Chapter 22 Tablecloths Were My New Best Friend #2
“Would either of you mind? We're trying to have a decent meal here.”
Savannah pulled away from me with a grimace on her face, and I threw a frosty glare at the pompous ass who interrupted us.
“Don't you be talking down on my grandbaby, Eugene. Acting holier than thou when you've been messin’ around with that twenty-two-year-old.”
The man, Eugene, flushed furiously under Mama V's words and stabbed an asparagus on his plate. When my eyes met Mama V's, she winked at me, and I shook my head as the smirk came on my lips.
“Now, Jaxon, how about you tell me a little about yourself? What do you do?”
I reached for my glass as I offered, “I own a tattoo studio. Across the bridge in Ashburn.”
Her brows lifted. “Owner?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“An owner? Someone like you?” Eugene raised a brow, pointedly staring at the exposed tattoos on my arms. “And I suppose that's… profitable?”
“As profitable as any million-dollar business. You'd be surprised by the amount of people looking to make a long-lasting memory with some ink.”
“He's right, Granddad.” The boy beside him nodded, chewing on the last bits of his food. “Between Booktok, drunken mistakes, and cool designs, you'll never run out of clients.”
“What the hell is a Booktok?”
“Think of it as Internet fun with books. I'll explain later,” the boy said, waving a dismissive hand to Eugene.
“Nerissa does a lot of those tattoos,” I mentioned to Savannah, meeting her gaze. “You'd never believe how crazy women get with book tattoos. The current obsession has something to do with—and I'm quoting here—‘shadow daddies and dragons.’ I'll never understand.”
Her laugh was music to my ears.
“Still, your limit only reaches tattoos.”
“Not at all, Eugene.” I smiled, making sure he could see there was no chance of breaking me down. “Creativity has no bounds. The city actually entrusted someone like me with the Westfort Medical mural commission.”
“No way! That's you?” the boy exclaimed. “It's killer, dude! We're all talking about it at school. I walk past it all the time when I have to bring Granddad in. Didn’t know the guy in charge was sitting at my table.”
“Almost finished,” I said, shifting a little in my seat and reaching for the water again. “Few more panels to complete before the big reveal.”
A lot of eyes were on me for this project, and it was times like this that reminded me of that.
Sure, I was confident about the skill and design, but with so many expectations of what it should look like, it was hard to focus.
It was also another reason why I stopped working on it during the day—there was nothing worse than people crowding me while I worked.
Though, I'd be lying if I didn't say it eased my mind to know that I wasn't screwing it up. Some people actually liked the progress so far. Good.
A knee brushed against mine, sending a jolt straight through me. But this wasn't teasing. It was grounding.
I wanted to lean down to kiss her again, but two taps echoed through the speakers.
My gaze shifted to the right, fixed on Chase and Lori standing behind the head table, microphone in hand. Lori held a glass of champagne in her hand while Chase had his arm around her waist.
The room gradually quieted.
Everyone at our table adjusted their positions, either twisting toward the couple or turning their chairs completely. Only Savannah and I didn't have to move.
“Alright, everyone. I just want to thank you all for coming out tonight,” he began smoothly.
“It means a lot to Lori and me to have our closest friends and family here as we get ready for the next few days.”
Lori beamed beside him, squeezing his arm as applause ran through the room.
Savannah’s expression remained composed, holding her chin high, but I felt the tension coiled in her.
The way her shoulders held just a little too straight.
I inched her closer to me, making her lean a little into my chest and her arm on my knee.
I threw an arm around her chair, my eyes never leaving the happy couple.
“This week has been… eye-opening,” Chase continued. When his eyes briefly drifted to our table, I made sure he saw how comfortable she was in my arms. That's right, asshole, she's mine. “It really shows you who’s meant to be in your life long-term.”
I didn’t miss the way his eyes lifted to meet mine, and I relished in the jealousy coloring his eyes. He may have been all smiles for the crowd, but underneath, he was probably plotting my murder.
Good thing I didn't go down easy.
At least, not unless it was about going down on my woman.
Lori stepped forward, meeting the crowd with a wide smile.
“Exactly, my love. I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” she said sweetly, looking this way, too. “Sometimes we go through relationships that prepare us for the one we’re actually meant to have.”
My jaw tightened at the soft laughs and murmurs that echoed in the room.
“What do you think, trouble? Did that work for us?” I said loud enough for our table to hear.
She turned to look at me, smiling. “I'd say it did.”
I grabbed her by the chin and pulled her lips to mine, soft and sweet. Her hand pressed against my chest, and I felt the tension leave her as she melted at my touch.
Lori's ramblings became background noise. I tugged on Savannah’s bottom lip, chuckling when her soft whimper came to my ears, before pulling back to look in her gorgeous eyes.
“Up for a little fun, trouble?”
She narrowed her gaze at me before glancing to her right. “We have company, if you haven't noticed.”
I bent to whisper in her ear, “Well then, you'll have to keep those sexy little moans to yourself, won't you?”
Across the room, Lori lifted her glass, prompting the rest of the room to do the same.
While everyone was distracted, I leaned forward as if I dropped something to the floor.
I hate to say it, but those tablecloths were coming in handy.
Sorry Benji, but tablecloths were my new best friend.
My hand slipped underneath and ended up around Savannah’s ankle.
She stiffened and shot me a look before returning her gaze forward.
I started my trail, my fingers journeying from her bare ankle, up her calves, up her thighs. By the time I was sitting back in my chair, my fingers were nearly at their destination. When my fingers brushed against her inner thighs, she grabbed my hand underneath the table.
“Jaxon,” she scolded quietly, flashing me with a pointed look before scanning the room.
“That's my name, trouble,” I murmured, a playful smile on my lips. “And you say it oh so well.”
Her lips parted to say something, but the words never came out. Maybe lost in translation when my fingers brushed across her panties. Her breathing labored, the rapid rise and fall of her chest enough to make my cock stir.
“And now I'm going to call on the beautiful Sydney Faw to grace us with her lovely voice,” Lori called out, beckoning her excitedly.
My knuckles brushed against Savannah’s panties, staring into her eyes, watching the fire build behind them. Her hand covered mine again and her legs instinctively closed.
“Say the word and I'll stop,” I murmured to her, the words competing with the singer standing centerstage. “You're in control here. One word and I'll stop.”
She moistened her lips, eyes darting between mine as my knuckles continued their teasing motion.
“Tell me to stop, trouble.”
Her eyelids fluttered when I pressed a knuckle to her clit.
“Don't stop.”
Music to my fucking ears.
I gave her a dazzling, sinful smile. “Then turn around and enjoy the music, baby.”
After she turned forward, my fingers slipped her panties to the side and slid along her core. I played with her clit, tugging and flicking it between my fingers. When I slid two fingers inside her, she tensed and groaned softly.
“Breathe,” I murmured quietly.
She had my fingers in a vice grip. I leaned slightly toward her, my mouth brushing near her temple as my fingers slid further. Deeper.
She nodded, exhaling slowly through her nose and widening her legs to give me better access.
“I’m fine,” she whispered back.
She was so warm, so soft, so fucking wet.
Knowing she was bare to my touch was ruining me, and seeing her struggle to maintain control was an absolute vision.
It was next to impossible to look away from her—next to impossible to turn forward to the entertainment when all I wanted to do was sink to my knees and hitch those long legs over my shoulders and have my way with her.
The melodies continued around us, the singer captivating everyone in the room but us. They thought the moment belonged to them, but no—this was ours, hers, mine.
The pace increased, my fingers going in and out of her and building the tension I was chasing. Her fingers curled slightly around the wine glass, and she was biting that delicious lip of hers so hard, I thought she'd draw blood.
My mouth was itching to be on hers and my dick was straining against my dress pants. She was perfection—a living, breathing embodiment of my perfect woman. A moan escaped her lips, which she turned into a cough when the lady sitting beside her turned her head.
People really needed to mind their own business.
Sydney Faw hit a high note, her arms extending wide as she ended her performance. The crowd roared in applause, and some got out of their seats to offer a standing ovation.
“Oh, that was just beautiful!” Mama V exclaimed, still clapping her hands. She turned to face us and I feigned a smile. “That Sydney sure grew into some pipes. Savannah, you remember Aunt Sydney, don't you?”
My fingers curled inside Savannah then came to an abrupt stop when she suddenly tugged my arm away and stood.
“Of course,” Savannah breathed out, clearing her throat. “Excuse me, I'm just going to… freshen up.”
Then she disappeared through the crowd.
Mama V furrowed her brows as she watched her go, then turned to look at me. “Everything okay? Things ain't easy on her right now. Go check on her, will you?”
Lips curling into a smile, I nodded and stood. “Of course.”
Because we were far from over, trouble.