Her protests were completely ignored as the ladies hooped and hollered for the dancer to do his thing. He gave Michelle special attention as he danced all around her. He shed his hardhat, tool belt and work pants, then stood in front of her wearing a wife-beater and red silk boxer shorts. Michelle laughed and looked at Cookie.
“It was the closest I thought I should come to red silk thongs, Michelle,” Cookie said with a wink.
Jodie had forewarned him that the guest of honor was a church-going woman who was engaged to a minister. She'd asked him to keep his show tasteful. When the song ended, he stood Michelle up, accepted the twenty-dollar bill she tucked into the side waistband of his shorts, kissed her cheek and congratulated her. From the money the women threw at him and what Jodie had paid, he left with almost five hundred dollars.
When the dancer left, the women sat around and laughed while they ate. Michelle walked over to Amaryllis. “So, this is why you left the firm so early. What happened to your headache?”
“It went away when Mr. Fix It came down those steps,” Amaryllis replied.
Jodie sliced the cake, made with fresh strawberries and butter cream, and served the women as Michelle opened her gifts. Michelle got everything from a long quilted gown that covered her from neck to toe to edible underwear.
Michelle shrieked. “What am I gonna do with this?”
Someone yelled out, “Don't worry. James will know what to do with it.”
The living room was filled with laughter.
Jodie set a three-foot gift-wrapped box in front of Michelle. “This is from James.”
Michelle opened it and saw one hundred Hershey's Kisses, fifty Chunky's and a container that held one thousand chocolate covered raisins. Jodie gave her the card he sent with it and Michelle read it aloud.
“My dearest Mickey Mouse ... To share in your day, I'm sending sweets for my sweet. It won't be long 'til we're married, and I'm looking forward to getting a double dip of your chocolate. Have fun tonight; because you deserve it. Luv, James.”
All the women oohed and aahed at James' gift and message. No one noticed that Amaryllis had slipped out of Jodie's back door five minutes earlier.
After she had showered and sprayed herself with Michelle's perfume, Amaryllis wrapped her nude body in Michelle's trench coat. She stepped in a pair of Michelle's black leather stilettos and stuffed the blond wig in the coat pocket. From Michelle's telephone book on her nightstand, Amaryllis jotted down Alexander's address on a piece of paper. On her way to the bachelor party, she stopped at a costume store and purchased a Mardi Gras mask that covered her forehead, eyes and nose.
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Alexander and James were riding home after a long day at the precinct. One of the perks of being a homicide detective was that the job title came with a company car they shared. James was elated when Alexander offered to do all of the driving.
James noticed that Alexander was taking a different route. “Where are we going?”
“My place. I wanna show you something,” Alexander responded.
Ten minutes later, they walked into Alexander's house and James saw Nicholas, Michael, a few men from the church, two of James' neighbors and four detectives from his precinct.
Michael was the first to greet James. “What's up, man?”
James looked at everyone standing around the living room. “I know this ain't what I think it is.”
One of his neighbors spoke. “I don't know what you think it is, but it's a stag party.”
James looked at Michael. “Why did you let them do this, man?”
“What are you talking about? This was
my
idea,” Michael confessed.
“
Your
idea?”
“Yeah, man, loosen up and have some fun.”
The men approached James, shook his hand and congratulated him. Eventually, James started to relax and began to mingle. The men sat around, ate and chatted, then the doorbell rang. Alexander opened it and saw a female sporting a blond wig, wearing a mask, a trench coat and high heels. At first, he was puzzled because he hadn't hired a stripper. He didn't want to offend James, but then he thought that maybe one of the other guys had hired her without telling him about it. He smiled and looked at her. “May I help you?”
“Is James Bradley here?”
“Yes, he is.”
A disguised Amaryllis brushed past Alexander and stepped into the living room. All eyes turned toward her. She set the boom box she'd brought on top of the cocktail table and pressed the PLAY button. “Do Me Baby” by Prince filled the living room.
Amaryllis sought James out and pulled him by the hand to stand directly in front of her. He nervously looked at Alexander who shrugged his shoulders. Alexander looked at Michael who shrugged his shoulders. Michael looked at Nicholas who shrugged his shoulders. It was clear that the four of them were innocent and had no clue who this dancer was or where she had come from. But all of that would be discussed later. Right now a beautiful woman with a great body was in the middle of Alexander's living room shaking her goods, and at the moment, that was all that mattered.
“Do me, baby, like you've never done before.”
When Amaryllis shed the trench coat, the men couldn't hold their tongues. They chanted, laughed and encouraged her to continue doing what she was doing. James stood looking at her and couldn't believe this was happening to him. Amaryllis danced around him, touching him every chance she got. Each time Amaryllis touched him in an inappropriate manner, he quickly removed her hand, but didn't stop her show.
Amaryllis was oblivious to all of the money being thrown at her feet. Her main focus was the man she was dancing for. It didn't even matter to Amaryllis that her father was present, watching everything she did. As she sashayed past Nicholas, he noticed a tattoo of a rose on her butt.
When the song ended, Amaryllis grabbed her trench coat from the floor and put it on. She then picked up the cash, grabbed the boom box and walked out the front door without saying a word.
When she closed the door behind her, James looked at everyone present with an angry expression. “Okay, whose idea was that?”
No one said a word. He looked at Michael. “Was it you, Mike?”
Michael shook his head. “Nope, it wasn't me.”
James looked at Alexander again. “Alex?”
“Nope,” Alexander concluded.
“Nick, did you set this up?”
“Nope, it wasn't me either.” Nichols shrugged his shoulders.
James looked around the room. “Will the guilty party speak up?”
No one said anything.
“Well, whoever you are, I just wanna say one thing: Thank you, 'cause she was fine.”
All the men let out a loud sigh and started mingling again.
On the night of her bachelorette party, Michelle received one more piece to the puzzle. She could see all of the woman's rear and the man's legs and arms as he caressed the woman's breasts. Michelle saw more of the sofa.
Knock, knock. Who's there? Wanda. Wanda,
who? Wandaring about this picture, huh?
Michelle was anxious. Something didn't feel right. In her bedroom, she called Jodie. “Where's the last piece to this puzzle?” she asked through the telephone receiver.
“What are you talking about?”
“The picture of you and Michael getting your freak on.”
“Did you drink too much punch, Michelle? What are you talking about?”
“For the past month someone's been sending me pieces to a puzzle that shows a man and a woman having sex on a couch.”
“What makes you think it's me and Michael?”
“I don't know, I thought you were playing a joke on me or something.”
“Michelle, you ought to know that I wouldn't put me and Michael's business out there like that.”
Michelle was frustrated. She didn't know what to believe. “I guess you're right, Jodie. But if you're not sending this to me, then who is?”
“I can't answer that.”
“I guess I'll have to wait for the last piece. Don't forget that next Thursday night is the wedding rehearsal at the church.” She hung up from Jodie and studied the puzzle again. The only piece missing was of the man's face, but Michelle couldn't take her eyes away from the sofa.
Could it be possible? Is he capable? No, it's not possible. James loves me and I know it.
In court Wednesday afternoon, Michelle was a wreck. She was anticipating the delivery of the last piece to the puzzle. Not only could she not concentrate, but when the time came for her to cross examine the defendant, her mind went blank. She couldn't remember which case she was working on. She searched her briefcase for her notes and found them missing. She silently reprimanded herself for allowing the devil to take over her mind like this.
Needless to say, Michelle lost her first case in almost four years of practicing law. Her perfect record had been shattered. She exited the courtroom with tears in her eyes and ran straight into her father's arms.
“What happened, Baby Girl?”
Michelle was too distraught to explain. “Just get me out of here, Daddy.”
Nicholas walked Michelle to her Jaguar. “Talk to me.”
Michelle was nervous and shaking. “I don't know what happened. I couldn't concentrate.”
“Are you okay to drive to the office?”
“I'm not going back to the office. I'm going home. I'll call you later.” Michelle got into her car and drove away.
Michelle got the mail from the mailbox and froze. She stared at the envelope with the gold lettering. She walked into the living room and set all the mail, except one envelope, on the cocktail table. She wanted to open it, but then again, she was afraid. With shaky hands, she tore the envelope open and saw that there was no letter inside with the puzzle piece. Instead, there was a photograph. Slowly she pulled them out and saw what she didn't want to see. She held the puzzle piece of James' face in her hands. In the photograph, James lay on the sofa, nude, with his eyes closed, caressing the breasts of a woman wearing a blonde wig who was straddling him. Michelle clutched her heart and fell to her knees, gasping for air.
Right on cue, Amaryllis descended the stairs. “Michelle, what's wrong?”
She couldn't say anything. She looked at Amaryllis as though she didn't know who she was. Amaryllis saw the puzzle piece and picture in her hand then knelt down and pulled Michelle into her arms. “Sis, I'm so sorry. How could he do this to you? I knew he was no good for you. James tried to come on to me a few times, but I didn't want to tell you because I didn't think you'd believe me.”
Michelle let out a scream so loud and sharp, it almost cracked every window in the living room. Amaryllis ran to the telephone and called Nicholas. “Daddy, it's Michelle. You gotta come over here.”
Nicholas could hear Michelle screaming and crying through the telephone. “What's wrong with her?”
“Something has happened with James,” Amaryllis responded.
“I'm on my way.” Nicholas disconnected the call and rushed to Michelle's house.
Amaryllis held Michelle tight in her arms and rocked her back and forth while they waited for their father.
Twenty minutes later, Nicholas stormed into the living room using his emergency key. He rushed and knelt next to Michelle. “What happened, Baby Girl? Is James all right?”
Nicholas referring to Michelle as his baby girl infuriated Amaryllis. She moved away and allowed her father to console his precious daughter.
Amaryllis sat and listened as Michelle read the letters that came with puzzle pieces to Nicholas. “All this time, Daddy, I thought it was Jodie playing a joke on me.”
Nicholas studied the picture and completed puzzle Michelle had put together. “Baby Girl, there's got to be an explanation. James wouldn't do this.”
The more Nicholas referred to Michelle as Baby Girl, the more ticked off Amaryllis became. And the fact that he defended James angered her even more. “What kind of explanation? We got proof that James is a dog,” Amaryllis shouted.
Nicholas looked at her. “You don't know James like I do. He's an honest man and wouldn't do anything like this.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, what about him coming on to
me
?”
Nicholas refused to believe her. “What? No way.”
“It's true. James came on to me
many
times, but I didn't tell Michelle because I knew it would hurt her.”
Nicholas stood firm. “I can't believe that; not James.”