Page 16 of A Million Boss Kisses

Marissa sank back into the chair, visibly overwhelmed and maybe still slightly embarrassed, but I reached for her hand with a slow and steady grip and gently pulled her back to her feet.

I didn’t enjoy seeing her flustered; it mirrored the unsettling feeling I got when something was bothering Amill.

My touch was firm but careful; I didn’t want to agitate her any further.

Knowing she would follow my lead, I guided Marissa up and out of her seat.

Carl passed me my card, and we made our way out of the restaurant.

I wasn’t worried about my parents. My dad out-earned me even in retirement, so he could cover the bill, and Wayne would get them back to the hotel and home with Amill. If I tried to rejoin them at the table after what I just pulled, they wouldn’t let me hear the end of it anyway.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the beating sun was a harsh reminder that it was the end of September in Florida. Thwarting my plans to walk along the strip and get to know Marissa better.

“That broke ass nigga drove you up here?” I looked down at Marissa as we stood outside the restaurant.

“No, I drove myself,” Marissa affirmed.

“Good, you wasn’t planning to leave with that nigga anyways.”

“How would you know? You don’t know me.”

“I know you feisty and I like that shit. I know your son Quincy is a beast on the baseball field. You are going through a divorce, so I met you at the right time and above all else, I know you love dessert and that fuck nigga couldn’t have offered you none because I didn’t see a plate in front of you,” I expressed.

“Why are you all up in my business? Are you stalking me?”

“Maybe,” I smiled when an idea hit me.

Not only did Marissa love dessert, but she also had a particular weakness for cheesecake.

I knew that because I watched every video on her TikTok account like it was intel I needed to breathe.

The page was new, only a few months old, and her first post was from a trip to Tokyo with her sons and a group of people I didn’t bother to identify.

I wasn’t interested in them. Marissa was my only focus.

The way she talked. The way those suckable lips curled perfectly into the masterpiece that was her smile.

The way she articulated her thoughts with a soft, confident tone made every word sound like it was meant just for me.

It was addictive. I needed that type of shit in my life permanently.

Not for the remainder of this trip. Not for a fling. Permanently.

Marissa was well traveled. Every other month, she was in a different country, living lavishly and vlogging like she was destined to sit in front of a camera. And she was. The lighting and angles weren’t always the best, but we could perfect that.

What really caught my attention wasn’t the passport stamp or the hotel views.

It was the way her bright eyes lit up anytime dessert hit the table.

Sweets made her feel all soft and fuzzy on the inside.

Made her smile different. The first time I saw her eat a slice of cheesecake, she looked like the troubles of the world didn’t exist. I knew it was her favorite before the video where she mentioned that cheesecake was her favorite.

From that moment, I stored it in the back of my mind because my mom loved a specialty cheesecake that I planned to introduce Marissa to.

When you were fucking with a woman who clearly had the world at her feet, it was the small shit that would win her over.

“Where you parked at?”

“Why?”

“My driver needs to get my parents back home, so I’m going to ride with you.”

“So you wanted to call Benjamin out for not having enough money to pay the bill, and now you want to ride in my car,” Marissa rolled her eyes.

“Shit, you ain’t said nothing,” I grinned, pulling out my phone to text Wayne.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll send my parents an Uber to get back to their car. I won’t give you the opportunity to put me in the same category as a nigga who ain’t about shit,” I replied as Wayne pulled from the parking lot on the side of Oleans to the curb a few feet away from us.

“No, don’t leave your parents stranded,” Marissa pleaded, shooing Wayne off with a quick flick of her hand. “We can drive in my car, but I’m driving.”

Wayne only took direction from me, so he still placed the truck in park and exited the truck to open the door.

“Nah, come get this princess treatment. I ain’t never let a woman drive me around in my life, so I understand where you coming from,” I commanded, leading her to the truck.

“No, I can drive. It’s no big deal. You let your guard down and allow me to drive you, and I’ll let my guard down to enjoy whatever you had in mind,” she negotiated, planting her feet as we stood just a step away from the truck.

Marissa gave me a quick glance, then turned and made her way to the parking lot, her heels clicking against the pavement with every confident step toward her car.

My eyes inadvertently landed on her round ass, and I was mesmerized by her walk in person.

A soft chirp echoed as Marissa tapped her key fob, and the Bentayga’s headlights blinked to life.

She went for the driver’s door, and I quickly redirected her towards the passenger seat.

“Change of plans, I’ll drive because it’s going to be too much to direct you everywhere,” I suggested.

“Well, what all do you have planned?”

“You’ll see,” I grinned, opening the passenger door.

She hesitated for a moment, staring up into my eyes.

Now that we were up close without all the arguing she did whenever we were close, I could tell she was about five-three.

From the way I had to look down at her, I had damn near a foot on her.

“We letting our guards down right? I won’t steer you wrong. ”

She finally moved her feet and allowed me to assist her into the car. I shut her door and rounded the car, pulling out of the parking lot with a smile on my face. A comfortable silence filled the car for a few blocks.

“You always snatch women out of restaurants like that?” She queried, her tone sharp but low.

Not angry but genuinely curious. I glanced over her since we were sitting in stopped traffic. She was admiring my face, but swiftly diverted her attention like she didn’t want to give me that type of satisfaction.

“Nah, Ion never chase but I can tell you worth it.”

She scoffed under her breath, turning her face toward the window as I followed the flow of traffic. “That’s a bold assumption considering we don’t even know each other.”

“I’m about to fix that. What do you want to know?”

“Well, I sat through your speech last night, so I know what your occupation is,” she stated before gently tapping her chin. How about your last name?”

“My apologies, allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m Yaseer Haynes. But you can call me whatever the fuck you want as long as I’m the only nigga you’re calling.”

“I’m married,” she blurted like it was breaking news. Even if she was happily married, I’d still be stepping all over that shit because there was just something about Marissa that I couldn’t shake.

“You’re going through a divorce,” I corrected. “And Ion give a fuck about that nigga he fucked up and I’mma luck up.”

She bit back a grin. “I’m married, and out on a date with a man who isn’t my husband who you embarrassed in front of the entire restaurant.”

“Embarrassed?” I raised an eyebrow and glanced at her for a moment. “You were pulling out your own card, beautiful. You deserved better than that.”

“I was prepared to handle it. I didn’t need you to save me.”

“I didn’t do it to save you. I did it to get that weak ass nigga out of your face without me catching a case.”

That quieted her and she turned to face the window again. “You broke into my suite with a masseuse like that’s normal. Now you’re ruining my dates.”

“I thought my gestures were thoughtful,” I shrugged.

“No, it’s insane,” she shot back with a laugh.

“When it comes to something that belongs to me, I’m fucking deranged.” Marissa turned to face me again and my eyes met hers as we sat at another red light. The car behind us gently tapped on the horn after a few moments, and I refocused on the road as we merged onto MacArthur Causeway Bridge.

The tension in the car was thick, but I wasn’t one to bite my tongue, so I spoke my mind.

“I watched your TikToks today,” I said casually. “All of them. Probably more than once too.”

“Why?”

“You’re gorgeous and I couldn’t get enough of you. Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“I’m embarrassed now. I have like a thousand followers. I just do it out of boredom,” she murmured, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as she looked out the window trying to hide her smile.

We pulled up to the security booth at the entrance of my parents’ neighborhood on Hibiscus Island.

I rolled down the window, and the guards quickly nodded, granting us entry.

As we pulled onto the island, past massive homes with perfectly manicured lawns and luxury cars parked in the driveway, I watched Marissa out of the corner of my eye.

Just as I suspected, there was no reaction.

No wide eyes. No eager head turns to take it all in.

She was used to this type of shit, if not better.

I could call that from the type of car she was driving.

I parked in front of my parents’ house, a sleek, modern estate that faced the ocean with a private dock access in the back and stepped out.

I killed the engine, hopped out, and rounded the car to help Marissa out, but she was already exiting the car, adjusting the dress that hugged her in all of the right places.

“You ain’t starstruck. That’s what instantly drew me to you. You approached me standing on business and you don’t let anything shake you. Not even that broke ass nigga not being able to pay the bill. You whipped your card out to pay. I wasn’t expecting that.”