His brother was an older exact replica of him, as was their father. They all had this Nordic God look about them. Dirty blond hair, ice blue eyes, full pink lips and pale ivory skin. But I didn’t want to fuck his brother. The intensity in him scared me. Sometimes, I caught him looking at me like he wanted to possess my soul. He was the antithesis of Cisero. Cisero was afraid of me. Cisero was easier to handle. Gabriel scared me shitless.
Again, he was on me before I could react. He slammed my back against the shower wall. My nails dug into his flesh if his wrist. He didn’t even flinch. He leaned over and pushed my hair my eyes from my face so I could see him. Rage contorted his features. “I barely tolerate him around you as it is. You fuck him, I’ll kill him then lock you in this fucking basement until the stench of him wears off you.”
I believed him. His brother and him had this fucked up rivalry, they fought for dominance over everything. Though Gabriel seemed to be winning the competition. He had his father’s favor and the girls that Cisero wanted— always wanted Gabriel first.
“So, what you’re saying is, you can’t fuck me because Daddy said not to, and I can’t fuck your brother because you said not to. What happened to do what feels right? I think fucking Gabriel will feel right,” I taunted.
“You’re infuriating,” he shouted before pulling away and lightly shoving me further away from him.
I bounced off the wall and laughed. He backed up even further.
A shadow crossed his face. “Like I said before, there’s an order to things, but our day will come, Justice.” His tone was deliberate and methodical. Like he had it all planned out. I thought about telling him that our day would never come if he didn’t take what I was offering right then. He’d never get another chance, but I kept my mouth shut. Common sense was urging me to leave well enough alone.
I watched him as he pulled off his wet shirt and pulled a t-shirt from the dryer to slide over his head.
Then he pivoted and stalked over to the stairs and stomped his way up without a backwards glance.
“See you later, Summerime,” I called behind him before he slammed the door.
When he was out of sight, my heart slowed enough for me to finish my shower. The water beating against my skin felt good enough to be a substitute for the rain. The melody from Coldplay’s Fix You started playing in my head, so I sang it.
After showering, I threw on the first thing I found in the dryer. A thin shirt and biker shorts I worked out in. I borrowed the maid’s kindle and found a good book to read. Reading could always distract me. I was able to forget how fucked up my life was. I sat on the basement floor for hours until the noise upstairs ceased. When I checked the time, it was after one in the morning. Five hours had passed since Cisero carried me down the steps. I knew everyone would be gone so I finally crept back up them. Checked to make sure no one was in the kitchen. I had to walk past Charles’ office to get to my room and heard grunting and moaning.
Nosy, I peeked in the cracked door. Instead of finding Charles and one of the maids like I had twice before, I found Summertime and his brother’s girlfriend, a blond. I think her name was Ashley, or Jenny or ankle or whatever. He had her bent over the desk. My panties became moist just at the sight. He groaned then craned his neck in my direction. I damn near came on myself when his penetrating eyes found mine. My brain kept yelling for my feet to move, but morbid curiosity kept me pent to the spot.
He watched me as I watched him fuck her. He fucked her like he was angry with her. Gripping her hair, he snatched her head back. She moaned real pretty like, like she enjoyed the pain and I envied her. I wanted to feel too, anything but sadness. Her moans spurred him on, he tugged her hair harder.
Her back arched, mouth gaped open. I bit my lip, holding back a moan of my own. His stroke faltered, then sped up. He got off on me watching him. I held my breath as he came. He stared directly at me. Pushing deep into her, gripping her so tight her pale skin turned bright red. He was beautiful when he came. Too bad I’d never get to personally experience it.
I pushed away from the door before she could see me, then shoved the disappointment and minuscule jealousy I felt to the back of my mind. I made my way to my room. My bags were already packed. I just had to wait for everyone to be sleep. I got dressed, slipping on jeans and a sweatshirt.
I wasn’t going to Harvard. That was the life they wanted for me. Me, I wanted to sing. Singing soothed my weary soul, so I was going to sing. Anywhere that would allow me. I had money to supplement me. Charles had given me the same allowance he’d given his kids; three-hundred-dollars a week for three years. I’d spent none of it. I had no need to. I was provided with everything I needed and didn’t go anywhere. Then he handed me a twenty-thousand-dollar check on the day I graduated high school and another the day I got accepted into his alma mater. And if that wasn’t enough, I had countless pieces of expensive jewelry his wife would buy me for functions that I could pawn if it came down to it. When I figured everyone, including Cisero had gone to sleep, I sent for an uber. The BMW I got on my sixteenth birthday would be staying behind. I didn’t need them using it to track me down.
I put my phone I used for everybody else in the back pocket of my jeans, then pulled my phone that I used only when talking to my sister and text her.
Me- Almost fucked pretty boy, it was intense.
She texted right back like always.
Lovie- You didn’t. I told you not to.
Me- I said almost.
Lovie- Good. He’s not for you. I don’t trust him, but I was sleeping, text me in the morning. My brain can’t function enough right now to unpack what you just told me.
I laughed and texted her goodnight.
Lovie was older than me by two years, but wiser by a lot. She thought me getting involved with Cisero would tether me to him and a life I didn’t want, and she was probably right. I had developed some weirdo feelings akin to hero worship for him over the years.
It was hard not to like him, even if he was an entitled asshole, when he tried to always protect me. When I first came to live with his family and couldn’t sleep that first month because of the bad dreams, he’d wake me up from nightmares then stay with me until I went back to sleep. He made sure nobody bothered me at his overpriced private school his parents forced me to attend and he kept his creepy brother away from me when I didn’t want to be bothered. Turning our relationship physical might make my feelings deeper than they were. Which would make leaving harder. Leaving was a must.
I made my way downstairs with my bag and waited in the foyer. The alert on my phone sounded, letting me know my driver was there. I snuck out the house and met him in the driveway. As we were pulling off, I felt someone watching me. Expecting it to be Summertime, I looked back, but on the third floor, in the window was Gabriel.
He and I had a weird relationship. Even more complicated and complex than Cisero and I. One that I refused to even try to figure out.
I could make out a sad smile on his face, his eyes were full of something I couldn’t read. I waved and mouthed goodbye. He nodded and pulled away from the window. The thought of it being the last time I saw him caused a strange new sadness to fall upon me. My heart ached. I lifted my hand and tried to rub it away, but it remained. I wasn’t emotionally mature enough to understand why and I didn’t want to. I tried to shake it off, but it lingered. So, I pushed it down deep where I hid all my other misery, and unwanted emotion, then I calmed myself by humming. I drove away, Queens, Melancholy blues was my exit music.
Cisero- Four years later.
She’d spotted me as soon as I sat down. How do I know? Once our eyes collided her piercing browns never left mine except every so often, they’d stray to Gabriel. She also had her live band transition from Syd’s Bad Dreams to Summertime, the Janis Joplin’s version, which meant she was high and or sad. I hoped she was high; I never quite knew how to deal with Justice when she was sad.
Thick white smoke burned my eyes as I tried hard to read her expre
ssion but couldn’t. She wouldn’t let me. She kept ducking her head, and I was left to wonder if she was happy to see me or not. I didn’t want it to matter, but it did. Because I had been in lust with Justice Valentine since I was seventeen years old. My father constantly warned Gabriel and I to stay away from her. He went as far as to pay me when he noticed her attraction to me. Regretfully, I took the money.
Almost everything about her had changed, except her face. She had the type of face that would never age. Not subtle changes either. Her hair was long and flowing down her back in big kinky waves as opposed to the big afro of curls she used to wear. Her body was shapelier and fuller. Her skin had a glow that hadn’t been there before, but the most drastic change was the sleeve of tats that ran up her right arm. An intricate snake wrapped around a tree branch. It reminded me of the one Gabriel had inked on his back, a snake eating an apple. I was pissed that he hadn’t let me ink him. He said something about it being personal.
The fact that she was wearing a dress willingly was also noticeable. She used to fight Meredith tooth and nail to keep from putting one on. The brown fabric of the one she was wearing was only a shade lighter than her skin and hugged her curves so tightly she looked nude under the spotlight. She still had the same sad eyes though.
“Fuck, Cisero. Don’t get any ideas. You have that look in your eyes. She’s not yours,” Gabriel barked beside me.
With a frown I’d cut my eyes at my brother, not bothering to hide my annoyance. Wishing he’d go the fuck away or, better yet, hadn’t come at all.
He sneered at me and I wanted to knock the expression off his face.
“What? You’re upset now? I came to help you,” I said
“You came in hopes of helping yourself, to her. I told you to let me handle this,” he replied then ran his hands through his thick blond hair. It looked so much like mine use to before I shaved it all off. I hated I shared a family resemblance with him and out father.
“I’m here because I have to be, and I have it under control.”
I knew exactly how to get Justice to do what we needed her to do without going to the extreme. Drugging and kidnapping her was the extreme.
The music suddenly became louder. Justice voice got bigger. I had to lean in so I could hear him. He was so close I can smell the whiskey on his breath. A little liquid courage.
“Do you really? This is not going to be easy. You sure you can convince her? I say you won’t, and we should just do it my way.” He patted his pocket where a hypodermic needle lay in wait.
I sighed. “We both know Justice well enough to know drugging and dragging her back home will only make her angry and complicate things. We don’t need any more complications. Let me handle this.”
He threw his hands up. “Okay, but when it turns out I’m right, I am taking over. With or without your permission.” He gave me a serious look. “And keep your hands off her.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled under my breath.
I had no intention of letting him take over anything. I’d explain to Justice what we needed her to do—not the why— and she’d willingly oblige me because she rarely said no to me.
Turning I went about forgetting my brother was there. Justice’s silky voice and thinking about finally being inside her made it easy.
Another hour passed before her set wrapped. After being helped off stage by a bandmate she glanced in our direction. Again, I tried to read her, but her expression was completely closed off. So, I gave my full attention to the sway of her hips as she walked away. She was so fucking sexy. I couldn’t wait until we were able to act on my past promise to her. I’d promised her our time would come and I meant it.
I waited until she disappeared around the corner, before I got up. “Stay here, until we come back,” I warned my brother before walking off.
I’d already handed the bouncer a couple hundred to allow me access to the dressing rooms.
She was waiting for me when I entered, like she knew I was coming. She was sitting against her vanity, with a blunt in her hand. Damn she was gorgeous. Her round face and wide. Startling, nearly pitch-black eyes made her look like an expensive baby doll.
Her thick lips curved into a grin. “What are you doing here, Summertime?” Her voice held suspicion but something else also. Knowing, it was like she intuitively knew my visit was about to change her life and she was amused by it. Justice had always been strange.
Her breasts heaved as she took a deep breath. “And give it to me straight without the extra. You two, you and your brother, sitting side-by-side is very—” she paused and took a hit from her blunt before finishing her sentence—“ominous.” The last word floated from between her lips, a cloud of smoke following it.
I hesitated; I didn’t really want to be there. I had plans for our reunion, and they didn’t include my brother. But time was of the essence, so I closed the gap between us.. I stopped right outside her reach. I wanted to touch her. I’d deprived myself so long, the urge to felt like tiny ants crawling under my skin.
“Father’s dead,” I said.
She nodded. “I know. I have a television. One of the richest men in Florida dies while fucking his young new bride. It made the news.” She clucked her tongue. “But what does that have to do with me?”
I sighed and ran my hand over my closely shaven head. I really didn’t fucking want to be there, not under the current circumstances. I could feel my chances to finally have her slipping away. I massaged my tense neck. The action drew her eyes to my tatted forearm.
She blinked hard. “You’ve changed a lot, Summertime. The short hair and tats suit your personality well. The topsiders and khakis were more your brother’s speed. “
When I broke away from my family, I’d underwent a complete overhaul. “I had to. Different lifestyle, different man. You have changed too.”
I let my gaze travel from her bare feet to the top of her head. She bit her lip and squirmed under my appraisal. When our eyes connected, they stayed that way until the pull became unbearable. I took a step. One single step towards her and the spell was broken.
She righted herself and shook her head. She placed her hand out in front of her stopping me from advancing. “No, don’t touch me. Out with it first. I have a feeling what you’re about to say will make me no longer like you, let alone want to fuck you.”
That made me chuckle. I took a step back. Justice had always been blunt about her sexual attraction to me. It made it so hard to resist her.
“You’ll probably still want to fuck me either way.”
“Still a lil smug bastard, aren’t you? “
Before I could tell her what had brought us there, the dressing room door banged open. I didn’t even have to look back to know it was him. The deep frown that settled on her face was all the confirmation I needed. She cut her eyes from me to him then back to me. I dropped my head and shook it. I heard her mumble the word fuck under her breath, then she addressed him.
She nodded. “Gabriel.”
Her distaste for him caused her to spit his name out in disgust. She hadn’t liked him since she’d caught him spying on her while she showered. She broke his nose. But all that seemed to do was make him more determine with fuck with her. I had a feeling there was more to the story than that but neither would tell me.
“Just. How are you?” He pretended to ignore her contempt.
She sneered at him. “Justice, Gabriel. I’ve told you to call me by the name my mother gave me, not your abbreviated version.”
There was a slight tick in his jaw. I managed to catch something akin to hurt flash in his eyes before he turned his attention to me. His feelings really were hurt. It was ridiculous that Gabriel was bone and steel with everyone else but when Justice was involved, he was jelly. I guess monsters had feelings, too.
“Did you tell her?” he asked.
“No,” I grunted, annoyed by his presence.
He shook his head. “I knew you’d you wouldn’t. Move!” He pushed me to the side.
I shoved him right back and stepped forward.
She shook her head and took another pull from her blunt. “This is about to be bad.” She flopped down in the chair behind her. “Out with it” Cisero.
I cringed at her use of my real name. I always hated when she called me Summertime, until she didn’t.
I said, “Father left you all his money.”
She gasped and choked on air. It took her only a second to compose herself, then she shook her head. “Me? No, no no.” She picked up her phone and text her sister. I knew it was her sister because she was using the pink Nokia phone that Gabriel had given her right after she come to live with us. The only person she ever text on it was her sister.
“Y’all not drawing me back into that bullshit. I don’t want it. Y’all can have it. Just have the papers drawn up and I’ll sign them.”
I nodded then sighed. “I knew you would say that. But there are conditions. Conditions you won’t like, but you’ll be free after you fulfill them.”
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then she looked toward the sky as if praying for strength. Her attention went back to her phone. She grimaced as if what she read had bothered her.
“What conditions?” she asked.
“You have to be married with children and or pregnant.”
Father believed that a family and kids would make her happy. Make up for the one she’d lost. Absurd.
“Dun, dun, dun… The plot twist. There’s always one,” she said.
She busted out laughing.” Sorry to tell you, that’s money I definitely won’t be seeing. Not that I wanted it anyways. Too much blood on it.”
“It is not that simple. You can’t just choose to give—”
Gabriel cut me off then stepped forward Gabriel, invading her space. She had to crane her neck up to look at him. “You don’t understand. $200 million will be gone, donated to fucking charities if you don’t claim it within two months. There are people and organizations that depends on the jobs and money this family provides them with. We spent four of the six months you had trying to find you. Time is if the essence.”
Cisero Page 2
