“Did you?” she retorted, finally opening her eyes and glancing at me sideways.
“Smartass,” I answered back, tipping her chin with my forefinger. Her giggle caused me to smile.
“You already knew what he was going to ask, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I did. I’m glad you agreed.”
“Why?”
“Because I think it’s the best decision. Your father’s been around, doing this for a long time and proven himself more than successful. If you want to get to that level in your career, and I know you do, there’s no one better to work under,” I stated sincerely.
“Someone has a fan.”
“I’m your biggest fan,” I responded, knowing she’d been referring to her father. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye to see her smiling.
“Stop trying to get into my panties, Mr. Grant.”
I shrugged. “I don’t have to try. We both know those panties look best on my bedroom floor.” My chest tightened when she busted out laughing.
“Whatever,” she tried to play it off, but I knew the effect my words had on her, only evidenced when she rolled down the window slightly to let in some cool air. She was hot and bothered.
“How often do you use the autopilot feature?” she inquired, undoing her seatbelt and turning toward me.
I raised an eyebrow. “Not often. Why?”
She didn’t answer, but instead plugged in my home address on the GPS.
“You should give it a try. You know, just to make sure it still works and everything.” Before I could respond, she’d pressed the lever for the autopilot to take over, then slid her hand down to the zipper of my pants. I was already semi-hard, which was usually the case whenever she and I were alone with one another. My hands loosened and eventually fell from the steering wheel right around the time Chanel released my shaft. As soon as I felt the warm air and moistness from her mouth around the head of my dick, my head fell back against the headrest. I let out a grunt of satisfaction as she worked her tongue around the tip to moisten it and then slid her mouth all the way down until I hit the back of her throat.
“Mmmm,” she moaned. The vibration from her moan caused tiny prickles of pleasure to shoot up my spine. I slid lower in my seat and gripped the back of her head with my hand, briefly shutting my eyes. I forgot we were still on the damn road. Hell, if we were going to crash, this was how I wanted to go out.
Her head bobbed up and down on my thickness, and I tightened my grip on the back of her head as the pressure began to build in my lower abdomen. Chanel continued to do her thing, even reaching inside my pants to cup and massage the rest of me.
“Shiiit,” I grunted when she hollowed her cheeks, suctioning as she drew up higher on my shaft, tongued the very tip of my dick, and then swallowed me whole again. I felt my eyes cross and my entire body weakened as my balls drew up. I was close to erupting and I knew she felt it too. I wasn’t about to move her out of the way to let me bust. I always watched her take my load down her beautiful throat. Not even a full minute later, I was groaning and grunting as my body stiffened and then jerked as I released into her mouth. She moaned as she slurped up my cum, just the way I liked it. I came and came until I finally came back to reality and realized I’d stopped the car. We were already in my driveway.
I peered down at Chanel, who was now giving me a wide-eyed, innocent look as if she hadn’t just swallowed an entire generation of my seed down her throat. But that look made me even hungrier for her.
“Come here,” I growled, pulling her onto my lap. I pulled the side lever down to slide my seat back and make more room for her. At this point, there was no way we were making it to the house before I was inside her.
“I think we’re developing a growing affinity for cars these days,” she giggled.
I gave her a confused look while reaching for my wallet in the console of my car. I opened it and pulled out a condom, tearing it at the same time I heard her say, “The Town Car.”
My brows raised in recognition as I remembered the time she’d awaited me at the airport and the fun we had in the back of the Town Car.
“At least the song is appropriate.”
Janet Jackson’s “Anytime, Anyplace” played through the car’s speakers.
“Appropriate indeed,” I chuckled.
I pulled the condom out of the wrapper and made quick work of sheathing myself and then helping Chanel undo and push down the skin-tight jeans she had on. They looked great on her, but like I’d said about the panties earlier, they looked even better on the damn floor. Once her pants and panties were off, Chanel straddled my legs, pulling my pants and boxer briefs down further. Abruptly, she stopped, cupping my face with her hands. I looked up into her lovely face. The intensity of her gaze made my breath catch.
“I’m your biggest fan too,” she said, staring me directly in the eye.
Involuntarily, my toes curled, and my grip tightened around her hips.
“I mean it. I’m so proud of the man you are. I haven’t said that enough. I-I love you,” she admitted, her eyes watering.
Anything else she had to say after that was stolen when my mouth collided with hers, and I angled her hips over my stiff dick, pulling her down onto me. She moaned into my mouth at the sudden intrusion. I paused to give her time to adjust to my full thickness and length inside of her, while I continued to suck and nibble at her lips. Slowly, she began rotating her hips. I moved my hand down, rubbing my thumb across her clit. She bucked her hips, and I let out a curse when her pussy muscles tightened on my dick.
“Baby, you feel so good inside me,” she sighed, and let out a loud moan when I rose my hips to meet her lowering hips. We found a rhythm together, and our bodies fell into the usual symbiosis as we fed off each other’s pleasures. Chanel threw her head back, needing to breathe, but I needed to feel her, so I pulled her down to me again, angling my head for that sensitive spot on her neck that always caused her to gasp.
Sure enough, as soon as I found it and used my tongue to stroke that space just under her ear, her hips picked up the pace, her fingers digging into my shoulders. Her muscles clenched tightly around me, and I groaned deeply into her ear.
“I-I’m coming,” she slurred out at the same time she moaned.
“Come for me,” I growled, and within seconds her entire body stiffened and she let out a silent scream. Her head thrown back, eyes closed, mouth ajar, forehead creased with the pleasure rippling through her. I couldn’t look away even if I had wanted to. This was when she was the most beautiful, when she was coming all over my dick. No less than thirty seconds later, my orgasm seized me, and I pulled her into me, buried my head into her neck and let bliss take over.
By the time I caught my breath and came down from my orgasm, the windows in the car were fogged up, and Chanel was stroking the back of my head, still struggling to catch her breath.
“We should probably take this inside.”
I grunted in affirmation, still unable to form words at that moment. She gently eased off me and back to the passenger seat. My lips turned downward with disapproval when she began putting her panties and jeans back on.
“I don’t know why you’re getting dressed. I’m just going to peel them off you again.”
“Xavier Grant, I am not walking from the car to the house with my ass out,” she hissed.
Damn, I loved it when she used my full name like that. I could already feel myself growing hard again.
“Why the hell not? It’s like, ten feet from here to there,” I pointed out.
She merely rolled her eyes at me and continued redressing. Silly woman. For that, I considered hiding her clothes for the rest of the weekend. I looked over at her now jeans-covered legs and grinned. Yup, definitely hiding her clothes for the next two days.
****
“Hey, Ma. Hang on one second.” I held the phone to my chest while looking over the papers Isaac had just handed me. “Looks good,” I told him as we stood in the middle of one o
f the restaurants in Las Vegas.
I’d been in Vegas for about a week, overseeing things and tending to matters that needed my direct attention. Both places were coming along quite nicely, and I was sure they’d be ready by my New Year’s deadline. It was close to the end of October, which only left us with a little over eight weeks to get things settled. I was satisfied with the decision I made to keep Isaac in Vegas until the restaurants were completed. After that, I’d either keep him there as the general manager for both, or I’ll have to find someone local for that position.
“Anything else you need from me?” Isaac queried.
“No. We’re good for the rest of the night. You enjoy it.” He was going out with a woman he’d met here in Vegas. We shook hands and parted ways. I headed toward the back of the restaurant for the exit where a Town Car was waiting for me to take me back to the hotel I’d opted to stay at this week. I’d wanted to stay off the strip for a little more peace and to do a little more scoping out of the city. If all went well with these two restaurants, I might open up more and set up a second home here, but that would be in the future.
“Sorry about that, Ma. What’s up?”
“Don’t apologize, baby. I figured you’d be done working by now. It’s well after eight o’clock.”
“Yeah, business ran over.”
“Did you even eat dinner yet?”
I chuckled at that. I was thirty-six years old, a well-established businessman , and my mother was still concerned about whether I’d eaten dinner.
“Don’t laugh at me, boy. I’m just checking in with you. Making sure you’re taking care of yourself. I know how you can get when you’re talking shop.”
“Yup, something I get from you,” I reminded her.
“Didn’t I just tell you don’t get smart with me?”
Another laugh.
“What’re you up to, Ma? Besides bothering me?” I smirked when she sucked her teeth on the other end of the phone.
“Todd and I had a lovely dinner after work. He had to take a late-night flight out, so he dropped me off at home.”
“I’m glad you had a good time.”
“You sound tired.”
I wanted to tell her that wasn’t the case, but at that moment I had to stifle a yawn. “I’m good. They wouldn’t call it work if it didn’t make you at least a little tired.”
“All work and no play makes for no type of life at all.”
“I play plenty.”
“Yeah? When’s the last time you saw your girlfriend?”
My chin dropped as I counted the days in my head. Chanel and I had FaceTimed plenty in the week I’d been gone, but with me in Vegas and her in Houston, that was as good as it got.
“I just saw her last night,” I hedged.
“FaceTime doesn’t count,” she countered.
Another laugh spilled from my lips. My mama was nothing if not quick as a whip.
“And you’ve got, what? Another week before you return home?”
“Yeah, something like that,” I admitted. An image of Chanel floated to mind, and my chest tightened.
“Hey, why don’t you take her on that cruise?”
My face scrunched in confusion. “What cruise?”
“You know, the one you bid on and won, then gave to me, but I can’t go to? You still have the tickets?”
I’d forgotten all about the cruise. I was going to see if one of my restaurant managers wanted the tickets but had forgotten to ask. “Yeah, I still have them.”
“You should take Chanel. I bet you both could use the vacation.”
“Ma—”
“I’m just saying. You have the tickets. Why not use them? Just think about it.”
“I will,” I conceded.
“What else is going on in your life?” she asked.
There was one question I’d wanted to ask her. By then, the driver had arrived at my hotel, but I asked that he park in the garage for a minute while I finished my conversation.
“I have wanted to ask you one thing,” I began.
“Sure, what’s up?” My mother’s voice softened.
“When you first found out you were pregnant with me, did you ever consider not having me?”
Ever since my conversation with Chanel about what happened after she’d left her ex, I’d been wondering this. Honestly, I still couldn’t understand how I felt about that.
“What made you ask that?”
I sighed, not wanting to go into the details of where the question had come from. My mother, being the wise woman she was, must’ve discerned my reluctance to answer.
“To be honest, it was a passing thought, but that was all it was. It didn’t take me more than a minute to toss that idea out of the window. I knew I wanted you from about the first moment I learned I was pregnant. I was scared, of course. I was young and in school, and your father…well, you know the story there, but you were always mine.”
It wasn’t anything she hadn’t told me before. I felt it down in my soul she wasn’t making it up either. Growing up, I never felt anything less than pure love from my mother. And while one parent can never completely make up for the lack of affection from another parent, she came damn close.
“Thanks, Ma.”
“Now, you know good and well there’s nothing to thank me for. Are you all right?”
“I’m great. Restaurants are doing well here. They’ll be open by New Year. Can’t wait for you to see them. And I’ll be on the east coast next week for business. That’s going well too.”
“Hmm, just checking. Now get some rest. I’ll see you when you get back. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
After hanging up with my mother, I finally exited the car and made my way through the hotel garage to the elevators that led up to my suite. Although my mother had instructed me to get some rest, I knew it’d be at least a few hours before I saw the backs of my eyelids. I had some work I needed to tend to, travel plans I needed to change, and an email to Bryce that needed to be sent.
I entered my suite and immediately toed off my shoes, leaving them by the front door as I strolled into my bedroom. Sitting on the side of the bed, I typed up and sent Bryce the email pertaining to work and some new travel plans. Next, I stood, undressing to take a shower. Once showered, I dried off and put on a pair of boxer briefs and sat on the bed, resting my back against the headboard. Picking up my phone, I pressed the button to FaceTime Chanel. By then, it was after nine my time, which means it was after eleven back home, but I knew she’d be up.
“Hey you,” she answered when her beautiful face filled screen.
“Hey, baby girl. What are you up to?”
“Waiting on your call. You just get in?”
“Not too long ago. I took a shower before calling,” I said around a yawn. When my eyes came to the screen, I could see Chanel’s frowning face.
“You’re exhausted.” Concern was etched all over her face.
“I’m good. Just been busy. How was your day?”
“Busy also. I’ve been updating my colleagues on the clients who opted to remain with the firm, and informing the clients who are coming over to Combs and Combs with me on how my change will affect their cases. I also met with Dad and Jason today for lunch to discuss everything.”
“Sounds hectic.”
She shrugged. “It’s not so bad.” She sighed again. I stared back, wishing this distance wasn’t between us.
“I miss you.”
“Same, baby girl. Matter fact, what’re you doing next weekend?”
She poked out her bottom lip as she thought about it. “Nothing so far. You come back that Monday, right?”
“I’m supposed to. Why don’t you come to Miami next Friday? I’ll be there from Friday until I leave Monday for business. I could use the company.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, that’s why you want me to come? You could use the company?”
“Nah, I’m also feeling a little backed up. There’s only so much my hand
can do, you know?”
It took her a second to catch what I was getting at. She busted out laughing. “You’re such an ass! You only want me to come to Miami so you can get your dick wet.”
“That , and I need my woman on my arm. You gonna leave me to fend off all those ferocious Miami women by myself?” I tried to give her the most innocent look I could muster.
“You’re so full of it.”
“Nah, I’m trying to get you full of me, next weekend.”
“All right. It’s been years since I’ve been to Miami, anyway.”
“Cool, I emailed Bryce right before I got on the phone with you to start making your travel arrangements.”
She gave me an incredulous look. She looked so cute, trying to be all fake mad. It was going to be hell waiting until next weekend to feel her in my arms.
“How’d you know I’d even say yes?” she asked.
“I knew,” I answered confidently.
“I could still say no.”
“But you won’t. Just have your ass ready when the car picks you up from work Friday afternoon.”
“You’re lucky I love Miami.”
“Nah, I’m lucky you love me.” That shut her ass up. I grinned at her as she lowered her lashes , bashfully. If her skin were a few shades lighter, I knew I’d be able to spot her blushing.
“Goodnight, Xavier.”
“G’nite, baby girl.”
I disconnected our call and felt more energized than I had all day. I was ready to tackle the few hours’ worth of emails I had to send out and memos to read over. I was considering updating the menus at two of my spots in D.C., and a friend of mine wanted me to look at a couple of properties to possibly invest in another restaurant in Miami. My opinion was the market was a little saturated for my liking, but I’d promised him I’d come out and look. So, I needed to do some research before I went out there at the end of the week where I’d meet up with Chanel.
I could already picture her in a two-piece. I wondered what color hers would be, as I stood to stretch and headed over to my desk. I just knew this was going to be a long ass week ahead of me.
Safe Space II: The Finale Page 17
