by D. Camille
“Except your woman can legally pop people,” Corvus finished.
Brandon stood. “Mackenzie won’t be ‘popping’ anybody in this situation. She won’t have to.”
He looked at Corvus. “I’m making sure of it.”
*******
In between meetings Mac drove to visit one Mrs. Tauri Patterson-Shaw. She had a bone to pick with this Nigist today. Tauri opened the door with a smile and Mac frowned at her.
“What’s the matter Mac?” Tauri asked holding her son in her arms.
Mac lifted a brow. “So you’re placing bets on me?”
Tauri looked squeamish. “Okay, listen…”
“If you didn’t have that handsome baby in your hands…” Mac warned.
“Come in so we can talk,” Tauri said stepping back and letting her enter.
Mac walked inside then turned to greet the baby Shaw. “Hello little Rion, you get more handsome every time I see you.”
The baby cooed at her and her heart melted. “I came to hurt your mommy, but you’re so cute, I just can’t do it.”
Tauri laughed. “Why do you want to hurt me Chief Green?”
Mac lifted her eyes to light brown ones. “Why have you been talking about me behind my back?”
Tauri sighed. “Let’s go sit down.”
The two women moved to the living room and took seats on the sofa then Tauri turned to Mac. “So let me explain…”
Mac nodded.
“We weren’t talking about you in a bad way. We were actually talking about Brandon and of course, your name came up.”
“Of course?” Mac asked.
Tauri gave her a look. “Come on Mac, it’s clear as glass that you and Brandon have had something smoldering for a while.”
“We all thought it would be great if you two got together. Although now, with Brandon campaigning for Mayor, it might not be a good a time,” Tauri explained.
Mac sighed. “It’s the worst time possible.”
Tauri perked up. “But you would consider it?”
Mac sat back in silence. She’d never had any girlfriends since her incident in high school. Trusting people, especially women was hard for her. Mac didn’t have female friends that she confided in for anything, let alone anything personal.
Lately however, she’d grown closer to both Tauri and Khayla. They loved this city and the Negus just as much as she did and were phenomenal women. Both had married one of the Negus and formed the Nigist with help from one of Tauri’s friends who lived out in LA.
Mac turned to Tauri. “Brandon Williams is a very interesting man.”
“I’ve worked with Brandon for years. He’s the consummate professional and perfectionist,” Tauri told her. “He’s also one of the most dangerous and determined men I know.”
“I’m a very private person,” Mac explained.
Tauri agreed. “If we’ve invaded your privacy, I apologize Mac. That was not our intentions.”
“We really care about both you and Brandon.”
Mac smiled a little. “Thank you Tauri.”
Little Rion had fallen asleep and Mac looked in wonder at the little body in his mother’s arms.
“He’s so precious,” she said quietly.
Tauri looked down into the face that she loved more than anything. “He’s such a good boy. He rarely ever fusses.”
“I’m having a hard time leaving him to go work, but I’m also having a hard time leaving work,” Tauri confessed.
She looked up at Mac. “You’ve done a lot to attain your professional status Mac, what would you do if you had a baby? Would you give up being the Chief?”
Mac’s eyes widened at the question. “That’s something I’ve never even thought of before Tauri.”
“Orion wants me home with little Rion, but it’s hard to think about not working on cases. It’s been my life for so many years,” Tauri said softly. “Orion at least got to choose to leave his profession, it feels like mine is being snatched away from me.”
Mac placed a hand on Tauri’s arm. “I can’t imagine having to make that decision.”
“I thought it would be easy. I’d agreed with Orion that I would stay at home, but after a few weeks I missed my job.” She looked at Mac. “Does that make me a bad mother?”
Mac shook her head. “No, I think that makes you one of the best prosecutors this city has ever seen.”
“Brandon wants me to make a decision so he can replace me,” Tauri said looking down at the sleeping baby. “I shouldn’t be this torn.”
“Maybe you can work something out with Brandon as a consultant or something that you could do from home?” Mac suggested.
“I don’t want this to cause problems between Orion and Brandon. He’s already been to Brandon’s house to confront him about this.”
Mac smiled. “I know, I was there.”
“Orion told me he saw you that night. He said you and Brandon were working on an initiative together.”
Mac flushed. “Yeah, that’s why I was there.”
Tauri’s prosecutor skills kicked in. “That’s why you were there, but did something else occur?”
“Do me a favor Prosecutor Patterson-Shaw, you along with the rest of the Negus and Nigist, just give me and Brandon some space and no more meddling,” Mac told her.
Tauri smiled. “Well that answers my question.”
Mac stood to her feet. “I’ve got more meetings today, so I’ll be going. Please remember what I said.”
“Yes Chief Green,” Tauri stood as well and walked her to the door.
Mac gave her a brief hug careful not to disturb the baby. “Everything will work out about your job.”
“Thanks Mac and I promise to stay out of your business.” Tauri assured her. “Now Khayla is another story.”
“I’m going to deal with her too,” Mac promised with a smile.
“Be safe on these streets Chief Green.”
Mac nodded. “I always am.” Hearing a car, Mac turned and watched Tauri’s grandparents pull up to the home.
“Aww man, I must be in trouble. Granny and Granddaddy are here,” Tauri commented.
Mac laughed. “Your grandparents don’t play around.”
Walking out the door, Mac greeted the Pattersons after they exited their car. Tauri watched from the doorway as Mac completed her pleasantries, then headed to her own car. She smiled as her grandparents entered the home.
“Granny, Granddaddy what are you doing here?”
Millie Patterson looked down at her great grandson. “We’re here to talk to you ReRe.”
Henry Patterson kissed his granddaughter and smiled down at the little one. “You giving that young man a hard time huh, baby girl?” he asked closing the door behind him.
Tauri frowned. “No I’m not Granddaddy.”
Little Orion opened his eyes after hearing the voices of the two people who adored him. Millie smiled and reached for him, carrying him into the living room.
“Oh, look at this baby!” Millie exclaimed.
Tauri followed. “You’ve been talking to Orion,” she surmised as they were seated.
Millie nodded. “He came to have lunch with us.”
Since the first time he’d met them, Rion had accepted Henry and Millie Patterson as his own grandparents and spent as much time with them as Tauri did.
“And what did my wonderful husband have to say?” Tauri inquired.
“He says he’ll do whatever is necessary to make his Goddess happy,” her granddaddy told her. “Those are his words.”
Tauri smiled. “I know Granddaddy.”
Tauri heard the front door opening then looked at her grandparents. “So you all are going to ambush me?”
Henry shook his head. “No baby girl, we’re about to end this. We know you better than anybody.”
Rion entered the room dressed in a dark tailored suit and locked gazes with his wife as she frowned at him. “Not my idea.”
“Come on in here son,” Henry said welcoming Rion in
to his own home.
Rion moved to Tauri’s side and kissed her softly. “Hello Goddess.”
“Hello Orion.” She returned his kiss.
Rion then glanced over at his son, who was still in Millie’s arms.
“Now, we need you two to fix this thing right now,” Mille told them. “Because we got other things to talk about.”
“Fix what Granny?” Tauri asked.
Millie looked down into little dark eyes. “What this baby’s Momma is going to do, so his Daddy can regain his sanity.”
After a minute, Tauri looked at Rion. “I know I’ve confused you. When I was pregnant, all I thought about was being here with our son, but now I really miss working.”
Rion nodded. “Okay, then what do we do? Hire a nanny?”
“A nanny!” Both Henry and Millie yelled.
Tauri reached for his hand. “Mac had an idea of me possibly doing some consulting on cases from home if Brandon would be open to it.”
Rion brought her hand to his lips. “When I met you, you were the best prosecutor in Detroit. I know that you worked hard to get to where you are and it’s selfish of me to want to take that away from you.”
Tauri looked over at her Granny. “Do you think I’m not a good mother like Victoria?” she asked quietly speaking of the mother who had abandoned her when she was six months old.
Both Henry and Millie frowned as Mille stood and walked over to the couple. She handed Orion his son, then sat and took her granddaughter’s hands in hers.
“Now you listen to me, Victoria had her own struggles. You are not her. You’re not trying to abandon your baby; you’re trying to balance being a mother and a great lawyer. There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said looking into matching eyes.
“I don’t want to be like her,” Tauri whispered. “I don’t want to hurt my son.”
Rion watched his wife’s struggle and his heart went out to her. He knew how her mother’s abandonment still affected her. “Tauri, I know that you would never hurt our children. This isn’t about you being a terrible mother, baby.”
Tauri looked over at him. “I worry Orion. I worry that I may be more like her than I want to admit.”
Rion moved closer and kissed her softly. “You’re not, I promise you.”
She touched his handsome face and smiled sadly. “Thank you for being so patient while I sort this out.”
“I will give you whatever you need because I love you more than anything, Tauri Patterson-Shaw.”
Tauri held back her tears. “I know.”
Rion slid an arm around her neck and she rested her head on his shoulder looking down at their son. He smiled at her and her tears fell. When his little hands reached for her face, she knew she would never walk away from this precious gift.
“We need to talk to you baby girl,” Henry told her.
The couple looked over at Henry. “What is it Granddaddy?” Rion asked concerned.
Millie moved and took her husband’s hand before he continued.
“Victoria came back,” he told them and Rion felt Tauri stiffen.
“When?” Tauri’s raspy voice came out as a squeak.
“You were still pregnant with Little Rion,” Henry explained. “We didn’t want to upset you while you were pregnant.”
Rion began to frown. “What does she want?”
“I had your father check her out and she came back clean, but I warned her that she would not hurt my Millie or my baby girl,” Henry told him.
Tauri put a hand to her mouth. “You saw her?”
They both nodded and Tauri rushed to where they sat. “Are you okay?” she asked hugging them both. Tauri knew the heartache her mother had caused her grandparents by her disappearance so many years ago.
“Yes, we’re fine. We’re worried about how this will affect you,” Henry said patting her on the back.
Tauri stood. “I don’t know.” She looked at Rion. “I honestly hadn’t thought about her a lot until recently.”
“She gave us her contact information, if you ever want to get in touch with her.” Millie added slowly.
“Are you in contact with her now?” Tauri asked turning back to them.
Henry shook his head. “No, we haven’t spoken with her since her visit.”
Tauri went back to sit next to Rion. She slowly stroked her son’s silky hair and smiled down at him. She would never be the woman who’d left her to live her own life.
“No, I don’t want to contact Victoria Patterson. Not today…maybe not ever.”
******
Mac’s phone rang as she sat in the bubble bath. After a long day and even longer night, she needed a deep soak to relax her overworked body.
“Hello?”
“Mackenzie…”
She smiled. “Hello Brandon.”
“How are you?” he asked.
She moaned. “I’m soaking in the tub right now, so you’d better not tell me you’re at my back door.”
“No, I decided that we both need to get some rest because if I came to your house, we’d have another sleepless night,” his deep voice came through the line.
“I agree, counselor.”
“How did your meetings go today?” Brandon asked.
Mac laid back in the water. “They seemed to take forever, but they were productive.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“The same,” he paused. “Except I kept seeing sexy dark brown eyes and luscious honey thighs.”
She closed her eyes and clenched those honey thighs. “Really?” she whispered.
“Yes, and I can’t wait to get back in between them.”
“That damn mouth,”
Brandon laughed softly. “It can still taste you.”
Mac sank further into the warm water. “What are you doing right now?” she questioned.
“Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about you.”
“I bet you have mirrors on your ceiling.”
Brandon chucked. “No, not on the ceiling.”
“You surprised me Brandon,” she admitted.
“How did I do that Mackenzie?”
Mac pursed her lips. “You always give off this ice cold demeanor and although I always thought that behind those sexy green eyes was fire, I just never imagined how much.”
“Does it scare you?” he asked.
This time Mac chuckled softly. “Baby, I’m the top cop of a major city…little scares me at this point.”
“You’ve always been fearless.”
This caused Mac to look up at the ceiling. “You know I didn’t realize that until that incident.”
“That’s funny, because I saw it in you the first time I looked at you.”
“You’re making me question if I really need sleep,” she whispered.
“We’re going to have plenty of sleepless nights Mackenzie, I promise you.”
Mac flicked at the bubbles on her chest. “Anything you say can be used against you.”
“I’m a man of my word.”
Brandon stared at the hooks on his ceiling imagining Mackenzie indulging in that naughty game along with him. She had an adventurous side that gave him the impression that she would be a willing participant.
“I’ve been thinking of the initiative,” Mac said breaking into his thoughts.
Returning his attention to the phone, Brandon responded. “What are your ideas?”
“Your father wants a collaboration between all levels from officers, to prosecutors and judges. I think a focus of trying to decrease arrests, which will lead to fewer trials and sentences. Also recidivism is another factor we can look at,” Mac told him.
“I certainly agree with both points. We should get together soon to put together a solid plan.”
Mac nodded. “Can we wait until after the Ball? I can be more focused then.”
“I can’t wait to see you in your ball gown,” Brandon said on a low growl.
“Brandon…”
“What?”
>
She sat up in the tub. “Please do not put us on display.”
“You’re coming home with me that night,” he told her.
“How do you know I don’t already have plans for that night?”
Brandon looked over at his closet door. “You do. I’ve made them for you.”
“Will I be making breakfast for you too?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Mac couldn’t help but smile. Brandon’s cool cockiness certainly turned her on and she loved a man with confidence along with the ability to back it up.
“Are you doubting me?” he asked after her moment of silence.
“The opposite, in fact. I was admiring your confidence,” she admitted.
Brandon smiled. He’d always been attracted to Mackenzie’s honesty. She said what was on her mind and was always prepared to back it up. He appreciated that she would always lay it on the line with him, whether he liked it or not.
“I think I need to sneak through a backyard tonight,” he whispered huskily.
“No, you’d better not.”
“Hearing that water and imagining you in that tub might make the decision for me.”
Mac shook her head. “Do not come here Brandon Williams.”
“Will you let me inside Mackenzie?” he asked sexily. “I want to get wet with you.”
She closed her eyes as her body heated. Mac imagined those green eyes traveling her body and then that mouth all over her.
“How long will it take you to get here?” she whispered.
Brandon was off the bed in a flash, heading to the door. “Ten minutes.”
“We have to at least take a nap in between,” Mac said rising out of the tub.
“A short one.”
Grabbing a towel, she answered. “Okay.”
Ten minutes later, Mac answered her back door in a sexy bra and panty set underneath a short robe. Brandon stepped inside and closed the door behind him, fastening the locks. When he turned to her, Mac’s breath froze as the look in his eyes told her he did not come to play.
Brandon lowered his head and kissed her, doing the things to her mouth that made her lose her mind. His hands joined in the foreplay and Mac could wait no longer.
“Do you want to come inside Brandon?” she whispered against his open mouth.
“I want to live inside of you Mackenzie.”
She smiled and grabbed his hand. “Then let me welcome you.”