Smooth: The Sons of Victor Black: A BWWM Romance

by Cassie Verano

  “That shit turns me on. Hell, it turns you on, too, because if it didn’t, you wouldn’t engage,” I muttered, pulling Madison against me.

  “No!” she said, pulling away from me as the doors opened to let more passengers on.

  Now that Madison and I would be okay, my mind roamed back to my father. He still hadn’t regained his speech or movement. Only his fingers and eyelids made butterfly movements.

  What if he didn’t make it? What if the last memory I had of him was our argument? What if I never had the chance to tell my father, I loved him?

  It wasn’t something we said. Come to think of it, the last time I’d said that to my father I’d still been in elementary school.

  My heart was breaking with the possibility of knowing he might not make it. I was thinking of all the missed opportunities; that terrified me.

  “KB?” Madison called out to me as the other passengers departed on the next floor.

  “Yeah?” I said, resting my head against the elevator wall.

  “I caught an Uber down here. Why don’t you come home with me tonight? I don’t want you to be alone. You look like you could use a friend,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my face into the crown of her head. Burying my face into her thick hair, I inhaled the coconut scent. Despite the struggle I was battling, I lost my control. My body shook as I tried to contain my emotions, holding them all inside. But the comfort of her arms around me wouldn’t allow me to hold on a moment longer.

  I had been at the hospital the entire morning and afternoon. Yet, I hadn’t been back to see my father once. All of my brothers had gone back at some point with my mother. Even my sisters-in-law, Nicole, a very pregnant Blake, and Alexandra, who’d recently announced her pregnancy had been back there to check on him. I couldn’t find it in me to go and see him hooked up to machines, not standing like the formidable figure he’d always been.

  Guilt suffocated me. I’m sure no matter how my father acted, his arguments with each of his sons over the years impacted him. Reminding him of his failures as a husband and father hadn’t helped.

  WHEN I PULLED UP TO Madison’s building, I turned around to face her, my back against the car door.

  “How did you find out I was the one who purchased the property? You never did tell me that,” I said.

  “Steve.”

  Confusion settled in first, followed quickly by rage.

  “What the fuck does he have to do with this?”

  She sighed.

  “Steve has always been jealous of our friendship. He suspected something was going on between us a long time ago. He suspected it before it happened. Anyway, his law firm was the one that handled the sale of the property. When he found out your company was purchasing the property, he was all too excited to bring it to my attention. Of course, he wants to believe he did it for the right reason, but I’m not so sure. I think it was partially to look out for me, but mostly to get me mad at you.”

  “And he accomplished that,” I said, seething.

  “Yes. And I’m sorry,” Madison whispered.

  I didn’t know whether to be pissed at him or Madison. How had she let that asshole get to her like that and not come to me first?

  “Shit!” I yelled, punching my fist against my thigh.

  I wanted like hell to punch his ass out. But sharing that information with Madison would serve no purpose but worry her, since that asshole, Steve wasn’t here to receive it.

  Madison reached out and rubbed her hand down my arm. I closed my eyes, trying to contain my emotions.

  A glance at her helped me to do that. After all, she had come back to me despite Steve’s best efforts to mess that up. I was lucky. I had a damned good girl on my team. What more could a man ask for?

  “Mads.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I want you to move in with me.”

  Her head jerked back. “Say what?”

  Reaching out, I tugged on a strand of her hair. “I want you to move in with me.”

  The expression on Madison’s face was one of fear and doubt.

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why? Because I want to be with you all the time, Mads. I want to spend my mornings and nights with you. I’ve played so many games for so long. But I’m ready for a real life, and I want that with you,” I said.

  Madison chewed her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest. Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve been through so much shit in such a short period. We should take some time to sort things out, figure out what we want.”

  “I want you, baby. Why is that so hard to understand?”

  She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. And by the time she opened them once more, I saw the ironclad determination in them.

  “I can’t give up that type of control over my life. Moving in with you means accepting your family as an extension of that. Your father is too controlling. I can’t give in to that, and the way he manipulates things. That’s not how I see my future, KB. I ended a relationship with one man who drowned me in his life. I need to have something that’s my own. I have to be able to be Madison and not just someone’s significant other. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before because...well, I’d pushed you away. But I received an invitation the morning you were supposed to pick me up that I just couldn’t turn down.”

  “What type of invitation?” I asked warily.

  She pressed her lips together and inhaled deeply before releasing a sigh. “I was invited to tour with the Contemporary National Ballet Company. We’re making stops in Costa Mesa, California, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Detroit.”

  My heart thumped in my chest. This was great news for Madison, but that meant she would be away from me. For how long? I pushed my issues aside because they weren’t important.

  “I’m so proud of you, Mads! That’s cool as hell!”

  “Thank you, Kent.”

  “For how long?”

  She inhaled deeply. “Four months. Twelve days in each city.”

  My heart dropped, but I reminded myself it wasn’t about me.

  I placed my hands on either side of her face and pulled her towards me. Softly, I kissed her lips, watching as her eyes drifted closed.

  A moan escaped her throat, making me want her. I wanted her to be with me. I saw my future with this girl, but I needed her to be sure of me, too. I couldn’t do that if she had doubts or reservations about a relationship with me.

  Maybe this time away was what she needed to be certain I was what she needed.

  So, as much as it pained me, I pulled back from the kiss.

  I heard the little disappointed “aw-oh,” sound she made.

  “Four months, wow.”

  “I know it’s a long time, but...this is a wonderful opportunity for me,” she said.

  “Baby, I know. I’m so proud of you, and I only want the best for you. Mads, I see a woman with a warm and beautiful heart who has so much to offer the world. Someone who sees the beauty in people around her and encourages them to be their best. A woman who loves the innocence in children and works to protect and nurture it. You’re a gifted, talented ballerina whose art in dance speaks to the soul. A mind that is so deep and beautiful it forces you to think outside of your box and challenges shallow thinking. Mads, you’re my life source. My soul mate. And while you might not be sure, I am sure you and I belong together. But I’ll give you time to work through that and figure it out for yourself, too. I’ll wait,” I said.

  Madison closed her eyes, smiled, and said, “Okay,” before she left my car and my life for the next four months.

  CHAPTER 32 – MADISON

  The last four months had been busy for me. A five-city tour had left my body tired, my mind depleted, and my feet swollen. I wasn’t sure I could get my pointe shoes on again.

  Most of the dancers returned home after each city’s tour was finished to replenish themselves. And then they would meet u

p again in the next city. But not me.

  After spending twelve days touring and six days of exclusive rehearsal in each city, I needed time to myself. I opted to remain in each city, exploring on my own for thirteen days.

  It was essential, “me-time.”

  It gave me a chance to get to know myself better. I didn’t have a man in my face, my parents riding my back, nor my sister telling me what to do. For the first time, I was on my own, and I enjoyed it so much.

  The lessons I’d learned along the way about myself and Kent were invaluable.

  I had spent the last four months talking on the phone and Facetiming him. We had gotten to know one another on a different level and focused on building our relationship outside of sex. It only served to enhance my friendship with him.

  The one thing I knew without a doubt was that I loved Kent, and I couldn’t live without him. Today was the first day that I’d seen him since he dropped me off at my place four months earlier.

  His high rise building had come quite a long way in the last four months. The tenants would start moving in within two months, and the office space would be fully occupied within the next six weeks. I’d heard the live, work, play community was gorgeous and easily rivaled that of others, such as Atlantic Station.

  But today, I stood with the crowd watching the dream turn into a reality.

  Now he stood on stage with his rugged good looks, in his tailored black suit, the top two buttons of his shirt open with no tie. That was Kent. Always ruggedly sexy, handsome in an I don’t care kind of way.

  I missed him so bad. But I needed him to know what I needed without me having to tell him. At the moment, I wanted to run on stage and jump my man. It had been a while since I’d had the dick and I was fiending for it.

  “Tee-Tee, I wanna get down,” Gabby whined, wiggling in my arms.

  “Just a second, baby. As soon as your uncle Kent finishes cutting that great big ribbon, I’ll let you down. Okay?”

  “O-tay,” she said with a small pout.

  I kissed her chubby caramel cheeks and smoothed my hand over her beautiful curls, before turning my gaze back to the group standing before me. Beside Kent was Greyson and Nicole, whose firm Cabot and Cove had been responsible for the interior design project. Beside them were Atlanta Mayor Rhonda Broom, Kent’s friend Riley Herndon, and a few other important dignitaries.

  To my right, sat my parents, and beside them, Alexandra sat in a chair with an attentive Grant standing right behind her, his hands resting lovingly on her shoulders. Every now and then, he would caress the side of her face or stroke her hair.

  That was a man in love with his wife, and I believed it wasn’t just because she was carrying his seed. He genuinely loved her.

  In a form-fitting sage green dress that stopped above her knees and an olive green floor-length cape, with matching stilettos, she was breathtakingly gorgeous. How in the hell, she managed to still look sexy at six months pregnant, I’d never know. But she did. I admired the woman.

  Beside them stood Blake, who now that she’d had her baby and retained twenty of the thirty pounds she gained, looked terrific. She had been a shapely woman before, but her baby weight gave her that extra something that attracted men’s eyes and kept Mitch close by her side. Like he was now, scooping his hand around the curve of her ass.

  She looked up at him with a naughty smile on her lips, and he leaned down and kissed her. I yearned for the love all three of those couples had. Even my sister and Greyson were still in love after all this time. My eyes drew back to the man standing before me.

  A light mewling sound drew my attention from him to his parents.

  To my left was Kent’s mother, Megan Black looking as elegant and regal as she always did. And surprisingly, by her side was his father, Victor Black. He had recovered from his stroke, thanks to the money they were able to funnel into physical, occupational, and speech therapists.

  According to my sister, Victor still had not returned to the office or his role as CEO of the Black Hospitality Group. His COO was still heading the CEO role, and Greyson was covering the role of COO. But it appeared as if he would remain in that position since there was no designated time of return for Victor.

  Nicole said Greyson was phenomenal in his role, but he still made time for her and Gabby, as well as managing his chain of boutique hotels.

  I watched as Victor Black held a bottle up to the infant’s mouth. If I had not witnessed it myself, I wouldn’t believe he was smiling and cooing at the baby in his arms: his first grandson, Cole Reed Black. Today was the first time I had laid eyes on him.

  His cream-colored skin with a splash of caramel was so smooth and gorgeous. Big pale green eyes stared up at his grandfather as his thick full lips fed on his bottle. A thick layer of onyx curls covered his head. The little boy was the perfect mixture of Mitch and Blake.

  Megan smiled at her grandson, Cole, her eyes full of pride.

  I watched as she leaned over and said something to Victor, and he kissed her lips. She rested her head gently on his shoulder, and the two spoke in hushed voices.

  Holding Cole earlier when we had first arrived at the event, left me wanting a child of my own. Those thoughts brought sadness to my heart because I was all alone. Not that I wanted to be. I wanted so much more, but I wasn’t sure he was ready for what I wanted. And I would never force my desires or thoughts onto him.

  That was something he had to grow to want. And if he never did, then I’d have to live with that and live without him.

  There was a loud burst of applause, and I realized for the first time that all eyes were on me.

  “Madi,” my dad said, nodding his head towards the stage.

  I stared at him in puzzlement, and then Grant leaned forward, looking at me.

  “Go ahead,” Grant urged me, while still clapping and nodding his head towards the platform.

  “Huh?”

  “They want you on stage,” Alexandra whisper shouted.

  I had no idea what this was all about, but I turned to my left and saw Megan shooing me towards the steps. I hurried up towards the platform, still carrying Gabby, who was clapping her hands with everyone else. I was sure she had no idea why she was clapping, just as I had no idea why I was climbing the stairs.

  Kent was smiling at me as he walked towards me. Greyson reached out and grabbed Gabby from my arms as she squealed, “Dadeee!”

  “What’s this all about, Kent?” I whispered as he took my hand in his.

  A nervous smile flitted on his lips.

  “We’ve known each other for four years. And I thought I’d learned everything about you. I know your favorite song is, Dive by Usher, and your favorite song to rock out to is Orphans. You like a shot of Kahlua with a touch of cinnamon. Although you’re a ballerina and you’re graceful, you love wild, chaotic dance moves. I know you tie your hair down at night, so it’s not frizzy the next morning. You hate Tuesday mornings more than Monday mornings because they’re a teaser that Wednesdays are one day away. You hate scrambled eggs without cheese, and grits without the cheese. But you love soft blankets, pillows, and walking in the rain. Even more than that, you love spotting rainbows after the rain.”

  I had no idea where he was going with all this. I was embarrassed as the people below and behind us oohed and ahhed as he revealed all these private details about me.

  I could smack Kent.

  “I know by the way your eyes are narrowing with that little spark in them, and your lips are pinched, you’re ready to smack me.”

  The crowd laughed, and my attitude towards him softened as I allowed a smile on my lips.

  “But with all the things I know, there was something important I didn’t know. I’ve always prided myself on being a pretty smart guy, but I was dense on this one.”

  I wanted to ask him what in the hell was he talking about, but I knew he’d get around to it.

  “I know you’re the type of woman that comes from a strong family. You’re the baby girl, and because of that, you’re under your family’s protection. You don’t take that lightly, and your parents’ approval means everything to you,” he said with a brief nod in their direction.

  My parents, who were invited by Greyson, smiled at us and nodded their heads.

  “It’s my desire, baby, to have the same type of long-lasting love they have enjoyed. It took me four months of hell to figure it out, but baby, I did. I need you. You’re not the type of girl a guy moves into his space to be his ‘significant other.’ You’re the type of woman a guy asks to come into his life to mark out a permanent space that is above all others. So, I apologize I didn’t get it right before. But Mads, this is me...asking if you would climb to the top of the world with me, as not just my first and only love, my best friend and soulmate, but as my wife,” Kent said, pulling out a jewelry box.

  Nicole took the microphone from Kent’s hand, grinning broadly from ear to ear as tears streamed down her face.

  My hands flew to my face in shock. Kent opened the ring box and held up the ring. A halo of pink and white bead-diamonds sparkled in the mid-March sunlight. The elegant cushion-cut white diamond center stone and the diamond band created a brilliant display of sparkle.

  “With the blessings of your parents, Madison Alyssa Cabot, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Kent Black?”

  I nodded my head but kept both my hands plastered over my mouth, afraid that if I moved them, a scream would burst forth. Tears streamed from my eyes.

  Gently, he rested a hand over my left one and pulled it from my face. Looking into my eyes again, he nodded, confirming if it was okay to slide on the ring.

  “Yes, Kent, yes, I’ll marry you,” I cried out.

  A loud chorus of applause and cheers went up as he slid the big rock on my finger. He figured out what I wanted and needed most.

  After I’d accepted the ring and calmed down, he took the microphone back from Nicole.

  “She said, ‘yes,’ everyone!” Everybody started clapping again as he pulled me to him and kissed me sweetly.

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