Chapter 4
FOUR
A feast suitable for royalty.
That’s what she’d prepared. That’s what sat before us. That’s what I watched her indulge as I leaned back in my chair with a hand tossed over my knee and my eyes trained on her lips.
There was a spread of fruit and vegetables that she’d made possible by ordering ahead of time, in the wee hours after I’d left her home.
She had them delivered directly to my doorstep.
In addition to the array of colors, the omelets she’d made for us both were better than any I’d seen in the past – pre or post season.
And, there I was waiting. And, waiting. And, waiting some more.
Like a pup desperate for its owner’s attention, I waited for Kit to give me hers.
Instead, she kept her eyes glued on the pages of the colorful, vibrant novel that was propped up in front of her until they weren’t anymore.
Then, they were on me. Gazing into my rounds and causing a stampede in my chest.
Attention undivided, I straightened my posture. My slouched back straightened and shoulders squared as they should’ve been. Yet, the wait to hear her mumble something from her pouty, perfectly positioned lips continued. Nevertheless, my sight didn’t falter.
“Why are you staring at me?” She poked, finally. She’d given me something to soothe the desire to hear her voice, though it wasn’t really anything at all.
Why not? I thought.
“Because I’m trying to figure out why you’re here,” I responded, tilting my head as I searched for something below the surface.
“First, you can’t let go of the fact that I don’t want to come. When I show up, you’re obsessed with the fact that I’m here. What is this, Fohr McClarren?”
“Whole name, huh?” I nodded with a slight chuckle.
She was carefully carving a space for herself in my head and heart. The best part about it was that she had no idea. And, it was effortless, too. Kit didn’t have to do much, or do anything at all. It was her. That was the issue.
She wanted boundaries to remain intact, and I got that. However, I didn’t neglect to acknowledge the fact that while it would possibly be easy on her part, it would be a struggle for me. From the minute she opened her door, I knew the internal struggle would be difficult to contain.
“As my employer, I think it’s proper.”
“Hmmm.” With a nod, I sipped the water from the gallon jug before me.
“May I take your plate?” She questioned as she stood, full-length and astounding.
“Have a seat,” I challenged, standing in response, and starting toward her end of the table instead. There was so much distance between us. Too much, almost. I wanted her near. Nearer at least. She seemed so far away. Too far away.
Chill. My thoughts preceded me. Warning me. Chastising me.
As one aware of his own desires and never being afraid to conquer them, oftentimes I had to interfere and stop myself from falling face forward after moving too swiftly.
Not with women, ever, but in decisions that I’d made in my life’s span.
That was exactly why I didn’t understand the immediate and intense urge I’d acquired in a matter of hours for the woman before me.
My housekeeper. My house cleaner. My maid.
Kit’s voice hiked in her throat as my frame entered space that she’d possibly intended to keep sacred. Reaching over her, I removed the plate she’d just finished off from the table. All that was left were juices from the fruit she’d consumed.
Her omelet was small, but she’d piled her plate with avocados, watermelon, grapes, pineapples, berries, and tomatoes. She wasn’t a stranger to the healthy lifestyle, and I found peace in knowing that.
It also made me wonder what level of her consumption her pussy benefited from. It was proven that an increased amount of fruits could transform the saliva of a woman’s vagina into nectar as sweet as them.
Fohr. My consciousness alerted me.
Pulling myself together, I extracted every limb of my being from Kit’s personal space, allowing her to breathe again as I trashed the stems and scraps from breakfast. I opened the dishwasher that I’d requested with my home and placed both plates inside.
Before I could close it, there was a hand wrapped around mine, pulling it open.
“We won’t be using the dishwasher around here. Not while I’m here,” Kit hissed.
At the realization that her palm was pressed against my wrist, she removed it. The gnawing of her lips began as she looked in every direction but mine. Her cheeks darkened a golden red – like the inner flame of fire – as I stared at the side of her face.
“My mom would have a fit if she ever knew of me using a dishwasher. They’re forbidden,” she tried explaining. There wasn’t a need.
Without a word, I nodded and removed the plates from the dishwasher.
Their new home was the sink that I slowly placed them in before making my way out of the kitchen.
I needed to clear my head, first. Secondly, I needed to do something about the rigidness creeping down my leg as my dick stretched to its full potential, or as much as it could with the restrictions of the threads that I wore.
Kit Delucca
I hated it here, already. Hated the way that he looked at me, anticipating the second that I spoke. Hated the way that he looked at me when he thought I didn’t notice. I always noticed.
Hated the way that the daggers he stared into me pierced my chest and weighed on my heart. Hated the way he paid close attention. Hated the fact that I knew what damage he was capable of.
What damage all men were capable of.
Hated that I’d even showed up to his door after the whooping his presence had placed on my spirit when he showed up to my home unannounced and unwelcomed.
Every fiber in my being advised me against the decision, but curiosity and selflessness led me straight to his doorstep. I wanted to claw my eyes out as I stood at the sink cleaning the dishes we’d used for our meal and the ones I’d used to prepare it.
With each alluding second, I felt as if I was being pulled deeper into the hole I’d created for myself. It was hot, muggy, and uncomfortable, causing me to tug at the fabric that clung to my skin.
Hopefully, it’ll only be a week or two. Tops. I reasoned, though my gut was telling me otherwise.
I busied myself with cleaning the kitchen before venturing through the lovely home with the highest vaulted ceilings of all of my clients. Rather than call out to Fohr for his help, I’d prefer to walk around until my ankles numbed in order to find the room he’d sat my belongings in.
The journey began and didn’t end until I’d peeped into six rooms. I held my breath as I approached the seventh, praying it wasn’t the one he’d chosen to unload my luggage into. My suspicions were correct, causing me to cringe and chastise him underneath my breath.
Without hesitation, I began dragging them down the hall in an attempt to put as much distance as I could between the bedroom and I. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why he’d even assume that’s where I wanted to be.
Besides, it was the master suite. Where the magic seemed to happen and a place I wanted no parts of. I’d cleaned every crevice in the room and was never too satisfied with my discoveries as I did so.
“Ugh,” a scoff fell from my lips as I plopped the third suitcase on the bed.
There were many more to go, but I needed this one in particular – along with the backpack that I’d brought with it.
Cellphones.
Intrusive and obnoxious. Hadn’t it been for emergencies while away from home, I wouldn’t have one.
However, I was grateful for the iPhone that I pulled from the front pocket of my backpack for once.
It was forbidden in my home, and substituted for a landline that I preferred.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t home, and my landline wasn’t an option.
Hesitation wasn’t an issue as I unlocked my cell and accessed my recent calls. The most common name on my list appeared more times than any of the others. Ko. It was practically the only number on the list in addition to the other three that appeared almost just as much.
They belonged to women I loved as well. Women whom held near equal pieces to my heart. Ko, however, held the bigger piece. She was the youngest of us, six, girls. She was a huge part of my itty bitty world.
“Kit,” Ko yawned, immediately displaying signs of sleep in the form of puffy eyes, swollen lips, corner crust, and a bonnet.
As if I was staring at a mirror, I marveled over her unique skin tone and features that resembled my own. Ko was beautiful. We all were. One would think our father had created us alone and spit us from his sack himself.
My mother’s figure was all we possessed. Each and every one of us. Our curves were homegrown, aided by bread, rice, beans, potatoes, and anything else my mother was able to get her hands on to keep us fed properly.
“I see you’re still sleeping, which means you probably didn’t get the text I sent this morning. Call me when you’re up, babe.” I smiled, attempting to suppress the scream that was suppressed in my throat.
“No you won’t. I’m up now.” She sighed, sitting up and against her headboard. “What did you decide?”
After Fohr left my home in the wee hours, Ko was the one to call. For over an hour, we weighed the pros and cons of the offer that had been made. Once Ko heard how much money he’d transferred to my account, she suggested I take the job.
She was all for company. While I was one that loved being alone, she welcomed people into her space freely. Not at an alarming rate, but enough to consider her an extrovert. I wasn’t blessed with those skills. Less was best for me.
In addition to the payment, Ko encouraged me to dust the cobwebs from my vagina and participate in a little fun for once. Though the subject continued to rise several times over the duration of our phone call in a joking manner, I knew that she meant every word.
Of course, I wasn’t interested, and we both knew it. As a woman who’d experienced the pain of heartbreak, I was unable to shake the public humiliation his ex-girlfriend suffered during theirs.
“I’m here,” I informed her with a sigh of my own as I slid back onto the bed and rested a hand inside of my curls.
“Wait. There, there?” Ko’s voice hiked and brows lifted to nearly touch her hairline.
“Yes. And, I’m starting to think this wasn’t such a good idea. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“You were thinking about your bag, sis. There’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, you were only going to be home alone for however long, anyway. Why not enjoy the company of a rich man with a face that one could stare at for hours.”
“Yet, he’s staring daggers into the side of mine, every time he thinks I’m not looking. This was a horrible idea. Do you know that he tried to put me in the room that I told you about?
“The one that holds all of his dirty little secrets? I don’t get it. That’s the master suite and where he sleeps. I’m wondering if he is indicating–"I went on and on, but Ko quickly interrupted.
“Do not go off the deep end. And, let’s backtrack for a second. Don’t just skate past the part about him staring at you.”
Of course she’d caught it. Ko didn’t care much about anything else I had told her. It was the fact that I seemed to be the subject of his attraction that had my face in flames from the smile that tore through my features. I wanted to know more, and I hoped Ko would let me have it.
“He makes me uncomfortable, Ko,” I openly admitted, knowing that I could be completely honest with my little sister.
“I know one thing, Kit. You’ve never had an issue removing yourself from situations you felt inclined to so I won’t ask if it’s the good uncomfortable or the bad uncomfortable.
Your discomfort isn’t because he’s doing anything out of the ordinary.
It’s you, Kit. The minute you called me last night, I knew I’d get a follow up call like the one we’re currently on. You like him.”
“What?” I shrieked. “No. Of course not.”
“Kit.” Ko pressed, convinced of something that I wasn’t sure of myself. She had to be lying because there was just no way. This was Fohr we were talking about. Mr. Heartbreak himself.
“KO!”
My voice was unrecognizable. High-pitched and squeaky. My cheeks burned. Red and rosy. My palms sweated. Clammy and slippery.
“Kit.” Ko remained calm.
“Ok, I’ll admit that he is uncomfortably handsome, but to say that I like him is a bit much, Ko.”
I cringed, hard. I already felt like I’d said way too much. Ko had a way with twisting things or digging far too deep within them that had me wishing I’d just shut up already. But, I couldn't. I didn’t keep secrets from Ko, even if it meant her driving a nail in the coffin.
“Okay, maybe it is but I don’t think that I’m wrong. You don’t see it yet. That’s all. Maybe it’s the next phone call I’ll receive that you’ll finally realize.”
See, that was the thing with Ko. She thought she could predict my future. Though she was mostly right, she wouldn’t be this time.
“Keep it up, and I won’t call you back at all,” I warned.
“But, that’s untrue because I am your favorite of the quintet.”
“Goodbye, Ko. Go brush your teeth and wash your girl parts.”
Before she was able to respond, I ended the call.
Me? Like? Fohr? I could feel the contortion of my face at the thought. Of course not.
Longingly, I pushed out a full breath of air.
Already I was missing home and the solace it brought.
It was my comfort zone. The room that I’d chosen was equipped with a sleigh bed, one that I was in love with.
It was possibly the most vintage piece in the entire home.
Everything was modern, up-to-date, and shockingly intimidating.
Everything except the bed frame that I rested my head against and folded my arms across my midsection a few inches from.
Exhaustion tugged at my body and brain as I stared at the framed art on the wall in front of me.
It reminded me of the beauty that rested within the talents of every human on earth.
I truly believed that each of us were born geniuses.
The world we are born into happens to strip most of ours before we’re able to realize it.
Fohr.
He possessed the strength to knock the fastest ball from the field. And as if that wasn’t enough, he possessed the charm of a God, even without saying a single word. I wasn’t sure if the second was even a talent but it definitely felt like it.
The last thing I wanted to be was another homerun. For once, the speed that God had gifted me with would come in handy. I’d treat this as any other track competition that I prevailed in, in middle school, and run until my victory was met.
You’ll be fine, Kit. You’ll be fine.