Page 35 of Off the Charts
“Mm,” I moaned. “That feels really good.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” His tone changed and I watched his eyes slowly move up my body until he reached my eyes. “After you get settled, I want to taste your wine.”
I was hoping he saidyouinstead. “Which do you prefer?”
“Both,” he licked his lips. “I can handle it.”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “We’ll see.”
I cooked,showered, and had a quick Facetime call with Zion and my mama. They did a sunset cruise, and the sun and activities wore them out, so they were preparing for bed, but them niggas never wanted to talk long. They knew I was in the mountains, but only Jade and Mama knew with whom. They’d interviewed me and Vayce ten times on a group Facetime. I hadn’t told Zion about us yet, but if things continued, that would be a conversation we would have soon. I wasn’t sure how he was going to take it and that scared me because without his approval, Vayce and I will never work.
In the house, I preferred loose clothing, so I wore an oversized graphic tee that stopped mid-thigh. When I pulled on the black lace thong, I told myself it was forjust in case.
Retrieving the glasses Vayce gifted me, I washed and dried them before pouring two glasses of wine. Most people didn’tlike mixing red and white wine, but when blended properly, it created the perfect rosé. I twirled the stem of the glasses between my fingers and inhaled deeply. The sip I took was small, but it never failed to surprise me. Grandma told me this was the true way to a nigga’s heart, and she wasn’t lying.
With both glasses in hand, I trekked toward the back of the cabin. The light shuffling I heard made me enter the room on the left. It was set up like a media room and if I had to guess, this was Vayce’s favorite. Plastered on the walls were vinyl records from every generation fromThrillertoThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, up toHeaux Tales. They seemed to be in order of release and in a pattern, the record at the top and cover at the bottom and vice versa. There wasn’t a bed but a love seat under the vinyl wall and a dresser with plants on it. In the far corner was a full-length mirror.
My eyes focused on Vayce. He had on nothing but shorts that sat low on his hips, giving me a clear view of his defined v-cut. I didn’t stop my eyes from going lower to his thick length that rested ever so gracefully against his left thigh. My mouth produced an overwhelming amount of saliva, and I could feel my nipples harden through my shirt. My mind went back to the video, replaying the thickness of it, the veins that ran just under the head, and that pretty ass mushroom tip. It was true, I came twice watching the three minute and four second video. All I could visualize was his dick tapping the back of my throat and my insides.Would he think I was coming off too strong if I asked him to pull his shorts lower or would he think I knew what I wanted?
“Why the fuck is w—finally,” he mumbled as the music on the record player started. Standing up straight, he turned to face me. Each time his eyes were on any part of my body, I found myself getting nervous. I’d been looked at probably millions of times,but I never had someone to study every part of my body and its language.
I shifted my weight to the other foot. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t. I felt you,” he looked down at the wine glasses and smirked. “I thought I requested both.”
I stepped into the room and handed over his glass. “And I gave you what you requested, sir.” I gave him proper instructions on how to smell the wine and fan it before tasting it. I raised my glass to his. “What we toasting to?”
Vayce stepped closer, gripping my hip with his free hand, his eyes never straying from mine. “To the type of connection you don’t plan but would be a fucking fool to ignore.”
“Hmm,” I tilted my head. “And to finding someone who feels like home even in the middle of nowhere,” I added. We smiled as our glasses touched. I barely sipped from mine as he took his first drink.
His eyes grew big. “Got damn J,” he groaned, looking from the glass to me. “This all you for real?”
“That’s all me. You like it?”
“I love it. I can taste everything. The shit perfect. You gotta put this out to the world. We gotta make it possible. However I can help, let me know.”
“I appreciate that Vayce,” my cheeks burned knowing he would help my dream. “Don’t move too fast. Half a glass is more than enough for a rookie.”
“I got your fucking rookie. I can handle mine,” he took another sip while I sat on the couch. “Have you ever thought about opening your own distillery or selling it in stores?”
I sighed, envisioning myself walking into my own building with the many bottles of my products lined on the walls. “It’s a dream that I would love to obtain one day, but I don’t want to uproot Zion again. He loves Harvest Hills and Sweet PeaAcademy, and his stability comes before my own ambitions. I could be in Napa making boatloads of money, but how selfish would that be?”
Vayce looked at me for a few seconds trying to find the words. “I think it’ll only be selfish if it’s abrupt. You don’t have to move to do what you want. That shit can be done right here in this box that y’all call a town,” I smiled, flipping him off. “You ever seen a mustard seed?”
I shook my head. “In pictures, not in real life.”
He looked upside my head in disbelief, and it made me chuckle. “As much as you be in the garden with no shoes on, you have never seen one?”
“Shut up! I work better barefoot. But seriously, I haven’t.”
Vayce hung a record back on the wall. “Well, it’s small, but that’s all the faith you need. A nigga ain’t telling you what to do, but how long are you going to put yourself in a box, J? The more time that passes, the more you allow your greatness to go to waste. Think about that. I meant what I said too, if there’s any way I can help, tell me. Please.”
The sincerity in his tone warmed my insides. “I will. I promise.”
Thirty minutes passed and we were on our second glass. Vayce shared with me that he’d been collecting records for three years. One turned into twenty and now it’s a hobby. A few of them were even signed by the artist. TheConfessionsalbum by Usher was currently spinning.
Vayce increased the volume then sat on the floor in front of me. “You’ve never been to a vinyl shop?”
