Chapter 1
Prologue
The book you are reading has scenes suited for audiences 18+. Trigger warning: Mentioning of SA is present (without descriptive details.)
Descriptive sex scenes, violent behaviors, weapons, and physical assault scenes are included.
If any of the prior scenes triggers you, please refrain from reading.
Mahalo for the support.
The whiskey seductively burned as it traveled down my throat. I saw the crowds and saw that business was doing well this evening. The music was pumping while the patrons drank, laughed, and danced. The club was lively.
The club is my newest business venture. It had brought in a sizable amount of money only three years into it. Not that I needed it. But It allowed me to build relationships with passing through businessmen and women.
I stood in my little VIP sky box, scanning the dance floor, sipping on my bourbon. I glanced at the crowd bumping, grinding, swaying, and jumping. I hadn't expected to be caught off guard, but when I saw a diamond shining straight at me, my whole fucking body reacted. Holy fuck.
I watched as her hips swayed to the music. Her hands ran up and down her body, softly caressing her curves, and her eyes closed as she felt herself. Her body was something so exquisite it allured me. Her body called to me loudly, and the only thing stopping me from moving was the voice that interrupted my thoughts.
"Sir, your car is out front when you're ready." I nodded, not even sparing James a second of my attention as this siren on the dance floor had me forgetting my name.
I continued watching as her body effortlessly moved to the changing beat. There was a lot of ass up in here, but this one, this one was fucking crazy sexy.
Still lost in this woman, I was still ignoring a talking James until I heard his footsteps advancing toward me. "I'll have Eddy escort her to your downtown loft." I was running late as it was, and this mystical creature was making me pause for far too long.
I sigh, still captivated by her. I gave him a curt nod and walked out of the VIP skybox on the veranda. I basked in the thought of having this woman below me who had captured my attention.
Pulling up to my manor, my driver stops, exits, and opens the door for me. "Sir, your mother is awaiting you in the den." I nod without a word and make my way in, finding my feet automatically moving.
"Mother," I say as I enter. A drink already in her hand, "Son." We had a relationship teetering on my disowning her as she isn't the mother figure type.
She waits for me to finish pouring a drink, "James." I hear her greet James. "Helen." He greets her politely.
I approach her, kissing her temple out of respect and politeness, "Is everything alright?" I open the conversation. I watched as a hesitant look crossed her face. "Of course it is, don't fret about me." She says, turning a cheek. I had to swallow down the growl at her disrespect, reminding myself that she was still my mother.
My mother was once a beautiful woman. Kind, gentle, and generous. As a child, she doted on me; my father always cursed her, saying she'd turn me soft. Then one day, after an incident with a bully and my mother indulging me as I cried, my father beat my mother and me. Saying, Ziggs men don't cry. I was six.
After that, she still showed affection but was much harder on me. If she even thought I was going to cry, she'd lock me in my room with no meals. When I turned ten, her demeanor changed. There were no more hugs. No affection of any kind. She spoke to me only if she had to, which was rare.
At thirteen, I caught my father with another woman as I entered his office, uninvited and without knocking. But it didn't matter; neither he nor his assistant noticed me. When I tried to run from the office, my mother stood there with the door still ajar. Hate and anger in her eyes.
After that, I was invisible to her. As if my father's affair was my fault. It wasn't until my father fell that she started to come around again.
"I came by to see if you'd talk to Bree." I sip my drink, and she continues, "I requested a visit with TJ, and she hasn't gotten back to me. It's been several days." She says as I take another sip.
"Mother..." sigh, "I tried hard to keep my temper at bay. I was reminding myself that I was still speaking to my mother. Even with all the bad blood between us. "He is not my son," I grunt harder than I meant.
"But he is the son. He looks just like you." She barked back. I let out a breath and let silence fill the space between us. "Di-Did the results come back yet?" She softly asks.
I sighed, unsure if telling my mother the truth would help. So I lied, "Dr. Sells says this week."
I had it; my lawyer did, but we have not looked at it. Fuck-call it what you want, I was sure he wasn't mine, but that pestering little fucking asshole in my brain had me second-guessing.
I met Bree last year at a party. She and I fucked around but were never serious. She wanted a serious relationship, but I refused. She accepted the arrangement I had set. So, we fucked, yet still live separate lives. She did her thing, and I did mine.
Three months into our arrangement or situation, Bree came forward, saying she was pregnant. I knew the timing was off a little. But I rolled with it. Only because she was always a good lay at the time. She never nagged, came off as needy, or bitched when I turned her down. So to me, it wasn't a thought to ponder on long.
I took her in with the stipulations of our previous arrangements and an agreement that if I were the father, I would do my due diligence. And no more. She was okay with that until her seventh or eight-month of pregnancy. Everything changed. Her attitude got out of hand. She became very needy that it rubbed me wrong on so many levels. I could no longer stand being in the same room, let alone the same house as her, so I had shacked her up in one of my condos downtown.
She had given birth two months ago to a boy she had named TJ Ziggs. I hadn't allowed it, but by the time I received the news, the bitch had already filed the birth certificate and social security papers. I do plan on changing his name, with or without her approval.
I wasn't present during the birth, nor was I present the last couple of months after his birth. Bree didn't appreciate it and voiced her anger to many of my staff members. But till this day, it swayed me none.
Due to my doubts, I had our on-call physician take a blood sample to run a paternity test. I was sure he wasn't of Ziggs blood. And to prove it, it was done.
"Alright, fine. Can you at least speak with Bree? She's become verbally abusive towards the staff at the tower. And myself. It's very disheartening knowing my grandchild lives in the same building as I, yet I can't see him." My temper rose as I heard that this bitch disrespected my mother.
"What did you just say?" Red, I was seeing red. "She disrespected you?" I calmly asked. "Son..." She tried to say something, but I threw my Glass at the opposite wall. I was silencing her. I survived off of respect and fear from others. And this bitch thinks she has some Goddess authority to disrespect my mother.
My mother shut up and turned away. "I'll have one of my men take you home." With that, I left the den, "Sir?" I turned to James, "Meet me upfront with the car." I bark, not giving him a second to reply.
I ran to my office for a minute to collect myself and soon walked out where James awaited, "Where to Tanner?"
James is one of a handful of people who may call me by name. "The Tower." He nods as he runs out to open the door for me. I could see him assessing my mood. When it clicked, he fell in line.
As we got there, we could see the staff all scurrying, "Sir, it-is everything alright?" The manager stammered. "Is she up there?" I calmly asked. "I believe so, sir." I nod, "have security on standby," I ordered, excusing her from my presence.
"Jimmy, call my lawyer. Have him on standby with the documents. Call a moving company, and have them ready to assist Ms. Childress in moving," I say as we enter the elevator.
He gets on his phone, giving the nod. As the elevator went up, I decided to put a note in my mind that if the child is of Ziggs blood, Bree will sign off all rights and leave. She was drama. Drama I had no tolerance for.
The door opened, and I entered the two-leveled penthouse. A wailing cry filled the enormous space. James hurries to search for the baby as I slowly make my way around, assessing the room.
Shambles. Pure wreckage. Glass broken, fine art shredded to rags. *Sigh* I slowly pace around, kicking the wreckage around. "Fuck!" I curse in a hushed tone.
A cooing James enters, cradling the boy whose cry has gone from wails to hiccups. "Where the fuck is she?" I seethe. "Upstairs on the deck, sir." One of the housekeepers answered. I could see anger written on James's face and in his eyes.
I nod, excusing him with the baby. He called for some staff to get the place cleaned up, and I took the flight of stairs up to the deck where the lap pool was.
There sitting like a Queen; she thinks she is, is Bree. That was my worst mistake. "Hey baby, why didn't you call to tell me you were coming." She jumped up, all her junk barely contained in the two-piece material I guess you could call a bikini.
After having a baby two months ago, she still looked good. Her breasts improved, and her ass as well. But even with those assets, that is all she had. Bree's moral compass was tedious. Her aura was ugly. Why did I not see this before? Oh yeah, she was a feisty fuck, that's why.
She jumped on me and threw her arms around my neck. I could smell alcohol on her breath, causing my anger to rise even further. I grip her arms, maybe a little harder than I should have. I untangled her arms around my neck and pulled her away.
She kept pushing forward into me, looking at me seductively. I tried to be nice, but her antics were becoming dull, so forcefully, I moved her away. As she tried again to hold me, I gave her one final shove.
Finally sensing my mood, she realized she fucked up.
I watched her. I was awaiting her to open the toilet of a mouth. I watched as she watched me, her fingers becoming fidgety, sensing my mood.
"I've heard you've been misbehaving, Bree." I start, my eyes scanning over the cityscape. "You've wrecked the place, disrespected the staff here, the doctor I sent, the drivers, the nannies, the delivery service, MY MOTHER?" I whisper the last part calmly.
Her eyes bugged out, and I gripped her throat before she could school her reaction. Not to strangle her, just enough pressure to scare her. "I have tolerated a lot from you, Bree. Have tolerated your child-like ways. But I will not tolerate you disrespecting my mother." I seethe.
I release some of the pressure from her neck as she breathes in. "Pl-please-no, she's lying. I di-didn't." I tick my tongue, "so you're calling my mother a liar now?" Her eyes were welled with tears. "No-no, she misjudged the situation. I-I was yelling at the delivery girl. Your mother just so happened to arrive at the same time. I'd never." I shake my head, "Jimmy?" I call out.
In enters James with his tablet, my lawyer on the screen. James didn't get paid big dollars for nothing. He knew me like a book. Always be ready, know beforehand, and never question me.
"Wh-where's TJ?" Bree hesitantly asks. Her throat was still in my hand.
"With the staff." James stays with a fierce face. "I-I should go tend to him." Bree went to step away when I applied some pressure to her throat. "Now you care?" I sneered in disgust.
James placed the tablet down as I released Bree and said, "Kyle, Ms. Childress is present. Witness..." I turn and see a housekeeper standing a few feet away. "Mr?" I ask the housekeeper, "Greene," he says as I give him a polite nod.
"Alright then. As a servant to the court, I am now sworn to confidentiality and abide by our great States laws. As is everyone present. Today we will determine the paternal tests conducted on May first, three days after the birth of a Tanner Junior Ziggs..." *gasp* I turned to see a stunned Bree.
"Wh-what is this? No-I-I didn't authorize-no you can't. I do not consent to this." She says in a panic. "I am sorry, Ms. Childress, the blood was retrieved legally, and your signature confirms you did, in fact, consent to the test." My lawyer replies.
Bree went utterly nuts, throwing a child-like tantrum and kicking and screaming on the floor. "You tricked me. You bastard!" she cried.
James had had enough and picked her up. He sat her down on the poolside lounge chair and whispered something in her ear; when a look I am pretty familiar with presents itself within her eyes, I smile. Fear.
The corner of my lip tipped up as I saw her complete cooperation. "Please, Kyle, proceed," I say, staring at her.
He took a letter opener and opened the thick envelope, cutting through the seal. He pulls out its contents, briefly shuffling through the papers, "Here it is," he continues, "Per Laboratory of Likeness, Science and DNA laboratories, Mr. Ziggs, you are not the father of a Tanner Junior Ziggs..." A wail of cries left Brees's throat.
"I, Kyle Lukes, of Ziggs Corp Firm, will follow through with removing Ziggs name of said child. Ms. Childress, you will have twenty-four hours to gather your belongings and exit the premises. Any resistance will result in contempt, and I will see you penalized justly. Mr. Ziggs, please provide your electronic signature." I do as he asks.
Next was the witness's electronic signature. Bree resisted for a second but knew she was out of options, and there was no saving her. If she wanted this to end peacefully, she had to do it. She knew the lengths I'd go to ensure my reputation and name.
"I-I swear, Tanner, he is yours. I wasn't with anyone else. I swear." Her pleas fell on deaf ears, but a part of me felt something that resembled sympathy. I didn't comment on it, but I did feel it.
After closing the meeting with Kyle, I let the housekeeper return to his duties. I turn to Bree, "You have twenty-four hours. Not a second more, Bree. A moving crew is waiting downstairs to help you pack. Be out willingly or dragged out by my men. This is your only warning." I pivoted on my heels and left a sobbing Bree.
The elevator ride down was quiet. James knew I wasn't in the mood for chatter. But when he interrupted the silence, I sighed, "uh-Sir, Eddy called. Uh-the woman declined your offer." I let out a chuckle, totally forgetting about that.
"Take me to the club." James opened the car's door, and we headed to the club. I chuckle as I realize that this would be the first time I have been told no by the opposite sex.
Interesting.
