Playing Dirty by Kiki Swinson

what I was going to wear, but I knew what image I wanted to portray. “Sexy” and “glamorous” were the only two words that popped in my head, so I searched for a dress that would give me that exact look. After sifting through at least one hundred dresses, I finally ran across the perfect one. It was a black Carolina Herrera off-the-shoulder faille dress. It stopped right above my knee, so it would look dazzling with my four-inch satin Jimmy Choo pumps and the clutch bag to match. I knew the crowd would stop and take notice of me the moment I stepped foot inside the club, which was exactly what I wanted to accomplish.
    My bubble bath was warm and the suds from the bubbles felt like silk on my skin, so I lay back and relaxed in it for at least twenty minutes. When the water started getting cold, I climbed out of the tub and headed back to my bedroom to get dressed.
    “Ophelia, have the valet fetch my Aston Martin, please. And tell him that I’ll be down in five minutes,” I yelled.
    “Okay, ma’am,” she replied, and then she disappeared.
    Once I had everything in place—my attire, my hair, and my makeup—I sprayed on my favorite fragrance and exited my home like I was Cinderella. Maria called me while I was in transit. I started not to answer her call, but I knew she’d keep ringing my phone until she got in touch with me. I exhaled right before I said hello.
    “What are you getting into tonight?” she inquired.
    “Oh…nothing,” I said, trying to sound like I was relaxing.
    “You sound like you’re dead tired,” she commented.
    “I am. But I can’t let that stop me from working.”
    “Whatcha working on? One of your cases?”
    I sighed. “Yes, I am, and I’m getting a headache, too.”
    “Why don’t you step away from it tonight and come out with me so you can clear your head? Then tomorrow you’ll start over fresh.”
    “No, I don’t think that’ll be a good idea. I’ve got work up to my neck, so the best thing for me to do is sit my ass right and continue doing what I started.”
    Maria sighed. “Alright. I guess you know what works for you. But if you decide you want to hang out, give me a call.”
    “I will,” I assured her; then we hung up.
    I only had a couple of blocks to drive until I reached Juan Alvarez’s club. My heart was beating like crazy, but I didn’t let that stop me from continuing on with my mission. As I pulled up curbside in front of the club, the valet driver met me and took my keys in hand. I greeted him with a seductive smile and carried on about my business. The line for Mr. Alvarez’s club wrapped around the building, but I was not about to stand in it. I was too glamorous for that shit, so I entered inside through the VIP entrance. I had to pay the guy two 100-dollar bills before I was given the green light. It didn’t matter, though, because that little bit of money was just a penny in the bucket compared to what I was about to earn.
    After I walked into the club, I had to climb a flight of stairs that led to the VIP room, which overlooked the entire club. It was really nice and a sight to see. Everyone who had tons of money was in the VIP section. I recognized a couple of the faces, like the infamous Valdez brothers. There were three of them and they were all very handsome. Plus they were notorious for the enormous amount of power they had. The entire family owned a massive amount of hotels and other real estate in Miami. Hailing from Colombia, they also owned massive cargos of cocaine, too. No one in any government agency had been able to bring these guys down. They had been under a microscope for a few years, I’d heard, but no busts had been made.
    Another familiar face walked by me and my heart dropped. It was Juan Alvarez in the flesh, dressed in a black Armani suit. I played it off and smiled as he turned around to get another look at me. I braced myself and tried desperately to look like I fitted into this whole scene. He stopped in his tracks and