CHAPTER FOURTEEN
[PART TWO]
Hours Later
Bronx, New York
"Sean, hurry up! Justin will be here any minute!" I snap at my brother who's taking forever in the bathroom.
"I'm coming, take it easy Tai." He hums smoothly and I roll my eyes, laughing softly.
I've been dressed and ready for about ten minutes now, sitting on my couch, patiently waiting for Justin's arrival. Sean has been in the bathroom for the past half hour doing god knows what. He's such a girl sometimes.
Lifting my head when I hear the bathroom door creak open, I smile when Sean comes into sight, sporting a pair of dark jeans, squeaky clean sneakers, a blue graffiti printed shirt and a matching blazer.
"Look at you." I say in awe. "My bro looks fine!" I giggle, standing to walk over to him and he takes a bow with a huge grin on his face.
"This doesn't just happen girl. It takes time and close attention to intricate details." He responds.
He really is a weirdo.
"Ok..." I drawl and he laughs before gripping my hand to spin me around.
"You're hot yourself babe, with your black strappy heels, mini jeans skirt and black matching tube top and jeans jacket. Sexy-chic." Sean supplies causing me to laugh loudly as I push him away.
"Whatever. Don't act like you didn't help."
"I did." He beams proudly. "And the hair is down, curly and falling around your face, shoulders and back. The makeup's subtle but fierce." He chuckles and I eye him with a smile. "Poor Justin. That man is going to have a hard time keeping his hands off of you."
"Shut up Sean! Oh my god!" I gasp, giggling like an idiot just when the doorbell rings. "That's Justin!" I say excitedly, rushing to the door. "Don't forget to leave your bedroom unlocked for Uncle Ricky and Aunt Jen when they get here later. They have the spare keys for the apartment." I remind Sean and he snaps his fingers, quickly heading down the narrow hall to unlock his room.
Shaking my head in amusement at my brother, I quickly unbolt the locks to the front door, swinging it open, coming face to face with a freshly showered and shaven Justin.
My mouth gapes open in shock as he looks down at me, his lips curving into a soft smile.
"Hey there gorgeous." He says slickly.
"You shaved?" I question, lifting my hand to touch the smoothness of his skin.
"Mm hmm." He hums, leaning down to capture my lips in a gentle kiss before he pulls away. "All for you." He admits and I bite my lower lip, taking in the sight of him.
"You look good Justin."
No, he looks so sexy it hurts...I swear. I'm stunned. I'm still not used to seeing him out of his work attire.
And he has such a refreshing style. He mixes past generation styles with present. It's kind of cool.
He's dressed in a pair of simple light jeans, dazzling white sneakers, a white shirt and a blue matching jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His left wrist is adorned with one of his designer watches and he has a matching fedora hat on his head.
Dear god, this is torture to the extreme!
And he looks so much younger with his face clean. I'd kiss him and skim my hands over his face whole day, whole night...
"I'll take your speechless staring as a compliment." Justin whispers, leaning towards me and I snap out of my thoughts, my eyes traveling south, noting the bulge in his jeans.
And I swallow hard, images of us meshed together naked with him buried deep inside of me flooding my mind.
Then I quickly snap my head up to look at him with wide eyes when I hear Sean at the back of me.
"All set!" Sean calls out, coming towards us, but I never break my gaze on Justin who's staring right back at me, a mellifluous chuckle escaping him before he grips my hand in his to lead me out of the apartment.
"Shall we?" Justin asks and I nod dumbly like a fool. "Hey Sean." Justin greets my brother.
"What's up Justin? Let's get this party on the road." Sean says eagerly and Justin nods in agreement.
"Let's go..." He voices, escorting us out of our apartment.
Sean quickly locks the door and moves to walk next to us, the three of us falling into casual conversation as we head out of the apartment complex and towards Justin's parked Mercedes so we can begin our journey to Robert's...
*****
Later
At Robert's Penthouse Apartment
Manhattan, New York
Robert was right when he said to come prepared to have fun. I had no idea what to expect, but the moment we stepped foot into his apartment, the place was already swinging.
The night has been filled with non-stop games, dancing, laughing...you name it.
Plus, he has a nice set up here too. I still like Justin's penthouse better though but his is pretty cozy too.
There's a buffet laid out across this ridiculously long table. Lannick is actually the DJ! And the bar in here is fully stocked with all types of soft and hard liquor.
It's crazy.
I had no idea what to expect but this has certainly turned into a bash of some sort. There are a few extra people here besides who Robert mentioned would be there, but that's fine because they're all their close friends.
Carla was able to make it too. She's actually next to Lannick behind the mixing table, chatting with him and watching him do what he does best as she sips on her drink while he holds up his large stereo headphones to his ears.
Sean is off to the side in a deep conversation with one of the other guys Robert invited who I think is some photographer if I'm right.
Sharron is off on her own scene as well, flirting with one of their friends.
Justin and Chris are lazily lounging on the couch, sipping on their poisons as they talk about god knows what while laughing at Gem and Maura who are out in the center of the living room in front of them, doing some crazy dances since they're both tipsy.
And me? Well, I'm casually sitting on one of the stools close to the bar, enjoying myself as I sip on my poison, keeping my eyes trained on Justin, wishing I could just straddle his waist and make out with him in front of everybody and not care. Kind of like back in high school days when Sean and I attended some crazy parties for our old friends.
Unfortunately, this is not high school anymore, even if some of the people at A-List are childish.
We need to keep up appearances even outside of work because all it takes is for one person to do the wrong thing and another to talk about it and just like that your reputation and image could be ruined.
Sighing, I finish off my scotch and turn to grab the bottle I placed up on the counter earlier, only to realize that it's gone. Frowning, I stand and make my way around the bar searching for another bottle but finding none. What the hell?
Groaning in annoyance, I abandon my glass and walk over to where Justin and Chris are seated, still eyeing Maura and Gem who are doing some type of booty dance now. Giggling when they call out to me to join them, I quickly shake my head ‘no,' plopping down between Justin and Chris on the leather couch.
"Ouch, girl, say excuse me." Chris scolds me, nudging me playfully and I stick my tongue out at him before diverting my attention to Justin.
Turning to glare at me, Justin raises his hand to rest behind my head on the top of the couch, getting more comfortable.
"So are you having fun?" He questions and I shake my head.
"Yup. This is nice."
"It is, definitely worth taking the load off." He chuckles.
"But there's no more scotch Justin." I pout and he laughs loudly in response.
"Are you kidding me Tai? And you say you're not addicted? You don't need alcohol to have a good time."
I'm not addicted to the alcohol, but Justin...well that's another issue.
"I had the bottle; it was right there and now it's gone...vanished." I say disappointedly.
"Maybe someone took it." Justin shrugs, finding my displeasure amusing.
"I guess. Well, I'm going to head into the kitchen and see if Robert has anymore in the cabinets. I think I saw him head in there to check on whatever he was cooking." I voice and Justin nods in agreement.
"Bring me back a beer?" He asks hopefully and I oblige.
"Sure."
"Me too!" Chris adds in and I eye him before giving in.
"Fine, I'll be right back." I state while getting up and heading into the kitchen where it's much quieter.
When I make it to the entrance, I notice Robert's t-shirt clad back as he stands over his stove, stirring whatever he has in the pot in front of him.
"Mm, something smells delicious." I voice, walking in, grabbing his attention.
He doesn't turn to stare at me right away. His form goes rigid before he heaves a sigh and wipes at his face.
"Thanks, it's my mom's recipe." He mutters softly and I frown, slowly walking up to stand behind him.
"Rob? Are you ok?" I question, touching his back lightly, causing him to flinch away from me.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be? Are you having a good time?" He asks, still keeping his back to me and I move to the side to get a good look at him but he turns away.
"Yes, I'm having fun." I say contently, still glaring at him.
That's when I see the bottle of scotch I was looking for earlier, on the counter next to him.
So, he took it?
There's a half-full glass sitting on the counter on the other side of him and I look into the pot he's stirring, the delicious smell of the spices in the spaghetti sauce filling my nostrils.
"Good. Good. I'm just heating up the sauce to bring it out for you guys so we can all dig into the buffet." He explains and I nod even if he's not looking at me.
"Robert, what's going on?" I demand firmly this time, gripping his chin, forcing him to turn and face me.
And I gasp, feeling my heart ache at the sight of him.
He looks down at me, his beautiful blue-grays puffy and red as he sniffles lightly, wiping at his pinkish nose and I sigh.
"Damn it Robert, what's wrong? Were you...were you crying?" I ask in astonishment and he grunts, smacking my hand away.
"No." He lies and I fold my arms across my chest, calling him out on his lie.
"Try again Rob."
Studying me intently, he rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed with my presence. "It doesn't matter. Look why are you in here? You shouldn't be in here." He scoffs and I scowl at him.
"I just came in to..."
"I can't have you in here with me. I don't want to do anything I'll regret..." He mutters, drifting off and what the hell is he talking about? Is he having a breakdown or something?
"I only came in to ask you if you had anymore scotch but, I see that you took the bottle I was drinking from so, if I could just have it, then I'll be out of your hair. Oh, and two beers? Are they in refrigerator?" I question, ignoring his intense gaze as I move around him to grab the bottle but he grips my wrist, stopping me, and I freeze, feeling my heartbeat pick up.
"Tai..." Robert says weakly and I gaze up at him, really paying attention to him. There's hurt and confusion in his orbs as he looks at me, almost pleading with me. "I can't keep doing this." He states, his tone a little firmer now.
"Doing what?" I ask out of concern. My eyes flit over the large, spacious, marble kitchen, silently saying a prayer that he'll let me go so I can leave.
I can't deal with this. Justin's right in the other room and god, the look on Robert's face is breaking my heart.
"This Tai...any of this. It's destroying me Tai. What do I do?" He asks. "I don't know what to do."
I wish I knew what he was talking about but I'm so clueless. He's acting unstable and I hate to say it, but I'm a little afraid of him right now.
"Rob you're not making any sense." I say calmly and he growls angrily, letting me go.
"Would you stop calling me that? Only Justin and my mom calls me that. I miss my mom, I wish she was here. She's off somewhere in the Philippines with her husband. She doesn't care. Neither of our moms care." He says dejectedly and I hesitate, wondering if I should leave and maybe call Justin to deal with his brother instead; but when I make a motion to move, Robert stops me, cornering me between his tall frame and the kitchen counter.
Oh no.
"Could you...could you please back up Robert? I'm not comfortable with this." I tell him but he brushes me off, his eyes roaming over my face.
"You're so nice Tai. You're such a sweet girl. You were never meant to get sucked into our crazy lives. My dad's so wrong about you...so wrong." He whispers softly and I swallow hard.
So, this is about their dad.
What the hell did he have to say about me?
Oh boy, now I'm nervous.
"Rober..." But he cuts me off.
"I see why Justin is so taken with you. Why he's falling in love with you. What's there not to love?"
He sounds like Justin now.
Ok, this needs to end; I've had enough.
"Robert..." I say in a warning tone, pushing against his chest.
My eyes widen in shock and I gasp slightly when he leans down, closing the small gap between us. My heart is pounding out of my chest and I'm hoping he's not going to do what I think he is. No, he can't...he can't do this. He can't do this to me...
"Don't!" Is all I manage to get out before his lips connect to mine in a heated kiss and my heart stops, this entire moment at a standstill as I try to overcome the shock I'm in to register what's happening right now.
But I don't kiss him back, my eyes wide and bulging.
Then I hear someone else's footsteps as they enter the kitchen, the sound of Justin's voice paralyzing me with fear.
"Tai what's keeping you so long..."
Silence.
Then I hear a furious growl followed by...
"What the fuck!?"
And I push against Robert, trying to get him off of me.
I think he's drunk. He tastes like the scotch he was drinking and he quickly pulls away from me when he makes out Justin's voice but he's too slow...because in the blink of an eye, he's being rooted off of me and slammed harshly into the refrigerator, the large kitchen appliance shaking immensely from the impact.
"What the fuck is going on!?" Justin shouts, full of rage, his blues fixated on Robert.
"Justin? Hey..." Robert says lazily with a tiny slur, glaring at his brother.
"Are you drunk!?" Justin questions in disgust, holding Robert in a chokehold against the fridge.
I slap my palms over my mouth in shock, wanting to tell him to stop, but too afraid to say anything since I have no way of gauging his anger at this point.
"Maybe." Robert shrugs and Justin groans in frustration finally turning to glare at me with questioning eyes.
"Why were you kissing him?" He questions me, but he doesn't wait for an answer, immediately snapping back to Robert. "Why the fuck were you kissing her!?" Justin yells, his voice booming off the walls of the kitchen, even with the music playing outside.
Oh god, oh please don't let anyone hear this or witness this.
"Because I wanted to." Robert snaps back with attitude and oh no. Justin's eyes widen in astonishment before he releases his hold on his brother.
"Because you wanted to." Justin laughs dryly with a humorless expression on his face. "Because you wanted to!?"
Justin's composure completely breaks and he uses all of his built up strength to jack Robert harshly in his chest, sending him crashing into the fridge before Robert falls to the marbled floor in shock, gasping for air.
But Robert doesn't react or say anything. He simply takes it.
Hovering over him, Justin tilts his head to the side, gripping Robert by his arm, forcing him to stand. "My own brother? Are you fucking shitting me? Rob I swear you better start talking. Don't make me injure you. I swear to god, I'll break one of your limbs if you don't start talking." Justin warns in a low malevolent tone.
"Justin, stop. He didn't mean to...he's drunk he, he got carried away. Please don't make a scene out of this." I finally speak up begging Justin to chill out, but he raises his hand to silence me.
"Do not fucking defend him Tai, and don't even talk to me right now." He barks and I bow my head, biting my bottom lip harshly, willing away my tears.
"Don't talk like that to her!?" Robert retorts. "She didn't do anything wrong!"
"No asshole. You did apparently; what I don't get is why? Why would you do that to me Rob? You're my brother...my...my best friend." Justin's voice cracks and I can see the anger slowly diminishing from his system as it's replaced by hurt, pain and uncertainty. "You know how I feel about her. I told you and you go behind my back and pull this stunt!?" Justin shouts.
"Justin..." I call again weakly.
"Shut the fuck up Tai!" He snaps.
"Chill out Justin!" Robert yells back and Justin jacks him away again.
"Don't tell me what to do! Don't you tell me anything except explaining why I walked in on you kissing my girlfriend. So help me god, Robert, if you weren't my brother you'd be black and blue right now."
And Robert laughs bitterly, straightening his posture, trying to regain his composure as he eyes Justin. "So dad was right. You all are together. Great." He mumbles uncaringly and that's when Justin gasps in shock as realization washes over his face.
He backs away from Robert slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dad?" Justin questions in a daze. "Dad put you up to this?"
"No." Robert responds, rubbing at his soar chest where Justin jacked him a moment ago. Groaning in pain, he coughs lightly, looking away from Justin and at me, giving me an apologetic stare. "Tai I'm sorry..." He begins, but Justin's not having it.
"Don't change the topic Rob. Did dad tell you to do this? Did he tell you to come between Tai and me? Tell me the truth Rob. You owe me that." Justin demands but Robert shakes his head in disagreement before he starts to pace.
"I owe you nothing Justin!" He screams and Justin's head jerks back in offense.
Silently, I switch off the stove when Robert's sauce starts to burn.
But that's nothing compared to the intense burning in my chest. I feel so stuck, so torn between the two of them that I can't even get my legs to move, to pull me away from them, away from this disaster and to my brother.
Sean.
I need him.
I wish he'd come in here.
"Rob..."
"No Justin! Don't Rob me. All I've ever done is stick up and cover up for you. Our entire life Justin! All I've ever done is be there for you because you're my brother and I love you! And where does that leave me? On the verge of losing everything because our fucking father can't accept that this company is my dream and not yours! You don't want this, any of this but I do and he won't accept that. He has it in his head that his eldest, his first born should take the lead even if it's clear that you're not interested. Does he care about what I think, how I feel? No! You didn't hear him today Justin. You didn't hear the things he told me. I honestly don't think he loves us at all. He doesn't care. He's a damn monster. I didn't want to do it! I told him I didn't want to hurt you! But he wouldn't listen and he threatened to cut me off Justin! Because of you...because he can't accept that you.don't.want.this!" Robert wails and I whimper, feeling my heart break into a million pieces for him. Oh gosh, this is so sad.
"What!?" Justin asks in shock, his eyes glossing over. "Rob, you can't blame me for this!?"
Oh please, make them stop! I can't stand the sight of two grown men on the verge of tears. They better not cry, they just better not.
This is like the twilight zone or something.
"It's your fault Justin! It's your goddamn fault. If you just listened to dad and obeyed him instead of always rebelling he wouldn't treat us like this! He wouldn't do this to us! I can't do this anymore! It's driving me insane! The company, this business, isn't worth it Justin. It's not worth it. I tried my whole life. I tried to make dad proud, to make him see that I was just as capable of running this company. But it's pointless. I see that now. He thinks that I don't have what it takes. I'd rather be homeless living on the streets than endure any more of this torture under dad's hand. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Robert chokes out before resting his back against the fridge and sinking to the floor defeated.
I don't think I've ever seen this weak side of Robert. He's always so cool and calm. I'm sure it takes a lot to get him worked up so this was long in the making.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out as I remain in place, looking at Justin whose stare hardens to pure rage and hatred as he balls up his fists.
"That son of a bitch!?" Justin yells furiously before kicking in one of the bottom glass cabinets, the glass shattering on impact, making a loud echo.
And just like that silence takes over.
The music dies out and I can hear voices in the other room getting closer and closer and I hold my breath when everyone storms into the kitchen with curiosity and concern on their faces.
"What's going on?" Chris is the first to speak up, his eyes widening in astonishment when he sees Robert sitting on the floor and Justin leaning against the counter, trying to regain his normal breathing patterns. "Did we miss something?"
Oh Chris you have no idea.
"Justin, what happened?!" Gem screams in shock when she sees the glass particles surrounding his feet.
But he doesn't answer her.
Instead, he turns to look at me with a blank expression on his face and I feel my nerves kick in as I'm wondering what's going on in his mind right now.
Maura brushes past everyone and quickly moves to Robert's side, stooping down to his level, asking him if he's ok and I frown in interest at their interaction. Maura and Robert? When the hell did that happen and how did I miss it!?
"Tai!"
"Sean?!" I reply, snapping out of my thoughts when he barges in, coming over to me to give me a hug. "What the hell is going on? Why is everyone in here panicking and asking questions? What happened?" He inquires, looking between Justin (who's glaring at us), Robert and Me.
"Nothing's happened, yet." Justin finally speaks up, straightening his posture. His voice is so cold, so unfeeling as he gives his brother one last glance before turning away from him. "Come on, we're leaving if you all still want me as your ride." Justin beckons to Sean and me before he makes his exit, brushing everyone out of his way.
"Justin what..."
"Sean." I cut my brother off. "Please, don't. Let's just go. I'll talk to you when we get home." I supply, glancing at Robert before I look away, getting ready to leave.
I would tell him that I had a nice time and all but, well...I did at first. But now...not so much.
"Fine." Sean caves and we excuse ourselves to follow in the direction Justin went.
When we make it out into the living room, we notice that he's standing in front of Robert's television, glaring at the screen in detest.
Following his line of sight, I gasp when I see pictures of he and Nella splashed across the screen of whatever entertainment show that's going on.
The headlines say something about a new heir being born into the A-List family to carry on the legacy.
Wow, I can't believe Nella would do that to Justin. She's such a bitch. I know it's wrong to hit a pregnant woman, but if I ever see her again, I'll gladly take the jail time for showing her exactly what I think of her.
Why the hell did Justin even switch on the television?
"Nella just texted me." Justin mutters practically answering my question. "She told me to switch on the television, that she knew I was at Robert's and it would make for fun entertainment at the party. I'm getting that paternity test Tai. I don't think that kid is mine." Justin explains emotionlessly before turning to glare at me.
Sean tightens his hold on me, giving me a reassuring squeeze as he remains quiet and I sigh.
"Justin, don't do this to yourself. Let's go...please." I plead.
Nodding weakly, he shuts off the television before tossing the remote and stretching out his hand for me to take.
I'm reluctant at first because I really don't know how he feels about me now after the whole Robert incident but he seems ok for the most part. I guess Robert's words pierced him deeper than expected. He has a solemn expression on his face and the moment my hand clasps with his, he squeezes it tightly, keeping a firm grip on me.
"I'm not angry at you Tai...o-or at Robert...anymore. And I'm sorry for my reaction." Justin voices, giving both Sean and me an apologetic stare as the three of us quietly make our exit to head for his car so he can bring us home. "I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of our dysfunctional lives." He adds in when I don't respond right away.
"It's...it's o-o-ok." I stutter, still feeling hurt because he's hurting and Robert is hurting too.
"But...I'm not letting you go. Not without a fight." Justin begins in a rough tone as his expression hardens. "I'm still my father's son; which means I have him in me and I can be just as callous as he is." Justin explains and I feel my heart skip a beat from the sheer hatred oozing out of him. "I swear to you Tai, Randall is going to regret ever, ever trying to take you away from me and turn my best friend, my own brother against me..."
- FIN - |
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