Deadly In Stilettos (6 page)

             
The bodyguard led Demi to an empty room with a table standing in the middle of it. The table was beautifully set. Lit candles released a sweet aroma, and rose petals were scattered around the centerpiece. A bottle of Cristal Champagne was chilling in a silver ice bucket. Troy was turning out to be a great host, she thought. Would there be a change of scenery once he realized she was his guest for the evening?

             
Taking a glass of champagne from the waiter, Demi took a long, slow sip, enjoying the effects it had on her tongue. The taste was smooth, which pleased her. She loved champagne.
‘
The better the qualit
y
,’ she often thought,
‘
the better the appreciatio
n
.’ She often drank it with strawberries, but tonight there was no need for them. Troy had gotten the best there was. He always liked the finer things in life, and so did she.

Demi was placed in a secluded area, with a table
in the middle of the room. The arrangement was beautiful. The scent from the candles was breathtaking. Rose pedals were placed around the centerpiece. A bottle of Crystal was chilling on ice. An intoxicating aroma filled the air. Troy was turning out to be a great host, Demi thought. Would there be a change of scenery once he realized she was his guest for the evening?

             
About thirty minutes and two glasses of champagne later, Troy showed up. He looked very debonair in a gray and navy blue pinstriped suit, with matching navy blue Armani loafers. His tie complemented the outfit, giving just the right touch of color. Demi was pleased with his over-all appearance. They would have made an attractive couple under different circumstances.

             
When he walked over to her, she stood slowly. He extended his hand. Before she could do the same, he took a better look at her. The expression on his face told her he knew exactly who she was. He stepped back, looked her up and down, and then licked his lips. “Well, well, well. To what do I owe this surprise? Deminis Bradshaw, you look stunning. Damn girl!”

             
Demi did not say a word, but merely nodded in acknowledgment with the compliment. His words warmed her in places she did not want them to.

             
“Is that really you?” he went on. “I must have done something right to have you standing in front of me after all these years, girl.”

             
Troy shook his head in disbelief. The huge smile on his face let Demi know that he was genuinely glad to see her. Or was it just an act? After being a gentleman and pulling out her chair for her, Troy unbuttoned his suit coat and sat. The waiter brought out their first course, but they both ignored it as they stared at each other. The tension in the air was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Demi finally looked away. Clearing her throat, she took a bite from her plate. The escargot stuffed mushrooms was delicious. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste. It was almost orgasmic.

             
“So, Troy, how has life been treating you? From the look of things, you are certainly doing quite well for yourself. It’s been a long time.”

             
Troy looked like a child. Sweat rolled down his forehead. He wiped it off with his napkin. “You got me sweating like a whore in church! Girl, I would have never guessed that you would be sitting right in front of me. Hell, I didn’t ever think I would see you again. Demi, what are you doing here? I mean, really! I did not expect…”

             
He paused before completing his next sentence. Demi remained quiet. She watched him, seeing his nervousness. More sweat kissed his brow.

             
“Please do not take this the wrong way,” he continued cautiously, “but we did not exactly part ways on good terms.”

             
Demi looked straight into his eyes and could see the fear, plain as day. The little package in her clutch moved against her lap, signaling it was ready to break free, ready to attack. She had to get Troy out of the room and out of his shoes before she could complete her plan. It was the only way it would work. When Troy was out of his shoes, he was vulnerable, and also comfortable around whomever he was with. That bit of information came straight from him, long ago when she first met him. After he told her that, she made sure she helped him out of his shoes before she asked for another pair of stilettos, or any of the other things she needed and wanted. Waiting until after they’d had sex helped too. Troy never said no to anything she wanted.

             
“No, we didn’t, did we?” she said. “But I have forgiven you for that little mishap.” She tried to keep her poker-face with that lie. She still hated Troy for the things he done to her, especially abandoning her the way he had. She had to be cool, calm and collected if she wanted to do what she came to do and get the hell out of there alive. Demi planned to slip something in his drink first. Otherwise, he would think he was getting something more from her at the end of the night as she was pretty sure that happened on any given night in the studio. That was the only way her plan would work. If Troy turned his back for just a minute, she would make her move.

             
The waiter brought out the second course. Demi did not fell like eating, but once she took the first bite after the dish was placed in front of her, her appetite betrayed her. Each bite got better and better. Troy seemed to have loosened up a bit too. They made pleasant conversation about nothing in particular, which wasn’t so bad.

             
By the time dessert was served, Demi was impressed with all the information Troy shared with her. He had certainly changed, and for the better. Too bad she was about to put an end to the life so many people wanted to be involved with, and would surely miss.
‘
Be careful how you treat people,’ she told him silently,
‘
because you never know when the past wil
l
come back to bite you in the ass.
’

             
They got up from the dinner table walking hand in hand over to the bar for an after dinner cocktail. Troy got a glimpse of her shoes and stopped in his tracks. “I cannot believe you still have those shoes. How long has it been, ten or so years? Why did you keep them?” Again, Demi was impressed. He remembered them. She posed, showing off her prized possessions. The shoes looked exquisite, but Troy was staring at her legs.

             
“Those legs are still the best I have ever laid eyes on, you know,” he said. “I will never forget them. Deminis Bradshaw, you have definitely grown into an even more beautiful woman than you were the last time I saw you. I can barely take my eyes off you.”

             
‘
No, he won’t ever forget my legs’
,
Demi thought. They would be the last thing he saw before his untimely death. She fought the urge to laugh in his face but didn’t.

             
Walking over to a sofa against the far wall, Troy loosened his tie, took off his shoes, and leaned back. Still standing at the bar, Demi smiled a million-dollar smile, trying to contain her excitement. This would be too easy, like taking candy from a baby.

             
“Will you be so kind as to bring my drink over, baby?” he said. “I mean, Demi. Sorry, habit.”

             
If she wanted to make her flight, she had better move faster. According to the expensive clock on the wall over Troy’s head, it was nearly midnight. As she turned to pick up the drink, Demi slipped a pill into it and then stirred the drink with her finger quickly to make sure it dissolved. When she turned to face Troy, she put her finger in her mouth, sucking it. The expression on his face said everything. He squirmed in his seat
.
‘Amazing what a woman and the way she use her mouth can do to a man
’
, she thought. She licked her lips, giving Troy something to enjoy before the pill kicked in.

             
Walking as seductively as possible, she joined Troy on the sofa. She watched as Troy drank his drugged drink. Within a few minutes his eyes lost their focus and he was having trouble talking. Time to finish her plan, she thought. The small container inside her clutch held one of the deadliest creatures on earth, the death stalker scorpion. It was small, and didn’t garner unwanted attention. And although she had already removed the venom for her task, it would make the perfect distraction.

When she was sure Troy was out of it, she immediately got to work. Demi eased down and slipped off his socks. Troy opened and closed his eyes, rubbing them as if trying to get something out of them. “Damn, I must be tired or drank too mu
ch. I feel a bit woozy.”

             
Demi moved in for the kill. His neck had once been his weak spot. She hoped it still was. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and rubbed his chest softly with her hand. Troy felt the warmth of her mouth on his neck, but before he could enjoy the sensation, he felt something crawling on his feet. Looking down, he saw the scorpion. Staring in horror, he tried to kick it away but couldn’t move his body. He was numb, in total shock.

             
Demi knew Troy hated insects especially scorpions. Obviously that had not changed. She placed her finger over his mouth to keep him from making a sound and watched as the scorpion moved up and down his feet. She removed a syringe from her purse and injected the deadly venom between one of his toes just as the scorpion struck.

Troy jerked at the sudden pain, gripping Demi’s arm as venom slipped into his bloodstream.

              The knock-out drug did, finally, knock him out. His eyes closed and his head rolled to the side. After scooping up the scorpion and slipping it back into the small container, Demi took off Troy’s shirt and unfastened his pants. To anyone peeking into the room, he would look like he’d passed out from drinking too much. Long before anyone tried to wake him, the venom would have killed him. The rise in his skin told her that it was working its’ way through his veins to his heart.

             
Demi messed up her hair and walked out of the studio like she was a bit under the influence of consuming alcohol, passing several men who watched her go, nodding in approval. They called typical ghetto slang that she hated—“Yo, girl!” and “Wha’ up, Mama?” and “Le’ me get a taste of that! I bit that bitch got some fire ass pussy!”— Until she was out of sight. One man at least had the taste to call, “those are some nice shoes, ma,” and she acknowledged him with a smile.

            
 
‘Poor Troy
’
, she thought as she walked out of the building. He’d never had a chance. He was now out of her life too. She did not have to worry about him hurting her again. But she did wonder how his parents would take the news of his untimely death. They were good people. Too bad their son wasn’t.

             
Once in her car, Demi took her first deep breath. The entire walk back through the studio, she had been holding her breath. The air felt good feeding her lungs. She took several more breaths before putting the keys into the ignition and leaving Troy’s home forever. Another name gone from her list, but several more remained. Troy Dunbar would never make a fool out of her or anyone else again. Although he had been her first true love, he was lifeless now, just as she wanted.

             
Putting the car in gear, Demi headed toward O’Hare International Airport. She still had time to make her flight. Tomorrow she would see another person from her past, and she couldn’t explain why, but she looked forward to it. Her heart still felt sparks just at the mere thought of the next name on her list. Makei Davis was in for a rude awakening, one that would be his last
.
‘Maybe she would just fuck him before fucking him’
,
Demi thought.

Chapter 5