Disappointment.

That was the only word I could use to describe how I felt leaving my hotel suite without screwing Orlando, leaving the car without talking to Orlando, leaving Orlando’s presence, period. I mean, first the man didn’t want to fuck me, and now he didn’t even want to be around me?

Was I really that bad? Or was he really just that… aloof?

But he also kissed you, though.

Honestly, the shit was confusing which meant my arrival at the lounge was right on time since I needed a distraction and I really needed a damn drink. The security guard must’ve been alerted by Kelvin and Maxwell to be prepared for my arrival since he swooped right in to escort me inside the second Orlando dropped me off. Then he led me to a section that Kelvin, his wife Tiana, and his sister-in-law Nori were already occupying, just the sight of them making me smile knowing it had been far too long since the last time I’d seen them all at once.

Nori was the first to notice me and she smiled just as wide as I already was, quickly pulling me into a hug as I teased, “Well if it isn’t Mrs. Pleasures-R-Us herself.”

My acknowledgment of the family-owned high-end sex toy company she worked for made her chuckle - probably because of the special orders I’d put in on several occasions since learning about it - when she replied, “Girl, don’t let my mama hear that. You know she’s the real queen around those parts and will wave a vibrator with her signature on it in your face if you don’t believe her.”

It sounded so aggressive. But in the single time I had met Nina Davis at Nori and Maxwell’s wedding, I knew it was true which was why I only nodded to agree before turning to hug the other recent addition to our family. “Tiana! It’s so good to see you, mama. I didn’t even know you’d be here.”

Returning the hug, she replied, “Me neither. But Granny Marie volunteered to watch the kids tonight so mama could come out and shake her ass a little bit.”

The little dance she did with it had Kelvin quick to smack her on the butt before he smirkingly teased, “Watch yourself, princess.” And the lusty look she gave him in response told me they’d definitely be putting in work towards child number three tonight if she kept at it.

It also gave me hope for my own love life because if Kelvin of all people could find love, anybody could. Not that my cousin was total trash. With the Watson name, he didn’t have it in him to be. But he’d done a hell of a lot of growing up since meeting Tiana, his transformation honestly admirable in a way that had me grinning hard when I told him, “Boy, leave her alone and come give me a hug.”

With a grin of his own, he pulled me into a hug, squeezing hard enough to crack my back as he said, “Happy you made it to town, cuz.”

“So happy you sent a driver to pick me up instead of coming to get me yourself?” I challenged with a side eye that might’ve been even stronger than he deserved since his appointed driver was currently giving me mixed signals.

But considering that part of the game wasn’t his fault, I couldn’t really hold it against him, even when he teased, “I know you like to roll exclusive now, Box Office Bae.”

“Oh, whatever,” I squealed with a smack to his arm and a giggle, looking around the area before I asked, “Where’s Maxwell?”

As if my question had triggered him, Kelvin left us to go get his brother while Nori tossed a hand in the same direction and answered, “He’s up in his office being a loser and actually getting work done like he doesn’t have a special guest in the building.”

I was quick to brush her off with another giggle. “Oh, stop it. I’m no one’s special guest.”

Of course, Nori only upped the ante. “Girl, what? Wearing the hell out of that dress like you are right now? You gotta be special.”

Her mention of my dress made me blush a little bit, reminded of how cute Orlando was when he tried not to touch me in it even though he very well could have; very well should have.

But… respectability and all that, right?

Still, there was no ignoring the butterflies I felt in my belly from him just admiring me from behind through the mirror. And that giddy feeling came out through my words when I sighed, “Actually… this was Orlando’s pick.”

Tiana’s eyes went wide as she repeated, “Orlando? My Orlando? My barber, Orlando?”

“He’s a barber? I thought he was just the driver?” I asked, realizing that I must not have gotten as deep into his business as I thought I had.

Shaking her head, Tiana explained, “Nah, driving is just something he does on the side. He cuts hair in my shop full-time.”

“So, wait. He works for both of y’all? This nigga is practically family, and I just…”

Nori’s burst of laughter stopped me from curling into a ball of shame. But it didn’t take me long to realize it was only so she could roll me into that ball herself once she said, “Girl, you’ve been in town for like, two seconds. And you know I’m the last person to judge you, but I’m also the first person to be curious about how y’all got down that fast!”

“We didn’t!” I defended, quieting down to continue, “I mean, it was just a kiss, but… I was ready. I’m still ready.”

It annoyed me to no end how badly I wanted Orlando considering he had pretty much hit me with his own special version of Future’s, “I’m good, luv. Enjoy.” But the potency of his big dick energy in combination with the kiss he gave me after I’d only playfully kissed him first left me craving so much more.

Thankfully, Tiana was on my side when she handed me a drink and insisted, “As you should be, cause he’s definitely fine and he’s definitely not family.”

Now that I knew she agreed, I felt comfortable doubling down on my attraction to him, taking a sip before I spilled, “He’s so fuckin’ fine, y’all. The worst kind of fine. Like, mysterious, total gentleman but also lowkey thug fine.”

Tiana was quick to correct, “Uhhh… not lowkey at all. I pulled that man straight from the hood, and probably saved his life in the process.”

Again, I realized I hadn’t probed enough into Orlando’s very real past life when I asked her, “It was that bad, huh?”

“He was just… involved. Connected. It’s what he was born into, you know. But when I saw his haircuts on Instagram, I knew I had to have him in the shop. He’s wicked talented with a pair of clippers.”

“And probably just as wicked with the d-i-ickkkk,” Nori sang, giving me a much-needed laugh as Tiana squealed, “Nori!”

Unsurprisingly unfazed, Nori replied, “What? Sis, you know he looks like the type who will call you pretty as fuck or some thug shit like that, and the next thing you know you have a whole dick down your throat. Thug dick.”

Tiana didn’t disagree, only groaned when she quietly defended, “He’s not a thug, Nori.”

While I could appreciate her trying to stick up for her employee, Nori was quick to call Tiana’s bluff. “You literally just said you pulled him straight from the hood and saved his life, though. So if he’s not a thug, that means your math ain’t mathin’, princess.”

With a roll of her eyes, Tiana redirected the conversation. “Anyway. What’s your move, Aspen? I mean, you’re only here for a few days, right?”

Nodding, I answered, “I have a red-eye to Atlanta on Saturday night.”

That was all Nori needed to hear, giving a toss of her hand as she said, “Oh, girl. That’s plenty of time to let Orlando thug you down.”

I couldn’t help but laugh again, though Tiana wasn’t nearly as entertained when she asked Nori, “Will you shut up? This is a serious matter! We need to help her.”

“We need to mind our own Watson boys-branded pussies and let Aspen do the same with Thuggy O,” Nori insisted, making me giggle against my glass when I took another sip of my drink as Kelvin rejoined us with Maxwell in tow.

Maxwell greeted me with a quick hug then made a beeline for his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and planting a kiss against her temple before he asked, “Baby, what you down here telling my cousin?”

Peeking up at him with a grin, she answered, “Fuck or be fucked. Very on-brand of me, huh?”

“And why I love you,” he gushed, this time going for a kiss on the lips that Nori chuckled against before he gave his attention back to me; notably in business mode by the way his voice changed a little when he asked, “Aspen, did Kelvin tell you anything about what we’re trying to do here?”

“I mean, he got me here tonight, but that’s about it.”

With a nod, he invited me to sit down with him and Kelvin in a nearby booth which was another tell-all sign that Maxwell was going into business mode; something I didn’t really understand since... what did business have to do with Thanksgiving?

Clasping his hands together, he answered the question I hadn’t spoken out loud. “Aight, so... basically we want you to host this little party for us on Friday. Here. At the lounge.”

“Wow. My first semi-extended trip home in forever and y’all are tryna put me to work?” I asked, legitimately annoyed since I wasn’t supposed to be doing anything work-related for the next few days; had come home for that exact reason.

Of course, Kelvin tried to play good cop when he reasoned, “Come on, cuz. We’ll pay you a more than fair rate for your time. And you’ll be getting paid for something you’d probably be doing regardless.”

He had a point. Considering a huge part of coming home was to be spending time with family and these two were more like brothers than cousins to me, the chances of me ending up at The Max on Friday night were pretty high. Still, the fact that they were not only propositioning me but propositioning me at the last minute had me doing a quick brainstorm of ways to make this truly worth my time, deciding on the only thing that made sense.

“I want a cut of bar sales too.”

“What?” they asked in unison.

Serving them the smile that got me cast on a consistent basis, I replied, “Bar sales. If I’m here, if my name is attached to this, that means the lounge will be poppin’ which also means the drinks will be flowing. I want a percentage on top of my hourly hosting fee.”

I hadn’t even noticed that Nori and Tiana had joined us until Nori said, “Whoa. Sis is really about her coin. I think I might actually be a little turned on right now.”

With a roll of his eyes, Maxwell insisted, “I talk numbers to you all the time, babe.”

While Nori gave her husband an, “Eh” look in response as if his version didn’t give her the same high she got from listening to us go back and forth, Kelvin was quick to clown, “All I remember is her talking you into some bullshit ass rental fee back ***.”

Shaking both of them off, Maxwell groaned, “Anyway. I’m willing to negotiate a small percentage of bar sales in addition to your hourly rate.”

Now that all eyes were on me with the girls silently rooting me on from the sidelines, I was really in my bag, glancing at my fingernails when I told him, “I can work with small. But if it’s really as small as you just emphasized, you can save it, Maxwell. I’m not going any lower than fifteen percent.”

Maxwell was obviously peeved by my number, letting off a grunt as Kelvin urged, “Just give her the cut she wants, bro. Ain’t like we won’t be able to afford it with the crowd her name will draw.”

“But we’re already paying for her accommodations at the hotel and to have Orlando on call,” Maxwell reasoned, a fact I took great joy in responding to when I chimed in, “Neither of which I asked for. Oops. Y’all bad.”

While Nori and Tiana giggled in the background, Kelvin and Maxwell did a quick little huddle, whispering back and forth between each other before Maxwell finally agreed, “Alright, fine. You got a deal.”

“Nice doing business with you, cousin,” I told him with a slick smirk, shaking his hand as his wife turned into my personal hypewoman.

Grabbing my shoulders, she cheered, “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about! Get that money, Aspen. Run his pockets. Shake them empty. Know your worth.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in response, especially once I saw the annoyed look on Maxwell’s face as he poured himself a stiff drink. And while his attitude only had Nori getting ready to offer drinks all around on her husband’s behalf, I faked a yawn before I told her, “Actually, it’s been a pretty long day. I think I’m ready to go back to the hotel now.”

“You mean, ready to go get thugged down by Orlando?” Tiana asked, giving Nori a wink and a shoulder bump as Kelvin repeated, “Thugged down? Orlando? What’s that all about?”

“Nothing,” they sang in unison, their little giggles that followed telling him it was definitely something as he pulled out his phone.

“Mmhm. Y’all ain’t slick. I’ll shoot him a text and let him know you’re ready to get picked up. Or to get… thugged down.”

Nori and Tiana bursted with laughter as I downed the last of my drink and groaned, “Don’t you start, Kelvin...”

I sat my glass to the side as he sent the text while sharing, “Nah, Orlando is cool peoples. Quiet, but chill. A real nigga, no doubt. If he’s your type, he’s a good look, cuz.”

While I fully believed everything he had said, I could only sigh when I replied, “Well thanks for your vote of confidence on something that’s not even happening.”

Nori frowned, sipping from her own glass before she asked, “Why not, Aspen? Ja Rule said it best. Every thug needs a lady. And I know there’s gotta be, at least, a few down ass bitch bones in that little body of yours.”

“Down ass bitch bones,” Tiana repeated, her and Kelvin sharing in a hearty laugh at my expense as I rolled my eyes in a pout.

“I am so glad y’all think this is funny. It’s the perfect reminder for why I don’t come home often.”

I was only playing with them since my crazy schedule was the real reason behind that fact. Still, Kelvin had no problem challenging, “Nah, it’s exactly why you came home. Where else can you experience a premium roast session like this, Ashy Aspen? Nowhere but here. With family.”

He pulled me into a shoulder hug that I pretended to fight against but eventually sank into, knowing he was right. And as we waited for Orlando to show up, I got a chance to get a little roasting in myself, reminding Tiana of her cougar status and jabbing Kelvin for marrying a grandma, then catching Maxwell with something like a stray bullet of a joke when I asked Nori what it was like getting used to his little size compared to her mother’s toys.

By the time Orlando showed up, I had forgotten he was even on the way. But regardless of how much I thought I wanted to stick around the lounge a little while longer, the real ass yawn that came out told me it was best to save my energy for the rest of my time here, giving everyone a hug before the security guard escorted me outside to Orlando’s Cadillac.

To my surprise, he was already standing on the sidewalk with the passenger door open; something I was sure to comment on when I approached him and asked, “How do you know I wanna sit in the front seat?”

“I’m not exactly asking you, Aspen,” he replied with an arrogant smirk that was too damn sexy for me to even fight him on as he shut the door behind me.

Ugh.

I managed to not look at him once he climbed in on his side even though his presence dominated the car - dominated me. His clothes were the same, but his enticing masculine scent seemed more potent than before. Or maybe me and my womanly parts were just more aware. Either way, it was a struggle to stay fake mad at him with him smelling so delicious and having the looks to match.

But I wasn’t going to look at him.

Nope, my attention was completely on the window which was the only reason I realized we weren’t going in the right direction. And after going a few more streets that only took us further away from our intended destination, I decided to speak up.

“Umm… I know you aren’t from here, but I’m pretty sure the hotel is back that way.”

“I know,” he replied shortly, continuing on the route as if I hadn’t just identified a problem.

In fact, his nonchalant reaction made me panic a bit, turning his way to ask, “Where the hell are you taking me, Orlando?”

Instead of answering my question, he chuckled, settling deeper into his seat as he insisted, “Just relax.”

Maybe if we were on different terms, I’d be able to relax. But the fact that he’d gone cold on me had me crossing my arms with a scowl to challenge, “How do I know you aren’t kidnapping me? And that I won’t call the cops?”

Chuckling again, he confidently replied, “You won’t. So just relax, little mama.” He even added a little pat to my bare knee that may or may not have made my kitty tingle once he let his hand stay there for the rest of the ride to… Jackie Robinson Park?

He pulled into the darker side of the parking lot - the side that used to be unofficially reserved for hotboxing and makeout sessions - and I felt myself having flashbacks of my high school days when Ashy Aspen would dream of some fine upperclassmen bringing her here for some hot and heavy… petting. But just like back then, I was stuck lusting over a guy who wasn’t even checking for me, even when the entire world was checking for me.

Ain’t that a bitch?

We sat in silence once Orlando turned off the car. And I was tempted to pull my phone out and request an Uber until he started, “After I dropped you off at The Max earlier, I came here to do some thinking about… why you might’ve kissed me, why I kissed you the way I did, why I was... psyching myself out of being worthy of your attention. And honestly, the shit feels stupid now; it felt stupid then. But I thought it was too late to change my mind and that I’d already missed my opportunity with you, so I was just… annoyed with myself, which came off as feeling a way towards you and I don’t want that shit to be confused. I…”

Before he could say anything more, I reached to pull his face towards mine over the center console, meeting him in the middle with a kiss against his perfectly-full lips that had me closing my eyes as he returned it with just the right amount of pressure. Then he unbuckled my seatbelt for me to get even closer, practically on my knees by the time I broke our kiss to whisper against his lips, “I understand.”

The air from his sigh of relief tickled my nose and the smile that came with it had me crawling across the center console to straddle his lap, a move that he was pleased with as his hands landed against my hips and mine wrapped around the back of his neck.

Staring into his eyes, I gave an important spiel of my own. “Believe it or not, I know how that feels. To wonder if you’re really good enough for someone, to not feel good enough. And honestly, that’s what this place reminds me of, even though not getting fucked in the backseat of somebody mama’s car probably worked out for me in the long run.”

The way his eyebrow piqued had me rushing to continue, “But... to make things clear, my attraction to you isn’t some fluke, Orlando. Your fine ass is more than worthy of my attention.”

“More than worthy, huh?” he asked, nipping my chin with a kiss that made me shudder in his lap. And when he went for another against my neck, I could only groan, “Mmhm…” as he nipped and sucked and kissed it with the expertise of a nigga who’d definitely been on the right side of the high school hot and heavy petting spectrum.

“How lucky,” I thought as I turned my head to find his lips with my own, my hands pressed against his cheeks as I wrestled my late-blooming tongue with his in a dance that already had the windows fogging up around us. But the extra heat only added to the moment, looking exactly how I always imagined it in my past. Except now, I was a grown ass woman with the sex drive to match which meant this little kissing shit wasn’t nearly enough.

I needed more.

I needed… him; inside of me as soon as I could get him there.

Sitting back against the steering wheel, I reached between us for the button of his jeans, getting it unfastened just as Orlando gushed, “Little mama, you wildin’.” But instead of responding with unnecessary words, I only doubled down on his claims when I yanked at his zipper and gave him a look to encourage his participation since that was honestly the most I could do from my position.

Thankfully, he had no problem finishing the job, lifting enough to get his jeans down towards his knees. Then he pushed the fabric of my dress into a bunch against my waist, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that I wasn’t wearing any panties as I did the honors of pulling his dick free from his boxers.

Big dick energy never lies.

It was so full and weighty in my hand, matching everything else about him as I teasingly asked, “This is all you have? Did you leave your real one at home?”

Chuckling, he lifted the center console, blindly sifting around for what I realized was a condom when he said, “You funny.” Then he handed it my way and instructed, “Take care of that for me.”

“My pleasure,” I gushed with a smirk, ripping the gold package with my teeth then sliding the condom onto his dick that I swear had gotten even harder in the few seconds it was out of my hand. But it only had me more eager to follow right behind the condom, lifting just enough to align us and sliding down on top of him with a long, throaty moan.

“Not enough for you?” he asked arrogantly, pumping into me with a single stroke that almost sent me through the roof with how quickly I tried to run away. But I suppose that was exactly what my ass deserved for playing around; receiving the best kind of punishment as I found my rhythm in the confines of his front seat with my hands pressed into his shoulders and his hands guiding my hips.

The windows grew foggier as I moaned with each descent, fighting against the burn in my thighs to take every inch of him I could. And when I caught myself getting lazy, Orlando greedily picked up the slack, driving into me from below with strokes that had me begging him not to stop as he groaned a strong, “Fuck, Aspen” right against my neck.

Yes.

Fuck Aspen.

The car had to be shaking under our weight with how hard we started going at each other, fucking away every bit of unworthiness as if we couldn’t get caught. But getting caught was the last thing on either of our minds; the first thing being fucking each other senseless and the second, riding the wave that had me biting into his thermal-covered shoulder so I wouldn’t scream as I came undone and had him exploding into the condom a few minutes after.

Resting in his lap with his dick still inside of me, my forehead was against his shoulder as I tried to catch my breath, giggling when he grunted through an aftershock that I might’ve encouraged with my own. And when I finally sat back, the ridiculously-sexy satisfied look on Orlando’s face under the bit of moonlight peeking through the fogged-up windows had me itching for a round two that deserved better than a car.

So before I could think myself out of it, I blurted, “Stay with me tonight.”

His eyebrow piqued, urging me to continue, “At the hotel. I want you to stay with me tonight, Orlando.”

For a second, he went quiet. And I worried that meant he was about to go cold again too. But then a very warm grin grew to his lips when he licked them and replied, “I almost missed out on you once by second-guessing myself. I’ll be damned if I let that shit happen again.”