Bliss watched Dee and Chase walk back into the restaurant. A moment later, they were seated at the table.
Chase put his hand on Bliss’s knee and smiled. “Sorry about that. These knuckleheads treat you okay?”
Bliss sat back in her seat and stared at him. “Chase, I want to know what’s going on with you and Cyrus.”
To his credit, he didn’t even look at anybody else; his eyes stayed on hers. “There won’t be anything going on between me and Cyrus in a minute.” He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. “That’s why I wanted to sit down and talk some stuff over with the people at this table. Everybody that matters to me is at this table right now, Bliss, and we got a couple decisions to make regarding Cyrus.”
Bliss sighed in frustration. “No, Chase. There’s something you’re not telling me, and I am not going to be involved in any decisions about anything until you bring me out of the dark. I want to know what the major issue is between you and your brother.” She pushed away from the table and grabbed her jacket. “I mean it, Chase…or I leave here walking.”
Chase listened attentively to her small tirade, still holding her hand and looking in her eyes. He exhaled in resignation, but he didn’t lose his patience. “Okay, Bliss. Whatever you want.” He turned his head and addressed everyone else. “Bliss wants to know, so I’m gonna tell her. Y’all know I can’t do that here, so let’s go.”
Corey’s mouth was open, J.T. was frowning, and Dee was toying with her glass.
“Um…Chase, you sure you want to do that, man?” J.T. asked.
“I know what I’m doin’, J.T.”
They stared at each other, and then J.T. stood up. “I have no doubt you think you do. I put my money on you every time. Let’s go,” he said. He took his wallet out and left money on the table for the drinks.
They left the restaurant and stood in a little group outside.
“How you gonna make us leave before we eat, Chase? I been drinkin’. I’m hungry,” Corey complained.
“Just follow me back to my place. Matter of fact, you ride with J.T. and Dee, since you been drinkin’. I’ll make sure you get fed.” He turned to Dee. “Do you mind?”
Dee smiled and took out her cell phone. “I got the food. See you there.”
Chase held the door for Bliss to get into his Porsche.
“I could have done that, Chase.”
He smiled at her and hit the road. “You don’t have to compete with Dee, Bliss. She’s one of my dearest friends, but I’m gonna marry you one day very soon, if you’ll let me.”
She couldn’t help but smile, even though she was slightly pissed at him. “Is that so?”
He nodded and made a left, smiling his boyish smile. “Yeah. Just tell me when. Tomorrow’s good for me. I love you, Bliss.”
She giggled into her hand. If he hadn’t been driving, she would have crawled into his lap right then and there and covered his face in kisses. Chase made her heart beat fast. “I love you, too, Chase. I’m not gonna marry you though…not right now anyway.”
His smile slipped a little. “Why not?”
She put her hand on his thigh, and he sighed. “You know why, baby. Don’t even try to act like you don’t. There are things you’re leaving unsaid. I don’t think you’re being honest with me.” She said the words, and they were true, but all the same, she let her hand creep a little higher on his thigh, and Chase didn’t try to move it. She felt his muscles flex as he stepped on the brake to stop at a light, and just like that, she wanted him so bad it became a deep, sudden ache.
He glanced at her. “I’m always honest with you, Bliss. I’ve never lied to you, and I never plan to. That’s not the way I want it to be between us—ever.”
Bliss searched his face. She didn’t believe he was lying. She knew he wasn’t, but she asked anyway. “So you’ll never just lie to me then, huh?” She let her fingernails trail lightly over the inside of his thigh, and she knew he felt it through the thin fabric of his trousers. His lips parted and he frowned a little,and Bliss smiled. “Would you?”
“No, no, Bliss. I wouldn’t just lie to you. If I lied to you, I’d have a really good reason.”
Okay. Maybe that’s good enough, she thought. She continued to let her fingers work their magic as she asked, “Would you ever just not tell me something? You know, like it might be better that I don’t know some things about you?”
He blinked and exhaled a shuddery little breath. He bit his bottom lip, then answered her. “Yeah, I would, Bliss. Nobody knows everything about everybody…no matter how close they are. There’s probably things I’ll never know about you—maybe things I don’t want to know. Sometimes not knowing things is the way to go.”
There was nothing Bliss could say to argue with what he’d said. He was right, but she didn’t really want him to be, so she decided to torture him. She put her hand on him and gave him a squeeze, though it wasn’t really necessary because he was already like steel. He made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a moan.
Chase took his eyes off the road and looked at her for a second. “If you keep that up, I’m pullin’ this car over, and I’m gonna let you have it, girl—right here in this car, right here in broad daylight, and I won’t give a damn who see’s us. I’m serious, Bliss.”
She laughed and let him go. “I’m sorry.”
He smiled. “No you’re not. I could still pull over. You know you want me to.”
Bliss wouldn’t have liked anything more, and she knew he meant what he said. Chase was crazy, and she loved him for it. Their relationship was very heavy on the physical; they couldn’t keep their hands off each other and made love at every opportunity. But it was just as heavy emotionally. Every time Chase touched her, she felt loved. He didn’t just have sex with her. Instead, he made love to her every single time, even if it was just a quickie in the shower before they went to work. Bliss loved him dearly, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. He was very quickly becoming her life. “I love you, Chase,” she said again.
He smiled that boyish smile, and it lit his handsome face up. “And I love you, Bliss.” He kissed her quick, then turned back to the road. They didn’t talk much until they got to his place.
Chase pulled his Porsche into the garage, and J.T. pulled his Range Rover in right after him.
“Damn. Thought I’d get a chance to feel you up in the elevator.” He smiled, but Bliss could tell his disappointment was real…and so was hers.
“I’ll let you feel me up later,” Bliss said, looking over her shoulder. Everyone was piling out of J.T.’s ride. She turned back, and Chase was kissing her. Bliss put her hands on his chest to hold him back, but he stopped kissing her just as quickly as he started.
He opened his door and smiled at her. “Come on, sweetheart. I’m gonna tell you some stuff you really don’t want to hear.”
Bliss felt a tingle that wasn’t quite dread at that one.
Chase watched her face and saw that look. He squeezed her hand gently. “Don’t worry. I’ll give it to you easy.”
They got out of the car, and everyone rode the elevator up together.
Dee took off her jacket and started taking plates out of the cabinet like she’d been there 1,000 times. Bliss pushed back an instinctive stab of jealousy. “Bliss, you come on and help me set the table. The food will be here soon. J.T., you and lazy-ass Corey start pouring drinks. And Chase, you need to open your mouth and start talkin’, honey.”
Chase gave her a look. “You can’t order me around in my own house, Dee.” He disappeared into the bedroom.
J.T. and Corey set about bringing drinks to the table, Dee picked up a stack of plates, and Bliss picked up the silverware.
“Chase loves you, you know,” Dee said, looking at her thoughtfully.
Bliss tried on a smile that felt awkward on her lips; Dee made her nervous. “Yeah. Chase is wonderful. I couldn’t ask for a better man. I love him too.”
They walked into the dining area and started
to set the table. Bliss was surprised when Dee touched her arm. “Did you rehearse what you’d say to me, honey? That was a real brisk answer, and you may have meant it, but your delivery sucked.”
Bliss’s head went back, but not in anger. She didn’t know exactly how she felt. Caught off guard maybe? She stumbled for something to say. “What?” was all she managed.
Dee put her hands on her hips and smiled at her. “I only bite when I’m provoked, Bliss. You see me as some kind of threat, don’t you? You probably think I want your man. Isn’t that true, honey?”
Well, since she brought it up…“I don’t know. I hope not.”
Dee laughed good and deep, from her diaphragm. “I’m not gonna lie to you. There was a time that I actually entertained the notion. As you know, Chase is fairly easy to fall in love with. We went back and forward with our flirting and teasing, but nothin’ ever came of it, and I know why. That has never been the role Chase wants me to play in his life. It ain’t what he needs me for. Chase is very deliberate in everything he does. He doesn’t do things on a whim, and he rarely does things he regrets.”
Bliss nodded. “I’m learning that.”
“I’m no threat, Bliss. I know Chase loves you. I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve never seen him act like this. You make him happy, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy.”
Bliss smiled, not sure what to make of Dee’s revelations. “I’m glad. He makes me happy too.”
Dee looked at her seriously. “Chase is a very complicated man, Bliss.”
“I know.”
“No you don’t, honey. Not yet.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to tell you that things might get hard. We may never be friends, but I’m your ally and not your enemy. If you ever need me, I’m there.”
J.T. and Corey picked that moment to return to the table with their bottles of liquor, and J.T. squinted at Dee. “What are you up to, Dee?”
Dee sucked her teeth at him. “Nothing. I was just talking to Bliss. Is that all right with you?”
Corey opened the Rémy Martin. “Depends,” he said. “You should let Chase talk for himself.”
“I agree,” J.T. added, pouring Hennessey.
Chase emerged from the bedroom, back to casual, in jeans and a T-shirt, just in time to answer the door. “Food’s here,” he said absently. He took the food and paid the delivery person, and they all sat down. Chase looked at Bliss for a long time, and then he leaned forward in his seat and took her hand. “All right, Bliss. Here goes. I’m gonna tell you the story of me and Cyrus…pretty much. Of course, it’s just my side of the story, and there are always two sides to everything. Cyrus might not see it exactly the way I do.” He paused to sip his drink, then looked back at her with his beautiful cognac eyes. He looked sad and a bit tired.
Bliss glanced around. Corey was busy eating, like he was absorbing himself in his food to keep from hearing what Chase was about to say. Dee was pushing her food around on her plate, hardly eating at all, and J.T. had both elbows on the table, sipping his Hennessey and studying Chase. Bliss sat back in her chair, but she didn’t let go of his hand. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Chase took a deep breath and started talking. “Me and Cyrus have never gotten along, Bliss. I think Cyrus hated my ass at first sight.”
“Cyrus don’t hate Chase,” Corey interjected.
“I think he does. Eat your food and let the man talk, Corey,” J.T. said quietly.
“Anyway, like I said, Cyrus never liked me—and I got news for you, Corey. He ain’t all that crazy about you, either, so don’t get too comfortable.” He turned back to Bliss. “My mother had three sons by three different men, and none of us knew our fathers. I think Cyrus is resentful of that, but I’m not into psychotherapy. I’m not feeling Cyrus because he’s been a bastard to me all of my life. He used to beat my ass or do something mean to me every day when I was little. He was mean to Corey, too, but I’d usually take Corey’s ass-whippin’s for him so Cyrus would leave him alone.”
Bliss rubbed her hand over his. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know.”
He smiled wryly. “You’re not supposed to cry over spilled milk, Bliss, and I hardly ever do. I will say this though. I believe when you suffer trauma and have terrible experiences when you’re very young, you store that shit inside you somewhere, and it makes you into the person you become—good or bad.” He finished his drink and poured another, and then he poured one for Bliss. “Go ahead and drink up. You’ll probably need it for this next part.”
Corey stopped eating and let his fork clank noisily onto his plate. “Don’t start talkin’ about Mama, Chase. For real. I ain’t feelin’ that at all.”
Chase stared at him for a moment, not unkindly. “Then you need to go to another room, Corey.”
“Ain’t no other room in this place. You live in a fuckin’ loft,” Corey mumbled and then fell silent.
Chase stared at him a little longer, and then he picked up where he left off. “Cyrus is fifteen years older than me. He started selling drugs somewhere in his late teens, early twenties. Him and his boys did some kind of hostile takeover on some old-school turf, and they started a war. When the smoke cleared, I was cryin’ in the schoolyard, with Corey next to me, and I was holdin’ our dead mother’s head in my lap. A bastard named Maceo shot her in the temple right in front of us. One more reason to hate Cyrus, right?”
Bliss shook her head and squeezed his hand. “God, Chase.” She looked at Corey, who had turned his attention out the window. “You guys have been through so much. I’m sorry.” Bliss was horrified. A story like that was beyond the pale for her. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for those little boys. Chase sipped his drink, and Bliss finally picked up her own. While it was shocking as hell to hear it all happened to the man she loved, she was not too naïve to know that things like that went down in the world of drugs. It was always tit for tat. “So what happened to that guy? What was his name? Maceo?” she asked, drinking deeply from her glass.
Chase laughed and turned to Dee. “Let me get one of your smokes, Dee,” he said and finished his drink. He immediately poured another one.
“You aimin’ to get pissy, Chase?” J.T. asked with his eyebrow in the air.
Chase lit a cigarette and Dee got up to get an ashtray. Chase smiled. “Relax. I’ll nurse this one. Besides, I’m in my own house with my woman, my brother, and my two closest friends. One of y’all will cover me up when I pass out. It takes liquor to talk about this shit. Bliss, you wanted to know what happened to Maceo?”
“Yeah…and you can pour me another one while you’re at it.”
Chase obliged, then inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out slow. “They found Maceo four years later, stretched out in the parking lot at Roosevelt Field with his throat cut.”
Bliss felt a tingle at the nape of her neck. “Oh my God! Who did it? Was it Cyrus?”
Chase smiled around his cigarette. “I’m sure it wasn’t Cyrus.”
“What makes you so sure? Maceo did kill your mother—Cyrus’s mother.”
“Yeah, he did, but it don’t matter to me who took care of Maceo. What matters is the fact that he’s no longer here. I’m good with that, Bliss. Anyway, after my mother died, Cyrus took care of me and Corey. Don’t get me wrong…I’m grateful he did. I even tried to make him like me. I did stuff for him—illegal stuff—but he still didn’t like me. He just used me.” He put the cigarette out and stood up. He walked to the window with his drink. “He’s still tryin’ to use me. That’s what all this shit is about. There’s certain shit I’m not doin’. I’m done takin’ shit off Cyrus. He’s puttin’ a lot of pressure on me to do somethin’ I really don’t want to do.”
Bliss got up and went to him. “What is it he wants you to do?”
He looked down at her with sad eyes, but Bliss loved the way he squared his shoulders and cocked his head. She even loved the way he curled his fists and how the veins stood out in his forearms. “He got i
nto a beef with some guy in Brooklyn. Big-time drug dealer on the come-up named Wolf.”
“That was why he got shot?”
Chase nodded. “That’s exactly why he got shot.”
Bliss frowned. “Well, what does he want you to do? Shoot Wolf?”
Chase laughed dryly. “Something like that.”
Bliss’s mouth dropped open. What the hell is this? What kind of maniac is Cyrus? Doesn’t he care about Chase—his own brother—at all? Shit, would Chase actually do it? She closed her mouth, put her hand to her forehead, and shut her eyes. She literally felt like she was reeling. What kind of man is Cyrus?
Chase touched her arm. “Bliss?”
Bliss was so angry she was shaking. She opened her eyes and looked at Chase. “What gives Cyrus the right to ask you to do something like that?”
Chase was looking at her carefully. “I don’t know.”
“What are you gonna do, Chase? You’re not gonna do something like that…are you?”
Chase stared at her for a second, then put his hands on her waist and kissed her forehead. “No, Bliss. I’m not. I’m not gonna let Cyrus make me kill Wolf. I’m drawin’ the line with him at this. Matter of fact, I’m done helpin’ Cyrus do anything. Cyrus is on self-destruct, and I don’t want to be around when the shit hits the fan…and it will, mark my words. Come back and sit down. We all need to talk.”
Bliss let Chase lead her back to the table. She couldn’t believe Cyrus actually wanted Chase to kill someone. What kind of shit is that? Why Chase? He’s no hit-man…not my Chase.
Chase looked across the table at J.T. “I’m gonna take your advice, J.T. I’m gonna go for the brass ring. I’m gonna get my ass as far away from Cyrus as I can, before I end up dead or in jail.”
J.T. pushed his plate away and tipped his drink at Chase. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. Let’s hear your plan.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Dee muttered and lit a cigarette of her own.
Chasing Bliss Page 16