"Lux!" I shout.
Luxury turns to me, smirks, flips her middle finger and then continues. My legs stretch to their limit and I swiftly catch up to the irate young woman. Grabbing her tiny arm, I spin her around with so much force that she almost twists her ankle.
"Owe … Vic, what's wrong with you? Huh?" she asks.
"We need to talk." I try to hide my concern for her safety.
"Well, owww … " Luxury leans into me and begins to take off her left shoe. She turns around, looking toward the other end of the alley. Lux snaps, "Suyoung and I, were going to share a taxi back. She said you ditched her for another girl after I saw the two of you disappear during that slow dance. You know what, I don't even want to know what you are up to. Switching girlfriends with your brother, is that what you do? I think Graham really liked her." She peers through the alley, and Fuyoung is lost to the darkness. That little liar must've been upstairs for a while, watching me dance with her twin!
Shit, I realize that Fuyoung knows her sister is dead.
"No," I go along with Fuyoung's lie, staying nonchalant. If Fuyoung wants to pretend to be Suyoung, that's fine by me. She just won't be getting closer to Luxury. So against my better judgment, I tell a story too, "We were talking about Graham. She wanted to know what types of things he likes."
Lux looks up at me and shakes her head. "Was I born yesterday? Is that how you see me?" Luxury starts walking back down the street, without waiting for a response. "I'm going home, okay?" There's an unspoken belief that she won't be seeing me again. I will allow it for the time being.
I hail a taxi and give the driver more than enough funds to get her home safely.
"Until I see you again," I tell Luxury as I hold the back door open.
Luxury shakes her head no, and rejects my hand while getting inside the car. I watch as the yellow cab zips down the street and out of sight. Even though it's useless, I travel back toward the alley. It's empty. So Fuyoung is playing games. Lethal games.
Luxury
That was an exhausting date, no matter how invisible I felt in such an expensive dress. Every time Victor made a move as we walked through the club, women's eyes would follow. They were like swarm of moths to a single flame. Yeah, a flame that seems to simmer on forever, without any regard for anyone else's feelings.
My first thought as I get home is to take a quick, hot shower and put on the yellow-polka dot pajamas. But those PJs are reserved for heartbreak. I feel worse for Graham than I do myself. I even feel bad for Suyoung. She looked sad as she told me that the brothers liked to play games with women. I'm glad that I didn't get to the taxicab she had flagged down across the street, because I was not in the mood for men bashing. Even if Graham plays games with women, maybe just maybe, he really did like Suyoung. The look of being second to Victor for a lifetime surrounded him like a cloak.
Aliyah's phone number pops up on my phone as I start out for my morning Zumba class. "Hey, Mamacita," I say, walking down the street, dressed in hot pink tights, an oversized t-shirt, and purple and pink Nike's.
"What's up, lovely?"
"You tell me, Aliyah. I know you aren't up this early in the morning. If you are, then you need to be on time to work to help me clear the florist."
"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't call to get reprimanded by my boss."
"Um hum, it's 6am I expect you at Urban Gardens at 8:30 sharp to help me clear the morning romantics. Now what kind of emergency has you calling so early?" I ask. I was considering calling Suyoung. I was surprised when Suyoung texted, asking if I had gotten home safely. Then we got to texting about nothing in particular, and I told her about the Zumba class that I take. She said she would come, but I don't recall giving her directions since it was so late. It's a wonder I'm up early, ready to party. Oh, yeah, Vic dashed my spirit at 10 pm last night with his overtly flirtatious self. I was in bed before midnight.
"Tommy wants to do a double."
"With who?" I snap, passing by the singing trio on the street corner. I drop a few of my crummy dollars in support of their harmonizing.
"Lux, don't get brand new with me. You've met his cousin, Stan."
I roll my eyes, glad that she can't see my expression. "Aliyah, maybe later. I'm not in the mood for going out on a date. And first dates suck ass."
"What do you mean first dates suck ass. They are the best. New love is everything!" Aliyah sighs. "Okay, not Stan. What about... Deondre? You haven't been in a relationship for over a year, or out on a date for even longer. Lord, knows Arnold was lame."
I press on the cross-light button extra hard, and reply, "Actually, I went out on a date – "
"With who? When? Where?" Aliyah says all on one breath. "Good Lawd, was it with the British guy? It was with that British guy! Move over Tom Hardy! Did you give him the nooky? You did give him the nooky!"
I blush. "Can I speak?"
"What kind of question is that? Lux, you could've jumped in anytime. That's how we do!" Aliyah's ranting ends on a whimper with, "See, you don't tell me anything?"
"I'll go out with you and Tommy Boy," I reply, not in the mood to rehash sex with Victor because that's all Aliyah would want to know. And if I take it there, I might want to forgive him for flirting with Suyoung.
"Okay, now I know you're trying to sidestep this swirl situation you have going on. I shall get to the bottom of that, after I get back to sleep. Tommy had me up all night – "
"Eewww," I say. "Look, I have to go." I hang up. And walk into the lobby of the dance studio. They have already started with a warm up to one of Shakira's up-tempo songs. The Latin instructor has an even bigger booty than I do. I soon catch up on the workout. I'm sweating and feeling sexy as my hips begin to twirl around to the beat.
"Hey, Lux," a female voice says from the side. Suyoung scoots up. As she stands besides me and starts to catch the beat, I wonder if that mole on the bottom of her chin was there before. I shrug and continue to let off some steam while doing the cumbia.
Victor
Getting rid of Graham was difficult. He knows of my vices and after I explained who Suyoung was and the infamous Fuyoung, he seemed to understand. But still harped about not being respected.
"It's beside the point, Vic, I really think I was in love with Suyoung." He had allowed the world's dumbest words to exit his mouth, even after knowing their true identities.
Lux had more of an impact than I had expected. Graham packed his things, for his home in Australia, saying that he needed a fresh start, but not before requesting an apology about ruining his chance with Elena in prep school. Could you believe? Lux has that much of a lasting impression that Graham went so far as to want to be vindicated for something done 20 years ago. As I reminded him that Elena came after me and not the other way around, Burt the Butler gave Graham's own butler the rundown of the situation too. I decide to head to Harlem yet again, in order to keep tabs on Luxury.
Seems I'll be here indefinitely. I need to find Fuyoung, and see if X-Member or Whitson's anonymous grim reaper sent the twins. If it is just the silent requester, then I can deal with that, but if X-Member has learned that I have taken the assignment only to renege, they will send a fleet of members against me. It's on the other side of a week since I took this assignment.
Lux's ass mesmerizes my eyes as she walks down the street. It's early in the morning. I'm close enough to her to get jealous at the fact that she will be going out on a date with another man. Then she makes it to a dance studio and I take up shop across the street at an artsy boutique. I pretend to be window shopping and waiting for Fuyoung to make her next move. If Fuyoung has gotten Luxury to befriend her, then the naïve girl is really in a vulnerable state.
"Shit," I shout as I see Fuyoung hurrying inside in her own workout gear. The crowd of shoppers looks at me as if I've just been diagnosed with turrets syndrome.
After the class, there's a swarm of females in every shape and size. I watch for Fuyoung and Lux to come out, and when they do, Luxury has another friend with her. She's chatting with Jamaican woman, who I've seen around the block. Fuyoung glances from across the street and wiggles her eyebrows. She walks east with the women.
I put my sunglasses on. I also bought a Yankee cap from a sidewalk vendor, and follow leisurely, pacing a few clicks behind as the Jamaican begins to provide the proper seasonings for "her famous" oxtails.
"See you later ladies," Fuyoung says, waving. She stops and waits for me as the girls continue on. "Hello Vic," she says, knowing me only by my first name. Her fingers go to my jawline. She softly caresses. "I've always wanted to be a solo act. Suyoung really did bring down the morale. So I must thank you for fulfilling my desire."