Crystals (19 page)

Inside, his
amazement grew even more. He hated her home. The place resembled a morgue with
its endless white walls and sterility. And where was her bloody furniture. To
his mind, the place was practically empty. He knew all about the minimalistic
look, and as far as he was concerned, whoever invented the concept should have
kept it to themselves.

Taking a good look
around her sitting room, he almost managed to withhold his sarcastic comment.
“So, what are ya calling this
mode of décor
, then?”

“Don’t you like
it?”

“There’s nothing
in ‘ere. Did ya run out a money or something?” Shane held up his hand to stop
her just as she was about to respond to his sarcasm. “It’s alright though,
seeing as how you’re not going to be living here for much longer. Don’t worry,
love, I can afford to put some furniture in our place.” Giving her a cheeky
look he went on in a loud whisper. “Might have to get another interior
designer, though.”

Bracing himself
for her comeback, the sound of the door buzzer saved him. When Crystal returned
with Dara in tow, his gaze
was fixed
on the one spot
of color in the room. On the mantle above a white painted fireplace stood the
crystal he had given her for her birthday.

“You could have
told me he was here!” Dara accused Crystal with a dark look.

“Yes, I could
have, but I didn’t want to.”

“What’s going on
with you, Dara?” Shane broke into the conversation giving the frightened woman
a fixed stare.

“What exactly are
we talking about?” She hedged.

“Are we really
going to do this,” Crystal asked her cousin with a look of disappointment.

“As neither of you
can tell me what this is about, I’ll leave this ambush!” Dara said as she took
rapid steps towards the door.

That she was
attempting to duck out of answering his question pissed him off. “Let me tell
you about being ambushed. You came to my hospital bed and told me the lie of
the century. Now we want to know why?”

About to bristle
up, Shane gave her a contemptuous sneer. Looking at Crystal for help, Dara only
encountered another icy glower. With a sigh that sounded like resignation, she
flopped down on one of the white sofas.

“Whatever
he
told you is probably a lie.”

“
He
, didn’t
tell us anything because we haven’t spoken to anyone else. You’re family, so
Shane and I are doing you the courtesy of speaking to you first. Which is more
than you did for us.”

“I don’t need a
lecture, Crystal!”

“You meddle in our
lives and think ya get to talk to her like that! Well, ya don’t—do ya hear me!”

Her look of
indignation lasted only a short while before it fell away. As though her shield
of armor had diminished into thin air, tears gathered and ran down her cheeks.
Before long she was crying in earnest making no attempt to stem their flow.

“I’m so sorry. I
didn’t know what else to do.”

Shane bit back an
angry retort when Crystal sat beside her cousin and began to comfort the woman
who had played such a major part in destroying their lives.

“Crystal may be
buying ya waterworks, but I’m still waiting to hear something I give a shit
about!”

Disregarding
Crystal’s death glare, he folded his arms across his chest and waited for Dara
to start talking. For what seemed like endless moments her only response was
the sounds of her crying and sniffles that got on his nerves. So much so, he
was almost ready to wring her neck. Instead of acting on his urge, Shane drew
in a deep breath and prayed for patience.

“I can’t begin to
imagine what it’s been like living with what you did. But I know there’s a good
reason. The sooner you tell us about it, the sooner you can begin to heal,”
Crystal prompted.

“He had photos of
me.”

“How bad are
they?” Crystal asked.

“Bad enough that
when he threatened to send them to Mum and Dad; I did exactly what he wanted me
to. I’m sorry… I had to do it, I had to!”

“
It’s
okay, Dara. You can stop crying now. Everything’s going
to be alright.” Breaking off, Crystal silently pleaded with Shane to back her
up.

“Yeah,
everything’s gonna be alright but it ain’t gonna be because of her!”

“Shane!”

“What?” He shot
back. “She’s lucky I don’t track down those photos, blow ‘
em
up and stick ‘
em
on billboards across London!”

Dara caught
Crystal’s hand as she was about to castigate Shane for his rough treatment of
her cousin.

“It’s okay. I
deserve his anger.”

“Although
that
thought wouldn’t have entered my head, I agree with him. We’ve all been angry
and scared for way too long. So, you need to tell us about your part in all of
this.”

Dara told them
everything. By the time she was finished, some of Shane’s anger had tapered
off. He didn’t know if he would ever forgive her, but he was okay with that,
because to him, she didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

“I’ve got one more
question for you. Why did you take Crystal’s phone?”

“Ollie made me. I
was just going to pretend that I took it, but he made me bring it to him for
proof.” lowering her head, Dara mumbled yet another apology.

Ollie had
manipulated them all in the worse possible way. While it embarrassed him, he
had learned from the experience. He had no control over the past, but the
future was entirely different. He intended to ensure that Ollie never had the
chance to meddle in his life again.

Wanting time alone
with Crystal, Shane wasn’t sure how to get a distraught Dara to leave.
Surmising the cousins still needed time together, he decided he should be the
one to go. He had a lot of thinking to do before his trip.

“I’m gonna go,
Crys.”

“But we need to
talk.”

“I’ll call you
later. Hopefully, she’s stopped bawling by then.”

From the look Dara
shot his way, Shane knew he’d said the wrong thing—like he cared.

“I’ll walk you
out.”

Standing near the
front door, Shane turned to look at Crystal. As their gaze met, it seemed as
though she was about to ask him a question. Unsure of what he would say if she
delved too deeply into his line of thought, he attempted to distract her.

“Please tell me
that in there,” he tipped his head toward her sitting room, “wasn’t how you
were going to do up my place.”

“I know it’s bad.
I was going through a rough time when I decorated. I meant to change it, but
I’ve been so busy with work that I never got around to it.”

“I hate your place
and you hate mine. The only conclusion I can come to, is that we need to get
somewhere together.” He hadn’t asked a question, and this wasn’t the first time
he had mentioned them moving in together. He knew it was way too soon to be
even thinking along those lines, but he was serious.

“That may be a
possibility for the future. But it would depend on whether you can see your way
to refrain from being rude to my family.”

“Of course I can.
As long as they stay out of our business and give us a fighting chance.” Shane
gentled his tone as he ran a finger down her cheek. “It’s the least we deserve,
Crys.”

“The way you spoke
to Dara wasn’t very nice.”

“It wasn’t
supposed to be.”

“You don’t need to
worry, I’ll deal with my family.”

“I wasn’t worried.
But I’m curious, what ya gonna do, hug um into submission?”

“I can see you’re
still as sarcastic as always!”

“Thank you.”

Her sigh in
reaction to his comment was so loud Shane staggered backward in mock response.
In an instant, his joking was gone. “I need to go. How about a kiss before I
leave?”

“Do you deserve
one?” she teased.

“Maybe not, but I
want one.”

Shane held his
breath and waited to see what she would do. Crystal stepped into him and he
pulled her close. Their lips met and her scent invaded his senses and his cock
jumped and hardened at even such a simple touch.

A wildness
overtook him. Where this feeling of raw intensity came from, he didn’t know,
nor did he question it. He just wanted to bask in it. Take it in, and allow it
to wrap around them both.

Maneuvering her
toward the wall, he pressed his throbbing cock against her as he swept his
tongue around her mouth. She pressed and gyrated against him and his heart
picked up pace until every pulse point in his body throbbed.

“I want to fuck
you,” he whispered.

“Shane, keep your
voice down, Dara’s here!”

“I know, and I
still want you. I want to take off your knickers and bury myself inside you.”

Crystal groaned and
clutched on to him, her eyes taking on an animation he couldn’t resist.

“Are you wet for
me? Don’t answer that, I’ll find out for myself. Do you want me to know, Crys?”
He whispered against her ear before swiping his tongue along the column of her
neck in one long, wet continuous stroke.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“Open your legs
for me, love, and I’ll know.”

Her legs parted
and Shane bunched up her skirt. His fingers ran along the inside of her leg and
she shivered at his touch.

Taking the time to
brush his hand against the silkiness of the material of her panties, he then
lifted the edge and slipped a hand beneath it. Her legs parted even more and he
found his mark. His strokes were relentless and her wetness covered his
fingers.

“You like that
don’t you? Do you want to come, Crys? Do you want me to do that for you even
though Dara is in the next room?”

She groaned and he
silenced her with his mouth. He inserted two fingers inside her. Keeping an arm
locked around her waist. When he had her how he wanted her, he fastened his
lips against hers and finger fucked her.

He could feel her
inner heat and it spurred him on. Although his body cried out for the touch of
her seeking hand, he couldn’t allow it.

Using every skill
at his disposal, Shane worked her body towards completion. Her breathing
changed but he didn’t remove his lips. He just pushed her even harder and
faster toward her climax. She stiffened, and another gush of wetness covered
his questing fingers.

Needing her touch,
he allowed her to palm his throbbing cock and knead it for a few moments before
he removed her hand.

When her uneven
breaths equalized, and he was more under control, he removed his hand and
slowly ran his fingers across his lips. He then bent down and took off her
scent drenched panties and tucked them into his pocket. One hard kiss later and
he was gone.

~~~

Walking back into
her sitting room, Crystal looked over at her cousin, wondering if she had any
idea of what had just taken place between her and Shane. If Dara had heard
them, her expression gave nothing away. Pushing her erotic thoughts aside for
later, she regarded her cousin.

Dara had always
been the most vocal of the three cousins, but below the surface was a dreamer.
She was the one person the whole family had to protect from herself.

“I’m finding it
really difficult to like you right now, Dara.”

“I know and I’m
sorry.”

“Don’t play the
martyr, it doesn’t suit you!”

“Why are you angry
at me now? I explained why I had to do what Ollie said.”

“Don’t give me
that, you had a choice. I’m family and you saw what I went through—what Shane
went through. And all you thought about was saving your own arse!”

“You didn’t see
those photos–”

“How bad are
they?”

“They’re really
bad. They look like stills from some Z-rated porn movie.”

“You’re in idiot,
do you know that?”

“Shane’s going to
confront him, isn’t he?”

“Yes, and so am
I.”

“Good, I’m glad.
Living with the part I played in messing up your life’s been hell. I don’t even
care if Ollie sends those images to Mum and Dad. I knew what I was doing. So if
they come out, I’ll just have to live with it. You lived through much worse.”

“Thank you for
saying that, I needed to hear it. For a while, I was almost convinced you were
a selfish bitch whose only concerned was her own self-preservation.”

“You’ve really
changed do you know that?”

“Yes, I do—it was
time. And you don’t have to worry. I promise you that Ollie isn’t going to do a
thing with those photos.”

Chapter 16

Shortly after Dara left the call she had been
expecting came in. Since the loss of the baby, Gwendolyn had called her every
day without fail.

“Crystal-Grace,
where have you been?”

“I’m fine, Mother.
I just needed to sort something out.”

“That tells me
nothing! I’ve been worried about you.”

“I know and I’m
sorry. Didn’t you get my email?”

“Yes, I got it,
and it said absolutely nothing of any consequence.”

Unwilling to have
the type of discussion Gwendolyn wanted over the phone, Crystal cut the
conversation short with an assurance she would meet her for lunch the next day.

Before she ended
the call, Crystal made sure she was the one to arrange where they would meet.
Past experience had taught her if she gave Gwendolyn an opening, they would end
up in a stuffy restaurant surrounded by equally puffed up waiters.

Her mother had
mellowed over the years, but in Crystal’s opinion, she still placed too much
emphasis on her reputation. That notion even stretched to the places she ate.
Over the years, Crystal had been attempting to persuade her out of this
restrictive way of thinking, and although the pace was slow, it was finally
working.

That was one of
her reasons for selecting the restaurant in which she now awaited her mother.

Gwendolyn arrived
on the stroke of 1:00 pm and Crystal observed her as she looked around with
skepticism. When Gwendolyn’s gaze had made a full sweep of the room, Crystal
saw that her dubious look had increased. Withholding a smile, she rose as the
older woman approached.

Kissing each other
on the cheek, they took seats facing each other. The whole kissing in greeting
was also a new occurrence that had started when Crystal was at her lowest. Who
had initiated it, she didn’t know, but it was obvious they both liked the
change and had continued it. At first their embraces were awkward, but as time
went on it had become second nature.

“Crystal-Grace,
it’s lovely to see you, but what is this place?”

“It’s a seafood
bar.”

“I’m unsure of
whether I like this establishment.”

Crystal smiled at
her mother’s stuffy comment. They often ate seafood which they both loved.
However, the restaurants they frequented were normally much more upscale.

A middle aged
Caribbean couple owned the restaurant. The first time she had met them, they
had reminded her of her aunt and uncle. Although the place was unsophisticated,
Crystal loved the eatery because it was honest and served fantastic fresh food.

“Trust me, the
menu here is great.”

“Well, it would
have to be because they are not going to win any awards for the décor. Maybe
you should suggest that they hire you to spruce the place up.”

“Mother, do you
know how snobbish you sound?”

“I apologize, but
you know I’m doing my best. Therefore, I will refrain from saying another word
about anything other than the food.”

Crystal didn’t
believe that for a moment, but she was willing to give Gwendolyn the benefit of
the doubt.

With no time to
respond, Crystal looked up and smiled at the woman who stopped beside their
table.

The new arrival
was dressed in Jeans, a figure hugging top with a
Kente
cloth print tied around the front of her big afro. As she placed her hands on
her hips, the myriad of wooden and silver bangles encasing her wrists, rattled
and clinked with her every move

“We missed you
little, Ms. Crystal. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy,
Ms. Cilla,” she smiled at the older woman. “This is my mother, Gwendolyn
Buchanan. Mother, this is Ms. Cilla. She and her husband run this lovely
restaurant.”

“It’s a pleasure
to meet you… um…Ms. Cilla.”

“This is your
mother? Girl, how comes you never told me she was a judge?”

“How do you know
that?” Gwendolyn snapped with a look of suspicion.

“Because I don’t
live in a vacuum that encapsulates this restaurant. You are one of the few
successful black women in our judicial system. So, of course I keep abreast of
what’s going on with your career.”

“You have an
interest in the law?”

“Yes, I do. You
and I went to university together. You may not remember me, but I remember you,
and Stanley. You two were quite the couple. Actually, I met Lindsey through
Stanley. Back then I looked much different than I do now. I also went by the
name, Priscilla.”

That Ms. Cilla had
known her mother and father all those years ago piqued Crystal’s curiosity. And
Crystal was suddenly glad she had thought to come to their restaurant.

“Priscilla, of
course. I remember you now. He left me.”

Crystal was
shocked at the tag her mother stuck on to the end of her comment. It was almost
as though she was embarrassed about her relationship breakup, and wanted to
establish her marital status before Cilla inquired.

“I’m sorry to hear
that.”

“Don’t be, it was
never going to work, so I’m sure my remark didn’t surprise you.”

“You’re hard on
yourself, Gwen!”

Shock number two
came in right on the tail of the first. Her mother didn’t immediately correct
Cilla for the shortening of her name, which she hated.

“It happened a
long time ago.”

“That may be, but
why did you choose that version of the story rather than the one where you were
both attempting to repair your marriage when my father died?”

“Because that line
of events doesn’t matter!”

“Still as rigid as
ever I see, Gwen,” Cilla smiled down at her.

“If you’re about
to judge me—don’t!”

“I’ll leave that
to you. You seem to be doing an excellent job all by yourself.” Cilla paused as
though waiting for Gwendolyn to respond. When she didn’t, she gave the other
woman a kind smile. “So, what would you ladies like to order today?”

Jumping right in
Crystal placed her order. “I’m going to have the calamari to start and then
I’ll have the lobster. Mother, how about you?”

Still looking
peeved, Gwendolyn studied her menu for a few more seconds before placing her
order. She opted for shrimp in tomato sauce as a starter and crab for her main.
They also ordered a bottle of Chardonnay.

With their orders
placed, Cilla nodded, smiled and walked away. Before they could resume their
conversation, Lindsey, Cilla’s husband was standing by their table. Crystal
wanted to laugh. Cilla must have broken some form of record run in order for
him to have arrived so quickly. Pulling Gwendolyn out of her seat he engulfed
her in a big hug.

Lindsey was around
five-foot-six to his wife’s five-ten. He was dressed in his chef whites and his
bald head shone from the heat of the kitchen. His lower face sported a pure
white beard and mustache that contrasted wonderfully with his dark brown skin.
He made a striking picture. But what stood out most was the real pleasure he
was deriving from seeing Gwendolyn.

Holding her at
arm’s length, he took his time looking her over. “I didn’t believe Cilla when
she said you were here, so I had to come and see for myself. Girl, it’s been
too long.”

“My God, Lindsey,
when did you turn–
”

“Into such a
devilishly handsome man? I’m like fine wine,
Gwenie
,
I get better with age,” he laughed at her stunned expression.

“Um…”

“The Gwen, I used
to know would have come back at me with enough force to put me on my backside.
It’s a good thing we’ve reconnected because it looks like the echelons of power
have robbed you of your street chat.”

“My mother used to
have,
street chat
?”

“Oh, yes,”
breaking off, Lindsey allowed Gwendolyn to pull away and retake her seat. “She
used to come up with really colorful ways of telling people where they could
shove their–”

“That’s quite
enough of that, Lindsey!”

“Oh, is it now,”
he mocked mimicking her tone.

“If you know
what’s good for you, you’ll go back to your kitchen and cook our food instead
of getting on my nerves!” Gwendolyn warned giving him her deadliest stare.

Spellbound,
Crystal’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her mother had just spoken with
her native Jamaican accent, which was something she never did or allowed
Crystal to do.

Ignoring her, he winked
at Crystal. “That’s the Gwen I remember from university. Always warning people
to do what she said or reap the consequences.” Turning back to Gwendolyn, all
traces of his laughter disappeared. “I’m glad to see that the woman I knew
hasn’t been completely buried under the white wig and starched robe of office.”

When he stopped
speaking, they held each other’s gaze for a few seconds before Gwendolyn
glanced away.

Getting a rare
insight into the woman her mother had been in her youth, Crystal’s pleasure grew
at being at this little restaurant tucked away in Brixton Village.

“I’ll have someone
bring your drinks. And by the way, your lunch is on the house.”

“I won’t hear of
it,” Gwendolyn retorted with determination back to her usual stiff self.

Lindsey placed his
hands on his hips and gave her a hard stare. “Let me ask you a question. If you
were in one of those fancy establishments in the West End, and the chef said
your meal was with his compliments, would your response be the same as the one
you just gave to me?”

“This isn’t the
West End. Therefore, your question is moot!”

“
Gwenie
, you need to stop your noise and accept graciously.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that our location means a lack of success. We’re
in Brixton because we love the diversity of the people who eat here, and we’re
exactly where we want to be.”

“I sounded like a
complete snob, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. But
we can start over.”

“In that
case—thank you for your kind offer.”

“Good girl. I hope
you enjoy your meal.” With that said Lindsey walked away.

“Say nothing,”
Gwendolyn warned her daughter.

Unable to resist,
Crystal whispered just one word, “
Gwenie
.”

“I thought I told
you to keep quiet!”

Crystal realized
her mother was struggling with something. Maybe it was memories of the past
brought about by seeing Cilla and Lindsey again, she just didn’t know.
Recognizing that Gwendolyn was on the brink of either losing her temper or
tears, she stopped her teasing.

Attempting to
sneak her mobile out of her purse to send an urgent message. A sixth sense
caused her to look up at the same moment as her fingers closed around her
phone.

Cutting her eyes
towards her mother, she saw that she too looked in the direction of the door.
Crystal had hoped she and Gwendolyn would have had more time to talk. She had
wanted to prepare her. Now it was too late—Shane had arrived.

Weaving his way
through the tables, Crystal spared another quick glance at her mother.
Expecting her to be seething she was surprised to encounter a small smile.

“Well,
Crystal-Grace, it would appear that I’m finally about to right some wrongs from
my past. However, I would have appreciated you giving me a little more time by
way of preparation.”

It had never been
her intention to blindside her mother. The minutes spent interacting with Cilla
and Lindsey had eaten up the time she had intended to use to speak to her about
Shane. Now it was too late. He was already standing beside them.

He kissed Crystal
on the cheek in greeting, slid into the booth beside her and looked over at
Gwendolyn. This was the first time the two of them had seen each other since
the argument and accusations in the car park.

“Good afternoon,
Mrs. Buchanan.”

“Shane,” Gwendolyn
said nodding in his direction.

Making himself
comfortable, Shane stretched his arm along the back of their seat and looked
around.

The restaurant’s
decor was in shades of blues, greens and white meant to give a sense of island
life. There were tables laid out in the middle of the floor and six booths
along a wall, one of which they now occupied.

A waiter arrived
with their wine, and took Shane’s drink order with an assurance that he would
return once he had a chance to look at the menu.

Lost in all that
had been taking place since their arrival, Crystal hadn’t noticed how much the
place had filled up. The restaurant was crowded, yet a silence hung over their
table that was in direct contrast to the atmospheric buzz and laughter of the
other diners.

The whole point of
Shane joining them was so that he and Gwendolyn would have an opportunity for a
much needed talk. They had both changed so much that Crystal hoped they would
finally be able to find some common ground.