All Up In My Business

by Lutishia Lovely

  “And then again, maybe nobody will.” Adam finally looked up, fixing his brother with a determined stare. “Because I’m telling you right now, Ace. Quintin Bright is getting ready to learn a lesson. Nobody fucks with a Livingston and gets away with it. Nobody.”

  44

  Zoe tried to contain her excitement, but the truth was she was beside herself. Her first time traveling on business and her first trip to LA. Can life get any better? It could, she decided, if somewhere between Georgia and California she ended up in Toussaint’s bed. That she would get a chance to work with him more intimately was already a plus, she decided. And without Shyla sticking to him like white on rice. Yes, Zoe decided, life was looking pretty good indeed.

  “Well, don’t you look adorable,” Shyla said in mock friendliness as she stopped in front of Zoe’s desk. She looked across the hall, into Ace’s office, and saw that he’d heard her. That was her intent, for him to think she was fine with her new role of mentor. For what she had in mind to work, everyone had to think that. She turned back to Zoe and lowered her voice. “Is that a new pantsuit to celebrate your first plane ride, dear?”

  Forget you, wench! Zoe smiled but remained silent. She knew Shyla was as fake as snow in Disneyland, but she also knew that now was not the time to start a fight. “This is my first trip to California,” she replied cheerily. “I’ve been to Vegas, Denver, even the Grand Canyon, but never to LA. And to get the invaluable experience of working in the field with seasoned pros like Ace and Toussaint,” Zoe continued, her voice now raised slightly so that Ace could hear her words. “I can’t wait to contribute to this company’s success!” She watched as Shyla rolled her eyes and knew she’d hit her mark.

  “Well, don’t worry that it has taken you longer than usual to understand the reports I gave you,” Shyla continued, turning back to the side so her words would carry across the hall. “These charts and graphs will start to make more sense once you take a few classes, continue your education. As it is, you’re doing amazing for someone who only finished high school.” She again turned her back to Ace and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You did finish, correct?”

  What I’m going to finish is putting a foot up your ass, Zoe thought. “You’re so funny, Shyla,” she said. “I’d love to chat, but we leave in two hours, and I want to make sure I have everything. Not that I can miss my flight, since we’re taking a chartered plane. But you probably already know that. I’m sure you’ve done it many times.”

  Shyla shot daggers at Zoe with her eyes before spinning and flouncing off angrily, her strides brisk and purposeful. I can’t believe it! A chartered plane? Shyly knew that the corporation had an arrangement with a charter company and traveled this way when necessary. Unfortunately for Shyla, her trips had never occurred during one of those times. Granted, the few times she’d traveled with Toussaint had been in first-class, but chartered? Shyla hadn’t thought she could get any angrier about the fact that the would-be junior marketing manager, and not the soon-to-be marketing director, was making this trip to LA. But she’d thought wrong. Shyla was livid. I’ve worked too hard for this company, and for you, Toussaint, and if Zoe thinks she’s going to step over me to get to you, she’s got another think coming! As soon as Shyla reached her office, she told her secretary not to disturb her and then closed her door. Without breaking stride, she walked to her desk, pulled up her address book, and reached for the phone.

  “Executive Travels, Linda speaking”

  “Hey, Linda. Shyla Martin. I need to book a trip to LA. No, no, not on the company account.” Shyla swiveled around and narrowed her eyes. “This is personal.”

  “Do you know how happy you’ve just made me?” Toussaint stood looking out the window of his corner office. He could have sworn that the sun just got brighter, and the leaves looked greener.

  “I’m pretty excited too,” Alexis answered. And she meant it. She’d been working tirelessly, almost nonstop, building up her business and her bank account. “I haven’t taken a real vacation in almost three years.” But time off from work wasn’t the only reason she was excited. She was excited to spend time with Toussaint and was ready to tell him that she was in love.

  “I’ve decided to take a few personal days myself. After business wraps, we’re staying on the coast a few extra days—just the two of us.”

  “Sounds … romantic.” Alexis’s heart skipped a beat, remembering her and Toussaint’s conversation the previous weekend when they’d met for dinner. First they’d talked about his parents and how relieved he was that they were working things out. Then the conversation turned more personal.

  “Sounds like everything is looking good for them.”

  “Yes,” Toussaint answered, his eyes turning sultry. “Almost as good as you’re looking to me.”

  “Thanks,” Alexis responded, suddenly shy.

  “You look good enough to eat, baby, better than this steak.”

  “Toussaint, I don’t know if I’m ready….”

  “Lexy …”

  Alexis’s eyes shot up to meet his. “Why’d you call me that?”

  Toussaint shrugged. “That’s what I call you late at night, when I’m thinking of you and wishing you were with me. It just slipped out. Do you mind?”

  “No, I like it, actually. My dad nicknamed me that.”

  “I wish I’d met your father so I could thank him for making you.”

  Alexis smiled.

  “And so he’d know that I’d fallen in love with his baby girl.”

  Alexis swallowed, her heart so full that she could barely breathe. He loves me? “How can you say that? We haven’t even been intimate.”

  “That’s how I know. These feelings don’t have anything to do with sex, Lexy, although I do want to sex you, real, real good.”

  “What about Shyla? And the other women? I don’t do casual relationships, Toussaint, and I don’t share. Have you ever been monogamous?”

  “No, but I can be.”

  “If you’ve never been, how do you know?”

  Toussaint reached out and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed it. “I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told another woman. If we make this official, this dating thing, you’ll be the only woman. I won’t be with anyone else. You have my word.”

  “Sorry, Toussaint, but I have to take this call. Talk later?”

  “For sure.” Toussaint smiled as he hung up the phone, giddy with the variety of surprises he had in store for Alexis St. Clair, including the five-carat bracelet of pink and yellow diamonds that he was picking up at Tiffany in Beverly Hills. Soon, however, Toussaint would discover that when it came to planning surprises, he wasn’t the only one.

  * * *

  “Hey, pretty lady, I thought that was you.” Coming back from the restroom, Bobby had spotted Shyla in the bar area of the restaurant.

  Shyla barely looked up as she swirled the wine in her glass. She’d left the office shortly after Ace and Zoe, depressed that they were on their way to LA without her. “Bobby.”

  “Aw, baby, what’s brought that ugly frown to such a beautiful face? Tell me who it is so I can kick his ass.”

  Shyla almost smiled and then realized Bobby’s comment meant that she was wearing her feelings on her sleeve. That was something Shyla Martin couldn’t afford to do, especially anywhere near her place of employment. True, she worked in this restaurant’s executive offices, but this was close enough for jazz. “Aren’t you still on the clock?” she asked, her voice harsher than intended.

  “I’m on break, but you’re right. I probably should get back in the kitchen. Where I belong.” Bobby was all too aware of Shyla’s position in the company and that she wasn’t one to be messed with or taken lightly. “I hope I didn’t offend you by calling you beautiful. Just a fact, you know, not meant to sound like I’m flirting or being disrespectful.” When she didn’t answer, Bobby turned to leave. “You take care, Shyla, all right?”

  Shyla drained her wineglass. What w
as I thinking, to come here of all places? As if doing so would take my mind off of the fact that Toussaint is probably screwing Zoe right now. “That’s all right,” Shyla murmured, sliding off the barstool and heading out the door. Her travel agent hadn’t been able to fly her out today without it costing an arm and a leg. But tomorrow night, Toussaint, I will be back where I belong—in your bed.

  45

  “Is this your first time on a private plane?” Alexis asked as she waited with Zoe in the private lounge. She’d been pleasantly surprised by the down-to-earth nature of the woman she’d just met, given that her only other encounter with a Livingston employee had been with Shyla, whom she’d met with Toussaint by chance at Taste of Soul.

  “Yes,” Zoe giggled, happy that she and Diane Livingston wouldn’t be the only females on the trip. She got along with her boss’s wife well enough, but then again, Diane was the boss’s wife.

  “Mine too.” Alexis smiled as she swirled the straw in her banana smoothie. “What a way to start my vacation!”

  Zoe stopped digging through her purse, the lipstick she looked for forgotten. “Vacation?” She’d assumed that Alexis was here on business, a consultant of some kind—public relations or research. “You’re not here to work?”

  Belatedly, Alexis realized she’d said too much. But it was too late to put the cat back in the bag. She was on a business trip with him for goodness’ sake, with his uncle, aunt, and coworkers. Why was she trying to keep it a secret? Soon, everyone would know that she was Toussaint’s woman. Alexis realized she liked the sound of that. “No,” she said slowly after digesting the implications of that singular answer. “I’m here as Toussaint’s guest.”

  “Oh.” Zoe returned to digging in her bag, searching for the nonchalant attitude she needed to put on her face. With Shyla out of the picture, Zoe had assumed the coast was clear. Instead, she realized, she’d be dealing with yet another admirer.

  Alexis watched as Zoe’s energy shifted. It was subtle but definite. Oh, no. Her too? Is there any woman under sixty not attracted to this man?

  “I’m sorry.” Zoe pulled a tube of lipstick from her purse and opened it while smiling at Alexis. “It’s none of my business. I’m just surprised. This being a business trip and all. I just assumed—”

  “No worries,” Alexis responded. “This is a new experience for me too.”

  The uncomfortable moment passed, and the two women chatted amicably. Zoe very much wanted to dislike Alexis but found herself warming to the woman who’d pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made a name for herself in the world of interior designing. Unlike Shyla, Alexis was successful, but relatable; she didn’t put on airs. She had a quiet, unexpected sense of humor and a subtle accent that came through when she lowered her voice. By the time the Livingstons arrived, along with yet another surprise—business development manager Drake Benson—Alexis felt she may have found a confidant, and Zoe believed she’d met a friend.

  Several hours later, the party of six—Ace, Diane, Toussaint, Alexis, Drake, and Zoe—sat around a large table at their first research spot: M&M Restaurant. They’d been seated by a cheery hostess and had placed their beverage orders. The air was casual, but Toussaint’s business mind whirled as he took in the clean yet average surroundings. His body fairly hummed with excitement as he envisioned a hip Taste of Soul spot, the sounds of soul music pulsating through a dining room that sparkled with brass, crystal, and white linen. Finger-licking-good food would be served by waiters and waitresses with down-home charm.

  “What are you having?” Diane asked Alexis. “Hmmm, I think I’ll start with the barbeque hot links. But the wings sound good too. I’m hungry, which is probably why everything on here is making my mouth water!”

  Diane laughed, intrigued at the woman Toussaint had dared bring along on a business trip. Not that such actions were unheard of—she knew that sometimes other managers brought along a spouse or significant other depending on the trip locale—but for the last year or so, Diane hadn’t seen Toussaint publicly with anyone but Shyla. While staying at her home, Candace had mentioned both her concern and relief that Toussaint was still single—concern because she believed it was time for him to settle down, and relief because at least if he wasn’t married, he didn’t have to deal with the ramification of cheating on one’s spouse. But Candace had mentioned how steady things were with Toussaint and Shyla. Diane doubted her sister-in-law knew about this gorgeous chocolate-drop, dreadlocked sistah now sitting beside her.

  “What are you all having?” Alexis asked the table at large. “I think I’ll try their hot wings,” Zoe responded. “I’m curious about these oysters,” Diane murmured, her mind focused on the menu.

  “Why don’t we order everything?” Toussaint suggested. “That way we can sample it all.”

  Soon, the table was laden with some of M&M’s finest cuisine: chicken, both smothered and fried; beef short ribs; meat loaf; liver and onions; and oxtails, a menu item that Ace had to admit impressed him.

  “They’re falling off the bone, man. Gotta give it to ‘em,” Ace said as he wiped his fingers with a napkin. “Ribs can’t touch ours, though. That special injection and marinating process we do? They don’t know nothing about that there. How’s that succotash?” he asked Diane while reaching a fork into her food.

  “I guess that’s a moot question,” she said with mock sarcasm as she waited for Ace to taste the forkful he’d taken from her plate. “Pretty good, huh?”

  The conversation continued, centered mainly around the food that was being consumed. When Ace’s and Toussaint’s focus turned to business, Zoe, Diane, and Alexis discussed shopping and plans to visit the famed garment district before leaving LA. Having learned her lesson earlier, Alexis let Zoe and Diane take the lead in conversation. She didn’t want to spill any more information, like the fact that she and Toussaint wouldn’t be flying back with the others, but rather were taking a later, commercial flight instead. At the moment she thought this, she looked up and found Toussaint’s eyes boring into her. He smiled and winked surreptitiously before swirling a piece of corn muffin into the gravy on his plate. He ate the bite and then licked his fingers while glancing at Alexis again.

  Alexis fought against squirming, having become hot as she clearly got his message. Later on, he planned to sop her up, just like that.

  46

  “I’m stuffed,” Alexis announced as she swept past the door that Toussaint had opened and entered their spacious hotel suite. “I can’t believe we ate all that food!”

  Toussaint walked over to Alexis, took her in his arms, and kissed her senseless. “Hmmm,” he said once he’d come up for air. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.” He turned Alexis around and began kneading her shoulders. “You know what else I want to do?”

  “What?” Alexis giggled as Toussaint’s finger hit a sensitive spot on her back.

  “I want to get you out of these.” Toussaint jiggled her pants. “And I want to see all of this.” He sculpted her body with his hands while placing feathery kisses at the nape of her neck. “But you’re not ready.” He buried his nose in her vanilla-scented hair before stepping back and turning her around. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he continued. “Please, Alexis, can I have you tonight?”

  Alexis didn’t reply. When she walked a few steps away from him, Toussaint’s heart sank. He knew what she was afraid of—his past, all of the women—and couldn’t blame her for how she felt. He understood that guarding her heart was as much about her father’s sudden death as it was about hurt from past relationships. He knew this, but it didn’t make him feel any better. No, he knew that the only thing that could help him now was burying his throbbing penis into Alexis’s honeypot and loving her all night long. He was ready for commitment. Until he met her, he hadn’t realized he’d tired of life in the fast lane. How could he make her understand?

  Alexis’s next actions showed him that he already had. She pulled the knit top he’d fingered earlier over h
er head. Tous-saint’s mouth watered as he beheld the chocolate globes bubbling over a beige lace bra. Her eyes locked with his as she reached for the zipper on the side of her slacks, unzipped it, and after maneuvering the fabric over her curvy hips, let the pants fall to a puddle at her feet. Toussaint’s eyes darkened with desire. A smile flitted across her face. He thought that with her conservative nature, she’d wear bikini underwear, but the lacy thong matched her bra, and as much as Toussaint loved seeing her wearing them, he couldn’t wait until she wasn’t.

  “Come here,” he quietly commanded. She obeyed, stood in front of him, lips parted, eyes questioning. He grabbed her gently, reverently, and brushed her lips with his. She put her hands on his hips, and her touch sent an electric jolt up Tous-saint’s spine. He pressed his tongue into her mouth, hot and probing, slow and deliberate.

  Alexis returned the kiss with equal fervor. She outlined his lips with her tongue and nipped the bottom one before wrapping her arms around his neck and swirling her tongue with his.

  Toussaint raised his head and looked deep into Alexis’s darkened eyes. Yes, this is the fire I knew was burning inside you. He took his thumbs and ran them over her lace-covered nipples. They hardened instantly. Alexis closed her eyes.

  “No, open them. Look at me, Lexy. I want to see your desire.” When she complied, he reached for the front clasp, un-snapping it. Her large, firm breasts caused his heart to stop, and he immediately placed one in his mouth. He sucked, then licked it while swirling his thumb over the other one. Alexis moaned, and he pulled her close, the evidence of his desire hard against her stomach. He’d dreamed of this moment for a long time and refused to rush it.

  Alexis, however, had other plans. She was on fire and boldly reached for Toussaint’s belt buckle. Toussaint laughed, delighted that she was as ready as he. He undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off, his undershirt and pants quickly following. Again, he took her in his arms, flesh against flesh, and plundered her mouth. His shaft hardened and lengthened even more as his hands palmed her round, ample ass. He squeezed it tenderly, parting her cheeks and running a firm, thick middle finger down her crease. He locked eyes with Alexis as he slid down his boxers. Her eyes widened as his massive weapon jumped out to greet her.