OVERNIGHT CELEBRITY
Chapter 1

Joyce

      It was a little after five o’clock when the movie Carmine and I had been watching went off. He stood from his spot on my bed and stretched his limbs before turning his attention back to me. He grabbed his shoes and began to stuff his sock covered feet into a pair of crisp white Air Force 1’s before asking me if I wanted to go to a club later on that night. I was about to say yes when I remembered that my sister Kia would be flying in sometime tonight.

      “I can’t,” I answered, regret clear in my voice.

      “Why?” he asked as he grabbed his Tom Ford glasses off the nightstand.

      “My sister Kia is flying in tonight,” I answered honestly.

      “Sister?” he asked in a confused tone.

      “Yeah, she’s my twin. Why are you looking at me like that? I told you about her.” I spoke, almost certain that I had mentioned her before.

      “Nah, I don’t think you did,” Carmine replied back with just as much certainty. “Why haven’t I met her before?”

      “Well when my parents divorced, my mother got me and daddy got her. We used to visit each other pretty often in the summers and then she moved to New York two years ago for college, but she started modeling and quit school. When we met, she’d just flown to Italy and she’s been living in Europe almost year round since,” I answered.

      “Well she can come with us. I’ll invite John and he can keep her company,” he offered.

      The last thing Kia needed was ‘company’. My sister had never wanted for male companionship; she’d always been the extravert of the two of us and could seduce a man quicker than a playboy bunny in Hef’s grotto. To put it simply my sister was wild and I wasn’t quite sure if she and John would get along. The only reason I’d agreed to speak to her about the whole club situation was because I knew I’d be spending quite a bit of time with Carmine and I didn’t want Kia feeling like a third wheel when she was around.

      While Carmine headed to his six thirty class, I changed the input on the TV from DVD to cable and searched through the channels for something decent to watch. I’d ended up switching from real-time TV to onDemand and immersing myself in the life of Nurse Jackie. Jackie was sneaking in some pain pills when a knock on my open bedroom door scared the shit out of me. I jumped up and clutched my chest as I turned to the door and caught sight of my older sister leaning against the doorjamb with an amused smile on her face.

      “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she spoke as she toed off her sneakers and walked deeper into the room. She plopped down beside me on my bed and folded her legs so that she was sitting Indian style.

      I looked her over and sighed with relief when I saw the healthy glow to her skin. Kia was more than able to take care of herself, she’d been doing it for years, but the modeling world was a dangerous playground for women and I didn’t want her to fall victim to the various ways a lot of other models used to stay thin. I’d heard more than enough horror stories to worry about her while she was so far away.

      “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re home,” I added before embracing her in a quick hug.

      “Me too,” she agreed as she pulled her right hand out of the pocket of her grey lounge sweatsuit and fingering my hair.

      “You’ve added highlights,” she spoke in an impressed manner. “The lighter brown becomes you.”

      “And I’m feeling that Bob on you,” I added. The ebony dye her stylist added to the style, along with the sun kissed tan she’d gotten during her stay in Milan really made the look pop.

      “Why thank you,” she added in a faux cocky tone as she patted her hair and my eye widened at the sight of a huge three stoned ring sitting on her left ring finger.

      I snatched her hand and pulled it to me and stared at the opulent ring before glancing at my twin. “Tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

      She waved me off as if the ring was some small trinket. “Now you know better than that Joy,” she admonished. “If I was engaged you would be the first person to know. Besides, you should know better than anyone that I’m not exactly the poster child for monogamy. This is just a gift from a friend.”

      “Well, that’s one hell of a gift,” I commented.

      “Not really,” she waved off. “It’s just a pink sapphire and some tourmalines. The only bit of diamonds are the pave ones around the band.”

      “Just, huh? You’re spoiled as hell.”

      “Don’t act as if you don’t reap the benefits,” she pointed out.

      It was true, I did reap the benefits of quite a few of her rewards and our living situation was a huge perk. Our first apartment in the city was paid for by the both of us from the money released from our trust. It was a small one and a half bedroom located in the “up and coming” part of Harlem. It was ideal for her since she was actively delving herself into her career and being in the city provided her more opportunities than she would have gotten by paying for transportation from any of the other boroughs. It was great for me because it was close to Columbia University, which is the school I attend. About a year ago when our lease was up, she moved us out of that borough and into Queens. For the same amount of money, we got a spacious two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Forest Hills that we loved and felt safe in. Since Kia made significantly more than I did she agreed to pay the utilities (even though she was hardly ever home) and I paid for the add-ons (cable, phone, etc). Another benefit was that I got to borrow a lot of her clothes. Of course, some things I wouldn’t be caught dead in—she took more risks than I would dare—but most of her clothes was a season ahead of everyone else since she was often gifted samples.

      “So are you planning to sleeping in or getting into something?” I asked her as she grabbed the picture of me and Carmine off of my nightstand.

      “What did you have in mind?” Kia questioned as she put the picture back with a simple utterance of ‘cute’.

      “Carmine invited us to go out to a club with him and his brother.”

      “Brother?” Kia questioned with an arched brow.

      “He’s a nice guy, Kia.”

      “Nice guy reads a clingy and/or possessive guy who can’t get his own dates Joy,” she complained.

      “It’s not even like that. John, that’s Carmine’s brother, is attractive and trust me when I say that the man doesn’t need any help in the women department,” I informed her.

      “What are his stats?” she asked.

      “He has an olive complexion, a low cut, and he’s average height-“

      “So, what? He’s my about my height?” Kia interrupted with a frown.

      At 5’8” Kia was above average in height and, with her heels, towered over most men. As a result she tended to date men well in the six feet range and John didn’t quite meet her requirements. In all fairness, he wasn’t short. It was just that 5’11” wasn’t six feet and just wouldn’t do as far as Kia was concerned.

      “He’s just under six feet, but I seriously don’t know why you’re making this bigger than it has to be. It’s just an evening at a club. After that you’ll never have to see him again if you don’t want to,” I reminded her.

      “You know what?” she questioned rhetorically. “You’re absolutely right. Set it up. I’m going to unpack and then take a bath so I’ll see you later.” With that she arose from my bed and left the room.

John

      “You owe me,” I reminded Carmine as he parallel parked in front of Joyce’s apartment building.

      “I heard you the first time,” Carmine snapped. “You act like this is going to be such a strain on you. Kia is Joyce’s twin and she’s a model so you know she has to be hot. Besides, it’s just for a couple of hours, not a request for monogamy.”

      “I wouldn’t be here if it was,” I replied smartly as we walked out of the elevator.

      I leaned against the wall across from Joyce’s door as Carmine rang the bell wondering what I’d gotten myself into. From my experience blind dates were never a good idea. I liked to go into things with my eyes wide open and a girl who couldn’t find her own date left a lot of unanswered questions. Was she one of those androgynous females that were so popular in fashion or was she was of those super bitchy women who thought the sun rose and fell on her ass?

      Before I could delve deeper into my current thought, the door swung open and Joyce waved at me before leaning in and giving my brother a kiss. Those two were mushy as hell and were always in each other’s face. Joyce moved to the side so that Carmine and I could enter and she motioned for us to take a seat in the living room as she locked the door.

      “Got damn,” I hissed lowly as Joyce turned her back to us giving Carmine and myself a lovely view of her round derriere that was put on fully display courtesy of her tight, low cut, skinny jeans. Carmine slapped the shit out of the back of my head. “What? I can’t look?”

      “HELL no,” he hissed as Joyce smoothed her tunic over her hips as she walked down the hall to her bedroom.

Kia

      I sparsely sprayed pure Clive Christian no.1 perfume on my neck and wrists as I heard the doorbell ring. It must Carmine and John. Luckily for them, I was just about done and ready for a night of fun. I’d decided to make an impression and so I’d settled on a wide legged cream colored jumpsuit that was virtually backless with a plunging neckline that was masked by three layers of ruffles. A pair of cream pointy toed booties elevated me four inches and I finished off the outfit with a small Chanel clutch. My only hint of color came from a pair of amethyst studs and a coordinating amethyst and pearl necklace. I was fastening my tennis bracelet when Joy walked in my room.

      “Are you ready because the boys are here,” she informed me as she secured the back piece of her large earrings. I inwardly winced because her ears were going to be killing her by the time we got home.

      “I would say so,” I answered as I tossed my nude gloss into my clutch and followed her out of the room.

      I followed her to the living room and silently took back all the negative things I’d been thinking about John. Yes, he was shorter than I liked but baby was fine. Apparently the feeling was mutual because his eyes roved over me appreciatively.

      “Hi I’m Kia. You two must be Carmine and John. It’s nice to meet the both of you,” I spoke confidently and with a welcoming smile.

      “You too,” they uttered in succession. “So are you ladies ready for a night on the town?” Carmine asked as Joy fished her keys out of her purse.

      “Always,” I answered with a smirk as I led the way to the door.