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Author’s Notes – I was really going to hold off on posting today, seeing that I haven’t received any comments lately. Looking for feedback. Now I know some of you are used to me jumping in bed somewhere, and this isn’t a slow build – someone’s going to get their rocks off tonight, I swear. I do want to know which brother you are rooting for, and if Tori is being clueless? Do you suspect anything?

I’d love to hear your reading thoughts! Drop them in the comments, and bonuses to the ones that invite your reading friends as well.

I think I answered all the offline questions. Still spending the week at the camp, so I’m getting a lot of writing done. I would like to know how you feel about the thick chapters. They are averaging 3000 to 4000. So, if you’re reading up to this chapter, you’ve read about 15,000 words. That’s like a short story. And there’s still more to come. If you’d like to make a small contribution to this endeavor and know you can get to the end, don’t forget to leave a little. It’s a reward for both of us, and if you include your address when you pay, I can send you a small reader’s gift as well as the story progresses.

Now enjoy the read. Your author, Sylvia Hubbard

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Chapter 5 – Who Do You Believe?

Shawn Carter pulled up in front of her home in a beautiful diamond blue Lexus, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit and yellow tie.

Catching her breath, Tori marveled at how perfect Shawn looked as he stepped out of the vehicle. Every inch of him dripped gorgeousness, strength, and a very well put-together man arriving like a night in shining armor, but she didn’t need saving except in the bedroom. Damn, all she could think about was going to pound town with him.

And his brothers, her consciousness boomed over her illicit thoughts.

‘Stop that! You’re so bad. You’re only thinking of Shawn,‘ she reprimanded herself with a wicked giggle, but she couldn’t help herself.

She’d chosen to wear a sunflower off-the-shoulder dress that came to her knees, with a flair off her wide hips to accentuate her small waist, paired with matching yellow two-inch heels. Instead of moisturizing down with lemongrass or sweet almond oil, she found her peppermint shea butter and applied that over her skin, just in case Duncan came around her. There was no telling if the other brothers might go and ruin this private date, as they seemed abnormally close, and she prayed this wouldn’t be a problem in the relationship she wanted to build with Shawn, alone, and have him all to herself.

She’d only pulled the right side of her hair in a twist and let the rest hang down, touching her shoulders, and flipped over her left eye.

Tori had been watching from her front upstairs window for his car, and once he pulled up, she nearly gloated down the steps, grabbing a white wrap and matching leather purse. She had a plan to get them closer, and tonight was going to change Shawn’s life after she was done.

He was holding a dozen lilies as he walked on her porch and rang her doorbell. Answering the door, she tried to quell her excitement.

“Wife to be,” Shawn said. “You look delicious.”

Don’t blush! Don’t you dare!

“Thank you. Are those for me?”

“Of course,” he said, handing her the lilies.

She used the opportunity to hug him and kiss his cheek. “Come in and let me put them in water.”

Shawn followed her inside, but stayed in the front room for a moment before following her to the kitchen while she looked for a vase. She could see that he was looking around, and with her glass cabinets, everything about what she ate, stored, and cooked with was easily visible.

“Duncan was right,” he said.

Stiffening up slightly, as she put the lilies in the vintage vase she’d found, she asked, “What does that mean?”

“He said you eat a lot of seed oils and preservatives.”

“Well, it’s just me.”

“But you should care about yourself on the inside as much as the outside,” he noted. “According to Duncan, he said it makes you look better and taste better.”

She couldn’t help blushing. “Is Duncan a cannibal?”

Shawn chuckled. “No, but he knows food really well. It’s his hobby.”

Feeling that this was a good opportunity to point out Duncan’s creepiness, she noted, “He also has a really good sense of smell. He knew exactly what shea butter scent I used and had the nerve to point it out to me.”

Shawn only chuckled, not the least offended. “Duncan can smell through walls if you ask me. He’s stronger as well.”

A compliment? He was impressed by his brother’s so-called talents. Of course, Shawn was the youngest of the brothers. He wouldn’t look at his older brothers as being creepy or annoying, so she tucked away her disdain for Kevin as well, which she was about to voice. If she wanted to get closer to Shawn, she’d have to side with his brothers instead of trying to draw a wedge between them. That’s what the old Tori would have done.

“You’re right, or Duncan’s right. I should take better care of myself on the inside.” The approval on Shawn’s face further encouraged her to keep her wariness about his brothers to herself. Damn, perhaps getting him attracted to her was going to be easier than she thought. “Thank you, and tell Duncan thank you as well,” she said gratefully, ushering him out of her kitchen so he couldn’t see the junk food drawer by her refrigerator.

“You’ve done an amazing job on this apartment. I remember when we were kids, we used to live in one of these,” he said as they returned to the front room.

“These apartments?” This was new information to her. “I didn’t know you guys were living in an apartment and here. Weren’t they pretty small back then if all of you were living here together?”

“Yeah, they were; only two bedrooms per apartment at that time. Not like what you’ve done.” He looked around, impressed. “What made you get this place?”

“My father insisted.” Yet now that she thought about it, she could understand why her father had been so persistent in purchasing this property. “He’d told me he had been monitoring the property before he passed, waiting to catch a tax lien, and made me promise to buy it with every dime I’d saved.”

“No rhyme or reason? You just bought it because your father said so? Revamped it and improved it?”

“Or I could have saved my money and waited for my father’s funds and used that money to get surgical procedures like Malea,” she teased. “But even before his insurance check was cashed and his estate divided by Malea and me, I felt I should honor him by being obedient, and the blessings would come. So, I cashed in my 401(k) and withdrew all my savings to purchase this building. Once I received his money, I immediately bought the corresponding properties because he spoke about them as well.”

“Even before you made your money back from this property?” he questioned.

“I’m obedient, if anything, and I was faithful to my father’s wishes because of all the sacrifices he made for me. Malea often called me silly because Dad’s not around to see what I’m doing, and if she were single like me, she’d be on a beach somewhere loving life.”

“But not you.” Shawn chuckled nervously, taking her shawl and wrapping it over her shoulder. “I just find that different. I didn’t expect that.”

“Kevin said the same thing after he burst out laughing at me.”

“Kevin laughed?” Shawn asked, shocked.

Tori chuckled. “You’re trying to make me feel special with you guys, Shawn? Last night, I got Duncan to talk more than he’s ever talked before, and today, I’m making Kevin laugh, and he’s never laughed before?”

“My older brother is either gaudy, annoying, or too serious for his own good. Laughing is not in any of those. Kevin has never wanted to have fun. He only knows how to annoy the fuck out of people.” He pulled out the ring and took her left hand. The band perfectly moved over her knuckle.

“But he does get ring measurements right,” she noted and kissed Shawn’s cheek again. “Thank you, fake husband to be.”

“A pleasure, fake wife to be,” He extended his arm. “Shall we go?”

Wrapping her arm around his, Tori let him lead her to his car and opened up the passenger door to assist her inside like a perfect gentleman. Looking back at her apartment complex, she said, “I didn’t tell you my address. How did you guys find me?”

“Your sister,” Shawn answered. “She was very informative.”

Feeling uncomfortable knowing Malea was talking about her to someone behind her back, she asked, “And did she give you any other information about me?”

Shawn shrugged. “I don’t harp on gossip, and I definitely don’t rest on people’s opinions. I’m a doctor, so facts matter to me, and I try to believe what people show me. Although sometimes I do allow my own opinion of people to get in the way of how I feel and treat people.” He gave her his smooth, beautiful smile. “I like how you make me feel, Tori.”

She relaxed, glad Malea’s mouth didn’t make things hard for her. “And why are you guys so gentlemanly? I didn’t expect that from you all.”

“Our mother may have been a single mom, but she raised us with a rigorous hand, almost hard, helicopterish if you asked Kevin. She had a brother who was killed in drug violence, but she hated that he was very ghetto, according to her, nd she swore if she had sons, they wouldn’t be thuggish in any way. Manners were a key point in her style, ensuring we knew our place, etiquette, and rules were paramount.” A brief look of pain crossed his features. “It was actually one of the things your father said he loved about my mother, by how disciplined she was with us.”

She stiffened more and immediately wanted to apologize for being a spoiled, selfish bitch to their mother, as Kevin had called her, but Tori bit her tongue and decided against it. Instead, she changed the subject, gently placing a hand on Shawn’s arm. “You know, if we are to make sure people believe our relationship, we should get comfortable with each other.”

“I feel very comfortable with you, Tori. You’re pretty cool.”

Tori pressed herself towards him, putting her other hand on his chest and feeling him tighten up. “I mean, more comfortable, and our first public kiss shouldn’t be in front of everyone.”

“First public kiss?” he questioned.

“Yes, remember? Our first kiss was behind the garage.”

For a second, he looked confused, and then his eyebrows shot up as if in understanding. “Oh, right, ummm, yes.”

She immediately knew he must have forgotten about that. Damn! Was she that unforgettable? Moving her arms around his neck, grateful for the heels that allowed her to stand only slightly on her tiptoes, and it also helped that he was standing off the curb, but his car and she hadn’t stepped down to get in the car yet. Tori said, “Well, we should practice being more comfortable in front of everyone.”

His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her body into his.

This was it! They were going to recreate their kiss from the garage.

Shawn’s lips pressed against hers tightly at first, but then softened. Just as she was tightening her arms around his neck, he pulled away with a smack on her lips, smiling as if he had done something. “You’re right. We needed that.”

Tori didn’t want to show her disappointment at the mechanical kiss that didn’t come close to how their back-of-the-garage kiss had felt, so she smiled too. “You’re welcome,” was the only thing she could think of to say, and she slipped into the car, putting on her seatbelt.

Shawn closed the door, and she watched him happily walk around to the driver’s side. He even touched his lips fondly as if the kiss did something to him, when it had left Tori feeling flat. That was a kiss by a grown ass sexy man? No! It felt like a little boy testing out the waters!

She didn’t say this out loud. “So you said there is so much to come?” she asked as he drove.

“Yes, your sister works fast. I received a call this morning asking me to speak with the board, as the board president had requested. I was shocked but ran right over and by one this afternoon, I was being offered the position.”

“That’s amazing, Shawn.” Tori remembered what Kevin said about how everything affects all the brothers when something happens to one of them. “Kevin and Duncan must be excited as well.”

“I wanted to tell you first, Tori,” he said.

Her heart swooned, just like a real marriage where a man would put her above everything and give her priority in his life. Her worry about his brothers coming between them constantly was immediately put to rest. “I’m honored you thought of me like that.”

Shawn took her hand softly, rubbing his finger over the beautiful ring. “I figured if I’m going to do this, I’m going to be fully committed to this part and treat you like a wife fully, so it’s easier when people see us.”

Putting her other hand on top of his, Tori said, “This is going to be very fun for both of us then.”

***

Shawn took them to a different restaurant in midtown Detroit with an adjoining parking garage. He chose this restaurant because he wanted to cap off the day by having dinner with the head of the board at the same place where the board chair would be tonight.

On the way, he spoke more about the position as his fake wife. Yes, she would attend several events and even host some things as his wife. He’d be given an assistant who would set up a schedule for her to be invited to. That way, nothing would be a surprise, and she could manage her personal life alongside his. He’d have to hire someone to entrust with the fact that they lived in separate households, but he was sure he could find someone.

“We also have a family calendar,” he noted. “And I should probably invite you to that as well, so you can coordinate your time around that.”

She frowned. “But your family already knows about us and that this isn’t real.”

“But we can take photos at those events that I can post to keep the facade going. I’m sure administration is going to look at my social and wonder why my wife isn’t in any of them.”

Good thinking! And it would give her time to work her sexual magic on him to make him hers permanently. One bad kiss wasn’t going to dampen her spirits of having Shawn Carter as her real husband.

“We should come to a date that we got married,” she mentioned.

“You’re right,” he said, pulling into a parking space. “What date would you suggest?”

“April twenty-ninth,” she said so fast.

“Wow, that’s specific.”

Pushing his arm playfully, she said, “It’s the date of our first kiss behind the garage.”

“Oh, right.” Those eyebrows raised again, and she had a funny feeling that indicated something about him. “April twenty-ninth. We’ll never forget that date.” He leaned in and kissed her mechanically again. “Practicing,” he teased.

She watched as he jumped out and came around the car, touching his lips again with a smile like he really did something again. The stagnant kisses could be corrected, she convinced herself.

Once she had excited him enough and built passion between them, Toir knew those kisses would spark something inside of her, too.

Entering the restaurant, Shawn nodded over to the back of the room, catching someone’s eye, and she followed his gaze to see an older white man and a woman of a similar age having dinner.

“Did you see his face? He looked very pleased,” Shawn said excitedly after helping her sit down.

“Well, let’s keep it going,” she encouraged.

Shawn must have thought she wanted another one of his tight kisses because he leaned down and gave her one. Of course, she wouldn’t refuse, but she had to find a way for him to relax those damn lips of his.

He ordered their drinks, and Tori loved that he knew she liked white wine. This restaurant didn’t have the brand they’d drunk last night, but what he ordered was good enough, while Shawn continued her ‘wife duties.’

Had Malea told him what she liked? Her preferences to make her happy? If that was so, she should be grateful her sister had opened her big mouth.

“There should be some days you come to the house for movie dates so that we can take pictures of you there in my life. I have a condo across from the Little Caesars Arena on Jefferson. I moved there recently after my divorce.” He pulled out an envelope and pushed it across the table.

Inside were keys and security codes. “This is a lot,” she remarked.

“Well, there are going to be some events we’ll need to leave from my place, and once I get back from work, I’ll just barely have enough time to change. I didn’t want to make it a tight squeeze for both of us. And before I forget, I’ll need to add your name to my lease to obtain permission to park in my garage. That entails a copy of a birth certificate and a driver’s license, if you don’t mind. They are very strict and thorough about people in the building.”

“I can get that to you tomorrow.” His consideration was beautiful. “Are you always this efficient?”

“Not always, but Duncan keeps us all meticulously organized. We’re more of a unit. He gave up his set of keys for you.”

She tried not to bite her lip, knowing his brothers would be a significant hindrance. A unit? Meaning they did a lot of things together?

“I hope your brothers don’t also live with you?”

“No, but we do a lot together. Things we couldn’t do when we were younger.”

With their single mother, Tori could understand that. Although she was never a single mother, she saw so many of her childhood friends on her social media struggling and working hard all the time. Tori could see that Sherrie probably had little to no time to spend with her children. And the brothers had to depend on each other a lot of the time and had become close to each other when they were young – a unit. The word still made her feel like she had a lot of work to do to get Shawn to want to put her in a position ahead of his brothers.

Before the food came, she wanted to check her makeup and her underwear. The kisses were dry, but the excitement from being around him was undeniable, and she had brought an extra pair of underwear just in case.

As she got into the bathroom, Tori could feel dampness, but decided it wasn’t enough to change her panties. Still, she used the bathroom, freshened up with peppermint shea butter, and emerged from the stall.

The board president’s wife was in there. She was a nice-looking older white woman, and she extended her hand after she washed her hands at the sink. “I’m Paulette Cosgrove. My husband is Michael Cosgrove. He’s the board chair of the hospital where your husband now works. I know behind any great man is an even greater woman, so congratulations to you both. “

“Tori Song,” she introduced, but then wondered if she should have added Carter. That was something else she needed to discuss with Shawn, and she hoped she hadn’t messed things up by using her maiden name.

“Oh, I’m familiar with you. When my husband told me about the new podiatrist appointee and had you listed, I looked you up myself. Oh, those rugs you have. Those are spectacular! I’ve already bought two for myself and my daughter. I’m thinking about buying three more for a charity event coming up and having them for auction.”

“There’s no need, Mrs. Cosgrove,” she offered. “Let me know and I’ll donate them.”

The woman shrilled excitedly. “Really? Oh my lawd, girl. I knew you were amazing. That would be so wonderful! I’m eager to share the news with my husband. He said no woman should be going around using her maiden name if she was married, but you know how these conservatives and Christian fundamentalists are. Yet, you were an artist before you met your husband, so it’s understandable you keep your maiden name.”

“You’re right, Mrs. Cosgrove, I was an artist before my husband and I met, and he insisted I shouldn’t change my name and lose my following.”

“I agree! And please call me Paula. And I love that group home initiative. Please ensure you get in touch with me so I can direct some grants to help you immediately with all your costs. I know some people who would love to make sure you get that completed and could have a chunk of change in your wallet by the end of this week.” The woman passed her a business card and walked out of the bathroom.

That went well, Tori told herself, making sure she plopped the card in her purse immediately.

“Tori,” someone hissed as she exited the bathroom.

Turning around, she was shocked to see Norman standing there by the men’s bathroom. He always reminded her of Seal, but without the facial scars. He kept his head clean because she remembered he’d started balding in high school, but he was still a very handsome black man about Tori’s age. She could see how her sister could fall back in love with him again because he’d kept fit from high school. Yet, knowing the stress he was causing her sister made Tori angry.

Frowning, Tori said, “We have nothing to talk about, Norman.”

When she started to storm away, Norman grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. “Nothing? You’re a fool if you don’t listen to me, Tori.”

“A fool? That’s funny, coming from the fact that you were sleeping with my sister even though she is married.”

“She initiated it!” he declared.

“You’re lying,” she disgustedly hissed, yanking her arm away from him. “Don’t touch me! Did you come here to get Shawn fired from his new position? I’m not going to let you hurt my husband.”

“I don’t know when and how you two got married, but I don’t believe any of this. Your sister must’ve been plotting and planning this shit when she knew I wanted the position at the hospital.”

Tori wanted to smack him across the face and get away from him, but she didn’t want to draw too much attention to their conversation and risk the CEO and his wife noticing. If she rushed away, Norman could follow, and if she raised her voice, someone would hear them. “You only wanted that position to continue to get close to her and ruin her marriage.”

“Yeah, I’ll admit I did make some threats because she made me leave my old life behind and made me fall in love with her again. And then she just wanted to leave me, as if I were just another phase, Tori. You’ve got to believe me! But she’s wrong to involve you in all this shit, especially since you don’t know the full story. I know this has to be a marriage of convenience because Shawn would never marry you.”

Wanting to keep up the pretense, she said, “Shawn and I have known each other since I was in high school. Of course, he could marry me. You don’t know anything about our feelings for each other, Norman.”

“I don’t know yours, but I know his. Shawn is gay.”

___ *** ___

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Her Substitute Husband… His Brothers (c) 2025 Sylvia Hubbard All Rights Reserved

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