Sorry for updating soooo late. I've been busy looking for a job and such. I've actually most of this written for about a month or two...but I didn't really know how I wanted it to end and...I wasn't really satisfied with it. (Maybe I'm just like my mother, she's never satisfied) lol Anyways something "explosive" happens at the end of this chapter...this is part one...stay tuned for part two of this...should be coming up soon...
"Huey what do you think about a balcony? I think they are gorgeous. Ooh and french doors? Amazing!"
"Why do you ask me a question then immediately answer it leaving no room for my opinion?" Huey asked with his signature raised eyebrow.
"Stop reading the newspaper! It's infecting your brain!" She yelled, giggled then twirled away in glee.
Huey shook his head. Jazmine went apartment hunting and couldn't decide which one to move into. She had been asking for Huey's (rather herself) opinion on the different apartments. She had been busy this whole week going to different furniture stores and fabric shops and antique stores. She had even dragged Huey along with her a couple of times. Those couple of times had really surprised Jazmine. She thought he would protest, look at her like she was crazy then whisk away in all his afro glory.
But he didn't. Instead he made suggestions and gave his opinion when asked. Huey surprisingly knew a lot about fabrics and art and furniture. They chatted a lot. He even told Jazmine a couple of stories about his childhood. In turn, Jazmine did the same.
Life living together was much better than they both thought. Huey thought Jazmine would be selfish and whiny. But she was actually very independent. She needed essentially nothing from him. Huey liked that. He liked it a lot. He also loved coming home to a home cooked meal every night. Woah. Huey just had a revelation. Coming home to Jazmine was better than not coming home to anyone. Huey liked to think of himself as a person that didn't enjoy anyone else's company. He was the lone ranger, the silent, deadly and solitary one. He didn't like or need other people and their annoying ways infiltrating his life. So with all of this in mind, Huey now found himself lost. He wasn't sure who he was anymore. Sure, he was being a bit melodramatic, but Jazmine's presence didn't disgust him. Maybe annoy a little bit but...
Huey stood up.
"Man I've got to take a walk and clear my head."
As he passed the rooms to get his coat, he could hear Jazmine playing with sounded like the piano. Huey used to play. He was once in a band. He also played the saxophone a little...like his brother Riley. He hadn't played in years. He pushed the door open and watched the back of Jazmine as she played on the instrument.
"Didn't know you played."
"Didn't know you had a piano."
"Well...Now you do."
"Needs tuning."
"Well it hasn't been played for years...so..."
"Wait. You play?"
"Played...Played." He looked away.
"Why don't you play anymore?"
Huey was silent for a moment.
"That's none of your concern."
He put his hat on his head and walked away. Jazmine looked at the doorway where he just was and sighed. Her playing continued but the tone and melody was much more softer and sweet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile at Jazmine's Place~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jazmine stood at the bar with a cold expression and slight frown on her face as Honey performed. She was Huey's new "co-main act". That was his way of saying she is her replacement, Jazmine swore.
"Why did he have to get another lead act? I swear he does shit to piss me the fuck off!"
"Potty mouth. Jazz...I don't know why you mad at that girl. You know Huey would never replace you."
Cindy said while absent-mindedly spinning a bar glass around with a straw.
"Sure he won't. Why the hell else is she here?" Jazmine turned her head slightly towards Cindy, since she had her back against the bar.
"I guess he just needs another main act. Like as a backup, you know in case you are sick or whatever."
"I swear if Huey 'I dont know that nigga middle name' Freeman is replacing me..."
"I wouldn't worry about it. You signed a contract, didn't you?"
"Yeah but that contract didn't have a 'This bimbo can't replace you' clause."
Cindy raised her eyebrows up and was about to say something until Huey walked up.
When he saw Jazmine's face he rolled his eyes and sighed.
"What now?"
"You know what my problem is."
"I sure do. You're a diva."
Cindy coughed-laughed.
"I am not a diva. You put that cheap floozy on before me and I'm not supposed to be upset?"
"You're not supposed to be upset because we talked about this. Remember?"
Jazmine eyed Huey murderously before taking her place on the stage. She walked onto the stage slowly and slightly seductive. A few men loosened their ties in the crowd as if the heat had been raised. She stepped up to the mic and seductively cooed the self-written song titled "I want you".
Baby
You got my heart going crazy
I told you once I told you baby
My name's not Mia
My name's not stacey
Let them go
and Choose me baby
I don't want you to go
I don't want you to go
You don't want me?
Your mouth says so but
You eyes say...no?
We all make our choices
We all make our decisions
Let your pride go and
follow your intuition cause
I can't wait another day
Baby I can't wait another day
for you to come whisper in my ear and say...
I want you
I want you
I waaa-aant you
I. want. You. !
Jazmine moved her body with the beat.
You say a whole lot with a little
you say romance is done
You say women in love are a pain
and you're not looking for one
I don't want nothing baby than
to dance with our tongues
or for you to be the one
For love in my heart for once
and when I see you with other girls I can't explain it
but you're my whole world
I love you...
and you know it
you don't show it,
I see your face when you think I'm not looking at you
and I know you feel something too
We all make our choices
We all make our decisions
Let your pride go and
follow your intuition cause
I can't wait another day
Baby I can't wait another day
for you to come whisper in my ear and say...
I want you
I want you
I waaa-aant you
I. want. You. !
Jazmine noticed that by the time the audience stopped applauding her, Huey was already gone.
"Bravo. Bravo. This is my first time seeing you perform...and I didn't know you had such a... limited range." Honey the heifer said.
"Well one doesn't have to yell like a dying cat just to get the song out, darling."
"You feeling some kind of way that you can't do it like I can?"
"Yup. I'm easy on the ears and easy on the eyes. That's what they come for sugar."
"Well if you're so great...then why am I here?"
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
"Well...I think I have the answer to that. But I'll let you figure that out."
"Leave it up to Huey to hire this cheap, classless broad."
"Oh, please. Huey hired me to correct a mistake." Looks pointedly at Jazmine on mistake.
"Why do all these broads persist on trying my person. Honey, if Huey was given an ultimatum...you really think he'd choose you?"
"Yes. I'm better...I'm prettier and I can entertain and sing better. That's what Huey told me. And that's what the audience shows when they applaud me...ferociously."
"Bitch, please. This place is named after me so even if I were to leave, I'd walk with free will and you will remain in the place that was built upon the foundation of Jazmine Isabelle Dubois, you'll forever be known as the girl that came after me. Every night you put makeup on that dastardly looking face of yours you'll be sitting in the chair that I put there the mirrors that I designed and under the lights that used to flash upon my skin and they'll never flash upon you with the same radiance, beauty and class as before. You sit here and perform and what's above your head. Jazmine's place. So you'll never forget that you'll never come close to me you'll remain literally in my shadow. I made this place just like I made the Mighty Burner so you're going to have to try harder to take my spot."
Jazmine walked off and barged straight into Huey's office.
"You've got to get rid of her. I can't stand her."
Huey spun around in his chair and didn't say a word. He just watched her and let her talk.
"What is it with women and their insecurities around other women?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well you didn't like her before you knew her, you don't like her after you met her. In general you get along with almost no other female that works here. You don't even like Kimberly. How can you explain that?"
"Because they want you, you idiot! Ugh. Stupid men."
"Even if that were true, which it is not, what does that have to do with you not liking them?"
"Well since everyone thinks that we are together or some kind of secret lovers they view me as competition and because they are so in love with you they hate me...And you are wrong...they do like you especially Kimberly. She loves you. Like, seriously. It's kind of scary."
"Anything to get your way, huh Jazmine. Honey's staying. She's not going. And I have you under contract so neither are you. Deal with it."
"I swear it's like you sit back and plot How can I fuck up Jazmine's life this week! You brought in a disrespectful girl who told me that she's here to replace me? Fuck this!"
"Wah. Wah. Wah. So you can't have your way. Jazmine what more do you want from me? The place is named after you. You make a brickload of money. Stop acting like you own or control the place by bullying my employees. You're just a business move. This is a business. It'd be stupid of me to get rid of you. Now keep your emotions in check before I check you right on out the door."
"Fuck you!"
"He's such a jerk. It's like he believe nothing I say. Apparently, I'm insecure around all other women and I bully them that's why they all hate me. I bet he's screwing them and they tell him all sorts of things about me. That's why he doesn't believe me."
"Girl, you know if he was fucking these broads they wouldn't be so mean and miserable. They'd all be walking around with the same silly, I'm-fucking-my-boss face. Especially that devil Kimberly. That girl is a watered down Hitler. I heard she ran over a cat in anger after seeing you hug Huey."
"Whatever. Let's not talk about me or that bastard Huey. Let's talk about you and that wicked smile on your face for the past few days."
"Who me?"
"Yeah, you girl. So...who you getting down with?"
"I thought you said that was a rude question?"
"No. Rude is coming to work and asking a fellow employee are they fucking their boss not what fine boy you're getting off with?"
"Whatever. Girl, he is soo fine. But...a lot of people wouldn't want us together."
Cindy had a sad face.
"Why? Is he a criminal? A nazi? An alcoholic? A woman?"
"No, you silly."
"What's wrong with him? Or better yet what's wrong with you? You don't have a penis do you?"
"Jazmine! Talk about a rude question...and no I have a vagina not a penis."
"Ok. Why can't ya'll be together?"Jazmine asked gently.
Cindy looked down.
"He's black."
"Oh. Well that's stupid."
"What?"
"Society."
"Yeah. What am I going to do?"
"Are you in love with him?"
"Maybe."
"Wow, Cindy I hadn't realized that it got that deep between you two."
"Yeah, well it has."
"Imagine how it feels to not be able to live with the one you love or go out in public holding hands. It's little things like that that people take for granted that we don't have the luxury of doing. I mean you live with Huey so of course you don't know what that's like."
"Yeah...well...wait...Cindy! I told you I don't like Huey like that. In fact, right now I can't stand that brown-eyed demon."
"Sure..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Huey's House ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jazmine is sitting on the couch reading a book. The title of the book is called How to kill your boss (with kindness). With kindness was written in really small print though and Huey looked annoyed and amused at the same time.
"Jazmine. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too Huey."
"Really?" He said skeptically.
"No."
Huey rolled his eyes.
"Why can't you believe me? Why is it so hard to believe the other girls are jealous of me? I am the lead act. It does appear that you pay more attention to me. We go home at the same time. You're good looking. Why is it so hard to believe they want you and hate me?"
"Jazmine. I..."
Just then there was a big exploding noise and the glass in the living room completely shattered. Huey ran to the other side of the room and grabbed Jazmine and ran them into the kitchen and out the back door. There were several more booming noises before Huey pushed Jazmine into a car that was parked in his backyard.
"Damn war." He started the unfamiliar car up and drove him and Jazmine out of the back of the house and down an unfamiliar path.
Neither of them said anything during the whole debacle. The silence was deadly and then:
"What the hell just happened?"
"I...don't know." Huey sounded so unsure. That scared Jazmine more than anything she has been through in the past few months.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Secret meeting~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm telling you the girl is the key."
"No she is not. He doesn't care much for her. She's very good for business. If she goes, his business goes and you know how much that means to him. Huey Freeman does not like failure."
"Well after what we do, he'll have no choice."
"What exactly are your plans?"
"We scare him a bit. We won't kill him, but maybe rough him up. Damage his homes and shit. We'll scare him, make him paranoid. When someone's paranoid they don't think straight. When they don't straight they slip up...and then we got him right where we want him."
"Well what will we do about the girl?"
"I don't know. I don't know yet. Someway we have to use the girl to get to him."
"Well I don't know what good that will do. Hell we don't know if he loves the broad. According to my sources he hasn't even fucked her. How far will he go to protect her?"
"I don't know. Let's perform a couple of tests first. K? Then we'll take care of that son of a bitch Huey."
"Okay." The boss pulls out a cigar and makes a gesture for the other man to light it up. He lights up a cigar for the man across from him. The boss-man continues to look up at the ceiling deep in thought.
"Nothing makes sense...I mean... it does but...I don't want it too."
"What do you mean, Jazmine?"
"Someone is trying to harm us...or me."
"Us. Trust me. Though I don't understand who would want to hurt you."
"I know. I'm so lovable."
Huey gave her a look.
"What I mean is what have you done wrong to anyone?"
"How have you wronged someone? You act like you have." Jazmine said suspiciously.
"When you have a lot of money and power, Jazmine, you are automatically a target for those who feel envious. Since they can't climb the mountain you've conquered they shoot from the bottom to get you to their level."
"So where are we going?"
"To another place of mine. Listen, Jazmine. I hate to break it to you but I'm prepared for this type of stuff. I have the resources and experience and the expertise. I can have bodyguards surrounding me 24/7. I have weapons ready for destruction."
"What do you mean? What are you saying?"
"Whoever is after us will come back and I'm prepared and you're not. I'd recommend you stay with me for a little while longer."
"Well...okay. I trust you...for the most part. Plus after that I have no intentions of being alone."
"Good. You'll be safe."
"Yes. Your business move will be safe and therefore your business will be safe."
Huey sighed.
Well review and tell me what you think. Huey and Jazz living together for longer hmmm... I really hate updating soooo late...but sometimes life gets in the way. A little bit of jealousy from somebody(ies) may take place.
