Chapter 15
Two Days Later
Things had shifted significantly since Lesley came home.
I was still leery of trusting him, but my guard was slowly dropping.
Between the dinner, the dick, and the dimes my man was working with, I was adjusting nicely to my role as Mrs. Grimson, the real Mrs. Grimson, so when I woke up from a nap to a text from Lesley that made me sit straight up in bed, with the biggest grin splitting on my face.
Mr. Grim: Clear your schedule tonight. I got something planned. Dress nicely but comfortably. Be ready by seven.
I stared at the message, reading it three times before it sank in. After everything we’d shared recently—the vulnerability, the honesty about wanting to try this for real—he was planning something. Our first official date as a couple.
I spent the rest of the day distracted, wondering what he had in mind.
When six-thirty rolled around, I was standing in front of my closet, having a minor crisis about what “nice but comfortable” meant.
I remembered the items he had sent as an apology.
I’d barely paid attention to all he’d sent, but easily found something to wear.
I settled on the Robert Cavalli and Skims Zebra capri legging set, paired with gold jewelry and gold heels. It was cute, fun, and flirty. Especially considering it was summer. My hair was pressed straight and fell past my shoulders; my makeup was flawless but not overdone.
At exactly seven o’clock, the elevator sounded, letting me know he’d made it in and on time. I gushed while I finished applying my lipstick. Heavy footsteps got close, and then the door opened; his deep voice floated through the air.
“You ready, baby?”
I looked over to find him looking like a magazine spread come to life.
He wore black Balmain joggers with the signature ribbed detailing at the knees, paired with a cream Balmain hoodie that fit his frame perfectly.
The subtle gold embossed logo caught the light, and he’d pushed the sleeves up to his elbows, showing off his forearms and the Patek Philippe watch that gleamed against his skin.
His Cuban chain lay against the soft fabric, and those fresh black forces completed the look—luxury streetwear at its finest.
“You’re wearing it.”
“You bought it for me, so hell yeah.” The Demosea Inferno cologne I bought him filled the air with a rich, woody scent, causing me to exhale slowly. When his eyes traveled over me from head to toe, I felt heat pool in all the places he’d recently kissed on.
“Damn, Coco,” he said, voice rough with appreciation. “How do you get sexier every day?”
“Thank you. It’s one of your apology gifts.” I grabbed my purse, trying to play it cool even though my heart was racing. “So where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He offered me his arm, and when I took it, I felt that familiar electricity that had been building between us all week.
Instead of the Maybach, there was a different vehicle waiting downstairs, a brown Lamborghini Urus that gleamed under the parking garage lights like liquid bronze. I’d never seen one in this color before.
“This is yours?” I asked, running my hand along the beautiful vehicle.
“Yours.”
“Mine? What do you mean mine?”
“His and hers. An us thing. I wanted you to have something that matched me.”
I looked at the car and then at him. He wasn’t flexing. This was Lesley Grimson telling me I belonged in his world in the only language that came naturally to him, big, deliberate, unmistakable. I ran my hand along the hood one more time.
“It’s beautiful,” I said breathlessly. Coco was the right choice. Thank you, baby.”
I squelched when the realization settled in. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He pulled me closer with one hand on my ass cheek and deepened the kiss until I felt dizzy.
He smirked, brushing his thumb across my chin. “A beautiful woman deserves beautiful things. Simple math.”
I rolled my eyes, but my smile gave me away. He opened my door, made sure I was settled inside, then rounded the car and slid into the driver’s seat.
“Music preference?” he asked, fingers hovering over the stereo.
“Surprise me.”
The opening notes of Cleo Sol’s When I’m in Your Arms filled the car, smooth and sultry, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, maybe you are listening to me in the shower. I love this song.”
“I dig that shit too.”
“You seem really shocked that you do.”
“If it ain’t in the club, I don’t really listen to music. I spend a lot of time being driven around and handling business between moves. But I like the neo-soul shit you be on.”
“I hate the club. Never been a fan.”
“Color me shocked. I get the vibe you’ve always been a little lady and about your shit. Ain’t no money at the club.”
“Not unless you own it.”
“Exactly, baby. I enjoyed laying up with you the other day. For real. I felt normal for a little bit.”
“It’s funny you bring that up. I haven’t watched anymore. I don’t want to watch it without you.”
He pinched my chin and grinned, but didn't say anything. I was wearing his hard ass down, smoothing him out like water over stone. And he was doing the same to me.
We drove through Coupeville as the sun was setting, the city lights starting to twinkle around us. We kept chatting until I realized that instead of heading toward downtown or any of the fancy restaurants I expected, he took us in a completely different direction.
“Where are we going?” I asked again.
“Patience, woman.” But he was smiling, clearly enjoying keeping me in suspense.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to what looked like an empty lot on the outskirts of the city.
But as we got closer, I realized it wasn’t empty at all.
There were fairy lights strung between tall poles, creating a magical canopy over a space that had been transformed into something out of a dream.
In the center was a table for two, draped in white linen with candles flickering in glass holders. Rose petals were scattered throughout the space, and a full catering setup was set up off to one side, staffed by people in crisp uniforms who appeared to know exactly what they were doing.
“Lesley,” I breathed, stepping out of the car and turning in a slow circle. “What is this?”
“This is us having our first real date,” he said, coming around to take my hand. “No interruptions, no business calls, no other people watching us. Just us.”
He led me to the table, pulling out my chair. Always, the gentleman I was still learning he could be. The setup was flawless.
“How did you pull this off?”
“I called in some favors,” he said, settling into his chair across from me. “I remembered Eric’s wife, Monica, from Taiwan’s wedding, and she set all this up. Said she’d be honored to help.”
I smiled, touched that he’d thought to reach out to her.
When our food arrived, the conversation shifted to more personal territory.
As we ate the surf and turf, we talked about everything and nothing.
He told me about growing up without a mother, and I felt connected to him in that moment.
I was often surprised at how calm Lesley could be when it was just us.
“When?” I asked suddenly.
“Huh?”
“When did you learn all of this about me? The food, the setup, what I like?”
“I already told you I’m checking in with Malice and watching. You not hard to learn.”
“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”
“A, you thing. Shit easy with you. That’s what those two weeks were about, but I knew I’d be back, and I knew what I needed to do when I got back.”
“And what was that?”
“Show you I’m for real about this. I handled my pops the second I got the chance. No one gets to make you uncomfortable or make you question what we’ve got going on.”
“Hhm, that’s why he apologized. What was it like growing up with your father?” I asked. “He seems like his life has been a midlife crisis since birth.”
His expression grew thoughtful, but he laughed. “Complicated as hell. He loved me, I never doubted that, but he was hard. Had to be, considering what he was preparing me for. But he also made sure I knew how to treat people right, how to show respect when it was earned.”
“Is that what this is?” I gestured around us at the romantic setup. “Showing respect?”
“This is me showing you love,” he said, his voice serious. “That you’re not just some arrangement or convenience. You’re a woman worth planning for, worth impressing, worth courting the right way. I had to check myself.”
The word “courting” sent butterflies fluttering in my belly. It was old-fashioned, respectful, the kind of word that spoke to taking time and care with someone’s heart.
As the evening went on, I found myself relaxing in his conversation and laughter.
This wasn’t the controlled, careful Lesley from business dinners or the distant man who’d once shared my living space.
This was someone who laughed at my jokes, who listened when I talked about my work, who looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. And he was so smart.
When dessert came—chocolate cake that was so good it made me moan with the first bite—he reached across the table and took my hand.
“I got something for you,” he said.
“Lesley, this whole evening has been perfect…”
“Just let me spoil you, Coco. Please.”
Before I could ask what, I heard the soft sound of instruments being tuned somewhere behind us.
Then three musicians emerged, the members of Khemistry, a local R&B group that I’d seen perform at a few venues around the city.
They were talented, soulful, the kind of musicians who could make you feel every note.
“Y’all ready?” the lead singer asked Lesley, who nodded.
The opening notes filled the space, and my heart stopped. It was “Finally”—the song I sang every morning in the shower, the one that always made me feel like everything was going to work out. I’d been humming it just that morning while getting dressed.
“How...?”
“Thin walls,” he said with a smile. “And I got good ears. This is your song, right?”
Khemistry was incredible, playing a stripped-down, intimate version that felt as if it were being performed just for us. The lead singer’s voice was smooth and rich, and when he started singing the lyrics I knew by heart, I felt tears prick my eyes.
“Lesley,” I breathed, overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of it all.
“Dance with me.”
I let him pull me to my feet, and we swayed together under those fairy lights, his arms around my waist, my hands linked behind his neck. When he looked down at me, he was wide open.
“This is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me,” I whispered against his chest.
“This is just the beginning,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “And how has a woman like you never been treated with this much care?”
I pulled back to look at him, considering the question. “Because I never let anyone close enough to try. I was always too busy building my life to let someone into it.”
“I get you a lot more than you think, Colecion.”
He spun me slowly, and I laughed as the lights blurred around us. When he pulled me back to him, his expression had grown more serious.
“You trust me to take you out of the country?”
The question caught me off guard, but standing there in his arms, swaying to music under a canopy of lights he’d arranged just for me, I finally understood what it felt like to be cherished. Not protected, not provided for, but truly valued for who I was.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I trust you.”
He wasn’t sure if he could believe me, and I understood that.
“I do. And you know that. I don’t have a poker face with you.”
“Good. Turks and Caicos still cool?”
“No, but I’d love to be on any beach right now.”
“Cool, there’s something else,” he whispered, pulling me closer. “I’m thinking about scouting some property there. Maybe opening our first international location. I’ll be doing a little work.”
“How can I help?”
“Who says I need your help, baby?”
“I’m resourceful, Grim.” He pulled back to look at me. He hated it when I called him Grim. “That’s who’s talking to me right now, correct?”
He shook his head before dipping me backwards and bringing me up as I laughed loudly, the sound echoing across the empty lot.
“No, this is Lesley,” he said firmly, spinning me under the lights. “Tonight is just about us. Just about this.”
“Do you think people are watching us?” I asked, feeling warmth spreading through me.
“If they are, they’re seeing exactly what I want them to see,” he said, spinning me one more time. “A man completely in love with Coco.”
“That was cute.”
Whatever he needed to handle could wait. Right now, under these lights he’d strung just for me, I was exactly where I belonged.