Sons of Justice 13_Off the Market for Love Read online

  Vella rubbed his beard. Messina shook his head and exhaled, and Biani nodded his head. “Two days? What the hell could go wrong in two days?”

  Chapter Five

  “I offer full price. Ten million, Tiana. I want this property,” Charleston Long said to Tiana.

  She was so damn nervous. She just got the same offer from Ellington as she met Charleston here at the property.

  “Well, I can put that offer down along with the other one that came in not too long ago,” she said to him.

  His eyes narrowed. “Someone else put in an offer? How much?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say, Charleston.”

  “Seriously? How much was their offer?”

  “I can’t disclose that. You know how real estate works. Listen, it just came in a short time ago. We can fill out the forms, you can put in your bid.”

  “I want this property. It’s got everything I’ve been looking for to expand my business. It will create more than two hundred jobs for the locals in these parts. Including retired soldiers and other community members. Raise my offer five hundred thousand.”

  “Okay, ten million five hundred thousand.”

  He smiled. “I want you to keep me up to date on this. I’m not letting this property fall out of my grasp. Make it happen, Tiana,” he said to her.

  A short time later as she drove back toward the office, she received a call from her boss Gordon.

  “Two offers? Look at you. It’s going to be a bidding war.”

  “I hope not. In this case it could cost the winner more than it’s all worth.”

  “Not really. That piece of property is prime location, and whatever business goes there will be successful.”

  “Do you even know what types of businesses we’re talking about here? I mean, I understand that Charleston deals with manufacturing and has many different businesses besides the family oil and cattle business. What do we know about Ellington and Michael’s businesses?”

  “It doesn’t really matter. I do believe it has something to do with imports and exports, warehouses and industrial type things, but I really don’t know what specific business would got here.”

  “Well, it’s important to know. The towns don’t approve of just anything, even if that person owns the land and pays taxes.”

  “It isn’t your concern. You focus on selling it. Ten five? This is going to get crazy, I just know it, and all the while we’ll be laughing to the bank,” he said, and she got an uneasy feeling in her gut.

  She ended the call as she drove down the main roadway and back toward the office. She kind of wished she knew what Ellington and Michael were going to put there if they got the property. She kind of liked the idea of a local businessman like Charleston building a business that brought in jobs for local community members and retired soldiers. It was hard to find good paying jobs, with benefits and something close to home. It really could be a good fit. She had no control over who got the land though, just organizing the buds.

  Her phone rang and she saw it was Avana. She anticipated this call, as she had called her earlier and told her she needed to talk, but then had been busy all afternoon. Here it was nearly five o’clock and she still had homes to show.

  She answered the call on Bluetooth.

  “Okay, I’m dying here, I need to know what happened.”

  “Well, it got complicated. Obviously. Talia said that you were going to eat dinner with them along with Falzone and his team, but then Biani called and said plans were changed. Heard Tat made sure you were safe.”

  “I know, and as embarrassing as it is to know that so many people know I stayed the night, I guess I should feel cared for.”

  “Oh my God, you slept with them then?” Avana asked.

  “Not much sleeping was happening.”

  Avana squealed. Tiana laughed. “It was crazy. I don’t know what I’m going to do?”

  “What do you mean you don’t know what you’re going to do? They’re going to claim guardianship of you.”

  “Uhmm…”

  “Oh shit, tell me everything.”

  Tiana spent the next forty minutes going over what happened, and how the last twenty-four hours with the men had ended.

  “Oh God, they aren’t pushing you away, or treating you like a one night stand, they’re going through something.”

  “What do you mean, Avana?”

  “Sounds like PTSD, or some sort of effect from their missions. You said Vella and Messina’s eyes were red-rimmed and they were exhausted and snappy. That they disappeared instead of staying with you Biani and Falzone in the bedroom?”

  “Well, the bed is small, and all five of us couldn’t fit.”

  “They should have stayed in the bedroom on chairs, surrounding you. They were maybe afraid to fall asleep. Perhaps they have nightmares.”

  “Oh God,” Tiana said, and covered her mouth with her hand. She felt terrible. “I don’t know. I can’t ask them.”

  “Oh no, not right away anyway. Maybe after you spend more time with them and things get more serious. They may try to hide it from you completely if they fear you could be afraid of them.”

  “Afraid of them? No, if I was going to be afraid of them, then it would have happened as they made demands in bed.”

  “What kind of demands?”

  “I’m not kissing and telling.”

  “Oh, you mean spanking you?”

  “Hmm.”

  “More than that? Oh boy, do you mean restraining you with rope and sex toys, whipping your ass, and using other devices?”

  “No…what do you mean other devices?”

  “Are they into BDSM?”

  “Uhm, what?”

  “Oh brother. We need to get together. When can you come over?”

  “I can’t. I’m swamped and then tomorrow is crazy too, and I have a late showing then a dinner meeting.”

  “Dinner meeting with who?”

  “Uhmm, a couple of clients.”

  “Who?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Not that wealthy dick that wanted to screw you in the bathroom?”

  Tiana heard the male voice in the background.

  “Shit. I did it again.”

  “Great who is there now and heard?”

  “Spade and Woodrow.’

  “Shoot, well don’t go blabbing your mouth. I have to have this meeting with him and his partner, they’re bidding on the property the company has for sale.”

  “Seriously, and his partner, too? Has he hit on you?”

  “Well.”

  “Tiana Grace.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “They both want you in their bed, don’t they?”

  She could hear the men in the background.

  “Go calm them down, I can handle these men like I handle the others.”

  “I know it’s been annoying, having all these men hit on you and want you in their beds, but you’ve declined them all, and not Falzone, Vella, Messina, and Biani. Don’t you think there’s a reason why?”

  “Sure, I wanted to sleep with them. I want to be with them, but they aren’t exactly talking like they’re capable of making a commitment.”

  “Just yet, but maybe they’re working on it.”

  “Maybe, or it’s a game. To buy time, and to still get what they want. Sex.”

  “I think it was more than sex. You were going to leave, and they didn’t want you to, and you wound up on the kitchen table and almost against your own car in broad daylight.”

  “Lust makes people do crazy shit. Remember what Brazille said about how she met and reacted to Cole, Farrow, Luke, and J.T.?”

  “And look where it led them, to love. They were all fighting it, Brazille, too.”

  “Yeah well, I’m fine with slow. They want time, and I’m pretty damn busy. In fact, I need to go. We’ll touch base in a few days.”

  “Keep me posted, oh, and let me know how Wednesday night goes, and be careful with the two partners on T
uesday. You are going to the self-defense training with Frankie tonight, right?”

  “Yes I am, if you let me off the phone so I can go back to work.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Call me,” she said, and Tiana laughed and ended the call.

  Just a little longer and she would leave work and go to Frankie’s house for the training tonight.

  * * * *

  “So what’s the deal with you guys and Tiana?” Tat asked Falzone.

  “What do you mean?” Falzone replied, then picked up the next heavy bag of supplies they were loading into Tat’s truck to bring back to the campground.

  “You damn well what I mean. Are you guys going to claim guardianship? Talk to Spartan or what?”

  “It’s new.”

  Tat snickered then leaned against the back of the pickup truck and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “What the fuck happened? Who screwed it up, or did you all blow her off afterward?” Tat asked.

  “What? Where did you hear that?”

  “I didn’t hear anything, but I know you guys. I know how you operate. It wasn’t long ago that we had the chips on our shoulders, the gung-ho bad ass attitudes and thought military, missions, danger and coming close to death made us who we are, and was our only focus. This shit comes out of nowhere and smacks the shit out of you. Sometimes when I look at Talia, I’m fucking stunned.”

  “She’s a beautiful woman and you’re all lucky to have her.”

  “I damn well know that, and I could have lost her, so it makes our relationship even more precious. I’m not trying to force something on you, but you need to remember that as long as she’s on the market then she’s accessible by other men.”

  “I know that. Don’t you think I fucking know that?”

  “Well, then what’s the holdup? You all slept with her.”

  “It’s complicated?”

  “Because you’re all denying your feelings?”

  “Because there’s other things going on. We all just got back from over a year of back to back bad ass dangerous fucking missions. We’ve had no time to recoup.”

  “Recoup with her.”

  “Emotions aren’t easily shared with real men like us. You’re soft now, so you forget,” Falzone said and then turned away.

  Tat stood up straight and uncrossed his arms. “Fuck you I’m soft. You say that because I can express to my woman how I feel and she’s supportive in return? I haven’t changed, except maybe for the better. For seeing something so precious and irreplaceable that I didn’t ignore it, push it away or let it get away. Don’t let Tiana get away.”

  “She isn’t going anywhere.”

  “You might think that, but as you push her away, allow there to be space, for walls to be put up, uncertainty to rule her thoughts, and the fears that it isn’t real, it will confuse her, and all of you, and you’ll lose this opportunity. There are other men interested in her and for good reason. She’s sexy, smart, gorgeous and professional. Shit or get off the pot, man, or you’ll lose her.”

  Falzone squinted at Tat and took his words to heart. He also knew that Talia was good friends with Avana and Tiana, and Merica, Brazille, and Marianna. Hell, everyone knew everyone around here.

  “What do you know that you’re not coming out and saying?”

  Tat exhaled. “I overheard Talia talking to Avana. Seems that she has to do business with some men that have made some sexual advances on her in the past. She can’t avoid it, and Avana sounded concerned.”

  Falzone squinted his eyes. “Concerned how, like her sister could be in danger with these men?”

  “Concerned with the fact that there are more than one of them, and they want her as their lover.”

  “What? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Listen, it’s what I overheard. Apparently, Tiana declined and continues to.”

  “You think if we wait too long, or don’t seal this deal in some way, that she could be enticed to go with these men instead?”

  “Not really sure, but some women do stupid things when the men they really want piss them off or push them away. We’ve all seen it happen. Don’t lose the chance to have something special with her. The others will come around. She might even be able to help all of you get over the past year of dangerous missions. There’s something to be said about laying in the arms of a good woman. Heals even the hardest of souls.”

  * * * *

  “Can we take her home tonight? I don’t think I can wait, Ellington,” Michael told him as Tiana left to use the ladies room.

  “No, as much as I want her, too, we can’t quite yet. We need to play our cards right. Don’t you want to win this deal and get the girl, too?”

  Michael chuckled then took a sip from his wine glass. “I want to taste her though, and you know as well as I do that this process is going exactly as expected and in our favor.”

  “You think so? Someone offered a million five more.”

  “After we countered a million, it’s one person we’re bidding against.”

  “Here she comes,” Ellington said, and Michael stared at her as she approached.

  He and Ellington stood up, noticing the men staring at her as she got closer. As usual she looked amazing. Tonight she wore a pencil tight, black skirt that hugged that sensational ass of hers. The black silk blouse was tucked into the skirt, and a few buttons were undone, slightly camouflaging her abundant breasts with several strands of pearls. Her heels were designer and high, giving her a little height, and her perfume was enticing. Her long, dark locks were pulled up into a sophisticated style on the top of her head, exposing her thin, porcelain neck, and accentuating her facial features. She was stunning, exceptional, and Michael only surrounded himself with the best. She fit what he preferred to be seen with.

  She took a seat and smiled, when he noticed her purse in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She placed it down onto the table. “Looks like someone else just joined the bidding war,” she told them.

  Michael widened his eyes. “Who?”

  She tilted her head. “You know I can’t say who. I accept the bids, and the owner required confidentiality.”

  “Who is it, Tiana?” Ellington asked her firmly.

  “I’m not saying. It’s late, and I need to head home. It’s been a long day.” She went to move, and Michael covered her hand that sat on the table over her phone just as she was going to pick it up. She stared at him.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Tiana. You deserve beautiful things, attention, devotion, and respect. I don’t want you looking at this business relationship as our only relationship. You understand Ellington and I. Our wants, our desires, our plans for the future. You’re set to make a good amount of money when this deal goes through. What are your plans for it?”

  She squinted and pulled her hand out from his, then took her phone and placed it into her purse.

  “You’ve insulted her, Michael,” Ellington said, holding her gaze.

  “No, I didn’t. I’m looking out for her, which is more than most men would for a woman they aren’t even dating,” he replied.

  She swallowed hard.

  “Listen, we like you, you know that. You’re honest and a good person. I don’t want you to get screwed.”

  “I’m not following you, Michael. My personal finances, personal life, are none of your business.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that,” Ellington replied.

  “What does that mean?”

  “We want to spend more time with you. Getting to know you, and helping you to do far greater things than real estate.”

  “I’m fine where I am, and as I mentioned the other night, I’m not interested in dating any clients. I appreciate the compliment though,” she said to them.

  As Michael went to say more Ellington stopped him.

  “We’ll be in touch. Keep us posted on the bids. We were the first to make an offer, so it’s only right we get to counter.”

  “Of course, but the seller specif
ied the winner is the highest bidder, now that there’s a bidding war. I’m sure it will be over soon. Please feel free to call me with any more questions or concerns,” she said, and stood up.

  They did as well. Michael decided that he may not get her to come home with them tonight, but he would get that taste he wanted.

  As they headed outside into the parking lot, it was dark out and a bit breezy.

  They followed her to her car that was parked near theirs, and when he turned to say goodnight, Michael made his move. He placed his hands on her hips and held her gaze. “Are you dating anyone?” he asked, and noticed her eyes go wide and then move to the left and lower. “Are you?” he asked, placing his hand under her chin and holding it firmly.

  “Not exactly,” she whispered.

  “You’re seeing someone? Since when?” Ellington asked.

  “I’m not seeing anyone.”

  “Sounds like a lie, and you don’t lie. Who is he?” Michael asked. She looked confused, maybe even uncertain, and perhaps that was over whomever the idiot was she liked but didn’t reciprocate the desire back.

  “If you were mine, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, never mind my bed. You’d be more than satisfied and sure about what we had between us.” Her lips parted and she just stared at him.

  “He’s a fool, don’t let him use you,” he said to her, then pressed his lips to hers. Michael slid his arm around her waist and hoisted her feminine body easily up against his chest. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and held her with one arm close against him. As he felt her begin to pull back, he eased his lips from hers.

  “God damn, woman, come home with us. Let us show you how real men, seasoned men know how to treat a woman. You’re too damn special to be single, and alone at night.”

  “Michael, you shouldn’t have done that. Please. Let me go,” she said, and began to push on his forearms.

  He knew if he wanted to, he could force her to come home with them. She was delicate and would be easily taken, but he wanted her begging for it. Needing to please him in order for her to survive, so he slowly released her, but not before gripping her chin.