Loving Dasia

by Ana’Gia Wright

  G crept through the darkness of the bedroom and sat on the chaise in front of the bay window. He watched Dasia sleeping. She stirred restlessly, tossing the covers to the floor, before once again settling down into a comforting sleep. She was strong, and he knew she’d get through this, but that was no comfort to him. She shouldn’t be going through this at all. If his people had been doing what he paid them to do, then none of this would’ve happened.

  G watched the moonlight glisten from the tears running down Dasia’s cheeks. Even in her sleep, she was emotional. He wanted to comfort her, but she needed to rest. He decided instead to keep watch for a while.

  When she remained quiet in her sleep for more than a few minutes, he covered her with the blanket she’d tossed aside earlier and slipped out of the room.

  “Now what is so important that I need to leave Dasia’s bedside?” Descending the stairs, G was beyond irritated. He wanted answers, and his patience was wearing thin.

  As they entered the living room, Chaos turned to Katina, assuring her they were doing the right thing.

  She handed G a large manila envelope, the same envelope that had been delivered to Dasia’s job a couple of weeks earlier.

  “What’s this?” G asked as he sat down in the chair opposite his sister.

  Neither Katina nor Chaos said a word as he pulled the photos from the envelope. They watched him flip through the pictures until he came to the lone piece of paper that had been delivered with them. His eyes narrowed at the words, “You’d better watch your man,” in bold letters across the middle of the page.

  G closed his eyes while he counted to ten. He felt that one vein on the side of his head begin to pulse. He didn’t need rage right now. Anger was okay; that he could control. But he was teetering on rage, and crossing that threshold wasn’t an option.

  Placing his hand on her shoulder, Chaos stopped the words Katina was about to say. G needed to get the rage under control, and her speaking to him would only break his concentration. He’d seen what can happen when G really lost it and was sure Katina had never seen her brother in that state.

  After a few minutes of silence, G finally spoke, each word taking effort. He made sure to remain as calm as possible. “Where did you get these?”

  Chaos answered before Katina had the chance to. “Dasia.”

  “Did she say where she got them from?”

  “No, just that the envelope was delivered to her job.”

  “Look, G, she knows who the woman in the photo is. After I explained everything, she didn’t feel it necessary to tell you. She figured they came from one of your ex-girlfriends just trying to scare her off.”

  Chaos cringed, wishing Katina hadn’t said anything. She’d just put herself smack-dab in the middle of this, which was exactly what he’d hoped to avoid.

  G turned to face his sister and glared at her. “How long have you known about these?” He shook the photos in her direction, narrowing his eyes.

  “A couple of weeks,” she replied, lowering her head in shame for not telling him.

  Chaos eased his way between the two of them. Although G was still seated and appeared calm, Chaos knew at any moment that could, and probably would, change.

  “And you didn’t tell me!”

  “I’m sorry, G. I promised Dasia I wouldn’t. Besides, it was just this one package. She said if anything else happened, she’d tell you everything.”

  Just as Chaos had suspected, G lunged for Katina. He caught his boy in a bear hug before he could get a grip on her.

  “Katina, go!” Chaos yelled.

  “But—”

  “Just go now!” Chaos didn’t know how much longer he could hold G. He needed to get Katina as far away as possible.

  As soon as he was sure she was well out of harm’s way, he forced G’s back against one of the walls.

  All of a sudden, G stopped fighting him. It wasn’t the force of the wall against his back or the sound of the antique vase shattering into a million pieces as it collided with the floor that snapped him from the rage-induced trance. It was those almond-shaped light brown eyes and the look of horror on Dasia’s face that had done it. Seeing her standing in the doorway watching him lose control caused all of the anger to dissipate. He never wanted her to see him like this.

  Dasia looked down at the scattered glossy photos on the floor and then back up at G. Immediately she knew why he was angry. Katina was right. She should have told him before. She thought it didn’t matter, but now she knew otherwise. She knew he was angry with Katina for keeping the secret, a secret she’d have never kept if Dasia hadn’t forced her to.

  “I’m sorry, G.” Dasia turned and dashed back up the stairs.

  The sound of the bedroom door slamming pierced G’s heart.

  Katina stood in the doorway shaking her head at her brother. “I’ve told you about that temper of yours,” she spat. “I hope you’re happy.”

  Katina turned from them and slowly made her way up the stairs. She needed to tend to Dasia while G regained control of his anger. She hated cleaning up his mess, but she felt this one was just as much her fault as his.

  “Damn.” G’s shoulders slumped. He hadn’t lost control like that in a long time. “I need to go talk to her.”

  “Not yet. Let Katina talk to her first. You need to pull yourself together, man. I know you care about Dasia and you hate to see her going through all of this, but you’re no help to her when you’re out of control.” Chaos let G out of the hold he had him in and took a seat on the couch.

  “You don’t understand. I more than care about her, man. I love her, and almost losing her is driving me crazy. I didn’t think I could ever feel this way about a woman. I mean, it wasn’t even this way with Shonda, and you know how I felt about her. Loving Dasia has made the Shonda thing seem like child’s play. I can’t deal with this shit right now.”

  Chaos didn’t know what to say to G’s confession. It did, however, put a lot of things into perspective. Dasia had changed G in a lot of ways. Chaos noticed his boy had been much calmer lately and happier than he’d seen him in years. He’d watched as G’s feelings for Dasia deepened, but he didn’t realize it was love.

  “Man, don’t even sweat it. You two will work this out. You’ve both had loads of shit dumped on you in a short period of time. The pressure just got to you. Katina will make her understand that.”

  “And what if she can’t?” G made his way over to the patio doors, turning his back on his comrade. “What if she only sees me as a ticking time bomb waiting to explode? What if she fears I’d do something to hurt her?”

  G fought the burning sensation behind his eyes, the thought of losing her again rearing its ugly head. He’d dealt with this before, when she’d ended up in the hospital. That was something that couldn’t have been avoided. This, on the other hand, was different. This should have been avoided, and those responsible would pay, and pay dearly.

  G feared he was about to cry. He refused to let his best friend see him this way, so he did the only thing he could think of. He swung open the double doors and stepped out into the night.

  “How you holding up?” Katina asked as she walked into Dasia’s bedroom.

  “I didn’t know he was going to react that way. I’m sorry, Katina. I never meant to—”

  “Don’t worry about it. G and I have been down this road before. He’ll be back to himself in the morning, and all will be forgiven.” Katina crossed the room. Her back to the night sky, she watched Dasia curl up in the bed.

  “Does he get like that often? I mean, does he usually lose his temper like that?” Dasia tried to hide the fear. She never wanted to see G like that again. For the first time since he’d come into her life, Dasia feared him.

  “No, I’ve never seen him like this, though I’ve heard Chaos talk about how he can be when he’s at his wit’s end.”

  A loud noise drew Katina’s attention. She watched as G revved the engine and spun the tires of the Porsche in his mad attempt to escape
his problems.

  “Fuck!”

  “What’s wrong?” Dasia sat on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, watching Katina stare out of the window.

  “He’s gone in that godforsaken death trap.” Katina had warned G about that car. It wasn’t safe. And it was even less safe when he was driving on pure adrenaline.

  “What are you talking about? Who’s gone?”

  “Nothing. Never mind. Look, just try to get some rest. We’ve all had a long day, and sleep would do us all some good. If you need them, there are some sleeping pills in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. We’ll talk in the morning.” Katina made her way to the door. “Goodnight, Dasia.”

  “Night, Katina.”

  When Katina closed the door and turned around, Chaos was standing at the bedroom door.

  “You shouldn’t have let him go,” she said.

  “He went out the back doors. I assumed he was going to the gardens to get some air. By the time I realized where he’d gone, he was speeding down the driveway.”

  “He needs to blow off some steam.” Katina didn’t know if she was trying to convince him or herself. G was really in no condition to be driving.

  “You know he loves her, don’t you?”

  “I’ve known since the day he introduced us, even before he realized it himself. He’s just going to have to learn to deal with it.” Katina turned, taking her first steps toward the bedrooms on the other side of the staircase. “Are you staying tonight?” she asked, sensing him only a step or two behind her.

  “Yeah. I’ll keep an eye on things. Just go get some rest and try not to worry. He’ll be back before you know it.”

  Chaos gave her a hug, trying his best to comfort her. Then she pulled away from him and made her way to the first door on the other side of the stairs. He watched as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. At least someone would get some sleep tonight.

  Chapter 17

  Dasia opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. She tried to sleep through the morning sun seeping through the curtains, but the rays were too bright and the warmth too tempting. It took her a moment to remember she wasn’t in the quaint little apartment she’d made her home. Then she remembered Chaos bringing her and Katina to G’s house last night.

  For a moment she wondered where G was, until she rolled over and saw him stretched out across the green Paisley chaise. She smiled at him, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. His clothes were in an unusual state of disarray. Apparently he’d come right in her room from his drive and slept in the same clothes he had on last night.

  Dasia slowly got out of the bed and dressed as quickly and quietly as possible. Creeping from the spacious bedroom, she took care not to wake him. His night had been as bad as hers, worrying about her more than she wanted him to, but what could she do?

  In the hallway, Dasia contemplated what to do next. She only remembered seeing the living room and bedroom when she first came in. She knew G had a house, but she’d never dreamed it to be like this.

  She opened the door to the bedroom across from the one she’d slept in and peeped inside. Entering cautiously, she walked past the plasma-screen television hung on the wall and the two matching leather recliners in the sitting room into the adjoining master bedroom. She smiled when she realized the chairs were the same as the pair in her apartment. Only, these were black, and hers were cream.

  A beautifully crafted hand-carved kinGsized bed sat in the center of the room, a complementary nightstand on one side, and a single Tiffany lamp sat on the nightstand along with G’s cell phone. A black duffel and two matching garment bags lay on the black-and-gold bedspread tucked neatly under the mattress on the sides.

  When Dasia got a whiff of the intoxicating aroma of Jean Paul Gaultier, she immediately knew this had to be G’s bedroom. It smelled just like him.

  She stood in front of his armoire and stared at the pictures lined neatly across the top. Her eyes were drawn to the largest photo placed in the middle of all of the others. It was an amateur picture that had been enlarged. G looked so happy holding his nephew in his arms.

  As she looked at the other photos, his love for his family became more apparent. There was a picture with Marques and Kaleb, one with G and Katina, and another with Katina and her family. Then there was a family photo with Katina, Tijuan, G, Marques and Kaleb.

  Dasia imagined what it would be like to be a part of G’s family. She’d met all of them, with the exception of Tijuan, who still had a couple of weeks left on duty before coming back to the States. G told her that Tijuan couldn’t wait to meet her, saying he wanted to meet the woman his brother-in-law had fallen head over heels for.

  Just as quickly as the thought came, Dasia dismissed it. It was still too soon. She really wasn’t ready to look at things on a lonGterm basis with G.

  She made her way back to the hallway, where the two sides of the stairwell merged. She’d always dreamt of living in a house with a split staircase. The fact that the stairs were white and black marble only added to the effect.

  As she made her way to the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a tall, dark-skinned man leaning against the wall. His shoulders were broad, and his arms full and muscular. He fit the profile of the average bodyguard to a T. He never turned his eyes from the door, and she hadn’t made any noise, so she was surprised when he greeted her.

  “Good morning, Ms. Warrington.”

  When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she took a good look at the man’s face. She didn’t recognize it, so she assumed he wasn’t there last night when she’d arrived. She wondered how he knew her name. “Do I know you?”

  “No, ma’am, but I know you.” The man continued to stare at the front door, as if waiting for some intruder to enter so he could spring into action.

  Dasia crossed her arms over her chest. “And how is that?”

  “You’ll have to take that up with the boss.”

  Dasia placed her hands on her hips, again going over the man standing in front of her. “And who might the boss be?”

  “You already know the answer to that. Feel free to explore the rest of the house. G won’t mind.”

  Dasia took one last look at the man, who had a pistol strapped to each hip, and one under his right arm, and made her way to the first door on her left. The room was dark, not because the sun was rising on the opposite side of the house, or the curtains shielded the windows to protect walls of books on either side of her, but because of the dark-brown leather furniture and mahogany shelves lining the walls.

  Dasia turned on the two large lamps and pulled the curtains open, before heading for one of the many bookshelves. Examining one shelf of books, she realized many of them were classics, while the few newer books all appeared to be signed first editions. The shelves were filled with everything from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Toni Morrison’s Sula, the subject matter spanning from fiction to romance, vampires to physics. Someone in the house was either a collector of priceless books or extremely well-read.

  Dasia took a moment to admire the giant oil painting above the fireplace. Three generations of Guatreaux men stared back at her through the canvas. Other than his mouth, the slight slant to his eyes and their color, G was the spitting image of the other two men. There was no denying the relationship. The Guatreaux gene was definitely dominant.

  Even on the canvas, the three men exuded power. Every detail was tended to, from the Cartier watch on G’s arm to the Italian-cut suits and diamond-studded tie tacks and cuff links. Even the eyes of the eldest Guatreaux man seemed to hold some deep, dark secret of strength. Staring into those dark eyes, she knew he was all about business. He seemed to have the eyes of a man who’d do anything to protect what was his.

  Dasia glanced down into G’s clear gray eyes. Initially they held an element of softness to them, but the longer she stared into the gray pools, the more they seemed to change. Dasia even thought she witnessed a flicker of that same hidden secret in his eyes t
hat she’d seen in his grandfather’s.

  She quickly turned from the painting. It was beginning to creep her out. Her body shuddered as she felt the eyes of the portrait staring into her soul. Instead of exploring the room further, she hurriedly moved closer to the door and quickly out of the room.

  Dasia walked through the living room to the doors leading out to the patio. A cool breeze swept through the room as she opened the double doors and stepped into the morning glow. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh roses, lilies, and orchids. She followed the stone path from the patio and stepped below the second of the numerous trellises scattered about. She took a seat on the wooden bench and closed her eyes. All was peaceful here, and peace was what she needed most in this moment.

  Chapter 18

  G slowly drifted from the torturous sleep he’d been trapped in for only a few hours. He’d had a long plane ride and an even longer night after returning from his drive. He didn’t remember falling asleep, which was unusual and unnerving. In all of his years in his house, he’d never been so tired as to allow himself to sleep anywhere other than his own bed. The chaise was a compromise. He needed to be near Dasia but didn’t want to risk waking her while moving her to his bed, so that’s why he ended up sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms.

  Leaning up, glancing around the room, G realized Dasia must have decided to just let him sleep. He appreciated the gesture, but it was time he got up and found her. All he wanted to do was encircle her in his arms and hold her. He’d almost lost her yesterday and could no longer bear the thought of not holding her close to his heart.

  Dragging his lethargic body from the chaise, he checked the bathroom to make sure she wasn’t in there and then made his way out of the door. He followed her scent down the hallway and to the stairs. As he descended, he was greeted by one of his oldest and most trusted friends.

  “Morning, G.” Again the man didn’t turn around. He’d just sensed an intruding presence coming down the stairs.