Siri
On a flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Richmond, Virginia, the flight attendant approached Siri Austin as she stared out of the window. “Would you like any refreshments?”
Looking towards the attractive woman, Siri smiled. “No thank you.”
Seeing the tears on her face the attendant asked, “Are you alright—may I be of any assistance to you?”
Wiping the tear away, Siri replied with a sad smile, “No, I’ll be fine.’
The attendant acknowledged her response and moved on. Siri turned back to the window and wondered how she had allowed her life to be turned upside down again—by a man. A month ago, she was doing fine. After all the publicity surrounding her divorce from Carl Austin, she was finally getting her life back. She was teaching again, she had finished the book she had begun writing over a year ago and the book had been accepted for publication by Crimson Publishing. One of the most prestigious publishers in the business wanted her novel. The credit for the wonderful achievement did not belong to her and therein lie the problem. The completion of her novel could be attributed to one person, Eric “Silk” Davies.
A little over a month ago Siri’s younger sister, TeKaya invited, or more like dragged her to the Friday at Sunset Concert series held in Richmond, Virginia every summer. That night’s performer was soulful R&B singer Silk Davies. The man’s music was known for being responsible for the conception of a number of children. Putting on one of his CD’s was a sure thing for getting any woman in the mood for a good night of love making. Siri was no different. There was an instant attraction to the man that mesmerized her the moment he stepped on stage. All of the hurt she’d experienced from the devastating divorce began to dissolve the moment he began to sing. All the doubts she was left with, evaporated the first time they kissed. And all the shields she’d erected around her heart began to melt the last time they made love.
Siri arrived home with just enough time to shower and change to meet an agent name Kiki Simmons. She had set up the appointment before she went to Atlanta to be with her sister, and before she allowed Eric to claim her heart. Until Friday night, it was just a physical attraction, but now she just wasn’t sure.
While dressing in her room, her eyes continuously roamed over her bed. The same bed that had not been changed or made up since she and Eric rushed to Atlanta. The temptation was so strong to go over and smell the pillow to see if his scent was still on it—but that would only make things worse. She immediately got up from her vanity, stripped the bed and ran downstairs to put everything into the washer. She was determined to get Eric “Silk” Davies out of her system. I shouldn’t have let him in, in the first place—right? The thought crossed her mind minutes after the washer started. Standing in the middle of the laundry room, watching the machine was not going to answer that question for her. Somehow, she had to protect her heart from opening to him any further. The telephone rang and she jumped, startled by the sound. Thinking it might be her mother or sister TK, whom she’d, left in Atlanta, she ran into the kitchen to answer it. “Hello.”
“Hi. I wanted to make sure you made it home okay,” Eric’s voice vibrated through the line.
“Yes,” was all she could say, her heart wanted to say more, but her mind knew better.
Silence resonated around the room. “Be sure to have an attorney read over all those documents before you sign anything. That goes for your meeting with the agent as well. What was her name again?”
“Kiki Simmons,” she replied as she cursed herself for being distant with him. Here he was trying to help her and she was being defensive.
“Well, that goes for Kiki Simmons and Maxine Long.” He hesitated, “I’ll be leaving for Paris in the morning.”
“Will you be gone long?” Looking down at the floor she wanted to kick herself for asking.
“I’m not sure. I’ll be back for Jason and TeKaya’s wedding.” Seconds ticked away before either spoke. He was happy for his big brother and Siri’s little sister. They’d found each other and had not allowed others to interfere in their relationship. Siri was a little different from her sister. She had experienced hurt before and was not as willing to accept the love he was offering. For now, that was okay. But he had no intention of letting her go. He would give her time to come to terms with her feelings for him—then all bets were off. He planned to claim the woman that had captured his heart. “The media is a part of my life and that scares you. Your reasons are valid, but I need you to understand, I’m just a man that has fallen in love with a woman. Music is what I do—it’s a part of who I am. When you are ready to accept the man and the musician—I’ll be waiting. My heart is yours Siri, now and forever. Take care.” He said before hanging up the telephone.
Siri sat at the breakfast bar with the telephone receiver still in her hand, closed her eyes and inhaled. “This is the right thing to do,” she said. “This is the right thing.”
♫
The Rendezvous Restaurant on Broad Street was chic and elegant. You could almost see yourself through the shining hardwood floors. The long bar was to the left, covering the length of the wall and leather bound cushion seating lined the wall on the right, with a few tables in the middle for dining. The open area seemed more like a meeting place, than a restaurant. There were a few people seated at the bar, one couple at the table eating and two men standing in a doorway that apparently led to a VIP lounge. A young man dressed casually approached her. “Good afternoon, are you Siri Austin?”
The smile was immediate because he pronounced her name exactly right. “Yes. I am.”
“Welcome to The Rendezvous. Your party has arrived. Just follow me. Is this your first time visiting with us?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then lunch is on us today,” he said while pulling her seat out. “If you enjoy your meal, please tell others about our establishment.”
“Thank you, I will.”
“Wonderful, I’ll let Ms. Simmons know you are here.”
Waiting for Ms. Simmons to appear gave Siri a moment to close her eyes and think about her book. The story had changed so many times, but the night she met Eric, the ending was as clear as day. She remembered her laptop was literally attached to her body for almost three days as she added the finishing touches. After researching several publishers she had chosen to submit her manuscript to only one--Crimson Publishing. Their long history of gracing the world with love stories that enticed and entertained prompted her decision. Her story began as a way for her to put into words all the hurt, sadness, and betrayal she experienced during her divorce. But, after that first night with Eric, it changed—it began to heal the hurt, in a small way.
“Siri Austin, I presume.”
Siri looked up at the heavy, almost masculine voice to find a very tall, slim female that might have been all of twenty. There was no way this child could be Kiki Simmons—the literary agent.
“Yes,” Siri hesitantly replied.
Sure enough, the young woman extended her hand. “Kiki Simmons. It’s nice to meet you.”
Siri placed her tote bag on the floor, stood and took Kiki’s hand. “It’s—nice to meet you.”
The two women sat as Kiki stared at Siri as if trying to figure something out. She folded her hands under her chin and smiled. “Well, you certainly are not what I expected.”
Siri smiled. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you. How old are you?”
“Twenty-six. But what I lack in years I have in determination and tenacity.” She sat back. “At least that’s what my mother tells me. Does my age bother you?”
“I don’t know yet. Do you know much about the publishing industry?”
“Only to the extent that my father is an industry attorney/agent, my mother is a New York Times bestselling author—three times over. And my stepmother, Maxine Long, is a senior editor at Crimson, one of the longest running romance publishing houses in existence. My two older brothers own, Battle Publishing, which is where I worked during high school and have interned every semester during undergrad and law school. And unfortunately for them, the place I plan to resign if this manuscript of yours is as good as Max said.” She paused long enough to thank the waitress that approached the table with her drink and allowed Siri to give her order. “Now tell me about you. And don’t tell me about the stuff I read in the news. I want to know who Siri Austin is and why she wants to be published.”
Siri reached down, pulled out her manuscript, and placed it on the table. “The why is because I have a few stories to tell that will—I want you to note—I said will, touch the heart of millions of people that have experienced a failed relationship and still believe in love. As for me,” she sat forward and placed her hands under her chin, impersonating the young woman’s previous pose. “I’m a simple school teacher that was born and breed right here in the good Old Dominion. I have simple wants, simple desires just like your average woman. Since it seems you have checked me out, you should know up front, I don’t like publicity. I’m not flashy, and I refuse to settle for anything less than one hundred percent loyalty to this project. Is that something you can deal with?”
“Well, you certainly aren’t the little prissy school teacher the media made you out to be. Yes, I can deal with that. However, can you deal with the fact that as an author only you can sell your product? That manuscript can be the second coming of Mark Twain and it won’t matter if you are not willing to take center stage and tell people about your story. According to Max, this book has bestseller all over it. But it can’t and won’t stand alone. So make a decision Siri Austin. Are you willing to do the book signings, the publicity stops, and possible media coverage it’s going to take to put this book where it is destined to be?”
Siri sat back and exhaled. “You read the articles. I’m sure you pulled up old news coverage of my divorce. The media and I aren’t exactly on friendly terms.”
Kiki sat up excitedly, “We won’t be dealing on their terms. You had no control over how your divorce was covered by the media. Here, you are in total control, with the exception of what I’m going to insist you do. You choose who, when, and where your events are covered.” She took the manuscript off the table. “Let’s discuss financial terms while we eat. I’m starving.”
The young man who had greeted her earlier, approached the table. “This is my youngest brother, Garland. He owns this place. Garland, this is Siri Austin and she is about to become my first client. So—we need to celebrate.”
“Congratulations and good luck keeping up with this one.”
Siri smiled, they seemed close. “Thank you. This is a very nice place you have.” “It’s been a lifelong dream.”
“Lifelong—boy you are barely twenty-two and still wet behind the ears. You haven’t lived long enough to have a lifelong dream. Now go in the kitchen and put together one of those dishes you made for Max.”
Garland looked at his sister, then bent down and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh aloud. “Ms. Austin, do you like seafood?”
“Yes, I do, but please call me Siri.”
“Well, Siri I hope your mouth is ready for the culinary delight I’m about to prepare for you. Kiki will have to settle for something on the menu.” He turned and walked away leaving Kiki’s mouth wide open.
“I’m telling Mother.” She said to his back.
“You know, I think we are going to work well together.”
“I promise to give you my all, and then some, starting with the remainder of my weekend.” Kiki said as she picked up the book. “Night of Seduction. Hmm, will I need to pull out my toys to make it through this book?”
“No, but it may help to have a live body next to you. A toy will not suffice,” Siri replied as she picked up her drink and took a sip.
“Oh, I’m scared of you girl.” The two women laughed.
♫
The car was waiting at the side entrance to Eric “Silk” Davies’ home when Tyrone “Ty” Pendleton parked his Mercedes. The driver was placing bags in the trunk, adding to numerous pieces of luggage already stored. “Who’s leaving?” he asked.
“Mr. Eric,” the driver replied and continued with his duties.
Ty walked through the door of the mini mansion, which led to the rear of the state of the art kitchen that was the heartbeat of the house. He walked across the room to the back staircase, taking them two at a time until he reached the second level. Smiling at the double platinum albums and pictures of Eric, Jason and himself with other celebrities that lined the walls, he proceeded down the hallway until he reached the double doors that were open. Walking through a sitting area, there was a sofa, table, and two recliners. On the wall was a flat screen television that covered it. To the left was a breezeway. Walking through, he entered the area of the room that actually held the bed, and nothing else. Eric stood near the window, dressed in a white long sleeve linen shirt, a pair of worn jeans and sandals, looking over some papers. With his locs hanging lose around his shoulder, he looked the role of a true musician. “Hey, what’s going on?” Ty spoke.
Eric looked over his shoulder to see his attorney, and a man he considered to be a brother, standing in the doorway dressed, as always, in a stylish suit, tie and loafers. He gave Ty a half smile. “Man, it’s Saturday afternoon, don’t you ever dress down. Do you own a pair of jeans?”
“I work twenty-four seven, I don’t have time to relax. And no, I don’t.” Ty walked into the room. “Where’s Jason?”
“My, hopelessly in love, brother and his fiancée are out meeting with a decorator. Can you believe that, Jason is meeting with a decorator?”
“That is funny,” Ty smiled. “Remember the first house Jason paid someone to decorate, giving no directions and he ended up with a space station theme with gray and black stripes.” The two men laughed. “Afterwards, he had to pay to have it redone—twice. Maybe he learned his lesson. But, I’m not here to see them. I need to talk to you.”
The hesitation in Ty’s voice caught his attention. “Come on back.” He said turning to walk into an adjoining room that was his office. He sat at the desk, still somewhat engrossed in the papers he was reading. “What’s up?” he asked once Ty took a seat.
“Whew….where do I start?”
“The beginning is usually a good place. But if this is going to be a long story, we may have to put it off for a while.”
“Where are you off to?”
Putting the papers down, Eric replied, “I decided to fly to Paris in the morning.”
The decision surprised him. He’d met Siri Austin for the first time the night before, when she arrived from Richmond to see about her sister. TeKaya had had a little run in with Jason’s ex-girlfriend and his daughter’s mother that had landed her behind bars for a minute. From what he’d seen, there was a definite connection between Eric and Siri. “Really—so you are not going to fight for Siri?” The glare from Eric would have chilled most men, but Ty was used to the temperamental, kindhearted boy that he and Jason had spent most of their lives teasing about his sensitivity. Ty ignored the look. “I need to know if this woman means something to you before I threaten to take a man’s life. Now, if what you stated yesterday, about not having any intentions of letting her go is not true, but was just your pride at being turned down talking, then I can let this situation drop.”
Frustrated, Eric continued to glare at Ty. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
Ty bent forward, placed his elbow on his legs, and clasped his hands together. “Does this woman mean anything to you?”
Eric imitated his actions as his locs fell forward. “Do you realize you are getting on my nerves right now?” He stood and walked out of the room.
Ty sighed and followed Eric into his bedroom, but stopped at the doorway. “Eric.”
“What?” He replied agitated.
“I’m the other big brother—not blood, but brother nonetheless. The women you and Jason choose to love become my sisters as well as your wives. Just like with you two, if their lives and or happiness are threatened in anyway, it becomes my job to eliminate the threat. You understand where I’m coming from?”
“I hear you and I love you, too.”
Ty frowned. “Man don’t be saying that. You know I don’t deal with sensitive.”
Eric smiled at the man, whose mother abandoned him when he was ten. One night he came to spend the night with Jason and never left. “Alright man. I don’t love you—how’s that?”
“Better.”
“Good. I’m glad we could clear that up,” Eric laughed. The only drama in their lives was and always had something to do with Jason’s ex-girlfriend, Latoya Wright. He always kept his life simple and carefree. If he didn’t, the media would eat him alive. They were always looking for a hot story when it came to him. But Eric always kept them at bay. Therefore, he was sure whatever Ty was talking about had nothing to do with him. “What is Latoya up to now? I would think she had learned her lesson after the punch she received from TeKaya.” He said as he walked into his closet.
“Man, drop what you are doing and have a seat. I need you right here.” He pointed two fingers towards Eric’s eyes and then his own. Eric looked at the serious expression on Ty’s face, walked back into the office, and retook his seat. “Before you jump, know I have a solution to this issue.”
“Why would I jump? Latoya means nothing to me. She’s the mother of my brother’s child—nothing more. You made sure of that.”
Ty unbuttoned the button on his suit jacket, his tie swinging at the sudden freedom from confinement. He nervously ran a hand down his face and dropped his head. Eric was a serious type of man. Running from woman to woman, like he and Jason had been known to do, was not his MO. Between that and Eric’s decision to leave for Paris, he understood Siri was not just another woman. Revealing what Latoya was up to was not going to be easy. “I’m afraid your friend Siri may be an innocent victim in Latoya’s games.”
Eric frowned and leaned forward in his seat. He shrugged his shoulder. “Latoya doesn’t know Siri. They have never met.”
Nodding his head, Ty agreed. “That’s true; however, she stumbled across Siri while trying to get information on her sister, TeKaya.” “So.”
This was harder than he thought it would be. “It seems Latoya hired a private investigator to get information on a Siri Austin from Richmond, Virginia. At the time, she thought Siri was the person Jason was seeing. On Friday, the investigator was in Richmond trailing Siri.” Ty stopped, giving Eric a moment to analyze the information.
Eric sat back remembering the night before when he had reached and opened heaven’s gates lying with Siri in his arms. “Okay…” he slowly replied.
Realizing Eric was not catching on; Ty stood and pulled a small compact disc from his pocket. He reached across Eric and placed it in the laptop sitting on the desk. He hit play then turned his back.
There was not a word or a movement in the room—only the sounds from the video that was playing. Seconds went by seeming like minutes before Eric could speak. “Who took this?” He asked calmly—too calmly.
“The aforementioned investigator.”
Eric reached up and turned the video off. It was a video of him and Siri at her house making love on the kitchen table. From the angle of the picture, the person must have been in the window, or at the backdoor. Was the door open? He thought. Damn if he knew. He closed his eyes. “If this hit the media, it would kill her. Do you have the investigator’s name and address?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
“No.” Eric looked up with anger etched on his face. Ty almost took a step back, but then he remembered. Hell, I’m six-two, two hundred and twenty pounds. Eric is all of six feet, one ninety at best. It’s not like he could beat the information out of me. But more importantly, he would not allow him to do anything that would damage his image.
“Give me the damn address.” Eric commanded.
“Eric listen—this is something we can control.”
This was something that could hurt Siri. He had waited all of his life for this woman. The one with the coal black eyes that looked straight through to his heart— the woman whose smile made him melt whenever he thought about it, the woman who put a song in his mind every time they made love. This is the woman he stood a chance of losing because the media would dig into the life of anyone they consider a celebrity, just to sell papers. Listening was the last thing he wanted to do. Eric stood and took the few steps that put him in Ty’s face. “Did you have him killed?”
“Um, No,” Ty replied looking down at Eric who was a few inches shorter than he.
“Why the hell not?” Eric yelled.
Ty released a nervous laugh. “Because it’s against the law.”
Eric gave him the most incredulous look imaginable. “What was that tape about? He trespassed on private property, and then violated our right to privacy. What about that law?”
Frowning at Eric’s ridiculous comparison, Ty grabbed him by the shoulders. “Eric, invasion of privacy is not the same as murder.”
Eric violently pushed into Ty’s chest. “Get the hell out of my face. I’ll find him.” He said as he walked out of the room. “Latoya knows who he is—I’ll find him, if I have to kill her to do it.”
Ty ran out the door and into the hallway after him. “Eric—wait.” Eric continued to walk down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the door, toward the car that was waiting. Ty ran and grabbed him from behind. Eric came around with a fist high and hit him dead in the mouth. Ty fell backwards just as Eric’s mother, Miriam, came out of the kitchen to see what was going on.
“Eric, what’s wrong?” she asked seeing Ty on the ground.
Eric did not reply. “Take me to Jason’s place!” He yelled at the driver, who stood a good distance away.
Ty jumped up, tackled Eric to the ground and a battle of the wills pursued.
“Stop it! Both of you! Stop it!” Miriam yelled to no avail. “Two grown ass men rolling around in the dirt like children.” Miriam mumbled as she stomped to the side of the house, pulled out the water hose, and turned it on them full blast. It took her a moment to get the pressure high enough to get their attention. But when she did, she pointed the hose directly into Eric’s face. When the struggle between the two stopped she yelled at her son. “Apparently you need to be cooled off!” She said as she lowered the hose.
Ty began to laugh. It had been many years since Miriam had had to pull them apart with the water hose. On the other hand, Eric did not find anything amusing about the situation and stood up just as angry as he was before. When Ty realized this, he stood and approached Eric, who roughly pushed him away.
Holding his hands up in a surrender posture, Ty spoke. “Man, I know how angry you are. But if we handle this right, we can get Latoya out of our lives for good.”
“At Siri’s expense. What is that? She did nothing—nothing but made love to me. And this is how she is rewarded. No, I don’t think so.”
“Eric,” Ty calmly approached him. “Have I ever steered you wrong?” The look on Eric’s face made him smile. “Okay, that one time, but—have I ever not had your back?” Eric didn’t reply, but he knew Ty was always there for him and Jason. “Man, this is a way to get Latoya out of Jason’s life, your life, and my life.” He stepped closer. “I just need you to listen and follow my instructions and I promise you—I promise you man,” he placed his hand on his chest, “I will protect Siri with my life.”
Eric paced around in a circle in the yard—furious. He wanted to hit something, anything to release the anger. Wet from head to toe, he simply sat on the ground. Ty joined him, as did Miriam. “I know what I’m about to propose might seem a little risky to Siri, but it’s a chance we have to take so this family can live without a person trying to destroy them for money.”
Miriam sat on the ground beside Eric. The world known jazz singer whose home was in Paris was visiting her sons when she discovered they had both recently met the loves of their lives. Nothing could please her more, then to have both of her sons married and happy. It seemed her oldest son Jason, had won his battle for love and was about to marry TeKaya Kendrick, a beautiful, young photographer from Virginia. However, her son Eric was not as successful with TeKaya’s older sister, who seemed to have captured his heart. Whatever was happening was hurting her son deeply and whoever was responsible would pay dearly—she would make sure of that. “Eric, whatever we have to do, we will make this right.”
Eric shook his head. “If this gets out, she won’t survive the humiliation, Mother. Her reason for not giving into her feelings is because of the media surrounding me. There is no making it right. Her privacy is going to be violated and she will relive the nightmare of her divorce—all because of me.” He stood up, held out his hand to help his mother up, and then reached out for Ty. Just as he stood, Eric kicked Ty’s legs out from under him, which sent him back to the muddy ground. Eric stood over him with his arms folded across his chest. “Did you look at it?”
Ty, now quite pissed, looked up at Eric. “No.”
“If you didn’t look at it, how in the hell did you know what was on it?”
“Look, I’m not fighting with you anymore. Hell, I’m giving you a go on this.”
“Don’t curse in my presence,” Miriam scolded.
“I’m sorry Mother” Ty said, then looked back at Eric. “I allowed you to do what you just did because I understand why you are upset. But don’t let that go to your head. The next time you swing at me, it’s going to be on.”
A few moments passed, before Eric extended his hand again. Ty gave him a look of warning, then took his hand. Once he was standing they both wiped down their clothes. “Let’s go set this trap to get rid of this woman once and for all,” Ty said as they all walked back into the house.