Chapter 31

31

M alorie

Aspen's showcase had turned out absolutely beautiful. The six pieces presented sold out in less than five minutes. I was so proud of him, and I could feel the love beaming off his fiancée as she stood by his side. Malaysia was so cute and barely looked like she would hurt a fly, but when one of the servers for the evening couldn't take no for an answer and kept flirting with Aspen, I knew that wasn't the case when she said, "Do you want to fight?" as she stood.

Pregnant and all, my girl was ready to go to war behind her man. It was funny because Aspen wasn't interested in the girl at all, but I guess for Malaysia it was about the principle. Her sister, Enjell, and Aspen's brother, Dejvi , got her out of the gallery quickly, and I knew they knew exactly what she was capable of. With a chuckle and shake of his head, Aspen made his way over to us.

"Man, say," Aspen said, pulling me in for a hug. "Let me get my lady out of here before somebody gets beat up," he continued, giving Neko a handshake.

"Handle your business, brother. We'll talk. Oh, and tell Karrington to come too. You were right. There's something special about him."

"You just made my night. I'll be in touch."

They shook hands again before Aspen made a quick exit. I loved the way he looked out for Karrington, and I hadn't even met him yet. He must have been a great guy to have a great guy speaking so highly of him when he wasn't present.

After another glass of champagne, we stopped to talk to Cheyanne and Saveth briefly, and I was in awe of how Neko networked. Saveth was the owner of the gallery and Cheyanne did freelance art buying. She and Malaysia were the reason Saveth had a few of Aspen's pieces for consignment. When the conversation first started, Cheyanne wasn't interested in working at the firm as an art buyer because this wasn't her main source of income, but by the time the conversation was over, not only had she agreed to come in to talk more, but Saveth was also interested in meeting with him to discuss getting some of his artists in her gallery.

As we left, I couldn't help but tell him, "I'm in awe of you. I'm so proud of you, Neko. You're absolutely amazing. I love how you don't just prioritize yourself but you're always looking out for others. I really, really love you."

"Look at you coming at me with them words of affirmation."

I laughed, thinking about our second date night. We actually talked, which I loved. Neko was the only man that I could talk to about literally anything and everything. Our conversation shifted from our motivations to our fears then our goals and the kinds of intimacy we liked. I shared with him my biggest goal was a tour around East Asia. I wanted it to last for six months, and I'd visit China first, then Japan and Korea.

His biggest goal was to open three more art firms in the US and then go international. When we started discussing intimacy, we learned we both liked physical touch, but I liked gifts, and he preferred service. We took it a step further and discussed mental, emotional, spiritual, and recreational intimacy as well, which was how we'd gotten into the process of having weekly emotional check-ins, daily talks about our mental state, and at least two date nights a month that were active and adventurous.

"I'm serious, babe. I love you in every element, but it's something about seeing you handle business and looking out for people that just does something to me. It makes my pussy wet and my heart expand in size."

He looked over at me briefly. "You said that pussy wet?"

"Mhm. Very."

"Get in the back. I wanna see."

My giggle turned into a moan when Neko smacked my ass as he opened the back door of his car. We got in, and I was glad I wore a dress as he hiked it up in preparation to enter me. I expected him to lay me against the seats; instead, he kept my knees on one seat and my front against the back of it. Sliding into me, Neko wrapped his arm around my neck and pressed his chest against my back.

His strokes were hard and deep, causing me to dig my nails into his arm and the back of his thigh. It didn't matter how many times my body tried to fall from his drugging strokes, Neko held me up and kept me steady. And when he started to talk right in my ear, all hope for me was lost. All I could do was let him hold me up and stroke me while my pussy made a mess.

The Following Monday

I was exhausted. My eyes were dry, and I'd been straining them and my brain so much I had a headache. A light tap on the door gained my attention, and I was grateful for the distraction.

"Hey, Neko called to see if you were still here," Parker informed me. He'd left with everyone else hours ago, but we were still here. Though I insisted Parker leave, she didn't want to leave me here alone.

"I guess I can call it a night. Maybe I need a fresh set of eyes to look these numbers over."

"Is everything okay?" she asked, stepping further into my office.

My mouth twisted to the side as I massaged my temples. "I'm not sure. These numbers aren't adding up. The amounts invoiced for a couple of artists consignments and individual paintings are not adding up with commissions and bank deposits. I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm just not sure what."

"Maybe you can have Trent look it over for you tomorrow. Sometimes, two heads are better than one."

Standing, I nodded. "You're right. Maybe that's what I'll do."

After closing the files and locking them in my file cabinet, I headed out. "Can I treat you to dinner since you stayed behind with me?"

"We can grab dinner because I'm starving, but you don't have to pay."

I left it at that because I intended to pay… I just wasn't going to let her know.

Later that Night

As Neko and I binge watched A Sign of Affection , I couldn't get what I'd found earlier off my mind. I didn't want to bring it up because he was finally invested in this overly romantic and sweet anime, which he swore he'd never watch. It was bothering me that there were so many discrepancies between the money that was coming in and going out.

If it was actually something going on, it was my responsibility not just as an accountant to make him and Elias aware but as his woman. I wanted to have Neko's back just as much as he had mine… but I didn't want to turn nothing into something. So, I decided to keep my findings to myself and talk to Trent tomorrow before saying anything to Neko.

"This shit is actually cute as hell. I can't believe I let you talk me into watching this."

I giggled as Neko's arm wrapped tighter around me. "Doesn't it just give you all the good feels? This is my third time watching it."

"Yeah, it's sweet. Don't tell nobody I watched it though."

My eyes rolled playfully as I looked up at him. "Don't worry. I won't tell them your rough ass was not only watching this but apparently getting teary eyed too."

With a huff, he pushed me off him and rubbed his eyes, making me laugh. "He fucking learning sign language to talk to her, bae. That shit is sweet." My laugh increased as I leaned against the headboard next to him. "I feel like I need to go fight somebody or shoot a gun or something to make up for me watching this."

"Or, you can make love to your woman and embrace everything you're feeling."

He moaned as I straddled him. "That's a much better idea but let me finish this episode first."

The cackle I released as he readjusted me on his lap so he could see brought tears to my eyes. This man was truly something else.