by Jahquel J
***
I finished styling Elvira. She loved all the options. Her husband was on the fence with the outfit but once I styled him in it, he fell in love. It was a little after eight at night and I was ready to retire for the night with a bottle of wine and a bubble bath.
My business phone started ringing, I sucked my teeth but answered anyway.
“Hello, Tiffany Mitchell.”
“I’mma need a stylist,” the caller said.
“Okay, what’s your name?”
“Marquis Davis.” I smiled. I hadn’t recognized his voice.
“Didn’t I tell you not to call after business hours?”
“I make my own rules, baby.”
“Do you really need a stylist or are you just playing on my phone.”
“A little of both.” He chuckled.
“What are your sizes and style?”
“Is there any way we can meet now? I would really like to meet and talk this over.”
“Is that necessary? We can meet tomorrow for brunch.”
“I’m at Benihana in Coral Gables...Come through,” he said hanging up.
Once I arrived at the restaurant, I saw him sitting in a corner already eating. I scooted into the booth, sure to keep my leather skirt down.
“Okay since you don’t follow directions, what do you need to discuss so badly you needed to meet now.” I voiced getting right to the chase.
“I need a stylist and I know you can deliver.” He stated stuffing Lo Mein in his mouth.
“I need sizes and your style. My fee is not cheap. It is cheaper than other stylists, but it’s still not cheap.” I let him know beforehand.
“Money is not an object. I’ll have my assistant send over that info to you.”
“So why the hell did I meet you for?”
“I wanted to chill with you. I ordered us some sushi. Do you eat sushi?”
“I do, but I could have been in my tub now enjoying my Friday night.”
“But now you’re in good company enjoying some good sushi on your Friday night.”
“Do you always have a comeback for everything?” I questioned.
“Yeah, pretty much. Try this,” he said, feeding me some Lo Mein with his chopsticks.
The sauce threatened to spill on my white peplum top, but he caught it before it fell.
“Mmm, that’s delicious.”
Marquis and I sat talking until the restaurant closed. I found out he was a hair stylist and owned a salon in Lincoln Road Mall. His pinky nails were for parting hair. Weird but true.
He showed me some of his work and to say I was amazed was an understatement. He also told me many people questioned his sexuality because of his profession, but he just loved making people beautiful. He rarely dated. Woman felt he was too feminine, but he was just a metrosexual. I agreed to style him, if he agreed to do my hair. His work was phenomenal.
Had a good time tonight, time to get to work. Marquise texted.
I always deliver, had fun too, I texted back before climbing in my bed with Madison. She was in the stage where she didn’t like to sleep in her bed. It was okay with me, I got to cuddle with my baby.
I closed my eyes thinking about Marquise. My mind wasn’t on Reshawn or Quinton. It was on the young, unique man who captured and kept my interest. I wanted to know more.
Chapter Thirty
Mezzie
I watched Tone walk a short blonde white girl to her Nissan and collect his mail from across the street. He flipped thru a couple letters and placed it back in the mailbox, pressed the alarm to his Maserati, then jumped in and pulled off.
I had been watching Tone for a week I knew how he moved. I knew how often he stayed at his house, when he stopped at the warehouse in little Haiti, and how often he frequented the strip club.
Jazz had put so many sick sadistic plans in my head that I was more than ready to get this motherfucker. AJ started to wake up, so I pulled off toward my aunt and uncle’s house. I hadn’t slept at the condo in a couple weeks. I didn’t feel right until I dealt with Tone.
I arrived at my aunt’s house and she took AJ out his car seat. I told her I would be back tomorrow morning to pick him up. She agreed and I left to meet up with Jazz.
“You ready? Once this happens ain’t no coming back.” she questioned for the hundredth time.
“I'm ready, let’s go get some sleep and come back later.” I said pulling out of the McDonald’s parking lot.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tyrisha
“I'm so tired of fucking staying in this house, Moses,” I said walking out to the patio, where he sat smoking a cigar.
“Take your ass back in the house! I'm smoking,” he said, not taking his eyes off the sports section of the paper.
“No, you gonna talk to me. I'm tired of being in the house. Tone wouldn’t dare put his fucking hands on me. He know I get down.”
If I wasn’t pregnant I would have been had the problem solved without the help of Moses.
“Yeah, okay. So go and take care of your business, I'm so tired of you thinking you could do shit when in fact you’re nine months pregnant, Tyrisha. You ain’t turning up for nobody but that baby in your stomach. If I said I'm gonna handle it then damn let me handle the shit!”
He put out his cigar out and stared at me, waiting for me to have a smart ass response. All I did was get up and walk into the kitchen to finish my food.
Moses killed me how he always liked to take control. I get that was what he was used to, but I liked being in control of my own shit too. I ran my business and practically ran my relationship with Tone.
I knew I wasn’t gonna sit in this house any longer while Moses ran the show. I had to talk to Tone and make him understand that I didn’t mean to hurt him. I should have talked to him and let him know what was going on just like he should have did about his bitch and child. I also wanted to address his new drug of choice. Whether he took it or not, I was gonna let him know I at least owed him that for all that he did for me.
***
I pulled up to Tone’s house, my old house, and felt somewhat of an eerie feeling. It was like visiting a grave of an ex-boyfriend who was killed. I told Moses that I had to finish up some business at the office before my scheduled C-section this weekend. He bought it and I sped out the driveway like the devil was on my heels.
In order for me to move on I needed to close this chapter with Tone. I needed to let him know that I knew all about his little family and that I wasn’t hurt anymore, but I wanted us to remain friends.
Just as I was about to get out my car, he came pulling up behind me blocking me in. I didn’t know if I should panic so I just played it cool stepping out the car as if I didn’t see him.
“Tyrisha, what the fuck you doing here?” he asked walking up with his gun drawn.
He probably didn’t know it was me. I was driving a Black Impala with tints.
“I was coming by to clear the air…”
“Clear what air? You left me and I know that baby isn’t mine so what air do we need to clear?” he asked, interrupting me, before I could finish my sentence.
I knew he was growing impatient and I was going to have to play by his rules. He did have my car blocked in.
“Let’s go in I’ll cook some lunch and we can talk like old times,” I said trying to break the ice.
He walked passed me and unlocked the door letting me in.
“You know where the kitchen is,” was all he said and disappeared down the hallway to his office.
I started to make something but there wasn’t any food in the cabinets or fridge. He came and sat on the stool at the island, watching me with glossy eyes.
“You don’t have any food. Let’s go out to a diner or something. I sure could eat,” I said rubbing my stomach.
“You know you’re not leaving right?” He calmly said, never taking his eyes off me.
I stopped rubbing my stomach and tried to calm myself down. He wanted a raise out of me and I wasn�
��t going to give him one. He wanted me to be panicked and call Moses but I wasn’t doing either. I was going to act normal like what he said to me didn’t faze me.
“We kidnapping people now, Tone?” I laughed like he was a clown performing.
I walked pass him out the kitchen. I unlocked the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t open. I jiggled the knob. It wouldn’t budge. I turned around and Tone was leaning on the arm rail of the stairs.
“I had a plan to kidnap your ass after the baby, you know save the little bastard from what I’m gonna put its mother through. But you came to me.” He smiled a sadistic smile.
I didn’t recognize him. I started to panic.
“Open the fucking door, NOW!!”
“Yeah, we’re going to have fun before you leave this world.” He walked up to me.
I ran to the living room. I couldn’t move fast enough with my stomach weighing me down. Tone walked right behind me and snatched my arm. I kicked, screamed, and scratched him.
“You gonna make this real annoying ain’t ya?”
I pulled my hand back and punched as hard as I could. His nose started bleeding and I saw red in his eyes. He pulled his arm back and punched me back with ten times the power.
My head snapped back and I fell onto the white couch. He walked to the foyer and came back with a washcloth, then leaned over the couch and tried to put it over my face. Once he bent my arm back and put the wash cloth over my face, everything went black.
*****TO BE CONTINUED*****
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Table of Contents
Chapter OneTiffany
Chapter TwoTiffany
Chapter ThreeTyrisha
Chapter FourReshawn
Chapter FiveTiffany
Chapter SixMezzie
Chapter SevenTiffany
Chapter EightTone
Chapter NineTyrisha
Chapter TenTiffany
Chapter ElevenMezzie
Chapter TwelveTyrisha
Chapter ThirteenMoses
Chapter FourteenTiffany
Chapter FifteenQuinton
Chapter SixteenTiffany
Chapter SeventeenTone
Chapter EighteenQuinton
Chapter NineteenTiffany
Chapter TwentyReshawn
Chapter Twenty-OneMoses
Chapter Twenty- TwoMezzie
Chapter Twenty-ThreeTone
Chapter Twenty-FourTyrisha
Chapter Twenty-FiveTiffany
Chapter Twenty-SixMezzie
Chapter Twenty-SevenReshawn
Chapter Twenty-EightQuinton
Chapter Twenty-NineTiffany
Chapter ThirtyMezzie
Chapter Thirty-OneTyrisha
