Alexis sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I don’t even feel like sharing my good news with you. I come in here all excited, wanting to tell you about my engagement, thinking you’d be happy for me and support me, but no, you don’t even congratulate me.”
Damn, she sure knows how to make a girl feel bad. “I apologize, Alexis. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Alexis pouted. “You don’t mean it.”
Champagne stood up, walked over to Alexis, grabbed her hands, and looked her in the eyes. “I love you, girl, and I am happy for you. I’m just concerned and scared. What if—”
“Let’s not do the what-ifs.” Alexis pulled her hands away. “I could ‘what if’ my relationship to death. Hell, I could ‘what if’ our friendship, I could ‘what if’ life, and it’ll get me nowhere.”
Champagne threw up her hands. “Okay, you’re right. I’m being an ass. I apologize. Let’s start over.” Champagne pulled Alexis out of the chair.
Alexis frowned. “What are you doing?”
“We’re starting over. Go to the door and act like you just walked in.”
“Are you serious?”
“Come on, please.” Champagne wanted to make it right.
Alexis decided to play along. She stood up and walked to the door.
“Go ahead.”
Alexis came running toward her. “Oh, girl, guess what?”
“What?”
Alexis stuck her hand in Champagne’s face and wiggled her fingers. “I’m engaged.”
Champagne threw her arms around Alexis. “I’m so happy for you. Let me see the ring again.”
Knowing they sounded phony as hell, they both started laughing, and Alexis thanked Champagne for trying.
Alexis sat down and turned serious. “Listen, I know you love me and that you worry.”
“I also think you deserve the best God has to offer.”
“How do you know it’s not Khalil?”
Champagne felt like rolling her eyes but didn’t want to hurt Alexis’ feelings again. “You know what, you’re right. I don’t know. He just may be the one intended for you.”
Alexis gave Champagne a hug, stood up, and started walking toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Champagne asked. “You just got here.”
“I love you, girl, but I’ve got to run. I just wanted to stop by and share my news with you.”
Champagne told Alexis she loved her too and walked her to the door. The second she got back into her office, Champagne picked up the phone to call Zyair but he wasn’t available.
She needed to speak to someone about this engagement and the only other person she knew that would care was Thomas. Damn! Think, Champagne, what’s his number?
Champagne closed her eyes to try and recall the number. Snapping her fingers, she opened her eyes and dialed a number. Thomas picked up the phone.
Champagne didn’t even say hello. “Can you believe he asked her to marry him?”
“Who the hell is this?” Thomas yelled into the phone.
“It’s me, Champagne.”
“Oh. What’s up?”
“Alexis got engaged to that Khalil guy.”
“Repeat what you just said.”
“I said Alexis got engaged to that Khalil dude.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You didn’t tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“About the porno and the swingers club.”
“Thomas, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What porno, and what does it have to do with Alexis?”
“I told Zyair.”
“Will you tell me what the hell you’re talking about.” Talking in circles was getting on Champagne’s last nerve.
“The young lady I was with at your dinner party, remember she kept saying she thought she knew him from somewhere?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it turns out she knows him from this swingers club she goes to occasionally, and on top of that he used to be a porn star.”
Champagne almost dropped the phone. “You told Zyair about this?”
“I told him to tell you.”
“You know what, let me call you back.” Champagne went to hang up the phone but she heard Thomas yell in the background, “Wait!”
“What?”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“You’re damn right, I am.”
“Let me ask you this, would you want to know without proof? And before you say yes, think about it. You know how you women are. You have to see it to believe it or have hard evidence.”
“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” She hated that he was right. “So what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to get evidence. My girl thought she had the movie he was in, but she doesn’t. I’ll try to locate it, and in the meantime, we can go to the swingers club.”
Champagne pulled the phone away from her ear. “I know you’re crazy. There is no way in hell I’m going to one of those places with you.”
Thomas laughed.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“Girl, please . . . I’m not trying to have Zyair kill me.
“What I was thinking about is casing the joint, maybe even setting him up.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“Diamond will help us.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, then set something up with her. Call me and let me know what and I’ll do whatever I have to do, short of going inside the swingers place.”
“Cool.”
“Thomas?”
“Yes?”
“Diamond was your date, right? Why would she help you?”
“Don’t worry about that. She and I are good friends. Plus, she owes me one.”
After hanging up, Champagne picked up the phone to call Zyair again. Before she could dial the number, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
It was Candy, “Didn’t you say you wanted to meet with me today?”
“Yes, give me about twenty minutes. Bring with you the research information you did.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Champagne was unable to reach Zyair. What the hell is he up to? Is he that busy that he couldn’t call me today? She was pissed off at him and needed him to know it. How dare he have information about Khalil and not share it with her? She could hear him now, “It’s not our place, and it’s not our business.”
That’s some bullshit. Her best friend is her business.
Chapter Twenty-two
“My Prerogative” Bobby Brown
“Why haven’t you answered my phone calls?” Champagne asked Zyair when she was finally able to reach him. “I’ve been trying to call you all day.”
“Remember I told you I have a couple of meetings today? You know I’m trying to get financial backers.” Champagne forgot all about it. She’d been so consumed with herself. She almost felt bad for not really listening to Zyair, but not so bad that she’d hold back her wrath. “How come you didn’t tell me what Thomas told you about Khalil?”
“I didn’t know whether I should or not.”
“You didn’t know?”
“That’s what I said.” Zyair wasn’t digging the tone of Champagne’s voice. He’d been dealing with assholes all day, begging for money, and to now be putting up with some bullshit wasn’t going to fly with him. “Listen, I think you need to stay out of this whole AlexisKhalil affair.”
Champagne couldn’t believe he would say that, knowing how close they were. “So, you’re telling me if you knew something about one of the women Thomas was messing with you wouldn’t say anything?”
“Listen,” Zyair said, “I’ve had a long day, and I’m really not in the mood for a confrontation.”
Before Champagne could answer him, Shay buzzed in.
“Hold on,” Champagne told Zyair. “Who is it?”
“It’s someone named Sharon.”
/> Champagne picked up the line Zyair was on and told him she’d call him back, that a client was on the other line. Why she lied, she didn’t know, especially since she could have called Sharon back.
As soon as Champagne came back on the line, Sharon said, “What’s up, sexy?”
“You.” Where that reply came from, Champagne had no idea.
“So did you tell your man about me?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“Honestly, I think he’s having mixed feelings.”
“Mixed or jealous feelings?”
“Both.”
“So what’s the final verdict?”
“Here’s what I was thinking. Why don’t you stop by his restaurant for a drink this weekend? That way you two can meet, and we’ll take it from here.”
“I can do that.”
They continued to make small talk and hung up about fifteen minutes later.
What are you doing? Champagne asked herself. She needed to just drop this whole thing, but she was like a woman possessed.
She didn’t know if she should bring it up again when she arrived home. She didn’t want Zyair to let his imagination run too wild and start thinking she was going to do this with or without him. A part of her was thinking about doing just that but she didn’t want to go behind his back. She preferred to be upfront about everything. She didn’t like being secretive, and that’s why she wanted to tell Alexis what she knew.
Champagne called into the intercom, “Candy!” She needed an outsider’s opinion. “Come here please.”
Ten seconds later, Candy was walking in the office.
“Yes?”
“Let me ask you a question. If you knew that your friend’s mate did some things in the past that were just foul and may potentially be doing them now, would you tell them?”
Candy didn’t need to think about it at all. “What I would do is get hardcore evidence. Or I’d let the person know what I know, and that if they don’t tell, I will. I’ll give that person the room to come clean.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Candy stood waiting. “Is there anything else?”
“Nope. Nothing else.”
Champagne hoped Thomas would hurry up and call her back. She didn’t want to walk around carrying this burden, withholding important information from a friend.
* * *
In his office, Zyair was agitated, and all Champagne did was agitate him even more. How did she know what Thomas told him? There was only one way and that’s Thomas’ ass. Zyair picked up his phone and dialed the number.
The answering service came on.
“Call me. I want to know what you told Champagne and when you told her.”
As he was hanging up the telephone, DaNeen poked her head in the office. “You have a minute?”
“I do,” he told her.
She stepped in. “When do you think we’ll be able to sit down and go over my business plan?”
“We can do it tonight,” Zyair said, not in a rush to get home just to be told off.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out or anything.”
“Nah, I’m sure. What’s your schedule for today?”
“I get off at seven.”
“Well, come by my office then.”
DaNeen said, “Thank you,” and walked away.
Zyair found himself following her with his eyes. What am I doing?
* * *
Champagne was exhausted. The past couple of weeks were draining. She’d set up her office, got adjusted to her new environment, hired new employees, met a prospective lover, and found out her best friend was engaged to a man she couldn’t stand and didn’t know why.
She also entertained a couple of her former clients who stopped by, brought gifts, and expressed interest in becoming her client exclusively. They told her that they stayed with Jackson because of her. She just felt, though, that she needed to be careful and not take on too many clients. But, then again, what was “enough”? Champagne walked through the front door of her house, dropped her briefcase near the couch, and went straight to the kitchen. She kicked off her shoes and went over to the cabinet for a wineglass, placed it on the counter and went to the refrigerator and took out her bottle of Moscato, an inexpensive, but smooth wine.
Zyair sometimes got on her about drinking cheap wine but she just ignored him. She’d drink whatever she felt like drinking. After pouring a glass, she headed toward the living room. Suddenly, she turned around and grabbed the whole bottle.
Once in the living room, Champagne placed the bottle on the coffee table, stretched out on the chaise, and proceeded to sip her wine.
The next thing you know, she was being awakened by Zyair. “Hey, sleepy head.” He kissed her on the forehead.
Champagne sat up and glanced at the time on the television. It read 1:32 a.m. “You’re just now getting home?”
Zyair sat at the end of the chaise. “Yeah. I thought I would be home earlier, but two of my coworkers got into it in front of the customers and I had to intervene.”
Champagne glanced at the empty bottle next to her.
No wonder she fell out.
Zyair followed her gaze. “I see you had a party by yourself.”
“I was trying to unwind,” Champagne said, pulling herself up off the couch. She grabbed the bottle and her empty glass and headed toward the kitchen, Zyair following right behind her. She placed the bottle and glass on the counter.
Zyair didn’t feel like walking on eggshells. “Do you want to talk about this Alexis thing? I don’t want it to blow out of proportion, and you hold on to being upset with me.”
“No. I have to make up my own mind about how I want to handle this.”
Relieved, Zyair turned to walk away.
“But,” Champagne started, turning him back around, “I am still upset that you knew about it and didn’t tell me.”
“Well, how did you know I knew anything?”
Champagne went on to tell him about Alexis coming to the office and announcing her engagement.
Even he was surprised and thought it was too soon for that.
“So I had to call Thomas to tell him.”
Zyair wasn’t buying it. “You called him because you knew he would react.”
Champagne didn’t deny it. This bothered Zyair. She wasn’t one to call up his boys, and for her to call Thomas over something like this, he knew she was up to no good.
“Don’t go destroying friendships behind this mess.”
Champagne whined, “I’m not.”
“I hope not.” Zyair turned to walk away then stopped. “Are you getting ready to go to bed?” He placed his hand on the small of her back.
From the low tone of his voice and from the way he was looking at her, Champagne knew he was in the mood. All she was in the mood for was a quickie. Not wanting to let him down, she asked him, “Are you making me a proposition?”
“Of course.”
“Well”—Champagne placed her hands on the front of his pants and grabbed his penis—“I have a proposition for you.” She could feel him getting excited.
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t we do it right here, right now? All I have to do is pull my skirt up and bend over. How’d you like that?” Champagne started to unbutton his pants.
“I thought maybe I could take a shower first.”
“Well, I think you can take a shower afterward. Come on, let’s be spontaneous.” She had his pants and underwear down, and Zyair stood at attention.
“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.”
Champagne turned around, pulled up her wrinkled skirt, and pulled down her panties. “Do your thing, baby.”
Zyair couldn’t get into her fast enough. “How do you want it?”
“Fast and hard.” Champagne started moving back into him.
Neither of them said a word, until Zyair exploded inside her. “Damn!” was all he could say as he pulled out.
Chapter Twenty-three
/>
“Turn Off The Lights” Teddy Pendergrass
The following morning at the breakfast table, Champagne decided, To hell with it. She said to Zyair, “Can I call Sharon and have her come by tonight?”
“Why tonight?” Why is she asking me this now, he wondered. Why did tonight have to be the night? Didn’t I put it down in the bedroom last night?
“Honestly?”
“Yes, honestly.”
“I keep thinking about it, and I want to move past it. I think the only way to do that is to do it.”
Zyair realized that this was something that wasn’t going to go away. There was no way out, and he too was ready to end this chapter, so he agreed.
“Are you sure?”
Zyair felt like he really didn’t have a choice in the matter, so he told her he was positive.
Later that afternoon, Champagne called Sharon and told her, “Tonight’s the night.”
“He said it was okay?”
“Yes.”
“Are we meeting at your house?”
“Yes.”
“Champagne, are you sure about this? You think he’s going to be able to handle it?”
“He handled it in Jamaica.”
“Yeah, but this time is different. This time it’s on the home front.”
“I don’t think he would have agreed to it if he couldn’t handle it.”
“All right, if you say so.”
Champagne proceeded to give Sharon directions to her address, and the time she should arrive.
That day Champagne wasn’t able to focus on anything at the office. Her mind kept drifting, imagining what was going to happen. Thank God, it was Friday, because had it been any other day, her clients would have been shit out of luck.
The day couldn’t go by fast enough, and when the time came for it to go down, Champagne and Zyair were walking around the house in total silence and anticipation. He was dressed comfortably in sweats and a T-shirt, and she had on a shirt-dress, with nothing underneath.
“How do you think it’s going to start?” she asked him.
“I don’t know,” Zyair told her. “Let just let whatever happens happen naturally.”
Champagne agreed. From that point on, she started watching the clock, waiting for Sharon to arrive.
From the time Sharon walked through the door, Zyair felt like a third wheel. Sharon came bearing gifts for Champagne, handing her flowers and candy.
Turned Out Saga Page 15