Chanel
“You’re going to smear my lipstick,” I giggled, as I once again ducked Xavier’s incoming lips.
“So. Don’t you have more with you?” he mumbled his question into the crook of my neck.
“Mmm,” I moaned as my eyes floated shut as he peppered kisses down my neck and over my bare shoulder. I was wearing a light pink off-the-shoulder, ruffled top, a pair of black skinny jeans, and black strappy heels. We were going over to my father’s for dinner. Xavier had told me how my father had come to his office to invite us to dinner. We’d make it over there eventually, if I could get this man to take his hands off me for a second.
“We’re going to be late,” I reminded him at the same time he bit my earlobe.
“We’re already late,” his deep voice answered back in my ear.
A shudder ran down my spine, and I sighed when his lips touched mine. He was right. We were supposed to be there at seven, and it was now seven on the dot. Xavier had a meeting that had run over, causing him to be late picking me up. Now, we were outside my building by his car, and I was seriously debating calling the whole thing off and dragging him back upstairs.
“We could just go back up to my place, anyway,” I suggested in between kisses.
He paused. “Nah, we’re going. I just needed a little taste before the night begins.”
I pursed my lips.
“Don’t give me that look,” he admonished, tipping my chin with his forefinger.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Come here, though.” Even in five-inch heels, I needed him to lean down a bit so I could wipe my smeared lipstick from his mouth.
“Tease,” I jeered when he bit the tip of my thumb.
“Get in the car,” he retorted, reaching behind me to open the car door for me.
I sighed as I got in, looking forward to the end of the night.
“’Bout time you two showed up,” a grinning Tori stated as she opened the door. Her outfit was similar to mine, but instead of black, she wore dark blue skinny jeans and a green top that crisscrossed at her neck but left her shoulders bare.
“Happy to see you too, sis,” I answered, at the same time pulling her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“X, your friend has been anxiously awaiting your arrival,” she told Xavier, once he released her from his own hug. At the same time, she gripped my wrist, pulling me inside to the living room. “He’s in Elliott’s office,” Tori called over her shoulder to Xavier.
He gave me a wink and Tori a nod before veering off down the hall to my father’s home office.
“Where’s Marjorie?” I questioned, wondering why neither of the hosts had greeted us.
“She was running late due to work, so she’s upstairs changing, and your dad just took Jay in his office. I have a feeling they wanted to have a little powwow with Xavier, in private.”
I frowned. “Why on earth—?” I paused when Tori gave me an incredulous look.
“You know whatever it is has to do with you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, they’re probably going to tag-team Xavier on some protective father-son, don’t-mess-over-my-daughter-sister type of thing.”
“Uh, my father and brother arenotthose people.”
Tori blew out an exasperated sigh, stopping just before we entered the living room. “You don’t think after what they found out they wouldn’t be a little more concerned? I know you and your father weren’t all that close, but you two are getting better, right?”
“We are, but…”
“Exactly. So I’m sure he’s trying to make up for lost time.”
I considered Tori’s words. I knew that she, more than anyone, would know. She and Jason had known each other for a long time before getting together and then marrying. I sometimes think she was his motivation for changing his self-centered ways.
