Mistress, Inc. (25 page)

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Authors: Niobia Bryant

BOOK: Mistress, Inc.
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“Yari, would you dress Delaney and take her to the mall for me. She needs ... um ... clothes. She needs clothes,” Jessa said softly, rising to her feet.
“Yes, ma’am,” Yari said, taking the baby from her. “Are you okay, Ms. Logan?”
Jessa nodded, even though she knew her face had to look a sight from a night of tears and fears. Her eyes ached and they felt swollen and puffy. “I will be. Thank you,” she said, pressing one last kiss to Delaney’s soft mat of shiny black curls before she left the room.
She took a long, steaming hot shower and dressed in a tank and a white linen skirt before she took the gun from beneath her pillows and made her way downstairs barefoot. She unlocked the front door before walking into the living room. Jessa slid the gun behind the pillows of the sofa.
Brrrrnnnggg ...
She moved to answer the cordless phone on the base sitting on the bar. It was the security guard at the gate. Jessa glanced at the clock. 9:00
A.M.
Right on time.
“Let the Halls in. Thank you.”
Click.
Jessa didn’t move from her spot on the couch. She was trying to decide if she should shoot them on sight or hold the gun on them until they shit themselves begging for their lives.
Ding-dong.
“Come in,” she called out, shifting her eyes to her view of the front door.
Her face momentarily filled with surprise and then disappointment when only Eric Hall Sr. walked through the door and closed it behind himself. He looked around before he took a few steps forward that echoed in the large foyer.
“In here, Mr. Hall,” Jessa said calmly.
She watched as his eyes squinted a bit as he swung his head in the direction of her voice. Before yesterday, Jessa had always been careful not to invite the couple into the room where their son had taken his own life.
And now?
Jessa thought it was a fitting, ironic end to kill them both in this room.
Mr. Hall stepped into the room looking distinguished in his charcoal single-breasted suit. Jessa felt a chill at just how much his son resembled him as he glanced down at his watch. “I wasn’t looking to hear from you for a few more hours,” he said.
“And your wife? Where is she this morning?” Jessa asked, crossing her legs.
His eyes dipped down to take in the move. “She’s getting Delaney’s nursery ready for her at home,” he said smugly, walking into the room to pick up the same black folder.
Jessa watched him aloofly.
He frowned and looked taken aback as he viewed the contents of the folder. “These aren’t signed,” he said, looking down at Jessa.
“Have a seat, Mr. Hall,” Jessa offered with more politeness than she felt.
“I don’t have time for this—”
Jessa reached behind the pillow for the gun and pointed it at him. She arched a brow coldly. “I would love nothing more than to kill you in the same room where your son killed himself. Have a
fucking
seat.”
His eyes went from her face to the gun and back up to her face before he finally folded his tall frame into the chair directly across from her.
“Do you know that I held my baby in my arms preparing myself to say good-bye to her forever,” Jessa began, rising to her feet to walk over to the bar and pour a glass of wine. She took a deep sip and looked at him over her shoulder.
His eyes slowly rose from her ass and up to her face.
Jessa looked at him in loathing over the rim of the glass. “I had decided that I would kill you two evil motherfuckers and rot in jail before I let you raise my baby or hurt my eldest daughter, who has absolutely
nothing
to do with this,” Jessa told him with emotion, her eyes brilliant with anger and hate.
“I had every intention of killing you,” she admitted with a bitter laugh as she fought tears.
“Do you think I would sit back and let people willing to use the fact that
my own father
raped me raise my child?” Jessa asked, her voice rising with each second until she roared and her eyes bulged with emotions as she stalked over to him with the gun raised in her hand. She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her free hand. “Do you understand that I would rather see you dead than have you raise MY CHILD?”
Jessa nearly choked on her emotions as she pressed the barrel of the gun to his head. She lowered her head in her hand as she gasped for breath.
“Don’t do this,” Mr. Hall said in a low voice, as if trying to calm her.
Jessa backed away from him, shaking her head. “I can’t kill you now because your wife isn’t here. I kill you. I go to jail. And there is no one else to raise Delaney but that bitch.”
“Especially with your mentally ill, drug-addicted mother,” he said.
“You were really thorough in your research,” she said snidely. “At least my mother has a chemical imbalance for the illness. What’s your excuse for being a sadistic asshole?”
He settled into his chair like he was getting comfortable. As if he had no fear for the gun she pointed at him. “I’ll tell what you what. Sign the papers, put down the gun, and I’ll forget you pulled this little stunt.”
Jessa fought for control as she moved back to the bar for another sip of her drink.
“Or you sign these papers, put down that gun, give me some of the good pussy I know you got, and I’ll let you visit your daugh—”
Jessa tossed the drink into his face and threw the glass at him. He ducked and it crashed against the floor.
“You will not force my hand. You will not raise my baby. You will not hurt my daughter. You will NOT FUCK ME!” Jessa told him coldly. “What is wrong with you? You think I would trick myself—”
He held his large hands up. “Once a trick always a trick,” he told her.
Jessa stalked back over to him and slapped him hard before she pressed the barrel against his dick. “You talk a lot of shit when I’m the one with the motherfucking gun.”
Eric opened his legs wider and thrust his hips up once, causing the gun to stroke his nuts, as he continued to boldly meet her hateful stare. “You are in between a rock and a hard place, Jessa. You don’t want to go to jail and have those big dykes in there fucking you with broom handles and making you eat their pussy.”
Jessa hated that her plan had unraveled right in front of her. Without Mrs. Hall there to take a well-placed bullet between her eyes, shit was not working out as she planned. She had been willing to kill to save her daughter, and not even that had worked. Not when her time was almost up.
What the fuck am I going to do?
“Maybe there is another deal you and I can make,” Mr. Hall said.
Jessa saw the intent in his eyes as they moved over her entire body. Disgust for him filled her and she visualized her pussy juices drying up.
“Give me a month—no, two months—of pussy on call and allow us to keep the baby once a month and I’ll convince Kittie to drop the lawsuit,” he said.
Jessa stepped back from him with the gun at her side. “You’re actually sitting here negotiating for custody of your grandchild over some pussy,” Jessa asked, her tone disparaging.
“I know what I want. That’s why I’m successful, and right now I want you, Jessa.”
“Your son’s ex-mistress?” she asked in disbelief.
“Who will now be my mistress,” he countered, adjusting his tall frame in the seat as he continued to watch her.
Jessa shook her head at the shame of it.
“Besides, my wife and I are too old to raise a newborn,” he said. “I’m about to retire and we’re going to see the world. A baby would tie us up.”
I can’t do this. I will not do this.
“And you’ll never contact the daughter I gave up for adoption?” Jessa asked.
Mr. Hall rose from his seat and walked over to stand in front of her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her body forward as he pressed his lips to her temple.
Jessa shivered in revulsion as she tightened her grip on the gun and brought it up to press to his side as his hand dipped down to grip her ass tightly. She closed her eyes as one lone tear raced down her cheek.
“Do we have a deal?” he asked, pressing his hard dick against her belly.
Jessa’s hand shook as she held the gun and fought for the courage to pull the trigger.
But his death won’t change shit.
Jessa wanted her daughter. She wanted to see her grow. To see every milestone. To teach her the bullshit games men played. To help make her a better woman than she could ever be.
“Do we have a deal, Jessa?” he asked again, shifting his lips down to press against the corner of her mouth.
She fought not to hurl as she dug the gun in deeper to his side.
It would be so easy to pull this trigger.
But she didn’t want her secret exposed. Selfishly, to keep her shame hidden, but also because she didn’t want the life of the daughter she gave up for adoption to be destroyed. Who wanted to have a mother and father who were a daughter and father?
I have to do what I have to do.
Jessa dropped the gun to the floor and Mr. Hall brought his hands up to the back of her head to guide his mouth down on hers.
Jessa was stiff in his embrace as her tears blended in their kiss. She forced herself not to cry as she allowed him to hitch her skirt up to her hips and play in the folds of her pussy as he pressed her body down onto the sofa. As she blocked out his actions between her thighs, Jessa looked over his shoulder and locked her eyes on the recording nanny cam disguised as the innocent teddy bear sitting harmlessly in a chair.
Her eyes glinted with victory.
Never underestimate me.
Epilogue
One year later
 
 
L
ife goes on.
When I said I was done being a mistress, I meant it. I am by no means perfect, but that is one line I will not cross again.
To do this day I hated that Eric Hall Sr. took me to that place. Hated it. But I will never forget the joy I felt when I showed that creepy a-hole the video taken by the nanny cam. A wealthy married man without a prenup didn’t need that kind of pressure being exposed ... not even for his grandchild.
Having the last laugh felt damn good, even if I had to compromise myself to get it.
Did I plan to fuck him that day? No, definitely not.
Did I end up fucking him. Yes, most definitely.
I truly planned to let my rage and shame fuel me into pulling the trigger and sending Eric’s parents straight to hell, where he surely waited for their arrival. It was just a coincidence that the bear was even in that room, but once I spotted it, I turned it on when I went by the bar. The rest of the show he supplied ... along with the deal to drop the custody case.
I didn’t know what lie or tale Eric Sr. came up with to tell his wife, and I truly didn’t give a fuck. I had to garner my daughters’ safety on my back, but they were safe and that’s all that mattered to me.
And that’s why I decided it was best to let my eldest daughter, Georgia, be. I couldn’t face her or the truth of my past and was just happy to know she was alive and well living in Connecticut. I had her contact info, but I had no plans to use it. I rather her be happy and blissfully lost to her parentage than be able to hold her in my arms. Our lives had continued on two different paths for this long. No need for them to collide now.
It was just too big of a risk.
I asked for God’s forgiveness for the thousandth time, and all I can do is begin my walk again.
Sighing, I slid my hands into the pockets of the strapless polka dot dress I wore with bright red heels. I smiled a bit at the memory of Tyson and making love by the sink as he sprayed our union with water. It was a fitting final memory.
I never saw him again. Truthfully, Henry was right; Tyson was all about my pussy and nothing else—including my daughter Delaney. That was unforgivable.
Just as Henry was never able to forgive me for not recognizing or reciprocating his love. I never spoke to him again either. I missed his presence in my life but ...
C’est la vie.
“There you are. ”
I looked over my shoulder at my mother breezing into the kitchen with Delaney on her hip. She looked amazing in a pale pink wrap dress and neutral heels. Sober, mentally fit, another twenty pounds lighter, and absolutely beautiful. We looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
She was well. We were well. I thank God for that.
“Ma-ma,” Delaney said, reaching out for me with her chubby little hands.
My mother stooped down to let Delaney stand on her own two feet and take a few tenuous steps toward me. Love for her nearly knocked me over as I clapped and hugged her body close.
“You ready to go?” Darla asked.
I nodded as I picked Delaney up onto my hip and used my free hand to pick up my oversized red crocodile tote and slide on my shades.
Our heels echoed against the floors as we made our way out the house. It sounded like a death march.
“Looks like somebody’s getting married?” Darla said as we stepped out onto the porch.
We both looked up the street as Jaime and Aria helped Renee into the back of a limousine, looking beautiful in her wedding gown. There was a time I would have been in her bridesmaid’s dress helping her as well as she took a second chance on love.
Humph, Jackson won the fight in the front yard, but Renee’s new lover won her in the end.
To be honest, when I allowed myself to give a fuck for a few seconds, I actually thought Renee and Jackson would reunite. After over twenty years of marriage and two kids, I knew even my shenanigans wasn’t enough to tear them apart.
I guess an affair and an outside baby is too much to swallow,
I thought as I watched the limo pull off with a shrug.
Again,
c’est la vie.
“Did it feel good to come back and have a last walk-through?”
My real-estate agent looked up from sliding the SOLD banner on top of the realtor’s FOR SALE sign.
“Yes, it was time to say good-bye,” I said, handing the woman the keys to what was once my beloved home in Richmond Hills. “And this time for good.”
I had moved out Richmond Hills just weeks after my tryst with Eric’s father. I relocated to a small town in upstate New York, and I was enjoying my new home and my new life. My mother even agreed to put her renovated brownstone up for rent and move with me. I finally knew what it felt like to have a family again.
I was truly starting over and I swore the next thirty years of my life were going to be damn better than the first. My book,
The Mistress Memoirs,
had just hit
The New York Times Bestseller List,
and my agent and editor were both trying to talk me into trying my hand at fiction. Something about having a great voice. I was considering it. I was open to whatever life had in store for me because I felt blessed to be alive.
My mother took Delaney and strapped her into the car seat in the backseat of the Land Rover as I allowed myself one last glance at the house and then the surrounding neighbors. It was time to say good-bye to Richmond Hills for good.
I waved good-bye to the realtor as I slowly walked down the stairs. I was just about to climb behind the wheel when a small lime-green Beetle came screeching to a halt at the end of the driveway.
What bullshit is this now?
I wondered, looking over my shoulder.
Dina climbed from the car and came rushing up the drive to grab me into a hug I couldn’t avoid. “I heard you were at the house and I just wanted to thank you in person for that help you gave me last year,” she said.
I smiled. “A deal is a deal, right?”
Dina nodded. “And he is long gone.”
“I hear that,” I said in congratulations.
Dina stepped back. “I don’t want to hold you up, I just wanted to thank you again in person. ”
I watched her as she rushed back to her car and reversed in the cul-de-sac before she pulled off with a brief honk of her horn.
Bzzzzzzzzz . .
.
I reached in my bright red bag for my business cell phone as I eased behind the wheel and reversed down the drive. I didn’t recognize the number and if the call was coming directly to me, then it was a heavy hitter. Business was booming. Sad for the wives and the current state of marriage, but damn good for Keegan and I.
“Hello, Mistress, Inc.,” I said in my husky voice as I sped out of Richmond Hills without even looking back.

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