Conspiracy

by De'nesha Diamond

  An enthusiastic applause thundered in the place as men gathered around the main stage. Kadir wound his way through the club, and when the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on took to the stage, he couldn’t look away.

  Not paying attention to where he was walking, he crashed into bubbly Crystal.

  She gasped as her tray of drinks splashed all over her.

  Kadir blanched. “I’m so sorry.”

  Gasping again, Crystal’s spunky veneer fell away as she spat out a string of curses and stormed off.

  On the stage, Autumn Breeze rolled her hips and Kadir was hypnotized. Her long legs, steep curves, and perfect breasts were definitely real. It didn’t hurt that she also had the face of an angel. A tough angel, but an angel all the same.

  He was unaware of walking to the stage, but when she moved in close, he slipped his last twenty-dollar bill into the hip string of her thong.

  “Thank you, baby,” she cooed.

  Kadir responded, “You’re welcome.” In awe, he watched her slink toward the next man dying to place money anywhere on her body. Jealousy curled in his gut.

  All too soon, she was gone. The men encircling the stage snapped out of their trances. Kadir wondered if the woman he’d seen had even been real. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He jumped and spun around.

  Ghost smiled. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that your ass is sprung.”

  Exhausted by the end of the second set, Abrianna returned to the dressing room and plopped into her vanity chair. A quick count of the night’s earnings plunged her deeper into an angry depression. Eighteen hundred dollars was a far cry from the eighty thousand dollars she needed by tomorrow night.

  Cashmere pranced back into the dressing room, waving a card. “Ooooh. Somebody’s gotta hot one out there requesting a private dance in the champagne room.”

  Abrianna glanced back at her in the mirror, hoping that Cashmere was referring to someone else. But the Cheshire cat grin said otherwise. “Now?”

  Cashmere nodded, but at Abrianna’s eye roll, she added, “Oh, honey. Wait until you see him. Tall, tan, and absolutely fine as hell. I’m not going to lie, I offered him my services, but he wasn’t having it. He wants you and only you.”

  Abrianna considered refusing the request to head home, but she wasn’t in any position to turn down a single dollar. “I’ll be right out.”

  Cashmere laughed. “You got the long face now, but you’ll see. Dude could make a girl change her religion.”

  At the religion reference, Abrianna’s mind zoomed back to the handsome Arab guy by the stage during her last number. Tall, tan, and fine did describe him perfectly. Dark wavy hair, intense brown eyes, and he looked more than fit. She’d bet money she didn’t have that he had washboard abs under that black shirt. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. She may as well have some fun before Zeke murdered her. She quickly freshened up and went to stack a little more paper.

  Kadir dismissed Ghost’s sprung assessment, and hit his boy up. “Look, man. You know I’m good for it.”

  Ghost grinned and slid his toothpick to the corner of his mouth while he pulled out his wallet. “All right, bro. How much do you need?”

  “I don’t know. How much does a private dance usually go for?”

  “You’re shitting me. You’ve never done this before?”

  “What? Are you going to make me fill out a loan application, too?”

  Ghost laughed, risking swallowing his toothpick. “Whatever, man. Here. That’s two hundred. Tease it out to her, she’ll love you for it.”

  “Right. Got it.” He headed off feeling like a nervous schoolboy going to ask the prettiest cheerleader out to the prom.

  In the champagne room, a Hulk-looking bouncer stared as Kadir slid into a purple velveteen chair and waited for the beautiful Autumn Breeze.

  And waited.

  A new waitress introduced herself as Cinnamon and asked whether he’d like bottle service or a drink. He turned down the offer, but minutes later wondered whether Autumn Breeze had received his dance request. This is a sign that I have no business being in here.

  When Cinnamon glided by a fourth time, he crooked a finger to get her attention.

  “Hey, are you ready to place an order?” she asked.

  “Actually no. I, uh . . .” His attention drifted when his private dancer finally arrived. “Never mind.”

  Following his gaze, Cinnamon glanced behind her. “Oh. Looks like you’re in for a special treat.” She patted his shoulder. “Enjoy.”

  Autumn Breeze spoke to the large bouncer, and he pointed her in Kadir’s direction. Her walk was something to behold.

  “Well . . . hello there, handsome. A little birdie told me that you’d like a private dance.”

  Kadir heard the words, but he couldn’t respond. Luckily, she seemed amused by his inability to talk.

  “What’s the matter, baby? Cat got your tongue?” She smiled.

  “I have money.” He jammed a hand into his pants pocket and pulled out the bundle of twenties that Ghost gave him.

  “How much do you have here, sweetheart?”

  He had no idea. The concept of numbers suddenly seemed foreign. He glanced at the money, but the bills couldn’t count themselves.

  She laughed. “Okay, handsome. I get it. Let momma just take this for you.” She pried the money from his hand and seductively planted the folded bills in between her breasts.

  Kadir’s mouth watered. Then his greedy gaze drank in the rest of her. She was tall, an inch or two shy of six feet, but man, she curved in all the right places. She had a way of looking like she could melt in his arms or kick his ass if he stepped a toe out of line. Sugar and spice. He liked that.

  “You just sit right there and let me entertain you, sweetheart.”

  He didn’t dare open his mouth and risk sounding like a pubescent teenager. It was embarrassing enough that he lost cool points with himself.

  Rufus’s psychedelic funk groove “Tell Me Something Good” played, and his private dancer winded her hips and became one with the bass.

  “Oh, I loooovve this song,” she cooed. “How about you?”

  “Love it,” he mumbled, entranced by how her hips, abs, and breasts twisted and bounced. Hard, Kadir’s cock stretched down the inseam of his pants.

  She moved in close. Real close.

  The sweet musk of her perfume clung to her glitter-dusted skin, but her hair smelled like a field of strawberries.

  Autumn Breeze seduced his senses while the room temperature spiked.

  Kadir pulled at his collar even though he wore a T-shirt that wasn’t choking him.

  “First time?” she asked breezily.

  “It’s that obvious?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  They laughed, and Kadir congratulated himself for keeping his shit together and relaxed.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that you get the full show, baby.” She turned, dropped into his lap, and grinded him into delirium.

  “Nice, baby. Nice,” she cooed. “I bet you and junior here keep the girls coming back for more.”

  Kadir chuckled, but didn’t dispel her assumption.

  “So what’s your name, handsome?”

  “My name?”

  “You do have one, don’t you?” Her smile expanded.

  “Name? Oh! Yeah. It’s Kadir.”

  “Kadir? Huh. That’s an interesting name. Arabic?”

  “Very good.”

  “Does it mean anything?”

  He laughed. “It means green.”

  Autumn Breeze chuckled. “Green. That’s not as poetic as I thought. But it’s still a lovely name.” She leaned back, laying her head on his shoulder and giving him the perfect view of her breasts.

  He knew then, in his soul, that he’d died and gone to heaven. “W-what about you?”

  “What about me, handsome?”

  “Your name. Is it really Autumn Breeze?”

  “It is while I’
m working.”

  All too soon, the song ended. Out of cash, Kadir regretted not teasing the money out like Ghost had instructed.

  “Did you like your dance, handsome?”

  “Yeah, you’re very talented.”

  “Aren’t you sweet?” She leaned back down and kissed his cheek. “Would you like another dance? Maybe even order us a bottle?”

  Embarrassed, Kadir’s cool waned. He shoved his hands into his pockets even though he knew he had no money. “Sorry. I’m all tapped out.”

  She pouted her lips. “Oh. I was just starting to have fun.”

  Kadir’s heart sank.

  “Well, you make sure that you come back and see me, handsome. You know where I work.” She caressed the side of his face and sauntered off. “Bye, now.”

  “Bye.” He watched her leave the champagne room. The bouncer gave Kadir a knowing smirk and then left to monitor another dancer and her customer.

  Kadir stayed seated. However, after five minutes, his boner was still hard against his leg due to that magical dance replaying in his head. When he left the champagne room, he wasn’t surprised to see Ghost waiting.

  “My man! How did it go?”

  “You’re right. I think I’m in love.”

  17

  Every once in a while, Abrianna enjoyed being a tease. And tonight’s dance with the sexy Kadir had ended up turning a bad day into a pleasant night. During her drive home at two o’clock in the morning, through the icy rain, her thoughts kept shifting between nervousness to having to talk to Zeke in the morning and what it would be like to spend the night with the hunky Arab. She liked his wavy black hair, pencil-thin mustache, and those intense chocolate-brown eyes that at times seared into her soul.

  The body wasn’t too bad either. She could feel how rock-solid he was while breaking a few of the Stallion’s house rules in their private rooms. But damn if she could help it. She imagined nothing but hard muscles and a washboard stomach beneath his clothes. Hell. It made her hot just thinking about it now.

  Shaking herself out of her stupor, she focused back on the road and her Zeke problem. She raced through a litany of people whom she could still ask for some cash. But birds of a feather flocked together.

  She was broke.

  And all of her friends were, too.

  Upon arriving at her apartment, she found a notice on the door from the landlord. The rent check Moses had written for the month of September had bounced, and October’s was due in a few days. Lately it seemed as if she just couldn’t catch a break.

  After entering the apartment, she took one look at the holes in the walls that she still had to plaster and just felt defeated. She took a long, hot shower and tumbled into bed. Loneliness crept in some time later while staring at the empty space next to her in the bed. Then a cycle began circulating in her head. Money, drugs, Zeke, loneliness, Kadir. Round and round it went until she closed her eyes. The vivid dream that materialized was all about a different private show for the handsome Kadir.

  For this one, she helped him strip down so that she could run her hands along his taut muscles and even sample a kiss from his lips. She imagined he tasted something like peaches and honey.

  Abrianna moaned in her sleep. She could almost feel his hand roam over her body and then stop to expertly unhook the back of her bra and then slowly peel it off. She watched his eyes go wide at first sight of a pecan-brown nipple.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he praised, leaning forward and taking her nipple into his warm mouth.

  Abrianna moaned while dropping her head back to pleasure herself. Using all of her concentration, she imagined Kadir kissing her in all of her favorite spots before grabbing her hips and taking her roughly from behind. It was quite possibly the hottest sex dream that she’d had in years. She moaned, writhing among her pillows. She envisioned her strong thighs around his waist, anchoring him while he sank deeper.

  She was in heaven.

  There was some dirty sex talk, but not too much. He had the right amount of swag while working her body like a boss. He feasted like a starved man—greedy for every inch of her. She tightened her vaginal muscles until she milked his very essence from him. She took her time with him, cherishing the moment when she climbed to new orgasmic heights. If it was timed just right, they would come together When her breathing grew choppy, she knew that moment was going to happen in the next three, two, one—

  Riiinnng! Riiinnng!

  Kadir sprung up in bed. His body was drenched in sweat as he looked wildly around the room. It took too long for him to realize that it had been his cell phone on his nightstand that had wrenched him from the most exotic and most real dream he’d ever had. Panting, he glanced down into his lap and saw the wet sheets. He was stunned and embarrassed, even though he was the only one in the bedroom. “The hell?” He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a wet dream like that. He must’ve been like thirteen or something. He peeled himself out of bed and stripped the bedding before heading for another quick shower. The whole way, he couldn’t get out of his head how real Autumn Breeze had seemed just a few minutes ago.

  “I must be losing my mind,” he concluded. That had it be it. Right?

  PART TWO

  Trouble Lasts Always . . .

  18

  The White House

  Newly elected Speaker Reynolds strolled confidently into the Oval Office and accepted the president’s offered hand. “Mr. President,” he said, beaming. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Kenneth,” Daniel said, slapping a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Plus, it’s customary for the president to meet a newly elected speaker. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Kenneth held his fake smile. “I have to tell you that the whole thing has come as a total shock to me and Valerie.”

  “I can only imagine. Would you care to sit down?” He gestured to the sitting area of the office.

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  The men walked across the presidential seal carpet and sat opposing each other on separate couches. Reynolds leaned over and plucked an apple from the fruit bowl on the coffee table between them.

  Daniel kick-started the conversation. “So how are Valerie and the kids?”

  “Fine. Just fine. We are all trying to adjust.”

  Daniel waved off his concern. “Aw. You’ll get used to it.”

  “I think we will manage all right. It’s certainly more attention than we’re used to.”

  “Well, it is a historic moment. The first African-American House speaker. You have a lot to be proud of.”

  “I have a lot to deliver on, of course.” His words hung with the hidden meaning.

  Daniel, a season politician, picked up on it right away, but pretended he hadn’t. “We all have a lot to deliver to the American people. That’s why I’m looking forward to working with you and your party to actually get some important legislation passed instead of our parties descending further into the gutter.”

  “Politics was never meant to be a game of beanbag.”

  “No. But it was never meant to be a game of gladiators at the Coliseum either.”

  Reynolds laughed. “Maybe not, but I like that imagery.”

  Daniel forced himself to laugh along.

  There was a rap on the door before it opened and the vice president entered the room.

  “Ah, Kate.” Daniel stood. “Please join us.”

  Kate strolled over with a bright smile. “Sorry I’m late. A videoconference ran over. Hello, Speaker Reynolds.”

  “Madam Vice President.” Reynolds accepted her hand. “I’m pleased that you’ll be joining us.”

  “I had to take the time and come congratulate you,” she said, pumping his hand. “It was quite a shock when Speaker Hartman announced his retirement. We had so hoped to gain his support of the president’s tax reform package. But the administration certainly hopes that it will be at the top of your to-do list.”

  D
aniel smiled. Kate always knew how to get straight to the matter at hand.

  Reynolds beamed while his gaze briefly drank in Kate’s entire frame.

  Daniel dropped the smile.

  Reynolds responded, “Unfortunately, I can’t say that it is at the top of my list. My caucus and I share the belief that the Brazil scandal hasn’t drawn to a conclusion. Who knows where this troubling path will wind up? The buck could stop at the director of the Secret Service’s desk or it could lead somewhere higher.” He locked gazes with the president. “You know how these things go.”

  The president stiffened his spine. “From here, it appears that they go in the direction that you want them to go, Kenny.”

  “Please.” Reynolds chuckled. “Call me Speaker Reynolds. I want to get the hang of it.”

  Kate lifted a brow while she erased her smile. “Well, someone is certainly smelling themselves.”

  “Or smelling blood in the water,” Reynolds corrected, unfazed by Kate’s indignation.

  “So you really are going to go on an elaborate witch hunt?”

  “I consider it more like a hunt for the truth. After all, the American people deserve nothing less.”

  “Cut me a damn break,” the president snapped. “This has nothing to do with the American people, and you damn well know it. If it were, your party would actually do their damn job and pass legislation—any legislation.”

  Reynolds remained cool. “I’m not going to help you wag this dog, Mr. President. Your sudden interest in tax reform is a refreshing change of pace, but my party is more interested in removing you than helping you with your sinking poll numbers.”

  Daniel and Kate glared at Reynolds.

  He broke open another smile. “Come on. Don’t take your pending impeachment personally. It’s just politics—or gladiators at the Coliseum, as you so aptly said.”

  “Impeachment?” Daniel repeated. “On what grounds?”

  “Certainly for obstruction of justice, for engaging in a cover-up with the Secret Service. You and the director were roommates in college, weren’t you?”