Chapter 15
CRESCENT
“Good afternoon, Mr. Carter,” Mahogany said, wearing a smile.
I shifted my eyes from her to the young lady beside her. “Mahogany.”
Briefly, our eyes met before she looked over at the young lady. “Mr. Carter, this is Shardae, our senior designer. While it’s been a pleasure working with you personally, I’ve decided to transfer you over to her. Shardae does amazing work. I trust that with her you’ll be in great hands.”
She was trying to transfer me. Of course she was.
This didn’t come as a surprise—not at all.
Me and Mahogany had sex a couple of days ago.
We crossed that line. And while I had been thinking about the risks that came with that, I didn’t let it consume me.
I was a go with the flow type of nigga. It happened.
There were no regrets. None at all. I accepted it for what it was.
That might’ve been easier for me to do because I wasn’t the one with the wedding rings.
What we did might’ve been unethical… not might’ve…
it was unethical. But it felt right. I’d never experienced a woman the way I experienced Mahogany.
She was… impeccable. I couldn’t wait to get back between her legs.
Couldn’t wait to smell her again. Couldn’t wait to taste her again.
Damn she was delicious. Couldn’t wait make her pussy cream and squirt again.
Couldn’t wait to make her body quiver again.
I wanted Mahogany bad as hell. Maybe it was good she was transferring me because the other night was just us on some quick shit.
Only God knows what I would do to her with more time and space.
I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my slacks. “You think so, huh?”
She looked away. Down at the floor for a bit before placing a piece of hair behind her. ear. Looking back up at me, she pursed her lips and said, “Mmhmm. Absolutely. Shardae has been senior designer for over a year and…”
She went on to explain Shardae’s credentials.
Told me all about prior projects Shardae took lead on.
Told me about how she made employee of the month five months in a row.
Laughed about how some people thought she was playing favorites.
Mahogany just rambled. Rambled on and on about Shardae like I gave a fuck about her or her credentials.
She could be the absolute best in this bitch—trumping Mahogany and I still wouldn’t want her.
I chose Mahogany for specific reasons. I chose Mahogany because she was perfect.
I chose Mahogany because when I scrolled through her IG feed she called out to me.
Not Couture. She did. I could’ve worked with any of the three company’s my assistants presented me with.
I had meetings with them lined up after ours.
But I canceled them. Decided before I even stepped foot in Couture that Mahogany was my girl.
I didn’t want Shardae. I wanted Mahogany.
Not because I wanted to fuck her again. Not because I wanted her to wet my face up.
I could have those things without a business relationship, and I was sure I would.
It was because it was her. She was a pleasure to work with.
Her mind… the way she talked about design…
the way she focused when she didn’t think I was looking.
I wanted that. To be able to look up from my phone and catch her in a zone. Fuck Shardae. I needed Mahogany.
Instead of saying anything, I just nodded. Let her do her little talking and shit. She was trying to sell the hell out of Shardae, too.
“…So, like I said… perfect hands,” She concluded with a smile, glancing over at Shardae who seemed very, very intimidated. She kept her arms crossed at the wrists, eyes dancing around every part of my face but my eyes.
I laughed. “I don’t think there are a set of hands more perfect than yours for the job, Ms. Mills.”
I watched as her eyebrows raised a bit. Shardae’s did the same.
I said I wasn’t calling her that anymore, right?
Fuck it. She was more Ms. Mills now than she’d ever been before.
Fuck her husband. He wasn’t important. Damn sure not to me, and apparently not to her neither.
Couldn’t have been. Not by the way she sucked my dick.
She was passionate. Very passionate. Wrapped her lips around it, looked up at me, and sucked it like she was in love with me.
I’d had my dick sucked more times than I could count and nobody’s done to me what she did.
It was in the eye contact and the way she moved her tongue around it, kissing it softly, gripping it with just the right amount of pressure.
If I thought I was up under some kind of spell before, I knew for sure I was now. She was… my God.
Mahogany was mine.
I wasn’t letting up off her.
“Well, like—like I said… Shardae has been a—
“Yes,” I interrupted. “I understand. She’s senior designer. I’m sure you’re great Ms. Shardae but if you don’t mind, I’ll be working with Mahogany for the duration of our contract. As we agreed.”
Me and Mahogany’s eyes met. She stayed there a bit. Just enough for me to notice fire behind them, before looking away. When she did, I tilted my head a bit and found them again. She took a deep breath and placed both hands on her desk.
“Could you give us a moment, Shar? Tamia should’ve emailed you his portfolio by now.”
With a squint, I stared at her. We stared at each other.
Later was that shy shit from before. There she was.
Real. Raw. Authentic. Just the way I preferred her.
It was sexy as hell but did I appreciate it?
Right now? Nah, not really. She was putting her foot down.
Closing our agreement. Pawning me off to another designer as if I was nothing.
As if the work we put in wasn’t fulfilling.
Did I take it personal? Shit no. I knew her decision had nothing to do with me—but everything to do with her.
She couldn’t work with me. I wondered if she was embarrassed or if she was ashamed because she’d cheated on a husband I knew about.
“Okay, Mrs. M. Thank you,” Shardae said before looking my way. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
I nodded and told her to have a great day. I wasn’t working with Shardae.
The only designer I wanted to work with was Mahogany.
And that was that. Did that make me a bratty ass nigga?
Nah, not at all. I went after what I wanted and what I wanted, I got.
Despite the circumstances, despite the running she was trying to do.
Shit was messy—I was aware of that but… we could work in between.
I might’ve wanted her bad as hell, but would I allow that to jeopardize the work we had to do? Absolutely not.
Shardae walked out of the office, and I smiled. “Damn, straight up?”
“Straight up, what?” Mahogany asked, pretending not to know what I was referring to. “I’m transferring you because my workload is heavy and—“
“Bullshit,” I interrupted as I circled the desk. Her hand went to the back of her neck as she followed me with her eyes.
“It’s not bullshit,” She lied. “My workload is heavy. Besides…”
“Besides what?” I asked, standing next to her.
I clenched down on my jaw, with restraint. I wanted to touch her. Wanted to bury my face into the side of her neck. She smelled delectable. Today, she smelled like vanilla and honey. Not as sweet as she did the other night, but invigorating still.
“You know what,” she said, looking up at me before taking a step back. “It’s best if I transfer your case, Mr. Carter.”
“Don’t call me that. Not right now,” I told her.
Mr. Carter coming from her lips right now, while I was on ten, did nothing but wake my dick up. She was stern. Headstrong. Confident. No bullshit. And it was something about that, that turned me on.
With a sigh, she turned the corners of her lips up. “Crescent.”
“Hm?” I asked, wearing a smirk.
“We had sex,” She whispered. “I’m a married woman. A happily—”
“Mmmh,” I grunted, interrupting her. “You keep saying that. I don’t know about that sweetheart.”
She drew back, offended. “Why? Because we had sex?” She paused. “That don’t mean shit.”
I drew in closer to her, closing the small space between us.
It was almost as if I could hear her calling out to me.
Not vocally—she’d never do that vocally.
But energetically? Energetically, I felt her wanting me closer.
So, I gave her that. Gave us that because just as bad as she wanted me closer, I wanted to be closer too.
She looked up at me. Eyes centered. Unwavering.
But I noticed something. Another swallow.
She was doing a great job standing her ground.
Phenomenal even, but the truth still lied on the surface.
I still had that effect on her that made her shy and timid.
Of course I did. We just had sex two days ago.
Regardless of how hard she tried not to be, she was still the same Mahogany today as she was then.
I didn’t say anything. Wasn’t given an opportunity to before she placed her hand on my chest, pushing me away.
“See what I mean? Like I said… It’s best if I transfer your case.” She walked away. I grabbed her wrist. She snatched away. I let her.
“We can’t work together.”
I shook my head. “Nah. You can’t work with me.”
“And you can work with me?” She sized me up. “You got up in my personal space twice already.”
“Because you asked me to.”
She drew back again. “Crescent.”
“Without words,” I added. “Listen… I understand.”
“No,” she paused. “No, you don’t. You can’t possibly understand. I am a married woman—”
“An unhappily married woman. A happily married woman wouldn’t have done the things you did.”