Olivia
Two things were going through Olivia’s head the moment she read Isaiah’s text asking why Elton was inspecting her van. One, she’d have to come clean about Elton showing up every now and again to check up on her. Two, did she keep this to herself again and hope that by chance this subject wasn’t discussed in front of Lorenzo today or should she just bring it up before he had a chance to?
The thought had crossed her mind when Lorenzo first mentioned he’d be playing a round of golf with Romero and Sal today. Then it did again when Isaiah told her at the last minute that Lorenzo had invited him. Isaiah had the day off, and even though he sucked at golf, he figured it was as good a time as any to catch up with his cousin. He’d also smirked and teased, “Might be a good chance to get to know this boyfriend of yours a little better too. See if he has the potential to be good enough for my sister. Some day.”
Olivia had smiled smugly. She knew all her siblings were as thoroughly impressed with Lorenzo as she was. She’d seen the expressions on their faces when she explained how, not only had he served his full term in the Air Force as a pilot, he was now part owner of the gun range and firearms training place they’d actually frequented a few times. Still, she knew all that stuff came in a far second in her brothers’ list of priorities when it came to the most important thing about anyone dating their sister. This boyfriend of hers better treat her right. So far she could smile just as smugly about that as well.
She kept her response to her brother’s text simple, making Elton’s stop by to see her sound as insignificant as possible. His response was to ask if she was home. When she informed him that she was, his next response was “I’m on my way. We’ll talk when I get there.”
Her only hope was that they’d get their talk over with before Lorenzo got there. Lorenzo had also texted her to tell her he was stopping at home first to change then he’d pick her up. Luckily, Isaiah wasted no time getting right to it the moment he stepped into the kitchen.
Of course, Nathan would be right there making himself a sandwich when Isaiah walked in.
“So Hollingsworth’s your silent partner?” he asked, putting his keys down on the counter. “You said it was just a loan. That you wouldn’t have to deal with his ass at all. Now he’s showing up to check up on you?”
“He does that with all his clients,” she explained as Nathan eyed her with a murderous glare. “It only happens once in a great while and only if he happens to be in the area.”
“Has he made you anymore propositions?” Nathan asked, already wearing his “don’t lie to me” face.
What she’d already told them was stretching the truth enough. Elton dropping in on her was happening far more than once in a great while. Olivia had never been a good liar, so she decided to come clean about one thing. “No, he did happen to come by around lunch time, and he asked if I’d eaten. I said ‘no’ and he said he’d buy me lunch.” She held her hand up because both her brothers looked ready to spit. “We had tacos from a taco truck up the street, standing outside by their makeshift eating area. It was hardly anything that would be considered romantic or inappropriate. I had a client I had to see in fifteen minutes, so our lunch was over in less than that.”
“Livi, all a guy like that needs is a little encouragement,” Isaiah’s warning was a bit exasperated. “Anything, even going along with having a quick lunch with him will have him thinking he stands a chance.”
“It was a business lunch,” she insisted. “An informal business lunch. We talked about nothing else but how things were going with the van and my clients.”
This was the truth. Though she knew it was only because they hadn’t had much time to dabble into anything personal. But their conversations always did. This was also the same reason why Olivia hadn’t mentioned her new boyfriend to Elton. It wasn’t just the way her brothers were both glowering at her that told her this wasn’t going to fly anymore. She knew without a doubt that Lorenzo knew since Isaiah questioned about her silent partner. It was clear they’d talked about it. Lorenzo was the only one she’d ever referred to Elton as a silent partner to. She was just surprised Lorenzo hadn’t mentioned it in their texts.
Nathan was about to say something when Isaiah held his hand up at him. “Look,” Isaiah started. “We know you’re an adult and we can’t and won’t”—he gave Nathan a stern look—“be policing who you can and can’t have lunch with or even hang out with. It’s just that you said it yourself, Livi. Before he ever propositioned you, you said he was creepy. You’re the one who mentioned he made you uncomfortable. That was your gut telling you to be on alert, and that gut feeling was spot on, wasn’t it?”
Olivia nodded, a little irritated with herself for ever having mentioned that to them in the first place. But as creepy as she thought Elton back then, she never would’ve imagined him proposing what he had.
“Now as adults, Sis,” Isaiah went on in a noticeably calmer tone, “you and I both know what his proposition was code for. He basically asked you to sleep with him in exchange for money. The money you owed him. This is the only reason it pisses us off that he’s still sniffing around you.”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed adamantly. “I don’t care how old you are, Liv. You’re still my baby sister, and if I find out that asshole’s disrespecting you or making you uncomfortable in any way, I’m going after him.”
Isaiah and Olivia both gave him a look though it worried Olivia more than she could tell it exasperated Isaiah. They all knew that was the last thing Nathan should be thinking. Nathan already had assault charges they were trying to get expunged from his record.
“Don’t worry,” she said, trying to sound as comforting as possible. “I won’t let him disrespect me, and he didn’t do or say anything to make me uncomfortable this time.”
“I take it you haven’t told your boyfriend everything about this guy, have you?” Isaiah asked, coming around the kitchen island and opening the fridge. “He seemed pretty relaxed about it when the subject of Hollingsworth stopping by to do an inspection came up. Something tells me that guy wouldn’t be so cool about that if he knew the whole story.”
Raising her chin a bit, she admitted the truth. “I didn’t see a point in telling him the whole story. It might upset him for no reason.”
“Might?” Nathan laughed. “If it were my girl, I’d be pissed!”
“You know I hate to agree with this guy when it comes to anything,” Isaiah said with a smirk as he poured himself some orange juice. “But I’m with him, Livi. Enzo seems like a cool dude. I like him for you.”
Nathan’s face soured a bit and he shrugged. His verdict wasn’t quite in yet. Olivia reached out and rubbed her brother’s big arm teasingly. “You know you like him,” she whispered.
Nathan rolled his eyes as Isaiah continued. “I may not know a whole lot about your boyfriend, but I do know one thing just by the way he looks at you. The guy’s crazy about you. Any guy crazy about his girl is not gonna want someone like creepy Hollingsworth sniffing around her.”
It was silly, but hearing her brother say Lorenzo was crazy about her made her a bit giddy. Though she knew what he was saying about Lorenzo being pissed was very likely true. Now that she knew she’d have to talk to Lorenzo about this, it made her nervous.
Nathan finished chewing but brought his fist over his mouth anyway when he spoke. “Hell, even if I wasn’t crazy about my girl, it’s the principle that matters. If she’s my girl, then she’s fucking off limits to other guys making social visits at her job and asking her out to lunch. C’mon, Liv, we all know what this guy’s up to. A simple text or email could get him the info he’s supposedly just dropping by to check on. It’s bullshit.”
Olivia agreed with her brothers that it was odd. Though she knew it was more than odd. The whole time Elton had talked to her he’d stare and smiled at her in that way she just knew he was waiting for her to ask what was on his mind. Of course she refused to, but she hadn’t been completely honest with her brothers about something else. Elton did make her uncomfortable. He always had. That’s why she’d been compelled to mention it way back when she was still in training. The way he ogled and smiled at her back then was just off-putting. She should’ve known her brothers would never forget her mentioning it.
By the time Lorenzo picked Olivia up, she was a nervous wreck. She wondered just how he’d bring it up, if at all. Given what Isaiah said about Lorenzo being relaxed about it, halfway through their night out she was tempted to not bring it up at all.
Olivia reasoned that his not bringing it up was indicative of how he felt about this non-issue. Then she had a scarier thought. Maybe he was just waiting to see if she’d offer up an explanation before he had to ask for one—test how forthcoming she really was. Yet he’d been in a cheery and playful enough mood all night.
Obviously they couldn’t talk about it during the movie, and before the movie there wasn’t enough time. Just as they sat at the frozen yogurt shop, digging into her second scoop of yogurt, he asked her something that made her swallow her spoonful all at once, resulting in major brain freeze.
“Did your brother tell you?” She stared at him, pinching her brows together in pain, and he tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Brain freeze,” she explained, touching her fingers to the crease in between her eyes.
His expression morphed from confusion to amused sympathy. “Want me to get you coffee?” he smirked.
“No,” she said with a pained but equally amused smirk.
The brain freeze ceased slowly, but his question still loomed. Mad at herself for not having brought it up first, she was relieved to hear him say Isaiah had invited him over the next day for the Cowboys-Raiders game. She smiled big for two reasons. First of all, she was glad her brothers, who could be ornery when it came to any guys around her or Emi, seemed to have taken a liking to Lorenzo, even if Nathan wouldn’t admit it just yet. Second, and most importantly, she was smiling in relief because his question hadn’t been about Elton. That’s when she decided to stop stalling before it was too late.
“So I didn’t mention it to Isaiah because I didn’t even think about it until later,” Lorenzo said with that twinkle in his eyes. Just another thing that made her sigh when gazing at him. “But do you think it would be okay if I invited Vince and Rosie over tomorrow too? This way I’d have at least two more Raiders fans cheering with me amongst the onslaught of Cowboy fans.”
Olivia laughed. “Two more? Vince hasn’t turned Rose to the dark side yet.”
“I was talking about Ruby.” He laughed, wiping his mouth. “We’ll get Rosie to turn soon enough, but Ruby was born a Raiders fan.”
Olivia nodded, assuring him that’d be more than fine, as she took another much smaller spoonful of her yogurt. The moment she was done savoring it, she went for it. “I meant to tell you,” she started, shaking off the fact that this wasn’t entirely true, “Elton stopped by the other day while I was working.”
It wasn’t what she’d call a frown or even an annoyed expression, but he knew. Olivia saw it in his eyes. His attempt to not let his playful smile flat line instantly was her first hint. It just slowly waned until he was staring at her with more of a curious expression than an annoyed one. But she could see it in his eyes. He had been waiting for this. Without comment, he waited for her to go on, but the intense emotion in his eyes, despite his attempt to appear calm—relaxed—made her want to kick herself.
In the last few weeks with him, she’d gotten to know him pretty well. She should’ve known better than to lie even if only by omission. The moment she said it, she could tell he knew she’d never once meant to tell him about this but she was doing so now only because she had to.
Clearing her throat, she moved her spoon around in her yogurt cup and glanced down at it. “He does that every now and then just to check in and see how things are going.”
“To inspect your van?” he asked, taking another spoonful of his yogurt but still staring her straight in the eyes.
“Well, not really inspect.” She smiled, trying to make light of it. “He just comes in, gives it a once-over, and just makes sure everything is running smoothly. Usually when I happen to be in his area.”
Lorenzo continued to stare at her even as he licked his spoon clean without saying a word. He knew there was more.
Without giving into the incredible unease she was suddenly feeling, she sat up straight and continued. She’d done nothing wrong, and nobody, not her brothers nor Lorenzo, was going to make her feel as if she had.
“So if it happens to be around lunch time or something, and he happens to catch me right around the time I’m finishing up like he did the other day, sometimes we grab lunch.”
Just as Nathan predicted, Lorenzo was not happy about this.
“Really?” he asked, sitting back in his chair in an apparent show that his interest was no longer on the yogurt. “So where’d you have lunch with him?”
“Taco truck up the street,” she said indifferently. “I barely had time to grab something before my next client.”
“But if you’d had time—?”
“No. I always say I don’t have time.”
“You said he has access to your schedule.”
“My schedule changes all the time,” she blurted out and began talking way too fast. “People cancel last minute, and I don’t even get a chance to update it in my calendar. Sometimes I make phone calls to people who were hoping to get their dogs in sooner and let them know I have an opening. He can’t know every minute of my schedule—”
“Liv,” Lorenzo said, sitting up suddenly, and reached for her arm, but he seemed more concerned than annoyed. “Why are you getting so nervous?”
“I’m not,” she said, failing miserably at sounding convincing.
“It’s okay,” he said, slipping his fingers through hers on the table. “So you had lunch with the guy. It’s not a big deal. I’m glad you told me. I just don’t like how nervous it made you. I hope this isn’t because of my warnings about me not wanting to deal with your ex. I mean, yeah, I don’t want to deal with any guy trying to pull a fast one on my girl. But business is business. I know all about business lunches. I’m not gonna flip out over something so—”
“My brothers hate him.”
The words flew out without thought. Or maybe not, because saying it made her feel an enormous relief. Maybe deep inside she’d known all along she should just tell him the truth. From the beginning when he’d made his stance on the other men in her life so clear, the thought of Elton ever being an issue had buzzed around her brain like an annoying mosquito. If she was going to tell him about the guy, she was telling him everything.
Lorenzo’s brows were already slightly pinched, but he didn’t look mad, just curious. “Yeah, I sort of got that from Isaiah today. Why is that?”
Not wanting to take too deep of a breath and show him how much she was dreading this, she inhaled and exhaled softly and began.
“Elton is older but not as old as you would think since he owns such a big company that’s been in business for so many years.”
Olivia paused to take another small spoonful of her yogurt. Mostly she needed a moment to study his expression to decide if it was a good idea to tell him everything or maybe she should give him a watered down version instead. He didn’t appear to be angry yet, so she went on.
“He inherited the business from his mom. I don’t know for sure, but I’d say he’s in his mid-to-late thirties?” She shrugged. “Anyway, most of his clients start off by taking the grooming course at his main grooming store. Once you’re certified, it’s up to you to go get as much experience as you can, and then when you’re ready, you could go anywhere really. Many options are available, but if you’re gonna go the mobile route, then your best bet is to go through him because he’s the best deal out there. Trust me. I did my research.”
Lorenzo sat forward, bringing his elbows to the table, lacing his own fingers together in front of him, and resting his chin on his hands. Either he was finding this fascinating or he wanted to make sure he didn’t misunderstand a single thing. Of course, this only unnerved her further, but she stood her ground, speaking confidently without doing the blurting thing again.
She explained that Elton wasn’t a groomer and doesn’t know much about pets or even dealing with customers—clients. When his mom was alive, he just handled all the back end stuff: the accounting, payroll, inventory, taxes, etc.
“So when he’d come in to check on the trainees, it was kind of creepy. She lifted and dropped a shoulder. “I didn’t understand what he was doing in there, and since he didn’t actually do any grooming himself, what could he be checking up on? At first, it was just once or twice a week, but after a while, it was more like three to four times. And he always came by my training area to chat. It made me uncomfortable, and I happened to mention this to my brothers. Then one day Elton called me into his office.”
Lorenzo’s brow was suddenly up, but Olivia refused to start fumbling her words or start speed talking. So she took in what she hoped was an unnoticed deep breath and went on.
“I’d only paid my down payment on the tuition at that point, so I still owed a big chunk. He said he could work out a deal where I wouldn’t have to pay the whole amount or he could even sponsor the rest of the amount.”
The curiosity in Lorenzo’s eyes was replaced with that deep intensity, and he sat back a little but not all the way, crossing his arms in front of him. Still he said nothing. He just waited, his heavy silence foreboding.
“Basically, he invited me to do things with him. He has a yacht he said he wanted to take me out on, and a cozy mountain cabin by a lake he mentioned was almost three hours away, so it’d likely be an overnight trip. He said he didn’t have many friends and he’d be willing to overlook my fees in exchange for—”
“Sex.”
It was the first word Lorenzo had said in a while, and it felt like an unexpected gush of cold air to the face.
“That’s not what he said,” Olivia responded immediately, realizing how naïve that sounded, but she went on. “I know what he was implying. I’m not stupid. Yes, he wanted more than just a friendship, but he never said it outright, nor was he rude, disrespectful, or even pushy about it. And for the record, I never once considered taking him up on the offer. But Nathan overheard me telling Margie about it on the phone one night. Predictably and why I never planned on telling them in the first place, he was livid.”
“Did he have reason to be, Liv?” Lorenzo asked in a strange tone.
Quiet for a moment she thought about her answer before just responding, “I can see why he would be.” She stared him down but continued with resolve. “But my brothers know me. I’d never agree to something like that. They just think Elton is full of shit with his subtle invitations, and that’s what irritates them, but they know he’s harmless.”
She went on to explain about the money her father left them. How Isaiah and Nathan were both adamant that she use the money to pay off the van in full so she’d be rid of Elton and how upset they were when she took the loan instead. But she also explained why it was important to her that she didn’t use all the money.
“In the meantime, he is technically part owner. So I do have a business relationship with him. I’ll be done paying him in about a year, and then I’ll be done with him for good.”
There. She told him everything, and just like her brothers, Lorenzo would just have to accept that she was a grown woman entitled to make her own decisions and he’d have to respect them.
The brow was still up and admittedly it made her nervous, not because she was threatened by him in any way nor because she didn’t think she’d have it in her to stand her ground if she had to. Olivia just didn’t want this to become an argument. They’d had such a nice evening tonight, and she’d hate for it to be ruined because of Elton.
“So let me get this straight,” he said in an ominous tone that immediately made her tense. “This guy, who’s made you uncomfortable since day one, basically offered to overlook your tuition in exchange for sex.” She began to stupidly protest when he went on, his voice a touch more potent. “He never said it outright because he’d be stupid to, Liv. It’s a form of sexual harassment, and the guy has to know it. Our trainers are required to watch training videos regarding sexual harassment because that’s some touchy shit, and this guy probably knows it better than anyone. It’s exactly what he did, and if he’s still showing up unannounced, acting like he has every right . . .” He stopped as his brows pinched further together. “I take it he doesn’t call beforehand to ask if it’s okay, does he?”
“No,” she said immediately. “If he did, I’d likely say anything to avoid him stopping by.”
“So he makes you that uncomfortable, yet you still insist he’s harmless?”
“It’s not that I feel threatened in any way. I’d just prefer not to hang out with him.”
“You don’t have to, babe.” Lorenzo sat up. “See that shit right there is what sexual harassment is all about. You think you have to in order to keep things cordial. Your brothers are absolutely right. This is bullshit. It’s not right and I don’t like it.”
Before he could get further worked up—she could already hear it in the slow but undeniable rise in his voice—she reached out and touched his arm.
“It is bullshit,” she agreed without arguing not just to soothe him but because he was absolutely right. “And I don’t like it either. I’d been thinking about it anyway, but now that you and my brothers are aware of his dropping by occasionally, I will be talking to Elton about it.”
“I can talk to him for you,” he said as serious as ever.
Even though he was staring at her with his signature sexy but intense stare and didn’t so much as crack a smile, Olivia smirked. “No need for that. Trust me. Nathan offered to do the same, but it doesn’t have to be that big a thing. I won’t wait for him to drop by again. I’ll just shoot him a text or something maybe tomorrow.”
For a moment, that seemed to satisfy Lorenzo, but then he noted her phone on the table. “Why tomorrow? Why not now?”
She had no answer for that except that it made her nervous that Elton might respond with something that might piss Lorenzo off, but she had the presence of mind to know her admitting that might only cause further suspicion. Because he was still scrutinizing her as if he were trying to read her thoughts, she picked up her phone.
“Okay,” she said, tapping her phone to unlock it.
As indifferent as she pretended to be, inwardly she was praying Elton wouldn’t be an idiot about this. No way would she be doing this if this were Jay she was texting. He’d purposely lay it on thick, especially if he suspected her new boyfriend might be nearby.
Staring at her screen, she thought about what she could say. It felt so out of the blue. She looked up at Lorenzo, who was still staring at her. “Outside of training and when he stops by I’ve never initiated any kind of contact with him,” she explained. “Even when I contacted him after over a year of being done with the initial training to ask about getting the mobile business started, I called the business line and spoke to a salesperson. It wasn’t even until I was locked into the loan and I guess he realized I was back that he called me to welcome me into the business.”
“Oh, well, if you feel weird about it,” he began, and for a nanosecond she actually thought he might say forget about it. That is until she saw him pull out his phone. “I don’t have a problem telling him myself. What’s his number?”
“No!” She laughed nervously as she began her text. “I got this. I’m just saying it feels so random.”
“Not really,” he said, putting his phone down on the table. “He just dropped by the other day, right? It’s not like he hasn’t in a long time and now you’re telling him not to.”
Olivia pressed her lips together as she concentrated on wording her text. When she was finally somewhat satisfied, she hit send. As random as this was, she was almost glad now about how obvious Elton was about the way he leered and smiled at her. He couldn’t deny that his visits weren’t completely business inspired.
Hey, Elton, this is a little awkward, so I’ll get straight to the point. Your unannounced visits to “check on me” at work feel a little inappropriate. They always have actually. After your latest visit, I spoke with my brothers and my boyfriend to get their opinion, and we’re all in agreement. I think it’s best and would appreciate if you understand my not wanting this to continue to happen.
Setting her phone down as naturally as ever, Olivia smiled at Lorenzo, doing her best to not appear as unnerved as this whole situation made her. “Done,” she said almost smugly.
Lorenzo had just begun to ask her what she’d said in the text when her phone rang. Instantly, she felt a chill in her spine when she saw the name on the screen. No way could she send Elton’s call to voicemail, not with Lorenzo watching her the way he was. So she answered as casually as possible.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” he said his voice full of concern. “I just read your text. I was going to text back but then thought it’d be better if I talked to you. Did I do or say anything to offend you?”
“No, no,” she said, feeling bad now. “Not at all. It’s just that, well, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to stop by. I spoke with a few of the other girls who are still paying their vans off, and they all said you’d never stopped by to check on them, so I just got to thinking that given . . . you know . . . your previous proposition and, um”—she glanced up at Lorenzo, whose eyes were glued to her, then back down at her yogurt—“your interest in more than just a business relationship, it’s better if the visits stop.”
Her speaking to the girls’ comment was kind of a bluff. She’d asked one girl whose route wasn’t too far from Elton and she’d said “no.” But that was it: no few others as she claimed.
Elton was silent, and it felt like the moment of truth. Either he took the high road and agreed to respect her wishes, or he said something inappropriate, disrespectful, or even rude. Whatever it was Lorenzo would know about it. There’d be no hiding or pretending for the sake of avoiding an argument. Hoping Lorenzo didn’t notice, Olivia held her breath.
“I see,” Elton said without dispute. “I thought maybe you enjoyed our chats as much as I did.”
“It’s not that I don’t,” Olivia explained cautiously. “But I’d hate for you to get the wrong idea. I am in a relationship now, and since your visits aren’t necessary, I’d prefer to avoid any future conflict with my boyfriend. He knows all about the, uh, proposal you previously offered me.”
Elton said he understood, and rather than prolonging the conversation like she thought he might, it almost felt as if he couldn’t get off the line with her fast enough. Glad that it was over, she hung up and gave Lorenzo her best “You see?” look as if she knew all along how smoothly that would go, when in fact she’d never had such an awkward conversation in her life.
“So he’s straight with that?” Lorenzo asked, peering at her as if he wasn’t completely convinced.
“Yes,” she said as Lorenzo reached for her hand, and she laced her fingers through his. “He said he understood and even apologized.”
Elton was actually a nice enough guy. Just not her type. At all. Clearly, a fine line existed between a sizzling stare that turned your legs into noodles and your insides to mush like Lorenzo’s and a drawn out uncomfortably lascivious leer that totally gives you the creeps. That’s exactly what Elton did, but one thing she could say with all certainty was that she’d never felt threatened by him. Uncomfortable, yes. He seemed a bit socially inept and probably why he was still single even in his mid-thirties. But that’s all there was to it.
Lorenzo brought her hand to his mouth, kissing each one of her knuckles slowly, and then smiled weirdly almost as if he were worried suddenly. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to be this tyrant boyfriend about every guy in your life.”
Olivia smiled, tilting her head as she watched him kiss the back of her hand again softly. “I wouldn’t put up with a tyrant. I did once upon a time, and trust me, I learned my lesson. Never again.”
“I do understand,” he said, regarding her solemnly, “that inevitably I’m going to have to deal with friends, clients, and business associates. I can be an adult about all that. I can try anyway.” He smiled sheepishly, making Olivia smile too. “But seriously,” he said, with a gentle squeeze to her hand. “Even with this guy, I was willing to deal with his inspections and you grabbing lunch with him once in a while. It’s just after you explained about his propositions, well, that just changed everything. You understand why, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said then decided, as long as she was being honest, she’d just admit the whole truth. “Lorenzo, I knew all along his visits weren’t entirely innocent and business-related.” The moment she saw something flicker in his eyes she went on a little faster. “I don’t mean anything ever happened or that aside from his initial proposition way back he’s done or said anything inappropriate ever. It’s just that I could see in his eyes his visits had an ulterior motive, but he was just so . . . painfully awkward, you know? I felt bad for him. But I had a feeling I’d eventually have to cut off his visits. And you know how that goes. The longer you put off having that uncomfortable conversation, the harder it gets to actually do it. I’m actually relieved though that it’s over and done.”
Lorenzo looked as if he were going to say something else but then decided against it. They finished their yogurt and headed back to his place. Once there they were quickly engaged in what slowly escalated to Olivia naked on all fours on his bed.
Once again, Lorenzo was taking her from behind, something that had since been established as one of his favorite positions. As he pounded into her, she felt his hands where she’d become accustomed to feeling them: one on her waist and the other on her ass, squeezing tightly.
“Damn, that drives me fucking nuts?” he said breathlessly.
“Me too,” she whispered, panting unabashedly.
His big strong hands holding her body and her ass so possessively felt strangely erotic. Olivia could hardly stand it. She loved how sweet, respectful, and absolutely gentle Lorenzo could be with her but at the same time make her feel like such a dirty girl when he wanted to. His dirty girl.
Suddenly he pulled out and teased her rim with the tip of his cock. Something he’d done a couple of times before and had left her breathless. She felt it begin to penetrate and unbelievably she was going to let him—wanted him to. Then she tensed up at the pain and he slowed. “Too soon,” he said, pulling out.
He slipped in her wetness again as she welcome him easily clenching around him eagerly. Their bodies slapped together loudly, their breathing and moaning getting louder until . . .
Their lovemaking was something she’d never get enough of. Even as she enjoyed the amazing pulsating climax, she held her ass up in the air, wanting him to drain into her completely. There was something so utterly intimate about what he’d almost done to her. She could never share that feeling with anyone: not her best friend, not her sister even when she got older, no one. It was something just between her and Lorenzo. When the time finally came for him to do it, she knew it would be amazing. Strangely, it was also something that in her heart of hearts she knew she’d never consider allowing anyone else to do. It was a matter of trust, and in all the years she’d gone back and forth with Jay, she’d never even come close to giving it any other thought than hell no.
Yet, with Lorenzo she’d begun to yearn for it. Yearn for anything that would make her feel that much closer to him.
When they finally collapsed on his bed, he kissed the side of her face softly over and over. Just as their breathing began to ease, he whispered against her ear, “I wanna ask you something, but I don’t want you getting embarrassed or feeling self-conscious.”
Olivia stared at him nervously. “Okay?”
Lorenzo touched her lips with his finger, tracing them all around slowly as he stared at them then glanced up at her eyes. “I think we can both agree you enjoy sex—no, your body craves sex—”
“It craves you,” she said, bringing her hand to his and stopping his finger mid trace of her lips.
His eyes darkened in that smoldering way that lit up her insides. This was a little embarrassing because if she had to admit it, though he probably already knew, the warmth between her legs wasn’t even completely done throbbing. Yet the very thought of him taking her again had her wet once again.
“Is that what it is?” he asked with a smile. “Because it’s what I was gonna ask. What have you done for the past two years? As much as you enjoy this, how did you hold out so long?”
Instantly, her face heated, and he smiled even bigger, laughing softly, and then pecked her a few times, caressing the cheeks she knew had to be warm. “Don’t be embarrassed. I can shamelessly admit that, even before I knew I’d ever be running into you again, I had to regularly adjust my crotch before standing up if the thought of that night with you so much as crossed my mind. But I’m seriously curious,” he said, searching her eyes.
It wasn’t a look of disbelief or even a suspicion that maybe she hadn’t gone as long as she claimed. He appeared genuinely curious. She could lie or just shrug and say she’d never been the type to just go out and search for casual sex. They’d been through this before. But she vowed to be honest no matter how uncomfortable it might get because it was worse if she tripped on her lies later.