Schemes

by Kiki Swinson

  “So you came to my party. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yeah, it’s nice.”

  “Would you like to see my office?”

  “Actually, I was on my way . . .”

  He cut me off as I pretended to hesitate. “It’ll only take a minute,” he encouraged me.

  Putting one foot in front of the other I almost kicked myself at how easy this was.

  “So did you get your new whip today?”

  “No, not yet.” I walked around his office as if I was interested in his things. But honestly they were nice. There was an Armani clock hanging on the wall. Now that was some rich-nigga shit.

  “Well, you should, because you deserve it.” Even though my back was to him, there was this feeling his eyes were all over me.

  “Now that I don’t deny, but money don’t exactly grow on trees.” Why I said that, I had no idea. The last thing I wanted to do was make it seem like Kevon could not afford it. Because he could.

  But Caesar didn’t seem to judge my words. “You got a point,” he responded. There was silence for a minute as I continued to browse. “So what’s up with you and my man Kevon?”

  That question caught me off guard. Was he blind? The answer to that should have been clear, or at least I’d thought so.

  It was obvious this needed to be played differently. “What do you mean? Or better yet, why?” I gave him a slight attitude as if I was offended.

  “A’ight, ma.” His tone was apologetic. “I like that.”

  “What is it you like?”

  “Your spunk. You don’t take no shit.”

  “That would be true.” I played along. “As for Kevon, you look smart, so you know the deal.”

  “No doubt.” Things got quiet again. I started to move closer to the door, as if I were leaving.

  “If you don’t mind, I want to be cool wit you too.” Bingo. He had finally said it. I subtly took in a deep breath.

  Without facing him, I asked, “What is it you want from me?” Just like that, I had flipped it. Caesar was no longer the pawn in our game. I was the pawn in his.

  “Conversation.” He was blunt, very matter of fact.

  “And Kevon?” I asked.

  “What about him? Besides, you need more. I knew that the first time we met you.” Damn, he was bold. That was a fuck-Kevon statement if I had ever heard one. “But don’t stress. It’ll be our secret.” He’d only said that so that I would feel comfortable.

  Playing it cool, I walked over to the wall closest to the exit to admire a painting. “What is this painting?” I played interested.

  “This?” He pointed to the painting. “Well, I would tell you, but I have no idea. My sister loves art. She bought that painting as a housewarming gift on one of her trips to Europe.”

  “Well, it’s interesting.” I turned to face him. “Yep, just like life.” Without another word, and bearing only a smile, I exited his office. Shit had just gotten real. I was officially Caesar’s new side chick.

  * * *

  “Girl, I’m telling you he thinks you changed your number to avoid him. Dude was trippin’ me out.”

  Mimi laughed listening to my story about Soulja and his ridiculous assumption of why she had a different number. We were at her crib, chilling and chatting about the party. “That shit is crazy. We had a few conversations, but . . . I think he’s like a player or something though. Like I told you before, he probably got a bunch of bitches, and you know I ain’t got time for the drama. That shit is for the birds.”

  “You might be right, maybe you don’t need to hook up with him. ’Cause you can get crazy, and the last thing I want to see is you in jail for slicing some female.”

  “Right,” Mimi cosigned. “Because you know for me to check a bitch is not a problem.” Mimi was not to be played with. She could be as sweet as pie one minute, and pulling your tracks out the next. “He is fine though.”

  “He is, and he was lookin’ good last night. You should have been there.”

  “You know I woulda been there, but there was money to be made. The Cheetah was on fire. Those niggas were spendin’ mad money. And you know I wasn’t about to miss that.”

  “So we are shopping tomorrow right?” My cell phone started to ring before she could answer. The number on the caller ID was not recognizable, but I decided not to ignore it.

  “Hello.” I sounded annoyed on purpose. Unknown and private numbers bugged me.

  “Hi, I need to speak with Yazz?” The voice was not familiar, and he only used my first name.

  “This is Yazz.”

  “Hi, Yazz, this is Steve.”

  Whoever this Steve was, he said his name as if I knew him. “Who?”

  “Steve,” he repeated his name. “We met yesterday down at the dealership.”

  I could not believe it. How and where in the world had he gotten my number? The surprise must have been apparent on my face because Mimi was gawking at me. Since she knew nothing about the dealership, I played it cool.

  “Oh, hi.” But now I was confused. Why was he calling me?

  “Yazz, would you be able to come by the dealership today? Yesterday you left without saying good-bye.” This was why I’d had to sneak away, because clearly he was a bugaboo. My leaving should have summed it up. I wasn’t buying. Mimi had started to put on makeup while I was on the phone.

  Silence took over me for a minute. There were several things running through my mind. Like, most importantly, why was he asking me to come down to the dealership? And I would have asked him that, but Mimi was only inches away from me so she couldn’t help but hear.

  “Okay, cool. I’ll be there.” That was the best way to end the call.

  “Who was that?” Mimi was concerned.

  “Girl, nobody important. Just a reminder that I need to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy. You know my memory sucks.”

  “Oh.” Mimi folded up the clothes that laid across the couch.

  “But look, I’ma need to get outta here. I’ll call you later.” Not wasting any time, I grabbed my Coach bag and was outta there.

  * * *

  The redheaded girl sitting at the front desk that was labeled CUSTOMER SERVICE alerted Steve to my arrival. Grinning from ear to ear, he appeared. If he thought he could convince me to buy that car, he was in for a rude awakening. There was no way I could afford it on my own. And Kevon had just purchased the BMW for me. So there was no way I was asking him. And since I didn’t have all day, I decided to cut straight to the chase. “Look, Steve, I skipped out on you the other day because I couldn’t afford that car. And the same is true today.” I wanted to be clear.

  “Well, you don’t need to worry about that because the car has been paid for.” He continued to showcase that silly grin. I wondered if I was going deaf because there was no way the car belonged to me. Unless Kevon was trying to surprise me again. But why would he do that? There had to be some type of mix-up.

  “There must be some mistake. You need to recheck your paperwork, Steve.”

  “Yazz, this car belongs to you, and you need to take it because I can’t store it here. This is a dealership, not a garage.” This time, he was serious. “Now all you need to do is sign all the paperwork that makes it official.” At the present moment, I was completely confused.

  “Who paid for this?”

  “I can’t disclose that.” Steve tried to sound professional. Containing my laugh was hard. I felt as if I would choke. “Are you ready to get your new keys and drive it right off the showroom floor?” I was not crazy. He was trying to change the subject, but it would not be that easy.

  Reverse psychology was my next move. “Listen, I totally understand you not being able to tell me. But if you don’t tell me, those papers will not get signed. Which means the sale is not official.” I pretended to walk away. That car was Steve’s commission. There was no way he would let me walk away. If only he knew my threat was idle and full of shit, because I wanted that car just as much as he wanted that commissi
on.

  “All right, all right. Caesar bought it for you this morning. He showed up and took care of the financial part. All you have to do is sign your name and it belongs to you.”

  “Caesar.” I said his name, a surprised look on my face. That sealed it. I signed the papers, then jumped in my new Mercedes and skidded out of the dealership. Steve followed behind me in my BMW. The dealership shuttle would be picking him up. I could not believe that Caesar had bought me the car without me even asking.

  “You will not believe what just happened.” I was so excited I could barely talk when Kevon said hello.

  “Try me.”

  “I got this call from the salesman, Steve, who showed me a car yesterday. He asked me to come back down to the dealership. I almost didn’t go because I thought he was just going to try and convince me to buy the car. But it turns out Caesar had already bought and paid for it. All I had to do was sign the paperwork, and as we speak I’m in my new Mercedes.”

  “Damn, baby, what you say to that nigga last night?” Kevon joked on the other end of the phone.

  “Shut up.” I smiled. “I only did what you instructed.”

  “Real talk though. Now we know we got him. The nigga buying Mercedes n’ shit after one conversation. Shiiit, this might be easier than I thought. From now on, you come with nothin’ but that game,” he schooled me.

  “I gotcha. Should I call him and thank him for the car?”

  “Nah, don’t worry. He just dropped a bunch of stacks for the whip. Trust me, he will be callin’ you any minute. Just be ready.”

  “Trust I will. What are you doing later? Maybe we should have dinner.”

  “That’s cool—just text me where you want to go. I’m about to make a move. I’ll see you later.”

  As soon as Kevon and I ended our call, my cell rang. It was another unknown number. Since I was in a good mood, I did not hesitate to answer.

  “Are you enjoying your new toy?” Caesar’s voice was familiar right away. I wondered if Kevon had a Caesar tracker on him because Caesar had called just like he’d predicted.

  “Yes, I am. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me. That was nothin’. You just enjoy it.”

  “Trust me, I already am.” And I meant that. If I had somewhere to go, I would have jumped straight on the highway.

  “So you got some free time.” There it was, the job I was expected to do. Caesar was fine and all, but Kevon was my man. This would feel odd no matter what.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Meet me tonight at my condo downtown about eight. I’ll text you the address.”

  “I’ll see you then.” I ended the call right away. I could not believe he had a condo downtown. Wasn’t that mansion big enough? But I guess when you’re the kingpin of the city, you live like a boss. But none of that was my business. I dialed Kevon’s number again to tell him that our dinner plans were canceled. Boyfriend number two had me tied up.

  CHAPTER 10

  The GPS on the new Mercedes that Caesar had copped for me confirmed that my destination had been reached. Checking my makeup one last time and telling myself over and over that I was not nervous, I made my way up to the door and rang the doorbell. Caesar opened the door and did not try to hide his delight to see me. His eyes ate me up from head to toe. I’m sure the sleeveless bandage dress that was hugging my body was to blame. “Wow,” glided off his tongue. “You . . . you made it,” he stuttered. Did I look that damn good? I had to drop my head to keep from smiling. “Thought you had stood me up.”

  I would have been on time, but Kevon was so anal about me being on point with everything that his coaching had made me late. Too bad this bit of information was confidential. Right?

  “I’m just running behind—traffic on the freeway into downtown was a mess,” I lied. It was past five o’clock so rush-hour traffic was long over, but it was the best excuse I had. He could take it or leave it. “Are you going to invite me in?”

  Again, I got that Omar Epps feeling when I looked at him. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, the brother was as attractive as they come. There had to be bitches knocking down his door. Either way, I enjoyed watching him drool all over me.

  “My bad. Come on in.” He stepped to the side, allowing me full access.

  Full of confidence, I stepped inside. I didn’t know what to expect, but I told myself I was pretty much ready for anything. No, I believed it. I had to.

  “You have a nice place here,” was my empty comment. “Do you have an interior decorator or something?”

  “Nah, just threw some shit together myself. I don’t like strange ass people snooping through my things. You know how it is. But I’m glad you like it. Would you like to take a look around?”

  “Sure, you can give me the grand tour.”

  Thirty minutes later, he had shown me every inch of his condo, and just like his mansion, it was nice. Caesar’s personal chef, Leon, brought us both a glass of Moscato to sip on. I finished my first glass in two swallows. I wasn’t really nervous, but the more confidence I had, the better.

  “You okay?” Caesar asked. He watched me polish off the wine like I had not drunk anything in days.

  “I’m fine.” I smirked. “Just thirsty.”

  “Dinner is ready to be served,” Leon announced.

  “You bring your appetite with you? ’Cause my man makes a juicy steak.”

  “I could eat.” Preparing for the date, there had been no time for eating or snacking so I was hungry for real.

  The dinner table was set when we entered the dining room. Leon had prepared T-bone steaks, salad, asparagus, and baked potato. My mouth watered as I took it all in. With no shame, I dug in. Cute was going to have to take a backseat to my silently growling stomach.

  “So where you from?” Caesar asked as he watched me devour my meal. I actually wished he would eat instead of watching me, but I was too hungry to let that distract me.

  Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I replied, “I’m from here, born and raised right over on McLaran Street.”

  “Okay, I grew up a couple of blocks from there. . . .” Pausing, he took a bite of his steak while I went in on my baked potato. “You got any kids?”

  The fuck he say? Shocked, I almost gagged on my food. This nigga was tripping.

  “Do I look like I got any kids?” I snapped my neck in his direction, and my attitude was for real.

  “Wait. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  The look on his face was sincere, but not even that could keep me from rolling my eyes. “No, I don’t have any kids. But just so you know, it’s rude to ask that shit on the first date.” What could I say, my life situation had made me defensive and I would not apologize for that.

  “Aye, I’m sorry.”

  His apology was not accepted yet. “You got any kids?” I shot back since he wanted to be so personal on the first date.

  “Actually, no, I don’t. But I love kids.”

  “Hmmm,” was my stiff reply. This was not getting off to a good start. The last thing he needed to witness was how much of a bitch I could be when pushed. Ruthie could be thanked for that side of me. “Look, it’s cool.”

  Chewing, he nodded in agreement. “No worries. So what do you like to do for fun?”

  “That’s easy. Shopping, it’s my absolute favorite thing to do. It’s safe to say I’m hooked on clothes. My dream would be to own a clothing store one day.” I rarely shared this kind of information. It had to be the alcohol.

  “That’s what’s up. You want to be like a stylist or something?”

  “Not really a stylist. Selling them is what I had in mind, but being able to design them would be a bonus.” Usually, when clothes crossed my mind, it was me dressed up in them. Not other people. But I did enjoy putting certain things together or wishing they were designed a certain way. But other than that, I didn’t give it much thought. Besides, Ruthie only wanted me to get a quick job to help with bills. Dreams, she didn’t have time fo
r.

  “Enough about me. What about you?”

  “Me? I don’t know.” He seemed in deep thought. “Having a strong empire and loyalty. To me, that’s survival, always has been.”

  His answer made me curious, especially knowing he was supposed to be anything but loyal. This conversation was starting to be a bit much. I needed more to drink. After dinner, we retired into this room that he called “the man’s den.” It had like a seventy-inch television on the wall, with a huge, real-leather sectional. Comfortable would not be a good enough word to describe it. Caesar turned on the television, and we both decided on the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight. I loved that movie. Time flew by because, before long, the movie had gone off and we were still talking. Realizing it was getting late, I decided it was time for me to leave. Caesar walked me outside to my car. Without notice, he leaned in and very gently kissed me on the forehead, then both of my cheeks. Next, I thought he would kiss me on the lips, but instead he said goodnight.

  On the ride home, I felt a bit confused. Caesar just didn’t seem like the guy I’d imagined he would be. His reputation in the streets was monstrous at best, and he didn’t take no shit. But not only was he fine as hell, he was gentle. Kevon had told me the real from the start so I expected the real, but had received anything but.

  My ringing cell phone interrupted my thoughts.

  “Hello.”

  “Where the hell you at? I called you four times. Tell Kevon to let you ass up for some air, at least for a few minutes,” Mimi babbled, a mile a minute.

  “Shut up.” I giggled at her assumptions. “I was watching a movie and dozed off earlier,” I lied. “What’s so urgent that you been blowing me up? Ain’t you at the Cheetah?”

  “Hell no, I’m just gettin’ off. Sheila just picked me up. We on our way to the crib. Girl, the club was on point tonight. Money was in the air thick, got them racks on racks.” Her excitement was obvious.

  “That’s what’s up.”

  “I just broke Sheila off eight bills, and I’m still stacked up. So I’m straight. Now I’m ready to shop, and you know I got that date with Soulja. So what’s up?”