On Sunday afternoon, after church, Nicholas, Michelle and James were enjoying grilled halibut, scalloped potatoes, buttered string beans, a garden salad and dinner rolls. Amaryllis was invited to church that morning by Michelle but she refused to get out of bed. She told Michelle she had major cramps.
They were at the Marquis Banquet Hall, sampling the reception dinner Michelle and James had chosen for their guests.
“Baby girl, where’s Veronica’s daughter?” Nicholas asked Michelle.
She looked at her father in shame. “What did I tell you about that, Daddy? Amaryllis is your daughter too.”
“That’s what Veronica told me, but I don’t have proof of that.”
“The proof is in Amaryllis’ face. She looks just like you.”
“No, you look just like me,” Nicholas insisted.
“Well, Amaryllis and I can pass for twins. So, if I look like you and she looks like me, then she looks like you.”
Nicholas didn’t understand that tongue twister. “What?”
“Never mind, Daddy. I invited Amaryllis to church with us and to get a free meal afterward, but she said she had the cramps from hell.”
James thought to himself, Good for her. She raises hell, she deserves cramps from hell.
“How did your tuxedo fit?” Michelle asked Nicholas.
“The sleeves were too long, but overall, it fit pretty well.”
She turned her attention to James. “And yours, honey?”
James had just put a fork full of food in his mouth and had to wait until he swallowed to speak. “Mine fit perfectly. I wanted to sport a top hat and cane, but Alex and Michael wouldn’t let me.”
“Remind me to thank them later,” Michelle said.
Nicholas looked at Michelle. “Baby Girl, have you been showing James your breasts?” He wore no emotion on his face. It was as though he’d asked Michelle what time of day it was.
James was drinking iced tea and spit it out across the table. Michelle was swallowing string beans and almost choked. She looked at Nicholas in shock. “What?”
“Has James seen your breasts?”
James would have rather been anywhere else other than where he was right then. Michelle looked at him and saw a blank expression on his face. He wouldn’t look at her.
“Why would you ask something like that, Daddy?”
“I’m just curious.”
“But why?”
“Because I am.”
Michelle looked at James as she answered her father’s question. “No, James has never seen my breasts.”
Just then the host came to the table and spoke to all of them. “Can I get anyone anything else?”
Nicholas looked at James and Michelle. “Is the food okay with you two?”
Michelle had an attitude and didn’t speak. James knew she was angry and spoke for the both of them. “Everything was fine. I think we’ve just confirmed our menu.”
Insisting on paying for the reception, Nicholas excused himself and went to the manager’s office to take care of the bill.
As soon as her father was out of sight, Michelle threw her napkin onto her plate, leaned back in her chair, looked at James and waited for him to speak. He looked at her and the only thing he could say was, “I’m sorry, Mickey.”
“Sorry about what?” she asked sternly.
“For opening my big mouth.”
“You told my father that you’ve seen my breasts?”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean not exactly?”
“See, what had happened was—”
“I don’t wanna hear a lie, James. Start over.”
James took a deep breath. “Okay, Mickey, we were trying on our tuxes and somehow, Michael and I started comparing you and Jodie. He was saying how good Jodie’s hips look, and before I knew it, I commented on the size of your breasts.”
Michelle couldn’t believe she was hearing this. “What was the comment?”
James knew that if he told her, she’d be furious. “Sweetie, please don’t make me repeat it.”
She tightened her lips. “What was the comment?”
James paused and took another deep breath. “I told them your breasts’ size.”
Michelle’s eyes grew wide. “You what?”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. It was a stupid thing to do, and I should’ve known better.”
“I can’t believe you did this in front of my father.”
“Mickey, I’m so sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”
“Because I didn’t think Nick would ask you about it. It was just us men talking.”
“Well, thanks a lot for putting me in such an awkward position in front of my father. I appreciate it, James.”
“Mickey, sugar baby bubble gum, what can I do to make this up to you?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
He grabbed her hand. “I’ll do anything.”
“This is gonna cost you chocolate covered raisins, chocolate kisses and a whole bunch of Chunkys. But you can start by realizing that you are a grown man and what we have is a personal relationship. My body and what we do is not to be discussed with anyone, ever.”
James kissed the back of Michelle’s hand. “It will never happen again.”
At 4:00 P.M. Friday, the telephone rang and Amaryllis answered it. “Price & Associates, Amaryllis speaking.”
“Hey, it’s me, Jodie. What time are you leaving?”
Amaryllis lowered her voice as to not allow Michelle to hear her conversation with Jodie. They were trying to pull off a surprise bachelorette party. “I’ll try and get out of here in the next ten minutes.”
“Can you stop and pick up the cake for me? I thought I’d have time to get it myself, but I had to get back here and relieve Michael so he can be on time for James’ bachelor party tonight.”
This was news to Amaryllis. “The boys are giving James a bachelor party tonight?”
“Uh-huh. It’s gonna be at Alexander’s house.”
Thanks for the 411. “Sure, I’ll pick up the cake on my way to your house.”
“Thanks, Amaryllis. I appreciate it.”
No, thank you. She hung up from Jodie and walked into Michelle’s office. “I have a headache.”
Michelle looked at her. “Amaryllis, you have more headaches than anyone I know. You should see a doctor about that. You want me to kiss it and make it better?”
“No, I’m leaving. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay, I won’t be too much longer.”
For the next two hours, Michelle worked on a case that would have her in court for three days next week. She thought about Amaryllis and was on her way home to see about her until her cellular phone rang. She recognized Jodie’s home number. “Hi, Jodie. What’s up?”
Jodie was on the other end sounding hysterical. “Michelle, where are you?”
“I’m at the firm, what’s wrong?”
She was crying and Michelle was getting nervous. “Jodie, what’s wrong?”
“I need you to come to my house.”
“What happened?” Michelle asked while grabbing her purse and keys and heading for the door. Jodie disconnected the call without a reply.
Michelle arrived at Jodie’s house in less than ten minutes. She rang the doorbell twice, but didn’t get an answer. She knocked on the door and it opened a bit. Michelle stepped into the foyer. “Jodie?” The house seemed empty as she walked into the living room. “Jodie?” she called out again.
At once, the lights came on and Michelle heard, “Surprise!”
Before her, stood all the women from her firm, Nicholas’ friend, Margaret, three of Michelle’s neighbors, a few ladies from the church, her secretary, Chantal, Cookie and Amaryllis. Someone pulled a string and balloons fell from the ceiling. Michelle stood in the middle of the living room with tears in her eyes. “Thank you all so much, but I said that I didn’t want a bachelorette party.”
Jodie cam
e from behind the crowd and hugged her. “That’s why I didn’t tell you about it. And thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Girl, you had me driving like a fool trying to get here. I thought something had happened to Michael or Mya. My heart was racing the entire time I was driving.”
“I got something that’ll calm your nerves. Come on and have a seat.” Jodie sat Michelle in a chair in the middle of the living room. The music started and a man built like his name should be Dexter, descended down the stairs wearing a construction worker’s uniform.
Michelle saw him and screamed. She covered her eyes with her hands. “No, no, no, Jodie. This can’t happen.”
Her protests were completely ignored as the ladies hooped and hollered for the dancer to do his thing. He gave Michelle special attention as he danced all around her. He shed his hardhat, tool belt and work pants, then stood in front of her wearing a wife-beater and red silk boxer shorts. Michelle laughed and looked at Cookie.
“It was the closest I thought I should come to red silk thongs, Michelle,” Cookie said with a wink.
Jodie had forewarned him that the guest of honor was a church-going woman who was engaged to a minister. She’d asked him to keep his show tasteful. When the song ended, he stood Michelle up, accepted the twenty-dollar bill she tucked into the side waistband of his shorts, kissed her cheek and congratulated her. From the money the women threw at him and what Jodie had paid, he left with almost five hundred dollars.
When the dancer left, the women sat around and laughed while they ate. Michelle walked over to Amaryllis. “So, this is why you left the firm so early. What happened to your headache?”
“It went away when Mr. Fix It came down those steps,” Amaryllis replied.
Jodie sliced the cake, made with fresh strawberries and butter cream, and served the women as Michelle opened her gifts. Michelle got everything from a long quilted gown that covered her from neck to toe to edible underwear.
Michelle shrieked. “What am I gonna do with this?”
Someone yelled out, “Don’t worry. James will know what to do with it.”
The living room was filled with laughter.
Jodie set a three-foot gift-wrapped box in front of Michelle. “This is from James.”
Michelle opened it and saw one hundred Hershey’s Kisses, fifty Chunky’s and a container that held one thousand chocolate covered raisins. Jodie gave her the card he sent with it and Michelle read it aloud.
“My dearest Mickey Mouse ... To share in your day, I’m sending sweets for my sweet. It won’t be long ’til we’re married, and I’m looking forward to getting a double dip of your chocolate. Have fun tonight; because you deserve it. Luv, James.”
All the women oohed and aahed at James’ gift and message. No one noticed that Amaryllis had slipped out of Jodie’s back door five minutes earlier.
After she had showered and sprayed herself with Michelle’s perfume, Amaryllis wrapped her nude body in Michelle’s trench coat. She stepped in a pair of Michelle’s black leather stilettos and stuffed the blond wig in the coat pocket. From Michelle’s telephone book on her nightstand, Amaryllis jotted down Alexander’s address on a piece of paper. On her way to the bachelor party, she stopped at a costume store and purchased a Mardi Gras mask that covered her forehead, eyes and nose.
Alexander and James were riding home after a long day at the precinct. One of the perks of being a homicide detective was that the job title came with a company car they shared. James was elated when Alexander offered to do all of the driving.
James noticed that Alexander was taking a different route. “Where are we going?”
“My place. I wanna show you something,” Alexander responded.
Ten minutes later, they walked into Alexander’s house and James saw Nicholas, Michael, a few men from the church, two of James’ neighbors and four detectives from his precinct.
Michael was the first to greet James. “What’s up, man?”
James looked at everyone standing around the living room. “I know this ain’t what I think it is.”
One of his neighbors spoke. “I don’t know what you think it is, but it’s a stag party.”
James looked at Michael. “Why did you let them do this, man?”
“What are you talking about? This was my idea,” Michael confessed.
“Your idea?”
“Yeah, man, loosen up and have some fun.”
The men approached James, shook his hand and congratulated him. Eventually, James started to relax and began to mingle. The men sat around, ate and chatted, then the doorbell rang. Alexander opened it and saw a female sporting a blond wig, wearing a mask, a trench coat and high heels. At first, he was puzzled because he hadn’t hired a stripper. He didn’t want to offend James, but then he thought that maybe one of the other guys had hired her without telling him about it. He smiled and looked at her. “May I help you?”
“Is James Bradley here?”
“Yes, he is.”
A disguised Amaryllis brushed past Alexander and stepped into the living room. All eyes turned toward her. She set the boom box she’d brought on top of the cocktail table and pressed the PLAY button. “Do Me Baby” by Prince filled the living room.
Amaryllis sought James out and pulled him by the hand to stand directly in front of her. He nervously looked at Alexander who shrugged his shoulders. Alexander looked at Michael who shrugged his shoulders. Michael looked at Nicholas who shrugged his shoulders. It was clear that the four of them were innocent and had no clue who this dancer was or where she had come from. But all of that would be discussed later. Right now a beautiful woman with a great body was in the middle of Alexander’s living room shaking her goods, and at the moment, that was all that mattered.
“Do me, baby, like you’ve never done before.” When Amaryllis shed the trench coat, the men couldn’t hold their tongues. They chanted, laughed and encouraged her to continue doing what she was doing. James stood looking at her and couldn’t believe this was happening to him. Amaryllis danced around him, touching him every chance she got. Each time Amaryllis touched him in an inappropriate manner, he quickly removed her hand, but didn’t stop her show.
Amaryllis was oblivious to all of the money being thrown at her feet. Her main focus was the man she was dancing for. It didn’t even matter to Amaryllis that her father was present, watching everything she did. As she sashayed past Nicholas, he noticed a tattoo of a rose on her butt.
When the song ended, Amaryllis grabbed her trench coat from the floor and put it on. She then picked up the cash, grabbed the boom box and walked out the front door without saying a word.
When she closed the door behind her, James looked at everyone present with an angry expression. “Okay, whose idea was that?”
No one said a word. He looked at Michael. “Was it you, Mike?”
Michael shook his head. “Nope, it wasn’t me.”
James looked at Alexander again. “Alex?”
“Nope,” Alexander concluded.
“Nick, did you set this up?”
“Nope, it wasn’t me either.” Nichols shrugged his shoulders.
James looked around the room. “Will the guilty party speak up?”
No one said anything.
“Well, whoever you are, I just wanna say one thing: Thank you, ’cause she was fine.”
All the men let out a loud sigh and started mingling again.
On the night of her bachelorette party, Michelle received one more piece to the puzzle. She could see all of the woman’s rear and the man’s legs and arms as he caressed the woman’s breasts. Michelle saw more of the sofa.
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Wanda. Wanda,
who? Wandaring about this picture, huh?
Michelle was anxious. Something didn’t feel right. In her bedroom, she called Jodie. “Where’s the last piece to this puzzle?” she asked through the telephone receiver.
“What are you talking about?”
“The picture of you and M
ichael getting your freak on.”
“Did you drink too much punch, Michelle? What are you talking about?”
“For the past month someone’s been sending me pieces to a puzzle that shows a man and a woman having sex on a couch.”
“What makes you think it’s me and Michael?”
“I don’t know, I thought you were playing a joke on me or something.”
“Michelle, you ought to know that I wouldn’t put me and Michael’s business out there like that.”
Michelle was frustrated. She didn’t know what to believe. “I guess you’re right, Jodie. But if you’re not sending this to me, then who is?”
“I can’t answer that.”
“I guess I’ll have to wait for the last piece. Don’t forget that next Thursday night is the wedding rehearsal at the church.” She hung up from Jodie and studied the puzzle again. The only piece missing was of the man’s face, but Michelle couldn’t take her eyes away from the sofa. Could it be possible? Is he capable? No, it’s not possible. James loves me and I know it.
In court Wednesday afternoon, Michelle was a wreck. She was anticipating the delivery of the last piece to the puzzle. Not only could she not concentrate, but when the time came for her to cross examine the defendant, her mind went blank. She couldn’t remember which case she was working on. She searched her briefcase for her notes and found them missing. She silently reprimanded herself for allowing the devil to take over her mind like this.
Needless to say, Michelle lost her first case in almost four years of practicing law. Her perfect record had been shattered. She exited the courtroom with tears in her eyes and ran straight into her father’s arms.
“What happened, Baby Girl?”
Michelle was too distraught to explain. “Just get me out of here, Daddy.”
Nicholas walked Michelle to her Jaguar. “Talk to me.”
Michelle was nervous and shaking. “I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t concentrate.”
“Are you okay to drive to the office?”
“I’m not going back to the office. I’m going home. I’ll call you later.” Michelle got into her car and drove away.
Amaryllis Page 13
