Authors: Dwayne S. Joseph
Eye for an Eye (7 page)
14
“I have a new client for you. Have you finished with your other job?”
Aida Restrepo closed the door behind her. She'd just finished giving Edie Blackstone a video confirming Edie's suspicions that her husband, William, was unfaithful.
The video was shot in a hotel room, and unbeknownst to William, it showed him with two females, whose faces were concealed by masks, in a room ablaze with candlelight, engaged in an intense ménage à trois.
Edie cried, gagged, cursed William, blamed herself, blamed God, cursed William and cried some more as she watched the entire sexual episode. Aida watched the tape intently too. Edie didn't know it, but she was one of the females. The other had been a prostitute she'd met at the bar in the hotel lounge. She'd paid her one-thousand dollars for her time.
William was in the entertainment industry and traveled often to Atlanta for business. Edie could never prove anything, but she was certain that he was mixing pleasure with his business. She ignored the uneasy feeling in her gut for a year and a half until she couldn't ignore it any further. That was when she contacted Marlene, whose information she'd gotten from a friend. After giving Marlene all of the information she needed, and paying half of the $30,000 required, Edie prayed that by some miracle the money she'd spent would produce zero results. Of course, that hadn't been the case.
Setting William up had been easy. Aida, who'd flown to Atlanta and booked a hotel room in the same Marriott William was staying in, approached him by the bar on a Friday night. On Saturday he'd taken her shopping and spent over $600 on herâmoney that he would say he spent for business. During the shopping excursion, Aida explained how she and her “girlfriend” had always wanted to have a threesome. William expressed that he too had wanted to live out that fantasy. That night, the threesome was on. Aida and her “friend” wore the masks. William brought the condoms. On Sunday, Aida flew home. Monday she collected the other half of the payment and left Edie Blackstone alone, wishing she'd never placed the call to Marlene.
Sometimes the truth was just too bitter a pill to swallow.
Aida walked down the Blackstones' winding driveway to her bone-white Mercedes-Benz. “Just did,” she said into her phone.
Marlene said, “Good. I got a call from another unhappy wife.”
“Do happy wives exist?”
“Believe it or not, they are out there.”
Aida raised her thin eyebrows. That she didn't believe. “So what's the deal with this one?”
“Husband is a womanizer.”
“Of course. So what's she looking for?”
“She wants to walk in on you with him willing to engage in the act.”
“Willing?”
“She doesn't want to see him doing anything. She just wants to see that he would.”
Aida frowned.
Having sex wasn't a necessity for getting the job done, but it was something she enjoyed to do. She may not have been a full-fledged one, but she definitely considered herself to be part nymphomaniac. Had been since her first sexual experience at sixteen. Willing meant no sex. It was a downer.
She said, “OK.”
“I've checked out the client and she's legitimate. Housewife, married for four years. Certain he's been unfaithful for three of them.”
“And she hasn't left him because . . . ?”
“Because he brings in the money. Plus, she loves him. She just wants to catch him in the act. She's hoping she could use this to her advantage to convince him to seek out counseling instead of her looking for a divorce.”
“Idiot,” Aida said, shaking her head.
“I set up a meeting with her for Thursday at three o'clock at her home. Her name is Vivian Steele.”
“OK.”
Aida opened the door to her Mercedes. It had been a present to herself. She'd bought it after the second husband she'd trapped.
Money and power.
Perks of a lifestyle introduced to her by a woman she looked up to.
Lisette.
The only person to ever truly “get” her.
She had a mother, but she felt more of a kinship with Lisette, who she'd only known for six months. She and her birth mother were just never close. She understood that a man and woman each had a role in the home, but she'd always hated that her mother acquiesced to her father's every need. Yes, he brought the money into the household as a construction worker for the city, but that didn't give him the OK to be verbally and, at times, physically abusive. Aida and her older sister grew up watching her mother take her father's shit, and because of that, Aida grew up being very distant from her. She wasn't close to her sister, either, because her sister had followed in her mother's footsteps with her own husband.
Lisette didn't take shit from anyone, and that was something Aida had great respect for.
She'd been at the 40/40 club enjoying herself when she met her. She'd been alone, not because she had to be or because she didn't have friends to hang out with. She just wanted to be. Her friends never got that about her. They never understood her need to be alone. Her need to not compromiseâsomething they all felt had to happen in life.
The only person who had, had been Lisette, who within a matter of a few minutes broke Aida down. No oneânot even her own mother or sisterâhad ever done that. No one knew her. She'd been called selfish and narcissistic, but only Lisette had known that had never been the case. Lisette broke her down, left her alone for an hour, and then came back and presented her with an enticing opportunity.
If you want to make money ... call me.
She'd left her phone number, along with a promise of truly being in control and then walked away again. Aida called her the next day, and the rest is history.
Money.
Power.
Sex.
Lisette taught her what power wasâsomething Aida thought she'd known all aboutâand then showed her how to use that power to make money. The sex was just an added bonus.
Aida got into the car and started the engine. She listened to the Mercedes hum quietly. Her mother and sister thought she made money from modeling. It was an occupation Lisette had instructed her to have to help explain where her income was coming from.
If they only knew.
She said, “Just e-mail me the info.”
Marlene said, “It's already in your inbox.”
“OK.”
Aida ended the call, hit play on her CD player, put the car in drive, and pulled off slowly.
In her rearview mirror she watched Edie Blackstone's home fade away. William was in for one hell of a surprise when he got home.
Aida laughed.
She was so born for this.
15
It was coming together.
Slowly but surely, that bitch is going to get what is coming to her. She is going to pay for the pain she's caused me. I hate her so damned much. She took away my happiness. The only true happiness I've ever really known. I press on my left eyeball. I feel a slight relief from the dull migraine causing me pain behind it. But it's only slight. I know the pain won't go away completely until she's gone.
Bitch.
I've searched for balance and joy for so fucking long. Since my teenage years. Years filled with frustration, confusion, denial. I hated those fucking years. I spent so much goddamned time pretending to be something and someone I wasn't.
I press on my left eyeball and then dig into my temples with my index and middle fingers. My migraine is getting worse as I try not to remember how much I hated myself.
I was a coward.
Afraid to live. Afraid to be.
So many times I just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. I prayed for death at night, but my prayers were never answered. Eventually I got tired of praying, and attempted to take matters into my own hands by slicing my wrists, but just as I could feel death coming, I was found and taken to the hospital. My life became hell after that as I was forced to go to a psychiatrist.
Dr. Elanore Livingston. Old and white with gray hair always worn in a bun, with small eyes I just didn't trust hiding behind wire-rimmed glasses. She tried to get me to talk. Said opening up and expressing the things I was feeling inside would make me feel better. That my healing would begin when I released the pain I had. Stupid, dumb bitch. She didn't know shit.
I look down at the scars. If only I'd used a sharper blade. If only I hadn't been a coward.
But of course, if I hadn't, I would have never been around to eventually find my happiness. My love. Love that that arrogant bitch took away from me.
“I'm going to make her pay,” I say out loud. “I'm going to make her suffer.”
Slowly but surely.
I press on my eyeball and dig into my temples again. I hate being patient. Hate that I can't just say to hell with the plans that I've been formulating and putting into place. But I have to wait. In order for the revenge to be sweet, I have to wait. I have to let everything systematically unfold.
Slowly but surely.
I look up and stare at my reflection in the spider-webbed mirror above my bathroom sink. It's spider-webbed because I've pounded on it. Cold, dark eyes stare back at me.
“Be patient,” I say. “It will happen. And when it does, it's going to feel so, so fucking good.”
I smile and then pick up a razor blade sitting on the sink just beside the hot water faucet. It's never been used. I place it against the inside of my forearm and drag it across horizontally, being careful not to go too deep. I don't want to die. Not anymore.
I get the chills as blood starts to rise. I imagine that it's her forearm I've sliced. I imagine that it's her blood that's flowing like a slow stream. I take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and give her another slice. The cold eyes distorted in the cracked glass watch me.
Revenge. A dish best served when cold.
Whoever said that must have killed someone.
Her blood runs. It splatters into the sink.
Soon. Very soon.
But not yet.
There are still things that need to be done.
16
Rebecca Stantin sat at the corner of the bar and watched. Her eyes were on a man sitting toward the middle of the bar, sipping on a bottle of Dos Equis. He looked like Maxwell without the unkempt Afro. Twenty minutes had gone by and he'd had no one join him.
She was in the lounge at the Hilton hotel. She was there to prove to herself and to Lisette that she could trap a man.
She'd been in the lounge for a half hour watching various men come and go. Her eyes went to their ring fingers right away. She'd seen numerous men without rings. This didn't necessarily mean that they weren't married, but she ignored them anyway. She'd seen others with rings, but they'd had female companions either with them or join them. Whether they were wives or not, Rebecca didn't know.
She'd chosen the hotel for her test because there was always a married man who traveled to be found, but after thirty minutes, she'd given up hope of finding one, and asked the bartender to close out her tab.
That's when Maxwell's older twin walked in.
He was dressed in a black pinstriped suit, his tie loosened, the top button of his white shirt undone. He'd come to the bar, sat down, and flagged the bartender with his left hand. A silver wedding band adorned his ring finger.
Rebecca's heart beat as she watched him. This was what she'd been waiting for. When the bartender handed her the check, she'd paid the bill and then told him to bring her another apple martini. With her drink in front of her, she watched as the gentleman sipped on his beer and watched the NBA basketball game being televised on a flat screen television in the upper corner of the bar. Lakers vs. Magic. Twenty minutes and two beers later, and not a single visitor, Rebecca was sure he was the one.
She took a final sip of her drink, then rose from her stool sat down in an empty barstool beside him.
He looked over at her as she sat down, his eyes lingering on her momentarily. The long gaze hadn't surprised her, though. She was wearing a black, sleeveless, stretch-knit, body-hugging dress that was accented with a square neckline. She may have been a first lady for a few years, but she still knew what sexy was and how to pull it off.
She smiled at him. He smiled back.
“What's the score of the game?” she asked. The way to get to a man was either through his stomach or by talking sports. Luckily for her, although she didn't play, she was a basketball fanatic.
The man said, “The Lakers are up by five.”
Rebecca hmmedd and then looked back up at the TV screen. “I wonder if they'll meet in the Finals again.”
The man took a sip of his beer and shrugged. “The way both teams are playing, it's a definite possibility.”
“Well, hopefully Dwight Howard shows up this time if they do.”
The man smiled and nodded in agreement. He turned to her. “Sounds like you know the game.”
“I have to thank my father for that. He had me watching games with him ever since I was a child. I'm a big Bulls fan. You have to blame that on M.J. I've been following him ever since he went to U.N.C.”
“Ahh . . . I thought I caught a southern accent. Is that where you're from?”
“Born, raised, and still a resident.”
“Nice. So what brings you here to New York?”
Rebecca let out a well-practiced sigh. “Business conference.”
“Who do you work for?”
“Mary Kay.”
“OK.”
“What about you? I see the shirt and tie, so I'm assuming this is a business trip for you too.”
“You assume correctly. I flew in from California this morning.”
“Yuck. The jet lag must have you exhausted.”
The man looked at her and with a subtle dip in his tone said, “Traveling is second nature to me, so jet lag is never much of a problem. I was actually looking to get into something tonight.”
“This is my first trip to New York. I was planning to make the most of it myself.”
The man smiled and extended his hand. “I'm Cole.”
Rebecca took his hand. “Destiny.” She'd chosen the name because she felt as though she'd discovered just that the day she realized what her mission in life was to be.
“Nice to meet you, Destiny.”
“Likewise, Cole.”
Cole held her hand for a second or two longer than was necessary before he let it go. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Rebecca nodded. “I'll have an apple martini.”
Cole got the bartender's attention and ordered her drink along with another beer. “So, if you don't mind my asking,” Cole said, his attention back on her, “are you here alone?”
Rebecca said, “I am.”
“Husband couldn't make it?”
Rebecca laughed. It was a genuine one. “Husband? Ha. That's definitely not something I plan on having again.”
“Sounds like you've had a bad experience.”
Rebecca thought about her ex-husband and the trauma he'd put her through. “You could say that,” she said, forcing him out of her mind. “And that was enough. I'm strictly all about being single now.”
“That's a shame,” Cole said. “I'm sure there are plenty of men out there who would love to have you on their arm.”
Rebecca raised her eyebrows and turned her palms up toward the ceiling. “Well, they can have me on their arm, but only for one night. Two if they're lucky.”
Cole laughed as the bartender brought their drinks.
Rebecca took hers and took a sip. “My turn to ask. What about yourself? I see the ring. Is the Mrs. upstairs or is she at home eagerly waiting for your return?”
Cole shook his head. “The Mrs. is definitely not upstairs,” he said his eyes on her intensely. “And as far as being at home waiting for me goes . . . she's probably laying out on the beach right about now.”
Rebecca hmmedd. “After these meetings I've had today, I could go for some time on the beach right now. Maybe a nice long stroll at night.”
Cole smiled. “I've had about as equally exciting a day as you have. I might have to join you on that stroll.”
Rebecca looked at him with a slight smile. “I don't know if your wife would like that.”
“Well . . . I didn't have any plans of telling her.”
Rebecca took another sip of her martini and raised the corner of her mouth. “You're bad,” she said.
Cole laughed. “I'm not bad.”
“Sure, you aren't.”
“Really. I'm not. I just believe in enjoying life. I mean, we only get one shot at it, right?”
“That we do.”
“Right. So why not make the most out of every opportunity that presents itself.”
“Hmmm . . . I guess, since you put it that way, a little company might be nice.”
She took another sip of her drink. For some reason, she'd had the notion that trapping a married man would have been, in some ways, harder than going after a single man. That their moral code, their promise to love and to hold through sickness and health, 'til death did they part, would have provided more of a challenge for getting them to dishonor their vows. Her thoughts went back to her ex-husband as she wondered if it had been this easy for Lisette to trap him. Had he fought the temptation at all, or had she simply walked up to him and said, “Fuck me now” to which he answered in the simplest of voices, “OK”?
“So how long are you here for?” Cole asked.
“Two days. I fly back to North Carolina on Saturday morning.”
“Too bad you couldn't stay through the weekend. There's a lot of sightseeing you'll be missing out on.”
“Well, I'll just have to make sure I stay longer next time.”
“You should let me know when that next time comes up,” Cole said, his eyes on hers, unblinking.
Rebecca smiled. “Maybe I should.”
Cole's eyes took in her body again, only this time his perusal wasn't as subtle as when she'd first sat beside him.
Goosebumps rose on her skin.
Her last encounter with Lisette hadn't discouraged her, but it had put a shred of doubt in her mind as to whether she really could do this. But now, sitting there with Cole in front of her, the doubt was gone. She could do this, and although she knew she still had things to learn, she was certain she could do it well. Before the weekend was through, she was definitely going to call and request a meeting with Lisette again.
“So, Destiny, why don't we go up to my room to finish off our drinks and watch the rest of the game?” As fluidly as he'd asked, it was obvious he was used to having these sorts of encounters.
Rebecca's heart thumped in the pit of her stomach. She'd hired Lisette to set up her husband. She'd wanted pictures of the good minister in a compromising position. She'd known on some level that the pictures were going to be bold, but she hadn't expected them to have been as graphic as they were. Without question, she'd gotten what she'd paid for.
She looked at Cole as his appearance morphed from attractive man to wolf.
Lisette had sex with her husband and had everything captured on camera, because it had been what she, the client, had requested. The request hadn't bothered Rebecca at all. She wasn't the one taking part in the act with a man she'd just met, so morally, she really wasn't doing anything wrong.
Cole smiled.
Somewhere in California, his wife was there waiting for him to get home. Where she was waiting didn't matter. Only that she was.
A second had passed since Cole's invitation, but to Rebecca, that second felt like minutes stretching into hours as her mind processed the moment that had come.
She wanted to be a home wrecker. That's what she'd said. She wanted to do what Lisette had done for her. Lisette had given her freedom when she'd given her the photographs. She'd given her peace of mind that she couldn't find before. She'd given her happiness. Some women may not have agreed with the tactics Rebecca had employed to attain that freedom, but those women could never truly understand what she'd been going through. The hell her life had been.
But there were a lot of other women in the world who could identify with her, and those women were the ones Rebecca vowed she wanted to help. Women like Cole's wife, who would never know about her husband's casual stroll or meaningless fuck in a hotel room.
Rebecca took a slow breath. She didn't have to go upstairs, but if she was serious about realizing what her mission was to be, and if she'd meant what she'd told Lisetteâthat she could, in fact, do thisâthen she had to go all the way. The time had come. It was now or never. It would just be sex this time. But the next time it would be liberation for someone. It would be the ultimate payback.
You vowed 'til death did you part, asshole
, Rebecca thought. Then she said, “That sounds like a good idea.”
, Rebecca thought. Then she said, “That sounds like a good idea.”
Cole smiled, left two twenties for the bartender, and stood up.
Rebecca rose from her stool a second later.
Cole stepped to the side. “After you.”
“Such a gentleman,” she said, moving past him. She made her way to the elevator, and as she did, she swore that the next time, somewhere a wife would be waiting for a set of photographs of her own.
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