Fifteen
“Apparently way back when, Starr and Thomas Ellison were in that open marriage lifestyle. They still are, to an extent. He does his thing and she does hers.” Brittany continued. “While the press look at Thomas as a philanderer, he’s not. Every woman he was with was by the blessing of his wife.”
“I…I….” Aaliyah didn’t know what to say. It appeared the sons had no clue what their parents were into. “And the wife?”
“She had her own thing. But let’s not get it twisted. It’s not like they have a loving marriage. If anything, it was a sexual relationship turned business partnership that included marriage. I’m not sure if they ever loved each other at all. They loved the power and they fought against the same causes. But there’s a difference between being in love and loving someone.”
“That doesn’t explain the mistress?” Aaliyah pointed out. “That’s a huge story.”
“Well, I’m getting to that.” Brittany continued. “Apparently, the mistress did a threesome with Starr and Thomas. He was driving her back home when he ran into a tree. It’s been long-rumored he was getting some sloppy-toppy from her when he drove. She was instantly killed. He walked away with some bruising but fine otherwise. He was literally caught with his pants undone.”
“And the press had a field day?” Aaliyah concluded.
“You betcha. Starr was painted as the poor, insufferable wife while Thomas was painted as the cheating bastard. Because he was forever associated with that, he told his sons no more black women at home.”
Aaliyah remembered what Ocean told her about Thomas’s order. She had a feeling it went beyond name-calling and insults. “But Thomas still has black mistresses, yes?”
“Of course he does! And of course Starr knows but she doesn’t care. She’s too busy getting her own dick to care about what her husband does.” Brittany yawned. “I’m sorry it’s not juicier than that but that’s what my cousin told me.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” Aaliyah shrugged. “Thanks a bunch, Brit. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime, babes. Let me know if you need anything else, boo.” She hung up.
Aaliyah set her phone down. Everything about Thomas was explained when Ocean refused to say a word. Aaliyah felt she invaded his privacy but she had to know the truth about the family.
Starr and Thomas had an open marriage of convenience. Considering how long they’d been married, Aaliyah imagined there had to have been some love there. She didn’t think Starr would be the type to stay with a man for that long, just for the sake of being with him.
Aaliyah wondered about her union with Ocean. It was clear they had a love that transcended time and distance. She wondered once he knew about her past, would he want to bring another woman into the bedroom? Would he want to sexually explore her like the others did?
It was time for a second opinion. She needed to speak with her dad.
~~~~~~~
“My sunshine,” Avery Smith’s deep voice boomed in the garage he worked. He was a tall and husky black man with a smooth fade and a salt and pepper goatee. He was a man in his late fifties, though his youthfulness often made people wonder if he was much younger.
He and his friends started their own biker club – The Black Panthers – and often rode across the country.
Avery originally started the club to keep his brother and nephew off the streets, but it soon became a passion for bikes. The members ranged from preachers to blue-collar workers to teachers and professors to CEOs. The only requirement the club had was every bike had to be American-made.
Aaliyah walked into the garage and greeted her cousins and uncles, along with several other family members. She sat down beside her father and watched in awe as he worked on another bike.
“What brings my sunshine here on this fine day?” Avery asked as the sounds of Johnnie Taylor played in the background.
“I need advice, Daddy.” Aaliyah began, “it’s about O.”
“And what about Mr. O?” Avery replied. “I see the press has stopped talking about you two.”
“I’m not with him for the fame of it. I think I would choose someone other than a famous senator.” Aaliyah addressed. “It’s about my past, Daddy. I’m not sure if O would approve.”
“I don’t see why it’s any of his concern,” Avery replied. “Your mama and I didn’t approve but we also knew you were going to do whatever you wanted. We just wanted you to be safe. We had to let you be stupid at a time where you were still able to get away with being stupid.”
“I wasn’t stupid but it wasn’t the smartest decision I could admit.” She admitted. “I wanted to do it and I did.”
“That’s beside the point. Your mama and I wondered where did we go wrong. You had everything you wanted and needed; you never went without. And yeah, we both had to do a lot of soul searching.” Avery chuckled. “We both had to wonder what role we played in you working at a brothel. We then concluded you were safe and Jackson wouldn’t do you wrong. Then we became cool with it. But it took a while to get to that point and it wasn’t easy.”
“You’re saying I should let O do the same when he finds out?” She asked.
Avery sat up and sipped iced water. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief and turned to his daughter. “This happened a long time ago, sunshine. A man isn’t going to punish you for sins you did about 10 years ago. He may not like it but he’s not going to ruin a good thing because of it.”
