by K. Webster
When the doors open, she rushes inside in an attempt to avoid my blatant statement. With a chuckle, I follow her inside. Quickly, she pushes the button to the fourth floor and stares at the floor.
I fold my arms, lean against the wall, and watch her as we go up. She nervously begins fingering the tear in her skirt and still won’t look at me. Her thoughts may as well be on broadcast because I can hear them loud and clear. She hates what she’s done. But she also likes it no matter how much she wants to deny it.
I don’t know what it is about her, but I want her. Badly. She deserves more than my asshole brother. The emotions that war within her are so clearly painted on her face. She couldn’t hide her feelings even if she tried. I can see that she feels something with me, but she’s fighting wildly against it. The reason is beyond me. She needs to drop the douchebag already and give me a chance.
The elevator finally opens and she storms out toward the end of the hallway, fishing her keys out of her purse along the way. Once she unlocks the door, she gives me a half wave and hurries inside.
Fuck that!
She’s almost closed the door completely when my foot stops it.
“O, you aren’t even going to say goodbye?” I’m not going to lie. It stings a little that she is so dismissive after the sexually charged evening we’ve shared.
The door opens all the way back up and she looks guiltily over at me. “Goodbye, Thad.”
Her plump lips have formed a little pout, and once again, I can tell she is fighting between her heart and her mind. I’m going to help sway that goddamn decision. After stalking up to her, I slide my hands up her neck and into her hair, capturing her mouth with mine.
I kiss her hard.
I kiss her with silent words that beg her not to give up what could be.
I kiss her with all the passion and fire I have felt since the moment I laid eyes on this dark-skinned goddess.
And then I kiss her softly.
I kiss her gently. Reverently.
She deserves to be worshipped with praise and pleasure.
I want to be that man.
She fucking deserves it. We both deserve it.
Through my lips and tongue, I try to convey to her what I feel—how, since the moment I first saw her, she’s plagued my every single thought. All thoughts of ridiculously unsupportive families and drug addictions fly out the window. All I see is her. Opal.
She moans into my mouth and meets my tongue thrust for thrust. In this moment, all that exists is us and this kiss. But the moment she begins to pull away, I know she’ll try to shut me out. Her walls will go back up once and for all.
She finally manages to tear herself away from our kiss and regards me with stormy, dark eyes.
“O.” My voice shakes with my plea.
It works because she pauses—she doesn’t fully break away from me.
I tug her back to me and rest my forehead against hers. “Trust this, O. Trust that this could be more than what you ever planned for. Trust that we could be something better—something more than you ever imagined for yourself. Don’t tell me you can’t feel this fire between us.” Dipping down, I peck her swollen lips one last time before I reluctantly back away from her.
She looks slightly dazed but attempts to blink back her vulnerability. “I can’t.” Her statement guts me, but the unsureness on her face gives me hope. She won’t get rid of me that easily.
“Let me see your phone,” I demand.
She’s still reeling from our mind-blowing kiss, but she nods absently as she digs it out of her purse. Once I have her phone in my hands, I quickly text out a message and hand it back to her. Seconds later, my phone chimes.
I pull my phone from my pocket and read the text, feigning shock. “O, you’re a naughty girl.”
She snaps out of her daze and glares at me when I wink at her. “What did you do?” she questions with a frown before quickly reading the text she just sent me.
When her mouth drops open in disbelief, I take my leave.
She’s not getting rid of me. Not a chance in hell.
“You’re welcome by the way,” I laugh as I jog down the hallway, opting for the stairwell, to make my quick escape from the furious woman shooting lasers from her eyes.
My mind is still in a fog from last night. Last night.
God, could I have been any more of a whore?!
I was on a date with the man of my dreams and ended up fucking his brother the moment he had to leave me. It was disgusting. I am disgusting. Just another big fucking mistake to add to my growing list.
Trent. I feel horrible for what I did. Technically, we aren’t dating, and he clarified that by calling me his friend on numerous occasions¸ but that doesn’t make me feel any better. I. Want. Trent. Not fucking Thad!
Thad. God. That man. He infuriates me. How is it that, with one look, one touch, he has me messing up my carefully laid-out plans?
Thad is a bad boy. It’s written all over his handsome face. And he has issues—deep ones—that I am not at all prepared to uncover.
But his lips.
His smell.
His taste.
It’s all I can fucking think about and I’m pissed as hell about it.
I’m supposed to be daydreaming about Trent and the future I know we’ll have if I work on him just a bit more. We’re a perfect match. He’s an investment banker and I’m graduating with a degree in investments. We have so much in common. I can talk stocks and mutual funds until I’m blue in the face. This is something I’ve perfected over the past four years of dedicated studies. I can’t throw all that away after one night.
One seriously fucked-up night.
Why is it that I can’t get Thad out of my head? That kiss. When he kissed me last night in my apartment, my knees were so weak that I nearly collapsed. I’ve never been kissed like that before—with such passion.
God, he pisses me off.
Sighing in annoyance, I pull my phone back out and look at the text “I” sent him last night. I try not to smile, but dammit, I’m grinning like an idiot.
Me: Thank you for all the fuck-hot orgasms you gave me tonight. I’ll have wet dreams thinking about your sweet tongue devouring my pussy. See you soon, lover boy.
I laugh when I realize he’s already added himself to my contact list as Thad In My Pants. I’m about to slide my phone back into my purse to get some work done when it gets yanked from my hands.
“What the hell?” I hiss and swivel in my chair to gripe at whoever just stole my phone.
“Holy shit, Opal! Who in the hell is Thad In My Pants and why are you talking so dirty to him?” Andi giggles. Her mouth is still open in shock. “Tell me how I did not know about this lover boy. Time to spill, girlfriend,” she squeals and plops down on the edge of my desk.
I snatch my phone away from her nosy ass and tuck it safely away in my purse. “Andi, it was a mistake,” I pout. It’s my only answer. God, I don’t want to explain this to her.
“Not going to work, hot stuff. I’m not leaving this spot until you tell me how in the hell you’ve managed to keep a secret lover away from me. When did you meet this guy? Is it serious? I thought you were into Trent,” she rushes out. I’m so fucking glad she finds this exciting, because I feel awful about the entire thing.
“Andi, I messed up,” I groan and bury my head into my palms.
She lovingly strokes my hair as she waits for me to continue. Andi is my best friend—I won’t get away with not telling her the entire story.
“Okay, so, last night, I went to dinner with Trent and met his parents. His mother is a fucking bitch by the way.” I look up at Andi and shudder from just thinking about that hag. “Anyway, he kept referring to me as his ‘friend,’ much to his mother’s delight. I felt sick, but what was I to do? In my heart, I know he’ll eventually come around. We had even shared a kiss the night before last and it was lovely. But last night. God.”
Andi is totally into my story—all she needs is some popcorn and
Junior Mints. She patiently waits for me to continue with wide eyes.
“The dinner was a disaster from the moment we got to the front door. I confused his dad with the butler. Embarrasing. His mom acted like the Queen of Fucking England and I was a lowly peasant. Infurating. And his brother… God, his brother. Mistake. Andi, it was awful. I DID something awful,” I whine. I bite my lip and look at her as tears fill my eyes. “I ruined everything,” I whisper as the tears roll down my cheeks.
“Oh, Opal, I’m sure you’re making it out to be worse than it is. What did you do that you think is so bad?” she asks gently.
I laugh bitterly as I swipe at my cheeks with both hands. “I fucked Trent’s brother, Thad.”
Her jaw drops but the corners of her lips quickly turn into a grin. “Holy shit. Honey, this is great!”
“Great? How?” I demand in disbelief.
“Because, girl, you haven’t been laid since you were with Drake and that was hardly what I would call a pleasurable experience. Tell me, did you enjoy it?” Her eyes are twinkling and she’s beaming at me.
I just nod my head and let out a wrangled sob.
“Opal, why are you so upset? It sounds like this Thad guy is into you—so much so that you banged him the first time you met him. I’m having trouble seeing the problem,” she laughs.
I let out a ragged breath. She has no fucking idea.
“Because, Andi, he’s bad news. I can tell by the way his family treats him. Not to mention I am in love with Trent.” I think. “Trent is my happy ending. Trent is my white picket fence with two point five kids. He’s the right choice,” I rush out tearfully.
She smiles sympathetically at me and pulls both of my hands into hers. “I want you to listen to me, babe. How did his mother treat you? Like shit, right? Does that mean you’re a terrible person? No. So why are you so quick to judge him based on the way they treated him?”
When I frown at her, she continues. “Point made, right? Now, the other thing… I don’t quite get why you’re so fixated on Trent. I mean, he’s nice and successful—and, let’s be real, fucking hot. However, he has never treated you anything other than friendly. Opal, I want you to be truly happy, not do what you think seems like the best thing. Sometimes, you have to take a chance on the weird and random. I know I did with Jackson, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, he’s a Harry Potter nerd and an asshole for crying out loud! But he’s my nerdy asshole and I wouldn’t trade him in for the world.”
We both giggle at her words. Jackson has already told Andi that, whenever they do have a child one day, the baby is going to have a Harry-Potter-themed room. When she turned her nose up to the idea, saying that it wouldn’t work for a girl, he promised that they could put Hermione posters up.
“I think you should really be open to whatever Thad might have to offer. And also, start thinking about what you really have in common with Trent besides numbers.”
While I mull over her words, she changes the subject.
“Once you dry those tears, come into my office so we can get ready for my meeting with Dr. Martin Ellis. He’ll be here in a bit. They’re outgrowing their current facility and want to make an offer on a property that we’ll redesign the layout for. You’re a smart girl, Opal. You’ll figure it out. See you in a bit,” she chirps before she hops off the desk and strides to the office.
My mind swirls with questions as she walks away.
Should I try something out with a man I’ve only met once—a sexy, bad boy who drives me borderline crazy because he invades my every thought against my will?
Or should I keep plugging away at something I’ve been trying to cultivate for four years with a good, solid man who feels like the right choice?
When my phone pings, alerting me to a text message, I pull it out and read it with a smile.
Trent: I’m so sorry about last night. How about a do-over? I’ll pick you up tonight and take you somewhere fancy.
When my heart beats happily, I have my answer. I’m going to keep working on my happy ever after with Trent. I just have to figure out a way to push Thad from my head once and for all.
“Hi. I’m looking to meet with Mrs. Compton. I may be here just a few minutes early,” a deep, rich voice sounds out behind me.
I swivel in my chair to greet my client. He’s an older black gentleman, probably in his mid to late fifties, with slightly graying hair. Other than the gray, he seems to be very fit for his age. His suit is expensive, which is to be expected from a doctor, but his dark-brown eyes are kind and his smile is bright.
“So nice to meet you, Dr. Ellis,” I greet him professionally and stand to shake his hand.
When his eyes meet mine, the polite look is replaced by sadness. “Yolanda?” he questions, confusion lacing his voice.
My body tenses at the name—my mother’s name. He’s studying my features as if he knows me.
“No, sir, my name is Opal. Do you know my mother?” I ask.
His eyes widen and he takes a step back. Before he can answer me, Andi comes gliding into the room.
“Dr. Ellis, so glad you made it. Follow me into the conference room and we can go over my proposal,” she politely instructs.
He turns to go with her, but not before he throws another glance in my direction, his brows furrowed as in disbelief.
Sitting back down at my desk, I pull out my phone and call Olive. Maybe she knows the man who appears to know our mother.
“Hey, sis,” she answers on the second ring.
“Hey! Listen, I have a question. A man came in to meet with Andi and I think he knows Momma. Did you ever know a Dr. Ellis?” I inquire.
“Hmm… Doesn’t ring any bells. Maybe it was someone she knew through the church long ago.”
I remember the way he looked at me when he thought I was her—with such longing. No, definitely not just an acquaintance. He cared for her in some way.
“I’ll try to get more info from Andi later. Do you want to meet me for lunch?” I ask as I scoop up my purse and walk toward the door.
“Of course. I’ll meet you at our usual spot. See you soon!”
I slept like shit last night. After I came home from dropping off Opal, I lay in bed and thought about our chance encounter all night long. Our connection was instant and scorching. It pisses me off that she feels like what we did was a mistake.
To me, it felt very right.
My life has been a series of fuckups, but now, I am on the road to fix myself. It seems as if Opal were dropped into my lap on purpose, and I’ll be damned if I let her go. She shone like a fucking star, and I have to have more of her. Last night was just a taste, a tiny nibble, and it only served as a tease.
I want all of her.
Reaching over, I grab my phone off the nightstand and call my old boss, Griffin.
“Hey, Griff. It’s Thad,” I greet happily.
Griffin was my brother’s best friend in high school. When Griff married his pregnant high school sweetheart, Emma, right after school, he and Trent parted ways. Trent had Princeton and goals of running Dad’s company, while Griff went to work doing construction to provide for his new family. The two separated amicably and are friendly if they see each other.
Griff did well for himself over the years. He was a sound businessman, really good at what he did. When the company he worked for was about to go under, he used his savings along with some loans to buy it. Now called GE Construction, the company is one of the most successful construction companies in the city, nailing most of the high-end, bigger projects. Before I went to rehab, I’d been working for Griff as one of his main foremen.
“Well, if it isn’t little Thaddeus. How are you doing, man?” he booms into the phone. Booming is the only way to describe his loud, gruff voice. The guy is built like a lumberjack. He even wears fucking flannel and has the burly beard to match.
“I’m doing okay. Just got back from rehab. How are Emma and the girls?” I ask. We haven’t talked in months. I miss hi
s hilarious stories about those ornery little rug rats he has.
“No shit, man? That’s awesome. Emma’s doing great. She just found out last week she’s pregnant again. We’re hoping to add a boy to the mix. Sasha celebrates her thirteenth birthday next month, and boy, is she moody as hell lately. Lydia is still Daddy’s girl and won second place in the fifth-grade spelling bee. And finally, the little monster, Kami… She’s just as naughty as ever. Last night, she took a Sharpie to the hardwood floors in the dining room. I thought Emma was going to blow a gasket. When I tried explaining that three-year-olds go through a naughty stage, she got all emotional and worried about giving birth to another ‘devil child.’”
We both chuckle before he grows serious again and clears his throat.
“So, what are you doing now that you’re out of rehab? You need your old job back? I told you it would be waiting for you when you were ready. And even though you were a hungover asshole most days, you still did twice as good of a job as my main foreman now.” He grumbles the last part.
“Really? Thank you, Griff. Congrats on the pregnancy too, man. I was actually hoping I could start soon. I need to get out of my parents’ house as quickly as possible. You know what a bitch Mom can be. If I’m going to try to do something with my life, I need to get away from the toxic fuckers in it.”
He grunts his agreement. “It’s settled, then, Thad. Get your ass up here when you can and I’ll put you to work.”
For the first time in quite a while, I feel like my life is getting back on track.
Today, Griff and I got right back into the swing of things. I think that, because of our history of being friends for so long there’s a trust there that he just doesn’t have with his other employees. I would never do anything to jeopardize his business, and he looks after me like a big brother would—like my big brother should.
I ended up staying late at work and am in dire need of a fucking shower, but I have to see her again. Before I know it, I’m maneuvering Dad’s Harley through traffic toward her building. A few minutes later, I find an empty spot in the garage and then take the elevator to her floor. Once I make it to her door, I can hear Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” playing softly inside. I knock hard so she’ll hear me over the music.
