Sinful

by Marie Rochelle

  She moved around him and stared up into his face. “So, how about it? Do you want to celebrate with me and my friends and eat a piece of carrot cake? I might even make some finger food to go with it.”

  “Hell, I’m good,” Jensen bragged as the anger left his body. “After one date you’re ready to introduce me to your girlfriends. I would love to meet them. Are they the same two I saw with you at the restaurant that night?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Jazmaine and Tatum. We’ve been friends since I moved here from Atlanta. We do everything together, but all of us have been so busy lately that we haven’t had the time to do anything.”

  Maymi wanted him to meet her friends so soon. He had dated Chloe for months and never was in the same room with one woman who liked her. None of them would have claimed Chloe as their friend, because she wasn’t a nice person.

  Her willingness to do this showed him she was open to them moving further than the one date.

  “I’ll be there and I guess I can bring Casper along with me. However, I’ll warn him to be on his best behavior. He can get a little out of hand sometimes around beautiful women.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Maymi scolded. “Casper is Casper. Besides, he isn’t the one I want my girlfriends to meet. You are.”

  Looking into Maymi’s eyes, Jensen saw the truth staring back at him. She was interested in seeing where things could go between them by inviting him to her party. He wouldn’t ruin it by allowing his unfound jealously of Casper to show its ugly head.

  “I will be there with Casper. What time is the party?”

  “Seven o’clock,” she answered.

  “How about I come over earlier and I’ll help you bake something. I mean there’s nothing more romantic than two people working together in the kitchen side by side.” The idea of watching Maymi bake seemed a lot more inviting this time then when he first saw her working at Sinful.

  “You are too much, Jensen.” Maymi was barely able to keep the laughter from her voice as she touched him on the arm. “The two of us inside the kitchen together working wouldn’t work. I think it would be better if you showed up at the designated time. I do my best work alone.”

  Grabbing her by the hips, he yanked Maymi to his body, grinding his erection against her. “I’ll have to disagree with you. I think some events are better with a partner.”

  She pressed closer, raking her fingers through his hair. “I agree with you, but having you inside my kitchen isn’t one of those things, sweetheart.” Maymi placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back.

  “I think it’s time for me to be heading home. I need to be at Sinful pretty early. I need to make some patty cakes and chocolate delights.”

  He gave Maymi a quick kiss. “I think it’s way too early for our date to end, but I understand about your job so I’ll take you home. I don’t want you missing out on any extra rest.”

  Placing his hand under her elbow, he led Maymi back through the hallway of The Botanic Gardens towards the front door. From the corner of his eye, he watched how she continued looking at everything like it was as incredible as when she saw it the first time.

  He never had a date before appreciate something so small. This restaurant was pricey, but not as expensive as some of the places Chloe whined about visiting until he took her just to shut her up about it.

  Jensen continued ushering Maymi down the hallway until they went down the circular steps then out the door to his car. He opened the passenger door to the black Lexus and waited while Maymi slipped inside giving him a peek of a smooth, toned brown thigh.

  His cock hardened inside his slacks at the captivating sight. Jensen pressed his palm against the door so he wouldn’t reach out and touch the silkiness of her skin. He stole one last look at his stunning date then closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  Jensen got inside closing the door behind him. The interior of the car seemed more intimate than before after the hot kiss he’d shared with Maymi. He wouldn’t be able to get it out of his mind.

  “Jensen, are you okay?” Maymi asked, touching him on the leg.

  Sighing, he looked over at her as he laid his hand on top of hers running his thumb over the back. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

  “Anything I should know about?” she asked.

  “No, sweetheart,” he answered. “There is nothing you should be worried about. I was only thinking. Let me get you home, so you can make those calorie packed treats of yours to entice my members.” Removing his hand from Maymi, Jensen started the car and drove off.

  ****

  “Would you like to come in for a drink?” Maymi asked, standing in the open doorway of her apartment with an almost hopeful glint in her eyes.

  If he came inside right now with the way he felt, Jensen knew that he wouldn’t be drinking coffee or anything else with Maymi. They both would be tearing off clothes and be naked on her couch having sex.

  He was barely holding on to his hunger to have her nipples inside of his mouth. They had been poking through the fabric of her dress for most of the night tempting...taunting him to do something about them.

  “No, I don’t think it would be a good idea,” he finally answered.

  “I understand,” she said. “I don’t know why I even asked you. I completely agree it wouldn’t be a good idea for either one of us.”

  Bending his head, he brushed his mouth across her cheek. He was entranced by the soft brown of her eyes, but he took a step back to clear his mind. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Several thoughts raced through his head about spending time in her apartment using that mouth for other things.

  “God, I need to get out of here before I do something that could ruin the wonderful night we just had.” He took a step away from Maymi trying to cool down his body.

  “Okay, I understand. I think you’re right. We might need to end our date here at the door. Goodnight, Jensen.”

  “Goodnight, Maymi.” He turned then started walking away, but he only made it a few steps before spinning back around and grabbing Maymi by the elbow. He pivoted her back around to face him. His mouth captured hers cutting off any protest she might have.

  His cock grew even harder as he pressed her back against the wall. Jensen felt himself getting further lost in her long, sweet, accepting kisses and if he didn’t stop now there would be no going back in a few minutes. He couldn’t let that happen with them. He gave her a few more kisses then backed away from the delicious temptation of her full lips.

  “Enough, I’m leaving now. I already have a long, cold shower in my future. I probably will at least have to stay in there until I can’t stand it.”

  Holding up his hand, he shook his head at Maymi when she took a step towards him. Jensen took another huge step back and continued doing the same thing until he could no longer reach out and touch her.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night?” Maymi asked stepping inside of her apartment.

  “You better believe you will,” he answered right as she closed the door gently in his face.

  Standing in the middle of the hallway, Jensen stared at the closed door for a few minutes. Maymi’s personality and wonderful sense of humor impressed him tonight. She hadn’t asked him too many questions but he wasn’t worried. She was very inquisitive, so it would only be a matter of time before she had some questions of her own. Jensen slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks and then moved in the direction of the elevator happier than he had been in a very long time.

  He liked the idea of looking forward to another date with Maymi and seeing where it would take them. He wasn’t usually fond of not having an agenda about the future, but this was a rare time he wasn’t going to plan everything out every single detail. Sometimes the unknown could be a lot sexier than he was giving it credit for.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Are you actually going to stand there icing cupcakes like we aren’t standing in front of you dying to hear about your date last night?” Tatum asked
, placing her hands on her hips.

  “Yeah, I mean I was up waiting for a phone call that never came. I’m hurt,” Jazmaine chimed in, glaring at her.

  Placing the pastry bag down on the counter, Maymi wiped her hands on a towel before she reached for the sprinkles. “There isn’t anything to tell,” she said, shaking the colorful sugar over the chocolate icing. “Jensen took me to the Botanic Gardens for dinner and then gave me a quick tour of the place. After that he drove me home then walked me to the door and that’s it.”

  Picking up the cupcakes, she stepped around the two nosey friends and went through the door into the bakery. She didn’t know what they wanted to hear, but she wasn’t about to tell them anything more than she had.

  Some of her date last night had to stay with her because it wasn’t any of their business to know that she almost slept with Jensen. God, they would never let her hear the last of it.

  “Maymi Raven Monroe, don’t you dare walk away from us. You know that I’m going to keep asking until I get what I want.”

  Rolling her eyes, she twirled around and found Tatum staring at her.

  “You haven’t been out on a date in forever and a day. How can you give us the Cliff Notes version with the sexiest man alive, Jensen. Did you really not kiss him or at least plan a second date?”

  “Well, maybe we did share a kiss or two,” she admitted.

  “Did he get to second base?”

  “Jazmaine!” Maymi gasped staring at the woman standing next to Tatum. “I’m not going into details with you.”

  Tatum’s eyes moved away from her over to Jazmaine. “I know one thing didn’t happen and that was a home run because our girl might love this bakery, but not enough to leave handsome Jensen alone in her bed. Besides, she’s just having a little fun for the moment. She isn’t about to fall in love with the guy.”

  “Okay, enough,” Maymi sighed. “My sex life, or lack of it, isn’t the concern of either one of you. How about you get out of here, so I can finish up stocking up the desserts before Olivia comes in? She was nice enough to close the bakery for me so I can start decorating for the party tonight. I need to make a few stops before I head home and get everything ready for tonight.”

  “Fine, Miss Spoilsport. I’m leaving,” Jazmaine said. ”I need to finish up something at the office anyway. Mr. Mashiro is still trying to get me to go out with him. It’s getting harder and harder to turn him down.”

  “I saw him giving a press conference about joining Kent Publications. I swear if his exotic face wasn’t a turn-on, his voice would do it for me in a hot second. Is there something seriously wrong with your head? Why aren’t you saying yes?” Tatum asked.

  Maymi wanted to admit she had wondered the same thing more than once. Mr. Mashiro was a very attractive man, so why wasn’t Jazmaine interested in going out on at least one date with him. She wasn’t buying her excuse about office romances.

  “I’ve told you why, because it wouldn’t be very professional for me to date a client. I love my job and dating a wealthy client wouldn’t look good for me. I can’t say how many work relations I’ve seen go downhill at my job, and when it’s over the woman is the one out looking for a new 9 to 5.”

  “They aren’t you. You can’t turn down Mr. Mashiro because of them,” Maymi pointed out.

  “Look, I can’t stay any longer. I need to go, “Jazmaine said, walking past Tatum and heading for the door. “I’ll be at your house a little before seven.”

  Maymi watched as Jazmaine rushed out the door without looking back in their direction. Jazmaine was hiding something from them. There was another reason why she was turning Mr. Mashiro down for a date and she would get to the bottom of it before long. Tatum might be good at keeping secrets from her, but Jazmaine wasn’t.

  “I better go and make sure she’s okay,” Tatum said, rushing by her and out of the building.

  She would have liked to go and check on them, but she still had a few more things to do before she could leave. Olivia would be here in less than an hour and she wanted to be ready. Heading back to the kitchen, she was halfway here when her cell phone rang. She took it out of her apron pocket and smiled when she noticed the name on the caller ID.

  “Hi,” she said, answering the phone.

  “Hi, yourself,” Jensen’s rich voice whispered into her ear. “How are you doing this morning? Did you sleep good last night? I know I had a very hard time because I kept replaying our kiss in my head.”

  “I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow,” she answered. “I wanted to tell you that I had an excellent time last night. I loved eating out underneath the stars inside the dome. I wasn’t expecting you to do something so romantic or creative for me.”

  Stopping at the end of the counter, Maymi stared out the window watching as Olivia’s car pulled up at the curb. She liked how she always kept her word and showed up on time for work. She was becoming an invaluable part of Sinful.

  “Babe, there’s a lot about me you don’t know. However, I would love to show you some more if you’re up to it,” he flirted.

  “Are you asking me out for another date that doesn’t include the party tonight?” Maymi asked, trying to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. “I mean we’re both so busy. I can’t promise I’ve the extra time to spend with you. Do you think you’ll be able to top yourself?”

  The long pause on the other end of the phone made her nervous. She waved at Olivia as she walked through the front door. She wondered what Jensen was thinking.

  “Oh, what, no answer?” she teased, trying to get him back into the conversation.

  “Darling, I have an answer for you. I can top last night’s dinner, but why should I tell you what it is when you aren’t giving me an answer to my question?”

  From the corner of her eye, Maymi noticed Olivia standing at the side munching on a cookie while eavesdropping on her conversation. She wasn’t going to be able to give Jensen a response without Olivia teasing her about it later.

  “Fine, I’d love to go another date with you, Jensen. Honestly, I was looking forward to seeing you tonight at the party. I think you’ll have a good time with my friends.”

  A deep masculine voice chuckled in her ear sending a tingling sensation straight to her pussy. God, Jensen was making her realize how long it had been since she’d made love to a man.

  Would he be the one able to get rid of her dry spell?

  Without a single doubt in her mind, she knew Jensen would have the keen ability to make her body sing with pleasure. Just the size of his hands had her wishing they had touched her more during dinner, but he was a perfect gentleman and left her at her front door with only a good night kiss.

  “I know that took a lot on your part to admit that you wanted me,” he exclaimed.

  Maymi nodded then stopped when she realized Jensen couldn’t see her. “Yes, it did. Don’t make me regret telling you the truth.”

  “Oh, you won’t baby. I have some excellent plans for us. I hate to cut this phone call short, but my class starts in a few minutes so I probably won’t see you until tonight.”

  “Alright,” Maymi answered. “Don’t forget to bring Casper.”

  Jensen sighed on the other end of the phone. “I won’t forget my little brother. He’ll be there unless he has other plans. Casper is never without a date, but I’ll make sure he understands that she isn’t invited.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know Casper was seeing anyone. I was hoping—”

  “What were you hoping for?” Jensen cut in with a little heat in his voice. “Is there another reason that you asked me to bring my brother?”

  She heard the hint of anger and Maymi wasn’t about to end their pleasant conversation on an argument. “It was nothing. Forget I even brought it up. I’ll see both of you tonight at seven. Bye Jensen.” Maymi hung up the phone before he could toss another question at her.

  She hated to even admit this to herself, but she was truly looking forward to seeing Jensen tonight at her place with e
veryone else.

  After the kiss they shared, it might be a good idea for them to be around other people this time. Since Jensen’s kisses were becoming more and more seductive to her wavering senses., they were leading her down a slippery slope she wasn’t ready for.

  All she was trying to do was have some fun and do a little harmless flirting on her date, but something happened that surprised her. Jensen showed her another side of him. The romantic, carefree Jensen wasn’t anything like the demanding bully who had barged into her business.

  The sound of fingers snapping in front of her face jolted Maymi back from her inner thoughts. Turning her head, she found Olivia standing not five feet from her with a huge grin on her face.

  “Care to tell me what has put that look in your eyes and that tiny smile on your face?” she asked. “Does it have anything to do with your date with the very attractive man next door?”

  Smothering a groan, Maymi stepped back. “Alright, I did go out with Jensen last night, but you already knew I had plans with him.. I really had a good time. ”

  Olivia’s eye rose in amazement. “Did you think you actually wouldn’t?” she questioned. “I mean every time the two of you are in the same room, everyone and everything else fades to the background as the sparks begin to fly. I’m surprised it took him this long before he asked you out on a date.”

  “We weren’t....I mean I wasn’t that obvious,” she denied. “I thought I hid my fascination for him pretty well.”

  Her employee made a tsking sound with her tongue. “If you believe that, you need to get away from those hot ovens even more. The sexual pull between the two of you almost made me feel like a Peeping Tom anytime I was around. However, I want you to remember something. Safe sex is always the best sex.”

  “Olivia,” she gasped, shocked.

  “Hey, I might be old enough to be your mother, but I do remember the days I was driven by explosive chemistry. It was so hard to say no, when all I wanted to do was strip him naked.”