“Game? What are you talking about?” Antonio’s eyebrows knitted together.
“How dare you pretend to be innocent? I know Summer is your cousin, and you’re the one who has been putting me through this hell!” She pushed his chest. “How could you! I love you. If this is what you do to someone who loves you, you’re a complete jerk. I hate you so much right now!”
“I don’t know anyone named Summer.” Antonio grabbed her hands. “Emily, I’m a Marine and a man of honor. I’d never hurt you.”
She cut her eyes at him and snatched her hands loose. “Then who do you visit at the women’s prison? What about Dwayne?”
“Dwayne is a nobody. He applied for a job and never showed up.”
“I’m supposed to believe that you had no idea who Summer is and that Dwayne was her boyfriend and also Sean’s father?” Her nose flared.
He opened his mouth and closed it. Antonio reached for her and she snatched away. “I had no idea who Dwayne was. I’m sorry.”
“I’m done crying.” Her chest heaved up and down. “I thought I wanted to hear what you had to say, but what’s the point? You’ve been lying to me all along. Now please walk out that door and the hell out of my life.”
Hanging his head, Antonio turned around, heading for the door. He stopped and looked back. “I know you are mad now and don’t want to listen, but when you want answers, we can talk. All I can say is my cousin’s name is Jessica. I never knew her as Summer.”
“Get out!” She threw a house shoe in his direction.
Antonio ducked. Instead of hitting him in the head like she intended, it hit the door. After glancing at her one last time, he left without another word.
“Screw him,” she mumbled. “I have a club to open up, and there’re more fish in the sea.” Her words defied the pain she felt. She slumped to the floor, crying her heart out.
Chapter Seventeen
“I can’t believe I screwed it up with her.” Antonio sat across from Jessica, rubbing his fingers through his hair.
They were sitting in the Women’s Correctional Facility visiting room. Like clockwork, he came to visit her every other week.
“I told you to be honest with Mercedes. I never meant her or anyone else harm. I just wanted to get enough money so I could be set once I quit dancing. I know having the place robbed was a stupid idea. I was in love with Dwayne and didn’t want to believe he was only with me to get back at her. At the time I was desperate.”
“You threatened to destroy Emily’s life when you got caught.” Antonio never felt comfortable calling Emily by her stage name.
“I told you before I was embarrassed. Yeah, I was envious of a new young girl taking my spot and that I’d been used by Dwayne. But, hey, that’s how the game is.” Summer took a log drag off her Virginia Slims. “I was just as surprised as you were when you told me about this woman you’d met.”
“Jessica, your time’s almost up,” a slightly overweight guard said as she walked past. She went around the room, giving everyone their five minute warning.
Her eyes saddened. “Look, Antonio, you love her. Go get your woman, and find out who was really out to get her because I don’t think it’s over yet. If Dwayne is part of it then he won’t stop. He’s obsessed with her.”
He nodded. “You know I love you, right?” Antonio kissed his cousin on the forehead.
“I know.” She stood from the table lined with the rest of the inmates preparing to go back to their cells. Before she was trapped again behind the metal doors, she turned to Antonio. “Now go call your woman!”
A balding male guard ran over to her. “You know the rules. No talking. Now shut up and face forward.”
The door closed, and another opened. It was Antonio’s exit. He followed the other visitors out. Antonio gasped, sucking in the fresh air, when he got outside the prison walls. Being in confinement was bad enough, not to mention the smell. The inside of the prison reeked worse than a pig farm on a hot summer day.
Jessica’s advice was sound but unnecessary. Antonio had been calling and leaving Emily messages for over a week and a half straight with no reply. The messages bore his heart and soul. When that didn’t work, he tried explaining the entire situation. For all he knew, Emily deleted the messages without listening to them first.
Antonio was livid with Kenny for not addressing the matter with him first. They could’ve talked it over man to man. He would’ve gladly explained the whole thing to him.
“Call Emily,” he said loud and clearly into the voice recognizer.
A male-bashing ringtone blared in his ear.
“Dang, she’s brutal.”
Emily’s caller tune changed every time he called. They rotated between male bashing and breakup songs. He tried calling from another phone once, and the phone actually rang. She answered and hung back up before he uttered a word.
After enduring his torture song, her voicemail picked up.
“This is Emily. Please don’t leave a message because I won’t return your call, Antonio.” The tone of her voice was sharp.
Damn.
Antonio smashed the end button. Pausing, he punched in the number for Kenny.
“Kenny speaking.”
He cleared his throat. “Kenny, this is Antonio.”
“And what is it you want?”
“Listen, you were right in protecting your friend. When I met her, I had no idea my cousin and she knew each other. After I found out, I should’ve said something. I never had any intentions on hurting her,” Antonio rambled, scared of getting hung up on. “Hiring Dwayne was just a coincidence. I placed an advertisement on Craigslist with no control over who applied. It’s not like I’d ever met the guy and Emily never mentioned his name. From what my cousin says he’s very resourceful. He got the information about the club and I never heard back from the guy.”
“I’m not the one you need to convince,” Kenny replied.
“I know.” He propped his head up with one hand and held the phone in the other. “I’ve tried, but she won’t talk to me. If I keep on, I’ll be on the verge of stalking. The last thing I need is for the woman I love to put a restraining order on me.”
“You did hurt her pretty bad. All I can say is keep trying. As much as I hate to admit it, she does love you. I, on the other hand, believe you are nothing more than a white man sowing his wild oats.” His voice was riddled with distance. “If you really want to see her, you should probably come to the club’s grand opening on Friday.”
Antonio let the negative comment slide. “I’ve heard about it on the radio. So it’s really ready to go?”
“Yes, no thanks to you.”
He smacked the steering wheel. “Look, dude, it wasn’t me. I was wrong, yes, but all that nonsense was not my doing. I’ll be at the opening. Do me a favor and don’t mention it to her.”
“As if I would be that foolish,” Kenny huffed.
“Thanks, man.”
Friday was two days away. Antonio would make sure he was there. Emily wasn’t the one to make a scene in public—at least he hoped not in her own establishment.
Chapter Eighteen
“Kenny, are you sure everything is okay? Do I need to come earlier?” Emily asked for the third time.
“Yes, I have it under control. This is your night. You need to relax and arrive in style. Let me finish making sure the bar is fully stocked with your signature drink,” he said.
She closed her eyes. “Okay.”
Emily was almost positive she heard glass breaking in the background before the call was disconnected. If Tia wouldn’t have tightened the grip on the section of hair she was curling, Emily would have called him back. Knowing she was wearing on her beautician’s patience, she sat back in the chair.
“Did you make up your mind what you’re wearing yet?” Tia asked.
“I changed my mind five times, but I think I’m settled now.”
“All finished!” Tia beamed at her work of art before spinning Emily around, letting
her see the result.
“Wow!” She blinked. “I can barely believe this is me.” She leaned in closer, taking a good look at herself in the mirror. Along with the hair, Tia did her makeup and eyelashes. Curls cascaded down her back with a slight pin up in the front.
“Girl, I hooked you up just like those video girls. You ever thought about being one?”
“Video girl? Hell no. Video director, maybe. You know those women don’t run anything. I have to be the boss.” She frowned. “You know, most of them sleep with the rappers. I can do without that.”
“True. No matter. You look fierce.” Tia snapped her fingers. “I have to go get ready. I still haven’t made up my mind on what I’m wearing. I will see you in VIP, fashionably late of course.”
Emily watched Tia sashay out her room in amusement. The outfit she finally decided on was high waist black skinny pants with a pink off one shoulder top. She added a gold necklace with an amethyst charm that dangled right at the crease between her breasts, with matching earrings and a gold bangle watch. She stood, admiring her look in the full-length mirror.
You can do this, you deserve this, you worked hard for this, and dammit you look like you are ready to rip the runway in this outfit.
Her cell phone rang interrupting her pep talk, “Hello?
“You ready, boss lady?” Janet sang into the phone.
“On my way out down now.” Emily hung up the phone and gave her refection a last look before heading downstairs.
Janet stood at the door, tapping her watch. “It’s your day. Take all the time you need.”
Emily laughed and gave her fake kisses on each cheek.
Janet held open the door.
A white stretch Hummer sat in front of her house. Her hands went to her mouth, careful not to smear her lip gloss. “Oh my! That is sweet!”
The doors to the limo burst open. “Surprise!” Shayla and Keisha screamed.
“I decided to have my best friend show up is style.” Janet smiled. “I learned one thing living out in L.A., and that is image is everything.”
Emily stepped into the Hummer and admired the pink carpet, overhead lights, black leather seats, and of course, the champagne. She felt like she was truly in a video, as the star. The Hummer was so huge it could have fit a stripper pole in it.
“Let’s get this party started!” Emily said.
The driver smiled and closed the door.
The ride downtown was less than ten miles. With the heavy traffic, it took almost a half an hour to pull up in front of the club. Emily looked out the window and saw the huge crowd. A line extended down the street. She couldn’t believe all the people waiting to get into her spot.
All eyes were on the Hummer as it rolled to a stop in front of the entrance.
“Emily, we’ll all get out first, then wait for you,” Janet said. “It’ll build up the suspense.”
All of the girls were dressed to impress from head to toe when they stepped out the stretch Hummer. Taking a deep breath, Emily put her feet out of the vehicle and onto a pink and black carpet that matched her Emily’s Playhouse sign. She didn’t know whose idea it was, but she instantly felt like she was a movie star when the cameras started flashing.
People screamed from the crowd.
“Who’s that?”
“Are they models?”
“That’s Mercedes! I don’t know the other chicks, but they are fine too,” a young male in a business suit shouted.
“Mercedes, can I take a picture with you?” another person screamed.
“Mercedes, Mercedes!” a blonde called out over the crowd. Security blocked her from moving closer. “It’s me! Heather! What’s up?”
“No more passes!” Janet replied.
Emily looped her arm around Janet’s and strutted to the entrance.
“Looking good, boss.” Niko, the head security, held open the door for them.
She was almost in tears as she took in her surroundings. It was one thing to see the club in the day time as it was coming together. It was another to see it at night time with the lights and her staff moving around.
Her waitresses were all in uniform with their black and pink trimmed mid-length skirts and blouses that had “Emily’s Playhouse” embroidered on the back. The bartenders had on matching black slacks and button-down shirts with “Players” over the left breast pocket. Her bouncer’s had on black as well with “Security” in white writing across the front and “Dealers” written on the back.
The dancers she hired were on an upper stage dressed in pink and black burlesque outfits, doing a rendition of rolling twenties style dance to up-to-date music. The crowd ate it up.
Kenny worked his way through the people and over to her. “You look amazing.”
He greeted everyone else as he led them to the V.I.P. area, away from the wave of people who were finally allowed entrance once Emily had arrived. The V.I.P. area was almost full when they entered, and the men were being entertained by her girls.
They maneuvered their way to the middle plush couches and took a seat. Soon toasts and congratulations went around. Emily looked out to the crowd in awe. Everyone came dressed to impress. Emily knew she had to work the room to meet and greet, but for now, she took it all in.
“This is your party. Let’s go show them how you do it. Let’s dance!” Janet grabbed her arm and dragged Emily in the direction of the dance floor.
There was no need to protest. The bass from the music called out to her, hypnotizing her with every beat it made. The crowd parted, allowing them room to get by.
Emily swayed her body along with the up-tempo beats filtering out the speakers. The bass vibrated throughout her entire body. Janet danced to her right and Keisha to her left. Shayla put down her drink and joined in just as a circle formed around them.
The deejay, Devon, flipped the track and spoke into the mic, “To a special woman on her very important night. This songs for you Mercedes.”
“Let’s show them what we have, sis.” Keisha formed a line beside Emily and got in step with the song.
Emily moved her body to the music like professional dancer. She was working up a sweat, but it didn’t matter. It was her night, and this was her song. It seemed as if the whole club stopped to watch them.
Devon hyped up the room by encouraging the girls to keep going. “To you other single ladies watching, please take notes. This is how you get a man!”
The final chords of the song played, and Emily ended her dance. Men in the crowd applauded and begged for more.
Emily waved to them. “I need to cool down.”
Devon put on another song, and the crowd turned back to whatever they were doing before their dance routine.
“Dang, you were working it, ma,” a slightly above average guy said. He stepped in front of her to get a dance.
“Thanks.”
She really wanted to go work the room, but he blocked her path. He gyrated in front of her, doing the latest dances.
“Look, my feet hurt,” she said.
He grabbed her ass and pulled her close. “It’s like that? I thought you liked it like that? You owning that freaky site and shit,” he slurred.
“Mind if I cut in?” a deep voice said.
Emily’s eyes went from the jerk to Antonio. “What are you doing here?”
“Yeah, man, she with me,” the guy added.
“This is my woman.” Antonio’s frame towered over his. He took Emily’s hand and led her away.
The guy held up his hands. “It’s cool, man. My bad.”
“Your woman? You lost those rights a few weeks ago, remember? I didn’t answer your calls for a reason.” Emily smiled, but her tone oozed with attitude.
Antonio pulled her in to him for a slow dance.
“This is a great club, Mercedes,” a passerby said.
“Thank you.” She relaxed, moving with Antonio to the beat of the music. His body next to hers felt so right.
The song ended, and she pushed away, breakin
g the connection.
Antonio tried pulling her back to him. “Sweetheart, where’re you going?”
“I’m not your sweetheart, and I have to work the room. This is my club, and I don’t want to be rude. Bye, Antonio.” She removed his hand and stepped into the crowd. She fast walked through the sea of people.
The way he held onto her caused her heart to flutter. She knew she was being too harsh on him. The last time he called, she was tempted to answer. A conversation wasn’t asking too much, and she missed him dearly. Summer had also written her a letter apologizing. She begged Emily to believe her cousin. With her already being locked up she had nothing to lose and Emily didn’t know her to be one to apologize easily. She’d give him a call tomorrow morning—the stroke of midnight was a new day, right? He’d have a long way to go before she gave all the way in but it would be a start. For now, she’ll make him sweat and watch her work the room.
Keisha caught up with her by the middle bar. “I know that wasn’t Antonio, was it?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t hide her smile.
“And?” Janet joined in the conversation.
“And I have no intention of letting the love of my life go. Kenny already told me Antonio called him. That had to have been tough on him.”
The girls squealed and hugged her.
Emily sat back, taking another sip off her drink. She had two businesses, great friends, and a man who loved her. Yes, she had finally arrived and was going to sit back, enjoying every moment of it.
The End
Other Books You’ll Enjoy
“There’s no other love than that of a Romano.” Ashley knew the meaning behind the Italian family’s words all too well. Not only did they take her in as a teen, but she’d been secretly lusting after Wade Romano for years.
Tired of Ashley’s stubbornness, Wade Romano was determined to make the chocolate beauty his. All Wade had to do was convince her he’s no longer a child and get the current boyfriend out of the way…
Fire and Desire (BWWM Romance) Page 15