Just joining the live story? Start at He Touched Me Chapter One | Click here
About Author | About Live Story | Other Books By This Author |
Donate to my Editing Fund | Buy Books On Amazon
Guess who’s on time?
I am.
Moving forward. That’s what I keep telling myself. I have to keep moving forward with the story, with life … pretty much with everything.
And how is your week going? Staying safe ? stay home?
Getting a little ticked because people aren’t following instructions and thinking they can do anything, so you’re just on time out longer?
I hope you’re using this time positively… well, yes you are because you’re here, reading my work.
Enjoy…
He Touched Me – Chapter Seven
Magnum woke up with an epiphany; Not a real epiphany, but more like a need.
Sitting straight up in bed, he was shocked that he was thinking of her and not trying to get his hands on a drink as his initial morning thoughts. Drinking usually was on his mind more than anything of late, until he had laid eyes on her.
Knowing his attention was turning to her more than drinking bothered him more, although he should be grateful this major distraction had come into his life and got him to stop wanting alcohol as much. Yet, to depend upon a person more than a chemical was scary. People were not dependable.
He had no idea how this woman would react to him once he met her face to face, nor did Magnum know how he would respond to her once he met her… if that could be possible.
Somehow he had to find her in this big city, and he didn’t know how to start. He could ride the bus all day and all night for years and years and never find her again. Or he can put his pride aside and ask Tyler Black.
The bad blood between him and Tyler went more profound than he wanted to explore, and Tyler would get a kick out of seeing Magnum beg for assistance.
Tyler would demand some begging because the sick bastard would not accept anything less than groveling from Magnum.
Putting his clothes on after a long cold shower, Magnum decided to head to Tyler’s office immediately.
Today he picked out a dark royal purple shirt and black dress pants with a silver bowtie, silver shoes, and silver cufflinks. Ties were never his thing, but dressing up as if he had somewhere to be often fooled people when he was drop-dead drunk.
Reginald sent him a message to ask if he was coming into the office. Magnum deleted the message instead of responding. A few minutes later, Reginald texted again to let Magnum know the Gates had inquired about the project.
Magnum frowned because he had never agreed to any project with the Gates. Albeit a generous opportunity, Magnum didn’t have his head straight to take on anything, right now, and he was never one to make a check with his mouth that his butt couldn’t cash.
Reginald only wanted the money and the prestige of saying the company was working with the Gates, but Magnum wasn’t going appease his cousin today.
After deleting the second message, Magnum hurried to get out of the door before he changed his mind and succumb to the need to get a drink.
Magnum looked down at his hands and saw the shaking as the taxi drove slowly to the Downtown Detroit office building. Magnum had told the driver to take his sweet ass time because he was in no hurry to grovel to Tyler Black.
Getting to the lobby of the office building, Magnum took a moment and calmed his mind so he could get his thoughts together, knowing he would have to face Tyler sober and have to ask a favor. Tyler Black was the best-negotiating lawyer in Michigan – Probably in the world. And Tyler always made sure he came out on top. Unfortunately, Magnum had done something unforgivable, and he did not know if Tyler would be able to forgive him or would even want to help him.
Instead of taking the private elevator, Magnum took the public one up to the first floor of Tyler’s office. There was a new assistant there and not the older one that Magnum knew had been sleeping with Tyler’s partner.
This new one was smiling as Magnum approached.
At least there was no history in her eyes. No one knew about the fight three years ago when the offices were just acquired, which caused massive destruction to the entire floor at the time.
On top of that, this one was African American, which was odd because Magnum knew how Tyler felt about black women working at the office.
“Good morning, may I help you?” she said with an honest and genuine smile as if she was happy to work for Tyler Black. Why would anyone be satisfied working for the most irritating man in the entire world?
Magnum almost envied the fact that Taylor could find a chipper assistant because he could never find anyone friendly to work for him.
Truth be told, Magnum could hardly find anyone that wanted to work for him; Maybe if he stopped drinking so much, he could find someone, but that would be stupid.
“I’m here to see Mr. Black,” Magnum said.
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked, checking a computer screen looking slightly confused. “Because Mr. Black just asked me to clear his morning schedule to go meet with a client outside the office.”
“Of course, I don’t have an appointment,” he said. “And even if I tried, Tyler wouldn’t bother to give me the time of day.”
The woman smirked and asked, “Are you on the list?”
“What fucking list?” Magnum asked with irritation.
“The list of people Tyler never wants to talk to anymore,” she questioned.
Magnum almost chuckled because he knew Tyler was petty enough to have a list like that, and it was probably a very long list.
“Most likely,” Magnum answered.
She opened a drawer at the bottom of her desk and opened up a well worn hard covered journal to a penciled list of names. “What’s your name?” she demanded.
Magnum’s lips became suddenly dry, and his hands began to tremble again. He stuffed them in his pants to hide his upset, knowing he would have to face Tyler again. He mumbled incoherently, even though he didn’t know what came out of his mouth.
The assistant looked up at Magnum. “I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?”
A door slammed above them and on the next floor overlooking the office area standing at a railing the tall figure of Tyler Black. He gripped the railing so hard his knuckles were turning completely white, looking like he wanted to leap over and land down in front of Magnum to beat him to death.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tyler growled.
Magnum remembered the last time they met, and to be honest, Tyler had every right to try to fight with him again. Today, Magnum wasn’t coming to start any trouble, and he needed Tyler to understand this.
Tyler came down the stairs that led right in front of Magnum.
“I should beat the shit out of you again,” Tyler threatened.
“You can try, but you didn’t succeed the first time, and I was very drunk the last time,” Magnum said, taking a white handkerchief from his pocket and waving it in front of Tyler’s face. “I’m calling a truce.”
Tyler snatched the handkerchief and threw it on the floor. “You have no right here, ever, Magnum, after what you did to my sister! Get the fuck out!”
Magnum said coolly, “I can’t. I need your help.”
The lawyer cackled hysterically, “You can kiss my ass, Magnum. I will never help you. Now get out before I lose what little control I have and beat you to death like I should have done the first time you showed up in this office.”
Magnum knew he was at his wit’s in, but what was at stake was his sanity, and he knew Tyler had to help him.
With no other option, he did the most unthinkable thing in the world and dropped to his knees in front of Tyler. “Please,” he said.
Tyler looked incredulously down at Magnum because he probably couldn’t believe the prideful man would demean himself in front of a person he truly hated.
Becoming extremely stiff, Tyler gritted out, “You got five minutes. I was headed out to meet a crucial client who’s been waiting for me all morning.”
Magnum looked skeptical because it was still very early in the morning. “You could just say I only have five minutes because that’s how long you can put up with me.”
“Get the fuck in my office, Magnum, and dont touch shit,” Tyler hissed before turning to his assistant.
Magnum didn’t hesitate and took the stairs three at a time with his long legs.
Briefly alone, he had a chance to look down at his hands. The trembling was still there, and he itched for a drink but knew if he took one drop before he spoke with Tyler, he’d get a shit deal. The knowledge he was closer to his goal brought a strange control over his soul. If he made it this far, then he could make it more considerably, and soon he could see her, know that she was real, possibly even talk with her?
Magnum leaned over the desk to concentrate and throw off the feeling of throwing up. The sound of a cell phone buzzing on the desk disrupted his concentration. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down at … her… She was lying on Tyler’s desk.
Her face was on Tyler’s cell phone.
Creamy brown skin, small face, with beautiful doe eyes and the softest lips, filled the screen looking up at him.
Tyler entered the office and locked the door behind him. “Now what the hell do you-”
Magnum picked up the phone, turned around, and cut Tyler off. “I want her!”
“I told you not to touch shit.”
“I’m not fucking with you, Tyler. I want her.”
“I’m not your pimp, and after that shit, you did to my sister, I should beat your ass again and toss you out on the street with the other drunks.”
“I’ll do anything to have her.”
Tyler took his phone and looked down at the screen. It was still buzzing, and he pushed the call to voicemail. “When you say want, what exactly are you implying?”
“Anything I desire.”
Narrowing his obsidian eyes, Tyler questioned, “And you desire her more than you desire a drink.”
Without hesitation, Magnum answered, “Yes.”
“And anything means?” Tyler questioned for clarification.
“Whatever the fuck I want, and I’ll be willing to pay and do whatever the fuck you want.”
A slow dark smirk moved over Tyler’s lips, and Magnum had a feeling he had just made a deal with the devil.
“Give me five minutes outside of my office, and I’ll let you know,” Tyler said. “No promises.”
Magnum was reluctant, but having things work out perfectly, he knew he couldn’t pass up this chance. Tyler would make sure things worked out for him if Magnum made a deal with him.
“You can accomplish what I want in five minutes, Tyler?” he asked skeptically.
Tyler smiled with confidence. “Less than that, but I’ll still charge you the same amount of money.”
Storming out of the office, Magnum proceeded to pace, giving Tyler the five minutes he asked.
****
Being pushed to voicemail when Tyler said he would call her as soon as he got into the office was disheartening.
Did he understand she was in dire need of help at this point?
Zuri couldn’t drink another cup of coffee, and she was not about to spend all her money at the restaurant.
Staring down at the phone, she closed her eyes, forcing herself not to have a panic attack. She was not a person to panic because usually, Brenda figured everything out for Zuri.
Slamming her fist on the table, she screamed in her head for her phone to ring.
The phone rung.
It was Tyler
“Why’d you push me to voicemail?” Zuri demanded to know.
“I got two minutes to speak with you. Did you get a good description of the two guys?”
“Not really,” she answered. “I could say they were about as tall as my ex, but one was lean and the other … well, it could’ve been Rodney, but I was scared, and I wasn’t looking for a description. Just a way to get away.”
“How desperate are you to hide out somewhere for a couple of months while I get your affairs in order? And handle a couple of problems for you?”
“Out the kindness of your heart? Or a nice paycheck?”
“Both, but I won’t charge you my usual fee. You’ll be doing me a big favor.”
Suspiciously, Zuri said, “I don’t believe there is a kind bone in your body, Mr. Black.”
“Probably not, but answer the question, quickly, woman.”
“At this point, I have to agree,” she answered honestly. “But where would-”
Tyler cut her off. “Good, I have to call one more client and then I will have papers to draw up? Can you come to the building, get some clothes from the resale shop on my credit and then my driver will take you to a private suite. I’ll meet you up later.”
Braving her fear, Zuri asked, “What if I had said no?”
“Then, you’d be sitting at that Coney for another two hours until I could figure some other things out.” The line clicked, and Zuri rolled her eyes, wondering what she had agreed to with Tyler Black.
He Touched Me Chapter Six (c) Sylvia Hubbard @ The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard.
Companion Books
More Free Reads by this author: Click here
Subscribe to this author’s updates for more literary works to come. CLICK HERE
To read more of this author’s work, check out her fiction list at:
https://sylviahubbard.com/fictionbooks
Or get books on amazon at:
http://amazon.com/author/sylviahubbard