The music world had been a part of Eric’s life for as long as he could remember. There were so many nights his mother and father would sit them around the grand piano and make up songs for him and Jason to sing. He was always trying to outdo Jason, who, as quiet as it was kept, was just as musically talented as he. Jason just liked the business end of the industry better. Besides, he always said, “It’s my way of protecting my little brother from all the vultures.”
How he wished he could have protected Jason from Latoya. Maybe if he had been a little less short with her when she first approached him, she would have never set her sights on Jason. He shook his head while sitting in the studio, attempting to work on his sheet music. Somewhere along the line there could have been something he could have done to prevent this whole fiasco. One thing was certain, he was not going to fall short with Siri, the way he did with Jason. His attention now, was on one thing—protecting Siri.
If the trap that Ty was setting did not work, he was willing to pay whatever price Latoya asked to keep Siri’s name out of the media. But he wasn’t a fool. He would include a non-disclosure clause that would cost her twice the amount he would be paying her, if the video surfaced.
“Good morning,” Miriam said from the doorway.
The reason his father fell in love with his mother and fought through segregation and prejudice to have her was clear; she had been and remained a beautiful woman. Even early in the morning. That’s why he and Jason had been cursed with the taste for fine women. “Good morning Mother,” he smiled and returned to his music.
“So, I take it the sabbatical to Paris is off.”
Eric leaned back in the chair. “My plan was to give Siri some distance and get all of these songs, thoughts of her generated, out of my mind and on paper. But I can’t leave things the way they are hoping Jason and Ty will handle this. I failed Jason, I can’t fail Siri.”
“How did you fail Jason?” Miriam asked a bit curious.
“Mother, I knew the moment Latoya entered the club the first night what she was about. That’s why I steered away from her so quickly. If I had just given her the time of day, I could have prevented her going after Jason.”
“Boy, please. That is nonsense and you know it. And if you don’t know I’m telling you—its nonsense.” She took a seat behind the music console next to him. “Jason is a grown man. He is responsible for his behavior, not you. I should have made you boys fight more or something when you were younger. You two always have this thing of being responsible when something bad happens to the other one. Even Ty is walking around blaming himself for the situation with you and Siri. He’s crying that same song you are. ‘There had to be something I could have done to prevent this from happening to Eric.’ I swear all of you boys are getting on my nerves. Jason is in this fix because he thought with his lower head rather than his upper head by not protecting himself when he was having sex with Latoya. You were doing the same thing when you did not think to close the patio door before having sex with Siri in Kerri’s kitchen. Which, by the way she is going to get you for.” They both smiled. “There are people in this world that will use whatever tool they have at their disposal to live off of your fame. That’s a part of the life we’ve chosen to live. You, Jason and Ty cannot walk around blaming yourselves for each other’s unhappiness. You have to do exactly what Ty is doing—fight fire with bursting flames. He’s not putting a band aide on the situation; he’s creating a cure.”
“Yes, but he’s using Siri as the antidote and there in lies my concern.”
Miriam sat back. “Well, I should have known once Jason fell you were not going to be far behind. I guess Ty will follow suit soon.”
Eric smiled. “I can’t imagine a woman that can deal with that arrogant man. Do you believe he said,” Eric laughed at the memory, “that you saved me from him with the water hose the other day? He doesn’t know the word defeat.”
“He didn’t realize your strength doubles when you are fighting with passion, with emotions. That could have been Jason and you still would have won that fight. You were angry because someone you’ve come to care deeply for was being hurt. I have never seen you react that way to anything. That’s when I knew, I had to buy two wedding dresses.” Eric laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know Mother. It’s going to take an act of congress to win Siri over.”
“Then I suggest you contact your congressman and have him put it on the floor for a vote. I just don’t see you walking away from the love of your life. It’s the life she’s afraid of, not you.”
“Well, she’s going to have to get used to that once her book is published.”
“What book?”
Proudly, Eric told her what he knew about the book deal. “If it’s as good as the publisher thinks, she will be touring more than me next year.”
“My, that little devil. I never would have thought she would write a romance novel. Is it juicy?
“I have no idea what you mean by juicy and I don’t think I want to know,” he laughed.
“I wonder if I could get an advance copy. Do you think she will let me read it?” Miriam asked excitedly.
“I don’t know, but you can certainly ask her on Thursday.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay around to see Jason get married. I know the thought of you leaving for Paris bothered him although he understood why.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t see missing that.”
“Did you ever put a contract on the place in Richmond?”
“Yes, I did. The penthouse is being renovated to my specifications.”
“Did you include a studio?”
He raised an eyebrow at the questions. “I did.”
“You know what I think you should do?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“I think you should go to Richmond and stay awhile. Think about it, you would be secluded. No one other than family would know you’re there. Your staff could very well handle all the day-to-day things you would need. And you would be close to Siri. You could write and keep up with what’s happening in her life.”
Thinking about the suggestion, Eric thought it was a good idea, he saw the curious look on his mother’s face. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing.” She answered innocently. “You know, just because Siri is not willing to see you as her man, doesn’t mean she couldn’t use a friend. She is, after all, embarking on a new career that you have some knowledge of. I don’t think she would refuse e-mails or a phone call here and there, just to say hello, how you doing? Do you?”
“No, I don’t suppose she would have a problem with that.”
“I think, tonight, after her meeting would be a perfect time for you to call just to see how things went.”
He stared at his mother. Her mind was working over time. “I don’t know what you are up to, but I will give your suggestion some thought.”
“Good,” she said as she stood. “I have a few errands to attend to. I’ll talk to you later.” She all but ran out the room.
♫
The men had successfully put Latoya off until Monday, giving them time to put all they needed in place to trap her. Roy indicated after reviewing the tape again and doing a little research on its value, he was raising his asking price to $250,000.00. At first, Latoya cursed and hung up the telephone on him, but later returned the call to accept his offer.
Early that morning Jason arrived at the house to meet with the movers. Ty and a police officer accompanied him to the house. Using his usual entrance, Jason walked into the kitchen and found Latoya there reading the paper and drinking coffee. “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” She held up the paper. “Look darling we made the front page of several publications. Aren’t you pleased? I bet your brother loves all the publicity I got him over the weekend. Let’s see, we were on most of the entertainment shows. And have you been listening to the radio this morning, every station is talking about the normally quiet life of Jason Davies exploding over the weekend.” She laughed, “Man, your brother owes me—big time.”
Jason smiled, not even Latoya could damage the inner peace he now had. Let her talk and have her moment, he remembered TeKaya saying. We will have our day. “Sierra’s doing fine. It was good of you to ask. Unless the conversation is about our daughter, I have nothing to say to you.”
He and Ty walked out of the room to Latoya yelling. “Don’t think this is over!” She picked up one of the papers and smiled. “Just wait,” she said.
While Jason dealt with the movers, Ty slipped into the security room behind the kitchen and positioned the monitors to ensure coverage over the entire house. Just in case Latoya insisted the meeting takes place here rather than at Roy’s office. He locked the room and walked into the kitchen where Latoya was still seated. He looked at his watch. “I’m surprised you are not standing at the door of the bank waiting for it to open.”
Flinging her hair over her shoulders, she smiled. “Thanks to your client, I don’t have to wait in line for anything anymore. The banker is coming to me. I must say, you are always so loyal for an outsider.”
“Better an outsider, than an outcast.” Ty grinned. “How do you think you are going to be received at the few parties or social events you might get invited to, now. Do you honestly think they will welcome you with open arms? Tell me, have you talked to Stan or CJ, or any of the other men you’ve been pumping, and I do mean that literally, for information about Jason? Allow me to answer that for you—no. Would you like to know why?” He asked as he walked over to the table where she was sitting. “I’ll tell you. It’s because each of them have been meeting with my staff giving affidavits on you.” He leaned on the table in front of her. “When this outsider finishes with you for what you have done to this family, you’re not going to be able to find a rock far enough away for you to crawl under.” He stood looking into the seething eyes of Latoya. “Enjoy your moment with the banker.”
Latoya waited until he was out of the room then angrily threw the paper across the room. They would be eating her dirt by time she was done with the Davies. She had an ace up her sleeve and just as soon as she met with Roy, she was putting her cards into play. It was going to be a slow torturous death for Eric “Silk” Davies. It was all planned out. First, she was going to send out invitations to view the video using still pictures of Eric and his little friend. Then she was going to sell a copy of the video to the highest online bidder. All of this after she sold the original to Eric, to keep his reputation unmarred. Hell, personally she thought the video would help. She still wasn’t sure if he was on the down low or not. Damn, now she believed her own lies. She started the rumor of his sexual preference because he turned down her advances. After seeing the man in action, she had to admit, she envied the woman in the video with him.
♫
Later that afternoon Jason found Eric in the studio working on music. The sight of his little brother working diligently always made him proud. Whenever Eric released a successful CD, he was rewarded in many ways— monetarily, through public recognition, but most of all, his brotherly love, how very proud he was. There was nothing he would not do for Eric. The guilt from what Latoya was doing continued to eat at him. It was his fault this woman was in their lives wreaking havoc. In the past, he did all he could to keep her from touching Eric, publicly or personally. Now, she was about to do both. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer that Ty’s trap would work. But he knew Latoya like no other. She always had an ace in the hole. His problem was figuring it out before it exploded in all their faces. “You coming in or are you summoning the powers that be to come down to earth and destroy Latoya?”
He laughed at just how close Eric was to the truth. “Something like that,” he said as he walked into the studio. “You looked busy—I don’t want to disturb you. What you working on?”
“Man, this song is playing over and over in my head. As soon as I laid down the melody, the lyrics began to flow. It’s awesome, man, it’s awesome.”
Pleased the anger from the weekend events seemed to have subsided; he reached over and took the notebook Eric was writing in. As he knew he would, Eric snatched the notebook back. “You can’t see that. You know better.”
“What? I just wanted to read what you wrote.”
“You know you don’t read it until it’s finished.”
“Well can I at least here the melody?”
Eric reached over and hit a button on the music console and a smooth blend of a piano, violin, percussions, and sax could be heard. “That is smooth,” Jason said as he closed his eyes to feel the music. “Man, you should name that tune TeKaya. Listening to this is like hearing her voice right here.” He put his hand on his heart.
Eric smiled at his reaction. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“That’s the tune you were playing on the plane the first night I went to meet TeKaya.”
“At the time I was thinking about Siri. I just didn’t know her name.”
“I thought you said something about a call girl.” Jason opened his eyes and frowned.
Eric smirked and turned away. “Siri was the woman from the hotel.”
“Get the hell out of here.”
“I’m serious. Remember when we went to the school to paint?”
“I remember you recognizing her, but I didn’t think she was the woman you were running around in circles about.” Jason laughed. “Both of us got caught on the same night.”
“Yeah, the difference is you won your prize. I have yet to capture mine.”
Jason sobered and sighed. “I’ve created a mess, haven’t I?” Not expecting an answer to his question, he shook his head.
“No. You are not responsible for everything bad that happens in my life. You and I were thinking with the wrong part of our anatomy and now we are both paying the price.”
“You are right about that.”
“Glad you recognize my knowledge big brother.” Jason didn’t need to know he was just repeating what their mother had said to him a few hours ago.”
“We are going to work this out. I promise you that.”
“I know,” Eric said as the music stopped. “It’s called Heaven’s Gate. That’s what I feel like every time I touch Siri. I feel like heaven opened its gates to allow me to see the wonders inside. When I pull away she keeps a small part of me and leaves me longing for more.”
Jason’s brotherly instinct would normally kick in and tease him at this point in the conversation, but this time he could not—for he understood what Eric was experiencing. He’d found that someone that made the world right just for him. “Go get your woman, man.”
Eric looked up at him and smiled. “I plan to do just that big brother, just as soon as this thing with Latoya is settled. Did you get everything out of the house?”
“The main things I needed from the office and studio. The tech people are at the new house setting up the computer and studio equipment. Depending on how much they get done, I might be staying there tonight. Gabby’s over there now.”
“The general will have you set by dinner,” Eric smiled.
“I’m concerned about Sierra.”
“Why, she’s fine here. She certainly brightens up the house. I don’t think Franco has stopped feeding her since she got here.”
“I know she’s good here, but Latoya is her mother. If this thing goes wrong, she could end up in prison.”
Eric shook his head. “I know she gave birth to your child. But at some point, you’ve got to give up trying to make her into a mother. If she ends up in prison, it will be her doing, not yours. What she is about to do is called blackmail, pure and simple. It is a crime punishable by a stay behind bars. I know you—you have an offer already prepared to keep her out of jail. If she doesn’t do this thing to Siri—wonderful. If she does, and refuses the terms you offer, then she goes to jail. Either way Sierra is better off with you. But know, if what she is doing harms Siri in any way, I will not physically kill her. But by the time I’m finished, she will pray for death.”
“Have you talked to Siri today?”
“No, why?”
“You’ve got the hostile thing going on today. I think you need a fix.”
Eric didn’t respond for a minute. “She doesn’t want to be with me.” He slowly replied.
“Did she say that?” Jason asked.
Nodding his head, Eric replied, “Yes. Friday night was,” he just shook his head, “unbelievable. Just the two of us talking, laughing, making love, then making love again.” He sadly laughed, “It was the moment you wait a lifetime for. Then her ex-husband called about TeKaya. When we arrived at the airport, reporters were everywhere and Siri freaked. Saturday, while you and TeKaya were doing the interview, she said this was not for her and left.”
Jason’s cell phone buzzed. He looked at the number it was Ty. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“Latoya is meeting with Roy six thirty at the house.”
“That’s less than an hour away. Is everything in place?”
“Yes, but here’s the thing. She wants to view the tape in its entirety before making the exchange.”
“Why in the hell would she want to do that?” Jason asked.
Ty exhaled, “I think she may have a deal brewing somewhere.”
Jason stood, “Can we verify that?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Ty, I’m barely keeping Eric sane as it is. Tell me this is under control.”
“I’m doing my best man. I’ll be back in touch.”
Eric looked up at Jason’s worried expression. “I trust Ty to work this out. Stop worrying. Everything is going to be all right. Come over here and listen to this.”
Jason knew Eric was trying to get his mind off what was about to happen. He loved his brother for the effort. He exhaled and nervously sat back down, “Alright. I trust Ty too. So we will sit here, listen to music, and let him do his job.”
“A job that he is damn good at.” Eric added.
“If you think that, why did you try to beat the crap out of him the other day?”
“To make sure he understood the consequences if this trap doesn’t work.”