God's Gift to Women (25 page)

“When did the pain of losing her go away, Miss Terri?”

“It still hasn’t. I think it will always be with me. But I had to learn not to let it get me down.” She was holding Samantha’s hand. “I knew my mother wanted me to be happy, and your mother would want the same for you.”

I shut the door quietly and went back downstairs thinking about Eddie. Weeks had passed since the incident with Janet, and we hadn’t spoken since. It was the longest span of time we ever had gone without talking. I didn’t want to miss him, but I did.

While I was seasoning my red beans, I decided to call him in Chicago to wish him a merry Christmas. As his phone rang, I was a little nervous about what I would say. I was still upset with him, but I wanted to make sure he was okay. His phone rang five more times, then his answering machine picked up. I decided to leave a message.

“Eddie, this is Julian. I just called to wish you a merry Christmas. Well, take care and—”

I stopped to check myself from sounding too formal. I knew what I wanted to say.

“I hope you’re taking care of yourself, Li’l Brother. I’m still mad and disappointed, but I love you. Peace.”

As soon as I hung up, the phone rang. I was hoping it was Eddie.

“Hello, Payne residence.”

I heard light breathing, then silence, then the dial tone. The number came up OUT OF AREA. I turned off the lights in the kitchen and stared out the window. A few seconds later, the phone rang again.

“Who is this?”

“It’s me—Mitch. You all right?”

“Yeah, man, I’m fine,” I said, trying to play it off.

“Don’t tell me that crazy broad is still stalking you.”

“I’m just a little paranoid.” I kept my voice down and carried the phone into the bathroom. “Everything is under control.”

“That’s what you said right before Olivia showed up at

Terri’s office and nearly killed you. You need to stop worrying about your reputation and go to the police.”

“Now you’re starting to sound like Terri.”

“Somebody needs to talk some sense into your hard head. That woman is dangerous!”

“Yeah, so am I,” I said while pulling my pistol down from the top shelf of the linen closet. I had hidden it underneath a stack of old towels.

“This is not a game, Julian. It’s for real. And Olivia is playing for keeps.”

“For your information, Olivia is history!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Last week I drove out to her house with my pistol, you know, just to scare her.”

“You did
what
?”

“Calm down and let me finish. When I got there the house was empty and a For Sale sign was on the lawn.”

“That doesn’t mean she left Houston.”

“Well, if she’s still here she must be sleeping on the floor, because her furniture was shipped back to Chicago.”

“How do you know?”

“Let’s just say celebrity has its privileges.”

“That still doesn’t prove she’s gone,” Mitch said. “If I were you I’d hire a private detective to find out
exactly
where she’s at, just to be on the safe side.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was Terri.

“Julian, open up!”

“Hey, Mitch, I’ll talk to you later,” I said, loud enough for Terri to hear. “Tell Betty I said merry Christmas. Bye.”

I put the pistol back underneath the stack of towels and opened the door.

“Hey, baby; you and Sam finished wrapping gifts yet?”

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The gun, Julian, I heard what you said to Mitch.”

“Now you’re eavesdropping?”

“I was getting something to drink from the kitchen when I heard your big mouth. Now, where is it?”

“Look, Terri, there’s nothing to worry about. Like I told Mitch, Olivia is long gone!”

“Julian, you may be an expert at raising hell on the radio but I’m an expert on the human psyche, and I’m warning you that women like Olivia don’t just go away! She’ll keep coming back until she gets what she wants—or until one of you ends up dead! Is that what you want?”

“Whatever happens, happens.”

“How dare you have such a selfish attitude! Did you ever stop to think about me? And what about Mitch? He’s invested the past fifteen years of his life in you and your career! But the real question is, what’s going to happen to Samantha? She’s already lost a mother. Do you want her growing up without a father, too?”

I was speechless. I leaned against the counter feeling guilty and ashamed. I was so busy worrying about my reputation that I didn’t think twice about how it was affecting the people in my life.

“You’re right, baby. I’m getting way too caught up in this business—the money, the fame, the hype, everything! I promise you the next time I hear from Olivia I’ll contact the police right away. Hell, I’ll even call the FBI if you want me to.” I looked deep into her brown eyes. “I’ve waited a long time to find this kind of happiness again, and I’m not gonna chance losing it— or you.”

“Let’s just pray that there won’t be a next time,” she said as she moved closer to me. “I don’t want to lose you, either.” Then we kissed.

I tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let me go. “Julian, I think this is a good time to tell you something very important.”

What is it, baby?”

“Well, you know I haven’t been feeling well lately and—”

“Ooo, I saw that!” Samantha laughed while leaning her head in the door. “Can you two horny adults stop slobbering over each other long enough to open some gifts?”

“Where did you learn that word?”

“Chill out, Dad, I watch the Discovery Channel!”

She took me by the arm and dragged me into the living room where she had two boxes placed under the tree, one for me and the other for Terri.

“But it’s not Christmas yet,” Terri said. “It’s okay; this is a family tradition. Each person gets to open one gift before Christmas.”

We took turns ripping the colorful paper off our presents. I went first. Samantha brought me Sade’s
Best of Sade
CD. I gave her the Coach purse she had been begging for all year. She ran full speed into my arms, knocking me over.

“Thank you, Daddy, thank you, thank you!” she said while kissing me. “I promise I’ll never lose it!”

“You got that right; you won’t be wearing it out the house unless you’re with me or an armed guard,” I laughed. “Those things are expensive!”

Terri was still fiddling around with her box trying to get it open. She decided to stop acting cute and used her teeth to bite the tape off. When she finally got it open, she was speechless. She sat back on the floor and her eyes began to water. When I knelt down next to her I understood why. Inside the box was my old blue jean shirt, the one Carmen used to wear around the house.

“Do you like your present, Miss Terri?”

“Yes, sweetheart. It’s the best present I ever had,” she said with tears rolling down her face. “Come over here and give me a hug, girl!”

I was so moved I had to hold back my own tears. I held both of them in my arms and we rocked back and forth. It felt like old times again. Like family.

IT WAS JUST after sundown on New Year’s Eve when a yellow cab exited off Highway 288 onto Reed Street. After traveling two miles down the road, it turned into the parking lot of a raunchy building. The partially lit neon sign read
THE SKYLARK MOTEL.

“You sure this is the place?” Eddie asked the driver.

“The address you gave me was 1803 Reed Street, mister,” he replied in a strong Nigerian accent. “This is it, see?” He pointed at the crooked numbers over the door.

Eddie took a deep breath and stepped out onto the sandy lot. While the driver lifted his bags and camera equipment from the trunk, Eddie looked around in disgust at the area he found himself in. Across the street was a liquor store where bums were hanging out and begging for money. Next door was a run-down bar playing loud music. Dealers were selling bags of dope right out in the open. Eddie was no stranger to raunchy motels, but this was below even his standards.

“What the hell am I doing here?”

“I don’t know, mister, but the fare is sixty-five bucks,” the driver said.

Eddie slapped the money in his outstretched hand and then picked up his bags. It wasn’t easy finding room 121 because the numbers on some of the doors were missing. Once he was outside the door, he checked the information one last time, hoping he had made a mistake. As he was reaching inside his coat pocket for the piece of paper, the door slowly opened.

“Hello, stranger,” she said in a sexy tone. “Come on in.”

“Olivia, you better have a good explanation for bringing me all the way from Chicago to this dump.” Eddie dragged his bags into the dimly lit room.

The lamps had red lightbulbs in them and a strobe light was blinking in the corner.

“I love this Parliament/Funkadelic vibe you’ve got goin’,” he said while taking off his coat, “but how do you expect me to take pictures in the dark?”

“I thought we’d try something a little different. That’s why I chose this place; it has atmosphere.”

“You got that right—
stank
atmosphere! Your face will come out blurred on the CD cover if I photograph you with these red lights in the background.”

“I don’t care about my face being seen. It’s all about getting their attention!”

“Well, if you plan on wearing that outfit on the cover, you’ve got the problem solved.”

Olivia had on a white halter top and a pair of cutoff blue jean shorts. Eddie stared at her ass while she walked over to the dresser. She bent over and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from the bottom drawer, knowing damn well he was looking.

“You want some—whiskey?”

“Sure. Why not?”

She put two cubes of ice in a paper cup and began filling it to the top.

“Hey, that’s enough! I’ve got to be able to focus.”

She carried it over to him, then sat down on the bed and crossed her legs.

“So, how’s Denise?”

“I wouldn’t know. We broke up last month.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. She was a nice girl.”

“I guess this wasn’t my year for relationships,” Eddie laughed. “Oh, well, life goes on.”

“Does it, now?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Eddie gulped down the rest of his whiskey, then walked over to the dresser to get a refill.

“By the way, thanks for flying me in to do this gig.” Eddie was trying not to stare at her breasts. “Money was getting a little tight with me moving into my own place.”

“Don’t mention it.” Olivia uncrossed her legs. “All I ask is that I get my money’s worth.”

Eddie gave her a sly grin as he stirred his drink with his finger, then he licked it.

“I haven’t had a dissatisfied customer yet.”

After another shot of Jack Daniels, Eddie began unpacking his camera equipment. Olivia went into the bathroom to change. When she came out, she was smoking a joint and wearing a sheer red gown with a matching thong. Even in the dim light, Eddie could see her erect nipples.

“I hope you don’t mind if I smoke; it helps me relax,” Olivia said.

“It’s your dime, baby. Just save me a hit.”

The photo session quickly turned into a scene out of a Cheech and Chong movie as Olivia lit one joint after another. The high from the weed enhanced the effects of the flashing strobe light and the red lightbulbs. Olivia’s hazel eyes jumped out at the camera as Eddie shot one roll of film after another. And the more he smoked, the more aggressive he became. Instead of telling her what pose he wanted, he guided her with his hand.

“Now lift your leg over the arm of the chair.” He rubbed his hand on her thigh. “Yeah, that’s it!”

When he tried to touch her breast, she grabbed his wrist and stood up.

“Now let’s change places.” She snatched the camera out of his hand. “Take your clothes off!”

Eddie did a striptease as Olivia took pictures. Once he was naked, she pushed him onto the bed.

“Now, spread your arms out.”

“For what?”

“Just do it!”

She quickly got undressed, then walked over to the dresser and pulled out two long extension cords.

“I knew you were a freak when I met you,” Eddie said. “I could see it in those nasty eyes.”

“You should’ve looked deeper,” she said in a cruel tone as she tied his hands to the bedposts.

“Ouch, not so tight!”

“Shut the fuck up and take it like a man!”

Once his hands were firmly tied down, Olivia turned the volume up on the radio as loud as it would go, then disappeared into the bathroom.

“Hurry up, Olivia! I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on that round ass of yours!”

“Just a second, baby,” she shouted from the bathroom. “I’ve got a surprise for you. Close your eyes.”

Olivia came out of the bathroom with her right arm tucked behind her back. She took a sip of whiskey, then hopped on top of Eddie’s chest. When he opened his eyes, she was staring down at him with an eerie expression.

“So where’s my surprise?”

“Be patient, baby. I just want to ask you a few questions.”

“Questions? Like what?”

“Like why you never asked about Julian. I thought you were supposed to be friends.”

“Julian and I haven’t spoken in weeks. Besides, I knew he wasn’t serious about you. He just wanted to—”

“Go ahead and say it, he just wanted to fuck me, right? Just like you!”

“Look, Olivia. You called
me,
remember?”

“Yes, I did, and you came running like a horny dog.”

“Hey! We’re both adults, and I’m not committed to anybody!”

“That’s right, you’re the man who never makes promises.” Her tone became more hostile. “Isn’t that what you told Denise at Julian’s house that night?”

“How did you know that?”

“I saw the pain in her eyes,” Olivia went on. “I’ve felt the same pain a thousand times thanks to men like you and your fuckin’ friend! Well, both of you can go to hell—and I’m sending you first!”

When Olivia brought her arm from behind her back she was holding a large box cutter.

“What the hell is this? Some kind of game?”

“That’s right,
Fast
Eddie, and you’re
it
!”