about.”
Dominique saw Chad’s look of disbelief.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “He’s crazy. It’s
Daddy’s dream that we’ll get together. Frankly I
don’t want anything to do with the man and
until now he’s never indicated that he’s wanted
anything to do with me. His escapades are well
known.”
“So you’re saying that he made that whole
scene up?” Chad asked doubtfully.
“Most of it, yes. He came to my room
because Daddy thought I’d ride over with him. I
told him his services wouldn’t be needed and he
left.” Dominique didn’t elaborate on the part
where he found her sneaking into her room
wearing the same clothes she’d had on the
night before. She also left out the part about
88
SERENITY KING
Felton grabbing her wrist. The last thing she
needed was for Chad to go to jail for killing the
creep. Besides, she could handle Felton if need
be.
“You want me to have a talk with Dad
before I have a talk with Felton?”
“No! I’ll handle both Dad and Felton
when I get back home. Just let it go.”
“You’ll handle who when you get back
home?” a familiar voice behind her asked. It
was a voice that made her body tingle all over.
Okay Dominique. You can do this.
Compose yourself. Goodness, could this day
get any worse? Dominique turned slowly to
face Brandon. She cleared her throat and said,
“Um…my father. I have to set my father
straight on a few things.”
“Really, it must be serious then,” Brandon
said eyeing Dominique cautiously.
The atmosphere grew tense around her.
Before she could react, her cousin Alisha
stepped forward. “Hi Brandon,” Alisha said.
“Hi Alisha, I see my brother finally let you
up for air,” he said, grinning from ear to ear as
he gave Alisha a bear hug.
“Hey, let go! Go get your own wife,”
Tristan yelled as the other party-goers laughed.
Through the Fire
89
Dominique’s entire body stiffened. She
gave Brandon a sideways glance to see how he’d
react.
Calm and collected, completely unfazed.
Brandon laughed good-naturedly as he greeted
her cousins, Alisha’s brothers. She let out the
breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been
holding.
“Wasn’t that the guy you had words with
last night, Chad?” Brandon asked, gesturing
towards Felton. He came over to stand close
beside Dominique. His physical closeness was
like an electrical charge that made every one of
her senses quiver. Didn’t he know that? But he
was still talking to Chad.
Chad glanced over at Felton, too. “Yeah,
seems he’s fixated on my sister.”
“Oh?” Brandon said in a voice that
spelled danger. He looked at Dominique.
Please, God, don’t let him do something
crazy.
“Chad exaggerates,” Dominique said.
“Felton was just being… Felton. A regular pain
in the behind, that’s all. I’m hungry. Let’s get
something to eat.”
“I’m hungry, too. Come on, honey,”
Alisha said to Tristan.
90
SERENITY KING
Dominique gave Alisha a silent thank
you. Somehow she had a feeling Alisha knew
something was going on and was acting as her
buffer. Thank God for good relatives.
“Tristan, can I have a word with you?”
she heard Brandon ask.
“Sure,”
Tristan
said,
somewhat
reluctantly. “Go ahead, Beauty,” he told his
wife. “I’ll be along in a minute.”
“Okay. Come on, Dominique, that’ll give
us a little time to play catch up,” Alisha said.
“I’m
right
behind
you,
cousin,”
Dominique said, then peeked at Brandon from
underneath her eyelashes.
What did he need to talk to Tristan
about? She wondered. She didn’t have time to
wonder long because everyone else left Tristan
and Brandon alone and followed her and Alisha
to where the food was.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going
on between, you and Brandon?” Alisha
whispered to Dominique.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Dominique
whispered back.
“Yeah, right.” Alisha giggled.
“It’s
Dominique saw Chad’s look of disbelief.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “He’s crazy. It’s
Daddy’s dream that we’ll get together. Frankly I
don’t want anything to do with the man and
until now he’s never indicated that he’s wanted
anything to do with me. His escapades are well
known.”
“So you’re saying that he made that whole
scene up?” Chad asked doubtfully.
“Most of it, yes. He came to my room
because Daddy thought I’d ride over with him. I
told him his services wouldn’t be needed and he
left.” Dominique didn’t elaborate on the part
where he found her sneaking into her room
wearing the same clothes she’d had on the
night before. She also left out the part about
88
SERENITY KING
Felton grabbing her wrist. The last thing she
needed was for Chad to go to jail for killing the
creep. Besides, she could handle Felton if need
be.
“You want me to have a talk with Dad
before I have a talk with Felton?”
“No! I’ll handle both Dad and Felton
when I get back home. Just let it go.”
“You’ll handle who when you get back
home?” a familiar voice behind her asked. It
was a voice that made her body tingle all over.
Okay Dominique. You can do this.
Compose yourself. Goodness, could this day
get any worse? Dominique turned slowly to
face Brandon. She cleared her throat and said,
“Um…my father. I have to set my father
straight on a few things.”
“Really, it must be serious then,” Brandon
said eyeing Dominique cautiously.
The atmosphere grew tense around her.
Before she could react, her cousin Alisha
stepped forward. “Hi Brandon,” Alisha said.
“Hi Alisha, I see my brother finally let you
up for air,” he said, grinning from ear to ear as
he gave Alisha a bear hug.
“Hey, let go! Go get your own wife,”
Tristan yelled as the other party-goers laughed.
Through the Fire
89
Dominique’s entire body stiffened. She
gave Brandon a sideways glance to see how he’d
react.
Calm and collected, completely unfazed.
Brandon laughed good-naturedly as he greeted
her cousins, Alisha’s brothers. She let out the
breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been
holding.
“Wasn’t that the guy you had words with
last night, Chad?” Brandon asked, gesturing
towards Felton. He came over to stand close
beside Dominique. His physical closeness was
like an electrical charge that made every one of
her senses quiver. Didn’t he know that? But he
was still talking to Chad.
Chad glanced over at Felton, too. “Yeah,
seems he’s fixated on my sister.”
“Oh?” Brandon said in a voice that
spelled danger. He looked at Dominique.
Please, God, don’t let him do something
crazy.
“Chad exaggerates,” Dominique said.
“Felton was just being… Felton. A regular pain
in the behind, that’s all. I’m hungry. Let’s get
something to eat.”
“I’m hungry, too. Come on, honey,”
Alisha said to Tristan.
90
SERENITY KING
Dominique gave Alisha a silent thank
you. Somehow she had a feeling Alisha knew
something was going on and was acting as her
buffer. Thank God for good relatives.
“Tristan, can I have a word with you?”
she heard Brandon ask.
“Sure,”
Tristan
said,
somewhat
reluctantly. “Go ahead, Beauty,” he told his
wife. “I’ll be along in a minute.”
“Okay. Come on, Dominique, that’ll give
us a little time to play catch up,” Alisha said.
“I’m
right
behind
you,
cousin,”
Dominique said, then peeked at Brandon from
underneath her eyelashes.
What did he need to talk to Tristan
about? She wondered. She didn’t have time to
wonder long because everyone else left Tristan
and Brandon alone and followed her and Alisha
to where the food was.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going
on between, you and Brandon?” Alisha
whispered to Dominique.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Dominique
whispered back.
“Yeah, right.” Alisha giggled.
“It’s
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