Her Little Black Book

by Brenda Jackson

  I don’t know your schedule today, but if possible I’d like to have lunch with you. Call me and let me know if that’s a possibility.

  Lake

  She smiled and held the note close to her heart. He had referred to her as sweetheart. Closing her eyes, she lay back in the bed as memories of last night ran through her mind. After making love on the barstool of all places, he had gathered her into his arms, and they had gotten into her bed, where he had held her the entire night. At some point, she had awakened and had tried to persuade him to make love to her again, but he had refused, reminding her that he wouldn’t have done so earlier if she hadn’t forced the issue.

  She grinned proudly. That would teach him to think twice about holding out on her. He wasn’t the only one who could go after what he wanted.

  Courtney opened her eyes and glanced over at the clock. It was time to get ready for work. She had a full day of appointments with her doctors, but would definitely make time to join Lake for lunch. Deciding she needed to get moving, she slid out of bed and went into the bathroom.

  An hour later, she was fully dressed and ready to grab her briefcase to head out the door when the phone rang. Thinking it could be Lake, she quickly picked it up. “Yes?”

  “Courtney? I just wanted to check to see how you’re doing.”

  She smiled as she dropped down on the sofa. “Mom? I’m doing fine. How’s Hawaii?”

  “Wonderful. Your father and I are having a fantastic time. He’s still operating on Orlando time, so he gets up every morning at the crack of dawn and goes to the hotel’s fitness center. Then he joins a couple of guys he’s met here for breakfast and to play a few hours of golf. I prefer sleeping in until noon, then just lounging around, taking it easy. But it’s nice having the time away and for us to spend together. It’s like having a second honeymoon.”

  Courtney heard the excitement in her mother’s voice. “I’m glad, Mom. Sounds like things are working out the way you want them to.”

  “They are, sweetie. Your dad has been just wonderful. No matter what I want to do, he does it. We’ve taken several tours around the island together.”

  Courtney smiled. “Sounds like fun. So when are the two of you coming home?”

  “We have another week, and then we’ll be back. Your dad has already suggested that I look into us going somewhere else together next summer. Possibly a weeklong cruise to Alaska.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “It will be. I know it’s time for you to head out for work, but I wanted to check on you to make sure everything is okay. I talked to Peggy last night, and she said she’d seen you Sunday at the mall …”

  Courtney and her mom chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call. As she locked up, she felt her chest swell with pride at her parents’ attempt to work out their problems and save their marriage. She had been a major naysayer only because she didn’t want her mom risking her heart yet again to the whims of her father. But now it seemed that Ron Andrews was truly trying to do the right thing and build a relationship with his wife. Courtney couldn’t help but give her father an A for effort, and would tell him just how proud she was of him when her parents returned to town.

  Ignoring the fact that Ashira had just climaxed for the third time beneath him, Ron kept on riding her, not close to getting enough. Luckily for him, a doctor friend had given him a prescription for Viagra before he left Orlando. Normally, he stayed away from the stuff, never needed medication to keep him hard. But he knew satisfying two women on this trip was going to be a challenge. Barbara would expect him to do his duty by her, and he couldn’t risk raising her suspicions about anything if he wasn’t in the mood. Viagra always kept him in the mood. Barbara was getting it whenever she wanted, and Ashira was giving it whenever he wanted it. Lucky for him, Barbara’s demands weren’t often, and their lovemaking sessions always ended quickly. The time he spent with Ashira was another story. The more he got from her, the more he wanted. His lust was insatiable.

  “Are you sure you’re not on anything?” Ashira asked when he thrust into her yet again. “You’ve been acting like a sex maniac since you arrived on this island.”

  He laughed as he spread her legs farther apart for deeper penetration. “No, I’m not taking anything,” he said, lying easily to her. “Must be the environment,” he said, still going strong, ramming in and out of her.

  “What about your old lady? Aren’t you getting any from her this trip?”

  “That’s none of your damn business as long as I’m getting it from you.” He preferred not to talk, and she was asking too many questions to suit him. It’s not like he was poking into her twenty-four hours a day. Just the morning hours while Barbara was still sleeping, so why was Ashira complaining? “If you’re starting to have problems handling me, then let me know,” he said angrily. “I can get someone else.”

  “I’m not having problems—it’s just you want it every day.”

  He frowned. “And what’s the hell wrong with that? That’s why I brought you along, so stop whining. You’re my morning delight. Barbara thinks I work out every morning and then meet up with some guys and play golf.” He chuckled. “At least she got part of it right. I am working out.” He glared down at her. “Now shut the hell up—I’m still hard.”

  She got quiet, which was fine with him. But after so many more thrusts, she began making sounds to let him know she was coming again. Boy, she was wet, and the wetter she got, the harder he got. Her stuff was ripe. He liked it like that.

  He glanced over at the clock. He had another hour to go. It didn’t take Ashira long to come again, and he smiled. Not bad for a relatively older man. He bet a young punk couldn’t do what he was doing. She’d had five orgasms in less than two hours. Yes, he was counting. Damn, but he enjoyed hearing her every gasp, whimper, and moan when she came. Barbara would bury her face in the pillow or bedspread to deaden the sound, and that would piss him off. What a waste of good physical exertion.

  He felt sensations running through his body and knew he was beginning to explode again, but that wouldn’t make him go soft. And he intended to keep at it with her until he did … or until he ran out of time.

  He threw his head back, and his body began rocking when an explosion hit. A smile spread across his face. He was a man with the best of both worlds.

  Peggy frowned over at Toni. “What do you mean you and John can’t go to Disney World with me and Willie this weekend?”

  Toni smiled. “John was supposed to come home Friday night and can’t make it back. He called this morning and suggested that I fly out and join him in Atlanta. Then we can rent a car and drive over to Knoxville to see our grandbaby,” she said excitedly.

  “Umm, why do I feel like I’m being set up?”

  Toni gave her an innocent look. “Come on, Peg. Would I do something like that?”

  “Yes. Don’t think I haven’t caught on to what you’re doing. Like the dinner party the other night. I guess you’re going to try and convince me that all those other guests you claimed were coming canceled out at the last minute.”

  “Well …”

  “Don’t try it, Toni. I know you.”

  Toni smiled and leaned over the table. “Then you know how much I love you and want you to be happy.”

  Peggy shook her head. “I think you’re all wrong about Willie Baker’s attraction to me. He’s just being nice.”

  Toni rolled her eyes. “He’s a man interested in a woman. John and I both saw the way he kept looking at you the other night. You’ve just been out of the dating scene for so long that you can’t recognize the signs.”

  Peggy took a sip of her drink, wondering if what Toni said was true. Was she not able to read the signs? “Now you have me worried.”

  “Why? You’ve spent time with him by yourself before. And thanks to our shopping spree today, you have several nice outfits to choose from. You’ll be fine.”

  Peggy sighed deeply. She hoped so.

  Courtney walked into t
he restaurant and glanced around before giving the head waiter her name. He led her to the table where Lake was already seated. He stood and kissed her on the lips, just as if they were a couple.

  “Hi,” he said, releasing her hand, but not before lifting it to his lips for another kiss.

  “Hi, yourself. Thanks for inviting me to lunch.”

  “You’re welcome.” He returned to his seat and looked over at her. “And you’re smiling,” he observed. “Not that I’m not accustomed to your smiles, but you seem in a particularly good mood today.”

  “I am.”

  “And the reason?”

  She glanced around before leaning over the table and whispering. “Well, I have two reasons for my good mood and smile. I’ve slept with a wonderful man for the last two nights, and I heard from my mom this morning. She and my dad are having a wonderful time together in Hawaii.”

  He lifted a brow, latching on to the latter part of what she had said. “You didn’t think they would have a good time together?”

  She sighed deeply and sat back. “Honestly, no. The trip was my mother’s idea. Dad went along with it just to make her happy.”

  Seeing the confused look on his face, she said, “Over the years, my parents have had problems with their marriage. Major problems. My father has a problem with being faithful.”

  Lake waited until the waiter delivered their menus before asking her, “What do you mean he has a problem being faithful to your mother?”

  She shrugged as she reached over and grabbed a breadstick out of the basket. “He’s had several affairs over the years, Lake. Two of them resulted in children, so I guess I was wrong in saying I was an only child.”

  “Your mother know about these affairs?” he asked in a quiet tone of voice.

  “Yes, eventually she always finds out. Once, maybe twice, she’s left him. One time I remember when I was in my early teens coming home to find all his clothes thrown . over the lawn. That was a waste of Mom’s time and energy, because in six months she had let him move back. Things are good between them until he screws up again, which he always does.”

  “And why do you think she stays with him?”

  Courtney smiled. She could hear the bafflement in his voice. She understood. “Because she loves him. He screwed up just last year with a student of his. Not for the first time, I might add. Don’t know why the university keeps him on when he enjoys mixing business with pleasure. Anyway, Mom found out and they split for a few months. I really thought that was the end of it and thought it was about time. I was sure she’d had enough and was ready to tell him where he could shove that thing that he likes using on other women. Then I get a call where they invite me to dinner, and instead of telling me they’ve finally decided to get a divorce, they told me they were going to try to work things out again. I truly don’t understand why she continues to trust him.”

  Lake reached over and took her hand. “The reason is what you said earlier, Courtney. She loves him, and I know firsthand that in some cases, love can be blind.”

  She opened her mouth to ask what situation was that but was interrupted when the waiter came to their table to take their order.

  Lake didn’t say anything for a long moment, thinking about what Courtney had told him. Talk about major drama. It seemed her parents had it. It explained a lot. Especially why she was so cautious in accepting that they had a future together. Did a part of her think all men were like her father?

  “No, I don’t think that.”

  He glanced up. “What?”

  She shrugged. “I know what you’re probably thinking. You’re wondering if I have a problem with men because of my father … and my uncle.”

  He lifted a brow. “Your uncle?”

  “Yes, Sonya’s father. Uncle Joe screwed around on Aunt Peggy, too. He got involved with a young girl. Aunt Peggy found out when he asked her for a divorce to marry his child bride. At the time, he was fifty-six, and she was twenty-three.”

  Courtney took a sip of her drink. “I’d be the first to admit that because of my father and uncle I don’t have a healthy view of relationships. Over the years, I tried seeing my family as the exception and not the norm, but found it hard at times. I do have friends whose parents have long-standing, loving relationships, so I believe it can happen … for the right people.”

  He nodded and smiled over at her. “Then I have to convince you that we are the right people.”

  She inhaled deeply. “I want to believe that, but I think we’re moving too fast.”

  He heard a little distress in her voice. “Okay. Tell me what you need from me.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, and then, “To slow down. I need time and space. You overwhelmed me from the first. You’re still overwhelming me. And last night, I took risks with you that I’ve never taken before. Even now I can’t believe that I did it, and what’s so strange is that I don’t have any regrets.”

  Lake wondered if she knew why she’d done it, why she didn’t have any regrets. Did she have any clue why the thought of him fathering her child didn’t bother her, like the thought of her mothering his child didn’t bother him? Last night while he’d held her in his arms as she slept, he had thought about everything they had shared, every single thing they had done. There had been a reason for such madness, and he was more than convinced that it hadn’t entirely been due to lust. But she would have to figure those things out on her own.

  “We started out as lovers before becoming friends,” he heard her say, breaking into his thoughts. “Mainly because you’re convinced that in the end you’ll get the same result—a marriage between us. What I need is for us to be friends,” she said in a low voice.

  He frowned. “I thought that we were.”

  She chuckled. “We’re lovers. We’re good in bed together, but when push comes to shove, we’re miles apart because you see a future for us and I’m just getting used to what’s happening now. Today. I can’t think that far ahead yet.”

  He nodded, trying to keep up with her. Trying to get a grasp on what she was saying, although he had a fairly good idea. And he didn’t like what he was hearing. “So you don’t want us to see each other anymore, is that it?” he asked.

  “No, that’s not it, Lake. I just think we need to slow the pace down a bit. We’ve known each other for three weeks and have spent two nights together, and if I let it happen, we will be spending a third and a fourth. We’re not building a relationship; we’re having an affair.”

  “No,” he said tensely. “I want more.”

  “I want to believe that.”

  And even after the two nights they had spent together, he was amazed that she still didn’t. He leaned closer to her over the table and asked, “And if last night left you pregnant?”

  She shook her head. “That’s not a possibility, since I’m on the pill.”

  He smiled. “There are always possibilities. Nothing is one hundred percent sure.”

  “I know, but I honestly don’t think we’ll have that to worry about,” she whispered.

  Lake figured that now was not the time to tell her that if she was pregnant, he would want the baby as much as he wanted her. But then he’d made that clear last night. “Okay,” he said. He would give her space while he worked on another strategy. “Starting now, there will only be friendship between us. Until you say otherwise.”

  Courtney gave him what he perceived as a relieved smile. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  Be careful what you ask for.

  Two days later, and Courtney was questioning her decision regarding Lake. When she had confided in Sonya and told her what she’d done, her cousin had gone ballistic. Men were extinct, Sonya had exclaimed. Good ones were rare, hard to find. When you found one, you didn’t do something real stupid like throw him back out there. You did that to the rejects. The ones who weren’t worthy of your time, attention, or body. Sonya had gotten vocal. She had gotten loud. She’d truly been pissed. Letting Lake go had been plain stupid,
she had said over and over. Then after Sonya had finally calmed down, she had explained that she nearly lost Mike by not accepting what he was trying to get her to see. They had a future together. And she didn’t want Courtney to make the same mistake.

  Okay, Courtney admitted, there was a possibility she had screwed up, big-time. Maybe she should have handled things differently. But still, it was important to her that she and Lake build a relationship outside of sex. He had called yesterday to give her a status on the client who was interested in purchasing some of Jetrica’s work. The call had been short. He’d been very cordial. Nice. A part of her, the part that would throb in the wee hours of the night, missed spending time with the naughty Lake.

  So here it was a Friday night and things were just like before. She had no date. No man to call her own. Okay, it was her fault, she would admit that much. But it wasn’t like she had actually sent him away. She’d only asked that they be friends first. Friends did go out on occasion, so why hadn’t he called to invite her to go somewhere? Friends just didn’t have sex every single night. Could it be that’s all he had wanted from her all along?

  She picked up the TV schedule to see what was coming on the tube tonight, and then the phone rang. She reached over and picked it up. “Yes?”

  “Hello, friend.”

  Flutters went off in her stomach at the sound of the voice. He had called. She dropped down on the sofa. She doubted her legs could hold her up. “Hi, Lake, how are you?”

  “Fine. I was sitting around not doing anything and wondered if you would like to go out with me? Nowhere fancy. Just somewhere to grab a burger and fries. Maybe go to a movie as friends.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. This was what she wanted. “Yes. I’d love going out with you.”

  “Good. I’ll be by in an hour.”

  22

  “I had a nice time this afternoon with you, Peggy,” Willie said when they reached her front door.