The look he gave the room didn’t give them the opportunity to protest. Dex returned his attention to the screen. His dad’s face turned from shock to fatherly pride. “I couldn’t have said it better. Dex, you know there’s still a spot here for you.”
“I know Dad, but owning The Woodland’s best restaurant is time consuming.” He looked at Darrin for emphasis. “I shouldn’t have left during the lunch rush, but my gut told me I needed to find out what was going on here.”
“Thank you for getting to the bottom of it. I guess I’ll wait to see how it pans out with Nick. Be happy Dex was there, gentleman. He’s a lot nicer than me.”
He was gone without a goodbye. Dex heard Cayla giggle. Yes, his dad is where he’d learned his phone etiquette.
“I’ll leave y’all to wrap up or whatever. Felix and Cayla grab your stuff; let’s go. Lester, it looks like Justin is your best man here. Take the time to learn from him, or I can take him as well…”
“No need, Dex. I don’t like being ignored, threatened, and publicity disrespected.” He grabbed his things and rose from the table.
“Justin…” Lester began.
“No, Lester. You went too far. I told you when you hired Craig that Cayla or Felix should have had his position. You didn’t listen. I gave him Cayla to help his team, and he used and mistreated her. I would think me being here for twelve years would mean something to you; it doesn’t. They were your strongest analysts, and I am your longest-standing supervisor, yet you were ready to get rid of us behind your nephew’s bullshit! I’m no one’s pawn.”
“In that case, I expect the same package for Justin, as well. Write it down.” He pointed at Sheryl again before returning his attention to his liberated employees. “Let’s go you three; lunch is on me.”
Chapter 24
Cayla’s hands shook as she packed up her desk. Her adrenaline still had her heart pumping rapidly. Craig had just finished gathering his things when they’d gotten back to their desks. He slammed the door to his office and stomped off while glaring at them. Some of his team clapped and thanked Dex for Craig’s departure. Her body hovered in a space void of emotion. Of course, when everything died down, she would fully understand what she should be feeling.
She was in the action portion of her mind and that meant packing up and getting the hell out of Tech’s Tec. Loaded down with their things, the four of them piled up on the elevator for the last time. Something wiggled free in Cayla’s mind. She turned to Felix; his mouth smiled, but his blue eyes were wide with shock. He must be stuck in the same space as Cayla.
“Felix?” He focused his attention on her when she spoke. “I…” she paused and tried again. “Until this moment, I didn’t think I had any true friends. Thank you.”
Felix laughed. “Hell, yeah, I’m a true friend. Who else would be willing to get fired with you?”
Everyone laughed as the elevator came to a halt. Dex swiped the box from Cayla’s hand.
“I have to run. Meet me at The Food Lab; food and alcohol are on me. Y’all deserve it.” He was gone just as abruptly as he stormed into the building.
The drive over allowed everyone to process their thoughts privately and come to terms with their decision by the time they’d sat down at the table. Dex had already supplied bread with butter, water, and appetizers. The man himself was nowhere to be found. Cayla excused herself and after a brief chat with Janice, she was on the hunt. It was obvious Felix and Justin were happy with their decision and were now content enough to eat. Not her.
She couldn’t eat because the way Dex stormed into her job and saved her, looking like walking sex, replayed continuously in her head. Her favorite part was how he made his demands. In the island of the conference room, he’d owned the company and made the decisions, he told Lester what he was going to do. Her body was heated. The power and confidence he exuded in the conference room were the same qualities he’d brought to the bedroom. He’d charged in, shook up shit, and went back to work like nothing happened.
Praying he was alone, she knocked on his office door. She was so hot for him she couldn’t stand it any longer. He yelled for her to enter, and she pushed in with only one thing on her mind.
The office door swung open with more force than necessary. Shocked, Dex jerked his head up to find the cause of the commotion. Cayla stood there with her eyes blazing. Her chest heaved under the bodice of her dress as if she ran the entire way to this office.
“Hey, I was just about to join y’all for lunch…” Dex started before she shook her head violently then closed and locked the door.
Dex’s cock received the message, and he was rounding the desk in seconds. He honestly didn’t know what to expect. He’d hoped that she would understand his actions were for her own good, but her reaction was by far the best-case scenario. He captured her in a kiss; she growled against his mouth. Impatient hands tugged at his belt while he ripped away her panties. His clothes fell around his ankles as he pinned her to the door. Cayla thrashed and squirmed under him as his mouth tasted her neck and collarbone. His dick begged for contact, and Dex didn’t make it wait.
“Mmm. Yes. Just like that,” Cayla hissed when Dex buried himself inside of her.
Dex grunted in response. Cayla was so wet for him, it blew his mind. Moving off the door he pressed her against the wall adjoining his private bathroom. No witnesses. Dex crouched deep then slammed into her. Cayla mewed, her nails sinking into his biceps and heels digging into her back. Dex parked his feet further apart to drill into Cayla. He wouldn’t last long. He couldn’t last long. Her desire for him caught him off guard and made him burn brighter. Cayla’s body started to shudder. He sealed his mouth over hers to taste her moans, but she got his instead because her body clamped down on him deliciously when she started to cum. Dex followed, chanting her name against her lips as the last drops of his desire shot into her body.
It took them a few minutes to catch their breaths and return to earth. Cayla disappeared into his bathroom to clean herself, and Dex slunk into one of the chairs with his pants still at his ankles he was so spent. He closed his eyes for a moment only to feel a warm towel wiping him up. He moaned at the sensation and stilled her hand.
“Go eat. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Cayla nodded and slipped back into the restaurant. After redressing quickly, Dex leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to control his heart rate. The racing had nothing to do with the sex and everything to do with his thoughts. He’d fallen for her. Despite all the crazy arguments and mood swings, his heart chose her. He hadn’t fully realized it until he’d gotten off the elevator with Felix and witnessed Craig’s terrible behavior. He’d never been so angry and capable of committing murder in his life. He knew then that he’d do everything in his power to protect her.
Unfortunately, this was one of those things he had to keep to himself because she still had a long way to go. Nick had created the narrative in his head that his love would run off Kalilah, but Dex knew it would be true for Cayla. The only thing he could do right now was get out of his feelings and go join them for lunch.
Chapter 25
“Tell me about your trip to California?” Cayla begged as Natalia unlocked the gym. “Was it all Hollywood and hot stars.”
Natalia blushed a little but shook it off. “No. I didn’t meet a single celebrity. Traffic is crazy, and the hood parts outline the nice parts. I would go again, though. There is still so much to see.”
Cayla wanted to travel and outside of the few girls’ trips they’d had, she hadn’t been anywhere cool. They did go to Vegas once, but that was it. Either way, they had a lot of catching up to do. It had been two weeks since she was rescued from the gates of hell, but she couldn’t help but notice her rescuer was becoming more guarded. Sure, he’d stayed with her while his place was being renovated which gave them a lot of exposure to each other, but she feared he was tiring of her. The sex was still crazy, but it wasn’t as often as she would have
hoped since he found a million reasons to be away from her.
Cayla shook the negative thought away. It’s possible that she was seeing his schedule for what it really was in his day to day life. Something was off; she just couldn’t place it.
“Hello! Where did you go?” Natalia was snapping her fingers in Cayla’s face.
“Sorry. I fell into deep thought. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Really?” Natalia asked with a head tilt. “I would think you would have less on your mind now that you are liberated.”
“Me, too…”
“Come on. What is it?” Natalia prompted.
“It’s just I don’t know what’s going on with Dex.”
Natalia furrowed her brows as they moved into her office and settled into chairs. “In what way?”
“Well, you know he pursued the hell out of me, and now that I’m a willing participant, he’s in his own world.”
“Did you ask him what’s wrong?” she inquired around a bite of her banana.
“No. I’m not sure what to ask. We’re not a couple and when we do have sex, it’s still spectacular. I ask him if everything is fine at work, and he says it is. He had to stay there for a week and a half during renovations and I can’t prove it, but I’m sure he created reasons not to be there with me. And he shrugs off any sort of affection outside of sex. When his place was finished, he left like his ass was being chased. It’s almost like Jackson with better sex.”
“Not exactly. Jackson was your boyfriend. You said yourself you are not a couple, so it’s hard to expect couple like things from him. Do you want to be a couple?”
Natalia’s question washed her body with confusion. Did she want to be a couple? “I don’t know,” Cayla answered honestly.
“Maybe he can sense that. Dex is crazy perceptive,” Natalia pointed out as she tossed her peel in the trash. “Just ask him his thoughts on your relationship, but you have to have your own thoughts, too.”
“May…” Cayla lost her thought because a blindingly attractive man peeked his head into the office. “hot damn,” fell out her mouth before she could stop it.
His slightly full lips parted into a brilliant smile that shone in his light brown eyes. His hair was a wild mane of brown waves that fell a little past his shoulders. His loose muscle shirt displayed one hell of a beach body. His six-one frame filled the door as he leaned to the right casually crossing one muscular leg over the other.
“Guess who’s back!” he announced to Natalia in smoky accented English.
“MAX!” Natalia yelled and pulled him into a warm hug.
“Cayla, this is my cousin Maximiliano.”
Cayla jumped up and shook his warm hand. “Hello, Max. You are very easy to look at.”
Max laughed, his sexy chuckle filled the office. “So are you, Cayla. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Max? Max? Are you really here?” Cayla watched as Max’s features softened and smile deepened before he turned to the source.
“Chloe!” he exclaimed before crushing a gorgeous dark brown woman in a big hug. She was tall and petite. Her outfit was a flawless designer number from head to toe.
“Who is that?” Cayla whispered to Natalia.
Natalia scrunched up her nose and rolled her eyes. “Chloe.”
“Chloe, you know Natalia. This is her friend Cayla.” Chloe pasted a fake smile on her face, but her eyes sized up Cayla. “Cayla, this is my best friend Chloe.”
“Best friend, huh?” Cayla uttered right before being ushered out by Natalia.
“Good to see y’all, we have a nail appointment.” It was a true statement, but still an abrupt exit for Natalia.
“You don’t like her, do you?”
Natalia shrugged. “I don’t trust her. She’s married. She has a whole husband, but she looked at you like you were trying to take her man. And by man, I mean Max.”
“You don’t think Max…”
“He would never break up the sanctity of marriage, but it doesn’t mean she’s not the bored housewife type who’s trying to distract him with her beauty. Little does she know, you have your own yummy nummy that has you all confused.”
Thoughts of Dex bombarded her. She was so confused. “I’ll talk to him tonight.”
To say he understood Kalilah’s position a year ago would be an understatement. He more than understood it. He was living it. It was hard being in love with someone who was still trying to understand herself. There were major differences. Yes Nick had jacked up self-esteem, but he knew he wanted to be with Kalilah. Cayla didn’t have any such conviction. She’d repeatedly tried to put him on the back burner in favor of a black guy. Part of him still feared she would toss his ass quickly if a viable man came into play.
Also, Kalilah had to bond with Nick to get sex. Dex could get all the sex he wanted and a fraction of the bonding. Cayla tried to amp up their intimacy, but he kept blocking it. He didn’t want to cuddle with a woman that didn’t see him as her boyfriend. He took a deep breath while he waited for Cayla.
She’d called and said she was on the way to visit him. He knew that was code for sex, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about it now. Especially with the clock officially ticking. The show was his. He had to leave in two months. He just needed to decide if he was moving to East or West and he couldn’t make that decision with unknown variables like Cayla.
“Hey Dex,” she greeted from behind him. He turned from the stove; he’d just finished making beef stew. “That smells incredible.”
Her smile was brilliant and she’s as beautiful as ever. His chest constricted. He couldn’t sit in limbo any longer, but he knew she would overreact. She hugged him, but he couldn’t put his all into hugging her back. Too distracting. He would want to make love to her and he couldn’t lose focus right now.
He shrugged out of the hug, and the confusion in her eyes made his chest ache. He’s the last person to ever hurt her, but he didn’t think she’d believe him.
“Cayla, have a seat. We need to talk.” Dex could see the tension in her spine, eyes, and lips. He hadn’t said anything yet, and she already had an attitude. “A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an agent. She wanted to make me a food star. She came to visit and loved my food. A week later she told me she was in negotiations for a show. If picked up, I would need to move to California or New York. She called me a few days ago to tell me I got it.”
Dex wanted her to be as excited as he was when he’d gotten the call. He wanted her to be thrilled with him. Deep down he knew he’d get the opposite. He continued anyway.
“Now, I have to give Izzie an answer soon since I have to report in two months.”
Cayla sighed deep; anger simmered in her irises. “Good for you. Why are you telling me?”
Dex refrained from pointing out that her statement wasn’t congratulatory at all. “I need to know… what are we doing?” Dex had seen that look on her face before. She was about to say or do something irrational and piss him off. He steadied himself for impact.
“We are not doing anything, Dex.” There was defiance in her bones and hurt in her eyes. “You wanted to prove you could get me. You had me, now move on to your next station. You don’t have to give me an explanation. Feel free to move again.”
Dex’s gripped the table, felt his anger rising but tried to remain diplomatic. “Is that what you think I did? Fuck you for fun until it was time to move on to something else?”
Cayla shrugged. “Well, you haven’t been known for relationships.”
“Is that what you want? A relationship? Are you now willing to date, love, and marry a white man?”
She froze. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Dex ignored the stab of pain. It was self-inflicted after all. She’d told him from day one she didn’t want his love. It didn’t mean it hurt less.
“You’re an asshole.”
That’s right-deflect into anger.
“Why? For asking you another question you don’t know how to answer. This has been
our issue from day one. You don’t know what you want. I tried to do the dating thing, but you tell me it’s just sex. Then, you get upset when I act accordingly. Now, I ask if you again if want a relationship, you don’t have an answer and decide to call me an asshole.”
Cayla jumps up. “Well, let me be clear. Have fun on your new show. Don’t expect to have any more sex with me.”
She was gone in a flash, but Dex didn’t have the energy to chase her. This was his fault after all. He wanted her to the point of lunacy. He tried to make things his way instead of following her wishes and leaving her alone. Well, for the sake of his heart and sanity, he vowed to give her exactly what she wanted.
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed. “Hey, Izzie. Sign me up for California.”
Maybe sunshine and beaches would cure a broken heart.
Chapter 26
“I know I said we are true friends, but why are we here...” Felix asked looking around the restaurant. His hair was still sleep-roused and his clothes ultra-casual. “…getting drinks at 11 PM? Damn, I was comfortable.”
Cayla gave him a half smile. It had been three weeks since Dex had spoken to her. She tried the ignoring game, but he was better – a fucking Jedi master. His skills were evident at Kalilah’s birthday party. He’d hit her with the same casual hello reserved for strangers and acquaintances, and kept it pushing. No sorry, no lingering looks, no can we talk, nothing.
She’d watched from the sidelines as he continued to have the time of his life with their family and friends. He’d belly laughed with Nick and his dad, flirted with Kalilah and her mother, and played pool with Natalia. She’d made small talk with Max, but he had Chloe in tow again. Chloe’s protective vibe was off putting, and she moved on to her usual suspects. Inside she was completely miserable.
Cayla didn’t just miss the crazy orgasms. She also missed Dex and his food. She couldn’t bring herself to set foot in The Food Lab. In fact, she and her equally unemployed friend were hunched in a booth at BJ’s.
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