Lennox POV
I walked into the restaurant where I was supposed to be meeting Malakai, it didn't take long for me to spot him since his table sat near the entrance, right next to a large window overlooking the city skyline.
He was already there because I of course, was fashionably late, as I am to everything. It's good to build up anticipation, it's also good to remind people that my time is a gift. It truly is, I have shit to do. Speaking of, I actually have to go meet Beckham after this. Niall is throwing a swanky party to announce that Beckham is officially taking over the company, and that they're beginning the transition process. My presence is of course mandatory, plus my interpersonal skills are far superior to Beckham's.
I waltzed over to the table, taking in Malakai's appearance. He cleans up pretty damn well. He wore a salmon colored suit with a white t-shirt under it. A smirk graced my lips as he stood up from his seat to greet me.
He's cute but his appearance confirms my suspicions, I don't think he can handle me.
Kai's eyes raked over my body and I let out a small laugh, watching him intake a sharp breath. "You look good, mamas." He pulled out his chair for me as I kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, I know. You look good too." It wasn't about being cocky, it was just that he stated what we both knew already. I spent an hour on this face, I look good. The outfit I just threw on though it's not anything special, just a one-shouldered black mini dress.
I sat down in the chair picking up my menu, glossing over it. I glanced up at Malakai, "I don't mean to be rude... But what is it that you do exactly?"
He's brought me to a restaurant where the appetizers start at $20, and only go up from there. This is the type of place where you pay $80 for a steak. He gave me the impression that he did well for himself, but very few people our age do this well for themselves.
"I'm a trainer." He responded casually causing me to raise my eyebrows in suspicion. That sounds like a lie, it can't just be me. What trainer makes that much money?
I sat my menu down on the table, "Maybe this was a bad idea.." Kai grabbed my wrist gently, a gesture that didn't sit too well with me. I stared down at his hand as if it were a spider.
"I'm an athletic trainer for the Sounders."
The Sounders are Seattle's professional soccer team. Soccer is a very big deal out here. I mean now it makes sense, I'm sure that pays extremely well and I've seen his body, he's more than fit enough for the job.
"You could've said that to begin with. You know that right?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Malakai, you asked me here. You are the one who pursued me despite my aversion to the idea, and now you're the one being aloof?"
"Sorry." He conceded, "I'm just nervous, I guess."
"You weren't nervous when you approached me in the bar."
"That was different." Kai trailed off, staring into my eyes seductively as he slowly trailed his tongue across his full lips.
I suddenly found myself significantly less concerned about whatever that menu had to offer, and more preoccupied on how to convince Malakai to take a trip to the bathroom with me. Which is a very large part of the reason I showed up here in the first place. As gracefully as I could, I slid my chair closer to his, slinking my long toned leg across his calf.
"Different how?" I placed my chin in my hand as I stared back up at him, subtlety batting my eyelashes.
"We can talk about that later." He pushed a strand of hair out of my face, "I asked you here because I genuinely want to get to know you Lennox."
I've never been turned off quicker in my entire life. Of course that's what he had to say, I posses the deepest disdain for vulnerability. It makes me want to vomit. I swallowed hard trying to think of the words to put this as gently as possible.
"Kai, You know that I'm in a relationship. There's no logical or reason behind getting to know me. You already know everything you need to as it pertains to me."
"Let's start slow, yeah?" He stated, completely ignoring what I had just said."How old are you?"
"I'm 24. I'm a Virgo if you were wondering though it's obvious."
"I'm 25, I'm a Pisces." I smiled at him trying to prevent my resting bitch face from kicking in. That actually explains a lot. Luckily, the waiter came over just in time to break up this awkward ass conversation.
I just don't get small talk. What's the point? I don't care about how many siblings you have, especially if I don't have any intention of meeting them. I don't need to know how many kids you want, I won't be having them with you. It's just an unnecessary and an emotionally exhausting experience. If you haven't caught on by now, I'm a fake extrovert. I know how to play the part but I'm not fond of mundane social interactions.
"Hi, is there anything I can get you to start off with? An appetizer or maybe some drinks?" The waiter offered as I glanced down at my watch.
I definitely do not have time for appetizers since I need to leave in an hour, "Umm.. I'd like to go ahead and order actually, if that's okay with you?" I looked to Malakai for confirmation.
"That's fine, do you have somewhere to be?" I gave him a knowing look.
"Can I please get the eight ounce filet mignon, with arugula salad, and lobster mac and cheese? I'll also have a glass of your finest Malbec with that."
"I'll actually take what she's having, but with the twelve ounce filet mignon instead." Kai handed the waiter our menus, before he left us to our own devices once again. "So you're going to see him after this?"
I nodded my head, watching him visibly tense up. Kai clenched his jaw leaning back in his seat. "Why does that bother you? I told you when we met."
"I'm not bothered, you're not the only one with someone on the side." He's bothered. He said that in an attempt to bother me, but I don't care about who he has on the side. We used a condom for a reason.
"So tell me about her." I'm nosy as hell so I honestly want to know.
"She's my child's mother." He started as my eyes widened. I just wasn't expecting that, I'm a little shaken. I'm not gonna lie. "We're not together, we coparent mostly but sometimes you can't help but go back to what's familiar."
I assuming that last part of his statement was a reference to sex, rather than his relationship status. In which case, I don't blame her that child has a very strong neck, and he definitely knows how to use it. That reminds me why I'm here, let me be nicer. I'm really jeopardizing the dick I showed up here to get.
"Can I see a picture of her? Of your daughter?" Malakai's face light up at my request as he dug his phone out of his pocket, showing me his lock screen.
I was not expecting a literally baby. "She's adorable." I gushed, as he began to scroll through the multitude of photos he had in his gallery.
I felt my cold ass heart warm a little, watching him explain animatedly where each photo was taken and what they were doing. She's his entire world. That's exactly how I feel about Jayce-Lynn.
"Yeah, that's my babygirl." He smiled wide as he returned his phone to his pocket.
That definitely triggered a turning point in our night for me. Surprisingly, I spent the rest of the evening indulging him in small talk as we ate our meal. I told him about med school, Gia and Brandt though I refrained from referring to them by name, and shared some vague details about my relationship with Beckham. He knew enough to be satisfied but the crumbs of information I provided him with ultimately equated to nothing personal. I learned much more about him, I learned about his Afro-Cuban ancestry, his older sister whom has a daughter the same age as his, apparently they're best friends and his secret hobby of playing guitar. He wanted to share so I listened, I'm not anti-social not rude, I was raised right.
"Shit." I glanced down at my watch, wishing I had budgeted my time better. Now I have to leave without even getting what I wanted.
"You have to go don't you? Let me pay the check and then I'll walk you out." He offered.
"Sounds good."
I didn't bother to fight over who would pay, I'm not that person, I didn't invite myself here. I did however insist that I would be the one to leave the tip. Just to let him know that I'm more than capable of providing for myself. I didn't pay the check but that doesn't mean I couldn't.
After everything was taken care of, I stood up from my seat. Allowing Malakai to take my hand as we walked out of the restaurant together. The action felt strangely intimate, because there was no real purpose behind it. He was holding my hand because he wanted to and for that reason alone.
Using my free hand, I dug inside of my purse to hand my ticket to the valet standing outside. "I had a really nice time tonight."
I'll admit it started out very rocky, but it didn't end so bad.
"I did too." Malakai pulled me closer to him, bringing me into a kiss. His other hand found its way into my hair as he made love to my mouth. The only thing that kept me feeling completely mortified by the egregious PDA was the fact that it was nightfall, thank God this wasn't happening in broad daylight.
Kai pulled away from the kiss, pecking my lips gently. "Can I see you later tonight?" I asked gazing into his gorgeous brown eyes.
"Nah mami, not tonight." I smacked my lips not even bothering to hide my irritation. I'm here because I'm horny, and now he's saying he has no intentions of remedying that issue.
"I'll make it up to you another time." Kai pecked my lips again, "Go see about your mans, Lennox." He slapped my ass, pulling away from me with a smirk, just as the valet pulled up with my car.
No he didn't. Looking just like that smug ass emoji.
I flipped him off, before climbing into my car. I speed away feeling frustrated both sexually and emotionally. I can't quite figure him out, and I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.
I drove back to my apartment since I needed to drop off my car and change my clothes since Beckham would be coming to pick me up soon. We haven't spoken to each since the incident, so I forced Brandt to ride in the car with him to act as a buffer. I do have every intention of addressing the situation tonight because Beckham obviously had a lapse in judgement and forgot who he was dealing with. I'm not the one, the two or the three.
I went up to apartment and walked into my bedroom, changing into the outfit that I had set aside before I left to meet Malakai. It was a toffee brown bandage dress, much more appropriate for the event that we're attending than what I'm currently wearing. I changed into the long dress that fell past my knees, slipping on a pair of nude Valentino sandals to accompany it. They were one of my more expensive pairs of shoes, gifted to me by a former client with a foot fetish. On nights like this they come in handy, they allow me to appear as though I can afford much more than I can. These are $1,199 shoes. Even with what Beckham's paying me, I'd never spend that kind of money on something I wear on my feet. Especially when it'd be better suited going towards Jayce-Lynn's college fund. I can only imagine how expensive it'll be when she's finally old enough to attend.
I barely had enough time to apply a matching brown lipstick to my lips when I heard a knock at my door. I couldn't help but smile as I went to answer it. Right now, I feel like Demi Lovato 'payback is a bad bitch, and baby I'm the baddest. You're fucking with a savage.'
The lyrics to her song were my mental soundtrack as I swung the door open, taking in the two attractive young men in front of me. "You clean up nice. I just need to grab my purse then we can leave." I smiled softly, opening the door up wider. Inviting them inside with the nod of my head.
"This is cute." Beckham quipped looking around causing me to roll my eyes. Yes, I lived modestly in comparison to his mini mansion but I have a nice apartment. My expensive ass rent check says so.
Just stay focused Lennox, ignoring him I turned my attention to Brandt. "Baby daddy, I missed you!" I pulled him into a hug.
He smacked his lips "You just saw me. But I missed your fine ass too." He hugged me back, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I grinned up at him, he was blissfully unaware of the mischief that danced around in my eyes. Before he had a chance to object, I brought my hand to his very defined jawline, pulling him down so his lips met mine. Much to my surprise Brandt didn't pull away but rather deepened the kiss, letting his hands fall down to my ass.
"Aye, shooters shoot." Was all he said as Beckham yanked us apart obviously enraged. I'm honestly surprised that it took so little to set him off, I was planning on feigning a few moans and everything.
"What the fuck was that, huh?" Beckham wrapped his hand around my throat, shoving me up against the wall. He didn't use enough force to hurt me, I think the gesture was supposed to frighten me more than anything.
I glanced down at his hand, before looking back up at him biting my lip. "Ooh harder." My voice was dripping with condescension just to piss him off.
He immediately released his hand from around my neck, not at all pleased with my reaction. "Are you fucking my brother?"
Brandt scoffed at the accusation, shaking his head. "I fucking wish..." He mumbled before clearing his throat, "I mean I'd never do that to you, my dearest older brother."
Beckham's eyes darted between us as he tried to make sense of what just transpired. "So you did this to what? Piss me off?"
"Are you asking if my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and served no other purpose than to wound you emotionally? Because the answer's yes.. Kind of like what you did at your condo, no?" I titled my head to the side, batting my eyelashes at him innocently. "Consider this a warning, next time I will fuck him."
Brandt seemed to have no qualms with that statement as he stuck his hands in his pockets, whistling awkwardly. I grabbed my clutch off of the table near the door, before opening the door back up.
"Shall we go? Oh.. Brandt sweetie, you got a little lipstick right there." I gestured towards his bottom lip where my makeup had smudged before walking out of the apartment.
As far as I'm concerned Beckham is officially forgiven. If he's smart he'll realize that he's met his match. If not, I have no problem with manually relaying that message.
•••
Lennox's Apartment
Characters
Good dick has Lennox acting all the way up. I love to see it! Anyways, this chapter is a bit of a filler but I did need her to makeup with Beckham and it seemed the only thing he'd be receptive to is a power-play sooo... Also that dynamic is very much so indicative of their future relationship. So that should be fun, or a headache. We'll see who cracks first. Trophy Wife is nearly at 1K thank you so much! And spoiler: I see some of y'all getting attached to Malakai, he does not stick around. I thought that was clear when I introduced him. Lennox 1000% ends up with Beckham, both contractually and romantically.
~Lee