Scandalous

She put the phone down, lifted the briefcase onto her lap and went through each sheet of paper, but had no luck. "I looked over those papers last night," she muttered. "I was in the study and I had the entire stack on my desk."

Then she flashed back to earlier that morning when Kira and she were in her study. She suddenly remembered the shack of papers that had slid to the floor.

She picked up the phone. "Hey Kael? I think I left them in my study. Actually, I would have forgotten them if you hadn't called. Anyway, just hang tight. I'm going to go back to my study and when I find them, I'll call you right back, ok?"

"Ok Melinda. Thanks. Bye."

"Bye." She clicked off the phone and pulled back into the garage, Then she grabbed her briefcase and went back into the house.

~~~

"Like I told you before, Lexi, it's easy to get someone sprung. A little sex, a little flattery and a hellacious body like mine always works," Kira said as she sipped on a cold glass of orange juice.

She took the glass, wandered out of the kitchen and into the study. "Take Melinda, for example. "Here she is, owner of her own law firm, but she's lonely as hell. Desperate, even!"

"Kira!" Lexi exclaimed. "Don't be mean!"

"Mean? You want to talk about mean? This woman is a barracuda in the courtroom. I've seen it! Melinda's a beast when it comes to work. She's gotten million-dollar legal judgments just like that! But for some reason, she's just so weak and stupid when it comes to relationships. I mean, let her tell it, her last girlfriend did her wrong!"

"And you're not?" Lexi interjected.

"Me? Honey, I'm just enjoying the fruits of my labor," Kira said as she took another sip of the cool liquid. "And I'll have you know that I work for mines. For example, I have to keep this woman satisfied night after night. I have to get deep in it, know what I'm sayin'? And to top it all off? She's not even that great of a lover! In fact, she should be paying me! Hell, I certainly deserve it!"

As she continued chatting, Kira cradled the receiver in the crook of her neck as went back into the kitchen and refilled her glass with more orange juice. "See, Lexi, let me fill you in on how to properly seduce a lonely, desperate, rich woman...," she began as she headed, nude, back upstairs.

As she left, Kira never noticed Melinda standing inside the kitchen at the back doorway.

~~~

"Oh my goodness," Noelle panted as she and Brynn sat on the benches in the women's locker room. Noelle, fresh out of the shower, was wrapped in a soft, white plush towel. "That class was rough!" she said. "Where did you find that guy? What is he, a military operative or something?"

"I found him on the Internet. Excuse me, the Innanet," Brynn laughed. "But you held your own, girlie! I'm proud of you!"

Noelle grinned as she stood up and dropped her towel. Her body was deliciously nude and her skin still gleamed with drops of moisture. Light muscle definition in her arms and legs gave her body a sensuous shape. Her olive skin, teased with just a hint of honey brown, was smooth and blemish-free. Her soft breasts, capped with light-brown nipples, sat high and full on her chest. Her firm legs were long, with slender hips that sloped into delicate thighs and firm calves.

Right after the exercise class, she'd let her hair down and cleansed it underneath the warm spray of the shower. As such, her lengthy tresses now fell, long and dark, in silky, damp waves over her shoulders and down her back.

As Brynn stared, Noelle carefully dried the last bit of moisture off her skin, then applied a light coat of a fragrant coconut oil all over her body. She also sprayed a bit of liquid gold shimmer on her olive skin for an extra Glam effect. Then she reached into her locker and slipped into a skimpy pair of pink panties and a soft-pink, flowy summer dress that skimmed her lean physique.

Brynn whistled at Noelle's incredible body. "I see our exercise classes are paying off. You look amazing!"

Noelle turned around in her direction, then gave a mock curtsey. "Well, my best friend just happens to be an exercise beast. The Marquis de Sade, herself! So, I can't help but be in shape!"

~~~

Melinda silently retrieved her documents from her desk in the study and quietly left through the kitchen and out the back door. As she reflected on what she'd just seen, she sat in the driver's seat of her Mercedes-Benz, scalding-hot tears slipping fast and close down her face.

Sniffling, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed quickly as she leaned over, reached in the glove compartment and pulled out a small package of tissue.

A soft voice answered. "Melinda Buchanan's office, this is her secretary, Theresa. How can I help you?"

"Hi Theresa? It's Melinda," she said as she dabbed her eyes with the tissue.

"Yes, I caught your cell number, Ms. Buchanan. Are you coming in today? I have a few phone calls – "

Put those on hold. I need you to do a few things for me. It's about Kira." Melinda took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. "I think I'm finally letting her go." At the words, Melinda began to weep.

"Hmmph," Theresa said. "And not a moment too soon. You know I never liked that trollop. I can't understand why a woman as sweet as you –"

Melinda chuckled as she dried her eyes. "Hold on, Theresa. Let me finish, because we don't have much time. Turns out, you've been right all along. So, yes, it's time to get even."

She took a deep breath. "But first, remember that...umm...fixer you recommended a while ago? You said he was a good friend of yours?"

"You mean Khalid?" Theresa asked.

"Yes, him. But his name? Khalid? Is he African-American?"

"Actually, his name is Khalid Boutros. He's Egyptian. And his associate is Awan Allam. They work as a team."

Melinda nodded. "Oh, ok. Wow. Anyway, are they still available to help me fix this?"

"First of all, with all due respect, Melinda, don't ever call them 'fixers.' They're 'personal assistants.' Second, I know they're going to take a new job with Will and Jada, but I'll call and see if they can do a special project for you."

Melinda exhaled, finally able to relax. "Do that. And try to get them today. Now, if possible." She dabbed her eyes again with the tissue, then settled herself. "Anyway, here's what I want you to do about Kira..."

~~~

"So how's your latest collection coming along?" Brynn asked as she cut into a thick stack of rich, buttermilk pancakes. "Are you making any headway on getting more paintings done?"

The ladies were seated comfortably at the Pink Rose Café, a trendy eatery right on Collins Avenue in South Beach.

Having chosen a healthier, fresh fruit plate, Noelle bit into a juicy, ripe strawberry. "Yes, I am. It's going well. Very well. Actually, I'm painting up a storm! I'm making a lot of progress on my new series about the Four Elements. I just finished the Fire collection and I'm sketching ideas for Water. I'm telling you, Brynn, this series going to be fantastic! My best work yet! I'm serious, I'm finally going to be a successful artist, I just know it!"

"Sounds great," Brynn said as she gained even more momentum on the delicious pancakes.

Noelle smiled. "Actually, I'm painting now more than ever, thanks to that fantastic loft and warehouse your dad just found for me." She shook her head. "I still can't believe y'all found me such a cool space in right in Miami Beach. Miami Beach! And it overlooks the Biscayne Bay! I get a great view of the water and an awesome view of the neon lights of Miami!"

Brynn stuffed yet another heaping forkful of pancakes in her mouth and chewed quickly. "Yeah, it's a great view. So you've been there a couple of weeks now. You really dig the place so far?" she asked over the food.

"I love it!" Noelle exclaimed. "I love that I'm on the top floor of a three-story warehouse. And I love that I have the building all to myself. Now, you haven't really seen the place since I moved in, have you?"

Brynn shook her head. "I keep meaning to come through, but I've been crazy busy at the office."

"Well, I use the bottom floor to display all of my work. And I just may turn it into my official showroom. I use second the floor to store all of my art supplies and other stuff, and I live on the third floor."

Noelle paused to take a sip of her still-warm caramel-flavored cappuccino. "And I really love how your dad arranged all those renovations," she continued. "First, I love that the interior is entirely made of brick with those pretty cherry wood accents. And the wood is polished so beautifully and the brick was laid so well! And each floor's got tons of huge, floor-to-ceiling windows where all of the sunlight comes in. And the view is sensational! The water is absolutely beautiful from first thing in the morning, to late at night. Then, in my loft, in the main room itself? I've got all of that open space! I set up my easel in the middle and put my couch and my other living room furniture on one side, and my dining room set off to the other.

Noelle was talking so fast, that she had to take a breath. "And the kitchen?" she continued, "Fabulous! I love that dark blue granite on the countertops! And the ocean-blue tiled backspash? Beautiful! And I can't believe y'all got that Wolf oven and the Sub Zero fridge!"

Brynn just smiled.

"And the bathrooms are incredible! And thanks for the whirlpool tub in the master bedroom. And those bedrooms?" Noelle swooned. "They're huge! I use one for myself and I turned the other one into my office." She took a bite of a ripe piece of melon. "I swear, Brynn, I absolutely love it!"

"Great. Glad you like it. But you know...that open space? It's be good for some bondage training," Brynn winked as she kept eating with a fast pace. "You could handcuff some lovely lady to the radiator next to one of those open windows..."

Noelle blushed. "Brynn!"

"Well, hey. You need a little spice in your life! And you could use some whips and chains too!"

Noelle shook her head. "Bondage? Whips and chains? No way. That's too much."

Brynn shrugged. "Alright. Stay in your boring, vanilla life." Having scarfed down her pancakes in record time, she set her fork down and leaned back from the table.

Though Brynn and Noelle were both twenty-six, Brynn was still a true sk8ter girl. Enjoying a well-deserved day off from working in her parent's commercial real estate office, she was dressed casually in a collection of layered tank tops, a tight pair of low-rider jeans and graffiti-embellished sneakers.

The scant material of her tank tops revealed much of her pecan-brown skin, which sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. Brynn shook out her shaggy, shoulder-length, razor-edged tresses, then took a cool drink of her glass of ice water. "Anyway, I'm glad you like your new place."

"I love it. But really. Thanks for hooking me up. I really appreciate it. My own place was so cramped. I barely had room to live, let alone paint."

"Well, hey," Brynn smiled, "I've been offering you that place for months! 'Cause on the real? You needed to get out of that broom closet you called an apartment. Plus, what good's my dad being a commercial real estate developer, if I can't hook my friends up, right?"

"You always were the lucky one," Noelle said wistfully. "Your family's so rich and you always had so much. And I really did need a bigger place, but I never, ever wanted to take advantage of you."

"You're my friend, hon," Brynn said as she reached out and put her hand on Noelle's. "What's mine, is yours. You know that! We've been friends way too long for me not to help you when you need it."

Brynn took a big gulp of her orange juice. "Anyway, talking about lucky breaks? You're the beautiful one," she said. "I checked you out in the gym today. You're absolutely gorgeous! Your skin? Your hair? Your body? All very hot! And no one I know looks quite like you. No one!"

"Well, you're the rich one," Noelle answered as she motioned toward Brynn's sleek leather backpack sitting on the chair next to her. "No one I know...well...spends like you! No one!"

The two friends laughed. "Actually I just went on a shopping spree last week, so you got that right," Brynn replied as she stroked the backpack's supple black leather. "You got that right!"

~~~

"Come on, Lexi. Let's go."

Kira cradled the expensive garments in her hand as she headed toward the cashier. Since leaving Melinda's home earlier, she took the Porsche, picked up Lexi and they were now at the Village of Merrick Park, an upscale collection of stores in Coral Gables, in Kira's favorite high-end dress shop. Between the two of them, they'd spent the better part of the morning in and out of the fitting rooms.

Lexi panted as she struggled to keep up. "Damn, Kira. Wait!" She shifted the collection of gowns in her own hands as she tagged behind Kira's swiftly moving frame."

"Anything else, ladies?" the saleswoman smirked as she took in the mounds of expensive outfits in their arms.

"Yes," Kira snapped. "Don't forget the clothes we have back behind the counter. The ones we chose forty-five minutes ago."

"Yes, Ma'am." The saleswoman painted on a plastic smile as she retrieved the second set of items hanging on the back clothing rack.

Kira turned to Lexi as the saleswoman began ringing up the order. "See, Lexi," Kira began, "when you have a generous girlfriend, you won't have to work either. You won't have to slave behind a counter tallying up someone else's bill."

The saleswoman cut her eyes at Kira, but kept silent as she continued scanning the exorbitant price tags.

"Kira, you could be nicer," Lexi warned.

Kira just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Ok, Ma'am," the saleswoman said. "That'll be $7,809.16, please."

Kira didn't even blink as she whipped out the black American Express card and thrust it at her. She didn't hesitate to wriggle her fingers, showing off Melinda's ring. "Here you go, sweetie. And I was going to add in a tip, but I really think you need to work on your attitude first."

"Kira!" Lexi exclaimed "Damn!"

The saleswoman slid the card through the reader, then she frowned. She slid it through again.

Kira was oblivious as she turned back to her friend. "Listen, Lexi. I reward good service. I just don't have time for smart-alecky salespeople. They should know by now –"

"Umm...Ma'am?" the saleswoman interrupted. "This card doesn't seem to be working. Let me call it in."

Kira turned back to the saleswoman on the phone. "Excuse me?"

The saleswoman held up her hand as she picked up the phone and dialed. After a brief conversation, she hung up. "Ma'am? This card has been cancelled. Do you have another card?"

Kira flushed scarlet red. "Another card? I don't understand."

"According to American Express, Ms. Buchanan cancelled that account this morning. So, again, do you have another card?"

"Hold on. I'm calling her now." Kira fished her cell phone out of her purse and jabbed at the buttons.

A soft voice answered on the first ring. "Hello. Melinda Buchanan's office. This is Theresa. How can I –"

"Hello? I need to speak to Melinda! Now!"

"Who's calling?

"You know this is me, Theresa. Put her on the phone now!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Merrick Park," Kira snapped. "The mall in Coral Gables."

"Which store?"

"I'm in Cassandra Etienne's Boutique."

"Where are you parked?"

Kira's blood began to boil. "Just get Melinda on the phone!"

"Where are you parked?" Theresa repeated, her voice calm and even.

"At the valet, of course."

"Ok. Anyway, Melinda has a message for you. She wants you to just stay put, but just meet her at the valet booth. She's on her way."

"Fine!" Kira clicked off the phone in a huff. However, all the breath went out of her as she turned back toward the clerk.

The saleswoman stood there with a delightful smirk on her face. "Again, Ma'am," she clipped, "that'll be $7,809.16. Do you have another card?"

~~~

At the restaurant, Noelle was finishing up the last of her fruit plate when Brynn cleared her throat.

"We're still on for lunch tomorrow, right? At the Italian Rose?" Brynn asked, running her hand through her hair, the tousled layers slipping through her fingers.

Noelle nodded. "Right."

"Good. And by the way, Noelle, I need your car today."

"You need the Honda?" Noelle gasped. "Are you slumming?"

"No, you hussy. I need to switch cars," Brynn chuckled. "You know that cute stewardess I told you about a few days ago? We're having our first lunch date today and I think that a Lamborghini is just too conspicuous for a first meeting, you know?"

"Well, that's your fault for being so rich," Noelle teased.

Brynn laughed. "Wait till I tell that to my dad. He'd love hearing that his lifelong work as Miami's premiere African-American real estate developer led to his daughter's moral demise."

Noelle almost spit out her drink from laughing. "Riiight. Tell that to your dad. I dare you."

Laughing, Brynn reached into her purse. "Also, I need another favor."

Noelle bowed her head in mock reverence. "Yes, Mistress?"

Brynn stuck out her tongue as she handed Noelle a tiny receipt. "But seriously, I need you to go to Coral Gables. The Village of Merrick Park. You know that mall, right?"

Noelle nodded as she took the slip of paper. "The open-air one, right?"

"Right. Go to the Jimmy Choo store and pick up a gift for my mom. I'm going to call ahead and tell them you're coming. You're picking up two pairs of shoes and they're already paid for. Just take this receipt and they'll give 'em to you. I'd go myself, but I've got that lunch date. I want to give Mom the shoes tonight."

"Sure," Noelle said. "Just take the jet-black Lamborghini and go to the Jimmy Choo store and pick up two pairs of insanely expensive shoes. Anything else you need? Want me to stop by the bank, hit the safe deposit box and pick up a wad of cash while I'm out? Or take the private jet to Paris and pick up a late supper?" Noelle said as she dissolved into a pool of giggles.

Noelle had been teasing Brynn about her wealth ever since they were twelve. That was the year Brynn's parents really benefited from Miami's booming commercial real estate market. Once the money started flowing in, the family moved into a sprawling estate in Bal Harbor and shuttled their three kids off to boarding school.

Brynn always returned the favor by teasing Noelle about being such a striking, natural beauty. "You're such a smartass," Brynn quipped as she reached for the bill. "Don't you have a Top Model photo shoot with Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel or something?"

The girls laughed as they silently reaffirmed that no matter the wealth or the beauty between them, their deep friendship always took top priority.

~~~

Melinda Buchanan's gleaming metallic ruby-red Porsche Boxter sat majestically in the sparkling Miami sun. However, its heated interior kept Kira outside. She sat on the bench in front of the valet station for a full thirty minutes, angrily twirling the keys in her hand.

Lexi, sitting next to her, just kept quiet.

The tall, dark-complexioned male valet attendant, who'd brought the car out, just stared at the twosome, shaking his head. The loud, boisterous woman asked him to bring the Porsche around, but so far neither woman got in the car. The loud woman just sat on the bench fuming, while the quieter woman sat silently. The valet attendant went back to work as Kira and Lexi waited expectantly.

Suddenly, in an instant, a dark blue sedan pulled into the valet lane. Two husky men, both in dark blue suits and dark sunglasses, nearly took up the entire front cabin of the car.

The car stopped in front of the women and one of the men climbed out of the passenger's side. As Kira stared, the dark olive gentleman, still in his sunglasses, stood to a full 6'5" in height. Towering in the hot sun, he walked directly to Kira.