SMOOTH
THE SONS OF VICTOR BLACK: A BWWM ROMANCE
CASSIE VERANO
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
THIS EBOOK IS A WORK of fiction. Names, characters, places, and situations are complete creative works of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.
Any unauthorized reprint or use of this book or any portion thereof is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
Copyright © 2020 Cassie Verano
All Rights Reserved
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Printed in the United States of America
Contents
CHAPTER 1 – MADISON
CHAPTER 2 – MADISON
CHAPTER 3 – MADISON
CHAPTER 4 – KENT (3 Months Later)
CHAPTER 5 – MADISON
CHAPTER 6 – KENT
CHAPTER 7 – KENT
CHAPTER 8 – MADISON
CHAPTER 9 – KENT
CHAPTER 10 – MADISON
CHAPTER 11 – KENT
CHAPTER 12 – MADISON
CHAPTER 13 – KENT
CHAPTER 14 – MADISON
CHAPTER 15 – KENT
CHAPTER 16 – MADISON
CHAPTER 17 – KENT
CHAPTER 18 – MADISON
CHAPTER 19 – KENT
CHAPTER 20 – MADISON
CHAPTER 21 – KENT
CHAPTER 22 – MADISON
CHAPTER 23 – KENT
CHAPTER 24 – KENT
CHAPTER 25 – MADISON
CHAPTER 26 – KENT
CHAPTER 27– KENT
CHAPTER 28 – KENT
CHAPTER 29 – MADISON
CHAPTER 30 – KENT
CHAPTER 31 – KENT
CHAPTER 32 – MADISON
CHAPTER 33 – KENT
CHAPTER 34 – KENT (2 Years Later)
CHAPTER 35 – VICTOR (EPILOGUE)
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CHAPTER 1 – MADISON
He was the fourth in line, standing proudly as a groomsman alongside his three brothers. They were the most handsome, sexiest bunch of men you’d ever want to see. And quietly, he was the richest of the four brothers, but you wouldn’t know it to see it. He wasn’t flashy but laid back and casual with his sexy ass. But I wouldn’t be caught dead saying that out loud.
Dude, my fiancé would have a fit if he’d heard me refer to my best friend as sexy. But it was the truth.
He stood beside one of the bride’s roommates, a girl named Nora. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit jealous when I saw him escorting Nora down the aisle.
Her with her blonde hair and blue eyes, and him with that brownish-blonde hair and sexy, flashing green eyes that held a bit of mischief in them. Kent was a trouble-maker but in a good way. He was always up to something and always looking for a bit of fun.
The two had been laughing at something when they marched down the aisle, both of them trying to hide behind a humorless expression but failing miserably. He’d look over across the aisle at her, and a smirk would lift the corner of his lips.
I wondered what secrets they shared. Not that I had a reason to be jealous, though. I was engaged to the love of my life.
That was a joke if I’d ever heard one—the love of my life.
More and more lately, I wondered what I was clinging to. A façade? People told Steve and I that we were a beautiful couple, but we weren’t happy together. At least, I wasn’t. Our lives circulated on his goal to make partner at his law firm.
Social engagements on the calendar of Pratt, Dean, Varner & Philips dictated where and when we would date.
I sighed as I watched the waves rolling up on the shore below. I had a perfect vantage point of the beach from where the wedding was situated overlooking the ocean bluff in Hana, Hawaii.
Steve and I had yet to determine where we were holding our wedding. Hell, we hadn’t even selected a date.
Absently, I pulled my gaze from the waters to watch Kent flirting with Nora again. He was a notorious flirt, and I imagined he couldn’t help himself. But this time, when I looked up, he was staring at me.
He winked and gave me that sexy grin that he always did. The one that made my heart go pitter-patter. The corners of my mouth involuntarily lifted in a smile as my heart squeezed tightly in my chest.
Why the hell did I react to Kent Black the way I did? I couldn’t help it. I’d fallen for the guy when I first met him at my sister Nicole’s wedding to his older brother, Greyson. She’d warned me to stay away from him when she saw us spending so much time together. She said he was a heartbreaker, and I’d come to learn that was true.
It hadn’t mattered much because I was engaged already.
But that didn’t stop Kent and me from developing a close bond that we nurtured through the years. He was my best friend. A title that should have been reserved for my fiancé but wasn’t.
I glanced away from Kent for a moment, blushing at the thoughts running through my head. I often worried he could read my mind and knew what I was thinking. When I looked up at him again, he was giving me that look that I swear he saved just for me.
The one where his head tilted to the side, and his eyes were heavy as he chewed on the corner of his bottom lip. It always felt like he was trying to get a bead on me.
I turned my gaze to his oldest brother, Grant. He was the one that was getting married. There was a sheen in Grant’s eyes that I knew had to be tears.
I think every girl desired to have a man look at her the way Grant looked at Alex; I know I hoped to have someone look at me like that one day. As it stood, Steve hadn’t given me that type of look yet. Or anything close to it, come to think of it.
A soft breeze blowing off the ocean roused Alexandra’s hair as she glided down the white and orange rose petaled aisle to Grant. She had always been a sensual woman; everything about her appearance was sexy.
She looked so regal, yet spicy in her Vera Wang wedding gown. The ivory color mixed in well with the rose petals that she walked on. Swarovski crystals outlined the straps of her gown, and they glistened in the afternoon sun. Swarovski crystals embroidered the bodice. The bottom of her dress was embellished with hand appliqued Chantilly lace.
A tiara with a diamond in the middle of her forehead crowned her beautiful high ponytail.
She was a breathtaking bride, and I swore she looked like a model.
As she passed me up, my eyes went back to Kent to see his reaction to her.
I could see the admiration and fondness in his eyes for what would be his new sister-in-law. He’d told me on multiple occasions that he admired the fact that she had stood up to his father. She wasn’t scared of the powerful man who easily intimidated most folks.
Kent turned his gaze in my direction and winked again.
“You’re so handsome,” I mouthed.
He gave me another wink before staring down at the ground and then back out at the waters beyond. I wondered what was on his mind.
When the minister began his sermon, I pulled my phone from my clutch. I’d felt it buzzing in my purse all along.
I was looking for a text from Steve, but it wasn’t.
Disappointed that it was just a group text from my dance ensemble, I breath
ed heavily, my shoulders sagged, and I stuffed it back into my purse again.
My life had always been about dance until I met Steve. I’d dated guys before, but Steve had been different. His resolve to succeed, his kind, gentlemanly ways, and determination to woo me swept me up in a whirlwind.
But over time, his vision, goals, and desires superseded mine, and I no longer had an identity of my own.
But as time passed, I found I was lonely in our relationship. There was no time for the two of us. And what was worse was the feeling I wasn’t good enough in Steve’s circle.
It didn’t matter, because I was good enough for me. I hoped someday Steve would feel I was good enough, too.
But sometimes I wondered.
When we went to social engagements for his company, he spent more time impressing the partners than attending to me. And sometimes his “impressive behaviors,” included spending an excessive amount of time in the company of some of the female clients who he was requested to “speak with.”
These women were touchy-feely.
Steve was a handsome guy, so that didn’t surprise me much. He looked a lot like a young Chris Hemsworth minus the facial hair but with glasses.
My attention jerked away from my problems and back to Kent. He looked as if he were about to devour something. Me.
CHAPTER 2 – MADISON
“You’ve got a fan club over there,” I said as we danced.
“I’ve signed all the autographs I’m gonna sign today,” Kent joked.
“I’m quite sure you have. How many numbers do you have in your little black book?” I asked.
Kent laughed. “Men don’t carry black books around anymore, Mads.”
I giggled, glanced away, and smirked. Looking back at Kent, I asked, “Okay, well, how many did you capture in your phone?”
He bowed his forehead against mine, closing the space between us. My heart jacked up a few notches, and I breathed in deeply and out, trying to control my breaths and my corny heart.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kent replied.
I laughed, shaking my head. “You know, one day you’re going to have to settle down, KB. You’re going to be just like your brothers. Some sweet girl’s going to capture your heart, and that’ll be a wrap for you. And then you’ll have a whole parade of brokenhearted girls following behind you.”
“I doubt it.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’ll be lots of girls with broken hearts.”
“It’s not gonna happen because I’ll never settle down.”
That thought made me sad, and I wasn’t sure why. I wanted happiness for Kent. The same joy, I claimed that I had.
“Why not?” I asked.
Shrugging, Kent said, “I don’t think I’ll ever find the right girl. Not the one that makes me want to settle down and get married.”
If Kent had been the settling type, I’d have settled with him in a heartbeat. That unbidden thought in my head caused me to clear my throat.
Madi, you have a whole fiancé in these streets, girl, I mentally chastised myself.
“I used to think the same thing until I met Steve.”
I felt Kent’s body stiffen against mine at the mention of Steve’s name. He had never met my fiancé, but he acted as if he couldn’t stand him.
“What was his excuse for not showing up at the wedding again, Mads?”
I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes. “Steve had a big formal affair he couldn’t miss.” We’d already had this discussion, and I knew Kent knew it. He was trying to start shit.
“There’s always something more important than showing up to stand by your side, isn’t there?”
“Come on, Kent. You know that’s not fair. He’s trying to make partner, and I have to support him.”
“You’re always supporting him, and he’s never giving that back. That’s the shit I won’t put up with from a relationship. We’ll be equal partners, me giving her as much as she gives to me.”
“But you wouldn’t know about that would you, because you refuse to settle down. You know nothing about sacrifice, dude, or what it takes to make a successful relationship,” I replied, anger filling my insides.
“I know it takes both parties proving they love and care about each other, not just saying it,” Kent countered.
“You know, you can be such a jerk sometimes,” I said, pulling out of his arms and storming off the dance floor.
“Mads!” Kent called, following after me.
I hastened my steps, not wanting to talk to him at the moment. My prayer was that some poor girl would capture his attention long enough for me to escape.
Running down the hall, I spotted an empty reception room. Once I slipped inside and closed the door, my unwelcome tears made their appearance.
Damn! It had to be something about Hawaii. Surely, there was something in the air that was turning the water faucets on.
I was thankful the bride and groom had paid the expense of everyone coming to the island. Victor Black had spared no expense using his private fleet of aircraft to transport all the guests to the island, and we were staying in the Black’s Hawaiian resort.
But if coming to the island was making me behave this way, then all-expense paid trip or not, I needed to carry my black ass back home.
I couldn’t get mad at Kent. He was speaking the truth about what I already knew to be true. The last year, I’d been conflicted about my relationship, and I, too, had been wondering if Steve loved me, or if he was just saying it.
Everyone expected great things from us, and I knew his parents expected him to settle down with me. His mother and father were prominent patrons of the arts, and having me, a prima ballerina on his arm, was a feather in his cap.
Sometimes, I wondered if the reason Steve was still with me was that it was what his parents expected. And why did I stay?
Sometimes, I thought that was because I wanted to say I was in a relationship. That I was engaged, and someone wanted me.
Growing up, kids teased me about being skinny and dark. I wasn’t what they called a “pretty girl,” but I’d heard an aunt of mine say I had to “grow into my looks.”
No matter how many times my parents told me I was beautiful, it had been hard to believe. Especially when every time I walked out the door, kids said otherwise. My full lips and broad forehead had been the subject of ridicule one too many times on the playground.
Whereas, people now praised my smooth, dark skin that had not always been the case. I’d been considered ashy and too dark. My older brother Zion wasn’t the butt of jokes as I had been, although, like me, he’d inherited my daddy’s dark skin, too. Our sister, Nicole, had gotten her brown skin from our mother.
Well, I’d finally “grown into my looks,” and people always commented on how beautiful I was. And most days, I felt that way, too, not that I needed their confirmation. But every now and then, that little girl on the playground would resurrect within me, reminding me I wasn’t good enough.
It typically happened when I was feeling rejected, which was more often than not with Steve and his circle.
I jumped when I felt a hand on my bare shoulder.
“Mads, I’m sorry,” Kent whispered.
His warm hand against my shoulder made me wish I had brought a shawl along to go with my dress. I had no reason feeling the sensations that were flooding me at the moment.
I turned around. “Why do you have to be such an ass at times, Kent? You’re my best friend, and I expect you to keep it real, but sometimes you’re downright rude, man.”
Kent used his thumbs to wipe away my tears, and then his big hand caressed my face.
“I’m sorry, Mads. You know I didn’t mean to make you cry. You mean the world to me, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
He stared into my eyes, and I frowned, struggling to keep my emotions in check. His presence was too much for my mind, body, or heart to take.
“You mean the way you hurt me in there?”
He sighed and sh
ook his head. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“Then what was your intention?” I challenged.
He stared at me for a moment, and I wondered what he wanted to say. Growing uncomfortable underneath his scrutiny, I was preparing to turn away.
But before I could, I froze, because Kent was staring at my lips in a way that was causing tiny pinpricks of heat to pop out all over my body. Then I was clenching down below.
Shit, it had been too long since I’d had sex. That’s what this had to be. Attending this wedding and being celibate was more than I could take.
He pressed his lips against mine, slowly and I didn’t pull away. I should have, but I didn’t.
Instead, I found myself opening my mouth as his wet tongue pressed against the seam of my lips.
And then my tongue became entangled with his, and I found I enjoyed it. His tongue was soft, yet fresh like he’d been sucking on a mint.
I’d fantasized about kissing Kent before, and it was as delicious as I’d dreamt it might be.
A moan escaped my throat, and it was more than either of us bargained for. I could feel Kent’s manhood pressing against me through his pants, and I should have pulled back then, but again, I didn’t.
Kent’s arms wrapped around me and he pulled me closer against his body.
I’d hit him in the chest a time or two, or playfully tugged on his arms, so I knew the man was muscular. But, damn, he was fine, and hard, and oh, so sexy, and he smelled so damn good.
Shit!
His finger traced a path down my neck, drawing goosebumps to the surface as he went. He drew a trail down my bare skin, dropping below the neckline of my dress and into my cleavage.
“Hey, Madis—”
Shit!
The one person who’d warned me against Kent was the one person who’d caught me with Kent, doing something I had no business doing.
I quickly pulled back, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, feeling as if the principal had caught me skipping class.
My eyes flew to her, but she wasn’t looking at me. Nicole stood in the doorway, staring a hole through Kent.
But her words were for me.
“Madison, I was looking for you because they’re about to throw the bouquet. Maybe participation in that might be a sufficient reminder you’re an engaged woman,” Nicole said, turning around quickly and stomping from the room.
Smooth: The Sons of Victor Black: A BWWM Romance Page 1