Chapter 8 #2
Her face told me she was still embarrassed, so I took her hand and pulled her close to me. She looked up at me expectantly, and I had to stop myself from kissing her.
“Why are you embarrassed? We are two grown consenting adults.”
“I just molested my boss. I’m not only embarrassed, I’m mortified.”
“Does that mean you didn’t enjoy it, because I sure as hell did?”
“Kenzo, can you be serious? We’ve crossed all kinds of lines, and—”
“Lines that I’m glad we crossed because it lets me know we’re on the same page.”
“You asked me to marry you so your mother wouldn’t force you to marry someone she chooses. How can I be sure you’re not doing all of this just to convince me to go along with your plan?”
“I honestly don’t know how I can convince you otherwise. I’m genuinely interested in you, but I also proposed for the reason you stated. Two things can be true.”
“Don’t you want to marry someone you love?” she asked.
“Ideally, but under the circumstances, I’d rather marry someone of my choosing, someone I like, and someone I believe I can grow to love, than someone my mother forces on me.”
“We don’t know each other.”
“That’ll come with time. I didn’t plan to bring up the proposal again, but since you brought it up, it makes me think you’re considering it.”
“I’m not.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“What you believe doesn’t matter. This whole situation is getting messy. Maybe you should take me back to the hotel, and we can forget this weekend ever happened.”
“I’ll never forget how your pussy lips felt against my tongue, how it felt grinding against my leg, or how your warm, soft hand felt wrapped around my dick.”
“Kenzo—”
I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers before she said something to ruin the moment. She didn’t resist as I pulled her closer and slipped my tongue into her mouth. My hands traveled down to her ass, and I pressed my erection against her stomach.
We kissed with an intensity and passion I’d never experienced, and I wanted to lay her out in the middle of the floor and devour her. Unfortunately, the intercom buzzed, interrupting us, and my mother’s voice filled the room.
“Kenny, are you awake?”
Malyah was startled and pulled away. Begrudgingly, I went to the wall where the intercom was located and pressed the button to respond to my mother.
“What’s up, Ma?”
“Oh, good. Get dressed and join us for breakfast. We need to talk.”
“Give me twenty minutes.”
“Ten minutes,” she countered.
I sighed in annoyance as I turned to find Malyah’s eyes on me.
“I can take an Uber if you can’t take me home,” she offered.
“Hell no. You can come up with me.”
“Absolutely not.” She refused adamantly.
“Why not? It’s no big deal.”
“First of all, I look a mess. Secondly, absolutely not. I’ll call an Uber.”
“What did I say, Malyah? Wait for me, and I’ll take you home . . . please.”
“Okay.”
I went to my bedroom, showered, and dressed in joggers and a T-shirt. Malyah was on the couch, flipping through the channels when I returned.
“This shouldn’t take long. I’ll bring you some food down, and you can eat before we leave.”
She nodded, and I headed upstairs with a few oatmeal cookies in tow. My family wasn’t in the kitchen, so I put the cookies on the counter and followed their voices to the dining room. We usually only ate in the dining room when we had company, so I wasn’t surprised to see we had guests.
“Kenny! There you are,” my mother sang. “Do you remember Lasandra and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy?”
“Good morning, everyone. Umm, no. I don’t recall ever meeting them. It’s nice to meet all of you.”
The family stood as I approached them to shake their hands.
“It’s nice to meet you,” each of them said as our hands connected briefly.
“Son, sit next to Lasandra. Suzette and I were talking and thought you and Lasandra should get to know each other since you’re both single,” my mother said.
I looked at my father, then grandfather, and their expressions told me they weren’t in on it. In my eyes, they were accomplices because they didn’t shut this shit down.
“Ma, Pops, Gramps, can I talk to you all in the kitchen for a minute?”
“Son, it would be rude to leave our guests in the middle of breakfast. We can talk later,” my father said.
“Okay. I’m actually not hungry. Again, it was nice meeting you all.”
I left the dining room, and I knew that one, two, or all of them would come after me. When I got to the kitchen, I turned around, and my father entered.
“Son, you’re not dating anyone seriously, so why not go out with her to see if there’s a connection?”
“Because I don’t need my mother playing matchmaker.”
“One date won’t hurt you, Kenny. You might be surprised,” she pressed.
“I won’t be, because I’m not going out with her.”
“You know, I’ve been trying to stay out of this matchmaking stuff, but now you’re disrespecting our guests and dismissing your mother’s efforts. Plus, I’m ready to retire—”
“Retire! How is my relationship status stopping you from retiring?”
“These are your grandfather’s requirements, not mine! At the end of the day, this is his company, and if he wants you to marry before you take over, then his wishes will be honored.”
“Gramps hasn’t run the company for over twenty years.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s of sound mind and still has a say in what happens in the company that he and my mother started from nothing. We explained to you why we think it’s important for you to be married, and I thought we made ourselves clear.”
“Kenzo.”
Malyah’s voice caused us to look toward the stairs that led to my apartment.