8

Things seemed to be just about perfect for them. They worked hard without interrupting each other’s work, even when it meant they had to travel. They communicated well and for once in his life, Ty was actually happy and he also stayed out of other women’s skirts despite the numerous invitations he got. Word had gotten out that he was now in a committed relationship, thanks to those irritating blogs but instead of his new status serving to deter other women from him, somehow, they now seemed to fling themselves at him even more.
Both his past conquests and new women he had never shown any sort of interest in whatsoever were desperate to get his attention. The social events he was obligated to attend were a total bore and the usually amusing act of women fawning over him and fighting over who he would take home just irritated him.
Of course, he told Lo about the problem. Severally. But she always fucking laughed at his predicament and told him it wasn’t her fault he was so ridiculously attractive. He was trying to convince her to start attending the events with him so other women would stay off and he would actually have a good time but she said she’d much rather be styling people at those outrageously expensive events than actually be all glammed up for it herself.
Lo was on Ty’s mind one evening as he commuted from work to his house. After nearly six months of being together, he was getting used to (and even learning to appreciate) Lo’s eccentricities. It happened that a person couldn’t be a creative without having some quirks and idiosyncrasies. For one, Lo was extremely stubborn. So stubborn that she refused to change that fucking sheer ass curtains in her bedroom window despite his warnings that anyone could be watching her and his property would be revealed. Of course, she countered that by telling him she was in no way his property. His, yes but not his property.
There was also her appetite. He didn’t understand how she managed to keep in shape because damn, that woman could EAT. Being surrounded with women who ate nothing more than small portions of food and salad all the time, Ty was extremely surprised to see a woman could actually eat almost as much as him. When they went to good restaurants to eat and they liked the food, they always ordered a second round, switching whatever they had initially ordered so if Ty had fish and Lo had steak, they would switch they second round so Ty would have steak and Lo would have fish. It was a fun game they played that kept the night lively and gave them a mutual interest to talk about; food.
Ty’s thick brows creased as he thought of the one thing that seemed to make his jaw tick in annoyance. Lo was very protective of her phone. Of course, he had no intention to look through it as he trusted her completely, however, she launched at the thing like a base-baller making a home run everytime it so much as made a beep. She tried her best never to leave it in his line of sight and it bothered him more than he cared to admit that sometimes, when she got a text, she would look devastated briefly before replying. When he had brought it up, she had brushed it away and changed the subject but it was not something he wanted to brush away. She was his woman and he wanted to know what or who was bothering her.
Thoughts of Lo were momentarily cast from his mind as he approached his sprawling mansion. He was a firm believer in not wasting electricity (a point to which he has Lo had argued ceaselessly) and he never left his lights on. However, light poured from some of his many windows and his mind was at alert immediately.
He got down from his car and faintly heard the Spanish music his sister loved to listen to and he relaxed a bit. Letting himself in, he flinched at the volume of the music which was way too loud. He had a special sound system so that when music was played from the mp3 in the entertainment room, it could be set to resonate through every room in the house. So far, his sister Gem had every setting on the highest and from the amazing aroma in the air, she was putting his state-of-the-art kitchen to good use. She was a world-renowned chef so he couldn’t say he was surprised that she had been drawn to the kitchen. What he WAS surprised about was that she was in his house to begin with. He, Gem, Lee, and recently, Lo, were the only people whose voices had been programmed into the voice command that opened the gates of his property. Their voices both opened the gates and deactivated the electricity that flowed through the iron of the gates so their cars didn’t get roasted in the process of trying to get through.
As Ty made his way to the kitchen, he thought about how different he and Gem were but also how similar they were at the same time. With a smile, he knew that Gem and Lo would love each other instantly if they met. WHEN they met, he corrected himself. Now that Lee had met Lo and considered a suitable match for Ty once he saw her almost spear Ty’s head with a serving fork when he made a rude comment, he was certain Gem would consider her a prize.
He and Gem were very close but they rarely ever saw each other, with Gem always travelling for her various cooking shows, competition judging, managing her many restaurants and cooking for the rich, she was just never in town. He didn’t even know she was back in town yet and had unceremoniously decided to drop in his house. They compensated by speaking on the phone as often as their schedules would allow but Ty hadn’t told her about Lo yet, wanting to discuss his sweetheart with his sister in person.
What he smelled in the entrance hall had been nothing compared to what he had smelled in the kitchen itself. The music here was also deafeningly loud but Gem didn’t seem to mind as she twisted and turned as she cooked, dancing her heart out and having a good ol’ time without noticing that Ty had entered the room.
Ty took the stereo remote that was on the kitchen counter and paused the music abruptly, causing Gem to stop dancing abruptly and turn away from the food processor where she was mashing potatoes. She turned around and faced her dumb older brother who she loved with all her heart.
“TY!” she screamed and ran to him, apron and all, jumping on him like a little chimpanzee. He caught her easily and held her for a moment. He had definitely missed her but he still wanted to know why she was here and why she hadn’t called first. Lo was out at some major city for a fashion week and she was due to be back in 3 days after which he planned to make her scream so hard, the house would vibrate. He definitely didn’t want his little sister here to hear the vibrations.
“It’s great to see you, Gem,” he started, “but please explain to me exactly what you’re doing in town and precisely, in my house.”
Gem untangled herself from him and began to explain, looking like a muppet with her wild hair, vibrant sweater and snug jeans under a white apron.
“I got back three days ago. I made sure to end all my cooking show seasons and clear my schedule for the next year,” she explained and Ty nodded his head. She needed the break as she worked too damn hard. Plus, she would be on high demand by the time she was ready to get back to work.
“Ty, I went out to get groceries and my house was robbed,” she blurted out, finally explaining why she was in his house.
“Shit,” Ty swore, taking her arms and checking for bruises, “are you alright? Did you call the police? What did they take?”
Gem swatted him away, “I’m fine. Like I said, I was out when they broke in and you know it takes me forever to shop for food items. They took my TV and some jewelry, nothing fancy. Thank God I don’t keep cash in the house. And I called the police immediately. They came and I explained the situation. They investigated and found a blood sample where one of the robbers was cut by a knife in my kitchen I forgot to put away. But they told me it wouldn’t be safe for me to remain at home until they concluded the investigation so I packed my clothes and came here.”
All through her story, Ty nodded understandingly. She was welcome in his home anytime and for as long as she wished and he told her such, earning a smile and thanks. She had a permanent room in his house that was always locked to avoid his party guests venturing in and she had already settled in.
“I knew you’d let me stay,” she cheered.
“I could hardly turn my sister away,” he glowered jokingly and she swatted him with her napkin.
“Anyway, I made your favorite,” she said, pointing to a saran-wrapped glass dish on the counter, “I’m mashing potatoes to go along with them. I’d cook something more elaborate but you don’t deserve it.”
Ty smiled, only his sister (and maybe Lo) would say thanks and then tell him he didn’t deserve the thanks in full. As fully expected, he went to the dish and removed the saranwrap from a corner, pulling out a heavily glazed spicy chicken wing. It was his absolute favorite and Gem made the best of these, hands down. No restaurant had ever compared, not even her own. There was a special touch to the wings when Gem made them and he started tearing the juicy meat off the one he was holding, enjoying the texture, taste and the way it made his fingers all sticky.
“You sure are enjoying those wings,” Gem observed with a twinkle in her eye, “I wonder if Lo would like them.”
“She would absolutely love them,” Ty replied without thinking.
Then he stopped.
“I haven’t spoken to you about Lo yet,” he looked at his sister suspiciously.
“You didn’t have to you idiot,” Gem rolled her eyes in a way that reminded him of when she was an impetuous eight year old, “you have been in every magazine and blog with her for the past six months. It’s extremely hard to miss.”
“But you don’t read gossip blogs or magazines,” Ty pointed out. That was the only reason he hadn’t been worried about Gem finding out from the press. She only read articles, blogs and magazines that pertained to her profession.
Gem rolled her eyes again like he was an idiot, “I don’t, but my friends do.”
“Oh,” Ty said intelligently. He hadn’t counted on that and he berated himself for not considering the possibility.
“I want to meet her,” Gem said firmly.
Ty looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” she confirmed, “I want to meet the manner of woman who had managed to turn to pussywhip you.”
“I'm not pussywhipped,” Ty grumbled.
“Then tell me why you’ve stopped our whoring?” Gem asked.
Ty glowered at her, “From what I remember, you’ve always hated my whoring. You should be glad I’ve stopped.”
“I most definitely am,” Gem smiled, “I just want you to admit you’re in love with her.”
“Of course I'm in love with her,” Ty exclaimed finding it preposterous that anybody would think otherwise.
“Good,” Gem said, then after a minute of silent contemplation she asked, “are you going to introduce her to mum and dad?”
“I'm scared that once she meets them, she’ll want to have nothing to do with our family,” he mumbled.
Gem nodded, “You should, to be honest. But she’s with you. Seriously with you. To me, that means she can endure anything.”
Ty smiled, “Mum and Dad would give her hell, considering that fact that she’s not Ann.”
“Fuck Ann’s ass,” Gem said, making Ty laugh, but she meant it. She hadn’t seen that spark in her brothers eyes since he had started making money and their lives had changed. He had been so absolved with work and mundane things that he hadn’t truly been happy. But now, nearly ten years later, he was laughing with the same carefreeness that she remembered from his youth. She would fillet her parents if they dared try to take this happiness away from him.