by Tiana Laveen
“Thank you, Mama. I’ll pray for you too.” (((eye roll)))
***
“Couldn’t you find a Black man this time around?”
“I have dated all races of men because right, wrong or indifferent treatment knows no skin color, Mama!”
***
…And the list went on. Mama’s fears and overprotective ways had swung into high gear. Regardless, she appeared to be coming around.
Suddenly, Paxton’s voice rang out, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“I’m almost finished. Just needed to make sure the coffin was secure for tomorrow.”
“Paxton, why don’t you let the crew handle that? I have no idea why you have to go behind everyone and check everything.” She wanted to strangle the man, so tired of his OCD regarding his props and the micro-management of his surroundings. “That’s what these guys get paid for.”
He shook his head and tossed his dark sunglasses onto a nearby table.
“No way. The first and last time I trusted someone to take care of this for me, Ivy, I ended up almost suffocating to death.” He thrust his pointer finger in her direction, his brows dipped low and bunched. “If I’m gonna die, I want it to be because I’m the one who screwed up, and nobody else.”
She huffed at the man’s stubbornness as she slid her computer into her bag and got to her feet, suddenly feeling rather thirsty and hungry, too. It had been over five hours since she’d had a glass of water, or anything to eat. She’d been taking photos of his show that evening and interviewing some of the fans for a follow-up feature.
Some strange but catchy 1980’s funk Japanese tune was playing via Paxton’s phone.
“What’s that song?”
“If You (Wanna Dance Tonight) by Toshiki Kadomatsu. Heard about Japanese vintage funk music while there a couple of years ago. I’m addicted to the stuff now.”
The man’s musical tastes still amazed and titillated her.
“It’s late, baby. We need to get going. I have to be at work by 7:30 in the morning so I’d like at least a couple of hours of shut eye.” She stretched, her exhaustion completely taking over. Sore muscles ran the length of her legs. She couldn’t wait to crawl into bed and dissolve inside a series of dreams like an aspirin in water.
“Help me with something really fast and then we can leave.” The man dragged a heavy treasure chest covered in faux jewels across the empty stage, then returned with long, silky white pieces of fabric, perhaps satin.
“Help you with what?” She trained her neck to see what the bastard was up to. He wrapped the material a few times around his hands, then snapped it and moved it about. “I’ve never seen those before.” She pointed at the cloth he was working in his hands.
“Right, it’s new. I need you to tell me if it’s sheer and strong enough. I need a second opinion.”
“Okay, anything to get home faster. Let’s get this over with.” She closed her eyes as he tied the scarf around her eyes, cinched it in the back, then used the other scarf to bind her wrists. “Now what?”
“Can you see?” She moved her entwined hands in front of her face to no avail.
“Nope. I can’t even make out light and shadows. Why didn’t you use a dark material though? Wouldn’t that have been a sure bet?”
“Because it doesn’t match the theme. It’s for a heavenly premise. White clouds… things of that nature.” She nodded in understanding. “All right, shake your wrists, move them around.” She swung her arms right and left, up and down, and tried to pull them apart from one another. “Good?”
“Yeah, I can’t get out of this scarf.” She stood there for a moment and noticed he hadn’t responded. “Did you hear me? It’s fine. You can take it off now.”
“Yeah… I heard you.” She suddenly could feel his presence invading her personal space. He was so close; his breaths bathed the side of her neck. His soft lips glided across her collarbone, nice and slow… taking his time. She swallowed when he placed another kiss against her flesh, then another until he’d enveloped her in his arms and crushed her lips with exploding passion. “You look so sexy like that…”
“Paxton, don’t start. What do you think you’re doing?” She came out of her lusty daze realizing that they were in public; no telling who may have been lurking or in close proximity. He ignored her warning and question, but she heard the distinct sound of his zipper. “Paxton!” He plucked her from the ground and carried her away.
“I want to fuck… and you’re gonna give me what I need.”
Her black yoga pants covered ass soon felt the coolness of a hard, flat, solid material… perhaps the top of the piano that had been sitting off in the corner of the rostrum. He yanked her pants down. Grabbing her tied arms, he looped them around his neck like a necklace. He pressed his body to hers, working between her thighs, and then, he suddenly drew still.
“Shit!” He pushed inside her, his thrusts needy and greedy as their bodies became one. The roughness of his hands along her back made her arch and draw herself flush against his rising and falling chest.
“Pussy so good!” he roared, cradling his face in the crook of her neck, kissing her hard then soft. Her orgasm burst free as he rocked faster and harder inside her, his groin sliding up and down her clit, and his hands pawing ravenously at her breasts. The material of her shirt was pulled and twisted in his depraved grip, and her ass slid on the smooth surface.
“Damn it!” She winced when he sank his teeth into her shoulder. Piercing pain married with the pleasure of surrender. A cool breeze grabbed her as her shirt was suddenly lifted on one side, and her breasts removed from the cup of her bra in record speed. The heat of his mouth surrounded the nipple as he rocked her hard, his vicious thrusts inside of her evil and good all at once. “You’re making me cum again!”
She gritted her teeth, drowning in a sea of white silk while his hard, long and lean muscles grinded and pressed against her. She shook against him, and with the care that only he could administer, he softly cradled the back of her head, protecting her and holding her steady. Before she could regain her wits, his warm splash streaked against her tender walls. He came quietly, beautifully, then fell against her, holding her much tighter than before.
After a few quiet moments, she could feel his fingers tugging and pulling at the material across her face. She blinked, almost blinded from the sudden burst of exposed light. She soon missed the softness of the fabric that had blocked out the world and sent her somewhere surreal.
Not until she’d met Paxton had she developed a taste for dark dreams, for the sugary rainbows in the sky and the chronic imaginations of a wild, loving man from the wrong side of the tracks. She exhaled as he undid her wrists, setting her free. Yet, she didn’t want to be unrestricted; she wanted to remain in this strange world he created, just for the two of them. For in it, she felt like magic… safe and loved…
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Soul Brother
They sat across from one another at the Wynn Las Vegas buffet, their bellies full. Resentment was served along with the food, and he’d eaten seconds and thirds. Paxton wiggled a mint flavored toothpick between his teeth, trying to work out a stubborn piece of lobster that didn’t want to give way.
“It was last year.” Major sighed.
Paxton gazed at his brother, lounging in his seat. The man hadn’t shaved in days, from the looks of the prickly black and silver hairs sprouting along his cheeks and chin.
“Why didn’t ya tell me?” Paxton tossed the toothpick down on his empty plate and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why would I?” Major smirked. “You’d never trust me again. You barely trust me anyway.”
“No, we’re not doing this tonight.” Paxton waved his hand angrily at the guy. “Don’t try to pull that pity party pick a pepper reverse psychology jammed up my ass with no Vaseline bullshit on me!” Major rolled his eyes and turned away. “I trusted you too fuckin’ much, as always. You were the only person in this world I would trust
with my life.” Paxton felt insulted to his core. “We know each other. We’ve had each other’s back. You relapse, you tell me! You’re hurtin’, you gotta tell me, man! You need money or a vacation ’cause the stress of life is too much, you fuckin’ tell me!”
“All right… all right.” Major returned his gaze to him, a world of sorrow in his blue eyes. “I’m glad you agreed to have dinner with me tonight, Pax. What made you change your mind?”
“I agreed to meet with you because I missed you, Major.”
“But you’ve been ignoring me for weeks! Didn’t seem like you missed me at all.”
He couldn’t believe big, badass Major was sulking like a scorned ex. He’d rarely seen this side of his big brother and wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“You think I liked this, huh?” Paxton threw up his hands. “I didn’t. You’re a damn good manager, and for the most part, a good brother, too. We drive each other nuts every now and again. We’ve both got our faults.”
“Yeah, I agree on all points.” Major picked up his fork and poked at his salad. “I feel real bad about missin’ out on your engagement party at the Ritz-Carlton. I heard it was a blast… Wish I would have been invited.”
“I didn’t want any tension and problems. I wasn’t sure what was going on between you and me, and what happened upset me so badly, at the time I wasn’t even sure we’d be talking again anytime soon.”
“I think this is the longest we’ve ever not spoken to one another. Anyway, I always thought if you ever settled down and got married that I’d be your best man, you know?”
“Who says you won’t be?” Paxton shoved his empty soda glass and plate closer to the edge of the table so it could be removed. “Let’s get some stuff out the way, hug and move on. First things first, I need you to sign off on some stuff and make some calls for me.”
“You got it. I’m on it.”
“Secondly, you owe Ivy an apology.”
“Why’s that? I rarely spoke to the woman.” Major’s brow arched in confusion.
“Because she’s been telling me to work this shit out with you since the day we fell out. I even told her what you said and being her typical ‘not the emotional sort’, she looked at it from a business and family standpoint, saying that nothing that happened between us, considering our history, was worth losing what we have. That it was small potatoes but you and I just needed some time apart. She made it clear though that I needed to talk to you and we should bury the hatchet. You had her all wrong. Even after what you said about her, she was still in your corner.”
Major looked as if he didn’t quite know what to make of those words.
“It’s not that, uh, I didn’t like her, Pax.”
“I know it’s not that you didn’t like her. How tha hell can you not like someone you don’t even know?” He shrugged. “You saw her as a threat… point blank, period.” He stabbed the table with his finger. Just then, a waitress came up and removed their plates. “Thanks, hon.”
“You’re welcome.” Paxton watched as she sauntered off, her little ass swaying with each step, and snickered. For the first time since he could remember, he was not the least bit titillated by the female form. The cute woman didn’t do shit for him. Sure, he appreciated a sweet taste of eye candy, but it didn’t get his blood flowing like it used to. He needed a conversation as stimulation, a mental and spiritual connection. Now that he had that and then some with Ivy, nothing could compare.
“Jesus Christ… what is she, a voodoo Priestess?” He chuckled to himself. “What tha hell did you do to me, baby? My libido is shot when it comes to anyone else but you.”
“Huh? What tha hell are you talking about?”
“Oh, just thinking out loud.” He waved his brother off. “Look, so you’re back on, all right? But we gotta do random drug tests until I feel okay about everything.” Major nodded in agreement. “’Cause I’m not tryna lose you again… and the last time you fucked around, you ended up in the E.R. We’re both too old for this shit now, Major. All the jumping around, not giving a shit, acting out for the hell of it… the selfishness has to stop.” They sat quietly in their respective seats, watching the world go by.
“Now that I think about it, I do owe Ivy an apology…” Major swung his legs over the side of the booth seat and avoided eye contact at all costs. He looked down at his fingers as he played with his cuticles. “She’s probably a good woman, she’d have to be for you to feel about her as you do. And yeah, I was jealous. Not ’cause you had someone, but because it meant you were changing, growing without me. Sometimes… sometimes I feel stuck, Pax. The very shit I wanted for you, when you got it, I got mad. Doesn’t make much sense.” He chuckled dismally and shrugged.
“When I saw that picture of all of us in the article Ivy wrote, Major, you know, when we all went to Cancun, it ate me up inside. That had been one of the few times in my life when I could just breathe and enjoy myself, no questions asked. None of us were fighting. We weren’t at each other’s throats. There was no competition and bad blood, just a damn good time. It’s funny that tourist lady took that photo for us with her camera then emailed it to you. I sent it to Mom and forgot about it. I had no idea Mom had that picture still.”
“She keeps all of that stuff… She thinks you’re special.” Major winked. “We’re all special to her, but you…” The man pointed at him. “You had something. I always knew you had something special about you, Pax.”
“Yeah, a penchant for fuckin’ up.” Paxton chuckled.
“Yeah, but I’m serious. That’s why I protected you like I did… ’cause you’re my little brother, Pax. But you and I had a way of understanding one another. You were the one Dad went after the hardest after he bore witness to your stubborn streak and how you buck authority. I didn’t like how Gabe would do you sometimes. He seemed like he was always after ya, and something inside me, I can’t even explain what, knew that you and I would be the closest. We jelled; we understood one another.” He hesitantly looked up at him. “Nobody can come between us but us, you understand?”
“I definitely understand that, Major. That’s why I’m here,” Paxton said gently. “Speaking of that picture and the article, did you have a chance to check out Ivy’s story about me?” He reached over to his side, pulled out the rolled-up newspaper from a bag, and slapped it on the table. With a sly smile, Major slid it across to his side of the table and unfolded it carefully, as if it were some secret scroll.
“Nah, I hadn’t seen it yet but boy, have I heard about it.” The man scanned the words, turned the page, and scanned some more. “I didn’t know if I had the energy to read it yet since you and I were having problems, but I’ve got a couple of copies at home put aside. Mom called me and told me about it. She said Ivy did a real good job, didn’t embarrass the family or anything. Well, except for the drunken orgy story at the karaoke bar. Mom said she coulda done without knowing all about your first night in Vegas. You made Sin City live up to its name.”
They both burst out laughing, then drew quiet for a spell.
“I love ya, Pax.”
“And I love you more, Major…”
Ivy parked in the large garage. With her bulky silver and pink studded Michael Kors gym bag on her arm, she headed towards her and Paxton’s building. It was peaceful and quiet—5:34 A.M. to be exact. The city had not yet shaken off its metropolitan hangover. Fog colored the skies a dusky blue and there was a nice, sweet breeze in the air that reminded her of freshly cooked waffles. Speaking of waffles—she patted her gut, believing she’d been overdoing it as of late. Paxton had a habit of taking her to places with delicious, homestyle food, most of which had no nutritional value whatsoever, but plenty of calories and carbs to cause alarm.
Eager to get on the treadmill for a good half hour, then rest for a couple of hours or so before returning to work, Ivy gripped her empty Starbucks coffee cup and drew closer to the penthouse. Her head was in a haze, but she kept on pushing; the day had to be had, work needed to be done,
and life had to be lived. She’d spent the bulk of the evening and early morning in the office finishing research for two news stories and before she knew it, she was asleep at her desk, face down. If it weren’t for Paxton calling an hour ago to ask where the hell she was, she was certain she’d still be slumbering right there in a pile of paperwork, her body parked next to a half-eaten, hard bagel.
“Ivy! Ivy Faye!” She swung around towards the soft, feminine voice that called out to her. A blonde woman with shoulder length hair stood across the street, racing towards her at lightning speed in six-inch heels, her ample 40+ size breasts bouncing under a short, charcoal gray swing dress. Fashionable, with a little bit of ‘trash’ thrown in for good measure. “Hello, Ivy,” the woman breathlessly said upon reaching her. She cocked her head to the side, a strange smile on lips painted in bright red lipstick.
“Uh… hello. Do I know you?” She didn’t wish to sound rude, but hell, with the week she’d had, it was hard to be chipper.
“No.” The woman’s piercing light blue eyes twinkled as she crossed her ankles and repositioned her purse over her shoulder. “You don’t. My name is Soraya. I was with Paxton for over a year. In fact, he and I parted ways not too long ago.” The woman’s smile slowly morphed into something ugly, calculating and sinister.
Ivy placed her hand on her hip and stood a bit taller.
Looks like I’m going to have to send someone to the damn E.R. today.
“Ahhhh yes, Soraya. He told me about you. I’m busy, so what is it that you need?”
“I must admit I’m a little surprised that—” The woman paused mid-sentence. Sneering, she looked her up and down. “That my Paxton would not only date someone like you but also propose. I mean, you’re attractive I suppose but… Well, anyway, since you asked, what I need for you to do is get your ass out of my way and allow him and me to patch up our differences. We’re still very much in love. You’re just a rebound.”
