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Chapter Sixteen

Dereck

F rantic, that is how Ilyana should have been sounding. When she called me in the office and calmly told me she killed Miranda’s husband, I flew up from my desk and made my way to her. At first, I thought maybe she knocked him out, but she didn’t. I pull my feet away from the pooling blood on the floor. She really killed him. She killed Miranda’s husband. I stand here in shock. Even Jermaine looked shocked with his eyes wide open and his mouth gaping. Poor man must have been caught off guard. I didn’t even know she was having an affair with Jermaine. Now he is on the floor dead. I press a handkerchief to my temple, tapping my sweat away. In theory I should be disgusted by the sight of a dead man on the floor. In theory my wife should be panicking asking me, what to do. Neither of us are responding the way normal people would react.

I scratch my head thinking about the next step. I sigh, watching Ilyana as she calmy drags the fishnet stocking up her leg. The thought enters my brain as I look around the room. There is a single red balloon attached to the ac unit, scattered rose petals on the floor and flowers. What a way to end Valentine’s Day. But next year I can have the best Valentine’s Day ever. All I have to do is get Ilyana convicted. I feel weirdly happy and relieved.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets I said, “I think we should call the police.”

Ilyana stands with a purse over her shoulder and pulls her skirt down. “And why would we do that?”

“Because you murdered someone. You have to report it,” I reply. She stops and laughs, bending at the waist. Ilyana stands up right and shakes her head at me.

“Call the police. And how do you think that will go down?” Ilyana asked.

“You killed a man, Ily. I am going to tell them everything.” I point toward the dead body on the floor.

“Police, Police! Oh, not the police,” she cries.

“Officer, yes I was having an affair,” she chokes clutching her chest “But my husband came in a jealous fit, and he stabbed him.”

Ilyana looks at me and cracks a slap across her cheek. Her cheeks redden, and I know it may swell in some minutes. “Officer, he tried to force himself on me, and I…”

Ilyana bends over, pressing her hands to her face as she starts to cry.

I step forward, wanting to comfort her. She throws her shoulders back, fluffs her hair, and wipes her tears. “End scene. Who do you think they are going to believe? A white woman with tears or a jealous husband.”

I step back. My wife was a psycho mastermind. I have met my match.

“If I go down, so do you, Dereck, and your beloved Miranda will never love you again. And I have the bulk of your money.” Ilyana steps over the body and stops to examine her shoes. “I don’t want his blood on them.”

“Ilyana, you can’t leave. We have to fix this,” I reply.

“We? No this is your mess darling. If you focused on me. If you loved me, we wouldn’t be here. Have Henry or Aaron come fix this mess. You fix all of theirs. I will see you at home.” Ilyana, tip toes and presses her lips against my cheek and leaves through the hotel door.

Here I am standing now over the lifeless body of my wife’s lover and my ex’s husband. One man, two betrayals, and blood on my hands.

* * *

PENNY

“What do you mean you don’t need my services any longer?” I hold on to the arm of Zeeta’s chair.

“You will be compensated Ms. Holt. But we are changing management,” Jeremiah Douglas continues to drone on in my ear.

Zeeta is rocking Gia in her arms, her face is confused as I am.

“We really do love what you did, and we thank you for your service,” Jeremiah states.

“Jeremiah, who bought your business?” In the back of my head, my brain hints Tarek. But no, he wouldn’t... right?

“IDM industries. We will have your apartment emptied and your belongings shipped to you,” Jeremiah says, I can hear the cords of joy in his voice.

My jaw is still on the floor, before I could ask more questions, Jeremiah hung up the phone.

“Were you just fired?” Zeeta asks, Gia lifts her curly head from her mother’s shoulder like she, too, was concerned.

My phone alerted me of a new message, labeled: Thank you for your service.

As I peruse the email, it was a formal notice of the end of my contract. Attached was a document that I had to sign.

I feel like someone just slapped me across my head.

“Yes, I have a huge check, but I was fired and shipped back to Lakeshore.” I throw my shoulders back on the sofa.

“What are you going to do?” Zeeta asks, she sits on the chair opposite me. Gia’s eyes are becoming heavy, she sucks her thumb on her mom’s chest.

I shrug. “Go back to the Asylum and continue working.”

“Would you like to stay here? We have the room,” Zeeta says as she looks up at her high ceiling and its ornate crown molding.

“I have an apartment in the Asylum building. I need to find about IDM industries,” I begin to start making notes on my phone when I hear the heavy steps approaching our way.

Zeeta sits up and smiles brightly as her once sworn enemy, now husband, enters the room. Rhet Banner is not my kind of guy. Yes, he is good looking, blue eyes, sharp features, and tall. But it takes a certain kind of woman to deal with him and I am not her.

“Pen, welcome back. When are you leaving for Trinidad?” He snickers as he sits next to his wife.

Zeeta instantly melts to his side and the groggy Gia, leaves her mom’s lap and climbs to her father’s.

“Apparently, I will be staying here,” I reply. “Rhet do you know who owns IDM industries?”

Rhet rubs circles on Gia’s back. “Maybe I do?”

Zeeta pushes Rhet’s arm. “Tell her who owns it. They just acquisitioned the business and now Penny doesn’t have to go back to Trinidad.”

Rhet chuckles and kisses the top of his daughter’s head. “You don’t say.”

“Rhet, please,” I plead.

“Babe, you are refusing to tell Penny means you are hurting me,” Zeeta pouts.

“This is the shit I was talking about before the wedding. Tarek’s father owns that business.” Rhet says. He stands with a sleeping Gia in his arms.

Zeeta looks at me with her eyes wide. “Tarek? Is it serious with you two?”

“No. I will see you later Zee” I reply.

Before Zeeta could ask more questions, I grab my bag, my phone, and car keys. Tarek wants my attention well now he has it.

* * *

TAREK

“Add some more shallots to this.” I throw the spoon into the sink.

“Yes, Chef.”

I move over to the next dish a pomegranate sorbet and dipped a new spoon into it. The tangy taste hits my tongue. “Perfection. This is good.”

“Thank you, Chef,” my pastry chef replies.

“This event is celebrating the anniversary of Ethan and Amelia Wulf. They are a philanthropist couple.” I look at the dishes laid out on the stainless-steel table. “I’m confident that we can do this without a hitch. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Chef,” my team says as they all disperse to their assigned areas.

Marco stands to the side of me. “Who is this new jovial chef?”

I squint my eyes. “Fuck you, Marco. I’m always jovial.”

Marco taps his finger to his lips. “No, for the last year you have been a tyrant and a dick-tator.”

“I hear the snide remark. Nothing has changed,” I reply.

Just then Janaka comes inside with a bright smile on her face. “Um, Chef?”

Both Marco and I look up.

“You have a visitor,” Janaka says, as she leans on the door making way for Penny to come into my kitchen.

“Ms. Holt.” Marco moves in front of me and steals a hug from Penny. “Welcome back.”

Penny smiles back at Marco. “How have you been?”

“Great, especially now that you are back.” Marco pulls away and squeezes her shoulders.

“Oh, I am not back. I am leaving tomorrow morning to go to Trinidad.” Penny smiles tightly, looking at me to respond.

Marco stares back at me and then at Penny. “Great. I will leave you to it.”

As Marco moves away, I can’t help but smile at Penny. I can tell that she is angry. I guess she just got fired.

“Can we talk somewhere private?” I turn and walk up to the Lookout—AKA my office.

The door slams behind me and I begin to pull my blinds down; my staff below don’t need to witness what’s about to happen.

“IDM industries,” Penny says.

I sit at the edge of my table feeling a sense of happiness knowing that I did my job well and I get to watch her rage.

“You had no right Tarek,” she shouts and paces.

I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”

Penny stops mid-step. “You don’t know what I am talking about. When your daddy owns the company that bought my client out.”

“Which company is this? My father has a lot.”

Penny folds her arms and taps her foot. “Tarek.”

I stand up and walk up to her until she drops her arm and looks away. “Why fight it? I told you Treasure you are not going back to Trinidad.”

“You can’t do that! You can’t disrupt my life.” She stomps and folds her arms.

“You disrupted mine when you left. Its only fucking fair,” I reply.

I press my head against hers. “But I missed you, and I’m never letting you go.”

“That’s insane. You’re insane Tarek.”

“Insanity is in my DNA. Plus, you might be pregnant as we speak,” I state.

Penny sighs and closes her eyes. “I’m really upset.”

“You have every right to be. Let me make you feel better,” I move forward and press my lips against hers.

“Let me take all your stress away,” I press my nose into her neck and inhale, biting on her neck.

“No! Tarek you over stepped!” Penelope pushes me away and drops onto my leather chair.

I shrug. “I don’t feel like I overstepped.”

A pillow sailed passed my head, thankfully I ducked.

Penny gets up and walks to the door. “You have no respect for me and what I do.”

What? I grab her hand and pull her to me.

“I’m sorry that you feel I over stepped,” I state.

“I want to be compensated for the income that I would have gotten,” She folds her arms and watches me.

“I know for a fact that-” She cuts me off with a side eye.

I raise my hands in surrender. “You know you’re right. I will triple your losses.”

Penny’s eyes scan the room, and she sighs.

“I really enjoyed working in the Caribbean,” she mutters

“I will buy us a villa there.” Problem solved.

“Us? There is no “us” Tarek” she states.

“There is always an ‘us’ Treasure.”

“While I am here, I will be dating other people,” she states.

Now she was being petty. I slide on the couch next to her. “Go ahead. But that pussy is mine.”

“Boy please.” She rolls her eyes.

She screams as I grab her and pull her unto my lap. Allowing her to feel how hard I have become.

I nuzzle into her neck, she smells sweet like caramel. She sighs and looks at me in my eyes.

“I am really sorry, Pen,”

She laughs. “No, you are not Tarek”

“You’re right I’m not. But I don’t like when you’re upset.” I hover over her lips.

She kisses me lightly.

“Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”

“Sit on my face,” I said biting my bottom lip.

“I am too heavy.”

I don’t like how her demeanor changes.

“I bench press more than you weigh, Treasure.”

Penny stands and walks to the door. “May be next time. I am staying, but I am not going to be yours.”

I laugh watching her leave. “That pussy will aways be mine, Penny. I will have you remember that.”