“Girl, it’s hot out here. You know you need suntan lotion on you. You scared for me to put my hands on you?”
Nolan stood up and applied lotion to his legs. He massaged his inner thigh. Milandra began to have tingling feelings in her private parts. She would melt in the heat if he touched her the way he was applying the suntan lotion to himself. She didn’t want him to notice that he was turning her on.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said.
“Girl, turn over on your back. I’ll be real quick.”
“You’re so persistent.”
Milandra saw a lot of her ways in him. Nolan sat on the edge of the lounger that she laid on and applied lotion to the back of her neck. He took both hands and massaged her neck and shoulders. He slid his hand under her bathing suit straps and applied the lotion.
She closed her eyes as her skin absorbed his strong hands. Her body ached for him. But that was forbidden.
Nolan poured more suntan lotion into his hands. He started at her feet and worked the lotion into her skin all the way up her legs, making sure that he did not accidentally slide his hands past her thighs. Milandra felt like he was her masseur.
Nolan patted her on the back of her leg. “I’m done.”
Milandra was too weak from his touch to move. She whispered, “Thank you.”
Nolan went back to his lounger. He looked over at her as he watched her take her time turning back over. He could tell that with a little more work she would release the roaring lioness that was hidden within her.
They lay back on the loungers and chatted for a while.
Nolan was ready for a dive. He got up. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take a swim.”
Nolan ran toward the pool and dived in. Milandra watched as the water glistened like crystals on his body. He swam like a professional swimmer before he swam back over to the edge of the pool where she was. “What are you waiting for? Come join me,” he said as he wiped the water that drenched his face.
Milandra got up and dived in. She swam around the pool.
“You’re like a swan.”
Nolan swam over to her. Together they swam all over the pool. Milandra went over to the edge of the pool that was farthest away. She cleared her ears and eyes of water. Nolan joined her. He admired her breasts through the wet fabric.
“You’re a great swimmer.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ve been swimming since I was born. My parents taught us girls to swim before they taught us to walk. How about you? You swim very well.”
“My adoptive parents put me into swimming when I was seven years old.”
“You say adoptive. You don’t know your real parents?”
“No. My mother was on drugs. She left me with her best friend when I was born.”
Milandra couldn’t imagine not knowing her parents.
“It must be difficult, at times, to deal with not knowing who your parents are.”
Nolan began to see the compassionate side of her. “Having good adoptive parents all my life, it never bothered me. They’re the only parents I know.”
“I can see they did a great job with you,” Milandra said. She left him and started swimming.
Nolan followed and swam behind her. They completed two laps before they stopped again. Milandra stopped in a corner of the pool and Nolan blocked her in. He took his hands and wiped the water from her face. She felt more heat from him than from the sunrays.
He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Milandra froze. “I’m sorry if I’m out of bounds, but I’m so attracted to you that it’s making me sick,” he said as he kissed her again. “Don’t tell me you’re not sick for me, too.”
“This is all new to me,” she admitted.
“You have the best teacher. Let me help you through this journey.”
Nolan took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Milandra felt so weak from the kiss that she thought she was going to drown; Nolan held her up. He cupped his hands under her butt. Milandra panicked and swam to the steps of the pool and got out. She went over and sat in the Jacuzzi.
“I’m sorry if I was out of line,” he called as he swam over to the steps of the pool and got out. He went over to the Jacuzzi. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just that I’m not a loose woman.”
Nolan eased into the Jacuzzi and sat on the opposite side of Milandra. “I’ll talk to you from here. I know you’re not a wild lady. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Do you forgive me?” he asked as he reached out his hand to shake hers.
Milandra held her hand out and shook his.
“I apologize if I overreacted.”
“No need to apologize. I’m attracted to you. I believe you’re attracted to me but don’t know how to handle it.”
Milandra couldn’t hold back her emotions. Her eyes became tearful. “Can we discuss something else?”
Nolan reached and turned the Jacuzzi on. Masses of bubbles began to form. He moved closer to her, held her hands, and stared into her eyes. “I’m yours whenever you decide you’re ready for me,” he said as he kissed her on the lips. Milandra kissed him back.
Nolan let go of her hand, got out of the Jacuzzi, and dove back into the pool. “What are you waiting for? Come join me,” he said.
Milandra made her way to the pool.
Chapter 22
In the courtroom, Baron sat across from an employee trying to sue Houston Commercial Construction Company. Baron hoped the jury would be sympathetic because of the death of Rupert and render a verdict in favor of the company. The employee alleged that bricks had fallen on his cast-covered foot.
Baron argued that the employee had stolen bricks from the company and the incident had actually occurred at his home.
The jury returned from deliberation. The court officer called the court to order.
“Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?” the judge inquired.
“Yes, Your Honor,” the foreman responded.
“How does the jury find the defendant?” the judge asked.
“Not guilty.”
“I have another win under my belt. Am I good or what?” Baron mumbled to himself.
The plaintiff’s attorney looked over at him. As usual, his opponent was furious. Talk amongst the attorneys around the courthouse was that Rupert had the judges on his payroll, but there was no concrete evidence to prove it. In reality, they were wrong; Baron really was a good attorney.
Baron packed his briefcase and closed it. He walked over and shook the opposing attorney’s hand as a symbol of professional courtesy, but he really wanted to smear another victory for Houston Commercial Construction Company in his face.
Hurrying out of the building, Baron made his way to his car. He tossed his briefcase in the backseat and got in. His stomach growled. Baron was hungry and he was sure that Tessa had cooked up a storm for him, but his first stop would be to pick up a dozen roses for his love.
At the florist’s shop, he handpicked individual long-stemmed roses. He made sure that each rose was firm and unbloomed. The florist laid them down in a long white box that was wrapped with a gold ribbon.
He thanked the florist, left, and made one and more stop at a store that exclusively sold wine. He started to buy Tessa one of the finest wines in the store, instead he purchased one that he knew she loved—a bottle of plain old Sangria.
When he arrived at the house, he expected to open the door and get hit by the aroma from Tessa’s fabulous cooking. Instead, the house smelled like peach air freshener.
“Tessa,” he called as he went to the kitchen and placed the wine and roses on the table. The kitchen was spotless. The only pot on the stove was a teakettle.
Baron left the kitchen and he ran up the stairs. “Tessa,” he called her again.
He looked into the backyard, calling her name, but there was no answer. Tessa must be speaking to her niece. He figured Tessa would come back and bring food for them.
After hours
had gone by and night fell, Tessa never returned. Baron tried her cell phone several times, but all he got was her voicemail. He went on to make himself a sandwich from leftover chicken.
Tempted to call Aniyah, he grabbed his keys and left the house instead. He jumped into his car and drove over to the Houston Estate.
It was around midnight when he reached the estate. Baron rang the bell.
Aniyah came to the door dressed in a red bra and panty set. She was excited to see him. “Hey, sugar, you came to see me.”
Baron didn’t want to ask her about her aunt. “I was in the area and was checking things out before I went home.”
Aniyah laughed. “Yeah right!” She pushed up her breasts with her hands. “You want this.”
He decided to use his lawyer skills on her. “Do you have company?”
“Hell yeah, you now.” She grabbed his tie and yanked it for him to come inside.
He followed her into the house, which would give him the opportunity to look around.
Aniyah put her arms around him and kissed him. He pushed her off.
“Stop it!” he said.
“You’ll do what I say. Don’t forget, I have the picture,” she reminded him.
He laughed. “Not anymore, I’ve destroyed it.”
She laughed back. “No, you didn’t. You’re bluffing.”
Baron stepped closer up on her and looked directly into her eyes. “Do I look like I’m bluffing?”
Aniyah saw that he might be telling the truth. She hadn’t checked her hiding place where the photo was supposed to be secure, so she left him and ran up the stairs.
Baron looked around as much as he could while on the first floor. He ran up the stairs and looked in the west wing. There were no signs that Tessa had been there. He headed to the east wing when Aniyah showed up furious.
She ran up to him, beating him on the chest. “You bastard, you found the picture. Give it back to me.”
Baron shoved her off of him with force. Aniyah fell to the floor.
“I’m not giving you anything back. You had no right to twist things around for your own nasty reasons.”
“Whoever’s in the room, she’s nothing but a slut!” he yelled, assuming she was entertaining a man.
In the office closet, Tessa tried to make noise. She could hear his voice. Baron has come for me. She prayed that her niece wouldn’t harm him in anyway.
Aniyah got up. “Get out of here.”
He yelled back, “I will! I can’t believe you’re nothing like your mother.”
Baron thought that he would bring Tessa’s name up, hoping Aniyah would give him a sign as to whether her aunt had been there or not.
Aniyah kept a straight face and said nothing about Tessa being there.
“That’s why you don’t want me. You love her! Well, she doesn’t give a damn about you. She loved Rupert. She always said he was hot in bed,” she lied.
He walked down the stairs to get out of the house. Tessa listened as the sound of the arguing faded away.
“I feel sorry for you.”
“Go back to what you do best and be a yes-person for the Houstons. Just leave me the hell alone.”
Baron slammed the door behind him. He still wondered where Tessa was. He went over to the servants’ quarters and woke Elsa. She came to the door covered in a long robe with her hair tied up.
“Hello, Mr. Chavis. Something wrong?”
“Have you seen Tessa today?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“If she calls you, tell her to get in touch with me.”
“Yes, Mr. Chavis.”
“Elsa, don’t tell anyone I was looking for her. Keep that between us.”
“My lips are glued.”
Baron called the limo service. He asked for the driver who had driven Tessa. The driver lied as he was instructed by Aniyah. “Miss Sanchez asked me to get her to the airport as fast as I could. I dropped her off and left.”
Baron felt his stomach tighten up. His gut feeling was that something wasn’t right. But he hurried home in hope that Tessa would be there.
He arrived home and there were no signs of Tessa. He glanced inside the closet. Her belongings were still intact, including her empty suitcase. But he used his connections as an attorney and learned that she did not take a flight back to Mexico. “Where are you, Tessa?” he whispered as he lay across the bed. He prayed that Aniyah wasn’t holding something over Tessa’s head that would cause her to run.
He realized that maybe the driver was lying and was following Aniyah’s instructions. The Houston Estate was too enormous to check, but he had to find a way to search it for answers. He worried that Tessa was in trouble. The answers were with Aniyah. He tried to stay awake but could no longer keep his eyes open.
• • •
Aniyah ran back upstairs and into the office. She opened the door, went inside the closet, and slapped her aunt across the face. “No food for you tomorrow. You’ll starve.”
Tessa tried to talk but could not.
“Shut up! I don’t see what Baron sees in you. He’s hungry for you, but guess what? He had me and he liked all of this.” Aniyah rubbed her hands over her body. “He took me for himself in his house. How do you like that?”
Aniyah knew that her aunt could not answer. She laughed at her and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Tessa tried to cry but she had already cried so much that her tears were frozen. She prayed that maybe tomorrow God would send an angel to save her.
Chapter 23
Sid picked Noelle up early that morning. She came out of the house wearing a simple baby-blue zip-up dress. He opened the door for her. “Good morning,” he said.
“Morning, Sid, how are you?”
“Doing better now that I have such a lovely lady in my car.”
Sid had become her permanent driver. He took Noelle to whatever destination she wanted. He thought that she was the sexiest woman he had ever seen. Today, she wanted to go shopping. He took her to a few shops, which included a party shop to purchase the necessary supplies for Kenley’s sixteenth birthday. Lunchtime came soon after.
“Hungry?” Sid asked.
“Yes, I guess I’ve shopped up an appetite.”
“I have a great lunch for us.”
“Where did you get lunch from?”
“I had it packed just for you.”
“Thanks, Sid.”
Noelle thought that he was the perfect gentleman. He looked after her in every way while he was her chauffeur.
“So, let’s see, where will we eat?”
“How about under a nice, big tree at the Houston Estate?”
“I don’t think we should go back to the estate. It really belongs to Aniyah.”
“The estate is so big, she would never know we were there. We’ll go to the far end like we did before.”
“I do love the grounds of the estate.”
“See, it’s perfect.” He smiled.
First, Sid stopped to get some ice from the store and then drove Noelle to the estate. The security guard opened the gates for him.
Driving way out on the acreage to find a private spot, Sid parked the limo near a shaded tree to help block the hot sun. He turned on some soft music from the stereo in the limo. He took the lunch basket and carried it under the tree.
Noelle watched as he removed a large plaid blanket and spread it out on the grass. She eased down onto the blanket, pulling her dress down because she was too shy to expose her thighs to him.
The shade from underneath the tree cooled them off somewhat. Sid placed a sandwich on each one of their plates.
“You’re always surprising me.” Noelle smiled.
“I love your company.”
“I enjoy yours, too.”
Noelle looked forward to him picking her up every time she had to go somewhere. There was something about Sid that made her forget about Baron. She wondered if it was because he showed her so much attention.
Sid fi
lled two crystal glasses with ice and poured tea into them. He added a small salad to their plates. He brought her favorite salad dressing—Italian. They also had potato chips to munch on.
“Lunch is delicious,” she said as she took a sip of the tea. Her eyes sparkled as she glared into his eyes.
“My pleasure.”
Sid watched as Noelle ate her food; she thought he looked cute in his work cap.
“Do you ever take that hat off?”
The limo driver realized that he still had his black work cap on. He took it off to show off his freshly cut hair. “I wear it so much I forget it’s on my head.”
Noelle smiled. “You look good without it.”
Sid felt that she was flirting with him, so he flirted back. “Anyone ever told you that you have sweet-looking lips?”
Noelle touched her lips and blushed. She lowered her head as her cheeks turned rosy. “Never.”
“I think you do.”
“Well, all I can say is thanks.”
When they finished eating, Sid gathered up the picnic items. Noelle tried to help.
“Stay seated. I’ll clean this up.” He hurried to gather everything while Noelle watched as he put the items into the limo.
Sid sat back down next to her. “It’s so pretty on your family’s land.”
“Yes, I always loved the crystal blue waters. You can see it from everywhere,” Noelle said, but became excited and stood up. “Look!” She pointed to a group of ducks flapping their wings in a small pond.
Sid jumped up to get a clear view of the ducks. But he became distracted when he spotted a group of sailboats. “I’ve got an idea,” he said excitedly. “We can go for a ride out on the boat. I drove your father many times out on the lake in his boat when he just wanted to sit back and relax.”
“Father must have really liked you. I never knew him to let anyone sail for him.” Noelle smiled, feeling a connection with Sid through her father.
“How about it? I can take you for a spin out on the lake.”
Noelle agreed. It had been a long time since she had taken a boat ride. “I don’t know where Father’s keys are.”
Sid smiled. “It’s a secret, but he gave me a key. He told me I could take it out; all I had to do was ask him beforehand, but I never did. I didn’t want to take advantage of him. I enjoyed when we went out on the boat together. Mr. Houston took me fishing with him several times.”
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