Taeja

20. Chapter 20

20

Cavaughn stepped into his office and whistled. “You better hope no one reports you to HR.”

Damon chuckled. “You heard that?”

“The entire office heard,” Gavin replied, pausing before the sofa. “Have you already sanitized this area? My feet are tired, and I want to sit, but I don’t know if you had intercourse right here. Semen can—”

Cavaughn rolled her eyes. “How do you remember so many facts, Gavin?”

Gavin pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and grinned. “I have a photographic memory.”

“Oh, yeah? Tell me all the numbers of PI.”

Gavin cleared his throat. “Three point one—”

“Okay, enough. We believe you,” Damon interrupted, glancing at the two. “How can I help?”

“While you were in here… doing whatever it was you were doing… the team was working on the game. We stumbled on another problem,” Gavin said, and Damon sighed.

“That’s what I did, too.” Cavaughn chuckled. “The problem is with the graphics. I know illustrations are my area and we said we wouldn’t bring anyone else in it, but please, can I get someone to help me? There are so many good coders at my alma mater who’d love to be my apprentice.”

Damon thought for a moment. “Sure. Let me know what you decide on. ”

Cavaughn smiled. “Thanks, boss!”

Damon nodded, watching as she left the room while Gavin stayed behind. Damon raised a brow. “What?”

Gavin cleared his throat as he approached the desk. He straightened the name plaque on the desk and wiped away a small white speck with a napkin. “So…”

“So?”

“You were having sexual intercourse?”

Damon rolled his eyes, snatching the pencil holder from Gavin, which he’d been wiping at. “Does your OCD make you reorganize everyone’s office?”

“Sometimes.” Gavin grinned. “My question.”

Damon’s mind flashed to Taeja and Zain being here three hours ago. That was amazing. How tight Taeja’s pussy gripped his dick. The sensations at the head of his dick every time his piercing rubbed against her tight walls. Her voice… Her reactions. Her.

He was hardening again from thinking about it. He could hardly wait to have her like that again.

Breaking away from his thoughts, Damon looked at Gavin, who was putting some sanitizer on his hands. “I’m not telling you about my sex life.”

“Doing it in the office opened all of us to it. Do you know you can be put on the registry for public sex?”

“In my office?”

“Well—”

Damon groaned. “What can I help you with, Gavin?”

Gavin cleared his throat. “It’s just that I… I’ve been seeing this… person. And she never sounds like that, so I just—”

Damon was stunned. Regaining his composure, he stood, grabbed Gavin by the arm, and hauled the man out of the room. “Leave, Gavin. Go help Zaida reorganize the file cabinet if you need something to do.”

“Boss—”

Damon slammed the door shut. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” Damon grumbled as he returned to his desk. He dropped himself on the chair with a huff, spun it around, and looked at the city below him .

Taeja was right. He needed to appreciate this view more. It wasn’t every day a person got an aerial view of the heart of this city.

“I wonder if she’ll like a helicopter ride?” Damon thought aloud as he spun around in the chair. He opened the browser on his computer and was about to do some research when a text came in on his phone.

It was Zain. And a picture of butt plugs.

…

The fuck is that supposed to mean?

Same thing as you sending me those. You’re my brother.

You’re so funny, Damon. Do you want a cookie?

Chocolate chip, please.

Why did you send me this?

It’s for Taeja, idiot. Why else would I send you? Choose one.

I came out of a meeting a few minutes ago. My head’s all over the place.

Told you to stop overworking yourself. That company doesn’t care about you as much as they make it seem.

That’s harsh. I love my job.

I know it’s harsh, but I’m being real.

Taeja agreed to this?

Not yet.

Zain.

But she will. WhenI brought it up, she seemed interested.

I’m gonna wait, though. Obviously.

I’m surprised. I thought she wouldn’t agree with that.

Don’t knock it till you try it.

I won’t be knocking because I’m sticking to pussy.

Get the set with the lavender gem. It reminds me of the dress she was in when we met her.

I was thinking the same. Thanks.

Where is she?

With Liyah. You know she calls me a madman?

Why?

Beats me.

Gonna go pick Taeja up after I leave here. Making a stop at Adelaide first.

Damon froze at the mention of Amoy. Recovering quickly, he called Zain. “I told you not to visit her without me,” Damon said, his voice emotionless.

Zain took a moment to reply. “She was in my house.”

“That’s your fault for not taking her key.”

“I’m gonna see her, Damon.”

“No. Wait for me.”

“Why do you wanna see her?” Zain pressed. “You hate her more than I do.”

“Because of how she made you feel.”

“Aww, there goes my baby brother again, thinking he should take care of me,” Zain cooed playfully.

Damon rolled his eyes. “Just wait on me, Zain. I don’t want you to get carried away like last time…”

“Okay, I’ll wait.”

Damon smiled. “Good. Later. And give our girl extra kisses for me.”

“How the fuck do you manage to always say this cringe shit?”

“She loves that kind of thing.”

“I know. I kiss her when she asks for it,” Zain said. “Anyway, I gotta go. You’re annoying me.”

Damon chuckled as the dial tone filled his ear. Putting his phone away, he continued his search for helicopter tour companies. After finding a few interesting ones, he compiled a list to revisit later. Satisfied, he stood, then walked toward the coffee machine. He made himself a cup before returning to the chair. Damon looked at a monitor on his desk. “Time for work…”

He leaned over the railing and looked down at the backyard. The shrubs lining the fence were becoming overgrown; he needed to get that taken care of soon. Turning his back to the lawn, he looked at his brother. Zain sat on a chair, his focus on his phone.

“I don’t like lying to her,” Zain said.

“Me neither. I’m sorry. I just acted fast because I didn’t know how she’d take it,” Damon replied.

Zain’s brow raised as he looked at Damon. “It couldn’t be that hard to tell her that Adelaide was here. We’re grown. Taeja knows we’ve been with other people. ”

Damon glared. “You’re the one who didn’t take the key or change the locks when I told you to. We’re here because of you . Why is Adelaide visiting you? Are you seeing her?”

“Fuck no,” Zain hissed. “I saw her at the gym the other day. She tried talking to me, but I told her it’s over.”

Damon hummed. “Bit’s behind us now. Taeja would feel embarrassed if she knew our ex saw us having sex. I think it’s better if she doesn’t know.”

“Like she doesn’t need to know that you were married?”

Damon tensed. “That’s different. You know that.”

Zain scoffed. “Sure.”

Not liking his brother’s tone, Damon asked, “What’s your problem, Zain?”

“I find it funny how I’m always supposed to go along with what you say, but when I ask for the same, it’s not always like that.”

“Like what?”

“Liza.”

Damon clenched his jaw. “Liza is our friend.”

“She’s your friend,” Zain spat through clenched teeth, his nostrils flaring.

Damon relaxed his jaw, not wanting to aggravate Zain. “You know things were hard for her when she lost Marco.”

“It was hard for me, too.”

“I know. You were closer to him.”

“Just like you and Liza,” Zain said, his voice lowering as he trailed off.

Damon nodded. “True. That’s why I know how much she regrets fighting with you since you came off tour. Especially when we were supposed to tap you and Marco out together, but I had to run to the restroom and she didn’t wait on me. Liza’s been to therapy, and she’s trying to apologize, but you won’t give her the chance to.”

“I’m not obligated to accept her apology when there shouldn’t have been anything to apologize for.”

He sighed. “I wish things could go back to normal.”

“It won’t,” Zain said, standing. His expression was unreadable, but that didn’t come as much of a surprise to Damon; Zain was hard to decipher when it came to Liza. “So just focus on your friendship instead of trying to get me to talk to her again. You need Liza, I don’t. She’s the only one who understands what you went through with Eloise.”

Damon tensed, his mind suddenly filled with a rush of unpleasant memories that he fought to suppress.

Zain walked toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Damon’s muscles relaxed as Zain gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. “Night.”

“Need me to come hug you to sleep?”

Scoffing, Zain removed his hand and walked toward the door. “Fuck off, Damon.”

“Goodnight.” He laughed at Zain’s retreating back. Once Zain was out of view, Damon’s smile faded. He sighed and leaned over the railing again, enjoying the cool breeze grazing his skin.

Try as he might, he couldn’t stop his mind from drifting to Eloise.

They got married in college. Young, he knew. But it was one of those ‘when you know, you know’ things.

She had an illness that led to her untimely death, and it sent Damon into depression. For years, he didn’t know how to speak to anyone about it. When Liza’s husband died, as cruel as it was to admit, it helped him. He had someone to relate to.

Slowly but surely, they helped each other. He was finally open to meeting someone again.

Then came Adelaide — initially Zain’s girlfriend.

Adelaide was a bit more than a quick fuck to Damon. He cared for her because she understood he wasn’t looking for anything too serious in his time of healing. Besides, she mostly cared for Zain.

But after the scars the mercenaries left on Zain — not the physical ones, but the mental ones — Adelaide could no longer be patient with either of them. It changed Zain completely, and the relationship became so toxic, it fell apart.

And now Adelaide wanted to double back? When there was a new woman in their life? When they were starting to feel normal again?

Damon couldn’t allow her to ruin things .

Taeja was too much of a gem to let go. She could keep up with his sex drive, they shared mutual interests, and he felt that child-like excitement every time he was around her.

Was this… love?

Damon was unsure. It was too early to tell. Then again, things were moving so fast, yet it felt right at the same time.

Maybe this was another one of those ‘when you know, you know’ things.

Or maybe it was sleep deprivation.

Damon sighed. He’d face today’s problems tomorrow. Right now, he wanted to be laid beside Taeja with her body pressing against his.

He went inside to his room. He reached for the knob when the door opened from the inside. Damon’s brow raised at Zain before he glanced at Taeja, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed with a pillow clutched to her chest. His focus shifted to Zain. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to give her a pillow,” Zain replied, and Damon’s brows knitted.

“A pillow?”

“She can’t sleep without it.”

“Oh… I didn’t know that. She fell asleep without it earlier.”

“Because you were holding her. I didn’t know if you were coming inside soon, so I just…”

Damon grinned. “You like her more than you realize. Do you know that?”

“No, I realize… And you do, too.”

“I think I love her.”

Zain’s brows raised to his hairline. “ Love ?” he asked loudly, making Damon glare at him. Zain stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. He lowered his voice. “ Love ? How do you know that you love her?”

“I just… do,” Damon said. “I mean, look at her. She’s gorgeous, sexy, and she’s smart. She’s making us get along better than we did for a long while, and she trusts us. I probably need some rest because I’m not thinking too clearly, but I know that I more than like her.”

Zain stared at Damon for a moment. Nothing but silence filled the space between them. Finally, he straightened his shoulder and walked away. Down the hall, around the corner… disappearing somewhere else inside the house.

Shaking off Zain’s odd response, Damon opened the door and entered the room. He took off his shorts, then crawled into bed behind her. Gently, he removed the pillow from her hand, his heart quickening as Taeja’s delicate fingers wrapped around his forearm.

A smile worked its way onto his face. Her body heat seeped past his skin, filling his insides with warmth.

Laying his head on the pillow, he watched as her shoulders lightly raised and fell. He felt peace. The type of peace he had long ago, but it also felt so different now.

It was new, refreshing, exciting. As exciting as seeing her waltz in the club that night. Hearing her moans, and her laughs. Merely being in her presence.

Damon sighed, feeling content. “I love you,” he whispered, scared she’d hear it, but also hoping she would.

Because if she heard and said those three words back to him, he wouldn’t feel silly for falling for her so soon.

“Drink it,” Zain insisted.

Taeja sighed. “Mi cya eat until twelve o’clock, Zain.”

“Stomachs have opening hours?”

“Mine does,” Taeja retorted while looking at the cup of steaming hot tea in distaste. “Plus, mi nuh like drink tea bag.”

“What do you like?”

“Fever grass.”

Zain’s eyes narrowed on her before he grabbed the cup and emptied it into the sink. He washed it quickly, then began walking toward the exit. “Later, Taeja.”

“Come kiss me bye…”

Zain turned around and walked toward her. He pressed a long kiss on her forehead and cheeks. “Happy?”

“Yes,” Taeja said, beaming. “Where are you going? ”

“I have a client.”

“Okay,” Taeja said. “Drive safe.”

Zain nodded toward her, then Damon. He snatched his keys off the counter and headed to the garage.

Taeja huffed and looked at Damon. “I’m happy you don’t force me to eat.”

“You’re eating at twelve. Don’t think you got away.”

“Breakfast deevn taste good this early. A deevn nine o’clock yet.”

“If he hears you talking bad about his cooking, he’ll throw a fit.”

Taeja’s eyes sparkled. “Really?”

Damon chuckled. “Don’t try it when I’m here because he won’t cook for me.”

“Love yu belly too much,” Taeja said, and he smirked. “Yu nuh done drink the coffee yet, Damon? You’ve been sipping on it for ten minutes now.”

“This is my second cup.”

“I didn’t realize…”

“Figured.” Damon leaned off the counter and began walking further into the house. “Follow me.”

“Where are we going?” she asked from behind him.

“To do the thing you asked me about a while back.” He opened the office door and motioned for her to enter.

Taeja looked at all the latest computer technology in awe. “Wow,” she breathed. “I’m wet.”

Damon snapped his head over in her direction. His lips parted slightly as he watched her admire everything. Damon smiled, feeling that warmth settle in his chest again.

Taeja looked at him, her eyes glistening. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she laughed.

“Nothing.” Damon looked away quickly. Clearing his throat, he walked toward the desk in the middle of the room and sat on the chair.

Taeja stood behind him. She threw her arms around his shoulder, trailing her lips along his cheek before kissing it and making him stiffen. “That wasn’t nothing. Tell me.”

“You saying you’re wet because of my tech room makes me hard. Not my dick. It stimulates my mind.”

Grinning, she pulled away from him. “When you say it like that, we sound like nerds.” She sat on the chair beside him and ran her fingers along the keyboard. “I never had anything like this. Just my PC, but I don’t have it anymore.”

“Do you want it back or should I get you a new one?” he asked as he opened several tabs on the monitor. “Turn on that computer and go to this site—” He wrote a name on a sticky note.

“You have good penmanship for a man.”

“Not sure if I should feel offended or take that as a compliment.”

“It’s a good thing.” She followed his orders. “And I’ll have to get a new one. Jerry bought me that one and I’m trying to start over, so…”

“Do you need a new phone, too?”

“I didn’t think about that. Yes, I do. I’ll buy it… Sas Crise, mi have so much things fi buy! Mi nuh know how mago manage unless I go back to being an escort—” She burst out laughing when Damon stopped typing to glare at her. “I’m joking! Mi know how yu feel about me with other people. But I do need a job, though. What do you think I should do?”

“What you’re doing right now,” Damon said, watching out the corner of his eyes as her fingers flew across the keyboard.

Taeja hummed. “What else do you want me to do?”

“Put in the name and hit the search bar.”

“Okay… Done. As I was saying, I’m just a student. No company will hire me to get more experience unless it’s an unpaid internship, and I need something to finance myself.”

“You have us.”

Taeja smiled at him. “I know, but that’s not a job.”

“We can pay you to fuck us. How does that sound?”

“Like I’m a whore.”

“Taeja—”

“Baby!” she exclaimed, grinning as he rolled his eyes. “Seriously, though. This is my first time having the final say in all my decisions, so I want to take full advantage of it. Besides, yu nafi ask if mi nago run to unu if mi feel stuck. I’m used to being spoilt, so mi nuh know how me ago handle myself for long.”

Damon chuckled. “You’ll manage just fine, baby. You were making small moves by yourself already, so Zain and I will help you in whatever way you need us to.”

“Right. Why have two man if unu nago help mi elevate ina life?”

Damon smirked and looked away from his screen to focus on her. A low, periodical beep was in the background as the program did the work for him. “You love saying that, huh?”

Taeja spun her chair around so they faced each other. “Yes. I just hope I can be a good girlfriend to you both.”

“You are.” He patted his lap. “Come be a great girlfriend.”

Taeja grinned as she straddled him and threw her arms around his shoulder. Damon’s hands found her waist. He smiled as he looked at her.

Taeja was so beautiful. Especially when she had her hair nicely framing her face like this. It made her eyes stand out more, luring him in like a siren would a sailor.

“So.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve never been on a date before. How does a helicopter ride sound?”

Taeja’s mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. “It sounds like we should’ve been on the date yesterday!”

Damon chuckled. “I haven’t decided on a day for us yet. I couldn’t decide which view you’d like more.”

Her brows crinkled. “It’s just me and you?”

Damon nodded. “Is that a problem?”

She shook her head. “I thought poly relationships mean we always have to do everything together… You know, so no one feels left out.”

“Zain won’t feel left out, baby. The only time he’ll maybe feel left out is when I’m deep inside your pussy and he can’t be there to watch and stroke his dick. Don’t worry your pretty head. We have plenty of time for you to split privately between either of us, so just let us know what works best for you. We know this is still new for you, and we don’t want you to be overwhelmed.”

“I really appreciate you.” Taeja smiled. “Now show me the rides!”

“Hold on to me,” he said, and she held him tighter. He pushed the chair away to another desk and monitor .

Once they settled, Taeja turned around on his lap and watched as he found the sites he’d been looking at yesterday.

“Stop moving around so much,” Damon grumbled.

“Why?” Taeja rubbed her ass on him. “Scared you’ll get hard?”

“The thought of fucking you makes me horny, not scared. But for once I’m not thinking with my dick around you, and I’d like to keep it that way. A thick-haired woman told me I’m a whore.”

Taeja laughed, looking over her shoulder at him. “Mi never mean it like that!”

“Mm, apologize to my dick. It’s wounded.”

“Only time yu cocky bruise a when mi pussy cut it up,” she drawled, and his dick twitched. “Knew you’re horny!”

“I can’t control how my dick reacts to what you say. You know what you’re doing, so stop it.”

She giggled. “Okay, I’ll stop. And I like this one.” She pointed at the screen. “We get to see your office and I want back this exact view… except, higher.”

“I figured, but I wanted to give you options.”

“Aww, that just have mi heart a beat dung the place so!” she exclaimed, turning her entire body around so she could kiss his lips. Slowly and sweetly, while his hands tangled in her hair and kept her in place.

His heart ran a marathon the longer they kissed, his lips tingling and hairs standing. With the way this woman always had him behaving, he felt like a prepubescent boy, but he didn’t mind at all.

Taeja owned him.

Since that night in the club, then at the hotel where she had him feasting on his knees.

Breathing heavily, Damon pulled away. He wiped his thumb across her kissed-swollen lips. They were parted slightly, the quick breaths fanning his skin somehow managing to make his dick harden more. He dragged his eyes away from them and met her eyes. Taeja’s eyelids were hooded, her irises dilated as she stared into his eyes.

Three words were on the tip of Damon’s tongue, desperate to be free. He was unsure if it was the ideal moment because every moment with her felt right . “Baby,” he breathed out, about to confess, when something stopped him.

A beep from one of his many computers.

He snapped his head around, his eyes scanning the screens until he found the one he was looking for.

“Damon,” Taeja whispered. “What happened?”

“We found your mother.”