180 Degrees-Tae & Vicky's Forever 01

My grandfather wasn't happy...at all. But he stood behind us in that tiny little room at the courthouse as Vic and I exchanged vows anyway. It had taken almost a year for us to get here. Why? Vic wanted time to get used to living in New York with me in my spacious, three-bedroom condo (it had been two bedrooms, but I renovated it). We each had an office (mine had a pretty serious lock on the door given the nature of some of the files in there) and we shared the main, massively sized bedroom. We lived well with each other, respecting each other's space and getting into a routine pretty quickly. First problem solved.

Vic also insisted on a pre-nup. Yea, you heard me,Vicinsisted on a pre-nup. I think she started to realize how well off my grandfather was when I showed up in Kansas and we flew home on my grandfather's private plane. That, plus the prime real estate in Harlem (the 3-bedroom condo) and she started to get a little freaked out. So, she insisted we chat with some lawyers and sign a pre-nup. That took months, but second problem solved.

Finally, she wanted to make sure I didn't change my mind. She said I'd proposed to her when things were crazy. I'd been worried about her, there was a lot of adrenaline and emotions...she claimed those were not good conditions for a proposal (or a marriage). So, six months after I proposed, she wanted me to propose again,ifI was serious. Which, of course, I was. So, I did. And then she said we should wait the additional six months just for good measure.

Needless to say, I was fucking relieved when we were leaving the courthouse, finally married, after a damn year. If she had delayed it any longer, I might have killed her out of frustration, so there wouldn't have been a wedding. Oh, and why the courthouse? We argued about that too. She said I'd spent enough money on her and she'd never really wanted a big, fancy wedding. She didn't have any family really, and all the moving around during the last couple of years had tested most of her friendships, so what was the point? I must admit I'd been really surprised by that one. I thought she'd want something that would bring New York to its knees...I should have known better. But that didn't stop me from buying her a ridiculously expensive engagement ring. If we were going to have to wait a year, and she didn't want a fancy wedding, she could at least wear my damn 3-karat diamond ring on her finger.

My 'apprenticeship' with my grandfather was...ongoing. I was still learning so much, even after an entire year. And now that the other members of his organization understood he was grooming me to take over, I was paid a great deal of respect. But I could also feel their desire to slit my throat. Especially Miguel Cruz, who had risen up through the ranks and now reported directly to my grandfather. In other words, he should have been next in line. Now he reported to my grandfather...andme. I could almost taste his resentment. But I had been expecting this. Just meant I would never drop my guard when I was around him and some of the others. In fact, the only time I relaxed, truly relaxed, was when I was in my own bed with Vic snuggled up beside me. I didn't necessarily sleep all that well,ever, but I could at least relax for those few hours.

Vic had decided, once she realized she didn't need to get a job, to go back to school so she could teach at the college level. She'd applied to Columbia and was admitted, so she was spending tons of time on their campus, attending classes, studying, participating in study groups...that had been another argument. I'd made our apartment one of the safest in Manhattan forher. It had a top-of-the-line security system. We had an armed guard posted directly outside of our apartment when we were home [we had the top floor to ourselves] and an armed guard in the lobby 24 hours. It was absolutely, positively safe. But, of course, she wanted to spend time away from it. So, if she wanted to spend hours and hours away from that security, Jari had to be with her, everywhere,always. No exceptions. And my future wife hadnotbeen happy about that.

Then we had to give a fucking donation to Columbia to allow Jari to attend classes even though she was not enrolled. It had been a damn headache, but I had not backed down. Marcos may have slithered into a hole for a while, but if he thought he was fooling me, he was dead wrong. If my grandfather passed, Marcos would be reporting to me. Iknowhe didn't want that. Which means I knew there were several contracts out on me. And my wife had guaranteed her own contracts. So, neither one of us would be walking around alone for quite some time.

We'd had some other minor fights, my fiancé and I. Like she was supremely unhappy about me paying her tuition. She'd wanted to apply for financial aid and take out loans...I shut that nonsense down. In fact, I'd paid her tuition for three years. They told her it would only take two to compete the doctorate, but I never believed that shit. And it's not like Columbia would complain and give me back the money. She'd been pissed when she actually visited the financial aid office and they told her about her negative balance. But she'd moved on.

Our next few fights had been about me dumping money in a personal account for her so she didn't have to ask for money. That, along with the new car I'd bought her (nothing fancy, a hybrid Toyota, that's all), and the clothing I kept buying for her (she wouldn't buy any herself, so I just kept having tons of stuff delivered)...we'd argued for weeks. Vic had no idea how 'comfortable' my grandfather was financially. I was still struggling to comprehend it. He had fingers dipped into all kinds of money-making pies, nationally and globally. He'd been very smart...and he wasverygenerous, especially with me. So I now owned, outright, quite a few of his businesses and was a relatively wealthy woman in my own right. But I didn't discuss business with Vic, ever. It was something my grandfather insisted on. The business stayed in the family. He said thatmightchange when I married her, but fiancés did not warrant disclosure. So Vic had no idea...which made Vic uncomfortable whenever I spent money on her.

Like when she told me one night, after I'd made her scream for me, how she'd always wanted a Mont Blanc pen. She said they were ridiculously expensive and perhaps, one day, she'd treat herself to one. So when I had a rep from the company show up at our apartment a week later, with a catalog for her to pick one out...well, she hadn't been pleased. And she wouldn't pick one, even weeks later. The catalog just sat on the desk in her office. Every time I saw the damn thing, I just shook my head. My woman was fucking ridiculous sometimes.

But I was in love, and having her near me made a difference. She was close. If there were any problems, I could get to her in 45 minutes max. So, I could relax and concentrate on being educated by my grandfather now. He might not have been happy about me moving Vic here, or getting married to her (he had never married himself), but even he saw the difference. He was now impressed by how quickly I picked things up, how apt I was at processing information and how good I was a offering alternate options. I also had insight about policing that he'd never had access to, which helped him make better and smarter choices about our less than pristine operations.

He was happy, I was happy and Vic was on her way to being happy...nirvana.

*

"She ain't gonna be happy. Call her."

I sighed, "Jari, I'm going to a friend's house for a study group. I don't need to call Tae."

"A friend's house inChelsea. Not too far from where she used to live inChelsea. You know, the Chelsea right next door to Fulton which isownedby Marcos?ThatChelsea."

I rolled my eyes, "yea, I got all of that. But I haveyou. And we're only going to be there for a few hours."

"Invite them to a restaurant here, in Harlem. Offer to pay the bill," Jari countered.

"I don't have money to waste on a bill for eight people Jari. And everyone is on their way down there already."

I was talking about the money I had taken from Dylan. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment as we waited for the train at 116th and Broadway. Dylan. I hated thinking about him...that always led to the realization that I'd watched him die...and had rolled him up in a rug and shoved him in a closet. I shook my head, not wanting to go there.

Instead I thought of my dwindling money in an account separate from the one my crazy wife (oh my God, she was really my wife now) had set up for me. Who just gives someone two million dollars to spend as they please? Who does that? Who canaffordto do that? Not an ex-state trooper. Or an ex-U.S. Marshall. Which meant she'd gotten that money from her grandfather...and I still wasn't sure how I felt about what she was doing with, or for, her grandfather. Until I was sure, I really couldn't touch that money in good conscience. So, all I had left was about $2,500...and that was not money to be used hosting people at a restaurant when I could just as easily put in my share of money for pizza at one of their homes.

"I will pay for it," Jari offered.

I raised a brow in her direction. That just meant she would get reimbursed from Tae...which meant that was not an option. I was tired of Tae paying for everything. And I do meaneverything. Down to my underwear. If I didn't think I needed new underwear, who was she to buy me dozens and dozens of bras and panties? Sexy ones.Expensiveones. And then she'd thrown out all my old ones! I was still pissed about it.

"No."

I was done talking about it. We were prepping for an upcoming comprehensive exam. Every student had to complete it at the end of their first year if they wanted to remain in the graduate program. I wasn't really worried about passing...well, not incredibly worried, but a member of our cohort had managed to get their hands on the last 7 years of those exams and I wanted to see them. Wanted to use them to help me study. So that meant I could not miss this study session. If that meant I was going to the infamous, and forbidden, Chelsea, so be it.

We finished waiting for the train in silence, and then there was no use talking on the very loud train as it zipped through the tunnels. But I could see Jari was not happy when we stepped onto the platform at 23rd and Seventh. Her entire compact, curvy body was tense and her eyes had grown cold again. She was in protection mode, her hands free and clear in case she needed to grab the weapon I knew was tucked in the small of her back. She was so anxious she was makingmeanxious.

"Jari, it's two blocks from the train station and then we'll be inside all night. It's not a big deal."

She nodded, but didn't say anything else. I knew she wouldn't. She rarely spoke to me when she was in protection mode.

Sure enough we were being buzzed up to my classmate's studio apartment about five minutes later. After I rang the doorbell, I saw Jari send a quick text, but didn't think much about it (she was always on her phone). When the door open, I noticed I was the last to arrive. Everyone had their hands on an old exam already, carefully scanning them. I was handed a copy and we got down to the business of trying to figure out patterns that might help us determine what would appear on the upcoming exam.

It was 1am before everyone decided to stop and pick up where we left off the next day. We had a pretty good idea what core questions might appear on the exam, but we still needed to do some more guess work about other questions. I glanced around and noticed Jari standing near the door, a Coke in her hand (she loved ice cold Cokes), her eyes cool, her stance semi-alert. She was always "on guard" in these types of situations. Especially when someone she didn't know showed up. A student we hadn't studied with before had joined the group. Until she checked him out, she would not be able to relax. Especially since he was Puerto Rican. But if she was planning to be anxious about every Puerto Rican male I encountered in New York, she wouldneverbe able to relax. I smiled at the thought.

We all filed out of the apartment at the same time, wishing our host goodnight, agreeing to meet in Brooklyn the following evening. We rotated homes for the study sessions...well, everyone except me. Tae said no one would be allowed to know where we lived. My home address was listed as a PO Box everywhere. So when it was my turn, we typically stayed in one of the lounges on campus, or we found a diner that could seat us all at the same table. It was a bit of a hassle, but no one really complained considering I usually paid for drinks all night.

We took the second elevator down, since we couldn't all fit in it the first go round, so it was just me, Jari, the new guy and Mary. Mary was cool. She'd introduced herself to me the first day of classes and we often grabbed a meal or coffee together. She was from the Midwest, pretty, blonde, blue-eyed, petite, sweet and this was her first time in a huge city on her own. So, even though she was in her early thirties, she was pretty naïve. I was always worried about her. She's the one the lived in Brooklyn. We would meet at her house tomorrow.

"Be careful to take the right train tonight Mary. Downtown, not uptown."

She nodded and waved as we parted after exiting the building. The new guy had already taken off. And so it was just me and Jari, standing, waiting. I was about to ask why we were waiting when it dawned on me and I swore under my breath.

"You are such a damn traitor," I snarled at her as a silver Mercedes Benz pulled up to the curb. I rolled my eyes at my bodyguard/friend.

"Hey, I adore you, but your ass is undermycare and your wife pays my salary."

Those were the only words we had time to exchange. Tae's bodyguard, a huge, dark-skinned, former football player everyone called Spade, stepped from the car and opened the back door for me. I slid in, avoiding a pair of what I knew would be very angry, stormy, grey eyes. Jari jogged around and slid into the front beside Spade before the car pulled off. Tae raised the divider.

"Really?"

That's all she said, but I could feel the anger radiating off of her. I stole a glance at her, trying to stop my heart from lurching. She was so fucking sexy in all black, midnight black jeans, a black turtleneck, her short hair framing her sexy face, those stormy grey eyes piercing right through me.

"Tae—"

"Don'tVic. If you won't listen to Jari, what the fuck is the point of her being with you? You ignored her warning about coming to Chelsea? Ten blocks from Marcos' home territory?"

I turned away, looking out of the darkly tinted window. I hated when she was right. It was so easy to forget. I wasn't testifying anymore. The DA had dropped the case months ago after other witnesses started disappearing. Tae had declared, once and for all, I was done with cooperating. I didn't really mind. I was sick and tired of the waiting game with the DA. But that didn't mean I was safe. I still knew things about them that could but Jimmy L. and Marcos away for a long time, which meant I was always going to be a threat. Which meant I was never 100% safe in this city...especially 10 blocks from where Marcos had been born and raised. The first territory he'd been responsible for...certainly his most loyal. If anyone had spotted me down here, they would be heralded a hero. I knew this. It was irresponsible and stupid to ignore this type of danger.

"No excuses. You're right. I'm sorry."

Tae cut off whatever else she was going to say and instead just stared at me. Eventually I took a deep breath and met that intense gaze.

"I mean it. I'm sorry."

After another moment's pause, she nodded. I knew she would fume for a little while longer, even after she dropped me off at home. But I also knew by the time she came home, usually around 4am, she would be done being angry...and hopefully she would wake me up and fuck me until I couldn't see straight.

*

Our married life wasn't much different from our 'engaged' life. We'd settled into a pretty interesting routine. I would get up around 7am, work out until around 8am (Tae had put a treadmill and tread-climber in my office because she didn't want me going to a gym), take a shower, eat something light (usually toast, a bagel or cereal) and then head out to class. I had classes two days a week and I worked at the bookstore two other days. Tae thought my job was cute. I thought it was a necessity in order to maintain my independence. I never wanted to be 100% dependent on another person, not after Dylan. I sighed, forcing myself to shut down thoughts of him immediately.

I'd be out and about until around 6pm, and then I would make sure to get my ass home to have dinner with Tae. Tae didn't usually get home until around 4am six days a week. She'd sleep most of the day, run errands, meet with her grandfather...but she was almost always home at 6pm. We always had dinner together. Every day. Neither of us had to cook dinner, she'd hired someone to do that. And to clean. And to shop. And...to do almost everything else in our household. I...I was still getting used to it.

So, every evening, from 6pm to 8pm, I spent time with my wife. Then she usually left and I either stayed home to study (or sometimes to watch a movie) or I would attend a study group. If I went out, Jari went with me. Otherwise, I was protected by two armed men at our home. I didn't ask Tae where she went and she didn't volunteer any information. It had been this way for about a year.

With one exception. Wednesdays. We didn't do anything business or school related on Wednesdays. Wednesdays were for us. We would go out to dinner, or to a movie, or we would go shopping...she'd flown me to Atlantic City for a show, and a boxing match (I didn't really like the latter), she'd driven me to Phily for jazz and cheese steaks...and sometimes we just stayed home, ordered a pizza and hung out together. We played board games, we watched horrible movies (we both likes tacky B-movies with giant animals attacking humans)...it wasourday. No outsiders, no commitments, no work, no school, no studying, no exceptions...and usually, usually, it ended with us in bed and her making excruciatingly sweet love to me for hours and hours...

It was generous. I loved her for carving out that one day for me. One day, every week...it was her way of reminding me that no matter what, I was the one who mattered. Me and her...andus. I loved it.

There was also something special, something important, about the day she reserved for me because Tae was...different. When she was "on," in her grandfather's world, she was...colder. Withdrawn. Quiet. Secretive. We didn't talk about what she did...ever. There was a part of me that was okay with that. I had been so engrained in Dylan's world and look where that landed me. So...I wasn't sure I wanted to share in Tae's new secrets. I wasn't sure I wanted to be a part ofthatworld again.

But the difference I noticed in her spilled over into everything. If she had time to meet me for lunch, or take me shopping, or spend any time with me during those six days she was "on," the gangster Tae was always there. She wasn'tmyTae on those days. She was protective, she was focused on me and only me (although she had ample opportunities and invitations to focus her time and energy elsewhere)...but she was just...different. Except on Wednesdays. On Wednesdays I got to see glimpses ofmyTae...the one I'd fallen in love with, the one that was more open, less intense...less intimidating. Not that I didn't love the new Tae...I did...especiallyin the bedroom.