Chapter Nineteen
Eliana
Not long after I finished eating the salad Ms. Chef Boyardee prepared for me, I received a call from Olivia, who was playing my mother’s role along with a man acting like my father in my scheme. Marcus, Zamora, and the cooking staff were still in their meeting to discuss the plans for the menu. Not wanting to take that call in front of Marcus’s mother, I stepped away from the table. I had a good idea of what the call was about.
“Hey, I can’t really talk right now. I’m with Marcus and his mom,” I whispered into the phone, hoping she would quickly end the call.
“Your father and I are at your place of business and will make a huge scene if you don’t get here with our payment,” she said. “We didn’t get our payment for the engagement party. It’s not cheap to hire a family, baby girl, and you owe us for four hours,” she said.
I didn’t need her reminder. What I needed was my money. I was waiting for my bank to release the hold on over sixty thousand dollars in personal checks from four clients who had made their final payments two days ago. I couldn’t pay what I owed until the money was in my account.
“I know, but today is Friday. The money won’t be available to me until Tuesday,” I expressed.
“Look, if we don’t get our payment by Wednesday evening, your fiancé is going to find out how his soon-to-be wife is a scam artist out for his money,” Olivia threatened.
“I hear you,” I replied, trying to keep calm. “You know I pay on time, but I can’t give you what I don’t have. For sure, when the money is released, I got y’all. You know I’m good for it.”
“Yes, I know,” she giggled. “I just love to see you squirm. Bring Marcus for dinner tomorrow. That one is on us. No payment necessary, sugar plum. Ciao,” she cooed and ended the call.
I took a few deep breaths to get myself together. I had to relax before I went back to the table. Marcus’s mother had a sixth sense, and I knew if I stuck around, she would detect something from my uneasiness. So, I quickly came up with an excuse to make my exit.
“Please forgive me, Mrs. Coleman,” I said, returning to the table. “I must run. I have a bride who is getting married tomorrow, and she has a zipper emergency with her dress. Please tell Marcus I’ll see him later.”
“Of course, darling,” she replied while standing up. “Go take care of your business. I’ll let him know when he is out of the meeting with his staff and Zamora.”
The way she said his ex’s name made me think she was rubbing Zamora in my face, but I didn’t give her any satisfaction of getting an attitude. Instead, I hugged her while rolling my eyes and then hurried outside to the valet to get my car. I needed to pay Rush a quick visit to see if he could spot me twelve hundred dollars until the following week…or until never. We were on this venture together, so it was time for him to make an investment, too. No way did I want to risk Olivia and the other hired help foiling my plans. But when I called Rush, he didn’t answer. So, I texted him.
Me: I need fifteen hundred ASAP. What you got for me?
Rush : I’m tight, baby girl. I can toss you nine today. What you on? Why yo’ nigga can’t sponsor dat?
Me: Look, don’t come sideways with me. I’ll pick up that nine in like two hours, so don’t play.
Rush: You betta come up in here with a slippery center and ready to swallow something, shawty.
I rolled my eyes.
Me: No time. Got a full agenda today.
Rush: Don’t come my way then. I got shit going on, too. So, if you not coming with head and monkey, I ain’t giving out no bonuses. I keep up the shit I agreed to with yo’ spot and weekly maintenance. So, unless you are squeezing me into your schedule, good luck with yo’ situation, El.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I yelled, proceeding to drive to my shop.
Rush was always on some play-to-pay madness. He knew I was on a mission to secure a large bag, so why couldn’t he cover me instead of making shit more difficult?
I had three orders and plenty of foot traffic that day at work. No matter my horrible background, I was a damn good seamstress. Sure, I did well for myself, but I still couldn’t wait for my mission to pay off. Marcus was so damn soft and had no backbone––the perfect target. I would spend the next handful of years taking all I wanted from him, then find a way to walk away with a nice chunk of change. Initially, my mission included Rush. However, the more I got to know Marcus, the more I realized he was someone I could easily persuade without anyone’s assistance. My goal was to convince Marcus to move from Chicago to Vegas––away from Rush, Marcus’s parents, and now Zamora. Zamora became my new challenge because no matter how much Marcus denied it, I knew she still held a place in his heart. I knew because of how he looked at her, even when he thought his gaze was innocent. The way he rolled his eyes while tasting her food was something he had never done when I cooked for him. And whenever he was around that woman, he seemed to be overly accommodating in my opinion. I knew when he hurried off at the end of our engagement party, which ended a little after 11:00 p.m., and didn’t come to my place until after 2:00 a.m. that the bitch could be a problem. So, I decided to play it smart and be cordial with her. No way would I let her ruin things for me. That was not going to happen.
After closing for the evening, I went home to bathe, dress, and head to Rush’s place. I left my engagement ring, designer bag, and car at home this time. Sporting a warm-up suit with a backpack slung over my shoulder, I hopped in an Uber and was on my way.
“Hey, baby, what’s up?” Rush said with a crooked smile as I walked through the front door of his tattoo shop. “Chill for me. This art is gonna be at least another hour,” he informed me.
After giving him a head nod, I walked over to give him some tongue. When I pulled away, he swatted my ass with a stinging slap, but I took it. As soon as I went into the other room, I went straight for the bar to fix myself a drink. This time, it wasn’t the usual entourage lounging around. I was thankful because none of the new faces were smokers, which meant I wouldn’t be leaving there smelling like a mixture of Black & Milds and marijuana. While waiting for Rush to finish, I entertained myself with thoughts of how I planned to spend Marcus’s money once I got my hands on it. By my third or fourth drink, I was up dancing by myself to the music that filled the shop. Everyone had left except for the chick waiting for Rush to finish tattooing her man.
“You want a drink, girlfriend?” I slurred.
“No thanks. I’m good,” she replied.
“Well, alright, Miss Thang. Sit here sober while waiting for yo’ man, but the dick is better when you are feeling niiiiiiiccccce,” I dragged out.
“Wait. Don’t I know you? Aren’t you engaged to Marcus?” she asked.
My heart felt like it stopped.
“I am, but how in the fuck do you think you know me?” I shot back with attitude.
“I’m DeSoto’s wife. DeSoto and Marcus are first cousins. I remember you from the engagement party. DeSoto is getting the final touch-ups on his tattoo. What are you here for? A tat or dick?” she boldly asked.
“For a tat, of course. Came to get my fiancé’s name on my tit,” I lied.
“Oh, really? Guess I’ll pretend I didn’t see you tongue the tattoo artist down before you bounced in here without a ring. Yeah, I got you, sis,” she said, then pulled out her phone from her purse.
I didn’t give that bitch a chance to take a picture of me for evidence. I quickly got the fuck up out of there and made my exit through the front door, ignoring Rush as he called out my name. After running two blocks away, I requested an Uber and texted Rush to let him know why I left so suddenly.
Me: That chick in the backroom recognized me. You’re tatting her man, who happens to be a relative of Marcus. She knows I’m Marcus’s fiancée. I told her I was there to get a tat of Marcus’s name on my tit. Fix it, Rush. Please, I’m begging you. We can’t fuck this up!
A short while later, he texted me and assured me there was nothing to sweat. The question was, could I trust he would handle it?
By the time I made it home, Rush still hadn’t called me back. I was on edge while waiting for an update regarding the situation. Finally, he texted and told me to come back, adding he had the money. I was drunk and too comfortable to go back, though. So, I gave him the okay to come to my place. Risky, I know, but this was a rare thing. Seldom did he come to my home. After the day I’d had, I needed every inch of him inside of me. Not only that, but I was ready to ride his face like there was no tomorrow. I needed a night of lovemaking that I was accustomed to receiving, not the mediocre sex that Marcus called himself putting down in the bedroom. Besides, I needed the money so I could pay my fake parents to keep their asses quiet.
I got off the sofa and went to the garage to pull out my vehicle so Rush could park there. Once he pulled in, I parked in my driveway, closed the garage door, and met him inside. We started in the kitchen, and by the time we made it to the bedroom, I had already climaxed two times. The sex that night was noteworthy, and after releasing inside my mouth, he sent me twelve hundred dollars via Zelle. After going to the bathroom to spit out his seeds and brush my teeth, I climbed into bed next to him and slept until my alarm woke us.
After consuming a hearty breakfast I had delivered from a nearby diner, we devoured each other once more, then showered and dressed to start our day. I left out my front door, locking it behind me, while Rush exited through the door that led to the garage. While backing out of my driveway and onto the street, I hit the switch to raise the garage door and waited for him to vacate my garage before hitting the button to close it behind him. He parked in the driveway, got out, and came over to my window. I let the window down, and he leaned in, kissed my lips, and said goodbye. I watched him get back into his SUV. Then I drove off with a final wave and a smile, knowing today would be a good day. Not only did I now have the money to pay my “parents” and get them off my back, but after checking my bank account, all the checks I had been waiting on, finally cleared. Cha-ching! Life was good as fuck!