...Ain't Gold (Part Six)

Nicole laid back on her towel as the warm late afternoon sun caressed her body. She was in heaven right now, and after the party she'd just thrown this came as a much needed vacation. Lani and Cora had tired of the heat and gone back to their room to relax until dinner. Nicole didn't mind being left alone; it gave her a chance to collect her thoughts.
And that was the beauty of vacation. She had no thoughts. It was vacation and there was no stress and no worries. Well, one worry. Her stomach growled loudly. Nicole giggled to herself, embarrassed, hoping no one had heard that. She lifted her towel and shook as much sand out of it as she could, then folded it and placed it in the straw bag. She tied her sarong around her hips and started back to the hotel.

"Oh my God man do you see the ass on that?" Mookie asked as he clung to Rich's arm and followed the behind of a pretty woman walking past.
Rich made a full 180 degree turn and walked backwards, lowering his shades. "Yes I do. It don't get much better than this." He had been to Jamaica plenty of times before, but it seemed that the women got finer and finer every time. "My ass is starvin. I'ma take a shower before we hit up some food."
"Aight man." They locked palms and Mookie jogged off calling for the pretty girl that had passed.
Rich smiled and shook his head, walking up the street toward his hotel. He hoped Toots had got her mad ass out of her room and done something with herself today. She was too pretty to be so mad all the time. She needed to get over herself quick. Shadow was just another part of the game. And he had to admit nobody could play like her.
When Rich looked up, his mind briefly returned to memories of being hit by a car when he was twelve. All he remembered was being hot out of nowhere. That feeling returned. This had to be be undoubtedly the finest woman he had ever laid eyes on as long. And that was saying a lot. He had dated some fine as wine women. But this, this was beyond fine, bar none. He watched her toss her hair over her shoulder and reach an arm out to open the front door.
"I got that," he said, finding his tongue.
The gorgeous woman smiled. "Thank you."
And she had a voice like silk.
"You're very welcome."
She walked toward the elevator. Rich followed close behind content watching the switch of her hips. She walked like there were clouds under her feet. When they made it to the elevator, he stood back a couple of feet. Every move she made was like melted butter. She reached a hand out and pressed the button for the elevator, then pulled her hand back and sat it on her hip. He didn't know who this woman was and he was mesmerized.
The elevator arrived and she stepped. Rich followed. The doors closed and almost immediately the air was filled with the scent of her floral perfume. He leaned back against the wall and took a long hard stare at her. She definitely wasn't from here.
"Where you from pretty?" he asked her.
She turned around.

Nicole wasn't really sure whether or not he was following her. He had made her nervous, standing all behind her like that, and then she could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her neck. When he spoke to her she was afraid to answer at first until she heard that Harlem accent that screamed "I ain't from round here shorty."
"New York."
He smiled, showing off a row of pearly whites. "I thought so. Rich."
She smiled back and shook his hand. "Nicole."
"How long you in for?"
"I'm leaving Monday morning."
"Shame. I was hoping I could take you out."
"Were you now? You don't know me."
Yep. True New York girl. Hard as hell for no damn reason. Just say yes.
"Sure I do. We just met."
She smiled again. Where had she been when he was in New York? He thought. It should be illegal to be this fine.
"You're funny. I like that. What have you got in mind?"
The elevator stopped off at her floor. She stepped off and held up a hand to keep the doors open.
"Dinner. A walk on the beach maybe."
Nicole thought about it for a second or two and then nodded. "Alright. You're staying here right?"
"Yeah."
"What room?"
"618."
"So I'll call you when I'm ready."
"Alright Nicole."
Alright Rich." She let the doors go.

Toots was in his bed naked when he returned. She was watching something on TV, he didn't bother to check it out. He took a shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He was so used to seeing her naked that it didn't turn him on anymore.
"Did you go out?"
She didn't look in his direction. "Yeah. Got too damn hot."
He climbed on top of her.
"Get your nasty ass off me nigga."
"You know you want it."
"No I really don't. I don't know where your shit been."
"You still want it."
"Cookie called me."
Rich rolled off her then, laying on his back. "And?"
"And she supposed to be getting out on Thursday."
"This week."
"Next week."
His whole mood was thrown off. This was not news he needed to be hearing.

"Don't wait up ya'll. I'm going out."
"Goin out where?" Cora asked from her seat in the corner.
"On a date."
"With who?" Lani asked, eager to be in the mix.
She shrugged. "I don't know. Some guy."
"You don't know, some guy? Tell me I raised you better than that?"
"You did ma. I'm going out to dinner with Rich. I'll be back later."
"Ooh! I she cute?"
Cora slapped Lani's leg with her magazine. "I'm glad to see you so concerned with your sisters safety."
"Yes he's cute." Nicole pulled her half dry hair back into a loose bun. "Now don't worry about me ma. He's from New York."
Cora lifted the magazine back to her face. "Oh that's comforting. Be careful Nikki."
She kissed her mother's cheek before lifting the room phone. "I will."

Mookie sipped his maragarita and kicked his feet up. "Relax. We're in Jamaica."
"Who is we?"
"Me Rich and Toots."
He heard a sigh on the other end. "I'm going to kill him the minute he steps foot back here, you hear me? I am going to find him and I am going to kill him."
"Once again. Relax. You can't do that right now."
"The man murdered my son!"
Mookie sipped again. Maxell was getting on his nerves with the melodramatics. "I understand that. But Rich didn't kill your son. Shadow did."
"And who does she work for? Rich! So I want her dead too!"
Mookie snorted. Like that was going to happen. He'd been trying to kill her for years. She disappeared like smoke. Even if he did find her she'd kill herself before she let someone else do it.
"You gone really have to let this shit go. Calm the fuck down. You ain't the only one who wants him down. We'll be back this week. Then we'll talk." He ended the call. Since when did murder become so complicated?

Copyright © 2005 Jacki Simmons
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