by Elle Wright
I barked out a laugh. “My lease is up in a few months. It would be good timing.”
Dallas pointed at me. “Don’t play now. They are some freaks. One of the ladies in my group keeps talking about her latest erotic romance read. No shame. She was checking you out too. Said you were fine, like one of the strong black heroes in her books.”
I smirked. “Did you agree with her?”
Dallas rolled her eyes. “Boy, shut up.” She requested a waffle. “What brings you here on this Sunday morning?”
“I’m treating my aunt to lunch.”
“That’s nice. Good nephew.”
The chef placed my hot waffle on my plate. “Why are you here?” I asked her.
“I’m meeting with ladies from Color of Law. They’re evaluating my worthiness for full membership in their organization.”
“Ah, okay.”
“In reality, I don’t even know what I’m doing here. So much going on, and I don’t particularly want a bunch of women judging me or questioning my choices. You know?”
“Well, you can always leave. Spend your Sunday with your family.”
She sighed. “No, I’m not going to do that. I want this too bad.”
“What’s going on?”
Dallas bit down on her bottom lip. “That’s right, you probably don’t read the blogs or watch YouTube videos.”
“No. Am I missing something?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
An older woman walked over to us. “Dallas, is everything okay?” The lady smiled at me and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Maya. And you’re Preston Hayes.”
Confused by this turn of events and curious how Maya knew who I was, I glanced at Dallas. Only, she didn’t look at me because she was laser focused on her plate. I shook Maya’s hand. “I am. I’m sorry, I don’t remember meeting you.”
“Oh, we haven’t met. But I’ve seen you.”
“Preston?” my aunt called. “I’m heading back to the table.”
“You’d better go,” Dallas said. “We’ll talk?”
Something was going on, but I would wait until I could talk to Dallas in private. I nodded. “Call me.” I said my goodbyes and went back to our table.
When I sat down, my aunt smirked. “Who was that beautiful young woman?”
I glanced back at the buffet, meeting Dallas’ gaze briefly before she disappeared. “She’s a friend.”
“A friend who obviously has her eye on you.”
I smiled. “How do you figure?”
“I’ve been married for over forty years, nephew. I know when a woman is interested in a man.”
“I don’t know about that.” Yet, even as I said the words, I couldn’t help but wonder if Aunt Dot was on to something.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before my aunt brought us back to the subject at hand. “Are you going to talk to me?” I eyed her over the rim of my glass. “You’ve always been so closed off, quiet. I worry about you.”
“I’m fine,” I assured.
“It’s in your eyes. You do a great job of hiding it, but I saw it then. And I see it now. You’re not fine. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I set my glass down. “Mom told me something the last time I saw her, and I can’t wrap my brain around it. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Your mom says a lot of things that don’t make sense. It’s the liquor.”
“Aunt Dot, I don’t think it was the liquor this time. I think she was angry, and she wanted to hurt me.”
She put her fork down. “Oh, boy. Lord, help us.” She blew out a slow breath, then said, “Okay, hit me with it.”
“Before she closed herself in the bathroom, she told me my father wasn’t my father.”
Aunt Dot’s eyes widened, but she didn’t look shocked. “Wow.”
“You knew?” I asked.
Her gaze darted around the room. “I…I had suspicions. Your mother loved Hayes, but she wasn’t faithful to him.”
“Why am I just now finding this out?” My body tensed as anger welled up inside me. I expected my mother to lie, but I’d never thought Aunt Dot would know something this important and not say anything. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“Son, please. I didn’t know anything for sure. All I know is there were rumors. Rumors are not facts.”
“And you never thought I should know? I’ve been walking around here oblivious.” I was ready to explode. I counted to ten, hoping it would calm me down a little bit. The last thing I wanted to do was disrespect the only woman who’d shown me maternal-like love. “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me. Even if it was a rumor.”
Aunt Dot rocked back and forth, muttering prayers under her breath. “This is a mess. God doesn’t like mess.”
“I understand that, but don’t you think I should know who my father is?”
A tear fell from her eye. “Before your mother got pregnant, she was hanging around with a man who wasn’t from here. He lived on the other side of the state but he’d often come to Detroit, flashing his money around. Women would throw themselves at him. Your mother caught his eye. She was beautiful back then. I heard they had a short-lived affair.”
“He was married?”
She nodded. “It didn’t last long. He disappeared, and I never heard anything about him again. A couple of months later, she was engaged to your father. Then, you came.”
“Who is he? I want to reach out to him.”
My aunt squeezed her napkin. “You can’t.”
“Why?”
“He’s dead.”
My shoulders fell. Any hope of finding answers evaporated with those two words. He’s dead. There would be no resolution, no confirmations, no talks with the man who could’ve been my father. Still, I needed to know more. “What’s his name?”
My aunt swallowed visibly. “Parker Wells Sr.”
Later, I was neck-deep in information. I’d spent the rest of the afternoon researching Parker Wells Sr. Every article, every news clip. It was impossible to be a resident of Michigan and not know who the man was. Wellspring Water Corporation was one of the biggest water companies in the state. Shit, the country.
There was just one problem. From all accounts, he was a monster. In every aspect. According to one article, if he’d lived, he would’ve probably been prosecuted for various crimes, including conspiracy and corporate fraud. Another write-up mentioned it was his daughter who’d discovered his transgressions and had turned him in.
Mr. Wells’ shady business dealings were just the tip of the iceberg. His first wife had died under mysterious circumstances, then he’d gone on to marry multiple women. He was also well known for his indiscretions, and two of his four kids had been born to mistresses. And I might be his third.
When the man had died, his son, Parker Wells Jr., took over the company, and the estate had been split between his known kids. I’d just clicked on an article about his youngest son, who was now the Assistant City Planner for Wellspring, Michigan, when I heard a knock at the door.
The brunch with my aunt hadn’t ended so much as I’d left her sitting there alone. In hindsight, I realized how fucked up that was, but I needed to get away. It’d be just like Aunt Dot to give me a few hours before stopping by to check on me.
I closed my laptop and walked over to the door. When I peeked through the small window, I had to do a double take. Because it definitely wasn’t my aunt. I opened the door. “Hey.”
Dallas flashed a quick smile. “Sorry to just pop up on you. But can we talk?” I held the door open wider, allowing her to enter. She brushed past me. “Thanks for not slamming the door in my face.”
“Never.” I gestured toward my leather sofa. “Have a seat.”
Only she didn’t sit. She walked around the room, presumably checking my place out. Then, it dawned on me that she’d never been inside before. I wasn’t a person who had parties or game nights or anything else for that matter. So, there was never a reason for her to come to my house.
> “Did you want something to drink?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, thanks. You have a nice home. I love the grays. Always so zen.”
I leaned against the kitchen island. “Thanks.”
“Listen, I won’t take up too much of your time, but I wanted to talk to you about today at the restaurant.”
The little interaction with Dallas today had felt like a reprieve, the light part of my dark day. Even though it had been weird. “Yeah, what was that about?”
“So, Maya is on the board of Color of Law. She approached me about possibly running for office in the near future.”
Impressed, I folded my arms over my chest. “Really? That’s pretty amazing.” I had no doubt Dallas had the knowledge and charisma to win any race she ran.
“It’s a big deal.”
“You were meeting with that group to discuss their plans for you?”
She nodded. “And so they could meet me.”
“How did it go?”
She paused for a moment before she said, “Good.”
“Okay.”
“Here’s the thing…as you know, I’ve had some issues with the blogs and such.”
Dallas had briefly mentioned the issues she’d been having since a pic of her with Kimball Payne had surfaced online. “Right. You shared that you received a wedding invitation.”
Her soft giggle felt forced, like she was trying to find the humor in everything going on. “Exactly. I’m apparently marrying my ho-ish ways.”
I hated the connotation. I’d had to fight my way through middle and high school because guys—and sometimes girls—had liked to call my mother a ho. I didn’t think it was funny at all. “That was bullshit.”
“It’s stupid,” she agreed.
“Dallas, what—”
“There was another article,” she interrupted, pulling her phone out of her purse. She stepped forward, holding it up for me to see.
I took it from her and scanned the headline, pausing at the picture for a moment before reading the article. When I finished, I met her gaze. “This is us.” Everything started to click, to fall into place. “That’s how your mentor knew who I was.”
“Exactly.”
“They think we’re together?”
“Or they think you’re just another notch on my proverbial belt.”
My mind raced with potential drawbacks to this type of publicity. And knowing that she wanted a political future… “How does this affect you?”
She shrugged. “Maya thinks it might help if I had a ‘beard’ of sorts. Someone to go to events with, to…” She threw her hands up in the air. “Hell, I don’t know. Pretend. Just until the media finds someone else to focus on.”
Considering everything that had happened in my world over the past two weeks, the thought of distracting myself with Dallas was very appealing. And since I didn’t beat around the bush, I asked, “What if I help you?”
She met my gaze full on. “It’s funny you said that. Maya thinks it’s a good idea if you did.”
So that’s why Maya was looking at me like she knew something I didn’t know. And why Dallas wasn’t looking at me. “And what do you think?” I handed her the phone. “Is that what you want?”
Dallas searched my face. “I don’t want to lie. That’s not who I am.”
“How about we reframe it then?” I suggested. “We’re friends. My friend needs an assist. And I’m happy to help.”
“I can’t ask you to do this.”
“You didn’t.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “Preston, this is crazy. I’m not even sure it’s worth it.”
I brushed a strand of hair out of her face, enjoying that her eyes fluttered closed. “Do you want this?”
“I do,” she admitted. “But not at the expense of my integrity.”
“So we just don’t say what we are. That way, you’re not lying. We let people assume that we’re together. And you know what they say about assumptions, right?”
She smirked. “Right.”
“Okay, then. I’ll show up when you need me to.”
“If we do this, I want to keep it professional. I know we’re friends, but it helps me to think of this as an arrangement. You’re doing me a favor, and I’m grateful. But I—”
“Dallas, tell me what you need. You’re the negotiator, correct? Let’s negotiate.” My gaze dropped to her mouth. So ready to be kissed.
“Now you’re talking my language.” She pulled out her phone and typed something on the screen. “I think it’s important we set our expectations early so there’s no confusion. First, we don’t have to make any statements to reporters. And we don’t necessarily have to have public displays of affection.”
I smirked. “When exactly can we display it?” Her eyes flashed to mine, and I added, “I just want to make sure I’m playing my role correctly. You know I’m a perfectionist.”
“No PDA, Preston,” she repeated.
“What about private?” I asked. She hid it well, but I’d caught the soft hitch in her breath, the way she swayed on her feet. And the only thing I could think of was, This is going to be fun.
Dallas ignored my question. “We can come up with a concrete plan tomorrow?”
“Dinner?”
“In public,” she countered.
“If we’re going to talk, it should probably be where no one can hear our conversation.”
She cursed. “Public dinner, private talk.”
I held out a hand, and she slipped hers into mine. “Deal.”
With her eyes locked on mine, she nodded. “Deal.” After a moment, she cleared her throat. “Preston?”
“Yes?”
“You’re touching me. My hand.”
I hadn’t realized I was still holding it. I let go. “Sorry.”
She averted her gaze. “Alright. I’ll call you and we can discuss the place and time.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks, Preston.” She blessed me with another smile, then she left.
I wanted to walk her out to her car, but I sensed she’d rather I not. I would give her that—this time. But something told me we’d just made a deal that would change everything for us. And I was here for it.
Chapter Seven
Someone to Watch Over Me
Dallas
With every passing day, I found myself feeling extremely uncomfortable in my surroundings. Going to the grocery store felt like an exercise in futility, because I couldn’t even pick a decent cucumber without eyes on me, without whispers about me from random women on the street, without someone making a comment about Kimball Payne and his trifling wife, Yasmin Ray. I was good at ignoring shit, but it’d become increasingly hard to tune out the noise.
Ordinary routines were now complicated. Instead of taking Washtenaw Avenue, I’d used the side streets on my ride home, a different route every day. To avoid being photographed outside my house, I’d hired a lawn service to cut my grass and do the things around my house I’d always loved to do.
Every public outing had turned into a huge deal. Like now, I was sitting in the middle of one of the best seafood restaurants in Ann Arbor and my mind was on everything but the Paella Valenciana in front of me. I stared down at the dish, one of my favorites. The smell of chicken, chorizo sausage, and spices made me hungry. But I couldn’t eat it.
I felt a soft elbow against my side. I peered over at Maya, who was watching me with concerned eyes. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
I pushed my fork around my plate and nodded. “I’m fine.” I forced a smile on my face, even knowing she’d never believe it was real.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” she said.
“It’s no trouble.” When Maya had called that morning, I’d been finalizing plans to meet Preston for dinner tonight—to discuss our deal. The week had been so hectic that we hadn’t had the chance to finish our discussion from Sunday. As a result, I’d started to feel anxious about pretending to be with someone for profess
ional gain. Preston must’ve sensed I needed to talk about this, because he’d offered to meet me here after dinner for a dessert.
Somehow that made it worse. He seemed to know what I needed without me asking. This wasn’t a recent development either. Even on my birthday, he’d understood what I wanted and had given it to me. No expectations, no promises. One night. One fuck. I would’ve never asked him to lie for me, despite how great of an idea my sisters and Maya thought it was. He probably knew that too. I suspected that was why he’d initiated it, why he’d made the offer. And I could do nothing but accept his help. His lips, his body, his voice, his eyes… He’d already visited me in my dreams too many times to count. Close proximity would definitely be a challenge.
“You seem distracted,” Maya said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are you sure you’re okay, Dallas?”
I shrugged. “Just tired.” That part was the truth. I was exhausted from having to suck it up and keep it moving. I was drained from the constant speculation about me. And I was worn out from always having to be “on.” The more time passed, the more I wanted to quit. I hadn’t been myself in weeks, and no matter what I’d done to push through, I couldn’t stop obsessing about all the drama.
Maya leaned closer, whispering under her breath, “Let me know if this is too much. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
I offered her another smile—this time a real one. It felt good to know she had my back regardless. “I’ll reevaluate after the weekend.”
Maya nodded, turning her attention to her lobster tail. I speared a piece of sausage with my fork, intent on finally putting food in my stomach.
A board member cleared her throat. “Ms. Young, I wanted to have dinner with you tonight to discuss a few concerns that several of our members have.”
Here we go.
“A new, bright light has shined on your personal life. In light of this development, do you feel you can be an effective member of our organization?”
Maya interjected, “Susan, as I’ve explained many times, I was there when Ms. Young saw Kimball Payne. He approached her, and she walked away. Nothing improper happened. Last I checked, it wasn’t a crime to talk to someone on the street.”
