The Ties that Bind (Kingdom) (17 page)

“Hope,” Nixon boomed into the silent room, “it would seem you have lost your manners since we last met. As I understand it, when one enters a room it is their duty to greet the occupants on arrival!”

Was this dude for real
? Steve thought as he felt Hope jolt in reaction to Nixon’s reprimand of her manners.

“Good evening, Uncle Nixon.” Hope said, sliding back a fraction into her seat as though she were doing her best to shy away from his notice. Although technically Nixon was her father’s cousin she had always addressed him with the title of ‘uncle’. In that moment, Steve knew without a doubt that Nixon had something on this family, something that they didn’t want any outsiders to know.

Looking over at Mason, Steve could see the anger that resided just below the surface. It was reflected across his face for anyone to see if they cared to pay attention. Nixon did not. As for the women, Taryn appeared blank while Hope continued to shy away from whatever confrontation was about to take place.

“Good, very good. For a moment, I thought you might have had to be reminded of your manners.” Although Nixon spoke in a moderate tone, the sting behind his words couldn’t be ignored.

“I don’t believe we’ve met, young man.” Nixon said, his reprimand of Hope complete as he turned his attention towards Steve.

Steve wanted to laugh out loud at the arrogance of Nixon’s attempts to control everyone in the room. Well this dude obviously had no idea of where he was coming from and who he had grown up with. His father had also ingrained in him from an early age that he had to bow to no man.

Frankly, Steve thought, even if his father hadn’t taught him this lesson, this dude would have still got on his nerves. He couldn’t stand a bully, and the term
pompous ass
seemed to have been coined especially for Nixon.

“No, we haven’t. My name is Stephen Blackman.” Rising to his feet, Steve strolled over to the shorter man, hand extended, deliberately invading his space and waited for Nixon to clasp his hand. Wiping all expression from his eyes, Steve looked down at the shorter man and waited to hear how he would respond.

“Ah, the husband that never was.”

“One would suppose by that comment, you have a point you would like to make. If that’s the case, make it.” Steve’s mind was made up. He didn’t like this man and he didn’t try to hide it. Steve could feel Nixon’s attempts at extricating his hand and tightened his grip as he locked eyes with him.

“You don’t want to take me on, son.” Nixon said as he leaned closer to Steve. Attempting to ensure his words reached only them.

Releasing Nixon’s hand, Steve stood back and slapped Nixon on the shoulder. With a non-committal, “We’ll see,” he turned and walked back to his seat.

As Steve again settled in, he turned his eyes towards Nixon, extending his long arm along the back of the sofa in a deliberate move meant to show Nixon that Hope had his protection.

“This does not concern you, young man. This is a family matter, and by all accounts, you are not a member of this family.”

“Of course you’re right about me not being a member of the family. However, Hope asked me to come, and where I’m concerned, her wishes outweigh yours.”

“You will leave immediately!”

Oh, oh, Steve thought, this man has anger issue. “I’m sorry, I seem to have missed something. I was under the impression that you, like me are a guest in this house. On second thought, I know that’s the case. Therefore, you have no authority to demand that I leave.”

Mason’s interjection into the crossfire of words taking place between them came as no surprise to Steve. In fact, he had been waiting for it.

“I think it best that you leave, Steve.”

“Of course, no problem.” Pulling his tall frame to his feet, Steve adjusted the sleeves of his suit and with a small nod of his head extended his hand to a silent Hope. With his hand unwavering, Steve waited to see what she would do. As Hope met his gaze, she extended a visibly shaking hand and gripped his.

Pulling her to her feet, Steve looked down at Taryn and felt his heart constrict. He felt an almost overwhelming need to reach down and sweep her up with his other arm. Bending down he deposited a soft kiss against her smooth cheek. As he straightened, he saw an expression in her eyes that he couldn’t recall seeing before.

“Stay... I want you both to stay.”

“Taryn, go to your room, and Hope, sit down, now!” Nixon’s voice filled the quiet room making both women jump.

Oh, no, hell no! Steve thought, spinning around to confront Nixon. However, Mason beat him to it.

“Nixon, this is my house, and you will not speak to my wife and daughter in that way.”

“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to, Mason!”

“I haven’t forgotten, Nixon. You won’t let me forget. You won’t let any of us forget. But this is where this ends. You will not give orders in my house.” Looking over at the three people by the couch one at a time, Mason spoke only to Steve. “Take a seat, Steve. I know what took place between you and Hope, and you’re still here. That means something, you young people will have to work that out between you. But for now, stay. Nixon, take a seat.”

Moving a chair away from the rest of the room’s occupants, Mason indicated the place he wanted Nixon seated.

Nixon complied with Mason’s wishes, but Steve saw the look that passed between them. He was left in doubt that Mason, and probably the rest of his family, were about to suffer for his slight.

Chapter 18

“How long have you known?” Mason asked Hope.

Deciding it was time to put pretense aside, Hope answered with complete candor. “I’ve know you weren’t my biological father since I was eight years old.”

Hope felt Taryn tense beside her, but chose to ignore her mother’s reaction to her words. “In fact it was the day M.J. died.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Mason asked.

“I was eight years old, and I don’t think I honestly understood the implications of what that knowledge meant. Plus, there was so much other stuff going on” Shaking her head, Hope shrugged and began to turn her bracelet around her wrist.

“How did you find out?” Taryn asked her daughter. Turning so that her back was resting against the arm of her seat, as she waited, not wanting to miss anything her daughter had to say.

Refusing to meet her mother’s eyes, for a moment Hope didn’t want to answer. “I heard you guys fighting.”

“Are you sure, Hope?” Mason asked, “are you sure it was that day?”

“I’m sure, but maybe I wasn’t clear. I don’t mean I heard you and Mom fighting. I mean I heard her and him fighting.” Hope said as she moved her head in Nixon’s direction.

22 years earlier

Hope, M.J and Taryn, were playing in the pool. It was July, school was out, and she didn’t have a care in the world. Today she even kinda liked her little brother. Normally, it drove her crazy when he wanted to follow her around, and make a pest of himself. But today, she thought he was kinda cute.

Every time she or their mother threw the big yellow ball in his direction, his laughter was so infectious they both ended up laughing right along with him. If truth be told, throwing a ball back and forth wasn’t that funny, but today it seemed as though they all had the giggles.

The sound of the doorbell cut short their play. Picking up the toddler, Taryn called Hope to follow them out of the pool.

“You go on, I’m staying here.”

“Are you back-talking me, Ms. Hope?”

“No ma’am.” Hope replied, making her way to the edge of the pool.

However she didn’t move fast enough for her mother’s liking as the insistent ring of the doorbell seemed to carry an air of urgency.

Making sure the children were out of the pool, and the gate was securely shut behind her, Taryn grabbed her robe and hurried through the house towards the front door. She told Hope to mind her brother as she disappeared into the house.

Pulling the front door open, and expecting the worst, Taryn came face to face with, Nixon Clement, her husband’s cousin and the father of her oldest child.

“What are you doing here?” Taryn asked, still unable, even after all these years to speak his name without feeling sick.

“Well hello, beautiful lady. Anyone would think we were enemies by the sound of that greeting.”

Unwilling to enter a conversation with him, Taryn attempted to shut the door in his sarcastic face. Anticipating the move, Nixon stuck his foot against the door to prevent it. Using his superior strength, he pushed Taryn back and entered the house.

Something was going on with him. He never came to their house unless Mason was home. On the occasions where she was forced to endure his presence at family functions both she and Mason took pains to keep them apart. For her part, she would have it no other way, everything about this man and what he stood for was repugnant to her.

Unable to hide her true feelings, Taryn pulled her robe tighter around her body, conscious that she only wore her bathing suit underneath.

“Get out. You are not welcome in this house.”

“Do you think it matters what you think? By the way, where are the kids? It’s been a while since I last saw them.”

“My children are none of your concern. I will give you until I count to five to leave, then I’m going to call the cops!”

“Still the drama queen, Taryn. Really, I would have thought you would have outgrown that mess years ago.”

Realizing what he was attempting to do, Taryn tried to pull herself together. Rising to his bait would only lead to the deterioration of the situation and play into his hands.

“What do you want, Nixon?”

“I want to talk.”

“So talk.”

“You need to check your tone of voice when you speak to me!”

Forgetting her resolve of only moments before, Taryn reacted to his words of censure. “What do I need to do that for? I’m talking to a piece of snake shit who barged into my home without an invitation, so you check your damn self!” As she watched for a reaction, Taryn was taken aback when Nixon rushed towards her, rage emanating from every angle of his body. For one second, she thought he was going to hit her, and drew back to shield herself from his raised hand, but the anticipated blow never came.

Instead, Nixon grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the lounge. His grip on her arm so painful, Taryn forced back a cry of pain. Flinging her inside the room, Nixon slammed the door behind them and stood facing her.

“Well what do ya know, it would seem you’re still the little ghetto girl from all those years ago. Well you may think you’ve arrived, Miss Thang, oh, excuse me, Mrs. Thang, but I’m here to tell you that you’re still project trash, still trying to reach above her station in life.”

“Is that it, is that all you’ve got?” Taryn laughed in his face. “Why don’t you stop embarrassing your fool self, and get the hell out of my house!”

“My, my, you certainly are feisty today, and you know how much I like a feisty woman.”

“Oh, I get it now. Is that why you came over here? Poor Nixon is the little woman not taking care of business the way you like it? Well too bad! You married her so deal with it. Coming over here talking shit. Get the hell out! If you need feisty so much go pay for it with your wife’s money. I know how to take care of my husband’s business!”

“Your husband! Baby, he may be your husband now, but we all know I had you first.”

Nixon’s words didn’t miss their mark. Although her rational mind knew Nixon’s only intent was to hurt her, she couldn’t ignore her feeling of shame. The remembrance that at one point in her life she had thought herself in love with this man sickened her.

She and Mason had been friends for a while when she had first met Nixon. While she knew Mason was attracted to her, probably even loved her, she had felt that there was something missing between them.

When she met Nixon she had immediately realized what the missing element was. Like most of her friends, she had thought that men like Mason were too straight, that they lacked an air of dangerous excitement.

She had started seeing Nixon almost as soon as she had met him. To her it didn’t matter that Mason and Nixon were cousins, she hadn’t made any promises to Mason. Taryn also didn’t tell him that she was seeing his older cousin. She had told herself that it was none of his business, she was an adult and could do whatever she pleased.

If she had respected Mason’s feelings more, and spoken to him about her relationship with Nixon, she would have found out that he was married. She would also have found out that he was a serial womanizer; that she was just one of many. If she had respected Mason’s feeling more, she wouldn’t be standing in this room with this man who was disrespecting her.

Wanting him to hurry up and say whatever was on his mind, Taryn decided to wait him out without further comment.

“What, no snappy comeback? To be honest, I’m disappointed in you.” Nixon said with a shake of his head.

“What do you want, Nixon?”

“Well seeing as how you’re offering. I wouldn’t say no to a blowjob. After I taught you, I have to say you took to that kind of work like you were born for it.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. But, honey, I’m so much better now that I’ve got a man that I don’t need a telescope to find his dick!”

Taryn knew Nixon liked to think of himself as a stud, and that insulting his size was a sure way to hit her mark. It worked but, not in the way she had intended. Seeing Nixon again rushing towards her, Taryn took a few hurried steps back. Her reaction to his sudden move caused her to brush against an ornament on a nearby table. The figurine rocked from side to side, the sound drawing her attention just as it crashed to the floor. Momentarily distracted by the sound of broken pottery, Taryn lost her balance and landed on the couch, sprawled, her robe opening to reveal her bathing suit.

Nixon wasted no time in throwing himself on top of her. Trapped, her hands between their bodies, his superior weight held her immobile beneath him. Forcing his legs between her own, Nixon slammed his lips against Taryn’s in a painful kiss. Somehow managing to release one hand, Taryn grabbed hold of his dick and twisted her hand as hard as she could.