Reclaiming What Is Mine

by Sheena Binkley

  Bryon

  While Asia was with her dad, I decided to get a drink from the kitchen. Heading in there, I could sense several people, particularly the women, looking and wondering who I was. I stopped at the counter, and Asia's stepmom, Cassandra, handed me a beer. I nodded as I took it from her.

  "So, Bryon, who are you really?"

  I wondered where she was going with this. "I'm Asia's boss; that's all."

  "It's kind of weird that you're here considering Asia's husband is here, too. And the fact that you two arrived together and she didn't come with her husband is really awkward."

  "I think we should be focusing on her dad's, who is your husband's party, shall we? It's not your concern who Asia arrived with, is it?"

  Cassandra smirked. When I turned around, I saw Dwight behind me. I sighed and walked around him.

  "What? You're not going to say anything to me, Bryon?"

  I turned around and glared at Dwight. "I don't have anything to say to you."

  "You should since you stole my wife."

  Several people turned around and gawked at us. I really wasn't trying to have this conversation with this asshole at Asia's dad's party.

  "Listen, if you want to talk, we can do it somewhere else; not here."

  Dwight sighed. "Fine."

  We walked outside, and I went over to my car. Dwight folded his arms across his chest and smirked.

  "We could have talked inside. You didn't want anyone to know that your nice guy routine is just an act."

  "This is all me, unlike you, who went behind your wife's back, banging anything with a damn pulse. I mean, I have to wonder, how could you leave someone like Asia, who is fine as hell by the way, to be with someone like your co-worker, who looks like a fucking Chihuahua?"

  Dwight laughed. "You got jokes; but listen: Asia and I have been together for years. 10 long years. Whatever issues we have, we can get through them. That's why I said she could file for divorce, because I know she won't. I know my wife; she's not a confrontational woman, so she'll be back with me. Count on that."

  "That's not happening this time. Asia is tired of your bullshit. She's been by your side, and you just continued using her. After everything you've done, do you still feel like you're a man?"

  "I am a man compared to you, somebody throwing his damn money around. Hell, that's why Asia ran to you," he retorted with a chuckle.

  "Didn't you just imply that Asia isn't that type?"

  "Hey, even she likes money."

  "I shouldn't have talked to your dumb ass," I muttered and started heading to the door.

  "I would stop walking if I were you."

  "And why is that?"

  Dwight walked up to me then looked down the street before looking in my eyes. "I only came to this party because of Asia. Despite what happened, I miss her."

  "You should have thought about that before you banged your co-worker."

  "I admit, I fucked up, but there still might be hope for me. You, on the other hand, I'm not too sure about."

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "To some people, you're Bryon Gibson, co-owner of The Gibson Group, but there's another side to you, isn't there?"

  "Seriously, what the fuck are you talking about?"

  "You're a detective, asshole. I know about your case on my cousin and me."

  I tilted my head, wondering how the hell he knew about that. I looked at him like he was crazy; I wasn't going to let him know that what he'd said was actually true.

  "Did you smoke something before you came here? Do I look like I'm a damn cop?"

  "I said detective, and yes, you do. Besides, I got my info from a reliable source."

  "Who told you?"

  "Like I would tell you. I'm not a snitch."

  "Whoever told you got me mixed up with someone else."

  "When I found out that piece of info, I did a little digging, and it turns out you were a cop when you graduated college. You were on the force for three years until you were promoted to detective along with your brother, Jason. You two have been on Tyrone Foster's case for the past year and still haven't gotten anywhere."

  My blood pressure was rising as I listened to him talk. How in the hell did he find out anything about me and Jason? There had to be someone he knew who was on the force because no one could had have uncovered that information.

  "How did you get any of that?"

  "Oh, so it is true?"

  "Tell me before I break your fucking knee caps!"

  Dwight laughed. "There we go; the other Bryon Gibson is coming out now."

  I threw him against a parked car. I was about to choke him when he pushed me off of him.

  "How the hell do you know me, asshole?!"

  "Because I've been working on the damn case, too! I'm a Fed!"

  I looked at him, skeptical.

  "You're lying."

  He dug into his pocket and pulled out his badge. "Is this enough proof for you?"

  I glared at him as he put it back into his pocket.

  "Wait, if you're a Fed, then how in the hell have you been keeping this a secret all of this time?"

  "Because I had to. I've been working undercover for the Stafford police department for the past eight years. Two years ago, I took a position as an agent. From then until now, I had to keep up the front because I couldn't let Asia know about it. That was one of the requirements I agreed to when I became an agent. I couldn't let anyone, including my family, know anything.

  "I definitely couldn't say anything about Tyrone because it's high risk. Since I know Tyrone from around the way, I had to play like I wanted to be associated with him so I'd know his every move. Since I knew Warren was a part of it, too, I had to do everything I could to make things believable. As much as I don't want to lock up my own family, I have no choice. It's part of the deal."

  "Are you trying to say that you've done something to get in their good graces?"

  Dwight ran a hand down his fade and sighed. "I shot a cop, but Tyrone took the fall. We were masked so no one knows who actually did it. Tyrone figured he would get off, so he covered for me. That, and he figured I would do whatever he asked since he did a favor for me. Anyway, I've been through a lot of shit with this case, and I'll be glad when it's over, but it won't be if you're still involved."

  "If you must know, Commissioner Franklin took me off the case."

  "Yeah, because you're banging my wife. Don't think I didn't know you're sleeping with her."

  "Well, she thought you were a low-life since you weren't taking care of anything. Technically, you still are. And why did you cheat on her?"

  "Because our marriage was falling apart. We became distant and kind of fell out of love."

  "If you're an agent, why are you working at a video game store?"

  "I had to. That was a cover-up idea from my boss. It had to look convincing, that I was so hard up for money that I joined forces with Tyrone. I guess I let that life get the best of me, especially when it came to being involved with Tonya."

  "So why haven't you locked up Tyrone since you've been working on this case longer than I have?"

  "Because there are a lot of complications. There was even a period when he fell off of the grid for a while. As for Warren, he was trying to be legit, especially since his wife became pregnant. He got pulled back in since he was spending more than he was making. The fact that he's laundering money isn't the situation. I have to gather all of the evidence before I can lock them up."

  "You probably should have told Asia what you were up to. She went on for years thinking you didn't want to improve your life, and she supported you for majority of your marriage."

  "I didn't want to. I didn't want to put her in danger."

  "So you cheated so she would leave you?"

  "You've figured it out, Sherlock. She's going to leave you, too when she finds out what you've been up to."

  "I'm not involved anymore, remember? So it wouldn't matter."

  "Maybe to you,
but not Asia. She'll still consider the fact that you lied and that you were investigating her. You found her at that coffeehouse and have been around her ever since to get info pertaining to Warren, Tyrone, and me."

  "I'm assuming your boss told you this."

  "Yep. We've been having meetings with Commissioner Franklin to catch up. As a detective, you and your brother suck."

  "Fuck you."

  "Since you're off the case, I have to continue your dirty work; but know one thing, I will get my wife back, especially when she finds out the truth about you."

  "Good luck, because she's not going to want to be with you either. You have two strikes against you, so I'm not even sure why you think you have a chance."

  "Because I'm her husband. I'm sure she'd rather work out her marriage vows instead of staying with someone she's been fucking. Anything is possible."

  He smiled and went to his car. Before getting inside, he looked at me and nodded. "I guess we'll be talking again soon, Detective Gibson."

  He got in then pulled away from the house. I watched as he drove down the street, realizing that he'd been living a double life too, down to his car, a Dodge Charger. I took a deep breath. That punk ass really played my ass. Not only did I have to protect Asia from Commissioner Franklin but from her damn husband, too. Before long, the truth about me would come out; I just hoped I could do something about it before it escalated.

  Bryon

  During the five hour drive to Austin, I tried to remain focus, but all I wanted to do was admit the

  truth to Asia. I didn't like lying to her and now that Dwight knew, I figured I owed it to her to tell

  her. If I didn't, I was sure he would.

  I looked over to her and saw she was asleep. I sighed and focused my eyes on the road. My

  Bluetooth vibrated And when I glanced down, I saw it was Jason calling. I sighed again and

  clicked on the call.

  "Hey, bro."

  "Hey, what's the message you sent me? I could barely understand it."

  I looked over at Asia again, checking to see if she was really asleep before speaking.

  "Someone knows about us, Jase."

  "Who?"

  I took a deep breath. "Dwight."

  "What the hell?! How did he find out about that?"

  "Because he's a Fed, Jase. He's been undercover for the past two years. Evidentially,

  Commissioner Franklin has been working with them and us since the case started. He

  just didn't tell us about his partnership with the Feds."

  "Wow, he's sneaky. So Dwight knew who you were the entire time."

  "Yeah. He's going to expose me to A."

  "Wait, are you driving to Austin? Where's Asia?"

  "She's asleep; hopefully, she doesn't hear anything."

  "Why don't I talk to you later when, you're alone? We'll figure everything out with Dwight and

  this case."

  "There's nothing for me to figure out about the case; it's just D I'm concerned about."

  "Don't worry, little bro. I got you, okay?"

  "Okay. Thanks."

  "No problem. Talk to you later."

  I said bye and hung up. I looked over at Asia again; she was beginning to wake up. I knew it was

  dumb to have a conversation like that around her, whether she was asleep or not. Hopefully, she

  didn't hear anything; if she did, I could kiss our relationship good-bye.

  ***ey

  After my conversation with Jason, we reached Austin two hours later. We were at the Omni downtown, checking into our room when I saw Courtney walking toward the front desk. I rolled my eyes, wondering what the hell she was doing here. She looked at us with a smirk on her lips.

  "Well, hello, Bryon. I didn't think I would see you here."

  "I was thinking the same thing," I replied.

  "And I see you're still with her. That's a record for you."

  I rolled my eyes again, hoping she would take the hint and leave, but I knew she wouldn't.

  "Actually, I shouldn't be surprised that you're here since the district's seminar is going on," She continued. "That's why I'm here."

  I took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't go into details. I'd completely forgot that the district that I'd been working for was having its annual seminar now. They held it in different cities; that's why I'd forgotten. Since I was off the force, I didn't know where it would be.

  "Where's Jason? He should be here."

  "I don't know, and I'm not here for that. In fact, we were going to our room." I said, walking past her.

  "Why are you being so rude to me? I'm just making conversation."

  "Which I don't want to have with you," I snapped and continued walking with Asia following me. She caught up to me, wondering what was going on.

  "What seminar is she talking about, Bryon? I know she's a defense attorney, so why would you be involved in that?"

  I shrugged and stepped onto the elevator. "Because of my dad. They do an awards ceremony during the seminar, and they have one named after him."

  "Wow, that's amazing! Maybe you should attend since you're here."

  "No, that's not necessary. I'm sure we'll be busy with the conference and won't have time."

  "If it's for your dad, you should make time."

  I shook my head. I couldn't go anyway since I was no longer on the force; but if I had been, my secret would have definitely been exposed.

  "I would rather skip it this year. Besides, I want to spend all of my time with you," I insisted, changing the subject. I stood behind her, kissing her neck and pressing my body against hers.

  "What are you doing?" Asia asked.

  "What does it look like?" I retorted. I turned her around and pressed her back against the wall. I hit the stop button, which startled her a little.

  "You do know that will only signal someone to open the elevator, right?"

  "I know, but we'll be done by then."

  "You can't wait until we're in our room?"

  "No, I can't," I told her. I pulled down her shorts, while she took off my jeans. She jumped on me, and I held her legs up.

  "Besides, this is a preview of what you can expect once we get to our room," I whispered then plunged into her. She moaned and moved her hands under my shirt. She clawed my back, tilting her head back while bouncing on me. When she started swerving her hips on me, I was done. Since we'd taken that step, I noticed a different side of Asia. It was something I didn't expect from her, but I wasn't complaining. The thing I hated was the fact that she probably used some of these moves on Dwight, but he was her husband, so I couldn't say too much about it.

  "Shit, baby," I moaned.

  She was cumming all over me, which turned me on even more. She clawed me even harder, making me cum with her, but that wasn't a problem at all. I leaned into her, the orgasm causing me to lose my breath. She moaned one last time, then her legs grew weak. She almost fell, but I caught her, hugging her while helping her bring her legs down.

  "You think you can handle an extended session in the room?"

  She laughed. "I can if you feed me first."

  I chuckled. "Of course, baby."

  I was pulling up my jeans when a realization hit me. I looked at Asia who was apparently thinking the same thing.

  "You are still on the pill, right?"

  "Yeah, I am. I guess we got so caught up, we forgot to use a condom."

  "Trust me, I haven't been with anyone else. You're the only woman I want to be with. You're all I ever think about."

  "I've only been with you since we've become intimate, if you're wondering."

  I smiled and pulled her into my arms. She gave a long sigh before letting go of me. "I really do love you. It may be soon to think like that, but I really do."

  "Even if it is too soon, I would still feel the same way about you. I don't know what you have done to me, but I don't want it to end."

  She touched my cheek and gave a warm smile. "I don't either." />
  "Let's get out of here so we can continue this." Once we got to our floor, the door opened, and we saw several people were waiting. We smiled at them, then I took Asia's hand to guide us to our room.

  ***

  For the remainder of the day, we stayed in bed, talked, pleasured each other, and slept. Since we'd have a big day with the conference, we wanted to just hang out and not deal with anyone else until then. It was just us, and I was loving it.

  While we waited on room service, I read Asia's new book on my iPad with her head on my chest. On certain parts, I stopped and asked Asia about the characters or plot. Her eyes beamed when I talked about what I'd read so far and liked. There was no denying Asia's talent; that was part of the reason I was glad I was a part of her life.

  We stayed in bed for another two hours before deciding to get up and go down to the lobby. The conference committee was hosting a mixer to introduce everyone. I really didn't want to go, but Asia was right: We needed to venture out of the room and talk to people.

  Once we walked into the banquet hall, we were bombarded by people from various companies. While Asia talked to a group of women from a company in San Antonio, I was chatting with a business owner from Cleveland who was looking to expand to Houston. I looked over and saw Courtney walking in with her clique, which automatically irritated me. I wasn't sure why she was here, considering she had nothing to do with marketing. I tried to ignore her, but she walked over to me, making me even more heated.

  "Hi, Bryon. I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. It was clear you didn't want to talk to me, but I just kept provoking you. For that, I'm sorry."

  I sighed. "Apology accepted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some potential partners that I'd like to get to know."

  "Sure. Have a great night, Bryon."

  I walked off; I didn't want to listen to her voice any more. I was sure she had another agenda with that apology, but at the moment, I didn't want or need to know what it was.

  Asia

  The conference mixer had been interesting. I met a great group of women who sponsored a committee for marketing majors and employees and asked if I wanted to join. The offer was tempting since I could receive a lot of opportunities for the company. I told them I'd think about it and would give the president a call once I made my decision.