by Tina Martin
Dante smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Finally ending his conference call, he said, “Sorry about that. Some people are extremely long-winded.”
“It’s cool,” Dimitrius said.
Desmond tossed a second handful of M & M’s inside of his mouth, catching Dante’s gaze as he did so.
“Did you skip breakfast or what, Des?” Dante inquired.
“No. I ate breakfast,” Desmond told him and kept on chewing. He’d had fruit and a protein shake earlier this morning before a strenuous workout and then a scone while he was busy irritating Sherita.
“So what’s with all the junk food?” Dimitrius asked.
“I think I burn so many calories during my workouts, my body is craving this stuff.” Lie. He’d been craving sweets for as long as he had given up women. It had been a year since his last encounter and to keep his desires at bay, he replaced them with sugar-filled snacks and increased his workouts from one to two hours a day to burn off the extra calories. He didn’t want his brothers to know any of that, especially about the women. He wanted to get to know himself, to figure out why he’d been so unwaveringly against marriage and why, in the past, it was so easy to hop from one bed to another.
“Okay,” Dante said, bringing his hands to a clap. “Let’s get started so we can wrap this up pretty quickly. Dimitrius, what do you have on tap for next week?”
“I’m still focusing on the virtual piano lesson studio…will probably be working on it for another two weeks or so.”
“And you, Des?” Dante asked.
“I’m supposed to be heading to New York, but I’m either going to postpone it or delegate it to Kurt,” Desmond responded. Kurt Hempstead was the new marketing manager they’d hired over a year ago to help alleviate some of Desmond’s responsibilities.
“Kurt can handle it,” Dante said. “We’re going to need to stay around the office for a while, anyway.”
“Why?” Dimitrius asked. “What’s up?”
“Victor Westwood is in town,” Dante told him. Victor Westwood made a living buying and selling online companies. He’d buy a company like a dating service, revamp it and sell it to the highest bidder. He made a fortune doing this, but since he wasn’t computer savvy, he would seek out and pay the best companies to design and market these companies to potential buyers.
Five years ago, Dante had approached him about a collaboration, but Victor declined, stating that The Champion Corporation wasn’t big enough for him to work with and that Dante and his brothers weren’t stable. If Victor was going to pay millions of dollars to roll out a project, he wanted to ensure his money was in capable hands. And with the rumors swirling around the Champion men, he declined Dante’s offer.
Dimitrius scowled. “You’re not talking about the same Victor Westwood who declined to do business with us, are you?”
“I am.”
“Seriously, Dante?” Desmond asked. “As I recall, the man said we were, and I quote, little fish in this business,” Desmond said with a hardened jaw.
“That’s right. He did say that,” Dante responded, “But that was before The Champion Corporation was the multi-million dollar company it is today. We’re not little fish anymore. We’re sharks in this business.”
“So you’re thinking about approaching him again?” Dimitrius asked.
“No. My gut tells me he’s thinking about approaching us. That has to be the reason he’s in Asheville. The Champion Corporation owns the online business market share in the southeast region, and I’m positive Victor is aware of that.”
Dimitrius blew an exasperated breath. “Oh, so now that were big enough, he wants to do business with us.”
“I honestly think he would’ve worked with us back then,” Dante said. He stood up from his desk and slid his hands in his pockets. Walking around his desk, he sat on the front edge of it, directly in front of his brothers now.
“Then why didn’t he?” Desmond asked.
“He said some things to me that I didn’t tell you guys. He said we weren’t stable, and when I say we, I’m not talking about the corporation as a whole. I’m talking about us, individually.”
“Unbelievable,” Dimitrius hissed.
“Wait a minute, Dimitrius…before you pop a blood vessel, think about it. The old man was right. We weren’t stable. It’s no secret that we all had a reputation around here. Even though some things weren’t true and blown out of proportion, we had a reputation. Looking back at myself, for example, I can see how people perceived me. When Anita died, I was a mess. I was partying, drinking – I did it to hide my pain. The people who saw me living that lifestyle had no idea I was grieving. They just saw someone who was out of control. I say that to say we all had issues going on in our lives, and then on top of everything, we lost Mom and Dad.”
Dante watched Desmond grimace. Desmond seemed to have taken the death of their parents the hardest. He was young at the time and though he never talked about it, Dante and Dimitrius knew how much their deaths had affected him.
“So now what?” Desmond asked.
“Now, we sit back and wait. Word is, Victor’s not buying or selling a company. He’s looking to start one of his own.”
“A web company?” Desmond asked.
“From what I gather, yes,” Dante responded.
Dimitrius folded his laptop closed and said, “Dante, why are you even considering working with Victor? It’s not like we need the money now, like we did back then. We don’t need any work from Victor.”
Dante smirked. “Would you change your mind if you knew he was offering twenty-five million dollars for the launch of this new business venture of his?”
Dimitrius sat straight up in is chair. “Okay, now we’re talking.”
The men chuckled.
“What I’m concerned about is, if Victor is here because he’s heard we recently married and have families now, and that’s why he considers us as being stable, what will he make of Desmond?”
Desmond’s brows snapped together. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just speculating here,” Dante said, “But he may have a problem with it is all I’m saying.”
Desmond shot Dante a hard glare across the room. “Well, if he does, he can take his business elsewhere.”
Dante shook his head. “Des, do you know what The Champion Corporation could do with twenty-five million dollars? Remember when we were talking about expanding our design and technology team a few months ago? And we were exploring the option of building a fitness center, cafeteria and daycare facility for our employees. I want TCC to be a place where people actually enjoy coming to work, and this extra money will enable us to do that without taking away from our bottom line. But, like I said, this is all speculation as it stands. We’ll cross the bridge when we get to it. For now, I just wanted to put it out there to you.” Dante rolled his wrist to check the time. “It’s 10:35. Is there anything further we need to talk about?”
“Not from an accounts perspective,” Dimitrius said.
“I’m good, too,” Desmond responded.
“Well, that’s a wrap,” Dante said. “I have a few phone calls to make, and then I’m heading out.”
“Same here,” Dimitrius said.
“Hey, Des, what time can I expect you tonight, or have you changed your mind about babysitting?” Dante asked.
Changed his mind? And miss the opportunity to get under Sherita’s skin again? Not a chance!
“I’ll be there around six-thirty.”
“All right. See you then.”
CHAPTER 4
“There’s my handsome prince,” Sherita said after she saw baby Ezra lying on an interactive play mat in the family room. She had just arrived at Dante and Emily’s place, ready for a full night of babysitting duties. Scooping Ezra from his mat, she sat on the couch with him on her lap. “He gets more adorable every time I see him. Look at those eyes.”
Emily smiled. “I love his eyes. Every time I look into them, I see his father.”
/> “Aw…that’s so sweet, Em.”
“And I’m not trying to bring up the subject again, but that’s all I was trying to say at the boutique earlier, Rita. You deserve happiness too.”
“I’ll get there. I’m only twenty-six. Besides, I still have things I want to accomplish before I have one of these gorgeous little babies,” Sherita said, bouncing Ezra on her knee.
“What kind of things?”
“Well, my job, for instance…I want a career, and while I like traveling, I always wanted my own studio. Something local. So I’m giving you a ten-year notice that you’re going to need to hire someone to work at the boutique.” Sherita chuckled.
Emily laughed, too. “Girl, first of all, it will not take ten years for you to get your studio.”
“I know, but even if it does, I’m okay with it.”
“Sherita…”
“I am. Tell her Ezra.” Sherita leaned her face next to little Ezra’s face and said, “Ezra, say Auntie Rita will be just fine.”
Emily laughed, watching Ezra’s gummy smile.
Changing subjects, Sherita said, “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
Emily stood up and said, “You don’t think it’s too much?”
Sherita looked her up and down. Emily had on a black, backless romper, silver teardrop earrings, a short silver chain around her neck and a pair of leopard heels. Her hair was pinned up in a loose bun. “You look amazing, Em.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” Dante said, entering the room with a pair of black slacks, a dress shirt and sports jacket, looking dapper himself. He walked over to Emily, placed his hands on her face then took a long kiss from her lips.
“See, Ezra…mommy and daddy are going to have a sibling for you in no time,” Sherita said, then laughed.
Dante and Emily giggled.
“We just might,” Dante said. “It’s so hard for me to keep my hands off of her.”
Emily blushed. “Stop it, Dante.”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Dante said. “I hope it’s Melanie and Dimitrius. We need to be on the road.” He rushed to the door and saw Melanie standing there holding the car seat. Grace was sound asleep.
“Come on in, Melanie.”
Melanie stepped inside and said, “Dimitrius is still in the car. Should I tell him to come in?”
“No,” Dante said, glancing at his watch. “We have to get going.”
“Okay,” Melanie said. “Where’s Sherita?”
“She’s in the family room. You can take Grace on back, and tell your sister-in-law we need to get out of here.”
“Okay. Will do.” Melanie continued on to the family room and when she saw the women, she said, “Hey ladies.”
“Hey Melanie,” Sherita said. “You look nice.”
“Thank you.” Melanie said. “Oh, and Emily, Dante said we need to hit the road.”
“Okay. Let me get one last kiss from my sweetheart.” Emily walked over to where Sherita was sitting with Ezra, scooped him up in her arms and kissed him all over his chubby-cheeked face. “Mommy loves you, sweetie. Can you say bye-bye? Say bye-bye.”
Melanie left Grace strapped inside of the car seat since she was sleeping, but that didn’t stop her from leaving kisses on her cheek.
Sherita smiled. It must’ve been a wonderful feeling to have a child, especially for Melanie since she thought she couldn’t have a child. Now she was the proud mother of a beautiful baby girl who also had those distinctive Champion hazel eyes. Grace and Ezra looked more like siblings instead of first cousins.
“Okay ladies…get out of here before you make yourselves late. I can handle things from here,” Sherita said.
After one final kiss, Emily handed Ezra back over to Sherita and said, “Take care of my baby.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be just fine. Now go.”
Sherita followed Melanie and Emily to the living room where she saw Dante standing in the foyer, talking to Desmond. She locked eyes with Desmond briefly before snatching her vision away from him. From the glimpse she could get, she noticed he had on a red jacket, a pair of jeans and was holding a black helmet.
Must’ve driven the motorcycle over here, she thought.
“All right, well, we’re going to get out of here, man,” Dante said to Desmond.
“Have fun guys,” Sherita said, following Dante, Emily and Melanie outside, where she also waved at Dimitrius who’d stayed in the car.
Sherita waved a final time then turned to walk back inside of the house, baby Ezra still in her arms. Upon opening the door, she froze in her tracks, watching Desmond unzip his motorcycle jacket, seemingly in slow motion, as if he’d been waiting for the moment she stepped inside. She swallowed hard at the sight of him in a black, fitted T-shirt, showing off the muscle definition of his thick arms, the outline of his chiseled chest and firm abs. And then there was the way his jeans rode low on his hips…
When Desmond sensed she’d been staring, he looked at her, shot a half smile her way then walked right up to her, invading precious, personal space. “What’s up lil’ man?” he said to Ezra.
A whiff of Desmond’s scent nearly rendered her spellbound. He must’ve just taken a shower and the smell of soap, deodorant and cologne, along with the natural smell of his skin was downright intoxicating. She had to put distance between the two of them, and fast. “You want to hold him?” she asked.
He grinned, well aware of what she was doing. “No. Where’s my little Gracie?”
Gracie…
Melanie had told her that Desmond called Grace, Gracie, his own nickname for his niece. When Grace was born, she had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for six days since she was under five pounds. Melanie, Dimitrius – everyone was worried sick. And Desmond, no matter how busy he was visited his little Gracie every day while she was there. He’d bonded with her.
“Grace is in the family room. Melanie left her in the car seat since she’s sleeping.”
“The car seat? That’s no way for my niece to sleep. She needs to be lying against Uncle Desmond’s chest.” He walked to the family room, carefully unbuckled Grace and slowly lifted her from the car seat, holding her close against his chest.
Sherita walked into the room and saw him reclined on the sofa with Grace on his chest. The baby looked tiny against him. His hands were larger than her head. She was surprised at how comfortable he seemed while holding her. Most people freaked out when it came to holding a baby, fearing they would do it all wrong. Desmond had no problems with holding his niece. She wondered if it was because he was natural at it, or if he had practiced. Did he have children of his own sprinkled around town? Whatever the case, she was as equally impressed as she was shocked.
“So what are our baby plans?” he asked.
Baby plans? Sherita ignored him and paid more attention to Ezra instead. She sat in the chair opposite of the sofa where Desmond was holding Grace. She bounced Ezra on her lap again, watching him smile, and then she finger-combed his hair. She had no interest in talking to Desmond – especially not after the stunt he pulled at the coffee shop. And she wasn’t about to do the back and forth, tit-for-tat word dance he seemed to thrive on. She’d much rather escape into a different room instead, but she couldn’t run away from him. She had to learn how to deal with him, especially since they would see each other pretty often – well, now that he’d come out of hiding. Since pretending she hadn’t heard his question seemed to have been working for now, she continued smiling at Ezra, raking his thin, silky straight black hair back with her fingers.
“Look at you, big boy,” she said, watching him smile, showing his gums in an adorable way that made her giggle. “Do you love your Aunt Rita? Do you love your Aunt Rita?”
Desmond thought about what she said for a moment. Aunt Rita. In a way, she was like an aunt to Ezra and Grace. She babysat the babies often, and when she hung out with Melanie and Emily on the weekends, she’d get to see the babies. She was just as much a part
of their lives as he was. But she wasn’t a real aunt. She would have to be married to him in order to be their aunt, and that wouldn’t happen. He liked Sherita, but marriage was out of the question, and that went for every woman he’d come into contact with who thought he’d budge on his stance.
“Sherita, did you hear me?” his said in a low tone so as not to wake Grace.
Sherita’s smile faded. She looked over at Desmond, watching him gently stroke Grace’s hair with his large hand. “I heard you…not sure I understand what you mean.”
“We have to keep the babies entertained, right? So what are our plans?”
Sherita shrugged. “You tell me, Uncle Desmond. What do you do with your children?”
Eyebrows raised, he asked, “My children?”
“Yes. Your children.”
He smirked. “That’s rather presumptuous of you to say. I don’t have children. Don’t want any.”
“Oh, then I apologize. I just assumed a man with your reputation would be a proud father with multiple baby mommas.”
The smirk on his face had sense faded and now, glaring at her, Desmond responded, “That’s why you shouldn’t assume things. You don’t even know me, Sherita.”
“You’re right. I don’t know you, and I don’t want to know you so stop talking to me.” Sherita stood up and walked out of the room with Ezra in her arms, continuing on to the kitchen. Thirty minutes into babysitting and she was already thinking of leaving. But, she couldn’t let Emily down, and she wanted to spend time with the babies. Maybe if she steered clear of Desmond, things would go a bit smoother. He could stay in the family room with Grace, and she would find some place to get comfortable with Ezra.
She opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water and when she turned around, she saw Desmond standing near the island, staring. Without Grace. He’d probably put her back in the car seat, or in Ezra’s Pack N’ Play.
Sherita felt blood rush to her head. She didn’t need this. Not now. Not ever.
“Can I ask you something, Sherita?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you like me?” he asked anyway.