The Demise of Alexis Vancamp

Kisses!

Prologue

I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing as the police asked me to give an account of what happened. Every time I attempted to explain what unfolded in my living room, I would break down again due to the trauma. The male police officer stared at me impatiently. I wiped my face and my runny nose. I’m trying my best, Officer. I’m so sorry.

He huffed out an impatient breath.

His partner, a petite white female, gave me a gentle look. Sweetie. Take a deep breath.

I did as she said, inhaling deeply.

Now let it out slowly.

I complied.

Continue that as long as you need to so you calm down, because you certainly can’t tell us what happened being upset the way you are. There is a dead body in the room so we know that has to be hard for you. You let us know when you’re ready.

I nodded and continued to do as she said. A couple minutes later, when I felt my body return to a slightly normal state, I took another breath and let it out. Okay. I think I’m ready.

Both officers opened their pads and held their pens in anticipation of my words. I swallowed hard and began recounting the story.

He was going down on me. My legs were wrapped around his neck. And I was so into the feelings it gave me that I almost didn’t see Dannon standing in the doorway with flowers in his arms and a mortified expression on his face. In fact, I only acknowledged his presence well after I climaxed. I then shoved Santana’s naked body away.

Dannon! I said in surprise.

The flowers fell from his arms. Santana looked Dannon’s way, with a smirk on his face.

How long has this shit been going on? he demanded of me. My normally calm fiancé who rarely cursed was yelling.

Santana, unconcerned with the conversation, sat on the couch next to me as I tried to cover up.

Not long, I stammered.

Tears ran down Dannon’s face. You do realize that in three weeks we are supposed to get married?

I looked away and pulled on my dress. I’m so sorry, Dannon. I didn’t mean to hurt you or expose—

Expose the fact that you been fucking around on me? After all we have been through together. How could you, selfish bitch?

Santana threw his head back and cackled. I gave him a sharp look, which he simply ignored. At this point, Dannon was sobbing. I felt so bad that I had brought this hurt to him.

I guess there is nothing left to say, is it, Alexis? This . . . It speaks for itself . . . Each word sounded so choppy because he paused between each one with a sob.

I didn’t know what to say to that. I had loved Dannon for as long as I could remember. He was my high school sweetheart, my prom date, my first . . . And he was supposed to be my husband. We were supposed to live a perfect life together. I knew better than what I was doing. I was about to lose what I had dreamed about having for years: Dannon as my husband. And, yet, the thought of Santana between my legs again and the anticipation of his thick penis in my walls seemed to make up for not having any of that. I realized that I didn’t want that life anymore. The only thing I wanted was Santana. And letting the chips fall where they may was the way to get that. I was more relieved that Dannon had discovered this. And that meant more to me than his tears. He would just have to get over it. He would.

I knew something was going on. For the past month, you have not been the same. But I kept ignoring all the obvious signs. I have avoided this for as long as I could. It’s over.

Yes. Before I could respond, he walked out of my apartment.

I felt a sense of elation that I was now able to be with Santana freely and not sneak around. I also no longer had to divide my time between him and Dannon. I was now all his.

Thank fucking God that emotional-ass nigga gone! Santana yelled.

He leaned over my legs, split them apart, slipped between them, and slid inside of me. At the feel of his big dick, my sadness was replaced with lust as he pounded into me. I was so into it that I almost didn’t see Dannon come back into my apartment. I tried to shove Santana away but he refused to get off of me and continued to fuck me.

With wide eyes I watched as Dannon slipped off his engagement ring and set it on my coffee table. Normally men didn’t wear an engagement ring. Dannon was different from the average man. The day he had proposed to me, he put one on his finger as well and said from that day forward he was going to live the life of a married man. Tears were running down his face and still all I could think about was how good Santana felt being inside of me. What had this man done to me?

Dannon walked out again.

Santana squeezed one of my nipples roughly.

I moaned and jumped when I saw Dannon standing in front of us yet again!

Dannon pulled a gun out of his back pocket, aimed it toward his chest, and fired several times. I screamed as he fell to the floor and blood oozed out of his chest.

Dannon had killed himself.

And that’s what happened.

I opened my eyes again to find both officers looking at me. Disgust was in their eyes. They weren’t in my world, so I cared very little about their perception of me. I didn’t want Dannon to die but I also didn’t pull the trigger. It was idiotic for anyone to blame me for this. But, still, seeing someone take their life in front of you was definitely a frightening thing. . . .

The woman said, So after he fired those shots, he fell down and he never got back up again?

Yes. He didn’t move after that.

They both scribbled this down.

Another officer came back into the house. He was the one who escorted Santana outside and left him there. Once they stopped talking, the female officer said, You two are in the clear. Thank you for your time.

Chapter

1

A Month Before

When everything was oh so perfect in my life and couldn’t get any better, Santana walked in. I was the proud daughter of successful parents. My dad owned property all around southern California, as well as a tow truck business. My mother was a social worker and I had graduated at the top of my class at UCLA, in business and accounting. I worked for my father as a property supervisor. I was over all my daddy’s property managers; I dealt with all the finances. His company was called Vancamp Equities, Inc. It was located in Lakewood, California, on Candlewood Street. I also did the HR work: hiring and firing, paychecks. All of it.

He didn’t have to worry about a thing. My sister had just started college at Spelman. She, being a little wilder than I was, wanted to branch off on her own. I was engaged to one of the greatest guys on the planet, Dannon. I sighed thinking about him. He was my high school sweetheart and was three years older than I. Both his parents, who loved me, were doctors, and Dannon was working on his residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He was every bit of handsome. He was six foot three with creamy dark brown skin, and had a set of pearly whites. I was his queen and that’s how he treated me. He said he couldn’t live without me. I believed him. We had been together for over ten years, since I was fourteen.

The day Santana walked into my work office, I was busy getting time cards done so I could go home and get ready for a date night with my man. My dad had called me at the last minute, and told me he had a young gentleman for me to interview for on-site maintenance work at our Paramount complex. Santana was just what he felt he needed. I told my daddy okay, but I really didn’t have time for an interview. I wanted to go home, and take my time bathing and getting pretty for Dannon. With his residency he was always so busy, so he had been lucky enough to get a Friday night off. Dannon wanted the night to be special. He was going to take me to his favorite restaurant: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, in Anaheim. I wanted to take full advantage of our night together.

Glancing at my watch, I saw the interviewee was thirty minutes late. I love you, baby, I cooed into the phone to Dannon as I reviewed a time card.

Same here. I can’t wait to see you tonight and make love to you.

I purred into the phone, You want me to wear something special for you?

You know I do. He started telling me how his day was. I listened intently.

I signed off on a time card and looked at my watch again. Forty-five minutes had passed. It would just be his loss. There was no way I would ever hire someone who was that damn late for an interview.

Okay, baby. Let me get off this phone so I can go home and get dressed.

See you later, babe.

I made a kiss sound into the phone before hanging up. I then stood, put on my jacket, and grabbed my purse and briefcase. That’s when I heard a knock at the door.

Agitated, I turned and looked at who my visitor was. No, he didn’t have the nerve to show up this late.

I arrogantly studied him as he walked into the room. He was handsome nonetheless. He had brown skin and jet-black curly hair, telling me he was mixed. I figured he had to be Spanish and black. He wasn’t as tall as Dannon. He seemed to be six feet but he was muscular. It wasn’t hard to see that because the fool was wearing a wife beater tucked into a pair of slacks. Who wears a wife beater to an interview?

How you doing, ma’am? I’m Santana Marcelino. He held his hand out for me to shake. I looked at it disdainfully. Not only was he late, he was not dressed properly for an interview and his fingernails were filthy.

I shook my head at him. He was old enough to know better. You are fifty minutes late. I’m on my way out.

I’m sorry. I have been having car problems. It stopped twice on the way here and I had to get a jump.

That is the number one excuse for being late to an interview.

Just give me a chance please, he pleaded. I really need a job.

I rolled my eyes, and sat down. At least he can’t go to the labor board and say I didn’t give him a chance.

But I knew, even before he answered the routine questions, I wasn’t going to hire his ass. I only hired the best employees for my father. And to me, his tacky ass just wasn’t that. I knew we needed some of our managers to be a little rough around the edges, like Larry, at our Compton complex, but with how competitive the market was now in terms of employment, I knew I could find much better. Someone who could reflect our company’s professionalism.

He stared at me anxiously, clasping his hands between his knees.

I didn’t bother asking for a resume. Hell, he didn’t have on a shirt! Do you have any experience performing maintenance work for a forty-unit complex?

No. But I’m a fast learner. I know how to fix stuff and—

I didn’t want to hear that line so I cut him off. What is your highest level of education?

Tenth grade. But—

Do you have any convictions? DUIs?

He paused, then said, Yes. But I can explain them.

I knew all I needed to know. Screw a formal interview with him. He was wasting my time. Okay. Thank you for your time. You will hear something back from us within two to five business days. I stood and stiffly held out my hand.

He remained seated and looked at me like I was crazy. Wait. That’s it? That’s all you want to know?

Yes. Like I said, you will hear something back in two to five business days.

His lips snarled and he looked at me angrily. Fuck that ‘two to five business days’ line. Are you going to give me a chance or not? he demanded.

Who does he think he is? Sir—

Are you going to hire me or not?

No. You came to the interview late, not properly dressed, and with no res—

Before I could finish he took one of his arms and knocked everything on my desk to the floor. I gasped and took a step back.

You fucking bitch.

My heart started pounding fast. I placed a hand on my chest.

As he stormed out of my office, a text message came through on my phone. I ignored it, fearful that he would come back. But he didn’t. I got up, locked my door, and went to retrieve my phone.

I took a deep breath as my heart rate slowed down. The text was from Dannon:

Alexis, I have some bad news. I can’t get off tonight. I love you but I gotta go. Make it up to you, sweets.

Damn, I muttered. First I get cursed out by a thug and now my baby cancels. Well, who cared about the thug? I’d never have to see him again. He legitimized everything I felt about him based on how he just acted. But I was disappointed with not being able to see my man tonight.

I might as well get some work done. I turned on my iPod and put one of my playlists that included Eric Roberson, Beyoncé, Dwele, Anthony David, Tank, Raheem DeVaughn, Jazmine Sullivan; and I got to work. I would be so happy when my baby was done with his residency. I knew being a doctor was going to be hectic for us, but once we married and he paid his dues it would change. Realistically I knew he would always be busy, but once we were married we would be living together. So, off the bat, that was more time.

I left my office pretty late. But since my office was located in a typically quiet and safe area I wasn’t concerned. I set my attaché case on the concrete near my car so I could dig in my Gucci clutch bag for my keys.

It was hard to locate my keys because I had so much stuff in there. I sighed and pulled my wallet, phone, and my makeup bag out. I held all that stuff in one hand, and searched in my purse with the other. When I felt the cold iron of the keys against my fingers, I grabbed them. But before I could press the alarm to unlock the door, someone slapped me so hard I lost my balance and fell onto the concrete. I stared at the figure that hovered over me and screamed. He was wearing a ski mask.

That’s when a gun was pressed in my face. Shut the fuck up.

My right cheek burned. I closed my eyes at the burning and to block out the sight of the gun. My heart started beating so fast. I was scared shitless. Was he going to rob me? Rape me? Kill me? Or all three? I knew I needed to cooperate with him.

First off, you dumb ho, push all that shit toward me.

Since I had dropped everything in my hand when I was slapped, everything was on the ground near me. I scooted it all toward him.

He leaned over and picked everything up, saying, Don’t look at me!

I kept my eyes down.

Off with that ring, too!

At my millisecond of hesitation, his gun made a clicking sound. I jumped and shrieked when it did. He leaned down, gripped my hair, and shoved the gun in my face again. Shut the fuck up before I kill you, tramp.

I nodded. He gripped my left hand and forced my engagement ring off my finger. He tucked it in his pocket along with my wallet and phone. Then he used the keys to open my Infiniti.

Get in the back seat.

I started crying again, not knowing what was next for me. Please don’t hurt me.

When I guess I didn’t move fast enough for him, he gripped my hair and shoved me into the back seat of the car. I landed on my back. He immediately straddled me and slid between my legs. Sorry, bitch. I need this car and I don’t ever leave witnesses.

He was going to kill me! I panicked and tried to fight him and beg him at the same time. No! Please!

He smacked me, making my head reel backward. He aimed the gun at me. I prayed silently. Before he got a chance to pull the trigger, he was snatched up by someone. I sat up in the car and watched a man wrap his arm around his neck. When he moved his head back to avoid being head-butted, I saw it was Santana.

He gripped dude’s hand that held the gun until the man screamed. Santana punched him repeatedly in his face with his free hand, until he slumped against him, breathing heavily.

Get the fuck off me, nigga! Santana slammed him on the concrete. The man scurried to his feet as Santana grabbed the gun off the ground. He pointed it at the dude.

Give her, her shit back!

Dude hurried up and pulled my items out of his pocket and handed them back to me.

He backed up some and Santana said, Now get the fuck out of here!

The guy started running for his life.

Chapter

2

I held my hand to my chest and breathed a sigh of relief that I was still