A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Romance (Book 3)

by Cristina Grenier

  The feeling of betrayal was so thick in his gut that he felt almost sick with it. Next to him, an aged red-head pulled a thick sheaf of papers from a leather satchel before tossing them on the table before Xavier. “We are here to discuss terms of your signing the company completely over to your principal stock holder.”

  Despite his resolve not to show any reaction whatsoever, Xavier couldn’t prevent the incredulous expression that stole over his face. Signing over the company to the senior stock holder? Then Leonard had turned on him! He was the one behind all of this!

  The man who had once been like a grandfather to him.

  Though every impulse in his body urged him to throw the papers halfway across the room, he forced himself to keep his cool. Inhaling slowly, he fixed the redhead, Joseph Frasier, with a look that could melt the polar ice caps. “I have heard nothing of these papers before today. Why?”

  “Because we knew you’d be too damned proud to do it.” Another board member snapped, his face bright red at Xavier’s cold tone. “You’re too young to run this company, Thompson, and all of us have known it for a long time.”

  Had they? Really?

  These men had shaken his hand and agreed to fund him before there had even been a proper company. They’d promised him their support, and assured him of the soundness of his ideas, and treated him like family. He was XTech, and they had come along for the ride. And now, they were saying that they had never believed in his decisions?

  This entire scenario reeked of conspiracy.

  “Fred, it hurts me that you would say that.” Xavier replied, his tone stiffly civil. “You and every other man in this room told me that you would back me one hundred percent. That I was one of this country’s greatest technological minds and you would make it your duty to see that I get the recognition that I deserve. Or have you all suddenly forgotten that?”

  At his comment, more than one of the board members had the dignity to look affronted- some even guilty. But that guilt faded as Joseph fired back. “We made you, Thompson. You climbed to the top with our money, rode our heels, and now, we want what’s due to us.”

  What more could they possibly want? As the company’s chief stockholders, they were perhaps the only people profiting more from XTech than Xavier himself. There was nothing else to demand.

  Signing over rights to the company to a sole person – lead stock holder or not – could only be detrimental to them. They’d be losing their privileges right along with him.

  None of this made any sense.

  And if they wanted him to sign papers into Leonard’s name, where was he? The bastard could at least have the decency to face the consequences of his actions.

  “If I’m to sign the rights for XTech over to Leonard, what purpose do you have here?” He inquired softly. “I assume if that’s your ultimate goal, all of you have already signed your names on the dotted line, which means that we have nothing more to discuss. This is something for me and Leonard to sort out privately.”

  And oh, would they sort it out. Despite his age, Leonard wouldn’t know which way was up when Xavier was finished with him. Who had put him on this path? And when had he decided that long lasting friendships meant nothing over personal gain? Did he really believe that he could run this company without Xavier? The very man who had built it?

  “We’re here for support.” Joseph rebutted nastily, frowning deeply. “The media has already informed us on how unstable you might be, so we’re here for the lead stock holder’s protection.”

  Xavier’s eyes widened.

  Leonard’s protection? What the hell were six old men going to do to protect another old man? Xavier’s anger was immense, but he knew the right thing to do would be to hand Leonard over to the authorities. Did these guys really think that he was going to maim a man twice his age in front of them?

  “What happened here?” The words left his mouth before he could stop them, tinged with the pain of the past few weeks. “The last time I was in the office, I considered you all family. I invited you into my home God knows how many times. You helped me build this company. You know what kind of man I am. How could you turn against me like this?” His hands fisted atop the table at the gravity of this meeting. “I have an infant son, and Helena is recovering from a difficult birth. You would have me sign away my son’s birthright and Helena’s right to adequate medical care? The men I know wouldn’t be so heartless.”

  For a moment, silence reigned in the room. The men looked at one another, and all at once, some of them seemed less certain than before.

  It was clear to Xavier in that moment that they didn’t really want to do this. Leonard was herding them – pushing them in the wrong direction. Now, whether that was threatening them or offering them the world, he didn’t know, but if he could make them reconsider…perhaps there would be no need for a trial. Everything could go back to the way it was.

  “I…can’t sign this.” Xavier murmured lowly. “It goes against everything I stand for, and you know that. If I sign, I lose everything. If I don’t sign, I still might very well lose everything. What is my motivation supposed to be?”

  “Self-preservation.”

  A low, very familiar voice answered his question and Xavier turned to face the doorway, shocked at the figure that suddenly appeared.

  It was Daniel.

  But he looked completely different from the last time Xavier had seen him.

  The morning he’d returned to work from caring for Helena, Xavier had spoken with Daniel – laughed with him and thanked him for all the help he’d given him in carrying out the company’s recent merger. Then, the young man had a friendly, slightly nerdy vibe and had worn button ups and suspenders every day.

  Now, his slender figure was clad in a suit that clung to him, making him seem even thinner. He wore thick-rimmed glasses that Xavier had never seen him with before, and he wore a goatee and moustache that were touched with the slightest amount of gray.

  Xavier hardly recognized him. “Daniel?”

  “Sorry I’m late.” The dark-skinned man quipped, sweeping past Xavier to round the table they all sat behind. He took a seat in the chair that had once been Leonard’s, his smile thin as he faced his former employer. “As the lead stock-holder, I do understand how important this meeting is.”

  For a moment, Xavier couldn’t speak.

  Daniel, the lead stock-holder? How? The accountant made seventy thousand dollars a year. He was a humble, ingratiating man that had attested several times on how he just wanted to make the company better. To become the lead stock holder in the space of two months, he would have had to buy millions of dollars’ worth of XTech. Hundreds of millions!

  “Don’t look so surprised, Xavier. You’ve always been a little too trusting for my tastes.” Daniel quipped. Long gone was the humble, friendly accountant who had worked for him. This was a man the CEO didn’t even know.

  “Daniel…you’re the lead stock holder for XTech?”

  “You’re so damn blind.” The accountant returned brusquely, making even the other board members wince. “I’ve spent the past year slowly buying up this company’s stock to put me in this exact position. I was so sure that you’d sniff me out but I never would have believed you wouldn’t even do an employee systems check every quarter. That’s ignorant as hell.”

  Xavier’s stomach twisted.

  For the first time, he began to think that perhaps he did trust too much, too quickly. How could he have let this happen right under his nose?

  “Daniel…” He began slowly. He needed to tread carefully here. This man already seemed to have a vendetta against him for reasons unbeknownst to himself. He didn’t want to step on any toes when Daniel had the element of surprise in his favor. “I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you, but know that I’ve never meant to-”

  “Shut-up, Xavier.” Daniel cut him off swiftly. “Don’t even bother. You couldn’t possibly understand what I want.” His mouth turned up into a cold smirk. “Just know that I�
�m going to get it.”

  Xavier felt as though he’d been doused with cold water. What the hell? What had he ever done to Daniel? He’d hired what he thought was a trustworthy man with excellent references. He had never muttered an untoward word towards him. Why could he possibly want to ruin him? “You’re going to sign these papers, and you’re going to do it today, or I’m going to double the amount of money I take from you.” Xavier couldn’t see anything accept Daniel’s smug face and his clenched fists. “I’m going to get your house and cars repossessed, I’m going to see you utterly destitute and thrown in jail. No one will ever know you even existed. Then,” His smile widened further, “I’m going to pick your cunt girlfriend up off the street and have a little fun with her.”

  All at once, Xavier’s entire world went red. He’d hardly even heard the low gasps of outrage from the other board members. “Yeah, she’s cute. I’m going to pick her up, and I’m going to make sure that your kid ends up in nice foster home in Oakland.”

  Xavier snapped.

  He’d spent the entirety of this meeting priding himself for maintaining his calm. But finding out that it was Daniel behind all of this...that it was pure, unbridled, unexplained malice, along with hearing threats to the livelihood of his family? All the stress and apprehension of the past weeks combined with fury and disbelief launched him from his chair and across the table in Daniel’s direction.

  The board members jumped back from the table in shock as Xavier’s fist solidly connected with Daniel’s face. The impact drove the man into the wall, knocking his glasses askew. “You bastard!” Xavier growled, winding up for another blow. “You fucking snake! If you touch her I’ll kill you!”

  “Is this the kind of man you want in charge of your money?” Far too late, Xavier realized that Daniel had done exactly what he had set out to do. Leaning back against the wall, his glasses cracked and his nose dripping blood, he now looked more the victim than Xavier ever had. “You see what kind of trouble he’ll get you in?”

  Goddamn it.

  He’d gone and done exactly what Brandy had told him not to do: something stupid.

  Wiping blood from his face, Daniel leaned forward to press the intercom button on the phone. “Call the police, Janet. We need to have Mr. Thompson escorted from the premises.”

  None of the other board members dared to say anything in opposition to Daniel. This, Xavier realized, was not a man to be trifled with. He might not be physically strong, but he was smart enough to frame Xavier for a crime he hadn’t committed. He was probably blackmailing the board as well.

  Turning on his heel, he strode for the door of the board room, only to find that it had been locked – from the outside.

  When his anger rose again, Xavier swallowed it, spinning around to face his enemy once more. He could do nothing but wait. Wait for the cops to come and arrest him.

  Again.

  **

  Helena had fallen asleep waiting for Xavier to return from his meeting. Isaiah, having been up half the night himself, slept just as deeply as she, not even stirring when she came awake to the sound of her cell phone ringing around ten o’clock that morning.

  Yawning, she answered. “Hello?”

  “Helena?” Brandy’s voice reached her ears, unsteady with apprehension. Slowly, Helena came awake.

  “Brandy, hey. Is something wrong?”

  A shuddering breath issued from the other line. “You’d better turn on the news. Channel six.”

  Dread enveloped the young woman. Moving carefully as not to disturb her son, she retrieved the remote before turning on the bedroom TV. The news channel was already on by default, and she gasped as she was faced with an image of her lover’s face.

  He was handcuffed, being ushered rather roughly by two policeman out of the XTech building, his expression grimly furious. The three men were surrounded by the media, shouting questions from the invasive to the nonsensical, and demanding comment.

  “What happened in the office, Mr. Thompson?”

  “Is it true that you’re now facing charges of battery as well?”

  “XTech stock value has been cut in half in the past four hours alone. What do you have to say about the matter?”

  But Xavier didn’t answer, merely letting the policeman shove him into the back of the waiting squad car.

  Helena’s heart was pounding against her ribs as she shook her head slowly in disbelief. “No.” The words escaped her on a whisper. “No, no, no. Brandy, what happened?” She inquired desperately into the phone’s receiver.

  “I’m not sure, but they’re taking Xavier back to the holding cells. This time his bail is set at one million dollars.”

  One million dollars.

  They barely had that much left after all that had happened. Accounts frozen, funds demanded – everything was being taken from them inch by excruciating inch. “I have to go get him out.” Helena managed, her eyes filling with frustrated tears. “I won’t let them keep him in there!”

  “Ok. Call the bank and see if you can get the money. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

  Hanging up quickly, Helena quickly dialed the bank, trying not to focus on news coverage condemning her lover and the father of her child as a monster. There were several people that worked in the XTech building who were now telling reporters that they’d seen Xavier exhibit violent behavior before – which was utter and complete lies.

  When the bank picked up, however, they immediately handed her off to a lawyer when she requested access to Xavier’s account. The lawyer informed her that the account had been frozen until further notice. While he was giving her a number to inquire further, tears began to slip down Helena’s cheeks. This wasn’t fair. Who had done this to them? All they had ever wanted was to be happy!

  She was cradling Isaiah to her chest, sobbing softly, when the doorbell rang ten minutes later. She forced herself to gather her wits, placing Isaiah in his sling before she went to answer the door.

  It was Brandy – backed by about twenty more reporters. Shouting obscenities at them, the attorney quickly made her way inside, slamming the door as she cast a hateful glance out of the peephole to the mob beyond. “Jesus Christ! This is insane!”

  “Brandy” Helena’s tone was a miserable whisper. “The bank has frozen Xavier’s account. I don’t have enough money to get him out.”

  As if on cue, Isaiah started wailing, his tiny gray eyes slitted as he bawled his little lungs out. Helena did her best to soothe him, but it seemed nothing she tried worked. He didn’t need to be burped, he wasn’t hungry, and he wasn’t tired. Eventually, the two women settled on the couch, attempting to speak over his crying.

  “Helena, turn on the news!” Brandy requested, raising her voice.

  The dark-skinned woman shook her head frantically. “I can’t stand to see anymore! I don’t want to see anymore!”

  Brandy’s expression was just as pained as hers, but she reached for the remote. “You need to see this.”

  She switched the TV on, again to the news on Channel six, and Helena felt the air sucked from her chest.

  It was her mother.

  The TV crews were interviewing her mother.

  But Janette Freeman looked like a changed woman. She stood in the heart of downtown, just outside of the police station, clad in a flatteringly cut violet suit. Her hair was trimmed short, and there were precious few signs that she had ever heavily abused drugs. The scars on her face had healed and crow’s feet had receded. The gleam of an addict was gone from her eyes, making her appear about ten years younger. When she spoke, her voice was clear and strong – tinged with regret.

  “I tried to warn my daughter away from him. I always knew he was violent. But, she never listened to me.” Janette raised a hand to her mouth as her eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “He got into her mind and turned her against me. They had me falsely convicted for kidnapping and I was put away for five years. What kind of daughter does that to her mother?”

  Helena’s eyes widene
d in horror. “I have to ask myself,” Janette continued, her voice warbling with feigned grief, “What kind of example is she setting for my grandson with a man like that?”

  Helena stood immediately, fleeing the living room. She had no idea where she was running, only that she had to escape. Flinging open the basement door, she fled downstairs, where they had hardly begun to decorate. She didn’t stop until she found a corner of an unfurnished bedroom and sank to the floor, adding her sobs to her sons.

  This was hell.

  She’d been transported to hell.

  They wanted to take her lover from her and now they were suggesting that she was an unfit mother?

  She shuddered at the enormity of it all, clinging to her child as if her life depended on it.

  Brandy found her that way five minutes later, enveloped by her grief in the dark. For a long moment, the blonde didn’t say a word, merely sinking down next to her companion. She placed a hand on Helena’s shoulder, massaging it gently in an attempt to comfort her.

  “Helena.” She finally murmured softly. “It’s OK. I can go get Xavier.”

  “How?” The younger woman choked. “It’s a million dollars, Brandy. A million.”

  The blonde’s lips curved into a small smile barely visible in the dark. “I’ve got about that much I think.”

  Helena’s head jerked up, her eyes like saucers. “Brandy, you can’t. That’s all the money you have left-”

  “And he’s the only brother I have.” Brandy cut her off gently, her blue eyes gleaming with determination. “We’re not finished yet, Helena. We’re not fucking finished.”

  The conviction in her tone calmed Helena enough that she could take a few deep breaths.

  Ok. Alright. They could still do this. Even when everything seemed to be falling down around their ears. Helena forced herself to take Brandy’s offered hand and stand. Though Isaiah was still crying pitifully, this time, when she offered to nurse, he latched on almost immediately.

  Brandy left her in the bedroom, feeding her son, as she got ready to leave. The blonde woman promised she’d be back within the hour with Xavier – and her expression showed that she believed what she said.