by Sedona Venez
A pill that people clamored for. A pill that the people who could afford it, would buy it and use it like candy. But of course, not to miss another opportunity to addict people to their cure-all drug, the Collective started marketing another benefit of taking the pill, the more Rejuvenator people ingested, the more euphoric they became, giving them a buzz that not even the hardest drugs could replace, and overnight Rejuvenator became not only a cure-all, but the party pill of choice.
I pulled out a smile from deep within my gut and answered with all the calm that I could muster—which was very little. “No, what’s hypocritical is that the super-rich, yes, like me, are standing idly by while the poor are forced to exchange their blood for their monthly dose of Rejuvenator. What’s hypocritical is that the super-rich, again, like me, are exempt from participating in the Blood for Rejuvenator Program because we either get it for free for endorsing it, or we can outright buy our dosage.”
Fake boobs sneered, “And the question is, why do you care?”
Diego scowled, pulling me along before I could kick her skinny little ass or respond. I wanted to snarl at her audacity. I had no delusions of grandeur about exactly who I was. I was a superficial superstar that just six months ago cared more about what outfit I was going to wear to see my personal trainer than this whole Rejuvenator debacle. Months ago I didn’t know about it or care about it. Now I was stuck knowing way too much with no way out. Could I have ignored it, yes, but that’s what sent me damn near crazy. What was revealed in my dreams could never be ignored; the strange women ensured that tenfold.
So yes, I gave a shit about the Blood for Rejuvenator Program for so many reasons and for her to insinuate that this was just some rich girl on some save the world project was a load of shit. She knew that. Shit, anyone with common sense knew that. I was putting my career, and yes, my life in jeopardy by going against the powerful but reclusive Collective Corporation. A Corporation that controlled everything in the world and who made world leaders shake in their shoes. The same Corporation that was allegedly behind assassinations of anyone that publicly opposed or tried to expose them.
Frankly, the only reason that I was still alive was that the strange woman said it wasn’t my time to die, and that if I played my cards right tonight, and do exactly as she told me, I would stay that way.
“Girl, when will you learn to reign in that temper of yours?” Zoe muttered.
I stomped my way down the red carpet, snarling, “Never. Especially when it comes to the Collective and that woman that was obviously sent by them to publicly give me shit.”
Diego shook his head with dismay. “That woman was Vivian LaRue, Anchor and managing editor of her own namesake evening news program. You really need to watch the news more often.”
I huffed angrily, walking towards the entrance. “You mean the news program owned and controlled by the Collective? Uh, no thank you.” I blew a calming breath when the black-attired bouncers and security detail stepped aside, nodding at me with deference. All except one, my one man ex-commando, Nick, Mason’s business partner and best friend. Security tried to usher the women along who gave him very interested stares which he promptly ignored as he barked into his cell with a light British accent. Who could blame the fawning women, with his lightly tanned skin, short blond hair, bulging muscles and over six foot frame? He was striking, imposing and totally not interested.
“Yes. She’s here and safe. Yes. Let me handle this, ok? Take care of business and let me do what I do best, secure.” He looked at me with cool blue eyes. “Yes, that was Mason. He’s been busting my ass about getting you in the club quickly and securely. This is like the worst time for him to be away on business with all this shit going on.”
I pursed my lips, “He can call you to micro-manage my arrival, but he can’t return any of my text messages? Seems awfully convenient.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, “What can I say, your brother does what he wants, when he wants. But you know that.”
“Only too well,” was my displeased response.
Nick looked over at the clamoring paparazzi. “I hate those sharks, their always circling looking for blood. I was about to start busting heads to get those savages away from you, but from experience I know that you would have my ass if I did.”
I leaned up giving him a loud smacking kiss on the lips, “Bad Nick. There will be no knocking of paparazzi heads tonight. Any other night, you have my permission.”
He ushered me towards the door gently, “Promises, promises.”
I grabbed his hand smiling. “Think of it this way, Mason will be back tonight and the chore of being bodyguard to the wayward superstar will be over.”
He smirked patting the top of my head like I was a cute puppy, “Chore? Guarding your body is my pleasure little one.”
Being the career flirt that I was, I wiggled my brows with a lecherous grin. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls, handsome.”
My jaw dropped when he gave me this hot, I will fuck you where you stand stare that literally shocked the shit out of me.
“Nope, just you.”
Diego cleared his throat unnecessarily loud. “Oh, I know just how badly you want to...guard her body.”
I looked at him questioningly. “What’s up? Am I missing some guy thing?”
Nick sneered, which made Diego grin like a misbehaving school boy with his palms up in a gesture of total surrender. “Yup, it’s a guy thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
I rolled my eyes. “Shit, guys aren’t that deep.”
“You would be surprised. I’ll see you on the dance floor. I’ve got an angel to capture.” He stalked off without a backward glance.
“Get inside and host your party. I’ll see you later.” Nick grimaced, I could almost hear the angry grinding of teeth as he practically shoved me through the door, while Zoe was laughing her ass off at some inside joke.
As soon as we stepped into the trendiest club in Manhattan, Mason’s first and most lucrative nightclub, all eyes zeroed in on me like they expected to see me being carried in wearing an iced-out strait-jacket. I smiled, waved and blew kisses to the curious, the lustful, and the anxious singers who mistakenly thought they could take my throne while I was on hiatus. I was still on top and it would remain that way.
There was no need for a VIP section, because the whole party was VIP with celebrities: basketball and football players, actors, models, pop, rock and R&B singers, and hip hop stars all trying to act like they were not impressed by each other.
Hot looking security milled through the crowd with watchful eyes and model like waitresses filtered through the crowd with trays filled with a mixture of expensive glasses, green indicating well-poured drinks laced with Rejuvenator and gold for those without it.
Zoe was sauntering around practically snarling at anyone that approached. She hated the celebrity scene just as much as they hated her for being the street-smart woman who made it from poverty to fame and riches by working her ass off to be here. She took every opportunity to show them up as pretentious hags as she preened, doing a full-circle to show off her tall, slender frame, and dark flawless chocolate skin. Loving the attention, she tossed her trademark purple colored hair that was cut short on the sides and long in the front.
“Yes, people, Infinity and Zoe are in the building. The party can commence.” She swayed beside me as we pressed through the bodies on the way to the middle of the dance floor.
It was like a show that I loved watching over and over. Zoe, the diva to be reckoned with, rocked the hell out of her outfit from my ready-to-wear fashion line, tight-fitting, lace-up, black leather pants, a black t-shirt with studs under a black leather motorcycle jacket and high-heeled leather boots. Men’s tongues hung-out as she looked at them dismissively.
“What the hell was that about with Nick?” I waved to a few guests, giving some air kisses as we pressed through.
Zoe ignored me, looking around with a blatantly disgruntled stare. “No fresh blood. Same tired gu
ys.”
Screaming over the thick pulse of hot music as people gyrated, I looked at her excitedly. “You know Nick’s majorly hot and majorly single. Do you want me to hook you up?”
She looked at me like I lost my mind, “Uh, hell no! I’m most definitely down with the swirl, but I’m not interested.”
I skirted to a stop, “And why the hell not?”
She threw her hands in the air clapping to the music as she swayed around me. “Because he’s majorly interested in you, sugar.” She smiled and hip checked me.
“What? No he’s not. He never once acted like he was remotely interested.” She looked at me like I lost my mind. “Okay, well except for a couple of minutes ago.”
Zoe shook her head with dismay, “I don’t know if it’s your virginity thing or what, but dude almost had an erection when he was scoping your ass. There, plain enough?”
I grabbed two gold glasses from the waitress that smiled shyly at me before moving on. “First, there was no erection, believe me, as hot as he is I would have been all over that pointing at it like I won a prize, hopefully a big prize.”
Zoe laughed, choking on her drink.
I smiled, “What? Big is good, that much I know. Secondly, my virginity is a choice, not a mental impediment.”
She grinned saucily as she danced around me. “So says the girl who hasn’t had a penis near her mouth, never mind anywhere else for that matter.”
I looked around the party with fake paranoid eyes, “What the fuck? Shut the hell up, I have a reputation as a slut to uphold.”
“You are a slut. We both are. Slut is a frame of mind, not a status, sugar. Given the right guy, you’ll use all the tricks I taught you and turn some guy the hell out, making me proud that my slutty behavior has finally rubbed off on you. Fly the coup, my slutty baby bird.”
“Really?”
“All I’m trying to say is that you throw up road blocks like crazy, and they’re some very interested guys like Nick and gasp...Mason. And all you have to do is give them the sign that you want to give them a try.”
“Nick is like a brother. And Mason is my brother.” I held up my hand to stop her from talking. “Yeah I know. Not by blood. But I can’t go there. Ever. Shit, why does this feel like some bad after school movie and I’m starring in it?”
“And what about Kir? Even though I’m so glad that you broke-up with that joker, Diego and I made a bet…which I won…that you would find some way to break-up with him before the one month mark.”
I tossed back another drink looking at her pointedly. “I don’t know how I feel about you two making bets on the longevity of my relationships.”
She grabbed the other drink and tossed it back. “Oh please, you don’t have relationships. You try men on like shoes, then put them on the shelf after you get tired of the look. For fuck sake, you’re twenty-two and still at virgin. Who does that anymore? In the fifties you would be considered a spinster.”
I laughed because I loved my best friends’ honesty. “I can’t help it if I haven’t found the perfect shoe. I have discriminating tastes and any old shoe will not do.”
“Whatever. Whenever I spit the truth you get all cranky. Let’s party cranky girl.”
We grabbed more drinks, tossing them back, zoning out to the music, not caring about any onlookers as we gyrated. We battled for best dancer supremacy, dropping our asses to the floor to the remix of my hit song featuring Kir-J. As if it was some dramatic cue, Kir-J, self-proclaimed music phenomenon and all around man whore, sauntered up to me with his entourage of idiots.
“Infinity, baby! Hey, Zoe”
He leaned in to kiss me fully on the lips, which I dodged by coughing loudly.
“Whatever, jack ass...I mean Kir-J” I spat before pulling Zoe past him to check out some hotties giving us the eye. He pressed a hand on my ass causing me to stop mid-stride. “Do you want that hand? Because if you don’t remove it from my ass, like right now, I’m going to break it. And I think you might need it for your nightly hand jobs.”
He snatched it away, stepping back warily. “What’s up with you and the attitude?”
I looked around angrily because this was the face-off that had been brewing for days and I would not be denied. I pointed over at the private dark corner. “You. Me. Over there.”
He didn’t move, just smirked at his entourage like I just offered to perform oral sex on him. As if.
I raised my voice to be heard over the music. “Kir, I’m sorry. It’s just not going to work. Size is very important to me and....” I looked down at his groin area with sympathy, “It was like false advertising...” I held up a pinky. Some people just stopped pretending not to be listening and stared with open amusement.
His eyes flashed angrily, “That was really fucked up, Infinity.” He marched over to the corner with me strolling behind him with a wide smile. That will teach him to fuck with me.
I launched into my one woman tirade. “Really? You come to my pre-concert party and pretend that you don’t know why I’m pissed off?”
He looked at me with a smug expression that made me want to jack slap him for being so damn cocky. “Okay, let’s start with the fact that you haven’t made any of the agreed upon rehearsals, including today’s.”
Kir gave me a ‘so what’ look before responding. “I told your handlers that I don’t do rehearsals before eight PM. It’s written in the contract.”
My fists clenched. “And that’s why I changed the rehearsal time not once, but multiple times.” Now I really wanted to smack him because I had to pay my employees overtime because of the rehearsal accommodations made just for him. On top of that, he made so many stupid ass requests on his rider that I was so close to pulling his act from my concert. The only reason I didn’t was because he had such a huge fanatical fan base that when I announced he was opening for me, the social networking sites blew-up with the buzz. But right now, I was so through with him. I stepped in real close so that the interested crowd wouldn’t overhear what I had to say.
“Okay, cut the shit, Kir. Are you opening for me tomorrow night or what?” I jabbed his chest.
He licked his lips, giving me one of his icky grins that I’ve grown to hate. “That depends.”
“Depends?”
“On you and me in the VIP lounge. Discussing my opening act tomorrow night, our next collaboration song...and” he looked at me from head-to-toe, “other possibilities.”
He had absolutely lost his ever loving mind. “You slimy son of a bitch! Do I look like some desperate singer looking for a record contract?”
His eyes narrowed. “Look Ice Princess, I was only willing to do the fucking concert hoping that I would get a taste of the much talked about, Infinity. But since you cut me off before I had a chance to....”
“Seriously? How did I not know that you were such a major ass? Leave my party now before I have security throw your sorry ass out.” I strolled back to Zoe who was laughing hysterically, “Men! It’s like I’m stuck on some incestuous planet where they keep creating super idiots.”
“Forget super idiot” Zoe mumbled before nodding over at two hot, drool-worthy guys that looked useless in the brain department, but more than capable in the bed department. “You know how I love guy candy.”
“Well, let’s do what we do best....rope them in and ride them hard,” I responded.
Zoe smiled wickedly. “Giddy up, sugar.”
I wiggled my finger playfully, smiling when they eagerly surrounded us. We gyrated letting the beat of the music slam into us. My hair swung around in perfect rhythm as I drank more drinks than I could count. Testing the waters, I moved my body to the beat pressing against one of them to see if I felt anything remotely near lust or attraction, and just as I expected, it felt like hurl city. My stomach lurched, and my legs felt wobbly.
Shit! I bumped him off, yelling in Zoe’s ear. “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be back.”
She looked at me with concern. “Are you okay?”
&n
bsp; “I’m good. I just need some air.” I nodded towards Nick who was watching me inconspicuously from the shadows. “He’s got me covered.”
Weaving my way through the crowd, stopping periodically to say hi to my guests or take photos with them, the Security detail alternated between lingering in the shadows and trailing me. “Please guys. I think that I can handle using the bathroom by myself.”
The shortest one looked at me with cold eyes. “Sorry, Infinity. Mason gave us explicit instructions not to let you out of our sight.”
I gritted my teeth. This was exactly why I didn’t use his men as my security detail; he controlled them like mindless robots. It would be like having his lackey’s reporting my every move twenty-four/seven. One more way for him to dig his controlling claws into my back.
“I don’t give a flying fuck what Mason said. You stay here and I will be back.” They looked at me with cold eyes and reluctantly stepped back allowing me to pass as one whipped out his cell, no doubt to call Mason.
Pissed off, I sauntered away with my stilettos clicking in rhythm on the marble floors. I was mumbling to myself about how many tiny pieces I could cut his balls off in, only to walk into the bathroom to find two women that I was pretty sure were too young to be partying this late, and definitely too young to be snorting Rejuvenator.
One looked at me all glazed eyed, asking in a slurred voice. “You want some?”
The other girl had Rejuvenator caked on one nostril while her other nostril dripped blood, giggled uncontrollably.
“Hell no!” I respond. Note to self, have security escort them out of my party. I refused to have a media scandal centered on a salacious story about drug use at my party. This was the last thing I needed right now. I stepped into the stall, slamming the door which made them giggle louder before exiting the bathroom. The door opened again. I hoped to all that was holy that it wasn’t some rabid fan wanting an autograph so bad that they totally disregarded my space and privacy by sticking a paper for an autograph under the stall door.
I rolled my eyes when the person knocked on the stall door. Well at least they were polite enough to knock. “Uh, what the hell. No autographs.”
