DECEPTIONS

“Is this the one you were telling me about?” Quinton King asked his brother, Treyvon.Both men stood bobbing their heads to the beat of the music as they stood listening to the woman in the sound booth.“Yeah. Lady J.” Trey glanced at Quinton with a satisfied smirk on his face. 

Quinton nodded. “Sheisgood. Where did you find her from again?” 

“We were comin’ out ofMystiquea couple of weeks ago and she just started spittin’ right there. I told ya, Q. The girl’s bad.” 

“That she is, little brother. That she is.” 

They fell silent as the woman’s mesmerizing word game spat out hard enough to lyrically destroy half the male rappers on the scene. Trey’s eyes went to his brother again and noticed he had the “look”. Yeah. Quinton got that look whenever his radar detected a winner, and Lady J was definitely a sure thing.Q’s instinct had helped to make King Entertainment a force to be reckoned with in the music world and was also the main reason why they were still making money hand over fist in an industry that was struggling for its very survival.

As the woman continued to spit from the heart, Quinton’s hawk-like gaze slowly took in her absurdly long blond weave, green contacts, and cheap clothes. The outer package didn’t put him off because all of that was just superficial. It could be changed.What he focused on was the natural raw, biting talent he heard and felt coming from the deliverance of her lyrics. She hadit. That…thing…which hadn’t been seen in a female rapper since the days of MC Lyte. Rah Digga. A young Latifah. The more recent female rappers, Kim, Trina, and Foxy? They didn’t come close to this artist, and that’s exactly what she was. She was gonna change the game, take it back to a time when it wasn’t so commercialized. By the time Quinton and Trey finished with her, people would be saying ‘Nicki who?’ 

“Her flow is phenomenal.” Quinton folded his arms, and directed his attention to the producer, K.B., who was sitting at the soundboard. “You almost finished with this track?”

“Almost,” K. B. nodded.

“Set up an appointment with her tomorrow so that we can all talk,” Quinton told Trey. “I want her signed–ASAP.”

“You got it, Q.” 

Although the two of them were equal partners in their company, Trey preferred to handle the talent and musical end while Quinton handled the business side. The formula they had going worked well; being family was a plus.
Quinton was the oldest by three years and the two were very close. Standing side by side as they were now, no one could ever mistake the fact that the same blood ran through their veins. Both were tall and fit, dark with sharp chiseled features carved into attractive faces.Treyvon was the more outgoing of the two. While women flocked to him, knowing they would be in for a good time, with Quinton, they gravitated like a moth to a flame. His brooding, laid back manner offered a challenge they couldn’t resist.Ten years ago, the two of them had turned a fledgling grind they started in the basement of Quint’s house into a multi million dollar business. Music was their passion but they found out early on that the industry was a cutthroat kill or be killed beast. However, if the situation called for it, they could be as ruthless as the competition. Almost from the beginning they became known as the brothers who had the golden touch. The world was their playground and the sky the limit. 

“How old is she?” Quinton asked. 

“Nineteen.” 

Q nodded. Perfect. “She definitely has the look. Sexy but not raunchy.”They fell silent again, listening as Lady J did her thing. Several minutes later when the door to the studio opened, Trey peeked behind Quinton and raised his brow before a deep scowl settled on his forehead. Quinton noticed his expression and turned to see who’d walked in. His reaction was just the opposite of his brother’s. He ignored Trey’s barely disguised sigh of impatience and let his eyes drift over the woman who’d just entered the room. His baby. Kyla. 

“I should’ve known,” Trey grumbled under his breath. “Just what the fuck is up with you and her?” 

“Trey.” Although Quinton’s eyes never leaving Kyla his voice held an underlying warning that was unmistakable. “Don’t start.”Trey mumbled something else that was indiscernible, but was wise enough to let the subject drop.Quinton’s tongue unconsciously slipped out and wet his bottom lip as he took in Kyla’s hourglass figure. She looked as if she’d been poured into the form fitting black tank and tight jeans. The black sky-high boots completed the sexy picture. Her hair was styled similarly to the cut Halle used to rock. The wispy strands framed her creamy, milk chocolate complexion in a way that made her expressive brown eyes pop out and dominate her face.

Sexy as fuckwas what his expression conveyed to her. His gaze smoldered hot enough to scorch his name on her skin. Quinton squinted when she ducked her head in that shy, yet seductive manner of hers. Even after going out with her for over two months, he still couldn’t get over that contradiction which carried over into her personality. He wanted to tap into that underlying fire he sensed inside of her. He planned on striking the match to do so tonight.

“Damn, man fuck her already and get over it.” The words were uttered low enough to where only Quinton could hear. He ignored Quinton’s angry glare. “Seriously. Unless you holdin’ out on me, she hasn’t even let you hit it yet, so what’s the attraction?” 

Quinton’s eyes cut away from his brother and possessively dipped over Kyla’s curvy frame again. “Look at her. Enough said.” 

“You know what I mean. Yeah, she’s fine as hell, ain’t no denyin’ that, but she ain’t like the chicks we usually fuck with.” 

Quinton looked at Trey as if he’d just answered his own question. “Exactly.”
Moments later, Kyla stood in front of him. She slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a sweet smile. “Hi, baby.” 

Quinton didn’t waste time with words. Pulling her close, his mouth covered hers in a long, delicious kiss. Damn she felt good. He’d been out of town for a week and had missed her like crazy. A slight whimper escaped from her throat. Quinton deepened the kiss before reluctantly lifting his head and smiling at her. When they heard Trey’s hiss of disgust, they both turned to look at him.
Seeing the warning still glimmering in Quinton’s eyes, Trey made an effort to rearrange the knots in his face. “Hey, Ky. How you doin’?” 

“Hi Trey. I’m fine, thank you.” 

Quinton sat down in the leather chair behind him and pulled Kyla down on his lap. “Why didn’t you tell me you were stopping by?” They’d made plans to see each other tomorrow, not that he was complaining. “Did you bring my ride back unscathed?”The question was asked only half teasingly. Quinton had left his beloved sport scar with her while he was out of town. He’d be lying if he said he was anxious to go outside and inspect it to make sure it was still intact.Kyla squirmed around on his lap, causing him to bite back a moan of frustration when her soft round bottom pushed against his crotch. She gave him a look of pure innocence, but he caught the mischievous gleam sparkling in her eyes before her thick lashes dropped down. 

“Don’t think you won’t be paying for that later.” Q's words came out low and full of promise.Giggling, Kyla lowered her head and captured his earlobe between her teeth. She bit down softly before delicately sucking it between her lips.Quinton’s eyes closed tight for a brief second then lightly popped her on the ass. “Behave yourself.” 

“Sorry.” But her expression was anything but. "And to answer both of your questions, yes your baby is the way you left her, not a scratch on her. And two, I missed you so decided to stop by and pick you up. Is that okay?” 

“Hey, you get no complaints from me, babe.” The smile they exchanged was private and intimate before Quinton turned his attention back to the sound booth.Kyla followed his gaze. “Who’s that? New artist?” 

“Not yet.” 

“Wow. She’s good. The real deal, you know?” 

Quinton glanced at Kyla and nodded. In the time they’d spent together, he’d quickly found out she had a good ear for music. He respected her opinions and enjoyed the spirited conversations they engaged in. As Trey said, she was different from the females he usually dated. He liked that. A lot.
“She’s definitely the real deal. Most of the females out now look like manufactured Barbie’s playin’ in the rap game. Little to no true talent. But this one…” He nodded in Lady J’s direction. “She’s gonna be big. Possibly the one to put the rap game back in play. Trey’s gonna set up a meeting with her in the morning. We need to get her name on a contract before someone snatches her up.” 

“Good idea.”They listened a little while longer before Quinton told her they could go on and head out. Trey walked with him to the door, discussing last minute details while Kyla walked in front them. 

“I’ll stay here until J finishes up. What say we meet in the office around ten?”“Sounds good. See you then.” Quinton clasped Trey’s hand and gave him a one-armed man hug.

“Bye, Trey,” Kyla called out softly.

Trey looked at her and gave her a brief head nod. “Take care, Ky. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon.”Not missing the sarcasm in his voice, Quinton gave him a sharp glare as he took Kyla’s hand and walked out the door. Kyla gave him the key to his car and waited while he pressed the remote to unlock the door and held it open for her. Quinton rounded the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. He was just getting ready to turn the ignition when he noticed Kyla staring at him. He lifted an eyebrow and waited. 

“Your brother doesn’t like me very much, does he?”

Never one to mince words, Quinton shrugged matter of factly. “Doesn’t matter if he likes you or not.Ilike you.”

“Did I do something wrong?” 

“Nah. Trey’s funny like that. Sometimes it takes him a while to warm up to a person. He’ll come around.” When the frown stayed on her face, Quinton tucked a finger under her chin and turned her his way. “Hey. My brother and I are close, but his personal hang-ups, whatever they might be, aren’t a factor in who I see or don’t see. The only thing that’s important here is you and me. Okay?”Kyla hesitated then nodded. Quinton ducked his head to catch her eye. “Alright?” This time a smile broke over Kyla’s mouth and she nodded more confidently. “That’s my girl.” 

He leaned over and claimed her lips, growling quietly when Kyla opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Quinton slid one hand around the back of her neck while the other rubbed her thigh. 

“Ky…I missed you, baby.”Kyla’s breathing quickened. She trembled when his lips moved to the corner of her lips, her jaw line and down to the sensitive curvature of her neck.“Did you miss me?” he whispered in a low, seductive voice.
Kyla shivered again when the heat of his breath warmed the side of her neck. She nodded in jerky movements, and tried to surreptitiously squeeze her thighs together to quiet the throbbing heat pulsating from her center but Quinton noticed the movement.“I want you, Ky. Baby, Ineedyou.” Quinton’s hand inched up her leg.

Trying to gain some semblance of control, Kyla whispered his name, but it came out hoarse and barely audible. She cleared her throat and tried again.“Quinton, we…we need to….mmmm, shit.” The protest turned into a groan of torture when his hand found its target at the juncture of her thighs.Quinton massaged her flesh in a circular caress, using every part of his hand, fingers, fingertips, palm, to cup and press into her damp femininity. He knew as well as Kyla did that there was no use in putting up a fight. Her mind might be giving her one set of instructions but her body had decided to revolt and do just the opposite. Her thighs relaxed and fell open. Her hips moved against Quinton’s hand, meeting the tantalizing rhythm of his strokes. When he took little love bites out along her neck, Kyla cried his name out loud.They both heard the intense need in her voice. Whereas it excited Quinton even more, it seemed to sober Kyla with a quickness. Her hand came down to cover his with the intention of pulling it from between the comfortable residence it had taken up between her legs. 

“Quint…no. We have tostop.” The last word ended in a deep sigh. Instead of her treacherous hand firmly removing his, it molded itself against his fingers and settled them even more firmly against her heat. 

“Right there, Ky? You like that?”” he whispered. When she bit down on her lip, he demanded an answer. “Tell me.”Unable to deny the truth she could only nod.“I want to hear you say it, baby.”
“Y-yes. I like it.”A grainy rumble of masculine satisfaction rumbled from his chest. “You’re so hot, so ready. You’re panties must be soaking wet to have your jeans this damp. Are they?”“Quint…” 

“Are they, Ky?” 

“Yes….!”She gritted her teeth when she heard his gruffly arrogant chuckle. 

“My dick is fucking brick hard right now. You have no idea how much I want you. Touch me, Ky.”Her eyes fluttered open and stared into his. He groaned when he saw that damned innocently seductive look on her face again. “Touch me,” he told her again. 

His jaw twitched with the effort it took him to be patient. He had never worked this hard for pussy in his life, had never had to. He understood his brother’s bewilderment regarding his action. Women were a dime a dozen in their line of work. But Kyla was worth waiting for. Otherwise, there was no way he’d be sitting in a parked car necking like a teenager in high school.Quinton’s breath hitched when her small hand covered and squeezed the bulge in the front of his jeans.
“Shit.”His passion-laden eyes glimpsed the flash of womanly knowledge reflected in hers as she teased and stroked his package. Cursing under his breath, he somehow managed to get his next words past his lips.“Your place or mine?”Just like that, he saw the wall go up. She snatched her hand away and this time had no problem pulling his from her disloyal kitty. 

Quinton stared at her in disbelief. No way. There was no way she was even thinking about leaving him likethis. “Kyla…” He leaned over and tried to capture her lips again, but she turned her head and pushed against his chest.

“No. Quinton…please.” 

He froze for a moment then slowly sat back in his seat. Sitting with his legs wide apart to try and ease his discomfort, he dropped his head back against the headrest. He breathed in deeply through his mouth and released the rush of air through flared nostrils. 

“Baby, I’m sorry,” she said again. “I…we shouldn’t have let it get this far. You know I want to take things slow.”

Hearing her statement, he lifted his head and sent her a hard look. “Slow? Ky, we’ve been going out almost three months. Trust, for me, this is slow.”He swiped his hand over his mouth and barely managed to stop himself from groaning out loud when he smelled her scent on his fingers.Shit!

Kyla squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. “You said you would wait until I was ready. You know what I went through with my previous relationship. You said–”

“I know what I said!” Quinton’s words were sharp and brusque. His lips tightened when he saw the hurt in her eyes.  Dammit! “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to snap at you.”

“I understand.” Her small voice made him feel about ten inches high, and when she looked up at him with wide eyes shining full of unshed tears, he really felt like a pile crap.Reaching for her hand, he laced his fingers through hers. “No, really I’m sorry. It’s just that… He let out a short laugh. “Baby, I’m not gonna lie, I’m horny as fuck. And I want you, Ky, but if you’re not ready, you’re just not ready.” 

“I know there are hundreds of women who would be willing to sleep with you right now. I wouldn’t blame you if…” Her voice trailed off as she peeked up at him, and when he shrugged and nodded in agreement, her mouth fell open. Then she saw the corner of his mouth twitch with the effort it took to hold back a laugh. Kyla slapped his shoulder. “Quinton! That’s not funny!” 

Quint burst out laughing and pulled her to him. “Oh, believe me. It ain't funny, but I couldn’t resist.” 

Kyla pretended to resist his embrace for a moment then moved closer and threw her arms around him. “That was so mean!” She pushed against his chest then stared at him expectantly.
Quinton laughed again. He knew what she was waiting on. “I guess you want me to say out loud what you already know, huh? Fine. I’on want nobody else but you. Okay?” 

Kyla grinned and pulled him to her for a kiss. “Okay,” she mimicked. 

Chuckling quietly, Quinton started the ignition and pulled away from the curve to merge into the traffic. “Did you get your car taken care of?”The day before he’d gone out of town, Kyla had to put her car in the shop. When she’d mentioned that she would be able to catch a ride with a co-worker to and from work, he told her she could borrow his car while he was gone.

“Yes, thank God. I really appreciate you letting me borrow yours…even though that was the first thing you asked about every time we talked.” She mockingly sent him a chastising look out the corner of her eye. 

“Now, see, there you go. It wasn’t the first thing I asked about. The second maybe, but definitely not the first.”

They laughed and continued to talk until he pulled up in front of her townhouse. They walked to her front door with their arms around each other. Quinton held his hand out for her key and unlocked it, then moved aside for her to walk in. He leaned against the doorframe until she put in the code to turn her alarm off. 

“Do you want to come inside for a drink?” she asked.

Quinton’s fell back a step. He stared upwards and closed his eyes. “You’re joking, right?” 

Kyla nibbled on her lip. “Oh. Sorry.” 

Grimacing, he shook his head and held a hand out. “Come here.”

Kyla walked towards him and let out a sigh of contentment when his arms slipped around her waist and pulled her close. Their lips met in a slow kiss. Soon, tongues became involved and the flame between them quickly fanned into a fire. That was always the case with them. The sexual tension had been palpable between them almost from the very beginning. Quinton had wanted her the moment he saw her. He realized he’d told her they could go at her pace, but he didn’t know how much more he could take.Reluctantly peeling her body off of him, he moved her back a couple of steps. “I’d better go, baby.” 

“Quinton…” 

“No. Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to do the right thing here, but Ky…soon.” His eyes were intense as he conveyed the fact that he wanted them to take that next step.Kyla’s throat worked as she nodded.“I’ll call you later, baby. Go on inside and lock up.” He gave her another quick kiss and waited until he heard the locks turn before heading to his car. 

On the other side of the door, Kyla leaned her head against the wood frame until she heard the powerful purr of his engine speed away. She took a slow, steadying breath. A smile played around her lips as she replayed the last few minutes in her mind. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t hear the soft footsteps walking towards her.

“You fallin’ for this dude, Kyla?” 

Kyla screamed and jumped when she heard the deep male voice, incredulous with the disbelief he felt. Breathing hard, she slapped a hand over her chest and splayed it over the rapid beating of her heart, which thumped like crazy. A second later her eyes narrowed at him in a pissed off glare.

“Are you crazy?” she sneered, standing with her hand angrily planted on her hips. “What are you doing here? You could’ve ruined everything!What are you doing here, Bobby?” 

“What am I doing here?” he asked pointing to his chest. “Looks like its a good thing I am so that I can help you find what you’ve lost.” 

Avoiding his eyes, Kyla brushed past him and went over to the couch to sit down. She unzipped one boot and eased her foot out. “And just what might that be.”

“Perspective, that’s what.”

“Bobby…” 

“Ky, what are you doin’?” 

Her hand stilled in the middle of unzipping the other boot. “I’m doing what we agreed on. Why are you all of a sudden tripping about it?” 

“Because you standing there daydreaming with a sappy ass look on your face is not what we agreed on!” 

“We agreed that I would get close to him, didn’t we? That’s what I’m doing.” 

“Yeah, and you really enjoying it too, aren’t you?”

“Bobby, fuck you.” 

“Hell no. You the one who needs to make sure you don’t get fucked, and I mean that literally.” Seeing her eyes flashing fire his way, Bobby released a breath and went over to the couch to sit beside her. “You avoided my question, and that’s a red flag right there. Are you fallin’ for King?” 

Kyla opened her mouth then closed it and swallowed. “No. At least I don’t think so.” 

“You need to take a step back because I can tell he’s gettin’ all up in your head. I tried to tell you, he ain’t no joke, professionally or personally. We already know what he’s capable of bid’ness wise. He got ho’s for days. Don’t fall for this charmin’ bullshit he’s givin’ you. Right now, you’re a challenge for him. Lets keep it that way for now. “ 

Kyla’s look sharpened. “What do you mean ’for now’?”

“Just that. The minute you give in to him, it’s on to the next. We gotta be smart about this. Ky, you need to remember why we’re doing this. Remember the big picture here.” 

Kyla blinked and looked away. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“Good. That motherfucker is ruthless and doesn’t give a fuck about nobody but his bid’ness and his brother. That’s it.” 

“We need to hurry. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to hold him off.” 

Bobby shrugged before his eyes flickered away from hers. “You might have to eventually…you know…do what you gotta do.” 

Kyla’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I never agreed to prostitute myself.” 

“It wouldn’t be prostituting yourself. Use him the same way he uses everybody else.” 

“Bobby!” 

“Kyla, damn!” Bobby jumped up and paced back and forth. “Do you think I like you having to do this? I wanted to smash his face in when I saw you two a few minutes ago. But what other alternative do we have? How else would we be able to get close to him?” He stopped and stared at her long and hard. “Are you saying you want to back out?”

Their eyes held as a look of understanding passed between them. This was business–and it was definitely personal. Bobby was right. She needed to get a grip. If Quinton hadn’t stopped tonight when he had, she had no doubt they would’ve ended up in her bed tonight. When she’d called a halt to the activity in his car, she’d used what little restraint she had left and prayed he didn’t push the issue. If he had...Kyla shook her head. It was time to regroup.As Bobby said, regain perspective. She planned on redoubling her efforts to get what she needed and get out because Quinton King was becoming a bad habit, and like all bad habits, he would be hard to kick…if not damned near impossible.