Chapter Five
1208 Words
Chapter Five
Adalia glared down the pathway at DeShawn. Of course, he would pick this moment to arrive. Trouble brewing.
Trent gave a low chuckle. “I see. So this is your mystery date.”
“I’ll think about your proposition, but I’m not making any promises.” Adalia held the brown dossier to her chest, but Trent didn’t make eye contact. His gaze was fixed on DeShawn, who had stopped midway on the path to them. He flexed his biceps beneath a cotton shirt and grinned.
“What you doing here, pretty boy?” DeShawn strolled up to them, hands out of his pockets but not balled into fists. That was a relief. She didn’t have patience for an all-out brawl on her father’s front lawn.
“That’s none of your business, kid.” Trent stretched his neck until it made a c***k.
“Trent, I think we’re done talking.” Adalia opened the front door and met her father’s gaze. He stood in the hallway with that blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a bowl of stew in his grip.
“You going?” He asked it with such vehemence that she blinked a couple times. There was too much pressure from all sides, and she didn’t know how much more of this she could take.
“Yeah, I’ll be back later. Have a good night, Dad.”
“I can’t say I expect you will,” he replied, indicating to the men on the porch. Adalia swept up her handbag from the front hall table and slipped the dossier inside. She closed the door, shutting off Sylvester’s head-shaking glare.
“I’m ready,” she announced, but neither of the men looked at her.
“I can’t believe you’re going out with this jerkoff after all he’s done to you,” Trent said.
DeShawn hopped up the stairs. He rammed into Trent’s chest, but the billionaire didn’t budge an inch.
“Stop it right now,” she hissed. “I won’t have you fighting on my father’s front porch.”
They ignored her.
“You should be scared.” DeShawn and Trent were nose-to-nose, breathing heavily.
“I’ve never been less afraid in my life.”
“That’s dumb, ‘cos I know how much you like yo face and I’ma f**k it up.”
“Stop it,” she said, grabbing at DeShawn. She tugged at him but he didn’t move away. It was like pulling a rock out of a mountain – it just wouldn’t happen. “This isn’t the time for idiocy. We’ve got a date, DeShawn.”
“He doesn’t care about that, Adalia,” said Trent. “He only cares about himself. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can get rid of this f*****g poser.”
“You better watch yo mouth.” DeShawn pressed his forehead into Trent’s. “C’mon, pretty boy, let’s do dis. I been waiting months fo this shit.”
“Are you crazy?!” Adalia whispered. “This is my father’s house! My father’s house and you want to fight in front of it. Get off the front porch. Now!”
Trent didn’t move.
DeShawn didn’t move.
To do that probably meant weakness in man language. Adalia glanced back at the front window, and the curtain twitched as if someone had been there a second before.
“You think she really wants you? She’s so much better than what you deserve,” Trent growled.
“She sure don’t want you or else why would she go on a date with me?” DeShawn replied.
“This is not the time for a d**k sizing contest,” Adalia cried, and both of them perked up and snapped apart at the word ‘d**k’. “You’re acting like children.”
“It’s ‘cos I love you, Dalie.” DeShawn gave her a doe-eyed look and she didn’t slap him. She wanted to, though. This was absolute madness.
“You don’t love anyone but yourself,” Trent barked. The two men pressed against each other again.
“Trent,” she said, “please leave... right now.”
He swiveled and stared at her, jaw dropping slightly. “Are you kidding?”
“No, of course not. I’ve agreed to consider your proposition, but other than that, I have no interest in having you as a part of my life.”
Trent stood there a moment longer, muscles tensed, bulging from the sheer power he had on hold, and then he broke away from DeShawn. He walked down the front stairs and down the path without saying goodbye.
His shoulders were taut, his head held high, but she could feel the disappointment in him. His gait was labored, and he unlocked his Bentley, climbed in and sped off a moment later. The hum of the engine disappeared a few streets down, drowned out by the whoop of an ambulance.
That was a nightly occurrence in the neighborhood, but Adalia hated the noise. She associated it with death and unhappiness.
“You okay, baby?” DeShawn leaned his lower back against the banister and peered at her through the dark.
“I’m fine. You’re late.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, words slurring ever so slightly – God, he’d better not be high again – then continued, “I got caught up at work.”
“Work?” Since when did he have a job?
“Yeah, I’m sorry I’m late, girl, but the biz come first.”
Adalia nodded slowly, though fear had taken a hold of her gut. Work and DeShawn didn’t mix well.
“So this Trent dude,” he began.
She cut him off by raising her palm. “I don’t want to talk about him. Let’s just go on this damn date and get it over and done with.”
“That don’t sound good. Don’t sound like you wanna go out wit’ me.” DeShawn folded his arms and took a defensive stance.
“At what point did I say I wanted to go anywhere with you? You forced me into this, DeShawn. You got what you wanted, so let’s get on with this before I change my mind.” She straightened her dress and slung her handbag over her shoulder. That dossier burned a hole in her brain.
He’d bought a bakery and he wanted her to work in it. What the hell did the document say? She could barely wait to get the date over so she could rush home, open it and kill the mystery.
DeShawn walked up to her and grabbed her by the chin. He squeezed hard and tilted her face upward to his. He brought his lips down and kissed her, taking from her what she wasn’t willing to give him or anyone else.
She punched him in the gut, and he wheezed hard and backed off.
“Don’t do that ever again.”
“I’m sorry, Dalie. Wait. I can’t resist touchin’ you. I can’t help it, girl.” DeShawn gripped his belly and stretched his hand toward her. “I need you to come with me. Please,” he begged and her heart melted a little. A tiny bit.
“All right,” she agreed. She had to be crazy to allow this. Maybe her dad was right, but she wanted to get back at Trent on some level and this was her opportunity. “But you don’t touch me like that again.”
“I won’t.” He straightened then breathed slowly. “But I got a question for you, Dalie.”
“And what’s that?” She frowned. DeShawn was a man of few words and even fewer questions. Knowledge wasn’t his ‘thing’.
“You in love with this Trent guy?”
Her pulse raced, and she pressed her lips together. The sky had filled with clouds, and the shape of the moon was barely visible through the gray shroud. The stars were blocked from her view completely.
“I have nothing to say on the matter.”
“So you do,” he said.
Adalia marched down the stairs and started on her father’s front path. “You coming?”
She couldn’t truthfully answer that question without admitting it to herself.
And that she wouldn’t do.
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