Page 11 of The Heart of a Capricorn (BLP Signs of Love #19)

“Good morning, guys. Come in and have a seat,” my boss suggested as he sat down.

My boss, Ray, and a couple of the guys flew in a few days prior because he had received an anonymous tip about something that might go down within the next few days.

The meeting was held in one of the hotel’s conference rooms.

Terrance and Daniel sat next to each other, while my boy Josh sat on the other side of me.

Josh leaned over and whispered, “I hope this shit don’t last too long because I have a chick in my room, and I hope she don’t rob me while I’m gone.”

I shook my head and laughed. “You just got here, and already you on your bullshit.”

“Hey.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how long we’re gonna have some free time, so I got the party started. Ain’t no sense in wasting time. I met her before anyway.”

“Be careful,” I told him just as my boss cleared his throat and got things started.

I heard everything he said, but I couldn’t help but think about Lyric the whole time.

It had been four days since I last saw her, and I didn’t like that.

She went back to avoiding me, even though she said she wouldn’t.

I found it quite comical, and little did she know, it wasn’t going to last for much longer.

I had been pretty busy since my boss came, but I still tried to catch Lyric when I was free, but she was determined not to be caught.

I even went by the office and was told she wasn’t there, even though I knew that wasn’t the case.

I wasn’t going to force it, but if Lyric wanted me to leave her alone, she would have to open her mouth and tell me that.

Ducking and dodging weren’t the way to do that. We were too old for that shit.

I could have spent my time doing other shit, but I wanted to give Lyric all the time I had. Shorty had my mind going, but I didn’t like the way she moved over the last few days.

“For now, things aren’t a major threat, but I need you guys to be on high alert. Go on with your day-to-day activities, because we don’t want to alert the suspect or the public, but be careful. Whatever y’all do, please don’t get into no bullshit.” He looked straight at Josh when he said that.

Josh held up his hands in mock surrender. “I don’t purposely get myself into shit.”

Me and the other guys laughed while my boss just shook his head. Josh was the wild card out of the group, but he was a good dude.

Terrance, Josh, Daniel, and I made up our group. They were the three main people I worked with, but occasionally, we would switch people out from the other groups.

“Anyway. Be diligent and be available at all times because you never know when I may call,” Ray reminded us.

“Yes, sir,” we all responded.

I guess my vacation was cut short , I thought as I stood from the chair. I wasn’t mad about it because I knew how this job got sometimes. Plus, my team was the best, so whenever something serious happened, we were the first ones called.

“Well, fellas. There’s a party tonight in case you guys want to check it out. I’m going to see what I can get into,” I mentioned to the guys.

I rubbed my hands together, but I knew the only thing I was getting into was Lyric. They didn’t need to know that yet.

We talked a few more minutes, then I headed out to see if I could catch Lyric.

I went to Lyric’s room and knocked on the door, but she didn’t answer. Like a weirdo, I put my ear to the door to see if I could hear anything, but I didn’t. I knew it was only a matter of time before she returned, so I sat on the floor and waited.

About twenty minutes or so, I heard the elevator door open, and Lyric’s floral scent greeted me first. I stood to my full height, and she froze when she noticed me.

It took her a second to register me being there, then she walked toward me. Her eyes darted everywhere but my face.

“Chauncey. Hi. Um.”

“What did we discuss the other day, Lyric?” I asked as I closed the small gap between us.

“We, um. We discussed me not avoiding you, and I haven’t been.”

I traced my finger down her arm, and she shivered, which caused me to smirk and my dick to jump.

“Is that right? What do you call it then?” I didn’t give her a chance to answer, because I knew she was going to have a bullshit excuse. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is, there’s a party tonight here, and you are going with me.”

She opened her mouth, but I cut her off. “No excuses, Lyric. I’ll be here at seven to pick you up.” I kissed her cheek, then walked away.

I wasn’t going to give her the chance to shoot me down.

If I went to get her at seven and she wasn’t ready, or said she wasn’t going, I wasn’t going to force it.

If that happened, I would fall all the way back from her.

I believed in applying pressure when needed, but I knew when to leave people alone, too.

At five minutes to seven, I stood at Lyric’s door. The party started an hour ago, but I didn’t want to be too early, nor did I want us to get there too late.

A minute passed by the time she opened the door.

“Shit.” My gaze cruised every curve on her body.

“I thought this dress was something the other day when you put this on, but this one.” I shook my head and bit my lip.

“This one might just be my favorite. Baby, it’s something about this orange that makes me not want to show you off.

At the same time, I need to let everyone else know that ain’t nobody fucking with you.

” I grabbed her hand and made her do a slow spin.

When she faced me again, I noticed her rosy cheeks as she smiled. “Tank, stop.” She playfully tapped my chest.

I grabbed her wrist and held her hand against me. “You feel how fast my heart is beating? That’s because of you, and you calling me Tank will get you fucked. I’m trying to take you on a little date, Lyric, but you making it hard.” I adjusted myself. “Hard as hell.” My gaze devoured her beauty.

She wore one of the dresses I told her to get in every color from the boutique.

The gold heels she had on made her ass sit up, and legs look damn good.

Her hair was in a bun at the top of her head, but she left a few strands of hair loose in the front and the back.

In her hand was a small gold bag. In her ears were gold earrings and multiple gold bracelets on both wrists.

I pulled her to me and hugged her. She smelled so good. My mouth watered like it did whenever my mom pulled a fresh apple pie out of the oven. I anticipated being able to taste her before the night was over.

“You talking about me, but you look at you.” She took a step back and looked me up and down. She nodded. “The ladies are going to break their necks when you walk in.”

“Baby, they can break them all they want. My eyes are for you only.”

“I hear you. I’m ready.”

I wanted to respond to what she said, but I knew Lyric was about action. I could tell her what I wanted all day long, but if I didn’t show it, it wouldn’t mean shit.

“Let’s roll then.”

I put my arm out for her to loop hers through it. She made sure the room door was closed and locked, then we walked to the elevator.

We made small talk while we waited for the elevator.

Mainly talking about how our day went. I couldn’t tell her about my potential assignment yet, because I didn’t want to alarm her prematurely.

Not every tip we got was accurate. Sometimes people just liked to start rumors, and it would spread like a wildfire.

I would tell her about it if or when it was necessary.

“What kind of party is it?” Lyric asked as we entered the elevator.

“You’ll see.”

It didn’t take long for us to reach the lobby and walk toward the ballroom where the party was held.

“Signs of love.” Lyric read the sign that was near the entrance. She turned toward me and asked, “What does that mean?”

I shrugged because I really had no idea. “Let’s find out.”

We entered the ballroom, holding hands. Stars covered the ceiling.

Multiple tables were spread around the room.

Some had black tablecloths, others had white.

Gold, white, and black balloon arches were against the back wall.

The further we got inside, the more I noticed the different zodiac sign posters on the wall.

Even the cupcakes had each zodiac sign on the tops of them.

“This is different,” Lyric said once we found an empty table.

I pulled out a chair for her to sit.

“It is. It’s pretty cool.” I glanced around the room to see if I spotted anyone familiar. I didn’t, even though it wouldn’t have made a difference if I did. My attention would be on Lyric only.

A woman stood at the front of the room and tapped on the microphone.

Silence fell over the room as she removed the mic from the stand and walked a little closer to the crowd.

“Welcome to the first annual signs of love party. My partner, Becky, and I are heavily into astrology, so we decided to share our love with you all.” She spread her arms out in a sweeping motion.

I’m your host, Marissa.” She pointed to the left of her and said, “And this is Becky.” Becky gave a quick wave as Marissa turned back toward us.

“We are going to eat, play some games, and there may be some prizes involved. Have fun, and we hope by the time you guys leave, you’ll have a new love for astrology. ”

Everyone clapped when she returned the mic to the stand.

“Did you know there would be games and prizes?” Lyric asked as she leaned forward. There were four other people at our table.

“I had no idea what it was. I happened to see the sign earlier, but that was it. You cool with this?”

I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. It wouldn’t matter to me if we left the party or not, as long as we got to spend time together.

“Absolutely. You know I don’t mind a little competition. I’m trying to see what the prizes are.”

Before I could respond, Marissa was at the mic again.

“We’ll start off with a couple of games, then we’ll serve dinner.

You can work in teams of two. Are you guys ready?

” The crowd clapped and cheered. “Okay, the first person to answer the question correctly will get dinner for two at Taurus, right here in the Ferguson.” More cheers and claps echoed through the room.

“There are buzzers at each table, so grab them because that’s the only way you will be called on. ”

Lyric grabbed the buzzer and put it between us, more so in front of her.

“Okay.” Marissa rubbed her hands together. “This sign is known as the bull.”

Lyric immediately hit the buzzer.

“You hit it first,” Marissa shouted as she pointed at Lyric.

“Taurus!” Lyric leaped from her seat.

“You got it!”

Everyone cheered as Marissa told Lyric her answer was correct.

All the questions were based on different things about each sign.

Different people won prizes, but Lyric killed them all.

I didn’t know she knew that much about zodiac signs.

I didn’t bother answering any of them, because I was too busy being enamored by Lyric.

I could tell she enjoyed herself by the smile she wore the whole time.

When they announced the first part of the games were over, I decided I wanted a more private moment with Lyric. I needed to pick her brain to see why she had been avoiding me.

“You mind if we go somewhere to talk?” I asked as I pushed my chair back.

“No, I don’t mind.”

I reached my hand out for her to take it, then helped her up. I put my hand on her back as I led her across the room to the exit.

Lyric stole the attention of almost everyone we walked past, and she didn’t even know it. I did, and I dared one of them to say something to her. I moved my hand further down her back to sit right at the top of her ass, to let them know she was taken.

We found a spot outside in the back where there was a garden. Luckily, someone walked past with a tray of champagne, so I took two.

Lyric took one glass from my hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s such a beautiful night, and this garden is everything.”

The stars were bright in the sky, while the moon cast a soft glow over the garden. Multiple types of flowers and flower statues filled the area. It really was a nice garden, and whoever kept it maintained did a hell of a job.

“It is. But what’s been going on with you? I thought we agreed on you not avoiding me.”

She drank some of her champagne, then put the glass on the small table.

“I wasn’t avoiding you, Chauncey. It’s just . . . I don’t know. I’ve just been having a lot of stuff on my mind. I’m sorry for making you feel a type of way.”

“Do you want to share what you’ve been thinking about?” I wondered if it had anything to do with me asking to spend more time, since that was when she first shut down.

“Not really.” She sighed.

“I can respect that.” I put my hand on her knee and gave a little squeeze. “I’m here if you change your mind.”

She gave me a sliver of a smile and picked up her glass. We sat in silence for a few minutes, admiring our surroundings.

I wasn’t trying to ruin the mood, and I didn’t want the night to end, so I sparked a conversation.

“Do you believe in fate, or do you think we create our own destinies?”

Lyric’s eyes were on the rose bush in front of us, but I knew she heard me. I also knew she was thinking about her answer as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“A little bit of both. I think we try our best to create the things we envision for ourselves, but sometimes fate steps in.” She turned to face me and smiled. “I mean, I feel like fate made us cross paths for some reason.”

“I’d have to agree with you.”

We stayed outside talking for hours, then headed back inside. We completely missed dinner and the rest of the party, but neither of us seemed concerned.

Lyric opened up a little, but I could tell she still had her guard up. It was okay with me because I was determined to knock all her walls down.

I wanted to end the night with her, but she told me she had to work early.

“I had a good night. Thanks.” She stood in front of her room door.

I kept a little distance between us, because if I didn’t, I would try to convince her to let me in her room for a nightcap.

“It was my pleasure. I’ll talk to you soon.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Lyric.”

“Good night.” She pulled her room key out of her purse and opened the door.

I stood back with my hands in my pockets, making sure she got inside safely. Once I heard her lock the door, I walked to the elevator and went to my room.

There hadn’t been any updates from my boss, so I would reach out to Lyric to see if she wanted to grab lunch.

I undressed and showered with a smile on my face. It was only a matter of time before I wore Lyric down.