Roman remained sprawled on the couch near his father’s desk.
Liam Tesano slapped his son’s loafer-shod foot as he passed. “Wake up, Ro. Make room for your brother.”
Roman had managed to tune out everything in order to indulge in the additional sleep he’d felt cheated out of that morning. Yet, he instantly tuned into his father’s voice. When he realized the brother Liam referred to was Pitch, he pushed to his feet and launched himself at his older brother when he approached.
Pitch relished all the love he received in the room, but it was Roman he most looked forward to seeing. They had never not been close. While Humphrey, Aaron, Stone and Gabriel had to think over when and if they wanted to accept him, his relationship with Roman had never been strained by any of that drama. As far as Roman was concerned, they were brothers pure and simple no matter how it had come to be.
Liam settled behind the maple desk that had been his home away from home since the earliest days of what had become The Tesano Corporation. That desk had helped to lay the foundation for the accomplishments that now led to a long cherrywood desk in a five room office suite at Tesano headquarters in Manhattan.
Liam reached for the folder containing his meeting notes. He smiled over the good-natured ribbing and laughter coming from the seven younger men. Pride was a sin, but it was one he felt powerless to escape. How could a man not feel fatherly pride when the responsibility for such an impressive group lay right at his feet?
Some of that pride waned however. Yes, he was indeed responsible for the boys occupying his office. They were a remarkable collection and a divided one. Aaron and Stone had accepted Pitch as their blood long ago. Humphrey though, rarely made a secret of his disapproval. Vale was no better, but Liam could easily put that off on his age. 15 was an impressionable time. Especially when one was being ‘impressed’ upon by a brother he idolized. As for Gabriel, Liam couldn't quite pin down those emotions. He suspected they weren't as dark as Gabriel might’ve liked for his brothers to believe.
Whatever the emotions, Liam needed his sons to be of one accord. It was the only way they could ever be trusted with all he had sweat and bled for.
“So tell me, Humphrey, how was your latest trip to Seattle?” Liam opened the meeting with the query. “How are the Ramseys doing?” He referred to the powerful family his sons had become fast friends with during a trip they had taken out west some time ago.
Humphrey smiled, nodded. “They’re well. I didn’t see them all during this last trip. Only Westin,” he spoke of the eldest Ramsey son.
“Westin’s a good young man. Glad to hear they’re doing well. There anything more to report on the trip?” Liam asked.
Humphrey had expressed, among other things, a desire to expand Tesano holdings beyond the east coast. He’d proven himself more than capable in his acquisitions of various land purchases. They were purchases of such quality, Liam allowed his eldest to play a leading role in all real estate deals going forward.
“I have my eye on some possible spots in Portland. I plan to revisit in a few weeks or so.”
“Excellent,” Liam tapped his fist to the desk in approval. “Keep me informed on that. When you take your trip, I want your brothers to join you. It’s time the seven of you started working more closely together.”
Humphrey didn’t look thrilled by the suggestion. “I don’t know how my potential sellers will react to the appearance of new faces at this late stage.”
Liam appeared unfazed. “If they object to your family, they aren’t people you should be dealing with in the first place. You should take a good look at the Ramseys next time you’re all together again. I’m sure they have their differences, but they wouldn’t be such a force if they allowed personal disagreements to get in the way of business, would they?”
Pitch barked a laugh that had Humphrey’s eyes spewing black fire.
“With all due respect, Pop,” Pitch said, “I don’t think the Ramseys have to deal with the same kind of...personal disagreements we do.”
Humphrey’s scowl made the slow transition to a smile. “Pitch is right. Some differences can make getting along impossible. Inappropriate even.”
“Humphrey,” Liam called in warning.
“It’s surprising that you of all people take a liking to the Ramseys,” Pitch noted. “They may be rich as hell, but they’re still colored folk, right?”
“Vic,” Liam issued his next warning call.
Roman, who had been disinterested for most of the discussion, straightened on the sofa as tension solidified. The others remained rigid and quiet as church mice.
“Right again,” Humphrey countered his half brother’s observation. “I happen to approve of blacks who make their way in the world-ones who strengthen society instead of bringing it down. Who don’t look for handouts or just outright steal what belongs to someone else, doing nothing more than to leech off the accomplishments of others.”
“Mmm...” Pitch’s fathomless gaze narrowed. “Leeching, huh? That’s funny coming from the thirty year old still living at home with his mama-”
“Enough!” Liam slammed his fist against the old desk that time. It proved an effective silencer to the room.
Roman began to laugh. Liam didn’t spare his son a glance when he addressed him with the fist poised. “Next one goes to your jaw, Ro,” he threatened while fiercely glaring at the rest of his sons.
“Christ!” Liam raged. “I call you here hoping you’re ready for more responsibility, to start working more closely with the top people in areas of the company you’ve each expressed the greatest interest in. But how the hell are you going to learn from strangers when you can’t even be civil to each other? Your own goddamn family!”
“But Pop,” Gabriel raised a hand. “The rest of us didn’t say any-” he clipped what remained of his argument when Liam shred him with a menacing look.
“Beginning tomorrow, you’ll all report to areas of the company you seem most passionate about. Ro, Vay, you two will float around-learning from everyone.”
The office livened with relieved sighs and words of gratitude from the sons to their father.
“Quiet!” Liam ordered. “I expect each of you to report back to me on a venture you want to follow up on. I expect proposals on my desk in midtown no later than six weeks from now at five p.m. I expect you seven to research your skinny asses off in order to sell this. I suggest you research hard, because it’s not just me you’ll have to convince, but each other. Every prop will require a unanimous vote to pass. Judging from what I see here, I won’t be putting my signature on a damn thing.” With those words, Liam left the room. The outer office door slammed violently at his back.
~3~
Pitch loosened the tie that had been stifling him since the meeting got underway. He’d bolted from the office not long after his father walked out. Pitch had needed to put some space between himself and his brothers. He knew Aaron, Roman and Stone would most likely be right on his heels. He didn’t want their help. They couldn’t help with this. They didn’t understand it enough to help. Worse, he didn’t think there was any help for it.
Hell, he silently raged, did he even understand it? He had a lot of people who loved him and that was more than most could say. He had to travel around to at least four different houses to see them all, but so what? It could always be worse. He would have put a gun to his head before he’d hit puberty had he been forced to live primarily under his father’s roof. Athena Tesano had made no secret of how little she wanted her husband’s colored bastard in her home.
Pitch gave into a quiet chuckle and told himself to screw his head back on straight. He had three brothers who loved him even though they didn’t share the same mother. He had a brother and sister who loved him to the moon and back despite their father’s constant put downs and bigoted attitudes toward him. His grandmother, Bettina George, had made him first in her life when his mother Erica, for the sake of her other kids, could not.
Yes, he had a great many reasons to smile. Yet, that cretin Humphrey could make him forget that in the time it took to snap his fingers. It was the same tripe he’d suffered from the jackass since forever.
So why had it grated on him so heavily back there? They were all supposed to pretty much be on equal footing that day. It was what his father had said when they’d met in front of the factory. He’d arrived off the bus he’d taken from his Grand Bett’s to find Liam waiting for him there.
The time had come for them to start proving their mettle, Liam had said. He believed they had what it took to accept greater roles in the business. Equal roles? Pitch couldn’t quite make himself believe that.
Inhaling deeply, he released the air slowly from his chest. He repeated the exercise once, twice... the trick usually worked, usually steadied him, kept his fist from connecting with Humphrey’s weak jaw. He needed to go. Needed to head home and gorge on whatever magnificence his grandmother had simmering in the pots on her stove. Decided on the plan, he turned for the exit corridor and everything inside him froze.
