Ray kissed my cheek before leaving the room.
Samuel
I removed the food containers from the bags and set it up on the table in front of us. Ulysses had sent chicken parmigiana for me and the chicken and waffles for Averie. I was still fuming from the story Averie told me about Leathen’s wife getting past security and on to her floor. I didn’t care what she felt about moving from that building, that was going to happen as soon as possible. I needed to find out if Leathen’s wife was a threat to Averie and make sure she regretted ever crossing her path. I would have to talk to Countee about that. I cut into my chicken and noticed that Averie hadn’t touched her food yet.
“You gone keep pouting or you gone eat?”
“I’m a grown woman, Samuel. I don’t pout.”
“You acting like a little girl right now.”
“I just don’t like the way you bullied me. You only get away with stuff like that because I love you. Anyone else would have walked away from me with their balls in their hands. Let me make my own choices about my business.”
“This has nothing to do with your business. This has everything to do with your safety. That building and its security have demonstrated on more than one occasion that they are negligent in their duty to secure the building and its occupants. I’m not telling you anything about how to structure your firm, treat your employees or handle your cases. If you ask me, then I can, but that’s not what this about. It’s bad business on the landlord’s part. They should be hyper-vigilant about people coming up on your floor after the attack but yet again some clown that’s easily persuaded let another potentially dangerous person up there. Does that make sense to you?”
“It’s not that simple…”
“Put it this way. What if I said I wanted to out on my own and find who shot me?”
“That’s just stupid,” she responded.
“Why?”
“Why? Because it is!”
“But why, Vee?”
“Because you would be putting yourself in harm’s way…touché. I understand.”
“You know what, you don’t even have to take the floor in my building. I can’t lie, the suggestion was somewhat selfish. I would love to be that close to you on a daily basis.”
She pushed the table back and maneuvered herself to straddle my lap. I welcomed her by placing my hands on her behind.
“You were being selfish? Trying to get me closer to you?”
“Yep,” I moaned while she kissed my neck. “I know you’ve had to think for everyone around you and think for yourself. I’m sure the thought of moving probably is overwhelming. I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to make all the decisions on your own anymore. We can figure anything out together, right?”
“Yes, we can and we will. I missed you so much.”
She looked at me with unshed tears pooling in her eyes.
“I won’t leave you again.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She leaned in and pulled my bottom lip into her mouth then ran her tongue along the seam of my lips. I pulled her closer, and we started to kiss. I hadn’t felt her this close to me or on top of me since I’d been awake and I was enjoying every second of tasting her, smelling her, experiencing her. The first person I thought about when I didn’t think I was going to make it, the one voice that I could distinguish among the rest when I was in a coma, the one I fought to get back to. The woman that I loved.
“El,” she pulled away and looked at me asking without speaking if we could be physical. If we could make love.
“Lock the door,” I nodded toward the hospital room door.
“You sure? Should we ask the doctor?”
“I already did. He said I’m fine just be careful of the wounds.”
I wanted to make love to Vee the second she walked in the room after I’d come out of the coma. I knew I needed to ask about it, not for me because I was more than ready but I didn’t want to expose her to something. Not that I had anything before the incident, but I wanted to be careful. He gave me the green light.