Dear Glory

1. Ghost of Glory

Chapter 1

Ghost of Glory

GLORY

M y heart races uncontrollably as I fumble with the keys to my downtown penthouse condo, but I can’t help it! The way he’s kissing my neck and grasping my breast has me panting and hungry for what he’s going to show me in the bedroom… sofa… or if I’m lucky the kitchen counter and all over the house!

When I finally get it open, he picks me up and shuts it, immediately slamming me hard against the door, making me moan when he snatches my shirt off and grasps my breasts, hungrily sucking my nipples, making me delirious from the pleasure.

“Ugnnn! Yes!” I hold his head closer. “More!” I cry out, wrapping my legs around him as he packs me through the house and I flip on the light, kissing, shedding clothes all over the place. I guide him to my bedroom, where he drops me onto the bed and stands over me, undoing his jeans.

“Fuck, you look so good,” he growls as he looks down, placing a knee on the bed, and I can’t help but lick my lips at how yummy and chocolatey he is.

“Speak for yourself,” I smirk, crooking a finger at him as he leans in and places hot kisses all over me, getting me even more excited at what he’ s going to do to me. I get carried away and throw my head back, moaning as he dips a finger into me.

“Damn, you’re wet,” he grunts as he fingers me and while it doesn’t entirely feel good, it’s still enough to get me where I need to go. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten any action, so at this point, beggars can’t be choosers.

I go to wrap my arms around his neck, but our lips don’t connect and my hands barely touch him when I hear an ear-shattering boom in my living room, followed by footsteps in the hall. What in the hell?!

I barely have time to grasp a pillow from the top of my bed and place it over me to hide my nakedness when I see my door bursting open. Suddenly, my date is snatched off me by his neck and I see him dragged off kicking and choking. Mortified, I sprint behind him and rage fills me when I see my date is being strangled by my dad, who points a gun in his face, while my ex Linus stands there like the pussy he is.

“DAD! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” I shout furiously, heart pounding while holding the pillow to my body.

“Glorinda, just go put some clothes on!” my father gruffly speaks and I reel back, pissed. Go put some clothes on?! Excuse me?!

“Are you out of your mind?!” I grit out through my teeth! “Drop! Him! And! Get! Out! Now!” I stomp my foot, worried when I see my date’s pink lips that I’d been sucking on start to turn blue. “DAD! STOP!”

“I’d listen to what he says, Glorinda,” Linus calmly speaks and places a hand on my shoulder, but I snatch out of his grasp.

“Don’t fucking patronize me, Linus!” I snap. “You both get the hell out now o?—”

“Pu… ai…r…”

“FOR GOD’S SAKE, YOU’RE KILLING HIM! LET HIM GO!” I demand, and finally, after my dad glares at him a second more, he drops my date at his feet, and I run over to help him, but he smacks my hand away.

“Wh—”

“Y-ugh,” he takes coughs and takes deep breaths. “You d-didn’t tell me you ha-had a fucked up family!” he glares daggers at me and I cut my eyes to my dad, curling my lip.

“I’m sorry. I will make this up to y?—”

“Nah, don’t fucking bother,” he grunts as he tries to scramble to his feet, grasping his throat, but the lack of oxygen to his brain must be causing to have delays in his motor functions.

“Please at let m—” I attempt to help him again, but he glowers at me, shoving away from me.

“Stay away! A-and don’t bother calling!” He limps from my apartment, still coughing. Still chagrined, place my hand over my mouth, unable to fully comprehend what in the world just happened.

“Here Glorinda,” I hear behind and see Linus offer me a shirt from the box of his clothes he’d yet to pick up. Even though he and I have been through for years!

Pissed, I take the shirt and sling it to the ground, still holding the pillow to my person, facing off with the one person responsible for all of this mess.

“Dad! What have you done?!” I squeak and he raises a brow.

“What else? I was protecting you,” he answers and I balk, flustered, flabbergasted and flummoxed. Protecting me?! Protecting me from what exactly? Dick? If he’s going to protect me from anything, he should protect me from the asshole he brought into my home, not the one thing I’m craving the most! Ughhhhhhhh!

“I’m twenty-five, for God’s sake, not five! I do not need your protection, Dad!” I rub my temples, completely on the verge of tears right now! I can’t take this…

“When you’re messing around with bastards like that, you definitelyneed protection,” he sneers, picking up Linus’ shirt and looking away while expertly placing it over my head so I’m in no need of the pillow any longer. As glad as I am to not be showing my naked ass to Linus, I can’t even be appreciative of the act. It’s his fault I’m in this situation in the damn first place!

“Dad! You cannot keep doing this!” my voice breaks as I grow increasingly overwhelmed.

“Well, if you stop messing around with those punks, I wouldn’t have to do this. Glorinda, what are you thinking inviting someone you just met into your apartment?! Have you learned nothing I taught you?!” he shakes his head, and I stagger backwards. He’s not hearing me. He never does! “Linus, thank you for keeping a look out on her place,” my dad nods and Linus salutes him, making my mouth drop open.

“E… excuse me? Did you just tell me that you have Linus watching my condo?!” I screech, stupefied at this all-new low!

“Of course, Linus. Who else? He’s the one decent guy you’ve ever been with… I still don’t understand why you two broke up!” he shakes his head and I clutch my stomach, feeling queasy.

How could he?! How could he?! How fucking could he?! And Linus of all damn people?!

The man who took my heart and crushed it with only a few words? The man who can’t satisfy a fly in bed?! The asshole who purposefully keeps integrating himself into my life despite me kicking his ass to the curb? That Linus is the only decent guy I’ve ever dated?

Honestly, I could throw up, but it’s my fault. I chose not to tell my dad about why Linus and I broke up since I don’t want him in my business, but this is coming back to haunt and bite me in the derriere. I should have just told him that his protégé with the dick no bigger than a mosquito’s stinger had the sheer audacity to try and convince me after we were engaged that it would be his duty to have kids and since I couldn’t have any due to my hysterectomy at a young age that I was supposed to accept any outside children he brought home, since I wouldn’t be able to perform my, as he put it, “wifely duty” of making babies. That Linus?! The both of them can kiss my ass!

“Dad… I love you, but you have gone too far,” I seethe, fisting my hands at my side, holding back tears because I know my dad means well… I do, and it’s partially my fault for not being honest with him, but my God, do I have to tell him the most humiliating details of my life for him not to act like this?

No… it would be useless to tell him. The problem isn’t the man he wants me to date. No, it’s that he doesn’t see me as a grown woman fully capable of doing anything, and I abhor it! I love him, but I detest his actions so much so I feel trapped… I cannot continue to live like this.

“Glorinda, I’m o?—”

“Get out,” I murmur, cutting him off.

“But sweetheart, your daddy is only looking out for you,” he rebuts.

“Yes Glorinda, your fath?—”

“SHUT UP, LINUS!” I snap then turn back to my dad.

“Dad, get out right now!”

“B—”

“NOW!” I squeeze my eyes shut, pointing to the door and finally… freaking finally I hear their feet shuffle to the door, but they stop when they reach the exit.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re upset with me right now, but I don’t mean any harm. I only want what’s best for you,” my dad sounds off and I shake my head.

“That’s the problem, Dad. You want what’s best for me, not what I believe is best for me,” I deflate, and he goes to speak, but I don’t give him the opportunity. I simply make my way over to Linus’ box, pick the heavy thing up, and hand it to the jerk.

“Wait, Glorinda, I ju—” I shoot daggers at him, daring the bastard to say one more word. Linus knows better and zips his lips and ducks his head, leaving quietly as I shove them out the door, slamming it, making sure I add the chain link in place.

Tired and irritated, I fall back against the door, feeling like I truly understand why the caged bird sung. This bitter feeling of oppression, even by a person who loves you, is sickening, and I can’t stand another second of it.

I march to my kitchen where I snatch the phone off the receiver and wait for the dial tone to call my parents’ house. I know my dad can’t make it home that quickly in this New York traffic, so there is no way he’d pick up. Mom is usually home from the country club that she’s so proud to be the first Black member of, so I’m hoping she p?—

“Mrs. Cross, how may I help you?” she voices demurely.

“Mom!” I sob.

“Glorinda? Oh lord, what did your dad do now?!” I hear the exasperation in her voice and I start crying more as I explain the embarrassing events that took place. “That old coot! I swear!” she clicks her tongue and I’m sure she’s shaking her head.

“Mom, what do I do? I can’t keep living like this?! Dad is never going to let me grow up! I’m so sick of this!” I whine into the phone. “He’s smothering me.”

“I know love. I’m sorry, I know,” she shushes me.

“Mom, I need to get out of here… I really do. He’s got Linus watching my condo! Does he not understand how much of an invasion of privacy that is?!” I seethe through tears. “I just wish I could leave! Go far way and just?—”

“Then why don’t you, hunny?” she asks so simply, shocking me.

“Wh-what?”

“You said you wish you could get away and I asked why don’t you?”

“B… but Mom… you know Dad,” I stammer. “He’s not going to let that happen… he’s liable to show up a?—”

“Glorinda, you’re twenty-five, sweetheart. You’ve got to stop worrying so much about what your daddy is going to do and start living,” she huffs matter-of-factly. “You are a smart girl. You have good sense, and you have your own money. Nothing and nobody can stop you from doing what you want to do but you,” she reassures me.

“Well…” She’s not wrong…

“Go and explore the world! Go meet a fine man! Go be you! It’s the nineties! The world has changed so much, and there are so many fun things to do!”

“That’s the problem, Mom. I don’t even know who I am at this point. I’ve lived such a sheltered life under Dad that I feel like I’m only a reflection of what he wants me to be,” I admit, saddened by this fact.

“Then go break that mirror, hunny. No, in fact… shatter it and piece it together in a way that even your daddy won’t be able to deny,” I groan at her words, deflating because she makes it sound so easy.

“I—”

“Oh!” my mom gasps. “Whilst conveniently looking at this French travel brochure, I see that France is simply gorgeous around this time…” she clears her throat and trails off, making me chuckle.

“You know Dad is going to blow a gasket when he finds out, right?” I giggle.

“Find out what?” she feigns ignorance and I laugh again.

“Fine, I hear you loud and clear, Mrs. Cross,” I joke.

“Good. Now you have a good night, baby, and don’t worry about your dad. I’ll handle him.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, hunny,” she hangs up and the beeping blares in my ear before I can place my thumb on the switch hook to end the annoying noise.

My mom’s words float around in my head, and I feel like I can’t move fast enough to the kitchen drawer where I keep all my travel brochures. I scavenge and find the French pamphlet that I’m sure my mother was talking about and read it over. France is indeed stunning around this time…

Quickly, I call a private jet operator, making sure it’s different from the one my dad uses, followed by the grandest hotel of them all myself, not even bothering to wait for my travel agent’s operating hours tomorrow. I’m going all out!

By the time the night is over, I’m booked, packed and headed to my private jet.

I will not live under his thumb a second longer… I’m going to go find me.