My laughter dies once he straddles the bench. He bends my knee and eases into me. Every inch is a slow burn until he’s fully seated. My lips part at his tongue as he holds my other leg firm against his chest and pumps into me.
Antonio would bruise my cervix if it caused no pain and came with a speedy recovery. He’s a mechanical bull who can hold a mean squat. His thighs are tight, his aim steady on the target.
I reach for the edge of the bench above my head to ride out each thrust. Two games’ worth of unused energy pummel my walls.
“I love you, Miriam. I won’t apologize for fighting for you,” he says, his eyes low, focused on me. He thrusts faster, his balls smacking into my pussy. “She’s singing to me,” he grunts, rolling his hips to thrust deeper. “Eyes on me. Give me all of you.”Grunt.“Your worries.”Grunt.“Your fears.”Grunt.“There’s nothing I won’t do for you, Doe.”
Time loses its importance. My body shakes and my toes cramp. His release comes through his declaration to love and protect me.
I follow Antonio back to Steel House, where I wake up in his arms. Safe, well-rested, and thoroughly satisfied.
Chapter 49
Miriam
“Iknew you’d call. Come in.” Kieran holds open the front door to the Maple King office building.
“Thank you for meeting with me.” I keep my tone even and swallow the urge to vomit. Flight is squaring up with my fight, but I’m here on a mission.
The walk to his office is quiet through traces of recessed lights spotlighting a pathway I thought I’d never take again. No one else is here. Not that I’d expect there to be at eight thirty at night.
My grip on my purse tightens at the feeling of his eyes on my ass. The weather is unseasonably mild for early April in Buffalo. I traded in my winter coat for long-sleeved tee and a vest to enjoy the weeklong warm front. Now I regret not wearing some type of Missy Elliott garbage suit to conceal my curves.
I wait next to his office with the stupid plaque and follow him inside.
“Close the door.” He takes a seat at the front of his desk and crosses his legs.
A cold knot forms in my stomach.You can do this.I shut the door.
“You look good.” His eyes swing to my curls, which are nearly touching my shoulders. I swallow hard when they reach my breasts. “Did you come to apologize?”
This n—
“I want to understand why you’re patenting an idea that’s not yours,” I say, confidence finding its way into my voice. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for Black women in any field, especially engineering? That concept is mine, and it will do a lot of good for the community.”
“We’ll put it to good use on the East Side.”
I gape at his audacity. “So, what? You ask me to dinner after my job interview, pay thousands to go out with me again, and let me use Maple King’s labs just to steal from me? Was that the whole plan all along? To use me?”
“I wanted to fuck you.” He chuckles to himself. “I still do. You had the opportunity to build with me here, for us to create a legacy. You chose not to.” His nostrils flare. “Everything comes with a cost, Miriam. Lucky for you, I’m willing to start over.”
The timbre in his voice sends shivers through me. His arms fold over his button-down shirt. It’s fitting that he’s in all black tonight, to match how evil he is.
I lift my chin. “Does that mean you won’t pawn off my idea as your own and patent it?”
A dark smile spreads across his lips. “That ship has already sailed, sweetie,” he says, amused that I’d think it would be on the table. “You worked on your concept in the Maple King lab.”
“At your invitation, and after hours! I didn’t give you permission to steal from me.”
He pushes off the desk. “I never needed your permission. Don’t be naïve, Miriam. You designed a concept using our property. What did you think would happen?”
“So you’re confessing to taking my concept?” I spit.
He grins. “I don’t need to. You were in our lab.”
“I’ll go public.”
“Go ahead. You aren’t the first and won’t be the last.”
