Tempted by Danger (The Danger Family, #1)

by Endiya Carter

May 2015

okay we love a good back story

Through peer pressure and a lot of liquid courage, I’d planned to jump off my roof and into the deep end of my pool. It was my way to celebrate my twenty-sixth birthday, getting my second degree, and to show off because my guys had bet me $5,000 that I wouldn’t jump. Who was I to turn down some money?

now why would you do some shit like that LMAOO but 5K? shiiiiid

“The fuck…?” Swiping the water down my face, I looked up and into the dark eyes of one of my older brothers. His nostrils flared, and his jaws were clenching— telling me that he was pissed off. “Out of the pool, now,” he growled through clenched teeth.

😬 yikes

“Your father wants you there at the meeting because whether you like it or not, you are a Danger, and you’re going to be affiliated with that name, no matter where you go. Don’t act like you haven’t been using the name to get you out of trouble and get in clubs for free. Nigga, please. You better recognize who you’re talking too. Like I said, you are a part of Danger Incorporated, and you are going to act like it. Your father wants you home for this meeting, and you are going to be there. While you get changed, I am going to end this party, and we are going to the jet⁠—”

on his birthday too? damn.

Since he was six years older than me, he’d always been much bigger and taller. Between him and my other older brother, him and I were the closest.

It’s been that way since I was in high school. Every time I told him I wanted to do something, he always took over instead of just letting me do shit myself, which was one of the reasons why I wanted to separate myself from the family. One thing I couldn’t do was change my last name.

guessing he’s the black sheep of the family

Declan and Diesel were twins, with Diesel being the oldest by ten minutes. After them was Demetria, Denim and then me.

I took what I could get of my trust fund at eighteen and dipped. Just last year for my twenty-fifth birthday, I was able to get more of my trust fund. The last little bit of my trust fund was set up for me to get after I got married. I never saw that happening for me,

“For what it’s worth, Dymon, the family is extremely proud of you. Even though you didn’t want us at either of your graduations.”

well damn

However, my father made a special trip out to Wyoming to figure out why I wasn’t graduating—which I didn’t think they would do—and found out that I was, in fact, graduating and at the top of my class. So, they were there, and as usual, the center of attention. With the other parents bombarding my father, trying to talk about funding their business idea, the attention wasn’t on me. It was one day, and my family couldn’t bother giving me half of their attention. That was another reason why I needed to get the fuck away from them.

damn

“Mother sent me to a boys’ school because she caught me having sex.” “You and your little nasty ass friends were having an orgy with six women and recording it, Dymon. Not to mention it, the video got out. A couple of those girls belonged to the senator, mayor, and the congressman. What did you think was going to happen? They wanted your head. You used to just do shit for no reason. You twenty-six years old today. You gotta grow the fuck up and get over the shit. You are a Danger. You can’t change shit about that.”

AN ORGY?!? AYO—

aww dymon

I squinted at him because he had some nerve to be trying to scold me like I didn’t know about some of the shit that he had done. Like the time I caught him getting his dick sucked in his office by his secretary a couple of years ago. I was sure that he read my mind because he shifted in his seat before looking at his desk.

and he got a nerve to talk shit…

Pushing the broken door in, I stood there with the craziest look on my face. “Dymon…” my mom whispered. It was like the wind had been knocked out of me. I couldn’t believe that I’d heard my mother say that.

oh his mother is fucked up for that

“When your sister was born, she had some very rare disease called Fanconi Anemia. I couldn’t remember no one in our family being born with anything, so it was something that had us all complexed. There was so much to learn. All we knew was that our baby girl was going to be in for a life of pain for as long she would be on this Earth. Your father and I are privileged people, so we used some of that to get her in all types of studies and trials, but nothing was making her better. None of us were a stem match for her. Our last choice was to have us a baby created to match her. A lot of tests and a long process went into creating Denim, only for her to not match.

i don’t like where this is going

When I pushed out that perfect little boy, he didn’t cry at all. The doctor even smacked his behind a couple times, and only a whimper came out. His large and bright brown eyes rolled around as if he couldn’t believe what world he’d been born into. When I stared down into his face, the light bounced in his eyes, producing a sparkle, and I said the first thing that popped in my mind; Dymon.”

“And there it is. After getting Metri fixed, you forgot all about me. Then you wonder why I am the way I am; ‘embarrassing’ as you say, but that’s okay. Wyoming seems like the perfect place for unwanted boys.”

😢

My mother was the type who wanted to take pictures for Christmas cards every year. Bought each and every picture that the school sent home. Had one car that had all the school bumper stickers on it. She was also the type who went to every function with the other rich housewives. They all sat in goofy ass circles, drinking, while they lied about their already extravagant lives and cheating ass husbands. They always had to one up each other.

oh so she’s one of those two faced types

Duncan Danger was in his mid-fifties and looked nearly fifteen years younger. He kept himself in shape. The women loved his dark skin and salt and pepper hair. That’s what kept his ass in trouble and probably the reason we were all here today.

i know he fine

“…my son, Dymon Danger.” Everyone gasped while looking at me. I looked around the room, and everyone wore shocked looks on their faces, except for my mother and Declan, who were wearing scowls. Diesel wore one of his infamous smirks on his face. “What?” I asked, looking around. “Dymon, Dad just named you as his new CEO!” Denim squealed. “CEO of what?” “The family business.” “What family business?” “Danger Inc.”

OH SHIT—

“He doesn’t know anything about this business, Dad! I am the one who worked alongside you since I was old enough to understand.” Kiss-ass.

okay declan we get it

recommended Dymon because he hates this family, so he says, and he’ll succeed out of the spite he has for our name. I know it’s a weird way for me to look at it, but I got faith and trust in him. Declan, you ain’t nothing but a kiss-ass. You would do too much to try and prove shit to our father, and you’ll lose sight of what you are supposed to be doing, which would have you making bad business deals.

the fact everybody agrees declan is a kiss ass is funny and kinda sad

Over my dead body will I run this company.

5:59 a.m. My body knew the time because, without fail, my eyes popped open one minute before my alarm was to go off every morning. If I fell asleep at two in the morning, my eyes would still pop open at 5:59 a.m.

girl same

I kept honey blonde and magenta highlights in my hair. I thought it made my dark skin pop even more.

and it eats 🤏🏽🤏🏽🤏🏽

My family owned two Bed and Breakfasts called Tranquil Haven. There was one in our small inner city of Citrus Grove and then our other one was at Citrus Grove Beach, which was a few miles up the road, which both of my grandmothers looked after. Both houses were six bedrooms and six bathrooms. We rented out four bedrooms, so we’ve never had more than eight other people in our home at a time. It was weird at first, but eventually, living here and helping my mom became one of my favorite things to do. Getting to know different people from all over the world kept me thoroughly entertained.

that sounds like a great job to have

I could tell that whoever ‘D’ was, was annoying her. Moments later, a tall, semi-heavy, football player-built guy came down the stairs and stood behind her. “You said you wouldn’t be working,” the man hissed. She pressed her phone against her shoulder. “I’m not. D is having another assistant issue and⁠—”

LMAOO dymon causing problems already with assistants

One thing I couldn’t stand was a mean person, but I’d learn how to deal with it.

you and me both

Bernette Everly was the type of mom I wished for every girl on Earth. She was the type of mom who was my friend but never let me forget that she was my mom first. I was never scared to talk to her about anything. She made the hardest conversations seem easy.

we love bernadette

“You’re a lawyer, so I don’t think you could do much for my baby. Her degree is in hospitality, and⁠—” “Interpersonal communications and human relations,” I corrected her. “Same thing.”

quinci said it right

She declined the call and put it back down on the table. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “You sure you’re not trying to move? I can get you a job.” “What kind of job?” My mom rounded the corner into the dining room. I shook my head and looked at my plate. “Executive assistant. Her degree would work well for the company, honestly, I believe.

and sooo it begins

“Damn right she is. You know that old heffa was going around, telling people at the church that my baked chicken wasn’t cooked right and gave her the runs. Now how it was my baked chicken that gave her the runs when everybody else said that my baked chicken was the best thing on the plates? She just mad that everyone told her to stop bringing that mushy-in-the-middle cake that she been making.”

🤣🤣🤣 not mushy cake!

“Alright, Granny. She right here.” He slid his phone in his pocket. “I’m right here, what?” “Your grandma called my grandma and told her that you…” “…were moving to New York.” We finished the sentence at the same time.

mind you she hasn’t even accepted the job offer yet lol

This business had been passed down through my dad’s family for several generations. Speaking of the history, my ancestors were some of the first people to come here to Citrus Grove. It was also another reason why I never wanted to leave. I wanted to be the old woman sitting on the porch waving at the tourists, still talking about the history of this city and this business.

“Yeah. Yeah. Alright. I’ll have Quinn…” The moment she said that, I tried to dart out of the kitchen, but she’d snapped her fingers at me.

gotta be quicker than that quinci 😭

“Although, the job starts at a hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars and comes with a corporate apartment,”

shiiid when we leaving?!

“Quinci, it’s only six months. You can do it.” What’s the worst that can happen?

😏

As I was making my way to the bottom of the stairs, that same ol’ reporter who’d been bothering me for the last four years waited for me. Anytime anything happened with my family, or any of my peers, she always made her way outside the building of my house or my job. Where there wasn’t a story, she would try to find one. Fucking her was one of the things I regretted in my life.

of course you slept with the reporter 😂🙄

Very few people could talk to me about both my personal and professional life, and one of them were Bernard. Believe it or not, he used to drive me to my private school before I was shipped away. He was older, and I always respected his opinions about everything, even if I hardly ever took his advice. When whatever he gave me advice about blew up in my face, he never said I told you so; even though he could. He was another person who could get whatever he wanted out of me.

One chick lied about being able to use Excel. She got in my office and told me that she didn’t know how to use Excel, but she could learn and help—Me. Excel.

LMAOOO

I laughed at the thought of me giving her my phone number after telling her that she was not qualified for the job. We met up, and she nearly sucked the skin off my dick. Because she did so good, I told her that I’d give her information to someone who might could use her.

no this nigga didn’t—HORNBALL!

He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “My niece⁠—” “Oh! That’s what this is about? I denied her application for employment here.” “And just why the fuck did you do that? I promised my wife that I’d get her a job here. How the fuck do you think it looks to my fucking family that a COO, of a multimillion-dollar company, can’t get his niece a job at the place where he works?”

that sounds like a personal problem…

When I opened the door to the meeting room, everyone got quiet, while Declan started clapping. “Thank you, Declan. That’s the one time you have clapped for me in your life.” He immediately stopped clapping and glared at me.

declan’s petty ass

“So, a few weeks ago, it was brought to my attention of this beautiful resort that’s going up for sale in just a few short months in Hawaii, and I would like to purchase it and turn it into a sex resort.”

HUH *soulja boy’s vc*

“So, before I was rudely interrupted, I wanted to give you some specifics. It’s a small private resort. No more than three hundred guests at a time. Nude, if they want. Waivers will be signed. Many waivers. Many, many waivers. Triple security. Background checks. Private for all guests, and a part of it being more private. Unlimited alcohol. Private beach. Even a part that’s for the LGBTQ community. All of that. I want everyone to be safe and have fun. It makes sense with all these new sex positive movements⁠—”

i-he might be onto something

“That company will be bankrupt in under six months leaving it to him.” That made me want to succeed, and that’s what I did.

okay dymon 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Yeah, when I came in, I made a lot of changes and made a new manual as thick as a Harry Potter book, but there were only two rules that I really enforced, and that was under no circumstances that they fraternized inside or outside of work. I reminded them that they wouldn’t be finding their spouse at DHQ, and if they did, they’d both be out of a job.

*stares at imaginary camera*

“Two things, Dymon.” “I’m listening.” “One, good news. I think I’ve found you an assistant.”

my girl quinci 🤏🏽🤏🏽

I’d given in. After a restless night, I’d gotten up and told Denim that I would take her job offer, but only for six months.

yaaassss

“No, we are not poor, but we don’t have the money she and her family have. She comes around here and sees that tall stallion in the backseat and said, ‘Yeah, I need her in New York.’ She gets out there, we’ll probably never hear from her again. Quinn, you promise not to get wrapped up in no crazy, satanic mess?”

grams please!