“You look extraordinary this evening,” Mr. Black said.
I gently touched his face and looped my arm in his. “Why, thank you, Mr. Black. You look very handsome in a tuxedo.” And I want to rip it off you, I thought, but didn’t say.
“I was just about to get a drink. Can I get something for you?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.”
He signaled for a bartender. “Remy Martin, VSOP, and one for the lady.”
“I think you better make mine on the rocks,” I said and thought back to the days when I used to drink Hennessy straight from the bottle.
“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Black.”
He leaned close to me and I wanted to kiss him. “Believe me, Ms. West, it is my pleasure to see you. Did I mention how nice you look in that dress?” he asked as the bartender returned with our drinks. He handed one to me.
“Yes, I believe you did, but don’t let that stop you,” I said and laughed a little. “You can never tell a lady that she looks nice too many times.”
“Well you look beautiful, Ms. West.”
“I’m actually quite surprised to see you here. I know that you mentioned that you knew Martin Marshall.” I looked around the room. “This just doesn’t seem like your type of affair.”
“It’s not. And I was just leaving. That’s when I saw you standing here, and I had to come and say hello.”
“I am so glad that you did.” I looked at him; he was undressing me with his eyes. “I’d ask what you’re doing here, since you said this isn’t your type of affair, but I don’t think you’d tell me.”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“I had some people to meet. This is where I could meet with them all at one time; socially of course.”
“Of course,” I said as the band broke into a slow vamp.
He put his glass on the bar. “Would be like to dance, Ms. West?” he asked and reached for my hand.
“I would love to dance, Mr. Black.” I accepted his hand and followed him onto the dance floor. He pressed his body against mine and I melted into him. It felt so good being in his arms. I closed my eyes and my thoughts drifted to the scene I’d imagined in my suite: Imagining how it would feel to have him inside me. I thought about whether I was going to wait to be asked, or if was I just going to offer myself to him.
When the song ended, he led me off the dance floor to very impatient looking woman. “Ms. West, I’d like you to meet my lawyer Wanda Moore. Wanda, this is Jada West.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Moore,” I said graciously.
“Likewise. Are you ready to go, Mike,” she asked and glanced at her watch.
“You have to go?”
He looked at his lawyer and then at me. “I have someplace I need to be,” he said.
“And we’re already late,” Ms. Moore said and I wanted to kick her.
I put on my best smile. “I am sure I’ll see you again soon, Mr. Black.”
“I’m sure you will, Ms. West,” he said. And that night, once again, I watched him walk away from me.
Chapter Ten
Nina Thomas
After the night I’d had, I wasn’t surprised that I slept late that day. I had just gotten out of the shower and dressed when the doorbell rang. I went to the door and peeked out. Since I didn’t see anybody, I yelled, “Who is it?”
“It’s Leon,” he said and stuck his head where I could see him.
I opened the door and let him in. He gave me a big hug and we talked for a while, and then he got quiet. “You wanna tell me about it?”
“About what?”
“About what you and your friends is plannin’, Nina.”
“How you-,” I started to ask, but I knew the answer. “Pearl told you?”
Leon laughed. “No, Pearl told Diamond; Diamond told me what you was plannin’. I came to talk you out of it.”
“We took care of it last night,” I said.
Leon dropped his head. “Any problems?” he asked. I could tell by the look on his face that he was disappointed in me.
“Nope,” I said. I didn’t think he needed or wanted to know the details. The doorbell rang again and I got up to see who it was. “No problem at all.”
I looked out and saw a man standing there. “Who is it?”
“Police. I’m looking for Nina Thomas.”
“No problems, huh?” Leon said.
A cold chill came over me as I opened the door.
“Sorry to bother you, Miss Thomas. My name is Detective Kirkland, and I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Can I come in?”
I opened the door a little wider and let him come in. As soon as he saw Leon sitting there, his expression changed. “Hello, Leon.”
“What’s up, Kirk?” Leon said.
“I heard you moved to Florida. I didn’t know you were back in the city?”
“No, sir; I’m just here visiting.”
“Leon Copeland,” Kirk said and smiled. He looked at me. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Please, have a seat,” I said and the doorbell rang again.
“I’ll get that,” Kirk said and went to the door and opened it. “Come on in, Gene. There’s somebody here that you might remember from the old days.”
Another man walked in and took a look at Leon. His reaction was the same. “Leon Copeland.”
“Lieutenant Sanchez,” Leon said.
“I heard you took your business to Florida,” the Lieutenant said. “I didn’t know you were back in the city?”
“No, he said he’s just here visiting.”
“Who?” The lieutenant asked.
“I came to see my sister Angel.”
My phone rang and I looked at the cops. “You can go ahead and answer it,” Kirk said.
I picked up the phone. “Hello.”
“It’s Teena. I just heard the Kenyatta and two of her folks got dropped last night at her spot,” she said excitedly.
“Really, girl. You gonna have to tell me about that later. I got company right now,” I said as casually as I could.
“Company? Bitch, this shit is important.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, girl,” I said and hung up, and when I did the cops got back to Leon.
“What are you doing here, Leon?” Kirk asked.
“Miss Thomas used to date my cousin,” Leon said.
“Lorenzo Copeland,” Kirk said and looked at the lieutenant.
“That’s right. I just stopped by to holla at her.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Kirk said.
“Why is that, Kirk?” Leon asked.
“Because it just might answer a question that was nagging me.”
“Glad I could help, Kirk. You wanna tell me what that is?”
“Sure. Last night three people, Kenyatta Damson, Robert King and Bernard “Blade” Bradshaw, were killed outside of her drug spot. We also found the body of another woman, Shantia Lewis; she was executed in a vacant apartment in the same building,” Kirk said, and I did my best to look like it meant nothing to me. “She used to work for your cousin Lorenzo.”
“And since he’s in jail,” Sanchez said with a big smile on his face. “We were wondering who was supplying her. That wouldn’t be you, would it, Leon?”
“No, sir. I don’t have no business in New York no more.” Leon looked at Kirk. “You know that, Kirk.”
“You made a deal with Black?”
Leon didn’t answer, but it was apparent that everybody but me knew what he was talking about. I knew I should just keep quiet since they seemed to be more interested in Leon than me, but I couldn’t. “Can I ask a question?”
“Sure, Miss Thomas, go ahead.”
“What are you doing here? I don’t know any of those people you mentioned; so why are you here?”
Kirk and Sanchez both stood up. “We came here hoping that you might help us find some of your boyfriend’s associates and we found you with Leon,” Kirk said. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. But I’m sure we’ll talk again.”