by L. Loren
“Little girl, have you lost your damn mind? I will knock you into the middle of next week if you speak to me like that again. Think I’m playing? Try me!”
I don’t know what I was thinking in that moment. Seriously, I live in my head all day and I still can’t tell you what possessed me to talk back to my mother. I stood firm, wearing my pajama shorts and a tight as fuck tank top, placed my hands on my hips and tuned up my face.
“I am a grown woman. You can’t tell me what to do anymore. What is your problem anyway? I wasn’t even bothering you. I was asleep in my own bed, in my own room and here you come messing with me.”
“First of all, take your hands off of your imagination when you are talking to me.”
“My imagination? That’s funny. I have you know...”
“Child don’t go there. You have the audacity to stand up here in my face thinking you are a grown ass woman. I’ll give it to you. Your little body is bangin’, but please don’t mistake a big ass and tits as what makes you grown. You are a little girl. You live in my house, eat my food and pay not one damn bill. Until you can pay your own way, you will never be a woman.”
She made me sick always throwing it up in my face that I lived at home. She had me and it was her responsibility to take care of me. Why did I need to feel guilty?
“This isn’t just your house. I have a right to be here since you birthed me. My daddy will not let you put me out in the streets. He always takes care of me.”
“Well, I have news for you little girl. Your daddy is my husband, He will no longer be paying your bills. From this moment forward you are on your own. Now, I have called your auntie down in Daytona Beach and she has been kind enough to offer you a job in her hotel. Get dressed while I pack your shit. You’re leaving in an hour.”
“What? I don’t even know that lady like that. How you gonna put me out and send me down there to be her slave? I’m not going. DADDY! DADDY!”
My mom started laughing like the hyena on Lion King. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Where was my Daddy? I needed him and he was not answering.
“Your Daddy and I had a little talk last night and he agrees with me on this. We saw that little video that was all over the news.”
“What video, Mama?”
“You know what I’m talking about. That video with that girl you went down to Miami with. You think we wouldn’t see that nasty thing? That girl all bent over with that old man’s face in her twat. It was everywhere! Your daddy bout lost his mind thinking it was you.”
“Wait, so you know it wasn’t me, but you’re still punishing me? What’s up with that? It’s just not fair, Mama.”
She looked me up and down like I disgusted her. Her lips turned up before she continued talking.
“You know what they say, you are who your friends are. Do you really expect me to believe you weren’t on that boat doing the same thing or worse? I never did like that girl Paradyce that you hang with. I knew she was bad news, dragging you into that world where those nasty old men pay for young girls to be with them.”
Mama shook her head at me like I was the lowest piece of scum on earth. Dang, I sure wasn’t about to fuss with her about being a Sugar baby now. She would probably hit me. Nope. I like being cute. She always mistook my hanging around with Dyce as me having sex with older men so they would pay my bills. That wasn’t exactly the case. True, I dated older men, but there weren’t any strings attached. If they took me shopping as a treat, I wasn’t going to say no.
“Ma...”
“Just swallow that lie you were about to tell, little girl. If you weren’t a Sugar Baby where do all these expensive clothes, shoes and luggage come from? Shit, your wardrobe is better than mine and I have a job.”
She started pulling at my clothes and just my luck my cute little shirt dress that Will brought me in Miami as a joke, found its way into her hands. I had absolutely nothing to say as she pulled the dress from the hangar and thrust it at me.
“If you’re not a Sugar Baby, why the hell do you have this dress that says you are?”
There it was, written in sparkly glitter for the entire world to see. SUGAR BABY was spelled out across the front of the dress. There would be no convincing her. All I could do was tuck my head and move out of the closet towards the shower. That was it. I was moving to Daytona Beach to be a slave in my auntie’s hotel.
The Layover – Chapter 1
Lynn
S
itting in the church listening to the preacher give Sylvia’s eulogy was one of the worst days of my life. I couldn’t even imagine how my niece and nephew were feeling. They lost their mother in a senseless accident and nothing I could say or do could make it better. I knew one thing for sure, there was no way on Earth I was going to abandon them in their greatest time of need. My big sister was always the one who took care of everyone, but her death was the beginning of a new era in the Sutton family. I could no longer do whatever I wanted. Oh no, I had major responsibilities now, two of which were sitting next to me grieving for their mother. Sylvia and her kids were the only real family I had, and I was never going to let them down. I made a silent promise to Sylvia that they would never want for anything. I would give them the world or at least show it to them. I had to be the strong one now. The twins were depending on me and their wellbeing was more important than anything.
I watched as Kaleb cried over his mother’s coffin. It was a heartbreaking scene and I held him close as he broke down. Kaleb was a very sensitive boy who loved his mother more than air. He was totally devastated, and it showed in every breath he took. I was prepared to deal with this reaction. What was disturbing to me was how Kai just stood there showing no emotion at all. My niece had always been the type to hold in her feelings, thinking it was a sign of weakness to show how she felt. I had no idea how to comfort her because she shied away from physical contact as well. At 26 years old, I had no idea how I was supposed to raise a set of thirteen-year-old twins who were total opposites. In the past, they were more like my siblings than my niece and nephew so that gave me a little insight on how to relate to them. Now that I would be a surrogate parent, the dynamic of our relationship would be changing significantly.
After the funeral our challenges began to unfold immediately. I found out my sister had been under the pressure of insurmountable debt. The family was about to be evicted from the house she was renting. The twins were having issues in school that started long before their mother’s death; after which they seemed incapable of rebounding. On top of all that drama, my assistant was unceremoniously reminding me via email and text, I was needed back in the office pronto. I started my own travel agency, right out of college and my clients were very rich and very spoiled. They did not care that my world was turning upside down. The only thing they were concerned about was ensuring their luxury vacations went off without a hitch. With the growing need to support a family, I had to ensure I did not lose any clients, so it was time to get back to work. The fact that my family lived in Raleigh, North Carolina and my business and life was in Atlanta, Georgia posed another challenge.
“Kaleb and Kai, can you please come into the living room?”
“Yes Auntie. Kai is on her way. She was in the bathroom.” Kaleb explained, entering the room as I heard Kai’s soft footsteps as she approached.
“Munchkin and Kai Bear, I need to talk to you about some serious stuff. It seems we need to make a decision about where you want to live.”
“Oh, I get it Auntie, you don’t want us. Are you going to send us to foster care?” Kai snapped.
“No, Kai. What would make you think that I don’t want you? I would never abandon you. You’re my family.”
“Well, I thought since our dad left when things got tough and mama left us alone, you wouldn’t want to be around either.”
The thought of abandoning them never crossed my mind, but I see Kai was immersed in the idea. Her stoic brain was contemplating her next move and the lack of emotions was a prot
ective barrier to her heart. I vowed then and there to break through those protective walls and shower Kai with the love she desired so much.
“First of all Kai, your mama did not leave you by choice!”
“Yes she did! I heard the police say she was drinking when she had her accident. That means she left on purpose because she loved to drink more than she loved us.”
“Kai, I know you are upset, but you must know that your mom did not abandon you on purpose. She made a mistake, though fatal, it was still a mistake.”
“Yeah, one that Kaleb and I have to pay for.”
Hmm this is going to be more difficult than I thought.
“Kai stop blaming mama. You know she loved us. It’s not her fault.”
“You’re so vanilla, Kaleb. You wouldn’t know...”
“Stop it, Kai. I didn’t call you in here for you to turn on your brother. You both have to remember you need each other now more than ever. I need you to promise me that you will always look out for each other and never let anything, or anyone come between you.”
“I promise.” Kaleb enthusiastically hummed.
“Ok, ok I promise too.” Kai agreed after huffing and rolling her eyes.
“Thank you. Now, we need to talk about where we are going to live. As you know I have a business in Atlanta, and I was wondering if you would be willing to move to Georgia with me?” I knew they really did not have a choice, but I wanted the twins to feel like they had some sort of control, even if it was false.
“You mean and leave all of this?” Kai snarled.
“Does that mean you are open to moving?”
“I sure am. I hate it here. School sucks and mama is gone. There is nothing here for me anymore,” Kai stated.
“I would rather stay here. It’s where mama lived with us,” Kaleb added.
“Kaleb, I have to tell you, the landlord sent a notice asking us to vacate in the next 30 days. Even if we stayed in Raleigh, we would not be able to stay in this house.”
“What do you mean? Mama paid the rent every month on time.”
“Munchkin, I have no idea what was going on with your mom’s finances, but from what I can tell, she was in a lot of debt. She never mentioned anything to me, but her bank account was overdrawn and there are bills with past due notices in her room. I think it would be much better for everyone if you get a fresh start down in Georgia.”
“Auntie, why can’t we just stay here?” Kaleb whined.
“Truthfully, I have to be able to support you guys and my job is in the A. There are great schools there and a million more things to do than here in Raleigh. It just makes sense to move you guys there instead of me moving here without a job or any prospects.”
The decision was clear, and we all agreed to move the twins to Atlanta and try to pick up the pieces of our lives. We knew eventually things would get easier as long as we stuck together like family should.
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About the Author
L. Loren holds a Business Management Degree from the University of Mount Olive. As a former call center supervisor, her desire to write lay dormant for years, until she found the courage to live her dream. She is currently based in Birmingham, AL with her loving and supportive husband.
L. Loren created her own brand of erotic romance that she dubbed LoveRotica - Love stories with an edge of sexy. Her catalog of sexy stories is self-published and available on Amazon.
Her stories and poems have been featured in magazines, and several anthologies. L. is also the curator of the Love is Color Anthology, available for free on Smashwords.
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Also by L. Loren
The WanderLynn Experience Series:
The Layover
Island Adventures
Destination Home
The Triple Threat Series:
Egyptian Nights
Model Behavior: Kenya’s Tale (Coming Soon)
Naughty Nairobi (Coming Soon)
Walk of Fame Series:
Hall Pass
Wolffy Maxx (Coming Soon)
Predators MC Series:
Predators MC (Available exclusively to newsletter subscribers)
The Taming of LaRue
Obsession (Coming Soon)
Lady Guardians Serial:
Lady Guardians: The Wrong Side of Right
Once Upon A Villain Series:
Untangled
SinFul! (Short Story in Book 5 Anthology)
The Lunchtime Chronicles Series:
Bottoms Up
Fresh Meat (Coming March 25, 2020)
Christmas Stories:
A Phat Ash Christmas
Nona’s Bleu
Short Stories by L. Loren:
Parasol
Stormy’s All-Star Weekend
The Kitsune Tattoo (AMBW Halloween Anthology)
Club Escape
Anthologies:
Cabin Fever (Coming March 31, 2020)
‘Tis The Season for Villains
Love is Color
Shades of AMBW Halloween
Shades of AMBW Valentines
Christmas Kisses
Lovestruck