BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (19 page)

"Oh my god! Oh my goodness, oh no! This is totally unacceptable! Fire her! Mrs. Wherrington - this is pure disrespectful insubordination! You of all people, should not be subjected to this - to this low life bit of riff raff!" The designer asserted.

"Who the hell you calling a bit of low life riff raff?" Charlie asked.

He ignored Charlie, "Mrs. Wherrington, please - do not accept such an affront from someone-..."

"Jon'pa -(pronounced, shawn-pa), I need you to carry on with the decorating and mind your own affairs." Deidre informed him.

He snapped his mouth shut, glared with hostility at Charlie, who reminded him, "You down to 27 minutes; Dee-dee gone be writin' out yo' check in a minute!"

He, in a huff, stomped off, with his heels clicking along with each step that he took.

When Charlie turned back to Deidre, she was on her way up the wide curving staircase, heavy of heart, hurt.

"There are times when you go, just a bit,
too
far." Jeremiah murmured staring at Charlie.

She rolled her head around to him, eying him up and down disdainfully, "Well you know what, there are times, when you don't go, far
enough
. Don't mess with me, don't make me give you yours, 'cause I will and you know I will and it damn sho' won't be in parts, pour that truth on you, all at once. Now if you wanna hear it, let me know. My suggestion to you is this, that you head up them stairs and watch Dee-dee for me, while I get rid of these goddamn good for shit leeches charging her too much money, for nothing!" She turned from him and made her way down the hall to continue watching the activities of the decorators.

Sighing and knowing her as he did, Jeremiah turned and headed up the stairs to see about Deidre.

Samuel walked off behind Charlie, stopping beside her on top of the broad bricked porch, lined with columns and potted ferns.

"Why do you do that Charlie? You hurt her."

"NO! Her family has hurt her! All these sorry ass good for shit people, hurt her! Let's get something straight right now, which she is fully aware of, I'm not a goddamn, yes man! Or for that matter, a goddamn yes woman! She don't need a yes man, or more people who agree with everything she does! People who ignore what she really needs so they can stay in her employ and suck the life out of her through her goddamn wallet or bank account. Same shit happened to
Elvis
, baby, sorry, worthless ass,
yes
-men! That's why his ass died, bloated, lonely, unhappy and lost at 40 some odd years old! 'Cause no one truly gave a damn about him; because he didn't have nobody like me around him to tell his ass off and not give a damn if he liked it or not! He needed somebody to tell his ass,
NO
- goddammit! Fight with his ass! Shit, that's just my own take on the fucked up situation." She looked away from him shaking her head. "Just like him, same thing here, these goddamn people don't give a shit about her! Her own goddamn family don't give a shit about her!" She fired off glaring him in the eyes once more, "You see, I -
know
her! I know what its like to live in a world where your own flesh and blood family, don't give a shit about you! Only difference between Deidre and me, is that her family could pay other people; nannies, tutors, institutions, boarding goddamn schools, to take her off their hands! Mine, they couldn't afford that, so the state got me! Court systems, fosters homes, shit like that! And while you going through the shit, all you can think about is,
'well, damn, what's wrong with me?'
because end of it is, all you want, is to belong, somewhere. Belong to somebody, somebody to love - you! But they just - don't!" Charlie looked away from him, she couldn't look at him for what poured out of her next. "She loved her first husband and that sonofabitch didn't love her enough to even
try,
to understand her. He broke her fuckin' heart! Shit. Hell with that, Dee-dee, like me - we don't need the bullshit! Soft hands, sugar coatin', smiling assassins. Hmph."

"There's two sides to every story, Charlie."

"I don't give a shit about the other side, you hear me? I don't care. Fact is, no one is here for her! No one! All of these sorry ass ticks here for one reason and one reason only, to suck! To latch they asses on and then, suck! Suck her ass until she dry! Neither one of them, stays here and listens to her cry at night. I know what its like to waste a whole goddamn night of sleep crying because no one loves you, because you are unlovable! Hell, I know why I'm unlovable, but you tell me why a fuckin' billionaires has reason to cry at night? Because her world, made her unlovable too! Unhappy, lonely and alone! That's the main point, and all this shit - everything you see and everything any one can imagine, she can get, with the snap of her fingers ... and yet, she cries at night. So don't tell me shit, 'bout how I talk to her. She needs it, hard, fast and cold, like I got it, hard fast and cold! Shit."

"What are you talking about Charlie? Who gave you things that hurt, hard - fast and cold?" He asked.

"Don't worry about what I'm talking about. I'm just speaking truth, don't matter if you understand it or not, I don't give a shit if you do. Fact is, I'm not gonna lie to her ... you know why? Because out of all the people with money, I've ever worked for ... she's the only one so far, that's got heart, soul, that feels something, that is real, that is to the core, good. It's only when I care about somebody, that I can be bothered to tell them like it is, the truth. I'm not going to sugar coat it for her. She don't need it sugar coated. She needs it hard, blunt and fast, so that it wakes her ass up!" She glanced at him and then looked away again back to watching the progress of those bringing in more things.

Samuel stood staring at her profile, thinking about all that she said. Thinking about another time when she showed up when he was down and out, about to give up on life and sure enough, she gave it to him with both barrels. Which was rather contradictory, because for a while, he swore that she hated him. Now he understood why. In fact, he understood more than what Charlie probably wanted him to by all that she'd said. Charlie's head snapped around to glare at him. "Do you mind? Don't stand there staring at me, go find something to do. Go check the car for bombs, and while you at it, wash'em and vacuum'em out."

He of course ignored that, saying instead, "Years ago, way back when, you weren't this bad Charlie. You talked a little shit, yeah, but, not like this. Who Charlie, are you angry at?"

"Here we go again, another wasted conversation that ain't going no where." She shook her head, looking out at the delivery truck.

Samuel gazed on at her profile, thinking. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it, because in truth, he knew the answer to his question and so, dove in and said what he knew was true, "I broke your heart, didn't I Charlie? All those years ago, I-..."

"Don't you say another word! I want you to leave me alone, okay? Leave - me - alone!" She fired off glaring at him heatedly. Turning away, she walked off and down the steps to look into the van to see how much more needed to be unloaded.

Samuel stood staring after her. Knowing with every fibre of his being, that what he just said was true. Way back when, Charlie had been
in love
with him. In love with him because they'd at first, been good companions, also, because he could pin her. For some strange reason, she admired this ability of his, began looking up to him. That he could handle her in a way that no one could, in a way, that while he had her down, he didn't hurt her. Didn't cause her any pain. She respected that about him. Because she was so hyper, full of energy, eager for a challenge, she had asked him to teach her to be as good, so good that not even he could pin her. At first, he'd agreed to it and in the process of it all, something had happened. She'd had a look in her eyes when with him. He'd at first thought it cute and made it worse by flirting with her, touching her, stroking her arm with affection, caressing the soft skin of her cheek, lightly pinching her chin, in effect, leading her on. She had been good for his ego, back in the days of his immaturity. He'd played games with her, knowing all along when he did these things with her, to her, that he was already involved with someone else. And then, out of no where, he'd gone off and married the other woman. Never saying a word to Charlie, never explaining why.

He'd taken her for granted, in one of the worse ways possible.

Now he knew and understood beyond a shadow of a doubt, that is was then, that Charlie had gone hard. What else was there for a woman, who no one loved or would love do? Now he could see it so clearly, it had been then, in fact, that caused her to dislike him and in practices, fight him extra hard; trying her best to physically hurt him, but she never could. Circumstances being what they were, they'd gone their separate ways. Encountering each other time to time because of assignments, jobs. She went from hating him with a passion that was positively flammable; to eventual disdain; then enduring him and finally passive disinterest. Then he'd lost his family, hit rock bottom, only to look up and see her there above him, giving it to him the way that only Charlie could.

Now here they were, once again, back together. "Well Charlie, I don't know how I'm going to do it, but ... somehow, I'm going to get you to give me another chance. Because darlin', you are ... lovable." Right then, Samuel knew that he wanted another chance. Because no one knew and understand Charlie the way he did. Right there at that point, all the pieces fit. At this juncture in his life, he realized, he was ready for a Charlie in his life. Yes, he was ready.

"Hey, you okay?" Jeremiah asked after having to follow the scent of her perfume, looking from one room to the next in the sizeable mansion. As he was forced to search her out, he was floored by the sumptuousness of the palatial estate. One thing that was certain, she had taste. After fifteen minutes of searching, he found her in the upstairs library. She was standing at a tall window looking out at her gardens.

From the door, he'd asked the question.

She'd wiped at her eyes and looked back at him, smiling sadly. "Yes, I'm fine." She turned back to the window.

He walked in looking at all the books that would need putting away, stacked as they were for the time being on the floor. He joined her at the window, giving the outdoors garden only a momentary glance.

"You know, you don't have to put up with that from her. You really don't." He started softly. Reaching over, he gently moved her hair behind an ear to gaze at her profile. Deidre didn't respond right away, staring as she was. He waited a moment for her to say something, but nothing from her came.

"You want me to talk to her? I will if you wish."

"No. I don't want you to talk to her. Charlie is the only ... only ... real person in my life. The only one, that I can depend on, not to play games with me. Well, there is also Terra. Thank goodness for one friend and a bodyguard ... huh?" She asked without looking at him.

Jeremiah didn't know what to say. He felt his face burn with the implications. Suddenly she turned her amber golden eyes on him. "Why are you here?"

"What? You know why I'm here? To see about you." He answered.

She stared at him a moment, really gave him a good look over. She was falling for him. If she didn't get rid of him now, she'd be facing heart-break once more in her life. Not that it was unfamiliar to her. "I think that ... you should probably go now. Not come back. You've gone far and beyond the call of duty for me, way above board and I thank you. I've yet to write a check for you, so if you will quote your bill in total, I'll write it out for you."

Jeremiah stood in sudden disbelief, he couldn't believe what she was saying to him. Nor could he believe the way it was making him feel.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you think its best if we, well, parted ways here, now. After all, I've made some pretty obvious hints that, well, I'm starting to care about you and we both know, you don't like white women, you boldly stated that yourself. And I can't be anything other than what I am, so for all-..."

One moment she was looking down at the floor, pouring out a solution for them and the next moment, his hands were clamped onto her head, her face brought up for his warm mouth, his incredible full lips, to lock onto hers. She stood stunned, her heart had stopped.

He moved in, pressing against her, wrapping one arm around her to fit her body along the front of his, deepening the kiss, his tongue coaxed her teeth open and then it plunged deep, searching. Unable to resist, Deidre's arms went around him, gripping him, holding on tight. She needed this so badly. The feel of a solid man, this man holding her, his mouth doing incredible things to her own, meeting a desire long now denied, stirring her. The waiting for this to happen, caused them to hang on, deepening the act of fusion, such intense feelings coursed through them with their hearts banging in unison like mad. It took quite sometime before Jeremiah could bring himself to let her go, and then not fully. He merely loosened his hold on her, just enough to provide the space needed to say, "I'm not going, anywhere. And you're not, writing me, any check. Understand?" Breathing hard, his eyes penetrated, delving deeply into her own, she had beautiful eyes, filled with tears, she nodded yes, she understood.

"I'm a fool for ... taking this long. I'm sorry, that I made you feel, what you just did. Because Deidre Wherrington, for me - I would not have you - change a thing. Not - one - thing." He bent slowly to capture her lips once more. With a whimper of need, so hungry to be loved, she eagerly, greedily, opened her mouth to him, returning tenfold all that she felt coming from him. Finally, for once, she saw no signs of Shawn Everett McPherson, only Jeremiah Franklin ... only Jeremiah.