Chapter 15
HOPE
“I don’t know why you have to ride with me to Tyler,” I huff from the passenger seat. I said ride, but Styxx isn’t riding with me, he’s doing the escorting. “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.” Tyler, Texas, is where I have my dance classes and where he’s going with me today.
“Maybe so, but we haven’t been able to find your uncle, and I’m not taking any chances.
Until he’s found and we get the message across that you and Promise are off limits, neither of you is alone.
He’s not getting the opportunity to catch either of you alone.
Meaning I’m taking you to Tyler for whatever reason. ”
You could say in the past several days I hadn’t told him about my other job that I do a few days a week.
It hadn’t occurred to me to voice it. That is, until Kari called this morning asking if I could take today’s classes to cover for Sally.
Still, I didn’t tell him why, just that I needed to get to Tyler to help a friend.
“You’ll see when we get there,” I mumble, not wanting to go over it right now. This was my thing, and I didn’t want him to tell me that I had too much on my plate.
Styxx grumbles something that I don’t fully understand, but I know I caught the words ass spanking.
A thrill went over my body at the thought of his hands on my body in any way he put them.
The man was good with his hands. Hands and mouth both.
And with his cock. I’ve never been with anyone like him.
When he wants to, he’s got the stamina to have a fuckfest that could last days on end.
We haven’t been able to go at each other since the day we’d spent in bed together.
We had to be creative in what we were doing.
Using the attached bathroom at the clubhouse had been interesting.
I never had shower sex before, and it’d been great, but bathroom sex meant he held me up in his arms in the middle while he used my body to fuck hammer down onto him.
It was amazing. Then, when we were at his house, he gagged me twice to keep me from making a noise with Promise in the room down the hall next to Eabha’s.
This morning, after dropping my sister off at school, he enjoyed feasting on me while Eabha napped. I’d gotten to play with him as well, though not as much, considering he yanked me up his body and had me ride his cock fast.
“You gonna tell me what we’re doing in Tyler?” he asks, following my directions as I point out where to go.
“You’ll see in a minute,” I tell him and point to the parking lot I need him to turn into. “Turn in here and park.”
“I’m going to paddle your ass later,” he grunts and does as I tell him.
“We’ll see.” I giggle. “Now, come on.” I hop out of the passenger seat and wait as he follows suit, but stops to also pull Eabha out of her carrier. It’s good he didn’t leave her in it. She should be able to stretch out as much as possible and not be cooped up in that contraption.
“You’re dancing?” he asks, staring at the sign above the building we’re going into.
“Not the type of dancing you’re thinking,” I answer, pulling the door open and smiling at the girl behind the registration desk. “Hey, Toni,” I call in greeting.
“Hey, Hope.” Toni smiles. Her name’s actually Antonia, but everyone calls her Toni for short. “You covering for Sally today?”
“Yeah, Kari said that Sally was called out sick today, and she couldn’t cover it herself.
” I nod and glance between Toni and Styxx while introducing them.
“Styxx, this is Toni. She runs the front of this dance studio. Toni, this is my . . . um . . . my boyfriend.” I didn’t know if those were the right words to use. Is that what we were?
“Nice to meet you,” Toni says and looks at Eabha. “And you have a little dancer today with you as well. She’s a little young for our tykes class, but you could swing it.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Eabha’s just gonna hang with her dad today and get a feel for it. Maybe next time.”
Toni’s eyes widen slightly when I refer to Eabha as Styxx’s daughter, but she recovers quickly. “Well, it’s great to meet you both. Your first class starts in fifteen minutes, Hope. I’ve got the room set up already.”
“Thanks, Toni, I appreciate it,” I tell her and start down the hall to where I’ll be working with several classes today.
“Class?” Styxx remarks.
I peek up at him while worrying my bottom lip. “I teach classes here twice a week, usually. Sally needed me to cover today, so that’s why we had to come here.”
“What exactly do you teach?” he asks, adjusting Eabha in his arms.
“I teach ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary dance to my students, depending on what they’re signed up for.
I also do a class that’s a mixture of all combined.
Today’s class, though, is simply teaching ballet to our five through eight group of girls, the little tykes that are two through four, and nine and twelve.
The thirteen to eighteen-year-old group of girls is tomorrow’s classes. ”
I watch Styxx’s expression through all of this, seeing the curiosity and possessiveness I’ve grown accustomed to.
“You like teaching,” he states.
“It’s what I want to eventually do full-time, but closer to home,” I admit softly.
“Then you should do it. If that’s your passion, do it.”
“It’s not that simple. I have a plan, though. I was going to try and get it going after Promise finished high school.” I knew if I started it up now, I wouldn’t be able to pay for everything I pay now for Promise. Her education always comes first.
“Right,” Styxx grunts, not arguing as I thought he might.
I suck in a breath, not sure now that it was a good idea to have him here. Maybe I should have told Kari I couldn’t do this today. Though she would’ve known that it was my day off from the strip club and I typically never have plans. Not ones that I couldn’t fit teaching kids how to dance.
Fifteen minutes pass in a blur, and so it begins.
“See you next time, Miss Hope,” the last girl calls out, waving as she joins her mom.
It’s been a long day, and it’s actually only been six hours. Mondays are the longest days of classes—that and Thursdays.
“You’re a brilliant teacher,” Styxx murmurs, setting Eabha down on the floor.
She’d been amazing throughout the whole day, and all the girls in my classes loved her. She’d squeeze and clap from Styxx’s lap during sessions, and she tried more than once to squirm out of his grasp.
“Thank you,” I utter and let out a breath. “We better get on the road if we’re gonna get back in time to get Promise. We’ll barely make it there as it is.” Thankfully, she has practice today, so I won’t be right after school pick-up time.
“I’ve got her covered on pick up,” Styxx states, wrapping his arms around me. “You should definitely open your own studio at home. You would have classes booked out in no time.”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “Not until Promise is out of school.”
“Why not until after she finishes school?” he asks.
“Because working where I do now, I make enough to cover her tuition and the rent on our house. Not to mention the other bills I have to pay.”
“Hope . . .” He trails off and seems to contemplate something before shaking his head and not finishing what he started to say. “Just think about it.”
“I can think about it.” I’ve been thinking about it. Have for years. It’s my dream, and I won’t lose it. I have a little over two years to get through before I can follow through.
“Good.” Styxx nods. “Let’s get back home, and we’ll figure out dinner for the night since you don’t have to get to Keeper’s Temptation.”
I might not have to get there tonight, but I do need to figure out dance moves for this week’s shifts. I hate doing the same maneuvers each night. I like to change things up when I can.
But to be able to spend an evening with Styxx, without worrying about anything but relaxing with him, would be nice. I could figure out everything else tomorrow.
Before he can step back, I lift on my toes and kiss him, wrapping my arms around him and holding on tight. It’s not a deep kiss. It’s not heated. What it is, though, is me sharing my emotions with him.
In the weeks we started dancing with each other, he helped me with my sister.
Him entering my life in the way he has is beautiful.
My heart feels full because of him in a way it wasn’t before.
I was living through the motions for my sister, taking care of her.
I still am doing that, but I’m also doing more.
He wants me to have what I want, and for that, I love him.
Honestly, I’d fallen for him the first time he carried my sister home, and every day since, I’ve fallen a little more.
The thought scares me, yet I wouldn’t change it for a minute because it would mean I don’t have Styxx in my life or his beautiful little girl, who has everyone wrapped around her little finger.