Authors: Lutishia Lovely
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Literary, #United States, #African American, #Christian, #Women's Fiction, #Contemporary Fiction, #Literary Fiction
Heaven Right Here (20 page)
43
The Glamorous Life
Stacy smiled as she sipped hot cocoa and watched Darius play with large foam building blocks. She was so happy she’d decided to postpone her surgery. Even though Dr. Livingston had assured her the invasion would be minimal and that he instead of a radiologist would do the procedure, Stacy didn’t want to deal with recovery and chemotherapy during the holidays.
It was amazing what a reminder of one’s mortality could do. Since getting the diagnosis, all of Stacy’s priorities had shifted. The week after hearing the news, she’d gone over to Bo and Darius’s house and made a peace pact—with Bo. A couple days later, Darius dropped his lawsuit. Thrilled not to have to shelve out thousands for lawyer fees, he gave Stacy an all-expenses-paid Caribbean cruise for Christmas. She and Frieda had a ball, so much so that at times Stacy forgot about the lump.
Darius Jr. spent Christmas with his father and came home with so many presents Stacy joked about having to add on a room. Tony called regularly to check on her; she appreciated the thought. Every day Stacy counted her blessings; so much so that she wasn’t even tripping that she had no date for New Year’s Eve. Instead she was going to be the third wheel with Frieda and Shabach, going to the Kingdom Citizens celebration and then to a private after party at the home of one of the record execs.
“I’d better call her,” Stacy said aloud. She wanted to find out what Frieda was wearing.
As she reached for her phone, it rang.
“Happy New Year,” Tony said cheerfully.
“Happy New Year’s
Eve
,” Stacy replied.
Eve
,” Stacy replied.
“Yeah, auld lang syne and all that.”
“So, Mr. Johnson, what’s up?”
“Well, uh, that’s what I called to find out.”
“Nothing much. Watching my son play, chilling out. What about you?”
“Just sitting here chillaxin’. I’m surprised you’re not out getting a mani-pedi and whatnot, at the hair salon or something.”
“What are you trying to say, that my hair looked jacked Sunday?”
“Naw, naw, but I’m sure you’ve got some hot date tonight, somebody to kiss when the clock strikes twelve.”
“No, little Darius will probably be asleep by then. At any rate, I’ll be at Kingdom Citizens. I’m going with Frieda.”
“I was thinking about going to that. Darius and Shabach will be playing, right?”
“Uh-huh. It’s going to be a jamming show. You should come.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Ooh, Mr. Johnson, are you asking me out?”
“I don’t know that I’d call going to church a date exactly. But, yeah, it would be cool to hang with you if Frieda doesn’t mind.”
“She won’t. You know she’s seeing Shabach.”
“Yeah, I heard. So, hey, should I come pick you up instead?”
“I have to drop Darius off at his father’s, for the nanny.”
“That’s cool.”
“Okay, see you around eight thirty.”
“So, Melody, are you going or what?” Natasha had had just about enough of her best friend’s pouting, even if it was over the phone.
“Who cares about that stupid service!”
“You care, that’s who. You’re just mad that Hope and Miss Vivian canceled our dance routine.”
“She makes me sick. I’m not taking no kind of classes just to get to dance in their church. Trying to take over everything . . . I’m the one who got Darius’s club together. I’m the one who has his MySpace page blowing up. And I’ll still get to dance, only it will be on MTV and BET. And later tonight, if I’m lucky.”
“Okay, girl, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about bringing in the New Year with my man, that’s what!”
“Please, you know Officer Anderson ain’t gonna let you out on New Year’s Eve. You better come to church if you want to see your man.”
“I know how to handle my mama, trust. But I do need a little help though. This is what I want you to do for me.”
As she laid out her plans, Melody’s voice dropped to a whisper, even though she was the only one in the room.
Frieda walked into the bedroom and closed the door against Shabach and his noisy crew. Since moving her into a roomy, two-bedroom apartment last week, he was trying to act like he owned the place—and her. Frieda liked Shabach, but it wasn’t like they were married. She knew it was time for them to have a talk.
But,
she thought,
no need to mess up the holidays.
But,
she thought,
no need to mess up the holidays.
“Hey, girl,” she said when Stacy answered the phone.
“Frieda, I was just getting ready to call you.”
“Well, here I am. And with good news. Shabach ordered a Hummer stretch for us to ride in to the concert. So can you meet us over here?”
“Are there going to be any hardheads? I’m asking because Tony just called and wants me to ride with him.”
“I knew he wanted to hit that.”
“Girl, everybody isn’t always after the nana. Tony is more serious about God than I am. We are just friends.”
“The only way a man is just friends with a woman is if he’s gay. And sometimes even that don’t work, as you well know.”
“Whatever, Frieda. Like I told you. I’m living for God now. There’s no more time for foolishness.”
“I hear you, Stacy. You’re right.” Frieda decided to back off from teasing her friend. Ever since Stacy had told her about the cancer, Frieda had become aware of her own mortality. She’d even demanded Shabach start wearing a condom again. As long as he lived in Atlanta and she lived in LA, there was no way she was going to chance getting a present another bitch had left him. “So, you down for the limo?”
“Let me call Tony. I’ll call you back.”
Stacy hung up and immediately called Tony.
“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind,” he answered.
“No, I’m just calling to see if you want to ride in Shabach’s limo with Frieda and his crew.”
“Uh, that would be a pass.”
“Why?”
“The Word says yield not to temptation. And that’s Shabach’s middle name. I hope your girl knows who she’s dealing with.”
“Tony, what do you know?”
“Probably nothing you don’t. Shabach is a ho, smokes weed, and is in deep with the hip-hop thugs. That’s not the type of Christian I want to hang around. And you shouldn’t either.”
Stacy couldn’t argue. Tony was right. She’d have to pass on Frieda’s invitation to the glamorous life.
44
Party Over Here
Frieda leaned into Shabach as she finished off another flute of Cristal.
“You were great tonight, baby,” she said before trailing her tongue around his ear.
Shabach played off the compliment by pushing her away, even as he shifted to give his stiffening shaft room to grow.
“Frieda’s right, dog,” Shorty agreed. “Tonight was fire! You took Darius to school and showed old boy how it’s done in the big leagues!”
Shabach finished off a shot of Patrón and melded himself into the limo’s plush leather. He had to agree, the night’s show had been tight. Darius had been on point too, but Shabach would never admit it out loud. D’s bass player, Randall, had been especially good. Shabach rubbed his chin as he plotted how to pull one of LA’s best bass players away from the comp.
The limo pulled past a gate into a circular parking lot filled with Maybachs, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and stretch limos. An inebriated crew of seven spilled out onto the cobblestone drive, ready to finish the party that had begun earlier at the Palladium, the place Kingdom Citizens’ Christian Center had rented out for their New Year’s Eve celebration.
Music and chatter competed for dominance as Shabach and Frieda walked through the door of the after party. Almost immediately she spotted Darius and Bo being openly affectionate as they cuddled on a love seat in the living room. The room was filled with beautiful people, and Frieda knew she fit right in.
“Baby, I’m going over to the buffet, I need something to soak up this champagne.”
Shabach made his way through throngs of people in the fifteen-room mansion belonging to Darius’s record exec.
So this is the house that Darius built,
he thought as he made his way through the rooms. The longer he stayed in California, the more he was convinced that his beautiful four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom home in Atlanta wasn’t enough. He wanted to be here, in Beverly Hills, where the movers and shakers moved and shook.
So this is the house that Darius built,
he thought as he made his way through the rooms. The longer he stayed in California, the more he was convinced that his beautiful four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom home in Atlanta wasn’t enough. He wanted to be here, in Beverly Hills, where the movers and shakers moved and shook.
“Hey, Shabach, you were great tonight!” a young fan gushed.
“Thanks, baby girl. But if you don’t mind me asking, isn’t it a little past your bedtime?”
“Not unless you’re going to get in the bed with me,” Melody pouted before turning to sashay away, showing him the luscious backside that always caught men by surprise.
She walked around the corner and ran into Darius’s guitar player. Once again, she went into flirt mode. “Dang, you’re tall, but cute though.”
Randall looked at the tempting morsel presenting herself like an appetizer. “Little girl, you better go home before you get into trouble.”
“I wouldn’t mind getting into it with you.”
“Is that right?” Randall said, already walking around her. “Well, you take care, trouble.”
Melody huffed, walked into the bathroom, and checked the makeup she’d had professionally applied at the Mac store. It made her look older and sophisticated, or so she thought.
I’m a woman, damnit!
And before the night was over, somebody was going to recognize!
I’m a woman, damnit!
And before the night was over, somebody was going to recognize!
Melody gave herself a long, hard look in the mirror. She jiggled her young, tender breasts, prominently displayed courtesy of a push-up bra. She rearranged her curls to cover one eye and formed her mouth in what she felt was a luscious pout. After turning to make sure her mini skirt fit perfectly over her onion and applying another coat of devil-red lipstick, she sat on the commode, pulled out paper and pen, and put part two of her plan into motion.
Back out in the dining room, Frieda was stacking her plate with a variety of delectable goodies: teriyaki shrimp, sirloin tips, and a mound of caviar on top of her rice pilaf.
“Hey, girl, you’re going to mess up that figure,” Darius teased as he sidled up beside her.
“No,
mamí’s
gonna stay tight, believe that.”
mamí’s
gonna stay tight, believe that.”
“Where’s your friend?”
“Who, Stacy?”
“Uh-huh. I thought she’d be here with you.”
Frieda didn’t know how much of Stacy’s business she should share with Darius. Then again, she couldn’t help but be a bit messy. “Oh, you didn’t see her at the Palladium? She had a date.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool. I’m glad to hear she’s enjoying herself, what with the diagnosis and all.”
“Darius, trust me. The last thing Stacy is thinking about tonight is a diagnosis. But I’ll give you this. You got the
D
right.”
D
right.”
With that, Frieda disappeared into the crowd.
Before Darius could process what Frieda had meant by her last statement, a stranger walked up to him.
“Someone told me to give you this,” the attractive Asian woman said with a mild accent. Before he could question her further, she was gone.
Darius smiled as he read the note:
Meet me in the room at the end of the north hallway. I’ve got what you need.
Your Biggest Fan
Darius refolded the note and put it in his pocket. Bo knew how to get him turned on. It had become a regular game of theirs to make love in strange homes, and parties were a favorite. He took a few bites from the plate of food he’d made, washed it down with a glass of pinot noir, and then set out to find the north hall.
It wasn’t too hard to find. Darius passed three other doors before he lightly tapped on the door at the end of the hall, opened it, and went inside. It was dark, but with the aid of the moonlight and the pool lights beyond the house, he could make out a four-poster bed with someone, apparently naked, lying in it.
“Bo,” he called out.
The figure shifted. Darius smiled. He began stripping off his clothes as he crossed the room. Once he got to the bed, he crawled onto it.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey, Darius. I’ve been waiting for you.”
WTF?
Darius jumped off the bed. “Who is this?”
Darius jumped off the bed. “Who is this?”
“Darius, it’s okay. It’s me, Melody. Don’t be scared.”
Darius began dressing at a furious pace. “Melody, what are you doing out at this time of night? Does your mother know where you are?”
Why does everyone keep treating me like I’m a kid!
Melody ignored Darius’s question and adopted the most adult, come-hither voice she’d ever heard in a video. “Come here, baby. I’ve got something for you.”
Melody ignored Darius’s question and adopted the most adult, come-hither voice she’d ever heard in a video. “Come here, baby. I’ve got something for you.”
“Yeah, and I’ve got something for you. Go home, Melody. Before you get hurt!”
Darius fumbled his way to the door and slammed it behind him.
Melody lay naked, totally still, on the bed. She allowed herself to feel the softness of the silk comforter beneath her as sounds of music and conversation drifted underneath the door.
This is it. This is where I want to be,
she thought as she rubbed the comforter between her legs. She was in the multimillion dollar home of a record exec, an exclusive party with some of the biggest headliners in the game.
she thought as she rubbed the comforter between her legs. She was in the multimillion dollar home of a record exec, an exclusive party with some of the biggest headliners in the game.
“I’m so close,” she whispered into the darkness. And she’d promised herself that tonight would be the night. Melody lay there, daydreaming.
Just then she heard a click as the door opened. Once again the man on her mind entered and stood just inside the room for a long moment before he began stripping out of his clothes. Once naked, he walked slowly toward the bed.
Melody could not believe her good fortune. She dared to blink, lest the vision dissipate once her eyes were closed. But she did close them and opened them quickly. The vision was still there and coming closer. Once he was right beside the bed, he cuddled his large manhood.
“Is this what you want?” he asked.
After a moment she answered. “Yes.”
Their conversation was brief because before too much time had passed she’d done as she’d been instructed, and as she’d seen in the videos Natasha had stolen from her uncle’s house. She reached out, enveloped his shaft in her hand, and pleasured him.
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