Laying the clothes on the bed, he went to the dresser and got socks and underwear, throwing them on the bed. Checking his body over, he flexed letting his broad muscles expand.
He kept fit by exercising and eating right. On special occasions, he would treat himself to a hearty meal but not often. He was forty and every ounce he gained would show up somewhere on his body if he didn’t keep fit. Checking the soft black patch of hair centering his chest, he looked for any gray; there was none. There were no sprinkles of gray peppering his head either.
He harbored good genes. His parents were alive, healthy, and both were over the age of seventy. His two brothers and three sisters were also healthy and lived productive lives in Miami. Besides them, he had a host of relatives in Puerto Rico that he called often and visited when he could. He’d planned to ask Taylor to join him on his next visit to meet his parents. He had a feeling Taylor would be the last stop in his journey for love. She fits well with him, and he was smitten with her.
He got his attention back on track. Splashing a little Burberry between the palms of his hands, he rubbed his hands around his neck, down his chest, then across his flat stomach to give off a light scent of the cologne. Removing the towel from around his waist, life sprang forth.
He groaned shaking his head. His sex life has been non-existent for months. The women he’d been meeting were only after one thing—his money. He was wealthy and had the possessions to prove it. He owned his three-bedroom split-level home, drove an expensive car, and always dressed to impress. He didn’t think twice when he treated women to expensive dinners or purchased nice gifts for birthdays or other special occasions, but he refused to be a sugar daddy for sex. He chose he would wait for the right woman to come along before he was caught in a situation with his pants down.
Mario searched for something depressing to deflate the attention of his soldier; he couldn’t think of anything because Taylor was the only thing on his mind. She had been running through his mind since getting home from work. Get it together, or it will be a long night.
He went to the bed getting the black boxer briefs pulling them over his athletic hips snapping the waistband. Next, he put on the silk Armani socks. Pulling up the trousers, he checked for wrinkles before putting on the polo. In the closet, he selected a pair of Gucci leather loafers, a diamond stud earring for his left ear, and his newest purchase, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Chronograph Voyagez II Watch.
Checking his image in the full-length mirror, he smoothed his hair with his hands. Popping his collar, he smiled. “Looking good, baby,” he said taking his wallet off the dresser and exiting the bedroom.
Whistling an unnamed tune, he reached the front door; a rumbling of thunder shook the foundation of the house. “Ah, a replenishing rain,” he said grabbing an umbrella from the stand next to the door. No thunderstorm was going to ruin his evening with Taylor James.
*****
Taylor dressed the dining room table with tall red candles, fresh red roses, and red plates with silver chargers underneath. She wasn’t Martha Stewart but the table, to her, looked magazine perfect. The lights fluttered on and off as she returned to the kitchen to check on the food. “Darn it, the power better not go off now,” she fumed.
Turning down the oven so the chicken wouldn’t burn she prepared a light appetizer of olives, grapes, aged cheeses, and crackers. She didn’t want to rush into dinner once Mario arrived. Her idea was to have a glass of wine and talk to get to know him better. The sexual attraction was heavy between them, and conversation had to be diverted other mundane topics to ease it.
She took the platter to the living room, and returned to get the wine from the fridge. Placing it on a sterling tray with two Riedel white wine glasses, she took that to the living room also. She didn’t drink wine often, but when she did, she preferred white to red. She credited wine tastings at Bella’s on her knowledge of choosing good wines and the correct glasses to drink them from.
Folding her arms, she smiled admiring her spread. Not only was it sexy mature food, but romantic and elegant. “Dang, not bad from a woman that grew up thinking cheese from clear plastic wrappers was fancy.”
The lights fluttered again. “Oh, come on!” She opened a china cabinet door, removing several sized decorative candles and placed them around the living room and dining room in case the power went out during dinner. Ditching the wrappers in the garbage, she checked the food once more; the aroma made her stomach growl. She wasn’t a gourmet cook like her sister Sabrina, but held her own when it came to simple meals.
The doorbell rang getting her attention. Unable to remove the smile from her face, she wanted to look sophisticated rather than giddy when she opened the door. Passing the mirror hanging on the wall in the hall, she had to admit she looked gorgeous. The snug-fitting halter, midnight blue dress, hugged her in all the right places. The matching strappy stilettos gave her legs shape. The silver dangling earrings hanging from her ears and her hair pulled in a tight chignon, made her look stylish, and poised.
Calming her nerves, she opened the door. It was pouring rain, but she didn’t care. She focused on the man standing before her. He was tall, handsome and there to see her. She let out a breath, only realizing she’d been holding it in when she became lightheaded. “Mario, come in please.”
He stepped in the small foyer waiting for her to close the door. “Taylor, you look gorgeous, but then again, I wouldn’t expect you to look any other way,” he said with a crooked grin.
Parting her glossy lips, she said, “Thank you.” Slithering her hand down his arm, she raised her eyebrow flirtatiously. “And, you’re looking rather handsome yourself.” The after-work Mario was quiet appealing. His attire was appropriate for the casual dinner. Taylor loved how the polo shirt wasn’t too loose or too tight. It contoured to his torso outlining his well-developed abs, flat stomach, and trim waistline.
Mario removed a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. ”These are for you.”
She took a whiff of the colorful floral arrangement. The scent of the flowers smelled virtually as good as the Burberry cologne he wore. “The flowers are beautiful, how thoughtful of you to bring me flowers. Dinner will be ready shortly. Until then, I have a nice chardonnay and hors d'oeuvre waiting for you,” she said leading him to the living room.
He took the wine bottle from the tray and approved the purchase. “May I?” He asked.
She nodded. “Please do.”
He took the corkscrew from the tray and watched Taylor sit on the sofa crossing her legs. The legs he wanted so badly to trace his tongue starting from the base of her ankle to end at her hip. Removing the gold seal covering the cork, he inserted the corkscrew opening the wine with ease.
Pouring wine into each glass, he replaced the bottle on the tray handing her a glass. “Here you go. Shall we make a toast?”
Taylor held the glass by the stem waiting for him to sit next to her. “Should we toast to our health and friendship?”
Mario smiled repeating but adding an edit to what she said. “We can toast to our health, and hopefully more than just friendship.” He took a sip. “This is smooth. You have exquisite taste in wine considering your drink of choice is Jack and Coke.”
Taylor’s laugh was relevant to the airs she was putting on. Although she liked the wine, she preferred the hard stuff. “I’m batting two for two. Now if dinner garners any compliments, I will deem this night a success.”
“I’m sure dinner will be as delicious as the hands that prepared it,” he said looking over the rim of the glass at her as he drank more of the wine.
After a breathless minute of staring into his eyes, Taylor dropped her gaze. “You really have to stop saying things like that. It could get you everywhere.” She blushed. “Did I just say that after one sip of wine?”
His lopsided grin widened. With a wiggle of his brows, he said, “You have me curious what a whole glass of wine will get me.”
She leaned forward into him. “Mr. Infante, I nev
er let alcohol guide me to spontaneity. If you are curious about me, you will have to work the old fashion way to learn everything about me.”
His eyes traveled to the area of her ample cleavage spilling from the top of her dress. If she leaned down a tad further, he would be able to see the sexy valley between her breasts. Blinking he shook his head. “You’re killing me, Taylor,” he muttered, grabbing the throw pillow next to him to cover his midsection on the sly.
Taylor pretended not to notice his swift but concealing move. Licking her lips, she moved her head close to his face and said, “I’d better check on dinner. Keep my seat warm for me?”
He leaned back on the sofa resting his arms across the back cushions. The vision of her supple backside caused his groin to clench almost painfully upon watching the gentle sway of her hips. The beautiful movement of her body beckoned him, begging him to take her. Even if she didn’t know that’s what her body said, the message was loud and clear to him. Taylor James awakened every membrane in his body. He had to have this intriguing woman in his life, and soon.
*****
Dillon’s head bounced to the beat of the music playing on the radio and his fingers tapped on the steering wheel. Taylor’s favorite song by Prince was playing—what a coincidence. He was on his way to her house. He hadn’t seen his best friend in weeks, and since he was in the area, he wanted to drop by for a visit.
He looked at the clock it was almost 9:15pm. If Taylor wasn’t busy tonight, maybe, she would agree to see a movie or go to dinner. He pulled to the stop sign at the end of her street. His mouth watered as the ends of his lips curled into a grin.
He did this every time he thought of Taylor. The woman had an effect on him no other woman, including Kelly, could achieve. Kelly used to give him moderate arousal but since Taylor returned to town years ago, Kelly was a figment to him these days. And the sooner he could get rid of her, the sooner he could go to work on Taylor.
Her firmness of being best friends forever was ludicrous. Best friends made the best lovers because there were no secrets or surprises. They knew everything about each other. He knew Taylor’s likes and dislikes better than he knew his own.
In his mind, they went beyond the point of being best friends when they were teenagers. The separation of time is what kept them from pursuing a genuine relationship and now that Kelly was in the picture, she would not let him bring up the subject of them ever dating. But not tonight. Tonight he was going to make her see things his way and agree they belong together.
Dillon hummed as he drove down her street full of anticipation. He was so sure she would be receptive of his idea he’d packed an overnight bag. Together they would devise a plan on how to let Kelly down easy.
His humming faded as he spotted a car in Taylor’s driveway. The windshield wipers smeared the glass as he tried to figure out who drove that type of car. Who in her family could afford a BMW? He’d never seen it before, and Taylor drove a Lexus, so it wasn’t hers. His pulse raced. Maybe it was Sabrina’s car. Taylor and Sabrina hung out a lot together, and Sabrina made decent money as a hair stylist.
Parking his car behind the black BMW, he trotted to the front porch avoiding as many rain puddles as possible. He started to ring the doorbell when he saw the shadows of two figures moving in the dining room. Through the thick sheers, he could clearly see Taylor was entertaining, and it was not Sabrina.
Taylor was visible from where she sat in the dining room, but the visitor, he could only see the lower legs and feet. They belonged to a man. He sighed rubbing his forehead. Taylor was dating and had not bothered to let him know. Dillon continued to look through the window hoping the man would get up from the table to reveal himself. Suddenly, the quiet street and inside the house went dark. The power had gone out leaving only the candle on the table burning. No longer able to see what was happening, he left the porch letting the warm, hard-falling rain drench him.
Chapter 3
“I’m sorry we won’t be able to watch the movie but we can talk instead,” Taylor said pouring more wine in their glasses.
Mario lit the last of the candles and scooted closer to her on the sofa as they sat down. “I’m not really into movies. So talking is fine with one proviso though.”
Taylor stroked the side of her neck. “Hmm, throwing in a stipulation? Okay, what is the proviso I must abide by?”
He wanted to replace her finger caressing her neck with his. She had to know the motion was doing something crazy to him. He cleared his throat moving closer, so close a piece of paper couldn’t fit between them. “We don’t discuss business. The mood from the music before it was cut off, and the candles, call for romance and not work.”
Taylor fanned her face with her hand. Since the room was dimly lit, he could not see her flushed appearance. “I can abide by that.”
He winked his eye. “Wonderful, so let’s talk.”
Flustered, Taylor drank the wine too fast—it went straight to her head. “Is it warm in here to you? When the air conditioner is off, the house warms fast. I-I can open a window or the front door to get the air circulating.”
“I’m cool,” he said reaching for her hand. “Taylor, how long have we gone out—three or four weeks, maybe?”
“That sounds right. I really enjoy the salsa dancing. Can we do that again?”
“Anything you want,” he said placing kisses on her wrist and moving up her arm with gentle kisses until he reached her neck.
Taylor’s throat grew thick from his soft lips tickling her as he kissed her neck. Lifting and rolling her shoulder slightly got him to stop. She needed to contain her raging hormones and not jump his bones, but that wouldn’t be possible with him doing what he was doing. “Maybe we can do it again this weekend?”
Mario leaned back looking at her. “Am I making you nervous?”
She tried to switch legs to cross but with him so close to her, it made the move impossible without her leg crossing over his. She flipped the end of her earring and said, “Of course not.”
“I think I am; I feel the nervous vibes leaping off you.” He caressed her cheek with the side of his finger. “Don’t worry I will not do anything you don’t want me to.”
Taylor toppled the empty wine glass on the table so she wouldn’t lose her position by moving. Turning her head, she waited to kiss his finger as it made its way down her cheek past her lips.
She heard his intake of breath as her tongue caressed the length of his finger, drawing the tip between her full lips. He moved his finger across her lips, tracing their fullness. Taylor’s heart thumped wildly against the walls of her chest. Her eyes found his. The fire in them burned brighter than any candle in the room.
Using the tip of his nose, he touched hers as he whispered lowly, “Why don’t you have a special man in your life?”
She didn’t know if she should answer; his lips were too close to hers and if she formed her mouth to spit out a vowel, her lips would touch his. Breathless, she lowered her voice and said, “I’m not very lucky when it comes to love and romance.”
His hand went around her neck caressing the space between her ear and neck. “I’m about to change that,” he said, tilting his head to cover her mouth with his.
Taylor's insides melted feeling his tongue pass through her lips and into her mouth. The kiss was not the first, but the first passionate kiss. A quick goodnight kiss at the door was the norm until now.
She lifted her hand to caress the side of his face, traveling to his hair as the kiss deepened. He tasted good to her. Her skin sizzled when his hand pressed against her stomach. Somehow, he managed to keep his hands away from the forbidden zones of her breasts.
Her body naturally arched wanting more, but she did not push him; she wanted nature to take the course. And it would happen if his hand moved one inch upward. He would know just how excited he was making her.
Her cell phone rang, breaking them apart. Taylor was too weak to move, but the phone kept ringing causing her to move from the Mario�
�s arms.
“Hello,” she said in an irritated voice.
“Hey, Taylor; is everything okay at you place? Our power is off, and I didn’t want you to sit in the dark by yourself. I can come get you.”
“Dillon, my power is off also but I’m okay. I don’t need you to come over.”
“It will only take a minute. Kelly would love to have you spend the night with us.”
“No,” she spat loudly. “I’m okay with staying home, but thanks for the offer.”
“Are you sure? You sound weird.”
“I was in the middle of doing something, and really want to get back to it. I will see you at work tomorrow.”
“Sure, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Goodnight Taylor.”
“Goodnight, Dillon.”
The lights illuminated the room just as Taylor got off the phone. Pinching her lips together with her forefinger and thumb, she shook her head. “The lights are on.”
Sarcastically, he said, “Just in the nick of time. I take it that was Dillon checking on you?”
She nodded. “Yes, that was him. He is the brother I never had, and makes me glad I have a sister that can take a hint.”
He chuckled from his seat. “Men just blurt it out; women have to hint around they are entertaining a man.”
“Depending on whom you’re conveying the message, sometimes you have to be subtle. I wouldn’t want my mother to know what I was doing on a date,” she laughed.
“Gotcha, he said refilling his glass. “You and Dillon are that close he deems it necessary to check on you all the time?”
“We lived across the street from each other, went to school together, we attended the same functions. We’re damn near family. And, just like family, he has perfect timing whenever I have a date. He must have some kind of radar that reads ‘Taylor is on a date call and interrupt the moment now’,” she said making air quotes with her finger.
Mario sat up on the sofa bending over, so his arms rested on his thighs. “Taylor, may I ask you a personal question?”
OBSESSED WITH TAYLOR JAMES Page 3