Diamond Lives, Platinum Lies

by Howard, Vonda

  “You still can’t link it to D-Smooth! Honey, you need help.” She touched his face.

  “You’re right. I do need help.” He moved her hand and stood up from the couch. “Help understanding why the woman I thought was supposed to be on my side has now turned on me!”

  “Dick…” Brenda pleaded.

  “No! This bastard killed my partner and I am going to prove it one way or another!” He turned and headed for the bathroom. “That is with or without your help!”

  He stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He stood in front of the mirror staring at his self for a moment. He knew he was obsessed, damn near crazy really. He just could not let this go. He couldn’t let his partner down and let his murderer get away. He needed to relax. So he undressed and stepped into a nice steamy shower. The hot water stung his smooth brown skin as it rolled down his body. He closed his eyes and put his face under the shower stream trying to wash away the haunting memories of a best friend lost. He leaned forward, placing one hand on the shower wall and let the hot water beat down on the back of his neck as he fought back tears of frustration and grief. He must not have heard the shower doors slide open, because he jumped when Brenda ran her hands up his superbly chiseled back. He looked her in her deep brown eyes and pulled her to him.

  “I’m sorry, baby.” She whispered in his ear. She looked at him and smiled pulling him into a kiss. The hot water that fell on them seems cool in comparison to the heat they were generating with their kisses. Their wet bodies glided and slid against one another as they kissed and caressed one another. He lifted her body up to him so that he could kiss and lick her long and slender neck. The water tasted sweeter as it trickled down her neck and met his tongue. She wrapped her legs around him as he pressed her back against the shower wall. She could feel the hardness of his dick poking against her. She rolled her hips causing the head of his dick to slide against her swollen clit. She gasped and water filled her mouth as she moaned. While he enjoyed himself on her breasts, she pulled her body up enough where she could slide down slowly onto him. He assisted and held her up by grabbing each cheek and lifting her up and sliding her down on him. She was so warm, snug, and felt so good. Her hips winded and turned pushing him closer and closer to the explosion he was trying so hard to avoid. Skin to skin they were one, something she hadn’t felt in such a long time. His hand caressed the soft skin of her thigh as he pushed himself deep inside her. She breathed in deep soul-drenching breaths with every pulse from him. A burning wave of passion and love flowed through them as they both began to reach their passionate peaks. They clung to each other tightly as they both shook and panted from the explosion of liquid passion that rushed between them.

  Simone awoke wrapped up in blankets from her intense ’celebrating’ with Darius. She looked over at him knocked out beside her, mouth wide open and wondered if he was really the man she knew. She knew she loved him and was elated to be marrying him, but couldn’t get her conversation with Detective Rice out of her head. She tossed and turned in bed for a while trying to sleep with no success. So, she gently scooted out of bed and went to the kitchen to get a cup of tea. She needed something… Something to put her mind at ease. She prepared a cup of her favorite tea and started to make her way back towards the bedroom when she tripped over one of Darius’s briefcases, almost spilling her tea. She reached down, picked it up and walked it into his office. As she sat the briefcase down on his desk, her worry and curiosity got the best of her. She made sure not to make too much noise rifling through all the papers and opening and shutting drawers. Nothing looked out of the ordinary; inventory reports, payroll schedules, budget projections, nothing that was easing her mind. Just as she was about to give up, she found a photo of Darius and Carmine Esposito buried at the bottom of the bottom drawer. “What the hell?” She whispered. She knew right away who this striking Italian man was in the photo. Trent had showed her photos and told her all about his history. Why was Darius in a photo with him?

  “Whatcha doing?” Darius said from the doorway.

  She immediately shoved the photo in her pocket and shut the drawer.

  “Oh hey sweetie! I was just looking for pen to write down this idea I had for a movie.”

  He slowly walked inside the office towards the desk where she was sitting. “Oh, I didn’t know you were interested in screenwriting.”

  Simone chuckled nervously. “Neither did I until just a few days ago. Don’t worry. You won’t be seeing me penning anything out for a while.” She stood up and walked around the back of the desk and pressed herself against him.

  “Oh okay. What was your idea? Come on, run it past me.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to him.

  Her heart was pounding. She smiled and pulled his face down to hers and gave him a very slow and luscious kiss. “Why waste time on that when we could be ’celebrating’ our new life together?”

  He smiled as he lifted her up and laid her down on the small couch in his office for another round of steamy lovemaking.

  Simone woke up the next morning, still wrapped in the mink comforter on the sofa in Darius’s office. “Darius?” She called out.

  There was no answer so she just stood up holding the blanket around her. “Darius?” She called out once again when she reached the living room. Still no answer. She saw a small note on the bar.

  It read;

  Hey Sunshine,

  I had an urgent meeting this morning with a few distributors. I may have to leave town for a day or two; I’ll call you when I know for sure.

  Love,

  D

  She was sad that he was gone, but at the same time, she wanted to figure out what the deal was with that photo in her robe pocket. She went back into the office and fished out the photo, grabbed her cell phone and called Peaches. Even though Peaches could be the most ghetto of the crew or the loudest and goofiest, Simone knew that if something was going down and she needed her, Peaches was the one person that was there. She often calls Peaches her “ride or die” chick. They were all they had as far as they were concerned. Their mom died a few years back of cancer and they don’t speak to their father. He tried to come out and claim Simone as his when she won her first Emmy, but she quickly shot him down, telling the media that he was a liar and that her father was dead.

  “Hello.” Peaches said with a raspy morning voice over the phone.

  “Peaches, it’s Simone. Wake up.”

  “Simone, what do you want this early?” Peaches said annoyed with the early morning call.

  “I’m sorry honey, I just need your advice on something.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Do you remember all the stuff I told you about Trent’s background?” Simone asked.

  “Of course! The mobsters?”

  “Shh…yes.” Simone whispered as if someone could hear them.

  “Whatever…what about it?” Peaches grunted slightly as she sat up in bed.

  “Yesterday, I was getting ready for Trent to get home and I got a call from Detective Rice.”

  “Oh Lord.” Peaches rolled her eyes in her head.

  “No, he told me that Ganja’s lawyer was found dead.”

  “What? What happened to him?” Peaches gasped.

  “He wouldn’t really tell me a lot. Of course, he suspects Darius.”

  “What does any of that have to do with you though?” Peaches asked with concern.

  “Well, he said that he has two witnesses that overheard them arguing the day before about money.”

  “Okay?”

  “That’s not all! Last night I found a picture of Darius with Trent’s crazy cousin Carmine!”

  Peaches’s mouth fell open. “What? Girl, that’s serious!”

  “I know it is! I don’t know what to do. I love him so much and I hate that I’m thinking this way about my future husband.”

  “Wait! Hold the phone! Future husband?” Peaches said in disbelief.

  “Oh, he proposed to m
e last night. It was beautiful and romantic. He has been nothing short of the perfect man to me and this is how I repay him?” Simone’s eyes welled up slightly.

  “No, you have right to be worried about this! I mean, you found a picture of your fiancé with a mobster! Does he know you have it?”

  “No, he almost caught me last night, but I distracted him.”

  “Okay, well, we are going to find out what we can about this.” Peaches responded sharply.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Well, Simone, we aren’t going to do anything.” Peaches said sternly.

  “What are you talking about, Peaches? There is no way you are doing this alone!”

  “Look, he may not suspect that you know anything, so the best thing to do is to keep you close to him.”

  Her mind floundered. “I guess.”

  “Yes, Simone. Just let me do something for my big sister for once? Don’t you have some photo shoots to do?”

  “I can reschedule them. You are not doing this alone, Peaches.”

  “Roxanne will have your head! Besides, I’ll be fine! Have you forgotten how sneaky I am?”

  “Sneaking in past your curfew and doing this are two different things.”

  “I promise I won’t get into something I can’t get out of, okay?” Peaches said trying to ease Simone’s fears.

  “Okay, but you be super careful, you hear me?”

  “I promise.” Peaches chuckled.

  “You call me as soon as you know anything. Got it?”

  “Yes, Simone.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “You don’t worry about it. The less you know the better. I know exactly where to start.”

  Chapter 13

  Darius and Big J walked into Pesca, a small restaurant owned by the Esposito family in Manassas, Virginia.

  “Carmine asked for you to come alone. Should I be here?” Big J asked as they entered the restaurant.

  “Aren’t you the head of distribution?”

  “Yeah.” Big J reluctantly agreed.

  “Okay, well, this is a meeting about distribution, so why wouldn’t you be here?”

  “I’m just asking. You have to be careful with these mafia jokers.”

  Darius laughed and patted Big J’s shoulder. “Man, you’re fine. Come on.”

  “Darius!” Carmine called out from a booth near the back.

  They both walked over to the table where Carmine was working on a warm cornetto and a frothy cup of cappuccino.

  “Darius, my man!” He reached up and shook Darius’s hand. “Have a seat. I thought I said this was a private meeting?” He smiled as he looked over at Big J.

  “Well, J here is my head of distribution. I felt it important for him to attend.” Darius said with his trademark smile.

  Carmine just looked at them both with a smile. “Well, Darius, if you trust him, so do I. How is everything? I see the casino is ready to open. How is that beautiful superstar girlfriend of yours?”

  Darius raised his eyebrow. “Well, the casino grand opening is next week and actually, it’s fiancée now.”

  “Get the hell out of here! Congratulations!” Carmine reached across and shook his hand.

  “Thanks. I popped the question last night.” Darius said with a proud smile.

  “Well, you just make sure I’m on that invitation list, huh?”

  “Sure thing!”

  “Now, to what I called you here for.” Carmine used a napkin to wipe his mouth.

  “Okay.”

  “You, Darius, my friend, have been doing an excellent job.”

  “Well, thank you; I got a lot of help from my man, J, too.”

  Carmine just smiled. “Right. Well, we’ve gotten requests from over twenty casinos in the US and internationally for my product and your wrappers.”

  “Really? That’s good news. Are we ready for that type of production?”

  “You bet.” Carmine smiled. “I just purchased five more warehouses that are waiting for word from us to start production.”

  “Cool, you on top of this I see. I can appreciate that.”

  “Great. Now all I need is the formula for the wrappers.” Carmine smiled.

  Darius chuckled.

  “What? Don’t tell me we haven’t gotten to a place in our relationship where we can trust one another?”

  “Nah, I trust you C. I’ll trust you even more if you gave me your formula.”

  Carmine smiled as he leaned back in his chair and lit a cigar. “Of course! You’re like familia to me now! I trust you, Darius. I’ll get that to you.”

  “No disrespect Carmine.” Darius smiled. “Just for security purposes.”

  Carmine’s chocolate brown eyes squinted from the smoke as he allowed it to slowly pool and exit his mouth. “Of course.”

  “Well, then it’s set.” Darius reached over and shook Carmine’s hand. “I look forward to continuing business with you.”

  Carmine smiled as he put out his cigar. “Same here.” His smile slowly developed into a scowl as he watched Darius and Big J exit the restaurant.

  “Are you sure that was a good idea agreeing to give him the formula? Who’s to say he don’t take it and make his own shit?” Big J asked.

  Darius smiled as the stepped inside the limo. “I’m not worried. He can have the formula. I figured out the secret formula to Hybrid six months ago.”

  “What?” Big J laughed as he gave Darius dap.

  “Yeah man, he was the only way for me to get to get enough of it to test. I never intended on working with that bastard! D-Smooth works alone! As we speak, I’m working on blanketing the streets with my formula of Hybrid. Carmine will be buying from us!”

  Big J laughed. “Diabolical!”

  Peaches knocked on the door of the two story colonial home nestled in the suburbs of DC. You would have never figured that a hard core rapper lived here. The grass was a perfect shade of green, no crabgrass or weeds, well maintained flowerbeds lined the outside of the house. All it was missing was a little white picket fence. The door opened and Ganja’s mom stood with a warm yet sad smile on her face. “Can I help you?”

  Peaches extended her hand for a handshake. “Hello, Mrs. Mackey. My name is Peaches...I mean...Rochelle.”

  “Hello Rochelle. How can I help you?”

  “Ma’am, I’m an old friend of your son’s and I just wanted to come by and see him.”

  “Well, he’s not really up for visitors, honey.”

  “Please? I will only be a few minutes. I just haven’t seen him since all this happened.”

  Ganja’s mom paused for a second looking at the very convincing sad face that Peaches was giving. “Alright, a very quick visit and promise that you won’t upset him.” She stepped back allowing Peaches in.

  “I promise.” Peaches smiled.

  “His room is just up the stairs to the right.”

  Peaches smiled and made her way up the stairs and into the room where Ganja was lying. His room was filled with cards, flowers fan letters and gifts. There was barely enough room for his bed. She walked up beside his bed and was heartbroken by the sight of him. He woke up as she sat down in the chair beside him and held his hand. He struggled to turn his head and see who it was.

  “Hi. You don’t know me. My name is Rochelle, but my friends call me Peaches. You may have heard of my sister, Simone Carmichael?”

  He nodded slightly.

  “I just have one question for you. Did D-Smooth do this to you?”

  His expression darkened with fearful emotion as he tried to shape his mouth to speak to her but couldn’t.

  “What is it you’re trying to say? It was him?” She squinted trying to understand what he was trying to say. “Can you just nod yes or no? I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you.”

  He continued to try to speak to her, his eyes starting to well.

  “Okay, you are getting upset and I really didn’t want to do that. I can come back another time.”

 
He squeezed her hand a little harder as she went to stand up.

  She sat back down, laying her hand on top of his. “Honey, I wish I could understand what you are trying to tell me.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Said the female voice from the doorway behind Peaches.