Watercolors

by Vera Roberts

  Every fall, the town boasted of one of the largest squash and pumpkin festivals and people from all over came to showcase and eat savory dishes. During Christmas, the whole town lit up with numerous plays, musicals, and various people singing carols. There was a two-day festival on the days leading up to Christmas, where last-minute shoppers could buy crafted gifts at the fair.

  At Ellison’s, the town’s local pharmacy and soda counter, everyone was welcomed like they were a part of the family.

  Ocean took Aaliyah to see his aging grandparents for a weekend getaway and brought the camera crew with them. Not only did they stay with the grandparents, but Aaliyah also helped in the shop.

  She helped make saltwater taffy and took a liking to the peppermint one. She restocked shelves and swept outside. She also talked about her various tattoos with curious onlookers.

  Ocean resumed his duties and didn’t miss a step. He scooped out ice cream, swept and mopped floors, and posed for pictures for everyone who wanted one. The local press discovered he was in town and he did a small interview and posed for the camera with his grandparents. Another picture included him and Aaliyah.

  In the evenings, Aaliyah and Ocean had dinner with his grandparents, along with some other family members. Every dinner was hearty – full of great food, laughter, and love. Ocean’s grandmother, Meredith, made a killer apple pie and talked about current events; being sharp as a tack at her golden age. Aaliyah soaked up the history and smiled.

  It was like she was a part of the family before it became official.

  She was outside sipping tea and lightly swung on a bench as she watched the sunset. She wondered if she would always feel that kind of peace with Ocean. Or would yearly trips to High Maple would be a necessity on the list?

  “Rainbow,” Ocean’s deep voice greeted Aaliyah before he appeared. He was wrapped in a blanket and brought an extra one for his fiancée. He covered her with the blanket before he joined her. “I was wondering where you were.”

  “Just here, baby.” Aaliyah sighed as she looked out. She saw a lighthouse in the brief distance and numerous homes all over. The sun reflected on the lake and she thought it was one of the best things God had ever created. “Just here enjoying the view.”

  “There’ll be more like these, I promise.” Ocean kissed her temple as she snuggled against him. “This is only the beginning. I plan to come here every summer and bring our children.”

  “Children, huh?” Aaliyah emphasized the word. “How many were you thinking?”

  “As many as you’re able to have,” he replied. “I would love three, but I’ll settle for two.”

  “Two’s a good number,” she nodded. “Do you know what else is a good number?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Six weeks.” She sipped her tea and turned towards him. “Six weeks and a few days to be exact.”

  Ocean turned to his fiancée with a gaped mouth and bright eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Very,” she softly replied. “I cleaned out all of the pregnancy tests at your grandparents’ store. Fifteen tests aren’t wrong.”

  “I guess not,” he kissed her and put his hand on her tummy. “So the next generation of Ellison’s continues, huh? Lyric is going to have a cousin to play with.”

  “Your father is going to be upset,” she replied. “The impending marriage will piss him off but the baby will really send him over the edge.”

  “He’ll deal.” Ocean replied. “Nothing is more important than the three of us.”

  “Are you going to deliver our babies?”

  “I would love to.” He answered. “Are you going to promise me you won’t kick me while you’re in labor?”

  “I can’t guarantee that,” she laughed as she remembered what Keisha went through. “I really can’t guarantee that.”

  “What I can guarantee is that I’ll love you forever.” He swept his lips over hers and she moaned in his mouth. “And once we leave here, we’ll get married and do all that press stuff later.”

  “Or…” She smiled. “…we can get married here and take care of that press stuff later once we return to California?”

  Ocean nodded. “Invite the parents?”

  “Yes, all of them. Including your brothers.” She replied. “I’ll invite Brittany, too.”

  “Let’s do this.” He swung on the chair. “I can’t wait to make you an Ellison.”

  “I can’t wait, neither.” She agreed. “Aaliyah Smith is so boring. Aaliyah Ellison…now I sound like I came from the good side of the tracks.” She laughed.

  The End

  Bonus Scene #1

  Mariana Harlow entered the home she shared with her Dominant boyfriend feeling like she was on top of the world. Not only did she make several important connections for future use, but she was on hand to see Lyric Ellison being born.

  It was a marvelous night for her.

  She took her activism seriously and went beyond the scope of hashtagging, protesting, and retweeting. She participated in a grassroots campaign for Briana Gooding and became very good friends with her and her partner, football pariah, Caleb Kelly.

  Mariana only wished Scott would’ve came to the fundraiser that night.

  She understood his stance – he doesn’t make his politics public – and she respected it. Still, Mariana felt pretty lonely as she watched couple after couple boo’d up with each other. Whenever someone asked her where Scott was, Mariana had to make up an excuse he was away on business.

  It wasn’t a lie, per se, though it wasn’t the truth. Scott simply didn’t want to go and there was nothing Mariana could do to convince him otherwise. She would have to accept his way of supporting a political candidate was different from hers and that was that.

  “Honey?” She knocked on his office door before she let herself in. There he was in his gorgeousness, calmly sitting behind the computer. His long brown hair was up in a messy bun, and Scott wore a tank top with grey sweatpants. It didn’t matter what he looked like; Mariana knew she was going to be beneath him later that night.

  “There’s my girl!” Scott beckoned her over. He crushed his lips on hers and drank from her. “How was it?”

  “It was fun. It was a lot of fun! I really wish you could’ve came with me tonight, honey.” Mariana sat on Scott’s lap and wrapped her arms around him. “I think you would’ve had a lot of fun.”

  “It sounded like fun.” Scott nuzzled in Mariana’s neck and softly kissed it. “But you know my political stance, baby. I don’t get involved no matter who the candidate is. It wouldn’t look good for me as an advertising executive. I can’t show favoritism no matter the stance.”

  “I get that but…” Mariana moaned as Scott hit her spot. “…I just wish you would make exceptions.”

  “Maybe in the future but not now.” Scott rubbed her back. “Hey, I’ll be done here in a few. Go to our bedroom and put on that thing I like.”

  “All right now.” Mariana kissed him again before she quickly ushered herself out of the room. Scott waited until she was out of earshot before he opened the file again.

  In clear view, was him and Aaliyah having sex back at Jackson’s ranch. It was after Mariana had the miscarriage of their son, and they weren’t a couple. Scott chose a woman who closely resembled Mariana in height and size. Aaliyah delivered on every promise.

  She sucked his cock like it had the cure for cancer. She rode him for seemingly hours. She deep-throated him over and over until he couldn’t shoot any more loads down her hungry mouth.

  Now there was video evidence of their brief, torrid affair.

  While it wouldn’t hurt his career, it would definitely hurt Aaliyah’s. Scott normally didn’t care about past conquests, but Aaliyah fulfilled a need when he was at his lowest point. Mariana was too busy with her ex-boyfriend and Scott had to mourn privately.

  He hid the video in a secret folder on his desktop and made it password-protected. Mariana didn’t need to know nor did anyone else. He would assist the Edwards with wh
atever they need to make sure Aaliyah’s past was squeaky-clean.

  Not for Aaliyah, but for Scott’s sanity.

  Bonus Scene #2

  If it was one thing his parents had subconsciously taught Ocean, it was how to play the game. If he appeared to be a nice guy who wouldn’t harm a fly, it meant Ocean gave an Oscar-winning performance.

  He was taught by the best people to always play the game and never show his full stack of cards. He used it to his advantage when he graduated from USC and off to medical school. He often played the poor sap who was brilliant in all things medical and maybe a little unlucky in love.

  It worked like a charm. Ocean’d received more pussy than he knew what to do with. It was amazing how a woman would react just by a simple act of chivalry. Pulled out chairs? A hand job when dinner was served. Opened doors? A blow job in the bathroom. He ordered for her? She gave him pussy before they even left the parking lot.

  Every woman loved Nice Guy Ocean and he intended to keep that as long as possible. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a nice guy because he was. But Ocean knew better than anyone that being nice only went so far in life before he had to become Machiavellian in his efforts.

  When Senator Edwards called Ocean for a meeting, Ocean already had a hand to play with. If the meeting was going to be what he thought it was, by the end of it, Ocean was going to have insurance.

  “Knock, knock.” Starr Ellison entered her son’s private office. She walked briskly towards him and her blonde locks softly bounced in the distance. “I have something for you.”

  “What’s this?” Ocean asked.

  “Ms. Aaliyah Flower Smith.” Starr opened the thick dossier. “Everything you need to know about her and maybe some things you don’t want to know but you need to.”

  Ocean opened the dossier and perused it. Everything from Aaliyah’s parents, to the numerous places she grew up, to the classes she took in college were in full view. “There’s nothing in here for me to worry about.”

  “Turn the page,” Starr suggested and Ocean looked at his mother. “Go on. Turn the page.”

  Ocean turned the page and saw Aaliyah’s old advertisement at the Honey Ranch. A very young Aaliyah was posed in lingerie. Other photos showed her nude. “Threesomes, girl-on-girl, voyeurism, girlfriend experience…” He read aloud. Another list included client information. Some well-known names – Ian Ferguson, Scott Reed, and Kieran D’Amato – showed up on the list.

  “There’s also video of her in action if you want to see it.” Starr tossed a jump drive on her son’s desk, “she’s talented.”

  Ocean didn’t know if he was more disgusted by his mother watching porn or the fact she watched his girlfriend in action. He knew his mother was bisexual and often had girlfriends in addition to her boyfriends. “Are you giving me this to sway my interest in not seeing her?”

  “I’m giving you this because it will come out and you want to be prepared.” Starr warned. “I’m sure your father will get a similar file soon enough. I have already taken the liberty to make sure everything is scrubbed off the web.” Star’s smoky voice filled the room. “If you like her, you need to accept her past. Not too many men will accept a woman who used to be a prostitute.”

  Ocean looked at the dates of Aaliyah’s Honey Ranch residency. She was around 21, possibly 22 at the time. Old enough not to be a child but young enough to still be considered young and dumb in the eyes of many.

  Ocean knew if Aaliyah were lily-white, blue-eyed, and blonde, everyone would excuse her past as being stupid and immature. Despite Aaliyah’s light skinned tone, she was still considered to be black and in every conservative circle, she was a whore.

  Some women went through a ho phase in life and had a body count they were either ashamed of or bragged about. Aaliyah didn’t seem ashamed of any past she hinted at but she also didn’t want to talk about it, neither. Ocean respected that.

  He had a feeling her past was scandalous just because she didn’t even want to talk about it. It went beyond her just having drunken flings, breaking the law, and being a bad girl. She’d done something that she never wanted to speak about under any circumstances.

  “What are you going to do, Ocean?” Starr asked. “If people start researching enough about her past, it will come up. If you want to get rid of her, now is the time to do so.”

  “No, I love her too much to let her go.” Ocean put the dossier away. “I’ll make some calls to ensure her past stays hidden and if I have to run an extra term to ensure that, so be it. The public will never know about this as long as I can help it.”

  Starr kissed Ocean’s head. “That’s my boy. I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” She left Ocean’s office and closed the door behind her.

  Ocean waited for his mother to out of eavesdropping distance before he got on the phone. “You owed me a favor and I’m cashing it in.”

  Jay Edwards smiled and reclined his leather chair. “Mr. O…how can I be of service to you today?”

  “My father and his mistress are going to do a background check on my girlfriend and force her out of my life before my campaign starts. Whatever dossier they look at will be the clean version. I also imagine my father will pull any strings he can to make sure Aaliyah is taken care of while I’m dating someone else.”

  “This is my problem for what reason?” Jay asked.

  “Because you’re going to do something you’ve always wanted to do and take pleasure in doing it – you’re going to shut down Thomas Ellison.” Ocean replied. “Do we have a deal?”

  “And what do you get out of this?” Jay asked. “I know you’re not coming to me with an empty plate and you’re not hungry for the buffet I have?”

  “Easy.” Ocean relaxed in his chair. “I won’t tell anyone you’re fucking Briana Gooding and you’re the reason behind Sisters United funding.”

  “Excuse you?” Jay shot up in his chair.

  “You can quit the act with me, Jay. I’m in the streets and I’m well-aware of what’s going on. No one is adding two and two together because they think you two can’t stand each other but trust and believe, your tracks were as clear as day. Now do you want me to send the pictures now?”

  “Yes.” Jay called Ocean’s bluff. “I want to see them.”

  “Sure, you should be receiving them now.”

  Jay saw the email from Ocean, who sent it from an assumed name. In fact, as Jay looked at the header of the email, Ocean didn’t send it at all. It came from out of the country. Jay silently wondered what other contacts Ocean had he didn’t reveal.

  It didn’t matter. As Jay looked at the photos, they were clear and in HD-quality of he and Briana. They were never shown together, but Jay was captured arriving and leaving her home. Jay knew how the press worked and it only took one hour on Faux News to make the story go viral.

  “What’s your price?” He asked.

  “I want protection for me and Aaliyah forever. I don’t care where we are in the world. Any negative news story about either one of us will be squashed immediately. Anyone snooping too hard will be shut down with and yes, that includes my father.” Ocean stated. “By any means necessary. Do we have a deal?”

  “Oh, you’re damn right we do.” Jay chuckled as he bounced in his leather chair. “And your girlfriend’s name?”

  “Aaliyah Smith. Erase everything. This will take some time so everything should be cleaned up before she comes back into my life.” Ocean replied before he hung up. He looked over at a photo of his girlfriend and caressed it. “It’s going to be a rocky road to clean up your past but it’ll all be worth it, rainbow. All of it.”

  Character Appearances

  Jackson Fischer appears in Daddy’s Angel and Jackson and Liane

  Scott Reed and Mariana Harlow appear in the Scott and Mariana series

  Tony and Eli D’Amato appear in the D’Amato Brothers

  Senator Jay Edwards appears in State of Affairs and Scott and Mariana series

  Jessica Sanora Edwards appears in State of
Affairs and Scott and Mariana series

  Savior and Keisha Ellison appear in Her Savior and Simply Complicated (Ellison Brothers #2)

  Briana Gooding appears in the State of Affairs series

  Snippet of Her Savior (Ellison Brothers #1)

  “…And over here is your desk,” the HR lady shows me to my desk. It’s hidden in a small nook where I’m not visible to anyone and I have a feeling that’s intentional. I guess they are playing Hide the Negro here.

  When I arrived to the firm, I found out there’s six of us, three girls and three guys, and we intern on set days. I learned I’ll be there Mondays and Wednesdays.

  After a mandatory video on sexual harassment and a brief overview of the legal firm, the HR head showed us around the monstrous campus. Even though it’s located in the middle of Downtown L.A., it seems to be in its own world. It has a coffee store, a full-service dining area, a gym, and even a meditation room.

  I guess if you’re a high-powered lawyer, you might need to clear your mind every now and then.

  “I’ll have IT get you set up. I strongly ask that you don’t use the internet for anything other than checking email. The lawyers here are going to keep you plenty busy so I doubt you’ll be able to do much more than that.” She instructs. “Do you have any questions?”

  I have a ton but I don’t think any of them would be remotely appropriate, so I’m going to keep it cute and mute. “Not really.”

  “Very well,” she gives me a tight smile, at least I hope it’s a smile. “Enjoy your first day.” She quickly leaves.

  Just like that, I’m on my own. I sit down at my desk and look around. It’s just a basic desk with the computer, speakers, and some notepads. I open and close various drawers to see if there’s anything in there. It’s completely bare. Awesome. I guess I’ll be making my way to the supply room.

  I leave a small note on my desk letting anyone know I’ll be back in a few minutes and that I was in the supply room. I gather my key fob and temporary ID badge and trudge my way clear across the big-ass floor to get supplies.