Darren realized that after his relationship went sour with Rita, he’d spent a long time looking for someone he could live with. In Jill, he’d found someone he couldn’t live without.
He tried to focus his attention on the road ahead, but, his thoughts kept drifting to a wedding with Jill as the bride and him as the groom. He wished he could make that come true this weekend, but it was too soon to ask Jill to be his wife. He’d messed up and married the wrong woman before, but he wasn’t going to let the right one get away from him this time.
His cell phone rang and Darren grabbed it quickly so that he wouldn’t wake Jill.
“Hello?”
“Darren, it’s me,” Cleveland said. “I got in touch with a friend of mine in Charleston and I did something nice for you and Jill.”
“What’s that?”
“Brian McKnight is having a Valentine’s Day concert. You’ve got two tickets waiting for you for the eight o’clock show.”
“Man, that is all right, how can I repay you?”
“By giving me the $80 for the tickets when you come back. This is your chance at real happiness and I got your back, bro. Besides, you’re going to need something other than your ugly face to get that woman in the mood.”
“I’m hanging up now,” Darren said.
Jill stirred in the seat.
“Are you all right, baby?” he asked when her eyes fluttered open.
“We there yet?” she said.
“A few more hours.”
Jill faced Darren. “Thank you. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to Valentine’s Day.”
“Too many thank you notes to return for all the chocolate and flowers?”
“Please, I usually didn’t get a thing for Valentine’s Day and watching everyone in the office get taken to lunch or have something delivered was just something I learned to accept. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had boyfriends around this time of the year, but I just never celebrated Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, this is going to be our new tradition. We’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day together from now on out.”
Jill smiled. “All right, I’m going to hold you to that.”
He tweaked her nose. “I never make a promise that I can’t keep. If I said it, then it’s true.”
“That’s what I love about you,” Jill said. “I know I can depend on you.”
“You sure can. Because you’re all I need.”
Chapter Twenty
The look on Jill’s face when they pulled up to the hotel in Charleston was priceless. He wished that he had a camera to capture her expression.
“How did you know Charleston was one of my favorite places?” she exclaimed as she got out of the car.
The hotel, which was a historic building, was beautiful and seeing Jill standing in front of it, Darren thought it was the perfect postcard.
“Let’s go see if our room is ready,” he said as he took her into his arms.
After they checked into hotel and placed their bags in the room, the couple went on a cobblestone carriage ride, taking in the sights of Charleston on an unseasonably warm afternoon.
Darren drew Jill into his arms as they sat in the back of the carriage. “Having fun?” he asked
“Yes. Thank you so much,” she said. “What else do you have up that long sleeve of yours?”
“We’re just going to have to see, aren’t we?”
“All right, Mr. Secretive.”
“Let’s just say that you’re going to like everything that I have planned for us over these next few days.”
The guide highlighted the sights but neither Jill nor Darren listened to what he was saying. They were too busy kissing and caressing each other. When the tour was over, they went back to the hotel to eat lunch in the hotel restaurant.
They dined on authentic low country cuisine, shrimp and rice, stewed tomatoes and spicy cornbread.
“Umm, this is so good,” Jill moaned.
Darren loved seeing her so relaxed and enjoying herself in this manner. She wasn’t bogged down by DVA business or worried about a meeting that went awry. She was just enjoying life, being happy and in love. Darren reached across the table and grasped her hand.
“I love you like this.”
She smiled and placed her fork on the side of her plate. “Thank you for bringing me here. I can’t remember the last time I came to this town.”
“I had no idea Charleston was one of your favorite places. Who’s your favorite singer?”
“There are several, Anita Baker, Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Gerald LeVert,” she said. “The list goes on and on.”
“But you like Brian McKnight?”
“Yes, why?”
“Just asking, for when I set the mood with music tonight.”
She gave him a ‘yeah, right’ look before returning to her meal.
After lunch, Darren and Jill took a walk around the historic neighborhood. Charleston was definitely a place he could see moving to after he retired. And with Jill by his side, he would be content to sit on the front porch of a plantation style house and rock back and forth while they watched people go by.
“Have you…” The shrill ringing of Jill’s cell phone interrupted him.
“Sorry,” she said as she pulled the phone from her purse.
Darren took the phone from her. “This is Jill’s phone and she’s on vacation, hundreds of miles away from Atlanta. This is a problem you will have to fix yourself.”
He turned the phone off and didn’t give the caller a chance to say a word.
“Darren,” she pouted.
“I told you to leave this at home. No business until Monday.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, giving him a mock salute.
He slid the cell phone into his pocket. “And I’m going to hold on to this.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”
He shook his head. “Besides, where you’re going there are no cell phones, PDAs or Blackberries allowed.”
“And just where might that be?”
Darren pointed up the block to a colonial style building. “We’re going to the spa.”
“You’re spoiling me,” she said giving him a tight hug.
“That’s the plan.”
They walked inside and headed for their respective treatments.
* * *
As the masseuse kneaded Jill’s back and shoulders, she felt as if she were in heaven. All the stress she had been carrying around dissipated like water vapor. She didn’t think about David, her secret, or what Darren’s reaction would be to it. She was totally relaxed and she loved it. She was in one of her favorite places and no one knew who she was. All they saw was a woman spending Valentine’s Day with the man of her dreams.
“All right, Ms. Atkinson, Jamie will be in here to give you a pedicure. You can lie here or take a seat by the window,” the masseuse said.
“Thank you,” Jill said, and then sat up. The masseuse helped Jill into a white terry cloth robe before leaving the room.
As she crossed the room to the leather recliner, Jill wished she had her cell phone so that she could call Shari and tell her about Darren’s surprise. Then again, calling Shari might not be such a good idea. There was no telling what the fallout was from her spilling the beans about Shari’s pregnancy.
I should’ve kept my mouth shut, she thought as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Jill knew she was going to have to apologize to Shari and Malik.
The door swung open and to her surprise Darren walked in. “What are you doing in here?” she asked.
“I came to get some tips. I hear rubbing a woman’s feet is the key to getting her heart.”
“You already have my heart.”
“Then I want to make sure I keep it. I’m just going to watch.”
The pedicurist walked in and smiled at the couple. “Good afternoon,” she said. Darren moved out of her way and watched her as she washed and massaged Jill’s feet.
Again Jill was in perfect bliss as the pedicurist smoothed grape oil on her feet. By the time her pedicure was over and the attendant left, she didn’t think she could feel any better than she did at that moment. But Darren changed her mind when dropped to his knees and kissed her feet, sucking each toe as if it were covered in chocolate. Desire pooled between her legs and she thought she was going to melt away.
Before Darren could open her robe and feast on the rest of her body, there was a knock at the door.
“Hello? Ms. Atkinson, are you ready for your next treatment?”
“Oh yeah,” Jill replied, her eyes locked with Darren’s.
“You’d better go before we start something we can’t finish,” he whispered. He stood up and opened the door. “Ms. Atkinson is ready for her next treatment.”
The woman smiled at Darren as if she knew what had been going on in the massage room.
About an hour later, Darren and Jill headed back to the hotel, walking hand and hand. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I am,” she replied.
“The best is yet to come,” he said, leaning closer to her ear. “We’re going to order dinner in tonight.”
Jill stroked his cheek. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“And I have a special present for you.”
She smiled like a kid on Christmas morning. “What is it?”
“You’ll see when we get in the room,” he said wickedly.
Jill wanted to run into the room and get her gift as soon as possible.
When they walked into the room, Darren went to the closet and retrieved a red box with a white bow on top of it. “You can open it now or wait until after dinner.”
Jill took the box from him and shook it gently. “I’m impatient, you know that.”
She ripped the ribbon off the box, and then ripped the wrapping paper. Inside, she found a short silk gown. Holding it against her body, she said, “This is beautiful.”
Darren smiled approvingly. “Why don’t you change into this and I’ll order dinner.”
Jill’s reply was to dash into the bathroom to change into the gown. Moments later, she was walking into the room, looking breathtakingly sexy. Darren couldn’t have picked a better present. The gown hit her at mid-thigh and the ivory color highlighted her brown skin. Darren watched her as she spun around so that he could get a view of the low cut back that melted down atop her behind.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“This is lovely. A perfect fit.”
Darren took her into his arms, capturing her ripe lips. Their tongues jockeyed for position. He slipped his hands underneath the straps of the gown and eased them off her shoulders. Her perky breasts spilled forward and Darren greedily took one, then the other, into his mouth, sucking her nipples and squeezing her breasts gently.
She shivered as he pushed the gown further down her body and slid his hands between her thighs. She started unbuttoning his shirt and he kicked out of his shoes, but before she could finish, there was a knock at the door.
“Room service.”
Darren groaned and Jill ducked into the bathroom as he opened the door.
The waiter wheeled in a cart decked out with candles, two steak dinners, green salads, a bottle of champagne, and two slices of cheesecake.
“Would you like me to open the champagne?” he asked.
“Nah, I can handle that,” Darren said as he opened the door in a not so subtle hint for the man to leave.
“Yes sir,” the waiter replied and slipped out the room.
Darren turned to Jill, who had walked out of the bathroom when she heard the door close. “Hungry?”
She’d slipped the gown straps from her shoulders. “Starving, but what I’m craving isn’t on that cart.” The gown fell to the floor and Darren stared at her statuesque body as he unbuttoned his shirt.
Jill crossed over to him, ready and willing to assist him. She unzipped his slacks, pushed them down to his ankles with one hand and massaged his manhood with the other. Darren moaned excitedly as he stepped out of his slacks. Jill had his body primed and ready for action. He took her hand in his, and then scooped her into his arms.
They fell backwards on the bed and Darren removed the rest of his clothes. The sight of his nudity sent ripples down her spine. Darren spread her legs apart, finding her thighs moist with desire. When he tasted her, kissing the soft folds of skin between her thighs, Jill shivered with delight.
“Make love to me,” she pleaded. With Darren, sex was about love. Jill had no doubt that Darren loved her and was the man she’d marry. She didn’t have to question his motives or wonder if he was hiding a computer disc with DVA secrets on it. His love was real, dependable and oh so good.
When he wrapped her legs around his waist, she sucked him into her moist valley, relishing in the feel of his thickness against her G-spot. Leaning into her, Darren took one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking her hard nipple until she felt as if her body were going to explode. Soft moans escaped her throat as she held the back of Darren’s head, urging him to go deeper and deeper.
For those blissful moments of lovemaking, nothing else mattered to Jill. Time stood still as orgasm after orgasm rushed through her body, making her feel as though she would evaporate into thin air. Darren pressed deeper into her pulsating body until he reached his own climax and collapsed on top of her, wrapping her up in his arms.
“Darren,” she whispered.
“Yes, baby?”
“I feel safe with you and that’s something I’ve never felt before.”
He kissed her forehead. “I want you to feel that way because as long as you’re with me, nothing or no one will hurt you.”
She shivered as she thought of what waited for her when she returned to Atlanta. David would have plastered her picture all over the city and her secret would be out. That’s why she was going to enjoy every minute of her time with Darren this weekend.
After they pulled themselves apart, they ate dinner under the covers, naked. Jill fed Darren a piece of steak and he spooned cheesecake into her mouth.
“So, what else are we going to do tonight?” Jill asked.
“Anything you want, although I wouldn’t object to spending the rest of the night right here in bed with you.”
She set the plate on the nightstand, and then took the cheesecake from Darren’s hands. Straddling his body, Jill kissed him with urgency before she said, “I don’t have any objections either.”
She and Darren proceeded to make love all night.
Chapter Twenty-one
The morning light bathed Jill in a glow that Darren thought made her look angelic. He ran his index finger down the length of her leg. Her skin was smoother than silk. Darren wondered what twist of fate had brought Jill into his life and what he had done to deserve her. Maybe she was his reward for all he’d gone through with Rita.He pushed her hair back behind her ear, peering into her lovely face as she still slept. Darren wondered when Jill had last slept past nine a.m. Knowing her, she was probably in the office at the crack of dawn. While he admired her dedication, he felt as if she were pushing herself too hard. Once they were back in Atlanta, she’d bury herself in work again. What would the CEO of DVA do without Jill? She seemed to do more work for that company than the so-called owners.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered.
“Morning,” she replied in a husky voice that sent chills down his spine.
Jill was even sexier this morning than she had been dressed in the silk gown that he had bought for her.
“Hungry? I can order breakfast.”
She shook her head and nestled closer to him. “I’m fine just lying here. I can’t remember the last time I slept this late.”
Darren laughed. “I kind of figured that.”
She toyed with the hair on his chest. “You know, I’m going to need my cell phone. I have to make a call.”
Darren groaned and shook his head. “Remember our deal, no
business.”
Jill smirked and held her hand out. “I promise, I won’t be on the phone long.”
He propped up on his elbow and looked into her brown eyes. “All right, but keep it short. And I want the phone back when you finish. I can’t have you sneaking off during dinner to make business calls.”
“I won’t, promise.”
Darren reached down for his slacks and pulled Jill’s phone from his pocket. She took the phone from his hand, kissed him on the cheek, then wrapped up in the sheet and headed to the private terrace to make her call. He couldn’t help wondering who she was calling and why she had to go outside. Though he trusted her, Darren felt wary about what she was doing, even if it wasn’t fair to her. Creeping from the bed, he walked over to the half-closed terrace door to listen in on Jill’s conversation.
“Shari, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag, but…I understand. That’s not the same thing. Fine. What more do you want from me? That’s not fair. I am your friend. Darren has nothing to do with this. I understand. I don’t want this to affect our friendship. Of course you can trust me. Are you pregnant? Congratulations, then. Shari, believe me, it was just a slip of the tongue. Malik and I were talking and he was telling me how I should live my life but I know it’s no excuse. Are we still cool?”
Darren walked away, feeling like a complete jackass. Jill isn’t Rita. He headed for the bathroom to take a shower, hoping that he could wash away all of doubts and distrust still lingering from his divorce. He couldn’t continue to let his baggage cloud their relationship.
Jill returned to the room and tossed her phone on the bed. “Everything all right at the office?” Darren asked.
“I didn’t call the office,” she replied before slumping in a chair. “I messed up bad.”
“What happened?”
“My friend Shari, you know, the cook, is pregnant and I accidentally told her husband before she had a chance to. She had told me that she wasn’t sure if he was ready to start a family and when I told him, he immediately thought that maybe she was going to terminate the pregnancy. But she was just trying to make sure that she was pregnant.”
“You told her husband?”
Business of Love Page 19