Not Always

by Ancelli

  She turned the knob, opening the door. “In what, a taxi?” She laughed.

  José chuckled dryly. “You got jokes. Just be ready.”

  Michelle watched as they passed by her desk. He winked at her as he followed Connie. She grinned and Connie glanced at her. “Michelle, don’t you have some reports to run?”

  “Yes, of course.” She started typing.

  “Have a nice day, Michelle.” José waved.

  “One more thing: no flirting or messing around with the staff.” She pushed the round, red button. The elevator doors opened with a ding and they stepped in.

  He stepped closer to her. “Is that a company policy, too?”

  She moved back, giving herself some room. “It’s my policy.”

  José smiled. “Understood. You’re jealous.”

  “No, I just don’t want you breaking these naïve girls’ hearts.” She glared at him.

  “I always tell them my intentions. If they accept it from the beginning, their hearts shouldn’t break. I like to keep things real.”

  “Does that always work?”

  “I’m changing.”

  The elevator bounced when it reached its destination in the basement and the metal barrier silently unsealed. They strolled down the hall.

  “Is that your intention with me?” she asked while they walked.

  José didn’t know what he wanted with Connie, but he was feeling more than what he usually felt for other women. “I’m not sure.”

  Connie suddenly stopped. “Not sure?” She crossed her arms under her bust, giving him the opportunity to stare at her cleavage.

  Instead, he met her gaze. “I want to go on dates and see where things could go. It’s more than sex.”

  “It will never happen.” She continued until she reached a blue door, and knocked.

  “And why is that?” he asked, barely touching her.

  Connie was about to answer when someone pulled the door open. It was a short, old, stubby Caucasian man. “Frank, this is José. He’ll be working with you.”

  José extended his hand and shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  The older man released his hand. “Let’s see if you’ll feel the same way after a week. The last guy quit after two days.”

  “I’m not a quitter, sir.” He stared at him.

  “I leave you in good hands.” Connie moved away from the door. “Gentlemen, have a great day.” She turned away and marched slowly down the hall toward the elevator.

  José followed her movement with his eyes.

  “She’s out of your league,” the older man said.

  José looked at him. Was he right? Was she too good for him?

  “Let me show you around.”

  Frank gave him a tour of the whole building. José couldn’t believe only two people cleaned the entire building. This job required about five people to get it done right—but he wasn’t a quitter. This was just another challenge.

  ***

  José was mopping on the second floor when his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen, and smiled, rapidly tapping the screen to answer. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be teaching?” He chuckled.

  “I gave the class a break.”

  “And you just happen to think about me? How sweet.”

  “Whatever! How’s your first day going?” Jewel asked.

  “It started off a little bit shaky.”

  “Why?”

  “I was ten minutes late. I just have to leave an hour early.”

  “You took the bus?” she asked, surprised.

  “Javier and Jazmine work. They need their cars.”

  “José, you work in the same building as Jazmine,” she said in a stern voice.

  “That’s a long story. I’m good.” He sighed. “It’s only two o’clock, and I’m exhausted,” he said, wringing the mop in the bucket. “But other than that, I’m good.

  “No, you’re not good.”

  He could hear the concern in her voice. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  “I understand that, but why go through shit when you have people to help you out?” He could hear the kids. He assumed they were coming back from their break. “I’ll drop off my car tonight.”

  “Jewel, I’m okay.”

  “Or would you rather ride my Ninja.”

  “Your bike, really. What would I look like riding a purple motorcycle with Biker Babe on the front fairings?”

  Jewel snickered. “Hold on.” He waited while she spoke to one of her students. “I wont take no for an answer. I’ll pick you up. See you later.”

  With that, she hung up without giving him a chance to say no. Jewel was a diamond in the rough. He was thankful for the new friend he’d found in her. She was like a sister.

  Hell no.

  Sometimes, when she smiled with those full, luscious lips, his mind went to a dirty place. Thinking about it now made his dick throb.

  “While you’re working, you can’t use your cell phone,” Frank said as he inspected José’s work.

  “It won’t happen again.”

  Chapter Three

  José was at the bus stop, his head resting on the plastic bench, when Jewel slowly rolled to the stop in her black Mustang.

  “Get in.”

  The other people stared at him as he got up, strolled over to the car, opened the door, and sat. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I was waiting for you in front of the building for fifteen minutes.” She peeled away from the curb.

  “Sorry, I thought you weren’t coming.” He sighed. His first day had been too long, but the highlight had been seeing Connie.

  “One thing about me, I always keep my word.” She maintained her eyes forward.

  “I’m sorry.” He touched her arm. “You didn’t have to do this, you have a life.”

  “I know I don’t have to do it.” She took her eyes off the road for a few seconds and glanced at him. “I know how it feels when you’re starting over.”

  José didn’t ask what she meant by that comment. If she wanted to share she would. Beyond that, the route she was taking wasn’t familiar. “Where are we going?”

  “To Harrison High School.”

  “For what?” His voice came out louder than he’d wanted.

  She slowed down. “You want to get your GED, right?”

  José didn’t answer; he just stared at her. He was too tired for this. He’d been procrastinating his studying for the test. He would do it when he was ready.

  “You have to prepare for it. You have to go over math, social studies, writing, reading, and science. My friend is going to give me some study guides.”

  “Jewel, why are you doing this?” he softly asked, feeling bad for the way he was behaving.

  “Joe, you’re family, and where I come from we take care of one another. I know you’re tired. I’m tried too, but in the long run it will all be worth it.” She turned into the school parking lot.

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  Jewel pulled up to her house and parked in the driveway. She turned to José. “If you need help studying let me know.”

  “You’ve done more than enough already.” José looked over the books.

  She knew he might be feeling overwhelmed, it had been years since he went to school.

  She turned, picked up her briefcase, opened the car door, and stepped out as José came out the car.

  “Take care of my baby.” Jewel guided her hand over the hood of her Mustang.

  “Jewel, I’ll be okay. I can take the bus.” José stared at her. “You need your car.”

  “I have my motorcycle,” she pointed at her garage.

  She couldn’t help but gaze into his mesmerizing, light brown eyes. José was a gorgeous man, and he knew it. When he entered a room he got stares from both women and men. He wore his brown, wavy hair a bit long, so it touched his collar. She watched his sexy swagger as he began walking over to where she was standing. He was tall and muscular, with broad sho
ulders and clear, olive skin. Her mind went places—off-limits fantasies—as she examined his full lips. Jewel’s gaze followed his every move, those washout jeans hugged his thighs, and the black polo shirt showed off big triceps and biceps. José and Javier hit the gym five days of the week, and it showed. She wondered if he also had the women at his job falling to their knees in want.

  “Just take it.” Jewel leaned against her car.

  José stood in front of her, and her heart beat double time. Jazmine hadn’t been wrong when she’d said José was hot. They’d hit it off from the first time they met, but there was no physical attraction on his part. He only saw her as the sister-in-law or friend. Jewel’s body told her differently; every time she was near him, her core tingled. She knew she wasn’t his usual size-two type. She was thick in all the right places. Jewel was blessed with big hips, ass, and breasts. Despite his preferences, she was comfortable in her own skin, and she wouldn’t allow herself to feel less for any man.

  José moved forward and circled his arms around her in an embrace. “You’ve been a life saver since I’ve met you.” He brushed his lips across her cheek.

  Jewel could feel the moisture on her panties the moment his soft, full lips touched her skin. She placed her arms loosely around his waist.

  José pulled back. She felt lost when he moved away, even though he stared at her with those amazing eyes.

  “Make sure you study.” Jewel turned away from the car and began walking up the driveway.

  José opened the car door. “You know I’ll need help.” He tossed the words back as he got into the vehicle.

  She watched as he placed the car in reverse and drove away. What the hell was happening to her? First, her sister fell deeply and madly in love with Javier, and now her. She wasn’t in love with José. Love was the last thing she needed. It was just his sexual appeal, she told herself as she walked into her lonely house.

  Jewel turned on the light to her left and placed her briefcase on the side table. She sighed, looking at her empty home. She remembered when she’d bought the house three years before. It had been one of the happiest days of her life. She’d finally made one of her dreams come true, owning her own home. Now, though, the house was starting to feel too big for her. Four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a huge back yard, and no one to share it with.

  “Maybe it’s time to sell,” she said softly to herself. Jewel sat on her brown sofa, turning on her flat-screen. “Not.”

  Her cell phone rang, and she grabbed it from her pocket. “What’s up?”

  “You haven’t called me in about a week. What’s up with that?” Emma’s voice echoed through the receiver.

  “I was busy.” Jewel rested her head against the pillows.

  “Really. Too busy to pick up the phone and check up on your pregnant best friend?”

  Jewel chuckled. “I know Ralph is taking good care of you.”

  “Ralph isn’t you.”

  “That sounded so gay!” They both started laughing.

  Emma and Jewel had met in high school. They’d hated each other at the beginning but one day some girls jumped Emma because she was of a different race, and the only people who jumped in and defended her had been Jewel and Jazmine. From that day on, Emma stuck to her like glue, annoying her at first, but they soon became best friends. Jewel had been Emma’s maid of honor at her wedding.

  “How’s the baby?” Jewel asked as a text came through. She clicked on the icon.

  “Your niece is doing great,” Emma sang into the phone.

  “It’s a girl!” Jewel squealed.

  “Yes, Ralph is beside himself. Last time she hid, but this time she showed herself.” Emma’s voice was giddy with joy.

  Jewel glanced at the text on her phone. It was from José. Thx, it read. She smiled, and sent back a smiley face.

  “What’s wrong?” Emma asked her.

  “Nothing.” She grabbed the remote and changed the TV channel.

  “Don’t lie to me. You’re too quiet.”

  “I was just thinking maybe it’s time to sell the house. It’s become too big for me,” she said, looking around.

  “But you love that house! If anything, rent it out.”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that.”

  “What about a roommate?”

  “Maybe getting a roommate would work. The house won’t feel as big with someone else living in it,” Jewel said, getting up and walking into the kitchen. “But I would be living with a complete stranger, I don’t know if I can get use to that.” She opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and went back into the living room.

  “I can have Ralph post the ad in the newspaper, and I will run a background check on all the applicants.”

  She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

  “You don’t want to sell your dream house.”

  “Thanks, girlie. Hey, I promise to call you tomorrow. I have some papers to grade, and some shows to catch up on.” Jewel picked up her briefcase.

  “Yeah, yeah right. Bye, Jewel.”

  “Bye.”

  She sat behind her small, wooden desk, and began grading her students’ math assignments. Jewel couldn’t help thinking, wondering, if José would come to see her tomorrow.

  Chapter Four

  Connie placed her purse down and sat behind her desk, staring at the huge bouquet of red and pink roses. She pulled the card out of the small envelope, and smiled wider as she read.

  Good morning beautiful,

  I saw these and thought of you.

  See you on Friday.

  José

  He had been working with the company for over two weeks. Frank had been very impressed with his work ethic so far. She shook her head, thinking about the last time she’d seen him in the hallway. He’d cornered her in an empty conference room where no one could see them, and brushed his talented lips against her neck. Connie had to admit, he had some kind of hold on her.

  She didn’t know why but her heart skipped a beat every time she thought of José. He was a determined man; he didn’t take no for an answer. She inhaled the scent from one of the roses, then startled when someone knocked on her office door.

  “Come in.”

  Jazmine strolled across the threshold. “They’re beautiful,” she said, staring at the flowers as she sat in the chair in front of the desk. “Who’s your admirer?”

  Connie softly chuckled. “Your brother-in-law. He won’t take no for an answer.”

  “The Martinez brothers are very determined men. Once they see something they want they go after it, and you are it for José.”

  “Well, he’s not it for me.” Connie placed the flower back in the vase.

  “And why is that?” Jazmine crossed her legs. “Because that smile tells me something else.”

  “No offense to you, Jazmine, but José is not in my league.” She stared at her friend.

  Jazmine sat up straight. “Excuse me?”

  “He has no education. He’s a janitor, for heaven’s sake.” Connie powered up her computer.

  “He’s a janitor because you got him that job.” Jazmine’s voice sounded hurt. “José has been through a lot in his life, and I’m proud of him for trying to be better. He has been studying for his GED. He’s getting his shit together. I can’t believe you’re judging him, you of all people.” Jazmine glared at her.

  That last statement hurt Connie, because it came from her friend. “I’m happy he’s getting—as you put it—his shit together, but I want more. I want a man that can take care of me, not the other way around. I don’t need a man with a police record. If that makes me stuck up, oh well.”

  Jazmine just stared at her. “If that’s how you really feel, you need to stop stringing him along.”

  “I’m not stringing anybody along.” She moved forward on her desk.

  “When your tongue is in his mouth, I would say so,” Jazmine said in a stern voice. “Enough of that. I’m here about a report. What you do in your
love life is none of my business.”

  Connie couldn’t believe the way Jazmine reacted. If it were anybody else, Jazmine would have her back, but since it was her brother-in-law, apparently it was different.

  “Why are you being such a hypocrite?” Connie asked, crossing her arms.

  “I’m not being a hypocrite. I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, he has a past. Who doesn’t? If I thought José was a bad guy, I would tell you, brother-in-law or not. If you’d told me you didn’t want to go out with him because he was or is a ladies’ man, then I would understand and probably say you’re right, but no. You said he was beneath you, and yes, I have a problem with that.”

  “You wouldn’t give a man like José a second glance.”

  “I did.”

  Connie opened her mouth slightly to say something, but decided against it.

  “Now getting back to the reports.” Jazmine opened her organizer.

  ***

  “They need to hurry up and fix the air conditioner.” Connie fanned herself with the paper she had in her hand.

  Connie and Jazmine came around the corner to the sight of three young female employees gawking at someone or something in the conference room.

  “What’s going on?” Jazmine asked them as they walked closer.

  “Nothing. We’re just watching that fine specimen.” Linda pointed at a man vacuuming the carpets.

  It was José, and he was wearing a white tank top and jeans. His muscles bulged every time he swung the vacuum. Damn, he looked hot. Connie examined his lean form. He had a couple of tattoos on his biceps. She’d never liked tattoos, but today she had a change of opinion about a few things. José grabbed the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, making her gasp when she saw his washboard abs.

  “The things I could do to him,” the other lady said.

  “Stop looking at him like he was a piece of meat and get back to work,” Connie spat at the ladies. “That can be considered sexual harassment.” The women took one more glance and rushed to their offices.