“Hey, babe. I’ve got some bad news…” he began as he told Stacey the details of his leaving.
****
Stacey smiled as she lit the final of the three honeysuckle jasmine scented candles. She had been a bit nervous coming here, not knowing how she would be received, but a feeling in her gut told her to throw caution to the wind, so she’d gone with it. Lighting the final candle, she looked around the room and inhaled deeply, feeling comforted by the scent of jasmine in the air. Exhaling, she strode to the dresser in the five inch stilettos, picking up her cell phone and dialing Andre’s number.
“Hey, babe.” Stacey’s stomach did a familiar flip flop as his deep voice washed over her.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
“I was just sitting here thinking about you. Wondering if you were done for the day.”
“Yup, I’m actually on my way back to my hotel suite now. I’m scheduled for an early morning flight back home tomorrow,” he told her, relief evident in his voice. “What are you up to?”
“Me? I’m anticipating an eventful night,” she answered cryptically. She heard rustling on the other end of the phone at the same time she heard noise on the other side of the door. She tapped her iPad to begin playing her man’s favorite artist.
“Oh yeah? And wh—” his words were abruptly cut off as he entered his hotel suite.
His eyes widened in shock at first, then he let his gaze travel down the black lace bustier that cupped her modest sized breasts to perfection. The sparks of passion in his eyes turned to full on flames as they reached the apex of her thighs. He let his eyes move down the rest of her body, eating her up with his gaze. Stacey’s core immediately heated when his blue eyes returned to hers with clear lust mixed with an emotion she was too afraid to name.
“Hi,” she intoned just above a whisper.
“Hey,” he returned, raising an eyebrow.
“You missed my performance this week, so I thought I’d give you a private show,” she purred.
Andre snorted in amusement. “Is that right?”
He stepped fully into the room, letting the door close behind him and strode over to her with a serious look in his eye. Stacey steeled herself for the kiss she believed was coming when he came within inches of her. Andre shocked her when instead of pulling her into his arms, he began to slowly circle her. She felt his eyes on her as if they were his fingers caressing her skin. When he made his way behind her, she craned her neck to look up at his handsome face.
“Like what you see?” she teased.
“No.”
He smirked at the lift of her eyebrows.
“I love what I see,” he growled close to her ear.
Stacey’s heart rate quickened and her stomach fluttered just like the butterflies. Michael Jackson crooned about in the background from her iPad. When his hands encircled her waist, she let her head loll back to his strong chest.
“Mm,” she sighed when his finger grazed the top of her left breast. “I missed you.”
He’d been in Boston a week and Stacey had seriously missed going to sleep with him next to her, or waking up to him in the mornings. Andre made sure to call her every night and text her first thing in the morning, but even that hadn’t been enough after seven days. So with some assistance, she hopped on a plane to surprise him.
The whole way there she was slightly nervous about his reception, but as she felt warmth of one of his hands make its way into her bustier while the other massaged circles along her thigh, she knew she’d made the right decision.
“I missed you more,” he countered, nipping her earlobe and causing a pinch of pain that ended with heightening her arousal even more. His tongue snaked out to outline her butterfly tattoo, causing Stacey to moan loudly.
“You performed in this?” he asked remembering her earlier statement.
Stacey shook her head. “No, this outfit is just for you.”
“Good,” he murmured before placing a kiss to her neck.
Stacey let her head fall to one side as she reveled in his touch and the feeling of his lips once again on her skin after a long week.
“You finished your finals?” he mumbled in between kisses.
“Mmhm,” she responded. “You get e-everything cleared up?”
“Mmhm,” he mimicked her previous response. “Thank you for coming.”
Stacey pivoted in his embrace, smiling up at him. She tilted her head to accept his lips as they descended to hers. Andre’s tongue swept across her lips before snaking its way into her mouth. Stacey reached up to cup the back of Andre’s head as his tongue and lips worked their magic on her. She felt herself being walked backwards, and she knew exactly where they were going. When the back of her thighs pressed against the bed, she felt Andre push her down to the mattress. Breaking away from the kiss, she stared up at him. Though, his eyes were filled with unbanked passion, she remembered back to how tired he sounded over the phone just moments ago.
“Hey, I know this week has been crazy for you and I know I showed up here unexpectedly, but if you’d rather sleep or relax, we can do that,” she truthfully stated reaching up to stroke the side of his face.
“I can sleep when I’m dead. I want the exclusive performance you came to deliver.” Looking at the mischievousness in his eyes, she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth.
“The most relaxing thing I can think of right now is to be buried balls deep inside the prettiest pussy I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing,” he growled in her ear.
Stacey instantly felt her core moisten at his salacious comment. Seconds later, she felt his big body cover hers, pushing her into the mattress. As soon as her head hit the mattress, they both began tearing at each other’s clothes. For well into the night and early morning, they showed each other just how much they’d missed one another.
****
Andre rolled over in bed and wrapped his arms around the woman who slumbered peacefully beside him. Pulling her into his arms, he inhaled the scent of jasmine she usually wore and sighed contentedly. He thought back to months ago how he’d told other women he’d been with that he didn’t do overnight stays. That’d been his rule for years, and never until this soft, caring and sometimes feisty woman, did he break his own rule. He smiled, thinking back to his response when he opened the door and was hit by the scent of the burning candles, the sounds of his favorite musician, and the magnetic sight of the woman who stood at the center of it all. He’d had to refrain from immediately striding over to her and ripping her lingerie off to get inside her. Then, he remembered his words to her when she asked if he liked what he saw. The word love seemed to tumble from his mouth on its own accord. He didn’t regret saying it. She’d been a vision of beauty standing in his suite in five inch heels—heels that’d been high up on his shoulders just a few short hours ago—with smooth, milky brown skin that had been covered in black lace. Love was the first word he could think of when she’d asked if he liked what he saw.
But did that mean he was in love with her? Love was an emotion he’d worked hard to avoid with the women in his life that he wasn’t related to. Love had the potential to lead to marriage, and he was not looking to marry. Ever. Right?
“Umm, are you trying to squeeze the life out of me?” Stacey’s voice, thick with sleep, startled him.
Andre hadn’t even realized he’d been clutching her so tightly as he mused on his feelings for her.
“What were you thinking about?” she asked, turning to face him.
“I’m sorry.” He paused. “I was thinking if you didn’t have to get back just yet we could spend the day exploring the city,” he quickly came up with an excuse. Luckily, he had been thinking about staying a little longer to explore the city with her. He knew from past conversations she’d only visited Boston once for a ballet performance, but never had time to see much of the city.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“We could visit the New England Aquarium, have lunch at L’Espalier
, check out the Art Museum, catch a movie or relax right here in the room,” he said, stroking her bare arm with his finger.
“And you don’t have to work?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“No, I was leaving today anyway.” Andre stopped just short of admitting to wanting to leave so early so he could get back to her.
“Then let’s have some fun in Boston, baby!” she agreed excitedly.
Andre chuckled at the excitement on her face. “Sounds like a plan, but first we shower.”
He threw back the covers and scooped Stacey up before strolling into the bathroom. The sounds of Stacey’s laughter flooded the bedroom, only to turn into moans just minutes later while in the shower.
Within the hour, the couple was up, dressed, and ready for the day. Their first stop was a tiny breakfast spot around the corner from the hotel. They enjoyed breakfast of bagels and lox with fruit before heading out to the New England Aquarium in the Central Wharf portion of Boston. They explored the different animal exhibits and stayed for a show in the huge 3D theater in the aquarium. Andre couldn’t help staring at Stacey throughout the film as she laughed, or yelped in fear or surprise at a video about animals living in the Colorado River that snaked through the Grand Canyon. He chuckled lightheartedly when he saw her stretch her hand out as if she was reaching for one of the raindrops that looked so real and lifelike behind the 3D glasses. After spending two hours at the aquarium, the next stop was Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Admittedly, this museum had nothing on the art museum in New York, but it was one of Andre’s favorites. In recent years, Andre had developed an appreciation of art and would often visit the art museums in the city he was visiting, if time permitted. One particular exhibit that caught his eye was one on the changes in contemporary craft-based artists. He took delight in pointing out to Stacey the various ways the artists had progressed and changed over the years. He noted that her ballet background gave her a certain appreciation to detail in the way artists used materials to create their work. She told him that as a ballerina, it was drilled in them to pay attention to every minute detail. She’d used those years of training to turn a discerning eye on the art in front of her. Andre could see she’d enjoyed the museum as much as he had.
Once they left the museum, instead of heading to the fancy restaurant Andre had discussed earlier for dinner, Stacey convinced him to take her to South End’s B&G Oysters for a dinner of halibut tartare and smoked salmon toasts. After dinner, they headed over to Flour Bakery and Cafe for freshly made donuts. Andre took pleasure in licking the excess powdered sugar that was left from the donut off the corner of Stacey’s mouth.
They returned to the hotel suite after eleven and spent the rest of the night entangled in each other’s arms and legs. They didn’t leave for their flight back to Atlanta until early morning the next day. Andre couldn’t remember a time he’d had a great time just showing a woman around the sights of a different city. It boded well for what he had planned for her graduation gift. Stacey’s school didn’t have a December graduation ceremony, which she insisted she was okay with. However, Andre believed she deserved some sort of celebration for earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He planned to surprise her the same way she surprised him in Boston. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face the next week when he took her for his surprise.
Chapter 17
“Dammit!” Jennings yelled as he hurled his glass of whiskey across the room. He’d just gotten off the phone with his inside man at the company that had once belonged to his family. To his chagrin, Mike, the former employee he’d paid to report to a local news reporter on insider trading in the company, was fired this week after Andre’s arrival in Boston. Somehow, they were able to trace the “anonymous tip” back to Mike, realizing he lied. Luckily, he hadn’t given Andre or anyone else Jennings’ name—not yet anyway. Jennings wasn’t stupid enough to believe that under duress, Mike wouldn’t sing like a canary, especially if they followed through with their threat to involve the police.
“Everything all right in here, dear?”
Jennings’ head began to pound the moment he heard his mother’s voice at the entrance to the office. He’d moved back into his childhood home a month ago, telling his mother that his own condo was being renovated. In actuality, he could no longer afford the luxury condo. His funds were running low, and he needed to get his company back.
“Yes, mother. Everything is fine. I just dropped my glass while on the phone doing a business deal. Nothing to worry about,” he lied.
“Oh, I can clean it--”
“No!” he shouted more forcefully than intended, causing his mother to jump. “I’m sorry, mother. As you can see, business has been a little stressful lately. No, I don’t need you to clean it up. I’ve got it. You go on up and head to bed. I’m going to work for a little while longer before turning in myself.”
Jennings’ stomach dropped at the smile of confidence his mother gave him. She’d trusted him to take care of her after his father died. She had no idea what was going on.
Laura Jennings gently patted her only son on his cheek. “Okay, dear. Just don’t work too hard, all right? Just like your father, always working.” She smiled.
Jennings’ shoulders slumped, and couldn’t even look his mother in her eyes at that last comment. Thankfully, his mother didn’t pick up on his shame.
“You look tired. Don’t stay up too late working. Get some rest. Okay, honey?” she said as she placed a light kiss on his cheek.
“Yes, mother,” he mumbled as she walked out of the room. The guilt was nearly overwhelming.
“Time to call in the big guns,” he mumbled as he strolled over to his desk to pick up his phone. Since Excel now had an even tighter rein around the company that used to be his, he’d go a more personal route to force Andre’s hand. He knew just the person to help him do it.
“Hello,” the feminine voice on the other end answered.
“Maria, it’s Jennings. Listen, I need a favor…” he began without preamble. He was even more resolute in getting his company back.
****
Andre rapped on his brother’s office door a few times before entering.
“Hey Nik, you got a minute?” he asked.
Nikola was just sitting down to his desk, but waved his brother in. “When did you get in?”
“Early this morning. Caught the red eye and after dropping Stacey off at her apartment, came straight into the office,” he informed Nikola.
“Stacey, huh?” Nikola asked raising an eyebrow.
Andre nodded. “Yeah, she surprised me in Boston.” He couldn’t help the smile that lit up his face just thinking about their weekend in Boston. They’d even extended their time there until this morning, not wanting to rush back home. He looked up to see his brother’s piercing gaze on him, reading more information than Andre was willing to share. His smile fell.
“Anyway,” he said clearing his throat, “we found out who the anonymous source was. A young broker named Mike. So far, he’s not talking about why he did it, but we suspect he was paid. We need to find out who paid him. I suspect someone is trying to set us up,” Andre intoned angrily. He was pissed that someone would try to set his company up.
Nikola nodded. “Raul told me he was able to trace the anonymous call back to this Mike. He’s trying to get access to his financial records. If he was paid off, maybe we can find a money transfer or something to trace.”
Raul’s security firm had plenty of experience working with this type of situation.
Before Andre left, he’d reached out to Raul to begin an investigation into who could be behind these rumors. Within forty-eight hours, Raul had a name. Andre confronted Mike in Boston and he gave some convoluted story about seeing traders make shady deals, but couldn’t provide any proof. As far as Andre was concerned, Mike was lying, but why was what he didn’t know.
“I have a feeling Jennings is behind this,” Andre told his brother.
“What makes y
ou say that?”
Andre shrugged. “Right now it’s just a feeling, but the way he behaved throughout the acquisition process was...off. He may be regretting selling and trying to make sure this venture is a failure for us.”
“You think so?” Nikola questioned. “He hardly paid the company any mind while he was running it. He nearly ran it into the ground.”
“Yeah, but you know what they say about hindsight. How would you feel if we lost Excel?” Andre asked.
“That’d never happen. We’re not Jennings’ lazy, shiftless ass,” Nikola grunted. The thought of losing Excel was unimaginable to them both. They’d been bred from day one to lead this company, and in the years since Nikola took the CEO role and Andre CFO, they’d nearly doubled the size of the company.
“Damn straight, but it’s still his father’s legacy he lost. Maybe he didn’t care before, but is feeling the loss now,” Andre commented. “Either way, I think it’s him and I’m having Raul do some looking into it.”
Nikola nodded. “Good. Now, as for this coming weekend. Are you ready?”
Andre’s entire mood lightened with the change in topics. His mind shifted from business to pleasure just that fast. “Yup, everything’s in place for the surprise. Just make sure you and Devyn are there on time.” He leveled a look at his brother.
“Hey, it’s not my fault we’re late sometimes. You know how long it takes to get three kids ready to leave the damn house?” Nikola grunted.
Andre stood. “Whatever. Just make sure to have your ass there on time,” he stated pointedly. “I’ll be in my office, if you need me,” he said as he exited. The whole way back to his own office, Andre smiled thinking about the surprise he had for his woman this weekend. He knew she’d enjoy it.
Black Butterfly Page 18
