by Twyla Turner
“Where are you going?” Lexi asked, sleepily.
“I’m gonna go sleep on the couch,” Sloan said softly.
“Why?” Lexi asked, raising herself up on her elbow.
“I don’t want to chance it,” Sloan admitted as he ran a hand through is hair. “We haven’t slept next to each other since… Well, you know.”
“Yeah.” Lexi reluctantly agreed, already chilled without his arms around her.
She watched as he walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of sweats. He pulled them on and walked over to the couch. He sat down and looked over at her, before laying down.
“Goodnight, Alexis,” Sloan said deeply.
“Goodnight, Sloan,” Lexi said softly.
Lexi woke at some point, in the middle of the night. She felt something warm and fuzzy, against her back. She rolled over to find that Tank had gotten in the bed with her. She scratched at the fur behind his ears, and his heavy tail beat happily against the bed.
Feeling dehydrated from the loss of vital fluids during their sexcapades earlier, Lexi got out of bed to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. She realized that didn’t have anything to wear, other than her evening gown, and she wasn’t a big fan of strutting around naked. So Lexi stopped at Sloan’s drawers on the way to the fridge, to grab one of his t-shirts. She quietly opened a few drawers, until she found the right one. She pulled out a plain white tee and heard the crinkle of paper. She pulled the t-shirt over her naked body and looked curiously into the drawer. In the darkness, she could barely make out a folded piece of paper inside. Not one for being overly nosy, she uncharacteristically pulled the paper out of the drawer.
Lexi held the paper up to the light, coming in through the window from a streetlight. On the front of the folded paper was Sloan’s name, in his own handwriting. Frowning curiously, she unfolded the paper and sat quietly at the kitchen table. She started to read it, and before long, tears came to her eyes and streamed down her face.
“It was an exercise that Dr. Mills suggested I do.” Sloan’s voice reached her from the couch, and Lexi jumped guiltily.
“Sorry, Sloan. I didn’t mean to snoop. But I was curious when I saw a note addressed to you, in your handwriting.” Lexi apologized, wiping her wet face with the back of her hand.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind you reading it. I have nothing to hide from you.” He said, sweetly.
Lexi stood up and the water forgotten, she walked over to the couch and climbed on, straddling his hips. She looked down at him for a moment, her eyes bright with tears in the light from the window. Sloan reached up to wipe away a few tears that had escaped and ran down her face.
“It’s a beautiful letter.” Lexi sniffled. “Is that what you want?”
“Very much,” Sloan said, his voice deep and heartfelt.
“I love you, so much.” Lexi blurted out, completely breaking down. The reality of having him back, finally hitting her.
“I love you, too,” Sloan said gruffly, sitting up to wrap her in his arms. He too was overcome with emotions.
Lexi clutched his face and kissed him roughly. Sloan grabbed the bottom of her borrowed t-shirt and pulled it up over her head. She raised her hips up over his lap, as he quickly pulled down his sweats, releasing his aching erection. Lexi urgently positioned him at her entrance, and she slid down his length. Sloan groaned at the feel of her around him and Lexi gasped, still tender from their earlier lovemaking.
Lexi rolled her hips into him and Sloan clutched at her bottom, guiding her over him. Her fingers tangled in his soft dark hair, holding him tightly, as their tongues danced. They were both desperate to get closer, but neither getting close enough.
The continued to rock into each other, their climaxes built slowly. And as their orgasms peaked and washed over them, they pulled each other tighter. They cried out each other’s names and Sloan collapsed back, with Lexi sprawled over him. Neither able to move, they fell asleep in the same position. Both forgot about sleeping apart.
Chapter 11
Perfect
Sloan smiled to himself, thinking about their morning, as he watched Lexi pull on a pair of his sweats and one of his t-shirts. He had woken up with morning wood, in the best possible scenario for a man. Since they had fallen into a dead sleep after their last lovemaking session, he was still inside of her, as the blood rushed to his manhood. The sudden fullness deep within her walls, pleasantly woke Lexi up. So taking advantage of the perfect situation, they brought each other to another toe-curling orgasm, well on their way to making up for lost time.
Lexi looked over at Sloan, and she returned his faraway smile. She was pretty sure she knew what he was grinning about. It had been a lovely morning so far, other than, when she went into his small bathroom and had seen her makeup smeared face and wild hair. She had removed some of the smudges on her face, in the bathroom at the mansion the night before, but what was left of it, had her looking like someone out of a scary movie. Her previously straightened hair had been sweated out during their sexual Olympics. So the ends were still relatively straight with limp curls and closer to the roots, her hair had started to go back to its natural state. Apparently the clock had struck midnight, and she had turned back into a pumpkin.
“You know, you could’ve told me, that I was starting to look like a ragamuffin.” Lexi scowled at Sloan.
“What are you talking about? You look beautiful.” Sloan said, sincerely.
“Well then, I think it’s time for you to get your eyes checked because I look a hot mess.” Lexi shook her head.
“You woke up looking thoroughly fucked…for lack of a better word. That means I did my job. So you look pretty damn beautiful to me.” Sloan explained honestly, sending heat straight to Lexi’s face, as she looked away bashfully.
“Oh,” Lexi said softly and busied herself with gathering up her dress, shoes, and clutch purse.
Sloan watched her, as a smile played at his lips. Her short legs practically drowned in his sweatpants, and his t-shirt reached her knees. The look endeared her even more to him.
“By the way, you look adorable in my clothes.” Sloan chuckled, as she flushed even more in embarrassment.
“Ha! Yeah right.” Lexi looked at him, doubtfully.
“One of these days, you’ll actually start believing me,” Sloan smirked at her, as he opened the door for her and Tank to walk out into the hallway. “Come on, princess. Let me get you home.”
Just as they were stepping out, so was Sloan’s neighbor from across the hall. Some young twenty-something guy that Sloan had only said ‘Hi’ to in passing. He looked up at them, and Sloan nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“Morning, Sloan. Lexi.” The guy said, brightly.
“Morning,” Both Sloan and Lexi said, at the exact same time.
“How does he know my name?” Lexi whispered softly, but not quietly enough, because the guy turned and answered to her mortification.
“I didn’t know his name either. But after last night, I feel as if I know you both very well. Bravo, by the way.” The guy winked at them, and then started down the stairs like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Lexi looked up at Sloan in shock.
“Oh my God! He totally heard us last night! How embarrassing!” Lexi cried, covering her face in humiliation.
Sloan burst out laughing, his chest puffed out with pride.
“Hey, I like that guy,” Sloan said, past his laughter.
Lexi just shook her head, as she followed him and Tank down the stairs.
“Men.”
~~~
Sloan pulled up to her cottage, a little while later. It had been months since he’d been in the house. The house that he helped rebuild. The house he loved and had called home. He had truly missed it. They slid out of the truck and made their way up the front porch steps. Tank ran up ahead and sat in front of the door. Apparently, he had missed the house, too.
The meaning of the moment wasn’t lost on Lexi. Her heart fe
lt full, it felt like it would burst she was so happy to have them back. She opened the door and shut off the alarm, and Sloan and Tank followed her in.
“It feels like I’m home,” Sloan confessed, looking around the house with pride.
“You are. That is if you want to be?” Lexi said, still unsure of herself, of them.
“I know I messed up, Alexis. But I promise you, I’m here for the long haul.” Sloan said, coming up to her and rubbing his hands up and down her arms, trying to reassure her. “And if something difficult comes up. And it will because that’s life. I will fight ‘til I’m dead in the grave to keep what we have, and maybe even after that. I’ll be one pain in the ass ghost.” Sloan grinned slyly, wrapping her up in a hug. “If you so much as try to bring a man into this house, I’ll throw stuff across the room so fast.” Sloan joked.
“I’ll move,” Lexi said, holding back her laughter.
“Bullshit! You love this house.” Sloan said, indignant.
“Yeah, I know. Just messing with you.” Lexi pulled out of his arms. “You hungry?”
“Maybe a little. You did kind of wear me out.” Sloan said, rubbing his flat tummy.
“Pssh, please! I wore you out?! I’m surprised I can even walk.” Lexi argued as she walked to the kitchen, as Sloan followed closely behind.
“Well, how about this? You go up and take a nice hot bath. And I’ll fix us some breakfast. How does that sound?” Sloan offered, sweetly.
“Perfect! I’ve always loved your cooking.” Lexi sighed, gratefully.
Sloan leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled back a few inches, and Lexi reached up to brush his hair back and tuck it behind his ear. It had always been her favorite thing to do. And they both smiled, at the affectionate gesture.
Lexi turned and sashayed out of the kitchen, and up the stairs. Sloan shook his head, to clear it of the fog of arousal he had, just from looking at her luscious round ass in his sweats. He opened the fridge, to get down to the business of cooking. He was searching through the shelves, to find goodies to put in a couple of omelets, when his phone started ringing in his back pocket.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. He didn’t recognize the number, but he did recognize the area code. Shit! Hilton Head. He knew it was someone from back home, in South Carolina. He hesitated for only a few seconds longer, and against his better judgment, he pressed the green button.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Sloan?” A familiar voice answered back.
“Annie?” Sloan said in surprise, recognizing his old nanny’s voice. The one person in Carolina that he adored.
“Oh, thank God! Sloan baby, how are you?” She said, brightly. Though Sloan knew better, he could hear the wobble in her voice.
“I’m good Annie. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fair to middling.” She said, hesitantly.
“Annie…I know I’ve haven’t seen you in about two years, and several more before that. But I know your voice, and I know when you’re upset. So what’s going on?” Sloan said firmly.
“Oh, sweetie…it’s your mama. She’s sick. She’s been sick for a while, but she just took a turn for the worse.” Annie finally admitted.
Though Sloan wasn’t close to either of his parents, he still reluctantly cared about them. And he had always been a tiny bit closer to his mother than his father. So his stomach dropped a little, at the news.
“What’s wrong with her?” Sloan asked, gruffly.
“It’s the cancer, honey. Breast cancer.” She informed him, and he could tell that she was crying.
Sloan swallowed hard before speaking. “Why didn’t my father call to tell me? How did you get my number, Annie?”
“Well, your daddy is still being stubborn. But I heard him talking to Miss Victoria’s daddy, Mr. Sinclair. I guess Miss Victoria called her daddy and told him that she had found you. Then she passed on your number to her daddy, to give to yours. She wanted Mr. Stryker to call and talk some sense into you, about dating a black girl. But your daddy refused to call you, so I snuck and got your number off his phone. I figured you deserved to know.” Annie finally finished.
“I swear that is one meddlin’ female,” Sloan said in frustration, his accent thickening, as he talked to his old nanny. “But, in this case, I’m glad she did it. I’ll be there in a few hours, Annie.”
“Oh thank you, Jesus!” Annie exclaimed, relieved. “Are you gonna bring your new lady friend? I sure would like to meet her.”
“I’ll have to talk to her first, but maybe. Thanks for calling, Annie. I’ll see you soon.” Sloan said, sincerely.
“No problem, sugar. It’s the least I could do. See you soon.” Annie said, before ending the call.
Sloan tried to take a deep calming breath, but his heart still pounded painfully. No matter how mad he was at his parents. No matter how much they didn’t get along, they were still his parents, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. Distance was one thing. Death was a whole other.
Sloan quickly made his way upstairs, and he gently knocked on Lexi’s bathroom door.
“Come in,” Lexi said, and he immediately walked in. “Did you give up on breakfast, and come to join me?” Lexi smiled sweetly from the bathtub until she noticed the distress on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got a call from my parents’ housekeeper, my old nanny I told you about,” Sloan said, as he walked to the tub and sat down on the stool next to it. “It’s my mom. She’s sick with breast cancer, and apparently has taken a turn for the worst.”
“Oh my God! Sloan, I’m so sorry! Are you gonna go to South Carolina to see her?” Lexi asked, sympathy written all over her face, as she reached for his hand.
“Yeah, I think I should.” Sloan squeezed her hand tightly. “W-Will you come with me?” He asked, haltingly.
“Of course I’ll come with you, if that’s what you want?” Lexi said, without hesitation.
“Yes, I do. My parents can be horrible people, and I don’t want you caught up in the crossfire, but I don’t think I could go without you. I need you by my side, and I’m not ready to be away from you again.” Sloan said, honestly.
“I’m there, sweetie. When do we leave?” She asked.
“As soon as you’re done with your bath,” Sloan answered.
“And the show?” Lexi reminded him.
“Shit! I need to call the producer first and make sure it’s okay. Though I hope it is, because I’m going anyway. I’d never forgive myself if she died and I didn’t say goodbye or say my peace, because of work. So I hope they understand.” Sloan said, getting up from the stool and walking into the bedroom, to call his producer.
~~~
After Sloan got the okay from the TV show producer, and Lexi had gotten dressed, they headed out on their impromptu road trip. They decided to take Lexi’s little compact SUV, to conserve gas. They stopped to get a couple of bagels for breakfast, tossed one to Tank in the backseat and got on the road to Hilton Head Island. About an hour later, Sloan pulled the car up to the gates of a home that made Lexi’s mouth gape open in shock. The voice of a woman with an adorable southern accent, spoke through the box at the gate, and after Sloan let her know it was him, the tall gate swung open.
Lexi had thought that the homes were big in Aaron’s neighborhood. But this neighborhood topped his, in leaps and bounds. And Sloan’s parents’ house, was the daddy of them all. It was a three-story behemoth that sat on the waterfront. White stucco with a gray tiled roof, and two arching staircases leading up to the front door, with pillars and all.
“You grew up here?!” Lexi said in awe.
“Yep. The loneliest place on the planet.” Sloan said matter-of-factly.
“I suppose so. You could be at one end of the house, and not have to see anyone for a week, if you don’t want to.” Lexi said, trying to take it all in.
“Yeah. With six bedrooms, eight and a half baths, an office, rec room, wine cellar, indoor and outdo
or pool, gymnasium, bar and yacht in the back. There’s plenty to keep someone busy enough to ignore their kid.” Sloan said, resentfully.
Lexi didn’t know how to respond to his tirade. So she just reached for his hand and clasped it tightly in support. He looked over at her, took a deep breath and smiled, encouraged by her small gesture of solidarity.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t even gotten in there yet, and I’m gearing up for battle. Sometimes I feel like, I’d rather face an entire room full of Taliban, than deal with my parents.” Sloan half-joked.
“It’ll be fine. And even if it’s not, at least you’ll have said your peace, and you can walk away knowing that you tried.” Lexi encouraged.
“Thank you.” Sloan leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” He said as he opened the car door.
Sloan walked around to the passenger side door, to help Lexi out and together, they walked up the front steps to the door, hand in hand. Sloan raised his hand to ring the doorbell, but the door flew open before he touched it. And standing there was an adorable plump, light-skinned black woman, with a cap of short-cropped gray curls on her head.
“Sloan, baby!” She exclaimed, with her arms outstretched.
“Annie!” Sloan squatted down and wrapped the woman in a bear hug. He lifted her off of her feet and spun her around a few times.
“Child, put me down before you give this old lady a heart attack!” Annie reprimanded him playfully, swatting at his arm when he set her down.
“Sorry, ma’am. I couldn’t help myself.” Sloan grinned down at her.
“I swear, you’re more handsome than the devil. And just as charming too.” Annie eyed him up and down and patted his face lovingly. “Now, you got the look of love about ya. And I’d have to wager that this one right here, is the reason for it.” Annie said, smiling deviously at Lexi. “Now where’s your manners boy?! Aren’t you gonna introduce me?!”