He took both of her hands in one of his. The other trailed lightly down past her cheek and neck to softly palm the swell of her breast. His caress was hesitant compared to the direct nature of his kiss. She moaned against the fullness of his lips. He was driving her crazy: caressing but not quite gripping the weight of her breast, slightly rubbing her beaded nipple, but holding back from giving it the full attention she craved.
Just as quickly as it started he ended it. He jerked his head up to stare into her eyes. His hand fell away from her breast. Their ragged breathing mingled as they stood entwined. Her pulse pounded where his thumb pressed against her wrist.
She stared at him with wonder. Guys like Freddy didn’t kiss like that. They didn’t overwhelm you and make you want to tear their clothes off and have sex against a wall.
“There. I’ve kissed you,” he said in a desire thickened voice.
He released her hands and methodically removed her leg from around his waist. She continued to lean against the wall for support. She didn’t move from her spot as he walked into the bathroom and came out a few seconds later with a handful of balled up paper towels.
“The spider is dead.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Have a good night, Janiyah.”
Her eyes followed him as he walked away and out of her apartment. When the door shut quietly behind him she slowly sank to the floor. Leaning her head against the smooth surface, she replayed the kiss over and over. Definitely a new vibrator initiation night. But compared to Freddy, she’d need to upsize.
CHAPTER 13
Janiyah smiled at Gerald Westlock sitting across from her in a booth at Panera Bread. Her cheeks burned from the effort to keep the smile on her face while he talked about a new project he’d given his students. She guessed that’s what he was still talking about. She’d tuned out about fifteen minutes ago.
She was trying to enjoy this date. Trying not to sneak a look at her phone to see if Liz posted any updates about her date with the architect she’d met the week before. She would not think about only having one more day—ugh—before returning to an office job. And, above all else, she would not think about the way Freddy kissed her the night before then acted as if he couldn’t care less when she reminded him she had a date with the professor today.
She clenched the cup in her hand. Have a good time. That’s what he’d said.
Gerald’s tone of voice changed and she focused on him. So much for not thinking about Freddy. She smiled and nodded as Gerald talked, without really paying attention to what he said. Feigning interest in subjects she wasn’t interested in wasn’t usually this hard. She used to do it when Freddy talked about his work. She’d tune out, but enjoy watching his eyes light up with excitement. It was usually full on dimple mode from his smiles when she let him go on about a subject. Something about having all of his attention focused on her would send her heart clamoring like a horde of shopaholics at a shoe sale.
She tilted her head to the side and watched Gerald. He was just as enthusiastic about his subject. No doubt his smile took him from ‘handsome’ to ‘dayum he’s fine’, but no clamoring.
Damn Freddy for kissing her! He should seriously be worried about her falling for this guy. Instead he’d told her to have a good time. What was up with that?
Oh wait, Gerald had stopped talking. His eyebrows were raised, an expectant look in his eye. Crap, he must have asked a question.
“Can you repeat that?”
His smile was slightly patronizing as if he were dealing with a hopeless child. “What books are you reading?”
“Books … like more than one?”
“Yes, you nodded when I mentioned the importance of reading. You’re not one of those ‘I don’t read’ people?” He laughed with the comment, but she sensed the awaiting censure.
“Of course not. I love to read.”
Magazines, online articles, and the occasional newspaper piece Freddy insisted she look at, that was the extent of her reading. She got that some people loved reading, but spending hours inside with her nose in a book wasn’t appealing. Why couldn’t she get points for living life instead of reading about other people’s experiences?
“So, what books are you reading? I just finished A Nation of Wusses. Have you read it?”
She thought about the entertainment magazine on her coffee table. She thought the pop star on the cover was a wuss for admitting she was afraid to have a relationship with Hollywood’s newest heartthrob, but that probably wasn’t what he had in mind.
“Um … no, I’m between books actually.”
“What was the last book you read?”
An image of President Obama’s face on Freddy’s coffee table zapped her brain. “Uh … The Audacity of Hope.”
Gerald frowned. Great, he didn’t like the president.
“You’re just now reading that?”
“Oh, you know, it was so good I had to read it again.”
He grinned and leaned forward on the table. “That’s how I feel about the biography of Fredrick Douglass. You’ve read that, right?”
She filtered through the books she’d read in a history class in college. That had to have been one of them. “Mmmhmm.”
“It’s so inspiring. I read it at least once a year. What is it about The Audacity of Hope that makes you read it over and over?”
She lifted her cup and sucked down the raspberry green tea to stall. No more smiling and nodding when talking to people. That’s how she ended up in awkward conversations like this.
When there was no more tea left in the cup she said, “The entire thing is just so … hopeful, you know? I can’t help but feel … quite hopeful after reading it.”
His smile deepened and he reached over to put a hand over hers. “Isn’t that the best part about reading? Non-fiction especially? To get inspired from a true story. Now don’t get me wrong, fiction has its place, literary fiction, I mean. But real life stories of tragedy, triumph, and perseverance are the things that really matter. You know?”
“Sure do.”
He started talking again, and she considered the last book she read. About a year ago, Liz had gotten caught up in some vampire erotica that everyone was reading and insisted Janiyah try it. It had been an interesting novel, though the idea of having elongated canines biting and sucking blood from her nether regions wasn’t as titillating as Liz and a few other women said it would be.
Now, having Freddy’s crooked canine biting and sucking those areas … That held some promise. Those areas tingled in agreement.
There she went thinking about him again.
And Gerald wasn’t talking again. Dang, Janiyah, focus.
“I see what you mean,” she said. You couldn’t go wrong with that phrase.
“Exactly, I don’t understand how someone could say they don’t read. Those people are jokes.”
She flinched. He’d looked at the family passing by their table and didn’t notice. A vision of Gerald one day sneering at her and calling her a joke the same way the asshole had done came to mind.
Reading, that was the next thing to add to her responsibility list, and not blood sucking vampire erotica. Something about the way Gerald gushed about non-fiction made her doubt he’d view that as prime reading material, although Freddy hadn’t teased her about reading it. He’d said reading what you liked was what made the activity enjoyable.
His lips had looked nice that day. He’d been putting on Chapstick while talking. Her head leaned to the side. They’d looked soft. Soft enough to trail slowly up the side of her leg and gently bite on her—
Stop! There she went again.
Gerald chuckled at something he said and she giggled in return. When he dabbed at his eye she snuck a glance at her phone. They’d been here long enough to call it to an end.
“So, Gerald, I’m sure you’re busy,” she said as soon as his laughter died down. “I promised my mom I’d stop by this afternoon so I’ve got to go.”
Disappointment replaced the laughter in his eyes.
He cocked his head to the side, his lips curling into a small frown. The man did get bonus points for looks. Chocolate skin, coal black eyes, and a body shown off to perfection beneath his oxford shirt and khakis.
“So soon? I’ve really enjoyed myself.”
“Yeah, me too. Call me later.”
She slid out of the booth, her sandwich barely touched on the table. She’d been too distracted to eat, and he’d been too busy talking to notice. He stood with her. Her gaze traveled up his six foot two inch frame appreciatively. He would’ve been nice to date for a while longer. But today proved she needed a serious Freddy detox before moving along with anyone else.
They walked out together to their cars. She held out her hand, which was engulfed by his larger one. “Talk with you soon, okay?”
He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I look forward to it.”
He did smell good. Not as good as Freddy.
Again, she wanted to kick herself for the Freddy comparison.
Things could possibly work out with Gerald later. She’d made the monumental mistake once of assuming Freddy would fall under her spell if they kissed, and like before he’d proved he could move on without caring.
Have a good time. The jerk.
Why was she always left craving more from him than he wanted to give?
She needed a diversion. But her mom had called a family meeting. She hadn’t been to her parents’ house since fighting with her dad. Having Loretta call the meeting meant Janiyah had to declare a ceasefire in her parental boycott.
Her cell phone rang after she was in the car. Without checking to see who the caller was, she activated the Bluetooth device through her radio.
“So how was the date?”
Freddy’s smooth voice filled the interior of the car. Her stomach clenched. Her foot pressed the gas. The traffic light turned red, and she quickly slammed her foot onto the brake.
“Why do you care?” she said. Her voice trembled.
“Are you okay? Did he bother you?”
She sighed. “No. I almost ran a red light.”
“You should pay attention to the road.”
“I was paying attention until you called.”
“Just because your phone rings doesn’t mean you need to answer the phone. We can talk later.”
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see it. “Oh please, Freddy. I’m talking to you on the Bluetooth. It was one red light.”
The light turned green and she eased ahead with traffic. Freddy’s sigh echoed through her vehicle. “Okay, so tell me about the date.”
“You really want to know?”
“Why wouldn’t I want to know?” His voice was calm and collected.
She gripped the steering wheel, allowing a small fantasy that it was his neck. He shouldn’t want to know what her date was like. He should not have told her to have a good time after laying a kiss on her like that. He damn sure shouldn’t be interested in how the date went after jacking off and calling her name in the shower!
She took a calming breath. “The date went well.”
“I’ve heard that tone before. The guy doesn’t stand a chance.”
She scoffed. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong. I think things could go far.”
“Really? I would have expected you to grow bored with the professor.”
“He’s very interesting. He talked about some project his students were doing.”
“What was the project?”
“Why do you want to know?” She turned off Killian Road to hit the interstate.
He chuckled and her heart did a crazy flutter at the sound. “I’m curious if you tuned him out the same way you do me.”
Freddy knew her too well. She couldn’t help but smile. “I will admit it is more fun tuning you out. At least I can enjoy watching you get all excited about your work.”
“He isn’t excited about his work? I would expect a college professor to ooze enthusiasm.”
“Yeah, just like an accountant.”
He chuckled. She wondered if it was full on dimple or not. “Touché. Alright, well I’ve got to give Liz a call.”
Her foot slipped off the gas. The car behind her blew the horn and whizzed around. With a silent curse she paid attention to the road. “Why are you calling Liz?”
“She texted for me to call.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing important.” A buxom, blonde bombshell hooking up with Freddy wasn’t important in her book.
“Well, I’ll find out when I talk to her.”
“I could call her for you.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. You just pay attention to the road,” he said. “I’ll talk with you later.”
He ended the call. A pain she’d never thought to feel again stuttered in her chest. Freddy may have kissed her, but it was pretty obvious he didn’t want to want her.
• • •
Fredrick dropped his phone on the counter. He shouldn’t have called. More importantly, he shouldn’t have kissed her. He’d known she was egging him on to do it. And like a fool he’d followed her up. Another example of why he couldn’t trust himself when it came to Janiyah.
Obviously, she’d quickly forgotten about their kiss. The way she breezed into his apartment this morning all giddy with excitement, constantly emphasizing that she was meeting the professor today was proof of that.
That didn’t surprise him. How much it upset him did. He’d wanted to grab her and kiss her again until she forgot all about going anywhere with that damn professor. It was nearly impossible to pretend as if he didn’t care. His dreams the night before had been filled with the memory of her soft body merged with his. But dreams were unfulfilling. No matter how good his mind was at recalling the kiss, it was nothing compared to actually having Janiyah in his arms.
He picked his phone back up and called Liz. He’d put off asking about her boss long enough. It was time to start dating again and get back to his plan before he forgot Janiyah wasn’t the woman for him.
“Hey, Liz, how’s it going?” he asked when she answered.
“Going good, Fredrick. How’s business?”
“Good, things are leveling out ever since I’ve hired new staff. Now I can focus my efforts on Nebulus.”
“How are things working out with Janiyah?”
“Pretty good. She’s come up with ideas for our website and caught on quickly. It’s kind of surprising.”
“I’m not surprised. Janiyah is great at getting other people’s affairs in order. It’s focusing on hers that’s the problem. I guess it’s easy to be that way when your family is always insisting on doing things for you.”
Fredrick walked across the room and sat on his couch. “It’s not as if she has a problem with that.”
“For someone so close to her, you don’t see a lot.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The baby treatment does get to her. She doesn’t let it show too often, but it’s there. She goes from being mad as hell they treat her like a child, to being afraid her dad’s going to pressure her to take an active role in Henderson Automotive. I think she’s afraid of trying and failing, so she just lets everyone else handle things.”
“Is that the reason why she was so intent on working with me?”
“I think it’s one of the reasons. But you know, with Janiyah, you never get the entire story.”
She was right about that. “Well, I didn’t call to talk about Janiyah.”
“Really?”
“Don’t sound surprised. I called to ask about your boss.” He cleared his throat. “The one I met a few weeks ago. You said she was interested in me giving her a call.”
Liz didn’t answer immediately. “I figured you weren’t interested.”
“I was. I am. I’ve just been busy.”
“Does Janiyah know you’re calling?”
Fredrick gripped the phone to keep from tossing it to the floor. “Janiyah is on a date with a college professor, and therefore
doesn’t care about who I go out with.”
Liz laughed. “Oh, that guy. I don’t think she’s serious about him.”
“The way she carried on tells a different story. He’s interesting.”
“Sounds like you have a problem with that.”
“I don’t. Janiyah’s like a sister. I just want to make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Okay, you two are always insisting you’re like siblings, but you’re not.”
As if he didn’t know that. It was all this close proximity to her, first living near her, now working with her. It’s why he left his real estate agent a message right after leaving Janiyah’s apartment.
“Liz, are you going to give me the scoop on your boss or not?”
A sigh and a pause, then, “Yes, I’m going to give you her number.”
Freddy’s shoulders relaxed. This was good. Exactly what he needed to do. Get back on the dating scene. Get his mind off of the woman across the hall playing havoc with his good sense.
CHAPTER 14
When Janiyah arrived at her parents’ home, their two cars and all three of her brothers’ vehicles blocked access to the garage. She parked beside Kareem’s motorcycle. The garage door was up so she walked through to enter in the kitchen. The sound of male voices came from the direction of the den. Janiyah followed the sound to where her three brothers were sprawled out much like they’d been the last time she was here, except now all were focused on some investigative show on television. Her parents weren’t in the room.
“So what’s the news this time?” she said. “After Daddy sells the business you’re going to offer up a dowry and get me married off?”
Her parents came in right at the end of her statement. “Now that we’ve gotten the drama out of the way,” Loretta said, completely ignoring Janiyah’s comment, “we can get down to business.”
They walked into the room and Roger sat in his recliner. Loretta sat on the arm of the chair beside him. They clasped hands and exchanged looks. Janiyah’s stomach sank; that wasn’t a “this is going to be good news” look.
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