Chapter 5
“You probably won’t believe this, but kinda the same thing,” I said.
His brow narrowed as he asked, “He wants kids, but you don’t?”
“No. It’s the other way around.”
I went on to share the details of my breakup, and Solo listened intently, his expression changing every so often.
“I finally got sick of waiting and gave him the ring back.”
“Damn. I bet that took a lot of self-reflecting.”
“It did, but I had to put myself first. I’m still young enough to fall in love again and have the life I want. I had no business being engaged for seven damn years in the first place.”
“That’s a long ass time. Was he surprised when you broke things off?”
“Tuh. He pretended to be shocked and hurt, but it’s only been a little over two months, and it seems he moved on while we were together.”
“What makes you say that?”
“His sister posted a picture of him and a woman, congratulating them on their pregnancy and engagement.”
“No shit!”
“No shit. That’s not even the kicker. He proposed with the ring I’ve been wearing for the past seven years.”
“Hell nah. You making shit up now.”
“I promise I’m not.”
I picked up my phone and moved my finger swiftly across the screen before passing it to him. While he studied the screen, the server returned with our food, asked if we needed anything, and disappeared as quickly as she’d arrived.
“Damn! This is fucked up. How do you feel about it?” he asked, returning my phone.
“I was pissed when I saw it. That’s actually how this trip came about. Elaine suggested I get away and unplug for a while.”
“Were you hurt?”
I hesitated briefly, but decided there was no reason to lie.
“I was, but the anger outweighed the hurt. I honestly wanted to fight him, but my sister stopped me from leaving and calmed me down.”
“I get it. Even though my situation is a little different, I felt the same way.”
“I feel played.”
He chuckled. “Unfortunately, beautiful, you were played. I was as well, to a certain extent.”
We laughed it off and continued to eat our meal as we conversed.
I enjoyed talking to Solo. He was laid-back and didn’t mind sharing his feelings and opinions on the topics we discussed.
Looking at his handsome face while he spoke was a bonus.
I imagined myself sitting on it a few times but had to reel myself back in.
As a former professional athlete, his body was a work of art. The thought of being wrapped in his muscular arms made my body tingle all over. His chest was broad, and I was sure he sported an eight-pack underneath his shirt.
He wasn’t excessively tall, maybe a little over six feet, based on my estimation from having to look up at him.
The Caesar cut with perfectly lined edges that blended into his beard, covering chiseled cheekbones, and exquisitely shaped lips, rounded out a face I wouldn’t mind sitting on for the rest of my life .
. . or at least until the end of my trip.
“So, how long will you be in Barbados?” I asked.
“Thirteen more days. You?”
“Same.”
He held up his drink, and I mimicked his actions. “Here’s to the next thirteen days.”
We gently tapped our glasses before taking a sip, with our eyes connected the whole time.
“Let’s make the most of it.”
“I plan to,” he responded with a wink.
A few hours later, we arrived back at the house. We were tipsy as hell, using each other for support as we entered, and giggling for no reason.
“Tonight was nice. Thank you for inviting me out.”
“No thanks needed. I enjoyed your company. Besides, I couldn’t let you sit in your room for the rest of the night, just because I saw you naked.”
I gasped. “Why’d you have to bring that up? Now I’m embarrassed again.”
I was leaning against the back of the couch, and he stood a few feet in front of me. His eyes traveled the length of my body, and he didn’t respond until they’d made it back to my face.
“You ain’t got shit to be embarrassed about. I especially like that birthmark on the top of your left ass cheek. Did my eyes deceive me, or is it shaped like a heart?”
“Oh my God. You really got a good look.”
“I did, but don’t let that stop you from showing me again if the mood arises.”
“It’s shaped like a heart. You know, there’s only one thing that might help me get over my embarrassment.”
“What’s that?”
“Seeing you naked.”
His smirk was sexy as hell, but he didn’t make a move immediately.
“You want to see me naked?”
“I didn’t say that. I said seeing you naked would help me get over the embarrassment of you seeing me naked.”
“Tell me you want to see me naked.”
“Huh?”
He took a step forward as his hands went to the hem of his shirt.
“Tell me you want to see me naked,” he repeated, but this time, his voice was low and seductive.
“That’s not—”
He lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head, and I gasped.
His chest and abdomen looked like they were chiseled from a brick of chocolate.
The temptation to run my tongue over the tattoo across the front of his chest that spelled his full name was strong, but I bit my bottom lip to restrain myself.
“Is this enough, or do you want to see more?”
“Solo, I—”
He took another step forward, putting him less than a foot in front of me, as he asked again, “Do you want to see more?”
My breathing was labored, and the crotch of my panties was soaked. If I didn’t get myself away from this man, there was no telling what would happen.
“Umm, I need to use the bathroom.”
As I slipped past him, my stomach brushed against his pelvic area, and I almost froze when I felt his stiff dick. Thankfully, I made it to my room, and he didn’t try to stop me. I closed and locked the door, leaning against it to get my bearings for a moment.
“I don’t know what kind of joke this is, Lord, but it’s not funny anymore. I’m trying to be a good girl and not give this man all of me on the first night because I certainly wouldn’t make it off this island without doing so.”
After releasing a deep breath, I pushed myself off the door and tossed my shoes into the corner on my way to the bathroom. Once inside, I turned on the shower, letting the water warm while I washed my face and brushed my teeth.
A few minutes later, I stood under the warm water with thoughts of Solo running through my mind. I didn’t get a chance to see his naked dick, but I didn’t need to. His print told me everything that I needed to know. He was well endowed.
As I rubbed the soapy loofah over my body, it tingled as I imagined it was Solo’s hands. When I made it between my legs, I added pressure to help relieve the pulsing. It didn’t work, so I dropped the loofah and used my fingers.
“Hmm, shit.”
I pressed my thumb against my clit and slipped two fingers into my pussy.
I was horny as hell, so it didn’t take long for my walls to contract around my fingers.
I leaned against the cold wall and closed my eyes, picturing Solo’s handsome face as I came.
After that much-needed release, I finished my shower and crawled into bed, not bothering to put on any pajamas.
The next morning, I was awakened by the smell of coffee and bacon. I could’ve slept a little longer, but my stomach growled, and my bladder screamed, forcing me out of bed. After using the bathroom, washing my face, and brushing my teeth, I put on a tropical print muumuu and headed to the kitchen.
“Geesh! The chef made all this just for us?” I asked when I saw Solo sitting at the kitchen table.
“Good morning to you too,” he responded, looking up from his phone.
“My bad. Good morning, Solo. My question was rhetorical, by the way, but this is a lot of food for just the two of us.”
“It is, but she’s alternating coming for breakfast and dinner. This should be easy to warm up tomorrow.”
“That’s true. I wasn’t expecting a traditional American breakfast, but I’m starving, and everything looks delicious.”
“You won’t be disappointed. How did you sleep?”
“Good. You?”
Before taking the seat next to him, I piled my plate with eggs, bacon, and French toast. In a bowl, I added cheesy grits and shrimp.
“Pretty good. I thought I might sleep later, but I was still up at seven, which is five our time.”
“Goodness, that’s early. What have you been doing?”
“I tried to go back to sleep, but after an hour, I got up and worked out. After I showered, I replied to emails and looked over a few things I had to sign.”
“You’ve had a productive morning. The smell of food woke me up, or I might still be asleep.”
“Do you normally sleep late?”
“It depends on what time I have my first appointment.”
“Shit, we did all that talking last night, and I didn’t ask what you do for a living.”
I chuckled because my chosen career seemed so ironic, considering I’d just broken up with a man who strung me along for a damn decade.
“I’m a relationship therapist.”
“No shit?”
I rolled my eyes. “I know it seems ironic because of my past relationship, but yes. I help couples who have relationship problems.”
“Are you any good at it?”
“I think so. My success rate is over ninety-five percent. Apparently, I can help others with their relationships, but I can’t help my own.”
“I’m pretty confident when I say that it was him, not you.”
“Aww, . . . how sweet of you to try to make me feel better.”
“It’s true, though. Plus, it’s always easier to help others because you’re on the outside looking in. It’s different when it’s your own shit,” he said.
“I guess that’s true. I know you played football with Semaj, and I’ve seen you on one of those sports shows when my ex watched. Do you do anything else?”
“I own The Spot with Semaj, and I have a few real estate investment properties around the city.”
“I knew you and Semaj were partners, but it slipped my mind. It sounds like you’re a busy man.”
“Not really. There are times when I’m busier than others, but overall, my work schedule isn’t too intense, and it’s very flexible.”
“Mine is too. I see six couples a day, four and a half days a week, and I do it all from the comfort of my home office.”
“Sounds nice. Do you enjoy what you do?”
“I love it, but when I get married and have kids, I want to work part-time, or not at all. I want the majority of my focus to be on being a wife and mother.”
“Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am, but not in a bad way. I wanted to wait until after I retired to have kids because I want to be a present parent.”
I could hear the sadness in his voice, which touched my heart. Solo wanted to be a father as much as I wanted to be a mother. It sucked that the people we’d been with for the past ten years didn’t want what we wanted, in essence, wasting our time.
“I guess we have that in common.”
I took a moment to eat a few bites of my food. He’d finished his shortly after I sat down.
“What do you want to do today?” he asked.
“When I thought I would be here alone, I planned to read a book by the pool. We can do something else if you want, or you can do something alone. Don’t feel obligated to hang with me.”
“Chilling by the pool sounds good. We can find another restaurant to try for dinner, if that’s cool with you.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He went to his room while I finished my food. Although I was cool with being here alone, I was glad Solo showed up.