Always Unique Page 16

  Before Billy responded a waitress appeared. “My name is Dahlia. Do you know what you all will be having?”

  Billy ordered two servings of salmon, fresh broccoli and a bottle of water. Took asked for the grilled shrimp, baked potato and a Heineken.

  As Dahlia walked away with their orders, Billy asked, “What makes you think I want to stick it to Kennard?”

  Took had expected him to be a little suspicious from the start. Billy continued, “We’ve gotten a lot of money together.”

  “You used to get money together—past tense.”

  “The man did get me a six million dollar pay day.”

  Took reminded him, “While he makes sixty million.” Then to yeast it up more, he added two more cents, “Not including the twenty million he put on you to lose the fight.” When he read the hurt all over Billy’s face, Took couldn’t resist adding more insult to injury. “All the while he was treating you like the hired help. Hell,” Took added, going in for the kill, “I’ve seen him treat a valet with more respect than he does you.”

  The hook was in the water. Because the truth of the matter was that Kennard didn’t respect Billy either.

  Behind those suspicious eyes Took could see the gears turning. He was probably thinking about all those bill collectors hound-dogging him. “How much bread are we talking about?” Billy asked. There was the bite. “And what do you have in mind?”

  Before the steroid scandal and assault charges in the night club four years ago, Billy had been a heavyweight champion of the world; literally, sitting on top of a fortune. Now he was pinching pennies and hoping that things worked out so that he could make it to training camp, since he had jerked off more of his advance money.

  “For starters, I need you to throw the fight. And I want you to make a public announcement that Kennard blackmailed you into doing it. I want it to be so obvious that you took a dive that Stevie Wonder would be demanding his money back for the travesty.”

  “How exactly does that hurt Kennard, if he bets that I lose anyway?”

  “Besides him being charged with blackmail and corruption, it would destroy his reputation as a boxing promoter, and may even bankrupt him.” Took studied Billy’s expressionless face. “Let him see what it feels like to be broke and left with nothing.”

  The thought of sending Kennard to the poorhouse made his dick hard. Took was sure that Unique would rather ride a dirt bike thru hell than stay with a broke nigga and this would be Kennard’s and Unique’s destiny, if Took had anything to do with it.

  The two mapped out their plan and when it was all said and done, Took gave Billy some good-faith money and a first-class ticket to his training camp. Took headed back to the city and couldn’t help but feel like a man with the world at his feet. How could he not?

  With his pawns in position, Took already had his opposition in check.

  COUTURE CUISINE

  Unique rolled up to the new and trendy Manhattan restaurant, Couture Cuisine, and while she was never one to brag or boast, she was proud to say that it was a wedding present from Kennard. The Upper East Side real estate had a reputation for being pricey—although when Unique asked Kennard, he wouldn’t breathe a word of what it set him back. Unique was sure, she knew for a fact, that it had to cost upward of tens of millions.

  Another $1.7 million was generously dropped to transform the four-story building into a dining oasis, including the basement, which was used as a mega wine cellar. The restaurant was by far the most expensive, not to mention the most thoughtful, gift she’d ever received in her life. And Unique loved every square foot of it.

  Since the grand opening three months ago, she was always the first to arrive and more often than not the last to leave. Today was no exception.

  Inside, a faint but distinctive mélange of scents wafted through the ventilated air. Unique inhaled, taking in what had become both a familiar and welcoming arena. It would be an hour, at least, before Robert, her trusted manager, and other staff started to show. This was the time she normally used to go over the previous day’s numbers and the day’s projections.

  Project in the future and reflect on the present, she thought to herself.

  Oftentimes, people spent so much time dwelling on their past that they wasted the gift of the present. Her mother, Brandy, was one of those people. Correction, the lady that pushed out and gave birth to her. Brandy was a lot of things—mostly a dope fiend and a punching bag or crack whore for some dope pusher—but in all the days that she walked the Earth was she ever a mother to Unique.

  Just a couple of the reasons why, growing up, Unique learned to fend for herself with the two assets she knew she had: her body and her savvy, a brutal combo that got her through many hard times and tight situations—most of which she wished she could forget. But that wasn’t reality and as much as she tried to escape her past, some things could never be forgiven or erased. She sighed and said out loud, “Such is life.”

  Exhaling, Unique made her way through the main first-floor dining room and passed the hand-carved mahogany bar that stood adjacent to her office door. The lock was disengaged—which was odd, she thought, because she never left her door unlocked unless she was actually inside. She was sure that Kennard wasn’t there. He was the only other person that she trusted thus far to possess a key and she knew for certain he hadn’t been anywhere in the vicinity.

  Suddenly, it felt like someone was watching her.… She wanted to believe that it was just her imagination, that it was all in her head. Normally, she wasn’t a paranoid type of person, but the feeling was too strong to ignore.

  She jerked her head around, looking behind her. No one was there. Her eyes went from table and chairs to wall to wall. Then she felt silly. Why would someone be hiding inside the restaurant? Besides, she thought reassuringly, the alarm system they’d had installed was state of the art, so if anyone was inside she would have been alerted by the motion sensors.

  After glancing up toward the second floor, definitely unsure of what she was expecting to see, Unique finally stepped into her office.

  Immediately, Unique knew someone had been there. And if they were still around, she thought, as she brandished the nickel-plated nine-millimeter she kept in her purse, whoever it was, they were going to get more than they bargained for.

  With her deadly piece in hand, like a surveillance camera she quickly surveyed the office. At the left of the entrance, the cream leather sofa set, where it always belonged, was two inches away from the mocha-colored accent wall. No room for anyone to hide there, unless Demi Moore was the intruder. The brief moment of levity brought a smile to her face, but it was short lived as she slowly stepped farther into the room. Reluctant to face what was ahead of her, she felt like a petrified person in one of those horror movies.

  The desk was straight ahead; it had been a source of a lighthearted debate between her and Kennard at the time of purchase. He favored the more old-school traditional mahogany pieces, while Unique opted for a contemporary style. The tempered glass and chrome desk that she chose was not only sleek and fashionable; to her relief at that very moment, it provided a clear view to the back wall. Nothing was behind the desk but her ergonomic massage chair.

  Which only left one place inside of her office where someone could be concealed. Unique turned to her right. With the fuck-you end of the nine leading the way, she crept to her personal shower-equipped powder room. Stopping at the closed door of the bathroom, Unique breathed in a lungful of air, her nerves dancing.

  “I know you’re in there,” she said, facing the door. “You can come out now and leave, or I can call the police.”

  Nothing at all but silence.

  “I promise … you won’t like your other options as much as the first two.” The nine-millimeter was steady in her hand, and was trained on the door. At the slightest provocation, she would harbor no compunctions about busting a cap in a joker’s ass.

  Still, there was no sound or movement from the other side that she could detect.
Okay, she thought. If this is the way you want it, so be it. Her left hand on the door handle, the nine firmly in her right, she twisted the knob.

  To her relief, no deranged lunatic lunged out toward her. In fact, the bathroom was spotless. The open frosted-glass shower partition provided her a clear view inside the stall. It, too, was also empty. Maybe she was the only lunatic in the bathroom after all? She turned around, making her way back to her desk.

  A quick glance at her Rolex watch confirmed that she still had a good forty-five minutes of alone time to go over sales and inventory.

  Sitting down behind her desk she noticed it. It had been there the entire time, right on the monitor of her iMac computer, right where it would positively be seen. Someone had left a note.

  I wasn’t imagining at all that someone had been in my office, she thought.

  The beginning of the message was innocent enough: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NUPTIALS.

  And then a second line, which chilled Unique’s blood: COMEUPPANCE IS A BITCH! AND THEN YOU DIE!

  With no idea how he had gotten into the restaurant, much less into her office, Unique knew exactly who left the intimidating message. Fuck you, Took! she thought to herself. I will not let you get to me!

  Any illusions she might have had of Took’s sudden appearance being a coincidence was now out of the window.

  Immediately, she dialed Kennard, who said he was on his way.

  While she waited on Kennard, she called Tyeedah and filled her in on everything that was going on.

  Tyeedah couldn’t believe it. “Seymour just called and said he was on the way back to his hotel from Atlantic City, and I was going to finish getting myself together and meet him, but under these circumstances I’m gonna head over to you.”

  “No, girl. I’ll be okay.” Unique wanted her friend there but at the same time, understood that Tyeedah should spend time with her new boo. “I’m good, and besides, Kennard will be here any minute now.”

  “And I’m sure he will come up with a sufficient way to deal with Took.”

  “Me too,” Unique said, but she was still a bit shaken up.

  Unique concluded the call the second Kennard walked in the door. He took her into his arms and she felt like she had found her refuge. “Baby, I told you that this nigga wasn’t here by chance. And I know he came here for something, and knowing what I know about him, it’s not to give us his best wishes. You don’t know him like I know him. Baby, if you never took me seriously, then—”

  He cut her off. “I do take you seriously, never think that I will underestimate any man and especially one who left you in Mexico and has the nerve to show up in my town.”

  “I know, baby,” she said with a sigh, “but I can’t stress enough to you, he’s the most calculating person I ever met in my life, and if he’s here and was at that party, he’s here for a reason, and I’m sure he has some accomplices right under our noses.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “I’m telling you, babe,” she said in a desperate plea for him to take her seriously. “I know how this guy works.”

  Kennard believed the words that were coming out of Unique’s mouth, but had no idea just how treacherous this guy could be.

  NO SURPRISES

  Kennard wouldn’t settle down until Unique agreed to have security with her and to take the next day off. The plan was that she would spend the first half of the morning at the spa and the rest of the day with Kennard. No work, only relaxation.

  The spa was exactly what she needed, and she was blessed to be able to get in with Raphael at such short notice.

  In order for the spa to accommodate her, she had to be the first person on Raphael’s book.

  When Unique arrived at the spa, she was so early that the receptionist had not arrived yet. She and Rambo, the big six-foot-seven, three hundred pound security guard, were greeted by Maggie, the owner of the spa.

  “Hey, Mrs. DuVall.” She always addressed Unique as the Mrs. now, since she had tied the knot.

  Any other time, Unique would tell her to stop being so formal, but Unique loved the sound of her new last name. It made her feel important to know that she was not just anybody’s wife, but Kennard’s wife. Especially after all the drama with Fat Tee, this man had still married her. She not only loved everything about him, but she also loved the respect that came with her new last name.

  “Hey, hon.” Unique smiled, kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks so much for getting me in here. Girl, you have no idea, I so need this,” she said. “Oh, and this is Rambo.” She pointed to him as he grabbed a magazine and took a seat.

  Maggie smiled, acknowledging Rambo and said to Unique, “No problem. You know anything I can do, I will. I just feel bad that Raphael isn’t here yet. He just called and said he’s running about twenty minutes behind schedule.”

  “No problem, I’m just grateful that he’s on his way,” Unique said, not disappointed that she had to wait. Raphael was well worth it. Though he didn’t speak much English, his hands did all the talking. They were like butter and knew all the right pressure points.

  “Well, I’m going to get you set up in a room.”

  “Perfect,” Unique said with a smile.

  Maggie was waiting for her after Unique got undressed and came out of the locker room. She led her to the peaceful, tranquil room where she would be serviced. She told her, “Make yourself comfortable and Raphael should be here any minute. In the meantime I hate to run, but I have a facial I need to get started.”

  “Thanks,” Unique said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Unique lay on the bed, enjoying the moments of solace. Finally, the door opened and the masseuse walked in. Not a second too soon, Unique thought.

  The soft jazz music the parlor used to relax its clients was soothing, but nothing put her in a better mood than a well-executed massage. Well, maybe a few things, but a pair of strong, well-trained hands were right at the top of the list.

  Unique was already lying on her stomach, her face inside one of those padded, donut-shaped headrests. The masseuse removed the thick terry cloth towel from the back of her neck. Then he brushed on a generous amount of warm massage oil. Unique exhaled a sigh of relief in anticipation of the masseuse’s touch.

  However, out of nowhere the masseuse grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back painfully. Before Unique could protest, his left hand came around and clamped over her mouth, holding her and her words where they were.

  Unique panicked.

  The hand on her mouth was too big and too strong to belong to Raphael. She tried to lift up, but the person holding her down was too strong.

  The man assaulting her said, “It’s me, bitch, and I wish you would try to scream or act stupid.” He spoke without malice as if he attacked women in the private rooms of upscale spas all the time. “Do you recognize my voice?” he asked.

  Did she? How could she ever forget it? she thought.

  She had heard the same voice in her dreams, every single night until she was finally able to fall asleep, in Mexico, where the owner of the voice had left her with no passport, to work off a debt in a whorehouse.

  “Stop scrumming,” he said firmly.

  His voice wasn’t a dream. It was real. All she could wonder was how in the hell did he get past Rambo and when the fuck would Rambo come through that door and put two to this nigga’s head? She never really wished death on anybody, but right now, she wanted Took dead as a dead dick dog.

  She did what he said, and stopped moving. She wondered what she could use in the room to kill him.

  “I’m not going to rape you and beat you like Fat Tee did. No, I want you to feel something other than hard dick. I want you to feel hard times, bitch, and I’m going to make sure you do, or I’m going to die trying.”

  Unique had no idea what Took intended to do to her, but to say she was scared shitless was the understatement of the year. She knew him well and if she didn’t know anything else, she knew he meant every word he said.
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br />   Still in a calm, cool and collected voice, he said, “I just want to deliver a message in person, so that there won’t be any surprises.”

  What the fuck did he call this?

  Then as quickly as he had appeared, she was free, the door opened again, closed and he was gone. The altercation had lasted less than five minutes and had almost caused Unique to piss her drawers. Then she remembered that she wasn’t wearing any.

  SPEAKING OF THE DEVIL

  Since she had spoken to Unique last night on the jack, Tyeedah couldn’t get the eerie words out of her mind. Regardless of how she tried to push them away, the same pieces from the conversation kept returning like an irritating itch. No. More like a nasty rash, she thought, that wouldn’t go away.

  You are not going to believe who I saw at the party.

  In prison the two girls had built a strong bond. Once they’d lowered their guards and started to trust one another, Tyeedah and Unique shared everything, from conversation to camaraderie. The two dreamed big as they planned for the future while they also laughed and cried about the things they did pre-prison. Unique never really felt any kind of remorse or shame for any of the shiesty things that she had done in her past to the many men who she had stolen from or had manipulated. The only thing she wished would have turned out different was about the love of her early life, long before Kennard. She often carried on about how she had treated Took, one of her exes. She talked about the dude in such detail—the good times and how she fucked him over after he got knocked—Tyeedah had felt like she knew Took, even though she never actually met him.

  Tyeedah gave the door, which she exited not even six hours ago, three quick raps. The door swung open before her arm made the short trip to her side. Seymour was shirtless, waves orbiting his head, wet from an apparent shower. “I hope you don’t have company,” she said jokingly.

  With the casual dimpled smile that showed even, white teeth, Seymour pulled her into the room by the arm, and closed the door. “You know I have no company,” he said, kissing her on the mouth and smearing her “Oh Baby” MAC tinted lipglass. “Until now.” He grabbed her hands, looked into her eyes, and then kissed her on the forehead. “What’s all this?” he asked, wanting to know what she had in all the rolling bags and tote bags she was carrying.