This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) (20 page)

“What are you
thinking?” Aviva asked.

“I think that I
want to make love to my wife. I also think my wife is the most beautiful woman
I have ever met and that she needs to put me inside her so I can show her how
much she turns me on. I want my wife to know how much I want to be inside her
so that she knows how it feels when her man can’t get enough of her.”

Just like that,
Diana was relegated to the back of his mind. For now, there was only the two of
them. The feel of her talented hand surrounding him in a firm grip was what
Jason needed. Inch by inch she inserted him into her body. Jason threw back his
head at the feeling. This was where he wanted to be, ensconced with his angel.
Everything else could wait.

Chapter 28

At exactly 1:00 pm,
Jackson stood facing the mother of his children. How she still managed to look
almost exactly the same as when he had first met her, he didn’t want to
contemplate. Maybe she had sold her soul to the devil. Following quickly behind
that thought was another that Diana didn’t have a soul. Unable to deflect the
fanciful thought, he imagined that Diana probably had a portrait, al la, Oscar
Wilde’s, Dorian Gray, hidden away that absorbed her every crime.

“Jackson, thank
you so much for agreeing to come and see me. Please, sit down,” Diana indicated
a seat. “May I offer you something to drink?”

Her greeting and
offer of refreshment staggered Jackson. When he looked into her eyes, he was
shocked to see a glassed look staring back at him. While the Diana he had
always known was standing before him, beneath the facade of sophistication,
there was nothing but a bottomless well of emptiness.

“Thank you, no, I
require nothing,” Jackson declined her offer.

“But I insist. A
whisky, I have your favorite.”

“Diana, it’s 1:00
pm in the afternoon, for heaven’s sake!” Jackson hadn’t intended his tone to be
so harsh, but her insistence irritated him.

“Very well. I’m
sure you won’t refuse to take a seat. After all, you can’t expect us to talk
standing up as though we just met at the market.” Although Diana smiled, her
eyes remained unchanged.

Jackson realized
he was on unsteady ground, and inclined his head, an invitation for her to precede
him and sit.

Everything about
the woman disgusted him. Jackson could only hope that his feelings for her
remained hidden. There was no doubt in his mind, Diana was unhinged. Her
actions of the last few days were a graphic example of the ends she was
prepared to go to get her way.

“I’m here as you
requested. Now, what do you want?” Jackson demanded.

“Do you remember
when we met, Jackson?”

The question hung
in the air as he tried to block it from his mind. Whatever direction she was
attempting to pull him, he refused to take the first step. “No,” came the short
response.

Visibly, angered,
Diana reached for a cigarette and her ridiculous holder. By the time smoke
billowed around her, the impression of a bad 1940’s vamp refused to leave his
mind.

“I want you to
reconsider the status of our relationship,” Diana informed him through a haze
of curling smoke.

The ridiculousness
of the statement caught Jackson by surprise, and he finally laughed out loud.
“Ahh, Diana, you are without doubt the most audacious female I have ever met.
If that statement had come from anyone other than you, I would be impressed.” By
the time he finished speaking, all signs of laughter were gone.

“Really, darling
the least you could do is give my request some thought.”

Diana’s voice had
risen by one octave an indication of her agitation. Jackson was pleased but
somewhat surprised that it had been so easy to get a reaction from her. “No
thought necessary, Diana. Only days ago you attempted to kill my son’s wife.
The very next day you saw fit to drag a young woman whom I hold in high esteem
through a media circus. If regaining a position in my life was your final goal,
your actions were ill advised.”

“My dear, Jackson,
if I had wanted Aviva dead, she would be dead.”

Jackson took note
that her voice was back to its normal tone. She was once again in control of
what little emotions she possessed.

Jackson’s mind was
made up. “What I am about to say, I have never said to another living soul. I
make mention of this only because I want you to remember my words. Thank you
for my sons. They have been my blessing.”

Diana preened at
his words but remained silent. Jackson could imagine the thoughts going through
her head. That she hated, her children was obvious in her treatment of them. It
had begun when she had discarded one infant for no other reason than he cried
too much. About that child’s existence she had remained completely quiet, never
giving a thought to if he lived or died.

“As you can
imagine, this whole situation is difficult for me. Because you gave birth to my
children, I will accommodate you. However, there are a few stipulations attached
to the final outcome of our relationship.” He took care to keep his voice at a
modulated tone. It was important to him that Diana agree to all of his
requests. Before long he saw that he had her full attention.

 “What are they?”

“I want those
reporters gone.”

“Done.”

“I want you to
call off your henchmen. From this day forward the women in my family are
sacrosanct, they will not be harmed.”

“Done.”

“The men in my
family are inviolable.”

“Done.”

Jackson inclined
his head. Gaining her consent had been much easier than he had expected,
especially where his sons were concerned. He was the patriarch of the family
and it, therefore, fell to him to protect all of his children and the women
they loved. That his protection was necessary because of their mother would
forever be the greatest sadness of his life.

“I’m sure you are
aware that I have a whole arsenal at my disposal,” Diana paused, waiting for his
response.

His body remained
entirely motionless. The only thing that moved were his eyes as they followed
her every movement. As though in slow motion, he watched as she removed the
butt of the cigarette from its holder and stubbed it out. Then she rose from
her seat and approached him. Every muscle in his body tensed at her approach,
but he didn’t show his reaction.

Sitting beside
him, Diana ran a slim finger along his cheek, her gaze locked onto his lips.
With every fiber of his body, Jackson wanted to brush her hand away and put as
much distance as he could between them.

 “Now, this is
what I want,” Diana intoned. “Those boys are much too old to be living with
their daddy. I want them, and their women gone. Don’t worry darling, I’m not
asking you to commit filicide. I just don’t want to see them... ever!”

For the first
time, Diana showed a modicum of emotion. He had asked the question before but
had never received a definitive answer. That she was broken and twisted was a
given, but the level of hate she directed towards her children was unfathomable
to him. “Why do you hate them so much?”

Diana laughed at
the question. She then pulled away from him, sat back and crossed her shapely
legs. Looking deeply into her eyes, Jackson braced himself to hear the
harrowing story that had produced the monster that now sat beside him.

“I guess you’re
waiting to hear how I was abused as a child, and how my experiences shaped me.
I’m sure you need to piece every little thing together and then tie it up with
a nice bow.

Sorry, darling,
the truth is I had doting parents. As an only child, I was their pride and joy.
The only problem as far as I was concerned, they couldn’t give me what I
wanted, no money you see.

My father died
when I was five. My mother mourned him. Oh, how she mourned him. So much so
that it sickened me! All those tears, all that talking about how much my daddy
loved me, and how no matter what, we would keep his memory alive.”

When she finally
stopped speaking, Jackson was stunned at the disdain in which she held her
parents. He could tell she expected him to pass comment, but he didn’t. He just
waited for her to continue.

“Lucky for me I
was intelligent, but more to the point I’m beautiful. I got what I wanted, when
I wanted it.

When I left for
college, I left my mother behind. She’s dead now, and I can’t say I really
care. Do you know that you met my mother?” Diana asked, breaking off.

Jackson was
baffled as he searched his memory for having met someone he could associate as
Diana’s mother.

“One day she came
to visit me; she was in my apartment when you arrived, I told you she was the
cleaner, gave her twenty dollars and dismissed her,” she laughed. “Do you know
what that simpleton did? She left me all her worldly goods, and I took them.
Imagine my surprise when I realized she had been sitting on my father’s life
insurance for fifteen years. Apparently, she had saved it all for me.” The
laugh Diana emitted was so shrill it grated on his nerves.

Disgusted with
her, Jackson pushed her story from his mind. He couldn’t help her mother. He
could only feel sorry that her only child had treated her in the way she had.
His only concern was his children. “None of what you have told me explains
why
you hate my children.”

“People like me
are rare...we are special. We only have enough love for one person throughout
our lives. That person is you. I got pregnant because it was the only way to
get what I wanted,
you
. Those boys detract your attention from me.
Shortly they will begin to breed, which will be even more of a distraction. I
will not stand for that.

I’m not getting
any younger, darling. This is our time, yours and mine, and I intend to have
your undivided attention.”

Jackson had heard
enough. He had wanted to hear something about her past that could explain the
woman she had become. He now fully accepted that the mother of his children had
no morals when it came to getting what she wanted, and she wanted him.

“Do you have
anything else to say to me, Diana?”

“When will those
boys be gone?”

“Of course
everything is going to take time. Give me a couple of weeks to sort things out.
In the meantime, you and I can keep in touch. That way we can ensure that we
are both keeping up our end of the agreement.”

“Darling, please
don’t ever take me for a fool. I know that Jason and his wife have just
purchased a house in the country. You have exactly seven days, move them all
there if you want to, or anywhere else for that matter. I don’t care. Oh, by
the way. Under no circumstances are they to be allowed to move into Kingdom New
York.”

When she finished
speaking, Jackson wanted to laugh in her face. Did she think they were children
who would acquiesce to her every demand? That she knew about the house Jason
and Aviva had purchased was just another reason for them to tread carefully
around her. She was obviously watching their every move, and they needed to be cognizant
of that fact. For now, it was enough that she thought she’d outsmarted them.
Her continued self-absorption played into their hands.

“As enlightening
as this visit has been, I have other matters to attend to. Therefore, I must
take my leave.” Pushing himself to his feet, Jackson felt the need to be out in
the fresh air. He needed to draw in a deep breath that wasn’t polluted by the
stench of her cigarette smoke or her very being.

“Why of course,
darling. It was so good of you to visit me.” Now standing beside him, Diana
extended her cheek for Jackson’s kiss.

He complied; all
the sooner to be out of her toxic presence. He was shown out by a young man who
as far as Jackson was concerned was much too good looking to be believed. As he
passed through the front door of Diana’s house, he felt the young man’s hand
brush against his side. Jackson’s eyes darted towards the younger man in
confusion at his touch. He was staring straight ahead. His expression so blank,
it was as though Jackson wasn’t even there.

With a barely
perceptible nod, Jackson continued out the door towards his waiting car.

*******

Breaking news said
the headline:

“This is Abe Gantz
of, TRIB TV. This afternoon we were contacted by the R&B artist known as
Carlos Ernesto. The statement I am about to read to you is exclusive to TRIB TV.
Here is what Carlos Ernesto had to say.”

“‘After
continued contact with the mother of my daughter, it has become apparent that
the information my family and I previously stated is without foundation. I now
know that some unscrupulous men have seen fit to attempt to cash in on my
success.

I was mistaken.
I want to take this opportunity to say unequivocally that I was incorrect in my
judgment of, Ms. Braithwaite.

For any
distress my misguided comments may have caused; I wholeheartedly apologize.

It is my hope
that, going forward, the mother of my child and I, will be able to reach an
amicable agreement that will ensure the nurturing of our daughter.’”

“Ladies and
gentlemen, are you thinking what I’m thinking? Does this statement say to you,
as it does to me...
cover-up
? What’s really going on here? Stay tuned.
As always, we at TRIB TV are on the case. I promise you,” Abe said with his
most earnest look. “I will get to the bottom of this story. Viewers, this is my
promise to you!”

**********

Jake turned off
the TV. He had been exposed to trailers of excrement in his time, but this was
probably the biggest load yet. Who the hell did Carlos think he was fooling?
That family needed to fire whoever was advising them. Didn’t they remember that
he too had stated that MacKenzie had deliberately gotten pregnant to trap him?
From the look of his brother’s expressions, his conclusion of the statement
hadn’t been lost on them.