Backstage: Street Chronicles (21 page)

Kessy and I followed behind his Phantom in her black Mercedes. He lived in Long Island so we were going to be a long way from Manhattan! During the ride we went over the plan.

“Okay, I just need you to get him to do something that will look wild in some pictures.”

“Wild in pictures. Got it. Do I get to enjoy it?”

“Of course, but he can not enter you. It’s important you remember that.”

“Why?”

“Just don’t let him do it. I’ll tell you later. You have to promise.”

“Okay, okay. I got it. What you gonna use the pictures for anyway?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

Breeze’s house was a five bedroom mini-mansion. His foyer was brown marble and there were ivory columns greeting you at the foot of a spiral staircase. He wasted no time leading us to his bedroom, which was big enough to fit my entire Brooklyn apartment. He had a sitting area on one side and a master bathroom off to the other side of his bed. His fur comforter was appropriate for the October chill that filled the Long Island night.

Kessy stood at the foot of the bed and removed her pants to reveal her bodysuit corset. She placed her hands on her hips and Breeze paused and stared. For a minute, I almost did, too, as it never ceased to amaze me how forward and to the point Kessy was. When Breeze snapped out of it, he turned to me as if he was waiting for me to undress. Kessy purred, “She’s just going to watch. You don’t mind, right? I just want you to myself this time.”

How could he say no to that voice? He lay back propped up on his fur pillows wearing a wife-beater and his boxers.

Kessy climbed up on the bed as Breeze watched her. She faced him, looked him in the eye, and positioned herself on his face. She moved her hips around slow in a back-and-forth motion. He was in a trance. He moved the bottom of the bodysuit to the side and dove in. I was soon forgotten. Kessy took a white oval-shaped pill from the breast of her corset. She placed it in her mouth then she rose from Breeze’s face. She positioned herself to be face-to-face with him and using her tongue, she dumped the pill onto his.

“Umm, that feels good, Daddy! Talk to me while you eat.”

It was interesting to see this unfold. I watched this man go to pieces. She had him. He seemed so turned on by talking about himself. His words slurred a bit.

“Girl, I am the man.”

“Yeah, baby, you are the man.”

“I’m ‘bout to sign the next big thing and make so much money.”

“Yeah, baby? Damn, he can’t be bigger than you.”

“Nah, Fingers ain’t bigger than me, girl. But he big.”

“You’re going to make a lot of money? Ooh, right there.”

“Yeah, baby. A lot of money. Ain’t nobody going to be bigger than me! I got somebody working on it right now as we speak.”

“You gonna be big like Hustle Hard?”

“Girl, they ain’t got nothing on me. That dude Nick over there is corny. Yeah, that’s right, I feel you coming.”

“Ooh, Daddy I like that! Yes, baby. Nick ain’t like you, boo. No one is. Take ‘em out.”

“Oh I will. Damn, c’mon, girl, I feel you. You’re ready.”

“I’m ‘bout to cum. I don’t want to cum. Turn over.”

He obliged easily. He poked his butt in the air. Kessy dug into her large pocketbook and took out a lavender-colored penis. She started off slowly then plunged it into him more aggressively. He moaned and begged for more.

“You turn over now. Let me slide in that.” “Um, sorry, boo. Not on the first date. I can’t give up all the goodies!”

He tried to take it, but he was weak. When he realized he wasn’t getting anything, he yelled for us to get out. It’s not like I didn’t expect it. We didn’t come in his car so that wasn’t a problem. Can you imagine all those women who must’ve hitched a ride with him after the club and had no ride home? That’s the game right there! He damn near be guaranteeing himself some bootie. But I knew the rumors. No way was I going to let Kessy have sex with him. I still don’t know what he gave Cassandra. He might not have given her anything. But still, I had to be safe. Cassandra could be stupid or in love or whatever she wanted to be, but Kessy’s life wasn’t worth it.

“Good morning, Nicholas.”

“Good morning, Saks. How are you?”

“Hey, how’d you know to call me Saks?”

“You can’t get Brooke all excited and the office not know about it. She loves the new name. It fits you, too.”

“Thanks. Well, you know I went to the party last night.”

“Right. How was it?”

“Oh, it’s cool. I actually got to meet a lot of people. You know, I saw who was who. I also got to see who wasn’t who.”

“Hmm. What do you mean?”

He knew I had something to tell so he walked over to his office door and closed it. That was the sign to the rest of the office he didn’t want to be disturbed. I’m sure everyone thought I was kissing butt or he was kissing mine for that matter. But this was better. It was like having your second chess move catch your opponent off guard. The first one is simple but the second one, that’s where the strategy really begins.

“Do you have a way to listen to the phone lines?”

He looked a little perplexed.

“Why do you ask? I mean, I should know better than to ask the same person who has an envelope full of pictures of me, but I’ll go for the bait.”

“You still mad about that? Please! You wouldn’t have given me a job any other way. We provided a service for each other. You had Kessy and I got a job. No biggie. But back to my question.”

He smiled as if to say he liked my move. A dude who hustles loves to see a woman who does the same. He knows how he thinks, so when he thinks there’s a possibility, I think the same way, it’s enticing.

“I may have a way to listen.”

“If I were you, I’d listen to Cassandra’s line every now and again.”

“And what would I find?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what you consider a find. I’m just a friend looking out for a friend.”

“Oh. Who is the friend you’re looking out for?”

“You. You gave me a job, that makes you my friend!”

Me and my black Coach heels Kessy bought me for my birthday sashayed out of his office. I’m not sure if he ever saw a pair of black jeans look so good. I played with my pearls as I knew I won the first round. We weren’t in competition but still, I was winning.

The day wore on and Cassandra still had her sneaky little phone calls. I still wasn’t sure if she was talking to Breeze, but soon Nick would know.

I gathered the hundreds of demo CDs people sent to be heard by the great Nicholas Michaels. Each time I went past Cassandra’s desk to go to the copy room to get a new batch, she’d start whispering. No one else seemed to notice. I mean, she was Nick’s assistant. She was expected to be on the phone all day.

Then the silence broke. A glass vase shattered against the door to Nicholas’s office. For two seconds the bustle on the other side of the door froze. No one knew what had Nick so upset.

“Cassandra, can you come into my office, please?”

I wanted badly to go into the office and watch the events unfold, but unfortunately, I wasn’t invited. Within minutes Cassandra walked out to her desk and packed her things. She surveyed the room to see who was watching. Everyone pretended to look elsewhere. Almost everyone was in shock. No one looked up from their desks, except me. The girl who treated me as hired help was no longer helping the hired.

After a few minutes Nicholas came out of his office. He looked surprised to see Cassandra.

“You’re still here? Girl, don’t let me call security.”

Cassandra tried to throw everything in the box Brooke put near her desk. She looked like she was moving fast but maybe to Nicholas not fast enough. I hadn’t known Nicholas that long but I had never imagined that he would be so upset or aggressive. As he barrelled his way toward Cassandra, Rob positioned himself between them. Cassandra bowed her head, grabbed her pocket-book, and rushed out. Rob went to her computer and sat down. Brooke instantly went and got some discs for Rob to download what he viewed as necessary. No one knew what to say so everyone just kept their heads down and pretended to do work. So that was it. No more Cassandra.

“Sakia, come into my office please.”

Brooke looked scared for me. How cute. She liked me, and she was all right with me. I wasn’t worried though.

I entered Nicholas’s office. I didn’t want to look too confident, but I knew he needed me. We both knew he did.

“Well, I don’t know how you did it.”

“Did what? If you think I set her up …”

“Not saying that. Did you?”

I knew better than to answer.

“Well anyway, you did what no one else seemed to be able to do. Breeze has been outbidding me on fresh talent for a little while now. I could never figure out how he knew what I was going to offer. I’d make an offer and the artist would immediately reject it. Basically he countered before I offered.”

He stared out the window as if he was deciding the world’s next movements. His black velour zip-up sweater tried to cling to his chest but there was too much room. It didn’t drape off him, but it didn’t show off his slim muscular build I knew existed. He stroked his chin. That’s where the beard was. It wasn’t all over his face and all up his cheeks. It was only on the chin. Short, trimmed, maintained. The waves in his closely cropped hair showed he had curls when he let it grow. I noticed he was attractive.

“Mr. Michaels, I …”

“Don’t be so formal now. If it wasn’t for you, I might have continued to lose business and the company I worked so hard to build would eventually bankrupt me. So I thank you.”

“Oh. Well, you’re welcome.”

“But now it seems I have an issue. I don’t have an assistant.”

“Yes, that would be the case.”

“So of course, you’re going to be my assistant.”

“Of course.”

He laughed a little to himself. My face stayed serious.

“You know, Saks, you’re a hustler! It’s okay, though. We need hustlers in this business. I think you’ll do just fine. I’m actually glad you got me to give you that job.”

Good news travels fast is what my father used to say. That’s what he told the police when they showed up at our door arresting him for embezzlement. All those years of me going to private school and living in a Park Slope brownstone were over my junior year in high school. I always believe my mother snitched. It wasn’t a secret how we got to take all those vacations to the Cayman Islands. After the incident with Mr. Paul, Daddy acted like nothing happened. He and Mr. Paul didn’t hang out anymore but he went on with life as usual. My mother could’ve asked for a divorce but she wouldn’t have been satisfied with child support. When he went to jail and the lawyer explained to her that the government held on to the money in his business bank accounts, she hit the roof. Somehow she expected to inherit all his assets like he’d died or something. My dad kept close to nothing in his personal bank account. For weeks all she would say was, “For nothing. I can’t believe it was for nothing! Let him rot in jail.”

Yeah, she called the police.

Nervously Brooke rushed over to me with a blank notebook and pen.

“Here, you’re going to need this. Just write down everything they tell you and don’t think. When you get to your desk you can
rummage through it all and figure out what needs to be done. Oh, and Saks, good luck with your new position.”

How in heaven’s name did she know? I just came out of Nick’s office. Was she listening from the other side of the door? She had to be. Maybe everyone was listening.

“How was your day at work?”

Sometimes it seemed like Kessy was my husband.

“You know I’m his new assistant.”

“Of course. I never doubted that. Did you get the photos developed?”

“Kessy, you ever known me to slack on that?”

“You’re right. Girl, you are lethal! I’m glad I’m your best friend, or else I’d be some rich whore running on a lost road somewhere.”

“Shut up, what are you talking about?”

“No, I’m serious. When you want something, you go get it. Can’t nobody get in your way. I’m just happy you let me be an accomplice on the winning team!”

“Please, let you? You are such a willing participant! You’re the one who was in Principal Allan’s car that night. You weren’t even looking for the long-term benefit of that one!”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who used that whole thing to make him pay for your college education.”

We laughed.

“Girl, let me call you back. My mother’s calling on the other line.”

“Oh, goodness. Yes, see what Miss Melissa Sands has to say. I’m sure it’ll be interesting.”

“I’m sure.”

My mother went on her usual tirade of how nobody ever wants to help her out. I went to college and all I could do was be somebody’s intern. She thinks I think I’m hot stuff because I’m hanging out with some rich girl who just parties all the time. Blah blah blah. What it all boiled down to was she spent all her money on cigarettes and beer and now she can’t pay her rent. We had this conversation once a month and it never occurred to her that my rich party friend might be paying the rent for us both. I let her talk her own head off. When she was finished, I let her know the check was already in the mail. I didn’t think it necessary to let her know about my promotion. No need to have her rent mysteriously increase.

I called Kessy back.

“Yeah, I’m off.”

“That was quick. Miss Sands didn’t have a whole lot to say today?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I just listen for my cue to let her know when the money’s coming. That’s all she wants. The complaining about me and every other thing in the world is just her gear-up.”

“Thank God for my mother and father.”

“Yes, the sun rises and sets on Kessy Johnson. I’m just glad they love me, too.”

“Who, Sakia Sands? Oh please. Love you? They adore you. They never say it, but I know they wish I went to college.”

“Maybe, but they love you more than life anyway. They don’t hide it. My mom is comfortable with getting a check and thankful to not have a son-in-law who could tell me I shouldn’t be giving her money. Could you imagine if she paid enough attention to realize I don’t have that kind of money and it must be coming from you?”