“Kennedy! Over here!”
I rolled my eyes as I approached him. “You don’t really think you’re incognito, do you?”
“Shhh! Come on before they figure it out.” I laughed as he took my bag and lead me outside to where a car was waiting.
After handing my bag off to the chauffeur, he opened the door for me, letting me climb in first then following. We rode off in silence as I watched the city pass us by through the window.
“So how was your flight out?”
“It was fine. Oh! I need to call Landon and tell him I made it.” Though he wasn’t too enthused about the last minute trip, he still understood it being part of the job.
“That’s his name? Landon… Montgomery, right?” I finally turned his way.
“Yeah. How’d you know that?” I asked as I dialed Landon’s number and pressed call.
“Uh… background checks. We had to know everything about you before we put you on.”
“Right.” I held up my hand to put Bryson on hold just as Landon picked up. “Hey babe… Yeah, I made it safe and sound… Okay, I’ll keep in touch... Yes, I promise, Landon… Okay… Okay, love you too. Bye.”
I could feel Bryson’s eyes all over me as I pressed end, prompting me to ask, “What?”
His face was stern as he said, “Give me your phone.”
“What?” I asked again for new reasons.
“Give me your phone. You won’t need it.”
Okay, this dude is trippin’.
“Bryson, I’m not giving you my phone. That’s ridiculous and you know it.” Between keeping in touch with Landon, emergencies, and social media, there was no way I was handing over my pride and joy.
“Just listen to me, Kennedy. I’ll give it back in the morning. I promise.” I eyed him for a long time, trying to figure out his motive. Maybe he expected his company to be present instead of wrapped up in the virtual world. Or maybe he just… expected a certain level of privacy in situations like this.
That I could respect.
I powered my phone off and handed it over, watching as he put it in the pocket of his sweatpants like it was his own.
“Thatta girl. Now let’s have some fun.”
Bryson
I was out of control.
I always kind of felt like my ducks were in a row no matter how it looked from the outside, but something about Kennedy had me feeling completely reckless. It was like I knew exactly what I was doing, but I had no idea what I was doing at the same time. I mean, I knew I had some control since I was the one who signed her checks. But I knew I didn’t have any control when it came to my attraction to her.
She was a taken woman.
And yet, the inkling of hope I felt with every twinkle in her eye when she was around me kept me intrigued enough to test the limits.
Leslie would probably kill me if she knew what was happening.
I sat on the couch in the living room of our suite, the only common area we’d have to share since our bedrooms were on opposite sides. Kennedy insisted on taking a shower to freshen up after the flight, so I was stuck waiting for her to finish with a hard-on from thinking about her fine ass naked.
Though it was muffled, I could hear her singing her little heart out in the bathroom. The song sounded familiar but I couldn’t figure it out right away, so I got up and took the couple of steps towards her bathroom door. Since the door wasn’t locked, I went inside to get an even better listen. I made myself comfortable against the counter as I vibed to her perfect harmony.
“Now what am I supposed to do when I want you in my world…
But how can I want you for myself when I’m already someone’s girl…”
I looked over near the sink and noticed a pile of lacy undergarments.
Damn, is this for me?
I was holding the panties in the air, already imagining them against her perfect mocha skin as I heard, “Bryson! What are you doing in here?!”
My eyes flashed over to her unfortunately already toweled frame. “My bad. I… heard you singing. What were you singing?”
She snatched off her shower cap as she asked, “You heard me singing? You came in here and picked up my panties because you heard me singing? You can do better than that, Bryson.”
“No. These just distracted me from my original mission. But I really did come in here to figure out what you were singing. So what was it?”
Her eyes casted towards her toes that were painted a bright pink. “Next Lifetime. Erykah Badu.”
“I knew it sounded familiar! That was… that was my mom’s favorite song before she passed away.” I could vividly remember her singing the tune as she cleaned the house every Sunday. It went Kirk Franklin, then Yolanda Adams, and then Erykah Badu like clockwork.
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that, Bryson.” She gave me the same empathetic smile I had gotten use to receiving from just about everyone over the years. I don’t know why people always went to feeling sorry for me like I wasn’t doing well for myself after the fact. I mean, I had made it to the league, was Rookie of the Year, won a championship; I was doing everything my mother ever envisioned for me. If anything, people should’ve been happy to see me accomplish so much.
So I brushed her off the same way I had done everyone else. “No worries, Kennedy. She’s in a better place now.”
“Well can you get out of here so I can get dressed?”
“You saw me naked. Why can’t I see you?” I said, only halfway teasing.
“Bryson… out!”
&
“Bryson!”
“B-Money, over here!”
“Bryson!”
The cameras were flashing left and right as I crossed the red carpet. I smiled for as many as my cheeks allowed before taking a break to answer a couple of questions from the reporters.
“Bryson, are you excited for the movie?”
“Bryson, is the season meeting your expectations?”
“Bryson, who’d you bring tonight?”
I looked over to Kennedy who was off mixing and mingling with some of the other attendees. I was proud as I watched her exchange business cards with a couple of the publicists for other celebrities, but I knew there was no way I was letting her get away already.
She was mine.
I mean… she was my stylist.
Exclusively.
But since she was an up-and-comer and I knew it wasn’t realistic for me to expect to keep her in the position forever, I decided to shine a light on her. “I brought my stylist. Killed two birds with one stone,” I said with a rehearsed laugh. I knew Kennedy couldn’t hear me with all the hoopla surrounding us, but somehow she still turned my way at that exact moment.
“So are you two dating?”
I gave her a onceover, causing her to blush and hating the part truth of my answer. “She’s… engaged. But she’s been dying to see this movie ever since I mentioned the premiere to her, so her fiancé gave her a pass for the night.”
“Aww! What a nice guy! Enjoy the movie, Bryson!”
I gave the reporter a nod before waving Kennedy over to join me. She smiled, offering goodbyes to her newfound friends, then headed my way.
As soon as she crossed the carpet, the cameras began to flash the same way they had for me, but it caught Kennedy completely off-guard, causing her to stumble a little before holding her hand up to block the flashing lights. Instinctively I grabbed her by the hand, dragging her to safety.
I didn’t let her go before I had the chance to ask, “Are you okay?”
She pulled her hand out of my hold as she answered. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
She straightened out her dress that fit like a charm, serving up just enough sexy without being slutty. “Wow. That carpet is nuts!”
I shrugged. “They only go nuts when it’s someone worth going nuts over. I told you that dress was a game-changer.” She looked down like she was second-guessing the choice. “I mean that in a good way, Kennedy. You look… mouthwatering fine. You lo
ok risk-it-all fine. You look rip that dress off and go in fine. You look...”
She cut me off. “I get it, Bryson. But thank you. For rescuing me.”
I closed my fists, putting them to my waist like a superhero. “Captain Save-A-Ho at your service.”
“Excuse me!” Her tone was giving attitude, but there was a hint of a smile to her face as if she actually took the joke.
“I’m playin’, Kenn. You’re not a ho. You’re Mrs. Montgomery,” I said teasingly.
She wasted no time correcting me, “Future Mrs. Montgomery. I’m still Ms. Wilson for now.”
I grabbed her hands again, feeling desperate with need to touch her in some way as I told her, “Well Ms. Wilson is looking scrumptious tonight. And I’m glad she decided to join me.”
Kennedy
I’m not built for this.
I suppose it was partially my fault for assuming that we’d be going straight to the movie premiere and coming right back to the hotel when it was over. But no amount of practice walking around the house to mold this particular pair of heels had prepared me for being in them the whole night. My feet were on fire as I took short, calculated steps behind Bryson to the car that was supposed to be taking us to yet another after party.
I mean, what devil even came up with the concept of an after after party?
I’ll tell you; someone with too much time on their hands.
I must’ve been wearing the pain on my face as the second we got in the car, Bryson felt the need to ask, “Kennedy, you good?”
I kicked off my shoes, straining to reach my feet in my too-tight dress with the limited space of the backseat as I said, “I’m fine.”
“Here. Let me see.” I peeked up and he nodded towards my feet to confirm what he was talking about.
There was no way I could let him rub my feet. But then again, what kind of woman would I be to turn down a foot massage from an obviously strong man?
An engaged one; that’s what kind.
“I’m good, Bryson. I can do it.” In all honesty, it hurt to say that out loud as my feet continued to throb so much I was worried they’d never be able to fit back into my shoes.
“Quit being a hard ass, Kennedy. Let me do it. I went to school for reflexology.”
“You did?”
He laughed as he said, “No. But I’ve had enough treatments after my games to know exactly what to do. Just trust me.”
I thought it over, looking down at my feet that were visibly pulsating.
One little foot massage isn’t gonna hurt anybody.
I swung my legs up to his lap in the backseat, leaning against the door for support. He smiled, looking down at my feet in a way that suddenly made me feel self-conscious about them. He grabbed one, pulling it closer to his torso before he began massaging it, hitting points that I didn’t even know existed until he applied the perfect amount of pressure.
“You have some pretty feet, Kenn. Perfect, really. Not too big. No bunions. Perfectly aligned. Perfectly pedicured…” His voice began to fade in my head as I focused on his hands. My eyes seemed to close on their own as he switched to the other foot. “Does Landon take good care of your feet? I mean does he, you know… use them for their power?” I answered the question in my head instead of out loud knowing Landon wasn’t at all a feet guy. “If you press right here, you can…”
Oh my God.
I slid further down the door as I melted in response to the pressure. It almost felt like the sensation wasn’t coming from my feet at all; like my feet were just the vice used to feel pleasure somewhere else.
“And if I press this, you’ll probably…”
I shuddered, using my last bit of strength and dignity to pull my feet away.
“What the hell, Bryson?! What did you do to my feet?!” I had to look at them up close to make sure they were still normal.
He laughed, licking his lips as he innocently replied, “I didn’t do anything your man shouldn’t already be doing. A real man knows how to work his woman’s feet.”
Since Landon wasn’t here to stand up for himself, it was up to me to stand up for him. “Landon is a real man. How else do you think he got me?”
He scooted closer to me, taking up every centimeter of personal space I had to say, “He didn’t get you. You settled.”
I turned to him, my head against the window to create some space as I defended myself. “What?! That is so not true.”
He got even closer, his face a few mere inches away from mine. He was so close that I held my breath, not even wanting to give him the satisfaction of my release touching his lips.
“Tell yourself anything, Kennedy. But I hear you… even when you don’t think I do.”
&
This was a mistake.
I knew it.
He knew it.
Yet, he didn’t care because while he was the orchestrator of his personal masterpiece, it was my personal disaster.
We didn’t share many words after the incident in the backseat, me doing my thing and him doing his own as we mixed and mingled at the after after party. By the time we got back to the suite, we only had a few hours to take a quick nap before it was time to head to the airport.
I waited in the living room with my luggage as Bryson struggled to pack his own things like he had never done it before. I heard him give up on it more than a few times, threatening to leave it all there in the hotel and just buy new stuff instead of dealing with it.
What a waste.
I dropped my purse on the couch before I went in to help him, immediately seeing the problem.
“Bryson, these clothes are way too expensive for you to just… stuff them in a suitcase. Take them out and fold them up right.”
He brushed me off, still trying to zip it up as he said, “Hell no, I’m not taking them out. I almost got it, Kennedy.”
I watched a shirt I had handpicked get snagged on the zipper and knew my action had to be more urgent. “Bryson! Take. Them. Out.” Apparently all it took was me getting stern with him for him to get the point. He stopped, unzipping the suitcase and dumping all of his clothes and shoes on the bed.
“Now fold them up nicely.”
He huffed and puffed like he didn’t wanna do it, but I gave him the look to let him know I wasn’t playing. Thankfully he went with it.
“This shit takes way too long.”
“Bryson, it takes all of three minutes tops. You’ll survive.” He rolled his eyes and I had to smile at the fact that I had the power this time around.
Once he got all of his clothes and shoes in neatly, he tried to zip it again but it wouldn’t close.
“See, Kenn? Did all that shit for nothin’.”
I walked over to the bed, giving the zipper a tug and quickly discovering it was indeed still jammed. I pulled it backwards before attempting to zip it again with a little more of a head start.
That didn’t work either.
“Here. I’ll push it shut and you zip it.” Considering the clock was ticking on how much time we had left before we absolutely had to board our plane, I really wasn’t in a position to turn down the idea. But when Bryson somehow ended up directly behind me, his arms on each side of my body as he held the suitcase down, I knew it was bad one.
I zipped the suitcase as fast as I could, giving it just enough umph for it to close. And even though the suitcase was shut, Bryson didn’t move away. Instead leaning in to whisper, “Thank you, Kennedy” in my ear.
It took a few short breaths before I could answer, “You’re welcome.”
I expected him to move away but he didn’t, taking advantage of our closeness to nibble on my ear. The moan escaped my lips before I could catch it.
Kennedy!
I immediately snapped out of it, mustering up enough energy to push him away.
“Bryson, this has got to stop.” I tried to get even further away, but he caught me by the wrist, pulling me flush against his perfectly-crafted frame.
“Why, Kennedy? Why does it
have to stop? Give me one good reason why I should push away every urge of attraction I feel for you, every need I feel to touch you, every…”
I cut him off, “I am engaged. Not dating. Not cohabiting. Engaged.”
“Okay. Two good reasons.”
I put my hands against his chest - always a mistake - as I reminded him, “I’m your employee.”
“Three?”
Now I had to push him away. “Bryson! No more. Got it?”
He had the nerve to get an attitude, snatching his suitcase off the bed as he said, “You’re acting like I have control of the shit. If I did, it would be easy. If I did, of course I wouldn’t touch you. That’s flat out…”
“Pathetic. Is that the word you were looking for? Pathetic?”
“No. Pathetic is you settling for someone like Landon when you deserve someone like me.”
He’s gonna get enough of talking about my man...
“Landon is my soul mate. He’s righted my wrong on more times than I can count. And guess what? He even lays the pipe well.” I don’t know why I felt it was necessary to drop the last fact, but sex always seemed like the ultimate one-up when it came to competitions between men.
I was surprised when Bryson smirked as he said, “Well and outstanding are two different things. I’d like to think I’m the latter.”
That stopped me dead in my tracks, forcing me to turn his way. “What fool told you your arrogance was attractive?”
He flashed me that brilliant smile as he answered, “You.”
Before I could reply, there was a knock on the door signaling our car had arrived.
I grabbed my suitcase and Bryson followed me with his own. “We’re not done here, Kennedy.”
I didn’t bother giving him my eyes, instead focusing on the door as I corrected him, “We are.”
“We aren’t.”
I pulled the door open, dragging my suitcase close behind. “Well I am.”
He used his free hand to grab me by my wrist, turning me around in the middle of the hallway and bringing his face right in front of mine to say, “Well I’m not.”
His lips were on mine before I could stop him. And I hated that I didn’t really want to stop him. But this couldn’t happen. Bryson kissing me so deep, his tongue knowing my every move, couldn’t happen. So I pulled back, looking around to make sure no one saw us.
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