Page 17 of Beautiful Broken Love

DEKE

“I feel like my boobs look way too big in this dress.” Whitney huffed a breath as she shifted next to me and adjusted her black halter-top dress.

“They look good to me,” EJ said, his eyes sliding from Whitney’s chest to her exposed legs and thighs.

“Fuck off, EJ,” my sister muttered.

I slapped his chest, and he broke out in a laugh.

“What?” he exclaimed with a stupid grin. “I ain’t gonna lie about it. They look good.”

We were on our way to Golden Oil Co.’s relaunch party, which had been rescheduled three weeks out from the original date.

I’d called Whitney and Camille and asked if they could join me. Camille had a hearing that morning and couldn’t make it, but Whitney was game. When I was on the phone with my sisters, I was working out with EJ and Javier, and of course EJ had invited himself.

Javier probably would’ve come, too, but he was taking his daughter to Disney World.

“Remind me why you wanted to come again?” I asked as EJ adjusted his red bow tie.

“Because I have skin, too, and if the owner likes me, she might replace your face with mine. I am sexier.” EJ flashed me a grin, revealing his gold grill.

I huffed a laugh, peering out the window as the limo slowed to a creep. The limo was Whitney’s idea. She was all about the uppity stuff. She never settled for anything cheap and loved being pampered. She was just like our mama, but if I told her that, she’d slap the shit out of me.

“Wow,” Whitney said. “You have such big dreams, EJ.”

“You think that’s the only thing I have that’s big?”

I gave him a swift smack on the back of the head this time.

Whitney snickered.

EJ winced, rubbing his head. “Bruh, why would you do that?”

“Cause I need you to shut the hell up.”

He scowled at me. This dude was like a little brother who knew exactly how to get under your skin. Couldn’t take his ass anywhere.

The back door of the limo swung open, and I stepped out in my loafers, adjusting my tie, then dusting off my suit. The venue was in an area of Charlotte called Ballantyne and was taking place in a building that was damn near the size of a castle.

This was supposed to be an intimate occasion, and with Davina’s company being on the small business side, there weren’t any awaiting photographers or hounding paparazzi near the entrance that I could see.

“Oh my God. There he is! I told you he’d be here!” a woman screamed. “Deke Bishop! Over here!”

I turned my attention to the gazebo a short walk away, and a cluster of women were rushing toward me. So much for intimate.

I couldn’t help wondering how they knew I’d be around. Something told me EJ had something to do with this. That man posted his entire day on social media.

I gave the women a crooked smile as the two security guards in front of the building stepped toward me.

“It’s all good, fellas.” I moved past them to greet the fans.

“Oh my God, Deke! Hi!” one of them squealed.

“You’re even sexier in person!”

“Can you sign this for me?” One of them shoved a jersey and a Sharpie into my hand.

I glanced over my shoulder as Whitney and EJ walked toward the entrance. Whitney was shaking her head, clearly annoyed by their invasion, while EJ pointed a finger at me and shouted “’Ey! That’s my boy, Deke! Best player in the game! Still ain’t sexier than me, though!”

I chuckled as I signed the jersey and an area on one of the girls’ chests that was close to her left tit (as she so proudly demanded), then thanked them for the love.

Security stepped between us again, and I walked into the building with a smile. I couldn’t lie. That was one of the things I loved about being in the league. The recognition, the appreciation, the love . Most times, I wanted to be left alone, but when I needed a boost, the fans always showed up.

Sure, most of that love came from women who wanted a selfie or a quick fuck, but it felt good knowing I was someone to them. It felt good being recognized solely as Deke Bishop and no one else.

As soon as I was inside, the ambience shifted. Contemporary music played, and dim lighting created a chill vibe. Little string lights on the walls led toward the banquet hall, where most of the people were gathered, and as soon as I entered the room, all eyes turned to me.

There was a rush of whispers and murmurs, then some applauded and others hooted and hollered as I continued ahead.

I smiled and waved, shook hands with a few of the guests, and took pictures with others, and after excusing myself, I scanned the room for Whitney and EJ.

I spotted them by the bar and started their way before another flood of people sought me out. Not that they couldn’t find me with ease. I was the tallest person in the room.

As I went, my eyes snagged on a woman in a satin indigo dress. Her hair was in bouncy curls that framed her face, her honey-brown skin moisturized and glowing. The mere sight of her made my heart thump faster—a foreign feeling I couldn’t wrap my mind around.

Davina.

She was speaking to another woman, and as if she sensed that I was looking, her dark-whiskey eyes gracefully slid my way. Her mouth curved into a smile, and I tossed a hand up with a lopsided grin.

She mouthed the words excuse me to the woman in front of her, then wove her way through the cocktail tables.

As she walked toward me, I stopped in my tracks and straightened my back. She looked good as hell in that dress. It was spaghetti strapped, and while my sister may have been complaining about her tits, all I could think was that Davina’s were perky and voluptuous as fuck.

I did my best not to focus on her chest as she got closer, and I succeeded there, up until I realized there was a slit at the thigh of her dress so high it made my imagination run wild.

What would I find beneath that slit? Lace panties? Cotton? A thong? How easy would it have been for me to slip a finger beneath the crease and skim her inner thigh?

Fuck. She had to be teasing me right now. Did she not realize the power she held? How the hell could a man like me only want to be friends with a woman like her ? I’m sorry, there was just no damn way. I could try for her sake, but I had very little faith in myself that I could commit.

It’d been a little over a month of friendly on-and-off emails. I kept it simple with her, but I wasn’t going to lie and say I didn’t jack my dick off to the mere thought of her every other night.

She had this one picture on her Instagram where she was wearing a black bikini and sitting on the edge of the pool. It was an off-guard back shot and just enough to make me come.

I’d had some encounters with other women the last few weeks, but ever since meeting Davina, it wasn’t the same. It never went past the point of them having my dick in their mouths, and I stopped messing around with Giselle after the last time I saw her.

I didn’t want any of them. The woman I wanted was right in front of me, and she wouldn’t even let me get a taste of her.

“Deke, hi.” Davina’s voice was a mixture of sultry and husky, and the sound of it sent a tingle down my spine. She stopped a step away, looking at me from beneath wispy eyelashes.

Fuck. That look. At this point, she was purposely turning me on.

Her perfume slipped past my nose, a sweet warm vanilla. She smelled good too? Yeah. This was gonna be a long night.

“How’s it going, D?” I asked, keeping my cool.

“It’s going good, yeah,” she said with way too much enthusiasm. She fingered the dragonfly pendant dangling from her necklace, the same one I’d seen on her Instagram.

It didn’t take a genius to know she was internally stressing. It seemed she was waiting for the other shoe to drop as she scanned the room with wide, bouncing eyes.

“I’m, um ... I’m glad you made it.” She looked from the room full of people to me again.

“Wouldn’t have missed it.”

Her irises sparkled beneath the chandeliers, highlighting the amber flecks, and her lips were glossed, pouty, and parted just enough for me to see her tongue. She had nice lips. A cute pink tongue.

I cleared my throat and gestured to the bar. “That’s my sister Whitney and my teammate EJ over there. I think Arnold told you I was bringing two people with me.”

“Oh, yes. He did say so.” She nodded while taking a sip of her champagne.

I gestured to her flute glass when she lowered it. “Celebrating tonight?”

“Oh. Yeah. The whole lifestyle thing has been put on hiatus.” She wore a tight smile and completely avoided my eyes. I studied her, trying to figure out what else she wanted to say.

“I get it.” I bobbed my head toward the bar. “Let me introduce you to Whitney and EJ.” I led the way, and of course my sister and teammate were in the middle of yet another heated debate.

These two always got into debates about the most random things, like if Marvel or DC was better. Who would win in a fight, Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson? Who’s the better artist, Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin? Tonight, they were debating which song on one of Kendrick Lamar’s albums was better.

“I’m telling you, ‘Money Trees’ is a pure masterpiece. ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’ was more commercial, and you can’t say it wasn’t, because Jay-Z hopped on the remix, and that man is about nothing but commercial shit,” EJ declared. “I don’t blame him, though. That’s where the money is.”

“I still stand by what I said,” Whitney said after sipping her drink. Her eyes swiveled to mine as I stepped closer. “Oh, hey, bro!”

“What are y’all arguing about now?”

Whitney handed a flute of champagne to me. “Something EJ is clearly wrong about.” My sister put her focus on Davina again. “You must be Davina. Hi, I’m Whitney, Deke’s big sister.” Whitney offered a hand to Davina, and Davina pasted on a big smile as she shook it.

“I am. It’s so nice to put a face to one of the names Deke always mentions.” She gave me a little wink. I swear on everything, we were having foreplay. “And you’re EJ McCoy, right?” Davina asked, eyeing my teammate.

“Look at that? She already knows who I am, Deke!” EJ beamed, showing off the gold grill on the bottom row of his teeth again. “Look, if you ever need a new face for your company, I’m the guy, all right? This skin looks good because it requires a lot to make that happen.”

Davina laughed and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How do you know who this corny-ass dude is, anyway?” I jerked a thumb at EJ.

“Oh, I looked into the whole team after Tish told me you were coming in to discuss a deal with us,” Davina said with a pop of her shoulder. “Thought it’d be nice to familiarize myself with the roster.”

“A woman who does her homework.” I tossed her a wink. “I feel that.”

She brought her glass to her lips, hiding a smile.

“I just have to say, I love your products, Davina!” My sister moved closer to her. “Thank you for all the samples and for the leftover stuff. I told Deke the honey shea body butter is my favorite! My skin is always so soft when I use it.”

“Stop. It’s my pleasure, Whitney. Really. I’m just glad to hear you love them and that someone is putting the products we send your brother to good use.” Davina eyed me with a playful smirk.

“Hold on now. You trying to say I don’t use your stuff?” I asked, laughing.

“Well, you did tell me you only took the deal with me so your sisters could have an unlimited supply of GOC products.” Her lips pursed, like that was the end of the conversation.

“He told you that?” Whitney scowled at me.

“No, hold on. Hold on.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out a travel-size hand cream. “What’s this then, D?”

She dropped her eyes to my palm and saw the hand cream with her company’s name on it. When her eyes flickered back up to mine, she murmured, “I stand corrected.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear you.” I leaned toward her, cupping my ear.

She laughed and loudly said, “I stand corrected!”

“Oh, okay.” I smirked. “Good to know.”

She looked into my eyes, sinking her teeth into the corner of her bottom lip. I don’t think she was doing it to tempt me but more as a nervous habit. Either way, it was turning me on.

“I like the hand cream,” I told her. “Keeps my hands soft.” I sounded stupid, but I didn’t know what else to say. I just wanted to keep hearing her voice. Keep her near me.

“I’m glad it helps.” She locked eyes with me for a fleeting second before giving her head a little shake and distracting herself with a sip of her drink.

“Davina?” someone called behind us. I looked back, and it was her friend Tisha. When Davina looked back, Tisha gestured for her to come.

“Well, that’s my cue,” Davina announced. “Whitney, it was really lovely to meet you. You as well, EJ.” She turned to me, placing a hand on the upper arm of my tux. “Deke, thank you so much for coming. I know there are plenty of other places you could be.”

I could feel the warmth of her hand through the fabric, her perfume luring me in. I loved a woman who smelled good, and Davina Klein smelled like a snack.

“Like I told you,” I murmured. “Wouldn’t have missed it.”

She blinked up at me, and once again her eyes were on my face, searching it. I wasn’t sure what it was she was looking for. Her lips parted, like she was going to say whatever was on her mind.

Instead, she said, “I, uh ... I hope you enjoy the party.” Then she sauntered away to meet her friend.

I sipped my champagne, studying her ass as she walked across the ballroom. For the last couple of weeks, I kept asking myself why I wanted Davina so badly. She was just a woman, and to most men, pussy was pussy.

But ... I don’t know. Davina felt like a different breed of woman. She didn’t beg or drop straight to her knees at the sight of me. She didn’t tell me things I wanted to hear just to be on my good side. She was honest and naturally beautiful, and her curves, thick thighs, and plump ass were a hell of a bonus.

“I see why you were staring at her IG pics, big dog.”

I looked at EJ, who sat in an empty chair close by.

“She’s fine as fuck,” he said.

“You were staring at her pictures, Deke?” Whitney asked, eyes widening.

I wasn’t about to answer that. I finished off my champagne and stepped past Whitney to get to the bar again. I needed something stronger than the bubbly.

“Deke. What did me and Camille tell you about her?” my sister hissed.

“What are you talking about?” I flagged the bartender down.

“You need to leave her alone. Do not cross that line.”

“What line?”

“You know exactly what line I’m talking about. Look, I get it. She’s really, really pretty. But didn’t you say on our last call that she lost her husband a couple months ago? That’s just ...”

“Just what?” I demanded, dropping my eyes to hers.

Whitney’s brows puckered, and she straightened her posture. “That’s messy , Deke.”

“Well, maybe I’m okay with it being messy.” The bartender appeared, and I requested a neat whiskey. The irony of my drink of choice wasn’t lost on me.

“Okay—you know what? Whatever,” Whitney muttered. “Do whatever you want, just like you always do. But, Deke, I’m telling you, if you sleep with that woman, you’re gonna fuck her up even more. I saw her eyes. She is not okay. She’s smiling and looks happy on the outside, but she’s crying inside. After experiencing that sort of pain firsthand, you of all people should know that tampering with it doesn’t help. Don’t make matters worse for her.”

Whitney took off with those words lingering in the air, and I blew a breath, collecting my drink and leaving the ballroom to find a quieter space.