The Bad Seed Read online

  I exited the room and quickly focused my attention to the big party. I was so excited and my ensemble was stunning: a pair of form-fitting purple pants with a white silk shirt, with a patch cut out across my chest to reveal my nipples. I’d top it off with a purple hat, cocked to the side. I looked like an old school pimp from a Foxy Brown movie. And, I had a purple umbrella that I’d lucked upon in a vintage store in Eastern Market. Even if Robert died in his sleep, I was still going to the party.

  I couldn’t wait for this party. When I walked into the room, all eyes would be on me. Where else would they be?

  A few hours passed and I realized that I had forgotten to check in on Robert. Maybe he had died gently in his sleep. I walked up the staircase and was startled to see Robert moving in my direction, with a bounce in his step. He looked vigorous, lively—alive—much to my dismay. This man had had more heart attacks than Dick Cheney, and was still standing. It’s true: evil never dies. Now, he was coming toward me with much more speed than a man at his advanced age and weakened state should have. Before I realized it, he was upon me. Before I could stop him, he grabbed me by the waist and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on me. I pushed him away.

  “Robert, what are you doing? You should be in bed.”

  “Baby, I feel fine; almost like a new man,” he said as he thumped his chest.

  What the fuck?

  There had to be some secret chamber hidden behind a wall in our bedroom where he held kidnapped children and stole their life force—that was the only way he could have recovered so swiftly.

  “You look…good,” I said with confusion.

  “I feel even better. I told you that I just needed to rest a bit. Make me a drink, will you?” He patted me on my ass and proceeded to move downstairs, leaving me standing on the landing dazed and confused. I turned my head and watched him take the stairs two at a time! Whatever he was on, I needed to be on as well.

  This man simply refused to die.

  CHAPTER 16

  The moment finally arrived and excitement could be felt in the air. Luckily, the rain had stopped mid-morning and the sun came out. Everything was electric and intoxicating. The fanfare, pomp and circumstance made the night seem almost enchanted. I was so excited, I could barely contain myself. My excitement alone charged the air. My smile was wide and complete, as if no trouble would ever come to me.

  Tonight, while all the guests danced and partied, I’d celebrate Robert’s death.

  We pulled slowly up to the curb at the Palladium in Robert’s navy blue convertible Bentley, taking time to make sure that the crowd envied our splendor. I wanted to take the limo, but Robert insisted on driving. He smiled as if he was king of the hill and I was his willing concubine, but when people looked at us, they were really looking at me. Robert was dressed in a simple purple suit, but he did look dapper, like a pimped-out elder statesman.

  The valet attendants immediately rushed the car and opened the doors for us both. I watched Robert slither out from behind the steering wheel and hand them the valet key and some money that he stuffed into their hands, but I couldn’t tell exactly how much. His old ass probably gave them each $100 to park the car. Usually, I cringed at the thought of him spending my money, but since his hours on earth were winding down, I didn’t care if he splurged one last time.

  As we stepped forward, I took a moment to really take in the over-the-top decorations. The sidewalk leading up to the building was covered with bright purple carpet that looked soft like cotton candy. The outside of the building had streams of purple cloth blowing in the wind like streamers. Robert locked arms with me and we walked the carpet like kings at a ball. Purple rope separated us from the mass of photographers who had gathered to snap pictures of the guests as they arrived. Even though we weren’t famous, we stopped and posed like the happy couple. If only they knew these would be some of Robert’s last photos.

  As cameras flashed, we continued our journey into the building and stepped into the grand foyer. People had gathered in the area, drinks in hand, smiles plastered across their faces, all wearing various hues of purple. By the skimpy outfits people had on, the motif of the party was provocative purple. I thought my shirt was edgy, but it paled in comparison to what I saw. I watched a huge, tanned muscle boy move through the crowd wearing a purple sarong and a purple bowtie—nothing else. He looked like a big purple Hercules, but I didn’t mind the view.

  We moved toward the entrance of the Grand Hall and the room was packed to the nines. Around the perimeter of the room were huge floor-to-ceiling, Roman-like columns that gave the room a regal appearance. Centered in the back of the room was a huge staircase that must have been ten feet wide that connected with smaller staircases that protruded off to both the left and right.

  Thumping sounds from the speakers pumped power into the enthusiastic crowd. An almost tangible kinetic energy permeated the air and ignited the entire area with a feeling of freedom. Subtle purple lighting accentuated the enormous space, coating the already electrified atmosphere in a psychedelic haze. A huge picture of Danea Charles, in a purple frame—of course—hung above the staircase. The whole scene was a bedazzled spectacle, but I loved it!

  We continued walking through the room, passing out winks, nods and smiles. Robert stopped a few times, shaking hands and making small talk with a group of small men who looked even older than him, if that was possible. I surveyed the room and flowers of every kind—including roses—seemed to be growing from the building itself, all purple, of course. It was a spectacular effect and I made a mental note to figure out how they accomplished that. Maybe I could use the same effect at Robert’s funeral.

  I continued to be mesmerized by the crowd. Flesh spilled over thin purple straps and from tiny shirts and skirts. Glitter and sparkles reflected light off bulging biceps and thick chests. The crowd was in a trance, intoxicated by the freedom of the spellbinding music and I was titillated by sight and sound. Acrobats in tight, purple leotards twirled and twisted from the high ceiling, à la Cirque de Soleil. I was amazed at the sight of dancers hanging from the ceiling while performing majestic feats of wonder that defied gravity.

  Interspersed throughout the magnificent crowd were a few familiar faces. Kevin had told Robert that Danea had worked hard to get some of her celebrity friends to attend the event. I saw Janet move by with an entourage in the back. To my left were a couple of cast members from Will & Grace and Queer as Folk—I was impressed. I think that I saw a member of Destiny’s Child in the corner, but she disappeared into the crowd. Rumor had it that Madonna might make one of her unannounced appearances. If that happened, the crowd would probably explode!

  As I stood there surveying the crowd, I hadn’t noticed Nigel approaching us from behind until I heard his deep voice greeting Robert. I felt his bravado in the small of my back and I took a deep breath, slowly turning around, trying to keep my composure. I smiled. He smiled, subtly. Robert put his arm around my waist. Did Robert sense my attraction to Nigel? Before long, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Nigel and I would vacation in some fabulous place, all on Robert’s dime.

  “This whole place is…amazing,” Nigel said, trying to mask his excitement at seeing me.

  “Of course it is. Did you expect anything less?” Robert said, beaming with pride. “Everything came together magically.”

  “Hello, Blues,” Nigel said as he turned his attention to me. “Are you having a good time?” He reached his hand out to me for a shake. When I grabbed it, I’m sure everything I felt for him flashed across my face. The warmth of his hand and his strong grip made my dick twitch. I had to get away from him before our secrets were put on display.

  “Mr. Wright, good to see you again.” I loved calling him by his last name. It just felt…right.

  “Yes, I’m having a good time. Look around this room; it’s hard not to. They did an excellent job with the decorations.”

  “This is fabulous. I knew Kevin would pull it off,” Robert chimed.

  “I need a drink.”
The sound of Kevin’s name grated on my nerves like you wouldn’t believe. It was his event, but I had no intention of sitting around all night listening to people praise his pompous ass.

  “Blues didn’t think I was going to make it,” Robert continued, “but I told him that ‘nothing but death could keep me from here.’” Robert laughed, thinking he was being funny by referencing that played-out movie line; he ended up laughing himself into another one of his hacking coughs.

  Ugh, just die, will ya?

  “Are you okay, Robert?” Nigel asked. He grabbed Robert’s arm and helped steady him. “Why don’t we go to the VIP room and sit down for a minute? Kevin is probably up there. He was looking for you a minute ago.”

  “Yeah, let’s go up there.”

  “I’ll meet you up there. I’m going to grab a drink,” I said as I looked for the bar.

  “We have plenty of drinks in VIP,” Robert stated. “Come on.”

  I forced a smile. Robert adjusted his jacket and stood erect, trying to puff out his miniature chest. He took a deep breath before proceeding.

  “Let’s go.” His tone carried the cadence of a general giving his troops marching orders and since he was the man with the money, both Nigel and I marched behind to Robert’s tempo while trying not to eye each other. I was going to fuck Nigel before the night was through. I didn’t know how it would happen or when, but I was determined to find a nice, quiet spot somewhere so that we could do what came naturally to us. And, by the expression on his face when he looked at me, I’m sure he was thinking the same thing.

  As we made our way through the dense crowd, I lingered a few steps behind since I was still in awe of the sights. I took notice of the men, the music, the flashing purple lights, the colors, the costumes, the purple drinks, the glitter, the glam, and the gorgeous gals. It was a sight to behold. To my left, several feet away, I saw the most beautiful waiter carrying a tray of purple champagne. If he wasn’t the hired help, I’d fuck him, too. I turned my head to the side and pretended not to see him seeing me. I turned my nose up at him and bobbed my head back and forth as if caught up in the rhythm of the music and moved closer to Robert.

  At the top of the stairs to our left, I saw a glass room covered with purple silk curtains—the VIP. Robert nodded at the huge doorman who flung open the door to let us in and we stepped inside as if he owned the joint. The room was a big purple exhibition: purple velvet couches and chairs, purple lighting—hell, even the waiters looked purple. At this time, there were only a few people inside, Kevin being among them, along with a small group sitting in the back corner of the room.

  Pictures of Danea were plastered across the VIP room as one of her songs played in the background. I appreciated that Danea sang about real-life shit, like love, pain, and relationships; she told stories in her songs, unlike most of the ignorant shit they played on the radio these days about big booty hoes swinging from a pole, barked out by illiterate rappers with gold teeth who grinned like jigaboos. Danea kept it real. Maybe I could commission her to sing a song about a murdered husband.

  When Kevin saw us, he smiled. He was dressed in black pants with a purple, fitted shirt. I was right about his body; he did work out. His arms were well-defined, but not overly muscular. I had to admit that he looked good, but I still didn’t want to be in his presence, so I lingered in the background, not wanting to be a part of the obligatory and mindless exchange of pleasantries. I could hear them—Kevin, Nigel, and Robert—doing exactly that.

  Gimme a break.

  “Blues, come here.” Robert motioned for me and he pulled me into him, placing his hand around my waist when I was near enough. “Please tell Kevin to stop worrying because he’s done a terrific job. Kevin, you should have seen Blues’s face downstairs—he was mesmerized. Go ahead, tell him, Blues.”

  “You’ve done an excellent job. The crowd is on fire.” As much as I disliked Kevin, I had to give credit where credit was due. The party was hot.

  “I can’t take full credit. Daryl was a huge part of organizing this and bringing it all together.”

  “Speaking of Daryl, where is he?” Robert asked as he looked around the room.

  “He went downstairs to check on something. He’ll be back shortly.”

  “Kevin, will I get to meet Danea?” I asked enthusiastically.

  “Hmmm, I’ll see what I can do,” he said quickly and turned his attention back to Robert. He totally dismissed me like I was some common guest. I looked over at Nigel, who could tell that I was bothered by Kevin’s remarks. He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly while Robert’s attention was on Kevin. Robert would be dead soon and I’d cancel any check he had given Kevin that hadn’t cleared the bank.

  I moved over to the bar to get some champagne.

  “Are you having a good time?” Nigel asked when he joined me.

  I nodded my head in the affirmative, but he really wasn’t asking how I was. He was really asking, Can I fuck you tonight? I’m glad we shared the same thought. We had developed our language and code so that we could avoid detection.

  “Are you?”

  “Most definitely. The party has just begun,” he said with a wink. “I’m sure it’ll heat up later, if you know what I mean.” I followed behind him and pulled up right next to Robert, grabbing his cold hand in the process. Even in the middle of hot-ass D.C. in the middle of summer his body remained perpetually cold; it was baffling. He was old, but not dead—yet.

  “Baby,” I whispered in his ear. “I’m going to check things out downstairs while you all talk. Is that okay?”

  “That’s fine. I’ll find you in a bit,” Robert replied and turned back to his conversation without missing a beat.

  I made my exit out of the room, anxious to get away from Kevin and excited to see what was going on downstairs. I couldn’t wait to see who had made it to the party. I moved through the crowd and made my way to the bar in the back so I could have a clear view of the entire room. There were quite a few celebrities in attendance, a few A-listers and several D-listers. I’m sure most of them didn’t give a rat’s ass about the purpose of the party; they wanted their red carpet moment—in this case, their purple carpet moment. Even still, the excitement of the room was palpable and everyone appeared to be having a great time.

  After about half an hour of people watching, I made a pit stop into the restroom. As soon as the door closed, I felt someone grab me from behind and push me into the wall, face first. Before I could properly respond, I felt his lips on the back of my neck.

  “Don’t move!” he demanded. Damn. My dick stiffened against the wall as Nigel continued to assault me. I felt the heat from his breath on the back of my neck. I looked him up and down and licked my lips. He licked his. He looked ravenous and I was ready to be his meal. I wanted to take him into a stall and fuck the shit out of him.

  “Where’s Robert?”

  “He’s still upstairs with Kevin. I had to sneak away so that I could get a few minutes alone with you. I miss you.”

  “You like living dangerously, don’t you? What if Robert walks in?”

  “Unlike most people, I’m not afraid of Robert. And, I’m willing to take a chance for a kiss from you.” Nigel always knew what to say to turn me on. I loved that fearless quality in him and he realized it. I was playing with fire by continuing to deal with him. If I wasn’t careful, I’d fall in love with him, if I was capable of it. As he pressed me against the wall, I longed for the soft touch of his lips upon mine. Just as I moved within inches of his face, we heard voices on the other side of the door. Someone was about to enter the room, but they were finishing a conversation in the doorway. Whew. Luckily, it gave Nigel enough time to move into a stall and remain out of sight.

  Then, Kevin burst into the bathroom like a fucking hurricane. I should call that bitch Katrina ’cause he just royally fucked up my shit. I moved over to the sink as if I was washing my hands.

  “Blues,” Kevin said as he eyed me slowly. “Robert was just looking for you.”


  “Really? What did he want?”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “Thanks for relaying the message.” I moved away from the mirror and toward the door. I didn’t like the look on his face or the tone in his voice. I stopped before I exited and turned to face him.

  “You don’t like me, do you?” My bluntness took him by surprise.

  “Excuse me?” Clearly, I had caught him off-guard.

  “You heard what I said.” I stepped closer to him. “I’m not sure what I’ve done to you, but every time I come around, you seem to get an attitude. Have I done something to offend you?”

  Kevin turned to face me. “Blues, I don’t even think about you. I’m sure that’s all in your head, little boy.”

  “Little boy? I got your little boy.” I stepped even closer.

  Kevin looked at me like I didn’t even register with him. “What is this you’re doing? Why are we even talking?”

  “I’m sick and tired of you turning your nose up at me. Remember, you’re coming to my husband to pull off this little party of yours.”

  “You’re right. I went to your husband; not you. You and I don’t have to have a conversation about anything, so why don’t you go out there and do what you do best; stand by Robert and be pretty.”

  “See, I knew it. You’re jealous of me.”

  He looked at me and burst into an annoying laugh that angered me so much I wanted to punch him in his smug face. I didn’t know how to respond, but I could feel my chest getting tight and my temperature rising.

  “Are you serious? What do you have that I could possibly be jealous of?”

  “For one, I’m a lot younger than you are. Your gray is showing, old man. Secondly, you couldn’t get a man as fine as me if you paid him.”

  “Wow, you really put me in my place.” His sarcasm-drenched words only fueled my anger toward him. He wasn’t taking me seriously and that pissed me off. “Blues, I could throw a rock out of a window in any direction and hit a man a lot finer than you. If your looks are all that you have to offer, then clearly, you don’t have much. When I look for a man, I look for a man who can handle his business and not some little boy waiting for someone to take care of him. If you think I’m jealous of you, then you’re more delusional than I thought. Delusional; that’s a big word. If you don’t know what it means, look it up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the party.”