Tempting the Artist

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “And you think Luke sent the information to the District Attorney and Uncle Ben?”

  Her grandfather hesitated. “The information was sent anonymously, but Ben thinks the timing is too much of a coincident. He believes your boyfriend had something to do with the chain of events.”

  “Well, he’s probably my ex-boyfriend. Luke is never going to forgive me.” She had let him down once by not being honest with him and trusting him with her secret, and this time her distrust reared its ugly head again.

  “He’ll forgive you.”

  Christina looked at her grandfather sideways, trying not to get excited, but hoped he knew something she didn’t know. She placed her feet on the floor and sat forward. He had spoken the words with such authority. He had to know something. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he’s in love with you.”

  Christina dropped her shoulders and sat back. “I don’t know if love is enough this time, Grampa.”

  “It’s enough, but you’ll never know if you keep hiding out at home, or over Jada’s house, or even over here. Instead of talking to all of us, you need to be talking to Luke. He’s probably missing you as much as you’re missing him, but you’re the one who has to make this right.”

  Christina knew her grandfather was right. She was a grown woman. It was time she started acting like one.

  “By the way, I heard he quit his job.”

  “Wha … what?” Christina brought her hands up to her mouth. God, please don’t let him have moved back to New York or worse, gotten into trouble because of me.

  *

  Luke lounged on his sofa, flipping through TV channels trying to find a baseball game. Out of all of the professional sports, he liked baseball the least, except during the playoffs.

  Finally settling on a channel, he tossed the remote to the side, rested his head against the back of the sofa, and propped his legs on the coffee table. The position had become a norm for him in the last two days, each day felt longer than the last.

  Most people who up and quit their jobs usually either have something lined up or start searching for something new right away. Not Luke. He needed time to regroup. Time to reevaluate his life, as well as his plans for the future, and he couldn’t think about his future without thinking about Christina. When they reunited months ago, he had promised himself that he would never let her go again, and he meant it. She didn’t know, but he knew there was no one else for him. He planned to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Planting his feet on the floor, Luke stood and walked over to his doublewide, stainless steel refrigerator. Holding the door open and peering in, he considered cooking, but quickly shot that idea down. Instead, he grabbed a beer and went back to the sofa. At some point, he was going to have to do something other than watch television, and drink beer camped out on the sofa. But for now, kicking back was working for him.

  He brought the bottle to his lips but stopped before he could take a swig when his cell phone vibrated on the table. Holding the bottle in one hand, he picked up the phone with his free hand. Glancing at the screen, he sat forward and set the beer down when he saw that it was a text from Christina.

  “Is it a crime to fight for what is mine?”

  A slow smile spread across Luke’s face. When did she start quoting Tupac? Hell, he didn’t care who she quoted as long as he was hearing from her.

  Don’t think so, but if it is, I know a good lawyer.

  I know one too…

  Luke wanted to see her more than anything, despite still being a little pissed that she didn’t trust him. The day she accused him of lying and of going after her family hurt more than he would ever admit. After all, they’d been through, and all the time they’d spent together, she should have known he would never do anything to hurt her or the Jenkins family.

  Without a doubt, they needed to talk. She needed to understand a few things, and he needed to see her. Hold her.

  He went back to his cell phone.

  In case you plan to commit a crime, contact your lawyer first.

  When minutes passed, and he didn’t receive a text back, he picked up the cigarette that he’d been ogling all day. He twirled it between his fingers. He hadn’t had a smoke in weeks and tonight he craved one almost as much as he craved having Christina in his arms.

  He laid his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. For a minute, a flutter of eagerness bounced around in his gut at hearing from her. He was acting like a damn high school boy getting all excited about hearing from the most popular girl. What had his life come to that a woman held this type of power over him?

  He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, letting it dangle from his lips. The only thing that kept him from lighting up was his promise to Christina. He wouldn’t go back on his word.

  Releasing a low groan, he sat up straight and tossed the cigarette on the table. This is ridiculous. I need to get out of here.

  Luke slipped on his sneakers and grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter. He had no idea where he was going, but he would drive until he got there. When he went back to the coffee table, he lifted the remote to turn off the television, but froze. A photo of Gary and the outside of Atwater, Rouse & Stevenson displayed across the screen.

  “This just in. Attorney Gary Rouse of the law firm Atwater, Rouse & Stevenson has just been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and tax evasion,” the news reporter said. “You might remember twenty years ago, three other attorneys at this same law firm were arrested on similar charges and one of those individuals committed suicide while on bail. According to our sources, the firm is being investigated, but so far only Attorney Rouse has been arrested. He will …”

  Luke pumped his fist in the air as satisfaction stormed through his veins. He only wished he could have been there to watch the cops drag Gary’s sorry ass off to jail.

  “The District Attorney’s office received anonymous information this morning…”

  A soft knock sounded on Luke’s door, and he reluctantly pulled his attention from the television, wanting to hear what else the news reporter had to say.

  He dropped the remote on the sofa and hurried across the room. When he swung the door open, his heart stuttered. Excitement washed over him, and he gripped the doorframe at the sight of Christina standing on the other side of the threshold looking sexy as hell.

  Her wild hair was piled on top of her head, and though she didn’t need makeup, he liked how exotic her eyes looked with the dark eyeliner. And those lips. He couldn’t wait to smear the lipstick covering her tempting lips. His gaze traveled lower to the outfit, which was so unlike her, but Luke had to admit he liked what he saw. The fuchsia, button down blouse, brought out the colors in her cheeks, and surprisingly she had on a bra. He knew this because a hint of pink lace peeked out from the top of her blouse where she had left the top four buttons undone. His body stirred as his eyes went lower to the skintight black jeans and the fuck-me pumps.

  Luke had never been so happy to see someone in his life. He closed the distance between them. Instead of wasting time talking, he cupped her face between his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. At that moment, the frustration from earlier crawled to the back of his mind. He didn’t care that they still had things to work out. All he wanted was to feel her body against his and taste her sweet lips.

  Her arms looped around his neck, and he lowered his hands to her butt that fit perfectly in his grip. Pulling her close, he took what he wanted, not caring that they were standing in the hallway. All he cared about was that his woman was there with him, where she belonged.

  If Luke hadn’t heard the ding of the elevator, he would have kept kissing Christina. Reluctantly he lifted his mouth from hers and stared into her eyes. He hadn’t kissed her in seven days, not since their lives had stalled the day he returned from his New York trip.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered before he could form any intelligent words. “I’m
so sorry.”

  He gave a slight nod, unable to tear his gaze from hers. He reached for her hand and backed them into his condo, shutting the door with his free hand.

  “Please say something,” Christina said, anxiousness in her voice.

  “Since I can’t say those four words we vowed never to say again, I’m not sure what to say.”

  Her beautiful mouth curved into a smile, her eyes gleaming with love. “I’m glad you didn’t say the words, but I know we have to talk.”

  He led her to the sofa. “Ahh, Lucas, I thought you quit.” She scoffed at the pack of cigarettes he had tossed on the sofa table.

  “I did.”

  “Then what is this all about?” She waved the pack in the air. “If you quit, you shouldn’t need these.”

  Luke released a breath and dropped down on the sofa. “I did quit and I almost needed those because I didn’t have you.” She cringed at the bite in his words, but she needed to hear them. She needed to remember why they were tiptoeing around a conversation that they should have had days ago.

  “I’m sorry.” She placed the cigarettes back on the table and sat on the sofa. “I have no right to come in here and tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.”

  “Actually, you do have the right. You have every right to question me about anything in my life.” He turned to her. “Just because you’ve been keeping your distance these last couple of days doesn’t mean that I stopped loving you. I love you so damn much. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.”

  “Lucas. I love you too, but I don’t know how you can ever forgive me for thinking the worst of you. I will never be able to apologize enough for my behavior, for all that I said and most importantly, for doubting your love. I’m so sorry.”

  He placed a lingering kiss against her temple, thankful to have her close. “I’m sorry too, but if we’re going to have a future together, there’s some things we need to get straight.”

  “I know,” she said softly.

  “This disappearing for almost two days can’t happen again. If we have a problem, we’re going to talk about it like adults until we work it out.” Luke knew that he could have gone to her just as easily, but he thought it best that she came to him when she was ready to talk, as well as listen.

  “Yeah … you’re right. I guess I was caught off guard that morning. When I walked into that conference room, you were the last person I expected to see.”

  Luke sat back and pulled her against his body. “I know. I’m sure the situation appeared incriminating.”

  “But you tried to explain. I hate that I didn’t give you a chance. I immediately thought the worst instead of giving you an opportunity to tell me what was going on.”

  “Baby, that’s why we have to make sure we keep the lines of communication open.” He ran his hand up and down her arm. “Maybe I shouldn’t have assumed you knew this, but I will always be honest with you. You’re the most important person in my life. Don’t ever doubt my love for you or the lengths I will go to make you happy. But with that, I need to know that you’ll be honest with me. Whatever it is, good or bad, I have to know that you’ll be straight with me.”

  She lifted her head from his shoulder but kept her arms around his waist. “Always. No more secrets. No more of me jumping to conclusions. I will always talk to you and listen. I love you so much, and I have so missed you. Do you realize we haven’t been together in almost eight days?”

  He brushed a gentle kiss across her lips. “Trust me, I know. Going forward, I don’t plan to spend any days away from you.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I feel the same way.” Christina placed her hand on top of his, which was sitting on her thigh. “I heard you quit your job.”

  Luke nodded. “It was time.”

  Silence fell between them until Christina said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.” She probably expected a different response, but he honestly didn’t want to talk about that day. At the time, it seemed he couldn’t get out of that building fast enough. Now in light of the recent news, he left right on time. Luke knew as a recent former attorney with the firm, he would be questioned during the investigation, but he’d be ready.

  When Christina didn’t say anything else, Luke glanced down at her. The corners of her lips lifted and a sexy smile spread across her mouth.

  “I’m okay with us not talking about it. I can think of something else I’d rather do.”

  “Really?”

  “Mmm hmm.” Her hand started at his stomach and inched up his chest, stopping at one of his nipples. Heat spread through his T-shirt as if she had made contact directly to his skin. “Do you happen to have any R. Kelly tunes hanging around?”

  She tweaked the other nipple, and he practically leaped off the sofa.

  “Later for R. Kelly.” Luke lifted her in one smooth swoop and carried her toward his bedroom. “Tonight, we’ll make our own music.”

  “Wait!” Luke stopped in his tracks and glanced down at her. Wait – the same word she’d spoken their last night in New York. He hoped there weren’t any more secrets that she was planning to share. “Did you send my uncle pictures of Leroy paying off some city inspectors?”

  Luke hesitated. “What pictures?”

  He stood in the middle of the hallway still holding Christina in his arms as she searched his eyes. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to determine whether or not he knew more than what he was saying or if she was trying to think of another question.

  Instead of saying anything, she placed one of her hands behind his head and gently pulled him toward her. Heat coursed through his body, and he lost himself in the sweetness of her lips. Luke knew they still had some growing to do as a couple, but he loved her more than words could ever express. She meant everything to him. From this moment forward, he planned to do whatever it took to keep her in his life. Forever.

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later

  Christina dug through the Coach Hobo bag for her wallet as the taxi driver pulled into the parking lot of Teddy’s Bar and Grill. She couldn’t wait to see her cousins. With most of them having significant others now, they didn’t hang out as much.

  “Thanks.” She handed the driver a few bills before exiting the car.

  A warm tingling sensation heated Christina’s body in thinking about her significant other. Prior to their vacation, she and Luke had moved in together. Since they spent so much time at each other’s place, they agreed living together was the most logical thing to do at this point in their relationship. She chuckled to herself when Luke had told her that the first order of business was to get that death trap she called an elevator converted to a real elevator.

  Between moving Luke in and their recent vacation, Christina felt on top of the world. St. Lucia was beautiful with the bluest water and white sand beaches as far as the eye could see. Sunshine had been in abundance and the perfect temperature had Christina wanting to stay there forever. The only real surprise of the trip came the first day they arrived. They were touring the resort and wandered into the pool area. To their amazement, women roamed around with their breasts hanging free and their other goodies on display. Even some men bared all, flexing what their mommas gave them, and no one seemed to care. Neither she nor Luke knew clothing was optional when booking the vacation and Christina could honestly say that the trip as a whole was an experience she wouldn’t soon forget.

  Christina hurried into the bar. As usual, she was late.

  “Well it’s about time,” Martina said and bit into a big juicy burger, grease running down the side of her chin. “We were starting to think that maybe you weren’t back in town yet.”

  Christina couldn’t stop staring at her cousin’s double-decker sandwich. She had been dreaming about burgers for months, trying not to succumb to the temptation, but dreaming nonetheless.

  “I see you were able to get some sun. Your skin is absolutely glowing. When did you get back?” Peyton asked.

  “Thanks. We
arrived last night.” Christina still couldn’t seem to take her gaze off the two-handed burger Martina set back on the plate. Usually, she could ignore most of the foods her cousins ate that didn’t fall in line with her vegetarian food regimen. But tonight was proving to be a bit harder than usual. “Where’s Jada and Toni?”

  “Jada and Zack are in Boston and Toni is at home with little Craig. She called and canceled saying Craig Jr. has a bad cold.”

  “Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully, he’ll feel better soon.”

  Martina took another bite of her hamburger. Her eyes slid closed and with the sensual moans she made with every chew, one would think she was in the throes of passion. It was then Christina knew her cousin was intentionally trying to torture her.

  Martina opened her eyes, and her gaze met Christina’s. “Good grief. Just order a damn burger already and quit staring at mine.”

  “Why, so you can talk about me? I don’t think so.” Christina finally looked away and grabbed a menu from the edge of the table.

  “I’m going to talk about you anyway.” Martina bit into her burger again, still acting as if it were the best meal she had ever eaten.

  Unfortunately, her taunting worked. Christina perused the menu with every intention of ordering the biggest, greasiest, coma-inducing burger the bar had. No longer would she deprive herself of re-experiencing the delectable taste that at one time made her toes curl. So what if Martina teased her. As long as her cousin was picking on her, then she was leaving someone else alone.

  Christina waved the server over and ordered a burger and fries. She rolled her eyes when Martina started in on her. Reminding her that being a vegetarian for a limited amount of time could be added to her list of failed attempts.

  “Okay, enough,” Peyton nudged Martina in the side with her elbow. “I want to hear CJ’s big news.”

  Christina’s brows drew together. “What big news?”