“No, wait, Madi!”
“What?” I asked in an impatient tone.
“I love you, and you know I want the best for you. I know you’re grown and capable of making your own decisions. Not once did I mean to force my will on you, Madi. The way I acted when I found out about you and Kent, the kiss, the day in his apartment...I was wrong. I’m so sorry I handled that the way I did. There was a much better way to address my concerns with you rather than trying to control you. And I’m sorry about that. I’ve had a lot of time to think about my attitude. Time that has had me missing my sister, and now with this development with Vic’s health. Well...I can’t alienate anyone I love. I love you, Madi.”
“I love you, too, Nic.”
“Besides, it’s not been easy, not talking to my little sister. Gabby’s been asking for her TeeTee, and I keep telling her you’re busy,” Nicole said.
“Awww, I’m never too busy for my Gabs.”
“I know, sweetie. I was too stubborn to call and apologize, Madi. But this is me saying, I’m sorry, and I want my sister back,” Nicole apologized.
I giggled softly into the phone. “Okay. I want my bossy big sister back, too, and I’m sorry for pushing you away.”
“Apology accepted,” Nicole said.
“And I accept yours, too.”
“Good, now that we’ve got that out of the way, would you please reconsider your decision to come down here?”
I sighed, rolling my eyes. “I can’t believe you, Nicole! Did you apologize to get me to come down? Who put you up to this?”
“No one. My apology was sincere. But give me a couple of minutes to explain something to you.”
“Nicole, I don’t want—”
“Please, hear me out, Madi.”
I sighed. “Okay, Nic, but I’m not making any promises.”
“That’s fine. Kent told me what happened between you and him. Well, he was telling Grey and apologizing for hurting you. But both Kent and Grey explained to me what happened. The property that they bid on? Kent and Grey went out there a couple of times to view the property, but Vic handled the entire thing. He called in favors, got the price down, had his attorney to handle the requests for permits, deal with the zoning issues, and negotiate the sale. They had to do nothing, Madi.”
“I don’t care, Nic. He didn’t tell me he was the one taking the building. When I was pouring my heart out to him about the issues the community faced, he said nothing!”
“Did he know?”
“Did he know what?”
“Did he know that was where you volunteered? Had he ever been there with you before? Picked you up? Dropped you off? Anything that would’ve let him know the building he was purchasing was the same one you volunteered at?”
I paused, thinking back over the last few months. Since Kent had moved to town, he had not once picked me up or dropped me off.
“Madi?” Nicole said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Umm...” I chewed my fingernail and ripped off the tattered end.
“Well, did he?”
“No. No, Kent didn’t, but still, he had to do research. He had to know what was going on in that building, who was occupying the space,” I reasoned.
“No, he didn’t. Vic handled all that, Madi. Look, let me share something with you. But I need you to promise not to tell anyone a single word I’m about to share with you. Do you hear me?”
Nicole had put that big sister's voice on. She always used to threaten me with when we were younger. The one that said, I’d better behave, or she’d tell mama about the last thing that I did.
“Okay, Nic.”
“Promise me, Madi.”
“I promise, Nic.”
“When Kent found out what happened, from you I might add, he didn’t bother calling Vic. He flew his ass straight to Savannah and confronted his Daddy about the bs he’d pulled. When he left, Grace found Vic about twenty minutes later.”
“Oh my, goodness,” I murmured.
“Yeah, but you know the worst of it all? Kent blames himself. He thinks he caused his dad to have a stroke. He and Grey are working on looking for a new place for your kids. They want to do something extra special and give them a new place to go to. A better place. But you can’t tell anybody I told you, Madi.”
My sister’s voice had grown soft throughout her explanation. I wondered if someone were around.
My heart thundered in my chest, like a mighty lion roaring in the jungle. I felt my heart beat with life again. It seemed to have ceased beating after Steve showed me those documents with Kent’s signature on them.
“Are you serious?” I asked, a tear leaking from my eye.
“Yes, I am,” she replied in a quieter tone than before. “Get out of your pity party you’ve been hosting all weekend—”
“I haven’t been hosting a pity party, man!”
“Yes, you have! Get out of your pity party, get dressed, and make it down here to support your man.”
I chewed the corner of my lip thoughtfully. The part about Kent being my man, I wasn’t sure he felt the same way. My prayer was he would accept me coming back to him after the way I’d treated him, jumping to conclusions and not giving him a chance to explain.
“And Madi?”
“Yeah?”
“I was wrong. The man isn’t going to play you.”
“How do you know that, Nic? You were so convinced he would before.”
“He loves you.”
CHAPTER 30 – KENT
“When are you ever going to settle down, Kent Black?” Emma asked with a wide grin on her face.
My heart dropped as I thought about Madison.
“I thought I had.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Needing some breathing room to deal with my crushing guilt, I’d stepped outside of my family’s private huddle room. Emma had stayed right by my side throughout it all.
“Thought I’d found a girl. The one that understood me and stood by my side and believed in me when everyone else thought I was foolish. She even took a chance on me at the risk of angering her family.”
“Wow. Would that happen to be the girl you were fascinated with the night of your mom’s birthday celebration? The ballerina?”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
Nodding my head, I replied, “Yes, that would be her.”
“I could see it in your eyes, you know?”
“See what, Em?”
“How crazy you were about her. She was different than the others you’ve dated. I mean, you and me, we’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve seen you with women in the past, and it was always a sex thing, but your entire face lit up when you saw her on that stage. And while you tried not to be rude, you couldn’t help but want to hurry up and be in her presence.”
“You saw all that, huh?” I asked with a cheesy grin.
“Yes, I did,” she replied softly.
“Glad it was you then rather than some girl who might’ve liked me for real,” I said, laughing.
“Me too, or someone would have taken it personally, adding another charm on the heartbreak necklace you’ve crafted,” she said, winking an eye at me.
Emma wasn’t into me like that and never had been. She was in love with Allison, her girlfriend of three years. The one that her family thought was just her best friend.
There was only a handful of people who knew the truth about their relationship.
“So, what did you mean when you said, ‘I thought I’d found a girl,’?”
“Let’s say that Victor Black happened. Dad made some business moves that impacted her, and he withheld the information from me. I knew about the situation she was going through but had no idea what my father had done. When she learned about it, she thought it was all my doing. She won’t even speak to me to let me explain.”
“Give her some time and space, Kent. I know that’s not easy in the face of losing someone, but if she had a few days to calm down, she might b
e more open to hearing from you,” Emma suggested.
“I don’t know. It just seems like the more time passes by, I’m that much closer to losing Madison.”
“Believe it or not, I know how you feel. But you also have to respect Madison’s space. Women...we’re emotional beings. And we don’t always reason when we’re hurting. Sometimes we need time to sort through those emotions before we can even consider a rational idea. But, Kent, it’s your decision to make. I’ll send positive vibes your way,” Emma said.
Dropping my head into my hands, I thought about the reason Madison wasn’t speaking to me. Those thoughts led to my father again.
“I wish I’d handled Dad differently. I mean, what he did was messed up, but I wish I’d remained in control of myself,” I muttered, pulling my hands down my face and clasping them together, resting my elbows on the edge of my knees.
“Hey,” Emma said, pulling my hands away and intertwining them with her own.
She pressed her forehead against mine.
“He’s in great hands. Victor is going to be fine. We’ve already seen improvement since he arrived Friday. And today, he’s responding to stimuli and voices, which is better than yesterday. And as far as what happened between the two of you...well, things like this strengthen the relationship. You two have nowhere to go but up from here,” Emma advised.
I smiled, “Thanks, Em.”
She stood, “Look, I’ll be back soon. I’ve got to make my rounds, and then I’ll head right back down here with you guys.”
I stood and hugged her tight, thankful for her support and companionship.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye.
Releasing Emma from my embrace, I turned and saw Madison back up at the doorway. She turned around and ran from the lobby.
“Uh-oh. I think Madison might have misinterpreted what she saw,” Emma said, as she watched Madison, too.
“Shit!” I said.
“You’d better go after her,” Emma advised, pushing my lower back.
“All right. Thanks again, Em, and I’ll talk to you later,” I said, rushing away from her.
“Hey, wait up!” I called after Madison.
She stood outside the elevator doors waiting for them to open.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Madison said, shaking her head.
“You didn’t interrupt anything, Mads. Thanks for coming.”
“Look, I wanted to make sure everything was okay with your dad.”
I inhaled deeply as the doors opened.
“Wait,” I said to Madison, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the doors.
The warmth of her hand in mine felt reassuring and made me realize how much I missed her. My dick was growing hard as I inhaled her citrus scent and touched her soft skin. But the look of her curvy hips and ass in those jeans was too much.
I wanted to pull her little ass into one of those rooms and fuck the shit out of her. Hell, she needed a spanking for not giving me the benefit of the doubt throughout all this shit. Just the thought of my hand on that tight little ass, caused my dick to grow harder.
First, I needed to convince her to give us another chance.
“What?” she asked.
“What you saw wasn’t what you thought it was, Mads.”
Shaking her head, she replied, “You have no idea what I thought it was.”
“You saw me holding another woman, kiss her on the forehead. If I’d seen you doing that shit with another man, I'd lose my fucking mind. Yeah, I’m jealous like that for you, Mads.”
Her narrowed eyes, the tilt of her head, and arms crossed over her chest let me know she was upset still.
“Em, and I aren’t like that. I don’t have a thing for Emma or with her.”
“Didn’t look like that just then. But what would I know, I guess it was easy to replace me. Moving on for you wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined it might be if anything ever happened to us,” Madison spat sarcastically.
“Mads, stop that shit!” I growled. “Em is a friend. She’s—”
“Like me, and you were just friends. She’s the same woman you were at the ballet with the night of your mom’s birthday celebration. The same one you claimed was just a friend then? How convenient that you’d find your way back to her when I was gone. I should’ve known better. I don’t know what I expected when I came down here,” she said.
Desperation filled my heart.
“Look! Emma has a girlfriend!” I said.
“Oh,” she said, looking surprised.
Nodding my head, I said, “She hasn’t shared it with her super-conservative ass family. I’ve known it since we were teens, but we’re nothing more than good friends. That’s all. She’s a doctor here at the hospital, and she’s good friends with my family. Emma was here to show support, encouraging me about losing you, and that’s it. So, whatever crazy-ass ideas you’ve got in your head, get them out!”
Madison’s eyes lowered, and she had the nerve to look properly chastised.
“Come here,” I said, pulling her behind me. It took several seconds, but I found a supply closet that I pulled her inside.
“I know this shit with the community center sucked. I get that, Mads, I do. But there was nothing I could’ve done about all this. The information that the center I was purchasing belonged to the community you volunteered in was news to me. You were the first person who broke that news to me. When you shut me out, I went straight to my dad and confronted him about that bullshit. Naturally, he defended his decision and said some things that pissed me the fuck off.”
“Things like what?” she asked, her wide brown eyes staring up at me.
“Don’t worry about all of that. My point is, we had some words, and my father had a stroke after I left. And I feel like this shit is all my fault. Like if I’d checked him a bit calmer, things would’ve been different. But they escalated to an ugly point, making him disown me.”
“What?”
“Yeah. It got pretty ugly. But I’m dealing with more than that, Mads. I don’t understand how you doubted me. I’ve never lied to you about anything before and the fact you didn’t believe me hurt like hell.”
“You’re right. Nic called me and shared what happened.”
My shoulders slumped. “So, then, you know I never meant you any harm.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, KB. I failed you.”
I stared at her for a moment. “Are you? Sorry, I mean?”
“I am, babe. I love you, and I was so wrong not to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“You were always the one person who believed in me the most, the one who always had my back. What am I supposed to do with that, Mads?”
“Forgive me. I’m not perfect, KB. I never pretended to be. I’m sorry I failed you when you needed me most,” Madison apologized.
“You’re here now, Mads. That’s all that matters,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
She rested her head against my chest, and I smoothed my hand down her hair.
“Turn around,” I said, releasing her.
“Huh?”
“Turn around,” I said, reaching over to lock the door of the supply closet.
“KB, what’re you?”
I was already unbuttoning her jeans.
“Not in here!” she hissed.
“Yes, in here. You’ve been a bad girl, and you know what happens to bad girls,” I said in a husky voice before I closed my lips over hers.
Damn, how I missed the softness of her lips, the warmth of her mouth, and the way she passionately kissed me back.
Breaking the kiss, I knew we were on borrowed time. Turning Madison around, I pushed her jeans down around her hips. I grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and handed it to her.
“What’s this for?” she asked, accepting it.
“I need you to bend over, hold on to this supply cart, and press your mouth against that,” I ordered.
&
nbsp; She did as I asked without hesitation.
My hand smoothed over her ass, gripping it at the perfect curve so that my fingers cupped her pussy. I slid my hand upwards, and my fingers slipped across her slickness.
I suckled my fingers into my mouth, loving the way she tasted. Then I lifted my hand again and smacked her ass seven times in rapid succession. The towel muffled Madison’s cries.
In no time at all, I’d pulled my dick from my pants and slipped inside of her warmth.
Damn, I swear this woman made everything right in my upside-down world. Everything ceased to be as critical when I was with her.
Just as I was about to cum, I heard the doorknob jiggle.
“KB!” Madison whispered. Her voice was a cross between a strangled surprise and grunt of satisfaction, and I knew she was climaxing, too.
I pulled out of her and grabbed the towel from her, cleaning us both.
“This door shouldn’t be locked. Who locked it?” I could hear some lady calling out from the other side.
“I don’t know,” came a man’s voice, “but I’ve got the keys, watch out.”
“Shit!” Madison whispered as she struggled with her pants.
I laughed as I pulled mine up, fighting with my button.
“There, got it!” the man called victoriously, as the door was shoved open.
A nurse and a male custodian stood on the other side.
“What the—” The nurse’s jaw dropped as the custodian stood behind her, a slick smile crossing his lips.
The man nodded his head in approval as Madison slicked her hair down and slipped past them.
I moved past them, too. “Uh...we’re done in here. It’s all yours,” I said, glancing back at the soiled towel I’d left on the floor.
CHAPTER 31 – KENT
“Shit! Dude, I can’t keep fooling with you, KB!” she hissed after the elevator doors closed.
I laughed hard, pushing the button for the main floor.
“That’s not funny,” she said, slapping the back of her hand against my chest. “What’s with this fucking fetish you have?”
“What fetish?” I asked, sobering, and smiling at her.
“The one you’ve got where you seem to think it’s okay to screw in public? You’re always getting us caught!”
Smooth: The Sons of Victor Black: A BWWM Romance Page 19