Claiming Carter (23 page)

“No, it’s going to be okay, Lex. I’ll be fine. I just need you to pick me up in the morning for work.”

“Are you sure, girl?” Lexy argued from the other end of the phone. “I don’t know if I could stay in that house so soon. I mean, it was just a couple of days ago that somebody broke in.”

“I know,” I replied, “but I can’t just move in with Kelvin. I mean, don’t get me wrong, staying with him has been amazing, but I have to go back to work tomorrow, and I still have to fix the place up, too. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright, well if you need me to stay there with you, I can. Mike will understand.”

“I’m sure he would, and I really appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll be okay.”

“Well, as long as you’re sure. Okay, I’ll see you bright and early.”

Lexy and I hung up the phone and I went back to getting dressed for the last time at Kelvin’s penthouse. I’d decided it was time for me to get back to my own house and get back to my real life. Living in a luxury penthouse with an amazingly gorgeous boyfriend was like living in some sort of womanly fantasy, and I’d enjoyed every minute of it, but I knew eventually I would have to come back down to earth and live my life again. The good news was that I knew that Kelvin intended on being a part of my normal life, which meant that my normal life was going to be a lot less normal—and sexy—with him around.

Kelvin trotted out of the bathroom and continued buttoning up his shirt in preparation for our date. When we woke up this morning, it was later than we’d expected it to be, so Kelvin decided to take me out to brunch before heading back to my place to clean up the house. It didn’t come as a surprise that Kelvin was dressed just as sexy as he usually was, with black slacks and a white and black button up shirt. I watched him sit on the edge of the bed and begin tying up what I’d decided were my favorite pair of white and black, patent leather shoes. I was wearing a yellow summer dress, and I gave myself a pat on the back for deciding to bring a pair of yellow heels to match.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said as I slipped my foot into one shoe. “Why do you always seem to put so much effort into dressing so nice? I honestly have never seen a man dress as well as you do.”

Kelvin smiled his signature titillating smile. “I don’t know. It’s a Carter thing I guess.”

“A Carter thing?”

“Yeah. I guess it’s what we do in the casino business. I guess I get it from my dad.”

“So, your dad goes all out when he gets dressed, too?”

“My dad is a business man,” Kelvin answered. “He has business every single day, so he’s always dressed like he’s ready for business. It’s definitely something that he passed down to my brother and me.” Kelvin’s expression grew somber upon mentioning his brother.

“Well, I’m glad he passed that down to you. It just looks like everything you wear costs a fortune. Your dad must be passing down a lot of money too.”

“So, you’re good with Gallo’s for brunch?” Kelvin said, expertly changing the subject. He had an obvious wall up when it came to his father. I was curious about it all, but I knew it was too early to press about something that he obviously didn’t want to talk about.

“Sure,” I replied. “Gallo’s is fine. As long as they have steak and eggs.”

“That they do. The best steak and eggs in the city.”

“Then I’m all for it. Let’s go eat.”

Kelvin and I made our way down the elevator and into the parking garage under the casino. I walked over to the Kelvin’s Ducati but was surprised when he didn’t stop at the motorcycle. Instead, he walked two cars down to a black 2013 Chevy Camaro, with black and silver rims that looked like it had just come straight from the car wash.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed with a wide smile. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, this is my baby,” Kelvin replied proudly. “I usually ride my bike, so I hardly ever bring this one out. Sometimes I forget I even have it.”

“Wow. It’s beautiful. Why the change today?”

Kelvin seemed to think about his answer. “Just thought I’d change it up a bit. Give us a windless ride today.”

Kelvin pressed a button on his remote and the round LED lights of the car lit up the entire garage, and I heard the car’s doors unlock. Just as I reached for the handle, Kelvin came jogging over to my side of the car and opened my door for me.

“Thank you, Kelvin,” I stated with a smile.

“My pleasure,” Kelvin replied.

When he closed the door, it was as if the entire inside of the car had been sprayed with Kelvin’s Dark Temptation cologne. The interior was all black leather, and all the lights on the inside shone a bright red. Kelvin got in on the driver’s side and started the engine, and I could feel the rumbling throughout my entire body. The sound of the engine was a deep, thunderous groan that echoed off the walls of the parking garage. Kelvin shifted the car into first gear, and pressed lightly on the gas pedal. Once we were outside of the confines of the concrete garage, Kelvin stomped on the gas and the car sped around the corner, sending a rushing feeling coursing through me. We dodged in and out of traffic, weaving through the tight spaces between cars, and I felt both terrified and turned on at the same time. The feeling was exhilarating, but I made sure to look down and ensure my seatbelt was securely fastened.

When we arrived at Gallo’s, it was a pleasant surprise to see that we would be eating outside on the sidewalk. The restaurant had an option to eat outside or inside, but Kelvin and I chose to go outside and enjoy the sun and the sounds of the city. The hostess escorted us to our seats in front of the building and sat us at a nice little spot underneath a large green and white umbrella. When our waitress came out, she did an immediate double take when she saw Kelvin. It was impossible not to recognize her change in demeanor as she smiled at him flirtatiously when he ordered his eggs and steak, cooked medium rare. I certainly didn’t get the same reception when I ordered mine, cooked medium.

“Looks like you’ve got a fan,” I snickered.

“She’s just trying to get a good tip,” Kelvin replied, blowing off my assessment.

“Yeah, the tip of your dick,” I answered, conjuring up my best Lexy impression.

Kelvin chuckled out loud. Then, he reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. “You don’t have to worry about that. It’s all yours.”

I failed to contain my bashful, yet prideful smile as I took ahold of his hand.

Six or seven minutes later, our food was brought over to our table by our annoyingly flirtatious waitress. As she placed the plates on the table, I noticed her look Kelvin up and down and wink at him. My new found sense of ownership and protection suddenly came rearing its ugly head.

“Excuse me, Julie,” I said, reading her nametag. “I know you see me sitting here. So, it’s in your best interest to stop eye-fucking my boyfriend before you piss me off, and cause me to act un-ladylike.”

Julie stared at me blankly for a moment, then looked over at Kelvin who had the slightest grin on his face as he looked at me. Julie’s flirtatiousness suddenly morphed into embarrassment, and she walked away from the table without saying anything. When she was finally out of my view, I looked over at Kelvin, whose smile had doubled in size.

“Now, that was sexy as hell,” he said.

“Sexy? I just wanted to let her known that you are mine.”

“Oh, I’m definitely yours, but that little act of possessiveness makes me want to take you to the bathroom and fuck you in the stall.”

My bashful smile returned. “Don’t tease me, Kelvin. Our food just got here.” Kelvin continued to smile at me while he stared in the manner that he knew I couldn’t resist. “Shit. And, don’t stare at me like that or I won’t be able to say no again.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll save it for later.”

We ate our food for the next fifteen minutes without saying too much. It was at the end of my meal, as I finished my plate, that something odd caught my eye. Just as I swallowed my last piece of steak, I looked up and noticed two white men walking down the sidewalk. They both were wearing black pants with black t-shirts, which really struck me as odd because it had to have been at least eighty-five degrees today. Both men looked to be in their early forties, and they both carried an ungodly amount tattoos all over their bodies, including their necks. It wasn’t the fact that they were tatted or the way they were dressed that bothered me. It was the way they stared at Kelvin as they walked behind him.

Kelvin was sitting with his back to the street, so he never noticed the stares of the two scary-looking men as they passed on the sidewalk to his rear. But, it was obvious to me that the men recognized him as they passed, as one man tapped the other on the shoulder and said something about Kelvin. When the other man looked, his demeanor hardened as he tilted his head and scrunched his forehead. The two men slowed their pace briefly, and I thought for second that they were going to do something, but just as I was about to let Kelvin know, they looked at each other and apparently decided to keep walking.

I had no clue who they were, but something inside told me that it would have been a bad idea to tell Kelvin. So, as he finished his food and pushed his plate off to the side, I decided to keep it to myself.

The waitress made her way back over to the table and nervously asked us if we wanted dessert. She’d obviously lost all of her confidence from earlier.

“No, I think we’re good,” Kelvin said with a grin. “I think we’ll save dessert for when we get home tonight.”

Julie let out a loud sigh as she handed Kelvin the check and stormed off. She could probably hear us both laughing as she made her way back towards the kitchen. If our food hadn’t already been served, I was sure she would have spit in it at that point.

Kelvin paid the bill—even leaving a small tip for Julie—and we made our way back to his Camaro. When we finally arrived at my house, the emotions from the last time I was there came rushing back. I opened the door to find the place as I had left it, and I began to cry at the sight of all of my furniture still turned over and all of my pictures thrown across the floor. Kelvin gave me a hug and reminded me that everything was going to be okay, and that he was there for me.

“Don’t worry about, Lilliana. The cops will find out who did it and we’ll make sure he gets what he deserves,” he said as he rubbed my back.

“What do you mean? What can
we
do?”

“I just mean that he will get caught, and he will end up behind bars. Whoever it is, they will end up behind bars. Everything will work itself out.”

“Yeah. I hope so,” I replied. I walked down the hall and into my bedroom, where I’d left my cat, Meghan. I smiled when I saw her walk up to me and purr as if telling me that she missed me. My room was still a disaster, as was the rest of my house, but the combination of Kelvin and Meghan made me feel a little better. There was still so much confusion about the whole thing, and the cops weren’t doing anything to ease my worries.

I made my way back into the living room, where I found Kelvin straightening out my couch. He’d already fixed my loveseat, and my living room was quickly beginning to look like its old self again.

“That’s so sweet of you, Kelvin. You don’t have to do that though. I can take care of it.”

Kelvin shot me a confused look. “What are talking about? I told you, we are in this together. I’m staying until we get it all cleaned up and back the way that it was.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

It took us a total of three hours to get everything put back the way it was before. The living room seemed to come together quickly, but it was the kitchen and the two bedrooms that seemed to take the longest. Whoever had broken in had thought it a good idea to go through all of my closets and throw every blanket, sheet, and pillow case on the floor, along with all of my clothes. In the bathroom, the toothpaste had been smeared across the mirror and the tub, and all of the toilet tissue had been removed from the package and unrolled all over the floor. There didn’t seem to be much that was really broken or ruined, and the more we cleaned things up, the more it looked like the intruder was just trying to make a mess. It all seemed very juvenile and immature.

We finished up the master bedroom and made our way back into the living room to make sure we hadn’t missed anything. We stood in the middle of the room and looked around, admiring our work, and I couldn’t help but smile at how normal my house finally looked.

“It’s finally back to normal. I can’t thank you enough for helping me out, Kelvin. I really appreciate it,” I said with a smile. “It really would have taken me forever if I didn’t have you.”

“It’s my pleasure. I didn’t think for a second about a leaving you to do this alone. I’m just glad we got it all and it looks good again.”

“That it does. I’m sure Meghan is glad to have it back to normal too. It feels like home again.”

“Good,” Kelvin replied. “Alright, well, I know you’re tired and you have to get ready for school tomorrow. I have some stuff I have to take care of as well, so I’m going to get going. But, if you need me for anything—anything at all—you be sure to call me, okay.”

“Well, I’m disappointed that you have to go, but you’re right, I do need to make sure everything is good to go for tomorrow. I need to try to get some rest, too. It’s been a long weekend. But, if I need you, I’ll call you.”

“Okay. And you’re sure that you’re okay staying here alone?”

“Well, I won’t act like I’m not at least a little apprehensive, but I think I will be okay. I’ve got Meghan to protect me.”

“Well, just in case Meghan isn’t enough protection, keep your phone close by,” Kelvin giggled. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

“Okay.” I walked Kelvin over to the front door and reached behind him to turn the knob. As I reached, he leaned in and softly placed his lips on mine. For that brief second, all of my worries were gone. As he pulled away, he rubbed my cheek gently with his thumb.

“Don’t forget what I said, okay? If you need me, you call me.”

“I won’t forget.”

As I heard Kelvin’s car drive away, I turned around and looked at Meghan as she lay on the couch staring at me.