Power, Seduction & Scandal

by Angela Winters

  She explained Jonah’s will to them both as they stood there with their mouths open to the floor. She explained he left Alex nothing and that Juliet and her children were fighting the will. She’d just found out that Jonah only left his two children with Juliet equal shares of his million-dollar life insurance policy, which the insurance company was already trying to contest paying out due to Jonah’s suicide.

  Erica added, “They think they can convince the court that Jonah couldn’t have been in his right mind if he left more to a stranger than his own . . . real children.”

  “Somebody needs to get that family a dictionary,” Sherise said. “I don’t think they understand what the word real means.”

  “Exactly,” Erica said. “They have half his DNA and so do I. Bunch of assholes.”

  “I’m just surprised you’re taking it,” Billie said.

  Erica couldn’t hide the look of guilt on her face. “I wasn’t going to.”

  “Of course you’re taking it,” Sherise said. “Money is money.”

  Erica shook her head. “His money is dirty.”

  “Bullshit,” Sherise countered. “All money is dirty. All you ever talk about is how sick and tired you are of not having enough money.”

  That comment rubbed Erica the wrong way. “Because you two are always talking about how I never have enough money.”

  “That’s not true,” Billie said.

  “It is true,” Erica insisted. “Besides, I didn’t want it until they wanted to take it away from me. I’m not going to let Juliet erase me from Jonah’s life.”

  “A life you claimed not to want to be connected to,” Billie reminded her. “One you were glad to be done with.”

  “I have my reasons.” Erica’s tone sounded as defensive as she felt. “They thought they could just dismiss me, and I’m going to show them they can’t.”

  Billie frowned, not liking this side of Erica at all. “That sounds vindictive. You’re not the vindictive type.”

  “Maybe it’s time I am,” Erica said. “Besides, if I get it . . .”

  “You’ll get it,” Billie said. “Unless they have some proof of duress or mental incapacity, Jonah will get what he wants.”

  “What he wants is to still control me,” Erica said. “From the grave.”

  “And if you take it,” Billie said. “You let him.”

  Erica shook her head. “I’m gonna give it to Alex. It was wrong of Jonah to leave him out. Alex’s life was ruined by Jonah’s bullshit. He deserves it.”

  “So do you,” Sherise said. “If you give it all to him, you’re an idiot. And you’ll still need $800 for a dress.”

  “Besides,” Billie said. “Alex might not want it. Like you said, Jonah did sort of ruin his life.”

  “Have you told him?” Sherise asked.

  Erica shook her head. “I’m not focused on him right now. I’m just going to fight Juliet.”

  “Use their embarrassment to your advantage,” Sherise advised. “They want to keep you a secret to save what’s left of the image they wanted to portray of their family. If they want to keep that, they need to fuck off.”

  “They want to punish me,” Erica said. “Punish me for something I’m not responsible for. But they’re about to get punished.”

  “Stop this,” Billie demanded. “You’re sounding like a vengeful witch, Erica.”

  “I love it,” Sherise said.

  “I’ve earned this,” Erica said.

  Billie recognized this behavior. It was what consumed her over a year ago. A chance to get back for the wrongs she believed had been done to her. It spiraled out of control and came back to bite her in the ass.

  “You need to really think about this,” Billie urged. “I think your heart is in the right place, but you’re convinced that—”

  “You don’t know my heart!” Erica snapped.

  “Who do you think you’re talking to?” Billie asked. “Yes, I do know your heart. I’ve known it since you were ten years old. You’re angry and you’re hurt. You’re gonna lash out and end up hurting no one but yourself.”

  Erica threw her hands in the air. “I don’t need this! You know what? You don’t get it. Neither of you do.”

  “I told you to get the money,” Sherise said.

  “But you want me to do it for the wrong reason,” Erica said.

  “And you think what you’re doing is the right reason?” Billie asked her.

  “I don’t need this,” Erica said. “There wasn’t any reason for me to even come here. I’m out.”

  “Is she walking away?” Sherise asked in disbelief as she watched Erica turn and head right out of the mall.

  “Erica!” Billie called after her.

  Just then, she got a text alert on her phone. She pulled it out of her jacket and saw it was from Porter.

  I’ll be there in twenty.

  “Dammit.” Billie checked her watch. “I have to go meet Porter.”

  “What are we going to do about her?”

  “You were the one who said leave her be,” Billie reminded her.

  Sherise gestured in the direction Erica left. “That was before I could see that she’s fucked up inside over this.”

  Billie was shaking her head as she sighed. “We’ll figure it out. I can only take one problem at a time. I’ve gotta go.”

  “Call me the second you’re done breaking that asshole’s heart,” Sherise said with a smile.

  Porter Haas wasn’t happy. As he sat at the table across from his ex-wife looking like he’d just stepped out of a GQ cover model shoot, he had been silent for a long time. Billie was certain they wouldn’t make it past appetizers, but went ahead and ordered anyway.

  As she waited for him to take it all in, she drank a sip of her wine and admired his attractiveness. She hadn’t forgotten that she once loved this man with his finely chiseled jawline, dark chocolate skin, and piercing dark eyes. Every detail about Porter was always perfect. Hair, nails, brows, clothes were never out of place or errant in any way.

  There was a time when Billie could not resist Porter. They had an amazing sexual chemistry from the beginning. He had such a hold on her body that she even slept with him after she’d found out he cheated on her. Even after she’d filed for divorce. Even after he moved his mistress into the home they had once shared together.

  Even after she was able, with the help of Sherise and Erica, to find the strength to break herself from him physically, he still held on to her emotionally. Much damage was caused before she was able to let him go emotionally as well. Now they had Tara in common, but nothing else. It was new, looking at this man she’d been married to and not feeling a connection to him. It had taken some getting used to, but Billie knew it was a good thing. Giving her heart to Michael completely made this possible.

  “Tara knows,” he said, although it was more of a question. “That’s why she’s been in a bad mood all week. She wouldn’t tell me, even though I asked several times.”

  “It was an accident,” Billie explained. “She overheard me talking to Sherise. She promised not to tell if I told you . . . nicely.”

  “Is there a nice way to tell your husband you’re marrying someone else?”

  “You’re my ex-husband,” she corrected him. “And we’re playing nice, aren’t we?”

  He sighed and looked away as if he was remembering something. These moments were familiar to Billie; the moments when Porter actually reflected on his life, his choices. They were rare and deceptive. Porter, once a mostly thoughtful, hopeful young man, had turned into a mostly selfish and greedy one. These moments never lasted very long.

  “What do you want me to say?” Porter asked.

  “You don’t have to say anything, Porter. I just wanted you to know and make sure that we’re okay.”

  “Am I okay with this?” he asked. “No, I’m not okay with you getting married to someone else.”

  “I didn’t want to make sure you’re okay with me getting married,” she specified. “I just w
anted to make sure we’re okay. To make sure we’re clear and there are no problems. At least not any that anything can be done about.”

  “So you’re not asking for my blessing, I take it.”

  She shook her head. “I’m asking for Tara’s blessing, and that apparently includes you making peace with this.”

  “I’m not going to lie,” Porter said.

  “This is new,” she responded back with a smile, but stopped when she realized he wasn’t smiling back. “Sorry.”

  “I was hoping it wouldn’t work out,” Porter said. “I don’t . . . I guess I thought we were getting along well enough that things would eventually work out between us. I mean, I knew we were nowhere near that right now, but eventually. These things take time.”

  “Oh, Porter.”

  “Was that so impossible?” he asked. “I mean down the road. None of my relationships have worked out because I want them to be what you were to me. No one is going to be, are they?”

  “I can’t answer that for you,” Billie said.

  She wanted to feel sorry for him, but she’d given him everything and he’d exchanged it for a roll in the hay with a twenty-three-year-old blonde. It wasn’t that Billie didn’t want him to find happiness with someone, it was just that she wasn’t willing to invest her heart and time into helping him do it.

  “Porter,” she continued. “We’ve progressed beyond that. We’ve both agreed to move on.”

  “We agreed to move on,” Porter agreed. “But it looks like you’re the only one who can actually do it. I guess that’s justice. I was the one who screwed it up.”

  “We’re not looking back,” Billie said. “Just forward. We agreed going forward was just about Tara. Not us.”

  “So I have to deal with it,” Porter said. “But my little girl. I’m sure the reason she’s so upset is she’s afraid that you’re going to start a new family and forget about her.”

  “She knows I love her more than that,” Billie insisted.

  “You’re the only real mom she’s ever known,” he told her. “I promised her that you would always be there for her.”

  “I’ve promised her the same.”

  “Can you keep that promise?” Porter asked.

  Billie opened her mouth to say, yes, but was halted by thoughts of what Michael said about moving to Atlanta.

  “Billie?” Porter’s brows centered as he leaned forward. He was clearly worried.

  “No one can say exactly what the future holds,” Billie said. “I’m marrying Michael and we’re going to start a family. But nothing will change how I feel about her. I love her and I will always be there for her no matter what.”

  “I hope you mean that,” Porter said.

  So did she.

  8

  “Can I get everyone’s attention?” Sherise asked as she stood in the center of the open area at headquarters.

  Everyone who was working there and walking by stopped and turned to her. She could see some were on the fence, so she raised her voice.

  “It’s important, trust me.” She gestured them to come closer to her.

  Winnie, who had been sitting at another woman’s desk, stood up and walked toward Sherise.

  Once Sherise was satisfied she had enough attention, she began.

  “Mrs. Northman and the kids will be here today. They’ll be bringing treats and want to thank you all again for your work during the campaign.”

  She glanced toward Maurice’s office. The door was still closed. How long could she drag this out? As long as she had to, she decided.

  “I just want to remind you all of the rules,” she continued. “No pictures of the family while they’re here. Even when Mrs. Northman is speaking and the professional photog is taking pics. Is that clear?”

  There were nods in the crowd, but most people had already lost interest in what she was saying.

  “What treats?” said a young man with fire-red hair who Sherise had seen around several times but had no idea who he was.

  “Treat treats,” Sherise said with a shrug. “It’s free food. What difference does it make?”

  “I just want to know if I should bother buying my lunch if the food is going to be substantial or should . . .”

  A few others in the crowd started laughing.

  “You’re such a cheapskate, Brian,” Winnie, who was standing next to Sherise now, said.

  Brian laughed, seeming okay with it. Sherise was just grateful that it bought her the time she needed. Everyone was still there when Maurice’s office door down the hallway swung open.

  “Sherise!” he yelled out loud, heading directly for her office.

  Everyone turned to look at where the yelling was coming from.

  Sherise watched as he approached her office and noticed via her open door that she wasn’t there. He turned to look for her and his eyes set right on her. She tried to look completely surprised as to what he wanted, but she knew damn well what he was angry about.

  And boy, was he angry.

  He stormed over to her, his arms swinging with purpose at his sides. His eyes had turned to slits and his lips were pressed tightly together. When he reached her, he stopped only a foot away from her.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he asked her.

  She could hear a couple of gasps in the crowd as everyone was fixed on the two of them.

  “What . . .” She purposefully stuttered. “W-What are you talking about?”

  “You stole my interview!” he yelled. “I was supposed to talk to Kevin Clatch at NBC. You know I get all the major network interviews.”

  She held up her hands with a calming gesture. “Now just hold on a minute, Maurice. I can exp—”

  “I’m preparing all of my shit and finally call him.” He raised the hand holding his cell phone in the air. “Only to find out that he just got off the phone with you!”

  Sherise looks around before saying, “Let’s go into your office and discuss this in a private—”

  “What the fuck are you up to, Sherise?” He was yelling very loudly now.

  “Hey,” Winnie said, alarmed.

  Sherise put up a hand to silence her. “If you insist on airing this here, then fine. The truth is, Kevin texted me this morning. He was upset that his interview had been switched from me to you. He’s used to talking to me.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what he’s used to,” Maurice proclaimed loudly. “I’m the PS! I get the major networks. He knows that.”

  “He mentioned that the last time he talked to you . . .” Sherise’s expression made it appear as if she was very uncomfortable saying this, although she wasn’t at all. “He said you weren’t . . .”

  “I wasn’t what?” Maurice asked, too angry to realize that he was making this worse on himself.

  “That you weren’t professional.” She cringed as she said the last word. She was a great actress. “He said he thought you were drunk.”

  There were some whispers in the crowd and Sherise could see that Maurice was finally aware of everyone around him. He’d been so angry before that he hadn’t paid much attention. He looked at everyone, all of them looking at him. A few turned away, showing how embarrassed they were for him.

  “That’s bullshit,” he said, turning back to Sherise. “You’re making that up.”

  “She’s not,” Winnie interjected. “If you want to check her phone, the texts are still there. Show him your phone, Sherise.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Sherise said. “I think we can all—”

  “That’s defamation,” Maurice said. “I can sue him.”

  “Not a good move for a PS to file suit against prominent members of the press,” Sherise said. “You have to be more gracious than that.”

  “Don’t tell me what I have to do!” he yelled. “I’m the boss.”

  “He’s not the only one,” Winnie said. “Petra Garron of CNN also wants to talk to Sherise instead. They’ve worked together for years.”

  “Petra?” Maurice look
ed genuinely hurt. “But she knows me.”

  “I can decline it,” Sherise offered. “I didn’t know you weren’t aware of Petra or Kevin, for that matter.”

  “You better decline it!” Maurice snapped. “You interview with who I want you to. Do you understand me?”

  “That isn’t necessary.” Sherise was doing everything she could to keep her temper civil.

  She could see how amazed many of the team were by Maurice’s behavior and knew if she raised her tone, it would take away from this. Graciousness in the light of rudeness was not her strong point, but she could fake anything like a pro.

  “Oh, I think it is,” Maurice retorted. “I think even more is necessary, Sherise. And you’re going to find out if you keep trying to usurp me.”

  Another gasp from the crowd and a female voice saying, “Did he just threaten her?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Maurice yelled out to no one in particular. “Why don’t you all just mind your own business? Get back to work.”

  “These people don’t work for you,” Sherise reminded him. “We were actually having a quick—”

  “I don’t care!” Maurice looked fed up. “I prepped all morning for that fucking interview. You don’t—”

  “Maurice!”

  Everyone’s head swung around toward the other end of the hallway as LaKeisha, dressed in a sharp gray pantsuit, came into view. Seeing the fed-up look on her face, Sherise couldn’t have been more pleased.

  “I can hear you all the way down the hall!” LaKeisha said through gritted teeth. “You’re yelling.”

  Sherise could tell that Maurice wanted to snap at her. In his mind, he thought all women were beneath him, but in reality, he knew that LaKeisha ranked above him, so he held his tongue.

  “We were just discussing a mistake Sherise made,” he said.

  “Were you?” LaKeisha asked. “Because all we can hear down the hall is you yelling. Now I come out here to see you’re doing it in front of the whole staff. You’re disrupting the entire office with this.”

  “No,” he protested. “They were already all—”