by Linda Verji
“Where the fuck have you been?” he yelled accompanying his words by throwing his phone towards them. Tasha stepped aside just in time for the phone to harmlessly crash by her foot and shutter into different pieces.
“We were at Asia’s dialysis.”
‘It’s nine fucking o’clock. I’ve been waiting for dinner for the last two hours. Are you fucking someone behind my back?”
Tasha was grateful that Asia’s was such a deep sleeper. Her father’s profanity hadn’t awakened her and hopefully it would stay that way. Tasha replied, “Asia’s dialysis takes four hours and we were there since five thirty when she left school. I left some dinner for you in the microwave.”
The anger in Polo’s face quickly drained away to be replaced by a sheepish expression. “Oh, Okay!”
“Can I take Asia to bed?”
“Take her up then come back,” he ordered lightly.
Once she was done settling Asia for the night, Tasha came back to the den. The TV was no longer on mute so the revving sound of cars racing filled the room.
“Come here,” Polo called out when he saw her, patting his lap.
Ignoring the protests of her mind, Tasha walked towards him and sat gingerly across his thighs. She flinched when his hands spun her waist and his breath brushed her cheek.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he apologized as he turned her head to face him. His brown eyes met hers, the anger completely drained out of them and replaced by tenderness. Once upon a time, his tender hold would’ve been enough to thaw her anger out. Rubbing his thumb over her lower lip, he added, “You know I wouldn’t have been so angry if you’d just told me where you were going.”
Actually she’d left a message on his voicemail telling him where they were and if he’d bothered to check the GPS on her car, he’d know where she was. To appease him, she said, “I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven.” He drew closer, his lips meeting hers. Though every fiber in her being protested violently against it, she responded to his kiss. She opened her mouth and let his tongue tangle with hers. Hopefully, she could keep him in this part of the cycle long enough to get what she needed for Asia.
“Here,” Polo said as he separated their lips. He rose up slightly before pulling his wallet from his back pocket. From it he extracted his credit card and handed it to her. “Get yourself something pretty tomorrow, okay?”
“Thank you.” she accepted the card with a smile. She knew exactly where she was going to spend the money. The empty words came out of her lips so automatically she didn’t even have to think about it. “I love you so much, baby.”
“I love you too.” Their lips met again. His breath feathering slightly over her mouth s, he added, “I’d go crazy without you.”
You’re already crazy with me. Tasha cupped his cheeks in her palms, her eyes tracing over his features; brown eyes, thick lips and his evening stubble. When he was feeling like this, he was always at his handsomest. It was almost easy to believe that he loved her – and maybe he did in this very moment. Years ago it’d been so easy for her to fall back into his deceptive love but time had taught her that she was only fooling herself. Polo was like the wheel of life. The one thing you could count on was that he was going to change.
“Honey, I need to ask you a favor,” he said as he kissed the crook of her neck. “You know how the team has been harassing over this Lucky bullshit. Well now they want us to see some PR guy to juice up my public image.”
“I don’t mind doing anything for you that will help your career,” she lied.
“I know I can always count on you.”
“You can.” She stroked his chin as she added, “Baby, I need a favor from you too.”
“Anything for you.”
“I talked to Dr. Thorpe today…” Tasha started. The moment she mentioned Katie’s name, Polo’s eyes narrowed and his mouth straightened into a straight line. She rushed on, “…do you think you could go see her sometime?”
“What does that bitch want now?” Polo abruptly pushed Tasha off his lap. She almost fell to the carpeted floor but saved herself by holding onto the coffee table.
Sensing the change in temperature from tender to raging anger, Tasha righted herself then took a step back from his armchair. The credit card dug into her palm, almost cutting into her flesh with the force she gripped it with. Determined to still try, she said, “She wants to know when you’ll be ready for the transplant.”
“Get off my case with that fucking transplant,” he practically growled. “I’ll do it when I feel like.”
Tasha tried again. “She thinks Asia might worsen.”
Anger radiating off of him in thick waves, he stood up. Tasha took another step back in automatic caution but the back of her legs hit the couch and she fell on it. Polo inched closer, standing above her. It was hard not to be intimidated by his substantive height, weight and the anger in his voice as he barked, “You think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know what game you’re playing?”
“I’m not playing at anything, baby.” Tasha struggled not to show the fear she felt. She knew that her trembling or stuttering would only egg him on.
He yanked her to her feet by her arm, his fingers digging painfully into her skin. “You want to leave me. Don’t you?? The moment you get my kidney you’re gon’ run. Aren’t you??”
“No. That’s not it,” Tasha insisted. Hoping to prick his father’s instinct, she added, “I just want our daughter to be okay.”
“You’re never going to leave me. I’ll kill you first,” Polo said unmoved by her words. He abruptly let her go and she fell back to the couch. “Tell your doctor that I’ll come in when I’m fucking good and ready.”
She watched him stride out of the den, his back straight with anger. Both relief and disappointment flooded her; relief because today’s encounter had only earned her a warning, and disappointment because she would’ve gladly taken a beating if Polo had agreed to finally go to the hospital.
He was right about one thing.
The moment she had his kidney, she was going to run so far away not even the CIA would find her. It was too bad she couldn’t kill him for it – he’d refused to register as a donor – because she would’ve done it in heartbeat. He’d brought her to that point.
*
“Mr. Harper,” Lauren, his PA’s voice sounded over the intercom, “Mr. Nelson and his wife are here to see you.”
“Take them to the boardroom,” Kian returned. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
He wrapped up the Homeland Security contract he was looking at. The due diligence and negotiation phases for this client’s defense products were over but Kian was taking his time with the contract; going through it with a fine tooth comb, clause by clause. His clients expected the best deal and he always made sure they weren’t screwed over – even by the government.
He exited his office just in time to catch sight of Lauren leading the couple to the boardroom on the far end of the hall. From the back Polo was exactly what Kian expected of a linebacker, tall and large. However, it was his wife that caught Kian’s attention.
The first thing he noticed was her ass. Fuck! Kian was an ass man and this woman’s met all the right criteria; round, full and sexy as hell. The grey pencil skirt she was wearing did nothing to hide it. It wrapped around her tiny waist lovingly, smoothed over her ass sexily and stopped at her knees. He gave himself a mental slap struggling to shut down the immediate desire. As much as possible he kept his hands off other men’s women. But damn! That ass…
He hastened his steps, closing the distance between him and the boardroom. They were pulling up chairs just as Kian walked in. Polo’s wife was the first to notice his arrival and Kian almost took a step back. She was even more beautiful than he’d expected. Her hair was pulled back into a soft chignon that left her face bare to his gaze; perfectly arched eyebrows, brown eyes to match her smooth toffee brown skin, thick lips…he almost groaned aloud when she licked her bottom lip.
The moment their eyes met across the room, Tasha felt the thin invisible thread of electricity running between them. It hit her like a lightening bolt, energizing her accelerating her heart rate. Her blood sped up in tense waves and her nerves whispered and sighed in anticipation. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time but she recognized it for what it was – lust.
She’d heard of Kian Harper or as the press liked to call him ‘Shark’. She’d even seen him in the magazines a couple of times. However, seeing a glossy picture on a page was nothing compared to seeing the real thing. In person, Kian was taller – almost as tall as Polo – but had less bulk to him. As opposed to Polo who’d decided he was too important to dress up for this occasion and wore a white t-shirt, combat shorts and sneakers; Kian was in a grey subtly stripped suit that only served to enhance his powerful muscular shape.
However, it was his eyes that drew her attention – beautiful grey eyes. Their color was odd considering that he was just as dark skinned as she was, but it was the way he was looking at her that made her squirm. He stood at the door to the boardroom just staring at her. He made no move to come in or go out. His gaze clashed with hers over the space that separated them, intense and penetrating, seemingly trying to read her. She had a feeling that if she let him, he’d know all her secrets in the blink of an eye.
“Mr. Harper, this is Polo Nelson the Second,” Lauren interrupted.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Nelson,” Kian said, easily shifting into the role of man in control as he moved closer to them. He extended a hand to Polo.
Polo ignored the outstretched hand and instead pulled up a seat for himself and plopped on it. “What am I doing here?”
Kian’s eyes narrowed in irritation for just that one second, but Tasha was observing him too closely to miss it. It was gone in the next instant to be replaced with a smile as he turned to her, “You must be the lovely Mrs. Nelson.”
“That’s Tasha,” Polo chimed in not even bothering to look up at them as he sat slouched on his seat and scrolling through his phone.
“Well, Tasha…” Her body tingled at the way Kian smiled at her and said her name in that low smooth voice. His caressing eyes caused the heat to climb up her neck. “…it’s nice to meet you.”
The burning begun the moment their hands met. It felt as if her hand was directly connected to every nerve in her body. Her nipples strained against the fabric of her blouse, moisture dampened her inner thighs and her whole body tightened in anticipation of something she couldn’t yet define.
Just from one touch? She dropped his hand quickly and lowered her gaze. “Nice to meet you too”
What is wrong with me? Usually she avoided men like the plague. She didn’t like them talking to her, touching her or even looking at her because if Polo was anything to go by all of them were trouble. But for some reason, this man, with just a few glances and words, had managed to crash through the barrier she’d erected and resurrected feelings she preferred remain buried. Even her legs were shaking as she tried to pull out a seat next to Polo. Kian beat her to it.
“Let me get that for you, Tasha.” With a crooked smile, he pulled out the seat.
The way he said her name…seriously, this had to stop! Tasha stared down at the black table, determined to subdue her body’s unexpected reaction to this man.
“Thank you, Lauren.” Kian waved the PA out of the room with a few instructions before settling at the head of the table. “So, Nelson, I’m told you’re having problems with the media.”
“You know how those bitches are.” Polo threw his phone on the table. “I’m just here trying to make my money and they’re always trying to start drama.”
“Why don’t you explain to me exactly how this whole situation started,” Kian said, “then we can figure out how to get you out of it.”
“Most of it’s because of some bitch called Sonia….” Polo started. The way he spun the tale anyone would’ve thought Sonia planned the whole thing and he was just an unfortunate victim who’d been blackmailed into her scheme to strangle money out of the Fords. If Tasha hadn’t been there to witness everything, she’d have been sucked in to his web of lies.
“…and instead of being loyal to me and our family, Tasha went and told them about the DNA test,” Polo finished.
Tasha didn’t even need to look up from the table to feel the heat of Polo’s anger. She wasn’t surprised that this had somehow ended up all her fault. It was always her fault when something went wrong in Polo’s life.
Was Kian looking at her with disgust at how she’d betrayed her own husband? She didn’t want to know. In fact why had they even brought her here? As if living with the embarrassment of having a husband who couldn’t keep his pants zipped up wasn’t enough - now she had to be part of his salvation. What kind of man would even take Polo on as client after everything he’d done? Hostility towards both men welled up in her, overshadowing whatever nonsense she’d felt for Kian when he’d first walked in.
Polo asked, “You think you can make it go away?”
There was a long pause before Kian said, “I can. The first thing you need to do is get your son back from the Fords.”
“Bullshit!” Polo cursed with such vehemence that it echoed in the large room. Startled, Tasha looked up only to find Kian’s gaze on her – not Polo. She lowered her head again.
“The longer he stays with them the more the media will see them as the couple who took in a child that wasn’t even theirs, while you’re left hanging in the wind as the irresponsible baby daddy,” Kian explained as his gaze swung back to Polo. “You need to get him back.”
“The fuck I’m getting that bastard from those fuckers,” Polo yelled, pushing his chair back roughly. It fell to the ground in a loud crash drawing Tasha’s attention.
Standing as he was and with the anger pulsing around him like a tornado, Polo would’ve inspired fear in everyone. In fact Tasha flinched and her belly clenched as she prepared herself for one of his angry rants. Kian on the other hand didn’t look the least bit affected. Sitting back in his seat with two fingers tapping his chin, he looked more like a bored parent watching their petulant child throw a tantrum.
Polo’s voice rose in volume, “…and a bunch of muther-fucking suits can’t make me do shit.” Diatribe complete, he stormed towards the door.
*
He must not know me. Kian watched Polo march out the door contemplatively. He’d made a mistake betting with Rafe. Polo didn’t deserve to be saved. The moment he’d heard Polo’s side of the story, Kian had realized that the guy was full of bullshit. He was everything Kian avoided in partners; ill-tempered, egotistic, irresponsible and proud of it. Noticing how Tasha seemed afraid to talk to or even look at Polo was just icing on the cake.
“I have to go.” Tasha grabbed her bag from the table and stood up.
Before she could leave, Kian jerked out of his seat. “Can I talk to you for a moment before you leave?”
Her grip perceptibly tightened around the strap of the bag on her shoulder as she turned to face him. The moment their gaze collided, he was struck by the raw fury in her eyes. “Why am I here Mr. Harper?”
“It’s Kian,” he corrected automatically as his brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?
“You and Polo seem to be doing just fine,” Tasha retorted, her lips straightening into a thin line. “Why am I here?”
He could understand why she didn’t want to be here. Part of being a negotiator was knowing the kind of people you were dealing with and Polo was right at the bottom of the barrel. His business sense told him to count Polo as a bad gamble, cut his losses – a million dollars worth of them – and jump ship. But then he’d looked at Tasha and realized that she was the one that was suffering.
Every time Sonia’s name was mentioned she stiffened. She hadn’t uttered one word of self-defense when Polo had put the responsibility of the whole fiasco on her shoulder. As much as he didn’t know the woman fro
m a stranger on the street, his protective instincts were on high alert and they’d spoken before his business instincts.
“You’re here because you’re tired of hearing the rumors about him too. I’m sure this is affecting both you and your daughter just as much it is him. I want to stop those rumors,” he soothed. “I’m just trying to help you.”
She looked at him contemplatively before her eyes took on an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s been hard.”
“C’mon, take a seat and let’s talk about it.”
“What about…” Her words drifted off as she glanced towards the door. They could still hear Polo shouting obscenities in the hallway.
“He needs to cool down anyway.” Kian watched as she lowered herself back to her seat and then took the one Polo had just vacated.
Tasha shifted her chair further away from him before she asked, “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Have you ever noticed how politicians walk around with their wives everywhere?” he asked. Tasha nodded. He continued, “They take them everywhere because they know the public automatically trusts a guy who’s got a good woman supporting him. Even if what he’s saying is pure bullshit they feel that if she trusts him, there must be something in there. That’s all I need you to do.”
“Appear with him in public?” she asked as she pushed back a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Kian had the most insane urge to reach over and unpin her hair and watch it fall all over her shoulders. He tapped it down as he responded, “Yeah! I’m to organize some events here and there that you’ll need to attend and interviews you’ll need to do.”
“I don’t do well in interviews,” she answered nervously.
“I can’t promise to get rid of those because people have to hear you speaking for him. We can practice until you feel comfortable enough.”
“Thank you,” she said as she lowered her head again.
