Love, Your Concierge

by Jessica Ingro

  “She killed him. She killed my child.” A sob came from deep in his chest. “That bitch killed my flesh and blood. She was almost three months pregnant when she did it. I heard his tiny little heart beating during her ultrasound. He had little arms for God’s sake. And then she took it all away so she could marry my brother and have the man she should have had in the first place. That’s what she told me. That Trent finally realized she was the one for him, but he didn’t want my child to come between them.”

  He looked up at me with tears swimming in his eyes.

  “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered and ran my fingers through his dark hair.

  “So am I,” he whispered in return.

  “You are so much more than these people. You are so much better than them. You’re loving and caring and sweet. Don’t let them get you down. Please, baby. You are the strongest and most loving man I know. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you.”

  “Am I? Sometimes I wonder if I’m no better than them. They raised me, Elizabeth. Their blood runs through my veins. I’ve been known to destroy people when they get in my way, just like they do.”

  “You don’t do it for sport.” I argued. “And you said so yourself, your grandfather taught you to be the man that you are today. You have his blood in your veins too.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered and rested his forehead on my stomach again. My fingers began their journey through his hair again. My nails scored his scalp in an effort to relax him.

  “You know,” he looked up at me with so much love shining in his eyes that I had to suck in my breath. "When I was a young boy listening to stories from my grandfather about my grandmother, I dreamed of a woman who would make me feel loved. Who would make me feel complete. I dreamed of you, Elizabeth."

  “Oh, Grant,” I breathed and it was my turn to have tears in my eyes. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. With the sadness and vulnerabilities that these monsters created in him, he needed to know exactly how I felt. “I love you so much, baby.”

  “You do?” My heart broke at how surprised he was by my declaration.

  I nodded and smiled. “How could I not?”

  He smiled back at me, and it made my heart flutter. I could feel his fingertips running up my outer thighs and brushing the top of my silk stockings.

  “Grant,” I moaned when his fingers swept under the elastic of my panties in a teasing whisper of a touch.

  “Spread your legs,” he commanded, and my body obeyed without question.

  His fingers probed me and made me wet instantly. My head fell back, and my breathing sped up to match the rhythm of my heart. He inserted his finger inside me, and my muscles clenched. His thumb put pressure on my sweet spot, making my hips instinctively push towards him.

  I heard his other hand fumbling with his belt, but what that meant didn’t register until he pushed my black and white flowered dress up my legs and pulled my body down so I was straddling him. He pulled my underwear to the side, exposing my opening to him.

  “Someone could walk in,” I said with a moan when the head of his cock teased my clit.

  “I don’t care. I need you desperately right now.” He lowered me down over him and groaned low and long as I seated myself on him.

  I rocked on him slowly, trying not to make too much noise. He looked up at me as I looked down on him, our eyes never leaving each other. It was the most intimate experience I had had with him so far.

  His thumb went to our connection and began circling and rubbing me in just the right spot. Our breathing became louder and more labored as I rode him harder and faster.

  “Say it,” he demanded and I tried to focus on his words, but I was close to the precipice and couldn’t make sense of them.

  “Say you love me,” he clarified and my pussy clenched him tightly at his words.

  “I love you,” I whispered brokenly when my orgasm washed over me. Grant took over the motions and moved me up and down his length until he planted himself deep inside me, and I felt him coming.

  When reality came crashing back on me, I felt self-conscious about the fact we just had sex in what appeared to be his childhood bedroom while anyone could have caught us.

  Grant held me closer to him when I tried to get up.

  “Move in with me,” he whispered against my mouth after giving me a hot and sweet kiss.

  “It’s too soon,” I replied, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but not ready to take that step either. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t know how to do this relationship thing. I was trying my hardest to make this work and not lose myself.

  “But I love you,” he whispered again. My heart soared when he uttered those words. They made me feel warm and cozy inside. I guess I needed to hear them almost as much as he did.

  “I love you too, but I’m not ready. Soon. I promise.”

  “Fine. I’m going to keep asking though. One day I’ll wear you down,” he said playfully.

  “I hope you do.”

  A noise in the hall had us breaking apart. He pulled out of me, and I was thankful to see that he was smart enough to put a condom on while I was going out of my mind with his fingers fucking me. After our last faux pas, I really needed to try to be more aware of that stuff.

  “What do you say we go home?” He asked, pulling me towards the door.

  “I can handle it if we stay,” I offered even though I really didn’t want to spend any more time here.

  “No. I want to leave. The night is still young and I’ve only just begun to show you how much it means to me that you love me.”

  My body trembled in anticipation. “Yes, please.”

  He laughed and pulled me down the hall. We said a short goodbye and then left, neither of us looking back nor caring. And when we got home, Grant showed me his appreciation in more ways than I ever imagined.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Punishment Never Felt So Good

  I looked at the calendar on my phone and sighed. It was April, and spring was upon us. You could hear birds chirping in the trees scattered around the city. The days were a little warmer. And Grant and I were wildly in love. We had been together since the beginning of February, and I couldn’t believe how well it was going.

  True to his word, Grant had asked me at least once a week for the past month to move in with him. I was wavering in my response. He didn’t know it, but one of these days when he asked, yes was going to come out instead of no. We pretty much spent all of our free time together anyway. If he wasn’t staying at my place, I was at his.

  Maya was still seeing her ‘Mr. Right.’ Luckily, with her being busy with her guy, I didn’t need to feel too guilty about being wrapped up so tightly with Grant. I had yet to find out who her mystery guy was. I had a feeling I was wearing her down on telling me though. Even I knew I could be annoying when I incessantly harassed her to find out who he was.

  I set my phone down on the countertop at my client’s house and pinched the bridge of my nose.

  Tonight I was scheduled to have dinner with Matt at our old haunt – a great Mexican place on the West side of Manhattan. Matt first brought me there about a year into our friendship when I was craving enchiladas. We visited it frequently after that. I loved when you discovered hidden gems buried in the city.

  I had yet to tell Grant about my plans. Even though he didn’t know about my history with Matt, I felt it best not to give him any details if possible. Besides, my friendship with Matt was tentative at the moment. It was the first time I would be seeing him since he left. We had talked a time or two, but other than that, our interactions were at a minimum with text messages.

  I fired off a text to Grant letting him know that I wasn’t going to be around until later that night due to having dinner with a friend. A little while later he replied and asked me where I was going and with whom. Like an idiot, I replied with the place, and that it was just an old friend. My phone immediately rang.

  “An old friend?” He asked with a deceptively calm voi
ce. If he stopped what he was doing to call me, I knew it meant more to him than he was letting on.

  “Yes. He’s in town from Chicago and I told him I’d meet up for dinner.” I paced back and forth, still pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

  “What kind of old friend are we talking about here? The kind that braids your hair or the kind that pulls your hair when he’s inside you?”

  I made a sound of disgust. “That’s crude, Grant. I’m not going to dignify it with a response. And not that it matters, but I’ve known him since college. He moved to Chicago last year and I’m looking forward to seeing him again and catching up.”

  “Fine. I’m sorry.” He paused and then continued, “I don’t like the idea of another man sitting across from you and getting to share your time. Friend or not, most men want in your pants, Elizabeth. I should know, I’m one of them.”

  “Grant,” I sighed. “Even if he wants in my pants, you are the only one I allow in them. I trust you. When you went to dinner with that Russian model you are representing, I didn’t give you a hard time. Now it’s your turn to trust me.”

  His laughter filtered through the phone and made me smile. I couldn’t help it. I always did when he laughed. “You’re right. Although, you did meet me at the door wearing nothing but a pair of exceptionally high-heeled shoes. I think your point was made just the same.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled, knowing he had me there.

  “I expect you to come to me tonight when you’re done with him. And while you’re sitting at dinner, I want you to try and imagine the things I’m going to do to you tonight. I promise I won’t stop until you’ve come so many times, you won’t be able to think about anything but me for days.”

  That got a quiver in my nether regions that had me squeezing my thighs together.

  “You’re on, G.Q.” That was my new nickname for him, ever since he walked out of his bedroom wearing a gorgeous new suit that was made to be worn by a man as handsome and masculine as Grant. He looked like he had just stepped off a runway, and my fingers had itched to rip it off him and show him how turned on the sight of him in it had made me.

  “Love you,” he said softly into the phone.

  “Love you too, baby. I’ll see you later,” I replied before hanging up the phone with a cheesy grin on my face.

  That man was too good to be true.

  I headed out of my client’s house and flagged a cab to take me to dinner. I fidgeted the whole way there. For as much as I was looking forward to seeing Matt tonight, my body hummed wanting to be home with Grant.

  I walked into the restaurant and found Matt sitting at a booth in the back corner. He looked as good as ever with his tousled brown hair and green eyes. He gave me a gorgeous smile and stood to give me a big, bear hug.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispered into my hair.

  “I’ve missed you too,” I replied and smiled back at him.

  We settled into the booth and ordered our food – enchiladas for me and chimichangas for him. We never needed time to decide what to get since we always got the same things and shared with each other.

  “How long are you here for?” I asked while sipping my Rum and Diet Coke.

  “Just for a few more days. What’s new with you? I know we haven’t really talked too much since I left.” He looked a little sheepish at that assessment. As he should seeing as how it was his doing, not mine. I wasn’t about to hold a grudge though, since he did tell me he was in love with me, and I didn’t reciprocate the feelings.

  “Not too much. I’ve been focusing on work a lot lately and taking on new clients. My mom is doing better too. Maya told you about her heart attack right?” I didn’t tell him how deeply it cut when he didn’t call me after her heart attack. Hurt feelings aside, a friend should have called to make sure I was doing okay.

  “She did,” he reached out and covered my hand with his. “I’m really sorry, honey. I was in such a bad place last year and I was being selfish when I didn’t contact you. Please know that I’ll never act that way again. I’ll take you in my life however I can get you.”

  “Thank you. I want to be friends with you again. I hated the gap between us. And I’m sorry too for leading you on. I didn’t realize how you felt about me. I–”

  “Elizabeth, love.” Grant’s booming voice made me stop mid-sentence.

  Matt’s hand left mine just as Grant stopped at our table and leaned down and kissed my opened mouth, taking the opportunity to slide his tongue inside in a clear claiming gesture.

  Across the table, Matt choked on his beer. I turned my head to see his red face and his eyes pinning a glare on Grant.

  “Grant, what are you doing here?”

  “My night ended earlier than I expected and I didn’t want to wait until you got home tonight to see you, so I thought I’d surprise you and meet your friend.” He emphasized the word friend, and I had to fight the urge to hide under the table.

  “Home?” Matt asked in a strangled voice. “You two live together?”

  “No!” I exclaimed at the same time Grant said, “Not yet.”

  He scooted into the booth, forcing me to move over. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you? By the way, I’m Grant Morgan. And you are?”

  “Matt Evans.” They shook hands, and Grant flagged down the waitress and ordered a beer and steak fajitas.

  “So, Matt. How do you know Elizabeth?” Grant asked as he settled in with his drink. He draped an arm along the back of the booth and angled his body towards mine.

  “We met at NYU, what was it? Our senior year?” I nodded my head in agreement, afraid of where this might go.

  “And you’ve been friends ever since?” Grant continued his line of questioning.

  “Yeah. Really good friends,” Matt hinted not so subtly and gave me a knowing and lascivious smile.

  I saw Grant’s hand resting on the table tighten into a fist. “Oh really?” He turned towards me and quirked his eyebrow.

  I was effectively backed into a corner by these two posturing males. If I admitted to having fun with Matt, Grant would be more pissed than he already was at the fact that I lied. And if I said it was nothing, I’d be verbally slapping Matt in the face.

  Instead of answering, I took a deep sip of my drink and exclaimed, “Oh look! Our food!”

  As soon as the waitress served our meals, I quickly dug in and began eating. If my mouth was full, I wouldn’t be able to answer any damning questions.

  “Hey, E. I was thinking that we could go dancing down at the White Rabbit like old times,” Matt eventually broke the uncomfortable silence. “What do you say?”

  “She has to get home,” Grant answered for me. I had a feeling he remembered the fact that Matt was the one I was dancing with that night. Oops. This night was definitely not going as planned.

  “She can answer for herself,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. I did not care to be spoken for. “I’d love to go out Matt.”

  “Are you serious?” Grant asked with a low and dark voice.

  “I’ll just leave you two for a moment. I’m going to the restroom,” Matt announced before leaving us to sort out our disagreement.

  “I can’t believe you,” I hissed and crossed my arms.

  “Me? You’ve slept with him, Elizabeth. You failed to mention that earlier. You also forgot to tell me he was the man you were letting feel you up in the club that night we saw each other. I wonder why that is.”

  “If you hadn’t been so rude and crashed my dinner, it wouldn’t have mattered. Matt and I are just friends.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes!” I practically shouted in his face. “He wanted more and I turned him down.”

  The air shifted out of the space and Grant’s eyes burned into mine. Uh oh. That was definitely the wrong thing to say. I leaned back away from him and mentally crossed my fingers that I would get out of this unscathed.

  “When was this?” When I didn’t answer, he pressed on. �
�When?”

  “Last year. Not long before our first time,” I reluctantly admitted.

  “I see. Well, you clearly know what you’re doing.” He reached into his pants and pulled out his wallet. He threw a couple bills on the table and stood. “I expect you back at my house by eleven o’clock.”

  I was confused by his about face. It wasn’t like Grant to just give up when he wanted something. A pang pierced my chest thinking maybe he was giving up on me because of this.

  He started to walk away, but turned back to me and cleared up my confusion when he said, “Don’t make your punishment worse by being late.”

  And with that he was gone. I was both filled with trepidation about what he meant by punishment and turned on by the prospect of what he meant by punishment.

  I squirmed in my seat while I waited for Matt to return. My imagination was running wild with the different wonderful possibilities. It was going to be a long night.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  I tiptoed into the dark house and prayed that Grant fell asleep. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning, and I was late. It wasn’t my fault though. Tina and the girls were at the club tonight, and we were having so much fun that we all lost track of time. Not a single soul reminded me that it was time to leave.

  Grant’s imposed curfew was dumb anyway.

  I walked into the master bedroom and into the walk-in closet. I stripped out of my dress and shoes before quietly walking into the bedroom, so I could go to the bathroom and wash my face.

  As soon as my foot stepped into the room, the light turned on, and I screeched.

  Grant was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. His suit coat and tie were no longer on and his white shirt had the top few buttons undone. His leg was crossed over his knee in a masculine pose and there was a drink of Scotch on the table next to him.

  “I warned you, Elizabeth.” His tone was ominous and a thrill of fear went down my spine.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” I tried to sound contrite in hopes that he would loosen up.

  “Strip. Now.” His tenor left no room for arguing.