Original Black Dress Diva-Part Two

Kwan then introduced me to each member of the Elite League: Jetta Hendrich (Danish-American, reddish brown hair, blue-green eyes, and logistics specialist), Luis Milan Fernandez (Latin lover, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, real estate expert), Thackery Patterson (San Francisco, technology specialist, MIT graduate, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes), Prentice Stewardson (auto expert and fanatic, frequently goes to auto shows and car expos, Detroit born and raised, and used to work at a luxury car dealership), Marissa (Las Vegas born and raised, former jewel thief, finance specialist). A few seconds later, two other people showed up at my doorstep. They were a male and a female. The male was tall and slim while the female had dark ash blonde hair and blue eyes. “Hey, Kwan. Sorry we were late, had a bit of a fender bender during a traffic jam. The traffic in L.A. can be brutal.” The guy said to Kwan. “I’m glad you two can make it. This is Katherine Franklin. Kat, I like for you to meet the two other members of the Elite League, DeMarcus Thomas and McKayla Dupree.” Kwan said. DeMarcus was the firearms and weapons expert and McKayla specialized in personal defense and physical combat. After I was introduced to everyone in the Elite League, I then asked everyone if they would like something to drink and they all said yes. A few seconds later, I came back into the living room and served everyone drinks. I then sat myself down on the sofa next to Luis Milan. “Que belleza.” Luis Milan said to me as he kissed my hand like a true Latin lover. “So tell us about yourself. What’s Kat like?” Jetta said. “I was an honor student from 2nd to the 12th grades, I worked several jobs after finishing high school because my unemployed mom dipped into me and my little brother’s college funds to support her vice, including meth, my little brother Jonathan is in UCLA on a scholarship, I went to community college and took some classes there, and I worked at an accounting firm where I met my would-be husband. Carl and I have been married for less than five years and were expecting our very first child together till Carl got killed. After having my husband buried, I had miscarried and then got laid off from my accounting firm job months later.” I replied. “Damn shame. You’ve been through a lot.” DeMarcus said in a comforting way. “Recently, I found out about my late husband’s life insurance policy.” I added. “How much was it worth?” Marissa asked me. “It was over a million dollars, four to five million to be exact. I also found out that he listed me as the sole beneficiary. Also, I found out that he had some automobiles hidden in a storage space.” I said. Fascinated, Prentice asked, “What automobiles did Carl have in that storage space?” “Other than a Ford Explorer that he drives to and from work, he had three luxury cars and two motorcycles in that storage space.” I replied as I showed him the pictures I took from the storage space. “Wow, Carl must have some deep pockets to have a Porsche, a Rolls Royce, a Mercedes-Benz, a Harley-Davidson, and a Yamaha.” Prentice replied with enthusiasm. “I also found a bunch of guns Carl hid in his tool closet downstairs. Lately, I have been going to the firing range and using them for practice. I even invested in a few handgun magazines and personal safety devices.” I said. “Having everything to protect yourself sounds like a very smart investment.” McKayla said. “Most of the contract jobs we do are at night and the pay’s very, very good.” Kwan said. “How about we all meet next week so I can demonstrate my skills so far? Maybe you all can give me a few pointers, because there’s always room for improvement.” I said. “That’s a great idea! We would love to see you in action.” Kwan agreed. “Would you need my assistance in getting all of Carl’s automobiles out of storage?” Prentice asked me. “Yes, I would.” I replied to him. “We must be going; we will keep in touch with you.” Kwan said as he and the rest of the Elite League were about to leave. I gave my cell phone number and house number so they could keep in contact with me. Once everyone left, I did some multitasking. I studied the driver’s manual while reading Personal Safety magazine. “Looks like I’m long overdue for a makeover.” I said to myself. I then got up, went to the bedroom, and looked into the closet. It was filled with Carl’s clothes, my maternity clothes, our shoes, and our accessories. I looked around the house and thought not only do I need a makeover, but so does this house. The next morning was my busiest day. I had to make a couple of stops at a home improvement superstore (I even got to flirt with a few handymen and attended a couple of free home improvement seminars!), then I stopped by a beauty supply store, the local pharmacy, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, the DMV, the firing range, and the gym. After running all those errands, I went over to Monterey to this boutique called Lace in Leather, which specialize in leather clothing for women. There, I befriended the boutique owner, a petite, top heavy brunette named Violet. She not only owned the boutique, she’s also a designer, I bought several leather pieces, which included jackets, leather pants, miniskirts, plenty of leather and lace lingerie, and of course boots. I even tried on a few pieces in the dressing room. Once I paid for my purchases, Violet even suggested that I check out her sister Jasmine’s boutique Satin in Silk next door. “Thanks, I’ll check it out sometime. Just curious, is Jasmine your only sister?” I said to Violet. “Oh no, me and Jasmine are two of six sisters, all of whom are designers. There’s Rose who designs jewelry and accessories, Lily who designs evening gowns, Camilla who designs swimwear, and Daisy the shoe designer. We all have boutiques here in California and all graduates of FIDM-San Diego.” Violet replied. “Somehow I’m sensing a theme with you and your sisters’ names.” I happily said. “Our mom loves flowers, has a green thumb, and she owns a flower shop downtown.” Violet said. “Very impressive! I’ll be sure to check your sisters’ boutiques and I’ll bring my wallet too!” I said as I left the boutique. I then went home and got started on my makeover. I got out a box of hair color that I got from the pharmacy. The shade was blue black and it was in foam, which is less messy than a liquid. I got a towel from the bathroom, put a pair of plastic gloves on my hands, and started coloring my longer-than-shoulder-length hair in the bathroom. After that, I washed my newly-dyed hair with a shampoo and conditioner specially tailored for color-treated hair; I even used a color sealant on my hair, which protects the color. As my hair color set in, I took my time and cleaned up the bathroom. I called Prentice on my cell phone and asked him if he could help me get Carl’s cars and motorcycles out of storage. I gathered the keys to the Boxster, E-Class, and the Phantom before calling to rent a U-Haul in order to transfer the cars and motorcycles from the storage space to my house. En route to the Lock & Stock, I then called Prentice and told him to meet me there with the rented U-Haul. After paying the storage fees to the manager, Prentice and I loaded the cars and motorcycles onto the truck. We left the storage; Prentice left in the rented U-Haul and I left in my Nissan Altima back to my house. I thanked Prentice for his help as he went and returned the U-Haul; I then put the motorcycles into the garage and parked the cars outside. I went inside and studied the driver’s manual. The next morning, I did some work on the garden at the front of the house. Later on, I went to the state DMV with documentation in a manila envelope. I completed and passed both the vision and written portions of the motorcycle test. With Carl’s Harley, I was ready to ride. I met my instructor who also had a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. “My name’s Gene and I’ll be your instructor. Are you ready to ride?” The blonde-haired, blue eyed, leather jacket-wearing instructor said to me. “I’m very ready.” I said eagerly as I put on my motorcycle helmet. For two hours, we had practiced traffic signals and everything else motorcycle-related. I officially passed my test, took my picture, and got my motorcycle license. Gene congratulated me and he even suggested a few biker bars to check out; he also gave me a few pointers on motorcycle maintenance, I even took notes. For example, do not ride a motorcycle in harsh weather (i.e. rain, severe storms, etc.). After my day at the DMV, I went home, freshened up and went out again, only this time in my Altima. I got a call from Marissa on my cell phone and placed my phone on a hands-free device. “Hi, Marissa. What’s up?” I said. “Hey, Kat. Can we meet somewhere and talk? It’s about Carl and his money.” She said. “Sure, let’s meet at Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkley.” I replied. “Great, I can use a good lunch.” Marissa replied. I then texted her directions to the diner and headed out to Berkley in my Altima. I arrived at Berkley several minutes later and went into Bette’s Oceanview Diner on Fourth Street. While I waited on Marissa, I then talked, I called Clarissa to discuss our plans for our Friday Girls’ Night out next week. We talked about going to Laguna Beach; having dinner at Asada Laguna Beach, dancing at Villa Sorriso in Pasadena, and back to Laguna Beach for dessert at Dolce Gelato. Marissa arrived at the diner a few minutes later. “Sorry for the delay. The drive from Anaheim can take a while, but I’m here now.” She said. “I’m glad you could make it. You said you wanted to talk to me about my late husband’s money?” I replied. “Yes, I know you said your husband had a life insurance policy worth over a million dollars. When did he take out the policy? And also how long has he been a bank manager?” Marissa asked me. “According to the insurance agent, Carl took out the policy several months before our wedding. Plus, Carl had been a manager at Bank of America for nearly ten years.” I said. “Other than his bank salary, has Carl made money other ways?” Marissa asked. “Well, I know that he has invested in a few stocks and bonds. He also donates to charity from time to time. We both pay the bills on time, sometimes ever early.” I said. “Do you know if he has any offshore accounts?” Marissa asked me. “To be honest, I’m not sure. But I do know he has both a checking and savings account with another bank, Wells Fargo.” I replied. As Marissa and I talked, we ordered lunch. She even asked me about my net worth. “Before I met Carl, I had worked five jobs. I was a hostess at IHOP, an office assistant at a law firm, a cashier at Claire’s, a pizza delivery person at Domino’s, and a librarian at the Culver City public library. Never have I been fired from any of those jobs. These were all jobs I had before my accounting firm job. As I have said, my parents set up college funds for me and Jonathan since we were babies, using their paychecks and of course U.S. Savings Bonds. But when our mom lost her job at a daycare center, she had dipped into our college funds for her vices along with groceries, clothes, and bills. I could only afford to go to community college and took three classes: Spanish, computer classes, and scrapbooking.” I said. After a very delicious lunch, I paid and left the waitress a generous tip. “What time does Wells Fargo close?” Marissa asked me. “Five o’clock, like any other bank. Why do you ask?” I said to Marissa. “We should go to Wells Fargo and find Carl’s safe deposit box.” Marissa replied. “Carl goes to the Wells Fargo in Fair Oaks and I have his safe deposit box key in my purse.” I said as we went into our cars. I went into my Altima while Marissa went into her silver Chevrolet Aveo. We arrived at the Wells Fargo in Fair Oaks. We went to the back and I unlocked Carl’s safe deposit box, #5298, with the key of the same numbers. I opened the box and Marissa and I looked into it. The safe deposit box had several sets of important papers, such as stock certificates, deeds to properties including two beach houses, eight sets of keys, and two strips of paper with keys attached to them. “Damn! Carl is like secretly rich. He even got several franchise papers and a passport.” I said to Marissa. I then looked at Carl’s passport, which had stamps from countries such as Bahamas, Barbados, Turks &Caicos, St. Lucia, Switzerland, and Cayman Islands. Marissa and I even looked at some of the pictures of the properties, some of which are time shares. I then called Luis Milan and have him meet us at my house in about thirty minutes. I took pictures of all the contents of Carl’s safe deposit box, took some of the property pictures with me, and put them into my purse. Once Marissa and I came to my house, Luis Milan arrived a few minutes later. We showed Luis Milan the various contents of Carl’s safe deposit box. “Ay Dios mio! These vacation homes are very upscale. What would Carl be doing with such amazing looking houses?” Luis Milan said as we all looked at the pictures of the properties. Some of these properties were vacation homes and they were painted in bright, vibrant colors. Not only that, they all have those designs from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. For instance, this picture of one vacation home in St. Lucia we saw was painted lime green and turquoise blue. All the vacation homes have verandahs and magnificent views of the beaches. On the back of each photo was a list of information such as number of bathrooms and bedrooms, number of square feet, and location. “They all look so lovely.” I said to Marissa and Luis Milan. “Look at these franchise papers Carl had. He’s got one for a Hilton Hotel, one for an Olive Garden, etc.” Marissa said. As I looked through the franchise papers, I then looked at the two strips of paper with attached keys and sets of numbers. I showed them to Marissa and Luis Milan. “I remember seeing some keys like those.” Marissa said to me. Surprised, I said, “Really?” Marissa said, “These keys are the ones to overseas accounts. The first key and set of numbers is to a Swiss bank account and the other is to a bank in the Cayman Islands. I know this because my dad’s father has a Swiss bank account.” “Sounds like we both have secretly wealthy men in our lives.” I said to Marissa. After Marissa and Luis Milan left, I put all the contents into a fire safe downstairs to keep them secured. I then went online and had a cyber threesome with Simon and Bianca while shopping online for sexy clothes, lingerie, and swimwear. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a threesome with Bianca and Simon for real. After being online for nearly three hours, I decided to go out tonight. I went to the bedroom and planned out my outfit. I planned on going out to one of those biker bars that Gene had recommended to me. I laid out my outfit on the bed, which consisted of a black cropped leatherette jacket, a black lace bodysuit I bought online, a black pleated miniskirt I bought from Leather in Lace, red satin bra and panties, and a pair of black leather knee-high boots. I even gathered my accessories along with my outfit. I took a shower, styled my blue black-colored hair, and sprayed my size 10, hourglass-shaped body with Gucci Guilty. Once the perfume dried on my body, I got dressed and then put on my silver rose necklace. I then put the Chaser into my purse, put on my lip balm before putting on my red lipstick, got the keys to the Harley, and locked up the house. I opened the garage door, got out the Harley, closed the door, put on my motorcycle helmet, and then rode over to the Wild White Stallion Saloon.