Silver LiningROYAL POVThe back of my arm screamed as I fished my phone out of my pocket, only to curse in a thousand languages when a notification from a bloody food app appeared on the screen. I heaved a disturbed sigh before unlocking it, then went to my inbox for the umpteenth time, only to find a single tick on the message I sent sixteen hours ago. Another sigh ripped itself from out of my chest before I dropped the phone flat onto my table and then looked up from the control room into the live window then stiffened my face when the two vocalists glared at me questionably.“That’s not gonna do.” I dropped the pen and massaged my tense temple before glaring back at them. “You guys need to be serious if you are going to work with me.” I continued, leaning forward onto the desk,“But you weren’t even listening.” The other one, the blonde stupid pig who looked like he was found stashed in a rubbish bin called out accusingly.“Exactly, dude. And you are telling us we ain’t serious?
DINNERKENYA POV“If you sigh one more time, I swear by the gods I am going to drive us straight over this damn bridge and we will make it to the stats of those cars that didn’t make it off.” Anna roared from the driver’s seat ripping my attention from the side window and onto her.I glared at her for a minute too long before busting out laughing and shaking my head in disbelief.“What the hell did I do?” I asked, utterly clueless as to why I was suddenly being attacked. “You have been sighing for the past fifteen minutes and it's starting to get on my nerves. If you didn’t want to go on this date with your baby daddy, you could’ve turned him down from the get-go.” She accused me, and I slumped into my seat in defeat.I glanced ahead as the car jumped off the brightly lit bridge and onto the highway, then swerved expertly on the ramp and left the busy highway onto the bustling street of Hermitage Avenue. The night sky, with a mixture of night lights and architecture around us, came t
Chapter 13: DINNER IIROYAL POVI was about to swing the phone I clutched to my ear into the thin air when a hand landed on my shoulder and started moving in a subliminal way. I turned to the side and murmured a small ‘wait a sec’ into the device before glaring at the entity beside me. I am saying entity because it was my first laying eyes on the woman standing before me yet she was smiling at me like we had slept together for the past twenty-plus years. it was almost exasperating: pulling along the attention of the entire female population wherever I went, of course!Especially now when I was trying to right the wrongs of my past. I couldn't afford to mess this one up! The past four years were excruciatingly long and lonely, and I would rather die than go through all of that again.“Apologies to disturb you, Mr. Carter. Miss Brown has arrived.” The lady thinned her eyes at me, and no not in the all ‘I am going to bash your head in’ kind of. Hers were inviting sending all kinds of se
Too Hot To Think StraightKENYA POV“Let me get this straight, he buys you one hundred and one roses which, as the delivery claimed, symbolize love that does not fade, and continues to tell you he knew that Lucious was his son even before you confessed; which means he went behind your back to get the DNA test, and then tells you that you guys will be raising the Lucious together?” Anna glared through the top of her beer glass, disbelief resonating from her while her body like smoke.I nodded as I popped a fry into my mouth and then brushed my hands together.“That’s more like it.” I continued chewing on the crunchy potato, focusing on the greasy taste rather than the thought of what had transpired last night.I don’t know what happened, but I swear I was not in my right mind.Royal mentioned that he was going to be involved in Lucious’s life and like an idiot, I just nodded and smiled at him. “You gave in too easily, girl.” She called out, then shook her head in disbelief before pinn
Second Chances ROYAL POV The bustling sounds around me seemed to even hype me more. The white noise of people dragging their luggage around, the whirr of the planes as they ascended into thin air, and the normally annoying screeching sound of their wheels touching the ground… The occasional intercom announcing arrivals and departures of different, countless aircraft… On a very normal day, I would be super pissed to be here, especially when I was not in the business or first-class lounge. But something inside of me was alive, and I couldn’t care less. Not even the fans that brazenly stood in front of me to take pictures of me. Nothing could get me in a bad mood. I felt too good to even care about anything. My foot kept tapping lightly against the floor, a sign that I had been here for far too long and I was growing impatient. “Uncle Roy…” My attention was ripped from my phone by a cute little girl with her hair pulled in piggy tails, charging towards me. I got up from my seat
Falling into place. KENYA POVTwo bottles of red wine and three tequila shots; and I still couldn’t stop fidgeting in my seat.I checked Lucious for an umpteenth time to find him busy with the match-tile game on the iPad, utterly oblivious to my mini-breakdown happening right beside him. Anna was watching me intently, her gaze almost pushing me to the edge of insanity, and I tried with all my might to not think too much of it. This whole fiasco was supposed to go all easy: meet Royal out in public with little Luc and spend a few hours together before doing anything a little extra to make Luc all used to him. But now that I was here, sitting in this kid-friendly restaurant slash bar, I was convinced that maybe this wasn’t all such a good idea. “You know you can simply call him and reschedule the meet-up? Come up with some excuse that something came up and you gotta attend it. Instead of looking like you are going to evaporate in that seat.” She gestured my way with her chin, making
The Missing Piece ROYAL POV The universe possessed a sick sense of humor. That was the only thing I could think of at that particular moment as I stared back at one little human who looked like the younger reflection of me. There was this tightness that held my chest captive, the kind that made me feel like I couldn’t breathe when I listened to him talk about how great his mommy was to him. It was the good kind of sensation though, the feeling you got when you were on the cross between overwhelmingly excited and downright nervous you could break down at any moment. And I was damn glad because I knew that although I had fucked up the only good thing in my life, I somehow managed to create this beautiful soul with the woman I loved. It was in the way my heart raced as though I had completed a marathon the entire time I sat there watching him smile, and his deep black eyes that made guilt harden to dread inside of me with the idea that I wasn't there the times he and his mom needed
Temptations KENYA POV I swirled the reddish contents of my second dose of the night in my flute while laughing softly at some joke Celine had just cracked. The atmosphere was serene: dim lights, soft chattering, the clanking of metal cutlery against the expensive Chinese crockery, and a good damn ol’ topic about making money. I was seated across from Luke and his lawyer, Rebecca, after having completed the signing of the Adaptation Contract of my books into a series. Everything else just came after a successful venture, and I was more than happy. “I never thought I would live to see the day. Don’t get me wrong…” Celine pats my back before taking a huge swig of her wine, then rubs my back in small circles. “I knew your story was banging, but I really didn’t think it would attract big shots like Luke Donovan.” She mentioned him as though he wasn’t seated right across from him. Leave it to Celine to gossip about someone while he was just right there next to her. The girl didn’t hav
Chapter 49ROYAL POVThe door to my front door creaked open, and I looked up expectantly to see who it was. My heart leaped into my throat at the idea of Kenya hitting me in the face with a surprise visit. I knew the chances of that happening were slim to none, and Kenya had the manners of an aristocrat to last her days that she wouldn't just butt into someone's house without knocking. And after what happened, I seriously doubted she'd ever step foot here. But a man can dream. All hope frizzled into a big flop when Kimberly came waltzing into the living room dressed in a shiny black evening gown, her blonde hair styled into some curls and red lipstick coating her lips. “I thought I told you to never step a foot here?” I growled from my seated position, staring at her with a defeated expression. I did not have the energy to deal with her or either of her shenanigans at the moment. She beamed at me before dropping the suit bag she’d had on her shoulder onto the couch, then walked to
Chapter 49: Overpass GraffitiEDEN POV The evening came and the girls were glammed as hell. Anna stood dressed in a black gown that hugged her bodice tight, pooling around her waist, her hair pulled in a tight ponytail that revealed her sharp jawline and perfect face. Her feet were clamped in black and silver Steve Madden heels, and the makeup just put everything in place. Little Luc had a white button-up shirt, black jeans, and cute white and blue Jordans. His look was complemented by sunglasses, and I died a little from his look.“Will you blame me if I were to shoot my shot at him? The man is for keeps.” Anna came spilling into my bedroom before coming to a rocking halt, her mouth dropping to the floor. “Okay?” I said twilling around and facing. “Bitch…” Her eyes roamed my entire form, glammed in a black evening gown that clung to my body like it was made to sit on me. The bodice was a corset, and from the bust was a soft material that split on my right high thigh, revealing
Chapter 47: Paradise IVKENYA POVYears ago, I used to find bliss in quite a few things. One of those being a rolled-up dollar bill and white powder in a club drumming with loud music…Meaningless sex…Recklessness. That felt like ages ago. Being a mom modeled you in quite a different way you started to view the world differently. Lately, ever since Little Luc dropped from the sky with his wings tugged on his hack, my happiness has come from simple, simple things. Be it a stroll in the park, the sound of his little laugh, and sleeping next to Anna at night. That plus pouring my heart into the keyboard and typing down the musings of my brain. Life was peaceful the way it was, and yes; there were shitty bumps here and there, but I would choose this life over everything else.“Are you done brooding over that loser and ready to get back to living?” My gaze narrowed at Anna who was curled on the couch with a book in her hand. For a reader like her, she sure hated fiction and focused on
Lunatic ROYAL POV I shut the door harder than I should have, ran a hand through my hair, and tried to ease a calming breath into my lungs. I unbuttoned my suit jacket and then pranced into the coffee shop, nodding to a few acquaintances who waved and greeted me. My muscles were heavy with liquid resentment that bubbled in my chest, the venom lapping in my mouth as I tried to go over my speech for the umpteenth time. I was going to keep this as humanly civil as I can. No fists, or losing my cool. But that wasn’t a promise. I was this close to losing every single strand of control inside of me and doing something that would either end with me dead or behind bars, and I had no nerve to even care! Hell, even right now, I could see myself gravitating to the sweet murder that threatened to yank at my sanity with every passing second. I was escorted to my seat where I dropped and ordered a glass of water. Coffee would make my heart palpitate, and anything with alcohol would send me
He’s for keeps KENYA POV We sat around the small dining table and shortly fell into comfortable chat. The guys were sitting on one side, with Luke in front of me and Frank in front of Anna. The dude had my leg trapped in his and still managed to keep a straight face. The food was mouth-watering, the spices a mixture of chili and salt, What warmed my heart, even more, was my little guy who seemed to have found his solace and comfort zone in Luke’s arms. The entire time, he remained glued to his lap, unmoving as he helped him to eat his dinner. The way he cradled his small chest with his giant hand, occasionally pulling him closer whenever he started to slip off. The way he fed him his dinner before scooping his own fork and stuffing it into his mouth. Hell… If he so much as asked me to lick his feet right now, I fucking would. And mind you, I hated feet! “Why didn’t you mention you were acquainted with Luke Donovan?” Frank asked the same question he did when first laid his eyes
PARADISE II KENYA POV “You uncultured swine!” I smacked Anna’s arm, frowning at her beautiful face. She looked like the woman everyone with a vagina aspiered to be. Long black, shiny hair pulled in a tight bun on top of her head, a black dress that hugged her perfect latino body, revealing that plump ass no amount of plastic surgery could afford. Her skin almost glowed in the dark, happiness radiating hot from her. She was happy; and that humbled me to docileness. Nothing hit harder than seeing the person you loved and cared for looking so care-free; especially when you knew the shit she went through. Anna may have been with me through all hell and rain, but that didn't mean she didn't have her own problems to worry about. And the fact that she was always with me at the simply drop of a hat always had me speechless. Just what did I do in my previous life to deserve such a golden angel guarding me? “Hey. That hurts.” She screamed massaging the reddening skin on her arm. “It s
PARADISE II Chapter 44 I have met the president before; and had a one-on-one conversation with Pope Francis. My dad attended a luncheon with Queen Elizabeth and his entire family; had us tagging along… I had no trouble looking them in the eye, answering their questions, and bombarding them with ones of my own. Yet seated in the driver’s seat as we whooshed through the evening traffic to Kenya’s house; to meet his son had me wetting my pants. Almost! It was as though I was coming face to face with Messiah on judgment day and I was going to be chowed off for the grave sins I have committed in all my lives- past and present. “You don’t have to be so tense. Tonight’s gonna be actually fun.” Kenya’s hand landed on my arm, and heat seared through the thin material of my dress shirt. The heat shot straight to my groin and my balls clenched. I eased a breath down my throat and nodded nervously. “Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked. The last time we talked about me meeting Luc,
Paradise Kenya POV "When did you know that you were actually in love with Miss Brown?" the interviewer asked and the cameras turned to our seated forms. Luke had my hand clutched in his, and I visibly tensed. His thumb came to massage my hand in reassurance. I was all jittery and antsy, yet all it took him was to look at me and brush his thumb against my hand and I felt ready to conquer the world! “It’s actually not long ago.” True. “To be exact, it was around a month ago. I did something that made her look at me like I was the worst person in the entire world, and that had me thinking twice.” Not sure about that, but I’ll tick it as true! “I was always fascinated by the way she mixed up words and created these vivid images that made her stories come to life in my head whenever I read them, which is why I proposed to work with her and adapt her stories into movies. I was a fan of hers way before she even knew my name-" SWOON! "It was strictly business at first, but the more I spen
KENYA POV Not gonna lie, there were those times I wished I had a mom; or a sister. And while I was more than blessed to have Anna in my life - since she was the literal fusion of both-, there were times I needed someone with the same DNA running through our blood. Times like this one when I was supposed to take life into my own hands and make life-changing decisions that would alter everything I had ever known. And while I valued Anna’s thoughts and opinions the most- since she was the saner one of us- more than I did mine, I wish there was someone… Just someone. These thoughts nagged me as I sat on my vanity brushing through my hair. I pulled it into the back bun and gelled it on the sides so it clung to my skull. The hairstyle was every black woman's go-to. There was no going wrong with this one. Like ever. I had a simple outfit on; a black body-con dress with black heeled sandals. The earrings were silver, and so were the rings dawning my hands. I had a small wristwatch that ju