“Good to know. You should use that extra energy towards your job.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Especially, since you are on a final warning.”
Daniella blinked undeterred. “You smell good. What do you call that scent?”
“He doesn’t want you,” Janice declared without looking up from her crossword puzzle. Her pink hair shone under the fluorescent light. Her all-black Converse bounced against the floor with the tapping of her feet. Janice was his definition of a busybody – it was almost impossible for her to be still. Her light brown eyes leveled Daniella. “Dex has been shooting you down gently for months, yet you keep coming back like a lost puppy. You’re either very slow or extremely persistent.”
Daniella frowned. “Shut up. I was just making conversation.”
Janice shrugged. “Just in case. You are not his type of woman. Move on.” Dex fought back a smile. She was by far his most prized employee.
“Okay. I’m heading out…” Dex supplied to try to break the tension. Janice and Daniella were in the middle of an intense stare down while a few others watched. He started to push the door open but paused when Daniella spoke.
“I’m everyone’s type of woman,” Daniella spat like a spoiled child. “Besides, what would you know? He’s never had a woman here.”
Janice rolled her eyes before moving back to her crossword puzzle.
“He’s taken, piss off.”
Dex suppressed a laugh and pushed the employee area door open and collided with another soft body. This time he didn’t mind the collision. Cayla’s body was worth crashing into repeatedly until they were both weak. An idea formed in that split second and he silently prayed, she would go with it. Dex wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back into the break room.
“Hi, Darling.” Her amused eyes searched his face, but she didn’t respond. Her soft, lavender scent and warm body nestled against his ensured him that he wasn’t imagining her presence. His kiss was gentle enough to be appropriate for his audience; his mouth lingered over Cayla’s long enough for Daniella to get the hint. He laced his fingers with hers. “Let’s get out of here.”
Dex smiled when heard Janice rub it in Daniella’s face before the employee door closed. “I knew it! And I told you.”
Chapter 9
It was a quick kiss, but it was enough to get Cayla’s libido going. When she decided to leave work shortly after receiving the bouquet, she didn’t expect to be kissed when she stopped by to thank him. Now that she had a teaser, part of her hoped the Nike clad Dex was escorting her out of the restaurant to have his way with her. Sanity kicked back in, and she shook the idea out of her head.
“Where are we going, Dex?” It was difficult to keep up with his long, powerful strides while in a dress and heels. He stopped next to his Bentley Bentayga. Dex turned to her, his smile sweet and sexy. His shirt pulled taut against his muscles, and his gray eyes glowed in the sun.
“I was getting way from the man molester.”
“Daniella? She’s very into you. That’s why you kissed me, to be your female shield?” Cayla joked. Trying to ignore the heat of his hand wrapped around hers.
He eyed her car parked next to his. His restaurant was one of the few in The Woodlands that had a few private parking spots behind the restaurant. Kalilah told her that since there were only four, he’d marked them all reserved to discourage patrons from trying to park in the back. Dex laced his fingers between hers, his attention fully focused on her again. His look warmed her.
“I can’t stand her. I’ve been turning her down since the restaurant opened.” He moved closer, invading her space. Her cheek tingled where his free hand caressed. “I would have kissed you anyway. But, Yes. That was the reason for purposely kissing you in front of my employees.” He leaned within kissing distance. “Don’t worry; I have plans to kiss you privately.”
Cayla had to suppress a shudder. This is not good. She was trapped in his energy. She’d just wanted to say a simple thank you. Liar.
His hand moved from her cheek and entwined with her flowing hair. His eyes slid down her body.
“You shouldn’t wear dresses around me, Cayla.”
“Why?” she asked breathlessly against his now very close lips.
“Easy access.”
Her belly fluttered. She wasn’t sure if one of them initiated the kiss or if it was both, but it didn’t matter. His kiss was just as hot as it was in his office. The flutters turned into need. His hard body pressed her against his driver-side door. Cayla moaned into his mouth. Dex’s erection was hot and hard against her stomach. Cayla’s hands found her way into his hair; his growl made her throb. A soft thud worked its way into her psyche.
“My purse…my Louis…on ground,” she said between pants.
“I’ll buy more,” he rasped before deepening the kiss.
His tongue played with her mouth, giving her dirty fantasies about what it could do to other parts of her body. Dex picked her up; she instinctually wrapped her legs around him. Bad idea. Dex ground his erection against the spot that craved him the most. One of his hands snaked under her dress and grabbed her nearly naked ass. Fuck. He had her so hot, her toes were aroused.
He pushed her harder against his SUV. She broke the kiss.
“Dex…your paint.”
“Easily replaceable.”
He groaned before nipping her neck. He reclaimed her lips, and she was lost again. It didn’t matter that she was outside in the middle of the day looking like the world’s biggest whore. A car horn honked somewhere in the far distance. There was no chance that anyone could see them, but the horn broke the spell. Dex froze and started to pull away. Cayla fought the urge to pull him back.
“Cayla.” His voice was rough with arousal. “Get away from me, please.”
“Huh?” Her sex crazed brain could not compute his request. Dex carefully slid her back to her feet.
“Unless you want me to take you in this parking lot, you need to get in your car or go back into the restaurant.”
His eyes glowed with restrained desire, his hair was messy from her hands, and his lips glistened from her kisses. It looked like she’d marked Dex as her territory; it was thrilling. Cayla was tempted to see if he’d do it. The knowledge that she was willing scared her. She conceded, accepted the purse he’d picked up, and moved to her car.
“If you’re hungry, get whatever you like. Janice will take care of you.” She looked at him over her shoulder. At that moment, what she wanted wasn’t on the menu.
“I’m not hungry.” She knew her thoughts were in her eyes.
“Cayla…” Dex warned.
She moved to her car and turned to face him. He was giving her an amused smile.
“What?” she inquired. He eyed her car parked next to his again.
“I see you are enjoying the perks of dating the boss. Free food and VIP parking.”
Cayla’s cheeks flushed. She didn’t like the idea of anyone thinking she was taking advantage. It was her first time parking in the back lot because she’d just wanted to pop in and didn’t feel like circling. She’d accepted the complimentary meal on Nick’s birthday and Valentine’s, but she went there because she truly loved the food.
“I wasn’t trying to take advantage…”
“I didn’t say you were. I said there are perks to dating the boss.” Dex leaned against his Bentley. His muscles bulged when he folded his arms. His partial erection was still visible through his thin pants. She wanted to ride the boss.
“We’re not dating,” Cayla countered as she was turning to open her door.
She gasped when he smacked her ass. “Yes, we are.”
Dex laughed when she glared at him. Even his laugh was arousing. He climbed into his SUV and rolled down the window.
“I’m meeting up with Nick to work out. I’ll call you tonight.” He winked at her and drove out of his spot. He waited until she was in her car and pulling out of her spot before he took off.
Cayla arr
ived home before she realized she hadn’t thanked Dex. That was the main reason why she went to his restaurant. She wanted to thank him in person. Then he kissed her and melted her mind.
She settled into the couch and sent him a text to read after his workout.
Cayla: I never got the chance to thank you for the beautiful flowers.
She attached a photo of them sitting on the coffee table. She put her phone down and grabbed the remote. She was surprised to see his almost immediate response.
Dex: U did. I have the blue balls to prove it.
He sent emojis blue circle, eggplant, blue circle. She laughed at his lewdness. Cayla decided to be witty.
Cayla: I do believe they’ve found a cure for your issue.
Dex: Yup. Between ur legs.
Dex: G2G about to kick Nick’s ass in racquetball.
Damn. Dex drove her nuts. He was always so blunt with his responses, she didn’t know if she should be offended or aroused. Aroused won most of the time. He said things to her no guy had ever said. He’d gotten her to do things she would have refused to do for the other men in her life. There is no way in hell she would have almost had office sex with Jackson. She definitely would not have let him feel her up in the parking lot.
Cayla flushed again. All the arousal from that moment attacked her. The way he moaned her name, his hardness rubbing against her, his smell, the way he tasted. Dex is sex personified. Her defenses weakened the more she’s around him.
Her plans for a perfect life flashed in her mind. Cayla wanted more than hot sex. She wanted forever. She wanted black love like her parents. Cayla wanted a husband, two kids, and a financially stable future. Dex only checked one box on her list. He was more than financially stable, but he was white and not interested in forever.
What about us? Cayla’s hormones yelled. They were in an uproar, ready to start a riot. Her body wanted him in the worst way. She’d never been so lust drunk. Cayla accepted the truth she’d been denying for months. They would end up in bed together. It’s the only possible outcome. She couldn’t date another guy while her body repeated “Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve”. Maybe it was all hype, and sex would be just as boring as it was with Jackson.
What if it’s spectacular? There went her asshole hormones again. Her body was planning a mutiny against her brain. Maybe he was supposed to teach her some things about her body. Dex seemed to have the knowledge to give her everything she wanted sexually.
Cayla sighed and did the thing she’d been avoiding since Valentine’s Day. She pulled out her phone and dialed.
“Hey, Kalilah. Hold on, let me conference in Natalia...”
The blue rubber ball whizzed past his shoulder. It would have been easily returnable if his mind was in the game. Instead, he got a flashback of being pressed against Cayla’s hot body and gave Nick the game.
“Whoop!” Nick celebrated.
His gray eyes gleamed with victory. He held the paddle out in front of him and dropped it like a mic. He pulled all six feet and three inches of his body into the Whip then a Nae Nae. Dex grinned when Nick started punching downward and bending his knees. He didn’t know if it was a made-up victory dance or a horrible rendition of Beyoncé’s Single Ladies dance. Then, he ended it with a Dab.
Dex shook his head. He needed to tell Kalilah to limit Nick’s exposure to urban pop culture. He was ruining it for everyone.
“Are you finished?” Dex huffed in mock irritation.
“I must celebrate my only victory properly.” Nick grinned, flashing his dimples.
Nick is still new to anything athletic. The consummate computer nerd, he’d always been more interested in zeros and ones instead of human interaction. A few bad exchanges with women left him a single, jaded, and almost Thirty-year-old-virgin. After he had a confrontation with his long-time crush and co-worker, his life changed considerably. Nick’s desire for Kalilah shot him into a rapid lifestyle change to impress her. He worked with the beautiful personal trainer, Natalia – Kalilah and Cayla’s best friend – six days a week to turn his pale computer body into sculpted greatness.
He cleaned up his scruffy appearance and purchased new clothes. Then, he started pulling his VP weight at work just to see her at the meetings. In the end, he realized Kalilah liked him for who he was before he changed. The rock-hard body and bad boy charm he’d acquired along the way was just icing on the cake. Now, his surly brother who didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to get a woman was happily married to the woman of his dreams with a baby on the way. What a difference a year makes.
Nick sobered. “You would never let me have a pity win. I must deduce you are distracted. What’s the issue, little brother?”
I want what you have.
Nick slicked his sweat dampened brown hair out of his face. His earnest eyes studied him.
“Ah. I know that look all too well. I wore it for months. Sexual frustration. Not so funny, is it?”
Dex’s lips twitched at the memory. Nick had it in his mind that there was a perfect time to have sex. His stubborn beliefs foiled Kalilah’s plans to get him naked every time. Between those times he would say or do something stupid thus delaying them for weeks because Kalilah would stop talking to him.
“No, your sexual frustration was self-imposed and therefore, hilarious.”
Nick couldn’t stop his lips from twitching. “Whatever. Sexual frustration is sexual frustration.” He looked at his watch. “We have thirty more minutes of court time. We’re obviously not playing another game. We’ll talk about the issue. I might actually have advice this time.”
Nick looked proud. In the past, their relationship was kind of strained since some of Nick’s bad luck with women involved some of those women trying to use Nick to get to Dex. Dex turned the women down, but it still left a small void between them. They would talk like good friends but never had the deep, personal brotherly conversations. Until they got into a big argument over Kalilah. They hashed out their differences over the summer and were now closer than ever. Even if the strain wasn’t there, Dex’s woman knowledge far surpassed Nick’s.
“Fine.” Dex unloaded all the Cayla details.
“Wow. So, this is how Dad must have felt when I unloaded on him.” Nick sat down on the court while he processed. “First, text me the information for one of those kits.”
They both laughed before Nick continued.
“Let’s look at this analytically. We both know Cayla is different than Kalilah…”
Dex nodded. “That’s for sure. If Cayla thought like Kalilah, we would not be talking right now.”
Nick’s eyes flashed between amusement, love, and desire. “Nope. You would have had some New Year Nookie.” Nick laughed at his word usage before sobering.
“Okay, it kind of sounds like we’re opposites. You are more full-throttle like Kalilah, and Cayla is a planner like me. You want to do, and she wants to think. The issue with us planners, in this sense, is that love is messy, unpredictable, and therefore highly unplannable.”
“What am I supposed to do to a female you? That is so weird by the way.”
Nick grins. “You love me so much you had to find a woman like me.”
“I could say the same, you know.”
“Touché.” Nick thought for another beat. “Push. In hindsight, there are times Kalilah could’ve pressed a little more and gotten exactly what she wanted. But she didn’t because she was trying to respect my process. The difference between us is Kalilah was my list. You must convince Cayla you are her list. That is what you want, right?”
“A solid, stable relationship with someone that cares about me, yes.”
“Remember how you told me to give Kalilah a little bit of honesty to get her naked?” Dex nodded. “Well, you tried that, and she shot it down. You need to do the opposite. Since it sounds like your sexual chemistry is already established, play on that, get her naked, blow up her world with orgasms…”
Nick patted Dex’s shoulder. “… I have faith in you.
Find thoughtful ways to introduce her to the finer things that would be commonplace for a Sinclair. Their parents kept them grounded and loyal. They raised them to be independent and loving. You won’t have to be concerned with wondering if it’s you or your money.”
“And if she digs in her heels about me not being black?”
Nick grinned. “She is stubborn, but once you check off everything else on her list, I doubt she’s going to hold your lack of a tan against you.” Nick laughed at a thought. “Now, I understand why Kalilah bought a Sam’s Club amount of popcorn.”
Dex laughed. “That little jerk. I’m surprised she hasn’t intervened yet.”
“I’ve been keeping her mouth busy.” Nick waggled his eyebrows.
Dex pushed his brother. “Get a job.”
Chapter 10
Natalia and Kalilah came over for drinks and gossip after Cayla invited them. They made margaritas and virgin pina coladas for Kalilah. Mexican food-obsessed Kalilah showed up with beef fajitas, chile con queso, and chips. They’d been eating and drinking when Cayla spilled everything from the beginning for Natalia’s benefit.
Cayla squirmed under Natalia’s intense green gaze. She knew what she was about to say before she spoke.
“You two bitches get involved with the craziest Sinclair brother shit, and I’m always the last to know!” Her Spanish-Portuguese accent made her comment sound fierier. “How am I supposed to be a proper BFF if you’re not dishing. That’s okay. Imma start some hot, torrid shit and just show up married or pregnant.”
She huffed then wrapped her waist length, wavy brown hair into a bun at the top of her head. Natalia scowled at both sisters again before giving her opinion.
“I have spent a lot of time in some of the same social circles as Dex and while he is not hard pressed for female attention, I really don’t think he’s the bad boy man-whore type.” Natalia sipped her margarita. “I’ve actually seen him turn down women. Plus, he’s been nice to me but never forward. I’m not easy to ignore.”
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