely said two words throughout their meal. Even after devouring the chocolate cake with green tea ice cream she had no desire to say how delicious it was. Her mind was fixated on doing damage control.