The Bad Seed Page 10

  “Good to see you again, Blues.”

  “Likewise.” These phony pleasantries were painfully transparent. Robert held me tightly by the waist. For some reason, he wanted me close to him; maybe he was going to stab me for ignoring him this afternoon. Even though he was smiling, he really wanted to cuss me out. I certainly wasn’t expecting this level of affection from him; in fact, I expected the opposite, considering my afternoon disappearing act.

  “Nigel and I were talking about the Purple Party; it’ll be bigger, better and wilder than any previous party. It’ll become legendary.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Two of your guests have arrived. Kevin and Daryl, I think. I put them in the den and told them I’d get you.”

  “Great. I asked them to come a few minutes early so that I could discuss something with them.”

  Nigel said he had to make a phone call and would join Robert in a few minutes. Robert and I entered the den, breaking up their frivolous conversation. Robert still held onto me and I wasn’t sure if he missed me or he wanted to mark his territory. He might as well pee on me.

  Kevin stood up and smiled like a grinning idiot as he greeted Robert, who returned an impassioned smile. They hugged like they were old friends, a bit too long for my taste, but I shrugged it off. He then introduced Robert to his partner in crime, Daryl. Robert and I both had cocktails in our hands and something told me that I’d need it.

  “Blues, did you offer our guests something to drink?”

  Fuck, I don’t work here.

  “We’re fine now,” Daryl answered. I loved the way his lips moved.

  I bet he could suck a mean dick.

  “You sure? It’s no trouble,” I added. I prayed hard that Kevin would opt for a drink this time; I was dying to pee in his cup. I always liked to leave a taste of me on the lips of the people I didn’t like. “I could get it for you,” I offered with a smile. To my dismay, they both declined. I smiled innocently.

  I tried to escape from the room before the conversation got too deep, but each time I wiggled away, Robert would pull me back into him or engage me in conversation. I sat next to Robert like the adoring spouse, when all I really wanted was a kiss from Nigel.

  “The entertainment for the event will be spectacular,” Kevin continued. “The guests will be treated to a wonderful performance by the main attraction, the one and only Danea Charles, who just so happens to be a great personal friend of mine…of ours,” he said as he placed his hand on Daryl’s knee and smiled.

  “Ticket sales have significantly increased over the last month since we announced Danea, but we need a couple more big-dollar donors and sponsors to really meet our fundraising goal,” Daryl added.

  Fuck. Here it is. I knew it was coming—the begging; they wanted money. I could see it in Kevin’s shiftless eyes. Haven’t we given enough to this ridiculous cause? If some man was getting his ass kicked by his lover, that was between them and I didn’t want Robert spending another cent of my money on that bullshit.

  “We have every faith that you’ll get your donations,” I said, smiling. “It’s a great cause, and folks are willing to give.” Just not us.

  The party was to take place at the Georgetown Palladium in one week and, in spite of my lack of interest in the cause and my growing dislike of Kevin, I was looking forward to the event. It would be a virtual Who’s Who of D.C. A-listers and I couldn’t wait to hobnob with the elite of the city. The ensemble I had selected, a designer original, was nothing short of dazzling. Regardless of who was there, I’d be the finest thing in the room. Purple was my color. Hell, every color was my color.

  After about half an hour, Ashleigh sent one of her people up to inform us that the other guests were starting to arrive. I finally figured out that Robert was entertaining the board of directors of Keevan’s Room and a couple of high-rollers. As much as I hated to admit it, Ashleigh had done an excellent job of preparing this event. She had already ushered folks out onto the patio for cocktails before the dinner. Robert complimented her endlessly on her effort. When he was with her, I saw a tender side that he rarely showed. He seemed genuinely happy to have his daughter back in his life; too bad it would be short-lived.

  When we finally sat down at the table for the four-course meal, the conversation was bold and lively; the drinks really loosened up these stiff-ass people. Every once in a while, I would cut my eyes at Nigel to see if he was enjoying himself, but he paid me no attention. I had to admire his poker face.

  I was disappointed that the night ended without a quick private moment with Nigel, but I understood.

  Soon enough, our kisses wouldn’t have to be in private.

  CHAPTER 12

  After my morning workout, Robert sent me on an errand to bring a file to him at RDE and to meet him for lunch. He was always leaving something at home for me to fetch. I was so tired of being at his beck and call. I used to think he’d leave stuff behind because he was old and couldn’t remember shit, but now I knew better. He did it to keep tabs on my comings and goings. If I had to stop what I was doing in the middle of the day to bring him a file, he thought I couldn’t be fucking around on him.

  I stepped off the elevator on the fifteenth floor—the executive floor—and all the busy worker bees were going about their day. My presence went virtually unnoticed. Their secretaries’ phones rang; delivery boys dropped off packages; people darted off to the various meeting rooms and offices; a hundred frantic voices seemed to be talking at once. It was all pretty annoying. Now, I was no stranger to work—I had slaved for years in restaurants, retail stores, call centers, and offices before Robert came to my rescue. As much as I disliked him, I disliked this kind of work even more. I wasn’t strong enough to endure having to be at the same place at the same time just to see the same people five days a week. When Robert was dead and Ashleigh was out of the way, I’d never have to fear that kind of life.

  By the time I made it to Robert’s office, Ashleigh was at her desk, slumped over her computer. When she saw me approach, she looked up briefly and then quickly back down, not making eye contact. The small fan on her desk gently blew the ends of her midnight black hair. Her form-fitting green and black dress hugged her curvaceous frame and accentuated the parts she wanted to put on display. Her full breasts sat upright and the plunging neckline gave everyone more than a glimpse of her lady parts.

  “Ashleigh,” I said dryly.

  “He’s in there with Nigel.” She motioned toward Robert’s office. “Just go in.” When she looked at me, there was a horrible hate in her tight eyes and I could feel her glare tearing through me. She could pretend to be a sweetheart all she wanted, but I had the prescience to understand that this sweet, darling child was gunning for me.

  I swept past her and opened the door to his office. He was on the phone and Nigel sat in front of his desk. I hadn’t expected Nigel to be tied up with Robert in a meeting. There goes my afternoon foreplay with Nigel. Damn.

  Robert exhaled loudly before he spoke into the speakerphone. “Charles, there is a lot of money at stake here and I am not letting this deal go to hell ’cause some old woman won’t move.”

  “She’s pretty determined to stay in her house. Her husband died there and she said she will, too. I don’t think there is an amount of money you can pay her to make her move.” I was surprised that Charles was still on the payroll. I had put in a halfhearted word with Robert to save Charles’s job and I guess it had worked. Who knew?

  Robert saw me enter the office and waved for me to come forward with his file. “Charles, I don’t care if the Virgin Mary died there. You get her to move. You are already on shaky ground with me. This is your last chance. You find a way to convince her to move before this whole thing falls apart. This is your responsibility; this is your project.” Robert disconnected the call as Charles was in mid-sentence.

  “Hey, baby,” I said nervously. I treaded cautiously because he was in a dangerous mood. “Hey, Nigel.”

  “Give me the file, Blues. C
an’t you see we’re in the middle of something?” Robert looked down at his desk and I turned my head toward Nigel and rolled my eyes as a reaction to Robert’s attitude.

  I stepped closer, handed off the file, and turned to exit. I wanted to get the hell out of the line of fire.

  “I’m sorry, Blues. I’m a bit tense. There’s a lot going on right now,” he said in a more relaxed tone. He realized that he was being a complete ass to me—again. When he was dead, I would certainly not miss his acid tongue.

  Robert focused his attention on the information in the folder. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up at me. “Blues, we really have to get back to work.” He dismissed me in his usual rough manner. I turned and made a beeline toward the door. I couldn’t get out of his office fast enough if I was Carl Lewis. Right before I got to his office door he called out to me again.

  “Blues, wait. Ashleigh has to run an errand for me. Go with her and make sure it gets done right.”

  “Huh? I have plans. I was going to—” I cut myself off in mid-sentence when he looked at me like I had cursed out his mother. “Okay, baby. What do we need to do?”

  “She’ll tell you.” With those three little words, he ended the conversation. “And close the door on your way out.” I walked around to look at Ashleigh, who was ruffling through a stack of papers.

  “I guess we have an errand to run.”

  Once we got into my car, she placed her can of Diet Coke in the drink holder, popped open her handbag, and pulled out some makeup. She pulled down the visor to reveal the mirror and began to reapply. She dusted her face, applied mascara to her eyelashes, and added color to her already-crimson lips. I should’ve slammed on the brakes when she applied the mascara and hoped the pencil popped her eyeball.

  After she instructed me to get onto the freeway, we didn’t speak for awhile.

  After several minutes of watching and being annoyed by her beauty regime and waiting for her to say something, I finally broke the silence.

  “Where are we going?” I asked casually, not sure what to say.

  “To Fairfax; over near Tysons Corner Center.”

  “Fine. I’m not sure why I’m here, but I guess Robert didn’t think you were smart enough to do this yourself.”

  She glared at me. I could see her hatred for me reflected in her eyes. Her face revealed nothing but contempt for me; she was pure fire and ice. Sometimes she was as cool as a cucumber, other times she burned as hot as a star. As she eyed me, her expression was stone cold, but the fire in her eyes burned with intensity. “You know, Blues, I really am about tired of you. I have gone out of my way to be nice to you since I got back and all you’ve done is be an ass to me.”

  “If you call accusing me of being a gold-digger and a prostitute being nice, then I’d hate to see when you’re being a bitch.”

  She turned her head and looked out of the window. “I can’t wait until you’re gone,” she uttered under her breath.

  “Gone? I’m not going anywhere.”

  She turned toward me with a smirk on her face. “Really? Is that what you think?”

  “That’s what I know.”

  “Then you don’t know too much. Blues, let me tell you something. My father has always had a weakness for pretty boys like you. He plays with them for awhile and when he’s done, he throws them away like yesterday’s trash. Please don’t think you’re any different. You can’t be that simple. It’s only a matter of time before you’re sent away.”

  “Your father didn’t marry any of the others. He married me.”

  She chuckled. “Marriages can be undone.”

  “Robert loves me. I ain’t worried.”

  “Maybe you don’t have to worry about him divorcing you, but what about murder?”

  My heart skipped a beat. I quickly turned my head her direction, careful not to swerve into traffic. Did she know about my plot? Had she heard me talking to Marquis? “Murder? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your ex-boyfriend, Jabari; the high-school football star who had the world at his fingertips, but decided to jump off a building and kill himself. You were the last person he spoke to. It sounds like the police need to open another investigation. There is no statute of limitations on murder.”

  “Are you still on this? I didn’t kill Jabari; no one ever thought I did. I have nothing to hide. They can investigate me until the cows come home and they won’t find anything. If they didn’t find anything then, then they won’t find anything now. I don’t know what you think you know, but you know nothing.”

  “Hmmmmm.” She looked at me through squinted eyes. “Well, I’m just saying it doesn’t sound right to me.”

  “If you really think I’m capable of murder, shouldn’t you be worried about pissing me off?” I looked at her sternly. She’d never admit it, but I saw a bit of fear flash across her eyes. “Besides, I don’t care if it doesn’t sound right to you. The truth is the truth. Who cares what a crack bitch has to say about anything?”

  She snapped her compact closed and slammed the visor up.

  “Please don’t take me for a fool. I know why you married my father; what you want from him.”

  “Really? Why don’t you lay your wisdom on me?”

  “If my father was broke as hell, there’s no way you’d be with him.”

  “I wouldn’t be with anyone who is broke as hell.”

  “Look, I love my father, but I know what kind of man he is. He’s part of the reason for my drug problem. I had to have an escape.”

  “See, that’s some bullshit. Don’t try to blame your crack problem on your father.”

  “You’ve only known him a couple of years. I’ve known him most of my life. You have no idea what it was like growing up around him. Nothing I ever did was good enough. I could never say or do the right thing. I grew up apologizing for just about everything all that time.” Little did she know, I knew exactly how she felt, but I’d never admit it to her.

  “Ahhh, you poor baby.”

  “Fuck you, Blues. Just fuck you.”

  “If you hate him so much, why are you back?”

  “I never said I hated him. He’s my father. I love him.”

  “Why are you back, Ashleigh?”

  “I’m back to claim what’s mine.”

  “I knew it! You didn’t come back to work on your father-daughter relationship. You came back for money.”

  “Isn’t that why you married him?”

  “I married your father because I…” I tried to say the words, but they got caught in my throat.

  She laughed. “You can’t even say the words, can you? How fucked-up is that?”

  “I married Robert because…because I love him. It has very little to do with his money.” I didn’t sound very convincing and she looked at me incredulously.

  “Say whatever you want, but I know the truth. I’ve looked into your background and you’ve been a hustler all your life. You didn’t come from shit, you don’t have shit, and you ain’t gettin’ shit out of this marriage. Believe that.”

  “Bitch, you need to watch what you do and what you say. You don’t know me like that.”

  “Bitch? Is that all you got? Whatever, Blues. I’ll tell you one thing. If you think I’m going to sit here and let you cheat me out of my inheritance, you have another thing coming. I’ve put up with a lot of shit from my father to let some simple-minded pretty boy suck and fuck his way into my money.”

  “As soon as you showed up, I realized it was about money.”

  “It’s always about money. Fuck what you heard.”

  “If your father decided to not give you any money, it has nothing to do with me. It’s because you’re a drug addict and you would smoke up everything that wasn’t nailed to the floor.”

  She reached down into her purse and pulled out a small manila envelope and tossed it in my lap while I was driving.

  “What the fuck is this?” I asked, trying to not take my eyes off the road for too l
ong.

  She smiled. “It’s a surprise. Why don’t you open it?”

  “Because I’m driving.”

  “From what I’ve seen, you’re very talented. I’m sure you can multi-task.”

  I kept my left hand on the steering wheel and reached down and grabbed the package from my lap. I looked ahead and saw the traffic light change from green, to yellow to red. I pressed the brake pedal and brought the vehicle to a slow halt. I turned my head to meet her gaze. The gleam in her eyes unsettled me. What did she know?

  “I had planned on showing this to you in a more dramatic fashion, something more formal, but you’ve pissed me off.”

  I ripped open the package and pulled out photographs of me and Nigel having sex in our hotel room.

  “You bitch. How…how…did you get these? What the fuck?” My chest swelled and burned with an anger I had not known in years. I balled my fist, ready to strike her down where she sat, but pounding her to death on a busy street wouldn’t help me avoid jail.

  “You didn’t think I’d show up after all this time without doing my homework on you, did you? I was in town a few weeks doing surveillance on you before I made my appearance. As soon as I saw you, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I found some shit on you. I know your type. You’re shady. And greedy. And there’s no way a man like you would be with my father without getting something on the side. So, all I had to do was follow you for a few days to figure out your routine. You and Nigel fuck in the same hotel room every week. Not very smart. In fact, I’m surprised my father hasn’t found out yet. He’s not big on trust. He must think you are too stupid to cheat on him in such an obvious way.”

  It took all the strength I could muster to contain my rage.

  “If you take me down, you’d take Nigel down, too. Are you prepared to do that?”

  She looked at me with those cold, black eyes. “I don’t care about Nigel. I’ll do what I have to do to win. After all, I am my father’s daughter.”

  The traffic signal turned green and I pressed hard on the accelerator and bolted down the road, weaving in between traffic. The sun was shining and the day was very bright, but all I could see was red. I didn’t know what I was going to do. She had caught me completely off guard.