Gettin It On

I know...
you've been talkin bout gettin it on..
cause I've been
thinkin bout the same thing too!
and if you've been
talkin about what I've been thinkin...
then the notion can't be wrong...
so come on...let's make that move.../


You know...
That I've been talkin bout gettin it on..
cause you've been
thinkin bout the same thing too!
and if I've been
talkin about what you've been thinkin...
then the notion can't be wrong...
so come on...let's make that move.../

Girl you know what's up
I can tell by the way you look at me
with eyes that are more than a little corrupt..
that wonder about the possibilities.../

because you no longer want to negotiate
you just want it hard and strong..
you can no longer wait..
and me...??
I'm more than willing to accomodate
I've been ready to get it on...
I just wanted to get it straight.../

I know...
you've been talkin bout gettin it on..
cause I've been
thinkin bout the same thing too!
and if you've been
talkin about what I've been thinkin...
then the notion can't be wrong...
so come on, let's get it on...let's make that move.../

I'm about the business of getting it on
I'm about the business of getting it on
"oh you're so nasty.."
I'm about the business of getting it on..
just call my name..
I'll come like the falling rain...
"ouuu, you're sooo nastyyyy."
to give you what you need...
when you need it...
to give you what you want...
how you want it...
because you need it like I need it..,
so let's be about the business of gettin it onnnn.../

Sepia's Surprise

Sepia was back....She and her friends had been gone for two weeks and needless to say, I was in a bad way...Sexually that is... I had kept myself busy...I had just recently cracked a case...With the help of my associates...I had cracked a group of murderous blackmailers who had been working out of an insurance company office a few blocks from me...Solving the murder and sending the blackmailers to jail had taken up all but two days of the two weeks she had been gone...Then there was the two days without her!  I didn't have to work, so I was just sitting at home...

That was all in the past..Harry Charles had picked them all up at the Airport..Sepia, his wife, Bernadette, Kool Kat's girl, Chelsea and Robert's wife, Bonita....I knew that Robert was probably all over Bonita right about now...She probably didn't get a chance to take her coat off! Me ,I was a little more subtle....I offered Sepia a margarita....(I have a do it yourself kit here!)

After three drinks Sepia smiled at me...

"Kevin, I do believe you're trying to get me drunk." she laughed.

"Now what would I try to do that for?" I said with a sly grin...

"So you can have your way with me." she said with an alluring grin...

"I have to get you drunk for that?" I laughed...

"No...Not really." she said with a sly grin....

I opened up her blouse and slowly unhooked her bra....

"Ummmmm, you've become a master at thisssss.." she cooed.

She reached over and unbucked my trousers....and then unzippered my pants...my bulging very erect penis practically jumped up at her!

"Ohhhhhh myyyyyy......ohhhhh, I can't believe that I still get you like that..." she said...eyeing it and rubbing it gently with one hand as I eased out of my trousers and slipped off my shirt...Within minutes we stood in the middle of our bedroom completely nude and embraced in a long , tender kiss...that grew hotter and more passionate by the second...

''Ohhhhhh baby, I missed you sooo much.." I moaned..

"Ohhhhhhhh Kevin, I missed you toooooo....." she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as we continued to kiss...

I layed Sepia on the bed...I pressed the head of my pulsing penis into her dripping wet vagina, then pulled out again.She moaned..."Ohhhh, don't tease me...ohhhh, give it all to me..."

I entered her several more times like this, until I could feel her pushing harder and harder against me. I grabbed her hips, and pushed all the way into her. She gasped,

''OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GAWDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU."

as she jerked forward for a moment, then braced herself before thrusting her nice round behind back against my penis. I watched, as each thrust sent waves rippling through her like waves breaking on the shore.

We went at it just like this for close to two hours..her moans gradually became louder and louder. I grabbed her hair from behind, and pushed her head into the pillow. Her arms reached for the headboard of the bed and gripped it tightly as her vagina contracted in orgasmic releases.

I felt about to come, I thrust harder and harder into her welcoming flesh. I exploded with a wild abandon... The orgasm felt like it lasted several minutes, even though it was just seconds.She came violently too..Shaking and rattling the headboard against the wall. I collapsed on top of her, kissing the nape of her neck.
She turned and began kissing me and rubbing my penis until I came again....like a gusher.......It seemed as if she was cumming too...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, KEVINN.....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu it felt so goooood.." she moaned as we both collapsed on top of each other...

"Ummmmmmm, Jamaica was nice...but not as nice as this." laughed Sepia , as she lay in my arms....We both drifted off into a very peaceful sleep...We woke up a few hours later and took a nice slow hot shower together...Kissing and fondling each other...I wound up lifting her up and entering her while we were in the shower...Her moans (and mine) could be heard out of the window and into the street, I'm sure....

II-

Sometime later when we were both dressed and in the living room...Sepia looked at me and said-

"Kev, let's go to "Bottom Of The C" and get some dinner?  Who's playin at Josie's tonight?"

I shrugged-

"Dinner sounds good....I think Reed Nelson and the boys are playing tonight." I said.

"Kevin?" asked Sepia.

"I thought you put the car in the garage?" she said.

"I did...What are you talking about?" I asked.

"So how come it's in front of the house?" She asked.

"It's not! " I said.  "That's a newer model...I have a 2009 Lexus...that's the 2012." I said peering out the window.

As I opened the door...There was an envelope in our mailbox....It was addressed to Mr and Mrs. Kevin and Joanne "Sepia" Morris

It read-

"Sepia, I've heard that you've had car trouble in the past....I hope this token of gratitude to your husband for helping me out of an enormus jam recently puts an end to your automobile woes-"


Rollie Rollerson

Just two or three years before, He had given me a Lexus for getting him out of a "huge jam" and now he had given my wife an even newer version of the car he gave me! There was car keys in the envelope...I tossed them to Sepia. Her eyes got wide and she smiled from ear to ear...

"WOW!! I come home to good sex and a new car and my husband taking me out to dinner...Nothing is better than this." she cooed.

"I guess not" , I said with a tinge of jealousy....

"Just what kind of jam did you get Rollie Rollerson out of?" she asked.

"It's a long story." I said.

"Get in...You can tell me all about it on our way to "Bottom of the C"....in MY NEW CAR......I'll drive." she said with a laugh.

"But of course." I said and got in the passenger side.

Cold Sweat

Rollie Rollerson sat in his office sweating like a stuck pig....He had good reason...He had been mailed a DVD that had his entire sexual escapade with that young chippy a few nights before in living color and digital sound...He had been contacted on the phone by a female who said that a "represenative" would be coming to talk with him about it soon...He was not a happy camper this morning....

Like clockwork, Mr. Lee Spann showed up in a very expensive suit , carrying a breifcase...He looked like a banker..He sat down..Rollie's assistant gave him a cup of coffee with crem and sugar to his liking and then left the office.

"What is it you want?" snapped Rollie Rollerson, Lord knows he couldn't afford to have his name is the papers again....People were just starting to forget about his last scandal...

"Mr. Rollerson...Mr. Rollerson...Let's not be hostile...We would like three large every month around the second week of the month....that's all..." said Lee Spann..

"Three large?" he quipped..

"That's right and if you're a day late or a penny short...The first DVD goes to your lovely socialite fiance...I'll bet you did things with that girl in the hotel that you don't do with her....I've seen her by the way...Lovely lady, but not the type to experiment in bed..." said Spann...

"Why you smug little-" said Rollie as he lunged toward Spann, who didn't flinch...

"Now ,Now...If anything were to happen to me...The next DVD goes to the press and then the pastor of your church and oh....God knows how many people might see this..."

Rollie sat back...Smiled and said- "Well...that's a chance I'm gone have to take because I aint payin you nothin."

Now Lee Spann was shocked....He was stunned...

''What? Are you crazy...Do you think we are joking?  Did you see the DVD?" asked Spann..

"Don't have to see it...I was there...but I aint payin you a red cent." said Rollie.

"What?" said Lee Spann...

"Because you'll be either dead or in jail by this time tomorrow." I said as I stepped out of the closet...

"What? Who the hell are you?" asked Spann..

"Who I am is not important....but I just got your entire blackmailing conversation on video tape...You want to see THAT DVD?" I said...

"Man, I don't know you." said Spann..

"But I know you, I know your partners at Central Insurance...I know all about the scam they've been running, with your help and I know about the dead girl that you guys dropped in the ocean. I know all about you Mr. Spann and I've got enough to send you to jail for life for murder." I said.

"Now wait...wait...just-just wait..a minute....Look....Nobody was supposed to get hurt...We..We...We.. We've been runnin this scam for years...I can't tell you how many rich well to do, cheatin men and women we got strung out, payin us money....and up until now...nobody got physically hurt....but when Heather....See, when one of those dudes killed himself...She didn't count on that...she wanted out...and then...who knew the other dude was gonna kill himself too...She kept goin on and on about she wanted out , she wasn't gonna do this no more...Lola kept gettin worried that if the cops found her photos on both men, they'd find her and she'd talk...Lead em to us...Lola said she had to go...Mike and Me...We told her that Heather wouldn't talk..She was a street girl...not the snitchin type...But Lola said  no....We couldn't take no chances...So she called in Garvin." said Lee Spann, who now was sweating profusely...

"Who's Garvin?" I asked.

"He's a hitman...He's real good...Makes folks vanish....He came highly recomended....He's here in the city."
said Spann..

"I want his address." I said.

"Man ,you're crazy...He's a stone cold killer..He'll kill me." said Lee Spann...

"He's going to kill you anyway." I said.

"Say what?"

"Mr. Rollerson, play him the DVD.." I said.

"With pleasure Kev" said Rollie Rollerson as he flicked on the Television Screen-

"About that...My split was a little light....I mean, I put myself on the line...Settin that chick up...so that your boy Garvin could snatch her and all...I could be tied to a murder.." he said.




"Don't worry Spann...you'll be well compensated." said Lola Bey Luden.




Spann got up from the table...He smiled and nodded his head and walked out of the office..



"Michael.." she said to her husband...




"What baby?" he answered...




"We are going to need another Private Detective...Call Garvin..tell him it's time Mr. Spann took a dip in the pool..ahahahahahahahahahahaha.." she said.


'"Will do precious." he laughed.

Lee Spann's jaw dropped!  Not only was he sweating profusely...He was visibly shaken...

"There's a contract out on me?" he asked...

"Yup!  Right after you leave from here sometime today, Garvin is scheduled to take you for a ride on his boat, just like he took that girl." I said.

"Why those dirty double crossing ....What do you want?" he asked.

"I got you Lee Spann...I own you.....I got a little on your bosses too..." I said.

"I'll give you everything...the whole operation...I'll give you names, people and the location of all of the recordings...I'll even testify against those two lying backstabbing bastards....all I want is one thing, immunity from prosecution. Look...Lola started this thing...She got the idea from her brother in law's friend..a guy in our Wilmington Office Named Jimmy Tillotson...They call him "Skip" He told us about all of the personal information we had on certain people and how with a little diggin...you could find their weakness and set em up for blackmail...Lola Liked it and she and her husband bought into it and they hired me...to get the inside skinny." he said.

"So how long were you guys doing this?" I asked.

"About five years....I did work for Mike and Lola here in Philly and some for  Ali and Skip in Wilmington...It was easy...They were all cheating on their spouse or their taxes or doing something they shouldn't oughta..I got it on tape or video ,presented it to em and they paid good money to keep it a secret...Some are still payin.."

"What do the Ludens get out of this?" I asked.

"Extra money...They've been workin for the big boys so long that they hate them....So they add a little cash to their wallets and they get the thrill of watching these big wigs fall and sweat.." he said.

"Like you're sweatin now huh?" I said.

"Yeah..kind of....Do I get my deal or what?" he asked.

"You'll have to work that out with the D.A. and you're in luck...He's here." I said.

ADA Keith Wallace, Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren and three uniformed Philadelphia policemen took Lee Spann into custody....

"Thanks Again Kevin.." said Sissy, who smiled at me....

"Yes...I think Mr. Spann and I will have an interesting conversation......about insurance.." said ADA Keith Wallace.

"Yeah...I can imagine." I said.

"You know something Spann...I'd half way sympathize with you...but three people are dead...Two men, who were too weak to take the pressure and a girl, somebody's daughter who was senselessly murdered." I said.

"I know man and I feel sorry ...I know you don't believe me...Hell- I- I wouldn't believe me...but I do...Nobody was supposed to get hurt....I begged Lola not to hurt that girl...She was my friend...I kind of liked her...I feel real bad about what they did to her." said Spann...

He was probably the only one who actually did feel remorse...I believed him.

Rollie Rollerson wiped his brow...

"I don't know how to thank you Kevin....Oh my God...." he said.

I looked at him with a new found disgust....but I didn't say anything...I just quietly left ,got in my car and headed home.

II-

Lee Spann spilled his guts and Philadelphia Police arrested Michael Luden, His wife ,Lola Bey Luden, their brother in law, Ali Luden at the Wilmington Office and his partner, Jimmy "Skip" Tillotson..They all were charged with Blackmail, conspiracy, wire fraud and other charges...Lola Bey was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder.....

But the real showstopper, the one I had held back from the police was Garvin....the hitman...I had "business" with him...Lee Spann told me that he had a room in the Hyatt near Penns Landing and that he owned a boat.
He said that he walked along Penns Landing in the morning... I even had a photo of him...Kool Kat , Clerow and I walked the pier and to our surprise and good luck...it didn't take us long to spot him...

We watched and we waited until he was about to board his boat...That's when I walked up to him...

"You Garvin?" I said.

He wasn't used to hearing his name called...and he turned around...

"Who wants to know?" he snapped.

"I didn't ask  you that." I said and slugged him hard in his stomach...enough to knock the wind out of him...then I cracked him in his jaw and knocked him to the ground...He attempted to get up, but I kicked him in his side...He grunted....

Kool Kat lifted him up and Clerow put his pistol to his temple.....He was grinning like a cheshire cat...

"Hey what is this about?  Who you with? Do you know who I am?  How connected I am?" he asked.

Clerow put a bag over his head....

"Questions aint in your vocabulary right now killah.." said Kool Kat as we dumped him in the trunk of my car.
We all got in and drove off... We drove what must have seemed like hours...All the way to Cape May and then we stopped the car and dragged Garvin to Gus's boat...

Gus , as pre-arranged was there with Eddie and Albert, who helped us load him on to the boat and shove off.. Once out on the water....Clerow took the bag off of his head...

"Heyyy, what is this about?" screamed Garvin...

I ignored him....

"Kool Kat, get some rope...Tie his feet and his hands....you got that ANVIL?" I asked...

Gus leaned down and scowled at Garvin...

"You piece of crap....You the one that killed that girl huh?  I'd kill ya myself if I was younger." he spat.

"Hey look, you guys...what do you want? Money?? I got plenty of money." he screamed...

Clerow, Eddie,Albert, Gus and Kool Kat all laughed at that...

"I'll bet that girl begged for her life when you dropped her in the ocean, alive...didn't she?" I said...

"Please....Please...I'll give you anything you want...just don't kill me...please don't kill me...I'm afraid of gettin killed...pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....I can't swimmmm....please don't kill me...I'll do anything!...Anything!."
Garvin wailed.....I couldn't believe it...Tears was running down his face and from the smell of things, he had defecated on himself....

"Your lucky day Garvin...You're not going to die...Not today......" I said.

We turned him over to the Coast Guard, who turned him over to the New Jersey State Police...

Gus patted me on the back...

"Good work Kid...but I wouldn't have felt bad if you had dropped his ass in the ocean...like he did that girl!"
said Gus.

EPILOUGE:

Lee Spann was given immunity from prosecution....He testified against all of them...Michael Luden got 15-20 years , Ali Luden got 10 years, Jimmy "Skip" Tillotson got 10 years also...Lola Bey was convicted of Conspiracy to commit murder and First Degree Murder in the death of Heather Gentry...She got Life....So did Garvin, but in New Jersey, where the murder actually happened...

The DVD's, tapes and files on all of the blackmailed victims, totaling up to 22 people were released and returned to them....The lawsuits and restitution civil trials that followed put Central Insurance out of business and in time their office closed.

Lee Spann is still a practicing private detective...Hopefully he'll take less sleazier cases...We even met for coffee a little while later...

"Can't thank you enough for meeting me here Kev." he said.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for testifying and putting those sleaze bags behind bars." I said.

"Yeah...I'm gonna have to find a real job like you have or find another company or lawyer or something to work for.." he said.

"Well yeah...This business is rough, but you get the right kind of cases, you can make some nice change." I said.

"You taught me something though...This whole case taught me something...Something I lacked..." he said.

"And what was that?" I asked....I thought he was going to make a wise quip...

"Ethics man...Standards....I wasn't no killer and after awhile ,I didn't feel good about settin people up, even if they was lousy cheats..." he said and hung his head down...

"Cheer up...Drink your coffee man." was all I could say after that...and we sat and talked and drank coffee well into the afternoon.

(For my wife, Rosalyn, one of the most ethical people I know)

Something Evil

Finding Lee Spann wasn't hard at all...We knew what he looked like and we knew where he lived...In a very tony downtown Philly condo....Kool Kat, Clerow or myself would have stood out in this area...But Peeping Tom, dressed in a fabulous suit did not...He successfully followed him to his Condo entrance...Kool Kat,Clerow and I sat in front of the building in a rented car with shaded windows...Lockpick Johnson, dressed to the nines in a Brooks Brothers suit (First time I'd ever seen the brother so clean) easily got inside once Lee Spann had gone and the two of them wired his condo for sound and video...

Sean Jackson...In another rented car followed Lee Spann from his condo to the tony headquarters of Central
Insurance...which was located in an office building , just three blocks from where I worked at Hype Magazine..We had already wired that place's conference room a few hours before...Lee Spann foolishly left his Android behind and we got the number and bugged that too!

Naturally, he turned and came back for it...but we were out by then...We even had a GPS device on his car..
We knew his every move and could watch him and monitor his every conversation. It didn't take long before we heard this conversation-

"Hello"


"Spann?"


"Yeah."


"Where are you, you're late?"


"No sweat Mr. Luden...I had to double back and get my phone...I'm on my way."


"Did you set up our latest pigeon?"


''Sure did...His name is Rollerson...Rollie Rollerson...real big wig...gotta fat roll, good credit on the board of directors of everything Black in the city..."


"He married?"


"No...but he lives with a woman...They been together like three years and he's been in a big scandal before..real big...he can't afford to be involved in another one."


"You got a girl for him?"


"Of course...This one will have him hollerin and screamin...."

"Okay...No mistakes this time."

"Oh of course not...I never figured that Heather would have a conscious...actually feel bad about those poor saps..Shame about her...I kind of liked her..."


"Well don't get too sad about her....You screw up this time and you'll be the next one in the ocean."


"Hey, you don't have to get like that..."


"I can get anyway I want...My wife doesn't want any more screw ups...We didn't get enough money out of those clowns...They were weak and they killed themselves.."


"Man ,I couldn't know they was gonna do that..."

"It was YOUR JOB TO KNOW...That's why my wife and I pay you."


''Okay,Okay...This one won't kill himself.."


"He'd better not...How about the girl?"


''She's solid..I got her from a real classy place...Not from that bottom feeder, Rollo Jones.."


''Good...Will we have to kill him also?"

"Nah...He's never seen me ..We talked on the phone...He don't know nothin...Probably don't know she's dead."


"They found her a few days ago...Some guys on a fishing trip...I want you to find out who they were...My man Garvin will take care of them."


''Awww come on Mr. Luden...Some old guys on a fishing trip??"


''They Identified her..They knew her."

"So what?"


"Just find them."


"Okay..."

Click!

Kool Kat, Clerow, Sean Jackson and I looked at each other and smiled.

"Glad I wasn't on that fishin trip." said Lockpick Johnson.

"We got enough right now to bring Spann in, This Luden guy, who-ever he is, His wife and this Garvin fellow..
but I want to play this out." I said.

II-

We parked the Van a block away....Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson, Clerow,Kool Kat and I sat in the van and watched a live video feed of our conspirators...Michael Luden was a tall, Black man, well built..He looked like he had played some football in his day...The spark of gray hair in his head betrayed him..Without the gray he could have passed for a younger man...His attractive wife, Lola Bey-Luden was much younger, at least a decade...but obviously the one running the show...When Lee Spann walked in...It was she who he addressed his attention to.

"Is everything set up?" she asked..


"I set the equipment up at at the Marriot, room 662." he said proudly.


"I don't need to know the room number...just need to know that our pigeon is ready.." she said..


"He's ready...alright..." said Spann...


"Good....We don't need to meet anymore until he makes his first payment and we divy up the cash." she said.


"About that...My split was a little light....I mean, I put myself on the line...Settin that chick up...so that your boy Garvin could snatch her and all...I could be tied to a murder.." he said.


"Don't worry Spann...you'll be well compensated." said Lola Bey Luden.


Spann got up from the table...He smiled and nodded his head and walked out of the office..


"Michael.." she said to her husband...


"What baby?" he answered...


"We are going to need another Private Detective...Call Garvin..tell him it's time Mr. Spann took a dip in the pool..ahahahahahahahahahahaha.." she said.


'"Will do precious." he laughed.

I had never in my life seen anybody as cold blooded and evil as these two....And I have tangled with some pretty bad charactors...I was going to enjoy taking these guys down.

III-

"Don't you know Rollie Rollerson Kev?" asked Clerow as we drove towards the hotel...

"Sure do..He sits on the board of directors of my magazine...I know him quite well...He and I have history..he tried to fire me once...Then I discovered a nasty little secret about him and kind of helped him out...He gave me my Lexus and my job back as kind of a show of gratitude you might say." I said.

"Yeah and hush money." said Kool Kat...We all laughed...

When we got to the Marriot, Room 662 wasn't hard to find....You might say we heard our way to the room..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GAWDDDDDDDDD...OHHHHHHHHHHH BABBBYYYY..."


"Ohhhhh Mister Rollerson, it's so biggggg, it's sooo goood....ouuuuuu, mama likes this,...ouuuuuuuu..."


"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, GOOOOD LAWDDDDD GIRL, YOU MAKIN MAH TOES CURL....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph......OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...."

The bed was rocking, the headboard was slamming against the wall something fierce....The door was even vibrating....White people were walking into the hallway...Some of the women were smiling ...The men were bemused..Kool Kat was laughing, slapping his knee..Clerow was laying up against the wall laughing...They were causing such a ruckus that even I had to smile..I motioned to them both to leave with me...

About an hour later, a very busty and shapely young lady in a skirt that was way too short for her left the room and walked toward the elevator...Rollie Rollerson straightened his clothes and slipped down the backstairs.. We followed him...My Android vibrated....It was Sean Jackson..

''What's up Sean?" I asked.

"Spann is on the move...He's headed your way." said Sean.

"I bet he is... Rollerson and the girl just finished." I said.

"He's probably got the video evidence...He's going to remove the bugs." I said.

"What do we do next?" asked Sean..

"We wait and we watch." I said.

We wait and we watch....

(Conclusion Next)

Employee Of The Month

Harry Charles brought in sandwiches and Cokes and chips for everybody...Everybody was
my working crew...a loose band of individuals who from time to time helped me with these cases...There was Sean Jackson...Not only my partner at work, but along with Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson...part of my surveilience team...These three wiretapped, photographed and videotaped most of the guys I followed and investigated..They got me the hard evidence!!

Then there was Clerow and Kool Kat...basically, my muscle..They had my back in a gunfight or a fistfight and were good with handling cars...These were my most trusted assistants...

"I'm glad all of you guys could come here today.." I said.

"Yeah, and we glad you got these great cold cuts and chips" laughed Kool Kat, which brought everybody in the room to laughter...

"Well I figure if we are gonna barnstorm, I might as well feed you." I said.

"Here, here" said Clerow...

Just then, Robert Foxworth, the attorney and his protoge' , Chance Howard arrived....

"Hey guys...sorry I'm late...but , you know how it is.." he said.

"It's cool Robert...just glad you guys could make it." I said.

I had Attorneys, an ex-CIA man, thugs and working stiffs all in one room for a "conference" Isn't that something?  I told Harry to hold all of my calls and to keep the door of this room closed....You would have thought we were heads of states or something!

"Okay Robert, what have you got?" I said.

"Your boy, Lee Spann...He's a private detective...just like you..." said Robert Foxworth...Chance Howard pulled out some photos of the man and laid them on the table...He was a young white guy...He resembled the singer, Justin Timberlake a bit...just a wee bit.. Robert had a copy of his P.I. License and his Drivers License .

"Okay...so we know that he moonlights as a pimp." I said to many snickers...

"He works for a very powerful insurance company...Central Insurance...You've seen their commercials on television...Central Insurance wraps their arms around you.." said Robert..

"Yeah ,I've seen em..." I said...Then I pulled out some video and listening devices....I showed them to Peeping Tom..

"Tom...Lockpick,Clerow and I fished these out of the hotel that my now deceased client said he was in with the dead girl... what do you make of them?" I said.

Peeping Tom looked them over, smiled and said..."This is good stuff....It rivals some of my stuff...This Lee Spann have a military background?" he asked.

"Actually he does." said Robert Foxworth..."He was in the Army ...Military police.."

"Wow...He really knows his stuff." said Peeping Tom.

"Okay..Let's look at what we have..." I said.  "We have two men...Conwell Tinley, 42...an up and coming young businessman, married , two children, a churchgoer.....and James Booker, 37...also married, three children, the aide to the President of City council and some say..on the fast track to either being a city councilmen himself or running for mayor....both of these men were seeing this girl.." I continued and a I put a photo of Heather Gentry on the table...

"Both of them were being blackmailed!!!  My late client, Conwell Tinely had several photos of him and the now late Ms. Gentry in let's say some uncompromising positions in the bed...Now it was said that James Booker was also being blackmailed and there were photos of him and Ms. Gentry in the bed..." I said.

''And now you got a dead hooker." said Kool Kat.

''Yeah man, but why?She set up some pretty heavy hitters. Tinley himself told me that he had paid them three large a month for some time and I'm certain both men had overlapped each other." I said.

"Okay Kev, but after Booker killed himself....I'm sure the cops found those photos of the girl on him...so she had to go." said Clerow.

"But why kill the girl?" asked Robert Foxworth...

"It doesn't make sense.... After Booker died...Spann or whoever would have just told the girl to take a powder...you know, get ghost." said Sean Jackson...

"Well..the way I see it Kev...after the second guy killed himself...they probably figured that she was now more a liability than an asset and she had to go...Whoever is doin this probably has a flock of Heather Gentry's." said Locksmith Johnson...

"You know something?  That makes a lot of sense." I said...

Just then...Chance Howard spoke up...

"Hey look Kev....I knew James Booker...He don't even live in Philly...He lives in Deleware....He killed himself in Baer, Deleware....Aint it funny that whoever hired this girl knew about it real quick?? and as for your guy...Wasn't that a few weeks later , not in Philly but over in Atlantic City?" he asked...

We all looked at him....

"I read the papers." he said with a sheepish grin... Clerow, Kool Kat ,Robert Foxworth,Peeping Tom and I all smiled at the kid.

"The point I'm making is...Who gets information that fast?  Not an insurance company...but, a credit card company might!..." he said.

"Central Insurance has a credit card division...They have a Visa and a Mastercard that they give out...They have an office just a few blocks from here." I said.

''Yeah..and they got one in Wilmington,Deleware too." said Robert Foxworth...

"They would have all of these guys personal information....and a Private detective would be able to ascertain all of their habits...their psychological make up...the works...It makes perfect sense.. I looked into both of these guys and what they have in common...the ONLY thing they have in common is at least one credit card issued by , you guessed it, Central Insurance....It was staring me right in the face all the time..Can't believe I missed that. We've got to find Spann, Find out who he's working for in that company." I said.

"Who he's working for?" asked Peeping Tom...

"Yes...He's not pulling the strings. This operation is way over a guy like him's head..They got him to either look up information and  or get the girls..but somebody else...Somebody else  in that companyis pulling the strings.." I said.

"But who? Who is They?" asked Clerow....

"I don't know....Lee Spann is just the uh employee of the month..He's definitely working for somebody..." I said.

"That company is your connection." said Kool Kat.

"Yup" said Lockpick Johnson.

"Something is going on here gentlemen, something evil...something sinister and I've got to get to the bottom of it...This evil is the cause of two weak men being dead and a misguided young lady ending up at the bottom of the ocean." I said.

(To Be Continued...)

The Mystery Of Heather!

She was such a pretty young thing as Michael Jackson would have sang...and now she was just as dead as he was.  I found her house two days later...With help from Lockpick Johnson, I got inside.. Her body hadn't been shipped to Philly yet and I had a chance to look around...I was wearing latex gloves...So was Sean Jackson and Clerow , who had accompanied me...I didn't want our DNA or fingerprints in this place..

I found photos of her, but nothing else of interest..It looked as though someone else had already been here and tossed the place...Her drawers in her bedroom had been opened and the contents had been strown all over the bedroom floor...

She had a computer, but it was gone...All that was left was the monitor and the speakers...We searched the place from top to bottom, but found nothing of value...Finally , we left...

"Looks like someone beat us to her place." I said.  Sean Jackson, Lockpick Johnson and Clerow agreed.

II-

Next day, I was at my friend, Attorney, Robert Foxworth's office...

"What do you have for me counselor?" I asked.

"Everything  my friend in records could get on her.....She's a high school graduate, went to Community College for awhile, but dropped out....Has three convictions...Little stuff, possesion of marijuana, prostitution,that kind of thing...It doesn't look like she did any time...She has a few unpaid parking tickets...That's it...She's no master criminal Kev." he said.

"I didn't think she was." I said.

"You said she was one of Big Chicken's girls?" asked Robert Foxworth.

"That's the rumor.." I said.

"Well, you should be talkin to his main man, Rollo Jones....He runs his operation now that the boss is in jail." said Robert.

"Oh I know that....I'm going to see him soon." I said.

"You think Rollo offed her?" asked Robert.

"Nah...Not his style...besides..she was making money for him...Why would he do that?" I asked.

"Maybe she was holdin out." he said.

"Maybe....You talk like you have first hand knowledge counselor.." I joked.

"Nah Kev..Not me....Even when I was runnin women, I never had to pay...That wasn't  MY style." he laughed.


"No counselor...It wasn't." I laughed.

III-

Kool Kat and I decided to pay Rollo Jones a visit.  He was holed up where he usually could be found...At the Mermaid Club...Joe Neptune's Joint.  When we entered, he was sitting in his booth, with a young tough standing by.....

"Rollo my man....I was wondering if I could have a minute of your time?" I asked.

The young tough wasn't fazed by me or Kool Kat , he spun around as if to spring into action, but Rollo raised his hand in a cautionary manner...

"Relax Turk....I know these guys...Go get yourself a drink...Tell Joe it's on me." he said...Kool Kat smiled menacingly at Turk , Who grimaced back and walked away.

"New Talent huh Rollo?" asked Kool Kat jokingly....Rollo smiled and remarked-

"Yeah, reminds me of you when you was younger Walter."

Kool Kat laughed....

I put a few glossies of Heather Gentry on the table....Rollo looked at them , then looked at me..

"Yeah? She used to work for me....What business do you have with her?" he asked.

"No business Rollo...She's dead." I said.

"Dead?" he said with a genuine look of surprise in his eyes.

"Yeah...the Coast Guard fished her out of the ocean a few days ago." I said.

"Ohhhhhh crap." he said and pounded his hand on the table....

"Can you tell me anything about her? Who her johns were?" I asked.

"Well, when she was workin for me...It was these yokels around here...These work a day mugs....You know...but she stopped workin for me months ago...I thought she had gotten out of the game...Then I saw her with this real High roller...A businessman type..." said Rollo.

"The kind of guy that wouldn't be drinkin in here right?" I said.

''Most definitely...He had a Silver Bentley with his initials engraved on the side..." said Rollo.

"Where did you see them?" I asked.

"Where else? On South Street....I was up there one night, a month ago and I see her gettin out the Bentley...I stopped to talk to her and she told me that she was workin for this other cat..a Lee...Lee Spann or somethin and her "clientele" had definitely gone upscale...Told me this guy took her out to eat and spent $200.00 on the meal...two hunnard Kev...pulled out his credit card ,like it wasn't nothin.." said Rollo..

"Yeah, I can imagine....It was this guy wasn't it?" I said and tossed a photo of Wealthy (and married) Black businessman, Conwell Tinley...

"Yeahhhh, that's the dude....You think he done her?"asked Rollo.

"No...He comitted suicide a few weeks ago." I said.

"Yeahhh?? Now that's funny." said Rollo.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"I was in your spot...Josies...a few weeks before I saw her with him and I saw her leavin with that uh City Councilman's aide...the one that's always givin the press releases on TV...James Booker,and I heard that he killed himself too...They found him in his car in his garage." said Rollo.

"Yeah, how about that?  He was married you know?" I said.

"Most of these cats that come to me and want a girl are...that aint no biggie." laughed Rollo.

"One last thing...Do you know where I can find this Lee Spann fella?" I asked.

"Can't help you there Kev...He's not a playa...He aint on the street...I never heard of him and aint never met him..She dropped his name to me last time I saw her." said Rollo...

"Okay...thanks a lot Rollo." I said.

"Always a pleasure Kevin." said Rollo.

"Hows your Boss, Big Chicken doin?" I asked.

"He's goin crazy in stir...what can I say? Maybe he'll be home this time next year." said Rollo..

"Stranger things have happened." I laughed as Kool Kat and I walked out of the bar.

"So what do we do now?" asked Kool Kat...

"We gotta find this Lee Spann charactor and find out what he's into." I said.

(To Be Continued.....)

Death In Aqua

I'm glad Gus invited me on his fishing trip....I needed to get away from Philly for awhile and clear my head...My wife,Sepia, Bernadette, Corabeth and Bonita had taken off for a girls week in Jamaica...They had taken Kool Kat's girl, Chelsea along with them...So it was just us guys... Me, Clerow, Kool Kat, Sean Jackson...the only one of us whose girl was still in Philly, Skillet Jackson and Dollar Bill on Gus's fishing boat.
Gus and Skillet had rented a van and picked us all up and drove to Ocean City, Where we boarded his boat and went out on the ocean.

As we headed out to sea, we saw some white guys who had caught the longest fish I'd ever seen.

''Hey Gus...you think we'll catch anything like that?" I asked.

Gus smiled, looked at the men and their fish and then replied-

"I sure hope not...You guys smell bad enough without a big fish like that on the boat."

"Heyyyy man...I showered." laughed Dollar Bill.

"Yeah? How many years ago?" countered Skillet Jackson..

We all burst into laughter and boarded the boat.....

Gus had all kinds of food on the boat...Ribs, Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Collard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad, Corn Bread....the works...

Mabel Jenkins and her sisters had catered the food just for this trip and the food was down below in nice covered trays....Sean Jackson, Kool Kat, Dollar Bill and Clerow played marathon games of Pinocle, Bid Whist ,Black Jack and Poker down below....Up top, Gus and Skillet were the only ones actually fishing...
His two bodyguards/bouncers- Eddie and Albert were actually manning the boat...I was just watching and enjoying the beautiful sunny day and the warm weather and just being with the guys on the Ocean....

Kool Kat walked up to the top deck and yelled-

''Anybody catch anything yet?"

"Nah...we just gettin started." said Skillet..

Within minutes...Kool Kat, cigar in mouth was up there with Gus and Skillet, with his rod, fishing....I smiled.

"You don't fish Kev?" asked Kool Kat.

"Him? nah...I'm surprised he's even out here." laughed Gus.

"Yeah, remember when you and his old man took him fishing...when he was about eleven or twelve?" laughed Skillet.

''Sure do... Kid puked at the smell of fish...threw his guts up all over the floor of the boat." laughed Gus...I smiled..I remembered only too well.

"That's okay kid...that was a long time ago...I see you got over it." added Gus.

We all had a good laugh...and the day continued...Eventually as the hours went by, Sean, Clerow and Dollar Bill came topside and joined everyone else...Only Kool Kat seemed to be catching any fish...Everyone else was drinking beer and munching on Chicken, Fish or Ribs...Gus walked over to me..

"Any interesting cases lately ?" he asked.

"Nothing big...Some businessman was getting blackmailed....and he asked me to look into it...I was working the case for two days and then the guy hung himself!!!" I said.

"Yeah? Wow...So where does that leave you?" asked Gus..

"With no case, no paying customer and on this fishing trip with you guys...Good thing I have a real 9-5..." I laughed.

"Shame the dude hung himself...you know...We black folks didn't used to commit suicide like that...That's the second one I done heard about...in like a month...damn shame." said Gus.

''The second one?" I asked.

"Yeah...The City Councilman's aide was found in his car with the windows up and the car runnin in his garage a few weeks ago." said Gus.

"What? , really?" I said.

"Yeah Kev...times is gettin tough out here...He had just been in the bar with a cute little chippy a few days before they found him." laughed Gus.

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah man...it's somethin..." said Gus.

I didn't think anymore about what Gus had said ,I just continued to look out at the water...Sean Jackson came and passed me a beer...

"Hey man...aint seen you all day.." he laughed..

"I'm just chillin man." I said.

'Yooooooo..WhAT THE HELL?" came a voice...Clearly that of Kool Kat...

"Oh lawdddddd!" came Dollar Bill's voice...

Sean and I ran to the other side of the boat....What we saw shocked all of us...Here ,out in the middle of the ocean was a body!!! The body of a black girl....She was dark skinned with long micro braids...She had on a pair of jean shorts so short and tight...they looked as if they could have been panties....She had nice shapely legs and a tan blouse....Her hands had been tied behind her back and her ankles had been tied together...the rest of the rope had been tied to an anvil that had for some reason broken into three pieces , thus allowing her body to float to the top of the water....Kool Kat's hook had gotten caught to the back of her shorts...Figured!

Gus, Dollar Bill, Skillet, Sean Jackson, Clerow  and I were stunned.... Kool Kat and I pulled her closer to the boat .....

"How long you think she's been down there?" asked Eddie, one of Gus's guys..

"Well, I'm no medical examiner...but considering the fact that her body hasn't decomposed...I'm bettin ...not longer than a day or two." I said...

I took another look at her face...Oh my God...I recognized her!!!!!

"Gus...Remember I told you I was working a case?  A guy was gettin blackmailed??" I said.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked..

"This is the girl that was in the photos....The guy was in the bed with her." I said.

"Kev....This is the same chippy the city councilman's aide came in the bar with a month ago..." said Gus.

"Kev....I know this broad.." said Kool Kat.

"What? So everybody knows her?" I asked.

"Her name is Heather...Heather Gentry...She's one of Big Chicken's girls..." said Kool Kat.

"Big  Chicken is doin a stint in prison aint he?" asked Gus.

"Sure is...So it's one of Rollo's girls." I said.

"Whatever...She made her livin staring at the ceiling." said Kool Kat with a shrug!

"Yo Al...Call the Coast Guard." I said.

"I'm on it Kev." he said.



Within an hour...The Coast Guard came  and took the body...Kool Kat made a positive ID and we all gave our statements and that was that....Of course there would be no DNA or fingerprints or other evidence to say who did this...And of course it was a hit.....plain and simple...What I did know was that this woman had been with my now deceased client and with another man who just happened to be dead....Something was going on here...Something Sinister...and you know me...I was going to get to the bottom of it!

(To Be Continued...)

Don't Know What To Do About It

Baby ,I watch you as you walk by
I try to start a conversation
but you barely manage to say "Hi"
I've tried to call you, but you just hang up the phone
I've written you letters, but you tell me to leave you alone..
You make me feel sometimes like I'm stalking you...
"I admit that I have dreams about you....wet dreams about you"
But really ,I just want to walk with you...
and I'm at a loss about what to do..

baby if you only knew
the things I dream about doing with you..
what you do..
you got me all strung out over you...
and I
Don't know what to do about it...
Girl if you could only see...
How not having you is hurting me
I'm feeling so much anxiety
And I ,
Don't know what to do about you baby.../

Honey, I didn't used to be like this...
but ever since that Christmas party at the office last year
when you gave me that drunken kiss...
I've been messed up like this...
Did somebody tell you something about me?
Why don't you tell me what's on your mind?
Don't tell me again that you just don't have the time..
I keep thinking of a future of you with me..

baby girl if you only knew...
the changes I'm going through..
I'm so strung out over you
and I
just don't know what to do..
baby if you only knew
the things I dream about doing with you..
what you do..
you got me all strung out over you...
and I
Don't know what to do about it...
Girl if you could only see...
How not having you is hurting me
I'm feeling so much anxiety
And I ,
Don't know what to do about you baby...

As The Sun Rises

I woke up...It was 5:30 am in the morning.....Bonita was still wearing my shirt....I nudged her a little bit...She woke up...She smiled at me...I rolled over on top of her and gave her a long, wet kiss...She immediately felt my steadily rising penis...

"My goodness Robert....How do you stay so hard all the time." she whispered...

"Lying next to you certainly helps." I joked..

"Aww...that was kinda sweet." she laughed...

I rolled over and we shared another kiss...this time, it was longer...

We had made love close to seven times the night before....Up against the wall...on the living room floor, in the kitchen , on the couch and finally in the bed....We were so exhausted after the last time that we drifted off to sleep...She  still had on my shirt!

Bonita still had my shirt on as she straddled me and lowered herself on top of me...She was incredibly wet...

"You talk about me being hard....you're incredibly wet..." I said...

"Lying next to you when you're like THIS certainly helps!"she said with a giggle.

I grabbed her hips and began grinding into her with all I had...She began moving up and down and moaning...which made me even more excited....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Bonita!!!" I moaned...

"Robert!!!!!, I've got you screaming my name..." she laughed as she continued to move up and down...

"Ugggggggggggggggghhh....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." I continued to moan...

Bonita began to moan herself....

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she said.

We went at it like this for close to a half hour.....we both climaxed close to the same time.....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Robert......."she moaned...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  Bonitaaaaaa..." I moaned....

Spent......Bonita collapsed on my chest....My arm fell off of the side of the bed....I was exhausted....Back from our honeymoon for a week and still going at it....We both had to go to work today...It was almost six thirty am...Perhaps we'd be up in another hour or two...

The sun was rising!  My eyelids were closing......My name is Robert Foxworth...I'm an attorney!

Next Time He breaks Your Heart

It's Not right
I don't like
the way he talks to you...
And still I...
wonder why,
he's the guy that walks with you.../

He doesn't try
to hide his duplicity..
a girl here
a girl there
it would be so different
if you were with me.../

So...
Next time he breaks your heart
here's my number...give me a call...
Baby..
Next time he makes you cry...
tell your lover good bye.../

He's a fool
you're a jewell
that he treats like a piece of glass...
But that's cool
I'm right here, all you gotta do is ask../

So many times...
I've wished you were mine..
so that I could show you love
but his crimes...
have seemed to cloud your mind
of the nature of what he's guilty of.../

So
Next time he breaks your heart
give me a call...
Next time he breaks your heart
I'll be there to pick you up before you fall..
Next time, he breaks your heart...
Remember..I'll be standing by.../


So...
Next time he breaks your heart
here's my number...give me a call...
Baby..
Next time he makes you cry...
tell your lover good bye.../


Next time he breaks your
Next time he breaks your
heart
I'll be on the sidelines girl...
Next time he breaks your heart./

Just Say

People write and say a lot about love
but at times they get a little too deep..
It's the lack of subtlety and glut of simplicity
that puts the average person to sleep...
You see, All I set out to do..
was write a  simple love poem for you...
But before I do, all I need is three words..
just three words from you...
to make my dreams come true...

Just say...you love me
Say, Say you love me
Say you need me..
and place only God above me..

People struggle needlessly, trying to be hip..
trying various alternatives,
and new ways of defining relationships.
To me, it's such a waste of time..
Three simple words from you
is all I need for peace of mind....

Just say
Just say that you love me
Just say
just say you need me..
just say
that you love me
and place only God above me..
please just say.../

Play 2 Your Strengths

"Oh hi Reed...What brings you by here?" said Serena as I walked into her apartment...

"Just in the neighborhood....I remembered that you lived here and I thought I'd stop by...I'm not interrupting anything am I?" I said.

She looked at me with a side eye....She knew like I knew that people didn't just drop by your spot just out of the blue unless they wanted something...It was now up to her to figure out what I wanted...I could tell all of this just from looking in her face...at her facial expression...I'm good like that!

It was daytime and I noticed how very nice her apartment looked...It was very modern, very neat and well put together....The last time I had been here , I hadn't noticed...That was some two or three years ago and well, I was busy taking her clothes off and kissing her and eventually having my way with her.....

Somehow or other I wound up in her living room....both of us naked..with me lifting her up and laying her across the sofa....parting her legs and pressed the flat of my tongue against her now enlarged clitoris....she raised her legs and she began to moan...."Ohhhhhhh Reeeeed...my neighbors...my neighbors are gonna hear me...ohhhhhhh,you're gettin me excited...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh....you gotta stop this....ohhhhhhh,no morrrre...no moreee...ouuuu...you're going to have me.....ohhhhhh goddddd...screaming..ouuuuuuuuuu....""

"You taste too damn good to me baby...I can't stop.." I said as I continued...."Then don't stop, don't stop, don't stopppppp...ohhhhh my goddddd...I'm losing my mind" she moaned...I lifted those baby making hips of hers up and I brought her down on me, so that she took my entire penis inside of her........ she groaned and began bouncing up and down....I should've noticed it then...Her voice got really guttural and deep,like a man's....but who cares about that at a time like this?

Then her squeals got higher and higher and grainy..."Ohhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhh, it's on now....this is definitely it....ouuuuuuuuuu.." she said as she began moving up and down in a solid rhythem...I started kissing her and she began kissing me so hard as she moved up and down that I could hardly breathe....I stood up and began holding her as she continued to move up and down...

 Yeah...she was thinking about it...How good it was....I was thinking about it too, but not about to make a move on her...Not today...Today I was here on business...A favor for a friend, well a close associate. I looked around and I noticed something I definitely didn't see the last time I was here...Diplomas...Two diplomas...a Bachelors Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Public Administration....Serena was actually smart!!  All the while I thought she was just a sexy girl who had no other talent outside of the bedroom..Then I thought to myself...To have this ritzy apartment, She couldn't possibly be supporting herself by singing.....

" I see you went to Howard..." I said..



"Yeah...I got my Masters from Howard." she said.

"You went to Drew before that?" I continued...

"Yup, got my Bachelors from there." she said.  "You know Reed, you might have noticed them the last time you here , had you not been trying to get me in the bed.." she continued...

"It was night time." I said.

"You were still here in the morning if I recall....You had gotten what you wanted by then...and just interested in another quickie and then leaving as fast as you got here." she said.

"Maybe.." I said.

''So why are you really here?'' she asked.

I was still evading the real reason I was there, to talk her out of wanting to sing with Symphony Sam's group.
He already wanted her last bed partner, Cornell Hood to replace her as the lead singer and plus he was going to add him as an extra guitarist as well....Yet he still wanted to be with Serena...Couldn't blame him...I actually understood everything Symphony Sam was trying to do, for once!

''Where do you work?" I asked.

"I work for the City....The office of Urban Planning and on my spare time, I volunteer with the kids...I teach Piano and music theory over at the High School." she said.

"Wow...You get paid for that?" I asked.

"A little...naturally, not as much as I get from the city...but as you can see,I do alright...but that's not my passion...My passion , my real love is singing." she said. I cringed as the words came out of her mouth.

"Serena...you're a beautiful woman...you're smart and capable and I'll bet you are invaluable at City Hall..aren't you?" I asked.

"I don't work at City Hall....Not too far from it...but not in there, hey why you so concerned with me all of a sudden?" she asked.

"I'm just making conversation." I said.

"Reed?  are you tryin to hit on me?" she asked with a slight grin....

''Wha-What?? Noooooo...Noooo...I know you're Symphony Sam's woman." I said.

"No ,I aint...I mean, I gave him some a couple of times...but he's not my man....We are just friends....yyou know, friends with benefits.....Don't you have a lady?" she asked.

"Yes....Yes...and I'm not here for no monkey business..." I said.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

"I'll tell you...One thing I learned in life...Be who you are, know your limitations, but know your strengths...Play to your strengths...Now you have a Bachelors and a Masters Degree, You got a good job, nice spot and you volunteer with kids...You're deep baby, deeper than a lot of people know..Why you wastin your time with Symphony Sam?" I said.

"But Reed...you gotta girlfriend...I can't be sneaking around with you like that?" she said in a whisper...

"No...No..I don't mean bein with me..I'm talking about singing in his band...You're so good at other things." I said.

"You know...I was thinkin the same thing myself."she said.

"You were?" I said...Now maybe...I was getting somewhere!!!

"I'm wasting my time singing with Symphony Sam.....I should be a solo artist!!! My cousin plays the bass and his boy plays the guitar..and I know a drummer  and I was thinking of doing a solo thing." she said with a smile.

"You what?" I said.

"Yeah....Oh Reed thank you so much for opening my eyes...I was confused before , but now thanks to you I've made up my mind...I'm going solo...I'm kinda like Sade and Anita Baker mixed with a little more edge, you know?" she said..

Ohh lord!

"Baby, what about Sam?" I asked.

"Sam is cool..We'll still kick it, but I can't be in his band no more..." she said.

"But you don't have any bookings?" I said.

''As a matter of fact, I do...I'm opening for The Bone Hampton Quartet tomorrow night at Josies." she said.

"Gus booked you?" I asked. No way Gus did that...He would have told her straight out that she couldn't hold a tune in a bucket!I thought.

"No, Gus's assistant manager, Shine booked me...Shine always had a little crush on me..tee hee." she laughed.

"Tomorrow night huh?" I asked as I got up, grabbed my jacket and my pork pie hat.

"Yup...I can't wait." she said...Neither could I.  I was laughing all the way down the street...This was too much.

II-

About an hour later I saw Symphony Sam in Josies of all places...

"Hey Reed...How'd it go?" he asked.

"Ohh it went great." I said ,trying to contain my laughter.

"Yeah, you let her down easy?" he asked.

"Easy as could be...You know me Sam...I smoothed it out babe." I said .

"So she's alright with the new arrangement right...because Cornell will be playing with me in Atlantic City this weekend....Matter fact..I don't know who will be here...Rob Brown aint playin, You bout to go on the road with Brooke Taylor and Ingrid Rhodes...Who gone be here?" asked Symphony Sam.

"Shine told me that the Bone Hampton Quintet was playing." I said.

''Ohhhh, well that should be good...." he said.

"You should get here early tomorrow night." I said.

"Tomorrow's Thursday." said Sam.

"Just be here...Take my word...you won't want to miss it." I said and left the bar, still laughing to myself.

EPILOUGE:

The next night, Me, Debbie, Rob Brown,Delores ,Meek Rollins, Cornell Hood and Symphony Sam all shared a crowded booth...We had Fried Chicken and French Fries and our drinks....I kept laughing and banging my hands on  the table..

"Reed what is soo funny?" asked Debbie.

"Yeah...Share." said Delores..

I kept laughing...

Meek, Cornell, Symphony Sam all looked Puzzled...Rob Brown just smiled wryly,I had already told him...

Gus's assistant manager, Shine walked to the stage and spoke-

"Ladies and gentlemens...I know you are all here to see the Bone Hampton Quartet...They'll be out in a little while...but tonight I have a treat for you...Making her debut as a solo artist....Put yo hands together and sho yo love for SERENA!!!!!!!!!!!!

You could have heard a pin drop!  They knew who she was...

I must confess, she looked great..Nice dress...and her little band, which featured a Keyboard player and a Saxophone player sounded like they knew a little something about music...Then she grabbed the mike and began to sing!

Gus's face dropped...His eyebrows raised....He gripped Shine up in the collar and pulled him behind the bar and into his office...I heard yelling and the sound of things breaking....That sounded better than this girl's singing...The boos began to reverberate throughout the club.....Then people began throwing peanuts....
After getting halfway through the third number...Serena stopped singing and left the stage...When she left, the audience began cheering....

Bone Hampton and his band ran on without introduction and went into their first number , that was the only thing that saved the night... Shine walked out of Gus's office..He had a box that had all of his belongings in them...I suppose he was fired.

I couldn't contain my laughter......Symphony Sam shook his head-

"Reed, you aint right man.....What did you tell that girl?" he asked still shaking his head.

"I told her to play to her strengths." I said.

"And thats what she got out of it?" he asked ,still shaking his head...

"Hey man...I did what I could...You should go to her, comfort her...." I said.

''Comfort her?" He said.

"Yes...COMFORT HER...I gotta spell everything out to you?" I said.

"Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhh....I got you Reed..heh heh heh...now dats playin to my strength."he laughed.

Debbie and Delores looked at me and laughed and shook their heads...Hey, I did the best I could!

(For SLC)