Obsession

by Linda Verji

  His body spent, he rested over her for a few minutes before slowly pulling out. Her body twitched and shivered with his exit. Somehow, he found the strength to tuck her into his bed before going to the bathroom to get rid of the rubber. When he came back, she was lazily stretching and smiling like a satisfied cat.

  Grinning, he crossed the room to the bed. “Someone’s happy.”

  “How could I not be?” She lifted the covers for him with a smile. “That was amazing.”

  “It was,” he agreed as he slid in next to her. Instinctively, she came to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she laid her head on his chest.

  “This is crazy,” she murmured as she traced the muscle on his bicep with her finger.

  “What’s crazy?”

  “Everything.” She looked up to meet his eyes. “You know Ari will kill us if he finds out, right?”

  Yeah. Lex nodded. But he still would never give this experience up.

  “Leeex,” Freddie whined as she tucked her head back into his shoulder. “What are we going to do?”

  Honestly, he didn’t know what they were going to do either. He wasn’t even sure what was going on here; whether this was just a sex thing for her, or if she was as emotionally invested as he was. He wanted to ask her. Oh, how he wanted to ask. But he was too afraid of being disappointed by her answer.

  Instead of asking what he really wanted to ask, he asked, “Do you want to stop?”

  “No.” Her answer was as quick as it was resolute. She met his gaze. “I like it too much.”

  I like you too much, he returned on the inside. On the outside, he smiled. “Then let’s not stop.”

  “Okay.” She returned his smile before coming up for a kiss.

  Though the kiss was soft and light, his body still remembered the kind of pleasure that their last kiss had led to. Just the thought of experiencing that pleasure had him going hard once again. He brought her over him and deepened the kiss. However, before he could get any further, Freddie ended the kiss with a chuckle.

  “We can’t. No. No.” She disentangled herself from his arms and slid back to the side of his body. “I have to get home.”

  He frowned. “You’re not staying over?”

  “Sorry no,” she apologized. “I didn’t tell my folks where I was going and if I spend the night, it will get complicated. I need to go home.”

  Disappointment was too small a word to describe the sensation that swept through him then. He wanted her in his arms for longer than just these few minutes, for longer than a day, forever if possible. However, since it was possible, he offered, “I’ll take you home.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she protested. “I can take a cab.”

  Did she really expect him to let her take a cab at this time of the night? Alone? What kind of man would that make him? He didn’t even respond to her protest. He just got out of bed.

  “Lex, come on,” Freddie tried again. But before she could get another word in, he dragged her closer to him then lifted her off the bed. “Where are we going?”

  “Shower,” he returned simply.

  After their shower, they both dressed up then headed out. Since it was so late, the roads were practically clear and the night seemed especially quiet. Lulled by the soothing music playing in the car, Freddie fell asleep next to him.

  Lex wasn’t dumb enough to take her all the way home. When he was close enough to the Lathams’ home that Freddie didn’t have to walk a distance, but far enough that there was no risk of getting caught, he brought the car to a stop.

  “Freddie.” He stroked the side of her face to wake her up. “Freddie.”

  “Hmm.” She stirred then opened her eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen with sleepiness as she turned to glance out the window. “Are we here?”

  “Yeah.” He lightly drew his thumb over her eyes to ease the swollenness there.

  “That was fast.” She stretched and yawned. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Not long.”

  “I think my trip is starting to catch up with me.” She gave him a tired smile as she reached for her seatbelt. “I better get going. Thanks for the ride.”

  “You’re welcome.” Even though he hated that she was leaving, he returned her smile.

  She opened the door. “Bye.”

  However, before she could step out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. Their lips met. The kiss was as much ‘goodbye’ as it was ‘see you again’. It was filled with yearning for more time together and promises that this wouldn’t be the last time. Lex nibbled on her bottom lip one last time before reluctantly ending the kiss and letting her go. “Bye.”

  The loneliness that eclipsed him as he watched her walk away was unexpected. Most of his life he’d been alone, but he’d rarely felt lonely. Until now, he’d loved his own company. But now that Freddie had snuck her way into his life, he hated the thought of going home alone, of being without her. He was no genius but even he could tell that if she ever got tired of this game they were playing, he’d get his heart broken.

  CHAPTER 11

  Except for the porch-light, the house was dark. Freddie’s parents’ cars were parked in the driveway, indicating that they were both in the house but asleep. Freddie fit her key into the lock before quietly opening the front door. The house was as silent as a graveyard, so silent that the ticking of the great clock in the living room sounded absurdly loud. Careful not to break the silence, Freddie took off her heels then started towards the stairs.

  She was just passing the archway that led to the living room when the living room lights suddenly came on and her mother appeared in the archway.

  “Oh my God.” Freddie’s hand flew to her chest as her heart jumped in shock. She gasped. “Mama?”

  “Surprise!” Tanaya grinned.

  “Surprise?” Freddie gave the woman a shocked onceover. “You almost killed me. Were you hiding so you could scare me?”

  Tanaya’s ever widening grin was all the answer Freddie needed.

  “How old are you again?” Freddie shook her head disapprovingly as she headed towards the stairs. Her mother followed on her heels. Glancing back at her, Freddie asked, “What are you doing up anyway?”

  “I just came back from the hospital.” Tanaya climbed the stairs after her. “What about you? Why are you so late?”

  “I had to stop by the office to get some work done,” Freddie lied.

  “That is a lie,” her mother promptly declared.

  “What?” Freddie turned swiftly to find her mother staring at her with narrowed eyes.

  “That is a lie,” Tanaya repeated. “You weren’t at your office. I know because one; you never go to the office in heels. Two; I was just there and you weren’t.”

  Freddie blinked. Then blinked again. “You were at my office?”

  “Not your office per se,” Tanaya said. “One of my patients was being released for burial today and I stopped by the center to condole with the family. You weren’t there.”

  “Oh!” Feeling embarrassed at being caught at her lie, Freddie gave a sheepish grin before turning to continue up the stairs.

  “Oh,” Tanaya mimicked with amusement. “So, little girl, where were you, really?” Freddie opened her mouth to answer but before she could her mother cut in. “And don’t even think of saying Winter. I already called her and confirmed that you weren’t with her.”

  Freddie was well and truly caught. She resorted to the only way she knew to get out of sticky situations. Turn the tables. She puffed out angrily. “What are you doing checking up on me? This is an invasion of my privacy. I’m not a child.”

  “You’re my child,” Tanaya promptly retorted. “So? Where were you?”

  “None of your business,” Freddie countered as she entered her bedroom. Her mother followed her right in. Freddie ordered, “Go to your room.”

  Tanaya ignored the order and instead settled on Freddie’s bed. She watched her daughter with unabashed curiosity before su
ddenly standing up. Freddie was so shocked by the sudden move that she went still.

  When her mother started circling her while sniffing several times, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Mmm. I knew it.” Tanaya nodded as she sniffed Freddie one more time. “You were with Wesley, right?”

  Freddie stiffened. “What?”

  “You even showered.” The older woman folded her arms over her chest and watched her daughter. “That means you had sex.”

  “Go away.” Freddie immediately stepped away from her mother. “I’m not doing this with you.”

  “I’m right.” Tanaya went back to her position on Freddie’s bed. “You were with Wesley.”

  “I. Was. Not. With. Wesley,” Freddie enunciated each word clearly and vehemently.

  That was a mistake because her mother’s eyes immediately widened and she gasped. “If not Wesley, then who? Are you cheating on him with another man?”

  Freddie wanted to come clean right then. She itched to tell her mother that she’d broken up with Wesley because he’d cheated on her, but that would lead to other questions. Like who she’d showered for. Her mother was so relentless that she’d end up pulling Lex’s name from her. Freddie couldn’t let that happen, not when she knew how much drama that revelation would bring.

  So she sighed. “Fine, I was with Wesley.”

  “I knew it. I knew it.” Tanaya pumped her fist and grinned like she’d just won Family Feud. “I knew you were with him.”

  “Okay, now that you’ve confirmed it, can you leave?” Freddie asked. “I want to change.”

  “Don’t mind me. Go ahead. I created everything that’s beneath that dress anyway so there’s nothing in there to surprise me,” Her mother retorted dismissively. Excitedly, she jumped back into their conversation. “So how is it going with you two? Will we be adding a celebrity to our family tree?”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Freddie said distractedly as she unzipped her dress then stepped out of it.

  “I didn’t like him at first but I’m getting around to it.” Tanaya added, “He seems okay. Did I tell you? He called me yesterday.”

  Freddie who was in the process of putting on a tank-top paused with only her head in the neck-hole. “He what?”

  “He called me,” the older woman revealed, “just to ask me how I was doing. Already acting like a son-in-law. I like that.” She grinned. “He even asked if he could take your dad and me out to dinner some time.”

  Was Wesley crazy? It was bad enough that he was harassing her but now he’d moved on to her family. Regret swamped her. She shouldn’t have introduced him to her family. Back then she was so blinded by love that it had seemed the natural thing to do. Now it was coming back to bite her in the ass. She was going to kill him.

  To her mother, she said, “Don’t go for dinner with him.”

  Tanaya frowned. “Why?”

  “Just don’t.” This would’ve been the perfect time to reveal the break-up. However, Freddie had already painted herself into a corner with the lie about having just come from seeing him. Still, she could always reveal the break-up on another day, perhaps next week, when her mother had forgotten about tonight.

  “Why not?” Tanaya insisted. “You’re the one who is always telling me that I need to be more open-minded and accepting of your boyfriends.”

  “Not with this one.” Dragging on a pair of shorts, Freddie ordered, “Just stay away from him.”

  “Fine. You don’t need to be so snippy about it.” Tanaya was silent for a few seconds before she suddenly came out with, “Are you using protection?”

  “Mama!”

  “What?”

  “I’m twenty-nine not nineteen,” Freddie informed her as she put on her socks.

  “I know but I’m just making sure you’re safe.” Tanaya added, “You know these days you can’t trap a man by getting pregnant. If you do get pregnant, you might end up having to raise the baby alone.”

  What was this woman on? Freddie gave her a disbelieving look. “Trap a man? Is that how you and Dad got married?”

  “Hey, he was taking his time getting me a ring,” the older woman confessed unapologetically. “I just encouraged him to move faster.”

  “Lalalalalalala.” Freddie tapped her ears with her palms. “I don’t need to hear this.”

  Her mother only laughed before further advising, “Wait until he fully commits before you get pregnant.”

  “Okay. That’s it. I’m done.” Freddie strode to the door and jerked it open. “Get out of my room, lady.”

  “I’m not done yet,” Tanaya resisted.

  “Daddy,” Freddie shouted.

  Tanaya immediately jumped to her feet. “Okay, okay. I’m going.” But as she swept past Freddie, she dug in. “Don’t forget what I said.”

  “Good night.” Freddie firmly shut the door behind her mother.

  Freddie had spent her late teens and early twenties pursuing her medical degree in Boston. She’d missed her family so much that when she’d snagged a fellowship in Miami, living with her parents had seemed like a good idea. She didn’t have to worry about rent, meals or laundry. Of course she had to pay her parents a little cash for upkeep but it was nothing compared to her previous expenses.

  However, at times like these she regretted not doing what Ari had done. She should’ve gotten her own place, reserving her stays in the family home to weekends. That way she wouldn’t have to deal with her interfering mother. That way she wouldn’t have to lie about who she was really dating?

  As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she wondered whether she was even really dating. Could what she and Lex were doing be classified as dating or was it just friends with benefits? Honestly, she could feel herself getting attached. Nothing else could explain why he was all she could think about. But she didn’t know about him. Maybe this was just sex for him. A way to ease the itch he’d had for a long time.

  Tonight, when they were in bed together, she’d wanted to ask him what the end game was. When she’d asked him what they were going to do, she’d half-hoped that he’d suggest that they just come clean to everybody. A part of her had prayed that he’d ask her to start dating officially. But he hadn’t. He’d only asked her if she wanted to stop. What was she supposed to make of that?

  On one hand she could understand why he wouldn’t suggest dating. She was a woman who’d just recently broken up with another man, and she was also his best-friend’s little sister. Any man would think of her as a grenade that needed careful handling. But on the other hand, she couldn’t help being disappointed. Wasn’t he interested in more?

  * * *

  “HEY.” LEX SPOKE into the phone the following day. He was on his computer, studying the folder that the development team had just sent in. “Are these the game assets?”

  The developer on the other end said, “Yes.”

  “Too sloppy.” Lex ordered, “Redo and resubmit.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Though it was only one p.m., Lex had already chaired three meeting with various teams to discuss the games they were working on and was now analyzing the contents of the fourth team’s game. One might think that it was a busy day, but it wasn’t. Things were always this hectic these days. It wasn’t the same when he’d started the business. Back then he was the only team.

  Since his father wanted him to join the family business, he’d refused to give Lex the seed money to start his own company. Luckily, Lex had his friends. Ari, Michael, Red and Logan had teamed up to give Lex the cash he needed to develop his first game. Even so, it hadn’t been enough for him to even rent his own office. Red Sky Studios had started in the Lathams garage. And look where they were today. Their own building, several teams and a net worth that could make even the biggest companies blink.

  Barely had Lex put the phone down before he noticed another problem with the assets. He called the same developer.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Who drew these characters?” Lex ask
ed.

  “Quinn did.”

  “Send them to Stephanie,” Lex ordered. “Tell her to put the finishing touches on them.”

  As soon as he put the phone down, it rang again.

  “Yes?” he answered.

  It was his assistant, Oliver Allet. “Sir, security says that your mother is downstairs asking to see you.”

  What was she doing here again? Lex frowned. Honestly, he was tempted to refuse to see her, but he knew his mother. She’d somehow find her way up. With a sigh, he said, “Tell them to send her up.”

  Ten minutes later there was a knock on his door. Even before he could ask who it was, the door flew open and his mother swanned in. Swanning was the only way to accurately describe Bree Clementine. Everything about her said she was a woman who loved life and fun. Her dark hair was long and curly as if she was too busy doing other things to be bothered with straightening it. Though her whole face was made up, it was her eyes that drew attention; powder green eye-shadow to match her blood-red lipstick and orange and green kaftan. She looked like a hippie who’d walked right out of the Summer of Love straight into his office.

  Her smile brightened when she saw him at his desk. “Hi, Lexy.”

  He hated when she called him Lexy. His voice wintery cold, he asked, “What do you want?”

  Her smile dampened but didn’t entirely disappear as she asked, “Is that any way to welcome your mother?”

  You’re not my mother. You just gave birth to me. He repeated, “What do you want?”

  She didn’t answer him. Instead she peeked outside the office then yelled out. “This way. Come this way.”

  A minute later, two workmen carting a large canvass wrapped in brown paper, walked in. Lex shot out of his seat in alarm but before he could voice his protest, his mom was already guiding the men. “On the couch. That’s good. That’s good. Let’s open it first.”