She had a feeling that Michelle understood as well. The grin she wore got smirkier. Then she said, “Hmmm, I must say, Dominique, it’s about time you decided to let your hair down.”
Five
Dominique inwardly groaned. The last thing she needed was Michelle being a smart-mouth, and from the amused expression on her sister’s face, she was being entertained at her and Jordan’s expense.
“Michelle,” she said, glaring at her sister. “Don’t you believe in knocking?”
Michelle shrugged, not bothered by Dominique’s apparent anger. “Sure I do. However, according to Ruth, you said I didn’t have to be announced, so I assumed that meant I could just walk in. Had I known you and this gorgeous hunk were engaging in such important business, I would definitely have knocked first.” Her smile widened. “But I’ll be more than happy to step back outside awhile and chat with Ruth while the two of you finish up what you were doing.”
No, no, no. The last thing she needed was Michelle hanging around and chatting with Ruth. “Maybe you should go on home and call me later tonight,” she suggested.
“And miss the chance to meet this guy? Are you crazy!”
Dominique raised her eyes to the ceiling, asking for strength and tolerance. At the moment she could very well kill her sister. Seeing no other choice, she made introductions. “Jordan, this is my sister, Michelle.”
“Hi, Michelle.”
“Oh, my, you sound just as sexy as you look.”
A husky chuckle came from deep within Jordan’s throat. “Thanks.”
Dominique groaned. “Go away, Michelle. Now,” she said warningly. She glanced up at Jordan. He was smiling, but so far he wasn’t drooling, like most men did whenever they saw Michelle.
“Oh, all right,” Michelle said with a pretended pout. “I’ll be waiting outside.” And with that last statement she opened the door and eased it closed behind her.
Dominique stepped away from Jordan and walked over to her desk. She wondered if she could pay Michelle to keep quiet about today. Chances were that even now she was spilling her guts to Ruth.
“That’s your sister?”
Jordan’s question interrupted her thoughts. She met his gaze and saw an amused expression on his face. “So I’m told, although I wonder at times. All I know is that when I was two years old, my parents brought her home from the hospital, and she’s been a thorn in my side ever since.”
He chuckled. “No, I don’t think so. It’s obvious the two of you are close.”
She gave him a startled look. “How could you tell that?”
His smile widened. “Because my brother and I act the same way. Although we get on each other’s nerves at times, we’re very close.”
“Does he still live in London, Ohio?”
“No. We moved away from home when we left for college, but since we’re a pretty close family, we usually go home for the holidays as well as other times in between. My parents are doing fine and are in good health, but they claim they need to see us every once in a while.”
She nodded, wondering if his brother looked anything like him. “What is your brother’s name? How old is he?”
“His name is Auburn, and he is three years younger than me. He’s a doctor living in Atlanta.”
Dominique lifted a curious brow. “And how old are you?”
“I’m thirty-five.” He tilted his head and smiled at her. “So there you have the history of the Prescott brothers.”
Dominique blinked. “Prescott?”
“Yes, Prescott,” he said, recalling that he hadn’t shared his last name with her until now.
“Jordan Prescott.” Dominique let the name roll slowly off her lips, liking the sound of it. In fact she liked the sound of it too much. Her gaze met his again, and for an instant she froze. Less than ten minutes ago she had gotten the kiss of her life from him, and now, at this very moment, those memories were attacking her better senses. Everything about him was overwhelming: the way he kissed, the way he was built, his strength, his scent… and, she thought, as her gaze dropped to his midsection, even his erection. She couldn’t believe that after all this time it hadn’t gone down.
Taking a deep breath, she clamored to get her thoughts in order. “Look, Jordan, I have to talk to my sister before she does too much damage with her wagging tongue.” Quickly crossing the room, she picked up his briefcase off the floor and handed it to him. “I suggest that you continue to use this as a shield for now.”
He chuckled in a low, sexy way as he took the briefcase from her hand. “And later?”
“Later I suggest you take a cold shower.”
Jordan didn’t hold back his mirth when he laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound that did crazy, intimate things to Dominique’s insides. “Yes, I guess that would work. And what about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes, tomorrow. Will you meet me at the park in the morning?”
Dominique knew she shouldn’t consider doing such a thing, but she was considering it. “Will you be able to keep yourself under control?”
Jordan grinned. “Hey, you can’t hold me responsible when you’re the reason I’m behaving this way. It’s not my fault that I find you so incredibly sexy.”
His words made Dominique’s pulse rate quicken and filled her with a pleasure she had never felt before. “Yes, I’ll be at the park in the morning.”
“And you won’t stand me up again?” he asked, drawing her closer to him.
For once Dominique knew she would not back out. Maybe her family and Ruth were right. It was time to finally put Kenneth and his betrayal behind her and really start living again. “No, I’ll be there.”
He leaned over and gently kissed her lips. “Then I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nodded and watched as he crossed the room and walked out of her door.
***
Michelle’s eyes widened. “So you’re really going to have an affair with him?”
Dominique rolled her eyes, hoping no one else in the restaurant had heard Michelle’s outburst. “If that’s your way of asking if I’m going to be sleeping in his bed tomorrow night, the answer is no. What it means is that I’ve agreed to go jogging with him again in the morning. Then I’ll see how things progress from there once we get to know each other better.”
“But you’re not interested in anything long-term and serious?”
“Right. I don’t want anything long-term and serious.”
Michelle took a sip of her soda. “I don’t know, Dom; not everyone is into recreational sex.”
“Recreational sex?”
“Yes, sex with no strings attached as long as the partner is safe. That’s just not your style. You’re the kind of woman destined to love any man you sleep with. To you sex and love go hand in hand. You’re definitely not into having sex just for the fun of it.”
Dominique cocked a brow. Sex for the fun of it? That sounded pretty much like another name for casual sex to her. “Is that the kind of sex you’re into these days?”
“Are you kidding? Who’s having sex these days?” Michelle asked, sounding totally frustrated. “I haven’t even slept with a man in over six months. Not since I told Marcus to go to hell and carry his interfering mama with him. Like I said, I have issues to work out before I become involved with anyone else.” She leaned back in her chair. “Now, getting back to Jordan. Did you say he has a brother?”
“Yes, and he’s a doctor in Atlanta.” Dominique raised a dark brow. “Why?”
“Ummm, no reason. Just curious.”
Dominique sharpened her gaze. Her sister was never “just curious” about anything. She was downright nosy. “Is there anything or anyone else you’re “just curious” about?”
Michelle smiled sheepishly. “Well, now that you’ve mentioned it, there is someone else. That well-dressed, extremely sharp, very good-looking brother who’s one of Danah Fairchild’s attorneys. Am I to understand that he works at the same law firm as Jor
dan?”
Dominique knew Michelle was referring to Royce Parker. “Yes.” She couldn’t help but smile. Parker had been impressive in the courtroom today. His legal skills had been exemplary. However, she wasn’t stupid. His finesse as an attorney had nothing to do with her sister’s interest. Shaking her head, Dominique glanced down at her watch. “I have to get to bed early tonight. And Michelle, I prefer if you didn’t say anything to the family just yet. I don’t want them getting their hopes up. It will be hard for them to understand that Jordan won’t be a permanent fixture in my life.”
“Too late. Ruth has already told Gramma. She was talking to her on the phone when we left.”
Dominique raised eyes to the ceiling. “Doesn’t Gramma have better things to do with her time than gossip with Ruth?”
Michelle shook her head. “Not on the days Grampa goes to his Masonic Lodge meetings. It’s my guess that Mom and Dad know by now, too.”
“Is there such a thing as privacy in our family?”
“No. So if you start sleeping with Jordan, I suggest you play it safe and stay overnight at his place. You never know when someone in the family might unexpectedly pop up.” She smiled wickedly. “Like I did today. It’s a good thing I interrupted things when I did. Five minutes longer and he would have had you stretched out on your desk.”
Dominique’s color darkened. “No, he would not have.”
“Wanna bet?”
Dominique shook her head. No, she didn’t want to bet. In fact, she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Glancing around she caught the waiter’s attention and motioned for their check. She and Michelle made it a point to dine out together most Wednesday nights. And occasionally on Wednesdays they would join their parents and grandparents at church for dinner prior to the start of prayer meeting.
Later, as she drove toward home, Dominique smiled as she wondered if Jordan had taken a cold shower as she had suggested.
***
“Please tell me you’re kidding, man. Tell me Judge Kincaid is not your mystery lady.”
Jordan leaned back in his chair and looked across the room at Royce, who was apparently in shock over the news he had just delivered. He smiled and sipped his beer, deciding not to answer his friend’s question just yet. He felt refreshed after taking a cold shower. Refreshed and in a good mood.
“Jordan?”
Jordan tipped his beer to Royce and smiled. “You heard me right. The Honorable D. Kincaid is the same woman who’s been making me hot and bothered for the past two weeks.”
“Damn. And you’re going to pursue her?”
Jordan raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Royce, I’ve been pursuing her ever since I first saw her.”
“But that was before you knew she was a judge, man.”
“So what does that have to do with anything?”
“Need I remind you that after your divorce from Paula, you swore you would never get involved with another woman with a career in law?”
Jordan blinked at him, remembering. “Umm, I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, in fact you were pretty damn adamant about it.”
Jordan nodded. Yes, he had been. “What I said was that I would never marry a woman who has a career in law again. There’s no way this thing with Dominique will ever get that serious.”
“It won’t?”
“No. What I’m dealing with here is a unique case of lust. She has everything I like on a woman; big hips, big breasts, big legs and it’s obvious that she’s also big on intelligence. I’m really hot for her, man.”
“So what you want from her is a short-term meaningless affair?”
Jordan frowned. The way Royce said it made his intentions sound dishonorable. “I want the same thing you want from the women you date.”
“Sex. A good time. And more sex?”
Jordan shook his head. He’d always enjoyed sex like any other man, but Royce considered it a national pastime, right up there with baseball and apple pie. “Well, yeah, but I prefer staying with the same woman a lot longer than you do, Royce. I’d rather not change women as often as I change my shirts.”
Royce smiled. “If you stay with the same woman too long they start to get clingy, just like those shirts will get if you don’t throw a Bounty in the dryer with them. Then you’ll have one hell of a mess on your hands.”
Jordan took another sip of his beer and then met Royce’s gaze. “Does Judge Kincaid look like the clingy type?”
Royce thought on Jordan’s question for a minute and then said, “No.” Seconds later he added, “But any woman can turn into the clingy type, Jordan.”
Jordan shrugged. “Then it’s up to me to be honest and up-front so she’ll know what to expect. All I want from her is something solid and exclusive.”
“Solid and exclusive?”
“Yes. Solid enough to know that we understand what we want out of the relationship, and exclusive to the point that while the two of us are dating, we won’t be seeing other people.”
“For how long?”
“Until either of us feel it’s time to move on.”
Royce nodded. “Those conditions seem fair.”
Jordan leaned back in his chair and took another sip of beer. He hoped Dominique thought they seemed fair as well.
Six
Jordan’s gaze fastened on the woman who was slowly walking toward him. Throughout the night he had thought about her, thinking about the kiss they had shared and anticipating when he would see her again.
As he continued to look at her, he wondered just what was there about her that elicited such profound lust from him. He decided it could be a number of things, like her walk. She moved in a way that looked more like she was actually gliding than walking. But then it may have been the gentle sway of her voluptuous hips, or the bouncy fullness of her large breasts. Whatever it was, she definitely had his attention.
He sighed; fascinated by the way the early morning light captured her nut-brown features and her full figure. She was wearing a pair of jogging shorts and a large T-shirt, but neither could block from his mind the allurement of the body they covered. Her hair was pinned up in a knot like it had been yesterday. And he knew he would be tempted to let it down and run his fingers through each dark, thick and glossy strand.
He felt his body harden. Just that quickly he wanted her with a desperation that no longer surprised or annoyed him. And to be quite honest, it no longer bothered him that he lacked control where she was concerned. After all, she was seductive and enticing, and his body appreciated everything about her. But this morning he had taken necessary measures, since his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Instead of wearing running shorts as he normally did, he had worn loose-fitting sweats. They did a good job of not flagrantly revealing a certain body part.
He glanced down at his watch. She was early. But then, he thought with a smile, so was he. He wondered if that meant they had been eager to see each other. He breathed in the early morning air. It was a perfect morning, he thought, because the person he considered the perfect woman was less than five feet away.
“Good morning, Jordan.”
“Good morning, Dominique.” Up close he couldn’t help but appreciate her features that were contained in the round shape of her face. Her mouth was curved into a warm smile, and delicately arched eyebrows crowned a pair of the most beautiful dark eyes he had ever seen. Then there were her high cheekbones and straight nose. Everything about her totally disarmed him.
“Are you ready to run?” she asked expectantly.
Jordan thought that her low and throaty voice was hot enough to warm his blood. And she was staring up at him with eyes so captivating it nearly took his breath away to look into them. His gaze then slowly moved from her eyes to her mouth, and he couldn’t help but remember just how good that mouth had tasted.
“No, not yet,” he finally answered, taking her hand in his.
He had chosen this particular spot to meet her because the limbs of the huge oak tree bl
ocked from view anyone standing directly under it. Dominique offered no resistance when he gently pulled her under the shadows of a large overhanging branch.
“First, I’ve got to taste you again,” was all he said just seconds before his mouth came down on hers.
Dominique automatically lifted her arms around Jordan’s neck the moment his lips touched hers. He captured her tongue and drew it into his mouth. Blood gushed to her head, making her feel dizzy as his tongue began mating with hers. Urgent need raced up her spine and clouded her senses except for two – taste and smell. She was mesmerized by his delicious taste and entranced by his masculine scent.
They broke off the kiss when they heard the approach of other joggers. Panting, Dominique leaned against Jordan to get her breath back and wondered if she would ever breathe normally again. When the joggers passed she glanced up at him, her expression dazed and her lips still parted. “I can’t believe we just did that,” she whispered, speaking of their torrid, stolen kiss that still had her head spinning.
He took a deep breath and responded, “When it comes to you and me, I can believe anything.” He released his arms from around her waist. “Come on, let’s start jogging.”
Dominique took another deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t think I can, since I have no breath left. You took my breath away.”
He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her lips. “That about makes us even, because you took my breath away the very first time I laid eyes on you, sweetheart.”
Dominique stared up at him. Jordan always said nice things to her and gave her compliments, which was something Kenneth had never done. Jordan had a way of making her feel special, all woman and sexy. She was smart enough to know that some men were capable of delivering just any line to a woman if it would get them from point A to point B. But whenever Jordan spoke, there was always a deep sincerity in his voice, as though he really meant what he was saying.
She started to say something in the way of a thank-you, but he didn’t let her. Instead he took her hand in his and together they began jogging. And once again he slowed his pace to keep up with hers.
ALL HE DESIRES (Voluptuous Woman Series) Page 4