Chapter Fourteen
Chanel
“Hello, Ms. Richards, how are you today?” The pilot of the private plane Xavier had ordered greeted me as I stepped inside.
“I’m great, thank you.” I smiled at the older man.
“Excellent. Our flight time is expected to be about two hours and fifteen minutes, and thankfully, it looks like clear skies from here to Miami. This is Janine, your flight attendant, who will see to any of your needs. We should be cleared for takeoff in about twenty minutes.” He tipped his hat and stepped away to the pilot cabin while Janine welcomed me with a warm smile.
“I can take that and store it for you.” The friendly-looking brunette gestured to my over-the-shoulder bag.
“Thank you.” I handed her the bag and walked to a chair to sit. I stopped in my tracks when I looked up and saw a beautiful bouquet of multicolored roses.
“Mr. Grant said to tell you these are kaleidoscope roses,” Janine stated behind me.
Sure enough, looking down at the flowers, I could see how the different colors created a kaleidoscope effect. I plucked the card out of the center of the bouquet.
Congratulations on your new job. We’re celebrating this weekend <3
-X
“Also, Mr. Grant informed us that your drink of preference is an amaretto sour. I’ll bring one as soon as I’m able to, once we’re in the air.”
“Thank you, Janine. That would be great.” My cheeks were starting to hurt from how much I was smiling. The little gestures, his remembering how much I love fresh flowers, my drink order—hell, the private jet—all of it made me feel special. I’d argued with Xavier that I didn’t need a private jet. I could’ve flown commercial, but he insisted.
That week had been hectic. I’d ended my time with my old law firm and had even made a couple of trips to Combs and Combs to begin signing necessary paper work. Now, I was on my way to see the man that I was in love with. I couldn’t wait.
As promised, Janine brought my drink not long after we were in the air. I let out a contented sigh after the first sip and sat back in my seat. I was ready to meet up with my man in the Miami sun.
What seemed like only ten minutes after takeoff, I heard the overhead announcement from the pilot telling us we were making our final descent into Miami. I’d fallen asleep. I was feeling the extra hours I’d put in over the week. Another reason I’d been looking forward to this trip.
“I hope you enjoyed your flight, Ms. Roberts. We look forward to seeing you in a couple of days for your return trip.”
“Thank you, Janine,” I nodded as I exited the plane. I was hit by the brightness of the sun as soon as I stepped out onto the stairs. I shielded my eyes with my hand on my forehead and looked around. In my other hand, I held the bouquet of flowers.
Soon, my gaze landed on the very person I’d been anticipating seeing all week. He walked slowly toward the steps as I descended. He looked good enough to tackle right there on the tarmac in a pair of distressed jeans, and a white V-neck. The contrast of the white shirt against his chestnut skin made me hotter than the sun beating down on us.
“’Bout time.” Xavier smirked, pulling me into him by the waist, as I stepped down from the last step.
“Missed you too,” I retorted.
“I know you did. Come here,” he growled before attacking me with his lips, and I happily let him. When the kiss ended, he grabbed my bag from over my shoulder, placing it on his, and took the bouquet from me.
“Thank you for those. They’re beautiful.”
“My pleasure. How was your flight?” he asked as we made our way to the awaiting car.
“I don’t know. I fell asleep as soon as we took off and woke up right before we landed. So, it must’ve been pretty smooth.”
“You tired still? Want to go back to the hotel and get some rest before dinner?”
I shook my head. “No, I feel refreshed now. Why, you had plans?”
“Yeah, I wanted to show you the place I’m thinking of buying.”
“Lead the way.”
“Bet,” he stated as he held the door of the rented Range Rover open for me.
I climbed in, and he opened the back door to place my bag and the flowers inside. We drove for about twenty minutes, closer to downtown Miami, and stopped in front of a large, empty building. There were plenty of stores and shops around it. As Xavier came around to open the passenger door, I was met with the sights and sounds of bustling downtown. My first thought was that this would be a perfect spot for a new restaurant. My second thought was that, if anyone was going to make it happen, it was the man in front of me.
“This is it?” I queried, as I stepped down from the SUV.
“Yeah. My man who lives down here has been wanting to open up a restaurant for a while. He asked if I’d partner with him, and I had to put him off because the timing was never right. But when I told him I was coming to town this week, he asked me to check this place out. I think he may have won me over.”
“This looks like a perfect location for a restaurant,” I said, looking around at all the shoppers going about. “I could picture a lot of patrons coming in for a bite to eat after a few hours of shopping.”
“Exactly what I saw when I first stopped by. Let me show you the inside.” He grabbed my hand, shut the car door behind me and led us to the front door of the brick building.
“What type of restaurant would this be?”
“Cuban. Mark’s family is originally from Cuba, and he’s been wanting to leave a legacy in honor of his grandparents who first came over. The menu would consist of recipes from his family.”
“Miami’s the perfect spot for that.” I looked around the empty building that appeared to be pretty large. The floors were a smooth black stucco finish, while the walls were pastel pink. The pink seemed to go with the Miami feel, but the contrast with the flooring didn’t go together. “How big is this place?” I questioned, hearing my echo along the walls.
“It’s about twenty thousand square feet, which is the average size for dining. We’d need to do a lot of overhauling and renovations. I’m not feeling the pink walls or the flooring, so that needs to go. Over here to the left,” he pointed, “is where I’d have the bar set up. Toward the back is where the last owner had set up the kitchen, but it’s way too small for what we have in mind, so that needs to be upgraded.”
As he talked, I could see the thoughts running a mile a minute in his head. His eyes took on a serious glint as they looked around the space. I was in awe as I could make out that he was envisioning what this place would look like once it was finished and filled with patrons. His excitement took over and got me just as excited to see what would become of this place.
However, at the same time, I frowned , remembering he was also opening two restaurants in Las Vegas.
“When would you be expecting to open this place?”
“Sometime in the first half of next year.”
“You’re not taking on too much, are you?”
He looked at me quizzically.
I stepped in closer to him, placing my hand on his chest. “Baby, this place will be amazing because it will have your touch, and anything you touch can’t help but turn to gold. I’m just worried because you are opening not one, but two new restaurants in Las Vegas. You’ve already told me how that has been a dream of yours for years. Plus , the numerous restaurants and businesses you already own, and now this place. I’m worried you’re overextending yourself.”
His face softened as he took my hand that still rested on his chest and brought it to his lips. “Everything I touch is gold, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Grant. I was just saying,” I tried to play it off.
“Just sayin’ that I’m the man. Which I am, but I hear you. It does sound like a lot.”
“No, it doesn’t just sound like a lot. It is a lot.”
“Nothing I can’t handle. But I haven’t even given Mark my final ruling on this place
. There are some other buildings he had picked out to look at. I liked this one best, though.” He looked around, and I could still see his mind working. He’d said he hadn’t made a final decision, but I knew that look. Xavier was already counting down the time until he could call this restaurant his, or at least partially his, as he’d be part-owner.
“Let me show you the rest of this place, and then we can head to the hotel, drop your stuff off, shower and all that, and then head out to eat.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I answered as I followed his lead.
****
Xavier
Goddamn. Those were the only coherent thoughts my brain could form when Chanel stepped out onto the pool deck. She wore a one-piece African print bathing suit. The purple and gold colors highlighted her dark chocolate skin to perfection, and the cutouts on the sides showed just enough skin to make my mouth water. Her toned legs glistened with whatever moisturizer she’d put on. My eyes trailed up to her rounded ass that sat up high and led to the dip in her lower back. My entire body reacted to the way she glowed in the Miami sun.
“Xavier, you still there?” I heard through on my cell phone that I held to my ear. I’d forgotten I was even on the damn phone. My reason for coming outside in the first place.
“Yeah, Quincy, what were you saying?” Quincy was the P.I. I’d hired to help track down Chanel’s ex. He’d called earlier that morning, and I had to step outside to take his call while Chanel got dressed for our excursion to the beach. At that moment, I was reconsidering whether or not I even want to share her with the public or keep her here all to myself.
“I said, I’m pretty sure Ethan has returned to the States. Prior to that, he was down in Panama.”
My face hardened. “What the fuck was he doing in Panama?”
“Honestly, it looks like he was just hanging out. Doing little odd jobs here and there to earn extra cash, but he spent a lot of time alone.”
“The fuck?” I wondered out loud. This shit didn’t make sense.
“We last tracked him back to D.C., but he was only there for a few days. My last source says he was in Florida.”
“Florida?”
“Yeah, Orlando, but that was two weeks ago.”
I growled. “And you haven’t seen or heard anything since?”
“No, he’s been laying low.”
There was silence as I contemplated my options. Quincy was based in Savannah, Georgia and had been traveling for his own business, while also tracking down Ethan. The problem was the dude kept moving from one place to another. I wondered if he was doing it to try and keep an eye on Chanel. I still didn’t trust that his popping back up after five years was to apologize. And he still had an ass whooping coming his way. Chanel might be done with his ass, but I still had a score to settle.
“All right, just keep me posted on his whereabouts.”
“And what are you going to do when you finally meet up with him?” Quincy asked.
“I’m gonna beat the shit out of him,” I answered without hesitation.
Quincy sighed. “You know I can’t condone violence—”
“I don’t give a fu—”
“But,” he cut me off. “As my father taught me, all bets are off when a man puts his hands on a woman, especially when it’s the woman you’re in love with. I’ll keep you posted,” he said before abruptly hanging up.
I didn’t take his departure personally. That was Quincy’s style. He was often a man of few words, but he wasn’t short on action, if his reputation was anything to go by. I didn’t need the further encouragement from him about how to handle Ethan, but it did feel satisfying to hear.
I felt a shadow cover me as I stared down at my phone.
“Done with your conversation?”
I didn’t immediately answer, instead choosing to ogle her, from the pretty white toenails, up her glistening legs. My eyes paused at the apex of her thighs, which was covered by the bathing suit. Just knowing the paradise her suit covered made me grin mischievously.
“How about we stay inside for the rest of the day?” I suggested, reaching to pull her into me. I squinted in frustration when she stepped back, swatting my hands away.
“Oh, no. I did not bring this beautiful bathing suit all the way to Miami just for it to rest on our hotel floor. This baby needs to be shown off.” She spun around and wiggled her hips as if modeling her suit.
“I’ve already seen it. Who else you need to show it off to? Bring it over here for a second,” I encouraged, reaching out again. Once again, she stepped back, giggling.
“No! We’re going to the damn beach, and I am getting wet—”
“You damn sure are going to get wet.”
“At the beach. In the ocean!” She laughed.
“Yeah, there too.”
“Xavier,” she whined, finally coming closer and straddling my legs. “The beach. Now,” she implored, cupping my face.
“Fine. Whatever, but you’re wearing one of those wrap thingies.”
“You’re telling me how to dress now?”
“No. I’m telling you what’d be best for you to wear if you expect me to keep my hands and my dick to myself long enough for you to have breakfast and get your ass in the ocean.”
My whole body ignited when she threw her head back laughing like I was joking. I was serious as hell, though. How was I supposed to be expected not to touch and feel her up in this bathing suit long enough to even make it to the beach? I was only a man.
“I’m going to go grab my cover-up, and then we can go. I’m hungry.”
I watched her ass as she walked away. I grabbed my things, and less than ten minutes later we were out of the hotel and on our way to a little breakfast spot that was within walking distance from the beach.
Although this was a working trip for me, I’d arranged my schedule to chill with Chanel as much as possible while we were there. That night, one of my clubs down here was hosting a party for the city’s basketball team right before their season was supposed to kick off. Most of the time, I liked laying low, but since I was one of the owners and in town, I was expected to make an appearance. Of course, I’d be bringing my number one lady with me.
Other than that, I had a few meetings the next day, but nothing too pressing, so we’d likely hang out at the hotel and just relax before heading back to Houston early Monday morning. Until then, I was content to sit across from Chanel and watch as she enjoyed the veggie omelet she’d ordered for breakfast. I still couldn’t believe how wound up I was in this woman, saying simple shit like I was happy to watch her enjoy her food… Yet there I was, grinning like a sucka at the way her eyes fluttered whenever she took a bite. Never had I been this gone over a woman. Ever. Never could I have imagined it, but here I was. And it felt good.
“Move in with me.” The words spilled from my lips. I hadn’t even known I was going to say it. I hadn’t meant to spring it on her. I’d been thinking about it for the last two weeks I’d been gone. But, I didn’t regret the question and felt no need to take it back. Hell, to be honest, I hadn’t even formed it as a question because I wasn’t asking. I stated what I wanted.
By the look on Chanel’s face, she was thrown off. Her fork paused midair, halfway to her mouth. She was expecting me to take it back or make some amendment, but there was none to make. I wanted her in my bed at night and in the mornings when I awoke. Plain and simple.
“S-say that again?”
“I said, move in with me. As in, us live together.”
She nodded. “Yes, I think I have an idea of what moving in with someone means.”
“Okay,” I hedged.
“Into your house?”
“Where else?”
She shook her head, wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin. “Nowhere, I guess. I just, um...”
“Is there something wrong with my house? You don’t like it?”
“No, of course, I do. I love your home.”
My home. Not ours.
“Well?”
>
“You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack. I don’t say anything I don’t mean. You know that.”
She nodded. “I do. And you want an answer now?”
I sat back. I guessed she was right. I had just sprung this on her. We’d never even had a conversation about moving in together. But it felt like the natural next step for us.
“How about we talk about it when we get home, okay?”
I didn’t see what there was to talk about, but I could do my best to be patient.
“A’ight. Let’s head to the beach.” I stood, pulling my money clip out to pay.
“Are you mad?” she asked.
“Mad? No.” I shook my head. A little disappointed that she didn’t leap to say yes, but I kept that to myself. I pulled her into me and kissed her lips. “I’m good.” I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Let’s go.” I slid on my sunglasses began strolling to the beach. After that conversation, I needed the sun and salt water to distract me from my disappointment at her reluctance…yet, all the same, I had no doubt Chanel would be moving in with me, and soon.
Chapter Fifteen
Xavier
The music was blasting as soon as we walked into the club, and by the way the bartenders were running around, I could see business was doing well. Chanel and I were attending my nightclub’s party for the city’s basketball team. The bouncer stood to the side to allow us entry, nodding at me. I held my arm out to let Chanel pass in front of me. Yes, it was a gentlemanly gesture, but the way the sleeveless dress she wore stopped about midway down her thighs and hugged every inch it touched like white on rice, I was enjoying the view.
“You smell delicious,” I growled low in her ear as we both entered the club.
She turned over her shoulder to give me a mischievous smile. “It’s my new pomegranate acai sugar scrub. You like?”
“You could say that,” I answered, placing my hand on the small of her back. I looked up to see the co-owner of this spot approaching us.
“X-man, what’s up?” Leon greeted, holding his hand up to give me dap.
Safe Space II: The Finale Page 18
