Chapter 24 Cole
CHAPTER 24 COLE
ADINKRA SAYING: (Sankofa) Learn from the past.
HELEN ADDO: What is an apology? I do not understand the question.
That meeting hadn’t gone well. We’d both been blindsided. But at the end of that meeting, I knew one thing. I’d fucked up. I could see it on Ofosua’s face when she looked at me.
But we hadn’t had time to talk after—she’d made sure of that—so I wasn’t certain where I’d fucked up. I could only assume she was mad I’d met with Cosmos even though she was named the imprint’s editor. Or maybe my reaction after Jess had tugged her hair wasn’t what she’d hoped for. Not my finest moment.
I’d been pissed off, and hadn’t handled the Jess situation well when it happened. But I thought I could fix it. So I went to HR at lunch and told them exactly what I’d witnessed. I knew there was a chance Ofosua might not appreciate it, but I had to do something .
All we needed to do was talk. I’d tell her about the step I’d taken, show her I was serious about change at Drake. And serious about her.
I’d texted her through the day, but she hadn’t replied. Not even when I asked if our date was still on for tonight.
As I paced my apartment, I watched the clock. I’d texted her twice more, but she hadn’t responded.
At ten minutes past eight, when my buzzer sounded, I rushed to the door. “Ofosua?”
There were traffic sounds, cars honking, someone shouting, music, and then finally Ofosua’s voice. “Yeah, it’s me. Can you buzz me up?”
My gut knotted into a tight ball.
Calm the fuck down. It’s fine. Just explain.
Would it be fine, though?
When she knocked at the door, I rushed to open it, and she looked tired but still as beautiful as she did at the beginning of the day, when everything was fresh and amazing. “Hey,” I said.
“Hey, yourself.”
I stepped aside. “Come on in.”
When she stepped in, I closed the door behind her. “I’ll be right back.” I put her things in the bedroom deliberately so she couldn’t just pick them up and leave. Look, it was a little manipulative, I admit, but I needed to work every angle I had here.
I started with the groveling right away. “I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
“Cole—”
“Look, before you start, I know I should have handled that bullshit with Jess better. And I know that this, with us, is going to be hard, but I want to do this, and please don’t give up on me. You and I are just getting started.”
I dragged a hand through my hair and watched as she tucked herself into the corner of my couch, making herself small, before sliding her gaze toward me.
“Jess? No. Cole, I’m annoyed about that meeting. You met with Cosmos about my imprint, for starters. And you didn’t communicate that. I was surprised. Then when he asked about Aliza, you and Steven sat there, mute. As if I made that choice. You know the real reason Aliza Mann was ever on the roster. But you and your uncle left me to explain to Cosmos. And I know you have to protect Drake’s reputation. I know you have to think about your position as well, but I felt unsupported. It sucked.”
Shit. “I—I told him that you were a fantastic editor, and you were going to make it shine.”
She searched my gaze, as if willing me to understand. “Cole, I needed you to say Aliza wasn’t my choice. Back me up and say it was my fast thinking that got Aliza moved to women’s fiction. Something. I needed you to back me.” She sniffed as I watched her lips quiver. “I knew Steven was going to leave me out there, but I hated that it felt like you left me hanging too.”
“Shit.” I knelt in front of her. “I’m so sorry. I thought I was helping.” I cleared a tear with my thumb. She rarely cried. She never let herself break down. I hated being the one who’d made her cry. “I’ll fix it. I’ll call Cosmos myself.”
“I don’t want you to do that. I don’t need saving. It just sucked. I’m allowed to just be sad.”
She was wrong. I did need to fix this. “You don’t need saving, but you deserve having someone who looks out for you. Hold on.”
I pushed to my feet and grabbed my phone off the coffee table. She watched me with wide eyes as I quickly scrolled through my contacts. I found the number I was looking for and made the call.
Cosmos answered on the second ring. “Cole? What’s going on?”
“Sorry to call this evening. I hope I haven’t interrupted dinner or something.”
“I was just getting ready to grab a drink. Would you like to join me? I’m meeting the actress Markella Walsh.”
“Thank you, but no. I just wanted to clarify something.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“This morning, there was something I didn’t say that my uncle should have mentioned.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Aliza Mann was not Ofosua Addo’s choice. In our acquisitions meeting, Ofosua fought against her. Hard. My uncle forced her hand. It was Ofosua’s quick thinking that got her moved to a different imprint.”
“Why didn’t she say something?”
My gaze flickered to her. Her eyes were wide and concerned. I knew Drake needed this investment. My legacy depended on it. Maybe that’s why I didn’t speak up at the meeting. But I had to speak the truth. “She’s a professional, and this imprint is everything to her. She would never do or say anything to jeopardize the authors on it, who matter to her. But I felt it was important for you to know.”
“I got the feeling. I worried when I made this proposal to Steven that he might try to just pay lip service, but Ofosua is the real deal. That’s why Aliza Mann’s inclusion was a red flag for me.”
“Ofosua Addo is the real deal, I promise you that. She’s one of our best editors.”
“I can see why. She seems very talented. I appreciate your honesty.”
“Thank you. Have a good night.”
“You too, Cole.”
When I hung up, Ofos stared at me. “I cannot believe you did that. Your uncle is going to kill you. That call might hurt this deal.”
“ I hurt you. I needed to fix it. You aren’t alone anymore.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t need to fix it.”
I lifted her chin so she met my gaze. “Yes, I did.”
She watched me warily. “Why do you look nervous? You’re doing that thing that you always do when you’re nervous, chewing the corner of your mouth.”
I frowned. “I do not.”
She nodded. “Yes, you do too. It’s very cute. But I want to know why you’re nervous.”
“Come with me.” I stood and took her hand and tugged her to her feet.
“All right, all right. I’m coming.”
We stepped into my room, and her eyes went wide when I turned on the lights. “Jesus, your room really is huge.”
“Yeah. I love the light that comes in, and it’s got an awesome view of the city.”
She laughed when I let her go. “You’re not going to kiss me?”
“Patience is a virtue.”
“I think we’ve already established it’s not one of mine.”
“Come on, I’m going to show you. I hope I got the right one. I wasn’t sure.”
Reluctantly, she followed, and I pulled back the covers from her side of the bed. “Did I get the right thing?”
She glanced down. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I—”
It took her a second, but then she saw it. The set of pillowcases. She was quiet long enough to make me worry I’d fucked up, gotten the exact wrong thing. When she turned to me, her eyes were shiny with tears again. “Cole.”
She’d told me at her place, when I asked about her satin pillowcases, that cotton strips Black hair of much-needed moisture, but satin protects it. But maybe I’d fucked this up. “I can fix it. Just tell me what you need.”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she launched herself at me. She planted her hands on my shoulders and jumped up. When she slammed her lips on mine, I staggered back before righting myself. The kiss she gave me was deep. Her tongue sliding over my lips into my mouth, claiming me. The tension I’d been carrying around loosened even more. When she pulled back, she smiled at me. “Thank you.”
“So you like it?”
“Yeah, I like it,” she whispered.
And she proceeded to show me how much. Between the sliding of her tongue over mine and her hands sliding up under my shirt to tug it off, I was ready to combust.
The tension from today had made us impatient. As we fumbled with our clothes, there was some ripping, a lot of tugging, some cramping muscles. But finally, I had her naked.
Fuck, she was so sexy. When she lay sprawled on the bed, I stared down at her, trying to decide where I was going to feast first.
But it seemed Ofos had other plans, and she reached for my belt. She made quick work of the buckle, yanking it furiously and then throwing it somewhere behind us. I heard a series of thuds and could picture it hitting the wall and then falling down to the hardwood. Did I give a fuck about that? Nope, sure did not.
My gaze was entirely focused on her hands pulling down my zipper. “Ofos…” I groaned out.
But she paid me no mind, reaching into my boxer briefs and pulling out my thick erection. My eyes were on her; her gaze was on my dick. She licked her lips before sliding down and taking me into her hot, wet mouth.
I was done for.
All thought ceased the moment she wrapped her lips around me. I threw my head back, pleasure coursing through my body as she bobbed her head up and down on my cock.
“Oh, fuck,” I moaned, the feel of her warm, wet mouth the most intense feeling, like someone had plugged me into a power outlet. I wrapped a hand in her thick curls, groaning as she began to bob her head up and down slowly.
She flicked her tongue as she moved over me. She stopped for a moment to kiss her way along my abs, and then back up, before wrapping her lips around me again and taking my whole length down her throat.
“Baby… I’m about to come,” I gasped out as the pleasure overpowered me.
“Mmm-hmmmm,” she purred in response. And then she squeezed my balls, leaned forward, and sucked me off like nothing I’d ever experienced.
She took me deep, her mouth so wet and warm my knees started to give as a wave of need hit me, making me weak. Fuck, she felt amazing.
When she gave me a gentle squeeze my head snapped up as I felt the orgasm coming for me. As much as I wanted nothing more than to lose full control, to give her everything, I wasn’t nearly done with her yet.
She gave me a petulant whine when I caressed her cheek and pulled her off my dick.
“Oh no you don’t. I haven’t even started. I have a hundred ways to apologize. I plan to use every single one.”
“Cole…”
“I’m so glad you’re familiar with my name. I plan on making you scream it a lot.” And I did. I apologized in a million different ways. With soft kisses, with deep ones. With my tongue inside her pussy and my mouth on her clit, fingers teasing her ass. And finally, the most important way to apologize.
I met her gaze with mine as I lined my dick up with her slick heat and kept it on her as I slid all the way home. When I was buried inside her to the hilt, her inner muscles gripping me, I tucked my face into her neck and whispered so she could hear me, “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t stop whispering it until I’d wrung yet another orgasm out of her.