I'm Fine....Thanks, page 19
“Don’t mention it. Are we in here shit talking this early in the morning?” She slid over on the couch and crossed her legs.
“You’re right on time because that’s exactly what we were about to do.” Kyle smirked and hugged her quickly.
Ember looked at her watch. “My first patient isn’t for two hours, so I have time to indulge.” She got even more comfier in the chair.
Ever since Jace’s accident, I hadn’t been able to catch up with anybody. All Ember and Harlym knew was that we slept together in the Maldives. I never got the chance to tell her about going to his place and spending the night with him whenever I got the chance. Kyle wasn’t clued into any of what was going on since my vacation.
“I was just about to dig into why she been so quiet and vague with me.”
“Text message wasn’t the right way to clue you into what was going on. Jace’s accident really put a lot on my shoulders, and I’m trying to balance my time with work, the girls and Bray,” I added in there.
Em clapped her hands together. “So, Bray is back into the picture?”
“He is.”
Kyle looked from me to Ember, confused. “Who is Bray and when did he first come into the picture?”
I smiled, thinking about my man, my man, my man. Goodness, he made me feel so good that I never wanted to lose that feeling. “He’s somebody I met on our trip.”
“Um, what? Girl, you went all Stella got her groove back on me… I knew you looked like you had an extra pep in your step on the security cameras this morning.”
“You saw me on the cameras this morning and didn’t come help open the door for me?” I cut my eyes at him and smiled. “It was just supposed to be a fling, and then it followed me back home. We ran into each other at the din—”
“He was here in Lennox Hills?” Em nearly screamed.
“Apparently, he lives here. The world is so damn small.”
“Or its fate,” Ember added.
“I agree.”
“We’re spending the weekend together at his place in the city.”
Kyle jumped out of his seat like he had ants in his pants. “Alright, so we’re fully going there… let me prepare myself.”
“For what?”
“To go with you to file those divorce papers. I know that is the next step in all of this.”
“It’s long overdue if you ask me,” Em muttered.
The thought of divorcing Jace made me both excited and scared at the same time. I knew this was something that I needed to do, and I was still scared to do it. Our lives would change, and it would become messy. Jace was emotional when he felt blind-sided and hurt, so I could expect him to be petty and want things he never cared about in the first place.
Who would get the house when we divorced? Or would we be forced to sell because neither of us could come to an agreement? These were the things that worried me and prevented me from filing the papers I’ve had in my possession for too long.
“He can’t work right now, and I’m the main source of income right now. His disability amount is basically pennies, but it will help with some things.”
“Not your problem. This is the bed he made when he decided to buy that damn motorcycle. Are you supposed to sit back and stop living your life because of a decision he made?” Em questioned me.
“No, but I’m not heartless either.”
“You not being heartless is what got you into this situation in the first place. Stori, you’re in a loveless marriage with a man that doesn’t value or consider you as a person.”
“Ouch,” Kyle uttered.
“If Jace gave an inkling of a fuck about you and all you’ve done for him and y’all family, he would have never bought that motorcycle, or used it while you were out the country. He does whatever he wants and doesn’t give a fuck about the outcome because he knows his wife will handle it, which is what you’re doing now. I’m sorry but being on vacation was the first time I saw you let loose. You’re always so uptight and trying to be the problem solver that you miss out on living your life too.”
“I have to say I agree with her. You’re usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave. You come in on the weekends when none of us do, and you never take time for you,” Kyle paused. “We both chose to be in this career because we wanted to help people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It becomes wrong when we put everyone before ourselves and don’t prioritize us.”
If I wasn’t so mentally drained, I probably would have cried. I understood what both Ember and Kyle were telling me, however, that was easier said than done. My husband was home injured with no work, and it was up to me to carry the weight of our home on my back.
“I love you both and appreciate that you both care so much about me. Just give me time to make these changes because they won’t happen overnight.”
“Seems like the changes aren’t the only thing working overnight.” Ember winked and slapped hands with Kyle.
“Byeeee. I need to get ready for my client.” I rolled my eyes at them and stood up. The day would have been perfect if we could sit around and shoot the breeze with each other.
Kyle jumped up. “I know when I’m not wanted. I do know that you better have a damn good time this weekend with him.” He winked.
“And don’t worry about the girls. I will pop over there to check in on them. I may even take them shopping since I have nothing planned,” Em assured me.
“Love you guys,” I called behind him.
Since I hadn’t been here, I straightened up my office and made sure to fluff out the pillows on the couch. When I was done with the light clean, I popped a fresh box of tissues on the coffee table and plopped down in my chair to wait for Kami to arrive.
Sending you safe travels to Philly. Being me back a cheesesteak, jk. I sent Bray a quick text.
Thanks, Doc. Can’t wait to be done so I can hold you captive the whole weekend. Ordered Sushi for you and your assistant for lunch. I read his text message while smiling before silencing my phone and tucking it beside me in the chair.
“Dr. Jacobs, Kami-Lynn is here,” Bethany spoke over the intercom.
“You can send her in,” I replied, thankful that I opted for the two-way intercom system that didn’t require me to press a button to reply when I wasn’t near it.
Kami rushed into my office like a bull in a China cabinet. She tossed her Chloe purse onto the couch and then plopped down right beside it. Her hair was frazzled, and she looked like she had been crying.
“Kami, are you alright?”
“No!” she shouted, then jumped to her feet and started pacing the small space between the couch and coffee table. “My husband had divorce papers served to me minutes after he left for a work trip. The sick fucker planned it out because when I tried calling him, he turned his phone off.”
I didn’t see this change of events happening. Last we spoke over our video session, she said that they were hoping to work things out, and his mother had come to stay with them to assure that.
“I’m sorry, Kami. You’ve had to know that this could happen.”
“Yes, I should have known. He hasn’t touched me in months, and the last time we were intimate, he looked so out of it, like he was envisioning anyone but me underneath him.”
The pain on her face was heartbreaking. I believe Kami regretted stepping outside of her marriage with Cam. You could tell she was just begging for attention from her husband, and now she was getting the wrong attention from him.
“Divorce is usually the last step in a relationship. Of course, he could pull the filing and decide to work on his marriage with you, but men usually never file first.”
“My cousin’s husband filed for divorce.”
“I said usually, I never said it doesn’t happen,” I corrected her.
I hated to be the person to tell her that her marriage was over. Men usually held onto a marriage longer than a woman did. They would drag a woman to hell and back and never think about the word divorce. Women filed the moment they were fed up, and usually pulled the filing and tried to make the marriage work. Her husband didn’t only file for divorce, but he lined it up perfectly for her to be served when he wasn’t around her.
Kami needed to move on with her life because it seemed like her husband already did. She was spending time in marriage therapy alone. That man hadn’t showed up to one session, and I didn’t think he would because he didn’t see the need to meet with me.
He was done with the marriage, and she needed to get on board and get on with her life. “I love him so much, Dr. Jacobs. He’s all I've known in my adult life.” she sat back down and sobbed into her hands.
“If the shoe was on the other foot and he cheated with an ex-partner of his, would you have been so forgiving?”
“I would have given him shit, but I would have wanted to work on my marriage.” Kami sniffled.
She answered the question too quickly. If the shoe was on the other foot, she would have been ready to jump ship just like he was. I couldn’t be upset with her husband wanting to end the marriage.
It showed that he knew what he was worth, and he wasn’t willing to settle for Kami, who didn’t respect or appreciate the union of their marriage before she decided to sleep with her ex-boyfriend.
I could learn a lot from this man. When Jace cheated the first time I should have been gone and never accepted his bullshit proposal. It was easy for Kami to tell me that she could forgive her husband had the shoe been on the other foot. That was because the shoe hadn’t been on the other foot, and her husband didn’t cheat on her.
“I think you can say that now because you weren’t cheated on. In fact, you were the one who cheated on your spouse. You have to respect your husband’s decision just like if you decided to file for divorce, he would have to respect yours.”
“Whose side are you even on?”
I always hated when clients asked this question. They thought because they paid me that they were paying for me to be on their side. I was on the side of what was right so that I could send level-headed clients back into the world.
“You have fought for your marriage and tried to fix what couldn’t be repaired. Kami, I think it would be best for you to move on with your life. Keep a friendship, if there is one, and allow each other to have a fresh start.”
“It’s so much easier for him to walk away because our marriage isn’t public. I should have made our relationship public, so he would want to fight for us. That was the one thing he hated,
“Making it public now won’t do any good. Divorce privately. Trust me, you’re going to want the private healing… both of you.”
The only reason I agreed to take on Kami was because she was married. I thought after a few sessions that I would eventually meet the husband and have some shared sessions. We were about five sessions in now, and I didn’t even know the man’s name. Now that he filed for divorce there was no way he was going to attend a therapy session with his future ex-wife.
It was time for me to refer her back to Kyle. “Making it public might force him to want to fix our marriage.”
“Kami, you should focus on healing,” I encouraged, making a note to refer her back to Kyle before our next session could be scheduled.
She wasn’t in the right mental space to accept that I was assigning her back to Kyle. I listened to her talk about things that she wanted in her marriage, and how she wasn’t ready to accept defeat. When our session was done, she had used half the new box of tissues that I just put out.
Since she was my last client of the day, I quickly packed up everything and checked in with Demi before hitting the road. She told me she and Enzo were catching a ride with our neighbor across the street. She was seventeen and had her license and was responsible. I appreciated her getting the girls from school for me because I would have been late heading to Bray’s place.
A small part of me wanted to call and check in on Jace to see if he needed anything. I was trying to put space between us and practicing boundaries, so I tossed that thought out my head and headed toward the highway.
TWELVE
BRAY WILLSHIRE
When the elevator got to my floor, I could smell the aroma penetrating my nose through the slits of the elevator door. Soon as the doors opened, I was met with the beautiful view that always took my breath away, and then I looked down and noticed something even more beautiful.
Astoria.
She was standing in the foyer with two glasses of wine in her hand while wearing a black teddy that left little to the imagination. Her hardened gumdrop nipples were protruding through the lace, causing my mouth to water.
“Fuck, Doc… what are you trying to do to me?”
She giggled and walked over to me. “I figured you might have had a stressful day, so I made you a home cooked meal, and opened a bottle of wine. I opened one of the bottles in the wine cellar.”
I had converted one of the pantries into a see-through wine cellar. If I had to pick between wine and the hard shit, I usually went with wine. Wine didn’t leave me fighting for my life the next morning like a bottle of rum would.
“Definitely had a stressful day.” I ignored the glass of wine and put my bag down on the floor.
“Woah…wa…wait, you’re gonna spill the wine.”
I didn’t give a fuck about the wine or the glasses, I grabbed the glasses and put them onto the floor and grabbed Astoria up. She giggled and wrapped her arms around me.
I kissed her sweet lips and stared into her eyes. “I missed you today, Doc.”
“Are you admitting that I got you open?”
“Like your legs about to be in a minute.” I walked over to the couch and leaned her on the edge.
Stori kissed my lips, neck, and face as I fought to get my Ferragamo buckle open. I wanted her so bad, had dreamed about that shit the whole ride back to the city. When I finally got the buckle undone, I dropped my dress pants and pulled her closer to me.
“Crotchless.” She winked.
“Fuck,” I groaned and shoved my dick into her wet opening. She moaned as she tossed her head back, while holding onto my shoulders as I pounded into her pussy.
She threw that shit on me as we stared each other in the eyes. We both needed this. I couldn’t sit and pretend over dinner when I knew I wanted to fuck the shit out of her. Stori secretly wanted the same thing. Why else would she put that shit on and meet me in the foyer?
The sound of my balls clapping echoed through the living room as she hummed, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “Who pussy is this?”
“Y…Yours, Papa… it’s yours!” she screamed.
“Tell me again, Doc… tell me who pussy this is?” I reached behind her and grabbed a handful of her braids, pulling her head even further back.
“Harder… fuck…. Papa…. Ah…Ah…” She continued to scream out in pleasure.
Taking my hand, I carefully placed it around her neck, and she lifted her head to stare me in the eyes. When that sly smirk came across her face, I tightened my grip and continued to pound her pussy on the edge of my couch.
“Fuck… Stori…. fuck! You making me about to nut!”
“Do it, Papa… X marks the spot,” she cooed, which drove me crazy. I stared into her eyes as I emptied my load into her.
Pulling her closer to me, she licked my lips and opened her mouth wide. I kissed her mouth before I spit inside of her mouth. She licked her lips with a smile on her face, then sucked on my bottom lip.
I kissed her neck, leaving small passion bites on the left side. Grabbing a big handful of her ass, I pulled back to take her in. She seemed like a dream, one that would disappear the minute I opened my eyes.
“You don’t feel real at times,” I said into her ear.
“I could say the same thing about you… about this.” She kissed my lips and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Doc, I want you. I don’t want no bullshit to come between us,” I expressed because I was serious about her.
About us.
She looked up into my eyes, and I could tell this was something she had wanted to hear from me. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“You,” she admitted.
I held her close and kissed her lips a few times. “I’m scared of you.”
She sucked her teeth. “Me? Why?”
“Cause I never met somebody that I felt this protective over. Not even my own wife, Doc. With you, I want to protect you from ever being hurt again. When I think about you being hurt in the past, I'm mad at myself because I couldn’t be there to shield you from it.” I gripped her hip tightly. “If this is too much, I need you to let me know now before I fall even harder for you... I don’t want to pull you into something that you’re not ready for, not with children. I need to know that you’re ready for me.”
She kissed me on the lips. “What if I’m too much, Bray? I come with baggage, and a host of trust issues.”
“You’re never too much for the right man, Doc.” I kissed her on the lips, and she wiped away the tear that slipped down her cheek.
“The food is going to get cold.”
“Stop deflecting. I don’t take our paths crossing lightly. We were supposed to meet, and it didn’t matter how that happened, it was supposed to happen. The man above put this into fruition.”
“Now you’re trying to put God into this?”
“The big guy always give me what I want.”
“Is that right?” she sniffled.
“For sure, Doc.”
We quickly cleaned up and then went into the kitchen, where Stori was moving around the kitchen like she had been here her entire life. I stood up from the bar stool and came behind her, kissing her on the neck softly.
“Go get in the bed… I'm going to fix the plates. You made the food, so I'm going to serve you.”
“Bray, you don’t hav—”
“My day isn’t the only one that matters, Doc. If I had a stressful day, then I know damn well you had one too. Let me take care of you.” She kissed me on the lips and then left out the kitchen.
She must have known I was a pasta man because the shrimp scampi with freshly baked garlic knots had my mouth watering. As I scooped the noodles out the skillet onto a plate, I noticed the small bits of lobster, clams, and scallops.
“You’re right on time because that’s exactly what we were about to do.” Kyle smirked and hugged her quickly.
Ember looked at her watch. “My first patient isn’t for two hours, so I have time to indulge.” She got even more comfier in the chair.
Ever since Jace’s accident, I hadn’t been able to catch up with anybody. All Ember and Harlym knew was that we slept together in the Maldives. I never got the chance to tell her about going to his place and spending the night with him whenever I got the chance. Kyle wasn’t clued into any of what was going on since my vacation.
“I was just about to dig into why she been so quiet and vague with me.”
“Text message wasn’t the right way to clue you into what was going on. Jace’s accident really put a lot on my shoulders, and I’m trying to balance my time with work, the girls and Bray,” I added in there.
Em clapped her hands together. “So, Bray is back into the picture?”
“He is.”
Kyle looked from me to Ember, confused. “Who is Bray and when did he first come into the picture?”
I smiled, thinking about my man, my man, my man. Goodness, he made me feel so good that I never wanted to lose that feeling. “He’s somebody I met on our trip.”
“Um, what? Girl, you went all Stella got her groove back on me… I knew you looked like you had an extra pep in your step on the security cameras this morning.”
“You saw me on the cameras this morning and didn’t come help open the door for me?” I cut my eyes at him and smiled. “It was just supposed to be a fling, and then it followed me back home. We ran into each other at the din—”
“He was here in Lennox Hills?” Em nearly screamed.
“Apparently, he lives here. The world is so damn small.”
“Or its fate,” Ember added.
“I agree.”
“We’re spending the weekend together at his place in the city.”
Kyle jumped out of his seat like he had ants in his pants. “Alright, so we’re fully going there… let me prepare myself.”
“For what?”
“To go with you to file those divorce papers. I know that is the next step in all of this.”
“It’s long overdue if you ask me,” Em muttered.
The thought of divorcing Jace made me both excited and scared at the same time. I knew this was something that I needed to do, and I was still scared to do it. Our lives would change, and it would become messy. Jace was emotional when he felt blind-sided and hurt, so I could expect him to be petty and want things he never cared about in the first place.
Who would get the house when we divorced? Or would we be forced to sell because neither of us could come to an agreement? These were the things that worried me and prevented me from filing the papers I’ve had in my possession for too long.
“He can’t work right now, and I’m the main source of income right now. His disability amount is basically pennies, but it will help with some things.”
“Not your problem. This is the bed he made when he decided to buy that damn motorcycle. Are you supposed to sit back and stop living your life because of a decision he made?” Em questioned me.
“No, but I’m not heartless either.”
“You not being heartless is what got you into this situation in the first place. Stori, you’re in a loveless marriage with a man that doesn’t value or consider you as a person.”
“Ouch,” Kyle uttered.
“If Jace gave an inkling of a fuck about you and all you’ve done for him and y’all family, he would have never bought that motorcycle, or used it while you were out the country. He does whatever he wants and doesn’t give a fuck about the outcome because he knows his wife will handle it, which is what you’re doing now. I’m sorry but being on vacation was the first time I saw you let loose. You’re always so uptight and trying to be the problem solver that you miss out on living your life too.”
“I have to say I agree with her. You’re usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave. You come in on the weekends when none of us do, and you never take time for you,” Kyle paused. “We both chose to be in this career because we wanted to help people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It becomes wrong when we put everyone before ourselves and don’t prioritize us.”
If I wasn’t so mentally drained, I probably would have cried. I understood what both Ember and Kyle were telling me, however, that was easier said than done. My husband was home injured with no work, and it was up to me to carry the weight of our home on my back.
“I love you both and appreciate that you both care so much about me. Just give me time to make these changes because they won’t happen overnight.”
“Seems like the changes aren’t the only thing working overnight.” Ember winked and slapped hands with Kyle.
“Byeeee. I need to get ready for my client.” I rolled my eyes at them and stood up. The day would have been perfect if we could sit around and shoot the breeze with each other.
Kyle jumped up. “I know when I’m not wanted. I do know that you better have a damn good time this weekend with him.” He winked.
“And don’t worry about the girls. I will pop over there to check in on them. I may even take them shopping since I have nothing planned,” Em assured me.
“Love you guys,” I called behind him.
Since I hadn’t been here, I straightened up my office and made sure to fluff out the pillows on the couch. When I was done with the light clean, I popped a fresh box of tissues on the coffee table and plopped down in my chair to wait for Kami to arrive.
Sending you safe travels to Philly. Being me back a cheesesteak, jk. I sent Bray a quick text.
Thanks, Doc. Can’t wait to be done so I can hold you captive the whole weekend. Ordered Sushi for you and your assistant for lunch. I read his text message while smiling before silencing my phone and tucking it beside me in the chair.
“Dr. Jacobs, Kami-Lynn is here,” Bethany spoke over the intercom.
“You can send her in,” I replied, thankful that I opted for the two-way intercom system that didn’t require me to press a button to reply when I wasn’t near it.
Kami rushed into my office like a bull in a China cabinet. She tossed her Chloe purse onto the couch and then plopped down right beside it. Her hair was frazzled, and she looked like she had been crying.
“Kami, are you alright?”
“No!” she shouted, then jumped to her feet and started pacing the small space between the couch and coffee table. “My husband had divorce papers served to me minutes after he left for a work trip. The sick fucker planned it out because when I tried calling him, he turned his phone off.”
I didn’t see this change of events happening. Last we spoke over our video session, she said that they were hoping to work things out, and his mother had come to stay with them to assure that.
“I’m sorry, Kami. You’ve had to know that this could happen.”
“Yes, I should have known. He hasn’t touched me in months, and the last time we were intimate, he looked so out of it, like he was envisioning anyone but me underneath him.”
The pain on her face was heartbreaking. I believe Kami regretted stepping outside of her marriage with Cam. You could tell she was just begging for attention from her husband, and now she was getting the wrong attention from him.
“Divorce is usually the last step in a relationship. Of course, he could pull the filing and decide to work on his marriage with you, but men usually never file first.”
“My cousin’s husband filed for divorce.”
“I said usually, I never said it doesn’t happen,” I corrected her.
I hated to be the person to tell her that her marriage was over. Men usually held onto a marriage longer than a woman did. They would drag a woman to hell and back and never think about the word divorce. Women filed the moment they were fed up, and usually pulled the filing and tried to make the marriage work. Her husband didn’t only file for divorce, but he lined it up perfectly for her to be served when he wasn’t around her.
Kami needed to move on with her life because it seemed like her husband already did. She was spending time in marriage therapy alone. That man hadn’t showed up to one session, and I didn’t think he would because he didn’t see the need to meet with me.
He was done with the marriage, and she needed to get on board and get on with her life. “I love him so much, Dr. Jacobs. He’s all I've known in my adult life.” she sat back down and sobbed into her hands.
“If the shoe was on the other foot and he cheated with an ex-partner of his, would you have been so forgiving?”
“I would have given him shit, but I would have wanted to work on my marriage.” Kami sniffled.
She answered the question too quickly. If the shoe was on the other foot, she would have been ready to jump ship just like he was. I couldn’t be upset with her husband wanting to end the marriage.
It showed that he knew what he was worth, and he wasn’t willing to settle for Kami, who didn’t respect or appreciate the union of their marriage before she decided to sleep with her ex-boyfriend.
I could learn a lot from this man. When Jace cheated the first time I should have been gone and never accepted his bullshit proposal. It was easy for Kami to tell me that she could forgive her husband had the shoe been on the other foot. That was because the shoe hadn’t been on the other foot, and her husband didn’t cheat on her.
“I think you can say that now because you weren’t cheated on. In fact, you were the one who cheated on your spouse. You have to respect your husband’s decision just like if you decided to file for divorce, he would have to respect yours.”
“Whose side are you even on?”
I always hated when clients asked this question. They thought because they paid me that they were paying for me to be on their side. I was on the side of what was right so that I could send level-headed clients back into the world.
“You have fought for your marriage and tried to fix what couldn’t be repaired. Kami, I think it would be best for you to move on with your life. Keep a friendship, if there is one, and allow each other to have a fresh start.”
“It’s so much easier for him to walk away because our marriage isn’t public. I should have made our relationship public, so he would want to fight for us. That was the one thing he hated,
“Making it public now won’t do any good. Divorce privately. Trust me, you’re going to want the private healing… both of you.”
The only reason I agreed to take on Kami was because she was married. I thought after a few sessions that I would eventually meet the husband and have some shared sessions. We were about five sessions in now, and I didn’t even know the man’s name. Now that he filed for divorce there was no way he was going to attend a therapy session with his future ex-wife.
It was time for me to refer her back to Kyle. “Making it public might force him to want to fix our marriage.”
“Kami, you should focus on healing,” I encouraged, making a note to refer her back to Kyle before our next session could be scheduled.
She wasn’t in the right mental space to accept that I was assigning her back to Kyle. I listened to her talk about things that she wanted in her marriage, and how she wasn’t ready to accept defeat. When our session was done, she had used half the new box of tissues that I just put out.
Since she was my last client of the day, I quickly packed up everything and checked in with Demi before hitting the road. She told me she and Enzo were catching a ride with our neighbor across the street. She was seventeen and had her license and was responsible. I appreciated her getting the girls from school for me because I would have been late heading to Bray’s place.
A small part of me wanted to call and check in on Jace to see if he needed anything. I was trying to put space between us and practicing boundaries, so I tossed that thought out my head and headed toward the highway.
TWELVE
BRAY WILLSHIRE
When the elevator got to my floor, I could smell the aroma penetrating my nose through the slits of the elevator door. Soon as the doors opened, I was met with the beautiful view that always took my breath away, and then I looked down and noticed something even more beautiful.
Astoria.
She was standing in the foyer with two glasses of wine in her hand while wearing a black teddy that left little to the imagination. Her hardened gumdrop nipples were protruding through the lace, causing my mouth to water.
“Fuck, Doc… what are you trying to do to me?”
She giggled and walked over to me. “I figured you might have had a stressful day, so I made you a home cooked meal, and opened a bottle of wine. I opened one of the bottles in the wine cellar.”
I had converted one of the pantries into a see-through wine cellar. If I had to pick between wine and the hard shit, I usually went with wine. Wine didn’t leave me fighting for my life the next morning like a bottle of rum would.
“Definitely had a stressful day.” I ignored the glass of wine and put my bag down on the floor.
“Woah…wa…wait, you’re gonna spill the wine.”
I didn’t give a fuck about the wine or the glasses, I grabbed the glasses and put them onto the floor and grabbed Astoria up. She giggled and wrapped her arms around me.
I kissed her sweet lips and stared into her eyes. “I missed you today, Doc.”
“Are you admitting that I got you open?”
“Like your legs about to be in a minute.” I walked over to the couch and leaned her on the edge.
Stori kissed my lips, neck, and face as I fought to get my Ferragamo buckle open. I wanted her so bad, had dreamed about that shit the whole ride back to the city. When I finally got the buckle undone, I dropped my dress pants and pulled her closer to me.
“Crotchless.” She winked.
“Fuck,” I groaned and shoved my dick into her wet opening. She moaned as she tossed her head back, while holding onto my shoulders as I pounded into her pussy.
She threw that shit on me as we stared each other in the eyes. We both needed this. I couldn’t sit and pretend over dinner when I knew I wanted to fuck the shit out of her. Stori secretly wanted the same thing. Why else would she put that shit on and meet me in the foyer?
The sound of my balls clapping echoed through the living room as she hummed, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “Who pussy is this?”
“Y…Yours, Papa… it’s yours!” she screamed.
“Tell me again, Doc… tell me who pussy this is?” I reached behind her and grabbed a handful of her braids, pulling her head even further back.
“Harder… fuck…. Papa…. Ah…Ah…” She continued to scream out in pleasure.
Taking my hand, I carefully placed it around her neck, and she lifted her head to stare me in the eyes. When that sly smirk came across her face, I tightened my grip and continued to pound her pussy on the edge of my couch.
“Fuck… Stori…. fuck! You making me about to nut!”
“Do it, Papa… X marks the spot,” she cooed, which drove me crazy. I stared into her eyes as I emptied my load into her.
Pulling her closer to me, she licked my lips and opened her mouth wide. I kissed her mouth before I spit inside of her mouth. She licked her lips with a smile on her face, then sucked on my bottom lip.
I kissed her neck, leaving small passion bites on the left side. Grabbing a big handful of her ass, I pulled back to take her in. She seemed like a dream, one that would disappear the minute I opened my eyes.
“You don’t feel real at times,” I said into her ear.
“I could say the same thing about you… about this.” She kissed my lips and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Doc, I want you. I don’t want no bullshit to come between us,” I expressed because I was serious about her.
About us.
She looked up into my eyes, and I could tell this was something she had wanted to hear from me. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“You,” she admitted.
I held her close and kissed her lips a few times. “I’m scared of you.”
She sucked her teeth. “Me? Why?”
“Cause I never met somebody that I felt this protective over. Not even my own wife, Doc. With you, I want to protect you from ever being hurt again. When I think about you being hurt in the past, I'm mad at myself because I couldn’t be there to shield you from it.” I gripped her hip tightly. “If this is too much, I need you to let me know now before I fall even harder for you... I don’t want to pull you into something that you’re not ready for, not with children. I need to know that you’re ready for me.”
She kissed me on the lips. “What if I’m too much, Bray? I come with baggage, and a host of trust issues.”
“You’re never too much for the right man, Doc.” I kissed her on the lips, and she wiped away the tear that slipped down her cheek.
“The food is going to get cold.”
“Stop deflecting. I don’t take our paths crossing lightly. We were supposed to meet, and it didn’t matter how that happened, it was supposed to happen. The man above put this into fruition.”
“Now you’re trying to put God into this?”
“The big guy always give me what I want.”
“Is that right?” she sniffled.
“For sure, Doc.”
We quickly cleaned up and then went into the kitchen, where Stori was moving around the kitchen like she had been here her entire life. I stood up from the bar stool and came behind her, kissing her on the neck softly.
“Go get in the bed… I'm going to fix the plates. You made the food, so I'm going to serve you.”
“Bray, you don’t hav—”
“My day isn’t the only one that matters, Doc. If I had a stressful day, then I know damn well you had one too. Let me take care of you.” She kissed me on the lips and then left out the kitchen.
She must have known I was a pasta man because the shrimp scampi with freshly baked garlic knots had my mouth watering. As I scooped the noodles out the skillet onto a plate, I noticed the small bits of lobster, clams, and scallops.
