#FutureHusband

by J. Nichole

  She turned to a chef competition on Netflix and asked, “Can you cook?” as we watched the chefs rush the kitchen for ingredients.

  I glanced up to the ceiling before I replied, “I mean, I can’t compete with them.” I pointed to the screen. “But my food is edible. I don’t cook often though. When I’m on the road I’m eating out.” When I’m at home, half the time I’m cooking for Yara and that’s limited to nuggets and the vegetable that she’s not rejecting for the week.

  “What about you?” I asked, hoping she could throw down in the kitchen.

  She adjusted her body so I could see her face when she said, “I bake better than I can cook, but my food isn’t horrible.”

  I rubbed my chin thinking about the desserts she could whip up. “What’s your specialty?”

  “Lemon pound cake,” she said with a head nod.

  My tongue brushed against my lip and I asked, “What would I have to do for a pound cake?”

  Her eyes went from mine to her kitchen. “If you grab all the ingredients, I’ll teach you how to make it next time I see you.”

  “Done.” That was a bet, a guarantee that we could see each other again and a pound cake. My smile was deep set as we watched the chefs compete in the final round of the show. When the credits rolled I said, “I should get going.” I knew if I stayed longer I’d want to do more than just watch the chefs compete.

  She followed me to her door and I placed my hands in my pockets to prevent them from wanting to reach out and touch her. “I’ll call you for our book discussion.”

  “Yeah,” she said, her eyes heavier than earlier as they looked up at me. “Do that.”

  Eleven

  Anaya

  My heels tapped against the marble floor as I paced the kitchen of the mini mansion in McLean. The couple, a tech start-up CEO and her husband, the pediatrician, walked around in one of the many rooms while I waited. I hoped they’d fall in love with the house as much as I had, if only I had the two million to drop on it.

  “Anaya,” she exclaimed when they entered back into the kitchen. “We love this place.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Can we talk numbers and shoot an offer over today?”

  I nodded my head. “We sure can.” I walked to the front door taking one last look at the winding staircase in the foyer before offering, “Let’s head back to the office.”

  Hours of negotiating between the seller and Dr. and Mrs. Lehigh, and the deal was finally sealed. The energy of the deal had me pumped as I drove home, and the discussion waiting for me at the end of the night was enough to keep me on a cloud.

  I poured a glass of wine and showered, pulling on an oversized t-shirt when I was done. Then I grabbed my iPad and my phone to call Russell for our fourth and last discussion of Unexpected. When he suggested reading a book together, I didn’t expect him to get into the books at all. I suspected he’d find an excuse to not have read or to stop reading before he finished.

  Our conversations so far had been comical, Russell usually being skeptical of the guy in the story, saying he was too kind to keep waiting around for the heroine to get her shit together. As always, when I called, he answered swiftly. “Hey, busy?”

  He responded like always, “If I were busy I wouldn’t have answered.” The background was quiet, and I wondered if he always stayed in his room or if he was missing out on the action with his team by participating in these discussions with me. “How'd your showing go today?” he asked.

  “We have a contract,” I squealed. Before Russell, that squeal would have been reserved for my mama. She always loved to hear about my deals, and the details of the house. Like me, she had a thing for homes. “They’ll even be able to close in thirty days,” I added.

  “Congrats, we should celebrate this weekend.” I agreed and he added, “Will you be adding another trip to your roster?”

  “Of course.” I still hadn’t taken my trip to Seattle to celebrate the close of his condo. “But maybe next year. The rest of this year will be busy with the holidays.” We hadn’t discussed the holidays yet, but since we’d only been kicking it for a few weeks, I wouldn’t expect us to make any plans around each other. “Are you home for the holidays?” I asked.

  “I am. I actually don’t travel as much at the end of the year.” I smiled at the thought of seeing him more than every other weekend. “Maybe we can take advantage of it, and get in a few dates.” I enthusiastically agreed. “Guess the traveling isn’t just bothering me, huh?”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing you more than just every other weekend,” I said honestly.

  “Me either,” he said softly. “You know that was their issue in the book,” he added as a nice curve to our conversation. “Reading a romance is predictable though, the whole book you know how it’s going to end.”

  Being a true romance fan, both books and movies, I had to come to its defense. “You know the ending, and can root for the protagonist to get there, but the excitement is in seeing how they get to that end.”

  “I think I’ll stick to thrillers, where you have no idea how the story will end.” I groaned. “Don’t worry, for our book club, how about we alternate books?” I had to laugh at his offer because he sounded so official with this book club plan. “Oh you thought we were done after this?”

  “Ugh.” I laughed harder. “I don’t mind our book club discussions.” Especially our casual conversations about the sex scenes. Those were my favorite, although they left me horny and wet by the end of our conversation. “Let me know what thriller we’re reading next so I can download it.” He told me he’d grab it at the airport and let me know.

  “Hey,” he said as I made myself more comfortable on the couch. “In the book, Monica, she had a lot of sexual tension, right?” I mumbled my response. “And she played with herself. How realistic is that?”

  “How realistic is it for you?” I asked as my hand slid down my thigh.

  A low rumble startled me. “I prefer the real thing, but if it isn’t possible then I do what I have to do.” I could relate, except it had been a while since the real thing. “You didn’t answer my question though,” he said with his voice dropping an octave.

  “Very,” I managed to say between the moans I was trying to silence. Since the night he walked out of my apartment without even a hug, I had been resulting to playing with myself to curb the desire I felt each time we talked.

  “Hmm.” My eyes closed tight as I listened to him try to change the subject. “What about long distance relationships? Have you ever had one?”

  I thought about the few relationships I had, those I considered serious. One in college, and one since graduating. Neither was long distance. “No, have you?” It came out breathy, and I moved my hand to try to focus on the conversation.

  “No.” We hadn’t talked about past relationships before. “Never considered a long distance relationship,” he added before he reminded me that he had an early morning flight. “I should probably get to sleep.” He laughed. “And let you get back to playing with yourself.” If he were there, he’d see how my cheeks flushed and my eyes bucked.

  I hurried off the phone without admitting to pleasing myself. “Safe travels.” When I put the phone down my hand went back to work between my thighs. I would have preferred Russell there, but my hand knew my body very well. So well that I picked up where I left off this time with my moans being unrestricted. With my lip between my teeth, I quivered till my body stilled and I drifted off to sleep.

  I woke the next morning with a crook in my neck from sleeping on the couch all night. At least I had sexy dreams of Russell, and for that, it was almost worth the pain radiating in my neck. If I was lucky, I’d be able to play out my dreams when I saw him—or maybe not. I still couldn’t decide if we had made it to that stage yet.

  Leave it to my body, and I was more than ready. He had been acting right since we addressed his ghosting stunt, but our time together, in person, had been few and far between. I sighed as I showered, running hot water over my ne
ck to relieve the aches.

  As I pulled on my slacks and blouse, I checked my phone; Russell should have been in flight on his way back. I typed out a text to wish him safe travels. My phone dinged before I could put it back down.

  Russell: See you tonight.

  When I arrived in the office, I pulled up my calendar to schedule my time off. As soon as it was saved, James messaged me.

  James: Where are you headed?

  Anaya: To Seattle!

  “To Seattle?” he said, peeping his head into my office door. I looked up from my computer and laughed at him with his nose scrunched and his lips puckered out. “With that fat commission, girl, you should be on somebody’s island.”

  My lip upturned and I replied, “I have to mix it up.”

  With his hand on his hip he reminded me, “In the winter Anaya?” He shook his head. “You could have mixed it up in the spring. Seattle will be colder than here,” he exclaimed.

  Mad at his hating ways, I rolled my eyes. “Why are you watching the calendar anyway?”

  He pointed at me and said, “Just so happened I was also updating my calendar.” I looked down to my laptop and refreshed my view. “Unlike you though, I’ll be headed to sunny Barbados in a couple of weeks.” He winked at me. “Please tell me you’re taking a boo on your next trip and not your girlfriend.”

  If he didn’t leave my office my eyes would be stuck in the back of my head. “Don’t you have a listing to update or something?” I waved my hand in the air. “All up in my business today.” I groaned.

  “Oh, so no boo?” He laughed before he walked down the hallway. James and I started at the company together years ago. Since, he’d become like a big brother, giving me all his tips and tricks to the business. He’s big on networking, and had helped me land in a few social circles around the city. I’d followed his lead by planning trips for each large commission.

  As much as he mentored me, he’s also nosey as hell. He stayed in my business and probably knew more about Marley and Lisa than I did. He never missed an opportunity to invite himself out to happy hour with us. If he weren’t happily married to his husband, I’d think he had his eye on one of them.

  I finished updating the new listings I had available, which was far fewer than usual. As the holidays neared, the housing market slowed down. Not too many people wanted to move during the holidays, and I couldn’t blame them; it’d certainly be the last thing I wanted to do.

  My phone vibrated on my desk as I packed up my laptop. I grinned when I saw Russell’s name on the screen with a message saying that he’d be at my house soon. That message was all I needed to put some pep in my step. I threw my bag over my shoulder and I exited the building.

  Thankfully, the drive from the office to my condo was short, and I left early enough to beat the commute. In my head, I rehearsed how I’d react when we saw each other. The only decent part about his travel schedule was that it gave me an abundant amount of time to miss him, and miss him I did.

  There he was leaning against my door, and in my head I ran up to him and leaped into his arms. In reality, I said, “Hey there,” in my sexy voice.

  He opened his arms wide and a grin spread across his face. When I walked into his embrace, it felt like we both exhaled at the same time. “Hey.” He looked down at me and said, “You’re gorgeous.” Almost as if he had forgotten since he last saw me.

  “Why thank you.” I looked up past his freshly cut beard into his eyes and said, “And you sir, are a sexy beast.” He laughed as I left our embrace to open the door.

  He sat on my couch, leaning forward watching me move around the condo. “For our celebration tonight,” he said as I offered him a bottle of water, “I was thinking we’d make a trip to Politics and Prose.” His eyes met mine and he added, “Since you like memoirs, thought it’d be cool to listen to an author talk about hers.”

  I stopped in front of him and said, “I’ve loved every trip I’ve taken there.” He nodded his head. “Which author?” I asked as I walked into my bedroom to change clothes.

  He called out an author I hadn’t heard of before, but it didn’t matter, it was the consideration that mattered. I was amazed at the effort he was putting into charming me. Had I kept Josh around, I wondered if he’d be as considerate.

  I had to pull out my phone to make a post to my future husband, just so I’d remember how warm I felt from this gesture.

  Dear #FutureHusband, consider my interests when you plan our dates. And I’ll sit beside you, cheering for your team when you watch your favorite games.

  After all, a good relationship would require reciprocity. “Hey,” I called out after I tossed my phone on the bed. “You know the Howard versus Hampton game is this weekend, right?”

  He said, “Yup. I’ll be watching.”

  “We should watch together.” I hadn’t made plans to watch the game yet, but the friendly rivalry could make for an interesting night.

  “If you want to join me at the bar, I’m game.” He laughed. “It’ll keep the haters at bay if I show up with one of their own.”

  Changed into a sweater dress, snug around my curves, and a pair of knee-high boots, I emerged from my room. “Ready.” He looked up and his mouth fell open slightly. That reaction was exactly what I was hoping for. “You okay?” I asked as he just stared.

  “Yeah just”—he shook his head—“wish I hadn’t fucked up that kiss.” I stepped closer to him, in case he wanted to try again. “Could I?” he stumbled. “Would you?” But before he could finish whatever he was trying to say, I bent down and placed my lips on his. He pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me in place.

  He pulled away from the kiss, and my eyes slowly opened. He wiped his thumb against my bottom lip. “If we are still going, we should probably leave now.” I like how he left it as an option to still go, because I’d prefer to stay in, and explore more of his soft lips.

  “If?” I asked, teasing him.

  “Was just thinking maybe we had new plans.” His finger drew circles into my back. “I’m cool with either.” He shifted beneath me and his body was telling me he was lying. There was only one way he wanted to spend the night, and it wasn’t listening to an author’s memoir.

  I rotated my hips and asked, “You sure you’re cool with either?”

  His eyes widened. “Had me thinking you were shy.” His hand shifted to the top of my ass. “Nothing shy about that hip movement.” He laughed.

  I shrugged, although my cheeks were flushed. “Just making an observation.”

  He leaned forward until his lips were inches from my ear and he whispered, “I can wait.” Then he placed a kiss nearby on my neck. My body was protesting his offer. I could feel the moisture pooling between my thighs as he held my hand and helped me up from the couch.

  “Politics and Prose it is,” I said as I adjusted my dress.

  Twelve

  Russell

  My eyes were on her, as hers were laser focused on the author, Tee Marie Hanible. As she discussed her heroic journey as a member of the Marine Corps, I watched as Anaya’s forehead creased and at times her mouth slacked open. She was amazed by Tee Marie, and I was amazed by her.

  Walking out of her apartment, especially after she acknowledged my dick rising, was willpower in its strongest form. She caught me off guard when she kissed me. I didn’t expect her to take the lead, and when her confidence shifted she could have had me wrapped around her finger.

  As badly as I wanted to lay her on the couch and make love to her, I had felt a shift in the way I thought about her over the many phone conversations we’d had. I was already caught up, and if I were inside of her, I’d be done.

  She turned her face to look at me, and her eyes squinted before she returned her attention to the front of the room. I tried to do the same, but I found my gaze drifting back to her. Shit. All this from a kiss? I shook my head just as the audience began to clap.

  “Were you listening?” she whispered to me as we
stood in line for an autographed copy of the book.

  “Somewhat.” I looked down at her as her nose scrunched. “More importantly, were you?”

  “Of course,” she said with a quirky smile. “But I felt you staring at me most of the time.” She winked.

  I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Couldn’t help it.” When we were out of the bookstore walking along the dock of the harbor, I said, “Your pick for dinner.” We were amongst several restaurants and stopped walking for Anaya to make a selection.

  “Kith and Kin?” I nodded and we walked side-by-side to the restaurant. “Thinking of selections.” She looked up to me as we waited for our table. “What’s our next book?”

  I recalled the book I picked up at the airport and told her, “Liar.” I knew she only read on her iPad so I said, “I’ll send you a link for it.”

  “Sounds like an interesting pick.” Her eyebrows rose. The hostess called my name and we were taken to our seats where the smell of jerk and curry had my mouth watering. “I’ll download it when I get home.”

  “Bet, we can talk about the first couple of chapters next week.” I looked at the couple beside us leaning close into each other, holding hands across the table, and I missed that level of intimacy. “Now this game,” I warned her, “I talk a lot of shit.” She laughed, leaning her head back. “So do my homeboys.” I cocked my head to the side and asked, “Think you’ll need reinforcements?”

  She put her hand to her chest and perked her lips. “Oh, you think I can’t handle myself?” She raised one brow and I knew I was in for it. “I can talk shit with the best of them. Besides, there’ll be no reason to believe the Real HU will leave y’all any room to talk.”

  I admired the defense of her school and her willingness to talk trash with my guys. “Alright, we’ll see how much you’re still talking by halftime tomorrow night.” Our server came by and we ordered. I ordered a bottle of wine to which Anaya gave me a mean side-eye. “Did you forget we were celebrating tonight?”