Chasing Bliss

by Sabrina A. Eubanks

Chase held Bliss’s hand, but he was looking at Corey. “Corey? Hey, Corey, don’t look out the window. Look at me.”

  Corey sucked his teeth and turned his head Chase’s way. “All due respect, Chase, I don’t want to hear none of this shit.” He pushed his plate away and looked at Chase moodily.

  Chase sighed. He got up and took the seat next to Corey, placing his elbows on the table and leaning toward him. “All due respect, Corey, you don’t really have a choice. I’m tired, Corey. I’m tired of Cyrus. I love him, but I ain’t hangin’ around for him to ruin my life. I got too much to look forward to. There’s too much for me to lose.”

  Corey stared at him. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about, Chase? What do you mean when you say you’re gonna get as far away from Cyrus as you can? You leavin’, Chase?”

  “Looks like I have to, Corey.”

  Bliss’s heart picked up its pace. Leave? What’s he talking about?

  “You can’t leave, Chase. What about me? What about Bliss?”

  “What about me? Corey. You know. You know. How could you ask me to stay?”

  Corey’s bottom lip trembled, and his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head. “I hate this.”

  “I know you do, Corey. So do I, but I’m about out of options with Cyrus…and I think it would be a good idea if you left with me.”

  Corey stood up. “You two are never gonna stop this shit, are you? Y’all been fightin’ each other my whole life, with me always hangin’ in the middle. Y’all been askin’ me to choose between y’all my life. This shit ain’t fair, Chase! Why do you try so hard to protect me from Cyrus anyway? He’s my brother, just like you Smoke! What makes you think he’d do somethin’ to hurt me?”

  Chase shocked Bliss by laughing. “Corey, you gotta be kiddin’ me. Are you stupid? Cyrus broke your arm when you were just a kid. I’m gonna say it again, Corey. You know the shit Cyrus makes me do. What in the fuck would make you think Cyrus wouldn’t hurt you? I don’t need any accolades, Corey, but I been keepin’ Cyrus off your ass your whole life. I’m keepin’ Cyrus off you now, Corey. He doesn’t mean you any good, little brother. Can’t you see this shit the way it really is? This ain’t no tug-a-war. It’s simple, Corey. I love you, and Cyrus doesn’t! Wake up and smell the goddamned coffee!”

  Bliss was stunned, and even downing the rest of her drink didn’t help the shock any. Cyrus’s ass should have been in jail for the shit he’d done, and Chase wanted to get away from him so badly that he was ready to just up and leave. She had a sudden deep loathing for Cyrus. He was a fucking tyrant. It seemed like he wanted to destroy Chase and Corey, his own flesh and blood. Cyrus was responsible for some very reprehensible shit in Chase and Corey’s lives, and Bliss thought maybe Chase was right to leave. She started to weigh the pros and cons of her own situation with Chase while she listened to him talk to his little brother.

  “What do you want me to do, Chase?” Corey asked unenthusiastically.

  Chase sat back in his chair and looked at Corey with a patient gaze. “Don’t be mad at me, Corey. It’s for everybody’s own good.”

  “Amen to that,” J.T. said.

  Corey shot him a dirty look. “Instigator!” he said blackly.

  “Brat,” J.T. shot back.

  J.T. played bartender and freshened drinks. Bliss was tipsy, but she drank anyway. She didn’t want to entertain the thought of Chase going away from her. It was all Cyrus’s fault, and she suddenly hated him.

  Chase looked at Dee. “You’ve been real quiet,” he said with a smile.

  Dee, Bliss noted, had been sipping and smoking steadily since they’d sat down—perhaps steeling herself. She smiled back at him and shrugged. “There’s nothing for me to say, honey. I’ve been begging you for years to put some distance between you and Cyrus. Just tell me what you need me to do, and consider it done.”

  Chase smiled at her. “I love you, Dee.”

  She smiled back. “You should…but be careful not to make Bliss jealous.” She looked at Bliss. “You okay? All this has to be a lot for you to digest.”

  Bliss nodded. “I’m okay.” She looked at Chase. “But I don’t want to work for Cyrus anymore.”

  Chase reclaimed his seat next to her, now that Corey was sufficiently smoothed out. “Good, ‘cause that’s part of the plan. From now on, you work for me. I’m gonna need you to fill in for Dee.”

  Dee raised an eyebrow. “For me? Why? Where am I going?”

  “I’m sending you down to Atlanta with Corey to check some spots out for me. I’m gonna open a club down there—maybe even two—and relocate for a while after they’re up and running.”

  Corey looked disagreeable. “How come you and Bliss can’t go to Atlanta? Me and Dee could run shit up here.”

  “You’re good at stuff like that, Corey. You even found Cyrus’s club. I need somebody with those kinds of skills in Atlanta.”

  Corey knew better. “You want me away from Cyrus.”

  Chase grinned at him. “Yeah…that too.”

  “What’s J.T. gonna do?” Corey asked.

  “I’m gonna be my usual flexible self, fillin’ gaps wherever I’m needed. It’s easy to do that when you own your own company, youngster.” J.T. flashed Corey a winning smile and smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “Maybe you’ll have one, too, when you grow up.”

  They finally heated the food up and ate, Corey for the second time. They agreed that Dee and Corey would fly down to Atlanta and start looking the Monday after the club opening. Bliss wanted to give Cyrus two weeks’ notice, but Chase said it didn’t matter and wasn’t necessary; he promised to take responsibility for her leaving, and Cyrus could deal with him if he had a problem with it. He didn’t seem to mind taking the brunt of everything, as long as it meant being free from Cyrus.

  It was after midnight when their little meeting finally broke up. Bliss got into Chase’s bed with him, and they snuggled close together. She thought she’d be sleepier than she was, after all that liquor they drank, but she was wide awake—and quite content feeling Chase’s heartbeat against her back. She loved him—everything about him: they way he looked, the way he smelled, and the way he talked. She smiled and closed her eyes, and the minute she did, Chase whispered in her ear.

  “You still up, Bliss?”

  Her smile widened into a grin because she knew what his problem was.

  He kissed her neck and ran his thumb over her nipple. “Bliss, wake up.” He pressed himself against her, and Bliss giggled.

  “I’m up, Chase.” She laughed. “You are so horny!”

  He laughed, too, but he moved her leg forward with his and pushed his chest into her back, moving her onto her stomach. Bliss went willingly, and Chase planted a knee on either side of her. “I’m not horny. I’m in love with you. Let me in, and I’ll show you.”

  Bliss parted her thighs for him, and he slid in and curled his fingers around hers.

  “Close your legs, Bliss.”

  She did, and she thought she would die. She loved him, and he loved her—and he was showing her, filling her body and heart with every thrust.

  Chase started talking to her. “You comin’ with me to Atlanta, Bliss?”

  She arched her back, and he went all the way in. “God, yes, Chase. I’d follow you anywhere.”

  He laughed softly in her ear. “You can’t follow me unless you marry me. You gonna marry me, Bliss? Say yes. I need you. Please…say yes,” he begged, never stopping what he was doing, plunging into her with his magnificent long stroke.

  Bliss started throbbing so hard it brought tears to her eyes. “Yes! Yes, Chase! I will! I promise!”

  He kissed her cheek. “Good…and while you’re at it, I want you to have my baby, too, Bliss.” His breath caught, and he growled real sexy.

  Bliss could feel his release when he let go, and it made her happy. She’d known from the moment Chase had lifted his helmet and looked at her with his incredible cognac eyes that she belonged to him. She and Chase were inevitable, a
nd they both knew it. She’d go wherever he went because she couldn’t live without him. She rocked with him until he had nothing left to give her, and then he turned over with her in his arms. She loved him so much she felt like crying. She was his.

  Chapter 14

  “I still don’t believe I had to damn near make a fuckin’ appointment to see my own brother. This is some very insulting shit, Corey,” Cyrus said, walking into his brand new club.

  Corey looked at him apologetically. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that, Cyrus. Don’t take it so personal. Chase has been pretty busy. Cut him some slack.”

  Cyrus looked around. Yeah, he’s been busy, all right. The club was beautiful and completely ready for the opening the next day. Everything was pristine, polished, and fresh. The bar was stocked with a staggering array of mid-to top-shelf liquor, and the dance floor gleamed. Cyrus nodded his head in pride and satisfaction. “That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. This joint is tight.”

  Corey looked at him sideways. “Yeah, thanks to Chase. You could give him a compliment once in a while instead of your ass to kiss. Maybe if you showed him a little love from time to time, things wouldn’t be as fucked up between y’all as they are.”

  Cyrus nodded and scratched his goatee. “Yeah, maybe. Unfortunately, that’s not why I’m here. I need to let Smoke know he ain’t handling his business like he promised.”

  Corey frowned. “Fuck you talkin’ ‘bout, Cyrus? The club opens tomorrow, and he did what he promised.”

  Cyrus had arrived at the club in a Suburban with three big, burly, dudes protecting his ass. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, and he could barely stand the paranoia anymore. He blamed Chase that he had to be so careful. “I’m afraid he didn’t, young buck. Wolf is still eatin’, shittin’, and changin’ his clothes, and I got a problem with that ‘cause I told Chase to put an end his ass. Wolf shoulda stopped bein’ a problem for me weeks ago. Meanwhile, he’s pickin’ my people off one by one. Shit, he even tried to take me out. I need to know why this nigga Smoke is draggin’ his heels.”

  Corey looked at him as they reached the office. “I know you’re pissed, but be nice, Cyrus.”

  Cyrus frowned. This nigga’s gotta be kidding. “Nice? I ain’t the crazy, temperamental motherfucker, always flyin’ off the handle. That would be Smoke, with his razor-wielding ass. You tell that nigga to be nice. That boy got a split personality or somethin’.”

  Corey looked at the floor. “Don’t talk about Chase like that. He’s our brother, and that ain’t right.”

  Cyrus stared at Corey for a second. “I sure hope you take up for me like that.”

  Corey shook his head sadly. “Y’all are givin’ me a fuckin’ ulcer,” he said and knocked on the door, rubbing his stomach.

  Cyrus deeply resented the fact that he had to knock on the office door at his own club. That nigga Smoke think he’s all that? I’ll fuckin’ show him, he thought, knowing he was gonna bend his fingers back.

  “Come in.”

  Corey swung the door open. Chase was seated at the desk going over a floor plan, with Bliss peering over his shoulder. She was dressed down in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, but she was still one helluva nice piece of ass.

  She looked startled to see Cyrus and took a step closer to Chase. “Mr. Brown. Hi.”

  Cyrus smiled at her. “Ms. Riley.”

  Chase stood up and rolled the floor plans into a tube. “‘Sup, Cyrus?” He handed the tube to Bliss. “Could you give us a minute?”

  Bliss seemed to be purposely avoiding eye contact. She took the plans and picked up another set of papers. “Call me when you need me,” she said and walked out.

  “Have a seat, Cyrus. What can I do for you?” Chase said, eyeing him coolly.

  Fuck sitting down. Cyrus walked around to Chase’s side of the desk. “I think you know what you can do for me.”

  Chase started smiling, but it wasn’t a happy smile. “Don’t roll up on me, Cyrus. Sit your ass down like I said,” Chase ordered.

  Cyrus frowned and made a fist. “What?”

  Chase looked at his fist and laughed. “I’m tellin’ you, Cyrus, don’t come at me like that. If you put your hands on me, I’m gonna defend myself.”

  Corey stepped between them with his back to Chase. “Just sit down, Cyrus, and stop this crazy shit. Please.” He turned his head to Chase. “Calm down, Chase.”

  Chase looked Corey in the eye. “I am calm, Corey.”

  But even Cyrus could see he wasn’t. He could see the pulse beating in his neck, and there was that wild little light in the corners of his eyes. To make matters worse, he couldn’t stop smiling. Cyrus felt a cold chill at the base of his neck. He’d seen that wild little sparkle in his brother’s eyes before, accompanied by that ferocious little grin. Oh shit. Damn. He took a step back, unconsciously keeping his hands where Chase could see them. Cyrus was mortified that his heart was suddenly slamming in his chest. He narrowed his eyes at Chase. “You look like you want to hurt me, Smoke.”

  To his credit, Chase took a step back too. “I ain’t gonna rule it out. I’m warnin’ you, Cyrus, I’m not gonna have you comin’ at me like that—grabbin’ my collar and shit like you used to and puttin’ your hands on me. I told you before, and you need to listen, Cyrus. If you want to talk to me, have a seat and be respectful.” Chase sat down in his own chair like it was a throne.

  Cyrus sat in the chair across the desk from him, albeit resentfully. He could feel his fury rising, and his fingers itched to choke the shit out of Chase’s insolent ass.

  Chase threw gas on the fire when he laughed. “Boy, you’re mad as hell now, ain’t ya, Cyrus?”

  Corey shook his head and sat down on the corner of the desk. “Stop, Chase. That’s not cool.”

  But Chase clearly had no intention of stopping. He leaned back in his chair and turned to Cyrus. “What’s the matter, Cy? Cat got your tongue? You came in here like you had somethin’ to say, so say it.”

  Cyrus glared at the ungrateful son of a bitch. He wanted to hit him until his hand hurt. He wanted to say some foul shit back to him, but he couldn’t seem to get enough spit in his mouth to talk. The reality was that it was time to admit to himself that he was afraid of his little brother. It was that crazy light in his eyes that had his balls shriveling. Maybe he was showing out before, but Cyrus knew better than to push the envelope with Chase’s unstable ass when he had that glittery, smiley look about him—the one he always got before he opened a nigga’s throat up.

  “Go ahead and talk, Cyrus. Stop sitting there looking like you’re scared of me, ‘cause that could never be true. Right, Cyrus?”

  “Chase—” Corey said from his perch on the desk.

  “I’m not doin’ anything, Corey. I’m just waitin’ for Cyrus to ask me about Wolf, that’s all. Go on, Cyrus. Ask me.”

  Cyrus cleared his throat. “You can’t blame me for askin’. You promised me a long time ago that you would take care of him, and so far you ain’t kept your word, ‘cause he’s still breathin’, far as I know.”

  “Maybe not, but I’ve done other stuff for you, Cyrus. What about Mooch and Post? They won’t be shootin’ anybody else.”

  Cyrus shook his head. “All that shit did was piss Wolf off .”

  Chase laughed a fucked-up little laugh. “It did? My bad.”

  “You think this shit is funny? ‘Cause it ain’t.”

  Chase stopped smiling. “No, Cyrus, I don’t think it’s funny. I think this shit is tired. Hell, I think you’re tired. Don’t you have anybody in your goon squad who can grease Wolf for you? How you gonna do the things you do and not have some people lined up for shit like this? Some people to calm shit down when it gets too hot? I ain’t seen you with no serious executioners since Herc Mercer.”

  Cyrus stared at him. Chase was playing games with him, and he didn’t appreciate it. It wasn’t in Cyrus’s nature to take shit off of people, and despite the danger of fucking with Chase, he refused to take it now. “W
ell, I had an executioner—Herc, like you said—but some-damn-body went and executed his ass.”

  Chase returned his stare. “He got what he deserved, Cyrus. He pulled his .45 on me and Corey, aiming to kill us both. Even if he had no murderous intent, he knew he was gonna die when he pulled his gun. Nobody pulls a gun on me, Cyrus. I don’t play that shit, and everybody knows it.”

  They stared at each other, and Cyrus could tell by the look in Chase’s eye that he was going to have to sing a different song if he wanted Chase to cooperate. “If I let anybody else handle this, it ain’t goin’ down right. You killed my best boy years ago.”

  Chase raised an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t do it because I wanted his damn job.”

  “You’re the only one who can do this job, Smoke, and you’ll do it better than he ever could. You don’t leave a trace.”

  Chase looked at him for a long time. “I’m not gonna do it, Cyrus.”

  Cyrus frowned. What the fuck is this? “You have to…you said you would.”

  Chase shook his head slowly. “Negative. I don’t have to do shit. I changed my mind, Cyrus. I’m done.”

  Cyrus nodded. Sure. He’d heard it all before, and it was nothing but a rehash. He decided to do some rehashing of his own. He looked at Chase, then let his eyes slide, pointedly, toward Corey.

  Chase smiled his regular grin, not the one laden with danger. “That’s not gonna work this time, Cyrus. Don’t even think ‘bout threatenin’ me with that shit.”

  Cyrus rubbed his elbow, which was still in a sling. He thought threatening Chase with Corey would ultimately work, but he had to drop it for a moment, because he didn’t think Corey would react too well if he knew he was a pawn in this game. He had to catch him when he was unsuspecting and thought Cyrus was desperate. The thing was, Cyrus was damn close to desperation and Chase—that arrogant fuck—wasn’t playing ball. Cyrus changed tactics. “You gotta do somethin’, Smoke. Wolf is actin’ like Maceo. He’s poppin’ people at random, tryina get me and Khalid. I’m havin’ trouble walkin’ down the street.”

  Chase frowned. “That’s funny…you managed to make it here.”