Hot Boyz (24 page)

“Oh, so you married me on a promise? Like some sort of agreement?” he asked.

“Something like that. But Claude, I really fell in love with you after Fatima died. It seems we had so much in common, so many similar memories and we each knew her so well. It just felt comfortable to grieve with you. But on a daily basis, I wonder about myself. What kind of woman falls in love with her best friend’s man? That’s a hell of a secret to keep.”

“You’ve been keeping a lot of secrets lately, huh, Venus?”

“Yes I have.”

“So now what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Venus, all of this allegiance to Fatima is tearing our lives apart. She’s just as powerful in death as she was in life.”

“I agree. But my concern now is about us. Can you love me the way I need to be loved after all that’s happened?”

“I don’t know?

She looked stunned. “You don’t know?”

“You know what I do know? I know that I need to be alone.”

“So do I,” Venus said, standing up to walk out. She thought for a minute and then just decided to put it out there again. “Claude, Fatima fooled around on you. I didn’t. One day you’ll stop being
so angry with everyone around you, and try to figure out why you’ve never been angry at her.”

Claude was silent. He squinted as he looked at his wife. “Did Fatima love Owen? Was she only with me for my money?”

Venus paused before she replied, “Those are two questions I’ll never be able to answer. I surely don’t need your money. You know, one day, you’re going to have to be okay with perhaps not having the answers to those questions about her. One day, you’re going to have to let her go so that you can tend to your marriage, Claude. But let me ask you a question now. Are you still in love with a dead woman?”

“Are you?”

Venus gave him a piercing look of distain. His expression mirrored hers. She exited the den and slammed the double doors together behind her.

Cameron arrived back home late. Venus greeted him at the door while Claude stayed in the den where he slept all night. Venus lay in bed alone, unable to doze off. She felt sick, she felt depressed, and she felt to blame. Tears were swimming in her eyes until the moment she finally shut her heavy lids, frowning as she slept.

Later that evening, Torino was winding down the last hour at the club. He stood back for a minute, watching the partygoers shake their butts off, meeting and greeting and engaging. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a woman coming toward him, walking at a fast pace. It was Colette.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

She sounded excited. “I need to talk to you.”

“Don’t make me call Bo to escort you out. Who let you in, anyway?”

“Torino, why are you so angry with me? I just don’t get it. I’m carrying your baby.” Colette touched her own stomach.

“I’m not gonna get into that.” Torino talked into his two-way. “Bo, please come here now.”

“I want us to talk. This pregnancy happened for a reason. It’s a sign that we need to be together.” She began to reach for his arm.

Torino moved away. “It’s a sign that you’re a ho’. Now get out of my face.”

“Mr. Wilson, are you okay?” Bo asked, standing behind Colette.

“How did she get in?”

“Sir, we have a new girl at the door. Colette paid the girl just as I turned my back to resolve another matter.”

Colette interrupted. “Torino, I am not leaving until you talk to me.”

“Oh, you think so?”

“Are you seeing Sequoia?” Colette asked.

“Bo, will you see Miss Berry out of here, please?”

“Yes, sir,” Bo replied, extending his hand toward the door.

“You’re really going to kick me out of here? I’ve been here by your side for all of your events for the past two years.”

“Not anymore.”

“You’d kick your own baby’s mom out?”

“I’m kicking Kyle’s baby’s mom out.”

“Torino you know for a fact that there were times that we didn’t use a condom. I’m way too far along for it to be anyone’s but yours.”

Torino turned his back. “Bo, don’t let this happen again.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, after placing his hand on Colette’s elbow. She walked toward the door, looking back the entire time.

“Faggot,” she yelled with vengeance in her voice.

Torino simply spoke into his two-way again. “Let’s meet in the kitchen to count the drawers. Out.”

Venus pulled up in her Montero and parked in the driveway. She called Cameron from her cell to come out and help her remove the bags from the back of her SUV.

“How many bags are there?” he asked as if she could do it herself.

She insisted and raised her voice. “Cam, come out now. I need your help.”

He hung up and ran outside thirty seconds later looking half dressed and undone. “All right. Here I am.”

“Here, I’ll take a few and you can take the rest.” He peeked inside of a bag from Robinson’s May. “What did you buy? Anything for me?”

“Not this time, Cam. Just something for your grandma.”

He pulled a box from the bag. “She needs this pillow?”

“Yes, if you must know. It helps her to secure the back of her neck. She’s been having aches in her neck and back lately.”

“You sure spend a lot of money,” he commented.

Venus threw her head back as if he had the nerve. “Excuse me?”

“You just buy things almost every day,” he commented, taking two bags under his right arm and three into his left hand as he led the way.

“Oh, like groceries so you can eat and clothes to put on our back and shoes for our feet, stuff like that?”

“Yes, and things for Grandma. I’m just saying you must like shopping.”

She looked displeased. “Cam, I can think of a lot of other things I’d rather do. Oooh.” Venus suddenly gasped and dropped a small bag.

Cameron immediately turned back toward her. “What’s wrong?”

“Uumh,” she said, grabbing the side of her stomach.

“What’s happening? Are you all right?” Cameron put the bags down and reached around her back with one arm.

Venus fell to one knee while Cameron leaned down on the concrete walkway with her.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Cameron, I think I’m just hungry. I think I need to eat. I’m just feeling a little dizzy.”

“Are you sure that’s it?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I think I have a cramp from… Ooh,” she said, panting loudly.

“Let me get you into the house.”

Cameron grabbed her under the elbows and helped her stand. She took a few steps, almost reaching the front door when she stopped and said, “Oh my God.”

Venus looked down and saw dark red blood running down from the inside of her legs to her feet. Her black sandals were soaked.

“Venus, oh no. Gloria, come here quick,” Cameron yelled, while holding Venus’s hand.

“Go get her, Cameron. Leave me right here. Just go get her.” Venus buried her head toward her knees.

Cameron stared at Venus without taking a step.

“Go, Cameron,” she hissed under her breath. Her mind raced.
This has got to be all about karma.

He ran into the house yelling, “Gloria, come quick. My mom is sick. Help us please. She’s outside.”

The next evening, Claude and Venus arrived back from the hospital. Venus got out of the car on her own, realizing that the walk-way
had been washed down. No sign of the blood from her miscarriage.

Cameron hurried outside to greet them just as they made their way to the front door. “You look good, Venus. Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Much better, physically, Cameron. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“No, I’m just sorry you had to go through that. I was scared for you. I’m glad you’re home.”

Claude questioned him, “Cameron, did you do what I asked you to do?”

“Yes, Dad. I changed the sheets and cleaned up your room.”

“I didn’t want you to do it. I told you to ask Gloria.”

“But, today is Sunday and she’s gone. It only took a minute.”

“Thanks, Cameron,” Venus said.

“And where’s your grandma?” Claude asked as they all walked inside the house.

“She’s sleeping.”

“So, she doesn’t know what happened?” Venus inquired.

Cameron replied, “No, she didn’t ask me anything about where you were anyway.”

“Good. I’m going to go lie down. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem. Do you need something to drink or anything else?” Cameron offered.

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“I can help you upstairs,” Claude said, while heading for the kitchen.

“Really I feel good as new. You two just order a pizza or something. No family dinner tonight, okay?”

“Of course not, baby. Get yourself some rest,” Claude said, passing through the kitchen door.

Venus took each step slowly, but made her way up the double flight of stairs and into the master bedroom. She closed the door.

Cameron joined his dad for a drink of Sunny Delight. “Dad, was it a girl?” he asked with a hush.

Claude looked surprised. “Cameron. She was not far along enough to be able to tell something like that. She couldn’t have been more than a couple months.”

“How come you guys didn’t tell me she was pregnant?”

“I didn’t know, son. I’m not even sure she knew.”

Cameron was full of questions. “Has this ever happened to her before? Because I read some women have trouble like that all the time.”

“Apparently not. If you must know she’s been on the pill forever, so she tells me. You read up on it already?”

“Yeah. Wow, that was a trip. I really felt scared for her,” Cameron admitted.

“She told me you did, son. And I appreciate your help and concern.” Claude looked at Cameron for a second, trying to see any resemblance to the man who killed his mother. He saw absolutely none. “Thank God,” Claude said out loud before he knew he’d released the words.

“Thank God is right,” Cameron said in agreement. “We need to keep an eye on Grandma and Venus, huh Dad?”

“You’ve got that right, son. At least for now.”

Mason and Mercedes decided to take a nice, leisurely drive in his Porsche, down the coast from Ladera toward Malibu and Santa Barbara, just like they used to years ago. The top was down and Mercedes had her face to the breeze as they conversed like two teenagers along the way.

“Got that hair blowing in the wind like you did back in college, huh?” Mason commented.

Mercedes leaned her head back, brushing her bangs to the side. “Oh, it feels so wonderful, so exhilarating, Mason. We need to do this more often.”

“Where do you want to end up?”

“How about the beach like we used to do, honey. Remember how we’d drive out to the Palisades and fool around on the sand. Let’s go to that spot. Please?” she asked, feeling energized.

“Okay, baby. Don’t start to beg. I’m not sure we can even park
near there now. Things have changed so much what with all of the floods and mud slides along the coast.”

“Let’s just go check.”

Mason put the pedal to the metal as they drove along Pacific Coast Highway toward Chitagua Boulevard. It looked different, yet it was still the same stretch of beach. They could see it from the highway.

Mason pointed. “See, we can’t even park over there anymore. We used to be able to drive right onto the beach. It looks like we’re not getting any farther than this guard gate these days.”

“It’s okay, Mason. Let’s just get out and walk.”

“Baby, that would be nice, but how about if we just sit here and enjoy the view from the car.” He parked the car facing the ocean.

“Eighteen years ago you would have been game.”

“Eighteen years ago, I would have pulled the car right up to the sand and we would have laid out in front of the headlights, getting freaky.”

“I remember. Nowadays you can’t even sit out there without someone coming up to rob your butt.”

Mason pulled Mercedes closer, cupping his hand over her right shoulder as she scooted over. He leaned his seat back to extend his body.

“This is nice,” Mercedes said.

Mason brought up a subject that had been on his mind. “Mercedes, you know I came from a household where my dad was always gone. Mom held down the fort so to speak.”

“But I’ll bet you guys had a choice to be out there with Daddy if you wanted to be.”

“Sometimes we did.”

“See, Star and Rashaad can’t just tag behind you on trips out of town. Your line of work is much more demanding and high profile.”

“Why can’t they go with me? Especially now that Mom is with Claude. You can all go.”

“You’re right.” Mercedes said, looking animated. “Whatever happened to us doing that anyway? I remember going from hole to hole, walking along the ropes, cheering you on.”

“Things changed when the kids came along. But we need to plan to go together again. You know what? I think I’m going to sell my interest in the club. I’d like to sell it to Torino.”

“How can he afford it?”

“I don’t mind helping him get a loan now that I can see he’s maturing and trying to do right. He seems different since he met Sequoia.”

“I’ve noticed. But don’t base your decision on the fact that he and Sequoia are together. That has nothing to do with his future. Base your decision on him and his ability to pay you off.”

“Sounds like you don’t have much faith in Torino?”

“I do, really I do. And I must admit it would be nice to not have to worry about Foreplay anymore.”

“I just love the name of that club,” Mason said, placing his hand on his own crotch area.

“Very funny. Mason, do you know how much it means to me to be able to say that you are my first and only love?”

“I feel the same way.”

“Oh, so I’m your first love?”

“Yes, Mercedes, and my only love. I’ve never been in love with anyone else, ever,” he proclaimed.

“But you had others before we met. I didn’t.”

“Let’s not go there, Cedes.”

“Anyway,” Mercedes said, looking out along the shore, “years ago, we’d have been down there on the sand, deep into round two by now.” Mercedes kissed his cheek. “We can start with round one right here.”

“Are you crazy?” Mason asked, checking out the surroundings. “The top is down and these attendants seem a bit too busy for my taste.”