Watercolors: Ellison Brothers

by Vera Roberts

  “Did you just threaten me?” Jay asked. “Because if it was a suggestion, I’ll ignore it. If it was a threat, however, I’ll keep it one hundred with you…” Jay got down on Ricardo’s level and stared into his eyes. “That is the first and last time you’ll threaten me again.”

  “Or you’ll do what?” Ricardo retorted.

  “If one negative story about Aaliyah Smith comes out, I’ll burn down the goddamn DNC and I’ll make sure you’ll be the one captured holding the match.” Jay smiled.

  Ricardo met Jay’s stare. There were rumors floating around for years the younger man was the real power in Congress and no one ever seemed to confirm it. Those who spoke about Jay did it in hushed tones, though Ricardo didn’t see how harmful he was. He was a pretty boy heartthrob who just happened to become a senator. He was called The Breck Girl for a reason.

  Unbeknownst to Ricardo, he was going to find out very soon why the younger man’s other nickname was The Notorious J.A.Y. “Thank you for meeting with me on short notice.” The older man stated. “I’ll see myself out.”

  Jay watched Ricardo exit from his office and waited a few moments before he called his wife. “Baby, that story on Ricardo we’ve been sitting on? Run it tomorrow. Yeah, I’ll be home for dinner tonight. Pot roast sounds great. I love you, too.”

  ~~~~~~~

  Ocean just stepped out of a committee meeting and was about to head to his office when a young woman bumped into him. His files flew out of his hands and he bent down to get them. “I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed as she helped him pick up the various files. “I didn’t see where I was going! I was in a rush.”

  “It’s fine. Totally understandable. I get like that myself at times.” He chuckled. “Besides these floors are super polished now.”

  “Yeah, they are.” The woman helped Ocean put his files together and handed them back to him. “There you go. I hope you have a great day, Mr. Ellison.” She smiled and hurried down the hall.

  Ocean watched her leave. “I will now.” He gathered his files and noticed there was a small bulge in the manila folder. He opened it up and noticed it was a jump drive. “What the…?” He turned back to the woman and she was long gone. “Okay.” He looked at the jump drive again and noticed there was a note attached to it.

  Play me, Ocean.

  Ocean looked around and noticed his fellow senators and congressmen were about to go to lunch. He hurried over to his office and locked the door behind him. He opened his laptop and inserted the jump drive.

  He watched for a short while and saw nothing of interest. A file on Ricardo Montez. Ho-hum. Who cared? A profiling of his background, philanthropic donations, and community rallies over the years. He was praised by the NAACP, Women’s Rights groups, and many others.

  “I don’t care about how big his dick is,” Ocean yawned. He was about to remove the jump drive when the screen went black and reappeared again. The next image was of Ricardo at a hotel room. He was naked. His back was towards the young vixen on the bed and he appeared to put something in her wine glass. “What the…?”

  The next images appeared of Ricardo giving the woman the drink and she passed out a short time later. He double-checked to see if she was awake before he proceeded to have sex with her. The timestamp on the video made it clear it was a recent video.

  Ocean sat back in his leather chair and blew out a breath. He needed to go to the police for sure. He would need to alert every member of the press. He was sure Ximena would be crushed, given she had taken over the #metoo movement and was an outspoken spokeswoman for it.

  All Ocean could do…was smile.

  He got on the phone with Justin. “Hey, remember that investigation I asked you to do on Ricardo? Suspend that for a moment. There’s something you need to look at.”

  ~~~~~~

  “It took you forever and a day to get back to me!” Aaliyah chided Brittany over the phone. After she’d finished Eli’s tattoo, she retreated back home. She’d stopped filming for the day and relished the solitude her home gave her.

  While Aaliyah liked the perks the reality show had given her, Aaliyah knew she was the most comfortable being private and at home. There was nothing like putting on soulful music, drinking tea, and reflecting of the day.

  It was a peace Ocean’d given her. Before him, she would still want to crank it up and play her hard and fast music. He showed her how to decompress and remove the stress of the day at the front door. He’d given her a peace she’d hadn’t known before.

  She felt a little guilty doing her research on the family but she needed to know who she was marrying. If Ocean didn’t know about her past, that was all on him. She felt compelled to know about his. “Did you find anything good on the family?”

  “Well, other than they’re super mega rich, there’s nothing too scandalous. Rumors of Thomas’s affairs weren’t just rumors but he must paid the mistresses very well because they all never said anything bad about him. On the same token, they also never said anything good. It’s like they refuse to talk about him at all.”

  Thomas still wielded his power, Briana noted. “Interesting.”

  Brittany admitted. “My cousin did find out a piece of information that you might find interesting.”

  “Oh?” Aaliyah settled into her sofa and flipped through channels. “Such as what?”

  “Well, Thomas was in a car accident like twenty years ago with a female passenger who died.”

  “Really?” The hairs stood on Aaliyah’s arms. She remembered how cold and calculating Thomas’s eyes were when they danced. “Okay.”

  “And the female passenger was widely rumored to be his mistress.” Brittany continued. “She was a black female.”

  Aaliyah remembered Ocean mentioned something about an affair his father had that the press harped on. “Okay, he had a black mistress, that’s not really anything ground-breaking.”

  “No, it’s not.” Brittany surmised. “Except, the mistress wasn’t just the father’s; she was also the mother’s.”

  Aaliyah sat straight up in the sofa. “I beg your pardon?”

  Fifteen

  “Apparently way back when, Starr and Thomas Ellison were in that open marriage lifestyle. They still are, to an extent. He does his thing and she does hers.” Brittany continued. “While the press look at Thomas as a philanderer, he’s not. Every woman he was with was by the blessing of his wife.”

  “I…I….” Aaliyah didn’t know what to say. It appeared the sons had no clue what their parents were into. “And the wife?”

  “She had her own thing. But let’s not get it twisted. It’s not like they have a loving marriage. If anything, it was a sexual relationship turned business partnership that included marriage. I’m not sure if they ever loved each other at all. They loved the power and they fought against the same causes. But there’s a difference between being in love and loving someone.”

  “That doesn’t explain the mistress?” Aaliyah pointed out. “That’s a huge story.”

  “Well, I’m getting to that.” Brittany continued. “Apparently, the mistress did a threesome with Starr and Thomas. He was driving her back home when he ran into a tree. It’s been long-rumored he was getting some sloppy-toppy from her when he drove. She was instantly killed. He walked away with some bruising but fine otherwise. He was literally caught with his pants undone.”

  “And the press had a field day?” Aaliyah concluded.

  “You betcha. Starr was painted as the poor, insufferable wife while Thomas was painted as the cheating bastard. Because he was forever associated with that, he told his sons no more black women at home.”

  Aaliyah remembered what Ocean told her about Thomas’s order. She had a feeling it went beyond name-calling and insults. “But Thomas still has black mistresses, yes?”

  “Of course he does! And of course Starr knows but she doesn’t care. She’s too busy getting her own dick to care about what her husband does.” Brittany yawned. “I’m sorry it’s not juicier than that but th
at’s what my cousin told me.”

  “Oh, that’s fine.” Aaliyah shrugged. “Thanks a bunch, Brit. You’re a lifesaver.”

  “Anytime, babes. Let me know if you need anything else, boo.” She hung up.

  Aaliyah set her phone down. Everything about Thomas was explained when Ocean refused to say a word. Aaliyah felt she invaded his privacy but she had to know the truth about the family.

  Starr and Thomas had an open marriage of convenience. Considering how long they’d been married, Aaliyah imagined there had to have been some love there. She didn’t think Starr would be the type to stay with a man for that long, just for the sake of being with him.

  Aaliyah wondered about her union with Ocean. It was clear they had a love that transcended time and distance. She wondered once he knew about her past, would he want to bring another woman into the bedroom? Would he want to sexually explore her like the others did?

  It was time for a second opinion. She needed to speak with her dad.

  ~~~~~~~

  “My sunshine,” Avery Smith’s deep voice boomed in the garage he worked. He was a tall and husky black man with a smooth fade and a salt and pepper goatee. He was a man in his late fifties, though his youthfulness often made people wonder if he was much younger.

  He and his friends started their own biker club – The Black Panthers – and often rode across the country.

  Avery originally started the club to keep his brother and nephew off the streets, but it soon became a passion for bikes. The members ranged from preachers to blue-collar workers to teachers and professors to CEOs. The only requirement the club had was every bike had to be American-made.

  Aaliyah walked into the garage and greeted her cousins and uncles, along with several other family members. She sat down beside her father and watched in awe as he worked on another bike.

  “What brings my sunshine here on this fine day?” Avery asked as the sounds of Johnnie Taylor played in the background.

  “I need advice, Daddy.” Aaliyah began, “it’s about O.”

  “And what about Mr. O?” Avery replied. “I see the press has stopped talking about you two.”

  “I’m not with him for the fame of it. I think I would choose someone other than a famous senator.” Aaliyah addressed. “It’s about my past, Daddy. I’m not sure if O would approve.”

  “I don’t see why it’s any of his concern,” Avery replied. “Your mama and I didn’t approve but we also knew you were going to do whatever you wanted. We just wanted you to be safe. We had to let you be stupid at a time where you were still able to get away with being stupid.”

  “I wasn’t stupid but it wasn’t the smartest decision I could admit.” She admitted. “I wanted to do it and I did.”

  “That’s beside the point. Your mama and I wondered where did we go wrong. You had everything you wanted and needed; you never went without. And yeah, we both had to do a lot of soul searching.” Avery chuckled. “We both had to wonder what role we played in you working at a brothel. We then concluded you were safe and Jackson wouldn’t do you wrong. Then we became cool with it. But it took a while to get to that point and it wasn’t easy.”

  “You’re saying I should let O do the same when he finds out?” She asked.

  Avery sat up and sipped iced water. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief and turned to his daughter. “This happened a long time ago, sunshine. A man isn’t going to punish you for sins you did about 10 years ago. He may not like it but he’s not going to ruin a good thing because of it.”

  “This might affect his career when it comes out, though,” Aaliyah replied, “this might hurt him in the long run.”

  “I doubt that. More people are open about that type of stuff now than they have been. If anything, O might get more votes from women because he believes in sex positivity and all that new feminist jazz they spit.” Avery laughed. “If he really loves you, this is a nothing burger.”

  Aaliyah wanted to believe her father. Ocean wanted to marry her as soon as possible back then. He wanted to marry her as soon as next week.

  Aaliyah decided she could no longer wait to tell Ocean or hoped to hell he would never find out. She went into her closet and began packing. The sooner she told Ocean the truth, the better they both would be off.

  “I guess I’m going to D.C.” Aaliyah surmised.

  “I guess so.” Avery replied.

  ~~~~~~~

  Aaliyah hadn’t been in D.C. more than a few hours to know she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her days there.

  It was full of rich history and many current laws had ben enacted there. She got chills by feeling the history of the Founding Fathers. She had an unbearable sadness of the slaves they’ve kept and the laws their masters created that wouldn’t give them the same protection.

  Policymakers routinely met with voters, constituents, and big-money donators to ensure their voices (and wallets) were heard. Various protestors carried signs about their cause; each declaring their issue was urgent.

  Families with small children took every Instagram-worthy photo op they could. Vloggers talked into their phones and cameras and panned behind him to show potential viewers what they see. Tourists snapped selfies and kissed each other’s cheek for those adorable like-worthy pics.

  The sounds of D.C. were different. It was busy but a different kind of busy. There were the hustlers in Atlanta who had an idea for everything. People in L.A. were busy trying to get home, to work, to auditions, to anywhere and everywhere.

  People in D.C. were constantly running to meetings. They had a meeting with someone important. They had a meeting to discuss something important. They had an important meeting to discuss another important meeting.

  And then there was Aaliyah.

  She traipsed around D.C. with a flower in her hair and her trademark Bohemian look of flare pants and a tank top. It was already mid-October in D.C. and the weather reflected the season. It was cold enough for a sweater but not for a heavy coat.

  The vibe in D.C. felt wordily different from Atlanta and Los Angeles. Sure, Aaliyah had her fair share of fake people but it seemed they really came out in force in D.C. People kissed ass to get what they wanted and if they determined one useless, the relationship was ended, no matter how nice and friendly the other party was.

  She told the camera crew she wasn’t going to film her trip and wanted it to be private. Laura argued it would be great television but Aaliyah was insistent this storyline couldn’t be shown. If Ocean’s reaction to her revelation was ugly, she didn’t want cameras to witness it.

  Her stomach coiled in tight knots and Aaliyah wondered if she was doing the right thing. She knew Ocean was going to break up with her and she was more than prepared for that. She wanted to do it in person. She even packed the ring and took it with her in case he wanted it back. She’d missed wearing it already.

  She let out a deep breath and held her head up high. She was going to see him, confess all, and break up a short time later. Then she would return back to her life and mourn his loss as she would go through lover after lover, trying to fill the impossible void.

  She stopped by a local coffee shop and ordered a jasmine tea while she contemplated her next course of action. Ocean didn’t know she was in town and Aaliyah did that intentionally. If she told him about her plans, he would’ve been insistent on introducing her to people like he did before at Briana’s fundraiser. Aaliyah wanted the anonymity between them.

  She sat down at a secluded table and began to people watch. Two women gossiped about their friends. A mother was trying to get her young son to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. A power player was negotiating a deal over the phone and tried to quiet his booming voice as much as he could.

  Aaliyah shook her head and smiled. None of them had life-altering scandals. None of them would be called every name in the book. None of them would have to clean up their respective social media pages. They could live carefree, enjoy the sunlight, and call it a day.

  She quietly sippe
d her tea and checked her cell phone. Nothing but potential bookings and fan comments on IG. No texts from Ocean, though Aaliyah didn’t expect any. Ocean was very busy and his time was short. He would call when he had a moment to spare.

  Aaliyah was used to being ignored by him, though she could admit it started to get bothersome. He promised to do better and she knew he was being pulled in all directions as a first-time senator. She also knew he could manage a phone call if he wanted to.

  “Girl, can you believe that mess?” A black woman with long red hair walked into the coffee shop, followed by her Asian cohort. “I knew he was an asshole just by looking at him.”

  “Doesn’t he know he could go to jail for that?” The Asian woman replied. “In fact, I think he is going to jail for that! I thought I heard a whisper about charges potentially being filed.”

  “They need to!” The redhead replied. “They need to charge him. He’s so guilty.”

  “And the daughter? What’s her name? Ximena?” Aaliyah’s ears perked up. “You know she’s going to stand by her daddy.”

  “Of course, she is! Daddy’s been pimping her out probably since she was a newborn. She’s not going against the grain now.” The redhead shook her head. “A right movement was laid to rest by a nutjob. Just like Occupy Wall Street. Just like these other movements. Right intentions, but the wrong person in charge of it.”

  “And just watch all of these rapists and harassers get their old jobs back. Now they have a reason. No one is focusing on the big story the father did; they’re going to look at how the daughter is behaving.” The brunette shook her head. “Sometimes when family is sinking, you need to let them drown.”

  “A word, and a sermon.” The redhead replied.

  Big story? Aaliyah pulled out her cell phone and searched online. Her jaw dropped when she saw Ricardo was trending for drugging and raping a woman. He claimed he was set up by another woman but there was no mention or evidence of her. Charges were to be expected soon.