"SHIT!" I sat up in bed with a start looking around the darkened bedroom drenched in sweat. My phone was blinking with a few messages.
"Figures." More than a few were from Takisha presently still dating my cousin Jaquan thinking she was sticking it to me.
The loon was unaware that we'd hashed things out beforehand when she attempted to employ a bit of proxy violence to get revenge on me after getting her ass handed to her in public. I just deleted them noticing some from Rashida which peeked my curiosity in that they were links. I swung my feet over the edge of Charity's former bed switching on my flat screen television mounted on the opposing wall.
"Alright I know its fucked up before I even look." I used my phone casting the video onto the screen finding the Sly & Sydney Morning Show already in progress.
Things looked visually intense with Sly and Ken the Comedian sitting on one side of the studio while Sydney sat on the opposite side glaring at them. She was dressed business casual in a burgundy glossy blouse and a brown knee length skirt that clung to her curves. It was odd positioning as she sat facing the camera half facing away from the men with one leg folded over the other. Some badass calve length heeled boots covered her legs and feet.
"Syd, we good right?" Ken asked sort of hunched over his side of the desk looking concerned.
"Why do you keep asking me that shit; shouldn't you know? I really don't appreciate being bum rushed by the two people I trusted most in life. What, are ratings that low that we need my panties out for public consumption?"
"Naw Sydney Syd, we trying to get up in front of things here cause you already sent out a cease and desist letter, Fed-Ex girl. You coming hard on the fellas down stairs before we even have a chance to hash this stuff out. Ain't nobody against you Syd; we trying to understand what's going on round here. People talking about you getting your back blown out downstairs in the studio. Da' Doobies claiming they got receipts and everything."
"Well why don't you interview them nigga?" Sly and Ken did a doubletake. Her regular partner since the show's inception looked strained, noticeably out of himself.
"Sydney we want the unedited interview played on the show to clear things up."
Sly interjected, his words sounding measured.
"Yeah, if it's like you say it is, we'll help you spit roast all those motherfuckers. Just play the unedited audio."
"No."
"So, you're admitting that it's true?" Sly interjected again.
"I said no."
"To which question?"
"Both." She was wearing a pair of shades staring impassively at his face while he reacted visually looking downward.
"This is not just about you Syd; don't you understand that?"
"I understand that we've been doing this job for a very long time and I thought you had my back. You know, ride, or die on all this bullshit and uh, Ken too. You niggas telling me that you believe some little punk ass wannabe drill rappers over me, right? Did it ever occur to you they might want my spot in the afternoon, huh? Or maybe they wanna be up in here kicking it with you and take your shit over? Yeah you believe Myron who unless I'm mistaken got these hands when he put his on my ass last year at the Christmas bash, right?"
Both men looked at one another then back at Sydney.
"If you're not gonna shut it down, then I will Syd." Sly sounded grievously solemn while Ken looked down at the desk in front of him shuffling some papers.
"What're you talking about?"
"You know you're on a shared plan; I called our provider." Sly produced his phone placing it in front of her.
There was an immediate change in her expression as her eyebrows raised over her shades, then her brow furrowed.
"Listen to me Charles; if you play that recording on this show there will be consequences."
"Syd." Ken tried to intervene verbally.
"Shut the fuck up Ken, you don't have legal papers on me; you didn't take vows like Charles did and promise we'd carve out a new phase of my career when I gave up the business to come to this show. Those dusty niggas downstairs are trying to ruin everything Charles; is that what you want, huh? Play that shit if you don't give a fuck."
"I won't Sydney Wilson."
"Good idea, Charles "Sly" Wilson." She responded coldly.
"I can't do it, but Ken can Syd."
He slid his phone in front of his best friend folding his arms afterwards tucking his chin. Ken picked up the phone in both hands staring wide eyed across the room at Sydney. Her mouth was hanging open in disbelief before she gritted her teeth in rage.
"KEN YOU BET NOT PLAY THAT...!!" It was too late as he activated the recording right under his mounted microphone.
"Negging again?"
"You're welcome to your opinion Sydney; did I answer all of your questions ma'am?"
"Everything except one."
"That being?"
"Are you holding?"
"There's only one way you're going to find out Sydney." Our chairs were heard audibly squeaking cutting up the quality of the audio.
"Are we done here Sydney?"
"Two fingers, huh?"
The unedited audio was damming as Sly and Sydney sat facing one another while Ken looked completely out of character, embarrassed. It only took a few seconds but the audience could hear our tryst and the incessant pounding as I fucked her manically while she screamed loudly referring to me as a King, for all of a few seconds. Ken cut it off when it became apparent she was getting rag dolled and fucked to the extreme.
I sprouted wood. She sat there silently staring a hole in Ken's face for a few moments, then looked Sly dead in the face.
"Happy now?" She asked voice cracking as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.
"No."
Sydney suddenly shot up into a standing position knocking the chair down as she walked out slinging her purse. Her movements were so forceful the chair was flung into the wall behind it.
The screen abruptly cut to a screen saver ironically featuring Sly, Sydney and Ken all hugged up touting "Family" under their logo. The rest of the show on social media was presented in this manner with continuous musical selections starting with "All I Do" played in a loop for three repetitions. I perused the internet already finding a deluge of amateur videos covering the show with a lot of them dragging me sight unseen.
"Aw man, I'm fucked if they find out who I am." I started to dial up Rashida but stopped not wanting a finger wagged in my face.
I got up getting a cup of joe forgoing the usual pound of cream and sugar taking it black as I started mentally working out the red tape of keeping my identity a secret. There was no doubt Rashida would be offended if I shoved a NDA in her face and it would probably damage our friendship a little as well.
Additionally there was nothing stopping Takisha from dropping my cousin's address online because she thought I lived there. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up as I took a shower and cleaned up for work.
I was so rattled, I ended up hopping a train downtown to work earlier than usual eschewing use of the basic car provided by Mr. Gilbert. Parking downtown was decidedly way more expensive than I was willing to pay on a continual basis and sometimes I just need the proximity of other people as I used the elevated trains to travel about the city. I just liked blending into the city being a nondescript face in the crowd.
I picked up a pastry and a cup of orange juice from a liquor store after getting off at my stop walking to my campus job with the intent of catching a brief nap to make up for the time I spent watching my reputation sight unseen go up in smoke again. I caught my foot on an uneven portion of the sidewalk dropping my cup of juice just as I was about to sip, then stood there looking at it entranced.
"Story of my life; get something good then the unexpected happens." I glanced at the pastry in my hand. Before I could take a bite, a fly flitted onto it. I tossed it too breathing heavily pondering the rest of my day.
"Well, nothing can stop me from closing my eyes for a minute."