He licked his lips, “Celine…” Brian whispered.
Celine jumped off the counter, knife at Carter’s throat, her eyes glowing with unbridled anticipation. The pressure from the blade pierced Carter’s skin.
“I’m going to do this slow…” Celine offered. “It’s been a long time since I’ve dissected someone.”
“I know the ends and outs of his operations,” Carter quickly stated.
Celine’s blade got tighter. “Let me cut her.”
“I can tell you everything about his movements. You’d have no problem taking him out. The only thing I ask is that you let me go.”
“Wait.”
Celine pushed the knife into her throat, causing a trail of blood to stain the blade. “It would be so easy,” Celine breathed.
“Later, baby, let’s see what she’s made of.”
Celine pulled back, dropping her hand to her side, her glower steady on Carter.
“Don’t tell me Zeus showed you his every move?” Brian questioned.
Carter rubbed her throat and winced at the sting coming from the cut. “I’m the only one he’s shown his full hand to.”
“Yet you’re not his Queen.”
“No, Zeus likes to have a variety of women. We don’t hold significant roles. We are only to do his bidding.”
“Sounds like a slave,” Celine countered. “Is that what you are, girl, a sex slave?” Celine turned up her lips.
“Everyone isn’t as fortunate to be with an honorable boss like yours.”
“Don’t pretend like you know anything about him,” Celine raged.
“Here’s what I do know. My role as a doormat with Zeus has taught me to keep my mouth shut and observe. There are a few things I’ve noticed in the small time we’ve been acquainted.”
“Bitch, we are not acquainted,” Celine spat.
Carter continued as if Celine hadn’t said anything. “I know you’re in love with Brian.” Carter’s gaze went to Marcus then back to Celine, and Celine grilled her, daring her to say anything out of pocket. Carter smirked, she got the silent threat, but she at least got the small point across to Marcus and Celine that they were also feeling each other.
“I know Sade’s in love with him, too.” Her eyes fell to Sade, and she pursed her lips.
“I know when you left you were pissed off, but when you came back, you floated in with that big ass rock on your wedding finger…”
The room fell quiet as Sade and Marcus were made aware that Celine indeed was wearing an engagement ring. Marcus kept his face neutral although he was severely surprised. Sade’s jaw tightened, and her stomach flip-flopped.
“I also know that you must be the reason everyone back on the south side is preparing for war.” Her eyes bore into Celine’s. “The only way you know who I am is if you’re the girl everyone is saying shook up the place yesterday when the gunfight happened almost right outside Zeus’s headquarters.”
Celine chuckled. “You know what, Carter, you know too damn much. What makes you think we’d ever let you leave alive with you being so observant and all?”
Carter shrugged. “That’s true. I can be a gift or a curse depending on how you choose to use me.”
“Why would we use you? We can get to Zeus without your help,” Celine stated matter of fact.
“Not without incident. Not without lives lost. Not without trouble.” Carter leaned back against the stove. “Truth is, I’ve always wanted a home just like this one.” She looked to Marcus. “You were right. I’m only twenty-two. I’m still trying to figure life out. But what I’m certain of is I want a family. I need a family. Everyone does. But I want a loyal family. Somewhere I can belong and be useful and not,” she looked back to Celine, “like a slave.”
“The girl asks for loyalty, yet she holds none to her current boss,” Brian stated. “What makes you think I would allow someone like you into our family?”
“Please tell me you didn’t propose to this bitch!”
Everyone looked to Sade. Carter shook her head in pity. Sade couldn’t hold her tongue a moment longer. After all, she was the HBIC. As far as she was concerned, Celine hadn’t taken her place. No one could, and Brian had some explaining to do.
“I’ll fight this bitch to the death before she gets the position of Queen!”
The knife Celine was holding flew across the room. It was caught in the doorjamb right next to Sade’s head. “Bring it on, bitch!” Celine scowled.
“Be still!” Both of them froze, glaring at each other. “Sade go to my office.”
“But—”
“Now!” he roared.
The last thing Brian needed was a fight between the two. When Sade didn’t move, Brian said, “If I have to repeat myself, I’ll let Celine cut you up alongside your girlfriend over here.”
Her eyes widened, and she wondered if his threat was idle. She didn’t want to find out.
“You don’t need her,” Celine stated.
Carter saw an opening and agreed with Celine, “She’s right you know. Bitches like that can always be replaced.”
“Fuck you both,” Sade said, stomping off to Brian’s office.
Brian swept an appreciative glance over Celine then glared at Carter. “I supposed that’s the sort of thing you’re used to, but that’s not how we deal with family over here. Marcus, take her to the shipping room.”
Carter looked bewildered. “What’s the shipping room?”
“It’s where we keep uninvited guests.”
“Listen, I’ll give you all the information you want to know. I promise Zeus will never see it coming.”
Marcus grabbed her arm, practically dragging her out of the kitchen.
“Brian!” Carter screamed.
Celine went to him. “What are you going to do about Sade?”
“Whatever you want me to do.” He was deathly serious. It was true, Sade had been loyal to him, but unfortunately for her, Celine was all the loyalty he wanted.
Celine thought for a moment. “I don’t know if she’ll be any use to you now that I’m officially back and you’ve crowned me. She could be a loose cannon.”
“She’s been loyal thus far.”
“But she’s never had to worry about her position being threatened. I don’t want to have to sleep with one eye open because this bitch is lurking around the corner.”
“I would never put you in that position. So I’ll get rid of her.”
“Keep her close.” Celine pursed her lips, “But not too close. You may want to use her at some point in time. And if she’s in love with you like I think she is, she could come in handy and be hungry to prove she’s worth keeping.”
He pulled her into him and laid a kiss on her plump, juicy lips. “You know you turn me on when you get all medieval evil and shit.” Celine threw her head back and laughed. “I love the sound of your laughter, too.”
“Is that right… what else do you love about me?”
“Everything.”
“Unhuh, yeah right.”
“I’m serious, everything you do turns me on in one way or another. But I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Furious, Sade paced in front of the window in Brian’s office.
“Who does Celine think she is?” she whispered. “Waltzing in here like she’s in charge and ain’t been around for years?”
Sade wasn’t having it. It’s bad enough that Carter works with Zeus, but now to make matters even worse, Brian walks in with Celine and that engagement ring gracing her finger. Sade worked hard, putting in time and effort to earn the position of Queen; she was not letting Celine have it, not without a fight.
The door to Brian’s office open. He walked in and shut the door behind him.
“What the hell is going on?” she yelled.
“Lower your voice,” he growled.
“I’m trying to understand how we got here. Seriously, Brian, I thought we had something going on. You know we’re together. I don�
��t know how you can just bring her in here at the drop of a dime and expect me to just be okay with it! I mean where do you get off?”
“I never told you we were monogamous. If we were, you would’ve been Queen, but it’s a good thing you weren’t because my heart is somewhere else. If you want to know the truth, every time I was with you, I was with her. You were helping me past the time.” Sade flinched. “I know this hurts, but if it makes you feel any better, I did feel something with you, but it would always come second when it comes to her.”
A withering smile fell down her face. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, right?”
Brian pulled in a deep breath. “I realize that we had something good going, and it was never my intentions to lead you on, but the fact of the matter is Celine has always been the one, even when she was gone. You need to make a choice. Celine will be my Queen. As far as I’m concerned, she’s already my Queen. You can get with the program, or you can leave, your choice.”
Her eyes widened. “So that’s it? Just like that, you walking around here talking about loyalty and family and how we treat each other and yet you can just throw me to the curb now that you got your precious Celine back?”
“I don’t want to throw you anywhere. In fact, I would love for you to stay, maybe not here in this house of course, but you know I have plenty of residences for you to choose from. You can stay in any one of them you like, but you need to understand something. You and I will never be together the way you want. I would still love for you to be a part of this family.”
“Please, Brian, don’t do this, I know you love me, and you know that I love you. Haven’t I proven that to you? How can you just…” she stumbled, “I don’t, I just can’t understand.”
“I can see you’re having a hard time with this, so take a minute to think about it. But I need to know where you stand before the sun rises in the morning. If you’re staying and you’re with me, I’ll put you in a house wherever you want. If you don’t want to stay, well…”
“Well what, you’re going to get rid of me?”
Brian didn’t want to tell her that he would have to kill her if she decided to leave the organization. He knew she already knew the answer to that anyway. She’d seen too much. She knew too much. She’d been playing the position of Queen. With all of that information, there was no way he could let her go clean and clear. As pissed off as she was, she could very well run to Zeus and give him all his information the same way Carter was doing Zeus.
“I can’t believe this! After everything I’ve done for you, this is the thanks I get!” Sade flew past Brian, slamming the door behind her, and fled out the back. Sade past the guest house, crossed the lawn and ran up on the front porch, her fist banging on the door.
It flew open and Marcus glared at her. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Like you don’t know,” she said with major attitude.
“Okay, so let me rephrase that. Why are you banging on my door?”
“Do you have something to drink?” She pushed past him, running to his kitchen. Marcus tightened his jaw and closed the front door. “Come on in, make yourself at home,” he said sarcastically.
“Don’t mind if I do,” she retorted. “Where do you keep the liquor in here?”
He sighed. “Bottom shelf left hand side.” He watched her rummage in desperation for a drink. “I take it your conversation with Brian didn’t go so well.”
“Are you trying to be a smart-ass?”
“I’m trying to make conversation with the crazy woman who just beat down my door and went through my house offering herself my amenities.” She continued to rummage. “Don’t have a problem talking now. Tell me what’s on your mind, Sade.”
“You know this is not fair. I have been here even before you. Can you believe he would just throw me out like that? And to pour salt on an open wound, he threatened me!”
Marcus watched as her hands flew in the air and she paced, waving her arms around during her rant.
“If I’m lying I’m flying! He told me get with the program. Those were his exact words, ‘get with the program.’ I can either decide to stay in this organization… this wonderful, lovely organization that I have helped him run for the past five years doing all sorts of things! Not that I’m complaining. I was okay with my role until he took it from me! Snatched it right away from me like I was nothing!”
“You have to understand something,” Marcus began. “Brian has always marched to the beat of his drum. I’m his best friend, and he doesn’t listen to me half the time.”
“This isn’t about listening. This is about acting. What happened to the loyalty he spoke so highly of when we were in front of Carter? At least you have his ear some of the time. Like what gives? I know what we had was real!”
“That might be true, but he’s always had his mind preoccupied with Celine.”
“What is it about that bitch? I swear I’d kill her myself!”
“Careful, I can’t have you speaking ill of the Queen.”
Sade rolled her eyes. “I’m never calling her the Queen!”
Marcus smirked. He walked to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“You don’t have to call her Queen, but know if you stay, that’s what she’ll be, and you will have to protect her with your life, just like anybody up under you would have if you were Queen.”
“I don’t know if I can do it.” Sade shook her head adamantly. “I’m almost certain I can’t do it!” She stomped away from him and grabbed a glass from the shelf. She added a few ice cubes and poured a shot of Hennessy, tossing it down her throat as soon as the liquid glazed the ice. “You can’t expect me to go around protecting her!”
“If you stay, that’s exactly what you will do, and make no mistake about it, you will be watched. Everyone knows that you have ill feelings for Celine, so make your decision wisely. As for me, I like you, so I wish you would stay around.”
“I don’t have a choice. If I don’t, you know what happens. He’s not letting me go after everything I know.”
“But do you want to leave?” he asked.
Sade thought about his question. Hell no, she didn’t want to leave, but she also wanted to be Queen.
Her dark thoughts had her thinking maybe she could still be.
Chapter Fifteen
Celine sashayed out of the door in a red sequin dress that flowed down her shapely figure, hugging her body tight as it wrapped around every curve she owned. It split into an opening at the top of her mocha brown thigh, showing smooth, rich skin that had been massaged and oiled to perfection.
On her feet were five-inch black stilettos that exposed a peek of her painted red toes. Her hair was bundled in an oh-so-tight ponytail that sat in fine, elegant strings on top of her head. Pieces of her beautiful soft mane was a show of art, trained and unmoving. It only took the hairstylist two hours to get it just right.
Around her neck sat her bedazzled diamond necklace and on her ears diamond studs to match. Her crown was the biggest rock she’d ever seen before, sitting on her ring finger like that of a vaulted piece of jewelry on a museum display. Celine was gorgeous, and she knew it. But the man standing in front of her was equally as gorgeous if not more so.
Brian stood at the back door of the limousine, waiting patiently for her. When the door to his estate opened and she floated out, his demeanor went from curiosity to a melting hunger. He bit back a curse as his eyes covered her in a matter of seconds, setting Celine’s body on fire.
Standing in an Armani suit that was custom fit from the jacket that kissed his bold shoulders and strong arms to the pants that graced his corded thighs with just enough flair for comfort. His bottoms stopped right at his ankles leaving a hint of his brown skin on display. The Armani shoes fit his size 13 feet as if they’d been molded on him. Without a shadow of a doubt, they would be the most stunning couple wherever they went.
He rubbed his hands together then stepped forward to help her down the last set
of stairs, a devilish smile lifting his lips.
“You are stunning.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she purred; which was a total understatement. A smile formed on her deep cherry lips, and she leaned into him for a kiss.
His arms slid around her waist, and Celine assumed he’d pulled her in for a deeper kiss. In reality, their magnetism seared them so close you couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended.
She moaned. He pulled back just slightly and licked his moist, full lips. His eyes lowered, hovering over her face with a glint sparkling from them.
“You know this night is the best one I’ve had and it’s just begun.”
Celine smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Brian pulled her to the side and opened her door, allowing her to slide in first. She made room for him, and he settled in right next to her. Leaning up, he gave two knocks on the partition, and the limo pulled away from the front steps.
“Where are we headed?”
Amusement hinted around his handsome features. Celine couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The neatly trimmed beard that hung off his chin was just as groomed as the faded waves on top of his head. She would never understand why God had created him with eyelashes that were long and curled to perfection. He caught her staring and leaned into her, placing a kiss on her chin.
“I love you.” His voice was almost a growl as if just the sight of her turned him into an animal.
Her hands slid to his face in a caress. Slow and sensual, she crooned, “I love you, too, baby.”
Brian reached across the seat and pulled back a medium sized black box.
With her interest piqued, Celine quipped, “More gifts?”
A half grin settled on his face as he pulled the top off. Inside he reached for a black laced garment. Celine chuckled when he revealed the custom made thigh holster. His grin turned into a full-blown smile. Celine lifted her leg, resting it across his lap. With pleasure, he enclosed the garment around her thigh, his hand sliding ever so softly against her skin.
Celine’s eyes faltered, and she bit down on her lips, trying not to squirm from the excitement flooding her from his touch. “This is beautiful.”
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