Kiss Me on the Inside Read online

  “You’re a bitch with no self-esteem who has to break down your own friend to make yourself feel good. Both of you deserve each other.”

  “Friend!” Keisha laughed. “You were never my friend. I just let you stay here because I felt sorry for you. I gave you my clothes that were out off season that I didn’t want anymore. You were a charity case after your mother died.”

  “What did I ever do to you for you to want to hurt me like this?”

  “It’s a simple fact that you fail to remember. No one outshines me! So your college stunt is now null and void.”

  “You are screwed up in the head. You need to see a psychiatrist. I feel sorry for you.”

  “Listen to that speech.” Keisha clapped. “You deserve an award. Did you write about my life for your final exam?”

  Nikki wanted to claw her eyes out. She was the reason for all this. She had messed up her life for her own selfish pleasure.

  “What about my baby?” Mark questioned.

  Nikki slapped his face in the same spot again and Mark rubbed his cheek clenching his jaw. “You are a sorry excuse for a man. My child will never know you as a father.”

  Nikki stormed out the door and shots rang out like she was in the middle of a war zone. Nikki’s lifeless body descended the steps. Hype was shooting like a madman. Her body lay lifeless on the ground. Her white dress had turn to red. Hype sped off when he realized that he shot the wrong person. Mark rushed to Nikki, checking her pulse, and Nikki was barely breathing.

  “Keisha, call 911, call 911!”

  Keisha rushed out of the house and tossed her suitcase and duffle bag in the trunk of the car without acknowledging that Nikki had been shot. She drove away.

  “How can you be so heartless? She’s dying!” Mark called out to her as he held Nikki in his arms.

  Chapter 23

  The door to Patrick’s office was ajar when Keisha got there. She almost pushed the door open but stopped herself when she heard Hype’s voice. Her heart started to pound like a drum and she wished she could silence it. She slowly stepped back from the door and eavesdropped on the conversation. Hype was trying to convince Patrick to help him to leave the country but Patrick was apprehensive about getting involved.

  “I can’t get involve with this mess; besides, this could be bad for business.”

  “All I need is some money to pay these guys back and leave the country for a while until things cool down.”

  Hype wasn’t telling Patrick the reason he wanted to leave. Keisha was hoping that Patrick would give him the money and send him on his way. She was starting to sweat profusely; even her palm was sweaty. Give it to him, Uncle, please. She tried to telepathically send a message to her uncle.

  Patrick went in his pocket and took out his wallet. “Here is five hundred dollars. That should buy your plane ticket.”

  “Five hundred dollars is not going to cut it.”

  “Not going to cut it? I shouldn’t be helping you but I’m willing to give you this money. Take it and leave my office.” Patrick was starting to get irate because of Hype’s presumptuous attitude. He walked away from him to sit in his chair and Hype followed him.

  “I said five hundred is not going to cut it, so go in your secret stash and give me more money.”

  Patrick lit a cigar and puffed it a few times with his head tilted back. Hype was now pissed off that Patrick wasn’t heeding his request. Hype took out his gun and pointed the gun at Patrick. His cigar fell out of his mouth into his lap. He quickly jumped to his feet, trying to avoid his manhood getting scorched.

  “You have five minutes to give me my money.”

  “I just signed you to my label. I was willing to invest money into your career and now you want to kill me?”

  “I don’t have to if you do as I say. I need five thousand dollars and you will live to tell the story.”

  “Get the hell out of my office. I have no money to give to you.”

  Wrong move, Uncle, just give it to him. Keisha wanted to rush in and defuse the situation but she knew it would only get worse; besides, she was the reason for this mess.

  Hype hit Patrick in his face with the gun and his nose started to bleed. Patrick held his nose, looking at the blood in disbelief.

  “Now do you take me seriously?”

  Patrick walked over to one of the many Bob Marley paintings on the wall and removed it, revealing a safe. He entered the combination to the safe and opened it and money fell to the floor.

  “Jackpot from the look of things. Add another five thousand to that.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  Hype pointed the gun at Patrick’s head, letting him know how crazy he could be. Patrick quickly took more money out of the safe and handed it to Hype. He stuffed a Gucci bag that he had hanging from his shoulder. Patrick’s nose was still bleeding and it was all over the money, but Hype couldn’t care less.

  “As a matter of fact I’m going to need the keys to your car.” Hype was getting greedy and his demand was getting higher. He saw the money and now he wanted it all.

  “You are in no position to make that demand. Who the hell do you think you are? Get the hell out my office!”

  “Let me introduce myself. I’m the man who is going to end your life.”

  He shot Patrick in his head. Keisha wanted to scream but in fear of her life she screamed on the inside. She didn’t know what to do. Her brain wasn’t functioning. She was in panic mode; she couldn’t think, feel, or move. She was in a catatonic state.

  Hype walked over to the safe and took out all the money and stuffed it into his bag. He stepped over Patrick on his way out. Keisha was still frozen. She was in shock. Hype turned and went back to Patrick, stooping to his level.

  “Rule number one: always give up the money.”

  Hype was on his way out the office and Keisha hid under the secretary’s desk. Hype exited the office and dashed outside. Keisha ran to her uncle, unable to contain her emotion.

  “Uncle Patrick! Uncle Patrick! You can’t die on me.”

  Hype saw Keisha’s car parked outside and came back inside.

  She held her uncle’s lifeless body and placed his head into her lap. “Talk to me! You can’t die. I need you. I need you! You can’t die!”

  Keisha felt the cold metal at her temple. She knew it was Hype. She clasped her hands and began to say the Lord’s Prayer.

  “Your messages have been piling up, Mr. Patrick.” The secretary strolled in, unaware of what was taking place. “Ahhh!” She screamed in shock at the sight of Hype holding the gun to Keisha’s head and then her eyes locked on to Patrick’s dead body on the floor. Keisha didn’t open her eyes to Angela’s screams. She continued praying, hoping her prayer would be answered.

  Boom! The gun went off. “Good night, bitch.”

  Chapter 24

  Three months after . . .

  Clunk, clunk. The clunking of her six-inch red high-heel pumps made a beat with each step she took.

  “Good morning, Angela.” Keisha greeted the secretary with a pleasant smile.

  “Good morning, Miss Burkett. I have a few messages for you.”

  “Thank, Angie. I’ll retrieve them later. How is your arm healing?”

  “I should be good as new in no time.”

  Keisha strolled to her office knowing today would be a good day because the seventy-two-degree weather outside was perfect and she was bursting with energy. She was the CEO of her uncle’s company and everything was going great. She made a promise to herself that she would carry on her uncle’s work. Top Dot Records. was the leading record label in the country, despite various attempts to strong-arm her out of business because she was a woman. Keisha handled business like a pit bull in a skirt, proving that she could run the company like any other, if not better. Her whole attitude toward life had changed ever since the day she witnessed her uncle’s death. She ruled with an iron fist but she carried herself like a lady.

  The red pumps she wore to work that day had her feelin
g empowered. She stepped into her office and took a deep breath. She could still smell the smell of cigar along with the lingering scent of his cologne. Keisha plopped herself down in the big black leather reclining chair, assuming the position of Mrs. Boss. She looked up at a portrait of her uncle that hung on the wall directly in front of her. She didn’t redecorate or rearrange the office. Everything remained the same. Keisha turned her head in bewilderment, still carrying the guilt of Patrick’s death. Keisha often felt his presence and she knew for sure that he was there watching over her.

  The phone on her desk beeped and Angela’s voice came through. “Miss. Burkett, Blaze is here to see you.”

  “Send him in, Angela.” Keisha walked to the file cabinet and retrieved a manila folder. There was a knock on her door even though it was open. Keisha looked up from the file in her hand and signaled him inside.

  “I’m glad you could make it.” She greeted him with a firm handshake. “Have a seat.”

  The man’s eyes were red from smoking too much weed. Even his cologne was overpowered by the aroma of the weed. Keisha sat in the black leather chair that had her feeling empowered and placed a contract in front of him.

  “All that we previously discussed is right there in writing. No changes have been made. My word is concrete.”

  The man took a quick glance at the contract then looked back at her with his half-closed eyes. “I respect your honesty; that’s why I’m riding on your team.” The man nodded his head while he spoke and rubbed his hands together. They sounded rough and dry. She wanted to offer him some lotion but figured that would be rude.

  “Well since you agree with the terms, you can sign here, here, and here.” She pointed out to him the three areas she had marked with an X. Blaze signed on the dotted lines with no hesitations. Keisha got up from her chair and extended her hand with another firm handshake, sealing the deal.

  “Congratulations! Welcome to Top Dot Records.” Two of her other recently signed artists entered her office but paused at the door when they noticed she was in a meeting. “Come on in, guys. You are just in time. I want to introduce you to your new label mate, Blaze.”

  The guys greeted each other with their manly handshakes while she placed the signed document back into the folder and wrote the word “complete” in bold letters then brought it back to the file cabinet. “I want you three to work on a single together.”

  “No disrespect, but I thought that spot was for Bling.”

  Keisha closed the cabinet and turned her body to answer the question. “Bling would rather not be on this single.”

  “Why? He thinks that he’s too much of a big artist to be on a song with us.”

  “I can’t get into it but I’m sure that’s not the reason.”

  The true reason was that Bling was looking to sign with another label to prove to his wife that his affair with Keisha was over. Besides, things weren’t the same between Bling and Keisha when he found out that she had lied to him from the start. Keisha was willing to give him his space; besides, she had been through so much she wanted some time to heal herself. So much had transpired from that day Johnny had raped her until now. It was like a domino effect. Her life had spiraled out of control.

  Keisha phone rang and she viewed the caller ID. “Guys, do you mind stepping outside? I have to take this call.”

  She followed them to the door and closed the door behind them. “Give me the good news!” She spoke with anxiety in her voice. She hurried to her desk and flipped through her notepad, trying to find a clean sheet of paper. “Go ahead, I’m listening.” She wrote the information down in bold letters: C-Pac. Brooklyn, NY.

  “Are you sure this information is concrete? Okay. I guess the chase is finally over and he will pay for what he did to my uncle.” Her informant had told her that Hype would be performing at a talent competition trying to earn money the only way he could since he was on the run. She hung up the phone then walked over to the Bob Marley painting that hid the safe. 13-9-12. She turned to each number, looking over her shoulder, trying to secure the combination. Keisha retrieved a .45 pistol then returned the painting back to its spot on the wall. Her Gucci pocketbook would shield the weapon from wondering eyes as she exited.

  Keisha blew a kiss to her uncle as she exited the office. She walked past the secretary’s desk, clutching her pocketbook tight. She wasn’t going to inform anyone about her mission. She didn’t need reinforcement by the police or anyone; this job was something she had to complete by herself.

  “Your messages are piling up,” Angela shouted.

  “Cancel all my appointments and meetings for today. I don’t know when I’ll be back,” she shouted back as she dashed outside to her car.

  Her candy apple Benz answered her when she pressed the button for it to open. She had traded in the one Mr. Money had bought her for this one. She sped off down the street, not caring if a cop was in sight. The thought of finally putting an end to Hype’s life was all she cared about. Her destination was to find a beauty supply store and purchase the perfect wig for her disguise because she was going to need one for her new adventure. She also stopped at a CVS pharmacy to pick up a few over-the-counter pills that she would need to make a concoction. Her informant had told her where to find Hype and tonight she would avenge her uncle’s death.

  It was nine p.m. when Keisha exited the Jackie Robinson Parkway onto Pennsylvania Avenue. The traffic came to a halt and she was pissed. It was a small fender bender and instead of pulling to the side the idiots blocked both lanes. When Keisha finally got up close to the scene she put her window down. “Pull over to the side! You dumb ass. The police will tell your dumb ass to pull to the side anyway.” She was in a haste trying to get to the club.

  She finally turned onto East Forty-eighth and Farragut onto the bumpy, unpaved road leading to the club. When she entered C-Pac the majority of the people were seated, but a few were standing against the wall and at the bar. She scoped out the room trying to find Hype. But her eyes didn’t lock on to him.

  The host came on stage with a voice bigger than his body and introduced himself as Noah. He was quite amusing as he entertained the crowd, trying to hype them up for the first performer. Keisha cracked a smile because even though she was there with murder on her mind, Noah’s antics mixed with his Jamaican accent were really amusing.

  The first act came on stage and he started out with a bang but it went sour when he tried to hit a high note that he couldn’t carry off. A few boos echoed in the room and the host ran on the stage and took the mike from him. I need a drink if I’m going to be here listening to this mess.

  Keisha made her way to the bar, tugging on her tight-fitted black dress that was riding up as she walked. The big Gucci shades she wore to hide her eyes were making it hard for her to really see clearly. Her long blond wig cut with a bang made her look mysterious.

  “I bring to you Hypnotic!” the host declared and the crowd cheered. Keisha was ordering a tequila shot and didn’t bother to look until she heard the voice. Her head turned so fast she could’ve gotten whiplash. Her hand reached into her purse and felt the cold steel. The shot glass was at her head. The liquor burned her throat but she took it like a man. She was going to walk right up to the stage and kill him. She walked off like a madwoman.

  Patience, Keisha, too many witnesses. She heard her uncle’s voice speak to her. She slowed her pace and calmed her anxiety. She took a glance over her shades to view the room and try to see if anybody was reading her mind, knowing she was there to commit murder. All eyes were on Hype because there was no denying his talent. He had switched his style from rap to R&B and his voice would put Trey Songz to shame. His voice almost made Keisha forget the reason she was there. Hype turned his head, facing her direction, and she turned herself away from his stare.

  Hype got to the peak of his song, hitting the notes on point, and the crowd went wild. Hearing his voice angered Keisha even more. Listening to these females scream his name made her blood boil. She took
each agonizing step back to the bar. “You have to wait for the right moment, Keisha,” she advised herself.

  Hype finished his song on a high note, and as he made his way off stage a few ditsy females ran to get up close and personal with him. He was making his way to the bar and Keisha swirled the stool, turning her back to him. “Which one of you ladies wants to buy me a drink?”

  “I will!” the two women said in unison.

  “I’ll let both of you buy me a drink then.”

  Hype was standing right next to Keisha. She swallowed hard. She could smell his cologne and recognized the smell. It was Bleu by Chanel. He ordered a Red Bull and rum, which was a dangerous combination. Keisha wished he would drop dead.

  “Why don’t you two ladies go enjoy the rest of the show so I can decide who is coming home with me tonight.”

  The two ladies both kissed his cheek and walked off.

  “Can I buy you a drink? I see your glass is empty,” he said to Keisha.

  His offer was ignored. Keisha wanted to kill him right there and then but there were too many witnesses. He lengthened his hand for a handshake and that too was ignored.

  “I guess you don’t talk to strangers, but my name is Hy . . .” He cleared his throat and took a drink, realizing that he almost gave himself away. “I mean Hypnotic.”

  Keisha was getting anxious. She wanted to end his life. Hearing him speak made her furious knowing her uncle no longer had that right. She slowly put her hand in her pocketbook, holding the gun. She couldn’t contain her anger; she was going to do it. She had to do it. She was coming up with her hand to blow his brains out but just then an acquaintance of Hype’s came by the bar and distracted his attention from Keisha. Keisha took it as her cue to step outside and shake off the anxiety.

  She hurried to the door almost breaking her ankle in her heels. She paced back and forth, taking deep breaths to calm down. Her breathing was heavy. Get a hold of yourself. You have a job to do and you have to do it right. “Uncle, I can’t stand knowing he’s still breathing and you are dead. He doesn’t deserve to live!”