Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [67]
“Yes, but I only take select clients. Ava only deals with the best.”
“Did I thank you for the little care package?” I asked as I pulled a sesame seed breadstick from the basket and took a small bite.
“Honey, that’s only the beginning.” Ava smiled. “And yes, you did.”
“So you must really hate Basil,” I said.
“Hate is such a harsh word. Let’s just say nobody fucks with Madame Ava’s family and just walks away without scars. I have always been one of those girls who’d put my gym shorts on under my dress, Vaseline my face and go kick ass. Despite how glamorous I am now, that young girl is still a part of me. And she makes sure nobody messes with Mommy,” Ava said as she took a sip of water.
“I hear ya. I know about that inner-child shit. So how do you know LaVonya?”
“LaVonya is one of those people I call ‘air-kiss girlfriends.’ You know, we give each other kisses when we see each other, but we don’t really have long conversations unless we need something. She uses me, and I use her. Sounds like a marriage, doesn’t it, Bart?”
“I guess so.” I had never heard anybody talk about LaVonya this way. Most folks were scared to rub LaVonya the wrong way. I guess Madame Ava wasn’t most folks.
“So tell me, how did you meet Basil?”
Just as I was getting ready to tell Ava my version of our meeting, the waiter came over with his pad in hand. “What would you like to have?”
Ava glanced at the menu and said, “I’ll start with a nice green salad with oil and vinegar, and I’ll have the the slow-baked salmon.”
“And what can I get for you, sir?”
“For starters, the smoked salmon on scallion pancake, and the New York strip, medium well. I like it pink,” I said, thinking how wonderful it was to have someone wait on me for a change.
After the waiter left, Ava asked me again about Basil.
“I don’t know how much I should say, since my case is still pending. Let’s just say I made it hard for him to resist the generous charms and gifts from my gene pool,” I said.
“Are your parents alive?”
“I don’t talk about my parents,” I snapped. Why would she ask such a thing? I wondered what she was getting at.
Ava touched my hand gently and said, “Touchy … touchy. That’s okay, darling. I don’t talk about mine either. You can pick your nose, but not your family. I just want to make sure I’m not dealing with some psycho like Basil. I should send you a copy of the report I had run on him when he was trying to marry my dau—oh, I mean sister.”
“What kind of report?”
“I hired a private investigator who tracked down all kinds of juicy information on him. Honey, that PI even got his shrink to talk!” Ava said, smiling like a woman proud of what she’d done.
“Damn, you don’t play. I got to make sure I don’t cross you,” I said.
I took a sip of my water as Ava smiled and said, “A very wise choice, Bart. I think we’ll get along fine. So tell me, is Bart really that good in bed?”
For a moment I said nothing, and when Ava remained silent I finally said, “He’ll never hear complaints from me,” as a smile crossed my lips at the memory of Basil’s body covering mine like a canvas.
The champagne was served, and Ava toasted me by saying, “Here’s to new friends and sweet revenge.”
“Cheers,” I said as our champagne flutes clinked with the tone of a sinister symphony about to start.
• • •
After I got the money from Ava, I quit my waiter job at the Viceroy and spent my first day as a man of leisure on my new sofa flipping between Judge Judy and Oprah. When the phone rang, I picked it up and said, “Speak.” I was feeling my B-boy genes.
“Bart Dunbar, please.”
“This is Bart.”
“I have Gail Dennis. Please hold on.”
I put the television on mute, and a few seconds later Gail came on the phone.
“I have some good news,” she said.
“I’m listening.”
“Mr. Henderson’s lawyers have made an offer.”
“That was quick,” I said.
“Yes, I guess they want to wrap this up as quickly as possible. Do you want to know what they offered?” Gail said. Her voice sounded like it was bursting with excitement.
“How much I am getting?”
“They’ve offered twenty-five thousand dollars, which