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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 takes 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, anda 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.”
