Black Obsession

by C. J. Thomas

  Cameras flashed. Microphones hung overhead. Voices all talked at once. And I couldn’t make sense out of any of it. Not from all the way over here. I was too far away and knew I needed to get closer to hear anything about what it was they were saying. But I didn’t know how to fight through the swelling crowd .

  My face tightened as I shook my head with doubt .

  It couldn’t be him .

  My feet were glued to the ground. Then the crowd moved and I stretched my legs, perching myself high enough to catch the truth. Then I saw him. Maxwell was right. Kelly’s dark tussled hair was unmistakable .

  And they were after him .

  Waves of fear traveled the length of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was angry that Kelly was here after I was just told otherwise. I wondered if it was a mistake or if I had been lied to intentionally .

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” My knees bent and I started to hurry toward my man .

  “No, Kendra.” Maxwell grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “You can’t .”

  “Are you crazy?” I protested. “Look at what they’re doing to him .”

  Alex jogged to catch up. “He’s right, Kendra. This is Kelly’s deal. He knows how best to handle this .”

  Spinning back around, I pulled my hair away from my face. I wanted Kelly to know I was here, that I had come for him. In an attempt to yank my arm free from Maxwell’s hold, he only tightened his grip further .

  “You can’t risk being seen together,” he said firmly, close to my ear. “Too many questions will arise .”

  I turned to meet his gaze with wild eyes .

  He lifted his face back to the reporters. “And with those vultures surrounding him now,” he nodded, “they would love to tell the story of how you two met .”

  I snapped my elbow and freed my arm. I understood the risk, realized what can of worms might get opened if the media started digging into my relationship with Kelly, but my desire to see him drowned out all the logic Maxwell was trying to instill inside my head .

  I needed to feel his presence, hear what was being said .

  Alex came to my side and rested her hand on the small of my back. “Madam wouldn’t be happy, either .”

  “I have to at least let Kelly see me.” She didn’t protest, and I appreciated her willingness to let me do my own thing. “He has to know that we’re here .”

  My feet started backpedaling and I could see the disappointed look lining Maxwell’s face, but he didn’t stop me. And neither did Alex .

  “Alex, find his car,” I said, naming off the several models I knew he owned .

  “What are you going to do ?”

  “Just find it. I’ll be right back .”

  She threw her hands down to her sides and quickly began her search .

  I turned around and scampered to the growing crowd .

  With all intentions to pretend I was only a curious citizen, I moved closer to the pack of reporters, keeping low to the ground like a wolf on the hunt. Circling around the herd, I worked my way to a place where I could see Kelly and also hear what they were asking him .

  “Mr. Black. Is it true, did Timothy Parker press charges against you ?”

  My eyes darted to the next question being barked off .

  “There are sources saying that you and your legal team are preparing to represent Blake Stone. Can you comment on that ?”

  I watched Kelly deflect each question with his signature grace. Giselle stood by his side, fielding some of the questions and accusations for him. I watched and listened, hoping for his sake this would end soon .

  “Mr. Black, do you have business interests beyond your legal career? And, if so, is there a personal interest connected with Stone or any of his affiliates ?”

  My head was spinning, trying to keep up with all that they were saying. Then the noise suddenly drowned out when Kelly’s eyes met with my own .

  My first reaction was to duck my head, pretend that I wasn’t here, fearful that someone would put two and two together. But his magnetic draw brushed aside all my initial hesitations, allowing me to stop, stare, and appreciate the moment of it feeling as if it was just us .

  His eyes crinkled with a smile and I forgot that others were around, standing in my way of being caged inside his muscular arms .

  My heart pounded against my chest and echoed between my ears. A delicious chill worked over my body and prickled my skin. I was happy to have found him, to see that he was alive and well. Though I also couldn’t wait to learn why he’d been arrested in the first place .

  Ignoring the chaos surrounding me, my world spun and I couldn’t help but think how ironic it was that now, thanks to these reporters, they were beginning to uncover many of the mysteries that made Kelly Black so damn curious .

  With each blink of my eyes, I wondered how much of what they were saying about him was connected to Nora’s death. Did Kelly’s wife kill herself because of who he represented? Or the business interests he was involved in? I didn’t know much about any of this, or anything about the clients he represented—currently or in the past—but now I was more intrigued than ever to find out for myself. If only to learn more about the man I seemed to be falling for .

  Giselle fielded a question before setting her hand on Kelly’s shoulder. He broke eye contact with me and they both began to move .

  Turning my back, I knew that I needed to get back to Alex. Searching the parking lot, I hoped that she’d been able to track down Kelly’s car. As my feet galloped across the hot pavement, I realized I’d learned more about what Kelly Black did for a living and what kind of lawyer he was in those two minutes listening to the reporters’ questions than he ever told me personally .

  “Kendra!” Alex popped up between a set of navy blue cars. “Over here .”

  I ran over to her .

  “This is it.” She pointed to a small sports car. “This is Kelly’s car, right ?”

  My lips curled at the corners at the sight of his Audi TT. “Yes.” I worked to catch my breath. “Now go .”

  “What are you going to do?” Alex started to move away from the car .

  My brows raised when I met her gaze. “Surprise him .”

  “Kendra—”

  “Alex, go!” I shushed her away before Kelly could catch up to us .

  We didn’t have a lot of time and I wasn’t sure if the media storm was going to follow Kelly all the way to his car, but my suspicions told me that they would .

  Ducking behind his car, I crouched low to the ground and reached for the passenger door handle. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed it would be unlocked. Slowly, I pulled … and pulled. Then, with a look of surprise, I heard it click over just before opening .

  “Bingo,” I said, elated to be sliding inside .

  Now all I had to do was wait for him to arrive .

  5

  Kelly

  “G o, Kelly, I’ll take it from here,” Giselle said as she pushed me away .

  Glancing over my shoulder I saw her stretch her arms out wide, making a barrier between me and the swarm of media that buzzed in our wake .

  Walking briskly to my car, I felt like I could breathe again. Giselle did a fantastic job holding them off, allowing me a clean escape .

  Blowing out a heavy breath, I couldn’t believe it .

  First, I was set up. And now the media ?

  Grinding my teeth, I hated to even think that Madam was behind any of it. But once the seed was planted, it sprouted and started to branch out into a thought more believable. It had her brilliance written all over it, coated with her manipulation .

  With my car in sight, I was glad that I had chosen to drive my Audi TT. Out of all the cars in my fleet, its window tints were the darkest. And it was that secrecy that I needed most today. Making it all but impossible to see inside, I could retreat back to my quarters and come up with a game plan on how best to repair the damage already done .

  My feet hurried over the pavement and all I could th
ink about was how everything in my life started to go wrong the day Madam called Oscar to get him to convince Mario to accept Colin Cobbs’s representation .

  Since then, Mario had pleaded down, I’d nearly lost Kendra, and now I had to face a possible trial myself. Adding it all up, it was enough to send fire out of my ears .

  Reaching for the door handle my heart skipped a beat, surprised to find it unlocked. Without thinking too much into it, I knew that I needed to confront Madam in person, to look her in the eye when I carefully accused her of bringing the firestorm of media down upon me .

  This was all fucked up. None of it made sense. And the media was one part of the equation that really threw me for a loop. Madam and I were supposed to be in this together and, yet, our plan to convict Stone was unraveling quicker than I ever could have anticipated .

  With one leg inside, I began to lower myself into my seat only to come to a complete stop when I saw two beautiful eyes sparkling up from the passenger seat floor. “Shit. What are you doing here ?”

  Kendra smiled. “Not the response I was expecting .”

  I sighed, knowing that deep inside I was thrilled to find her here .

  “I heard you were arrested .”

  Lifting my head, I looked back to where I’d come from. Giselle wasn’t going to be able to hold the group off much longer and I knew the clock was ticking against me .

  “I needed to see you.” Her slender arms reached out, calling me closer .

  Falling inside, the car sank on its wheels with my weight and I immediately shut the door. “Bella. ” My cock twitched at hearing me say her pet name. “You shouldn’t be here .”

  “I called you,” she mewed. “You didn’t answer .”

  “I was kind of busy.” My left hand fell to the steering wheel, my fingers curling over the grip .

  “As soon as Giselle told me, I came.” Her body lifted off the floor from which she was crouched on and I held up my hand, having to put a stop to it before someone could see. “They told me you weren’t here .”

  Pain lined my face. I could only imagine the terror going through her head as she learned of my arrest. After the week we’d just gone through, the rain seemed to keep pouring buckets with no end in sight. Reaching over the center console, I took her hand between my fingers and brushed the promise ring I’d given her with the pad of my thumb .

  Her eyes hooded over and, in that moment, she was the sweetest thing in the entire world .

  I would remember this. Her loyalty and what she’d gone through to get here wouldn’t go unnoticed. “I’m here,” I murmured. “We’re here .”

  There was a familiar glimmer in her eye. I knew that look, had seen it before. It was the same look she had on her face when I first handed her the contract I wanted her to sign. And as our eyes danced, I knew that neither one of us knew what the future held—or what might happen next—but when we were together, it didn’t matter .

  Slowly, I lifted her hand and kissed the tops of her knuckles. “I’m here, Bella . You can stop worrying .”

  Her lips curled upward at the corners but there was still apprehension in her shoulders .

  Turning the key, the engine roared to life. “Once we’re out of the parking lot, and the coast is clear, I’ll have you come up .”

  She nodded, surrendering to my command, making me hard .

  I could feel her watching me as I scanned the parking lot, looking for the best route to take. Maneuvering between the rows of vehicles, I passed a couple of cop cars and avoided the reporters’ vans, keeping a keen eye out for ambushing paparazzi .

  My muscles were tense, my chest tight, but my focus was on keeping my breathing steady. “We have to go to Madam’s .”

  Kendra frowned .

  Reaching over to take her hand, I said, “This is business. It has nothing to do with us .”

  “We’re fine, right?” Her eyes rounded .

  Squeezing her tender fingers, I nodded. “We’re more than fine .”

  But there was something else on her mind. I could see it. The way her brows knitted to tangle the lines on her face had me pressing to know what was swirling around in that head of hers .

  “What is it ?”

  “You don’t remember ?”

  I straightened the wheel after finally leaving the precinct parking lot and rolled to the stop sign, making a complete stand still before checking for oncoming traffic. Then I turned back to her and flashed her a questioning look .

  “Your promise.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The one you made this morning before you left .”

  My heartbeat quickened as the memory of this morning sank in .

  “Do you remember what you said ?”

  When I blinked I could hear my words ring between my ears. I’ll take you for a nice, romantic lunch. You can drink wine, and then we can come back here and make love. Nodding, I asked, “And you’re still interested ?”

  She smiled. “But I understand if you want to put it off .”

  Turning my gaze forward, I sighed .

  “Kelly, every fighter needs his head cleared before stepping into the ring .”

  A chuckle rolled through me and when I turned to look at her, I knew she was right; my meeting with Madam—and all the problems that needed to be solved—could wait. At least until later this afternoon .

  “Let me make you forget.” Her eyes were soft and round as her hand reached for me. “I owe it to you .”

  Glancing into my rearview mirror I pulled my hand away, feeling empty as soon as I left the comfort of her touch. Reaching inside my jacket pocket, I pulled my ringing cell phone free .

  “Hey,” I answered as soon as the caller picked up. “It’s me. Prepare me a private table for two.” I cast my gaze to Kendra. “And make it romantic .”

  Then I hung up and told Kendra it was safe for her to get up from the floor. She stretched her legs out in front of her and buckled herself in. “Where are you taking me ?”

  Without saying a word, my foot let up off the brake as I winked .

  “Always secrets with you.” A gorgeous smile lifted her face .

  “I like to think of this not as a secret, but a surprise .”

  She giggled and filled my insides with warmth. Despite hating that she’d come all this way and risked being seen with me when I was most vulnerable with the media, I couldn’t deny how comforting it was to know that nothing else seemed to matter when we were together .

  Punching the accelerator, we drove fast while keeping an eye for possible tails. I didn’t think that anyone was daring enough to follow me, but I didn’t want to assume that no one would, either .

  We whipped around a corner, sped through a yellow light, and made another sharp couple of turns before I knew I had Kendra lost. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” she asked .

  Turning onto the main drag, I said, “If I’m not mistaken, I believe you’ve been here before .”

  Her spine straightened and her neck craned as she peered out the window as we passed under the sign for Mojito .

  Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she glanced at me with sparkling eyes. “You had me so confused. Is that where we’re eating ?”

  Nodding, I said, “Unless you prefer we dine somewhere else .”

  “No, Mojito is great .”

  Reaching over, I settled my hand on her thigh just before pulling to the curb. I took an empty parking spot near the entrance, killed the engine, and immediately turned to face her. The softness of her hair through my fingers sent desire to my core and I reached out to stroke her cheek with my thumb, staring into her beautiful green eyes just before crashing my lips over her mouth .

  She whimpered once our tongues touched .

  With her taste intoxicating me, I deepened our kiss. She submitted to my will and sucked me in deeper. Several thrusts later, she pulled back and admitted, “Kelly, I’m happy you’re free .”

  Diverting my gaze—unwilling to tell her that I wasn’t
out of the woods yet—I said, “C’mon. Let’s get inside. Wes has a table waiting .”

  Stepping out of the car and rounding the front of the hood, I met Kendra on the other side and eased my fingers through hers until I had her within my grasp. Leading her inside, we were quickly greeted by a young bright-faced hostess. “Mr. Black. So good to see you .”

  “I called in a table.” My brows raised .

  “And we have it prepared in the back.” She smiled and nodded. “Right this way .”

  Kendra leaned into my arm and clamped her free hand around it. I liked the way she fit against me. I knew that I didn’t want anyone but her by my side. Together, we strode through the restaurant side-by-side as I kept an eye out for anyone who may have more of an interest in us than I thought otherwise should .

  “Kelly—” Kendra angled her head up to me when she saw the red roses placed at the table .

  “I want to make up for what you had to endure this morning.” A side of my face lifted into a smile .

  She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “I only did it because I knew that’s what you would have done for me .”

  Bending my neck, I kissed her .

  “Can I offer you drinks to start?” the hostess asked .

  “Sparkling water for me and white wine for her .”

  She nodded and left .

  Guiding Kendra down into her seat, I kissed her temple. “Excuse me for a moment. I have to run to the men’s room .”

  Stealing my hand, she reeled me down to her mouth. Pushing my tongue through her slightly parted lips, I pressed my muscle against hers and soaked in the brilliance that she was. And when I pulled away, I tugged on my jacket and promised to be back soon .

  The murmur from the crowd in the front grew as I headed to the back restroom. Mojito was a hit, and I couldn’t stop thinking how it paid to be friends with people like Wes. Especially with the private table and flowers prepared for me on such short notice .

  Entering the bathroom, I relieved my bladder then turned to the sink to wash my hands. Throwing water on my face, I debated where it had all started to go wrong .