Designer Desires (11 page)

Misty

“I have had enough of this bullshit!” Misty was still steaming mad long after hanging up with Anderson Cameron. Her father’s dirty dealings had gotten her into another mess. This time it wasn’t as simple as a quick lay with some police chief or high up politician to get him out of the mess. He spent all of his time and the family’s money being irresponsible. He was supposed to be the head of the family, but instead he was the deadbeat that brought shame on the family name whenever he had the chance. Misty didn’t consider herself the bimbo or the good time girl that she was known for. She’s had to clean up her father’s messes since she turned seventeen. Unfortunately, she used her body instead of her brain to get those messes cleaned up, so now she was stuck looking after a man that should’ve been protecting her. Now he was knee deep in some investment scheme with Anderson Cameron, and they needed Tony’s shares to pull off a cover-up. Tony didn’t know that most of his father’s shares were sold; he had to cover-up his debt and horrible investment deals. In order to regain controlling shares of the company, he needed Tony’s. He knew that Tony wouldn’t just hand them over no questions asked like his wife did. No, he would want an explanation, and Anderson wouldn’t give him that. So, he needed someone close to Tony that had access to his private information. A wife, girlfriend…hell, Anderson would take baby mama at this point…someone Anderson could control and get the information from. Problem was, Tony didn’t have a wife or girlfriend that Anderson could control. But if Misty Austin would’ve done her damn job dragging him to the altar, or, at the very least, being a constant companion, his problem and her father’s problem would’ve been solved. But that damn designer was messing up his head and getting in the way. Misty hoped that Korrine was just a passing phase, a conquest like all the others, but she had lasted months…way longer than any other.

Now with a hope of a relationship going down the drain, Misty thought the old fake pregnancy would get him to fall in line. But she couldn’t get the bastard back in bed with her because of that black bitch! Misty was okay with Tony’s flings, as long as he came back to her. She didn’t mean to fall for him, but that is exactly what she did. She put up with a lot to keep Tony in her life, and now it was all for nothing.

Korrine Taylor had to go; she needed to be out of the way. Misty picked up the phone and dialed the man that needed to get the job done.

“I need this done ASAP. You told me she wouldn’t be interested in Tony because she was a long term type. You said that she wouldn’t want some playboy with women all over the place, you said-”

Misty was interrupted. “She is the relationship type, but apparently so is he…now. Let’s not forget that
you
said he was a love them and leave them type, that he didn’t keep a woman around for more than a month. I can’t even get close to her. Every time I turn around, I’m looking at Antonio Fuckin’ Cameron. He’s always around!”  Steve’s face was beet red as he screamed at Misty.

“I don’t give a damn, Steve!” Misty yelled into the phone. “You said that you could get her out of the way; that you were just her type; that she wouldn’t fall for a guy like him with you around. It’s been four months, and they are as close as ever.”

“Look, you’re the one who said that if she had problems he wouldn’t want to be bothered. I set up all the stupid notes and phone calls. But instead of her leaving him, she ran straight into his arms. The stalking was
your
idea. He just became more protective. You pushed him right to her!” Steve yelled back.

“The stalking would’ve worked if the letters would’ve been more threatening. She was hardly afraid,” Misty seethed throwing her hands in the air.

“Of course she was afraid; she’s still afraid. They both are. Tony has a team of guys watching her. I can’t even get close to her to plant any more letters without anyone seeing me and being suspicious. This is becoming too much. I just wanted Korrine for myself. I can’t be caught up in whatever else you have going on. Korrine was supposed to turn to me as a friend so we could get close in her time of need. That didn’t happen; now she has bodyguards. I’m a business man. I can’t be mixed up in this crazy scheme of yours anymore, Misty.”

“Did you forget the information that I have on you Steve? Now with your involvement in this, I can ruin you completely.”  Misty sneered narrowing her eyes.

“You can’t turn me in without implicating yourself, and we both know you’re smarter than that. So what if my good-for-nothing-wife ran off with my brother and they almost destroyed my business with their investment schemes. Worse things have happened. I’ve lived in shame for too long to get mixed up in this because of a threat to my business was dumb of me. I should’ve never gotten involved with the likes of you. I’m done.” Steve hung up the phone.

Misty slammed her hand into the wall as if she was slapping Steve's face. She threw her phone across the room and screamed at the top of her lungs.  “ARRRGHH!”

She couldn’t believe that she had been hung up on for the second time tonight. The information she had on the investment scheme, plus what she planted to make it look like Steve hurt his wife, should’ve been enough to keep him in line.

Blackmail just didn’t work like it used to.

She would have to get her hands dirty on this one. Since the stalking wasn’t working, she needed to get Korrine out of the way on a more permanent basis.

Jake had searched through almost all of Cameron Corps documents, and they were perfect…too perfect. Someone was doctoring the financials, and he had a good idea who, but why? Jake informed Tony what he found and decided to crash for the night. He stayed in Tony’s guest room, not wanting to drive. Tony was still awake. Although he was exhausted, he couldn’t sleep. The thought of him being the reason Korrine was being stalked was making him physically ill. He needed to talk to Korrine and tell her everything.

“Hello?” Korrine answered in a sleep ridden voice.

“Hey, sweetness, it’s me. Sorry to wake you, but I really need to talk.”

“It’s late, Tony. Can’t we do this tomorrow? It’s…1 am.”

“I know, baby, but it’s really important. It can’t wait until tomorrow. You really need to know what’s been going on,” Tony said sounding almost desperate, pacing back and forth in his apartment.

“Okay,” Korrine yawned. “What’s going on, Tony?”

“Jake and I have been doing some digging, and we think we may know who is behind your stalking.”

“Steve?” Korrine asked feeling more awake.

“No, I don’t think it is Steve…Why do you all of a sudden think it’s Steve?” Tony asked stopping his pacing.

Korrine finally told Tony about the intense conversation she and Steve had before he walked in the last time she saw Steve. She let him know how suspicious Steve had been acting lately, how the calls only come when he’s not around, and how the notes were always left when he had been around.

After everything Korrine told him, he had to reconsider that maybe Steve was involved somehow. He really had too much information going around his head at the moment. He wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Tony, are you still there?” Korrine asked.

“Yea, baby, I’m here. Korrine, I really need to see you; there is so much going on, and I know it’s late, baby, and you’re mad, but I need to see you.”

“Oh-kay…I’ll be here…Tony?”

“Yea, sweetness?”

“Be safe, okay? See you soon.”

Korrine

Once Korrine hung up the phone, she decided to get up and make some coffee. If she and Tony were going to have this much needed talk, she better be wide awake, and that meant coffee was a must.

Korrine went to her kitchen, popped a k-cup in her coffee maker, and headed back to her bathroom to freshen up. Just as she was finishing up in the bathroom, she decided that maybe coffee wasn’t strong enough for the conversation she was about to have. So she decided to look for the stash of liquor she knew Brandon and Lauren always had when they came over.

“Hmm…now if I was a bottle of liquor, where would I be?” Korrine said out loud.

It had been ten minutes after she drank her coffee, and she still couldn’t find the bottle of cherry flavored vodka that she knew Brandon left the last time he was over.

Maybe I should just call and ask Brandon. He’s probably still awake.
Korrine giggled at her thoughts.
Nah, if he is awake, he’s probably doing something naughty.

She missed Brandon. He had been spending a lot of Q-T time with his new beau and Korrine, knowing what the honeymoon stage of a new relationship could be like, didn’t want to interfere. Even though her honeymoon didn’t last, she didn’t want to shatter anyone else’s illusion of love. Come to think of it, Korrine hadn’t seen much of Brandon or Lauren. She had been so wrapped up in Tony that she was neglecting her friendships. Although talking to Lauren while she was fighting with her cousin was a bit awkward at first, Lauren was a good friend and tried to see both sides of the argument without giving Korrine a hard time. She really did have good friends.

A knock on the door brought Korrine out of her thoughts and back to the present. She looked at her clock, thinking,
Damn, Tony got here fast. If we make up, I need to talk to him about his speeding.
Korrine smiled at the thought of them making up. Her heart thumped in her chest. She wanted to see Tony. Not seeing him every day or talking to him was a new kind of torture, and she just didn’t think she had the strength to endure it any longer. Although she was still upset about him calling her ungrateful, she could put her big girl panties on and talk to him instead of storming off and not speaking to him. He was just so damn stubborn, and so was she. Two stubborn people were bound to bump heads. But if this was going to work, they would have to learn to compromise with each other. They were both passionate people that loved hard and with everything they had in them. So, it made sense that feelings that explosive could be more than intense. Korrine hoped they could work out their differences; she really missed Tony these past couple of days.

Korrine smiled wide as she swung open the door.

Korrine’s smile quickly fell from her face when she opened the door and saw a strange woman standing there.

“May I help you?” Korrine asked closing the door to just a crack.

“Why, yes, you absolutely can,” the woman replied with an evil grin spreading across her face.

Korrine didn’t like the look on the woman’s face or in her eyes. She didn’t recognize the leggy blond with the too tight dress. But the woman seemed to be familiar with her, and Korrine didn’t like that feeling at all.

She moved to shut the door all the way when the woman caught Korrine off guard and shoved the door, knocking Korrine off balance while quickly moving inside.

The woman pulled a gun as her evil smile grew wider. Gasping, Korrine took a step back shaking her head at the woman. “Who-who are you?!  What do you want?!” Korrine asked growing frantic.

The woman let out a maniacal laugh that showed she was clearly disturbed before dropping her handbag on the floor while wiping at the invisible lint on her short bandage dress.

“Oh, we aren’t so tough, are we ‘sweetness’? I overestimated you. Since you are from South Dallas, I just knew I would have to ‘scrap’ a little.”

Korrine narrowed her eyes at the woman’s blatant bigotry. “I don’t know what you want, but you can take it and leave,” she hissed through bated breath.

“Oh, I’m going to do just that and more, Korrine. I’m Misty, by the way. We haven’t been introduced since Tony has been hiding you away. You see, I’ve been seeing Tony for quite some time, and I was planning on marrying him. We have a lot in common, he and I. Our families go way back, but he seems to have gotten distracted and strayed from my plans of matrimony. I tried to get him to see that you weren’t on his level. A man of his caliber needs someone with a name and standing in the community. Tony needs me, and I need him. You don’t have the pedigree that I have.” Misty said this as if it was the sanest explanation in the world.

Korrine looked at the woman with a wide-eyed expression. Misty was rambling on as if she should know what the hell she was going on about.

“Misty, is it?” Korrine asked hesitantly. “Look, Tony and I aren’t even dating anymore. We weren’t even anything official. So I really don’t know why you are in my house holding me at gunpoint. None of this makes any sense to me.”

Korrine, with her hands in the air, backed away, stumbling over an end table by the door and knocking over a lamp.  The sound of the lamp crashing to the floor made both women jump.  Misty’s hand shook slightly, giving away her true demeanor.  She may have seemed calm, but the look in her eyes was pure insanity. 

Korrine knew she had to stall this crazy person. Tony was on his way and would be there any moment. All she had to do was keep this heffa talking, and then she would be free from this deranged individual.

“I really don’t know what’s going on or why you are here. Tony never mentioned he was getting married or even thinking about marriage. That’s not something we talked about.”

Misty gave another high-pitched laugh. “You aren’t really that smart, are you? I don’t have time to explain anything to you right now. So
you
look, Tony is probably on his way. I know the goons he has watching this place will be back from their shift change at any moment, so we need to get out of here.”

Goons? Tony has someone watching my place? Why didn’t he tell me? Obviously the threat was more serious than I thought, since this crazy bitch is here with a gun. How does she know Tony is on his way?
Korrine’s thoughts were all over the place. The questions were popping in her head so fast that she didn’t realize that Misty was about to slap her.

Whack!

Misty’s hand came hard across Korrine’s face, making her stumble back once again. “I said let’s move, bitch! Don’t just stand there daydreaming! I don’t have time for this shit!”

Korrine stumbled back but didn’t fall. She caught herself, seething with anger.
This bitch thinks she’s bad with a gun. But if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to knock her the fuck out!
Korrine gathered her composure and narrowed her eyes at Misty before slowly moving toward the door. Once at the door, Korrine whirled around trying to catch Misty off guard, pushing her with all the strength she could muster. But Misty was watching closely and saw the move coming. Misty side stepped her and, although Korrine was able to knock her slightly off balance, Misty didn’t lose her grip on the gun.

She smirked at Korrine and pushed her in the back. “Tsk tsk, ‘sweetness.’ That wasn’t so sweet. You better be glad I still need to get you out of here, or I would put a bullet in your pretty little head. Now move, and don’t try anything else or, so help me, I will find another way to get
your body
out of this shithole you call an apartment.”

As Misty led Korrine out the door into the stairwell, Korrine was trembling with fear, wondering how in the hell did she get into this mess, and how in the hell was she going to get out of it.  Korrine was looking around trying to see if she had a way out, but there was no possible way she could get away from this maniac without being shot.  Korrine knew once she was in a different location, it would lessen the probability of her surviving.  She watched Law and Order, so she knew the deal.  But she just couldn’t think and she had no idea what to do.  She never thought of herself as a weak woman, but as they made it out of the building through a side door, a tear of despair slipped down her cheek. 

There was a car waiting right by the side entrance.  Korrine lost hope. She was going to be kidnapped. 

Misty pushed Korrine into the back seat, and slid in beside her. Korrine didn’t see the face of the person driving the car before she felt an excruciating pain in her head and everything went black.