The Devil in Apartment 13 Read online

  “Hey, Liz, can you cover for me for, like, five minutes? Need to make a quick call.”

  “You got it!” her friend hollered out, holding two wine glasses in each hand by the stem.

  “Thanks!” Vivian grabbed her black and red striped purse from beneath a cabinet at the bar, made her way through the unrelenting crowd, then gasped for air when she made it out the front door, surrounded by clouds of smoke. The faint scent of marijuana married that of grilling street meats and the odor of cigarettes. Cars honking, buses, cabs, Lyfts and Ubers whizzing by made her yearn for a quiet she’d never receive. Leaning against the wall of the tavern, she dialed her former roommate, Shante, placing one hand over her ear to create a buffer from the noisy hustle and bustle around her.

  “What?” Barked the bitch, smacking her gum loudly.

  “Look, I’m calling because—”

  “I’m workin.’ You know I’m at the store.” The woman worked part time at Rainbow clothing store. “Why tha hell are you callin’ me, Vivian?”

  “I’m working, too, but seeing as how they close at nine, I find it hard to believe that you are at your job right now!”

  “So now you callin’ me a liar? You know what?! It ain’t even any of your business where the fuck I am!”

  “I didn’t ask you where the hell you were. You brought it up. I couldn’t care less if you were drowning in a can of paint, as long as you could give me my money! This is what I get for agreeing to split rent with a twenty-three-year-old immature idiot. My bleeding heart days are over.”

  “You maaad? You’re old, ain’t got no man and—”

  “I’m thirty-two and damn proud of it. I still had more sense than you in my baby finger at your age. Listen, I don’t have time for this shit. I need the money you owe me, Shante, and you can lose the attitude. You told me to call you this evening!”

  “Well, I ain’t got it.”

  “When will you have it, Shante? I’ve moved out, but I told you that you could have my food that was left in the refrigerator. That’s at least forty dollars’ worth of groceries.”

  “You act like it was lobster and steak or some shit! It was some fuckin’ almond milk, cheddar cheese, raisin bread… all that weird shit you eat.”

  “It’s more than you had and funny how you’ve been gobbling it down. Last I checked, you didn’t even have a gumball, you ungrateful little—” Vivian stopped herself and pressed her fingers against her forehead as she closed her eyes. “Look, I honestly don’t want to argue with you. It’s been a long day. Let’s work out a payment plan like I said, okay? At this point, even only twenty or thirty bucks a week is better than nothing. I had paid up everything so I could leave and let you stay in the apartment for the remainder of the month. It’s not like—”

  “But I still gotta get money for a deposit somewhere else ’cause you just up and left! You left me in a bad position, Vivian, so don’t be tryna rush me now. You’ll get the back due rent money when you get it!”

  “The lease was over, Shante. I had the legal right to move out. We’ve been over this a million times and I couldn’t carry your load and mine anymore. You think I was going to sign up for another year of taking care of a grown woman? What do you think I am? Rich?! We were all paying $800 a piece, and you barely brought $300 these last few months. How unfair. I’ve pretty much exhausted my savings because of you. Don’t try to blame me for this! I need that money, and I need it right away.”

  “I need some shit too… and?! I can’t give you what I don’t have.”

  “I don’t believe that. You’d rather go on shopping sprees, out to five-star restaurants, and add to your collection of sneakers and snapbacks than be responsible.”

  “You know what? Maybe if you got some dick, you wouldn’t be houndin’ me… lame ass! You need a man, a girl, something! You ain’t even got an ugly ass cat to cuddle up with. I tried to hook you up with my friend Cedric but you even turned that down.”

  “Cedric? The twenty-five-year-old high school dropout who sells pills, bathes himself in aftershave and makes up terrible rap songs while beating on a coffee table, then labels himself a record producer?” Vivian could’ve sworn she heard the girl chuckle.

  “You probably did him a favor in retrospect. That’s when I thought you was still cool. Let me give you some advice. Loosen up, Viv. All you did was nag, nag, nag! You’re not my mother. Leave me the hell alone and stop callin’ me, all right? When I get it, you’ll get it. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Look, Shante, this is it. I gave you one more chance and you blew it. If you don’t pay me back soon I will be forced to take this matter to court. I’m not going to keep trying to reach an agreement with you anymore or make this work. You’ve gone too far and I’m done trying to reason with you. It’ll be a legal matter now.”

  “Take me to court then, bitch, and make sure it is one of those television judges so I can get me some airtime. Maybe find me a new, rich honey.”

  “I hope you find one, too, because then maybe I could get my damn money back!”

  “Well, I hope someone tosses their drink in yo’ funny lookin’ face tonight. How ’bout that? It’ll be the wettest you’ve ever gotten in years!” And then the phone went dead. Seething, Vivian made her way back into the bar. Moments later, she forced a smile as she slid her purse back in the cabinet, washed her hands, and snatched a bunch of drink orders off the counter. Going through the motions, she made small talk and coddled a crying woman and her friend, heartbroken over a guy who more than likely wasn’t worth the time of day. Regardless, she patted the lady’s shoulder as the tears rolled and her lip quivered, and served her a glass of merlot. Elizabeth zipped past her with spunk and enthusiasm, humming to the music.

  Sometimes I wish I had her life…

  Elizabeth didn’t have a pot to piss in, but was carefree and dare she admit it… happy. Her friend had an amazing fiancé who made her laugh and worked in marketing, doting parents who lived upstate, and a twin brother now residing in Alaska who she told the most exciting stories about. She, on the other hand, had an ailing, sarcastic sister, an ex-boyfriend she detested, hits to her credit score thanks to her roommate, and bills up the wazoo.

  Well, Elizabeth’s life hasn’t been exactly peaches and cream a hundred percent of the time… I mean, whose life is? She still seems to have it so much easier than many though. If I could be as happy as she is, even when the chips are down, I’d have it made. I wish things were different… better…

  Vivian was shaken out of her thoughts of envy when the strong scent of bourbon, rich cologne, and pure masculinity assaulted her senses. She couldn’t help but look where other women’s eyes roved. About thirty feet away, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. There, practically floating towards her, was a tall, broad shouldered man with lustrous jet black hair. He stood too far for that scent to carry to her, but where else could it have come from? She hadn’t picked it up until he’d walked through the door.

  The man sported a sexy, lopsided smirk. His low-cut black beard and mustache matched his hair that was long and wavy, the top combed away from his face to expose a tanned face and chiseled features. He sported a black suit jacket, matching pants, white and black striped tie over a white shirt that appeared to have a slight sheen.

  Hmm… expensive suit. Nice.

  As he drew closer, she ran her fingertips along her collarbone, caressing her flesh. It seemed to get suddenly warm, as if an invisible fire had sparked right at her feet. The man appeared to glow as if dipped in gold and dredged through pearl particles and diamond dust. It was the damnedest thing!

  “Oh…my…God…” Elizabeth’s voice was loud and clear behind her despite the boisterous noise of the patrons and music. “Never seen him before. I would definitely remember. Wow!”

  “Me too…”

  Women surrounded him like bees to honey as he stood at the bar, not a free seat in sight. And then, his eyes landed upon her… and her soul looped, flipped, and beat against her gut
.

  His suave smile faded, while his copper eyes widened. Vivian swallowed, looked away, and grabbed a dish towel to polish up a few beer mugs. Busy work was the trick. Meanwhile, her heart tossed itself alongside her ribs, beating hard and fast like drumsticks against a barrel before a grand reveal. She swallowed a bout of laughter, feeling silly for having such a carnal reaction to a man.

  It’s just a man, geesh. A nice looking man… a VERY nice looking man. Stop playing. That motherfucker is fine! Her lips curled as she tapped her foot to the beat of the music. Well, it’s been a long time. He’s fun to look at if nothing else. She cut herself some slack and got back down to business, letting one of the other bartenders give her an order to fill. Mojito. Easy.

  “Viv! Yo, Vivian!” She spun around at her name being called, finding Caleb with a silly grin on his face. “He, uh, has a special request. He wants you to wait on him.” Before she could utter a response, Caleb sauntered off, a gleam in his dark brown eyes as if he knew a secret. Her tall, handsome, milk chocolate co-worker winked at her before making his way to the other side of the counter where plentiful customers were drinking and laughing their cares away. She placed the beer mugs and towel down, cleared her throat, and made her way over to the stranger dressed like a million bucks.

  “Hey, what can I get ya?” She tilted her head to the side, batted her lashes, and prayed that the man was a damn good tipper. Oh, and not the creepy, pervert kind. She’d had her share of those lately, too.

  “Let me get a Bloody Bull.”

  She arched her brow and nodded in surprise.

  “I don’t get requests for those too often! All right,” she said, ready for the challenge. “One Bloody Bull coming right up.” She grabbed the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, vodka, lemon, and beef bouillon. A few minutes later, she presented the drink, hopeful that it would meet his expectations. After all, big tips meant less stress—more money would pay the bills all the faster. Clasping her hands, she waited. The man picked up the glass with his right hand. He turned it to and fro, giving it a discriminatory glance. As he studied it, she noted his accessories. Two substantial rings, one covered in diamonds. They looked heavy. And lavish. Real lavish. Slowly bringing the glass to his lips, he took the stingiest of sips. And then another.

  His full, supple lips curled and he exposed teeth so white, they reminded her of snowcaps atop a mountain. Almost blinding.

  That has to be thousands of dollars of dental work. Lord.

  “Perfect.” He chuckled, then set it down onto the bar counter. At that moment, something struck her. The place was packed; there had been no bar counter sitting room but when she’d finished making his drink, the crowd of women that had seemed to have fallen instantly in love with him were gone within a blink of an eye. “Yeah, this is nice. You made it well.”

  “Well, thank you.” She offered a half grin, trying to push aside her confusion. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  Stroking the sides of his glass with well-manicured fingers, his irreverent gaze showering upon it. When he raised his regard back to her, a chill ran down her spine. Below thick black brows were light brown eyes with a hint of green and gold that pierced her very soul. She leaned in a bit closer and noticed his pupils didn’t appear to have the typical round shape, but were more like hexagons. Contact lenses, perhaps?

  “When was the last time someone asked, ‘Is there something I can get you?’”

  She smiled at his words and leaned closer.

  “It’s been a while. However, you’re a paying customer so it is my job to make sure you have the type of drink you want and—”

  “No.” He waved his hand lazily about. “Right now, your job is to tell me a little about yourself. What’s your name, Beautiful?”

  “Vivian.”

  “Vivian, nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet me too. I mean, nice to meet you too. I’m tired, sorry!” She shook her head and laughed.

  He chuckled real slow and easy like, then took another taste of his drink.

  “My name is Shahzad Haidar.”

  She detected a slight accent but couldn’t quite make it out. Haidar? Muslim? I thought they didn’t drink alcohol? She pushed the thoughts aside.

  “Are you from here? New York?”

  “I’ve been here for many, many years… too many to count. However, I was born in Morocco.”

  “Oh, nice. I’ve always wanted to visit there. Egypt, too.”

  He sucked his teeth and grimaced.

  “Vivian, Egypt is overrated.” They had a good laugh at that. “What’s not overrated is how magnificent you are… Striking.” Her smile slowly faded. “I saw you as soon as I came inside. What a lovely lady you are. Breathtaking, really.” He wasn’t smiling. The intensity in his expression left her panting.

  “Uh, thank you. Okay.” She shrugged, taken aback.

  “No, not okay…” He blinked slowly. His long, dark lashes must certainly be the envy of the girly girls around town. “You don’t take compliments well, do you?” He leaned back and clasped his hands.

  “I do actually. It’s just that, well, I’m sweaty, exhausted, and your words surprised me in my current condition.”

  “Being tired and sweaty doesn’t erase your natural beauty. In fact, it may enhance it, depending on how one looks at it.” His eyes hooded and his words dripped with sexual innuendo. Her pussy pulsed at the subtle and borderline seedy way he was looking at her. “So, how’s life going?”

  “Do you want the canned answer of, ‘Fine’? Or the real response?” she half-joked as she reached down and grabbed a bottle of wine.

  “An authentic reply is what I’m after.”

  “Okay then. Crappy. Things are a hot, sizzling mess, but I’m surviving. I will figure it out.” She tossed on a watered-down grin – a consolation prize to herself.

  “Having a shitty day, shitty week, shitty month?”

  “Try a shitty year.” She opened the bottle of wine and handed it to Elizabeth.

  “What happened to you?” He took a taste of his drink, his eyes never leaving her.

  “Hey, I’m the bartender, not you. You’re supposed to spill the beans, pour all of your problems out to a listening ear, and I get to be the back-alley therapist. This is in reverse. You’re doing it all wrong.”

  She elicited a smile from him.

  “I like to go against the grain… break the mold… not do as I’m told. So, again, lovely Vivian, I ask you what happened to make your year so shitty?”

  “Well, since you inquired, I am now going to unleash on a total stranger. Remember, you asked for it!” She chuckled.

  “Indeed I did. Tell me.”

  “Where shall I begin?” she asked with a huff. “Well, for starters, my ex-boyfriend is a cheater. Got rid of him about eight months back. Guess who he cheated with? My cousin! They’ve moved in together. Lovely.”

  “Shit… yeah, that’s rough.” He winked at her. It was the oddest thing. Seemed rather out of place. Maybe she was seeing things?

  “Yeah… and well, then I had to move away from a roommate straight from Hell. She constantly had people over and my stuff was getting stolen. I think she stole some things of mine too, though I can’t prove it.” She grimaced. “She would play loud music all day while I was trying to sleep and prepare for work. I mean, she’s a kid, well, a young adult, and she seemed so nice at first but nothing could’ve been further from the truth. The main thing though was that she wasn’t paying her share of the rent and utilities on a consistent basis.”

  “I take it she left you in a bit of a financial bind?”

  “She owes me quite a bit of money but it looks like I will have to take her to court to get it. My mother fought cancer and won, but now she’s been diagnosed with heart disease. My sister lost her job and is considering moving out of state since she’s having trouble finding another one that paid as well in her field. If she leaves, that means I’d lose my best friend. Lastly, I am now living in Hell itsel
f. I just moved into an apartment that I thought would be a fresh start. Come to find out, it’s filthy but overpriced just because it’s in Manhattan and the manager is super sleazy. So there you have it. A run-down of the past year up until the present. Nice, huh?” She giggled, convinced she may be going crazy. Nervous breakdown, 2.0 scheduled for lift off.

  “You can’t seem to catch a break. That’s unfair, isn’t it? Sounds like you need a miracle.”

  “I need about a hundred miracles. This apartment situation was the final straw.”

  “Where’s it at?”

  She hesitated on answering him despite how damn gorgeous he was; he was still an outsider. Besides, for all she knew he could be a serial killer or some looney toon. No rule books stated the criminally deranged were all homely-looking, humpbacked, covered in lesions or missing several front teeth. There were plenty of weirdos around and certainly some of them would be above average in the looks department.

  “Over in Inwood…”

  “Right on the tail end of Manhattan…”

  She could see he was waiting for more. Perhaps a street name, something of that nature, but instead she changed the topic. “I know there are others in this world doing way worse than me,” she shrugged, “so I try to not complain too much. Complaining never seems to solve the damn problem. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I protest, but I’m grateful for what I do have, and I usually don’t bitch and moan to complete strangers… not my style. Sorry. I probably took it too far.”

  “No, I wanted to hear it. I wanted to know about what your life is offering you right now. That’s why I asked.” She grabbed a cloth and polished the bar top with it, swallowing a smile. Not only was he incredible eye candy and smelled like heaven, she also loved his swag, his demeanor. But there was something dark about him, as if right behind those sparkling, perfect teeth and bright eyes was a mischievous bastard waiting to strike.