Coming For What's Mine Read online

  “I had some renovations done on it,” he said as he watched me walk in falling under the house’s spell.

  “It’s beautiful…”

  “Not much has been done to it since the original owners had it.”

  “It’s beautiful…” The living room was small, but cozy. There was a white old-world brick fireplace that sat opposite the big bay window. I smiled when I walked into the kitchen, it was perfect. Just the kind of kitchen I always dreamed of one day having. It was surrounded by windows, so it let in a lot of light. The window over the sink looked out at a huge backyard that was filled with ancient Sakuras. Whoever had first owned this home must have been in love with the trees.

  There was a small intimate deck on the other side of a pair of vintage glass doors that would be perfect for sitting on while watching the sun set. Feeling a burst of excitement, I ran up the small flight of stairs past Jo, who was watching me, to see if the upstairs was as beautiful as the downstairs. I loved how cozy the house was.

  There were three bedrooms on the second level. I walked into the first one.

  “Oh Jo! It’s a nursery!”

  “I took the liberty of arranging for you to have a few pieces of furniture. Essentials you would need to be comfortable here on your first night. A bed for you, a crib for Ayana. I figured you would want to handle the rest.

  “It’s perfect.” I told him touched at his thoughtfulness. The nursery had been painted a pastel lavender that blended in perfectly with the top of the Sakura trees outside her window. Next to this room was an adjoining room that looked like it was made for a nanny. I walked down the short hall to a pair of white wooden double doors that had that distressed look, adding to the vintage appeal of the house.

  I threw open the door to the main bedroom and all the air whooshed out of my lungs. It was by far the biggest room in the house. A beautiful white four poster bed sat upon a raised platform in front of a row of big square windows. Off to the side was a little cubbyhole of windows that had a softly padded bench seat in it. Surrounding the outside of the windows were the weeping branches of the tallest Sakura tree I’d ever seen…

  “It’s rumored that Douglas MacArthur had this home built for his Filipina mistress that was also an actress. He put her bed up on a pedestal because he said it was there that she truly shined. The story goes that once word got out about his affair, he stopped seeing her. And every night she would sit in that very spot wondering if it was the night he would return to her, but he never did.” I turned and looked at the cubbyhole of windows and I imagined that I could feel her sadness.

  Scrunching up my nose I shook my head a bit. “That’s not a true story, is it?”

  He shrugged. “Rumors…”

  Off in the corner of the room was a small set of steps that led up to another glass door. I was half way up them when I realized what it was. I turned stunned eyes to look at Jo, who wore a smile on his face as if he knew a secret.

  Opening the door, I walked into the space and tears came to my eyes.

  “It’s a greenhouse!” I gushed putting my shaking hand over my mouth as I turned and looked around. It was a greenhouse that was the whole length of the top of the house. The windows were stained with age, only adding to the charm. Outside of them, the top of the Sakuras looked like clouds. The flowering vine that grew up the house covered some section of the window where it met in the back of the house. It was amazing, truly and utterly amazing.

  I knew there was a reason this house called to me. And it wasn’t because it was possibly built for the foreign mistress of one of America’s Founding Fathers. It was because I had always dreamed of having my very own house and greenhouse. Most girls dreamt of flashy cars, expensive clothes, and maybe diamond rings.

  Not me, when I closed my eyes, I fantasized for the very thing in front of me. I whipped around to face Joseph, to face this man who had just hours ago looked like a monster. This man who got me to sign a contract to be his paid whore to keep my brother out of prison.

  This man who had somehow given me the home of my dreams.

  “How did you know?”

  Chapter Five

  Pause Moment

  Journey

  After I’d finished looking around my new home, Jo helped me bring my bags in and then showed me what keys went to what doors and how to get in and out of the front gate. He had a device connected to his car that opened the gate, but because I didn’t have a car, he had the device on the key chain of keys he’d given me. There was also an intercom inside the house that had a little screen over it. Whenever someone called at the gate, their face would show up on the screen.

  He went into grave detail telling me that under no circumstances was I to open that gate unless I recognized whoever it was on the other side. It was clear that Joseph was big on security and had spared no expense on making sure the house was safe. There were several brand-new state-of-the-art cameras around the property. When I asked him where the footage went, he chuckled and told me in safe hands.

  Okay, I guess I had to take him at his word on that.

  Anyhow, after his hour-long speech about security protocol, he took Ayana and I to the grocery store to grab a few items. On the way back, I had gotten extremely nervous, wondering if he would be expecting me to start fulfilling my end of the contract tonight. However, I needn’t have worried. After he helped me put away my groceries, he got called away.

  “Listen, I’m going to be out of town for a few days.” He told me as he watched me lay Ayana down in her new crib. I nodded trying not to let my relief show. Once I got the baby settled in, he took my hand and gently led me out of the house to his car. He reached into his glove compartment and came out with a beautiful rose gold phone.

  I stared down at it as he handed it to me. Rose gold was my favorite color. I looked up at him, wondering how he knew. “This is my favorite color.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I know.”

  “I already have a cell phone. Rome got it for me before I went away to school.” Just the mention of my brother caused his nose to flare.

  “Now you have a new one.”

  Instead of arguing with him, telling him I didn’t need a new one, I just nodded. If he insisted on paying my phone bill, fine. I’ll just tell Rome he didn’t have to anymore.

  “I’ve arranged for you to have a driver while I’m gone. His number is already programmed in your phone. Just press three. His name is Albert and he’s been working for me for many years, I trust him.” He leaned against his car and put his hands on my waist, pulling me so that I was standing between his spread legs. I bit my lip, nervous at being so close to him.

  “If you want a car, we can look at some when I get back.” He said bringing his finger up to pull my lip from between my teeth. As if he could not resist it, he leaned in and gently touched his lips to mine.

  “Every time you torture you lip like that, you make me want to come to its rescue.” He whispered before he leaned in and scandalously ran his tongue over my bottom lip. And then he was kissing me again, but this time, there was nothing gentle about the kiss. His lips took possession of mine, causing a moan to escape my throat. Jo kissed like a conqueror. He dominated, manipulated, and left me devastated.

  I know just minutes ago I was sweating bullets at the thought of having sex with him again, but for the life of me at this moment, I didn’t know why. That night when he made love to my body, he had swept me up in an ocean of pleasure, the pleasure that he was awakening in me right now. I stood on my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me as close as he and I could possibly get. The feel of their strength encasing me and his lips devouring mine was a mind-numbing aphrodisiac. I wanted to—

  His phone rang, sounding loud in the night. I drew back, looking down at it where it vibrated on his waist between us. His hungry gaze was still on my lips, it looked as if he was going to come for them again, but the loud shrill of his phone kil
led that.

  Frowning, he took one of his arms from around me and snatched his phone off his waist.

  “Yeah!” He said bringing it to his ear. He exhaled as he listened to whoever it was speaking to him while looking down at my slightly swollen lips that still glistened from our kiss.

  “I’m aware of that. I’m scheduled for the next flight out.” He told them before he hung up.

  “As much as I hate to leave you, duty calls.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black credit card handing it to me.

  “Use this and get whatever you need. My number is programmed in your phone also. Just push one. If you or the baby need anything, call me, I don’t care what time it is. You remember what I went over with you about the panic button?”

  I quickly nodded my head, not wanting to get him started on his safety speech again.

  He grinned at me as if he knew my thoughts. “Okay then, you be good till I get back.”

  He pulled me in his arms and kissed me again before he turned and got into his car. I stood and watched him go, wondering when I was going to see him again. Amazed that I actually wanted to continue what we almost got started. Exhaling I turned and went back into my new home, I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.

  I loved it!

  I couldn’t wait to decorate it. I was going to keep with the rustic look of the house when making my choices. After taking another tour, mentally formulating a loose plan, I checked on Ayana one more time before settling on my big bed and using my cell phone that Rome had gotten me to call my mom.

  “Hey, baby.” She said in the phone sounding like home, instantly causing my soul to feel warm.

  “Hey, ma.”

  “How is everything going? Is he being nice to you?” I lay back in the bed with a huge smile on my face.

  “He bought me a house.”

  “Oh, ain’t that wonderful? It must be a nice one, I can hear the smile in your voice.”

  “It is…It’s my dream house. I don’t know how he knew about it, but he got it for me. It’s amazing. More beautiful on the inside than I’d imagined.”

  “Halleluyah! I was praying for you, baby. You know my spirit tell me about folks before they mouth do. And as soon as Jo came through my door, I knew he was bringing change with him.” I grinned.

  My mother was very spiritual. She carried her Bible with her all the time and she swore angels talked to her and guided her through life. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but she was a good call on people’s character.

  “Did you call your brother yet?”

  I exhaled. “Naw, I wanted to call you first to see how mad he is.”

  “His pride hurt. He ain’t never been beat in a fight before.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Ma, tell Rome I’m okay and I’m going to call him tomorrow. It’s been a long day and I need to get some rest before Ayana wake up.” I knew I was being a coward, siccing my mom on Rome, but I wasn’t lying. I have barely gotten any sleep over the last three months since Ayana’s birth. And after the night I had, I had no more energy left to deal with Rome.

  “You go ahead and get some rest, I’ll handle your brother.”

  “Thanks, Mommy. Love you.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  After I hung up with my mother, I closed my eyes for just a second before I drifted to sleep. But no sooner had I begun to dream, Ayana’s little cry filtered through it. Groggily I came awake.

  This had to be the worst part of being a new mommy. No sleep!

  The next day, I got started bright and early. I didn’t bother calling Jo’s driver. I knew the city pretty well and didn’t have a problem getting around on the bus. My first stop was my school. I wanted to touch bases with my botany professor, Mrs. Paxton and let her know I was back in town. She was the one who’d gotten me the scholarship to Georgetown in the first place.

  She’d heard me reading my thesis on the effects drilling and fracking was having on the soil for Earth Day at Harold Washington Library back home when I was a junior in high school. When she’d approached me and asked me if I would like to attend Georgetown University, I had initially thought she was joking, thinking that surely she could not be interested in a ghetto youth like myself.

  But she was, she contacted me the next month, telling me she’d used my thesis to get me a scholarship for their botany program. Mrs. Paxton was the first person to make me feel like I was on to something in my theory on what was happening to the nutrients in the soil.

  “Journey, is that you?” That familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around and smiled at Kyle, a really cool brother that was also here for the botany program.

  “Hey, Kyle.” I told him waving to him, but in typical Kyle fashion, he bypassed my wave and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me into a hug.

  For just a moment, I took the time to observe how his strong arms did not have the same effect on me that Jo’s did. Kyle’s arms didn’t make me feel safe. They didn’t make my insides dance or make me want to close my eyes and just inhale him. His strong arms made me impatient to get out of them.

  Hmmm…that’s interesting.

  “Where you been? You just disappeared on us. I went by your place looking for you, but your roommate said you’d moved back home.” Right then, his eyes fell on the stroller and a look of understanding came on his face.

  “Ahh, so that’s what happened.” He squatted down to look in the stroller. I pulled the blanket back so that he could see Ayana’s little face.

  “She’s beautiful.” He whispered.

  “Thank you.”

  Kyle was a nice-looking brother. Like me, he had long locs and he was physically fit. I think he told me he practiced some kind of martial art. Before Jo so ruthlessly inserted himself into the picture, Kyle and I were doing some light flirting with each other. Out of everyone here, I’d imagined it would have been him who I’d eventually start dating.

  But that was before Jo came along. Where Kyle was nice and gentle, Jo was aggressive and thorough. Kyle had allowed me to put him in the friend zone and maybe it was because he wasn’t the type to wrap his fist in my locs, holding my head so that he could ravish me with his lips. Kyle was the type of man that would take you out on a date and then give you a gentle peck at the door. Kyle was the type of man that would wait till your body said it was ready for him. Whereas Jo was the type of man that made your body ready for him--

  No…He made your body crave him. He made your body shake all over, anticipating his next touch. He made your body once, depleted, feel as if it could go for another round. He made you clamp your teeth down on the pillow to keep from screaming so loud the neighbors came running. Made you—

  Kyle stood looking at me as if something was wrong with me. It was then I realized while I was standing here fantasizing about Jo’s lovemaking, he had asked me a question. I blushed with embarrassment.

  “Hmmm?” I asked feeling ashamed of myself. Jo was turning me into a sex crazed lunatic.

  “Why did you leave without telling me you were going? I tried calling you...nothing. I was worried.”

  “I—um... I just wanted to be with my family after finding out I was pregnant.” I didn’t know why I was lying to him. It wasn’t like I had anything to be ashamed of.

  Yet…

  I felt ashamed. The father of my child had come back in my life, not with a marriage proposal. Nope, he’d come back into my life with a mistress proposal. Hell yeah, I was ashamed.

  “And the dad, where is he?” I gave him a little frown. It kind of irritated me that he said it like that. The dad, as if my daughter was an it.

  “It’s complicated, Kyle.”

  His gaze became serious. “It shouldn’t be. Not with a girl like you. Anybody fool enough to let things become complicated don’t deserve you.”

  “Umm, you know what? You may be right. Hey, let me talk to you a little later, I need to go and see Mrs. Paxton before her classes get started for the day.” I d
idn’t wait around to hear his response. Like the coward I was, I fled instead of facing the truth.

  My run in with Kyle had put a damper on my day. It brought a few things back into perspective.

  Yeah, it was true, Jo had given me my dream home and now that he’d found us, had stepped up in a major way to accept his responsibilities. But the fact remained that his mother told a vicious lie to separate us and he’d believed her to the point where he’d come back and offered me a contract to be his whore.

  He said it was only for the year. Like my mom said, at this point, I had to do what I had to do. I would be his mistress for the next year, then I was free. I wasn’t going to continue to take his money afterwards either. Whatever he did for his daughter he did, but that’s as much as I will accept.

  Although the thought of leaving that beautiful house saddened me, it was exactly what I was going to do. After my year with him was up, I was going back home to lick my wounds. My mom raised us to thank the Heavenly Father when we had plenty and to thank him when we didn’t. I would enjoy my home now, enjoy each day of it, but when it was time to go, I would walk away without looking back.

  After meeting with Mrs. Paxton, my spirits lifted a little. She was always so kind. Born and raised in Italy, she said hospitality is in her blood. I sat and talked with her for nearly an hour. We caught each other up on the things we’ve researched since last we met. We even talked about me starting classes back in the fall, which would be perfect, because it allowed me enough time to find proper child care for Ayana as well as wean her off my breast.

  However, I assured her that now that I had access to a greenhouse, I would be continuing with my research. This excited her and she encouraged me to carry on, saying that the earth needed all the warriors it could get to fight for it. That’s why I loved Mrs. Paxton, she shared my passion for helping to restore the health to this planet.

  When I left her class, it was to see Kyle waiting for me at the end of the hall. Instead of going that way, I went back into Mrs. Paxton’s room and left out through her greenhouse. I didn’t want to see Kyle. I didn’t need him telling me how stupid I was for settling for Jo, I already knew.