“Are you nervous about tonight?” Cristal asked her friend.
“A little.”
“We gonna be divas tonight. And niggas and bitches in there ain’t gonna have a choice but to respect us.” Cristal already had the perfect outfit picked out.
Tamar was still indecisive on what she wanted to wear. Cristal continued gazing out her fifth-floor window, smoking and waiting for Tamar to finish rolling up the blunt. She stuck her attention on two fiends walking briskly through the trashy courtyard, Marvin and Henry. They were life’s worst—two bottom-feeders in society with nothing in their future but despair. Marvin was her older cousin, but she had no remorse or concern for him. If he wanted to smoke crack and ruin his life, then it was his choice. Henry was his close friend. They used to be bright, young men with promising futures; now, they were dirty, soulless fiends whose main purpose in life was to smoke crack.
Tamar precisely sprinkled and loaded the freshly ground pink weed into the cut-open blunt wrap. She noticed something had Cristal’s attention.
“What you lookin’ at?” Tamar asked as she rolled the blunt with her mouthpiece in her right hand and burned the other end in her left, rolling left to right.
“Lookin’ at my stupid cousin trying to score crack,” Cristal said.
“Crazy. I can’t believe that’s your cousin.”
“He’s distant, like third cousin or sumthin’.”
“He slipped that far. Wasn’t he smart and some scholar growing up?”
“Yup, he was.”
Tamar tucked the bottom flap of the blunt under the top flap, using her thumbs and thumbnails. When it came to rolling up weed, she was the expert—she and Mona.
“How do people get like that?” Tamar asked rhetorically.
“Being stupid,” Cristal replied indifferently.
“Well, we about to get this money. We got over two dozen items in your closet to sell off, not including what we kept for ourselves, so we gonna get paid regardless. And if things work out tonight, girl, we about to see the hood in our rearview mirror,” Tamar proclaimed.
“I cosign on that,” Cristal replied, walking over and giving her friend another celebratory high-five.
With the evening moving on, their friend Lisa opted not to attend the party tonight. She was having issues with her man, but Mona and Sharon were still going. The girls rendezvoused at Cristal’s place, as usual, and they all got dressed in her bedroom. As always, weed smoke crammed the bedroom, ladies’ clothing was scattered everywhere, and the music had gotten louder.
By 9pm, the girls were halfway ready. Makeup and hair still needed to be done, but their attire was well put together. Excitement was in the air about meeting E.P. at one of his parties. Some considered him a legitimate and shrewd businessman and some considered him a violent gangster, but whatever they said about him, he was highly respected by everyone.
“What time is Pike picking us up again?” Mona asked.
“He said around ten,” answered Cristal.
“Shit, we need to hurry up then. I still need to do my hair,” Mona said.
It was a mini party: four young girls confined in the small bedroom with big dreams and aspirations. Twenty minutes after 10pm, all four girls stepped out of the building looking stunning, from ghetto to classy. Rich and Pike gazed at them from the burgundy minivan they were about to pile into.
Cristal looked marvelous in a Herve Leger signature scoop dress and stilettos that made her smooth, defined legs stretch to the stars. Her makeup was flawless, her long black hair radiant, and her jewelry glimmering like diamonds. The price tag on the stolen dress was two grand.
Tamar wore a Chanel lace dress with her Jimmy Choos, and her long hair looked sensuous. She carried her chic clutch and was ready to do her tonight.
Mona sported a simply stunning Stella McCartney ruched dress and Sharon wore a sexy, silk, one-piece jumpsuit and Christian Louboutin stilettos. Her natural afro was wild and her Ruby Woo lipstick made her just as pretty as the others. The girls’ transformation was unprecedented. Pike and Rich looked surprised from the front seat of the minivan.
When the girls piled into the back, Tamar commented, “Damn, y’all pickin’ us up in a dusty minivan.”
“Well, next time we’ll take your Benz,” Rich countered wittily.
It was always something from him or her.
Tonight, they were going to be like four princesses in the king’s castle.
Four
The 5,000-square foot Royal Penthouse Suite in midtown Manhattan was breathtaking from wall to wall. The suite took up a quarter of the 36th floor, which was the top floor and had four great bedrooms, its own spa-treatment pod, and a striking spiral staircase. Minimalist and furnished with pieces by the likes of designers Antonia Citterio and B&B Italia, the suite featured a wide, picturesque view of Central Park. For real luxe, the helicopter transport above the suite was out of this world.
E.P.’s guests entered the suite via a private courtyard that continued up to a sky lounge with an outdoor bed. There was a 46-by-12-foot pool and terrace. Stone floors and concrete walls added to the natural feel, and a bench carved out of one of the outer concrete walls emphasized the oneness with the surrounding land. Out on the wide glass terrace, guests marveled at the constellation-filled night sky above.
E.P.’s party was classy and well attended. The cream of the crop guests were in attendance—from distinguished CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, music moguls, a sprinkle of celebrities and high-profile athletes, and some of the most beautiful, stunning women ever seen. Everyone was suited up stylishly, the men clad in tuxedos and bow ties and the ladies in lavish dresses and gowns.
Expensive champagne was being sipped from long-stemmed glasses with hors d’oeuvres being passed around, people mingling, and contributory talk filling the room. The music was low, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Maxwell, and other platinum singers moderately playing in the room. Each invited guest had to give a password to enter—“Machiavelli.”
E.P.’s party was also heavy with security, dressed formally in suits with holstered weapons concealed underneath their jackets, earpiece communication showing in their right ears, and their presence felt strongly as they moved around subtly.
Pike and Rich walked into the impressive suite in their dark suits with the girls following behind them like they were two pimps leading a stable. Instantly upon arrival, each girl felt out of their league—like fish out of water. They looked around; the atmosphere was entirely foreign to them, and the sophisticated folks around made them feel a touch of intimidation. These people were exceedingly educated with numerous degrees and top-ranking positions in the business world or were the best in their careers, from sports and singing to Wall Street or marketing. The majority of them spoke more than one language, had traveled the world, and were able to speak complete sentences, not including Ebonics.
Some of the partygoers interned at Global Grind, Sean John, and MTV, some were in law school or were A-list actors with major movie roles. Who were Cristal and her crew—a bunch of wannabes from rough neighborhoods with little education and violent pasts? Yes, they looked the part for the moment, but the way the snobbish bitches in the party stared at them disapprovingly it was already becoming an unsettling environment and it seemed like their cover was blown.
“I need a drink,” said Cristal, leaving her crew and walking toward the open bar. The men she walked by gazed pleasantly at her.
Tamar followed behind her friend, and then the other two also got courage and moved in the direction of the bar. Pike and Rich were now following behind them. At the bar, Cristal ordered a Cȋroc Peach and Sprite. She took a few sips and sighed. It was going to take some liquid courage to deal with these people.
“Shit is really nice,” Mona said, looking around the suite with high regard. “Now this is how a bitch should be living.”
“I feel you,” Tamar agreed.
Immediately, the girls started to look around for E.P., the host of this extravagant affair, but he was nowhere to be found. And even though Cristal never met or saw the man before, she had a feeling that once she saw him, she would immediately recognize him. It would be easy; he would be the man with all the swag in the room.
Pike played Sharon closely at the party. He repeatedly complimented her on her outfit and how good she looked. She blushed and ate up his flattery with a silver spoon. It felt good to be wanted, especially by a man whom the ladies yearned to be with. But she wasn’t a fool and couldn’t be sure of his angle. Was it a game to try and get some pussy, or did he genuinely like her? She didn’t want to be hurt.
After a few drinks, with that liquid courage mixing into their bloodstreams, the girls started to work the room and mingle with other guests. They took advantage of the hors d’oeuvres being served and being among some of the city’s elite.
An hour passed and still, no E.P. It seemed like either he wasn’t going to show or planned on making a grand entrance to his own party. However, Cristal and Tamar had the eyes of some of the wealthiest men in the room. They smiled and flirted, and enjoyed the undivided attention that they were receiving from such handsome business executives. It felt good. One was an investment banker, and the other was a stockbroker—both in their early forties.
“You’re an angel, Cristal, and it’s finally good to know what a piece of heaven feels like,” the investment banker said with his weak game.
Cristal blushed. White boy had some game to him, and he wasn’t bad-looking either. But he wasn’t the grand prize. An hour later, before midnight struck, E.P. finally made his presence known. He walked through the double oak doors flanked by two beefy bouncers. Instantaneously, he had everyone’s attention, including Cristal and Tamar’s. Their eyes were fixed on him from afar with admiration in their stare. E.P. definitely had swag. Tom Ford was against his skin in the charcoal suit he wore, and he screamed masculinity. The man couldn’t help but stand out amongst any crowd he engaged with. He had titan shoulders along with his burly physique, and his onyx-colored eyes exuded confidence.
Cristal felt excited just to be in the same room with him. Her attention was fixed on his every move. She watched him walk through the room greeting his numerous guests casually. He smiled and worked the room like a politician. And then just like that, E.P. went upstairs into an upper room of the suite flanked by a few of his business associates and held a private meeting.
Cristal hurried toward Pike and asked, “Are you goin’ to introduce me to him?”
“In due time. Can’t you see that he’s a really busy man?”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who boasted you knew him well. So I would like to get to know him well too.”
Pike smiled. “I bet you would.”
“It’s business,” she shot back.
“And what business is that?’
“None of your concern.”
He laughed.
Unbeknownst to everyone, E.P. stood above the party watching everyone and everything cautiously. He knew almost every face at his party; it was his business to know the people in his surroundings. Every face he met in life, he remembered. He had a photographic memory. Some of the people at his high-end event he did business with, and a few were just personal in his life. He sipped champagne and smoked a Cuban cigar. The room he was in was filled with computers and high-tech surveillance equipment, including state-of-the-art facial recognition scanners. E.P. watched the room. He noticed Pike and the beautiful young lady he was with. She caught his attention. She was a new face to him, and so were the friends she’d come with.
With his attention fixed on Cristal and the phenomenal dress she was in, E.P. studied how she handled herself in the room. She stood out because of her cocksure demeanor. Cristal didn’t appear posh like the other women at his party. She was able to mingle in with his astute guests and had Wayne Bronson, a prominent CFO at Mumma Industries, and a billionaire at that, laughing and eating out of the palm of her hand. E.P. knew Wayne Bronson was a hardass—an asshole, and it was hard to have his undivided attention. Many beautiful women had tried but failed to do so. But there she was, with his eyes upon her like she was the crown jewel. Interesting. What was she saying to him? It didn’t take long for E.P. to deduce that this beautiful woman in her form-fitting dress was the head bitch in her crew. She seemed intriguing and also daring.
E.P. took a few pulls from his expensive cigar and felt it was time to make himself known again. He stepped out of the private room, walked down the spiral stairway, and slid back into his event. Pike, Cristal, and Wayne Bronson were on the other side of the main room, standing near the terrace entrance. E.P. navigated his way through the chatting crowd, turning down everyone that wanted a quick word with him. He moved their way smoothly like skates on ice.
When he didn’t want to be bothered with, E.P. didn’t bother with you. He was focused on getting to know this beautiful woman in the distance.
His steely glare was fixed on Cristal. Pike noticed E.P. approaching and his posture changed. His hands became clammy. He fidgeted a little. He would never admit it, but he always got nervous when he was around E.P. They were casual friends. However, this business tycoon was hardcore and shrewd, and was a mystery to everyone.
When Cristal saw E.P. coming their way, and a slight feeling of trepidation swooped through her. She tried not to stare, but she couldn’t help it: The closer he came, the more handsome she noticed he was, with his thick goatee and dark skin. She breathed lightly, trying not to have a panic attack. Cristal was the type of bitch that never got nervous around any man, but with E.P., she found her heart beating rapidly and butterflies dancing in her belly.
“Wayne, I haven’t seen you smile this hard since your company’s merger with Global Media last year,” E.P. said composedly, with his award-winning smile.
The man chuckled at E.P.’s rare humor.
“E.P., nice party, and nice scenery too,” Wayne said, glancing at Cristal.
She smiled.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” said E.P.
“Which reminds me, E.P., before night’s end, would it be any hassle to you if we could talk and go over the PSKG account?”
“I’ll have my people come talk to you real soon,” he said.
Wayne nodded. The two men shook hands, but E.P. seemed more interested in other things.
“It was nice conversing with you, Cristal. It’s been my pleasure,” said Wayne.
“Same here,” Cristal returned pleasantly. E.P. turned to Pike and said, “Pike, I’m glad that you and your beautiful friend could make it to my party. Please, make the introduction.”
“E.P., this is Cristal. She’s a good friend of mine from around the way.”
E.P. extended his bejeweled hand toward Cristal, gazed at her loveliness and said, “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Cristal. You are an extremely beautiful woman.”
“Thank you,” Cristal said, blushing somewhat.
“Pike, where have you been hiding this beauty for so long?” he asked.
“Brooklyn,” Cristal said.
“Well, I see I’m going to start making frequent trips into Brooklyn if they’re breeding beautiful ladies such as you.” E.P. was clearly flirting and his words were smooth, his demeanor confident.
Cristal gazed into his eyes and his firm stare was almost hypnotic. His stature was tall and alluring. Cristal had the urge to wrap herself in his arms and exhale like Angela Bassett. She was flattered to have this man’s attention. Pike played the background while Cristal and E.P. were engaged in conversation.
“So tell me, what is your secret?” E.P. asked.
“My secret?” Cristal replied, looking slightly dumbfounded.
“How did you get a man like Wayne Bronson’s attention? The man’
s a hardass; he makes Karl Marx look like Mickey Mouse.”
“I told him he was ugly and poor in my book,” she joked. “I’m just real like that.”
E.P. chuckled. “Maybe I need to use some of your technique in some of my meetings; lighten the mood a little and squeeze more money out of my clients.”
“It’s fine wit’ me, as long as I get my percentage.”
“I’m a reasonable man.”
“And I’m a real woman.”
The two locked eyes while talking and feeling some chemistry mixing between them, but their private little conversation was curtailed when Tamar looked over and noticed Cristal had E.P.’s undivided attention. She and her friends marched over their way with a sense of urgency, with Tamar not wanting Cristal to have all his attention.
“I see you met my best friend,” Tamar chided, and smiled widely in E.P.’s face.
Cristal cut her eyes at her friend, feeling Tamar was trying to cock block with her pussy.
“And you are?” E.P. asked Tamar nicely.
Pike stepped forward to make the introduction. “E.P., this Tamar, Mona, and Sharon; also friends from the area.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting all of you. I hope y’all are having a great time at my party.”
“We are. This joint is nice, E.P.,” Mona said with an impressed expression.
“Thank you. I paid a pretty penny for it,” E.P. revealed.
“How many pennies?” Mona asked daringly.
“Mona!” Cristal exclaimed, being embarrassed that Mona would ask him such a personal question. “You don’t ask the man his business like that.”
“It’s okay,” E.P. said, chuckling slightly.
“But she shouldn’t be asking you those types of questions.”
“It’s a free country, and I can ask any questions I want,” Mona spat back.
Murdergram, Part 1 Page 4
