He sat her on the edge of the desk and spread her legs apart. Then he planted his face between her thighs. With his tongue, he sought out her throbbing bud of sexuality. Jade struggled to keep her voice down as James lapped her womanly juices, which sprang from her like a summer’s rain.
“Oh,” she moaned as his tongue danced across her most sensitive area.
Jade clamped her thighs together around James’s ears as he deepened his kiss, sucking on her throbbing bud as if it were a piece of magical candy. She held on to his shoulders as her legs began to quake. Seconds passed like hours as James continued tasting her. When his tongue danced against her inner thigh and his finger probed her valley of desire, Jade melted into a pool of heated lust on his desk. James inched up her body, taking his time and tasting every bit of exposed flesh. Each kiss made her shiver with a wanton need to feel him inside her. Then, when she felt his manhood growing against her thighs, her juices began to flow like a river.
“I need you,” he breathed against her ear after covering his erection with a condom. “I need you, Jade.”
She lifted her leg, giving him all the clearance he needed to dive in. As their bodies melted together, they gave in to the passion and pleasure they felt. Jade was hot and wet, and James could barely contain himself as she pressed her hips into his and ground slowly against him. With her head thrown back, she tightened her thighs around him and called out his name as he reached her G-spot. James thrust into her, making Jade scream with delight. She tightened her muscles around his manhood, bringing him to climax just as she reached her own orgasm. Jade fell backward onto the desk, and James collapsed on top of her. Sweat covered their naked bodies, and for the moment it didn’t matter that James’s phone was ringing and Jade had papers stuck to her backside. In their minds, they were in the most perfect place on earth.
“Don’t you think you should answer that?” Jade asked as the phone kept ringing.
“Why do you think voice mail was invented?”
She gently stroked his back and brushed her lips across his. “This is dangerous,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“I could get used to this, and since we’re going to be doing business in Charlotte, you will be seeing a lot more of me.”
“And the dangerous part is what?”
Jade dropped her arms from around him and turned her head to the side. “You don’t see this as being a problem? Have you ever known a long-distance ‘thing’ to work out?”
James ran his forefinger down the center of her breasts. “Let’s call it what it really is. A relationship. I hope that’s the direction we’re moving in. Otherwise, you’re wasting my time. I don’t want a bed partner, although we haven’t done much in a bed, have we?”
She swatted him on the shoulder and smiled. “But—” she began, and James placed his finger to her lips to silence her.
“There are no buts. If you’re ready to try something new, then here I am. But if you’re still hung up on your ex and you have to go out of your way to get revenge, then this can be our good-bye.”
Jade pushed his hand away. “It’s not about revenge, and I’m not hung up on Stephen,” she said.
“Really?”
Squirming underneath him, she wiggled out of his embrace and swung her legs over the side of the desk.
James, now standing, planted himself in front of her. “Tell me the truth,” he said. “You wanted this property because Stephen was going to buy it. I understand that you’re angry, and you have every right to be. But, at what point does that anger become unhealthy?”
“He humiliated me. And I know you might think I should get over it and let it go, but I poured a lot of sweat and tears into his restaurant. While he was out front socializing with the best Atlanta had to offer, I was trying to make sure he had money to pay the staff, the decorators, and I was the one who got all the publicity for that restaurant. I used my contacts from college to get people to give a damn. And to open the newspaper and see I’d been replaced! Not just in the relationship, but in the business, too. Well, James, that was the straw, and the camel’s back was already cracking.”
“I told you that my sister-in-law is a contract attorney and she can help you,” he said. “But that has nothing to do with you and me. I want you, Jade, want you for more than just sex. There’s something about you that’s intriguing, that’s special, and I want to uncover every bit of it. I want to know what makes you happy so I can stop you from ever being sad. I want to know what makes you who you are.” He stopped when he saw tears welling up in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“This feels so right, but I haven’t had the best of luck with relationships, and sometimes the men ...”
“You’ve never been with me. I can’t promise that every day is going to be sunshine and roses, but most days will be. I don’t want a bunch of women. I know all I need is one woman, who can be everything that I need, want, and desire.”
Jade sucked her bottom lip in and tried to quell the emotional storm brewing inside. When James spoke, she believed him. And she wanted to believe that he was the man for her, but she’d had these thoughts before. “James,” she whispered as he took her into his arms, “this is crazy.”
“Once you pay for that restaurant, we’re no longer in business together. And we are never going into business together. Just let go and get what’s coming to you, woman,” he said as he cupped her bottom.
“And just what would that be?” She felt his arousal against her legs and smiled because she was just as ready for round two.
Then there was a pounding knock on the door. “James, what in the hell are you doing in there?” Maurice yelled.
“Damn it. He would pick today to show up when he’s actually supposed to,” James whispered.
“Your brother?” asked Jade.
James nodded as he and Jade began dressing. Once they were clothed and his office had some semblance of order, James opened the door.
Jade smiled weakly at Maurice as she headed out. “I’ll see you later,” she said to James.
Maurice smirked and took a seat across from James’s desk. “Well, well,” he said.
“Don’t start, Mo,” James warned.
“I’m not starting anything. It looks like you just finished something up in here, though,” Maurice said.
“Why are you here?” James asked, clearly annoyed with his brother.
“Didn’t you say we needed to discuss some business ?” Maurice asked. “I came to work, but it looks as if you were putting in work.” He laughed at his own joke; then he noticed the serious look on his brother’s face and stopped laughing. “Look, you’re single. Kenya and I have used her desk a time or two. Never in the middle of the day, though. Poor Amber was in the lobby, watering flowers, and those plants in the lobby are plastic.”
“Shut up.” James laughed despite himself. “Are you serious, though?”
Maurice nodded. “I always thought you and Amber would get together, since she is the only woman that you allow to be around you on a consistent basis.”
“I don’t play where I work, all right?” James said.
“And don’t let Jade hear you make those quips about Amber.”
“So this thing is serious? Come on, James. I know you’re not that damned ...”
“Think about what you’re getting ready to say, because you have no room to talk,” James said.
Maurice threw his hands up. “All right, but hear me out. You and this chick met in Vegas, right? She hopped into bed with you and didn’t know you from Adam’s alley cat. Do you really think that’s the kind of woman that you need to be getting serious with?”
“Sort of like the kind of woman you were about to walk down the aisle with a couple of years ago?”
“That’s why I can recognize a gold digger when I see one,” Maurice said. “There’s something about that chick that isn’t right.”
“Whatever, Mo,” James said.
“Come on. Why is she in
Charlotte?”
“Because she just bought a restaurant,” James snapped. “It was a million-dollar investment, so she’s not trying to get my money.”
“Women like that ...”
“Like what? Beautiful and sexy? What? They don’t usually want me? They’re just using me to get to your ass, right?”
Maurice rose to his feet and shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying, and you know that.”
“Did you listen to me when I told you about Lauryn?” James asked.
“No, but don’t you think you should learn from my mistake?”
“I think you should mind your damned business,” James replied. “Jade isn’t anything like Lauryn.”
“You don’t know that,” Maurice said. “And you’re not going to be sure until it’s too late.”
James folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “If you have some legitimate business here, then let’s get to it.”
“Man, I forgot what I came here for. Just make sure that she’s really worth it.” Maurice turned and headed out the door.
James chewed his bottom lip and tried not to let what Maurice had said perplex him. But was he right? Did Jade have an ulterior motive as to why she wanted to be with him?
I’m not going to let Maurice get to me, he thought as he began to pick up the papers he and Jade had brushed aside.
Jade sat in the parking lot, wondering what she was going to do until she and James linked up again. She realized that she had no idea where he lived, and even if she had his address, she wasn’t that familiar with Charlotte. The look on Maurice’s face had told her that he knew what had happened in the office. Jade’s cheeks burned as she thought about what Maurice was thinking when she walked out of the office as if her skirt was on fire.
Just as she was about to start her car, there was a knock on her window. Frazzled, she looked up and was surprised to see Maurice standing there. Jade rolled her window down and offered him a shy smile.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“That’s a good question. Got an answer?”
“I don’t understand.” Jade furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.
“What’s going on with you and my brother? The real deal?” he asked.
“That’s between me and James,” Jade said. “And if you have any questions, maybe you should ask him.”
“But I’m asking you. Here’s the thing. I love my brother, and I don’t want to see him hurt by some gold digger who realizes that the last name Goings will open a lot of doors for her in Charlotte and Atlanta.”
“Hold up,” Jade said. “You don’t know me. You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know the type. I hope you are aboveboard, because if you hurt my brother, let’s just say I’ll go out of my way to make your life hell.”
Jade opened the car door and got out. She stood in Maurice’s face, even though she was several inches shorter than he was. “So you’re making assumptions about me and threatening me? Just who in the hell do you think you are?”
Maurice shook his head, his face contorted with a deep scowl. “This isn’t even about me—”
“You’re right. It’s about me and James. He may be your brother, but last time I checked, he was a grown-ass man who didn’t need you playing his savior.”
“Women like you are common,” he said. “You know that James can do a lot for you in Charlotte and Atlanta. I believe you’re using him.”
Jade dropped her head and laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, I am using him. I started by giving him a million dollars for some property that my investment group bought here. And I’m using him for some of the best sex of my life. Yes, Maurice, you’ve figured me out.”
He stepped back from her, still scowling. “Whatever you’re doing, you’d better make sure that you—”
“Maurice,” James called out. “What the hell is going on?”
Jade and Maurice turned around and watched James stalk in their direction.
“One of y’all need to answer me,” James snapped. “What’s this all about?”
Jade looked at Maurice. “I think you and your brother need to talk.”
James glared at his brother. “If this is what I think it is, my brother needs to leave.”
“Fine,” Maurice said. “If I’m overstepping, then whatever. I’m out.”
James turned to Jade. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.
“I guess I shouldn’t be upset, since my friends did the same thing to you. But your brother seems to think I’m some kind of gold digger.”
“That’s because he has issues,” James said. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
As Jade got in her car to follow James, she couldn’t help but wonder if Maurice’s words were going to have an effect on him.
CHAPTER 15
James led Jade to his ranch-style house in a new subdivision on the outskirts of town. His house sat at the rear of the cul-de-sac and gave him more privacy than he had a need for. But as he looked in his rearview mirror and saw Jade’s car behind him, he suddenly thought about what he could use all that privacy for.
They pulled into his driveway and got out of their cars. “Hungry?” James asked.
“I’m still kind of full from lunch. Ruth’s Chris was nice,” she said, with a smile.
“Well, I was going to show you my culinary skills,” he said.
“Umm, sounds intriguing. I guess I could eat something.”
Jade followed James to the front door. When she walked in, she was surprised by the decor in the house. It wasn’t the typical bachelor pad; the place was cleaner than her Atlanta penthouse and was decorated in earth tones. Part of her had expected to see a leather sectional and a sixty-inch flat-screen TV. But she should’ve known better. James had class and his home reflected that.
“Nice place,” she said.
“Thanks,” he said, then nodded toward the oversize sofa. “You can have a seat if you like.”
Jade sat on the sofa and melted into the cushions. “This is heaven,” she whispered.
James eased beside her and took her into his arms. “My brother was out of line, and I hope you don’t hold his ranting and raving against me.”
“Your brother was trying to look out for you. He just went about it in the wrong way.” Jade turned and faced James. Their lips brushed against each other, and Jade smiled. “Maurice isn’t going to be a problem, is he?” she asked.
“Hell no. If my brother had better judgment when it came to women, he would be celebrating ten years of marriage and probably would have a couple of kids running around here.”
“You guys are big on family, huh?”
James shrugged. “We just want to make sure that our kids will have it better than we did. Our father wasn’t a very good role model.”
Jade nodded. “I can understand that. Growing up on a gambling boat leaves little room for a normal childhood. My friends say that I’m always looking for a sure thing to make up for all the craziness that surrounded me when I was growing up.”
“Everybody wants to have something in their life they can depend on,” James said as he stroked her cheek. “I hope that when the time comes for me to have kids, I will be that father that they can always depend on.”
“You want children?”
“One day. It’s not like I’m getting any younger. I’m thirty-five, you know. And here’s a secret. Mo is about to be a father. Kenya’s going to make a big announcement at his birthday party next weekend.”
“Really?” she said, not that interested in knowing about Maurice’s happy news.
“I’m going to need a date for that party,” he said.
“Are you sure Maurice is going to allow me to attend his party?”
“You’re going to be with me. There won’t be a problem at the door. What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Trying to get rid of me already?” she jokingly asked.
“No, because if I had my way,
I wouldn’t let you leave. But I wanted to call Kenya and see if we could get an appointment with her.”
“Oh,” Jade said as she cupped James’s face in her hands. “I’m flexible.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Jade gently squeezed his cheek. “Funny.”
James held her tighter. “You know you’re very flexible,” he said, then kissed her on the forehead. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Umm, surprise me,” she said as she dropped her hands. “As a matter of fact, I just want to watch you cook. Please tell me you wear an apron.”
“How about no?” James rose to his feet and headed to the kitchen, with Jade in tow.
As they entered the kitchen, she marveled at the size and style of it. The stainless-steel appliances looked as if they had been taken from Rachael Ray’s kitchen. A set of gourmet pots hung above the stove. When James opened the refrigerator, Jade wasn’t surprised to find it fully stocked.
“Are you sure you live alone?” Jade asked. “This place is so not what I expected.”
“Don’t you think I’m a little too old to live like a frat boy? You know you’d be talking a lot of junk about me with your girlfriends if you came in here and it looked like a tornado had been through here. Besides, I have a cleaning crew that comes in once a week.”
“And I was about to be impressed because I thought you cooked and cleaned,” she said as she took a seat on a stool near the marble kitchen island.
“It’s hard to believe that I’m not perfect, I know,” he quipped. “But somehow you will have to carry on.”
Jade tossed a dish towel in his direction. “Whatever.”
James ducked out of the way of the towel, then turned back to the refrigerator. He pulled out the ingredients for a grilled chicken dinner.
She looked at the food and wrinkled her nose. “Chicken?” she asked.
“Yes, and your heart will thank me,” he replied.
Jade smiled. “You’re looking out for my heart now?”
He winked at her before saying, “Among other things.”
About forty-five minutes later, they were sitting down to a dinner of teriyaki grilled chicken breasts, brown rice with pineapple, and steamed green beans. The flickering glow of two tapered candles lit the dining room. Jade glanced over her wineglass at James as he cut into his chicken. She couldn’t remember the last time that a man took the time to cook for her and make her feel this special.
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