by S. K. Lessly
She felt like, for him, what they had experienced that night was just physical. The fact that he hadn’t made his way to see her yet was starting to confirm that fact among other things. Yet the things he’d said to her and how he had claimed her body. Didn’t that mean something? ‘You’re mine!’ That’s what he had told her, but Nyla had learned the hard way that men could and would say whatever they needed to say in order to get what they wanted. She had hoped Andrew was different. She needed to know that he was different.
Today had been her chance to find out. She would make it a point to pull him aside and talk to him. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him. Everything that came to mind made her sound like a needy little girl. However, she couldn’t go on wondering either. Decisively, on the drive into town, Nyla figured out how she would start this conversation. She played the scenario over and over in her mind. Yup, this was her moment, her chance to find out if he was real or just all talk. Unfortunately for her, she never got the chance to find out.
A shiver slowly ran up Nyla’s spine just thinking about what had happened today. Nyla huffed out a slow sigh and tried to calm her nerves, but the shaking only got worse.
“Damn it!” she spat as she squeezed her eyes tighter. She hadn’t burst into tears yet, surprisingly, but she knew that it was coming. Her world seemed to be crashing down around her. The things that Robert had said to her, the abominable threats his evil tongue spewed at her, was eating away at her confidence. Could she protect her baby from him? She had believed it was possible before, but now, she wasn’t so sure.
Nyla brought her shaking glass to her quivering lips, desperate to drown the fear that was slowly crawling up her throat.
“Come on, Nyla. Get it together,” She chastised, taking a few deep breaths to add to the calming voice inside her head.
She needed to be honest with herself. What had happened today shouldn’t have been a shock to her. She knew Robert wouldn’t lay down and take it in the ass like the prick he was. She should’ve been prepared for what happened today, not shocked. But, she knew why everything had happened the way it had. She also knew the reason why Robert had been so horrible today. It had been because of Andrew.
Elese had announced before the meeting had started that Andrew had been called to court unexpectedly and wouldn’t be able to attend this meeting. Robert’s attorney offered to postpone the meeting, and Nyla had secretly agreed as her heart sank underneath the conference room table from the news. But, Elese assured everyone that they were ready to proceed without him. All parties agreed to move on in Andrew’s absence, and at the time, Nyla was still very optimistic. She trusted Elese. The pep talk she gave Nyla before the meeting had done its job. She was ready.
“John, my ex-husband, is going to walk into this meeting and do his best to take over,” Elese told her while they waited in the conference room for all parties to arrive. “He’s going to try and be sympathetic to you and your needs, agreeing that Se’Nya deserves to be with her mother and stuff like that. He’s going to play to your heartstrings as a mother. Then he’s going to plead his case on why Robert should have joint custody with visitation on his time. He’s going to put it on nice and thick and do his best to make sure we have no choice but to agree to their terms. I’m also going to tell you that the mediator will probably be on his side as well. However, we are not going to go for it.”
Nyla’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “Why not? If what they present is reasonable for both of us and Se’Nya, why wouldn’t we agree?”
“Because of principle, Nyla.”
Elese moved her chair closer to Nyla, never breaking or wavering her connection. “Nyla, this is our show. This is our case. We have the power to ask for whatever we want and we are going to get it. Robert doesn’t have power here. We do. Michaels doesn’t have power. We do. We will dictate to them what the terms will be. Joint custody is out of the question. We want full custody with scheduled two-day a week visitation when it’s convenient for you. I will also suggest that these visits occur in a location of your choice: either here, your place, or someplace that you select. At least until Se’Nya gets comfortable with the presence of her sperm donor. But, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. When you feel at ease about the new relationship between father and daughter, then we can revisit the topic of visitation. The point is that we set the terms, and they agree or they don’t and he becomes one of the many absentee fathers this world has spawned. Also, I’m planning on hitting him with the petition for child support today.”
The fear that accosted Nyla’s already stricken face made Elese reach for her hand. “He owes you, Nyla. He owes you for every second Se’Nya has drawn breath in this world and he will pay up. I won’t let him skip out on giving you what he owes you.”
“Robert is going to annihilate us, Elese,” Nyla warned, her eyes wide and fearful. “He won’t just fight us on this; he’s going to slaughter us. He’s not going to willfully pay me child support nor will he to take too kindly to being told no.”
“Nyla, he can try to scare me all he wants to. I don’t scare easily, trust me,” Elese stressed, hardening her voice with grit and determination. However, seeing that none of her words were getting through Nyla’s shell, she calmed her voice as she smiled. “Listen, don’t you worry about Robert, okay? He’s going to have to learn that you are in control. You will dictate when he gets to see his daughter. You are the sole custodian, not to mention this baby’s mother. You know what Se’Nya needs, wants, and how to make her feel safe. Robert has no clue how to please anyone but himself. What we’re not going to do is allow Se’Nya to be a test subject to see if Robert can be a good father.”
With that being said, Nyla believed Elese was very capable of representing her best interests. And with Andrew being there for support, Nyla truly believed that there wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. On the flip side of that, as soon as Elese announced that Andrew wouldn’t be coming to the meeting, she panicked. And with good reason, she had thought. The last time Andrew had been around Robert and Michaels, he had put fear in them. Now, with his absence from the meeting, there wasn’t a guarantee that things would go smoothly. However, Elese's confidence and her incalculable, determined focus, eased Nyla’s fears. Seeing Elese’s grit and coolness had been the only reason why she didn’t speak up when Elese had announced that they were going to move forward with the meeting. She also thought that maybe, just maybe, Robert wouldn’t show his ass today. Maybe he would act civilized, and everything would turn out fine. Regrettably, it didn’t. He didn’t. The moment Robert learned that she wanted full custody and child support, he erupted.
The whole morning fell apart after that and all Nyla wanted to do was turn back time and start the whole day over. Hell, she wanted to start the whole year over and it would’ve started with not allowing Andrew to creep into her life. She wasn’t blaming him for what had happened. Robert was a psycho; she had known this already.
Andrew, however, was responsible for the hope she had in her heart. She believed that he would take care of her, protect her, and make everything better. It was stupid for her to have put that much faith in someone she barely knew, and it was foolish for her most of all because she knew better.
Andrew didn’t owe her anything and he didn’t know her from a can of paint. Why would he offer his help to her without getting something in return? He had explained why he had helped her after they had dinner, but she didn’t believe him. It was too good to be true. He was too good to be true. She felt stupid for being so trusting and even more stupid for allowing herself to open up to him the way she had.
But goodness, she just couldn’t help herself. It was the way he had made her feel and the way he had looked into her eyes, that was contradicting every rational thought she had about him. Nyla believed wholeheartedly that what she saw in Andrew, what she felt when he touched her and kissed her was real. There was no way someone could fake that kind of sincerity or that kind of passion, right?
She needed answers.
Despite her fears, she needed to know if she should give up or hold on. She wanted to believe that Andrew was nothing like Robert or any other man. He didn’t just want to fuck her. But, again, she was being naïve. Maybe that was all he wanted. Maybe her servicing him on her back was what he considered payment for helping her.
She took down a huge gulp of vodka, sat up and decided to call him one last time. If he didn’t answer or call her back tonight, she’d have her answer.
Just before she looked up his number, her phone started to vibrate. Darrius’ face appeared on her screen.
Nyla’s heart dropped ever so slightly as Darrius’ smiling face looked back at her. It had been a while since she’d spoken to him. Nevertheless, Nyla started not to answer it. She knew Darrius would be able to tell she was off and would grill her until she told him everything. Nyla’s hand was about to swipe her phone to end the call, but she paused. No matter how she felt, she still wanted to talk to someone…anyone. Also, Darrius was her friend. If she couldn’t talk to him, who else could she talk to? So, she decided to answer her phone.
Ten minutes into the call, she regretted not sending him to voicemail.
5
After spending another hour or so thinking of what to do about Nyla, Andrew made his way off of Pine Rock and headed home. As it happened, the drive home, coupled with the time he had spent on the Rock, brought him no closer to a solution. Andrew lived in a luxury two-bedroom condo in an affluent suburb west of the city. The apartment had an open floor plan with the living and dining rooms sharing a very large space. His galley-style kitchen was closest to the door and had a nice sized island separating it from the large living area. The two bedrooms and bath were toward the back of the apartment, similar to Nyla's place.
Andrew had once thought about leaving this place and finding another apartment. The memories of the life he’d never gotten to live were all over this place. But, he never got around to it. Instead, he remained where he was, using the pain and loss that filled this apartment as a cold reminder that fate was the devil.
Andrew pulled his baby, a black on black Mercedes E550 Cabriolet convertible, into the visitor’s parking lot outside of his building. There was a covered parking garage located underneath his building, but he was too exhausted to drive any further. He entered the vast lobby, skipped his usual trek to the steps, and headed toward the elevators. The lobby was huge and empty. The sound of his shoes echoing along the marble floor was the only sound he had heard. He passed the security guard station and shook his head. As always, the guard was fast asleep.
Andrew thought about reporting him to the condo board. The guy had been working this building for years, and every single time Andrew saw him, he was fast asleep. The poor guard had passed his prime a long time ago, and it probably would be a good thing to get fresh, young blood watching over this building. However, after he thought about it, this job could possibly be the highlight of this man’s life. Who was he to mess that up? Anyway, it wasn’t like anyone in this building needed protection. Everyone that lived there was the same; they were wolves.
After a short trip to the fourth floor, Andrew slowly opened the door and walked inside, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he closed and locked his door. He placed his briefcase on the table next to his door and froze.
“It’s about damn time you came home,” called out a familiar disgruntled male voice that he’d heard many times growing up.
Andrew met his visitor’s eyes with a grunt and a slight nod of his head. He thought about telling his guest that he was too tired for his bullshit, but it wouldn’t do any good. He knew what the man wanted…answers. And he knew the son of a bitch wasn’t leaving until he got them.
Andrew considered his unwanted visitor and his brooding and said dryly, “Well, it’s good to see you too, Cedric.” Andrew spread his arms out encompassing his apartment. “I see you made yourself at home. Are you good? Can I get you something? A drink perhaps? Maybe something to eat?”
Cedric Dawson, Andrew’s best friend and Beta of their pack, snorted. “Huh, I’m surprised the run to the Rock tonight didn’t make your mood any better.”
Andrew sighed loudly and grunted again. “Yeah, me too.”
Andrew detached himself from his suit jacket and lobbed it on the closest island stool he passed. He then removed his diamond-studded cufflinks and placed them inside his pocket. As he ambled to his hand-carved cedar bar, which sat along the far wall of his living room, Andrew began to roll up his sleeves. He then froze where he stood and took in the sight in front of him. There were four, rather large, empty bottles sitting on his bar. One was Hennessy, another bottle was Kettle one Vodka and the remaining bottles were Remy Martin VSOP. Andrew shook his head. Apparently, the asshole hadn’t come alone, Andrew surmised, looking around the apartment.
As if the destruction of his bar wasn’t enough of a hint for him, Andrew closed his eyes, took in a calming breath, and that’s when he finally sensed the remnants of his brothers’ presence.
Fuck, he chastised himself quietly and went behind the bar, to a secret compartment, and pulled out a bottle of Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal. He had to admit it to himself that he was out of it. Normally, he would have sensed his brothers’ presence the moment he arrived at his apartment. However, he felt nothing. He sensed nothing. As it were, his mind had been clouded with the taste, touch, and scent of a woman and nothing else.
He cursed silently, swallowing his admission of guilt swiftly as he consumed a healthy gulp of the 1738. He knew that he needed to get his shit together and fast. Part of the reason for this late-night visit was a stark reminder of that fact. What he didn’t want to admit to himself or his visitor was the reason why he’d been so distracted.
Cedric eyed his long-time friend in the lengthy silence that followed. He had tried to prepare, on his drive over, for the impulsive, quick fuse of his Alpha. The man’s temper was legendary and based on what he had learned, he had expected to get resistance from just his presence alone. But all of the preparation he’d put himself through seemed to not have been enough. He wasn’t ready to deal with the Andrew that had just walked through the door. The man he grew up with was not the man before him; controlled, confident, strong, and focused. No! This man, Cedric noticed, was barely holding himself together.
Cedric had been Andrew’s best friend and trusted right-hand for decades. They met at the age of five on the playground and had been inseparable ever since. Some people who knew these two believed they had to be brothers in another life, maybe even twins. Cedric was close to the same height and was the same age as Andrew. They had the same muscle mass, mentality, and personality. They also had the same brooding, chiseled features. The only things that made them different were Cedric’s distinctive blazing green eyes, long blonde hair, and his level-headed attitude.
Cedric was Andrew’s voice of reason. He had talked Andrew off the ledge many of times, which normally brought calm to his quick and deadly temperament. Cedric knew there was no controlling Andrew; especially when he was at the peak of his anger.
This was the reason for his late-night visit.
Cedric noticed the subtle changes happening with Andrew, but he didn’t think anything of it at first. Andrew had always been moody and even distant at times; especially after he had lost Mikaliah. He also would have denounced the phone call he received from his sister, informing him of Andrew’s recent behav
ior, if she wasn’t adamant that he make a trip to see his friend.
He was glad that he had.
Even in this short amount of time, he had spent in Andrew’s presence, he could plainly see that he was definitely off his game and completely distracted. Cedric knew he needed to do something before it was too late. Andrew was veering off the reservation and he was the only one who could call Andrew on his shit and live to see another day. It was his job to make sure nothing brought Andrew harm and that included protecting the man from himself. He needed to either to get his alpha back on track or Cedric had to find out the source of the distraction and eliminate it.
“You look like shit,” Cedric said pointedly.
Andrew smiled slightly as he poured more of the dark liquid into his glass and then reached for another glass and filled it for his guest. “Yeah, well, I feel like shit too,” Andrew countered over his shoulder.
He picked up the two glasses he had filled and turned to face Cedric. He then ambled over to his plush gray loveseat, which was adjacent to the matching couch Cedric was slouched on. He reached over his coffee table to hand the extra glass to his guest before he sat down.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company? It’s Friday night. Shouldn’t you be out chasing ass or didn’t you have any place better to be?” Andrew challenged, watching his childhood friend closely over the rim of his glass.