“So let me get this straight,” he said in an ominous tone that immediately made her tense. “This guy, who’s made you uncomfortable since day one, basically offered to overlook your tuition in exchange for sex.” She began to stupidly protest when he went on, his voice a touch more potent. “He never said it outright because he’d be stupid to, Liv. It’s a form of sexual harassment, and the guy has to know it. Our trainers are required to watch training videos regarding sexual harassment because that’s some touchy shit, and this guy probably knows it better than anyone. It’s exactly what he did, and if he’s still showing up unannounced, acting like he has every right . . .” He stopped as his brows pinched further together. “I take it he doesn’t call beforehand to ask if it’s okay, does he?”
“No,” she said immediately. “If he did, I’d likely say anything to avoid him stopping by.”
“So he makes you that uncomfortable, yet you still insist he’s harmless?”
“It’s not that I feel threatened in any way. I’d just prefer not to hang out with him.”
“You don’t have to, babe.” Lorenzo sat up. “See that shit right there is what sexual harassment is all about. You think you have to in order to keep things cordial. Your brothers are absolutely right. This is bullshit. It’s not right and I don’t like it.”
Before he could get further worked up—she could already hear it in the slow but undeniable rise in his voice—she reached out and touched his arm.
“It is bullshit,” she agreed without arguing not just to soothe him but because he was absolutely right. “And I don’t like it either. I’d been thinking about it anyway, but now that you and my brothers are aware of his dropping by occasionally, I will be talking to Elton about it.”
“I can talk to him for you,” he said as serious as ever.
Even though he was staring at her with his signature sexy but intense stare and didn’t so much as crack a smile, Olivia smirked. “No need for that. Trust me. Nathan offered to do the same, but it doesn’t have to be that big a thing. I won’t wait for him to drop by again. I’ll just shoot him a text or something maybe tomorrow.”
For a moment, that seemed to satisfy Lorenzo, but then he noted her phone on the table. “Why tomorrow? Why not now?”
She had no answer for that except that it made her nervous that Elton might respond with something that might piss Lorenzo off, but she had the presence of mind to know her admitting that might only cause further suspicion. Because he was still scrutinizing her as if he were trying to read her thoughts, she picked up her phone.
“Okay,” she said, tapping her phone to unlock it.
As indifferent as she pretended to be, inwardly she was praying Elton wouldn’t be an idiot about this. No way would she be doing this if this were Jay she was texting. He’d purposely lay it on thick, especially if he suspected her new boyfriend might be nearby.
Staring at her screen, she thought about what she could say. It felt so out of the blue. She looked up at Lorenzo, who was still staring at her. “Outside of training and when he stops by I’ve never initiated any kind of contact with him,” she explained. “Even when I contacted him after over a year of being done with the initial training to ask about getting the mobile business started, I called the business line and spoke to a salesperson. It wasn’t even until I was locked into the loan and I guess he realized I was back that he called me to welcome me into the business.”
“Oh, well, if you feel weird about it,” he began, and for a nanosecond she actually thought he might say forget about it. That is until she saw him pull out his phone. “I don’t have a problem telling him myself. What’s his number?”
“No!” She laughed nervously as she began her text. “I got this. I’m just saying it feels so random.”
“Not really,” he said, putting his phone down on the table. “He just dropped by the other day, right? It’s not like he hasn’t in a long time and now you’re telling him not to.”
Olivia pressed her lips together as she concentrated on wording her text. When she was finally somewhat satisfied, she hit send. As random as this was, she was almost glad now about how obvious Elton was about the way he leered and smiled at her. He couldn’t deny that his visits weren’t completely business inspired.
Hey, Elton, this is a little awkward, so I’ll get straight to the point. Your unannounced visits to “check on me” at work feel a little inappropriate. They always have actually. After your latest visit, I spoke with my brothers and my boyfriend to get their opinion, and we’re all in agreement. I think it’s best and would appreciate if you understand my not wanting this to continue to happen.
Setting her phone down as naturally as ever, Olivia smiled at Lorenzo, doing her best to not appear as unnerved as this whole situation made her. “Done,” she said almost smugly.
Lorenzo had just begun to ask her what she’d said in the text when her phone rang. Instantly, she felt a chill in her spine when she saw the name on the screen. No way could she send Elton’s call to voicemail, not with Lorenzo watching her the way he was. So she answered as casually as possible.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” he said his voice full of concern. “I just read your text. I was going to text back but then thought it’d be better if I talked to you. Did I do or say anything to offend you?”
“No, no,” she said, feeling bad now. “Not at all. It’s just that, well, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to stop by. I spoke with a few of the other girls who are still paying their vans off, and they all said you’d never stopped by to check on them, so I just got to thinking that given . . . you know . . . your previous proposition and, um”—she glanced up at Lorenzo, whose eyes were glued to her, then back down at her yogurt—“your interest in more than just a business relationship, it’s better if the visits stop.”
Her speaking to the girls’ comment was kind of a bluff. She’d asked one girl whose route wasn’t too far from Elton and she’d said “no.” But that was it: no few others as she claimed.
Elton was silent, and it felt like the moment of truth. Either he took the high road and agreed to respect her wishes, or he said something inappropriate, disrespectful, or even rude. Whatever it was Lorenzo would know about it. There’d be no hiding or pretending for the sake of avoiding an argument. Hoping Lorenzo didn’t notice, Olivia held her breath.
“I see,” Elton said without dispute. “I thought maybe you enjoyed our chats as much as I did.”
“It’s not that I don’t,” Olivia explained cautiously. “But I’d hate for you to get the wrong idea. I am in a relationship now, and since your visits aren’t necessary, I’d prefer to avoid any future conflict with my boyfriend. He knows all about the, uh, proposal you previously offered me.”
Elton said he understood, and rather than prolonging the conversation like she thought he might, it almost felt as if he couldn’t get off the line with her fast enough. Glad that it was over, she hung up and gave Lorenzo her best “You see?” look as if she knew all along how smoothly that would go, when in fact she’d never had such an awkward conversation in her life.
“So he’s straight with that?” Lorenzo asked, peering at her as if he wasn’t completely convinced.
“Yes,” she said as Lorenzo reached for her hand, and she laced her fingers through his. “He said he understood and even apologized.”
Elton was actually a nice enough guy. Just not her type. At all. Clearly, a fine line existed between a sizzling stare that turned your legs into noodles and your insides to mush like Lorenzo’s and a drawn out uncomfortably lascivious leer that totally gives you the creeps. That’s exactly what Elton did, but one thing she could say with all certainty was that she’d never felt threatened by him. Uncomfortable, yes. He seemed a bit socially inept and probably why he was still single even in his mid-thirties. But that’s all there was to it.
Lorenzo brought her hand to his mouth, kissing each one of her knuckles slowly, and then smiled weirdly almost as if he were wor
ried suddenly. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to be this tyrant boyfriend about every guy in your life.”
Olivia smiled, tilting her head as she watched him kiss the back of her hand again softly. “I wouldn’t put up with a tyrant. I did once upon a time, and trust me, I learned my lesson. Never again.”
“I do understand,” he said, regarding her solemnly, “that inevitably I’m going to have to deal with friends, clients, and business associates. I can be an adult about all that. I can try anyway.” He smiled sheepishly, making Olivia smile too. “But seriously,” he said, with a gentle squeeze to her hand. “Even with this guy, I was willing to deal with his inspections and you grabbing lunch with him once in a while. It’s just after you explained about his propositions, well, that just changed everything. You understand why, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said then decided, as long as she was being honest, she’d just admit the whole truth. “Lorenzo, I knew all along his visits weren’t entirely innocent and business-related.” The moment she saw something flicker in his eyes she went on a little faster. “I don’t mean anything ever happened or that aside from his initial proposition way back he’s done or said anything inappropriate ever. It’s just that I could see in his eyes his visits had an ulterior motive, but he was just so . . . painfully awkward, you know? I felt bad for him. But I had a feeling I’d eventually have to cut off his visits. And you know how that goes. The longer you put off having that uncomfortable conversation, the harder it gets to actually do it. I’m actually relieved though that it’s over and done.”
Lorenzo looked as if he were going to say something else but then decided against it. They finished their yogurt and headed back to his place. Once there they were quickly engaged in what slowly escalated to Olivia naked on all fours on his bed.
Once again, Lorenzo was taking her from behind, something that had since been established as one of his favorite positions. As he pounded into her, she felt his hands where she’d become accustomed to feeling them: one on her waist and the other on her ass, squeezing tightly.
“Damn, that drives me fucking nuts?” he said breathlessly.
“Me too,” she whispered, panting unabashedly.
His big strong hands holding her body and her ass so possessively felt strangely erotic. Olivia could hardly stand it. She loved how sweet, respectful, and absolutely gentle Lorenzo could be with her but at the same time make her feel like such a dirty girl when he wanted to. His dirty girl.
Suddenly he pulled out and teased her rim with the tip of his cock. Something he’d done a couple of times before and had left her breathless. She felt it begin to penetrate and unbelievably she was going to let him—wanted him to. Then she tensed up at the pain and he slowed. “Too soon,” he said, pulling out.
He slipped in her wetness again as she welcome him easily clenching around him eagerly. Their bodies slapped together loudly, their breathing and moaning getting louder until . . .
Their lovemaking was something she’d never get enough of. Even as she enjoyed the amazing pulsating climax, she held her ass up in the air, wanting him to drain into her completely. There was something so utterly intimate about what he’d almost done to her. She could never share that feeling with anyone: not her best friend, not her sister even when she got older, no one. It was something just between her and Lorenzo. When the time finally came for him to do it, she knew it would be amazing. Strangely, it was also something that in her heart of hearts she knew she’d never consider allowing anyone else to do. It was a matter of trust, and in all the years she’d gone back and forth with Jay, she’d never even come close to giving it any other thought than hell no.
Yet, with Lorenzo she’d begun to yearn for it. Yearn for anything that would make her feel that much closer to him.
When they finally collapsed on his bed, he kissed the side of her face softly over and over. Just as their breathing began to ease, he whispered against her ear, “I wanna ask you something, but I don’t want you getting embarrassed or feeling self-conscious.”
Olivia stared at him nervously. “Okay?”
Lorenzo touched her lips with his finger, tracing them all around slowly as he stared at them then glanced up at her eyes. “I think we can both agree you enjoy sex—no, your body craves sex—”
“It craves you,” she said, bringing her hand to his and stopping his finger mid trace of her lips.
His eyes darkened in that smoldering way that lit up her insides. This was a little embarrassing because if she had to admit it, though he probably already knew, the warmth between her legs wasn’t even completely done throbbing. Yet the very thought of him taking her again had her wet once again.
“Is that what it is?” he asked with a smile. “Because it’s what I was gonna ask. What have you done for the past two years? As much as you enjoy this, how did you hold out so long?”
Instantly, her face heated, and he smiled even bigger, laughing softly, and then pecked her a few times, caressing the cheeks she knew had to be warm. “Don’t be embarrassed. I can shamelessly admit that, even before I knew I’d ever be running into you again, I had to regularly adjust my crotch before standing up if the thought of that night with you so much as crossed my mind. But I’m seriously curious,” he said, searching her eyes.
It wasn’t a look of disbelief or even a suspicion that maybe she hadn’t gone as long as she claimed. He appeared genuinely curious. She could lie or just shrug and say she’d never been the type to just go out and search for casual sex. They’d been through this before. But she vowed to be honest no matter how uncomfortable it might get because it was worse if she tripped on her lies later.
Thirteen
For the first time since they’d collapsed on the bed and Lorenzo had rolled to his side to stare at Olivia, she glanced away. She didn’t want to be peering in his eyes when she told him the truth about her last two years of abstinence.
“It was easy actually,” she began then shifted a bit, suddenly not so comfortable. “Before I began to look at Jay in that way, I had always said that I’d save myself for my one true love. When the time came, I’d know. With Jay, I mistook that. I’m certain now that he took advantage of my age and basically how stupid I was when it came to him.”
Lorenzo straightened out, lifting himself onto an elbow. “Young and inexperienced doesn’t mean you were stupid, Liv.”
“I know but even teens have some dignity, right? Anyway,” she shook her head, feeling that same familiar frustration she always felt when she thought of what a pathetic ass she’d been for so long with Jay. “Live and learn. I just hate how weak it makes me feel when I think about the girl I once was. I’m not that person anymore,” she said with conviction. “It’s just that during those first two years after I moved here, I swore I’d never again fall for anyone who wasn’t as equally into me as I was into him. And since I didn’t have time to socialize or rather . . . I think I was afraid to, I had no idea how I’d go about trying to meet someone worthy. Someone who I’d know was truly sincere, especially since . . .”
She glanced down and fidgeted with the sheet on the bed until she felt his fingers lift her chin slowly. Their eyes met, and while the curiousness in his eyes was still there, she saw a hint of concern in them now. “Especially since what?”
“Especially since the whole time in those two years while he said he’d respect my wishes by not trying to make more of our friendship than what it was, every few weeks or so I’d still get a text out of the blue. Usually it’d be late at night or in the wee early morning hours, which told me he was probably drunk or high.” She stopped and chewed the corner of her lip before going on. “The texts usually consisted of something to the effect of, ‘You’ll never find anyone who loves you more than I do’ or something even more obnoxious like, ‘Say what you want; you’ll always be mine.’” She shook her head. “He always blamed it on the booze and would apologize afterward, telling me to just ignore any text I ever got from him at those ungodly hours when
I had to know he was partying. Most of the time he claimed he didn’t even remember sending them.”
The concern in his eyes took on a darker gleam. “You believed him when he said you’d never find anyone who loved you more than he did?”
“No.” She shook her head quickly, pissed that it came out that way. “Especially because he always took back whatever he’d said when he was sober. But a part of me knew deep inside that the day I met someone else I’d have to cut my ties with him because I knew he still had feelings for me. I hated that we ruined the friendship we had growing up because it was actually a good one once upon a time. But that wasn’t why I held out for two years; it was just how things went down. As far as the physical holding off, there wasn’t much of that. I am human and I have my own room with a door that locks.”
She paused when she saw the glimmer in his eyes that told her he understood what she meant by that.
“Girls aren’t like guys either,” she went on. “I mean I do enjoy the pleasure of sex.” She smirked, glad his dark stare had lightened up quite a bit. “Very much so. But I don’t need the release as often as a man does.”
Lorenzo was quiet for a moment before asking in a calmer tone. “He doesn’t still say those things to you anymore, right?”
“No,” she said, slipping her hand into his. “And I blocked him, remember? So there’s no way he can get a hold of me.”
Finally, she saw an even bigger break in that unyielding hardened expression. “Good.” He kissed her lips softly, making her lie down completely as he brought his body closer against hers. “I don’t think you’re weak,” he whispered, scanning her eyes. “I don’t think you’ve ever been weak. I just think your ex has always been a manipulative asshole.” His brows shot up suddenly—curiously. “How much older than you was he?”
Now that they were older the age difference didn’t seem as significant as it used back then. But she still felt compelled to explain a few things first. “He started school late, and I started early because of my birthday. Then he was left behind twice. But it wasn’t because he was dumb. His home life was a mess. Child protective services had to be called in to check on him and his brother all the time. So when we were much younger, the age difference didn’t feel that big since we were in the same grade. Then everything changed when he dropped out of high school.”
Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) Page 19
