The Estates

by LaJill Hunt

“Can I squeeze over here?” A female voice asked as she entered their area. Malachi couldn’t help staring as he recognized the woman who was damn near sitting in his lap as she tried to sit on the sofa beside him.

  “Damn baby, of course you can!” Hakeem said, trying his best to accommodate and shift his six foot nine frame over so she could have room. Oddly enough, she seemed to be content on Malachi’s lap.

  “Hey sexy,” she smiled at him, her hazel eyes and dimpled smile were as perfect as her body. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head and the tight black dress she wore clung to her like a second set of skin.

  “Hey Scorpio,” Malachi said, trying to remain cool and act like the fact that one of the world’s most famous supermodels was inches from his crotch. Although he had seen her everywhere from the cover of Sports Illustrated to strutting her stuff on the runway of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, they had never met in person. Being around celebrities was nothing new to him, but Scorpio was in a different league. She was the object of every man’s fantasy including his. While he was locked up he heard that she and her husband had separated and were going through a nasty divorce. Both of them were known to be party animals and most people, including Malachi, were surprised they lasted as long as they did.

  “Can I crash your party?” she asked, her manicured fingertips caressing his face and rubbing his head. He was pissed that he still hadn’t gotten a haircut.

  “It’s not really my party,” he told her, placing his hand on her thigh which was exposed from the short dress she wore. His gaze followed down her long legs to her feet and he fought the urge to imagine her naked in bed wearing only the red bottom stilettos on her feet.

  “Really? Someone told me that this was a party just for you, a homecoming party.” Scorpio shrugged. “That’s not true?”

  “If that were the case you wouldn’t be crashing. You would be an invited guest,” he said.

  She tossed her head back, laughing flirtatiously and leaned over giving him a sneak peak at her ample cleavage. Deciding to take a chance to see if she was really coming onto him, Malachi moved his hand a little higher up her thigh. Scorpio didn’t move it away and began swaying to the beat of the song that was coming through the speakers.

  “I love this song. Let’s dance,” she said.

  “Naw, I’m good,” Malachi told her. “You want something to drink?”

  “Did you even have to ask?” Scorpio took the glass he was holding and drank all of the brown liquor.

  “Damn,” he laughed.

  “Can I get a refill?” Scorpio said, looking around for the waitress.

  “So, how long were you in the joint?” she asked him.

  “About a year and a half.”

  “A year and a half with no women? Hmmmmm….” She gave him a seductive look.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Malachi asked.

  “Scorpio!” An older woman said, attempting to get into the VIP area. The large security guy near the entrance held her at bay.

  “Oh goodness here comes the party crasher for real,” Scorpio sighed.

  “What are you doing? I’ve been looking all over for you. We’re ready to go!” The woman said, glaring at the group of men in the reserved area, including Malachi. Two other girls appeared next to her along with another skinny guy who was clearly gay. He recognized one of the other girls as a swimsuit model as well, but couldn’t remember her name.

  “So GO Dina! I’m not ready. We just got here!” Scorpio said. “I’m not leaving.”

  “See Marcelo, this is why I told you and Dina I didn’t want to come with her. She never knows when it’s time to go. I’m leaving. I have a shoot in the morning I gotta get ready for,” Model Chick said.

  “Come on Scorp. We can come back tomorrow night. We’ve gotta go,” Marcelo pleaded.

  “You guys go ahead. I’m good,” Scorpio told them.

  “Fine,” Model Chick said and turned to walk off.

  “Wait Natalie! We can’t just leave her,” Dina told them.

  Natalie Kincaid! That’s her name, Malachi thought as he continued watching the discussion.

  “Why not?” Natalie said. “She’s grown and she drove.”

  “But she’s drunk,” Marcelo said. “Do you think that’s safe? This is why I told you to call Cheddar.”

  “Fuck Cheddar! And carry your asses!”

  The four person entourage shook their heads and quickly departed, leaving Scorpio on

  Malachi’s lap, requesting a refill of what was now her drink.

  “We need to take some pics! Oh damn! My phone is dead. Lemme see your phone!” Scorpio leaned over and yelled at Hakeem who seemed to be impressed with the petite, big bust stripper who was rubbing on his chest. He reached into his pocket and handed Scorpio his iPhone and she held it up and commanded Malachi to pose.

  “I don’t do pictures, Ma.” Malachi shook his head and tried to block the phone.

  Scorpio pressed her body against Malachi and kissed him fully on the mouth, gently sucking his bottom lip in such a manner that he didn’t even care that she was taking a picture of them as she did so. Afterwards she smiled and said, “Say cheese.”

  He stared at her, eyebrows raised and said, “Cheese.”

  They continued drinking, laughing and feeling on one another until Malachi’s hard on was no longer caused by the strippers they came to see.

  Scorpio leaned over, stroking his crotch and said, “Let’s get out of here. Take me home?” Malachi shook his head.

  “Sorry, Ma. I ain’t drive.” Scorpio reached into her cleavage and pulled out a Porsche key fob and said, “That’s not a problem.”

  “I can take her home if you want me to,” Hakeem offered.

  “I don’t want you taking me nowhere,” Scorpio snapped. “I want Malachi! It’s his night.”

  Malachi thought long and hard about her offer. His ego quickly told him the chances of him ever getting the opportunity to sleep with a super model again would be slim to none, so if ever he wanted it to happen, he better do it now. It didn’t take him long to decide what to do, especially with Scorpio whispering what she wanted to do to him in his ear. He quickly told Trey and his boys he would catch up with them later and he gathered up his newly acquired date and they made their way out of the club. As they stood up, Scorpio stumbled and Hakeem helped Malachi walk her out of the club. Her custom colored, pewter four door Porsche was parked right near the door and he helped her inside before sliding into the driver’s seat. The feel of the leather, the sleekness of the steering wheel, the enticement of the glowing dashboard was almost too much for him to take. He hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car in almost two years. He inhaled the scent and looked over at Scorpio who was so drunk that she was already nodding off.

  “I’m staying at the Hyatt. Is that cool? he asked her.

  “No take me home!” She told him.

  “I don’t know where you live. I can take you home in the morning,” Malachi told her.

  Scorpio hit some buttons on the screen of the dash and typed and then loudly said the word ‘HOME’. Immediately, the GPS map appeared and the computer voice instructed him on how to get to the destination.

  “Let’s go,” she told him,leaning back into her seat.

  He saw that it was a forty five minute drive and started to suggest again that they go back to his room at the Hyatt, but declined and headed to where she wanted to go. Scorpio reached under the seat and pulled out a plastic bag containing what looked like five or six perfectly rolled joints and lit one up. Taking a puff and inhaling, she then passed it to him. He took it from her and held it to his lips, taking a pull and allowing the smoke to fill his lungs.

  “Good stuff, huh?” Scorpio smiled.

  Malachi just nodded and passed it back to her. She turned on the radio and old school rap serenaded them while he drove. They made small talk until Scorpio fell asleep. When he finally arrived to her neighborhood, he pulled in and noticed that although there was a s
ecurity booth, no one was in it so he proceeded. There were still houses being built, but the ones that were already completed were huge. He continued until he got to the one that he assumed belonged to Scorpio.

  “Hey, we’re here,” he nudged her to wake her up, but she didn’t move. “Scorpio, we’re at your crib. Come on. Wake up!”

  Scorpio held her head up for a second, pointed to a black plastic square over the visor and mumbled the word, “Garage.”

  Malachi was confused until he saw that on the other side of the circular driveway there was what looked like a four car garage and he drove over. He hit the plastic remote and immediately the garage opened and he pulled inside and parked beside a large SUV and a motorcycle. He tried once again to wake Scorpio up but she was beyond wasted. He knew he would have to carry her. He got out and walked over to the passenger’s side of the car, lifting her out and tossing her over his shoulder. The short skirt of the dress rose all the way up answering the question he had been pondering all night long and confirming that she did not have on any underwear. Her perfectly shaped derrière was fully exposed and he bit his lip in excitement. There were two doors, but only one didn’t have a window, so he knew that was the one that had to lead to the inside of her home. He then realized he didn’t have a key.

  “Scorpio, you gotta wake up. Where is your house key? How are we gonna get inside?”

  Scorpio didn’t answer. She just pointed to the door and laughed.

  “The key,” Malachi said again, trying not to get frustrated. He reached over and turned the door knob, expecting it to be locked. Instead it easily turned and he pushed it open. Once inside, he heard a beeping sound and panicked, realizing that there was indeed an alarm system, “Scorpio, the alarm.”

  Scorpio wiggled her way out of his arms and stumbled over to a nearby wall where she punched in a code and the beeping stopped. Malachi was relieved and closed the door as Scorpio turned on a light.

  “Come on,” Scorpio said, pulling him down the hall and into the foyer where there was a huge double staircase. She tried to make it up a few steps, but nearly fell so again he picked her up into his arms and carried her. When they got to the top, she pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. He entered through the darkness into what he assumed was her bedroom and placed her on the huge bed in the middle of the floor. She scrambled out of her dress and laid naked across the black duvet which covered it wearing only the red bottoms.

  Malachi looked up at the ceiling and mouthed the words ‘thank you God’ and took off his own shirt. Just as he climbed beside her, Scorpio jumped up and ran out. He was confused until he heard her heaving and gagging. He waited awhile until it stopped and called out, “Scorpio. You okay?”

  When he didn’t get an answer, he walked in and found her laying on the floor beside the commode, her face covered in sweat. He sat her up, found a nearby washcloth hanging on the rack and wet it with cool water, then gently washed her face. Lifting her up, he carried her back to the bed, took her shoes off and put her under the covers. There was a mini fridge in the corner and he opened it and found a bottle of water and made her drink some. She tried to resist but finally took a few sips.

  “Thanks,” she smiled and whispered, just before closing her eyes. Moments later, he heard her snoring and he laid across the foot of the bed, falling asleep himself. He stayed there until waking up and wondering where the hell he was. Recollecting memories of the night before, he looked around for Scorpio, but there was no sign of her. He went into the bathroom, but she wasn’t there either.

  “Scorpio?” He called out. Hearing a noise coming from outside the opened bedroom door, he went to try to find out where she could have gone. He walked down the staircase and suddenly smelled smoke. He called out again, but there was no answer. The smell of smoke was getting thicker and thicker. Malachi knew that he had to find Scorpio and get them out of there and quickly. He began searching the massive home in the darkness, going in and out of doors, trying to breathe. “Scorpio!”

  He finally heard coughing coming from nearby and ran to the cracked door of what he remember led to the garage. He opened it and flames immediately came shooting out at him. He could make out a shadowy figure crawling toward him and realized it was Scorpio. He reached for her, the fire searing his arm and his eyes tearing up from both the pain and the smoke. Malachi stretched his arm farther until he felt her hand in his and he yanked her body to him. She cried out as he lifted her through the door and headed to what he hoped was safety.

  King Douglas

  “Oh my God! Ok, I know I’m not supposed to do this, but can I please have your autograph?”

  King Douglas looked up from the receipt he was signing and smiled at the young girl behind the counter of the rental car agency. He had just come off a four hour flight from L. A. and was jet lagged but he always made time for his fans. Even if he didn’t have time, he would have made an exception for her. She was just his type; young, vibrant, and sexy. Even in the collared shirt and fitted black pants she wore, he could make out her curves. Her cute face was set off by long locs and her thick rimmed glasses couldn’t hide her dark seductive eyes.

  “Of course,” King told her. “Do you have something for me to sign?”

  The woman reached into the drawer and handed him a piece of paper. “You can sign this. I can’t believe this.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Nikita. N...I...K...I...T...A.”

  “That’s pretty, like you,” he told her and slid the paper back to her. “Tell you what, since you’re so pretty, do you have a cell phone?”

  “Yes,” she nodded.

  He looked around to make sure there was no one else around and said, “Grab it, we can take a selfie if you want to.”

  She squealed and ran through a door behind the counter, returning within seconds, iPhone in hand. “This is un-freak-ing believable. My friends are going to die! I’m about to die.”

  “Please don’t do that,” King laughed and posed with his arm around her as they both smiled for the camera.

  “Thank you so much Mr. Douglas. I have you all set in one of our premium vehicles, a BMW X5. Here is the key and if you take a right out the front door you should see it right there,” Nikita told him.

  “Thank you Ms. Nikita.”

  “Actually, my friends call me Niki.”

  “So, can I call you that?” King gave her one of his intense stares. A look that said ‘I want you. I need you. And I will have you.’ The same look he would give the camera when he was singing one of his platinum love ballads while filming a video or singing center stage to some lucky fan who was pulled on stage during a sold out concert. That was back in the day when music had meaning and music videos had storylines, love interests and dancing. Nowadays, all a song has to have in order to be a hit record is a hot beat, a rapper with what was called ‘swag’ and a record label willing to put millions behind pushing nonsensical words to whomever would listen. Nowadays, it didn’t take hard work, endless nights in the studio, months and months of touring and talent to become a platinum artist. All it took was a hook, a YouTube channel and enough followers on Instagram to get people’s attention. It was nothing like when he and his boys dedicated their lives to their craft and became R&B icons: The Hot Boyz. From the time they were signed at sixteen, King, along with his boys Steve, Kazz and Tony worked diligently creating music, producing songs, hitting the road, making appearances, perfecting everything needed to become true artists.

  And that is why over twenty five years later, he was able to have young tenderonis like Nikita ask for his autograph, stare back into his eyes and tell him, “You can call me whatever you like as long as you call me.”

  King laughed and watched as she wrote her name and number on the back of the business card for the rental car company. He told her don’t be surprised if he did later on and she said she would be waiting. Even though it was late at night, he put on his Salvatore Ferragamo sunglasses, grabbed his Louis Vuitton duffel
bag and headed out to the dimly lit parking lot.

  Once inside the luxury SUV, he tried to decide what to do next. The sole purpose of this last minute trip back to his hometown of Norfolk was because Melissa, the mother of his son, told him she had an emergency and needed to talk to him face to face. The two of them had a cordial relationship and she never put any unreasonable demands on him, mainly because he took great care of their fourteen year old son, Knight. Their love affair had been a brief one and ended almost four years after Knight was born, especially when King was found to be the father of a two year old, the result of a one night stand backstage with a groupie named Portia, whom he could not stand. He dialed Melissa’s number to tell her he was on his way.

  “Hey,” Melissa answered the phone.

  “Hey, I’m here and on my way to your house,” King told her.

  “Wait, I don’t want you to come here,” Melissa told him. “We need to meet somewhere else.”

  “Melissa, it’s almost midnight. Where are you trying to meet?”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “At the Westin at Town Center in Virginia Beach. You coming to the room?” King asked, excited because this was definitely not what he expected. For years he had tried over and over to get back with Melissa, whom he considered the closest thing to the love of his life, if there was such a thing. She of course, denied him continuously. He then reverted to harmless flirting, which neither one of them took seriously. Now he had to wonder if maybe there was a slight chance of him getting some ass from her since she was coming over to meet him in a hotel room late at night.

  “Hell no. I’m not coming to a hotel room with you. Are you crazy?”

  “Why not? You scared of King D, Melly Mel? You know you still miss him after all these years!”

  “Boy please. I’ll meet you in the bar. See you in twenty minutes,” Melissa said then hung up.

  King got onto the interstate and headed towards the hotel. He wondered what it was that Melissa needed to talk to him about. He was tempted to call his Uncle Matt, the only living relative he had since his mother passed away two years ago. King never knew his father, but Uncle Matt and Melissa were close. He swore he looked out for Melissa on King’s behalf, but it was more likely the other way around. Melissa made sure she checked on Uncle Matt and brought Knight over to spend time with him on the regular. Seeing that it was now after eleven, King knew his uncle was probably asleep and decided to just drive over to see him the next morning. This was going to be a quick trip and he didn’t plan on staying more than a day or two. He had meetings to attend and business to handle back home in California.