Unraveled - A Short Story Collective (18 page)

Sydney knew he had a rehearsal, and she was finished with him for now.

“Thanks again Kenton,” she told him.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he replied again, looking her over.

Sydney was truly amused with the arrogance of him, yet she continued to maintain her professionalism. After he’d excused himself, she turned her attention to Armani, who’d sat quietly through her interview with Kenton. This was the person she really wanted to question. Sydney wanted to know all about the label, and more importantly, him.

“Thanks for being so patient,” she told Armani, finally taking the time to truly look at him.

Armani smiled and told her it wasn’t a problem.

“So tell me about TMK,” Sydney prodded, and sat back waiting on his answer.

Armani began to speak.
Damn, now I understand,
Sydney thought to herself, remembering Tarianna’s warning as she took him in further. He was, for lack of a better word, dazzling. She could only describe Armani as distinguished.

He was she surmised at least 6’2”, with a creamy chocolate complexion, beautiful brown eyes, and very kissable lips.

His hair was neatly cut, with nice waves throughout. He had an attractive and neatly manicured mustache, accompanying the three quarter beard.
What’s his story,
Sydney thought again, wondering why someone as good looking and successful as he obviously was, was still single.

“So we should be expecting other big things from TMK soon, hmm?” she asked once Armani was finished talking. He smiled again and she was mesmerized.

“Yes definitely,” he replied.

“So tell me about Armani Proctor, the man,” Sydney said calmly, using her journalistic freedom to delve into his personal life. He smiled again.

“What exactly do you want to know?” Armani asked, watching her intently.

His stare unnerved her.

“Well, just what you do for fun. What you want out of life, if there’s someone you’re seeing right now. You know, the usual,” Sydney replied, a lot calmer than she felt.

Armani answered her questions, still leaving her in the dark, since he’d conveniently skipped the question of his availability.

“Thanks again for your time Armani,” Sydney told him as they both rose to leave.

He reached into his suit pocket, and retrieved the tickets.

“Here are your tickets,” Armani told Sydney, handing her the set of four. “Bring some people with you,” he went on. “Your boyfriend, or husband, perhaps?” he fished.

Sydney smiled, and took the tickets from him.

“I’m sure my girls will be glad to come with me,” she replied casually, hoping Armani would catch the inference.

He smiled again, and told Sydney he looked forward to seeing her Saturday.

Sydney watched Armani walk away.
Forgive me Tarianna,
she thought to herself, thinking of how much she wanted the man who’d just left her presence.

2

Bert was on the phone when Armani arrived at the office. He waved to let him know he was there, and headed to his own office. Armani checked his messages and began to go through his mail. He grabbed himself some bottled water and began to think ahead to tonight’s show. He also took the time to reflect on the interview earlier. Armani was disgusted with Kenton’s obvious attempt to seduce the reporter but equally pleased with her complete dismissal of his efforts. He chuckled a bit to himself thinking of it.

“Sydney Hollingsworth,” Armani said softly aloud.

The woman affected him and it surprised him. Armani made it policy not to be romantically entangled with anyone right now. He was very focused and driven on making the label thrive. Armani thought of the last relationship he’d found himself in. Lacey was a very beautiful and successful executive in her own right, but he’d quickly found she was insecure and in constant need of reassurance.

He was just starting TMK and it consumed eighty percent of his time. Lacey couldn’t handle it and they fought constantly. He’d started letting business go slack to spend time with her. It’d almost cost him everything. She broke up with him once Armani told her he could no longer neglect his company just to satisfy her insecurity.
That crack about her needing a shrink
probably didn’t help much either,
Armani thought. He hadn’t dated anyone since. That was over three years ago.

He still had the occasional tryst with women he found attractive and brought back to his hotel when he traveled, but nothing serious. He’d found himself very drawn to Sydney today.
She’s young,
Armani chided himself. Still she’d awakened feelings. He thought about her beautiful smile and how complimentary the auburn hair coloring was to her eyes and skin. He’d taken to opportunity to really look at Sydney as she talked to Kenton and completely approved of what he’d seen. She had beautiful breasts that were perfectly proportioned to her waist and hips. She had nice legs and very nicely manicured toes. Armani guessed Sydney was about 5’6” or so when she stood. He knew he would see her again Saturday. She’d said she was bringing her girls to the concert, which led Armani to believe she was single. He certainly liked to think she was.

Armani sighed deeply. He couldn’t get involved right now. There was too much going on. Kenton was making their lives miserable and the other partners were breathing down their necks for a return on their investment. The thought of being with Sydney was still very pleasant to him so Armani didn’t fully dismiss the idea.

*****

Bert was finished with his phone call and getting set to head into Armani’s office. He reflected on his relationship with his partner. He’d met Armani when he was a 13 year-old kid hustling on the street. He’d been impressed with the determination and drive he’d seen in the kid and gave him a job running numbers for him. They’d been through a lot together and he’d watched the kid grow into a man. He’d always been loyal and dependable and Bertram Frailey trusted him.

There weren’t many people he could say that about, black or white, but Armani was one of them. Here it was almost twenty years later and they were running a legitimate company together. Well for all intents and purposes it was legit. The partners would only tolerate it as long as it made money. Bert was truly hoping that Kenton would give them the capital they needed to pay them off and gain complete control.

Bert had been running with the underworld all his life. It was how he made his living. The mom and pop store he’d set up in the lower class neighborhood was simply a front for the numbers and gambling that he ran. It lasted a lot longer than Bert originally believed it would, being a white man in a predominantly black neighborhood. The residents didn’t seem to care one way or the other. They just wanted the services and products he offered.

When Armani approached him four years ago with the idea for the label Bert thought the man was crazy. After giving it some thought however, Bert found that he liked the idea of doing something besides the nothing he was now doing. All his numbers and gambling had pretty much dried up when the lotteries became legal and people no longer had a use for his services. He’d never been interested in the other ends of the business although he’d gotten offers from the partners to become active in the prostitution and extortion operations.

This was new territory for him and Bert actually found it very enlightening. He also found that power and money brought him some fringe benefits he would otherwise not enjoy. Bert was currently bedding a twenty something aspiring model/actress. He knew she was only with him for his money, but he still enjoyed sleeping with her.
How many other fifty-nine year olds can boast about that?
Bert thought, chuckling. He needed to get the report from Armani on the damage the kid caused this morning.

Kenton was a great artist, but he acted every bit of his twenty-one years. They needed him to behave for at least the next six to eight months. They would have successfully gotten at least an eighty-five percent return on their money. Bert hoped they could keep Kenton roped in until then. The kid was a walking time bomb. Bert reached Armani’s office and knocked before he entered.

******

“Hey man,” Armani greeted Bert.

“Hi Armani,” he returned settling into a chair. “Tell me how bad it was.”

Armani took a deep breath and replayed the conversation with Kenton.

“Do you think he’ll manage to stay out of trouble?” Bert asked.

Armani told him he hoped so, but doubted it.

Bert sighed heavily.

“All the shows sold out?” he asked.

Armani told him they were.

“I’d like to add a Sunday show,” he told Bert.

Bert thought about it for a moment and decided it would be a lucrative move on their part, so he gave Armani the go ahead.

“If we can just get a good six months out of this kid, we’ll be okay,” he told Armani.

“Yeah I know,” Armani replied “Guess I’ll just have to travel with him for the first leg of the tour to keep him in line,” he finished tiredly.

Armani didn’t relish the idea of spending the next six months on the road or with Kenton and his antics, but this label was his baby and he was going to see it live and grow. Bert sighed deeply feeling the same way Armani did, but knowing they didn’t have a choice.

“So what are we expecting to see on the concerts this weekend?” Bert asked.

Armani knew he had to report to the partners and it needed to be good. They’d been patient for the first three years but now they were pushing.

“We should clear at least thirty,” Armani replied.

Bert smiled. “That will be excellent,” he replied. “Make sure it happens, Armani,” he finished giving him a look.

Armani assured him they would be OK.

“Well I’ll leave you to it,” Bert told him rising to leave. “I have a lunch date with Marissa,” he finished, chuckling.

Armani laughed and told Bert to enjoy himself.
His old ass is going to have a heart attack messing with that young girl,
Armani thought to himself about Bert’s young girlfriend, chuckling as he returned to his work.

*****

“Hey girl,” Tarianna quipped into the phone.

Sydney laughed and returned her greeting.

“So? How did you like Kenton?” her friend asked.

Sydney frowned slightly recalling her meeting with the artist.

“He’s exactly what I expected,” she replied dryly.

Tarianna laughed heartily.

“Yeah, but he’s paid girl,” she replied after she’d gathered herself.

Sydney knew that was a lot more important to Tarianna than it was to her. She wanted a man who was financially secure yes, but there were other factors to consider too.

“Well you’ll get the chance to see him up close and personal again Saturday night, that is if you’re free,” Sydney returned.

Tarianna asked her what was up and she told her about the tickets.

“So who else are you inviting?” She asked.

“I was going to call Nichelle and Jasmine,” Sydney replied.

Tarianna thought about it for a moment and decided they would be OK. She didn’t want anyone around who would be competition. She was going to make Armani notice her outside of work.

“Yeah girl that’s straight,” Tarianna told Sydney. “I gotta make me a hair appointment,” she laughed.

Sydney thought about it and decided she did too. Armani was going to be there and she looked very forward to seeing him again.
What about Tarianna,
she thought, knowing her friend had a serious crush on the man. Sydney shook the thoughts and told herself she was just looking. No harm, no foul.

“Girl, I have the perfect outfit in mind too,” Tarianna laughed bringing her back to the present.

“Well I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” Sydney laughed.

“By the way, what did you think of Armani?” Tarianna asked slyly.

Sydney was careful not to disclose her true impression of the man or her growing feelings for him.

“He was straight girl,” she answered evasively.

Tarianna laughed.

“Well Saturday I’m going to make sure he sees a whole new side of me, if you know what I mean,” she quipped.

Sydney laughed and told Tarianna to behave.

“You still have to work with the man you know,” she cautioned her.

Tarianna laughed and told Sydney she only saw that as temporary until they got together and she had Armani taking care of her.

“You are an absolute mess girl,” Sydney laughed.

They chatted for a few moments more until Sydney got another call.

“I’ll hit you up later girl,” she told Tarianna as they hung up.

*****

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey beautiful,” the male voice replied.

Who is this?
Sydney asked herself not recognizing the voice. The man chuckled knowing she had no idea who he was.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you Saturday at the concert,” he told her again seductively. “I’m also looking forward to spending some alone time with you afterwards.”

Sydney was annoyed.
Kenton,
she thought.

“Hi Kenton, how are you?” Sydney replied as businesslike as she could.

I can’t believe this arrogant dog,
she thought. “It was nice of you to call,” she continued. “I’m looking forward to the concert also,” Sydney finished making no reference to his comment about them spending time afterwards.

“It’s never a problem with someone as beautiful as you,” Kenton replied. “I’ll let you go now. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you,” he finished trying once again to sound seductive.

Sydney sighed lightly.

“Well that was really sweet of you and I appreciate it,” she returned. “See you tomorrow night, and have a great show tonight,” she finished, hoping this would end the conversation.

Kenton chuckled lightly and told her thanks.

“See you tomorrow night baby,” he told Sydney and disconnected before she could reply.

This could be a problem,
Sydney thought to herself. She didn’t want to be rude and tell Kenton to buzz off, but she didn’t want to encourage him either. Maybe she could speak to Armani and ask him if he could get Kenton to back off.
Well just wait and see what happens Saturday first,
Sydney thought. She would be all business with him and maybe Kenton would get the hint without her having to involve Armani. Sydney thought about him again and how much she was looking forward to seeing him.
I can’t let myself get caught up,
she thought, with Tarianna crossing her mind once again. Secretly she hoped Armani wouldn’t be trapped by Tarianna’s games.
Please be a better man than that,
Sydney wished silently as she headed to her office.

*****

Kenton smiled to himself after hanging up his cell.
Now, that’s taken care of, back to business,
he thought as he headed back into the theatre to complete rehearsal. Kenton really was attracted to Sydney. She was a beautiful woman and she reminded him of Derica with her no nonsense attitude. Kenton chuckled thinking how she’d tried so hard to act uninterested when he’d flirted with her earlier. Sydney wanted him and he knew it. All the women he met wanted him. He was Kenton. What else was there to say?

He was planning to sleep with the new dancer they’d brought in today. She was pretty enough. Kenton was enjoying his ability to sleep with any and every woman they added to his staff. Black, White, Oriental, Hispanic, it didn’t matter. He had his choice of each of them. He’d found out her name was Samantha. She was white, but thought she was black. He’d already given her looks most of the rehearsal and Kenton knew she was interested. He’d sleep with her afterwards. He’d more than likely have some other woman from the audience after his performances tonight.
This is definitely the life,
he thought again and laughed out loud.