Players

by Rachel Cross

  “He was ten years older than I was, a mover and shaker, and took an immediate interest in me. I was flattered. He made me feel smart and beautiful. And . . . ” Her laugh was lifeless. “For a twenty-five-year-old girl from the hood, it felt good that someone saw me and not the girl who was lucky that she didn’t end up a statistic.”

  She stared straight ahead at the door, clicking her heel against the wheel on the seat. “Anyway, long story short, he asked me to marry him right at the one-year mark. I said yes, and I was happy. But then . . . I wasn’t.”

  “Why?”

  Nathan’s deep voice made her feel safe sharing.

  Memories assailed her. She couldn’t hold on to one thought, one solid answer as to why. She’d been unhappy long before she found out about the cheating. She would often do little things, like cook his favorite meal, or if something at a store caught her attention and she knew it would make him smile, she’d buy it for him. Greg never did those things for her, and if Tiana skipped a month or two without getting him something, he would pout.

  Her mind channel surfed to another not-too-wonderful memory. Greg didn’t seem to be as resourceful or as smart as he pretended to be. Quite often he sent his work to her to check for errors. In the end, she usually did the work for Greg. Nathan didn’t need all of those embarrassing details.

  “He used me. He cheated on me.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “He stole my ideas, which ultimately gave him a promotion.” She laughed and shook her head. “A few months ago, you probably would’ve called it poetic justice.”

  She raised a hand before he could interrupt. She needed to get this out. “I know you thought I stole your ideas for the internship, but I would never do that. Professor Hoffer had it bad for me. He told a VP at Regos that I had come up with the ideas, and I didn’t find out until after the internship.”

  “Tiana, baby, I know that already. You told me when you were drugged up on NyQuil.”

  “I know, but I want to say this to you while I’m lucid. I didn’t figure out what happened until the company commended me on my idea and offered me a full-time position. I declined and told them it was your idea. I told them to reach out to you. Did they?”

  He leaned back in his seat. “No . . . they didn’t, but I have no regrets. Well, with the exception of hating you about the internship. I should’ve listened when you tried to explain what happened back then. But I was so hurt that you would lie . . . my head wasn’t in a place where I could listen to reason. His chocolate eyes reflected remorse. “I’m sorry.”

  Tiana shrugged. “It’s fine. We’re fine. I just wanted to clear the air.” She turned toward her computer in an attempt to end the conversation.

  “You still haven’t finished telling me about Greg.”

  She sighed, swiveling her chair to face him again. “Fine. Even after he stole my promotion, and despite my reservations about him cheating with another coworker, like a fool I still . . . I stayed. There was always a plausible excuse. Stephanie had a little crush on him, but he didn’t return her feelings. They had an important project to work on, which was the reason why he was always in her office. She was a senior director, so whatever she needed, Greg came running.”

  Tiana sighed. “I was stupid enough to believe that he loved me. But then . . . ” Her sweaty hands shook. She hadn’t told many people about the next part. Not her brother or sister. Only Melanie.

  She cleared her tear-clogged throat. “T-the icing on the cake . . . he was engaged to Stephanie prior to me working for the company. The ring he gave me was Stephanie’s old ring. He’d asked me not to tell anyone about our relationship because he didn’t want the gossip. But the entire time he was stringing both Stephanie and me along.”

  Nathan shook his head. “So this Stephanie woman had no idea about you?”

  “Oh, she had an idea. Apparently, he told her that we went out on a few dates, but that was all. Greg told her I was obsessed with him and emotionally unstable, which is why he pleaded with her to keep their relationship a secret for a bit. Well, that’s what I gathered from Stephanie’s tirade.”

  Tiana clutched her chest, remembering the destruction of her heart. Her body went still and frozen, but her mind fast-forwarded through the flashbacks. Sad. Pathetic. Unstable. Slut.

  “Tiana?” Nathan scooted closer, deep concern reflected in his dark eyes.

  Breaking through the surface of her painful memories, she took a deep breath. “L-long story short, she saw Greg and me kissing, and assumed I was the other woman.”

  Stephanie, the marketing genius who was both intelligent and beautiful hadn’t taken the betrayal well. Like the scorned woman that she was, Stephanie wrongly accused Tiana of seducing Greg. A scorned woman who went as far as spreading rumors and escalating the situation to her boss.

  “She hadn’t taken too kindly to me trying to steal her fiancé. How do you steal a person, I’ll never know, but that’s what she said when she confronted me in Greg’s office and in front of our coworkers.”

  She could feel the heat of Nathan’s anger. “And then gossip spread like wildfire within the office. I was the she-devil and Stephanie was the innocent victim. The end.”

  Tiana couldn’t escape the hell that had become her job because Stephanie’s family had money and influence and she wielded the power like a weapon, blackballing Tiana from other prominent positions within Atlanta.

  Nathan’s intelligent and assessing eyes roved over her. Something must have clued him in that she was at her emotional wits’ end because he dipped his chin and rolled his chair back, giving her much-needed space.

  “I understand why engaging in another office romance is difficult for you, and I agree to keep this to ourselves, but know that I am not and never will be ashamed of our relationship.”

  “Thank you.”

  Nathan leaned in his seat. “I’m sure this won’t sink in yet, but I’ll never cheat or lie. I may hurt your feelings, but I’ll be honest—sometimes to a fault.”

  The corners of her mouth tugged into a smile. She’d much prefer honesty.

  “Second thing,” Nathan said as he booted his laptop. “Once we’re outside office doors, we’re no longer coworkers.” He turned from his computer, eyes on her. “Do you get me?”

  “I get you, Nathan. I also have a few . . . a few things of my own I’d like to discuss.”

  “You mean rules?” he asked, an amused smile on his face.

  “No, I mean some things.” She refused to say rules because he’d always teased her in the past about being a control freak about the code of conduct.

  He waved his hand. “Go for it, Peaches.”

  “All right. First thing. No hanky-panky at the office.”

  “Negative.” He shook his head. “No hanky-panky where anyone can see us in the office. I’ll lock the door next time.”

  She rolled her eyes, even though she rather liked the idea of them sneaking around and giving each other sexy glances and kisses. “Second thing. When one of us gets promoted, I would like for the other person to heavily consider swapping departments. I don’t want us to get reprimanded or fired because we’ve violated the rules. But as long as we don’t directly report to the other person, we should be fine.”

  He nodded. “That’s reasonable and I sure as hell don’t intend to stop what we have because of a company policy. So if I have to be a goody-two-shoes rule follower to keep you, then I will.”

  One more thing,” she whispered. This last thing was hard for her to say. She licked her dry lips and exhaled. “I want to take things slowly.”

  “What things, Peaches?” His eyes blazed.

  “P-physical things. Look, I know it’s not fair to compare you to other men, but it’s been difficult for me to take things to the next level since Greg. I need you to be patient with me.”

  “Of course, Peaches. I won’t push you until you’re ready. Are those all of your rules?”

  Tiana released the breath trapped
in her throat and smiled. She was relieved he so readily agreed, and he didn’t seem impatient or disappointed. “Yes, those are all of my things.”

  “Good. Let’s do our jobs so I can take you out on a date.”

  Tiana bit her lip to stop the cheesy smile from spreading over her face. She couldn’t have him knowing she was a softie. “Where will you be taking us on our first official date?”

  “Woman, this is not our first date.”

  Tiana tilted her head and tapped her chin. “Am I missing something?”

  “Nope. Coney Island. Dining in the Dark. Lord-of-the-freaking-Rings marathon.” He growled at the last item. “What would you call those things we did?”

  Tiana smiled and winked. “Foreplay.”

  • • •

  Nathan had thought that once he and Tiana were exclusive, the agony of silently lusting after her would end. After weeks upon weeks of torture, he could finally admit that he was wrong. Dead wrong. He grunted as he tracked his hours for a client. He should’ve known his former grad-school rival would be best in class for driving a man wild.

  The worst part? Most of the things she did were subconscious. Like the way she crossed and uncrossed her legs during meetings and the way she tilted her head back, pursed her lips, and gently stroked her throat. He was even turned on by her humming. Humming usually reminded him of old ladies folding laundry, but not Tiana’s.

  She was a content, lazy cat, purring her pleasure. He couldn’t wait for the day where she completely gave him her trust and then he’d really give her something to purr about. Damn, he needed a distraction. Between Tiana and waiting for the campaign decision, which would be determined right after the New Year, he was a wreck. The ping on his phone was a reprieve. Pops had sent a reminder about Thanksgiving.

  “What are you doing two weeks from now?”

  Tiana did her signature Tilty-head-moaning thing. “Isn’t it Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Okay. Then I’ll be stuffing my face with my brother and sister.”

  “Why don’t you stuff your face with me?”

  Sipping coffee, she suddenly choked. She coughed and then took a deep breath. “You’re so bad.”

  “You know it. But answer the question. You. Me. Stuffing our faces. Together and with food, of course.”

  Tiana pushed away from her desk and sighed. “As much as I would love to partake in the age-old tradition of faking amnesia to the real story of how the pilgrims screwed over Native Americans, I can’t. I always host Thanksgiving for my brother and sister whenever they can break away from school. I’ve already bought their plane tickets.”

  “Why don’t you, Courtney, and Casey have dinner with me and my folks?” Nathan held his breath. His little Georgia Peach didn’t like unplanned events and surprises.

  “I, uh, can I . . . think about it?”

  Instincts drove him to push her, but he reined himself in. After all, she’d agreed to a relationship, shared her past, and hadn’t totally lost it when her precious intern caught them going at it. Yes, he could wait. For a day. Or two.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nathan had been a man of his word about planning a date. His hand settled on the small of her back as he guided Tiana to their seat at Diago’s. Tiana’s pulse quickened at the intimate touch.

  “I’ve got this,” Nathan said to the maître d’ who attempted to pull out her chair.

  Tiana smiled, pleased and amused that Nathan had chosen the restaurant where they had both brought other dates. “Diago’s, huh?” she asked after the maître d’ left.

  “Yeah. He smiled as he fluffed the napkin and then placed the black linen on his lap. “We’ve gotta create good memories.”

  “My last date wasn’t so bad,” she teased.

  “He isn’t me, and Shelly isn’t you. Even then, I wanted you. I was pissed when I saw you looking sexy as sin, and all dressed up for another guy. All I could imagine was . . . ”

  Warmth spread throughout her chest. She leaned in. “Imagine what?”

  He shook his head. “Dangerous thoughts. I’ll keep them to myself.”

  She rolled her eyes, frustrated that he wouldn’t say how he felt. It was her fault. She was the one who’d asked him to take it slow. And he had. Reeeeal slow. So slow, he was giving twelve-year-old choirboys a run for their money. She might not have been ready for sex, but she was ready for something. It was apparent that she would have to take the initiative.

  “What if I don’t want you to keep your thoughts to yourself?”

  Nathan clenched his jaw. “I’m trying to be good, Peaches.”

  Screw being good. “I promise I won’t be scandalized. I want to know. No, I need to know, Nathan.” She heard the urgency in her voice, but she didn’t care.

  He leaned in closer. “Fine. I wanted to jerk you away from that pretty boy. Take you to my place, or hell, maybe even the nearest room, privacy optional, and feast on you. Your lips are sweet, baby, but I’m guessing your other lips are sweeter.”

  Tiana clutched her necklace. “Oh, my—”

  “I’m not done.” His chocolate eyes glowed as he whispered the rest. “After I ate you better than a birthday cake ice cream that you so love, I’d turn you around, bend you over and fuck that smug look you used to have off your face.”

  Yes, please. Warmth spread again, this time at her core as she imagined his luscious lips locked on hers. She craved to reenact his fantasy.

  “How about we try the first thing? We can work our way up to the second fantasy.”

  His eyes ignited. “After dinner?”

  Screw recreating memories at Diago’s. “No. Now. I can’t wait, and I don’t want to. Unless . . . ” She moistened her lips. “Unless you’re too hungry to leave.”

  Standing abruptly from his chair, it nearly toppled over. Tiana stood and threw her napkin on the table.

  “Is everything okay?” A petite young woman with mousy brown hair took them in. Her eyes looked concerned.

  He rushed to Tiana’s side of the table and grabbed her hand. “Sorry. We’ve gotta go.”

  Tiana laughed at the server’s comical expression. “Slow down, Nathan.” She demanded as he dragged her past the hostess station and toward the entrance. “We have all night.”

  He pushed the doors to the restaurant open and then stopped in front of the building. “The woman of my dreams just told me she would reenact one of my dreams. I’m about to burst out of my pants.” He tilted her chin and devoured her lips. “Fuck slowing down.”

  • • •

  Nathan’s heartbeat tripled as the cab driver dropped him and Tiana in front of his condo.

  He gently traced patterns on the palm of her hand as they walked through the lobby and to his home. He’d promised himself that if he ever had a chance to get Tiana to return to his apartment, he’d make her his. He’d make up for the words he’d said and the way he’d treated her during Massage-gate.

  Fighting against his desire to toss her on the couch and lick her clean, he led her to his bedroom. Tiana, who was oddly quiet, sat on his king bed. The bed dipped lower when he settled beside her. He wanted to peel off the hot pink maxi dress. He wanted to worship her body. But most of all, he wanted to thank her for her trust.

  Turning to face her, he kissed her bare shoulder, moving up to her neck, and then the corner of her lips.

  Her taut body melted. “Nathan,” she sighed in a wispy and reverent tone.

  He pulled her to the edge of the bed and did just as he desired. He peeled off her dress, revealing sexy pink and blue lacy lingerie.

  She glanced at him under hooded lashes. “I-I’m . . . not ready to get fully, umm . . . naked,” her hoarse voice whispered.

  “That’s fine, baby.” His hands settled just above her core. “But you may want to step out of your panties. He rubbed his fingers against them. “They’re already soaked.”

  She nodded. “You do it.” Grabbing hold of her underwear, he rolled the thong pantie
s down her long legs.

  He stared at her. Cleanly shaved. Just as I imagined. “Thank you,” he said, right before diving in. Tiana’s juices poured like honey into his mouth. Sweet and hot and juicy. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized just how fitting his nickname “Peaches” had been for Tiana.

  Her moans and writhing spurred him further. Pulling her closer, he wrapped her legs around his shoulders as he licked, twirled, and, he hoped, tortured her with his tongue. Her heels dug into his shoulder blades and she canted her hips further into his mouth.

  “Nathan I . . . I’m coming!”

  Her body wracked with shudders, but he couldn’t stop. He wanted to drive her to insanity.

  “P-please, Nathan,” she whimpered, her body now limp.

  Lifting himself up, he leaned over an exhausted Tiana, her eyes closed with a small, satisfied smile.

  “Thanks for being better than the fantasy.”

  He stood from the bed and adjusted his stiff dick.

  “Where are you going?” she asked in an imperious tone that did nothing to soften his hard-on.

  To go take care of myself. “I need to go to the bathroom, Peaches.”

  She licked her lips. “But I didn’t tell you my fantasy.”

  He wanted to clutch his dick. If he got any harder, there would be a permanent peephole in his pants. “What’s your fantasy, Peaches?”

  She crawled on her knees toward him. “Reader’s Digest version is me, on my knees, and you, in my mouth.”

  He whipped off his belt, jerked down his zipper, and shoved away his pants. “Let me make your dreams come true.”

  • • •

  Wrapped in a cozy blanket, Tiana snuggled into her comfy queen bed. She grabbed her laptop and stared at the blue screen. Tonight, she’d ask her siblings about celebrating Thanksgiving with Nathan and his family.

  She wasn’t all that fired up about introducing him as her boyfriend. A brand-new relationship, plus the twins’ insatiable need to drive away men they deemed unworthy of their big sister equaled trouble. Thank God they never met Greg.