A Risqué Engagement

by Stephanie Nicole Norris

  Corinne swallowed. “Yeah…”

  “It’s because he’s really kin to a rare species; one that’s protective, possessive, dominant, and animalistic. He’ll treat you like a princess now, but once you two mate…”

  “Did you really just say mate?”

  Camilla nodded. “He’s a rare breed, and after the sex, you’ll go from princess to Queen status. Not that you’re not a Queen now, but you get the idea. Then, not only will he continue to be the way he is now, but it will come with a little extra funk. A kick that will re-work your entire galaxy.” Corinne nodded. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

  Corinne’s heart raced, and a ruckus at the entrance of the restaurant pulled her and Camilla’s attention.

  “Don’t look now, but something wicked this way comes…” Camilla crooned.

  Corinne did turn to look, and the splendor of Xavier and Hunter strolling side by side made her pussy thump so hard Corinne thought she would have an orgasm where she sat.

  “Damn, they fine as hell,” Corinne said.

  Camilla sucked in her lips. “The both of them,” she agreed and wasn’t mad for a second that Corinne noticed Hunter’s gorgeousness.

  The sway in their walk was confident, prevailing, and supreme. Corinne and Camilla could practically see the women fall to their feet as the men made a beeline for their table.

  “And their all ours,” Camilla said, lifting her hand to the side for a secret smack. Corinne met her halfway but couldn’t respond as Xavier’s bravado had completely made her mute.

  Chapter Eleven

  The month indicated it was springtime, but the weather some days was hot then cold. However, Corinne watching Xavier stroll up on her liquified her flesh right down to her bones. It was obvious that he’d just come from a meeting since he was dressed down in an all-white Brioni suit, tailored and spruced over his expansive shoulders. A purple tie was tucked neatly inside his jacket and a purple pocket square perched out of the jacket’s top pocket. He was a snack that was about to turn into Corinne’s whole entrée, and he didn’t even know it.

  When the men pulled up on them, debonair smiles laced their lips, further causing the women to tighten their thighs.

  “Is their room for two more?” Xavier asked, staring down at Corinne.

  “Waiter!” Corinne snapped her fingers, and Camilla fell out laughing. “We need chairs over here, where’s the damn waiter when you need one!”

  The men chuckled and found their own chairs. They both got comfortable next to their women, bringing a spicy scent with them. Corinne couldn’t help but take in the way Xavier’s trousers lifted just barely as he sat, showing his brown oiled ankles and white oxford shoes. Her eyes drifted up his strong thighs to the way the material huddled around his crotch. The material jerked, causing Corinne to jerk with it. She covered her chest with a hand. Oh my God.

  “If you keep staring at him, he’ll continue to leap until you calm him down,” Xavier’s thick voice strummed.

  Corinne’s nipples hardened, and her gaze shifted from his pelvis to his beautiful angled face. A blush rose to her cheeks, more so because of the brazen nature that infected her. She instantly fell into a lure, and her actions followed her body’s commands.

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to wrap your beard around my fingers like this,” she said, raveling the threads around her fingers, “and pull you to my lips, like this,” she continued, dragging his face to hers. Their lips connected, and the force of the mesh sent a jolting sting through them both. For a second, they stared at one another, a searing heat flashing between them. The next second, Xavier opened her mouth with the blunt force of his tongue and sucked the taste buds on her palate.

  “Mmmm,” Corinne moaned. Her eyes closed, and she didn’t see it but felt his strong hand slip up her thigh to grip her around the inner edges where her thigh and vagina met. Not once did her conscious tell her to stop or no or this is inappropriate.

  With the tip of his pointing finger, Xavier circled the outer seams of her pussy right where her clitoris sat underneath the garment while the rest of his hand squeezed tightly against her thigh. A thud thumped from her panties as the invigorating titillation coursed through her. Simultaneously, she yelped in his mouth, and he swallowed the breath she released.

  “Excuse me,” the waitress hesitated, unsure if she should proceed.

  Xavier and Corinne took their time pulling apart. When they did, Corinne glanced over at the hovering waitress as Xavier kept his poignant gaze on Corinne’s lips.

  “Your food, ma’am,” the waitress said, placing the plate in front of her.

  “Thank you,” Corinne’s husky voice throttled. She cleared her throat, recognizing the sultriness in her tone.

  “You’re welcome, can I get your dates anything?”

  “Yes…” Xavier’s voice drawled. “A bowl of strawberries.” His gaze never left Corinne’s face.

  Corinne’s nipples were so hard she was sure they’d receded into her breasts.

  “I’ve got strawberries,” she said.

  Xavier glanced down at her plate, his eyes drunk with lust. “Great minds,” he said. His grizzly tone made her quiver, and she watched as his manicured fingers reached for the fruit and pierced off the stem.

  “This is a big piece of fruit,” he said. “How wide can you open your mouth, Bella Anima?” He sat the end of the strawberry in the cove of his mouth, and Corinne leaned into him, covering the butt of the berry with hers. Sucking in, the heat from his mouth tingled her upper lip just as she crushed the fruit with her teeth. Juice spilled down into the corner of her lips, and Xavier hungrily licked every remnant that remained.

  “Ahem,” someone cleared their throat, but Xavier was too busy devouring Corinne’s mouth to notice.

  “They will order in a second,” Camilla said from the other side of the table, eyes wide and mouth hanging at the open way Xavier and Camilla made out.

  “No worries,” the waitress said her eyes also wide. “I’ll be back momentarily.”

  “We won’t be ready in a moment…” Xavier eased out. His engine was running high, hot, and on overload. He’d wanted Corinne in so many ways that he struggled to calm down much less stop himself. Without hesitation, his other hand connected with her other thigh and with Zeus-like strength, he lifted her, then shifted her as his grip rounded to the back and held firmly under the crease of her ass.

  Surprised by the macho movement, Corinne’s foot lifted and the chair she once occupied flipped over. She squealed as Xavier planted her on his lap. Her hands clutched his shoulder to steady herself as her legs dangled over the sides of his powerful thighs. The lurching of his dick waved across the seat of her pants, sending a riveting cauldron of heat attacking her core.

  “Oh my God,” Camilla said. She wasn’t ashamed that she’d been suddenly turned on watching the two. This must be what porn is like for couples, she thought.

  Xavier recaptured Corinne’s mouth, and snapshots from camera phones burst as patrons took pictures of Xavier and Corinne in the risqué position. He sucked her tongue and closed his entire mouth around hers in an uninhibited urgency to taste her thoroughly. The pair could hear nothing but their kisses and sucks and groans. See nothing but one another. No one and nothing mattered to them until…

  “Brother…”

  Hearing Hunter’s voice knocked reality back into Xavier, and slowly with disinclination, he pulled off of Corinne’s lips but not before his tongue drug across the ceiling of her mouth. He sucked her lips as his tongue exited and nibbled down her mouth to her jaw.

  Corinne was breathing hard as hell. She could hardly maintain a sense of sanity after the way he’d just consumed her. More importantly, if he’d made her feel like this with their clothes on, then what the hell would it be like when they finally made love?

  Xavier peered at her before taking a glance around the restaurant. Wide open gawked smiles were on people’s faces, and this would no doubt be the center of the
news tomorrow.

  “I should be embarrassed,” Xavier said, his gaze penetrating directly through Corinne’s eyes, “but I’m not. I can’t apologize for this.”

  Corinne’s breath was still bated, her chest rising and falling.

  “Um…” she looked around, discombobulated. “We’re matching,” she said, thinking of the only thing that came to mind at the moment.

  Xavier cocked his head and smiled lazily as he took an all-pervading eye over her white jumpsuit. “So, we are,” he said.

  “I should probably get up.” But she didn’t move; instead, she stared Xavier off, wondering if it would be okay to drag him off to the nearest restroom and throw caution to the unruly wind that tumbled inside her.

  Xavier leaned to the side and lifted her chair with one hand, propping it back at his side with no wiggle room for Corinne to be too far away.

  “Let me help you,” he said, placing another firm grip on her thighs.

  Corinne rose from his lap and found her way back into her chair. As she relaxed against her seat, she crossed her legs and fought inwardly to calm her racing heart.

  “Okay, now that we’ve gotten that full show out of the way,” Camilla said with a smirk, “maybe we can eat. I’m starving here.”

  Xavier readjusted his tie, although it didn’t need it. His hunger for Corinne was still preeminent, and it was taking extreme focus to behave. He tried to alter his thoughts by changing the topic.

  “Brother,” Xavier began, “I told Corinne about our b-boy band back in junior high and college.”

  “You didn’t,” Hunter said.

  Xavier chuckled. “Yes, I did, and she wants a performance from us for her and Camilla.”

  “A b-boy band?” Camilla said loudly, glancing at Corinne. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”

  Still stuck, Corinne blinked rapidly then glanced around the table. “Hmm?”

  Camilla snapped her fingers. “Earth to Corinne.”

  Xavier examined her closely. “Are you all right?” His thick voice cruised.

  Corinne cleared her throat but didn’t speak only handed over a nod. If she had to be honest, hell no she wasn’t all right. She was completely out of sorts, and her fingers were itching to slip back into her panties again. Why the hell did Xavier have to be so damn irresistable? She made up her mind the next time they were alone it was going down, she didn’t give a damn if they were sitting in the middle of traffic.

  She rolled her tongue over her gums then finally found her vocals.

  “You should ask Hunter,” she said. “Why hasn’t he told you?”

  Camilla glanced at Hunter. “Yeah, why haven’t you told me?”

  “It isn’t something that’s come up, Angel.”

  “Hmph,” Camilla said. “So who was all in this band, and did you have songs or what?”

  “Only four of us were in the band. Raphael didn’t like the spotlight. He abhorred it. So he was our writer, and Kyle was like our manager. He booked the shows and handled paperwork. We all play a different instrument, but they weren’t all necessary when we performed. It just depended on the song.”

  “So when will I get this performance, huh?”

  “We,” Corinne interjected. “When will WE get this performance.”

  Xavier and Hunter chuckled.

  “I think our reception is as good a time as any, what do you think?” Hunter asked Camilla.

  “I think it’s perfect,” she said dreamily. Hunter leaned in and kissed her lips.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you, too.”

  Corinne’s mind conjured images of she and Xavier speaking those words, and it sent a wave down her body that snagged her breath. When his warm hand reached out to cover hers underneath the table, she glanced at him, and he winked, knocking her nerves further into turmoil.

  Chapter Twelve

  The last seven days had felt like three, and that was surprising since whenever Corinne was looking forward to something it usually took forever to come to pass. Nevertheless, she and Xavier were on their way to Zambia, Africa, and the excitement she felt was extraordinary.

  “Do you have your passport?” Xavier asked, glancing from the newspaper he’d been studying for the last fifteen minutes.

  “Of course, I always have my passport. It’s attached to my hip like most people’s cell phones.”

  Xavier chuckled. They were on board his Boeing 747 VIP private jet halfway to the motherland.

  “Perfect,” he said.

  “It would’ve been a shame had I forgotten it since it’s too late to turn back now.”

  “We could always get you a Visa, so either way we’re getting into the country.”

  “Do you have connections with everyone?”

  Xavier thought about it for a moment. “Not quite. Depends. I’m not a fan of Ireland, but if I need to visit I could always…”

  Corinne was shaking her head.

  “What?” he asked.

  “The fact that you could get the connection if you needed a connection just means you have connections.”

  Xavier grinned. “You’ve got me there.”

  Corinne’s smile barely lifted as her eyes roamed over Xavier’s attire. He was comfortable in a crew neck white shirt and khaki cargo shorts. On his feet a pair of open toe sandals, and his toes were clearly pedicured and oiled from the shine they held. Monica’s words came back to haunt her again, so she couldn’t stop herself from asking the inevitable question.

  “Does it bother you that there’s a certain expectation set in the eyes of the media about you when it comes to the opposite sex?”

  Xavier glanced up from his newspaper then folded it and tucked it away in a compartment attached to the chair he sat in.

  “A certain expectation?”

  “Yeah, you know, they’ve pinned you to be this Casanova who sees women as items that you can use then dispose of at your will.”

  Xavier glanced around then back to Corinne. “Did I miss a morning report or something, should I turn on the news?”

  Corinne chuckled. “No, nothing like that.” She paused then glanced away for an extended period, hesitant to continue down this conversational road. Truth was, she was slowly falling for him, and even after the brave front she put up with Camilla, Corinne worried that maybe she shouldn’t be.

  “What are you really asking me, Bella?”

  Corinne swiped her tongue across her teeth then turned her gaze back to him.

  “Are you a frequent flyer of the mile-high club?”

  “Am I…” Xavier’s words paused, and a smile registered across his resplendent mouth. He saw the seriousness in her face, and the smile faded. “No,” he said. “But you think I am.”

  Corinne pursed her lips and swallowed. “I’ve heard a thing or two.”

  “And it bothers you.”

  “I— I just thought I’d ask, it’s no big deal.”

  He moved from his seated position; his slow stroll predatory and indicative of how his thoughts processed as he closed in. He reached for her hand and tugged, and Corinne stood to her feet.

  “Do you want what the media thinks, or do you want the truth,” he asked.

  Corinne’s heart knocked against her breastbone. “I want the truth.” She gazed at him.

  “Okay… the truth is, I’ve had a sexual attraction to you since the very moment I laid eyes on you.” His hands slid down her waist and wrapped around her back. “More than that, there’s been this unnatural chemistry surrounding us that’s made me want you in ways that a man should only want his wife.” His palm settled in the center of her back and he pushed her closer, sealing them in an embrace so tight one couldn’t breathe without the other’s permission. “Your aura drives me crazy, and I act without thinking often like in the restaurant last week.

  “That would’ve never happened before you, Bella. There’s no media station or newspaper that has caught me in such an awkward position before. I’ll tell you why. I don�
�t usually trust women. I’ve found that they can be manipulative and conniving to the point where they are toxic. So, part of the media’s representation of me holds some truth. I have been seen with various women. It does depict me as a womanizer. But the honest to God truth is, none of those women can say they’ve had the pleasure of knowing me intimately. Because I never gave any of them a chance to. They were merely a means to an end. A date for an event.

  “Was I attracted to any of them? Sure. But I’m a very selective man, Bella Anima, and I respect women, so they’ll never catch a scandal about me in the news. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a workaholic. Over the years, I’ve trained myself to be this way because any woman that I bed means more to me than a mere romp in the sack for the sake of satisfying my flesh, and I would like to believe that holds true with the woman I’m with.”

  They stared each other off, and Xavier could tell she wanted to believe him but saw her internal struggle.

  “Ask me?” he said, knowing there was more.

  “Nadine Benson.”

  Hearing Nadine’s name come from Corinne’s lips didn’t surprise him like he thought it would. In his heart, Xavier knew it was only a matter of time before the topic of their previous relationship resurfaced. Especially, since Nadine had recently brought the possibility of their relationship’s revival back to the spotlight. He locked his jaw then sighed.

  “What about her?” His voice was calm and deep.

  “Who is she to you?”

  He stared her off for a long second. “She is no one.”

  Corinne saw the way his face locked and the semi-frostiness in his response. That indicated that she was… someone.

  “Would you lie to me, Xavier?”

  Xavier broke eye contact with her, and Corinne was desperate to find it again. She could see the truth in his eyes. She could see every emotion displayed in his eyes. When he reconnected, she refused to lose it again.

  “I have no reason to lie to you, Bella. She was someone important. That was long ago. It’s been over between us for almost three years.” His hand found her chin. “I’m only seeing you.” He paused. “I only want you.”