Connie didn't believe him for one minute, the air of innocence he was displaying didn't quite mesh with the man she'd come to know. "Uhmm, as for kicking you out last night, I didn't tell you that you couldn't come back."
Thomas laughed. “Now you tell me, I kind of take it as a compliment. You knew that you wouldn't be able to function let alone make cookies if I stayed. Be careful my mom is on the war path, every time she hosts one of these luncheons I try to make myself scarce."
"I'm shocked! A big masculine man like you is afraid of his mother."
"Not exactly afraid, but I don't spend too much time with my mom. Whenever she sees you, she's starts talking about me. She's been known to spread some pretty vicious rumors.”
Connie smiled in return; Joanie didn’t have a vicious bone in her body. “Are you afraid she’ll expose some of your secrets?”
Thomas got serious, “Connie I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you'll smiled for me again. If you kiss me, I'll be your slave for life.”
Connie felt a flush rise from her breasts to her face. “I've been warned. Maybe I’ll see you later.”
Thomas watched her walk away. Today she had on a blue flower print dress, with some type of gauzy white jacket, and open toed sandals. Her toenails were painted a vivid bright red. “I will definitely see you later Ms. Jacobs.”
Connie ignored Thomas’s last statement; they've been practically living in each other's pockets since they got back together. She planned to drop off the cookies and be on her way. She found Joanie in the kitchen harassing the poor caterer. “Hello Joanie, I got the cookies I promised. Where do you want me to put them?”
Joanie’s face lit up, Connie was so lovely, and she could see the faces of her grandchildren. “Connie dear it’s good to see you; you’ve come at just the right time. Could you help me put the place cards out?”
Before Connie could answer, Joanie had thrust the table assignments and name tents in her hands. “Sure Joanie, you didn’t tell me where you’d like the cookies to go. I have three trays; Thomas is getting them out of the car.”
“Oh don’t worry about that dear. I'll tell Thomas where to put them.”
Connie set out the name tents as Joanie requested, heck there had to be at least 150 people attending this luncheon. She flipped through the placards, and she couldn’t believe that Joanie had her sitting next to Thomas. There was no way that was going to happen. Thomas couldn't keep his hands to himself. I his mother didn't know they were an item she would know by the end of the day. Connie quickly made changes that would put her several tables away from him.
Thomas didn’t give her keys back after carrying in the cookies; she had a feeling that was a deliberate move on his part. They have been kind of low key with their relationship, she wouldn't put it past him to stand up and make an announcement in front of the whole Women's League just to embarrass her.
By the time Connie finished with the name tents, attendees began showing up for the luncheon. She decided not to make a big issue about staying. She really liked Joanie, and she didn't want to disappoint her by skipping out. Connie walked to the buffet to fix herself a plate, everything looked so good. She filled her plate with macaroni salad, chicken wings, meatballs, and tuna casserole. When she got back to the table, several women sat there chatting.
She knew a couple of them as casual acquaintances. Connie didn’t like one woman in particular. She was always rude and abrasive. If she knew her name, she certainly wouldn’t have put her place card on the table. Connie was so focused on attendees at the table that she didn’t realize that Thomas sat down beside her until he spoke to her.
“I see you really like macaroni salad; I’ll have to remember that.”
Connie hissed at him, “I believe your name tent is at another table.”
Thomas smiled at her, he liked getting a rise out of Connie, and it was much more fun getting to the real woman. “Yeah I noticed that, I saw Mom’s original seating arrangements and as I recall you were seated next to me. I couldn’t disappoint my mother now could I?”
When Thomas smiled at her, she lost her train of thought, damn his smile should be outlawed. She’d been thinking of sex non-stop since the day she met him. She decided to ignore Thomas and focus on eating, everything tasted so good, and she needed some more macaroni salad.
“I love watching you eat; I can tell that you’re really enjoying your food. Would you like to try my barbecue ribs? Lick your fingers afterwards. I love watching your tongue in action."
“Leave me in peace. You probably crashed this party just for the sole purpose of bothering me.” Connie was feeling flustered, a feeling she didn’t feel too often. All of the women at the table seemed to notice their actions. It was like living in a fish bowl, a place she clearly didn’t like being.
Thomas picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. He stared into her eyes as he licked her skin. He felt her hand twitch before she snatched it out of his grasp. “I promise to behave if you go to dinner with me tonight. I know this great place by the Mormon Bridge that serves excellent steaks.”
“Why didn't you just say dinner at your house you nut? Stop acting like you’ve never seen a woman before.”
Thomas smiled at Connie and winked. “Sweetheart, I’ve never met a woman like you. Are you going to spend the weekend with me?”
Connie furrowed her brow and twitched her lips. "Would you please lower your voice." She whispered in a hushed tone. If you promise to behave, I'm sure that could be arranged."
"I'm not ashamed of our relationship, matter of fact I've been thinking of taking out an article in the newspaper. Thomas Galvin is sexing up Constantina Jacobs every chance he gets."
“Cut it out you two, decent women are trying to eat."
"I'll behave Rachel I wouldn't want decent women to lose their appetite. My mother would never forgive me."
"Thomas, Connie isn’t the only woman at the table, you wouldn’t know it the way you're acting. A man like in your position should watch the company you keep. You do know that Connie owns The Purple Feather. She sells intimate items and sex toys, totally inappropriate for a man in your position.” Rachel Creswell was satisfied that she put that low rent bitch in her place she wasn’t like the rest of them. She was nothing more than white trash raised in North Omaha by a black mammy.
Connie looked at the woman’s name tent. Uhmm, she wondered how many Creswell’s lived in the greater Omaha area and what are the odds that Kimmie is related to this viper. “Creswell, do you have a daughter named Kimmie?”
“Yes, Kimmie is my daughter. Where could you have possibly met her; she doesn’t exactly hang around in your circle?”
Thomas was leery of the expression of the expression on Connie’s face. Her eyes changed from violet blue to a startling royal blue in a matter of seconds. Oh hell, some shit was about to hit the fan. “Why don’t we…”
“Yes I’m very familiar with Kimmie Creswell. She visits The Purple Feather four to five times a month. I could stay in business on her purchases alone. I guess Kimmie doesn’t tell mommy everything, huh!” Take that you stuck up bitch Connie thought to herself. She went back to her lunch and smiled across the table at Rachel Creswell. Rachel gasped and quickly got up from the table, several of the women laughed at Rachel’s departure.
Thomas looked at Connie and smiled. His felt his jeans tighten around the crotch, he was so hard right now that he could hit someone and do damage. Connie smiled back at him, and he thought he would come at the lunch table. Shit! His woman had too much damn control over his emotions. “Remind me never attack you.”
“I’ve put up with crap from snotty bitches like her for most of my life. If someone attacks me, I don’t get mad, but I undoubtedly get even. I’m just sorry it happened at Joanie’s luncheon. Why don’t you try some of my cookies? You certainly have enough of them on your second plate.”
“Are you insinuating that I’m a pig?”
Now that, the poisonous bitch left the tabl
e, the other women at the table went back to their own conversations. “If the shoe fit’s wear it. Now let’s get back to the dinner invitation you mentioned earlier. What's on the menu? She picked a rib off his plate and made sure to lick her fingers.”
Thomas cleared his throat. “I was thinking of putting some steaks on the grill, stuffed bake potatoes, and corn on the cob. If we leave now, we can relieve all this sexual tension, have a nap, and be ready for dinner around six.”
“That sounds good, but I have to help the staff with the final inventory at the store today. I promised the new owner that I'd have it done this weekend. If you're real good I'll bring you back some toys.”
Thomas rested he’s chin in his hand, he noticed that Connie’s eyes were back to being violet blue. “Did you know your eyes are like a mood ring? When we make love, they turn royal blue, just like when you ripped Rachel a new ass. It must be the intense emotion, I think that color is my favorite shade.”
Thomas was a smug bastard, he knew he was hot property and had been overwhelming her senses since she arrived. “I’ve been told they change to a royal blue or turquoise in the midst of sex." Connie’s smiled got wider as the smirk left Thomas’s lips.
Thomas hated the fact the other men have knowledge of her body, but he swore to himself that he would be the last one. “You may have been with other men, but I know for a fact that I'm the only one who gave you an orgasm. Thomas put his fingers on her lips to stop any retort Connie may have.
“I expect to see you for dinner at six.” He dug her car keys out of his pocket and placed them on the table next to her plate. Then he kissed her before he got up from the table and dumped his trash. Thomas was happy with himself; he knew that Constantina wanted to keep their relationship on the down low. Judging by the surprised looks on everybody's face, the cat was out of the bag, and Constantina had to deal with it.
Joanie was watching the byplay between her son and Connie for the last few minutes. She would love to know what that snake Rachel Creswell said to Connie. She knew good and damn well that her seating arrangement didn’t put Rachel at their table. Connie probably rearranged the table tents trying to deflect her boy. Joanie laughed to herself. Thomas was a man on a mission, and he had his sights on Connie. She planned to give him all of her support.
***
It was close to six by the time Connie pulled into Thomas's driveway. The inventory was done, and so was her involvement with The Purple Feather. The new owner takes over Monday, and she promised to keep the current staff. She breathed a sigh of relief as she let herself into Thomas's house. The only thing she wanted to do is be with her man. "Thomas"
"I'm back here on the deck babe."
Connie put her purchases from The Purple Feather in one of the chairs as she made her way to the back deck. She could smell the steaks and grilled corn. One thing she loves about Thomas was his abilities in the kitchen. She came out on the deck and dinner was served. The table was set with romance in mind, there were even candles on the table. She even heard jazz playing in the background. "Mr. Galvin I didn't know you were such a romantic."
Thomas took off his cooking apron and pulled out her chair. He fixed her plate as if serving her was the only thing on his mind. "Romance is all about motivation. When I saw you earlier, today I would have loved nothing better than to pull you behind the shed. However, sitting at the luncheon with you, I saw the puffiness in your eyes which let me know that you didn't have enough sleep. You stayed up all night baking cookies for my mother. Then you went and worked most of the day so you could finish your commitment to the new owner of The Purple Feather. I wanted tonight to be all about you."
Connie didn't waste any time, she made short work of her food. "I could get used to this Thomas. The yard looks beautiful, I wasn't the only one working today. You planted flowers and even got the lanterns in place."
Thomas sat down to eat his meal and watched Constantina enjoy hers. "I want my home to be a place of refuge for you. When you've had a hard day at work or a heartbreaking situation at the foundation, I'll be here waiting for you. I want you to know that my door and my arms will always be open."
"Thomas when you say things like that I kind of melt inside. I ran from you at first because I knew you had the power to destroy me. I couldn't take that risk, I'd been burnt to many times before, but you just wouldn't go away."
"How could I give up when being with you was so essential to me? I understood why you were running, but the hunter in me gave way to the chase. I want more from you than a quickie here and there. You may not want to hear this, but those two weeks apart from you were unbearable. I don't want a temporary lover. I want to build a life with you."
"Thomas, men like you don't do forever with women like me."
"What a lot of horse shit! Women like you make men like me stand up and take notice of what they have been missing."
"Is that so?"
"Take my word for it, you and I were meant to be together."
Thomas cleared the table and brought two more beers from the kitchen. By the time he got back, Constantina had removed her shoes and socks. The sight of her bare toes immediately took his mind south of his waist. He put the beers on the table, sat in the chair next to her, and pulled her feet into his lap. He watched her face as he massaged her feet. "How do you feel now that you're no longer the owner of a sex store?"
Connie leaned back in the chair, sipping beer as he rubbed her feet. Damn this was the life. "It was the right thing to do, but in some ways I felt as if I let Laura down."
The more Thomas massaged her feet, the more she relaxed she became. "How in the hell do you possibly think you let Laura down?"
"Laura was the first friend I ever had, she became my friend when there was no profit in it. I was a bedraggled college student working in the university library, and she was someone who needed help. Our friendship started slow, but she became an pivotal person in my life the closest person I’ve ever had to a sister.”
"She must have made an impression, you not quick call anyone friend, or to claim a lover."
The breeze picked up, and the fireflies flit all over the backyard making it appear like some garden of paradise. "Something awful happened when she was a teenager, she started the Cabbage Patch Foundation as therapy, and she purchased The Purple Feather to upset her wealthy family. When I signed the papers to sell the store, I felt as if I were giving in to her family's wishes. It was like losing her again."
Thomas gave Constantina's other foot the same love and care. He wanted to be that person Constantina came to when she was in need. She didn’t trust easily, but when she loved, it was forever. He wanted to be a part of her forever. “I’m sorry for your loss I know what it’s like to lose an prominent person in your life. That one person you think you can’t live without.”
“You’re talking about your step-father?”
“Yes, did my mother ever tell you the nightmare she lived through with my real father?”
“No.”
“My real father Thomas Terrell, was a gifted craftsman, he could make beautiful furniture with wood. When he chose to work, he had furniture orders from around the state; however, his main problem was alcohol. My mother and I lived in squalor because my gifted father who could charge anything for his creations was too busy whoring and getting drunk to worry about whether or not we were eating. My mother made money with her baked goods. My father would beat her until she gave him her money. My mother withstood those beatings because she was under the misguided notion that women needed to stand by their men regardless if he was a piece of shit or not.”
Connie lowered her feet, got out of her chair and sat in his lap. “Thomas you don’t have to tell me about this if you’d rather not.”
Thomas traced his thumb over Connie’s bottom lip. “I want you to know where I come from Constantina, you’re going to be a part of my life, and you need to know what I’m about to tell you. For a while things began to get better, my father began drinking
less and working a little more. My mother was able to purchase some niceties for the shack. A new bed for me and a few new clothes, something I never had before. My father took exception to this, what about him, when was my mother going to start taking care of his needs.
One night as I lay huddled in my bed I heard my mother crying, my father had been on a drinking binge and was making her life hell again. This time he didn’t take out his frustration out on her, he decided that it was my turn to enjoy his punishments. The door to my bedroom flew open and crashed against the wall. I was scared of my father, and I knew he really wanted to hurt me.”
Connie ran her fingers through his hair. “My God Thomas, how old were you?”
“I was maybe five or six years old and small for my age. Before my father could lay a hand on me, my mother flattened him with the skillet she fried chicken in for dinner. After making sure, that she had not killed him, she packed up our things, and that was the last time I saw him.”
Connie put her head on his shoulder cuddling close as he wrapped his arms around her. “You were blessed that you had your mother. My mother put my brother and me in jeopardy. I was seven years old, and my brother was four, on the day of the fire, the day that changed my world forever. You see my mother was a drug addict, and she would do anything for a fix, no matter what I did it never was enough. I don’t know the identity of my father. I don’t know if my brother David and I even had the same father. David was the saving grace in my life a beautiful little boy with green eyes and dimples.”
“No wonder you found me so irresistible, my dimples would have made you putty in my hands. I've got another surprise for you. The hot tub is set up and ready for occupation."
Connie got of his lap and let Thomas lead the way to the corner of the deck where the hot tub was set up. She could feel the heat rising from the water. "I've never been in a hot tub before, do you want me to go put on a bathing suit?"
"Hell no! The privacy fence blocks all prying eyes. I want you to strip and ease you cute little fanny into the water, and I will do the same." Thomas made short work of stripping out of his clothes he stood there naked and impatient as Constantina took her time."
No Ordinary Romance Page 15