JOINED (The Joined Series) (13 page)

“Bray, I am sorry that I kept you waiting. Can you talk to me?”

“How long have you known him, Rebecca?”

“Since
last week
.”

“Geez Rebecca!” His shoulders tensed. “And you took mighty long with him!”

“Stop calling me that! You sound parental. I don’t need that from you, Bray. I need you to be my brother and try to be understanding!!!”

Shrugging perceptibly, he whirled his hands. I wanted to quiet his movements, reach out and cover them with my hands, let him know that I wasn’t being careless.

“Right now, I
am as understanding as I can be. There are
some things
I have to bring
to your attention. You’re back home
…
a week and you’ve d
ecided it best to hook up with that
guy.” He held out his hands to me. I felt like my pulse leaped in my throat.
There was love in his eyes, a concerned expression on his face.
“I am not judging you for... Shit!
You’re my sister. And I want the best for you.” He noisily swallowed. “I know you’re a grown woman. I w
on’
t be a hypocrite;
I just fucked some girl last night. And yeah, that’s all it was. The sexual rapture is over and now I am left with my thoughts because believe it or not, some men do think about their actions in that department. And I am one of them. We’re keeping it real, right Rebecca?
To talk to you?
Like you asked me to. Tell me you were safe.”

No dental dam. No finger condom. And no male condom.
I was careless with my body and my heart. I trusted Mateja completely.

“No.”

“Goodness gracious!”

I
quail
ed
as I repeated my response in my head.  

“It sure sounds like you’re judging me.
” I tightened my lips to prevent myself from screaming at him.
After some silence, Brayden
began to look hurt and
upset. “
Did you use protection Bray?” I m
imicked
his
stare
. “Every form that you could possibly need?”

“I did. I got my man tote in my room if you wanna see. In fact, you can go to my room and get some!”
I cleared my throat, not liking the way he spoke to me, but understanding it was out of fear and concern.
“Fuck! I didn’t mean to say that.” He looked like the blood drained from his face.

“
Bray.”
He was afraid for me
for many reasons
.
Each day, m
y love for him was blooming. “
I made a mistake. I will be careful next time and get tested. He told me he doesn’t have any sexually transmitted infections.”

In increasing frustration,
Brayden grabbed chunks of his blonde mane. “That’s
just it! Let’s trust the multi-m
illionaire because whatever he says
can
be trusted?
Are you serious right now, Rebecca?
”

I tucked my lips between my teeth and
blew out a heavy breath.
“Why do you have such a hang up on him? Because he’s rich?”
I queried.

Standing stock still, I caught a
dismayed
expression
on his face. “
Really
? We’ve been surrounded by rich people all our lives. We weren’t poor kids, you know. Sa
rah
is
wealthy
for goodness sake
,
” he snapped at me. “
You don’t seem to get that he’s from a different world than you.” As if pained, he scrunched up his face, rubbing his fingers on his temples. “
You’re in over your head!”

“I am living my life, Bray.
Y
ou have to let me be.”

“
That doesn’t mean I won’t stop looking out for you.
You’re dispensable to him
,” he told me in a lowered tone.

I decided that it was best not to tell him that
I met
Mateja
when I went shopping with Sarah and that he
purchased a wardrobe for me.

“
He has a branding empire
—
his jaw tightened
—“and he’s practically an anonymous figure. It’s not normal.”

“Wait! An empire?” I stopped myself, wishing that I hadn’t
blurted out
that question
. I didn’t think about the essentials, such as
doing
a criminal background check
on him
.

He rolled one of his shoulders
and sucked his teeth at me
.
“
Yeah, an empire. He’s t
hirty-
nine
years old.
” He grimaced. “
Too old for you! He’s one of the shrewdest men in New York City. I googled h
im while I was waiting for you.”
Twenty-nine
and a multi-millionaire? I hate men. Most of them really age better than women. He looked twenty
-
five years of age. And that was being generous.
“Yeah, don’t let the youthful appearance fool you. You can…get that all you claim to but what happens when you sink? How’s your…um…relationship with him going to fair with your emotional sobriety?

             
             
             
             
***

The following three days were a blur for me. I was busy, but I couldn’t honestly say what made each day different without my little notepad. Mateja only texted me once
,
to make sure that any conflict between Brayden and I settled. He didn’t have
to
care about me. If he didn’t care, if he wasn’t attentive, I’d have qualms about being with him again. Brayden was still worried about me, but he didn’t seem angry with me anymore.
We enjoyed brea
kfast and late dinners together
.
Early in the mornings, I
continued going to
introductory to yoga classes, relishing in the fact that I was beginning to feel less strain and stiffness when I moved. My body even felt toner and more flexible
in such a short period of time
.

Sending my applications, making visits, and having informational interviews made one thing clear to me; I still wanted to work in the public relations/ branding industry. For the past six months, especially as graduation neared, I was ambivalent as to whether or not it was still my passion. I liked the idea of helping people
revamp or improve their public image
, especially after working as an Administrative Assistant for an entertainment agent for
my
last year of college. It was a very exciting experience—meeting really good, publicists, manager
s
, personal assistants, and other agents. When certain clients required the teamwork of almost every employee, I helped directly in managing a crisis, well many crises actually.

Mateja Guvo, a leader in many facets of business, technology, real estate, and lifestyle branding was indeed a
multi-
millionaire. Financial experts predicted that he was on
path
to
becoming a billionaire
.
H
e owned a lot o
f profitable real estate and mad
e very good investments. Apparently, he was a silent partner in a major television production company and a chunk of corporate businesses, surprising many people when he be
came
powerful because
they didn’t see it coming
. In five years his net-worth quadrupled.

Limited information was provided about his upbringing
. M
uch was unknown about his upbringing.
No other relatives were listed.
He
graduated from
an
accelerated high school course
at sixteen years of age
.
In most of the photos
of him online
, he
stood out and he did have a beautiful woman on his arm in most of the photos.

Tonight was pleasantly quiet.
A
trace of cooked food
was
in the air. Recalling Sarah’s text message, I smiled:
Have a VERY good night
.
I was nervous. I blabbed with Luego when he escorted me to the limousine and he wished me good luck.
Mateja’s chauffeur came to pick me up, the second time I had ever been in a limousine. This one, however, was a big stretched Hummer limousine with chrome rims, a bit over the top for my taste. I
t
smelled like fresh leather. A cheerleading team could comfortably fit inside, with the lighted dance floor, bar areas, and the high ceiling. In the middle, gaming systems were locked in a see-through cabin. The dim lighting gave the setting a romantic quality.

“Good evening, Ms. Salins,” a man’s voice came out of the speakers. “I am Benjamin, your chauffeur for this evening. Please help yourself to any of the refreshments.”

I pressed the button to speak to him. “Nice to meet you, Benjamin. Please call me Rebecca.”

He took off his rectangular cap and I looked at him through the front mirror.
A slight smile ghosted over his face and I looked into midnight blue eyes and gray irises, with a sun kiss touch to his skin. He was a very attractive older man.
“
Okay, Rebecca.” He pressed a button and closed his tinted windows.

Mildly disappointed that I didn’t enter the car to find Mateja inside, I lolled on the wide
leather
seat. In front of me, I was tempted by the big bottles of Scotch, Rum, and Vodka. I didn’t need to smell the liquids in order to identify th
em. Some dry fruits and pretzel
s and gluten free bars were fanned out in small pre-packaged colorfully decorated baggies.

Even though, I wanted some liquid courage, I decided against it for tonight. Twirling the glass of ice-cold water in my hand, I studiously watched the condensation drip from the edges of the bottles.

When the limousine pulled up front of the condo
minium complex, I did a double
take; it was different from all of the other ones in the area. It was a sprawling space, which must have been recently renovated. If I remembered correctly, it was one of the smallest pre-war Condominiums, comprised of studios, bedrooms, and three “specialty” penthouses.

The style of this building was a complete contrast to his hotel. Overstuffed silhouette and a masculine feel from the front of the building and in the lobby without an earthy element to it at all. Each of the sofas had uniquely shaped armrests, all the same height, but all upholstered in leather, an outward curve on top in different sizes and directions. I sat at the railroad shaped white and black and gold lined ottoman.

“Rebecca. ” I glanced up, feeling flutters in my stomach.
Mateja
looked incredible in his button down auburn shirt, and low-rise fitted
boot
leg
designer
jeans
.
When
we entered the elevator
he asked how I was doing
.

My hands began to get clammy with nervous excitement. He seemed so approachable, but not relaxed. “I am…alright.”

“Honesty. I find it very sexy.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling from ear to ear.

“How about you Mateja?” I stared at the tips of my French manicure.

His smile was wide and w
arm: approval
.

“Better. I like the way you say my name—in and out of the bedroom, Rebecca.” And then there was the way he said my name, somewhere between gentle and authoritative, very much pleasing me. I flushed as I quickly remembered our intimate encounters and none of them were in a bedroom.