While Diamond showered, Zack cooked breakfast. The look in her eyes nagged at him. He didn’t like seeing her sad, he didn’t like it at all. Although his back was to her, he knew the moment she walked into the room. Turning he saw her standing there again in the clean shirt he left on the bed for her. “You look wonderful. How are you, for real?”
Shifting from one foot to the other she smiled. “I’m a little sore and nervous.”
“The soreness I understand. What are you nervous about?” He pulled out a seat and pointed for her to take it.
“I’m not sure how to be around you now. You know how I feel about you and I know how you feel about me. You did what I asked and taught me how to satisfy you.” She hesitated then asked, “Did I satisfy you?”
He placed the rest of the food on the table and took a seat. Explaining to her how deeply she satisfied him would give her false hope and he did not want to do that. Nor did he want to discourage her. “Totally.” He placed a napkin in his lap. “Does that mean the lessons are over?”
“You’re the teacher, you tell me.”
The sadness seemed to have disappeared. He was certain she was masking it and doing a good job of it. Since he was the one that put that look in her eyes, it was his responsibility to make it disappear. He watched as she spread the cream cheese over the bagel then bit into it.
“Mmm,” she closed her eyes and moaned as she savored the taste, “this is good.”
She was the most sensuous sight he had ever seen. In that moment, all he desired was to be a part of her enjoyment. “Come to me Diamond.” His voice was musical. She opened her eyes and saw desire revealed within his. It wasn’t intentional, she was sure of that, but it was there, the moisture that began at her core told her so. Pleased with the thought she slowly rose from her seat, walked around the table and stood before him. Not a sound could be heard, just the waves of the water gently lapping against the side of the boat. He remained seated as his hands circled her waist, placing her body between him and the table. His hands slowly roamed over the cotton t-shirt outlining the silhouette of her body.
The strength in his hands was apparent, but there was also gentleness in his caress as his fingers touched her breast. The attempt not to respond, but to concentrate and learn was futile as Diamond inhaled.
As if reading her mind, “Don’t suppress what you are feeling, flow with it,” he instructed. Like the good student she was, she complied, closing her eyes she felt his hands roam down the side of her breasts, “thirty-four” he continued down to her waist “twenty-four,” then down to her hips where his hands roamed over her behind and held it, “thirty-six.”
She opened her eyes and stared down at him. “Is that the winning hand?” The smile was unguarded and genuine, it touched her heart so deeply she shivered.
The feel of her, or was it the smell of her, he wasn’t sure, but something took over his senses and filled him with a desire so strong he couldn’t resist. His hands moved down to her thighs, that were just as silky as he remembered from last night, and pushed the shirt above her navel. As the very essence of her was revealed to him she shivered. “Your body is beautiful, never be ashamed of it.” Pulling her forward, he kissed her navel as he pushed the paper products aside and placed her on the table. She laid there willingly exposed to him. For her to be here this way indicated that she trusted him, completely. The thought pleased him and he in turn wanted to please her. Dipping his fingers into the strawberry flavored cream cheese that remained on the table, he spread it down the inside of her thighs. Pulling his chair closer to the table, he licked his lips then began slowly tasting the spread he had created. His tongue delighted in the taste as much as his lips enjoyed the feel of her. When he was done with the first thigh, he placed it over his shoulder and inhaled the scent of her body temperature rising. Enjoying her response to him, he began skillfully removing the cream from her second thigh up to her core. His lips lingered there, savoring every taste of her like a man having his last meal. The rising of her hips to meet the thrust of his tongue pushed him to go as deep as humanly possible within her. As her body began to flow, he drained all her sweetness and savored the combination of her unique flavor and that of the cream. Her release only intensified his desire. He stood and removed his pants then pulled her limp body down to straddle him. He placed her arms around his neck and with the taste of her still on his lips he kissed her. Instead of her pulling away as he thought she would, she welcomed his mouth with a hunger he did not expect. Her response pushed his desire deeper. Now he was a man starving, he had not had his fill. Moving his hands back to her waist, he lifted her until the tip of his desire was at the opening of her heavenly gate. He slowly pulled his lips from hers, “Open your eyes Diamond.” When she did as he asked, he almost wished she hadn’t. The completeness of her satisfaction showed through her eyes and captured him so completely, he lost his concentration. But his body knew what to do. Slowly he eased her down until he began to fill her. As her inner core surrounded him with her juices still present inside, he closed his eyes to the intense pleasure. “Open your eyes Zackary,” he heard her whisper. He did and looked into hers. He wondered, at that moment, who was teaching who. She pushed her body down onto him and time stopped. The size of his desire was more than she expected and he knew she needed to adjust. He held her there, staring deeply into her eyes until he saw the desire return. He raised her slowly, and then lowered her back down, again and again and again, never breaking eye contact with her. Soon the two were moving together as one, slowly to a feverish point. She arched her back as her nails dug into his back, bringing the center of both of them closer, allowing him to thrust deeper into her until they both exploded. Throwing his head back against the chair, he growled out her name, “Diamond!” She slumped against his shoulder as he held her tightly. He wanted to remain lost in the center of her forever; the thought shook him to his soul. She eased the grip she had on his shoulder and gently caressed the area she had bruised. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I will never hurt you again.”
The innocent words played in his mind as they simultaneously touched his heart. The mind versus the heart, he knew one had to take dominance or he would not survive. Still lodged deep within her his desire had not diminished, but he knew he had to pull away or his mind would lose the battle.
Diamond could feel the turmoil in his body the moment the words were uttered. He lifted her from him, and then smoothed the shirt back over her. Standing he pulled his pants up and as he pulled the drawstring he said, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
With those words she knew the lessons were over; she could only hope that he learned a lesson as well. She turned and walked over to the mess that had fallen from the table. “I’ll clean this up.”
“No,” he said a little harsher than he intended. “I’ll take care of this. You go clean up.”
She looked at him and sadly smiled. “All right,” then walked away.
Thankful she had not pushed the issue he exhaled and looked out over the river. He would never be on this boat again and not remember what happened between them. Clearing his mind of the thought, he began picking up the items from the deck. When he picked up the container of the strawberry flavored cream cheese he held it and laughed. “Kraft never tasted so good.” It may be just a physical thing, but it was definitely one he would not mind experiencing time and time again.
They easily settled into a getting to know you session on the way home without realizing it. Diamond listened as he talked about the things he and Samuel used to do to Joshua when they were in high school together. She didn’t know it, but the three of them had remained friends all these years. She could not contain her laughter when he talked about Xavier and his antics when he was a teenager. She laughed at the way Zack described the way he attempted to discipline the rebellious boy and how he would have a good laugh in his room remembering that he had tried most of the same antics on their dad. “I bet you would make a good father.”<
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The simple statement was meant as a compliment, but as soon as the words were out she saw the same change of emotions on his face as earlier on the breakfast table. Wanting to take some of the hurt away, she stood behind him at the wheel, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back. They stood that way for a long while, neither speaking. After a while he reached around, pulled her beside him and began talking about the business.
Relief like she had never known filled her when she saw his black navigator parked where the motorcycle was previously parked. Seeing her reaction, he smiled. She would have never said anything about being sore, but he knew she had to be after the lessons he put her through. On the way home, as they traveled closer to her apartment, it dawned on him; he wasn’t ready to leave her presence. Looking at the clock, it was around dinnertime. “Would you like to stop somewhere for dinner before you go home?”
She turned in the seat towards him, “Funny you should ask that. My mom is cooking lasagna today; with apples topped with a little cinnamon, tossed salad and homemade bread. Would you like to have dinner with us? ”She asked a little excited at the thought.
He looked at her and knew his response was going to take that ray of hope from her eyes, but it had to be said. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. It may give them the wrong impression.” Lowering her eyelashes and turning did not keep him from seeing the disappointment. He reached over and captured her hand, “Diamond I don’t want you to have any misconceptions about what happened between us.” He had just reached the Mechanicsville area and pulled into the parking lot of the high school. Turning off the engine, he turned to her still holding her hand, “To say I enjoyed being with you would be an understatement. You are an amazing woman in and out of bed. Any man would be fortunate to have you. I’m honored you chose me to teach you how to make love. But that’s all it was, a lesson.” The interior of the car was silent. “Diamond.”
Nodding her head she replied, “I know. You were clear your purpose was to satisfy a physical need. I understand.”
“Are you sure?”
She touched his hand and looked over at him, “Of course I am. We agreed to the terms before we took the steps. Now would you mind getting me home before Matt and Luke eat all the lasagna,” she gave him a reassuring smile.
Starting the engine, he looked behind him to make sure the way was clear and then he pulled back on to the road thinking he almost believed her. There was no further conversation, just the radio playing in the background. When they reached her apartment, he got out to get her bags to carry inside. She stopped him, “I’ll take those. Thank you for a very special lesson. I will never forget it.” They stared at each other for a moment. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Diamond turned and walked through the secured doors. Once inside her apartment she closed the door behind her, slid down it, dropping everything on the
floor and cried.
Chapter 15
Monday morning was a brighter day for Diamond, if it wasn’t she was determined to make it so. Memories of the way Zack taught his lessons replaced the tears and hurt of the night before. Zack was gentle with his caresses, tantalizing with his tongue and more than amply endowed. Not that she had anything to compare him to. The closest she had come was heavy kissing with one or two guys while in college. Now, she knew for sure the boys from those days were just that—boys. If she had to describe Zack at this moment, she would say he was a convincingly skillful lover. There wasn’t a moment when they were together that she did not feel loved and cherished.
Those are the memories she took to the office with her today. All her efforts were going towards clearing all thoughts of Zackary and the weekend out of her mind. Closing the loan package she was working on, she walked to the closet that had all the samples for the houses and pulled out the carpet remnants. Placing them on the table in the office of the model home, she began writing suggestions for her client. As she flipped through them, one of the samples reminded her of strawberry cream cheese. A smile crept onto her face from blushing as the memory of how Zack had used the cream cheese clouded her mind.
Standing at the entrance to the office, Zack watched as Diamond moved about. Stopping by the model home today was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just one co-worker saying good morning to the other. It wasn’t like he just had to see her. No—it was just that he wanted to make sure she was okay today—that’s all. He continued to tell himself that as he walked through the front door of the model home. Besides, he wanted to make sure they were straight on the events of the weekend. He taught her a lesson and that was that. “Damn.” She was showing her shapely legs today in a form-fitting sleeveless dress with a v-neck. Only she could wear a dress like that tastefully. The memory of being between those smooth thighs assailed his mind with a vengeance. Closing his eyes he could feel her on his cheeks, smell her scent and could still taste her on his lips. His tongue unconsciously glided slowly across his lips. His eyes sprung open. What in the hell was wrong with him? First last night she kept creeping into his dreams. Now here in full daylight he was still dreaming about her. More importantly why was he standing there watching her? It was then that her head came up and a blush colored her face. Exhaling with a smile, he knew she was reliving the same images he was.
“Good morning,” he said as he walked through the door. “You’re in early.”
She was startled by his sudden appearance. Straightening from her position of bending over the table, she turned to walk back to her desk. The sight of him in his tight fitting jeans reminded her of his powerful thighs. “Good morning,” she replied as soon as she was protected behind the desk.
The air was crackling with tension. Both simply wanted to touch the other, but neither moved. Suddenly remembering the coffee cups in his hand Zack raised one. “French Vanilla cappuccino,” and handed her the cup.
“You remembered,” she said smiling at his thoughtfulness.
“Yeah.” He turned to leave but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. Looking over his shoulder, with concern showing on his face he asked, “Are you okay? I would hate to think I hurt you in any way.”
This was why she loved him. Under that rough exterior was a sensitive caring man. She sat back and sipped her cappuccino. “Your lessons were thorough, in-depth and quite satisfying.” She lowered her lashes and slowly raised them again. “Will there be more or has the course ended?” She held his stare as she took another sip from her cup.
“You keep looking at me like that and you’ll get another lesson here and now.”
His reply shocked, frightened and caressed her simultaneously. Smiling, she sat forward and crossed her legs to keep them from going to him. “You don’t have to worry about me Zackary, I’m fine.”
“That Ms. Lassiter is an understatement.”
“What’s an understatement?” Richard asked as he walked by taking the coffee from Zack. “Thanks man,” he said to his shocked friend as he took a sip of the coffee. “Ahh, it’s nice and hot too. Just what I need this morning.” Completely ignoring the look on Zack’s face, Richard continued. “I saw your truck parked out front. I hope you have a few minutes this morning.”
The perplexed look on Zack’s face was clear. “What in the hell are you doing here at seven in the morning?”
Richard shrugged his shoulder, then took another sip of the coffee, “I just told you. I’m here to see you and Reese, if he’s here.”
A frown appeared as he watched a grin appear on Richard’s face as he swallowed the coffee. “There are several fast food places that carry coffee. You could have stopped at any one of them.”
Richard nodded in agreement, “I thought about that, but I saw you there and I knew you would pick up a cup for me.”
Diamond watched as the two men that were similar in height and build greeted each other. It was clear they were friends, for she knew of no one that would boldly take anything away from Zack. Wisely, she remained silent until the last statement was made and sh
e had no choice but to laugh. The frowning Zack turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She cleared her throat, then took a sip of her cappuccino. “He’s right,” she said after swallowing, “it is nice and hot.”
The man returned her smile, walked over, then extended his hand. “Well good morning beautiful. Richard Hasting. Has anyone ever told you those things are illegal?”
Diamond smiled as she shook the man’s hand. “What things are you referring to?”
“Deep, dark, delicious dimples.” He held her hand just marveling at her.
“I can’t say that they have, Mr. Hasting.”
“Well, they are.” He tilted his head, “And who may I ask are you, but more importantly where have you been all my life.”
Diamond laughed at the very charming man. “Diamond Lassiter.”
“All right that’s enough. Stop ogling the woman,” Zack demanded as he pulled Richard’s arm away from Diamond. “And let her hand go.” Richard hesitated. “Richard!” Zack growled. “Let’s go.”
Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series) Page 13