* * *
After going to visit daddy the next day, I met Reba downtown at our favorite coffee shop. Starbucks didn’t have shit on Eternity Coffee Roasters. We went there regularly, so the staff was always ready to wait on us hand and foot. I mean, I was a Beauvois, so I was treated like royalty everywhere I went. At that spot, the people who worked there just did that for their regulars anyway. It wasn’t about my wealth and so I liked the place.
I was sipping on a mocha latte with extra almond milk. It was so good that I was about to need a second cup. Reba was drinking a green tea. I guess getting with Chang had put her on that healthy kick. Well, she could have that bullshit. I lived for my damn caffeine.
“So, how is your dad?” Reba asked as she pulled her lap top out. “You already know it’s all over the internet. It’s even trending on Twitter.”
“He’s doing much better. When we first saw him he was out of it, but now he’s wide awake and talking. They said there are no signs of heart disease. Daddy’s healthy as a horse. Just his over use of Viagra without needing it,” I whispered quietly filling her in on the part that we were trying to keep out of the media.
Reba’s mouth fell open. “Let me find out that Mr. B is a closet freak. Shit, you had to get it from somebody. I always thought Mrs. B was a prude, but she’s probably a closet freak too if he felt the need to use it.”
I scrunched up my nose in utter disgust. “That is the nastiest, sickest mess I’ve ever had the non-pleasure of hearing.”
“Oh, c’mon bitch. You know your parents fuck. How else did the Beauvois divas get here?” She smiled at me and then it faded when something on her computer’s screen caught her attention.
“What is it?” I asked as I peered at the screen.
She was on Media Take Out, so I rolled my eyes and looked away. I hated that stupid, no credibility having ass website from hell. Every time I turned around they had something to say about me and my sisters. The so called reporters were bi-polar as hell because one minute they were worshipping us and then they were trying to sabotage us with gossip the next. TMZ could kick rocks too for the very same reason.
“Uh…it says that Dean hired a new lawyer and has been awarded an appeal for a new trial. He claims that…”
I cut her off. “He what?” I almost broke my neck trying to see the screen. It was Media Take Out, but the link went to a real news story from the Miami Herald. “Fuck,” I breathed as I read that Dean’s new lawyer was convinced that he would be a free man soon due to new evidence that would prove his innocence.
It felt like my whole world was ending. Not even six months had gone by and Dean had been given the opportunity to be set free. What kind of evidence did they have and would it incriminate any of us? I could only imagine what he had up his sleeve if he did get out. It would be back to the old drawing board, but I was sure that it was going to be worse than before. He would surely be out for revenge.
“You okay?” Reba asked as I sat there in shock and dismay.
“Yes, I’m…I’m fine. That just threw me for a loop. That’s all.”
Reba didn’t even know about what we had done to Dean. I pushed my empty cup aside and thought about LaTisha, Elise and her mother. What did that mean for all of them? Shit, what did that mean for me and Raheem? What if our plan had backfired and all of us ended up locked up for obstruction of justice and fabricating a crime? Damn, it would be the scandal of the century.
There was no way in hell that I was going to allow that shit to happen. Hell no. I loved being rich, successful and free. My freedom meant more to me than anything and I would stop at nothing to make sure that it was secured. Prison was not for a woman like me and knowing that fact alone had my brain churning. I made a mental note to call Raheem asap.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter. The truth will always come out in the end,” Reba said with a reassuring look on her face.
I gulped and signaled for a waiter to come over to our table.
“Let me get another,” I said flatly.
The tall, slim built white man with dark, oily looking hair and green eyes nodded. He already knew my order because I always got the same thing. In the case of Dean Monross’s rape conviction, I hoped the truth would do just the opposite.
Chapter 3
Seandra
I was still pissed at Ahmad’s ass for what he had done. It was a good thing we didn’t live together, because all I had to do was keep sending his ass to voicemail. I knew that was a lot easier than having to ignore his fine ass in person. Damn, what the fuck was he up to? I had weeks to find out if I was actually pregnant or not and I was dying to know if that sneaky motherfucker had knocked me up.
I loved my nephew Resean, don’t get me wrong. I had nothing at all against beautiful, bouncy babies. The good thing about those gorgeous blessings was the fact that I didn’t have any and I wanted to keep it that way. Renell was cut out for that motherhood shit, not me. I was too damn spoiled and selfish. Shit, I was fine with that. I could accept me just the way I was, but something told me that Ahmad wouldn’t.
Admitting to him that having children had never been part of my life’s plans was going to be hard. I knew for a fact that he wanted to have children, but I hadn’t admitted that I didn’t. True, I hadn’t told him that I wanted kids either, I just nodded and never really said anything about it. What if I had unknowingly led him to believe that I wanted the same things in life that he did.
When my doorbell rang forty five minutes after Ahmad’s last call, I peeked and saw that it was him. I contemplated pretending that I wasn’t home. Then my phone started blaring loud as hell. It was Ahmad calling, so there was no point in playing games. Hearing my phone on the other side of the door was a dead giveaway that I was there. I swung the door open with a nonchalant expression on my face.
“Why are you avoiding me?” He asked as he pushed past me and stepped inside without an invitation.
“Uh, and how are you sir?” I asked as I closed the door and then followed him into the sitting room.
He plopped down on the sofa with a weary look on his face. “You would know if you had talked to me when I called.”
“Is something wrong?” I quizzed him with a frown.
“How’s your father?” He asked being that he didn’t go with me back to the hospital.
“My father’s fine. Now, what’s wrong with you?” I reiterated the question I’d asked before he changed the subject.
He cleared his throat and then sighed before he spoke. “How serious are you about our relationship Seandra?”
His question caught me off guard. Usually it was the woman in the relationship who asked those type of things. Where the hell was our conversation headed?
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. “Why the hell would you ask me that Ahmad?”
“Because you act like the world ended when I came inside you. I’m your damn man. I want us to get married one day and have…”
I cut him off. “One day…but not right now. Besides, marriage should come first.”
“Nell and Ricky have a son and they’re not married yet,” he objected.
“That’s them. I’m not Nell and you’re not Ricky. Besides, they’ve been together longer,” I pointed out.
“We’ve known each other longer, so that counts for something.”
He was really frustrating me at that point, so I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. I had to relax and try to get through our little disagreement without pissing him off too much.
“Look baby, I really don’t want this to turn into an argument okay. What is done is done now. I was pissed off then, but I’m over it now. I’m probably not even pregnant okay. How about we just cross that bridge when we get there? Let’s not fight.” Little did he know, but I had already taken a Plan B. It was just a matter of waiting to see if that joker had worked.
His features seemed to relax when I told him that I was over it. I really wasn’t, but I was willing to let it go…for now. There was no
way I was letting him up in my snatch raw again. Hell nah. I didn’t take birth control because I didn’t want the hormones to interfere with my body. In my opinion I felt that condoms were enough. With how Ahmad was talking and acting lately, I had to make an appointment to get some pills or something. He was not going to impregnate me before I became a movie star. I had dreams of blowing up, but not because I was with child.
“Alright baby. You know that I do want to marry you and have a family. I respect that you want to wait until after we’re married and settled into our lives. If I have to choose, I’d rather you be ready to be a mother. I don’t want to force that on you. I know how important it is for you to advance in your career. It is cool sexy. We have enough time.”
He stood up and pulled me into his strong, hard body for an embrace. I melted into him as he kissed the top of my head and then my lips.
“I love you,” he declared as he stared into my eyes to let me know the depth of his words.
“I love you more,” I returned before kissing the tip of his nose.
He smiled and then pulled a gold foil square from his pocket. I couldn’t help but laugh as he winked at me.
“Can I make it up to you? I promise to be good and keep it on.”
I glanced over at the Magnum condom wrapper and a sly grin stretched across my face. As I sexily bit my bottom lip, I grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs.
* * *
I was lounging by the pool allowing the sun’s rays to kiss my mango, oil enriched skin, when the sound of a loud crash caused me to open my eyes. The whine of a car’s alarm followed, which made me jump up from my seat to see what the hell had happened. I entered my house through the glass patio doors and made my way to the front door. As I pulled it open I noticed that a dark blue Audi had crashed into my Benz.
“What the fuck!” I screamed knowing damn well I should’ve parked my car in the garage.
I had even thought about doing it when Ahmad left, but decided against it because that good sex had me lazy as hell. Without a second thought I ran over to the wreckage yelling in a rage.
“Are you crazy? You ran into my fucking car! Can you drive you idiot? What the hell! I’m going to sue your drunk ass!” I was ranting and raving like a mad women as I watched the smoke rise from the Audi’s hood.
The houses in the gated community I lived in were spaced out for miles, but I figured the person who had hit my car lived out there somewhere. Maybe they had got drunk or high before going home. It was only a little after four pm, so it was pretty early to be fucked up. Rich, pompous bastard.
After all of the noise I was making, the person in the car still hadn’t got out. As a matter of fact, as I stared into the tinted windows, I could see the person slouched over the steering wheel. That’s when I decided to see if the door was unlocked. Maybe he, or she needed some help.
My heart was beating in my ears as I grabbed the driver door’s handle. It was unlocked, which was a good thing. As I opened it, I noticed that it was man driving and no one else was in the car.
“Are you okay?” I asked feeling his wrist for a pulse.
He was alive, but appeared to be unconscious. I moved his head back from the steering wheel gently and noticed that his nose was bleeding and his eyes were closed.
“Can you hear me?” I asked slapping his cheek gently.
I could tell that he was a very good looking man who was probably in his mid-twenties. His skin was chestnut brown and smooth, with a tiny splash of freckles across his prominent nose. He had nice, full lips and with his eyes closed I could see that he had long, beautiful lashes. It wasn’t the time to admire his features, so I tried my best to get him to respond.
“I’m going to call an ambulance for you okay,” I said quickly forgetting about the fact that he had rammed into the back of my luxury vehicle.
At the moment it was more important to get him some help. Apparently he had crashed into my car for a reason. There were no other cars on the lone road and I figured maybe he had been under the influence of something.
I ran into the house to get my cell phone and dialed 911 before rushing back to the man. At that point he was still unconscious.
“911 what is your emergency?” The dispatcher asked.
“Uh, a man just slammed into my car while I was sitting by my pool. He is unconscious, but I don’t think it was just the accident. It’s something else going on so the paramedics have to hurry,” I explained as quickly as I could.
“Okay, what is the address where you are?” She asked.
I hesitated knowing that once the paramedics came it was going to be pandemonium. Still, he needed help, so I relented and ran down my address. When she asked for my name, I hung up. The man looked familiar as hell and as his eyelids fluttered open, I knew exactly who he was.
Chapter 4
Renell
“No mother, I do not want to have my wedding in the Hamptons. Neither of us want an extravagant wedding. Just a private ceremony on Ricky’s secluded part of the beach. All white with beautiful flowers and bare foot bridesmaids. I want simple,” I told my mother for the hundredth time.
She was determined for my wedding to be as extravagant as she could make it.
“Well, if that’s what you want. I was just thinking we could fly everybody out to our estate in the Hamptons and make it the social event of the year.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “If you want simple, simple you shall have my dear.” When she said that her tone was sarcastic.
I sighed and tuned my attention to the baby monitor that sat on the glass coffee table in front of me. Ian was quiet and I kind of wished he would cry so I could make up some excuse to get off the phone.
“What is my little munchkin man up to?” Mother asked referring to her grandson. For some reason she wouldn’t call him that. I figured it made her feel old to be a grandmother.
“He’s asleep,” I said as I grabbed the remote control and turned to CNN.
“Give him some kisses from his Glam Ma.”
I laughed. “You’re a trip. Why can’t you just be a traditional grandmother?”
“Because I’m not a traditional grandmother,” she said and then let out a laugh of her own.
“When are you going back to the hospital?” I asked knowing that she wasn’t going to leave father’s side for too long.
“I’m actually on my way there now. As much as I love my own bed, I think I’m going to spend the night perched right there by his side. Your father is going to be okay, so I want you all to tend to your own lives and let me take care of him. He knows that the three of you love him. Don’t worry. They’re going to discharge him tomorrow. All of his tests look fine.”
“Good. The old man had me worried for a minute there,” I admitted right before my baby boy started wailing.
“I will call you back mother. Resean is up and ready to be fed.”
“With his little cute, chubby self. Okay, well I just got to the hospital. You have to bring him over tomorrow. It would be good for your dad to see him,” she suggested.
As I made my way up the stairs to the nursery, I agreed, “Okay. That sounds great. How about we all just have dinner tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan honey. I will call you as soon as your father gets settled back in tomorrow.”
“Give him my love.”
“Sure thing,” she said before hanging up.
I picked my cranky baby up out of his crib and cuddled his softness into me as I descended the stairs. He cooed and reached out to touch my face as I warmed his bottle full of formula and Gerber oatmeal. He absolutely loved that stuff.
When I was comfortable in my favorite recliner and Resean was feasting on his evening meal, I saw Dean Monross on the television screen. I leaned over to grab the remote and turned the volume up as I held my son’s bottle with the other hand.
“Dean Monross’ lawyers claim that he was framed by the family of the alleged victim and has been granted an appeal for a new
trial. This means that the underage woman who claims that he raped her will be subjected to testifying once again. If you think the first trial was sensational, you haven’t seen anything yet. It’s going to be a three ring circus. Back to you in the studio…”
I grabbed my cell phone and called Seantay.
* * *
Since having my son, I mostly worked from home, but I had to go into the office. We were having an important meeting to discuss an ad proposal for a new client. It was late, but I planned to keep it short and sweet. When I stepped inside the building, I could feel the tension in the air and could instantly tell that something wasn’t right.
When I whipped around the corner, I ran right into the barrel of a gun. With my hands up in front of me, I instantly paused and focused in on the gunman. He was a tall, white man with a stocky build, black wire rimmed glasses and a five o’ clock shadow.
“Grady? What are you doing?” I asked feeling my body trembling from the thought of losing my life in that way.
“Why the fuck did I get fired?” He asked with the handgun firmly in his grasp.
My eyes hadn’t even registered that he had tied up my assistant and about a dozen other employees. They were all sitting on the floor in a circle with duct tape over their mouths.
“Uh…look, I can explain…”
“Shut up you rich, silver platter bitch! All of us don’t have it like you. I have a mortgage, a wife and kids to take care of!”
The truth was that Gary had once been a good, solid part of the structure that held my business together. He was the Vice President of Sales and was making big money and bonuses because he was a real grinder. After the success came, his performance at work started to decline. It was later found out that he was strung out on cocaine and was also a heavy drinker. Sometimes when he came in to work he reeked of booze. His numbers started to drop drastically and after his wife left with the kids a few months ago, he really hit rock bottom. After his wife got him arrested for threatening her with a gun that was it. He had to go. He was mentally unstable and was becoming a liability for me and my business. I fired him a little over a week ago.
Black Lace: Book 4 of the Black Butterfly Series Page 2