Claiming Carter (5 page)

“Okay, sweetie. I will talk to you soon. You call me if you need anything. Have a good week,” my mother replied.

“Okay, Mom. Thanks for calling. I love you. Bye.”

“I love you too, Lilliana. Bye.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I placed the phone back onto the receiver. I loved my mother dearly, but she never failed to get on my nerves. It wasn’t that we didn’t get along, it was just that she thought that I needed to live my life exactly the way she’d lived hers when she was my age. By the age of twenty-two my mother had already met and married my father, and I was born by the time she was twenty-three.

I remembered her telling me how my father was the only white guy she’d ever been attracted to, and that he was so perfect that she just couldn’t resist him, even when her Spanish parents were against the relationship. My father and my mother were soul mates, and my mom wanted me to have the same thing. The only problem was that I hadn’t found
my
perfect guy who was worth fighting my parents for. I hadn’t even come close to meeting a guy who was to me what my father was to my mother, so how could she expect me to follow in her footsteps when I didn’t have on the same shoes? As much as I wanted it to happen, it just didn’t seem to be in the cards.

I grabbed the keys to my car and headed out the door. The commute to the school was a long one, and my little Honda Accord was running empty on gas, so I needed to fill up before I got stuck in the Chicago traffic in the morning.

When I pulled into the Mobile gas station, the place was almost completely empty. I didn’t like being out at night even though I lived in a nicer part of Chicago, so I hurried and got out of the car to start pumping the gas. I placed the nozzle into the gas tank and locked the trigger in place just as my phone chimed with a text message. It was from Lexy.

Lexy:
Getting ready to go to bed. I pissed Mike off today when I told him about the guy we saw at Applebee’s last night. Time for some make-up sex! Tell you all about it tomorrow.

I smiled at the message and quickly typed in my reply. As I was typing, I heard a loud rumbling engine pull up to the pump next to me. I was too busy typing to look up.

Me:
LOL. That is hilarious. Just wait until I tell you what I did this morning.

Just then, I heard a car door slam behind me. I turned around and saw a black man wearing a black suit with white pinstripes, getting ready to pump gas into the most amazing car I’d ever seen. It was a dark gray 2013 Bentley, with four doors, huge tires, and all chrome rims. I had no idea who this guy was or why he would be driving that type of car at night in Chicago, but I had to admit I was impressed. The driver locked the trigger on the gas nozzle in place and then got back in the car. The windows were tinted so dark that I couldn’t even see him as he sat in the driver’s seat.

“Wow. Must be nice to have that kind of money,” I said to myself as I removed my own gas nozzle and placed it back in its place on the pump. I closed my gas tank cover and quickly made my way inside to grab a bag of chips and a soda.

When I entered the store, the door chimed loudly as I opened it. The older black man who was sitting behind the counter shot me a warm smile as I passed him and I headed for the side of the store where the sodas were in the fridge. I opened one of the many doors and reached in to grab a Sprite. Just as I let the door swing closed, I heard the chime of the front door again. I paid it no mind as I walked around the corner and went into the isle where the chips were. I looked at the many different variations of snacks and was struggling to make a decision when I felt someone walk up and stop directly behind me. I quickly turned around and was completely shocked when I realized it was the gorgeous man from Applebee’s.

My heart suddenly felt like it had stopped beating. The man was even more impressive than I remembered, and he stared down at me with the deepest, darkest eyes I’d ever come across in my twenty-two years of life. He was wearing a long sleeved white button up shirt and the first three buttons were undone. I found myself unable to avert my eyes from his beautifully brown skin and the tattoos on his chest. His light brown slacks were neatly pressed and his light brown shoes matched them perfectly. The man was simply mesmerizing and I felt my lower jaw drop open as I stared at him.

“Hi,” he said in a seductively low tone. “What’s your name?”

It took me about ten seconds to finally be able to force the words out of my mouth.

“My … my name is Lily,” I said sheepishly. I still couldn’t believe he was actually standing there talking to me.

“I saw you at Applebee’s yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Umm, yes. Yeah, I think so. You were with a big group of guys,” I said, trying not to sound as shocked as I was on the inside.

“Yeah, I guess I was,” he answered. “I’m glad I ran into you again, actually.”

I accidentally gasped out loud and he tilted his head to the side.

“You okay?” he asked just before he shifted his beautiful mouth into a full smile, showcasing a mouthful of perfectly straight, pearly white teeth. When he smiled at me, a tremendous tingling sensation erupted throughout my body and I felt a distracting warmth between my legs.

“Umm, yes. I’m fine,” I lied. “You’re glad you ran into me?”

“Yeah, I am, actually. When I was at the restaurant yesterday, I was there for a meeting with my uncle. It didn’t really go as well as I had hoped it would, and I was feeling pretty annoyed. But, when I saw you as I was leaving, there was something about the way you looked at me that made me feel better. You fixed my mood for rest of the night. I didn’t think that I would see you again, but, as fate would have it, here you are. Even more beautiful than you were yesterday.”

At that moment, I was pretty sure my heart was going to explode. My head was spinning and I thought I was going to hyperventilate, so I took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Wow. Umm. I don’t know what to say,” I said as an uncontrollable smile climbed onto my face.

“You don’t have to say much right now. How about we have dinner tomorrow night? You could say more then,” he joked as he unleashed that seductive smile on me once again.

“Oh my god,” I replied. “Okay, sure. Umm, I have to work tomorrow until about four-thirty or so …”

“Great, I’ll pick you up around five,” he interrupted. “If you give me your number, I can call you and get your address from you tomorrow. I’m sort of in a rush tonight.”

He pulled out his cell phone and I gave him my cell number. I inspected his hands as he punched in my number and I found myself thinking about what he could do to me with those strong fingers. His nails were impeccably trimmed—not an ounce of dirt under those fingernails. My mind started to wander as I fantasized about all of the perfectly filthy things I’d thought about in bed this morning and I found myself blushing even more.

When he finished typing in my number, he placed his cell phone back into his pocket.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then,” he said as he began walking towards the door.

“Wait,” I chimed in quickly. “I don’t even know your name.”

He smiled at me once again and the warmth between my legs sprung back to life.

“Kelvin. Kelvin Carter Jr.” he said as he turned around and walked out of the store.

I hurriedly walked over to the end of the isle so that I could watch him leave. He pushed the door open easily and had a confident swagger about him as he strutted in the direction of the gas pumps. My eyes widened as I watched him walk over to the gray Bentley and climb into the backseat, closing the door behind him. The man who’d pumped the gas must have been his driver. I stared in astonishment as the luxurious car drove away.

“He got all pissed off when I told him about how good looking this guy was, and he wouldn’t talk to me all day,” Lexy said as we sat in the empty teacher’s lounge, waiting for school to begin. “He kept talking to Amy, but he wouldn’t talk to me—trying to hurt my feelings and shit. So, when we finally got in the bed, I got in naked and pushed my ass up against his cock. He tried to act like he was going to ignore me then too, but eventually he gave in when I started fake snoring and he thought he’d lost his opportunity for sex.”

I let out a light giggle before I took another sip of my coffee that I’d diluted with hazelnut creamer.

“He loves it when I put his dick between my tits. Once I did that, it was game on. Hey, are you even listening to me?” Lexy said as she noticed that I was in a daze and barely paying attention to her.

“Yeah,” I said with a smile, “I’m listening to you. Just got a lot on my mind today.”

Lexy titled her head as she stared at me, seemingly inspecting every crevice of my face. “What’s the matter with you? You’re acting funny.”

My smile doubled in size. “Whatever do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. What’s with the big ass smile so early in the morning?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s just really good coffee, is all,” I replied. My smile was uncontrollable now.

“Coffee my ass! You’re holding out on me. What’s going on, Lil? What happened that you’re not telling me?”

I put my Chicago Blackhawks coffee mug on the table in front of me and leaned forward in my chair. “I kind of met someone last night,” I said as I struggled to wipe the childish smile off my face.

Lexy gasped and leaned in close to me. “Oh shit! Tell me everything. First, what does he look like? Oh my god, is he hot? Please tell me he’s hot!”

“If there is one thing that he is, it’s hot!”

Lexy smiled and smacked the table loudly. “Yes! I knew it. I bet he makes Tim Bulger look like Oscar the Grouch, doesn’t he? Okay, give me more. Is he white, black, or what?

I grinned again as the image of Kelvin Carter Jr.’s face flashed inside my mind. “He’s black.”

“Holy stinking shit!” Lexy exclaimed. “You go, girl! Is he one of those sexy, dark, bald, black men? Ooh, or is he light skinned like that beautiful man from Applebee’s that got me in trouble at home yesterday?”

“Well, actually,” I said, pausing for effect, “he
is
the beautiful man from Applebee’s.”

Lexy stared at me without saying anything for about ten seconds. She scrunched her forehead and twisted her mouth as she thought.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“Yes,” I answered. “I met him last night. His name is Kelvin.”

Lexy sat back in her seat and continued staring at me in disbelief. “You met the guy from Applebee’s last night?”

“Yes, Lex. I’m not kidding.”

“And when did this happen?”

“Right after I texted you. I was at the gas station filling up my car, and I went inside to get some snacks before I went to bed. As I was looking at the chips, he walked right up to me, and asked me for my phone number.”

Lexy gave me a look like she didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Seriously? You guys were at the same gas station? That’s an awfully big coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Sure, it is. But, why would I lie about that? It doesn’t benefit me to say I met a guy when I really didn’t. I really met him, Lex. He asked me to dinner. We’re going out tonight,” I said.

“Oh my fucking gosh! You’re not kidding. That’s unbelievable,” Lexy said as she covered her mouth with her hand, careful not to smear her pink lipstick. “What was he like, and how did you not faint from just looking at him?”

“I have no idea. He is so unbelievably gorgeous, Lex. When he smiled at me, I could have just died. I’ve never seen a man that perfect before. And he had the sexiest voice
ever
. It was like I was in a dream.”

“Damn. That is so wild,” Lexy replied. “You’re so fucking lucky. So, when and where are you guys going tonight?”

“Well, I gave him my number and he said he would call me today and get my address so he could pick me up around five, but I’m not sure where we’re going though.”

“Oh my gosh, you have to let me be there when he picks you up. Mike may hate me for it, but I have to see this man again,” Lexy said as the school bell rang, signaling the start of the day.

“You can’t be there. It’s our first date!” I said. “What if he doesn’t even call? A man who looks like that probably has girls showing up at his house naked all day. What would he want with me? I bet he doesn’t even call.”

“Don’t start that pity party shit with me. You know you are sexy as hell. Why would he ask you for your number if he wasn’t going to call?” Lexy reassured me as we both stood up and walked out of the lounge. “Text me when he calls. You have to keep me fully informed and up to date about this. You may have just nabbed the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, and I want to know all the details throughout the whole thing.”

“Okay, I will. Have a good day. I’ll talk to you soon,” I said as Lexy and I headed in different directions towards our respective classes.

When I walked into my classroom, the children were just getting to their desks and they were full of energy. There was already a fight about to break out in the back of the class between two little girls, and my favorite student, Derrick Fisher, was already crying at his desk. I knew it would be a long day in class, but all I could think about was if and when Kelvin would call. The thought was distracting, but I knew I would have to pull it together and be the teacher that my students needed me to be. So, I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and told the class to take their seats so that class could begin.