“I think you’d better get back to work so we can get out of here.” She grinned.
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her and returned to the work.
Typing wasn’t his forte, but with the proper incentive, his fingers flew across the keys. Luckily he didn’t have tons of mistakes after he proofread a couple of times.
Finally he hit the send button on the email. Then he shut down the computer. He dearly hoped that she hadn’t changed her mind. Now she was lying on her stomach with her legs slowly moving up and down as if she was swimming. She flipped through an industry magazine while absently humming.
The roundness of her backside had its own separate beauty. The way the fabric spanned her form had a thrilling effect on him. Every time he admired her, he wanted to touch her. Skin to skin contact with her invigorated him.
The night was still warm, and there was even a bit of humidity. Spring seemed to be giving way to hints of summer. Brent pulled off his jacket and tossed it over his arm.
“What are we doing?” He pushed for a verbal commitment.
“You’re walking me home.”
“Like two high school kids after school.”
“Maybe something a bit more adult than that.” Brent offered his hand, and she laid hers in his. He walked hand in hand with her to the station. They had to stop and wait for Walk. He seized the opportunity to kiss her. According to the light, there were twenty seconds to indulge in pure sensual temptation.
He needed no further encouragement. His hands gripped her shoulders as he anchored her with his mouth. The delicious softness of his lips stoked the fire roaring in him. Her arms encircled his waist, searing their heat between them. Fully clothed, he still felt scorched.
Like the perfect dance partner, she followed his lead, coaxing and teasing. Their tongues spoke a language on a higher level, communicating with a mixture of the primal and the learned. And yet, the inner mysteries left to be uncovered in her filled his eager curiosity.
The light announced that it was time to walk. Reluctantly, he released her. Instead, their fingers interlocked to match the ardor of their recent kiss.
“Look, Charisse, I can’t keep apologizing. I don’t want to,” he said. His groin ached for her, pushing his sanity to the limit.
“There’s a time and place for apologies.” Charisse kissed his cheek, close to his earlobe, and her breath whispered against his skin. “Tonight’s not the night for one.” She pulled back from him to look him in the face.
“Okay, as long as we have that straight.” He could barely stand still as she hugged him and ground her hips against him.
“We’re celebrating your success. I’m only sneaking a smidgen of ice cream.”
Brent didn’t want to be nothing but a momentary treat. He wanted more.
The light changed.
They stepped off the curb, and he was back in motion at her side. She was difficult to read. Her sultry moves scrambled his brain.
“Do you have a problem with that?” She stepped away from him. “You’ve made it clear that you aren’t ready for a relationship. I have my work as my first love. I think we’re playing it safe to keep any heavy expectations to a minimum.”
“So I’m like the other man?” Brent shook his head. She hadn’t said anything that was wrong. But the reality hit him with a harsh stroke.
He played with her curl at the end of her hair. His mind raced with the possibilities of such an arrangement. Many guys hated clingy girls, but in his case, he wanted to be like Velcro against her skin. He was always the one to shy from commitment. Then why not play her game?
She walked away from him. Her hips moved with a liquid sexiness that made him hard. There was no doubt that he had wanted her. Even if he had wanted to be difficult and reluctant, his desire for her ruled.
He followed her, not trying to catch up but staying several steps behind her, to continue admiring her rear. He couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms. This ride would drain his senses dry.
She headed down the subway, only slightly looking over her shoulder for him. The platform was nearly empty except for other night owls.
From a stranger’s point of view, they were two people who just happened to be taking the same train. She sat on the bench, while he stood at the edge.
She leaned over and stroked her leg up to her knee and then down to her ankle. The heeled sandals highlighted her toned calves.
The train approached. She stood and walked to the edge, keeping the space between them. More people walked to the edge, blocking his view. He didn’t have to see her to feel her energy.
He stepped back when the train doors opened and a few passengers disembarked. They walked on together, but she remained standing with her hand hooked through an overhead loop.
She faced him with a boldness that made him want to drop on his knees in front of her. Her blouse eased out of the waistband of her skirt.
Her brown skin peeked through the empty gap in her clothing. Another tattoo peeked above the top of the skirt. He’d missed that one. He’d make sure to take his time discovering all her body parts that had been inked.
They got off the train and then headed for another. Brent had had enough of the commute. He wanted to call his driver before he lost his patience. Waiting wasn’t his strong point.
The ride was shorter, but since it was on a more popular route, more passengers got on the train. This time Charisse stood next to him. Her back molded against his chest. Her hip ever so slightly grinded against his.
His teeth gritted as he struggled to keep his hands to himself. He tried to keep his focus on standing upright as the train lurched at each stop. Finally, he followed her lead out of the station.
“Only one block left.”
“You know how to make a guy work up an appetite.”
“Makes it more memorable that way.” Charisse blew him a kiss. “I thought you had more stamina with all those muscles.”
Brent grinned, ready to take up the challenge. He walked alongside her, shortening his stride to match hers.
Arriving at the house by foot provided a different perspective of the neighborhood. The quiet street had a row of brownstone townhomes. As they approached her home, more and more passersby waved or called Charisse by name.
He didn’t join her when she ran up the stairs to her door. His intent was to give her as much time as possible to step away from this moment.
“Why are you keeping me waiting?” she asked.
Brent looked up as she started unbuttoning her shirt in the doorway. He surveyed the area to make sure no one else was sharing in his moment. He ran up the stairs, lifted her into the living room and kicked closed the door with his heel. Déjà vu.
He hoisted her around his hips, supporting her with little effort. He walked up the stairs, oblivious to anything in her apartment. He wanted her, and that was all that mattered.
In front of the door, he paused. Crossing this threshold with her meant more to him. Could he abide by her rules?
She wiggled out of his arms and stood with her back to the door. Her hands gently cupped his face. Her gaze swept over him, coaxing him to follow her.
Charisse saw the hesitation in Brent’s face. She wanted to erase his doubts. Gently, she kissed him, until she felt him relax against her.
“Join me in the shower?” She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his body. What a beautiful body, she thought.
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t realize that I spoke.”
“Your eyes spoke volumes.” He chuckled.
“Can you tell what they’re saying now?”
“You’re a dangerous woman. But I’m not going to file a complaint.” He unpinned her hair and used his fingers to tease it loose around her
face.
Charisse pulled her top over her head and tossed it on the bed. She turned her back on him and walked into the bathroom. She undid her bra and tossed it over her shoulder.
She waited for him as he walked up behind her and slid his hands along her body. Just the touch of his hands took her mind to a blissful place. She groaned as his hands slid along her breasts and cupped them.
Her body arched against his, allowing him access to the back of her neck. Like before, he traced the outline of her rose tattoo with tender kisses, paying homage to the symbol that spoke of her desire to be free.
Could he truly honor her true nature? Could she trust him?
“Come with me.” She stripped out of the rest of her clothes.
He followed suit. They were so in tune with each other that their movements were almost synchronized. His gaze ravaged her body in the same slow fashion that hers was enjoying the length of his frame. Each thought the other was created like a natural masterpiece.
She broke free from his hypnotic gaze and stepped into the shower, holding the door open for him to enter. The showerhead and four jets on the walls soaked her body. The water beat down on her head and sides, massaging her until Brent took over with his touch.
Brent reached out and traced a line down the valley of her breasts, down her body to her belly button. His touch made her gasp and instantly retract, but at the same time she craved his touch so much more. It was all she could do not to beg for him to touch her in the most intimate of places. His hands knew how to bring instant pleasure, awakening her and quenching her thirst for him.
He gently washed her body, planting intermittent kisses along her breasts, along her stomach, on the apex between her thighs. She pressed her hands against the tiled walls. Her eyes closed tightly as she tried to keep control.
His tongue had other intentions as it delivered short flicks against her bud. She writhed under his grasp, and her moans couldn’t be restrained any longer.
They didn’t bother drying off as they stumbled and tripped their way to her bed. After the heat they had generated between them, she wouldn’t have to worry about catching a cold.
She fell back on the bed, giggling in near hysteria. Her mind was drunk with his attention. Making love while under the influence of a dark, devilish, sexy hunk had to be criminal. Whatever the penalty, she didn’t care. All she wanted was his continued attention, as she readied her body for him.
“One second.” She reached over to the drawer near her bed. She pulled out a condom and tossed it to him. “Last time, you came prepared. This time, I’m prepared.”
“I guess equality in all things.” He rolled on the condom.
“Okay, enough talking.” She pulled his head toward her face.
“I want you, woman.”
“I’m here, ready and waiting.” She slid her thighs apart and raised her hips for his initial entry. “Oh, my…” She gasped as her head arched back.
He kissed her throat. She was sure that she almost fainted from pure rapture. His chuckle tickled her skin.
Her legs hooked around his thighs. All verbal communication was momentarily cut off. Every slide of his body against hers raised the temperature, sparking flames of white heat. Their union worked on a plane where instincts ruled. His thrusts sparked an orgasm—and another and another. They both grunted in time with their releases.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped.
“Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Brent paused.
Charisse opened her eyes.
He winked at her before resuming his erotic motion.
As partners with a common goal, they reached one peak and pushed each other to climb higher and higher, moving like a unit. Nothing dared stop their momentum. They were at dizzying heights, breathing heavily. Their bodies writhed in sweet, delicious agony.
She wanted to be free. She opened herself to Brent and surrendered to the climax that exploded with tiny pinpricks of fireworks in her brain, behind her closed eyes, in her soul.
Brent didn’t know if he had the energy to move. Morning would soon be easing over the horizon. He hadn’t meant to stay through the night, but they couldn’t stop touching and being with each other.
Daytime turned things around, though.
He eased out of bed, surveying the room for his clothes. After he dressed, he sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. He looked at Charisse peacefully sleeping, her dark brown hair fanned out on the pillow.
She stirred under his light touch to her bare shoulder.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” he whispered.
Her eyes blinked rapidly. She stretched, displacing the sheet from across her chest.
Brent bit down on his lip to keep from taking her breast in his mouth. “I’m going to get out of here.”
“You don’t have to go.” She touched his leg and slid her hand along his inner thigh.
“I’m trying to honor your rules.” He restrained her hand, before he lost the ability to be the gentleman that she wanted.
“Oh, yeah, the rules.” She took his hand and kissed it. “I guess it’s time for the carriage to turn back into the pumpkin.”
Brent smiled at her fairy-tale analogy.
“Guess we’ll be seeing each other soon,” Charisse said. “I think the guys will get some great press out of their interview.”
Brent nodded.
Instead of taking the long commute back to his hotel, he called his driver. His BlackBerry had received dozens of messages during his escape with Charisse.
The guys were indeed a hit.
Calls for interviews had stacked in his voice mail. He called his office to have his assistant start returning calls.
Back in the hotel suite, he took a quick shower, drank hot black coffee and headed to his office. His evening with Charisse already felt too far away. Reality had a way of pushing through all the fantasies.
His office, once again, had a festive air. Since he managed the operations from the Boston location, he wasn’t always on top of the daily goings-on. However, he had been around long enough to know that this level of levity usually only came on Fridays, closer to happy hour.
Not even his presence as he walked through the small area seemed to dim the mood. He felt left out and went to the source—the conference room. As he got closer, he recognized many of his employees’ voices, along with the rumbling voices of All For One. He opened the door and had to do a double take.
“Now this is a surprise.” Brent couldn’t stop staring at the guys. The young men sat clean-faced, neatly dressed, politely chatting with his office staff.
“Figured we’d show you that we were serious about this,” Akhil said.
“And appreciative,” Cameron said.
“You’re the man.” Kevin gave him a thumbs-up.
Brent was stunned by their transformation and honored by their compliments. These guys trusted him. He’d been filled with so many doubts, but they had finally gotten their feet on the starting position on the game board. Now harder work remained ahead.
“Heard there was a breakfast with a young hip-hop director this morning,” Akhil addressed him with a questioning look.
Brent nodded. “I assigned one of the managers to go to the breakfast. As you may know, Charisse was also attending. Either way, we’ll get the info.” So they were keeping up with industry news. Charisse’s talk with them must have made an impact. He was proud of them and thankful for her assistance.
He worked through the day, attending meetings and making new contacts. The work got his creative juices flowing and kept him focused. By the end of the day, he had booked the guys for a couple of late-night show interviews, and they would be opening up for a midlevel R & B group. The next step would require corporate sponsors. He had his work cut
out for him. He sat at his desk, pondering his next move.
His phone rang, but he didn’t recognize the number.
“Brent, I have your mother on the line.”
Brent pressed the button. He tried not to worry. “Mom?”
“Hi, son, I tried calling you just now, but it rang out before going to voice mail.”
“I didn’t recognize your number. What phone are you using?”
“I called from my hotel. I’m here.”
“Here? As in New York?”
“I would’ve come to your hotel, but I didn’t know where you were staying. Your father is no help. The man couldn’t screw in a lightbulb if his life depended on it.”
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Brent noticed that his mom wasn’t getting to the point.
“Can you come over and have dinner with me? Or I can come to your hotel?”
“I’m staying at the Lincoln Suites Hotel. I don’t mind coming to see you for dinner.” And finding out what exactly had prompted this visit.
“I’ll come to you. I’m sure you’ve got a nice suite. I want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
“Mom, I’m not a kid.”
“I wouldn’t know. Haven’t seen you lately.” His mom may be forgetful about the everyday things, but anything related to him was in a steel-trap box stored in her memory.
Brent sensed the lecture coming. Dinner would be a long event. He finished his conversation and hung up, knowing full well that he’d only managed to delay the punishment.
Once he was done talking her, he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He set the papers aside. His mother had something on her mind. But nothing he said would get her to reveal the information.
She rivaled any investigator when she wanted to know something. At this point, he didn’t need her poking around in his life. His thoughts lit automatically on Charisse. No way that his mother needed to know about her. His no-commitment, no-rules arrangement with Charisse would not go over well with his mother, despite her own later-in-life rebellion.
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