AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 20
The mayor’s sitting room had a type of old-school opulence that bordered on downright gaudy. Completely separated from the other living areas, it was the type of place where the men retreated after dinner parties to “talk business” and gossip. There was a large wood-burning fireplace topped with a giant portrait of Greenbelt’s founding mayor. The couches were largely ornamental, all dark wood and red patterned upholstering. There was even a chandelier, glittering gold, hanging in the center of the room. Aja didn’t appear to care about the sparkly trinkets or excess; the only thing she seemed interested in was the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covering nearly every inch of wall space in the room.
“You must really love books.” Saying it felt ridiculous, but it was the only thing that came to mind as he watched her survey their surroundings.
“No,” she stammered. “I mean… kind of. I definitely don’t read often enough to call myself a regular reader but… I kind of have this thing about bookshelves. I like seeing how people decorate them, what they put there, how they’re organized. I can’t really explain it. It’s just really cool knowing that all these books were somewhere else once. That they were picked out specifically to be read and kept according to someone’s particular tastes.”
He looked around at the hundreds of books that filled the room. She was right—it was cool as hell to think about.
Instead of rushing her out of the house and back to their spot under the tree, he decided to give her a few minutes. Everyone was distracted anyway, so it wasn’t like anybody would be looking for them. As long as they stayed quiet in the sitting room, no one would suspect a thing. He sat down on the largest couch, surprised when it was more comfortable than he’d expected. He spread his thighs some, his arms splaying out over the back.
“Part of me wants to steal one.” She giggled. “I won’t, because the last thing I need is to get labeled a thief before I’ve even been here a year, but I really, really want to. A boring one, you know. One nobody would miss.”
“That’s incredibly evil of you, Miss Owens,” he joked.
“It would just be cool to take something home with me that has a little history, is all. Some of these books are so old it looks like they’ve been here since the house was built.” She flipped through the pages of a faded hardcover. “Also, I definitely get a kick out of how the original owners of this house—hell, even the current ones—would throw a fit at the thought of some little Black girl coming in here and taking something.”
“Even more reason for you to actually do it then.”
Aja looked back and forth between him and the bookshelves, seriously considering it. He didn’t want to sway her too much with his opinion for fear she’d end up doing something she didn’t want to. But he firmly believed that she should. He highly doubted any of the books in the room had been read in decades. The most action they probably saw was when the cleaning staff came by to do their weekly dusting.
“I don’t know.…” She slid the book she was holding back in its place. “What if I accidentally end up running off with someone’s favorite book? I don’t think I can.”
She left the shelves, coming over to sink into the couch right along with him.
“If it makes you feel better, the way Mayor Harris governs this place, I doubt he’s ever read a book in his entire life.”
Aja’s laugh reverberated through the room. The apologetic look she gave him when she remembered they were supposed to be keeping a low profile made him chuckle.
“I’m serious,” he said. “Choosing to have peach cobbler as the dessert this year is the best decision he’s made since he was elected.”
“Well, whichever mayor decided to get this couch did a great fucking job.” She sank in deeper, throwing one of her legs over his. His hand went to her skin immediately, thumb circling the ball of her knee. “In here is definitely much better than out there.”
“I agree. Comfortable couch, air conditionin’, the quiet.” He nodded. “That’s all you need.”
“Don’t forget about me.” She bit down on her lip. “I’m sure my company makes it even better.”
He leaned in enough to brush his knuckles against her cheek and bump her nose with his. “You have no idea.”
Those brown eyes flicked down to his lips. They were close enough that he could practically taste her breath.
“You should back up.” Her lust-roughened voice made him grind his teeth.
“Yeah, I should.”
“We have a pact, remember?” Even as she said this, she pressed her face in, rubbing their cheeks together.
“Right—we’re only allowed to do this when one of us wins a bingo.”
“Yes. Only then.”
His dick grew thick against his thigh, dripping like it knew what was about to happen before his brain did. “So why are we doing it now?”
Aja’s eyes closed briefly. “Because we’re awful, awful people who find it nearly impossible not to be drawn to each other?”
“I don’t know about you, but I can’t even help myself. Anytime I see you, my body just reacts. The way you smell, the way you move, the way you talk. I don’t think there’s anything about you that doesn’t make me feel like I need to fuck you until we’ve both had our fill.”
“We already tried to get our fill, remember?”
