by Amaya Black
I gave her no more time to finish her fucking sentence. It was over and done with. I was sick of playing nice. I charged into the room the minute Alex had been laid down and grabbed her ass by her hair and began to yank and pull. “This what you been waiting on bitch, huh? You wanted to catch these fucking hands.”
She pushed me away from her and her eyes looked wide. “You crazy bitch, do you really think Darien is going to fall in love with you. He loves me.”
I had to pause for a second. “Bitch I don’t want Darien. But since you so worried about his dick, he just fucked me an hour ago in a dressing room.”
She lunged at me and we started to fight again; she hit my midsection knocking the fucking wind out of me. There was no way in hell I was gonna let this bitch whoop my ass in Alex’s nursery.
We were on the ground rolling around and I finally got my ass on top of her and sat on her chest. “You’re a sick bitch, fucking your pretend cousin.”
“And you’re using him to bend him to your will to keep a child that’s not yours.”
Both my fist landed a punch and blood sprayed every fucking where. I felt it hit my checks and then I felt myself being dragged backwards.
“What in the bloody hell is going on in here?”
It was Darien’s voice but he was in front of me. I turned to meet familiar blue eyes, but younger. This had to be Andrew. The spitting image of his older brother with blonde hair. “Hiyah, Lana.”
“Mmm…hey.”
Darien helped Cassie up, but she still wanted to flap her gums.
“Either she goes, Darien. Or I do. Blood is thicker than water and I’d always be around for you.”
“Oh my fucking God, bitch….die already!”
Darien’s face grew stern and he hustled Cassie’s bleeding ass from the room. I started to lunge after her and finished what I’d started. She was going to be black and blue for a few days and I was going to be sore.
Andrew remained looking lost. “So, you’re the other Uncle,” I said rubbing my midsection.
“I haven’t seen an actual good fight like that since I was in boarding school,” Andrew spoke eyes wide and then he burst out laughing. “You might have just done the one thing Aria couldn’t.”
“Who in the hell is Aria and what did I just do?”
Andrew quit laughing and looked like he shouldn’t have just said shit. “Aria is Darien’s wife and she tried for years to get rid of Cassie.”
“Wait, do what?” I said and Andrew repeated himself. “Oh, hell to the fucking no. I didn’t just fly across the world for some crazy ass drama like this. I don’t need this.”
“I’m gonna go get you some water,” he stated just as Alex started to stir. He’d slept through all of that noise. He was truly Dana’s kid at this crazy moment in time. Even before the coma, Dana had loved to sleep.
I was done with Darien though.
I didn’t screw married men.
That wasn’t my style.
And I damn sure didn’t deal with men who had messy ass bitches like Cassie walking around pretending to be family members or not family members…whatever the hell she was. I didn’t do it.
Darien appeared back at the door of the nursery. He came to me then, looking concerned, wearing his typical Armani suit. I would not be charmed. “Your face has a scratch,” he spoke as he gently touched my face.
“Yeah, umm…..whose Aria?”
His face fell. It looked like the ground had just dropped out from under him. Instantly, his eyes averted from my own and his hand dropped away.
Oh, was he shocked? Good because I had never stopped being in a state of shock. From the moment an entire person had landed in my life, I had been in shock.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Lana, it’s not like that.” He almost winced and peered around me. The baby must have been moving.
He ushered me from the room and into the hallway. I wondered if mystery brother was coming back with my water. I was feeling super thirsty after all this moving around and kicking a bitch’s ass.
“Then what’s it like…I mean Darien you’re married.”
He rubbed his face. “I’m not married anymore.”
I waited for him to continue. The way I never shared about myself because I didn’t’ want to open up, Darien was even more of a clam. He never let to much slip. He folded his arms against his chest and leaned again the door way of Alexander’s bedroom.
“I don’t see what this has to do with our arrangement, Allanah.”
Was he government naming me all of a sudden? “Can you just for once tell me why Cassie thought that was some shit she needed to throw in my face? And not to mention how fucking weird it is that she gets so hype of you. I mean damn, you are fine and you’re gorgeous as hell. But are you fucking around with her too?”
His eyes went wide and a cough caught in his throat. “Why would you ask that?”
“Don’t answer me with a question. The way Cassie acts is like she’s planning on being the next Mrs. Kiriakis and Darien I’m not here to stand in her way.”
“You need to start getting ready for this party tonight.”
That was all he said to me. He then adjusted his clothing and left me standing in the hallway. I had no idea where he was going so I followed behind him. I don’t know why he thought he could so easily dismiss. He never looked back and just went into his study and I caught a glimpse of Cassie inside as he closed the oak door. She looked like a walking disaster, her shirt looked torn.
Part of me greatly wanted to rush into the room and cause a scene and started. One of my feet had started toward the door but I stopped myself. I really did need to go and get showered. I wasn’t going to let this situation stress me out anymore. Taking a deep breath I turned to go back towards my room.
I peaked back into Alex’s room. Darien had insisted that the room be painted and decorated in light blue’s and greys. I hadn’t objected, instead thinking about that expensive ass crib I’d bought back in New York. I missed my apartment and I missed my life. All of it seemed a million years away now.
What if I tried to leave this life now? If I stole away with Alex in the dead of night and just went back to my life. I could do it and I could turn away from this family. I could turn away from Darien and his influence.
Closing the door on my sleeping nephew, I went to my room. It hadn’t even been closed the door good when someone knocked. In the back of my mind, I thought it might be Darien. Opening it I found the nanny instead. Helene looked frantic. Part of me wanted to be hateful towards her.
“Yes?” I asked, my tone extremely curt.
She took a deep breath. “Miss Allanah, I had no idea that Cassie was not suppose to be around Master Alex.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “So Mr. Kiriakis never informed you?”
She shook her head. “No. And now, I worry that I will loose this job. Miss Allanah, I am an old woman but I took this job because my own grand daughter is at university. We need the money.”
Helena looked fragile in front of me. I had never known my own grandmother but I knew she must be giving up things to be here with Alex. I softened toward her. After all, Darien was the one who had not said anything to her about Cassie not being near Alex. A sentiment that I had expressed towards him before I took his offer. I took a breath.
“Helena, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to your job. Alex loves you and I appreciate your work.”
“I’ll feel better hearing that from Mr. Kiriakis. But I will speak to him myself. I just wanted to apologize to you first. Again, Miss Allanah, I am deeply sorry and it will not happen again.”
Helena backed away from my door. I could still see that she was visible upset but I hoped my words had soothed her mind just a bit. I was an ex-bartender and nothing and knew what it was like to live pay check to pay check. I had never had it like the Kiriakis family. Keeping a job was important in order to live and I wouldn’t take that away from Helena no matter how much I hated Cassie’s stank
ass.
Glancing at the clock on my night stand, I hurried into the shower. Once it was nice and hot, I got in with my shower cap on. I had straightened it by flat iron the day before and hoped the wrap cap and shower cap would keep the steam at bay. I didn’t want to sport a full on afro at this event.
I knew they were probably going all out. This family loved to party. Alex’s one year old birthday party was already being planned. It was going to be lit. He already had a few cousins a year older than him who had had massive parties the years before. I actually found myself excited at the thought but he had a little ways to go with only being five months old. September was a little ways off.
Suds slid all around my body as the warmth of the shower covered me. The scent of Mediterranean Lavender body wash soothed me. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite scents.
Rinsing off and stepping from the shower, I reached for a towel. I cleared the fog from the mirror by hand and gasped finding Darien standing in the bathroom with me.
“Christ, let someone know you’re standing there,” I gripped my towel around me like he hadn’t seen me naked a few times now.
“Sorry,” he stated.
“Well what is it?”
I still had enough rage in me I’d go toe to toe with a 6’1 Greek male at a moments notice. I knew my eyes were cutting him like steel.
“I talked to Cassie. Please understand, that what happened today will never happen again. She is a very lonely woman.”
I had shifted my weight onto one of my other legs and instantly my hand had gone to my hip. I didn’t care.
“I don’t care,” I replied. “I straight up told you as one of my conditions Cassie was never supposed to be near my kid.”
“Our kid,” he stated firmly.
“Whatever! You ignored what I said, and never spoke to her or Helena about it.”
“Okay, Lana. I was wrong. I should have set the boundaries.”
“Yeah you damn well should have. But you didn’t. Way to co-parent.”
He seemed taken aback by my comment. I could tell he hadn’t thought of this arrangement as co-parenting. He had thought of this as he was in charge and I was here to do what he said. Darien had clearly not been paying attention that I was not that type of girl. I was not here for taking orders and following blindly.
“Okay. Apologies.” He bit that word out. He wasn’t really sorry and I could tell.
“Yeah whatever. Get your dog on a leash.”
I turned back around and grabbed for my toothbrush. I was hoping the conversation was over now.
“Dog?” He asked.
“Cassie,” I replied spreading tooth paste all over the bristle before sticking it in my mouth. I used slow circular motions and watched him over my shoulder.
“Lana..”
It seemed like an eternity before Darien spoke again. I watched him, he started pacing. This was a man not use to explaining his actions to anyone, let alone a fucking female he barely knew. I continued to brush, and then spit. By the time I was done he spoke again.
“Mikos had her first.”
“Had who?”
He cut his eyes to me and I shut up waiting for him to drop these details. “Cassie. He was with Cassie first. We grew up together, here in Athens. There was a big scandal with her mom…I don’t know all the details. But anyway, her mother worked for us for years and Cassie was always around. She was into all the things we were and then suddenly she wasn’t just a girl but a woman. Anyway, Mikos had her first, but it was kind of a secret. But pretty soon, we shared her.”
“Hold on…let me stop you right there. Are you telling me that you and your brother were fucking Cassie’s no ass having ass?”
“….yes.”
“Mane, fucking white people. This is some Maury shit, but please continue.”
He looked so embarrassed. “Allanah, we were sixteen at the time.”
“And….?”
“Okay, maybe I should stop. I think this is upsetting you.”
“Darien, if your monkey ass don’t finish this ridiculous and I do mean ridiculous story.”
I rolled my fucking eyes and moved past him to go into the bedroom. I sat down on my bed. And wait. But seriously, was I suddenly in West Virginia?
“I stopped after a while with Cassie. She became to entangled. I thought we’d cause a scandal and Mikos wasn’t crazy about the idea of us continuing to share her.”
“Wait at the same time,” I had to fucking ask.
“Again…yes.”
My head hurt. “Sorry, keep going.”
“So, anyway they continued for years, off and on. And I went away to college, Wharton. I was engaged to Aria. We got married, when I came home and it was only a while before me and Cassie just started to get close again. But not in that way, at least it was not an intent on my end to be sexual with her. Aria however sensed something was off; that Cassie had feelings for me. I tried to calm her fears but Aria was irrational.”
“It’s always that one woman whose irrational and for a good reason.” Poor Aria, I thought.
“Anyway, news came of Mikos’s death. Me and Cassie slept together a few more times after that. And that’s when I found you, Allanah.”
“Well…” I paused. “I am not your ex wife. Cassie comes near me again, I will whoop her ass again. And then I’ll probably do it again just to make sure she gets it. Do we have an understanding?”
He sighed, and I took that as a yes.
“Good. I don’t want to keep acting hood in this foreign country.”
I stood up and glided towards the door. Darien said nothing further. This story had just made me want to call Jerry Springer, but I was going to move past that because it had happened before I’d entered the picture. I held the door open and looked back to him. He finally got that I wanted him to exit so I could get dressed in peace. Plus, I still had this wrap cap and shower cap on my head looking crazy as hell. The next time he saw me I was going to be wearing the three-hundred-dollar dress I’d bought earlier.
Chapter 13
The party was taking place at the Kiriakis mansion in their ballroom. The house dated back to at least the 1800s and had been in their family for years. It was so strange to think of Alex being able to trace his roots on his father’s side so far back that even the house had a history.
The ball room where the party was being held had been decorated in gold everything. Even the helium field balloons that were littering the high ceiling were the color of 24 K. There was a welcome home cake dripping in gold.
Once the party really started, I made sure to stay clear across the room from Darien. I was still processing the story he’d told me. Things made a lot more sense now. That was for damn sure. It explained exactly why Cassie hadn’t liked me from day one. Her lame ass had seen me as some sort of threat.
Why, was the real question? I was more than happy to play mistress to keep Alex on the right path in life; but this arrangement wasn’t going to go further than that. Darien knew it; and I knew it.
What I really needed though, was for Dana to wake up from her coma. Alex needed her; but mostly, I needed her.
I had struck up a conversation with the actual female cousins at the party. They were all moms too so we had a lot to talk about: Octavia and Penelope.
“My gosh, is Alex sleeping through the night?” Penelope had asked. She was currently sporting a baby belly and giving it an occasional rub.
“He actually is. He’s always been a great sleeper. He takes after my sister in that reguard,” I was smiling enjoying their company. This was how it was supposed to be, right.
“Alex is such a beautiful boy. If you had met Mikos, those eyes always got him in such trouble with the girls,” Octavia laughed.
I joined in. If she had heard the story I’d just heard about Alex’s father and his uncle, she’d be in stitches. That reminded me too, of something. When he was old enough, we were going go have a serious discussion about the types of women to look o
ut for.
I felt a hand tap me on my shoulder and I turned to look.
“Dance?” He pulled me out onto the floor not even waiting for a reply. I through Octavia and Penelope looks that said I’m sorry as I was dragged away to the dance floor by Andrew.
“Do all Greeks like to shake a tail feather?” I asked, and it didn’t even dawn on me that he might not know what in the hell I was talking about.
He shocked me with his reply. “Is this 2003?”
“Huh?”
“Girl, you are referencing, Nelly. I’m not stuffy like that bloke,” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at his brother; Andrew had more of English accent then he’d let on when we’d met earlier. “Now, he seems really pissed off. What happened?”
“Long story, and it involves your trash ass cousin,” I locked eyes with Darien.
“Yeah, she’s a bit of a whore.”
I sighed. “You knew what you were doing dropping that bomb shell about Aria, didn’t you.”
He smiled. “Secret, love. I live to piss off my older brother.”
“Christ,” I whispered, and he pulled me in close. I could smell his cologne; and a hint of a fresh shower lingered. “What are you doing now?”
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, his hands easing down my body and cupping my ass. I relaxed into him, smiling. This was reckless. “I’m going to really piss off Darien.”
He pulled back from my ear and full on kissed me in the middle of the dance floor. His family member howled and I started to blush. But I didn’t let go of the kiss, in fact I relaxed into in to Andrew’s mouth with my own.
Suddenly Darien was towering over both of us. “Excuse, us Andrew. I need to borrow my, girlfriend for just a moment.”
His hand had wrapped around my arm and he practically dragged me from the crowded room and out into the hallway of Jocasta’s house. Only a staircase separated me from Dana’s room; guilt began to puddle over me and it wasn’t because of Andrew’s kiss. I should have been tending to her, not partying with these people.
“What do you think you were fucking doing in there?”
I was pushed flush against a wall and he towered over me forcing me to look up into his face. “Whatever the fuck I want to,” I growled.