Knight

Chapter Twelve Mr. Sebring

I wandered down the hall in my platinum high-heeled sandals, wearing my kickass, platinum satin dress that clung to all the right parts of me. It was super short, had some intriguing drapes and was held up at my shoulders by slim, oval metal links. My clutch was tucked under my arm and my neck was bent, head twisted, forearms raised because I was still putting in my earring.

I heard Knight on the phone and I knew he was somewhere in the kitchen-living room area.

It was Friday, three weeks from Sandrine Scene, the Sequel.

The good news was, as of Wednesday, I was officially a certified skin technician. Classes were done and three of my nights were free. The other good news was, Knight’s employee, Kathleen, booked a weekly manicure on Monday nights. Weekly! Sixty extra dollars a month and that didn’t include tip. Crazy cool. Further good news was, Sandrine was laying low and licking her wounds that she messed it all up and strange, somewhat loser-ish rich guy who was still into her slipped through her fingers. She hadn’t been out since which meant she might have learned her lesson (hopefully). More good news was that it was the end of April, the weather was warming up and summer, my favorite season, was around the corner.

And the last good news was all things Knight.

We didn’t see each other often but we slept in the same bed every night (well, some of it, at least, since he was never home before two thirty). Sometimes, though rarely, he simply joined me and I didn’t even know it until the alarm sounded and I woke up beside him. Most times, he woke me and did me bossy. A few times, he woke me and made gentle love to me.

I liked all three.

We talked on the phone at least once every day. Depending on when this was, it could last a few minutes to longer. If I was at work, he just checked in. If he was at work and I was at home, sometimes he’d have time, sometimes he wouldn’t, sometimes he’d get called away.

He’d come to work to take me to lunch one day, though and, since I told him, and he thought it was uproariously funny, and I knew this because he laughed uproariously when I told him, he knew he was going to be given the once-over by the office girls.

He showed up in a suit, an electric blue tailored shirt and he still hadn’t had a haircut.

It was reported to me that he also smiled at one of our receptionists, Rosie, when he asked for me. And since everyone was hanging out in reception, they all caught the smile.

Not surprisingly, he was given enthusiastic thumbs-up all around.

When I informed him of this, he again laughed uproariously.

We had our Sundays together and I knew these were sacrosanct because after the first one blown by Sandrine’s antics, he didn’t take a single call all day the last two. He was always in demand, having calls come in when I was on the phone with him or people wanting his attention. So I knew he laid down the law.

For me.

After the first Sunday when his phone didn’t ring once, the second one, I turned mine off.

For Knight.

Now, even though it was nearing ten on a work night for him and he was usually long gone by then, he was taking me to Slade. I didn’t know why but I was going because it was an order.

“Pick a dress. When I look out the window of my office, I wanna see you,” was all he said.

I didn’t know what I’d do by myself, me and whatever security he assigned to me alone in a sea of people in his club. But I figured I could entertain myself.

And bottom line, if Knight wanted to see me out of his office window, I’d be there to be seen.

So I’d spent the last hour and a half after Knight made me dinner dolling up.

Now I was ready.

I’d turned the bend in the L and was wandering down the other hall not listening to him mostly because I was concentrating on walking, holding my clutch, my bracelet I couldn’t get clasped by myself dangling from my fist and finding the hole in my ear all at the same time.

I hit the open area and the curved post of my earring slid in. I stopped to slide on the plastic doohickey to keep it from working its way out and I dropped my hands and looked to Knight.

He was in the kitchen by the bar staring at me, eyes moving over me and they were hungry.

My knees got weak.

“Anya’s ready,” he rumbled into his phone, his voice not smooth by a long shot. “We’re done talking.”

Then he hit a button and dropped his phone to the counter.

“Here,” he growled. “Now.”

I went there and I did it immediately.

When I got there, his hands came instantly to my waist. They slid up over the smooth fabric at my sides then slid down. I held onto his biceps as I watched his eyes watch his hands move. Then his hands slid back and I came closer as they hit my behind. Then they clenched in and he jerked the skirt of my dress up.

I drew in a sharp breath and my fingers tensed into the hard muscle under the expensive fabric of his suit.

His eyes held mine and one finger slid deeper then traced the fabric of my thong, pressing in and gliding down, down…

My lips parted.

“Just checkin’,” he muttered, his hands retreating then smoothing my skirt over my bottom.

I swallowed.

Then, my voice low and slightly throaty, I asked softly, “Can you do my bracelet? I can’t get the clasp.”

“Give it to me,” was Knight’s answer which I correctly took as a yes.

I did then gave him my wrist and dipped my head to watch him work the clasp.

“Your girl, Vivica,” he said as he attached the bracelet. “She do only brothers or does she prefer other flavors?”

He finished with the clasp and my eyes went to his to see his on me.

“She prefers her own kind,” I answered.

“She got any kink?” he went on and my head gave a slight jerk then tipped to the side.

“Kink?”

“Kink. She a freak?”

“Um…”

His hands came to my hips and gave them a squeeze.

“She into deep shit? Serious shit?”

“Well, we haven’t gotten into specifics but I think she just likes to give over control and I know she likes to be a bad girl occasionally. Though, I did open the floodgates of that, she knows she can share with me and she didn’t describe anything like that. I got the sense she was relieved she could talk about it at all so she would and didn’t. So, my guess, no.”

“Find out,” he ordered and I blinked.

Then I asked quietly, “Why?”

“Heard the boys talkin’, there’s a brother who’s lookin’ to own and his goal is to possess a woman properly which means, long-term. He’s seen your girl and flat out said he wanted to bring her to heel. I asked a few questions, he’s way into that shit but like me. He wants all woman and sweet. He absolutely does not want kink. She’s that woman, I’ll give him the high sign.”

I stared at him and I knew my eyes were big at the thought of Knight Sebring, matchmaking.

Then I breathed, “Really?”

One side of his lips curled up and his hands slid to the small of my back bringing me close as he muttered, “Really.”

I arched back an inch and tipped my head to the side again. “Can you vouch for him?”

I watched and smiled a small smile as Knight burst out laughing.

Then he pulled me closer, one hand staying at the small of my back, one hand gliding up to between my shoulder blades when he said, “Uh… what he does with his hands, mouth and dick, no. I cannot vouch for him and I’m not goin’ there. They hook up, that’s up to your girl to find out. If you mean is he a good guy? Absolutely.”

I relaxed into him and murmured, “Okay.” Then my hand slid up to his neck and my fingertips drifted through the hair curling at his neck. “Do you guys talk about that, um… stuff a lot?”

“If you’re askin’ do I share how much I get off on bein’ your Daddy, fuck no. No one knows shit about me and definitely not about you. Can they guess about me and us, probably. My desire for control is not a secret. That said, Rhashan’s a man who knows who he is, doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of him, likes to get off like he likes it so if he’s recruiting, he asks around and he’s choosy.” He grinned. “The club’s the club, babe. Boys know and get a lotta pussy. A bitch is that way, they’ll know and throw her his way. And your girl is that way. Club pussy, usually not worth it. One-time deal. What I know of your girl, Rhash will think he hit the fuckin’ mother lode.”

I started giggling and Knight smiled as he watched me do it.

My fingers drifted back through the hair at his neck and my eyes dropped to watch before going back to his.

Then I said quietly, “You need a haircut, honey.”

“Uh… no,” he said quietly back. “Every time I let you use your hands, you get excited, you fist them in my hair. I like to feel you get excited any way including that way. I start lookin’ like a biker or a hippie, I’ll go to the barber. Until then, my baby’s got something to hold onto.”

I melted into him and assured, “You don’t look like a biker or a hippie.”

“Then we’re good,” he muttered, his lips twitching.

“Though, when I have Jeans and Heavy Metal Tee Knight Sundays, you look a little like a biker but it’s hot.”

Another lip twitch then, “So we’re still good.”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

His brows went up. “Jeans and Heavy Metal Tee Knight Sundays?”

“Best day of the week,” I whispered. His brows went down, his eyes dropped to my mouth but not before I saw them get dark then his head dropped and he kissed me.

I had to fix my lip gloss and Knight had to go to the bathroom to wipe my old off before he put my ass in his awesome ride and took me to the club.

I wandered in the club my hand in Knight’s, the lights flashing, the music loud but my mind was on the sign on the wall in the alley.

Space Restricted – Mr. Sebring

Mr. Sebring.

I thought about my life two months ago.

I thought about it now.

I thought about my man, Mr. Sebring.

And I was looking to the floor, my lips curved but inside I was smiling wide.

I saw the steps in front of me, Knight already up one and I lifted my foot shod in a sandal that cost nearly nine hundred dollars when I heard:

“Surprise!”

My head jerked back and I saw the VIP podium filled with my friends and bright balloons that shouted, “Congratulations!” and “Graduate!”

Oh my fucking God.

My body froze except my eyes shot to Knight.

He was looking back at me grinning.

I’d received my skin technology certificate on Wednesday.

Oh.

My.

Fucking.

God.

I felt my face begin to crumble as emotions overwhelmed me and luckily Knight moved fast or everyone would see me, face smushed, crying. But they didn’t because I was in his arms with my face pressed into his neck.

“Baby,” he whispered in my ear.

“She… she did… didn’t… I was out of the house, on my own. I didn’t get a gra… gra… graduation party in high school,” I stammered into the skin of his neck and his arms gave me a squeeze.

“Well, you have one now,” Knight told me.

“It’s just… just…” my breath hitched then I heaved out, “skin technology.”

His arms squeezed again and stayed tight around me as he said in my ear, “It’s an accomplishment. You worked for it. You earned it. Now, you fuckin’ celebrate it.”

I sucked in breath, pulled my head back and dashed my fingers on my cheeks, looking at him.

He was slightly watery.

He was still all kinds of beautiful.

“Thank you,” my mouth moved with the words but no sound came out.

I know he got it when his face dipped, his lips went to my ear and he whispered, “Anything for my baby.”

I took in a stuttering breath.

My body was taking in needed oxygen.

But I knew as it got what it needed to breathe, still, I’d lost my heart.

Knight let me go but took my hand.

Then he led me up to my party.

Knight had stayed for half an hour but then he had to get to work.

But I had no orders. This was my party.

I drank lemon drops.

For my man, I didn’t go to the dance floor.

On lemon drop three, I cornered Viv in relative privacy.

“Right,” I leaned in, semi-shouting in her ear, “don’t get pissed and maybe later you’ll thank me but right now, gotta know. Are you into kink?”

She jerked back and her brows were knit over narrow eyes as she shouted, “What?”

I leaned in again and semi-shouted, “Kink. Serious shit. Sexually.”

Her head turned, she caught my eyes and semi-shouted back, “Why we talking about this now, girl? Knight do something to flip you out?”

“No,” I semi-shouted in return. “He… uh, might have a live one for you.”

She again jerked back but her brows shot up this time.

I held my breath, hoping that she wouldn’t be pissed at me for telling her secret.

Then she asked loudly but curiously, “Brother?”

I let out my breath and fought back a smile.

Vivica, God, I loved her.

I nodded.

“Hot?”

I shook my head. “No clue. Knight vouches for him though. Said he’s absolutely a good guy but he’s not into, um… kink. Straight up, um… other stuff. And he’s seen you around and said straight out he wants to,” I leaned in and semi-shouting again said in her ear, “bring you to heel.”

She leaned back, her eyes wide, her lips forming the words, “Oo lordy.”

I grinned.

Her eyeballs rolled to the ceiling. “Please God, make him be hot. Please God, make the brother be hot.”

“Is that the go-ahead for me to give the go-ahead to Knight to give the high sign?” I asked.

Her eyeballs rolled back to me and she yelled instantly, “Fuck yeah, bitch!”

I giggled as I unclasped my bag, pulled out my phone and typed in a text.

K, V not into kink. Give R high sign. She’s nearly panting. xxoo A

I got no text back.

Fifteen minutes later, a six foot seven inch, broad, bulky, muscled, bald, glorious, midnight skinned black man in a suit like Knight’s but with a black shirt came walking up the steps, eyes glued to Viv.

My eyes first went to Viv to see her eyes glued to the brother and she was doing a bad job at pretending she wasn’t hyperventilating.

Then my eyes went to Knight’s window.

Then I smiled.

Huge.

On lemon drop five when I was bordering on tipsy, I felt a hand light on the small of my back.

It wasn’t Knight. I would smell him.

I also knew this because the touch was light and it was quick then gone.

I twisted my neck and looked up at Hulk aka Kurt.

“Yo!” I shouted, he blinked then the sides of his lips inched up a quarter of a millimeter.

Then he announced, “Knight wants you in his office.”

Oh goodie.

“You’re escorted,” he finished.

“Lead the way, my man,” I invited, still shouting.

He shook his head.

Then he led the way. I followed and when we left the VIP section, he stayed close. Sometimes, his body skimmed mine. Sometimes, his hand skimmed my waist to guide me. Sometimes, he shifted in front of me, arm out, professionally pushing people aside so I could get through.

Mr. Sebring.

God, my boyfriend was hot and cool in such a myriad of ways, it was mind-boggling.

And he was all this and he didn’t even have to be there.

The bouncer that stood beside the door to the stairs to Knight’s office saw us coming and he had it opened before we got there.

I smiled at him and went through.

The door closed behind me.

Kurt didn’t follow. I was alone on the stairs.

I walked up them, carrying my lemon drop and when I got to the top, I knocked.

The answer was Knight calling, “Anya.”

I turned the knob, pushed it open a couple of feet and stuck my head in, twisting it around the side of the door until I saw Knight standing at the chest against the wall that had all the booze.

“Okay if I come in?” I asked.

“Babe, Kurt was sent to fetch you to me. You don’t even have to knock.”

I smiled at him and came in fully, keeping my eyes on him and watching him shaking his head, lips twitching.

I closed the doors and went to him, belatedly noticing he was opening a bottle of champagne. One of those bottles that had the flowers painted on it.

Which meant an expensive bottle.

There were two sparkling clean champagne flutes sitting on the low chest.

Celebration

For me.

Okay, all right.

Okay, right.

I licked my lips.

This was it. It had happened.

God.

I was in love.

God.

The cork popped.

I stopped close, put my clutch and lemon drop glass on the chest and leaned a thigh into it as I watched him pour.

“Um… already spoiled with the party, sweetheart,” I said quietly.

“Not enough,” he muttered, still pouring.

My belly dropped.

Yep.

In.

Love.

“Okay, then, further spoiled with you hooking up my girl.”

His eyes came to me and he held the glass out to me.

“Not enough,” he said firmly, I took the glass and he went for the other one.

I shut up.

He poured.

Then he set the bottle aside and ordered, “Here.”

I was a foot and a half away.

I went there.

His arm curled around me, my free hand went to rest on his shoulder and he lifted his glass.

I did too.

He touched his to mine and caught my eyes. “Proud of you, baby, workin’ your ass off findin’ ways to make life better.”

I smiled into his eyes. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

I noticed his glass going up, I brought mine up too and we drank.

When Knight was done, he immediately put his to the chest then slid mine out of my hand and it joined it. Then he shoved his hand in the pocket of his trousers.

“Hand, babe, palm up,” he muttered.

I lifted my hand, palm up.

His hand came out and he dropped a set of keys into my palm.

My breath left me as I stared. Then I stared harder.

I thought they’d be for a car which I couldn’t accept, I loved him but he’d already done enough for me. But they weren’t.

I already had the keys to his house.

I felt my brows inch together as my eyes went from the keys to him.

“What –?” I started and he turned fully into me. I had to close my hand around the keys and put it to the chest as he pulled me to him using both arms.

“Notice,” he stated confusingly then went on. “Monday. The bossy bitch who likes to spend money is on stand-by. I’ll give you her card, you call her, sit down with her, tell her your vision but if you don’t want black, don’t mention red.”

I shook my head, still confused. “Pardon?”

“Once she does her gig,” he continued, not answering me but still talking, “she’ll inform me. The firm who does my marketing for the club will pull together a strategy. You want a one-woman show, it’ll be small. You wanna hire staff, they’ll do it up.”

“Knight, what are you talking about?”

“Own most of this block, babe, had a shop close down. Opposite corner. Those keys open the front door. That’s your new spa.”

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

My chest seized, I pulled out of his arms, hard, heart beating, harder.

“I can’t accept that,” I whispered then finished, “And I won’t.”

His brows snapped together.

“What?”

I shook my head. Overwhelmed. Happy he’d want to do that. For me.

But it was not going to happen.

“I’m sorry,” I said louder. “That was rude, honey. What you’ve done is sweet. I appreciate it. But I can’t accept.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Why the fuck not?”

“I just…” I faltered. “I just can’t.”

He studied me then he crossed his arms on his chest.

“Why, Anya?”

“I… you wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” he ordered.

I pulled in a breath and looked across the room.

Then I thought maybe he would understand.

I looked back at him.

“It has to be me. It has to be mine. I have to do it on my own.”

“Love you, babe,” he said, throwaway. My stomach clenched and dropped and my heart squeezed because he meant it but said it in a way like I already knew it. “Love you,” he repeated. “But that’s fucked.”

I powered through the fact that he loved me.

Loved me!

And I stuck with the current matter at hand.

“Knight, honey, you did this all on your own.” I flicked a hand out to indicate the club. “Can’t you get me?”

His head cocked to the side and he said, “I did not fuckin’ do all this on my own.”

I blinked.

Then I asked, “What?”

“Babe, do you have any clue how much it costs to set up a place like this?”

I totally didn’t.

“No.”

“A fuckin’ lot,” he told me. “I had a silent partner. He was the capital, I was the face. He existed to drive me up the fuckin’ wall. I did all the work. He shoved his nose in, fucked things up. Repeatedly. He did not get the concept of ‘silent’ no matter how often or what tactics I used to explain. Couple of years in, I was done with him drivin’ me up the wall. I made moves, took over, forced him out. Hostile. Though, I was thorough and he was half asshole, half idiot. Didn’t put up much of a fight. Now I own the club outright and he lives in Costa Rica with three local women who, sources say, regularly get in catfights not for his attention but for his generosity ‘cause he’s still got more money than sense. One of his bright ideas for this place was female mud wrestling. He’s havin’ the time of his life.”

I felt my lips quirk and I asked, “Female mud wrestling?”

“Like I said, the dude is half asshole, half idiot.”

I started giggling.

Knight didn’t find anything funny.

“I’m tired of you crawlin’ out of bed three hours after I joined you in it. I’m tired of classes and client nights and Saturdays which means I cannot have dinner with my woman but once a week. And bottom line, I’m not gonna sit back and watch my woman work her ass off when I can do something about it. You need to lose the day job.”

“Knight –”

“You can’t not accept because that’s unacceptable,” he cut me off. “You put notice in, no more than two weeks, Anya. And you spend your time with that bossy bitch who likes to spend money and move your clients to days. And your nights, before I have to take off, are spent with me. You design the spa you want. You decide how you’re gonna play it. We market it to get you clients. And I cover all that and your rent and living expenses until you get that show on the road.”

“Knight –”

“This isn’t a discussion.”

“Knight!” I shouted.

“What?” he clipped.

“Okay, but I have twenty thousand dollars saved for when I was gonna start my spa and I handle my rent and living expenses until I get that show on the road. And you keep track of what you spend and when I start turning a profit, we’ll set up a schedule for me paying you back.”

This was the wrong thing to say and I knew by the hard look that settled on his face.

“You don’t pay someone back for a gift, Anya.”

“But this is too much,” I replied carefully.

“When a gift is given, isn’t that for the person who’s giving it to say?”

Damn, he had a point.

“I –”

He interrupted me again to rap out, “You happy?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“In a way you know it’s gonna last?”

He asked that because he was happy in a way he knew it was going to last.

My heart turned over and I stared at him. Then I looked over my shoulder at his window, not able to see my party but knowing it was there.

A party he gave to me.

Mr. Sebring.

I looked back at him.

“I’m in love with you, so yes.”

He closed his eyes and he did it slowly, dropping his head.

That meant something to him.

I stared at him. Tall, broad, strong, scary, dude you don’t mess with Knight Sebring, head bowed, overcome.

No, I was wrong.

It meant everything to him.

My nose began to sting.

He opened his eyes and looked up, catching mine.

“Come here, baby.”

I moved back into his arms.

“Please let me give this to you,” he whispered.

“I can’t now nor will I ever be in the position to give you –”

He squeezed me quiet and his face dipped close. “Toasted almond pancakes. Sweet soft ‘okays’. Makin’ me laugh more in a few weeks than I have in decades. ‘Yes, Daddys’ I feel in my dick. The first voicemail you left me, babe, I saved it and I listen to it once a day. If I lose focus, I see you on your back, knees high, legs wide, offering your sweet, wet pussy to me. You smile at me in bed every time you wander outta my bedroom in my shirts, my tees or your work clothes and honest to Christ, it sets me up for the day. And no matter what shit goes down, I get through it knowin’ whichever bed I climb into at night, you’re in it ready to snuggle into me or give me what I wanna take. Your girl, a headache. You, never. And in a life that’s been full of headaches, babe, having that, there is no price tag. You gotta get it and do it right fuckin’ now that there’s a lotta different kinds of give and take. And you give as good as you get, baby, trust me.”

“We haven’t been together very long,” I reminded him.

“You love me and I love you. How long does that need to be?”

Another excellent point.

“I don’t want you ever to think I’m using you,” I whispered.

“You ask for a Maserati?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“You ask for anything?”

“No. But –”

“You start takin’ what I don’t offer, babe, or askin’ for the moon, we got a problem. But I’m tellin’ you right now, and mark it, Anya, I’m fuckin’ thankful your cell phone was jacked. Because if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t have wandered into my bedroom that night and I wouldn’t go to bed at night with the scent of your hair all I can smell and the taste of your pussy still in my mouth and your sweet body close to me and know I’ll sleep easy and wake up happy. And I wake up happy, baby, because I possess beauty and I own that beauty in all the forms it can take and the least important of those are physical.”

Oh God.

“Knight –”

His arms gave me a squeeze. “Let me give this to you.”

I fell silent, not that I was saying much of anything.

His face got closer. “Let… me… give this to you.”

I held his vivid blue eyes.

Then I whispered, “Okay.”

It was then his vivid blue eyes held mine.

Then he whispered back, “Okay.”

I closed my eyes tight then opened them and asked softly, “You love me?”

“Baby, you were made for me.”

Oh God.

My face started scrunching up again and his hand wrapped around the back of my head and shoved it in his neck.

I held on but muttered a broken, “Thank you.”

“Fuck, you’re the hardest bitch I’ve ever met to give shit to,” he grumbled.

My emotions careening all over the place, I pulled back and narrowed my eyes on him.

“Oh, so, you were also generous with your smorgasbord of pussy?”

He grinned. “Baby, don’t ask me that but I will say I never gave any of them a spa.”

“Good,” I snapped.

“Or a phone that cost a G,” he went on.

“Excellent,” I snapped again.

“Maybe a dress or shoes but not both and definitely not three,” he muttered then finished musingly, “Or even two.”

“It might be a good idea to shut up now, Knight,” I suggested.

He grinned again.

Then he noted, “Now who’s bossy?”

“I’m allowed to be bossy. I’m about to be the owner of Denver’s most kickass spa.”

Knight’s arms got tight around me and he burst out laughing.

I watched.

I did it smiling.

And I did it in love with Mr. Sebring.