Read Online Do Not Disturb 2 by Violet Williams - Free Book Online Page A

the scars of a childhood lived in fear, he and his mother both tiptoeing around him, afraid the smallest action would awaken his fury. The few times he got her to actually talk about his childhood and his father’s heavy hand, Barbara would shrug it off as discipline. ‘He only raised his hand to keep you in line’, she’d insist before steering the conversation to more pleasant territory.
    Conrad was someone that ruled with fear and intimidation. It’s how he built his financial empire and how he kept Jake and his mother submissive and docile. Hell, his strong arming was why Jake studied politics instead of any other subject.
    But the one area that he could not, would not allow his father to dominate was his love life. He refused to let him bully Keisha or destroy what they were desperately trying to build against all odds. Jake would-
    “Jake?” Jake blinked rapidly through the red, refocusing. Marcy was staring at him gingerly, her hawkish features softening. “Are you alright?”
    “Yeah. Of course.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look alright to me.” She closed her manila folder. “Do you want to talk about it?”
    Jake snorted. “I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me complain, Marcy.”
    “Well of course I do,” she quipped. “Marches to plan, bras to burn, other reps to bug, hate mongers to topple.” She slid to the edge of her seat. “But you’ve kinda grown on me.” She chuckled. “Like a fungus.”
    Jake felt his mouth twitch. He had to agree. She was definitely his favorite lobbyist, the one he looked forward to when it was jotted on his calendar. They confided in one another. “I’m just having issues with my father.”
    She let out a sigh. “Don’t we all.” She scratched her chin. “Is this about his impromptu, ‘My son is not having sexual relations with that woman’ on network news a couple of weeks ago?”
    “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Apparently he’s gone past the denial stage in the grieving process straight to bribery.”
    Marcy shook her head. “You know I’ve been working on the Hill too long when I’m not even surprised. Rich folks behaving badly is kind of business as usual.” She scanned his face. “So what now? He’s pulling out all the stops to put an end to you and…”
    “Keisha,” Jake answered. He ran a hand through his wavy hair. “She wants to have them over for dinner this weekend and lay it all out. We’re together, accept it, or get the hell out of the way.”
    “And I’m guessing you’re having French onion with a side of-”
    “Arsenic?”
    Marcy laughed. “I was gonna say Dexalax. I mean, a night spent up close and personal with the porcelain throne is enough to give the mightiest man a whole new perspective on life.”
    As tempting as spiking his father’s food was, at the end of the day, it failed to address the root of the problem. His father obviously didn’t take them very seriously, and Jake wondered if dinner would even dent anything.
    "So it's pretty serious between the two of you, eh?" Marcy asked with a grin.
    Pretty serious didn't even begin to brush the surface. It was hard to believe there had ever been anyone before her, any feeling before this.
    His day to day life was filled with agendas and meetings where he talked about making choices for everyday Americans, looking out for the average family. Even with Trixie, and all the love he'd held for her son, a part of him always had pause about the life they would lead. And even before that, he'd been a playboy, never letting anyone get close enough to hurt him when things inevitably ended.
    But with Keisha, everything seemed to click. Colors seemed brighter. Food tasted better. Moments were so much sweeter, especially since they only had so little time together. He saw Caleb's face in the kids he held for photo opportunities. Home, happiness, love--words he'd always thought were beyond him. Things he'd