by Tracy Reed
“She was shocked, but understood how it could happen.”
“Be careful, this woman sounds too good to be true.”
“I know and that’s what scares me. I had lunch with her this afternoon and—”
“Lunch?”
“I bumped into her.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and it was refreshing to talk to a woman who wasn’t watching to see if I was going to do or say something to break some sort of religious behavior code.”
Chris got up and placed his sleeping son in his crib. He walked back into the living room and continued. “What’s the deal with the boyfriend?”
“Not quite sure. She said they were fighting and she mentioned he was on punishment.”
“So I take it she and the boyfriend are sleeping together?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Women only say their boyfriend or husband is on punishment when they’re sleeping together. It’s the easiest way to get us back in line. Withhold sex from a man and he’ll do whatever it takes to get back in…her good graces.” He laughed. “Trust me, I have been on punishment more times than I care to mention.”
“Yes, they are.”
“Oh man, you can’t be around her. I can only imagine what this woman looks like and I’m pretty sure, you don’t need to be around her. The other thing all the women you’ve dated have in common is they all look like…”
Sean smiled because he knew Chris was right. Kyla was very smart and funny, and her body was designed for every sinful pleasure imaginable. Every time he was around her he had to remind himself not to think about her like that.
“Okay, I get it. My choice in females has always steered more toward the exterior rather than the interior. But this time it’s different.”
“How? Is she unattractive?”
“No.”
“Is she drama free?”
“No.”
“Then how is she different?”
“I can’t put my hand on it, I just know she is. I believe if she left her boyfriend, she could be…”
“What, saved? Man, I know you’re tired of being alone, but I don’t think this woman is what you need.”
“I disagree. I think she’s exactly what I need.”
Chris looked at his friend and saw something different in his eyes. In the past, he saw longing and now he saw life. For the first time in a while, his godbrother looked excited and alive.
Chapter 26
IT HAD BEEN FIVE DAYS since Kyla walked out on Eric, and he had been getting home late every night in order to avoid Olivia’s advances. He couldn’t risk a repeat of the other night. He was eager to be with Kyla and because of a stupid mistake, he was having withdrawals. He had tried everything to get Kyla to see him. He sent flowers, text messages, her favorite champagne, but nothing. He wasn’t used to being on punishment like this.
Sitting in his office reviewing notes for a meeting, his ringing phone broke the silence surrounding him. Ring, ring, ring…stop. He looked at the phone and waited to see if it was going to ring again. Ring, ring, ring. He immediately picked up.
“Hello.” His heart started racing, hoping the voice on the other end was the one he’d been waiting five days to hear. “Yes, I understand.” He pressed the button ending the call, cleaned up his desk, put the files in his briefcase, grabbed his jacket and coat and left. He walked three blocks west made a right, walked up one block and hopped into a taxi. Ten minutes later he got out and walked four blocks west and popped into the second building on the right. The doorman handed him a bag and he rode up to the eighth floor.
He reached for his key, opened the door and placed his briefcase on the chair by the door. He went down the hall to the bedroom and hung up his coat and jacket. He went back into the hall, opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on the credenza before going into the kitchen to put up the groceries. He laid the papers in a path down the hall leading to the bedroom. He hopped into the shower and covered himself in body moisturizer and aftershave and climbed into bed, waiting.
Thirty minutes later, he heard the door open and close, followed by the sound of stilettos tapping across the paper on the floor. He sat up in bed holding a piece of paper, waiting for Kyla. She walked in and stopped when she saw him.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out the words on the paper.
She wanted to smile, but refused to let him think he was out of trouble. She dropped her head trying to regain her composure. “Is this your way of apologizing?” she asked, holding a piece of paper identical to the one in his hands.
“Yes.”
She looked at him sitting in the same spot where just a few days ago he demanded she be. “So you thought you’d do what you wanted to ask, me to do?”
“Yes.”
“Am I’m supposed to forgive you?”
“I hope so.”
She nodded and didn’t move. “You hurt me, Eric.”
“I know baby and I’m sorry. I never should have spoken to you like that.” He started crawling towards her. She stood with her arms folded in front of her not smiling. She had him right where she wanted him, begging. He stopped at the end of the bed looking up at her like a lost little boy. “Forgive me?”
“I don’t know.”
“I thought that’s why you agreed to meet me.”
She looked over at the night stand and spotted her favorite champagne, glasses and sliced peaches. “Peaches?”
“I know they’re your favorite.” He stood up and walked over and dropped a peach slice in each glass and filled them with champagne and turned around. He looked up and stopped in his tracks. Kyla was standing with her coat open and her hands on her hips. “Nice boots.”
“I thought you might like them.”
“Yeah, they go perfect with your skin tone.” He walked toward her and handed her a glass. She slowly sipped the gold bubbling liquid and let out a soft sigh. “You came over here like that?” Referring to her beautiful mocha birthday suit which was hidden under her coat.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No.” He noticed her empty glass. “Refill?”
“Please.” He thought maybe it was a dream. When he turned around again, his eyes confirmed it wasn’t a dream. She dropped her coat and he started walking toward her.
He handed her a glass and watched as she drank it in one swallow. She reached inside and took the peach slice and placed it in her mouth slowly sucking on it before biting down and chewing. His eyes got wider as he watched her eat the juicy fruit slice before slowly swallowing the last bite. He followed her lead and took the glasses and walked back to the night stand.
“Get into bed,” she barked. He followed her orders without hesitation. She waited for him to get under the sheet. “Pull the sheet back.” Again he did as told. He sat still, afraid to smile. He was hoping this wasn’t a repeat of the other day, and that she was ready to forgive him and let him apologize.
She crawled into bed and slowly inched her way up to him like a cat stalking her prey. The closer she got, the more difficult it was for him to contain his excitement. She crawled on top of him getting in his face. “How sorry are you?” she purred. He reached up to touch her and she stopped him. She shook her head and whispered, “No touching.” She nuzzled his neck and ran her tongue across his cheek biting his lip. “How sorry are you?” she asked again. She pressed her lips against his, kissing him passionately. She eased closer pressing her body against his. The heat from her body mixing with her parfum was intoxicating. She grabbed his hands and pinned them down next to him. She asked again, “How…sorry…are…you?” She slid her tongue inside his mouth, kissing him hard as he grew more excited. She let go of his hands and he pulled her to him, rolling her onto her back.
He didn’t need to close his eyes pretending Kyla was there. He smiled and moaned as he reintroduced himself to her. She grabbed him from behind pushing him deeper inside. Her aunt’s words bouncing off the inside
of her head. Today she didn’t care if Eric knew how much she enjoyed herself. She called out his name and it excited him even more. He pressed harder, hoping she’d say it again. She held on tight as he cried out. He tried moving, but she held him tightly. Barely able to breathe, with sweat dripping from his body and the sounds of their love making filling the room, he pressed on. She cried out again and he joined her.
Searching for air, they lay locked in each other’s arms. He thought last week with Olivia was good, but it was nothing compared to being with Kyla. She knew how to do things that could drain a three hundred pound wrestler. He relaxed and rested on top of her trying to catch his breath.
“Baby, that was amazing,” he said in between breathes.
She wiped the sweat rolling down his face. “I think you’re really sorry.”
He rolled over onto his side of the bed. “I can’t believe you kept the boots on…very sexy.”
She lay on her stomach with her legs crossed in the air with him gently stroking her back, resting his hand on her behind. She looked at Eric and thought about what Sean had said about his slip up. She wondered if Eric ever felt guilty about their arrangement.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
Resting her face in her hands, smiling she replied, “Nothing.” He leaned over and kissed her. “What time do you have to leave?”
“Seven thirty.”
She looked at the clock on the night stand, it was four thirty. “Oh.” He kissed her again.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Olivia is going out of town for a few days.”
“How is this a surprise for me?” He reached into the drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. “What’s this?”
“Read it.”
She read the paper and he anxiously waited for her reaction. “Vegas. You got us tickets to Vegas. Why?”
“I remember we had fun when we went.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“I thought you liked Vegas?”
He remembered they had spent their time in a cabana around the pool making out. She said they could have stayed up in the room making out where it was cooler.
“No, you like Vegas.”
“But I thought—”
“Where’s Olivia going?”
“A women’s conference with our church.”
She looked shocked at his response. “What did you say?”
“She’s going on a four day cruise with the women’s group from our church.”
“I thought that’s what you said. Since when do you go to church?”
“Since I married Olivia.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe it. You’re a church boy.”
“Not exactly. I go to church because that’s what Olivia likes.” She immediately thought about Sean and wondered if he was telling the truth about slipping up. Maybe he had a love nest somewhere in the city that he shared with a woman.
“I’m sleeping with a church boy. I thought there was a rule about that?”
“That was the old church. Things are different now. Even the preacher has a girlfriend on the side.”
“Really?”
“What church are you going to?”
“Mount Moriah Tabernacle.”
“Where is it?”
“Queens.”
“I’m shocked. How often do you go?”
She was asking questions so that when she talked to Sean she could compare notes. Maybe the church Sean attended was old school. If he knew about the new rules, then maybe they could become friends with benefits. She thought about his lips and how soft they would feel gliding across her body. And after fifteen years, she imagined the power he had stored up just waiting for the right woman. He was probably an amazing lover. After all, he said his fiancée didn’t break up with him because the sex was bad, but because he had become celibate. Why couldn’t she have a permanent boyfriend on the side? Eric had a wife.
“Most Sundays,” he replied.
“Is that why we don’t see each other on Sundays.”
“That and because we spend the rest of the day with our family.”
“Really?” Each statement was more shocking than the last.
“We go to church and brunch with her folks, then come back and have dinner with my family.”
“Wow.” She needed to talk to Sean. She had it all figured out. After church they could go to brunch and spend the rest of the day enjoying each other. It would be a treat to have a new lover. Eric was good, but the thought of Sean excited her.
“Shocked?”
“Yeah.”
He gently tapped her behind and she climbed on top of him kissing him. “How about another round?”
“Let me take my boots off.” She started getting up and he stopped her.
“Keep the boots on.”
She smiled and for the first time in five years, she imagined she was in bed with someone else. She looked at Eric and only saw Sean. She closed her eyes and pictured Sean’s large hands caressing her behind and his lips tasting every inch of her. Eric pressed harder and when she cried out, it wasn’t because of him, but Sean.
Chapter 27
KYLA WALKED INTO THE SHOWROOM as usual, filling the space with her confidence and vivaciousness. She personally spoke to each employee. When Marcello, the back room supervisor came out to confirm an order, she made a point of speaking to him. Before she and Sean started hanging out, occasionally she would send over baskets of goodies for the staff. It was her way of staying in their good graces. Thanks to her treatment of the staff she was always one of the first designers to know when Sean offered specials, or was having a sample sale.
Kyla walked around the showroom gathering pillows. Sean walked out of his office and spotted her. He stood in the distance watching as she arranged the pillows on a sofa. After a few minutes of observing her elimination process, he walked over and stood behind her.
“The two pillows on the end aren’t right for your project.”
She turned around and was greeted by Sean’s beautiful smile. She smiled back and thought that was the smile she’d been picturing when she was with Eric.
“Do you know every project I’m working on?”
“No, but I know your style.” He smiled a little wider. “And you’re not that stuffy.”
She turned back to the sofa. “You’re right. My aunt asked me to send her some pillows and this is her style.”
“I see.”
“I’ll take all the pillows except the two on the end plus those two lamps behind the sofa.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He wrote the order and handed her the iPad to sign. “I’ll have Ryder…”
“Would you like to get a coffee?” She caught him off guard.
“Sure.”
“Cafe Noir, in fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll see you there.”
She walked out. He gave his assistant instructions about the order, grabbed his coat and left. He walked into the cafe, spotted her at the back, and joined her.
“I ordered you a coffee and a sugar cookie.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. The server placed the cup and small plate on the table in front of him. “Thank you.” He took a sip and let out a sigh. “So, what’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. I enjoyed talking to you the other day.”
“It was fun.” He took another sip. “So…”
He watched as she lifted the cup to her mouth and his mind drifted back to her invitation to kiss her. He closed his eyes and took another sip. She put her cup down and smiled.
“You want to kiss me don’t you?” She licked her lips.
“No.” He smiled. “Why did you invite me for coffee?”
“Like I said, I enjoyed talking to you.” She reached over and broke a piece off his cookie. Now he understood their relationship. He would order food and she’d eat it. “Tell me more about your
church.”
“My church?” His eyebrows raised as she caught him off guard again with her question.
“Yes. Why do you go?”
Chris was wrong, Kyla wasn’t like the other women he had been involved with. If she was being clever, he’d pray it would backfire and her excavating might lead her to Christ. She sat back in her seat with her arms crossed in front of her, listening intently to everything he had to say.
“I go because I enjoy being in God’s presence. I like the fellowship, knowledge and guidance I get from my pastor. It’s refreshing to be around people who believe and think like I do.”
She looked at his eyes and saw how bright they looked as he gave his explanation. “Do you miss sex?”
He shifted in his seat. “We discussed this.”
“I know, but how do you keep from slipping up again? Did you only slip the one time?” She was hoping he’d say yes, so she could proceed with the next phase of her plan, making him her permanent side boyfriend.
“I try not to put myself in those kinds of situations. And, no I only slipped the one time.”
“All because of God?”
“Yes. Knowing He loves me and the sacrifices He made for me, far surpasses my meager attempt at being obedient. I am in love with God and I’m not going to do anything to jeopardized that relationship.”
She sipped her coffee and asked another question, “What do you do when you’re not working, besides going to church?”
This is one of the questions he thought would come up over dinner, not over a spontaneous weekday coffee date in the middle of the afternoon. “I go to the museum, box, hang out with my friends, cook. I also like antiquing and listening to jazz.”
“Really?”
“What about you?”
“We’re a lot alike. I like cooking and the museum. Antiquing of course, because it’s a huge part of my business, and I love reading.”
“What kind of books?”
“Complex stories about men and women.”
“Romance novels.” He started laughing.
“I thought I was being clever in my description.”