WIDOWer

CHAPTER 4

Warren lingers in the parking lot of 981 briefly pretending to pull up an address, until he sees Doug pull into the parking lot.

“So, did you get everything squared away at work today?” he asks as Doug drives around the back of the building, then finally takes off

“Pretty much, if I didn’t, they’ll figure it out.” She replies

“Spoken like someone who loves their job!” he laughs

Bria laughs then says

“Don’t start that again”

“Okay, but maybe you can tell me a little bit about what’s been bothering you”

Bria sits looking out the window

“Does it have something to do with Dillon?” Warren asks

“Yeah” she replies still staring out the window

“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it”

“I don’t even really know what it is” she whispers

“Something upset you, right?”

“Yeah, it was more like it made me uncomfortable, not so much upset” she murmurs

Warren just sits listening to her

“Dillon approached me in the parking garage when I was leaving today, and kind of got in my face” she says then pauses

“He’s been asking me to go grab a drink for as long as I can remember, but I always come up with an excuse not to!”

“The way he snapped when I started to say no. It just scared me.”

“Did he touch you?” Warren asks finally, fighting to hide his outrage with Dillon and his idea of a birthday gift

“No. Well, yeah, my face!” she whispers

“I’m really sorry that happened to you!” he says taking her hand

“You know what will help me feel better” she states finally turning to look at him

“What?” he asks

“Knowing, where I’m going!” she replies sweetly

Warren glances at her, knowing full well that she’s taking advantage of the situation. But wanting to see a genuine smile on her face he says

“Amelia Island!”

“Never heard of it” she replies

“Good!” he laughs

They ride in silence for a little while, then Warren says

“So, you’re the infamous Aunt Renee!”

“How in the world have we never run into each other?” he adds

“I don’t know, but it is an incredibly small world! How come I’ve never heard anyone call you Junior, since we met?”

“I haven’t been Junior since I left for college, only my family still calls me that.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around you already knowing Jewels.” He adds

“That is the craziest thing!” she states then they ride in silence for a moment until Bria says

“I couldn’t imagine what you and your daughter had gone through losing your wife and I never wanted to pressure you into talking about or meeting her. But, considering how things turned out, I feel bad that I didn’t ask you more about her. We probably would have realized this sooner”

“It’s not your fault, I kind of made it a point to bring her up as little as possible too.”

“I must say, I am pleasantly surprised how well you two get along.” He says then smiles at her

“Oh, that’s my baby. So even when you dump me, I’ll still be Aunt Renee!” she laughs

“I don’t see that happening, but I guess that’s fair” he whispers

“Where did Renee come from anyway?” he asks

“That’s my middle name. You looked at my driver’s license and didn’t notice”

“You were too busy looking for my birthday!” she adds

“We’ve been driving for like an hour, how far is this place?” Bria asks

Warren laughs and says

“I don’t want to hear it. You should have just let me buy you something!”

“Just take a nap and I’ll wake you when we get there!” he states

“It’s that far!” she states

Glancing over at her, he says

“It’ll be worth it!”

With a big smile, Bria says

“We’ll see! And for the record, I hate surprises!” letting her seat back she lays her head back then closes her eyes

Warren turns on the radio and plays music softly in the background. Not even five minutes later, Bria turns to Warren, opens her eyes then asks

“Why didn’t you tell me you owned District 981?”

Warren pauses the music then says

“I did, I told you I worked at some amusement centers.”

Bria looks over at him and when he glances back at her, she lays back down.

When they’re about ten minutes out from the resort, Warren wakes Bria up and asks her what she wants to do for dinner.

“Whatever you want is fine” she mutters softly

Warren opts to just order room service once they arrive at the hotel, knowing that Bria has had a long day. When he pulls up to the hotel door, the valet and bellman help them gather their things and head inside. Bria sits on the first chair she comes to, and the bellman stops beside her. Warren takes less than three minutes to get checked in and once they’re on the elevator his phone rings, pulling it out, he sees that its Doug again and ignores the call.

When the bellman opens the door, he says

“This is the opulent Atlantic Suite, with twelve hundred square…”

“We don’t need the spill. Thank you!” Warren states cutting him off then handing him a tip

Once he takes the luggage off the cart, he leaves the room and closes the door behind him. When Warren finds Bria, she’s standing out on the balcony. Walking up next to her and with his back to the ocean, he whispers

“What’s on your mind?”

Finally, breaking contact with the view, she looks into his eyes and whispers

“We really don’t know each other!”

Taking her hand Warren pulls her in front of him and says

“Is there anything you learned about me today that I hadn’t told you?”

“Or that makes you less interested in me?”

Bria just lays her head on his chest and takes a deep breath. A moment later he wraps his arms around her, and they stand that way for a long while, until finally she stands up and walks back into the suite. Bria is sitting looking at the room service menu when Warren walks back inside.

“I’m hungry” she murmurs glancing up at him

“When you decide what you want, let me know and I’ll order it for you.” He states

Taking his arm as he attempts to walk past her, Bria asks

“Are you gonna eat something?”

“Yeah” he replies then just stands there. When she lets go of his arm, he walks into the bedroom.

Walking up behind Warren, Bria finds him in the bathroom running a bubble bath

“I know what I want.” She whispers

Taking his hand, she says

“After you order the food can we please talk”

Searching her eyes Warren shakes his head and says

“Of course!”

Once he’s placed their order, Warren comes to sit next to Bria on the couch and she begins

“When we met, you told me your wife had passed and that you had a daughter and I compared you to Junior.” She pauses and he just sits waiting for her to continue

“I didn’t realize that you were actually him.” she says willing him to understand what she means with her eyes

“I mean, I feel like I know you a lot more now, more than you may want me to.”

Warren sits searching her eyes for a moment then says

“I’m a man who one day, had it all and in a matter of seconds, a great part of that was tragically taken from me. I’ve spent the last four years figuring out how to move past that. I hope I haven’t done anything to make you feel like I’ve lied to you.”

Warren takes Bria’s hand and says

“I’m crazy about you and I am the same guy you’ve been seeing. Maybe now with a little more vivid baggage. But the same guy nevertheless.”

“This weekend is supposed to be about you and for you! Can we not waste it focusing on me?”

“Please!” he adds

Before she can respond Warren’s phone rings, when he sees the ID, he says

“I gotta take this, it’s Jewels!”

Bria laughs then says

“You mean Julie!”

They both laugh and Warren walks into the bedroom to answer the call

When he does, there’s a knock at the door. Bria answers it allowing the bellman to push in the cart. Just as she’s grabbing a tip from her purse, Warren walks out and gives him one.

“Thank you!” he states then closes the door

Narrowing her eyes at him Bria says

“You know what!”

Ignoring her Warren says

“You said you were hungry, let’s eat!”

They lie in bad after taking a long bubble bath, Bria snuggles up close to Warren and he says

“I’ve been thinking about holding you like this all day!”

Taking his hand Bria whispers

“You seemed upset when Julie was showing me her gifts!”

“No, I’m so sorry.”

“I was just surprised. Beyond surprised, actually!”

“I’ve been kind of nervous about introducing you two. She’s never seen me with anyone, but her mother and I didn’t…” he pauses then laughs

“I mean, she ended up introducing us. That’s a twist I couldn’t have seen coming”

“Today went nothing like I’d planned, but I’m happy with the way things turned out.”

Bria pulls back and glances up at him, when she lays her head back down, he says

“I’m just a little unsure how to go about introducing you as my girlfriend now, though” he laughs

Bria sits up and cuts his laugh off with a kiss

“It’s been a really” she kisses him again

“Really long day” she adds then kisses his neck

“Let’s think about something else!” she whispers kissing him again

The following morning, they wake up close to ten o’clock. As they lie in bed, there is a knock on the door, when Warren goes to answer the door, Bria goes into the bathroom before joining him. When she walks out there is a cart of fresh pastries, fruit, orange juice and coffee.

“Whoa!” she smiles when she sees the cart

“I am feeling really spoiled!” she adds taking a sip of coffee

“You have a busy day, so you gotta eat up.”

“Your first appointment is at noon!” Warren adds

“First appointment? What are you talking about” she asks taking a bite of a strawberry

“I’ve planned a relaxing spa day for you!”

She laughs then says

“You’re kidding!”

“No ma’am. Facials, massages and some kind of salt exfoliation, the works!” he replies

“I told you not to buy me anything!” Bria states

“I didn’t buy you anything. I simply paid for an experience.”

“That’s the same thing!” she responds sitting down eating a croissant

Warren walks over and gives her a kiss on the forehead

“It’s too late, we’re already here and you have an appointment at noon!”

“Thank you!” she says sweetly

“You’re welcome!”

Later that evening as they walk along the beach, Bria says

“You know, so much about our conversations make more since now.”

“What do you mean?” Warren asks

“Well, for one, the day I asked you if you wanted anymore kids. A few days before that, I’d seen Julie at Susan’s house and she told me that she wanted to be a big sister.”

“Of course, she did!” he replies

“While I was getting pampered today, I had a lot of time to think. And the only thing that I couldn’t figure out was…” she stops

“The day you asked me about Scope.”

“So, you spent your day analyzing every conversation we’ve ever had.” he laughs

“That doesn’t sound very relaxing!” he says then pulls her into a hug

Looking up at him she asks

“What happened the day you came to my office?”

“Besides you officially agreeing to be off the market!” he responds

“I don’t know”

“Tell me!” she pleads

“Nothing happened, honestly.”

Bria starts back walking

“Hey” Warren says taking her hand stopping her

“I’ve just worked with marketing firms in the past. And I know how they can be.”

Warren gives her a kiss then whispers

“I care about you, and I just want you to be happy, that’s all!”

“Tell me something I don’t know about you” she states looking up at him

“I have the sexiest most amazing girlfriend, but she spends all of her time looking for flaws that she doesn’t allow herself to enjoy the little things in life!” he whispers

“Bria, I’m not your husband!” he adds

Bria narrows her eyes at him and when she pulls away, he says

“Babe”

Ignoring him, she turns then starts walking down the beach

“Sh*t!” he whispers under his breath

Catching up to her Warren says

“Bria, I’m sorry”

“Wait!” he says taking her arm

When she finally looks at him, she says

“I’m not mad. You’re right!”

“Just give me a minute please” she adds

Warren doesn’t let go right away so Bria reaches up and gives him a quick kiss and says

“I’m fine. It’s ok seriously! I just need a minute”

When he lets go, she turns and walks down the beach. Warren stands watching her for a moment, then his phone rings and glancing at it, he sees Doug is still blowing up his phone since he picked up the gift bag. Having forgot about that situation, he turns and walks back towards their building wondering what exactly he’s going to do about it.

As Bria walks along the shoreline, she realizes that she’s kept Warren at arm’s length and kept their relationship a secret because she figured it’d just be a matter of time before he broke her heart. Rather than deal with the thoughts and opinions of others publicly, she just wouldn’t let him in and avoid another heartbreak all together. But the more and more she’d gotten to know Warren and especially since the newly discovered details of who he really is, it’s become harder and harder to deny her growing feelings for him. And that desperately holding on to the thought that he’s just Jaylen, her sneaky, lying, adulterous husband, would ultimately be the thing to destroy their seemingly perfect relationship.

After almost an hour of soul searching, Bria walks back up to Warren, who’s found some lounge chairs further up on the beach. Sitting down in the chair next to him she says

“You were right, and I apologize!”

“I may have been right, but I am sorry for how it came out.”

“Can we just promise to be as transparent as possible with each other.”

“That’s probably the best thing to help me through my obvious trust issues” she whispers

Warren glares out at the ocean for a moment too long and Bria asks

“What!”

“So, in being honest. There is something I haven’t told you. But in all fairness…” he stops

Bria just sits glaring at him

“Are you ready to go get something to eat?” he asks trying to change the subject

When she just continues looking at him, he says

“I’ll take that as a no!”

Still weighing his options and unsure whether or not to tell her about the gift from Dillon, Warren goes in another direction.

“I’ll just show you. Come on, let’s go.” He mutters then standing up he reaches for her hand

“I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to go down to dinner or order room service.” Warren says holding the door for her as they walk back inside

“While they stand waiting for the elevator, he says

“This may take a little while…”

“If you just tell me now, it wouldn’t” Bria states once they get on the elevator

Warren walks over to her and after staring into her eyes briefly, he gives her a slow longing kiss, pinning her against the elevator wall. The moment the elevator opens, he deepens the kiss gently parting her lips with his tongue. Turned on in the most surprising way, Bria just stands there momentarily hypnotized.

Warren takes her hand and once the elevator makes it back to their floor, they get to their room, and he asks

“I made dinner reservations if you want to go out or we can just order room service?”

“It’s up to you” he adds

Shaking her head, she finally mutters

“Room service is fine”

Warren grabs the menu then sits down and asks

“What would you like?”

When she doesn’t respond, he turns around and takes her hand pulling her in front of him, then sitting her on his lap he asks

“Babe, what do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know, what are you getting?”

Once they’ve figured out what they want, and Warren places the call to room service. Just as he hangs up the room phone, Bria asks

“Why did you kiss me like that?”

Warren laughs and scooping her up in his arms surprising her, he whispers

“You think too much, and I like kissing you!”

In the room, he lays her on the bed and just like the elevator, he slowly kisses her and when he starts to part her lips, he stops, pulls back and looks at her still craving his touch. When she opens her eyes, he’s still inches from her face smiling. Bria laughs then pushing him off, she says

“Move, what are you doing?”

“What haven’t you told me?” she asks sitting up

Pulling out his phone, Warren says

“You don’t forget anything, do you?”

“No, I don’t, so tell me!”

Warren opens his email and shows her a picture of a sign that says

District 981

Gainesville, Fl

“Ok!” she replies, and he scrolls to another picture and holds it up

District 981

Jacksonville, Fl

“I’m lost” she whispers

“That’s what I’ve been working on. And secretly why I wanted to know if you liked your job.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Next year I’m opening two new locations and…”

“And I’m looking into franchising 981.”

Before either of them can respond, there’s a knock at the door. Once they sit down to the table, Warren asks

“How would you feel about coming to work with me at District 981?”

Bria smiles then says

“I’ve always made it a point to never get involved with anyone I work with. A part of that has to do with me not wanting things to get messy for me at work, even if my personal life falls apart. I’d still have a since of normalcy at work.”

“Imagine how pleasurable it could be, working with someone who, makes your happiness a priority, daily!” he says in the most sexy and seductive way possible

“Reason number one! You cannot run a successful business and make my happiness your priority!”

Warren laughs then says

“I am more than up for the challenge!”

“What are you doing?” she smiles shaking her head

“I mean granted, we’ve never spent this much time together, but you are a complete trip!”

“I’m just…” he begins and is interrupted by his phone

When he glances at his phone and sees its Julie, he says

“I’m so sorry, I gotta take this”

Not getting up from the table, he answers the call

“Hey Jewels!” he says answering the phone

“Hey Daddy! I miss you!” she states

“Grandma Monica brought me home today, but the rest of my gifts aren’t here.” She adds

“I locked them in my office Julie. I’ll be home Tuesday, and I’ll bring them, first thing.”

“You promise?” she asks

“Yes, I promise. I’ll make sure they’re, there before you get home from school.”

“Ok, thank you daddy! Good night, I love you!” she says excitedly

“I love you too, good night!” Warren replies glancing at the phone to make sure the call hangs up

Laughing Bria says

“Aww, that is too sweet!”

“Not in the slightest. You see how quick the conversation went from Daddy I miss you to where is my stuff?”

“I did!” she replies laughing

Warren stands up, taking the last bite of his flatbread, he goes over and plugs his phone into his Bluetooth speaker. When he plays the first song they danced to at the lounge, he walks over then pulling Bria up to dance with him he starts singing

“Pretty lil' thing, you got a bag and now you wildin'”

“You got it, girl, you got it, Ayy!”

“You got it, girl, you got it!”

“Flaws and all, I love 'em all, to me, you're perfect!”

“Baby girl, you got it, girl, you got it, girl!”

Completely caught off guard, Bria pretty much just stands there watching him, barely moving as Warren continues dancing and singing. Finally, the song ends, and Bria says

“Ok, you’re officially scaring me!”

But he ignores her and ‘love in this club plays’ next.

“You see you're searchin for somebody that'll take you out and do you right!”

“Well, come here baby and let daddy show you what it feel like!”

“And I'm thinking that shawty I got a thing for you, yeah!”

“If you didn't know, you're the only thing that's on my mind”

“If we close our eyes, it could just be me and you!”

“I'm what'cha want, I'm what'cha need!”

Stunned beyond words, Bria goes over and unplugs Warren’s phone. Walking up to her, he takes her hands then asks

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out!” she replies

Warren wraps his arms around her waist, smiles then says

“To be fair, this is what having fun looks like!”

“You have a tendency to get stuck in serious conversations. So, before we got back to it, I wanted you to remember why you like me.”

“Because you’re sexy and goofy as hell!”

Looking down at her, he takes her arms and puts them around his neck.

“I’ve noticed that you always change the subject before I can officially say no in a conversation”

Reaching down he gives her a long kiss then whispers

“Cause if you’re leaning towards no, I’d rather spend my time changing your mind than arguing about it.”

When he starts swaying to the silence, he says

“Speaking of things, you may say no to. I’m open to you having dinner with Jewels and I sometime this week, if you’re ok with it.”

Bria laughs and asks

“Oh, so you can reintroduce me to her as your friend?”

Stopping, Warren eyes her inquisitively then says

“My friend!” shaking his head, he says

“Yeah, I mean, that was the plan, but why would you say as my friend and not my girlfriend?”

“Hey, don’t do that”

“I only figured it might be easier”

“Yeah, I tried that. But she saw right through it!” he replies sitting on the couch

“Nope!” Bria says taking his hand pulling him back up from the couch

“I don’t want the serious, worried, in his head Warren. I Want the Warren back that was just singing and dancing!” she says

Warren just stands looking at her for a moment, so she says

“Ok, why don’t you just ask her if it’s ok if Aunt Renee comes over for dinner. And we’ll just take it from there.”

“Easy, simple. Get out of your head!” after a minute, she starts unbuckling his belt and he smiles and with a raised eyebrow says

“I guess that’ll work!” then picking her up, he puts his phone back on the speaker and starts singing as he carries her to the bedroom

Slipping out of bed early, Warren closes the bedroom door behind him and lets the bellmen in with the three carts filled with breakfast favorites, balloons, flowers, and a small black gift bag on the bottom of a cart. Within seconds of Warren letting him out, Bria walks out of the bedroom

“Happy Birthday Gorgeous!” he says

Blown away with all the balloons, flowers and by the number of carts, Bria smile, then looking at Warren she says

“This is too much!”

Then glancing at a gift bag on one of the carts, she glares at him and seeing what caught her eye, Warren says

“I did not buy you anything!”

“I’ve seen firsthand what you do with unwanted gifts!” he adds picking up the bag

“This is for me!”

“What is it?” she says trying to look inside the bag

“No, it’s mine. And I’m not ready to open it yet!”

Laughing Bria says

“Whatever!”

“Thank you so much!” she says giving him a quick kiss

“This weekend has been amazing! I really appreciate everything you’ve done!”

“You are most welcome!”

“And today is your day, I only planned breakfast. The rest of the day is yours to do with whatever you choose!” he states

Over breakfast, Bria tells Warren that she wants to rent a boat for the day and spend the day out on the water. So, once they book their private boat tour, they get dressed and head out. Warren also orders a picnic lunch and snacks for them to take on the boat with them.

While boating, their conversation leads to Warren asking

“What attracted you to, what’s his name, your husband?”

Laughing Bria states

“Jaylen, Jaylen Ross…” then staring out over the water, she continues

“He was kind, confident, intelligent and handsome and him being a doctor didn’t hurt.”

Warren just sits watching her to see if she continues

“We met at one of the hospital fundraisers my mom threw, for Layten Health. That alone should have been a red flag. Anyway, yeah, at the time, he seemed to be everything he turned out not to be. Then once we got married, we pretty much just worked all the time.”

Turning to look at Warren, she sees him watching her adoringly

“What?” she smiles

“Nothing.” He smirks

“So, the great Dr. Ross! What kind of doctor was he?”

“He was an orthopedic surgeon.” She replies

“You know I don’t want to waste this amazing scenery talking about my perfect husband and my perfect marriage!” she smirks laying down, putting her head on his leg

“A perfect marriage is unrealistic” Warren mutters

Narrowing her eyes at him, Bria says

“I was being sarcastic!”

“I know you were, but I’m serious. No relationship is perfect” he states

“You mean besides you and Mia’s?”

Chuckling Warren shakes his head then looking down at her, he says

“I’d be lying if I said that.”

Staring up at Warren searching his eyes, Bria reaches up touching his face and whispers

“What are you thinking about?”

Then breaking eye contact, Warren just glances out at the beautiful blue water.

“A few weeks before Mia was killed, I cancelled, this huge trip I’d planned for her birthday to Tahiti. But I was in the process of opening the Valdosta location for 981 and there was a huge delay. Long story short, I couldn’t just up and leave the country.” Warren states then glancing back down at her, he continues

“I’m not perfect and my marriage wasn’t perfect. So, not only did I have to get over losing Mia, I dealt with a lot of regret because I was young and ambitious, and I know I took a lot of things for granted.”

“So, now I’ve learned to enjoy the small things and how important it is to show those you care about, just how much they mean to you!”

First glancing over at their captain then leaning down Warren gives her a long sensual kiss then whispers

“Now, I’m thinking, I wish we were alone!”

A few hours into their tour, Bria feels sick and throws up. Thankfully she does make it to the restroom, but even after she vomits, she still doesn’t feel well, causing them to cut the trip short a few hours. On their drive back to the hotel, Warren stops and grabs Bria some ginger ale and crackers, while he’s in the store, she vomits again.

“Are you sure you’re, ok?” he asks

“Yeah, I’m ok. I just want to lay down.” She replies

“I’m so sorry for ruining the day” she says laying back in the seat

“It could have only been ruined if you’d chosen to spend it without me!” he says kissing her on the forehead

Back at the hotel Bria takes a shower and gets in bed surprisingly worn out from their voyage. When she finally falls asleep, Warren closes the bedroom door and finally returns the millions of calls and messages Doug has left him. Walking out onto the balcony, he returns his call

“Man, you play too much!” Doug says answering the phone

“Why is it so hard for you to follow instructions.”

“I told you to get the bag, not go through it” Warren states

“Look, I had to make sure you ain’t have me involved in nothing illegal. But sh*t, look like it something worse.”

“What did you do with it?” Warren asks

“It’s still in my trunk. What are you going to do with it is the question? I knew ya girl was fine but man, y’all nasty!”

“D, stop, listen. Don’t tell anybody about the bag or its contents.”

“Man, I already told Marcus!” he replies

“That’s fine, just don’t tell anybody else!”

“Bro, what is going on? You got me doing secret trash pickups with all this freaky sh*t. What is you into?”

“Look, I’ll be back in the morning.”

“I’m gonna text you and let you know what time to meet me at my house.”

“Alright” he replies

“D, I’m serious don’t tell anybody else!” Warren states, then ends the call

Sitting out on the balcony, Warren stares out over the ocean. Lost in his own sea of possibilities, torn between moving too fast with Bria and not letting her get away. Before calling to check in on Julie, he gets up and checks on Bria. Peeping his head in the door, he sees she’s still asleep. When he calls Julie, she says

“Hey dad!”

“Hey Jewels, how are you?” he asks

“I’m good. I just finished my homework. Granny said I can stay up a little later since I did so good.” She states

“Oh, did she? Make sure you don’t stay up too late!”

“I won’t.”

“Oh, Daddy, Aunt Susan told me that Aunt Renee’s birthday is on the 8th. And today is the 8th. So, I have to get her a present tomorrow! Because she got me three things from my wish list.” Julie says

“Ok, come up with some ideas and we’ll go tomorrow after school.” Warren says

“Hey, how about we invite her over for dinner and surprise her with your gift?” he adds

“Oh yes, that’s a great idea. But we should probably order takeout” she laughs

Warren laughs then says

“For that, you’re buying!”

“Ok, I gotta go figure out what to get her. I love you daddy, good night!” she says ending the call

Watching as the sun begins to set, Warren checks a few emails, then goes inside to take a shower. When he passes through the room, he sees Bria’s phone vibrating. Ignoring it, he gets into the shower. After a long hot shower, he gets out and climbs into bed behind Bria, careful not to wake her.

It’s a little after nine when Bria wakes up. When she gets up to use the bathroom, Warren hears her phone vibrating again.

“That phone has been non-stop all day!” Warren says

“You must have a lot of people who love you!” he adds

“Or a lot of people wanting to see who kidnapped me for the weekend!” she smiles climbing back into bed

“Well, you need to answer and tell them you came voluntarily!” he smirks watching her scroll through her phone

“How are you feeling?” he asks

“Better, much better!” she replies

“Good!”

“I’m actually hungry. You want to order room service or go out?” Bria asks

“It’s still your day! What do you want to do?”

“Will you order room service? Please!” she asks sweetly

Reaching over he gives her a kiss and whispers

“Asking like that, you can have whatever you want!”

“I just want some wings and flatbread, for now!” she states giving him a quick kiss

“I’ll go in the front and let you return your millions of missed calls and messages” he states leaving the room

Once he orders their food, Warren goes to sit back on the balcony. Drawn out of his thoughts, he answers his phone.

“Hello” he says

“Hey Junior! You just don’t call your mother anymore” the voice on the other line states

“Hey Ma! He replies

“Julie tells me you may have a girlfriend!” she states

“What?” he says caught off guard

“She said you asked her about you having a friend. And that she knew that was code for girlfriend!”

Warren laughs and says

“Yes, Ma. I’m seeing someone but stop talking to Jewels about it!” he replies

“I mean, I’ll try but you know that girl is eight going on thirty. So, when do I get to meet the lucky lady?” Lisa asks

“Well, actually Ma, I gotta go. But will you still be there when I get home tomorrow? We can talk then.”

“For this, I most certainly will! She responds

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you and kiss Jewels for me!” Warren states

“Good night and drive safe tomorrow!” she adds then hangs up

Bria walks out of the room in a robe and catches Warren’s eye. Watching as she answers the door and lets the bellman in with the cart. After she gives him a tip and closes the door, Warren asks

“Did you take another shower?”

“Yeah, I wanted to change into something more comfortable” she replies opening the lid and grabbing a slice of flatbread

Warren slightly confused, chooses to just ignore the fact that she’s eating in a robe and sits down at the table with her. While they eat, Warren says

“I’m sorry we wasted most of the trip and the one day we did what you wanted; you didn’t feel up to it.”

“No, I’m sorry I ruined our boat tour.”

“Next time, I’ll have to take some Dramamine.” she adds

“Do you usually take that?” he asks

“No. I’ve never taken any before” she replies

“Oh, before I forget. Julie wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow night if you’re not busy and if you feel ok. Sue told her it was your birthday!”

“Sue, huh!”

“What, don’t look at me. She called me and told me that” Warren responds unable to keep a straight face

“You’ve got guilt written all over your face!” she laughs

“I’ll check my schedule and see what I can do” she adds

“Thank you!”

“It’s late. You wanna watch a movie when we finish eating?” he asks

“Or we can sit outside and enjoy the view for a while before going back to bed” Bria states

“I’m up for that!” he smirks following her lead

After they finish eating, they sit out on the balcony and finish their wine. As they look out over the ocean enjoying the breeze, Bria says

“Thank you so much for this trip. I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you!”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve enjoyed it just as much, if not more than you have” Warren replies smiling at her

“I’ll grab us some more wine!” she states with a sneaky smile on her face

Bria grabs the wine bottle then opens her robe revealing a blue lace baby doll teddy and matching thong, standing in the doorway she whispers

“You wanna bring our glasses to the room?” causing Warren to turn around

“Aah!” he expresses with a huge grin

Laughing, he stands up and Bria says

“I hope you don’t mind. I opened your gift!”

“I thought you might want to see how it looks!” she adds

“And you look incredible in it!” he states momentarily standing there enjoying the view. When she turns around and heads towards the bedroom, he takes their glasses and follows her.

Warren spends the better part of the drive home, on the phone. When they finally arrive at 981, he has two meetings waiting for him. As Warren puts Bria’s luggage in her trunk, she walks up to him and says

“I know it wasn’t easy for you being away these past few days.”

Warren smiles and begins to speak, and Bria says

“Let me finish!”

“I really appreciate it and I very much enjoyed myself!” she smiles giving him a long slow seductive kiss

Lost in the moment, they don’t even hear when the back door opens, and Doug walks out.

“D*mn, y’all ain’t done enough of that this weekend” he says when he spots them by the trunk

Slow to pull away, Bria smiles and says

“Something to think about, while you work!”

Closing the trunk, Warren finally looks up at Doug then asks

“What do you want?”

“I needed to catch you before you go into the meeting with Jones.” Doug replies then says

“Hey Bria. Happy belated birthday!”

“Hey Doug, Thank you so much!”

“I’ll let you guys go.” she replies walking to the car door

“I’ll text you later” Warren says opening her door

When Bria drives off, Warren closes his trunk and locks up his car

“P D A! I told you y’all was some freaks.” Doug states

“Would you stop and focus! I gotta go, what did you want?”

“Man, I can’t remember. I got sex on my mind now!” he laughs as they walk inside