“No.”
“I just wanted to be sure.”
“That’s what was so important?”
“Yeah, that was it. You coming by the club tonight?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“CeCe was up here askin’ for you the other night after you left.”
“I’m not surprised.” What has surprised me was that she hadn’t called since I gave her the number. “I’ll get with you later,” I said and ended the call.
I handed the phone back to Kevon. “Where to now, boss?”
“Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”
Chapter 33
“Where you wanna go?” Kevon asked, sounding less than enthusiastic. The last couple of weeks I’ve been on this no-meat thing. Maria showed me a DVD about how eating a vegetable-based diet is much healthier than meat-based diets, because eating a meat-based diet puts you at higher risk for heart disease, some types of cancer, high-blood pressure, and shit like that. I don’t know if I agree with the science behind it, but I do feel better since I stopped eating meat.
Since then, me and Maria have been dragging Kevon all over the city to these vegetarian restaurants. He hates it because Kevon is a hardcore carnivore. But tonight I felt like eating some meat.
“Let’s go to the Blue Water Grill.”
Kevon smiled because we’d eaten there before and he knew they served meat. “Refresh me memory.”
“It’s on Union and 16th Street. Call and make reservations.”
On the way downtown I thought about what I had on Vinnelli and what I would do with it. Naturally, I wanted to take his money, but I wanted to hurt him, hurt him like he hurt me. I really wanted him dead. I just didn’t want the problems that might come with that. So what was I gonna do?
Reservations and a couple of hundred dollars got us a table right away. The Blue Water Grill is a converted bank on Union Square. It used to be a restaurant called Metropolis and is one of the most popular restaurants in New York, according to the Zagat survey.
It was decorated with marble and dimly lit red chandeliers that illuminate the dining room. There’s an outdoor cafe and a subterranean lounge that features live jazz music.
As soon as our waitress got to the table Kevon said, “Filet Mignon.” And put down the menu.
“And for you, sir, or are you going to need some time?” she turned to me and asked.
“You can bring me a Remy Martin VSOP and bring him one too. When you get back with those, I should be ready to order.”
When the waitress returned with our drinks, I ordered the Blue Water Grill chopped salad and a couple of Maki Rolls. Spicy yellowtail and shrimp roll and spicy lobster, and tuna roll with avocado and jalapenos. I love jalapenos.
For my entree I chose the grilled wild-striped bass, marinated with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic and capers. Broccoli rabe and marinated farmers market vegetables. I was gonna get the lobster mashed potatoes, but I settled for the cream spinach.
We were just about done with our meal when Kevon pointed something out to me. “That woman there in the orange suit; she has been watching you for some time now.”
“How do you know she’s not watching you?”
“That was me first thought as well. So I watch her looking at you, until she see me watching her, then she look away.”
I turned to see who he was talking about. She was very pretty, kind of classy. The longer I looked the more she looked like I knew her from somewhere. She was sitting with an older white man, having drinks, and talking. When we made eye contact she smiled and raised her glass. I picked up mine and did the same.
“I told you. The woman has been watching you all evening,” Kevon said.
“Like I know her from somewhere.”
“Want me to ask her where you know her from, boss?”
“No. Enjoy your food, she’ll be all right.”
It wasn’t too much longer after that when the two of them got up. They shook hands like they had just completed a business deal. They walked off together, but she stopped at the bar while he left the restaurant.
“I’ll be back.”
“Want me to go with you, boss?” Kevon smiled and asked.
“No, I think I can mack a woman by myself.”
I got up from the table and walked over to the bar. The woman smiled when she saw me coming. “Hello, Mr. Black. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I said and signed for the bartender. It was obvious that we had met before, but I still had no idea who this woman was or where I knew her from.
“Remy VSOP,” I said to the bartender and turned to her.
“I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure. And I kept looking and looking. Your friend must have thought I was trying to flirt with him.”
“He did.”
“When you turned around I was sure it was you.”
“You have me at a disadvantage.”
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
“I remember you, or I should say I recognize you. I just don’t know from where.”
She laughed. She had a pretty smile. “I’m not surprised. Even though the last time you saw me I was naked.”
“You were?”
“Yes-I was.”
I was really confused then. “If the last time I saw you, you were naked, I should at least remember your name.”
“But you don’t, do you?” she asked and continued to smile at me. She didn’t seem the least bit angry that I didn’t remember her name.
“No. I really don’t remember your name, naked or not.”
“That’s because I probably never told you my name; at least not my real name.”
“That makes me feel a little better.”
She extended her name. “I’m Jada West.”
“You’re Jada West. I heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” Jada smiled and laughed a little. “Well, I think I should be honored.”
Jada West was slowly making a reputation for herself in some circles. She ran an agency for high-priced call girls. Simply put, Jada West was one of the top madams in the city. But by never being a client of hers or anybody that worked for her, that still didn’t answer the question of where I knew her from.
“Like I said, I’ve heard a lot about you, so it’s me who’s honored to meet you. Or meet again.”
“Let me stop messing with you. We met a couple of years ago at this little club called Ecstasy. They were having a private party for The One and his entourage and you were there. I was one of the dancers that night.”
I looked at her a little closer. “I remember you, now,” I said even though I didn’t.
Jada gave me a look that told me that she knew I still didn’t remember her. “We didn’t talk for very long. You told me that you enjoyed watching me dance. I asked you if you were a friend of Bruce, Bruce. And you said that you owned the company that manages The One.”
“Now I remember you,” and this time I actually did. “I remember watching you dance. You were incredible.”
