Chapter 21

One Week Later

Chandler

Cheyanne releaseda breathy squeak as I wrapped my arms around her and carried her to my office. Pressing her against the door, I locked it, then kissed her until I felt lightheaded. As I stared down at her, I watched her come down from the clouds of our kiss. Her eyes fluttered open as she licked her lips.

"I saw your bags in your office. Good girl."

She smiled and toyed with the button on my shirt. "I've been looking forward to spending the night at your place since the night before last. It's more fun than mine."

I smiled before kissing her again. Her penthouse was modern, an aesthetic, artsy and relaxing. Mine had been a true bachelor pad. I'd turned my free rooms into a game room, music themed lounge, and cinema room for entertaining. There was no home office since I was strict about not taking work home. On the off chance I needed to do something after hours, the office wasn't too far away.

"Babe," she cooed against my lips, "we really shouldn't be doing this at work."

"Who's going to stop us? I'm the fucking boss."

I kissed away her moan as her hands lifted to my neck. "But HR…"

"They only need to be notified. We have a meeting with them in fifteen minutes."

"So you just thought of everything, huh?"

"When it comes to you, I leave no stone unturned."

"I like the way you take care of me."

"Good, because I like taking care of you."

"And I like taking care of you. So don't forget after this impromptu meeting with HR that you have two business calls. Also, Nathaniel Lexington is in the conference room. His check cleared, but he's having second thoughts. Would you like for me to stall him until you can speak with him, or shall I tell him to schedule an actual appointment?"

With a sigh, I ran my hand down the back of my head as I put space between us. So much for me feeling up my woman for the next fifteen minutes until we went to see HR.

"I'll talk to him. Do we have the introductory meeting and walk-through set up for his business yet?"

"Yes. I scheduled both this morning. I think someone reached out to him about it, and that's why he's here."

"I agree. All right, I'll go talk to him. In the meantime, let's move that meeting up if we can."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"The two business calls I have later, see if you can get them rescheduled as lunch at the country club. I may have forgotten about them and scheduled a round of golf with Pops."

She chuckled as her eyes rolled before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek and heading out. I was hoping things wouldn't change between us at the office when we made things official, and they hadn't, thankfully. Not in a bad way at least. If anything, we were more in sync, and things were better.

Later that Evening

"How does that work?"Dru asked. "You spend one night at her place, and she's at yours the next?"

"For the most part. Or I'll spend two nights at hers then she's at mine for two nights."

"Y'all haven't taken a break?"

I chuckled. He was truly trying to figure out how we were spending so much time with each other, and I could respect that. Dru was the kind of person who couldn't be around the same person for days on end, which was why he was convinced he'd never get married or be in a serious relationship. I was sure the right woman would change that perspective, but if she didn't, I was glad he was honest and upfront with women about what he wanted and what he had to offer.

"It's all gas with Cheyanne. No brakes. I've been waiting for this woman for two years; you'd better damn well believe I'm spending every second with her that I can."

"Yeah, but… y'all work together too. You telling me you really don't get tired of her?"

"Hell nah. Now, I'm not going to make it seem like we're together all day, every day, because we're not. We work together, but we're not in the same space for eight hours a day or more. Sometimes, she works from home, and sometimes, I'm not at the office. We still maintain our personal lives. She does her thing with her grandfather and her girls, and I do my thing with family and friends too. But do we sleep together every night now? Yes, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I guess," he said before releasing a low whistle. "I know that's not what you called me for, though, so wassup?"

"Cheyanne and I are going to have a little get-together this weekend. You should come."

"Will Selena be there?"

I heard the smile in his voice, and it made me laugh. "She's my girl's favorite cousin, so I'm sure she will be. Yeah."

"Say less. I'll be there. Just tell me what time and what to bring."

We continued to talk for a few minutes more before we ended the call. It was perfect timing because Cheyanne was finishing up a call too.

"Mm, it smells so good in here. That teakwood candle is going to do it for me every time."

"Speaking of which…" I pulled my wallet out and handed her my black card. "Anything you want to add or change around here so you'll feel more comfortable and at home, do that."

She eyed the card skeptically for a while before shaking her head. "I don't want to change your space."

"I don't care about that. I want you to be comfortable here. So whatever you want to do, do."

"Are you sure?" she asked, finally taking the card.

"I'm positive."

She clapped once and rocked from one foot to the other with a smile. "Okay. I won't go overboard. I promise. Maybe just add a touch of lavender in the bedroom since that's my favorite color. Nothing too crazy. Maybe just a throw. And some plants in there and the main rooms. Ooh, and we need to get more art on your walls."

I laughed as she started going from one room to another, talking about what she wanted to do. By the time she was done, she told me I could make changes at her place too, which prompted me to ask, "Are we staying in a penthouse until we have children?"

"Hmm…" Cheyanne sat on my lap in the cinema and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I love staying in a high-rise. I know it probably won't be convenient when we have kids, since there are no school districts in this area."

"Yeah, that's true. However, working in the business district allows us to register our kids at the private school over in Livvy. So, if we wanted to stay here, we could."

"Why don't we just wait until the first one is about four to decide? I don't see myself wanting to leave this neighborhood any time soon."

"I agree. I want you to have my babies but not any time soon. I know we talked about this briefly in Sri Lanka, but I want to reiterate that I want you to myself for quite a while."

"I'm thirty-four and you're thirty-six. That feels like we need to start soon, but I agree. I know the older I get, there's a chance it may be harder on my body or more difficult to conceive, but I want to wait at least four more years."

"That's actually perfect, baby. After we're married, we can take the necessary precautions in case we decide we want to wait later, or you decide you don't want to put that risk on your body."

Her mouth opened partially and head tilted. "You mean… like freezing some of my eggs?"

"Yeah. If we get so busy with our love and our life that we lose track of time, or if you just don't want to risk it, we can always use a surrogate."

Her eyes fluttered softly as she smiled. "It's funny that you say that because there are so many horror stories about Black women not being heard and prioritized during their pregnancy and delivery that I've honestly been scared to bear a child. Knowing that you wouldn't expect me to carry our baby is a refreshing thing to learn."

"I don't care how our babies get here, as long as I have them with you. But I can assure you, if you were to risk your health and share your body with our baby, I'd get you the best care possible. You wouldn't have to stress and worry about a thing."

She clicked her tongue before kissing my lips. "Every day, you say or do something that makes me love and respect you a little more. I'm so glad you saw my worth and our potential and waited for me."

Cupping the back of her neck, I reconnected her lips with mine. I had a lot to be proud of, and my life was already good, but having this relationship with Cheyanne now was like the icing on an already decadent cake.