by H. H. Fowler
“But what if I told you I could have the entire package delivered to you within a week?”
By package, Waldo knew Raffie was talking about the fifteen dollars. But how the hell could Raffie come up with that amount of money in a week when he’d been trying to get half of it from him the last two months? Waldo just knew Raffie was lying through his teeth to save his life.
“No deal,” Waldo said. “You have forty-eight hours to deliver all of it or else you will have me to mess with!”
Raffie slid off his stool to follow Waldo. He was about to step out of his boundary, but he had to take the risk and get Waldo to see that he needed a week – not forty-eight hours – to get the money to him. By then, Shiloh would have deposited into his bank account five times the amount he owed Waldo. Well, providing that Raffie was successful at getting Hunter to turn over parts of her jewelry collection to Shiloh. Levi watched from a distance as the man in the suit pulled at the man with the huge chains around his neck. What transpired next, Levi didn’t anticipate.
The man in the suit dropped to his knees and began to kiss the other man’s shoe. It was obvious the man, whose shoe was being slobbered on with saliva was mortified by what was being done to him. He jerked the man to his feet and slapped him silly, pointed forcefully at him and then turned to leave. However, the man in the suit wasn’t to be deterred. He hopped on the other man’s back, refusing to be shaken off. Like two wild boars, the men struggled out of sight into the area of the Champagne Room. The scene tickled the patrons, especially Levi.
In all the five years he’d been working at the Blue Marlin, he’d never seen anything as amusing between two men in his life. Whatever that man in the suit wanted had to be extremely dire for him to go to such lengths to embarrass another man. But soon, those hilarious thoughts ebbed away and Levi was back to his sullen mood. He could write a book about unrequited love, which led him to a question he’d been asking himself lately: Would he ever find a woman who would for once take it easy on his heart and love him back the way he deserved? Levi was beginning to doubt that he would.
Chapter Nine
Wednesday Morning – Six Days to Kevin and Hunter’s Engagement Party
It seemed as if Suanne always had a broom in her hand, sweeping from room to room until every spot had been garnished to her satisfaction. She’d once been a stay-at-home wife and mother, working just as hard as or even harder than the average blue collar worker to ensure her home was kept in order. But now a widow and with three, handsome grown sons, it would appear that Suanne would throw her feet up and relax. However, she always found something to keep her busy.
If she relaxed now, being just ten short months from sixty years old, what would be her purpose for existing? One of the reasons why she’d jumped at planning an engagement party for her son was to have something to do. And with all the planning that went into organizing a party – and not just any party – it took a lot of work and lots of errands to run. Of course Suanne was also doing it to make Hunter feel like part of the Beckford family, though she felt Hunter would have no problem fitting in. She was the right girl for Kevin and Suanne couldn’t wait to see her first grandchild from the biracial union.
She paused in her strides when she heard the phone ringing in the kitchen, where she’d last left Kevin eating scrambled eggs, grits and sausage. She figured he was no longer there as he would have probably answered the phone by now. She leaned the broom against a wall and walked quickly to pick up the phone before it stopped ringing. Suanne noticed Kevin had left his empty plate on the table, along with a half-filled glass of orange juice. She made a mental note to reprimand him about it as soon as he returned.
She jabbed a hand to her side and tossed her head upwards. “Hello?”
“Ma, why’d you allow the phone to ring so long?”
“Good morning to you too, Armando…you had better know it’s much too early to stress me.”
“Morning, Ma…you seemed so hostile toward me these days.”
It’s because you married that demon of a woman and told no one about it, Suanne wanted to say. “I’m not hostile; I’m concerned.”
“Well, you certainly have a funny way of showing it.”
Suanne grunted back her retort in favor of a question. “Did Drake tell you about the party I’m having for Kevin and his fiancée?”
“He did,” Armando said dryly. “But I’m not coming.”
“Boy, what’s the matter with you? You should be happy for your brother.”
“Why should I, when no one is happy for me?”
Suanne ignored her son’s sullen response for the moment. “You had better be coming,” she warned in that motherly tone. “Your brother is looking to see your face and so is the rest of your family.”
“If I do decide to come, I’m bringing Annalise along.”
Armando wasn’t interested in taking Annalise anywhere, especially after finding out what she’d done to Rena in the elevator. He just wanted to hear his mother’s response.
“I don’t care whether you bring her or not,” Suanne snapped. “Just so long as you come.”
“Why do you dislike Annalise so much?”
“You sure you want me to answer that? Because if I start spitting out the truth, you won’t be able to handle it.”
“Go ahead, Ma,” Armando encouraged. “Take your best shot. I can’t feel any lower than I feel right now.”
Suanne heard a crack in her son’s voice, which indicated she’d pushed him as far as he could go. She hadn’t intended for her words to come off so abrasive. Her goal had been to get Armando to see his error in marrying a woman who could almost be his mother. And it wasn’t so much the age difference between Armando and Annalise that bothered Suanne. It was the impertinence of the woman, who displayed a great level of disrespect. Also, Suanne could discern that something sinister was deeply hidden behind that cold expression that Annalise wore. That alone was enough for Suanne to want to keep her distance from the woman, because there was no telling what that woman was capable of.
“I’m sorry, son,” Suanne said in a gentler tone. “I’m trying, I’m really trying. You’ve just lost your daughter and here I am allowing my mouth to get me into trouble.”
“You almost sound sincere,” Armando said. “But I know you still don’t care for my marriage.” I don’t care for it either, Armando wanted to add. But you will never know that. Instead, he decided to toy with Suanne’s emotions. “Quite a difference in comparison to the way you’ve accepted Kevin and his girlfriend. I’ve never seen you go out of your way to plan a party for any woman my brothers and I have bought home until now.”
Suanne clucked her tongue angrily. “Boy, don’t start no mess and there won’t be none. You can’t compare apples and oranges. The situation is just different.”
“How so?”
“Well for starters, you never brought Annalise home for me to meet. The first time I heard about her was last week when you told me you two were married. What kind of woman would keep my own son from giving his mother such important news? I’ll tell you – the kind that’s disrespectful and completely into herself. At least Kevin and Drake had the decency to tell me they were getting married…”
“I’m sorry I called,” Armando spat.
“Why’d you call anyway?”
“No reason, Ma…I’ll talk to you later.”
Suanne heard the line disconnect. She hung up the phone and kissed her teeth in annoyance. Armando had always been the one to send her blood pressure through the roof.
****
The Smithson Hotel
Armando stood up from a pool chair and walked back into the lobby of the hotel. Talking to his mother had further ruined his mood, if that was possible. He hadn’t intended to lose his cool with her, but his mother knew how to push his buttons. If he showed up at Kevin’s engagement party with Annalise, it would undoubtedly cross his mother. But if he didn’t bother going at all, certainly his mother would interpret his act
ions as being spiteful and downright immature. They would argue and make the situation worse than it already was. There was simply no winning with Suanne Beckford.
However, Armando didn’t have to worry about bringing Annalise along anyway, because he couldn’t find her to invite her along. He’d waited up for her all of last night to drill her twisted mind about what really went down between her and Rena in the elevator. Armando didn’t think Rena had lied when she said that Annalise tried to stick her tongue in Rena’s ear, considering Annalise’s lesbian history with Sabrina. He figured she’d never really gotten over her same-sex tendencies, but to go snooping around Rena’s hotel room and stealing Rena’s handbag were taking things a little too far. Armando just needed to know why Annalise had done it.
He pondered over the series of conversations he’d had with Annalise, beginning with the one in the hospital. Her words were erratic at best, but maybe they would provide clues to why Annalise was acting the way she was.
“Don’t touch me!” she’d screamed at him. “I don’t know where that hand has been.”
“Annalise, stop it now. You’re acting insane.”
“If I’m acting insane, it’s because you’re the cause of it! I trusted you with my life, but you have betrayed that trust in a huge way!”
In their hotel room, after she’d discharged herself out of the hospital…
“You fell asleep and your wife needed you. What kind of mess is that?”
“Annalise, you are not well.”
“And you say that because…? My hair isn’t fix the way you like it? I don’t have on your favorite dress? Or maybe I don’t get your juices flowing anymore, like I see Rena has ever since we set foot on this godforsaken island.”
From those conversations with his wife, it now appeared obvious to Armando that Annalise assumed he was sleeping with Rena behind his back. There was no other logical reason to draw from. But where would his wife get such an impression when Armando was certain Annalise had no idea that he’d been in Rena’s room? Or did she? Maybe she saw them somehow. It would definitely explain why his wife kept alluding to his alleged infidelity toward her. The questions were piling up in Armando’s head and he wished he could run into Rena, or Annalise, for that matter so that he could clear up this crazy situation between the three of them.
In his peripheral view, he noticed the manager of the hotel walking toward him, but Armando kept his strides moving in the direction of the elevator. He did not care to be bothered with the manager’s bogus show of concern. And even though Armando hadn’t witnessed the manager making fun of his situation behind his back, the way the manager’s mouth always seemed to twitch at the sides, led Armando to believe that the manager wasn’t to be trusted.
“Mr. Beckford…I know you are upset,” the manager called. “But may I have a word with you for a minute? You are scheduled to check out today, correct?”
Armando spun around to face the man. He would have gladly told him yes and made both of their lives easier by booking several nights at a different hotel, but he did not dare put any distance between himself and Rena. As long as she was in Devin’s Cay and staying at the Smithson Hotel, he wasn’t going anywhere.
“You made a public spectacle of my character, dragging me in the midst of some crazy drama, of which I had no clue,” Armando spew out. “And now you’re kicking me out of your hotel? What else do you have up your sleeve, man? A warrant for my arrest?”
The manager grinned nervously. “Quite the contrary, Mr. Beckford…I was actually looking for your wife…Mrs. Beckford…and you may also have an idea –”
“I haven’t seen either of them since yesterday,” Armando said, giving the manager a guarded look. “You were going to ask about the ‘other’ woman, weren’t you?”
The manager cocked his head, almost in a comical manner. “Ms. Henderson’s handbag was found in your hotel room and the only reason I haven’t called in the police is because you seemed to be – how should I put this? Quite ‘friendly’ with Ms. Henderson.”
The nerve of this jerk. “Are you insinuating that Ms. Henderson and I are having an affair?” Armando challenged. “Because that would really be presumptuous of you to assume.”
“I’m not assuming anything, Mr. Beckford. I’m simply trying to make this situation go away as peacefully as possible. So, yes, it would be helpful to have both of the women present to help explain what really happened.”
“But what I want to know,” Armando said, “is how are you handling such a breach in your hotel security?”
“We’re handling it – we have handled it.”
“How? I hope you have at least suspended the clerk for willfully going against hotel policy. People could have lost their lives around here.”
And your wife would have been the main one escorted in handcuffs. “I have a question that is of more relevance,” the manager said, trying to keep his tone respectful. “Could you say for certain that Ms. Henderson hadn’t been in your hotel room for any reason? She could have had some dealings with your wife that you didn’t know about. Maybe, Ms. Henderson ‘accidently’ left her handbag in your room and had forgotten that she had. Who knows… these things do happen. However, I see no need to take this situation beyond the walls of this hotel, if we can hash it out among ourselves.”
Armando stared the manager in his face. “I can assure you that Ms. Henderson hasn’t been to my room. Nor have I or my wife had any reason to go to Ms. Henderson’s room. We barely know each other.”
That sounded truthful enough, even though it was a boldfaced lie. But Armando knew the manager couldn’t prove it, especially the part about him being in Rena’s room.
“Then we’re right back at our initial question: How did Ms. Henderson’s handbag end up in your room? And you really can’t be sure of anything at this moment when we haven’t even spoken to your wife as yet. And what’s strange is that you’re not even sure where she is.”
“Are we done?” Armando ran a hand through his dreadlocks to help alleviate the pressure on his skull. He was physically and mentally exhausted and desired to hide away under the sheets for a few hours. But could he really sleep not knowing where Annalise and Rena were? “And just so that you know,” he said to the manager. “I am not checking out of my room this afternoon. I want to get to the bottom of this situation, probably even more than you do.”
“Certainly, Mr. Beckford. We’d hate to be the cause of your inconvenience and for that I will have your stay extended for an extra three days – free of charge.”
“I will stay as long as I need to…” While a family of six walked out of the elevator, Armando walked in and just before the doors closed, he said, “Whatever the bill amounts to, just put it on the credit card that’s on file.”
The manager walked off, shaking his head in dismay. The foolishness he’d put up with to please a guest was the worse he’d ever seen it. However, no one could convince him differently that there wasn’t something disturbing going on between those three – the fiery Ms. Henderson and the evasive Beckfords.
Chapter Ten
There was an obtrusive knock on Hunter’s office door. A second later, Hunter’s secretary stuck her head in once she was told to enter.
“There is a gentlemen here by the name of Raffie Ahmed to see you,” she said. “Are you expecting him?”
Hunter’s blue eyes darted with confusion. “I’m not expecting to see anyone today,” she said. “I have a lot of work to do, especially with the opening of my new expansion.”
“I have explained that much to him, but he is quite persistent.”
“Well, what does he want?”
“He won’t say; he just implied that it was very important and that he feels it is something you might be interested in.”
Hunter pursed her lips. “What did you say his name was?”
“Raffie Ahmed.”
“That’s a foreign name, which suggests to me he’s not from here.”
The secretary gav
e a little naughty smile. “He certainly doesn’t look like he’s from here, but he is incredibly handsome. Do you want me to send him in?”
Hunter stared at the dozens of emails sent to her by her jewelry design team. She had only come into the office to do one thing: to approve the ‘showstopper’ designs and make sure that they would be ready to put on display for the opening of her new space. In addition, her current store was undergoing a major upgrade and although the completion had been pushed back, there was still tons of things to do.
“I guess I could use the distraction,” Hunter finally said. “Send him in.”
The secretary disappeared and returned with a well-dressed man, appearing to be in his mid to late thirties. Hair nicely done to obviously highlight his strong jawline. Where Hunter would have expected a briefcase, in its place a satchel hung across his chest. With a winning smile, he extended his hand to Hunter for a handshake, as the secretary disappeared into the background.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Hunter Rose,” Raffie announced. “One of the top business moguls in this ferocious jewelry market.”
Hunter blushed. Her secretary didn’t lie when she said that Raffie Ahmed was an incredibly handsome man. “It sound as if you’ve done your research on me already,” she jested.
Raffie beamed. “Oh, believe me, I have. It is the very reason for my meeting with you today.”
“Most people call first to set an appointment,” Hunter said.
“As you will soon see, my lovely lady, I prefer to get down to business. Besides, with your busy schedule, you probably wouldn’t have taken my phone calls as seriously. Nothing beats showing up in person.”
You are a cocky fellow to begin with, Hunter wanted to say, but instead, she gestured to a chair in front of her. “Well, since you’ve made such a valiant effort to come, I feel rather inclined to offer you a few minutes of my time. Please do have a seat.”
“Thank you. Before I get started, let me give you a synopsis of my background. I am originally from a small little village in India. I moved to Dubai when I was nineteen years old in search for a better livelihood. I found employment with a company where I acquired immense knowledge in trading gold, diamonds, precious stones and other articles of luxury. I also acquired a good amount knowledge in manufacturing high-end jewelry and how to build up a demanding clientele. Needless to say, I learned how to address the unique needs of my customers.