Secret Obsession

by D. M. Mortier

  “Is that what this is all about? You think I was ignoring you?”

  “I don’t think you were ignoring me. I know you were ignoring me. I’m the woman whose brains you screwed out and then spent five days hiding from without a word. Oh, but then you came back late Friday night after getting pissy drunk to fuck me again, right? I don’t know, Colt. What am I supposed to think?” She pressed her arms against his chest and tried to put some space between them.

  “I wasn’t hiding.”

  “Yeah, right. Big p—” She shrieked at the hard palm landing painfully on her ass.

  “Watch it,” he told her softly. “I didn’t spank your ass the last time like you deserved, but I can remedy that shit now. You want to try me?”

  “Go to hell,” she said breathlessly. However, she couldn’t stop herself from pushing her ass more fully into his large hand, silently begging for another tap.

  Colt smirked knowingly and held her hostile gaze with his own calm turquoise one.

  “I still think you’re a big—”

  He spanked her harder this time.

  “I wasn’t going to curse,” she whined.

  The sting of it made her vibrate in places she had no business vibrating at a time like this. She sank her teeth into her lower lip in sheer bliss as her juices flooded her panties. I can’t be wanting more of this? Imani was really puzzled and intrigued by her seemingly endless enjoyment of all things Colt. It didn’t even matter anymore where he touched or how he touched. Her body loved it, craved it even. She gritted her teeth in agitation at her pathetic resistance to him.

  “Just so we’re clear, I’ve never been afraid to claim you as mine or tell the whole damn world about us. What I struggle with is whether I’m being fair to you. Am I allowing you to enjoy growing with someone your age? I want you to be sure before you settle on me. I need you to be sure,” he told her in a hard voice. “Because, after today, you won’t be given a choice anymore.”

  “As I told you before, I can make my own decisions. I chose you a long time ago.” She again pushed her ass deeper into his palm, wishing like hell there were no barriers between her flesh and the rough skin of his fingertips.

  He must have known what she’d been not so subtly begging for, and he didn’t disappoint. First, he tightened his hold on her before taking it away and then letting that palm descend again. The sound this time was louder and the spank harder.

  She closed her eyes and hissed in bliss as she creamed even more.

  He bent his head to kiss her, but she turned her head, and the kiss was to her cheek instead of her lips. Grinning down at her, he palmed her ass over the cheek that was still stinging from his spank.

  She trembled with need.

  “I don’t doubt the you can make your own decisions, baby.” He nuzzled his nose into her fragrant neck and ground his hips against hers. He breathed her in as though savoring her scent. He groaned in appreciation. “I need you to be decisive about us, to be sure.”

  She shivered with awareness at the feel of his thick length against her soft belly.

  “I don’t want you to regret us,” he murmured gutturally. “I couldn’t live with myself if you someday felt that I’d robbed you of your youth, of your choice.”

  “I only regret us when you hurt me as you did last week.” She whimpered as he lifted her off her feet to better align his length to where she ached for him the most. He stood with his legs braced apart and held her high in his arms.

  “If I was a better man, I’d stop this.” He trailed his lips along her neck, to her ear, to her cheek, and then to the corner of her lips.

  Feeling his pulsing hunger digging into her stomach, she hooked her legs around his waist, pulled him closer, and rolled her hips seductively against him. The material of her yoga pants and his jeans did nothing to shield her sensitive flesh. And when he covered her lips with his, she simply lost herself in his taste.

  One kiss melded into another, and then another. They kissed endlessly, reveling in the taste and feel of each other. She moaned softly, never wanting to stop kissing him and never wanting to stop touching him. He seemed to have the same need for her.

  Without releasing her lips from their devastating kiss, he slid his hand between them, kneading her breasts before roaming his palm over her flat stomach and then reaching behind her into the waistband of her pants to palm her naked ass. Sliding his hand over the tight grove of her ass and her sleek center, he teased his fingers over her swollen clit.

  She shuddered violently and pulled her lips from his. She fought to catch her breath. Releasing the grip of her legs from around his waist, she slid down his body to stand before him, forcing him to remove his hold on her.

  He pulled her back against him, palmed her naked ass again, and then flexed his fingers on her sensitive flesh.

  Imani bit her lip hard to stop the lusty cry from escaping. She frantically reached for the zipper of his jeans, fighting with it until she lowered the lever over his pulsing length and curled her fingers around the thick column. He was so big in her palm that it was impossible for her to close her fingers around him. The tip was already damp with precum. She couldn’t resist lowering to her knees, forcing him to release her. She bent her head to lick him. Caressing him by gliding her palm up and down with eager fascination, she sucked him into her mouth. With a palm on the muscular cheek of his ass, she held him in place as she bobbed her head up and down on his hard length.

  He growled as he slid his cock into the warm cavity of her mouth with a slow in-and-out motion that soon had him trembling with need. His essence leaked onto her tongue and slid down her throat.

  She moaned her enjoyment at the taste of him on her tongue and sucked him deeper into her throat. Her efforts soon had him releasing into her mouth in an explosive fashion.

  Colt gently pulled his cock from her mouth a few moments later, assisted her to her feet, and hugged her to him.

  “God, do you have any idea what you do to me?” he whispered close to her ear. “How could you even doubt how much I want you?”

  He was still pulsing with need, hard and unyielding between them, so she didn’t have to look far to prove the depth of his desire. “I never doubted your lust, Colt.” She rubbed against him. “It’s your ignoring me and pretending we never happened that pisses me off.”

  “I told you why.”

  “Yes, and that’s a stupid reason. I spent six years in a college environment with my virginity intact with boys my age. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

  “It tells me that you haven’t explored enough. You haven’t experienced the world. You have no experience of other men.”

  “I don’t want other men. I want you.”

  He closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers. “You’d better be sure about this. There are things at work, so you’d better be sure about us.”

  “I’m sure, but I doubt that you are. Don’t pretend that you are. I want to tell Sarah and your family about us. Are you ready to do that?”

  “Imani…” He closed his eyes, and a look passed over his face that she couldn’t quite read.

  Imani almost backed down from her demand.

  “So, you’re not telling them about us because you think we’re not going to last? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Imani, can we talk?” Sarah’s light knock and her quiet question from the other side of the door forced them apart.

  “Imani?”

  “No, Sarah. We have nothing to talk about.”

  Colt gave her a puzzled look. “Why?” he mouthed.

  She shook her head, telling him to not interfere.

  “Please, Imani. I’m really sorry for hurting you.”

  Imani rolled her eyes. “I’m not ready, Sarah.” She was thinking that she still had time to convince Colt to fuck her silly. She didn’t want to deal with Sarah’s bullshit right now.

  “You’re my best friend, and I miss you.”

/>   “Some best friend I am,” Imani scoffed. She wanted to say more, but she just wanted Sarah to go away.

  “Please, let me explain.”

  Colt raised an eyebrow at her stubbornness.

  And that made Imani wonder what would happen if they were married. Would he always take Sarah’s side as he was doing now? Although he hadn’t voiced it, she knew that he wanted her to open the door for Sarah.

  “You don’t know what she did, but yet you think I’m being unreasonable?” she whispered.

  “Not true. I know that this disagreement with my ward is hurting you. I don’t want you hurt, so talk to her.”

  “Will you always take her side over me?”

  He stilled and looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “That’s not even a question,” he muttered. “You’re my woman. What the fuck do you think that means?”

  “Your woman?” It was her turn to stare at him in astonishment. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t give an answer.”

  “What? You need to be reminded again?”

  “Imani? I’m coming in whether you want me to or not.”

  When Sarah came through the door, Colt had already left through another door leading into Imani’s bedroom.

  “Wow, Colt did a fantastic job in here. This is a beautiful space for you to work.”

  “Small talk, Sarah?”

  Sarah moved farther into the room looking sheepish and very uncomfortable. “I don’t know where to begin, Imani. I love you, and I miss you. How do I make things good between us again?”

  “You lied to me, not only about your reasons for moving to Chicago but you also lied about your boyfriends.”

  “I had my reasons, I promise.”

  “Yes, and in the process, you used me.”

  “But you forgive me, right?”

  Imani sighed. “As much as it pains me to admit, I really don’t have much of a high ground to stand on. Although the things I’ve kept from you are more recent, I lied to you by omission too, and I think we should talk about them.”

  “Really?” Sarah smirked. “So, I’m not your evil stepsister incarnate?”

  Imani laughed huskily. She couldn’t believe how emotional she was getting over being with Sarah. Maybe she was reading too much into Sarah’s less-than-honest disclosures to her. She really didn’t have time to fight with Sarah. Closing the space between them, she hugged her best friend. “I love you too.” It was as if her words had broken something in Sarah because she started crying. They were soul deep, heart-wrenching sobs of relief. Imani was initially bewildered by Sarah’s reaction, and then her obvious visceral relief at Imani’s forgiveness made Imani forgive her for real. For the next few minutes, they hugged, and Imani let her friend cry on her shoulder.

  When her gaze met Sarah’s after she’d quieted down, they smiled at each other and then dissolved into laughter at their behavior.

  “I think your guardian is hot as hell,” Imani confessed. She grinned at Sarah’s frown of confusion and continued mopping the moisture from Sarah’s eyes and face with the large tissue she’d swiped from the open Kleenex box on her desk.

  “Girl, that’s not a secret.” Sarah chuckled and batted Imani’s hand away from her face. “You practically eat him alive with your eyes every time he enters the room.”

  “What? Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Imani was slightly embarrassed that her feelings for Colt were so obvious.

  “Well, what would I say? Women make fools of themselves over him all the time. But Colt’s pretty cool about stuff like that. Besides, you just look and don’t try to seduce him. I don’t say this to hurt you, but I’ve never seen Colt interested in a woman of color or in any of my friends. And believe me, plenty of them have tried to tempt him. That’s why I was happy when you finally got a boyfriend back in Chicago. Unfortunately, this stuff happened, and you had to leave him back there. Hopefully, he can come out here soon.”

  “Well…” Imani cleared her throat to give herself time to figure out how she’d get out of this. “I don’t think any relationship I have will ever dispel what I feel for Colt. Are you okay with that?” She knew Colt wasn’t ready to go public with their relationship, but she wanted Sarah to begin to accept the possibility once Colt told her. That was if he ever did.

  Sarah gazed at her with sympathy. “Imani, as much as I love Colt, he’s the last person you should give your heart to. I have never seen him in a long-term relationship or mildly interested in a woman long enough to have one. Why do you think my mom killed herself? He made it clear to her that what they had was just a casual thing and he had no intention of marrying her, even after she had convinced him that she was pregnant with his child. So, trust me when I tell you that falling for Colt is a very bad idea.” Sarah smiled at her gently. “And while I love you too, I would never be okay with someone else being married to him. He and I have been together always. I don’t want any other woman thinking they could come between us.”

  “Isn’t that a bit hypocritical given your relationship?”

  “I can’t help how I feel. Colt’s mine. Besides, the thought of any of my friends with him is a gross thought. And I’ve already told you that my relationships with other men are only casual. I would never leave Colt for them.”

  “Wait, what? You’re referring to Colt as a love interest, not a guardian?”

  “Yes! What did you think I meant?”

  Imani shook her head to try overcoming the initial shock of Sarah’s words. “What about your boyfriend, Tony?”

  “Tony is a very sweet man, and he loves me. But I won’t leave Colt.” Sarah held Imani’s gaze and wet her lips nervously. “It’s true that I would hate for any of my friends to be with Colt. What I feel for Colt is deep. I’ve always had feelings for him too.”

  Imani gasped.

  “Don’t look at me like that! We’re not related, and I’d always hoped that I’d get a chance with him.”

  “I don’t understand. What about Tony?”

  “Why do you think I had this relationship with Tony?” Sarah started to get even more upset. “I wanted to prove to Colt that I was old enough to handle a man his age. I wanted to prove that I was woman enough. And then things with Tony got complicated. I think Tony knows how I feel, but he doesn’t care. He loves me.”

  “I think you should tell Colt about Tony. Hopefully, he’d be more supportive about your relationship than you are with me.”

  “Are you deliberately not hearing me?” Sarah looked exasperated with her. “If I don’t admit what’s happening with Tony, then there’s still a chance for a relationship with Colt. While I want Colt to know that I can handle him, I don’t want him to know about my sexual history with his friends. I don’t want him to think that I’m easy.”

  “You mean you don’t want him to think you’re a ho.”

  “I’m not a whore. I have a strong appetite, and so does Colt. I simply don’t want him to know about my relationships with his friends.”

  “How many of his friends are you talking about?” Imani frowned at the incredibility of what Sarah was telling her. “You just told me that you were in a five-year relationship with Tony. Which is it? Sarah who sleeps around or Sarah in a relationship with Tony? Is anything that comes out of your mouth the truth?”

  “That’s not important, Imani. You take everything too seriously,” Sarah dismissed. “Tony is the only one of them that has gone past a one-time deal, and that’s what I call a relationship. The others are to appease my appetite. Tony thinks I’ll change my mind about being with him. But I could so easily fit into Colt’s life. I know all of his likes, his dislikes, I know his history and his friends… Shit, I know every time he goes to visit his lover in town.”

  “He has a lover in the city?”

  Sarah laughed humorlessly. “Not a lover, try many. Colt’s a big guy with a strong sexual appetite. Of course, he has several lovers. Who could keep up with that? And since I
’m used to sharing him like that, I won’t care about that. See, I would be an easy relationship for him.”

  Imani tried desperately to hide her reaction. The thought of Colt with anyone but her was devastating. Did he still have lovers in the city? Was that what he was doing when he hadn’t called her? Imani felt the bitter bile of jealousy deep in her stomach, but she couldn’t let Sarah see it. Imani wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the sudden chill to her system and to hide her emotions. “Complications all around,” she mumbled.

  Sarah gave her a watery laugh. “Yeah.” She threw her arms around Imani and smiled at her. “How do you feel about becoming an aunty?”

  “What?” Imani stepped out of their embrace and hoped like hell her horror wasn’t written all over her face. “Wow! That’s amazing.” Colt was going to freak!

  “You’re the only person I’ve told. I’m terrified to tell Tony. He’ll think that this will tie me down to him, but it won’t.”

  “Secrets have a way of being found out, Sarah. Especially ones like this.”

  “I know.” Sarah started to cry. “Things are not only complicated, they’re fucked up!” she wailed.

  Imani felt as though she was being a shitty friend because she had no idea what to say to comfort Sarah. And a big part of her was still stunned by Sarah’s lies. Imani had to acknowledge, however, that she wasn’t much better. She had tons of secrets too. Yeah, shit was complicated all right.

  “I’m sure Tony loves you, and the fact that you’re having a baby together will make him very happy.” Imani tried swallowing her choking disappointment in her friend and be there for her despite her hurt feelings. “Tell him.”

  “What if he starts insisting I marry him? What if Colt starts to hate me? I could lose everything.”

  Imani smiled gently. “You need to think of your child now, not Colt.”

  Sarah didn’t return her smile but frowned thoughtfully. “The last thing I need is something like this to get between me and Colt.”

  “Is that what you want? Do you want to give up your child?”

  “I’m too young to have a baby,” she dismissed. And then she moved away from Imani. “Look, can you keep this to yourself? Please don’t tell Colt.”