Sutton lay in bed, tossing and turning as her mind ran wild. She hated that this was becoming personal for her. She hated that she thought of West, that worry about how the press conference had taken its toll on him was a concern of hers. She had set him up to fail; and once the drug bust on the rig happened, Sinclair Enterprises would come crashing down. She hadn’t expected to care this much. She wondered where West would land afterward. Did he need his privilege to be successful or was he naturally cunning? Did he have any resilience left in him or had he attained everything easily?
She climbed out of bed and reached for her phone. She couldn’t even stop herself from dialing him.
“It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
His drowsy Southern drawl was raspy, full of sleep, but she was happy he didn’t sound irritated.
“You were brilliant today,” she said.
“As were you,” he replied, then groaned.
“The party crashers were interesting. A gang of hood niggas from the Fifth Ward I’m sure will have the press speculating like crazy. I can’t wait to see the headlines tomorrow.” She wondered if he would be forthcoming about his involvement with Sire. “Did you know them?”
“The oil spill affects everyone, not just the white people in the ’burbs. The hood deserves to be informed too. They count. I was glad to see them there. They might not fit the narrative, but they represent an underrepresented community,” West answered.
Oh, this nigga is good, she thought.
He had just finessed her with the most politically correct answer she had ever heard. West was smart. She understood how he had dodged the incriminating questions she had planted in the crowd.
“Where did you disappear to today?” West asked.
“Another client needed me,” Sutton lied.
“There’s no other client when you’re working with me that takes priority over what we do together. They need to call someone else,” he said.
“I can’t just ignore my Rolodex for you,” Sutton said, smiling.
“I’ll pay your fee for whatever you’ll miss out on, but all that’s dead. I need your focus, Sutton,” West said.
“You have it,” she whispered. “More than you even know, and I particularly don’t like it,” she admitted.
“Slip on some clothes,” he said.
“For what?”
“Leslie’s outside,” West said.
“You know where I live?” she asked.
“Human resources,” West answered.
“That’s a little stalkerish.” Her tone was playful, but she worried some. She had never made herself accessible to clients in the past. She always covered all her bases. She hadn’t even used her home address on the tax paperwork she had submitted to Sinclair Enterprises when they partnered.
He’s got some juice. He had me looked into.
The thought both flattered and intimidated her. She had a feeling she had underestimated him. He was powerful and from the likes of the company he kept outside the boardroom, she was learning his reach went far beyond business deals. He was connected to the streets. It explained his dominance in every situation, even over her.
The laugh they shared warmed Sutton and she shook her head because she couldn’t stop smiling.
“I told you he’s your driver. When you need him, he’ll come, anytime.”
“But I don’t need him,” she said.
“Yeah, but I need you,” West replied.
“I’m on the way.”
It had been a long time since she had subjected herself to a “spend the night” bag, but somehow, she found herself packing all her essentials inside a Saint Laurent tote. She was out the door in ten minutes. She didn’t even put on clothes. She wore her silk robe beneath her trench coat with heels.
“Ms. LaCroix,” Leslie greeted as he awaited her with the SUV door wide open.
“Hi, Leslie,” she said. “Thank you.”
She slid into the truck. Sutton tried to talk herself out of visiting this late the entire way to his place, but she never spoke the words. Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to a modern-styled home. “This is where he lives?” she asked.
“This is it,” Leslie said. He exited and opened her door. “Shall I wait?”
“No, I’ll call in the morning when I need you,” she said.
She found herself at West’s door, second-guessing, regretting, nervous as hell until she rang the bell. He pulled open the door and then picked her up. She squealed as he carried her through his home.
“West, put me down!” she shouted, laughing until he placed her on the kitchen counter.
He placed fists on either side of her hips and leaned into her. Eye to eye, he admired her.
“You have the worst staring problem,” she said.
“I need you to help me out with something,” he answered.
“What’s that?”
“You’re the only woman I’ve ever met that I’ve had to pursue,” West stated.
“And that’s a bad thing?” she asked.
“I can’t lie. It’s rather frustrating,” he replied truthfully. “I’m a man that’s used to having what I want, when I want it.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You,” he replied simply.
“When do you want me?” she pressed.
“All the time,” he said, pulling at the belt to her coat and leaning into her neck, planting kisses that made her thighs spread wide open. West slid into place. “I want you on this counter, in my bed, in the shower.” He groaned as he removed her coat, revealing the silk robe. Its sash came off next. “In the back of my car with the partition up, in my office on the desk. I want you everywhere, Sutton.”
His hand slipped inside her bra. He flicked her nipple, rolling it between rough fingers, before lowering his lips to her areola.
Her body anticipated the pleasure to come as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs toward his bedroom. They were locked in a kiss. Her trench coat and robe created a path on the floor.
“West?”
“Oh my God!” Sutton shouted as she jumped out of his arms, hiding behind West’s body to hide her lingerie. She thanked God he hadn’t gotten to that part yet.
“Beamer, I thought you were asleep, kid,” he said as he thumbed his lips. Sutton wasn’t sure if he was wiping off her kisses or rubbing them in, but the way he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth told her he could taste her there. “You’re kind of breaking bro code right now.”
“How was I supposed to know you were about to get laid?” Beamer asked.
“Oh my God,” Sutton whispered again, mortified.
“Are you going to introduce me?” Beamer asked.
“Sutton, this is my little brother, Beamer. Beamer, this is Sutton,” West introduced.
Sutton peeked from behind West, waving in embarrassment. The bandages stabbed her straight in the heart.
“It’s nice to meet you, Beamer,” Sutton said.
“Hey, Sutton and I were about to…”
“Have sex?” Beamer asked.
West snickered. “Before you broke up the vibe? Probably so, kid.” Sutton slapped West, reprimanding him, and he and Beamer laughed. “I think the moment has passed, however. I’m going to put on a movie. You down?”
“Yeah!” Beamer shouted.
“A’ight, cool,” West said. “Meet us in the theater room in ten minutes.”
Beamer retreated to his room and West pulled Sutton into the master.
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t alone?” she asked, covering her face.
“He was supposed to be asleep,” West said, shaking his head and fighting the grin on his face. He moved to the drawers and pulled out a white T-shirt for Sutton. She slipped it over her head. “He just got out of the hospital. I picked him up after the conference,” he explained.
“I’m glad he’s okay,” she whispered. Beamer was evidence of her sins and facing him only made it worse. “He will be okay, right?”
“He’s been through three surgeries for skin grafts already. He has a lot more to go. The worst burns are on his back and legs. The burns on his face aren’t as severe. We’re paying the best doctors,” he explained.
Sutton’s stomach hollowed out as she heard about the battle Beamer was fighting.
“Beamer’s strong. He’s a fighter and whatever he can’t beat, I’ve got covered. He’ll be okay. He was really attached to his mom though. Losing her has been the hardest of it all,” West said. “It’s been hard on all of us. It’s a lot of death being handed out lately.”
“Will he live with you, now?” Sutton asked.
“I don’t know,” West answered. “August and I have to figure things out. Neither of us have lifestyles that accommodate a kid, especially one like Beamer. He’s autistic.”
“Is he, really?” Sutton asked.
“High functioning, but he has his moments where he has a hard time. When he’s overstimulated or overwhelmed. Abigail was the best with him during those moments. August and I have some adjusting to do, but we have to make it work. We’re all he has,” West said.
“You really do love them, don’t you?” Sutton asked.
“They’re my family,” West said.
“And your biological family. Where are they?” Sutton asked.
“That’s a discussion for another day,” West replied, diverting away from the subject. It only made her more curious. How had this black boy from the inner city come to be so indebted and in love with this prestigious, rich, white family? Sutton had to know.
Her brow dented and her heart heavy, she reached for his face with one hand. “I really am sorry,” she whispered.
“What is it about you?” he asked.
She looked up at him, adding a second hand to the other side of his face. “It’s you. I’m only this way with you,” she replied.
His hand slid down her back, gripping her ass as he stole her lips.
“Hey, Sutton! You like chocolate or strawberry ice cream?”
She turned to find Beamer there again.
“What kind of question is that?” she asked. “Why choose, when you can have both?”
“You’re a genius!” he shouted.
Sutton laughed and followed Beamer out of the room, descending the stairs to the media room.
She eyed him curiously. He eyed her back as one made assumptions about the other.
“West, is this your girlfriend?” Beamer asked.
West froze as he walked into the room.
“We’re just friends, Beamer,” he answered as he took a seat beside her.
Sutton wasn’t sure why she was disappointed with the response. She expected him to say more, despite the fact friendship was an overqualification for what they were.
Sutton was a snake in his grass.
Her disappointment was reflected in her eyes.
“Is that the wrong answer?” West asked.
Sutton shook her head. “No.”
She settled in beside him, folding her hands across her chest.
She was so irrational because she was here for all the wrong reasons, but still, she wanted to mean more to him than “friends.” She felt sorry for all the men who had ever tried to figure her out. She couldn’t even figure herself out.
“Beamer, buddy, go get the snacks,” West instructed.
Beamer nodded and as soon as he was out of earshot, West placed a finger to Sutton’s chin.
“Hey,” West said, commanding her stare. “This thing can be as casual or as complex as you want it to be. You just got to let me know what time you’re on.” His kisses were like emotional Band-Aids, healing cuts he didn’t put there, injuries she had collected from years of dating the wrong men. It felt like she had stumbled across a good one and it turned out she was the one who was going to ruin it. Life was a bitch that way. To give her something she couldn’t keep, something she shouldn’t have even entertained, was worse than not ever having it at all.
“This is more than friends, West,” she whispered.
Beamer came back with as much junk food as he could carry and then he broke up their party, sliding his body right between them.
Sutton laughed as he handed her a big bag of Cheetos.
“Thanks, handsome,” she said. “What are we watching?”
“Remember the Titans.” Both West and Beamer said it simultaneously and Sutton frowned in confusion.
“It’s our favorite movie,” Beamer said. “We watch it every weekend. Ever since West was in college. We would go to his games then come home to watch it while he did his ice bath. It’s tradition. Right, West?”
“Wouldn’t miss it, kid,” West replied.
“You played college ball?” Sutton asked.
“A long time ago,” he said.
“He was supposed to go pro!” Beamer exclaimed.
“Pro, huh? How’d you end up in a boardroom instead of on the field?” Sutton asked, reaching for the popcorn in Beamer’s bowl. She popped a handful into her mouth and then frowned.
“Umm, Beamer, I think you spilled candy in there,” she said, chewing slowly at the odd combination of gummy bears, chocolate, and popcorn.
“Nope. It’s on purpose,” Beamer said. West reached for a handful next, shaking up the contents in his hand like he was shaking a pair of dice before emptying the odd mixture into his mouth.
“Another tradition,” he said.
Sutton nodded, laughing. “You guys are weird. Tradition is blueberry pancakes on a Sunday morning. Not this!”
“Can we watch the movie now?” Beamer asked. “We’re missing it!”
Sutton snickered and settled in on her side of the plush sectional. Beamer leaned into her. Within half an hour, he was a goner.
West snickered. “He never makes it to the end. I don’t think he’s ever seen the whole thing.”
He stood and carefully moved Beamer’s bandaged legs to the couch as Sutton moved out of the way. She placed a throw blanket over his body.
“He’s a really cool kid,” she said.
“Yeah, he is,” West said.
They crept out of the room and Sutton passed his office. She drifted inside where dozens of trophies lined glass shelves.
“Wow, you really were good, huh?” she asked. “I’m trying to picture you in those tight football pants and a jersey instead of thousand-dollar suits.” She smiled.
“You think you would have thrown pussy my way on the first night if I was in the NFL?” he asked.
Sutton scrunched her face as her skin grew hot with embarrassment. “I would have fucked you on the rooftop,” she said.
“I mean I got a rooftop deck. It’s not too late to make that happen,” West answered.
“You wish.” Sutton snickered. “Why’d you stop playing?”
“An injury ended my career.”
“That explains the sports agency,” she said.
“I love the game, just can’t play it anymore,” West said. “I enjoy the mental chess with the owners, though. The corporate side is where the most money is made but the passion of suiting up? Nothing can compare to that.”
“Sounds like you really loved it.”
“For a long time, I thought that would be how I spent my life. The game was the love of my life.”
“And now? What do you love now?” Sutton asked.
“In this very moment, you,” West replied.
The answer might as well have knocked Sutton off her feet. It was unexpected and blunt and sudden. How the fuck was he feeling this way so soon? How was she feeling the same?
Bitch, you ain’t shit, Sutton scolded herself.
She charged him, kissing him aggressively. He picked her up, turning her toward the desk and knocking everything off to lay her down on top of it. She was breaking so many rules, handling this job in all the wrong ways, but her heart ached to be touched by him. The ways this man delivered dick was a sin and a shame. He strapped up and pushed into her body like he was desperate to feel her. The power of a man like West—the way his back tensed in definition as he stroked her, the way he bit her ear, then her neck, then her shoulder as he damn near growled in her ear—made her body soak for him. It was as good as the first time.
“West,” Sutton moaned. Her face was balled up, a mixture of lust, regret, and pleasure tearing up her pretty features as he served her body well. She placed her hands on the sides of his face. “West…”
He focused on her.
“If I ever hurt you, know that I’m sorry.”
He ignored her, swallowing her warnings along with her tongue. Sutton closed her eyes and held on tight. There was no switching of positions this night. Just good fucking, sweet loving, until he heard her call his name as she came. He picked her up and she rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her back to the bedroom. When they were behind the privacy of the closed door, he placed her on her feet.
“I can’t fall for you,” she whispered, bowing her head into his chest.
“I’m not asking for that,” West said. “We’re just enjoying whatever this is. If you want more, I’m with that. If the moment passes, I’m grown enough to accept that too. One thing I don’t want to fuck with is a woman that’s going to hold back. If you got to put guards up when we’re together, that’s not my vibe. Lower the walls, Sutton.” He kissed the top of her head and then headed out of the room.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To the guest room. You can have the master for the night,” he said.
She frowned, confused. “You’re not sleeping with me?”
“I don’t stay the night with women, Sutton. I normally don’t even allow them into my home,” he said.
“So, you can have guards, but mine aren’t allowed? We’re either in the moment together or not at all, West. I don’t give without taking something in return,” Sutton said.
“If I climb in that bed, we won’t be sleeping,” West warned.
“So, let’s do something else.”
Exhaustion. Exhaustion glued Sutton to the bed. Sex until 3:00 A.M. had done her body well. West had fallen straight to sleep, but Sutton didn’t sleep well in foreign places. She had showered, hoping it would ease her restlessness; but as she lay under him, she couldn’t quite doze off. She touched his face, admiring his features. He was so handsome. Brute, manly, and powerful. He was a king and Sutton was going to topple his kingdom. In a different world, she would sit beside him and help him rule. Her heart battled with her mind, trying to convince her to call it off. She wouldn’t, but she wanted to.
She slipped into her robe and walked out of the room, searching for the rooftop terrace. She just needed a bit of fresh air. She crept through the halls silently until she passed Beamer’s room. The sound of Beamer screaming alarmed her and she pushed open the door to find him tossing and turning in a full night terror. She turned on his light, but Beamer’s eyes were closed as he panicked, fighting in his sleep.
“Beamer, hey, Beamer, wake up. You’re just having a nightmare,” she whispered softly as she rushed to his side. “It’s just a dream.” His pajamas were wet from the cold sweat of panic and he panted as he came to, looking at her in confusion.
“Hey, it’s just a dream,” she said, pulling him back to reality.
It took him a minute to recognize who she was before lying back down. Sutton pulled the covers up to his chin. She turned to leave.
“Sutton?”
She doubled back to his side.
“My mom used to stay until I went back to sleep. Can you just stay for a bit?” he asked.
An awkward beat passed as anxiety filled her. She was the reason his mom wasn’t here to do the job herself.
“Yeah, I’ll stay,” she said. “You want to throw me a pillow?” Beamer passed her a pillow off the bed and threw in an extra cover. “I’ll be right here until you go back to sleep, okay?”
“Thanks, Sutton,” Beamer said.
“No problem.”
Sutton didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until she awoke the next morning. She smelled breakfast and she pulled herself up from the floor. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Beamer giggling as he flipped pancakes on a griddle.
“Tradition,” West said, winking at her as she stood in the doorway, speechless.
“Blueberry pancakes coming right up!” Beamer shouted.
This time, Sutton didn’t want to stop her smile. She crossed her arms and looked at them in amazement as she leaned against the doorframe.
West crossed the room to her. “How’d you sleep? Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find my baby brother took my girl.”
“Is that what I am? Your girl?” she asked.
West didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed her, gripping ass in one hand and pressing her into his body. It had been a long time since Sutton had allowed herself to feel like this. Girly and submissive and giddy for a man.
“August is on his way to come get Beamer. I want to do some things to you he can’t be here to overhear,” West said. Her body tensed at the sound of August’s name. It brought a harsh reality washing down over her.
“I, um, I can’t stay. After breakfast, I need to go. I have brunch with my sisters on Sundays. It’s something we never miss,” she said.
She was really looking for an excuse to leave. August was a reminder that she and West were aligned on two different sides of a war he had no clue was taking place.
He cocked his head back, lifting her chin between his fingers. He clearly felt the energy shift in the room.
“Are you good?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Her voice was small, but her body was tight and tense. Sutton LaCroix was back to business. Whatever wall he had broken down the night before had been restored.
“I had your assistant bring you by some clothes,” he said.
“You did what?” Sutton asked.
“You need clothes, or did you plan to walk out of here naked?” West asked. “She went and grabbed something from Saks. I have an account there.”
“You can’t put my business out in the streets like that, West. I don’t mix business with pleasure. My assistant doesn’t need to know I’m sleeping with you,” Sutton said. “You’re a man. You can do what you want. It’s different for women. It gets out that I’m sleeping with you, and it erases all credibility that I’ve earned in my career.” Then again, Sutton didn’t know if she was hiding it for business purposes or because she didn’t want her sisters to find out.
“Understood. I respect it,” West said.
The doorbell rang and West kissed Sutton’s cheek.
“Grab some food, I’ll be right back,” West said.
Before he could even go to the door, August’s voice echoed through the house.
“Aye, bro!”
“West!” Sutton whispered.
August appeared in the kitchen. “This is why you’re not answering my calls. Good taste, bro,” August said, smirking. “Really good fucking taste.”
“August.” West’s tone was stern. A warning.
August lifted hands in defense. “Come on, Beamer. Let’s go get you fitted for your big night.” He slapped hands with West and then steered Beamer out of the house.
“I’ll see you later, kid,” West said. “Love you.”
“Love you too! Bye, Sutton!”
“Bye, Beamer,” she said softly.
West turned to her. “I’m a little old for secrets. I’m not really into worrying about what other people think about who I invite into my bed either. It’s beneath me.”
“My preferences are beneath you?” Sutton asked, insulted.
“I’m not out here acting boyish, Sutton. I want to know you. If I see you across the room and I want to touch you, I want to be able to touch you. If I want to taste you, I want to be able to kiss you. I’ve never done well with rules,” he said. “Women bore me, but you…” He shook his head and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself.
“Me, what?” Sutton asked.
West backed her against the wall, stealing her air as he hovered inches from her face. He bit his lip as he wrapped a hand around her neck. Her chest rose and fell. She closed her eyes and felt his lips to her cheek.
“You’re under my skin,” he said in her ear, then pulled back. “You’re either the best investment I’ve ever made or a distraction that I need to let go of. Decide what you want, Sutton. Beamer’s welcome home party is tonight. If you don’t show up, I’ll know what it is. But if you do, you need to understand how I’m moving from here on out. It won’t be in the dark.”
West headed back to his room, leaving Sutton speechless. Before he disappeared from sight, he said, “Leslie will drive you home.”