Can't Walk Away (The Thomas Family Chronicles #1) Read online

  On one of my bad days, my Mom came over to visit and take care of me. It ended up being the day she went through my things. She came across all my notebooks. She took a few of them to one of her friends who owned a publishing company in the city and the rest is history.

  They were able to pull several stories from the notebooks, they totaled up to six. I was able to create a job for myself without ever having to leave my baby. Now I was writing for fun, as the other books were still being staggered out for their future release dates.

  I yawned a couple of times before I decided to lie down and take a nap. Climbing into my bed, I pulled a pillow down and laid my head on it, hoping that during my nap, I’d have dreams of that handsome man again. I needed more book material.

  ***

  Nico

  The creaking of the leather couch announced her movement. I didn’t even need to see it was her. I didn’t pay her much mind until she started to speak. It was that whiny, high pitched, nasally voice that I detested with a passion. This was no longer the life I wanted, this was a woman who was chosen for me to continue the legacies of our families. What she didn’t know is that I didn’t want this, I wanted anything else but this, but her.

  I don’t know why I agreed.

  See, I’d be lying if I kept that charade up. Being with her was to solidify the families. So when I took my place as the head of the east coast, I’d have the backing of one of the largest families behind me. I would do it for this, and only this. I would dread this life with her from the instant I took this a woman as my wife. A woman I would never love.

  “Baby,” I cringed as she tried whispering in my ear, but it wasn’t even close to a whisper.

  I turned to look at her face. Her bleached blonde hair again looked dry, her fake breasts were barely contained by a shirt. She was rubbing herself against me, mewling like a kitten.

  “What do you want now, Anise?”

  “I wanted to go shopping, can I use the Amex?”

  “Where’s yours?” I questioned, even though I knew the answer.

  “Daddy took it away from me. He said you’re supposed to provide for me now. Since you’ll be my husband, and I thought about it—he’s right.”

  “Until I put a ring on your finger and say vows in the church, that won’t be happening.”

  I stood up, heading over to the bar. I needed a drink, possibly a double to deal with this bullshit right now.

  “NICO!” she yelled, stomping her foot for effect.

  I locked my eyes on hers. She turned away, unable to look at me.

  “Did you just scream at me, in my house?”

  “I’m sor—”

  “Shut the fuck up.” I walked over to her and then proceeded to get up in her face. “Look at me.” As soon as she looked back, I made sure she understood how fucking serious I was. “I am not going to pay for you to spend my hard earned money on bullshit. You want that, get a fucking job and pay for it yourself. If you want someone to pay for it, go find someone. I am not the one!”

  Storming back over to the bar, I grabbed the scotch and finished pouring myself a glass.

  “But…but…we’re going to be married. I’m not supposed to work.”

  I laughed, really honest to goodness laughed so loud I could feel the wood of the bar vibrate. I turned back to her. The look on her face about the possibility of having to work was hilarious—enough to make what I was about to say priceless.

  “Our families want us to get married. I don’t like you and don’t want to marry you. On the off chance we do get married, it will because I was forced to, and even then, I won’t give you a fucking dime.”

  “You…you…Ass…”

  She didn’t even get the opportunity to get the words about before I turned back to her. “You may want to check your mouth right now. Call me a name and see what happens next. Get out of my house.”

  I watched as she scurried away from the couch, grabbing her purse and heading toward the front door.

  I let out a sigh of relief the moment the door slammed shut.

  “Nic, everything okay? We heard Anise from in the kitchen.”

  I looked over to the doorway to see my good friends Luke and Bobby looking on, concerned.

  “Yeah, she asked me for money, yelled at me, and then stomped her foot like a petulant child. She threatened to tell her dad about this. He cut her off and I’m supposed to hand her my credit card. I’m not going to take this shit. Forcing me to marry that shrew isn’t sitting right with me.”

  “Well, your dad thinks it will be beneficial for the families,” Bobby said.

  “Beneficial for the families, I get it. Not beneficial for me because I don’t want to be bothered with her. I came close to having her taken out of here and making her disappear.”

  The shrill ring of my cell phone came from the coffee table. I picked it up and saw the screen blinking before me.

  “Fuck!” Sliding my finger across the screen, I let the call connect.

  “Hey, Pop.”

  “I’m on my way to your place,” he said before the call disconnected.

  “Shit, my dad’s on his way.”

  “She must have called her old man, and well, you know how they work.”

  And I did. When it came to my dad, he didn’t play around. He would be stepping down soon and handing the reins over to me, but he was going to have to understand that this arrangement was going to do more harm than good. Sometimes I just wanted to say fuck it and let it all go, but then again, I don’t want to have to answer to anyone else.

  That wasn’t my style.

  Bobby’s phone buzzed, we both looked at him. “Your dad is coming up the drive.”

  I knew I was ready for a fight, ready for anything he had to say. I slipped my gun into the top drawer of my desk.

  A few minutes later my dad walked in, looking content.

  “Boys,” Dad said, and we nodded. “Anderson called me, said Anise was forcibly thrown from your home and that the wedding was off all because you wouldn’t give her money to go wedding dress shopping.”

  “What the fuck?” I said. Dad put his hand up to halt me.

  “So I asked Anderson what transpired to have you respond in such a manner. He went on and on how he cut her off because it was your turn to start taking over her bills. That you told her she had to get a job. She emphatically stated that you were both under the agreement she wouldn’t work, that she would care for your children.”

  “Children, fuck no.”

  “Son, for thirty-two years I’ve been your father. In those thirty-two years I’ve learned a lot. I know for a fact that you would want to marry someone like your mother. Your mother, who paved her own way and made her own accomplishments and that children aren’t on the horizon for you just yet. I also explained to Anderson that I forbid you to give her any money, and if she had a problem with that, she could take it up with me. Furthermore, if she, or he for that matter, continued to push this issue, that there would be no joining of the families and his family would be ostracized because he was pissing me the fuck off.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Look, Nico, no matter what happens, I’m going to stand by you. I’ll support you in any decision you make. You just need to let me know what’s going on. If you don’t want this with Anise, then don’t. I’m going to give you the space and let you think about it.”

  Sitting here and listening to my dad tell me that he was going to leave the final decisions up to me—I was floored. I thought I was going to be stuck in this hole. Knowing that I had the choice to either keep the path I was on or I could change it to something that suited me better, I knew everything would be okay.

  “I need a drink,” Pop said before Luke walked over and made him a scotch on the rocks. “I was on my way over here to make sure you remembered tomorrow’s fundraiser dinner. You know that Jonathon Thomas is running for Attorney General again. You weren’t here the last time he ran. He’s been good to us, to the community as a whole
. So tomorrow it’s about family. Your mother and I thought we’d go together in support.”

  “Yeah, Pop, we’ll be there. How’s the dress—suit and tie?”

  “Tux, my boy. It’s a fancy deal with meet and greets.”

  “Got it. I’ll have mine pressed in the morning. I’ll make sure Luke and Bobby have theirs ready to go. “

  “All right, boys, then I’m off. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Bye, Pop.”

  When Dad left, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. The world was my oyster and I was ready to crack this bitch open and start shit right.

  “What do you say, fellas, night in or out?”

  “Out!” they both said in unison.

  I was ready to get the hell out of this house, go find a nice warm body that was hopefully natural, and have a good time.

  Bobby suggested going to one of the clubs that I owned—one of the legitimate side businesses I kept just for me. The tax write offs were a bonus and the ability to pass money through without the IRS being the wiser helped as well. The drive didn’t take long. We pulled into my reserved parking space in the back and entered through the side door.

  The moment we stepped in, it was like euphoria. I could finally be me, finally able to breathe without having Anise around talking about marriage and money. These girls here see a pretty face, fancy clothes, and think they’ll be able to get something special in return.

  Problem was I didn’t work that way.

  In the V.I.P section, I let Bobby and Luke wander off and do their thing as I set my eyes on a shy looking brunette sitting in the corner completely out of place. With ease and stealth like ability I slipped over and sat down next to her. I said a few words that had her panting like a dog in heat. As soon as I mentioned that I owned this club, she was practically sitting in my lap. This was almost too fucking easy.

  She let me lead her upstairs to my office, and bring her in. I locked the door. I sat down on one of the couches in the corner that sat in front of the stripper pole Luke suggested I put in. I’ll have to thank him later. Once inside the room, she started doing a slow seductive dance to no music using the pole as her guide.

  I watched as she stripped off her clothes. I could tell her body was real. It was much better than seeing that fake silicone Barbie Anise was, in my face. This little shy girl turned into a tiger as she started to unbutton my pants, slipping her hand in before pulling out my cock. I didn’t even have to say a word as she wrapped those pretty pink lips around the head of my dick and sucked all the way down.

  Laying my hand on the top of her head, I guided her as she moved her mouth up and down my shaft. I tipped my head back to lean on the head rest. I savored the sensation, when she appeared. My little brown haired, blue eyed goddess would appear to me in my fantasies at moments like this when I needed to get off. I didn’t know who she was, but she starred in a lot of scenarios when I was in the company of other women. I even felt sometimes like I was cheating on her, but how can you cheat on something you’re not sure is real or not?

  I was close, feeling the tightness in my dick. It began to pulse. I was about to shoot my load deep in the back of this woman’s throat with another woman’s face in my mind.

  “Angel,” I croaked out as I held her head down on my dick as I drained the last bit of myself into her.

  She looked up at me and smiled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “That’s sweet.”

  “What’s that?” I said as I began to put my dick away and zip up my pants.

  “You called me Angel; that was sweet. Thank you.”

  I stood up, looking down on this girl on her knees.

  “I wasn’t talking about you.”

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand,” she questioned.

  “I don’t have to explain.”

  “Yeah, you do. After what I just did for you, you have to fucking explain yourself to me.”

  “Little girl, you came up here and sucked a stranger’s dick. You’re not my wife and you certainly aren’t my mother. I don’t have a reason nor do I care to answer you.”

  “You…you bastard.”

  “That’s right, and you’ve got five minutes to get yourself dressed and out of my office before the bouncers come up here and remove you. Clothed or not.”

  “Asshole.”

  “I’ve been called worse, now you have three minutes to get your shit and get the fuck out,” I yelled.

  I’d never seen anyone get dressed so fast in my life. She was gone in less than two minutes, and as soon as the door shut, it reopened and Luke stepped in.

  “Mystery girl back again?”

  “How the fuck did you know?”

  Chapter Two

  Christianna

  I had been poked, prodded, plucked, yanked, almost burned, and they still weren’t done. Being out of the social scene was something I appreciated after being treated like this to get ready. The lady had the nerve to tell my mom “I hadn’t kept myself up” so they had more to do to make me presentable.

  Hold up. I’m a mother and full-time writer. I don’t necessarily care if my eyebrows are perfectly sculpted or my nails are buffed and polished. I care that I get to spend time with my daughter and make sure her needs are taken care of. I live in a t-shirt and jeans and I like it just the way it is.

  Mom understood, she patted my hand and smiled. Tonight was Dad’s big night, so if it meant I had to endure this torture, then I would do so for him. Supporting him would be easy, as he supported me every second of the day.

  The closer it got to the time to finally get dressed, Dani came in and told me she was going to take Layla back to my house. I hugged and kissed my sweet girl a couple of times before I let her go into Dani’s arms. She struggled, gurgling out little cries and sounds that I imagined were her way of saying she didn’t want to leave.

  A few tears were shed, both hers and mine. This would be the first time I was away from her for any length of time that I wasn’t within close proximity. It scared me. I didn’t like the feelings I was experiencing. Mom came over and hugged me, whispering a couple of reassuring words in my ear, which made me feel much better.

  When Alex told me it was time, I took one last look at myself before I headed into my old bedroom to get dressed. Stepping into the room, it was like a time capsule. Eighteen years of my life lay frozen behind the door. The only difference was now there were things that belonged to Layla in here. Picking up the blanket she used while she napped, I held it to my nose and smelled it. I missed her so much tears began to well up in my eyes. I had to put it down before I cried and my makeup got ruined.

  I stepped over to the closet and opened the door. The midnight blue strapless dress hung before me. This dress was the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen. I had loved it from the moment my mom showed me the sketch. When I slipped it on, I felt like a princess. I didn’t need any help as I slid up the back zipper and smoothed out the material. I stood in front of the long mirror that hung on the back of my bedroom door and gasped.

  I didn’t recognize the person standing in that mirror, but it was me, and I was beautiful.

  “Hurry up, Chris. We’re leaving in ten minutes,” Alex sounded outside my door.

  I slipped my feet in the rhinestone-encrusted shoes that matched the accented little details on the top of my dress. If anything, my mom knew how to coordinate.

  The second my foot hit the last stair, I heard Alex’s voice.

  “Look at you, hot stuff.”

  I looked at Alex, whose dress was a deep red. Mom was wearing black and Brianna was in a pale yellow gown.

  “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m going to prom?”

  “You look beautiful, darling. Exactly how I imagined.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  I’ve always trusted my mother’s fashion sense, millions of women did. Her name is Evelyn Thomas; she’d been designing clothes since she was sixteen years old. When she was twenty-t
wo she was discovered and had a collection in Paris a few months later.

  I often joke that is quite possible that one of my first words was probably couture.

  The familiar sound of dress shoes hitting the marble foyer floor caught my attention. I turned in time to see my Dad strolling toward us. He stopped, propping his hands on his hips and smiled with a little laughter.

  “I’m going to be the most envied man at the dinner tonight. You all look beautiful.”

  “Hi, Daddy,” I said, walking up to him giving him a hug, and kissing his cheek.

  “Hello, sweetheart, you look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  I spun out of Dad’s arms so my sisters could greet him along with our mom. I grabbed the matching clutch off of the table. I checked inside for keys, emergency money, and my phone.

  Once all the hugging was out of the way, we made our way outside to get into the cars. Mom and Dad would go first, they’d be properly announced. We’d bring up the rear in a separate car, which was fine with me. I loved my parents; I was proud of both of them. They were both equally famous in their respective circles, but sometimes you just want to be yourself without all of the added attention.

  By the time we reached the hotel where the fundraiser was being held, Mom and Dad were already inside. Brianna went in with her husband Brent, Alex and I held off for a moment, letting the flow of people walk in ahead of us.

  There weren’t many people hanging around the entrance when we stepped through the door. Alex was whispering something about finding a hot guy. All I saw were really old men milling around with girls on their arms in tacky dresses and fake breasts.

  “I see Mom and Dad over in the far corner by the stage, that’s probably where our table is.” I took a step toward the walkway when I was shoulder bumped by a blonde with fake breasts and lip injections.

  “Excuse you,” she said and I halted. I stood stock straight as her eyes were locked on me.

  “You’re excused,” I retorted, which caused her to roll her eyes at me. I could feel Alex stiffen beside me. If there was one thing Alex hated, it was people who rolled their eyes. She sometimes threatened to smack people for that act alone.