Beg For It

by Angie Daniels

3

  “Why are we leaving?”

  “Because I’m hungry, and Marquis was so fine I don’t want to come across as being too eager.”

  Jayla released a laugh. “You are eager. You’ve been talking about him all day.”

  “Shhh, but he doesn’t need to know that.” Kat smiled up at her then frowned as she leaned in close. “What did you think of Stefano?”

  Her cheeks flushed at the mention of his name. All the years she’d spent fantasizing over him, the weeks she had spent tutoring him across her kitchen table, hoping he would notice her and never had. Hell, she was due something after all those hours she’d invested. “I plan on fucking him,” Jayla announced.

  Kat’s eyes widened as she sputtered, struggling for a voice. “What? I’ve never heard you talk like that.”

  With a grin, Jayla added a little extra oomph to her strut. “There’s a lot of things I didn’t used to do, but like I told you on the ride over, all that is about to change. I want to have a weekend fling with him.”

  “A weekend fling?” Kat shook her head. “Not Stefano. Pick someone else.”

  “I don’t want anyone else,” she retorted defiantly. Jayla had known the second her eyes had landed on the Latino hunk, he was going to be the one.

  Her cousin released a heavy sigh and Jayla was happy she had at least let the topic go for now. Knowing Kat, it wouldn’t last long.

  They made it over to the buffet table near the double doors that lead out onto the soccer field, and she reached for one of the disposable plates. While Kat laughed and talked to another member, formerly on the debate team, Jayla took a moment to steady her mind as she filled her plate.

  You can do this!

  After one heartbreak too many, she was determined to separate her heart from her body and enjoy one of the advantages of being single—casual sex with no emotional attachment.

  Ever since Nicholas ran off to Los Angeles with her money, she had worked toward mending her heart. A date here and there but nothing serious, but this weekend was supposed to be a test at trying sex without the emotional connection. Jayla drew a heavy sigh. What happened in Hampton… would stay in Hampton.

  As she nibbled on a meatball, her eyes traveled to the back wall of the gymnasium. Large black and white yearbook pictures of all her entire graduating class were plastered across the wall. Great. Just what she needed was to be reminded of how goofy she had looked with railroad tracks in her mouth. A lot of her classmates were standing around, pointing at photographs, and having a good laugh. She seriously doubted her reaction would be the same.

  Needing somewhere else to focus her attention, Jayla snuck another peek across the room that caused her heart rate to elevate. Stefano was sipping a beer and talking with Marquis and the others, whose names might be Steven and Brad. And she suddenly felt envious of the glass bottle he had between his lips. Damn! The man was just too sexy. But it wasn’t his lips that entranced her. It was the eyes. Dark with a hawkish look, that instantly left her breathless. She would have kept right on staring, if Kat hadn’t tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Did you see the hot wings?” she asked.

  Jayla shook her head. “Oh no. I missed those.” Following the direction of Kat’s index finger, she reached for the tongs and put a few chicken drummettes onto her plate.

  Kat held out her plate so she could serve her, as well, and said, “Let’s walk around while we eat so I can see who else is here.”

  “Like your ex-husband?”

  Kat rolled her big eyes at the mention of the football player she had married right out of high school. “I already spotted him sitting at that table all the way over near the pep rally poster.” Their marriage had lasted all of six months, before she caught him banging a co-worker in the public bathroom.

  While they shoveled food into their mouths, the cousins circled the gymnasium, stopping along the way to catch up with friends. Kat had been popular, with fond memories of her four years of high school. For Jayla, those years had been painful.

  Back then, she had been what her therapist had called clinically depressed. Growing up hadn’t been easy with a socialite mother, who spent more time trying to impress her friends than nurturing her daughter, and a father who constantly reminded her how disappointed he had been that she wasn’t a boy. To cope with being such a disappointment in her parents’ lives, Jayla fell in love with food—eating snacks until they were all gone. And then there was the drinking. There had always been alcohol in the house. A sip here and a sip there, nobody had ever noticed she had been helping herself to the open bottles. By the time she was sixteen, she hadn’t cared anymore. She drank as much as she wanted, when she wanted and had become an alcoholic by the time she’d graduated from college. But after years of therapy and self-esteem building, other than an occasional glass of wine, she rarely ever touched the stuff anymore. Now she was battling her newest problem—looking for love in the arms of every man.

  By the time they had circled the room twice, networking, making sure everyone knew who they were, Jayla had had enough with being fake. Most of the people didn’t even remember her anyway. They were being nice because of Kat.

  “I’m going to sit down,” she told her, anxious to get back to the table and put her weekend plans into action.

  “Are you really going to do this?”

  Jayla peered over at Kat, who had been blessed with thick lashes, while she had to use the 3D mascara for volume and depth. “Yes,” she replied without hesitation.

  Kat grabbed her arm and Jayla swung around to gaze down at her as she asked, “Why?”

  “Why do you think?”

  With a frustrated huff, Kat dragged her over into a corner so she could talk to her privately.

  “Listen, I know your ex-boyfriend was a dick, but maybe you need to just take it easy for a while. Having a fling isn’t you.”

  “It will be after this weekend,” Jayla replied with false confidence. “Look, Kat. I’m tired of following the rules and living a structured life with time management. For once I want to be wild and reckless and that man sitting over there is perfect for what I need.” Her body vibrated with so much excitement, Jayla wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. Maybe falling in love with Nicholas so fast made her that much more determined to prove she could have an emotionless encounter with a man, even though he wasn’t completely a stranger.

  She wanted, for once, to have fun and not think about life after the weekend was over. What happened in Hampton… stayed in Hampton, right? The beautiful thing was she hadn’t lived in Virginia since she left home for college and never once looked back. Her parents had moved to Memphis, so she didn’t have to go anywhere near Hampton again, except to visit Kat. Jayla was confident a weekend of hot sex—with a hot man—was just what she needed to put a smile back on her face by the time she got on the plane Sunday evening.

  Jayla stared down at her cousin, with her brow raised. “You sure have gotten uptight in your old age.”

  “Old age? Are you serious?”

  Resisting a smile, she nodded. “Yes, I think you needed me to fly down just so you could have some excitement in your life.”

  With a roll of her eyes, Kat straightened her dress. “Cuz, don’t get it twisted! I get lots of excitement. Come on, let’s go. But I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. Steph’s not like all those other clowns. That crap might backfire on you.”

  Jayla followed Kat through the maze of tables. People were laughing and dancing and having a good time. They stopped, talked to a few people they both knew, then continued their quest and the closer she got to the table, the harder her heart pounded.

  Stefano rose and pulled out the chair for her. She sat the plate down on the table in front of her. “Thank you,” she said and when his hand brushed against her shoulder, her body tingled.

  Clearing her throat, Kat glared down at Marquis who sprung from his chair and did the same. Instantly her smile returned. Jayla chuckled inwardly. So much for be
ing a gentleman.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Stefano asked and pointed toward the cash bar.

  Jayla held up the bottle of water in her hand and replied, “No, I don’t drink, but thank you.”

  He excused himself long enough to grab another beer and then she watched as he walked back to the table, admiring the way his jeans emphasized his large thighs and narrow waist.

  As soon as he was seated, she decided to strike up a conversation, otherwise she would never get him in bed. “So you’re in the Air Force?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, been in eight years. I ran track for two years at VCU, but after I hurt my knee, I decided to join the military to pay for my education. I just graduated with a bachelor’s in criminal justice.”

  She was impressed. “Good for you. Where are you now?” Jayla asked between chews.

  “I’m at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.”

  Her body stiffened. He lived six hours away from her.

  “How about you?” His eyebrow quirked over an incredibly dark eye.

  “I’m in Salt Lake City, working as a contract specialist for the department of defense.”

  “Bien.” He looked impressed. “Whoever your man is, he’s one lucky guy.”

  “I should say the same about you,” she cooed. “How many kids to you have?”

  “Nada! I’ve never been married or have any children.”

  Jayla speared a barbecue meatball as she said, “How you manage to do that?”

  “It’s called T-R-O-J-A-N-S.”

  She laughed along with him.

  Stefano leaned over resting his elbows on the table. “Are you married?”

  Jayla shook her head without hesitation. “I’m not interested in marriage.” At least not anymore.

  “Why’s that?”

  She shrugged and waited until she chewed before saying, “Men can’t be trusted.”

  “I know that’s right,” she heard her cousin mumble under her breath.

  “Not all men,” Stefano replied and he was staring at her so intensely he almost made Jayla a believer.

  Marquis decided to chime in. “I agree. I was with the same woman for five years before she decided she wanted someone else.”

  Kat honestly looked as if she was impressed, while Jayla rolled her eyes. “Then I guess she was one of the lucky ones.”

  She turned away and noticed the gym was quickly filling up. Jayla recognized quite a few people, mostly other members of the honor society or the newspaper staff. More than a few looked as plain and uninteresting as they had in high school and the ones she sprung up from her seat to greet were the few friends who had really cared.

  When she returned back to the table, Steve and what’s his name were gone and Kat and Marquis were dancing. Jayla swallowed. She and Stefano were all alone. Instantly, she was conscious of everything about him.

  “Jayla, tell me how you’ve been?” He was addressing her again in a deep, accented voice that did things to her body she didn’t want it to do.

  “After graduation, I attended Central University in Durham, North Carolina. Got a degree in finance and landed my first job at Andrews Air Force Base.”

  “Smart girl. I always knew you would make something of your life.” The piercing intensity of his dark gaze made her breath catch.

  “Why’s that?” she asked and was squirming on her seat.

  “Because you were one helluva tutor. You weren’t into cliques and the bullshit,” he replied huskily.

  “So in other words…I was boring with no life, so what else did I have to do but study?”

  Her response startled him. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant. I—”

  “It’s all good.” A smile curled her lips as she rose. Even after all those years, the truth always hurt. “C’mon, I want to dance.” Without waiting for an answer, she weaved her way through the crowd and out onto the dance floor and started wiggling her hips. Stefano was standing behind her and brought a hand to her waist, twirling her around and she felt like melting. The entire song his eyes bored into hers, and it took everything she had to hold it together.

  A smile curled his beautiful mouth as he said, “You’re a great dancer.”

  “So are you,” she replied softly.

  The music changed and Stefano pulled her closer and placed one hand at the small of her back, and the other at her waist. Jayla slid her arms around his neck, leaned into the hard, solid wall of his muscled body and gave a low moan of delight. He was hard all over like solid steel. Pleasure swept through her body.

  “You are muy bonita,” he murmured.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, and was pleased he found her beautiful. Jayla made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. She tried not to notice but every time she met his stare, she felt as if she was drowning.

  “Other than the reunion, do you have plans while you’re here, Jae?”

  Her nickname on his lips was too intimate, causing her to tremble. She shook her head. “Other than spending time with you…no.”

  “I like the way you think.” A smile spread across his face, but his dark eyes were intense and so damn arousing, he had her body throbbing and yearning for all kinds of things. Stefano looked as if he could see into her soul. As if he knew all her secrets, and her every desire. And when a smile, slow and wicked, twisted his lips, it was as if he’d figured out how to make every one of those desires a reality.

  “You’ve changed,” he began, breaking the intensified silence. “I remember you being so quiet and…”

  “Innocent?” she coaxed and teased.

  His grin deepened. “I was going to say nice.”

  Jayla tilted her head until her lips were a feather away from his. “Trust me…I rather be naughty.”

  Stefano stared down into her eyes, studying her. She just hoped he didn’t see her bottom lip quivering.

  “Maybe we can be naughty together,” he murmured.

  And then he was kissing her. Oh my God! He was yummy!

  Mouthwatering, finger-licking, panty-dripping yummy. And clearly, he had no problem of expressing himself in public, Jayla realized as he slid a hand down the center of her back in such a slow gesture that by the time he reached the top of her ass, her breath was unsteady and quick. Stefano was making it extremely hard for her to behave unaffected. She didn’t want to feel this way. She needed to be immune to him. But this man—this gorgeous Latino man—had a strong effect on her. The smart thing would be to stay as far away from him as possible, but she couldn’t no matter how right the decision would be. Instead, Jayla wanted Stefano with a sense of urgency she had never wanted from another man. All her life, she’d behaved: following the rules, taking the time to consider her options and then weighing the consequences. She’d focused on her education and career progression and so far had made a life she was proud of. Her personal life had been the problem.

  But as Stefano kissed her…as they continued to dance, all she could think about was the way he made her feel and the things she was eager to do with him. For once, it wasn’t about love or commitment. Instead, it was about a man who would keep her up all night crying out in pleasure until she was begging. A man who’d drive her crazy while sending her body to sexual places she’d never imagined. She wanted licking, sucking, and a whole lotta fucking with a man who’d guarantee satisfaction.

  Even if it was only for a weekend.

  That was what was important. That was what she needed at the forefront of her mind. Three nights of scrumptious, mind-changing fucking with a man who would make her forget her name.

  Afterwards, she would catch her plane and never look back.

  “This is nuts, Señor Ortiz,” she murmured against his lips.

  “Si, querida,” Stefano agreed. His teeth nibbled lightly at the corners of her mouth and when she moaned, he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and sucked. “But nuts feels good.”

  Yes it does.

  4

  Stefano couldn’t believe he
’d finally kissed Jayla.

  In his twenty-eight years, he’d met dozens of women and even had a few one-night stands, but he had never felt the overwhelming need to kiss a woman so badly he craved her taste. And the moment he had felt her lips pressed again his—no shitting—he had felt some kind of explosion inside his chest that landed right smack at his groin. His dick was hard and strained against the fly of his jeans and he was sure Jayla felt the effect she had over him.

  What was still hard for him to believe was this was the same way he had felt back in high school, only now that he was an adult and more in control of his emotions, the attraction was dynamic and intense. He’d liked Jayla then and he sure as hell liked her now, even though she had changed or at least wanted him to think she had. He wasn’t quite sure, yet. Although, for a brief moment, he had seen the uncertainty in her eyes before she had dropped her gaze to the polished gymnasium floor as if she was afraid he might see the truth. But even with this more beautiful and confident woman, he saw her soul, and deep down she was still the sweet, shy Jayla he remembered. All he knew, with certainty, was she had felt something when she turned her eyes on him and that feeling was still flaring between them. Gracias a Dios!

  Stefano ended the kiss and tightened his arms around Jayla. Her breasts felt soft and amazing flushed against his chest. An impulse flared through his mind of him, holding her breasts in the palm of his hands before he lowered his mouth down to suckle….

  Swiftly, he dragged his mind back and focused on swaying to a slow rhythm. But their bodies touching only sent his mind back to the gutter. Hips brushing. An erection pulsing against her belly. Dancing had him thinking of all the things he’d wanted to do with her, but had been too naïve to do at that time, but not anymore.

  “I love this song.” Jayla cooed and then started singing, “Touch me baby, hold me tight.” Her hands slid down his shoulder blades, pulling his body closer.

  “Like this?” he growled in response as he clutched her waist. Slow music always had a way of kicking up a mood a few notches. But there was also Jayla rocking her hips and moaning in his ear. An aggressive attitude had always been a turn-on to him. The more she sang close to his ear, his desire increased and started buzzing at his core. He wanted Jayla and everything the weekend had to offer. And he planned on getting it.