Chapter 3
Bryson “Bryse” Fuller
“Dom, I don’t suggest that you do shit to make him disappear. Right now, all eyes are on you, and they’re going to be watching your every move, phone call, visit, and interaction you have with anyone. They’ve got eyes on everything that you do.”
“Do you think that I’m stupid enough to use my phone, get caught, or any of that shit? Besides, it’s not like I’ll be the one eliminating the problem. I have men for that.”
“I thought you were the man for that.”
“I am—for other people. But when I need someone to take care of my problems, I hire someone to do that shit for me. I didn’t get to where I am by being an idiot, Fuller.” His eyes seemed to glow in the dark confines of the cabin.
We were rolling down the highway in the back of his Bentley, and the windows were tinted. No one knew that I was inside this car, because he had requested that I meet him at an undisclosed location.
The entire drive to meet up with Dominic Gerard, I was given directions via a phone call and never provided with an address in advance. When I arrived at the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, both my car and I were thoroughly searched.
That was nothing new to me. I was used to working with the criminal underworld in Cherokee Springs. I even had the Immortal Descendents as clients when their primary lawyer could not come through for them.
God forbid that anything should happen to me, and no one knew where I was or who I was with.
I had told my girlfriend, Kennedi, that I had an after-hours meeting with a new client, but I had given her no details.
She had come to expect that from me, and she never questioned it.
Hell, I could be cheating on her, and she wouldn’t know the difference.
But I was a loyal man, if not a man of integrity.
I had been known to do some shady shit to get my clients off, and I wasn’t above breaking the same law that I vowed to uphold.
While many celebrities like Chris Perry, Chablis, Solemn, Jamarian Strong, and Nastasia were on my roster, it was clients like Dominic Gerard who were my bread and butter.
They needed me more often than the celebrities, but like the celebrities, they kept me on retainer.
I returned my attention to the man who sat on the bench seat opposite me.
“I do what I do because I’m good at it. I charge what I charge because everyone can’t afford me, and I’m willing to do shit that other lawyers aren’t.
I risk my license every time I take on a client like you.
That’s not a judgment, believe me, but it’s letting you know that you hired me because someone told you that I was worth it. ”
“They did,” he replied with a nod.
“Then trust what the fuck I say. If I say that you don’t get rid of anyone, then muthafucka, you don’t get rid of anyone. You can respect my word and roll with what I say, or fire my ass right now, and I can roll.”
The big, dark-skinned man whose pupils and teeth were the only clear visuals that I had of him aside from the thick gold ropes around his neck, sighed. “A’ight. So, what’s your plan?”
“It’s for you to chill out and trust me to do my job. This will not go to trial, and I promise you that you will not be guilty on all accounts.”
He sighed heavily again, and I knew that it was taking a huge leap of faith to trust me.
We had met on a few occasions, but he had been recommended to me by another client who had been loyal for the last six years.
He had a reputation in the underworld society for getting shit done and walking away with clean hands.
He held secrets close to his chest, and he trusted no one, not even his lawyer.
That would be fine for a while, but not for long.
“All right. Now, is there anything that I can do for you?”
“I need to know that I can trust you.”
“Of course you can,” he replied with a shrug.
“Nah. I need to know it, big homie. The same as you trust me with attorney-client privilege, I need it back.”
“You got it. What’s up?”
“I believe my girl is cheating. I need someone to find out for sure, and if she is, I need the problem eliminated. Not my girl.”
“Say no more. Take her to dinner tomorrow at eight at The Ebony Candle. I’ll roll by, and I’ll make sure that I get a good visual of her.”
I nodded as the car rolled to a stop. “We’re here,” he announced.
We climbed out of the car and rolled into Tasty Temptations, a strip club. It wasn’t long before we found seats, ordered drinks and appetizers, and were seated. We watched the women dance while we smoked cigars and chatted about nothing at all.
“Would you like a dance, sexy?” a young brown-skinned woman with long braids asked. Her braids hung to her ankles, and she wore a gold thong, a matching bralette, and heels.
“Take the dance, nigga. Your uptight ass needs to unwind,” Dominic ordered.
I had taken the upper hand in the car, but he was clearly back in charge in here. Hell, Frost King had come and dapped him upon entering. Frost owned several clubs, bars, and businesses, including the one we were at.
“Cool,” I replied to the dancer.
She smiled and grabbed my shoulder as she pressed her other hand into my chest. I allowed her to push me back into the oversized leather club chair as we made eye contact.
There was something mysterious and soulful in her eyes, almost as if she were hypnotizing me.
She turned her back to me and began gyrating and grinding against me.
I loved my girl, but I was like every other nigga when pussy was spread wide open in his face.
I was always cool as shit, though, and it didn’t faze me.
But a nigga’s dick was hard, and I could only pray that my girl was in the mood to fuck tonight.
Lately, she hadn’t been much in the mood to do anything.
She was married to her job, and while I initially had plans on proposing to her, that idea had taken a backseat.
She was seldom home, never had time to pay me attention, and was short with me.
The late nights, the private phone calls, and the missed calls from me made me believe that she was cheating.
But that didn’t mean that I intended to do the same.
“Nigga, relax. You act like you’re irritated as shit,” Dominic stated, chuckling.
I turned back to the stripper as she dragged her fingers up the backs of her thighs, parted her ass cheeks, and shook harder. Let my ass find out that Kennedi was cheating on me, and I had been passing up pussy.
I tipped her generously when she left and resumed watching the dancers onstage. After half an hour, the liquor was running through me, and I had to piss. I excused myself from Dominic.
When I stepped out of the restroom, the stripper was standing with her back pressed against the wall and her hands behind her back. She smiled at me. She now wore a jogging suit and had a large bag on her arm.
“Hey, beautiful. Everything good?”
“Yes, I heard your friend telling you to relax a lot. You never did, but I have just the remedy to make that happen for you.”
“I’m not into drugs.”
“I’ve got something better than that.”
“I don’t plan on cheating on my woman. I may be here tonight, but this is all about business.”
“I’m sure it is, and I’m not here to judge you. I just wanted to hand you this.”
She pulled her hands from behind her back and handed me a fuchsia envelope. There was a black and hot pink mask embossed in the middle of the envelope. I opened it and pulled out a card made from linen paper.
If you want a little mystique in your life, step into a world of sensual intrigue.
Pearls & Lace Annual Masquerade Ball
Saturday, October 4th, 7 PM
Roosevelt Promenade
2137 Paladian Way
The ticket is good for one admission.
To claim your ticket and codename, visit:
“What’s this about?”
“It’s something designed to help you relax from your stressful job. You’ll engage with other like-minded professionals.”
I thought about the issues that I was having at home, the stress of my job, and I nodded. “I’ll see.”
“Go online, check us out, and if you like what you see, I’ll see you there.” She winked at me and sashayed off.
I dragged my hand down my face. It was time for me to go home. It had been a long day.