The Lion (7 page)

He grinned lazily. “You.” There was a pause. “What are you wearing?”

  “My nightgown,” she answered softly.

Rion placed his hand behind his head. “You're in bed?”

  “Yes, I am. I left my grandparents a while ago and came home.”

  “Show me your nightgown,” he requested.

She looked surprised. “What?”

  “Take your camera and start at the top,” he instructed.

  Tauri paused for a moment then took her phone and lifted it above her face. “Are you watching?”

  “Ummmm...hmmmm,” he murmured.

  She slowly lowered the camera from her face to her neck then lower to her breasts encased in the black silk nightie.

  “Pause right there...” She stopped and waited. “Okay.”

  Tauri continued moving the phone down her body past her stomach to where her gown ended on her honeyed thighs. Slowly she lifted the gown to reveal the triangle of a sexy black thong against her glowing skin.

  “Yeah...that right there,” he said softly.

  She brought the phone back to her face and looked into his eyes. “Now it's your turn,” she whispered.

  Rion smiled and quickly whipped his white undershirt over his head. He showed her his dark rugged chest sprinkled with light silky hair before moving down to his navy designer underwear.

He brought the phone back to his face. “You like what you see?”

Tauri licked her lips remembering his sexy chocolate frame. “Yes...you?”

  “I can't wait to see it in person and touch it... and taste it.”

Tauri sighed. “Orion it's been three days. What are we doing?”

  “Three days, three years...there's no set time for knowing you've found the person meant for you. I don't care what people think or say. I know what I've been looking for and it's you Tauri.”

  “You don't know anything about me,” she whispered.

  “Then tell me. Tell me whatever you want me to know. I have all night,” he told her.

  Tauri stared at him through the phone. “Well I guess you've already figured out that I'm not a virgin thanks to my Granny.”

  “Yeah...I got that. It doesn't matter.”

  She sighed. “I've had two relationships in my twenty-eight years, one in college and one a few years ago. They both ended because of my career.”

  “Well I'm glad you chose your career because I need the best prosecutor available right now,” Rion interjected. “And I'm also glad you chose your career or else you'd be married to one of those fools.”

  “I wouldn't have married them,” she told him softly.

Rion heard something in her voice. “Why not?”

  “I didn't love them,” she answered honestly. “I couldn't love them.”

Tauri closed her eyes and lowered her head while Rion waited patiently watching her.

  “In all the time I was with them they didn't make me feel...the way you do in three days. I keep telling myself this is crazy and it's going to go away just as quickly as it appeared, but you keep saying it won't.”

  “It won't go away Tauri because it's the real deal. I've been all over the world and my goddess was waiting right here for me at home and she's the key to all my dreams coming true.”

Tauri lifted her head and looked at him. “You really believe that?”

  “I have no doubts. The stars have revealed it to me.”

  She sighed. “I swear you're so crazy sometimes. Like when you told my Granddaddy you were the young god.”

Rion laughed. “He was ready to whip my ass for real.”

“You have to give people some warning Orion. You like shocking people, especially me.”

  “I'm so used to just being who I am, I forget how I live is foreign to a lot of people,” he explained. “I do like to shock you though. You're sexy as hell when those eyes flash.”

Tauri laughed. “See when you push me too far, I won't be held accountable.”

Rion traced her face on the screen. “Three days Tauri and I'm crazy about you.”

  “Or just plain crazy.”

  “That mouth, it's so hot...so wet...and so sweet.”

Tauri ran a hand down her neck. “You know that turns me on when you talk like that.”

He smiled at her naughtily across the screen. “Girl, I want you so damn bad.”

She crossed her legs and squeezed tightly. “Three days Orion.”

  “I don't want to hear that anymore because the next time I see you, I'm going to make love to you like we've been together since the creation of time and space. We'll travel to the heavens where we'll share passion and ecstasy until we both explode, giving each other a tiny piece of our souls, uniting us throughout eternity.”

Tauri dropped her head again. Yep, just hand him the panties...

  “I see that you've gotten a lot of panties,” she told him looking back at the screen.

  “I'm done with panties...I'm focused on creating a solid foundation for a beautiful goddess to come build with me.”

  “What are you building with her?” she asked.

He stared at her. “A family, a home and a life.”

She looked away. “My only family consists of my grandparents.”

  “What happened to your parents?” he asked softly.

  Tauri shrugged. “I never knew my father. My mother hated Detroit. She didn't want to live here so she moved away. She was supposed to come back for me, but days turned into weeks which turned into years. Finally, I realized she wasn't coming at all. Granny and Granddaddy have always taken care of me.”

  “Your grandparents are the truth. I have a lot of respect for them and I see why they love you so much.”

She smiled. “They have loved me and I'd never leave them.”

  “I'd never ask you to. I want our kids to be connected to their roots.”

  “Boy...what did I tell you about that?” she warned.

  Rion laughed. “Okay when they're all running around asking about their ancestors I'm going to send them to you.”

Tauri raised a brow. “All?”

  “Yeah...all five.”

  “Boy bye...you're smoking,”

  “What?” he asked.

  She leaned into the phone. “There is no way in hell five babies are exiting from this body. Understand?”

He smiled. “You'll like the way we make them though. It might change your mind.”

  “I can't with you sometimes...seriously.”

  Rion stood in the luggage area at Detroit Metro airport. He was waiting for the two men arriving from LA. His friend Ray had assured him these two would take care of everything he needed. He hadn't seen Tauri in three days as she had some extremely important court dates for her cases. At first, Rion had thought that maybe she was trying to pull back in their relationship, but she had called him every day and they'd talked for hours on the phone.

  Rion was smart enough not to push regarding her work. The last two brothers had gotten their walking papers for that very reason and Rion had no plans to join them. Besides, he was secure in his mind that Tauri was going to be his for the rest of his life, so there was no reason for him to be tripping.

  Rion had used his free time working diligently on closing the deal for the new franchise. Not only did he need the support of the city, he also needed the current teams' owners to vote in his favor. He'd already shown he had the resources, talent and experience to run a major league team, but he still had the color of his skin as a strike against him.

  He watched as two men approached him. They were of similar height and both wore serious looks as if they were coming to handle business. He could tell that one was definitely younger maybe around twenty while the other looked like a well-trained killer behind dark sunglasses.  

  “Orion Shaw.” The man in the dark glasses greeted him. “I'm Agent Marcus Graham, FBI.”

  Rion shook hands with the man then turned to his partner who extended his hand. “I'm Trent Harris.”

  “It's nice to meet you both. Thanks for coming to assist.”

  Trent smiled. “Ray told us what you're trying to do and that's so cool. You're making history, dude.”

  Rion nodded. “Thanks man.” He looked at both men. “After you grab your luggage I thought we'd go to lunch.”

  Both men agreed and went to retrieve their suitcases before heading out to the parked car. Rion drove them to Lance's restaurant and heads turned as the three men entered. Trent and Marc received lots of female attention, as they were new faces to the establishment. When they were seated, Khayla came to greet them and she gave Rion a brief hug before turning to the visitors.

  “Girl, does Lance have you working here?” Rion asked.

  Khayla smiled. “No, he just keeps asking me to come over to help manage and organize things, which magically get disorganized again after I leave.”

  Rion laughed and introduced Khayla to his two companions. He watched as Agent Graham slowly took her hand and smiled at her.

  “It's a pleasure to meet you Khayla,” he said smoothly while taking her hand and both Trent and Rion looked surprised.

  Trent was surprised because the source of his contention with Agent Graham was over Trent's girlfriend Callie. Trent was sure that Marc had designs on Callie but could tell now that he was clearly interested in Khayla. He couldn't blame him though, Khayla was that business. Callie had his heart completely but he still had eyes.

  Rion was surprised because Khayla hadn't shut this brother down immediately. In fact, she was smiling at him as he still held on to her hand.

  “It's a pleasure to meet you too Agent Graham.”

  Khayla told them that she'd give them time to look over the menu before she sent someone over to take their orders. As she walked away, Marc watched her go and she glanced back over her shoulder for a moment before continuing to the counter.

  Marc smiled to himself as he turned his focus back to Rion. “Ray has briefed us on what you need. He's put together a plan and Trent and I know what we have to do.”

  Rion nodded and looked at the two men. “You look pretty young to be working for Ray,” he directed at Trent.

  Trent smiled. “The Black Diamonds are all my brothers but Jordan and Sean are my biological brothers,” he explained.

Rion looked surprised. “Jordan is your brother?” Trent nodded and Rion laughed.

  “Now I can see you working for Ray. I know Jordan from college and he's no joke. I just recently met Sean a short while ago.”

  “Yeah, Jordan's not the nice brother,” Trent said smiling.

  Marc rejoined the conversation. “Trent is our resident hacker. He can get any information that people are trying to hide.”

Rion looked at the young man again impressed. “He's also a genius.” Marc added.

  “Well I guess I'm in good hands. A genius hacker and an FBI agent,” Rion commented.

  Trent agreed. “I've done a few preliminary searches and located some useful information. Now, I need to get to some of their personal computers. I believe they're hiding more evidence there. Once I'm able to gain the access, I'll cross reference the information between all the parties involved to determine what level of involvement they all have.”

  Rion looked shocked. This young dude was serious. He nodded and glanced at Marc who was picking up his menu. “I'm just here to make sure neither of you get killed in the process,” he told Rion.

  “Well okay, I guess I know the plan.” Rion picked up his menu as well. “What do you two like to eat?”

Trent reached for his own menu and answered, “Food.”

  Marc looked toward the counter where Khayla was greeting more customers. “I have a sudden urge for caramel and chocolate,” he said quietly.

  After lunch ,Rion drove the pair to the Atheneum Hotel downtown where he had booked rooms for them during their stay in Detroit. They all made plans to meet in the morning and begin executing the plan. 

  Rion then drove to the African bookstore that his parents operated. He walked inside and found his father stocking new books on the shelves. He looked up and saw Rion then broke into a big smile.

  “The young god is here!” He welcomed his son with a big hug and pat on the back.

  Rion returned the embrace. “Hotep Daddy!” George Shaw was daddy to both Rion and Corvus. They had never even considered him a stepfather. He'd come into their lives and raised them as his own and because of George Shaw they'd became the men they were today.

  “Your momma said you and Corvus ate all my cake last week,” he said stepping back and folding his arms.

Rion smiled. “Actually it was Corvus.”

His father smiled. “I know. That boy is so greedy.”

  They both laughed as his father guided him to a nearby table. Once they were seated, George studied Rion for a few moments.

  “Your momma's concerned about you.”

Rion sighed. “I know. I'm trying to wrap this up as soon as possible.”

  “She's not just concerned about the threat,” his father told him.

Rion lifted a brow. “What else?”

  “Well your overly talkative brother has told her that you've been whipped by a little lady prosecutor.”

  “I'm really going to hurt that boy,” Rion vowed.

  George laughed. “You've always been so level headed and focused. I think it's surprising to see you moving so fast in a relationship.”

Rion leaned forward. “It's only fast to those looking from the outside.”

  “So you see this as long term?” his father asked.

  “She is my goddess, of that I'm sure.”

His father continued to study him. “How does she feel about your beliefs?”

Rion smiled. “She says it’s different.”

  “Will that be an issue between you?” he asked.

Rion shook his head. “I don't want to change Tauri. She's exactly what I want just as she is. ”

His father leaned forward. “So you're falling in love with her?”

  “I don't have to fall in love with Tauri. To me, she is love...”

  Rion spent another hour with his father discussing the case and details about where he was in the process of acquiring the team. He was so grateful to have had this man in his life. He'd loved and provided for his mother when she'd had no one else. His mother had learned the Khemetic beliefs before she'd given birth to Orion. His biological father had been someone who'd come into town and then disappear. Rion himself had no recollection of the man who had impregnated his mother twice and walked out of her life.

  George Shaw had also been a follower of the ancient beliefs and had met Orion's mother in an urban bookstore. He'd seen her and had been immediately attracted to her. Pam had rebuffed him quickly stating she had two young sons and was not looking for any relationship. George had listened to her brush off and bid her a good day. The next time Pam had visited the bookstore, George had been waiting for her with tickets for her boys to see an all African-American circus.

  Pam found out later that George actually owned the bookstore as well as a few other locations. They'd begun dating and eventually married. On their one-year wedding anniversary, George finalized the adoptions of both Orion and Corvus. Orion had been seven and Corvus three at the time. From the time they'd become Orion and Corvus Shaw they'd never thought of George Shaw as anything other than daddy.

  As he drove to his next destination, Orion reflected on all George had done for him in his life, taking him to ball games, playing catch with him and buying his first baseball glove. He could never repay him for helping to shape his life. Because of George, Rion knew that he would do the same with his own children. He also knew those children would be with Miss Tauri Patterson. Five boys? Nah, he could compromise...three boys and two girls seemed like a good mix. He'd run that past Tauri when he talked to her later.

*********

  Tauri sat buried in paperwork on her desk. She was technically not behind but she also wasn't where she wanted to be. She'd had to tell Orion that she needed to focus on work and he hadn't balked at all, which was surprising to her. She’d just known he'd show up at her office the next day, but true to his word, he'd stayed away and allowed her to focus. She called him every night when she arrived home and they talked for a while until she had to go to bed.

  She frowned as she realized she actually missed him. Of all the crazy things, they'd had three dinners together and she was missing him! She was also craving their fourth date like an alcoholic wanted their next drink. Orion Shaw was definitely a drug and she was becoming happily hooked.

  Tauri found that Orion was extremely intelligent. Although she'd known he had attended Stanford for a year she hadn't known that he'd continued his studies in the off seasons and received a Master's degree in Management from the University.

  As much as Orion liked to aggravate her, Tauri had to admit it made her smile. Actually, everything about Orion made her smile. The more he explained to her about his 'young god' title and how his mother had given him that name as a little boy and taught him how to live that way, she understood more of who he was. It wasn't an arrogant thing that he threw out to shock people, it was actually who he was and she had to admit it was sexy as hell to her.

  She turned her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. Maybe if she finished early she could possibly see him sooner than later. She glanced up as the figure appeared in her doorway. See, hooked...now she was even imagining him. He was wearing jeans with a T-shirt and looked amazing as usual. Tauri returned to her work taking a deep breath.

  “Hello Tauri,” the voice that spoke to her nightly greeted her.

She glanced up again. “Orion...”

  He stepped inside the office holding a bag. “Before you get mad at me for coming to your office, let me explain.”

Tauri lifted a brow. “You said you'd let me catch up on my work,” she reminded him.

Rion smiled at the admonishment in her voice. “I know goddess and I am.”

She folded her arms. “Then why are you here?”

  He took the bag, placed it on the table in the corner of her office and began removing items. “I was at your grandparents' house and your Granny ordered me to bring you this food. So since I need to stay on Granny's good side, I did exactly what she told me to do.”

Tauri looked confused. “What were you doing at my grandparents' house Orion?”

  He continued to unpack the bag. “I went to talk with your grandfather about being a mentor for the players on my team. Many athletes, unlike myself, did not grow up with any kind of male figure in their lives, then all of a sudden they have all this money and they don't know how to act because they've never been taught. I thought your grandfather would be perfect to help guide these young men.” He turned and smiled at her. “Plus he knows a helluva lot about baseball.”

Tauri stood and walked over to him. “Wow, that's incredible Orion.”

He looked down at her. “And I just wanted to see you.”

She smiled. “You are such a mess.”

Rion pulled her into his arms. “You wanted to see me too. I felt your energy calling me.”

  “What did it say?” she whispered.

He lowered his mouth to her ear. “It said Tauri really wants her fourth date.”

Her eyes darkened as he looked at her. “She does.”

  “You have to eat your food. Your Granny made me promise to make sure you ate. She says when you're working you don't take care of yourself,” Rion relayed.

Tauri shook her head. “My Granny worries about me too much.”