Black Diamond

3. Chapter 3

The loud trilling of Kamella’s two alarm clocks echoed throughout the apartment. She groaned, rolling over to silence her cell phone first, while her other alarm on the other side of the room continued to buzz annoyingly. It was 9 am on the dot, and if Kamella kept laying around, she’d be late for work. She yawned as her feet hit the floor, scratching her scalp as she walked over to shut off the second alarm.

She made her way out of her bedroom towards the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush first. She was putting toothpaste on her brush when she heard her roommate’s alarm go off too.

“Liv, you up?” Kamella called, brushing her teeth and looking at her face in the mirror. Her upturned brown eyes looked as sleepy as she felt. Her hair was still in flat twists thankfully, but she was going to have to undo twist them while she rode the train again. There was no way she’d have enough time to untwist her hair and get to work on time.

“Yeeeeaaahhh,” came Olivia’s groggy response from the bathroom door. Kamella smiled, spitting out her toothpaste and reaching for a face towel. Olivia was soon brushing her teeth while Kamella washed her face.

“Ugh, whose idea was it for us to take these extra shifts on a Saturday?”

“Well, if my coworkers would quit having kids, I’d never go in on Saturdays,” Kamella joked, hanging up her face towel. Olivia groaned loudly, making her roommate laugh as she exited the bathroom.

Kamella went back to her room and grabbed her bag, taking a seat at her vanity to wipe some toner on her face and sunscreen. She dabbed a bit of BB cream on her face, and then applied some concealer, and a bit of neutral eyeshadow. The combination of lightweight products brightened her face considerably, covering a bit of the tired look in her eyes.

Olivia headed back into her room by the time Kamella was dressed and heading into the kitchen. She reached into the fridge to pour herself some water. She could grab some coffee and something to eat at work.

“See you late, Ms. Manager!” Olivia called from her bedroom, and Kamella laughed, stepping out of the kitchen and making a beeline for the front door. She grabbed her headphones from the basket at the entryway and slid her feet into her shoes.

“I should be back around 8. Want to go to the club together?”

Olivia popped her head out of her bedroom, “Nah, I’ll just go straight there from work. Maybe if I beg Minhyuk enough, he’ll feed me dinner before I clock out.”

“Weren’t you just gushing over Johnny last night? Hoes ain’t loyal!” Kamella teased, grabbing her house keys, and pulling the front door open.

Olivia’s loud guaff of laughter could be heard clearly over the sound of the front door closing. Kamella was all smiles as she slid her earbuds in her ear, and started up her playlist. She was in a fantastic mood today.

She walked directly across the street and took the steps two at a time, down to the subway stop by her house. Kamella used her rail pass and just in time, a train was pulling up to the tracks. She found a seat easily, and since she was heading out of the city, the car wasn’t that full. Bobbing her head to an N.E.R.D and Kendrick Lamar song, she started untwisting her strands, letting her hair free for work.

Kamella and Olivia’s day jobs were just one part of the careful measures they used to keep their real identities safe from the House of Cards. They made sure to never use their legal names for anything involving their nighttime career, even going so far as to use separate cell phone numbers. It was the same for almost every higher-level employee at the House of Cards -- their stage names protected them.

The women lived in an apartment on the other side of the city, in a place where they were sure their coworkers and clients would never visit. Their day jobs were in two opposite directions as well, even further from their apartment.

During the daytime, Kamella was a shift manager at an international chain hotel, working specifically with other foreigners to help them adjust to their jobs and their new life in a different country. Olivia worked as a chef in a small restaurant.

Kamella made sure that she toned down her appearance at her day job too. She always styled her natural hair for work and kept her makeup to a minimum there. On the other hand, Kamella exclusively wore wigs, circle lenses, and heavy makeup at the club every night. If her daytime coworkers saw her at the club, they probably wouldn’t even recognize her.

While staring at her reflection in the window, Kamella thought about her conversation with Olivia last night. She really had to be careful with Taeyong. She had given him her real phone number, which was incredibly stupid on her part. She wisely chose not to share that information with Olivia as well; otherwise, her roommate was going to blow a gasket. Normally, Kamella wasn’t this lax in her identity, but she had to make sure that that was as far as she went.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Kamella pulled a mirror out of her bag to inspect her hair. The twist out turned out really nicely, mostly because her hair had been wet when she twisted it up the night before. She put the mirror away and took out her personal cell phone, glancing at the clock on her screen.

She still had fifteen minutes left to her stop, so to kill time, Kamella opened up Youtube, her curiosity about Taeyong getting the best of her. She watched a handful of NCT videos, her focus solely on the red haired hottie she’d met last night.

“Damn,” was all she managed to say, as she closed the app after the third music video.

Kamella’s stop was called over the subway’s PA system, and she stood from her seat to wait by the door. In just a few minutes, she was walking down the road towards the hotel where she worked. It was a short trip from the subway to the hotel.

“Mel! Good morning! What are you doing here?” Kamella was greeted by her favorite bellhop, an older American man named David. He had been working for the hotel much longer than she had, but for some reason, he refused to take a higher position. He always said something about not wanting to work harder than he had to.

“Cassie’s daughter has some sports thing, so she asked if I could cover for her.”

“Well that just means today is going to be an even better day than I thought!” David replied cheerfully, and Kamella nodded, waving goodbye while she walked through the lobby. All the employees in the lobby bowed politely towards Kamella when she walked by them, heading for the employee changing rooms.

“Mella, I’m so glad you’re here!” Kamella was just buttoning her blazer when a dark haired young woman with vibrant blue eyes rushed into the room. Her name was Belle, and she was a French exchange student at a nearby university, just 18 years old. Her mastery of French, English, and Korean was going to take her many places, but first she had to stop tripping over her own two-feet first. Belle was known for her many accidents throughout the hotel, but thankfully Kamella was an expert in crisis management at this point.

“What happened this time, Belle?” Kamella asked, sliding her cell phone in her pocket and closing her locker. Belle shifted anxiously from foot-to-foot in her pristine uniform, trying not to freak out.

“I was watering the plants by the elevator and accidently poured too much! There’s a spill right in front of the door! What if someone falls? They’ll sue us!”

Kamella laughed, patting Belle’s shoulder, “Calm down, ok? It’s not a big deal. Let’s tell the cleaning crew first, and then you can stand there, and make sure no one falls to their death.”

Belle nodded eagerly, while Kamella grabbed a radio and headset. Today was going to be a long day.

With Taeyong

11:54. 11:55. 11:56.

“Hyung, should we take a break?” Mark questioned over the music, noticing that Taeyong’s gaze was once again focused on the clock on the wall. Johnny and Taeil shouted for a break and someone turned off the track they had been practicing to.

The members of NCT 2018 all stopped to catch their breath, Renjun laying out dramatically on the floor. Taeyong went straight to his bag against the wall, taking out his cell phone and staring at it.

11:58.

“Is Taeyong-hyung okay?” Chenle’s blonde head turned in the direction of the older member, who bit his thumb thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving the phone’s screen.

Doyoung laughed, patting Chenle’s head, “He’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Johnny chuckled, moving over to where Taeyong sat staring at his phone. He plopped down on the floor beside him, nudging his shoulder. Taeyong looked in his direction, still biting on his thumb nervously.

11:59.

“Just send it.” Johnny told him softly, glancing at the phone screen. Taeyong hadn’t even unlocked his phone yet.

“Should I?” He asked softly, and Lucas walked over to the two, grinning cheerfully.

“Send it, hyung!” Lucas cheered, even though he had no idea what Taeyong was supposed to be sending.

“Girls are a distraction, Taeyong-hyung,” Kun chided, joining the slowly forming circle around Taeyong.

Johnny tsked, shaking his head, “That one is definitely alllllll woman. And with that card, she’ll never say no to you. So just text her.”

“While I shouldn’t have to explain to anyone why Johnny-ssi’s statement is awful, it’s also true,” The eldest member of NCT reached over and tapped the top of Taeyong’s head with his index finger, “It’s 12. Text her so we can go back to practice,” Taeil replied, and Taeyong pushed out a breath.

“If hyung says I should do it...” Taeyong opened his texting app and sent Diamond a short text. Johnny read the message over his shoulder and started laughing.

“You debated that long just to ask her if she’s awake? I thought you were going to say more than that,” Johnny commented, still chuckling. He patted Taeyong’s shoulder and stood up. “Alright everyone, our break is over!”

The guys got back in formation and continued with rehearsal. Their practice continued for another hour, until it was time to stop for lunch. While the others were gathering their belongings, Taeyong checked his phone immediately. Diamond had replied.

I’m awake, :)

The silly little smiley face at the end of her text brought a smile of his own to his lips. He wondered what she was doing, and decided to text her just that.

Again, Diamond replied to his message almost immediately.

I’m not doing anything. I just woke up, remember?

Taeyong chuckled to himself, finally looking up from his phone to grab his things from the floor. He followed his fellow members to a room where their lunch was waiting for them. Taeyong decided to send Diamond a picture of his lunch with a caption that simply said ‘Eating Lunch’.

Chenle noticed Taeyong taking a picture of his food, and squeezed between Taeyong and Johnny on the bench, “Taeyong-hyung, are you sure you’re ok?” He questioned, and Doyoung cracked up.

“Even the kids notice something’s going on,” Doyoung pointed out, laughing again.

“Taeyong-ah, should we tell the babies what happened last night?” Johnny teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No!” Kun and Taeyong shouted in unison, making all the older members chuckle.

“Now we really wanna know!” Jisung cried, bouncing in his seat.

“No no no no,” Lucas told them all, wagging his finger, “If Taeyong-hyung doesn’t want to tell us yet, we need to wait.”

Taeyong’s phone buzzed and his focus turned back to the text message on his screen.

Taeyong-ah, will you come see me tonight?

Taeyong could feel heat burning his cheeks, so he quickly ducked his head, hoping no one else could see it. He shot a quick text back to Diamond and slide his phone in his pocket. If he wanted to make it to the House of Cards tonight, he’d have to finish all his work quickly.

Later

Kamella was feeling ultra luxurious as she got ready for work that night. She had used her collection of high-end skincare and make-up to put together a y, exquisite rose gold look, complete with a soft pink lace front with dark roots. She had pulled the shoulder length hair into a chic high-bun at the top of her head, allowing the rose tattoo at the nape of her neck to bloom for anyone that happened to step behind her.

To balance out all the pink, Kamella decided to wear a two-piece set with black and white pinstripes. The skirt fell to her knees with a y slit up to her thigh on the right side, while the top was cropped and short, featuring cold shoulder sleeves and an open back. Kamella finished her look with a dark burgundy lipstick and glittering gold accessories.

“Damn Mel! You’re really going all out tonight.”

Kamella looked up in the vanity mirror to see Olivia rushing into the basement dressing room with her bags, still wearing her clothes from this morning. She plopped down in the chair at the vanity beside her roommate, taking bottles and products out of her bag.

“I don’t know why, but Duchess was calling out to me today,” Kamella explained, putting the final touch of highlighter on her tear ducts. She popped the lid off of her setting spray, spritzing her face and skin with a luminating glow.

Olivia laughed, “I can see why. You’re shining like a freshly polished crown.”

The two laughed at Olivia’s joke as another group of women and a man walked into the dressing room. Kamella took one look at who it was, and rolled her eyes.

“Diamond, The Dealer wants to see you,” One of the women reported haughtily, her friend beside her snickering behind her hand.

Mina and Jisu were the only women brave enough to use their real names in the House of Cards. Both of them were traditional Korean beauties with dark hair and wide, doe-shaped eyes. Mina was a little taller than Jisu, and was currently sporting a perm in her hair, the curly ringlets adding a youthful flair to her face.

Mina, the Queen of Hearts, had earned her title because she earned "hearts" by saying yes to every single request she recieved. It didn’t matter what it was as long as there was money involved. On the other hand, she was vicious to her coworkers, and jealous to an unhealthy degree. Kamella and Olivia did their best to avoid both Mina, and her Jack, Jisu, like the plague.

The man with them was Mina’s counterpart, the King of Hearts, Hongman. He was often in his own world, and he never did a thing to stop Mina’s ridiculous behavior. His easy personality and lax manner was the way he won over his clients; while he wouldn’t agree to every request, he wasn’t picky at all. He was also notorious for screwing his clients outside of the club.

“I’ll go with you,” Olivia stated, setting her make-up brush down on the table. Kamella shook her head, placing her hand on her best friend’s shoulder as she stood from her chair.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you upstairs.”

Hongman whistled lowly, “Wow, Diamond. You look gorgeous today.”

Kamella scoffed, flashing a cocky smirk, “Don’t I always?” She questioned, pushing past the group. She made sure to add a little extra force as she forced her way by, bumping Mina so hard she took a step back. “I’ll be back, Susie.”

Internally, Kamella was already practicing her speech in her mind. If Dealer got suspicious or curious at all about Taeyong, things would get complicated, and fast. She’d downplay the entire situation and try to distract him so he didn’t look into things too much.

Kamella took the stairs up from the basement to the first floor of the House, where a private elevator was hidden at the very back of the kitchen. She rode the elevator up three floors, past the convenience store and the cafe, and up to the fourth floor where the Dealer’s office was.

Real estate agent by day, Dealer used his offices to control the entirety of the House of Cards without ever stepping foot into the karaoke bar. There were two security guards at the door and a guard dog, and they all ignored Kamella as she walked right by them, into Dealers office. He was eating dinner at a glass table, using a gold pair of chopsticks to eat his rice, while the big screen TV against the back wall showed him everything happening in the club. Only a few of the private rooms didn’t have cameras in them, and each Ace card holder paid handsomely to use those rooms when they were up to something exceedingly illegal.

Dealer was probably the most handsome man Kamella had ever met, and over the years, his attractive face just proved that appearances were absolutely deceiving. Dealer had a chiseled face, with a strong jawline and a full, but expertly trimmed beard that was jet black without a speck of gray hair. His hair was wavy and reached his collarbone normally, but tonight he had his inky waves pinned up into a bun at the back of his head. Everything about him screamed masculinity, and his entire aura told a story of a man that was not one to be ed with.

It was his eyes that were a trap, crafted by the Devil himself; honey brown orbs that were so startling in contrast to his dark hair and demeanor. Those eyes, that reminded her so much of Yeona, were the reason she came to the House of Cards in the first place. They were the reason why she stood in front of the almost 50-year-old man that didn’t look a day over 35.

“Diamond, have you eaten already? I got an extra meal for you,” He questioned lowly, motioning for Kamella to take a seat. She shook her head and followed his unspoken command, delicately placing her hands in her lap. Dealer stood up from his chair and walked over to the plastic bag at the edge of the table, taking out an extra set of food, and opening the containers one-by-one. He placed the plastic tubs in front of Kamella and handed her a set of wooden chopsticks and a plastic spoon. Of course. The gold chopsticks were only for family.

“You look especially exquisite today. Special occasion?”

She could smell his cologne because of his closeness, and while the scent used to make her heart race, now it only left her cold. Kamella smiled politely when Dealer finally moved back towards his own chair, knowing while his words were probably true, they were still nonsense. Before, she was overjoyed by his compliments, but now, she saw them for what they were -- absolute and utter bull.

“I wanted to celebrate our Dealer returning home to us,” She replied coyly, and Dealer met her words with a bark of laughter.

“Well, even if that’s a lie, I’ll choose to believe your words.”

Kamella shrugged, taking a few bites of rice and drinking some soup. She didn’t want to be here at all, but she knew if she didn't eat anything, that'd tip Dealer off to just how much she wanted to leave.

“So, a little birdie told me that you’ve finally given your Ace to a client,” He began, and Kamella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There was no reason to hide who snitched -- Kamella and Olivia both knew that the Queen of Hearts had tattled as soon as the Dealer settled into his office. She probably visited him during daylight hours because it burned her up so much.

“Isn’t it my Ace to hand out as I please? Or did we get new rules...?” Kamella asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Oh, are you being defensive about it? Now, I’m even more curious about this client. Who is he? What does he do for a living?”

“How do you know it’s not a woman?” Kamella challenged, and Dealer fixed his gaze on her beautiful face, instantly calling her bluff.

“Diamond-ah, as your elder, I’m offended you think I’m that stupid,” He told her evenly, a small smile playing on his lips. It made Kamella want to slap him.

“He’s just a chaebol that’s got a thing for foreigners,” To make her words sound nonchalant, Kamella went back to eating her food. She could feel the older man’s eyes on her, and when she looked up, he was still wearing that odd little smile.

“We get men like that in here often, so it’s odd that this one is so different.”

“He has a lot of money.” She fired back, as if that should explain it all.

“Hm. I never thought you would take a page out of Mina’s book.”

“I’ve been a little lazy lately -- I don’t want my earnings to slip. Then, what’ll happen to the Queen of Diamonds?”

His look softened. If Kamella didn’t know any better, she’d really think he actually cared for her.

Too bad she wasn’t a blind fool anymore.

“I’d never give the Diamond title to anyone else but you. You know that.” He almost looked hurt that she had even suggested it. Almost.

“I know, Dealer.” Kamella echoed, her voice devoid of any emotion. The two of them ate for a few more moments in silence before Kamella had had enough. “I should head back down. We’re going to open soon.”

Dealer nodded, watching her closely. Kamella scooted back her chair and almost made it to the door-

“Diamond,” Dealer called, and Kamella stopped, not bothering to turn around.

“I missed seeing your face the most while I was gone. I meant it when I said you look exquisite tonight,” he said, obviously frustrated by how quickly she wanted to leave the room, “Be careful. Let’s have another great night.”

Kamella nodded, waving over her shoulder as she strolled out of the room. She didn’t release the breath she was holding until she was in the elevator. Seeing Dealer never got easier, and it never would.

She hated him more than anything else in the world.

End Chapter 3