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CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHANEL

O ne night of sex turned into three additional lust-filled nights of getting my back blown out. The sex was intense, satisfying, and passionate. Sometimes he fucked me and sometimes he seemed to be making love to me. My body bent and twisted to his every command. I never felt so tired and energized at the same time. I wanted more of him. I wanted all of him. The thought was exciting and frightening. I knew I would be devastated when he was done with me. For now, I would revel in what this was. Even though I didn’t have a name for it.

I went to work and came home to Zand, knocking on my door only a few hours later. I appreciated he gave me time to unwind. But I would’ve been okay with him standing at my apartment door to greet me with a kiss as well. Men were always sweet and caring in the beginning and I was on pins and needles, waiting for the ball to drop. The real Zand was going to come out one day, and I was going to have to deal with it.

Zand cooked meals for me. His food was seasoned and delicious. He made sure my coffee was restocked. He even washed my clothes while I was at work. I had at least two loads piled up. Dirty leftover laundry from when I was trying to avoid bumping into him. I wasn’t used to this kind of behavior. Sure, I had been treated well by men, but Zand was caring and considerate. He put my feelings and me first. His thoughtfulness was different and unique. We had already slept together, and he was still putting forth an effort.

We were acting like a couple. He was treating me like I was important and special to him. It was too good to be true. I didn’t care. It felt good in the moment and I was willing to live in the moment for now. In this short time, I felt like I was in a relationship. I loved this feeling.

We ended the night in my apartment like usual. We talked about so many things. We laughed and being around him felt real. I just didn’t know how long this would last and somehow I was okay with it. After dinner, we cuddled under my bed sheets, watched a few episodes of Snowfall and I fell fast asleep.

I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when I heard my cell phone ringing. I cracked my eyes open to pure darkness. I didn’t have any clue where my cell was located. I looked over at the nightstand. It wasn’t there. I looked the other way and there was Zand. He was asleep on his stomach. His face buried in a pillow, and pointed toward the door. I had the urge the touch his messy hair, but I didn’t. I needed to find my loud ringing cell phone.

I sat up in bed and tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. I blinked to hear better, even though that wouldn’t work. The sound was coming from the nightstand, but I had already looked over there. I leaned over and my eyes drifted down to the floor. There was light. I spotted my cell phone down on the floor. I leaned over the edge of the bed, smashing one of my breasts into the corner of the mattress.

I looked at the cell screen and it was a picture of Morgan. I unlocked my cell with my face and answered the call.

“Hey Morgan.” I glanced over at Zand. His handsome face was buried deeper into the pillow. He looked comfortable and like he belonged here with me and under my fluffy duvet. This was nice. I really had the hots for this man .

“Coco, this is Mitchell.” His husky voice reeked with distress.

“Hey.” I covered my bare breasts with the duvet and sat up straight. “Mitchell.” Morgan’s brother never called me. He was on his sister’s cell phone. This wasn’t a good sign. My heart picked up the pace. “What’s going on?” I just knew it was something bad. “Is Morgan okay?” I offered another question before he could answer the first one.

“Morgan is fine. I mean she’s, she’s, it’s Craig.” He stumbled over his rushed words.

“Craig.” Her boyfriend. “What happened?”

“He was in a car accident.”

“Wait! Was Morgan in the car?”

“No, no. He was alone.”

“Car accident, is he—” I didn’t want to say it.

“He’s still alive, but it’s bad. The state trooper said he ran into a semitrailer truck. It’s really terrible. He’s in ICU. Morgan is with him. She’s upset. I’ve never seen her like this before. That’s why I have her phone. I had to let you know. I don’t know if you can come to the hospital, but Morgan is really in bad shape. I didn’t know if I should call you or not. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“No, of course you call me.”

“I don’t know where you are. I just know you moved away.”

“I did, but you can always call me.”

“She’s really out of it. We don’t know if he’s going to make it. I really don’t know what to do. Craig’s family is here. I’m here with Morgan at the hospital.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to come. What hospital?”

“Silver Cross over on 95 th in Evergreen Park.”

“I’m going to get there as soon as I can. It will be a few hours.” It was more than a few, but I didn’t need to burden him with my distance.

“I’ll tell Morgan. Coco, honestly, the way things are going. I don’t think he’s going to make it. ”

“You pray for him and I’ll pray for him.”

“Ah, ah, right.” His voiced cracked.

“And pray for your sister, too. Pray for her strength.”

“I will.”

“I’m leaving soon. It’s going to take me awhile to get there. Just make sure her phone is charged up. Tell her I’m coming.”

“Okay. Thanks Coco.”

Mitchell ended the call while I held the phone and tried to process all the information that was given to me while my brain wasn’t fully awake. I felt Zand’s eyes on me. I looked over and he was sitting up in bed, watching me. His back was against the headboard. Those eyes were staring deep into me, but not judging me.

“Did you hear my call?”

“Yeah.”

“I have to go back. My best friend’s boyfriend was in a car accident. It’s a really bad accident. He’s in ICU.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Soon.”

“Do you need to find a flight?”

“No, I’m going to drive. It’s only about six hours. I’m going to pack really quickly and shower.”

“Okay, I’ll drive you. We can take my car.”

I stopped staring off into space to regard him carefully. Had he just invited himself on my road trip? I think so. I think he did.

“You don’t have to come with me. I will probably be there for a few days.”

“I can’t let you drive that far alone.”

“You have an entire club to run. I may be gone for a few days.”

“My staff can run The Castle without me. They’ve done it before.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know how long I will be in Minnesota.”

“It doesn’t matter. We can figure that part out when we come to it.” Zand stood and grabbed his pants off the chair. “I want to drive you there. You can’t deny. It will be less stressful if you don’t have to worry about driving. You can focus on your friends.” He jumped into his pants in one swift motion.

“I don’t want you to just stop everything for me.”

“I don’t care. I want to stop everything for you. It’s final. I’m driving. I’m going to shower, pack some clothes and gas up the car. How long do you need to get ready for the road?”

It was clear. He was in charge. I just sat there and watched him grab his shirt, his cell phone, and his shoes.

“Chanel.”

I was already looking at him, but now I was really seeing him. He was kind. He was caring. He was real, and I wanted to revisit these feelings at a later date.

“Chanel, you need thirty minutes, an hour? How much time do you need?”

“An hour. I’m going to shower and pack a few things.” Probably in the opposite order, but my brain wasn’t working well under the stress.

I watched Zand move toward me. He stopped over to my side of the bed and leaned over to kiss my forehead. The tenderness— I didn’t expect an innocent forehead kiss to go straight to my sweet spot, but it did. I watched my lover walk to the bedroom door. I was mentally shaking off the kiss, and I was in a trance trying to absorb the information Mitchell gave me.

“Chanel, get out of bed.” He said as he exited my bedroom. I sat there and waited until I heard my front door close. I jumped out of bed and shuffled naked to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. I had one hour to get myself together. I could call my job when I got there. I needed to be there for Morgan. She had always been there for me.

I was secretly happy that Zand was willing to drop everything and drive me to Minnesota. I didn’t need a reason to like him more, but this just made me fall just a bit harder for him.

I rushed into the shower because I didn’t have time to waste. I prayed Craig would be okay. He was a good guy. He was good for Morgan and good to her. I wanted to think positive, but there was a nagging feeling that things would only be what they were meant to be.

It was a little over an hour when Zand showed up at my door to collect my suitcase. I threw a few essentials inside and hoped I remembered everything I needed. He was wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was wet and pushed back off his forehead. Effortlessly sexy was what came to mind. No jacket or coat. He never seemed to be cold, although it was a freeze-fest outside.

Zand didn’t let me lift a finger with my bags. He packed my things in the trunk of his vintage sports car. His black leather jacket was tossed on his backseat. I wondered if this old classic car could make it that far. It seemed to be in pristine condition. The car was beautiful and sexy, but I didn’t know his car. I did know he rarely drove it. He liked to walk.

I thought about my friend because I didn’t want to worry about getting along with Zand. Six or seven hours cooped up in a car with a man could be problematic. I hoped it wouldn’t be. I’d never taken any kind of a road trip with a man, a new man.

My fear was going to take over if I let it. Zand had done nothing wrong. I was just being overly dramatic, and I knew it. Zand was in charge of the navigation, and I didn’t want to challenge his sense of direction. After we stopped for gas, I was going to just check to make sure we were driving on the right path to Bloomington. Of course we were. This man ran an entire nightclub. What made me think he couldn’t drive from Illinois to Minnesota?

We listened to music, and I tried to not stare over at his handsome profile. Mr. Vampire was sort of my saving grace. I didn’t want to drive while I was a bottle of nerves. I was able to send a text to Mitchell saying I was on the road to Minnesota. It was selfish, but I didn’t want to hear my friend upset. I knew Morgan’s despair would seep into me and I wasn’t ready for it. I wanted to deal with the drama when I arrived. I was brave about a lot of things, but I didn’t know how to handle bad news. I was headed to the state that was full of bad news for me— bad news and bad memories.

“This is nice.” His warm eyes stared out the front windshield.

“Nice.” What did he mean?

“Us, together, cruising the highway.”

“Yeah.”

“It feels natural.” He glanced over quickly to smile at me.

“It does.” He had no idea how natural it felt. I trusted him and I knew I shouldn’t. I didn’t know him from a can of Sherwin Williams. Basically, all I knew could be summed up in three sentences. He owns a club. He lives in the basement of my apartment complex. He was very good at sex.

“You don’t have to worry. If you want to stay a few days, I can get us a hotel.”

“Do you want to stay in Minnesota?” I asked. I didn’t want to impose on him. After all, this was my drama, not his. “What are you going to do when I’m at the hospital?”

“Don’t worry. I can find something to do. I can work on my memoir.”

“You’re writing a book?”

“No, I’m not, but see there’s always something to do.” He took his eyes off the road to wink at me.

“I appreciate you coming, driving me up here.” I corrected.

“I missed a lot of time with you when you were dodging me. I’m trying to make up for lost time.” He jokingly added.

“Are you going to keep reminding me about that?”

“I am. You hurt my feelings.”

“I did not.” I half joked.

“I was broken. I thought my sex game was awful. My ego was crushed into a trillion pieces, self-worth crashing fast. I was on the verge of a deep depression. ”

“Ha, right. I doubt it. You have women lined up to be with you.”

“I don’t have any women currently. I don’t want them. I want you.” Zand took his closest hand off the steering wheel to grasp hold of my hand. His touch warmed my heart. His touch made me feel better in any situation. This guy was different.

My mind wandered with the possibilities. Maybe he had feelings for me. Could this be turning into something real? We held hands for at least a mile. I did something I’d never done before. I raised his hand, kissed it, and put it back on the steering wheel. I wasn’t being rude. I’d just had a flash of Morgan’s boyfriend. He was in a car crash and my mind took me to that place. I hated how random thoughts would creep into me and take away my bliss.

We stopped for gas and a quick bite to eat at Wendy’s before we got back on the road.

“You never told me why you moved to Chicago.”

I paused briefly to think of my response. “No, I didn’t.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. It’s embarrassing.”

“I doubt you have anything to be embarrassed about.” He tilted his head and flashed a closed-mouth smile at me.

“Ha, yeah. Stupid decisions that affect your life, my life.”

“We all make poor decisions. I’ve made more than my share.”

I couldn’t imagine Zand making bad decisions. Maybe he accidentally wore a colorful shirt one day. I shouldn’t be making jokes, but he seemed to have what he wanted in life. He also seemed to be living the life that he wanted, if there was any difference between the two.

“I sort of ran away from a huge problem.” I confessed.

“I’ve done that before.”

Was he being honest or just agreeing with me? “I ran away from an extremely toxic relationship.”

“Sounds like a familiar story.”

“You have a similar story? Spill it. ”

“Why do you think I came to Chicago from L.A.?”

Was it really a nasty breakup? “Seriously? Tell me why?” I was intrigued. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know all there was to know about Alexander Valentine. His story had to be fascinating. He was a mysterious character without even trying to be. “Did you break up with someone?”

“Yes, it was a breakup. We were broken, severely. My ex did some things I couldn’t forgive. I bolted, left as fast as I could. I wanted to start over in a new place.”

“Your ex-girlfriend, you were in a relationship?”

His lips formed a grin. “Yes, I was in a committed relationship. I see you have judged me. You see me with one random woman and now I’m a full-time gigolo. I have been in relationships before.”

“Gigolo? Where did that old word come from?”

“What’s the word they use today? Man whore.”

I was thinking fuckboy, but I wasn’t going to say it out loud. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“It’s your turn. Did you break up with a man from Minnesota and flee to Chicago?”

“Ah, sort of. No, it was that exactly.” I let out a nervous giggle. “My ex was, is, very dangerous.”

“That’s a vague statement.”

“Well, he’s a criminal.”

“I’m intrigued.” I noticed his smirk from the corner of my eye.

“I didn’t know that when we first met.”

“And this criminal? He’s back in Minnesota?”

“Yes.” I didn’t want to tell him he was out on bail for a murder charge. I would look like a real fool.

“Do you think you’ll run into him when you’re back in town?”

“I don’t think so. I hope not. He doesn’t know where I live now. I have a restraining order on him. ”

“Was he violent?” Zand looked over at me. He apparently not only needed to hear my response, he also needed to see it.

“Yes, not with me, with other people. But there were threats of violence.”

“Huh.” Zand paused dramatically. “It’s a good thing you got away from him.”

It was better than good. “I did, get away.”

“What’s his name, your ex?”

Did he have a motive for asking? Probably not just making conversation. “Alonzo.” I offered because it didn’t make a difference.

Zand shook his head a little bit. “You got away from him. I got away from her. We fled and we’re all the better for it.”

I wholeheartedly agreed with him. I wanted to share the entire truth about Alonzo, but I was afraid it would scare Zand away. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Zand was a regular guy and a legit business owner. He didn’t know anything about a Mexican drug lord for organized crime. I was quite sure of that.