“Hold on,” Sparrow said and I rolled my eyes. “I know you are not coming up in here, smelling like sex, asking about Blue. What I want to know is what you and Pierre were doing?”
“If you can’t figure it out, then Isaiah ain’t doing his job.”
Robin and I laughed hard and high fived each other while Sparrow flipped us the bird. “Girl, please, ‘Zay breaks me off on the regular and it’s very good thank you. Anyways, to answer your question, I don’t know what Blue is up to. I know he better not be trying to get in my business because I don’t have time for that.”
Looking out the window, I silently agreed with Sparrow. The difference between me and my sisters was that no one knew I had any business. Robin didn’t have any because she lived a low-key life and everyone knew Sparrow’s because it was public knowledge. The only one who didn’t know was Isaiah and that was because she continued to lie to him instead of coming clean.
“Look,” Sparrow’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I need y’all to help me. I have enough going on trying to keep Isaiah out my business. I don’t need to add Blue to the mix. Y’all know how he is.”
Yeah, we all knew exactly how he was that was why I didn’t need him with me. Glancing at Robin, I waited for her to step up but she was silent. Usually, I would argue with Sparrow about keeping secrets from Isaiah but I was in no position to point fingers. I was keeping secrets, deadly ones, from everyone. I only hoped that it wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
“Okay, why don’t we do this? I’ll get Blue for a day, then Robin, then you, Sparrow. That way we all have a chance to spend time with him. Or, I’ll bring him here to the office and show him what we do in the mornings, Robin you can do whatever it is you do in your free time with Blue in the afternoons, and Sparrow, you and ‘Zay can take him out at night.”
Quickly sitting up, Robin uttered her first words of the meeting. “I like the second idea better. That way we can all handle our business without Blue being nosey.”
“Girl, please, you know you don’t have any kind of business. Who are you trying to fool?” Sparrow asked, rolling her eyes.
I adjourned the meeting before those two decided to argue. I didn’t have the time or the patience for those two. I wanted to get home to my man and finish what we started in my office. There was nothing like a hot round of nasty, freaky sex to ease my troubles. I had just bought some new ropes and handcuffs and couldn’t wait to whip Pierre’s sexy self into an orgasmic coma when I got home.
Weaving in and out of traffic, I hopped on the expressway and thought about Robin. I knew something was up with my sister but I didn’t know what or how to find out. I also, didn’t know what I would say once I found out.
I couldn’t throw accusations or give advice. I wasn’t in the position to throw stones particularly since my house of cards was crumbling around my feet.
Chapter 31
SPARROW
“Damn, Sparrow. Ahh.” Ignoring Isaiah’s groans, I continued to milk him dry.
It had been two days since Blue came to town and he was driving me crazy. Every time I looked around there he was, sniffing around like a little puppy dog. I didn’t need Blue to interfere with anything I had going on. I needed him to mind his own business.
Pushing Blue out of my mind, I rode ‘Zay like a pony. Up and down, round and round until I couldn’t take it anymore. The throb of him inside me, his hands tweaking my nipples, and his pleasure filled moans were too much for my overheated body and mind. I came in waves of sensuous pleasure, my orgasm spraying him and the sheets. The tension that had knotted my shoulders for the last few days had eased up and I was finally able to breathe as I collapsed against Isaiah’s chest.
His hand traveled the length of my spine and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Damn, Sparrow. What’s gotten into you?”
I prayed he didn’t feel the rapid beating of my panicked heart. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’ve always had good sex, but lately it’s been amazing.”
I laughed in relief. “I’m showing you what happens once you put a ring on it.”
Glancing at the clock, I realized it was time for me to get ready for work. With great effort, I eased my body off of his and walked into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up while I piled my hair on top of my head. The hot water beat across my body and the steamed surrounded me as I reluctantly scrubbed ‘Zay’s masculine scent away and replaced it with the scent of orange blossoms.
I got out of the shower and opened the bathroom door to the let the steam out. Sitting on the edge of the oversized tub, I oiled up my body, knowing that ‘Zay was watching my every move. Goose bumps raised on my arms with sexual awareness. A small smile formed on my lips. Damn, I had it bad for Isaiah. That man could look at me and make me cum for him.
If I had a few extra moments, I would have gotten back in that bed and gave him something to think about for the rest of the day. Knowing that wasn’t going to happen, I pulled my hair back in a bun and applied light makeup to my freshly scrubbed face. Dressing in a cream skirt with gold trim and a gold tweed jacket, I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on my five inch cream and gold Prada heels.
“What time will you be home today?”
“I should be home by seven. You want me to grab dinner or are you cooking?” he asked, running his fingers beneath my jacket along my skin. Automatically I leaned back into his fingertips.
Husky moans escaped my parted lips and I debated on whether I should cancel all my appointments today before resolving to go to work. “I’ll cook.” Standing, I kissed him briefly on the lips. “See you later, love you.”
“Love you too, Sparrow.”
I arrived at the office forty-five minutes later with a coffee and pastry in hand. Entering the security codes, I stepped inside. The coffee and coffee cake left my hands and crashed to the wood floor as I surveyed the damage before me.
Bitch, slut, and whore were spray painted on the nude walls in red paint. Vases, lamps, and antiques were in pieces on the wooden floor and the drapes were cut to shreds. Stepping back outside, I dialed 911 just as my sisters pulled up. The police came and took a report and pictures and Robin was on the phone with the insurance company while Raven called the security company. When they were both finished they turned their attention to me.
“Sparrow, this is getting out of control,” Raven said. The anger in her eyes was apparent.
“Raven’s right, but I’m glad you weren’t here when it happened,” Robin sympathized while rubbing my arms.
I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how this could have happened.”
Raven handed me a tissue. “Whoever did this knows too much. They know our schedule, our security codes, and God knows what else. This person is getting too close. You need to tell Isaiah.”
“Tell me what?” All eyes landed on Isaiah while he surveyed the damage. In his hand was the briefcase I had accidently left on the kitchen table. “Tell me what, Sparrow?”
This was my moment to finally tell him the truth. To tell him how I was being stalked by an ex, how before and during our relationship I had led my life being a slut monger, and how I did not tell him even though it had put him in danger. I was going to tell him all of this.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and said, “Tell you about the vandalism. Someone broke in and tore up the place. From the looks of it, I think it was some local kids.”
Hugging me close, he kissed my forehead and I breathed in the Issey Miyake cologne that he always wore for me. I could see the disapproving looks from my sisters over his shoulder but I wasn’t ready to tell him. I didn’t think I would ever be ready to tell him.
Xavier was on the case and I knew he would find out who was responsible for everything. He was the best in the state. If I just held out a little longer everything would be solved and I wo
uld never have to come clean to Isaiah and risk losing the only man that I had lost my heart to.
Chapter 32
ROBIN
It had been two weeks since Sparrow’s stalker made his presence known at the office and there hadn’t been an incident since. I hoped that she would come clean to Isaiah soon but honestly, I had my own issues to deal with.
Picking up the phone, I dialed a number I knew by heart. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Princeton.”
“Stop calling me, you crazy bitch!”
The click of his phone sounded in my ear. Setting the phone down, I lit candles around my living room and set my dining room table for one. Sitting down, I began to eat the meal of steak and steamed vegetables and thought about the only thing I ever thought about, Princeton Tillers.
I had been working with Anita for almost a month and I was planting little seeds in her head while gathering information. I told her all about the man I was pregnant by—who, to her, sounded a lot like Princeton. I told her about the lies he told me and how I desperately wanted our family together.
While I told her all of these half-truths, she unknowingly gave me everything I needed to be a presence in Princeton’s life. I knew his schedule, his place of employment, his best friends, and where his parents stayed. I had the woman giving me advice and buying my baby clothes. She was already talking about throwing me a baby shower. She thought we were friends just like I wanted her to. Bitter laughter bubbled from my throat but was cut short by the ringing of the doorbell. I wiped steak sauce from my mouth and went to the door.
“Princeton!” I practically shouted, dragging him inside.
“Hey Robin, can we talk?” Stepping aside, I led him to the living room and waited for him to continue. “Robin, this can’t continue. You have to stop coming around, talking to my wife, calling my phone, and being crazy. You have to stop.”
I leaned back against the overstuffed grey sofa and crossed my legs, causing the short dress that I had on to inch up further. The exposed flesh caught his eye. “I would Princeton, but you’ve put me in an awkward position. I love you but you won’t give up that fat bitch and come be with me and your baby. No one can do to you the things that I do to you and you know it.”
“Look, I just need to you to back off or I’ll tell my wife everything. Even if she leaves me, I won’t come to you. I don’t know what I saw in you anyways,” he muttered, massaging the bridge of his nose.
My perfectly arched eyebrow inched up and I took his words as a challenge. If he couldn’t remember, then I’d show him. Standing, I let my dress fall from my shoulders, slide down the length of my body and pool around my feet, leaving me clad only in heels and a bra. With every step I took towards him, he backed up until he was pressed against a wall. “Am I jogging your memory now?”
“Robin…Stay away from me. I have a wife and kids,” he said, his eyes glued to my pregnancy enhanced breasts.
Ignoring him, I got all in his personal space. I took his left hand and placed it on my right breast and took his right hand and placed it between my moist thighs. I moaned and flicked my tongue against his full lips. His head fell back on his neck and his eyes fluttered close. “You know you want me,” I whispered. “Take it,” I said, pushing his fingers deep inside me. “It’s yours.”
Indecision fleeted across his face before he lowered his head and captured my nipple between his teeth through the lace bra and his hand worked its way between my wet folds. I caressed his head and urged his hands further as moans left both of our parted lips.
This was what I wanted, needed. I knew Princeton would come back to me. Men always came back for the best sex they ever had. And I knew how to work it and twerk it. I used to have Princeton’s articulate ass stuttering and foaming at the mouth.
I unbuttoned his light cotton shirt and slipped it off his shoulders then went to the belt buckle of his wool slacks. A deep groan caressed my ears when my hand cupped him intimately. Precum coated my fingers and arousal assaulted my nostrils. Slowly, I backed us up to the couch and lay down with him between my thighs.
Princeton kicked off his shoes and pants, his face still buried in between my breasts. Lifting his head, he kissed me deeply. We both moaned. His left hand trailed from my sensitive nipples to my swollen stomach and paused. Releasing my lips, he leaned back and looked at my belly.
In a move I wasn’t expecting, he bent forward and kissed my womb. “I’m sorry, little one,” he whispered.
Tears of happiness left my eyes and I blinked rapidly to hold them at bay. Princeton returned to his previous position and eased inside my hot, tight body. He cradled my face between his large hands and kissed my tears away as tears of his own fell.
I anchored my legs around his waist and bucked my hips in time with his. “I missed you, Princeton.”
“I missed this too, baby,” he said, his face buried in my neck, licking the sweat from my shoulder blade.
We rocked with each other in a rhythm as old as time until the inevitable was upon us. His hips drilled into me powerfully, relentlessly. I gripped his shoulders tightly, my nails biting into his chocolate skin. I watched his eyes roll into the back of his head as hot cum spurted from his hard dick into my waiting core.
His climax was the catalyst to my own. Honey poured from my sweet hive in gallons until I was shaking with orgasmic pleasure. We remained wrapped in each other’s arms for long moments, savoring the bliss that we had just created. After we came down from our sexual high, we showered and redressed.
Again, I was sitting on the couch and he stood. “I meant what I said Robin. I need you to leave my family alone.”
I leapt from the couch. “How can you say that after what we just did?” I hissed.
“I had a momentary lapse in judgment. Believe me, it will not happen again.” Coming closer to me, he placed a wayward lock behind my ear. “It’s not too late, Robin. You can still have that abortion.” My palm slapping his face was my response. “Fine, have it your way.”
Rage filled me as I watched him prepare to leave. Coming closer to him, I balled my fists and beat on his back. Pushing, shoving, and hitting him as he walked around the living room trying to escape me. Finally, he’d had enough.
The sound of the back of his hand hitting my right cheek sliced through the air. Everything stopped for a moment and then chaos erupted. We tussled around the space, knocking over tables, lamps, and accent pieces.
Dragging me by my hair, he hemmed me up against the wall. “This is the last time I’m going to tell you, Robin. You have no idea what you’re fucking with. Leave my family alone and get rid of that baby!” Throwing me across the room, he turned to leave. As I landed on floor, hitting my side on the edge of the coffee table.
Tears of anguish slid down my swollen cheeks into my bloodied mouth. I contemplated calling my sisters but quickly nixed that idea. They didn’t know the whole story of Princeton and me. I didn’t feel like going through all of that at the moment. I thought about calling Blue, but the last thing I needed was him in my business. No, I would have to handle Princeton myself.
Chapter 33
RAVEN
“You can just drop me right here, Dean.”
“Damn, a man can’t even see his wife inside their home anymore?”
I rolled my eyes at him. Waiting for the town car to make a complete stop, I left the car and practically ran to the door in my five inch heels. Dean’s laughter floated to me before I slammed the heavy wood door shut and locked it.
Huffing up the stairs, I stripped from my navy blue evening gown and ran a bath. Vanilla scented bubbles filled the oversized tub as I removed my makeup and let down my hair. Sinking my tired body into the warm water, I sighed. Dean and I had just left a benefit dinner for the campaign of a local judge. Dean was trying to get his dirty money in the hands of greedy politicians that could save his ass if need be.
/> Rubbing my arms with a scented salt scrub, I couldn’t help but let the tears that I had been holding at bay finally fall. This was the third event in the last two weeks that I had attended with Dean and I knew I couldn’t keep it from Pierre much longer. He was getting more suspicious about the lack of time that I spent with him and my restlessness when we were together.
The stress of dealing with Dean’s demands, the upcoming drop, keeping Pierre in the dark, and my pregnancy were wearing on me. Many nights I had cried myself to sleep.
Grabbing my phone from the floor, I called Sparrow. “What’s up, Sparrow?”
“Nothing much, Boo. What’s going on with you?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Her loud scream sounded through the earpiece. I couldn’t help but laugh. Leave it to Sparrow to instantly lift my spirits without trying. “I’ll take that as congratulations.”
“Of course, how is Pierre taking it?”
My spirits took a nose dive. Silent tears ran down my cheeks. Damned hormones, I thought to myself. “I haven’t told him yet.”
Long silent moments passed between us and I could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. “I love you, Ray…”
“Love you too, Sparrow.”
“And I know that you’re a private person, but what the hell is going on with you? You haven’t been yourself for months.”
“Oh, Sparrow. I fucked up. I wish I could tell you but I can’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I sobbed.
“I’m on my way,” she said before hanging up.
By the time I finished my bath and dressed in my favorite flannel pajamas, Sparrow was entering my front door. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she had me sit on the side of the bed so that she could braid my hair before both us climbed into my bed. It was so simple, but just enough. I just needed to be comforted.
For the rest of the night, I laid in my baby sister’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She never asked me to explain myself. She knew that when I was ready, I would talk. All she did was support and encourage me as I broke all the way down, releasing all the emotions I had buried for the last couple of months. We prayed until the wee hours of the morning, her for my peace and me for my life.