The Lion

by D. Camille

  “So Tauri, you're the top prosecutor for the city and you also make homemade cakes. You appear to be very talented,” Pam said turning back to where Tauri was standing still holding her bag.

  Tauri smiled. “Lawyer by day, baker by night...” She shrugged uncomfortably.

  “Hmmmm.... I also understand you haven't known my son for long.”

  Okay, Tauri thought, we're going straight for the big guns. She sat her purse on a chair and gave Pam her full attention.

  “No, Orion and I haven't known each other for very long, almost two weeks.”

  Pam lifted a brow. “And we're meeting you already? Seems like things are moving quickly between you two.”

  Hold the hell up...Tauri thought, I'm not the one talking about building and babies.

  “Mrs. Shaw, let me say this...” Tauri began as her phone buzzed with a text. She automatically reached down into her bag. “Excuse me....”

  Tauri glanced at the text on her screen from Orion.

  Where are you baby?

  She typed back:

  In your mother's kitchen. Where the hell are you?

  A few seconds later Rion showed up in the doorway and looked at his mother questioningly before walking over to where Tauri was standing. He placed a hand on her waist as he leaned down to kiss her gently.

  “I wondered where you were,” he said staring down at her. “I didn't hear the doorbell.”

  “Your mother was waiting for me at the door,” Tauri explained.

  Rion looked at his mother then back at Tauri. He read the look on his mother's face and felt the tenseness in Tauri's body.

  “What's going on?” he asked both women.

  Tauri looked away. “I just came for dinner.”

  Rion turned to his mother. “Momma?” he asked pointedly.

  Pam folded her arms. “I was just asking Tauri about the speed of your relationship Orion. You just got here and you have a lot on your plate right now.”

  Rion frowned as his brother and father appeared in the kitchen wondering what was going on. Corvus saw the look on his brother's face and stopped. The lion was riled up and he wondered why.

  “I'm going to say this for the last time so there will be no more questions,” Rion began facing his family. “It does not matter to me what anybody thinks. I came here to start a team and to start my life; and that life is with Tauri Patterson.” He looked at Tauri. “I would marry her today if she agreed, because I don't need anyone to tell me what my heart already knows.”

  Tauri's eyes widened as she watched him. It always threw her off balance when Orion made his declarations, but this one was a doozy and in front of his entire family. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth. “We invited you for dinner and I hope that you will stay.”

  Tauri touched his face. “Yes, I'll stay.”

  Corvus and George looked at Pam before she walked over to the couple. “My son has very eloquently put me in my place,” she said to Tauri. “I apologize if I offended you in any way. Please feel welcome in our home.”

  Tauri nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

  George Shaw smiled at his wife. He knew this was going to be hard for her. Orion was her young god and he'd always been there for her, before and after George had come into their lives. Their bond was very special and George understood it was going to be hard for Pam to deal with a new woman in Orion's life. However, he was proud of her today for making the first step. Orion was a man who knew his own mind and always had. George knew that Orion would not allow this situation to get out of hand and was pleased at the way he'd handled it.

  Rion turned to his mother. “Tauri's going to give you five grandbabies.”

  Pam smiled at him happily while Tauri frowned at him.

  “Let these two say hello while we get the table set,” Pam said ushering Corvus and George out of the kitchen.

  Tauri was still frowning when Rion turned back to her. “Don't do that,” he said kissing her furrowed brow.

  “I don't know what to do with you Orion Shaw,” she told him.

  Rion gently pulled her into his arms. “Hello Tauri. I'm glad you came.”

  She hugged him back. “You didn't tell me you were a momma's boy.”

  He frowned and pulled back. “I'm not, Corvus is though.”

  Tauri tilted her head. “Right, your momma was about to pull out the kitchen knives on me right here.”

  Rion laughed. “Nope, my momma wouldn't go there. She wouldn't mess up her kitchen like that. She'd take you outside.”

  “That's not funny.” Tauri crossed her arms glaring at him.

  Rion stared down at her taking in the red dress that hugged her sexy curves and showed her curvy legs. “Stop flashing those pretty eyes at me before I do something to you in my momma's kitchen.”

  “I can't believe the things you say sometimes...” she sighed.

  “What?” he asked.

  Tauri looked at him. “Orion you just told your family that you'd marry me.”

  “I am.”

  Tauri's hands balled into fists. “I want to strangle you.”

  Rion lifted her eyes to his. “I want to love you,” he whispered softly before kissing her.

  Tauri wanted to stay angry, she wanted to not fall under Orion's spell but he was too damn good; too damn smooth. He kissed her slowly savoring her mouth and pulling her closer. She didn't care that they were in his mother's kitchen or that moments ago she'd wanted to punch him in the face. All that mattered now was being held in his arms and him wanting to love her.

  They both heard a loud cough and turned in the direction where it had come from.

  “Uh, can we eat? 'Cause I'm hungry,” Corvus said from the doorway.

  “Tauri this is my brother Corvus, the greedy one,” Rion introduced them and Corvus came to take her hand.

  “It's nice to meet you Corvus, I've heard a lot about you,” Tauri told him smiling and shaking his hand.

  He looked at Rion. “If it's from him, it's all lies. If it's from other females, it's all true...” he said grinning.

  Tauri laughed. “Don't start Corvus,” Rion warned.

  “I'm on good behavior tonight because Momma has already vexed the lion and I don't want him attacking me,” Corvus explained.

  Tauri looked confused. “The lion?”

  Corvus nodded. “He doesn't come out often, but when he does...watch out.”

  She turned to Orion and lifted a brow.

  Pam showed up and got everybody moving to sit down to dinner. Rion took the seat next to Tauri while Corvus sat across from them and their parents sat on the ends, after Tauri was introduced to their father.

  Tauri looked around the table. “Thank you again for having me. Orion has told me a lot about all of you.” They all smiled at her as they began their meals.

  “Corvus where's Lance? I thought you two stayed joined at the hip?” Rion asked his brother.

  Corvus smirked. “We're hooking up later to check out that new club downtown. You and Tauri should come through.”

  Rion glanced at Tauri. “Who else is going to be there?” he asked.

  “Me, Lance and B is supposed to come through if he can. He's still working on that breach at his office.”

  Tauri smiled. “I can't imagine Brandon in a club.”

  Corvus and Rion shared a look before going back to their meals.

  “How do you like working with Brandon?” Pam asked Tauri.

  “He's a great boss. I have a lot of respect for him and the work he does for the city.”

  Pam continued eating then asked, “Do you like your job Tauri?”

  Tauri turned to her. “Yes, very much.” She turned to Rion. “I'm glad that Brandon assigned me Orion's case.” He smiled at her.

  “We're very concerned about Orion and this threat,” his mother said shaking her head.

  Tauri stared at Rion. “Believe me Mrs. Shaw, this is a top priority. Orion is very important to me.”

  Pam smiled. “That's wonderf
ul to hear Tauri.”

  “What's the update on the situation at the prosecutor's office?” George asked.

  Rion shrugged. “Somebody put a tracer on Tauri's computer. The FBI came in and didn't find anything else so it seems Tauri was the target and it revolves around my case. The guys from LA are working on identifying who it is.”

  “Did Chief Green put some security on Tauri?” Pam asked concerned.

  Corvus nodded. “We've got it Momma.”

  Tauri turned to Rion. “You have someone following me?” she asked surprised.

  “We're watching out for you,” Rion confirmed. “I'm not taking any chances with my future.”

  Tauri flushed as she looked down at her plate. “Thank you Orion,” she said softly.

  Rion sat his fork down and gently took her hand. Tauri turned to look into his eyes and everyone in the room disappeared. Tauri was a tough girl and was accustomed to taking care of herself. That Orion had been concerned enough to look out for her, touched her heart deeply.

  “Never thank me for taking care of you Tauri...that's what I'm supposed to do,” Rion told her.

  Tauri looked from Rion to his father and then to his mother. “Thank you for raising such a wonderful man,” Tauri told them.

  Pam and George smiled at her.

  “Uh, they raised more than one...”Corvus added looking around the table.

  After dinner at the Shaw house, Tauri and Rion agreed to meet Corvus downtown. Inside the club, they were led to a VIP section where Corvus and Lance were seated. They all greeted one another and Tauri was introduced to Lance.

  The waitress arrived and Lance ordered a drink and looked to Tauri. “You want a drink sister because the temple boys don't drink alcohol.”

  Tauri smiled. “The temple boys?”

  “The body is the temple of the god. We've been taught to keep them clean,” Rion told her.

  Tauri nodded. “In that case, I'll have a strawberry daiquiri, a virgin one.” Tauri wasn't really a drinker, so it wasn't a big deal to her.

  Rion leaned toward her. “If you want a drink baby, it's fine. I don't expect you not to enjoy yourself.”

  “Not tonight. I can enjoy myself just being with you.” She smiled at him and he kissed her cheek.

  Rion looked up to find Corvus and Lance watching him with looks of sympathy. They knew that their brother was gone. Tauri Patterson had captured the heart of the lion.

  “So Lance, no female entourage tonight?” Rion asked.

  Lance sat back. “Nah, I called Katydids to see if she wanted to chill but she had some other plans or something.”

  Tauri excused herself to the ladies room and all the men stood until she was out of sight. Lance turned to Corvus. “How was dinner with the fam?” he asked as they all sat.

  Corvus smiled. “Rion and Tauri got married tonight.”

  “What?”

  Corvus laughed. “They might as well. I think Daddy was ready to perform the ceremony.”

  Rion waited as the act continued.

  “Momma was about to go straight ham though.”

  “What did Momma do?” Lance asked excitedly.

  “She was about to cut Tauri in the kitchen but Rion wasn't having it,” Corvus continued his story.

  Rion put a hand to his face stroking his chin watching the pair.

  Lance's eyes widened. “What he do?”

  “Man, he told Momma that Tauri was BAE and she had to kill all that noise.”

  “Shut up Corvus,” Rion finally intervened. “I wonder how you two function in society.”

  Corvus laughed. “She can make a helluva chocolate cake though. If Rion don't marry her, I think I will...just to get some of her uh, cake.” He lifted a brow at Lance and they both fell out laughing.

  “See when I hurt you, it will be all justified,” Rion warned.

  Corvus looked at his brother. “I'm just playing Rion. Tauri's good people, I like her.” He turned to Lance.

  “Oh, I forgot. They having five kids.”

  Lance looked at Rion. “Damn... are you trying to buy a team or have one of your own?”

  Rion shook his head and looked out for Tauri to return.

  Tauri exited the restroom stall and walked over to the sink. As she began washing her hands a woman exited another stall. Their eyes connected in the mirror and both women gasped.

  “Tauri!”

  “Lisa!” Tauri exclaimed. “I didn't know you were back in town.”

  The two women hugged. “I just got back yesterday. I was going to call you next week to hook up.” They broke apart and looked at each other.

  “Wow Tauri, you look good girl! What are you doing here?” Lisa asked.

  Tauri smiled. “I'm here with...” she paused a few seconds, “...my man.”

  Lisa looked shocked. “You're in a relationship?” she asked and Tauri nodded slowly.

  “Is it serious?” Lisa asked.

  Tauri bit her lip softly. “Yeah, I think it is.”

  “Oh my god girl, look at you blushing! I've only been gone a few weeks.” Lisa moved to the sink. “I have to meet this man.”

  Tauri nodded and both finished washing their hands before the two exited the restroom heading to the VIP section.

  Lisa turned to Tauri. “How's Brandon?” she asked.

  “Brandon's fine. He's supposed to stop by tonight,” Tauri told her.

  Tauri smiled to herself. Lisa had been into Brandon since both she and Tauri had started working in the Prosecutor's office. Lisa had moved on to start a private practice but the two women had remained friends since they had also attended law school together.

  The pair reached the section and all the men stood. Lisa recognized Rion immediately.

  “Oh my god! You're Rion Shaw,” she exclaimed.

  Rion looked at Tauri and smiled. “Yes, I am.”

  Tauri came to his side and he placed an arm around her waist. “Lisa, as you know this is Orion. Orion this is my friend Lisa. We went to law school together and she used to be a prosecutor as well.”

  “Nice to meet you Lisa,” Rion greeted her shaking her hand and Lisa looked at Tauri in question.

  “This is your man?” Lisa questioned.

  Rion looked down at Tauri. “Yes, I'm her man.”

  Tauri smiled up at him and confirmed. “Yes, this is my man.” She wrapped an arm around his waist.

  Lance cleared his throat and the trio turned toward him and Corvus.

  “Lisa, this is Lance Johnson and Corvus Shaw,” Rion introduced.

  Lisa turned to them. “The Negus?” She turned to Tauri. “We need to have lunch, like tomorrow.”

  Tauri laughed. “Yes, we do. We need to talk.”

  Corvus and Lance greeted Lisa then invited her to have a seat a with them. They all sat at the table enjoying themselves until Lance asked Lisa to dance. She accepted and the pair headed to the dance floor with Corvus following to find a dance partner.

  Rion leaned over into Tauri's ear. “Would you like to dance goddess?”

  She turned to him and gave him a sexy smile. “I prefer to do my dancing in private,” she whispered back.

  “We'll do that later then.” They smiled at each other before he kissed her lips.

  Tauri leaned into him. “Is there a full moon tonight?” she inquired.

  “No, why?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe I'd like to relive our second date.”

  “We can make new memories on the rooftop,” he told her softly.

  Tauri smiled. “Will we be able to tell our kids about these memories?”

  Rion kissed her neck. “Definitely not, unless we want some bad ass kids.”

  She laughed and then turned her face to meet his lips. They broke apart as Lance returned. He explained that Lisa's party had arrived and she went to join them promising to call Tauri later.

  “How does the place look?” Rion asked Lance.

  “Corvus and I checked it out. Everything looks on the up and up. We made sure to tel
l them we'd be checking in periodically.”

  Rion nodded. “Did they know the Negus was coming?”

  Lance shook his head. “No this was a surprise visit to see if anything illegal was going down. We're not allowing that in the city anymore. If you're going to run a business, run it right or get the hell out.”

  Rion looked around. “The place looks nice, hopefully they continue to do it right.”

  They looked up as Brandon approached. “Hey, look who I found,” he announced.

  They all turned to find Khayla and Agent Marcus Graham. Khayla was dressed in a green dress that accentuated her ample bosom and thick thighs. Lance's eyes narrowed as he watched Marcus Graham with a hand on her back.

  Rion recovered first. “Hey girl,” he stood greeting Khayla with a hug. He turned back to Tauri. “This is Tauri, Tauri this is Khayla. Her twin brother is Khalil, Kyros' father.”

  Tauri stood. “Nice to meet you Khayla, I've had the pleasure of meeting your brother and your adorable nephew.”

  “Thank you. It's nice to meet you too Tauri. I've heard a lot about you.” Khayla shook Tauri's hand then turned to Marc. “I think you all have met Marcus.”

  “Yeah, we met him,” Lance said frowning.

  Marc looked around the table and greeted everyone wearing his patented dark suit and sunglasses.

  “Where's Trent?” Tauri asked.

  “He's back at the hotel on the phone with the love of his life,” Marc answered.

  “Well Marcus and I are going to have a good time, so I'll see you all later,” Khayla announced and Lance stood to his feet and walked over to her. He looked down into her face.

  “You look beautiful Katydids.” He leaned to kiss her cheek before looking at Marc.

  Marc picked up the signal and nodded. “Are you ready Khayla?”

  Khayla looked from Lance to Marc. “Yes, let's go.”

  Lance watched them walk away and turned back to the group. He took his seat along with Brandon, Rion and Tauri.

  “What did I tell you?” Rion asked Lance.

  Lance frowned. “Miss me with that right now Rion.”