Free Tempting Eden by Celia Aaron

He is ignorant. He is ungrateful!”
    Helen covered her ears as Mama Reed’s sermon reached its fever pitch.
    “That was fifty dollars. Give it back.” I met her eye and kept my hand out. I thought about just taking it from her. I could. I was big enough. I could knock her down and take it. She would scream. I wouldn’t care. No one would come. Not around here. I could just take it and run.
    I took a step toward her and saw fear flash across her face. Good . “Bitch, I said give it here.”
    I wanted her to be scared. I didn’t have to listen to her, to do what she said. She was nothing to me, no one was, not blood, not even a friend. If I was going to burn in hell, then I was certain she’d be down there roasting with me.
    She wasn’t going to take anything else from me. I’d made up my mind to slap her back and take what was mine. I raised my hand.
    Helen edged closer to me. I snapped out of it, though I barely restrained myself. I couldn’t do it, not in front of Helen.
    Mama Reed cringed when she saw me raise my hand but grew even angrier when I dropped it back down to my side. She slapped me again, harder this time. She sputtered, spit flying from her mouth. I’d seen her blow up before, but never like this.
    The train rumbled by a couple of blocks away, giving her voice a backdrop of mechanical clanking and screeches. She didn’t stop, her onslaught of anger and disappointment continuing for what felt like minutes. One more hard slap made my ears ring, and then she retreated into the apartment and slammed the door behind her.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Helen’s voice was tiny, small even for her.
    She was looking at me with the same fear I’d wanted to instill in Mama Reed. Tears welled, making her brown irises swim.
    My anger cooled to remorse in an instant. Still, I wasn’t sorry for wanting to hurt Mama Reed, I still did. I was only sorry Helen saw it.
    “Nothing’s wrong. I just got mad is all. I’m fine.” The last thing I wanted was for Helen to be afraid of me. I’d do anything for her. I’d taken beatings for her in the past, dished out by Mama and Papa Reed. She was my sister, even if we didn’t share the same blood. She was the only person I cared about. Maybe even more than myself. “Don’t cry, Helly, I’m sorry.”
    I held out my arms and she came to me, letting me bring her in tight. Her head fit under my chin, tucked in there. I smelled the coconut oil in her hair, sweet and familiar.
    “You can’t be that. You can’t turn into that . You have to stay you, okay? We won’t be here forever. We’re going to get out. We’ll be something someday. Something real. We just have to make it through this first. We can’t mess up while we’re here.” Her voice was muffled and she shook her head, the plastic barrettes at the end of her braids clicking against each other.
    I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I didn’t want her to cry anymore. “I won’t mess up, okay? I’m me. It’s hot, and she hit me is all. I just got upset. Don’t worry. I’d never hurt you.”
    “I know, but I don’t want you to hurt anyone else, either.”
    “I won’t. I promise.”
    I lied.
     
     

 
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    E DEN
     
     
     
    T HE PARTY WAS SET to start in half an hour, and I was still putting on my face. I lined my lids darker than usual and overdid the rest of my makeup right along with it. Selling high-priced Gulf real estate required showmanship. My little black cocktail dress, stiletto heels, and put-together look were meant to stir confidence, and a few other choice emotions, in the buyers I’d invited to the pre-opening sales drive.
    I gave my hair one more brush and stepped into my heels. They strapped high around my ankle, thank God, or I would break my neck just from walking across a flat surface. Pleased enough with the ensemble, I grabbed my clutch and hit the elevator.
    I wanted to check on Jack’s progress with the setup at the bar. I needed everything to go off