Business of Love

by Hodges, Cheris

  “Oh Jill,” he moaned as she drew his most sensitive muscle into her mouth.

  She wanted to taste his essence, have him on her lips as he’d had her. She wanted to push the thought of his ex-wife’s betrayal out of his head. She wanted to atone for her lies by giving him toe curling pleasure.

  But how long would it be before the truth came out? On the other hand, with all that he’d just said to her, the truth didn’t matter, did it? Jill pulled back from him, when the look on his face showed her that he was near climax.

  She pulled her pants off, rubbing her wetness against his manhood. Darren moaned as he felt himself sink into her warm valley and he gripped her hips as she gyrated against him. Then Darren sat up, holding Jill on his lap, and kissed her with a sizzling passion that made her forget it was freezing outside. Suddenly there was a whiff of smoke in the room. She and Darren broke off their kissing and lovemaking and found that one of the blankets had fallen on the space heater.

  “Oh my goodness!” Jill yelled.

  Darren leapt into action, pulling the blanket off the heater and beating the small flames out with one of his discarded boots. Jill burst into laughter when he held up the blanket.

  “I should have moved that heater,” he said. “Do you know how many times we tell people not place blankets and articles of clothing next to these things?”

  “We didn’t take your advice, did we?” she asked, grabbing the other blanket and wrapping it around herself.

  Darren moved the heater away from the sofa and pulled Jill into his arms. “Don’t tell anybody about this. How would that look? Fire captain almost burns down office while making love to his sexy girlfriend.”

  She kissed his nose. “Umm, that would look kind of bad,” she said.

  “Do you have a weather radio?”

  “I have a battery operated radio in my desk.” She bounded over to the desk, opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the small radio.

  Darren tuned in to the weather station.

  “Sleet and snow continue to fall throughout the metro area,” the announcer said. “Motorists are urged to stay indoors. Conditions are expected to worsen as temperatures plummet to the low teens overnight. Police have reported over 100 accidents on metro roads and two deaths have been blamed on the weather.”

  Darren shut the radio off. “You heard the man, we have to stay inside.”

  The generators started again and the lights flicked on. Jill smiled wickedly.

  “Whatever will we do to pass the time?” she said as she seductively lowered her blanket.

  Darren smiled at the sight of her naked body. “Oh, I have a few ideas that will keep us busy for hours.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with fervor that made her knees buckle.

  Chapter Twelve

  Darren woke up with Jill in his arms, his back stiff from sleeping on the tiny sofa. As the sun trickled in through the window, he took in the grandeur of the office: lush burgundy carpet, a huge mahogany desk, a large, deep brown leather chair and a view of the Atlanta skyline. A full closet, a bathroom and a massive file cabinet were also part of the office.

  Darren wondered how much work she had put in to get an office like this. Surely the CEO of the company couldn’t have a bigger office than this. His eyes roamed the walls, taking note of Jill’s degrees, her photos of her parents and friends.

  I wonder how she would look in a wedding dress, he thought, then immediately dismissed such thinking. It was way too soon to be entertaining thoughts of marriage. The last time he’d rushed into marriage had turned out to be a disaster. How could he even consider doing it again?

  Jill isn’t Rita, he reasoned. And how do I even know Jill is ready for marriage? I can’t see her giving up her career to settle down and start a family right away.

  But that’s what Darren wanted, a family. Rita had robbed him of that chance but he was going to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. But how was he going to have that conversation with Jill without pushing her away?

  Darren ran his finger up and down Jill’s forearm, contemplating what his next move should be. She already knew what was in his heart, but to tell a woman like her that he wanted to marry her might push her away. As he gazed at her slumbering body, he knew in his heart that Jill was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  She stirred slightly in his arms as he gently kissed her on the forehead. She was beautiful when she slept. Darren wondered what she dreamed of. Was he a part of those dreams? She was the star of his dreams every night. He smelled her as he slept, felt her soft hands touching him in the night, felt her lips brushing against his, kissing him and giving him pleasure beyond imagination.

  The real thing was no disappointment. Jill captured his body and spirit in ways that he’d never imagined could happen. He’d come close to making a commitment to another woman he was dating shortly after he divorced Rita. They’d rushed into sex and their intense passion had soon burned out like an oxygen-deprived fire.

  What he and Jill had was destined to last. At least that’s what he’d hoped was happening. His radio went off, waking Jill.

  “Yeah, this is Alexander,” he said.

  “Captain, we were just checking on you. You didn’t come back to the station last night and Harrison is letting the illusion of being in charge go to his head,” one of the firefighters said.

  “Yeah, I got stuck at an office building overnight. How are the road conditions?”

  “Improving, slightly. Do you need us to send someone for you?”

  “No, I’m cool. I should be back at the station by noon,” Darren assured him.

  “All right, cool. I mean, 10-4.”

  Darren laughed at the rookie, and then turned to Jill. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “I seriously doubt I look beautiful this morning,” she groaned.

  “Not a morning person, I see.”

  Jill sat up, running her fingers though her hair. “Not until I’ve had some coffee.”

  “If you don’t mind slipping and sliding, we can go out and see if anything around here is open,” Darren said.

  “Okay. But I have to take a shower first.”

  “I’d better go check in at the station. Why don’t I come back in an hour?” he suggested.

  “Good idea and maybe tonight I can go home.”

  They listened as chunks of melting ice crashed to the street. “We’ve got to be out of here by sundown before the roads refreeze,” Darren said. “You’re not traversing icy roads. Staying in isn’t so bad.”

  “And I loved being in with you last night,” she said.

  Darren read the duality of her words and blushed. “I loved being in you, I mean in with you, last night too.” He kissed her on the cheek, and then headed for the stairwell.

  * * *

  Jill wrapped her blanket around her shoulders as she headed to the bathroom. The air was still cool in her office, but the memory of the night she and Darren shared there warmed her. As she turned the shower on and the water sprayed out, she was happy that she had gone for the gas water heater instead of the electric one.

  This has gone on long enough; I have to tell him the truth. He’s probably put two and two together already. What lower echelon employee has an office like this?

  Jill had always had a fantasy about making love in her office, but she’d never thought it would come true, not considering her luck with men. But Darren seemed to be in the business of making her dreams come true. She would never be able to look at her sofa the same again.

  Stepping into the shower, she closed her eyes, reliving the passion and intensity that she and Darren had shared as the tepid water beat down on her. He played her body like a master musician. She’d never felt so desired, so wanted. Last night, Darren had made it clear that he wanted to take care of her needs and wants. But would it all come to a screeching halt when the truth came out?

  Jill stepped out of the shower, shivering from the artic air in the office. She grabbed her ro
be and headed for the file cabinet where she kept her work-out sweats and sneakers. She wished she had purchased a pair of Timberland boots but it was the Deep South, for goodness sakes. Grabbing her cell phone, she headed downstairs. As she dialed Malik’s number to find out if he and Shari were all right, she wondered if Shari had shared her news about the baby with him yet.

  “Hello?” Shari said in a frustrated tone.

  “Hey, it’s Jill.”

  “Please tell me you’re open for business today, because your boy has to go.”

  Jill laughed. “Is it that bad?”

  “Let’s see, he’s thrown snowballs at me and he will not leave me alone. He’s worse than a child,” Shari said, then burst out laughing. “This man has got to get out of my house.”

  “You know the roads are still bad. I was stuck in the office overnight,” Jill said. “The power went out and we almost started a fire.”

  “We? Either you’re learning French or you’re talking about Darren.”

  “He was here. When I sent everybody home, I didn’t take my own advice to leave. Next thing I know, the power goes out. The back-up generators were acting sketchy and Darren called to check on me.”

  “That was nice of him,” Shari said.

  “It was. He ended up coming over and spending the night.” Jill couldn’t help blushing as she talked about the previous night. Without giving Shari all of the details, she let her know that she and Darren had a good time and that she was meeting him for coffee and he was taking her home.

  “So, how did you explain why you have the big corner office?”

  “I didn’t. He didn’t ask.”

  “Don’t ask, don’t tell didn’t work for the army. Do you think it’s going to work for your relationship with Darren?”

  “I really don’t want to think about this right now,” she said. “I know that I need to tell him the truth, but then again, after last night it might not matter.”

  Shari sighed. “It will matter, Jill. This man has no idea what he’s getting into. He’s going to be Atlanta’s version of Stedman Graham and you know that. You should at least prepare him for that.”

  “Shari, we’re just regular, ordinary folk. His mom knows some of my family in Macon,” she said.

  “But this isn’t Macon. You’re digging a hole that you won’t be able to climb out of.”

  When Jill reached the first floor, Darren was standing outside waiting on her. “I have to go, Shari.”

  “Remember that tangled web,” she said before hanging up.

  Jill opened the door, took Darren’s hand and off they went in search of coffee and breakfast.

  “It seems warmer today,” Jill said.

  “Hopefully some of this ice and snow will melt,” Darren said. “Luckily we haven’t had anyone pull any charcoal grills into their house to heat themselves.”

  Jill nearly slipped on a patch of ice but Darren quickly grabbed her before she hit the ground.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Embarrassed but fine,” Jill replied. “Where are we going again?”

  “Sunrise Café is the only place open. I think they were stuck overnight too.”

  Jill looked at the usually busy Peachtree Street. It was eerily still, frozen and quiet. “Hard to believe that this is the heart of the city. Cover it with a little ice and snow and southerners stay inside.”

  “Which is what we’re supposed to do,” he said as he opened the door to the restaurant.

  The inside of the restaurant was filled with people who looked as if they had cabin fever. They had only been stuck inside for one day, but people in Atlanta were used to being in constant motion.

  “I see we’re not the only ones who braved the elements,” Darren said as he waved for the host to seat them. It took about ten minutes for a table to open up.

  “Well, at least someone is making money in this weather,” Jill said. “All of the people I needed to meet with and talk to aren’t in the office.”

  “How dedicated to your job are you? Does everything else, including your safety, come second?”

  “No, but I can’t flip a switch and not be a businesswoman one minute, and then the next minute become one. When computers are off, my company isn’t making money.”

  “You act like you own the place,” Darren said.

  Jill froze in her seat. Once again she had the opprotunity to come clean. She did own the place, she did focus on growing DVA a little too much, but the words to confess didn’t come. She couldn’t say, “Yes, I do own it.”

  Darren mistook her silence for her being offended. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I do take my job seriously, and maybe I am a little territorial about it all, but damn, your career is important to you. But all of a sudden when a woman values her career there’s a big problem.”

  “I’m not saying that,” he said.

  Jill waved her hands. “All I’m saying is, my job is a part of who I am and if you have a problem with that, then I don’t know what kind of future we’re going to have.”

  They sat in an uncomfortable silence as the waitress came over and took their orders. Jill hoped that coffee would take the edge off her attitude. She didn’t know why she was picking a fight with Darren. Was she subconsciously trying to sabotage her relationship to be sure it wouldn’t end in heartbreak?

  Darren stared at Jill as she smoothed a napkin across her lap. “Is this going to be a recurring argument?”

  “Are you going to have a constant problem with my career?”

  “I just wonder where I fit into your life. If your career comes first, where does that leave me?”

  Jill sighed and blew on her nails. “Has my career been a problem so far? I’ve made time for you and I don’t see that changing. And what about your career, Darren?”

  “Touché. I guess I didn’t realize how driven you are. But after seeing your office, I get it. You work hard.”

  “Why has this become an issue today?”

  Darren shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not an issue, let’s just drop it.”

  “Fine.”

  The waitress brought Jill her coffee and Darren his orange juice. The chill between them was colder than the wind blowing outside. Jill sipped her coffee, looking around at the other restaurant patrons and ignoring Darren.

  “Your food will be out shortly, the kitchen is a little backed up,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Darren said.

  Jill turned to him with a frown on her face. “You know what I don’t understand? You men claim to want a woman who is independent, can take care of herself and when that woman is staring you in the face, you have a problem with her. Do you even know what you want?”

  “I want you. But I don’t know if I can compete with DVA.”

  Jill rose to her feet, knocking her chair backwards. “Guess what, nobody asked you too.” She dashed out of the restaurant, nearly knocking over a family walking in.

  She knew this argument was bogus, but she had to get away from Darren.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Two days after the city was blanketed by ice and the temperature barely rose above freezing, temperatures peaked in the mid 60s, melted the ice and brought Atlantans out in droves. Even though the sun was shining, Darren wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. He hadn’t heard from Jill since she bolted out of the Sunrise Café.

  What’s her problem? he wondered. I don’t understand women and I guess I never will.

  “Hey, Captain, your brother’s here,” one of the firefighters said from the doorway of Darren’s office.

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” Darren growled.

  The young fireman threw his hands up and backed out of the office as if avoiding a minefield. Darren had been giving attitude to everyone in the station all day. No one wanted to talk to him, look at him or breathe near him for fear of an angry outburst.

  That was just fine with Darren because he wanted to be left alone. And he certainly didn�
�t want to see Cleveland. Why wasn’t that man at home resting his back? The sooner he got better the sooner he could return to active duty. But Darren knew why his brother was there. Someone had probably called him, given him every detail of Darren’s rampage and asked Cleveland to help them.

  Seconds later, Cleveland was sitting across the desk from Darren, who hadn’t acknowledged his presence in the office.

  “Man, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing. I’m working. Is there something you want?”

  “Damn,” Cleveland said. “Did somebody steal your box of corn flakes this morning and replace it with haterade?”

  “Don’t you have something that you can be doing? Physical therapy, perhaps?”

  “The last time I saw you like this was…Where’s Jill?”

  “Working, since that’s her priority.”

  Cleveland nodded knowingly. “I see.”

  “What do you mean, ‘I see’?”

  “You and Jill had your first argument, huh?”

  “Whatever.”

  “Oh well, big bro, guess she wasn’t perfect after all,” he said sarcastically. “Still on that never-ending quest for perfection, aren’t you?”

  Darren rolled his eyes. “Can’t you see I’m working? I don’t need you to pretend you’re a psychologist and try to analyze my life. And I don’t want to talk about Jill.”

  “What did she do?”

  “Are you deaf?”

  “Nope, I hear everything you’re not saying. What are you two fighting about?”

  “It’s stupid, really.” Darren threw his pen on the desk. “She thinks I have a problem with her focusing on her career.”

  “And you don’t?”

  Darren rolled his eyes and picked up his pen and twirled it between his fingers. “You know, women kill me. One minute we’re shiftless and tired because we don’t take care of them and the next minute they’re beating us over the head with how independent they are.”

  Cleveland leaned back in his seat and folded his fingers under his chin like a psychologist. “So, Jill doesn’t want you to take care of her and you feel unneeded.”