by Glenn, Roy
Maria used to dance at Cynt’s, where she went by the name Mystique. She’d been dancing at Cynt’s for years and I always marveled at how much she looked like Cassandra. I ran into her about a month after Cassandra died. At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Maria was bigger than Cassandra: five-eleven and heavier, but there’s not an ounce of fat on her. Her complexion, lips, facial structure, and her eyes; she had the same beautiful eyes. There are still times when I wondered if Maria and Cassandra could be sisters. Could she be one of Chicago’s many children? Maria never met her father and her mother was dead, so there was no way I would ever know for sure.
“Nick say anything about Jackie?” After Freeze was killed, it was a couple of days before I got around to checkin’ things out. When I got to the game, there was Jackie holdin’ it down. Since she’d been watching Mylo for me, Jackie knew how things worked. Everything was goin’ fine. I owed Jackie for puttin’ me on to Mylo. And besides, I respected the way she stepped up and ran the game when I needed her, so I left her there.
“He start to come in the office, but I tell him, Jackie ’dem know you boss now.”
“What he say then?”
“Nothing. Him lost in thought after that. We drink and wait until you come out.”
“Lost in thought, huh?” Yeah, I know, I shouldn’ta just dropped it on him like that. I shoulda talked to him about it, made sure he understood what I wanted him to do. You know, made sure he wanted to do it. But you know what? Either he’ll step up to the job or he won’t. If things had happened the way they were supposed to, it would have been Nick runnin’ the day-to-day operations when me and Bobby made the decision to take a less active role.
If Bobby hadn’t threatened to kill him over Camille, he would have never joined the army. I would have chosen Nick over Freeze. Not that I had a problem with Freeze or the way he ran things; it woulda just been Nick’s time.
When we got to Impressions, I found Bobby at the bar surrounded by women, as usual. “What’s up, Bobby?”
“Chillin’,” Bobby said and dismissed the women he was talkin’ to. “How you doin’ tonight, Mystique?”
“I’m fine, Bobby.”
“Yes, you are,” Bobby said to her and then turned to me. “You and Nick do y’all’s thing today?”
“Just dropped him off.”
“And?”
“He’ll be all right.”
“Come on, there’s somethin’ I need to talk to you about.”
“I’ll be right back, Maria,” I said and kissed her on the cheek. “You want me to leave somebody with you?”
“No, Kevon is around here somewhere.”
I followed Bobby to his office. As we made our way through the crowd, it seemed like he knew every woman we passed—Waving to him, blowin’ kisses and shit. “I thought you were gonna call me today,” one woman said.
“I thought so too,” Bobby said and kept walkin’.
“What happened to you last night?” another asked.
“That was so long ago that I don’t remember,” was his answer.
“Am I gonna see you later?” asked a woman in a red dress.
“I never make plans that far in advance,” Bobby told her and dismissed her.
Lately, Bobby’s head hasn’t been on business. He’s been in some kind of early mid-life crisis, or some shit like that. He brought a new CLK350 Cabriolet convertible Benz and went back to runnin’ the club, which he didn’t really have to do since Tara has been runnin’ the joint for years. I mean he’s still with Pam and he’s a good father to his children, but he’s on a mission to fuck as many women as he can. I can’t say shit about that ’cause I’ve been on a tear my damn self.
In addition to Maria, and the occasional stray, I fucked Mercedes. The day after I’d made Maria stop dancin’ at Cynt’s, she set the pussy out for me. To be honest with you, I really don’t even like her. Probably ’cause she got ’bout as much sense as a box of rocks, but she is so fuckin’ fine that I had to have her. The last time we were together she told me that she was gonna change her name to Diamond, ’cause when I call her box of rocks she thinks I’m talkin’ ’bout diamonds.
Then there’s Jackie’s fine ass. Jackie is bi-sexual and likes to invite her girlfriends along to play with us, which always makes for an interesting night. And Jacara; she’s a nightclub singer that I met in the Bahamas. I only see her when I’m down there visiting Michelle.
Maybe it’s both of us in mid-life crisis.
I know Bobby loves Pam and would like for things to be different between them, but it is what it is. I know what my problem is. I love Cassandra and I miss her. Miss everything about her. The hole she left in my life has grown, and no matter how I try to fill it with these women, I know I never will.
When we got to the office, Bobby made us some drinks while I went and stood by the two-way mirror that overlooks the club. I looked out on the floor for Maria and spotted her on the dance floor. I looked around for Kevon, he was on the dance floor too, but his eyes were on Maria.
“What you wanna talk about?” I asked when Bobby handed me my drink.
“I want to know what direction you goin’ in.”
“What you mean?”
“I mean you got Wanda wide-open; making plans for us to get out of the game and at the same time you got Nick steppin’ up to run things.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Other than it makin’ for some long nights in that house, you mean?”
“Yeah, other than that.”
“Nothing, I guess. I just wanna know where your head is.”
“One is the future, one is the past.”
“I know that shit. Wanda’s in my ear with that shit all the time.”
“Right now, as long as we’re makin’ money and nobody’s fuckin’ with us for a change, I don’t see any reason why we can’t do both. But us goin’ legit is where we’re goin’.”
“Fair enough. So what y’all got planned for me in this bold new world?”
“I don’t know. What you wanna do?”
“What Wanda got you doin’?” Bobby asked.
“Goin’ to borin’-ass meetings with borin’-ass people talkin’ a bunch of borin’-ass shit that I only half understand. But the numbers look good, so I ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Wanda is makin’ us a chunk of money that way.”
“Any women at these borin’-ass meetings?”
“Some.”
“Probably a bunch of stuck-up hoes who think they’re better than everybody.”
“Some are, some aren’t,” I said and thought about Meka Brazil. She’s a very smart and very interesting investment banker who Wanda and I met with about a week ago. Sometimes I wonder why I’m attracted to powerful, professional women like her, but gravitate to woman like Maria and Mercedes.
“Well, next time you have one of these borin’-ass meetings, I want to be there. If that’s where we’re goin’ in the future, I need to be a part of it.”
“I got no problem with that. Tomorrow afternoon we got a meeting with some real estate agent. Wanda wants to buy some warehouse and office complex in Long Island. It’s your money too; you should be involved. I really didn’t think you were interested in shit like that.”
“I’m not, but if times are changin’, I need to change with them.”
“I’ll give Kevon the day off. Come get me around noon.”
“Cool.” Bobby laughed. “And you can tell Wanda that I’ll behave.”
“Whatever, Bob,” I said and got up.
Chapter 12
When we got back to the club the first person I ran into was CeCe. She used to be with a baller who called himself Cash Money. He was murdered by Mylo’s hit team. Since then, she has been tryin’ to get with me by making herself useful, which she was, very useful at times. I tell her to do something and it’s done. But I still avoid her ’cause CeCe is a statuesque beauty, who has the type of raw sexuality that makes men fall at her feet, which makes h
er a very dangerous a woman. “Hey, Bobby.”
“How you doin’, CeCe?”
“I’m good, Bobby,” CeCe said to Bobby but her eyes were on me.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you . . .” Bobby said. “CeCe been lookin’ for you, Mike.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” Bobby said and walked away.
“Hello, Mr. Black,” CeCe said with that sugary voice that always makes me want to rip the clothes off her body.
“What’s up, CeCe? You look nice tonight.”
“It’s a Diane Von Furstenberg lipari dress. You like?” CeCe asked and stepped closer to me.
“Yes, I do. But you look good every time I see you.”
“Which isn’t often enough, but I love it when you like what I wear. You know I pick my outfits with you in mind. You liking what I wear makes it worth the money I paid for them.”
CeCe was in the apartment when Cash and his crew got popped. Before the police got there, CeCe took all the money and dope out of the place and left it with one of her neighbors. She sold the dope and kept the money.
Smart girl.
“How’d you know I’d be here?” I asked.
“I’ve been looking for you, but I know you know that. I know you always show up here sooner or later. But I see you got your woman with you tonight, so I won’t disrespect her and take up a lot of your time, but I do need to talk to you about some business.”
I looked at CeCe for a second and then I turned and unlocked the door that led to the office. I stepped aside to let her pass and locked the door behind me.
“So this is what’s behind the black door. You know everybody wants to know.” CeCe went up the stairs that led to the office and I gladly followed behind her. When we got to the office, CeCe walked to the window and looked out at the club. “I always thought that this was a two-way mirror.”
“See how smart you are.”
“I’m glad you noticed.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t mind if I do?”
“Of course not,” CeCe said and sat down on the couch.
I fixed my drink and sat behind Bobby’s desk. “What business you need to talk to me about?”
“You still looking for that guy Mylo?”
“What about him?”
“I saw him on the news a couple of weeks ago. His name was really Clint Harris and they said that he was a DEA agent, but it was the same guy. They found him dead in Philly.”
“I heard that too. What about him?”
“Well, you remember when you said you were looking for Mylo and I said I didn’t know who that was?”
“I remember.”
“Well after I saw him on the news, I remembered that he used to come by the apartment to see Cash.”
“But you knew him as Clint Harris and not Mylo?”
“That’s what I’ve been tryin’ to tell you.”
I sat there for a second or two thinking before CeCe said something. “What?”
“If Cash knew his real name, did he know that he was DEA?”
“How could he not know? I mean, it could happen, but I doubt it.”
“How well did you know Mylo or Clint or whatever his name was?”
“Not well at all. I told you I hadn’t been with Cash that long. Clint used to come by the apartment sometimes and they’d talk.”
“What they talk about?”
“They would always ask me to leave, so I never did know or really care what they were talkin’ about, but what I could hear was Clint tellin’ Cash how he could handle things.”
“Why you care now?”
CeCe looked at me like she couldn’t believe I actually had to ask her that question. “Why you think?”
“Enlighten me. This way we’ll both know.”
“You. I’m diggin’ you, Mike Black. I think I’ve made that plain. I know you here with your woman. She’s a very pretty woman and I hear she’s good people, and y’all got your thing, whatever it is. And believe me, I do respect that, but the fact of the matter is I want you. And you know what’s funny?”
“What’s that?”
“I know you want me.”
“What’s funny about that?”
“What’s funny is I can’t figure it out. I know you want me. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. I can hear it in your voice when you talk to me. I can tell it by the way you avoid me unless you need something from me. And don’t try to say that you don’t avoid me, ’cause we both know it’s true. ‘She'll be all right.’ I believe that’s your line.”
She was right. That’s exactly what I say anytime somebody tells me that CeCe was lookin’ for me. When I didn’t comment, CeCe continued.
“And you gotta admit, when you need me, I come through for you, don’t I?”
“You do.”
“Every time. And you’re gonna need me again and I got you, baby. Anything I can ever do for you is done. But I need you to understand something.”
“What’s that?”
“I do what I do for you ’cause I want to. I want you to know the kind of woman I am. I understand that since I used to be with Cash that you didn’t trust me, but I hope we’ve gotten past that. I want you to know that you can trust me, and you know that you can depend on me to handle mine and whatever you need me to do. I want you, Mike Black; want you bad and I want you to want me the same way. That’s why I do the things that I do for you. Not ’cause I know you’ll break me off something. I don’t need nothing from you, I got my own.” CeCe took a breath. “Oh, I didn’t tell you, I’m getting ready to open a high-end boutique in a couple of weeks. So bring your woman by and I’ll hook her up.”
I knew why she threw that in. By now CeCe must have heard that I bought a gym for Maria to run. Since she was a personal trainer, I thought it was a good match for her since I made her stop dancin’ at Cynt’s.
“Let me know when you open and I’ll drop by.” I thought about legitimate business opportunities for the future. “Depending on how you do in business, I may want to talk about investing in your expansion.”
“Partners with Mike Black, I like the sound of that. It will make me work that much harder.”
I bet it will. “My name ever come up in any of these discussions between Cash and Mylo?” I asked, switching the subject back to business before I said something that would take this conversation in a direction that I wasn’t willing to take it. But CeCe was right about me. I do want her; wanted her bad. Every time I see her, she makes me want her even more. Then why do I avoid her? Maybe it’s because I haven’t wanted a woman like this since I met Cassandra, and I wasn’t ready to feel like that.
Not now, maybe not ever.
“Nope, I would have told you by now if I had heard your name. Him and K Murder used to talk about you all the time. Talk about you like you was Darth Vader.”
I laughed. “No one ever compared me to Darth Vader before.”
“How you know?” CeCe said and stood up. “You don’t know how these niggas in them streets are scared to death of you.”
“I guess I don’t.”
“That’s why you got me to let you know these things. And you do got me, Mr. Black, all of me. I’m just waiting for you to take me.” CeCe started walking toward the desk. “I know you got to get back to your woman. She’s probably looking for you and giving Bobby a hard time about where you are.”
I picked up the phone and called Kevon on his cell. “Yes, boss.”
“Come to the office.”
“On my way,” Kevon said and hung up.
I got up and led CeCe to the door. “The least you can do is give me Kevon’s number.”
I went back to the desk and wrote it down. I handed the paper to her. “Thank you. I promise not to blow it up.” CeCe looked at it then looked at me. I felt that urge to rip her clothes off as Kevon knocked on the door.
I opened the door for Kevon. “Escort the lady out
and tell Bobby I need to talk to him.”
“Well, I guess this is goodnight, Mr. Black.”
“We’ll talk again, soon.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?” CeCe remarked as she closed the door behind her.
I walked over to the couch and sat down. I sat there thinking about what CeCe had just told me about Cash and Mylo. Did Cash know Mylo was DEA? If he did know, how did Vinnelli fit into this?
Chapter 13
Nick Simmons
I was tired when Black dropped me off. I had gotten up early that morning and it had been a long day. I decided not to fight it any longer and got in bed. I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing. “Hello,” I said, but I was still half asleep.
“Nick, its Tamia. I got something for you.”
“What you got?”
“The way I hear it, the murders were drug related and the robbery was just a cover.”
“That the official line?”
“Pretty much, but I heard some talk that the robbers might be associated with a gambler named Jasper Robinson, calls himself JR.”
“Thanks, Tamia. If you hear anything else let me know.”
“I will,” Tamia promised and hung up the phone.
I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep when I heard somebody knocking on my door. I thought about ignoring it, but got up anyway. I got my gun and went to the door. I was about to see who it was when I heard the key hit the lock.
The door opened and Wanda stepped in.
“Hello.”
Wanda jumped. “You scared me.” Then she saw the gun. “Were you gonna shoot me?”
“Yes,” I said and turned around and headed back to bed.
“You all right?”
“Just tired,” I told her and got back under the covers.
“Too bad,” Wanda said and began getting undressed. “You been with Mike all day?”
“No. I took some money to Mrs. Phillips. I spent the day lookin’ into the murder at Paradise. I was with him most of the night. ”
“Did Mike ask you what you wanted to do?”
“I told him that I was thinkin’ about runnin’ the game.”
