Silence of the Nine Page 4
But her husband had a fetish, big fat women with dark skin and thick asses. During the day, he roamed around the city with his beautiful, fair skinned wife but at night, there wasn’t a brothel in DC, Maryland or Virginia that didn’t welcome him home. Emma knew about her husband’s infidelities but she turned a blind eye. Besides, she wasn’t about to give up her home to some whore and be turned out on the streets. His money belonged to her.
Instead, she took care of her man, even when he caught HIV and died a violent death. It was Emma who nursed his wounds, cleaned his bedpans and made sure he didn’t want for anything, despite knowing that his lifestyle could have placed her at risk of catching the virus too.
When he died, she gave up her passion for catering and picked up drinking and smoking instead. Her heart hardened and she made it known that love was the last thing she wanted. At least that’s what she told herself.
Although she was still wealthy, one would never know. She stayed in one of the apartments she owned and barely left the place. Instead, she would pick a man of her choosing, let him move in and make him do unspeakable acts of sex until she put him out or he grew tired and left.
But Kerrick, or Damien as she knew him, lasted longer than any of her other tenants, and she was starting to develop feelings for him. Something was driving the man and giving him the strength to deal with her. He was unstoppable and focused on his goal.
“I’m going to work, Emma,” Kerrick said calmly. “I’ll see you later.”
She placed her beer down and grabbed a cigarette. “Yeah, well, stop by my room before you go to sleep.” She grinned. “I’m feeling womanly right now and may need you to take care of me again.”
She ran her hand up her thigh and he walked out without responding.
****
Kerrick washed dishes in the kitchen of Mama’s Kitchen. He was over an hour late thanks to Emma and was concerned that he would lose his job. He had landed the gig after being turned down at five other restaurants due to people feeling uncomfortable with employees of different cultures. He not only wanted this job but he needed it. The plan was to save up enough money to rent his own apartment but he was a long way off.
He was on his last pan when Victoria Fole walked up behind him. She was a tall, blond haired white woman with large brown eyes and a breathtaking smile. She was also Kerrick’s manager. “Damien, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked in a soft, angelic voice. “It won’t take long.”
He turned around and grabbed the hand towel hanging on the edge of the sink. “Sure. Let me put this pan up and I’ll be right in your office.”
“Okay.”
When she left, he sighed and looked out into the dining area through the window above the sink. The diner was always packed and he hoped that fact would be a reason for Victoria, and the people at the corporate office, to allow him to keep his job.
When he was done, he dried his hands on the towel and walked past the water cooler sitting on the side of the wall and knocked on Victoria’s door.
“Come in, Damien,” she said softly.
Kerrick entered, smiled at her and took a seat in front of her desk as he waited for the verdict. She didn’t have any pictures of family members on her desk and he wondered why.
Victoria shuffled some papers around and nothing seemed in order. Her fingers trembled as she asked, “Damien, were you late today?” Her eyes remained on the mess, not Kerrick.
He wanted to lie but was certain that she had pulled the video footage by now. “Yes, and I’m very sorry.”
She exhaled and looked up at him. “But why? They told you what would happen if you were late again. I thought you liked working here.”
“I do.”
“Then why must you continually come late?”
Kerrick could have told her a million lies, each one of them having zero meaning. But he decided to go another route. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” A sly smile rested on his face.
“Damien, please don’t…”
“I’m serious, Victoria,” he responded walking in front of her chair. He sat on the desk and looked down at her as if he were the boss. In one instant she had become his subordinate. “Whenever I see you I can never take my eyes off of you.” They’d fooled around once before and she tried to resist it happening again.
“You’re just saying that.”
“In my country men don’t say what they don’t believe,” he responded.
“Oh, Damien,” she said as she breathed hard.
“It’s true. When I become a wealthy man, I’m going to take care of you, Victoria. I told you before and I’m telling you again.” He raised his arms by his sides and allowed them to fall. “I know you look at me and see a dishwasher. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see a king. And I will be your husband. I will make your dreams come true.”
Victoria’s heart pounded and she wanted nothing more than to believe him. She was both a fool and a hopeless romantic. “Please stop, Damien.” Her breaths were deep and rapid. “I’m going to lose my job.”
“And you know I don’t want that. I just want to make you feel good for your troubles.” He dropped to his knees and placed his rough hands on her bare thighs. He pushed her dress toward her waist and revealed her white cotton panties. He moved them to the side, lowered his head and snaked his tongue around her clit. It hardened with each stroke. When she was nice and wet, he stiffened his tongue and entered her pussy hole back and forth as if he were making love to her. She tasted way better than the old bag. He learned one thing about being in the US. And it was that American women loved getting their kitties licked.
Victoria, unable to resist, gripped his head and maneuvered her hips. She eyed the door every so often and prayed nobody would enter. How could she explain herself?
Kerrick couldn’t care less who entered. He didn’t stop until she was clawing at his back and she was cumming inside of his mouth.
When he was done he raised his head and looked into her eyes. “I am going to take care of you, Victoria. I just ask that you look out for me now.”
“But what do you want me to do?” she asked, her chest rising and falling like an ocean wave. “How can I explain why you still have a job when you continually come in late?”
Kerrick walked to his seat and sat down. He clasped his hands on top of the desk and said, “Pick up the phone, Victoria. And make the call.” He handed it to her. “You know what you have to say.”
Victoria continued to work to slow down her breaths. When she was calmer, she called the number to reach her boss. When the receptionist answered she said, “Jack Jacobs please.” She eyed Kerrick as she waited. “Hello, Jack.” She moved uncomfortably in her seat. “This is Victoria from the Baltimore diner.”
“What can I do for you, Victoria?”
“I’m calling about my employee, Damien Trevor. I wanted to let you know that there has been a terrible mistake. He was at work the entire time.”
Papers shuffled in the background. “But the morning manager said he hadn’t come. Are you sure?”
“I’m certain, Mr. Jacobs. I’m not sure why Anna didn’t see him. But I have his timesheet here if you need to see it.”
He sighed. “No, I don’t. Just have Anna call me in the morning. I’ll find out what’s going on then.”
When she disconnected, she pinched the skin on her throat until it reddened in several areas. It was a nervous habit of hers. This was not good. She could feel it.
When her boss spoke to Anna, she was going to insist on his absence vehemently. “I’m going to get fired, Damien,” she said softly, on the verge of tears.
“No you won’t, Victoria. Just unplug the machine like you did the last time and make everybody sign in and out for breaks. That way we can tell them that the time clock was unplugged by mistake.” He knew she was naive and he needed to use this character flaw to his advantage. She had been that way all of her life.
Victoria was born to an Irish father a
nd an Italian mother. They drank hard and fought harder. Gianna, Victoria’s mother, and her father Pearce, met at a pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York. Since both of them were employees and worked the night shift, they spent a lot of time together. It was inevitable that they met and fell in love.
The only problem was that Gianna had a mean streak like no other. Out of jealousy, she once accused Pearce of fucking his own mother and spread the rumor around the pizzeria and their neighborhood. Pearce never discovered where the rumor originated but it made him stray from his mother to prove everyone wrong. He didn’t want them whispering and drawing conclusions.
A short time after that, Gianna and Pearce rented a tiny one-bedroom apartment where they discovered their love of Scotch. They were drunk so much that Gianna didn’t know she was pregnant until she was in labor with Victoria. Both of her parents died five years ago in a drunk driving accident. It was a classic end to their marriage.
Victoria was born with alcohol in her system and as a result she often forgot things and was very impressionable. The only reason she was made manager of Mama’s Kitchen was because she would do whatever the owner wanted and he wouldn’t be forced to sit through her opinion or what she thought about a matter.
Now that Kerrick had her under his spell, he could move her like a puppet and she would do anything he wanted. He started to believe that, that was the kind of woman he needed in his life. One with no backbone.
There was another reason Kerrick wanted to keep Victoria around. He was starting to believe that with a white woman on his arm, society would look at him in a positive light. He would be perceived as a man with wealth and may even be respected. He worked overtime to fit into the American image of what he should be. His accent was vanishing and he had even begun to bleach his skin.
“I’ll unplug the time clock but are you sure they won’t fire me?” she relented.
“You have to trust me, Victoria,” he coached. “I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Ever. From here on out I will be your master and you will be my woman.” Kerrick stood up and walked toward the door. Before he left the office, he turned around and said, “It’s okay for you to fall in love with me. I will never hurt you.”
The fear she felt about losing her job was replaced with idolization. He said the right thing at the right time and Victoria felt safe. She lived to be dominated.
With her help, he was able to keep his job at the moment but he knew that wouldn’t last because of the freak he lived with. He needed to find a way to earn enough money to move and make his American dream come true. Washing dishes wasn’t going to cut it.
When he left he walked toward the large sink he worked at. More dishes were piled high and waited on him to clean them. He was an educated man forced to do work fit for a high school dropout. He was blown.
Kerrick picked up a pan and began to scrub it. When he stared out ahead of him through the window, he saw five teenagers draped in expensive clothing. The one sitting on the end had a stack of one hundred dollar bills stuffed in the palm of his hand.
In Kerrick’s eyes, he looked like he was living the American dream.
“What do you do for a living?” he said to himself. “I’m going to find out.”
CHAPTER 3
KERRICK
“No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.”
-William Shakespeare
Kerrick lay face up on his bed as he waited on Victoria to walk out of the bathroom. His gray sweatpants couldn’t hide his growing hard-on. But today was more about business than it was about sex. Besides, there was not a woman alive who could satisfy him as well as Thandi could.
Still, he brought Victoria to his apartment because three days ago he almost lost his job and thanks to her, he was still gainfully employed. He started envisioning his life with her on his arm and suddenly things were looking good.
Yes. Victoria would be his trophy wife.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Kerrick’s thick burgundy towel was wrapped around her waist. She wasn’t wearing a bra. She looked at him. She seemed hesitant. Sensing her apprehension, Kerrick got up and walked her over to the bed. Once there, he sat on the tiny mattress and it squeaked. She stood in front of him and waited for his next command.
“Take it off.”
She released the towel and watched it flop to the floor. He ran his hand over her thigh, amazed at the contrast of her white skin against his dark hand.
Victoria moaned. Although he had fingered her a few times at the job and ate her pussy once or twice, this would be the first time they made love.
Kerrick slid his hand from her navel to her warm vagina. He stroked her bulging clit and it moistened quickly. He was about to kiss her kitty until the bedroom door flew open.
When Kerrick looked at the intruder, he was staring into the red-hot face of Emma. His eyes traced her crinkled lips and trailed down to the butcher knife that dangled in her hand. “What is this white bitch doing in my house?” she squalled.
Kerrick hopped up and said, “Put your clothes on, Victoria.”
She quickly obeyed as she bumbled around the room looking for her shoes.
“I said what is she doing in my house?” Emma questioned once more.
Sensing that danger was imminent, Kerrick grabbed his white shirt off the floor. He pulled it down over his head and quickly placed his arms through the armholes so that he could see Emma in case she made a move. “She’s my friend. I am allowed to have company. I pay rent, right?”
Emma burst into laughter and regarded him closely. “Pay rent? Does your lily white girlfriend know what you do to earn your keep around here?” She wielded the knife back and forth. She was so jealous it was foolish.
“You need to calm down,” he warned.
“I get it. She’s here to help you out, huh?” Emma raised the edge of the robe, revealing her bushy, gray pussy hairs. “Well get over here, Lily. I’m waiting.”
Kerrick grabbed Victoria’s hand and his silver queen plant and rushed toward the bedroom door. But the old woman was relentless and blocked their path.
“Move, Emma,” he warned. “I’m leaving.”
“If you leave, you can never come back.”
“I’m leaving for good.”
The sly smile rinsed off her face. She didn’t want him to leave…ever. She cared about him. “Where you gonna live rent-free, huh? Won’t nobody take a bush nigger in off the street but me.”
“Emma, I’m asking you to move. I won’t tell you again.”
“Not until you—“
With a stiff arm, Kerrick gripped her throat, pressing his thumb against her right carotid artery while his other fingers pushed against the left. He squeezed slowly and firmly. Before long, the knife fell out of her hand and stabbed into the floor.
When her eyes closed, he released her and watched her drop to the ground.
He looked down at her body and said, “Wherever I’m going isn’t your problem no more. Now you know.”
****
Kerrick stood over the sink in Mama’s Kitchen, washing dishes as he thought about Thandi. He missed her so much that it was sickening. Two weeks ago, he had moved out of Emma’s apartment and he was now living with Victoria.
Emma didn’t die that night but she was hospitalized for three days. When it got back to Kerrick that she might press charges for assault, he visited her in the hospital. She was asleep when she felt someone massaging her throat. When Emma opened her eyes, Kerrick was standing over her like a ghost. He vowed to get it right the next time he choked her if he heard she was talking to police. Emma finally got to see what kind of man Kerrick was. A dangerous one. And it scared her enough to leave him the fuck alone.
Kerrick had no idea that Victoria had her own place. He assumed that someone as naive as she was would have someone taking care of her. She lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, big enough for the few clothes he owned and his plant. He knew it wouldn’t be the end of his journey in America but it was a start.
He was on his last pan when the same thugs he saw come into the restaurant some weeks back returned. The apparent leader was six-foot four and hovered over the rest of the group. His black shirt acted as a backdrop to the large platinum medallion outlined in diamonds swinging from his neck. He took a seat and the other four sat in chairs surrounding him as if to protect him.
A few moments later, the Leader waved a waitress over to place his order. Kerrick couldn’t take his eyes off him and he wondered what kind of power he possessed.
When the meals were served, Kerrick continued to spectate. The water was cold and more dishes were piling up on the countertop around him, but who cared? He wanted in on the business. He could see that the man had money but the problem was finding a good way to introduce himself. So when the Leader made a comment to a female at another table, and her boyfriend got upset, he saw his opportunity.
“You have another position for your eyes, or do you want me to redirect them for you?” the Boyfriend asked the Leader at the table with his mob.
The Leader smirked and said, “You seem real upset about a bitch who can’t stop looking over here. Maybe you should check your girl.”
“I wasn’t looking over there,” the loud-mouthed but sexy woman responded. She pawed at her long, flowing black weave, rolled her eyes and turned away from him.
“Even if she was looking at you, you ain’t answer my question,” the Boyfriend continued. “Do you need help readjusting your eyes?” It was obvious that he was ready to fight and the Leader was intimidated.