The Arrogant Architect (11 page)

“You know…I’d be perfectly content if we ordered room
service and ate in.”

“Yeah?” King asks me, gently tickling my back.

“Uh huh…” His touch sends little chills throughout my body.
“That feels so good, I could fall asleep.”

“No.” He nips my ear and squeezes my ass, “Don’t do that.”

“Come on, five minutes?”

“Can I fuck you while you sleep?”

“That’s just wrong. There you go being all crazy again.” My
voice is laced with sarcasm; he knows I’m joking, but he’s probably not. With
my eyes closed, I let myself possess this moment, in this lovely place, with
this man, who…I’m not quite sure how to describe him, except that he’s wickedly
sexy and... 
         

“I’ll be right back,” he says and cuts my daydream short.
Opening one eye, I watch him slide off the bed. Lifting my head, I wipe the
drool off the side of my face.
         
God, I must be tired.

Then all of a sudden, King rips the covers off the bed
exposing my body that was so cozy to the cool elements of the chilled room.
Gawking at him, a little peeved, I yell, “What the fuck?”

“Come on, let’s swim.” He tosses me my swimming suit, tying
the top of his swimming trunks that hug his body so handsomely.

“Five minutes of sleep, please?” I beg him, rolling over and
hugging one of the pillows. He flies on the bed, attacking my naked body with a
mixture of kisses and tickles, which wakes me right up. Laughing, I fight him
off, but he’s got me pinned beneath him. I struggle, kicking, bucking my body
upwards as he has both of my hands in his. “I’m gonna scream,” I tell him.

“Yeah, do it, I wanna hear it.”

“You are so fuckin’ dumb,” I bellow, fighting with him, then
I notice his eyes are on my tits as they bounce with every movement. Observing
his cock, it is very hard, stretching his shorts, and as he fondles my breasts,
he says, “See what you did to me?”

“Oh, I did that to you? I don’t think so…I was sleeping, you
attacked me.”

“Baby, I get hard watching you sleep.”

“Do I need to take care of you then?” I ask, wondering how a
person could come as many times as he does in a day.

“No, I’m gonna fuck you in the pool. Now get dressed while
there’s still no one out there.” He lets go of the grip he has on me and scoots
next to me. Obeying his command because I’ve learned by now there is no telling
this man no, I get dressed.

Walking outside of yet another elegant stone temple, there
is a chill in the air. I follow King from the back door of our room to the
pool. He’s got his hand wrapped around mine, which I’ve become very fond of as
we traipse across the property. The water glistens in the moonlight, so blue,
sparkling, and he is right, there is no one down here.

He opens the gate and I slip in behind him, hoping the pool
is heated. King lets go of my hand and dives right in. I smirk, watching, and
jump in after him. The second the water surrounds me it is so warm, like a
bath, and I sink to my neck. King wraps his arms around me and kisses me once
before looking back at the hotel.

“Do you think anyone is watching us?” I ask him as our
bodies lock together.

“Would it matter?” he asks devilishly. I shake my head, not
sure why I ask him anymore. It seems we continually have crazy sex outside or
in public places and he doesn’t care…so I guess I shouldn’t either. The mound
of his cock is already throbbing against me and he wrestles it out, then pushes
my swimming suit to the side and sinks into me. A gush of water fills me,
followed by him, and I tilt my head back, moaning at the night sky.

My hands are on the back of his head, legs locked around him
as he strokes in and out of me. The sensation is unbelievable. I moan again and
King says, “You might wanna act like we’re not doing what we are.”

I shoot him a wry look as he walks us to the corner of the
pool. He grips the edge giving him more traction, able to fuck me harder. His
eyes burn into mine as he moves in and out of me. I chew my bottom lip to stay
quiet, and he kisses me hastily to swallow any sound. “Fuck,” I mumble against
his lips. He pushes my body so far…so fast.

The water is slapping behind us and his grunts are deep.
He
might want to act like we’re not doing what we are.  “You close?” he asks
breathless.

“Yes,” I whisper, and he burrows his face into my neck,
pushing me to a place I never thought possible. The water rushes up me,
drenching the back of my hair and my insides are shaken to the max. Then the
moment I begin to shudder, King freezes for that one brief second and then lets
go. Biting my ear as he groans so sexily, pouring himself inside me.

“Yes.” I’m out of breath, but love when we come. “Give it to
me,” I urge him on in a hushed tone.

He pumps himself dry and when he pulls back, there is
clarity in his eyes. “Christ, I didn’t know that was gonna be so hard,” he
says, leaving my aching cunt wanting more of him. I adjust my bottoms as he
does the same. “What do you mean?” I ask.

“The water was like a barrier holding us apart.”

“I thought it was amazing.”

“It was, but I don’t like anything stopping me from giving
you every bit of me.”

“I noticed,” I tell him, swimming off. However, I don’t make
it far before he yanks me back.

“Don’t run.”

“I’m not.” I kiss him, happy to be in this moment together
and ask him, “Why do you think I’m always running?”

He looks up at the night sky and exhales before speaking. I
love watching him, the way he squints and how his forehead creases, then he
says, “I can be… a lot—”

“You think?”

He rolls his eyes and runs a hand over his face, pushing his
hair backwards. I think my comment hurt him as I feel the grip he has on me
loosen. Taking his face in the palms of my hands, I tell him, “I was joking.”

“Well, I wasn’t.”

“Don’t get like this, keep talking.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you, Ever, or felt the way I do
when I’m with you, or away from you for that fact.”

“I feel the same,” I tell him, noticing there is real pain
in his eyes as he speaks. This is really hard for him right now. “I don’t want
to be too much and scare you away.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I reassure him.

“You say that now, but what about when I fuck up, or have a
bad day, and do something stupid?”

“We’ll get through it. We got through today, didn’t we?”

“We did. But when I look back on things, I sometimes wonder
myself why I made the decisions I did. Like today with your work, or buying
your building, or the bikes, or forcing you on a date with me, or…I don’t know.
Sometimes my mind runs away from me and what I think I’m doing is right, really
is crazy.”

“From now on, talk to me about things first and we can make
decisions together. Then we’ll be good. I promise.”

Slowly he nods. I hope he believes me, because it’s the
truth. It’s how I feel. No matter what he does, as long as he talks to me about
it first, I could get past it, and let’s be honest, the shit he pulls is not
serious. He’s not trying to have threesomes or some fucked up shit like that.
He’s only trying to make me happy in his own fucked up controlling way.

“So this is the oldest light house in Rhode Island?” I ask
him, loving how much he knows about the history of everything.

“Yup.”

Like yesterday at the Marble House, they offered him an
audio tour, but King didn’t need it. He knew more than the audio tour would.
Climbing the endless lighthouse steps, I ask him, “When was this built?”

“1856. Do you know what they were used for?”

“I guess to signal boats?” I’m exhausted from climbing so
many stairs.

He chuckles at me, cool as ever from puffing his inhaler,
and I might need to use it myself. “They were made as beacons for sailors to
keep them off the rocky coastlines during the fog. Each lighthouse has it’s own
distinctive light pattern.”

“Fuck, there are a lot of stairs,” I complain, not even able
to listen to what he’s telling me anymore.

“Coming from the hiker herself.”

“Shut up, can I use your inhaler?”

“No way, not gonna die today.”

I shake my head; he’s in one of his ornery moods. Glancing
up, I see the opening for the top.
Finally.

As we step up, there is a family in there enjoying the view,
and I whisper in King’s ear, “Guess we can’t have fun.”

He grabs a handful of one of my breasts and pushes my body
against the half wall, half window. “Sure, we can.” Slowly, he slides his hand
down and tries to stick it in my pants. I swat him away, and he gets that look
in his eye. The one where he’s about to lose control, and I tell him, “You’re
like a child, don’t.”

I catch the family staring at us and give them a small wave,
“Hi.”

They awkwardly scoot away from us, and I say, “Sorry, he
doesn’t get out that often.” King has his back to them and glares at me
mouthing, “
You’re so gonna pay.”

Rolling my eyes at him, I say, “Anyways. Tell me about
this.”

He spouts off all the details about the interior, more
information than I can retain, but I love hearing him talk about the things he
loves. Then the other family leaves and I slowly start to back away. His eyes
are carnal. Fuck…he’s pissed and I’m about to pay. I dart for the stairs and he
blocks me, lifting me up so I am in his arms and I can’t fight him. Clinging to
him, he sweeps the hair out of my eyes and says, “What is it? Do you like
pissing me off?”

I nod and he presses me against the window, the cool glass
sending a chill through my body. He kisses me, ripping out one of my tits and
goes down on it. Then I hear footsteps and tap his back. He doesn’t stop and I
pull him away, holding his face beneath my fingers as I slip my boob back in
and say, “Someone is coming.”

His ears perk up and he mutters, “Motherfucker.”

Softly he sets me down, and we smile at the people entering,
and I say, “Well…that light was huge.”

He spanks my ass as we begin our descent and says, “You
know, I designed a house in Maine once and they wanted a chandelier in their
foyer that looked like the light from a lighthouse. 

“Did you do it?” I ask.

“Of course I did. Baby, I can do anything.”

As we walk back out into the warm summer day, I’m surprised
that King didn’t need to use his inhaler on the way down, but we did take it
slower, especially compared to the day we went hiking. Plus, I might’ve been
showing off a little bit.

Getting into the car, I check my phone and see a missed call
from my dad. Listening to his voicemail throws the clarity of the day right out
the window.

Tossing it in my purse, King asks me as we drive off,
“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

“Don’t lie to me, you’re horrible at it.”

I look out the window, trying to hold the tears at bay. He
takes my hand in his, sensing that something is really bothering me. “Hey,
what’s the matter? Don’t cry, baby.”

I shake my head and wipe my eyes dry. “Talk to me, Ever.”

Looking at the ocean as we roll down the coast, I’m aware I
can’t hide from next week forever. Finally, King pulls over and forces me to
look at him. “What’s going on?”

“Next week is the six-year anniversary of my mom’s passing.”

“Damn, baby, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Leaning over, he
wraps his arms around me and I relish in him in this moment, getting lost in
this wonderful world we’ve created, like I have since the moment I gave in to
him.

“It never gets easier, King.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t.”

“I want it to.”

“I want it for you, too.” He strokes his long fingers down
my hair and I sob. Wishing I had the key to letting her go. To finding a way to
ease the pain. I want it to get easier…but how?

“What can I do to help?” he asks. “I’ll do anything.”

I smile, loving his sincerity, and pull back, kissing him
tenderly. “There is nothing you can do, King. I guess it just takes time.”

“There’s got to be something.”

“No, there isn’t. Trust me, before I met you, I was far
worse. You’ve helped me tremendously.”

“I have?” he asks confused.

“Yeah, as exasperating and fun as you are, it’s been a great
distraction from my day-to-day life. I mean, yeah, I flew out of my house
pissed at the noise the day we met, and your smug ass expression, but finally I
had something else to focus on, rather than the mundane acts of my boring
life.”

“I know what you mean; I’ve felt that same way. But I don’t
think you’re exasperating or even fun for that matter,” he says with a smirk.

“No?” I ask, with a grin.

“No, you’re sexy and mind-blowing and—”

“I think you are too.” I cut him off, loving how he puts me
in such a good place. He smiles and hugs me again.

“We’ll make it through next week, baby. It will be hard, but
I’ll be extra annoying, I promise.”

“Geez, thanks.”

He brushes his thumb over my lips, his expression eating me
whole, and then he kisses me gently, a few soft pecks, igniting my heart,
before he puts the car in drive and pulls away.

It’s been almost a week since my and King’s little
rendezvous, and although I told him to not be controlling, I can’t help but
wish he would. Tomorrow is my mom’s anniversary, and I’m dreading it. If he
were to text my boss again and make up another lie, I’d be happy this time, but
I won’t tell him that.

I’ve got the day off and that’s most important. Had I needed
to work tomorrow, I’m not sure how much help I would be. I’ve never worked on
an anniversary of my mom’s passing, because I’m simply a wreck. As I wash up in
the ladies’ room, Mistee comes in and says, “You did a great job today.”

“Thanks, girl.”

“You wanna do something tonight? I can bring wine and cupcakes
over again.”

“I can’t. King and I are hanging out.”

“Okay. Things seem to be getting serious with him.”

“Yeah, I guess they are.”

“You guess?” she retorts. “You’re with him all the time, he
drops you off, picks you up, you missed the happy hour we had the other night…”

“I’ve been spent, dude; running the kitchen is a lot.”

“I know, I’ve done it.”

She walks away from me and goes into the stall to pee. “I’m
only trying to look out for you, girl. I don’t want you to jump into anything
too fast,” she says

I roll my eyes. “I won’t, trust me. King is good to me.”

“Good, well, as long as you’re happy…then I’m happy.”

“Thanks, I’m gonna run, babe,” I tell her and dash out of
the restroom, ready to get out of here.

Walking out the back door, it is pouring rain. I stop dead
in my tracks, not wanting to get wet, and before I can even think about what I
should do, King says, “Hey, beautiful,” holding an umbrella over himself,
hiding under the eaves. “Hey,” I say and step under it with him.

He kisses me hard, like he hasn’t seen me for a year and I
melt into him. Needing him to get me through tomorrow. In such a short time,
I’ve grown to depend on him so much. As he leads me to the car and guides me in
without a raindrop hitting me, I smile, thankful that I hit the damn jackpot
with him.

Once he’s in, he tosses the umbrella in the back and touches
my cheek. “Long day?” he asks, sensing the exhaustion in my eyes.

“Uh huh, thank God I didn’t take the job at Dellagio’s; that
would be even longer hours.”

He chuckles and says, “Speaking of, I had lunch there with a
client today and Lorenzo said the job offer is still open.”

I chuckle a little. “That’s very nice of him.” Resting my
head back and gazing out the window. He grabs my hand, gripping it, causing me
to look over at him.

“Did you decide what you want to do tonight?”

“I think I want to stay in. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course, it’s what I figured you’d want to do.”

He backs his car out and makes the quick trip to my place.
As we pull up, I’m thankful the rain has stopped. We get out of the car and
he’s got quite a few bags to carry inside. “Do you want help with all that?” I
ask him.

“No.”

“What’s in there?” I peek as we walk into my building.

“Nothing.” He yanks them away and I giggle.

Once we are inside, I go straight for the shower. I can
still smell food on me. As the hot water flows over my exhausted body, I can’t
kick the stress of how tomorrow is going to be. Taking in a deep breath, I
remind myself that I can make it through another anniversary. I’ll be strong.
It’s what my mom would want, and thankfully, for the first time since her
passing, I’ll have King to help me along.

“Here,” he says, opening the shower curtain and handing me a
cold beer.

“Oh my God, I love you.”

“You do?” he asks.

I nervously take a sip of the beer, not sure how to respond
– that came out all wrong. “I’m only fucking with you, baby,” he says, letting
me off the hook. And as much as that should come as a relief, when I look deep
inside myself at how dependent I’ve become upon my and King’s relationship and
what he means to me, how much he means to me, I wonder, do I love him?

He sits on the toilet with the curtain cracked, watching me.
I hand my beer back to him and he leans on the back of the toilet, seemingly
content, staring at me. Which is not like King. Normally, he’d already be in
here, pressing me against the wall, drilling his cock into me.

“You okay?” I ask him.

“I’m perfect,” he responds, and as I rinse my hair I notice
him staring at the beer bottle he’s holding. 

“You gonna drink with me tonight?” I ask, wondering why he
never gives in.

“Nah, I’d rather get you drunk and take advantage of you.”

“So you think you got this in the bag?” I tease him, knowing
there is no point to probe. If he doesn’t want to drink, then that’s his
choice. We’re not in high school, I’m not going to peer pressure him into it.

Running my hand down my body, touching myself, he gives an
exaggerated nod with a grin from ear to ear, liking what he’s seeing. “I guess
we’ll have to wait and see about that.”

“I guess we will.” He passes me back my beer and pinches my
nipple before walking off. “Enjoy the rest of your shower.”

“Hey,” I shout at him walking away from me like that. I
finish showering and dry off, then notice his bag on the end of my bed.
Unzipping it, I ravage through it and pull on a pair of his boxer briefs and a
comfy t-shirt.

Strutting into the living room, my senses are filled with
the most amazing smells. “What is that?” I ask as he’s standing in front of the
stove.

“I don’t know, some shit Lorenzo sent with me today.”

“Christ, that man is killing me.”

“I like your clothes,” he says, hugging me and placing the
spout of another beer to my lips.

“They’re yours – you should,” I respond after swallowing a
bountiful amount of the hoppy fluid. 

“I know they are, but I really like you in them.” He reaches
behind him for a gift bag.

“What did you buy me?” I immediately ask, worried that he
went way over the top.

“It’s nothing big, don’t get all crazy.”

Glaring at him, I say, “Remember who the crazy one is.”

I take the bag and peek inside, immediately smiling when I
see the array of tiny liquor bottles. “Ahhh, you got me more shooters?”

“Yeah, I knew you were getting low.”

“You are so thoughtful.” He kisses me and the timer on the
oven beeps. “It’s done already?”

“I guess. He said to only put it in for ten minutes.”

I grab two plates and King pulls out four to-go containers.
Each one he opens has a different amazing food in it. We each dish some out
onto our plates, and then I ask King, “Are you okay if we eat on the couch?”

“Baby, whatever you want is good with me.”

As we sit down and indulge in the amazing food, my eyes are
drawn to one of the letters my mom wrote to me that is on the coffee table. It
sends a twinge of pain through my heart and King senses it as I stop eating and
reread it. “Are we still having dinner with your dad tomorrow?” he asks me.

“Yeah.”

“You sure he’s cool that I’m coming?”

“Are you kidding me? He loves you.”

He smiles and asks me, “Did you decide what you want to do
tomorrow?”

“Well, I don’t want to do anything.”

“I’m sure you don’t, baby, and if you don’t feel up to it in
the morning, then we’ll stay in and make it through the day together. But
getting out might be good.”

“I agree, I want to try. When my mom was battling cancer,
she couldn’t hike like we used to. But we would go to the Newport Cliff walk.
It was an easy flat stroll with amazing views. I haven’t been there since she
passed, and with you by my side…I think I’m ready.”

“Okay,” he says and squeezes my thigh. “I like that idea,
we’ll go there then.”

After we are finished eating, King takes our plates to the
kitchen and cleans up. Lying back on the couch, I love watching him in my home.
“Hand me those shots, baby?” I ask and he tosses me the bag that I dig around
in until I find the perfect one. Sipping on it, I let the alcohol burn away the
pain that is climbing its way to the surface. He comes back over and hands me
another gift that he has hidden behind the couch. Sitting up, I look back there
to see if he’s got any more buried away. “King?”

“What? It’s nothing big and I promise you’ll love it.”

The bag is huge and I worry it’s another goddamn dress. “It
better have not cost a lot of money.”

“Shut up and open it,” he says rolling his eyes as he sits
down, pulling my feet onto his lap.

Taking out the white tissue paper, I let it fall to the
floor and ask him, “What is it with you and white?”

“I thought you liked white?”

“Just because I’m a chef doesn’t mean it’s my favorite
color.” Taking out a huge white box, I set it on my lap and tell him, “My
favorite color is baby blue.”

“Damn…really?”

“Yes.”

Removing the lid, I am flooded with emotions as a picture of
my mom, dad, and I stares back at me, filling the entire front cover of a photo
album. My hand flies over my mouth and a hurricane of tears rushes down my
cheeks. King leans over and opens the first page for me, as I sit up so we are next
to each other.

Glancing down at the page of memories, the weight of the
book is so heavy and not only physically, but emotionally too. Then a picture
of my mom and dad on their very first date gazes back at me and I push away the
pain, reminding myself of what they shared. God, they were so happy and free,
both had their whole lives ahead of them.

“Is this okay?” King asks me, looking for reassurance as I
sob like a baby.

“Yes,” I respond, leaning into him as he kisses the top of
my hair, and I begin to turn the pages. Each one goes a little further and
further in my parents’ lives, then there’s me. “God, I was an ugly baby.”

“No, you weren’t,” he says, “You were beautiful, like you
are today.”

I smile as these pictures all bring back so many happy
times, times that I think maybe I’ve suppressed because I’ve been living in the
grief of my mother’s passing.

Page after page after page is a roller coaster of ups and
downs, from tears to smiles and laughs. Then I come upon one of her and I at
the cliff walk, and I tell King, “This is the place I was talking about.”

“Your dad told me.”

“He did?”

“Oh, yes. When I stopped by his place and talked to him
about making this for you, he talked all about how much your mom loved going there.
He was adamant that this picture be in the album.”

Coming to the last page, there is a small thin video screen
of my mother blowing a kiss. I blink watching her as it replays again and
again. Then I break down, crying harder than I have since the day I watched her
take her last breath. King pulls me onto his lap as the album falls to the
floor.

He lets me be, as an ocean of tears, six years worth, flood
out of me, and all I can picture is her blowing that kiss, wishing more than
anything that she was here to do that for me.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says.

“You didn’t,” I respond through a hiccup from crying so
hard. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Was the album okay?”

“It was perfect. How did you get that video?”

“It was on her computer. Your dad let me take it to get
everything I needed to make this for you.”

I’m not sure how to thank him. This is by far the sweetest
thing anyone has ever done for me. Rubbing my thumb over his lips, I feel his
cock grow beneath me and lift my shirt – his shirt – above my head, tossing it
aside. I need to show him how grateful I am and to get lost in what we are. He
takes both of my breasts into his hands, caressing and sucking them. I moan at
his touch, his tongue providing an insurmountable amount of pleasure.

My hips rock against his. He needs me as much as I need him.
Reaching for his shirt, I unbutton it as fast as I can, then tear it over his
head as he shimmies his pants down. My eyes are fixated on his mouthwatering
cock, and I stand to completely undress, but King kisses me, making it hard.
However, once we are both naked, I kneel back over him and he pushes his dick
towards me. Slowly, I slide down on him. He growls, entering my body, and I
gasp at how hard he is. Jiving my hips, relishing in the fullness, our fingers
intertwine, stretched high above his head as I lean down and kiss him,
barreling my tongue into his mouth the same way his cock is fucking me.

“Yessss,” I murmur as he squeezes my fingers, taking away
all the remorse that is running through my mind. Our bodies blend together so
perfectly, the force of our movements so strong you’d think this was the last
time we were ever going to be together. But thankfully with King, I’m confident
we’ll ride off into the sunset of forever.

Trying to catch my breath, I pull back. His chest is
pounding as he takes our hands and places them over his heart. “Are you okay?”
I ask, worried that I can feel his heart beat so strongly.

“Uh huh,” he responds, with passion blazing in his eyes.

His hard shaft is rubbing me just right and I tell him, “I’m
gonna come.”

“Let go, baby,” he says harshly, his deep voice mixed with
sin, and a powerful explosion of bliss rains down on us as we both fall from
the reality we live in, into a world so amazing, where nothing else matters,
except our pleasure and our darkest desires.