Relapse: A Novel

by Nikki Turner

  “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.”

  “See me?”

  “Yep, he’s waiting on the boat along with Greta, your mom, your sister, Chyna, April, and a few more people. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but I wanted to make sure you were on your A-game, to make him sorry that he ever left you. Now let’s get this lip gloss on and get out there.”

  Beijing felt crazy; she didn’t know what to say. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.”

  She hit her cousin. “I should smack the shit out of you.”

  “Hug me or fight me later, but for now we are going to continue to enjoy the night on Lootchee’s dime.”

  “We’ll see” was all that Beijing had to say, not knowing what to really do.

  There Lootchee stood in an all-white linen suit, looking better than ever. He had begun growing short dreads that made him look amazing, and she didn’t even like dreads.

  He embraced her. Beijing wanted to resist and ask him a lot of questions, but she didn’t, not yet anyway.

  “Let’s just enjoy the night and I will tell you everything tomorrow,” Lootchee said, after kissing her on the cheek. “I promise.”

  $ $ $

  Sterling had just boarded the boat when he saw a guy he assumed to be Lootchee embracing his daughter. He asked himself what in the hell he was even doing there. But he answered his very own question by reflecting back to the phone call he’d had with Lootchee the day before yesterday.

  Sterling answered when the man asked, “May I speak to Mr. Lee?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Lootchee and I’m calling about your daughter, Beijing.”

  “Yes.” He was concerned that something had happened to his only child.

  “As you know, I’m throwing your daughter a surprise birthday party and I noticed that your name wasn’t on the final RSVP list that Seville gave to me.”

  Without any hesitation Sterling said in a cold voice, “Because I’m not coming. I already celebrated my daughter’s birthday on the day of her born day, which was months ago.”

  “Yes sir, I just happened to be out of town and wanted to throw her a belated celebration. If you’d reconsider coming to the party, I’d book you on a first-class flight to Miami.” He added, “I know it would mean a lot to her.”

  Sterling thought to himself, This clown really thinks that I’m jumping on a plane because he snapped his fingers. He got another think coming. “Me not coming has nothing to do with my daughter; I’m simply not the kind of father who conspires with a guy who is trying to play with my daughter’s heart after breaking it once already.”

  Lootchee thought about Sterling’s comment for a moment. Then he said, “You know, you are the most important man in her life and I’m just trying to be a distant second. That’s all, sir. Please don’t fault me for that. Now, we both know it would make Beijing’s night if you attended. Please reconsider attending for your daughter, sir.”

  “I’m not making any promises, but I’ll check my schedule.”

  Now here Sterling was on the yacht of a man who had toyed with his daughter’s heart, who he’d come to meet eye-to-eye. Greta stood beside him in a beautiful green silk sheath dress.

  Beijing turned around and screamed with enthusiasm, “Daddy!” A big smile covered her face. “I’m so happy you are here. What a surprise.” She gave her father a big hug.

  Her smiled remained as she made the introductions between her two favorite guys.

  “Dad, this is Lootchee. Lootchee, this is my father.” Lootchee extended his hand for Sterling to shake. Sterling accepted, but their eyes met and Sterling shot Lootchee a bullet-ridden stare. Lootchee met his stare beat for beat before finally saying, “Nice to finally meet you.”

  “And this is my stepmom, Greta,” Beijing said. This time Lootchee smiled and took her hand, but Greta pulled him in and gave him a quick hug as if he were family.

  Seeing his daughter as happy as she was, half of Sterling’s work was done. Now he had to finish the job.

  Greta knew what time it was and called Beijing over, pretending to have to tell her something so that the two men could be alone.

  After sizing the man up who had been playing mind games with his baby girl’s head, he said, “You know that’s my heart.”

  Lootchee nodded. “I do, sir.”

  “And I love her dearly.” Sterling didn’t blink nor cut anything close to a smile whatsoever.

  “Yes sir.”

  “More than life itself, especially yours,” Sterling added, still maintaining the same hard cold stare.

  “Well, that makes two of us,” Lootchee tried to convince Sterling.

  “That’s what I need to hear.” Satisfied he had made his point.

  Lootchee knew that Sterling was dead serious and wanted to lighten up the mood. “Well, we got the particulars out of the way. Let’s party,” he said, rubbing his sweaty hands together. “With moderation.”

  “In moderation,” Sterling added under his breath.

  CHAPTER 27

  The Sun and the Moon

  The Atlantic Ocean shimmered under the stars like a black velvet blanket. The guests were dancing and drinking, and Beijing was hap
pier than she had been in months. This was the first time that Lootchee had met all the people she loved. He meshed well with everyone and they all seemed to love him, even Willabee.

  Beijing felt Lootchee tug her hand.

  “C’mere,” he whispered. “I want to show you something.”

  Beijing looked around. It didn’t seem like anyone would miss her for a few minutes. She followed Lootchee down to the end of the yacht, which was gently and slowly passing over the Atlantic water.

  “This is so nice,” she said. Lootchee stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She felt him pressing against her body, and warmth flooded through her.

  “Look at the moon,” he said. “I ordered that just for you.”

  It was full and as shiny as a new silver dollar.

  “I thought you’d forgotten about me,” she said.

  “No, you the only thing I think about,” he said. “Most the time.”

  “You have a funny way of showing it,” she said and jabbed him with her elbow.

  “Nobody’s perfect. I was going through something. And working mostly. I have a present for you. Baby, a man’s got to work sometimes so he can buy stuff for his boo. Ya know, diamonds and shit like that.” He reached around and opened his hand, revealing a pair of teardrop diamond earrings.

  Beijing gasped.

  “They’re gorgeous, Lootchee.” They wouldn’t get him off the hook for the stunt he pulled, but it was a nice start.

  “Put ’em on,” he said.

  She slipped the earrings she was wearing off and handed them to Lootchee, then fastened the diamonds in their place.

  “Perfect?” he whispered.

  They were about to consummate the gift with a long wet kiss when Seville called her name.

  “Beijing, your daddy wants to raise a toast to your birthday,” she said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Beijing smiled and said to Lootchee, “I got something to give you too … later.”

  That night on the yacht would be remembered by all who attended for a long time to come. Lootchee had thought of everything. The seafood buffet was catered by a private chef. There was live entertainment with a team of bartenders preparing every type of alcoholic refreshment known to man or woman. And Lootchee had been at her side the entire time, making her feel like the queen of the night.