Darius POV
I take Elijah's hand, my grip firm and warm, and I don’t let go right away. "Deal. Three months to prove I’m not a player? Honey, I’ll have you convinced in three weeks." Elijah pulls his hand away "First order of business , childhood , passion and dreams, go."
I lean back with a low chuckle, stretching my arms behind my head so my black, tight compression shirt rides up just enough to show off the deep cut of my chiselled abs. "Alright, alright. Childhood, Atlanta born and raised, football pads by ten, weights by fifteen. Passion? This." I gesture to my body with a cocky grin. "Building something people can’t look away from. Dreams? To own my own gym one day. A place where hard work meets release." I let my eyes darken just slightly.
"Well I am impressed I thought you were going to use the opportunity to flirt but I guess I was wrong." Elijah plays with the straw in his smoothie cup and blows an audible raspberry. "Umm, my childhood was very dynamic, I was born in Haiti then my family moved after the civil war and epic gangster massacre when I was 5 , I am still fluent in Haitian Creole though because my father made sure I still stuck to my roots. I spent the rest of my childhood in the good ol' state of Texas , graduated valedictorian of my high school class and went on to study economics at Harvard . I did my graduate degree in finance and now my masters in fashion and business at Morehouse. I have always loved fashion and dance you know , my mom was a seamstress and my dad was a musician forcibly turned mechanical engineer so I grew up in a very colourful house full of diverse fabrics , broken appliances my dad promised to fix and tons of instruments. My greatest dream is to establish my own fashion line. In fact ,I am wearing my line now." Elijah stands up and does a 360 laughing as he sits back in his seat.
I lean in again, voice dropping. "But let’s be real, those clothes would look better on my floor."
Elijah pushes Darius away playfully as they walk to Darius' truck. "Keep it in your pants buddy , I am not the cornrowed twink at the smoothie bar." Elijah laughs as he mockingly mimics the twink's hair twist. The two drive back to Elijah's car at the gym parking lot , sharing an intimate moment as Darius brings the truck to a stop.
Darius leans in just enough for Elijah to feel the heat coming off him. "But just wait ’til I really turn it on. Next time, no smoothie twink. Just you, me, and whatever trouble we can get into. Now get out of my truck before I change my mind about letting you leave."
Elijah rolls his eyes as he leaves and enters his car but he realises that he didn't give Darius his phone number but the truck is gone by the time he looks up . He sighs heavily before getting a notification from an unknown number which reads "Thought I was going to just let you go , this farm boy is smarter than you think Agent Carrbean" Elijah smiles brightly as he reads the text message.
Elijah POV
A few weeks pass and everything happens very fast. Darius and Elijah have been on countless dates, exploring the various parts and activities Atlanta has to offer. Still no sex ,even though, Darius has not stopped the constant sexual innuendos and not so subtle advances since the day the pair officially met at the gym. It is now the day before Elijah's college of fashion final assessment exhibit and he is panicking because one of his male models, presenting the final and signature look, dropped out. He gives Darius a call to try alleviate the stress.
"Umm, hey there. I hope I didn't wake you." He paces around the guest room turned design room in his cousin's ranch house. Darius answers on the second ring, the sound of weights clanking in the background as he catches his breath. "Never too busy for you, Elijah. What’s wrong? You sound stressed." He sets the dumbbell down, his voice shifting from workout intensity to focused concern. "Talk to me. Is it the show?"
Elijah scratches his head as he continues pacing the floor with his phone in his hand. "Yea , Darnel just cancelled because he has to take his great grandma for an eye check up , I mean what does she still need to see , the heifer is already old and has probably seen everything there is to see." Elijah immediately stops himself, wanting to present a calm profile to Darius . "Sorry for the outburst ,I am usually very put together and unperturbed but he was supposed to display the signature piece, the literal showstopper and I don't know anyone else that has his proportions. Especially, with such an insane short notice" He bangs his head against the table in frustration "This is the part where you charm me till I forget about my problems and feel like myself again after scolding you."
Darius lowers his voice, all teasing gone. "Tell me what time, what I’m wearing, and how tight you want it. I’ll be there. Hell, I’ll oil up if you need my muscles to pop to impress the judges. This signature piece is about to become the main event." Darius stretches, the phone picking up the shift of muscle. "You think I’ve been hitting these weights just for myself? I’ve been waiting for an excuse to strut for you. Just tell me where to be and when, baby. I’ll even let you dress me. Or undress me. Whichever comes first." He smiles as he says the last part hoping Elijah picks up on the sexual undertone.
"For once I think I might agree with your crazy idea. Umm, how fast can you get to the ranch? The show is in a few hours and I need to make the alterations because lets face it , you are a giant and well, Darnel is a tall tree." Elijah starts sketching a new design that fits Darius' larger frame on the phone call.
Darius is already grabbing his keys, the sound of his truck door slamming shut echoing through the phone call ."Twenty minutes, max. And yeah, I’m a giant, so you better make that signature piece looks like it was made for me." He revs the engine, a low purr that matches the hunger in his voice. "Just be ready to put your hands all over me when I get there. Professional alterations only, of course." He smiles as he says the last sentence , rushing through the quiet streets of Atlanta's country side to make it in time to save the man of his dreams .
To be continued...
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