by Paige Patton
Stevens knew it would do him no good, but he had to try to talk some sense into Roman before things got any worse.
“Listen to me, my friend.”
Roman did not want to hear it. He knew that Stevens would try to talk him out of moving forward with plans to overthrow Kourosh. He was not in the mood for a talk or a fight.
“I lost a lot of good men tonight, Doc. I’m really not in the mood.”
“That’s my point. Maybe you should think about…”
“How soon before I can speak to my men?” Roman said as he stood. Stevens was too kind hearted to understand what he was going through. He should be thankful that he never had to deal with Kourosh in the same way that he had. If he had, he wouldn’t be so quick to let bygones be bygones. This whole conversation was pointless.
Stevens had never met a more stubborn man than Roman. Once the man had it in his mind to do something he never let it go until it was done. He would back down for now. But he would never stop trying to make him see that his efforts to take down Kourosh were futile.
“If they behave and do as told, I see no reason why they shouldn’t be back up and ready to fight again by tomorrow night.”
“Fine! I’ll check in on them before then.” Roman said, and then vanished.
Roman pulled up outside of the administration building in shark gray metallic Corvette Stingray. It was getting late. All he wanted to do was to get home and meet with his men to go over their next move before Kourosh killed them all.
He stepped out of the car, hit the lock button, and headed toward the front door, buttoning his suit jacket. He had forgotten about the scheduled appointment and was secretly hoping that whoever was waiting for him inside would have taken off by now. The last thing he wanted or needed was to waste time talking about Noland Bauer’s brat.
One hour and twenty minutes later, Roman opened the door to his office and went rock-solid hard as he saw Desiree perched on his desk.
Great! Desiree thought, another good-looking, lying, cheating ass brother to deal with. Could this day get any worse? First, the inconsiderate bastard kept her waiting over an hour and secondly he turns out to be another Liam. She wanted to throw her hands up and scream to the heavens, why me?
Standing, she quickly sized him up to be in the neighborhood of thirty-five to forty, maybe older, but his demeanor and style of dress stated otherwise. His suit was expensive. That she knew for sure because it fit him perfectly. His jacket was buttoned, but she was able to see that he wore no belt, his pants hung just right off his hips, and his tie matched but was playful and hip. Yeah, he was under forty she concluded. Strangest thing – she wasn’t that upset with him anymore.
Roman’s eyes traveled the length of her body taking in every luscious curve. He was enjoying himself and didn’t care that he was staring like a teenage boy who had fallen upon his first poster of a naked woman. He was totally enamored.
Desiree was finding it hard to open her mouth to speak the longer she stared at Professor DePaul. He wasn’t just fine; he was unbelievably fine. She tried to divert her eyes but found that she could not. There was something mysteriously alluring and intriguing about him.
“Professor DePaul,” She managed to say with her hand extend. “Thank you for taking time out of your obviously busy schedule to speak with me.” She made sure to emphasize the word, obviously. The man was fine, but she wanted to keep it real, he was still over an hour late, and he had better have a damn good reason for keeping her waiting.
Roman took her hand not so much as to shake it, but simply to hold it. His hard, steady gaze held her rooted for a moment as he examined her soul. She was Delilah’s daughter, the goddess he was tasked to protect.
Desiree gasped at his firm grip and intense gaze. What astonished her even more was the tingling sensation that ran from his fingertips into her hand and straight up her arm. It touched every erogenous zone in her body causing her to shiver as though she was about to climax.
A wave of dizziness washed over her as she felt a strange connection to him. Like the immediate connection, a mother feels with her newborn baby. “I’m Desiree Chase.” She said trying to shake off the odd feelings.
“Pleased to meet you, Desiree Chase.”
Wow! What a magnificent creature she thought as she looked into his eyes. The way he said her name made the butterflies in her stomach come alive and take flight. It was a short, nonstop flight south from his lips directly to her clit.
Roman could not take his eyes off her. Damn, she was beautiful- The spitting image of her mother, a little taller; more curvaceous. Dark, hypnotic eyes, a flaming hot body, and a sweet innocent face that kept him hard. Delilah was right; he was quite pleased.
“I’m here on behalf of Noland Bauer.” She said pulling her hand free of his hold.
“Yes, of course. I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Something came up.”
Desiree waited for more of an explanation, but no more came. Guess that was all she was going to get.
“Please, have a seat.” He said gesturing toward the couch, allowing her to walk ahead of him so that he could get a good look at her from behind. He loved the form fitting, tan pencil skirt that hugged her ass. It zipped up in the back from hem to waist. A white button down blouse and black t-strap leather shoes made her professionally sexy he thought. She wore her hair slicked back into a neat, long ponytail that would be good for holding her head in place while kissing her. The amount of make-up she wore only enhanced her beauty because he knew she would be perfectly beautiful without it.
He took a seat right next to her, placing his elbows on his knees the tips of his fingers touching forming a little teepee.
“How can I help you?” he asked looking directly at her.
Desiree could feel herself melting, sinking under his steady gaze. If he truly wanted to help her, he could start by not looking so freaking amazing. The man was smoldering hot, pure perfection, sex on a stick, yet there was a hard edge about him. It added to his handsomeness. He had her thinking naughty, no filthy thoughts. She had to get the hell out of there. Her mind was in the gutter, and she was finding it impossible to concentrate on anything other than fucking the professor. She stood.
“I’m sorry, but I need to visit the ladies' room before we get started- If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” He said as he stood and opened the door for her, pointing the way down the hall.
Desiree could not get away from him fast enough. Something strange was going on. She needed a moment alone to piece it together, to figure out why she was suddenly so hot and bothered.
She entered the restroom and made a mad dash for the sink. Turning on the cold water, she splashed some on her face. Her body was aching and hot with desire. Never before had she ever wanted to jump a man the way she wanted to jump the professor. It was so unlike her to react in such a way. Yes, the man was fine, but the moment she looked at him, she craved him. Certainly, that was not normal.
She had to pull herself together. She had a job to do. Noland was counting on them to find his missing daughter, and here she was lusting over their first lead like a bitch in heat. She was too embarrassed to think about it anymore. She left the ladies' room determined to keep her lustful desire in check and to complete the interview like a professional P.I.
She entered the office to find him sitting in the same spot. For a hot second, she thought about taking a seat behind his desk but that would be rude and obvious, so she took a seat next to him.
His gaze was unrelenting. He never once looked away as she entered the office and took her seat. That along with the scent of his cologne practically undid her. Her head started to spin, and all she wanted to do was to give herself to him. She had not been back in his office a good minute, and there she was losing control again. What the fuck was going on?
She shook her head trying desperately to get back on track, but she couldn’t remember why she was even there she thought. What was happening to her?
“Are you okay?” He asked in a calm voice that only made matters worse. His concern for her woke up every erotic desire in her body. Her heart rate soared as wetness began to pool between her legs.
“Yes.” She moaned in a voice that barely resembled hers. Then, it happened again. She was losing control. Her body was behaving as though it had a mind of its own. Surely, it did because at this point she was not in control of anything.
She needed another time out; time away from this man who caused her body to react with sexual excitement. She stood abruptly. “I need to use the restroom.”
“You just came from the restroom, Miss Chase.” He said with a look of confusion on his face.
Desiree felt like a damn fool, but she had to do something. Being this close to him was too much. She felt like she was on the verge of having an orgasm, and he hadn’t touched her. She had to come up with a plausible explanation as to why she kept running away from him. “Well, I need to go again. I think I have a UTI.”
Roman looked up at her trying hard to hold back his amusement. “A urinary tract infection?” He asked unbelievingly. “Well, please, don’t let me stop you.” He said dismissively.
Desiree entered the bathroom again and headed straight for the toilet. She really did have to pee. She felt ridiculous sitting there. “A UTI?” She yelled out into an empty room. “Couldn’t you have come up with something better than a UTI?” She asked herself aloud hitting her head on the wall next to her.
How could she possibly conduct an interview if she could not sit in the same room with him for one minute without feeling aroused?
She had to pull herself together and unravel the mystery of Professor DePaul. Come on girl use your street smarts. She started by telling herself that he was nothing more than your typical, black man, that he was just like the rest of them, liars, cheaters and always up to no good. As hard as she tried to convince herself, she wasn’t buying it. She knew that it was true. There was something different about the professor. He was far from a typical anything, and he had a hold on her that needed to be broken. Fast!
“Everything come out okay?” He asked standing as Desiree entered his office and took her seat once again.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” She answered, already feeling the effects of his magic. The man was like a vibrator that stayed inserted in her virginal and left on super-high mode. Her desire for him took over and once again, she found herself unable to function normally.
She would just have to work through it at least until she asked him a few basic questions. “I…I just have a few questions for you, Mr...” Hell, what was his name again?
For the life of her, she could not remember his name. This was becoming embarrassing and a cause for concern.
“DePaul.” He answered with a slight smile.
“Yes, that’s it. Mr. DePaul.”
Heat rose from her chest and made tiny little beads of sweat form on her forehead. She wanted to use her hand to fan herself, but that was a classic sign of sexual arousal or frustration. Something odd was happening. This was not her, acting like a blundering idiot, a silly, immature love-struck schoolgirl in awe over her handsome teacher. She had never acted in such a manner. Well, maybe once or twice when she was in high school, oh, and there was that one time in college, but she was a grown ass woman now. What was going on?
Flustered and feeling like she could climax at any time. Desiree she stood again.
“The bathroom again, Miss Chase?” He asked. His voice was not unkind, but he was firm. It was clear to that he was approaching the end of his patience.
Desiree ignored him as she trotted over to the window and flung it open. She needed to breathe in the fresh air, or better yet, to be out in the fresh air and as far away from his office as she could get herself.
Then, things deteriorated. The room started to close in on her. All of the air in the room seemed to have disappeared. She clutched her neck, suffocating as her heart hammered in her chest. Dear God, she was having a heart attack, or maybe a stroke. No, not here, and not now in front of the handsome professor; but wait, she thought. A serious illness would be the perfect solution, the answer to why she was behaving like a sex crazed, weird woman.
She turned back around to find Roman standing behind her holding a glass of ice water. Not that it was such a big deal for him to offer her water in her present state; it was the fact that she never saw him move from where he was seated. He didn’t have time to leave the room much less commandeer a glass with ice and water and then return. Her back had been turned away from him for five or six seconds at the most. However, her throat was dry, and a cold glass of water was needed.
He handed her the glass with a genuine look of concern on his face and watched her as she gulped it all down. “Easy.” He instructed her as a doctor would instruct a sick patient. “Better?” He asked attentively making her stomach and clit react at the same time.
Shit! She did feel better. Who knew that a glass of ice water was all it took to cure a heart attack? “Yes,” she answered looking up at him. “Thank you.” It was all she could do to keep from batting and fluttering her eyelids like a damn fool. Geesh! Why was she acting like a psycho?
She handed the glass and accidently touched his fingers. The same electrifying sensation of pure pleasure ran through her body again. She could only stare at him while she let the feeling consume her then subside.
Wow! He’s amazing Desiree thought, just like Mr. Peterson her seventh-grade teacher whom she had fallen madly in love with from day one. She would stare at him the entire period fantasize about their wonderful life together. That was only a silly childhood crush. She was grown up now but feeling much the same way about Mr. DePaul. Well, maybe not exactly the same way because Mr. Peterson never had the ability to evoked such indecent thoughts.
For the love of God, snap out of it and pull yourself together! She told herself. You are here to do a job, not lust after a man who, by the way, is off limits for the next two years-remember? Stay focused; get the job done so that you can get the hell out of this office. Besides, a man like the professor must have women foaming at the mouth and standing in line waiting for their chance to have him. You do not want to end up being one of his many bitches.
Feeling better and with a new perspective, Desiree crossed back over to her seat determined to get down to business. Enough with this foolishness she thought as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and notepad that Camille had insisted she take along to make her look more like real P.I.
“We can reschedule if your UTI is getting to you, Miss Chase.” He said. She did not know if he was mocking her or if he was serious, but she didn’t care. She was ready to interview and leave.
“I’m fine, Mr. DePaul, but thank you for your concern.” She said clearing her throat as Roman took his seat next to her again. Desiree cleared her throat for the second time and jumped right into questioning him. “I’m sure that you’re aware of the disappearance of Grace Bauer.”
“Yes. It is sad. Her father must be worried sick.”
Hmmm…solicitous and handsome. “Can you tell me anything about her?”
“Sure,” he said as his eyes slid down to her breasts and stayed there for a moment before looking back into her eyes. “But I’m afraid I don’t know very much. She was a sweet girl…”
Desiree shot him a look. “Was?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you say was like she’s gone for good?”
He did not like what she was hinting. “It’s just a word, Miss Chase.” He replied calmly but in a firm tone. “You said she was missing, so I assumed she is no longer on campus. I’d be happy to use whatever word you like if it helps you in your investigation.”
She felt like she had just gotten her hand slapped. She wanted to beg for forgiveness. To promise him that she would never upset him again. “Please continue.”
“She is a sweet girl, wherever she is.” He added for her sake. Very smart, a bit reserved from what I could tell.
She always handed her assignments in on time, and she never missed a day of class.”
Wow! Desiree swooned. She was mesmerized, totally enthralled, and spellbound by every word that escaped his mouth. Even his voice was sexy. It was like listening to music. She could listen to him go on and on forever even if he were talking about rocks. She liked his mustache, goatee, van dyke combo he had going on. He even had perfect teeth, straight and white, full lips, big strong hands and those dark, mysterious eyes that had a way of pulling her in when she stared at them. What a magnificent black stallion. He must have more names of women on his contact list than words in the dictionary. “Did she hang out with a particular group of people, perhaps a boyfriend?”
He leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee as he took a moment to think. “Not that I noticed,” he said stretching his right arm out over the back of the couch. He slowly trailed the length of his neatly trimmed mustache with his thumb and index finger, never once taking his eyes off her.
Desiree imagined him fucking her with those long fingers and then watching him suck them clean. She glanced at his nails. Naturally, they were manicured perfectly with just a touch of a shine to them. She admired a man who took good care of himself from top to bottom. She wondered if his toes were as perfect as his fingers.
Feeling herself veering off track and heating up again, she cleared her throat, repositioned herself. She had to make a conscious effort to concentrate on Mr. Bauer and what’s her name, but looking at the professor made it extremely difficult. She was fighting with herself to stay on course. One side of her wanted to play private investigator, but the other side wanted to play the naughty girl with the professor. Seriously, something was up.
Desiree forced herself to look away from him. She could only take him in small doses. He had a way of making her feel vulnerable and weak, needy and nerve-rackingly aroused. It had to be his eyes, she thought. They were hooded, dark, and mysteriously mesmerizing. They had a way of looking at you and holding you captive. Maybe he was gifted with the power to hypnotize. She had heard of people who had the ability to control others by staring into their eyes. Like vampires.