Chapter 9
It had been two weeks since Preston had lost his mind, and as far as I knew, he was still on the loose. Russell was adamant that I not leave The Compound, including not going to work, and I hadn’t had the desire to leave until today.
I was in no rush to go back to the scene of the crime, formerly known as my apartment. Russell and my sisters went there and packed most of my clothing and other personal items, but I wasn’t ready.
Today, I didn’t feel the heaviness in the pit of my stomach, and I needed a change of scenery.
I wanted to surprise Russell with lunch from Onyx City Grill, but he would have a fit if I left alone, so I went to the main house to see if Papa Rush would give me a ride.
I let myself inside and followed the sounds of the TV to the family room.
“Hey, Papa Rush.”
He was in his recliner, remote in hand, flipping through the channels. I leaned down to kiss his cheek, then sat on the couch.
“Hey, Rosie. What are you up to today?”
I shrugged. “Nothing much. I haven’t done much since the incident. Russell doesn’t want me to leave The Compound.”
“Oh, I know. Russ made sure that everyone who could drive knew you weren’t allowed to leave.”
“Sounds like something he would do. I’m getting a little antsy, though.”
“Antsy, huh. What are you trying to get me involved in?”
I giggled because he was on to me.
“Nothing big. I want to surprise Russell with lunch at the center. Do you think you can take me to OC Grill, then drop me off at the center? I’ll buy lunch for you too.”
“I guess that’s not too much, and buying me lunch isn’t necessary. Are you ready to go now?”
“If you are.”
“Let me go find my wife and let her know. She’s out doing something in the garden.”
“Okay. I need to get my purse. I’ll meet you in the garage.”
About ten minutes later, we hopped in Papa Rush’s Cadillac and headed to Onyx City Grill, making small talk on the ride. After picking up the food, we headed to the youth center.
When we arrived, I thanked Papa Rush with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He didn’t drive away until I entered the building. Before heading to Russell’s office, I stopped to speak to Cinda, the woman who worked at the front desk.
“Hey, Cinda!”
“Hey, Rose! I haven’t seen you in a while. I heard what happened. How are you?”
“I’m good. Thank you for asking. How you been?”
“Pretty good. The Rush brothers keep us busy around here.”
“I’m sure they do. I heard the day care and preschool are doing well.”
“Yes! Have you seen it? There’s a wait list.”
“No. Not yet. I’ll have Russell take me over there. Is he in his office?”
“He should be. Can I just say how happy I am that you two are back together? Between you and me, that nigga has been hell for the past year.”
I laughed. “I’ve heard that from a few people, but Russell and I were just friends.”
She gave me the side-eye while pursing her lips.
“Girl, you can go tell that lie to someone else. You can go back.”
We shared a laugh before I headed to Russell’s office. I found him sitting behind his desk with his face buried in some documents.
“Hello, handsome,” I greeted, causing him to lift his head.
“Damn. You’re a sight for sore eyes, but what are you doing here? Did someone bring you?”
“If you must know, Papa Rush brought me, and I came to surprise you with lunch.”
I lifted the bag that he’d clearly not noticed.
“Thank you, baby. I’ve missed your random pop-ups. Close the door and c’mere.”
I pushed the door closed with my foot and placed the food on his desk before sitting sideways on his lap. Before I could get comfortable, his lips were on mine.
“This was very thoughtful of you, so I won’t address you leaving The Compound,” he said when our lips parted.
“I didn’t leave alone, and Papa Rush won’t let anything happen to me.”
“I know, that’s why I’m letting it go. What did you bring me?”
“You’re favorite, of course. A chicken salad sandwich on a butter croissant.”
“Damn. A visit from you and my favorite sandwich from OC Grill. You made my day, baby. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
We shared another kiss before I stood and went to the other side of his desk to remove our food from the bag. He grabbed two bottles of water from the small fridge next to his desk and handed me one.
“You must be feeling good today,” he said.
“Better than I’ve felt since the incident.”
“That’s good to hear. Have you thought about calling the therapist Rue gave you?”
“I have, and I will when I’m ready to talk. I think I’m ready to go back to work, though.”
“The paperwork Rue brought home for you isn’t keeping you busy?” he questioned.
“It keeps me busy for a few hours a day, but it’s boring when that’s all I’m doing.”
“You can go back when I take care of Preston.”
“But—”
“Rose, until he’s no longer a problem, I don’t feel comfortable with you being anywhere but at The Compound unless you’re with me.”
“Don’t you and Rocky have some of your men guarding the place?”
“We do, but that doesn’t change my stance.”
“Fine.”
We ate in silence for a minute before he asked, “What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon? Is GP coming back to pick you up?”
“I hadn’t thought that far. I was only worried about how I would get here.”
“If you want to hang with me for the rest of the day, just say that, baby. I can think of something we can do to fill the time.”
“I bet I know exactly what you have in mind because you’re nasty.”
“I’m not nasty. I’m in love, and I love doing nasty things with the woman I love.”
“Speaking of doing nasty things . . . I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Did you have sex with anyone while we were apart?”
“You want the truth?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
He ate the last bite of his sandwich and didn’t respond until he’d finished it.
“I tried several times, but me and my dick weren’t on the same page. He only gets hard for you, baby. Come back over here, and I’ll show you.”
“As flattering as that is, I’m not about to let you fuck me in this office today.”
He leaned back in his chair, opening his legs wider, and grabbed his dick.
“Are you sure, because he’s ready?”
“I’m positive. I’d actually like to see the day care and preschool. Cinda said they’re really nice.”
“They’re nice as hell and probably my favorite part of the center now.”
I stood and collected our trash. He was still seated after I’d thrown everything away and was waiting by the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Waiting for my dick to calm down.”
“Oh my God, Russ.”
He stood, and sure enough, his dick print was very visible through the joggers he wore. All I could do was shake my head as we waited for it to return to its normal state, which was honestly only a slight difference.
Finally, he took my hand, and we left his office. As we walked through the center, the employees greeted me with excitement. I didn’t spend a great deal of time at the center, but it was clear my presence was missed over the past year.
We made it to the other side of the building where the day care and preschool were located. It had its own main entrance but could also be accessed from inside the building. The wall facing the center’s hallway was a huge glass window, and we stopped there to look inside.
“Wow! It looks so good. The last time I was here, it wasn’t anywhere near being finished.”
“Everyone involved agreed it was their best work. We ended up having to add two more nights for the open house, and when we opened registration, all the spots were filled in less than thirty minutes.”
“With what’s being offered, I understand why.”
When Rocky and Rush decided they wanted to add a day care and preschool, they hired the best consultants they could find. For over a year, they met, discussed, planned, and researched, and it took another year to complete the construction.
They offered top-notch care and education for children from six weeks to four years old, and to serve all working parents, they were open twenty-four hours a day and had around-the-clock security.
It warmed my heart to see the little ones interacting with their classmates or showing excitement about the smallest things. As I continued to observe, I spotted my niece, Bliss, playing with a little girl in the corner.
“Who’s the little girl with Bliss?” I asked.
“Her name is Oaklyn, and she just started last week. One of our families moved, and a spot opened. We moved her up on the list because it was an emergency situation.”
“Really? What’s her story?”
“She was placed in emergency foster care, and an older couple took her in. They tried all the preschools in town with no luck.”
“It sounds like she was meant to be here. I’m glad y’all were able to make room for her.”
“Me too. I’m not sure about the situation she was removed from, but she’s very quiet and timid. The only kid she ever plays with is Bliss, and she hasn’t warmed up to any of the teachers yet.”
I continued watching as Oaklyn and Bliss played with the building blocks on the floor.
If you asked anyone in our family, they’d say Bliss was on the bossy side.
Although I couldn’t hear what the two toddlers were saying, I could tell that Bliss was patient with Oaklyn and wasn’t bossing her around.
Oaklyn had a head full of hair, milk chocolate skin, the most adorable dimples, and beautiful, wide, doe-shaped eyes that held a hint of sadness. Something about her pulled at my heartstrings, and I had the urge to wrap her in my arms.
“You wanna go inside and look around?” Russell asked.
I nodded, and we went inside. After he introduced me to the staff, he took me on a tour. I was increasingly impressed with each area of the facility and could see why parents were clamoring to enroll their children.
“I’m so proud of you and Rocky. I bet you didn’t have all of this in mind when you had the idea for the center.”
“Thank you, baby. What you think means a lot, and it feels good to make you proud. This is more than me and Rocky could’ve ever imagined when we opened the center. I think our mother and Roman would be proud.”
“Of course, they would be.”
He leaned down to peck my lips before we retraced our footsteps. We were able to slip by Bliss the first time we walked through, but she spotted us on the way back.
“Titi Wose, Unco Wuss,” she squealed as she ran in our direction.
Russell kneeled to her level, and when she reached him, he scooped her up and stood.
“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted before kissing her chubby cheeks.
He held her toward me, and I kissed her cheeks as well.
“Hey, Titi’s baby. Are you behaving today?”
“I behave, Titi,” she responded as she nodded.
As Russell placed her back on her feet, I noticed Oaklyn a few feet away, staring at us with longing in her eyes.
“Bliss, what’s your friend’s name?” I asked.
The mention of her friend made her excited, and she rushed over to Oaklyn, took her hand, and gently pulled her toward us.
“Dis my friend named Oaklyn. Titi, Unco, say hi to my friend.”
We both kneeled to their height, and I spoke first.
“Hi, Oaklyn. I’m Bliss’s auntie. My name is Rose.”
She lifted her tiny hand and waved bashfully.
“I’m Bliss’s Uncle Russ.”
She repeated the same gesture with Russell but gave him a small smile.
“We go play,” Bliss said, whisking Oaklyn away.
We stood and watched them for a few minutes, then headed back to Russell’s office. I couldn’t get Oaklyn’s sad eyes off my mind. I wanted to know why she ended up in foster care, but I was sure Russell didn’t have that kind of information.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked when we made it back to his office.
“Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”
“Baby, I thought you were crazy a long time ago. I’m sure whatever you’re thinking about won’t make it any worse.”
I smacked my lips and tried to push away from him, but he had a tight hold on my hand.
“Shut up. If I’m crazy, it’s because of you. Do you want to know what I’m thinking about or not?”
“I asked, didn’t I?”
“I want to know more about Oaklyn.”
He shrugged. “All I know is what I told you.”
“Do you think you can find out why she was placed in foster care?”
He looked at me inquisitively for a moment.
“Why, baby? What’s on your mind?”
“I just . . . nothing. Can you try to find out?”
He knew I wasn’t forthcoming with him, but he didn’t press me, . . . at least not yet.
“Yeah. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything for the woman I love.”
He pressed his lips against mine before I could return the sentiment.
“I love you more.”
“Nah. I can’t even tell you how impossible that is.”
I wouldn’t argue with him, because it was one I couldn’t win. Russell’s love for me ran deeper than I ever imagined, and he’d proved it countless times. I was grateful for his presence in my life and that he accepted me with all my flaws.
When we arrived at his office, he closed the door and pinned me against the wall, resting his forearm above my head. I looked up at him expectantly, and even though I told him we weren’t having sex in his office today, my pussy had other ideas.
“We got about thirty minutes before the first group of kids are dropped off,” he said as he played with the hem of my shirt.
“What do you want to do with those thirty minutes?”
He pushed off the wall and went to the window to close the blinds. While he did that, I locked the door and met him on the other side of his desk, then sat on the end with my hands gripping the edge.
“You knew what was up when you put this skirt on.”
Seconds later, the hem of my skirt was around my waist, I was flat on my back, and he’d pushed the crotch of my panties to the side.
He put my legs on his shoulders and buried his face in my pussy.
I blocked everything from my mind and got lost in the feel of his tongue as it brushed over my pussy lips.
When he slipped it between my lips and dipped it in, out, and between my crevices, I squealed with delight, praying no one was nearby in the hallway.
“Russ! Oh my God! I’m cummin’!” I screamed as his lips, tongue, and fingers worked as a team to help me reach my peak.
I was still on a high when he came up for air. When I felt him at my entrance, I opened my legs wider to give him better access. He pulled me up and covered my mouth with his. As our tongues frantically intertwined, he hit me with deep stroke after deep stroke.
The next time I released, my juices collided with his, and his groans and my moans filled his office. I wasn’t sure what responsibilities Russell had this afternoon, but he’d have to dig deep to find the energy to get anything done.