Learned Behaviors (Higher Education)

by Jayce Ellis

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back later,” he said upon seeing the crowd.

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Diane called out. “Come join us.”

  He wanted to politely refuse, but he didn’t want to head back upstairs either. He grinned and walked over, still not sure how he felt about Diane. Or how any of these women, no matter how polite they were on the surface, really felt about him.

  “Where’s Matthew? You fuck him to sleep?” Diane asked, waggling her eyebrows.

  Natalie popped her on the arm. “Eww, Mom! You can’t go around asking that.”

  “Why not? I want to know if JaQuan here took my advice last night.”

  Holy mother of god. Natalie looked like she was about to be sick, poor thing. “I’m not answering that,” Jaq blurted out. “Not a chance.”

  Diane laughed. “I’m joking. I already know the answer,” she said with a wink. “I just wanted you to lighten up.”

  He wasn’t sure that was the most effective way of going about it, but he kept his mouth shut.

  “Mr. Reynolds?” Chandra asked, her voice soft and lilting. She was a lovely young woman and, from the few minutes he’d seen her and Joshua the night before, they absolutely doted on each other. He couldn’t wait to see Tanisha that blissfully in love. “Are you enjoying your stay?”

  “I am. Things are busy and home isn’t great, but this is a nice break.”

  Diane zeroed in on that. “What do you mean, home isn’t great?”

  He shouldn’t have said anything. He paused, but before he could speak, Natalie cut in, “You don’t have to tell us. Really. Ignore my mother.”

  Jaq laughed. Natalie was obviously the peacemaker in the family. “It’s my daughter. She’s home from college with my mom and isn’t talking to me. It’s the first time we’ve ever not spoken, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

  “Where’s her mom?” Diane asked.

  He closed his eyes, then opened them and shrugged. “Good question. She left when T was little and we never heard from her again. She could still be in DC for all I know.”

  “So, what? You raised her alone?”

  “Me and my mom. And things were always good. I thought I lucked out, raising a kid who never acted out, got good grades, and wasn’t repulsed by her parent’s presence, but now she’s grown and out the house and I can’t make her speak to me. I’m trying to respect her space but hell, I miss her.”

  Chandra had curled up on one of the benches and was staring at him with those big doe eyes. “That is so sweet, Mr. Reynolds, you missing her like that.”

  In the past few years, people seemed to have forgotten how young he’d been when Tanisha was born, and focused on the single-father narrative. Even though he lived with Gran, even though single mothers did this shit regularly, there was something heartwarming about a single dad. And he wasn’t sure he quite understood or was comfortable with it.

  “I’m not sure it’s sweet,” he said softly, hoping he didn’t hurt her feelings, “but thank you.”

  Diane patted him on the shoulder and stood, throwing her towel over her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to intrude. We’ve kept you long enough. And Chandra,” she said, looking over to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, “I think we still have massages, manis, and pedis to do before tonight.”

  The women filed out, Natalie turning long enough to mouth I’m sorry before following her mom, leaving him alone in the now overly quiet room.

  He decided to at least do something while he was here, hopping on the treadmill and setting it for a pounding pace after a brief warm-up. Thoughts he’d kept banked for decades weaseled their way back to the surface.

  How much had Tanisha missed out on because her mom had been absent? She adored Gran, almost as much as Gran adored her, but he didn’t know if that was enough of a substitute. If she missed her mom or resented him for not doing more to find her or stay with her. It was easy to say it was in the past, but would it affect them going forward?

  He was making a mountain out of a molehill and it needed to stop. Jaq paused the treadmill and stepped off before stopping it entirely and wiping it down. Sweat dripped from him and he prayed no one was in the elevator with him as he made his way back upstairs. He checked his phone, which had been on vibrate, and it had blown up with texts from Carlton—a Cowboys fan, bless his heart—talking shit about the Thanksgiving game. And he was going in, since his ’Boys were apparently up big. Jaq couldn’t follow half of what he was saying and didn’t care.

  Matt was still on the phone when Jaq walked in, whether with the same person or someone else, he didn’t know. He checked his watch—a few hours to go before dinner this evening. He grabbed a shower and, as Matt showed no indication of getting off anytime soon, climbed under the covers and set his alarm.

  He woke up to the sound of voices filtering in the room. Matt, talking away, rummaging through his suitcase for something. He popped his head up with the portable charger in his hand, waved at Jaq, mouthed sorry, and disappeared.

  Oh, for fuck’s sake. Was Matt always going to be on the phone like this? Sure, yes, of course, Matt was busy with the launch tomorrow. Multiple launches. But hell, so was Jaq. Bernhardt wasn’t the only thing they had dropping, and he’d been in contact with at least three other retailers in the past seventy-two hours to make sure everything was a go. But even Patti hadn’t interrupted, and she had no compunction about reaching out if there was a problem. Even if there wasn’t a problem and just wanted him to talk her down.

  Jaq trudged out of bed and padded to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth again, then threw on a pair of slacks and a turtleneck. In the summer, the water probably provided a cool breeze to otherwise stifling temperatures. In the late fall, it just made cold weather colder. He finished dressing and wandered out front to find Matt still engaged in whatever conversation had taken the better part of three hours.

  He dipped down next to Matt’s ear. “You coming?” he whispered, trying for seductive.

  Matt didn’t look up. He nodded, held one finger up as though telling him to wait, and murmured into the phone.

  O-kay. Jaq took a seat and waited. Ten minutes turned into twenty, which turned into thirty, and now they were late. Not fashionably, either. Jaq prodded Matt on the shoulder again, and when Matt held that finger up again, which Jaq was tempted by this time to break, he walked out of the room and to dinner without looking back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  This is a mistake. Jaq entered the cordoned-off room to find both families sitting around at least four long tables that had been pushed together, enough that he wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation of people just a few chairs down from him, let alone at the end of the table.

  A feast was laid out for them buffet-style, and at least this room remembered it was Thanksgiving. Traditional fare like turkey, ham, and pot roast, but also an oxtail pie, which Chandra had apparently requested and looked mouthwateringly good, and oyster dressing, which apparently only Chandra’s father ate. And he was welcome to the entire thing. They’d gone all in with the fall colors: the rustic reds and mustard yellows, the sage greens and various shades of brown that glowed softly with the low table sconces. Altogether, the layout was stunning.

  He loaded up his plate and found the placard with his name, directly in front of a winding centerpiece of gold-frosted apples that Jaq hadn’t seen before, but which complemented the décor perfectly. Of course, he was seated directly across from Diane, who noticed her ex-husband’s absence immediately.

  “Where’s Matthew?” she asked, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

  “He had to finish a phone call. He’ll be down soon,” Jaq said smoothly, hoping his own irritation didn’t show. He understood Matt was putting out fires, he really did. But this event had been his highest priority just a few months ago, one of the reasons he’d pulled himself out of bed on t
hose weekends when he still wasn’t sure he actually liked Matt, to make sure he could relax during his time here. Matt was doing everything but relaxing, and Jaq had no clue how to change it.

  Diane’s eyes narrowed, and Jaq didn’t miss the way her husband reached out a hand to steady her. She took a long, hard breath and exhaled slowly, then plastered a smile on her face and joined in the discussion going on next to her.

  Conversation went on around him, much like it had the previous night. Conscious of how rude he was being, Jaq texted Matt for his ETA. Nothing. He tried to engage with the guests around him, mostly Chandra’s family, but the sinking feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away. The food was delicious and the company fantastic, and Jaq couldn’t stop staring at the doorway or his phone for some response. He texted again, already knowing Matt wouldn’t respond, and that sinking feeling started to simmer into a low boil. Not even for him, but for this melding of the families the day before their wedding.

  Jaq would represent both of them, then. He put his phone away and engaged completely in the conversation next to him. He made excuses for Matt, ones everyone at the table knew were a lie, and smiled while friends and family gave the toasts they wouldn’t be able to at the reception tomorrow. By the time he got to the dessert stations and coffee, Jaq had no doubt Matt wouldn’t make it at all. Jaq closed his eyes, tamping down his desire to storm upstairs and bop Matt upside the head, then opened them to find Diane staring at him, pity coloring her features. He couldn’t take it. He excused himself from the table and went for the elevator banks. Hell, maybe he should see if there was another room available.

  The click-clack of heels on the marble floor made him hurry his steps. “JaQuan,” Diane called out from behind him, and he paused.

  He wasn’t surprised she’d come after him, but he wasn’t sure how much of the fake sympathy he could handle right now. Not when he wasn’t sure which way was up or why. After things had seemed so good for so long, everything felt like it had come to a standstill—no, had taken three strong steps backward—with no warning.

  He turned, forcing a smile onto his face. “Hi, Diane.”

  To her credit, she didn’t bullshit him. “Matthew doesn’t have an off switch. He’s never known when or how to say no. He’s shit at delegating, and customers love him because he’s so hands-on. Even when it’s the last thing he should be. He was like that in college, he was like that our entire marriage. Joshie almost didn’t send him an invite because we assumed he wouldn’t show, and we didn’t want to hear the excuses.”

  Damn, wasn’t that some shit? Jaq knew that Matt had dropped everything to get down to Norfolk because of a catering issue. Was doing that something new for him, something the family wouldn’t otherwise have expected? He thought back to Angela’s apprehension at the restaurant, the confirmation from Diane that he was there. She’d feared he wouldn’t show at all. Maybe Jaq was being hasty in assuming his absence was intentional.

  Diane stepped forward and grabbed his hand. “JaQuan, you might be upset that he isn’t as present as you’d like, but he’s here. He came, he took time out of his schedule to be here. And that’s because of you.”

  He laughed, the sound harsh. “I’m not sure I really did anything. He’s upstairs doing the same thing he’d otherwise be doing at home or in the office. I didn’t take him away from anything. I just changed the location.” Clearly some residual anger was still winding its way through his system.

  Diane seemed to concede the point with a slight nod and shrug, but pressed on. “Maybe, but you’ve gotten further with him in however long you’ve been dating than I did in over twenty years of marriage. So just, be understanding. And maybe set some ground rules for your expectations. If there’s one thing I do know,” she said, “it’s that Matt hates disappointing people. And he will berate himself from now until, if he thinks he’s disappointed you.”

  Which, despite everything, was the last thing he wanted. Jaq smiled, gave her hand a squeeze, and headed to the elevators. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she had a point. In fact, she had a damn good one. But he was a little too raw, a little too emotional to deal with logic right now.

  Jaq let himself inside the room and found no trace of Matt out front. He opened the bedroom door and his heart softened, the last of his anger leeching away. Matt lay on the bed, naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist. An outfit was laid out on the chair Jaq had used for his own workspace, and it looked for all the world like Matt had simply passed out. He hadn’t worked through dinner, and he hadn’t chosen the job over everyone. Exhaustion had taken him down for the count.

  Jaq undressed, climbed in beside him, and pulled up the covers. Matt rolled, wrapping a heavy arm around Jaq’s stomach as soon as he got settled. Matt squeezed, and his breathing deepened and evened out again. Jaq closed his eyes and willed himself to follow.

  * * *

  Matt woke the next morning with a weight across his chest. He stirred and turned to the side. Jaq, passed out next to him. Goddammit.

  He’d fucked around and missed dinner last night. And Jaq, bless him, hadn’t seen fit to wake him. Diane would have his head, while the kids would probably just look at him with their usual mix of pity and disappointment.

  Matt tried to lift Jaq’s arm and scoot out from under him, but Jaq tightened his grip and rocked his hips. Never mind that, then. Jaq was hard, and Matt had no intention of letting that go. He lifted Jaq’s arm enough to shift positions, facing him, then rolled him to his back. Jaq stirred and blinked, opening his eyes briefly and smiling before closing them again.

  Matt began a trail of kisses from Jaq’s neck and traveling down his chest. He paused at each nipple, giving them loving licks and light bites, before he reached his destination.

  Under him, Jaq had spread his legs and fisted the sheets in a death grip. Matt chuckled at the sight. Then he swallowed Jaq to the root, not bothering to take his time and tease him.

  “Holy mother!” Jaq yelped, his hands coming down on top of Matt’s head.

  That was what Matt wanted. Their first few times together, Jaq hadn’t seemed to want to push, to be assertive about what he wanted. He accepted everything Matt gave gracefully, but Matt wanted him to let loose. To chase his own release over Matt’s. He wanted to feel Jaq explode in his mouth, his need so unbridled it was impossible to stop it.

  Jaq’s thrusts picked up speed, and Matt hollowed his cheeks, sucking as hard as possible. Jaq came with a shout, his release coating Matt’s tongue. It was, in his opinion, the best way to start the day.

  “Come here,” Jaq said when he finished, reaching down to pull Matt up. “Want to taste you.”

  It would take a stronger man than Matt to resist that entreaty. He pushed out from under the sheets to straddle Jaq’s chest and fed him his dick. It didn’t take long, only a few hard sucks, before Matt was shooting down Jaq’s throat.

  Matt fell away from him with a sigh. “How are you so good at that?” he asked, running a thumb over Jaq’s lower lip.

  Jaq chuckled. “It damn sure isn’t because of practice.”

  Matt laughed and sat back against the headboard. Jaq maneuvered until he was sitting next to him and laid a hand on his knee. “You wanna tell me what happened last night?”

  He sighed. “Apparently the CEO of Oceanic was out of town, and when he came back, no one could explain to his satisfaction the status of their launch. He called, spoke with Nichole, and wouldn’t take her word for it. Her being my boss didn’t mean squat because she wasn’t the lead.”

  “The launch is...” Jaq paused and checked his watch. “Today, right? Same as ours?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you were on the phone with him that entire time?”

  “Unfortunately. By the time I got off it was already nine. Took a shower, sat down for a few minutes, and must have passed out.”

  Jaq nodded, then gnawed on his low
er lip.

  “What?” Matt asked.

  Jaq paused, then apparently decided to go for it. “I mean, how much reassurance could you give him? These aren’t questions you ask at the last minute. These are things that you work out months in advance, and I’m just not seeing that hand-holding a grown man with a company worth billions and multiple collections with you was enough to justify missing your son’s rehearsal dinner.”

  He had a point, but Matt couldn’t get past the rebuke in his words. “I hope you’re not suggesting I think the client was more important than dinner.”

  “I’d like to think I know your heart,” Jaq said, his words careful. “But I have to look at your actions. Reality is, you didn’t show up, no matter how much you say you wanted to. At the end of the day, you picked them over us.” He shook his head. “You picked the job over Josh and Chandra.”

  “The hell I did. You know how important this weekend has been to me.”

  “Then why have I spent more time with your ex-wife than with you?”

  That brought him up short and he snorted. “Let me guess. Two days with Diane and you’re suddenly convinced I’m a louse who thinks his shit doesn’t stink and his kids should be grateful for whatever scraps I throw in their direction, right?”

  Jaq blinked. “Wow. You don’t know your ex-wife at all, do you?”

  “I know she cheated on me and then married a guy a year older than our son. I know she resented that I couldn’t always drop everything and race to take care of my family when shit went down. And as a result, I’m the one who didn’t get to go to family dinners. I’m the one who missed the important functions and gets called a checkbook as a result. Don’t tell me that I don’t prioritize them when I missed half their lives trying to provide for them.”

  Jaq stared at Matt like he’d never seen him before. “You really think your kids cared more about the money than about having their dad at their events?”