Chapter 15
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Nadir stared at me; the heat coming from his gaze felt like laser beams on my skin.
There was something so delicious about the way his eyes feasted upon me.
I pursed my lips, stifling a smile. He exuded confidence perched on the edge of my desk.
My eyes trailed him, not missing a single thing about his appearance.
Loose crinkly locs framed his face. I loved it when he wore his hair down.
The sleeves of his light blue shirt were rolled to his elbows.
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
A gold watch adorned his left wrist and his father’s gold wedding band glimmered on his right ring finger.
I waited for him to say something... anything to ease the tension between us. The fact that I couldn’t decipher if the tension was sexual or emotional made my stomach tighten. After a minute of brutal silence, Nadir smiled at me. His eyes darkened; my heart fluttered in response.
“Te ves tan hermosa, mi princesa.”
Butterflies filled my stomach and heat coursed through me.
“Gracias, mi amor.”
I ran my hands down my hair, still not over Nadir paying for it. I suspect he told Summer about what’s going on between us. She was a little too thrilled when she revealed he footed the bill.
“And thanks again for covering my hair appointment. That was sweet.”
“Anything for you. You know that.” There was a glimmer of devilry in his eyes that made my mouth water.
“I called last night.”
He looked down. “I was knocked out. Summer had me moving furniture and installing light fixtures.”
I laughed. “You loved every minute with her.”
“I did. We don’t hang out like that anymore.”
“She said the same this morning.”
Nadir’s gaze swept over me. “What was on your mind last night?”
“The usual. Mainly today’s shoot... but the food shots look amazing. Everyone loves their headshots and the beauty shots of the restaurant are unreal. I’d say today was perfect.”
He smiled. “Happy to hear you’re pleased with everything. What are you doing after this?”
My heart stopped. I guess it was time to address the elephant in the dining room.
“You know what I’m doing later.”
Nadir pushed off the desk and walked toward me. “Do I?”
I nearly melted from the warmth of his body on mine. “Why are you asking? Do you have plans for me?”
He chuckled lowly while shaking his head. “You have no idea the plans I have for you, Goldie.”
“I’d love to hear them.” I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. The hunger in them tempted me to cancel my plans. However, I needed to end things the right way with Joseph.
“Come through later... I want to talk to you about something.”
My eyebrows wrinkled. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just need your ear, like always.”
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way home. You sticking around until we finish? We can talk after.”
Although there wasn’t a shortage of people present, I still wanted him here with me.
I was a tad disappointed when he didn’t answer my call last night.
My day had been long and I needed him to decompress.
We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk until later, but I still wanted him nearby.
This stolen moment wouldn't be enough to quell my craving for him.
“Nah, I just wanted to show face. I need to get to Ray’s and make sure we’re ready for the weekend. You know how busy we are when the weather is nice.”
This weekend was the first one with temperatures in the eighties and clear skies. Everybody would be outside, and Ray’s was the place to be for a great time.
“Okay. Well, I guess we can talk later.”
Nadir grabbed my waist and pulled me toward him. “We will talk later. Enjoy your last date with Joseph.”
I took a deep breath. Nadir’s scent filled my nose, stirring up a mixture of warmth and need in my belly.
“You sound so sure.”
He inched closer; his lips grazed mine before he pulled back. “Tell me, Robyn, are you my princess?”
My heart galloped in my chest. “Yes.”
His smile was wicked. “Call me when you’re on the way.”
I didn’t get to respond because his hungry mouth was on mine.
We kissed wildly. My hands were tangled in his hair, gripping handfuls of dreads; my body pressed against him.
Desire brimmed between us. I whimpered when he tugged my bottom lip with his teeth then sucked it.
The pain of the bite followed by the gentle suck soothed me in ways I didn’t know possible.
My heart raced, my clit throbbed, and my mind went blank.
He grabbed my ass, grinding his hardened dick against my mound.
“See you later,” he said, then pecked my lips.
I didn’t want him to leave but was glad he made the first move.
I stepped aside so he could leave. Once alone, I searched my desk for a mirror.
My lipstick was smeared and my eyes exposed every lick of lust coursing through my body.
A knock at the door prompted me to look up. Raven smirked as she came inside.
“Nothing like a quickie to ease the tension.”
I rolled my eyes. “We didn’t have a quickie.” Although it would’ve been nice... “We talked it out.”
“Must’ve been a passionate conversation seeing how your lip stain is now smeared at the corners of your mouth.”
Raven snickered as I wiped my mouth with a tissue. She reached into her crossbody bag and passed my lipstick.
“I'm glad you smoothed things over. Nadir had smoke coming from his ears when he saw Joseph.” Raven covered her mouth to muffle her cackles. I regretted confiding in my sister.
“We’re fine.”
“Okay, girl. Opal wants to take more pictures in the kitchen. They’re adjusting the lighting and all that stuff.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Raven held the door open for me. “My sis had both her men showing up to support her and they played nice. I taught you well.”
All I could do was laugh because the whole situation was bizarre.
Doing the right thing wasn’t always easy.
I hated having unfinished business and this thing with Joseph needed to end.
Something in my gut told me dinner with Joseph wouldn’t go as planned.
Ghosting him would have been immature and a text message seemed impersonal.
I needed to extend the courtesy I’d want to him.
The drive from Roseville to D.C. gave me enough time to think about our relationship.
We started off hot and heavy. Unfortunately, it died down quickly.
The slightest change in my routine happened and our relationship went off track.
Sleepovers superseded dates and texts replaced phone calls.
Our connection was hanging on by lust alone.
And that simply wasn’t enough to hold my interest.
Joseph seemed to have options; why was he so determined to keep me around?
I dwelled on the notion as I entered L'Ardente, an Italian restaurant in D.C. Our first date was here. I smiled as a wave of nostalgia overcame me. Knowing this would become the place we had our last date was a sort of twisted poetic justice I hadn’t considered before.
My stomach was in knots. The sensation intensified when I got the urge to text Nadir.
He'd do nothing but worsen my frail nerves. If I did this right, I’d be in his arms by eleven.
All thoughts of Nadir ceased once I spotted Joseph waiting for me at the host stand.
Wearing his usual collared shirt and chinos, Joseph looked handsome.
He grinned like he hadn’t seen me a few hours ago.
“Good to see you again... so soon,” he said as we hugged.
I laughed. “Funny.”
We were escorted to our seats near the panoramic window.
I looked outside and the streets buzzed with pedestrians and motorists.
Joseph sat next to me in the booth, his eyes giving way to his thoughts.
I ignored the heat creeping down my spine and ordered us a bottle of wine.
The moment we were alone, Joseph was in my ear waxing poetically, telling me how fine I looked.
I expected nothing less while wearing the sexiest dress in my closet.
“Thank you for gracing me with your presence,” he teased.
I hated the icky feeling that followed his statement. It seemed as if I was hard to reach.
“You act like you were lonely without me.”
He chuckled. “Just because I met someone else didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you.”
“How are things going with that?”
“Jumping right into it, huh?”
I shrugged. “Yes. Since you brought it up.”
Joseph sat back, sighing. “Well. I met her shortly after I met you. Had a one-night stand... and now she’s expecting.”
“Expecting?” My eyes widened. I looked around the room, hoping the Impractical Jokers would come out of hiding.
“Yes. I wanted to tell you sooner but decided to wait on the paternity results.”
“A baby?” I interrupted with furrowed eyebrows. This was all too much. Our waiter came over with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I missed the sommelier’s spiel as Joseph's revelation looped in my mind. For months he’d sat on this news, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.
“I know it sounds crazy.”
“Crazy is putting it lightly. Joseph, why did you wait so long to tell me?”
He picked up his wine glass and gulped the cabernet. “Initially, I wanted to make sure the kid was mine. The longer I waited, the more I feared losing you.” He took another drink of wine. “Then once I got the results, I knew it would be the end for us.”
I snorted. “We never really started.”
“Another reason I waited. I thought that after things slowed down for you, we would pick up where we left off.”
“Pick up where we left off? While you’re taking care of a newborn?
” I stared at him like he had three heads.
Nothing he said made sense. To continue pursuing me, knowing his paternity was in question, was not only selfish but manipulative.
I balled my fists in my lap. Heat flooded my body and my heart raced.
“Robyn, listen. I know it sounds bad.”
“Bad? You hid a baby from me. For months, you have acted as if nothing new is happening in your world. Why would you string me along, knowing this would end?”
“It doesn’t have to. Me and Ashley aren’t together. We’re figuring it out.”
“Figure it out without me.” I stood from my seat. Joseph grabbed my wrist, anchoring me beside him.
“Robyn, wait. Let me explain.”
I pulled my arm from his grasp. “No need. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. Forget about me and find peace in knowing there was no scenario where I’d stay with you after this.”
Joseph sank into the booth looking like a sad puppy. I stalked toward the exit and never looked back. I should’ve listened to my gut and broken up with him via text.
The moment I hit the driver’s seat, my phone was in hand. I sent my girls a voice message detailing my conversation with Joseph. At the end, I promised to tell the full story in the morning. Raven responded with a thumbs down and Adrienne sent the face palm emoji.
Next, I texted Nadir that I was on the way.
I contemplated whether to tell him about tonight.
My biggest reason to withhold this information was fear of judgement.
Nadir had told me repeatedly that Joseph didn’t deserve me and I could do better.
Once again, he was right. I dropped my phone into the cupholder and drove off.
After stopping by my place to pack a bag, I'd be on my way to Nadir, where I belonged.