Rapture (6 page)

I shook my hand and wrist out, and then cracked my knuckles. “I got what I came for. You should probably think twice before you decide to abuse another woman, you fuckin’ lowlife. And
now
, I’ll leave,” I told him, walking towards his front door.

“Hey,” he gasped.

I turned back towards him, just short of his door. “What?”

He paused for a second before speaking. “You a dead muthafucka!” he threatened from his resting place, on his living room floor. “You fucked with the wrong one,” he spat.

I suddenly felt Quinton tap me on the shoulder, and without turning to look at him, I immediately knew what it was that he wanted.

See, I had come to Curtis wanting to have a man’s fight, and then part ways with the understanding that he had gotten his ass beat, and maybe even have him regret ever having put his hands on Alika.
That
was really all I cared about. But when he made the threat against my life, it was out of my hands because Quinton didn’t take those types of threats so lightly. He handed me my beanie that had fallen onto the floor when I charged Curtis. “You’re good, Rush. I got it from here,” he instructed, opening the front door for me to walk out.

When I walked out of Curtis Greene’s apartment, I could still hear music in the distance, but as the sound became more and more faint, I knew that it would be the last time he got to hear music playing at all.

~
5
~

Alika

Even though it was fall, the sun was beaming through the bedroom window with a vengeance, and I loved it. It was the California sun I had always heard about, and that had me wanting to visit since I was a kid. I wanted to go to Disneyland so badly, and Universal Studios, but it just never happened. My aunt could never afford it, and my foster parents saw me as nothing more than a monthly paycheck, so they sure as hell weren’t going to take me. I thought I would get to go during senior year of high school, but it didn’t happen then either, so I just rested on the fact that it would never be. Of course by the time I made it to adulthood, I thought it would be major cheesy for me to go, so I released all thoughts of it.
Maybe one day when I have kids of my own, I can go and act like it’s not a big deal
.
Yeah, that’s what I’ll do
.

The fascination with California and what it was supposed to stand for as far as opportunity, and growth, may have been why the lure was so attractive. Maybe it never really had to do with the guy at all, but more the dream of what it would be like. I had never really been anywhere, and to me Cali represented the good life.
Ugh
! I thought to myself while revisiting my stupidity. But I wasn’t gonna continue to beat myself up over the bullshit. I had to retire the self-pity and just keep pushing on like I had always done.
It was a mistake, Alika
.
Everybody
makes them, it’s all about not repeating them
, was the mantra I had promised I would live by.

“Yes!” I yelled into the brightly lit room, as I greeted the day. I felt rested—both emotionally, and physically. I swished my feet around beneath the sheets, then stared up at the ceiling, and then around at the surrounding space. I took in a lot of what I was way too exhausted to take in the night before. The sheets that I was covered with were some of the softest I had ever had the pleasure of sleeping on, and when I ran my hands across the powder blue comforter, it was so soft it felt like silk. The room was decorated in neutral colors: burnt oranges, sea foam greens, and powder baby blue. It was so inviting. Way across the large room was an oversized chair with an ottoman, both in the burnt orange color. Then the furnishings for the bedroom all looked like a retro silver metal color, with black lining. There was plush carpeting that stretched the entire area of the room and just a few feet from the side of the bed sat two large double glass doors that led to an outside area that I hadn’t yet visited.
Wow
.
So, this is how the one percent lives
.

I had never even seen an actual guest house, let alone been inside of one! When Rush and I walked here late last night, I was in awe the entire way. We walked down a long path, and past the swimming pool that I had stared so hard at from inside the house. It was even more beautiful in person. On the way to the guesthouse, I turned around to look back at Rush’s house and almost shed a tear at the sight. It was gorgeous. It gave me a glimpse of what life could’ve been had I pursued bigger goals for myself. I wanted to ask so badly where everyone was because there was no way that he could be the sole occupant of that estate. But I decided that I’d ask questions later if I got the chance.

He let me know that the guest house that he was taking me to was actually one of three on the property, and my jaw dropped! He explained that the one I would be spending the night in was a 2-bedroom guest house. I didn’t know what I’d see when I walked in, but I sure as hell didn’t expect for it to be well over two-thousand square feet! The largest place I’d been in was probably…
maybe
…twelve-hundred square feet. To call this guest house huge was an understatement. The apartment that I shared with Tracie in Vegas wasn’t even a thousand square feet!

I sunk into temporary sadness thinking about Tracie because I had actually forgone a valued relationship for someone I barely knew when she had been a part of my life for years. I thought about calling her, but I decided to wait. I knew her well, and was sure that she was still holding onto her anger and disappointment. But at the same time, it shouldn’t have been so easy for her to throw me away just because I had made a decision that she didn’t like. That, to me, wasn’t fair. And I knew with those lingering feelings, had I called, we might very well have ended up in an argument larger than the one we had days before I left. Not to mention the overstatement of, “I told you so.”

Yeah
,
I think contacting her will have to wait
.

I bid farewell to the comfy sheets, and got up to stretch my limbs before pulling a pair of oversized socks over my feet. I sat on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but a t-shirt. I let out a deep breath as reality began to set in and I was forced to think about my next move. Luckily, I had saved close to $3,000, and some of that would have to go towards my flight back to Vegas. Then once there, I could possibly have enough to rent a hotel room. I figured I could probably call The Cosmopolitan and see if Devon could get me another hostess gig. Those seemed to pay pretty well. Or shit! I could head somewhere altogether new like Atlanta, get me a hostess position in one of the many clubs there, and re-launch
Heart Strings
, my blog that talks everything delicious meals and adult beverages! Necole Bitchie did it! Yes! I hadn’t gotten the chance to give attention to my blog in over a year and I had quite a following too. I started to see that I didn’t have to go to Vegas. I felt excitement finding its way in where concern previously was. Las Vegas wasn’t the only place to have a life. I was young, single, smart, and talented. Not to mention Atlanta is supposed to be one of the few epicenters where blacks can go and prosper.
Hmmm
.

“Hello!” a woman’s voice yelled out, as I was marinating inside of my thoughts. “Miss Alika!” she sang.

Feeling overexposed, I sat back down on the bed and pulled the comforter over my legs. “Yes, I’m in here…” I reluctantly responded.

When the owner of the voice finally appeared, her face was friendly, and pretty. She was a pretty woman who looked mixed race—black and something else, but I couldn’t really tell. Her hair was dark brown, and she had light-colored eyes. She looked to be in her mid to late 30’s, about my height, and voluptuous. She was chipper when she greeted me.

“Hello, how are you this morning?” she asked. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thank you,” I replied, slightly confused.

“Well, good,” she remarked. “I’m Gigi, Hunter’s personal assistant, and Hunter sent me to assist you this morning,” she said, holding up a carry bag.

“Hunter…?” I posed.

“Oh,” she smiled. “Rush is what you know him by. I never call him that.” She rolled her eyes. “And I won’t. He’s Hunter to me.”

“Okay,” I told her, with a half shrug. He had introduced himself to me as Rush, so that’s what I’d be calling him. Whatever their dynamics were, it wasn’t my concern, but I would’ve been lying if I said it didn’t pique my interest just a little bit.

Gigi pulled a few items from the bag she had with her. “I brought you new panties that I stopped off for. I’m assuming you already have a bra, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, great. I have a pair of jeans and a shirt and two pairs of shoes…size seven and a half, to choose from. I’ve been designated as your shopping partner.”

“Shopping…?” I queried. “Shopping for what?”

“Clothes, underwear, shoes, toiletries,
sleepwear
!” she laughed. “
What else
? Hunter wants you to be comfortable. Food for your fridge, snacks…
everything
. He said you’d be staying with us for a while, so you have to have a wardrobe, and basic necessities. I mean, we don’t need to get everything today, but I’m sure you’ll want something besides stuff I can’t fit because of these hips,” she teased. “He told me you were about a size 8/9, so this was what I found for you in the interim.”

Wow
! What was happening? He had said that he wanted to help me, but I had no idea it would be at the level it was turning out to be. Allowing me to stay for a while? Buying me things? I wanted to ask why he was being so generous, but would it mean that I was blocking blessings to do so? My heart warmed from the inside as I thought about the level of kindness he was showing me. There hadn’t been a time in my life where someone was nice just for the sake of being nice, and while I didn’t want to ponder on it too much, I couldn’t help it. What was it about me that made someone who didn’t know me…want to help me? 

I snapped out of my trance to respond. “He’s correct. I
am
a size eight,” I told her.

Wow, he knew my size
, I thought.
He had checked me out
. I was amused, and felt myself on the verge of a blush, but fought it off.

“Awesome. So, after you pick a few items…” Gigi continued.

“I have some money if we can stop by—”

“Girl, bye! Hunter didn’t send me here to ask if you had money, so I don’t even know why that’s a part of the conversation right now,” she said, abruptly cutting me off. “Okay?”

“
O
…kay,” I responded, slowly.

“So,
as I was saying
…I’m supposed to take you to where Hunter is after we’ve loaded you up with some items.”

“Oh? And where is that?”

“It’s to Chaos.”

“Chaos…? What is—”

“Girl, you ask a
lot
of questions,” Gigi laughed. “Just go with it. I’m sure he just wants to talk to you about a few things.”

Her mouth was a bit much, but I liked Gigi. She was straightforward and funny. And for some reason I felt comfortable with her. She was my type of chick with her sassiness. I’d get to know her a bit before I gave it back to her though. I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers so early on. “Okay,” I responded. “Let me just get ready so I don’t hold up the process.”

I headed into the restroom to get dressed, and for the first time in a long time, I caught a glimpse of myself in the vanity mirror. I had been afraid to look; even last night when I had taken my shower. I purposely didn’t peek before getting in the water, and then when I emerged, I was so relaxed, I didn’t want the moment ruined. I was afraid of what I might see. However, to my surprise, there wasn’t too much there, and the burning had pretty much stopped too. I was sure that the cleansing I gave my face aided in the quick healing. Adding to that was the fact that even as a child, my skin never held a scar longer than a few days, and being a tomboy, that really came in handy because my light brown hue showed everything!

About two hours later, Gigi and I emerged from Sun Valley Mall in Concord. I was smiling big on the inside. The excitement was overwhelming. Never in a million years did I think that something so horrible could turn into anything so marvelous! In the trunk we loaded several bags of clothing, shoes, accessories, a really chic jacket, some Bright Crystal by Versace, and my obsession, Dark Crimson MAC lip gloss. Twenty minutes later we pulled into Target so that I could load up on Cocoa Butter Dove, Keri Lotion, and a bunch of toiletries. Thirty minutes after that we arrived at the beauty supply so that I could get some much-needed hair stuff: comb/brush, blow dryer, shampoo, silk scarf, and a curling iron. And forty-five minutes after that, we were pulling up to a large, attractive stucco building, in a swanky neighborhood, with Chaos written on the front of it. I took in th
e
allure of the outside.

Chaos was nice. It looked like at a point it might have been home to a large restaurant or something. It had two levels from the street. There was an awning that went the length of the front of the building, and there was smoked glass around an enclosed seating area. It was complete with turquoise-illuminated heating lamps. It was very nice, sexy even. There was a building to the left of it with a banner that read, “
Coming Soon
!
Home of
Temptation
”. It looked like a glass tunnel had been built to bridge the two buildings together. I couldn’t see through the glass from outside, but I was sure it was the connector, and purposely made so that you could see outside, but not in. I had to give credit where it was due, and it was beautifully done. But being at Rush’s home, I can’t say that I expected anything less. I glanced over at Gigi. “This is fancy, Gigi. So, this is Chaos, huh? What exactly is this place?”

“You’ll see soon enough. In the meantime, I’m going to take your stuff to the house. I think you’ll be riding back with Hunter.”

“Oh…okay,” I agreed.

She looked down at her cell phone, read the screen then relayed: “Hunter is running a little behind, but he’ll be here soon. He said Bart should be inside though.”

I gave her a look of concern, and she rubbed her hand across my back for reassurance. “Good people all around, Alika. You’re good.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll have a cell phone for you when you get back later as well,” she informed me. “Just head to the doors to the right of the smoked glass, and it should be unlocked.”

“Got ya.”

I felt a total sense of freedom, and that was something very new to me. It was like I didn’t have a care in the world. It for sure made me separate from what had taken place with Curtis. It was the new beginning I had been seeking for quite some time, and I was going to embrace it as such.
Maybe Atlanta will have to wait now
.