Love Delivered (3 page)

Quincy said for years he’d wanted to get into individual branding for celebrities in addition to large companies. It so happened that he had a buddy who made an art of making an ass of himself and needed help.
I
was that ass. Ever since, he’d been my public relations guru.

The door at the end of the long conference room opened, arresting my attention.

“Erika and her people just entered the building,” Jackson, Quincy’s son announced.

Quincy tossed me a glance. I was still unsure about this shit.

“Have them wait in the lounge. Tell Shumethia to offer them drinks. StentRo here isn’t quite ready yet,” Quincy directed Jackson.

Jackson regarded me wearily. He then moved into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Stent, if I may,” he offered before stepping into my person. For a 19-year-old, Jackson had elegance and impressive articulation—similar to his father. There was never a wonder from where those characteristics had derived. He spent more time with his father and his father’s associates than he did friends his age. I nodded. “I’ve known Erika for quite some time now, Stent, and—”

“Have you fucked her?” Quincy held his open palm in the air and damn near sputtered.

“No. But I have her sister, Emily,” Jackson answered.

“Damn, bruh! You know how young that broad is? She’s fucking under-aged, Jax,” Quincy fired off with pinched brows.

Jackson shrugged nonchalantly. “And so was I at the time. Who do you think I am, Steve-the-damn-sleaze?” He snorted.

Quincy’s glare didn’t falter after that clear up, and neither did Jackson’s aplomb veneer. He was a suave motherfucker, that Jackson. Sometimes Q seemed as if he didn’t know what to do with all the swag he’d cultivated in his kid. It made me think about what type of influence I’d be to Jordan, or when we’d be friends—if ever. Quincy vacillated on the line of propriety with Jackson too much over the years.

“As I was saying,” Jackson ended the stare-down, “I’ve known Erika for a few years now. She’s a sweet girl...with a scandalous reputation albeit, but still fun and pretty damn smart. I know she has a propensity for seeking attention and approval, and her body was assembled by god himself, which is what most people see as her biggest asset, but she’s not insufferable.” Jackson shrugged. “Try it out for a bit, you may fuck around and fall in love.” He then threw his father a mischievous smile and they both broke out in laughter. That small display of ego battling was over that quickly.

Jackson’s attention returned to me. “Seriously, StentRo. We’ve all seen the video, so we know she can fuck, but there’s a genteel side to her, too. Just be up front with her about your limits.”

I exhaled long and hard. Jackson had also inherited his father’s keen sense of discernment. He was a sensible kid. “It’s just that it’s no longer just about me. I have a family to think about.”

Quincy’s and Jackson’s questioning regards crashed into my damn face. They knew me well enough to know I didn’t have family, per se. It was primarily my uncle and me because my mother rarely surfaced. What they didn’t know was that instinctively, I now encompassed Sarah, Michael and Zoey in that family category, and rightfully so, considering the shit I pulled on them. I was barely surviving Michael’s grace and was grateful for Sarah’s mercy. Zoey’s obliviousness to my debauchery was the reason for my sanity. She’d fucking hate me if she knew what I did to her.

“Nah, don’t make them wait. Let’s get this shit over with,” I murmured.

Jackson gave an affirmative nod and headed out of the conference room.

Quincy tossed his chin over to me as he asked, “What’s going on with you and Zoey? Are you two really over?”

It hardly felt like we’d ever had a start, but we were far from over. I’d made sure of that when I pushed her into some shit she had no idea was coming her way. Zoey had no clue of me altering her destiny. I still felt fucked up about it. Outside of Chesney, I didn’t discuss what I did to Zoey in the Caymans with anyone. It’s not exactly coffee table conversation to share you purposely impregnated an adolescent. It sounded repulsive speaking it out loud even to Chesney.

Now that Zoey’s back in school and resumed the track of accomplishing her dreams, I needed to give her space to spread her wings. That morning before I left her house last summer when Jordan was four months old, I passively proposed to her, almost deviating from my original plan. She mentioned being together, but couldn’t define the terms. Zoey wasn’t sure where I’d fit in her life, and that bothered me.

Then it pissed me off when I realized her watching a damn interview of Erika was what motivated her to ask about us
being together
. That was the first time Zoey resembled “them”—the world at large that saw beyond me and created an image of who they wanted me to be. Zoey didn’t want to be together; she simply didn’t want me with Erika. And that’s where she lost me in making her plea. I knew she needed time. I’d almost slipped on my mission, but that small admittance by her brought lucidity.

I went into my season, returning to that obscure place with her; hardly seeing her when I visited Jordan, barely communicating with her outside of coordinating time with the baby. I haven’t made a big deal about it because her being back in school trumped everything. I’d been moving at her pace.

That brought me here today, to move along in giving Zoey the space she needed to fly without my influence. I decided to move forward with this Erika shit. It was simple for me. I knew I could never be more than a great PR spin for her career, and for me she’d be a good distraction, or cover for my wait for Zoey. Jackson’s joke about falling in love was just that, because I’d already located my soul mate. Zoey fucked me up for everyone else.

“That’s a convoluted answer, bruh,” I finally answered Quincy.

“Just let me know the minute you need to switch gears. I can make the process smooth for you
if
you keep me in the loop,” he implored.

Then the doorknob clicked, the door opened, and in walked a small group of people, three of whom I recognized. It was Ellis, Erika, and Mehan, Erika’s PR head. Jackson led the visitors to their seats across from Quincy and me, and the room immediately exploded in a miscellany of expensive ass fragrances. As soon as Erika’s sable eyes hit me, they slanted and she smiled sweetly.

“Ladies, welcome. And it’s always a pleasure running into you,” Quincy jumped right in. “As you know, we have reason to celebrate. Stenton Rogers has finally made room in his demanding schedule to date and would like get to know Ms. Erceg, here, a little better.”

Erika covered her glossy pink lips and giggled. Her cheeks turned a shade of maroon. Damn!

Please don’t go there. I don’t have the patience for groupie energy.

“And as we all know,” Quincy continued, “...both Stenton and Erika are brands and even in social arrangements such as this, would like to maintain and protect their businesses. I understand that Erika has a few conditions she’d like shared up front.”

“Yes,
we
do,” Ellis, Erika’s mother, who was equally as beautiful as her daughter with rich olive skin and jet black hair cut into a trendy pixie style, piped out. She opened the flap of her portfolio and pulled out a document. “It’s not much, but very important that Mr. Rogers, here, adhere to. First,” she pointed her shiny black nail on the paper. “...we need a sexually transmitted infections report from the past three years. Erika’s is included along with the press packet and other information we’re submitting to your team today. Also, Erika’s allergic to latex. Here’s a list of condoms that she prefers, as well as those she’s allergic to. While Erika’s on birth control, sometimes my daughter can get a bit...overzealous in relationships and forget to use good judgment. Condoms until there’s a ring presented and approved by me.”

I hiked a brow at that one. Who the fuck did she think was giving her daughter a ring? And running up in Erika Erceg raw was never on my bucket list. I’d just hope her pussy still held its natural elasticity considering all the cocks she’d been known to have had in it.

Shit.

That thought made me think of Zoey’s wiseass crack to Tynisha her first time at my apartment in Philly.

Damn.

Zoey.

“Last but not least, there are no pictures to be shared of Erika on social media that have not been cleared by my staff first. She has an image to protect that is in tandem with her earnings. She can’t be photo’d first thing in the morning with her hair going each way. If so, there goes her
L’Oreal
contract.”

This shit is unreal.
What mother negotiates her daughter’s sex life?
Why is she even privy to that?
I mean, Quincy and Jackson was one thing, but a mother is supposed to protect her daughter from hungry men. I don’t know if it was me getting old or the fact that I’d been exposed to new people, but I couldn’t see Sarah advocating Zoey’s casual sex life. Shit is crazy!

“Well received and understood. I don’t foresee Mr. Rogers taking grievance with any of those,” Quincy glanced over at me. I didn’t move to motion either way. He pushed a sheet of paper across the table. “We actually have a few stipulations that are non-negotiable. The crux of them being privacy. Mr. Rogers will not participate in any episodes of “
Envying the Ercegs
” neither will there be any use of his name or image for ratings or advertisements. Also, there will be no official interviews.”

Ellis’ smile dropped immediately and she regarded me. “I’m sorry to hear that, Mr. Rogers. “
Envying the Ercegs
” is the second highest rated show on the network.” Her words resembled whining more than immodesty.

“That’s all fine and well, but Mr. Rogers must stay in compliance with the National Basketball Association’s code of conduct. As we are all aware, he’s made great strides with cleaning up his image and we don’t need any regression in that by mere association. He’s a private man and prefers keeping the inner workings of his life that way. I’m sure you understand when I say if you have any rebuttals we can kiss this whole agreement goodbye.”

There was a tentative pause at the table. Ellis sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. Quincy angled his chin in the air. Erika’s eyes pensively bounced between Quincy, her mother and me. Her nose twitched, she looked prepared to burst into tears. The other two men in their party never uttered a word, only watched Ellis in play.

Then a slow Cheshire cat smile crested upon Ellis’ face. “You have a deal, Mr. Hunter…and Mr. Rogers.” She extended her arm across the table to me.

My eyes slowly rose from her black square nails to her dark pupils. Unhurriedly, I take her hand and we shake firmly. I thought it odd to ratify a deal with Erika’s mother and not her.

My phone went off. I pulled it out and found an alert.

“Shit,” I swore, much to myself. Jordan’s six month appointment would be starting in two hours, barely giving me time to get out of New York City and into Philly. “I gotta go. Need to be in Philly,” I called over to Quincy, who nodded.

Almost at the door, I stopped in my tracks. Looking over my shoulder I asked, “Erika, you think I can speak with you for a minute?”

“
Su
-sure,” she nervously agreed, rising from the table and taking long strides to meet me.

I held the door open for her to lead me out of the conference room. When we were feet away, near the receptionist area, I turned to her. The first thing that hit me were her bountiful breasts that looked about to burst from her dress. She stood well poised, ankles aligned and hands crossed over her pelvis. Her eyelashes were dark, long and thick, cheeks were bronzed and pronounced, and her shoulders perfectly squared. Erika appeared perfect and…fake. I roughly rubbed the area over my top lip as I exhaled.

What the fuck was I doing?

“Listen, E, I don’t want this to kick off the wrong way. I’d like to hang out and get to know one another. You know how this fast life in the public eye goes. It’ll just be nice kicking it away from the eyes of the masses. I have a son who I’d like to start thinking about before I perform my next jackass endeavor.”

Erika giggled, placing her hand inches away from her mouth as to not disturb her makeup. I chuckled with her.

“Stenton, don’t worry. I get it. I’m not going to screw this up,” she assured. Then her lashes fluttered. “I’ve been waiting on this opportunity for a couple of years now. Of course, I’m not going to blow it.” A gradual salacious smile crested her face.

I paid a short snicker to her coyness. “Good to know. But there’s also something important for
you
to know.” Her gaze turned expectant. “I’m not looking for love or marriage. I’m not doing this for those purposes. I don’t want to disrupt your expectations with my agenda. Let’s just have a good time at a pace we’re both comfortable with.” With little apparent hesitation, Erika shook her head in agreement. I took a step back and noticed my armor waiting. I’d told Barry to come and get me at noon if I wasn’t out of the meeting. I took Erika by the hand, feeling a little fucked up about leaving so quickly. I didn’t want to hurt this girl. It was bad enough I had ulterior motives for agreeing to this shit in the first place. “I have to get out of here. You have my number.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “And you have mine,” she murmured before reaching up to pull me down by my collar and swiped her tongue down my throat.