Safe Space (Book 1)

by Tiffany Patterson

  “Please what? What you want me to do?”

  My eyes fluttered shut. This man was trying to kill me, I knew it.

  “You need to say exactly what you want me to do,” he ordered, pressing his erection, still covered by his briefs, up against my core, but his face was now hovering just above mine. “Tell me what you want,” he growled.

  “You know what I want,” I insisted, tugging against his grasp around my wrists. That move only made him tighten his grasp.

  “Nah, you need to say the shit. What do you want me to do, Chanel? You want me to lick you? You want me to fuck you with my fingers? My dick? What?”

  Yes! Yes! Yes! All three at the same time, I chanted in my head. “Just fuck me!”, is what I yelled aloud. He gave me the most dangerous grin before sliding his boxers down and grabbing a condom from the nightstand.

  “With my dick or my fin—?” His question was cut off as he chuckled from another growl of mine.

  “Xav—ohhhh!” My admonishment ceased when he slid his entire length into me in one swift movement. God, I felt like he was in my damn stomach. I was so full of him. When he began moving, my breath caught, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

  He unbound my wrists, grabbing each of my hands with his own, so our fingers were intertwined, still above my head. When I raised my head, he answered my silent request, fusing our mouths together as our pelvises collided, over and over again. The smacking of skin on skin, my feminine moans, and his masculine grunts echoed around the room. I broke the kiss for much-needed oxygen and used my tongue to lick his jawline down to his neck where I placed small nibbles. He tasted as good as he looked, with a bit of salt from his sweat adding flavor. When he reached under my ass, pulling me even closer into him, I squeezed my pelvic muscles, causing him to groan and pick up his pace.

  “Shit, this pussy is too good,” he moaned in my ear.

  I locked my legs around him and gripped his fingers of the hand still intertwined with mine, even tighter.

  “Xavier, I’m...I’m gonna...come,” I panted as my inner thighs began to tremble and my pelvic muscles began squeezing uncontrollably.

  He pulled back, staring me right in the eye. “Come for me. Let me see it.”

  And I did. The words weren’t fully out of his mouth when my body tightened up, I clamped my thighs tightly around his hips, and my mouth opened in a scream as my orgasm shook my entire body. All throughout my orgasm, neither one of us broke eye contact. I could tell Xavier wanted to see every shudder and expression as he continued to stroke me while I came.

  When the shuddering decreased to a few light trembles, he flipped our positions with me on top, straddling him. He moved his hands to squeeze my ass as I placed my hands at the center of his strong chest.

  “Ride this dick until I come,” he commanded, smacking my ass.

  Of course, I did as instructed. Body still recovering from my orgasm, I began raising and lowering my hips, grinding against his pelvis and squeezing my pelvic muscles until Xavier was falling over the cliff with me. Minutes later, I collapsed onto his sweaty chest, exhausted. We both panted, struggling to fill our lungs with oxygen.

  “Don’t,” Xavier ordered when I went to move off his chest. He tightened one arm around my back while he stroked my back with his other hand. I closed my eyes and sighed, deciding I was comfortable exactly where I was, Xavier still buried inside of me and all.

  “Don’t try to run in the middle of the night.” His voice had taken on a hard, warning tone I’d never heard before. I opted not to answer. Instead, I turned my face to his chest and pressed my lips to it, before laying my head back down. Moments later, everything went dark as I drifted off to sleep.

  ****

  Xavier

  “Fuuuuck!”

  The tightness in my groin and tingles shooting down my spine are what awoke me. I blinked a couple of times, my eyes needing to adjust to the morning sunlight that came through the curtains.

  When my gaze traveled downward, the sexiest vision came into sight as I stared down at Chanel, eyes on me, and my entire dick in her mouth. She slowly let me slip out, grinned, and then lowered her mouth around my stiffness, disappearing my entire dick down her throat. I moaned, watching her, as she swallowed me whole. She paused at the tip, swirling her tongue around it, then licking it from root to stem.

  When she put it back in her mouth and began bobbing her head, again and again, I lifted my hand, bringing it to the back of her head, encouraging her even lower. Baby girl obliged, taking me all the way in as I tightened my grip on the hair at the back of her head. I’d be lying if the question of where she’d acquired head-giving skills like this didn’t pass through my mind. But I’d wonder about that later; the feeling she was giving me were too good to be sidetracked by anything else. The tingles up my spine intensified, and my groin tightened, and I’m man enough to admit my toes even curled as my orgasm crested. I tried to warn her.

  “Chanel, I’m about to…fuuck!”

  She didn’t move at all. Only continued to suck me dry as rivulet after rivulet of my cum squirted into her mouth, a few drops missing their mark and dripping down onto her chin.

  I took back what I’d said before. Looking down and seeing Chanel with my dick in her mouth was sexy as fuck, but seeing her eyes glazed, satisfied smirk with my cum dripping down her chin seconds after I came, had me half in love on the spot.

  ****

  “Thank you for breakfast. And for last night. And this morning,” Chanel added as we stood outside of the door to her condo a few hours later. After another round of sex, we’d finally gotten up, and I took Chanel to my favorite breakfast spot not too far from my house. She was surprised to find out it happened to be a spot I didn’t own. I was working on that, though.

  I grinned as I leaned in. “Thank you,” I retorted, placing a kiss on her jawline. When she angled her head to allow me better access, I couldn't help but press a few more kisses down her neckline. “I have to go out of town tomorrow, but I’ll be back Wednesday night. Have dinner with me on Thursday.” I didn’t pose it as a question, but I stood back and waited for her response.

  Her eyelids lowered, covering her brown irises as she contemplated my invite. When her gaze swept back up to meet mine, I already knew what her answer would be, and I grinned.

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “I haven’t even said yes yet.”

  “You didn’t have to.” I leaned down, pressing a kiss below her right ear.

  “Your body already told me last night how much you want to see me again.” I pressed another kiss, this time below the left ear. “And this morning.” A kiss to her bare shoulder. “And right now.” A kiss to the other shoulder. I was pleased when her body visibly shivered. “Now, go inside before I make you show me again.”

  This time, I pressed a kiss to her lips, pulling back to lick the outline of her mouth, only stopping when she began to moan into my mouth.

  “Go inside,” I encouraged her.

  She sighed, taking another look at me as if trying to figure something out. I wanted to tell her whatever she was trying to decipher was a waste of time. I’d come to a conclusion a while ago that whatever was going on between us was inevitable, and even her wannabe stubborn ass wasn’t going to get in the way of it.

  “Thursday at seven,” she finally answered. “And don’t be late.”

  “A’ight, baby girl,” I chuckled, relishing how her eyelids fluttered from the term of endearment. She must’ve felt herself swooning because she quickly straightened, gave me one last nod, and turned to open her door. She gave me a slight smile as she closed the door. I pressed my hand to the door, somehow already missing her presence. If I didn’t have work to do at one of my restaurants, I would’ve done my best to have her spend the rest of the day with me. But I had inventory to check over and a flight out first thing in the morning, so even though it was Sunday, duty still called. Even my passion for my business couldn’t detract from the g
rowing attraction I was feeling for Chanel. I took once last look at the door that separated us and sighed. Yeah, we both were in trouble.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chanel

  “Knock, knock! Delivery.”

  I pivoted in my chair from my computer screen to see Rose, our office mail delivery clerk at my door. She was a sweet woman in her fifties, who worked part-time in the office mailroom.

  “Hey, Rose. How’s it going?” I asked as she handed me the day’s mail.

  “I can’t complain,” she smiled brightly. “Kids are good. The man is good. I’ve got my health. God continues to bless me.”

  I grinned. “Glad to hear it,” I returned. “Have a good day.” I briefly looked through the few envelopes and legal catalogs Rose had just handed me. Most of it was invitations to events or continuing legal courses. Just as I was about to turn back to my computer and finish up writing a response to a judge regarding one of my clients, I picked up the last envelope in the stack. The handwriting made me do a double-take.

  When my hands began to tremble, I knew I wasn’t making it up. The envelope slid out as I stared at the handwriting. I knew this writing, and it was from someone I’d hoped never to see again. I debated whether I should open it. I flexed my fingers and glanced at the wastebasket beneath the desk. I could just toss it out and be done with it, but curiosity and fear got to me. If he knew where I worked to send a letter, what would stop him from showing up?

  With that thought, I quickly grabbed the envelope and tore it open.

  Dear Chanel,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for this intrusion on your life, but I wanted to speak with you. I completely understand if that’s the last thing you want to do. You don’t owe me anything at all. I have included my contact information. I hope you use it.

  Regards,

  Ethan

  I dropped the letter, hands still shaking. I looked in the envelope and found the business card with his cell number and email address. What the hell was this about? It’d been close to five years since I’d last spoken to Ethan, and the last thing I knew about him he was still living in D.C. I had no desire to look him up or find out what was going on in his life.

  I told myself I should throw the letter out and forget this ever happened. I even grabbed the letter, prepared to rip it up or, better yet, stick it in my shredder, but instead, I refolded it, placed it back in the envelope and stuck it in my desk drawer. I tried desperately to get back to work. I didn’t want or need this in my life. I wasn’t the same person I was five years ago and never wanted to go back there again. Still, even as I tried to convince myself of all that, the contents of that letter played over and over in my mind.

  ****

  “More flowers,” I laughed as I opened the door to a grinning Xavier. This time he held a bouquet of pink roses. They were beautiful.

  “A little birdie told me you like flowers.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “A birdie, huh?”

  “That’s what I said,” he added cockily.

  He was right; I did love flowers. I kept an assortment of plants in my condo and often bought myself bouquets to have on the dining room table, although I rarely ate there. They just had a way of brightening up a room.

  “How was your trip?” I questioned over my shoulder as he stood by the door while I went to put the newest bouquet in water. When I turned, I noticed his eyes on my ass in my black pleated skirt. My entire body heated when his gaze rose to my eyes, and he didn’t even bother to try and hide the fact that he’d just been staring at my ass. I turned, putting the flowers in one of the last vases I had under my sink, sneaking glances at Xavier. He was dressed in charcoal gray suit pants and a crisp white shirt that was tucked in at the waist with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. The business casual look worked for him. Hell, any look worked for him.

  As I started toward him from the kitchen, his phone buzzed. Staring at the screen, the space between his brows pinched.

  “Yeah, Billy, what’s up?” His tone was crisp. “When did that happen?”

  I tilted my head, realizing this was a business call. His tone, the way his body straightened, all added up to the fact that this was not a personal matter.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there,” he sighed, hanging up. “Hey, do you mind—?”

  “Yeah, if you needed to cancel.” I waved it off, masking my disappointment.

  “If you’d let me finish... I don’t need to cancel, but I need to stop at one of my restaurants to sign some papers and talk with a repairman. It shouldn’t take too long, but we’ll be a little late for our reservation.”

  “Oh, uh yeah, that’s fine.”

  “You sure? If you’re too hungry to wait, I can—”

  “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind stopping. Plus we’re going to Grant’s for dinner, right? What’re they gonna do, give the owner’s dinner reservation away to someone else?”

  He chuckled. “No, they definitely won’t be doing that. A’ight, cool. You should bring a jacket though; they usually crank the AC up in Grant’s.” He eyed my sleeveless chiffon purple top.

  I nodded, grabbing a lightweight sweater from my coat rack and Xavier held the door open for me, ever the gentleman.

  “Which spot of yours needs rescuing this evening?” I questioned as we pulled out.

  “It’s about ten minutes from here. One of my fast food spots.”

  I crinkled my brow. “I didn’t know you still owned fast food restaurants too.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I sold most of them some years back, but I keep a few in my portfolio. Come on,” he directed a few minutes later, once we pulled into the parking lot. He helped me out of the car. It was around dinner time, so the place was busy, full of students who’d just finished whatever after-school activities they’d been into, parents rushing to pick up dinner on their way home from work.

  “Hey, X.” A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties greeted Xavier as we made our way to the back of the place into a tiny office. Xavier greeted every employee by their first name as we passed.

  “Billy, did they get the oven fixed?” Xavier asked.

  I remained quiet, looking around the office that was just a small cutout of the back kitchen area. I watched as mostly teens and young adults manned the ovens and prepared meals and took orders. It looked just like organized chaos. I smirked when I saw a couple of teenage girls whisper to one another, then look over at Xavier and giggle. I couldn’t blame them; he had that effect on me too.

  “Thanks for coming in, man. I’m sorry to interrupt your evening.” I heard Billy say. “I just need you to sign these forms.”

  It wasn’t until Xavier pulled his hand away to grab the clipboard Billy held out to him that I even realized he’d still been holding my hand. And for some strange reason, my hand felt bereft when he let it go. The two men talked some more, and then Xavier went to speak with another of his employees while I waited in the office. Minutes later, he was leading me out the back door, which was closest to where he’d parked.

  “Why’d they need you back there?” I asked as we continued on our way to dinner.

  “One of the ovens and the ice cream machine stopped working. They had to call the repair guy, and my store manager is away for the week, so they needed someone to sign the check. No big deal,” he shrugged. “Billy’s in training to be number two in the store, but he doesn’t have the authority to sign most stuff yet.”

  I nodded in understanding.

  “How long have you owned that restaurant?”

  “Um,” he said, running his hand down the side of his face. “It was the first place I ever owned. I bought the franchise when I turned twenty-one.”

  My eyes bulged. “You owned your first business at twenty-one?”

  “Nah, I owned my first business at eighteen. I did real estate, bought my first one-story home to flip at eighteen to build up enough money to buy my first store at twenty-one.”

  “You’ve always had an entrepr
eneurial spirit. I remember when you used to host fight parties at your house when your mom was out of town for business.”

  He grinned, laughing. “Yeah, those li’l bangers used to be lit.”

  “So why the hospitality business? You obviously could’ve ventured off into owning anything you put your mind to, I’m sure,” I questioned, leaning on the center console with my elbow and resting my head in my hand. I could stare at this man’s profile for eternity and listen to him talk for even longer. I found myself wanting to know all about him.

  As a teen, I’d found him intriguing. An enigma who didn’t exactly fit in with the stuck- up trust fund babies that populated our school’s hallways. Anyone could see he had a hustler’s spirit and would get anything he wanted. He wasn’t just another pretty face, but had the brains and most importantly, the drive to back it up.

  “We’re doing the whole twenty questions thing tonight, huh?” He asked as we pulled up to the front of Grant’s. They didn’t have reserved parking, but they made an exception for the owner, I noted as one of the wait staff came out and retrieved the keys from Xavier once we were out. He mentioned something low in the young man’s ear before wrapping an arm around my waist as we walked toward the door.

  “Mr. Grant, your table is ready,” the cute young hostess damn near purred, making eye contact with only Xavier. For a half a second, a pang of jealousy sprouted in my chest as the hostess giggled at Xavier’s smile, flicked her brunette hair and sauntered off ahead of us, adding a little switch to her walk. I reminded myself that this was a young college girl, I was a grown ass woman, and if Xavier wanted that, he could have it.

  “You all right?” he asked as we followed the girl.

  “I’m fine,” I answered, a little more tersely than I would’ve liked.

  “Here’s your menu, although I’m sure you already know what’s on it,” she giggled again. At that point, I rolled my eyes, grabbing the menus from her.

  “Thank you,” I dismissed her, at the same time Xavier held the chair out for me.