He stroked her body, his hand gliding over the slickness of her skin. She moaned, and he took her then, slipping cautiously into her moist heat with a delicious series of thrusts that made him cry out and finished with an explosive release.
When his breathing leveled out enough, he reached for her, but she pulled away, turning her back to him.
Pierce’s heart sank. “I promise we’ll finish our other three days in Hawaii as soon as this all blows over.”
She didn’t respond.
Her silence worried him more than he could say. He tried again to get some kind of reaction from her. “Your lawyer said she’s going to beat you with a wet noodle for not calling her when you got in.”
Raven’s lips lifted into something that could have been a smile, but he wasn’t sure.
Angered, he pressed forward. “We also need to cover one more thing so that we’re both on the same page, and there are no surprises later.”
She leaned back against his pillows, looking as sexy as he had ever seen her, and waited.
“I don’t believe in one-night stands,” he said in a solemn tone.
“Neither do I,” she replied, her voice matching his seriousness.
Great, at least she’s saying something. “To me, sleeping together on a consistent basis outside of marriage, is nothing more than a series of one-night stands with options for renewal. I don’t believe in long-distance romances, either. So we have to come up with something that works.”
“So how do you suggest we make this work? I’m not leaving Chicago.”
“And I can’t leave New York. This business with my employees has to be handled right and my new label needs to get off the ground.”
Raven’s hand inched up to rest on her hip. “So what are you saying?” She flipped back the cover and sat up. “That I have to leave Chicago to be with you?”
“Raven, you can work from anywhere.”
“So that means you expect me to just uproot myself—sell my condo and move in with you?”
“It bears considering, Raven. At some point, this is going to come up. Why not now?”
“It could’ve waited,” she snapped. “I don’t even like New York. Traffic here is jacked up, and the directions are confusing as hell. You can’t find a damn thing. The bookstores were the hardest for me to get my novels into—the distributors cheated me. And there’s no Harold’s Chicken, no Quench, no steppers clubs—and despite claims to the contrary, Chicago’s pizza is a hell of a lot better—”
She had gone from sullen to furious, making Pierce suddenly miss the quiet Raven. “You can’t judge New York by Chicago standards,” he said. “Chicago is slower than New York, faster than L.A., but it has its sour points, too. Even Dr. King said it was one of the most racist places he ever marched.”
“That was Gage Park, a suburb—so it doesn’t factor into the equation. Not to mention that was a long time ago.”
“I’m sure if I did a little digging, I could come up with plenty more.”
She slid out of his bed, crossed to her clothes. “It won’t make a difference. I’m not moving to New York, and that’s the bottom line.”
“Then we’ve got a problem.”
“I guess you do.”
“Why is it my problem and not our problem?”
She slipped on her underwear, then her skirt. “You’re the only one making demands.”
“Raven, I’m asking you to think it over. I don’t want to spend night after night turning over in an empty bed, or running up phone bills, trying to keep in touch, instead of physically being in touch. I’ve waited too long to have someone in my life, only to have her in my life halfway. That’s not how I do things. It’s all or nothing.”
She slipped on her bra, then searched a moment for her blouse, gave up, reached for a hairbrush, and walked to the bathroom.
“Raven, come back here.”
She flipped her hair forward, brushed the underside, and flipped it back. “This conversation could have waited until much later.”
“And the issue would still be the same,” he countered. “We’ve already wasted too much time, and right now I need something stable—I prefer it to be the woman in my life.”
“I don’t appreciate you giving me an ultimatum like this—not right now. This relationship—if it can even be called a relationship—is completely new for both of us. And you want to mess it up by moving at warp speed.”
He threw back the covers and got out of the bed. “Either you’re expecting this relationship—that’s right I said relationship—to work, or you’re doing exactly what it takes to ensure it fails. It’s simple. I want you. You want me. We’re both intelligent, driven, and successful adults. Nothing casual, you said. And that’s exactly what I promised. There shouldn’t be any problem.”
“The problem is that this is moving way too fast, Pierce.”
“So we’ll have a little of this and a little of that, but no direction—no ultimate goal? We’ll get there when we get there?”
“That’s right,” she said, hand on her hips, dark brown eyes flashing with that characteristic anger.
“Raven, I hate to inform you, baby, but that’s the true definition of a casual relationship. I’m in for the long haul, so I definitely can’t have a relationship like that.”
“Then we don’t need to have a relationship at all. I’m fine with that.”
What had their time together really meant if she didn’t want to be in a relationship? “How can you be so cold? I thought togetherness was what you wanted.”
“We can be together without me moving to New York. I don’t see you trying to arrange things to come my way. You’re only pushing now because you think the sex was so damn good that I’m vulnerable.”
Busted. Well, sort of. Pierce thought it best to remain silent on that point.
“You think I didn’t know what that little stunt was really all about back in Hawaii? Let me tell you something, Negro!” she stabbed a finger in his chest. “I am never vulnerable, especially when it comes to dick.” She turned and stormed away.
Pierce followed her. “So you’d rather run backward than move forward? And for the record, that little stunt wasn’t about dick. I just wanted to show you that we weren’t done yet.”
“No, it was about you controlling me, and I don’t like it worth a damn.”
“No, it’s about you and me being in a relationship. You know, that stuff you write about all the time—life, love, marriage, with a little sex thrown in for good measure. What did you think, you’d go back to Chicago and I’d call you up and order some pussy on the fly? I want you to be a part of my life—the best part of it. I don’t want to spend half my time trying to track you down for quickies between flights.”
She shook her head, stuffing a few odds and ends into her bag before she slipped on her blouse. “We should’ve had this conversation before we slept together. Then maybe things wouldn’t have gone past dinner.”
“And maybe it wouldn’t have mattered.”
She stopped packing and stared at him, waiting.
“I wasn’t the one who made the first move to the bedroom.”
Raven flinched and closed her eyes, but when she finally looked up at him, her expression was damn near deadly. “You know what? I’m going to leave before I say something that I’ll regret.”
“From the sound of things, you already have regrets,” Pierce shot back in a voice that was as cold as the New York Harbor in December. “And by the way, where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Home!” She put her bag on her left shoulder. “Goodbye, Pierce.” She turned and stormed away from him.
He caught up with her. “I’m not taking you to the airport until we talk about this. You can’t leave here with things unsettled between us.”
She whirled to face him. “Oh, they’re settled all right.”
Pierce took in her thunderous expression. “So this is it?”
“One thing you’ll learn about m
e that isn’t in my books, Mr. Randall, is that I know I can do what I damn well please. It was wonderful being with you, and thanks for the orgasms, but I’m out of here.”
Pierce could only stare at the unreasonable woman in the center of his bedroom, chest heaving with indignation, fire still sparking in her eyes. He had lost her. Weariness and disappointment settled into his soul.
He walked to a leather chaise and plucked his clothes from the arm. “But I’ll take you to the airport.”
“I don’t need you to do anything for me.”
“That’s certainly obvious and part of your main issue,” he growled, turning to face her. “I’m not letting your ass roll around in Harlem trying to find a damn cab.” He jerked on his slacks and zipped them up; the shirt and jacket followed. “You want to pull that shit in your hometown? Fine! But you’re not in Chicago, Ms. Armand. And despite you not needing anything from me,” he said through clenched teeth, “you don’t want to find out something different when somebody tries to test your independent ass on my fucking territory!”
❤ ❤ ❤
Forty-five minutes later Pierce met Ava outside MEG’s boardroom for a meeting with Sim’s lawyers. Practically worn-out, he whispered, “Ava, thanks for helping me out on this one. I owe you big time.”
“Like I said before, my practice in Chicago is all corporate, literary, some entertainment law, but has nothing to do with labor and employment law. This is serious.”
“This is an emergency,” he shot back. “The lawyers I know are too chummy with Sim’s lawyers. And that’s too close for my comfort, especially for something as serious as this. Until I can get it covered with someone else I trust, bluff. Please.”
She gave him a weary sigh before entering the boardroom.
Sim was absent. Word was, he was so pissed that he couldn’t even bear to sit in the same room with Pierce. His lawyers did most of the talking during the first part of the meeting. They were just like Sim, brash and smug.
Ava held her own. Clearly, she was used to dealing with the likes of Sim and his crew. Finally, tired of all the back and forth, she stood and glared at each one of the men at the table, saying, “If we can’t come to some sort of fair settlement for the employees Sim fired in a retaliation move against Pierce, then I will file a class-action suit on their behalf, and they will get what’s coming to them—and so will I.” She leaned forward, making eye contact with each one of them, saying, “And I don’t come cheap!”
Sounded good to Pierce. As the bickering between the lawyers continued, Pierce could barely pay attention; his mind kept replaying what had happened earlier with Raven. She said she would wait for his return so they could talk before she left for Chicago. He had to make things right between them. Why couldn’t she see that he was trying to do the right thing for both of them. That she wasn’t just a conquest.
After hours of negotiating—hours that Pierce felt as if he’d slept right through—the two sides came to an initial agreement that provided the employees immediate financial relief. Some of the employees would get their jobs back. More specifically, the ones that Sim had somehow forgotten he had been the one to hire. Everyone Pierce had brought on would have the option of fighting MEG on their own, or accepting a stellar severance package: six months’ salary plus full payment for all their sick and personal time, as well as full medical coverage. Either way, Ava had certainly bought him some time.
After thanking Ava profusely, Pierce headed straight home, hoping that Raven would be waiting for him, and preparing for his third battle of the day.
Unfortunately, as she had done before, Raven had disappeared.
Twenty-Four
Pierce strolled into MEG the Tuesday after Raven went back to Chicago.
“We’ve been told not to let you into the building without authorization from Simeon.”
Pierce stared at the gray-haired man, his face a mask of concern. “Mr. Gill, I’m still part owner of this company, so call Sim and let him know I’m on my way up.”
Gill nodded, and the other guards behind him backed up. As Pierce continued to the elevator banks, the older man followed. “He’s been in one hell of a mood since you left, sir.”
“I’ve never known him to be any other way.”
“You got room for us at your new place? There’s a whole lot of folks that’ll jump ship in a heartbeat.”
Pierce didn’t slow his pace. “Right now that ship is more like a rowboat.”
“Yeah, but I bet it’ll hit the shore at some point.”
“There’s no new place yet, but when there is—”
“Here’s my number.” The man reached in his pocket. “I’ll know how to get in touch with the rest of the folks.”
The moment Pierce stepped off the elevator, Vlad, Scoop, and Keith appeared from different directions, surrounding him.
“I know the way,” Pierce told them.
“You sho’ ‘bout dat?” was Vlad’s sarcastic reply.
As they escorted him toward Sim’s lavish, over-the-top office at the end of the hall, employees slowly raised their heads as they passed, then stood as if royalty were walking among them. Pierce could almost feel them exhale their long-held breaths. He waved and a sea of smiles and waves greeted him.
Vlad recoiled as he took it all in, glowering at everyone until a few of them sat back down.
Pierce shrugged, which only seemed to make Vlad angrier.
Once they reached the waiting area outside Sim’s office, Vlad snarled, “Have a seat. I’ll see if Simeon can accommodate a visitor.”
“If I’m out here longer than two minutes, he won’t have to worry about it at all. He called me to work things out amicably.”
Vlad checked his watch, smirking as he said, “You’ll wait as long as he says you’ll wait.”
“Guess again.”
Vlad signaled to Scoop and Keith, who were waiting nearby. They trudged forward and took their places on either side of Pierce, giving him an almost unnoticeable little nod stating that they weren’t going to be stupid about things. Pierce nodded back.
In less than the allotted time, Sim’s scratchy voice carried from his office. “Yeah, show his ass up in here.”
Pierce took his time.
Marie, with tears streaming down her face, barreled backwards out of Sim’s office and crashed straight into Pierce’s arms.
Pierce gripped her arms and swung her around to face him. “What happened?” Marie’s father would kill Sim if he saw her like this. Because he was too sick to work, the man had practically begged Pierce to get her a job at MEG to help the family. Pierce had agreed, but knowing MEG was no place for an innocent young girl, he had made it his business to watch over her. Evidently, he had slipped up. She was one of the employees who settled. Marie wasn’t even supposed to be in the building!
She gasped for breath.
“Calm down, Marie.”
“Get moving,” Vlad growled, storming toward her. “The car’s downstairs waiting on you.”
Pierce threw a deadly look at Vlad that made the man freeze in his tracks.
“He said that he wants me to come to his house,” she whispered, glancing at Vlad with frightened eyes. “He said if I don’t, he’ll make sure Eric goes to jail.”
Pierce closed his eyes against the rage building inside him.
Marie gripped his lapel. “He’s going to send Eric to jail!”
“No, he’s not! And even if Sim could send him to jail, Eric would never want you to trade your body to protect him. You know that!”
She lowered her head. “Sim said I wouldn’t have to have sex. All I would have to do is…you know…put my mouth on his…”
Pierce curled her into his arms as sobs tore through her body. It took everything in his power to keep himself from rushing into Sim’s office and tearing that poor excuse for a human’s head off with his bare hands. “Wait for me in the lobby downstairs,” he told Marie. “Tell Mr. Gill I asked him to take care of you until I return.”<
br />
The door clicked as Sim entered the waiting area. “Don’t even think about disobeying me,” he ordered Marie, who went suddenly still.
Pierce said to Marie in a low voice, “Go on. Everything’s going to be all right.” He held Sim’s gaze as Marie rushed down the hall toward the elevator. Once she was out of hearing range, Pierce moved forward, rage simmering just underneath. “You low-down, dirty motherfucker.”
Sim shrugged. “What can I say? The girl really loves her job and that punk-ass boy.”
Pierce left his “keepers” flat-footed as he charged into Sim and struck him with a hefty fists, sending him sprawling back into his office, before slamming into the wall. Sim’s body bounced off the drywall and back into Pierce’s next volley of blows.
“Get this asshole off me!” Sim screamed as he tried to block the fist raining down on him.
Another hit, followed by a satisfying crunch still didn’t diffuse Pierce’s fury. It took all three men to pull Pierce away, but not before he landed a few more solid punches. Despite his anger, Pierce couldn’t help noticing that Scoop and Keith seemed as if they weren’t trying all that hard to hold him back, offering the opportunity to land a few more blows.
Sim scrambled to the nearest corner. “Fuck the lawyers and fuck you! It’s over!”
Pierce lunged forward, but this time the men held him steady. “I warned you. You’re putting all your energy into hurting me and for what? It’s not like I’m coming back to this hell hole.”
“No problem, motherfucker, ‘cause your ass is fired.” Sim wiped the blood from his chin. “You won’t get a fucking dime.”
Confident that Steve, Ava, and Eric had everything sewed up tight to protect his financial assets more than Sim and his lawyers knew, the money wasn’t an issue for Pierce. “Like I care about that right now. With what I know about those underground deals for your other companies, I think you should be worried. Very worried.”
The Pleasure's All Mine Page 21