Since moving into the house with Luke, Sasha had adjusted her preference of walking around nude. She now had a number of t-shirt dresses that she would wear when venturing downstairs. Luke had adjusted the security system to block out the east wing of the house where their bedroom and sitting area was located. Yes, this was home now for Sasha. There were times when she literally got lost in the place, and then there were moments when she appreciated the space to spread out.
Home was a six-acre estate close to the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia. The three-level traditional style home consisted of six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, surrounded with windows, allowing breathtaking views of the river. There was a guesthouse with an additional two bedrooms and two baths. Plus, the 5,000 square feet of underground living space was only accessible to those who were in a need-to-know group.
Luke’s business was of a covert nature. Some of what he worked on was confidential, which Sasha understood. While she worked at the United Nations as a translator, all of her documents were sealed. Since moving to Virginia and meeting Luke, Sasha had resigned from her position. While her being unemployed had not caused any issues with Luke, Sasha was in search of a position in the DC area. Little did she know that the day her half-sister Monique walked into her office at the UN, it would be her last day there and the beginning of a new life for her. Hence, Sasha sitting at the island in the kitchen on her tablet, searching for a job.
“Good morning.”
Sasha looked up from the computer to see Slay walk into the kitchen. “Good morning. Did you all have a good run?”
Slay and Tank were a part of Luke’s protection detail. The two females could take out an army of men without skipping a beat. Over the last year, they had come to be close friends.
Slay pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and threw it to Tank as she walked in behind her.
“Running at seven a.m. is much better than the five a.m. of before,” Tank replied.
“The best way to get the blood flowing for the day,” Luke boasted as he walked over to her in his grey sweats and tank, with his muscle-bound arms glistening from his perspiration.
She smiled up at him. “I can think of one or two better ways.”
His lips captured hers before she completed the sentence.
“That’s our cue to leave,” Slay chuckled. “We’ll be in the Command Center.”
“Don’t y’all ever get enough?” Tank asked as they walked out of the kitchen.
“Never,” Luke replied as he ended the kiss. “What are you working on?”
“Job search,” Sasha replied as she returned to the tablet.
Luke walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “Do you want to work in the same field?”
Sasha nodded. “I do. I really enjoyed my work.”
“You can always work for me.” He held up his hand. “Listen, before you say no. You have met my team of Captains and know how many different languages they have to deal with on our projects for CUTS. This is not a charity offer from the man who loves you. We could really use your expertise in dealing with the crew. Whatever you were making with the government, we can match, and then there are the benefits of working with me.”
Sasha could not resist the sultry look in his eyes. “See, you were doing okay until you flashed those big brown eyes at me.”
He walked over to the island. “Will that entice you to take the position?”
“It will feel too much like me taking your money,” Sasha replied. “I like having my own. I don’t ever want you or anyone else to think I’m with you for the money. Do you understand?”
Luke shrugged. “That’s the Stephanie Coles Syndrome I have to deal with, I guess.”
Sasha rolled her eyes upward.
“I know that look,” Luke’s deep rich voice chucked. “What did she say this time?”
Sasha smiled at the warmth that coated her insides whenever he spoke. “The silent treatment is in effect. I guess she is upset that I have not answered her calls.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
Sasha thought about his question. “I should be upset … right? I mean, my mother not speaking to me should cause some type of reaction. But … I got nothing.”
“Liar,” Luke laughed.
Sasha turned to watch him pull eggs from the refrigerator. “Ha, ha, my ass.”
“And a sweet one it is,” he smiled while placing the eggs on the island. “Omelets?”
“Yes, please,” Sasha replied. “I’m not in the mood to play her games.”
“You’re going to have to talk to her at some point,” Luke said as he put the pan on the stove.
Sasha turned off her tablet, then walked over to pull peppers, spinach and bacon from the refrigerator to help him with breakfast. “I know.” She moved the items to the countertop, then pulled out the chopping board. “Is it bad to want to enjoy being your fiancée before dealing with her?”
“Well,” he walked up behind her as she was cutting the vegetables. His body rubbed up against hers. He kissed her cheek. “The longer you let this simmer between the two of you, the harder it’s going to be to cut the tension.”
“I want my life to be settled before confronting her. I need to get a job, and I have a wedding to plan. On top of that, I have to decide what to do about my condo. It’s been sitting empty since my mother left.” She gave him the bowl of cut veggies.
“It may be best to leave it for now. We might need it later.” He walked back to the stove. “What did Monique do with her place when she married Grayson?”
Sasha thought. “I’m not sure. I’ll check with her when she gets home.”
“Did you ask her to be your maid of honor?”
“Not yet, but I will. What about you? Did you ask one of your brothers?” She filled a baking sheet with bacon, then placed it in the oven.
“I did,” Luke nodded.
“Matt?” She raised an eyebrow.
“You know me too well,” Luke chuckled.
“Have you told him about the investments yet?”
“No.”
Sasha ran her hands around his waist. She hugged him and kissed his back, then sat back at the island. “Matt is cool people. He may not be as upset as you think. Keeping it from him is what is going to cause problems.”
“I’m concerned about his pride,” Luke stated as he flipped the omelet. “He may not take it in the spirit I intended.”
“What were your intentions?”
Luke placed a hot omelet in front of Sasha as he explained. “Of all my family members, he is the one who has the hardest job but gets paid the least. All of us make sure that Joe and Sally are good. They don’t want for anything. All the family is doing well financially, even Sapphire now. Matt is the only one who is on the low-income spectrum. If it weren’t for him, I would not have been in the NFL. He is the one who pushed me to the front. The scouts were looking at him, not me, but the NFL wasn’t what he wanted. When I got drafted my intention was to give Matt half of my earnings from my contracts. Every time I signed a new contract, I instructed my agent to put half in an investment account for Matt. That account is now well in the millions. But Matt won’t take it. So, whenever he needs anything, I would have funds disbursed from the account to Matt.”
“I’m sure Matt would be the first to say you don’t owe him anything. He would tell you, it was your talent and perseverance that got you into the NFL,” Sasha stated. “Leah said you purchased the initial buses for her charter service. Did it come from that account?”
“Most of it,” Luke replied. “All of the brothers donated to the cause. We all liked Leah. Giving her the equipment needed to start her company was a good investment. Plus it gave Matt some serious lover points.” He prepared another omelet for the pan. “That’s what gets me. He will accept anything for Leah or his students without question. But when it comes to me or any of us outright giving to him, he rejects it.”
“Well, Matt is a proud man. He likes earning his own,” Sasha shrugged. “So give him a job.”
Luke glanced over at her. “A job?”
“Yes, a job. Just like what you offered me.”
“But Matt’s a teacher and he loves what he does.”
“Matt’s a coach who loves preparing children for the future. You told me that Matt does training camps all the time. Right?”
“Yes, he does. Football, baseball and basketball camps throughout the year.”
“That has to cost money. He has to have a location, equipment and other people to help with the camps … right?” Sasha asked.
“Continue.”
“Why not set him up in a place to house all three? Like a sports complex. I don’t know for sure, but I would think a few million should get him all the equipment he would need for the kids. And you can use your influence in the sports world to bring celebrities in to help. Pay Matt a decent salary to run the camps and give him an operating budget to keep the place and workers year-round.” She hesitated, then added, “Know what else you can do? You can provide him with scholarship money for kids who have real potential. I don’t see how he would turn any of that down.”
Luke flipped the second omelet, then stared at her. He walked over and smiled.
“What?” She asked as he stared down at her.
He gently kissed her lips. “This is why you are in my life.”
Sasha smiled. “Since I solved your problem, your mind should be clear enough to help me with mine.”
“Your mother,” Luke laughed. “There is no help for that woman.”
“She’s going to be your mother-in-law soon, so you better come up with something.” Sasha stood to pull the bacon from the oven.
“Have you talked with your father about her?”
“No,” she replied while putting the bacon on the plates with the omelets. “I’m afraid he may take it a little too far.”
Luke nodded as they sat down. “Here’s what I know. You have the Day and Lassiter families behind you. One is just as dangerous as the other. If your mother causes problems for you, she will catch the wrath of both families. The ass-whipping Ryan gave her on Thanksgiving is going to be mild in comparison to what’s to come.”
“This is why you have to help me stop her from getting her ass kicked again, or something worse.”
“Babe, based on what I have seen, there is no helping her when it comes to that. Hell, I’m surprised she made it back to Atlanta in one piece. Al has been known to make people disappear from the face of the earth.” He kissed her hand, bowed his head and said grace.
Sasha began eating. “I have to find a way to keep my father from killing my mother.” Then she thought about it. “Hell, maybe life would be better off if I didn’t.” She looked at Luke. “Aren’t you going to tell me that’s a terrible thing to say?”
Luke looked her straight in the eyes, smiled and said, “Let me think on that.”
“Ha, ha. Not funny.” Sasha punched his arm then began to eat. “Are you doing your press conference today?”
“Yes, I’m driving to Richmond for it,” Luke confirmed as he ate.
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. I want to keep you as far away from the press as possible. Believe me, you don’t want to deal with them,” he exhaled. “Then I have an interview with Phire afterwards. What about you? Other than talking with your father about killing your mother, what’s on your agenda today?”
“I think I will catch a flight to Atlanta to talk with my mother, soon to be referred to as the ‘walking dead’, before I talk to Al.”
Luke laughed at the reference. “Do you want to wait until I can go with you? There is no telling what she is going to try to fill your head with.”
“Thank you, but no. I’ll make the return flight to Richmond and meet you at the condo.”
“You’re going to be okay with her?”
"I’ve been dealing with Stephanie’s games all my life,” Sasha replied. “I can handle her. I’m more concerned with Al and what he will do.”