Her mouth opened, and she sighed. Her sweet mouth felt warm and welcoming. It had the taste and feel of the sweetest cotton candy—hot and fresh from Coney Island.
He groaned and groaned again, letting his tongue forge deeply into her mouth, twisting and turning, charting his path.
He allowed his hands to trail her body. She felt so good. Finally, he pulled away and took a deep breath. The strong scent of honey, hibiscus and sweet desire assaulted his nostrils.
“Wh-hy did you do that?” Karen panted.
“Because I couldn’t stop myself from doing it. I couldn’t help doing it.” He leaned forward again and captured her lips. His hands again roamed her luscious body. And again he wondered what he was doing.
What happened to playing it cool and putting his mack down smoothly?
She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close. The soft press of her breasts against his chest made him growl.
He had to have her. He pressed against her, letting her feel his desire for her. He rocked against her V, getting as close as he could get without taking off her clothes and taking her on her desk. He gripped her bottom and lifted her slightly so that he could make better contact. Her hips rocked to meet him. Her pelvis strained to bump against him. He knew that he had to stop, but he couldn’t. When she let out a soft shuddering breath and her body shook in his arms, he held her until the shaking stopped.
And then, with everything he had inside of him, he pulled away. Breathing came at great cost, because every ounce of the air was laced with her.
He needed more. He needed her.
“You have to let me take you out to dinner, a movie, something, anything. I need to see you.” He needed more than that. But he didn’t want to totally throw away his skills. He knew how to woo a woman. And this woman made him want to pull out all the stops.
She was still taking deep breaths and looked up at him with a mixture of shock and awe. She probably couldn’t believe that she had had an orgasm standing in the middle of her office. “I don’t know, Darius. We should probably keep this professional. You know—”
“I want you. I need you. I can’t explain why.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across her forehead. “I think you should let me know what you’d like me to do for the time I’m here today.” It was probably best if he got out of her office quick, fast and in a hurry.
“Yeah, right…umm. How about stuffing?”
“Stuffing?” He could think of things he wanted to stuff, all right.
“Yeah. We’re having a fundraiser next month for special programs that our grants don’t cover, and the invitations have to be stuffed in envelopes. And if you could seal them and get stamps on them that would be a bonus.”
He stifled the urge to groan. Boy, this wasn’t exactly what he’d signed on for. But he supposed men got into a lot more trouble than stuffing envelopes for women as delectable as Karen.
Sighing, he reluctantly pulled away from her. “Point me in the right direction.”
She led him to the small room adjacent from her office, and he did groan when he caught sight of the stacks and stacks of envelopes and cards.
“Oh, it’s not that bad. You’ll be done in no time. And it’s for a worthy cause.” She grinned, and her eyes twinkled.
“Okay, but if I knock this all out, you have to have dinner with me tonight.”
“You don’t get to negotiate. You’re on a trial basis here, Mr. Rollins.” She smirked.
“Yes. But surely you can see that it would be cruel and unusual punishment for me to have to work here with you even for a couple of hours and not be able to see you, spend time alone with you, get to know you. I just feel like we need to get to know each other better.” He was pouring it on thick on purpose. But the funny thing was, he really felt himself moving in the direction of that kind of desperation.
She tapped her finger on her lips in contemplation, and he felt a surge travel through him as he remembered what it felt like to kiss those same lips just a few minutes earlier.
“Okay. I’ll go out to dinner with you. We can use the time to talk about the center, and I can answer any other questions you might have.”
“All right. However you want it. I better get to stuffing.”
“Yeah. You get to stuffing.”
He watched her walk back to her office and felt an overwhelming sense of possibility.
Chapter 6
Preparing to leave the center that evening, Karen felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She was going to have dinner with Darius. The thought made her insides quiver even as it made her heart pound with anticipation.
She still couldn’t believe that he had kissed, fondled, bumped and grinded her into an orgasm as she stood in the middle of her office. But all she could do was thank God that she’d had the common sense to wear a panty liner and bring an extra one with her.
At first, she wanted nothing more than to say yes to his request. She even wanted to go on kissing him in her office. Something inside of her made her feel like his kisses could renew her spirit in very real and substantial ways.
And another part of her—a much smaller part to be sure—whispered she should tread very carefully where the rapper was concerned. Silencing that part seemed oh so easy when his lips melded to hers and his arms held her tight. But in the aftermath, when she had all day to think about all the reasons why she shouldn’t get involved with him, well, that was another story.
She locked the door and started to close the gate. Hearing footsteps rushing up behind her, she grasped her key in battle mode between her fingers and turned to find Darius behind her.
“Let me get that for you.” Darius reached up and pulled the gate down.
She started to tell him that she’d been locking up the center on her own and closing the gate on her own for the past six years and she didn’t need any added testosterone to do so. But then she noticed the bulge in his arm and the pronounced ripple in his chest as he pulled the gate down and the words got stuck in her throat.
Damn, he’s fine was all she could think.
“Thanks,” was the only word she could mutter as he took the keys from her hands, slightly brushing them. He locked the gate.
“You’re welcome,” he responded, placing the keys back in her hand. “So, you ready to have a nice quiet dinner and get to know one another?”
She’d never been more ready and so unready for anything in all her life. “Yeah.”
He reached out his hand to her, and she took it without hesitation. What was happening to her?
They walked together in silence toward his double-parked vehicle, and he opened the door for her.
Sliding into the car, she couldn’t help but wonder if she should take off running in the other direction. She caught his eye, and the slight glimmer sent a shock through her system.
No, she wasn’t going anywhere.
She couldn’t.
Smooth soul music played softly in the car. They could have had a conversation over the subtle music, yet they rode the majority of the way in silence.
“This is going to sound corny and probably a lot like I’m trying to run game, but since the moment I laid eyes on you I have felt like I know you from someplace, somewhere. I don’t know. It just felt like I already knew you and I had to get to know you all at the same time…. Weird.”
Darius’s deep voice pulled her out of her reverie. And the nervous chuckle he offered after his rush of words made her heart stop and restart as a warm and tingly calm washed over her body. Was it his voice or his laugh or the sincerity of his jitters that caused her to soften into a puddle so quickly? It had to be the mixture of the three.
She wondered if she should tell him that she felt the same exact way about him, that she felt a large chunk of her soul and spirit reaching and calling out to him.
“I think I know what you mean. It’s almost like déjà vu. It’s like a part of me recognizes you for some reason I can’t name. I mean logically I
know I don’t know you at all, don’t know the first thing about you. But I know that the part of myself that is reaching for you won’t allow me to just ignore my feelings. It is demanding that I get to know you, even against all my better judgment.” Karen let the words rush from her lips in a soft, stilted whisper. She kept her gaze firmly planted on the buildings they passed by.
They had decided to go to a restaurant in her neighborhood, Boerum Hill. The neighborhood had lots of funky shops and ethnic restaurants. Smith Street was popping with nightlife and lots of really cool places to eat.
They were close to the restaurant, and she hoped that they could put the awkward conversation behind them once they arrived.
“So you feel it, too? It’s not just me?” Darius pulled up to the restaurant. But they both sat still, each eyeing the other as if trying to figure something out.
She had no idea how much she wanted to own up to any of what she was really feeling. It was crazy, wasn’t it? Déjà vu wasn’t real. And reincarnation? That was just crazy. She did not know this man from another life. She was probably responding to him that way because she’d seen him so much in films and music videos and heard his music. And he was probably acting that way because of his get-the-panties agenda. Yes, that had to be it.
This was not a woo-woo thing. And even if it were a woo-woo thing, she didn’t believe in woo-woo. So there!
“I—I don’t know. I mean I feel an attraction.” She wasn’t about to fully admit to the weird sensations she felt. She didn’t think she could explain it even if she wanted to. How did she put something like that into words? Her chest felt as if there was a bongo competition going on inside of it. Clamminess and a hyperawareness that made the hairs stand up on her body seemed to be going on simultaneously. How in the heck did wet stickiness and static friction mix? Wasn’t it supposed to be one or the other?
No, there was no putting this feeling into words.
“I feel the attraction, too. And I have to say that I won’t be able to just ignore it or walk away from it. So don’t ask me to do that.” His voice was firm and commanding, and she realized that all that over-the-top testosterone actually made her nipples hard. The wanton little things were actually pebbling up at the sound of his voice!
Who’d’ve thunk it?
“I just think we need to tread carefully.”
“If you’re feeling half of what I’m feeling then you know there is no treading carefully.”
The waiter came to take their order, and she luckily was able to leave his statement where it was. She had no intention of going there. None whatsoever!
The ambience in the neighborhood Italian restaurant was lovely. Soft music played in the background, and hints of garlic, basil and oregano wafted through the air. There were fine white linen tablecloths on every table, along with candles and fresh flowers. The intimate setting seemed to be made for romance. She’d do well to make it through the dinner without being totally swept off her feet.
Eating should’ve been a good excuse to break away from the pulsing tension and the surge of energy between them. The awkward conversation had subsided, but not-so-subtle glances of want and need replaced it.
She wondered when she’d forgotten how to swallow. The food, the wine, none of it went down easily with the pounding in her chest and the dryness of her mouth. And every single time she chanced a glance up from her plate, she met his gaze.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” Her voice came out in a soft lilt that sounded way too come-hither for her taste.
His eyes were hooded…seductive…mesmerizing. The realization of what he would probably be able to do to her with just one look almost made her want to drop her fork and jet from the restaurant while she still could.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I really can’t—hell, I don’t want to take my eyes off you.”
Now that has to be game, right?
She pursed her lips and gave him a discerning once-over. If the brother thought she was just another groupie he could try and play with his smooth lines and gobbling gazes then he had another thing coming.
He must have noticed the sudden chill in her expression, but it didn’t seem to stop him. “And before you start thinking I’m trying to run game on you to get you souped up, you need to know that I don’t have to do all that to get a girl.”
How the hell did he know I was thinking that?
“I’m not the average girl. Matter of fact, I’m a woman. I’m certainly not one of your little groupie hoochies. So, don’t even try to swell my head. I do feel a connection between us, but I’m not going to let it override my common sense.”
“That’s cool. I like my woman to be smart and able to keep her head.”
His woman? Oh, the brother is really starting to lay it on thick now. Please!
She chanced another quick look at him, and his eyes caught her in his web. Her own eyes widened and she swallowed. She could have sworn she felt a sizzling charge. It came from his baby browns right to her heart and surged directly down to her increasingly aroused core.
He smiled, lessening the magnetism just enough for her to snatch herself back.
“You should finish eating before your food gets cold. But just know I do not see you as a hoochie or a groupie. I see you as a stunning, smart, seductive woman, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the privilege of being around. So don’t worry. I’m not trying to play you. I want to get to know you.”
He was a rapper and an actor. Karen figured he could really fake the sincerity that seemed to pour from him. And if he could then God help her. She wanted to get to know him, too. She wanted to get to know him in more ways than she felt comfortable expressing.
“Excuse us. Are you D-Roc?” Two scantily clad women—one black with a weave down to her butt and one white with blond hair and boobs as big as Dolly Parton’s—came up to the table. They spoke the question in unison and seemed to bounce up and down as they talked.
Speaking of hoochies and groupies…
“Oh. My. God! I love your movies, sugar,” Dolly, Jr. squealed.
“And I have all your CDs. Your music is amazing! You were so robbed at the Grammy’s last year. You had the party song of the decade on your last CD. ‘It’s time to just do it, just go for yours and get stupid.’” Queen of the Weave rapped the hook from one of Darius’s songs and did a little dance, dropping it like it was hot in the middle of the restaurant and everything.
Karen could only shake her head in stunned amazement.
Darius was gracious, but she could tell he was more than a little peeved that they didn’t respect his privacy. “Good evening, ladies. I’ll be glad to sign my autograph for you, if you want it. But as you can see, I’m trying to enjoy a quiet dinner with this lovely lady here, and I don’t want to blow my chances at making a good impression on our first date.”
The Queen of the Weave and Dolly, Jr. glanced at her as if they’d just realized she was even there, and she could tell what was going through their minds just by the looks on their faces. Their expressions read loud and clear: “You’re with her?”
Yes, tramps, he’s with me. Now get to stepping. Karen gave the chocolate and vanilla Bobbsey twins her fakest smile.
Darius signed the scrap pieces of paper they dug up. And Karen was even nice enough to take a picture of the three of them with one of their cell phones.
As soon as the women walked off, Darius reached across the table and touched her hand. “Sorry about that. Usually people respect my privacy when I’m out on a date.”
“That’s okay. You’re a big star. It goes with the territory.”
“Right, it does. But I just wanted you to know that I would never disrespect or allow anyone else to disrespect you. I’m serious. I want to get to know you.”
“Cool, let’s just eat and get to know each other, then.” Karen thought of the dismissed groupies and smirked. “It’s time to just do it, just go for yours and get stupid.”
Dariu
s hit her with the most disarming smile she had ever seen, and she had to pause.
He smiled again and nodded, and she wondered why the loud pounding of her heart wouldn’t go away.
Chapter 7
Darius could feel the resistance coming off Karen like waves. Each tide struck him and made him intensify his pursuit, like a surfer tackling the ride of his life. And, oddly, that’s what it felt like. It felt like his life actually depended on the woman sitting across from him eating her chicken marsala, staring at him only when she thought he wouldn’t be looking and getting flustered when he caught her.
He was glad she didn’t seem extremely fazed by the two fans that stopped at the table. He didn’t want anything getting in the way of his being able to get to know her better.
Then again, he wasn’t about to let her slip away with just getting to know her. He had never believed in soul mates—or that there was one special person out there for everyone. But Karen Williams could certainly make him a believer. His draw to her was just that strong.
When the waiter came back to see if they wanted dessert, Darius arched his eyebrows in surprise and awe when she ordered the mountain-high chocolate cake. He couldn’t remember the last time a date ordered dessert. To be fair, he couldn’t remember the last time he took a woman to a nice restaurant and shared a meal. The life of a rap star meant he didn’t have to do much wining, dining and wooing. The women sort of just threw themselves at him.
“I know you’re not going to be able to eat all that by yourself. So, I won’t order any—”
“No, my brother. You gotta get your own.” She inflected a smooth tone reminiscent of that popular soul music commercial from the late 1980s.
A charge went through him, and for a minute, he saw the woman with the Afro again, holding up a black power fist. She merged so completely with Karen that he couldn’t tell them apart. He shook his head.
“Fine, then I’ll have a slice of German chocolate cake,” Darius said to the waiter.
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