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Before I could respond, a bronze-hued woman with short curly hair waltzed into the room.

“Welcome to Evermore. I’m the owner, Bloom, and tonight, I’ll be taking your senses on a beautiful journey.” She spotted the puddle of champagne on the floor and frowned. “Oh, let me grab something to clean that up.”

She left as quickly as she came. My attention never left Charm as she stood there snacking on the food she’d picked up.

“I swear The Chicken Salad Chick is so good. I can’t get enough of this buffalo one.”

I was glad I took Vari’s suggestions so seriously. I’d have to keep him in my back pocket until I knew Charm even better than he did. She lifted a cracker filled with the dip toward me.

“You want to try some?”

I shook my head. “Hell nah. I would have gas all fucking night.”

She nearly choked laughing at my response. Bloom floated back in the room with two large, white towels and cleaned up the mess. We moved over to the island to be out of her way.

I slyly glanced at Charm to see how she was feeling about tonight so far.

I was way out of my comfort zone trying to impress her.

I was the type to buy a suite and treat a woman to room service as reward for giving up the goods, but I knew that shit wasn’t going to fly with Charm.

She was used to being wined and dined by men.

If I wanted her to actually see me, I had to move differently.

Since I was sure I wanted her, that’s exactly what I did.

It was her best friend, Vari, that came up with this idea.

I messaged him after crashing her event for a list of things that she was into.

Perfume was one of the things he said she loved.

I suggested taking her shopping, and he said that was basic.

He told me this would get her attention.

By the smile on her face, I would say the nigga was right.

After Bloom dumped the towels in the corner, she rushed over to us, standing on the opposite side of the counter.

“Okay, so you’re going to start by choosing your base from the scents along the wall.

We have everything from gourmands to florals, citrus, aquatic, and woodsy scents.

That’s just some examples, but there are more.

Whatever you like, I’m sure we have it. I am here to answer any questions you may have. ”

I followed Charm to the wall, loving the sway of her hips. You couldn’t convince me that every time she moved, she wasn’t dancing. I was too busy admiring her to notice she was also watching me.

“My eyes are up here.”

I grinned, lifting my attention from her body to her pinched expression. “I know, but I wasn’t trying to look at your eyes just then.”

She scoffed with a shake of her head. “Just like I thought.”

I stepped close enough to make her heart race but not enough to touch her.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

I knew my proximity was affecting her when I saw her pulse begin to jump in her throat.

“You just want to fuck.”

“If I just wanted to fuck, we wouldn’t be here, sweetheart. I’m just a man who likes what he sees. You should want a man that likes what he sees, baby girl.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder, clenching her jaw. “Not if all he can see is what I look like.”

I shook my head, wanting nothing more than to erase the distance between us, but knowing it wasn’t the time, not when she was already doubting my intentions.

I mean, of course, I wanted to fuck her.

Who wouldn’t? Her body was fucking perfect, and I loved women.

This was more than that, though, so I remained at ease.

“You think I’m some horny, desperate ass nigga, huh?” I chuckled cockily. “I can get pussy whenever I want it.”

She rolled her eyes, turning back to the wall. “Well, go get it then.”

Unable to stay away any longer, I eased up behind her.

“Charm, relax. I’m exactly where I want to be with who I want to be with, doing exactly what the fuck I want to be doing.

I’m gon’ fuck you for sure, but only when the time is right.

I’m not in a rush. I know that pussy is still going to be good when you give it up however long from now.

” I noticed a change in her breathing pattern.

She sucked her teeth, but she also smiled, releasing a little of the tension between us. “Whatever.”

I laughed while putting much needed space between us. I was getting a little too excited.

“What base are you going to choose for me?”

I turned to the wall of scents and began to explore through them. Bloom was in the corner reading over something, paying us no mind.

“It’s a secret,” I replied, even though I had no clue yet.

Charm giggled. “A secret?”

I nodded. “Yep. We shouldn’t reveal what’s in the scents until we’re finished.”

She hummed, turning her body completely to face me. One hand was on a bottle of vetiver.

“I really didn’t peg you as the romantic type, but I like it.”

My lips quirked to the side, ready to make a smart remark when curvy ink on her wrist tugged on my attention.

Romans 8:18 was written in an elegant and clean script, but what I saw next made my chest tighten.

Very faintly… nearly invisible to the human eye were a series of scars that’d long ago healed.

To most, they likely went unnoticed but not to me.

At that very moment, she realized where my eyes were and dropped her arm. She cleared her throat, turning back to the base notes.

“I like your idea. Let’s do that,” she replied in a quiet voice, returning to my previous statement.

She snatched a bottle from the wall and returned to the island.

My gaze drifted after her, wanting to say something but choosing not to at the last moment.

Charm could hide her secrets for now. One day she’d let me see what was really underneath all of that perfection she painted on every morning before greeting the world.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I googled the scripture she had tattooed. The pain you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy that is coming… There was more than what met the eye to Charm, and I intended to find out every detail. No matter how dark, ugly, and painful.

Pocketing my phone, I turned to the wall and began looking over the scents. I decided to go with a patchouli and vanilla base. On the surface, Charm radiated confidence, but what I’d seen made me feel there was a depth to her personality, a depth no one had ever explored before.

I joined her and Bloom at the island where they were discussing how she could build on her base.

I listened, taking advice where she offered it.

She left us alone to work again. Charm was a little closed off, and I wanted to fix that.

I picked up one of the paper-thin testing strips and tickled her neck.

She giggled softly then a little harder. “Kianis stop! What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to see your smile.”

My words seemed to release her from whatever mental prison she’d placed herself in. That switch in her energy allowed for the rest of our date to flow with more playfulness and relaxation. When it was finally time to reveal our scents, I could admit I was excited to see what she’d created for me.

We were allowed to name our scents. She grinned when she saw what I named hers. “ Good Luck Charm? ”

I nodded. “Yeah, I can already tell that’s what you’re going to be for me.”

Her cheeks flushed with timidity.

“You can stop buttering me up now.” She sprayed the scent on her testing sheet then gave it a deep inhale. “Wow! This is really nice. It’s subtle but unforgettable.”

I felt proud of my work and couldn’t help but smile.

“My turn.”

She handed me her bottle, and I saw it was called Sanctuary . When I glanced up, I found her intently watching me.

“Why that name?”

She kept eye contact with me. “Because I feel like that’s what you could be for me if what I’m feeling is real.”

I didn’t realize that’s what I wanted to be until she said it. I licked my lips then sprayed the scent on the testing strip. I picked up on notes of sandalwood, vanilla, amber, and tobacco blossom. It was perfect for me, just like her.

“Come here.”

It sounded like static electricity as she inched forward to erase the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around her waist then hooked her chin.

“What you’re feeling is as real as it gets. I’ll be your sanctuary and more.”

And when our lips collided, I wasn’t even the one to initiate it.

Charm’s hand on the back of my neck fed me what I’d spent all night craving…

to feel her lips. Just as I expected, they were soft, moisturized, and coated in a sugary sheen I had to use the back of my hand to wipe off my lips when we separated.

“Thank you for a beautiful night.” Her voice was soft as she rested her chin on my chest.

I smiled. “Thank you for being beautiful. Inside and outside.”