“That’s just great, Opal,” she said aloud to herself, throwing up her hands. “Why are you setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak?”
She knew the answer. Falling in love with him was something she hadn’t planned on. In fact, she had been prepared not to like him, and, initially, he had made it quite easy to do just that. But, at times, she had seen beyond his overbearing demeanor, his demanding ways. It was there in his voice whenever he had spoken to the coordinators of his various charities and, twice a month, he served as mentor for a group of high-school students who were interested in getting into business one day. The totally different attitude, the caring, was obvious.
Falling in love with him was her problem; one she would have to deal with while doing everything she could to maintain her dignity. D’marcus was a handsome man who could arouse her silly with just a kiss. She couldn’t let her emotions overwhelm her. And, no matter what, she had to consider the consequences of loving a man who didn’t love her back.
Disappointment filled her heart at the thought that she might have to find employment elsewhere. She liked her job, but the fact that she loved her boss was a major issue. She tried not to think about how she had felt in his arms or how his mouth had taken her with a mastery that, even now, had her breathless. The chemistry between them was obvious although she wished it wasn’t. In Detroit, they had downplayed it, ignored it, bottled it. But now it seemed it couldn’t be avoided any longer.
She sighed deeply when she heard him moving around downstairs, probably in the kitchen preparing the steaks to be grilled. Somehow, she had to go down there and act as though nothing had happened. Had to pretend his kiss hadn’t rocked her world or that, even now, she wanted him to kiss her again.
As she headed for her bedroom door, she promised herself that, no matter what, she would get through the evening and later, when they did sit down to talk, she would try and be open-minded about things. But, if she had to resign from her job, she would do it.
D’marcus glanced up from what he was doing when Opal walked into the kitchen. Although he was wondering if she was still uptight about the kiss they’d shared, he wouldn’t ask her. As he’d told her, they would talk later.
The kiss had been a surprise not only to her but to him, as well. But nothing had affected him as strongly as her standing there with the ocean breeze flowing through her hair and the look of total serenity on her face. That vision had touched him deeply, made him yearn for her profoundly. Leaning down to kiss her had been as natural to him as breathing.
“I’m about to put the steaks on the grill,” he said when she walked over to him at the sink, pausing at what she evidently thought was a safe distance.
She nodded. “Then what do you need me to do?”
He used his head to point out the white potatoes sitting on the table. “I’ve washed them already. You can get them ready to be baked.”
“Okay.”
He watched as she crossed the room to the table. “Everything you need is either in the refrigerator or the second cabinet on the left. Aluminum foil is in the pantry.”
“What else will we have besides meat and potatoes?” she asked, and he could detect a semblance of a smile on her lips.
He couldn’t help the smile that also touched his. “I thought a tossed salad would work, which is what I’m putting together. And I think a glass of wine would be nice.”
As they worked, he turned and glanced over his shoulder at her. She was quiet, busy getting the potatoes ready for the oven. She was wearing the same outfit she’d worn when they’d gone walking on the beach. He hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her how good she looked in it. And what he dared not tell her was how much he would love taking it off of her. But that’s not all he wanted to do. He wanted to kiss her again, hear her moan and feel her come apart in his arms. But, more than anything, he wanted to make love to her. All night long.
He heard her open and close the oven door and knew she was finished with the potatoes. Perfect timing since he was through preparing the salad. He covered the bowl in plastic wrap to place it in the refrigerator. “I’d better go back on the patio and check on the steaks. Would you like to sit out there with me?”
He watched the indecisiveness in her features and knew the exact moment she reached a decision. She crossed the room to him. “Yes, I’ll sit out there with you.”
Relief had him swallowing thickly. “All right.” He fought the urge to take her hand as they walked side by side from the kitchen, through the dining room and out the French doors. The patio faced the ocean and a welcoming breeze touched their faces the moment they placed their feet on the brick surface.
“So what’s your secret recipe for the steaks?” she asked him as she sat in one of the wicker chairs.
“My secret?”
“Yes, my dad once said every man who cooks has a few.”
He chuckled. “In that case, if I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore, now would it? Besides, I don’t cook a lot. While I was growing up, Aunt Marie enjoyed cooking and rarely allowed me or Uncle Charles in her kitchen. Then, when I went to college, if it wasn’t for a few of the Spellman girls feeling sorry for me and rescuing me with timely dinners, I would have starved to death.”
Opal couldn’t help but smile. She could just envision those Spellman girls quickly coming to D’marcus’s aid.
“By the time I entered Harvard,” he continued, “I had learned to fend for myself. Tonya helped by clipping out simple recipes and sending them to me.”
Probably to make sure he wasn’t rescued by any Harvard girls, Opal quickly thought. She had watched how he’d smiled when he’d said his fiancée’s name. She then remembered the pain and anguish that had been on his face earlier when he’d spoken of her death. It was evident that he had loved his Tonya very much.
She studied him while he gave his full concentration to grilling the steaks. His features were perfect in every way, from the deep set of his dark eyes to those incredibly sexy lips. Lips that had devoured hers earlier. The memory of them doing so caused an ache in her midsection.
“I think these are going to be very tasty.”
She jerked until she realized he was talking about the cooking steaks and not his lips. Never had a man kissed her the way he had. He had caught her off guard and, even when she’d seen his mouth descending toward hers, she hadn’t known what to expect. She hadn’t been quite ready for the desperation she had tasted in his mouth, the hunger. But then she definitely hadn’t been ready for the response she had given him. It was as if she hadn’t been able to get enough of his mouth, especially his tongue. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that he was a gifted kisser.
“So what do you think, Opal?”
She glanced up at him and tried not to focus on his lips when she said, “Yes, I think they’re going to be very tasty, indeed.”
They both had been right. The meat, the potatoes, the salad, everything, had been tasty. Instead of eating in the kitchen, they had sat on the patio to enjoy the view of the ocean. They hadn’t done a lot of talking and, when they had talked, it had been about their families. He shared more tidbits about his aunt and uncle, and she told him about her sisters and cousins and how close they were. She also told him about her church and how she considered the church members her family, as well.
“Our new minister is a former gangster,” she said.
D’marcus raised his brow. “And he went from being a gangster to a minister?”
“Yes, after a personal tragedy that involved his brother. God was able to turn Reverend Kendrick’s life completely around. He has such a great testimony to share.”
D’marcus nodded. “I bet he has. An old high-school friend of mine went through a similar situation. Doug was pretty smart but his family couldn’t afford to send him to college. He started hanging out with the wrong people and the next thing I knew, I got a call from Tonya telling me Doug had gotten arrested and had been sent off to jail for breaking and enteri
ng. He served two years of a five-year sentence, got off and changed his life around. He runs a boys’ club in downtown Oakland and works hard to make sure others don’t make the same mistakes he did.”
He decided not to mention the fact that Doug had been Tonya’s brother and the two of them were still close friends today. “I talked to Doug a few months ago and he wanted to let me know he had gotten called into the ministry. I am very proud of him and all he has accomplished in his life. He’s a good man.”
D’marcus and Opal shared the duty of washing dishes; he washed and she dried. In a way, Opal began feeling a little nervous. Dinner was over, the dishes were being washed and the next thing on the agenda was for them to talk. Now she was wondering if talking was such a good idea. They had kissed just once. Maybe they should move on and let bygones be bygones. But then, if they were to move on, which way would they move? No matter how much she was enjoying his company, he was still her boss and today they had broken the rule of work etiquette by indulging in a kiss.
“Okay, are you ready for some music now?”
D’marcus’s question interrupted Opal’s thoughts. “Music?”
“Yes. You play the piano and, afterward, I’ll play the saxophone.”
The fact that she had forgotten all about that must have shown in her face since D’marcus said, “Hey, don’t try to get out of it. I want to see what you can do on that piano.” A challenging teasing grin touched his lips.
Tossing the dish towel aside, she couldn’t help but smile back. “Just remember I never said I was an accomplished pianist.”
“As long as you remember that I’m not an accomplished saxophonist, either.”
A few moments later Opal was sitting on the bench in front of the piano. It was nothing like the one she and her sisters used to have. That had been used and as plain as a piano could get, but it had served their needs and purpose. The one she was sitting at was a Steinway grand piano in flawless mahogany.
She glanced across the room. D’marcus was sitting in a chair watching her. A part of her wondered if he actually thought she couldn’t play. Well, she would just show him that she could do more in life than keep his business matters straight.
“My first piece is simple, traditional and short. And it happens to be one of my favorites and was the one I did at my first recital.”
“How old were you?”
“Nine. It was the year before my father died,” she said, remembering. “It was during the Christmas holidays and he was there that night and I could tell how proud he was of me by the smile in his eyes.”
Thinking she had said enough, probably too much, she looked down at the keys and lifted her hand and began stroking them, eliciting a tune. She glanced over and saw him smile and knew it was a song he recognized. “Joy to the World.”
She closed her eyes as her hands continued to stroke the keys and she remembered that night so long ago and, just as she had then, she felt she was giving her best performance.
D’marcus sat still. He didn’t dare move. He watched how Opal’s fingers were stroking the piano keys and a part of him wished she could stroke parts of his body the same way. And then he noticed her posture, straight and upright, showing the beauty of her long neck, the bone structure of her face and the firmness of her chin. And then there was the tempting shape of her mouth, how her lips, full and luscious, were curved in a smile. It was a smile that tempted him to cross the room and kiss her.
This was the first time anyone had taken the time to play his piano and she was filling the room with beautiful music. He could envision her as a little girl sitting at a piano and playing that same song for her family and others. He bet the room had gotten quiet and all eyes had been on her. She had held everyone’s attention just as she was holding his now. Whether she would ever admit it, he would admit it for her—she was a gifted pianist.
Too soon, the music ended and she opened her eyes and looked over at him. He smiled. “That was beautiful. Can I request one more?”
She smiled back. “Yes, just one more.”
He watched as a teasing grin touched her lips and she began playing. Again he recognized the tune immediately. It was the theme from the movie Against All Odds.
He leaned back in his chair thinking he could sit there all night and appreciate the music she was playing. When she ended the number, she glanced over at him. For a suspended moment, their gazes held and locked. Then he felt something—heat—escalate through all parts of his body. Sensations stroked him just the way she had stroked the piano keys. As he continued to gaze into her eyes, he wondered if she felt it, too, or was he alone in this madness?
“Now it’s your turn, D’marcus. To play your sax.”
He heard her voice, watched her lips move. He wanted to kiss those lips, devour them again. Instead, he nodded and got his saxophone off the table. He put it to his lips and began playing one of his favorite tunes. For the first time for him it held a special meaning. It was a classic from Roberta Flack—“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
Chapter 11
By the time D’marcus lowered the saxophone from his lips, Opal had been moved nearly to tears. He had kept his eyes glued to her the entire time, making her feel as if the song had truly been dedicated to her. She knew that wasn’t true, but, still, it had felt that way. She wondered how anyone so gifted in music could choose a career in business, instead.
As if he could read her mind, he said, “My father was a musician. In fact, he played the sax. I remember him being gone a lot, but I also remember the times when he came home and how happy my mother was to see him. They loved each other very much. Even as a child, I could feel it. And I could also feel their love for me. Whenever Dad was home he would play for me, and I always wanted to one day master the sax, just like him.”
For a moment, he didn’t say anything and then he continued. “When I was six, Mom decided to travel with Dad to see him play. He was performing at a real classy place in Los Angeles and he wanted my mom there. I stayed here with Aunt Marie and Uncle Charles. On the way back from the airport my parents were involved in the accident that took their lives.”
Opal’s heart went out to the little six-year-old boy who had lost his parents. The boy who had grown into a man and had mastered the sax, but whose father hadn’t lived long enough to hear his son play. She then recalled how, years later, just two weeks before he was to marry, that same man had suffered another loss—this time of the woman he loved.
A sharp pain settled in her chest at all D’marcus had lost in his thirty years. But then she thought about how much he’d gained. Although nothing could ever replace what he’d lost, he had grown up to be a very successful man. And she knew his parents, as well as his fiancée would have been proud of him. There was no way they could not have been.
“Now we can talk about what happened this afternoon, Opal.”
She glanced up and saw he was standing next to her by the piano bench. She hadn’t heard him move. Their eyes held and undeniable sensations swept through her. In a way, she knew they really didn’t need to talk about it, since she was beginning to understand things a little clearer now, especially her emotions. But then she knew that they did need to talk about it.
He reached out his hand and she took it as he assisted her from the bench. “Where do you want to go?” he asked her quietly.
She knew it had to be somewhere with a lot of light, so the patio wouldn’t do. Neither would the living room. And she preferred they not remain in this room, either. “We can sit in your office,” she said, thinking in there they would be reminded of their roles in each other’s lives.
“Okay, let’s go to my office.”
When he touched her arm, something stirred deep inside her. She knew she loved him, but she also knew that, in this situation, love would not be enough, and that was sad news for an optimist like herself. She would have to be realistic. Nothing could be sugarcoated.
When they reached his office, she went to sit in t
he chair across from his desk and he took the chair behind his desk. She felt comfortable since these were positions they were used to.
“All right, D’marcus, tell me,” she requested quietly, “why the kiss?”
He met her gaze. “I think the reason should be obvious.”
She locked into his gaze and said, “It’s not obvious, so please explain.”
She watched him build a steeple with his fingers under his chin as he continued to hold her gaze. “I’m attracted to you and I have been since the day I hired you. And, against my better judgment, I brought you into the company anyway, thinking as long as I kept things professional between us that would suffice. It worked for a while but not for long. The sexual chemistry was too strong. Every time I saw you, there was this deep tug of desire that wanted to rule my mind, my thoughts and my very being. Since coming to San Francisco and being around you more, I’ve finally accepted something about myself.”
“What?”
“I’m male, human and have an incredible degree of desire for you. In other words, Opal Lockhart, I want you with a desperation that is almost killing me.”
Opal didn’t know what to say, so she sat there speechless, incapable of uttering a single sound. However, her heart rate increased tenfold and sensations she only encountered around D’marcus began rushing fast and furious through her veins. No man had ever told her he wanted her that much before. Richard had let it be known he wanted to sleep with her, and she guessed, in a way, it meant the same thing. But D’marcus’s delivery touched her in a way Richard’s statement had not.
Okay, so he wanted her and, deep down, if she was completely honest, she would admit that she wanted him, too. But what if they were to cross over the boundaries that had been established when he had hired her? What would happen to their business relationship, the one she depended on for her livelihood? She knew the only thing he was interested in was an affair and she was smart enough to know that affairs didn’t last. What would happen when theirs ended? Things at work would become awkward, unbearable. What would she do then?
In Bed With Her Boss (Kimani Romance) Page 9