The Rules Series

by LaShawn Vasser

  Brody stood up from his chair. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re much too blunt?”

  “Is that a yes or a no, Mr. Windham?” Anita had known the answer before she asked the question.

  As hard as he tried, he couldn’t keep that hopeful feeling from bubbling up within him and appearing on his face. Still, he couldn’t seem too excited. He responded calmly. “Please have them let her in.”

  *****

  Gina Lee-Xiou

  I’d been practicing my I’m sorry speech for two days. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do. The question was would Brody listen? Nervously, I squeezed the steering wheel after giving my name to security. Then, I sat in my car . . . waiting. It was the longest ten seconds ever. Was he going to let me in or not?

  The guard nodded and waved me through as the gates opened. I would take it as a good sign that at least he was going to see me. We hadn’t had any communication since he kissed me gently on the lips and told me goodbye. I mean nothing—no texts, phone calls, e-mails—nada. That was on the tarmac six months ago. A lot had happened since then.

  I was nervous as I pulled my car up into Brody’s circular driveway. I’d never in my life took a risk like I was about to take tonight. He might laugh in my face and kick me out of his house. Even though that wasn’t his style, it was more like mine, it was still a possibility. My hope was that we would talk and maybe agree to a fresh start.

  I was fully prepared to lay it all out on the table and do something I’d never done before. I was going to be vul . . . vul . . . vulnerable. I shivered. Hell, I couldn’t even say the word. It left a bad taste in my mouth. But, Brody wanted the real me, the honest person, and I wanted to give it to him. I wanted to be that person he saw. The woman reflected in his eyes not my own dangerous reflection. The one I see of myself.

  My stomach was in knots, and I could literally vomit. What if I laid my heart out there and he stomped all over it? Then again, what if he didn’t?

  I kept reminding myself that Brody wasn’t Chang or even Alexandro for that matter. He’d never asked me to be anything but honest; to give one hundred percent of myself. That was a little sacrifice for all that I would gain in return. Still, my blood ran cold wondering if he could handle my brand of truth telling. After all, I didn’t bake cookies or clean houses for a living.

  No more stalling and wondering what ifs, Gina. I cheered myself on as I muttered under my breath, “Open the damn door, get out of the car, and go get your man.”

  Chapter 26

  My heart beat a mile a minute as I stood outside the door. I held my breath waiting for it to open. When it did, I was slightly annoyed and disappointed that Anita was standing on the other side—not Brody. He was going to make me work.

  “Hi, Anita. Is Brody here?”

  “It’s good to see you again, Ms. Lee-Xiou. Yes, Brody is here.” She stood back so that I could come inside. “He’s in his study. I’ll take you to him.”

  I trailed behind. My palms were a little damp. When we walked down the hallway and passed all the pictures of his family, there was a much different feeling than before. Was his hall always this long? I felt as if the closer we came to his office, the farther away it became.

  Finally, we made it to the door. Now that we were here, I wanted to hide my nervousness. I could put on my mask and pretend, but that would defeat the purpose. I wanted to be completely transparent with Brody, flaws and all.

  Anita knocked on the door, and there was a long pause before I heard his voice.

  “Come in.”

  The door crept open. It even creaked just like in a horror movie. Great. I’m thinking about horror movies.

  I couldn’t see him at first since I was standing behind Anita and she was almost a foot taller than me but when she stepped out of the way, I saw him.

  Brody was leaned up against his desk with his legs crossed at the ankles. His hands held onto the desk, and his eyes were trained on me just as mine were on him. Seeing him in person and not just in my thoughts made me realize I’d missed him like crazy.

  Anita looked back from me to him and blushed just a bit. “Umm . . . if you need anything, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Brody responded. “Thanks, we will.”

  I’d forgotten she was in the room, then nodded and smiled as she left.

  “Hello, Gina. It’s been a while.”

  “Brody.” I cleared my throat. “Yes, it has. H . . . how have you been?” There was a gulf between us. He was all the way across the room, and I wasn’t just talking proximity.

  “Getting by. What brings you all the way to DC?”

  “I just bought a house here.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “Why?”

  “I think you know the answer to that, but if you want to hear me say it. I will. I’m here because you’re here.”

  Brody pushed himself away from his desk and started to walk towards me. “Can I take your coat?”

  I didn’t think I’d blinked twice since entering the room. I wasn’t sure if he did either. “Sure. Thank you.” Slowly, I untied my belt then unbuttoned the red trench while never taking my eyes away from his. Once he was close, the whiff of his cologne made me bite my bottom lip. I needed to breathe deeply to get my raging hormones under control. While I wanted him physically, I wanted all of Brody.

  I shrugged the jacket off of my shoulders, and he pulled it away throwing it over onto the sofa.

  Unabashedly, he took his time as he studied me from the soles of my stilettoes until his eyes reconnected with mine. I’d hoped if nothing else, my fitted, red dress that hugged all of my curves would get his attention. “You don’t fight fair do you, Ms. Lee-Xiou?”

  “I never have, Mr. Windham.”

  Brody backed up a bit and took a much needed calming breath. “Physical attraction has never been a problem for us. Unfortunately, it’s everything else.”

  “Everything?”

  He shrugged. “Okay, maybe not everything, just the important stuff like trust and honesty.”

  I pressed my lips together and rubbed my forehead. “Brody, that’s why I’m here. I lied to you and I’m sorry. If ever there was anyone I felt I could be truthful with, it was you. But, with Nina, we had a difference of opinion on what was right. I just didn’t know how to balance that without disappointing you.”

  “You didn’t give me a chance. We didn’t even discuss it. That was the problem, Gina.”

  “So, if I told you that I was going to kill her, you would have been okay with that?”

  “You had already told me that once before. I didn’t think you were kidding. Look, I’ll never agree with taking someone’s life unless there’s no other choice.” Brody threw his head back for a second, then righted himself. “The situation with Nina, as a man, I wanted to keep you safe. I’ll always want to protect you. You were going to run into that building and possibly get yourself and Cecily killed. I’d hoped to find another way to get her out of your life short of killing her.”

  “I don’t live my life by those rules, Brody! I never have. Yes, I have legitimate businesses, but some of them are not. Sometimes, I’m involved in—”

  “I know that. It might sound like I’m asking you to change. I’m not. What I want is the opportunity to at least be able to fight about it. You didn’t give me that chance.”

  “I’ve never been in a relationship like that so I might make some mistakes along the way.”

  I hadn’t realized that my gaze shifted to somewhere else until Brody lifted my chin with his finger to face him. “We won’t always agree. I’m fine with that, but I can’t be with someone if they’re only going to tell me what I want to hear or outright lie because it’s the path of least resistance.”

  “I love the way you look at me, and I’m afraid too much truth might change that.”

  “Relationships only work when two people can be honest with each other
. I’m not going to like half the shit you do and vice versa. I’m not even talking about the Family Council business. I’m talking about everyday life, but I’m not that guy that will run away because of it either.”

  If that were true, then there was no better time than now to test that theory. My words were slow and deliberate. “Even if I told you Nina’s dead and I was the one who killed her?”

  Brody went silent. He just stared at me. I didn’t know what his response would be. I just held my breath until he spoke. He reached out and caressed my cheek. “Tell me something I didn’t already know. And, for the record, I’m still standing here. I’m not running for the hills.”

  “This is your house, so there is that.” No, he wasn’t running. His feet were firmly planted right where he stood. His gaze hadn’t changed either. Brody was still looking at me with a mixture of love, lust, and hope.

  I sucked on my bottom lip. “I declined the unanimous offer to lead the Family Council. I’m pretty sure that’s something you didn’t know.”

  To say that Brody was shocked was an understatement. I could have picked his mouth up from off of the ground. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Cecily. I used to think she was better off without us in her life, and I was wrong. I don’t want her growing up like I did, always feeling as if something was missing.”

  “I’m sure Cecily will love that.”

  “So, while I didn’t take the leadership role . . .” I smiled cheekily. “In the interest of full disclosure, I am on a newly formed advisory panel.”

  “Ahh, that’s the Gina, I know.”

  “If I promise that you can trust me to be honest, will you give us a chance at starting over?”

  One minute I was gazing into his eyes, hoping he’d answer yes, and the next I was in his arms, being kissed out of my mind.

  I was breathless when he pulled away. “Had you led with that, we would probably already be in the midst of making up.” He whispered as his lips hovered over mine. “That’s all I ever wanted from you.”

  Brody reached down and placed his arms underneath my legs effectively sweeping me off my feet. I felt safe in his arms. For the first time in my life, I didn’t think a man wanted anything from me other than me. Honestly, it wasn’t the first time. I’d always felt that way with Brody.

  I laid my head on the side of his shoulder. “Where are you taking me, Mr. Windham?”

  “We’ve got six months of wet dreams to make up for.”

  I laughed. “You know I like to be on top. That hasn’t changed.”

  “You and your control issues. We’re going to have to work on that.”

  As we climbed the stairs, I had a nagging thought. “In the interest of full disclosure, how did you meet Jamal, and where did you learn to use a gun like that?”

  “There will be plenty of time for me to tell you all about it.” He kissed me in the soft curve of my neck as we made it to the top of the staircase. He walked a few more feet to his bedroom and kicked the door open. “Right now, my focus is getting you out of this damn dress.”

  Brody and Gina’s story doesn’t end here. It continues Summer 2017.

  LaShawn Vasser’s It All Begins Today COMING October 2017

  Check out a sneak peek below!

  It All Begins Today

  Chapter 1

  Imani Hadley was furious. She stood in front of her soon to be ex-husband with her hands on her hips and steam coming from her ears. She was fit to be tied. “Why do you keep doing this? You are prolonging the inevitable! Sign the papers.”

  Garret had no intention of signing anything. He was determined to drag this process out for as long as it took for Imani to change her mind. He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together as if in deep thought, then tapped them against the bottom of his chin.

  His words were deliberate when he responded. “Did you have an appointment? I didn’t see you on my schedule.”

  “You sonofabitch!”

  He dropped his hands and sat up a bit straighter. “Lower your voice. My employees don’t need to know about our personal problems.”

  The sarcasm dripped from between her full lips. “Really? Do you honestly think I care who hears me? Like they don’t already know.”

  Garret ignored her little temper tantrum. “Your anger is misdirected. If your lawyer was worth anything, we’d already be divorced.”

  Rage radiated from every pore of her body. “No! We’d already be divorced if you weren’t purposely dragging this out.” Imani ticked off every point on her fingers. “I don’t want the homes, the cars, your money, not even the gifts you bought to pacify me. I’m happy to leave with exactly what I came into this marriage with.” Imani’s voice was getting more elevated with every word spoken. “I. DON’T. WANT. ANYTHING. Not one red cent! Every time . . . ” She slammed her fist down on his desk. “Every time, I speak with my attorney he tells me you have some new demand which is laughable considering you’re the one who screwed up.”

  “I messed up? Me?” Garret pointed towards himself. “You’re delusional.”

  A lock of her dark brown hair fell over into her eyes. Frustrated, Imani swiped it away. “Yes . . . you – whatever.” She waved her hands as if swatting his words away. “It doesn’t matter. The bottom line is this process should be easy since I don’t want anything, not even your sorry last name. I’ll proudly claim Imani Jones again.”

  Garret had to reach deep within himself to exercise a level of control he’d never known he had. “You have a lot of nerve barging into my office ranting and raving like a lunatic. Your righteous indignation never ceases to amaze me. You should thank God I’m a patient and forgiving man. I’ve asked you to lower your voice. Lower it and calm down, Imani.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down, Garret! You're unreasonable. Just sign the papers?” She threw a fresh copy at him, and they flew across his desk.

  He caught them just before they smacked him in the face. Garret’s self-control was now razor thin as he battled down his frustrations.

  Over the last several months he’d gone through a variety of emotions. Shock and anger had been at the top of the list when Imani had him served with divorce papers. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

  They had problems – significant problems in their marriage and for a brief period Garret was so blinded by anger it was hard to look at her. Initially, he’d thought her offenses were unforgivable and contemplated getting a divorce but ultimately decided against it.

  Marriage was supposed to be for better or for worse. Things couldn’t be much worse than they had been between them, but still, Garret never imagined it would have dissolved into the mess they found themselves in either. He meant his vows and thought with time they would be able to forgive each other and move on.

  Garret needed to switch gears. Imani was too angry for anything he might say to break through. “All your anger is not okay for you or the baby.”

  Imani was doing everything not to completely snap. “Now, now you care about my baby and me.” She took a couple of calming breaths. “You're ridiculous.” Aggravated, she rubbed her forehead. At the end of the day, Imani just wanted a divorce. The marriage was over, and she needed the pain of the last year to go away. All she wanted was a fresh start.

  Exhausted from her anger, she whispered. “What do you want Garret? What do I have to do to end this?”

  He hated to hear the desperation in her voice and that she actually wanted out. He wasn’t a man to give up easily and he for sure wasn’t ready to give up on his marriage. Time to put his plan in motion. “Do you want to know?”

  She could no longer hide her hopelessness. “Yes.”

  He pierced her with his hazel green eyes and placed both his hands on his desk one over the other. “Wait until after the baby is born, move back home, and give me one month.”

  The absurdity of that statement almost knocked her off her feet. It took a minute for her brain to register what he’d said to respond in any coh
erent way. She shook her head from side to side. “Oh no. No, no, no . . . NO, Garrett! Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious.”

  They stood staring at each other both waiting for the other to blink. He didn’t. She did.

  Imani pressed her lips together as if to keep some form of control. “I can't go on like this with you. You’ve got to let me go. Marriage is supposed to be about love not . . . this . . . this thing we’re doing.”

  Garrett rounded his desk and stood directly in front of her. He was too close. For a moment, she thought he would touch her. He wore her favorite cologne, and it floated through the air tickling her senses. Imani had to remind herself that Garret wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with. After everything that happened between them how he could have this kind of effect on her should be reason enough to have her committed.

  She cleared her throat and took a step backward then focused her attention on the paperweight on his desk.

  “If after one month of living with the baby and me, if you still want a divorce, I’ll give it to you without any hassles. I’ll only demand one thing, - joint custody.”

  “Why would you want joint custody of a child you’re not sure is yours?”

  “It might be. And, if it is, I don’t want to be a part-time father.”

  His words hurt. How could he believe for one moment that this child wasn’t his? “We don’t have to wait. We could take the paternity test today. And, when it determines you are the father, Garret, I’m willing to give you joint-custody now.”

  “But, I’m not willing to give you a divorce now.”

  “Garrett this makes no sense. This baby isn’t due for another four months! Your plan won’t help us. Our problems are just too large to fix.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “Are you afraid that you might still have feelings for me? Is that why you won’t agree?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! I just want to get on with my life. You and I have wasted enough time.”