by Edwina Fort
What the world?!
Alright, just let me think about this for a minute. I had a choice to make. There was no doubt in my mind that if I added up all that had been spent on me today, it would equal a staggering amount.
I’ve never owned anything like the items I held in my hand. It wasn’t that I was cheap, it’s just that I poured all of my money into the clinic and would feel absolutely horrible if I wasted it buying myself things like this, when there were children and adults alike who depended on the clinic for a meal once a day.
And let me tell you, that was a program I was struggling to hold on to. But thank God I’ve been able to manage thus far, although, I honestly didn’t know how much longer I would be able to. Maybe if I—
No!
Worry-free weekend!
Right! So, anyway, if I’m ever going to have anything like the items I now held in my hands, it would have to be a gift from someone because as we’ve established, I would never buy them for myself.
Would it really be a horrible thing to accept these once in a lifetime opportunities, even if it is coming from a man that I should not be establishing this kind of relationship with and is planning on telling after this weekend was over, that we needed to end whatever this is we’ve started?
Yep, that’s what I said too… This one time won’t kill me. And if you really think about it, this is the least Naphtali could do, seeing as to how he tortured me when we were kids. How much is my pain worth? Surely, a pair of diamond earrings and the matching bracelet.
That bit of vain reasoning was all the convincing I needed. Standing, I stripped out of my clothes before carefully putting on each wonderfully amazing item he’d gifted me with.
Because I didn’t want to ruin this beautiful dress with my red eyeglasses, I decided to wear my contacts instead, so glad I’d thought to pack them. When it was all said and done, I stood in the mirror staring at a stranger.
I swear the last time I felt this beautiful was prom night. The beautician had flat ironed my hair before curling it in an updo that left my neck exposed. She let a few curls artfully escape in a way that looked as if it had happened naturally. Because of the conditioning massage, my brown skin glowed almost as beautifully as the yellow satin that rested against it.
And these shoes…My goodness! They made my legs look long and graceful. I felt like a model. I did a little twirl in the mirror and cried out in joy when the dress swished beautifully around my legs like only satin could.
“The girl in the yellow dress.”
The sound of Tucker’s deep voice startled me. I turned to see him standing in the door looking delicious in all black. This man could have easily gotten a career as a model. He wasn’t just sexy. He was the dangerous kind of sexy. Get a girl to make a complete fool of herself kind of sexy. Make a girl beg kind of sexy.
He looked good in jeans and a t-shirt. But tonight, he’d traded those in for a black button-up shirt and a pair of black slacks that molded against his muscled frame in a way that showed they had been tailored especially for him.
On his feet were pair of black Italian leather boots. Instead of the big gold chains he normally wears, he’d settled for a smaller one that nicely highlighted his dark skin. Outside of that, the only other jewelry he wore was a diamond stud in his ear and a gold watch that I was sure cost more than my house on his wrist. He held another jewelry box in his hand, this one long and thin.
I opened my arms doing another little twirl, mainly because I liked the feel of the satin material caressing my legs.
“How do I look?”
"You look…" His words trailed off as his gaze took its time taking me in, all while he walked toward me as if he could not resist my pull. I had to fight to control my giddiness. I didn’t want him to see the effect his approval had on me.
“Amazing,” he finished, drawing me into his arms. He leaned down to kiss me, but I leaned all the way back.
“What are you doing?”
“I want a kiss!” he growled.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. You’re going to mess up my lipstick.”
It was something about what I said that really turned him on because another growl left his throat before he pulled me to him and completely ravished my mouth. The kiss was so hot, I damn near said, skip the party, you have to put out the fire you started.
When he lifted his head, he looked down at my kiss swollen lips and smiled. “Yeah, I like that sh*t.”
I spun back to the mirror and to my horror, saw that he’d successfully smeared my lipstick in a way that made it seemed as if he’d had his dirty way with my mouth.
“Dang it, Tucker!” I whined as I picked up a napkin to try and repair my lipstick. It was then I felt the cold touch my neck.
“Whaaa” Stunned, I watched as he gently lay a yellow diamond teardrop necklace around my throat.
“Oh my God, Tucker,” I whispered as I lifted fingers that shook to touch it. “Is this real?”
He chuckled. “Yep…”
I turned around to face him. There was no way I could accept this. If I did, it would send the wrong message. No one spent this kind of money on a friend, not even a friend with benefits.
I shook my head as I opened my mouth to tell him I couldn’t take it, but he only dipped in and took my lips in another kiss that I was more than positive was ruining my lipstick again.
“It’s yours, I’m not taking it back, so don’t bother trying.” He took my hand. “Come on, we’re late.”
That knocked the wind out me, so much so that when we walked out the side door to see the sleek black helicopter sitting on a launchpad in the center of the yard, I couldn’t do anything but stare like a deer caught in the headlights. My senses were being overwhelmed.
He told me as we flew that his friend‘s place was high up in the mountains and the drive took too long, the quickest way up was by helicopter. My face was pressed to the window as I stared down at the beautiful trees. And then the mansion came into view and amazingly, it was an actual castle surrounded by beautiful gardens.
As we were landing, we flew over what looked like a maze made of roses. “Is that a maze?” I asked pointing down to it, my curiosity good and pricked.
“Mmmhhhmmm, maybe if we have time, we can check it out. Not many people can find their way out once they enter.”
I chuckled. “I wouldn’t have a problem. I’m a bit of a puzzle fanatic. Haven’t seen one yet that I couldn’t solve.”
“Is that a fact?” he asked as he helped me step out of the chopper onto the red carpet that had been rolled out for us to walk on so that we didn't have to step in the grass.
Wow! Fancy…
“Yes, my good friend,” I told him. “That’s a check you can take to the bank.”
Bringing my hand to rest on his arm so that he could escort me across the lawn, he chuckled again. “Alright, I might hold you to that.”
I looked up amazed as several more helicopters began to land on the massive lawn around us. There were x’s marked on the grass, showing them where to safely land. In front of them red carpet, each of them leading to a long strip that led to a massive stone stairway that was lit with candles.
The sun had just begun to set in the sky and several servers hurried around the ground lighting torches that cast a romantic glow on everything. Others held golden trays with champagne on them. I could hear the bass of the dance music coming from inside and strobe lighting bursting from the windows.
“So…this is how the very rich party, huh?”
His gaze came to mine. But before he could respond, I heard a voice that threw a bucket of cold water on my good time.
“Free… Is that you? Oh my God, Layla! Free is here…”
Crap!
Chapter 11
The Best of Both Worlds
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways…
--James 1:8
Free
“Laureen, wow!” I said with a smile so fake I thought my
cheeks would shatter. “What are you doing here?”
Dear God, if you’re merciful, please take me anywhere else.
“Oh, and look! Dillion’s here with you.” Of course, he is…
“Hey, Free,” he bit out between clenched teeth, eyeballing my hand that rested on Tucker’s arm.
“Why wouldn’t I be here. These are my friends after all!” Laureen continued.
The expression on her face was clear. She couldn’t believe Tucker was here with me. During his bullying days, they had only seen him be mean to me. They never saw him grab me into the janitor’s closet and kiss my lips till they were swollen, or sneak into the library and pull me behind the bookshelves where nobody ever went, attacking my mouth as if he was starved for it.
As far as they knew, he hated the very ground I walked on. Poor Laureen looked as if she swallowed a lemon. Meanwhile, Tucker was busy chatting with the other guy that stepped off the chopper with them. My guess is, he was Layla’s date. But whoever he was, he and Tucker were good friends and hadn’t seen each other in a while, they greeted each other with that one arm man hug.
He asked Tucker if Jackson and Asher were coming tonight, to which Tucker replied no, that they couldn’t get away from the station.
“My question is what are you doing here?” Laureen insisted like the pest she is.
“Well, Laureen, obviously I was invited.” I wanted to tell her it was a free freaking country and I can go anywhere I wanted but didn’t want to start a fight in front of all these strangers. If that was one thing Angie taught us, was to keep our family dirt sealed behind closed doors. To the world, we were a happy family. Them the wealthy big hearts that took in the little poor orphan, and me the poor orphan who was more than grateful for their generosity.
Goodness! I almost threw up.
Layla finally joined us and I inhaled, preparing myself. Out of the two, she was definitely the eviler twin. When she realized it was me, her mouth popped open like someone slapped her. Her surprised gaze went from my shoes to my dress, and finally settled on the diamond necklace around my neck…I could see her calculating the price of each item as she went along. This was truly a talent that only rich, spoiled people possessed.
The word how formed on her lips, but right then, Naphtali’s arm came around my waist. When I tell you smoke came from that sista’s ears… She looked just like Wile E. Coyote after swallowing a stick of dynamite.
I guess she got her answer…
“Hey, Free, funny bumping into you here.” She nodded at Tucker. “And with him, of all people.”
“You ready,” Naphtali asked when he finished talking to the other guy.
“Oh yes!” I smiled and let him lead us away. Perfect timing. I could feel all three of them boring holes in my back.
“Oh my God, Tucker! You’re not even going to speak to me?” Layla cried after us.
He lifted a hand without turning around. “What’s up.”
Ryan, the guy that was hosting the party, who was also one of the Beautiful Ones and had been a huge jerk to me in high school, met us at the top of the steps. He must have told his servers to notify him as soon as Tucker’s chopper landed.
“Bro! It’s so good to see you! I thought you had forgot about us little people back here.” He joked as he and Tucker clasped hands in the bro hug. My gaze traveled all the way up to the towers of his castle. Little people my ass.
“Come on, man, you know I’ll never forget my boys. Just been hella busy. Finally got a little vacation time,” Tucker told him, guiding me through the grand doors to a huge foyer. Ryan’s gaze finally fell on me.
“Wow! And who is this beautiful lady?” he said, reaching for my hand. Tucker brought his hand between ours, stopping them from touching.
“Mine,” he growled.
"It's me…Free!" I said at the same time. If not for Tucker, Ryan would have been my main bully. But most times, Naphtali scared him away from me. I literally heard him tell him in high school to stay away from me, and that I was his to torture.
Ryan took in the glare on Tucker’s face before he cautiously looked at me and grinned mischievously. He was the chuckle knucklehead of their crew. The practical jokester.
“Damn, Free! You looking good as hell! Bro, don’t kill me!” he yelled, sliding out of Tucker’s reach just in time, holding up his hands. We all shared a good laugh over that. I see he was still immature.
“Hey, man, when I heard you were coming, I had a VIP area set up, so that you can have a good time without everybody bombarding you. Once word spread that you’re here, it’s going to get crazy. Follow me…” He led us through the huge doors that led into what was clearly a ballroom that had been decorated to resemble one of those swanky nightclubs. We walked through dancing bodies to a little alcove that sat off towards the very back of the room. And sure enough, two big bodyguards stood in front of it, ready to stop anyone without clearance.
Tucker chuckled, shaking his head when he saw them. “Ryan ass was always extra.” He said close to my ear.
“What? You don’t trust these guys to keep you safe?” I joked.
“Pssst… Yeah, right. If the sh*t go down, I would probably have to keep them safe.”
“Wow…I forgot how humble you are.”
He chuckled before throwing my words back at me. “Truth is truth. That’s a check you can take to the bank, baby.”
Even though he was being vain, I believed him. If anything went down, like he put it, I would definitely roll out with him over the two fellas that stood at the entrance of this room.
“This area is for the Beautiful Ones,” Ryan said as he showed us to a table that was clearly for the king. “But this table is for you and your beautiful lady. What can I get you guys to drink?”
And by him, he meant his waitstaff manager that followed him, ready to assist him in any way. My nerves were so frayed I was more than ready for a drink.
“Margarita, please…”
Now this is where you guys need to pay close attention because whatever happened to piss Tucker off, happened sometime after that.
Ryan’s attempt to keep Tucker from being swarmed with people worked for the most part, but it did nothing to protect him from the Beautiful Ones and their immediate friends. All of them wanted to be next to him or to talk to him… even take pictures with him on their cell phones. It was madness. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if not for the big guys turning everybody else away that heard he was here and wanted to chat with him.
You guys thought I was joking when I said he was worshipped by these people. I wasn’t…It was ridiculous. He kept me by his side, but I was extremely uncomfortable being in the midst of so many Beautiful Ones. None of them was nice to me in school. I remember all of them laughing at me one time or another.
But since I was here with Tucker, they all pretended like none of it ever happened. Well… at least the men did. Layla, Laureen, and the rest of the hens laughed and talked about me behind their hands.
Goodness! You would think they were back in high school and not adults with careers and families.
Tucker was in his zone and seemed genuinely pleased to be around his friends again. So, I don’t think he could tell I wasn’t having a good time. I mean, for the record, I kept a smile on my face and pretended to be interested in whatever he and whoever had fought to be next to him were chatting about.
Meanwhile, Dillion stood off to the side of Laureen like the lump he was, giving me mean glances all evening. I know it’s said that men are clueless, but Tucker had to know I wouldn’t be comfortable at a party with my ex…right?
And not only that, an ex who left me for my sister, who was also at this party. It kind of felt like he was enjoying showing off the fact that he and I were together. His hand stayed on my lower back and every now and again he would lean over and kiss my shoulder. I’m not going to lie, all these things I would have loved if Dillion wasn’t here watching it.
However, I reached my limit when Layl
a and her date, whatever his name is, made their way to our table to chat with Tucker. Before she could start her nice nasty act of picking on me and making jokes at my expense, I excused myself.
“I’m going to go to the restroom,” I spoke close to Naphtali’s ear so that he could hear me over the music.
He took my hand. “You alright? You want me to go with you?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. And don’t be silly…I’ll be right back.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in his lap before planting one of those kisses on me. Only it was hard for me to get into it because I felt the twins and Dillion's eyes and it was making my skin crawl.
As I headed to the restroom, the only thing I could think of was this wasn’t good. Once this news got back to Angie, she was going to set out to destroy whatever it is me and Tucker thought we had. She didn’t like for me to eat wealthy people's food, wear their clothes, go to the places wealthy people go, so you can imagine how she felt about me dating wealthy men. It was probably why she went out of her way to hook Dillion and Laureen up. Actually, I don’t know if she was behind that…But I would bet money she was.
Anyway, she would really blow a blood vessel if she found out I was fooling around with Naphtali Pelletier, the heir of Aldshore. I can hear her now.
“You’re way out of your league, little girl…”
“You’re setting yourself up for a world of hurt…”
“He’s just having a little fun with the poor black trash before he chooses a girl from his station and marries…"
“Do you honestly think his parents will allow him to marry someone like you? Really…honey? Awwww, that’s so sad, she did…”
Damn it! I should have known when he said his friend was having a party that he was talking about one of the Beautiful Ones. Of course, Layla and Laureen were going to be here.
When I was finished in the washroom, I looked back toward the ballroom and a strong sense of dread came over me. Layla, Laureen, and Dillon were waiting on me to sink their evil claws into my soul. My feet made up my mind for me and took me the other way. This house was so big it was like a museum. I looked for a quiet place so that I could call Rachel, needing to hear her voice. She always had the ability to shine a light on the shallowness of the folks we grew up around. I felt so alone here, I just wanted to talk to someone that was normal.