All I Want... Is You (22 page)

Cori sarcastically laughed at me as if she was expecting me to say something like that to her. “I

don’t know what weak females you’ve been dealing with in the past, D, but I’m not about to let some toothpick of a female think that she can run me away from something that I know is a good thing.”

She kissed me softly across my lips, feeling my heart beating against her hand. She grinned after she broke from the kiss, whispering in my ear, “Even though I’m sharing this with someone that I’m falling for, I know who this heart beats for, and that’s all I need to know. Now, if you make this up to me by giving me a massage when we get home, I’ll forgive you anything.”

A few weeks later…

~Cori~

It was the night of the release party at the Parker estate.

To say that I was nervous was saying a lot.

A lot of Mr. Parker and Mr. Richton’s high-powered friends and associates in the music industry would be there.

All to see the group.

Talk about pressure?

The showcases were nothing in comparison to what we were about to go through.

Tonight was all about us.

We were definitely ready for the spotlight. We worked too hard to not be ready, too many years as a group.

There was nowhere to go but up.

But first, I had some things to take care of.

Even though Toni and Derrick told me about the situation with Tina and how it got handled, I still felt the need to put a scare into the little twit to make sure that she stayed out of grown folks business. So, I took the video that Toni had of Tina and threatened her with it.

And not just any threat, but something that could have gone viral.

The look in her eyes was priceless; she had no idea that I would go so far, but the pampered princess clearly thought that good girls always played fair.

Like my keychain has written on it:
51% Angel, 49% Bitch
.

She got the message loud and clear after watching her performance.

The next thing I needed to do was to have a come to Jesus meeting with Tracie, because it was obvious that she didn’t learn her lesson the first time around. The fucked up part of that was we wouldn’t be able to have that issue resolved until we got to the release party.

One way or another, something had to give, and I wasn’t about to be the one to do the giving. For the good of the group, there was no other choice in the matter.

That left one last person to deal with.

Troy.

He really didn’t give up, even after the issue at the Velvet Room that night when Derrick whooped his ass. He kept leaving messages, on my cell phone, at home on my machine, it was crazy.

So I did the one thing that I didn’t think I would need to do until we started hitting the circuit or on tour.

I went to the DeKalb County PD and filed for a restraining order.

I had the saved messages, and the behavior at the club was caught on a cell phone and sent to me (Candace is the bomb, I swear). By the time I was done with the chat with the police detectives, including one that had been following the group since we were doing the underground parties, Troy wouldn’t be able to come within 50 feet or be in the same venue as where I was going to be without violating the restraining order.

It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but when he threatened to hit me when I walked away from him at the club, there was no other alternative.

I wasn’t about to become that chick that couldn’t make up her mind that she wanted an ex-boyfriend out of her life and range of sight or not.

I wanted Troy gone from my world, without the possibility of return.

I was a little worried that the entertainment blogs would get wind of this and try to make this more than what it should be, but my safety was more important.

I had to start thinking like a star.

Dealing with Tracie would be something entirely different, and a little harder to handle because we were supposed to be closer than the way things turned out.

She’s been standing in my backyard way too long, throwing stones when she’s been living in her own glass house.

She needed to be aware that – for the good of the group – it had to come to an end… and ASAP is not soon enough.

I’d been to release parties before.

But not like
this
.

Mr. Parker’s estate was situated up in Buford, which was about an hour north of Atlanta.

And I thought Mr. Richton liked living lavishly?

Mr. Parker was even bigger about his palace.

The place was set on at least ten acres, and most of it was flattened out with cabanas and gazebos all over the place. The house itself looked like something out of an architecture magazine, complete with a bay window and balcony over the front door.

And that was just the outside of the house.

Kyra was just as awestruck as the rest of us, after she finished viewing the pictures of the house. “Okay, we need to get the stars out of our eyes and act like this is just another gig.

That was kinda hard when he sent for all of us in the stretch Cadillac Escalade limousine to ride up to the place.

On at least three different radio stations (believe me, Tracie and I checked), the deejays made mention of our album release party happening, even though it would be invitation only. But what we didn’t know was that Mr. Parker had released some rare invitations to be given out to people who called into the radio station to be a part of the event.

The stations loved the hit single that we put out in advance of the album release, “Do You Wanna?”, and the public kept requesting it on the request countdowns.

Despite all the highs that we were going through, and that was all happening before we even got to the party, I still had to get the last of my to-do list taken care of.

While Kyra and Candace were up front flirting with the driver, who I do admit was a cutie, Tracie and I sat down in the back of the limo.

I broke the silence between us first. “Talk to me, T, you seriously bugged out back in Malibu. Is there something that I should know about? Do you dislike my choices that much that you have to be so damn vocal about it?”

Tracie exhaled and closed her eyes before she shifted her body to face me. “Fine, you want me to say it, then, I’ll say it, Cori. Springing that situation, or relationship or whatever, on us out of the blue was crazy as hell, Cori.”

“But it’s not causing you strife in your life, and I’m pretty damn happy in mine. So, why are you stressing so much about it?” I asked, shifting my body to close off the distance between us.

“Because I’m supposed to be the freak of the bunch, not you.” she flatly stated, which caught me off guard. “Those nights you spent with Derrick and Toni… I’m the one that’s supposed to have those experiences. I’m the bad girl of the group, not you.”

“So, you mean to tell me that your temper tantrums are coming out because you think I’m stealing your persona or something?” I was in complete shock over that revelation.

“You’re not stealing anything, Cori, I’m a little pissed at myself right now, okay?” Tracie said with tears in her eyes. “This thing with Brian, it’s not working out, he’s too fucking clingy. He doesn’t want ‘his woman’ doing all the things that them freaks he was fucking with before we got together were doing. It was fine when it was just a fuck buddy thing, but now this nigga’s talking about getting serious and shit. I ain’t ask for all that, Cori.”

Hearing her talk like this took me back damn near two years, when I was having this same conversation with Kyra when I had the switch-a-roo happen to me with Troy’s crazy ass.

“T, I know you didn’t, but was that a reason for you to blast my relationship like it was nothing?”

“Cori, I’ve been trying to find a good time to say that I was sorry for that outburst, but there’d been so much tension between us, I didn’t know if I would ever have a chance to.” Tracie admitted. “I promise, I’m happy if you’re happy, but I’m not happy with mine right now, and I understand why you weren’t though what you went through when you left Troy back then. Can you forgive me?”

“Forgiven and forgotten.” I said, now that I knew the root cause of all the craziness that was going on.

Candace and Kyra watched on while we thought they weren’t looking, and the grins were silly, to say the least.

“So, have you two finally buried the hatchet?” Candace asked earnestly. “I’m not gonna lie, you two wear a sistah out.”

“Yeah, we’re good, once and for all. I just need help trying to figure out how to get rid of some high-profile dead weight.” Tracie answered, wiping the last of the tears away.

“Good, because we’re here.” Kyra noticed as she looked out of the window. “It’s showtime, ladies. Let’s do this.”

~Derrick~

“
Damn, look at the potential out here.”

I’m looking at Brian like he’d lost his mind.

“Earth to DJ Majesty, come in, please.” I tried to joke to call of the dogs. “Your girlfriend will be here in t-minus ten minutes and counting, could you put your dick back in your pants before you get caught up in some serious bullshit.”

“You the wrong nigga to be coming at me about being faithful, bruh.” Brian tried to cut me by replying. “On the real, I don’t know how you pulled that shit off with Toni and Cori like that, but I want some of the shit that you drugged them with, and I want your supplier, too.”

I should have known that my relationship would come into play sooner or later.

He’d been snippy as fuck for the past couple of weeks, trying to avoid my calls, even going so far as to purposely avoid wherever I was going to be, even if he was obligated to appear.

Jealousy can be a bitch, but damn. This nigga’s acting like I took his girl from him or something?

“You make it sound like I convinced them to be a part of things, bruh? On the real, I had nothing to do with it. Toni flew in to L.A. that night, rode up to the beach house and surprised me by being there. Cori already knew because she set the whole thing up.” I retorted.

“Oh, so you’re there by accident now? Ain’t that about a bitch?” Brian’s heat toward me was amped up. “I’m starting to understand Omar a little more now, post mortem.”

Low blow… and he knew it.

“Oh, it’s like that, now, B?” I raised my eyebrow, wondering if he actually cared that he touched a nerve with his last statement. “So, what are you saying? You think you’re a sidekick now, is that the company line?”

“Look, D, I’m amazed at your streak of luck when it comes to the honeys, that’s all.” Brian countered, trying to take the edge off of things for a moment. “Except for that mess with Stacy, you’ve had better luck than most niggas we know, and most have more juice than both of us put together, plus some.”

He had to bring Stacy up again.

“Fine, since we’re on that subject, I might as well tell you. I’m taking her to court to prove paternity in about a week.” I leveled with him. “I can’t have this hanging over my head.”

“Well, I’ll be damned… the great Derrick Morrow actually has women troubles like the rest of us.” Brian laughed. “Break out the Cristal, bartender, this nigga’s human after all!”

“I’m glad that you think I’m perfect or some shit, B.” I answered back, irritated as his sudden smugness. “Do you feel better now?”

A group of women walked past us, and they looked in our direction, as if they were trying to recognize us. Finally, one of them smiled and asked, “Are you DJ Majesty?”

The shit-eating grin on his face confirmed her and the group’s suspicions.

“I was hoping we could get you to come to the showcase next weekend so you can see me perform,” the sexy that asked the question walked up on Brian suggesting. She slipped in close and added, “I could make it worth your time once I’m done with my performance.”

She kissed him across the lips, which had me turn my head. I couldn’t say I was disgusted, because I wasn’t much of a saint, either, but I knew enough to know that if you’re going to be exclusively monogamous, then you need to stick to the plan.

This nigga was switching up the plans in the middle of the construction.

“I’ll be sure to drop through, if you can blow.” he responded, leaving the door open for baby girl to walk through.

“Oh, I can blow alright… in more ways than one.” she teased as she walked away. “Oh, and bring your friend, too. I’m sure I can find one of my girls to rock with him while we get better acquainted.”

I’ll admit she got him hook, line, and sinker. Hell, if I was single, she probably would have gotten me on the quick tip.

But I wasn’t single, and neither was he.

“Never jump without a parachute, huh?” I quipped. “If you’re tired of Tracie, at least be a man about it and let her know so she can get over it and move on to the next lucky fuck that will be as happy to be with her as she will be to be with him.”

Brian gave me a look as if to say,
You got a lot of nerve coming at me with that shit.

“Whatever, Mr. ‘Option 1a & 1b’… where are your females at, anyway?” Brian questioned. “I figure I already know where one is, but where is the other one?”

“I was wondering why my ears were burning,” Toni popped up, sliding her arm inside of mine before kissing me across my lips. “Was someone else talking about us today, baby?”

I couldn’t help laughing at that snarky comment since it was obviously pointed directly at Brian.

“Hi, sexy… yeah, someone else has been wondering why I’m so fucking lucky to have such lovely women in my life, and he’s wondering if I’ve been drugging you or something like that. I figure he needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Have I been slipping you and Cori mind-altering drugs?”

Toni rolled her eyes and faced Brian so that she couldn’t be misunderstood. “Okay, that’s a good one, Brian, but you’re pissed off that I never gave you the time of day, and you’re thinking that it’s because I’ve been in love with D this whole time, does that about cover it?”