Hot Girlz: Hot Boyz Sequel Page 7

  Standing within three feet of them, Torino spoke first. “Hey, Colette.”

  “Hi.” She kept her eyes on Sequoia, head to toe.

  “Kyle.” Torino said.

  Kyle replied. “Hey, man.” He looked to Sequoia, “Hi.”

  Half way between Sequoia greeting Kyle, Colette said as though in a sudden rush, “Come on, Kyle. Let’s go.”

  Kyle gave Mason a head’s-up nod and Sequoia waved to Kyle as they headed toward the elevator. Kyle waved back. Colette had her back to them, only looking behind for a second to make sure Kyle right there. He was.

  Sequoia continued watching Colette walk.

  Attorney Phillips came out and said, “That was quick, huh?”

  “It was,” said Torino. “Is it usually like that?”

  “This was just to order the test. Plus, it looked like they have a lot of cases to get through today. Sometimes the next phase gets more involved. But I’m hoping we won’t need to deal with the child support phase. That’ll be addressed the next time.”

  “Okay.”

  “Here.” He handed Torino a paper. “This is the list of laboratories. Go ahead and get that swab done. Don’t wait. A month can go by fast. Let me know once you get it done. The results will be sent to the court.”

  “Will do.”

  “Bye,” the attorney said to Sequoia. He then walked away.

  “Good bye,” she replied almost a moment too late, seeming preoccupied.

  Torino noticed. “You okay?”

  “I am. You?”

  “I am.” He folded the paper and they began to walk.

  “That was interesting, to say the least.”

  “It was.” His words were brief.

  She said, “I’ll tell you one thing. Colette and Kyle look stressed.”

  “I know.” Torino took his vibrating phone out of his jacket pocket and worked his way through the screen to read a text message. “I just got a text from him. From Kyle.”

  “What?”

  They stood before the elevator and Sequoia pressed the down button.

  “He wants to meet me at TGI Fridays in Ladera. Tomorrow afternoon at two.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Oh no, what?”

  “I know you’re not going. You can’t trust him.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Sequoia crossed her arms. “Uh-oh. You’ll go.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You just make sure you listen more than you talk.”

  Torino looked down to read another message. “Says it’s important.” He began typing, and pressed the screen, putting his phone back in his pocket as the elevator arrived.

  “What did you tell him?” Sequoia stepped inside first.

  Torino followed. “I told him, yeah, I’ll be there.”

  “I knew it. Just an accident waiting to happen. This whole thing.”

  And the elevator went down, down, down to the ground floor.

  10

  Mercedes

  “What the hell happened?”

  They say a home is not a house and a house is not a home when two are far apart and one has a broken heart.

  For Mercedes Wilson to turn her house into a home again would involve the man of the house coming back to it, willingly.

  It was August 26th and Mason hadn’t spent the night at home in exactly two weeks. Mercedes had talked to him on the phone a few times, but only briefly. Whenever she brought up any conversation that revolved around the two of them personally, or the Vegas incident, he would change the subject and rush off. He had been home only twice to get more of his things, both times while Mercedes was at work.

  Mason was staying in the upper unit of a duplex they owned in Leimert Park on Creed. It was the same place his half-sister, Cicely James, who was also co-owner of Foreplay before Torino bought it, lived in, rent free for so long. Cicely is the woman Mercedes swore was Mason’s side piece, and she also swore Mason was financing Cicely, being her sugar daddy. But it turns out the woman was not only gay, not into men whatsoever, but she also turned out to be the love child of Jesse Wilson and his mistress. Quiet as it was kept, Mattie knew all about it and wanted nothing to do with Cicely so the Wilson brothers tried to hide the truth for years, but Mason caved in and told Mercedes after her suspicions became a problem. And eventually, Cicely sold her interest in Foreplay to Torino and moved to New York with her woman to open a nightclub there.

  Mercedes sat at the kitchen table flipping through a Vogue magazine, turning the pages but not really taking in the content. Mind on her marriage, marriage on her mind.

  From the backyard she heard Nadia barking and whining, and then just as Mercedes was about to go check on her, Rashaad came in through the back door, spitting image of his father just a lighter shade of brown. He wore black jeans, a black golf shirt, and a black cap.

  Mercedes’s hand was over her heart. “Oh. Oh my. Hey, Son. I was wondering what all that commotion was about. I thought you were your dad.” She flashed a full smile.

  “Nope. It’s just me.”

  “Just you. Please, you look good,” she said as he came over to give her a kiss on the cheek. She hugged him tight.

  “Thanks. Whatcha got to eat?” he asked, breaking from their embrace and heading straight for the refrigerator.

  Mercedes told him, “I made some turkey spaghetti earlier if you want some. Other than that there’s some fried chicken from a couple of nights ago.”

  He looked inside. “Hmmm.”

  Mercedes said, “No. First of all, I should be asking you, what do you want? I watched you win the U.S. Open while you were in Georgia and talked to you after, but haven’t seen you at all this month. So in honor of you being able to come home, you tell me what you’d like to eat, and I’ll make it.”

  He shut the refrigerator door. “Wow. I won’t pass that up. Maybe turkey wings and cabbage and those fried pork steaks you always make.”

  “Can you eat that kind of food now? With that physique you have, I’d think swine and gravy would slow you down.”

  “Oh, I’ll work it off.”

  “Okay, if you say so. Then that’s what I’ll make tonight. You are staying the night?” She looked hopeful.

  “Not sure. I have to be in Switzerland by the first. I might have to fly out tomorrow.”

  “You are so on the move. My goodness, I wanted to say, I’m glad you bounced back from that loss in Ireland last month. I know that was tough.”

  “Yeah, but that was yesterday. Like Dad always says, you’re only as good as your last game.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Where is he anyway?” Rashaad asked. He leaned against the gray soapstone counter with his hands in his pockets.

  She moved her magazine over and leaned forward. “Rashaad, listen. I was going to tell you. Just didn’t seem to be the right time. But your dad and I, we’ve been having some conversations, and we, well, he felt it was best for him to go over to the place in Leimert for a while until we iron things out.”

  “Iron what out?”

  “We’ve got some issues and he’s just taking time to clear his head.”

  “What?”

  “This is best for your dad and for me both. We’ll work it out.”

  “How long has this been going on?” he asked, arms now folded.

  “A couple of weeks.”

  “A couple of weeks? I talked to him and he didn’t say anything about it. I thought he was here last time I called him.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s just not cool. Dad doesn’t leave. Why would he leave you, and Grandma? He can clear his head in the guestroom if he needs to.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Does Star know?”

  “She might.”

  “Did you tell her?”

  “No. But your dad may’ve. If she does know I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. You guys talk about everything.”

  Rashaad said, “Well, Star’s kinda upset.” He looked t
o be forcing himself to switch up. “I cheated on Sasha.”

  “Cheated on Sasha? How does Star know that?”

  “Star called the night all this happened because she was gonna go out with me and Sasha while I was in Atlanta for the U.S. Open, but when I told her what went on, she just went off and decided she didn’t want to go.”

  “Well what happened? And Rashaad, don’t you act like you can’t tell me. Don’t you even try it.”

  “Oh boy.” He scratched the back of his head. “I’m still thinking about what you said about you and Dad.” He continued. “So, what happened was, this girl asked one of the caddies to introduce her to me, and long story short, she ended up coming to my hotel room in Atlanta. It turns out Sasha flew out early to surprise me and got in a shouting match with the girl in my hotel room. Somebody called the police. It was a mess. Someone said we were disturbing the peace.”

  “What? Did they press charges?”

  “Mom, when the police came, it was like they just turned the other cheek, and then they were basically bold enough to ask me for my autograph.”

  “Oh, Lord. You’re getting the celebrity status perks?”

  “It’s crazy. So, anyway, Sasha and I went out without Star, and we took my caddy Winton with us. People were crowding all around us like mad. So, anyway, that was it. It all blew over.”

  “Wow.” Mercedes took a second. “I’m not going to preach, Son. But you know you need to be careful. You know women out there will be after you for your fame and money. We’ve talked about this before. And the lady you’re with will surely get all tripped out when she thinks you’re letting some of those very women who are after you, get close to you. It’s emotions, that’s all. So, you and Sasha are okay now?”

  He stepped away from the counter and toward the kitchen door. “Yeah, she’s fine. But Star got on me more than Sasha did. You’d think I cheated on her, the way she was acting when I told her.”

  “So are you and Star speaking?”

  “We are. Just not as much. Star is devoted to a fault. Anything that happens that goes against what she thinks is fair and just, gets her all riled up.”

  “I know. That’s just how she is. Always has been.”

  Rashaad walked toward the family room. “Is Grandma up?”

  “She was when I went in there about an hour ago.”

  “I’m going in there to see her. Is Lucinda here?”

  “No. She’s out until later tonight,” Mercedes replied just as the doorbell rang.

  “You expecting somebody?”

  She got up. “Yeah, that’s probably your Aunt Sequoia. She said she was stopping by.”

  “Okay. I’ll come see her in a minute. Be right back. And I was gonna tell you, one day you need to get Skype on your computer. That way we can talk when I’m on the road.” He headed up the stairs.

  “Skype? I don’t know,” Mercedes said, going to the front door and opening it. She looked her best friend up and down as soon as she saw her. “Wow, look at you. Looking all sexy.”

  “Just some cheap skinny jeans. No biggie.” Sequoia came inside.

  Mercedes looked at her from behind. “All that body you got? And all that booty, it’s a biggie all right.”

  “Look who’s talking, Mercedes Kardashian,” Sequoia joked.

  “Oh, not even. Anyway, how’s it going, girl?”

  “I’m okay. You know I had to check on you.”

  “Well, I appreciate it. Rashaad is here, hopefully until tomorrow.”

  “I saw his big ole Beamer out there. How is he?”

  “Good. He’s in there with Mamma. He looks good. That boy is such a star. The world is spoiling his ass already.”

  “He just moved right on into Mason’s celebrity spot.” She put her purse down on the sofa table.

  Mercedes said, “Sequoia, things have changed so much from the days when the kids ran around here, the days when I tried my best to keep up with them. Most times now, this house is quiet. I can’t take it sometimes. It’s like everyone’s gone. Mamma’s quiet, and that’s hard enough. But now Mason’s gone. I was just complaining that having him home was getting on my nerves. Now, it’s just me and the dog and Mamma.”

  Sequoia stepped up and gave her a hug. “My Mercedes.”

  Mercedes patted her on the back.

  Sequoia then asked, taking a step back, “You got any of that lemonade you always have in the fridge?”

  “I do.”

  “Good. I’ll be right back. Meet me on the patio,” Sequoia said, heading for the kitchen.

  “You say so.” Mercedes did just that and walked outside from the sliding glass doors. Nadia barked for a second. “Hush, girl. Quiet,” she said to Nadia who was on the side of the house.

  Mercedes took a seat on one of the hunter green outdoor chairs under the matching umbrella.

  The view of the turquoise infinity pool and spa was beautiful. The bright orange Delilah flowers mixed with bold pink impatiens framed the picturesque sight. Palm trees and hydrangea bushes led the way to a handball court and a half basketball court in the very back.

  Sequoia, walking barefooted, came outside, holding two tall glasses of lemonade. “So tell me. What the hell happened with Mason?”

  “He just left.”

  Sequoia placed the glasses on the table and went back to close the sliding glass door. “That’s what you said on the phone, but what was it? After all this time, what would make him just leave?”

  Mercedes picked up her glass. “Thank you. Girl, I really feel like I should ride on over to that duplex in Leimert where he’s staying and get him, or call him a zillion times until he brings his ass on home, begging him till I’m blue in the face. But I know Mason. He’s hurt. He’s got too much pride to make this easy on me. He needs time away.”

  Sequoia sat across from Mercedes. “I understand that.” She looked serious. “I just need you to tell me if this had anything to do with what happened in Vegas with Ryan. You can get mad if you want to, but I know you and him connected. I just know it.”

  “Why do you say that?” Mercedes drank her lemonade.

  “Because, you’re human. You’ve been married for a long, long time. You’ve been true. I know you’ve been faithful. But, you’re human.”

  Mercedes looked out along the pool. “True.”

  “See, I’ll tell you. I saw him coming up. Ryan. It was after you and I walked to your room first, and then I went on to my room. When I got in there for a minute, I had a taste for a little bit more of the slot machines. Honestly, I didn’t want you to know, because earlier, the only reason I stopped playing was because you told me not to let the casino rob me blind.” She smiled.

  Mercedes was focused.

  “So I went downstairs anyway and when I got off the elevator in the casino, I saw him come around the corner and press the button for the same group of elevators I got off of. He didn’t see me. He was looking down at his phone. Or maybe he did, but I never saw him look my way.”

  Mercedes took another sip. She stared at Sequoia. “Maybe his room was on one of those floors.”

  “Maybe not. I overheard him tell you he was staying at the Venetian. But that’s enough of me talking about what happened. It’s your turn, Sister.”

  “Sequoia.” Mercedes paused. She placed her glass down and rested her elbow on the table, leaning forward. “My God. I can’t believe what a small world it is. First of all, small world meaning that Ryan is someone whose daughter knows Star. And, small world in that Ryan ends up interviewing Mason about the city council seat. For real, Mason hasn’t talked about politics since college. I’m telling you, it’s like it was just supposed to happen, and supposed to come out.”

  “Maybe. If something happened, just tell me. If you’re worried about me telling Torino, I wouldn’t do that. And I’d definitely never tell Mason.”

  Mercedes said, “So, you know how we talked when we checked into the hotel about how we should just pretend we’d have enough nerve to sin in s
in city, you know, acting like we were free and single for a few hours?”

  “Yeah. Walking through the casino when we first got there, just excited to be able to get away.”

  Mercedes looked toward the sliding glass door, and then back at Sequoia. “Well, I did have the nerve. Seeing Ryan come up to me at the fashion show when I signed him in as one of the models. Him flirting with me like that, complimenting me. And then he kissed my hand. I got mad. But, in a way, it was kinda nice.” She was talking like she didn’t want to admit it.

  “I understand. I knew you were feeling him.”

  “I played it off, I thought.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “I guess I didn’t. But you know how they talk about chemistry. Like something you can’t explain, kind of an animal instinct. I’m telling you, he’s someone who just got my estrogen going and, Sequoia, after I danced with him at the club, actually it was during the dance, I had to stop before the song was through. I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or not. But I felt like it was just so sensual, but so dirty.”

  “We were buzzed, now.”

  “We were. When you and I said goodbye in the hallway once I got to my room, I think it was like one in the morning. And then when I got in my room I had a message on my phone. I thought it was Mason so I called him, woke him up actually, and said goodnight. He said he didn’t call. So when we hung up I checked my messages, and it was him. It was Ryan telling me he was up, and that he wanted to make sure I made it back to the room. That he wanted to know if I was okay.” Her voice became a notch lower. “I listened to his message and then hung up. I was hot. I’m telling you, hearing him just worked me over. I can’t remember the last time I masturbated, but I wanted to. But instead, I called his room and he answered. He told me he just made some coffee. I didn’t even want any but I told him out of the blue, ‘I’ll take cream and sugar.’ He said okay. Before I knew it he was at my door. I heard him knock. I stood there for a minute. I turned the knob, pulled the door open, and there he was, tall, young, fine, smelling good, and smiling, standing with a cup of coffee in his hand. He stepped in saying nothing. I closed the door and locked it. Twice. And Sequoia . . .”