by Lacey Legend
“My mother has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It started not long before she got pregnant with Cliff. She doesn’t remember having sex, but there she was, pregnant. I think it was the cable guy. The disease had already attacked the part of my mother’s brain that told her decorum.”
“Someone took advantage of her?”
That was wrong. He never understood his college roommates thinking it was fun to get a girl drunk and have sex with her. He only wanted willing partners.
“I doubt that person realized what they were doing. She was coherent then. Not long after Cliff was born, she was diagnosed. I knew that I’d have to take care of Cliff for her.
“You ended up taking care of her also.”
“Yes.”
She looked away from him, pushing food around her plate. He touched her arm. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I just wish I could have brought my mother with me.”
“She’s getting the best care possible,” Sacha said.
“I know and I thank you for that.”
“No worries. I’m glad to do it. I don’t have a lot to spend my money on.”
“What about fancy cars?”
“I have a few of those.”
“Helicopter.”
“Have one.”
She blinked. “You have a helicopter?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “Wow.”
“I’m that rich, Kendra. I’m not going to apologize for my success.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.”
“Don’t. I can’t always do it either. I grew up on the streets. I was just lucky enough to have some breaks in life,” he said. “I invested well and still do.”
She nodded, but he didn’t think that she really understood. He poured her some more wine. He drank his own, his plate now empty.
“You not hungry?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Then eat. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t think so. You live here.”
He laughed. “Yes, I do. About what I said earlier. Let’s sleep on it and we can write up a contract tomorrow.”
“Fair enough.”
He watched her eat with gusto. So different from a lot of women he’d been with. They ate very little then worried about how fat they were. Kendra wasn’t fat, but she wasn’t a waif either. She had enough to hold onto while he was making love to her. He wondered what she thought of his idea. It would have to be beneficial to both of them. He already knew that Kendra wouldn’t sign anything she wasn’t happy with. So he’d make her happy, but not at his own expense.
“I’ll wash the dishes.”
“I’ll let you,” he said.
She laughed, then cleared their plates. She filled the sink with soap. Sacha liked watching her movements. She had grace and confidence. That made her sexy. He truly hoped she would be up for what he had offered.
Chapter3
Kendra woke the next morning knowing her life was turned upside down. So was Cliff’s and he seemed to be handling it. He wasn’t in bed and hadn’t awakened all night. Guess the boy was tired. Kendra put on a robe she found in her room. She and Cliff needed clothes, but for now she had to find him. She yawned as she walked out to the kitchen. She found Cliff sitting at the island where she’d eaten dinner last night. His hair was in disarray and held his toy car.
He swung his legs, not being able to reach the cross bars on the stool. Sacha was in a different work outfit, his sleeves rolled up. “You want pancakes, Kendra?” Cliff said.
Kendra looked from Cliff to Sacha then back again. “Uh.”
“I have enough batter for more,” Sacha said.
“I need coffee first,” she said.
He indicated a French press sitting on the counter with a mug next to it. When she picked it up, she could tell that the mug was made out of china. She was afraid she’d break it. She poured herself some of the black liquid then drank. The warmth went down to her toes.
Whoever invented coffee should have a statue made in his or her likeness.
She leaned against the counter, watching Sacha cook her little brother breakfast. He didn’t have to do that, but the fact that he was melted her heart. Should she give him a chance? Maybe just the physical relationship that he was offering. Might take a few kinks out of her life if she could get laid.
“What’s the game plan today?” she asked.
“Breakfast. I have a few women coming over for you to interview. Cliff can’t go to school. I’ll have a driver for you if you want to go somewhere.”
“I have to go to work.”
“You can’t go to work. Can you get whatever you need delivered here?”
She frowned. Not going to work was not an option. She could probably take a sick day today, but that as it. She had a lot of stuff on her desk. Plus she had the race to plan.
“I don’t think anyone would know what to send me.”
“You don’t have a secretary?” Sacha said.
She snorted. “No, we don’t. I’ll have someone bring me everything on my desk.”
“Have the driver pick it up. That way none of your co-workers know where you are.”
Good point. He thought of everything. “Okay. Cliff can’t go to school?”
“No. We need you and Cliff to stay safe.” Sacha said as he put a plate in front of Cliff whose eyes lit up.
“You made them look like a smiley face.”
Sacha smiled. “I thought you’d like that.” He turned to Kendra. “I have someone coming in to measure you and Cliff for clothes. Pick what you need. I’ll shop for toys on my way home, but will call you for advice.”
He had everything covered. She would have thought this was an inconvenience, but Sacha seemed to be enjoying himself. Why didn’t he have a family?
“Are you sure we need all of this security?” Her phone rang. It was in the pocket of the robe so she pulled it out. “It’s Tembi.”
“Hey, Kendra. Are you okay? I know you had some shit go down last night, but your apartment’s been broken into.”
Kendra gasped. “Are you inside? Is it a mess?”
“Yes, it is. Where’s your mother?”
“I had to put her in a home. Cliff is with me. We’re fine.”
“Good. The cops were here, but of course, no one heard anything,” Tembi said.
“Did you give the cops this number?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Good. Don’t. Pretend you don’t know me.”
“What kind of trouble are you in, girl?”
“Nothing I can explain. We’re going to lay low for a few days. Thanks for the call.”
She clicked off the call. “That was my friend.” She moved closer to Sacha so she could whisper. “My apartment was broken into.”
Sacha’s eyebrows went up. “Do you doubt the need for safety?”
She sighed. Her phone rang again. This time it was her office. They’d been ransacked also. Nothing had been stolen.
“That’s too much of a coincidence,” Sacha said.
She had to concede, but now she was a prisoner. “I can get someone to cover my work at Preservation One, but I’m the chair for a race.”
“A race?”
“A fundraising race to benefit Alzheimer’s Remembers.”
“A running race?”
“Yes in Brooklyn. Easier to get permits to block the roads for a few hours.”
Sacha nodded, put some pancakes on a plate then handed them to her. “You probably need these.”
She laughed. “Yes, I think I do.”
She sat then dug into them. “These are really good.”
Light, fluffy. Very little need for syrup.
“You doubt my culinary skills?”
“You’re a bachelor.”
He shrugged. “I still like to eat.”
“You going got work?”
“I don’t have much I can do until I set a
date for demolition. We need to discuss a few things today.”
“Then why are you in a suit?”
“Habit, I guess. I’ll probably go into my office.”
“You have an office?”
“Yes, in another building. One that I don’t own.”
“There are buildings you don’t own?”
He laughed. “Yes Kendra, there are some that I don’t own.”
“You own buildings Mr. Kozlov?” Cliff said.
Kendra had almost forgotten he was there. “Yes Cliff, I do. More than one.”
“Can I see them sometime?” Cliff said.
“Of course, just not this week. Okay? Are you finished with breakfast?”
“Yes.” Cliff climbed down from the stool then brought his plate to the sink.
“I’ll do dishes since you cooked,” Kendra said.
“Thanks. I need to get going.”
He left her doing dishes. Once she was done with those, the doorbell rang and she interviewed tutors for Cliff.
***
Kendra had picked a tutor and nanny for Cliff by the time Sacha came home. He’d had a good day. Now, he just had to show Kendra his report and, if she wanted, to discuss his idea for an arrangement. He wanted Kendra in his bed. What he wanted to do to her was naughty. He realized how late he was when he knew that Cliff was already in bed. He’d been distracted by paperwork. Kendra sat at the island, two places set.
“What’s this?”
“Dinner. For us.”
He put down his briefcase and laptop case. He’d wanted to get a little more work done, but this could be so much better.
“Well.”
“Take off your tie. Come sit and eat.”
He put his tie on top of his briefcase, then put his suit jacket over the knob of the closet door. He rolled up his sleeves. She watched him as a hungry man watched food being cooked. He settled on the stool next to her. He picked up the wine glass, took a long sniff of it. She must have gotten it from his collection. She’d found his temperature-controlled room behind the kitchen. That was fine. No part of his apartment was off-limits to her. He knew parts where he wanted her to explore. On him even.
He took a swig of the wine. The plate in front of him made his mouth water.
“I found a cookbook and I picked something. I’ve never been a cook, but I have time right now. I was crawling up the walls.”
“I won’t be this late from now on,” he said.
“You don’t have to babysit me.”
“Okay. Did you find a tutor?”
“Yes, she’s also a nanny so she can take care of Cliff if I can’t.”
He wondered what would keep her from taking care of her brother, other than him. He chuckled in his head. Yes, he’d like to have all of her attention.
“You’ve had a productive day.”
“She can start tomorrow. You don’t mind all of these people in your place?”
He shrugged. “If you all drive me nuts, I can go see my brother in the suburbs.”
She laughed. “Is it okay?”
He tasted her meal. “Yes it is.”
She smiled. “Good.”
She began to eat her own cooking.
“You don’t have to cook for me,” he said.
“I know. I just needed something to do. Besides, we have an arrangement to discuss.”
He almost choked on the food in his mouth. “You decided quickly.”
“Who knows how long I’ll be here. Might as well make it pleasurable.”
Oh, he could do that in spades. She had no idea. He put down his fork. “We need to draft an agreement.”
She pulled a stack of papers out from under her placemat. “I already did.”
“Of course you did.”
He took it from her. “Relationship Agreement?”
“That’s what this will be—a relationship of sorts.”
“Of sorts,” he said.
He put some more food in his mouth as he perused the sheaves she’d handed him. She was thorough and boy did her mind make him hard as much as her body did. The contract was airtight. A contract he would be proud to have written.
“You’ve thought about this.”
“Better than thinking that someone is after me,” she said.
She didn’t stare at him as he read. No, she continued with her dinner as if this meant nothing. Maybe that’s why she could write this contract. None of it mattered to her. She wasn’t as affected by him as he was by her. Gave her the upper hand.
“I see you insist on a condom being worn.”
“Yes. I don’t want to get pregnant and I don’t know where you’ve been,” she said. “Will that be a problem? That’s a deal breaker for me.”
Practical. He had to admire that. “No. Not a deal breaker. I want to amend a paragraph. You can have your own room, but I want you sleeping in my bed at least half the week. I’m not a stud service and you aren’t a hooker. We’re in this together.”
She nodded. “Okay. I can go with that.”
“Good.”
He changed that paragraph to how he wanted it to read before showing her. She assented.
“The paragraph about a child is interesting.”
“Condoms break.”
“Good point,” he said, though he hoped they wouldn’t. “You won’t be using any other birth control?”
“I will get some, but I still want condoms as a backup. People get pregnant despite the odds.”
He couldn’t argue with that. He put the papers on the counter then pulled out his pen. He signed the agreement. He handed it over to her for her signature.
“We need to seal this with a kiss.”
Which they hadn’t done yet; they would have sex at least three times a week and their lips hadn’t touched.
“Fine,” she said after signing it.
He leaned toward her. She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“That’s not enough,” he said, but he sees the twinkle in her eye and she was teasing him.
She laughed. He didn’t, but he was amused by it. He put his hand on the back of her head, his fingers laced into her hair. He brought her close to him. Her nostrils flared, her lips parted. He heard an intake of her breath.
She was affected by him. She’d been playing it cool. Her eyes darkened. He closed his then brushed her lips with his. The he took control of the kiss, plundering her lips like a Viking. Her hands fisted into his shirt. Their tongues met in the middle. She was going to give as much a she took. Oh, he was going to enjoy this. No one-sided lovemaking. Had Sacha met his match? He didn’t think that someone would worm her way into his heart.
No, this was a contract. Pure and simple. For their pleasure only. No commitments. No strings. No emotion.
*
Kendra’s heartbeat sped up. Sacha was an excellent kisser. Their tongues met as if they were old friends. Her body was beginning to hum. He was only touching the back of her head. What would his hands do on other spots?
He broke the kiss, his eyes studying her. “We can clean the dishes in the morning.”
He stood, took her hand then led her to his bedroom. She glanced in on Cliff who was asleep, sprawled across his bed. She closed the door softly. Sacha took her hand again. His bedroom was large with floor to ceiling windows. No other building around was as tall so it wasn’t possible for anyone to see in. He let her look around for a moment. The bed was a king and had colorful sheets. The headboard was a carved, dark wood. The carpet was plush on her bare feet.
Sacha pulled her up against him. She loved the smell of him. Man. No fussy fragrance. Just soap. His hair was in place of course, so she had to run her fingers through it. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t seem to care enough to worry about if his hair was a mess. Which it was now. His hair was soft. Not as much product in it as she thought. He hands roved over her as if he didn’t know what to feel first. He kissed her again. She felt it to her toes. To her soul. Whoa. That was odd.
This was just phy
sical.
“I want to explore every inch of you. I want to know everything that turns you on. What turns you off? What makes you go wild in bed, Kendra?”
She was fully clothed, but his straightforwardness made her feel as if she’d been stripped naked. He wanted to know things about her that she probably hadn’t shared with her other lovers. That might have been why they’d been crappy in bed, but none of them had asked her questions.
Sacha wanted to know it all. She didn’t shy away from him. “I’ll do my best to let you know.”
“No reason this can’t be great sex,” he said. “If we’re going to do this, I want you all in. I want to know your sweetest desires and your darkest fantasies. I want you to be able to tell me anything.” He put his hands out to indicate his bedroom. “This is a no-judgement zone.”
She blinked at him, taking in the enormity of what he asked. She knew what she wanted out of life. She wasn’t so sure she knew what she wanted in bed. This was her chance to make this part of her life better. When she left Sacha’s bed at the end of all of this, she’d know herself better. She’d know what to tell her next lover to do.
“Okay.”
He smiled, then captured her lips in a kiss as he held her face. His hands were soft, office hands. They were also strong with long fingers. She held onto him like a drowning person clutching a life jacket. His lips were expert and her body was now on fire. She wanted to be naked. She wanted to be skin to skin with him.
He tugged her shirt off. She was glad she’d been wearing her best bra and panty set when they arrived at Sacha’s place. The only one she owned. Tembi had dragged her to Victoria’s Secret. She thanked Tembi in her head.
“Beautiful,” Sacha said.
She smiled. This man probably dated supermodels and other hot women. He’d seen more than one naked and he considered her beautiful. How could she argue with him?
“Your turn.”
She unbuttoned his shirt, the shoved it off of his shoulders. Next came the t-shirt underneath. Then his chest was in front of her. He had sinewy muscles with some well-placed hair. She rubbed her hands down his chest, making his nipples pebble. He threw back his head. When he looked at her again, his eyes had darkened like a sky right before a storm. He undid her bra, dropping it on the floor.
