Heartbreak And Past Mistakes Read online

  “Perfect. Why won’t you tell me how you get my coffee to taste so good? My wife tries to do it at home but it’s never the same,” Mr. Malone said.

  “Nope, I’m not telling you. I need something to hold over your head just in case you try to fire me one day,” Lyric laughed.

  Lyric remembered her grandmother using condensed milk in her coffee and that’s the only way that she liked to drink hers. She started making Mr. Malone’s the same way and he loved the taste. It was nothing special, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “Three years ago I told you that you would have a job for life and I meant it,” Mr. Malone noted.

  “Okay, so what’s up?” Lyric asked.

  “Martha is retiring soon,” he said, speaking of his secretary of ten years.

  “Oh no, I hate to see her go. Is something wrong?” Lyric asked.

  Although Lyric liked the older woman, it didn’t really matter if Martha left or not. She didn’t do shit and Lyric did most of what should have been done by her anyway. Still, Mr. Malone always had a secretary and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Martha was supposed to be in charge of checking Mr. Malone’s emails and schedule, but that task fell into Lyric’s lap when she started getting behind. Martha moved like a snail and she forgot to do just about everything that Mr. Malone told her to do.

  “No, but she’s getting up in age. She was already retired from one job and she was only supposed to be working here temporarily. I need your help to find somebody to take her place. I prefer somebody young so they can stay on a while. I’ll keep the pay and the benefits the same,” he said, making the wheels in Lyric’s head spin.

  “What about my cousin Nova?” Lyric asked.

  “Do you think she would be interested?” Mr. Malone questioned.

  “Better pay and benefits, of course she’ll be interested. I’ll understand if you want to give it to someone who’s been here longer though. I know how crazy they can get around here.”

  “When have you ever known me to care about anyone else’s feelings? I don’t know when Martha’s official last day will be, but I want you to have Nova sit with her a few hours each day. I’ll let you hire somebody else to take her place in the receptionist area too.”

  “Speaking of receptionists, who hired our newest one?” Lyric asked.

  “Who is the newest one?” Mr. Malone questioned.

  “Are you serious Mr. Malone? You don’t even remember who you hired?” Lyric asked him.

  “I never do. Most times, I hire as a favor to someone else. Word of mouth saves me a lot of trouble with the hiring process.” He shrugged.

  “Sabrina White is the new girl. She’s the tall one that wears the bad weaves,” Lyric said, making him laugh.

  “Oh yeah, she’s Martha’s great niece. I did that as a favor to her.”

  “That figures,” Lyric said while rolling her eyes.

  “Why? Is she not working out?” he asked.

  “She calls off too much. She’s only been here for about two or three months,” Lyric replied.

  “Get rid of her then,” Mr. Malone said like the decision was easy.

  “What! I can’t fire nobody Mr. Malone. That’s not even my place to do that anyway.”

  “It is now. I don’t have time to deal with all that Lyric. I’m trying to open another office as well as run the ones that I already have. It’s time for another staff meeting to announce some changes that I need to make. From now on, the receptionists, the security guards, and the mailroom will be under your supervision. You’re the boss, so you do the hiring and firing. Just be firm and mean what you say Lyric. You can’t let your personal feelings get in the way of business. Demand respect and get rid of anyone who doesn’t give it to you. I’ll stand behind whatever decision you make. And don’t worry, your paycheck will reflect all the extra work that I’m putting on you,” he assured her.

  Lyric underestimated all that she did for him, but she was an asset to him and his company. It helped that they knew each other on a personal level too. There were times that he’d been so consumed with business that he forgot things that were important to him. His wedding anniversary being one of them. He was so grateful to Lyric for stepping in when she did. She was out shopping for gifts while he attended meetings throughout the day. She made their reservations for dinner that night and even had flowers delivered to his wife at home. She had the company credit card, so she had the funds to make it all possible. Chelsea was so happy when he made it home that evening and he had Lyric to thank for that.

  “Can I tell Nova about her new position now or should I wait?” Lyric asked, happy that her cousin was moving up in the company.

  Nova was now going to be a salaried employee and Lyric couldn’t wait to tell her cousin the good news. She was happy that she was going to be making more money as well, but she wasn’t too sure about supervising anyone. Lyric could never see herself firing anyone. She had never been put in a position like that before and she didn’t know if she could handle it. She was no saint, but she only went after those who’d wronged her first.

  “You can tell her now. Let Martha know that she’s gonna be sitting with her soon too,” he replied as he stood up.

  “Where are you going?” Lyric asked as she stood up too.

  “To Javier’s meeting. The closing arguments in his case start tomorrow and I need to make sure that this is another win for the firm. As a matter of fact, you can come with me. I might need you to take a few notes, just in case I have to leave before the meeting ends,” he replied as they walked out of his office together.

  That was a first because Lyric never attended a meeting with him. Mr. Malone walked down the hall to the large conference room and Lyric followed behind him. As soon as he buzzed, the door swung open and she locked eyes with Javier. He looked kind of confused about them being there together, but he greeted them both professionally. Once the other attorney’s entered the room, Javier got the meeting started.

  It was hard for him to keep his eyes off Lyric as he spoke, but Javier did his best. It didn’t help that he noticed that Spencer kept stealing glances at her too. He didn’t know what that was about but he was going to find out. Every now and then, Mr. Malone would whisper something to Lyric and she would nod and write something on her notepad. About twenty minutes before the meeting was scheduled to end, Mr. Malone stood up and excused himself. He instructed Javier to let Lyric know whatever he was going to miss before he made a hasty exit. Once he concluded the meeting, Javier excused everyone to go back to their normal daily activities. Well, almost everyone was excused. He couldn’t let Lyric leave without talking to her first.

  “Ms. Carter, I need you to stick around for a minute. I have a few things that require Mr. Malone’s attention,” Javier said as he looked over at Lyric.

  “Okay,” Lyric replied as she sat there and watched as everyone prepared to leave.

  A few people had questions that Javier had to answer and he didn’t look too pleased. He seemed irritated and his replies were short and to the point. Once he got the room cleared out, he turned to face Lyric. Pride went out the window when it came to her and he wasn’t above begging.

  “A bullet to the head probably feels better than how I feel right now. I’ll do anything Lyric, just please forgive me. I’m sorry baby. I realize where I went wrong and I swear that it will never happen again,” Javier said pitifully.

  “I accept your apology Javier, but I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking. I’ve never cared about being liked, but I won’t be disrespected by anyone and that includes your mother. I also don’t want to be in a relationship with someone who won’t even have my back when I need him to. Your mother took one look at me and decided that I wasn’t the one for you. I was cool with that because I’m fucking you, not her. What I do have a problem with is how you handled the entire situation,” Lyric replied.

  “I know that I handled everything wrong Lyric, but give me a chance to make it right. I can admit that she owes you an apology for her behavior and so do I. I should have said something when we were at the restaurant,” Javier said as he pulled her up from her chair.

  He was relieved that Lyric didn’t protest when he picked her up and sat her on the table. Javier stood in between her legs and lowered his head to give her a kiss. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he and Lyric tongued each other down in the conference room. He hadn’t had a decent night of sleep since they had dinner with his parents over the weekend. All of his calls and text messages went unanswered and he was going crazy. He passed by her house a few times, but he never knew if she was home or not since she always parked in the garage. Javier felt like he could finally breathe again and he was happy.

  “Thanks for the gift,” Lyric said once they finally came up for air.

  “You’re welcome baby. I missed you so much. I’m so happy that this case is almost over with. We need some time alone away from the office,” Javier replied.

  “I accepted your apology and all, but shit still ain’t sweet with us. Your words mean nothing to me without action,” Lyric said as she stood up and fixed her clothes.

  “What else do you want me to do Lyric? I mean, I can plan another dinner with my parents so we can talk,” Javier offered.

  “I’ll pass on that. I can’t be responsible for my actions when I’m around your mother.”

  “Okay, so how can I fix it if you’re not willing to come around?” Javier questioned, right as his phone rang.

  He and Lyric both looked at the screen and saw his mother’s name and photo pop up. Javier was about to send the call to voicemail, but Lyric wasn’t having it.

  “No time like the present,” Lyric said as she looked at him.

  “Now Lyric? You want me to talk to her at this exact moment. And over the phone at that,” Javier countered.

  “Is that a problem?” Lyric asked him as she folded her arms across her chest.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” Javier said.

  “Well, I do. Goodbye Javier,” Lyric said as she tried to walk away from him.

  “Lyric, wait. I’ll talk to her right now. Just, don’t leave,” Javier begged as he grabbed her arm to stop her.

  He took a deep breath before answering the call and putting it on speaker for Lyric to hear. He was happy that the room was soundproof because he would die if anyone heard his conversation. He was a no nonsense business man. He couldn’t let people hear him groveling.

  “Hello my dear. Are you free to speak with your mother?” Maxine asked in her usual high and mighty tone.

  “Hi mom. Yes, I’m free for a little while,” Javier replied.

  “Good. How is everything going with the case?” Maxine questioned.

  “Everything is good mom, but I wanted to speak to you about something.”

  “Is everything alright Javier? Do I need to be worried?” Maxine asked.

  “I have Lyric here and we were just discussing a few things about our relationship,” Javier said.

  “What relationship? I thought I made myself very clear at dinner this weekend. She’s not the one and I’ll never welcome her into this family. Why her, Javier? You could do so much better,” Maxine said, making Lyric want to snap on her.

  “Well, I disagree. I love her and I think she is the one. I also think that you owe her an apology for the way you behaved at dinner,” Javier said as Lyric smiled at him.

  He was sexy as hell standing there in a navy and white pin striped suit. His cologne was like an aphrodisiac and Lyric was feeling freaky. Javier’s eyes widened in surprise when Lyric bent over and removed her underwear. She sat on the table and opened her legs, giving him a perfect view of her freshly waxed goodies. He was still on the phone with his mother but his eyes never left her inner thighs.

  “Have you been drinking or something?” Maxine asked, pulling him away from his thoughts.

  “What? No mom, I’m at the office. Of course I haven’t been drinking.” He frowned.

  He had a tent forming in front of his slacks as he watched Lyric insert two fingers inside of herself and move them around. She and Javier had sex several times at the office, but never in the conference room. That was a huge risk but he was willing to take it. When Lyric called him over to her, he wasted no time going. He sat in the chair as she spread her legs wide and positioned them on each side of him. She removed her fingers from her love box and stuck them in his mouth. Javier closed his eyes as he licked her juices off and savored one of his favorite flavors. He was turned on and he would do whatever she told him to do at that point.

  “You must be high or something. That’s the only reason I can see for you saying something so ridiculous. Did she put you up to this? That goes to show you just how trashy she really is. She’s encouraging you to disrespect your own mother. She’s not fit to be a Livingston. She’s beneath you!” Maxine yelled, snapping Javier out of his Lyric induced trance.

  “You were wrong mom. Lyric did nothing to warrant the way you behaved. I was just as wrong as you were to let it happen. You don’t get to choose who I love. And it’s fine if you don’t want Lyric around. That just means that I won’t be coming around either,” Javier noted.

  “Is this a joke? She’s a damn secretary who probably didn’t even finish high school! Is that who you’re choosing over your own family?” Maxine yelled.

  “Goodbye mother,” Javier said as he ended the call.

  “All that just for me,” Lyric said as he pulled her to the edge of the table.

  “I’ll do anything for you and I hope Spencer and any other man that you entertain know that,” Javier replied.

  “What does Spencer have to do with anything?” Lyric questioned in confusion.

  “I saw the way he kept looking at you during the meeting. He had his chance and he blew it. I’m not letting you go that easily,” Javier swore.

  “Forget Spencer. It’s not him who I’m in the conference room risking my job for,” Lyric replied as she pulled his head in between her legs and watched him go to work.

  She threw her head back and grinded in Javier’s face as he marked his territory. His phone was ringing like crazy but he never bothered to answer it. Lyric smiled when she saw Maxine’s picture pop up on the screen. She was probably going crazy knowing that she was losing the grip that she had on her precious son. Javier had never chosen anything over her and she was having a hard time believing that he was doing it now. Maxine could underestimate Lyric all she wanted to, but it was cool. She was going to learn that the power of pussy was even stronger than the hold that she had on her only son.

  Chapter 8

  “Fuck!” Deuce yelled when he was jolted from a deep sleep.

  He thought he was dreaming when the constant beeping sounds kept ringing in his ears. His body felt weighed down to the bed, but he finally forced himself to get up. He was thankful that he did or he probably would have died in his sleep. The smoke detectors were beeping like crazy and the house was filled with smoke. Deuce grabbed a shirt from his drawer to cover his nose before running out of the bedroom. The kids were home and he needed to make sure they were okay. Before he went to check on them, he opened the front door to let some of the smoke out.

  “Armani! Get up baby!” Deuce yelled as he shook her.

  “Hmm,” Armani mumbled as she slowly sat up.

  “Get up and go outside,” Deuce ordered.

  “Is the house on fire?” she asked as she jumped out of bed and saw all the smoke.

  “Just go outside while I go get Baby Blue,” Deuce ordered as he rushed down the hall.

  “Baby Blue was cooking chicken. I told him not to do it,” Armani said as she followed behind him.

  “When was he cooking chicken?” Deuce asked, now knowing what was probably the cause of all the smoke in the house.

  “He did it when you went to sleep. That’s not how my mama does it and I told him that he was doing it wrong,” Armani replied, as she and Deuce walked into her brother’s room.

  Deuce was pissed when he saw Baby Blue lying in his bed with the game controller still in his hand. “Get up lil nigga!” Deuce yelled as he shook his stepson’s arm.

  “Baby Blue, wake up! Your stupid self set our house on fire,” Armani said as she stood there with her hands on her hips.

  She sounded like a younger version of Zina and she sometimes acted just as grown. Zina thought it was cute, but Deuce didn’t play that with her. He always had to remind Armani that she was still a child.

  “Huh,” Baby Blue mumbled as his eyes popped open.

  “Huh nothing. Get your ass up and go outside with Armani,” Deuce fussed.

  He instructed them to cover their faces as they both ran out of the room. Deuce was right behind them, but he didn’t leave out of the house. He grabbed the fire extinguisher and went to find the source of the problem. It didn’t take him long to see the sparks flying from the toaster oven, so he got right to work putting the fire out. Once that was done, he opened the windows and back door to let as much of the smoke out as he could. It took about thirty minutes, but his mission was finally accomplished. When he surveyed the damage, Deuce was ready to catch a case. Not only had the toaster over caught on fire, but the entire wall behind it was destroyed too. He was thanking God that he got up when he did because the three of them could have been overcome by smoke and burned to death.

  “Mama is gonna kill you, Baby Blue,” Armani said once she and her brother walked back into the house.

  “It was an accident. I was trying to cook some chicken and I fell asleep,” he replied fearfully.

  “You’re not even allowed to cook boy. You know better than that. Didn’t I just buy you and Armani something to eat before y’all went to bed?’ Deuce questioned.

  “Yeah, but I got hungry again. You told us that we can’t mess with the stove, so I didn’t. I put some chicken in the toaster oven, but I fell asleep before it was done,” Baby Blue said as tears fell from his eyes.