Hello Everyone,
It's been years. You may be wondering what happened to the Becoming Brooklyn book. Well, the answer to that is LIFE. Life happened.
This year I'm challenging myself to write every day for the month of March 2020 (I'm highly stressed and writing calms me). I'll be doing this challenge over on Wattpad. I've never stopped loving this story and so I've decided to re-release chapters (edited of course) over there and I will possibly be adding new chapters to the story.
If you're down for reading some of my new stories and seeing the updated version of Becoming Brooklyn, you can find them over on Wattpad.
I do have a story that I wrote specifically to be published, 50,000 words y'all! It's in the self-edit part of the process. You can get regular updates on that still Unnamed Story over on Patreon. Also, Patrons get exclusive access to graphics and chapters.
Thanks so much for your support!!!
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Becoming Brooklyn Book
Hey everyone.
Thanks for all the support while creating this blog and all the feedback on Brooklyn's journey.
I've started compiling what was written on the blog and adding meat to these bones in an attempt to turn this blog into a book.
I will be keeping you up to date during this process.
Thanks for all the support while creating this blog and all the feedback on Brooklyn's journey.
I've started compiling what was written on the blog and adding meat to these bones in an attempt to turn this blog into a book.
I will be keeping you up to date during this process.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Chapter 26: Thanksgiving (Finale)
Roman had gone into full ring master mode on Thanksgiving. I sat in the living room with my legs crossed at the ankles watching as he ran up and down making preparations for dinner. He was on the phone the entire morning making sure that the turkey would be delivered on time. He surprised me when he whipped out pots and pans and a recipe book and got to work baking cornbread and oven roasting sweet potatoes. At three I finally decided to get up off my lazy ass and help him out. Mashed potatoes is pretty basic and we got a good conversation in while I peeled potatoes and put them to boil along with some collard greens and mixed vegetables. My grandmother had taught me to bake bread so I made some home-made buns.
Coco came in at four with two pumpkin pies, and when Scarlet strode in a half hour later she was not pleased to find Roman and me in the kitchen. "I need to put this ham in for an hour." She had preped a ham the night before, all it needed now was to sit in some heat for an hour. Her boyfriend Jean Claude Philippe came over, he was dressed immaculately in a black linen suit. He had that famous French nose, too long with an ugly bump, but other than that he was handsome. Jean Claude's family owned a vineyard in the French countryside, he and Scarlet met at an art gallery two weeks ago, but if you met them you would swear that they've been together for decades.
Dinner was two hours late, we intended to begin at six but we didn't start until eight. Kitty Kat walked in just as Roman started cussing her out every way he knew how, he gave her a sour look when he realized that she'd brought company. "Who's this?" Roman began his interrogation.
"This is my friend Shane D'Angelo Cooper, he's a performer at this underground club, you should come sometime. Angel, you remember Brooklyn, this guy with the sour face is Roman, he's just a bit peeved because this is our first Thanksgiving without our friend JQ. That's Scarlet and her boyfriend JC, Coco, never underestimate her, trust me, and Dom."
"Wow," Dom said strolling toward Archangel with her large booty swaying seductively. "Kitty always knows where to find the fine ones. Come'ere and sit next to me."
We gathered around the table, there was more food than we initially started with since every time a roommate came home they brought something with them. We sat at a round glass table that was rarely used, it sat five so a couple of chairs had to be drawn up. Roman said a quick prayer, thanking God for family and friends and then we started sharing food.
For JC, this was his first Thanksgiving away from his family. "Hopefully next year you'll celebrate with your wife." Kitty winked at him and Scarlet blushed.
"Next year you'll all be coming over to my penthouse. Maybe I'll have an Emmy or at least have gotten nominated." Roman grinned.
"Here, here!" I raised a glass of wine, Roman touched his glass to mine and we took a big swallow.
"Next year JQ won't be missing." Coco put in, "Here, here." We clinked our glasses together.
"And Dom will finally beat out Lambskin Dildo for the Woody! Here, here!" Dom joined in the glass clinking, I had to refill before I could swig again.
"Y'all are really strippers and porn stars?" Archangel asked, his eyes bouncing between Kitty and me.
"They're all strippers, except for Dom who's an adult film actress, Coco is retired, she's a club manager now and I'm a designer and in charge of Kandy Shoppe's promotions."
There was a lull in conversation while platters and bowls were being passed around, it was Scarlet who broke the silence. "I haven't spoken to Braxton yet so I didn't want to say anything, but you are my family and it's only fair for you to be the first to know." My heart sank, "JC and I just got together but there's a lot of love between us. JC's family are very prominent, and I see him in my future so I'm going to have to do what's necessary. I'm quitting Kandy Shoppe and stripping. That part of my life is past now, and I'm excited to become a wife and mother."
As sad as I was about her leaving, I was overjoyed that one of my girls had found someone to settle down with, someone who made her happy and would love her unconditionally. We all told her how proud we were of her and congratulated her and JC on their future. She would be moving to France in a month. It hit me that I'd already lost JQ, and Roman already dropped the bomb that he'd be gone in January and now Scarlet was leaving as well.
"Mr. Cooper," Roman drawled, "What do you do?"
"Officially I'm an officer with the K-9 unit of the NYPD, but I do some work--mostly behavioural and training--with the SPCA."
"Uh oh! Mr. Officer!" Dom laughed and bumped her shoulder into him.
Coco scrunched up her face, "You're a cop? I didn't get that vibe from you."
"I'm on leave right now."
"Why?" Bold Dom asked.
"My last case involved a conflict of interest and I also lost my dog so..."
Poetic Justice, a movie in the 90s which starred Tupac Shakur and an all star cast about a poet named Justice. But Angel had to be the full package, he is a cop who recites poems so deep that they touch your soul. My mother has two phrases which she used often to describe whether she liked or disliked a person, either her spirit took to them or it didn't, and my spirit took to Shane D'Angelo Cooper. There was a calm to him, despite everything he went through, and it was infectious. There was something else that drew people in to him and I could see Roman battling it, he hated getting close to anyone he didn't know, hated letting his guard down and Angel's mere presence was making him.
"What did you do?" Dom pressed.
"I'm not allowed to talk about it." Just like that he dismissed the topic.
"Since it's Thanksgiving we should all say what we're thankful for." Roman announced, "I'll start. I'm thankful for everyone here, even the ones I just met. I'm thankful to know all of my girls, each of you brought something to my life that I've been missing since I was sixteen, you are my family now. Even Dom when she's being a pain in the ass." We all laughed. "I'm thankful to have met JQ, he was somebody who understood what I was going through, he understood why my mood shifted so quickly and he taught me how to relax and let people in, from that moment it's been easy and I'll continue to pray for him and his family every day."
Coco was next, "I feel the same about each of you, there's a reason you're all in my life, some more temporary than others but each having an impact. I'm thankful for good friends and an extended family. I'm thankful that this thanksgiving I'm not fighting with my sisters over the leftovers that Ma brought home with her from the restaurant she worked at. I'm thankful for where I am today, I had given up on myself but God hadn't given up on me."
Kitty grinned, "I'm thankful that I get to be Kitty Kat, a person who I always felt like on the inside but was too afraid to be. I'm thankful for my friends and family and this food that Roman didn't cook so I know we won't die of food poisoning tonight." We chuckled. "I'm thankful that my family continues to grow and even when things seem lost we manage to overcome and we get closer together because of it. I'm thankful for Angel and JC, there are people out there daring enough to enter our house of sins and real enough not to judge us. Here, here!" We toasted and swallowed.
It was Dom's turn next and I was curious about what she would say. "I'm thankful for a job, for roommates like you and your friendship, and for this bangin' body that God gave me." She giggled and my roommates and me made disagreeing sounds in our throats and laughed at our crazy Dom.
Angel said, "Despite everything I'm thankful for where I am, I'm not where I need to be but thank God I'm not where I used to be."
JC nodded, he said what he was thankful for but in French, then he said, "I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know you all, I'm thankful for the woman beside me."
Scarlet blushed, "Well, I'm thankful for the man beside me and everyone at this table. I love y'all! Here, here!" Glasses clinked and wine was swallowed.
It was my turn, "I'm feeling Angel right now, I'm thankful for where I am, it's a hell of a lot better than where I've been. I'm thankful that I'm not the person that I used to be, when that Brooklyn came here, she was a frightened, insecure little girl who was away from her mommy for the first time, now she's bolder, more comfortable with the person that she is and she would have never become this person without all of you." I sipped some wine, Roman chastised me with a grunt, "I've overcome my share of obstacles since I'm been here, and I'm thankful that I didn't crumble and fall. I'm thankful for my promotion but I'm not going to take it, like I said, I'm thankful for where I am."
"You are crazy as hell." Dom told me. "You'll be working with Azari and maybe next in line to run the NY office."
"I didn't come to New York to be the boss. I came here to figure out how to be a more independent Brooklyn and I've done that. So for now, I'm good with graphical design and promotions." The new Mr. Braxton would not be pleased at all about having to have all of my things moved back down to my corner office, and I'm not sure how Mr. Braxton senior would take me declining his offer, but I needed to do what was best for Brooklyn and Brooklyn was not ready to be a boss, she was still getting over what happened in L.A. and Stone's betrayal while dealing with JQ's departure and the 'what if' phenomenon.
"Brooklyn," Angel said, "You sound as if you're not done yet, you say you'e gained your independence yet you're not ready to be in a leadership position, what's next for you? If you don't mind me asking, I'm just curious."
I smiled, that was a good question, something I hadn't really thought about. "I haven't given it much thought, but everyone seems to be branching out and preparing to do their own thing, maybe I'll do mine. I always loved graphical design but I never really knew what I wanted to do with it. Kandy Shoppe pulled me out of my element big time, I've seen things even the biggest ho back home couldn't even imagine so as far as promotions are concerned I learnt how to think outside of the box, even if it means stepping outside of my comfort zone. I've come to love event planning and management, I mean, even though what Braxton made me do caused my blood to crawl, it was always awesome to see the event I planned go smoothly."
"Are you thinking about starting your own company then?"
"Maybe, that's a huge possibility."
After dinner we drifted to the living room area and sat down talking, getting to know JC and Angel. JC was royalty in France, literally, if he were born in the sixteenth century, he would have been the cousin of the crowned prince, or something like that. He showed us pictures of his vineyard in the country side and the majestic horses he bred, he also showed us pictures of the city and the country during the different seasons and I had to admit France was a beautiful place, I hope I get to visit it one day. Angel wasn't big on talking, he mostly listened to what everyone had to say but he answered questions readily. It was after one in the morning when JC and Scarlet left, Angel lingered to help us clean up although we told him it was okay.
While he helped me put food into containers and get it into the fridge, I asked him where he was from, he told me that he was born and raised in Virginia but didn't go into much detail after that. When it was time for him to leave Kitty was passed out on the couch, her wine glass still in her hand so I offered to see him out. We were coming off the elevator when I caught him staring at me. "What?"
Angel shrugged, "You're an interesting person. I know all about reading body language and while you speak with confidence, the way you fold your arms and look past people, you're not comfortable in your own skin."
"I'm still getting used to this one." I confessed.
He pulled my arms down and tilted my head so that I was looking at him, "There, now you're talking to me not at me. It was nice getting to know you Brooklyn, maybe we should hang out some more."
"That's not a good idea. I'm terrible at picking men, and I think Kitty kinda likes you. It was nice getting to know you too, although I still know as much about you as I did at the club, or when you walked in the door. I guess you are going to be one of those people who leave me wondering what their story is."
"It's a shame really, mine is quite a story." He grinned and stepped outside into the drizzle of cold November rain. I went back to the elevator, my mind miles away in Florida, this was the first Thanksgiving I had spent away from home and I doubted if it would be the last. I had no idea what was in store for Brooklyn James in the future, but I was scared and excited to find out.
There was a lull in conversation while platters and bowls were being passed around, it was Scarlet who broke the silence. "I haven't spoken to Braxton yet so I didn't want to say anything, but you are my family and it's only fair for you to be the first to know." My heart sank, "JC and I just got together but there's a lot of love between us. JC's family are very prominent, and I see him in my future so I'm going to have to do what's necessary. I'm quitting Kandy Shoppe and stripping. That part of my life is past now, and I'm excited to become a wife and mother."
As sad as I was about her leaving, I was overjoyed that one of my girls had found someone to settle down with, someone who made her happy and would love her unconditionally. We all told her how proud we were of her and congratulated her and JC on their future. She would be moving to France in a month. It hit me that I'd already lost JQ, and Roman already dropped the bomb that he'd be gone in January and now Scarlet was leaving as well.
"Mr. Cooper," Roman drawled, "What do you do?"
"Officially I'm an officer with the K-9 unit of the NYPD, but I do some work--mostly behavioural and training--with the SPCA."
"Uh oh! Mr. Officer!" Dom laughed and bumped her shoulder into him.
Coco scrunched up her face, "You're a cop? I didn't get that vibe from you."
"I'm on leave right now."
"Why?" Bold Dom asked.
"My last case involved a conflict of interest and I also lost my dog so..."
Poetic Justice, a movie in the 90s which starred Tupac Shakur and an all star cast about a poet named Justice. But Angel had to be the full package, he is a cop who recites poems so deep that they touch your soul. My mother has two phrases which she used often to describe whether she liked or disliked a person, either her spirit took to them or it didn't, and my spirit took to Shane D'Angelo Cooper. There was a calm to him, despite everything he went through, and it was infectious. There was something else that drew people in to him and I could see Roman battling it, he hated getting close to anyone he didn't know, hated letting his guard down and Angel's mere presence was making him.
"What did you do?" Dom pressed.
"I'm not allowed to talk about it." Just like that he dismissed the topic.
"Since it's Thanksgiving we should all say what we're thankful for." Roman announced, "I'll start. I'm thankful for everyone here, even the ones I just met. I'm thankful to know all of my girls, each of you brought something to my life that I've been missing since I was sixteen, you are my family now. Even Dom when she's being a pain in the ass." We all laughed. "I'm thankful to have met JQ, he was somebody who understood what I was going through, he understood why my mood shifted so quickly and he taught me how to relax and let people in, from that moment it's been easy and I'll continue to pray for him and his family every day."
Coco was next, "I feel the same about each of you, there's a reason you're all in my life, some more temporary than others but each having an impact. I'm thankful for good friends and an extended family. I'm thankful that this thanksgiving I'm not fighting with my sisters over the leftovers that Ma brought home with her from the restaurant she worked at. I'm thankful for where I am today, I had given up on myself but God hadn't given up on me."
Kitty grinned, "I'm thankful that I get to be Kitty Kat, a person who I always felt like on the inside but was too afraid to be. I'm thankful for my friends and family and this food that Roman didn't cook so I know we won't die of food poisoning tonight." We chuckled. "I'm thankful that my family continues to grow and even when things seem lost we manage to overcome and we get closer together because of it. I'm thankful for Angel and JC, there are people out there daring enough to enter our house of sins and real enough not to judge us. Here, here!" We toasted and swallowed.
It was Dom's turn next and I was curious about what she would say. "I'm thankful for a job, for roommates like you and your friendship, and for this bangin' body that God gave me." She giggled and my roommates and me made disagreeing sounds in our throats and laughed at our crazy Dom.
Angel said, "Despite everything I'm thankful for where I am, I'm not where I need to be but thank God I'm not where I used to be."
JC nodded, he said what he was thankful for but in French, then he said, "I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know you all, I'm thankful for the woman beside me."
Scarlet blushed, "Well, I'm thankful for the man beside me and everyone at this table. I love y'all! Here, here!" Glasses clinked and wine was swallowed.
It was my turn, "I'm feeling Angel right now, I'm thankful for where I am, it's a hell of a lot better than where I've been. I'm thankful that I'm not the person that I used to be, when that Brooklyn came here, she was a frightened, insecure little girl who was away from her mommy for the first time, now she's bolder, more comfortable with the person that she is and she would have never become this person without all of you." I sipped some wine, Roman chastised me with a grunt, "I've overcome my share of obstacles since I'm been here, and I'm thankful that I didn't crumble and fall. I'm thankful for my promotion but I'm not going to take it, like I said, I'm thankful for where I am."
"You are crazy as hell." Dom told me. "You'll be working with Azari and maybe next in line to run the NY office."
"I didn't come to New York to be the boss. I came here to figure out how to be a more independent Brooklyn and I've done that. So for now, I'm good with graphical design and promotions." The new Mr. Braxton would not be pleased at all about having to have all of my things moved back down to my corner office, and I'm not sure how Mr. Braxton senior would take me declining his offer, but I needed to do what was best for Brooklyn and Brooklyn was not ready to be a boss, she was still getting over what happened in L.A. and Stone's betrayal while dealing with JQ's departure and the 'what if' phenomenon.
"Brooklyn," Angel said, "You sound as if you're not done yet, you say you'e gained your independence yet you're not ready to be in a leadership position, what's next for you? If you don't mind me asking, I'm just curious."
I smiled, that was a good question, something I hadn't really thought about. "I haven't given it much thought, but everyone seems to be branching out and preparing to do their own thing, maybe I'll do mine. I always loved graphical design but I never really knew what I wanted to do with it. Kandy Shoppe pulled me out of my element big time, I've seen things even the biggest ho back home couldn't even imagine so as far as promotions are concerned I learnt how to think outside of the box, even if it means stepping outside of my comfort zone. I've come to love event planning and management, I mean, even though what Braxton made me do caused my blood to crawl, it was always awesome to see the event I planned go smoothly."
"Are you thinking about starting your own company then?"
"Maybe, that's a huge possibility."
After dinner we drifted to the living room area and sat down talking, getting to know JC and Angel. JC was royalty in France, literally, if he were born in the sixteenth century, he would have been the cousin of the crowned prince, or something like that. He showed us pictures of his vineyard in the country side and the majestic horses he bred, he also showed us pictures of the city and the country during the different seasons and I had to admit France was a beautiful place, I hope I get to visit it one day. Angel wasn't big on talking, he mostly listened to what everyone had to say but he answered questions readily. It was after one in the morning when JC and Scarlet left, Angel lingered to help us clean up although we told him it was okay.
While he helped me put food into containers and get it into the fridge, I asked him where he was from, he told me that he was born and raised in Virginia but didn't go into much detail after that. When it was time for him to leave Kitty was passed out on the couch, her wine glass still in her hand so I offered to see him out. We were coming off the elevator when I caught him staring at me. "What?"
Angel shrugged, "You're an interesting person. I know all about reading body language and while you speak with confidence, the way you fold your arms and look past people, you're not comfortable in your own skin."
"I'm still getting used to this one." I confessed.
He pulled my arms down and tilted my head so that I was looking at him, "There, now you're talking to me not at me. It was nice getting to know you Brooklyn, maybe we should hang out some more."
"That's not a good idea. I'm terrible at picking men, and I think Kitty kinda likes you. It was nice getting to know you too, although I still know as much about you as I did at the club, or when you walked in the door. I guess you are going to be one of those people who leave me wondering what their story is."
"It's a shame really, mine is quite a story." He grinned and stepped outside into the drizzle of cold November rain. I went back to the elevator, my mind miles away in Florida, this was the first Thanksgiving I had spent away from home and I doubted if it would be the last. I had no idea what was in store for Brooklyn James in the future, but I was scared and excited to find out.
Chapter 25: The Story of Maggie
When I got home, Roman was waiting for me. "I'm sorry you had to find everything out like this." He said as soon as I pulled the door open, I had a massive headache, the last thing I wanted to talk about was the events of the last week. I needed a break, I needed to unwind and I needed to be away from Roman.
"Where's Kitty?" I asked rubbing my throbbing temple.
"In her room."
"Thanks."
I found Kitty sprawled across her bed, a Hello Kitty pillow between her legs, her head was over the side of the bed, her arms dangled awkwardly to the floor. She was watching a video on her iPad which was on the floor between her hands. "Hey Mama." She greeted me without looking up.
"What are you doing tonight?"
Kitty folded one of her arms beneath her chin and tilted her head to look at me. "I was going to this poetry club down town. One of my friends introduced me to it and I must say I'm impressed by the talent."
"Cool, I'll tag along."
"Be ready for seven."
"Okay."
I took some pain killers and went to bed. My alarm woke me at five and I went to take a shower and ate some leftover Chinese food. I always missed JQ when it was time to eat and with Thanksgiving only days away, I still feared food poisoning. Coco waved to me on her way out of the apartment, "Motherfucking Azari." She grumbled.
"Azari's here?" Dom's head whipped around, she was sitting in the living room watching television.
"He's going to take over the office," I explained, "Stone fucked up big."
"Rumour has it that he's going to have some good help with running things." Coco winked at me as she headed out the door. God I hoped my working relationship with Azari won't cause me the same problems with Dom as my living arrangements with JQ had. I must say Dom has good taste in men, she didn't just jump on some random man at a club, he had to have money and look like an Ambercrombi model.
I retreated to my bedroom, Roman was on the phone with his manager, his eyes pleaded with me. I wasn't mad with him, I just wasn't in the mood for his apologies and having to face my own stupidity.
I dressed in a jade colored romper with a low cut in the neck. I noticed for the first time that my behind and thighs had gotten bigger. My mother had wide hips and thick thighs and apparently I was on the way to looking like her in the lower region. I was on the way to busting out of my B cups and would have to go underwear shopping. I decided to forego jewellery and stepped into a pair of red pumps. I went to the power room where Kitty was applying light makeup. I did a nude eye look and applied cat-eyes liner, then applied some red lipstick. I let my hair swing, it hung down to my butt now, I needed a hair cut.
"Let's head out then." Kitty said and clapped her hands. She wore tight jeans and a white lace blouse, pink pumps and accessories added a pop of color to her outfit.
We climbed into the Escalade and Kitty drove us to the club. It was located in the basement of an unused warehouse, if you did not know the location it would have been easy to miss it. On stage a woman was crooning her lungs out while a bass player strummed his instrument. People were sitting at round tables sipping javas.
"Hey Charlie," Kitty led me over to the bar, "This is my friend Brooklyn."
"I know, Flow's girl." The bartender nodded and slid a apple martini to Kitty. "What'll you be having Brooklyn?"
He was a big man with a Jersey accent, buzz cut, stubble and brown eyes that seemed to belong to a child rather than this burly fella. "I'm good." I told him and he offered me a complimentary espresso.
"Okay, okay, that was Miss Vex ladies and gents!" The host strode onto the stage and snapped his fingers along with everyone else in the club, it amused me, I felt like I had been kicked back to the nineties. "Miss Kitty Kat has just entered the club y'all, give it up."
Kitty wiggled her eyebrows at me before strolling onto the stage. The bass player gave her a tempo and Kitty closed her eyes, what came out of her mouth was the deepest, most passionate tale I had ever heard. A tale about a young girl who came to a strange country, a girl who was raped by a man she trusted and used by the men she loved, it described the child as a rose, soft, delicate, white with innocence and later the rose bled red as innocence was lost and then became black as she gave up on moral and ethics and did what she had to to survive. It told of how this girl who came from nothing found everything she could ever want in a house of strangers, in an industry that was frowned upon, about how she had learnt to love herself and how she is now ready to try to find love again. When Kitty's tale ended the patrons snapped and she came back to me, a pleased smile on her face.
"That was amazing." I breathed.
The host called up another performer, the club went wild with snapping and cheering. "Ooo, listen to this, this guy is so deep, you'll feel like he's reaching into your soul and telling your life story."
The host had called the well muscled, mahogany skinned guy Archangel, three women followed him on stage and when the base started the women started wailing. The guy licked his lips and a few of the women in the room shrieked. When the guy started speaking I was hypnotized, his voice pulled me in. "Come closer, closer, closer, silence is a virtue for what I'm about to tell you. A story about a little girl named Maggie who never understood love. See, Maggie was only eight years old when her mother found a boyfriend and started acting like she struck gold. They got married, he moved in and then began the game of cat and mouse that little Maggie couldn't win. Puberty came early, for this girl in my story, maybe it was her genes or it could have been her jeans, and her step father, let's just call him Jean. With her breasts poppin' and hips rollin' Jean couldn't help but notice that little Maggie wasn't so little any longer. For weeks the nights seemed longer as old Jean began to ponder, replacing his wife with his his step daughter. It wasn't long before Jean began to knock on little Maggie's door, it was his house and his roof so she could not ignore the sound."
The room had fallen into silence, the woman screeched into the mic, a forlorn sound, a haunting wail, Archangel made a sound in the mic with his tongue, a knock, knock, knock. "Little Maggie pulled the door open, Jean said, 'hey baby girl how's it goin',', 'fine', she replied, the innocence of a child toward a man she trusted, the only father that she's ever known was about to treat her like she's grown. He said on her bed, said they were going to have a talk and the unsuspecting child began the walk to the event that would shape the rest of her life. So she sat down beside him and they talked, he told her how much he loved her mother who was his wife, and then he touched her, the bulges in her Belle and Beast nightgown, told her a man had desires, things that the child could not understand but she nodded." The base stopped playing, a keyboardist played a suspenseful note, one that left everybody waiting, curious about what would happen next. "He said, 'Maggie get up and take this dress off girl', the child was confused, but she was a good girl, she did as she was told although she was about to be used. The cotton pooled on the floor and she stood there, in nothing but her flowered panties, and then he came over."
There was another pause, Archangel tapped the mic, thud, thud, thud. When he spoke again his voice was barely a whisper. "He came over and suddenly those flowered panties were at her knees and her touched her, teased her. Little nipples hardened but the sensation confused her. This was wrong, a song that played constantly in her head, I should tell my mom. And then he was naked, and she was naked and they stood there, her breathing shallow, fearful, his breathing harsh, lustful." There was silence, there wasn't even any of the ambiance music, Archangel closed his eyes and continued to speak. "He put her on the bed and spread Maggie's legs, forcing his hard length into her opening that was too small to take it. Maggie said ouch and begged him to stop, she wanted to scream but he put a pillow over her said silencing her, 'quiet girl, you know you want this, so shut your big fuckin' mouth and take this'."
My hands tightened on my seat and I waited for the rest of the story. "After five agonizing minutes it was done, he'd stolen her virginity, 'you better don't tell mommy what you made me do', he said to her like it was her fault, her doing, like it was all her. But she laid on that bed with her legs wide open, confused and scared with everything hurtin'." Archangel held up a hand and the music began to play again, the woman began to wail again. "It was the first time but far from the last time, night after night he visited her, she grew to expect him. She was thirteen years old and had a body of eighteen, big breasts, large hips she was something amazing. Men noticed, women noticed, Grams said, 'somethin' ain't right', but there was nobody to dare tell Maggie's mommy about what happened at night. She got older, started to bleed monthly, Mommy said, 'baby you can have babies now'. She didn't explain so Maggie didn't understand so she hid when her belly started to swell at fourteen."
I gasped along with a couple other people in the room, "Nobody can hide a pregnancy forever, she was called nasty, a slut and a whore, by people at school and the woman in the corner store. Mommy blamed the little boys on the street who always told Maggie she was something sweet, and just before the baby was born Maggie told Mommy what her step father had done. The slap resonated like an atomic explosion, 'not my dearest husband, he loves you like his own, never say that to anyone or little girl we are through'. But the child was born and his features were telling but Mommy lived in denial and so the abuse continued. Maggie lived in a dark world where she was given no love, and now she was scorned by the friends and her family, with a son to raise things became very hard for poor little Maggie."
The wailing stopped, but the music continued. "The child grew and Maggie got older, being a mother was second nature. School was a bust she was too tired to study so Maggie got a job at her local Wendy's. But bad luck followed Maggie like an unwanted shadow and once night she experienced a fear like nobody would ever want to. It was late and she was closing when five men walked in, they said they wanted the sweetest thing on the menu. 'I'm closing', she said, 'I cannot help you'. And then left."
He stopped speaking, the music stopped playing and he looked around at his audience, "She went to take out the trash, simple procedure, but then a guy came in, followed by another, and another, and another and another. Sweetest thing on the menu was to be found between Maggie's legs, she ran, they pursued, they tackled her and beat her and one by one the proceeded to rape her. This was different from what he step father had done to her, he was gentle they were not, he did genuinely love her. For hours they were at it, high up off some white powder, an they they left her, cold, beaten and battered. For years she was molested by a man who had been her father, but it was what happened in the alley that broke her. Fear and depression had worn her down, and when her second son was born she was way past done. She couldn't love him like her first, for he conjured dark memories, he looked too much like her unknown enemies, she saw all five on them in his face, their blurry eyes the night of her rape."
He checked the watch on his wrist, "She was seventeen with two rape babies and no one to love her, not a man nor her mother. She tuned out of the world with the help of a white lady, she was so gone that she ruined her third baby, she was dead before she was dead and buried. Staring down at her lifeless body, in a cheap white coffin, the only she had hated whispered low and loving, 'I love you Miss Maggie, you will always be Mommy'." He raised up his shirt and there was a tattoo on his chest of a smiling woman but I was too far to read the writing or see the features clearly.
"Oh my God." I murmured when I finally grasped what Archangel was saying. He had already left the stage when one by one his audience snapped out of their trance and began to clap, apparently for such a grasping story snapping was not enough.
"Where's Kitty?" I asked rubbing my throbbing temple.
"In her room."
"Thanks."
I found Kitty sprawled across her bed, a Hello Kitty pillow between her legs, her head was over the side of the bed, her arms dangled awkwardly to the floor. She was watching a video on her iPad which was on the floor between her hands. "Hey Mama." She greeted me without looking up.
"What are you doing tonight?"
Kitty folded one of her arms beneath her chin and tilted her head to look at me. "I was going to this poetry club down town. One of my friends introduced me to it and I must say I'm impressed by the talent."
"Cool, I'll tag along."
"Be ready for seven."
"Okay."
I took some pain killers and went to bed. My alarm woke me at five and I went to take a shower and ate some leftover Chinese food. I always missed JQ when it was time to eat and with Thanksgiving only days away, I still feared food poisoning. Coco waved to me on her way out of the apartment, "Motherfucking Azari." She grumbled.
"Azari's here?" Dom's head whipped around, she was sitting in the living room watching television.
"He's going to take over the office," I explained, "Stone fucked up big."
"Rumour has it that he's going to have some good help with running things." Coco winked at me as she headed out the door. God I hoped my working relationship with Azari won't cause me the same problems with Dom as my living arrangements with JQ had. I must say Dom has good taste in men, she didn't just jump on some random man at a club, he had to have money and look like an Ambercrombi model.
I retreated to my bedroom, Roman was on the phone with his manager, his eyes pleaded with me. I wasn't mad with him, I just wasn't in the mood for his apologies and having to face my own stupidity.
I dressed in a jade colored romper with a low cut in the neck. I noticed for the first time that my behind and thighs had gotten bigger. My mother had wide hips and thick thighs and apparently I was on the way to looking like her in the lower region. I was on the way to busting out of my B cups and would have to go underwear shopping. I decided to forego jewellery and stepped into a pair of red pumps. I went to the power room where Kitty was applying light makeup. I did a nude eye look and applied cat-eyes liner, then applied some red lipstick. I let my hair swing, it hung down to my butt now, I needed a hair cut.
"Let's head out then." Kitty said and clapped her hands. She wore tight jeans and a white lace blouse, pink pumps and accessories added a pop of color to her outfit.
We climbed into the Escalade and Kitty drove us to the club. It was located in the basement of an unused warehouse, if you did not know the location it would have been easy to miss it. On stage a woman was crooning her lungs out while a bass player strummed his instrument. People were sitting at round tables sipping javas.
"Hey Charlie," Kitty led me over to the bar, "This is my friend Brooklyn."
"I know, Flow's girl." The bartender nodded and slid a apple martini to Kitty. "What'll you be having Brooklyn?"
He was a big man with a Jersey accent, buzz cut, stubble and brown eyes that seemed to belong to a child rather than this burly fella. "I'm good." I told him and he offered me a complimentary espresso.
"Okay, okay, that was Miss Vex ladies and gents!" The host strode onto the stage and snapped his fingers along with everyone else in the club, it amused me, I felt like I had been kicked back to the nineties. "Miss Kitty Kat has just entered the club y'all, give it up."
Kitty wiggled her eyebrows at me before strolling onto the stage. The bass player gave her a tempo and Kitty closed her eyes, what came out of her mouth was the deepest, most passionate tale I had ever heard. A tale about a young girl who came to a strange country, a girl who was raped by a man she trusted and used by the men she loved, it described the child as a rose, soft, delicate, white with innocence and later the rose bled red as innocence was lost and then became black as she gave up on moral and ethics and did what she had to to survive. It told of how this girl who came from nothing found everything she could ever want in a house of strangers, in an industry that was frowned upon, about how she had learnt to love herself and how she is now ready to try to find love again. When Kitty's tale ended the patrons snapped and she came back to me, a pleased smile on her face.
"That was amazing." I breathed.
The host called up another performer, the club went wild with snapping and cheering. "Ooo, listen to this, this guy is so deep, you'll feel like he's reaching into your soul and telling your life story."
The host had called the well muscled, mahogany skinned guy Archangel, three women followed him on stage and when the base started the women started wailing. The guy licked his lips and a few of the women in the room shrieked. When the guy started speaking I was hypnotized, his voice pulled me in. "Come closer, closer, closer, silence is a virtue for what I'm about to tell you. A story about a little girl named Maggie who never understood love. See, Maggie was only eight years old when her mother found a boyfriend and started acting like she struck gold. They got married, he moved in and then began the game of cat and mouse that little Maggie couldn't win. Puberty came early, for this girl in my story, maybe it was her genes or it could have been her jeans, and her step father, let's just call him Jean. With her breasts poppin' and hips rollin' Jean couldn't help but notice that little Maggie wasn't so little any longer. For weeks the nights seemed longer as old Jean began to ponder, replacing his wife with his his step daughter. It wasn't long before Jean began to knock on little Maggie's door, it was his house and his roof so she could not ignore the sound."
The room had fallen into silence, the woman screeched into the mic, a forlorn sound, a haunting wail, Archangel made a sound in the mic with his tongue, a knock, knock, knock. "Little Maggie pulled the door open, Jean said, 'hey baby girl how's it goin',', 'fine', she replied, the innocence of a child toward a man she trusted, the only father that she's ever known was about to treat her like she's grown. He said on her bed, said they were going to have a talk and the unsuspecting child began the walk to the event that would shape the rest of her life. So she sat down beside him and they talked, he told her how much he loved her mother who was his wife, and then he touched her, the bulges in her Belle and Beast nightgown, told her a man had desires, things that the child could not understand but she nodded." The base stopped playing, a keyboardist played a suspenseful note, one that left everybody waiting, curious about what would happen next. "He said, 'Maggie get up and take this dress off girl', the child was confused, but she was a good girl, she did as she was told although she was about to be used. The cotton pooled on the floor and she stood there, in nothing but her flowered panties, and then he came over."
There was another pause, Archangel tapped the mic, thud, thud, thud. When he spoke again his voice was barely a whisper. "He came over and suddenly those flowered panties were at her knees and her touched her, teased her. Little nipples hardened but the sensation confused her. This was wrong, a song that played constantly in her head, I should tell my mom. And then he was naked, and she was naked and they stood there, her breathing shallow, fearful, his breathing harsh, lustful." There was silence, there wasn't even any of the ambiance music, Archangel closed his eyes and continued to speak. "He put her on the bed and spread Maggie's legs, forcing his hard length into her opening that was too small to take it. Maggie said ouch and begged him to stop, she wanted to scream but he put a pillow over her said silencing her, 'quiet girl, you know you want this, so shut your big fuckin' mouth and take this'."
My hands tightened on my seat and I waited for the rest of the story. "After five agonizing minutes it was done, he'd stolen her virginity, 'you better don't tell mommy what you made me do', he said to her like it was her fault, her doing, like it was all her. But she laid on that bed with her legs wide open, confused and scared with everything hurtin'." Archangel held up a hand and the music began to play again, the woman began to wail again. "It was the first time but far from the last time, night after night he visited her, she grew to expect him. She was thirteen years old and had a body of eighteen, big breasts, large hips she was something amazing. Men noticed, women noticed, Grams said, 'somethin' ain't right', but there was nobody to dare tell Maggie's mommy about what happened at night. She got older, started to bleed monthly, Mommy said, 'baby you can have babies now'. She didn't explain so Maggie didn't understand so she hid when her belly started to swell at fourteen."
I gasped along with a couple other people in the room, "Nobody can hide a pregnancy forever, she was called nasty, a slut and a whore, by people at school and the woman in the corner store. Mommy blamed the little boys on the street who always told Maggie she was something sweet, and just before the baby was born Maggie told Mommy what her step father had done. The slap resonated like an atomic explosion, 'not my dearest husband, he loves you like his own, never say that to anyone or little girl we are through'. But the child was born and his features were telling but Mommy lived in denial and so the abuse continued. Maggie lived in a dark world where she was given no love, and now she was scorned by the friends and her family, with a son to raise things became very hard for poor little Maggie."
The wailing stopped, but the music continued. "The child grew and Maggie got older, being a mother was second nature. School was a bust she was too tired to study so Maggie got a job at her local Wendy's. But bad luck followed Maggie like an unwanted shadow and once night she experienced a fear like nobody would ever want to. It was late and she was closing when five men walked in, they said they wanted the sweetest thing on the menu. 'I'm closing', she said, 'I cannot help you'. And then left."
He stopped speaking, the music stopped playing and he looked around at his audience, "She went to take out the trash, simple procedure, but then a guy came in, followed by another, and another, and another and another. Sweetest thing on the menu was to be found between Maggie's legs, she ran, they pursued, they tackled her and beat her and one by one the proceeded to rape her. This was different from what he step father had done to her, he was gentle they were not, he did genuinely love her. For hours they were at it, high up off some white powder, an they they left her, cold, beaten and battered. For years she was molested by a man who had been her father, but it was what happened in the alley that broke her. Fear and depression had worn her down, and when her second son was born she was way past done. She couldn't love him like her first, for he conjured dark memories, he looked too much like her unknown enemies, she saw all five on them in his face, their blurry eyes the night of her rape."
He checked the watch on his wrist, "She was seventeen with two rape babies and no one to love her, not a man nor her mother. She tuned out of the world with the help of a white lady, she was so gone that she ruined her third baby, she was dead before she was dead and buried. Staring down at her lifeless body, in a cheap white coffin, the only she had hated whispered low and loving, 'I love you Miss Maggie, you will always be Mommy'." He raised up his shirt and there was a tattoo on his chest of a smiling woman but I was too far to read the writing or see the features clearly.
"Oh my God." I murmured when I finally grasped what Archangel was saying. He had already left the stage when one by one his audience snapped out of their trance and began to clap, apparently for such a grasping story snapping was not enough.
Chapter 24: Braxton's Fragile Trust
I strode into the office on Monday morning and knew instantly that something was wrong. The security guard, a burly man of about thirty toyed with his radio as if he were waiting to be called in to deal with a situation. The receptionist Jenna looked up at me, worry pooled inside her green eyes. "Stone is waiting for you inside his office."
"Thanks Jenna." There had been a lot of tension in the building since last week when I was given the corner office and I had spent the rest of last week listening to people whisper about how I'm as much Braxton's whore as Stone was Braxton's pet. I played ignorant when my co-workers gave me smiles, the bunch of back biters! I knew that the reason for the corner office was that I would need more space to work, already there were a million Post-Its on my desk with various projects that needed advertisements and billboards made up. Not to mention Braxton had already ordered designs to be done for next years toys and his engineer had been calling me constantly.
I caught the elevator to my floor and went straight to Stone's office, I knocked twice since his door was closed and he told me to come in. "The hell is wrong with you?" I asked when I pulled the door open. Stone had taken last week off so that his bruises and bumps could heal, but today his face was drawn and he kept running his fingers through his hair, a sign that he was stressed since Stone never fidgeted.
"Who did you tell about L.A.?" He got straight to the point, motioning for me to close the door.
"Nobody." Well, not exactly, but nobody who would run their mouths, only Cassie and Roman.
"Braxton will be here by ten o'clock with his new COO, a job that was promised to me. He called me this morning, told me that I couldn't be trusted with what was important to him, demoted me and announced that his nephew is going to run his New York office."
I looked around Stone's office and noticed the boxes for the first time, the walls that were usually decorated with artwork and certificates were bare. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I, but since we have a meeting with him as soon as he arrives, I'm sure we're about to."
I swallowed, Stone pulled out a strand of hair and stared at it curiously. "You're going to leave aren't you?"
"Damn right I'm leaving. I worked for Braxton for a long time Brooklyn, maybe not as long as some of these other losers, but I invested my heart, soul and life into Braxton's companies. Hell, I'll even take credit for making it what it became over the last five or so years, and for that man to demote me as if I'm just another worker here..." His voice trailed off, his hands fisted on the desk. "Roman did this."
"What? Roman would never..."
"Roman did this!" Stone roared, I jumped. "You see how he was at the airport, he was pissed and he knew how much my job meant to me."
"I think you're jumping to conclusions."
"And I think you're delusional about the kind of person Roman actually is. He and JQ were pulled off the streets, they did...things, before Braxton found them."
I was taken aback, "What kind of things?"
Stone gave me a long look before he finally chuckled and shook his head. His telephone rang, "Hello? Okay." He stood up and motioned for me to do the same, "Braxton's here."
"Thanks Jenna." There had been a lot of tension in the building since last week when I was given the corner office and I had spent the rest of last week listening to people whisper about how I'm as much Braxton's whore as Stone was Braxton's pet. I played ignorant when my co-workers gave me smiles, the bunch of back biters! I knew that the reason for the corner office was that I would need more space to work, already there were a million Post-Its on my desk with various projects that needed advertisements and billboards made up. Not to mention Braxton had already ordered designs to be done for next years toys and his engineer had been calling me constantly.
I caught the elevator to my floor and went straight to Stone's office, I knocked twice since his door was closed and he told me to come in. "The hell is wrong with you?" I asked when I pulled the door open. Stone had taken last week off so that his bruises and bumps could heal, but today his face was drawn and he kept running his fingers through his hair, a sign that he was stressed since Stone never fidgeted.
"Who did you tell about L.A.?" He got straight to the point, motioning for me to close the door.
"Nobody." Well, not exactly, but nobody who would run their mouths, only Cassie and Roman.
"Braxton will be here by ten o'clock with his new COO, a job that was promised to me. He called me this morning, told me that I couldn't be trusted with what was important to him, demoted me and announced that his nephew is going to run his New York office."
I looked around Stone's office and noticed the boxes for the first time, the walls that were usually decorated with artwork and certificates were bare. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I, but since we have a meeting with him as soon as he arrives, I'm sure we're about to."
I swallowed, Stone pulled out a strand of hair and stared at it curiously. "You're going to leave aren't you?"
"Damn right I'm leaving. I worked for Braxton for a long time Brooklyn, maybe not as long as some of these other losers, but I invested my heart, soul and life into Braxton's companies. Hell, I'll even take credit for making it what it became over the last five or so years, and for that man to demote me as if I'm just another worker here..." His voice trailed off, his hands fisted on the desk. "Roman did this."
"What? Roman would never..."
"Roman did this!" Stone roared, I jumped. "You see how he was at the airport, he was pissed and he knew how much my job meant to me."
"I think you're jumping to conclusions."
"And I think you're delusional about the kind of person Roman actually is. He and JQ were pulled off the streets, they did...things, before Braxton found them."
I was taken aback, "What kind of things?"
Stone gave me a long look before he finally chuckled and shook his head. His telephone rang, "Hello? Okay." He stood up and motioned for me to do the same, "Braxton's here."
*****
Azari Braxton looked a hell of a lot like his uncle and both of the Braxtons stared at Stone as he stood at the door beside me. Howard Braxton toyed with a ring on his right ring finger but his gaze never left Stone. "I'm disappointed in the both of you." He said, still looking at Stone. "I do not condone inter office relationships, they cause conflicts of interest and I cannot have that at Kandy Shoppe. Don, you were in the running for COO and you broke one of the simplest rules." Braxton shook his head. His eyes fell on me and I shuddered, "There are rules here at Kandy Shoppe Ms. James, who would have thought that a rule concerning sex would be one of them considering the business." He chuckled, but there wasn't a damn thing funny.
I folded my arms, "Are you just doing this to Stone because he told me of your little arrangement with Roman?"
Braxton raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that." He smiled, "You are a very beautiful woman, but you've gained some sexiness. I have to admit I was attracted to you from day one, wit is one of the things I enjoy in a woman and you have a lot of that, which is why you are an asset to this company." He flicked a wrist at me, "I'm rather impressed that Don beat me out, but I've been very busy lately. To answer you question, no, this is not about whatever the two of you did in L.A., that is your business. It becomes my business when the man I trust with every aspect of my office bullshits me." His eyes turned to stone, "I'll be damned if I sit on my ass and let this Sicilian fuck take my company from right under me." My mouth fell open, "He's been wining and dining my female employees, dipping into company funds to buy them fancy things, erasing details from files so I wouldn't fire some of them..." Braxton sighed.
I looked at Stone in disbelief, his blue eyes had turned black and he said, "Braxton, I have no idea where you got this bullshit but that's all it is. After all I invested in Kandy Shoppe, I would never...."
"Save your story Don." Mr. Braxton leaned back in his chair. "Your investments are what alerted me to your activity Don. You are not a man who lives for praise, so why would you put so much into a company that does not fully benefit you? When it comes down to it, only me and mine benefits one hundred percent from Kandy Shoppe. Do you think I was oblivious to the reason you had so much interest in my daughter?" Braxton questioned, "Never underestimate the wrath of a woman scorned, the women in this office sang like coronaries so you screwed yourself over there. When I sent her away you had to regroup, go with your original plan and weasel your way up, get close to me and once you had full access to my money and my information you could destroy me and ultimately take Kandy Shoppe." Braxton smirked, "Too bad I don't trust anybody, just ask my mother. I see your things are packed, pride will be the death of you Don." Another flick of his wrist dismissed Stone who slunk out of Braxton's office.
Howard Braxton got out of his chair and paced in front of the floor to ceiling windows that gave him a marvellous view of the city scape, a city he peered out at as if he owned it. With money came power so maybe Braxton did. "Boooklyn I'll be straight with you, when you first showed up here, yes, my intentions were to make you my mistress, but now I see a greater potential in you."
I swallowed, Braxton turned away from the window to look at me. "This is my nephew Azari, I raised him alongside my own daughter and he's more my son than my brother's. Azari has been learning how to run this company since puberty, with you doing promotions and Azari doing overall work, I'm sure you can continue to make Kandy Shoppe great." He raised an eyebrow, "Why is your lip trembling?"
I sucked in my bottom lip and looked up at the white ceiling. My entire body was trembling because Stone had not only fucked over Mr. Braxton, but he had literally fucked me over! I don't think I'd ever felt so used in my life, I never had a fairytale dream about losing my virginity, but shit, I didn't think I would be conned out of it. Had he intended to treat me like he had the other women in this office, made me feel special to dump me when Braxton brought in somebody new?
"Do not worry yourself about Don, Brooklyn, he will get what is coming to him...in due time." Azari chuckled at his and his uncle's inside joke. "Welcome to the real world Ms. James, Lord, you are such an innocent."
Now I was just embarrassed. "You can take the rest of the day off Ms. James, I'll have your things moved up to this floor and see about getting your advisers in place. You will also be required to take management and business classes. You will enrol in NYU as a part time student in the Spring. Thank you for your time Ms. James."
Friday, October 11, 2013
Chapter 23: Big Brother
I hopped out of the taxi, Roman swung into the reserved parking space and ran out of the car after me. "Brooklyn wait."
I rounded on him, "What the fuck is wrong with you going off on Stone like that?"
"That motherfucker had no right, he had no right! It wasn't even like that, maybe it started that way but that's not how it is anymore." He reached for me, I slapped his hands away. "I was only looking out for you I swear."
"You played me Roman, if you love me so much, why weren't your balls big enough that you could tell me what Braxton was planning yourself?"
I stepped past him and walked into the building, the elevator took forever to come, Roman caught up to me again. "I'm sorry, how many times do you want me to say I'm sorry. I haven't taken money from Braxton for months."
I shook my head, that wasn't the point. "The point is Roman, you lied to me and when you got found out you acted like a caged animal." I showed him the bruise on my arm where he'd gripped me. "You came out there acting like a fool and I nearly got ran over, thank you for that."
The stainless steel doors slid open and we stepped onto the elevator. "I'm sorry! Damnit!'
"Look, I'm tired, I was up all night, I just want to go to sleep." The doors opened on our floor.
"Why are you so defensive of Stone anyway...it was Stone!"
"I'm not being defensive of Stone, he's gonna get his when I see him." We stepped into the apartment, the girls were there to greet us but the tension between Roman and me was so thick they shied away from us, but only far enough away that they could still hear what we were talking about.
Roman and I moved our argument to our bedroom. "You're right." He said after an hour of shouting back and forth. I was sitting on my bed with my face washed in tears, I didn't even know when I had started crying, I had never been an emotional person before. "I'm sorry, I love you."
I sniffed, knelt on the bed and opened my arms for him, "I love you too." Roman pulled me up against his chest, I always felt safe in his embrace so I clung to him for a long while, listening to his heartbeat.
We had just had our biggest argument and we survived, I really did love him, wholly and completely. He was my big brother, my protector, my best friend. I hoped we never had a fight like this again, it was scary and exhausting, the thought of losing him made me sick to my stomach. I had finally found someone I couldn't live without, someone who loved me unconditionally and just knowing that made me warm inside.
I had survived. I had gone off into the world on my own and I had survived. I survived New York City. I had become an independent woman, I had experienced friendship and love. I had survived sex too although I wasn't too eager to try that again anytime soon. Life had thrown me a few curve balls, but I had hit them out of the field and strode home. I wasn't stupid enough to think that life was done with me yet, but life and Ma could suck my balls because Brooklyn James is ready.
I rounded on him, "What the fuck is wrong with you going off on Stone like that?"
"That motherfucker had no right, he had no right! It wasn't even like that, maybe it started that way but that's not how it is anymore." He reached for me, I slapped his hands away. "I was only looking out for you I swear."
"You played me Roman, if you love me so much, why weren't your balls big enough that you could tell me what Braxton was planning yourself?"
I stepped past him and walked into the building, the elevator took forever to come, Roman caught up to me again. "I'm sorry, how many times do you want me to say I'm sorry. I haven't taken money from Braxton for months."
I shook my head, that wasn't the point. "The point is Roman, you lied to me and when you got found out you acted like a caged animal." I showed him the bruise on my arm where he'd gripped me. "You came out there acting like a fool and I nearly got ran over, thank you for that."
The stainless steel doors slid open and we stepped onto the elevator. "I'm sorry! Damnit!'
"Look, I'm tired, I was up all night, I just want to go to sleep." The doors opened on our floor.
"Why are you so defensive of Stone anyway...it was Stone!"
"I'm not being defensive of Stone, he's gonna get his when I see him." We stepped into the apartment, the girls were there to greet us but the tension between Roman and me was so thick they shied away from us, but only far enough away that they could still hear what we were talking about.
Roman and I moved our argument to our bedroom. "You're right." He said after an hour of shouting back and forth. I was sitting on my bed with my face washed in tears, I didn't even know when I had started crying, I had never been an emotional person before. "I'm sorry, I love you."
I sniffed, knelt on the bed and opened my arms for him, "I love you too." Roman pulled me up against his chest, I always felt safe in his embrace so I clung to him for a long while, listening to his heartbeat.
We had just had our biggest argument and we survived, I really did love him, wholly and completely. He was my big brother, my protector, my best friend. I hoped we never had a fight like this again, it was scary and exhausting, the thought of losing him made me sick to my stomach. I had finally found someone I couldn't live without, someone who loved me unconditionally and just knowing that made me warm inside.
I had survived. I had gone off into the world on my own and I had survived. I survived New York City. I had become an independent woman, I had experienced friendship and love. I had survived sex too although I wasn't too eager to try that again anytime soon. Life had thrown me a few curve balls, but I had hit them out of the field and strode home. I wasn't stupid enough to think that life was done with me yet, but life and Ma could suck my balls because Brooklyn James is ready.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Chapter 22: Not Today, Not Ever
Being up all night left me exhausted, I fell asleep on the plane, grateful that we were in first class where the seats could recline. When we landed Stone shook me awake and helped me get my bag out of the overhead compartment. I was too happy that I traveled with one overnight bag so I could bypass the baggage claim.
"How are you getting home?"
"Roman is supposed to be waiting on me." I frowned, I didn't think I wanted to ride with him. When I stepped outside of the terminal there was the shiny black Escalade. Roman came out of the car wearing gray sweats and a black tank, his face was contorted in anger.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked him when, he stank of attitude and I wasn't in the goddamn mood.
"Get in the car." He said grabbing me by the arm.
"Get off me man!" I shouted trying to brush him off me.
"I said get in the car!" He shouted in my face, his eyes back with anger.
"Roman, let her go, what are you doing?" Stone dropped his bag and tried to get Roman off me.
"Getting her away for you, you punk ass motherfucker." He swung and landed a solid punch to Stone's face, I screamed, Stone fell and Roman pounced on him landing blow after blow. They rolled and Stone was on top matching Roman's blows. People whipped out cell phones, a couple people pointed but nobody tried to stop the men's heated battle.
"Stop!" I shrieked grabbing Stone by the collar, he off balanced and Roman punched him, the force of the blow pulled Stone's collar out of my hand, he fell and rolled, jumped to his feet and landed two punches to Roman's face. They were sweating and bleeding but they kept going at it like two animals. Roman ended up on top of Stone again, Stone managed to get him into a headlock and punched him awkwardly. In a second they were on their feet again, each trying to get a grip on the other.
"Y'all are being crazy!" I jumped in between them, I was so short they easily punched each other in the face without having to worry about hitting me. They shifted again and butted me, I stumbled into the street and landed on my behind. A horn blared and tires screeched as the red Dodge Durango tried to avoid hitting me.
The entire world seemed to slow down as the car slid toward me, I could hear the blood roaring in my ears and my body stiffened, bracing for impact.
It stopped centimeters from my body, I could feel the heat from the engine and I could smell the burning rubber. "Are you okay?" The driver, a balding middle aged man hopped out of the car. "I'm so sorry."
He helped me to my feet, "It wasn't your fault." I gave the boys a sour look and stepped back onto the sidewalk where it was safe. Both of the boys--because they sure as hell weren't acting like men--ran toward me. I held up a hand, it shook like I had Parkinson's disease, "I'm fine." I picked up my bag and flagged a taxi, I didn't have time for this craziness, not today, not ever.
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