Killing Them Softly (16 page)

Okay, things didn’t go like I planned with Avonte’s husband. I swear ’fore God that I didn’t plan on killing him. The only thing I wanted to do was make shit even. It wasn’t right for him to be fuckin’ around on Avonte, but when she does the same shit, he cuts her off from the money. That shit ain’t right.

So, my plan was simple. After Avonte told me where he wanted her to meet him, I went out there. Avonte had shown me a picture of him, so I knew him as soon as I saw him. When I got there, he was standing at the bar, talking with some little blonde cutie. I watched them for a while, thinking about how I was gonna get to him, when she pulled out a cigarette. I got up from my spot and followed her outside.

"Can I get a light from you?" I asked.

"No problem. We smokers have got to stick together, you know," she said, and handed me her lighter. "Pretty soon they’ll be telling us that we can’t even smoke in our own houses."

"I know that’s right." I took a drag off my cigarette, and gave her back her lighter. "That’s how the system works, honey. Government got to be in control of every part of your life."

We talked while we smoked our cigarettes. Funny how smokers can always find something to talk about. "I’m Iris," I lied and smiled.

"Laurie. Nice to meet you, Iris."

"That’s a very nice outline you have on," I said, even though it wasn’t. The shit looked like she bought it at Kmart.

"Thank you," Laurie said, and smiled.

"It suits you. You’re very pretty too," I said, and Laurie blushed. By the time we finished our cigarettes and went back inside, Laurie and me were like the best of friends. It always has cracked me up how some bitches will tell a complete stranger all their business over a cigarette. Laurie was one of them bitches.

Laurie told me she was from Kansas. "I had to get away from Jeff; that was my boyfriend. He was one crazy mother fucker." She told me how her boyfriend used to beat her, and about her drug and alcohol issues. "I got it under control now. But for a while there, I thought I was gonna die." And then she told me that her tits were fake. She even let me feel them. "Go ahead, I don’t mind." Them shits was hard as rocks.

"Go ahead, feel mine. I don’t mind," I said. Laurie giggled, but it didn’t take long before she was smiling and squeezing.

When we got back inside, we went to the bar to join Tyrone at the bar. Laurie introduced us. "Tyrone, this is my friend Iris."

Judging by the way that his eyes bulged out of his head when he turned and looked at me, I knew I could get him to go with me.

The only question now was whether I was going to bring Laurie along for the fun.

Tyrone ordered a round of drinks, and the three of us talked. I told them that I was there to meet somebody, but they hadn’t gotten there yet. But I made it obvious that I was down for whatever.

After a lot of me flirting with the two of them, plenty of sexual innuendo and three more drinks, Tyrone and Laurie were ready to go and take their thing to the next level. "We’re gonna head to my place, keep this party going. Why don’t you come with us?"

"What’s happenin’ at your place?" I asked innocently.

Tyrone leaned closer. "Have some drinks, do a few lines," he said in my ear. "Then, you know, whatever."

I looked at Laurie and then back to Tyrone. "Yeah, whatever sounds good," I told them, and we left the bar.

It didn’t take long to get to the house. When we pulled up in front of the house, I was shocked by how fuckin’ big the place was. Tyrone was ballin’ for real. I see why Avonte was trippin’ about losin’ this money.

Shit, I see why I was trippin’.

All it took was a glass of wine and a few of lines of coke, before Laurie came outta her Kmart dress and was paradin’ around in her pumps and panties.

When Tyrone took off his clothes, and they both started encouraging me to get comfortable, I knew it was time for the next part of my plan. I was gonna get this whole set on camera.

Me and Avonte were out shoppin’ one day, Avonte loves to shop, but that day I told her that I wanted to get a digital camera so I could take pictures of her. Maybe even make a movie of us fuckin’. So Avonte bought me a Sony Cybershot 10 megapixel digital camera.

I got up and looked around the room for a good spot to setup the camera. There was a credenza over by the staircase that was the perfect height, and wasn’t too far away. While I got naked I set the camera on the table, and put my clothes around it for cover.

"What are you doing over there?" Tyrone asked and started coming toward me.

"Nothin’. Just gettin’ comfortable."

"What’s that you got there?" He pushed me out of the way and knocked the clothes off the camera. It didn’t take him long to figure out what the camera was for.

Tyrone grabbed me and demanded to know who I was, and who sent me. "Avonte sent you, didn’t she? You’re the bitch she’s fucking, aren’t you?" he started shaking me.

"I don’t know who you talkin’ ’bout! Take your mutha fuckin’ hands off me!" I yelled, and tried to get free.

"Who sent you?"

Tyrone reached back and slapped the fuck outta me. He hit me so hard that I fell to the floor. I got up and tried to run, but he grabbed me and hit me again. I swung at him and scratched his face. "You fucking bitch."

Tyrone came at me and I ran. While Tyrone chased me around the living room, that bitch Laurie, sipped her drink and did another line.

I ran into the kitchen looking for something to throw at him. I picked up the bottle of wine we were drinking, and threw it at him, but I missed and he kept comin’. Then I threw a frying pan at him, but he ducked. The only thing that saved me was that he was off balance when he did that. He slipped on the wine and hit the floor hard.

I grabbed a knife from the counter and dove on top of him. I pushed the knife into his chest as hard as I could. "I got your bitch."

I went back into the living room. Laurie was still powdering her nose, like nothin’ else was goin’ on around her. I went to the credenza and got my knife from my purse.

"Where’s Tyrone?" Laurie asked when she finally looked up.

"He’s on the floor in the kitchen," I said, and walked around behind her.

"What’s he doing on the floor?" her dumb-ass asked, and laughed a little.

"Waitin’ for you." I grabbed a handful of her hair, and slid my blade across her throat.

I got dressed as fast as I could, and looked around the house to see if I could find whatever he had on Avonte. I found what I was looking for on the desk in his office.

It was in a large manila envelope, and it had a lot of pictures of Avonte with me, and then there were two shots of her and Devin having dinner at some restaurant. There was also a written report of the places that Avonte and I had gone together, and the same for Devin.

Whoever made this report knew everything about Devin, but they didn’t know much about me, other than my first name. All they had on me was bad pictures of us eating, shopping, and getting in and out of her car. I took the envelope and got outta there.

Then I wiped down everything that I thought I might have touched. Then I thought about the bottle of wine I threw at Tyrone. If the cops got even a partial print off a piece of that broken glass, I’d be fucked. I went in the kitchen and picked up every piece I could find, and then got a broom to sweep up.

I left there walking, and called a cab to pick me up at the first place I got to. From there, I got a room at a motel and laid low for a couple of days; and hoped I had dodged another bid.

After a couple of days in that room, I was gettin’ bored and lonely. I needed to get out, see some people, maybe even get some dick.

And if I was gonna try and get some dick, I might as well try to get with Devin. I knew if I called him, he would probably hang up on me. So, I caught a cab and went to a bar that wasn’t too far from where he worked, to see if he was there.

When I got there, the first person I saw was Devin. He was at a table close to the bar talking to some white guy. I had started walking toward them when I got the feeling that I knew the white boy he was with. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that he was the white boy that I saw that night, coming out of Devin’s house.

I couldn’t be sure if he saw me and Cutie that night, and I was in no mood to find out. The last thing I needed was for him to recognize me. I started to go to the bar, but when I turned to walk away, I heard Devin call me.

"Shit."

I turned around and Devin was waving me over to their table.

"Shit," I mumbled, and went to the table.

Both men stood up when I got to the table. "What are you doing here, Qianna?"

"Maybe I was lookin’ for you."

"Winston, this is my friend Qianna," Devin said, and I waved to him.

"Nice to meet you, Qianna," Winston said, and we all sat down. It didn’t seem like the white boy recognized me. I wondered if Devin even suspected that this boy was fuckin’ his wife.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Devin?"

"Sure. I was just getting ready get out of here anyway. Winston, I’ll see you in the morning."

"Not if I see you first," Winston said, and laughed. Neither me nor Devin got the joke, and we walked away.

Once we were far enough from the table, I turned to Devin. "You remember I told you that I saw a white boy comin’ out of your house that night?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That’s him."

"Winston? Are you sure?"

"Does he drive a sweet dark blue Benz?"

Devin looked at me. "He does."

"Then I’m sure that’s the same guy."

"Damn. He always did have a thing for Taye. I can’t believe he was fuckin’ her." Devin started to go back to the table, but I stopped him.

"Where you goin’?"

"Where you think I’m goin’?"

"No, there’s a better way to deal with him."

"How’s that?"

"He was fuckin’ her, right?"

"Right."

"Cops told you they had DNA and were lookin’ to find a match, right?"

"Yeah, you’re right, they do."

"You go on and get outta here. I’ll make sure he’s our guy."

I stood and watched Devin until he left the bar, before I went and joined Winston at the table. "Hi."

"Welcome back," he said, and looked surprised when I sat down next to him. "I thought since you came here looking for Devin, that you were leaving too."

"No, I’m lookin’ for somebody to play with me." I ran my hand slowly across his face. "You wanna play with me?"

"Yes," Winston said quickly, and started trying to flag down his waitress to get the check. "I don’t live too far from here."

While he waited for his waitress, I told him that I was going to the ladies room, and that I would meet him outside.

When he came out, we went to his car and he drove me to his apartment. The minute we made it to the bedroom, this mutha fucka was all over me. I pushed him off of me and he fell on the bed. He sat there quietly with a big smile on his face, while I took off my clothes. "Now stand up," I demanded, and he did what I asked. "Take off your clothes."

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I started pulling off clothes so fast that she started laughing. She could laugh all she wanted, as long as she gave me some of that pussy. Qianna was fine as hell. I would have to thank Devin for this one in the morning.

Fact of the matter was that I owed Devin for more than just walking away and leaving me with Qianna, but for being such an asshole and leaving Taye at home alone every night.

It all started simple. I was in their neighborhood one night, and I decided that I would drop by to say hello. I pulled up in front of the house, but I didn’t see Devin’s car in the driveway. That didn’t matter to me one way or the other. He could be parked in the garage or not even home. Either way, I was there to see Taye anyway.

I’ve been in love with Taye since the first time I met her. It was at the company Christmas party, and naturally, Taye came with Devin. She was dressed in a flowing white gown that highlighted her shoulders.

"Winston, this is my wife, Taye," Devin said that night at the party.

"Well, it is nice to finally meet you, Winston," Taye said, and took my hand in hers. "Devin talks about you all the time."

Her hands were warm, and Taye had the most beautiful smile. And the deepest brown eyes that seemed to look inside me, and reach my soul. "I hope it was good," was all that I could manage, as Taye smiled at me and continued to hold my hand.

"You know I had nothing but good things to say about you, buddy," Devin said to interrupt the trance Taye had me caught up in.

"Oh yes, Devin speaks very highly of you," Taye said, and finally let go of my hand.

"That’s good to know," I said, and let out a goofy giggle. I felt like such a fool.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Winston. I’m sure I’ll see you again," Taye said graciously, and went off with her husband; taking my heart with her.

Over the years the three of us got together pretty regularly. Taye would come and have drinks with us after work. During those times, Taye and I became friends, but I never told her how I felt about her. That would have been inappropriate. I was just happy to be in her presence, and happy with the guy friend hugs and kisses on the cheek, that she gave me each and every time she saw me, and wished there was something more.

Then she lost the baby.

I went to see Taye in the hospital. She was asleep when I got there. I stood there staring at her, and I held her hand. I touched her face and I felt the strongest urge to kiss her.

I leaned forward slowly and was about to kiss her when Devin, who always did have the worst timing, walked in the room.

"Hey, Babe," he said as he burst through the door carrying a dozen roses. I let go of her hand and straightened up quickly. If Devin saw me, or had any idea what I was about to do, he never said anything about it. Taye opened her beautiful eyes and smiled at me, smiled like she knew that I loved her, and then turned to her husband. I didn’t see much of Taye after that, and hadn’t seen her at all since they she lost their second child.

I went to the door and rang the bell. There were lights on in the house, but know one came to the door. I rang the bell and waited.

The truth is that I knew Devin wasn’t there, and I didn’t just happen to be in the area. I knew Devin was out with whoever he was seeing. I was passing by his office and heard him making plans to meet her.

Taye had been through enough, and shouldn’t have to deal with her husband being unfaithful to her. She deserved a man who would be patient with her, and be understanding of what she’s going through.

A man like me.

I would break it to her gently, and then be there to comfort her through her tears. Offer her support throughout the divorce proceedings. And when it was all over, Taye would turn to me, because by then, she’ll know that I love her.

How did things get so far away from there?

Why didn’t I just leave when nobody answered the door after the second ring?

I knocked on the door and was about to leave when I glanced back, and saw Taye come down the steps.

I should have known that something was wrong, when she walked past the door without opening it. I rang the bell again, and banged on the door; all the while, calling her name. "Taye!"

Not only didn’t she come to the door, Taye didn’t even look back. I stood there ringing the bell, over and over until I saw her coming. But instead of coming to open the door, Taye headed back toward the steps.

"Taye!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and she turned toward the door.

Finally, she came to the door and turned on the porch light. "Who is it?"

"Taye, it’s Winston," I said, and she opened the door.

"Devin’s not here," she said, and held the door.

She was wearing a white silk robe, and a white gown with spaghetti straps that barely covered her. I knew something wasn’t right when she didn’t try to cover herself. We stood there staring at one another until I finally said, "Can I come in—and use your bathroom?"

"I’m sorry. Come in," Taye said, and stepped aside to let me in.

"Thanks," I said, and walked past her slowly. "I know where it is." Instead of thinking that something wasn’t right, and that I should leave, my mind went in a totally different direction. All I could think about was how sexy she looked, and how much I wanted her. How much I’ve always wanted her. Instead of thinking that something wasn’t right, I imagined that Taye hadn’t bothered to cover herself because she wanted me the way I wanted her. I stayed in the bathroom for a couple of minutes before I came out.

When I went back to the door, Taye was sitting in the living room with her eyes closed. I sat down across from her and then I called her name, and Taye opened her eyes.

I just started talking, but it wasn’t long before her eyes drifted shut. "Taye," I said, and stood up. I walked over to her and touched her gently. "Taye, are you all right?" When she didn’t answer, I touched her neck to see if she had a pulse. It was then that I remembered Devin mentioning that Taye took sleeping pills some times.

Now that I knew she was just sleeping, I picked her up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. I laid her down on the bed, and stood over her to admire her beauty. I should have left then.

But I didn’t.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and I kissed her. Kissed her lips the way I had always wanted to, for all these years. She didn’t wake up.

I ran my hand along her cheek, down to her neck, and across her chest. I felt her breasts with one hand and then the other. She didn’t wake up.

I pulled up her gown and stuck my fingers in my mouth. With my index finger, I massaged her clit and looked at her face. She squirmed a little when I slide my fingers inside her, but she didn’t wake up.

I unbuckled my pants and pulled down my zipper. I started to stroke myself while I slid my fingers in and out of Taye. She was so wet. I left after I came in my hand.

The next morning, I went into Devin’s office, just like I did every morning. I needed to know if Taye had even mentioned that I had been to their house the night before, but he never said anything about it.

After that, I couldn’t get Taye out of my mind. I had to have her again. I went back to their house one night the following week. I knocked on the door, I rang the bell, I called her name, but she didn’t come to the door. I left disappointed, but determined to have her. No matter how wrong it was, I had to be inside Taye.

That next day at the office, I stuck my head in Devin’s office. "Let me see your keys, buddy. My battery’s dead, and I need to run out for a minute."

"You need help?" Devin said, and dug in his pocket for his keys.

"I’ll jump it off when I get back; if that’s all right with you, of course?" I asked, and Devin threw me his keys.

"Not a problem."

"I’ll even put gas in it," I said, and went to the nearest locksmith, and got a copy of their house key.

That first night, I felt apprehensive as I unlocked the door and hoped that the alarm wasn’t on. My heart was pounding in my chest when I stood in the bedroom door, and looked at her lying there, sleeping so beautifully, waiting for me to have her.