“You don’t strike me as one of those women who propositions men. And, as far as the job goes, you never know what last-minute, time-consuming things may come up.”
“‘Those women.’ That sounds terribly old-fashioned.” Was he serious? She dared to look into his dark eyes. They didn’t shift from her gaze.
Jaden tucked her card into his pocket. “I’m an old-fashioned guy.”
“Come into the twenty-first century. I promise, it’s not scary.”
“I want to initiate contact, make the moves, take things to the next level.”
“Following rules can be boring.” She kicked at the dirt. “I promise, cross my heart, that I don’t plan to ask you to marry me after a couple of martinis.” His lack of enthusiasm stung and she wanted to sting right back.
“Okay, you got me there. I may have overreacted.” Jaden laughed. “Sure. I’ll have a couple drinks. Now, could you let me get back to work? Or I may not finish on time.”
“That might not be such a bad thing,” she muttered, watching him walk away.
Chapter 2
In his office and lost in thought, Jaden’s mind snapped back to his friend.
“I’m not talking for my health. If we’re trying to get the community hospital account, we’ve got to stay on top of the city council and developers.” Leonard Benson was the best electrician in the market. He had clients begging for his service. Their friendship had started before they became fraternity brothers and now they were as close as blood brothers.
“Are you going to the city council meeting tomorrow? Have you confirmed whether the hospital issue is on the agenda?” Jaden hoped that his friend had picked up the slack.
“I’ll be there. I told you three days ago that the issue will be on the agenda. I also told you that the antidevelopment contingent will have a presence.” Leonard, visibly a bundle of nerves, tapped a pen against his finger.
“See what feeding the deputy mayor can do?”
“And if I have to listen to one more of his boring stories, I’m going to quit and you’ll have to deal with him.” Leonard slapped Jaden’s shoes off his desk.
“Staying late?” Jaden asked.
“No. The wife says I can’t be late to another birthing class.” Leonard started packing his briefcase. “You know traffic is going to be a bear if I don’t get on the expressway before the hour.”
“Go ahead. I’ll shut everything off when I’m leaving. I may stay late to finish up some paperwork.” He ran a tired hand through his hair. A huge yawn erupted. He slapped each side of his face.
“That’s your problem.” Leonard didn’t pause in his cleanup. “This is the stage in your life when you should be settling down with a honey, maybe get married in a year or so and join me in the fatherhood club.” Leonard paused in his task. “Keep it up and you’ll wake up an old, lonely man, playing uncle to my child or, behind door number two, a two-for-one—high blood pressure and a heart attack.”
“I think I hear Susan bellowing your name.” Jaden cupped his hand to his ear.
“Susan doesn’t bellow. At least I’ve got someone at home who takes care of me.”
“Give me a break on the fairy-tale stuff. You’re about to see a different side to Susan that’s been reserved for after you have kids.”
“You’re talking from a world of experience, right?” Leonard snorted and waved off Jaden’s remarks. “Why is it hard for you to settle down? You barely have dates, insisting on calling them business meetings. Don’t you feel the need for some loving from a good woman?”
“Do those come in one-day servings?”
“Don’t knock it. You’ve been stuck in this funky phase of life for too long.”
Even though Leonard pointed his finger at him, and looked as if he wanted to knock him on his butt, Jaden refused to budge from his stance. He didn’t have to make sense, especially to his frat brother.
Leonard grabbed a handful of various documents from Jaden’s desk. “It’s always work. You can’t bury yourself behind paperwork. You’re not the type to obsess about wealth. So what is it?”
“Nothing!”
Leonard raised his hand in surrender. As usual, his face was easy to read. The shock still registered—his eyebrows shot up in raised arches.
“Oh wise one, save it for the big O. Maybe she’ll invite you to her TV couch and you can unload your feel-good philosophy,” Jaden taunted.
“Some days you can be a horse’s backside. I’m going to be late.”
Leonard’s stage of life didn’t match Jaden’s. They now belonged on different spectrums. How could Leonard possibly understand the burden of Jaden’s responsibility? Aging parents brought along certain sacrifices. Being the sole breadwinner because of his brother’s messed-up life demanded that he stay focused. Whenever he had to, he rid himself of distractions, including those of the female persuasion.
His friend had no clue how far his brother had sunk. Jaden was too ashamed to share the full details. He squeezed his eyes shut to shake off his feelings. “Have fun birthin’,” he said with forced lightness.
After Leonard left, the mood in his office floated down, like a balloon losing buoyancy. His friend’s hard message coupled with his fatigue turned Jaden’s mood sour.
Since he still had more projects to investigate and determine if he wanted to bid on them, he had to find a way to beat back the blues. He turned on the music downloaded on his computer and raised the volume until the bass pounded to blast away the quietness. After listening to hip-hop—a little Roots and Talib Kweli—he went with what his soul craved, the blues. For a few minutes, he got comfortable in the chair and then succumbed to the haunting B. B. King lyrics and their underlying languid melodies.
Listening to the blues took him back to his childhood, when life was rough and unpredictable. While his parents were always loving to their family, they’d struggled to make ends meet pretty much all of his life. Some weeks or months, his parents’ unemployment overlapped. Jaden’s good grades set their minds at ease about him. And his dad loved listening to the blues.
Now his business successes allowed his parents to live in reasonable comfort with frequent vacations. That sense of hopelessness he’d witnessed, of having to live paycheck to paycheck, that cloying fear of losing a home, gave him the strength and focus for his work ethic.
Too bad his brother didn’t share the same diligence.
An hour later, he reached a manageable point with his tasks. Now he’d head home and crash for a few hours before starting his day all over again. He thought about what Leonard had said and about meeting feisty, pretty Denise days earlier.
Leonard’s accusations still bothered him.
Before he could second-guess his actions, he reached for the phone and dialed. After the phone started ringing, he realized how late it was, a good reason to hang up.
“Hi, Jaden.” Denise answered on the third ring.
“Oh.”
“Your name popped up on the caller ID,” she explained.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” In person, her husky voice went with her no-nonsense image. Over the phone, the huskiness had a unique earthy quality, bordering on sensual. How erotic.
“Hey, don’t go silent on me.”
“Sorry, it’s late. My brain isn’t working too hot.” His words were tied up in knots. He gritted his teeth and stayed the course. “I’m calling to see if you’re free for dinner, instead of drinks.”
“What about right now? I kind of expected you to call me two days ago.”
Jaden laughed. Denise was a blast to his system. “You know of any late-night restaurants?”
“Yep. Feel like Jamaican?”
His stomach rumbled after she gave him the name and address. His pastrami sandwich at lunch was long gone. “I already know what I want: jerk chicken, peas and rice, and nice cold beer. See you in thirty minutes?”
“See you then, and don’t think you don’t owe me drinks.”
Jaden hung up
and pumped his fist. A little victory celebration in the end zone had to be done.
Leonard would be proud.
As he filed his paperwork and cleaned off his desk, he hummed a Muddy Waters tune. The singer crooned about a dangerous girl who had witching power to scramble his brains and suck his will with her devilish ways.
But he hadn’t gone that far. Not too many women had managed to make him think seriously about any type of long-term relationship. Truthfully, that applied to short-term relationships, too. He had perfected the art of keeping things casual.
Denise slapped a high five with Naomi after snapping shut her phone. “And to think that we were actually trying to find a reason to call him.” She did a quick two-step in celebration, bopping to her own happy beat. “Okay, now I’ve got to figure out what to wear.”
“That depends on a lot of stuff.” Naomi walked over to the closet that was the entire second room in the apartment. “When did you get this black dress? I like!” Naomi held a delicate, flimsy slip of material.
“I know that look. You’re not borrowing anything else from me. I’m still waiting for my capri pants from last summer.”
“I didn’t think you wanted them back.”
“Don’t even try that with me. I’m coming over to your place unexpectedly and I’m going to retrieve my clothes.”
“They probably won’t fit, anyway.” Naomi made a face. “Looks like there might be extra junk in the trunk.”
“You’re a sorry excuse for a soror.” Nevertheless, Denise slid her hand over her rump and groaned.
“I know. I’m bad. Forgive me.” Naomi pouted. Her full remorse was suspect, given the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She stretched across the daybed, propping her head up with one of the pillows. “I’ll leave, if you want.”
“Yeah, sure looks like you’re going somewhere.” Denise chose lowrider black pants, a black tank top, a lightweight pashmina shawl and sparkly high-heel sandals. Black made her feel sexy. Plus, in black, her butt wouldn’t look as if it needed its own trailer. “Grab the phone if it rings while I step into the shower.”
“Sure.” Naomi’s attention was already diverted to a TV show featuring biographies of the latest top-ten Hollywood hunks.
Denise merely shook her head at the nonsense. She never cared for the polished and glitzy packaging of any guy. A man who cared about the smoothness of his skin, the perfect arch in his brow, or fretted about his next facial appointment didn’t gel with her wish list. Nothing about Jaden belonged with the metrosexual label.
He scored high on all the right qualities. On a physical level, he had the power to turn up her senses a notch. Intellectually, he was a thinker. He cared about the world and his contribution to it. She’d dated enough self-indulgent morons. He was a refreshing breath to her system.
Anything else about him, she looked forward to discovering. Like whether he was a hot kisser. Whether he held a woman by her shoulders or scooped her into a passionate embrace. Was he the type to close his eyes? Did he suffocate with his tongue? Or did he stroke like an expert lover? Could he make her insides quiver and the tips of her breasts tighten with anticipation?
She turned on the shower and stepped in, turning up the cold water for the crisp, shocking blast. Her thoughts had moved from imagining Jaden kissing her to him sliding his hands down the length of her body, cupping her behind as they shared a searingly hot, passionate kiss.
She tilted her head back, allowing the water to beat against her neck. Under the spell of her thoughts about Jaden, she spread the body-wash lotion along her shoulders, over her breasts, cupping them under the onslaught of the water.
She smeared more sudsy lotion down her stomach and slid her hand between her legs, washing and stroking. Stroking and washing. The sensitive lips quivered and swelled under her ministrations. She slid in her fingers, bathing her inner self in the process.
With her eyes closed, she pictured him pleasuring her. It wouldn’t be her fingers, but instead his, within her—reaching to the sensitive spot that had its own desire to be touched and prodded.
She rested her foot on the tub’s edge and increased the friction, wondering what it would feel like to have Jaden’s tongue intimately explore her until she exploded, like she was doing now.
Not a bad fantasy.
Once she had achieved a semblance of control, she stepped out the shower. She only had a few minutes to dress and apply her makeup without being late.
Naomi peeped around the corner of the bathroom door. “Use the charcoal pencil. It’ll give you a sultry look.”
Denise offered a small, appreciative smile. “Could you do my hair?”
“Would love to.”
Denise handed her the hair lotion that softened her hair and allowed for it to be worn pulled back and up. “I’ll wear the silver accessories.”
“Are you trying to conquer him?”
“I sound desperate, don’t I?” Denise groaned. She pulled a tissue out of the box. “I’m too made-up. Too dressed up. I look like a joke,” she wailed.
“You sound hormonal. I want to meet this man who has you acting…girly.” Naomi pulled the tissue out of her hand. “Don’t mess up my good work.” She kissed her lightly on her cheek. “Go do your thing.”
They admired the full effect of their grooming. Denise smiled, happy with the overall look.
“I’ll make you proud, soror.” Denise gathered her keys. “You’re welcome to crash here.”
“As much as I’d like to stay here and hang out, I’ve got to get up early for practice tomorrow. Then we head to Michigan to play.”
They walked down to the garage, exchanging small talk about the other sorority sisters. They’d made promises to keep in touch and stay close after college. But every year since graduation, they seemed to be drifting apart, going down separate paths and not able to spend much time together.
“Promise me that you’ll call me with the details. I don’t want to have to wait until I’m back in town.” Naomi hugged her.
“Here he comes,” Denise announced Jaden’s arrival for her own benefit. Her nervous system needed a warning.
“Introduce me,” Naomi insisted. Denise knew she didn’t have a choice. She supplied the introductions as quickly as possible. Thank goodness Naomi didn’t try to be funny and stick around to ask embarrassing questions. In fact, she left pretty quickly.
“You look stunning.”
Denise blushed. “Thank you.” For heaven’s sake, she sounded like a Hollywood bimbo with her breathless response. She cleared her throat. “Punctual. I like that.”
“I called ahead for reservations.”
“Not necessary.” Denise couldn’t recall any time that she was unable to get seated at Jamaican Joe.
“Didn’t want to take the chance and not be able to eat because it’s crowded. I don’t like surprises. And I am hungry.” Jaden maneuvered through the night traffic, which got thicker as they headed closer to the city.
“I bet you plan your entire week in advance,” she teased.
“I’m not answering that.” Smiling, he turned to face her as a red traffic light halted further progress. “Were you heading out before I called?”
“No, why?”
The traffic light switched to green.
“Just wondering.” He didn’t say anything more until he parked and came around to her side of the door. She took his outstretched hand.
“You’re staring.”
“Hmm.” He didn’t apologize. However, when her hand went self-consciously to her hair, he gently pulled it away. “You look fantastic.”
“Sir, may I park your car?” A valet interrupted any further dribbling compliments he was on the verge of making. Jaden tossed him the key, took the ticket and followed Denise into the restaurant.
The ambience clearly wouldn’t usher in a romantic interlude. Bright fluorescent lights, lots of late-night eaters and a boisterous staff created a din. Yet, the reggae music and tropical-island theme resonated
, and the glorious smell of tasty food made the restaurant the right pick.
The host led the way, weaving a path between tables to a booth. The curved seats faced out so diners could view and be viewed by the patrons. Jaden didn’t know whether to slide into the middle or remain on the edge. This night out shouldn’t be any different from his other dates. But with Denise, he wanted to be careful and follow his internal guidelines. Casual, man, casual.
“I’m really glad we came here,” Denise said.
“Me, too. The setting reminds me that I haven’t taken a vacation in a long time.”
“Have you ever been to Jamaica?”
“Key West is about as far as I got.” Her attitude spoke of a world traveler. He didn’t need to ask, but did anyway. “What about you?”
She waved her hand. “I’ve been around.”
“Like where? I think the places that a person chooses to hang out or work in reveal a lot about that person.”
“Whoa, that’s heavy. I’m not sure I should tell.”
The waitress stopped and took their drink orders. Jaden chose a soda, and when she ordered a glass of wine, he could already feel her questioning his choice. “I’m waiting,” he reminded her.
“I did a student exchange to France. I’ve been to Ghana with a book club. Then, I’ve been to several Caribbean islands with my sorors and as part of a cruise.”
“Any other place that you want to go?”
“Egypt. I want to see all the historical sites and the pyramids.” She accepted her wine from the waitress and took a sip. “Don’t you want to see new places beyond the United States?”
“Sure. But I have to work.”
“And I don’t?” Denise frowned.
“That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t finished. ‘I have to work’ is not just a statement about my work ethic. I also support my parents and never felt comfortable about leaving them. They’re getting pretty elderly.”
“Oh, wow. Sorry. I sounded like a shrew. That’s amazing that you take care of them like that.”
Jaden shook his head. “Let’s order.”
Gamble on Love Page 3