by M. Skye
Tyree was just about to argue his point when he looked up and saw Asha emerging from the back with Renee at her side. They were laughing, and Tyree felt relief wash over him. He was so happy to have his sister at that moment. She was truly a godsend. When they got close enough, he brushed his hand over Asha’s glowing honey-colored skin and let out a deep breath. Asha was the perfect mixture of their parents. She had their mother’s charm and features, with their father’s strong will and durability.
Asha was the youngest of the three siblings, but she often posed as the fixer between them. She was always the one playing mediator between Miguel and Tyree when they had their many disputes. They all got along fairly well, but when it came to the family business, Miguel’s and Tyree’s approaches differed drastically. While Miguel was flashy and loved the recognition, Tyree did most of the legwork, preferring to skip all the glitz and glam.
As well as the import and export business, Johnston Incorporated owned several hotel chains that reached overseas. It was one of the largest luxury hotel chains in the world, making the family a big name locally and internationally. The import and export business was the side they shared with Livingston Enterprises, who also ran a media conglomerate with several big-name magazines that Mia was in charge of. All in all, both families were considered black royalty among their Atlanta circle.
When Tyree focused in on Renee, he noticed the smile she was wearing, and he laid his forehead on hers. Slipping her hand in his, he interlaced their fingers and pulled her closer. He really was trying to make things work with her, and he needed her to feel special. Whatever he had to do, he was willing to be the man she needed.
“You wanna dance, baby?”
Renee blinked rapidly and offered him a gracious smile that spread all over her face. “Really? You would do that?”
“I’m sorry about earlier, and yes, I want to dance with you. It’s important to you, and you’re important to me.” Tyree led Renee over to the floor. They danced to a slow song by Eric Benét, and Asha and Terence joined in behind them. While they all looked to be having a marvelous time, Tyree noticed a pair of eyes in the back of the room, watching him struggle to keep up his happy facade.
Chapter Two
Cassandra had been watching Tyree the entire night and was delighted to see that all wasn’t as well as it seemed. He had been keeping up a front for months, but she knew better. She had been waiting for a crack in his exterior, and now that she had seen it, she was going to seize the moment. She knew she had to act fast to make her dream a reality.
Slipping down the hall toward the bedrooms, Cassandra made her way into Kyan’s room and closed the door behind her. Kyan had been staying with Tyree for the last week, and he would come over and visit with her and Rick in the mornings. Since they were all going to be in the same place, she convinced Tyree to let them have him for the night. When Kyan saw her, he sat up with bright, innocent eyes.
“Aunt Cassie! I thought you had a party.”
“We did, sweetie.” She ran a hand over his smiling cheek. “I just wanted to check on you. I can’t believe you aren’t sleeping.”
“I was, but I woke up.”
When he looked away suddenly, she knew there was something else bothering him. She nodded subtly, letting him know it was safe to say whatever was on his mind.
“I miss Mama. I wish she could come here and see Daddy with me. Why can’t we just stay here like we used to?”
Cassandra just sighed and pulled him into a rough embrace. “You have to understand; your mom and dad are living separate lives now. I know you hate having to leave her, but your dad wants to see you too.”
“I know. I like staying with Daddy. I just wish she was here too.”
“I do too. Hey, how about we call your mom? I’m sure she would like to hear from her favorite man.”
“Yes,” he shrieked; and she smiled, walking over and taking the phone from the base. Dialing Mia’s number, she sat, waiting for it to ring. Once she heard her voice, she looked over to Kyan and nodded. He knew what this meant, and he squealed, jumping off the bed, nearly tackling her. Snatching the phone, he began to tell Mia all about his trip and all the things he and Tyree had done since he arrived.
After more than ten minutes of conversation, he rubbed his eyes and walked back to Cassandra, holding the phone out. “Mama wants to talk to you.”
Taking the phone from his hand, Cassandra bent over, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Okay, sweetie. It’s time to get back in bed. I love you, and good night.”
“Good night, Aunt Cassie.” Before she could exit the room, he called out to her once again. “Can you send my daddy to say good night? Just him.”
“Sure, baby. As soon as I hang up, I’ll get him.”
“Thank you, Aunt Cassie.”
Cassandra shut the door and pulled the phone up to her ear, sighing before beginning their conversation.
“What was that all about?” Mia asked sadly. “He sounds . . . off.”
“He is off.” She paused and exhaled deeply. “Mia, you need to come here, now.”
“I can’t just drop everything and come. I have a job to do, you know.”
“I know you have a job, and I also know that’s not the only reason you won’t come home.”
“I am home.”
“Home is where your heart is, and face it, baby girl, your heart is and always will be here. No amount of running will change that.”
“I’m with Jake.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? Whatever the case may be, your son needs you. He’s begging for you. Why do you think I called?”
“What’s wrong? Is he not having fun with Tyree? I knew this was a mistake, letting him stay that long. Just get him ready and we will meet up. I’ll make the arrangements—”
“No,” she cut her off. “If you want him home sooner than August, you will come here and get him. He loves getting to see his dad, but he misses his mom. Now is the time when you prove what’s more important: your silly grudge or your son. If you deny him this, you’re no better than you claim Tyree is.”
Once Cassandra hung up the phone, she left Mia gasping before ultimately hearing the dial tone. Cassandra knew it was a long shot, but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment. After this, one of two things would happen, either of which would work in her favor: Mia would have to either come to Atlanta or call Tyree. Either way, she had the ball rolling now, and the rest would be up to the two lost souls.
Chapter Three
“Tyree, be honest with me.” Renee sighed. “Can you really marry me when you know that your son hates me?”
Tyree almost fell off the side of the bed, trying to remove his shoes, when he heard her question. “What do you mean he hates you? Kyan is seven. He loves everybody. He just doesn’t know you that well. He’s bound to be a little standoffish.”
“Yeah, and the fact that I’m not his mother doesn’t help. No one can compete with her. She is like a freaking saint.”
“Mia is no saint,” he snapped. “She is far from perfect, and Kyan knows that better than anyone.”
Renee shivered, witnessing his grim expression. He knew she had never seen him so angry. “I’m sorry.” She slid herself down onto his lap, straddling him. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, kissing her way down his neck, brushing the fabric of his shirt away. “Let me make it up to you. Let me make you feel better.”
“Baby, I’m fine. I just don’t want you to get down on yourself about her. She is a good mother to him, but she’s not perfect. None of us are.”
“I know we’re not, but I want to please you. Baby, let me please you. We can be as loud as we want tonight. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“Oh yeah,” he replied, flipping her back on the bed. She had already removed her dress and was now only clad in a bra and a pair of boy shorts. Tyree ran his hand over her smooth skin, reveling in the goosebumps she displayed feeling his touch. “Very happy.”
Dipping h
is head, he captured her lips while sliding his fingers under the red lace material of her bra. While running his mouth all over her chest and shoulders, he took joy in the sounds floating throughout the room. He had always been a highly sexual person, and with Renee, things were easy. She was always eager to please, and she was really something in bed: not the best he had ever had, but she was willing to try just about anything. That alone made it all worth it.
Renee was good for him; she was safe. There was no way she could inflict the damage Mia had because she would never have the ammunition to. He cared for her, yes, but only one woman had gotten close enough to mean everything. He vowed never to let that happen again.
Shaking away thoughts of anything but the voluptuous body beneath him, Tyree pulled her up, smiling at the giggle she released as he unhooked her bra. When her breasts came spilling out, he placed his head between them, teasing her with his warm breath and then his tongue. Latching her hands onto his head, she flipped them over, sliding her body down his to reach his slacks. When she knocked the button loose and ripped the zipper down, her hand found its way in his boxers, causing a loud groan to tear from his throat. She stroked him slowly at first, increasing in speed as she went on. When she smirked up at him, he gripped her head, knowing what was about to happen next.
In an agonizingly slow manner, she removed her hand, and her mouth descended, taking him in inch by inch. Once he was fully submerged, he wove his fingers through hers, biting down hard on his bottom lip. True, she wasn’t the best he ever had, but she damn sure was the best at this. He closed his eyes, allowing a few quiet moans to escape his mouth as she maneuvered her head, taking him in and out.
As much as he enjoyed all of this, something kept playing in his mind: everyone kept trying to push him toward Mia. What the hell were they thinking? How could he possibly still want to be with her when he had a woman like this willing to do whatever it took to make him happy? There was no way he was going to entertain such thoughts.
Renee was still working on him and was unrelenting and, when he felt himself drifting, he closed his eyes and gripped her hair tighter. When he climaxed, he felt the air leave his lungs, and his chest felt heavy. She moved herself up his body and rested herself above his reemerging erection. She smiled down at his flustered expression. “Are you happy?”
“Yeah. How could I not be?” He ran his hands up to grip her thighs. “You always take care of me, baby.” He rolled her over, resting between her legs. “Now let me take care of you.”
After slipping on a condom, Tyree pushed her legs farther apart, gripping them with his sweaty palms as he pushed inside her. He could feel her breath still in her chest as he pulled back, almost completely withdrawing before plunging back in. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he continued his deep thrusts, causing whispered notions to fall from her full lips. Tyree was buried in the rhythm he created, and he felt himself pushing deeper and gripping harder. His thoughts were lost to him once he heard her loud exclamations.
Letting the heat, shivers, and chills take him over, Tyree felt his body propelling harder against hers. All day he had been stressed, but her body was his release. The convulsing patterns of her heated flesh had his mind blown. Gripping her tighter, digging his fingers into her supple ass, he pulled her closer, making the breath leave her small frame.
Pounding her, making her scream, filling her body with every last inch of his penetrating member, he stroked her sweet walls with insistence. He was craving the ultimate release and, with her movements egging him on, he was damn close.
Renee was writhing below him, digging her nails into his back as he pulled her down on the bed, placing her legs over his shoulders. He was in heaven as her hands found their new resting place around his waist. For a few seconds, he slowed his pace, pulling her into a false sense of comfort; and then he plunged hard into her, eliciting a loud scream that was music to his ears.
When Renee reached up and placed a hand on his chest, he slowed his erratic pace and looked down at her. She closed her eyes as he continued to stroke her much more calmly than before, but still deep. He could tell when her orgasm approached because she dug her nails into his side and squeezed her eyes shut. He erupted inside her, and she followed shortly afterward.
Rolling to his side, Tyree pulled Renee to him, taking shallow breaths, trying to regulate himself. “You okay?” he asked after, taking in her silence.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m just basking in the afterglow.”
“Well, you should be because that was damn good.”
“Just damn good?”
“Okay, fantastic.”
“I like that better.” She closed her eyes. “I love you, Tyree.”
“Yeah, you too,” he mumbled before closing his eyes. When he heard her breathing even out, he knew she had fallen asleep. Quickly, he unwrapped himself from her and went into the bathroom for a shower.
Stepping inside, feeling the hot water cascade down his back, he wondered how long he would be able to get away with not saying it back. She was comfortable saying “I love you” to him every day, but he was having a difficult time with it. Sure, he could love her someday, but feeling it and saying it were two different things. Saying it made it so official, and he had already been down that road before. This thing with Renee was just comfortable and marrying her would ensure the simple life he craved instead of the complicated mess he had with Mia.
Stepping out of the shower and back into the room, Tyree was pleased to see that Renee was still sleeping. He slipped back into bed and reached for his cell. Witnessing the light blinking, he assumed it was probably Miguel calling to tell him about whatever mischief he had gotten himself into.
To be such a smart, business-savvy guy, Miguel sure was promiscuous. He never held on to one woman too long. As Tyree scrolled through the messages and missed calls, sure enough, about three of them were from him. Two were texts, and he had two voicemails. He read the messages and laughed, and pulled the phone up to his ear to check the voicemail. While waiting for the prompts, he looked over at Renee and smiled, thanking God for his simple life with her. Sure, the partying was fun when he was younger but, when all that ended, he wanted someone next to him to share the lonely nights.
Tyree listened to the first voicemail, chuckling at his belligerent brother, and then skipped to the next. The voice he heard on the other end almost made him drop his phone. Two years, two long years, had passed since he heard Mia’s voice and just like that here she was steering his thoughts back to her. Damn her for having that power, and damn me for letting her, he thought, listening to her message. She wanted him to call her; she even left a number, which she had never done in the past. All of their contact had been messages passed through her brother or sister-in-law. Why was she calling him now?
Hitting the playback button, Tyree memorized the number she left, and he sighed, hanging the phone up. Looking down at Renee and then back at the phone, he hung his head. “So much for the simple life.” He sighed, knowing whatever happened next was going to change everything.
He dialed the number. The phone rang twice, and then his heart stopped. Even thousands of miles away, she sounded so close, so familiar, so important.
“Hello?”
“Mia? Can you hear me?” He could hear her breathe. Even without being able to see her, he could tell there was a smile on her face. Against his instincts, he smiled too.
“Yes, Ty. How are you?”
Hello, complications. Standing from the bed, he exhaled into the phone. “I’m fine. How can I help you?”
“We need to talk, Ty. It’s about what we’re doing to Kyan.”
And here it is. I’m completely fucked. Closing his eyes, he sighed, wishing he had just gone to sleep. Now he was going to have to think about this conversation probably for days to come.
Chapter Four
“Hey, big bro, you got a sec?” Miguel poked his head into Tyree’s office. When Tyree nodded, Miguel came in and sat down. “I
was looking over something I thought you should see.” He passed him a stack of papers and waited for him to look over the front page.
Tyree studied it for a few minutes and then looked up in confusion. “What does this mean? I thought all of this mess was cleared up.”
“Apparently not. I think you should call Rick. It could be bad for us if it looks like there is still any trace of the dirty money Richmond brought into Livingston. Just think about how Dad would react if he found any of this out.”
“He would flip, but I don’t have to call. I’ll see him in a few hours after me and Kyan pick Mia up from the airport.”
Although they shared the import and export business John, mostly tried to steer clear of Richmond’s way of doing things. For the most part, John was perceived as an upstanding family man, to all except Tyree, while Richmond crushed whoever got in his way.
For years, Livingston was run under the thumb of Richmond until word of his illegal activities began to get out. At that point, he was voted out as CEO by the board of directors and replaced by Rick. Soon afterward, he appointed Mia as his right-hand man, and Janelle joined the group as well.
For so long, Livingston had been run only by men, and now Rick was breaking that tradition, trying to clean up the mess Richmond made. Bringing Mia in might have just saved the company after all the scandal. She was always the most beloved member of their family, besides their mother, of course, and she helped the company shed some of the negative attention.
The illegal and shady activities ranged from hostile takeovers to money laundering. There were even some unfounded rumors of murder for hire, but without any solid proof that Richmond was to blame, he was just removed from the company and didn’t have to serve jail time. As a result, Mia, Janelle, and Rick blocked him from their lives and revoked his shares in the company, leaving him with only his personal fortune. It seemed like the turning point for their family was when their mother began to spiral out of control.
Helen Ann Livingston was a remarkable woman marred by the terrible decision to marry Richmond. She was the daughter of a politician, and when she met Richmond, she thought she had found the perfect man. She still thought that through the early years. They had Rick when they were twenty, and had Mia when they were thirty. Janelle came two years after Mia. They lived a happy life for the first few years of marriage, and then the problems began.
