“Fuck you, I did. Anyway, I told him to shut up and that I would go get him a treat if he quieted down while I went to find myself something to eat. I was growing and I ate a lot then.”
“Then,” Mariah snorts. Marcus smiles at her.
“I got to the bottom of the stairs when I first heard them.”
Marcus closes his eyes and drops his head.
“What do you mean, a daughter?”
“I had an affair, a one-night stand actually, eleven years ago.”
“You fucked another woman?”
“Yes.”
“When, eleven years ago? You mean while I was pregnant with Matthew?”
“Yes.”
“You son of a bitch; I'm laying up sick as a fucking dog with your fucking child inside of me and you go off and fuck someone else?”
“Yes, Lovey. I'm so very sorry.”
“Yes, you are fucking sorry, you selfish bastard! Why the hell are you telling me this now?”
“The woman, Joan… she's dying.”
“So? Why should I care?”
“My daughter has nowhere to go.”
“And you think I want your bastard here? Are you crazy or something, Cannon? Did your fucking mother drop you on your head when you were a child?!”
“Lovey, please. Listen to me. She has nowhere to go. She's my daughter.”
“Neither do you, Stephen. You are no longer welcome in my home. I want you out of my life and I never want to see you again!”
“You can't mean that, Lovey.”
“Don't you ever in your life call me Lovey again, bastard! Does your mother know you did this to me? Does anyone?”
“No one knows. Please don't cry.”
“Don't cry? You hurt me! I'm in pain, Stephen! You betrayed and humiliated me! You have another child that's the same age as one of our sons! I have three boys upstairs that don't know they have a sister out there! How long were going to keep this secret?!”
“I don't know.”
“What if they had met and had fallen for each other? How the hell were you going to stop that from happening? Do you know what a tragedy that would have been?”
“That never would have happened, Katherine. They look too much alike to ever have those feelings.”
Complete silence.
“She looks like them?” Mother asked quietly.
“Like Marcus; except her eyes are lighter.”
“I hate you! Get out.”
“No, Katherine, we have to talk about this. Stop fighting me!”
“Let me go, bastard! Take your hands off of me!”
That's when I went in the room. I thought he was hurting her.
“What are you doing to her?” I yelled at my father.
Marcus' eyes open and he looks at me.
“Mother yanked away from him and came over to me, her face was puffy and red and her eyes were bloodshot. She put her arms around my waist and tried to steer me to the door. I was about four inches taller than her by then and already outweighed her by at least fifty pounds.”
His eyes close again and his head goes in his hands.
“Nothing, darling, he's not doing anything. Go back upstairs with your brothers.”
“No, I heard him, Mother. I heard you.”
“What did you hear, darling?”
“I heard him admit to screwing some woman. He has a daughter that's not yours.”
“Oh, my God,” Mother gasped and let me go. She turned to Dad. “This is your mess, you clean it up,” she snapped at him.
She went to the bar and poured glass after glass of vodka while Dad tried to play down what was happening.
“Son, this doesn't concern you. This is between your mother and me.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me, young man?”
“You heard me, old man.”
“You will not take that tone or use that language with me, Marcus Alexander Cannon!”
“You will not use that language or demean my mother again, Stephen Marcus Cannon!”
“Do you hear the disrespect dripping from your son's mouth? What are you going to do about this, Katherine?”
“Have another drink, bastard. He's your son, too, or have you forgotten that since you have to care for your precious daughter now?”
“I will not be disrespected in my own home!”
“This is not your home anymore! I don't owe you any respect, Dr. Cannon. You hurt my mother and I have nothing else to say to you until you apologize to her and the rest of us for your bullshit!”
“You will not talk to me this way, boy. I am still your father!”
“I don't know you. Look at her! My father would never hurt his wife like this! I don't want shit else to do with you. You and I are done until you admit your mistake and apologize and make her feel it. You will not hurt my mother again!” Dad takes a deep breath.
Dad took a deep breath and said, “Listen, I know you love your mother, son, and so do I. I made a mistake and I want to make it up to her. But this does not concern you. It is a matter between your mother and me, only.”
“It's between all of us because you fucked some woman and destroyed my family! Fuck you and your daughter. Never talk to me again!” I screamed at him. “You are no longer my father, and I no longer know you. I don't have another word to say to you ever.”
“Son, come on. This is not funny. Put your jokes away. I will always be your father.”
“Until you apologize to her and us, and mean it, I have nothing to say to you. I won’t tell my brothers what you've done. I'll leave that dirty work to you.”
I turned to go out of the room then remembered my drunken mother. I shook my head at her.
“Are you all right, Mother?”
She was glaring at my father. “Yes, darling. Go check on your brothers.”
“Fine, he better not put his hands on you again. I will still be able to hear you,” I said and left the room. I got back to the TV room and slammed the door.
Matthew scowled at me. “Where's my snack, liar?”
“Shut up before I take my anger out on you,” I shouted at him.
His eyes widened and he looked at me like he saw a ghost. “What are you angry about?”
“Your father is an idiot and an asshole.”
“Take that back! You're the asshole! I'm telling Mom!” he shouted. I was about to tackle him and beat the shit out of him when I heard noises coming from the hall. It was the sound of kissing and moaning. I leaned Matthew's head against my stomach and covered his other ear with my hand so he wouldn't hear it.
I waited until the door closed to their bedroom and went to Josh's room and yanked him off the floor, dragging him kicking and screaming to Matthew's room and blasted the stereo. But they'd heard the moaning and pleading. I told them it was a fight and they would be okay in the morning. But they weren't. A while later, I heard…
“Get the fuck out of my house and never come back! I want you out of my life! I never want to see you again!”
“You can't get rid of me, Katherine. I love you and I know you love me, too. I will never divorce you.”
“I'll get my divorce, bastard. And don't try to see my children especially if they don't want to see you!”
“Marcus will get over his anger, Katherine.”
“I doubt it. He's more stubborn than you think I am. Get out! Now!”
“Fine, I'll leave. But this is not over!”
“That's what you think!”
Marcus opens his eyes and they go straight to his parents. Katherine is sobbing and Stephen has paled. Evelyn has paled, too.
I sigh as I shut off the recorder.
Chapter Four
Problem
“I'm sorry, Evelyn,” Marcus says, quietly, shaking his head.
“So am I, Evelyn,” Katherine says.
“No need,” Evelyn says, glaring at the floor. “I understand.”
“Marcus, how old were you when all this happened?”
&
nbsp; “Fourteen.”
“And your brothers?”
He points to Matthew, “Ten,” he says then points to Joshua, “Seven.”
“Uh-huh,” I say tapping my pen on my thigh. “Marcus, how is... no, I'll ask your wife. Cookie? How's your sex life?”
“Um...” Mariah reddens. “Frequent and exciting,” she says quietly, avoiding her husband's gaze while biting back a smile.
“Has it always been that way, with your husband at least?”
Mariah reddens more. “Yes.”
“No complaints?”
“Not any I wish to discuss right now,” she says quietly, staring at her fingers.
Marcus scowls at his wife. “What?”
“Why can’t you discuss it here, Cookie?”
“Vicky, my parents, and his, are in the room. Mom wouldn't mind but Katherine would probably faint. I don't want to shock my father, either.”
“You can tell me, Cookie,” Matthew grins.
“Shut up, Matthew,” Madison glares.
“What about you, Sugar? How's your sex life?”
“What she said,” she grins, pointing to Mariah.
“Everything, including the complaint?”
“Absolutely. In fact, it’s the same thing.”
“Okay. Mandy, how about yours?”
“Non-existent.”
“For how long?”
“Four months.”
“You haven't had sex with Joshua in four months?”
“Not so much as a kiss on the cheek.”
“Why?”
“Ask him.”
“Is he the problem?”
“He is.”
“Before that, were there any problems? Were you satisfied?”
“Yes, but...”
“You had a complaint, too?”
Mandy nods.
“Same as these ladies?”
“I don't know. We've never discussed it.”
“Madison?” I call, nodding at Mandy. Madison leans to Mandy and whispers in her ear.
“YES! Jesus!” Mandy reddens.
“What?” Joshua moans, leaning forward, shutting his eyes tight. “What was I doing wrong?”
“Why do you assume you did something wrong?” I ask.
He looks at me. “She has a complaint so I had to have been doing something wrong!”
“I don't know about Cookie and Barbie, but Madison shouldn't have a single complaint,” Matthew snorts.
“Barbie?”
“Mandy. She looks like a Barbie doll. I've secretly called her that since the day we met.”
“So have I!” Lisa chuckles, “Since high school.”
I smile. “This complaint; does any of the other women have it? Is it discussed beyond Mariah and Madison?”
“No,” Madison murmurs. “I discussed it with Mariah after my first time with Matthew and she said she had the same... uh, problem with Marcus.”
“Wait! Backup, Smooch. What the hell is the problem? I want to know right now!”
“No!” Madison snarls. “It makes no sense to discuss it with you, Matthew.”
“Why? Come on, Smooch! That makes no sense!”
“NO!” Madison shouts at her husband.
“Sugar, have you tried discussing the issue with the other ladies?”
“No, Vicky. It's kind of embarrassing.”
“For you?” Evelyn asks with a chuckle.
Madison grins. “Little bit.”
I need these people to open up more. I turn to Russell. “Russ, how's your sex life?”
Russell studies my face and finally he shrugs then offers, “Fine.”
“'Fine,'” Evelyn shrieks.
Clearly uncomfortable, Russell says, “Yeah, fine.”
“Are you sure that's the answer you want to give?” Evelyn glares at her husband.
Russ glares back. “It would be uncouth of me to answer that question in any other way, Vicky. Considering her father is sitting in such close proximity.”
“I think you better, Stretch,” Matthew chuckles, “Blossom's about to kill you.”
“Fuck you, Toad,” Russell snorted. “At least, I don't have any complaints.”
“Okay, that's enough! I want to know what this complaint is, Smooch!”
The room stays silent.
“Estos chicos no entienden lo grande que son sus penes y eres muy dolorido después de cada sesión?” Alissa murmurs.
Ethan glares at her.
“Yes!” Mariah sighs, closing her eyes. “No me gusta estar con él después del período de recuperación de seis semanas. Siento que él está tratando de rasgarme en dos.”
Apparently, the Cannon and Harvey men are well endowed and are not very mindful of the pain they can cause.
“Es lo mismo para mí y estas dos damas,” Alissa murmurs, confirming her and two other women have the same problem.
“Is it just Cookie and Alissa that speak Spanish?” I ask.
They nod. I sigh, then in Spanish tell them their husbands can't do anything about their size and that perhaps they should speak up on the ‘assaults’, as Mariah called it.
Mariah's eyes widen as she looks at me. She sits up straight in her seat and gestures as she goes into a rant in Spanish.
“Whew!” I say chuckling as Alissa giggles when she finishes. “Tres orgasmos?”
“YES!” Mariah grins, “At the minimum! So you see why I don't complain to him?”
“Ethan es de la misma manera. Así son Tom y Nathan. Y si usted pagó la atención a Evelyn, creo que Russell es demasiado.”
“Does anyone else feel like we've just gotten our balls handed to us?” Tom murmurs.
“Yep,” Ethan snaps.
“Mariah,” Marcus calls softly. Mariah looks at him and he sighs.
He starts speaking Spanish, slow and measured, apologizing for his actions, stating that he never wants to hurt her but he always excited to be with her and promising to be mindful of her body in the future.
“What the hell? When did you start speaking Spanish, Cramp?” Matthew questions.
“Started learning about a year ago.”
“You should have told me, Marcus,” Mariah sighs. “But thank you for understanding.”
“Gotta do what I can to keep up with you, Baby. And you're always welcome.”
“Very impressive Spanish, Marcus; especially for only a year's tutelage.”
Matthew smirks. “It's the eidetic thing, Vicky. I'm pretty sure he has this whole session branded now.”
“Shut up, Toad,” Marcus chuckles.
“So what's the complaint?” Joshua asks.
“Size.”
Stephen and Thomas high five one another like a couple of teenagers, their wives roll their eyes at them.
“Size?” Matthew looks at his wife. “What? I'm too small now that you've gotten used to me?”
“Who says I'm used to you, Matthew?”
Matthew frowns. “You still...”
“Every time; I hate going on an assignment now. Especially the long ones when I have to be gone for longer than a week because I know when I get back, you're going to attack me. I kinda want you to because I've missed you. Then there's the first damn time after the six or eight-week wait after I give birth. Those are the absolute worse. I don't complain because you're always controlled and very giving.”
“So, men...” I say, looking at the confused Cannon and Harveys “Your wives’ complaint is that you're not mindful of the tenderness of their sex.”
Tom looks at his wife. “What is it that you need me to do?”
“Not now,” Monica reddens.
“Yes, now,” Rachel murmurs.
Monica stays quiet and covers her face.
Madison looks at her husband. “I enjoy the thrusting, but only after I've gotten used to the invasion. Can you just... go slowly at first?”
“Only at first?” Matthew asks, giving his wife a huge grin which shows off perfect teeth and rugged dimples. “I'll work on it, Smooch.”
I turn to Joshua. “Joshua? Why haven't you had sex with Mandy?”
He shrugs.
“You better answer her, Twerp!” Marcus shouts.
Joshua blows a breath out. “I don't deserve her.”
I tilt my head at him, “Because of the other woman?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you sleep with her?”
“I don't know.”
I shake my head and slam my notepad on the table in front of me and stand. “That's the end of this session.”
“That's not four hours,” Monica says. “That was barely an hour.”
“In order for intense therapy to work, there has to be trust and honesty. Joshua's refusing, so he's wasting my time. If he doesn't care about his wife, her feelings, and their marriage, why should I? Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for coming and for the honesty from everyone else.”
I go to the door and open it. Not one person moves. “Is something wrong?” I ask.
“Talk,” Marcus snarls at his brother. “Why did you fuck that woman?”
Joshua sits forward and places his forearms on his thighs. He looks at me and I close the door and take my seat again. Only looking at me, he speaks in a quiet, sheltered voice. I immediately know my suspicions are correct.
“I was in the office, exhausted. There was an attempt to block a takeover I was in the final stages of completing. Japan decided they wanted a part of that business that I had already accepted an offer from an investor here. All morning, I was trying to get them to settle this dispute. I was trying to salvage the business relationship with all of us. Finally, in the early afternoon, they compromised and the rest of the day's business needed taking care of, so I called Mandy and canceled our dinner plans. By seven, I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I passed out on the couch in Matthew's office.”
“So getting another,” Matthew says. “Why on my couch?”
“Mother felt like decorating and she took mine. The new one hadn't been delivered yet,” Joshua says then looks around the room nervously, then back at me.
“I don't know how long I was sleeping when a woman whispered in my ear 'I thought I'd find you here.' I thought it was Mandy. She unbuckled my belt and had me out and in her mouth in seconds.”
Mandy puts her head in her hands. Mariah and Madison enclose their arms around her as she sobs. Joshua looks at the floor.
Broken: Book One of the M Series Page 6