Undeniable

by Kandle, Tawdra

  He stopped crying and froze in place. A puzzled expression crossed his eyes, and then he settled back down and stuck a thumb into his mouth. His mother looked down at him, frowning, and then clearly decided not to waste any time second-guessing good behavior. She pushed the stroller away and disappeared into the surge of people around the corner.

  Problem solved. It didn’t hurt anyone to give that kid a little push into calming down. Still, I felt a vague sense of unease as I turned into the Hotel St. Marie once again. Would my dad have approved of me doing it? I didn’t know, and he wasn’t talking.

  I half-expected to find Jocelyn waiting for me in the lobby, but it was in fact nearly empty. I rode up in the elevator and was knocking on her door at two minutes before seven.

  The knob turned almost immediately, and Joss smiled up at me.

  “Punctual. I like that.” She stepped aside, waving her hand. “Come on in. I’m just going to grab a sweater, and then we better go.”

  I didn’t know anything about fashion or style, but I knew sexy, and what she wore was that for sure. The golden brown dress clung in all the right places. The neckline dipped, giving me a teasing glimpse of cleavage when the draping shifted to the side. I was fascinated by the way the material clung to her ass, not leaving too much to my very active imagination.

  She turned and caught me staring. “I take it you like my dress.”

  One corner of my mouth lifted. “The color’s good on you.”

  Joss grinned. “Thanks.” She pulled her sweater out of the closet and gave me a once-over. “You do clean up pretty good.”

  I didn’t intend to tell her that I’d actually gone out to get the charcoal gray pants and navy blazer that afternoon, paying an extra hundred dollars to have them tailored and ready for tonight. I traveled light, and I bought new clothes when the occasion called for it, like it did tonight. One of the perks of being a Brooks and the unlimited resources that went along with that.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked once we were in the elevator, heading down.

  That wicked glint returned to her eye. “Me to know, you to find out. You know the drill. What’s the matter, don’t you trust me?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Sure. I’m just...curious.” I let my eyes follow the curves of her body. Let her know that my curiosity extended to more than her restaurant choice.

  I half-expected her to flag one of the waiting cabs as we stepped into the night, but instead she turned in the opposite direction of my hotel, toward Dauphine Street. I followed as we went deeper into the darkness.

  Another guy might have reached for Joss’s hand at this point, just to establish the tone for the evening. Hand holding is a proclamation—I’m in this for more than the company—and a way to stake your claim. But I didn’t do hand holding anymore. It was one of my rules.

  Instead I walked a step behind and almost ran over her when she stopped suddenly and turned down a dimly lit alley. She darted a glance back at me, flashing a smile.

  “Sorry, I always forget exactly where this is. It’s one of those places you have to find yourself. You can’t tell anyone how to get here.”

  The narrow alley gave way to a small courtyard, bordered by the backs of several houses. Joss walked to a wooden black-lacquered door and rapped once. She looked back at me.

  “Don’t get spooked, this is just how you do things here. It’s a very exclusive place.”

  “Spooked, me? Baby, it just doesn’t happen.”

  Joss laughed. “I’ll remember that later.”

  The door opened, and a woman in a long black dress stood above us on the step. She inclined her head to Joss.

  “Ms. Pennell. So glad you could join us tonight. Please, won’t you and your guest come in?”

  The inside of the house was much larger than I’d expected, set up more like a living room than a bar, though I figured out that was what it was. People sat on sofas or leaned on chairs, holding glasses of wine or other liquor. A few women and men circulated, speaking to the guests. Though they carried no order pads, I decided they had to be wait staff.

  The woman who had greeted us beckoned. “Ms. Pennell, let me show you to your table.”

  We followed her down a hall into a cavernous dining room. Small tables were set up throughout the room, strategically placed to offer discretion. Each one was covered with a cream tablecloth and lit with a single candle.

  “Right this way.” She headed for a table in the corner. “Marlene will be assisting you tonight. She’ll be along shortly.” She stepped away, smiling.

  “Assisting us?” I raised an eyebrow. “We need assistance?”

  “It’s code for waitress. I know, it’s pretentious crap, but trust me, it’s the best food in the city.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve said I have to trust you. I’m starting to get suspicious.”

  “Don’t.” Joss reached across and covered my hand. “It’s all on the up-and-up.”

  A tiny woman with white hair cut very short teetered over to us. She had to be pushing seventy. Her face fell into a mass of wrinkles when she smiled.

  “Good evening, Ms. Pennell. Your food is being prepared, and I would be happy to bring you a bottle of your favorite wine, if that pleases?”

  Joss nodded. “Thank you, that would be perfect. And a bottle of still water, please.”

  Marlene bowed just slightly as she turned away. Joss grinned.

  “I hope you don’t have food allergies. There aren’t any menus here. They prepare two specialties of the house every night, and you choose what you want when you make the reservations. Do you like seafood?”

  “Yeah, most of it. Not eel or anything like that. And no food allergies that I know of. Do I want to ask what specialty of the house you picked for us?”

  “Alligator and crawfish gumbo, with rice and mock choux corn. And they serve intriguing salads.”

  I tried not to let my lip curl, but I guess it didn’t work. Joss cocked her head.

  “What? You have something against alligator?”

  “Not alligator. I just can’t imagine a salad being intriguing. Sorry.”

  “Ah.” She leaned forward, giving me a tantalizing view that I decided had to be much more interesting than any salad. “I’m glad to hear you’re not afraid to be adventurous.”

  I opened my mouth, but whatever was about to come out of it was derailed by the return of Marlene, carrying two large white bowls. Lettuces of different colors and textures sat alongside tomatoes and some kind of nuts. I didn’t recognize anything else. So this was an intriguing salad.

  The waitress set the bowls in front of us and stepped away as a man took her place. He wore a black jacket and the chains of a sommelier, and he presented a dark green bottle of wine to Joss for her approval. I watched in fascination as she went through the ritual, sniffing the cork, swishing the wine and nodding her go-ahead for the man to pour us each a glass.

  After he backed away and disappeared, she leaned toward me, her voice low. “I hope that didn’t offend you. I realize usually the guy gets to taste the wine, but they know me here. Plus, I’m figuring you’re not really legal. At least not when it comes to alcohol.”

  She tilted her head, one side of mouth lifting.

  I narrowed my eyes. “And you are?”

  Joss laughed. “Touché. No, I’m not. I actually just turned nineteen last week. But they know me here. I’m not a risk to them, and I’m not stupid.”

  “Hey, I’m older than you by a month. Maybe you should tell wine guy next time he comes over.” I lifted the glass and took a sip. “On second thought, this is excellent. You can keep picking the wine.”

  She touched her glass to mine before drinking. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “So how does a nineteen year old—and a new nineteen year old—get the kind of consulting job where the company puts her up in the best rooms in the city and pays for this kind of place?” I looked around the room again. “I’m guessing you’re planni
ng to expense this meal.”

  Her mouth tightened just a little as she leaned back in the chair. “If I tell you, are you going to get all threatened and uptight?”

  I laughed. “Nah, I’m cool. I’m not the type to be easily threatened.” I picked up my fork and stabbed a piece of curly lettuce.

  “Okay.” Joss traced the stem of her wine glass with one finger. “So, I’m kind of a prodigy, I guess. I graduated high school when I was fourteen, and finished college two years ago. The people I work for approached me when I was still in school. I trained for a while and then went full-time once I graduated.”

  “So you’re like a Doogie Howser?”

  She scooped a small yellow tomato into her mouth and rolled her eyes, all at the same time. “Talk about reducing something to its lowest form. Okay, yeah. I guess.”

  “And you thought I’d be threatened by that? Come on. How do you know I’m not working on my second doctorate right now? You might not be the only smarty pants around, you know.”

  The smile playing around her mouth sparkled in her eyes. “Oh, really? Your second doctorate? I highly doubt it.”

  “Just saying, it could happen.” I lay down my fork and grinned at her. “But you’re right, not hardly. I just finished high school. Not sure about college yet. I haven’t decided if I want to embrace higher education or let the road be my professor. But either way, someone like you impresses the hell out of me. And doesn’t threaten me one bit.”

  Joss’s cheeks pinked a little, and she dropped her eyes. “Then you’re not like a lot of other guys I’ve known.”

  “Hey.” I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it for a minute before I let it go. “They’re assholes if they don’t see how great you are. And I’m serious, being that smart and motivated is cool.”

  “Thanks.”

  We ate in silence for a while before Joss spoke again.

  “So you just finished high school. And you’re not sure about college. How does your family feel about you traveling? Are you planning to get a job?”

  Most of the girls I picked up during my nocturnal adventures didn’t bring up anything more serious than the next bar or how fast we could get back to their hotel rooms. I didn’t talk about my family at all. But Joss was sitting there looking at me expectantly, with the material of her dress dipping into the valley between a really nice set of breasts. Since she wasn’t going to remember any of this in the morning anyway, I decided to make an exception to my rule.

  “My grandparents are my family, and this was kind of their idea. I needed to get out of town for a while, and they were cool with me hitting the road.”

  The teasing smile was back on her face as Joss leaned in again, just far enough to confirm my suspicion. Yep, no bra. Hot damn. Suddenly this chair wasn’t as comfortable as it had been.

  “Why did you have to get out of town so fast? Did you do something illegal?” I struggled to bring my eyes back to hers, my attention to her words. All the blood in my body was rushing elsewhere.

  “Umm...uh, no. Not illegal. It was actually a girl. A bad break up.” What the hell was I saying? I never talked about Tasmyn, never told anyone what had happened during my senior year. Be cool, I reminded myself. Not like she’s going to retain this anyway.

  “That’s too bad.” Joss reached across and trailed one finger over the inside of my wrist where it lay alongside the table edge. A shiver ran down my back, and I swallowed hard.

  “Yeah, no big thing. Shit happens, right?” I lifted my wine glass and took a drink. I never had nerves with the girls I picked up. I didn’t know what the deal was this one, but she was knocking me off my game.

  Marlene appeared again. I took advantage of the break in conversation to get a grip on myself as she set two dome-covered plates in front of us. With a little flourish, she removed the silver covers to reveal the bowls of gumbo surrounded by sliced baguettes. I might have been a little skeptical about the alligator, but this smelled like heaven.

  “Good, isn’t it?” Joss scooped up some of the broth and meat with a hunk of bread. “See what I mean? Best food in the city.”

  “Comes damn close if not.”

  “There’s just something about New Orleans, isn’t there? The food tastes better, the wine is more potent...” She glanced up at me from under her eyelashes. “Everything is just more...intense.”

  Before I could formulate an answer, I felt her bare foot stroking up the inside of calf, running a teasing line from the ankle to just above my knee. I could feel the muscle of her instep, firm yet lazy as she stroked. The touch set me on fire until I couldn’t think of anything but tossing over the table that came between us. That, or grabbing her and throwing her down on top of it. Either way worked.

  Instead, I laid down my fork and sat back. “God, I’m full. I don’t think I can eat another bite.”

  “That’s a shame.” Jocelyn touched the linen napkin to the corner of her mouth, and I watched the tip of her tongue dart out and run over her lips. “They have the most amazing bread pudding here, in a brandy sauce.”

  “I don’t think I could do it justice right now. Maybe in a few hours.” After I’ve worked up an appetite. I let the words hang there unsaid but most definitely understood.

  “Then let’s ask them to box it up to go. We can take it back to my hotel, if you want.”

  This time I didn’t hesitate. I let my eyelids droop to half-mast and lifted one side of my mouth in a half-smile. “Oh, I want. I want very much.”

  Joss didn’t flinch. She didn’t blush or pretend to be shocked. She only returned my smile and lifted one hand in the air, signaling to Marlene.

  The evening air had cooled considerably by the time we stepped back into the dark of the courtyard. Joss shivered, and I helped her into the sweater she’d brought.

  “Thanks.” She shifted the bag that held the bread pudding into her other hand, and I reached to take it. Okay, so I didn’t usually need to woo the girls I picked up, but still, my grandmother had hammered manners into me. I harbored a sneaking suspicion that she’d know if I weren’t holding coats and doors, or at least offering to carry heavy packages for women.

  And then, since we were standing there, it was only natural that I reached for her hand. Once I touched the warmth there, I just went ahead and pulled her against me.

  She stumbled a little, and I caught her, wrapping my free arm tight around her waist and tucking our joined hands between us.

  I looked down at her face, her mouth so tantalizingly close to my own. What I did on a nearly nightly basis was routine by now. It was my way of pounding Tasmyn out of my system, out of my soul, but this was more. The brown eyes that stared into mine were sober beyond the desire that shone there. Her lips parted, and I felt the warmth of her breath against my chin.

  As though against my will, I lowered my mouth onto those lips. I was tentative, inquiring. I never forced myself on any girl, no matter how hard she flirted or how much she teased. It just wasn’t my style. I’d never had to do it, anyway. No one ever turned me down.

  Jocelyn answered my question by moving a fraction of an inch closer, angling her face so that our mouths aligned better, sealed. Her tongue played against my lips, inviting, making me think of her foot on my leg just a little while earlier.

  I opened my mouth, deepening the kiss, and tangling my tongue with her exploring one. Tightening my arm slightly, I brought her against me, leaving no doubt in her mind about how turned on I was.

  “Rafe.” She broke away enough to whisper in my ear.

  “Yeah.” I steeled myself for her to tell me we couldn’t do this, that we had to stop.

  “Let’s flag down a cab. It’ll be faster than walking back to the hotel.”

  ***

  ONE OF THE perks of New Orleans was that it was such a party town, the girls I picked up could pretend to be completely bombed, wasted out of their minds. They could justify having sex with me, a random stranger. The truth was, I never slept with anyone who was
too drunk to make a rational decision, and I never messed with their minds to persuade them, either.

  But Joss was a whole different game. She was the difference. She wasn’t making any apologies about the clear truth that she wanted this as much as I did. And that was both cool and a little scary.

  In the short cab ride back to her hotel, she didn’t cling or lean on me. Instead she sat just close enough that I could inhale her scent, an intoxicating mix of oranges and cinnamon, and she touched the inside of my arm with the tip of one fingernail, running it up and down my forearm, making my heart pound. I shifted in the seat, holding back from laying her down right there.

  I didn’t even realize we’d arrived at the St. Marie until the door next to me opened. The uniformed attendant stood aside, waiting for me to exit. I reached into my back pocket for my wallet, but Joss laid her hand on my arm.

  “Don’t bother. The doorman will take care of it.” She smiled at him as she followed me out of the taxi. “Thanks, Eddy. Give him a nice tip, please. It was a short ride.”

  I briefly considered taking the stairs—anything to get to a bed quicker—but Jocelyn headed right for the elevator, and I thought it would be probably be rude to pull her up the steps by the arm. To my relief, the doors of the elevator opened as though they had been waiting for us.

  There was no one else in the car, and as soon as the doors slid closed, I backed Joss against the wall, gripping her wrists together above her head. I covered her mouth with my lips again, this time pouring all of my pent-up desire into the kiss. She made a little noise in the back of her throat, and that was it. I dropped the bag that held our bread pudding and used my free hand to pull her hips into me, grinding against her center until she gasped into my mouth.

  “Rafe—the doors—” I glanced back and saw that the elevator had reached her floor, and the doors stood open. I dragged her into the hallway and to her door. As she fumbled for the key card, I swept the red hair off her neck and devoured the milk-white skin there. Each taste only made me want more—and more.