And she did.
But by the time she did, he was spent.
He collapsed against her, causing her to smile, and she held him up. And then they cleaned up and returned to the others.
When they returned, Fiona stood up grinning and nudging Mo, with that see, I told you look on her pretty face. But Mo wasn’t thinking about that woman as he stood up. He was thinking about the Shetfields he was about to meet, and if they were the drug kingpins he suspected they were.
Richard had butterflies, too, but for a very different reason. He just never liked going back home. It never ended well for him. But he was home now.
And he didn’t delay any longer. With his arm protectively around Janet, they all deplaned.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Monty buttoned his suit coat when he saw his brothers and Fiona, and two additional people get off the plane and head his way.
His assistant, Donna, was looking too. “Who are they?” she asked.
“The old guy I do not know who he is. The woman,” Monty said, “now that would be Janet, I suppose.”
Donna looked at Monty. “Who’s Janet?”
“Richard’s lady.”
Donna looked at Janet and then looked back at Richard. “Not his usual sort, is she?” she asked.
“Thank God!” Monty said, and then he stood erect as they were upon them.
“Hey, big brother,” Spencer said. “Why are you working Donna on a beautiful day like today?”
“She doesn’t have to work,” Monty retorted, looking more at Janet than anybody else. “She won’t get paid, but she doesn’t have to work.”
“Hello, Spence,” said Donna. “Don’t mind him.”
Spencer smiled and gave Donna a peck on the cheek. “How you been, little lady?”
“I’ve been great.”
“Hello, Richard,” Monty said, still staring at Janet. “I see you brought Janet Evans with you,” he said.
Janet found it odd that both of Richard’s brothers seemed to know of her far more than she knew of them.
“Yes, this is Janet. Janet, this is my old-ass brother Montgomery.”
“Hi,” Janet said with a smile and she and Monty shook hands. She didn’t think any man could be better looking than Richard. She was wrong. Monty was, as Fiona had referred to him, dreamy. Even though she also said she couldn’t stand him.
“And this is Janet’s one-time foster parent, Maurice Riley,” Richard said to Monty.
“Hello, Maurice,” Monty said, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” said Mo.
Fiona hit Spence in the back so hard that everybody heard the lick.
“Ouch!” Spence said. “What are you doing?” he asked Fiona. “He already knows you!”
“But he’s ignoring me,” Fiona whispered back to him.
Spencer looked at Monty. “And Fiona’s here. You remember Fiona, my fiancée, don’t you?”
“Ready?” Monty asked, mainly to Richard and Janet.
“We’re ready,” Richard said.
“We been ready,” said Mo, and they all laughed as they piled up in Monty’s Navigator.
Donna sat up front with Monty, who was driving. Richard and Janet sat on the middle row, with Richard moving Janet so close to him that her shoulder was in his armpit and his arm was completely around her as if he was taking no chances with her security whatsoever. And Mo, Spencer and Fiona sat on the back row.
“Like stepchildren,” Fiona was heard saying, but Monty ignored her the way he usually did, and took off. Like Richard usually had, he also had a cigar between his fingers, too, as he drove. But thankfully, Janet thought, his cigar wasn’t lit inside the car.
But when they drove up to the big house, a house where the driveway was two miles long and snaked around until they were parking parallel to the main house, Janet and Mo thought they were in a movie. They’d never seen anything like it. Mo thought it was like a house straight out of Dallas or Dynasty. Janet thought it was straight out of Empire, with waterfalls out front and a statue of three horses in the circle at the top of the driveway. There were also a slew of expensive cars in the circle. It was all magnificent to see.
“Is this your parents’ home?” Janet asked Richard.
“My parents? No,” said Richard. “This is Monty’s spread.”
Janet looked at Richard. She was surprised. Monty was a little older than Richard: he looked to be a man in his early forties. And the idea that he owned so much land and beauty at his age was impressive. Did he have a wife, or children? Richard didn’t mention it, and Fiona seemed to suggest he didn’t have either.
When he stopped his SUV, everybody got out. It wasn’t lost on anybody how possessive Richard was of Janet, especially when he noticed a certain car in the driveway. A Ferrari. “Dad’s here?” he asked Monty.
“Apparently so,” said Monty as he began making his way toward the entrance. “He apparently showed up while I went to meet your plane.”
Janet could feel Richard’s body tighten beside her, as they went inside.
Three people, Carter Shetfield and her ex-husband Fred Shetfield, along with his new, young, Russian bride, were seated at the huge dining table at the opposite end of the living room when they walked in, and Spencer and Fiona hurried toward them.
“Dad, Mom, hi!” Spencer said, thrilled to see them again.
Even Fiona was happy to see them. “Hey, Ma and Dad,” she said. And they all hugged each other.
But Richard walked slowly with Janet and Mo into that dinning hall. Monty stayed near the entrance, giving Donna some final orders before she took her leave, but he was glancing at Richard too. To their father, Richard was the black sheep of the family even though he was as rich as Monty. But it wasn’t about money with Fred Shetfield. It was all about respect. Monty and Spence respected their father. Richard did not.
“Hello, Dickie,” his mother said as Richard left Janet’s side and walked around and hugged his mother’s neck.
“Hello, Mother,” he said.
“You smell so good. You and Monty always smell so good.”
Carter Shetfield had always majored in the minor details of life all Richard’s life. He ignored it now. “I want you to meet Janet Evans,” he said instead. And then he added: “My girlfriend.”
Janet almost blushed when he referred to her in such an official way, and in front of his parents no less. And Carter smiled. But Fred Shetfield was staring at Janet.
“It’s so good to meet you,” Carter said as she shook Janet’s hand. “You have such a nice figure,” she added. “When I was young, I had a figure like that. Used to have to beat the boys off of me, yes, I did. I’ll bet you have to do the same.”
Fred Shetfield gave a one-syllable laugh that Janet and Richard both knew was meant to be snarky. And they both ignored him.
“No ma’am, I didn’t have that experience,” Janet said, “but it is so nice to meet you too.”
“And this is her former foster parent, Maurice Riley,” Richard said to his mother.
“Very nice to meet you, Maurice,” Carter said as she and Mo shook hands.
“Nice to meet you, too, Carter. Strange name for a lady.”
“I told my parents the same thing. But they said that’s too bad. They agreed their only child would be named after my paternal grandfather no matter what gender that child turned out to be. So Carter it was when I was born.”
“Not that it’s your fault,” said Mo. “Just an odd name, that’s all.”
“You are so right,” Carter said.
Then Mo looked across the table, at the big man and his young bride. If there was any drug dealing going on, Mo surmised, it was going to go through him. But he didn’t look like the type at all. “You must be the senior Shetfield,” Mo said.
“That’s our father, Fred Shetfield,” Spencer said because he knew Richard wasn’t going to introduce him.
“Nice knowing you,” Mo said to Fred.
�
�You don’t know me, but okay,” Fred responded.
Although Mo liked Carter right off, he didn’t care for Fred at all. That guy, he felt, needed to come down a peg or two. He looked at Fred’s bride. “That your daughter?” he asked Fred, and Carter laughed.
Fred frowned. “Does she look like my daughter? Of course that’s not my daughter!”
“How was he to know? She’s certainly young enough,” Carter said.
“Stay out of my gotdamn business,” Fred shot back at his ex-wife.
“Don’t you talk to her that way!” Richard fired back.
And then silence ensued as the tension became thick in the room.
“Come have a seat beside me,” Carter said to Janet, patting the chair beside her.
“Yes, ma’am,” Janet said as Richard moved over and pulled out the chair for Janet. Mo took his own seat, in a chair against the wall.
“I wish I could say Richard has told me a lot about you,” Carter said to Janet, “but he doesn’t tell me anything about his life whatsoever.”
“Nothing to tell,” said Fred. “Following in his brother footsteps, as usual. That’s all he has to tell.”
Richard looked at his father. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said. Montgomery likes black, so now you like it too.”
Richard frowned. “Fuck you!” he yelled.
“Dickie!” said Carter.
“Come on, Richard now,” said Spencer.
But Janet didn’t say a word. Richard didn’t respect his father, and for good reason.
Then the chef entered from out of the kitchen. “Dinner will be served in ten-and-a-half minutes,” he said, and went back into the kitchen.
Nobody found it odd but Janet that the chef added half-minutes to the dinner time, but she assumed it was some rich people thing she knew nothing about. Mo didn’t know it either. He gave Janet a what the fuck look.
“I’ll go wash up,” Janet said, pulling back from the table.
“Fee, show her where,” Spencer said to his fiancée and Fiona was happy to do something useful.
But as the two women were walking away, Richard was staring at his father, waiting for him to say something smart. Not for nothing was he concerned, but because his father could be a very cruel man. Because his father had that sneering look on his face as he stared at Janet. But only this time, his remark wasn’t just some mild snarky comment. It was downright disrespectful.
“She’s no Halle Berry, is she?” Fred said as he continued to stare at the retreating ladies. Then he looked at his son and smiled. “For you to want that,” he said, “she must have some real good cunt between those legs!”
Before he could finish speaking, Richard’s rage had already exploded and he jumped over that dinner table, grabbed his father by the throat, and they both fell over his chair and crashed to the floor.
“Dickie, no!” his mother cried, rising to her feet.
“Dick, don’t do it!” cried Spencer, scrambling over the table, too, to break up the fight.
Janet and Fiona turned around when they heard the cries and Monty, still over by the front door talking with his assistant, saw it, too, and began running toward the scene.
Janet almost outran him and they both got in that dining hall at the same time.
By that time, Richard had his father down on his back. He had one hand around his father’s throat and was punching him as hard as he could punch with his other hand. His rage was unleashed.
Spencer was on top of Richard, trying to pull him off their father, but Richard wasn’t budging.
But Monty hurried over, grabbed Richard beneath his armpits, and lifted him up and away from Fred. But Richard broke away from Monty as soon as Monty had stood him up and leaned over to his father, even before his father, bleeding at the nose, could stand back up. “You will respect her!” he yelled, pointing angrily at him. “You will respect her! You will respect her!”
And the room went still. Nobody in that room had ever seen Richard defend anybody, especially some woman, in all his life. It shocked them all. Especially Monty. But Monty was shocked in a happy way. About damn time, he thought.
Janet wasn’t shocked at all. She had come to expect him to be her protector. It was a natural fit to her. And she didn’t even care what his father said that triggered him. All she knew was that Richard had already told her that she would never have to take anybody’s disrespect ever again. That apparently included his own father.
She hurried to him. Although Richard was still seething, he placed his arm around Janet.
But as their father stood on his feet, seemingly too stunned to speak, Monty had the final word. It was his house, after all. “Time to go, Pop,” he said to his father.
Fred was stunned. “What?”
“Get your girl and go,” Monty said.
“You’re kicking me out? Is that what you’re doing?”
“Yes,” said Monty. Even Janet could tell he didn’t like doing so. “Just go,” he said.
Richard could see that pained look on his father’s face when Monty didn’t stand up for him, since Monty was the only person in the world he truly loved, and he did as his oldest child told him to do. He got his young, Russian wife, and left.
And Mo made up his mind. Fred Shetfield was no drug kingpin. Not the way he took that takedown. But Richard? Now he was gangster, Mo thought. That was a real gangster.
He was going to keep his eyes on that young man.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Early that next morning, after a good night’s sleep at Monty’s house, Richard laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Janet laid beside him, on her side, staring at him.
“Your brother has a beautiful home,” she said.
“Yes, he does. Makes mine look like a shack, doesn’t it?”
Janet laughed. “No!” she said. “And he’s not married?”
“Married? Monty? That’ll be the day! No, he’s not married.”
“Fiona said he doesn’t date white women.”
“He doesn’t date Hispanic women or Asian women or any other kind of women either. Except for black women. They’re the only ones he bothers with. And he doesn’t bother with them too often either.”
“But why only black women?” Janet asked.
“That’s what he likes. They’re the only ones that turn him on. But as for me, I like’em all,” Richard said with a smile.
Janet pushed him. “I’m sure you do!” But then her look turned serious. “What did your father say about me?” she asked him.
“Ah, babe, you don’t even want to know.”
“Richard,” Janet said. “Look at me.”
Richard looked at her.
“Honesty between us, no matter how painful, is the only way this is going to work. You can’t keep unpleasantness from me, and I won’t keep it from you. Just be honest. That’s all I’m asking. Trust me, I can take it.”
Richard saw the sincerity in her eyes. But also the concern about what his father said about her. She didn’t really want to know, he could tell, but she felt she needed to know. To keep her guard up. And he told her. “He said you’re no Halle Berry.”
Janet grinned. “True,” she said.
“And what I’m attracted about you is apparently between your legs.”
“Ouch,” said Janet. “I can feel the sting of that! Although,” she added.
Richard looked at her. “Although what?”
“It did cross my mind a time or two as well,” Janet said.
Richard turned onto his side. “Why would you have thought that?”
“The first time we made love, remember? I expected to see you again. And I did. Six years later. Made me wonder if this was what that was too.”
“And what did you think it was six years ago?” Richard asked.
“I thought it was exactly what it was,” said Janet. “A hit and run.”
Richard’s heart dropped.
“That’s what it was, right?”
Richard hated to admit it. “Yes,” he said. “I didn’t mean for it to be that, but yes. That’s what it was. But how could you think that our relationship now is the same thing?”
“Because I was afraid, Richard. I was a hopeful fool six years ago. I thought we had made a connection back then, too, and the sky was the limit for us. I didn’t pay attention to the fact that you looked depressed when you took me to that drug store to get that morning after pill. I didn’t pay attention to the fact that you looked anguished driving me to work. And when Lance said you gave me that car later that same day, I just knew I had met the man of my dreams. And I kept looking all day and waiting to see you come to the mill to get me. But you never came. Nor did you call. That devastated me. It reminded me of that dream I had of my parents, when they left me too. I shouldn’t have felt that way. You never promised me anything. Not even a phone call. But it still devastated me. And I knew that this time it’ll be like beyond devastation if it turns out to be another hit and run job just like before.”
Richard grabbed her and pulled her into his arms as if he was a very desperate man. “It’ll never be that way again,” he promised her. Then he pulled back and looked at her. “You said I didn’t promise you anything the last time. And you’re right. But this time, I promise you this: I’ll be there for you. I’ll never leave you again. I will give it my all to make this work. Just like I should have six years ago. But I just wasn’t ready, Janet.”
“But you’re ready now?” Janet asked him, staring into his eyes as if she was searching them for any shred of doubt.
“I am ready now,” Richard said, no doubt found. “I’m so tired of one-night stands and loveless relationships and women who only want what I can give to them. You want to give to me. And you have asked for nothing in return. But you’re going to get plenty in return,” Richard insisted. “Beginning with my heart. Beginning with my love. Beginning with being my woman, a woman every human being on the face of this earth had better respect. Or they’ll going to answer to me. And that includes my family.”
Plain Jane Evans and the Billionaire Page 18
