Page 17 of Obsessive Love

FABLE

“Go bake,” Pyrite demanded. His voice wasn’t raised, but his tone was firm.

I stared at him, trying to figure out what my reaction would be.

I wanted to cuss his ass out for thinking he could tell me what to do, but I also wanted to climb into his lap and kiss him.

Being attracted to the man who was literally holding me against my will had my head gone.

“What do you want?” I said as I pushed back from the table and stood. Pyrite's eyes followed my movements, and then a slow smile pulled at his lips.

“What did I tell you about giving me the option of being in control?” he slowly licked his lips as his eyes took me in. “Now, take your ass in there and prove that you want out.”

I kept my smart comment to myself because I was so damn turned on that all he would have to do was touch me, and I’d orgasm.

I left the table and went to the sink to wash my hands.

When I first walked into the kitchen, I noticed the food and supplies on the island and was curious as to why they were out, but now that didn’t matter.

I would use what was out to make him shut the hell up and let me out of here.

Javien’s debt was his responsibility to repay, not mine.

“Do you have food allergies, too, Amethyst?” I asked as I looked through the ingredients to ensure there was nothing in them that Pyrite couldn’t have. I don’t know why it mattered to me, but it did.

“Nah,” he answered, and I nodded. “I don’t like nuts, though.”

“Noted,” I said as I grabbed the flour and poured it into a bowl. I looked up at Pyrite to see him watching me. I lifted my brow in question, and he smirked before turning to his brother.

“Let’s give her space,” he said as he stood. “We can discuss what Hood found in the players’ physical reports.”

“He told you?” Amethyst asked, and Pyrite nodded. “Who do you have in mind for replacements?”

“Vine Carter,” Pyrite answered.

“You think she can mesh with Mercy and Legacy?” Amethyst asked, and Pyrite nodded. “Then let’s talk.”

They left the kitchen, deep in conversation about the Queens. I loved sports, even though I never mentioned it to anyone. Mainly because of Javien Jr., he was the golden ticket for Senior, who hounded all his children to play a sport.

Usually, I played music when I baked, but since this wasn’t my kitchen, I had to settle for the silence.

I racked my brain for something that would make an impression but could also be eaten anywhere.

Finally, I decided on churro cheesecake donut cakes and upside-down banana cakes, and I went to work.

I untucked my shirt from my pants, rolled up my sleeves, kicked off my heels, and preheated the oven.

Two hours later, I sprinkled sugar on the last donut and stepped back from the table.

I rested my hands on my hips and nodded, pleased as fuck with what I’d done, and looked up at the ceiling.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a burst of orange and turned to see my bird sitting atop the fridge, watching me.

“Starburst, what are you doing here?” I laughed and put my hand out for him to come to me. He landed on my hand, and I rubbed his head. “Huh, what are you doing here?”

“Bitch nigga!” Starburst peeped as he bobbed his head up and down. “Shit!”

“Where is Watermelon?” I asked as I looked around.

Starburst was never too far from his mate, Watermelon.

I whistled two times, signaling for her to come out, and waited.

“Watermelon?” A burst of blue flew through the air, and I laughed as she landed on my shoulder.

Watermelon was not friendly and usually only came out if I called her.

“Hey, pretty girl.” I moved Starburst to my other shoulder and then rubbed her head.

“Home,” Watermelon spoke, and I nodded. My girl was not feeling her new residence. “Home.”

“Bitch nigga!” Starburst yelled, and I saw Pyrite standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. “Bitch nigga!”

“I already told your disrespectful ass about that shit,” Pyrite said, pointing to Starburst. “Keep that shit up, and I’ll ball your ass back up and bat you across the yard.”

“You have beef with a bird?” I asked, and Pyrite turned his dark eyes on me.

“What did you make?” Pyrite said instead of answering my question. He walked into the kitchen, went to the sink, and washed his hands before heading to the island to look over what I had created.

“Taste it,” I said as I watched him. Pyrite’s dark eyes returned to me, and his nostrils flared as he stared at me. “Taste it.”

He picked up a churro donut, examined it, and closed the distance between us.

He took a bite, nodded, then put it in front of my mouth.

“Open,” he instructed, and I did. “Bite.” Again, I followed his instructions.

“Now tell me if it’s worth your freedom?

” I chewed the donut, loving the sweet yet savory flavor, and watched as Pyrite watched me.

His eyes never left my lips. “Would you bet on yourself?”

“Yes,” I answered once I was done.

“Why?” he lifted his eyes to stare into mine.

“Because I’m worth it and so much more.”

Pyrite chuckled lowly; the sound rolled over my skin, making my nipples hard, then nodded. “You have no idea how true that is.” He used his thumb to wipe some crumbs from my bottom lip, sucked it from his thumb then stepped back. “How many more ideas do you have in mind?”

“A million.”

“You have five hours; make what will be worth your time, effort, and case,” he said, shaking his head. “Everyone will be here then to see if this is something worth looking into.” I nodded, and Pyrite gave me another sexy ass smile before turning and walking away.

“Bitch nigga,” Starburst said to his retreating back.

“Home,” Watermelon demanded as she bobbed her head. “Home.”

My heart started pounding in my chest when his family stepped into the house.

The Stones were gorgeous; there was no other way to describe them.

Diamond Stone, their mother, the head of their family, was short and curvy, and the aura that radiated from her was powerful.

Her shoulders were square, her head held high, and her back was straight.

She exuded the regal vibe of Angela Bassett.

Her skin was the color of melted chocolate; she had a round face, full lips, slanted dark eyes that missed nothing, and a head full of salt-and-pepper, kinky curls.

Citrine sat next to her, and if I ever saw him on the street, I would be afraid.

He was jacked, not overly so, but you could tell he had lived in the gym at one point in time.

His skin was the same shade as his mama's and was covered in tattoos.

He was taller than Pyrite, with a long, slim face, full lips, and dark eyes like his mama's and brothers.

His hair was long and curly, just like his brothers'.

“No allergies, right?” I asked as I stood in front of Pyrite’s family. His mama and two brothers sat around the table, looking at everything.

“No,” his mama answered with a shake of her head. “What exactly do you have for us to try?”

“A little bit of everything,” I said as I walked around the kitchen. Starburst flapped his wings on the top of the fridge, watching as if he were waiting for someone to say something negative so he could attack. “Chocolate, fruits, tarts, donuts, cookies, bars.”

“I want one of everything,” Amethyst said from his seat opposite Citrine. He started piling one of everything on his plate without shame. “Pyrite’s fat ass didn’t share the churro donuts earlier, and they looked good as fuck.”

“They were,” Pyrite said. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and smirked. “I got a few hidden for later.”

“Damn shame,” Amethyst said, shaking his head. Surprisingly, he took the plate he had prepared, switched it with his mother’s empty one, and then proceeded to pile that one with two of everything. He looked up at me and smirked. “I bet you thought that was for me.”

“I did,” I said with a slight smile.

“Nah, she always goes first,” Citrine said, shaking his head. His voice was almost identical to Pyrite’s, but I didn’t get the same rush of emotions when I heard his like I did with Pyrite’s.

“You know you can sit down, right?” Mrs. Stone said with a small laugh, and I shook my head. “You can.”

“I’m too nervous to sit,” I said truthfully.

“What are you nervous about?” she asked as she examined the cookie in front of her. The butter pecan cookies were my favorite, and I hoped that at least one person would like them. It was soft yet firm, sweet yet savory.

“This is who I am,” I said, waving my hand around the table at the food. “Baking is my safe space. It makes me happy.”

“And it's obvious,” Pyrite said as he bit into a velvet cupcake. “Everything that I’ve tried has been good.”

“Thank you,” I softly replied with a nod. Pyrite’s eyes stayed locked on me as he ate, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his lips tasted like. I shook my head, pushing away the thoughts because that would never happen. Pyrite Stone was my enemy, my captor; liking him wasn’t an option.

“Alright, so we’ve tasted everything we can,” Amethyst announced. I turned to face him and noticed that not only was his plate empty, but so were three others that originally had different cakes and cookies. “How do you plan on putting this together?”

“Story Time will have an exclusive line through all of Stone’s companies,” I said, nodding. I’d been thinking about this for days, and it was my only option. “Think of Stone Enterprise as a tree; you all branch off into different areas, right?”

“Yeah,” Pyrite said, stepping into the room. He took a seat next to Citrine and picked up another cookie. This one was a white chocolate dipped in peppermint. He examined it before biting it and nodding. Again, flashes of his lips touching my skin ripped through my mind.

“Fable?”

“Hmm?” I turned to Mrs. Diamond and lifted my brow in question.

“You were explaining your plan to have your bakery exclusively in our company,” Mrs. Diamond said with a smile.

I wiped my hands over my butt and nodded.

There was no time to be embarrassed by the fact that she more than likely knew that I was watching her son because I had shit to do.

“Right, my plan.” I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders, and prepared to sell the shit out of my company because I wanted to live.

“Between the hotels, arena, and even the small companies, you’d offer exclusive treats at each one. ”

“How exclusive?” Citrine questioned. “And how will they be promoted?”

“In your hotels, depending on the type of rooms they get, you’d start with a small sample tray.

Nothing too crazy, just bite sizes of different desserts to see what they do or don’t like.

” Citrine nodded, which I took as a good sign.

“Everything would be made fresh daily; once it’s gone, it's gone unless it’s from the executive or penthouse suites. ”