Licorice Whips (39 page)

Sweet turned Nikla over onto her back, then pulled out of her. He turned her to her side so that her back faced him. Like a master, he swept her upper leg over his and entered her again from behind.

“Is this what you want? You don’t want to see me?” Sweet’s thrusts increased in speed.

“Stop.” Nikla grabbed Sweet’s hand, which rested on her hip.

“You think if I fucked you that you would forget?” He kissed the back of her neck and her shoulder. “I’ll never forget you. Never.”

“Shut up, please.” Tears stung Nikla’s eyes.

Although she tried holding his hand still, Sweet moved his hand between her thighs and rubbed her clit.

The touch broke Nikla. She undulated her body, pressing her ass against him to get the most pleasure. Sweet wrapped his free arm around her body as his body stiffened.

“You are the best thing that ever happened to me,” Sweet said as he came down from his orgasmic high.

Nikla kissed his arm but remained quiet. After tonight, things would change. He would be Swithin Hawkes, business owner going after the unit she wanted. She would no longer be his Sugar Baby. It would hurt too much to stay.

****

The night of lovemaking couldn’t make up a lifetime with Nikla. Sweet wanted to kick his own ass for making that initial deal with her to stop their arrangement by November first so that they could concentrate on their businesses.

Sweet peered down at the woman lying on his chest. Her hand rested on him. Damn, she felt so good on him, next to him, in his bed. He smoothed his hand over her bare arm.

Nikla moaned. “I’m not sleeping.”

Sweet hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll make us some breakfast.”

She wrapped her long leg around his. “No, no, no. Stay here. Let’s just not move at all today.” She laughed. “Maybe I’m suggesting that we don’t move because I can’t move.” Nikla stretched like a cat. “You wore me out.”

“I think you gave as good as you got.” Sweet loved being with Nikla.

If he could extend this one moment, he would.

“I could go again.” She licked his nipple.

Sweet held onto her shoulders. “As much as I would love another go ’round with you, we do need to talk. Zuberi is going to make her decision soon.” He rubbed his hand over her arm. “We did make a deal.”

Nikla sat up. “Are you saying that if you don’t get both units that you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore?”

Sweet regarded her for a moment before he responded. “If you don’t get the unit, will you hold it against me?”

Nikla threw the covers off her and hopped out of bed. “You have an established business already. I want to put myself out there. This is my life, too.” She stomped her foot. “All of this is you. You have your career. You just want to expand. I’m twenty-eight. I want to jumpstart my life.”

“I’m not holding you back. But I have dreams, too. I want more than one storefront. I want to be a chain. I also want to make my mark in BDSM. I want it all, too.” Sweet sat up against the headboard. “I’m losing it all.”

That revelation hit him harder than he thought it would.

“What are you talking about? You have your business. It’s a success. It’s crushing the competition.”

Sweet glared at her. The dig about how Decadent Treats took business away from her father’s place didn’t get lost on him.

Nikla continued. “You have the lifestyle you’re comfortable in. And you have your family.”

Sweet snickered. “Last night when you went to get your coat, I finally admitted to Masaun that I’m moving through getting a second location for Decadent Treats. He’s against it. Says it wouldn’t make good business sense.” He grabbed his stomach. “In my gut, I know this would work. He told me he’s going to try and buy me out of my share of the business. I’m not going to sell, but I know he won’t make it easy on me.” Sweet exhaled before revealing the next piece of the news. “Like I told you before, it’s against The Dollhouse rules to have sex in the establishment.” He looked at Nikla.

Her mouth hung open. She padded toward him until she stood next to the bed.

“As a result, I’m no longer welcomed back. I think it’s a stupid rule anyway. We’re grown, consenting adults. The place should have the same rules as a hotel.”

“Why didn’t you listen to me when I tried to remind you about the rule?” Nikla smoothed her wild curls from her face.

“You had just stood up for me with my brother. I trusted you fully at that moment. I wanted you. I could care less about their rules.”

“I care.” She balled the comforter in her fist.

“Really?” He cocked his head.

“Yes. In case you haven’t noticed, I do really well with following rules.” She shook her head. “I like the instructions and rules you give me, but I didn’t expect you to change your life because of me.”

“I know what’s best. I can work around this.”

“And you don’t need any input from me, right?” She stared at him for a moment when he didn’t respond immediately. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

Sweet lowered his gaze.

Nikla cursed under her breath. “Unbelievable. I opened myself up to you. I told you about my past. You still have that wall up around you.” She stormed over to his dining room area where she’d left her clothes and shoes.

“Don’t leave. We need to discuss this.” Sweet got out of bed.

“We have.” Nikla slipped on her pants. “You’re selfish.”

“No, I’m determined. So are you. It’s what I–” Sweet paused.

Even Nikla’s heart stuttered until he said the next word. She stopped moving until he finished his thought.

“It’s what I like about you.” Sweet padded toward her.

Nikla exhaled and threw on her bra. “Great. You like me. I guess that’s a good thing. If you hated me, you would have buried me with Bobbi for that spot.”

“I’m willing to compete for the spots in the right way. If you get the smaller unit, I will be bitter. I won’t be any good for anyone that way.”

“Guess what? I’m bitter now.” She grabbed her purse. “I realize that as a Dominant that you’re used to having things your way, but compromise must be a part of your makeup. I matter.” Her voice broke at the end. “Thank you for a great evening and a really crappy morning.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away without us finishing this?” Sweet stalked her and met her at the doorway, careless of his nudity.

Nikla had to keep her gaze up to his face.

“Admit it. If I wasn’t as ambitious as I am, you wouldn’t find me attractive.”

Nikla started to open her mouth but Sweet stopped her.

“I’m attracted to you for the same reason.” He touched her head. “You have a brain in your head. You have goals. I don’t hold it against you.”

“Unless I get that spot, right.”

Sweet gritted his teeth and flexed his jaw.

“What’s sad is that you’re exactly what I want and exactly what I don’t want. You’re nothing like my last boyfriend. But in some ways, you’re exactly like my father. It’s your way or the highway. No in between.” Nikla’s voice lowered.

“You’re the one I want. I compete to win. I want it all.”

Nikla chuckled. “So do I. One of us is going to be disappointed.”

Sweet leaned in to kiss her, but Nikla jerked back and opened the door to leave. Not content to let her have the last word or action, Sweet hooked Nikla around her waist and pulled her close to his body.

“What are you doing?” Nikla asked as she put her hand to his chest.

“Kissing the woman who drives me crazy in all the right and wrong ways.” Sweet kissed her.

As he kissed her, Nikla couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Sweet broke from the kiss long enough to wipe her tears.

“We are going to have to compromise.” He framed her face in his large hands.

“Too bad compromise means one of us doesn’t get what we want.” Nikla pulled out of his grip. “I have a lot to think about. Maybe you do, too.”

As soon as Nikla opened the door, Sweet saw Masaun coming up the stairs to his unit. The anger in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

“Excuse me.” Nikla tried getting by Masaun.

“Oh, no. You wait right there. What I have to say involves the two of you.” Masaun stood in the doorway.

Sweet didn’t bother covering himself. No way would he leave Nikla with Masaun, even for a second. He had no idea what bee went up his ass this morning.

“What’s going on?” Sweet asked.

“You want to put some pants on?” Masaun kept his stare on Sweet’s eyes.

He pointed to Masaun. “Brother.” Then he nodded down to Nikla. “Girlfriend.”

“No, I’m not.” She shook her head.

That news felt like a punch in the gut. Now Sweet felt exposed.

“Fine.” Masaun threw a balled piece of paper at Sweet. “Thanks to your
girlfriend
, the health department is threatening to shut us down.” He glared at Nikla. “They received an anonymous tip telling them that some sexual activity occurred in the vicinity of the kitchen and/or where food items intended for the general public is prepared. Now, I saw you two in the office.”

Nikla gasped and looked up at Sweet. From the way she turned away from him just as fast, he figured she must have deduced that he knew about that bit of news, too.

Masaun continued. “I didn’t know you two did it in the kitchen area.” He stared at Sweet. “I know you wouldn’t blab on yourself. That leaves one person.” Masaun took a step toward Nikla.

Sweet stood in front of her.

“What I didn’t understand is why she would want to take us down. So I did my own research. Did you know her father owns–”

“Healthy Bites. I know.” Sweet never suspected that she would use herself to take him down. Maybe that was the reason she stopped picketing. He hated himself for doubting her.

Masaun snickered. “And you weren’t suspicious? Yeah, you know what? I’m done. I’m not going to buy you out. Why bother? When news about this gets out we’ll be destroyed. Let’s just shut it down.” He turned on his heel and stomped back down the stairs.

In the silence of the room, Sweet didn’t know what to say. He blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Did you do that? Did you set me up?”

The look Nikla gave him felt like she’d shot him in the head and the heart. She covered her mouth with her hand. “Go to hell.” Nikla ran down the steps to get to her car. 

With her gone, Sweet stalked to his kitchen. He braced his hands on the counter before he picked up a glass and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a million tiny shards.

So much for Nikla’s statement that at least he had his family. In one fell swoop, he’d lost it all: his woman, his business, his lifestyle. He glanced around his place. Without his business, he also lost his home.

Fuck.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nikla didn’t want to cry. As soon as she got into her car, she sped away from the Decadent Treats parking lot as fast as she could until she could get to a spot to cry in peace. For some reason, that spot, again, happened to be in front of the two empty storefronts.

She couldn’t blame Masaun for suspecting her. After what she and Sweet had been through, she had hoped that Sweet would have come to her defense and told his brother that Nikla would have never done anything like that.

Now she didn’t have her man. How could she even think about opening a business with this suspicious activity looming over her head? She knew she hadn’t said anything to anyone. She just had to figure out who found out and would have told the health department.

Nikla’s phone rang, forcing her to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand so that she could see the name or number on the screen. When she saw Sweet’s name, she let out an exasperated sigh.

A small part of her wanted to turn off her phone and let the man suffer. A large part of herself had to hear what he had to say.

“Why are you calling me?” No hello. No pleasantries. Sweet needed to know that he’d hurt her.

“Come back. We need to talk.” His gruff voice sounded like he had chewed glass before calling her.

“No, we don’t. You said all you needed to say. You called me a liar.” Nikla dove into her glove compartment to see if she could find some facial tissue or fast food napkins to wipe her eyes and nose.

“I never called you a liar. But you never answered my question, either.”

Nikla snickered. “I shouldn’t have to. I thought you would know me by now.”

“I do know you.” Sweet exhaled. “I would bet every dime I have that you’re sitting in front of the empty suites. Am I right?”

Nikla closed her eyes. She wanted to hate him. How could he doubt her and be so familiar with her at the same time?

“Our arrangement is over. I learned everything I wanted to learn from you. We won’t have to see each other again. Please, just leave me alone. Goodbye.” Nikla disconnected the call.

It didn’t take long for Sweet to call her again. This time she didn’t answer, and she didn’t stay in her spot. Sweet knew where she’d gone. She didn’t want to be there if he arrived.

Hell, he knew where she lived, too. Nikla couldn’t take seeing him at her apartment. Any other time, she would have invited him in and let him have his way with her. If she saw him outside of her door now, she would slam the door in his face after some very choice words.

Where the hell could she go? If she went to her father’s house, he would ask way too many questions. Deana would annoy the hell out of her, but at least she didn’t have to be anyone but herself with her. Nikla would try her anyway.

After a brief argument with Deana after waking her up so early in the morning, Nikla headed to her friend’s condo. Thankfully she’d packed a bag with a change of clothes. Going to her friend’s place wearing a genie costume would be a conversation Nikla didn’t want to have right now.

“So, what’s up with you and your boy?” Deana asked as soon as she opened her door.

Nikla smiled. “Want to see my genie costume I wore last night?” All the sudden talking about the pink costume didn’t seem like a bad thing now.

“You’re avoiding the topic. What? For Halloween did he dress up like a little girl or something? Oh! Was he a clown? Clowns are freaky.” As though one stood in front of her right now, Deana shivered and contorted her face. She wrapped her arms around her body. In her simple t-shirt and shorts, her petite friend looked like a teenager at a sleepover.