Obsessive Temptation: A BWWM Romance Limited Edition Collection

by Peyton Banks

  His tongue brushed against mine, sending a jolt of pleasure straight down to my clit. Then, he sucked on my bottom lip, before running his tongue across it.

  Far too soon for my liking, Oden’s lips left mine, and he stepped back, his arms leaving my body. Instantly, I was cold, missing the warmth of his touch. He put some distance between us and gazed at me, all intense and serious-looking. His chest heaved up and down, and I could tell he wanted nothing more than to fuck me right here, and right now.

  Samesies, Oden. Samesies.

  I found myself saying, “Let’s get out of here.”

  Oden signaled, and our waitress seemingly materialized out of thin air. Briefly, I wondered if it was awkward for her to be tending to a party of two on the rooftop of a building.

  “We’re leaving,” Oden informed her rather briskly. I didn’t blame him. I wanted to get out of here and be alone with him.

  “Of course, sir,” the waitress replied, appearing unfazed by his curtness. “Unless there’s anything you’d like me to package up for take-away, then you can head back down to the main level.”

  Oden looked to me, silently asking if I wanted anything to take home.

  Yes, you.

  I shook my head, then he took me by the hand, and within minutes, we were on the elevator. The doors opened to the main floor. The music, the chatter of conversation and general background noise of the crowded restaurant was a bit of a shock after being in our own little bubble on the rooftop for the past few hours. As if he could sense my sudden discomfort, Oden’s grip on my hand tightened assuredly as he led us to the front of the building.

  I slowed down when we reached the greeter’s kiosk, thinking we needed to stop there and pay the bill, but Oden just kept on walking, and by default, so did I.

  The minute we were outside, I stopped walking and asked, “But…what about our check?”

  He was busy scanning the street for the car we’d arrived in, so he didn’t look at me as he responded, “It’s already been taken care of.”

  Impressed, my eyebrows lifted. I stared at Oden’s broad back and admired his hulking physique, but also the naturally assertive and dominant characteristics I was noticing about him. He was bound to be just as take-charge in the bedroom.

  “Ah, here comes our car now.”

  I snapped out of my lust-filled thoughts and focused on my surroundings. The sleek Audi we’d arrived in was indeed coming down the block.

  Once we were inside, I found the button to roll up the partition, feeling Oden’s surprised gaze burning a hole in the side of my face. I turned and faced him, or at least that was what I intended to do. What I actually did was launch myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him. Every hormone in my body came alive with desire, and all I could think about was fucking him. About riding his dick right here in the back of this car while the driver was less than fifty feet away.

  Oden was momentarily caught off guard, but quickly recovered, kissing me back and wrapping his arms around me. The gesture seemed a bit reserved because, if I were him, I’d definitely be going for the ass.

  I pulled my mouth away from his and planted kisses along his sharp jaw, feeling the faint traces of his five o’clock shadow coming in.

  “I want you,” I said breathlessly. “Now.”

  The car hit one of the notorious Pittsburgh potholes. It must have been a really bad one because I almost went tumbling backward, but was saved by Oden tightening his hold on me.

  We looked at each other and laughed at the exact same time.

  “Wait,” I began, trying to pull myself together. “How are we laughing right now and I’m supposed to be seducing you?”

  One of his thick eyebrows quirked. “Seducing me?”

  “That was the plan, hence the rolled-up partition.”

  In my head, I started singing “Partition” by Beyoncé, which caused me to giggle some more.

  Ah, well. The moment had passed.

  I went to climb off Oden’s lap, but he held me in place by the hips.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way…” he started.

  My body tensed, preparing to take whatever he said completely the wrong way. I’d never understood why people began sentences with that phrase.

  “But I don’t want you to feel obligated or rushed to have sex. We—”

  I held up a hand, cutting him off.

  “Where is that even coming from? I don’t feel rushed and I damn sure don’t feel obligated. Excuse me for just being super attracted to you!”

  Once again, I tried to shift off Oden’s lap, and once again, I was prevented from doing so.

  His eyes found mine in the darkness of the car.

  “Forgive me. I don’t think I’m making myself clear: I want you. God, do I want you. But I don’t want to rush. When we finally have sex, I don’t want there to be any stone left unturned between us.”

  What did that mean? That Oden wanted more from me than just my body? I’d suspected as much, but this seemed to confirm it.

  Before I could respond, Oden’s mouth was on mine. As we kissed, he shifted me so that I was lying on my back on the leather seats.

  His lips left mine to trail kisses down my neck, then my clavicle. His strong hands gave my breasts a squeeze as he continued to travel south down my body. When he reached the hem of my dress, he hesitated for a second, so I bucked my hips, spurring him on. I wanted him so badly in this moment, it felt like my skin was on fire. How was he not getting burned to the touch?

  I lifted up a bit to allow Oden to push my dress up over my hips. Instead of removing the lacy thong I wore, he placed his mouth on me with it still on. I moaned out loud as he kissed me in my most intimate place.

  Then, he moved the lace to the side and flicked his tongue on my clit. All of the nerves inside me burst to life as if I was a flame and had just been doused with kerosene.

  “Yesssss,” I hissed in pleasure.

  “Mm,” Oden moaned lowly, lifting his head to look me in the eyes. “You taste like my favorite everything.”

  The sheer intensity in his eyes rattled me. Then, when he smirked, like a man who was exactly where he wanted to be in the world, I knew without a doubt that this man was going to possess me. And I was happily going to let him.

  He lowered his head and went back to eating me like I was the last piece of strawberry cheesecake on the planet.

  Unlike most men, he wasn’t just mindlessly licking my clitoris. No, Oden was savoring me, enjoying me. It was evident he got off on pleasuring me. That thought sent me spiraling into oblivion, and I came hard, crying out and clamping my legs together, holding Oden’s head hostage.

  But even then he didn’t stop licking. He didn’t stop until the car pulled to a stop in front of my house.

  When I heard the driver’s door open, panic filled me. Yeah, I made my living pretty much showing off my pussy, but I didn’t want to be caught with Oden’s head between my legs.

  I pushed him away and tugged my dress back down just in the nick of time.

  The door opened and I jumped out. I kept my eyes averted as I said, “Thank you” to the driver.

  I was at my porch steps when Oden caught up to me. I glanced back, noting the awkward hitch in his gait. I recognized it easily. His dick was so hard, he couldn’t even walk straight.

  Shaking my head, I dug my keys out my purse and headed up the porch steps. I turned, expecting to find Oden behind me, but found him standing at the base of the stairs.

  “Why are you all the way over there?” I asked.

  He licked his lips, eyeing me for a moment.

  “Because, if I get close to you again…” his words faded off but I got the picture. The complete picture. He was sticking by what he’d said in the car, about not wanting us to rush into bed.

  I was mildly disappointed, but I wasn’t going to push the issue. Besides, he’d already made me come tonight.

  “Well… I guess this is goodnight?”

  Instead o
f directly answering my question, Oden replied, “I’ll wait until you’re safely inside.”

  I blew him a kiss before unlocking the door and going into my house. The first thing I planned on doing was taking a cold shower. Hopefully, it would make my raging hormones simmer the fuck down.

  9

  Kerenza

  I blasted some old school Chaka Khan and set to work, cleaning my house. Tonight, Oden would be coming over for the first time, and I wanted everything to be on point for his visit. Particularly my bedroom because that was where I planned for us to end the night.

  Was I planning to sleep with my boss, a man I’d only known for three weeks, already?

  You’re darn skippy I was.

  I was a grown woman, not some nineteen-year-old girl who still had it in her head that she needed to make a man wait six months before sleeping with him. As long as it was consensual and safe, I was firmly pro-sex.

  On our last date, Oden had given me a mind-blowing orgasm with just his mouth, after telling me he didn’t want me to feel obligated or rushed to sleep with him. To me, there was no rush or obligation. I wanted what I wanted—him—and tonight, I was going to get what I wanted.

  After deep cleaning my severely neglected living room and dining room, I decided to start a few of the items that would be on tonight’s menu. Since Oden was a lifelong ‘swirler’, I assumed he was also a soul food lover, so that was what we would be having tonight.

  I’d already cleaned my fresh collard greens this morning, but I still went ahead and cleaned them one more time before putting them in a big pot to slow cook. They would cook right up until it was time for Oden to arrive. I would add some smoked turkey necks and bacon in an hour or so. Then, I cleaned and seasoned my chicken and placed it in the refrigerator to marinate. We would be having both fried and baked chicken tonight. Everything else on the menu—homemade macaroni and cheese, meatballs, and Hawaiian dinner rolls—wouldn’t take long to whip up. I had already made two sweet potato pies and a big bowl of potato salad last night as well.

  I’d grown up with an old-fashioned black mama, so I knew the two-punch approach of feeding and then screwing a man was the hands down best approach. And if Oden screwed anything—anything at all—like he’d kissed (both sets of my lips), I was in for a real treat.

  Chuckling to myself, I headed upstairs to clean my bathroom and bedroom in preparation for tonight’s…festivities.

  Promptly at six-thirty, my doorbell rang.

  That was all it took for another bout of nervousness to sweep through me. My stomach flip-flopped as I approached the front door. I quickly swiped a hand over my freshly styled hair before pulling it open. Oden’s hulking frame filled my doorway. I took him in, noting that this was my first time seeing him not wearing a suit. He wore a crisp white Polo shirt paired with well-fitting jeans and loafers. His hair, as always, looked wet from a shower, only this time, instead of being parted to the side, it had all been combed back, giving him an edgy, bad-boy look.

  Instead of verbally greeting me, Oden stepped forward and kissed me. The gesture was so familiar, you would think we had been dating—if that was even what we were doing?—for more than two weeks

  “Well,” I said when we pulled apart. “Hello to you, too!”

  Smirking, he replied, “I honestly couldn’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

  My stomach did another flip-flop. His candidness was refreshing. I didn’t have to wonder if he was as attracted to me as I was to him. Not when he constantly made it clear.

  “Oh, look at me, being rude. Come on in.”

  Oden followed me down the hall to the kitchen. I felt his eyes on my ass the entire time, which was the point of my outfit choice; a cropped tank top, so fitted that a bra couldn’t be worn with it, and a fire red, latex skirt paired with black pumps.

  I looked hot, and I knew it. Like I said, I was taking my boss to bed tonight—no matter what.

  “Something smells absolutely divine,” Oden said, inhaling deeply.

  We turned into the kitchen and I made a sweeping motion toward the island where our soul food feast was laid out.

  “That would be this.”

  Wide-eyed, he stepped forward and took in the spread.

  “Are-are those sweet potato pies?” he asked.

  A sinking feeling came over me.

  “Yes, they are. You don’t like them?”

  Slowly, he shook his head and disappointment flitted through me.

  “No, I don’t like them, I love them. Hands down my favorite kind of pie! May I have some to go?”

  A big, Kool-Aid smile spread across my face. Pretty sure all twenty-six teeth were on display right now.

  “Of course you can, that’s actually why I made two pies instead of one.”

  Oden eyed me, a playful, suspicious expression on his face.

  “How did you know I liked this kind of food? Have you been stalking me?”

  No way was I copping to Googling him and learning about his affinity for black women. No. Fucking. Way.

  Shrugging, nonchalantly, I said, “I wouldn’t be much of a stalker if I told you, now would I?”

  His throaty laugh filled the air, and as I looked at him, I finally noticed the bottle of wine in his hand.

  “You brought wine?”

  Oden nodded. “It’s the same kind we were drinking when we went out to dinner the other day.”

  A few days after our rooftop date, I’d mentioned how much I liked the red wine, and now look, Oden had taken it upon himself to bring some. I loved the thoughtfulness he was constantly exhibiting. In the past, this had been what I craved from men—men who acted like I was asking them to go all Christian Grey and buy me my own publishing house or some shit like that.

  “Thank you, that was so sweet of you. Here, I’ll show you where the glasses are. We can have some with dinner.”

  While he expertly uncorked and poured two generous glasses of wine, I started making his plate.

  “I’ll take some of everything, please,” he said, replacing the cork in the bottle.

  “You got it.”

  We settled in the dining room to eat, where I blushed up a storm at Oden repeatedly complimenting my cooking skills. If he kept this up, I was never going to let him leave. What woman wouldn’t want a thoughtful, complimentary, handsome-ass man who had a wicked tongue?

  That last thought hit me hard. I didn’t want to get carried away, so I would have to be blunt and find out what exactly we were doing here. Our relationship as boss and employee was one thing, but what, if any, relationship did we have outside of work?

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Oden asked around a mouthful of potato salad. As big as he was, I wasn’t surprised he had the appetite of a bear.

  “Huh?” I asked, blinking out of the reverie I’d gotten lost in.

  Assessing me for a moment, he pressed, “What’s wrong, Kerenza?”

  Well, might as well get it the fuck over with. I wiped my mouth and put my fork down slowly, stalling for a few seconds to gather my nerves.

  “Listen, I like you,” I admitted.

  I had more to say, but the smile that settled on Oden’s face temporarily sidetracked me. You would have thought I’d just told old boy he’d won the Powerball.

  “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” he said, still grinning.

  “Heh,” I laughed. “Well, I’ll take that to mean you like me, too?”

  “I wouldn’t phrase it quite that way, but, yes, I do. Very much.”

  There was that intense, possessive look again. I gulped and reached for my glass of wine.

  “Then what are we doing here? Dating? Just hanging out? Or, gearing up to be fuck buddies?” I asked.

  Oden’s eyes widened, an amused expression settling on his face.

  “How…how about you tell me what you want? I want to do whatever makes you happy.”

  Well…I hadn’t been expecting that response. I eyed him suspiciou
sly. I couldn’t help it. Due to my past relationships and…situationships, my trust was shot to hell.

  Which was why I’d learned to be upfront about intentions. That way, no one had to lie to me and hurt me.

  “Honestly? I’d like to date you and enjoy your company while you’re here in Pittsburgh. There’s just one thing—the most important thing.”

  Setting down his fork, he leaned forward with interest.

  “And that is?”

  “No secrets,” I replied firmly. “No little white lies, big lies, lies of omission—none of that shit whatsoever.”

  He blinked, but otherwise didn’t react, so I continued. “In the past, I’ve had a boyfriend, or two, that lied to me so much to the point that it almost destroyed me. I can’t and won’t go through that again. The only secrets we should have are the ones we share.”

  Oden stood and rounded the table, coming to stand in front of me. I stood up, too.

  “Kerenza, I’m so sorry you’ve been hurt in the past.” One of his hands rose to cup the side of my face. “Please understand me when I say that was the behavior of little boys all dressed up in the bodies of grown men. I’m a man, and I know better than to treat a woman like that. It’s been a short time, I know, but I respect you way too much to do any of those things.”

  My heart softened, wanting to open up and let him inside that sacred, fragile place. But my libido, used to being the dominant one, took charge. Standing on the tips of my toes, I began to kiss along Oden’s jawline. He must have shaved recently because it was silky smooth, without a trace of stubble. I sprinkled kisses down his neck, grazing over his trembling Adam’s apple.

  “I want you,” I murmured, gliding my hands down his hard chest.

  Before they could reach his pants, Oden captured them in one of his. I looked up to black, regret-filled eyes. Embarrassment flitted through me. I snatched my hands out of his grasp and backed up.

  “Damn,” I said, wrapping my arms self-consciously around my waist. “Shot down again.”