Justice

By Mandy Bee

Fay Wright and Justice Reed had tried their hand at love and failed. Their breakup almost destroyed both of them. But will the loss of a close friend bring them back together or will it shatter whatever love they still had for each other once and for all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mandy Bee
• Release date: Sep 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9798201924355

Book preview

JUSTICE

MANDY BEE

Justice

Copyright 2016 by Mandy Bee

Formatted by Athena Interior Book Design

All rights reserved. In accordance with the US Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the written permission of the author or publishers constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

If you would like to use the material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written consent must be obtained from the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are all used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, are coincidental

Chapter One

"Mother, for the last time, it's not Mommy Porn." I have to hold back my groan of frustration as I watch my mother roll her eyes at me. I knew she would say something snarky about my books but it didn’t stop me from answering my dad when he asked about my latest one. I had just sent it off to my editor and was thinking about taking a few weeks off before working on another one.

You would think my mother would be proud that her daughter is a New York Times best selling author. Most mothers would be bragging to anyone and everyone. Does mine? Ha! She’s more likely to apologize for the type of books that I write then brag about them.

The one and only thing about my writing that we did agree on was my choice of writing under a pen name. Using my middle name and my mother’s maiden name I became Elizabeth Blunt. Now with twelve published books under my belt, all doing phenomenally well, and six of them made it on the New York Times and USA Today best sellers lists, you would think my mother would have warmed up to my choice of career by now. But pleasing her is something I’ve never been good at.

Mom, I don’t see why you even care. It’s not like you have read any of Fay’s books. My twin sister Kay says. She’s always been my biggest cheerleader.

My dad has always called us his night and day twins. Kay has dark as night hair while I have more of a light chocolate brown colored hair with natural blonde high lights. My eyes are bright green while Kay’s are a bright blue. We both have the same body build. We’re around five foot six, both not too thin but not too thick either. I have just a few more curves then she does, meaning I have a big ass and a bigger chest then my sister.

Mary when is lunch going to be ready? Dad asks mom then looks over at me and winks. Subject change, thanks Dad.

Sunday dinner at my parent’s house is like a bad episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. Even though my mother loves us, and we know she does, she also has no problem telling us what she thinks is wrong with our lives, and to all of our displeasure our love lives as well. Dad mainly sits back and lets her talk but does call her down once in awhile, and is also the king of subject changes.

My dad is one of the number one lawyers in the state of North Carolina, and this is not just a proud daughter talking, he was actually on one of the top five lists in one of those law magazines. His firm is one of the most prestigious in the nation. We are all very proud of him and we all see how hard he works. It wasn’t until he turned sixty a few years back that he finally stopped working ten and twelve hour days.

As soon as John gets here we can eat. Mom answers Dad as she picks a piece of lint off her peach colored turtle neck sweater. Her matching dress pants are pressed to perfection. With her hair styled in a tight bun, and her makeup fully done, you would think she had somewhere to be today, but no this is how she dresses most days. I’ve never really put much thought into why she never dressed in more comfortable clothes like jeans and t-shirts.

That is another thing my mother and I disagree on. I love my jeans, t-shirts, hoodies and flip flops. I’m not a dressy type of girl. I try my best never to wear a dress. Some skirts I’m okay with, but a full on dressy dress, like a gown, yeah no thanks. This is just another way I’m different from my family. My brothers and sister are fine with wearing a suit or dress when mom asks them too but I don’t feel like I should have to just because she wants me too. It’s an on going fight between us, but I stand my ground because I am who I am and I don’t want to change.

However with her upbringing I guess jeans were never a staple in her wardrobe. My mother is an heiress. Yup, an honest to God heiress. Her great-great-grandfather founded one of the largest makeup companies in the world. Each new family member to take over has helped the company thrive more then before. Right now the company is headed by my grandmother. She lives is California with husband number five. Mom does work with grandma sometimes but the company runs like a well oiled machine. Grandma has the last say in all the big stuff but the day to day work is done by trustworthy workers.

Since my mother is an only child she will inherit everything. With her being an heiress this in turns makes her children heirs and heiresses also. Something she likes to remind me of too often.

Don’t get me wrong I love my parents, I love all my family, but I’m the black sheep of the family. Instead of going to college, like my other siblings did, I decided to travel for a while. My grandparents on my father’s side died in a car wreck when I was sixteen. Both of them being from old southern money meant that dad became twice as rich as he already was. And us kids got a nice chunk of that money too. They left each of us five million dollars that we would be given once we turned eighteen and had graduated high school. I know they wanted it to be used for college and starting our own lives but I had other plans.

I took a three month cruise around the world. Another thing that not only my mother hated but my dad did too because I went alone. But it was one of the best times of my life. It’s also where I met one of my best friends. Izzy Grant is a web designer who was on the cruise looking for inspiration. We became joined at the hip and did almost everything together. She now lives in New York and I try to go see her whenever I can. We still talk all the time and I swear she knows me better then I know myself.

When I came home from the cruise I bought the house that was for sale right across from my parents. This is another reason I compare our Sunday dinners to the show Everybody Loves Raymond. I was hoping this would make my mother happy but it didn’t. She didn’t see why I needed to move out if I wasn’t going to college. My father told me it had more to do with mom losing all her kids and having an empty house then it did with me actually moving out. This is also something she likes to bring up every now and then when she is losing one of our fights. She tries to bring up the past to point out my wrong doings. My moving out was the best thing I ever did.

It took her six months before she would even step one foot into my home. By that point I didn’t care if she was upset about having an empty house. I was more hurt that she cared more about not getting her own way then about what I truly wanted. Even to this day she rarely comes over.

I guess I’m just doomed to being the black sheep of the family for the rest of my life. But I’m totally okay with that. I love my life. I have been very blessed with being able to just be me. I’ve also made some very good investment and I could live comfortable for the rest of my life. I want for nothing. I have a great family, even if I know I don’t live up to what they, meaning my mother, think I should be.

You know Fay since you are taking a break from your writing that means you’ll be free to come to the club’s charity ball that is coming up. It’s for the local children’s hospital. We are doing a Cinderella themed ball. It’s going to be a great night.

We all sit there and listen to her go on and on about this grand ball. It’s only when she starts talking about a young man she thinks would be the perfect date for me that I stop her and calmly say.

I was thinking about going to see Izzy. It’s been a couple months since we’ve been able to see each other. But I’ll write you to check as a donation before I leave. I don’t need to look at my mother to know she is glaring at me, I can feel it.

You can fly up to New York before or after the ball. All I’m asking for is one night. I don’t think that is too much to ask for. Isn’t that right dear? She asks Dad.

He sighs before answering. If she has plans then she has plans. It’s not like she has ever been to one of your balls. You’d think by now you’d understand that she doesn’t want to go.

I just don’t get you Fay. My mother says as she shakes her head. You’re brothers and sister have all agreed to go. Am I the only one at the club who will never know what it’s like to have her whole family with her at such a special event? Ah, it’s time to try guilt as a way to get me to go. Guilt is usually her last play at trying to get me to do something. Since I’ve been disagreeing with my mother on pretty much a daily basis I’ve learned that once she plays the guilt card then I’m usually home free on whatever we are dealing with at the time.

My mother and I disagree on so much it’s not funny. Growing up it was everything from me not playing on any sports teams to not caring if I had straight A’s or not. My not going to college was one of our biggest fights but our smaller fights always seem just as dramatic on her part.

Now a days we fight mostly about how I dress, about my not going to her country club parties, about how I never let her introduce me to the men she finds suitable for me, and about how I never listen to any advice she gives me. My mother’s advice is more like commands on what I should do and when I don’t do it her way then she is more then happy to tell me that I never listen to her. What I want for myself is never considered in this advice she loves to give.

But just because we fight about all this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop doing what I want to do. I love my mother, but I won’t stop being me for anyone. How they want to live and how they want to do things is not for me.

I hate that my parents love their country club so much. It’s nothing but rich old people trying to make their kids turn into younger versions of themselves. So no, I will not go to their club parties. As to the men she wants to introduce me to, that is a big hell no on my part. They are just country club rich kids who are mini versions of their parents.

Luckily Kay changes the subject for me and we all sit back and listen to her stories of all the crazy people she has to deal with at her job. Kay is mid-wife, and has had to deal with some very colorful people. She helps bring new life into the world, but at the same time has to deal with mothers who panic just as bad as the fathers do.

A few minutes later we hear John, my eldest brother, talking on the phone as he walks into the room. You asshole! John shouts into the phone, earning him a glare from both mom and dad. I don’t care if you have to stay there all night! You fix this and fix it now! He shouts even louder before pulling the phone away from his ear and stuffing it into his pocket.

What happened now? My other brother, Todd asks. Todd is only two years younger then John who is thirty five, but three years older then Kay and I.

Jackson got the shipping dates wrong for one of our largest order. It was to be shipped no later then yesterday. He shipped it today. I swear if he fucks up one more time he’s gone. John growls.

And if you swear one more time you’re gone. My dad states not looking away from the TV. My parents don’t like us kids to swear. We still do it but at home we do try our best not to.

John mutters an apology while Todd holds back a chuckle. John started his own shipping company about five years ago. He had worked for one of the largest shipping companies in the world for almost ten years and decided it was his time to branch out on his own. He’s done very well for himself but he sucks at dealing with bad employees. I’ve heard about Jackson more then once and he needs to be let go. It’s John’s name that gets hurt when things like this happens, not Jackson’s.

We all know John will be going into work tonight but I think I’ll ask Todd to go with him. Todd went to work for John last year when John needed help firing a few employees. Now Todd is head of HR but also helps run the company with John. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day they were equal partners. They do make a great team.

John you know you won’t fire him. But I have twenty bucks that says you go into work tonight and do his job for him. I tease him as he walks over to the couch and flops down beside me.

Shut up brat. John mumbles to me while reaching over to hug me.

Well now that John’s here we can finally eat. My mother says before leading us into the dinning room. I have to hold back a giggle. John is five minutes early but to mom that’s twenty minutes late.

We mostly keep to safe topics as we eat. Kay tells us some more stories about work. John got another call from Jackson and we all laughed when he told his unreliable employee that he would be at the office after dinner. I didn’t have to ask Todd to go with him. Todd told John he was going too and John looked a little relieved.

Mom tried one last time to get me to come to her freaking ball but dad cut her off and said to drop it. I knew she wasn’t happy about being shut down by dad in front of us but I’m so grateful that he had my back on this.

Mom had just severed dessert when the doorbell rang repeatedly followed by a loud banging. We all looked at each other thinking who in the world could be at the door. All of moms friends knew Sunday dinner was something that was just for family and knew not to stop by until later in the evening and only if they really needed too.

When no one got up to answer the door I threw my hands up and told them to finish eating while I answered the door. You’d think with it being their house one of my parents would want to know who was banging on their door but neither one seemed to care.

The banging started getting louder as I reached the door. The mirror that mom has hanging by the door is shaking to the point I’m afraid it will fall. I jerk open the door, ready to tell whoever it is to chill the fuck out, but when I see who is standing before me I freeze. What the hell is he doing here?

We both look each other over then lock eyes. The fire in his eyes tells me he is pissed off, but I don’t know why. I haven’t seen this man in almost two years. What the hell could I have done to piss him off?

Justice Aston Reed is standing before me looking sexy as sin, and that just pisses me off. Justice is one of the very few guys I’ve dated. I’ve known him most of my life and we were friends for years before we started dating. He is also the longest relationship I ever had. We dated about a year and a half before I finally broke it off. His drinking was too much for me to handle.

However today his light brown eyes are clearer then I have ever seen them. I used to get lost in his eyes. He looks like he has been working out because I don’t remember him ever being this muscular. His dark brown hair is cut super short, any shorter and he’d be bald. He use to have hair that always looked just fucked, it was shaggy and went just past his ears. I loved running my hands through it as we made love. The leather jacket, the dark washed jeans with a few holes in them, and the black biker boots makes him look like a badass from the wrong side of the tracks. Too bad that’s a lie.