by Ancelli
“What happened? You said your day started shaky.” José gazed at her as she slipped on lacy panties.
“I had three bouquets of roses waiting for me when I entered my classroom.” She grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it on. She wasn’t going to tell him she’d thought they were from him.
“Who sent you flowers?” José’s voice was stern.
Jewel leaned against her dresser. “Phil, and Chris.”
She could see José’s eye twitch a bit. “Why are they sending you flowers?” His pitch elevated with every word.
“For congratulations, I guess.” Jewel looked at him and smirked. “I gave them to the kids.”
His lips curled up. “Huh?”
“I gave one to each student to take home to their moms or dads.” She moved forward. “So, those flowers went to good use.”
He extended his hands, palms up, and she placed hers in his. José pulled her down against his body. “I missed your voice today.”
“Did you?” Jewel wiggled her eyebrows.
“I did.” He kissed her lips. “Muñeca, not a second goes by that I don’t think about you. Your smile…” He touched her lips with his fingers. “Your hair…” He pulled one of her tight curls. “Your body.” He tapped her ass. “Everything about you.”
Jewel’s grin couldn’t get any bigger. If someone had asked her a week ago if she thought José had any feelings for her, she would’ve said no. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now you know how I’ve been feeling for months.”
He gazed at her. “Months?”
“I wish you could see what I see when I look at you.” She caressed the nape of his neck with her fingers.
“And what’s that?” He clutched her ass.
“A gorgeous, strong, intelligent man.” She leaned in, speaking against his lips. “A man that won’t take no for an answer. You’re a go-getter.”
“Girl, you better stop talking like that.” José opened his legs wider.
Jewel could feel his erection. “Or else?” She scoffed.
In a sudden movement, José stood and took her mouth prisoner. His tongue assaulted her, and she willingly followed his lead, wrestling hers against his. She savored his taste, sucking, nibbling. He explored every crease of her mouth.
***
José backed away, catching his breath. “I see an amazing woman when I see you, my love…”
Jewel’s chest heaved as she tried to get her breathing to normal. José never took his gaze from hers as she moved away, and climbed on the mattress. “Time for bed.” She patted the spot next to her.
José crawled in beside her. “It’s time for bed.” He kissed her lips. “But we won’t be doing any sleeping.”
“Who needs sleep?” Jewel smiled against his mouth.
José leaned over to the nightstand, opened the top drawer, and groped for a condom, but clutched something else.
“Oh, what do we have here?” José chuckled, showing Jewel the item in his hand.
She crossed his chest to grab it. “Give me that.”
He laughed, and he reared away from her reach. Jewel sneered at him.
José moved his hand out her way. “As long as were together, you don’t need this shit.” He threw her purple vibrator on the floor.
Jewel hopped off the bed, and picked up her toy. “You won’t be here all the time.” She strolled over to her side table, and placed it in the drawer.
“If you’re horny, call me.” He winked at her. “I can please you better than that battery-operated shit.” José stuck his tongue out, wiggling it.
Jewel climbed back on the bed, crawled up, and straddled him. “Do that again.” She ground against him, rolling her hips.
José’s dashed his tongue through his lips. Jewel bowed her head, pressing her tongue to his and circling it. His rod was rock-hard as he slid it against her butt. José placed his hands behind her neck. He hungrily sucked on her lips, first the top and then the bottom one.
Within seconds, she made him dance to her silent music. Jewel pulled back, gasping for air. She beamed as she rose to her knees and stood up on the mattress, almost losing her footing before taking off her panties and T-shirt, exposing her full breasts and shaved pussy.
José got on his knees and gently began tugging her down by the waist. His hands traveled up her torso to her breasts, pinching her nipples and making her toss her head back. He bowed and began twirling his tongue around her right nipple as his other hand squeezed her ass.
“José…” she whimpered.
He slipped down the bed and urged her forward, placing his head in between her legs.
Jewel gazed down. “Are you going to show me how you work that tongue?”
“Sit,” José ordered as he gripped her thighs, and helped her against him. Jewel got down on her knees. He settled her down on his lips, barely touching her pussy. “Hmmm…” José hummed before he darted his tongue, grazing her clit and making her jump. He locked his arms to hold her hips down, and started flicking his tongue over her pearl.
“Oh God…” Jewel moaned, fisting the sheets next to his head.
José took turns licking, sucking, and nibbling her pussy. He started to stroke her core. “Mine,” he mumbled against her pussy. “Mia…”
“Oh…shit, baby… Yes!” she groaned through gritted teeth.
José opened her labia with his fingers, licked from the hood to her core, and started tongue-fucking his queen. He replaced his tongue with his digits and stroked her soft tissue. José searched for her G-spot as he curled his fingers upward, feeling her walls contract against his fingers.
Jewel’s channel was getting wetter with each stroke he gave. Her legs began shaking uncontrollably, fucking his face as she locked his head in between her thighs.
“Yes…yes…right there!” she yelled.
“Come for me.” José plunged into her core and wrapped his lips around her nub, flicking it. He could feel her muscle closing in on his fingers.
“Si! Yes!” Jewel shouted. She punched the bed, and shivered for a moment, and then she was still. Long minutes passed before Jewel pushed herself up, and moved down to straddle him.
José wiped his mouth and cuddled her, pressing her body against his. With slow strokes, he caressed her legs.
She opened her eyes, staring at him. “You’re right. I don’t need that battery-operated shit.”
José laughed. “Go to sleep.”
She lifted her head. “What about you?”
“Baby, I get off when you do.” He nipped at her neck. “Go to sleep. You had a long day.”
Jewel wrapped her hand around his erect penis. “He wants to play.”
“He can wait.” José massaged her shoulders. “You’ll owe me.”
Damn, this was new. He’d never been a selfish lover, but he always made sure he got his, too. Jewel was tired, and she came first. Before he knew it, she was out. Her soft snores reverberated against his chest. José gently tugged the sheets over their bodies. Jewel felt so perfect in his arms, he kept her lush body against his for the rest of the night.
Chapter Twenty-Three
José pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed.
“Hola,” Jewel sang.
“Hey, beautiful.” He imagined her smiling.
“Handsome, what’s up?”
“I’ve been having a lousy day, and just needed to hear your voice.” José held the industrial mop in one hand.
“What happened?”
“I won’t be able to make it to class tonight.” He placed the mop in the bucket, looking down the hall. He had two more floors to go. He was annoyed. Every time he cleaned an area, someone would walk right through it, even though there were fucking signs advising of the wet floor.
“Why?”
“We have to wax floors after working hours.”
“José, you have a test tonight.”
“Babe, I’ll e-mail the professor later.” He wrung the mop into the bucket. “Frank said it’
s some new thing we have to do every other Friday.”
“That sucks.”
“How’s your day so far?”
“Good. The kids always find a way to brighten my day. I was about to go to lunch, when—”
“Are you supposed to be on your phone?” A man’s voice came from behind him.
José sighed. “Babe, I have to go.”
“Bye, Joe. Please don’t get in trouble.” Jewel made her kissing sound.
“Bye.”
“Did you hear me?” the man asked.
José slid the phone into his pocket and spun around to meet the gaze of the man Connie had been with two months earlier. Aaron seemed surprised to see him, and then he smirked.
“You,” Aaron scoffed.
José dipped the mop into the bucket, wrung it out again, and continued cleaning.
Aaron stepped in front of him. “So, this is the department you work for?” He chuckled. “Cleaning? You’re a fucking janitor.”
José clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the asshole in front of him.
“I can’t believe Connie had a thing for the janitor. A fucking custodian! All this time I thought my competition was an executive.” Aaron laughed, shaking his head. “She must have been going through a phase.”
José stopped what he was doing and glared at the guy. If he only knew. Connie kept calling and leaving messages, trying hard to see him. Every time he saw her in the hallway, he would go in the opposite direction, hoping she wouldn’t follow him.
“Not talking now?” Aaron tapped his index finger to his mouth. “Why wouldn’t you give a classy woman like Connie the time of day? She’s educated, and has what I know people like you want: money. It doesn’t hurt that she is gorgeous. You choose that other black woman over her.”
José slammed the stick down, feeling his nose flare. The asshole was treading on thin ice; he better not talk about Jewel.
“What does she have that Connie doesn’t? In my opinion, my girl would be the winner.”
José cracked his neck.
“Tell me…José, is it?” Aaron read the name on his shirt and smirked again.
“Watch what you say next!”
“Is it true what they say? The blacker the berry, the sweeter the—”
He didn’t get to finish the sentence. José sent his fist forward, hard. The crunch of bone smashing filled the space between the two men.
José drew his hand back. Blood poured from Aaron’s nose. “I fucking told you to watch your mouth!” José snapped. He was about to hit him again, but instead took a deep breath. Shit, shit. He took a step away, staring at his knuckles. Old habits died hard.
He held his nose. Streams of blood colored the skin between his fingers. “You broke my nose. You fucking broke my nose!”
Frank rushed up in between them. “Mr. Ramsen.”
“Want him fired now!” Aaron yelled.
Frank pulled a napkin from his pocket and handed it to him. Aaron snatched the tissue from him, and clutched his nose.
“That thug attacked me for no reason.”
“Sir, no disrespect, but you egged him on. We heard the whole thing.” Frank pointed at the workers coming toward them from around the corner.
Aaron watched the other three women down the hallway. “We will see. He will be fired before the end of this work day.” He marched down the hall to the elevator.
The vein in José’s neck throbbed. Frank watched him closely. “Son, I don’t know if I can save you, but if he had been talking about my Ellen, I would’ve done the same.”
José took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He’d just fucked up. “I apologize, Frank.”
“No need, son.” Frank patted his back. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Human Resources. We are about to get summoned.” They walked over to the elevators, and he pushed the button. “I would’ve never defended any of those other fools that worked for me before, but you? You’re a hard worker.”
“Thanks.” José hung his head.
“Don’t thank me yet.”
***
José was in the kitchen, talking to Carlitos on Skype while making a small meal, when he heard the front door open and close. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Daddy.”
Jewel walked into the kitchen, glancing at her watch. “I thought you were working late?” She strolled over to where he stood and kissed him.
“I was suspended from work.” José said in a low voice.
“Come again?”
“I was suspended from work for five days.”
Jewel’s brows meet in confusion. “What happened? Was it because you were on your phone talking to me?”
“No.” He looked away from her. “That punk Aaron pushed my buttons and I lost it for a few seconds. And in those seconds I punched him.” José slammed his fist on the counter. “I let him get to me.”
“Who?”
“The guy we saw with Connie.”
“Oh, this is about her?” Jewel’s full lips thinned.
José drew back, crossing his arms over his chest. “You think I would get suspended over her?” he pointed out. “I warned him to keep you out his mouth and he didn’t.”
“Me?” She pointed at herself. “Why did he mention me?”
“Babe, it doesn’t matter.” He caressed her face. “I will never let anyone disrespect you.”
“That bad, huh.” She gazed at him. “José, words can’t hurt us. Let people talk.”
José’s lips curled up. “Remember that next time someone insults you.”
She winked, picking up a piece of carrot, and pointed at him. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
He chuckled. “I overreacted.”
“Naw…really.” Jewel giggled. “We make a great couple.”
José smiled. “At least I still have a job.” he took her hand. “I was praying I didn’t have to come home and tell you I was fired.”
“Is he pressing charges?”
“No.” José took a bite of the salad in front of him. “He said some things that could get the company in ethical trouble. I think they’re afraid if he presses charges, I would sue them on equal-opportunity allegations. He thinks my people are a certain way, and he mentioned something else.” He wasn’t going tell her about the part that pertained to her. “Frank stood by me. He and two other employees explained what they heard and saw.”
“Did he get reprimanded?”
“He got a slap on the wrist.” José placed two plates on the table. “He was warned to keep away from me.”
“Next time, please try to keep your cool.” She popped the carrot in her mouth. “You need your job.”
“I know. I thought about that when I threw the punch, but it was too late,” he moved retrieving two glasses from the cabinets.
Jewel eyed him. “Think before you act.” She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade.
José stared at her. She was right, but all he needed at the moment was for her to be on his side.
She walked over to the table and set the pitcher down. “I will always be here for you. No matter what,” she said quietly, making him feel much better. Yeah, she’s the one.
“Come on, let’s eat before I have to go to class.” He sat and patted the seat next to him. “Maybe when I get back we can go out, do something fun. I need to unwind.”
Her eyes sparkled. “I would love that.”
“Then it’s a date.” He gave her a peck on the cheek.
***
“Let’s go dancing.” José zipped up his black slacks, and grabbed his white button-down dress shirt.
“Okay.” Jewel smoothed her black maxi dress, slipping on a pair of gold sandals, to match her gold hoops and bangles. She wrapped a gold-and-black band around her head, pushing back her curls. “Is this okay or do I have to put on something more formal?”
“You’re beautiful.” He stared at her shiny lips. Jewel’s makeup was flawless like alwa
ys. She’d mentioned once that she loved earth colors. When he had extra money he would go and get her something earth color, whatever that was.
“I know this small salsa club.” He stared at her. “Do you know how to salsa?”
She stepped front and then back, twirling around, making him smile. “I can run circles around you.” Jewel picked up her purse.
“Really.” José chuckled. “Ready?”
“As soon as you pick up that towel off the bed.”
José shook his head, grabbed the towel, and marched it straight to the bathroom. Jewel always got on him about leaving the wet towel on the bed or his clothes on the floor. He strolled back into the room.
“Ready now?”
They drove over thirty minutes. Jewel observed her surroundings as they passed a girls and boys club. She took note that it would be a great place to visit. Jazmine had been talking about doing another charity event. José drove through the inner city. Jewel noticed a lot of abandoned buildings.
“That used to be me.” José glanced over at her, and pointed at the teenagers marking the buildings. “I wish I knew then what I know now.”
“You can make a difference.” She stroked the back of his hand. “I just saw a boys and girls club. Maybe we can come and help out.”
“Never thought about that.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“Young boys will listen to someone that’s been through it, who can relate to their experiences.” She looked out the window. “You should think about it.”
“I will.” He pulled into a dark alley.
She could see people standing outside a white building with chipped paint and a huge sign that read “Tropicana”.
“Welcome to my world.” José parked in the rear.
Jewel surveyed her surroundings. The club was located in a rougher area of downtown. People lined up around the building.
“Why didn’t you tell me the dress code?” Women wore barely anything, leaving nothing to the imagination. She felt a little out of place in her ankle-length dress.
“You look great.” José took her hand in his. “I love you just the way you are.”