by Dez Burke
And so much for him saying it was no longer about what she needed – but also what he needed too. He’d told her he needed her. And now this.
Damn, she must have read it all wrong. Maybe that was just the sex talking, Tiana told herself as she tried to get back to work. Well, to hell with that. She’d take someone else to the charity dinner and have the time of her life.
And, vowed Tiana, she’d go out there as soon as possible and find herself a real man to be there for her without her pay check having to get involved. She deserved better than this.
Chapter Nine
Tiana arrived at the venue of the event accompanied by her very handsome and charming companion – Bryant. He was more than a boost to Tiana’s ego with his dark-skinned good looks and polished personality. She was more than glad that she’d let him chat her up that night she’d gone to the bar with Josie. Both girls had ended up hooking up with two well-mannered hunks who’d been happy to drop the girls home with just a few chaste kisses.
Tiana had liked Bryant on sight; his smoothly bald head went well with his angular-faced gorgeousness and he was built like a basketball player. Tiana had never really gone for the overly tall types but something about Bryant’s endearing white grin had drawn her from the start when he’d offered to buy both girls a beer. She soon found out he was single, working in IT, and ready to mingle. With Tiana, apparently.
Now here they were, walking into the prestigious hall that was brightly lit in a sweep of colors that added an Oscars-night feel to the event. There were massive chandeliers dazzling from the ceilings, and elegantly set tables were spread all around the hall, with spaces cleared for dancing. Pillars and drapes dotted the corners, and as the venue filled with more elegantly dressed guests the night took on a glamorous spin.
Tiana was glad she’d taken a lot of effort with her appearance; she’d opted for a nude-colored gown that fell in Grecian folds to the floor, the bodice cut in a modest mono-strap design. She’d opted to forgo exposing any cleavage and instead, left one shoulder bare to reveal her buffed brown skin. Her hair was pinned up while some thick, wavy locks had been left to frame her jaw.
Her make-up was a little more dramatic, her eyes smoky and lashed thickly while her lips held a deep pink shade. Judging from the admiring glances she kept getting from her companion and other guests, she felt she’d hit the right note for the evening.
On their arrival there was a drinks reception to be followed by a three course dinner with wine. The organizers had planned for an after-dinner speech, awards presentation as well as a live auction to be followed by entertainment o close the evening. Judging from the buzz the event had received as well as the celebratory atmosphere surrounding them, Tiana told herself it was going to be a fun night. If only she could stop wishing she had Jordan by her side instead. She felt really dumb for saying they made a peculiar couple. She knew how well they fit together. He was just the right height, above six feet without towering over like Bryant did, making her feel like a dwarf next to him. He was a really nice guy, seeing to her every concern and looking as handsome in his tux as any other man in the room. But still. He was no Jordan.
And just as if she’d conjured him up with her thoughts, there he was.
Tiana could hardly believe what she was seeing. Jordan walked into the hall with an ebony beauty that looked like she’d stepped straight off the runway at New York fashion week. She stood almost as tall as Jordan and Tiana couldn’t help staring at her in her silky red dress that seemed sewn on her; every inch fit so snugly to her perfectly slim frame that it was a wonder how the woman could move. She had a face so beautiful you could spend a whole day looking for one single flaw and never find one. Cheekbones seemed almost diamond-shaped, with a small, blunt nose, wide brown eyes and lips shaped like a bowtie, and painted as red as a dress. She was fucking gorgeous.
Tiana couldn’t get over the shock that Jordan was here – and with some cover model on his arm. There was no doubt she was a model; it was in the way she moved and gestured as she laughed at something Jordan leaned in to say in her ear. Tiana had to blink several times to tell herself she wasn’t seeing things.
This time she was staring at Jordan and it was like she’d never seen him before. In his black tux, tie and dress shoes, he’d never looked hotter. In Tiana’s eyes he outplayed every man in the room with his whipping good looks. His dark hair seemed freshly cut, framing his head perfectly while his clothes looked every inch as expensive and well-made as they had to be.
Tiana looked at his face with an unwavering stare and it was almost like she was willing him to meet her gaze. She kept telling herself it had to be some clone or maybe Jordan had a twin she knew nothing about. Anything to explain how he could be here, with someone else. And looking like he fucking owned the room.
He must have felt her burning regard because he chose that moment to glance her way. Just like that, his dark and dangerous handsomeness smacked her in the chest, making her pulse pound and her pussy twitch just holding the line of his piercing grey gaze. In that moment, the hot hours of passion they’d shared sped through her mind like a flashing reel of film, leaving her breathless and weak-kneed.
He smiled thinly, inclining his head slightly in recognition even as Tiana gasped in utter shock and outrage. It was him.
Before anything more could pass between them, his attention was seized by a group of organizers who showed him to a vantage table close to the stage. Jordan didn’t spare Tiana another look as he placed his hand low on the back of the woman by his side, guiding her along as he returned the greetings of the other prominent guests as he walked by.
I don’t believe this, Tiana thought stormily as Bryant found them their table and they were seated by one of the many waiters. Tiana’s eyes kept flying to Jordan’s end of the hall as she wondered how on earth this could be happening. Why was he here? She couldn’t figure out how come he was attending as an escort to his model-type companion. Was that why he’d stood her up? He’d had a hotter client to take to the ‘ball’?
When she’d first asked him, he’d assured her he could make it only to change his mind when she’d called to confirm. He should have told her he was a guest as well, or was attending with a guest. Whatever. She didn’t care. He was little more than a stranger to her and it didn’t matter if he was actually the freaking governor – which he probably was if the attention people were paying him was anything to go by.
The evening took on a surreal quality all of a sudden and it was all Tiana could do not to betray her inner turmoil to her attentive and amiable companion. The live jazzy music playing in the background seemed to buzz in her ears as she gulped down glass after glass to calm down her nerves. Her PR firm had spent several hundred dollars for the tickets to the event and it was being organized by one of her favorite charities – in aid of medical research – all these reasons keeping her from jumping up and leaving the room to compartmentalize her confusing emotions.
She barely tasted any morsel of the well prepared three-course meal. As more and more minutes passed and her eyes were drawn to Jordan’s lively table, she began to wonder just who he could be. Was he some kind of dignitary she hadn’t heard about? How could he be getting so much attention? Of course she always suspected that his male escort pursuits were just one part of his lifestyle. But seeing him sitting there, fitting so perfectly with the dignified and opulent environment, made her realize that there was far more to Jordan than met the eye.
Even worse was watching him with that coffee-skinned model next to him, their heads bumping intimately as they shared one conversational tidbit or the other as the dinner progressed. Her teeth gritted around her soup spoon as she watched Jordan flick his companion’s long dark hair off her slender shoulders in a proprietary manner. For some reason Tiana felt he was making some kind of point with his choice of female partner. Jordan had known Tiana would be there and she could only tell herself he was sending her a very clear message.
But things got even
more bizarre as the dinner ended and the host for the evening announced the after-dinner speech was to be delivered by one of the charity’s top patrons as well as key city finance expert, Jordan Hancock.
Huh? What the hell?
Tiana straightened in her chair, watching in amazement as Jordan rose from his chair to widespread applause, walking up to the podium and shaking the hand of the host before speaking into the microphone.
When he spoke he was the same collected, cool and charming Jordan she recognized, but he was also different. Tiana listened with widening eyes as her ‘gigolo’ made a short yet arresting speech that had the crowd tuned in right to the end where he closed off with a well-received joke that had everyone laughing good-naturedly as he asked them to enjoy the rest of the evening.
“Are you okay?” Bryant asked, his large hand on her arm and his deep voice tinged with concern. Tiana turned to him, blinking.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Tiana said on a voice sounding too squeaky for her liking. “Why do you ask?”
“You don’t look too good, sweetheart. We could leave if you’re feeling unwell.”
Bryant’s well-meaning hand closing over hers would have been calming but Tiana had too rough a tempest whirling around inside her. Nothing about the evening made sense but even she knew she’d had one jolt too many. Giving him a grateful smile, she nodded as she only just managed to remember to pick up her shawl and clutch. “Yes – please. I suddenly don’t feel too good.”
Tiana was glad for Bryant’s strong supporting arm as they made their way out of the crowded hall just as the host announced that the live auction was about to start. Tiana was more preoccupied about making it out without stumbling as her mind filled with conflicting thoughts she couldn’t shake off.
***
For Jordan the evening lost most of its allure when he saw Tiana walk out of the room with her handsome, hulking companion. He’d been well aware of her confused gaze as the night had progressed and he’d have given anything to know what she was thinking. He knew she’d never expected to see him there and she’d certainly never imagined what his real identity could be. Well, now she knew but he could tell the shock had really gotten to her.
He’d wanted to rise and go after her when she made her way out of the hall leaning on the arm of her escort. He knew he’d hurt her in some way and now he felt irritated with himself for how much he cared and wished he didn’t.
But really what had she expected? The things she’d said on the phone had been uncalled for and it had hit home harder than he’d have imagined. He’d thought she’d enjoyed every moment she’d spent with him but then she’d made it up to be nothing more than a joke by saying how ill-fitted they were. It was bad enough she thought he was a gigolo, but for her to believe they could never suit each other as a couple…That had hit him out of nowhere – he hadn’t seen that coming at all.
She’d said it herself that he’d never made being with him feel odd – but then maybe she was just talking about the gigolo part and not him as a person. God forbid that Tiana would actually want to be with a white guy, no, Jordan thought with a grim self-derision.
He was just some exciting experiment for her and judging by her companion, she was well back to dating her preferred type of male in terms of race anyway. Jordan felt like a fool for thinking none of that had mattered to her when they’d been together.
Forcing himself to stay put, he turned to his beautiful companion who was pouting her sensually curved and full lips at him. “I feel like you’ve had only half your attention on me since we got here,” the black beauty said, smiling teasingly. She was the daughter of one of his biggest clients; at twenty three she was a bit young for his tastes but he’d always admired her. He felt guilty now for picking her for the sole aim of making Tiana jealous – if such a thing was possible. And to make Tiana eat her words by showing her he had no problems dating or being seen with a woman of color.
His date, Asha was a successful lingerie model and Jordan had promised her father he’d be on his best behaviour with his daughter tonight. But as he felt Asha plant her hand on his thigh beneath the table, he almost started.
“What does a girl have to do to keep you captivated?” she asked on a purr, her voice low even as her small dark hand ventured dangerously higher up his thigh.
“I’m already captivated,” Jordan said, smoothly taking her errant hand and kissing it gallantly on the knuckles. “I promised your dad I’ll have you home safe before eleven and I’m a man of my word so…” He grinned endearingly when she looked disappointed, releasing her hand which he placed on the table. But then he soon had her smiling again when the fundraising auction began and his final bid won an all-purpose day visit to a luxury spa - which he told her he’d meant just for her.
By the end of the night he dropped the ebony beauty home, wondering why there was only one woman – Tiana - who seemed to suit his needs in every way. Each moment he’d spent with her stayed burned in his mind and now no other female could even hold his attention for a moment. What would it take to win a chance at her heart? Could it be too late to tell her the truth and hope she took him in with open arms?
He’d felt the magic thrill between them and couldn’t believe it when she’d made it seem like he wasn’t her type. When he’d been inside her…the way they’d fit. The way she melted even before he’d started to play her with his tongue, his fingers; she responded in ways that made his heart swell along with his loins. She pulled strings within him that no other woman could.
Jordan had never known how staid and unexciting his life had been until Tiana’s voice first came on the phone, interested in booking his services as a ‘male escort’. Since meeting her he’d lost many of those hangups he’d had both inside and outside the bedroom. Tiana made him want to try new things; spice up his life. And there was only one person he could see sharing that with.
When they’d met, she’d made it clear she wasn’t ready for any conventional romance. Tiana wasn’t looking for love. Jordan didn’t care about her barriers or whatever reasons she might think of for them not to be together. Whatever it took to win his place by her side, he’d do it…
Chapter Ten
Jordan had put his relationship with Chloe long behind him. And one point he’d thought they’d make a perfect match due to the link between their two families. Her parents and his had been friends for years, and Chloe had been roommates with his little sister in college. Chloe had seemed to suit him on a basic level; they cut a ‘perfect’ picture together and she’d have made just the right trophy wife for a successful investment mogul.
But they’d never had any true physical chemistry and he’d made her know that sexually, she needed to let go of her inhibitions. Chloe had acted like she’d hated sex and was only going through the motions. Jordan couldn’t imagine ending up with a wife like that – that would mean he’d be forced to cheat and that was one thing he swore he’d never do once he was married.
Jordan knew he needed a woman who fulfilled his every desire. Not just in the bedroom but in every way. He’d known all the things that were lacking in his relationship with Chloe and even though it was just two months to the wedding, he’d broken it up as gently as he could.
He’d always felt Chloe’s ego was bruised more than anything. It certainly couldn’t be that her heart had been broken. She was the kind of woman who thought all men wanted to be with her or had her in their fantasies. She’d been shocked when Jordan said it was over but he didn’t think she would moon over his loss for long.
Now he showed up at her place to hear her say it face to face that she didn’t have anything to do with his details coming up on that escort directory. He’d been holding back a confrontation, hoping that Tommy would get to the bottom of things by now but it was taking too long. Tiana was fast slipping from his fingers – if she hadn’t already – and he couldn’t go to her without knowing the real truth himself.
Chloe didn’t look in the mood to be helpful as
she reluctantly let him into her classy penthouse apartment. Jordan looked at her and wondered how he could have ever thought for a minute he could spend the rest of his life with someone like her. She was beautiful, but cold. She had no interest in passion, if she even knew what that meant. She only had love for material things; diamonds, designer clothes and gear, and high-standing society. She found more joy in the latest fashion and gadget trends than in spending quality time with the man in her life. Jordan wished any man who’d end up with her the best of luck.
“I had nothing to do with this,” she said with a careless shrug of her bony shoulders, turning disinterestedly away to pad barefoot around the living room of her art deco home. But there was something about her tone that told him she might know more than she was letting on.
“This was a very vindictive act, Chloe and if you know anything about who’s behind it, you might as well tell me. You may say you had nothing to do with it – but sounds to me like you probably know who did.”
She faced him with an impatient expression, met his hard glare, and sighed fretfully. “I really don’t want to get caught up in any of this. I can’t imagine why you can’t laugh over it and let it go. It’s just a silly joke, Jordan. Nothing more. I thought you’d be happy to get yourself out there – probably find yourself a woman to suit your appallingly animalistic sexual urges.”
Jordan had to force his temper down and not grab her to shake the truth out of her. Instead, he played it cool. “So you do know about it. Care to tell me who’s responsible?”
“She said she’d do it – but I never dreamed she’d have the nerve. I mean she was totally on my side when you broke up with me and assured me she knew just how to pay you back for your ill-treatment,” Chloe said airily, regarding her fingernails closely and avoiding Jordan’s eyes.