“Miss, are you okay?” she asked loud enough for the person next to her behind the counter to hear. Now I had two attendants and no destination.
“Where would you like to go?” the second person questioned as though she had more authority than the first.
I stared at her. Spoke very slow with the same mellow tone. “Where’s the first available flight I can purchase a ticket for departing to?”
She clicked keys for a moment, then advised, “Los Angeles. It leaves in two hours.”
“Hm.” I gave it minimal consideration. “You hear that, Max? You want to mark your territory in LA?”
He tilted his head, stared up at me as if whatever was good with me, was all right with him long as we were going together.
“Two first-class tickets, please,” I told her.
I nodded at the agent. “He’s never been to Hollywood. A one-way to LA is fine.”
With so much time prior to boarding, I walked Max outdoors, let him empty his bladder a few times. Stopping at a restaurant, I ordered Max a grilled chicken breast for the trip. Thanks to Bing, I had preapproved security clearance. We made our way to Concourse A. Another thing Bing had taught me was how to be adventurous.
Entitled to a severance package from my job, I decided to accept it and move on. Shutting down all of my social pages, I didn’t need any fans, followers, or friends I could not visit.
For the first time in my life, Blake Crystal did not have to answer to anyone. I could get used to this.
“Blake?”
Shaking my head, I recognized the voice. I ignored him. Wasn’t sure how he’d found me but I was not surprised. Yes, I did know. Ruby.
Bing sat beside us at the gate. Max’s tail wagged with excitement. My ass refused to acknowledge him.
“Blake, I am so sorry,” he said. “Baby, can we get out of here? I had no idea.”
Never again would I give a man a chance to belittle me the way he’d done in front of my children. Firmly, I told him, “No, Bing.” I removed his ring, placed it in his palm. “Save all of it for the next woman.”
Didn’t ask for his money. Definitely was not offering to return it. But if he asked, he wouldn’t have to mention it twice.
“Okay,” he said. “Hear me out and if you never want to see me again, I’ll accept that. I’ve arranged dinner with our girls tonight.”
Our? Hm. I smiled. “Tell baby girl hello for me. Give her your best.”
“With your permission, I want to talk with them.”
Hmm. With my consent and the arrangements were already done. He didn’t need my approval the first time or to set up whatever he’d planned this evening. All I said was, “If hearing me say, ‘Sure,’ makes you feel better. Sure, Bing.”
“Dammit, Blake,” he grunted.
Was that supposed to change my mind? Heal my heart? I doubted Bing or any of the men I’d dated felt the kind of pain they inflicted on me!
“Boarding all rows” was announced.
I stood with Max in my arm, placed him in his carrier. Bing had tears in his eyes. I did not. Patting his chest, I said, “Take care of yourself, Bing.”
He followed us to the agent who was waiting to scan my ticket. Last call was made. There was such a thing as last chance. He’d gotten his and I no longer had to live a lie.
“Miss, if you’re on this flight, you need to board now,” she said, holding her hand open.
I gazed into her eyes.
“I’m closing the door in one minute,” she instructed the other agent.
I handed her my cell, and she scanned the bar code for our first-class seats. I did not look back.
Soon as the attendant locked the door behind me, I heard my ex-fiancé shout, “I know what your father did to you. I’m so sorry,” he cried. “Blake, I truly am sorry.”
It was too late for me to turn around. Max started barking. My feet would not take another step. I fell to the floor, hugged Max’s carrier, and cried like a baby.
Someone had to cry for Ruby.
I heard Bing demand, “Open the door. I need to take my wife home.”
CHAPTER 34
Devereaux
“When is our mother getting here?”
Hadn’t spoken with her since we were all at her house. I preferred to wait. She was back to her ways of not responding to texts or calls. I felt partially responsible. Should’ve been more considerate of her feelings.
Bing sat at the head of his table. “She’s not coming. And before anyone speaks, we decided it was best.”
Alexis had snagged the seat to his right. She should’ve have given her cleavage the occasion off. “We decided? So y’all back together?” she questioned with disappointment.
“Baby girl. Never make me choose,” Bing said.
Suspecting that Mercedes would take the other seat closest to Bing since Mother wasn’t coming, I was shocked when Mercedes settled next to Alexis facing me. Mercedes relocated to the opposite side, then sat next to Alexis. I was prepared to protect my mother this go-around. Since she wasn’t coming, I left the seat next to Bing for Sandara as she scooted close to the table. The other five places were unoccupied.
“Your advice did not work. Just thought I’d get that out before the deadbeats arrived,” Mercedes said.
The real guests, our biological fathers, hadn’t arrived and we were already divided.
“My advice? Or your approach?” Bing said, looking directly at Mercedes.
Sandara asked with wide eyes, “What time is my daddy getting here?”
“He’s not. None of your fathers are coming,” Bing said.
My heart skipped a beat, then thumped hard. “Is this some sort of joke?” I questioned. “I need to meet my daddy. You said you’d find him. My daughter needs to know her grandfather. Are you pretending, like our mother, to deliver the impossible?”
“That’s on y’all. Glad I met mine,” Alexis said sarcastically. “Since they’re not joining us can me and my baby eat?”
“It’s my baby and I,” Mercedes corrected.
Alexis fired back, “That’s why your husband has a mistress and you’re the sitter.”
“But I do have a husband,” Mercedes countered.
Sandara picked up a bread roll, hurled it at Alexis. “Shut up! Why are you here anyway?”
“’Cause I’m the baby girl, that’s why. Don’t be jealous,” Alexis retorted.
Mercedes stood. “I’m going to relieve my babysitter, aka husband, from watching my kids.”
“Sit, Mercedes.” The commanding tone in Bing’s voice silenced all of us. “I was hoping to get to know you girls better but I’ll get right to it.”
“You can get to know me well as you’d like,” Alexis said.
No more insults from me. We were justifiably dysfunctional siblings.
“I’ll start with you, baby girl. There’s no easy way to say this.”
Alexis sprang to her feet. “You’re my father!” Her eyes were wide. “That’s why you call me your baby girl. I knew my daddy was rich!”
Sandara tossed bread roll number two. “You’re lucky.”
“Stop it, please,” Bing insisted. “In anticipation of how one or each of you may respond, I have four professional therapists on standby. This is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever had to deal with. No matter how heartbreaking this news I’m about to tell you may be, know that your mother has endured the worst.”
Mercedes’s lips parted, as she exhaled in Alexis’s direction. “Here we go with justifying insanity,” she said, then folded her arms.
“Dragon breath. Not today,” Alexis complained, waving her hand in Mercedes’s face.
Bing shook his head, took a deep breath, sighed, then continued, “Don’t anyone interrupt me. I’m not asking. If you don’t want to hear what I have to say, you are welcome to excuse yourself. That goes for each of you.”
“I apologize for their rude behavior,” I said, staring at Mercedes. Four rolling eyeballs scrolled in my directio
n.
“Alexis, I’ll make sure you’re okay, baby girl,” Bing said.
Alexis’s stare froze at Bing. Dropped from north to south as she smiled wide enough for all to darn near see her molars.
Bing exclaimed, “Conner Rogers was not your father. Everything he left you can be contested by Spencer and Spencer would win.”
“Okay, this is creepy,” I said. “You calling our mother a liar?”
“Hear me out. This is not about blaming your mother. Here’s the real deal,” Bing said. “Your mother is so embarrassed about having four children out of wedlock that she convinced Conner to cover for her.”
Mercedes’s lips pressed together, then parted. Shaking his head, Bing held up his hand to her. She sighed heavily. Relieved the distance between us was a good five feet, I watched Mercedes’s lips tighten.
“I’m not done.” He hesitated, then added, “Each of you has the same father.”
Our eyes danced with one another. I did not remotely believe him. Outside of our thick beautiful mane, there was no other common resemblance.
Questioning why Mr. Sterling was with my mother, I stared at him. Why had he quickly claimed us as his girls? He had this mansion that rivaled the Hollywood celebrities’ mansions I’d seen on and off television. Bing had drivers, and a private jet. He didn’t need Mother’s money.
I asked, “Then why did our mother put ‘unknown’ on our birth certificates?”
Was Antonio planted? Did my family have an inheritance Bing and Antonio were plotting to acquire? Nothing made sense!
“All your mother needs right now is love, understanding, and you guys don’t need to forgive her. She needs to forgive you.”
Out of everything he’d stated, that was ludicrous. My mother was not incompetent.
Mercedes exhaled toward Bing’s face. I waited for him to wave his hand in front of his nose. He didn’t. Alexis didn’t protest anything.
“Your father, Devereaux, Mercedes, Alexis, and Sandara, is dead. That’s the truth. For now, let’s leave it at that.”
“Hell, nah. Don’t put me in the lineup. I buried my father. I know who he is. We did a DNA test. And the money, house, Ferrari, Porsche, Benz, BMW, all that’s mine! I’m not giving Spencer or anybody else shit!”
“I don’t know where you came from, what your true intentions are, but if there’s more to what you know,” I said, “we demand to hear it right now.”
Bing exhaled, “You’re right. No need to prolong the inevitable. Your mother was raped by her father. Your father is your grandfather.”
The silence in the room was deafening. Was incest how we were conceived?
“Can’t y’all see she’s lying,” Alexis angrily blurted. “One child, at the age twenty-two maybe. Two, suspect. Three, I’m not buying it. Four. Really? She was twenty-five when she had Sandara. The way I see it,” Alexis replied. “That’s not rape. Even if granddaddy is our biological, that was a relationship.”
Mother wouldn’t lie about something like that. I believed Bing. If my grandfather weren’t dead, I’d kill the bastard.
If by chance, it turned out that Alexis was right, I’d hire her for a lead role on the spot.
CHAPTER 35
Mercedes
“Mr. Sterling, with all due respect, Blake Crystal is our mother.”
Bing requested we give him a day alone with our mother before my sisters and I went to see how our mother was doing. I made an executive decision; Bing had controlled enough.
“Mercedes, you’re right. You’re always right,” he said sarcastically.
Reverse psychology was not going to work. “None of your advice has done me any good.”
“I agree with Mercedes,” Alexis said. “Not on the ‘none’ part. I need to find out what’s going on with my mother.”
Obviously, what Alexis really wanted was to find out if her inheritance was legit. Devereaux and Sandara were quiet until Devereaux said, “I’m going to see my mother now.”
Sandara chimed in, “Me too. I’m not waiting either.”
I wasn’t sure if the real baby girl agreed due to being outnumbered or sincerity but the decision was unanimous. “Perfect.” I needed something constructive to keep me from wondering what my husband was doing to his mistress tonight.
“Let’s handle this your way, ladies.” Bing stared at me, then added, “Just give me a few minutes to see your mom before you knock on the door.”
A few meant three in my world. Did Bing have something to hide? Had they concocted this molestation story together? He’d found out too fast for me. I’d hoped our mother needed us too and that she wouldn’t let this or any man come ahead of what was important to us.
Bing escorted us to his front door. Alexis’s Ferrari, the Porsche she’d given Sandara and Devereaux’s Benz SUV made the driveway appear as though an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous was being filmed. The only car that wouldn’t fit in was my mommy SUV that I’d left at home, with the adjacent door handles on the passenger side.
I drove Devereaux’s fancy foreign whip, following Bing closely. Alexis was behind me and Sandara trailed her. Mr. Sterling was going to have to make his spill with mom quick.
I had to tell someone, “I have a new vagina.”
Devereaux’s head snapped in my direction. “Wait. Is it by default because you haven’t used it in forever?”
“That too. There’s this new procedure. Well, it’s just catching on in the United States but women in other countries have been doing ThermiVa treatments for—”
“Thermi what?” she asked, smiling.
Explaining to my older sister how the procedure worked, I told her, “Since you’re done with the lame and have a new guy, this is the perfect time for you to try it. I have to warn you, though, you might be too tight for him to fully penetrate you the first time.”
Devereaux frowned. “Text me your doctor’s info soon as we park. But I have something to share with you that you need to do.”
What could she possible know that I didn’t? Definitely wanted to find out. “I’m listening.”
“I haven’t told anyone I had a VTox done at Sweet Spot Atlanta. It’s a detox steam for your vagina.”
I laughed. Were we keeping our vagina monologue a secret? “I’m listening.”
“You sit on this chair that has a hole in the seat and underneath you is kinda like a Crock-Pot with nineteen herbs and you sit there naked for thirty minutes to an hour with a plastic drape covering you up and oh wee! The steam is hot and everything, all kinds of toxins, fall out of your coochie. Bad energy and anything that’s not supposed to be inside, I’m telling you it falls out.”
“Like colonics for your vagina?” I asked, trying to get a visual.
“Except nothing is inserted in you. And it tightened me up inside and out. The steam does all the work. I feel so ready to receive Antonio and any thought of Phoenix turns me and my vagina off.”
“I guess we both have new pussies,” I said.
“It’s about time. You said the ‘p’ word,” Devereaux commented. “I’ll share the contact. Don’t forget to give me yours.”
I parked between Alexis and Sandara. Maintaining my position in the driver’s seat, I motioned for my two sisters to get in the car with us. Devereaux gave Alexis the front, and sat with Sandara in the back. Mother welcomed Bing in, then closed her door.
I sat sideways to make sure I had everyone’s undivided attention. “Since we have a moment, I’m going to go over the rules.”
“You mean go over your rules,” Alexis countered as though I was in her car. Facing me she arched her back, causing her baby bump to poke forward.
I envied her dark and flawless smooth skin. Wondered if my husband preferred Arizona’s chocolate tone over my light complexion. I could tan in the sun for days and never get Arizona’s color. The whites of Alexis’s eyes were the brightest I’d seen. Had to admit to myself, being with child made Alexis more beautiful but only on the outside.
&nbs
p; “Lil girl. Keep your voice down. This is not the time to have it your way,” I replied.
Devereaux added, “Alexis, Mercedes is right. Don’t go in there acting like you’re more important than everybody else. For once, be considerate.”
Deep inside I was jealous of Devereaux. If she had not asked me to join her at Haven @1411. If I had been early and she’d been late. If she hadn’t taken Antonio’s number. If I hadn’t helped her see Phoenix for the loser he really was. Not trying to meet the amazing new man in her life, she’d stumbled upon a perfect gentleman who adored her and her daughter. It was my fault Devereaux was happier. She could possibly get married and I might be single.
I exhaled. Would I be that lucky if I divorced Benjamin? I did not want to find out.
“Stop that!” Alexis yelled at me.
I frowned.
“It’s not about you, Alexis,” Sandara commented. “Our father is a rapist. He raped our mother four times. That’s why we’re here. Mother did her best and thanks to Bing, I’ll be back on the runway next week. Stop flirting with him, Alexis. And regardless of what anyone else is doing, I’m not putting my grandfather’s name on my birth certificate as my father.”
Bing was a man of his word. I believed he’d be there for Alexis’s delivery. He was right about Antonio. With a call to his attorney, he’d resolved Sandara’s custody issues. She had to show up at court but she didn’t have to defend herself. Why didn’t my attempt at reconciliation with my husband work? This was not the time to let tears fall. I was pissed.
“Everything is about me. Don’t hate.” Alexis wiggled her fingers at Sandara. “If you done with your insults, hand me the keys to my Porsche.”
Alexis flipped her long black hair. Whipped out her mirror, retouched her lipstick. She never took a day off from being the most gorgeous of us all. Styled in a minidress and heels, she’d said more men complimented her now than ever. Toya and her wife, who sat next to my husband and me at King + Duke, were sexy too. Where were they?
Sandara said, “It’s not your car.”
“She’s right. You won’t be popular after Spencer finds out all of your inheritance belongs to him,” I added, with intent to bring Alexis’s arrogance down a notch.
The One I've Waited For Page 18
