Deadly In Stilettos (5 page)

             
Getting close to him would be easy since Troy was surrounded by groupies’ day and every night. Whenever he had a big name recording artist in his home studio, he made sure there were plenty of beautiful girls around to keep their creative juices flowing. It was sad how much of a sucker men were for a pretty face and a big ass.
‘
Some things never change,
’
Demi thought. She could not wait to see the look on Troy’s face when he looked up and saw her standing in front of him.

“The look on the face of someone who broke your heart and left you in the middle of the desert to
die…priceless,” she whispered as she walked from the spa.

             
Demi really had come to Chicago for business and was staying for a few days for some important meetings. She had to meet with a few local designers about potentially purchasing custom-made pieces for her employer. She booked a suite in downtown Chicago at the Embassy Hotel, the best in the city, at least she thought.

             
Her reunion with Troy would be late in the evening, so she had the entire day to finish her business meetings, and then return to the hotel to change into something more suitable for seeing him. Demi changed her shoes before getting to her first meeting. The bronze metallic sandals with multiple straps would have to wait for later. Troy would love them since he had purchased them in the first place. This was her one exception to never wearing the same shoe twice. She wanted them to be the last pair of shoes Troy saw before he took his last breath.

             
Finding something appropriate to wear to her business meeting was easy since she packed only one business suit. The Donna Karan two-piece suit, with jacket and pencil skirt, was the perfect choice. It accentuated her curves, yet provided a classy, sophisticated business look. Slipping on her open-toe, sling-back black leather Marc Jacobs stilettos, she put on her Marc Jacobs sunglasses and left the hotel suite feeling like a millions bucks. Several heads turned when she walked through the hotel lobby. Men couldn’t take their eyes off her and women gaped at her beautiful shoes.

             
The meeting with the designers was a great success. In fact, Demi made other contacts at the meeting as well. All the custom-made pieces in each collection were just what she was looking for to broaden the horizon of her career. Surely, her employer would love the pieces she got samples of, which she would show to him when she returned to work. Demi was certain that the bold and bright colors in each collection she’d chosen would provide customers with an excellent shopping experience. With the fall season approaching, Demi wanted the stores to have a flow of seasonal colors in the clothes, accessories, and other essential pieces for a woman’s wardrobe, to create the perfect attire for any occasion. In addition, she would benefit greatly with several complimentary pieces designed specifically for her, as signs of gratitude from each designer.

             
Demi’s closet would have to be extended into her sitting room if she continued getting perks like this. Some of the shoes she saw brought her close to climax, they were just that beautiful. Once she thanked each designer and scheduled follow-up meetings, she was more charged with energy than ever. Troy was just hours away, and she could not wait to see him. And the fact that she could leave Chicago afterward, was an added bonus.

             
Memories of their time together clouded her mind. Although their relationship ended badly, she still cared deeply for him. After all, he was her first love, and women never forgot their first. No matter how hard they tried. In Demi’s case, she couldn’t let go of all the pain he brought into her life. She had to focus on the matter at hand. Troy Dunbar hurt her deeply, causing pain like she never could have imagined, even more than her father caused. Little had she known at the time that more pain lay in her future. Trouble would find her no matter how hard she tried to avoid it.

             
A few years earlier, Demi had seen Troy at an album-release party for a good friend of hers. He produced most of her tracks. Demi was proud of her friend’s accomplishments, so she agreed to make an appearance. Troy looked great as usual. Demi wanted to see if he remembered her. When the main event was over and the networking began, she walked over to Troy to say hello. Immediately several big, muscle-bound, thick-necked dudes stepped in front of her, telling her that if she did not move away and step the fuck off, she would regret it. She hoped Troy would see her and call the dogs off, but was surprised when he stared right at her smiling face and snapped his fingers, gesturing for the bodyguards to move her along with the other people he had no use for.

             
Demi felt humiliated. The memory of the night, Troy made her get out of his car in the middle of the desert came upon her like a hot flash. She had a sudden urge to hurt him, as well as all the others. That was the night she went home and began forming her infamous list. That night, Demi declared she would take her life back. No one else would cause her pain, treat her like trash, or walk all over her anymore. She was a human being, dammit. She deserved to be treated as such. Troy Dunbar would pay greatly for neglecting her and then treating her like an outcast again. She was going to make him regret the day he ever met her.

             
Rage soared throughout Demi’s body. She could not get inside her suite fast enough before she threw a vase against the wall. To her surprise, neither security nor hotel management came knocking on her door with a noise complaint. The impact had been so loud, it startled her. She was cutting short her stay in Chicago. She accomplished all of her meetings in one day, rather than the three she had been expecting. Things were working out in her favor, so there was no need for her to return to the hotel.
‘
Another task out of the way and on to the nex
t
,’ she thought.

             
Demi cleaned up the mess, careful not to cut herself on any of the broken glass, and then pulled off her clothes and walked into the bathroom. She soaked in the round marble Jacuzzi, basking in the warm water as the comforting jets massaged her tight muscles. The relaxation from her earlier message was long gone, but now she felt rejuvenated. The bubbles covered her body completely, while the hot water washed away all of her problems. For a second, Demi was free. Her mind was tranquil and at ease. She closed her eyes and exhaled. She did not want the relaxing bath to end, but she had an important task to complete. She would just have to continue the pampering session once she got back to her own tub, which was way bigger than the one in her hotel suite.

Stepping out of
the tub, Demi put on the robe the hotel provided for her. Its plushness was remarkable, and she was impressed. Usually when she stayed away from home, she packed her own, but since she had been staying so briefly this time, she hadn’t bothered. Applying moisturizer all over her body, Demi made sure she did not miss any part of it. Aunt Charlotte taught her about moisturizer. “If you want beautiful and soft skin, baby, use Vaseline after a bath or shower,” Aunt Charlotte would say. Demi agreed. It did make the skin feel like butter, and the natural glow it left behind was unbelievable.

             
She carefully applied her makeup, which she did not really need, but the bronzer gave her face a little something special. A hint of blush, natural-toned eye shadow, and her cream and sugar lip gloss were all she applied, she liked keeping it light. Because she wore her hair naturally, Demi used rollers to enhance her hair’s natural waves. They added more volume and manageability.

             
The minidress with bronze sequins fit perfectly, accentuating all of her assets. The hem of the dress sat right at her thighs, yet looked classy. She did not want to look like slut, although she was going to a studio that women she considered sluts frequented.

             
Demi took the hot rollers out of her hair and the curls fell, attractively framing her face. The last piece of her outfit sat on the shelf in the closet waiting for her. The bronze snakeskin Manolos spoke to her as she picked them up. Her legs craved them.

Once they were strapped on, Demi stood up and assessed herself in the full-length mirror once again. She looked like she had stepped straight from a fashion magazine and was sure to turn the heads of all who laid eyes on her. She added a hint of perfume—a
dab on the back of her arms, a dab on both sides of her neck, and a dab on her inner thighs. The perfume mixed with the Vaseline, creating a distinctive, intriguing scent. The pheromones escaping her body filled the entire suite. Troy or any other man she came to contact with would not be able to resist her. Usually when she entered a room, her scent captured all in attendance, which she loved, it gave her a powerful feeling.

             
Demi did not wear much jewelry. She saw no need when she wore stilettos. They were all the accessories needed to any attire. Before grabbing her bronze clutch, she made sure she packed everything and had the key to her rental car. She called the front desk for a bellhop, and then waited patiently before she went down to check out.

             
Her flight to San Francisco was scheduled to leave at two a.m. and knowing Troy, his party would be in full swing at that time, so she was prepared. Before anyone discovered his body, she would be sitting on a plane, drinking a mimosa as she flew west to visit another old friend whose name happened to be next on her list. Even though her list wasn’t in any type of specific order, Demi wanted the task complete with urgency.

Chapter 4

             
TROY’S STUDIO was hidden behind his modern-style home in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the Chicago area. The studio was grand in all senses of the word. It was equipped with huge mixer boards, every type of instrument one could imagine, a booth for the artists to lay tracks, an open bar, a chef who prepared any dish desired, and many other perks. Demi was impressed, but she refused to acknowledge that fact. She stepped out of the way as other guests arrived, placing the keys to her rented Mercedes inside her clutch. She didn’t want to have to wait for valet to retrieve her car when she was ready to leave. If things got out of hand, she needed to be able to get away quickly. She waited in the studio lobby until someone led her to her post, as she heard the man walking in front of her say to someone on his walkie-talkie.

             
As she followed him through the studio she admired the beautiful art pieces decorating the area. She noticed several of the other women there giving her dirty looks, but she just smiled and kept on moving.
‘
Women can be some evil bitche
s
,’ she thought.

             
Troy was just finishing up with one of his artists when his bodyguard announced his entertainment for the evening arrived. Demi smiled. Was she really considered “the entertainment”? How funny. She thought of herself as a diamond, not a cubic zirconia, she always shined bright. Looking at the many other women in the room, she knew none of them were on her level, not even close. But when someone is not familiar with first class, they tend to settle for coach instead, she concluded.From her gathering, the women in the room were beautiful, with nice bodies, but obviously didn’t even know about business class.
‘
Looks don’t last foreve
r
,’ Demi thought walking pass them.

             
Sure, a few of the girls were pretty, nicely dressed, but Demi saw from their shoes that they didn’t have much class or good taste. She saw mostly Payless, Shoe Town, and Shoe City brands in the room, mixed with classic knock-offs. She knew those brands because she had bought cheap shoes when she was growing up and money was limited, before she met Troy. Aunt Charlotte didn’t believe in spending unnecessary money on anything. Proud of her gorgeous shoes, Demi added an extra strut to her step. Several of the men in the room completely ignored the women seating right on their laps to stare at her. Demi wasn’t conceited, but her self-confidence was through the roof.