by Peyton Banks
Wanda, bless her heart, went into fixer mode.
“I have a few contacts in Orlando and Tampa. I could reach out, see who can get here the fastest…?”
One, I didn’t want a strange man, who I hadn’t screened first, shooting with my woman. Having his hands all over that sexy body.
Two, I didn’t want to lose hours on this shoot. We only had eighteen, and there were four models we needed to photograph in various settings, including the beach and inside one of the hotel rooms.
“I’ll do it,” I announced, much to the surprise of the three women standing in front of me. “I’ll fill in for the male model. It saves us time and resources that the company doesn’t have.”
“Are…are you sure?” Wanda asked apprehensively.
Instead of answering her directly, I said, “Let’s get to work, people!” The authority in my voice was undeniable, and as a result, everyone in the vicinity promptly started doing their jobs.
Kerenza stayed put for a second, smiling and showing off those dimples.
“You’re going to be my co-model, huh?”
I walked up on her, invading her personal space.
“Indeed,” I replied, eyes on her lips.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Good thing you’re already comfortable with my body. It’ll show in the pictures.”
Winking, she skirted around me and headed over to the bed in the center of the pool.
13
Kerenza
The shoots for the ‘Maybae’ campaign were now wrapped, and we had the rest of tonight and the first half of tomorrow left in Miami. Usually, I’d roll with my co-models and go sightseeing or clubbing, but this time around, all I wanted to do was spend time with Oden.
The girls and I were sharing a two bedroom suite, and I’d been unlucky enough to draw the short straw and have to room with Isobel. Thankfully, I’d spent little time in my bed—something I’m sure didn’t escape my least favorite co-model’s notice.
Tonight, I was planning on staying with Oden again, so I decided to get a head start on packing since we would fly out around five o’clock tomorrow evening. No telling how long I would be tangled up in the sheets with Oden. We were known to get carried away and lose track of time.
As I was folding my undergarments, the door to the room opened, and Isobel glided in. She’d been in full model-mode the entire trip, wearing gorgeous, sheer, flowy pieces that showed off her nonexistent waist, toned arms, and mile-long legs. Today was no different. She rocked a teal wrap around dress with various colored tropical flowers all over it. The sleek topknot bun on top of her head drew attention to her cute accessories, mainly the earrings, which were a hot pink and looked like peacock feathers.
“Those earrings are fabulous on you,” I complimented, still folding my clothes and placing them in my suitcase.
There was a long enough pause that I could tell Isobel didn’t want to respond to me.
Eventually, she replied, “Thanks…”
I kept my head down, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I really didn’t know what Isobel’s deal was. Sure, she’d always been difficult to work with, but at least she hadn’t been hostile like she was now. Ever since Oden had come on board at ULC, she’d been out of control.
Stacking the last of my clothes in the suitcase, I stood to zip it up. A thought suddenly struck me.
What if…what if Isobel was acting so hostile towards me because she had something going on with Oden on the low?
Immediately, I shook my head, wanting to dismiss the crazy thought. For one, Oden liked his women with some melanin. For two, when would they have time to sneak around when Oden was always at work or with me?
Yeah, that was crazy. There was no reason to think something was going on with those two.
No reason at all.
I’d been cheated on and lied to in the past, but I made it my mission to still get out here and try to love like I’d never been hurt. Those old wounds, though, they had an annoying-ass habit of opening on me when I least expected it and reminding me of that time in my life.
With Oden it was different. We didn’t keep secrets from each other, we had a secret with each other: our relationship.
I grabbed my towel and toiletries bag.
“You about to use the bathroom?” Isobel asked. There was only one bathroom in this two bedroom suite, and you can imagine how well that went over with four women sharing the space.
“Um, yeah. Did you need to get in there before I do?”
She shook her head.
“I’m actually about to pop out and see a friend.”
The smile on her face was huge, and I sensed she wanted me to probe further, but I didn’t have the time. I needed to shower and do my makeup before my date with Oden in an hour and a half.
So, I kept my reply brief. “Good for you, girl!” Winking, I left the room.
I was glad she had a man to occupy her time down here. That meant she would stay the hell away from mine.
Yes, I’d begun thinking of Oden as my man. A week ago, he’d asked for us to be serious, and I decided I wanted to go for it. I planned on telling him tonight.
14
Oden
As a man who’d always had everything he wanted, I, naturally, thought I had it all. But now, as a man who had everything he needed, I knew I had it all. Work was going accordingly, the first shoot was now wrapped up, and I was certain it would be a success at launch. Kerenza’s body had been mine for weeks now, but recently, there was a shift, I could feel it. Her heart, it was mine now, too.
I knew without a doubt that she would be taking me up on my offer to be more serious.
Grinning to myself, I resumed typing an email to Gayle, letting her know the ‘Maybae’ campaign shoots were finished and ready for the next step in the process: editing and re-touching.
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting me. My eyes drifted to the left-hand corner of my laptop. It was too early for Kerenza to be here, especially when I knew she liked to take her time getting ready. Crossing the room, I pulled open the door, surprised to see Isobel’s tall, thin frame in the doorway.
“Hi!” she gushed, donning a bright smile.
“Hello,” I replied, not bothering to hide the confusion in my voice. I might as well have asked, what are you doing here?
“Can I talk to you for a minute? It’s about work.”
Ah, so that was why she was here.
Stepping back and to the side, I made a sweeping motion with my hand.
“Certainly. Please, come in.”
The words were barely out of my mouth before Isobel had entered my room.
“Wow,” she breathed, looking around. “Your room is much nicer than our dump of a suite.”
“This is a five-star establishment, one of the oldest in the city, it’s far from a dump,” I said reproachfully.
Isobel giggled girlishly, as if I’d just made a flirtatious joke.
I cleared my throat and stepped around her, walking over to the table and chairs that were tucked in the corner near the balcony.
I sat down, hoping Isobel would follow my lead. Due to her overly flirtatious nature, I wasn’t entirely comfortable conducting a work-related meeting with her in my bedroom, but as her boss, what choice did I have? She said she needed to talk about work.
To my dismay, Isobel didn’t follow suit and join me at the table. Instead, she leisurely walked around the room, pausing at the dresser where my toiletry bag and other items were neatly arranged.
“What can I do for you, Isobel?”
Her back was to me as she replied, “I just wanted to commend you. The concept for the ‘Maybae’ campaign was ingenious.”
“Thank you,” I said curtly. “But what was it you wanted to speak to me about? I have a previous engagement to get to shortly.”
At that, she shifted around to face me. Something looked different about her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Something about her appearance was suddenly�
��off.
“A ‘previous engagement,’ huh?” The note of derisiveness in her tone rang loud and clear. “By that, I’m assuming you mean Kerenza.” Her nose crinkled when she said the name, and that was enough for me. This conversation was over. No one would badmouth my woman in my presence—ever.
I stood up and slowly crossed the room to where she stood. For a second, she just looked at me. The lust in her eyes was unmistakable. This was starting to get out of hand. I would ask Kerenza if she was comfortable with people knowing about our relationship. If she said yes, I’d be asking her to let Isobel know to keep it work-related when interacting with me.
After a beat of silence, I said, “Let me walk you to the door, Isobel.”
“Sure,” she replied coolly, too coolly.
I could feel her eyes burning a hole in my back as she followed me to the door. As soon as she was in the hallway, I said, “Thanks for stopping by,” and promptly closed the door.
What was it with women like Isobel? The ones who refused to take the hint that was quite literally staring them right in the face? Why humiliate yourself over somebody who was with another woman, and one that you knew personally, at that?
I shook my head, making a mental note to tell Kerenza all about this incident. But not tonight. Tonight, we were going out on the town for our last night in Miami. Tonight, I planned on showing Kerenza just how sweet things could be for us once she agreed to be in a serious, committed relationship.
15
Kerenza
When Oden had suggested a night out on the town, I’d looked at him in surprise, unable to picture him, a hair parted to the side, suit-wearing man in a club. But Oden was proving to be a man who could fit in anywhere. Tonight, he’d dressed down and left his hair untouched.
I was three shots of peach Cîroc in and could feel the alcohol kicking in. Club Lit was indeed lit tonight.
“Would you like another round?” Oden asked over the loud music.
I nodded and watched him leave our VIP section. I’d have to tell him that the whole point of having a private section was so you got waited on hand and foot.
A hot new Cardi B song came on, and the place went crazy. From where I sat, in the elevated VIP section, I could see the entire club. The flashing, multi-colored lights. The sea of bodies, moving almost in unison to the beat. I wanted nothing more than to be down there with them, drunk and having a good time. Not sitting up here like the First Lady of Club Lit.
Oden returned with a double shot of Cîroc for me, and another bottle of the fancy schmancy beer he’d been drinking all night. Accepting the drink from him, I quickly threw it back, and it went down nice and smooth.
“Let’s go down there and dance,” I said.
To my surprise, he nodded and took me by the hand, leading the way. I didn’t know why, but I’d expected him to say no.
We descended the short flight of stairs and ended up on the main level of Club Lit. It took us a few minutes to squeeze through the crowd of bodies, but soon enough, we were in the center of the dance floor.
“A’ight, y’all!” a voice said over the microphone. “We’re gonna throw it back with an old banger.”
The beginning notes of one of my favorite songs filled the air. A collective roar of anticipation rippled through the club.
I looked at Oden, who stared around in mild amusement.
“This…is…my…song!”
Oden smirked, one side of his mouth hitching up at the corner.
“And…exactly what song is this?”
I started swaying to the beat as I replied, “It’s called “Salt Shaker” by the Ying Yang Twins!”
“The who twins?”
I ignored the question and grabbed him by the hand.
“Dance with me!”
I’ll give Oden credit, he had rhythm and was able to keep up as I bumped and grinded and twerked on him. Although, if you ask me, he was just happy to have my ass on him. I felt his growing excitement off and on throughout the dance.
All around us, people danced, bumping into one another frequently, but no one minded because that was just what happened at the club.
“Shake itttttt,” I hollered, slow whining my ass against Oden. His hands came up and gripped my hips, turning me on. When we got back to the hotel, I would be sure to throw this ass back on him—sans clothes.
The song ended, and another fast-paced rap song started in its place. I was about to tell Oden we could head back to the VIP section, but when I turned around and saw him bobbing his head in tune to the song, I stayed put. I fought off a smile. It was cute as shit to see him like this, unguarded and having fun.
Leaning forward, I shouted, “This must be your song?”
He didn’t verbally respond since he was too busy mouthing the lyrics to the Drake song. Instead, he nodded.
Shaking my head, I danced circles around him as we vibed out like it was just the two of us in the crowded Miami club.
The cab ride back to the hotel was filled with tension, of the sexual variety. I wished we were in a town car with a partition we could roll up for privacy. It would have been on like Donkey Kong.
I’d had to settle for Oden’s hand resting on my bare thigh.
When the cab rolled to a stop in front of our hotel, I didn’t wait for Oden to come around and get my door. I hopped out and was waiting by his door before he even paid the driver and got out.
“Are you all right?” he asked, unfolding his long frame from the cab.
I snaked my arms around his waist and mashed my body against his.
He was so tall, that even in my heels, I still had to get up on my tip toes to reach his mouth.
“I’m tipsy and I want you,” I whispered before running my tongue along his full bottom lip.
His hands, which originally rested in the small of my back, drifted lower, palming my ass.
“I’ve wanted you since I realized you weren’t wearing any panties.” He covered my mouth with his, devouring it.
I drew back to look at him, seeing the passion blazing in his dark eyes.
“You know, if you asked, I’d let you fuck me right here on this sidewalk. I want you that badly.”
He licked his lips and smirked. My eyes followed the movement like a hawk watching his prey. That tongue, that innocent little tongue, had brought me to the brink of pleasure many, many times, and tonight would be no different.
“And let all the men see what a work of art your body is?” Oden replied. “I think not.”
I chuckled, feeling giddy. The alcohol and my raging hormones had me riding the ultimate high.
“Let’s go inside.”
We held hands and speed-walked into the hotel. The elevator ride was short, thankfully, or else I would have jumped on him. If I’d been wearing panties, they would have been soaked clean through by now.
As soon as Oden inserted the key into the slot, he reached for me, using his foot to kick open the door. Our mouths crashed together, and I wrapped a leg around him, stumbling as he walked us inside the room. He read my mind and picked me up.
Distantly, the sound of the door slamming shut filled my ears. Good, no one would hear me scream in pleasure.
There wasn’t a lot of light in the room, maybe a lamp or two was on, which created a sultry ambiance.
Leaning us up against the dresser, Oden’s mouth left mine to kiss along my neck. He added in some tongue, drawing a loud moan from me. Yes, it was cliché, but my neck was my spot.
Oden’s hands seemed to be everywhere on my body at once. On my breasts, on my hips, between my legs. When the pad of his thumb brushed against my clit, a jolt of electricity shot through me and I couldn’t wait another minute to have him inside of me.
“Wa-wait,” I gasped.
Immediately, Oden’s tongue left my neck, and his fingers left my pussy. He stepped back, putting space between us. He was respectful that way. Whenever I said ‘no’ or ‘stop’, he listened at once.
I shifted off the ed
ge of the dresser and turned so that my back was to Oden. Wordlessly, I hiked up my dress, baring my ass.
“Fuck me now,” I demanded.
In seconds, he was behind me, then there was the sound of his pants hitting the floor. I bent over, gripping the dresser in anticipation. When he entered me, I gasped sharply. It always took a few seconds to adjust to his girth. Then he was thrusting in and out of me, at just the right pace. I thought I wanted it hard and fast, but as usual, Oden seemed to know exactly what I needed.
What I loved about sex with Oden was that he was so vocal. Nothing worse than a man who thought he was too macho to moan for his woman and let her know how good she was making him feel.
“Yes!” I panted. “Just…like…that!”
My grip on the dresser had loosened in my haze of pleasure. I went to hold on again when something sharp pricked me in the palm. My eyes, which had been squeezed shut, popped open. I reached out in the dim lighting, searching for whatever had pricked me. My fingers brushed against something soft and furry.
Confused, I picked it up and brought it closer to my eyes.
It was a feather earring. The part that went in the earlobe must have been what poked me. The earring looked vaguely familiar, but with Oden currently fucking me senseless, I couldn’t remember exactly where I’d seen it before.
Oden swiveled his hips, drawing a long moan from me, and then, at the exact moment my orgasm hit, I remembered where I’d seen the earring.
My body convulsed as I came apart, slumping over on the dresser and crying out. It seemed to go on and on forever, but finally, it ended. Oden kept stroking, intending, as always, to give me multiple orgasms.
I reached back and placed a hand on his chest, attempting to push him off me. He didn’t budge, of course, so I pulled away, causing his dick to slip out. A shudder of pleasure rolled down my spine as it did so.