15. Creed
Chapter 15
Creed
“ W hat’s got you so occupied?” I questioned Nakyra, stepping up behind her in her office.
“Just working on a sketch.” She quickly locked her tablet and popped her head up. One corner of my mouth quirked up and I glanced down.
“Another children’s book?”
She shook her head. “No, I finished that a couple weeks ago.”
“Then what is it?”
Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip and she peeked down at the tablet. A couple seconds went by before she released a heavy breath and picked up the tablet, clicked it back on, then handed it to me.
“This a comic right? This dope as hell.” I scrolled through the pages. “What’s it about?”
“Uh.” She cleared her throat. “The main character is a deaf princess who’s seen as inadequate to take over the kingdom because of her disability. Her father’s demanding she get married to get the crown, but the guy she falls for isn’t gonna see it that way and helps her without them needing to be married.”
Quietly, I read a couple of the pages. “Is it almost finished?”
“I wish. I’ve been procrastinating on it for so long.”
Lifting my head, I studied her and squinted. “Why?”
Her shoulders lifted then fell. “Guess I’m just not sure if people will like it. I’ve always dreamed of writing my own comics or animated series, but it’s scary to put myself out there, you know?”
“You already write children's books though, right? That’s what you were working on when I first got here.” Eventually she had revealed to me that she was the author and illustrator behind the children’s book.
She nodded. “Yeah, but this is different.”
I looked back down at the tablet. “How?”
“I do good with my children’s books, they sell well. But I don’t know… getting it animated and everything is so much bigger. Plus, writing a comic is a lot harder than illustrating children’s books.”
Locking the tablet, I handed it back. “I think you’re on the right track. I don’t know much about comics, but I read a few when I was a kid. It looks good. You should have more confidence in it.”
“You think so?” A small smile formed on her face.
“I do. You’re talented. Your work is clean and eye-catching. I think if you finish and get it out there it’ll do well. The message is great for kids and anyone struggling with disabilities or even insecurities, to know that they can overcome them.”
She cleared her throat again. “I just want to show them that they’re not limited, you know? My parents and others around me always tried to act like I was broken or something. For a while I used to believe so. If it wasn’t for my sixth-grade teacher, I probably still would. I don’t want any other kids to grow up thinking that way.”
Gripping her shoulder, I squeezed it tightly. “Finish the comic. I have faith in it and you.”
“Thank you. My clients always rave about how nice my work is, but it’s always nice to get feedback from someone I know.” Her smile heightened and she turned back to the desk, setting the tablet down.
“Are you heading out?”
I dragged my hand over my head. “Yeah. I got a couple meetings with some new potential contracts then I gotta meet with my lawyer.”
“Are you gonna be back late tonight?”
“Why? You gon’ miss me?” One corner of my mouth lifted. My voice came out playful but part of me was serious. We had grown close since I’d been staying here, the last thing I expected from someone engaged to my brother.
“What if I said I am?” she whispered. “It’s nice having someone here. With Rome being so busy the past few months, it was like I was living with a ghost. This house is too big to be here alone. Plus I was thinking I could finally make that Mexican dish and we can watch a movie or something.”
“A’right I can get down with that. I’ll be back no later than eight.”
Her eyes lit up. “Okay good. I’ll have dinner done by then.”
“I’ll see you later then.” Tossing her a nod, I turned to leave the office.
____
“Have you decided on a movie?” Nakyra asked, taking a seat next to me.
“Yeah, there’s a movie I’d been wanting to see when it was in theaters but never got a chance. It’s streaming now.” I clicked the remote a couple times. When I walked in the door, Nakyra seemed surprised I was actually here. I got the impression that my brother didn’t keep his commitments when it came to them having plans.
“Is that a scary movie?” she asked before scooping some of her food into her mouth.
“Yeah.” I glanced at her. “Not a fan?”
She shook her head. “Typically no.”
“We can watch something else. I like pretty much anything.”
“No, no, it’s fine. As long as I have someone to watch it with I’m fine.”
I raised a brow. “You sure?”
“Yeah. Just don’t be surprised if I’m glued to your side after a while.”
A chuckle left my mouth. “I won’t complain.” I hit play so the movie could start and got comfortable. “By the way, this good as hell,” I complimented, taking a bite of the steak dish.
“Thank you! I saw it on TikTok and have been wanting to try it.”
“Anytime you need a taste tester I’m your guy if you keep throwing down like this.” I scooped up more of the food.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She grinned while shoving her fork into her mouth.
After a few seconds she spoke again. “How were your meetings today?”
I shrugged. “Cool. Got two new big contracts on this side of The States that we’ll start delivering for.” I paused for a second. “I don’t know if you know but my dad’s sick and stepping down; he wants me to take over while Rome’s out of commission, I turned him down though.”
Nakyra whipped her head toward me with her eyes the size of golf balls. “Really?”
“My brother didn’t tell you?”
She shook her head. “No, but…I guess it makes sense why he’s been working like crazy. He wasn’t supposed to take over until after the wedding, but out of nowhere everything changed. I started seeing him less. He was busier, taking more trips out of town. I wonder why he didn’t mention it.” The last part she said more to herself. “And you turned it down?”
I nodded. “No point in taking over something I’m an afterthought in. I never was meant to run Global Track, so I have no plans of doing it now.”
She seemed to understand, nodding her head slowly. Her forehead creased for a second as if she was in deep thought.
“I’m curious. How did you end up with your company? Your brother told me it was handed to you or something, right?”
“Yeah, when I turned fifteen I started working down at the docks for my old boss, Ron. At first it was just me loading the trucks with cargo off the ships. Once I turned sixteen he allowed me to help in the warehouse and at eighteen he paid for me to get my CDL. I tried college and decided it wasn’t for me, but he demanded I take business classes anyway. Most were online so I was able to still get on the road. When I was twenty-three he got sick and unfortunately was only given a short period to live. He didn’t have any kids, but he always told me I was like a son to him. He ended up leaving me Steel Freight in his will and the rest was history.”
She stared at me in shock. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. You must have made some impact on him.”
I chuckled. “My main goal was to survive without needing my parents; so any free time I had I was picking up hours. He helped me get my first place and everything. In the eight years I knew him, he was more of a dad than my own.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m glad you had him in your life then.”
“Me too.” I still missed my old mentor. In that short period of time I’d learned so much from him and he gave me so much without ever asking for anything in return. Every day I prayed I was living up to his expectations.
Silently we turned our attention back to the movie. A few times Nakyra closed her eyes and jumped, which made me chuckle. The movie was a film about a slasher stalking a family who lived in the house his family was murdered in. It was clear she didn’t like scenes where things popped up out of nowhere because she would end up closer to me each time it happened. Halfway through the movie she was practically glued to my side.
“Do you want me to turn this off?” I asked when her face was buried into my side. She gripped the T-shirt I had changed into when I got home tightly.
“No it’s fine.” Her face pressed closer into my side.
I held her side and watched the screen. The current scene was the killer slashing a friend of the family’s neck. “It’s over now.”
“I know it’s fake, but me and blood do not get along.” She shivered and peeked up at me from under her long lashes.
“Don’t worry, if a slasher breaks in the house, I’ll protect you.”
“Don’t joke like that!” Her eyes widened, causing me to titter.
My hand was still planted on her side and she gripped my shirt tighter. Her chest pressed against my ribs. Her breathing was steady, but shaky. I watched her mouth as her lips slightly parted and her eyes watched mine. My breathing got caught in my throat. Time seemed to slow around us.
“I told you I would protect you though so there’s no need to worry.”
“I believe you. You seem like a man who keeps his word.”
The air between us became electrified. Suddenly the movie didn’t matter as I bounced my eyes around her round face. Nakyra never wore makeup, only lip gloss. Her top lip was a tad fuller than her plump bottom lip. They were pinkish in the middle then ombréd to a dark brown. A cute pout formed on them, causing my balls to tighten. Her skin was a perfect milk chocolate tone, blemish free, not even an acne scar on her face.
“Word is bond. If you don’t have your word, what do you have?”
“I wish everyone thought like you,” she whispered, scraping her bottom lip with her teeth. A habit I realized she did a lot when she was uncertain or nervous.
Her small breaths brushed over the bottom of my face. My skin prickled with awareness. I wasn’t sure who moved first, but the next thing I knew my mouth was connected to hers. The kiss was a sweetness I’d never tasted before. Her lips tasted like the watermelon gloss she was wearing, felt like two feather-filled pillows. When she gasped, I took that as an invitation and shoved my tongue inside her mouth. I teased the inside of her mouth with my tongue before sucking on hers, causing her to moan. She was submissive in the kiss, allowing me to lead.
Lowering my hand, I cuffed her ass and lifted her. One of her legs rose and went across my thighs. When she pressed her body further into me and rolled her hips, blood rushed down to my dick. Adrenaline pumped violently through my veins.
The last girl I kissed was my ex-girlfriend and that was over eight months ago. Feeling Nakyra’s body against mine, tasting her lips, was like something in me reawakened. My heart beat intensely, slamming against my chest cavity.
Something must have clicked in Nakyra because she suddenly snatched away from me with disbelief and guilt bubbling in her eyes. Her lip gloss was smeared, cheeks tinted red.
“I-I… Sorry!” Nakyra jumped up, knocking over the tray table her empty plate was on. She didn’t bother to pick it up as she rushed out of the living room and soon could be heard hurrying up the stairs.
Licking my lips, I tasted her gloss and swiped my thumb over my bottom one. “Damn.” I dropped my head and adjusted myself. What we did was wrong. I knew we had crossed a line we couldn’t take back, the bad part was I didn’t feel guilty about it. Nakyra obviously wasn’t getting what she needed or deserved in her relationship with my brother. I wasn’t one to step on anyone’s toes, but it was clear she craved attention and affection.
Looking over my shoulder I waited to see if she was gonna come back down. But when I heard nothing, I knew the night was over.