Chapter 9
After my shower and some more rest, I got dressed. I didn’t realize how tired my body was until I woke up from my nap. I checked the phone, and it was 1:00 PM. I had a few missed calls, mostly from my father. Instead of calling back, I changed my clothes to get dressed to go riding. I needed to clear my mind from everything that happened last night.
Kairo kept invading my headspace. No matter how hard I tried to think about something else, he came to mind. I slid on my black hoodie to match the black and gray jeans I wore then I slipped on my black riding boots. After I gave myself a once over in the mirror, I tied my hair in a bun to avoid helmet hair.
Slowly, I walked down the steps, not knowing what I was walking into. I wasn’t sure if Kairo was still here or left. The dick was good, no doubt about it. It was good enough to make anyone go crazy, but it wasn’t the dick that caused me to react the way I did. Lately I’d been feeling something stirring in me when it came to Kairo. The way he walked behind me at the meeting with the Iron Knights made me feel like I was his queen, and he was my king. He made eye contact whenever I spoke. He didn’t discredit me because I was woman. Most importantly, he saw me.
He didn’t give me special treatment or mistreat me because of who I was. He treated me the way he did because I was Junie. A part of me felt bad because my inability to tell him no might have jeopardized our work relationship. Kairo wasn’t my man, and I had no reason to act like that toward him. He was my bodyguard, no matter the feelings brewing inside of me.
I finally made it down the stairs and the scent of fresh flowers hit my nose. I made my way to the living room and my heart exploded out of my chest. My living room was transformed into a flower shop. There were roses of all colors, sunflowers, lilies, and carnations. My eyes watered at the random act of kindness.
“I didn’t know what your favorite was. Hell, I don’t even know if biker girls like flowers. I just went with what I know,” Kairo said from behind me, starling me.
“You did this? Why?”
He shrugged, walking closer to me. “Shit. I felt bad about earlier. I wasn’t on that type of time. I was trying to figure out how to answer you without sounding stupid or wrong. I wanted to make sure I used the right words.”
I lifted my hand, stopping him. “Kairo, let me apologize for my behavior from earlier. I shouldn’t have crashed out how I did. You didn’t deserve that. I wasn’t thinking and I apologize. I should’ve let you talk instead of not giving you the opportunity to speak your piece.”
It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt bad for the way I talked to him. Kairo was just doing his job. We shouldn’t have crossed those lines. No matter how fine he was, I should’ve had better restraint.
“Junie—”
I looked into Kairo’s eyes, and before I could get lost, he pulled me to him, smashing my lips into his. He placed my face into both of his hands. He didn’t let up. Kairo continued to kiss me until he pulled away, and I was able to catch my breath. I wiped at the corner of my mouth.
“Now what I wanted to say was, last night wasn’t just a one-night stand for me. I know we’re adding fuel to a flame right now, but I don’t care about none of that. I can’t get enough of you, Junie.”
My heart grew like the Grinch. Kairo had me feeling giddy and submissive. The flowers, him expressing how he truly felt while looking me in my eyes told me he was telling the truth.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve at least heard you out instead of throwing a tantrum.”
He grinned and moved closer to me, wrapping me in his arms and placing a kiss on my cheek then my lips.
“Where were you heading without me?” he asked, lips brushing against my forehead.
“I was going riding to clear my mind. Dad sent me some stuff to review but I didn’t feel like worrying about that right now.”
“Let me ride you on my bike.”
My eyes lit up. “I get to see what you’re pushing? Hell yeah, let’s go!”
He laughed. “Come on, silly girl. My bike is parked at my crib. We can drive over there.”
I smiled brightly. “Come on, let me see what you’re working with.”
We arrived at Kairo’s house after forty-five minutes of driving. He was ducked off on a side street in a two-story white brick house. The door and the shutters were black. It was beautiful. He had no neighbors and was surrounded by nature. I sat downstairs while I waited for him to return from upstairs.
Kairo’s house was clean but empty. Everything was in its respected place. He had only one picture up and it was of him and two older people I assumed were his parents. He was the spitting image of his father, but he had his mother’s smile. From the picture I could tell they were a happy family. I never would’ve expected him to join a biker gang. It was beautiful seeing a smiling Kairo. He looked like he lived an easy childhood. Now that he was an adult, he dealt with the ups and downs of adulthood.
I walked around the house in hopes to find more pictures but had no luck. I made my way to the kitchen. He had the latest stainless-steel appliances, but they didn’t look used. I ran my hand down the double oven stove. It was beautiful. Images of my mother begging my father for a double oven to make baking easier flashed through my mind. Eventually my father bought her the double oven. The look on her face was one of someone who won the lottery. It was beautiful seeing her jump up and down like a kid. She kissed all over my father that day. For a month straight she baked nonstop. A month later, she was murdered. I felt my tears building. I was robbed of my mother, and it still burned.
“Please don’t burn my house down,” Kairo said, making his presence known.
“Ha-ha, funny. I can actually cook.”
“Psst, yeah right.”
I playfully slapped his shoulder. “I can! My mama taught me.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I taste it,” he said.
I stared at him. He was so handsome, even when talking shit. I wanted to tell him to fuck the bike ride and let me ride him. It was getting hard to control myself around Kairo. Without him even trying, he made it harder. Kairo was already attractive, but after last night, he was even more attractive.
“You ready to ride, pretty?” he asked. I nodded like a silly kid being asked to the candy store. “Come on, beautiful.”
Kairo guided me out of the house to his garage. It was nice out today. It wasn’t too cold but there was just enough wind for a bike ride. He walked inside of the garage, and seconds later, I heard the loud roar of the motorcycle engine. The garage opened and Kairo came out on his all-black Kawasaki Ninja. I wasn’t surprised by his choice of bike. I didn’t see him riding anything other than a ninja. He pulled up beside me.
“Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
I climbed on the back of the bike and slid on my helmet. Kairo revved the engine and took off in an unknown direction. I didn’t care where we were headed, as long as I was with him.
Two hours later, we arrived back at Kairo’s house. A part of me was bummed that the ride had ended but I was glad we were back. My legs were sore. He parked the bike. I climbed off, adjusting my pants, then removed my helmet. I fixed my hair but glanced up to see Kairo staring at me.
“What?”
“Give me a kiss,” he said. My insides melted as I placed my lips on his. “Had fun?”
“I did. The back roads were my favorite.”
“Because daddy went fast?” he teased.
I playfully tapped his shoulder. “Chill out, but yes.”
“You sure you weren’t scared?”
I nodded. “For what? I know you won’t let anything happen to me,” I said, winking my eye.
He chuckled. “You’re a dangerous woman. Go inside and order us something to eat. Let me put the bike up.”
I turned on my heels and made my way into the house. I scrolled on my phone to find something to eat but nothing good stood out. That was when an idea came to mind. I was going to cook for him. It was the least I could do. I went toward the kitchen in search of something to cook. To my surprise, Kairo’s kitchen was stocked with everything. I was shocked to see all the seasonings and meats that he had. My gears turned as I thought of a meal for us.
“What you doing?” he asked, catching me by surprise.
I spun on my heels with a grin on my face, but it dropped at the expression on Kairo’s face. He looked irritated. His jaw was tight, and his body was tense.
“Everything okay?”
“What you looking for?”
“Um… Instead of ordering food, I was going to cook. Show you my skills. Show you how I burn in the kitchen,” I joked, hoping to relieve whatever bothered him. He stared at me for a few more seconds before he became less tense. My mind wondered what that was about. “That’s cool?”
“Yeah, do ya thing.”
I nodded and went back to the searching for something to cook. Kairo hung his things then went on the other end of the house. It didn’t bother me and the nice peace and quiet I experienced was healing.
After almost two hours of cooking, I had whipped up a few smash burgers with onions and mushrooms, topped with sauteed onions and French fries I found in the freezer. Kairo and I sat at the bar eating in silence. Since the awkward encounter, we stayed out of each other’s way. I kept my eyes trained on my plate, not bothering to look at Kairo. I didn’t understand why his mood flipped and flopped the way that it did.
“J—” he called.
I looked at him. “Yeah?”
He sighed. “My bad for my attitude from earlier. I shouldn’t have stayed apart from you that long. This is all new to me. I’m usually a loner. Didn’t need the company of others. I was an only child, so I’m used to being alone.”
“I could’ve left. It wouldn’t have bothered me if you would’ve asked me to leave. I like being alone too.”
“But that’s the thing, Junie, I don’t want you to leave. I just need to change the trait.”
I smiled at him. “All is forgiven, Kairo. It was a misunderstanding. I can be a bit much sometimes. I had no business going through your stuff.”
He reached for my hand and placed a kiss on it. “You good. I’m glad you did because this shit so fucking good,” he said, pointing at his plate that was almost cleaned.
“Really?” I beamed.
“Yeah, you did your thing, beautiful.”
“Thank you so much. Um, I guess we should try getting back to my house. I don’t want to invade your space too much longer,” I said.
“Nah, we can stay here. Your place in the city, and right now, I just want peace and quiet. Let’s just stay here.”
All of me agreed with that. At any given time, my father or brother could pop up over there. Plus, there wasn’t the best signal here at Kairo’s house. This would be a great opportunity to disconnect from everything.
“Yeah, I’m cool with that. I will need a change of clothes,” I said, standing up.
“I can run over and grab you something. By the time you finish washing up, I should be back.” Kairo grabbed both of our plates and placed them in the sink.
“Kairo, I’ll clean the kitchen since I made the mess.”
He looked back at me. “J, I have a jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom. I got all types of soaks under the sink. Go up there and handle your business. I got this.”
“But, K?—”
“J—” His tone was stern, and I knew he meant business. “Do as I say.”
My body shook from his sternness, yet I couldn’t ignore how aroused it made me. There was something about him taking charge. He wasn’t diminishing but letting me know he could lead, and I should follow.
“Okay, drive safe.” I turned on my heels to go find the jacuzzi tub he mentioned but stopped when he called my name.
“Junie, come here.”
“Yes?” I made my way over to him.
He leaned down and kissed my lips twice, then the third time he inserted his tongue, letting his hands fall down to my ass and squeezing it. He pulled away, and I had to hold on to his arms to stop from falling.
“Thank you for dinner, beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kissed my lips. “Be naked when I get back.” He slapped my butt again and went back to rinsing the dishes.
I was giddy on the inside. In a matter of days, I experienced the kind of affection I never got before. It was different. Usually I was in control being the dominate one, but the tables were turned now. I was experiencing the submissive life, and I think I loved it here.
I made my way upstairs, searching the rooms until I came to the master bedroom. Just like Kairo said there was a jacuzzi tub, but he left out how big and beautiful it was. I squealed thinking about how the jets would take away all the knots and kinks from my body. I looked under the sink, and he had section full of soaks. I opted for the lavender soak and lavender bubble bath. I started the tub, pressing and playing with the buttons until I got it to the setting I wanted. I poured the bubble bath and soaks then inserted my body into the water. I felt the exhaustion leave my body immediately. My eyes closed as I thought about how I could get used to this with Kairo. I wasn’t sure where Kairo and I were headed but I was looking forward to it.
Forty-five minutes had passed, and I got out the water. My body felt better and more relaxed. I wrapped myself up in the towel and remained naked like Kairo asked. I made my way to the bed and laid down. My body melted into the mattress. It felt like I was floating on a cloud. I knew Kairo would be back soon, so I decided to put on lotion then wrap back up in a towel. I looked on his dresser, not seeing any lotion. I looked in the nightstand in hopes that a small bottle could be in the drawer. I shuffled through the junk but stopped when I came across a picture. I lifted the picture from all the other items and froze. It was a picture of a blue motorcycle. My father’s blue motorcycle. My curiosity piqued. It made no sense as to why Kairo had a picture of my father’s bike in his drawer. I flipped the image to the back to see if there was any context but there was none. My phone rang, pulling me from studying the image. It was Kairo calling.
“Hello?” I quickly answered. I didn’t want him to think anything was up.
“Hey, I’m five minutes out. I just wanted to make sure you were naked like I asked.”
I giggled. “I am.”
“I’m running to you, girl. I’ve been thinking about burying myself in between your legs since I left.”
“I’ve been thinking about you being buried between them.” I giggled again.
“That’s what I like to hear. See you soon, baby.”
The call ended and I squealed and kicked my feet in the air. I stopped my celebration when I remembered the picture in my hand. This was something I was going to keep in the back of my mind. Kairo probably wanted to purchase this type of bike. I took a picture to have on my phone, then placed the picture back in the drawer. I had a plan up my sleeve that could make his day. By the time I had everything situated, I could hear Kairo howling and running up the stairs.
“Junie! I’m back, baby!”