Page 5 of Choosing the Chief

Maya

Iwake up in Adom’s arms. This is new. The kiss last night was new, too. Who knew our mouths fit like that? Kissing him feels like the most natural thing in the world. Clearly, we shorted ourselves by not doing that earlier. Why didn’t this happen last year? Or five years before that? Anytime except for now!

He waits until I’m battered and broken to make a move?! He infuriates me, but looking up at his handsome face sleeping reminds me how much I adore him. Right now, I’m his to command andI want him. His skin is the color of the Sahara. His body is incredibly long and strong. His breathing is a melody made just for me. But how can I know the kiss was passion and not pity? Between the night terrors and my current condition, it’s impossible to know. That’s why I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen. I want to get better so I can be with him on equal terms. One thing can quickly lead to another. The last thing I need now is the complication of sex. Lately, I can’t help but notice the way he looks at me. I’ve been melting under his stare in this house for the past six months. Shit, I was dancing under his stare for years before that. I was waiting on him. It’s his turn to wait on me.

But Adom is not a patient man. He is a doer. Whatever he can’t do, he commands someone else to. This is true whether it’s his professional or personal business. He can also be pretty domineering. Not that he’s ever brought a woman around me or Ella. He doesn’t have to. We hear enough from women in our circles to get the gist. He takes charge in the bedroom and out of it. He subdues, fucks, and spoils women before sending them on their way. None of his trysts seem to last more than a couple weeks, but women lose their damn minds over him. He knows better than to try that bullshit on me. He might have the upper hand right now, but things are going to change.

I slip out from under his arms and head back to my room. Thank God he’s a deep sleeper. I enter my room and take stock of the mess. I need to clean up, but I have no energy. I resist the urge to call the housekeeper. I don’t like the idea of someone snooping through my things. I need to go home.

I turn on my computer to search the names of the therapists Adom suggested. If therapy is what it takes for Adom to let me go home, then so be it. I scroll through the therapists’ pages and realize they are all pretty much the same. I settle on the picture of a middle-aged Black woman that specializes in PTSD. I clickbook appointmentand just like that, I have a session scheduled for two days from now. I stand only to be startled by Adom standing in the doorway.

Shit. I forgot to lock the door!

“Hey,” I mumble. “How long have you been standing there spying on me?” He shows no remorse. He looks me in my eye as he walks toward me.

“Long enough to see you book a therapy appointment. Which therapist did you choose to see?”

I roll my eyes. He acts like my fucking father. Except, I never had one. “Dr. Mary Branson.” I swivel my iMac around with a small show of force to display my confirmation page. “Are you happy now, sir?” In two quick strides he’s in my face. His voice drops low.

“I want you to remember to call me that when you beg me to come.” My thighs clench and I seriously consider jumping his bones just to stem the temptation. Instead, I shake out of it and push him out the way. “What makes you so sure you can make me come? I’m not an easy win.”

He chuckles and his eyes turn dark with lust. “Don’t challenge me, Maya. I never lose. In any case, there isn’t a woman alive I can’t make orgasm. The female form is my area of expertise…” His eyes peruse the length of my body. “…among many other things.”

I believe him. “Oh God! You’re so cocky. How do you fit that big head anywhere?”

He shrugs. “I’m not cocky. I’m certain.” He scans the room, silently judging the mess. Adom is a neat freak. I never wanted him to catch my room like this.

He eyes empty Turtle candy wrappers at the foot of my bed. “Hmmm.” Then he pauses and smirks at me. “I can fit my big head into the tightest of places. You’d be surprised.”

I just need to fuck him and get it over with—this is getting ridiculous.

He takes a seat in an armchair by the window.So, we’re going to have a chat now?I take a seat in the chair adjacent to his.

“Maya, let’s talk about your night terrors. Your dreams last night weren’t about the accident.”That’s Adom for you…just rip the bandage off.“You kept calling for your mama. It was odd because that’s not a word you use to describe anyone.” I nod my head.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Lately I’ve been dreaming about myself as a kid more than the accident. I’m always cold and hungry in the dreams. But I don’t remember calling for a mama.” He looks deep in thought like he’s really trying to solve a mystery. When his mental probe doesn’t land him anywhere, he changes his line of questioning.

“So, what medications do the doctors have you taking?”

“I still take muscle relaxers and migraine medication.” I look away hoping the answer will satisfy him. I don’t need him prying into my pain management.

“What about your pain? How are you managing that?”

I look at him and shift in my seat. “I manage it well enough. I take ibuprofen if I really need anything.”

He continues to stare. “That’s all the medicine you’re taking?”

I release an exasperated sigh. “Yes! What’s with the Spanish Inquisition?! I stopped taking sleeping pills month ago. I’m good.”

Adom’s nostrils flare and I notice his jaw tense. His patience is wearing thin. “Maya. You know I do not tolerate lies. You have one more chance to tell me the truth.”

Wait. What?

“What medicines are you taking?”

He knows. I fly out of my seat and start to pace the room. “Are you spying on me?! Have you been going through my stuff or do you have your housekeepers do it?!” I’m livid. “If you’re big and bad enough to go through my shit, don’t be a punk now by asking questions you clearly know the answer to. Man up and say what you came to say!”

He closes his eyes and inhales deeply before expelling a breath. “Maya, I’m going to ask you one more time. What are you taking? If I don’t know what you are taking, then I can’t protect you!”

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