Twisted Intentions

by Danielle James

  “Your eyes are so pretty,” the younger one stared at me and I smiled. My mind flashed back to the times Brian and I were fucking in his office when he could’ve been at home with his family. His wife wasn’t a bad looking woman either.

  “I love your necklace,” the older daughter said.

  “Thank you so much. I’m Camilla Scott,” I shook the hands of his wife and daughters.

  “Oh we’ve heard so much about you,” his wife smiled warmly. Another pang of guilt clutched me.

  “Mommy, look at her bracelet.” The little one chirped, holding my wrist up so she could see my diamond tennis bracelet.

  “Okay, leave her alone girls.” His wife chuckled.

  “Camilla, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Are you ready for college in the fall?”

  “Ah, not really. I’ve had a lot going on.”

  “Hmm. If you need any help, let me know.” I nodded my head and tried to move away but Brian pulled me into a strange hug that lasted a few seconds too long. When I finally pulled myself away from him, I gave his girls my bracelet and necklace. Shit, it was the least I could do since I’d fucked their daddy with no remorse. Now I had all the guilt in the world. The girls squealed with delight and quickly put on their newly acquired jewelry.

  I bumped into Laurel as I eased away from the Lomax family. “Hi…” I smiled softly. She rolled her eyes at me and started walking away. “Laurel, are you gonna be mad at me forever? I’m sorry…” I whined.

  “You should be sorry,” she quipped.

  “Okay. You can beat me up with words, I just wanna know if we’ll be friends again. Or do I have to wait for the wedding?”

  “Wedding?” She drew her head back and frowned.

  “You and Chris…” I smirked. Her face flushed and she avoided eye contact with me. “Look, I don’t care. I’m happy if y’all are happy.” I walked away giving her the space I knew she needed.

  “Camilla! We need you to get in a picture with your dad!” A woman with a camera shouted at me frantically as Emmanuel and I walked by. He hooked his strong arm around my waist and smiled as the camera beeped. He kissed my cheek and then he continued to work the room.

  Finally, I found my father. We embraced and he stood back to look at me again. “Manny did good,” he remarked. “What did you think?”

  “He did like he always does. Wowed the crowd.” I sighed.

  “That he did.” We walked around the huge crowds and found a quiet spot near the offices to talk. “So, I think I’m gonna leave before Dana sees me and flips the hell out.”

  I pouted at him. “Aw, don’t do that baby girl.” He touched my chin and smiled. “I’m not here to cause trouble.” I was though.

  “Dad…please. I think we all need to talk.”

  “Not like this. Dana needs to know before hand.”

  “You know damn well she would never agree to that. She’s trying to figure out how to legally block you from talking to me.” His face broke into a frown.

  “She’s trying to do what?” I just nodded in response.

  “Camilla, you know better than breaking away from the family when we need to take pictures,” Dana’s voice sounded behind me. When I turned around, she saw who I was talking to. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so pissed in my life. Dad smiled and nodded his head at her coyly.

  “Hey Dana.”

  “W-what are you doing here?” Her eyes were wide with confusion and anger.

  “I just came to see Camilla.” He held his hands up in surrender. I stood closer to him so she knew it was what I wanted.

  “I flew him out here,” I spoke up.

  “You did what?” Her voice raised an octave. “I told you not to talk to him!” She looked from me to him and jabbed her finger into his chest. “You said you would leave Camilla alone! She is not your daughter anymore, Trevor!” Seeing her poke at him like that pissed me off to no end and I imagined cracking into her face with my fist until she stopped moving.

  "I've always been his daughter, Dana. You're fucking delusional. Look at us! How could you keep me away from someone who looks just like me?”

  “Look…let’s just all calm down.” Dad put his hand on my shoulder and looked at Dana sympathetically. I looked at her like I wanted to rip her face off. Her chest rose and fell quickly and she shut her eyes tight.

  “No…no…no,” she whined. I instantly recognized that tone. I sounded the same when my head felt like it was about to burst open.

  “Dana, open your eyes,” Dad moved closer to her and grabbed her arms.

  “Get off of me, Trevor! Don’t you touch me!” He stumbled back and let go of her.

  “You want me to call Manny?” He asked her with concern on his face. Fuck that shit. Emmanuel wasn’t going to help this bitch, but I was. I stood in front of her, watching for a moment as she whimpered and held her head. All this fucking time, she knew what I was dealing with. She knew how I felt, and she condemned me!

  Before I could stop it, my hand jolted out and slapped her across her cheek. Then I did it again, and again until my father pulled me away. Dana clutched her face and glared at me with so much hatred that I could practically feel it.

  “I knew you were the devil!” She lunged at me but Dad blocked her and pinned her to the wall.

  “You will not touch her, Dana. This is all your fucking fault. You keep pushing her away and not helping her! She is you!” Dana turned her head away from Dad as if she could physically stop him from speaking. He let her go and she crumpled to the floor in tears, mumbling prayers under her breath. She raised her eyes to look at me with tears clinging to the rims of her eyes. Dad moved off to the corner to use his phone to call Emmanuel, I’m sure. When he did, Dana stood and said, “I know where that bruise on your neck came from.”

  “Good.” I hissed.

  “You need Jesus! You will not break my home, devil.” I flipped her off and walked over to my dad.

  “Manny’s on his way,” he said quietly.

  In a matter of moments, he was there, glaring at his wife. Throwing questions at her. “What happened? What did you do to Camilla?”

  “What did I do to Camilla! You need to ask her what she did to me! She struck me like I’m not her mother. She’s the devil!” His head swiveled around to face me. I didn’t back down either. I folded my arms across my chest and glared.

  “She needed to feel some pain. Isn’t that right…Mom?”

  “You’re lucky I’m a truly saved woman, Camilla or I would say things to make Trevor hate you and see you for the Jezebel you are.” She looked at my Dad, who was completely fed up with her and then back to Emmanuel. “God won’t let me divorce you…but so help me Emmanuel you’d better get this straightened out. He needs to be gone and she can go with him!”

  “You’re such a fucking hypocrite! You’re trying to ship me away with my father so you can keep ignoring your problems. Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong with me?” My stomach clenched and tears sprang to my eyes. They were hot and angry and confused. I wished for just a minute that I had a real mother who cared and nurtured me. I wished we could work through our problems together instead of her being delusional and trying to deliver me from myself.

  Trevor and Emmanuel rushed to my side and almost collided. To my surprise, I went for my real father instead. He held me and Emmanuel stroked my hair.

  “Is everyone gonna act like she’s innocent?” Danna hissed.

  “No, but we see a girl who needs a mother!”

  “She needs to take her demons to God. I don’t have anything to give her.” Sadness overcame me, and I was wracked with sobs and shudders. The pressure never built in my head, but it did start to build in my chest. I was heartbroken because Emmanuel was right, I needed a mother, and I clearly didn’t have one.

  My dad kissed my forehead and squeezed me tight in his arms. They were like bands of steel around my small frame. “Dana, you need to leave and go home. I don’t want you here right now!” Emmanuel shouted.
His voice thundered through the air.

  “This opening is just as important to me as it is to you, Manny. I won’t let Trevor or Camilla or anyone else mess this up!” She sneered at my father and me.

  Laurel and Chris rounded the corner, searching for where we’d gone and Chris stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene. Dana looked disheveled with red finger marks on her cheeks, I had mascara streaming down my face, and Emmanuel looked like a fucking hulk the way his muscles bulged and veins popped from his forearms.

  “What’s going on guys?” Christina asked in a small voice. She looked to my Dad, who was still holding me, and then back to me. “Who’s that? What’s going on?” She started to tremble slightly but Laurel put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

  Dana rushed to hug her. “Oh Christina, I’m so sorry you have to see this. Go…go back out there. Mommy’s coming.”

  “Tell her,” I growled. Dana’s head whipped in my direction. “Stop fucking hiding shit, and tell her what’s going on!”

  “She’s the only one in this who’s innocent and I will not taint my only daughter with the evil going on here today!” Hearing her say that shit was a swift kick to my gut. Her only daughter? If she wanted it like that, then she could have it.

  “Why are you talking like that?” Chris whined. She seemed so small and reminded me of when she was a little kid.

  “Christina…” I said slowly, “Emmanuel isn’t my father.” I could feel the air being sucked out of the room with her gasp. Her eyes went wide and her eyebrows drew together in concern and disbelief. Slowly she looked over at Dana as if she was a monster, and I couldn’t blame her.

  “I just found out, and not because she told me. My real dad reached out to me on Facebook and…I flew him out here.” My dad waved shyly and nodded his head at her.

  “I’m Trevor, nice to meet you.” But my poor little sister was in no condition for introductions. Laurel whispered something in her ear and then disappeared from sight.

  “She also lied about my birthday. I just turned 19, not 18. She lied about all of it just so she could look good and all the fucking mood swings that I have? She has the same shit and she never bothered to help.” Tears broke through my voice and compelled Chris forward to wrap her arms around me. We both sank to the floor and cried together.

  “Dana. Leave.” Emmanuel commanded again. This time he was eerily calm.

  “Fine. When I get home, I’m packing up all of her things and putting them out. You wanna be with Trevor? Go. You’re not my daughter anymore.” I didn’t give a fuck anymore either. I was done trying to get answers from someone who didn’t believe her problems existed. Christina looked up at Dana and narrowed her almond shaped eyes to slits.

  “If she’s not your daughter anymore, then neither am I.” That seemed to be the only thing that shook Dana. She reached out for Christina but was refused. Instead, Chris clung to me tighter; both of us sniffling and letting the tears drip from our cheeks.

  “Christina!” Dana screamed, “Listen to me! She is not your sister! She’s a demon!” In a flash, Emmanuel pushed Dana against the wall, pinning her by her shoulders.

  “If you don’t leave the premises, I will have you escorted out.” I’d never heard him sound so guttural. “Don’t set foot in my house until I get there. Go to the pool house.” He instructed as he let her free. Dana stumbled down the hall and out of the side exit. My dad knelt down and tilted my chin up to him. “Baby girl, do you want me to stay, or do you want some time with your sister?”

  “I wanna talk to her,” I said quietly between sniffles. “I don’t want you to leave though.”

  “Okay, I’m gonna go talk to Manny.” He told me, then, he went down the hall and into the main lobby. Emmanuel walked over to me and helped Chris and I stand up. He embraced Chris and she cried a little more into his chest leaving behind wet spots and mascara smudges. He pulled me in for a hug next, but walked with me so that Chris couldn’t hear. He pressed his lips against my temple and pressed his hand against the small of my back so there was no space between us.

  “I am so sorry, Camilla. After I’m done here, I want to talk to you alone.” I nodded, savoring the smell of peppermint on his breath and the cologne on his skin. “I love you, okay?”

  “I love you too, Emmanuel.” He rubbed my lower back and kissed the top of my head, and then he followed behind my father.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Christina and I ducked into an empty office in the hall and locked the door behind us. “So you’re my half sister then?” She sniffled. “Why the fuck didn’t she tell us?”

  I paused and glanced at her in shock. I wasn’t used to hearing her be so vulgar. “I’m pissed off Cami. How could she watch you go through those mood swings your whole life and not say or do anything? What kind of mother does that?” He voice became shrill and pulsed with anger. “Did Daddy know?” I nodded my head slowly. “What? He knew too!”

  “Yeah, but he wanted to tell me at least. He kept my dad…my real dad up to date on me my entire life. He’s looked out for me at least. He wasn’t always there, but he fucking cared unlike that bitch.” I spat. My knuckles were white from gripping the edge of the table I was sitting at. Chris nodded in agreement.

  “I just…I can’t believe this shit. I don’t wanna see her ass right now. I can’t look at her. The way she talked about you made me so mad, Cami. I really wanted to hit her!”

  “I slapped the fuck out of her,” I mused. I tried to stifle the smile, but I was too proud of my handy work so fuck it, I let the smug ass smile stay. Christina’s jaw dropped.

  “You did not.”

  “Yes the hell I did. Fuck her.”

  “I can’t honestly blame you after everything she’s put you through.” After a long silence, Chris started to sniffle and tears rolled down her cute chocolate cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” I frowned.

  “Are you really leaving with your real dad?” I couldn’t stand to see the quiver in her lip. I wrapped her up in a hug and inhaled deeply.

  “I don’t know, Chris. I don’t think I’m welcome at home anymore though.”

  “Daddy will let you stay. He’s on your side.” He was on my side alright…

  “I don’t know that I want to even be there anymore. I might stay with Xavier for a little while.”

  “Well I’m staying with Laurel then. I’m not staying there with her. I don’t care if she’s in the pool house or not.” I nodded my head.

  “I understand.” I sighed.

  “What the hell is happening to our family, Cami?”

  “We’re finally seeing our mother’s twisted intentions. She only cares about herself.”

  Christina and I stayed holed up in that empty office until Emmanuel came knocking on the door. “Hey girls, time to go. Everyone cleared out finally.”

  Christina popped up from her chair and hugged Emmanuel tightly. “Daddy, I love you and Cami but I don’t want to go home. I’m gonna go to Laurel’s.”

  “You sure, baby?” He frowned, fixing the sleeve on her dress.

  “Yes Daddy.”

  “Okay, can you text me and let me know you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, of course.” They hugged again and then she gave me a hug. “I love you sis.”

  “I love you too Chris.” I smiled. Emmanuel sat in a chair next to me, slid my chair over to him and patted his lap. I did a quick survey of the office before I obliged and sat on top of him. “You doing okay?” He asked. He strong hands massaged the back of my neck. The spot where he bit me was tender and when he touched it, a jolt shot through my vagina making me tingle.

  “I don’t know…maybe I should be like Chris and just not go home.”

  “You’re coming home,” he said sternly. Hearing the bass in his voice made me nod automatically. I wanted nothing more than to please this man. “Dana thinks we’re fucking,” he grumbled.

  “I know.”

  “Christina cannot find out, so it’s best that s
he stay with Laurel for a while. If Dana thinks she can win her over by telling her you and I are having sex then she will.”

  All of this shit for someone I wasn’t even fucking was ridiculous. Emmanuel’s strong hands rubbed my thighs and I squirmed on top of him until I felt his dick start to grow beneath me. “You gotta stop all that moving and shit.” He said quietly in my ear.

  “You have to stop touching me like this…especially if you’re not gonna fuck me.”

  “Who said I wasn’t?” He smirked. “You still need taming.” He gripped my soft thighs and forced them open.

  “You said that!” I squeaked. “You said you were trying to hold on to a shred of dignity, remember.” He sighed heavily and let my thigh go. I missed his grip already, shit.

  “You’re right. I think I’m just so damn exhausted with everything that I’m not thinking straight.” He stood up and my eyes fell to his erection. “If we’re gonna be decent about this then you need to watch yourself, okay? Don’t keep poking a sleeping beast.”

  “I can’t make any promises.” I smirked.

  “You need to.” His voice was sharp. “I already told you what would happen. I’m serious.” I folded my arms and looked up at him. His coffee-brown eyes were staring back.

  “Weren’t you just in here threatening to fuck me?”

  “I told you…I’m just exhausted.”

  “Whatever, Emmanuel. Where’s my dad?”

  “He went to his hotel for a little while. I need to go to the house and check on your mother.” I cringed inside hearing him refer to that bitch as my mother. “You should come with me.”

  “Fuck her. I don’t wanna check on her.”

  “You two might be able to talk…”

  “Emmanuel, didn’t you see how well that went over today? I’m broken and demonic she doesn’t want my ass anywhere near her. The feeling is mutual too.” He let out a breath and stood closer to me.

  “Okay, let me rephrase that…you’re coming with me. Get your things.” It was as if something invisible tugged on me and I followed behind him to his car. The entire ride, I kept stealing glances at him. Damn he was fine. How have I not noticed it for all these years?