Relapse: A Novel (24 page)

The month of February was taking no prisoners this year in Charlotte. The month’s average temperature was twenty-one degrees. Today was no exception.

Beijing was in her office working, making phone calls and trying to keep her clients happy. She couldn’t wait for seven o’clock to roll around.

“Hello, this is Beijing.”

“Seth Soberman. I’m glad I caught you, Beijing.”

Seth was Natalia’s super-rich boyfriend. He allowed her to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Nothing was too extravagant for her.

“I hate to bother you with little things like this,” he said, “but one of my accountants gave me a call concerning a forty-seven-hundred-dollar charge on Natalia’s invoice under miscellaneous.”

“Yes.” Beijing lowered her voice. “That was for a little mishap that took place.”

“Mishap?” Seth asked, curious. “Would it be too much to ask for a few details concerning this mishap?”

“No problem at all,” Beijing said. “Natalia was in a little fender-bender. No one was hurt. She just wanted it to disappear.”

“What do you mean by disappear?”

“We didn’t want to leave any kind of paper trail that the missus could somehow see, so I knew someone who would make it disappear.”

“You mean like there is no record of it ever happening?”

“Yes, I had it taken care of,” she said casually, like it was no big deal. “This type of thing happens all the time. But it does incur a fee.”

Seth was quiet for a moment. “Let me get this right: Natalia was involved in a hit-and-run and you made it go away? As if it never happened?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Impressive,” he commended her. “You’re definitely the right person for the job.” Beijing smiled at the compliment. “Now I know why Natalia speaks so highly of you.”

“Thank you, sir. If you have any more questions or if there is anything at all I may be able to do for you, please do not hesitate to give me a call.”

She exhaled after ending the call.

“B,” April said, interrupting her thoughts, “can you hold us down while I go take a smoke?” She already had her coat folded across her arm.

There wasn’t much traffic at the desk. Beijing looked around the lobby; the only person there was an elderly lady reading a romance novel by the fireplace, drinking a cup of coffee.

Beijing agreed to handle the check-in desk.

“You don’t know,” Beijing exaggerated, “it’s ten below out
there. You gon have icicles hanging from your ass before you get done. I hope it’s worth it.”

“Ain’t no ice sticking to this.” April slapped her butt with her palm. “My shit be smoking hot, ya hear.”

Beijing couldn’t help but laugh at her conceited colleague as she slid into her winter coat, then sashayed through the lobby to the exit.

Beijing was hanging up the phone when she heard a familiar-sounding voice. If she hadn’t known any better, she would’ve thought it was her cousin Seville. It was another month before Seville and her boyfriend, Jack, were due back in the States, but Jack’s job ended a month early.

Looking up from the phone, Beijing thought she was seeing a ghost—or Seville’s identical twin sister that she didn’t have—standing in front of her, holding two cups of hot chocolate.

“Oh my God,” she screamed, forgetting that she was at work. “When did you get back and why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Beijing was all smiles.

“Jack and I got back today and I wanted to surprise you.” Seville passed her one of the cups of cocoa. “Surprise!”

Beijing was stunned. “Damn right I’m surprised, girl! I get off in another hour,” she said. “We can go to dinner and catch up. Have you eaten?”

“I wish I could. Jack and I have to take care of a few things. We haven’t even been home yet,” she added. “He’s in the truck waiting for me. By the way, he said to tell you hey. I just had to come and see you first.”

“You better had.”

“Or what?”

“Or when I had seen you, I would’ve had to whip that red ass of yours.”

“You got to bring one to get one,” she joked and then said, “I need a favor, Cuz.”

“Depends on the flavor of the favor.”

“Okay, Lil Kim.” She went on, “Seriously, do you think you can get one of the weekends off within the next two weeks?”

“I’ve been taking a lot of time lately, so it would definitely have to be on my days off. Is everything okay?”

“No, nothing is wrong. I just want to take you to Miami with me for a belated birthday gift.”

Mentioning her birthday made bad feelings resurface for Beijing. Lootchee never had called. It had been over eight months since she had heard from him, since he’d promised to call her back and now Valentine’s Day had come and gone. “Fuck Lootchee,” she thought, mad at herself for even thinking about him.

“I don’t want to talk about my birthday—that’s another story, for another day. And since when did my shopaholic cousin start holding on to enough money to get us to Florida and back?”

“Girl, Jack got an enormous bonus for getting the project finished ahead of schedule.” Seville took a sip of the hot chocolate. “And he broke me off real decent too,” she almost whispered. “Please, I’ve been saving.”

Beijing found the saving part hard to believe. Seville was the type to buy anything and everything she saw because it was on sale or because she just had to have it. When the girl needed a gift for someone, all she had to do was go in her closet and pull out something fabulous.

“You know I love South Beach,” she confessed, unable to think of a reason not to get away from the cold spell Charlotte was going through.

“Then it’s settled,” her cousin said. “Pack the skimpiest, flyest shit in your closet and we going to graffiti our names all over the city, my treat.”

“But I pay my own way,” Beijing insisted.

“No deal. You can pay next time. This one is on me.”

“At least let me use my discount for the rooms.”

Seville knew her cousin like a pair of broken-in shoes. Beijing
wasn’t going until she agreed to at least some of her terms. “You can get the discount, but that’s it, that’s all, that’s final. And when do you want to do it? This weekend? Or next?”

“Let me check my schedule and get back to you on that.”

“Trust me,” Seville said, “we’re going to have a blast!”

Beijing was sitting in a lounge chair by the hotel’s pool reading the novel
Gorilla Black
, by Seven. Seville was relaxing checking out an
O
magazine.

They had arrived at South Beach the day before at a little past noon. They had soaked up the sun, rode mopeds on the strip, and had drinks at a couple of clubs that night.

Beijing put a bookmark between the pages of the novel. “I kinda wish we would’ve invited Rayna,” she said to Seville. “That bitch would have loved this.” She spread her arms wide.

“I called her and filled her in on everything that I had planned for you. But she couldn’t make it.”

“She’s a trip. You would probably like her in person; I really kicked it with her while you were in Germany.”

“I would love to meet her. Especially since she is really like your only outsider friend that you really deal with.”

“I know,” Beijing agreed, thinking about Rayna. “It’s so crazy how we just managed to hit it off at my class, the chitchat turned into girl talk and then to lunches and dinners—and then she even convinced me to hook up with Lootchee, but I won’t hold it against her.”

They both laughed, but Seville could tell that Beijing really missed him.

“I guess she earned your friendship, whereas since the incident with P, you don’t normally let women in. I’m glad you have her, because I know how hard it is for you to make friends.”

“So what’s on the agenda after we leave the pool?” Beijing changed the subject.

Seville gave her a look that said,
What else
, then in unison they shouted, “Shopping!” And high-fived each other.

“One of my favorite pastimes,” Seville admitted.

“You are not alone.” Beijing flipped her oversized white sunglasses in place to block the sun as she lay back in the chair to relax, hoping to catch a catnap.

The guys next to her were carrying on a conversation a little too loud for her not to hear them.

“I had the worst night’s sleep in my life,” one of them said.

She assumed the voice was the tall one with the athletic body.

“The mattress was hard and the bed squeaked.”

“Where are you staying?” a different voice asked, farther away by the sound of it.

“Some piece of shit off the strip. My secretary and I called around everywhere to find another spot but everything is booked solid,” he complained. “The lights are so dim in my room, I could barely write my speech last night.”

“Damn, man, I’m sorry to hear that,” the friend teased. “Who would have thought the mighty Malcolm Clarke would be slumming it in a do-drop-in.” After some laughter, he added, “You can always stay with me. I know that shit has to be miserable.”

“Nah, bro, I’m not trying to cramp your style,” Malcolm replied. “I’ll just have to rough it out, I guess.” He took a sip from a bottled Corona.

“No, I insist.”

“Man, you snore; I still wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

Beijing rose from the chair. It was hard not to notice her. She was rocking a white two-piece swimsuit to perfection, stretching the breathable material in all the right places. “Be right back.” She twisted the matching wrap around her hips, tucked her feet in a pair of flip-flops, and gracefully sauntered into the building.

The two men were still talking about how fine she was when Beijing returned five minutes later holding a plastic room key.

“Mr. Clarke?” Beijing approached the fellas.

Malcolm looked up at the beautiful dark chocolate lady in her white bathing suit and big white straw hat standing in front of him. She was even more stunning up close and personal. “Yes?” He stood up. “Yes, Clarke. Malcolm Clarke, how can I assist you?” He would have rebuilt the engine in her car right then and there, if she had asked.

“My name is Beijing Lee, and I’m the hotel host at the Tabby in Charlotte; it’s my responsibility to make sure that our guests are happy. I happened to overhear that you are not happy with the less-than-adequate hotel you’re booked in, and I decided to help.” She handed Malcolm the key. “I managed to wrestle up one of our special reserved rooms—if you want it.”

“Of course, yes of course.” Beijing had caught him totally off guard.

“If so, you can give Thomas here”—she nodded to the uniformed bellhop—“the information he needs. He’ll retrieve your bags from the other hotel and bring them to your room.”

Malcolm’s friend was envious, wishing he was the one that was residing in the fleabag hotel, only to be rescued by a beautiful woman. He stood up. “I thank you for accommodating my friend,” he said, whipping out his card. “We’d love for you to have lunch with us.”

Beijing smiled. “Thank you but I have plans already.” She let him down easy then redirected her attention to her newest client. Malcolm was ecstatic and stunned by what was going on.

Beijing handed him her business card. “If you ever need anything, or are in the Charlotte area, give me a call and I will assist however you need me to.”

He took the card but was shocked. “Thank you, Ms. Lee! How can I repay you?”

“No need, just you getting a good night’s rest would be grand for me.”

“Will do.” He dug in his pocket and handed her his card.
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
. “And, Ms. Lee, your kindness is appreciated. If
there is anything at all I can do to return the favor—now or in the future—please allow me the luxury.”

Beijing accepted the card. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The guys were both lusting after Beijing and she knew it as she walked back over to her pool chair. Too bad she no longer had that effect on Lootchee as she did so many other men who came into her life.

Another hour of sunbathing, then Beijing and Seville left the pool and hit the mall for a round of shopping, getting ready for the evening festivities.

They had dinner at Houston’s on the ocean. Afterward Seville suggested that they go to the hotel to freshen their makeup.

“Girl, thanks so much for everything. I love you and appreciate you and there are no words that can express my gratitude for this weekend. Like for real. I can’t tell you.”

Seville dropped her head. “I have something to confess to you.”

“What?” Beijing had a big smile on her face, but Seville looked embarrassed. “What’s wrong, Cuz—why you look so down?”

“I feel like …” She paused; the words were stuck in her throat.

“You feel like what?”

“I feel like …” She tried to get it out again. “I don’t know how to say it.”

“Just say it.”

“I feel like I’ve deceived you,” she blurted out.

“Deceived me? How?” Beijing asked, confused and stunned that her cousin and best friend would say or do something so horrible to her.

“Well, misled you.”

“Misled me how?”

“All of this …”

Beijing looked in her cousin’s eyes. “All of what?”

The hostess peeped into the restroom. “You guys are the Lee party, right?”

“Yes,” Seville answered, and then took a deep breath.

“Your chariot awaits,” the hostess announced.

“Thanks, but give us a minute,” Seville said to the woman then looked at her cousin. “All of this, well really none of this, was my idea.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

She breathed deeply again. “None of this was my idea. It … he … He called me and told me that he wanted you to have a marvelous birthday and how it was up to us to make sure that it would be the best thus far.”

“Who? Don?”

She shook her head slowly. “Lootchee, and I feel like I’ve set you up in some sort of way.”

“Lootchee? What do you mean?” She was confused.

“Ms. Lee,” the hostess interrupted again. “We’ve got other people waiting to dock. You all have to get going so we can get our others in and out.”

“Two minutes and we’re out of here,” Seville said to the hostess. She started to talk fast. “Long story short, I’m excited and I need you to be too. Please don’t be mad at me. Lootchee called me and asked me to set this entire thing up, the entire weekend, the shopping, everything! The only thing I did do was to make sure you looked amazing when he saw you.”