"Lovin' you," Baby sung out as she floated in her pool, "Is easy 'cause you're beautiful." Her body was covered in a pretty white bikini and her eyes covered by white gucci shades. Her new tattoo was displayed proudly on her skin, sitting right under her ribs. The sun was warming her skin and the water felt cool against her foot as she bobbed her toe in and out. The day was too pretty for her not to take a dip in her new pool.
Johnny Frost walked into his boss' home, a brown take out bag and a frappe in his hands. He bumped the door closed behind him and heard the melodic voice of the love of his life.
"No one else can make me feel, the colors that you bring. Stay with me while we grow old and we will live each day in springtime!" Her voice got louder as he walked out to the backyard of the large house. The Minnie Riperton song brought him back to simpler times, when they were still a secret.
"Johnny cakes." Baby mewled, giggling when the burly man pecked at her neck. "Let me finish my song!"
Johnny smiled into her skin, "I'm sorry jewels, go ahead."
"'Cause lovin' you has made my life so beautiful and everyday of my life, is filled with lovin' you." The dancer sung turning her head to smile at him, "La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la, do do do do," The woman finished with a whistle and Johnny beamed, wondering how he got so lucky.
"Ooh," Baby exclaimed, hopping off her floatie and swimming to the edge of the pool, "Is that my frappe?" Johnny snapped out of is memory and nodded, bending down and handing it to her. The singer smiled and took a sip, "What's the word, Johnny bird?" She teased, making the man smile.
"Boss wants you at the club." Johnny informed her, watching her eyes flicker.
"Now?" She questioned with a pout, "But I wanted to swim." She put her cup down and lifted herself out of the pool, standing next to Johnny. She felt the familiar feeling of his green eyes on her and smirked to herself, bending down and grabbing her drink. She stood straight again and took a sip, hiding her smile, "Don't let my volcano rolls get soggy, you know how I hate that." She muttered to her ex-lover before swaying away. "I'll be ready in forty five minutes."
True to her word, Baby was showered, powdered and dressed in forty three minutes, using the remaining two minutes to saunter down the stairs. Her hair was blown out and held back by a white headband and she had a black and white striped knit dress on her body. Her feet were adorned with white wedges and her manicured toes peeked out of the shoes.
The pretty woman held her arms out, clearing her throat. Her butler hurriedly walked to her with her mink in his hands, helping her put it on. "Thank you." She muttered, as Johnny came through the front door again.
"Ready?" He questioned, watching her nod. Johnny opened the door wider, letting her slide by him. He shut the door to the house and walked down the steps, holding his hand out to help Baby down the steps. She gave him a tiny smile and sauntered down the steps, Johnny letting go of her hand when she was on solid ground. He opened the door to the backseat of the car for her, waiting for her to get comfortable before closing the door and jogging to the driver side.
The car ride was silent, though glances were shared through the rearview mirror; Poor Johnny couldn't help himself. When they pulled up to the club the parking lot was empty, save for the classic purple lambo and a few black SUVs. Johnny opened the door for Baby once again, her bag of sushi in his hands. When she hit the thirty minute mark while getting ready, he had run out to buy her another order of volcano rolls, not wanting them to be soggy.
Baby stepped out of the car and tugged her mink closer to her, grabbing her heart-shaped bag from the vehicle. Johnny offered her his arm and she took it, the two of them walking into the club together.
The club looked like a graveyard when no one was there, it was eerie. Johnny helped Baby up the steps to the office before knocking twice on the door. He handed her the takeout bag and she flashed a smile at him, opening the office door and closing it behind her.
Mister J was seated at his desk with papers littered all around it. He seemed to be looking at a map of some sort and as he slicked his hair back with his hand, his eyes caught Baby standing in the doorway.
"Hi Mister J." Baby greeted, sauntering over to the couch and taking her lunch out of her bag.
"Well that's not much of a greeting." The clown sneered, leaning back in his office chair.
The singer raised a brow and stood from the couch, peeling off her mink. She slowly padded over to her boss, walking behind the desk, and leaned down. She pressed her maroon lips against the clown's, pulling away with a smack. "Hi Mister J." She repeated, turning to walk away only to be grabbed by the waist and pulled down.
"'Hi Mister J'." The boss mimicked her voice shrilly, brushing his lips against her ear, "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"
"You've informed me on more than one occasion." Baby muttered in reply, snickering when he dragged his teeth across the side of her neck.
"You smell good." He hissed, turning her head so he could nibble at her jawline. "What is that? Not flowery, but sweet like a cake, almost-!"
"Cocoa butter, Mister J." Baby interjected, peeking at the map on his desk.
"Cocoa butter." He muttered, groping her thighs, "I like it. Do you taste as good as you smelll?"
"Probably." Baby replied absentmindedly, before turning her head to meet his eyes, "What's with the map?"
"Bank." The clown whispered, his blue eyes on her lips. "I'm gonna buy you that lamborghini you want, pretty baby." He cooed, burying a hand in her hair and pecking her lips. "Would you like that?" He breathed, licking the seam of her lips.
"Yeah." Baby replied, blinking up at her boss. "I'd like that very much, Mister J." She mewled, laying her head back on his shoulder and pressing her lips against his jaw. "You smell good too, mister." The woman muttered, pushing herself out of his lap, "Like money." She teased with a smirk, jumping away when he reached out to grab her.
"Minx." The clown hissed and she winked at him, settling on the couch to eat her sushi. She opened the lid and raised a piece to her lips before the clown snapped his fingers at her. "Nope, don't eat that filth. I'm having steaks delivered from Helene's."
"Helene's." Baby echoed, throwing her chopsticks down. "The Helene's?" She raised a brow.
"The one and only." Mister J grinned, raising a finger and beckoning her over to him. Baby got up from the couch and sauntered over to him slowly, running a finger along his desk, only to be snatched up and pulled into the boss's lap again. She sank down slow and licked her lips above him, leaning down to connect their lips.
A cell phone rung behind them and the clown groaned, though before he could answer it, Baby turned around to pick it up, pressing it to her ear. "He's busy." She answered evenly and Mister J smirked up at her, gripping her ass in his hands and nibbling at her jaw.
Baby smiled smally but it soon dropped as chatter sounded from the phone. The woman took the phone from her ear and bit her lip, "There's a cop here."
Mister J rolled his eyes and gestured for her to give him the phone, pressing it to his ear. "And why can't you handle this?" He rasped, his tone dangerous. He narrowed his eyes and sighed in annoyance, hanging up the phone without a word. He tapped on her back and Baby got up, watching as he walked to the large window of the office. "I hate pigs, Baby." Mister J stated, glaring down at the dance floor. "But you always need a few in your back pocket." He turned to the pretty woman and grinned, "Remember that." Baby nodded and his smile dropped, shrugging on his suit jacket and leaving the office. The door was about to close before he peeked his head back in, "Stay away from the window. If I see your pretty face there will be ah… consequences." The door slammed shut and the click of the lock was heard.
Baby stood there for a moment, frowning when her stomach began to growl. She sucked her teeth and walked over to the couch, snapping open her diet coke and taking a sip. She back on the couch, sprawling out like a swan basking in the sun. Her phone began to vibrate insistently from her bag and she raised a brow, grabbing the device.
The number was unfamiliar. She rolled her eyes and answered it, pressing it to her ear, "Hello?"
"You are a hard woman to get in contact with." A mewl sounded from the phone.
Baby lit up, instantly knowing who was in the other end, "Selina Kyle, my favorite feline."
"Me-ow." The woman quipped, "I don't suppose your old man would let you come out tonight?"
Baby hummed, crossing her legs, "I could butter 'em up a bit maybe. He can't say no to anything when I'm on my knees." She smiled sinfully and Selina laughed.
"Do let me know, I wanna go dancing with my new friend. I'll be around, babe."
"Okay, Selina. See you soon." Baby hung up the phone and slid it back into her purse, biting her lip. She took out her compact and relined her lips, puckering them right as gunshots rang through the club. Her head whipped to the window and she ran towards it, forgetting what Mister J had told her.
There the clown stood in the middle of his club with his hands up, a man in uniform aiming a pistol at him. Two men were down beside Mister J and it looked like the cop was talking.
Baby didn't have a thought in her head as she reached under the desk for the shotgun hidden there. She didn't think of the consequences as she aimed at the copper, closing one eye to level her shot. The beauty certainly did not think of the punishment she would face as she pulled the trigger, shattering the window and hitting the cop square in the head. Baby did, however, wince at the sight, and even more so when Mister J's head turned towards her. She dropped the gun as soon as his eyes met hers, stepping back as footsteps began to echo in her ears.
Closer and closer, her heart began to beat against her chest like a drum. The door to the office unlocked and she gripped the desk behind her, trying to ready herself for death. The door swung open and Mister J was revealed, his eyes hard. He walked over to her silently stopping just a hair away and putting both hands on her cheeks.
"What did I say?" He questioned evenly, his icy eyes glaring into hers.
Baby tried to keep her composure, but she was sure her body was shaking. "To stay away from the window." She echoed his earlier words, not daring to look away from his eyes.
"You shot a cop directly in the head." Mister J muttered, his hold tightening on her face. "Did you look?"
The beauty nodded, wincing when he squeezed his hand, "Yes," She choked out, squinting, "I had to aim."
The clown raised an eyebrow, "You saw him die?" Baby nodded, unable to speak. He hummed, "How did you know where my gun was?" He watched her expectantly, moving his hands away from her face.
Baby breathed in deep breaths, "I saw it the first time you fucked me." She replied honestly, rubbing her throat, "I thought he was going to kill you, mister."
Mister J stared at her for a long moment, his gaze unblinking. The woman was scared, gripping the desk so tight her palms hurt. Without a word, she was backhanded, her face flinging to the side. She let out a quiet gasp of shock, but that was the only outward reaction she had. She just sat there with her face to the side and her chest heaving.
Baby slowly turned her head to face the clown again, flipping her hair over her shoulder and fixing her smudged lipstick. She stared into his eyes, mimicking his own cold gaze.
Mister J sneered at her, "I didn't need your help." He hissed through his teeth.
"Well you got it." Baby retorted lowly, staring at him for another tense moment before moving around him.
He grabbed her arm and snarled, "Where the fuck do you think you're going?"
Baby tugged her arm from him and walked to the couch, shrugging on her mink. "Away from you." She muttered, grabbing her purse. "You're not mad at me you're mad at that pig or your men or something but not me. I'd be stupid to stick around. Maybe you should channel that anger into fixing whatever this is." She gave him one last glare and left the office, clicking down the stairs. She looked up at the shattered window to see him watching her with a blank expression.
Baby left the club and walked a couple feet before taking out her phone and dialing Selina's number.
"Dolly, can you come out to play?"
"Can you pick me up?" Baby retorted, looking up at the street, "I'm on-!"
"Already on the way." Selina mewled before hanging up the phone.
In no less than ten minutes a black motorcycle was pulling up next to the woman. "Hey Baby." Selina smirked, gesturing behind her, "Hop on."
Baby smiled back and did exactly that, grabbing onto Selina's waist. The cat took off and her heavy mink bellowed behind her.
"Where to?" Her friend asked and Baby shrugged, "I know exactly where that is."
The two ended up at a bar on the outskirts of town, Selina parking her bike in the very front of it. Baby followed her friend into the rinky dink joint, the smell of cigarettes and booze hitting her immediately. The babes sat at the bar, Baby taking her coat off and sitting on top of it.
"Two cosmos." Selina ordered for them before turning to Baby, "Finally got a patent Joker bruise, huh?"
Baby's eyes widened a fraction and she pulled out her compact, it was barely noticeable but a little red. She dabbed concealer around it, "It's just the first one you can see." She quipped, putting her mirror away as their drinks were placed in front of them.
"Whaddya do?" The cat questioned, sipping her cocktail, "Talk back? Not talk? Talk too much?"
"Save his life." Baby shrugged, wiping the moisture from her glass. "He said he didn't need my help. Like, what the fuck does that mean?"
"Maybe he just wants a pretty face." Selina muttered, raising a brow.
"Well he got me instead." The beauty retorted, rolling her eyes, "I can't just sit on a shelf, I'm a person. Even if he does think of me as a doll."
"Look Baby," Selina started, turning towards her, "I've been around awhile. Long enough to know that beauty wanes after a couple years. There's always gonna be someone younger and prettier. You gotta make yourself useful, something that he can't get anywhere else. You got ya voice and that's a commodity but what else can ya do?"
"I can't do nothing else, Sel. He'd get angry-!"
"To hell with him getting angry. You can get angry, too. Your smart Baby, that's why I like you. You see things people don't." The cat complimented before nodding to a guy across the room, "Like this guy, give me a read on him."
Baby blinked before looking at the man. Her eyes swept over his body, from his nervous eyes to his twitching fingers around his bottle. He had the tan of a ring on his left hand and his hairline was receding. "Age 38-42, married, a kid or two, alcoholic, cheating on his wife, low level construction job, size 9 shoe, average dick."
"Let's see." Selina grinned, slipping from her stool and walking over to the man, she chatted him up for a minute then returned to her seat, flashing his wallet to Baby. "Thomas Winston, 40. Pictures of his two kids and an average looking wife." Right as she finished going through the wallet, a woman walked up to Thomas who was not his wife and kissed him. The cat looked up at her friend with a smirk. "See? That could come in handy."
Baby rolled her eyes, "It's not that hard."
"But not many can do it." Selina retorted with a smile, "Show him how valuable you are and he'll treat you like it. You know how materialistic men are, everything's a dick measuring contest. He's currently winning by having you on his arm and that's all he's using you for, but you could outsmart him and take half."
"I could really be the Queen of Gotham in practice," Baby muttered in realization. "Not just in namesake."
Selina nodded with a smirk, "Don't forget about little ole me when you get your throne, your highness. Now enough with this business talk, let's sign up for karaoke!"
"Lina I don't feel like singing tonight-!" Baby's complaint was not heard, as Selina ran to sign her name up. The cat returned minutes later with a smirk.
"You're gonna love it." Selina snickered under her breath as the announcer started calling people's names to perform.
After four people sung terribly, it was Baby's turn. "What song did you even pick?" She muttered as she was pushed on the stage.
"You'll see." Her friend winked, sitting at the bar once more.
"Everyone give it up for Selina!" The announcer said and the bar lightly clapped.
Baby narrowed her eyes at her grinning catlike friend and smoothed her dress out, standing in front of the mic. The record started to play and the first few notes of a familiar song made her laugh. She missed her cue and the crowd grumbled. "Sorry, could you start over?" She questioned into the mic.
The record began to play again and she took the microphone out of the stand as the notes played. "What you want… baby I got. What you need? You know I got it! All I'm asking is for a little respect when ya come home, baby when ya get home! Mistah."
The patrons of the bar lightened up and faced the stage wanting to hear more from the tiny woman with a big voice. Baby danced across the stage, winking and shaking her hips to the beat. The crowd loved it and with every note they got more entranced by her.
"Ooo your kisses! Sweeter than honey! But guess what? So is my money! All I want ya to do for me, is give it to me when ya get home! Yeah baby, when ya get home!" Baby belted before settling in front of the stage and holding the microphone out, "R. E. S. P. E. C. T." The crowd sung to her and she grinned, singing back, "Find out what it means to me!"
"R. E. S. P. E. C. T. Take care of TCB, oh!" Baby sang, "A little respect! I keep on tryin'! Ya runnin' outta fools, and I ain't lyin'! Respect! When ya come home, or ya might just fine that I'm ga-ah-on!" As she belted the last note, the crowd stood up and applauded, high pitched whistles shaking the bar. Baby grinned and playfully curtseyed, running down the stairs of the stage. She got to Selina and pushed her. "You're the worst." She accused, her lips spread in a smirk.
Selina smirked right back at her, "Yeah, yeah. How about another drink, on me, well," She paused, motioning toward the patrons, "On them." She took out a wad of cash and winked as Baby laughed.
The two women stayed at the bar most of the night into the early morning, having a couple laughs and bonding. When it was two in the morning, Selina drove Baby back to her house.
With her shoes in her hand, Baby hugged Selina goodbye and tip toed up the stairs comically, her alcohol levels way above the legal limit. She opened the door to the big house and shivered as her feet hit the marble. She was about to go up the steps when she heard her name.
"Baby."
The dancer swallowed thickly and turned around, seeing Mister J seated at the grand piano in the living room. Her feet padded childishly against the floor as she walked into the room like a kid waiting to be scolded.
There was a bottle of brown liquor and some in a chaser on the top of the piano and the keys were exposed, the clown running his hands along them. He was still dressed up like he was leaving, but he looked like he had been there for awhile, if the amount of liquor missing from the bottle was any indication.
"You came back." Was all he said to her, pretending to play the piano without pressing the keys.
"Yeah…" Baby replied lamely, her drunken state much less articulate.
"Where'd ya go?" The clown inquired, still playing a silent song.
"To a bar with Selina." The woman answered honestly, her eyes on his hands.
"Did ya have fun?"
"Yeah." Baby said, dropping her shoes and her coat. She padded over to the clown and placed her hands on his, moving them to the keys she wanted. She pressed down on the first note, while playing a chord with his other hand. "So here's a little song I wrote," She sang hoarsely, before clearing her throat, "Might wanna sing note for note, don't," She paused pressing into his fingers, "Wher-rie. Be, hap-ee." The last note rang out and Baby moved her hands.
The clown just looked down at the keys, "Ha." He blurted, trying to play the keys she did. "I can't do it by myself." Baby reached over him again and helped him to play the song. "You gotta help me play, Baby." He uttered, as she sat the opposite way on the piano bench. He raised a hairless brow and turned to her. "You understand?"
Baby, in her current state, still got the importance of what he was saying. He wasn't apologizing, he would never utter the words from his mouth, but this was his way of telling her he needed her. That he wanted her to help. "Yeah, I understand, Mister J."
"Good." The clown grinned superficially, it almost scared Baby that she could tell. "That's good." He repeated, before leaning his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes.
Baby glanced at his head before placing her own on top of it. "Your roots are showing." She murmured and teeth half heartedly bit into her shoulder in response.
"Brat."
