Slow Release (Ebony and Ivory Book 1) Read online

“I wouldn’t let you treat me like that.”

  “Ooh, a woman with an edge, I like it.”

  “Oh, I’ve got an edge. I can assure you of that.”

  I patted my chest in a dramatic manner, “Oh be still, my beating heart.”

  “Are you going to feed me or what?”

  “Your wish is my command, girl.”

  “Yeah, I just bet it is.”

  Chapter Five

  The Stalker

  Well, well, well, is this your new flavor of the month? She is stunning; I’ll give you that. You’re always trying to stay one step ahead of me, aren’t you? You always have an ace up your sleeve.

  This one must be quite special for you to fly her in all the way from Haiti. Knowing how you’ve got a thing for black women, I’m sure this young lady drew quite an interest for you, Damon. I’m certain you have no idea she has been the object of my obsession too. As soon as I found out you wanted her, I had eyes put on her. You’ve met your match, Damon. I’m not a man limited by the distance between continents. My reach is worldwide.

  Looks like I’ve found your Achilles heel, and I’m not above using it against you. I know I’ll have to move quickly because you’ll tire of her. You always tire of your women.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man go through women as quickly as you do, Damon D’ Angelo. You really do live up to that Italian swagger.

  I’m going to hurt you, and I’m going to make you suffer. If she is what you care about at the moment, then she is what I’m going to use against you. You’re going to regret the day you ever laid eyes on me. I promise you, I will to see to that. You fucked up big time when you crossed me. You took away the only thing in this world that mattered to me, and now I’m going to return the favor. You are going to suffer more than you have ever suffered before. Your perfect world is on the verge of falling apart.

  Chapter Six

  Skye

  I waited until the maid set our food down and left before I looked at Damon. In a seating arrangement he insisted upon, he was at the head of the table and I sat right next to him.

  “Not that it’s any of my business, but you really should be more careful.”

  His look was one of amusement as he cocked his head to the side and smiled at me indulgently. “Oh really, do tell.” He raised one of his brows in a cocky manner as he continued, “If my life is in danger, I need to know.”

  “Ha,” I chuckled, “it could be, considering how brutal you are with your women. You know, the whole hell hath no fury thing.”

  His countenance changed suddenly, and it was obvious he no longer found the conversation humorous. “I don’t play games, Skye. The women I took to bed were given full disclosure. They were fucks, nothing more, nothing less. I’m sure that’s difficult for you to understand, especially since you’re probably a virgin and extremely naïve in matters of sex. I don’t expect you to understand, though. I just need you to accept the truth. These women weren’t victims of my insatiable cock, just as they aren’t victims in any other area of their lives. These are worldly women who thought they could get the career of their dreams by offering me their golden pussies. I don’t like being used, and I damn sure don’t like being lied to.” I watched his mouth as he ran his tongue over his teeth and made a sucking noise, expressing his contempt. “As I previously stated, these women may have felt scorned, but it certainly wasn’t because of anything I’ve done to them. It was their own skewed perceptions that deceived them. I can assure you, young lady, I’m keeping it real.”

  His candidness caught me off guard, and I was grateful my dark skin hid my embarrassment. I could feel the heat radiating from my chest to my face, flushing my cheeks and trying to betray my discomfort. I’d never been subjected to a man who was so blunt and outspoken about his sexuality. He talked about his body and bedding women with no reserve. Once again, his expression changed, and he gently laid his hand over mine, stroking it with the pad of his thumb as he spoke.

  “Skye, though I’d like to think your concern for me is motivated by jealousy, I’m not so naïve as to believe we’re there yet. I do, however, want to assure you that you’re innocence and your virginity are safe with me.”

  I looked up at him through my long dark lashes. “How did you know?”

  “I thought we’d already been over this? I’m a worldly man. Women are my job, and I’m very good at reading them. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking I don’t want to clear this table off with a sweep of my arm right now so I can lay you down and enjoy your body. I have every intention of making you mine, but when I do, it will happen because you want it, not because I forced your hand. I can assure you that I have access to pretty much any woman I want, but I want you. My intentions are not those of a noble man; I plan to seduce you and make you mine. I’m not your average man, Skye.”

  “Yeah, I’m catching on to that real quick.”

  “I’m not your average person, period. Have you called your mother?”

  I was shocked by his abrupt change of subject. “I’m sorry to say I haven’t even thought about it. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.”

  “I’m here for you, Skye. A certain amount of culture shock is to be expected. If you need a friend or someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

  This time it was me who raised a sardonic brow as I spoke, “You’re almost too good to be true.”

  “As I said… my intentions are not those of a noble knight in shining armor.”

  I chuckled as I eyed him. “Are you saying you’re more like the hooded predator lurking in the woods?”

  “I think you’re beginning to understand just what you’re dealing with.”

  It wasn’t his words that struck me like a slap to the face; it was his eyes. They held promise and determination to endure whatever necessary until he got what he wanted—me.

  Chapter Seven

  Damon

  I sat at my desk and watched her as she reclined on her bad and talked to her mom on the phone I provided. I was sickened when I learned her mother was so poverty stricken she didn’t have a phone. If she wanted to talk to her daughter, she was forced to walk to the closest store. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it had been necessary for a young boy to run down to her hut just to tell her that her daughter was on the phone. I could tell everything that transpired just by listening to Skye’s side of the conversation.

  The thing that struck a chord in me was the character these women had. They were acting like this was normal because, to them, it was. All of that was about to change, and I was going to make it happen. I was going to make certain they had a new perception of normal, a better quality of life.

  I picked up the phone to dial one of my attorneys as I continued to watch the object of my obsession through the surveillance monitor. The man I was contacting was one of the lawyers I kept on retainer. He worked solely for me and did all my out of state and overseas work. Jamal was a nomad by nature, and there wasn’t any part of the world he wasn’t familiar with.

  “Jamal, I need you to fly out to Haiti tomorrow and secure a home. I need it trimmed out with all new furnishings, and I want each member of this family to have their own laptop and phone. Don’t be cheap about it either. As far as the actual housing, put them in a large home but not a mansion. It’s the family of one of my models, and I don’t want to make them targets for crime.”

  “Yeah, I heard about her through the grapevine. You’ve got all the women in a tizzy thinking they won’t be bedding you anymore.”

  “It’s me that beds them, and they should be worried. I’m beyond intrigued with this new girl.”

  “Ha, ha, so they should be concerned.”

  “Back to business, Jamal… I want those kids put in private school, and if there are any who aren’t school age yet, I want them put in daycare. Find one that teaches them, not some fucking money racket with too many kids and not enough caregivers. Skype me, or send pictures to show me what you find so I know it’s to my liking. Do that for the house t
oo; I want pics of everything. Oh, and one more thing. Hire a housekeeper/cook for Ms. Acaau. I can assure you that any woman who has five kids at home needs hired help.”

  Jamal chuckled, “I don’t doubt that, brother. I don’t doubt that at all. Okay, consider the woman on her way to a better life.”

  “I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”

  “Yes, you will because I’m heading out tonight.”

  “Always the nomad.”

  “You got that right, brother.”

  I hung the phone up knowing that, by this time next week, my Skye would have one less thing to worry about. It couldn’t be easy on her to accept living in the lap of luxury while her mother and siblings were crowded inside a tiny hut. It wasn’t just the fact that I wanted to combat any feelings of guilt that might be plaguing her; it was also that I knew her mother had been one of the reasons she agreed to come here. I wasn’t so naïve as to not be aware of how huge of an influence her mother was in her life. My own upbringing had taught me how strong the bond is between a mother and her child, and I know those connections run especially deep between a mother and her daughter in the African American culture. The old saying, “When you marry the girl, you marry her whole family,” was indeed a fact.

  Skye

  I hung up the phone and brushed away the lone tear falling down my cheek. Spawned from guilt, it escaped despite my steely resolve to hold it at bay. Here I was, living in luxury due to the kindness of a stranger while my mother had to walk two blocks just to get to a phone. Regardless of what Damon’s motives were, he’d been good to me up to this point. What man didn’t think about sleeping with a woman? It certainly didn’t make him the villain he painted himself to be. I set the goal to get my mother a phone with unlimited minutes and international access as soon as possible. I wanted something that would enable me to Skype with my family while I talked with them.

  I pushed the guilt I felt away and committed to focusing on the positives, the things that would make me the money I needed to help my mother. I was lucky in that, for me, it wasn’t going to be all about the job and the income; it was also about the dream—my dream. That didn’t change the fact that my mother had been forced to work numerous jobs to support her children. She’d been left to take care of us all on her own after my father left. It wasn’t just his abandonment that hurt so badly either; it was the way he had done it.

  He left, all the while leading my mother to believe he was coming to America to work so that he could bring money home. It was something he had done several times before, so none of us saw it coming when he didn’t return. He would go, illegally sneak into America, find work for a while, and then return with enough money to last the family for months. Or, it would have been enough to last if he didn’t spend it all on alcohol. The last time he left, though, the bright lights and big city evidently went to his head because he hooked up with a woman and divorced my mother.

  I don’t know where my father ended up living, and I don’t care to know. A man that callous, who could abandon his family and not even go to his own child’s funeral, wasn’t the type of man I wanted to claim as my father. The only thing we had in common back then, or would ever have in common, was our DNA.

  I went to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and prepare for bed. Tomorrow was my first day at the studio, and I wanted to be rested so I could be at my best. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't feeling nervous about starting work. I’m certain the drive to see my family in better living conditions was a factor in my lack of fear over my new career.

  I pulled back the comforter and sunk into a bed that was unlike anything I had ever slept in before. It felt as if it molded to my body, enveloping me in a cloud of comfort. I gave in and, in a matter of moments, was fast asleep.

  Chapter Eight

  Damon

  “Are you nervous?” I asked as she entered the kitchen in a light yellow sundress that made her dark complexion even more beautiful.

  “You are so beautiful,” it was out of my mouth before I even had time to process the thought. Sitting at the small dinette set in my industrial kitchen, I couldn’t remember ever seeing a woman as beautiful as the one now seated beside me. I noticed Ms. Stratton smiling as she poured coffee in the cup she set down in front of Skye.

  “He’s right, you know. You have a very enchanting look, and your eyes are very striking. They seem to pull whoever is looking right into them.”

  “It’s hard not to stare at her, isn’t it, Ms. Stratton?” Though my question was addressed to my maid, my eyes were locked on Skye.

  “As I said, she’s captivating. With the two of you working together, I have a feeling success is imminent.”

  “You two certainly have a way of making a girl feel confident,” Skye answered. “Now, it’s just a matter of portraying that feeling in the photo shoot today.”

  I wiped my mouth and took a moment to neatly fold my linen napkin before I laid it on the table. “I’m going with you today.”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “You have no idea, young lady.”

  “I’m certain you have other things to do. Your other models might get jealous if you spend too much time concentrating on my career,” she teased as she spooned oatmeal into her mouth, never taking her eyes from mine.

  My response came out much more harshly than I intended. “I don’t give a shit how they feel about it. I don’t work for them; they work for me.”

  She never missed a beat, not looking at all put off by my gruff behavior. “As I said, you’re incorrigible.”

  While my demeanor intimidated most women, this one responded with confident, sometimes snarky banter, and I liked it. She was comfortable in her own skin, and she was unwilling to let anyone push her into a state of demoralization. Though that wasn’t my intent, I’d been in the business long enough to know how ruthless models could be when it came to their competition. It would be interesting to see how she dealt with their petty insecurities. I was actually looking forward to being a spectator. She was right; I was incorrigible.

  Chapter Nine

  Skye

  Every eye was on Damon and me when we entered the studio. Immediately, the photographer stopped what he was doing and made his way over to greet us. Before he could say anything, Damon leaned in and whispered something I couldn’t hear. The photographer nodded his head and went back to work without giving me a second glance.

  “Back to work, ladies. There’s nothing to see here.” The model scrambled back to her place, as did the people I guessed were there for things like hair and make-up.

  I could see a difference in Damon’s level of intensity here. He’d gone from being the talkative, carefree, and flirtatious man he was over breakfast and on the ride over, to a man who was very serious and business-oriented.

  Damon led me back into a dressing room, and I was shocked when he opened a door that led to a much more luxurious and private room. Two women awaited me and immediately sat me down to begin the process of transforming me into a glamazon. I watched as Damon took a seat and started working on his phone, impervious to the chaos surrounding him.

  Damon

  I wasn’t in the habit of overseeing hair and make-up, but this woman induced feelings in me I have never felt before, and I found myself doing things I wouldn’t normally do because of it. I felt inordinately compelled to protect her, even from the little stresses, and I didn’t want her overwhelmed by all the backstage hoopla that goes on during a photo shoot. Though some models thrived on the chaotic energy, I didn’t want that for her, especially not in a room full of strangers on her first shoot.

  I deliberately brought her back to my own dressing room for the privacy it afforded us. The front dressing area was luxurious in décor and consisted of a long make-up table that could easily accommodate twenty models. There was professional lighting throughout the room, and though most women didn’t use them, there were dressing rooms where they could have privacy to change. It had the look of any backstage
, runway dressing room, but with my eye for detail, it was better. D’Angelo Industries was built to my exact specifications, and every tiny detail was well thought out and achieved, right down to the private dressing room suite we now occupied.

  For all the obvious reasons, I didn’t date models. I always knew that if I ever had a woman I cared about who was in the industry, I would never be okay with her stripping off her clothes in front of anyone, even if it was just hair, make-up, and photography staff. I brought Skye back here for just that reason. Nobody was going to see that fine ass body of hers but me. The wardrobe woman’s voice cut through my thoughts as if reading my mind.

  “Here, sweetie, strip down and put this on.”

  My head jerked up like a madman, and my eyes locked with those of my employee. “Absolutely not!”

  The poor woman looked as if I had smacked her in the face. “I’m so sorry, Mr. D’Angelo. I had no idea she was your girlfriend.” I didn’t even try to deny it as I stood to grab Skye’s arm and yanked the dress out of my employee’s hand. “That’s quite alright. Now you know, so don’t let it happen again.” I didn’t even wait to hear the woman’s response before I led Skye away in a fit of jealousy. What the fuck was wrong with me?

  “What is wrong with you?” Skye questioned right after I pushed her into the dressing room. She pulled away from me and stood with her arms akimbo, eyeing me and demanding an answer.

  I placed my hands on the wall, one on either side of her head to lock her in. When I was certain she wasn’t going anywhere, I removed one of my hands and ran my thumb over her full bottom lip. I looked deep into her eyes and gave her an honest answer. “I’m asking myself the same thing.” I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion and rid myself of the irrational jealousy I felt at the thought of someone else seeing her nude.

  “Just get dressed, Skye.” I turned and left without giving her time to respond. I wasn’t in the mood for playful banter. I was, however, in the mood to set this shit straight with my employees. I found myself being glad the issue had been brought to light. God only knows how I would have reacted if I had ever entered a room and caught her undressing in front of other people.