Hot Girlz: Hot Boyz Sequel (8 page)

Mercedes had a tear in her eye that
was stuck there from the moment Mason walked out of the house. It stayed where
it was while Mattie looked up at her. Mattie’s hands began to shake. She opened
her mouth. Mercedes kissed her on her forehead, and this time it was Mattie who
made the sound of a smack.

“Mamma. I love you,” Mercedes said
with a voice that was about to break. She closed her eyes and the stubborn tear
fell.

Mattie reached up toward her face and
wiped the track of her daughter-in-law’s tear.

Mattie’s eyes began to well up.

Still, they just embraced.

~~

Mason arrived back home at nearly one
in the morning and woke Mercedes with a kiss on the lips.

She was only half asleep, having kept
close watch on the clock, seeming to awake every thirty minutes.

Without saying a word, he pulled back
the covers and got in bed, but instead of turning over to go to sleep, he
climbed atop of her, using one hand to lift her pink nightie and pull down her
panties.

Surprised and relieved, she
immediately pulled them down and off in submission, assuming the missionary
position to make love to her husband. He inserted himself and she moaned,
louder than normal, sinking her nails into his back, and hugging him tight.

Her mind wandered with lust.

Pop!

She fantasized.

His face was buried into her neck, and
then his pace sped up as he lifted his head, looking up toward the headboard.

She closed her eyes and allowed her
emotions to race. The passion and heat of his hurt could be felt. His heartbeat
was fast and hers was faster. She could feel the reverberation of both. Again,
his face found its way to her neck and his lips were to her ear just as
Mercedes felt herself about to release her worry and tension, when he
whispered, “This will be our last time together.”

Mercedes froze while he kept up his
thrusts. On her end, all was in pause-mode, even her heart, as though it
stopped. Mouth wide open, she looked over to connect with his eyes and tried to
push him upward by pressing her hand against his chest. He leaned up for a
minute, yet kept making love to her.

“Why?” Her one word was bated and
complicated.

His response sounded simple,
matter-of-fact and sure. “Because, you slept with another man.”

And Mason climaxed.

8

Venus

“You told Dad where I was?”

The next afternoon, Friday the 13
^th
around four-thirty, Venus was just leaving a conference in Beverly Hills,
headed toward the door when she answered her phone.

“Yes, honey?”

“Are you still at the Screen Actors
Guild event?”

“Yes. The volunteerism conference.”
She detected a rush in his voice. “What’s going on?”

“The alarm went off at the house.”

“What?”

“The alarm company just called. I
thought you were there already. Where’s Cameron?”

“I don’t know. You think maybe he set
it off?”

“I don’t know. You call him. I’m
headed home. Call me if you find out anything.”

“I’m leaving here now.”

“Bye.” He clicked off.

Venus immediately switched over to
dial Cameron. “Cam, are you home?”

“No.” Loud music played in the
background.

“Where are you?”

“I’m at a friend’s house. Why?”

She spoke louder. “The house alarm
went off. Your dad’s headed there now, and so am I.”

“Oh, no. I don’t know what happened.”
He paused and said to someone, “Turn that down, I’m talking to my mom.” He then
said, “I left early this morning, right after you guys left. I set it and
headed out.”

She said, “I’m sure it’s just a false
alarm.”

The music was lower. “Yeah, it
happened once before last year while I was there. It just went off by itself.”

“Okay, listen, I’m headed home now. I
should be there in like thirty minutes or so.”

“I’ll go by there, too.”

“No. Let your dad go first.”

“Okay.”

She just had to ask. “Are you at
Candy’s house?”

“Yes,” he replied slowly, as though
maybe he should not have.

As she rushed to her car and pressed
the button on her key, she said, “Anyway, I’ll call you back.”

Cameron said, “Later.”

~~

While Venus was a couple of minutes
from home, Claude called again. “What was it?” she asked without even saying
hello.

“The police are here.”

“Okay.” She waited for more.

“Someone did break in. The front door was
wide open. They took every television we had. And, it looks like they have our
jewelry that was on the dressers in the silver jewelry boxes.”

“Oh, shit! What about the safe?”

“The safe was untouched. Or at least
maybe they couldn’t crack the code. And they didn’t take any computers, thank
God.”

“Oh my. I can’t believe this.”

“See, I’m telling you. It’s time to
move.”

“Claude, I’m sure this was completely
random. These things happen everywhere.”

“Well, if I had to guess, I’d say that
Candy girl had something to do with it. Most times when flat screens are taken,
it’s because someone came into your house and dropped a dime. I don’t trust
her. I’ve just got a funny feeling.”

“I’m sure we’ll find out. Once the
police do their job, we’ll know.”

“I’ll be outside when you pull up. And
I’m telling you, tomorrow, we’re taking the day off and heading out to Laguna
to find a place. I printed out some listings this morning. I can’t believe
this.”

“I’m pulling up now. Hanging up.” She
saw two police cars and an unmarked car in front of the house, one parked next
to Claude’s car in the driveway, which was his second car, a black Audi A8. She
parked in front of the house next door and got out, running up to Claude who
had just come outside. “Oh my, God. I still can’t believe it.”

He hugged her. “I know. Where was
Cameron?”

“He’s at a friend’s house.” She stood
next to him, watching another police car pull up.

“Candy’s house?” Claude’s arm was
around her waist.

“I don’t know.”

He removed his arm and turned to face
her. “Venus, where is he?”

“Yeah, he’s at her house. He’s been
there since this morning.”

He looked like he wanted to say
something, but instead he said, “I’ve gotta pick up Skyy.”

The police officer who pulled up
approached with his partner. “Are you the homeowner, Sir?”

“Yes. I’m Claude Wilson. You two can
go on in.”

“Thanks.” He looked at Venus. “Ma’am.”

“Hello.”

Venus heard the officer say to his
partner, “That’s Mason Wilson’s brother.”

The other officer looked back.

“Claude, I’ll go get Skyy.”

“Here. Take my car. I think they
parked too close to you. You’re blocked in.”

“Okay. Be right back.” She took the
keys from Claude and walked to the driver’s side, getting in his Audi. Right
away, Venus saw Claude’s briefcase on the floor of the passenger side. Something
inside told her not to. But as soon as she backed up and pulled off, waving to
Claude as he went back in the house, at the very first stop sign she leaned
over and simply clicked it open, noticing file folders and a few envelopes. She
flipped through the letters, some looked like the ones from the mailbox that
day, and there it was. The letter Owen sent her. Only it was just the envelope.
Empty. The letter he had written Venus about her so-called freaky past and real
intentions, was missing.

~~

Later, Venus had taken Skyy next door
to their neighbor’s house until the investigators and alarm company
representatives left.

Venus was at home, looking around to
see what all was missing, thinking about the violating creepiness of knowing
someone had been in their house to burglarize them. And also thinking about
where Claude could have put that letter, as it was obvious now that he read it.

She heard her phone ringing. It was on
the kitchen table next to her purse. She ran to it, picking it up. “Yes, Cam.”

Cameron’s voice was mad. “You told Dad
where I was?”

“Calm down. He asked. I had to.”

“Man.” Cameron reacted sighing.

“Cam, don’t worry about that. I think
we’re gonna go ahead and move to Laguna Hills. And, I’m seriously thinking
about working from home, doing something else so I can be home with Skyy. You
can work and go to school out there. This could be a blessing in disguise.
Let’s all take this and turn it into something positive. We’ve been through too
much, coming so far since the days after I married your dad when you and I had
such a hard time. We’ve got to focus on our family.”

“All I know is I need my own place. I
just need enough money to get in a place and then I can move on. Maybe I’ll ask
Uncle Mason if I can live in the spot where Grandma and Grandpa lived that he
owns. You know, their old condo in Fox Hills.”

“Cam, I don’t think you should live
anywhere other than home. And Mason’s kept that place for sentimental reasons,
but I actually heard he might sell it. The first thing you need to do is make
your own money. Your dad and I can’t loan you any money. For your own good, you
need to get a job.”

Cameron sounded distracted. “Hold on.
Wait. Mom, I’ll call you right back.”

“Okay.”

She heard him say with irritation,
“What?” The call ended.

Venus watched Claude wrap things up
with the alarm guy who reset the codes. She noticed Claude now had his
briefcase in hand.

She headed upstairs and into their
bedroom, placing her cell on the bed and then examining the top of the dresser,
inside some of her drawers, purses, and other items.

Right away, she thought to look for
the black velvet ring box that she kept in the back of her lingerie drawer.

“Dammit,” she screamed, frantically
rummaging through her panties, baby dolls, and teddies.

It was gone.

The box that she kept her heart-shaped
emerald ring in was missing.

She let out a high-pitched wail.
“Claude!” just as her phone rang.

“What?” he replied boisterously from
downstairs.

She hurried to the bed to pick up her
phone and pressed the screen. “Cam,” she yelled just as loud.

“Mom. Candy just admitted it to me. It
was her. She had someone break in. I’m sorry.”

It was truly Friday the 13
^th
at Claude and Venus Wilson’s home.

9

Sequoia

“. . . her husband having had sex with Colette.”

The Friday morning air was dry and
hot, although it was barely eight o’clock.

It was a week later.

August 20
^th
.

A court date.

Torino, wearing a gray suit and maroon
tie, was behind the wheel, and Sequoia, wearing a little black dress with pumps
and a blazer, sat in the passenger seat as they headed downtown. He took the
exit from the 110 Freeway, and though few words were spoken along the way, he
spoke up, out of the blue, sounding just as blue. The topic was an obvious one.

“We were unmarried. That boy is not my
son.” He kept his eyes on the road.

“Lighten up. You sound like you’re
rehearsing for the witness stand.”

He said nothing.

“Look at it this way. This is just way
overdue. It’s a shame you and her couldn’t do this on your own without the
courts.”

“It’s okay. I’m actually relieved to
be able to prove I’m not the father.”

Sequoia turned and looked at him.
“Torino. This is not the Maury Povich show.”

“Funny.” He didn’t laugh.

“Kyle Jr. needs to know.”

Torino just looked straight ahead.

“With Colette, anything is possible.”

“I know. I’m just going with what I
believe will be the best case scenario for Kyle Jr. For him to be with the
mother and father he’s known. And honestly, what would be the best case
scenario for us, too, is to move on and get this behind us, for our sake, and
for TJ’s sake.”