by A'zayler
“Hello pretty lady,” he beamed.
“Hello, Bailey right?” He took her outstretched hand and kissed it.
“That would be me. Jason is in the great room with my mother, follow me and I’ll take you to him.” She followed Bailey down a large hallway and down some stairs until they reached an extravagant living room. It was decorated in pale gray and pink colors. The furniture was beautiful, and the woman Demoto was talking to looked even better. Mrs. Elmore was a pretty lady with long blonde hair. She smiled at Taryn, but she could still see the sadness behind her smile. She came around the counter and grabbed her into a hug.
“Hello dear, how are you? I hear you’re a friend of Jason’s?”
“Yes ma’am, I’m fine. You are absolutely stunning, Mrs. Elmore.”
“Well thank you sweetie, you are a beautiful young lady as well. You compliment my Jason very well.” Taryn smiled and looked at Demoto. He was smiling like he had won the lottery. The way he looked at her made her feel special. He wore a proud expression; like this was his real family she was meeting. She knew he had been spending a lot of time around them these last couple of weeks, but she had no idea they’d taken a liking to him so fast. Then again she could understand, there wasn’t anything about Demoto for a person not to love.
“She’s not that great,” Emily said from the door. She had to have just walked in, because she wasn’t there a minute ago. Taryn turned her head towards Emily and smiled.
“And you are?”
“Although it isn’t any of your business, I’m Emily Elmore. Please don’t bother telling me who you are, because in my eyes all you are is unwelcomed,” she rolled her eyes and grabbed some water from the fridge. Taryn was shocked by her attitude, but dismissed it. She’d hate to mess up what Demoto had going on for beating the shit out of Emily. She looked at Demoto and caught the pleading look in his eyes before refocusing on Emily.
“It’s a good thing I’m not here to see you then, isn’t it?” Emily had opened her mouth, but was cut off by Bailey.
“Knock it off Em!” She walked past and slammed her bottle of water on the counter so hard it splashed on Taryn. Before Taryn could respond, she was gone. Mrs. Elmore tried to apologize on her daughter’s behalf, but there was no need. Taryn didn’t care; that would just make killing her easier when the time came. Bailey had just shown her to the restroom to dry her pants off when she heard the door open. The bathroom was big and favored Jeremiah’s the way it was made. The part she was in with the toilet and sink was locked, so she wasn’t worried about who it was. In the back of her mind, she figured it was Demoto anyway. When she came out, she got the surprise of her life.
“Nice to see you again darling.”
“It is. How are you?”
“Better now. Can I have a hug?”
Taryn thought about it for a minute; what could it hurt? She walked into his open arms and melted in his tight embrace. His cologne was mesmerizing. He held her tight, but let her go faster than she’d hoped. He smiled at her with those sexy blue eyes.
“I guess you didn’t take my advice.”
“Actually I did. I’m here on business,” she gave the half-truth. “I’m no longer seeing Bailey, but I had to attend this function for my internship.”
“That’s great news, beautiful. Just stay clear of him and you should be fine. I’ll see you later,” he kissed her cheek and left the bathroom. She stood there for a minute trying to regain her composure before joining the party. Once she finally got herself together, she opened the door and bumped into a hard chest, a chest she was familiar with, a chest that held her head perfectly; she looked up into Demoto’s angry green eyes. He pushed her backwards and back into the bathroom before locking the door behind them. He didn’t say anything; instead, he snatched at her belt until he was able to get her pants unbuttoned. He couldn’t get them off because she still had her boots on, so he pulled them down as far as they would go before ripping her panties off. Taryn didn’t know what he had going on, but she was scared to say anything. She just let him have his way with her. She grabbed the side of the counter to steady herself as he sat her on it. He pushed his own pants down in a rush and out popped his already hard pole. It was thick and throbbing. He pulled her to the edge of the counter roughly and entered her. He sucked on her neck to muffle his moans. Her warmth was surrounding him, pulling him deeper with each stroke. She had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, with her hands running through his dread locs. She tried to pull his head back to look in his eyes, but he wouldn’t let her. Every time she would do it, he would turn his head or move her hand. It wasn’t until he spoke that she knew why he wouldn’t look at her.
“I saw him in here with you T,” his voice was a low whisper. Taryn almost hadn’t heard him.
“Nothing happened.”
“You’re mine. Why was he here?” Demoto’s voice broke as he tried to finish his sentence. Taryn squeezed him tighter in her arms before trying once more to look at his face. This time he let her. His eyes were red and wet with tears. The scowl on his face displayed the anger in his heart. His breathing was rough and hard as he continued to slide in and out of her. Taryn didn’t know he was that jealous. She had no idea Demoto had even saw the security guard leave. She hated that she’d caused him to feel this way. He looked at her; his eyes were no longer angry, they looked scared almost.
“I’ll kill him,” he said as his eyes turned from a light green to a darker one. His face zoned out for a minute until Taryn kissed his mouth. She had to kiss him a few times before he refocused on her. She hugged and kissed him as he began to slam roughly into her. He sucked on her neck, but she could hear the moans leaving his lips. They came more frequent when she started grinding back against him. Before long, she felt moisture on her neck. He was crying. It was getting harder to distinguish between his sniffles and his moans. She knew Demoto loved her, but she didn’t know it was like this. Hearing him cry brought out her own tears. A few slid down her face as he exploded inside of her. He didn’t move right away; he just stood there with his head on her shoulder. A few seconds later, he pulled away and fixed his clothes before grabbing a washcloth from the cabinet and washing her off. He then helped her fix her clothing and leaned on the wall. They watched each other, neither saying anything.
“I was drying my clothes off and he came in here. Nothing happened, he just warned me to stay away from this family. I promise. I know how it must look, but nothing happened.” Demoto still said nothing; he just looked. She walked to him and grabbed his hands in hers. His breathing was still ragged from crying as he tried to get himself together. His eyes looked withdrawn and weary.
“I fucking love you T! Damn I love you so much! When I saw him walk out of here, I almost went crazy. I’m sorry.” His eyes were watering again. He didn’t know what had come over him but when he saw the man leave the same restroom he knew Taryn was in, his mind went blank. He kept envisioning her moaning beneath another man, and it made him livid. He saw her eyes closed tight from pleasure given by someone else, and he wanted to punch the wall. As he looked at her now, he knew she would never do that to him. Her eyes told him so. He’d heard it out of her mouth a million times before, but she showed him on a daily basis. He had to get a grip when it came to her; she could easily be the death of him.
“T just know you could end me. You could break my heart forever, okay?” She nodded as water dripped nonstop from her eyes. After a few minutes, her head took a different direction and started shaking from side to side. She opened her mouth to speak, but his lips on hers silenced her. He knew she was trying to tell him she would never do that, but he already knew. He had gotten caught up in the moment and let his feelings overtake his logical thinking. They stayed in the restroom for another ten minutes before rejoining the party. The living room was packed with people now. They found their way to the back room looking for Bailey. When they did, he had a pretty blonde girl sitting on his lap; she looked high. Demoto sat down next to them wh
ile Taryn excused herself to get a bottle of water. She gotten stopped a number of times to talk to the people there. When she finally reached the kitchen, Mrs. Elmore was in there; she looked sad. She smiled when she saw Taryn before excusing herself. Taryn felt bad for the woman; she wanted to sit and talk to her. That was a bad idea though, because it would only make it harder when the time came to end their lives. She grabbed her water and wandered around the house, taking in its beauty. Once she reached the great room, there was a man speaking and everyone was listening. When she saw him, she felt like she was having déjà vu. It was the same man from the Burberry store. They caught eyes and he winked. She left the room so fast she didn’t even realize she was practically running. Once she slowed down enough, she went to sit in the room she’d been sitting in when she first got there. She wasn’t there a good five minutes before she felt someone’s presence. When she turned, it was the man from the Burberry store.
“Don’t run, beautiful girl.”
“I’m not. I just needed a minute to myself” What the fuck is going on? she wondered. This must be sneak up on Taryn day or something. This was the second time in one day she’d gotten cornered by a man.
“I didn’t know you were a friend of my son.”
“Yes sir, I met him at a club a little while ago.”
“Pity. I wanted you for myself,” he smiled before touching the side of her face. She leaned away from his touch, but his hand followed. He leaned forward and smelled her hair as he rubbed her face. She was about to move his hand, but she didn’t have to. There was the sound of someone clearing their throat by the door. There stood Emily. Mr. Elmore saw Emily, but acted as if it was nothing. He smiled at Taryn again before kissing her hand and leaving. He didn’t even acknowledge Emily’s presence as he exited. She stood in the doorway shooting daggers at Taryn with her eyes.
“Have some class, you black bitch. My mother is here; you could at least have enough respect to not do it where she could catch you!”
“Emily listen to me, and listen to me good sweetheart. You don’t know me. I advise you to stay the fuck out my face before I beat that little ass.”
“Whatever you whore. You are just his type! I’ve never known what he sees in pussy the same age as his fucking daughter. He loves your kind; the least he could do is cheat with someone worth his time. You black girls never want anything but money.” Taryn closed the distance between them
“I wouldn’t want your daddy on his best day. The only thing his old ass could do was give me his money, because I wouldn’t do shit with that old ass dick except pump it with fucking Viagra. I have my own money baby, I don’t need his! What I do need is for you to stay the fuck out my way before I give you what the fuck you’re asking for.” Emily stood stunned.
“I thought you were here for my father.”
“No! I’m here with Bailey’s friend Jason. You would have known that if you would have taken a minute to ask.” The look on Emily’s face was priceless. She apologized profusely before Taryn forgave her.
“It’s cool, this black girl has money,” they laughed together before walking away. The rest of the party went pretty smooth. They hung out and drank until it grew late. Bailey and his friends were sitting around getting high while Taryn and Emily sat in her room talking. It was sad, because Emily obviously had no friends. She opened up and told Taryn everything about herself, even that she worked for Double O. Taryn soaked in as much as she could to relay to Demoto. The more she listened, the worse she felt. This family was in shambles in one hundred different ways. Demoto would be doing them all a favor by ending their lives.
Chapter 17
It had been one month, and Taryn and Demoto were finally where they needed to be with the family. They could end it now, or they could get a little closer. Demoto could tell Taryn was ready to go home, but was being a good trooper for him. After she’d told him about the father and his infatuation with young black girls, he knew he tried to keep her away from the house. Of course, she refused and continued to hang out with Emily. He didn’t stop her from doing that because Emily was harmless; Taryn could snap her into two if need be. The only thing that was causing him friction was finding the right time. He’d gotten a copy of everything on Bailey’s computer and forwarded to Bradley, along with his backup hard drives. Emily had shown Taryn the way she made everything work with Double O’s money. Demoto shook his head at how naïve Emily was. She hadn’t know Taryn long, but when she heard Taryn’s lie about being a student and interning there in New York, she wanted to show off. Taryn picked up on everything instantly; it was so easy. Demoto was beyond proud of her and the way she was handling things. Today Mrs. Elmore had an appointment with her therapist, and Demoto was staked out across the street watching her. He had been sitting in his rental car for the last hour and a half when he spotted her coming out of the building. She looked like she’d been crying as she headed to her car. He followed her to the house and waited a little while before getting out. Once she was in the house, he waited another thirty minutes before knocking on the door. He already knew she would be alone; that’s why he’d waited until today. She opened the door and forced a smile.
“Hello Jason, how are you sweetheart? Come on in.” He followed her into the kitchen. She had various vegetables on the counter, obviously preparing dinner. He took a seat on the stool when she told him Bailey wasn’t home and invited him to wait for him. They talked about nothing for a little while before she asked him about his meth habit. Demoto fabricated everything he could think of while she listened intently. Before long, she pulled out her wine bottle and had just about drank the whole thing. These people have problems. Demoto spent another hour there with her before he left. He’d had enough for the day. He was tired of the Elmores; all he wanted to do was spend time with Taryn. He’d called her and she was on her way back from the mall with Emily. She was going to meet him at their apartment. When he got there, she was already there and putting away the clothes she’d just bought.
“Boy you know you fine!” she said as soon as he entered the room. He blushed, causing his brown skin to turn red. “Come give me a kiss. I missed you today.”
Demoto kissed her intimately. His hands were all over her body while hers were in his hair. She broke their kiss with a smile before going back to folding her new clothes.
“Your ass been spending money like crazy,” he smiled.
“I know, I can’t help it. You said I could, don’t be getting amnesia now.” He lay across the bed and watched her.
“I’m not. You deserve it; buy whatever you want. Let’s go out on a date tonight. I’m so tired of spending all my time with these people. I just want to be with you today.” This made Taryn happy. She enjoyed Emily and Mrs. Elmore, but she too missed it just being them two. She stopped folding clothes and climbed on top of him. She sat on his lap and looked down at his beautiful face. Never in a million years would she have thought she would love so deeply. Her whole life was spent trying not to grow too attached, and the moment she met him, that went out of the window. His tattoo-filled chest and neck was so sexy. His blonde dreads lay around his brown face as his green eyes sparkled up at her. Taryn was so in love with this man.
*****
That night they decided to go out to eat and see a movie. Taryn had washed and re-twisted his hair earlier, then styled it in two French braids. Her hair was still straight, so she added a few curls to the end and did her makeup. She’d only been on a real date twice, both times with Jeremiah. They walked down the windy streets of New York hand in hand. They looked around at all the different buildings and cars that were different from the things they were used to back home. When they finally reached the restaurant, they had a ten minute wait. Taryn sat as close as she could to Demoto without sitting on his lap. When she looked at him, his eyes were circulating around the building. Anytime they went anywhere, he always scoped the place out first. She assumed it was something he was taught while working for Double O.
“I
sure wish my date was paying attention to me.” He looked down at her and smiled.
“I am paying attention to you. I just got to make sure everything is good first. You enjoying our trip?”
“Yes and no. Yes because I’m here with you, but no because the reason we’re here is getting harder.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want you to help. I knew you’d get too attached.” He looked at her and could tell she felt bad about they Elmore’s family fate, but oh well. This was his job; he never got in too deep to handle his business.
“I just feel so sorry for them, Moto. Emily and Mrs. Elmore are really nice. I like them.” Demoto shook his head; bringing her had been a bad idea. The best thing he could do was not have her around when the time came. They waited in the front for another twenty minutes before being taken to their seats.
“Moto, tell me about Cameroon.”
“Tell you what?”
“Your home, your family, anything. I just want to know about you. You never told me why you aren’t there anymore. You’ve also never told me about your parents,” His attitude was dry and his entire demeanor began to change. He looked away and watched the cars driving up the street. The faraway look in his eyes told her that this was a sensitive subject.
“It’s okay; we don’t have to talk about it. How much longer do you think we’ll be here? I miss my daddy and Kia.”
“It’s fine baby girl, we can talk about it. I was just trying to find a place to start. Cameroon is such a long story, so I’ll give you the short version. My parents are very wealthy people. I lived there up until I was eighteen before my father sent Adisa and I here. We didn’t want to come at first, but he said it was for our safety. He’d arranged English tutors, school, work, and a place to live. His long time buddy offered his assistance, and that’s how I became the person I am today.” Taryn could tell there was more to the story, so she waited for more. He looked like he was done talking until he looked in at her face. She wasn’t settling for just that. He let out a long sigh before continuing.