Little Black Book (2 page)

Standing
in front of the two-way mirror in my office, my eyes admired the crowd of dancers below. This was mine. The building, the club, everything was mine. It was the only thing I truly loved. The only thing I would never get tired of.

The beat of the music shook the g
lass and I pressed my palms against it to feel the vibrations.

The d
oor to my office opened, allowing the music to come in and blend with the sensations running through my fingers. I didn’t bother turning around, I knew who it was. She shut the door behind her, making the room silent again.

“So I tried to pay my monthly
mortgage today, but the lady told me I no longer
had
a mortgage. Apparently, my condo has been paid in full. Know anything about that?” Vick inquired, accusation dripping from her tone.

I was hopi
ng she’d never bring it up. With my back to her, a knowing grin tugged at the side of my mouth. “Nope.” I quickly changed the subject. “Any deep pockets out tonight?”

She didn’t push the whole money situation and I was glad. I never wanted to be put on a pedestal as some financial hero, and I could always count on Vick to keep me grounded.

“Definitely some deep pockets.” I heard the smile in her voice. “You coming down? There’s a few red-carpet walkers asking for you.”

Spending the night in
a VIP room full of celebs used to be exciting, but not so much anymore. I’d slept for shit the night before—nightmares waking me every time I closed my eyes. I wasn’t feeling it. But like any other good businessman, I knew I had to make an appearance—act the part of the rich club owner. It was total bullshit. I knew it, and Vick knew it, too.

“Yeah. Let them know I’ll be down in a bit.”

Vick didn’t respond, but the door opened and closed again.

Turning away from the mirr
or, I grabbed my coat and buttoned it up as I took to the steps. I was instantly hit with loud music and red lights when I stepped onto the main floor.

I moved along the outside wall toward the bar for a drink. I’d need the good shit
, if I wanted to make it through the night. With my back to the bar, I had a front row view of the sweaty bodies grinding against each other. The distinct smell of alcohol and sexual desire floated around the room.

Once I got the attention of one of my bartenders, I nodded at him
, signaling I was ready for my first drink. I didn’t have to wait long before a glass was sliding in my direction. Turning, I leaned against the bar and took in the room, sipping my drink. My eyes bounced from one half-naked woman to the next.

And then I saw her.

Long waves of crimson fire shimmered in the lights, as she worked her way across the room. She turned and smiled at a table full of guys who were talking to her and making obscene gestures. Her thick-lipped smile kindled something deep in my groin—a tiny spark ignited and made my balls ache. Long lashes skimmed her cheeks, amplified by the eye-batting she gave the guys before walking away.

When
she turned my way, I saw the name
Clive’s
stretched across her full chest. The yellow T-shirt material clung to her breasts and I could see the white lines of a simple bra underneath. She was oblivious to her seductiveness, which made her all the more appealing.

M
aneuvering around the room, she turned from one side to the next, giving me different views of her curves. She obviously worked for me, but had no business in a place like this. Her face full of makeup wasn’t fooling anyone. Her inner beauty shone through in the way she moved. Even with the tight shirt and short shorts, she stood out. She was a bright, white beacon of beautiful innocence amongst all the sin swimming around the club.

She was pure perfection
, with flawless, ivory skin and round hips that begged for my touch. She was exquisite, she was timeless, and little did she know, she was as good as mine.

Two

Rosslyn Harris

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Ms. Ellen took my hand.
Her skin was paper-thin, allowing me to see a grid work of purple and blue veins. “She’s in a better place now, my dear.”

I stared at her age spots in a daze, nodding, but
unable to speak.

Ms.
Ellen sang in the choir at my grandma’s church. I’d met her when I was ten, and my one-year-old brother, Kyle, and I had gone to live with my grandma. That was twelve years ago—right after the world had come crumbling down around me.

M
y world was once again falling apart. Gran had gone to be with the Lord. She’d put up a good fight, but in the end, her body was just too old to hang on anymore. I’d taken care of her for most of my life, and she always provided for me and Kyle. But now she was gone, and I was left with a thirteen-year-old to support, with no job in sight.

After the funeral, and once everyone left t
he house, it was just me and Kyle.

“
Are we going to be okay, Roz?” Kyle was helping me pack large amounts of food into the refrigerator.

Bringing food to the house after a funeral was what people did. I didn’t understand it, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with three big bowls of potato salad, but the people kept coming with their arms full of covered dishes.
I mean, how many people did they think lived here, exactly?

“We’ll be fine. We meet with th
e attorney tomorrow. I’m sure Gran left us a little something to keep us afloat until I get a job.” I wiped at the counter with a wet cloth and sighed. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed? I’ll be up in a bit.”

I could barely look at him. I knew what I’d see if I did. Brown hair that he insisted on keeping in his face, and green eyes full of worry. No matter how many times I
’d assured him we’d be okay, the truth was, I wasn’t so sure.

“Okay.” H
e moved toward the stairs and turned around. “Hey, Roz?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I sleep in your room tonight? It’s going to be weird with her gone.”

My heart shattered. I’d gone
the entire day without crying, to be strong for Kyle, but I could slowly feel my façade fading. I nodded my head and held the tears back, knowing they would fall the minute he was gone. “Sure, kid.”

As soon as I heard him hit the top of the stairs
, I let the tears go. The lump sitting in my throat cleared as the tears continued to fall and the weight on my chest lifted a bit.

“Miss Harris, I hate to tell you this, but there’s nothing left in your grandmother’s estate,” Ms. Brighton said.

In my opinion she w
as too young to be a lawyer. Yet for such a young woman, she was dressed like a sixty-year-old. Her gray suit was outdated and her pants were too high. When she sat, the bottoms rose up, showing off hose with runs in them and scuffed heels.

She clicked the top of her pen over and over again
, making me want to pull my hair out.

“Excuse me?” I was sure I’d heard her wrong.

“As per your grandmother’s will, all monies remaining will go to paying off her debts. Anything after that was to go to you and your brother. However, there wasn’t even enough to pay everything off.” Again, she continued with the incessant pen clicking. “You are getting the Oldsmobile, though. So that’s good, right?”

The Oldsmobile, which was
almost as old as my grandma, was all mine.
Joy
. I got to keep the rust bucket that sucked up too much gas and threw out white smoke when pressure was applied to the gas pedal.

My eyes were locked on Ms. Brighton’s
pen. The clicking ran through my brain and pushed away all the thoughts coming to consume me.

“What about the house?” My voice was a broken whisper. My legs were trembling wi
th nerves, letting me know I was going to have a hard time leaving. If I could even stand.

Ms
. Brighton’s expression spoke volumes. “Unfortunately, the bank will take possession of the house in thirty days. I’m so sorry.” Finally she set the pen down and crossed her fingers. “Is there a family member you can stay with until you get your affairs in order?”

I shook my head in shock
. “No.”

Looking through the small window on Ms. Brighton’s door, I saw Kyle. He was sitting in the chair where I’d left him. His pencil was moving lazily ove
r the pages of the notebook he’d brought with him. “Our parents died twelve years ago. We have no one.”

“Oh…” her eyes dropped toward her desk and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The pen clicking started once more. Only this time it was in fast nervous clicks. “I’m sorry, Ms. Harris
it
… sounds like you’re shit out of luck
.”

Okay
, so she didn’t
actually
say that, but I knew that’s what she was thinking. She was quick to end the meeting and usher me and my homeless brother out of her office, which was fine by me. After her crushing news, I felt like the drab décor was slowly suffocating me.

When Kyle and I stepped out of the building
, the New York air wasn’t any less smothering, but I welcomed the soothing breeze anyway. Digging into my pocket for the last of my change, I gave it to Kyle and watched as he ran off to buy a soda and a pretzel from a little food cart.

Sitting down on the concrete steps, I dropped my head in my hands and breathed in
the strong exhaust-filled air and let the New York sounds drown away my despair. I wouldn’t fall apart right now. I couldn’t. Kyle didn’t need to know how bad things were.

“So did Gran leave us a fortune?” Kyle joked when he found me face down on the steps.

I looked up at his innocent face and smiled, squinting against the afternoon sun. In that moment, I vowed to do whatever I had to do to make sure Kyle didn’t have to grow up before his time. He’d already lost so much, I wouldn’t let him lose his childhood like I had.

“Define fortune,” I stood and ruffled his hair.

He made a low growling sound, pushing at my hand and proceeded to fix his hair.

Looking up at me he became serious. “Everything’s going to be alright, Roz. You always take care of everything.”

I smiled through tears threatening to fall. “We’ll get through this, kid. We always do.”

As much as I wanted to tell him everything was going to be fine, I didn’t know how bad things we’re going to get and I wouldn’t lie to him.

I held K
yle’s hand on the ride back to Gran’s house. I’m not sure what I was thinking, his hand was almost as large as mine now. And even though I was sure he hated holding my hand, he didn’t let go.

In fact, h
e said nothing, even though I knew there were a million questions swimming around in his head. After his comment at the attorney’s office, I wasn’t sure I could speak to him without breaking down, so I was grateful he stayed silent.

Once we got home,
I made my famous mac n’ cheese and hotdogs. We’d eaten this so many times over the last few years I couldn’t stand the smell anymore, but it was Kyle’s favorite, so I endured it. I’d been almost depressed when we’d run out of funeral food.

He helped with the dishes before running up to his room to slip on his headphones and doodle in his notebook. He was too old to be tucked in and he didn’t need my help getting things ready for school anymore.

After a quick clean up around the house, I checked on Kyle and then spent the night in my room, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

No way could I afford to keep the house
, even if I did find a job. It was a huge, five-bedroom home, and Kyle and I didn’t need all that space. A small two-bedroom would suffice. Luckily, I got to keep everything in the house, which meant I wouldn’t need money to furnish the new place.

Once my eyes began to get heavy, I knew the day’s events were to blame for my exhaustion and I was all too happy to end the day. I turned toward the lamp beside my bed and saw the college pamphlets on the end table.

The sight of them made me want to cry, but I picked them up anyway. A couple of months ago when Gran started to look like she was healthy enough for me to not be around all the time, I’d looked into going to a community college.

After our parents
’ deaths went unsolved, I felt denied the justice Kyle and I deserved. I hated that feeling. I hated the unknown and didn’t want another family to suffer the way Kyle and I had. I needed the closure that was rightfully mine.

I wanted to dedicate my time to criminal law and try to make a difference. It sounded naïve and cliché to think I could change anything when it came to the criminal system,
but I could try.

I sighed. It didn’t matter either way now. College was definitely out of the question and having these forms was only going to depress me further. I dumped the forms into the trash and hit the light. Ten minutes later
, I fell into a fitful sleep.

I sat straight up in bed, gasping for air. Same nightmare, different night. Sweat trickled down my neck and into my nightgown. I pulled the fabric from my skin and tried to catch my breath.

It’
d been a while since I’d had a nightmare about the night my parents died, but with everything going on around me, it wasn’t a big surprise.

“You okay, Roz?” Kyle’s voice came from
behind my bedroom door.

His voice was changing. Every now and again it would crack or sque
ak and he would sound older for a few brief seconds. He was slowly becoming a man, and I silently wished Dad could be there to teach him the ways of all things manly.

“Yeah. Just a nightmare.
You can come in,” I waited for the door to open. “What are you doing up?” I checked the clock by my bed for the time.

“I hea
rd you making noises in your sleep.” He came across the room and sat on the end of my bed.

“I’m sorry I woke you. You have school tomorrow and I have job hunting to do. We both need our sleep.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping all that great anyway.”

I patted the bed beside me and Kyle
climbed under the covers. Turning on my side, I wrapped my arm around him. “Goodnight.”