He nodded, raising an eyebrow.
“Stupid thing to say. Is there enough?”
“Depends how much you won.”
She passed him a black canvas bag and waited while he counted what was inside. It was comfortably more than enough.
Looking into her wide eyes, he felt an echo of the warm relief that had flooded him moments before. Against all the odds, it had worked out and nobody had got killed.
“So, do we pay off Ursino tonight?
After all the trouble they’d gone to, he’d forgotten about that part. “Probably a good idea.” Getting it done straight away would cut down the chances of anything else going wrong. “But there’s something I want to do first.” He leaned over, took her face in his hands and kissed her soft lips.
She was stiff at first, holding onto her anger, but then she started to soften. The kiss deepened as she responded to him, her body melting into his. What began as a tender exchange quickly pushed him into more urgent territory. With his eyes closed, his hands roamed over her dress, searching for bare skin. He found her back and smoothed his way across it. She gasped and it made his eyes roll back in his head.
Had any two people ever wanted each other more? He couldn’t imagine they had.
Damn Gina. Why did she have to put a bullet through his leg?
He brought the kiss to an end and let out a heartfelt sigh. “I don’t think I can give you more than that tonight.”
She looked down at his thigh. When she looked up again, her eyes were less clouded by desire. “That’s okay. I can wait.”
***
Loretta sat in the waiting room outside Ursino’s office and tried to stop reliving how it had felt when Jordan had kissed her in the front seat of her car. It was almost over. She should have been getting ready for his inevitable exit.
But all she could think about was the way his tongue had played over hers and the disappointment in his sigh when they’d broken apart.
Every time she caught Jordan’s eye, the pair of them broke into matching grins that probably gave them an air of insanity. Not the best look when you’re about to meet with one of the most dangerous men in the city.
A buzzer sounded and the secretary ushered them in.
“Sit down, sit down.” Ursino was dressed relatively informally in a pair of indigo trousers and an open-necked shirt. There was no sign of the cane she’d heard so much about. That was probably for the best – Jordan still had his and if she’d seen them both walking about with matching sticks it was more than likely she’d get an inappropriate attack of the giggles.
“Mr Ursino.” Jordan put a briefcase down on the desk. Inside were Loretta’s poker winnings and the money he’d stolen.
Ursino took the case and made a show of counting each note. It took a long time – there was a lot there. Watching him arrange it all into neat piles killed any sniggers that had been building out in the waiting room.
It was every penny he’d asked for, but she knew that didn’t mean much when you were dealing with men like him. The rules were whatever he wanted them to be. If he said it wasn’t enough, then it wasn’t enough.
“I take it some of this is to do with what happened at Marcie Harmon’s place this evening?” It was hard to tell if the twist of his mouth meant he was irritated or amused.
“If I answer that question, I might incriminate myself.” Jordan kept his expression similarly inscrutable.
Loretta literally sat on the edge of her chair. All this male posturing was dragging things out unnecessarily.
“So, what are you going to do now you’re out of the business?” A feline smile spread over Ursino’s face, transforming him from a menacing hard-man to an avuncular uncle.
Jordan did well not to sigh with relief, but the tension in the room dropped by a very noticeable notch or three. “I thought I might go away. For a while at least.”
She turned to look at him. So he was leaving.
“With anyone I know?” He fixed Loretta with a look that sent heat blazing up her throat and across her cheeks.
“Maybe. If she agrees to come.”
Her pulse skyrocketed. After her initial fantasy about settling into a relationship with him had run its course, she’d seen the light and prepared herself for the moment when he told her he was going. The possibility he might ask her to come with him was one she’d discounted pretty early on. How would that ever work?
“You get to be one of the good guys now. I think she’ll say yes.” Ursino stood up and held out his hand, shaking Loretta’s first, then Jordan’s. “I’d like to say I’ll see you around, but I don’t think that would be a good thing under the circumstances.”
“Thank you.” They held the shake for a fraction of a second. Tough as they both were, it was easy to see the respect and affection between them.
Jordan and Loretta walked out of the door and out of the Ursinos’ world. It had taken so much trouble and drama to get to that point it was all a bit of an anti-climax. If she was honest with herself, this was the part she’d been dreading – the return to reality.
“So, what do you say?” Jordan asked when they were out on the street.
“About what?”
“A couple of weeks in the sun, sipping cocktails on the beach.”
It sounded heavenly, but what about when the holiday was over? “I don’t know, Jordan. Things are going to be crazy at the bank. I might not be able to get the time off.”
“Don’t you want to come away with me?”
She’d truly expected him to drop her as soon as he got his hands on the money. Now another thought came to her. What if he was just postponing it until after he’d had another two weeks of sex? “Do you really want me to come?”
He looked shocked. “What do you mean?”
Maybe it would be better to end it now. It was ridiculous when you thought about it – the assistant bank manager and the ex-bank-robber. Amazing sex was no guarantee of a lasting relationship. “We had a good time, but can you really see us together? For the long haul?” He didn’t answer and she knew she was right. She kissed him on the cheek and walked away. It hurt like hell, but it was the best thing for both of them. It was what he’d been trying to tell her all along.
She turned the corner into the car park.
He ran around in front of her. “Dammit, Loretta. No. I’m not going to let you walk away. I do see us together.”
She looked up at him, wanting to see the lie in his eyes. It wasn’t there.
“I know I’ve got this awful past. I wouldn’t even tell you some of the things I’ve done.” He took hold of her hand.
She told herself to pull away, but she couldn’t do it.
“I wouldn’t have had the chance to put it behind me if it wasn’t for you.” He squeezed her fingers.
That one hit her hard. He was either a very accomplished sociopath or he meant every word.
“I like you, Loretta. A lot. I’ve never been with a woman like you. Hell, I don’t think I even knew there were women like you.” He broke into a nervous smile that she couldn’t help returning. “I want to be with you. I want you to bust my balls and keep me on the straight and narrow.”
Her smile grew, but she still didn’t respond. She didn’t trust what she might say.
“I want to see how far we can go, because I think you just might be the one.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. Now she really couldn’t say anything.
“Say you’ll come away with me.”
She just stared at him, her hand clamped over her face.
“Please, Loretta.”
She nodded and he folded her into his strong arms. Listening to the steady beat of his heart, she didn’t feel as though she was making a mistake. It felt like this was the way things were meant to be.
CHAPTER 21
Sitting in her new office, Loretta glanced at the clock and typed another sentence into the report she was working on. She was making herself late, but she couldn’t bear
to leave for lunch without getting one more paragraph down.
Her phone trilled, telling her she had a new text message. She didn’t read it – she knew exactly what it would say. One more sentence, then she locked the screen, grabbed her bag and ran for the door.
She made herself slow down when she got out of the office. It wasn’t professional for the manager to go running round the bank like a crazy woman. She knocked on the door next to hers and popped her head around it.
“Off to lunch?” Her new assistant manager was a fresh-faced graduate called Paul who rather reminded her of Sean on a good day.
She was doing her best to make sure he didn’t fall into the same macho trap her old boss had. “Yeah, I’ll be about an hour.”
“See you later.”
Halfway down the bank, she spotted Edna in the road outside and her face creased into a smile. She hurried out to the street. “You’ll get moved on by the police.” She trailed her fingers along Edna’s bonnet. Bright red and perfect. Danny had been a real life-saver when it came to getting hold of parts for her.
Jordan got out and greeted her with a kiss. Surely the touch of his lips shouldn’t still make her feel giddy after six months together?
“The cops love me.” He held out the keys.
“No, it’s okay. You drive.”
He opened the passenger door for her and climbed back in behind the wheel. When he didn’t start the engine, she turned to give him her full attention. “What?”
He looked at her with his ‘I can’t keep a secret’ face.
“What is it?”
“I got the job.”
“Oh my god!” Without a proper employment history, he’d been struggling to even get interviews. The best he’d managed so far was some casual labour and a few evenings on the door of the local flea-pit. Now he was going to manage a staff of eight at a home security firm. “When do you start?”
“Next week.” He gestured at the picnic basket on the back seat. “I thought we should celebrate.”
“Congratulations.” She leaned across and kissed him. Things were going so well she couldn’t help worrying something would come along to jinx it. Twisting her hands in the strap of her bag, she wondered if she should seize the moment or wait for the picnic.
He slotted the key home and turned it, prodding Edna’s engine into life.
Screw the picnic, she’d do it now. “Jordan, wait a minute.”
“Hmm?”
She reached into her bag and brought out the ring box she’d been carrying around for the last two weeks. When she flipped it open and showed him the white-gold band with three inset diamonds, his mouth fell open. “Will you marry me?” She’d been agonising over this for a lot longer than two weeks. Would his ego handle a proposal or would he get offended?
His hands fell off the steering wheel and he went very quiet.
“Say something.”
He turned off the engine. “Hold on.” Kneeling up on the seat, he reached into the hamper and fetched something out. When he sat back down, he opened his hands to reveal a similar burgundy ring box. “Snap,” he said as he pulled it open. Inside was a beautifully delicate solitaire.
They both started to laugh. “I suppose we know what the answer is, then.” He kissed her.
“Yes, yes, yes.” She took his ring out of its box and held it up.
He put out his hand for her to put the ring on, then did the same for her.
They sat for a moment, admiring their diamonds.
A question began to nag at her. She was reluctant to ask him, but they had a strict ‘open and honest’ policy so she took a breath and put it out there. “How can you afford a ring like that anyway?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not fenced.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She was relieved to see he was still smiling. She hadn’t offended him with either question.
“I’ve still got a little put aside. Well, I did until last week.” He kissed her again and the last of her worries died away. He’d got the job he wanted and they were going to get married. Things didn’t get any more perfect than this.
“Come on,” Loretta said after a while. “I’m hungry. Let’s go and have this picnic.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” He took off his seatbelt, pushed back his seat and got down on the floor.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.” Leaning over into her foot-well, he slid his hands over her knees and under her pencil skirt.
“Jordan. Someone will see.”
“No they won’t.”
Despite her protests, she still lifted her ass up off the seat so he could pull down her panties. The thought of what he was about to do was making her extremely wet. He had to tug hard to drag her underwear away from the sticky juice of her sex.
He kissed her knee, the inside of her thigh, her other thigh. Her muscles tensed as he moved closer and closer to her centre. And then he was right between her legs, holding her open with his fingers and darting at her clit with his tongue.
She closed her eyes, no longer caring what any passers-by thought. As long as he didn’t take his mouth away from there, the whole world was welcome to watch.
Her breathing came faster and he slid his thumb over her lower lips. He was teasing her. Working her up into a frenzy that only he could bring to a head. His tongue flicked and licked and twisted all over her until she was grabbing at his shoulders and squeezing him between her knees.
Gasping out his name, she felt the slow build of orgasm start up deep at her core. He moved his tongue faster and speared her on his thumb. She fell back against the seat. When he circled his thumb inside her, rubbing her pussy walls, her climax roared towards her with overwhelming force.
He stopped sucking and bit down gently on her clit. Everything exploded as her orgasm hit. It blew away all the feelings that had come before it. There was nothing but Jordan’s mouth and his thumb and her sex fluttering out of control. Her stomach muscles clenched as she rode out the high.
Slowly, he let go of her, but she held him close between her thighs and didn’t release his shirt until the last of the tremors had worked their way through her body.
Finally, it was over.
He sat back in front of his seat and wiped his mouth. “Better than any picnic.”
It was impossible look at his naughty smile without one curling her own lips. She let out a shaky breath. “It’s a good job you’re driving. I don’t think I’d be capable after that.” He’d really outdone himself that time – she felt like she’d fallen off the top of a building.
“Sit back and relax.”
She rearranged her clothes and let her breathing get back to normal. He put his seat back in place, sat down and started the car. Every few seconds, they’d catch each other’s eye and enormous smiles would spread across their faces.
“Do you think we’ll still have time for the picnic?” he asked.
She looked at the basket on the back seat. “I could always have some food at my desk.”
“But what would we do with the rest of your lunch hour?” He raised an eyebrow.
The thing about making love to Jordan was it always left her wanting more. “Let’s see what we can come up with on the way home.” It was a shame she didn’t live closer to work. Every minute on the road was a minute wasted.
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Did you love Black Girls and Bad Boys: Stealing Loretta? Then you should read Her Midnight Ride Omnibus (BWWM erotic romance novel) by Neneh J. Gordon!
All five parts of the sultry Her Midnight Ride serial:
Bar, Bike, Bed
Strings Attached
Decisions, Decisions
Shocks and Surprises
Who's the Daddy?
pl
us a bonus short story.
Janelle is out with friends when a big, sexy biker walks in and stops her in her tracks. He's got a naughty gleam in his eye and a line in banter that has her wondering what it would be like to date a white guy. She soon finds out, but then the obstacles start to pile up between them. Can they get past stalker exes, bigotted fathers and life-changing decisions to build a future together?
All six stories total roughly 46,000 words and are not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.
EXCERPT
“Sparkly vampires?”
I sat down next to him. “Yes. It’s…”
“It’s what?”
It was obvious he was trying not to laugh at me, but it was too late to change my mind. I had to say it. “It’s so romantic. He wants her so much, but he doesn’t just take her,” our eyes met and I knew what he was thinking, “even though she wants him to. And she’s so sure he’s the one for her.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, shut up!” I mock-punched him in the shoulder.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I could hear you thinking.”
“Well aren’t you the talented one?”
We looked into each other’s eyes for a beat longer than you do with anyone but a lover. Then he leaned in and kissed me, his lips soft against mine. I relaxed into the kiss, feeling at ease with him in a very unfamiliar way.
I’d been acting tough for so long, it wasn’t really an act any more. But I didn’t feel the need to be like that with him. Not all the time anyway. And that was something I still hadn’t got used to.
He put his hands up to cradle my face and kissed me until my eyes fell closed and I grabbed up handfuls of his t-shirt. When we parted, his eyes were full of need and my lips were numb.
Read more at Neneh J. Gordon’s site.
Black Girls and Bad Boys: Stealing Loretta Page 13