by Jude Ouvrard
“Are you going to talk to me, now?” he asked, ready to go, looking hot and laid back. Dark blue jeans matched with a black t-shirt—he kept it simple. The look in his eyes almost begged me to say something.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I was just trying to get ready.”
“You’re a shit liar, you know that?” He sighed. “She’s been trying to contact me, but I’m here with you. I don’t want to take her calls. I’ll call her when we get back. Maybe there’s something she needs for her employment papers. I don’t care, but I’m not taking her calls now, okay?”
“Okay.” I smiled. He had said what I wanted and needed to hear.
I questioned myself about wearing my jean skirt. Maybe it was a tad short. I looked at the mirror at every angle. Undecided, I turned to Calvin. “Can you tell me where we’re going, because I don’t know what to wear and knowing where would—”
He cut me off before I was done with my rambling. “Keep the skirt. I like it. You’re perfect. Don’t change a thing.” His left hand grabbed the side of my waist and he pulled me against his chest, impatient his lips crashed on mine. His hand slid down my derriere and he gave me a squeeze. I could feel how hard he was against his jeans. Maybe I should have ripped them off. If he wanted to be all alpha with me, I could take control too. Right?
“Calvin,” I whispered as soon as he pulled away.
“We’ve got to go, Sweetness.”
We stared into each other’s eyes, I wanted to undress him, push him on the bed or the couch, I didn’t really care. He must have known the effect he had on me, and he seemed to enjoy playing me this weekend.
“Now, Cal, take me now.” Again, he kissed me, devoured me. Too overwhelmed by the heat of our make out session, I could hardly process anything else. Like ripping his clothes off.
“We can’t.” He grinned against my mouth, leaving me riled up. Again. Both of us were breathing heavily. Calvin kissed my forehead, grabbed my purse and walked me to the door.
“Calvin,” I begged him.
“Later, babe.”
The ride in the car gave us time to calm down, just a little. I had this ache in my core, and I could only guess how long the evening would be. Even if I had tried bribing him, I doubted he would have let us go back to the hotel. I kept my thighs glued together, as it eased the need. This had gotten ridiculous. I kept rolling my eyes at the situation.
“Come on, babe, we’re here.” He opened the door and we were back at Vince’s restaurant.
“Again?”
“Again,” he confirmed with a shy smile.
We walked inside and were directed to a private dining room. Calvin offered me his hand; he led me through the people sitting throughout the restaurant. I noticed his hand was clammy. Was he nervous about dinner? Something didn’t seem right. Was it Candice? While my mind ran in every direction, we got to the entrance of the private room.
“After you, babe,” he said pushing the door opened and…wait, what?
“Mom, Dad… Rose?” I laughed, I cried. God, I was so happy to see them. “Danielle, Krys… Justin.” I jumped into Calvin’s arms. “Thank you, baby! Thank you so much!”
Rose joined me and Calvin, wrapping us both in her arms. So did my mom and my father. That scene seemed rightfully cheesy, but it happened, and I had missed them so much. I hugged them all, once or twice. There were my people, my real family and my New York family. I loved them all.
The day had dragged. I missed our hotel room in Boston. Our offices were too far apart. We worked all day on what to do with Candice’s files. I took over most of them. It made me nervous to take over her work, but I could do this and I would.
She had been calling him all weekend, and to be honest, it made me nervous. What had she planned this time? It made me miss him just thinking about all of this stress; I decided to go and find him. I knocked twice and entered his office. Calvin lifted his eyes to mine. He was on the phone. I backed out of the office but he snapped his fingers, telling me to come in. I sat on the chair by his desk and waited for his call to end.
“No, I’m sorry, Candice.” My heart stopped and my gaze immediately found his. “Forget everything about me, okay? I won’t offer you a job at the gym or at the Lounge, I fired you.” He remained calm and composed, but I knew his patience was running out. “You lied to me and you hurt my girlfriend. What do you expect now?” He sighed.
“Maybe I should go.” I murmured and he shook his head no. I stayed. “You’re wrong, Candice. You have to stop now and move on. Yes, please.” He hung up and stayed silent for a few minutes.
“Is everything okay?”
“It will be, eventually. She’s not happy, but she wasn’t hysterical either. I guess, I can consider myself lucky.”
“Who cares if she isn’t happy? She did this to herself.” It frustrated me. She wasn’t a victim here.
“Come here.” He invited me to the other side of his desk, pulled his chair away from the desk and left me enough room to sit on his lap. “I understand that this is not enjoyable. Trust me, I don’t want to talk to her, but if I keep ignoring her, God knows what she’ll do. I made it clear I had no plan to take her back.” Right now, he had to smooth things over with her. Even if he wasn’t happy with Candice, I knew he wouldn’t let her go frustrated. He remained polite, as much as he could.
“I heard you.”
“Don’t let this—her—ruin our day.”
“Can we go back to Boston already?” I joked, but there was some truth in my words. The weekend had been more than perfect.
“You know, I hate to say no to you, but I’m afraid I’ll have to. We have a hectic week coming.” I could tell he hated disappointing me. “Would you like to have a place to ourselves in Boston? We could look for a condo, a house or a penthouse.”
“Are you serious?” He couldn’t be. I didn’t mind hotel rooms. In fact, I liked them, always had. They made me feel like I was away from home. Calvin will always be Calvin, so of course, he opted for something permanent. A penthouse? Really? I watched him, waited for his answer, completely astounded.
“Yeah, if you like the city, we could go back whenever you wanted.”
I laughed because I didn’t know what else to say or do.
“What?”
“You’re crazy.”
“Only for you.” He gave me that smile. “So, should I call my real estate agent or not?”
“No, not now,” I said timidly.
If his plan was to take my mind away from Candice, it worked.
“How’s your day going?” he asked peppering my cheek with small kisses.
“It’s better now.” Our lips met shortly. “We have to go through a few things.”
“Hmm.”
I gave in. He took me in his office, and that was more than good. It sated me and it left me lightheaded for the rest of the day. The images and the dirty sounds he made resonated in my mind. I could still feel the tingling sensation on my derriere from that hard slap he gave me. It didn’t hurt, it left a mark—his. I found it incredibly hot.
Between my thighs, I could feel my swollen sex and my heartbeat pulsing through it. He asked that we remained quiet, and we did. It amplified every other sense. His touches transformed into words, telling me what he wanted and where. His cologne had me drunk in love and the sight of him half naked turned me on. Calvin had that effect on me, always. Never, as long as I was alive, would I have enough of him.
The week flew by. We were finally able to breathe again. Calvin had worked long hours. He looked exhausted, and I felt bad for him. I helped him as much as I could, but some of the things were simply beyond my knowledge. Candice’s departure had left a hole, and Calvin juggled to make things right. My help had been appreciated, but not enough. As much as I didn’t like to acknowledge it, she knew more about the job than I did. I hated seeing him search through piles of papers. Besides, I knew she called again and they talked. Nothing business related, even though it probably tempted him. They were on good terms
, which was what he wanted. The jealous side of me hated every second of it, but peace was better than war, I had to admit that.
Wednesday, Calvin was interviewed by Sport’s Illustrated in regards to his work and funds he had given to the youth association. Lucky for me, I got to sit next to him for the duration of the interview. Three days later, here I was at the photo shoot for the cover of the magazine. He had started with a dark blue suit and a silver tie, his hair pulled back. The first version of him I got to meet, the business man. At the moment, they had him shirtless, his hair down, looking messy and sexy. Only a pair of loose sport shorts hung deliciously around his hips. If he was going to be on a cover of a magazine, I would rather have him in a suit. I didn’t like sharing.
“I can’t wait to get out of here, babe.” I could see he was telling the truth by the look on his face.
“You better take a shower to rinse off all that oil,” I said, touching his sculpted abs and feeling the grease covering his skin.
“Yeah, that part sucks.”
I eyed him. “You’re hot, though.” He gave me a shy smile and shrugged. “Are you blushing?”
“I’m just uncomfortable each time I have to do this, and it’s even worse with you here.”
“Why? I’ve seen you like this plenty of times.”
“I don’t want to share you. I wouldn’t want people looking at you like they’re looking at me. I put myself in your shoes and I’m not feeling at ease.”
He could stand before the spotlight and enjoy every single second of it, but here he was he feeling self-conscious.
“I’m okay. Go do your thing before they kick me out. I’m distracting you.” His lips left a wet print on my forehead before he went back to the shooting set.
Calvin followed every order given. He smiled, showed off his abs or threw the ball. I enjoyed the experience.
The ring of my phone distracted me. I hurried to stop it from disturbing the shoot. I checked the screen and was surprised to see Candice’s name. Why? She never liked me, so calling me now didn’t make any sense. Should I answer or not? I didn’t want to talk to her. Her place was in the past and Calvin had already said all that needed to be said. I ignored her called and put my focus back on Calvin.
After the shoot, Calvin seemed groggy.
“Everything okay, baby?”
He shrugged, not giving anything away.
“Talk to me, I’m here for you.” Even after months of being together, sometimes he acted like he couldn’t count on me. He no longer was alone, we were two.
“I worked hard to get my ass in the league, and when everything broke down—I never gave up.” He waited before continuing, and I didn’t push for more. “I know I’m in a good shape and yes, I like to show off sometimes. I hate that every time I’m trying to be professional, a respected businessman, it all comes to this. I was interviewed for my work with the kids and the agency, but somehow, they wanted some abs pictures. I know it sells, but I just think it fucking sucks.”
“Why didn’t you tell them?”
“I should have, but I don’t want to be the guy who becomes picky or difficult. Someday, they’ll stop coming after me. I haven’t been in the game in some time, I’m lucky they’re still interested in me.”
With all the hard work he did for young athletes and fundraisers, he was meant to be under the spotlight. “You are the type of person who attract people. You are charming, generous, smart and so much more. You’re doing so much for the children; it will never go unnoticed.”
“Thank you, babe.” He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around my waist, removing any quantity of air between us by pushing me against his body. “I love you so much. Thank you for coming with me. You made this far easier.”
“Anytime, my love.” I met his lips for a kiss. Something that should have been kept simple since we were in the middle of the city, turned into a steamy tongue kiss. It left us both heavy breathing and hot for each other.
My phone rang again, but I pretended I never heard it. I stayed in his arms, hoping he wouldn’t ask about it. While he sighed, I tightened my hold on him to divert his attention.
“Let’s get home. We’ll order some food for dinner, unless Ms. Clare got something ready.”
We stopped by the gym for a couple of minutes. Calvin spoke with Justin while I made plans with Danielle for tonight. Of course, we made plans for the Lounge. It felt like I hadn’t been there a lot lately, and I missed my girl.
“How’s everything now? Better?” Danielle asked. We hadn’t talked much since before the Boston trip. Nothing more than a quick conversation, but when she asked her question, I felt like she wanted more than a quick answer. It was all I had been giving her the last few days.
I rolled my eyes. “A lot better. The past week was some kind of a blur. He had so much going on and I tried to catch up with Candice’s responsibilities. I didn’t expect him to propose, it really was a surprise and he went overboard. It has been one hell of a week, and I’m still having a hard time believing we’re engaged.”
“Yeah. Speaking of Candice, she came looking for Cal this week. I told her she wasn’t allowed inside. She didn’t put up a fight when she left. I’ll bet she called him as soon as her ass was outside.”
“They’ve been talking. He’s trying to smooth her wounds.”
“Calvin… Always the same. He fired her for all the problem she caused, but he’s still making sure she’s alright.”
“Unfortunately, he cares.” I said, a second before Calvin walked up to me with Justin following him.
“Who cares?” His curiosity spoke for him.
“You… about Candice.”
He exhaled louder than usual, but didn’t add anything else. Anyway, no matter what he would have said, it would have gone unnoticed as Justin’s arms reached around Danielle’s waist and he whispered into her ear. I didn’t hear a thing, but by the color on her cheeks, it was meant to be that way. My jaw hit the floor. The look of surprise on my face was probably over the top. Calvin pulled my arm to distract me and gave me a quick kiss.
“You knew?” I asked him quietly.
He nodded with a small corner smile. “Nothing new, babe. I think they finally decided to give it a try.”
“Okay. Play it cool, Iris.” I was beyond surprised. What else could I say?
“Are you done?”
“For now, yes.”
“Okay, so I guess, I’ll see you guys, together…” Smart, Iris, very subtle. “… later?”
They both nodded and I left the gym before I embarrassed myself more. Hearing Calvin laughing behind me influenced me. I started laughing with him.
“I was that bad, eh?”
“It’s only a surprise to you. I think you should get an appointment for your eyes. I mean, it has been going on for a while now.”
“I must be blind, or I was too lost into you to see it. I have no better excuse.”
The short ride home was smooth and relaxing. I was looking forward to meeting Danielle and maybe Krys. I had to call her or send her a text.
Are you free tonight? We’ll be at the Lounge.
As I pressed the send icon of my phone, it started ringing again. It startled Calvin, who sat right by my side and he saw her name on my screen. Faster than I did because next thing I knew, he was answering my phone.
“Candice.” His voice gave me shivers. “Care to explain me why you’re calling my fiancée?” He had rarely used the term. Fiancée.
I didn’t want him to get upset, we’d had a good day and I didn’t want her to ruin it. “Calvin, please.” I placed my hand on his knee and gave him a heartening squeeze.
“I’ve asked you not to interfere. Don’t try to reach her again, you hear me?” He paused probably listening to what she had to say. “You want to tell her you’re sorry? Okay, well consider it done.” He ended the call and went to my call history. Shit. “Why… why didn’t you tell me that she was harassing you?”
“She wasn’t harassin
g me. She called and I ignored the calls. That’s all.”
“I’m done with her. I really tried to stay nice, but she’s taking advantage of me. Don’t answer if she ever calls you back, and this time, let me know. I’ll take legal precautions if I have to.”
“Calvin, please. Relax. She hasn’t done anything hurtful, she only tried to call me.” Why did I suddenly feel sorry for her? After all she had done. “I doubt she’ll be calling me again.”
“She better not. I already warned her about that.” He was upset, that much was clear. “Let’s get up there to eat, I’m starving.”
All I could do was hope that Ms. Clare had prepared something; he had a temper, and I didn’t know what to do or cook on such a short notice. My cooking had to improve, I knew that. Although Calvin never complained, I was smart enough to see the difference between Ms. Clare and me. Here I was, in the elevator, silently begging for a lasagna or a boeuf bourguignon ready to reheat.
“Babe, can you get something ready for us? I have a few calls to make.”
I nodded. He wasn’t asking, he was telling. Calvin didn’t make a habit of giving me orders. That was a sign of something bigger happening. If only he would talk to me. “Everything okay, baby?”
“I have a problem to solve. It won’t take long. I’ll be with you in ten minutes.”
“Candice? Does it have something to do with her?”
“I don’t want her around you, Iris. She tried taking me away from you once, it won’t happen twice. I tried to take care of this by myself. It’s not working, I need some advice.” He sighed, exasperated. “I’ll be with you shortly.”
Alone in the kitchen, my hands were shaky and my emotions were giving me mixed signals. Calvin had a point, but I didn’t want him to take it to the extreme. I knew how powerful he could be if he reached out to his people. If Candice had a good head on her shoulders, she would know that. Her game was over. I thought in Calvin’s last phone call he had been more than clear. He warned her not to come around me or him for that matter.