Chapter 18
Dinner and the live band were great.
Steph and I laughed, talked, and really enjoyed each other’s company. We’d been dancing the night away and the smile on her face was infectious. She loved dancing, and I loved dancing with her. By the time we got ready to leave, her feet were hurting in those heels.
“I need a foot massage,” she complained as we walked toward the elevator after I paid the bill. “My feet are on fire.”
I chuckled as we came to a stop. Stooping down, I lifted each of my pants legs and pulled out the slippers I had tucked into my socks.
“I got you, baby.”
She gasped as I kneeled in front of her. “You brought me shoes to change into?”
“I did. While I knew you would strut like the bad muthafucka you are, I also knew we’d be dancing and we’re getting older. We gotta be realistic, my love.”
She giggled as I slipped the heels off and placed the slippers on.
“I appreciate you being so thoughtful, Stanley.”
As I rose to my feet with her heels in my hand, she stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to my lips.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, mama.”
She linked our fingers and rested her head against my shoulder as we waited for the elevator.
She stayed at my side as we took the long ride down.
Valet already had my car pulled up since the restaurant took the liberty of calling down for us.
Steph turned and kissed me once again before climbing into her open door.
I closed it and tipped the valet before rounding the driver’s side to get in myself.
“I want you to come home with me,” I said as I pulled off from the curb.
“Senior.”
“Nah, I don’t wanna hear no shit, Steph. I have clothes at the house for you… a whole second closet full. I have your beauty products, body wash, your silk pillowcase, your favorite snacks… all that shit. I want you with me tonight and I want you in the comfort of my bed.”
“Are you gonna let me talk?”
I motioned for her to have the floor. “Go on.”
“I was gonna say I needed to stop by the house and grab a few things, but since you seem to have everything taken care of, I don’t need to.”
I grinned. “Woman, I thought you were about to be on that good bullshit.”
She giggled. “Not tonight.”
“Good. The kids leave for a mission in the morning, so we have a few days of privacy on the compound.”
Her smile dropped and her face turned serious. “I want to talk to Deuce when he gets back. I’ve been thinking and I really don’t want to sneak around, Senior. We’re grown as fuck, and he is our son. He’s just gonna have to get over it.”
Hearing her say she was ready to tell him had my heart thumping in my chest. I never wanted to be a fucking secret, but I put my feelings about it aside to have her any way I could.
Truth be told, I was ready to be out in the open.
I was tired of being the only single nigga when everybody got together.
Well, Blake was alone too, but fuck his trifling ass.
I had to watch my kids be loved on and while I loved that for them, Pops wanted love too.
I’d continue to date Stephanie, but the end goal was marriage and for her to finally be on the compound.
“We can do that,” I finally said. “I don’t have to be your little secret anymore.”
I started singing the song, and she playfully slapped my arm.
“You get on my nerves,” she declared.
“I don’t believe that for a second. Anyway, I wanna take you somewhere before we head home. Sit back, relax, and be pretty.”
She rolled her eyes as she sank into the seats.
I put the top back on the car, turned up the music and rode out of city limits.
As I drove, I kept stealing glances at her.
She held a smile on her face as the wind blew through her curls.
She’d kicked off the slippers and propped her feet up on the dashboard.
That split showed off her toned thighs and that red polish on her toes had me licking my lips.
“Eyes on the road, sir,” she said, looking over at me.
“How am I supposed to focus on the road and you’re over there looking like that?” I reached over and gripped her thigh. “You’re teasing me.”
She laughed. “You are like a horny teenager.”
“’Cause you make me feel young again.”
“I cannot with you! Drive this car, sir!”
I shook my head but kept driving. Once she realized where we were going, she pulled her feet down and sat up straight to look around.
We were in the hills beyond the city limits.
When we were young, we used to drive up here to either watch the sunset or catch the night view of the city while we smoked a fat one.
This was the place where we planned our future together.
The place where she first gave herself to me. My son was conceived here.
It was our spot, and I’d never taken another woman up here to taint the memories I shared with her.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been up here,” Steph said, as I shut off the car once we came to a stop.
“Me too.”
She glanced over at me. “So you never brought Allison, Tavia, or Maddie here?”
“Nope.”
“No other woman you’ve dealt with over the years?”
“Only you.”
“You know, Senior. You love to claim a lot of things are reserved for me.”
I frowned. “I ain’t bullshitting about that, baby. Have I ever lied to you? About anything?”
“No.”
“Then take my word as bond. You were my first for some things, and some things you weren’t, but you’ve always been the only for many. You’re for damn sure the only one I want to spend my life with.”
She stared at me for a moment before reaching out and palming my face.
“What am I supposed to do with you when you say things like that?”
I chuckled. “Love me.”
“I do love you. Always have. Always will.”
“Always.”
She unhooked her seatbelt and leaned over the armrest to kiss me. I was on cloud nine. I might have joked with Deuce about easily getting her back just to piss him off, but I if I was honest, I was prepared to spend the rest of my life as a single man if she declined my advances this time around.
Would I be celibate and sworn off women? Hell no. But that would have been it in terms of a girlfriend or marriage. It wasn’t that another woman wasn’t deserving of my last name. I just didn’t want another one.
We stayed in the hills for a good two hours, smoking, laughing and reminiscing about our younger years.
Once it was nearing midnight, we finally headed back to the compound.
It was quiet as we drove past my kids’ homes.
Any other time, they would have music going or my sons would be congregated in somebody’s front yard on those golf carts.
Nine times out of ten, I would have been with them, shooting the shit and threatening to whip somebody’s ass because these niggas loved to try me. I chuckled to myself because Deuce got that shit honest with the way he was always threatening his brothers. He swore he ran them.
As I neared my garage, I pressed the button to open it. Once we were fully inside, I closed it, shut off the car, and got out. Rounding the passenger’s side, I opened Steph’s door and helped her out. Hand in hand, we headed into the house and upstairs to my room.
“Ummm… I just want a nice shower and to climb in this bed,” Steph said, sitting on the chaise.
“I can run you one.”
“Or you could just join me.” She winked at me as she kicked off her slippers. “You know. To conserve water.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, stepping between her legs. “You talking about conserving water like I’m not about to have you wet as hell.”
She gasped. “Stanley!”
“Don’t Stanley me. You know what time it is. I took you out, so you owe me some ass.”
“Jokes on you. I was gonna give you some anyway.”
She stood and sashayed into my closet. Flipping on the light, she looked around. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist as she stared at the sight before us.
“When you said clothes were here, I was expecting a few things, not a whole wardrobe,” she said. “I mean, I know you said it, but I thought you were joking.”
“My love, if you wanted to move in here tonight, you wouldn’t have to go back to your house for a thing.”
During those four days where she ghosted me, I decided right then that I wasn’t playing with her anymore.
I started getting shit in order to bring her home.
The day before I pulled up on her, I’d gone shopping.
When I got home, I moved my suits from the second closet and set up her things there.
The empty side of my bathroom vanity was now filled with the products I knew she used.
I was dead ass about coming to get her that day and I’d been preparing our home for her ever since.
Once we had this talk with our son, there was really nothing holding me back.
That was exactly what I wanted. No fussing.
No excuses. No sneaking around. With everything out in the open, we could finally have a real peace of mind around this bitch.
I rolled over into the mass of curls and a smile spread across my face. It had been too long since I had a woman in my own bed. I could get used to this shit. Wrapping my arms around Steph, I pulled her against my chest and kissed her temple before dropping my lips to her collarbone and back.
She groaned as she stirred slightly. “Stanley…”
“Good morning,” I said, slipping a hand beneath the negligee she wore.
“Good morning. Go back to sleep. It’s too early.”
I looked up at the clock on the wall to see that it was nearing ten.
“It’s practically mid-morning.”
“So. You kept me up to ungodly hours to satisfy your flesh.”
I laughed. “If I remember correctly, I satisfied yours too.” I pinched her nipple as I nuzzled her neck.
“You were the one that invited me to join you in the shower. You were the one on your knees in front of me putting that slick mouth to work. I said you owed me some ass, and you said you were gonna give me some anyway. Did you really think our night was gonna end any other way, my love?”
She giggled as my hand dropped from her nipple to the apex of her thighs. Her legs voluntarily fell open for me.
“You hungry, baby?” I asked, circling her clit.
“Mmm hmm…”
“Can I feed you?”
“Please.”
I rolled over on top of her and pulled her legs around my waist. In one swift motion, I was buried inside her.
“Stanley…”
She moaned her satisfaction, her nails digging into my back. I planted kisses all over her beautiful face before settling on her lips as I deep stroked her.
“Shit, Steph,” I said with a groan. “You trying to put me back to sleep?”
She giggled. “We both know that’s what you’re gonna do.”
“Pussy shouldn’t be so damn good… fuck!”
She tossed me onto my back and mounted me without missing a beat. The sheet fell from around her, exposing her breasts and hard nipples. I gripped her hips as she rode me slow and sensually. She had me in here moaning like a bitch.
Her face held a smirk as she peered down at me.
“You can’t take it, Stanley?” she asked, grabbing my chin. “Tell me how good it is to you, baby.”
“Best I ever had… shit!”
She was over here kissing on my neck and shit while she tightened her walls around me with every thrust of her hips. Gripping her ample ass, I spread her cheeks and thrusted upward into her. We’d found a comfortable rhythm between us when my bedroom door burst open.
“Wake your ass up, old man.”
Fucking Deuce.
Steph’s eyes widened as she tried to slide off me, but I held her in place.
“The fuck!” Deuce yelled. “Ma?”
Stephanie cursed under her breath. “Deuce, get out.”
“I know you fucking lying.” He shot a glare at me. “Y’all couldn’t lock the damn door?”
I shook my head. “I’ve told y’all about just walking your asses in rooms without knocking. I’m a lil’ busy. Give us a few minutes.”
“Stanley!” Stephanie exclaimed
“What! I don’t know about you, but I plan to finish. Bye Deuce.”
Our son stood there with a look of shock and disgust on his face.
“Nigga, get out!” I snapped, throwing a pillow at him. He blinked rapidly for a moment before backing out of the room. Stephanie buried her face in her hands.
“Oh. My. God! I can’t believe that just happened!”
“Shit, don’t feel bad. Him and his siblings love just walking in a room uninvited. I been told them they were gonna see some shit they didn’t want to see. Anyway. Where were we?”
She slapped my chest. “Senior! You can’t be thinking about sex right now.”
“Am I not still inside you? Of course, I am.” I slapped her ass. “Finish what you started.”
I didn’t give her a chance to protest before I was back to thrusting into her. If I had to have smoke with my son behind his mama, there was no reason not to make it worth my while.