The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  She took a deep breath and walked to the door of the guest room. Then she slowly put one foot in front of the other and made her way across the wide hallway to the door of his room, her heart pounding with every step. She knocked softly on the door, and a moment later, it swung open and he smiled at her. He was wearing a pair of cotton, black and gray plaid pajama bottoms and a plain white t-shirt, and he looked casual and homey and good enough to eat.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said.

  “I wasn’t sure I should,” she admitted as she walked past him. The door opened up onto a large sitting room with a very comfortable-looking, tan leather couch and chair that sat in front of a lit fireplace. Brooke could see the bedroom stretching off to the left and it seemed warm and masculine and welcoming, just like the rest of the house. Both rooms shared the same amazing views of the beach that the rooms downstairs did.

  “I love the tuckered out ballerina, by the way,” she said, smiling at him as she glanced down at her new pajamas. And he laughed at her as he shut the door.

  “Good. I thought she was appropriate,” he smiled. “Cognac okay?” he asked as he turned to the small bar area to his right.

  “Sure.”

  He proceeded to pour them each a glass of Hennessy XO and handed a snifter to her as he joined her by the fireplace.

  “Thank you.”

  They sat down on the couch and stared at the fire as they sipped their brandy in silence for a short while.

  “Otis?”

  “Hmm?

  He turned to look at her as she hesitated. And he reached out and tucked a strand of her long silky hair behind her ear, smiling at the heart-shaped diamond earring as he did.

  “I just want you to know that I had an amazing day with you,” she said softly. “All of it. Not just the ballet, which was wonderful …”

  “I’m really glad you enjoyed that,” he smiled, cutting her off.

  “I loved it,” she smiled. “But … I loved the whole day. Breakfast, and walking on the beach. Talking about dance and music and siblings. And getting to play dress up. You really know how to bring a girl’s Pretty Woman fantasy to life,” she said softly.

  He chuckled at her. “When I heard you talking to your sister the other day, I just wanted to show you that romance was alive and well,” he smiled. Then he grew serious as he stared into her eyes. “And I wanted to show you the way a woman like you should be treated. It sounded like maybe you’ve never had that. And on the beach today … it sounded like maybe you had no clue how special you are. How sexy and desirable. You should be treasured, Brooke. Pampered. And any man who doesn’t show you that isn’t worth the tears you cry over him. Whoever the two asses were who left you doubting your sexuality and your self-worth are damn fools.”

  Brooke stared at him, speechless, as he ran his fingers gently over her face. He leaned in and allowed his nose to run lightly down the length of hers, then his lips brushed against hers in a feather-soft kiss. He looked into her eyes for a long moment before kissing her deeply and passionately, stroking her tongue with his. When he pulled away they were both left panting.

  He set his glass on the table and took hers from her hands, placing it on the table with his own, and then he reached for her. He pulled her into his arms and resumed their kiss, tangling one hand in her hair as the other arm held her fast.

  As they kissed, his hand traveled slowly from her hair down across her neck. He let his fingers play delicately over her collarbone as it continued its journey over her body, down to her breast. His fingers brushed over her cotton-clad nipple as he fondled her breast, gently squeezing as she moaned softly. And Otis felt her fingers in his hair and her nails lightly scratching at his scalp and he groaned at the sensation.

  Brooke felt herself quickly losing control of the situation as she drowned in his kiss. He was so freaking good with that tongue of his, and she had to fight the urge to beg him to use it on every inch of her body.

  “Otis,” she whispered between kisses.

  She felt one of his hands slip fluidly beneath the pink tank top she was wearing, and then the other. And when she felt those hands on her breasts, squeezing them, pinching her nipples harshly, she couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through her if she’d tried.

  “Otis, please,” she whispered, pulling away from his kiss and avoiding his eyes. “I can’t.”

  He couldn’t stop the groan of frustration that left his throat. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment as he held her, he dropped his head as he took a few deep breaths and tried to regain his control.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, looking up into her eyes.

  “No. Please, don’t,” she said softly, meeting his gaze as her hands rested on his chest. “It’s not you. And it’s not that I don’t want to, because I do. I just … I can’t do this,” she finished tearfully.

  Otis studied her eyes as he held her close. He had no idea why she was feeling so conflicted or what was going on with her. All he knew for sure was that he saw real fear in her eyes. The same fear he had seen in those pretty blue eyes the night before when things got heated by the pool. It was almost as if she were afraid to get too close to him. Like maybe she was afraid to have sex with him, even though he knew she wanted it.

  “I’m sorry,” she said apologetically, avoiding his eyes once more.

  “Don’t do that,” he said softly, caressing her face. “Don’t ever apologize for saying no, baby. Not to me or anyone else, you hear me? I want you, Feisty. I think I’ve been pretty clear about that. But for whatever reason, you’re just not ready. And I respect that. But it doesn’t change anything,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I still want to see you. I want to spend time with you.”

  Brooke shook her head slightly as she listened to him. Was he for real? Because this was not the callous, dangerous, sexual predator from the news stories. This wasn’t even the egotistical, selfish rock star she had crashed into.

  He cocked his head as he watched her, trying to read her. “Would that be alright?” he asked softly, smiling slightly at her. “Can we keep seeing each other?”

  She nodded her head. “I’d like that,” she whispered.

  And his smile got bigger. He kissed her lips chastely. “Come here,” he said, tightening his arms around her and settling back on the couch for a moment.

  They sat that way for the longest time, staring into the fire and holding onto one another. And as Otis stared at the flames he found himself wondering about Noah’s challenge. That damn bet was screwing with his head, and he wasn’t at all sure about his motives anymore. Was he still trying to win a bet here, or was something else happening? Had this all been about the stupid bet, or was he truly into this girl from the beginning? He remembered being incredibly attracted to her when they’d crashed. It was the reason he’d used his influence with the cop at the accident site to get her cleared. He had wanted to go out with her so badly he’d been willing to bribe her to make it happen. He had just wanted what he always wanted - to get his way, to have a good time, to sample some free pussy. But somewhere along the way things had gotten blurry for him, and he didn’t know if that was because of Noah’s challenge or because of Brooke herself.

  She had very quickly become much more than just an easy lay or a conquest to be won. There was something about her that called to him. He cared about her feelings. All those times he’d told her that he enjoyed making her smile … he meant that! And just now, when he’d said that he wanted to keep seeing her. That was the truth. And not because of some stupid bet he’d made with his brother. He wanted to keep seeing her because he liked her. He really liked her a lot. The revelation hit him in the face like he’d been punched by a prizefighter, and he smiled to himself.

  She stirred slightly in his arms and he looked down at her. “Hey. You want to watch a movie or something?” he asked softly.

  Brooke said nothing, but she shook her head 'no.'

  “You tired?” he asked.

  “Yeah.
It’s been a full day,” she answered.

  “Yes, it has,” he smiled. Then he took a deep breath and let out a sigh, glancing cautiously down at her. “How about we take this over to the bed?”

  She looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

  “I don’t know about you, but I kind of like the feel of having you in my arms,” he said softly. “What do you say we go hold each other while we fall asleep?”

  Brooke sat up slowly, shaking her head at him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Otis.”

  “Okay,” he said after a brief pause.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  He smiled at her and reached out to caress her face. “It’s okay.”

  “I should get to bed. I have to work tomorrow,” she said, standing up. And Otis stood up with her and walked her to the door of his room.

  “I’ll see you at breakfast,” she said, looking up at him.

  “Yep. Sweet dreams,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lips.

  “Goodnight, Otis.”

  Chapter Seven

  True to his word, Otis got Brooke to work in plenty of time on Monday morning. He had even somehow provided her work gear. When she woke up, her gym bag had magically appeared in the guest room, complete with a clean leotard, tights and ballet skirt, and her slippers. And this was not new stuff. These were her comfortable, already-broken-in-and-loved ballet slippers! And at breakfast, he still wouldn’t reveal how he’d managed it. Instead he simply laughed at her questions. Shelly had to be helping him pull this off. How else would he have procured her ballet slippers from home?

  She smiled to herself as she thought about him and the wonderful time she’d had all weekend long. She was actually sorry to see it come to an end, even though she knew it wasn’t exactly an ending. She smiled again as she remembered how sweet he’d been last night, telling her it was okay that they weren’t having sex yet, and asking if they could keep seeing each other. She really liked him, and she couldn’t get the goofy grin off of her face.

  She heard snickering and giggling, and it brought her out of her daydreams. She had a class to start.

  “Okay, ladies! Another minute to get yourselves together so we can begin, please,” she called out, looking out over her class of teenagers as they scurried to pull their sweats off or lace up their slippers. She was met with more giggles coming from a couple of girls at the back of the room and she ventured their way.

  “Laura, Barb … come on, girls, let’s put the phones away,” she admonished them. “It’s time for class.”

  They looked at her as though they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t, and then they glanced at each other and burst into giggles again.

  “Girls!”

  “Ms. McKenna … are you really dating Otis Ivory?” one of the girls asked her as the other tried to stop laughing.

  “What?” Brooke asked, startled by the question. And she could see some of the other girls within earshot look their way.

  “There’s a video of you with him on YouTube,” the girl stated, glancing down at the cellphone in her hand.

  Brooke’s heart immediately fell into her stomach and her first thought was Otis’ sex tape and their amazing oral encounter by his pool two nights ago. Oh, my God!

  “Uh … a video?” she managed, trying her very best to keep her voice even.

  “Yeah. See?” she said excitedly, holding the phone out for Brooke to see.

  She took the phone with a slightly trembling hand, dreading what she was about to witness. But when the video began, she saw herself and Otis seated in the mezzanine at the San Diego Civic Theatre at last night’s ballet performance. Brooke could feel the color rushing back to her face as the relief washed over her. She was looking at a fan-made, cellphone video of her and Otis as they stood up and left the crowded theatre hand in hand as his bodyguard trailed after them. The caption below the video said, ‘Otis Ivory and girlfriend at San Diego Ballet’s Dracula.’

  “Is that you?” the girl asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

  “If it isn’t, Ms. McKenna, then you have a serious doppelgänger out there somewhere,” the other girl said.

  “Yeah, but if it is you, then you are leading one fabulous life! You know there was a small picture of Otis with the same girl on the cover of Gossip Magazine a few days ago, and the caption was, ‘Who is Otis Ivory’s mystery date?’” the girl said. “I showed it to my mom, and we both swore it was you!”

  There were more giggles from all around her as Brooke looked up at them and smiled nervously. What should she say? How was she supposed to answer that question? Yes, she was dating Otis, but … should she admit that? Not that she was ashamed of him. That wasn’t the issue. But she wondered what affect his current reputation might have on her job. And then she felt ill as another thought suddenly popped into her head. Her picture was on the cover of a tabloid! And now there was video of her on YouTube. Hell, there was probably footage from their two encounters with the paparazzi on that gossip rag’s website too. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized her from Sparkles!

  “Ms. McKenna?” the girl was saying.

  “Yes? Um … let’s put the phones away now, ladies. We have a class waiting.”

  She tried to push all those thoughts out of her head and ignore the looks and giggles she was getting from the girls all through class. But it wasn’t easy. And as the class wore on, she could feel the gossip spreading throughout the room. When the lesson finally ended, she felt tired, and more than a little worried. She wasn’t sure what to do. Cleo had always told her that her second job was nobody’s business, and that it didn’t matter to her. But Brooke had a feeling that would change if enough parents started to make a stink about one of Cleo’s dance instructors being a stripper. She had to talk to her. But now was not the time because her second class was about to begin, and she tried to smile as the little ones came running in with bright smiles.

  *****

  “Well, well, well. Looks like someone’s been having some fun lately!”

  Brooke looked up from the water cooler in the well-appointed break room of the dance studio to see Cleo walking in carrying another large bouquet of roses. Red ones this time. And Brooke immediately recognized that they were the exact same shade of red as the backless dress she’d worn to the ballet. And as worried as she was about the tabloid coverage, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Otis sending her more flowers.

  “Okay, I don’t mind telling you that I’m jealous,” Miriam stated as she followed Cleo into the room. “Who is he and where can I get one? This is the second time you’ve gotten flowers here within a week!”

  Brooke smiled at her coworker’s words, and reached for the card on the roses.

  “Thank you for an amazing weekend, Feisty. I hope you’ll let me pamper you again real soon!”

  He signed it, Sugar Daddy, and her smile morphed into the goofiest of grins, even as she tried to fight it.

  “Oh, my God. Would you look at that, Cleo,” Miriam exclaimed.

  “I see it,” the woman smiled.

  “Jeez. Maybe if my ex-husband had sent me more flowers we’d still be married,” Miriam pouted. “So, who is this mystery man, anyway?” she asked Brooke.

  Brooke glanced at Cleo, who raised an eyebrow at her. “Otis Ivory,” she replied.

  “Otis Ivory?” Miriam repeated, and Brooke nodded. “From that rock band?” Brooke nodded again. “No way!”

  The woman’s astonished smile caught Brooke off guard as she tried to gage her reaction.

  “He’s really cute,” Miriam stated. “Where’d you meet him?”

  “That was the car she crashed into last week,” Cleo offered.

  “You’re kidding me! And now you’re dating him? I love it! Only in Los Angeles,” she said, shaking her head.

  Brooke was pleasantly surprised by her friend’s reaction.

  “Hey, they’ve been talking about him a lot on the news today,” Miriam state
d. And Brooke rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, all that noise about the girl and the sex tape, and the possible charges,” she sighed.

  “No but, there won’t be any charges,” Miriam said. “It’s been on the news all morning,” she said, grabbing the remote for the break room TV and turning up the sound. And Brooke was shocked when she looked up at the screen and saw an image of Otis’ face next to an image of the girl in the video. The words on the ticker below the reporter said ‘Not Statutory Rape,’ and the reporter was explaining that the girl’s father would not be filing charges because the state of Ohio, where the sex tape was made, recognizes the legal age of consent as 16 years old, unless the acts were forced or coerced. And since Katherine Hall was the one who made the sex video without Mr. Ivory’s knowledge, the father also could not claim that Otis had contributed to her delinquency in any way.

  It was a big coup for Otis, and Brooke felt a surge of happiness as she listened to the report. But it still didn’t help her dilemma.

  “Hey, what has he said about all of this?” Miriam asked, looking at Brooke pointedly.

  “Well … I don’t really feel right repeating anything he’s told me on this subject,” Brooke replied. “But I will say that he’s actually been very open with me about it.”

  “Well, that’s good,” Miriam said. “At least you know he’s not trying to hide anything from you.”

  “Yeah,” Brooke sighed.

  “I have a class to teach,” she said, walking to the door. “And hey, if you get tired of him, can I have him?”

  Brooke laughed at her comment, and Miriam left the room, leaving Brooke and Cleo alone.

  “So,” Cleo said as she finished making her cup of tea. “You want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

  “How do you know there’s something on my mind?” Brooke countered.

  “Because I heard a few of your teenagers talking after your first class ended,” she smiled. “They had some interesting things to say. And some fun visual aids.”

  “They showed you that YouTube video?” she asked.