“Hey, you. Want a ride?” Came a voice from the opposite side of me.
I looked around startled. I hadn’t expected to see Greer there. He had left hours ago, but apparently he had come back.
“Are you stalking me?”
“Maybe.” He gave me a slow sexy smile and I sauntered over to him. He was leaning against a shiny black sports car. I didn’t know what type of car it was, but it was fancy. He was handsome, witty and he drove a nice car. Call me superficial, but so far he was a winner.
“Your chariot awaits, madam,” he said opening the passenger door, and I hesitated before shrugging and then getting in. I was a risk taker at heart. Hopefully, this risk wouldn’t be my last.
Chapter Three
I had nothing to worry about. Greer was the perfect gentleman; at least he was that night. And I saw him almost every weekend after that. The time flew by and before I knew it, we had been happily seeing each other for two months. I loved his sense of humor. He loved my inability to run a mile without collapsing next to him begging for mercy. Our relationship started off hot and things got hotter, but strangely enough he wasn’t in a rush to take me to bed. Most of our evenings ended with me trying to get him out of his pants and into my bed, and with him ignoring my advances. I was sexually frustrated and complaining to Nahla loudly on the phone one day about my predicament.
“At least you have a man,” she said sounding slightly bitter.
“I know. I know. But he’s not doing manly things to me. You know?”
Nahla sighed, “Right about now, I would just like a guy to massage my feet. I swear I have the dreaded Mom Feet.”
“Umm…I’m not sure if Mom Feet are actually a thing, but yuck. TMI. Go get a pedicure.”
“I need a pedicure. You need to get laid. What hard lives we lead.”
I giggled and then heard a car pull up. “Oh oh! Greer’s here. I gotta go. Bye sis!”
I hung up and looked in the mirror. I had on a short red dress and had styled my hair back in a loose braid. I thought I looked sexy but presentable, which was important since today I was finally meeting Greer’s mom. I tried not to feel too anxious as I slid on a pair of heels and headed out. I hadn’t met the mothers of any of my previous boyfriends, so this was uncharted territory for me. And I had to admit, I was nervous. Although I had gotten the impression from Greer that he and his mother didn’t have the best relationship, it was still important to me that she like me.
“Hi there, beautiful,” he said to me, smiling. I felt my skin flush at the sight of him and I took it as a good sign that even after knowing each other for a few months, his mere presence still had the power to excite me.
“You look pretty delicious yourself,” I said to him. I wasn’t exaggerating. He was wearing slim fitting jeans that were probably tailored to his form given that he had thick muscular thighs in comparison to the rest of his lean body. He wore a plain white shirt and a dark blazer over it and he managed to look sophisticated and sexy all at once.
He opened the door for me and gave my butt a squeeze before I slid in the passenger seat. Once I was seated, I blew him a kiss.
He smiled, and slid across the hood of the car like Tom Cruise in a movie. That move earned a giggle from me and I rolled my eyes in pretend exasperation when he settled down in the driver’s seat.
“You’re so silly,” I said with laughter in my voice.
He took my hand and kissed it, while rubbing it gently between his fingers. It was a sweet gesture that was also strangely intimate. I had to admit, when I was complaining to Nahla about the lack of sex in our relationship, I had sort of been searching for advice. I wasn’t used to a man getting to know me for me. I didn’t know exactly what to expect next. Sex is what I knew. And I figured currently I was at a disadvantage; the longer our relationship progressed, the more he would get to know me, the more I would have to reveal about myself and that was a little scary. Sex was easy. I didn’t have to reveal anything. I just had to lay there or climb on top; however I was feeling at the moment. But someone actually knowing me, oh no, that’s where judgment started. And I was afraid there were things about me I didn’t want Greer to know. Only Nahla knew the real me and even then she never mentioned my questionable past decisions. I was ashamed to admit that past to myself most days, let alone to a person that I was falling for. And falling for hard.
I turned my thoughts back to the evening Greer had planned. He said he wanted to see a local play that his mother was hosting, and I had readily agreed. I knew things were getting serious if he was introducing me to his mother and I could have kicked myself for forgetting to grab a cardigan before leaving. I wanted to look at least somewhat respectable when she finally met me and I felt another layer of clothing would have helped with that image.
We pulled up to the venue, which was a mansion seated in the hills of the city where we lived. Even from afar, I could tell that it was a stunning display of contemporary architecture and design. And the view of the city from where the mansion was situated had to be impressive.
“Wow, now that’s a beautiful home,” I whispered impressed, “How’d she secure this place?”
Greer was silent for a moment before he said, “It’s her house. Or rather she inherited it from her most-recent dead ex-husband.”
“This is your mom’s house?” I said not knowing if I were shocked or impressed. I guess I was a little bit of both.
“Yeah. And she had a theatre built in the back of the house. A little excessive in my opinion, but she’s a patron of the arts, and theatre is her favorite.”
“Hey, if you got the money, you might as well spend it.” I said lightly, as curiously Greer’s face grew dark.
He shrugged, “I guess. You ready?”
I nodded and I waited for him to get out of the car as he crossed over and opened my door for me. I’m ashamed to admit, he was the only boyfriend I ever had who did. He treated me right and it sort of scared me.
He took my hand as we climbed the wide steps to the front of his mother’s home. Up close it was even more impressive. The exterior of the house was traditional, yet modern. Windows lined the entire front of the house and I could see straight in, which was surprising. Nothing obscured a guest’s view of the contents of the entire front side of the massive home.
“Doesn’t your mother worry about security? About living here alone in such an open home?”
Greer laughed and I failed to see what was so funny. When I opened my mouth to inquire, other details of the home caught my attention and I was distracted by the stunning wide staircase made out of a dark wood that sat in the center of the home, and more so by the equally stunning woman who now approached the door to open it.
That couldn’t seriously be Greer’s mother, could it? She spotted us and gave a slow smile as she approached the door looking lovely in a long white evening gown.
“That’s your mother?”
He sighed and said, “Yep.”
“She’s breathtaking.”
“And she knows it,” he mumbled under his breath, but I heard him and I looked sharply at him. I knew they weren’t close, but it seemed their relationship might actually be strained. I was guessing Greer and his mother weren’t exactly best buds. That was fine with me. I never liked momma boys anyway.
“Greer, my dear boy. Hello!” She said warmly, and Greer’s face tensed up. I didn’t understand his instant reaction to her since she greeted him so affectionately, and then she turned to me. Her face was so perfect. She didn’t look a day over thirty-five, but Greer was pushing thirty so I knew that couldn’t possibly be the case. She had pale skin, blonde hair, and eyes the same color as Greer’s. Her lithe figure made me feel frumpy in comparison.
“Mother, this is Jasmine. Jasmine Kidd, my girlfriend. And Jasmine, this is my mother, Francine Tobias.”
“It’s actually Matthews now. Francine Matthews.”
“Oh you went back to your maiden name?”
“What? Are you surprised
I remembered it?”
I butted in before they started to argue, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Matthews.”
“Oh, just call me Francine. Ms. Matthews makes me feel old.”
“Well, you definitely don’t look old. You look fabulous. You look younger than I do,” I said giving her a huge smile.
She studied me and said cruelly, “You’re right about that.”
The smile on my face instantly dissolved. Now I knew why they didn’t get along.
“I understand you’re an actress,” Francine said and there was something mean about her eyes that made me hesitate to answer.
“Yes, she’s an actress mother. We’ve already discussed that.” Greer said shortly, his voice sounding as if he were seconds from losing his patience with her.
“Have you been in anything that I might have seen?” Francine pressed, her smile now stiff.
I hesitated and looked at Greer. He didn’t meet my eyes; he was too busy staring at Francine with an incensed look on his face.
“A few commercials. Nothing major.”
“Hmmm... That’s too bad. I’m sure you’re brilliant at acting when you’re not otherwise occupied rolling up towels or something.”
I fumbled to find words to defend myself, completely not expecting the blatant rudeness when Barbie seemed to appear from nowhere. In a weird way, she reminded me of Francine. It wasn’t that they looked alike. The only similarity was that they were both blondes. Not to mention Barbie’s chest was huge while Francine’s was modest, but the false smile that seemed more like a smirk, and the cool gaze made them seem very similar.
“You’re the towel girl from the gym, so Greer is really dating you? Wow, I thought he was just joking.”
“Watch it, Leila,” Greer said to the girl I thought of as Barbie.
“I’m sorry, Greer. Am I insulting your little friend?”
I felt my cheeks flush, “I’m not his friend. I’m his girlfriend. You know, exactly the person you wanted to be.”
Francine looked at me sharply, and Leila seemed ready to strangle me. Greer touched my arm and said, “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. How about we grab some tacos instead?”
I couldn’t agree more. I silently nodded and he grabbed my hand. I could hear Francine and Leila behind us.
“Don’t walk away from me Greer. You’re being terribly rude. We were just joking with your friend.” I heard Francine say and Greer kept walking, tightening his grip on my hand.
“Greer!” Leila whined and I took that moment to look over my shoulder, back at them. For a moment Leila’s face seemed to blur and her eyes seemed to turn completely black. I stumbled and Greer easily caught me.
“Did you see her face? Something happened... ” I let my voice trail off as I realized that I couldn’t even explain what I had seen.
“What happened? What did you see?” Greer asked concerned, staring at me, his eyes searching mine.
I looked back, but now Francine and Leila were gone from view. I shook my head, “Nothing. I just must be tired from rolling towels all day,” I quipped.
Greer’s expression grew pained. “I’m sorry about their rudeness. Mom told me she would be on her best behavior and trust me, if I knew Leila was going to show; I wouldn’t have bothered to come. Apparently mom still wants Leila as a daughter-in-law.”
“Yeah, apparently,” I said absently.
He touched my face, “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I just didn’t expect the animosity.”
“I’m really sorry. Listen let’s salvage what’s left of our evening and we’ll pretend this never happened. I want you to forget about this whole incident and have some fun. How does that sound?”
It was then I heard a howl and I looked around. “Are there wolves out here?” I asked Greer looking concerned.
Greer frowned and he looked angry suddenly. “Hmm... That’s probably just a coyote. Let’s head out.”
And he hurriedly led me to the car and sped off, not looking back. I looked back though, and I saw a pair of glowing green eyes not too far in the distance.
Chapter Four
We didn’t talk much as he drove to our destination. He seemed to be thinking about something. His jaw was tight and he had an extremely tight grip on the wheel.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?” He glanced my way briefly. “I’m fine. Just pissed about how they treated you.”
“Water under the bridge,” I said even though I didn’t mean it. They had hurt my feelings and embarrassed me in front of Greer. I already felt a little insecure in our relationship, given that he was clearly well-off and I was a struggling actress, but I still had my pride. And more than anything else, that’s what had really been hurt tonight.
“Let’s do this: We’ll go back to my place. I’ll cook you up something sumptuous and massage your feet.”
I thought about the conversation I had earlier with my sister, “That sounds delightful,” I said, giving him my first real smile since the encounter at his mom’s house.
I had only been to Greer’s place once. It was a modest ranch-style home in a trendy, hippy part of town. Mostly artists and young businessmen lived in that area. Given that Greer was an internationally renowned artist, he was right at home in the neighborhood.
I followed him into his home and slid off my shoes.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said as he took off his blazer, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and walked into the kitchen.
Since his house had an open concept floor plan, I was able to watch him work in the kitchen. I observed as he moved around his kitchen with confidence and precision. Whatever he was making smelled so delicious my stomach growled in impatience.
“I’m coming. I’m coming. Food’s almost done. ” Greer called without turning around and I looked at him quizzically. How could he have heard my stomach growl from there? Then I told myself that I was being silly, he just logically knew I was hungry and tired of waiting.
Soon enough he was dishing out our meals and I joined him at the small dining room table, devouring the rich shrimp tacos he had prepared.
“These are delicious,” I said between bites.
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
He laughed, “Thanks for the compliment.”
We finished our food in silence, each of us lost in thought. He broke the silence first, “Was it hard to get into acting?” He asked me abruptly.
It’s funny. My start in the business was the last subject I wanted to talk about and the last subject I ever expected him to bring up. I guess that was wishful thinking on my part.
“Umm, I got an agent and things pretty much took off from there.” I said ambiguously leaving out much-needed details.
“And what happened then? How’d you find an agent? I thought that was the hard part.”
He looked genuinely interested in what I had to say. He then picked my feet up and put them in his lap and started to massage them. He was a man of his word, and as I closed my eyes giving in to the pleasure of his hands massaging away the pain of wearing heels, I forgot that he had asked me a question.
He pinched my foot gently and I realized I had been drifting off to sleep. I opened my eyes immediately, and he smiled at me. I thought again about how much I loved his smile. Our relationship was so different from any previous relationship I had experienced. He made me happy and apparently I made him happy. I cared for Greer more than I cared for any other man and because of that, I felt he needed to hear the truth, the whole truth about me.
“I was young when I left home. I was in college at fifteen, and I was set on becoming something great like a doctor or scientist.”
“Wow, fifteen? That’s amazing. But I would think at fifteen most kids wouldn’t be emotionally mature enough to handle college.”
“Exactly,” I said thinking back to my college years and thinking of how awkward those days were and how that awkwardness just got worse as th
e years progressed.
“It was hard, but I finished in three years.”
He stopped massaging my feet, “Are you some sort of genius?”
“I’m part of Mensa,” I said nonchalantly.
“Wow, now I feel really stupid.”
“Don’t. I went to one of their meetings once and we were all just a bunch of average Joes. I was the best looking though, obviously,” I said being facetious and then my tone grew serious as I continued, “Anyway, growing up being the smartest person around wasn’t a cake walk. During my last semester, my advisor suggested that I branch out, stop focusing only on math and science and take a humanities or art course.”
“And you took acting?”
“Yep. Actually, my sister suggested the acting course. I was going to do something like music appreciation. She told me to try something different when I called home and complained to her once that I was bored and the idea of continuing on to Med. School, or earning a doctorate didn’t appeal to me.”
“You were going to get a doctorate degree?” Greer was clearly impressed.
“Maybe, but I was so burned out. I probably wouldn’t have gone even if I applied and were admitted.”
He nodded, “So what happened? You showed up at your first rehearsal and your heart went pitter patter?”
I laughed at his joke, “Exactly. I expected to be frightened and have close to zero confidence, but on stage I felt I was home. I loved it. And so I finished up my biology degree and moved to L.A. to start my acting career. I was only eighteen at the time.” I paused, not really wanting to continue.
As if he could sense something, he said softly, “What happened in L.A.?”
I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my middle, hesitating to continue. “Do you want a blanket?” He noticed my discomfort and mistook it for me being cold. He grabbed a throw off the couch and wrapped it gently around my shoulders. He then sat back down and continued to rub my feet.
ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) Page 5