by Keke Renée
I shifted in my seat, leaning forward over the table to hear.
“I talked to him earlier today,” Mason said.
“Hmmmm…” Maya replied.
“Thanks, Mason,” I blurted out and ended the call.
“Lisa! He’s going to kill me for hanging up on him,” Maya whined.
“Mason’s the least of my problems,” I remarked, tapped my fingers on the table, leg shaking in nervousness at Morris’ behavior.
“You look scared,” Kyla said.
“More nervous and curious why he hasn’t called me.”
“You want to go see him?” Kyla suggested.
“You think they’ll let us dress like this?” I inquired, looking down at my outfit.
“All of us showing up wouldn’t be good. Maybe just you,” Chelsey answered.
“Yeah, I need to go home and make sure my husband isn’t pissed,” Maya said.
“Or you just want to get home to get some rest while Malia’s asleep?” Kyla replied, and they all burst into laughter.
5
Lisa
I bumped into a hard chest and almost fell on the floor, but strong hands caught me.
“Sorry about that.” I glanced up at the smooth, deep, raspy voice.
The man in front of me was extremely cute, with a wide smile, dimples on both cheeks, and talked like Morris. His light-brown skin matched perfectly with his brown eyes and bushy brows.
“No problem. Ummm… do you know if Morris is here?” I asked.
“He’s not here today. I can take a message for you.”
“Yeah, can you tell him Lisa was here?”
“You’re Lisa… nice,” he said.
My eyes dipped in curiosity.
“What does that mean?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He extended a hand.
“I’m Warren. I work with Morris in his security business.”
“Ohh… Well, Warren, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He winked, turned, and left the lobby. I sighed, wondering where Morris was hiding out and why he hadn’t returned my call. Feeling more and more concerned, I went to the bar and got a drink to settle my nerves. I hung out for a few hours before going home and sleeping off the day.
Ring! Ring!
“Hello.”
“You should have known not to mess with things you know nothing about,” the voice said.
“Hello! Who is this!” I shouted and checked the number, but it came through anonymously.
“Another one for the road?” the bartender asked.
“No, I’ve had enough for the day.” I sighed, placed money on the bar, and left the club.
I got in my car and drove home but made a turn to head to my parents’ house to catch up since I missed having lunch.
“The ghost has brought my child home,” Dad taunted, holding his arms open.
“Dad, don’t start.” I reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
“We were worried you left town or something.”
I kicked my shoes off and plopped down on the couch. Mother walked up from the hallway.
“She finally remembers who her parents are.”
“Hey, old lady,” I teased, and she slapped me on the thigh.
“What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to see you both before I head home.”
“Ohhh Lord… it must have something to do with a boy,” Dad said.
“Let's not go there.”
“Have you met someone?” Mom asked.
“What did you cook for dinner?” I questioned.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Mommmm…” I groaned and rose off the couch.
“He must be important for you to be this annoyed.” Dad chuckled, leaned over, and picked peanuts out of the candy jar on the table.
“Leave her alone, Tommy.”
“Thank you!” I called out from the kitchen, opened the fridge, and picked up a bottle of water.
“Tell me the truth.” Mom approached me in the kitchen.
“He’s somebody.”
“Somebody.”
“This is why I don’t come here… for the third degree.”
“Keep yourself protected.”
“No babies coming this way.”
“Not just from babies,” Mom explained.
“Okay, Momma.” I looked over her shoulder at the pot of chili she prepared.
“Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I checked my phone again, and there were no messages.
Maybe this was his way of breaking up with me. I chuckled; it was kind of funny since I refused to be in a relationship with anybody. Here’s a perfect example of what happened in relationships that weren’t anything but headaches. I wasn’t the type of girl who got cheated on or lied to; something about being with one person forever felt stifling.
***
The following morning, I felt something off as I slept. Like someone was watching me sleep. I had experience with self-defense, but someone to get in my place without me knowing caught me off guard. I lowered the covers, opened my eyes, glanced from the door to the closet, and felt relief. I was surprised to see Morris sitting in the corner loveseat. He wore a blue blazer, blue slacks, double-breasted suit showing his thick muscles almost bursting at the seams, and his hair was freshly cut. I didn’t know if I wanted him to strip out of his clothes or take me out on a date with the way he looked so dapper.
“How did you get in here?” I asked.
“I have my ways.”
“No reason for you to be here.”
“We won’t start the pushing me away a bit.”
He stood and stalked toward the bed.
“You can't just stroll in here unannounced.”
“I can, and I did.”
“Probably was off with your girlfriend.”
Morris grabbed my feet, tossed them over his lap, and massaged them.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Pissed at you and the world.” I shrugged.
“I talked to Maya to get more details.”
“Details.”
“The video clip of us.”
“Are you ashamed?”
“Are you?” He went to massage my thigh, gripping my hand.
“No,” I mumbled.
Morris lifted my chin, made eye contact, and kissed me on the lips.
“Don’t worry.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Rhett Fuller won’t be bothering you.”
“Wait, what did you do?”
He stood and walked out of my bedroom. I ran to catch up to him in the kitchen and saw a table filled with food.
“You cooked breakfast?”
“Sit and eat; you're losing what I love about you over stress.”
“What do you love about me?”
“Everything.” He pecked my lips and poured orange juice in my glass.
“I met Warren last night.” I picked up the fork and picked up a strawberry.
“He told me.”
“He’s cute.”
I looked over at his reaction. He stopped drinking his coffee, and I smirked.
“Get your ass spanked.”
“Maybe I want to be spanked today.”
“Focus on your job first, and that can come later,” he explained.
“I’m suspended.”
“Do you know who leaked the footage?”
“No, I thought it was Ryan, but I looked into his eyes.”
“Hummm…”
“What about someone at the club?” I asked.
“Only people with access are me and Mason.”
“Can we just stay home in bed today?”
“No, I have work, and you need to focus on your story.”
“Not sure working the story will benefit me anymore.”
“That would mean Rhett Fuller wins.”
“Maybe he should.”
“What h
appened to the strong, opinionated, feisty woman who takes no bullshit.”
I laughed at him.
“I love you.”
He stopped eating, stared at me, and leaned forward to slide his tongue inside, and I moaned, feeling tingling at my lower lips. It wasn’t time for sex at the moment. He was right, we needed to figure out who’s behind getting me pushed out.
Wearing black shades, I followed Morris into his office at his security firm. I never came here because he was always at the club, working alongside Mason. I was shocked at the massive ten-story building and the amount of people who all looked like they were able to bench press a thousand pounds. I licked my lips; the amount of sexiness in the room gave me naughty thoughts I knew Morris would never share.
“Oh, sorry.” I bumped into Morris’ back.
“That’s what happens when you're so busy looking at other people,” he growled, grabbing me around the neck to capture my lips in a kiss. I moaned in his mouth and gripped him around the waist.
“How did—” He shushed me with another peck on my lips.
“I know you,” I said to the guy sitting at Morris’ desk with his feet kicked up.
“You're thinking about me already,” Warren joked, winking at me. Morris smacked him on the back of the head, and he stood and chuckled.
“Warren, this is Lisa, my woman,” Morris announced.
“Nice to finally meet you formally, Lisa,” Warren replied.
“You as well.”
“Now that introductions are over, Warren is caught up on your situation.”
Warren stood next to my chair.
“I looked into Rhett, and the guy is nothing but a money-hungry leech,” Warren explained.
“I know that already.”
“Yeah, but he’s connected through some nasty people.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“We’ve scoped out his business, and the only way to get him to back off is to play dirty.”
“Are you saying kill him?” I whispered, and they looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
“If we told you, we'd have to kill you,” Warren replied.
“I don’t understand.”
“Relax, everything will be fine,” Morris answered.
“I trust you.”
6
Morris
A week later.
Every last news channel played the story of Lisa being a member of Club Seek. They talked about her not being respectable and not belonging as a news anchor. I had our tech guy trace the calls that kept hanging up on her, and I found out he worked for Rhett. What I hadn’t told her was the person behind the video leak; I needed to brace her for that revelation. Normally, I had men do the following and investigate to get information on criminals, but this was personal. Rhett fucked with the wrong woman this time—my woman. The only thing I could guarantee her was my promise to protect her. Nothing would stand in my way, not even if it meant going to jail. Warren and I laughed at her comment on killing Rhett, but deep down, if he needed to disappear, I could make that happen without batting an eye.
With my connections in security, anyone I loved that was hurt would have my full protection and the problem eliminated. I decided to camp outside his office building alone. Warren was taking my place at the club tonight. I apologized to Lisa for not calling her right when everything happened. I dropped everything when Claire called me about seeing pictures on the news and looked into what happened. Lisa didn’t know that I had talked to Ryan and her news station manager, plus other coworkers. Soon as I finished here with making sure Rhett put a stop to all the bullshit, I would show my girl a good time with dinner and a movie. I headed in and saw the secretary talking with another person at the desk. One of my men distracted her as I slipped through the employee door to his office. It was obvious Rhett didn’t have too many loyal people since it was easy to pay a few security guards off to give me the layout and hours of him coming and going. I twisted the knob on his office door and pushed it wide open. He jumped up, still holding the phone.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“End the call.”
“I’m calling security.”
“You probably shouldn’t do that if you want to live.”
He hesitated for a moment, then finished the call.
“What do you want?”
“You're going to fix the mess you made with Lisa Reyes.”
“That bitch!”
I charged at him and pushed him up against the wall.
“Say that again and watch me push my fist down your throat.”
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
I let him go, smoothing out his suit.
“Here’s the problem, Rhett, your underhanded greed is hurting many people.”
“I’m a legit businessman.”
“No, you're a slimeball.”
His eyes rose in shock.
“No need to be shocked. I’ve done my research.”
“You can’t prove I had anything to do with her losing her job.”
“Do I look stupid to you?”
“Maybe I cut a few strings in business dealings.”
“Make it right or find out what I’m capable of doing.”
Hours later, I stacked the weights up and stood in front of the mirror, working off the stress from Rhett. Warren invited me to the gym that he and Mason frequented. Come to find out, it was owned by Chelsey’s boyfriend Xavier. Lisa ended up going on interviews for other news stations and promised to make up missing dinner plans.
“What happened with Rhett?” Warren marched over to the weight room area.
“He’s going to call off his dogs.” I raised the fifty-pound weight up to my chest.
“You need me to check in on him.” Warren grabbed the towel off his shoulder and wiped the sweat off his face.
“For now, but Vegas is a go. I need you to look into office space.”
“I’ll handle Vegas and Rhett.”
I dropped the weights, bent down, and took a sip from the water bottle.
“Is Xavier here?”
“I guess he’s at the other location.”
I nodded and gulped the rest of the water down. Hearing my phone go off, I patted my shorts and grabbed my phone to see Lisa on FaceTime.
“You good?” I answered, smiling at her beautiful face.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“At the gym with Warren.”
“How long will you be there?”
“Somebody must be missing me?”
She rolled her eyes.
“You're so cocky.”
“You home?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me at the club in twenty minutes.”
“Too stressed.”
“I have something that can relieve that stress.”
“Is it something that’ll put me to sleep?” She lay across the bed, propped her hand under her chin.
“Come find out.”
She grinned, and I licked my lips, thinking of what I could do to ease the stress.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.”
“I promise the wait will be worth it.” I bit my bottom lip, ended the call, and turned to see Warren wearing his headphones in the corner, lifting weights. I laughed, slid the phone back in my pocket, and went to let him know I was leaving for the day.
7
Lisa
I pushed the door open, still reeling over getting suspended from work. Being a reporter was the only thing I’d ever wanted to do, and now my career was about to be taken away from me. Maya was helpful, letting me vent to her, but I needed something else to take the pain away. Calling Morris to see if he was here was the only thing on my mind. Normally, you wouldn’t catch me out of the house without being dressed up, but today, I only wore a large shirt, tights, and drove fast to get here. Stephen saw how upset I was and allowed me entry even though the rules were not to allow guests unless in all black, upsca
le attire.
“You’ve been crying,” he stated, standing up from the bed, strolling toward me.
“Terrible day at work.”
He wiped the tear away from my cheek and pressed his lips toward mine.
“How did the interview go?” he questioned, running a hand through my loose hair.
“It doesn’t matter. I need you.”
“Undress.”
“I need to feel you, have your arms wrapped around me until I fall asleep.”
Morris stood back and watched me undress in front of him. He grasped my hand, closed the space between us, and kissed my lips. It was the sexist thing I’d ever seen. He was so mesmerized or in awe of me. His top lip turned up in a devilish grin.
“What’s that look for?”
“I ran you a bath.”
“That was sweet.”
“Go relax and come back. I have plans for you to take some of the stress away.”
Thirty minutes after soaking in the tub, I came out in only a pink silk robe. Morris had a massage table and food laid out for me.
“What’s all this?”
“I’m going to help you relax.”
“I get a massage.”
“Yep, hop on.”
Excited, I dropped the robe and climbed on top of the massage table facedown, but he stopped me.
“I want you face up first.”
“What type of massage are you giving me?”
“One that will satisfy both of us.”
He nudged me on my back, reached over, and picked up a bottle of oil.
“What type of oil is that? It smells good.”
“Edible honey cream.”
Morris poured a little amount on my stomach, and I felt a cold chill before his warm palm rubbed across my stomach.
“That feels good.”
Morris took a small amount and pushed to my lips, and I sucked his finger in my mouth.
“Mmmm… I like the taste.”
“Keep sounding like that, we won’t get through this massage.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“In time.”
Some of the oil drizzled around my breasts. He bent down and sucked a right nipple in his mouth, and I arched my back off the table. While he made my breast his current meal, I rubbed his back, moved toward his eight-pack chest to a large girth, and reached in his pants to squeeze.
