Private Affairs (9 page)

“You’ve always had the best smile,” he said.

I darted my head away, my skin heating to an unprofessional level. I had to remember why I was there.

A catered five-course dinner was presented to us. As I scooted my chair closer to the table, one of the stitches in my dress popped. It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Is your dress going to hold?” he asked.

“Yeah. The slit was really high, so I sewed it lower. It’s fine.

“I would’ve liked to see that.”

Once the main course came, the light chatter subsided as everyone focused on their meals. As I took my first bite, I felt Wes’s hand on my leg. I turned my head to look at him, and he was playing cool.

I should’ve smacked him away, but I chuckled instead, taking a second bite.

“Oh, you okay?” Amira asked as I choked on my third bite.

I nodded wiping my mouth with my napkin. But I wasn’t okay. My senses were on high alert as Wes’s finger popped another one of my stitches. I studied him as he casually took a sip of his wine with his free hand.

My breathing hollowed as he popped them one at a time, his fingers inching closer and closer to my panties, which were already wet.

I grabbed my napkin and stared at my plate as his hand moved up my thigh, unbeknownst to anyone around us. I took another bite, my chewing slowing as his fingers made first contact with my center. He brushed the outside of the fabric.

I held my breath as he leaned into me, stroking the wet spot. “What a pleasant surprise.”

I swallowed loudly, avoiding his gaze as I waited to see what he was going to do next. He pushed my panties to the side, a finger sliding between the folds of my pussy lips. I jumped when he made contact with my swollen clit, the light touches making me dizzy with pleasure as I scanned the table to make sure no one was paying attention to us.

He leaned over me and asked Amira a question. I don’t know what the hell he asked her, but I had to figure something out as he asked my opinion.

“So, what do you think?” he asked me with a small smile as two of his fingers plunged inside of me.

“I think…” I breathed. “I’m trying to enjoy my food.”

I picked up my fork with a shaky hand as his fingers worked in and out of me.

“The food is pretty good,” he said. Amira turned back to her plate and he spoke in a low voice to me. “But I can think of something else I’d rather be eating right now.”

I squeezed my legs together as my arousal built. I couldn’t allow him to make me cum in public. He simply smiled and went back to his meal.

“It was lovely meeting you. And thanks again for the donation; we’ll use it well,” Amira said as the limo pulled in front of her apartment. She’d had a little too much champagne, so we decided to drop her off at home and leave her car at my place until morning.

Wes smiled, shaking her hand once more. “I know you will.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, so you can get your car.” We hugged goodbye and she almost tripped out of the vehicle.

“I have to be up early to open the center, so I’ll just take a cab over; don’t worry about it.”

We rode to my house in silence, the small curl on his lips never dropping. By the time we pulled up to my place, I had a smile on my face as well. Vincent opened the door for me, but I remained in place.

“Thank you for a lovely evening. And thank you for introducing me to everyone.”

One of Wes’s friends cut a check right away, and we had several meetings scheduled with other interested parties to tour our facility and learn about our expansion plans. All because of Wes.

“Anything for you.”

I chuckled, and he scooted closer to me.

“I’m serious.”

“I know,” I whispered after a pause.

I saw Vincent shift his weight to the other leg after standing at the door for slightly too long. Wes looked at him, and then back to me.

I bit down on my bottom lip. “So… what if I’m not ready for the night to end just yet?”

He smiled. “Vincent, will you please take us to my home?”

Vincent closed the door and I leaned in closer to Wes as we pulled back out of the parking lot.

9

“Thank you,” I said as he handed me one of his t-shirts to change into. “So, do you have any plans this weekend?”

“Lots, actually. But they all involve you. Unless… you’re still hung up on your ex-girlfriend. I want to make sure you have enough time to heal. Was the break-up awful?”

His lips were pressed into a hard line as he tried to remain serious. I rolled my eyes, lightly shoving him.

“Oh, give it up.”

He folded his arms in front of his chest, brows lifted. “So you’re ready to admit you’re full of shit?”

I put my hands on my hips, shaking my head at him. He just wasn’t going to drop it until I admitted to my lie.

I tossed my hands in the air. “Fine. I lied about having a girlfriend to try to push you away. I was talking to a guy I met online, but we never got serious.”

He snorted. “Why on earth were you meeting men online?”

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it; it’s really convenient.”

“Well, I never needed to try it. There’s only one woman I’m interested in, and I would wait until the end of time for her if I had to.”

He stood behind me, a chill running down my spine as I felt his fingers on my back. I leaned into him as he unzipped my dress for me.

I didn’t expect the evening to end with us confessing to each other. But since it was, I just wished he would confess what I wanted him to. But it wasn’t on the top of my list at the moment. All I wanted was him, and I wasn’t going to ruin our evening if I didn’t have to.

“The shirt I gave you is optional. I’d much rather you stay like this,” he said.

I blushed as he sat on the bed and admired me in my bra and panties. We’d had an amazing night, and all I wanted to do was end it on a high note. In order for that to happen, I had to ignore my common sense for a few more hours. Our eyes met, and I smiled.

“I can do you one better.”

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra, my tits bouncing freely in his line of vision. His eyes widened in approval, but I could tell he wanted more. He drifted from my tits to the thin purple strip of fabric covering my pussy.

I stepped to him, standing between his legs.

“How’s the view?”

He hooked his fingers on either side of my panties. “Could be better.”

I giggled as he slowly peeled them down. My mood quickly sobered as he stroked my skin, his hands sending shockwaves throughout my body.

“You know what?” I breathed heavily. “I could use a better view as well.”

I removed his shirt and unbuttoned his pants, dropping his boxers with the pants. Placing my palm on his chest, I pushed him flat on the bed and stroked his hard abs, straddling him. He reached up and cupped my breasts with both hands, thumbs trailing over my dark chocolate nipples.

“You’re so perfect,” he said, his cock lightly twitching beneath me.

I trailed my finger along his jaw line, his thick pink lips forming into a smile.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I said tearfully, feeling as if I were revealing my deepest, darkest secret. I hadn’t spoken to him since I came over to get my badge, and it felt like an eternity.

I didn’t know who I was trying to fool by ignoring him, but anyone with eyes could see it was all for nothing. I needed Wes. He possessed my thoughts whenever I wasn’t with him, and consumed my body whenever I was. He was the only person who could awaken my soul and make my nerve endings sparkle in excitement; he was the one for me.

He grabbed my waist and gave it a light squeeze. “Not as much as I’ve missed you.”

I needed him inside of me. No touching necessary, no time for teasing- I wanted him to have me wholly. I lifted my hips and slid his thick erection in my pussy.

His eyes locked on mine. For that brief moment, everything was forgotten except for him. Anything he’d done, anything he said was off my mind, and all I could see was the fiery spark behind his eyes.

I began riding him- hard, and his hands gripped my ass for support. I leaned back and drove deeper into him, my eyes closing as the pleasure intensified.

He held onto the back of my neck, pulling my face close to his. “Look at me.”

Lifting his hips, he dug himself into me harder, my muscles jerking with each roll of my hips as bliss racked my body.

He kissed me hard, his tongue wildly exploring my mouth as we rocked back and forth. He snapped my head away and we both gasped for air, but never fully caught our breath as our moans overtook the room.

“I love you, Key,” he said gruffly, his body tight as he pushed back the urge to finish.

A hard shiver coursed throughout me as his breath tickled my ears, his words making my heart flutter. My entire body shook as we swayed in perfect symmetry. We were so focused on one another, it almost felt as if our souls were one as we moved in sync.

I gazed into his starry eyes for as long as I could, but as my orgasm approached, I slammed my head on his chest and allowed pleasure to take control of my body.

I opened my mouth to speak. Maybe it was to tell him I loved him too, or maybe it was just to cry out his name. My mind couldn’t form the words I wanted to say; all I could do was scream into his chest as I erupted on top of him.

His hands dug into my skin painfully as he came inside of me. With his powerful explosion, I felt as if he were giving all of himself to me- his seed, his soul, his heart.

He wrapped his arms around me and relaxed on the bed, pulling me down with him.

“I love you, too,” I finally said, breathlessly.

As I caught my breath, I placed my ear against his chest and listened to his slowing heart. I didn’t know why I’d decided to go back to his house, and I didn’t know what I expected to happen, I just knew that everything felt alright.

It had been years since we were engaged, and I‘d been on plenty of dates with other men, but none made me feel the way I’d felt at that moment. And in that moment, that was all I cared about.

“I know you’re still unsure about things, but I just want you to know that I’ll do anything to make sure I come home to this every night. To you.”

I sighed, breathing in the aroma of his sweaty skin mixed with light whiffs of his cologne.

“I don’t allow myself to admit this often, but I want the same thing. No amount of good men will ever equate to you.”

He stroked my hair, his fingers trailing my spine. “We’ve wasted so much time; I just want you to trust me, so we can get back to where we used to be.”

“I want that, too. And I think we can have that again. I don’t want to look back. Let’s just take it day by day.”

When I thought of my mother, my blood boiled. Images of the two of them together flooded my mind. But when I thought of Wes, my heart fluttered. Despite the indiscretion, I couldn’t help how he made me feel. And I did believe that he’d never betray me like that again.

Maybe time does heal all wounds. I’d had three years to be angry, hurt and spiteful. But at the end of the day, he was who I wanted to be with. In order for that to happen, I had to let it go.

I woke up from a pleasant dream feeling the warm skin next to me. The best part of my night wasn’t a dream, thankfully. I opened my eyes, to find Wes’s eyes already on me.

“Good morning,” he said, planting a light kiss on my forehead.

He smiled as he watched me stretch my sore limbs. “Good morning. So, what’s the plan for the day?”

He shrugged. “Whatever you want it to be. I’m all yours.”

I patted him on the leg and sat up straight. “I want you to see the center.”

It was supposed to be our project, and with his help at the ceremony, I realized it could still be a joint venture. I wanted him to see our dream.

“I’d love to.”

The center was busy when we walked inside, kids in the middle of group play time.

“We have limited hours on the weekends for parents who work retail or odd-hour jobs,” I said as we stumbled through the children saying hello to me. “I’d like to expand weekend hours because it’s so hard to get childcare at those times. Everyone works every other weekend on top of weekdays, so we’re stretched thin. We need to hire a few more people, and we still need a bigger facility.”

“This place is incredible. You did a great job, Key.”

I smiled, swelling with pride as happy children played among us.

“Thanks. With the money you gave us, we’ll be able to do so much more. I can’t thank you enough. And I’d love to coordinate with you on the shelter.”

With Wes’s facility providing a place to live, and my daycare providing free childcare, we were going to help a lot of families get back on their feet.

He wrapped an arm around my waist as we continued touring the space. “That’s why I’ve always loved you; you’re so caring. You and I are going to make a major difference together.”

I smiled up at him. “That’s what we always wanted.”

As I walked through each room, I felt like my life was finally falling into place. My dreams with the center were becoming a reality, and although I was still confused about our relationship, I was happy.

Amira walked up to us when she saw us. “Surprise seeing you two here. I see you never made it home last night,” she said with a smile, looking at the t-shirt and baggy sweatpants I had on.

“Pleasure to see you again, Amira,” Wes said.

“How are you feeling after last night?” I asked her.

“Good. And everything is going smoothly today. Wes, can you grab those crayons at the table right there?” She leaned into me when he stepped away. “By the way, these came for you today.”

She pointed to a bouquet of flowers that were being used to decorate the main playroom. I grabbed the card and rolled my eyes when I read it. “More flowers from Steven.”

She shook her head. “If you’re deciding to stick with the white chocolate, send that fine Hershey kiss of a man my way.”

I laughed. “I’ll try, because I sure don’t want him.”

“Those are nice,” Wes said, pointing to the flowers.

“Yes, they are…” Amira said, taking the crayons from him as she went back to work.

Wes looked around and saw we were alone, smiling.

“This moment feels surreal; seeing this center in action. I never thought I’d see it. This is almost perfect.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Almost?”

I involuntarily squealed when he dropped down to one knee.

“What are you doing?”

He removed the chain from around his neck, twisting my engagement ring in his fingers.

I took a step back.

“Wes…”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him.

“This was always meant to be- you and me together. We had a lapse, but it’s time to get back on the horse. It’s time for us to get the life we dreamed of, the life we always talked about.”

It sounded good in theory, but we had a lot to figure out before we’d be back on that horse. “I’m not even sure if we’re together or not.”

“Doesn’t matter; I’m never letting you go again. You said you wanted to take it day by day; let’s take it day by day every day for the rest of our lives.”

“But-”

“I want to take you to Disney World, I want to give you the loving family you never had, and I want us to change the world- together.”

I covered my mouth with my hand, the group of crowding children adding to my nervousness.

“Say yes, Miss Crosby! If you say yes, he’ll take you to Disney World!” One of the kids screamed.

I glanced up at Amira, and we all laughed at the comment.

I sobered up. Despite the tremendous peer pressure from a group of seven-year-olds, I had to give him an honest answer.

“I want to scream ‘yes!’ We’ve dated, we know each other, we love each other- I mean, it makes sense. But I need to think about it.”

His face dropped when he saw me put the chain around my neck instead of putting the ring on my finger, but I wasn’t going to be pressured into doing that before I was ready.

“Okay. It’s not a no, so I’ll take it,” he said with a smile, although I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

“I swear I’m not trying to avoid you; I just need to take care of a few things at home,” I told him once we got back to his place.

He cupped my face and gave me a hard kiss. “Okay, just don’t disappear on me again.”

I gave him a faint smile. “I won’t.”

He dropped me off at home and I promised to come back to spend the rest of the weekend with him. As soon as I got in the house, I called Steven.

“Hello?” he said, a slight inflection in his voice.

“Hey, it’s Keisha.”

“I know who this is. What’s up?”

“I got your flowers today.”

“Huh?”

His attempt at playing stupid was annoying. “The roses that were delivered to my job. I don’t think it’s appropriate since we’re no longer seeing each other.”

“Oh! I have to apologize. I’d scheduled for those last week, before we split.”