Was it Good for You Too?

by Naleighna Kai

  “Tai, you don’t know the half of it when it comes to Jason. If not for me and my love for that kid, Jason would most likely be in a mental ward.”

  “What?!” she screeched.

  Delvin nodded. “I learned how Jason found out about his mother. He was under the care of a family member who let it slip who his real mother was. He found Gabrielle that day she showed up with him at our house.” Delvin paced the area in front of the sofa. “I later learned that Gabrielle had paid a doctor to misdiagnosis Jason with a mental illness. She kept the boy pumped full of drugs. I snapped. It was the only time that Gabrielle got a real taste of exactly how I felt about her. She backed off and literally left the boy and our daughter in my care. She didn’t give a damn about either one of them.” Delvin watched Tailan’s reaction intensely. His next words would hurt. “I couldn’t leave my kids, Tai. Not for you—not for anyone.”

  She turned from him then, concealing the tears rising in her eyes.

  “That’s why keeping Ariel and Jason with me became my first priority,” he confessed. “Your words always echoed in my head.” Her head snapped his way. “Monsters are real, you used to always say. That truth compelled me to keep my children with me as much as possible. I accepted parts in movies that took me across the country or the globe, but they were always with me. My stomach would twist into knots at the idea of ever leaving them with strangers for too long.”

  “What about Gabrielle?” Tailan asked. “Didn’t she want to pimp them for publicity?”

  “I put my foot down about that,” he replied, his anger fueling him. “Over time she cared less and less, so long as the rest of our lives remained the same.”

  “Why didn’t you just keep them overseas?”

  Delvin stretched out his hand and waited. After a moment she accepted it, and he slid down the arm of the sofa beside her. “Jason’s not my biological son. At first, Gabrielle refused to let me legally adopt him—another way to ensure I remained miserable. Then when Paulo laid down his demands, she couldn’t get rid of me and the kids fast enough. She agreed, in front of the judge, that I could have full custody. But now that he’s dumped her …”

  “I so despise that woman,” Tailan mumbled.

  “Get in line.” Delvin brought his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “I love my children, Tai. Jason is as much mine as Ariel.”

  “I understand,” she whispered.

  He followed her gaze to the clock on the nightstand.

  “We can’t be late,” she said. “Get showered and dressed. We have to get moving. The tour waits for no one.”

  Tailan stood from the sofa, and Delvin grabbed her hand. “Tai?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not giving up this time.”

  She gave him a small, bitter smile that didn’t sit too well with him. “You didn’t have to marry her.”

  “You know what Gabrielle threatened to do,” he said finally. “You have said for years that people are ugly. So, would you have wanted the death of my child on our hands?”

  Tailan was silent for a long while until finally she whispered, “No.”

  He stared at her. The tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and he realized that her pain ran deeper than anything he could fix in four days.

  Delvin went to her, held her for as long as he dared, then gathered his things in his hands. He aimed in the direction of the door but headed back to place that package of orange cupcakes in her hands before leaving her to ponder all he had said.

  Chapter 17

  SOUL EXPRESS TOUR – DAY 4

  WOODLAND IN EVERGREEN PARK

  Tailan stood at the front of the tour bus, smiling as David stepped out of the limo and climbed on. “Everything’s squared away on my end,” he said. “I’ve been watching the news. Woman, you’ve been, as Pam says in her blog, kicking ass and taking names.”

  “The authors are putting in the work, but …” Tailan’s focus shifted to the woman with ivory skin, dark curly hair, and owl-rimmed glasses who stepped onto the bus directly behind David. She gave Tailan a wide smile

  “I’m Sabrina Adrian, and I’ll be joining the tour for the last day,” she said to Tailan. “They want me to do a write-up in Publishers Weekly.”

  At the mention of the premiere literary magazine, all of the occupants on the bus became pin-drop quiet; just dropped-the-pregnancy-bomb quiet.

  Tailan lifted an eyebrow as she pinned a steely gaze on David.

  He pointed a finger upward, signaling that this idea came from up top.

  “We’re thrilled to have you,” Tailan proclaimed, extending her hand. Margo, I’m going to snatch you bald-headed the next time I see you.

  “Why don’t you have a seat back there with the staff?” she continued, while thinking away from my problem children.

  The petite woman moved forward, giving a few smiles along the way. Sabrina stopped like a child playing one-two-three-red light when her gaze snagged on Les. “That vampire article I did on you got so many responses.”

  “Thank you,” Les said, giving the woman a warm smile that disappeared the second Sabrina moved on.

  She continued along, practically beaming as she spotted a familiar red-haired, cinnamon-skinned woman. “And Brenda, the release of your 100th book was the talk of the staff.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Brenda coyly answered, her Southern manners coming through.

  “If you don’t mind,” Sabrina said, gushing at the leery Vets. “I’ll sit up here with them.”

  After four days with The Vets, Tailan could practically read their thoughts. The Vets’ expressions were nothing short of strained tolerance.

  Tailan made a circling motion with her index finger, signaling the driver to get moving. Once the bus pulled into traffic, she sat in the back and whispered to her staff, “Man, talk about having to be on your best behavior in front of mixed company.”

  “Mixed company?” Terry asked, confusion painting her delicate features. “But we’re white, too,” she said, gesturing to herself and Tailan’s boss.

  “Yes,” David acknowledged. “But we’re considered honorary Black folks. We earned our hood cards years ago.”

  Terry’s pink tinted lips pulled into a frown as she scratched her head. “I don’t think I know how to take that.”

  “It’s a compliment,” J. L. chimed in, tearing his gaze away from his iPad. He looked at Terry. “You’re considered family. That chick,” he nodded toward their new guest, “is not.”

  “Do we have a problem?” Terry echoed the whole team’s internal thoughts.

  “Yep,” J. L. answered with a pointed look at Tailan. Then he nodded toward The Divas. “Especially since those four were tipping the bottle at breakfast like eighty-proof was oatmeal. All of ‘em are juiced off that top shelf. No telling what they might say—in mixed company.” A shadow of sadness lit in his eyes as he added, “My father’s an alcoholic. Trust me, anytime brown liquor is on the table like that velvet purple bag, ‘Cardi Black or Remi and José , even the best of people act real stupid. Ask me how I know …”

  The sadness in his voice touched Tailan’s heart, and she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. His wan smile was tinged with a pain she knew all too well. He nodded toward The Divas as if to say, “Thanks, but handle your business.”

  Tailan was out of her seat and hovering over The Vets in two seconds. She placed a hand on Beverly’s shoulder. The minute Sabrina’s focus fell on the notepad in her hand, Tailan’s eyes ping ponged to each Vet, to The Divas, then back to The Vets. Each Vet gave a wink or slight nod, conveying that they understood their new mission.

  She wanted to kiss each of them because they would be working double duty—keeping Sabrina moderately entertained while covertly keeping The Divas under firm control.

  On her way back to sit next to Delvin, J. L. gave her a thumbs up and said, “You know, I could use a summer job at Nelson, since I’m practically a member of the team already.”

  Tailan
’s eyebrow floated up to her forehead. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

  “Not that again,” he grumbled and slumped down in the seat.

  Everyone around them broke into laughter.

  * * *

  Tailan had to call upon every angel and ancestor she had in her spiritual rolodex not to explode when she followed the general manager to the back of the Woodland’s store where the authors had been stashed.

  Stashed being the operative word.

  “Seriously?” she snapped. “Is this the program we’re on right now?”

  She whipped around to Pinky, the sleek-haired manager. “The lawn and garden section?!”

  Pinky didn’t bother to hide her embarrassment. “It’s the best we can do.”

  Tailan scanned the solemn faces of the authors and boiled.

  Brenda was nestled between the fertilizer and shovels. Beverly pushed a heavy palm tree leaf out of her face, only to have it spring back and nearly take her eye out.

  Her people were being treated like afterthoughts. This setup had Margo’s fingerprints all over it.

  “Nobody’s going to know we’re back here!” Tailan snapped. “We’re supposed to be up front, right where customers walk in.”

  Pinky shrugged and said, “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to deal with it.” Then she zipped up the aisle, putting as much distance between Tailan’s anger and herself as possible.

  Sabrina stood by, alternating between scribbling on her notepad and looking at Tailan as Nona scrambled from behind the table with her crew following fast on her heels.

  “So what’s the move, boss lady?” Nona asked in a surprisingly businesslike manner. “What are we gonna do?”

  The fact that the woman said, “we” and not “you” was telling. Evidently the liquor hadn’t dulled her senses, and she was still in the teamwork frame of mind.

  “No Ma’am,” Shannon said. “This one’s on us. Come on, y’all, let’s roll out.” Shannon squared her shoulders, puffed up her chest, and moved with laser intent. Like a battle cry only The Divas heard, Nona followed suit, with Traci and Channel bringing up the rear. They were at the front of the store and out the door before Tailan realized that she should try to catch them.

  She feared those four would not be returning until the problem was handled properly. It was their definition of “properly” that had her the most worried. Like eighty-proof was oatmeal.

  A headache was kicking its way up the side of Tailan’s head, and she desperately needed it to go sit down somewhere.

  Sabrina gave Tailan a rueful smile, then took off in the direction of the four divas.

  Delvin edged over to her, watching the foursome’s retreating backs. “Another glitch?”

  “You could say that,” she mumbled, keeping her focus on the entrance to the store.

  “Are you mad at me or something?” he asked.

  “No, not mad … just busy.”

  “So what are you saying?” he asked in a low tone.

  Tailan looked over to him. This was not the time—not the place. She had so much riding on this tour that spared feelings were a luxury she couldn’t afford. She kept her eyes glued to the store entrance but eased away from the majority of the group.

  “Delvin, it’s clear you want me back. But I’m not available. I’m with someone. And it’s serious. I’ve tried to be understanding, but you won’t listen.”

  He had her pinned to the end display in less than a second. “Evidently, he’s not handling his business, or you’re not handling yours. Tell me honestly that you didn’t want to make love last night.”

  “No,” she squeaked.

  “Woman, don’t play games with me!” he ground out.

  Nona saved her from Delvin’s interrogation when she suddenly appeared with her friends in tow. Tailan broke free from Delvin and looked down the aisle to the crowd steadily growing behind The Divas.

  Even Sabrina was sprinting.

  “Good Lord, what have they done?” Tailan whispered.

  “The store people said y’all had left,” a woman panted, out of breath as she tried to keep up with Nona.

  “They told us y’all didn’t make it,” another woman added as she halted at the table. “I was almost out of the parking lot.”

  A growing crowd spread out in front of the tables, and the sales were on!

  “We set ‘em straight,” Nona said, with a proud lift of her chin and a glare at Pinky. “Everything’s cool.”

  Well spank my ass and call me Sally. By George, The Divas are growing up!

  Pinky’s face had flushed angry red. Her eyes were even worse, glazed over with shock. Tailan was too afraid to ask what the foursome had said to the woman.

  Instead, she looked at Nona and said, “Thank you, ladies. Let’s get to work.”

  “Tai, we’re not done,” Delvin said as she tried to walk away.

  “Oh, yes we are. Very done!”

  Shannon whipped around right before making it to her spot. She was at Tailan’s side in a Chicago second, her expression both hopeful and predatory. “You’re putting his fine self back on the market?”

  “I never took him off,” Tailan answered, retrieving the novel one of Delvin’s adoring fans held out and thrusting it into his hands. She could feel his angry glare heating up her back as she hurried toward Pinky and Sabrina to do some damage control.

  * * *

  Delvin was a tight ball of anxiety. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as the signing event concluded and Tailan was nowhere to be found.

  It was customary for her to always call the group together to congratulate them on another job well done. Not this time. She had hugged and whispered something to each member of the tour while they were inside the store. All except him. Now her staff was conducting the exit meeting and giving each of the authors a parting gift from NEG.

  Something was all the way off.

  Delvin shot over to Terry. “Where is she?” he barked.

  She jumped without taking her eyes from the itinerary she held. “Where is who?”

  “Tai. Where is she?”

  Terry shrugged guiltily. “She went to check on some things.”

  Delvin waited a moment and noticed something. Not a single member of the staff would look his way. “When is she coming back?” he demanded.

  Several ticks of time passed before Elona finally confessed, “She’s not. She went home.”

  “Come again?” Delvin asked. “Home?”

  The limo driver cleared his throat, which caused Delvin’s attention to snap to him. He was waiting patiently next to the Black SUV, ready to whisk Delvin off to the airport. Delvin had planned to make a detour with Tailan to see his folks. It had been years since they had laid eyes on her.

  He pinned his gaze squarely on David while addressing Tailan’s staff. “I understand.”

  David exhaled a long, slow breath, then clicked the keys on his cell. Instantly, Delvin’s phone vibrated. He looked down, then up at David.

  “Tai’s home address,” David confessed to the shocked gasps of the rest of the Nelson team.

  Delvin broke for his limo driver. The man read the address and replied, “That’s about twenty minutes from here.”

  “Good. Then let’s step on it.”

  The driver hurried to open the back door. “But I thought you had a plane to catch.”

  “My man, I’ve got a woman to catch.”

  Chapter 18

  Tailan opened the front door to her North Pullman row house and used the remote to disengage the alarm, then froze when she saw a lone figure lounging on the sofa.

  The man was holding the wedding ring she had taken off and tossed at him before she left for the book tour. She had ignored his calls all week. Tailan had told him they needed a break and she didn’t want to see him for at least two weeks. So his presence here could represent one of two things—neither one of them pleasant.

  She wheeled her suitcase and positioned it in front of a chair near the do
or.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded.

  “Delvin Germaine,” Amir bit out. His caustic tone gave Tailan pause.

  “What about him?” she asked, wondering how the name of the man who had driven her into Amir’s arms in the first place was now dripping from his lips.

  He stared openly at her. He was silent, but his light brown eyes spoke volumes. He was handsome, his olive complexion and thick, dark hair was Bollywood perfect—so perfect, in fact, that many East Indian woman were insulted that he would choose her over women from his own culture.

  “He was on the tour,” she said, using her foot to close the door behind her.

  “And you knew this and did not tell me?”

  “I didn’t know anything about it,” she replied. “My boss brought him on board.” Inwardly, she was ticked. Tailan had demanded a temporary seperation from Amir because of the things his family put her through. But they’d mistreated her for the last time. She had endured it for years had finally had enough. She’d given him an ultimatum, but he hadn’t been man enough to balance the scales. So she gave him a wake-up call. And now he was grilling her about something that wasn’t within her control.

  “Did you sleep with him?”

  Images of lying in Delvin’s arms flashed in her mind, but thankfully she’d had enough self-control to not fall for him again—at least not totally. Not in body. But her heart and mind …

  “No.” She took a seat on the edge of the sofa and faced him. “But that’s something I want to talk with you about.”

  Amir tore his gaze from the ring he held and looked over at her, his shoulders tense with the anticipation of bad news.

  “I would like to take Delvin on as my lover.”

  Amir was on his feet and in her face in seconds. “I forbid you to sleep with him,” he said through his teeth. He was shaking with rage.

  She stood so she was toe-to-toe with him.

  “Forbid?” she echoed, her hands slowly riding up on her hip. “I’m a grown woman. And I didn’t forbid you to be with Laura, Sheila, Joan, or Willow.”

  “But they,” he said, waggling a finger at her, “were within the terms of our agreement. We agreed that we would only develop intimate relationships with married people.”