“Yes, I have the CD.”
“In the beginning of the song, Yolanda asks God âWhat if I choose, the wrong thing to do?' You need to ask yourself that same question, Baby Girl.”
“And why is that?”
“Because choosing to trust your sister is
the wrong thing to do.
” Nicholas sang the last five words to Michelle the same way Yolanda Adams sang them.
Michelle stood up to leave. She put the check Nicholas had given her in her purse, then gathered her things and looked at her father. “Amaryllis has faults just like the rest of us. No one is perfect. And it would be nice to have you in her corner instead of being on the opposite side of the ring with your boxing gloves on, ready to take a jab at Amaryllis every chance you get. Now, I want you to really think about what I've just said to you, Nicholas Price. I'm on my way to court. I'll talk to you later.”
She kissed her father on the forehead and left the restaurant. He sat at the table and watched Michelle walk away, wondering if she could be right about Amaryllis. Was he being too hard on her? For some reason, he just couldn't shake his gut feeling about her.
Michelle got in her Jaguar and called the firm.
“Price & Associates, Amaryllis speaking.”
“Hi, honey; it's me,” Michelle greeted.
So what?
“Hi.”
“I need you to do something for me.”
Like what, sex your man?
“Sure, what is it?”
“In my top file cabinet drawer, there's a manila folder marked âInvitations.' Inside, you'll find the wedding invitation that James and I selected. Can you please fax it to the number that's on the front of the folder, to Yolanda Cooper's attention?”
Fax it yourself.
“No problem, sis. I'll take care of it right away.”
“That's why I love my sister; you always come through for me. We gotta get these invitations ordered and in the mail soon.”
“Why waste your time? There ain't gonna be a wedding,” Amaryllis said to herself after she ended the call with Michelle.
She went into her sister's office to retrieved the manila folder. She read the wedding invitation. The wording was beautiful and everything was fine except one thing, and she knew how to correct it. She took the invitation to her desk and opened a bottle of liquid paper and covered Michelle's first and middle names. She blew on it to dry it, then inserted the invitation into her typewriter. In place of Michelle's name, Amaryllis typed her own name.
Satisfied with the wording, she called Blessed Events Consulting. “Hi, this is Michelle Price. May I speak with Yolanda?”
“Hi, Michelle. This is Yolanda. What can I do for you?”
“My secretary is faxing my wedding invitation to you, but I want to make you aware of a small change. I want to use only my second middle name instead of Michelle Denise.”
“That's fine, Michelle, whatever you wanna do. What's your second middle name?”
“It's Amaryllis, and can you please make sure that it's spelled correctly? I've already made the change; you'll see it on the fax.”
“Okay, Michelle, but what made you change your mind about your name?”
“I like Amaryllis better. It matches perfectly with James.”
After ending the call, Amaryllis read the invitation again before faxing it.
I hold you in my heart for we have shared together God's blessings.
Philippians 1:7
Mr. Nicholas Price requests the honor of your presence at the marriage of his daughter Amaryllis Price to Minister James Bradley
On Saturday, the sixth of December Two thousand and nine at two o'clock in the afternoon
Praise Temple Church of God 1751 Grace Parkway Las Vegas, NV
The trail winds onward through the hills from here to prairie's end; will our journey ever last? As long as you're my love, my friend.
To God be the glory for what He's done!
Amaryllis faxed the invitation, covered her name with liquid paper and retyped Michelle's name. She made a copy, shredded the original, then inserted the copy in the manila folder and placed it back in Michelle's file cabinet.
Of course, Michelle would be upset at what her sister had done, but Amaryllis couldn't care less.
Chapter 8
At 4:30
P.M
., Michelle stepped off the elevator, rushing into her office. Amaryllis looked at the clock on the wall. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“I've got to get over to James' place and I'm running late.” She grabbed James' keys and rushed back to the elevator. “How late are you staying?”
“Not too much longer. I was talking to some of the ladies in the lounge today and they were telling me that there's this book club they've got going on. They meet once a month at each other's homes. Tonight, they're meeting again and I was thinking about going.”
“Sweetie, I think that's wonderful. It's about time you got out of the house and started mingling.”
Oh, I'll be doing much mingling tonight.
“Then I'll go ahead and join them, so don't wait up.”
“Okay, I won't. What book are they reading this month?”
“Something by Victoria Christopher Murray, I'm not sure what the title is.”
“My friend Jodie loves her books.”
Amaryllis looked at the clock and it read 4:35
P.M
.. “Well, you better hurry up. You don't wanna be late meeting the carpet cleaners.”
Michelle looked at her curiously. “How did you know why I was going to James' place?”
She had to think of something fast. “Uh, when James stopped by earlier, I asked him what brought him by and he told me.”
“Oh. Well, I'm on my way. Enjoy your book club meeting.”
At 6:20
P.M
., Amaryllis was parked on the corner of Michelle's block. She sat in Michelle's Lincoln Navigator, watching the Jaguar enter into the garage at the town home. Michelle had done a lot for her sister. Not only had she given Amaryllis room and board, she'd also given her the keys to her SUV. Michelle never worked a straight nine to five. And she was in and out of the office much too often for them to carpool.
As soon as Michelle closed the garage door, Amaryllis started the Navigator and pulled away from the curb. On the passenger seat, she had James' address written on a piece of paper. Amaryllis had stolen James' information from Michelle's Rolodex that sat on her desk. When she arrived in front of James' apartment building, Amaryllis glanced at the yellow sticky note to familiarize herself with which key went to which lock.
Inside his apartment, Amaryllis put her plan into action. She rushed into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Just as she expected, James had a full pitcher of grape Kool-Aid, his favorite drink, sitting on the top shelf. She set the pitcher of Kool-Aid on the table and opened the bottle of Vicodin she'd gotten from the pharmacy, pouring twenty of the twenty-five pills on the table. An empty mayonnaise jar from James' dish rack became an instant grinding tool.
It took Amaryllis fifteen minutes to change the pills to a fine powder. When that was accomplished, she added the powder to the pitcher of Kool-Aid, then placed the lid on the pitcher and shook it vigorously for five minutes before placing it back on the top shelf in the refrigerator. She rinsed the mayonnaise jar and dried it with a paper towel, then returned it to the dish rack. She placed the bottle with the remaining five pills in her purse and cleaned the table as best she could.
In the living room, Amaryllis loaded the film into the tiny camera and hid it on the window ledge between two large potted plants. She went into James' bedroom and undressed. When she saw his black satin sheets hugging his mattress, she couldn't resist the temptation. Amaryllis climbed into his bed, completely naked, and made herself comfortable. She smelled a familiar fragrance and pressed her nose into his pillow.
Instantly, she was reminded of Randall. Boss was his favorite cologne and he wore it well. Amaryllis was having a good time rolling between James' sheets. It had been a long time since she'd been in a man's bed, and she was glad to be back where she figured she belonged.
She stopped rolling and looked up at the ceiling, imagining herself lying on James' chest. She closed her eyes and pictured him touching her body in all the right places. After a while, Amaryllis was so caught up in this dream that she passionately called out James' name, and it was her own voice that had awakened her.
She nervously sat up and saw that it was dark outside. James' alarm clock read 8:35
P.M
. and she realized that she'd actually fallen asleep. Amaryllis jumped out of bed and made the satin sheets look the way James had left them. The telephone on his nightstand rang and it startled Amaryllis. His answering machine picked up after three rings.
“Hello, you've reached the home of James Bradley. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you ASAP.”
At the sound of his voice, Amaryllis got goose bumps all over.
“Hey, gorgeous one. Just calling to see if you were home yet. I pray that everything went well in Detroit. You'll be pleased with the carpet. I think they did a great job. If it's not too late when you get in, give me a call. I love you.”
Michelle's telephone call infuriated Amaryllis. She heard James tell Michelle that
he
would call
her
when he got back home from Detroit, so why couldn't Michelle just wait for that? Why did she have to call and interrupt Amaryllis' flow?
“You might as well go to bed, Michelle. James won't be calling you tonight.”
Amaryllis went into the bathroom, brushed her hair in a circle around her head and put on the blond wig. She placed the brush in her bag, then took the bag and all of her belongings and placed them under James' bed. In the kitchen, she double checked and made sure there were no traces of white powder on the table. Next, she walked into the bathroom to check for long strands of hair in the sink. In the living room, she made sure that she'd removed all traces of her being there. She went back into the bedroom and crawled under the bed to wait for her prey.
Amaryllis couldn't have timed this evening any better; five minutes after she crawled into her hiding place, James entered the building.
Amaryllis' heart started to race when she heard James turn his key in the first lock. Under the bed, she waited in anticipation. The only thing she could think about was the Kool-Aid. Everything would go so smoothly if he'd just drink a glass. But she had a plan B. If James didn't drink any of the Kool-Aid, she'd hit him over the head with something heavy to knock him out. The choice was his. James could make this easy on himself if he was thirsty.
The first thing James did was pay a visit to his bathroom. A couple minutes later, he walked into the bedroom and listened to his messages. After hearing Michelle's voice, he sat down on the bed and called her. Amaryllis saw the phone jack on the wall and wanted nothing more than to snatch the cord from its socket.
“Hello, gorgeous. Not me, you are.”
Amaryllis' skin was crawling with anger. Again, Michelle was messing up her flow.
“Yeah, I just got in a minute ago and got your message ... I missed you too, baby. Yeah, I saw the carpet ... I didn't think the stain would come out. At least now I can keep my security deposit when I move in with you ... I can't wait either.”
I can't wait for you to drink that Kool-Aid,
Amaryllis thought as she waited.
“I'm gonna hop in the shower and hit the hay. It's been a long day. Did you order the wedding invitations?”
“No; I did,” Amaryllis mumbled.
“Amaryllis? I hope she didn't screw it up.”
You're the one that's about to get screwed, James.
Before James ended his call with Michelle, he said a prayer with her that God would continue to bless their relationship. “Call me when you get to the firm tomorrow. I love you too, Mickey. Good night.”
Yeah, good night, Mickey.
James went into the bathroom and started the water in the shower. Back in his bedroom, he undressed. Amaryllis could only see his ankles and feet, but tried her best to scoot closer to see the rest of him without making any noise. She couldn't do it though. She'd just have to wait on the Kool-Aid to take effect.
While James was showering, she heard him singing a gospel song. Before he came back into the bedroom, Amaryllis got in a position that would allow her to see
all
of James from where she was. After singing three verses of the song, James exited the shower, dried himself and entered his bedroom.
“Ooooh, weeeee,” Amaryllis whispered. Seeing James naked from head to toe made her wonder how Michelle could abstain. Then again, she probably wouldn't know what to do with him anyway.
James sat on the bed and applied lotion to his body. When he was good and moisturized, he stood and walked out of the bedroom. Amaryllis saw the back of him and had to put her hand over her mouth to conceal her excitement.
She heard James moving around, but couldn't tell what he was doing. She hoped James was having a drink of the grape Kool-Aid. She didn't want to have to use a blunt object to knock him out, but she would if she had to.
Two minutes later, James came back into the bedroom, opened a drawer for a pair of boxers and put them on.
Amaryllis figured James wouldn't need any boxers tonight.
He left the bedroom again and Amaryllis heard the refrigerator open and close. She heard what sounded like a glass being set on the table. She heard what sounded like liquid being poured into the glass and knew it was the Kool-Aid. About two minutes later, she heard the glass being set in the sink, then she heard the refrigerator open and close again.
Good boy,
she thought.
James came back into the bedroom, turned out the light, then walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. He turned on the television and lay back on the couch. He didn't see the small camera that was on the window sill directly in front of him. Amaryllis patiently waited a half hour for the Vicodin to take effect. When she figured enough time had passed, she crawled out from under the bed, went into the living room and stood in front of him.
“James?” She whispered his name. He didn't stir. She called him again, this time a little louder. “James?” When he didn't move, she tapped him on the shoulder. “James?”
Amaryllis lifted his left eyelid and he still didn't move. She turned off the television then turned on the living room light. She stood in front of James again and looked at his triceps and biceps that she'd been longing to see all day. “Ump, ump, ump, I don't know how you could stay away from this, Michelle.”
Amaryllis carefully removed James' boxers and positioned him on the couch where the camera would catch his entire body. She set the camera for ten seconds and climbed her naked body on top of him with her back to the camera. She placed James' hands on her breasts. When she heard the camera snap, she climbed off of James and set it for another ten seconds then climbed on James again, this time bending forward, placing her lips on his. Her mission was accomplished. Amaryllis had done exactly what she came to do.
Before she dressed James in his boxers, Amaryllis got a good look at his naked torso and wondered again how Michelle could be so strong willed. She dressed James in his boxers then turned the television on and the living room light back off. She grabbed the camera and gathered her things from under the bed and got dressed. Amaryllis went into the kitchen and got the pitcher from the refrigerator and poured the Kool-Aid down the sink. She rinsed the pitcher and made a fresh batch of grape Kool-Aid. Afterward she placed the pitcher back in the refrigerator, then rinsed the glass that James had drunk from. She took all of her belongings into the living room and stood in front of James and looked at him lying there helpless, and looking mighty delectable. She bent down and kissed his lips then left his apartment.
Amaryllis drove the Navigator into the garage and entered the town home. When she got to the second floor, on her way up to the third, Michelle opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. “Hey.”
What is she doing up?
“Hi.”
“How was the book club meeting?”
“It was nice.” Amaryllis wanted nothing more than to get out of Michelle's presence.
Michelle folded her arms across her chest and leaned against her bedroom doorway.
“So, which book by Victoria were they discussing tonight?”
Amaryllis searched her brain for an answer. “You know what, Michelle? I forgot to even ask. We were so wrapped up in the discussion that it didn't dawn on me until I was on my way home that I didn't even know the name of the book. But I'll ask one of the ladies tomorrow.”
“Who hosted the meeting this month?”
I don't know. What difference does it make?
“Uh, that new girl that works in the file room. Uh, uh ...”
“Jessica Taylor?”
“Yeah, Jessica.”
“That was nice of her to invite all of you to her home. Jessica's only been at the firm for a month.”