by Nia Arthurs
“Mr. Levy—”
“More importantly, I need you to keep this conversation between us.”
“Sir?”
“It’s for a personal matter,” he said, his gaze boring into hers. “I don’t want Kelly to get the wrong idea…”
“And think that you want to rekindle your relationship?” Rene folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “I wouldn’t encourage that anyway.”
“So you’ll keep it under wraps?”
“Mr. Levy, if I can be honest with you…?”
“Go ahead.”
“I was against Kelly getting involved with you, sir. From the start, I warned her that you were on two different levels and that anything she wanted with you would end in pain and heartbreak.”
He tilted his head, listening. Though he did not agree with Renesha’s prediction, Benjamin was mature enough to respect her view.
“Now that my words have come true, I’m not happy about it. I’ve seen my friend open her heart to you more than she has to anybody else. No matter what, I’m going to get her to forget about you.”
“I can assure you, Ms. Hamilton—”
“If this is your attempt at buying brownie points by pretending that you still care about her, don’t bother. I’ll encourage Kelly to see other people, even if that means walking off with a stranger. If it will get her mind off you and on to someone better, I’ll do everything in my power.”
“Renesha, you seem to have gotten the wrong idea—”
Once again, she cut him off.
“I respect you as my boss, so I won’t say anything else, but if you have more ‘personal favors’ regarding Kelly, please keep them to yourself. I refuse to be your spy and frankly, I find it juvenile to abuse your authority like this.”
Benjamin blew out a breath, stunned by the normally cowering receptionist’s heated lecture. Kelly had forgotten to mention that her best friend had a spine of steel and a tongue of fire.
“I’ll call you when the clients arrive,” Renesha said. She jutted out her tiny chin, stood and flounced out of the room.
Benjamin closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, feeling his head tighten. Work was stressful enough.
Fighting the tug of attraction he felt for his downstairs neighbor who also happened to be his employee was near impossible.
Finding the man who’d terrorized his life six years ago while keeping everyone safe made the entire task unbearable.
Benjamin wanted to curl up and sleep for a hundred days, but there was too much riding on his shoulders to back down now. Besides, cowering to injustice wasn’t his style.
The phone rang and when he picked up, Renesha’s voice—professional and cool—wafted through the line.
“Your nine o’clock is here.”
“I’ll be there.”
He hung up and stood, swinging his jacket over his shoulders. The mystery would still be waiting when he got back. It was time to get to work.
The Wrong Normal
Kelly sidestepped the ladder where a man in thick boots, scrunched khaki pants, and a work shirt drilled a security camera into the wall above the main door. She glared at the sound. How late did they plan on working?
The chaos amplified when she stepped into the foyer of her apartment building. Workmen crawled over every inch of the place like ants on a hill. The logo on their pockets read: Impenetrable Security Systems.
Her landlord hadn’t given her notice of any construction work going on lately. Had there been a burglary in the building that she hadn’t been made aware of? Strange. This neighborhood was usually crime-free.
“Ma’am?” A stocky gentleman with deep wrinkles around his eyes and a natural orange tan strode up to her. “Are you the lady who lives on the second floor?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Come with me.” He led her up to her door and Kelly froze, her eyes skimming the state-of-the-art digital code lock above her knob.
“What’s that?”
“The current password is 0000, but I’ll show you the process you’ll need to create your own passcode.”
Kelly panicked. “Who authorized this? And how much is it going to cost me in rent?”
“I don’t know.” The worker looked confused. “You’d need to discuss that with the owner of the building, ma’am.”
Kelly slid her purse further up her shoulder and moved to storm down the stairs when the worker stepped in front of her. With his hand out, he pleaded. “I was given specific instructions, miss. You need to stay here so that I can show you how to change your password and work the security system.”
“Specific instructions?” She eyed him. “By whom?”
His gaze dipped. “The owner, ma’am. Now, if you please…” He gestured to the door.
Kelly sighed, but followed him and listened keenly to all of his instructions. After the worker was satisfied that she had retained his lessons well, he left her sulking in the middle of her living room.
She paid a steep rent each month because of the building’s proximity to the Yasser Center, but if the rent increased by even one cent, Kelly would have to pack her bags. Why on earth would her landlord decide to fix the building’s security now?
Irritated, she flew to her phone and dialed the familiar number. After three rings, Lupita Sydney picked up with an irritated grunt.
“What?”
“Ms. Sydney, have there been burglaries in the apartment lately?”
“Burglaries?” Sydney sounded as irritated as Kelly. “Why? Did someone steal from you?”
“No. I just found it strange that our apartment was suddenly crawling with security cameras and keyless entry systems. I would have appreciated a little heads up. Will the renovations be reflected in my rent?”
“Look, I’m just the manager, okay? The owner insisted on the changes, so I put them in. About the rent, you’ll have to wait and see. I haven’t heard anything about an increase in the charge, but that’s a natural conclusion, don’t you think?”
“But—”
“I’m busy, Ms. Banner. Goodbye.”
The dial tone sounded in her ear. Kelly groaned, but there was nothing she could do. Deciding to put her nervous energy into a more constructive task, she stomped to her fridge and pulled out the reino soup her gran had given her that morning.
While the soup heated, Kelly thought of her grandmother. After years of keeping her distance and taking care of her from the shadows, she’d been amazed by just how much her Granny Mercy had aged.
They’d done nothing but cry and hug each other last night, but somehow, the entire experience was like finding a broken piece of her and sticking it back into place.
Her gran hadn’t asked any questions, not even when she woke up the next morning and the sunlight highlighted every square inch of skin exposed in the see-through outfit she’d worn to the club.
Instead, Granny Mercy told her she’d be late for work, slipped the bowl of soup in her hands, lent her a change of clothes and sent her off. Through her grouchy exterior, Kelly had felt the full brunt of her grandmother’s love.
It was the nail in the coffin of her resolve. She had to make some changes, not just to please her gran, but to find some peace within herself. The fast life had lost all its appeal—well, maybe not all.
Kelly wanted the best of both worlds—the release and passion of partying and messing around contained within the safety and promise of a committed relationship. Was that too much to ask?
The beep of the microwave jolted her from her thoughts. She swiped the bowl with a pair of oven mitts and sat down at her table to slurp the black soup. The spice warmed her up from the insides, but it wasn’t enough to kill the emptiness in her apartment.
The silence was overwhelming. A few months ago, she would have called Clayton to come over so they could heat up the place together. A few weeks ago, she would have texted Benjamin and enjoyed a soul-deep conversation that would leave her panting for more.
Now… Kelly had
no one.
Except maybe DJ Talon.
She shuddered at the thought. Would he still be looking for her at the gym after her brush off last night? She was sure the ever-suave Talon had never been rejected before. How would he deal with it now?
The soup cooled as she mindlessly dipped her spoon into its watery depths. As usual, her thoughts wandered to her boss. Would Benjamin come home late today? Would he stop by her door and send her a text or ignore her?
Of course he’ll ignore you. He wants nothing to do with you anymore.
“This sucks!” Kelly blurted and dropped her spoon in the bowl. The metal fell with a clop and sent black spots all over her white blouse. She cursed and shot out of her seat so quickly the chair knocked backwards.
Great. Why not end the day off by staining her favorite work blouse and wasting her favorite soup?
Kelly peeled out of the shirt and walked in her thin cotton tank to the bathroom where she held the material underneath the faucet and started scrubbing. She glanced up in frustration and blew at a lock of black hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.
Even her reflection annoyed her—creamy mahogany-colored skin, unmarred by a single blemish or wrinkle. Wide, brown eyes. Flared nose. Plump, dark lips. She was in the prime of her life!
Never in a million years did Kelly think she would be single at twenty-seven. At the very least, she should be in a steady, committed relationship with someone. Preferably a non-married someone.
Should she try online dating?
Kelly shook out her wrinkled and wet shirt and hung it over the shower curtain rod. At that moment a knock sounded at the door, and her heart leapt within her chest.
Dare she hope that the man standing on the other side of her door was Benjamin come to apologize and win her back?
Kelly cleared her throat and fiddled with her hair in the mirror. She glanced at her chest and pulled down her shirt only to pull it back up.
Wholesome… we’re being wholesome now.
Daintily, she strolled to the door and opened it wide. Her gaze skimmed the shiny brown wingtips, up a tailored black trouser leg to the brown shirt—tucked in—brown skin and pleading brown eyes.
“Clayton!” His name burst from her lips in a cloud of surprise and disappointment. “What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
She threw her hands against the doorframes to bar his way and glared at him. “No, you can’t.”
“Kelly…” He blew out a breath, his nose flaring. She was struck dumb by his persistence and by how coldly her heart reacted to him. Just a few short weeks ago she’d been wild over this man. Morals and marriage certificates be damned.
And now?
Nothing except a little bit of shame and regret.
Even in loneliness, her heart had longed for Clayton solely in the realm of physical intimacy. Sex was all their relationship boiled down to, and now that she was making an intentional choice to screen whom she gave access to her body, he was the last candidate she would consider.
“Can you really do this?” Clayton asked, his lips parted and his gaze on her mouth. “Can you live without me after all we’ve been through?”
“Yes and yes.” She grabbed the doorknob and turned it in her hands. “Good night, Clayton.”
Kelly pulled the door in when Clayton slipped through and prevented her from closing it fully. His hands snatched her waist, pressing into the dip just above her rear. He forced her to his body and rammed his mouth against hers, roughly prying her lips apart and sticking his tongue down her throat.
With his mouth still devouring hers, Clayton pushed her deeper into the room and slammed the door behind him. Panic grabbed her heart and shook it like a ragdoll as the electronic beep of the fancy new door lock warned that she wasn’t getting out.
Hands Off My Woman
Benjamin
The scent of sandpaper and cooling metal filled the lobby of the apartment building. Benjamin grinned as he shook Manuel Ricardo’s hand and thanked him for his expedient work.
“It was no problem,” Manuel said, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening as he smiled back. “Our boss was happy to help. If there’s any issue with the system or the cameras, don’t hesitate to call us.”
The man strode outside toward his workers who were all stuffed into the back of an ancient green pick up truck.
“Just a minute!” Benjamin jogged into the waning light of the sunset sky and jumped in front of Manuel before he could cross the street to his vehicle. “What about the woman on the second floor?”
“Her door is working perfectly. I explained how the lock works in detail and answered all the questions she had. Though,” Manuel tilted his head, “she seemed more upset about a potential raise in rent than my lesson.”
Benjamin smirked. That woman. He was investing thousands into keeping Kelly safe and her biggest concern was a rent increase.
“I appreciate your hard work, Manuel.” He slapped the man on the shoulder. “Have a good evening.”
Benjamin swiveled and prepared to head back inside when he spotted a sporty red car parked near the sidewalk. He peered at the license plate number to confirm his hunch.
The vehicle belonged to Clayton Neely. Had that piece of trash returned to try his luck with Kelly?
Urgency snaked through his heart and down to his feet. Benjamin sped into the apartment building and pounded up the stairs just in time to see Clayton reach out and kiss Kelly full on the mouth.
The sight burned him and he winced, turning away. Kelly’s door slammed. He opened his eyes as a fierce, striking pain sliced through his middle. It didn’t take a genius to imagine what they were doing in there.
Disappointment slithered through his veins and anger mounted. Benjamin wanted to punch something, preferably Clayton Neely’s face, but he had no grounds on which to do so.
He was the one who broke Kelly’s heart, who rejected her in the most callous fashion he could think of. In a sense, he drove her back to her married lover. He had no right to be jealous.
Jealousy, unfortunately, didn’t care about Benjamin’s rights.
In his mind, he wanted to be the cool, lone superhero watching over his woman without expecting anything—even acknowledgment—in return.
In reality, he wished Kelly hadn’t moved on so quickly. Wished she would wait for him to figure out who had threatened them, who was still threatening them, before she gave up on him. Wished he could storm into her apartment and fling Clayton out the window.
His concern was grounded in something far deeper than envy. Benjamin knew that Kelly’s ex was a special kind of scum—making it harder to accept their rekindling relationship.
He could stand still and watch Kelly walk off with a man who was more deserving, who would recognize her worth, and treat her like the princess she was. It wouldn’t be easy, but he would at least be secure in the knowledge that his woman would be treated right until he could come for her.
He could give in to such a person, but Clayton was not that man. He couldn’t see past Kelly’s big breasts and perfect backside to the sensitive, strong, caring woman that lay beneath.
Benjamin was no saint. He appreciated Kelly’s body, the seductive sway of her hips and that come-hither gaze she often gave him whenever she was swept away by their connection.
She was a siren that had put him under her spell and dragged his heart close to the rocky shores of mindless obsession. She was also a lonely, broken girl struggling to make sense of the very waters she called home.
Benjamin vaulted over the rest of the stairs and turned in to Kelly’s door. He’d just knock once to give her a chance to come to her senses. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her.
Yeah, right.
Before his knuckles could rap against the wooden door, he heard a crash from inside Kelly’s apartment. Images flashed through his mind and he slammed them down, disgusted by the thought of his woman with another man.
“Stop! Get off
me!”
He froze, a lump forming in his throat. Her screams sounded nothing like the passionate relations he had first imagined. Instead, something far more sinister lay behind Kelly’s plea.
Benjamin roared and slammed his shoulder against the door. It thumped, but held firm. Kelly’s muffled whimpers streamed past the door to his ears, sending adrenaline through his system.
He had to get to her. Had to get her out.
“Kelly!”
Benjamin backed up a few steps and ran into the door again. The metal joints shuddered, but refused to give in. He dragged a hand through his hair and seethed, cursing himself for reinforcing the doors and consequently, locking himself out.
In the midst of his terror, a small, still voice reminded Benjamin of the lock’s default passcode. It was a long shot. According to Manuel, he had already walked Kelly through the steps to change her password.
Benjamin shook his head to clear it of the doubts. He had no other choice.
Desperately, he slid the cover up and stared at the glowing buttons beneath Kelly’s lock. His fingers trembled as he slammed the ‘0’ key four times. The door beeped and opened. Relief pounded through his chest, but Benjamin did not have time to relish the feeling.
He barreled into the living room, his eyes quickly taking in the evidence of a struggle. Sofa pillows lay haphazardly on the floor and an overturned lamp scattered crystal shards beneath his feet.
With large strides, he stomped to the back of the apartment where a man’s grunts and a woman’s stifled cries reached his ears. Benjamin’s heart nearly burst from his chest when he spotted Clayton on top of Kelly on the bed. Her tortured face was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.
Completely. Totally. Gone.
When he at last came to himself, he saw Kelly on her knees before him, her gaze piercing his. There were tears in her eyes and a bruise on her lip. Did he put that there?
She wore only a bra and her grey work skirt. Her brown shoulders trembled as if she stood in the middle of a wintery field.
Ice flooded his veins and he slowly wound his arm down. The adrenaline that had fed his anger seeped out of him in one fell swoop and he staggered, unable to find his bearings.
