Chapter 19 Octavia
Nineteen
Octavia
I woke up the following morning with way too much anxiety—well, a mixture of that and excitement.
I was anxious because I didn’t know what the new day would bring. I’d just had sex with Javier Valdez . . . the man who paid me to take care of his daughter. There was no way this was going to end well.
Regardless, I’d gotten exactly what I’d wanted the night before, and wow.
It was incredible. The things he did with his mouth and his dick .
. . whew. I didn’t have the words to describe it.
One orgasm would have been more than enough, but getting two in one night?
Hell, it was possible he’d just ruined me for any other man.
Not even my ex was that good. Luther was selfish in bed. He only cared about getting himself off. But not Javier. I told him to prove how much he wanted me, and he did that plus more.
I decided that in order to spare any awkwardness when I went to his house, I could make a couple of breakfast sandwiches. So, I popped some biscuits into the oven, then whipped up some eggs.
While heating the sausage, I read over Naomi’s text again.
Naomi: Hello to you too. Why do we hate men?
Right. I’d told her the night before in my text that I hated men.
I wasn’t sure what to tell her now. I mean, technically, I still didn’t care for the male mentality.
Especially when men were full of toxic masculinity.
But how could I despise a man like Javier?
A man who’d just marvelously dicked me down less than twelve hours ago.
Me: I did something bad
Naomi responded in a matter of seconds.
Naomi: Oh lordy. What did you do girl?
Instead of texting it, I called her.
“You had to call me?” she answered. “This must really be bad.”
I laughed. “I’m calling because I’m not leaving proof on my phone about this conversation.”
“What happened? Come on, stop leaving me in suspense! You know I can’t stand it.”
“Well, I may not hate men as much as I thought . . . for now, at least.”
“Oh. So the date went that good?”
“Oh, girl, no. The date was tragic,” I told her, taking out the aluminum foil.
“Okay, you’re losing me.”
“The date was awful. The guy walked out on me, but only because someone I never expected showed up and interrupted it.”
“I swear on all things holy, Octavia, if you don’t spit that shit out, I’m gonna lose my shit.” She really would too. She worked third shift, and this was the time she’d be well on her way to a shower and proper sleep.
“Javier showed up at the restaurant.”
“Wait . . . basketball-player boss? That Javier?”
“Yes. He crashed my date. Came right over pretending we were a couple or something. I was so pissed off, but I didn’t drive, and Terry left, and he had Aleesa there, so I was pretty much forced to ride back to his house with him. But when we put her to bed . . .” I sighed. “Naomi . . .”
“What?” she shrieked, fed up with my stalling.
“He told me he wasn’t going to apologize for ruining my date because he wanted me. He didn’t want anyone else to have me.”
She gasped sharply.
“And then he just walked right up to me and kissed me in the hallway. Just like that. Picked me up and went to town, girl.”
“Stop lying!”
“I’m so serious.”
“So y’all did it, did it?”
“Yes. And it was so good. Too good, honestly.” I bit my bottom lip, trying my best not to reminisce about the finer details.
That was hard to do, though. The man was packing. I mean, I figured by the size of his hands and his shoes that he might’ve had a big dick to go along with them, but he was hung, and girthy, and knew exactly how to use that thing. That was one hell of a combo.
Naomi squealed with delight, then cackled like this was the funniest news of the century.
“This isn’t funny, Naomi! I’m over here all nervous now because I have to face him today, and I just have this feeling he’s going to be all regretful about it.”
“What if he isn’t? What if he wants more of that kitty cat?”
I snorted a laugh. “Crazy thing is I told him we shouldn’t do it for Aleesa’s sake, but we both couldn’t resist. It’s like we didn’t want anything more in that moment than each other.” I shook my head, resting my lower back against the counter edge.
It still blew my mind that it’d happened.
Me and Javier.
In his bed.
I felt a clench between my thighs at another memory. Him buried between my legs, his mouth on my skin, his kisses passionate, hungry, and slightly possessive.
“What if he regrets it and fires me?” I wrapped the biscuits in foil before tucking them into a container.
“You think he would?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like the type to sleep with his nannies.”
Wait. Had he slept with any of his nannies before? Because if he had, that changed things as well. I would surely get fired then, because that would mean nothing made me special or set me apart from the others.
No. He couldn’t have. I truly couldn’t see Javier fooling around with the people he hired. And he and I . . . we had a connection. Something deep and genuine. He couldn’t have felt this with the others . . . right?
My stomach rumbled, but I wasn’t sure if I was hungry or nervous.
“I have to go, but I’ll call you when I get some free time.”
“Okay, my love,” Naomi sighed. “Keep me posted. And don’t freak out on him. Just play it cool and pretend like it never happened. Get a good read on him first before saying anything.”
“I’ll try.”
When the call ended, I collected the container and grabbed my tote bag. Slipping my phone into my back pocket, I left the guesthouse and made my way to Javier’s back door.
I was relieved to see the kitchen was vacant; however, I heard heavy footsteps above, which meant Javier was awake. I placed the container on the countertop while wishing I wasn’t such a neat freak.
Because of my good habits, the kitchen was spotless, the living room was organized, and not a single toy was on the floor. If it were a little messy, I could’ve cleaned to make myself look busy. Aleesa, I’m sure, was out cold and wouldn’t be awake for at least another hour or so.
I removed one of the wrapped biscuits, grabbed my romance novel, which was on one of the shelves, and sat on the sofa. As I bit into my sandwich, that’s when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
I chewed quickly and swallowed the bite as Javier rounded the corner. My breath nearly hitched at the sight of him.
Good Lord. The man looked like a snack.
Normally, he wore basketball shorts and solid tees.
But right now, he was wearing jeans and a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
His hair was combed back, with a few loose strands dangling on his forehead.
A silver Versace watch was strapped around his wrist. From where I sat, I could smell his cologne drifting toward me, warm and spiced. Like sandalwood and dark musk.
When he spotted me, his eyes widened a bit and his lips parted. He’d shaved as well. He normally had stubble along his jawline and around his mouth, which gave him a rugged look. But today he was sharp. Clean.
My mind went to the calendar. I hadn’t even checked today’s events because I was too busy worrying about our reckless acts. What did he have planned?
“Hi,” I said, swiping crumbs off my lap.
“Hey,” he said back. He wore a pair of white Nikes, which seemed spot on for him. I couldn’t picture him wearing designer dress shoes. Did they even make dress shoes in his size? Well . . . I was sure he could order a custom pair.
“I made breakfast sandwiches.” I pushed to a stand to go to the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want one.”
“Uh, sure. I can take it with me.”
Damn it. Where was he going?
As if he could read my thoughts, Javier huffed a laugh and said, “You have no idea what is happening today, do you?”
Ashamed, I said, “Sorry. No. But I can check my phone.” I started to dig into my hoodie pocket, but he shook his head and approached the bar counter. When he rounded it and came closer, my breathing shallowed.
He peered down at me, eyes soft. “There is a charity event at Element today. We reached one million dollars in donations, outside of my and Deke’s contributions, and are celebrating.”
“Oh!” I snapped my fingers. Right. Element was the recreational center and gym Javier and Deke owned in Atlanta. A lot of their money came in the form of memberships, and those dollars were used to help kids in need and to support the community. “Yes! You told me about this. Should I bring Aleesa?”
“Yes. I would love for her to come. There will be lots for the kids to do. I have to be there early, but you can bring her a bit later. It starts at twelve and ends at three.”
“Okay.”
He reached forward. For a second, I thought he was about to grab my waist, but instead, he aimed for the container and picked it up.
“I can never resist your food.” He didn’t smile, but he was still staring into my eyes.
“I’m glad you like it so much.” I waited for him to back away, to settle this tension by just leaving the house and going to his recreation center.
The aluminum crinkled in his large hands, and a pained expression struck him. “Will things be odd between us?” he asked.
I looked at him from beneath my lashes. “Only if you make them weird.”
“I do not want them to be weird.”
“Do you plan on firing me?”
“What?” He frowned. “No. Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know.” I gave a half shrug. “It seems likely to happen after what we did last night. Especially if you regret it.”
He studied my whole face, from my forehead to my chin. “Do you regret it?”
“I don’t know.” I paused, and I swear his face was coming closer to mine. “Do you?”
“I don’t know either.”
“I won’t make things weird,” I assured him. “If you want, we can pretend it never happened. We can pretend it was just something we both needed at the time, like a drink when you’re thirsty, or food when you’re hungry.”
“But . . . that is not how I want to see it.”
I blinked at him, unsure what to say to that.
“It is just . . . Aleesa,” he murmured.
“I know. And for her sake, we shouldn’t take this too seriously. It’d only hurt her in the end anyway, especially if we fall out or end up not wanting to be around each other.”
“You think that would happen?” His eyes saddened. Seeing him this way broke my heart. It was like the mere idea of me not wanting to be around him physically pained him.
My heart pumped a bit faster. I wasn’t sure how to digest that reaction. He couldn’t have cared about me that much . . . could he?
“I don’t think it would happen. You’re a good person, and I like being around you. Now, at least.” I laughed.
His mouth twitched. “I feel the same.”
We looked at each other a bit longer, then I sighed and took a minor step back. “You should go if you want to beat traffic.”
“Right,” he said, but he didn’t move. Didn’t back away. He still eyed me, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue.
Placing the breakfast sandwich down, he cupped the back of my head, and our lips collided when he reeled me forward.
Yes. Fuck yes.
I moaned, lacing my arms around the back of his neck as he tangled his fingers in my locs. He wasted no time picking me up so he could plant my butt on the counter.
“Is it bad that I want more of this?” he rasped before consuming my lips again. He used his hands to hoist me forward, then stepped between my legs, kissing me fervently, desperately.
I grappled at his shirt with one hand, using my other to thread my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He cupped my ass, pressing in deeper and thrusting his tongue into my mouth to taste me. “I want to fuck you right here, right now.”
“So do it.” He had no idea how much I wanted that to happen.
He snatched his mouth away to reach for his belt buckle. I helped him unlatch it before undoing the button of his jeans. Once he assisted me with my shorts and panties, dragging them down to my ankles and removing them, he was between my thighs again.
I watched him grip the base of his dick with one hand while using his other hand to bring my ass toward the edge of the counter.
He started to push his way in, both of us beyond ready for more.
But then we heard a playful shriek and tiny footsteps pounding upstairs.
“Daddy!” Aleesa yelled.
“Shit.” Javier pulled away, helping me off the counter before quickly tucking himself away. While he buttoned his jeans and adjusted his belt buckle, I collected my panties and shorts and rushed to the pantry to hide.
Damn it. She wasn’t supposed to be awake yet.
“Hola, princesa.” I heard him grunt, like he often did when he reached down to pick her up.
“Daddy, why so dressed up?” Aleesa asked.
While he answered her, I slipped into my panties while facing cans of vegetables.
I held back a snort. This was comical. Hiding in the pantry from a toddler, all so she wouldn’t see her father’s penis or her half-naked nanny.
I wanted to roll over and laugh at how ridiculous this was.
But necessary. Definitely necessary. Javier most likely didn’t want to confuse Aleesa, and neither did I.
After my shorts were adjusted, I grabbed a box of Aleesa’s favorite fruity organic cereal and stepped out of the pantry.
“Tava!” Aleesa squealed, scrambling to get out of Javier’s arms. He placed her on her feet, and she ran to me, throwing her arms around my legs.
“Good morning, my darling,” I sang. “You want some cereal?”
“Yes, please!” She pulled away, clasping her hands together while batting her long lashes.
I laughed as I reached into one of the cabinets for a bowl.
Javier collected his breakfast sandwich again before dropping a kiss on her forehead. “I will be back.” Pulling away from her, he eyed me again. “Another time?”
I nodded, smiling. “Another time.”
I watched him go until he was out of sight. Briefly . . . or so I thought. Aleesa made it seem like I’d looked after him for five minutes or more.
“Tava, I’m hungry,” she whined, tugging on the hem of my hoodie. “And I wanna watch Mickey Mouse.” She paused. “Please,” she added for good measure.
“Okay, okay. Working on it.” I cleared my throat, trying to rinse away the chaotically excited feeling bubbling inside me.
Goodness. What was this man doing to me?