Nothing to Lose (BWWM)

Twenty Three

Almost two weeks passed where the two lived together whilst being together. Imani would wake up with his arms around her, his face buried in the back of her neck and not once did she awake without a smile on her face and a sweet tingle in her core. Although the pair hadn't gone all the way, Vincent made sure she didn't go to bed unsatisfied and she returned the favour.

Each day seemed to let down another one of Vincent's barriers that he had worked so hard to put up. Through her questions, through their lengthy conversations and through his behaviour, Imani was gaining an insight into the world of Vincent Pellegrino and she liked what she was learning.

He could cook. Boy could he cook. She always thought her mother was the best chef she knew but Vincent was making her have some doubts.

He took his fitness very seriously, making sure he worked out at least 5 times a week and eating a hell of a lot so that he could burn it all off later. Imani tried to use his state of the art gym at one point only to realise she didn't have a clue how most of the things worked.

Another thing she learnt was that he was into poetry. She had discovered that one night when she had stumbled upon him in his office, his reading glasses on his face and a paperback copy of Henry Longfellow's poems in one hand. The entire sight turned her on and resulted in Imani being left a panting mess on top of his desk, his paperwork strewn everywhere.

Vincent was a puzzle and slowly but surely she was piecing him together. There were however many holes and they stemmed from all the times he would pull away from her.

Much like their dinner date a few weeks prior, if the conversation moved towards his childhood, he'd turn cold. If she tried to ask him about her going into his art room, he would steer the conversation in another direction and as soon as she questioned his dedication to the company he would suddenly behave in an abrasive manner.

His behavior didn't surprise her. Imani had grown to realise that with Vincent, although there were plenty ups, the downs came just as often.

Which led to her cherishing the ups. Like when Terrence's anniversary came. She wanted to spend the entire day in Vincent's super king size bed with a box of tissues beside her but he advised her to spend the day with her mother and LJ. Knowingly, he also told her not to call him to check up on him - stating that he would be fine on his own.

When she returned without LJ, she was surprised to find that he had ran a bath for her. Nothing remotely sexual happened that night. Vincent was incredibly gentle with her - helping her get dressed, into bed and simply holding her as she cried.

That day opened up a whole whirlwind of emotions for Imani and had her contemplating whether or not she was falling for her boss.

"Have you got your pills? Your crutch? Did you remember your-." Vincent fixed her with a harsh look as he approached the doorway she was standing in. "It's your first day back in the office and you need to be prepared."

He looked outside to make sure that Benjamin was there with the car. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned to her. "Did you remember your umbrella?" Imani stopped and he grabbed two umbrellas, handing her one. "I am prepared. Nothing has changed except for me using this damn thing to walk." He replied. "Well, that and..." Vincent trailed off, ending his sentence with a smirk and a wink.

She pushed him playfully, reverting her attention to the iPad in her hands. "The team for the 'pre-prezi-prezioso'-."

He laughed lightly. "It's pronounced pre-zió-so." Imani glared at him correcting her as they stepped outside into the light drizzle of rain.

Rolling her eyes, she continued. "The team for the 'pre-zió-so for him' cologne," Imani said, mimicking the way he had pronounced the word, "Want to go over the list of retailers that hasn't been signed yet."