Beautiful Nightmare Page 5

  Vee could have sworn she had stepped into R. Kelly’s, Half on a Baby video, with his white linen outfit blowing in the wind while he was walking up the steps, leaving nothing to the imagination. She had imagined Kidd in that same scene, and she was the woman in the bed waiting. Kidd was the shit, and she wanted a piece of him in a bad way. She unconsciously crossed her legs so she could feel the muscles in her kitty thumping. She still couldn’t get over how fine he was. She wanted to lick and bite all over him. The Egyptian gods had shown no mercy when they molded him. His golden bronze complexion shined brightly, and his body was a work of art that couldn’t be described in words. From the looks of the bulge in the front of his pants, he was kind of right down there. She longed for the day they could be together, when he would hold her in his arms, and their souls would connect as one.

  “Ummmm-hmmmm, and can you get me a side order of him with some gravy on top?” Sena asked, snapping Vee out of her daydream.

  The deliverymen finally made it to her office, placing flowers all over the room, and, at the end of the line, Kidd was standing there with a look of sheer appreciation at the sight in front him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he wouldn’t stop until he had wooed her heart right into his hands. He didn’t just want her body—he wanted everything—her mind, body, and soul. He wanted to be the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thing she thought about at night. He wanted to consume her every thought and invade her dreams.

  “Hello, ladies. Miss Valencia, can I speak to you for a moment in private?” He licked his lips as he stared into Valencia’s wanting eyes. “About my investments, of course.” His smile brightened the room and made her feel warm inside. She looked around the room at all the flowers.

  “I’ll excuse myself,” Sena said as she made her way to the door, but, before she left, she turned around and started humping in the air toward Kidd and rubbing all over her body, making Valencia laugh out loud. When Kidd turned around, Sena had jumped, stopped, and quickly closed the door.

  “What is all this about, Mr. Brown?” Valencia questioned, still in awe of all the beautiful flowers.

  “What . . . You don’t like them?” Kidd hoped he wasn’t being too pushy. He just wanted to show her he was very interested in her.

  “No, I am not saying that. They are all beautiful. I just don’t know what I did to deserve these.” She smiled bashfully.

  “You didn’t do anything. These are just because I like the way you smile at me. Tomorrow, you may get some just because the sun is shining. And the next day because I had a dream about you.” He looked her in the eyes.

  “Hmm.” She cleared her throat to give her time to think of something to say. She had absolutely no experience in this department. “Well, ummm, are those mine too?” She reached for the flowers in his hand, but he moved back.

  “Naw. These are for somebody else. These are for this nice lady I want to take out to . . . if she’d allow me the honor.”

  “Oh, I see,” she smiled. “Well, let me smell them. Those are my favorite flowers.”

  She admired all the pretty colors. To her, birds-of-paradise were, by far, the most beautiful flower God ever created. Most people wouldn’t just pick that out of group of flowers, but he had, and that was very special to her.

  “I guess.” He handed her the flowers.

  “Well, tell her she got ganked.” Valencia snatched the flowers out of his hands and laughed.

  “Okay. So I’m a punk now. You just gon’ take something from me?” He laughed at her, loving the way her laugh soothed his heart. He loved her style. She was stunning today in a cream and chocolate-brown pin-striped pantsuit that looked as if it was made for her body only. The brown stripes going down her figure made her body look like a map with winding roads going up and down hills. The color bounced off her dark skin tone, perfectly illuminating the fresh coat of shimmering M.A.C. shadow she had applied that morning. Her chocolate-colored Mary Jane pumps made her legs look like they could reach the heavens.

  “Taking sounds way better than stealing. Taking is gangsta and in your face, while stealing is sneaky and what punks do.” She admired his chiseled jawline as he laughed. She could listen to his laugh all day long.

  “So, I’m coming to the conclusion that you think I’m a punk.” He looked at her all sexy eyed.

  “We won’t say that. Just that I’m gangsta. Yeah, we’ll go with that.” She laughed at him and pointed to the seat in front of her when she finally noticed they were still standing. She put a little wiggle in her walk when she went to the other side and slid her sexy frame into the oversized leather chair.

  “Thank you for all the flowers. They are beautiful,” she gushed, finally able to appreciate them as their fresh aroma invaded her senses.

  “Well, you’re welcome. Anytime.” He couldn’t help but stare at her. She was the personification of beauty.

  “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu meeting?” She couldn’t give two shits about why he was there, just as long as he was in her sights.

  “You said you would call me about the investments and never did.” Kidd had racked his brain for a reason to come see her, and that was the best he could come up with, but it worked. The flowers were brought to put a smile on her face. Her eyes were beautiful, but he could see some sadness in them the last time he was there. If he had anything to do with it, she would never feel pain or heartache again if she only gave him the chance.

  Valencia was trying her best to stay calm, but it wasn’t working. Her heart rate had gone up drastically. She was getting hotter and hotter, and it was of no use in trying to hide her protruding nipples. This beautiful specimen of a man in front of her was turning her on. At first glance, she wanted to jump on top of him and ride him like a professional cowgirl.

  “I’m trying to make things happen, and that can’t happen with my money just hanging in the air. Scared money doesn’t make money. Money makes money.” He couldn’t hide the lust in his eyes. He didn’t really care about the money at that very moment. He knew Devin wouldn’t let anything bad happen to his investments. Even if the stock market crashed right then and there, the money buried under his house would do him good for the rest of his life.

  “I’m sorry if I have inconvenienced you in any way, sir, but I am a professional. And I’m damn good at what I do. But if you want me to just put the money anywhere until I find something suitable, that would be fine by me. I get paid regardless.”

  Attitude was written all over her face, and he loved it. Clasping her hands together on the desk, which pushed her breasts together, got his mouth to watering. His eyes were glued to them. Noticing his stare, she decided to play along.

  “Can I help you with something down there? Did you lose something, sir?” she asked as she leaned forward to give him a better look.

  He blushed like a shy, little boy. He hadn’t known she was watching him or hadn’t paid any attention. She’d bet on the latter.

  “Naw, my bad. I ain’t mean no harm, but you are beautiful, ma, and that attitude. I knew you had li’l hood in you somewhere,” he laughed a little.

  “Oh, am I beautiful?” She ignored the remark. “Or are my breasts?”

  He leaned forward so he could get a closer look into her eyes. “Make no mistake about it. You are beautiful. I mean, I have never met a woman like you before. I like being around you. Let’s be honest. I came here to see you. I usually call my man, he would fill me in, and that would be that. But you make me want to get to know the ins and outs of everything.”

  “While I am very flattered, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m also in a very committed relationship. Plus, I never mix business with pleasure, Mr. Brown.” She stood gracefully and took a deep breath to desperately attempt to lower her heart rate. There was an inferno in his eyes that was slowly melting the ice encasing her heart. He didn’t even know it yet, but Kidd had her the moment he flashed those pearly whites at her. She’d follow h
im over a cliff if that was the direction he was going.

  “I didn’t ask if you had a man. I just said that you were beautiful and that I liked being around you. It flatters me that you feel you had to throw that out there. That means you were thinking about cheating,” he laughed. “But, for real, for the time being, I’m not trying to wife you, just spend a little time. An occasional lunch date to discuss business, of course, and get to know you a li’l better.”

  That was a bold-faced lie. She knew what he wanted because she wanted it just as bad as he did.

  “What do you want to know about me?” She sat back down.

  “Everything.” He leaned back in his chair.

  “Liiiiiiike?” She threw her hands in the air.

  “What’s your favorite food, color, movie, flower, what makes you tick, what makes you smile, and, if there was any place on earth you could go, where would it be?”

  “Birthday cake, sea blue, The Five Heartbeats, birds-of-paradise, liars, another smile, and Egypt.”

  “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? Egypt, huh? I never thought about going there. Now that I think about it, it does sound kind of cool. I’ll put that on my things-to-do list. And birthday cake? That’s not a food.” He shook his finger in her face.

  “Yes, it is. You could have a feast sitting in front of me, but, if I see the cake, it’s most likely going to be the first thing I go for. It’s the only kind of cake I eat. Maybe that’s why I can’t lose no weight.” She laughed.

  “Baby girl, you don’t need to lose a pound.”

  “It’s not what someone else thinks; it’s about what I think.”

  “Okay, if you say so, but back to the subject at hand, no caramel cake, upside-down, 7-Up cakes, or any other kind?”

  “Nope. Birthday cake with a lot of roses. I know. It’s a shame.” They both shared a laugh. “Ashanti,” she said aloud by mistake. The song “Baby” was on repeat in her head.

  “Ashanti?” he looked at her strangely.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s something Sena and me do. Don’t worry about it.” She tried to play it off.

  “What’s this thing y’all do?”

  “Nothing,” she blushed.

  “Why you blushing then, if it’s nothing?” he questioned, giving her a knowing look.

  “Okay, we like to say how we are feeling at a certain moment in time with the name of a song.” She felt herself loosening up around him. He made her feel at ease.

  “So, which one are you thinking of now?” he smiled. “Ashanti sings love songs. Hmm . . . Let me think.” He looked at the ceiling like he was really thinking hard. “It can’t be ‘Foolish.’ I would never break your heart. What about... ‘Baby’?” She tried to hide the shock in her eyes. “I got this jones forming in my bones from a man who indeed took over my soul,” he sang, teasing her, but she cut him off.

  “Shut up. You will never know,” she said with a slight chuckle.

  “Yeah. A’ight. You’ll tell me eventually.”

  “I don’t see anything wrong with lunch.” She was loosening up and had gotten totally comfortable by now. Valencia stood up to get some coffee. He walked into her personal space.

  “Mr. Brown, this is totally inappropriate.” She wanted to grab his face and stick her tongue so far down his throat that she would be able taste what he ate earlier, but opted to step back instead.

  “Wanya.” He looked into her eyes with an intense yearning.

  “Excuse me?”

  “My name.”

  “I know your name, Mr. Brown.” She backed away.

  “I know you know it. Just say it.” Staring into her eyes intensely, he couldn’t help but think, Damn! No one has called me by my real name since my mother passed away eight years ago. He would never allow it, but, for some reason, he wanted to hear it fall from her perfect lips.

  “Wanya. Just say it.” He was all the way in her face. Her panties were feeling really moist by now. Shit. At this point, she could call out his name from the mountaintops.

  “Okay, Mr. Brown. Call me later on this week to schedule our lunch meeting.” Taking a couple of steps back, only for him to take a couple of steps forward, he was seriously violating her personal space.

  “Come on, ma. Don’t be like that. Say it one time.” Gazing into her eyes with those bedroom eyes, he broke down a few more barriers. He walked even farther into her personal space but never touched her. They were so close his breath tickled the skin on her face. His hands were clasped behind his back. He looked into her eyes hard and licked his lips like he had strawberry syrup on them, or, at least, that was what she had imagined. She couldn’t understand, for the life of her, why he wanted her to say his name so badly. Or why he was having such an effect her. The damage was done, however. She reached for his face and stepped in closer to him.

  “Vee, Mr. Johnson is looking for you.” Sena burst through the doors, not knowing what was about to take place. “Oops! My bad,” she giggled and tried to shut the door.

  “Umm . . . Wait!” Valencia yelled nervously. “Keep Mr. Brown company for a moment.” She rushed out of the room.

  Sena turned to Kidd and smiled. Her smile quickly faded, however, and her face resembled that of a hungry wolf showing his fangs. She got right down to business.

  “Look, I don’t know what your intentions are for Valencia. She is the sweetest, nicest, most beautiful person you will ever meet.” She was in his personal space now. “Now, that’s my girl, and you better not ever hurt her.” Sena paused to allow her words to sink in.

  “What are talking about, man?” Kidd tried to get a few words in.

  “Listen, she would give you the shirt off her back if you asked for it. People like her don’t come around often, so don’t go fucking with her emotions or her heart. She’s been through enough, so, if this is a mission for a hit-and-quit, you walk out that door and don’t come back unless you’re looking for Mr. Johnson.”

  “So, I need your permission to continue to pursue her?” He stepped back out of her reach. For some reason she looked like was ready to swing on him. He wouldn’t hit her, but he would definitely shake the shit out of her.

  “Take it how you want to take it. She never has to know about this conversation. I’m just letting you know . . . that I have absolutely no problem with protecting my friend at all costs.”

  “Noted,” He had to laugh in his head because she had no clue of who he really was. But he would let her have her moment.

  She walked over to the door, but before she left, she left him with a few parting words. “They say there is nothing worse than a woman scorned. Well, they never ran into the best friend of a woman scorned. Because it would take you and your whole li’l crew to stop what you would have coming.”

  And, with that, she sauntered out of the room. Her point was very clear—come correct or don’t come at all. Standing there, looking like a straight dickhead, he could not believe she had come at him like that. He just knew she was about to be on some when-you-coming-over type shit. But she was looking out for her girl. Seeing her in a totally different light now, he couldn’t help but think, She ain’t a total slut bucket, after all.

  “I’m a hustla, I’m a I’m a hustla homie nigga ask nigga nigga ask about me.” Kidd’s phone started rapping the Cassidy joint. Knowing it was somebody from the camp, he immediately flipped his phone open.

  “What’s the BI?”

  “Get around the way. Skillet got shot!”

  Moochie was damn near hysterical and was practically yelling in Kidd’s ear. He and Skillet had been best friends since they were ten years old. In fact, Moochie was the one who named him Skillet because he said he was blacker than one of those big, old-school frying pans.

  “I’m on my way.” Kidd was out of that building and back on the highway in less than three minutes flat.

  While riding, he was deep in thought, listening to Jaheim’s “Just in Case,” wondering if he could ever really have a chance to be with Valencia or someone
like her. There was something about her that he couldn’t seem to put his finger on. He figured a girl like her would never give the likes of him the time of day, so backing off was what he decided to do. She knew where to find him if she needed him. Soon, he would be out of the underworld and turning legit. He had invested enough money and also had quite a substantial amount of money under his three-car garage at his five-bedroom, four-bath, with a total of thirteen rooms minimansion in South County. He actually had enough money to quit now, but he had a lot of loose ends to tie up, and then he and his brother would be out. Switching into kill mode, he changed the song on his built-in iPod to Tupac’s “Hail Mary” and put it on repeat and let it lead him the rest of the way mentally. This was the perfect song for today’s situation because somebody sure as hell was going to die tonight.

  * * *

  After sitting in the bathroom and throwing water on her face, Valencia finally decided to go back out. She wanted to be with Kidd so badly that it hurt. Her heart felt like it was about to explode. But the fact still remained; she would never be able to live her life how she wished. She walked back into the conference room looking for Kidd, but he had got ghost. She tried to keep from getting upset and excited. For some reason, it brought on this horrible headache that made her feel like her skull was about to explode. And the rest of the night would be one long blur.

  “Where did he go?” Valencia asked, asking no one in particular.

  “Girl, that nigga ran out of here like his ass was on fire,” Sena said, walking up on her. “What the hell did you do to him, Vee?”

  “Probably ran him away for good.” Feeling defeated, Valencia flopped down in one of the big leather seats that took up the most of the space in the room. She knew that she would never be able to have a fulfilling relationship if she didn’t change some things in her life. She could feel herself getting upset. And Sena wasn’t helping at all.

  “And why the hell would you do some dumb shit like that?”

  “Please, not now.” Valencia’s head was pounding.