CHAPTER NINETEEN
When she came out of the bathroom freshly scrubbed, she took another moment to look at the massiveness of that bedroom.
It was the size of her mama’s whole house, plus some additional square footage.
There was a huge fireplace in that room.
There was a full bar with a bar counter and bar stools in that room.
There was a large sitting area that looked like a parlor onto itself in that room.
There was a library, complete with a desk and a conference table, in that same room.
It was like an entire apartment in a room.
She could only shake her head. But that was how the rich rolled, she imagined, as she removed her bathrobe and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from out of her luggage.
But as she looked over that bedroom again, she couldn’t have imagined just a month ago that she’d be standing in this rich man’s bedroom, after taking a bath in his shower, as if she belonged in a place like that.
She knew, on paper, she didn’t belong anywhere near something so grand. On paper, she was the very definition of a nobody with absolutely nothing to recommend her. Her greatest achievement, her job at Leonard and Lowe, was snatched from her on the day of her promotion.
Now tonight, on the day before what was supposed to be her first day of her permanent placement with Carrington Capital, that very well might get snatched away from her too if Gracie’s father didn’t come through for her.
And why would he when it seemed as though he didn’t come through for his own son? When it seemed as though he was a man beloved only by the people who didn’t know him at all. This time in a day or two, if Gracie didn’t work his magic, she could be right back in jail where he collected her from.
She went and sat on the side of his enormous California king-sized bed and began putting on a pair of clean socks.
She prided herself on her neatness. She kept herself clean and together no matter where she was.
She never looked like what she was going through.
Her mother didn’t teach her much, but she taught her that.
But as she sat on that bed, she felt some kind of way.
Gracie had done a lot for her. But what did he expect in return?
She’d never known any man who would give of his time, his talent, and his well-respected word and expect nothing in return.
She needed to prepare herself for that inevitability.
Because she knew, at the end of the day, it always came down to sex.
When it came to men, it came to sex. That had been the story of her life.
She was hoping, even praying, that Gracie would rewrite her story.
But her mother taught her something else: She expected too much from these men.
She got up and made her way back into the living room.
When she got back up front, Grayson was slumped in his chair fast asleep. The glass of wine was still in his hand, but it was empty and barely hanging on. It would drop at any moment.
Toya took the glass out of his hand and placed it on the side table.
And then she stood there, staring at this big man.
At the big boss. When she first saw him in that bathroom, she had no idea he was who he turned out to be.
He seemed so unpretentious and so real to her.
That was why she thought nothing of combing his messy hair.
She wanted him to look his best. Even then.
And what did he do for her? He got her on permanent with his company.
He answered her call and got her out of jail on his word.
He stopped her from going back to jail thanks to her messy-ass sister.
And he didn’t drop her off at some motel like anybody else would have done, but brought her home with him.
To his private residence. A man who didn’t allow anybody in his private residence, except for his household staff who kept it clean, or who had to pick something up or drop something off.
But yet he brought her there. That was saying something.
Something major. But what exactly, was the burning question for her, was it saying?
Did he like her that much?
Did he love her?
People were falling in love at the drop of a hat these days. Could he be that kind of dude?
She shook her head. He didn’t come across to her as impulsive like that at all. He was a thoughtful man, not a flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of person.
Then she smiled. He looked so elegant sitting in that chair, as if he was always well put together too. He wasn’t. She’d seen him at work. But man did he clean up good.
But one thing he couldn’t erase: He still looked drained. Even while he slept. He needed to get in his bed and get himself a good night’s rest. And she was going to make sure he did.
She went back into the bedroom and pulled back the covers and the gorgeously-appointed purple satin sheets. She ran her hand over those sheets several times. Who on earth could lay on sheets with those thread counts and not sleep forever? But she stopped her daydreaming and got to work.
She went back upfront and roused him enough to stand him up. “Bedtime,” she said.
She nearly fell doing it, but she held on. He was half-awake and still half-asleep as she placed his arm around her neck and placed her arm around his waist and eased him into walking with her to his bedroom.
When they made it to the bed, she laid him down on his satin sheets, and he was asleep again almost immediately.
She removed his shoes and his socks. She felt the leather inside those shoes.
They were high quality no doubt about that.
Then she removed his belt. She also wanted to remove his pants so that he could be fully comfortable. So she went for it.
But trying to get his pants down over his butt when he was laying on his butt was a challenge.
But she kept at it as he was snoring away until she gave it her hardest pull yet and his pants pulled down.
But she pulled so hard that she pulled down his boxer shorts right along with his pants.
And suddenly his big, juicy, meaty penis came popping out of those same boxer shorts like a surprise.
Even asleep it was huge. And just as it popped out, Grayson woke up quickly and leaned up. Confused. Toya was mortified.
“What’s happening?” he asked her.
“I didn’t mean to pull down your boxer’s.” She was gravely distressed. “I was trying to make you comfortable.”
Grayson frowned. “What?” He had no clue what she was talking about.
“I was trying to undress you, not all the way, but enough to make you comfortable.”
It was then did he realize his clothes were down around his knees and his penis was poking out. He also could see that it was freaking Toya out.
“You fell asleep in the chair and you looked so tired so I didn’t want to leave you sleeping in a chair.
And I didn’t want to wake you up because you were sleeping so peacefully.
But I knew you needed your rest. So I got you in bed and all I was trying to do was take off your pants so you could be more relaxed, but your boxer shorts came down too. I didn’t mean—”
He grabbed her hand as she was trying to grab the bedding to cover him. “Latoya, it’s okay. It’s alright.”
“I wasn’t trying to---”
“I know you weren’t. It’s okay.” He was wide awake now. But the distress on her face worried him. “Come here,” he said to her and she moved closer to the head of his bed. He took his pants and his boxer’s completely off and tossed them aside. Then he easily lifted her on top of him.
“I am so sorry, Gracie. I was just trying---”
He placed his finger over her mouth. “I told you it’s okay.
I know exactly what you were trying to do.
You were trying to remove my pants so that I could be more comfortable in bed.
Which is exactly true.” Then he took his dress shirt and t-shirt and pulled them off over his head and tossed them aside as well.
“Now I’m completely comfortable. This is how I sleep every night. I’m good, Latoya. Okay?”
She was so overwhelmed by her mistake that she didn’t realize he had gotten completely naked. It wasn’t until he placed his large hand inside her shorts and began massaging her butt did she realize what was happening.
And then she felt everything.
The hairs on his chest.
His cold hand on her butt.
His naked penis rubbing against her thighs. She felt it all. And all it felt good.
“It’s okay,” he said again when he saw her realization of the position he’d just put her in. But it wasn’t planned. It wasn’t rehearsed. It was natural. And he was going all the way.
But he stared at her for several seconds.
He knew his decision was going to affect her far more than it was going to affect him.
She wasn’t a one and done kind of girl. He knew that the moment he laid eyes on her.
He wasn’t a one and done kind of man, either, but he was the next thing to it: No commitments.
No excuses when he bounced. And he always bounced.
Why would he put her through his natural instinct to always leave?
Because he wasn’t sure if he’d leave her. That was his dilemma. Did he feel so compelled to help her out of lust, or did he actually love this girl out of all the girls he’d ever been with?
But how could it be possible? How could he be in love with anybody so quickly? It hadn’t been a full three months since he’d first met her, and it wasn’t as if they saw each other every day, or even every week, in those three months.