by Jada Jordan
“My God! It’s almost one a.m. I hadn’t realized it was so late,” she exclaimed.
Hunter shrugged.
“It’s only three in the afternoon somewhere in the world,” he mused.
“Unfortunately, that place isn’t where I am at the moment,” she chuckled. “I have to get going.”
“Rushing home to Ryan?” Hunter asked a bit sourly.
“He will be there, I assume. But I have to be in court in the morning. Arguing for bail is never easy when the client could be a flight risk,” she grimaced.
“Will they flee?” he asked.
“No. But it will be tough convincing Judge Pruitt of that. A tougher judge there never was,” she sighed.
“My money is on you,” he murmured.
“Thank you,” she smiled.
She took out her wallet to pay her tab. He stilled her hand with his own.
“I got it,” he said in a low tone.
She looked at him and their eyes clashes; twinkling green splicing with spicy orange. They both felt the undeniable connection. Yasmin wasn’t sure how long they stared at each other but she was the first to look away. She removed her hand from under his.
“Thanks again,” she whispered.
She slung her purse strap over her shoulder and he stood as he threw money onto the table. Yasmin could have sworn she saw a hundred dollar bill. Lucky server!
“I’ll walk you out,” he said.
“Oh, that isn’t necessary. I’m parked just out front,” she objected.
“I’ll walk with you anyway,” he said firmly; his accent very distinct.
Yasmin didn’t argue. She rather liked the benefits of his gentleman ways. It was a trait that had gone lacking in Ryan for some time now. He helped her out of the booth and escorted her outside.
“I’m parked over there,” she said as she pointed to her sleek blue Mercedes.
He led her to her car.
“Nice,” he complimented.
“Somehow I’m sure you’re driving a higher end car,” she remarked.
He smiled slowly.
“I guess. If you consider a Toyota Camry higher end,” he smirked.
Yasmin was stunned.
“I don’t believe you,” Yasmin retorted.
“I’m right across the street,” he said.
Yasmin’s eyes followed the direction in which he pointed and there parked not thirty feet away from her was a black Toyota Camry.
“It’s not yours,” she accused.
“But it is,” he grinned as he pointed his key and the headlights blinked.
Yasmin was in shock and could not formulate a single thought. He removed the car key from her hand and opened her door. Yasmin finally noticed that he was holding the door opened for her.
“I’m impressed,” she murmured.
“That I drive a Toyota?” he asked.
“That you lack the ostentation that oftentimes accompany a man of your wealth. I like that quality in a man,” she murmured.
“Give me a chance and you will discover many more of my flattering attributes,” he said huskily.
Yasmin was tempted to agree to his suggestion but there loomed Ryan. She had to deal with their relationship one way or the other. She raised her hand to gently caress his cheek.
“Thanks for the drinks,” she responded.
Yasmin quickly entered her car and he closed her door reluctantly. She started her car, waved then drove off. Hunter stood watching her vehicle until it disappeared from sight. He frowned as he crossed the street to his Camry. He entered his car and sat quietly for a moment. He knew in his heart that things were not over between them. She may have said goodbye but things were far from done with them.
*****
Yasmin woke the next morning to loud music and clanging pots and pans. She rubbed her eyes to clear the effects of her sleeping and tried to orchestrate her thoughts. Why was there so much noise going on so early in the morning. The music was blaring. She could only imagine what her neighbors were thinking. She threw back the covers and padded to the chaise lounge to put on her robe that was lying there. She had slept in the spare room as not to disturb Ryan and to avoid him. She really hadn’t wanted another confrontation with him last night. She tied the belt of her furry robe and slipped her feet into purple slippers. Then she padded out of the bedroom and into the living room. She moved to the stereo and turned the music off then proceeded to the kitchen.
“Turn it back on,” Ryan spat.
“The music? Absolutely not. Why are you blasting the neighborhood out at six o’clock in the morning?” she demanded.
“Because I want to hear Def Jam,” he sneered. ‘You got a problem with that?”
“Actually I do. I live here too and I will not tolerate this kind of craziness,” she retorted.
He held a metal spatula in his hand and he threw it into the sink, where it hit the other pans that were there.
“You won’t tolerate? Who the hell made you the dictator in our relationship?” he yelled.
Yasmin rubbed her forehead to ease the tension that was forming there. It was too early in the morning for an argument.
“I got go to work,” she mumbled.
She turned to walk away.
“Don’t you walk away. We are not done here,” Ryan shouted.
Yasmin stopped short and tried to rein in her temper. She slowly turned to face him.
“And I’m not going to fight with you. We did enough of that last night,” she muttered.
“You mean before you stormed out of here not to return until the wee hours of the night?” he sneered.
“I needed to clear my head,” she said.
“And it took you hours to do that? Who did you sleep with last night? For it wasn’t me,” he snapped.
Yasmin was aghast. How could he think that she would sleep with someone else just because they’d had an argument? Did he think so little of her or was he applying his own ethics to her? Is that what he did last night? He could have; she wasn’t home to know what he had done. Maybe he had just gotten home a few minutes before her. She wouldn’t have known he had gone out for she had slept in the guest bedroom.
“How dare you accuse me of cheating? We had a fight but that doesn’t mean I would turn to someone else,” she said in a low voice.
He approached her and grasped her arm. His dark eyes were on fire with anger.
“Where did you go? Who were you with?” he demanded.
“Let go of me,” she snapped.
“Not until you answer me. What did you do last night, Yasmin?” he shouted.
Yasmin yanked her arm free and backed away from him. Ryan had never manhandled her before and it scared her.
“I don’t have to answer to you,” she spat. “I will go and do whatever I please and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
“Answer the question, Yasmin. What are you hiding?” he retorted.
“Nothing! I just needed to get out of here. Maybe I needed some time to wrap my head around the fact that my fiancé went behind my back to conspire with my boss,” she yelled.
Ryan was still angry but her statement did make him pause. He ducked his head and moved across the room.
“I did what was best for you. I had no idea that……” he trailed off.
“What? You had no idea that Dean would tell me about your nefarious scheme,” she retorted.
“It wasn’t some wicked plan. It—
“What would call it? Honest. Respectable. Decent. Do any of those adjectives apply? No!” she cried. “You didn’t consider my feelings and desires. All you could think about was losing your gravy train.”
“That isn’t true. It was your best interests that I was looking out for,” he said.
“Give me a break. I heard all of this yesterday and it’s getting old. I got to go to work,” she sighed.
“It’s Saturday,” he returned.
“I still have to go in. I’m preparing an important case—at lea
st it’s important to the Senator Landover,” she muttered.
“Don’t leave, Yas. We need to talk this out,” Ryan said.
She laughed sarcastically.
“I would think you would want me to go so that I can bring home the bacon,” she snorted.
“That’s not funny, Yasmin,” he responded.
“Maybe not, but I think it’s true,” she murmured.
He took a step toward her.
“Stay away from me,” she warned.
“Nothing can be resolved if you run away,” he said.
“I’m going to work,” she replied.
“It’s the same thing. You don’t have to go in,” he countered.
“But I want to,” she said simply.
She looked at him and began to see him for who he really was.
“You know, not once have you apologized for what you did. Instead you’ve blustered, become angry and tried to justify your actions with weak reasoning. But not once have you’ve said that you were sorry,” she said. She paused, waiting for him to apologize.
“Stay home so that we can work this out,” he said testily.
Ryan was too stubborn to admit fault. Funny how that she never noticed it before. She sighed and turned to go into the bedroom.
Chapter 3
Yasmin stood at her office window staring out at the rain. Ryan had been right about one thing, she didn’t have to go into work. She just hadn’t wanted to stay there with him. She wanted to cry when she thought about the scene that had taken place. Why couldn’t he have apologized for being so unscrupulous? She had given him the opportunity to do so but his mulish pride would not allow. His refusal to do so had placed their relationship in a tenuous position from which there may be no return.
“Deliver me from macho men who can’t admit when they’re wrong,” she thought. “Hommes égoïstes.”
She may as well leave for she wasn’t getting any work done. But where would she go in such bad weather? Normally she would descend on her good friend Shay. But Shay was a newlywed and this was the perfect weather for them to be getting cozy. She thought about her friend Renee Murphy but she was in upstate New York visiting her mother who fractured her ankle. So she had to deal with this on her own. Then the proverbial light bulb came on. She grabbed her raincoat, briefcase and purse and hurried out of the office.
*****
Hunter left his meeting in a cheerful mood. He had successfully negotiated a software deal that would not only earn him millions but ensure that each adolescent child in the inner city would have a laptop for their studies. Hunter enjoyed giving service to those in need. Wasn’t that what life was all about? He arrived at the glass double doors of the building and saw that the rain had increased its intensity. It was pouring buckets. Thank goodness he kept an umbrella at the office. He lifted the collar of his coat and prepared to open his umbrella as soon as he exited the building. In hindsight, he should have performed due diligence as he did in most things and checked the weather report. But his house was only a few blocks away and he’d elected to get some exercise by walking. Obviously not looking at his weather app was a mistake. Oh well. He sighed and looked up at the dark sky. It didn’t look as though it would be easing up any time soon. He may as well leave. He exited the building and opened his large black umbrella. He hurried down the street intent on reaching his house as soon as possible. As he walked briskly along he noticed a gleaming blue SL 600 parked on the street. He stopped and looked at the car more closely. Was it possible that the car belonged to Yasmin? That shade of blue was a custom color. Not many people had it. Then he looked around and noticed where he was; standing in front of the Moody Horn. He grinned. She was inside and he was about to be as well. He quickly entered the club and gave his coat and umbrella to the attendant. He paused for moment to allow his eyes a chance to adjust to the dim interior. Then he spotted her; seated in the same booth he had shared with her the night before. He moved to stand slightly behind her.
“May I join you?”
Yasmin spun around in delight. She smiled up at him and he realized he had never seen anything more beautiful.
“Hunter! What are you doing here?” she smiled.
“The same thing you’re doing if you allow me to sit,” he grinned.
Yasmin looked at her glass of white wine and giggled. Of course he would be here for a drink. She blushed as she ducked her head.
“Yes. Please sit. I would enjoy the company,” she responded.
He slid into the booth at her side forcing her to scoot over. He gently touched her shoulder.
“Don’t go too far,” he murmured.
He was flirting and she had to admit that she liked it.
“You’ll have to make it worth my while for me to stay close,” she teased.
“I can do that,” he grinned. “What brings you out on such a dreary day?”
“I didn’t want to stay at home so I went into the office to work. But that turned out to be a futile effort, so I decided to come here,” she smiled wanly. “It seemed the perfect setting for my mood.”
“Things are not good between you and old Ronald,” he smiled as he quirked an eyebrow.
“No.”
Yasmin looked at him in derision. He knew he had spoken Ryan’s name incorrectly but he sat there looking at her in total innocence. Yasmin couldn’t help it. Laughter gurgled forth.
“You know his name is not Ronald,” she accused between giggles.
Hunter’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Really! What is the old bloke’s name?” he feigned interest.
“As if you care! You need to stop,” she said.
“As soon as you stop laughing. However, if defaming his good name keeps you laughing I will do so all day,” he grinned.
Yasmin made a conscious effort to control her giggles and she looked at him soberly.
“Damn!” he groaned.
Yasmin smiled but did not laugh.
“So what brings you out in such bad weather?” she asked.
He told her about his meeting. Yasmin could see the excitement in his glittering green eyes as he spoke of the children who would benefit from the computers. It was obvious that he cared deeply about their circumstances and was thrilled that he could help. She was happy for the children as well. They chatted for a little while longer and Yasmin realized just how interesting he was. He was well traveled and could speak about a lot of different cultures. His picturesque descriptions of the places where he had been was what she wanted to put on canvas. She longed for the chance to paint the world.
“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested.
Yasmin was startled.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“A place where we can really be comfortable,” he said. He saw the wariness come into her soft cinnamon eyes. He was about to lose her. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“It’s not your home?” she retorted.
“Yes, it is. But it’s just a place for us to drink coffee, eat and relax. Even watch a movie. Nothing more. I promise,” he vowed.
His accent was thick in his plea. Yasmin looked into his pleading eyes and saw the honesty in them. It was refreshing after the last couple of days of looking into eyes of deceit.
“Alright,” she agreed.
He paid the tab and stood. He then easily pulled her out of the booth. She stood so close to him only inches separated their lips.
“Please don’t break your promise,” she whispered.
He moaned inwardly. It would be the toughest promise he’d ever had to keep. But he would do it.
“You have my word, sweet Yas,” he murmured.
Hunter escorted her to the front where they picked up their belongings and moved to stand outside under the awning. He then extended his hand to her palm up. Yasmin laid her hand in his and he shook his head negatively. He removed her hand and made the gesture again. Yasmin frown at him in bewilderment. He gave a crooked smile.
“May I?
” he asked.
Then it dawned on her. Everything fell into place. He was offering to drive. It wasn’t a common practice with the men in America; in fact it was very rare. But it was quite the norm by gentlemen in England.
“Well, seeing that you know where we are going and I don’t, it seems the practical thing to do,” she grinned. She drop the key into his palm. “Not a scratch, mind you. What are your driving habits?”
“You’re about to find out,” he chuckled. “Come on.”
They open their umbrella and made a mad dash to her. They were inside within seconds.
“You never answered about your driving habits,” she prompted.
“I am European. That should say it all,” he grinned.
The next moment they were speeding down the street.
“Hunter!” she exclaimed.
He laughed and decreased his speed.
“I was only teasing you,” he said.
She frowned at him.
“I have a feeling that life with you would keep me on edge,” she chided.
“But there would never be a dull moment. Only adventure and excitement. Let me be your private tour guide,” he murmured.
Wow. Adventure and excitement. The two things that she wanted most in the world. Was she daring enough to accept his offer? She couldn’t think about something like that now. There was too much that was still unresolved. She breathed deeply and relaxed in her seat. It felt a little odd being in the passenger seat. She never sat there. When she and Ryan went out he always wanted her to drive so that he could drink his fill and not have to worry about driving. Yasmin also thought that it was a status thing for him as well. He would rather arrive to an event in a Mercedes than a Kia. She turned her head to look out of the wet window and tried not to think about Ryan.
*****
In a few short minutes Hunter had pulled into his driveway and parked in front of one of the five garage doors. The rain had reduced to a drizzle and Yasmin was able to see the house more clearly. She thought the three level Tudor house lovely with its gable roofline and warm coloring of cream trimmed in brown. She wondered what type of vehicle was behind each of the garage doors. She looked at him.