by Jude Ouvrard
“There is nothing plain about you, Calvin.” Biting the inside of my cheeks to keep me from smiling, I avoided his eyes. Praising him now wasn’t my intention, but even sick and with a fever, Calvin would never do plain.
“Well, it wasn’t like us. There’s nothing else for me that matters but us.” I loved hearing those words, but I couldn’t let it win me over so fast. “Look at me, please.”
I ignored him, but he wouldn’t let me for long. His hand cupped my cheek and he lifted my face to his.
“Do you believe me, at least, when I say you’re the most important person in my life?”
Crying wasn’t an option, I had to remain strong. “You say that now, but what about a few days ago when I told you what I was seeing. You didn’t do anything. You let it go.”
“You’re right, I did. I’m sorry, I can’t say it enough. Will you forgive me? Will you be able to?” The uncertainty in his eyes showed me he didn’t take me for granted.
“I love you, Calvin. What happened doesn’t change how I feel about you, but you hurt me. I think I just need time.”
“I miss you; I need more of you. I can’t spend another day without having you, taking you. I’m falling apart, Iris. Without you, there is no me.”
“Don’t say that. Where’s the strong Calvin I know? The one who doesn’t need anyone else?”
I stared at him and saw how shaken he was after the Candice aftermath. By the look on his face, and the way his shoulder fell forward, I knew the recent events had hit him hard. She blindsided him and he didn’t like that; he must have felt terrible when she admitted it.
“I want you back. I want you home where you belong. I won’t let you go over this. Can you believe me when I say I’ve never felt that stupid in my entire life?” He ran his hands through his hair roughly. “Trust me, babe. I’m asking you to.”
“You didn’t when I asked you to.” And that was it. The tears were out for everyone to see, I could no longer control myself. “I’m your girlfriend. You mentioned proposing to me, we made long-term plans. You almost killed a man over me. Yet, when I told you what was happening, you decided it wasn’t a big deal.”
He stormed to his feet. “I know, Iris. She had me on a fucking cloud, okay? When she was being a bitch to you, she was working her ass off for me, scoring big deals for the agency. I’m sorry if we dealt with two different personalities. I can’t change it, but I’m going to make damn sure it doesn’t change our long-term plans.” He knelt before me, both his hand holding onto my thighs. “I’m not letting you go, nor leaving you. You’re mine to love.”
I needed time, but I couldn’t say the words. Deep down, I knew I would forgive him, and that he would be my happily ever after. Dealing with my crushed emotions was the only thing stopping me from jumping mindlessly into his arms. Because I couldn’t say it with words, I covered his hands with mine and removed them from me before standing up before him. I tuck his hair behind his ears. Anxiety and lust flared in his blue eyes. My finger slid slowly from his ear to his jaw, and by the time I had reached his chin, I let my tear-covered lips kiss him once more, before pulling away.
“Why does it feel like a last kiss, babe?” His fingers pressed against my hips, holding me in place, not letting go of me.
“I just need time.” A small murmur escaped from my mouth. I wasn’t sure he had heard them. The people talking, walking and playing ball around us generated many distractions and noises.
“I’m not willing to give you time. You’re not running away from me.” His voice broke, water covered his deep blue sea eyes.
“Don’t, Calvin. Please, don’t cry.” I wrapped my arms around him and held his broad shoulders as tightly as he held me. I felt his tears falling on the curve of my neck, where he kept his face. Small feather-like kisses were laid on my skin, sending shivers in every place possible. “Calvin, you have to stop.”
“Never.” His breath against my skin, he kissed me again. “We’ll get over this together. I’ll show you how sorry I am, and eventually, you’ll forgive me. I swear, you will,” he promised, pulling away from me. We faced each other. Words were spoken only by the emotions passing through our eyes. “I swear,” he repeated, before kissing my forehead.
“I believe you.” God, I had missed him so much. The situation wasn’t pleasant, but it made me feel better just to be here with him, his arms holding me close.
“Come home with me now,” he commanded.
A battle between my heart and my mind began. I closed my eyes, needing seconds to think. Was it too soon, or was I ready to go back to the penthouse and work with him on our issues?
“Don’t overthink this, Iris. It’s just us two. It’s natural.”
I nodded, following my heart rather than my mind. “Okay.”
He gave me a small smile. “Damn it, now I wish I had my car. We’re a mess.” I chuckled at his frustration. His fingers took possession of my hand, and we started walking toward one of the exits.
“We can always walk. I want to walk.” My body, weak and tired, shivered under the rays of sun that warmed my skin. It was all I needed until Calvin could keep me warm.
He didn’t say anything, but we walked together, his hold on me strong and possessive. I believed he still feared I would change my mind and leave, but I couldn’t. Living in a world without him made no sense at all. He had a point about doing this together. We had to do this together in order to move forward and be stronger.
Few times during our walk, he stopped just to kiss me, tell me he loved me. He wanted to repair his mistake, and he wasn’t wasting time. We were done wasting time together. My heart felt better and stronger already.
I watched him walk next to me, admired his beautiful strong arms and wide built shoulders. His hair danced in the wind bugging to crap out of him.
“Hold on, baby.” I hadn’t called him baby in a long time. I liked it. My hand pulled out of his and I took the hairband from my pants pocket. “Don’t move.” I walked behind him. I tried fixing his hair in a sexy bun, but it looked nothing like it.
“What are you doing?” He chuckled and touched the poorly made bun. He laughed and redid it to perfection. He grabbed my hand as soon as he was done, and kissed every one of my fingers. “I’m getting used to your hair too. You’re still beautiful. It was a shock, that’s all.”
I smiled and blushed. Could I already be just as happy as we used to be? Who needed time with Calvin, anyway? Everything had always been so intense and powerful with him. By this time, he had lost me in his touches and kisses.
Once we were in the comfort of the penthouse, my feet hurt and my eyes were heavy. I had done way too much crying lately, and it made my eyes puffy.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”
“Whatever you have is fine with me.” As soon as I said ‘you’ I expected him to correct me. He always did.
“Whatever we have. It’s our place.” He looked inside the refrigerator and found sliced cantaloupe. We ate the whole thing without talking.
“I really want to go to bed, if you don’t mind. I’m tired and my patience is running out. I need to take a nap.”
“As you please, Ms. Hartwell.” He pulled me into his arms, kissed me before lifting me from the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled my top over my head, leaving me in my bra. I saw the surprise into his eyes.
“Well, I would rather start taking off the layers separating us now.”
His stare was directed to my cleavage, and he clearly enjoyed the view. Calvin stumbled and almost dropped me before we reached the bedroom. We were laughing together and the atmosphere between us had lightened up. He let me down, my feet met the fluffy carpet sitting under the bed. I pushed aside the fatigue of my night of poor sleep.
“Let me undress you.”
He shook his head no. “It’s my turn now, to show you how much I love you.” Within a second, he undid my bra and slowly removed it from my breasts, watching my curves with lust. “For a
moment, I thought I would never see this again,” he whispered, his voice letting the emotions flow. “I love you, Sweetness.”
He loved me. My fingers were trembling with emotion, our heavy breathing in sync, this was our place to be. His hands caressed my body eagerly. I removed my jeans in a swift movement and started undressing him. I pulled up his t-shirt and carefully eyed his perfectly chiseled abs. My hands danced over his chest, the pendant of my bracelet tickling the skin beneath. His muscles hardened as a reaction to my touch.
“Do you realize how much you’ve changed me?”
Changed him? I understood what he meant but no. “You changed me. You showed me how love can be.”
“Shhh, Sweetness, you showed me love. I had never loved like this in my life.” His lips found mine as he slowly pushed me down on the bed. His delicious lips tickled their way down to my throat. “You can never leave me, Iris.” The emotions in each words reached my heart deep. “I’m going to make you feel good like this every day,” he promised before sucking on my nipple. It sent jolts of pleasure right to my core.
“Cal… don’t stop.”
He parted my legs and, still dressed, he laid down on me, applying pressure to my sex. How much longer would I have to wait before he filled me? I tried undoing his pants, taking control, but he didn’t let me.
“Slow down, we have all the time in the world.” He resumed his trails of pecks down below. Every kiss made my insides twist into knots, awakening all my senses. “Keep still, Sweetness, he said before his tongue met my flesh and sent me directly to cloud nine. I tried my hardest to keep still, but I couldn’t. While he tasted me, worked me over the edge, my fingers intertwined into his hair. Loud moans came out of my mouth. Everything was intensified. Only a few days without him, and now my body was uncontrollable under his soft attention.
“I need you, Calvin,” I breathed.
“I’m right here, Sweetness.” His thumb pressed against my clit and thousands of sparks spread into my limbs. I lay there, completely helpless, at his mercy. He kept working on me with the perfect rhythm. My toes started to part, my back arched like a rainbow. I kept calling his name while my body became a big blur of tingling. My breathing erratic and loud, I came, reached the sky and met with the seventh heaven.
"Calvin... Please." I begged, but I didn’t know what for. More or less, I had no clue.
He pulled away for a short moment, leaving me in the aftershock. There were noises around me, but none of them got me out of my bubble. Holy shit. My fingers were shaking and small tears rolled down the side of my face.
"Are you ready, Sweets?"
I lifted my eyes to meet his as he slammed into me. Both my legs rested on his shoulders, making everything deeper, more sensitive.
"I'll give you that every day and more, so much more. You need me and love me just as much as I love and need you. I can't deny you, you're my Sweetness."
My eyes were closed, taking in the pure pleasure, until he stopped.
"Cal..."
"Open your eyes." I tried, but it took two or three attempts before they were wide open. Calvin gave me an approving smile and thrust back into me ferociously, startling me.
He bit on his bottom lip, and winkles formed on his sweat-covered forehead. His eyes closed briefly before a deep, manly groan came out of his mouth.
I was sated and exhausted, but not my man, he wanted more. He flipped us over so that I straddled him. Still deep inside of me, I expected him to need a breather. Leaning closer to him, I craved his lips, his tongue dancing against mine. I kissed him, took possession of him the only way I could, and he started rocking into me in softly. His hands caressed every inch of my body. I had never felt so overwhelmed in my life.
"I love you," I whispered against his lips.
I responded to his thrusts, meeting him every single time. He was giving me everything he had, in hopes I would forgive him. He was making me love in a way only Calvin could. He kept me close to him, his hand over my breast, teasing my nipple, and the other one holding onto my hip to keep me in place. His eyes were dark and tired, his muscles barely holding together. I pulled away to better control as I rode him deep.
My insides started to tighten around him, but I knew I needed an extra boost to get me over that edge again. I started rubbing my clit hard, and all I heard was Calvin's words echoing in the bedroom.
"Holy hotness, Sweetness. Keep going." So I did until I couldn't hold it together anymore. "Hold it, Sweetness, give me a minute." He begged, accelerating the rhythm. I tried for as long as I could, until every part of me came undone. Calvin spanked and kept caressing my butt until he reached his peak. He came loudly, but I could tell he no longer had any energy. Calvin wanted to make a point of showing me what I would miss without him and he was right.
I could no longer deny that we had a profound need to be together.
I had no idea what time it was, but I was alone in Calvin’s bedroom and my body ached as if I had run a marathon. Thankfully, the sun still shone, so I knew I hadn’t wasted a full day in bed, but I still hated that I had wasted it away from him. He probably had a ton to do with work. Things had been sort of hectic for him prior to his short time away for the fundraiser.
“Calvin?” I called his name loudly, too lazy to get out of bed, but he didn’t answer and it had gotten me curious. Where was he? Maybe in the gym. I usually found him there, running or lifting weights.
Butt naked, I started searching for him throughout the penthouse. The gym’s quietness told me he wasn’t in there. Normally, he listened to music while working his ass off. Then I heard a feminine voice humming in the kitchen. My blood ran cold. Oh my god.
“Ms. Clare, is that you?” I asked slowly returning to the bedroom. I prayed that she wouldn’t see me. I would be forever embarrassed and unable to talk to her face-to-face.
“Ms. Hartwell, I just got here.” I heard her coming.
“Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.” I closed the door behind me and made my way to the dresser. I didn’t feel like putting too much effort into choosing an outfit. A pair of leggings from the gym and a tank top would do. I tied my hair in a bun, wishing it looked as good as Calvin’s. With my shorter do, I had a lot less hair to twist. Even I had to get used to it.
“Hi, Ms. Clare.” I met her in the kitchen. “I haven’t seen you a lot lately.”
“Life gets in the way, Iris. How have you been?” She paused, placing an empty bowl on the counter.
“Well, life got in the way.” I laughed. “We had some issues at work, but I think we’re good now. Have you seen Calvin? I just woke up from a nap.”
“How are you feeling—ill?” The back of her hand reached for my forehead to make sure I didn’t have a fever.
“No, just tired.” Beyond tired, more like total exhaustion. I could sleep for twenty-four hours straight.
“He told me he left you a note.”
Oh, really? “I didn’t really look for a note. Maybe I should check in the bedroom.”
“You are about to get a full body massage, he sent someone over. The lady should be here in thirty minutes.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m only the messenger.” She laughed. “Would you like to eat something?”
I was lost in my thoughts. Did I miss something? Calvin didn’t mention any of this. Eat anything. Right! “No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Maybe I should find that note. “I’ll be in my room.”
She nodded, giggling. There had to be something I didn’t know about. Surprises had always been hard for me to handle, but I trusted him, which eased the handling part.
Once I reached the bedroom, I spotted the note right away. I was surprised I hadn’t seen it before. He had placed it right next to my phone.
The white paper was folded in two, on top he had written my name and inside, a short and sweet message. I loved his handwriting, so masculine and rough. I could feel the small bumps behind the paper where he had written.
I’ll be back
at 6, the latest. Enjoy your afternoon.
Life is full of surprises. Call me.
ILY, C.B. xx
I dialled his number and he answered it right away.
“Babe. I was getting worried you wouldn’t wake up in time. Feeling better?” The sound of his voice echoed into my head. How could have I missed hearing it so much already? I’m losing it.
“I am, but my body is still stiff. Where are you?”
“I’m at the office. I had to make sure your… your promotional project was all set and I have a few things to go over.”
“Oh my God, Calvin, I’m so sorry. I should have checked with you. I’ve been so distracted. Everything had been double checked. Was it okay on your side? Do you want me to meet you?”
“Yes, everything’s fine, nothing to worry about. Stay home,” he ordered, distantly. “I have a few things to set up, and then I’ll meet you at home.”
“What about the massage?”
“I’m doing my part, babe. I’m taking care of you. You’ve been through a lot of stress lately. I want you to relax.”
“What about you?” It was my job taking care of him. I had to.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m all good. I’m only a phone call away if you need anything.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll see you soon, baby.”
I checked my text messages and panicked when I saw all the message Krys had sent me.
OMG, I’m so sorry. You don’t have to kick his ass. Everything is under control. We talked and it’s fine now. I’ll call you later or tomorrow. Love you xox
You had me worried. I’m happy everything’s good. Love you xx
A soft knock on my door surprised me. “Iris, your appointment is here.”
“I’m coming.”
I open the door and the massage therapist stood right next to Ms. Clare.
“Humm, where should we do this?” I asked Mrs. Clare. “I’m sorry, I’m Iris, and you are?”
“I’m Sylvia. May I suggest the bedroom? You need a place where you can let go. A room where you feel comfortable.”
