“Simon.” He reluctantly looked over his shoulder, shifting his attention from the two women walking to the restroom. Rameez Baig stood at the center of the pack, signaling Simon to come. Unable to ignore the junior partner, he yanked down the front of his vest and straightened his shoulders before making his way back to the pack.
***
Regina stopped dabbing her eyes. “Can you believe those bitches?” Her voice bounced off the bathroom’s marble walls and floors as she paced between the sink and stalls, gulping air between sentences. “No manners. No respect for personal space.”
Corella leaned on the sink and passed another tissue from the box behind her. “I know. They were definitely out of pocket, but it’s a common thing at these kinds of occasions. I think once people get all liquored up, it loosens their lips and conduct.”
Regina took the tissue from Simon’s assistant. “Thank you.” She stared at the web-like veins in the white wall and blew her knows. “I nearly lost my cool when I specifically asked them not to touch me and they completely ignored me—talkin’ ‘bout ‘but it’s so interesting and exotic. How do you get it to stand like that? I love how plush it is.’” Regina curled her lips and spoke in an exaggerated nasal tone.
She moved closer to the mirror to inspect her eyes. Thank God for waterproof mascara. “It took hours to get ready for this dumb-ass party. I’m not letting that brood of hens make me look like a fool.” She opened her compact to freshen her eye shadow. “I didn’t even know what to say because I was afraid to embarrass Simon.”
Corella reached behind her back for another tissue. “Yeah, one of the things many of the spouses and significant others like to do the morning after these parties is gossip about who did what. Making a scene would’ve created a lot of fodder for them.” She brushed a fingertip just below the hair of her brow. “You missed a spot. It’ll probably not affect Simon. The attorneys usually don’t let stuff like this interfere with taking care of business, but they’ll be the same people you’ll run into at other events, and things could get uncomfortable.” Corella reached at some errant coils at the top of Regina’s hair and offered a motherly smile. “You handled it very well.”
Regina relaxed her shoulders and let out a gust of air. “I tried. Normally I’d—” She clamped her lips together when she heard the huge wooden restroom door squeak open. Two women came in prattling away. “Hi,” chimed the one with soft blond curls that spilled over the front of her green lace backless party dress. Her companion dashed to the stalls. She took the empty space in front of the mirror next to Regina.
Regina stopped brushing the color across her eyelid and knitted her eyebrows. “Is there a problem?” Green dress suspended an open tube of lipstick in the air and stared at her through the mirror.
Regina tightened her lips and peered sideways. She’d had her fill of impudence for the night and was folding all filters to let anyone fool enough to bring anymore nonsense have it.
“I know you.” The youthful partygoer put the cap on her lipstick and straightened her back. “You’re Regina Kent, right? You do that blog, The Blackness of Kent. My boyfriend reads you all the time.” She moved her mouth closer to Regina’s ear. “He’s Black,” she whispered.
“You don’t say.” Regina glanced at Corella, who wore an uneven smile and twitched her eyebrows. Regina examined her visage in the mirror. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” She snapped the compact shut and straightened. “Sorry,” she said as she dropped her eyeshadow in her bag and barely glimpsed at the blond, “you’ve got the wrong person.”
Regina held out her hand. “Good night, Corella.”
“Good night. It was really nice meeting you.”
Regina slowly blinked and grinned when she opened the restroom door and saw Simon leaning cross–legged against the opposite wall with her overnight bag slung over his shoulder. His face brightened when he saw her. Simon pushed off the wall and offered Regina his arm. “I hope you don’t mind if we leave now?”
She hooked her arm in his. “You read my mind.” Chin in the air, she swung her hips and shoulders towards the tall clear doors that were the gateway to their freedom. She silently celebrated the sound of car engines, horns and hundreds of feet shuffling on the pavement replacing the drone of music and chatter inside. Simon pulled her with him to the curb and raised his hand to hail a cab.
It was such a relief to be out of there and not have to force any more smiles or conversations. A pit of anxiety formed in her stomach as she recalled Corella’s words. They’ll be the same people you’ll run into at other events... She hugged Simon’s waist and made small circles with her foot. How am I gonna tolerate any more drivel like tonight? It wasn’t completely bad, but I don’t think I’ll be able to control my temper next time someone is stuck on stupid. The feeling of Simon’s lips against her forehead, although brief, made her grin. Her head bobbed against his shoulder. It’d been a rough evening, but Simon was worth it.
“Finally,” he grunted. Simon opened the cab door and put his hand under Regina’s elbow. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 16
Simon’s Place
Light bounced off the pristine white marble entryway floor. After leading Regina into his apartment, Simon turned on a ceiling light and flourished an arm in the air. “I present my humble abode to you, my lady. I hope it’s to your liking.”
“Impressive,” she said as she walked into the great room.
“Indeed, it is,” quipped Simon, enthralled with her bouncing bottom. Whenever she moved, he paid attention. “I never tire of admiring it. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I just want to go to bed.” Regina stretched and released a sultry yawn as she turned to Simon. “I’m exhausted.” Her arms fell on his shoulders. Smiling sleepily, she caressed the back of his neck.
“Thank you, for doing this. I know it wasn’t easy.” He pulled her closer, still in awe of how well she handled herself—poised and controlled among so much obliviousness.
“Simon, I know this is an important part of your life, and I want to be there when you need me. But, you’re right. It was damned hard. When those heifers kept tryin’ to touch my hair, I just wanted to tell ‘em off, but I didn’t want to cause trouble for my man, or I would have read each one of them.”
His smiled at the sound of the soft twang that crept into her voice. It only appeared when she was around close friends and family—people that made her feel safe. “Am I your man?” His heart filled with content.
She pressed her forehead against his. “Of course, you are. I wouldn’t have been in that den of causal racists if you weren’t.” Warmth infused every nerve at the brush of her lips against his. Having her there felt so right. Regina balanced a hand on his chest and took off her shoes. “Now where’s the bedroom?”
“That anxious, are you?”
“For sleep, Young.”
He caressed her hands with his thumbs and moved backwards to the bedroom. “Right this way, my lady.”
Once they reached the bedroom, Regina assessed her surroundings. Simon walked to the far side of the bed. Smiling, he motioned for her to join him.
She fixed her gaze between the floor and bed. Her heart raced when he took her hand and touched her back, guiding her to sit. He slowly pushed her skirt to the top of her quaking thighs and kneeled between them.
Simon cupped her face. “You’re breathtaking.” His eyes simmered with passion. She lowered her gaze to her jittery hands. Being in his bedroom was exciting and terrifying. This was uncharted territory. Not knowing what to do, she didn’t move and watched Simon open the top draw of the nightstand. “Here you go. I figured I hole up enough of my stuff at your place.” He reached in and dangled a bronze key on a silver ring with a round fob. “This is for you.” He turned it until the engraved words “Simon’s Place” shined in the hall light.
Regina twitched her eyebrows upwards and held a palm against her chest. “Is that a key to here?”
“Yes. I alread
y have one to yours. I want you to feel at home here. I know I do when I’m at your apartment.” He dropped the key back in the drawer. “Now, to get you in bed.” He tugged her earrings and held out his palm. “Take those off, please.”
A nervous laugh barely made it passed her throat. “You don’t like them?” she pulled at the clasps.
“Very nice, but they and the rest of what you’re wearing will be better off.” She quivered at the desire and demand in his voice. He placed the earrings in the drawer then reached around her neck, holding her necklace between his fingers. “Now this.” It joined the earrings. Regina held her breath as Simon clasped her wrists and made circles under the bangles with his thumb. She parted her lips and let out passion-filled breaths. “And,” he said kissing one wrist, “these,” and then the other. The bangles clinked as they hit the drawer. He took a small blue packet out and closed it.
Simon pressed his lips to hers. He pulled her top from the skirt and tucked his fingers under it, gliding them back and forth. She wriggled on the bed and let out a soft giggle. “I keep forgetting how ticklish you are.” She detected a slight bit of anxiousness in her lover’s voice. She rested her hands on each side of his square jaw and glided her thumbs across his cheeks. There was an intense hunger in his eyes. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one who found this moment different from all the other times they had sex. Something changed, making her feel like she never had before.
Simon pulled her top over her head and dropped it on the floor next to him. An electrifying sensation burst all over her skin. He ran his fingertips down her arms and rested them on her hips. “You’re so beautiful.” His warm breath rushed into her ear. “I can never get enough of you.” He cupped one hand behind her head and brought her mouth to his. A tingle rushed down her breasts as he released them from the bra with the other. The straps dropped down her round shoulder. Simon lifted it away and let it join the top.
Regina wrapped her legs and arms around him and moved to the edge of the bed. She felt his muscles tighten under her hands and between her thighs. She burned and creamed between her legs. Her nipple pebbled and throbbed incessantly when he rubbed his thumb against it. Simon broke their kiss and stared at her. His eyes burned with desire and a mandate that she give more of herself to him. He didn’t have to say anything. She sensed it deep inside. It made her heart beat so hard that it felt as if it was going to explode from her chest. He wasn’t the first man she’d been with or even serious about, but he was undoubtedly the only one to drive her passion and lay her soul bare. “Simon.” His mouth reclaimed hers before another word was uttered.
He pushed her shoulders. It was as if she was falling for an eternity. The comforter caressed her back. A rush of air escaped her kiss-bruised lips. Covering her body with his, one leg teased at her wet panties and what lay beyond them while the length of his hardness pressed into her leg. Simon clasped her breasts with his hands; her nipples ached in exquisite pain between his fingers. She spanned her palms and fingers down his back and rested them on his tight behind. Simon moaned. His breath and hot kisses emblazoned a trail down her neck and between her breasts. He held one nipple between his teeth before encircling it with his lips. She arched her back, demanding more.
Her belly shuddered as he continued his kisses downward. Simon slipped off her wet panties and made her legs tremble as he passed his fingers up and down her full brown thighs. “These are glorious.” He nipped the inside of each, stopping just close enough for his breath to pass over her outer folds. “All of you is, Gina.” Chest heaving, she widened her eyes and then fluttered them closed, running her fingers through his hair.
She tightened her buttocks and closed her thighs on either side of his head. Her long legs cascaded down his broad back. Bursts of light flashed behind her lids. Her breath was no longer hers to control. Nothing was. She floated, helpless against the waves surging through her body. She grabbed the blanket to keep her arms from flaying then braced herself on her elbows and spun her hips as Simon’s tongue worked her into a frenzy.
She pushed at his head to stop the impending release, but he wouldn’t cease flicking and rolling his hot tongue. She looked down and saw him watching her. He stilled her hips in a steely grip and closed his them, exploring her deeper and more intensely. “Simon, please.” She tried to slide away from him on her elbows before she exploded, but he jerked her back to the edge of the bed and ecstasy. Everything was spiraling out of control. Throwing her head back, only a small squeak escaped her closed throat as her insides spasmed. She fell back against the bed, gasping.
She slowly opened her eyes to see Simon raise onto his knees, wiping under his self-satisfied grin. His weight forced more of the little breath she had out of her body. “Gina,” he panted in her ear. “You’re the most wonderful thing I’ve ever tasted. Did you like that?”
Regina swallowed hard. “Yes. But you didn’t finish.”
He rose, every muscle in his chest and torso heaved. “Oh, I intend to.” He turned her on her stomach and pulled her hips until she was on all four quaking limbs. He pushed her skirt and kneaded her buttocks. She held her breath and throbbed in anticipation at the sound of the packet ripping. She wanted to feel him inside her and satiate the naked lust he uncovered. She moaned as her longing insides stretched to fit him.
Simon’s hands gripped her hips. He pushed and pulled out of her, gradually increasing the intensity of each exquisite thrust until he dug his fingers into her flesh and slammed so hard it rattled the bed to its coils and Regina to her core with a wonderful union of pleasure and pain. Once again teetering at the brink of ecstasy, she tightened around him. “Oh, Gina.” His voice shook. He bent over her and strapped her to him with his arm. Her muscles shuddered, supporting both of them as they convulsed with pleasure. Satisfied that Simon was spent, she allowed her aching arms and legs to buckle and collapsed on the bed.
They laid there staring at the ceiling. “You know,” Regina breathlessly chimed into the silence, “I think I can get used to your way of getting ready for bed.”
Simon laughed and brushed his brackish lips against hers before bouncing off of the bed and going into the bathroom. Regina followed and leaned against the doorway. She watched Simon’s muscles ripple as he washed her way from his lips and chin. He glanced at her through the mirror, reached inside the medicine cabinet and pulled out toothpaste and two toothbrushes.
“I got this for you. I also got you some flower-scented shower gel so you don’t have to smell like a man tomorrow.”
Regina accepted the little gift. He’s really trying to make me feel at home. “Thanks.” She bit her bottom lip and fiddled with the brush between her fingers. “That’s sweet.” Simon placed a dab on his brush and then hers. She stood next to him and passed the soft minty bristles over her teeth while watching Simon sway in a lull of mutual comfort with each other’s presence. She rinsed her mouth and took a few steps away from the sink. He was so cute standing there butt bare. “Can you brush your teeth like this whenever I’m around?”
He finished and tickled his refreshing tongue against hers until her knees threatened to give way. “You got it.” He patted her on the behind. “As long as you do the same for me. Now, come to bed.” Regina calmed her breathing. He knew how easily he threw her off kilter and was clearly enjoying it. She followed him into the bedroom and watched him slip underneath the blankets au natural.
“Let me guess.” Regina approached the side of the bed and stared down at Simon with her hands on her hips. “You have me to keep you warm?”
Simon tucked his arms under his head. The sheet fell across the bottom of his waist. “That’s the plan.”
“Okay, let me get my bag.”
“That won’t be necessary.” He flipped the sheet back on the other side of the bed. “You have me to keep you warm.”
Regina tilted her head and looked at his obvious arousal bulging through the linen out of the corner of her eye. “We’re sleeping, right?”
Sim
on’s eyes glinted. “Maybe.”
Regina sighed. He was too damn irresistible. She took off her skirt, settled in the curve of his body and rubbed her cheek against his arm. Her buttocks bumped against his erection, which jerked in response. “Down, Young,” she commanded despite the sensation between her legs.
***
Simon had been up for a while but remained in bed, unwilling to end the pleasure that lying next to Regina brought him. He turned on his side and propped his head in his hand. Mesmerized by her breast he traced circles around the dark areola slowly moving closer to the inviting nipple. The late-morning sunlight filled the bedroom and bathed them in a soft, warming light. She opened her lids and pulled the corners of her mouth into a sultry grin. Simon continued, becoming more excited the closer he got.
He groaned at the sound of the phone buzzing on the nightstand. Regina braced on her elbow and slid the sheet over her chest, snatching the prize from his eager finger. She let out a heavy sigh then answered. “Hi, Marc.”
Chapter 17
Kimchi
Damn. Simon’s stomach tightened with dread. Marcus still didn’t know that his best friend and baby sister were seeing each other, and the threat of him finding out constantly loomed over them.
Regina’s once dreamy eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in my apartment?” Her full lips thinned. “No, I was not home last night. Is that really any of your business?”
He slid a finger along her bare arm. I know we agreed to keep things about us quiet, but it’s been months now. How much longer does she think we can keep this a secret?
My Way to You (Brothers in Law Book 1) Page 12
