by Iris Bolling
“Something on your mind, Myles?”
Myles leaned against the door. “As a man I understand the appeal of Grace. As a brother the appeal concerns me when I see the appreciation in other men’s eyes. Even more when that man is a business partner.”
Jonathan leaned back against the vanity to give Myles his undivided attention. “My intentions regarding your sister are clear, Myles. Having her is on my agenda.”
“Have you made that clear to her?”
“I have.”
Myles nodded then walked towards him. He looked directly at him. “Grace has a thing for you. How deep that goes, I do not know. As your boss, I respect and admire you as an employee. I have yet to see who you are as a man. Keep this in mind, the bank is an institution. Grace is family.”
“Family Integrity First and Foremost.”
Myles nodded then smiled. “You understand my meaning?”
“I do. You will kick my arse if I harm your sister.”
“Then we are clear.”
Jonathan patted Myles’ shoulder. “That we are, Mate.” He walked to the door then opened it, waiting for Myles to join him. “So that you are clear,” he said when Myles reached the door. “Grace will be mine.”
Myles grinned. “Grace, yes. It is the Heather in her that should concern you.”
Stepping outside the door, Jonathan’s eyes scanned the room for Grace. The moment his eyes captured hers, he smiled. “I do not see two, Myles. I only see the beautiful complexity of one. And make no mistake, Myles, I plan to have all of her. Shall we go meet the employees?”
CHAPTER 15
“How was the party?” Daisy asked as Grace walked in the door.
The question was simple, yet for some reason Grace had a difficult time answering. Her mind was still on Jonathan. Watching the ease in the way he interacted with people during the evening made her jealous. It was an odd feeling, this jealousy thing. There was never a time in her life when she had been jealous of any woman. But tonight, she found herself longing for his eyes to be shining at her. Or for his hands to be touching her rather than the employee whom he was being introduced to. It was an odd feeling indeed and if she didn’t do something about it soon, she was going to have to hit somebody.
“Grace?”
She looked up to see her mother and Daisy sitting at the kitchen table staring up at her.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
The two women glanced at each other then back to her as she sat down at the table with them.
“How was the party?” Daisy asked again.
“It was….you know, well attended.”
“Okay.” Winnie smiled as she took a sip of her tea. “How did Jonathan do? Did the employees welcome him with open arms?”
“Too open if you ask me.” Grace realized her response was a little sharp. “I mean, yes, of course.” She shrugged. “Jonathan is a charmer. Then you add in the voice, the accent and those damn bow legs, who wouldn’t welcome him.”
There was a long moment of silence in the room. Daisy raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Winnie who simply set her tea cup down. Then both turned their attention to Grace.
“Did something happen at the party that upset you?” Winnie asked.
“No,” Grace quickly replied.
“Okay,” Daisy responded just as fast. “Did Jonathan go home with another woman or something? What?”
“No. Why would you ask such questions?”
“Because you are sitting here pouting like someone stole your man or something.”
Grace shook her head, then sighed. “There is something about that man that just makes me hot.” She looked up at her mother. “Do you know what I mean? It’s like when you have a biscuit and a plate full of gravy and all you want to do is sop it up. You know what I mean? It’s like when his eyes are on you, the sun is beaming directly on your skin. You can feel the heat building and building to a level of intensity that is almost unbearable and then he touches you and it’s like a tall glass of lemonade traveling through your veins, soothing every hot bubble it touches. You know what I mean?” She sat back. “How in the hell do you combat something like that?”
“You go to the tall glass of lemonade and get your cookies wet,” Daisy replied.
“Jump in the deep end, to quench that thirst like your life depends on it,” Winnie added. “And when you come up for air, take two gulps then dive back in for some more. You know what I mean?”
“Woosh, Woosh,” Daisy made gulping sounds.
The women stared at each other then fell out laughing.
Myles and Mike walked in the back door causing the women to look up.
They laughed harder at the expressions on the men’s faces.
“Is there something you all need to share with us?” Myles asked as he took a seat on the stool at the breakfast bar.
“No,” Winnie continued to laugh. “Grace was just telling us about the party.”
“Apparently there was a whole lot of heat and lemonade,” Daisy said as she stood then walked over to the refrigerator, as Winnie and Grace continued to laugh.
“Whew. Okay.” Grace made an attempt to sober up.
“Hey, what’s so funny,” Gary asked as he walked in.
“Something about heat and lemonade.” Mike shrugged.
“Oh, you were talking about Jonathan,” AnnieMarie said as she closed the door behind her.
“How did you know?” Winnie asked.
“There was a whole lot of heat in that room tonight,” she replied as she sat at the table.
“That is exactly what Grace said,” Winnie laughed. “Did you drink the lemonade too?”
“There was lemonade at the party?” Gary asked.
The women laughed harder as the men stared at each other in confusion.
Grace shook her head. “Okay, okay, don’t worry about it. You would never understand.”
“Nope, you would not,” Daisy added. “I have some leftover gravy and biscuits in the-”
The women burst into laughter again before she could finish her statement.
“Biscuits and gravy?” AnnieMarie questioned.
“She just wanted to sop him up,” Daisy explained.
“That is a new one on me,” AnnieMarie laughed, “but I get it for sure.”
“All right.” Myles smiled. “It seems one of you has been sniffing a little too much Jonathan tonight.”
“Is that who they are talking about?” Gary asked. “How does Jonathan equate to gravy and biscuits?”
“Oh my god, you are kidding right?” Grace glanced at her brother. “Talk about killing a wet dream.” She shook her head, then sighed. “Where do you want to do this at?” She asked Myles.
“We are all here,” Myles replied. “Daisy, would you put on some coffee? Why don’t we all take a seat?”
“Sure,” Daisy replied as she looked from Myles to Grace.
“What are you doing?” Winnie asked as she glanced around the room at her children. “Are we having a family meeting?”
“Something like that,” Myles said as he sat across from his mother. Mike stood behind Winnie’s chair, placed his hands on her shoulders then slightly nodded to Grace.
Grace took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, then exhaled. She looked into her mother’s eyes hoping the hurt she was feeling inside would not show. She crossed her legs then leaned towards her mother.
“The medical examiner’s report came in today. It revealed a poison was found in Daddy’s system. The drug was used to emulate a heart attack. But it was a false indicator. The ME will be changing Daddy’s cause of death to murder.”
Her mother did not flinch, blink an eye or make a sound. She sat there staring at her as if she had not said one word. Grace reached over to take her mother’s hand. “We asked the ME to hold off on changing the report until we can determine how we want to proceed.”
“Someone….” Winnie hesitated. “Someone did this to Hepburn?”
“Y
es,” Grace responded.
“Who?”
Grace did not want to answer that question with suspicion. “We do not know at this time.”
“But we will find out,” Myles declared.
“For now, we think it is best to hold off on making this information public until we know more,” Gary explained
“Hold off? I don’t want to hold off,” Winnie spoke softly. “I need to know who took my husband and why.”
“We do too, Mother.” Anniemarie reached over to take her mother’s other hand. “And we will find out.”
Grace’s heart was breaking into a million little pieces as she watched her mother take another blow. It was bad enough the first time when they all thought Daddy had had a heart attack. Now her mother had to deal with the thought of someone taking Daddy’s life.
“Until we know who is responsible, and why, it is important that we put protection in place,” Mike added.
“You believe whoever did this to your father is after one of you?”
“No,” Grace stated. “We are worried they may be after you.”
Winnie pulled her hands away. “No.” She looked up at Myles. “It’s you. They will be after you, Myles.” She then looked at Grace, took her hand again. “Or you. Or God forbid both of you. The only way anyone can take control of the bank, and make no mistake this is all about the bank, is to eliminate both of you.” She glanced around almost in a panic. “Has Jerome been advised of this?’
“Yes.” Myles nodded. “He is working with Mike and Agent Roark on the investigation.”
“Good.” She nodded. “While you search for whoever did this to your father, make sure you, your brothers and sisters are protected.”
Grace watched as Winnie smiled at each of them. “I was blessed the day each of you were born.” She kissed the back of Mike’s hand which was resting on her shoulder. She held her cheek there for a moment, then glanced around at each of them. She stopped when she reached Grace. “You are so much like your father. Pull the bandage off with one swift yank.” She smiled at her. “You did it with care and grace. I love you so much.” She kissed her cheek then held her a moment. It took all the will power Grace had inside not to let the tears that were beginning to surface fall. This moment wasn’t about her. This moment was to comfort her mother. Grace held her close, willing her strength into her mother’s body.
Winnie pulled away. “I thank you all for coming here to share this news, but now it is time for each of you to go home. It’s late and I need to deal with this alone.”
“You know AnnieMarie and I live here, right?” Gary joked.
Winnie smiled. “Then I guess you two can stay. The rest of you go home. Myles and Mike, don’t you get drunk like you did the last time.”
Myles and Mike glared at each other. “How on earth do you know about that?” Mike asked.
“I have eyes and ears in places you would never imagine.” Winnie smiled as she stood. She hugged each of them then slowly walked up the back staircase.
Grace leaned across the table putting her head in her hands. “I hate this.”
“We all do,” Myles replied.
“AnnieMarie and I will be here with Mother tonight,” Gary stated. “She will not be alone.”
“Yes, she will,” Daisy stated. “Oh, your bodies will be in the house. But the body she needs to help her through this is no longer here.” She looked around at the children. “As much as you want to take this pain for her, you can’t. And you shouldn’t, because each of you have to deal with your own pain. Today could not have been easy for any of you. Take care of you so you can be strong for her. Winnie is going to be just fine as long as she knows her babies are okay. So you do exactly what she told you to. Go on home and begin the process of healing.”
“We can’t heal until we know who killed Daddy,” Grace stated.
“Once the bastard is behind bars, then we can talk about healing,” AnnieMarie added.
“Behind bars?” Grace glared at her siblings. “I say an eye for an eye.”
“Bite your tongue, Grace Heather Dunning,” Daisy bit out. “You think that kind of revenge will help your mother? You think you being locked up will give her peace? It won’t. You will just be adding to her sorrow.”
“Daisy is right,” Mike sighed. “But I promise you this. I will not rest until I can look all of you in the eyes and tell you who did this to us.”
The children all stood, then hugged each other.
“The person who did this will be found and brought to justice,” Grace said as her mind wandered to her Uncle Walker.
Leaving her mother’s house wasn’t easy. Grace felt it was her responsibility to be there to comfort her mother. All the times her mother had been there for her when she’d had hurt feelings or skinned her knee trying to play basketball with the boys or even the time Jonathan left. It was her mother who was there to kiss the boo-boo away. Always. Now the tables were turned and she couldn’t help her mother get through this…again. It wasn’t fair. Life just wasn’t fair.
Grace pulled into her driveway that curved around to the back of her house. As she passed the sensor, the automatic garage doors should open. They did not.
“What now?” She hissed as she stepped out of the car.
Tonight of all nights, the opener wasn’t working. All she wanted to do was to strip out of her clothes, stretch out in her soaking tub, put her head back and cry. That’s all, she thought as she glowered at the door.
“Oh hell,” she sighed then followed the driveway back to the front of her house. The quietness of the night helped to ease the rage she was feeling inside. The exterior lights illuminated the path as she walked down the side of the house. As she turned towards the steps leading to the front porch of her house, she froze at the sight of a silhouette of a man leaning against the pillar.
Her body tensed as she reached into her purse. Within an instant the feeling of tension disappeared.
“I have been waiting for you, Love.”
The voice had magic in it. She smiled. “You realize standing on someone’s front porch at two in the morning is an easy way to lose your life?”
“You would never hurt me, Grace. Just as I would never hurt you.”
He had hurt her, but she would have to let that one go for now. “What are you doing here,” she asked as she walked up the steps
He held out his hand to her. “I am here for you.”
She took his hand, walked into his arms, wrapped her arms around his waist, then laid her head on his chest. “It has been a hell of a night.”
Jonathan wrapped his arms around her then gently kissed her temple. “I know, Love.” His hands stroked her back. “The beauty of it now is that you are not alone. I am here to be strong for you.”
“For how long,” she asked, almost wanting to kick herself for needing to know.
He placed a finger under her chin then lifted it until her eyes reached his. “Until the end of time.”
In that moment, standing in the darkness, the sincerity she saw in his eyes touched her soul. Grace slowly pulled away. “Let’s go inside."
She lifted the cover to the lock, punched in the code and the door swung open. They walked in closing the door behind them.
CHAPTER 16
“Lights,” Grace said as she dropped her purse on the table in the living room. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No.”
Grace turned back. The tone in his response indicated small talk wasn’t needed. She walked back to him, wrapped her arms around his neck then pulled him into a long, alluring, inviting kiss.
His hands settled on her hips, pressing his body to hers. His soul sighed as if realizing its mate had finally been found. The dreams of this moment happening with this woman had kept him functioning for the last ten years. Her kisses filled him with the sweet satisfaction of coming home.
Grace slowly pulled away, her eyes sensuously rising to his, as her tongue glided across her lips. She turned h
er back to him, lifted her hair.
Jonathan pulled down the zipper to the white dress revealing smooth skin that shimmered with sheen. His fingers strolled up the center then moved across her shoulders allowing the sleeveless dress to fall to the floor. There was nothing underneath. She stepped out of the puddle then walked seductively to the staircase in all her nude glory.
The sight of her naked body caused his mouth to water, his body to ache and his penis to grow. The Lord above favored him so much He blessed him with this woman. By the time she reached the third step, Jonathan had dropped his suit jacket, tie, shirt, shoes and pants in a pile next to her dress. His stride was long and determined.
By the time Grace reached the fifth step, his hands were on her hips. His lips had kissed her butt cheek causing moisture to begin forming between her legs. Her procession up the staircase slowed, relishing in the touch of his hands as they moved from her hips to her cheeks as if he was palming a basketball. His tongue touched the cleft of her behind. Her spine slowly straightened as it traveled up her back, to the base of her neck. Her head fell backwards on his shoulder, allowing his tongue to move to her neck. He picked her up, cradling her as he found her lips, continuing the assault she had begun downstairs. As they reached the landing, his mouth moved to her breast, taking a nipple between his lips, sucking with an intensity that caused her body to shiver. He leaned her body against the wall, allowed her feet to touch the floor, then his mouth moved to the other breast. Sucking, licking, hands roaming, pushing her hands above her head, giving him full access to the trunk of her body. His hands moved from the pit of her arms, down her waist, then over her hips as if he was shaping a Coke bottle.
Leaning his body against hers, he lifted her thighs, wrapped them around his waist. She could feel the tip of him at her vagina. The wait was over. The longing and anticipation were so intense her body began to shake with need. His hands slowly roamed back up her body until they reached her arms. He placed them around his neck, moved his hands down to her hips and his lips were a breath away.
