Believe in Me (Strickland Sisters Book 2) Read online

  Our table was near the center of the room and was full of Ma’s friends. I was the youngest thing at the table besides Veda. Yeah, I brought her crazy ass with me after making her promise to act like a normal human being. I figured I owed her that since I wasn’t holding up my end of our little arrangement, because my dumb ass was still sitting around waiting on Renee Strickland, and I didn’t even know why.

  I sighed at the wonderment in Veda’s eyes as she took in her surroundings. It was a shame her ass was so crazy, otherwise maybe I would’ve felt like taking her out more instead of just screwing her behind closed doors. But it was what it was.

  She leaned in close, resting a hand on my thigh. “Thanks for bringing me, Zo, and buying me this dress. Everything is so…nice!” She lowered her voice. “I’ma give you all this pussy when you take me home tonight. Or am I spending the night with you?”

  Shit.

  I still wasn’t trying to screw her loco ass, but knew better than to say it right then, so I just smiled at her, leaned in close, and whispered, “Your place, V.”

  She grinned and let her eyes sweep over the room again. I glanced at my mom, saw the look of disdain on her face, and let my eyes meander away from her. She hated Veda.

  My eyes wandered back to my mom, who was now staring at Veda in disgust, and I closed them for a second. When I opened them, they landed across the room, on a pretty brown face and a gorgeous pair of round eyes.

  Doc.

  She was staring at me with a look I couldn’t quite place on her face. Longing? Desire? I stared back, tried to match her gaze. And then Veda leaned against me, whispered something in my ear, and kissed my cheek, using her finger to wipe her lipstick off my skin. Doc frowned and looked away, but I kept my eyes glued to her. She shifted her eyes back at me, this time rolling them and flashing me a scowl. She looked beautiful. Angry, but beautiful, and I had to bite back a smile when her eyes found me a third time. I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head to the side. In response, she turned her back to me.

  I was so angry, I could scream. Not at Lorenzo, but at myself for rejecting him to remain true to vows I’d taken with a damn sub-human piece of pond scum who had done nothing in return but make my very existence a living hell. I huffed and sighed and snatched my sweaty glass of iced tea up to my mouth, almost spilling it on my nice, expensive, peach-ass gown.

  “The hell is wrong with you?” Angie asked. Then her eyes widened. “Robert’s ass isn’t here, is he? Do you see him somewhere?”

  “No. Not Robert.”

  “Well, who or what has you snatching up tea and throwing it back like it’s whiskey?”

  “Middle of the room. White tux.” What was with this man and the color white?

  “Huh?”

  I sighed. “White tux. Big. Handsome with some chica rubbing all up on him.”

  “Okay, I see him. Who is—ohhhhhh. Giiiiirl, that’s Lorenzo?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. I tried to tell you.”

  “Yeah, but I mean…wow.”

  “I. Know.”

  “Nay, he’s fine as hell.”

  “I know!”

  “Shit, where is Nicky? Still at her man’s table? She needs to see this man!”

  Ryan leaned in close to Angela and whispered something. She slapped his hand and giggled then for some reason, pulled a small package of wet wipes out of her purse and showed it to him. A second or two later, she turned back to me and said something, but my eyes and attention had both found their way back to Lorenzo. His date or whatever she was, was leaning in close again, whispering something in his ear, and my stomach lurched when he moved his eyes from me to her and smiled.

  I stood from the table, afraid I was about to hurl all over myself.

  “Hey, you okay? Where you going?” Angie asked. “They’re dimming the lights. I think Chaka Khan’s about to hit the stage.”

  “Bathroom. Be back.”

  I didn’t know he’d followed me out of the ballroom until I felt him grab my arm. He pulled me where I had been headed anyway, toward the restrooms, gently pushed me against a wall, and placing his hands on either side of my head, caged me in place.

  “You wanna tell me what’s going on with you? Why you’re acting like this?” he asked, in a low voice.

  His face was so close to mine, I started feeling antsy, and at the same time, couldn’t remove my eyes from his lips. My desire to taste them was overwhelming my senses. “Acting like what?”

  “Rolling your eyes and scowling every time I look at you.”

  “If that’s what you think I’m doing, stop looking at me.”

  “I will when you stop looking at me and my date.”

  “Your date,” I scoffed. “Whatever.”

  “You’re pissed I came with a date?”

  “What do you think?”

  His eyebrows flew up. “I didn’t even know you’d be here.”

  “So?”

  He shook his head with this incredulous look on his face. “Shit, you made the rules, Doc. No contact, no friendship, no nothing while you’re still married. Did your divorce go through and you failed to inform me?”

  “N-no.”

  He brought his face even closer to mine. “Then what’s your issue?”

  “My issue is you just gave up on me! Said okay, acted all cold toward me at Genesis and I was in a really bad place that day, and now you’re here with Sofia Vergara’s ass, just flaunting her in my face!”

  “What was I supposed to do? Beg you, chase you, wear you down until you gave me another taste of that sweet pussy of yours?”

  “Yes!”

  “Why didn’t you just say so, Doc?”

  My eyes widened. “What?”

  “Why didn’t you just say so?” he asked, his words slow and deliberate. “You think I won’t chase your sexy ass?”

  “I…I—”

  “Have you changed your mind about being true to a nigga you’re divorcing?”

  I sighed as he moved his hand from the wall beside my head to my cheek. “I don’t know. I just—I miss you. A lot. And-and my husband is pulling all these stunts, making these outlandish demands. He’s trying to take Genesis from me, or at least my half of it, and I’m stressed and it feels like I’ll never be free of him, but I can’t really move on until—”

  “What’s his name?”

  “My husband?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Robert. Robert Mattison. Why?”

  “Because, I’m tired of you calling his bitch-ass your husband. Call him Robert or Mattison or anything but your husband. Fuck him! If you want me, if you want us, then let’s do this, but seriously, fuck him, Doc. He doesn’t deserve your fidelity.”

  “I wish it was that easy, Zo. But it’s not for me.”

  His lips finally met mine in a soft kiss before he backed completely away from me. “It’s as easy as you make it, Doc.”

  “Zo—”

  “Call me when you’re ready for me.”

  “What about your date?”

  He was back in my face again. “You think she’d be here if your ass would stop pushing me away? I don’t want her, Doc. I want you.”

  Then he left me standing there, my heart thrashing in my chest.

  16

  It’d been a hectic morning, starting just after midnight when I was forced to crawl out of bed and head to a rural home where three hours later, I had to send a young laboring mother to the hospital as her blood pressure reached dangerous levels. She and her twins were fine now, but just as I made it home, I received another call—heavy contractions only five minutes apart. I met this mother at the birthing center and had to send her back home, as she’d only dilated one centimeter and her labor stalled an hour after she arrived. Too tired to drive home, I shut myself up in my office, and four hours later, was awakened by a knock. Greeted with a crippling headache, I lifted my head, said, “Come in,” and gave Cass half of a greeting as I rummaged through my purse for
pain reliever.

  “Hey, you okay?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Headache. Rough night. Exhausted.”

  She sank into the chair opposite my desk. “You can’t form complete sentences. Go home.”

  I downed the pills with lukewarm water from a water bottle. “Can’t. Appointments.”

  “Any of them urgent? Can we reschedule? Let me check your schedule.”

  I hadn’t even noticed she was carrying a laptop up until that point. As she checked my schedule, I rested my head on my desk, popping it back up when she said, “You think it’s your blood pressure?”

  I shrugged.

  Her eyes were still fixed on the computer she’d balanced on her crossed legs. Cass was tall and elegantly pretty. Delicate dark skin, almond eyes, hair in micro braids. She could’ve easily been a model if she’d wanted to. “Well, you’ve been under a lot of stress with the divorce, and things have been hectic around here. All of that could be sending your blood pressure up.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm, looks like we can move everyone except Mrs. Raynor. I’ll see her and tell her about her negative test. I remember you saying how anxious she was to know the result.”

  “Yes, she and her husband have been trying to get pregnant for a while now. I know how much anxiety builds up between tests,” I said, leaving out from personal experience. “A delay can be tortuous.”

  Cass closed the laptop and pulled her stethoscope from around her neck. “Let me check you out. Where’s your cuff?”

  I opened a desk drawer and pointed.

  My blood pressure was through the roof. So after an emergency visit to my personal physician, I went home with a filled prescription and crawled into bed and just cried. This damn divorce was killing me. Literally killing me. And as I lay there with the remnants of that Prada cologne drifting into my nose, I started wondering if maybe I should just go back to Robert, give in, revert to sitting around the house pretending everything was okay. Because this was torture, and I’d obviously hit my limit. I was not only exhausted from work but from dealing with…everything. Tired of bracing myself for whatever stupid thing he would think up next to make things worse for me. And then there was Lorenzo and what he’d said to me at the benefit last week, the passion in his voice and eyes. At this point, I didn’t give a damn about my morals. I was just too defeated to pursue anything with him. If Robert’s goal had been to break me down, he’d succeeded.

  By some means, through a mind thick with thoughts, I managed to fall asleep and nearly jumped straight out of bed when I heard my phone ring. I kept my eyes closed, relieved the headache had subsided, and groped for my phone.

  “Hello?” I muttered.

  “Hey. Renee? Are you busy?”

  Anxiety rushed over me. It was Danielle.

  “N-no, not really.”

  “Got a call from your husband’s lawyer. They want to meet today, in thirty minutes if that’ll work for you.”

  I held the phone.

  “Renee?”

  “On my way.”

  *****

  I stepped into Danielle’s office in surrender mode. Whatever he wanted this time, he could have it. I’d sell my half of Genesis. I could start over. I didn’t want to, but I could. Hell, maybe I wouldn’t do anything for a while. Just rest. I needed rest. I lived with my mom, had no bills other than a car note and credit card payments. And I had two savings accounts this asshole didn’t even know existed. I’d be fine. I could find a job in a second with my employment history and experience, but what I wasn’t going to do was let this situation or this man cause me to have a damn stroke. I was tired of it all, wanted it to end, and so, I would give him what he wanted. Whatever he wanted.

  Once in Danielle’s conference room sitting across from him, a peace fell over me, an overwhelming feeling that this was about to be over, because I was going to make it be over. I was taking my life back.

  “My client is anxious to dissolve this marriage as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Peter lied.

  Somehow, I managed not to scoff or roll my eyes.

  “So, in that vein, he has decided it would be best to sell the home and divide the proceeds equally. He wants Mrs. Mattison to keep all funds in the joint accounts. You will both retain your individual cars. And…that’s it.”

  I finally looked up at Robert, whose eyes were on something behind me. The wall? A window? “What about Genesis?” I asked. “You don’t want me to sell it anymore?”

  Robert glanced at me, opened his mouth, then shook his head.

  His lawyer slid some papers to Danielle. “If you find this amended answer is agreeable, we can sign now.”

  “Can you two wait in the lobby? Give us time to go over this?” Danielle asked.

  An hour later, I left the law offices of Prince and Stitt, a free woman.

  17

  Sitting behind my desk, my back to my computer, I stared out the window at Rell washing one of my cars. There was a lot on my mind, but nothing that should’ve been keeping me from working. I just didn’t feel like working.

  My phone rang—Veda. She’d been blowing my phone up, angry that I sent her home from the benefit in an Uber, but after talking to Doc that night, my head was all twisted up and I really didn’t feel like dealing with her. That’d been a week ago, and her ass was still on the rampage.

  I watched Rell leave the car and rush into the garage. A minute or so later, a familiar car pulled in front of the garage, and my eyes widened as Rell opened the door for her.

  I hopped up from my chair, looked down at myself—jogging pants and a t-shirt. Shit, whatever. I had showered, so there was that. I started to run my ass to the front door, then decided to at least try to play it cool, act like a man who was damn near forty instead of some eager-ass teenager, but it was hard.

  Straining my ears, I heard Rell let her in, heard her thank him, and a minute or so later, heard a knock at my office door.

  I sat back down, and said, “Come in.”

  The door eased open. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a sheer black blouse, so sheer that I could see her black bra through it. Her thick hair was pulled back in a ponytail. I think I’d only seen her wear make-up once, maybe twice. She was wearing none at that moment, but she didn’t need it. She was so damn beautiful without it.

  She flashed me a timid smile. “Hey.”

  I didn’t move, didn’t smile, wasn’t sure what I should do. “Hey.”

  She fingered the keys she held in her hand. “Uh…can I sit down?”

  “Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

  I watched her sink into a chair. Then, silence.

  I scooted closer to my desk. “What’s on your mind, Doc?”

  Her thick eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at me. Luscious lips parted then closed again. She leaned forward in her chair and dragged her bottom lip between her teeth, making that dimple appear, and blood rushed to my crotch. Every little thing she did turned me on.

  Finally, she said, “I just wanted to let you know my hus—Robert and I signed the divorce papers.”

  I kept my eyes on hers. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “Well, the papers still have to be approved and signed by a judge, but Robert’s lawyer says they’ve found one who’s willing to sign off on our divorce as soon as tomorrow morning. My lawyer says they must have connections, because things never move that fast, so, I’m essentially a free woman.” She was smiling triumphantly by the time she finished her statement.

  I nodded. “Good for you. Congratulations.”

  She sat there and stared at me. “That’s it?”

  With lifted eyebrows, I asked, “Is what it?”

  “That’s all you have to say? You’re not happy?”

  “Of course I am. I’m very happy for you, Doc.”

  She kept her eyes on me, and then her face fell. “You…you’re not interested in me anymore?”

  “I’m interested, Doc. As a matter of fact, I’m sitting here with
a hard dick just from the sight of you.”

  Her eyelids dropped a bit. “Then why are you acting like you really don’t care?”

  “Being cautious. Is this just a friendly visit?”

  “No…I want to be more than friends. I want you.”

  “You sure I’m what you want? You’re positive?”

  “Yes! I came straight here from my lawyer’s office, because I…I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “Then act like it!”

  I smiled, left my chair, and stepped around the desk. “Come here.”

  She stood, keys still in hand, and moved in front of me. I lowered my head and kissed her. “Is this what you want me to do?”

  She nodded, her chest beginning to heave.

  “What else?”

  She closed her eyes. “Touch me.”

  “Where?” I leaned in and kissed her neck. “Here?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I slid my hand under her blouse and pushed her bra up, squeezing her breast then rolling the nipple between my fingers before dipping my head and covering it with my mouth, licking and sucking as I felt her hand on my head and heard her moan. Then I lifted my head. “Mm, and definitely here, huh?”

  “Yes…”

  I backed away from her, my erection becoming painful. “Where else, Doc?”

  She kept her eyes on me as she dropped her keys. unbuttoned her pants, pulled them down, and kicked out of them. She dropped her panties and kicked out of them, too. Then she was on the huge, abstract rug on my floor. On her back, legs open. Resting a hand on her treasure, she said, “Here.”