Chapter 15 #2
Just as we’d made it to the front door that last remark caused me to turn back, gutted. Guy and I, we’d talked about a marriage a few times after our first year. I hadn’t been ready at the time. Thinking of his text, I knew this news was probably taking a toll on him. If he were single and hadn’t moved on.
Tugging on my arm had me facing forward and ducking inside the restaurant with Cain.
“Good evening, welcome to The Sheridan. What’s the name?” A hostess approached us as we neared her podium. She had on matte magenta lipstick, the color complementing her smile as she greeted us with bright eyes and a politeness that reminded me of how positive Jadyn could be.
“Carter,” Cain responded. He leaned close to the woman whose name tag read Draya and dropped his voice. “Is there anywhere private we can sit, away from the swine?”
Draya craned her neck and looked past us, out the front door where the paps were waiting and some still snapping away. She returned to Cain and nodded vigorously. “Our enclosed rooftop dining area is the perfect spot.”
“Perfect.” Cain looked over at Beans, who had gotten out with us. “Text Vino where we’ll be.”
Beans did as instructed as another host began leading us away from the hostess station.
I stole a glance in the main dining room as we walked the corridor. There were a few famous faces in the room, some rappers, some ball players, and a few singer/actresses. I even spotted that up-and-coming pop girl group Souletté seated around a large table with who was probably their manager and team. They were young, probably still teenagers, but the lone Black girl in the group, Jehlani, was already my favorite from the glimpses I’d seen of her performing on social media.
We boarded the elevator and rode it up to the rooftop dining area.
It was another world compared to the main floor of The Sheridan. The view of the city at night and LA in the distance took my breath away as soon as we stepped off the elevator and were immersed in the atmosphere. More famous faces jumped out at me as our host continued guiding us to a table. The stars were out tonight, no, not in the sky above, but in the mix around me. People were coming to and from the outside balcony to sneak cigarettes or truly take in the night air and sky. Strings of lights were wrapped around beams overhead creating an ambiance, and the sound of chatter littered the air amongst the mid-tempo Beyoncé song that was playing from the DJ booth.
“Okay, I’m also a Beyoncé fan,” I had to note as we settled down at a table in the corner of the roof. Immediately, I noticed that was Cain’s way. Quiet corners, eyes on the entire scene, and a bodyguard nearby covering him and me, always. Something told me he was a chess player.
Cain took in my comment with a small smile. “Beautiful woman.”
“Can I start you off with something to drink?” the young man asked as he deposited menus before us. Beans had taken a small table across from us.
“Your best bottle of red, please,” Cain said before he looked to me for my order.
“A glass of water.” I was feeling too antsy to anticipate eating as it was.
“Coming right up. My good friend Donald will be your server this evening and he will be right over with your wine and water.” The young man bestowed the same hospitality as Draya had before he walked away to turn in our drink orders.
An awkward silence befell the table. Goose bumps covered my arms and I ran my hands down them to try to gather warmth from the sudden chill I felt.
Cain sat up straight and undid his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. His cologne and dark scent enveloped me with his heat.
“Thank you,” I spoke up.
“If I ask you to put my gun in your purse, will you freak out?” he seemed to be joking as he was left in his dress shirt and dress pants. No one was watching as he undid his holster and tucked his gun onto his lap.
If he folded up his holster, everything would fit into my Chanel.
The thought of holding his gun for him made me blink and squirm.
Cain shook his head. “Thought so.”
He left his gun on his lap and didn’t push the issue as we began to scour the menu.
“The baked cod in white wine sauce sounds amazing,” Cain said as he pointed out the item on his menu.
The dish did sound good, but I already had my eyes set on another entrée. “It does, but I’m going to get the pizza with the smoked salmon.”
Cain found the pizza on his menu and I watched as intrigue peppered his face. “Salmon on pizza? Huh.”
“It’s good,” I swore.
“I’ll let you taste my cod if you let me have some of the pizza,” Cain bargained.
“You eat fish?” I was surprised. The last two times we’d dined together, he’d gotten meat.
Cain nodded as if it were nothing. “Once in a while. Tonight seemed as good a time as any.”
I knew what he was doing, and I refused to let it work.
“Fine,” I decided as I shut my menu and sat back. “One slice.”
Cain shut his menu as well. “Fine by me.”
Donald came with our drinks and I was quick to take a big gulp of my water, needing to cool down my body suddenly. Cain’s proximity was too overbearing.
“You could’ve gotten whatever you wanted,” I said as soon as we were alone after giving Donald our orders.
“The cod sounded good, so I got it.”
“Just like that?” I challenged.
“Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic aspiring to sweep you off your feet,” Cain said with an easy shrug.
I couldn’t imagine a man like him being romantic, soft, sweet—he didn’t have the demeanor for it. And frankly, I wasn’t trying to get to know if he was capable.
Truthfully, I didn’t think I was that interesting for his pursuit. Some gossip blogs liked to mock me for being too boring, even going as far as to say that was the reason Gaius and I had split.
I jumped.
Cain’s hand was suddenly on my thigh.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Cain insisted as he pulled his hand away.
I wiped at my lap, ducking my head to focus on the task. “I’m not.”
He was closer. Near my ear. “If I don’t lie to you, you don’t lie to me.”
It sounded like an order, one that sent me bobbing my head in agreement.
“So,” I began, desperately trying to start a conversation that wouldn’t go south. “What’s your favorite movie?”
“ Scarface ,” Cain answered matter-of-factly as he settled away from me.
“Really?” I hadn’t seen it, but I knew of its iconic film poster. “Isn’t there a gangster movie called Casino ?”
Cain appeared thoughtful. “That’s top five. A close second would be Menace II Society .”
I knew the movie in title only through Jadyn. I made a mental note to sit and watch it for further reference.
Cain reached out, moving a lock of hair out of my face. His finger grazed my cheek and the softness of the action took me by surprise. “And you?”
“ Crazy Rich Asians . It’s so gorgeous cinematically and I love the story,” I confessed.If I had to think of a close second, it would’ve been Coming to America . It had always comforted me with its humor and tone. At a time, it was a favorite movie I’d shared with my parents.
“I’ll have to find time to watch it. Or maybe we can do it together,” Cain suggested.
I didn’t want to, but I agreed for the sake of moving this arrangement along. “Okay.”
Vino arrived and joined Beans at their table. I almost felt tempted to wave them over to ours so I could disappear while the men talked about whatever they usually did when I wasn’t around. Anything but sit and talk with Cain.
But, for the sake of trying, I put in an effort to get to know him a little more. He was uncapping his bottle of wine, that tattoo of his directly in my line of vision.
“Is that your only tattoo?” I asked.
Cain poured his wine. “Yes.”
I liked the color of his skin and didn’t mind at all suddenly that he bore no more ink. “Why no more?”
“In my world, it’s best to blend in,” Cain told me. “To go unseen or unnoticed.”
I supposed he was right, in some ways. At least, for the corporate business world it made sense.
“Do you want children?” I asked next.
Cain arched a brow and really thought about his answer as he sat back in his seat. “No.”
Considering his previous threat, I wasn’t expecting that answer. “No?”
Cain thumbed at his lip. “No.”
He wasn’t going to expand on his reasoning and I didn’t want to upset him. Something told me his wrath wasn’t something I would ever be ready to face. His cool, collected, and calm facade when he was saying something menacing alluded to so much.
“Kennedy!” Screeching drew my attention across the roof toward the balcony exit.
Stephanie and Elyse were here. Elyse was waving spiritedly while Stephanie was busy ogling Cain.
“Go,” Cain said. “Have a quick chat before the food comes. I’ll text you when it’s ready.”
The enclosed roof was surrounded by glass, leaving no room for privacy when out on the balcony. The roof was crowded, but I just knew no matter where I went, Cain would still see me.
Still, it was an escape I welcomed.
I stood and removed his jacket, passing it back to him as he let me by. “Be right back.”
Stephanie and Elyse weren’t my favorite people, but I couldn’t have made it over to them any faster than I had.
“God, I still can’t believe you’re marrying that ,” Stephanie whispered in my ear, slight jealousy in her tone.
We stepped out onto the balcony area, the music faint out in the night. Couples and groups were seated at tables and the first empty table we came to was next to a group of men. They were smoking cigarettes, causing Stephanie to wave her hand and wrinkle her nose as we sat down.
Cigarettes.
Keith .
“Hey, can I have one of those?” I tapped the man closest to me and asked for a cigarette, throwing caution to the wind. They were terrible, but the tobacco would only serve as a reminder, to keep me grounded, to let me know there was another man I was sleeping with to escape from it all out there.
The man, a blond, was all too eager to slip me a cigarette and light me up. He and his friends were all clad in suits, wore big white teeth smiles, and had proper haircuts and fancy watches. Accountants. Brokers. Pencil pushers. I could smell it on them after so much time in the Hills.
“Thanks.” I turned back around and committed to sitting out on the balcony with the intrusive twosome to get away from Cain.
Elyse and Stephanie were sipping on drinks and I’d forgotten my water inside.
I wasn’t going back for it.
“So, what’s he like?” Stephanie wanted to know as she gestured with her head back toward the table Cain was at. “You know, in bed? Tell me you’re ridin’ that like he stole something.”
The thought made me gag.
One look inside and I caught Cain talking to Vino and Beans, busy, distracted.
“We’re waiting,” I said as I came back to the girls.
Elyse frowned. “For what?”
I took a drag from my cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. Gross . “I just haven’t been ready.”
Stephanie shook her head. “Shout out to your willpower.”
“You know,” Elyse began, appearing thoughtful as she took a glance over at Cain’s table. “He sorta reminds me of Mister.”
I furrowed my brows as Stephanie blatantly snorted, nearly spitting out some of her cocktail. “Oh, shut the fuck up.”
“What?” Elyse looked at the two of us helplessly. “He does! Sexy, mysterious, powerful—there’s something about him.”
I took another pull from my cigarette and considered this. The idea that Cain was reminiscent of the male lead in the steamy and erotic Mister trilogy, Isaiah Keller. A successful Black businessman who sets his eyes on an ingénue who disrupts life as he knows it. The books, Mister , Mister Undone , and Mister in Love , were mega bestsellers. Although, I hadn’t read any, not being much of a reader. Jadyn had read all three and gushed over Isaiah’s character, citing that although she didn’t like alpha males usually, there was something about the domineering and hypnotic Isaiah that hooked her on the books.
Domineering definitely fit Cain through and through.
The thought of reading brought me back to Keith’s house, and that romance he’d been reading. Night Changes . I should’ve read more, and that book was interesting. I kinda wanted to lay up under him and get his take on the book.
Thinking of him only drove me to grab my phone and snap a quick selfie, cigarette in mouth, and send it to him.
Me
Look what bad habit I’ve picked up
Auto Repair
I can think of another habit that’s better for you…
I read between the lines and couldn’t believe how much I was into the act of getting on my knees for this man. I sent him a tongue emoji to play along.
Auto Repair
Put it out
Me
Make me…
He didn’t respond after that and I tried not to let it bum me out.
“Since when do you smoke?” Elyse asked as she took in the cigarette resting between my fingers.
“Since I’m getting married,” I decided to say. Since my life wasn’t mine. Since I realized I needed to think of Keith to get through this night.
“ This is why you should be fucking that delicious fiancé of yours,” Stephanie snapped, waving her hand to disperse the smell of my cigarette.
“Before someone else does,” Elyse warned.
Stephanie gasped and was quick to elbow Elyse.
“Doubt that’ll happen,” I responded dryly as I took another drag.
Elyse eyed me skeptically. “You think this act of keeping it from him will work in your favor?”
I thought I was getting the hang of smoking. Inhale. Satiate the nicotine flavor. Exhale. “My fiancé wants to fuck me . Even if some other woman was desperate enough to give it to him because I won’t, it wouldn’t compare to what he’s not getting from me.” I gave a limp shrug. “And if he steps out, he loses me, and he can’t have that.” I was nice enough not to blow smoke at her. “I’m the prize here.”
Elyse arched a brow as Stephanie laughed and slapped my arm. “Amen, girl!”
Oh fuck it .
This wasn’t worth it.
“Excuse me.” I stood up and bid them farewell before going back inside and joining Cain at our table.
My cigarette was still lit and I took one last pull. One last dose of peace.
“You don’t like those women,” Cain leaned close to say.
“You’re observant,” I said as I stubbed out my cigarette on the cement floor.
He tracked my movement, curious. “Thought smoking bothered you.”
“It’s something to do.”
Cain’s finger tapped along the tabletop. “Find something better to do to pass the time.”
I never intended to smoke again after tonight, but after that order, I was tempted to buy a whole carton of cigarettes.
“Anything else, Husband?” I put on a perky smile as I faced him.
Cain glanced back at my public friends and returned to me. “Why do you associate with them if you don’t like them?”
“It comes with the territory. Their parents know my parents. It’s just the way it is. I only hang out with them when I have to make appearances. My only true friend is my friend Jadyn.”
Cain was intrigued. “What makes her any different than those two?”
“She’s not from around here. She’s real ,” I pointed out.
Cain hummed. “ You’re from around here. Are you real?”
I snorted, leaning close, teasing. “No, I’m as fake as they come.”
Cain’s dark eyes very boldly ran down my figure, lingering in places he could only dream to touch. “Nah, there’s a lot real about you from what I see.”
Seeing wasn’t believing. “You know, I have access to a lot of people.”
“Yeah?” Cain said.
“Yeah,” I began, an angle in mind. “What if I set you up with another woman?”
Cain scratched at his brow. “Didn’t picture you as the threesome type.”
My throat tightened. I wasn’t. I was too greedy and jealous to ever share.
It shouldn’t have surprised me Cain had probably experienced a ménage à trois before. I’d heard my share of women gushing over the man in passing too many times to count. I thought of that SZA song and could see someone being so lovestruck they didn’t mind having him if only on weekends.
“I want what I want,” Cain went on.
“Did you propose to those other women you dated?”
Cain shook his head. “They weren’t what I needed.”
“And I am?”
“We’ll see,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “What are you doing this weekend?”
Thinking quickly, I threw out, “Getting a wax.”
“Great, I’ll come along.”
My upper lip curled up. “Why?”
“So I can see how you take pain.”
He was being playful. So I drove my elbow into his side. He took it with a chuckle.
“Play in traffic, don’t play in my face,” I warned.
Cain’s laugh was deep, musical, a side of him that felt rare. “Playing is the last thing I want to do with your face.” To be a pest, he tugged on my cheek.
I bit at his hand and he was quick to remove it.
“I imagine it’s small.” I gaped at his crotch. “I mean, why else would a man force marriage on a woman?”
Cain didn’t react at all to my comment. He took my hand and massaged it, his eyes lingering on my fingers. “What did I tell you about not wearing the ring?”
Caught. Shit . “I’m just not used to?—”
He brought my hand between his legs, to his thigh, where he was resting against it.
My eyes enlarged as I snatched my hand back. Definitely. Not. Small.
Quickly, I grabbed my water and took a sip. “Well, that’ll be fun.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he said simply, as if this was a regular reoccurrence for him with women having to adjust to his length.
Oh God .
Slowly, Cain’s hand ascended up my inner thigh, and I did my best to keep my face even, to not squirm, to not push him away.
“Would it really be so bad to get to know me?” Cain asked into my ear.
His hand felt poisonous on my body. Smooth and soft unlike the rough, strong touch I’d become accustomed to.
It was strange how I missed him. Deep voice, angry face, rough hands, demanding sex…Keith Avery was giving me a schoolyard crush. How dangerous.
I couldn’t be loyal to him, but still, it felt all things wrong to have my fiancé touch me in territory I’d left open for Keith.
Shutting my legs, I sat up straight and pushed the skirt of my dress down, ridding myself of Cain’s hand. “Guess we’ll have to see.”
He snickered and leaned away. “Don’t start something you don’t intend to finish, Wife.”
Noted .
“The next time we’re together, I’d like to do it alone in my home,” Cain said. “No Beans. No Vino.”
Alone. In his home.
“Will…will we be living there when we get married? Do I have to leave my penthouse?” The idea made my heart drop. As if I’d be leaving the freedom of my home to go to my new prison.
“We can cross that bridge when we get to it,” Cain said with a shrug. “I live in a high-rise, so it’s nothing to swap.”
Donald came carrying a large serving tray on his shoulder. He bent down before setting my plate of pizza in front of me and Cain’s cod with the side of penne pasta.
I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t comfortable. I wasn’t okay.
But as I looked at my fiancé who stared at me with a warmth I didn’t deserve, I put on a fake smile and adjusted.