by Lisa Jackson
Alexa’s breathing stopped as her man branded her with a kiss that stirred up her insides like a tornado that trailed all the way down to the pit of her stomach. Her legs began to shake and she felt herself sinking into a sea of no return.
Darius pulled back, leaving her standing there swooning, heated from head to toe. Then without a word he picked up her bags and led her out of the airport by the hand to his warm vehicle.
Waiting for her in the passenger seat of his car was a single red rose and a mesh bag filled with candy kisses. Attached to it was a note. A symbol of love and some sweet chocolate kisses await you, my Queen.
The brazen kiss coupled with Darius’s small gesture made the earlier encounter with Sean fade into nothingness. She smiled at him sweetly. “Thank you, baby.”
As they drove away from the airport, Alexa snuggled up against Darius as they headed back to his place.
Darius placed his hand possessively on her knee. “We are going to have a nice weekend, I promise.”
Darius did not fall short on his promise. Waiting for her at his place was a relaxing retreat. Upon entering, Alexa’s eyes had to adjust to the firelit room. She waited for Darius to set her bags inside the door before following him inside.
His taste in décor surprised her as she was expecting a typical bachelor pad—pieces of odds-and-ends furniture with the centerpiece of the room being a big-screen television surrounded by a monstrous entertainment center containing tons of CDs, movies and the latest video game equipment.
Although the house was not characteristic of these things, Darius’s personal style was lacking. The house basically looked as if it was suspended in a holding place as if he didn’t want to put forth the effort for fear that it might not be permanent. Alexa took note of this when she peeked in the living room, which was empty with the exception of a pair of cranberry-colored channel-back accent chairs placed before the fireplace. The dining room which was opposite of the living room held a mahogany Chippendale-style dinette set with a matching buffet and hutch. The only accent in the room was an oil painting of the Buffalo Soldiers Retreat Home.
The kitchen was modern yet simple with a breakfast bar and an unoccupied alcove large enough for a good-size table. Glancing down towards the sunken den, Alexa found the source of Darius’s living. There sat a man’s paradise. Alexa could almost picture Darius stretched out in the recliner before the sixty-one-inch big-screen television. There he had a custom-made home theater wall unit, which surrounded the large television, stereo, DVD/VHS player. Along one wall was a fireplace surrounded by built-in bookshelves and to the other side a chocolate-brown leather sofa with a beige and brick-red chenille throw draped across it.
When she turned around, she was surprised to find Darius standing there with a huge bouquet of dark red long-stemmed roses. Alexa smiled as she brought the bunch to her nose and inhaled deeply. “Baby, they are so beautiful.”
“Shh,” he said. “There’s more.” He gently took her by the hand and led her up the stairs and into the master bathroom. Alexa’s mouth fell open at the sight of the candles placed throughout the room. The oversize garden tub was filled with aromatic rose petals. It reminded her of another night the two of them had shared. She turned to him to say such, but again, he quieted her with a finger to his mouth. Instead, he reached up and began to remove her clothing.
When she stood before him totally naked, he took her hand and helped her to step into the steamy water.
Once she was seated, Darius kissed her tenderly on the mouth and turned on the slow jets. Alexa eased back against the pillow that Darius had provided and closed her eyes. She gasped when she felt Darius’s hands caressing her body. Just she began to respond to his touch, he pulled back and began to wash her body with a soft sea sponge. Alexa leaned forward, giving Darius access to her back. He dipped the sponge into the water and raised it, letting the scented bubbles run down her back and over her slick skin as he massaged her neck and shoulders in the process. Alexa shivered with pleasure when she felt his lips press against the nape of her neck. When he was gone, Darius eased her back so that her neck rested comfortably against the shell-shaped bath pillow once again and began to wash her front in the same gentle manner.
It took a lot out of him to concentrate on keeping his hands from roaming over her delicious body the way he wanted to but he remained the perfect gentleman. He wanted the experience to be relaxing and special rather than sexual. He turned his attention from her full breasts, which were heaving in and out of the soapy water with each breath, to her legs and feet. Lifting Alexa’s leg in the air, Darius delicately washed her feet, concentrating on her well-manicured toes. When he was done, he kissed each one.
Slowly opening her eyes, Alexa gazed at him with a lazy smile, enjoying the treatment.
Darius smiled in return and reached for the large, plush bath towel. He stood up and held the towel for her so that she could wrap herself inside. When she had done so, Darius scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom where he had a small setup waiting for them. He placed her down on the bed and began drying her body. When she was completely dry, he removed a small bottle of amber-colored oil from a container or warm water and began to pour the contents into his hands before massaging it onto her waiting body. She moaned with each stroke of his large masculine hands. Darius proceeded to rub her body from head to toe until her moans subsided. Everything was so nice, so perfect, to Alexa that it wasn’t long before she fell fast asleep.
It was dark out when Alexa awakened to find herself in Darius’s bed. A smile spread across her face as she realized that she was in Ohio with her man. She stretched languidly across the king-size bed and rolled onto her stomach to turn on the lamp on the nightstand. After her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked around, again absorbing Darius’s domain.
The king-size, cherrywood bedroom suite immediately confirmed that he was traditional. The matching chest, dresser with mirror and armoire said that he was orderly. The abstract painting, stretching the length of the headboard had the same colors that matched the comforter set. This told Alexa that he was consistent.
Easing off the edge of the bed, Alexa’s curiosities led her over to Darius’s dresser. She couldn’t believe how neat it was. The items were perfectly arranged as if in expectation for her arrival. She picked up his hairbrush and gently fingered the sharp bristles. The faint smell of Dax pomade greeted her. Next to the brush were two bottles of Alexa’s favorite male scents: Cool Water and Hugo Boss. She picked up the Cool Water and placed the nozzle to her nose. She loved the smell of the cologne especially when sampling it in the crook of Darius’s neck.
The open closet door seemed to call out to her and she went over to explore its contents. Unlike the Darius she used to know, the closet was surprisingly neat. She smiled, convinced that Darius had gone out of his way to have the place neat as a pin just for her. The Darius she knew was tidy, but not impeccable. Not seeing a suit of his strewn across a chair or shoes scattered carelessly about the floor was odd. Being around his personal items made her miss their owner so she slipped into one of his button-down shirts from a hanger in the closet and went out to find him.
Alexa could hear Darius’s strong voice coming from somewhere near the living room. Probably his office, she thought. She tiptoed downstairs to find him seated before his computer, wearing a telephone headset while he plugged away on his laptop.
“What we need is a networked system,” he was saying. “One that would allow each staff access to the records.”
Alexa stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug. Darius barely jumped and turned to her with a smile. “Did you sleep well?” he mouthed while covering the mouthpiece with his hand.
“Very well, thank you,” she replied and began to massage his broad shoulders.
She could feel the tension ease from his neck and shoulders as if her hands worked magic. He continued to talk shop even as Alexa swung her leg over his lap and eased down on t
op of him. Although a smile of surprise washed over his face when he realized that she was totally naked underneath the shirt, it wasn’t enough to make him end his call.
“I was thinking about developing an affordable system for them with all of the options of our full-blown package, along with a lifetime service contract.”
Alexa proceeded to test his resolve by kissing him all over his face and neck. Although he seemed to enjoy her advances, he continued his conversation without missing a beat.
“Right, right,” he responded to the caller.
Motivated by his ability to remain calm, Alexa unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over the contours of his sculpted chest. He closed his eyes and laid his head back, yet still the discussion did not stop. Alexa smiled at the challenge he had proposed and knew exactly what to do to gain a response from him.
One by one, she undid the buttons on her shirt, exposing her naked body. She captured his hand and boldly placed it on one of her breasts. Darius’s eyes immediately shot open and his focus slowly transferred from his phone call onto her.
“Look, Braxton, I have some urgent business to attend to. Can I give you a call after I finish working it out?
Alexa waited for him to remove the headpiece from his head before teasing him. “Gotcha!” she said with a mischievous grin.
“Yeah, you did,” Darius replied as he proceeded to love every inch of her body.
Chapter 14
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Darius addressed Alexa the next morning. He slid the covers from her body and gently shook her shoulder. “Get up, lazy bones.”
Without opening her eyes, Alexa pulled the covers back over her and went back to sleep.
Darius chuckled and removed the covers again.
“Sto-op!” Alexa whined, reaching out for them again.
This time Darius pulled them completely off the bed so that when Alexa searched for them again, she did so in vain. When she discovered that the blankets were not within her reach, she rolled onto her stomach and buried her head under a pillow.
Darius’s eyes lit up at the sight of her round bottom totally exposed at his mercy. His playful nature wanted to smack it hard so that she would sit up hollering, but his gentler side preferred caressing the smooth skin in a loving gesture. He opted for the latter of the two by smoothing his palm over her soft flesh.
His actions brought Alexa to life and she poked her head out from under the pillow this time. “I’m sleeping!” she announced.
He slid up beside her. “I know, babe, but I have some errands to run for the Ball. I thought you’d want to come with me. But if you don’t, I understand. You can stay here and I’ll check in with you later.”
His announcement brought Alexa out of her slumber. “How long before you’ll be ready to go?” she asked groggily.
Darius glanced at the digital alarm clock on the night-stand. “About an hour, I have a lot to do.”
“Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be ready,” she replied.
“Okay,” he agreed, planting a kiss on her forehead. He backed off of the bed and went downstairs picking up discarded clothing along the way. A smile curved at the corners of his mouth as he reached for his shirt which had somehow made its way into the living room.
Last night was truly something else. Alexa was bold coming on to him and he responded to her with much enthusiasm. He resolved that he would never look at his office chair the same again. They had loved each other so intensely that the chair had almost rolled out of the room.
Each time he looked at her he wondered what the next level of their relationship would entail. Although he promised to not press the issue of marriage again, he was getting restless from waiting. It was getting harder to say goodbye at the end of each visit. He yearned for the moment when he could just pull her into his arms when he wanted or call her from work knowing that he would see her at home later in the evening. Their planned couplings were hard because his heart couldn’t love on a schedule. Yet, he tried to make the best of their time while they were together.
As he got dressed, Darius moved around the room like a kid on his way to Disney World. He couldn’t wait for everybody to meet the woman who made his heart sing. He glanced over at her extended form tangled in the sheets and smiled. He wanted to see that image every morning. It took nine years to get to this point and if he had to he could wait a while longer because Alexa was worth waiting for.
He frowned as he opened the refrigerator and noticed the empty contents. In his attempt to have the place spotless in preparation for her arrival, he had forgotten to go to the grocery store. He normally would have made breakfast if he had any food. Then Chandler’s Place came to mind. Chandler’s Place was a quaint, home-style café that he frequently patronized for their famous Belgian waffles. Just thinking about the thick, buttery pastry made his mouth water.
While Alexa got ready, Darius picked up his attaché and searched through its contents for some paperwork that he needed to take with him to the school. Ordinarily when handling business for the school, he preferred to represent by wearing a suit, but this time, he was placing comfort over style. The baggy black carpenter jeans, and chocolate-brown turtleneck sweater looked good on him.
The bedroom door opened and Alexa’s footfalls could be heard exiting the room. In a few moments, she was standing there before him. Darius wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. In the baggy overalls and sweater, Alexa reminded him of the shy beauty he fell head over heels in love with nine years ago. However, the woman before him held only the physical image as it was clear that she had blossomed into a content and confident woman. He admired a woman who could wear a pair of jeans and tennis shoes with as much poise as a business suit. More and more each day, Alexa was showing him how much he had missed.
“You look good, shawty,” he hummed, circling around her with appreciative eyes.
“You looked pretty fine yourself, big daddy,” she retorted, fingering his sweater. The two paused for a moment to exchange a kiss.
“Are you ready?” He pulled their coats from the closet. “I thought we could pick up some breakfast first.”
He held up Alexa’s coat while she slipped into it.
“I am starving.”
“Then let’s go. I can’t have you starving out here in Cleveland.” He held out his arm for her and the two exited the house.
Alexa enjoyed the atmosphere at Chandler’s as much as she enjoyed the food. The café put her in mind of her grandmother’s kitchen. The strong scent of freshly brewed Colombian gourmet coffee, along with the cinnamon and vanilla flavoring in the fresh pecan rolls made her mouth water. She enjoyed a hearty breakfast of coffee, fresh fruit, pecan waffles and country ham.
After breakfast, the first place they went was the ballroom where the festivities were to take place. Darius had to pass the setup instructions on to the food service director. He also had to meet the decorator there to ensure that she had everything she needed to create the setting for their perfect evening.
Their next stop was the school. Darius had to hand over his money from the ticket sales to Reg. He also wanted Alexa to see the driving force behind the Ball—Frederick Douglas Academy.
Darius allowed Alexa to enter first before approaching the reception desk. As usual, Tamala and Chester were out front gossiping.
“Good morning, Ms. Harper, Mr. White,” Darius greeted cheerfully. He reached for Alexa’s hand, causing both Tamala’s and Chester’s brows to lift simultaneously. “I’d like you both to meet someone special.” He turned to Alexa with a proud smile lighting his face as if he were about to introduce her to his parents. “Tamala Harper, Chester White, I’d like you to meet Alexa Kirkwood.
Alexa, this is Tamala, Frederick Douglas’s receptionist, and the head of security, Chester White.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Alexa said pleasantly as she shook both of their hands.
“Are you from around here?” Tamala asked.
“Well, I actually used
to live in Detroit when I was younger, but my folks moved away while I was in college. Now I live in Denver.”
“Alexa and I go way back,” Darius announced, admiration glowing obviously in his eyes. “We attended the same college.”
Alexa nodded with a gaze as tender as a caress. Both Tamala and Chester noticed their exchange and gave each other curious glances.
Darius quickly regained his composure. “Is Mr. Thornton in today?” he asked, keeping with formalities.
“Yes, he is,” Tamala said, leaning over to press the security button to allow them inside.
Darius held the door for Alexa and recaptured her hand once he entered.
“Why the security door?” Alexa asked, glancing back at the metal door as it clicked shut behind them.
“Many of the students expressed concern about not feeling safe from the streets when people could just walk inside and peddle drugs, start fights or worse, start shooting. The door was actually there when the place was first constructed as a YMCA. When the church purchased the building, they decided to leave it as it was.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
The facility was quiet as classes were in session. Darius played tour guide by pointing out the different classrooms in the facility. They continued down the seemingly remote hallway until they came to the office. The office was a buzz with the noisy hum of a copy machine. Gwen Taylor, Reggie’s secretary looked up as they entered and a large smile curved her mouth. Gwen was a petite woman in her early fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a pair of studious wire-framed glasses perched on her nose. Although she had no children of her own, Gwen was a motherly spirit who made all visitors feel right at home.
“Why hello, stranger!” she greeted with a smile as she stepped around her desk and gave Darius a hug.