We Didn’t See it Coming (9 page)

Aniyah took the towel and patted him in the front.

“You will.” She laughed. “But first thing's first: I must find out about my fortune. I'll even share some of it with you. How do you like that?”

“I'm not worried about any fortune. I want the picture you took. Anyway, whatever Rupert left for you, the Houstons will fight you on it; especially Milandra.”

Aniyah confronted him: “That is where you come in. You'll make sure they don't or everyone will find out about you and your women. They'll think we planned all this together.”

“So that's what this is all about.”

Baron snatched the towel from her. He left out the bathroom and put on a pair of pajama shorts. “There's the phone, call a cab.” He pointed and jumped in the bed.

Aniyah found her way in the bed and under the covers. She tickled his manhood. Baron pushed her away. She jumped on top of him. Her breasts dangled in his face.

Aniyah would be hard to get out of his house without putting up a big fuss. He had already milked the cow so why not go for more milk? Reaching up at her, he found himself locked in her arms.

• • •

The next morning, Baron woke up while Aniyah still slept. He checked the clock, eight o'clock.

“Aniyah, wake up. We're going to be late. Hell, I'm going to be late.”

“Good morning,” she said as if she were his wife.

“I have to be at the office at nine o'clock. The Houstons are prompt.”

“What about me? I have to be there, too. You'll drive me.”

“I can't drive you. Me, drive Rupert Houston's illegitimate daughter to the reading of his will? Are you out of your mind?”

“How else will I get there?”

Baron knew about the time it took for a cab to arrive, and to take her home to get a change of clothing, she would be late for the reading. “Here's the deal: I'll drive you there under one circumstance. You have to kneel down so no one sees you. When we get to the office, you'll get out and go in first. It will appear that you were waiting on me to come in.”

Aniyah grinned, for she had gotten her way again. She put back on the outfit that she had worn to the funeral. Baron got dressed.

He led her to the garage. She lay down in the backseat and off they went to his office.

Arriving, he parked in his usual parking spot. He looked around to see the limo hadn't yet brought the Houstons.

Out of the car, he opened the back passenger door on the driver's
side and stood in front of the door while Aniyah crawled out. She squatted down and walked around the car, passing two cars before she stood up again and went inside.

The attorney entered the office building a few minutes after her. “Good morning, Sara. The Houstons haven't arrived yet?”

“No, but there's an Aniyah Sanchez here,” Sara said, pointing toward her. “Miss Sanchez says she's here for the reading of the will.”

“Good morning, Miss Sanchez,” he said as he shook her hand.

“Nice meeting you again.” Aniyah smiled.

“Sara, please escort Miss Sanchez to the meeting room.”

Aniyah stood up, pulling down on her skirt that had risen up to almost expose her private parts. She followed Sara down the hall.

Baron went to the left to his office. He pulled out the Houstons' file, and then Sara buzzed him.

“They are here. Do you wish for me to direct them to the meeting room?”

“No. Send them into my office,” he replied.

T
he sisters strolled into Baron's office from the oldest to the youngest. Kenley purposely dragged far behind them. Inside her bag, she carried an iPod that she wanted to listen to and tune out all of the family's business.

Baron smelled the different fragrances that the two older sisters wore. “Come in and have a seat.”

Milandra sat in the closest seat to his desk. He pulled two more chairs up for Noelle and Kenley. Not too far away was another chair for their surprise guest.

Noelle tried to be discreet in making eye contact with him, but Baron now played his business role of Attorney Chavis. He showed no signs of looking into her eyes.

This is why Noelle was falling in love with him. Baron reminded her so much of her father, so professional. He was also a man who showed so much attention to her family. He would make a great family man to his own family.

He sat behind his desk and opened the file. He clenched his hands together, leaning back in his leather executive chair.

“Something has come up,” he said softly.

“Excuse me,” Milandra said, leaning forward to clearly hear what he had said. “Speak up, Mr. Chavis.” She saw the flushed look in
his face. He kept his eyes on the file. There was trouble in the will. “Speak up,” Milandra repeated.

“Please, Mr. Chavis, hurry up so I can get out of here,” Kenley pleaded.

“Mr. Chavis, whatever it is, just tell us,” Noelle said.

He spoke up loud and clear. “Something has come up,” he repeated.

“Just tell us,” Noelle said.

“It's that fourth daughter the news was talking about. It's true,” he said.

“Who is she?” Kenley was excited as she rambled on at the mouth. “How old is she?” She forgot all about leaving. This was the kind of gossip she heard about from some of her friends about their fathers.

“Be quiet, Kenley. And you, Mr. Chavis, control your mouth on tabloid lies,” Milandra said.

“It wasn't in the tabloids; it was on the news,” Kenley corrected her.

“It's the same thing,” Milandra insisted.

“I'm sorry, Milandra, it's the truth. You have a sister you knew nothing of,” he said.

“I knew in my heart it was true. Maybe lots of bad things written in the paper about Father were the truth and we knew nothing about it,” Kenley said.

Milandra went over and slapped her across the face. “Don't ever disrespect Father. He has given us his heart and soul!” she yelled.

Noelle pulled Milandra by the elbow, urging her to go back to her seat. Kenley sat crying.

“We must not fall apart on this news. Maybe it's a mistake. Some-one is looking to cash in on Father's fortune,” Noelle said.

They settled back into their seats. Baron didn't know whether
or not to get Aniyah out of the building and deal with the will later. After all, following two intimate moments with her, the tabloids would report him as her lover or bed partner. He decided that since the can of beans was half open, he might as well open the can all the way.

“She's here for the reading of the will,” he said.

The sisters looked back toward the door. They shouted in unison, “Where?”

“She's sitting in the meeting room,” he said.

The sisters had many questions. But one question Milandra blurted: “Why is she here for the reading of the will?”

“Your father indicated her in his will,” the attorney stated.

“Father acknowledged her? It must be true.” Noelle cried.

“She wasn't raised in our home under the family name. She'll never be family to me.” Milandra said as she sat back in her seat with her head up high. Milandra pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her neck.

“Father probably left her a few dollars in his will, no big thing. Let her get her few dollars and be gone,” Kenley said, annoyed.

Milandra smiled. “You can speak like a Houston when you want to,” she said to her sister.

Baron paged his secretary. “Sara, send Miss Aniyah Sanchez in.”

The door opened and the Houstons turned to see Aniyah walk in. Aniyah's smile was brighter than the sunlight shining in the room. They could see she had to be a child of one of the Mexican servants.

“Unbelievable,” Milandra said.

“As they say in the hood, a hoochie,” Kenley said.

Noelle didn't express her thoughts.
Whore
flashed across her mind, though.

“Hello, half-ass sisters; that's not a way to welcome me.” Aniyah smiled.

From under her skirt, the sisters could see that Aniyah's legs were exposed up to her thighs. Her breasts bulged out of her outfit. The hot pink color that she wore turned the business mood into a room for partying. Bangles jingled on her arms. The platform heels raised her high off of the floor. She flung her hair.

“Have a seat, Miss Sanchez,” Baron said.

“Yes, sugar,” she said as she winked at him.

Aniyah sat down and crossed one leg over the other. She gave him a good view of her whole right side up to her thigh.

Noelle wanted to rip her eyes out. This was something she was supposed to be doing to arouse him.

“Mr. Chavis, please get on with the reading of the will so we can get out of the presence of such company,” Milandra said.

“Bitch, you got a problem with me? Don't hate. Now I know why Papa always said I was his favorite and fun daughter,” Aniyah teased, continuing to play in her hair.

Kenley was annoyed for she had always considered herself as her father's favorite daughter. If he were still alive, she would run to ask him if he loved Aniyah more than her.

Milandra was appalled. “How dare you?” She stood up.

Aniyah stood up, too. “Bring it on,” she said as she waved for Milandra to come near her.

Baron rushed out of his seat to attend to them. “Please, let's handle this with intelligence.”

“Whores don't know anything about being intelligent—just spreading their legs,” Noelle spoke.

Aniyah was quite aware that it was the photo of Noelle she had copied and pasted on the computer with Baron. This was the sister she was blackmailing him with.

Aniyah laughed. “So, it's you?”

Puddles of sweat gathered on Baron's forehead. “Please, have a seat, Miss Sanchez, and be quiet,” he begged.

Noelle didn't forget Aniyah's words. “What do you mean, it's you?” she asked.

Chavis answered in response for Aniyah, “You and Aniyah are the same age,” he explained.

“Oh, Father, how could you do this to us, even to Mother?” Milandra sobbed.

“Father had two women pregnant at the same time,” Kenley said.

Aniyah laughed. “Yes, Papa had a bed in the big house with his black wife and a bed in the maid's room with his Mexican honey.”

“Who's your mother?” Milandra demanded to know.

“Tessa Sanchez.”

The girls recalled the woman coming up to them at the funeral and how she remembered Milandra as a little girl.

“Your mother was at the funeral. But for you to be Father's daughter, how can you be here for the reading of his will, but not attend his funeral?” Milandra was appalled.

Aniyah pointed at Milandra. “Girl, get your facts straight. I was there. In and out—just like he did with my mama.”

“Despicable,” Milandra said. “I have no other words for you. Mr. Chavis, read the will.”

“Ladies,” he said, “no matter what is read, please don't interrupt.”

Baron read the will from beginning to end. Tears flowed down the Houstons' eyes, except for Aniyah, who sat with a big smile on her face.

“Fabulous,” Aniyah said, excited.

The words he read spun over and over again in their heads.

Rupert had left in his written will that Baron would be executor over the construction business and estate. He left huge sums of
money to his daughters. He explained that they had lived at the Estate all their lives and now it was Aniyah's turn.

Their father stipulated that Kenley could stay in the house until she finished college, after which she could move on. And in any event, upon Aniyah's death, the estate would go back to the rest of his children to sell and divide equally. His daughters should move immediately into his other property, the Houston Villa in Lake Murray. A smaller home, but cozy enough for them. All the servants who wished to stay, their jobs were secure. Elsa would remain head servant until she either retired or passed away.

Baron showed no emotions of joy about being executor of the Houston Estate, as the will also stated, until Milandra turned fifty. He could build his own empire by then.

Kenley looked over at Aniyah. She could see the glow in her eyes. “Father expects me to live with a total stranger,” she said, even though she knew all of the Houstons' rules would be doomed.

“Girl, I'm not a babysitter. You need to get to stepping with your two sisters sitting over there,” Aniyah said, snapping her finger at Kenley.

Milandra screamed, “This has to be some mistake! This matter must be investigated. Mr. Chavis, do what you have to do to cover this matter and report back to me.”

“The only thing that has to be done, bitch, is for you to pack your stuff and get out my house,” Aniyah retorted.

“We will not!” Milandra yelled.

“No fighting anymore. If this is Father's wish, so be it. We have each other.” Noelle wept.

Milandra looked over at Aniyah. “Never!” she screamed. “I won't accept her moving into what's rightfully ours.”

“Listen, if you don't move out of my house, I'll call every newspaper in America and tell my story,” Aniyah bluffed.

Milandra knew a scandal in the media would destroy what good was left of their family name. She stood up and looked back at Baron. “Handle it. Come on, Noelle and Kenley, let's leave. We have work to do.”

The sisters left the office. Once they disappeared, Aniyah burst out laughing. She slammed the door behind them.

Baron came from around his desk and shook her. “This isn't funny. I've never seen them so lost and hurt.”

Aniyah snatched him by the tie. “Don't worry about their pain. Your only concern should be my pleasure.” She reached up and kissed him, leaving her lipstick on his lips. “I'll take a limo back to the apartment and pack. Call me one. Put it on my bill. No, you pay for it, Executor.” She laughed.

He got on the phone and called her a limo. Somehow or some way, he had to get her out of his life.