Chapter Eight
Osi
That night in St. Bart’s I thought things had changed between Ramsay and I. Sharing secrets and dreams, I’d hoped that it brought us closer but in typical Ramsay pattern. She pulled away as soon as we got back to Indianapolis.
To be fair, she acquired a big client and was running all over the country for this woman, Estella Grantham. Hell, I’d even heard of her family. They were old Chicago money, from the stockyard days of glory. One of her assistants had seen Ramsay’s work online and she’d demanded that they meet.
I couldn’t say, “Don’t build your business. Don’t become more successful,” when I went back out on the road hunting for another runner. Ramsay trusted Edwin with certain parts of her business but Ms. Grantham was too important, or that was the story she told me.
We still texted but it wasn’t as often. She was pulling away and I wasn’t sure how to stop it. The woman that was with me on the island was different than the one that I saw a week ago when I’d flown in to meet up with. She’d promised me that she would be in town for three days but it was cut down to one and a half. She was thinner and seemed more stressed. The sex had been good but there were several uncomfortable lulls and a couple of times I caught her giving me a look that caused my stomach to lurch. It was like she wanted to say something but she couldn’t work up the courage. One time, her eyes were shiny and she had to turn away from me.
I looked out the window of my condo. The sun was trying to break through the clouds. When I woke up this morning, I knew that I was in Chicago, the sounds from the busy street below. My hometown held many painful memories but I still loved it. I’d told Billie to mark me out for the next five days. I was meeting with an investment group that was interested in buying some property that was near a few of my holdings. We were to have a series of meetings and my guess was that they would ask me to join them in exchange for my property.
The group was headed by a former bench warmer for the Bulls who had made a name for himself by giving back to the city. I was curious and I never turned away from the chance to make money and help my old neighborhood. I couldn’t claim that I was a success story but I got out, alive.
I checked the time on my phone and wondered where Ramsay was. If these meetings ended early, maybe I’d see if she was open to another get together.
Cody Winters was smooth, I’d give him that. Apparently, he learned a lot during his two years at Duke. The guy could talk a good game but I wasn’t impressed by the office in the Hancock Building, his expensive suits or his wide smile. I’d spent the last three days sitting in meetings, taking a tour in a luxury bus, and being wined and dined. I guess his people had not given him the word that I like action. Words are fine but I can read a financial spreadsheet and I want to walk the neighborhood and talk to the people. I don’t care about the photos in the paper or a civic award to hang on my wall. I want action.
I’d decided that tonight’s dinner would be our last. I’d sell them the property for the right price but I was out as a partner. We were seated at a table in what was probably the coveted position at Lang’s Steakhouse. It was a landmark in the city for deal makers, plus they had damn good steaks.
“What did you think of the preliminary drawings?” Cody asked.
“They seemed to capture the essence of the buildings,” I answered automatically.
“We’ve had success with the mixed-use, business on the first floor and then four floors of apartments.” Jim Tremaine, Cody’s second in command continued.
“That’s fine as long as the neighborhood can sustain the businesses and the housing is affordable.” I offered cautiously.
“Sounds like you’re one of the one’s who complains about a Starbucks on every corner.” Cody’s diamond encrusted Rolex caught the light.
“If that is what the people want then I have no problem. I am concerned about displacement of the old-timers.”
“The block is seventy per cent vacant.” Jim lifted his glass and motioned for the server.
The waiter appeared and asked if we’d like refills or to order our appetizers.
After that was taken care of, the discussion continued. “We would work with those business owners, offer them reduced rent or a say in the renovation of the space.”
“They won’t be able to survive the dormant period while you renovate.” I told them truthfully.
Cody seemed to be mulling over my point, “Well that is the cost of doing business.”
I didn’t argue with him. I knew first-hand that you can’t save everyone and everything that you cared about. You just had to try to get the best deal possible.
“Oh Christ,” Tom Bowling another member of Cody’s team rumbled in his deep voice. He was looking at the aisle to our left. “Here come’s Banta.”
“Fuck,” Cody murmured.
“The guy wants in badly.” Jim filled me in. “But the woman is an upgrade from his usual date.”
I turned my head and said, “She certainly is.” It was Ramsay. The man had his hand resting on her back possessively. It took everything I had not to growl.
She was wearing a purple dress that made her look more curvy than I knew her body to be. The top had a deep “v” and showed too much cleavage. Her hair was still blonde and in some kind of bunching on top of her head. She looked sleek and professional.
The man’s expression changed when he saw our group. He told the hostess, “Hang on for a sec, Honey.” He shifted his hold to Ramsay’s elbow as he stopped in front of our table. “Well it looks like all of you Winters’ boys are out. What’s the occasion?” His voice too loud and the way his eyes traveled over us, too hungry.
“Hello Banta,” Jim greeted the man neutrally.
“Looks like you’re celebrating. Did you just close another big deal?” The blonde man looked like every white bread guy from the north shore that I’d ever met. Rich, entitled and stupid.
He was like a gnat, I was focused on Ramsay. She had looked stunned for a few seconds but recovered quickly and now wore a mask of removed interest. A her lips were closed but they turned up just a little but her eyes were stormy. I wasn’t sure with what emotion. She gracefully took a step away from Banta and therefore he had to stop touching her.
“I’d love to join you and hear all of the details but the lady is starving.” Banta gave Ramsay an appraising look that made me want to punch him.
I could tell by the way her eyes narrowed that she didn’t like the way he spoke about her. I hoped that she gave him shit the rest of the night.
They moved to their table and Tom gave me the rundown on Trigger Banta. Honestly, the guy preferred Trigger to Tristan. My assessment was correct, he was from Wilmette and attended Northwestern. He came from old, old money and didn’t mind throwing it around but it was his lack of discretion that caused this group pains. Trigger had been married three times and gone through three ugly divorces, he liked to think that he was part of the new breed of movers and shakers in the city but his overbearing personality was a minus to this group. Clearly, Cody Winters was the face of the Winter group and no matter how much money you were willing to invest, that wasn’t going to change.
Our food came and went, I had one Grey Goose and tonic that I nursed until the ice had melted and I switched to water. The men weren’t bad, I just didn’t think it was a good fit.
“So Osi, I can’t help but notice that blonde with Banta, she keeps looking in your direction.” Tome brought up abruptly.
I turned my head and caught Ramsay looking at me. Her expressive green eyes widened and then she looked away abruptly. “I’ve met her.”
“Really?” Cody now looked in her direction. “She is gorgeous.”
“Looks high maintenance. Those icy blondes always are.” Jim observed.
I agreed with both statements but I wasn’t willing to share.
Our dinner was breaking up and I had turned down the invite to go to a club. “I hope to be hearing good news from you very soon.” Cody got to his feet also and held out his hand.
“I’ll think it over and let you know.” I shook his hand.
The others said their goodbyes and headed to the entrance to leave. I had driven myself and used the Valet. I didn’t want to have to make more conversation with the group so I took a detour to the washroom.
I exited and saw Ramsay leaning against the opposite wall.
“Osi,” she said as she straightened and took a step toward me. “I want to explain.”
I cut her off. I didn’t want to hear it, not here in the back hallway. “Save it.”
“What?” She pulled up and pursed her lips.
“I don’t want to hear it.” I spoke calmly as I watched for anybody entering the hallway.
“Look, I…”
“I said, save it.”
“But…”
I gave her a hard look, showing her my anger and frustration. “But what Ramses?” I hissed. “Are you going to try to explain why you are on a date? Why that man had his hand on you?” I raised an eyebrow enquiringly.
“You have to understand,” her voice cracked.
“I think I’ve got it.” I stepped around her and headed to the front door. Never looking back.
Almost two hours later and I’d switched from beer to Jack Daniels. I leaned back into my black leather sofa and wondered for the fifth time how there could be two hundred channels on my TV and yet nothing caught my interest.
Of course it could be the buzz from the incoming texts that were causing me to lose concentration. Ramsay had started about thirty minutes after I felt the restaurant.
Ramsay: Osi, let’s talk about this.
I didn’t respond.
Twenty minutes later. Ramsay: Are you still with those men? When your meeting ends Call Me!
Fifteen minutes later, she left a voice mail.
Then another.
I’d had three beers and three shots.
Ramsay: I know that you are avoiding me and I get that you’re angry. Just let me apologize.
Ten minutes later.
Ramsay: Osi, this is ridiculous. Just call me.
Immediately after.
Ramsay: If you are still in a meeting and have turned off your phone then I’m sorry that I’m bugging you but I need to talk to you.
I finished the bottle and ventured to the kitchen to toss all of the bottles. I dropped them into the trash and turned to rest my hands on the counter top and stare out the window. I wasn’t the type of man who ignored problems, usually I dealt with them expediently. I made a deal with myself. If she sent one more message I would reply. It was probably the Jack talking but I wondered what her explanation would be.
Five minutes later, my cell buzzed.
Ramsay: Osi Please. Just tell me where you are. I will come to you. Please Osi. I need to see you.
I hit the call button for Ramsay’s cell.
“Osi, thank God.” She sounded upset. “Where are you? I’ll grab a cab.”
“No, I come to you.” My tone was cold.
“We can meet tomorrow. How about breakfast?” She back pedaled. Maybe I scared her.
“Now.”
“Oh, uh, okay. I’m at the Four Seasons.”
Of course she was. “Call the Front Desk, arrange a key for me.”
“Okay, I can try.”
“Ramsay, I said do it. Give me your room number.”
“You don’t have to talk to me in that tone.” Now she was getting angry. I’d expected this.
“Room number.” I said tersely.
“Eighteen twenty four.”
“See you in thirty.” I clicked off. Tonight, I wasn’t in the mood for the many stages of Ramsay Kent. Tonight, I’d already had apologetic, angry and now blaming others, next up would be flight. I’d been there and had the t-shirt.
I called a friend who drove a cab and arranged a ride downtown. Maurice didn’t talk much and neither did I. At the front desk, I gave them my name and Ramsay’s and they turned over a key after scanning my i.d.
I used the key card and entered her room. I’d never stayed in this particular hotel before and I didn’t bother to take the time to check out the lavishness. My eyes focused on the woman sitting in the middle of the king sized bed hugging her knees to her chest.
I shrugged out of my leather jacket and dropped it on the chair in the corner of the large room. I stopped at the corner of the bed and stared at her. She was wearing a sweatshirt that looked like one of mine and flannel sleep pants with big wooly socks.
She watched me with wide eyes.
Neither one of us spoke for at least three minutes.
“I didn’t know you would be there.” Her voice was hoarse.
“Obviously.”
She took in a large breath and stretched her legs out in front of her. “I know you’re mad.”
I wanted to explode but I tensed my body to fight off my reaction.
She must have either seen it or sensed my emotions. “You have every right to be.”
“Do I?” I rocked back on my heels. “Why don’t you tell my.” My voice was low and chilly.
She curled one leg under the other. “He’s Estella’s nephew.”
I waited.
She made a frustrated sound and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “She’s been after me to go out with him. And when I was at her place yesterday, he showed up. I couldn’t very well say no.”
“Sure you could.”
She frowned because she knew that I was right. “They kind of cornered me and I had to agree.”
I nodded once, and again. I wanted to think about my words carefully. To make sure that it was me and not the Jack talking. “Good to know.” I walked to the chair and picked up my jacket.
“What are you doing?” I heard her climb off of the bed and stop when we were toe to toe.
“I’m going.”
“Osi.” She grabbed my jacket from me and threw it back on the chair. “This isn’t funny.”
I glanced at my jacket and then back at her. “No. It’s not.” I glared at her. “So far tonight, I’ve seen the woman that I thought I was in a relationship with out on a date with another man. A man named Trigger, like the fucking horse.” My voice got a little rougher. “Then after you blew up my phone, I come here and what I haven’t heard is a rational explanation. You said something about an apology but babe, I don’t think I can forgive you for this.”
“I told you that I didn’t mean for you to see me.” She grabbed my arm.
“So that would make it all right?” I roared.
She shushed me. Then loosened her grip on my arm. “No. You’re right. It wouldn’t.” She dropped her head.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“I told you from the start that I didn’t want a relationship. I’m not good at them.”
“And yet, you told me when you were coming into town. You gave me the key to your place.” I said slowly.
She stepped away, pacing past the bed to the window and back. “I don’t know, maybe…maybe I needed to see…”
“To see what?” I said very softly.
The look she gave me was embarrassed. “If any man will do.”
I moved before I even thought. I had my hand around her throat and she was up against the wall. “Did you fuck him?” I yelled in her face.
She struggled her body twisted and her legs tried to kick me. Her hands surrounded mine and she dug her nails into my skin.
I leaned my face close to hers, “Did you fuck him?”
She stopped fighting me. “No,” she cried.
My grip loosened.
She pushed at my shoulders with both of her hands. “Jesus Osi, what kind of person do you think I am?”
I answered sarcastically. “I don’t know Ramsay. The kind of bitch who goes out with other men?”
She swung at me. Of course she telegraphed the move and I wrapped my hand around her wrist and used her momentum to turn her so that she was face first into the wall. I leaned into her with my body’s weight. “You don’t want to do that.” I said against her ear.
She tried to get free but her one hundred and maybe ten pounds were no match for me.
I continued when she grew tired of trying to push me off. “Did you want to see if his mouth on you got you wet like mine does?” I licked at line from her collar bone to her ear. “Did you really think that that white boy would be able to play the games you like so much?” I gripped her wrists and pulled them over her head. Her wrists were so small that I could hold them both in one hand.
She moaned and pushed her ass back into me.
“Would he be able to make you come on command?” I used my other hand to wrench her head to the side so that I could kiss her mouth brutally.
She responded immediately. No matter how angry we were, the sexual chemistry between us was off of the charts. She returned my kiss and her body relaxed, her ass against my hard cock.
“Tell me Ramsay,” I urged. “Is that what you thought?” I whipped her around so that she was now facing me but her hands were still suspended over her head.
“I don’t know,” she cried. Her chest was heaving and her eyes were wild.
“Oh, I think you know.” I told her menacingly.
“I just...” she closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. “It was too much.” She sobbed. “You know Osi. I told you.”
A part of my brain recognized what she was sayin but seeing her like this. Her arms over her head, those dainty wrists in my hand with her breasts heaving. Another part of my brain took over. I lifted her wrists higher and she moaned.
She undulated her hips and moaned again but this time in need. “No. All right. No, he couldn’t have done this to me.”
“Damn straight.” I grumbled and then kissed her again. I gripped the bottom of the sweatshirt and ripped it over her head, releasing her wrists. Her bare breasts called to me and I palmed one and bent to take the hard nipple into my mouth.
Her hands went to my shoulders. “Oh God, please Osi. Please.” She begged.
I let go of her and backed away from her until the back of my thighs hit the side of the bed. I sat down and commanded. “Strip Ramsay.”
She was still standing against the wall. She was breathing hard but her eyes were on me. They were big and it seemed like I couldn’t see any green only the dark pupils. Her hands went to the waist of her pants and she pushed them down her hips along with her panties. She kicked them off of her feet and looked at me.
I nodded at her feet. I wanted her completely naked.
She bent her knee and pulled off first one sock and then the other.
“Now walk to me slowly.” I wanted to watch her tits sway with each step. She had implants so they were full and high.
She did so with her head held high but her eyes never left my face. She stopped in front of me.
“Kneel.” I widened my knees.
She dropped gracefully to her knees.
“My jeans.” Yeah, she knew what to do. Soon her hot mouth was one me and I was fucking her mouth while her hands were linked behind her back.
I had gathered her silky hair and had it wrapped around my hand. I pulled her head back hard.
She made a sound deep in her throat.
I pushed her back onto her heels and stood. I pulled my shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor then I unzipped my boots and gave her a commanding look.
She pulled off the right boot and then my sock, followed by the left.
I then stood and kicked off my jeans.
Ramsay stayed on her knees watching me silently. I knew that she was into the scene because her nipples were hard and her cheeks were pink.
“Get on the bed, all fours.”
This time she didn’t move as gracefully. I held out my hand to assist her. She was a little shaky. After she got into position, I shoved her down to her elbows by placing the palm of my hand between her shoulder blades. I then slapped one ass cheek and then the other. I didn’t pause to admire my palm print on her pale skin.
The sound of her breath catching in her throat was music to my ears. She knew better than to complain. “Don’t move.” I ordered as I stepped away from her and dug out my wallet from my jeans pocket. I pulled out the foil packet. I moved back to her. “I had to get a condom. Do you know why Ramsay?” I asked menacingly. “Because you chose to go out with another man.”
She twisted her upper body to see me. “No Osi. I didn’t do anything with him.”
I tore the packet open and pulled out the latex cover. “That’s what you say this time but how do I know if this was the only time. Huh?” I covered my cock. “I have to protect myself.”
“No Osi, no. I swear.” She sounded panicked.
I ran my hand over her hip gently as she flinched but didn’t move away. “Right now, I don’t believe you.” My finger slid between her bare lips and she was soaked. I could see that her inner thighs were wet from her excitement. “And God help me, it’s not going to stop me from fucking you.”
“Please,” she begged.
I don’t know what for exactly but I used my hand to guide my cock into her slowly. When I was in all of the way, filling her I gripped her slender hips and then I fucked her.
She came twice and when I was done she was lying face down on the bed with one leg curled under her haphazardly. I stared at her for a moment and then walked to the bathroom. I disposed of the condom and cleaned up. I got dressed.
When I sat on the edge of the bed to put on my socks and boots she asked, “What are you doing?”
“Leaving.” I zipped up one boot.
She rolled to her side so she could face me. “Osi please. I went to dinner that was all.” She sounded like she was going to cry.
I continued putting on my sock and boot. I stood without looking at her. I grabbed my jacket and pulled it on.
“Osi,” there was an urgency to her tone.
I stopped my walk to the room’s door. I didn’t turn around. “I believe you about not sleeping with that guy but what I’m having trouble with is that you were even there.”
“I messed up. Okay? I was scared and I made a mistake.” She sounded like she was now crying.
“Ramsay if you were in this, you’d talk to me. You’d tell me that you were scared. You wouldn’t turn to another man.” I turned around to face her.
She was on her knees with tears falling down her face.
“Do you get me?”
“Pu..Pulease.” She held out her hand.
I left.