~14~

“Raj…” her alarmed tone had my head shoot over to her over the pillow. Her tight eyes were wild. “You…you okay?” her delivery breathy, cautious.

Then I followed her eyes down the bed to the tent in my boxers. I must have kicked the comforter off of me at some point. I was burning hot last night, twisting and turning. Even though I couldn’t remember them, I was in and out of colorful dreams. That wasn’t new for me.

I turned to her again, finding her expression worried. “You snore.” Half my face lifted in a smile.

Wynter dragged her eyes away from my swollen cock to my face. She licked her lips and blinked.

“You’re just now finding out after all this time?”

“Kinda.”

I tried to find more words that would distract her enough for me to get out of bed. But my mind froze, I ached with crazy need. My body was shaking and I hoped she couldn’t tell. This shit was crazy. It was one thing to go to sleep like this, but waking up and having her look at me with those perceptive eyes. Wynter may have been nice, but she wasn’t dumb. She could sense how crazy all this shit was. She knew I had issues. I wished I understood fully what they were.

I used my hands to brush down my face as I let go of a heavy breath. Out of nowhere, my body felt…chilled. Automatically, my hand went for the comforter bunched between us. When I grabbed it to pull over me, her soft hand covered mine. My eyes slammed into hers again.

“I can help you…” she licked her lips again, “…with that.” She tossed her forehead to my crotch.

That made the throbbing painful. I wouldn’t do it. I was not about to embarrass myself.

“I’m good.”

“You’re not,” her throat seemed to thicken and brows lifted. “It’s okay, Raj. We’re two consenting adults. It’s no big deal.”

No big deal?

I saw the need in her face. She wanted me almost as much as I needed her. The problem was, I didn’t want to use her, especially because I had no clue what was going on my damn self. The other morning in the studio was so one sided, it didn’t sit right with me. I’d been horny before, wanted a woman before. But never had it manifested itself past my dick and mind. I wasn’t the type of man to trip over sex. I got it when I wanted it—which wasn’t that often—and I was good.

This… It was something different. And I didn’t really know this woman. I couldn’t believe it was because she was a beautiful girl sleeping in my bed. I didn’t like company in my bed. But I liked having her in my bedroom. I’d been enjoying the proximity.

Wynter wasn’t letting up. She looked tense sitting up next to me on one arm, eyes going between my face and inflated dick. Her nipples peaked through her thin gown and her eyes were dark and heavy. She wanted me.

And I couldn’t move to invite her.

Didn’t want to.

Hated the need to have her.

She moved. Wynter shifted to her knees and shuffled down my legs. I panicked.

“Wyn—”

“Ssh!” she hushed sharply. “If you go down, I’ll try to help get you back up again.”

“That might not work,” I tried.

“If it doesn’t, we stop and I’ll forget this ever happened. Again.”

She was frozen over me, her eyes measuring mine. Her scent was all over me now. Her pussy. It was…awake. I could smell it. Her hair, her mild morning breath—it was all the perfect concoction to propel my need. Goose bumps raised all over and my body shivered. An angry groan ripped from the back of my throat. I wanted her to touch me. Wanted to lose myself inside her again, but that initiation factor wasn’t available.

“Raj, please,” she breathed those words. “Please.” She swallowed. Then I saw her eyes narrow as though something clicked for her. Wynter licked her lips. “Ca—can I touch you?”

My heart felt like it was about to fuckin’ explode. What was this?

She stood on her knees between my legs and pulled her gown from the hem, over her head. God… Wynter was naked beneath. Tanned areolas and pebbled nipples. A fine trail of hairs from her belly button down to the bed of her valley. Damn, I remembered what that valley felt like gripping my cock.

“Raj.” Her cry snapped me out of my head.

Breathing loud and with my chest moving up and down, I nodded hard.

God, please…

I didn’t want to play myself and hurt her feelings again. Wynter nodded then cocked her head to the side. She reached for me with both hands and pulled at the band of my boxers. I lifted, helping her. She did just enough for my dick to come jutting out, standing in the air. Her eyes zoomed into my barbell. Her tongue pushed against her top lip as she considered it. I knew she was because I knew the look. For the first time, that made me nervous, too.

Wynter flicked it lightly with her finger and watched for a reaction. My ass lifted from the bed, but I was so damn aroused, her breathing on me could’ve done that. She took a warm hand and gripped me, starting from the base and squeezed gently all the way to the head, up until she got to the barbell. I watched everything. Wynter made sure to stay with me by checking for my expression. And when her thumb and index made it underneath the mushroomed head and a bead of liquid came out, Wynter’s eyes met mine and her jaw dropped.

She knelt down and licked the drop, eyes on me the entire time. Then she repeated her hand game, fisting me from root to head. And it felt so good. She felt so good, I widened my thighs, falling into her touch. Wynter moaned as she went down again, this time flicking out her tongue and rolling it up the side of my cock from the bottom. She did it again on the other side, this time bringing her arms up my chest and using her nails to scrape down to my jumping abs.

She used her tongue to roll over the barbell, at first using light pressure. She watched me for cues either way. I was so tense and anxious, I could do nothing but watch and pray she kept going. Then she sheathed her teeth and took my whole head in, rolling her tongue around, knocking it gently against the bar. When it pressed into my urethra the sensation was so intense I slurped back my saliva with teeth clenched so hard, my jaw felt locked.

Her head bobbed over me when she used her mouth to massage the top half of me. Her mouth felt fucking soft. So fucking satiny and wet, and her teeth no longer existed. She felt so good, I wanted to close my eyes and drop my head back to the pillow to ride this out. But I couldn’t. I had to stay with it to feel…alert. Plus, I got the impression Wynter wanted me “with” her. She made sure to keep her eyes on me as she worked me. Her sucking and swishing over me had my damn toes curling.

She’s cool…

She’s okay…

She wants this, too…

I had to remind myself over and over again. And before I knew it, my hips worked with her, lifting and dipping. Wynter moved her hands to help her mouth. She used both to palm me while her mouth stroked the top of me. My head started to spin from pleasure. She warmed me all over. Those chills I felt earlier were replaced with waves of heat. My heart still worked hard, but it skipped beats now. The sight of her hips in the air, over her head. Her eyes on me, wanting to be noticed. Her hands moving as fast as my hips. The sight of my damn nipples hard like hers. All of it worked me to a peak.

“Gaaaaah!” My head slammed against the pillow and my pelvis jerked wildly.

My hands went to her head, teased by the coarse texture of her hair. And Wynter used one hand to massage my balls as my hot cum jetted in her mouth. My groin rolled. My heart roared. Lungs stretched painfully to keep my groans in my damn belly. And I kept coming. Kept blasting off. Before I could fear Wynter was uncomfortable or felt violated, she moaned over me, fisting my throbbing cock, and caressing my swollen balls.

I didn’t know when I stopped coming, but figured when the wild movements of my pelvis slowed, I had. Wynter’s movements slowed, too. My eyes were shut and mouth wide open, trying to catch my damn lungs. When I opened my eyes and my vision cleared, I was able to finally look at her. Wynter’s eyes were nervous, she moved slowly to sit up. I couldn’t speak and I could tell she knew. She bit her bottom lip, studying my face.

The room was quiet. Not sure what it was, but I felt like I should move. So, I pushed from my fists and shifted from her, up the bed. Her body curled up, she covered her round tits with her arms, her fists planted on the mattress. When I could, I turned to put my feet on the floor. Closing my eyes, I ran my hands down my head, eyes squeezed tight. My heart galloped at this point, mind clouded with too much.

“I didn’t do that for you to shut down on me aga—”

My head whipped over to her. “I’m not. I won’t.”

Her eyes ballooned. “Then why are you turning away from me?”

“I’m not.” I rolled my head against my open palms, trying to stay here…in this moment with her.

She gritted, “I can’t keep doing this with yo—”

“In the house…” I licked my lips. “My grandmother’s house. A few people complained about being messed with.” My hands gripped my head, elbows on my knees. “Consent’s always been a big deal for me. I don’t wanna take advantage of you.”

The room got quiet. So quiet, I had to finally man up and look at her from over my shoulder. Wynter was frozen again, her mouth forming an “O.” Her eyes skirted around the room and she nodded. It took her a while to speak.

“O—okay.” She swallowed then nodded hard. “I wanted to do that. I wanted to taste you. You do know that. Right?” she whispered.

She was trying again. Trying to get me. She saw the ugly in me. The freakish shit. But in my gut, I knew she liked what she did. So, I nodded.

“We can do it again.” Her words flowed with sharp clarity. “Whenever you want.”

Snap out of it…

C’mon, man!

I pulled my boxers up as I stood. “We can kick it about that later. Now we gotta pack.” I started for the bathroom, needing the distance.

“Pack for what?”

“Minnesota.”

“What’s in Minnesota?”

Stop, and talk to her…

Taking a deep breath, I faced her.

“The Super Bowl’s tomorrow.” I put my hands on my waist.

“Didn’t know we were going anywhere.” She bit her lip again. “Who’s playing?”

Wynter was trying to gauge if I was still “with” her. She wanted to know if I was running away, being a little bitch like a few days ago. I didn’t want to.

“My Kings gonna kill the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Her face folded. “The Kansas City Chiefs? I know the Kings are in Connecticut. Why the hell are we going to Minnesota?”

I couldn’t help my laugh, but I kept it small. I scratched my nose. “Super Bowl’s never in the teams’ hometowns.”

“Oh.” She looked down at the bed. “Okay.”

That quickly, this turned weird.

“A’ight?”

She nodded and backed off the bed on her knees. A second later, I started for the bathroom again.

“How long will we be away?”

I turned to find her at the door of the walk-in closet. Wynter looked…tempting. Deliciously naked. Fresh morning face. And she was okay. She was good. We were good.

A smile broke out in my heart—maybe my face, too. “Just two nights.”

“Cool.” She smiled and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

I turned for the bathroom and realized my dick was hard again.

“Nah. Not that way.” I stopped at the sound of his voice a few feet away from me. Hopping down the steps, his hands were filled with luggage and a Louis Vuitton book bag strapped to one of his shoulders. He swung his chin to gesture toward the back of the house. “We’re out back.”

Oh…

Since when did cars pull up on the lawn? I was confused by that, but I couldn’t pretend to know everything about this colossal place. I quickly decided to wait for Raj to get his coat from the closet as I’d just done, and I would follow him. The house was quiet, pretty eventless at this early afternoon hour. I wondered where everyone was. I’d seen Earl when I came down earlier for my shake, then again for lunch, after my work out. I’d seen Josh, too, this morning. He and Raj sparred in the gym while I went out running. When I got back to lift weights in there, they were gone. After lunch, I finished packing and showered so I could be ready in time for our flight.

“C’mon,” Raj murmured, heading toward the back of the house.

His legs looked good in jeans. They weren’t fitted and neither could I see his ass underneath the thick navy blue peacoat. But I knew the length and shape of those bowed legs. I’d just squatted between them hours ago, trying not to gag on his pulsing dick. Mentally, I shrugged the erotic memory off. I now want Raj so bad it was sickening.

En route, he hummed a few melodies, nothing out of the ordinary for Ragee, the renowned balladeer. Just before we made it to the door I was able to make out, “We had a chance to find true love and make it last forever. From the first dance, I knew it was just you and me together...”

The lyrics didn’t sound particularly familiar, but Raj’s rich baritone vocals made everything sound intriguing. His phone rang somewhere on his person, but with his hands full, he wasn’t in a rush to answer. If I knew him, Ragee was in a zone that included only him and music. By that time we’d trekked down the steps of the back patio. Just beyond the landing was a golf cart, similar to the one Arnie had on the ranch. He loaded the luggage on the back and helped me on. I remained muted as he started the engine and we pulled off, making a sharp U-turn, and going east on the property. We drove quite a distance, but stayed on manicured pastures. After a while, I could detect the sound of a loud, monstrous motor. Once rounding a few trees, a wide and flat stretch of land came into view. On it was a damn…

“Plane?” I blurted. Raj threw me a curious glance. “Is that a plane?”

His face lifted in a cynical smirk. “I ‘on’t know how to answer that. How many things look like a plane, but ain’t a plane?”

He wasn’t being sarcastic, exactly. But I was still baffled. I turned to face the rear of the cart, seeing the fumes hit the cold air.

“But we’re in your damn back yard!”

Raj shrugged, his eyes ahead as he leaned to the side, working the steering wheel with one hand. “I had the space to build a landing strip. It’s hella convenient when I need to get in and outta dodge from Sparta instead of Jersey City.”

My shoulders dropped at his casual explanation. “Okay.”

He peered over to me from the right corners of his eyes as he laughed. I was sure it was at my expense.

I scoffed, “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m not conversant with wealth.”

He looked over to me with one eye closed and the other squinted from the sun. “You’re learning.”

The closer we got to the plane, I saw several bodies and wondered who was flying with us. We stopped a few yards away from the running aircraft. The familiar face of a groundsman took over at the wheel when Raj stepped out. Another helped Raj with the luggage he brought from the bedroom while Raj himself waved me on to board the plane. It all happened so fast, I could tell I was the only novice to this.

Raj exchanged a few words with two men dressed in pilot’s gear with ties and stripes on their coatless shoulders. Do they all dress that way? I always thought that was only for television.

The plane was clean and smelled like new leather. The seats were a cream leather and the windows were small and circular. The carpet was tan hued with a paisley print. On the television screens posted throughout from my vantage point, I saw the infamous Ragee logo running across each. I stood frozen like a deer in headlights, stuck at the grandeur of this piece of luxury.

I felt a hand at my lower back. “You can grab any seat. We’re traveling light today.”

It was Raj, trying to get past me. But I couldn’t move.

“Is this yours?” I asked as he did move past me and tossed his book bag on a table.

Raj paused his movements, his brows pinched and eyes circled. “I hope so.”

The crisp duh in his tone kicked me into gear and I moved to take a seat across from him. I was shrinking, lost in a universe I only saw posted on IG. Jashon, one of Myisha’s assistants, boarded the plane. After him was Tina, Raj’s wardrobe assistant, barber, and apparently, my makeup artist, per Myisha. They both spoke politely as they waltzed on, just as experienced as their boss.

I sat, rolling my phone over in my hand as I tried to get myself together. I wasn’t used to doing or seeing anything outside of my norm. That norm used to be going to work, providing hope to convicts and going home to a one bedroom apartment I shared with my aunt and baby cousin. Then my norm became living in a mansion and being Mrs. Ragee. Now…this?

“It’s a Gulfstream G550.” Raj spoke at a volume that made it clear his words were exclusively for me. “Been locked in a deal for it for a couple of years now. I bought it used, but gotta good deal. Don’t trip.”

Raj was trying to comfort me. He must have picked up on my unease. “Boy, ain’t nobody trippin’.” I sucked my teeth. “I was just thinking how I didn’t say goodbye to Pastor McKinnon.”

He unraveled earbuds. “Oh, she ain’t here no way.”

My face dropped and eyes bugged. “Huhn?”

“She left last night. Had business to take care of the next few days.” He kept unpacking his book bag, taking out his phone.

“She’s not coming back?”

“She said she is.”

“When?”

He shrugged. “She said she’ll check in, in a few days.” His words were casual, delivery was indifferent. My mind raced with what that meant. “Take off your coat and get comfortable. Got about three hours on here.”

Taking a deep breath, I lay my phone on the table next to me and stood to remove my heavy coat. By the time I was done, a man dressed in a shirt and vest was there to take it from me. He offered me a beverage, which I declined. Pastor McKinnon was gone. Why did that sadden me?

My phone buzzed on the table.

Gee-Gee: Don’t sweat it. Ain’t nothing changing.

My eyes shot over to find his chin to his lap, but his eyes on me. I found myself biting my bottom lip as I nodded. He’d just read my mind.

“You good?”

My head swung up. Raj already had his coat on. The hair on his face was freshly trimmed as was his head. I could perceive the coat of Chapstick on his full lips as  my brain hiccupped at his presence. My eyes fell back down to my thighs and feet. The black fitted mini was heavy and glued to my skin.

The bodice had a cut out from the center of my chest, down to just above my belly button. I was concerned about the elastic of my pantyhose showing through the cut out. And there was a zipper on the back from my neck to the bottom of my ass cheeks. It was how I put it on and would take it off later.

“You look fine.” Those thick vocals had my head shooting up again. His forehead jumped. “Fine as hell, actually.” Raj’s eyes narrowed.

I peeked over my shoulder where Tina stood with a smile. She’d just finished my hair and makeup. I swallowed, going back to Raj.

“I just hope my dress don’t rise when I walk—”

“It’s an Alex Perry. That material’ll stay in place. Trust me.”

My face went tight with confusion. “How’d you…”

Raj mocked me by mimicking my expression. That relaxed me. “I picked it.” He shrugged. “Sure, I know.”

“Whoa!” I scoffed. “You picked this?” My eyes fell to my thighs again. “I seriously doubt Pastor McKinnon would approve of all this meat hanging out.”

“You’re nice and toned,” his vocals turned throaty. “You’re killing in the dress and heels.” My eyes rolled up to his face. “Trust me.” He rolled his neck as though uncomfortable. “We gotta go.”

I nodded, remembering we had an appearance somewhere. I turned back for the second bedroom in the suite for my coat and clutch I couldn’t fit much in. The news of Raj picking out my clothes was hard to digest, I brushed it off and decided to get on with the night. I had a job to do—wherever it so happened to be.

At the elevator, as we stood in between his security, Raj’s scent enveloped me. It was so alluring and thick, I swallowed it. As usual, I fought the desire to look at him freely. It was stupid. We were married and they knew it. He was so big next to me, poised so well, though in his own zone, probably forgetting I was there.

I cleared my throat. “You ummmm…” I swallowed, my eyes circling from the floor to the ceiling. “You look good as shit, Mr. McKinnon.” Internally, I shrunk the moment the words left my mouth. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Raj turn to me with shocked humor. My face dropped as I laughed at myself. His security cracked the hell up. The humor didn’t make it less embarrassing, though. “Fuck,” I whispered then hissed, “I don’t know how to flirt with my own damn husband.”

The whole small hallway seemed to have been lit with masculine rumblings of laughter, Raj’s included. All I could do was shake my head. I was grateful to hear the elevator ping.

Raj took me at the shoulder, making me feel even smaller. “Practice makes perfect, boo-boo.”

The music was mellow, the volume faint compared to the chatter ringing around the room. Black was the color of the evening it seemed. In the past twenty-five minutes or so we’d been in the gallery, I only counted two people who didn’t wear the distinct color from head to toe, Raj being one. But it was clear by my ensemble, he knew the code.

Yeah. Now that I know he chose this dress…

And that… As I strolled around the open room covered with wall-sized art, my heavy and fully lined dress didn’t shift at all. The same with the Valentino Garavani boots. Myisha had scolded me several times about not only knowing the names of the designers I wore, but the names of the pieces of theirs, too. It was all too much! But worth it, considering the padding in the boots made them so comfortable.

“Another?” a waiter holding a tray stacked with champagne flutes asked.

One glance at my empty glass reminded me I was done with it. We exchanged flutes as Raj at the other side of the room, laughing heartily with a small group of women, caught my attention. His head tossed back as he hooted, and although he hadn’t exactly done that with me yet, it reminded me of his laugh at the elevator back at the hotel. Raj had begun sharing humor with me—or accepting mine. That thought weighed on me as I walked in the opposite direction with my one arm across my belly and hand gripping my waist.

This was nice. Coming to cultured places like this was a nice trip from my reality. It wasn’t until we pulled up that I learned we were attending a Francesco Basso exhibit. Fucking Basso! Basso was a famed Italian artist. I knew nothing about art, but was a pop culture junkie. My first time hearing about Franco Basso, as the in-crowd called him, was a few years ago when he started partying with Puff Daddy, Jay Z, Ryan Gosling, Swizz Beats, Justin Timberlake, Gayle King, and the like. He was photo’d at both Obama inaugurations and even hung out with the Queen of England.

And I’m here, at his Super Bowl LII exhibit…

I sighed, still feeling I was living someone else’s life. A striking piece caught my attention and had my heels clacking at a faster pace. It was a black man. A charcoal-appearing brother against a black backdrop. He was fully unclothed and stretched almost horizontally on a barstool. One conversation in the piece was his strength. A black man with both legs extended in the air and his back flat, horizontal to the stool-top. One big hand protected the jewels between his thick columnar legs and the other hid his face. The one on his face held a ring on his ring finger. It was a metal piece of Christ’s crying face, bloodied at the crown of his head.

That’s a statement…

There was something sensually familiar with his frame. It was possibly the deep grooves in his abdomen that were skewed to face the viewer. In fact, every muscle in his body was captured and pronounced. Maybe the beauty mark on his inner right thigh that faced the viewer. That discovery had me instantly turned on. The muscle beneath his right arm, reaching for his pelvis—his tricep. My jaw dropped. Goddamn… It was thick and coiled. I had no idea why a simple and common muscle aroused me, but this one did. The whole damn body had a zing running down my spine.

A delicious sight and all, but the subject hid his face from the viewer. That was the other conversation in the piece. He couldn’t hide his conspicuously robust presence. His was unmistakably black in the stark finishing of the canvas. He couldn’t escape his blazing virility, though it appeared he wanted to. He looked helpless, though his brawny frame would tell you he was anything but. This was it. This was my interpretation of statement art.

An abrupt grabbing of my shoulder, so strong it broke my balance, couldn’t even steal my attention away from this piece. Not even his delectable scent.

“This is you.” My eyes were still stapled to strides and cuts in his legs and chest.

“Yeah. It’s old though,” he shared with indifference. I heard him take a sip of his drink. “This was…years ago.”

“You lay still all that time while he painted?”

“Hell no. I lay nowhere,” he shrieked, but not loud enough to alarm anyone. “Someone took this pic and I had it sent to him.” He snorted. “Dude woulda loved that. He wanted to work with me, and I was cool with it until he said nudity.” He pointed to the over-sized painting. “This was us meeting in the middle.”

I finally peered up to him. “Who took the picture?”

Raj took another sip of champagne and held the sweet liquid in his mouth a while before swallowing. He lowered his chin and gazed into my eyes. I held patiently, because I knew he didn’t want to share.

“Oh, my god. He’s here!” A sharply effeminate voice exclaimed behind Raj’s tall frame blocking it.

Raj eventually turned, and coming into view was a man so short and thin he resembled a young boy.

“Yurp, B,” Raj greeted playfully.

The guy was surrounded by several people, some with cameras, clipboards, and tablets. He wore black and white striped parachute pants, a black v-neck t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. I couldn’t name the type of shoes he wore because I wasn’t familiar with them, but they were old and haggard-looking.

The short guy reached for Ragee with open arms. Raj had to bend to return the embrace, though he only offered one side of his body and one arm. The guy’s eyes squeezed shut as he hugged Raj. That’s when I noticed his sunglasses hidden in his dark, silky hair that fell in clunks. It looked oily.

When the two broke away, the guy air kissed Raj on both sides. French air kiss. Raj pulled away, standing erect and the guy took a step back and clapped his hands like a season-aged woman. He damn near bounced on his toes. But instead, he narrowed his eyes and faintly sashayed his shoulders.

Oh, my fuckin’ god. Dude wants Ragee…

“Whaddup, broadie,” Raj tried to initiate pleasant conversation. “You meet my lady?”

That’s when the guy paid me an ounce of the attention he did Raj. His smile didn’t falter. In fact, his eyes lit anew.

“This is her!” That’s when I caught the thick accent. “She’s here!” He tossed his arms in the air, his head went back and eyes rolled back. “Oh, I’ve been eager to meet you. Did Myisha tell you?” He feathered his fingers, inviting me into a hug.

Remembering my champagne, I slowly moved to accept him. He then offered me the French air kiss, too.

“Ah?” he asked.

I blinked, remembering his last comment. “Nuh—no.” I shook my head. “She didn’t tell me at all.”

“Those cheekbones! The depth in your eyes!” He breathed as he circled me, studying. “We must work together, honey!” The excess of champagne almost had me giggling at his pronunciations.

“Cool. Just the two of us, though,” I teased, unable to help myself. I tossed my head to Raj’s broad frame beside me. “I don’t share.”

“Oh!” Basso chirped. “I can handle you both. No worries. I’m a pro.”

I shook my head with lifted brows. “You’re not understanding.” I smiled. “I don’t share him.” Basso’s face fell as his gaze on Raj lingered from head to toe. I caught the shocked expressions from his companions around him. It took every bit of seriousness I possessed not to laugh my ass off. I couldn’t help myself when I stepped closer to his small frame. “If you knew what swung between those ridged thighs or the fluidness of his tongue, those rumors would be credible,” I whispered.

Basso gasped. I was so tipsy at this point, I couldn’t give a shit. I’d been having a good time. Raj’s heat was so close his scent pierced my veins, seeping into my bloodstream. That was an intoxication I wasn’t used to. It had me at the edge.

Apparently, it had the same effect on Franco Basso. His eye turned heavy and his head began to bounce with sass. I swear he growled when his hungry eyes turned to me. “You’re the most envied bitch around. For the first time in my life, you’re the reason I had pussy.” His narrowed eyes brushed against Raj as he walked off, leaving an odd scent of cheek in his wake.

I swung around to face Ragee.

“Basso wants to fuck you?”

Raj glanced around before licking his lips. His eyes lazily landed back on me. “What you know about what swings between my legs and my tongue.”

Sharp on my wit, I curled my lips, shrugging my face. “I’m only your wife. Shouldn’t I know about those qualities?”

He snorted with a smile only in his eyes. My sex clenched. He leaned into me, putting his mouth to my ear.

“I’d like to show you more of what’s swinging between my legs…”

My eyes fluttered closed and breath caught in my lungs like a fucking teen.  

“I’d like that very much.” I could hardly deliver the words, my heart pounded loudly through my ears.

Raj stood straight, studying while piercing me with a penetrating gaze. “There’s so much about me you don’t know.”

“I know.” I did. Boy, did I know he had issues. “I don’t care.” I let go of a deep breath, my eyes falling from his. “I’ve worked with enough troubled men to know I’m married to one. You don’t have to tell a word of anything until you’re ready.” My voice was perceptively low.

His eyes narrowed. “And you’re good with that?”

“I have to be. I don’t have a choice. We’re married. Remember?”

“Not by choice. Remember?” That was sardonic. “By circumstance. You were never checking for Raj before then. Remember?”

I took the last of my champagne in one big gulp without removing my gaze from him. “And lucky for you, now I wanna fuck him.” I licked the remaining bubbly from my bottom lip. “Over and over and over again.” I swallowed.

He seemed to have paused, examining me again. He still didn’t trust me, and that was fine: I wasn’t exactly ready to share my all with him either. I just wanted…his incredible body. I craved that connection.

Finally, he removed his heated gaze from me, eyes circling over my head. He pulled out his phone and punched in a few keys.

“Let’s go,” he ordered throatily.

“We haven’t eaten yet.” I pulled the empty flute to my lips, catching the disturbed glint in his eyes. But I couldn’t help my glib. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll feed you.” His jaw twitched with that information.

And I knew, Raj had an agenda.

Me.

The minute the revolving door opened to the brutal Minnesota temps, a blast of freeze smacked my face. But not even eighteen degrees Fahrenheit could chill me when Raj’s big aggressive hand held me at the small of my back while we whisked past flashing cameras and catcalls of paparazzi and fans. My thick winter coat couldn’t block the electricity in his touch as he guided me into the high truck and waited for me to scoot over. Seconds after the driver pulled off, my body was yanked next to him, but Raj didn’t touch me. For a beat, he wouldn’t even look at me, but it was understood he wanted my attention. When he finally did look at me, beneath the sensual darkness of his eyes was that presence of hesitation I’d learned that accompanied him each time we were this close. A haze he struggled with. Raj wanted me. He knew it and so did I.  

Without thought, I swung my leg over to straddle him. It was an artless move: I hit my knee on the armrest of the door, the dress synched up to my waist, and my hosiery tore right down the middle. A blast of cool air hit my bare ass, but between my thighs was a blazing inferno.

“Kiss me!” I breathed into his mouth, pressed my lips to his.

That’s all the provocation he needed. Raj’s full lips brushed against mine so sweetly. He pulled on my bottom one then quickly lashed his tongue into my mouth. My belly leaped in excitement and I moaned as my mouth moved with his fluidly. I tasted his desire on the top film of his tongue. Beneath it was something I hadn’t figured out yet. I couldn’t help my pussy dragging against his coat. I couldn’t feel his erection, but knew it was there. His hands crept underneath the tail of my coat, and he moaned as his cold hands roved over my mounds, pulling me into him. We kissed hard and long. Our breathing synced into choppy chaos until he pulled away.

Raj rested his forehead against mine.

“I’ve never wanted anybody as bad as I want you.”

I rubbed his ears, brushed my nose against his. We stayed that way for a spell. To me, there was no need for words. We’d both consented.

Then my phone rang. I reached over to grab it from my clutch.

Myisha: Hows everything over there? I kinda wish I was there to make sure he’s on his best behavior and not being a pain in the ass.

The phone pinged again, in my hand this time.

Myisha: Did everything work out with the Ase Garb stockings? You able to find them?

What Ase Garb?

I thought about that. Then I recalled her matching a pair with my Super Bowl ensemble. A pair I didn’t have. Myisha asked me to go down to her room where she had a brand new pack of them. The question was could I fit them. I may have lost a few pounds, but she was size six - seven to my new ten.  She said she’d have a pair shipped tomorrow if they didn’t work. Luckily, though a little snug, they fit.

A warm tongue lashing my neck had me release an unexpected moan; my crotch rolled over him. I bit my lip, trying to remain lucid. Raj’s mouth could make me forget my middle name.

My shaky fingers moved quickly.

Me: Yes.

My mouth moved to find his. I used my tongue to trace his lips. Damn! I couldn’t wait to get him naked. Before tonight, I hadn’t seen Raj fully unclothed.

“I wanna see you naked,” I whispered into his mouth.

He laughed into mine, warm sweet breath hitting the roof of my mouth, his eyes half-mast. 

My phone sounded again.

Myisha: Damn girl! You hit me back with one word. You okay. That asshole fuckin with you? I been tryna call him all night but I can cuss his stubborn ass the fck out if you need me to.

“Yo, who that?” he grumbled beneath me.

I licked my lips as I typed. “Myisha threatening to fuck you up if you’re fucking with me. I’m telling her I’m good. I’m about to fuck you.”

Me: LOL. He’s right here. Just weird typing like that. I’m good. Hit you in the morning.

“Man, stop playing.” He tried chuckling.

I kissed his lips, knowing he didn’t exactly enjoy my coarse language.

“Would it be a problem if I told her that?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because ain’t none of her business. I don’t talk to her about stuff like that.”

I bit the inside of my lip as I processed that. There was so much to learn about Ragee. The incredible dynamic with his inner circle. I was too hot and revved up to question him. So, I kissed him again instead. Hard, fast, and expressively. We fell into a kissing frenzy once again. I got caught up in his scent, heat, and tongue skillset.

At some point, I felt successive squeezes on my ass. Raj withdrew.

“We’re here,” he croaked.

I glanced around and saw bright lights pushing through the tint of the windows and recognized the door to the hotel lobby. Gingerly, I pulled away from him to let myself down. Raj helped and gave me a few minutes to right my dress before he opened the car door. We moved briskly into the lobby with his security on our heels. The elevator was magically waiting when we approached it.

On the ride up, Raj murmured to his staff, “We’re good to the room.”

After a few curious stares at each other then him, they nodded their understanding.

We arrived at our floor and Raj tossed his chin, telling me to go first. He joined me and turned back toward his security.

“I’ll hit you in the morning.”

They nodded again just before the doors moved to close. The minute they were, I was carried to the wall behind me and lifted to straddle his waist. Raj managed his heavy coat off. He peeled mine off right after. My dress was conveniently at my waist again and his mouth was on mine, tasting and probing. I answered by matching his oral pace and ripping his shirt open, popping the buttons off. Right away, we were out of breath again. I could feel and hear him unzip beneath me.

“You good with this?” he panted.

“You wanna feel what’s inside my thong to know?”

I wanted him so bad. My breasts tingled and sex throbbed at this point.

Raj shook his head, eyes blinking. “I need you to say it. Tell me you’re good with this.”

I searched his eyes. What was this about? Why was consent so important to him? Was he one of those accused of touching someone inappropriately in his grandmother’s house?

I gritted, “Unequivocally, fuck yea—”

“That mouth,” he growled before his teeth clashed into mine.

His tongue swept my mouth and just then, I felt the head of his dick swipe over my sex. His fingers worked overtime to push the small triangle to the side and feel me skin on skin, directly over my weeping pussy.

Fuck!

I didn’t think I’d ever been so wet before meeting Ragee. My head slammed against the wall and I moaned unabashedly. I didn’t give a damn we shared the floor with another suite. Right here, in the hall, I was losing my mind.

Raj lined his swollen head with my entrance and plunged. No warning, no gentleness, just one sweep until at least half of him was inside. I could feel my pussy pulsate around him. His eyes were squeezed closed and lips pulled back, exposing his beautiful teeth.

“Wynter…” he whispered.

I moved, pushing my sex into him. I wanted to drive him crazy. That was all he needed, because Raj pulled back and rammed into me again. I saw stars behind my lids, but my belly stirred and groin churned.

“I’m gonna come,” I breathed, eyes so relaxed, I could cry.

I caught Raj’s expression go wild before he caught himself. Then he began to stroke. His thick ridges brushing against my walls, my thighs squeezing around him, so I wouldn’t fall. Shit… He felt too good to fall. Raj moved in and out, and I felt myself soften for him.

The sounds of our smacking pelvises and his pounding deep into my wet core were crude, dirty—publicly lewd. Yet somehow I knew he didn’t care. The strange guy who freaked when I touched his cock in the privacy of his bed was unmistakably fucking me hard and loud in public. Too preoccupied in a web of pleasure, I couldn’t unravel the antinomy.

“Oh, god!” My head fell back.

I was coming and hard, feeling the barbell rocking against my walls. My pussy clamped down on him, throbbing against the swollen ridges of his thickness, enhancing the pressure. Pleasure shot from my core to the heated soles of my swaying feet. My hips locked and arms tightened around him while bliss rained over me. Roughly, my chin was yanked down.

His dark narrowed eyes shot like bullets into mine. His lips pursed and the vein running the center of his forehead raised as he hammered into me even harder. My mouth held open, empty cries echoing out in breaths. 

As my body vibrated from the energy plummeting into me and my lungs squeezed, I realized Raj was exploding himself. He thickened inside me, and his thrusts turned urgent and less fluid. I watched as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed onto me, on the wall. His breaths were violent on my neck, dick still pulsating deep inside me.

“That was…” I could barely speak with his heavy weight crushed into me. My lungs working past their capacity. “…a head trip.”

“That was dangerous,” sloughed from his belly.