“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Dee said as she sat down at the massive table. It was a large wood table covered in resin. The chairs were tall and towered half a foot over Dee’s head. It was just her, Ricardo, and Keisha sitting down for dinner even though Dee had seen a maid, a decorator, and two chefs bustling around the apartment that day. She didn’t mind getting another chance to have an intimate moment with Ricardo, however. She hoped Keisha would get the opportunity to warm up to him as well.
She felt guilty for throwing her daughter into this situation, but she knew that it would be the best thing to do in the long run. She’d be going to school soon and that would bring on all new expenses that Dee had to consider. She couldn’t share a room with Roman forever, either. Dee needed to get them out of that situation and this might be the only way possible.
Dee had heard the cook banging around in the kitchen all day, anticipating what they were going to be eating. She was excited to get to use the kitchen herself and wondered if that’d even be possible. Would these people be there every day? She had already run into a task she hadn’t been aware of before her arrival, the fitting, and wasn’t sure how busy her days would look. She wondered how Keisha would do with a nanny as well.
“Mushroom risotto is one of my favorite meals,” Ricardo explained.
“Oh, is that what’s on the menu? It smells amazing,” Dee responded. She hadn’t heard of that before and wasn’t sure what to expect. She was an adventurous eater, however, and was certainly excited to try something new.
“I hope you’re adjusting well,” Ricardo said to Keisha. She just looked down at her hands and then at her mom.
“It’s such a nice place, we’re excited, aren’t we?” Dee said to her daughter. Keisha shook her head. The chefs brought the food to the table, served each of them along with a side of Caesar salad, and filled their wine glasses, juice for Keisha.
“To a wonderful first dinner,” Ricardo said holding up his wine glass. Keisha held her juice cup up as well and the three cheered to the first dinner they would share together.
“Truffle?” he asked, holding out a large bottle of oil.
“Sure,” Dee responded even though she had no idea what was in the bottle. She poured herself a nice long drizzle, Ricardo giving her a bit of a strange look. She took a big bite, realizing she might have added a little too much extra flavor to the dish. She washed it down with her wine.
“I don’t think I like this,” Keisha said with a small voice as she poked at her plate. Keisha wasn’t too much of a picky eater, but the dish was a little hard for Dee to stomach, so she figured her three-year-old wasn’t the biggest fan either.
“This was made by Chef Antonio,” Ricardo explained. “He had his own television show, what do you mean you don’t like it?”
“She’s just a kid.” Dee laughed, seeing Ricardo get a little more offended than she’d assume.
“It tastes funny Mommy,” Keisha said to Dee.
“It’s OK honey, just eat your salad and drink your juice. We’ll find you a snack when we’re done,” Dee explained to her daughter.
“She’s fine, if she doesn’t learn to enjoy things now she’ll grow up with an unrefined pallet,” Ricardo said. Dee didn’t appreciate him stepping in to tell her what to do.
“Well, kids don’t always like all the finer things in life yet. Did you eat mushroom risotto when you were a kid?” Dee asked.
“Yes,” Ricardo responded coldly. He continued eating his dish quietly, sipping at his wine.
“Mommy I don’t like my seat can I sit on your lap?” Keisha asked her mom. The chair was even big for Dee, so she understood that her daughter didn’t want to sit at a table that she could barely see over. Dee was starting to realize that the apartment wasn’t very kid-friendly.
“Yeah baby come here,” Dee told her daughter. Keisha hopped off the side of the table and walked to her mom’s side, Dee lifting her onto her lap. Keisha picked at her salad as her mom ate dinner and sipped her wine in silence too. Dee wasn’t sure what to talk about now.
“Mommy look how big this lettuce is,” Keisha said, holding up a large leaf that hadn’t been cut in her bowl. As she flung her arm up, she knocked Dee’s wine glass out of her hand, causing half the contents to spill all over the dining room rug.
“What did you do!” Ricardo said, standing up.
“Whoopsies,” Keisha said.
“I’m sorry she just knocked it out, it’s my fault for not holding it right,” Dee explained. She didn’t like how upset Ricardo was getting.
“Do you have any idea how expensive this carpet is?” Ricardo screamed through his sharp jaw. Ricardo didn’t yell at either of them particularly, but his tone was very aggressive and filling the nice dinner with negative energy. The chefs stopped doing dishes in the kitchen for a moment, feeling visibly uncomfortable.
“Don’t yell at her!” Dee responded as she walked towards Keisha.
“I’m sorry,” Keisha said as quiet as she could, immediately starting to cry. The guilt swept over Ricardo’s face.
“Didn’t you just have this ordered? If a material object is that important to you, maybe you shouldn’t put it under your dining room table,” Dee responded.
“You two shouldn’t be playing during dinner!” Ricardo yelled, throwing back the rest of his own wine.
Keisha was used to getting disciplined by adults, but Dee had trouble watching it happen from someone else. Dee grabbed Keisha and took her upstairs, wanting to get away from Ricardo as quick as possible. She took her daughter into her room and set her on her bed.
“Mommy am I in trouble?” Keisha asked as she climbed under the covers.
“No honey, of course not. You do have to be careful, but you shouldn’t be scared about accidents happening,” Dee said, not sure if Keisha could even understand everything she was talking about.
“I don’t know if I like it here Mommy,” Keisha said in a scared tone.
“Oh sweetie, we’re going to have so much fun! Look at all your new toys!” Dee said, walking over to the pile of toys Anastasia had set up. There were a few things that Keisha probably had no interest in, but Dee spotted a coloring book and art supply set that she knew Keisha would love. “Look at this! Will you come color with me?”
Keisha shook her head and ran to the toys, excited to start drawing. Keisha had always liked drawing and coloring but didn’t think she was very good at it. It was still a fun activity to do with her daughter. Ozzie was the one who had the real artistic talents. He aspired to be a tattoo artist, Dee wondering what could have happened if he hadn’t been shot.
She watched her daughter doodle all over the clean white pages, drawing everything and nothing, complete randomness that filled the page. After about thirty minutes of coloring, Dee heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she shouted. Ricardo slowly opened the door holding a bowl.
“I have macaroni and cheese if you’re still hungry,” Ricardo told Keisha. She looked up from her coloring, excited about the food.
“Keisha did you hear that?” Dee said, knowing macaroni and cheese was one of Keisha’s favorite meals.
“I’m sorry for yelling earlier Keisha. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Ricardo said, sitting down on her bed. Keisha walked over to him and climbed up, grabbing the bowl from him.
“Mommy can I eat in bed?” Keisha asked Dee.
“Of course, honey, can you say thank you to Ricardo?” Dee asked her daughter.
“Thank you, Rico,” Keisha said. Ricardo smiled at her mispronunciation. It was their first warm exchange. Dee was happy to see that her daughter might be able to get used to him. Would Dee be able to do the same?
*****
Dee lay in her bed, wondering if she made a huge mistake. It could be hard for her to adjust to new situations and she would get regretful pretty quick. That’s what happened when she put the first down payment on her Bahamas trip. She worried that it would be a huge mistake and she’d come to regret it. Had she not gone, she wouldn’t have met Ricardo and wouldn’t be making hundreds of thousands of dollars like she would be once they started the campaign.
She had to admit to herself that part of the reason she was still in her situation is because she was afraid of change. After a while of dating Ozzie, she had suspicions that he wasn’t really the one. She still never left the relationship, fearing what might happen if she did.
Ricardo seemed like a nice guy, but it was clear he didn’t have a full grasp on what it meant to treat a human decently and respect other people’s emotions. Was that because of his billionaire status? Dee thought that most cold people were turned that way. Little kids weren’t born mean. There were some natural born jerks, but no one that was too cold. She wondered when the last time was that he had a close friend that he could trust.
Dee had done some digging on the man she was living with, of course, to be safe, and discovered that he was one of the highest paid photographers in the world. He had shot for just about every magazine there was, a few high-profile weddings and campaigns, and he was even the director of photography on a few documentaries as well. Lately, he was working mostly on smaller projects that he wanted to do out of choice rather than monetary necessity.
That is what brought him to work for the high-profile fashion line he was currently photographing for. They’re an organic company based in L.A. that used recycled material, contributing portions of their sales back to wildlife preservations and other charities that aimed to help the environment. Dee was happy that she would be working with him during this. She looked at her nightstand and saw an envelope full of papers Anastasia had given her to go over. She didn’t mind reading through the entirety of her contract with Ricardo and the company as it was what she was practicing for law. She used to breeze through forms like that, signing away everything. The more she learned about contract law, the more she cared about making sure to read every last word. Who knew if there was something in there about Keisha and her living situation as well! Dee didn’t want to risk anything when it came to the safety of her and her daughter.
Skimming through the forms, however, Dee didn’t really notice anything too out of the ordinary. Dee felt like she was living in a dream. She was concerned about Ricardo and his relationship with Keisha, but if things didn’t work out, they wouldn’t be living there forever. It said so in the contract. Dee was mostly just worried that she would put Keisha through a horrible experience with a male friend like Dee had to endure as a kid. She hated watching her mom date different men, never knowing who was going to turn out to be a total dirtbag. Dee felt that Ricardo was good deep down, but after dinner that night, she certainly had her doubts.
Still, Dee was thrilled to be a part of this. As she approached thirty years old, she wondered if she would ever be able to break into a different career. One that required less hassle than the customer service jobs that she was used to. She didn’t even consider modeling when she was younger, let alone now that she was past most models’ retiring ages.
This might be the only project she’ll ever be a part of, but at least she had the opportunity to do something different with her life that she might not have been a part of otherwise. She was smart with her money, even though she didn’t have much of it. She was already planning how to split various things so she could work towards a better future for her and Keisha. Once her eyes got too fuzzy to read anymore, Dee decided it was time to turn in herself.
Getting Keisha to bed was a little hard, as she was pretty interested in all of her new toys. Still, once the carbs from the macaroni and cheese hit, there wasn’t any stopping the snooze train to hit Keisha full force. Dee had some time alone to relax in bed before she prepared for the day tomorrow. She got snuggled under the soft sheets, not sure what to do with all the extra space in her bed. Part of her wanted to go scoop Keisha out of bed so she could cuddle her all night, but she figured she should appreciate and enjoy the solitude while she had it.
She felt someone walk into the room, frozen by their presence. She knew that it was Ricardo, probably trying to apologize to her now. After he brought the second dinner to Keisha, he had left the two alone, probably expecting Dee to follow. She was still sour at him, angry that he would raise his voice at her daughter on the first night. She also felt pretty defensive whenever anyone would try and step in to tell her how to raise her own daughter. She disciplined Keisha just fine and she was a good little girl. Dee didn’t need anyone telling her otherwise.
“Dee are you awake?” she heard Ricardo ask. Dee sat up to face him. He was wearing soft black pajama pants with the elastic ankles clinging around his thick wool socks. He had a Henley shirt slightly unbuttoned to reveal his hairy chest. His hair was disheveled, and he was wearing thick black glasses. His beard somehow looked longer now, surpassing the level of stubble that it was before.
“I’m awake. Just finished going over my contract,” she told him.
“Does everything look OK?” he asked.
“Mhm,” she responded.
“I’m sorry for losing my temper at dinner,” he said, walking from the doorway and onto her bed. The doors in the renovated building were heavy and would close on their own. It was a nice feature when it came to privacy, but Dee was feeling a little trapped in this moment. “My son is so old now. I forgot what it’s like to be around a child.”
“I didn’t realize you had any children,” she said. “Keisha will be fine, but from now on, I can handle all the disciplining. You might not agree, but you don’t have to.”
“I understand. Completely,” Ricardo explained. Dee could see the genuineness in his eyes. His normally large eyes had been expanded by the zoom on his glasses. He was looking like a big puppy dog and Dee was finding it hard to resist leaning in to kiss him. She was only wearing a thin T-shirt and underwear, though she kept the covers over her.
“What happened to Keisha’s father?” he asked, sitting down on Dee’s bed.
“He died. He was mixed up with some bad people,” she explained.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. My son lives in L.A. with his mother,” he told her.
“Do you miss him?” she asked.
“I do, but I only saw him on the weekends the past year anyway. He’s about to graduate so he’s been really busy with after-school activities and such,” Ricardo explained. Even though he had lived in L.A. for several years, he still had a Spanish accent that made him even harder to resist. Dee lay back in bed, resting on the pillows.
He lay down next to her and put his hand on her hand. “I know I made it seem like I don’t like children. It’s just been a while. I hope you’ll be patient with me.”
“As long as you’re patient with us,” she said. She looked into his eyes for a moment, really feeling like she could see him. He had opened himself up to her, and it wasn’t just the fact that he was lying next to her in her own bed. She stared for another moment, moving in a bit closer, before he moved in and kissed her gently. As soon as he did, Dee was instantly relieved to realize that she was getting another chance to kiss his soft warm lips. She thought that when they made love in the Bahamas, it would be the only time that they did so.
He slowly moved his hand from hers and onto her face, holding it there for a moment while he kissed her. She had her hair braided back in two rows, feeling a little self-conscious that she didn’t have it as a security blanket. Anastasia had told her she might be wearing wigs, however, so she wanted to keep it pressed down just in case. He moved his hand around her hair and to the back of her neck, pulling her face closer to his. She started to forget about her insecurities with her hair.
He leaned in harder, pushing her down flat on the bed. He started kissing her gently and slowly, working his way down to her stomach. He lifted her soft T-shirt off, revealing her breasts right away. He started kissing her chest, slowly working his lips around her nipples, tasting them until they were hard. Dee didn’t think once about her insecurities when it came to her breasts. He was so gentle with her that she felt like she was floating.
Her head was buzzing and her waist was aching. She thrusted towards him, and he moved his hand below her legs, slipping them inside her underwear and spreading her lips. He started to work his finger back and forth, slowly releasing her wet juices as he pushed his fingers deeper inside of her. She let out a moan, only to turn her head and moan into the pillow while he kissed her neck. She pulled his hand out from inside of her and pushed him onto the bed. She straddled him for a moment before working her way down to finally return the favor.
When she slipped his black pants down, she saw that he was already hard. She put the entire thing in her mouth right away, wanting to feel him grow in her mouth rather than her hand. She slipped her hand under his butt, pushing his waist deeper until she could feel him hitting the back of her throat. He started moaning, and Dee decided she’d been down there enough. She stood up on the bed right over him and dropped her underwear. He looked at her for a moment before slipping his own shirt off.
She slowly sat down, sliding his penis right inside of her. She sat there for a moment, not moving one inch. She just wanted to feel him all inside of her, embracing the moment once again. He clearly couldn’t last long and started moving his hips. She pushed on his chest and lifted herself up and down, moving back and forth simultaneously as she felt him bury deeper and deeper inside of her.
“That feels amazing,” he told her, leaning up to kiss her breasts. She rode him for a few more minutes before he told her, “Turn around.”
She did as he commanded, still riding him but this time reversed. He squeezed her cheeks hard, guiding her body up and down on his. “Oh god,” he said, and Dee could tell he was about to cum. She lifted herself off just in time to feel his warm liquid hit the side of her leg. She turned around and fell onto the bed, body still aching.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re just so amazing.”
“It’s OK,” she responded shyly, not sure what he was going to do next. He lay there for a moment, slowly crawling over her. He reached down and grabbed his T-shirt from the ground, using it to wipe up the liquid he had covered her leg with. He threw it back on the ground and started kissing her stomach. He slowly worked his way down to her clitoris, wrapping his mouth around her pulsing button. He slid a finger in, curling it up so it hit her spot just right. He used his free hand to grab her butt this time, pushing her further into his face. He worked his magic down there for a while, eventually helping Dee orgasm as well. She trembled on the bed as he climbed to her chest, resting his head on her beating heart.