Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Sorinah
“You aren’t going to apologise?” Sorinah huffed, her voice sharp with irritation, her brows knitting tightly as she lay tangled in the sheets beside Aldrich.
“Nope,” Aldrich drawled, the word stretched out like a challenge, ending with a defiant pop of the P.
Earlier Sorinah was ambushed the moment she entered the hotel suite. After a holiday with no alone time and exchanging spicy texts, an epic buildup ensued, only for their schedules to conflict for another two weeks. They hadn’t been able to spend time alone together for over a month.
When she arrived, Aldrich didn’t let her catch her breath.
He cupped her face with rough urgency and captured her mouth in a searing kiss, then abruptly released her, his fingers trailing down her neck as he spun her away.
She admitted the situation was hot as fuck—the air thick with tension, her skin tingling from his touch, the scent of his cologne sharp in her nostrils—until he did the unforgivable.
Now that she had come a couple of times, her body still humming with sensation, the afterglow waning like the fading warmth of a sunset, she was beyond pissed with him.
She smacked his chest. “What do you mean, nope?”
“I’m not apologising because your panties being ripped is your fault.”
He didn’t open his eyes as he spoke. The man looked spent, as he should; he’d been vigorous and passionate.
“How is this my fault?” she shrieked as she sat up from where she had been lying down beside him.
“My instructions were explicit.” He sounded uninterested, as though he found the unwarranted destruction of her panties unworthy of discussion.
“You can’t be serious… you ripped them.” Grabbing the pillow, she smacked him, but he pulled it from her hand.
“That’s enough hitting, Kitten. Besides, I told you not to wear panties. My text was clear.”
“Fuck your text, DH. Those were exclusive Etheline lingerie. That shit was very expensive.”
“Oh no, what will I do?” He waved his hand in mock distress. “Maybe I should pick up a second job to help cover the cost of replacing them.”
“Oh, you’re an ass. You didn’t have to rip them. You could have slid them off.”
“You shouldn’t have had them on. I told you I would fuck you on sight. Wear a skirt and no panties,” he explained, his voice low and measured, as he shrugged. “They were in the way.”
Even though he didn’t open his eyes when she moved her hand to smack him, he reacted instinctively, grabbing her and pinning her under him in a flash.
“Three strikes and you’re out!” he growled, his tone edged with irritation. “We don’t play lash. I will not raise my hand to you unless it’s in pleasure, and you will do the same. Do you understand?”
Sorinah nodded, her pulse quickening as she processed his words. She had heard the term lash in Trinidad, knowing it meant hit, but she hadn’t realised Aldrich viewed her taps as something more serious.
“That’s not good enough,” he insisted, his steel-grey gaze sharpening. “I want to hear you say that you understand.”
She hesitated, the weight of his unwavering stare making her chest tighten. His flared nostrils and rigid posture conveyed how deeply this mattered to him.
“This is a hard limit for me,” he stated, his voice firm yet laced with vulnerability.
Sorinah’s heart pounded as she met his gaze, the gravity of his boundary sinking in. She swallowed hard, her apology trembling on her lips as she acknowledged the seriousness of his tone. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry, DH.”
Aldrich nodded, his expression softening. The intensity in his eyes faded, replaced by a quiet warmth. “I accept your apology. Now I need an hour of recovery time. I’m going to lie back down.”
“While we’re having a heart-to-heart, can we acknowledge those were my favourite panties and part of a set? This isn’t some cheesy romance story; you need to apologise for tearing them apart.”
Aldrich was quiet for a moment, as if mulling over her words. “No. The demise of your panties is your fault.”
She wanted to smother him with a pillow, but she had made a promise not to react physically. She was going to have to begrudgingly let her ruined lingerie go.
Sorinah needed a win, so she brought up a topic she was confident she was right about. The truth was, she was upset with all three men, but since Vickram and Ambrose weren’t present, Aldrich would have to withstand her ire.
She’d tried to be gracious about the gift, but it had taken her by surprise.
Mars was over the moon when the guys presented him with it.
They gave him a keychain and told him the car would be waiting for him when he got home.
Sorinah was shocked when they opened the garage and saw a slick silver vehicle wrapped in a bow.
What kind of car had they purchased for her sixteen-year-old son?
It was brand new, expensive, and had far too much power under the hood.
“DH, I have a question.”
Aldrich answered exasperatedly, “Yes.” he added, “No chance of you letting us have a quiet moment, huh?”
She expressed her disapproval, saying, “What were you guys thinking getting Mars that car?” Her tone made her feelings clear, leaving Aldrich momentarily taken aback.
Surprised by the sudden shift, Aldrich raised an eyebrow and asked, “Wait. What’s happening here? This is the first I’ve heard that you weren’t happy with the car.”
She questioned, “Did any of you think it might be too much for a sixteen-year-old? You guys said it wasn’t a sports car.”
Aldrich clarified, “It’s more of a high-performance vehicle. If you weren’t happy with what we got him, why did you and Mars send the thank-you video to the three of us?”
“What was I supposed to do when Mars was so excited? You guys already gifted him with the car.”
Aldrich reassured her, “I promise you it’s safe. It’s the reason why we selected it.”
She said, “It’s a very expensive gift.” Her tone softened, revealing a mix of gratitude and unease.
Aldrich dismissed her concern, saying, “Don’t watch our pockets. Besides, we consider the car an investment in his safety.”
She sighed. “Ugh, fine.”
He asked, “So, what was your first car?”
“A Volkswagen Beetle,” she answered.
He remarked, “A previously loved classic, huh?”
She corrected him, “Um, no, it was new.”
“I see.” He smirked.
“It isn’t the same thing, DH.” Her tone grew sharper as she said, “The vehicle you guys bought is over one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars.”
Aldrich quipped, “I know it’s hard for you when I make sense and am right.”
“Yeah. You are always right.” She snarled at him.
Sorinah was beyond frustrated, mostly with herself.
She struggled to articulate her feelings.
While she appreciated the thoughtfulness of the three men who had no obligation to her son, yet cared enough to buy him his first car, it still left her unsettled.
She needed time alone to process her emotions.
Without a word, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Aldrich didn’t ask where she was going or attempt to stop her, and she was grateful for that. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned on the water, losing track of time as she stared. A knock on the door startled her.
When she opened it, he called softly, “Hey.”
Thankfully, he’d put on his boxers, making him slightly less distracting.
She answered, “Hi.”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She admitted with a sigh, “Yeah. Just needed a moment.”
He tilted his head, studying her, and said, “Okay, well, you’ve had your moment. Come talk to me.”
He took her hand and led her back to her bed.
Once they were seated side by side against the headboard, he asked, “What’s really bothering you?”
She shrugged, her time in the bathroom having provided no clarity.
He prompted, “Okay, let’s unpack this. It’s not about the car being brand new, or the cost, and you know we did our due diligence. I promise you, the car is super safe.”
She acknowledged, “I do appreciate all the thought and effort you guys put into getting him a car.”
“But?” he pressed.
She sighed. “But. I’m his mom.”
“Sorry, Vickram thought you didn’t want to deal with getting Mars a car; that’s the only reason we stepped in that way.”
Sorinah shook her head, then confessed, “I wasn’t ready to buy him a car. It felt like it was just the other day that he was a baby, and now he’s driving. Before I know it, he will be finished high school and be moving away.”
“Oh, the car is proof of how fast he is growing up,” Aldrich said intuitively, his tone gentle yet knowing.
It made it easy for her to admit, “Yup, I know it’s stupid.”
He intertwined their hands and brought hers to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles as he reassured her, “It isn’t. Your feelings are valid, Kitten.”
Sorinah felt the bittersweet ache in her chest loosen, a warmth spreading through her at his understanding. Just knowing he understood made her feel much better, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned slightly into his touch.
While she appreciated Aldrich’s willingness to talk things through and his understanding, it only deepened her sense of vulnerability—a feeling she struggled to accept.
The purchase of the car underscored how quickly Mars was growing up, a reality that left her reeling.
They were only two years away from his graduation, and he was already exploring schools that would take him far from home.
Her entire life had revolved around Mars, and the thought of becoming an empty nester filled her with a quiet dread she wasn’t ready to face.
Sorinah resisted unpacking the emotions stirred by Mars’ rapid transition into adulthood.
Her time with Aldrich was meant to be an escape—a chance to shelve those feelings, to leave them at the door, and lose herself in mind-blowing sex with a man who both frustrated and fascinated her, a man who knew exactly how to make her body sing.