Sasha: The Awakening (The Wallflower Series Book 2) (12 page)

Once their erratic hearts had finally settled, Dmitri turned over onto his back without releasing her. She lay comfortably upon his chest, his cock still buried within her core. He could feel the pulses of her pussy actively milking his hardness as she slowly recovered from her release. It only made him want her again. He watched as she adorably rested her cheek against his chest, tickling the hairs there with her fingertips. Sasha could feel the stirring of his cock and had to consciously prevent herself from rearing back and riding him into oblivion.

“A day isn’t enough for me either,” she admitted, looking up into his eyes.

Without responding at first, he took a hold of her chin and kissed her lips. “Good,” he stated simply. Gently, he raised her from his chest; holding onto her hips, he began to thrust slowly into her once more. The fierce passion and desire in his eyes matched hers as she began to rotate her hips in turn.

It was a late night and Sasha could feel her eyelids becoming heavier with each passing tick of the clock in her office. She was behind on these forms and knew that if she returned home, they wouldn’t be ready by the eight a.m. deadline. So here she was...it seemed like the drama of her personal life was influencing her professional focus. It was uncommon for her to be so irresponsible. But even as she silently admonished her behavior, Sasha couldn’t deny the lighthearted feeling that now characterized her entire being.

She was happy. Her thoughts would stray to Dmitri, but no longer would that result in heartache and regret. Instead, she would remember his laughter as they teased each other or the look of passion in his eyes as they made love. He was different in so many ways but the same in the ways she had grown to love merely two years ago.

Shaking her head, she tried to return her thoughts to work but was interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door. She looked up to see Lola entering with a sheepish grin decorating her features.

“Hey, Sash…how’s it going?”

“Lola? What are you doing here?” Sasha looked at the clock. It was almost nine o’clock.

Lola entered the room and sat down, relaxing into the chair. “I’m usually the one behind schedule. I’ve never seen you here so late so when I saw your light on, I thought I should stop by and see how things were going. You know, we don’t hang out as much as we used to. Am I to assume that things are going swimmingly with Carter?” Her eyebrows danced suggestively.

Sasha set down her pen and sighed. “Actually…I’m not seeing Carter anymore.”

“Wait…what happened? You said your last date went well. I saw him come here and take you to lunch.”

“I’m seeing someone else right now.”

As if summoned, there was a knock on her office door again. Both her and Lola looked up in surprise. While a wide grin spread across Sasha’s features, Lola’s mouth gaped open in feminine appreciation at the figure that appeared in their office doorway. Dmitri stood there, dressed in casual pants and a pullover that hugged his muscular frame.  With eyes only for Sasha, he winked and walked towards her desk.

Their eyes stayed locked on one another as Dmitri bent down to caress her cheek with his lips in a soft, barely-there kiss.  Sasha couldn’t help but to blush and look away once she remembered Lola’s presence.

“I wanted to come pick you up after you told me you were staying late. How much time do you need?” he asked.

“I just have a few more papers to fill out. I should be done in ten more minutes,” she informed him with a smile.

After telling her he’d wait outside, she and Lola watched him walk out of the office. He gave a brief nod in Lola’s direction before disappearing from view around the corner. At his absence, Lola regained control of her tongue.

“Wait…hold the phone. Is that who you were just talking about? Who is
that
?”

Sasha shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish grin. “Dmitri is my ex-boyfriend. We got back together and…”

“Since when do you date white guys?!” Lola interrupted.

Sasha didn’t immediately respond. Trying to discern Lola’s tone, she simply responded, “What does his race matter?”

Lola scoffed and shook her head as if she were scolding a child. “Sasha you had a wonderful
black
man at your fingertips and you just throw him out? So many black women would have killed to be in your shoes. Nowadays, it is so hard to come across men like Carter- ones who are actually interested in their own women. I just don’t get it.”

Sasha’s eyes narrowed at Lola’s words. “You don’t have to
get
anything, Lola. My relationship with Dmitri is none of your concern, and I frankly have no interest in receiving your blessing or approval.” Before her coworker could respond, Sasha stood, showing in her body language how serious she took this conversation.

“Listen to me, Lola. I see you as a friend, and while I would like to keep that relationship. Dmitri and I have a connection that you could never understand because you don’t know either of our pasts. Getting back together with him was not an easy decision but every day I spend with him has reminded me that it was the
right
one.

“Carter is a great man; that is something I could never deny. The way he treated me before and after he found out about my previous relationship with Dmitri revealed his great character. Any woman who ends up with him is going to be very lucky. But what I felt for him was nowhere near my feelings for Dmitri. Staying with him because he is
black
wouldn’t have been the best decision for either of us. If you think he is such a great man, maybe you should consider giving him a call. I hear he’s still single.”

There was a finality in her tone that Lola knew not to cross.

“You know…I said before that you were submissive, and I know in the moment you took that to mean you are weak…that’s not at all how I meant it to sound.” Lola cleared her throat and looked away from the intensity in Sasha’s eyes. “I overstepped, and I’m sorry. It’s just that…”

“What?” Sasha’s voice expressed concern now. It was unusual for her to see Lola look almost defeated.

Lola swallowed and approached Sasha’s desk as if she was going to tell her a secret. “Justin and I…went out and…I don’t know how the hell it happened but we slept together.” At the shocked look on Sasha’s face, Lola continued hurriedly, “I’ve never slept with a white guy before, so I panicked. I’m not a bigot, I swear. I-I just…oh!” She buried her face between her hands. “How do I even look him in the eye anymore? I had no idea he was even in to black women.”

Sasha found the whole entire scenario to be humorous. She knew from the looks Justin had sent Lola’s way that he may have been romantically interested in her. His only hesitation was probably the difference in their positions in the company. To some men, it could be intimidating dating a superior. Sasha hoped that wasn’t the case, however.

“I think it’s a good thing that he isn’t
in
to black women, as you put it.”

Lola gave her a confused look.

“Well…those men who are tend to fetishize the idea of being with a black woman. You want him to be sexually attracted to you because of
you
not because of your race. And, I think with Justin, you can be sure that’s not on his agenda. I think you should give him a shot and not let race determine your romantic prospects.”

After a bit more of a heart-to-heart, Sasha finished her work and walked out of her office. She could have been angry at Lola’s remarks, but instead she found herself happy about the way she had handled the situation. She remembered Teagan’s words after the incident with Faye. While Lola was definitely not on the same level of Faye’s seemingly inherent meanness, Sasha could have allowed herself to be angry. Instead, she had taken the time to find out that Lola’s words were not truly intended for her. They had come from Lola’s own self-doubts and guilt regarding her encounter with Justin. And had rage taken over, she not only would have never discovered the root cause of Lola’s words, but she could have possibly lost another friend as well.

It was that very ability to forgive that had her meeting Dmitri that night. She met him with a smile on her face. Things could have been so different had she allowed bitterness and anger towards the past determine her future. She was happy in ways that she had never experienced before. Since returning to Boston, the two of them had been almost inseparable. But in these past few weeks, she realized their relationship was somehow much different than it was the first time. Maybe it was the maturity and wisdom they had gained from their first failed attempt, but Dmitri was much more open about his feelings toward her- well, as open as she could expect. And, consequently, she felt much more secure in their relationship. She finally felt like his equal; she no longer felt intimidated by his looks, wealth, or power because though it was to a lesser extent, she had her own. He was hers through and through, and this time no one was going to take him away.

Dmitri held out his arms to her and pulled her to his chest. “You work too hard, baby.”

Sasha scoffed. “You’re one to talk! It was only last week you were gallivanting from one client to the next at all hours of the day. Speaking of which, “she poked him in his chest, “you owe me something…” Sasha trailed off suggestively.

A wide grin spread across Dmitri’s handsome features. At her words, he immediately recalled the night she was referring. They had been having a little fun when his cell phone had rang, disturbing their play. And to his own despair, he had been unable to end the call with one of the PR firm’s biggest clients. Though Sasha at the time had brushed it off, he knew it had stung- him choosing his job over spending time with her. Tonight, he was hoping to make it up to her though.

“I do owe you,” he agreed. “And…” he took her hand into his own, caressing her soft palm, “I was thinking we could go back to my place where I could wine…dine…” Dmitri leaned in until his lips were merely a breath away from her own. “And pamper you.”

In a flourish, it seemed like they were back at Dmitri’s penthouse. She expected dinner to be laid out in the dining room and was briefly disappointed. At the frown marring her features, Dmitri merely grinned,

“I remember a few years ago…we were talking about our silly childhood dreams. You said your biggest wish as a little kid was to have dessert for dinner.”

Sasha laughed, “I was a kid!”

Dmitri merely shrugged, “So? I want to make all your dreams come true.” He walked into the modern kitchen, opened the freezer and refrigerator. Sasha watched in awe as he took out almost every condiment necessary to make the world’s greatest sundae. She was mildly shocked by the wave of excitement that coursed through her. Her mouth was already watering at the idea of making and eating her own.

The excited energy she tried so hard to keep at bay became uncontrollable as she and Dmitri stood in the kitchen that night and made sundaes. He gave her serious side-eye for all the sweets she used as toppings but she ignored him, sticking her tongue out playfully. She squealed at the feel of something cold being splashed on her face. Dmitri had sprayed her with the whipped cream in response. Returning the favor, a brawl soon began in the kitchen for the canned dessert. Their laughter reverberated throughout the penthouse, interspersed with squeals from Sasha as she was picked up and spun into the air. When he heard her stomach begin to growl, Dmitri let her down so their attention could return to their meal.

Eventually they sat down in front of the television with their delicacies. Moaning in delight at the creamy feel of the ice cream and the sweet bursts of sugar from her toppings, Sasha looked up at him and admitted,

“This is the best dinner I’ve ever had.”

He laughed, “I am happy to hear that.” But Dmitri’s face suddenly became serious. “It may have been a silly dream, Sasha and at first, I didn’t think there was anything unique about it. I mean, almost every kid at some point wants to have dessert for dinner. But that’s exactly it. It’s simplicity and commonality revealed to me how much your childhood lacked those small pleasures. I didn’t realize that at the time, but now I do.”

Sasha blinked several times to prevent tears from coming to the surface. “Stop it…now you’re just being too perfect.” It was times like this Sasha was reminded of how much Dmitri had changed. She remembered the day they had spoken of their childhood dreams. At the time, it was a rarity for him to have even mentioned anything of his childhood, and she had felt that their relationship was beginning to make progress. So, she had revealed something that on the surface had seemed silly but had actually meant a lot to her. It wasn’t simply the idea of having dessert for dinner, but everything it represented: having family want to make even your smallest dreams come true. That day he had laughed at her secret and she had laughed with him. Unknowingly, the humor he found in it had hurt somewhat. She had been conflicted, upset with herself for feeling affronted by his laughter while also recognizing the absurdity in the dream. But now, Dmitri had shown through his actions that the childishness of the dream didn’t matter. What mattered was simply that it was something that had been important to her.

At that, Dmitri settled his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. “Well, before you say that, maybe I should disclose that because I care about you, this is really just a once-in-a-year type deal.”

Sasha laughed,  “Aw, do we have to leave Neverland so soon?”

“We do if you want to get any of this tonight,” he teased.

“Promises, promises,” she tsked.

That night, Dmitri set a warm bath for Sasha. As she relaxed in his arms, he caressed her skin with a washcloth. Though his words earlier had suggested they would make love, Sasha was pleasantly surprised to find that they never did. Instead of sex, Dmitri gave her intimacy. After their bath, they settled into his bed holding one another. His hands gently massaged her scalp while she breathed in his scent. It lulled her into a deep and peaceful sleep that night.

While she slept in his arms, Dmitri looked down at her with a smile, “I love you, Sasha.”