Maybe, Maybe Not

17. House or a Home

Nikko wanted to be cuddled next to Jakinda in a nice warm, bubble bath. He was glad he showered after work so he was already clean. Jakinda drained her bath water, ran a fresh one, and added lots of fragrant bubbles.

He typically was not a bath person. Hadn't taken one in years. He was strictly a shower man. But to be close to his woman he was all in.

Her bathroom was incredible. Not only that, she lived in a nice part of midtown, not far from the downtown area. It was a quick drive to her place and he liked that. He would love to see more of her place after their relaxing bath.

Nikko found some slow jams to play on his phone. He stripped off his clothes and Jakinda took off her robe. He did not mind that she wore a scarf over her hair. He never minded the stretchmarks on her stomach or her hips either. That was sexy to him.

Once they stepped into the tub, it fit them both comfortably.

After they soaked and bathed together, she grabbed a towel for him and led him to her bedroom. For an apartment, this was top of the line. The place was large and decorated with high-end framed art. He never asked about her finances because it wasn't his business, but he assumed she did not make much as a receptionist.

The place looked like a showroom at a furniture store and he felt like his mother was going to scream at him to not touch anything.

He had questions. How did she afford a place like this? Not off her money alone. Was her ex-husband still taking care of her?

"Are you sleeping over?" Jakinda asked him.

"Can I? I mean...I don't mean to impose. This place..." He had no words.

"What about my place?"

"It's nice. How are you...affording this?"

He knew what she did as a job. She was a receptionist/administrative assistant at a government agency. She was not making the kind of money to keep up with this place. He knew she was married before, but what kind of man was she married to that he could afford a place like this and was he still paying for it?

"What do you mean?" Jakinda looked around her place as if it was not upscale and swanky. At least to him it was. "This is just a basic apartment, all I could handle after the divorce. I walked away from the house because my ex loved it more than he loved me."

She walked out of the bedroom and he followed after her with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"I loved the house as well, but since he was the breadwinner, it did not seem fair for me to fight for it. Neither one of us came from money, so as soon as he made a killing, he bought an extravagant house."

None of what she explained justified why she was in an apartment worth a pretty penny. He wanted to ask more questions but he left it alone, it was not his business. He was just the boyfriend, nothing more. And not that serious obviously. He did not know how much money she made, nor did he tell her what his bank account was looking like.

At twenty-nine, he had a nice retirement package setup thanks to working for the U.S. Postal Service, but other than that, there was no large savings account. While he did not live check to check, there was not a lot left over to buy fancy things either. He put his extra money into his art, and if that ever took off, maybe he would get rich then.

He decided to switch the subject slightly and get to know more about her ex and that situation.

"And your kids? They stay with their father?"

"Well, they have their own place. My daughter tends to come by often, my son lives in Colombia. If they ever need a place to crash or whatever, I have a spare bedroom for them."

He already knew the ages of her kids, daughter twenty-five, son twenty-three. He wondered what they would think about him. Did she even tell them about him?

He had not told his mother he was seeing someone, but then, he would rather wait until things got more serious. He never let his mother meet girls he dated because she always disliked them.

Jakinda made it into the kitchen and grabbed a wineglass. "Anything to drink?"

"Whatever you have."

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of bright yellow wine. He laughed at the sight of something so bright in a wine bottle.

"What is this?"

"Sarcona Limoncello wine straight from Italy." She started to open the bottle herself, but he grabbed it from her and undid the foil wrapper from the bottle.

"You've been to Italy?"

"No, but I get limoncello shipped straight from Italy, the I discovered this wine. You will love it."

It was an easy cork pull, so he popped it out.

"Can I pour it all over your body and drink it off you?"

That made Jakinda laugh, but he was so serious. He poured her a glass and then himself.

"Let's make a toast," she said.

"To what?"

"To us."

"I'll drink to that." He clinked his glass to her. He took a sip but it was much too sweet for him, but he wouldn't tell her that. He would down it and enjoy it because she loved it.

"Come on, let me show you around the place."

She showed him to the guest bedroom where it was made up in neutral colors. There were some of her children's pictures on the dresser and he made sure to take a look at them. Her kids looked just like her, but he did notice they were bi-racial and not fully Black. Jakinda never told him her ex-husband was a white man. He was learning more and more about her.

"This is my baby girl," she said as he studied one of the framed pictures. "She was over today shopping for food."

Her daughter was gorgeous and looked like her, but a lot lighter. Her son looked very studious with his glasses and the way he was dressed in the pictures. The kind of guy that got picked on in high school for being a nerd.

"Beautiful kids." He pulled her in for a kiss. "But then, look at their mother."

He was thinking of all the ways and places he was going to fuck her in that apartment. Just like they had done at his place. He untied her robe to catch a glimpse of her glorious, perfect, naked body. His mouth watered thinking of tasting her again.

"Can we have a night where we don't fuck each other's brains out?" With that she pulled her robe closed, shattering his lusty desires. They were good at fucking, why not? "I've been cleaning and doing housework all day, and that bath was for me to relax and unwind. I didn't think I would see you. I wanted to relax and have me time."

"So you want me to leave?"

"I am not saying that!" She grabbed his hands. "But I thought you wanted more than just sex. We can do other things, you know. Chill and watch some movies, play a game, or... whatever."

She had a point. He had to get his dirty mind out of the gutter. Jakinda was a sophisticated, mature woman, judging by her place alone. Her place did not look like a showroom because she was rich, it looked that way because she was not a single bachelor like him. She raised a family for almost as long as he was alive.

Though he hated thinking about their age gap, sometimes it was obvious. He wanted things to work with her, so he had to get on her level.

"You're right." He led her over to the sofa. "We can chill and enjoy each other's company, maybe get to know each other on a deeper level. "