In an effort to calm him down, Val changed her tone. She leaned back and kissed Tyrone on his unshaven cheek. “Baby, I haven’t been fuckin’ anyone but you. I promise.”
Tyrone stepped back and took a long look at Val. He knew she was lying. He knew she’d slept with Sharrard. Most importantly, he knew Val was planning on leaving him. That kiss she’d just planted on his cheek was a dead giveaway.
He walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. When the door slammed behind him, it startled Val. The reverberating kick started her adrenaline and she started to contemplate her options. It wasn’t long before she realized that she only had one real option, she needed to go somewhere and lay low. Somewhere Tyrone wouldn’t be able to find her. Somewhere she could hide in the event she really was carrying Sharrard’s baby.
Val figured that she had Sharrard by the balls if she was pregnant. One DNA test would definitely set her up financially for life. But she’d have to escape Tyrone’s wrath long enough to give birth. All of this hiding would take money; money she didn’t have.
Val came to one conclusion: she needed Nina’s help. Nina had already siphoned money from Larry’s account and participated in a threesome with one of his clients; therefore, getting her to commit to this investment shouldn’t be hard. Nina was going to pay, whether she wanted to or not.
BACK IN MONTEREY, NINA PREPARED PRECIOUS for her big McDonald’s audition in San Francisco. She spent hours helping the child study her lines the day before. On Tuesday, she had a stylist come to the house to fix her daughter’s hair while she drove around the city in search of the perfect outfit for Precious.
While driving to the audition, Nina’s phone started to ring. Nina looked down and saw that the call came from a restricted number. She started to let it ring, but she was waiting on a call from another talent scout. Since she didn’t know the scout’s phone number she felt compelled to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what are you doing? I need to talk to you.”
“I can’t talk, Val; I’m taking Precious to an audition.”
“Where?’
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I wanna know!”
Nina hesitated before she answered. “She has an audition today for a McDonald’s commercial.”
“That’s great! Let me speak to her.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanna wish her well! Now give her the damn phone,” Val ordered.
Nina gave Precious the phone.
“Who is this, Mommy?”
“It’s Aunt Val. She wants to say something to you.”
Precious smiled as she grabbed the phone. “Hey, Aunt Val! I’m going to do a commercial for McDonald’s. Mommy said they’ll probably give me a free hamburger.”
“They probably will, baby. I want you to do your best, but don’t feel bad if you don’t get it.”
“Okay.”
“I’m gonna see you soon.”
“Are you coming out here again, Aunt Val?”
“Yeah, Aunt Val is going to move to California real soon.”
“Are you going to live in our house?”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll be livin’ in Monterey around you. So, I’ll get to see you a lot more.”
“Mommy, Aunt Val says she’s coming to live around us!”
Nina snatched the phone from the child. “What is she talkin’ about?”
“You heard the child. I’m comin’ to live in California.”
“How? You don’t have a job or a place to stay. You ain’t living in my house.”
“I didn’t ask to live in your house. And no, I don’t have a job, but none of that matters.”
“Why not?”
“Because I got you . . . my friend; you’re gonna sponsor me while I’m out there.”
“Bullshit!”
“Yeah, bitch, you’re gonna sponsor me or else.”
“Or else what? You’re gonna tell Larry what you know? I don’t even care. Larry and I will be married one year by this time next month. The worst that can happen is that he finds out what happened and divorces me. I’ll still walk away with over a hundred grand.”
“Not if he finds out that you fucked his client.”
“You don’t have any proof. Sharrard ain’t gonna confess, he can’t stand you right now anyway. That means it’s your word against mine.”
“That’s what you think.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means I believe Tyrone found out what happened that night. Whoever told him will probably confirm my story.”
Nina became silent. She tried to recall the events of that evening. The house was empty that night Sharrard came over. Larry was sound asleep so there was no way anyone could have known what happened.
“My, my, my. Nina Dennison is suddenly quiet. Well, let’s see if you can stay quiet long enough to hear what I need you to do. I need you to help me get an apartment somewhere out there, and I need you to make this happen within the next week. I’ll be in touch with you in about three days. You’d better have some answers, or I swear to you, I’m gonna call Larry.”
Val hung up the phone. Nina threw the phone on the passenger seat and cursed out loud.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Precious asked.
“Nothing, baby. Mama just has a few things on her mind. Don’t worry about me. All I need you to do is focus on your lines.”
THEY ARRIVED AT THE TINY STUDIO where the audition was held shortly before noon. Precious walked into the room like a seasoned veteran and nailed the audition. Her performance was nearly flawless. She did so well that the director started discussing future commercial opportunities right there on the spot.
“Can I have a hamburger now?” she innocently asked.
The director immediately sent an intern to the McDonald’s located a mile away to retrieve a Happy Meal for the child.
When the intern returned with the meal, he gestured for Precious to follow him into a small kitchen area. The young man walked into the room first, but he stopped and turned around when he noticed that Precious had stopped at the door.
“What’s wrong?” the intern asked.
“My daddy said that men are supposed to hold the door open for women.”
Everyone in the room started to laugh, including the intern. One of the female producers walked by and said to Nina, “Your husband has taught her well. I wish my daughter’s father would have done the same with our child.”
Nina gave a brief smile and then watched Precious from afar as she ate the hamburger. Larry had really been a positive influence on both of their lives. Nina tried to pretend she didn’t care about Larry, but anyone who paid close enough attention could see that he’d slowly begun to win her over.
On the way home, Nina contemplated her discussion with Val. She decided at that moment that enough was enough. Tyrone and Val would never back off. She had to get rid of them. She had to silence them both once and for all.
The wineglass was filled to the rim with Chardonnay when Nina finished pouring. She took up residence on her favorite living room loveseat as she pondered her options for hours. She finally came up with a plan that would forever get rid of Val and Tyrone. She decided to kill them both and make it look like an accident, or even better, self-defense.
Nina’s hand trembled as she made the phone call. Her stomach rumbled and her mouth failed to produce saliva. It was time to put her plan into motion. The hunted had now become the hunter.
“Hello?”
“Val, this is Nina. I took care of the arrangements.”
“I’m listening.”
“I reached out to someone I met out here. She manages a small apartment complex in the city of Seaside, about ten minutes from here. It’s not that fancy, but she gave me a good deal on the apartment.”
“When can I move in?”
“She told me she can’t hold the apartment for that long, so you’re going to have to move in wi
thin the next week or so.”
“Good. Tell her to fax the lease to me. There’s a copy store a few blocks away from here that lets you receive faxed documents. Hold on while I get the number.”
“She can’t fax it.”
“Why not?”
“Because she said she needed you to be here to sign the lease before the move-in date. They can’t start getting the apartment cleaned until you sign a lease. Besides, she’s going to need a copy of your driver’s license.”
“I don’t have a way to get there in a few days, so you need to talk to her again.”
“I’ve made arrangements for you to fly into Monterey on Friday night. Your ticket has already been purchased. She’s expecting you to come into her office on Saturday morning to sign the lease.”
“That’s too soon. I still need to make arrangements for my furniture.”
“I’ve already arranged to take care of that. Didn’t you say that you like my furniture?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I have an account at that store where I bought most of my stuff. I’m willing to put up to three thousand dollars’ worth of furniture on that card. That should be enough to get you a bedroom set and a sofa or something. You can take care of the rest once you get here.”
Val didn’t reply right away. She held the phone and pondered what she was hearing. Nina was being very accommodating. Was she that scared of Larry finding out her secret or was it because she was up to something?
“All right,” Val said in a low tone. “I need to figure out a way to get away from Tyrone’s crazy ass. Under no circumstances do I want him to know. If he calls you asking about me, you need to tell him you don’t know . . . if you know what’s good for you.”
“Of course, I’m going to pretend I don’t know. Why would I deliberately try to piss you off? I’m doing this because I want all of this shit to be over and done with. The sooner I get you off my back, the sooner I can move on with my life.’
“I’m going to stick to my word and back off, but I can’t promise you Tyrone will. He’s on a mission.”
“I’ll take care of Tyrone so that he’s no longer a problem for you or me. I’ve already made plans to have him dealt with.”
Val became quiet once again. There was something in Nina’s tone that she didn’t like. “You said this Friday?”
“Yeah, this Friday; your flight is scheduled to leave at six o’clock on Southwest Airlines. You should land here somewhere around eight o’clock that night. I promised to take Precious to a movie, so I may not be finished in time to come and get you from the airport. Just catch a cab and come over. You can let yourself in the house. The code hasn’t changed.”
Nina hung up the phone and smirked. Yeah, bitch, I have something for you. Now I just need to take care of your man.
She waited an hour and then implemented part two of her plan.
“Hello,” Tyrone said in a deep voice. He was wrapping up a brief nap that followed his argument with Val.
“Can you talk?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Nina. I need to tell you something, but I need you to be alone before I get into it.”
Tyrone stood up and walked over to the door. He opened and peeked into the other room to see if Val was there. When he didn’t see her in there, he looked in the bathroom and saw that it was also empty.
“Yeah, she’s gone. Wuz up?”
“I need to talk to you about what happened between us.”
“What about it?”
“Well, there are two things I want to tell you. The first is that . . .”
“Spit it out, shit! A nigga ain’t got all day!”
“Well, Tyrone, I hate to admit it, but I’ve been thinkin’ about you.”
Tyrone let loose a cocky smile, grabbed the crotch of his pants, and started squeezing and rubbing his penis.
“Shit, girl, that ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of. You ain’t the first and won’t be the last person to be thinkin’ ’bout this dick after getting a piece.”
Nina looked upward and rolled her eyes as she forced herself to listen to his bragging.
“I gotta admit, Tee, I did enjoy our encounter . . . even though I didn’t want to enjoy the feeling. Since you left, I can’t stop thinking about how you made me feel on that pool table. I guess that’s an indication of how much my body needed that.”
“Umm hmm. I knew you were likin’ this pipe. What’s on your mind? You want some mo’ of this dick, don’t ya?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t hear you. Ask me to come and give you some more of this dick.”
Nina rolled her eyes once again before she replied, “Tee, I want you.”
“‘Nah, that ain’t good enough. Have you ever seen the movie Jerry Maguire?”
“Yes.”
“Then you remember that scene when he started shouting ‘Show me the money!’”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good. That’s how I want you to beg me for this dick. I want you to scream I want your dick!”
“I want your dick, Tyrone.”
“Bitch, is ya def? I said shout that shit.”
Nina paused for a moment. She actually had to stop herself from chuckling as she thought, This nigga thinks he’s the shit. He just doesn’t know he’s being led to the slaughter.
“I want some of that big black dick, Tyrone! I need your dick inside of me!”
Tyrone’s penis jumped rock hard. What had started out as gentle massages of the crotch area had actually escalated to all-out masturbation. As Nina screamed out loud, Tyrone blew his load.
“Tyrone. Are you still there?” Nina asked. I’ll be damned, I think this fool is jerking off.
“Yeah, I’m still here,” he replied, his speech slurred.
Nina covered her mouth in astonishment. Tyrone was really weird. He was so weird that it seemed far more unnerving than humorous.
“Uhhh, uhhh,” she grumbled.
“Nina, you there?”
“Uhhh, uhhh, shit, Tyrone.”
“Are you masturbating?”
“Ummm hmm,” Nina confirmed, as she covered her mouth and tried not to burst into laughter.
“Fuckin’ right! That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. When you gonna give me some more of that pussy?”
“I want you to come this Friday. Larry’s leaving town for the weekend.”
“For sho! To show you I’m not really a bad nigga, I’ll even take care of my own ticket.”
Yeah, with my money, Nina thought to herself. Tyrone’s arrogance was going to be the death of him. He was so busy basking in his sexual glory that he didn’t pay attention to the obvious change in Nina’s attitude. If he had paused just for a moment and questioned her motives, he would have noticed that she was acting suspicious. But Tyrone couldn’t see past the moment. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Tyrone’s penis was his only weapon. It was the proverbial sword he used to slay women. Now his own sword was about to be turned on him.
“Make sure you come around nine o’clock. I need to make sure I’ve made arrangements for Precious. When you come, I’m going to give you the rest of the money you wanted. Hopefully, we can call it even from that point.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Tyrone replied.
Nina noticed his reluctance to commit to backing off. His response only made her angrier and more determined to dispose of him. She was offering him her body and more money and he still wasn’t satisfied.
“There’s another thing I need to discuss with you.”
“What?”
“It’s about Val.”
“What about her? We on bad terms right now anyway, so ain’t much you can say about her that’ll piss me off.”
“She’s been seeing Sharrard, the football player.”
“I already knew that. She denied it when I confronted her but I know.”
“Well, did she tell you she was coming to Monterey this weekend?”
“Nah, she ain’t sa
y nothin’ ‘bout that.”
“She’s coming this Friday to see him. I think he’s supposed to come and pick her up Saturday morning and take her on a shopping spree in San Francisco.”
Tyrone’s silence was exactly the response Nina was looking for. That meant that he was seething. His ego had been bruised. When a man’s ego is bigger than his thoughts, he will always react to bad news rather than respond. Tyrone reacted exactly the way Nina needed him to.
“So she’s planning to go and see that fool?”
“Yeah, but she made me promise not to say anything. If she knew I was telling you her plans, she’d tell Larry what she knows about the crash. I figured you might want to know because she seems to be acting crazy lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been threatening to tell Larry more often. I guess I don’t have to tell you that if she tells Larry, he’s going to divorce me and freeze all of my money. If he freezes my accounts, you won’t get another dime.”
“Nah, fuck that! That bitch is playin’ with my money,” Tyrone said.
“She’ll be here Friday night. You could throw a wrench in her plans if you come around nine o’clock that night.”
“All right. We’ll talk again tomorrow,” Tyrone said and then hung up.
No sooner than he hung up the phone, Val opened the front door. She walked inside, rolled her eyes at him, and then threw her keys on the counter.
“Tyrone, I’ve been thinkin’. We need a little time apart so that we can reevaluate this relationship.”
Tyrone didn’t respond. He fiddled with the remote control and pretended he didn’t hear her.
“Tyrone, I know you hear me! I’m getting away for a few days. I’m going to go to California this weekend to clear my thoughts.”
Tyrone stopped pretending he didn’t hear her. He placed the remote on the sofa next to him and then asked her, “When are you leaving?”
“I’m leaving this Friday. I’m leaving in the evening time. I’m gonna dance that morning so that I can make a little money, and take it on the trip with me. That’s unless you have some money to give me.”
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