Deadly In Stilettos (40 page)

             
The clerk asked if she could help him with anything.

             
“I’m looking for the perfect pair of shoes,” he said, “stilettos preferably, for a very special lady in my life. She loves shoes. I think she probably has more than two hundred. What would you suggest? I see you love them yourself.”

             
The woman smiled and led him to a private area away from all the other shoppers. “Have a seat right here. I’ll be right back. By the way, my name is Cameron. I have a few things to show you that your girlfriend will love.”

             
“Fiancée,” Greg corrected her, wondering how that made any difference at the moment. He thanked Cameron, and watched her petite, yet ample backside as she walked away, disappearing behind a pink silk curtain.

             
As Greg waited for Cameron to return, his cell phone buzzed. It was Sidney calling. He frowned and answered with a curt hello. “Oh, did I catch you at a bad time? You sound annoyed about something.”

             
If she only knew that she was the annoyance, Greg though. “I am kind of occupied at the moment. I have to call you back.”

             
Greg hung up and turned his phone off. He did not have time to deal with Sidney and her needs right now. Getting Demi a gift she would love was his priority at the moment. If he was up to it later, he would drop by the hotel to see Sidney, but right now he was thinking of Demi. Maybe he would surprise her. He knew she would love seeing him. Suddenly, Cameron walked out from behind the pink curtain. She was wearing a pair of the sexiest shoes he had ever seen, including some of the ones Demi wore. That was saying a lot, considering Demi had several pairs of sexy shoes. He also wanted to see if she had anything to say or looked suspicious when he mentioned his cousin’s name in front of her. From what he knew, someone had described Demi to perfection, as to being at Troy’s studio the night of his death. Of course, Greg didn’t believe it for a second, but something inside him wanted to know more.

             
His attention was brought back to Cameron. She modeled the shoes for him as if she was his personal gift to unwrap for Christmas. Greg did all he could to remember the true reason for his visit to the store even as his manhood slowly rose. He twisted in his seat to compose himself. Cameron was indeed a beautiful, sexy woman, with a body to die for. As she spoke, describing the shoes, Greg admired her full, glossy lips.

             
“These are the new Manolo Blahniks. They’re called Heaven.” The bubblegum pink stilettos, with a slightly pointed toe, lace on the sides, and an ankle strap, looked great, but he had a feeling he’d seen them before. As he thought about it, he remembered Demi wearing them the first day he met her on the elevator. He cleared his throat. “I believe she already has these,” he told Cameron. How could he forget?

             
Cameron frowned, disappointed, but then she smoother her thick black hair and smiled again. “I will be right back,” she said, and disappeared again behind the pink curtain. Greg waited patiently, watching all the attractive women shop for shoes. He wondered why most women loved shoes. His own mother owned more than five hundred pair. If he didn’t find the right pair here, maybe he’d just go raid his mother’s collection. She would certainly have something Demi would love. He was sure of it.

After several failed attempts, Cameron walked out with the perfect pair. Black, open-toe, with a bow in the front and a back zip heel, the stilettos were magical. Greg could not keep his mouth closed when he saw them.

              Cameron smiled. “Shall I wrap these for you?”

             
He nodded. His heart skipped a beat as he thought of the sparkle in Demi’s eyes when she saw them. She would love them and thank him generously. When his purchase was complete, Greg thanked Cameron again for all her help, giving her his business card. After purchasing some beautiful, sweet-smelling perfume for Sidney, he left Barney’s in good spirits. Things were looking good. He suddenly could not wait until Christmas to see the look on Demi’s face when she opened her gift. That thought brought warmth to his heart. He really did love that woman.

             
Maybe Sidney would understand and let him off the hook? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, it quickly faded. Sidney would probably kill him first. Her hatred of Demi was beyond anything he’d ever seen. Greg did not want to be on her bad side. Sidney was turning out to be a real threat to Demi. He had to do something to protect her. As he thought that, a voice in his head said, “She can take care of herself. Just do what you have to do and we will have her on our side.” Greg agreed with the voice. There was nothing he could do to protect Demi.

             
The weather was still cold and blustery, but the snow had stopped. Greg stopped by Starbucks to get a cup of hot cocoa before going to the loft. His cousin was still away on business, so he was able to stay there. For that he was grateful. With all the holiday fuss in the city, he would have a hard time finding a decent hotel room. The last thing he wanted was to have to depend on Sidney for a place to stay until he knew what would happen between him and Demi.

             
Starbucks was crowded, as usual. As he got in line, he looked around and then stared in amazement. He would have never thought of seeing Demi there. Yet there she was sitting with Tabitha and her doctor, laughing and talking like they were college friends who’d just finished their exams. He wanted to go over and join them, but he was not scheduled back for another day, neither was she. He quickly ordered his cocoa, waited for his number to be called, and then slipped out of the establishment without—he hoped—being seen by Demi and her friends.

             
Demi stared after Greg as he slipped out of the Starbucks. How could he just leave without saying hello? But he was not even supposed to be in the city until tomorrow, so what was he up to? She suddenly thought about Sidney. Tabitha grabbed Demi’s hand, squeezing it for comfort. Brian put his hand over Tabitha’s. Demi excused herself. She wanted to go back to the hotel. She, Tabi, and Brian had a great time shopping earlier, but now she was drained, physically and emotionally. Tabi and Brian understood, and offered to see her back to her hotel. She declined.

             
“Stay here and spend some time together. I’ve been taking up so much of your time, Tabi, that you owe Brian some. Please! I’ll be fine. Go have some fun you two.”

             
They all hugged before Demi bundled up into her coat, scarf, and gloves. Outside, the wind hit her like a ton of bricks, for which she was thankful. The tears running down her face did not look so terrible when the fierce wind was bringing tears to other pedestrian’s eyes. Demi fought the urge to run back inside and fall into her best friend’s arms, or to follow the cab she had just seen Greg get into. Being lonely was not her strong point. The feeling in her chest was unbearable. It was as if her heart was breaking again. Once she got inside a cab, she saw Tabi and Brian walking down Madison Avenue, holding hands and looking like two lovers living a perfect life.

             
Demi longed for the day when she and the special man in her life could do the same. Makei popped into her head. Demi removed her gloves. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed his number. He answered after the first ring. “I hoped you would call,” he said. “Are you okay? I was just thinking about you and then the phone rang.”

             
How did he always know when something was wrong? He knew her more than she knew herself, Demi thought. “I was just thinking of you, and here we are.” More tears soaked Demi’s cheeks. The cabdriver handed her a box of tissues. She mouthed a thank you as she patted her damp face. “Baby, why are you doing this to yourself? Just say the word and I am wherever you want me to be!”

             
In fact, Makei was already in New York City. He had just witnessed what happened at the Starbucks and was now in a cab following Demi. He knew that something was about to happen, and if anything happened to Demi, he would never forgive himself. He wanted to warn her about Sidney, but could not. He did not want her to know he had been keeping a close eye on her, because he felt she would think he had been spying on her rather than looking out for her. Demi was the love of his life. He would do anything to make sure they got their second chance.

             
“I was just missing you,” she said. “With the holidays coming up, it is just a bit overwhelming. I just wanted to hear your voice. The things that you said to me the other day are stuck in my head. I go to sleep hearing them over and over. I wake up the same way. I should be calling Greg right now, but you are the only person that I wanted to talk to.”

             
Makei liked what he was hearing. Maybe, just maybe, God was looking out for the both of them. “I meant every word. I love you, Deminis Bradshaw. I have loved you from the first day we met in the grocery store, fever, runny nose, and all. I never meant to hurt you. I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you. When the time is right, I hope you allow me to love you like you deserve to be loved. I wish I was there with you now, but I respect your wishes. If you change your mind, please call me, day or night, anytime.”

             
Demi felt every word Makei spoke was true. She was still head over heels in love with him, but what about Greg? She owed it to their relationship to find out the truth. Maybe she’d seen something that was not what it appeared? She talked with Makei until the cab dropped her at the Plaza and she had taken the elevator to her room. They said their good-byes and she opened her door.

             
The suite was completely dark. As Demi knelt down to take her shoes off, a lifelong habit, she sensed something was terribly wrong. Before she left, she turned on the two lamps in the living area. She hated walking into a dark place. As she made her way into the suite to find a light switch, someone moved behind her. Moving quickly, Demi dodged her assailant’s first attack, but then the person tackled her. They tussled together, battling it out all over the suite, Demi using her shoes as defensive weapons. Still, she felt a sharp edge pierce her flesh several times before she tripped over a table. Her head hit something hard as she went down. Why were her attacks the same? She wondered. As that thought passed through her mind, everything went black.

Chapter 30

SIDNEY RAN as fast as she could from Demi’s hotel room, she took the stairs, fearing that someone would see her in the elevator. The knife she held dripped blood. Her job was complete. Deminis
Bradshaw was dead at last. All she had to do was get out of the hotel without being detected, and she would be home free. Her plan worked. Her joy made her forget about everyone and everything. Now her life could begin. All her life, she had been compared to Demi. Even when she was dating her father, he compared her to Demi. Greg, Troy, and even Anya compared her to Demi. Sidney hated them all, but most of all, she hated Deminis Bradshaw.

             
Now she could be herself. She would not have to compete so hard to live up to Demi. From high school, to college, to her career, or lack thereof, Sidney had been second best. Even her parents didn’t love her the way they should love a child. Everyone had loved Deminis Bradshaw, not her. Well, who would they love now that Demi was dead? Sidney smirked. The only person who had ever made her feel she was worth something was her mother. When she committed suicide, Sidney had been left with no one in her corner. Her father moved on with his life, and new family. Well, that was all about to change, she thought, pulling the collar of her coat up closer to her face as she waited for a cab.