Chapter 3
ARIELLE
My fist clutched around my phone as I nervously looked around the restaurant.
The day had been a long one, and I’d really wanted to order room service and crash after going to the beach earlier, but Kareem had changed all that.
Realistically, I could have flaked on him, but everything in me screamed that if I stood this man up, I would miss out on a good time, and that was why I was here, wasn’t it?
The vibration of my phone startled me. I loosened my grip on it slightly as I glanced down at it.
AJ flashed across the screen. My older brother. There was no doubt in my mind that Mariah, my younger sister, had ratted on me. I called her an hour ago, freaking out about this impromptu . . . hangout session—since I couldn’t call it a date—and I knew her ass had called our brother and told him.
“Big ass mouthed traitor,” I mumbled as I silenced my phone. No way was I going to answer the phone for him right now. A lecture was not what I needed at the moment.
Besides, my eyes landed on who had to be the finest man in this resort.
My teeth captured my bottom lip as I gazed at him.
I had no shame as I openly stared. He had on a light blue linen set.
The shorts went just past his knees, and the short-sleeved top was open and showing off what looked like a fresh undershirt.
There was no way he didn’t know how fine he was.
When he approached me on the beach earlier, I was surprised as hell.
Then he asked me to dinner, and I felt speechless.
He was the kind of man who could have any bitch he wanted, and he chose to spend a meal with me. I felt flattered.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know how beautiful I was.
I just felt like other people couldn’t see beyond that and see how worthy of their time I actually was.
Men had a way of missing the great traits I had to offer.
They took advantage of my kindness and looked at my big heart as a weakness.
I knew I was a prize, but situations in my past made me feel less than.
I knew I could get any man, but could a good man land in my lap? That, I wasn’t sure of.
Is Mr. Spivy a good man? I wondered as I looked at him.
As if he could hear my thoughts or feel my presence, his head turned, and he looked right at me. It felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. His eyes seemed to gaze into the deepest parts of me, like he could see right into my soul.
I shivered as he stood from the table he sat at and walked over to me. By the time he made it to me, I think I managed to school my awestruck expression into something more neutral, but when he smirked, I wasn’t so sure. He looked at me like he knew exactly what I thought.
“You plannin’ on standin’ over here all night? Or do you care to join me?”
His deep voice sent vibrations through my body, and I shivered again.
My head tilted back so I could fully look into his eyes. “Of course, I want to join you, Mr. Spivy.”
My voice came out silky smooth, like velvet.
Kareem’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and I could tell I had the same effect on him as he had on me.
I was pleased by this as my cheeks warmed.
When he reached his hand out for me, I grabbed it happily, curious about where the night would take us.
It was clear to me the sexual chemistry was there, and though I didn’t come to this resort to fuck on someone’s son, I realized I wouldn’t mind changing my plans for Kareem.
My soft hand touched his, and another shiver went up my spine. His hand was rough and gave me a sense of protection as he guided me through the colorful restaurant and to the table he previously sat at.
It surprised me when he pulled my chair out for me.
“Fine and a gentleman?” I muttered, not really meaning for him to hear me.
Unfortunately for me, it seemed as though his hearing was immaculate because he pushed my chair in, and once I was situated, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I got a big dick too.”
And damnit if I didn’t choke on my spit. His large hand patted my back, which didn’t make this situation any better. I choked harder because of his touch. His ass had me flustered, and somehow, without even seeing his face, I knew he knew that shit.
Finally, I reached for the glass of ice water on the table in front of me and chugged as much of it as I could.
By the time I got my damn throat under control, Kareem sat across from me, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.
He looked at me with amusement, and my cheeks heated in embarrassment.
To avoid his gaze, I quickly picked up the menu and hid behind it. “Have you been to this restaurant yet?”
“Yep.”
My jaw clenched. I could tell he got a kick out of making me squirm. Defiantly, I squared my shoulders and looked at him. “What’s good on the menu?”
“The enchiladas are good. That’s what I’m getting. You can’t go wrong with tacos, though.”
His eyes remained intently on mine, and I held his gaze as I nodded slowly. “I’ll get the steak tacos, then, if you let me taste your enchiladas.”
Kareem’s eyes twinkled as he leaned forward and pressed his elbows on the table. “I’ll let you taste whatever you want, mama.”
I clenched my jaw but didn’t back down. He wanted to play; I was about to play as unfair as I could. With a wide grin, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my thick legs. “Bet whatever you have ain’t better than what I have to offer.”
His brows shot up in surprise, and I grinned triumphantly. I’d finally caught him off guard. Loved that for me.
“How ’bout we test that theory?” He stood up, and my cheesy grin faltered.
“Damn. You can’t even take a girl to dinner first?” I knew I was stalling for time, and I suspected he knew it too. He threw me for a loop, calling my bluff, and I either needed to stand ten toes down on what I said or eat my words.
Kareem’s hand pressed into the table, and he leaned down so his face was only inches from my own. “How ’bout you give me dessert, and then I’ll order room service for you?”
I could have sat there and argued that his offer was ass-backward, but the truth was that I didn’t want to. I needed to let off some steam, and he was willing to help me out with that. Why on earth would I turn that down?
Slowly, I stood to my feet. His eyes followed mine until our lips were just inches apart.
Without thinking about it, I leaned in and kissed him.
It felt like time had stopped. Our lips moved slowly, learning each other without rushing.
Our tongues greeted each other with intention.
I’d never felt anything like it before. It was like our mouths were made for each other.
He knew just how to kiss me, and judging by the way his hand found the back of my neck and pulled me closer, he felt like I knew just how to kiss him too.
When we pulled away, there was a mutual understanding that passed between us. We didn’t know each other from a can of paint, but we were about to fuck the absolute shit out of each other.
My pussy flooded as he grabbed my hand and led me out of the restaurant and toward the front entrance of the resort.
The warm air hit my face as we walked down a path.
My mind was fully focused on the mission at hand, and surprisingly, I didn’t even feel nervous.
Curious. That was the word for how I felt.
The villas came into view, and I gasped. “This is beautiful.”
“Yeah, this shit is pretty cool. I can’t lie,” he replied as we stepped onto a wooden dock and walked over the sparking ocean. I felt his hand grip mine tighter as we walked over the water. He let it go as soon as we stepped inside his villa.
“Well, damn. Maybe I need to go make a scene at the front desk so I can get hooked up with one of these.” I walked around the villa and took it in like the nosy ass person I was.
“I can handle that for you if you want,” he said with delight dancing in his tone.
I could tell his ass enjoyed being a menace.
“I’m good.” I giggled as my eyes landed on his bed, and then my gaze averted to him.
Kareem licked his lips and walked over to me. He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me into him. “You told me you have somethin’ good for me to taste. Where that’s at?”
My breathing deepened. I was a big girl, and I knew how to do big girl things, but Kareem had me feeling a little out of sorts. I’d never in my life had a fling or a one-night stand, but his fine ass had me acting different.
Before I could respond, my phone vibrated in the small clutch I carried.
The unmistakable sound broke the trance he had me in.
I tossed my clutch toward the bed, but Kareem caught it before it could land.
With wide eyes, I watched as he took my phone out of my clutch, glanced at the screen, snorted, and then answered it.
“She’s busy.” He jabbed his finger at the red button to end the call just as I saw AJ’s name disappear.
Mortified, I watched as he tossed my phone and my clutch on the bed before he removed the light blue linen button-up he wore.
“Kareem! That was my brother,” I exclaimed.
Kareem shrugged as if he saw nothing wrong with what he just did. “He’ll be aight. You wit’ me right now. Ain’t no other nigga ’posed to be callin’ you, not even ya daddy. I’m daddy for the night. You understand?”
My mouth clamped shut. His words turned me on something serious, but I knew my big brother was about to curse me out and probably send a search party out for me if I didn’t get back to him as soon as possible. I nodded wordlessly, and he smirked. “Good girl.”