Inside Girl

Josie's bar and grill was as usual on a mid week night, crowded....Liquor and beer was flowing , the music of Symphony Sam and the house band had the crowd dancing....as well as three out of town D.J.'s the played during the band's break...

Many customers were munching on the Fried Chicken and Fried Fish supplied by Mabel Jenkins Soul food Restaraunt..Who Josie's sub-contracted from....

But one person wasn't enjoying herself, wasn't dancing, wasn't eating and most importantly , wasn't drinking...At least not anymore....Seven empty beer bottles were on the table in front of her...

It was Brenda Montgomery, who was sitting in an empty booth crying her eyes out...The crying was so loud  in between band and D.J. Breaks that several patrons had alerted the management....Namely, Honey Brown..

Honey attempted to talk to her, but all she would do is cry...and wail...

"I gave that man everything...Everything...My heart, my body....I catered to him, listened to his awful jokes and laughed...laughed when nobody else was laughing...when the little trollips he liked so much turned him down...I was there....I was there...I know I made him feel good..I know I did...awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww lawdddddddddddddddd.." she wailed..

''Ohhhhhhh honeyyyyyyyyyyyyy...honeyyyyyyyyyyy...I know...I know how trifling these men can be...I know how you feel girl...You wanna drink?" asked Honey Brown..

"Yes...I want a whole bottle of Vodka... and a glass of Ice....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...Just yesterday, just yesterday...We were making love in the office...I know we had a connection..I know we did and he...he kind of told me that he cared for me...And now..And now I hear he's sleeping with another woman...No more than 24 hours later..." she cried...

"You sure of that?" asked Honey Brown as the bottle of Vodka arrived and the glass of ice was put on the table..

"Yes....Somebody sent me a zip drive at my job today....Addressed to me..Somebody wanted me to know..I played it and there he was making love to this other woman...the same way he made love to me...OH I can't believe he'd be so cruelllllllllllllllllllllllllll...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she wailed..

"It's okay baby ,it's okayyy." said Honey Brown...

Gus, the bartender and owner of Josie's looked up as my wife, Attorney, Olivia Bennett-Alexander walked in the bar...

"Hi Gus...I got here as soon as you called..." she said.

''Hey Livy girl...Is she your client?" he asked..

"No, not exactly, but she is a potential witness in a lawsuit we have pending...But uh...that's probably not what she's cryin about." said Olivia.

"Man trouble eh?" laughed Gus...

"You're a very insightful man Gus." said Olivia..

"You think I been bartendin all my life missy?" he said and laughed...

Olivia smiled at Gus...

"Livy...Glad you're here...She's over there in that booth...She's in a bad way....She downed a whole bottle of Vodka..and before that she downed seven tall boys of beer...She's messed up over some guy..And I don't think it's her husband from what she's told me." said Honey Brown..

"She's already talked too much...Thanks for watching her Honey and for calling me.. I'll take her off your hands.." said Olivia..

''She asked for you...You and Beverly get some humdinger cases...."laughed Honey Brown...

''Don't we now?"said Olivia, smiling at Honey Brown.

"I know you're going to be here for our Christmas Eve Party...Your husband is playing a set that night.." said Honey Brown..

"Oh you know it...Wouldn't miss it.." said Olivia..

She walked over to the booth where a sobbing and crying Brenda Montgomery was...

"Ohhhhh Mrs. Olivia...I'm so glad you cammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeee.." she said... Her breath reaked of Vodka...Olivia turned her nose slightly...

"Okay Mrs. Montgomery...You're coming with me...We've got to get you cleaned up and sober..."said Olivia.

"Olivia....Can I just call you Liv?" she asked..

''Sure" said Olivia.

"I gave that man everything...everything...My heart, my body....I catered to him, listened to his awful jokes and laughed...laughed when nobody else was laughing...when the little trollips he liked so much turned him down...I was there....I was there...I know I made him feel good..I know I did...awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww lawdddddddddddddddd..How could he be so cruelllllllllllllllllllllll?" she wailed..
"Yes....Somebody sent me a zip drive at my job today....Addressed to me.. Somebody wanted me to know.. I played it and there he was making love to this other woman...Lucy Luckenbill from FANNIE's PANTIES...our competitor ,the same way he made love to me...OH I can't believe he'd be so cruellllllll...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh..lawdddddddddddddddddd" she wailed..

 "Mrs. Montgomery...You know who I am.. You know that my niece and I have been retained by your boss and I thought your friend, Bridget Jones to investigate whether Fannie's Panties have been stealing designs
from the company you work for and marketing them first...You know that....Now we have eliminated every employee there except you and Mr. Tazzie.." said Olivia..

"I didn't have anything to do with that...I swear...I would never betray Ms. Bridget...I love her..." said Brenda, still crying profusely..

"Then help us...Tell us what you know about Mr. Tazzie and Ms. Luckenbill and the designs..."said Olivia.

"You want me to betray the man I -I love...?" she asked..

"He doesn't love you...You saw him and that woman on the zip drive...He's slept with two other women that used to work there who you know quite well...and he's got his eye on a third...but you know that....He's just using you...Like he uses every woman that comes across his path...You have nowhere to go Mrs. Montgomery...Nowhere....but to me..."said Olivia softly...

''Does my husband know?" she asked.

"He knows nothing...and if you help us...You still have a job..Ms. Jones never thought you had anything to do with this..."said Olivia..

''What do you want to know? What do you need me to do..??" she asked...still crying...

"We can discuss that later...You're coming with me first....To get sobered and cleaned up..." said Olivia..

II-

Back at our place...Brenda Montgomery was in the bathroom ,vomiting up a nights worth of Vodka and beer...

"She had more than just Vodka...whewwwww...I smell Taylor's Port.....and beer...draft beer...lawddddd.." I said...

Beverly walked her over to our couch and put a cold towel on her head....

"Here keep this on your forehead..." she said...

"She was in a real bad way when I found her.. That zip drive really upset her." whispered Olivia to me..

''All part of the plan baby..."I said...

"You guys got any eggs?" asked Nelson...

''Eggs? For What?" asked Beverly...

''Hair of the dog...Crack two egg whites ,drop em in some beer...Mix it up and give it to her...That'll help her get over her hangover.."said Nelson...

"Or make her throw up on my floor...."said Olivia..

I smiled...I had heard of what Nelson was talking about...It was mostly an old wives tale that had traveled around for years...It didn't work...It just made you sicker.

"Yuck, just you describing that makes me want to vomit.."said Beverly...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lawwwwd!" said Brenda , who leaped up and ran into the bathroom again for another marathon session of vomiting...

I sighed...

"Open these windows.... Bev you got any air freshener in your place? We are all out."I asked.

Beverly sighed...

"Yeah...I'll bring some up..Whooooooooooooooo!" she said.

"I'll put on a pot of coffee...Bridget owes me big time for this.." said Olivia.

III-

We allowed Brenda to take a nice hot shower....Afterwords...She dressed and drank some hot coffee and drank a lot of water..

She soon was better and composed...

"I never was sure of what he was doing , but he would meet with a guy....A tall thin, effeminate guy...He would have a huge manilla folder that had "Confidential" on it...He would meet with the guy in the back alley of the store...and the guy would slip him an envelope which he'd slip into his inside jacket pocket...I saw them meet on at least four occassions...I asked him once who his friend was and he told me to mind my business and not to repeat to anybody in there that I'd seen him talking to that guy...So I never mentioned it again..." she said.

''Donnie Ray, that sounds like the guy who was jaw jacking with you in FANNIE'S PANTIES...the other day...." said Beverly...

''Sure does...Sounds like he's the go between..."I said.

"But we don't have Lucy touching the photos...We can sue her company, but we can't prove she knows about this..."said Olivia..

"We have em on tape , in bed making love.." said Beverly...

"That just proves...they were having sex....She is his ex-wife.."said Olivia..

"HIS EX-WIFE??? HE NEVER MENTIONED BEING MARRIED...AND ALL THE TIME SHE WORKED THERE...THEY BARELY SAID TWO WORDS TO EACH OTHER OH MY GODDD,I'VE BEEN SUCH A FOOL!" she said.

"Nobody knew...Not Michelle Curry, Not Felicia Salmon, Not Portia Evans...Not even Bridget Jones..."said Olivia..

"Oh My god...Who is he?" asked Brenda Montgomery...

"His name is Richard Roderick Tazzie...He is the child of a white father and an African-American mother...His parents divorced when he was six...He was educated in the Philadelphia School System, Graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore...Got a Masters at Georgetown University...An Art and Design major...Has worked for Victoria's Secret, Agent Provaceteur and several companies..doing fashion design for years...Lived in San-Francisco, Los Angelas ,London and Paris....Was married to Lucille Luckenbill for five years, divorced, no children...Presently lives here in Philadelphia..."I said.

Beverly showed her photos of several of his sketches...

''Recognize these?"she said..

''Yes and I tightened them up..." said Brenda..

"Now look at these...In FANNIE'S PANTIES sale magazine.." said Beverly...

''The exact same design , just altered a little bit...Oh Myyyy..." said Brenda..

''And look...Here is the Holiday Panty and Bra set you two just worked on....FANNIE'S PANTIES already has their version out and for sale..."said Olivia..

"Ours is due in two days...They beat us to it.." said Brenda..

"Because they had the design in advance...So we've set another trap for him...And this is where you come in.." said Olivia..

"Me?? How??" she said.

"Bridget has acquired some new designs from a new designer.. for a surprise spring line...She's going to be announcing this tomorrow in a meeting...She's going to be furious about them having the Christmas Bra and panty set and going to lock these sketches in the safe..."said Olivia..

"That'll keep him from them...Besides Ms. Bridget.. Only I know the combonation..." said Brenda..

''We want you to give him the combonation..." I said.

"What?" she asked.

"That way we can get a photo of him actually making the drop and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt collusion.."said Beverly...

"He lied to you...Betrayed you...This is your way of getting some payback." said Olivia...

She began to cry again....

"I've been such a fool......I'll be your inside girl. But why would he do this? Why would he betray us.." she asked.

"Money.....For one thing...Donnie Ray and I checked his financials and he's been getting almost his entire salary doubled for his troubles.. FANNIE'S PANTIES has doubled it's sales and revenue in a three month span, outpacing Lady Chatterlies Lover and Simply Underwear." said Beverly..

"Lucy Luckenbill is doing it for revenge..She's hated Bridget Jones ..She tried to pull a coup de tat...failing in that, she was fired and she's not only making money at Bridget's expence..She's getting revenge...Rod Tazzie is getting back in her bed...and extra money....It's as simple as that!" I said.

"He's incredible..." said Brenda Montgomery...

She drank the last of her coffee..

"I'm planning to leave my husband...He's a soul killer..He doesn't respect my work..He barely notices me...He makes me feel like I don't matter....In a way..Rod Tazzie was no better...I threw myself at him like a fool...He represented everything...I thought was exciting and good...and fresh, but in the end...He just used me too....I deserve better Ms. Livy...Ms. Bev...I deserve better and I'm going to be alone until I find someone that wants me too!" she said.

"Good For you Brenda...My first husband made me feel the same way...Lucky for me ,I met this mannnn here..Who makes me feel like I hung the moon." she said, hugging me..

Beverly smiled and hugged Nelson..

"You'll find someone Brenda..Someone just for you...Like I did.." she said and hugged Nelson..

(CONCLUSION NEXT)