Obsessive Temptation: A BWWM Romance Limited Edition Collection

by Peyton Banks

  He gives her a kiss, and I smile when I see how happy she is.

  “Now, you know I would never stand you up.”

  I feel like a third wheel but even more awkward as I call attention to myself.

  “Ahem,” I clear my throat, and they turn my direction.

  “Oh, Charles, I’m sorry. This is my daughter Simone. Monie, this is Charles.”

  I think of how my mother never calls me Monie unless she’s around family or someone real close. He must be the latter. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

  “You too, darling. My, you are just as beautiful as your mother.”

  “Thank you.” I blush. This man is charming.

  “Here, why don’t you ladies take a seat, and I’ll going to go see if my child has arrived.” He pulls out two seats opposing each other for my mother and I to take. “Well, never mind, the eagle has landed.”

  “Dad, sorry I’m late. Work took a lot out of me yesterday.”

  The hairs on my neck stand when I hear that voice. It can’t be, I think to myself. I close my eyes and say a silent prayer. Oh please, please, please, don’t let this be—

  “Nina, Monie, this is my son, Lucas. Son, this is Nina and her daughter, Simone.”

  Prayer unanswered. I stand to be polite and see the smirk he usually has dissipate at the same time our gaze meets.

  “Ms. Nina, it’s a pleasure meeting you,” he says coyly before kissing the back of my mother’s hand.

  He does a great job concealing any emotions towards me, last night, or this shocking revelation. If I hadn’t spent the last two years in an office battle with him, he’d fool me, too. But, the tension in his shoulders and the lack of eye contact tells me otherwise.

  “You, too, Lucas. Your father has spoken well of you,” my mother says once he takes the seat beside me.

  “Monie, aren’t you going to say something to the young man?”

  I look to him, contemplating my answer, only to see a scowl on his face. My intuition screams resentment from him, leaving me to believe this morning left a bad taste in his mouth.

  “No, Mother. I’m not,” I say with vinegar on my lips. “We already know each other. We’re co-workers.” I relax my breaths, trying not to let his demeanor affect me in front of our parents.

  “Oh, what a small coincidence,” Mr. Weathers says with a hearty laugh. “So, you must’ve been up late with work, too,” he says.

  “Well, Dad, I’m sure we don’t want to discuss last night, right, Simone,” Lucas interjects with his elbows rested on the table, still refusing to look at me.

  I inhale deeply and straighten my shoulders. “I agree. Some things shouldn’t be discussed or ever thought about again.”

  * * *

  The waiter arrives, halting whatever snarky remark he’d surely follow up with. “I see your guests have arrived, Mr. Weathers. Can I get you all something to drink?”

  “I’ll have a Manhattan, and my love will have a mimosa.”

  “Very good, sir. And what can I get you two?”

  “I’ll have a scotch with a twist of lime,” Lucas states.

  “I’ll have the same. Make it a double,” I add.

  “Must’ve been some project y’all worked on,” Mom chimes in.

  We say nothing, just give awkward glances at each other.

  “Well, Lucas had a hot date, too, from what he told me. He left her place around eleven this morning. “

  I choke on my water when Mr. Weathers begins to tell our business, not knowing I’m the girl Lucas was with.

  “Oh, my. Well, Monie hasn’t had any romantic interests in a while. I wonder if she’s gonna end up alone.”

  I was waiting on the ‘why is my daughter single’ spiel. From the debutante scene, head cheerleader in both high school and college, and the sorority life, my parents figured I’d have a storybook life. But I never aspired to be the ‘little woman’ or even the equal half of anyone. I’ve always been career driven and goal orientated.

  “Mother let’s not talk about me. This is yours and Mr. Weather’s moment to share. So, what are your plans?”

  They take a loving look at each other and smile before answering.

  “That’s what we wanted to talk to you two about,” Mother begins.

  “When I met Nina on the cruise, I knew she was what I wanted in a friend and a companion.”

  “And I knew Charles was a man I wanted to spend more than seven days with. He’s so chivalrous, and charming, and an excellent dancer.”

  “Don’t forget kisser,” he says pulling my mother’s mouth to his.

  “Dad, really? Right now?” Lucas sounds almost as angry as I feel.

  “Son, what about the young lady you were with. You told me she was…”

  “Dad, I’m not saying anything about the relationship, just the PDA,” he quickly interjects.

  This has me completely interested in what he mentioned to Pops. I look at him, and he casts his glance away from me.

  “Well, we talked and talked some more, and—”

  “Charles asked me to marry him.”

  My mouth drops open, and my eyes flutter a few times. “Ma-ma-marry?” I stutter.

  “Yes, and we want y’all there to serve as our wedding party.”

  We both look at each other with surprise and concern.

  “I was expecting a little more happiness from that side of the table,” my mother not-so-subtly says to Mr. Weathers.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. It took me, and I’m sure, Simone, by surprise, Mrs. Greene.”

  The server returns with our drinks, and I gulp mine and signal for another.

  “Yeah, Mom. I’m totally fine. Just really, really, shocked. So, I assume you two have lots of things to plan and workout, so I’m guessing six months to a year before the ceremony.”

  “No, dear. We are getting married Friday afternoon.”

  Now it’s Lucas’ turn to have a spit-take. I shake my head as I keep my giggles to myself.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t you think it’s a bit sudden?” Lucas asks the question we both want an answer to.

  “No, son, I don’t. I married your mother, God rest her soul, the same day we met. Two young and wild know-it-alls from Connecticut. We had you ten months later and were together until she passed three years ago. But there is no need for me to sit around and wallow in pity. I love Nina. We spent every day on the cruise together, learning about each other. Asking all the questions and sharing stories of our past and our kids. When we docked back in Florida, instead of saying I’ll call you, I asked her to marry me. The thought of not being with her gave me the courage to take a chance.”

  The look they give each other is so tender and sweet. I can’t be mad at their hasty decision. I didn’t even know Lucas had lost his mother. Those memories are still in his gray eyes as I look at him staring at his dad.

  I fumble around with my phone to try to get us away from the table. With this news, we need to talk about putting aside our differences. “Um, excuse me. Lucas, I got a message from Armstrong. Let’s step over here and discuss a response. Would you two excuse us for a moment?”

  We step aside to a hall right off the main floor near to the restrooms.

  “What?” He comes at me, stern and uncaring. Not even in his usual joke-filled manner.

  “Um, I want to say, for the sake of my mom and your dad, I’m not going to interfere with their happiness. It’s clear they’re taken with each other, and who am I to stop them. So, that’s all.”

  “Okay,” he says, flippant as he turns to walk away.

  “Excuse me? ‘Okay?’ That’s all you have to say?”

  “Yeah. What else do I need to say to the princess?”

  I realize this is about our morning and I must smooth it over with him so the tension between us will cool down. “I’m sorry. I apologized to you this morning for pushing you out. But I had to meet with my mom.”

  “Yeah, I know. I wanted things to end differently.”

  I find mysel
f growing frustrated with him. “How did you expect it to end? I mean, we bonded over drinks and a fuckfest before succumbing to sleep. That’s all. Nothing else.”

  He grabs me into his arms, and kisses me with force while backing me into a wall. I want to—need to—fight it, but I can’t. My body awakens with his actions, and I drape my arms around his neck.

  “Please say you’ll stop by tonight?” he whispers in my ear.

  My breath fights to find its way back into my lungs. “I can’t. I have my mom as a guest and now a wedding to plan.”

  He backs away, leaving me horny as fuck, and walks back to the table.

  “Damn,” I quietly say to myself. I run to the ladies’ room and reapply my nude gloss and fix my hair before rejoining them at the table. When I get there, he’s nursing a fresh drink and enjoying the conversation.

  “Oh, there you are, dear. I was wondering if you had to run to the office. Lucas said you seemed a bit distracted,” my mom says.

  “Huh? Oh, yes. Trying to work out a new situation.” I disguise my sexual frustration with a flimsy excuse.

  “Hey, sis, I took the liberty of ordering you another drink,” Lucas slyly comments while passing my drink to me.

  “That’s right, you two will finally have a sibling. Lucas always wanted a sister he could protect, and now he’ll have you.”

  The parentals laugh, but little do they know, Lucas has already had me.

  “Shall we order?” I say, turning the heat off me.

  “Yes, let’s do. I am famished. My plane ride was long due to the layover. Which reminds me, Monie, your aunts, Gwen and Beverly, will be here Wednesday. They can take the guest room and I’ll bunk with you. They’re going to help plan the reception.”

  “Oh, I have a great place that we can host the event. This guy I know has this little hall he rents out. I’m sure he’ll have it available for me,” Mr. Weathers offers.

  “Nonsense, Simone has a lovely place with a nice rooftop. We can have it there. And her aunts have a restaurant back home so they can put the menu together.”

  “I have a friend who can get us liquor at cost since I manage their financial account and saved them a ton of money last quarter,” Lucas chimes in.

  “I didn’t hear Simone agree,” Mr. Weathers says.

  I’m about to answer when Lucas’ hand runs slowly up my thigh under my belted shirt dress, casually, without bringing attention to us. I become flustered, and my answer comes out a bit awkward.

  “I’d love to host the, uh, celebration,” I squeal.

  His hand continues up to the waistband of my thong, where he pulls and snaps the fabric before removing his fingers.

  “Mom, Lucas and I have some reports to go over tonight, and I may be over at his place late. Oh, wait, Mr. Weathers will be there. We shouldn’t bore him with all the fussing about reports and stuff.”

  “Oh, he’s used to it. I did it for his company for four years.” Lucas does not help me devise a plan to have another night with him.

  “Well, I guess we can work on the report over the phone,” I say, conceding defeat.

  “I’m sure we can get an extension and wait until Monday when we get more details.”

  “True,” I say, running out of clever covers for our secret rendezvous.

  Our parents are engaged in a moment of their own, looking at and discussing pictures from their trip. Stirring my beverage to mix the ingredients, I struggle to find ways to talk.

  “Excuse me,” I say as I stand from the table.

  Lucas and his dad, being the chivalrous kind, rise as well.

  “Is everything all right, dear?” my mother asks.

  “Yes, ma’am. I need to go make a phone call to my assistant. I’ll be right back.” My gaze rests upon Lucas’ facial expression, and I see a damn smirk forming. Like he knows he has me rattled and is enjoying it. I continue to step outside to gather a much-needed breath of fresh air.

  I smile at the passersby when I find a seating area outside the establishment. I close my eyes and try to wrap my head around the events over the past twenty-four hours. How did we go from arch enemies to fuck buddies? And why have I never noticed his tattoos? Or the fact he is an only child like me? And why am I so turned on by him? My phone rings, and I answer it very casual and informative.

  “Yeah,” I say.

  “Why did you run off? Were you thinking about me?” His voice melts the airwaves and penetrates through my icy demeanor.

  “Lucas, what do you want?”

  “Room nine-two-eight. Eight o’clock tonight.”

  The phone conversation ends, and I realize he didn’t tell me where, only a room number. My phone buzzes, taking me by surprise, and I see it’s a message from my mom.

  Mom: Your food is getting cold, dear.

  I eagerly rejoin them at the table and jump in on the conversation.

  “Sorry about that. What did I miss?”

  “Oh, Lucas was telling us the next project would be working with some big shot and they wanted to set up a meeting at the Langham. I figure they must be quite posh to want a meeting at such a lavish hotel,” his dad says.

  Now I know where to meet him.

  6

  7:59, 7:59, 7—8 o’clock.

  I take a deep breath and knock on the door of room nine-two-eight. It opens, and standing before me is a man I never thought I would fuck even once, but now we look to be heading to the second-time zone. I went home, showered, shaved and waxed, and put on a little bare midriff top and jeans with a pair of heels. Mom thinks I’m going out with my friends, Hailey and Natalie, but they are both out of town for a week. I did tell her I may be home late. She had her iPad and was Facetiming her fiancé when I left. I don’t even want to think of what they may or may not be doing.

  “Hi.” I push the word out of my mouth as if it’s my first.

  He doesn’t respond. Instead, he takes my hand and places a sweet kiss on the back of it.

  “You look amazing, as always.”

  “You’ve only seen me in my work clothes, except for today’s lunch.”

  “Like I said, amazing as always.”

  I blush at his comment and forget we are sworn enemies. He guides me to the couch in this one-bedroom suite and takes off my heels.

  “I have some fresh strawberries and wine or champagne if you prefer.”

  I haven’t eaten since lunch, and I made sure to drink plenty of water and take an aspirin to stave off any hangover.

  “I’ll take a glass of wine and a few strawberries,” I request.

  He goes to the wet bar and retrieves the items before returning to the sofa. He pours two glasses and hands me one of them. “Here you go, Monie.” He chuckles.

  “Oh my gosh. Don’t start.” I laugh in retort because there is nothing worse than your rival having not one, but two, things on you and you have nothing. “So, why’d you pick this hotel? I mean, I’m sure there was somewhere else we could’ve met up.” I look around the room at the features and embellishments. I don’t have to guess about the price tag since I already know. One of the sorority mixers was held here, and a few of us inquired to the cost of the room for the weekend so we could split the bill.

  “I have a friend who is a manager here, and he owed me a favor.”

  “Nice connection to have.”

  “We went to college together, so it’s a little more than a connection.”

  I nod and find myself nervously tapping my glass. I don’t know what, if any, conversation we should be having. I mean, do I say something or wait on him? What subject do we talk about? I decide to freestyle it. Whatever comes out is the answer.

  “So, is this the cheesy part of the evening where you put on music to seduce me?” I ask, trying to ease into my anxiety.

  “No.” He laughs. “I don’t need to seduce you. I’ve already captivated you.”

  I don’t deny or fight the fact he’s right. I am so very much his capture. “Oh, so what do we do now?”

  He tak
es the glass from my hand and sets in on the table before picking me up and cradling me in his arms. We ease our way to the bedroom where he lays me on the bed.

  I start to remove my clothes, but he stops me.

  “No. I’ll do that. Give me a few moments.” He scurries back to the living room area and turns out all the lights, coming back with the bowl of strawberries and chocolate syrup, placing them on the nightstand. He takes off his shirt with one move, revealing the tapestry of art adorning his physique.

  I let out a slow breath at the sight before clearing my throat. “I never knew you had so many tattoos. They’re really nice.”

  “Yeah, it’s sort of cathartic for me. Started off as a rite of passage when I turned eighteen and it grew from there. Each thing that bought me pleasure or pain was memorialized.”

  “Can I get a closer look?” I ask.

  He sits next to me, and I go over each tattoo. From religious symbols to the portrait of his mother over his heart. He also has a symbol representing his zodiac sign, and a few sexy ones of busty women.

  “Are any of these women former girlfriends or lovers?” I snidely inquire.

  “No, only the ones they have at the ink shops.”

  I run my hands over each marking, getting a bit aroused. Something about a man with ink drives me crazy. I didn’t get much time to marvel at his collection last night, seeing as I was in an alcohol-induced cloud.

  I think he catches on to my stimulation and runs his thumb across my bottom lip. I, in turn, bite it and feel his heart beat skip. He takes a strawberry and replaces his thumb with the fruit. The sweetness spills down my chin when my teeth tears into its flesh. But he’s there to lick every drop.

  He hands me the bowl and holds my feet into his hands where he massages them, maneuvering in circular motions from the heel up to my toes. As he kneads my body, I relax. He reaches into the nightstand and takes out massage oil, pours some into his palms, and works it into my skin. I close my eyes, forgetting that no more than thirty-six hours ago, I couldn’t stand to be near him, but now I can’t bear to be away from him. He kneads the flesh of my tootsies, gently, seductively, semi-erotically. The more I relax, the more I feel parts of me tingle that shouldn’t happen from a foot massage.