Redemption Lost

by Marc Avery

  Not only was the movie successful, but I closed on the house and paid $9,000 to seal the deal. Because of the renovations I had to wait a few months longer to move in. Becoming a homeowner made me feel like I was on top of the world.

  I stood in front of my newly leased black-on-black Infiniti QX56 truck while on the phone with my agent.

  “How do they feel about the numbers?” I asked eagerly.

  “Since Compromised is outperforming expectations, I’m going to drive up the price of Cold-Blooded. They really want to buy it too. Thing is, we’re going to need more than a hundred and fifty thousand. You deserve a raise, and if you get one, so do I.”

  “Now you’re talking my language,” I said and smiled.

  “I’ll set up a conference call with the executives and get the deal done.”

  “Cool. Let me know when you hear something.”

  As I got off the phone, Mia came out of the spinning glass doors at her job. She smiled when she saw me, and I hugged and kissed her.

  “What are you up to?” she gave me the side eye after she got into the passenger side of the truck.

  I shrugged. “You just have to trust me.”

  I parked the QX56 on a clean residential block despite the questionable surrounding neighborhoods. I blindfolded Mia before we got out of the truck.

  Holding her hand, we walked up the steps of a three-story house; then I pulled the scarf off her eyes.

  “Whose place is this?” she asked.

  “This is ours,” I said proudly.

  “Don’t play with me. Are you freakin’ serious?” she asked, wide-eyed.

  “Very much so.” I put the house key in her palm. “I want us to move in together.”

  Her eyes watered. “What about our apartments?”

  “I’ll buy us out of our rental agreements. Everything will be fine.” I kissed her on the lips.

  “You got everything figured out, huh?”

  “Not everything, but I’m getting there,” I smiled.

  She unlocked the front door and burst into the house. Once she got inside, she took off her shoes and disappeared upstairs.

  I stood at the bottom of the steps, smiling. Now I had to cross my fingers that my agent could keep the gravy train rolling.

  I was living my dreams like I always wanted to.

  August

  I had been calling my agent for two weeks, and he wouldn’t pick up the phone. Pissed off, I parked in front of a drugstore with Tristan asleep in the backseat. My cell phone rang. The caller ID read Anderson.

  “Wow. You’re alive. That’s good to know,” I said sarcastically.

  “You have every right to be mad at me. I didn’t want to call and tell you the bad news about—”

  “Bad news? What bad news?” I asked, cutting him off.

  He took a deep breath.

  My mouth went dry, and I kept tapping my foot.

  “When I couldn’t make a move with them, I had to call you. I tried my hardest, but the deal fell through. We couldn’t come to terms on the money.” He sounded defeated.

  I breathed deeply. “Can you go back to the table and renegotiate with them?” My voice reeked of desperation.

  “I can’t. I tried. Things got pretty heated in the meeting. I have to wait until they cool down or go with someone else entirely. Besides, they aren’t the only show in town.” He tried to remain positive, but I became furious.

  “I understand all that, but whatever you said reflects negatively on me too now. For your sake, you better find me another offer or find yourself another client,” I said before I pressed the end button so hard my thumb hurt.

  * * *

  After I left the drugstore, I pulled up to my mother’s house. With Tristan on my hip, I used the spare key and went in the house.

  My mother came out of the kitchen as we walked in. She kissed me on the cheek and took Tristan from me. We sat on the couch.

  “How have you been?” I asked her.

  “Good. I can’t complain. You?”

  “I thought my agent had another deal on the table, and he told me today it fell through.”

  My mother smiled. “You’ve been the same since you were little. You want things when you want them. Waiting is a foreign concept to you.”

  “Yes, Mom. I’ll admit I’m impatient. I can’t help it.”

  “Well, you better learn some patience because you’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”

  I sighed. “I know. I’m going to try my best to calm down. I just want the deal to be over and done with.” I rubbed my hands on my pants.

  “That’s not all that’s on your mind, is it?”

  I scratched my head. “No, it’s not. I’m thinking about taking my relationship with Mia to the next level.”

  Her face lit up like the Philly skyline at night. “Are you sure? What brought you to this point?”

  “A gut feeling . . . She’s all I think about when I wake up in the morning and when I go to bed at night.”

  “Marriage is a lot more responsibility than just being a boyfriend. You do understand that, right?”

  “I do, and I believe I’m ready for the added responsibility. Naturally, this is the next step for us.”

  “I think you will make a great husband, and she will make a great wife.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  “I’m only keeping it one hundred like you kids say.”

  “You’re out of control.”

  “Have you picked out a ring yet?”

  I smiled. “Not yet, but I plan to.”

  September

  I walked into the his-and-her bathroom and relived myself. After I washed my hands, Mia wrapped her arms around me. Her hands on me always felt good.

  “Good morning,” I said and smiled.

  “Hey, handsome.” She kissed me on the lips and went to her sink.

  Walking up on Mia, I towered over her. She stared at me lustily. We kissed and touched on each other.

  With her back to me, I touched her smooth skin, kissing her collarbone and neck. I palmed her breasts, running all five fingertips over her hard nipples.

  I pulled her panties down, and she helped me undress. She jumped up on the granite countertop and spread-eagle. She brought her clit to life and pinched her nipples. I rubbed myself against her until she begged me to go in.

  I held on to her hips and went in raw. She was so warm, tight, and inviting. I went so hard our skin slapped together and echoed off the walls in the bathroom.

  Still inside her, I carried her to the bedroom and held her against the wall and pounded her for ten more minutes.

  Mia locked her hands and legs around me. I gave her a few more forceful pumps before we both ran out of energy. We looked at each other and shook our heads.

  “What am I going to do with you?” Mia asked.

  “You don’t want me to answer that right now,” I said and laughed.

  My cell phone rang, and when I looked at the caller ID, it said, Anderson.

  I scowled when I saw it was him calling me.

  “What do you want?” I said with attitude.

  “I’ve got good news,” he said excitedly.

  “I’m listening,” I said flatly.

  “Can you meet me at Morton’s Steakhouse in Center City in like an hour?”

  “This news better be worth my time. I’ll be there in an hour.” I ended the call without waiting for a response.

  “Who was that?” Mia asked.

  “My agent.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He wants me to meet him at Morton’s. He supposedly has some good news for me.”

  * * *

  Mia stayed home with Tristan, and I went and met with Anderson at Morton’s. When I got there, he was picking over a burger and fries. We shook hands, and I sat across from him.

  “What’s up?” He sipped his soda.

  “I’m waiting on you to tell me the good news.”

  “Aren’t we in a rush?”

>   “Pretty much.”

  “Okay. I’ll get to it. I met with Thomas Lofton from Gold Standard Entertainment, and we have an offer on the table.”

  “How much are they talking?” I asked. I was still skeptical.

  “Two hundred and fifty thousand. I wanted to push for three hundred, but I didn’t want to screw anything up again.”

  Even though I was mad, I couldn’t help but smile at the good news. He handed me the contract. “As soon as Marshall looks over everything, I’ll get the contract back to you.”

  “No problem. Take as much time as you need.”

  “You should hear from me this week for sure.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I stood up and gave him dap and a hug. I wanted to do a cartwheel I was so happy. With more money on the way, I could definitely get Mia any type of engagement ring I wanted.

  September

  Having a healthy bank account, the woman of my dreams, a new car, and more time with Tristan gave me the peace of mind I always wanted.

  Mia told me she had a surprise lined up for me, and I couldn’t figure it out.

  We drove in silence, and when we got to the Philadelphia International Airport I couldn’t sit still. It wasn’t until the woman on the PA system said, “Now boarding flight 127 to Las Vegas” that I almost lost it. You would’ve thought I was a little kid about to go to Disneyworld.

  I didn’t know anything about Vegas except what they showed on television, but I damn sure wanted to experience it.

  After we got off the plane we hailed a cab to the Bellagio Hotel. The dancing water fountains in front of the hotel and the bright lights of the city had a magnetic pull of their own. You couldn’t help but get swept up in it all. I had a pocket full of cash, a bad woman by my side, and seven days to show my ass in Sin City.

  Once we got into our hotel suite, my jaw dropped to the floor. I turned around and looked at Mia in disbelief. She booked us the penthouse suite.

  I had only stayed in a few hotels in my life, but nothing compared to this place. The room had a whirlpool, granite countertops, minibar, fifty-five-inch television, and electronic curtains.

  She really outdid herself.

  “You didn’t have to do all this,” I said as I put our suitcase in the master bedroom.

  “Yes, I did. I want you to be relaxed. You deserve the time off. Shoot, we both deserve the time off,” she said and smiled.

  “You’re absolutely right.” I invaded her space and grabbed her ass.

  “Don’t start nothing, mister.”

  I kissed her neck and licked her ear.

  “I made . . . I made us dinner reservations. We’ll finish this when we come back,” she said in between moans.

  I softly bit her neck. “You damn right we will.”

  She managed to pull away from me. “You’re too much.”

  Within minutes, we were seated in a dimly lit restaurant downstairs.

  We both ordered the steak and Maine lobster. I wanted a drink like I wanted my next breath, but I restrained myself and had a glass of water with lemon instead.

  I touched Mia’s hand and looked into her eyes. Even in the dimly lit restaurant, she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.

  “If we never met, I don’t know what the hell I would be doing right now,” I said and shook my head.

  “I feel the same way. I didn’t know if I would ever meet someone worth my time. I dated a few guys, but none of them gave me the energy you do.”

  She spoke so passionately and honestly she turned me on.

  “Well, you already know my history. I think it was meant for us to bump into each other that day at the coffee shop.”

  “Let’s toast to finding each other.”

  We raised our glasses and touched them together. I finished off my water, and she drank her cranberry juice.

  “I have another surprise for you,” she said.

  “Do you now?”

  “Oh, I do. I’m going to visit the spa first so give me until 10:00 o’clock and meet me back upstairs,” she said before she got up and kissed me on the cheek.

  After I paid the dinner bill, I explored the Bellagio’s entertainment.

  I wasn’t a fan of wasting money, but I spent a few dollars on slot machines and a couple of rounds of blackjack.

  After I blew $150, I strolled into the Café Bellagio and bought an Espresso Macchiato.

  I spent the rest of the time walking around the hotel, looking at the water fountains outside and exploring.

  I came across Tiffany & Co. The store attendants gave me room to window-shop. There were many exquisite watches, bracelets, and rings in the display cases. One ring in particular caught my eye in the middle of the case. The small diamonds sparkled in the light, and I imagined the rocks on Mia’s finger. I didn’t have to wait. This was the one.

  An avalanche of emotions hit me all at once. Although we were young, I wanted to grow old with Mia. There wasn’t a better way to show my commitment to her than to put a ring on her finger and make us official.

  Without hesitation, I dropped $7,500 on the engagement ring and walked out of the store smiling from ear to ear. I didn’t plan on rushing the proposal, but I would always have the ring for whenever I was ready.

  A little before 10:00 p.m., I went and took the elevator back up to our floor. The anticipation had my heart jackhammering in my chest because I didn’t know what Mia had up her sleeve.

  When I got into our hotel suite, I smelled lavender-scented candles and heard TLC’s “Red Light Special” playing in the background.

  When Mia stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a pink matching bra and panty set, I almost lost it. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder like a caveman.

  “You like what you see?” she asked and spun around so I could see all of her.

  I responded by grabbing her waist and kissing her passionately on the lips. She helped me undress. Minutes later, we were wrapped in the sheets making love under the moonlight overlooking the dancing water fountains outside. It felt like an out-of-body experience. By the time we were done, nine more songs had played and the candle had burned down quite a bit.

  Mia slept peacefully as I held her in my arms.

  I’m glad we came to Vegas.

  October

  I sat on the couch and looked through a pile of mail. Mia was at work, and I had the house all to myself.

  The first envelope was a check. The next two envelopes were bills. The last one didn’t have a return address printed on it.

  That was weird.

  I took a deep breath and opened the envelope.

  When I saw 99.9 percent the father, I broke down and cried because Austin was Tristan’s biological father. I balled the paper up and threw it across the room. I sat there on the couch until there were no more tears to cry.

  I felt an uncontrollable rage building within me.

  Revenge was the only option. I wanted blood so badly I could taste it. I wiped my eyes and ran upstairs, got on my computer, and Googled gun laws and how to purchase a gun in Pennsylvania. Surprisingly enough, I found out the process wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The gun store I found with Google Maps was close to my house.

  I hit pay dirt.

  I got to the gun store and rushed inside. The bell on the door jingled, and a silver-haired, overweight white man greeted me with a smile.

  “What can I do for you, young man?” he asked like he was happy to have a customer.

  “Hello, sir, I’m interested in purchasing a gun.” My adrenaline spiked when I thought about killing Essence and her boyfriend in cold blood.

  “Well, if it’s guns you want, you’ve come to the right place, son. Let me show you some of our merchandise.” He came from behind the counter and walked me over to a glass case in the back that held a bunch of different guns.

  “Did you have a particular gun in mind?” the store owner asked.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Depends on
what you’re going to use it for,” he said uneasily.

  I smiled. “Just for target practice. Nothing major, sir,” I assured him.

  “Then I’d suggest the .45-caliber pistol. At your size and your weight, you can handle the kickback. Plus the weapon is pretty popular.”

  “How much do I owe you?” I reached into my pocket.

  He took the gun out of the case and wrapped it up for me.

  “I can let the gun go for two hundred and fifty, and I’ll throw in some free ammunition. How’s that sound?”

  “Sounds good to me.” I gave him my debit card and waited for him to take payment and run my background check.

  After a few minutes, my background check came back clean without any red flags. I signed all the paperwork and went on my way.

  As soon as I got in my truck, I took the gun out of the bag. Holding the gun in my hand made me feel powerful. I put it in the glove box and drove to Essence’s house in New Jersey.

  I blew through all the lights and ignored the people who honked their horns and cursed at me.

  I was a man on a mission.

  * * *

  I parked across the street from her house. I had a clear view of her front door. There were two cars parked behind each other in her driveway. I knew who the other car belonged to.

  I put the clip into the gun like I saw on the Internet how-to video and put the gun in the small of my back. The faint sound of a New Jersey Transit bus rumbled behind me as I crossed the street. Essence’s lights were on inside. She and Austin walked around in the living room.

  When I walked up her steps, the porch light cut on, scaring the hell out of me. I banged on her door. My heart jackhammered inside of my chest. I touched the gun. I heard a song that sounded familiar. The song abruptly cut off.

  I knocked again.

  Austin opened the door and stood there smirking.

  The anticipation of shooting them was killing me.

  “What’s up, Stepdad?” he smirked.

  Seeing red, I clocked him in the head with the gun, and he crumpled to the ground.

  I stepped inside the house and closed the door. Essence knelt beside Austin on the ground when she saw the blood on his head.