by Xyla Turner
He nodded towards me, “On Zestimate, this place is worth seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
I gasp. Then I became suspicious.
“I want to talk to him.”
“W-what? Why? You don’t believe me”
“No, I want to talk to him now.”
“I’m hurt.” He pulled out his phone, “Fine.”
He pressed to turn his phone on, looked on the property sheet and dialed the number. It rang and then, Matt said, “Hey John, this is Matt from XAND.”
Silence.
“I’m doing well, man. Listen, I have a potential buyer for your condo and she thinks the deal is too good to be true. So, do you have a minute to talk with her?”
Silence.
“I know man, she didn’t believe me. I’m hurt. Okay, hold on.”
He gives me the Andrews’ smirk, then passes me the phone. “Hello, this is Xena Fuller, how are you?” I turn my back to Matt.
“I could be better ma’am, but I won’t bore you with the details. So, yes, the condo is not a gimmick. I just want to get rid of it because my cheating ass wife decided to cheat in that condo and apparently on numerous occasions. I don’t need that reminder in my life and since she cheated for free, I figured the price shouldn’t be too high.” He said all of that in one breath with a slight southern accent.
“Oh my,” I walked into the other room, away from Matt, “You sound pretty angry, sir…”
“I am fucking angry,” he cut me off.
“You didn’t let me finish. I was about to say and pretty hurt.”
There was silence on the other end. I walked further away from Matt and whispered, “I know what that pain feels like and I would hate to take advantage of a situation like that. It would weigh on my conscience. So, I don’t think I’m going to take this because you should probably take some time to work this out internally. Have you ever thought about seeing a therapist? I know it sounds cliché, but when we experience traumatic things in our lives, sometimes we need help navigating through that turmoil. It’s nothing wrong with some help now and then. I’ve had to” I chuckled, “still have too.”
He sighed, “Are you a therapist? I’d see you.”
I smiled, “No, I’m not a therapist, I’m a life coach, but you should see a therapist. I can recommend a good one, if you’d like. When these things aren’t dealt with, they seep into other areas of our lives and it will have a domino effect.”
He scoffed, “No kidding, darling. I just fired five employees for not ordering paper.”
“Oh no, that’s not good,” I breathed.
“I know… I guess I overreacted. I’ve been so testy lately. I knew it had impacted my work, but I didn’t realize how much it did until just now.” He exhaled.
“How about this, let’s you and I have lunch and talk about getting me a therapist and you purchasing a condo.” He continued.
I laugh, “Sure, when are you free?”
“I’m free tomorrow if that isn’t too soon. You might want to check with your man to make sure he’s okay with that. I don’t want X-man thinking I am moving in on his territory”
I laugh, “Mr. X-man can cool his jets. Tomorrow sounds fine, but where.”
“Do you like Thai? There is a great place on Court Street that has an awesome lunch menu.”
“Yes, I know the place. How about 12:30?”
“Sounds good to me. I’m looking forward to meeting you Xena.”
“Same here.”
We hang up as I turn around and almost smack right into Matt. I jump and breathe, “You scared me.”
He reached out his hand to steady me, while staring at me with this silly look on his face. I asked, “What? Don’t start your stuff, Xavier will understand.”
He kept staring. Then I thought about it and said, “Well, I’ll make him understand.”
Matt reached out and moved my hair behind my ear, then whispered, “No wonder he fell so hard for you. You really are the total package. Sexy, honest, caring, smart, and funny. That is a mean son of a bitch and you got him to calm down, open up, and get a therapist. What. The. Fuck. Are there any more like you? Where the fuck are they at? Xavier got to you first and I will beat the shit out of him if he ever lets you go.”
What the hell was going on here?
I swatted his hand away and said, “Well, damn, Matt. You sure know how to charm a woman. I’m not a brand. There is only one me, but there are plenty of women who are good women, but let me fill you in on a secret. You won’t find them at the fuckin’ club, the bar, or that lounge you guys frequently visit. You’ll probably find her in college, in the community, at professional events, through friends, etc. However, most of those women won’t be interested in you because you have play boy written all over you. So, until you change, internally, then your prospects won’t change.”
He looked at me thoughtfully, “So, can you be my life coach to help me change internally and help me find a good woman like you?”
He sounded sincere, so I said, “I’ll recommend a life coach for you, but I wouldn’t want to be your life coach. Xavier might have a problem with that.”
“Whatever, Xavier isn’t the boss of you,” he smirked.
“What? You don’t know? He owns me,” I smirked and walked past him.
He burst out laughing and yelled after me, “I think I’m in love.”
We both laughed.
****
We arrived at Xavier’s penthouse, where Matt burst in leading with the fact that I had a lunch date with John and that Matt had fallen in love with me. Xavier looked at me and raised his eyebrows.
I walked to him, put my arms around his waist, and said, “It’s nothing sweetheart. John and I are going to meet tomorrow to discuss the condo, which I absolutely love, but I don’t think I’m going to buy and he also is open to getting a therapist. So I’m going to recommend some.”
I sweetly smile and let him go. He puts his arms around me to keep me there and asked, “So why aren’t you going to buy it?”
“Because he’s hurting right now and he is making emotional choices. He fired five employees today because they forgot to order paper,” I shook my head.
“So, this is the perfect time to buy.” Xavier explained.
I frowned at him. “No, dear, it’s not. I wouldn’t feel right.”
“Well, let me buy it, I would feel fine.”
“Xavier, stop it. We are going to talk tomorrow.”
He raised his eyebrow at me again, then said, “So, what’s this about Matt being in love with you?”
Matt chimed in, “Well, she’s going to help me find someone like her, but in the meantime I’m going to love her.”
Xavier slowly turned to look at Matt, who had this huge grin on his face. He was oblivious to the warning vibes coming from one X-man.
Then, Matt continued, “And she said you own her and since we are brothers…”
Xavier started to move towards him, with a determined, yet menacing gaze. Matt quickly decided to make his escape while laughing hysterically. He yelled back, “just kidding brother, well sort of. See you guys later. Love you my X-lady.”
Xavier moved me out the way, but then the door closed. He turned towards me and I kept trying to hide my laugh. He asked, “What the hell was that about?”
I laughed, “I think Matt is thinking about settling down with a more serious and professional woman. I’m thinking he is getting sick of that play-boy lifestyle.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“Well, I think he thinks I’m a great candidate for you. So…”
“So, what does that have to do with you and him?”
“I don’t know honey, he’s your crazy brother. Maybe I represent a type or some sort of model for what he wants. You’ve known him longer than I do, shit you tell me.”
“No more house shopping with him.”
“What? Stop that. Don’t get all protective. He’s your brother, he’d never try anythi
ng. He’s just trying to get under your skin. Besides, I’d never go for Matt.” I sidled next to him, “I only have eyes for you.”
He looked into my eyes, searching again.
I continued, “I only want you to fuck me, spank me, kiss me, love me, protect me, secure me,” I wrapped my arms around his neck, “lick me, plug me, tie me, bound me, and own me.”
He growled and picked me up, carried me to the bedroom to do just that.
Own me.
****
The next day I met with John, who was actually a very nice older man that had a tendency to go for chicks that were much younger than him and looking for a father. He also was used to using his power and position to get what he wanted, therefore when things didn’t go his way, he would in essence throw a tantrum and heads would roll. It didn’t help that he was short, balding and definitely didn’t have good eating or drinking habits because his skin coloring was almost beige. I shared as much with him and he seemed to admire my candidness and confirmed I was correct. He said, he would definitely see my therapist, but he also wanted me as a life coach. I told him to see what his therapist thought about that and he said he would.
He then broached the subject of the condo and said that he was going to give it to me for $200,000, simply because he liked me. He thought I was a genuine, kind, and sweet woman that the X-bastard (his words) had stolen from under everyone’s noses. He would not take no for an answer and since he already paid for the condo out right, the only bank I had to deal with was mine and he had no stipulations. I told him that I absolutely could not do such a thing because mixing business with pleasure was not a good forum. He then picked up the phone and called the X-bastard, explained to him what the deal was and then handed me the phone.
The conversation went something like this:
“Baby, take the deal.”
“I absolutely will not. It’s not right and I will not take advantage of it.”
“Take the fucking deal.”
“No, Xavier, and that’s final.”
“Baby, if you don’t take the deal, I’m going to buy the house myself, put it in your name and spank your fucking ass for having me go through the hoops. Then, I’m going to make your ass feel better by having you ride my face and my fucking finger that will be in your sweet ass, until you pass out.”
I know my eyes heated and perspiration was on my face because John smirked like he knew what Xavier was saying. I inhaled and Xavier said, “Now, baby this is me trying to be your partner and not your dictator. I’m attempting to be your man, your daddy who protects and covers you. If you don’t yield, you know what I will do.”
I gather myself and said, “Xavier, that’s not how partners do it.”
“No, baby. That’s how we do it.”
“It’s not fair,” I sigh.
“Baby, he fucking likes you. It’s not taking advantage because he likes you. People contribute money to GRIT all the time because you’ve made an impression on them. It’s the same thing. He likes you, likes what you stand for and you’re helping him get his life back in order. Take the deal.”
He had a point.
“Fine.”
“That’s my good girl.” I blush.
“Bye,” I said.
“I’m also going to spank your ass when you get home.”
I shifted in my seat, “I can’t wait.”
I gave the phone back to John and noticed that he was blushing. Could he hear him? No, but I guess he could guess. I knew Xavier, Matt, and John were, for the most part, cut from the same cloth. They just had that look about them. It was confirmed when John said, “You going to get that ass spanked, huh?”
I laughed out loud.
****
I spoke to my bank that afternoon about the deal and they came back with the numbers that I needed. I told Xavier and he asked for the number to the loan officer that I spoke with. When I asked why, he said that Matt just told him about this new deal with purchasing condos in Brooklyn and he wanted to see if I qualified for that deal, plus XAND has stock in my bank, so I may be able to get a discount. I explained my apprehension and reminded him that we were partners, so he could not go and do something without telling me. I should have been more specific.
An hour later, I get an email from the loan officer with the acceptance letter and the numbers were all wrong. The purchase price was now $150,000, the down payment which was already in escrow was $75,000, which left a loan of $75,000 and my mortgage would be around $500 a month. I’m going to strangle that man.
I stormed to his office and the secretary sees me coming and just opens the door. I walk in and he’s meeting with a man and a woman. He sees me, stands up and tells them, they’ll have to finish this later. They quickly leave and he locked the door from his desk and I stand there staring at him.
He stared back at me, hit a button, and said, “Hold my calls and cancel my meetings for the rest of the afternoon.”
I glared at him and said, “This will only take a minute.”
He comes from around the desk and I move away from him, trying to keep a barrier between us. He keeps coming, but stops when he has blocked my exit. Damn, I should have thought of another strategy. I just saw red and came storming over here. I hold up the paper and say, “What the hell is this?”
He looks at the paper and shakes his head sideways. I throw the papers at him and he picks them up. He said, “It’s your financials for the condo.”
“It’s all wrong,” I exclaimed.
“No, it’s not. This looks right to me.”
“The condo was supposed to be $200,000, your deposit was supposed to be 20% of that. That,” I point to the papers in his hand, “said the purchase price was $150,000 and your deposit was 50% of that.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not right,” I raised my voice.
“Baby, calm down.”
“I will not calm down. I told you, Xavier, I told you to stop this shit. I had to do this myself. You forced me into this and you took over. I told you.”
“So, what now? What? I looked into your financials and you have almost $150,000 in school loans, you owe $220,000 on your house and you have about $7,000 in credit card debt and to top this off, your fucking credit score is 670. You need a fucking place to stay that is safe and I know you’ll be protected, you are working yourself to the fucking bone and I have enough money to make all that go away and it not even dent my pockets. I make the sum of that in a day and you won’t let me lift a finger to help you. Fuck that, baby. Be mad, but fuck that. I was being like a partner by not paying for the whole thing. You said you needed that and I gave it to you, but that’s not good enough, huh?”
He looked pissed. I was pissed and we just glared at each other – both pissed.
Then, I said it – “You are not my husband, you have only been my boyfriend for a month and a half. I will not have you think that I want you for your money. I will not have you inserted into my life in ways that if you leave, I will have to continue to depend on you or lean on you. I will not have you paying debts that I have made to advance my career and live the life I wanted. You haven’t even met my family yet. But I feel like you are trying to tie yourself to me in ways where I need to be dependent on you and I won’t allow that.”
“You are damn right, I’m trying to tie myself to you so you’ll never leave. Don’t you get that I want to be with you and only you. I want us to get married, have a family and grow old together. You’re damn right, I’m trying to box you in. You’re like a fucking rabbit, always running away, so you don’t have any strings attached if you need to go. Well, fuck that. Yes, I am trying to tie myself to you, so it won’t be that easy.”
WHAT THE HELL?
“So, you want me to be a kept woman?”
“Fuck yeah, as long as I’m the one keeping you.”
“What if we don’t work out? What if we fall apart or out of love? What do we do then?”
He looked at me as if he never considered this
and said, “I fucking love you woman. That’s it. We could get married tomorrow for all I care. I want to make you happy and if you are happiest away from me because I’m not the man you fell in love with, then I still want to make you happy. I won’t like it, but you’ll be cared for, no matter what. You want an affidavit saying that? I’ll sign one. No pre-nup. I fuck up, you deserve to clean me out.”
“Are you insane?” I shake my head, “Shit, you are insane. So am I.”
I look up and he is right beside me, searching my face. “You are one crazy man.”
He wrapped his arms around me and said, “So you going to let me buy the condo?”
“No, but let’s get one thing straight. If I want something, I’ll get it with my own money. However, if you give me a gift, then I will shut up and be gracious.”
“No, what we are going to do is this. If you want something, I’m going to get it and if I want you to have something I’m going to get that too. We are going to go see a financial advisor, who will set up joint accounts for the both of us, let us know the best way to get your credit up and I’m going to pay off that debt. Then we are going to go furniture shopping for your new place that you are buying. I get you need to have that security blanket, so that is yours. That’s it, Xena. Shelter, transportation and funds to get what you want. Yours to manage and control. You with me baby girl?
He looked at me with dangerous, determined, but pleading eyes.
“Let Daddy take care of his baby.”
I melted into him. Pride. That and self-preservation is what kept me from letting him do what I would do and have done for my family and friends. I’d given this same speech to many people. ‘If I got it, you got it. How can I not help, when I have the means to do so’? I could recall the many times I didn’t have the means, but I made a way, hence the debt, even with the student loans. I received scholarships for both graduate programs. I took the money to make ends meet in other areas or help out others. Now, I was being given the opportunity to have what I have done to others, done to me and I was fighting back. Damn, this man.
“I love you,” I breathed and wrapped my arms around his neck.