Her Man: An Interracial Romance (The Bentini Brothers Book 2)

by Jaye McCloud

  “Ms. Hawkins, we are from The Deluxe Gifts Shop and we have a special delivery for you. Please sign right here and we’ll be happy to give you your presents.” The first young man says with a big cheesy grin. Looking at the boxes suspiciously, I quickly sign the delivery slip. “Can you tell me who these gifts are from?”

  “There is a gift card attached to each box, mam. Have a nice day.” They say the last part in unison, smile and leave. “Well!” Kathy says excitedly. “Aren’t you going to open them?!”

  Just as I reach down to take the gift card off the box closest to me, there is a small yelp from inside one of the boxes. Then a small bark from the other box. I lift one of the tops off the box and Kathy lifts the other top off.

  “Oh My Starz!” “Oh My Gawd!” Kathy and I exclaim at the same time as each of us reach inside a box and take out the cutest little West Highland Terrier pups you ever did see!

  “Oh my gawd! Tiressa, did Antonio send them to you as well?”

  I read the first small gift card. It simply reads, “I miss you so much, Antonio.” The other matching gift card reads, “Please forgive me, Antonio.”

  “Tiressa, why are you crying?” Kathy asks as she—still holding the white fluffy puppy in her arm—tries to console me. “These are happy tears. I can’t believe Antonio did this for me. These are my dream dogs. I once mentioned what type of pet I thought would be absolutely perfect for me…and he remembered.”

  “That must have been some fight you two had. Look, it’s almost five. Do you want me to help you take the puppies home?” Kathy offers. Before I can take her up on her offer, Antonio walks into my office. “Good, I see they arrived.” He says, flashing me a beautifully sexy smile.

  “Well, this is where I disappear.” Kathy says as she gives the pup in her arms a final kiss and places him back in the box. “I’ll see you at the mansion in the morning Tiressa.”

  I’m standing there holding my puppy with shimmering eyes just absorbing the presence of Antonio Bentini…my guy. I have no words, I’m so choked up. I think I’m falling in love…

  He walks over to stand in front of me. “Do you like your presents?” I’m so overcome with stupid emotions that I collapse into his arms crying silly tears, holding my dream pup as Antonio holds me.

  ***

  I am the proud parent of two cute cuddly adorable babies. Sitting on Antonio’s lap on the sofa, I watch my new twin pups asleep on their fluffy blanket in their eight-panel puppy playpen over in a corner of the living room all made up just for them. I am blissfully content, hugged up with my guy. Taking in my adoring smile, he asks, “So have you decided on names for them?”

  “No, not yet. I have to give it some thought; a name is not to be taken lightly.” I reply in all seriousness. Angling his head to better nuzzle my neck, he ponders nonchalantly, “I wonder if you’ll be this fastidious when we choose names for our babies.” My heart jumps into my throat. “Antonio?” Shoving on his shoulders, I ask, “Antonio, why would you say that?” Looking at me, he replies with some confusion. “Say what?”

  “Why would you mention picking out baby names…for real babies…our potential babies?”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to talk about our potential babies?” Getting up off his lap, I head to my bedroom. “Tiressa, what…where are you going?”

  “It’s been a long day, I’m going to bed.”

  “Just like that? We aren’t going to finish our discussion?” He asks as he follows me into the bedroom.

  “No. I don’t want to argue with you—”

  “What’s there to argue about?”

  “Nothing, there will be no need to discuss baby names because there will be no babies.”

  “Okay, Ti, we’ll see.” He responds with absolute confidence.

  “I’m serious Antonio.”

  “I know you are Baby. Do you want to shower with me?”

  Shooting him a perturbed look, I reject his offer. “No. I’m not ready for that either.”

  “In that case, I’ll give you your privacy and take a shower in the other bathroom. I’m taking it for granted that I don’t have to ask permission to spend the night with you?” He states with a raised eyebrow. Looking at him steadily, I respond with a somewhat uncertain expression. “No, you don’t…at least not tonight.”

  Antonio is out of the shower and in bed sitting up against the headboard by the time I emerge from the bathroom dressed in one of my newest sleeveless shirt-nightgowns with a long slit up both sides. Feeling Antonio’s hot eyes on me, I’m a bundle of nerves as I walk across the room to the other side of the bed.

  “Tiressa.” Stopping short, I turn towards Antonio as he gets out of bed wearing only his boxer briefs. He has no business being so damn heart throbbing handsome! “Yes?”

  Bringing my body up against his, he growls in a husky timbre, “You’re so beautiful”, weaving his fingers through my unbound hair. “I desperately want to make love to you. But I also want to show you that I can be here for you without pushing for sex.” After tasting my lips briefly, he steps back. “Come on Baby, let’s go to bed. I want to hold you.” I will never stop being surprised and secretly pleased by how much this big tough man loves to kiss and cuddle.

  ~~~~

  “Antonio what’s that?” I whisper groggily, having suddenly been awakened from a sound sleep by an unfamiliar noise. “Nothing Baby, go back to sleep.” Antonio says sleepily as he tightens his arms around me. Suddenly I remember. “My babies are crying!” I exclaim as I throw the covers back and scramble out of the bed. “Tiressa. They’ll quiet down on their own.” But of course, I’m not hearing any of that as I rush out to the dark living room to rescue my babies.

  After giving the pups a light snack and a small saucer of milk, I bring them back to the bedroom and place them on the bed. As soon as Antonio hears the pups, he puts his foot down, “No, Ti.”

  “Please Antonio, they’re scared to be alone.”

  “No, Tiressa. Besides, they’re not alone, they have each other.”

  “Antonio—”

  “I’m not sleeping in a bed with dogs Ti.” He’s being unreasonable and unyielding. “Tony. I won’t be able to sleep with them crying.”

  “Baby, you don’t want to get them used to sleeping in the bed with you…with us.”

  “But they’re babies and this is probably their first night without their mother. We can’t just let them be all alone.” My eyes are getting misty. Rolling his eyes at my illogical thinking, Antonio gets out of bed and goes into the living room. I sit on the edge of the bed holding one of the pups while the other wanders nearby. After a couple of seconds, I sit the puppy I’m holding on the floor. I can’t have Antonio thinking I put the pups before him. Just as I get up to go apologize to Antonio, he reappears carrying the puppies’ blanket and toys. He lays the blanket on the floor in the corner. I place both pups on the blanket, turn the television on and tune in to the classical music channel as Antonio turns out the lights. I get back in bed with him but sleep on my side so that I can see the pups.

  Feeling Antonio’s arms come around me, I snuggle in closer to him. “Thank you Tony.”

  “I don’t want your thanks, I want your love.” I automatically stiffen in his arms at his whispered words. “Antonio?”

  “Good night, Tiressa.”

  “Good night, Antonio.” I whisper back.

  ~~~~

  “I want to make love to you.”

  “Umm…umm”; hearing myself moan, I come fully awake.

  “Baby. I want to make love to you.” Antonio is behind me, kissing the back of my neck. One of his arms is under me, with his big hand on my bare breast softly caressing the rigid bud as he’s pressing my body against the front of his hard heated body. “Umm…” I moan again, feeling his other hand deep between my thighs.

  “Ti I want to make love to you.” Antonio whispers again, licking my neck and then my ear before gently sucking the lobe into his warm wet mouth. “Ummm…Tony…” His fingers con
tinue gently circling, then rolling my throbbing tips, causing a delicious shiver to run through my body as I clutch at the covers under my hand.

  “Open your legs wider.” Antonio whispers the command as he bites the side of my neck. “No.” I pant, trying to press my thighs together, knowing I’m fighting a losing battle…with him and with myself. “Come on Baby, just a little bit wider for me.” His long blunt talented fingers caresses my most sensitive private parts, matching the delicious sensation streaking through my nipples like tiny bolts of lightning. “Toonnyy…” Throwing my head back against his chest, I pant his name over and over, feeling the blood rushing through my veins straight to my thrumming core as the first electric jolts begin pulsating through my body curling my toes in wicked pleasure. I grip Antonio’s strong forearm to keep him in place as I grind my hips back against his jutting shaft.

  “Baby I need to be inside you. Now! Can I make love to you Tiressa?” Antonio growls just before I feel the scrape of his teeth across my nipple as he sucks the little brown berry into his warm wet mouth. My breath stops and tears blur my vision at this most exquisite sensation. “Yes!..Yes!..Please Tony!” I don’t care about anything but Antonio’s hands on my body as I ride this wave of erotic ecstasy to completion; gripping the covers, gripping Antonio, I keen uncontrollably as my entire body stiffens in climatic spasms, and with Antonio thrusting powerfully into me, I experience a divine succession of jerking, twitching glorious orgasmic aftershocks.

  Antonio

  “Mmmmm”, I can’t hold back the guttural sounds of relief as I throw back the covers, grab Tiressa’s leg and lift her silky thigh over my hip. “Oh gawd, Baby!” I pant, pushing into her, angling for deeper penetration. “Tony…” I can hear the nervousness in her voice. “Shhh, Baby, it’s okay.” My entire body vibrates from the pleasurable sensation. “Mmm… I’m not going to last.” My body tighten and my muscles tense. “Tony, please pull out!” She begs desperately.

  “No Baby!” I deny her in a hard, determined voice.

  “Tony, please don’t!” She shifts her hips in a futile attempt to evade what’s about to happen. Her jerky movements send shock waves of intense pleasure to my shaft. “Tiressa, I love you!” I pant into her ear releasing my tiny soldiers to find and penetrate the golden prize.

  Kissing her soft caramel shoulders, I murmur. “I want to stay inside you.” Not waiting for a reply, I wrap my arms around her as I slowly roll us both onto our sides. “I’m getting cold Antonio.” Tiressa sounds more sleepy than angry, and for that, I’m very relieved. Reaching behind me, I pull the covers up over our quickly cooling bodies. Snuggling tighter to Tiressa, we both fall back into a sound sleep.

  ***

  “Are you by chance, looking for this?” Turning from my frantic search, to face Antonio holding up the very box I’m tearing apart my bathroom medicine cabinet looking for.

  “Yes. What are you doing with it?” I ask defensively.

  “What I want to know is –why do you have this?” Antonio’s voice is calm, but I can tell that he’s clenching his jaw; which means he’s really upset.

  “You know why Antonio. Can I have it back?” I ask holding out my hand for the tiny box.

  “How many times have you used these?” His voice is lower, quieter; which means that he’s trying to control his anger.

  “Once.” As furious as he is, I have no intentions of telling him the truth –that I’ve taken the morning after pill twice already. Although I feel I didn’t really have a choice, I know that he won’t see it that way. “I bought it after the first time we made love and I realized that you probably didn’t use a condom. I was unprotected Antonio. I’m still unprotected. Since you refuse to wear a condom, I need some kind of contraceptive until my birth control pills have time to work effectively. Antonio, give it to me, please.” I ask again, holding out my hand.

  “You want me to give you a drug that will get rid of my baby.” He demands outraged.

  “It’s a morning after contraceptive, it doesn’t get rid of a baby, it prevents a baby from being made.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me feel better, Tiressa? Because it doesn’t! Inside your womb right now, one of my soldiers could be fertilizing the egg that is our baby. And you want me to stop it from happening. I won’t do it. And neither will you!”

  “Be reasonable Antonio—”

  “No! Not about this! I won’t forgive you if you take this pill, Tiressa.” He vows, placing the tiny box in the palm of my hand. “The choice is yours.”

  Chapter 18

  “Antonio please. Just let me out half a block before we get to the club.”

  “What kind of a man do you think I am? I’m not letting you out anywhere but in the parking lot.”

  “I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to pull up at the club in the same car. How will that look?”

  “I don’t give a damn how it looks. I agreed not to shout our relationship to the world. But I didn’t agree to deny that we are seeing each other.” We’re in the parking lot now and I’m running out of time. Antonio can be so damn stubborn.

  “Okay, then let’s not walk in together…you go in first and then I’ll go in five minutes after.”

  Now that he has parked the car, he’s giving me his full attention. Turning to look directly at me, he snarls through clenched teeth. “Tiressa. You are insulting me again, and I don’t appreciate it.”

  “Antonio, you know I’m not trying to insult you, so you can just calm down. But we are already seen too much together at the office. I think people are starting to talk about us. What if it became known that you had my office redecorated, and that all those roses came from you?” Glancing around the parking lot, I point out that his security team and others from B&S are already here. “If we walk in there together, especially at this time of morning, they’ll know for sure that something is going on between us.”

  “I wish that I could care, Tiressa…but I don’t. We are going to have to sit down with my mother soon because I’m not willing to hide how I feel about you any longer, I’m done with sneaking around to be with you.”

  “But you promised you would!” I cry, really upset.

  “I promised to give you some time, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Your time is up.” He says unyielding.

  Exhaling a wobbly frustrated breath, I hedge for a little more time. “This celebration is for Jason and Adam. Let’s not do anything to take the spotlight away from them. The last thing I want is to be part of anything that can potentially ruin their party. Can we put some distance between us until after tonight.” When it looks like he isn’t going to budge, my eyes water and I become desperate. “Please, Tony! Just until after the party and then we can discuss how to go about telling your mom.”

  I sag with relief when he reluctantly relents –but just a little. “Okay, but only on one condition. I want you and the pups to come stay with me for a couple of days.”

  “Antonio—”

  “No, Tiressa. Take it or leave it. Besides, your bed is an absolute nightmare…it’s too damn small.”

  He leaves me no real choice. “Fine. I’m sure me and the pups will enjoy spending time at your place.” Now that he’s gotten his way again, he visibly relaxes. “That’s my girl.” He’s all smiles. “Now give me a taste of those beautiful luscious lips.” It’s difficult to resist when he hits me with that sexy -you know you want this- look. Leaning towards each other, we share a passionate kiss. “Umm.” He groans. “All your lips are beautiful, luscious and delicious.”

  “Antonio!” Jerking back from him, I move to get out of the SUV. “You are so nasty.” I toss the words at him as I close the door and dash to the club’s entrance. I make it into the club a little winded, but most importantly, ahead of Antonio…so it doesn’t look like we came together. I smile at my cleverness as I make my way to the center of the club where Kathy is standing.

  “I’m sorry Kathy, I woke up late and I’ve been trying to catch up since.” I p
ut my purse and bags on the table next to her stuff, then turn to give her a quick hug.

  “That’s okay. You don’t have to apologize to me, you have my back and I have yours.” She’s so sweet, I give her another quick hug. She’s fast becoming one of my very good friends…I wonder if she’ll fit in with the girlz. “Kathy are you sure you don’t mind giving me a ride to the mansion and then home? I don’t want to impose.”

  “Are you kidding, of course not.”

  “I know I didn’t give you a clear explanation… Antonio insisted that I ride here with him. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and it was just easier to go along with it.”

  “Well, you know that some men just have to have it their way, especially those with the last name Bentini.” Kathy says with a sly smile. We are interrupted by the owner of the nightclub. “Well-well-well, aren’t you two just the finest looking things these eyes have seen all week? My name is Mike Brooks and I’m the owner of this club.” He introduces himself, kissing the back of first Kathy’s hand and then mine.

  “Forget about it Mike.” Adam says, striding up to us with his twin right beside him. “We’re responsible for Kathy and Tiressa and that means guarding them from your hazardous charms.” Jason adds as he comes to a halt next to me with Adam standing next to Kathy. The brothers couldn’t resist coming to the club to check things out one final time before the party.

  “Are you really going to try to convince these beautiful ladies that I’m a dangerous man?” Mike complains, with a pretty-good interpretation of having hurt feelings; which is quite charming. Laughing, I glance up to catch sight of this rather imposing man walking beside Antonio in what looks to be a very serious conversation. I can’t help making comparisons. Although the man has dark hair and looks to be at least six feet, he’s not as buff as Antonio. However, he is just as handsome, in that same rugged macho way. They walk over to our little group, sure footed and all business. “Mr. Brooks we need you. My team has checked out the building and we are ready to go over the security plans discussed at our last meeting.” Antonio addresses Mike Brooks, but both men are shooting him the same disapproving scowl. “Sure thing Mr. Bentini.” Mr. Brooks easily switches to man of business, as he heads back towards his office.