Sweet pulled out of her for moment, placed her foot back on the floor, and turned her around so that she faced the shower stall wall. Then he bent her over. “You tell me if you don’t want this.”
He held his shaft as he used his other hand to push her ass cheek aside. Nikla glanced back at him but didn’t say a word.
Sweet rubbed the tip over her puckered hole. He slipped the tip inside and held himself there for moment.
Nikla’s knees buckled more pronounced this time. Good thing Sweet had his arm around her waist. He held her up as he eased himself inside her until he got down to the hilt.
Each time Sweet pulled back, her constricting hole drew him back inside. He could live there and be happy.
“More,” Nikla said in a whisper.
She reached behind herself and held the back of Sweet’s head. With each thrust, his heart pounded harder and harder. He kissed her shoulder, then gave her playful nips with his teeth over it up to her neck.
With her body all wet, Sweet drank her all in, licking the water from her skin. He could sustain his life being buried deep in her and drinking in her essence.
Sweet wrapped his arm around her waist and increased his tempo. Nikla must have felt his body trembling. She wrapped her foot around his ankle as though to keep him in his spot. No way could he even break from his position until he satisfied himself and Nikla, his woman, his submissive, his lover.
“Ohh, yes!” Sweet growled in her ear.
At the same time, Nikla cried out, pressing her ass against him. “Shit. I didn’t think that was even possible.” She craned her head back as far as she could while bringing him in closer to kiss him.
For as long as he lived, he would love hearing Nikla’s voice. If he had any chance of a long-term relationship with her, he would have to find and talk to her father.
****
After her afternoon classes, Nikla went back to Decadent Treats, but not to see Sweet. Actually she hoped he wouldn’t be there. What she had to do, she had to do without Sweet’s knowledge or approval.
At the door of the candy store, Nikla would have normally paused there, too afraid to go inside. She would have probably had an anxiety attack at this point. Feeling confident of her decision, she opened the door and stepped inside.
“Welcome to Decadent Treats.” The robust, older woman who threatened to call the police on her before stared at Nikla for a moment before her smile disappeared. “I’ll call the police on you if you try anything.” She patted her pockets and pulled out a roll of red ribbon, something she would probably use on their gift baskets. “I’ll tie you up until the police arrive.”
Nikla tried hard not to laugh. She liked how fiercely this woman protected Sweet and the store. “I’d like to talk to the owner, Masaun, not Sweet.”
The woman, whose ID badge named her as Connie, blinked but remained in her spot. “Why?”
“It’s personal.”
Connie shook her head. “Oh no you don’t, Missy. Mr. Hawkes is with a beautiful attorney. If you’re looking to break up their relationship, I’ll–”
Nikla held up her hand. “Please. I’m not looking to break up any relationship.” Not intentionally, she wanted to add. Nikla had a feeling that with her introduction at dinner last night that she may have ruined Sweet and Masaun’s relationship. She couldn’t have that happen. “Is he here?”
“Connie.”
Nikla and Connie both looked behind the counter where the voice emanated. Masaun stood by a doorway as he looked at the two women. Still wearing a suit, he looked official...and mad.
“Nikla, come on back to my office.” He opened the door for her.
Although she knew the location of the office, she allowed Masaun to lead her. He closed the door behind the two of them and directed her to sit in a chair in front of the desk as he occupied a seat behind it.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Masaun’s soured expression didn’t scream that he wanted to see her, now or ever.
Nikla took a deep breath. “I know you don’t like me, and you have a good reason not to.”
Masaun remained quiet as she spoke.
“I would be upset with anyone who wanted to crush my dreams, too. But I had a good reason.”
“People who set off bombs at abortion clinics believe they have good reason, too. Terrorists think that what they’re doing is right and just.”
“You think I’m a terrorist?” Nikla hadn’t thought of herself that way but obviously Masaun had.
“What you’re doing is designed to drive business away.”
Nikla nodded. “You’re right. Before we get into that, I’d like to discuss the real reason why I’m here.”
“And why is that?”
“Sweet. Swithin.” Nikla sat at the edge of her seat. “Sweet is the most stubborn and determined man I have ever met.” She smiled at some of his antics and had to cross her legs when she recalled times at the club. “He loves this business.” She stared at Masaun. “He loves you. He wants you to be proud of him.”
“I am.” Masaun leaned back in his chair and turned to the side. “He doesn’t think I’m proud of him?”
She shook her head. “He thinks you’re holding onto his past mistakes and won’t let him get beyond that to see the amazing man he is now. He’s smart and resourceful and, yes, sometimes difficult.”
At that revelation, Masaun chuckled.
“But he’s a lot stronger than you think. He managed to train me in a lifestyle I knew nothing about.”
Masaun whipped his head around to look at her.
“Sweet has made me fall in love with it. He could have done exactly what you wanted to do, have me arrested or run me off your property. He didn’t. He went out there and talked to me. When I didn’t feel strong, he helped me, literally carried me. Even after the dynamic of our relationship changed, he told me to continue picketing his store. He wanted me to stay true to myself. That’s part of the reason I, uh, respect him so much.”
Masaun turned his chair around and faced her. “Are you sure you aren’t doing this just to worm your way into our business and try to break it down from the inside?”
Nikla sighed. She understood some of Masaun’s skepticism. She just wished he could have been a little more open like Sweet.
“I don’t want to do that. Like I said, I respect Sweet. I would do anything for him.”
“I know. I saw. That whole panty stunt shut me right up.”
Nikla felt the heat flooding her cheeks.
“You made it very obvious that you care for my brother. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this happy. I don’t think I had even met Melinda, his last submissive, until toward the end of their relationship.” Masaun sighed and bowed his head. “Don’t break his heart.”
She shook her head. “I won’t.” She put her hand to her chest. “And I’m done passing out fliers. I did it initially for love, and now I have to stop for that same reason.”
“Love?”
Nikla didn’t want to reveal too much to Masaun, not until she had a chance to talk to Sweet. “Nothing romantic. Family, actually. But I’m discovering that grand gestures aren’t going to solve the problems between us.” Just like with Masaun, Nikla would need to sit down and talk to her father. That conversation should have been done a long time ago.
Masaun stood and held his hand out to her. Nikla shook it.
“I appreciate you coming in and talking to me face to face. It takes a lot of guts for you to do that.” After shaking her hand, he walked around the desk. “I can see why Sweet would like you.” He nodded.
Nikla stood and walked with Masaun to the office door.
“So has he met your family yet?”
She shook her head. “My brother’s in the Marines. My mother lives in Maryland.”
“And your father?”
“A hard nut to crack, but I’ll get him to see what I see.” She hoped.
“Good luck. I understand about obstacles that can
hold up a relationship. I hope you two make it.”
Nikla couldn’t help but give Masaun a kiss on his cheek.
“You stop that right now!” Connie called from the aisle. “I told you he’s getting married.”
“I’m not trying to–”
“Let it go.” Masaun patted Nikla’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of this one.”
Before any more drama could escalate, Nikla hightailed it out of the candy store. Now she had to get a costume for Halloween. She never liked the special day because of the candy involved. She had a feeling with Sweet, she would find a new way to appreciate the event. Plus she had a great idea of what to wear for him that would fit their relationship.
****
At the end of the day, Sweet just wanted to go back to his apartment and crash. After cleaning up the kitchen area, he went to the office to talk to Masaun. They hadn’t spoken all day. After dinner last night, the air had to be cleared.
He stepped into the office, finding Masaun in his usual spot behind the desk. Sweet closed the office door to keep their conversation private from their eager employees.
“I had an interesting visitor today.” Masaun leaned back in his swivel chair and propped his ankle up on his other knee.
“Who? Mom and Dad?” Sweet sat on the couch and stretched his arms across the back.
“Nope. Nikla Dearwood.”
That name got his attention. She’d called him and said she couldn’t see him tonight. Sweet wondered if his brother said something to upset her. No, Nikla would have shared that with him. He found her to be an open book.
“What was she doing here?” Sweet braced his hands on his knees.
“She defended you very, very fiercely.”
Sweet’s breathing slowed at that news. “She did?”
Masaun nodded. “Then she said she would stop the picketing.”
Sweet started to yell at his brother if he intimidated her to stop.
His brother raised his hand. “It was her idea, not mine. She said the reason why she started is the same reason why she stopped. She didn’t explain. I’m hoping she talked to you already.”
Not yet. Sweet suspected their conversation would happen soon.
“By the way, I had a very lonely night last night. Kindle thought I was too hard on you and Nikla during dinner.” Masaun cleared his throat. “I apologize if I made either of you feel bad, but I love you. I won’t apologize for being overprotective.”
“Big shock.” Sweet stood. “God forbid you actually admit that you were wrong at anything.”
“It’s so rare that I am wrong.” Masaun laughed. “Seriously, are you and I good?”
Sweet moved to the door. He brought his attention back to his brother. “Getting there. Glad Kindle put your ass out of the bedroom last night. I knew I liked her.”
“Yeah. She likes you and Nikla together. By the way, I’m assuming you did a Google search on her, right?”
Sweet groaned. “Come on. Give me some credit.”
Masaun lifted his hands in defeat. “Okay, I should have figured you would have done a search on Nikla and her father.”
Sweet didn’t want to pause too long and let her brother see that Sweet hadn’t done any research on Nikla’s father. He had her parents’ names. Why hadn’t he thought of that before?
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Before Masaun could bring up anything else, Sweet rushed up to his apartment. He had some research to do.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nikla would have rather spent the evening with Sweet than with her father at Healthy Bites. With a week in between the last time she saw him, she knew she couldn’t get away with avoiding him for much longer.
At closing time, Lawrence locked the doors then turned to Nikla. “Thanks for helping out today.”
Nikla plastered a smile on her face. She managed to glance at her watch to see if Sweet would still be available. She still couldn’t believe he had gotten her to try anal sex. It shocked her even more that she came from it. Her bottom still tingled as she thought about it.
No, she had to stay focused. Although she missed Sweet’s body, she had to give her full attention to her father.
“You’re not even listening to me.”
Busted.
“I am, Dad. You said you wanted me to work with you full-time.” Nikla hoped her guess came close to what her father had said. She avoided looking at him, concentrating on cleaning off the tables and counters, so that he wouldn’t look into her face and see that she had lied to him.
“You can’t do that yoga stuff forever.”
Nikla sighed that she had assumed correctly. “Dad, you haven’t been listening to me now. I’ve been telling you for the last couple of years that I’ve wanted to have my own studio.”
Lawrence shook his head. “Too dangerous. Too risky.”
“Dangerous? I do yoga for a living.”
Her father glared at her. “Depending on where you set up your business, some crazed lunatic may come in and try to rob you or worse.” He broke his stare to remove the cash from the register. “No, you need to be here with me. Your brother is protecting our country. You need me to protect you.”
“What? I’m not a child. I’ve managed to go to college, live on my own, get my own job, buy my own car and take care of myself for years. I don’t need–” Nikla started to say she didn’t need him when she got a death stare from him. “I don’t need you to protect me. You remember all of those self-defense classes you enrolled me in before I graduated college? I really did go to them.”
Lawrence locked the money in the safe in his office before he turned off the light and locked the office door.
“I do have to talk to you. We can do it over dinner. My treat.” Nikla smiled.
Her insides tickled just thinking about telling her father about Sweet and her feelings for him. She would reveal that before admitting what her new man did for a living.
Lawrence snickered and plopped down in a chair. “You want to get me out in public so I won’t embarrass you?”
Nikla shook her head. “No.” She approached him but didn’t sit. What she had to say she really wanted to be grounded. Standing would give her some power. “I thought after such a long day that it would be nice for someone to serve us for a change.”
Just saying the word “serve” brought memories of the times she’d served Sweet. She would leave those stories out when talking to her father about Sweet Hawkes.
“What do you have to tell me? You’re going to say that I don’t listen to you and that I’m preventing from you living your life? You’re going to say that being here with me would be like being a prisoner? You think you know everything, Nicole?” He stopped and quickly said, “Nikla.”
What Nikla had suspected finally reared its head. She sat down across from her father and held his hands. “I love you, Dad.”
Lawrence, proud as always, kept his head turned as she spoke.
“Mom left us both. But you stayed. You made sure Junior and I focused on what was important.” She squeezed his hand. “You’re a great man and an amazing father.” Nikla thought she noticed her father’s eyes transforming to a cherry color. He still refused to look at her. “You have to trust that if I’m not by your side that that doesn’t mean that I’ll leave like Mom did.” She took a deep breath. Since they delved into deep topics, she would continue. “I still want to open my own business. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even think about it. As a matter of fact, I should hear about a pretty nice space in a few days.”
Her father glanced at her and cocked his head. “Opening a business is hard. It’s not all roses and light.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m hoping if I have any questions that you’ll be there to help me.”
Lawrence remained quiet.
Nikla barreled on with her other news while she had his attention. “A couple of weeks ago, I met a man.” She smiled as she thought about him, his incredible hands that seemed to transform her body wh
enever he’d touched her, and his eyes that saw down into her soul.
Lawrence pulled his hand away from her. “Who is this man?”
Nikla cleared her throat. “His name is Sweet Hawkes.” She watched her father’s eyes narrow for a moment before he widened them and bolted up to his feet.
“Traitor!”
Nikla stood. “It’s not what you think, Dad. I was handing out fliers in front of his store and I had one of my attacks.”
Her father shook his head. “Weak. You’ve always been so weak. You’re just like your mother.”
That dig ordinarily would have crumbled Nikla. Her normal kneejerk reaction would be to tell her father that the reason his son joined the military had everything to do with getting away from him. Nikla could have also revealed that her brother had a wonderful relationship with a man.
Nikla kept her word with her brother. Despite what her father thought, Nikla didn’t want to cut him out of her life. She didn’t see herself as someone who couldn’t be loyal, someone who would run. Thanks to what she learned from Sweet, she felt strong enough to take his slings and arrows.
“Sweet is very special to me, Dad.” Nikla went behind the counter and grabbed her purse and sweater. “I’d love for the two of you to meet.” As she walked toward the back door to leave, she felt her father’s vise-like grip around her upper arm.
“I forbid you to see him.” Her father’s booming voice echoed off the walls.
Nikla concentrated on the constricting feeling around her arm. Her father grabbed her, not out of anger, but more out of desperation. He dropped his gaze when he noticed the candy bracelet around her wrist. As he reached down to touch it, Nikla wriggled away from him.
Again, she took a deep breath and connected to his gaze. “He’s an amazing man who likes your daughter for exactly who she is. That should make you happy.” She opened the door but stopped to address him. “I’ll call you in a couple of days when you’re calmer.”
Nikla managed to make it to her car and all the way back to her apartment before she let what happened tonight settle into her thoughts. She had always suspected that her father wanted to keep her close to ensure that he didn’t lose her. His type of bondage didn’t appeal to her.
Licorice Whips Page 28
