Interracial Desires: BWWM Multicultural Romance Box Set

by Tamara Black

  He would be so happy at my decision that he wouldn't question why I needed to slip away on my own. I really wanted to take Terry with me and just never come back, but I knew Trey would know something was up if I took my boy with me to a supposed operation. If I was lucky, he wouldn't know what was going on as I went to Matt and begged for help to get out of the bad situation.

  Latoya wasn't the most trustworthy person, but she was the best choice I had on short notice. She was one of Trey's side bitches, but we'd known each other for a while. After I broke up with Trey, we'd talked and hung out a few times to trade war stories. Her owing me a favor was another reason I asked her to watch Terry. When he was safe with her, I went to see Trey.

  I knew he would be at one of three places. The chicken shack, corner mart and his apartment were the only places he really went anymore because he had so many warrants. I decided to start with the last location, and I got lucky. He was home alone. When his boys weren't around, he always treated me a little differently, not as tough.

  “What you want?” he asked.

  “I made up my mind. You right. I could be making bank with this body.”

  He smiled, nodding his head. “Hell, yeah. I told you...”

  “But,” I interrupted. “I need to go get that operation so I can't have no babies. Just in case.”

  “Good thinking. We make a good team.”

  As he walked toward me in the living room, I froze. Would he want me to fuck or suck him? I hadn't thought about being alone with him. He reached down, unzipped his pants and took out his thick, black cock. I swallowed a lump in my throat as he wiggled it back and forth with his hand as he stared directly into my eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I knew what he wanted me to do.

  Then his phone rang. I breathed a sigh of relief as he put his cock away and swore. He turned to me when he disconnected the call. Something was different about his face. Did I see fear forming across his features? It was a look I hadn't seen on him before, which was odd.

  “I got to go,” he said, gruffly.

  “Okay. I'll be back later.”

  “Yeah, we can finish what we started.”

  I left his apartment still shaking a little bit. I'd slept with him before, but I didn't want anything to do with him. As I walked away to go see Matt, I kicked myself mentally for messing up. I had to be on my toes if I wanted to get away from Trey and what he had planned for me.

  When I got to the Chitown Shares office, I was almost in tears. It took everything I had not to just start crying in front of everyone. I felt as if everything wrong that had happened to me in my life was in my mind all at the same time. It was overwhelming. The receptionist, who recognized me, waved me back to Matt's office.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he stood up and rushed over to me. “What happened?”

  “It's just everything.”

  As I sobbed, he walked over and closed his office door, something he'd never done before. When he returned to my side, he put one of his hands on my shoulder. I couldn't hold back anymore. I needed to be strong, but I reached out and hugged Matt as the tears streamed from my face.

  “It's okay, it's going to be okay,” he said in a soothing voice as his hand rubbed my back.

  I pulled away from him and sniffed. “You promise?”

  “Well, I need details before I can help you, but Chitown Shares is all about...”

  “This ain't about Chitown Shares, and you know it,” I said.

  Was he willing to transform the unspoken words between us to ones said out loud?

  “What do you mean?”

  I frowned. “Okay, we don't have to talk about it now, but I do need help. Trey wants to start tricking me out. He's threatened you, and Terry and I think he fucking means it.”

  “Okay, okay, let's think this through,” he said, pacing back and forth in the small space.

  “I can't call the cops 'cause as soon as they leave I'd be dead.”

  “Yeah, we need something else. The first thing is getting you out of your apartment. You need a safe place to stay.”

  “I ain't got no money for that.”

  “We can find you some money in a week or so.”

  “I don't have that much time. He wants me out tricking soon. I had to lie to him to get away.”

  “Where's Terry?”

  “I left him with a babysitter so Trey wouldn't know I was coming to talk to you. Shit is getting real. You don't know him. I'm pretty sure he's killed at least two people. Or ordered them to be killed. He has some kind of power over people.”

  “Okay, maybe a shelter?”

  “I can't do that to Terry. And Trey probably know half the bitches in there already. I wouldn't feel safe.”

  “Well, what about me?”

  “What about you?”

  “You could come and stay with me until something comes through. I have a big loft. It's safe.”

  “I don't know. I couldn't put you out.”

  “I hate to say it, but it doesn't sound like you have many options. I can ask someone else from the office, I guess. If you don't trust me.”

  “No, no, why would you say that?”

  I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder.

  “I don't know.”

  “Well, stop. I don't like it. You're stronger.”

  “You'll be safe if you come to stay with me for a bit.”

  “Okay, I'll do it. I need to go get Terry.”

  “Of course. I'll take the rest of the day off.”

  “I'm going to have to leave almost everything. Ain't no way I'm getting the couch out without them seeing me.”

  “It's okay. We just need to get you and Terry safe first. Then we'll figure out the rest. We still got the scholarship too.”

  “I forgot all about that,” I lied.

  I had actually been dreaming of a life in college all week, ever since he'd told me about the damn scholarship. I didn't want to get my hopes up. And now, I was just trying to get away from Trey and stay safe. Life in Chiraq was hectic and changed quickly, just like the real Iraq from what I'd heard.

  “Well, I think you got a good shot at getting it.”

  “Whatever. I'm just trying to make sure me and my baby is safe. He scared the fuck out of me today.”

  “Did he do something to you?”

  “No, not really. He got called away before he could. I don't know.”

  “Be strong. We'll get through this.”

  He surprised me when he leaned forward and hugged me again. I felt safe and secure in his arms. Deep inside, I knew that was just wishful thinking on my part, but for just a moment or two, Matt was able to hug me just hard enough to make me feel a real sense of security. Then he pulled back.

  “You go get the baby and meet me back here, okay?”

  “I'll do that. Thanks so much.”

  “Don't mention it. From what you said, we need to move fast.”

  “Yeah, I'm going to get back and get Terry before Trey realizes I'm back.”

  “You sure you don't want me to come with you?”

  “Dressed like that? Sorry, no. It would just make it worse.”

  He frowned, but he didn't say anything. I turned and opened his office door. With a deep breath, I headed back to Latoya's apartment to get Terry.

  * * *

  “What do you mean he's gone?” I screamed at her.

  She stopped crying for a moment. “CPS came and got him.”

  “Who the fuck called CPS on you? He was just here for like half an hour.”

  Her head lowered.

  “You know you're going to tell me.

  I reached out and grabbed her hair.

  “You know who did it,” she yelled, pulling her head back. “Now get the fuck out of here.”

  The name didn't have to be spoken. I instantly knew Trey was behind CPS being called. He would do anything to make sure he had control over me. I couldn't even imagine what he was going to say to me when I confronted him. As I walked to his a
partment, I tried to come up with the best way to give him a piece of my mind. Trey laughed as soon as I burst into his apartment.

  “Settle down, boo.”

  “Don't fucking call me that. You tell me right now you didn't call CPS.”

  “I do what I want. You ain't got me whipped, bitch.”

  I slapped him. He grabbed my arm and forced it down. After struggling a moment, I pulled away and headed toward the door.

  “Where you think you're going?” he asked.

  I froze, not knowing what to do.

  “You did that to your own kid?” I asked as I whipped around to face him again.

  “How I know he my kid?”

  “Because I'm not a whore. You the only dick I ever had.”

  “What about that white meat?”

  “Is that what this is about?”

  “No, this is about you working and making this family some money.”

  “We ain't got no family, Trey. You're smart enough to see that, aren't you?”

  “Maybe we gonna have another try to start a new family.”

  “I want my baby!”

  He smiled an evil grin and walked toward me. Just then, I heard a loud noise outside. Was that people chanting? Trey walked over to the window and peeked out.

  “What the fuck?”

  “What's going on?” I asked.

  “Some kind of protest riot or some shit.”

  “What?”

  I tried to look out the window.

  “Get back, bitch. I'm not done with you.”

  As Trey looked out the window, I made my move for the door. By the time he realized what was happening, I was outside. I ran into the crowd of fifty or more people that were marching down the street slowly. The protestors started moving more quickly as soon as I merged with them. Then I saw Matt walk over to me with a #blacklivesmatter sign held high.

  “What the hell is this?”

  “I thought you might need some back-up, so I called in a favor.”

  “You know all these people?”

  “No, but this woman at work does.”

  “Oh? Woman at work?”

  “We can talk about it later. We need to get out of here before you ex figures out what the hell is going on.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “I remembered your house, and your neighbor told me where you would probably be.”

  “Which neighbor?”

  “Mrs. Jackson.”

  “Bless her soul,” I said.

  “What the hell happened? Where's Terry?”

  “Trey called CPS and they took Terry. I knew I shouldn't have left him with that bitch Latoya.”

  “Well, you didn't have much of a choice.”

  “No, I should have known better.”

  “Don't beat yourself up. You've gotten this far. You're a good mom, and we're going to figure this out.”

  I looked into his eyes and smiled at him. He was quickly becoming my hero, my white knight. He told me that I could stay with him until we could find out what was up with CPS the next day. When we got to his loft, I was impressed with how well he kept it.

  Even more surprising, he gave me his bed and took the couch. I tried to stop him, but he insisted. I thought for sure he was going to make a move on me, but I was glad he hadn't. My mind was on Terry. Did he understand? I fell asleep in the strange bed feeling comfortable and at home.

  TWELVE

  Matt

  Leah agreed to stay with me. I gave her my room, hoping she would feel more comfortable. From what she told me, I had arrived at just the right time. She was good at masking her emotions, but I could tell she was a little shook up. Not having a child of my own, I couldn't imagine what she was going through.

  I wondered whether inviting her to my loft was ethical or not. As long as I didn't make a move on her, I was sure I was okay. It would just be temporary. I had a good feeling that after we talked to CPS in the morning she'd be able to get Terry back, especially once I told them that she was about to win a scholarship to go to college and start new in life.

  A lot of the workers in the system didn't care about the people they were helping, but I was confident that I would be able to talk to them and help Leah get her child back. It was all just a big mix-up, but I felt more than just a little responsible. As I laid on the couch and tried to get comfortable, I looked at my closed bedroom door. Behind it was one of the most beautiful black women I'd ever met.

  Even Alyssa didn't compare with Leah, who also had strength and a quick mind in her favor. She had her problems, of course, but so did I. The thought of her sleeping in my bed was a bit too much. I was happy that I'd just cleaned my sheets and comforter. Would she go through my shelves and things? What type of person was she really? I wanted to know more as sleep fell over me.

  * * *

  The couch was so uncomfortable that I woke up before the sun had even come up. I went over to the kitchen area and started a pot of coffee. Not knowing what she liked to eat in the morning, or if she even liked to eat when she first woke up, I decided to go with an all American classic. She would need a lot of energy to make it through the bullshit bureaucracy at the Child Protection Services offices.

  After I'd fried a half dozen strips of bacon, I scrambled some eggs with red bell peppers in another pan. I turned and saw Leah stretching and walking toward the kitchen area. She smiled as she walked straight to the coffee pot as if she owned the place. I turned my attention back to the eggs, sliding them out of the pan and onto a plate.

  “Need some help?” she asked as she sipped her coffee without sugar or cream.

  “Nope. All done. I figured we should eat something good before we go down to CPS.”

  “You're coming with? Don't you have work?”

  “I have some personal days saved up. Not having a social life comes in handy sometimes, I guess.”

  She smiled. “That bacon smells so good.”

  “I wasn't sure what you liked to eat...”

  “This is perfect,” she interrupted. “Thank you.”

  I sat down. We ate without saying much. Both of us knew the headaches that awaited us at the CPS offices. My job description included me communicating with them frequently. They had a reputation for not really caring about the children. Some of the people who worked with them did, but I knew a lot more just straight up didn't give a fuck. We had our work cut out for us.

  “You know what you're going to tell them?” I asked after we were both done eating.

  “The truth.”

  “I know that. But you know how CPS works better than me, probably.”

  “Why you say that? They never got called on me before.”

  “That's true. I don't mean to say you're a bad mother.”

  “Damn straight I'm not. I'd give my life for that little boy.”

  “I know, I know. I speak before I think sometimes.”

  “They'll give him back to me. I can feel it.”

  “With your housing situation and Trey? You're not thinking of going back to him, are you?”

  “If that's what it takes to get my baby boy back, yeah, that's what I'm going to do.”

  “There's another way.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. We could pretend we're boyfriend and girlfriend. We'll give them my address here. It's not optimal, but it's better than your apartment right now. No offense.”

  She looked around the loft slowly.

  “It's not really child proof. I don't think they'll go for it.”

  “Well, it's what we got to work with for now. Are you game? Can you be my fiance?”

  “Fiance now? I was just your girlfriend a moment ago.”

  Her laugh filled the air momentarily, making me smile.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “It might work.”

  “I know the system, Leah. I can help.”

  “Let's get going. I want to be there when they open the doors.”

  “Good idea.”

 
We left my apartment and took the bus to CPS to try to get Terry back.

  THIRTEEN

  Leah

  As soon as we got to CPS, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It took everything I had not to get mad and start yelling at some dumb bitches until they gave me my kid back. If they knew the truth, that I was trying my hardest to raise him right, to give him a chance in life, they would have to give him back to me. Then again, I knew the real world didn't work like that.

  What I couldn't figure out was why Matt was helping me. Was he interested in me? I was almost positive he hadn't realized I was flirting with him, but we still had a lot of unspoken words between us. They were getting close to bubbling to the surface. That thought made me a little nervous, but I had no time to think about it as I had to get Terry back.

  “Fill out this form and bring it back when you're done,” the receptionist said.

  Matt sat next to me as I quickly filled out the paperwork with my name and other information. I wrote out as much of the story as I could in the small space they provided. It was crazy that they only gave me six lines to write about why I deserved to get my kid back, how it was all a mistake or someone playing games with me.

  “You okay?” Matt asked after I returned to wait for them to call my name.

  “Yeah. Just a little nervous.”

  “Take deep breaths. You got this. We want to look as confident as possible. Don't lose your temper.”

  “How you know I got a bad temper?”

  “You just got that look, I guess.”

  I rolled my eyes. Inside I was nervous, but I tried to exude confidence. Matt helped get me in the right frame of mind. For a white guy, he was really good at reading me.

  “Leah Wilson?” the receptionist called.

  “That's us,” I said.

  We got up and headed over to the receptionist desk.

  “Go back to room twenty four.”

  “Thanks,” Matt said.

  As we walked down the hallway to the office, he reached out and took my hand in his. That simple act allowed me to calm down. When we got to the right door, he knocked once then opened it.