I put the books away. I was going by Danielle’s later to see how she was doing. My heart went out to her, but now that she had Calvin back in her life, I had a good feeling that she was going to fight HIV with everything she had.
The doorbell rang. I moved to the door and looked through the peephole. What the hell? It was Regina Tolliver. The stalker who worked with Calvin. “Can I help you?”
“I need to talk to you for a moment.”
I don’t know what we could possibly have to say to each other, but I opened the door anyway and let her in. She stepped into my living room and started walking around like she owned the house. “You’ve got a nice place.”
“What can I do for you?” I asked in a curt tone. I hoped her Amazon daughters weren’t picking on Tamara again.
She swung around. “You know I work for the university police with Calvin?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he told me. But what’s that got to do with me?”
She heaved a heavy breath. “I’m in love with him, but he swears he’s in love with someone else.”
“He is.”
Regina pursed her thick lips. “I know, and that’s a problem.”
“What are you talking about?” I snapped.
“I mean, I’ve warned you to stay away from my man but you don’t seem to be listening, so I thought I’d come and tell you personally.”
My radar went off. This was the bitch who’d been calling my phone.
“I asked you to quit calling my man.”
“What?” She really thinks I want Calvin. “Honey, you got me confused. I don’t want Calvin.” I took a seat on the couch and gestured for her to sit as well. She didn’t seem interested.
“Why are you lying? I’ve seen the two of you together.”
I can’t believe this shit. She’s been harassing the wrong woman. “Girl, you’ve seen us talking, that’s it.”
“You’re lying! I saw you coming out the house wearing his university sweatshirt.”
Sweatshirt? Oh shit! That day I set him up at Danielle’s, I came out wearing his shirt and a black Expedition was parked at the curb.
“I saw him coming to your house. You called the office and asked to speak to your boo. And at the hospital the other day your hands were all over him.”
I couldn’t help it, I started laughing. “Regina, you got it all wrong.”
“No, I got it right.” She glared at me.
“Bitch, it’s time for you to go.” I rose and gestured toward the door. It was then I noticed she was holding a small twenty-two in her hand. She raised it and pointed it at me. “I called you private but you ignored me. Then the other day I was in his office and saw the ring he had bought you and I knew I had to do something soon.”
I shook my head. “He’s seeing another woman. Not me.”
“I’m his woman, not you! The only person he should love is me!”
Okay, let me try another approach. “You’re right. He is your man and I’m going to go and call him right now and tell him to come over.” I moved toward the phone and heard the gun click.
“Bitch, don’t you dare move.”
Shit, she didn’t have to tell me twice. I froze and swung around with my hands in the air. “Regina, please, don’t do anything stupid that you’ll later regret.”
“The only person who’s going to have regrets is you. You want to take my man from me and I’m not having it!”
I lowered onto the couch, keeping my eyes on the gun. “Please don’t kill me. I have children and family who love me,” I pleaded.
“What about the man I love! Huh? What about me?”
“You can have him.”
“You’re just saying that so I won’t shoot you.” She laughed and pointed the gun at my head.
“No, it’s true! It’s true. You can walk out of here right now and I won’t tell a soul.”
“Liar!”
She was getting more agitated by the second, and the last thing I needed was for that crazy bitch to shoot my ass.
“Get down on your knees.”
“Please, you don’t want to do this,” I pleaded.
“Now!”
I dropped down and tears started flowing because I was no longer sure I could calm her crazy ass down. I had just been given my life back and now it was about to be taken away from me again. “Please, Regina. I am truly sorry. I never realized how much you really loved him.”
“I was planning to have a baby for him but I got fired this morning. Now he no longer wants me and everything is ruined. You ruined everything!”
I was shaking so hard my teeth chattered. All I wanted to do was pick up the phone and tell my kids one last time how much I loved them. The thought of never seeing them again had me so upset I peed on myself.
“I plan to shoot you in the head, then I can act like I just came over and found you like that.”
I tried to stall. “Won’t work. They’ll find trace evidence of gunpowder on your hands.”
Regina scowled and started pacing the length of the room. “Damn. You’re right.” She nibbled on her lips, then grinned. “Then I guess you’ll have to shoot yourself.”
She was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs if she really thought I was going to kill myself. “You’ll have to kill me yourself.”
Laughter danced in her eyes. “No problem.”
I jumped out of the way just as Regina pulled the trigger. I screamed and felt a burn at the side of my head and another at my arm, then everything went black.
59
Renee
I glanced down at my lap again at my directions, making sure I was heading the right way. My brother had moved to a new house and had invited us over for Thanksgiving weekend.
Lisa would be so proud of me.
In the last five months my life had changed so much. Quinton got a full athletic scholarship to play football for Purdue. I was so proud of him, but it was hard to get used to my son not being around. Tamara was on the honor roll again. She had started her senior year and was still a member of the National Honor Society. I couldn’t complain. Both my kids were doing the damn thang.
“Mama, I think that’s his house over there.”
I stopped in front of a brown two-story house with a wraparound porch and put the car in park. My heart was pounding. I was so nervous.
Tamara turned to me wearing a strange look. “Mama, are we getting out?”
I wanted so badly to tell her no and put my car back in drive and peel away from my brother’s house, but I had made a promise, both to my sister and to God, that I would see this day through, and I was going to do just that.
Even if it killed me.
“Yes, we’re getting out.” I turned the car off. I opened the door and slowly pulled myself out of the vehicle.
“Mama, you need help?”
I shook my head. I refused to be a victim. The last five months had been a rough, long ride.
Regina had shot me in the face and arm. The main nerve in my face was damaged so the muscles on the left side of my face sag and I can’t close my eye. The second bullet hit the upper left arm, so I’ve lost all mobility. It’s totally useless. I just thank God it wasn’t my right arm, otherwise I would have had to retrain myself to write. Typing with one hand was bad enough. My voice recognition software no longer worked because I slurred when I spoke and most times I slobbered as well. Despite my handicap, life was good. I had a strong support group.
Kayla is happily married to Jermaine. Nadine and Jordan are the mothers of twins, Tristan and Trinity. Danielle is taking her medicines, receiving counseling, and learning how to be a survivor. She and Calvin will be tying the knot next month and I’m her matron of honor. Calvin didn’t contract the virus. Thank God! Nobody has seen Chance, not even his baby’s mama. A week after Danielle discovered she was HIV positive, Ron was found floating face up in the Missouri River. All of us suspected Kee of the murder, especially after the way he went off when he found out who had infected his baby sister. But none of
us would ever breathe a word of it. As far as we’re concerned, he was with us that night.
“Mama, Uncle Andre’s house is pretty.”
I returned my mind to the present and stared up at my brother’s house. It was true. Big, spacious, with over an acre of land, and high maintenance. Little brother was doing quite well, but then I wasn’t surprised. I had a house twice that size while I was still married to John. Now I had something that money couldn’t buy, a peace of mind and a promising future. Something that months ago was quite uncertain.
There was a Cadillac in the driveway that I knew belonged to my daddy. He’d been buying them for as long as I could remember. In front of it was Janet’s sports car. She worked as a Mary Kay consultant and being that her vehicle was pink, she was quite good.
Tamara rang the doorbell and by the time I managed to reach the wide porch, my sister-in-law had come to the door to answer it.
“Hello,” she greeted with a wide smile and hugs for both me and Tamara. I returned the hug. She had always been nice to me. “I’m so glad you made it.”
I released her, then smiled. “I’m glad to be here,” I said, then swiped my mouth with the rag I carried around. The last thing I wanted to do was drool all over her house.
She opened the door wide, then took the cake from Tamara and signaled us to follow her down a wide hallway to the family room where the family was waiting. There was loud voices and laughter. My nephew raced down the hall and I managed to lift him with one arm and gave him a big wet kiss before his spoiled behind wiggled free of my hold and hurried to find his daddy.
Taking a deep breath, I moved into the room to find my brother sitting on the couch and my father sitting in the chair across from him. As soon as I saw him I gasped. Paul looked nothing like the man I last saw at Lisa’s funeral. But that had been almost four years ago. He was thin, very thin. With a smile on his face, he rose and moved toward me. I could tell that he was moving much slower. His hair, what little he had, had all turned gray and his eyes looked tired and his cheeks sunken. It took all I had not to cry. Chemo was taking its toll on him.
Andre told me that while I was in a coma, Daddy sat there in my room, reading and talking to me. I don’t remember any of that but I was glad to know he really did care about me. It was then that I realized I needed to forgive him and give our relationship a chance.
“I’m glad you came,” Paul said and then he hugged me.
As soon as he wrapped his arms around me, the tears began to fall and I couldn’t get them to stop. Before long I could feel his thin body shaking as he cried along with me. It felt so good.
When he finally pulled away, I looked up into his watery eyes and knew then that from that point on everything—kids, friends, family, and my relationship with my stepfather—was going to be all right.
From Exposed
by Naomi Chase
In stores now!
Chapter 1
“Tamia! Baby, get up.”
Jolted awake by her boyfriend’s frantic voice, Tamia Luke opened her eyes and stared at his dark, handsome face. “What time is it?”
“After seven,” Brandon replied.
“Shit!” Tamia threw back the covers and sprang out of bed, naked breasts bouncing. “What happened? Why didn’t the alarm clock go off?”
“The power must have gone out when it rained last night.”
“Shit,” Tamia repeated, bending over to retrieve her discarded clothing from the floor. “I can’t be late for work. Especially not tod—Ow!” she yelped as Brandon slapped her soundly on the ass.
He grinned, dimples flashing in his cheeks. “That’s for keeping me up late.”
Tamia laughed. “I didn’t hear you complaining last night, Negro!” she called as Brandon ducked inside the large master bathroom, a blur of mahogany stretched over lean, taut muscles. “And hurry up so you can take me home!”
Brandon’s response was muffled by the sound of running water.
If they hadn’t been in such a rush, Tamia would have joined him in the shower for round two of what they’d started last night. After attending a cocktail party at a ritzy downtown hotel, Brandon had invited her back to his place to spend the night. They’d doused themselves with a bottle of champagne, then licked, sucked, and fucked each other until they collapsed from sheer exhaustion. They probably would have overslept even if last night’s storm hadn’t knocked out the electricity.
Grinning slyly to herself, Tamia hurriedly tugged on her bra and panties and the black Christian Lacroix dress she’d worn to the cocktail party. Leaving Brandon to his shower, she headed out of the bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. It was a large, ultramodern room with gleaming granite countertops, black-lacquered cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. It was as immaculate as the rest of Brandon’s plush condo, thanks to the cleaning lady who came like clockwork twice a week.
Tamia got busy brewing a pot of gourmet coffee, though she knew Brandon usually stopped at Starbucks on his way to the office. It was the thought that counted. If she’d had more time, she would have whipped up some eggs, bacon, and grits, though she knew Brandon often grabbed breakfast with a colleague at the prestigious law firm where he worked. Again, it was all about taking care of her man. Which was why she’d blown off her friends last night to accompany Brandon to some social mixer he’d forgotten all about until the last minute. And she hadn’t batted an eye when he’d sheepishly asked her to pick up his tux from the dry cleaner. Tamia would have gone anywhere and done anything he’d asked of her.
Because she was on a mission to become Mrs. Brandon Chambers.
Oh, she knew she had her work cut out for her. Truth be told, Brandon was more interested in making partner at his law firm than getting married. Although Tamia frequently spent the night at his place, she was barely allowed to keep a toothbrush there. And after seven months of dating, she had yet to meet his parents, one of the most powerful political couples in Texas. Whenever she hinted at being introduced to them, Brandon always told her that his folks could be very intimidating, so he didn’t want to scare her off.
What he didn’t realize was that Tamia didn’t scare very easily. So she’d be a good little wifey for as long as it took to convince him to put a ring on her finger.
Smiling at the thought, she poured steaming coffee into two fancy paper cups and snapped on the lids just as Brandon strode purposefully into the kitchen. He was impeccably dressed in a dark pin-striped suit that accentuated his tall, athletic build.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Been ready.” Tamia straightened his tie, admiring his smooth chocolate skin, midnight eyes, and boyishly sexy smile. Brandon was the total package: fine as hell, rich, smart, and successful. He was going places, and she had no intention of being left behind.
“Here. I made you some coffee.”
Accepting the cup from her, he took a long sip and let out an appreciative groan. “Damn, baby, you make the best brew. What would I do without you?”
Tamia smiled privately. If I play my cards right, you’ll never have to find out.
Twenty minutes later, they turned off the main road and into a lushly landscaped development located in the shadow of Houston’s Galleria. Brandon was on his BlackBerry, assuring his secretary that he wouldn’t be late for a scheduled deposition that morning. So he didn’t notice the way Tamia’s hands clenched in her lap as they passed another car on the narrow street, nor did he hear the small sigh of relief that seeped past her lips.
He pulled up to a one-story stucco house situated on a perfectly manicured lawn. Tamia’s red Honda Accord was parked in the driveway.
Grabbing her purse, she leaned over to kiss Brandon. “Have a good day.”
He smiled. “You, too. Don’t be late for work.”
“If I am, I’ll just blame it on the rain,” she said, crooning the old Milli Vanilli song.
Brandon laughed as she climbed out of his Maybach.
Although he was in a hurry, he waited
until she’d reached the front door before he pulled off with a wave.
Tamia inserted her key in the lock, stepped inside the cool interior of the house, and closed the door. But she didn’t move beyond the foyer. Staring anxiously at her watch, she waited until three minutes had ticked by. Then, opening the door, she poked her head outside and glanced up and down the tree-lined street, watching as cars backed out of driveways and joined the flow of other vehicles headed to various workplaces.
As Tamia locked the house and hurried to her own car, her cell phone rang. She fumbled it out of her purse and answered with a breathless, “Girl, that was close!”
“I know,” Shanell Jasper agreed. “I was running late this morning. And so are you! What happened?”
Tamia grimaced, sliding behind the wheel of her car. “The power went out last night, so we overslept.”
“Uh-oh. You’ve got that client meeting at nine. Are you going to be late?”
“I hope not.” Tamia glanced at her watch, mentally calculating how long it would take her to get home, shower and change, and make it to the office on time. If only she’d had the foresight to leave a change of clothes at Shanell’s place last night. But everything had been so rushed. After picking up Brandon’s tux from the dry cleaner, dropping it off at his condo, and hurrying home to get dressed for the cocktail party, she’d reached Shanell’s house just minutes before Brandon arrived to pick her up.
“How long do you think you can keep this up?” Shanell asked.
Tamia pulled onto the main road. “What?”
Shanell snorted. “You know damn well what I’m talking about. This crazy charade of yours, lying to Brandon about where you live and using my house as your cover. How long can you keep this shit up?”
“However long it takes.”
“And what if it takes that man, like, five years to propose?” Shanell paused. “Or what if he never does?”
“He will,” Tamia said resolutely.
Before Shanell attempted to sow more seeds of doubt in her mind, Tamia told her that she’d see her at the office, then ended the call.
Careful of the Company You Keep Page 31
