In actuality she never had a job interview. This particular day Keisha’s victim was supposed to be the bank executive Mr. Cooper. And Tina was there as a decoy, a companion just in case their plan fell through so it wouldn’t seem suspicious. Mr. Cooper was going to be their next meal ticket.
“You have grown into a lovely young lady. I almost didn’t recognize you. So now you think that you are too grown to give your uncle a hug.”
Keisha gave him a tight squeeze. She missed her uncle dearly. He always came to her defense whenever her father would always chastise her as a child. But to sway the attention from herself, Keisha raked her fingers through her hair, giving Tina the SOS signal. Tina sashayed her way over and Patrick turned his attention to her greeting her with a big smile.
“Tina, this is my Uncle Patrick, the CEO of Top Dot Records.”
Tina eyes radiated when she heard the title he held. He stretched his hand forward to greet her with a handshake but Tina embraced him with a tight hug instead.
The elevator door opened and Keisha’s attention drifted and she zoomed in on Mr. Cooper. Make contact, followed by an apology; then get him weak in the knees with seduction. Keisha went over the steps in her head on how to catch her victim, but today she watched him leave the building, escaping her trap. Tomorrow is another day. I will get you under my spell. She brought her attention back to her uncle, and Tina was getting really friendly.
Keisha grabbed her arm, pulling her away, because she wasn’t going to let Tina get her claws into her uncle’s pocket. Not only that, but Patrick would give Tina whatever she desired and Keisha wasn’t going to let that happen. Keisha had to be on top even if that meant holding her friend back. She had no loyalty to anyone. She used people for whatever they could offer her at the moment with no regard for their feelings. She had no female friends except for Tina, who was her rookie in training. Keisha didn’t mind her tagging along or sharing the spotlight because Keisha called the shots. Tina only got whatever or whoever Keisha didn’t want. Tina idolized Keisha and wouldn’t want to feel her wrath if she was to go against her.
“Tina was just leaving to go meet up with a client for lunch,” Keisha informed Patrick.
“I was?” Tina asked in confusion.
Keisha grabbed her arm, leading her to the door. “My uncle is off-limits.” She hastily rejoined her uncle with her arms open wide and embraced him with a hug. “I’m so happy to see you, Uncle.”
Keisha wasn’t family oriented. She had no family values. The only things valuable to her were her clothes and jewelry. She hadn’t seen her family in years, ever since she ran away from home as a teenager. Keisha was from a middle-class family. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a social worker. Her father was a stern man who ruled with an iron fist. There was nothing more important than getting an education and he wanted his daughter to follow in his footsteps. But Keisha had different plans for her life, none that her father would ever approve of. She wanted to get away from her father’s rules and laws, but in order for her to do that she needed money and she knew exactly where to get it. On her seventeenth birthday she conjured up a plan to blackmail her father’s business partner into giving her a large sum of money. It wasn’t hard for her to pull it off and it took little planning. He was a married man with a lust for younger girls and she used it to her advantage. She convinced him to meet with her and it would be their little secret. He fell for it and honestly it didn’t take much convincing. Once she had him where she wanted him, she took incriminating pictures of him. She threatened to send them to his wife and showed them to her father if he didn’t comply with her wishes. She wanted $35,000 for her silence and he gave it to her with no hesitation. That was just the beginning of her many schemes to come.
There were two empty chairs in the fancy decorated lobby. Keisha led her uncle to sit. He was in awe to see her all grown up. She was now thirty years old and no longer his little niece. She was now a grown woman. They chitchatted about their lives and she even elaborated on her pretend job as an editor at the nonexistent magazine company she was working for. She didn’t want him to know that she was a schemer because he would be so disappointed in her. Keisha knew her uncle was a cash machine and she wasn’t going to let him leave without getting him to write her a fat check.
At this point she regretted cutting her uncle out her life. But she felt as if to get a clean break from her father she had to cut all ties with everyone. She didn’t want anyone giving up her whereabouts. But now she was a grown woman who was no longer in hiding.
“Uncle, I’m tapped out of money and I need help with my rent.”
Patrick didn’t hesitate; he quickly took out his checkbook. “Fill in the amount you need.” She did as she was told with a smile on her face. She passed the checkbook back to him and he chuckled. “That’s a lot of money!”
“That’s just loose change to you.”
Patrick adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. He filled out the check then ripped it out of the checkbook. Keisha stretched her hand forward but Patrick put the check into his pocket. Keisha wore a look of confusion.
“I have a business proposition and I think you have the perfect skill for the job.”
“Job?” she repeated as if she didn’t hear him clearly. The word gave her an instant migraine. Keisha never had a job, nor was she interested in having one. She always depended on her looks and so far she was doing great. Keisha had men eating out of the palm of her hand and for her selfish pleasure. She viewed her manicure nails and the thought of doing work made her want to hurl. “But I already have a job.”
Patrick patted her hand. “This is a weekend position and you already have the skills for the job.”
Keisha wrinkled her brow in curiosity. “A magazine editor?” She searched his face for an answer.
“No. Something more exciting.”
Keisha pouted her lips and squeezed them together. “You got my attention.”
He held her hand in his. “There are a few young talents that I want to sign to my label but there are two who are playing hardball.”
“I don’t see where I fit in.”
“Simple, your job will be to get him to sign with my label.”
“I’m listening.” She adjusted her body to face him.
“All you have to do is go to a party or two and get their attention and convince them to sign.”
“How would I do that? I know nothing about the business.”
“You are underestimating yourself. You are very attractive and that’s good enough.”
“I’m still not following.” Keisha shook her head from side to side and pushed her shoulders upward.
“Okay, listen. These entertainers have a weakness for beautiful women. Look at you. How would they be able to resist?”
“Now you are speaking my language. This is a position that I’m more than willing to accept, so when do I start?” Her eyes were glowing and excitement took over her body.
“I know I would be able to count on you but under no circumstance can they know that you are my niece.”
“I have no problem with that. I can reel them in on my own.”
“Well if you can reel Bling in I’ll owe you big. He has a little island flava. The other artist I also need to sign, his name is Hype. He’s young but he has what it takes to sell albums.”
“How young are we talking? I look too good to go to jail, especially for seducing a minor.”
“Come on, Keisha, you are my niece. I wouldn’t put you in a predicament like that.”
“How young is he?”
“Twenty-three,” he said while coughing.
“Seriously, Uncle, no, I won’t. Seem as if you forgot that I’m thirty years old.”
“Come on, he is way over twenty-one. Beside he’s a hothead and loves a pretty woman. I see him in action at the clubs.”
“So why don’t you just throw in a few more dollars on the signing bonus and maybe you can catch him that way?”
�
��I’ve tried but he’s not biting. Everybody is talking about doing independent records. It’s taking money from my pocket. Do you know what a hit song does for my pocket?
I can only imagine what you are going to do for my pocket. If I bring these artists to him he will bring the Benjamins to me. After all, “it’s all about the Benjamins, baby.”
“Once they sign on the dotted line, then and only then you can have that five thousand dollar check.”
“C.O.D. Cash on delivery.”
“You have the mentality of a hustler. I like that. So are you going to give me your friend’s number?”
Keisha got up and hung her pocketbook over her shoulder. “She’s a gold digger.”
“I have some loose change to spare.” They both laughed.
Keisha departed from her uncle, exuding confidence because she was up for the challenge. Keisha walked to the parking lot where Tina was awaiting her in the car. But before she could get her foot in the car Tina lashed out at her. “Why the hell did you dismiss me like that?” Tina questioned.
“I wanted to talk to my uncle in private. Is there a problem?” Keisha searched her for answers. “Are you interested in my uncle?” Keisha laughed and refreshed her lip gloss in the mirror.
“What if I am?”
“Don’t waste your time because you are not on his level.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tina was disturbed by Keisha’s statement. “Are you saying I’m not good enough to date your uncle?”
Tina’s persona changed as she stared at Keisha with a look of dismay, but Keisha looked at her and laughed even harder. “Are you serious? Do you honestly think that you are on his level?”
“And what level is that?”
Keisha flipped the mirror up. “You know you’re not wife material.”
Tina was infuriated and hurt by the statement. She put her shades on because her eyes told exactly what her heart felt at the moment. Keisha drove out of the parking lot and turned her music up. Tina sat in her seat as an obedient child. Yes, her feelings were hurt, but she knew better than to prolong the conversation. It was as if she was in a cult and Keisha was the leader or she was under a spell. She idolized Keisha and Keisha’s word was the law. Tina dismissed her anger and replaced it with the tainted belief that Keisha was right.
They left the bank and headed to Rootsman Kitchen to get some Jamaican food; but Keisha suddenly changed her mind and quickly jammed on her brakes to do a three-point turn.
“Are you trying to kill me?” Tina screamed as she placed her hand on the dashboard to brace herself from going through the windshield because she wasn’t wearing her seat belt.
“I just remembered I have to run to the mall.” Keisha had taken the offer from her uncle and she had to find the perfect dress that would have this guy drooling like a puppy. She had no doubt in herself that she would have him in her uncle’s office ready to sign on the dotted line. She was now driving up Park Avenue approaching the light at Park and Capital. She made the right turn even though the sign clearly stated NO TURN ON RED. She crossed over Madison and was now at Capital and Main, sitting at the light.
She looked over at Tina to see if she had falling asleep because she wasn’t saying a word. Her eyes were wide open but Keisha could tell that Tina would have rather been somewhere else than hanging with her at this moment, but Keisha knew Tina didn’t have the guts to speak her mind.
Keisha viewed her makeup in the rearview mirror for the second time. The light had turned green and the car behind her honked for her to go. She stuck her middle finger up and accelerated at her convenience.
A big sign that highlighted Westfield Shopping Mall Trumbull stood high for all to see. Keisha got into her left lane turning into the mall entrance. The parking lot was crowded for the simple reason that it was Friday afternoon and everyone was trying to find an outfit for the weekend. She drove into a few rows before seeing a car pulling out of a space. She noticed another car waiting for the spot but that wasn’t going to stop her from getting it. Keisha swung into the space before the car that was already waiting could get it.
“You fucking bitch!” the lady hollered.
Keisha laughed and put her car in park. The lady was heated. She called Keisha every name possible. Keisha got out of the car and the woman was in a rage.
“I should run over your stupid ass,” she hollered out the window.
“Take your sloppy ass home,” Tina said in Keisha’s defense.
Keisha entered the mall with her head held high and treated the hallway as a runway. The shoppers and window shoppers were her audience. Keisha summoned Tina to be her personal assistant. Express was her first stop.
“I need that one, that one, and this one.” Tina found Keisha sizes in the dresses she pointed to. She didn’t attempt to enter the fitting room because she didn’t have to second-guess her size. She was confident that every item would be a perfect fit. Tina was step-by-step with Keisha to the register and placed the dresses on the counter.
“I’ll take all these.”
The cashier had a suspicious look on her face. “Are you aware that these are our newest arrivals and they are not on sale?”
“But I know that you are. What street corner do you work on after work?” she snapped back at the cashier.
The cashier irately scanned the items and tossed them into the shopping bags. She announced the total to be $448. “Will that be credit?” she asked with an attitude, rolling her eyes.
“No, bitch, cash.” Keisha took $500 out of her purse and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change, bitch!” She took her bags and walked away.
Keisha paid for everything with cash. She also liked to see the looks on everyone’s faces when she racked up a big bill and paid for everything with cash. It gave her a natural high to see their mouths open wide and their eyes turn green with envy. It was a known fact that most women hated her but secretly wanted to be like her. She leisurely walked into every store and exited with multiple bags.
Victoria’s Secret was the last stop on her list. She liked to show off her body not only in public but also in the bedroom. She purchased several fragrances and lingerie of all colors and styles before leaving the store. Her phone started to ring in her pocketbook and she struggled to get it. She had more shopping bags than she had hands to carry them. A man stood talking on his phone in the hallway and she summoned him to assist her.
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and hold my bags?”
He quickly ended his phone call and ran to her rescue as if he was under her spell. She got to her cell phone and answered it.
“Hi, Uncle. Don’t worry, the plan is still in motion.” She bolted into another store and Tina and the man walked behind her like dogs following their master.
“Actually, I just bought the perfect outfit. He definitely won’t be able to resist this time.” She pointed to a necklace and the man picked it up for her. They walked to the register. “He will sign on the dotted lines. I can promise you that.”
“That will be $99.99. Will that be cash or credit?” the cashier said.
Keisha turned to the man. “Will that be cash or credit?”
The man stuttered his words and replied, “Cred . . . credit.” He took out his wallet and swiped his card.
Keisha walked out of the store, still talking on her phone. “You can count on me. You owe me big time plus a tip.”
She finished her conversation and the man followed them to the car. She wrote on a piece of paper, folded it, and gave it to the man, then drove off. He wore a big smile as he unfolded the paper. His smile quickly faded as he read the note:
You should be grateful that I let you carry my bags.
Keisha’s iPhone rang in her pocketbook and she told Tina to get it. Tina shuffled through makeup and other personal items before she found the phone. “It’s Nikki,” Tina said.
“Ask her what the hell her boring ass wants.”
“Hi, Nikki. What’s up, gir
l?” She paused to hear what Nikki had to say. “Nikki wants to know if you need anything from the diner.”
“The diner. Even her meals are boring. No, thank you, Mother Teresa.”
Chapter 4
Nikki ended the conversation with Tina and held her hand up, signaling a waiter. She was ready to place her order. Hunger had consumed her. She was at the library studying since the sun came up and hadn’t eaten yet. The diner wasn’t full to capacity. You could count on one hand the amount of people who sat down for lunch. A young couple shared a kiss and a middle-aged man sat by himself, eating a sandwich. Her eyes met with his and he blew a kiss at her. She quickly turned her head and was greeted by the waiter.
“Will you be having your regular?”
She nodded in agreement. Nikki frequented the diner and her order was the same every time: a chicken salad with fries and a Sprite. Yes, you could call her plain Jane, the procrastinator, and you could toss in goody-goody. A man entered the diner, talking on his phone with his conversation on high. She looked up only to see that it was Mark. She hid her face with a book, hoping that he didn’t see her, because she had no intention of ever holding a conversation with him again.
Mark and his friend Allan walked past her table, but Mark recognized the book and made a U-turn when he realized that it was Nikki. “We meet again. Is it fate or coincidence?”
She dropped her arm, revealing her face. “Neither, but once again, I’m rudely interrupted. How may I help you?”
Mark was intrigued by her. This was his second chance to make a good impression. He wanted to take her attention from her books that now had turned into the only things that mattered to her.
“I passed by your street a couple of time hoping to catch a glimpse of you but you never grace me with your beauty.”
She rolled her eyes, uninterested in his shallow conversation. “Do I need to call the police to report a stalker?”
He smiled. “I’m here to have lunch just like you; or maybe you’re thinking I’m here to try to get you to go out on a date with me.”
Kiss Me on the Inside Page 3