Tempted By You
Falling for a Rose Book Nine
Stephanie Nicole Norris
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
More Books by Stephanie Nicole Norris
About the Author
Note from the Publisher: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead or references to locations, persons, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters, circumstances and events are imaginative and not intended to reflect real events.
Tempted by You
Falling for a Rose Book Nine
Copyright 2018 Stephanie Nicole Norris
Love is a Drug, Ink.
All Rights Reserved and Proprietary.
No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or format without written permission from Author. Send all requests via email to
[email protected].
Acknowledgments
Here we are again! Tempted by You was such a treat to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did during this process. I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few of you who have been instrumental with helping me through this process.
Special thanks to my reading family. You guys are more than a girl could ask for, and I love each and every one of you. To my illustrator Amy Q. Thank you so much for bringing my visions to life! To my editor Shonell Bacon, I absolutely love you, woman! Your critique is so influential and priceless I couldn’t trade you for the world! Thank you for having my back during fun and crazy rough times during my writing process, and thanks being a part of my team!
To my literary partner in crime Deidra D. S. Green, you have so many roles I can’t name them all. LOL. Thank you for having my back and being my sounding board when I’m crazy and trying to write 50-thousand books at one time. ;)
To Patina and Jason Browner, thank you for allowing me to use your image to bring Jasmine and Luke to life! I appreciate you and wish you much success in all your endeavors.
To Aaron Davis, thank you so much for capturing Patina and Jason’s imagery in such a stunning fashion! Your talent is amazing, and I’m glad to have worked with you!
Last but certainly not least, my family and friends. My son Noah, my husband Patrick, my mother Jessica. You guys are my squad, and I love you for life and hereafter!
This gift I have wouldn’t be possible without my Lord and Savior manifesting it within me. Thank you, God, for everything. Your daughter, Steph.
Chapter One
November 15, 2017
Chicago, Illinois
Luke Steele’s eyes moved across the room filled with his beloved friends, family, and associates. His gaze skipped over the navy-blue chiffon sofa, red and white polka dot accent pillows, and the thick panel of drapes to gauge the reaction to the message he’d just delivered. It seemed to stun most of them because no one had spoken since his last sentence ended almost a full sixty seconds ago.
“You’re running for mayor of Chicago?”
“You seem surprised,” Luke said, speaking to Derek James Clark whose eyes had popped from their sockets. A few seconds passed that felt like minutes, then a broad smile replaced his friend’s surprise along with all the others.
“Congratulations, man!”
The room erupted in cheers, and Derek was the first to rise, but not far behind him were eight of Chicago’s wealthiest benefactors that included the Rose men and Quentin Davidson, business tycoon and fitness expert. They were brought up together during the era when Ronald Reagan was president and supported one another in each of their endeavors, which was why Luke tried to shake the anxiety he felt with the question he would ask next. The men crowded Luke with handshakes and slaps on the back.
“Thank you,” Luke said, “thank you sincerely.”
“Man, I didn’t think you were interested in politics,” Derek spoke again.
Luke raised a protuberant brow. “Not even my master’s or Ph.D. in political science gave you a clue?”
The men laughed.
“I mean, I thought you took those courses to appease your father,” Derek added.
Luke’s father was Senator Warren Steele, former mayor of Chicago. The senator had been grooming Luke for as long as the men could remember, but Luke didn’t seem to take much interest in being his father’s predecessor. That all changed when the need to make an impact on his community weighed on his heart, and no one was better suited for the position than Luke. The Steeles were raised in the hood of Chicago, in a place where most African American men ended up dead, in jail, or became a high-school dropout. Luke knew what it was like to see his family struggle from paycheck to paycheck and sometimes work odd jobs to try and make ends meet. While his father worked day and night as an engineer, and Luke’s mother took on an extra shift at the hospital, Luke held down the fort, making sure their home wasn’t the next burglarized on a long list of break-ins that seemed to go on forever.
He knew with just a little bit of assistance and mentorship programs that young men and women could learn to become successful, master a real-life survival mentality, and hone the necessary skills to escape that type of living. It would change more lives for the better. Luke’s parents were an example of that as they were instrumental in shaping the man he was today. Luke watched Warren and Bernadette Steele, devouring all of their teachings, becoming accustomed to their hard work ethics, and by the time Luke was fifteen, the Steeles were out of poverty. Luke would never forget the relief he felt when staying up at night to watch the neighborhood was no longer his reality. It allowed him to focus on his education, giving him a foreseeable future to look forward to.
After giving it much thought, then informing his father of the news, Luke decided to throw a quiet dinner at the home he’d grown to love in North Chicago. He no longer lived with his parents, but with their blessing, Luke decided this was the only way to share the good news. He only wished his father could be there, but he understood the importance of Warren Steele’s position in Congress. There was never a dull moment.
Luke folded his thick muscular arms. “Derek, I teach this course at the university. You don’t think I’d put my own aspirations on hold to pursue something just to impress my father, do you?”
All of the men quieted down as Luke’s eyes traveled to each one of them.
“Wait, you all do?”
Quentin spoke up. “We knew you had an interest but not one that would make you run for office.”
“Yeah,” Derek said, “I know teaching political science is different than running for mayor no doubt.”
A whistle sounded, and the men took their attention to Jacob Alexander Rose. He stood with a prevalent grin and his hand tucked comfortably inside his Brioni suit pants pockets. “If you’re going to be the mayor of Chicago, you’ll need a castle to go with that title.”
The men chuckled. Being an architect and business mogul, Jacob was always on the lookout for the potential to put his skills to use. Building his friend a home from the ground up would be a gift Jacob would be thrilled to execute.
“You know he’s not joking,” Josiah Alexander Rose said. The newlywed brother
was days away from traveling across the globe with his beautiful wife Santana Summers for their honeymoon in St Lucia. He was thoroughly anticipating it.
Luke unfolded his arms and held out a hand to Jacob. “It would be my honor to let you build me a home,” his deep voice spoke. Jacob’s grin widened, and he accepted Luke’s firm handshake.
“What are you looking for one master bedroom or two?” Jacob responded as the men withdrew.
“Actually, four, maybe five.”
Again, the men were a bit surprised.
“Five?” Jacob reiterated.
“Bedrooms that is. One master. I’m anticipating that I’ll have a family at some point, right?”
Luke’s gaze drifted from Jacob to the background behind Jacob. Jasmine Alexandria Rose was perched on the heels of her five-inch designer pumps, wrapped in a black bandage dress that clung to her curves like a second layer of skin. Her arms were bare, revealing smooth chocolate brown skin. In her hand, a glass of champagne—on her face, a dazzling smile that lifted her high cheekbones and brightened her stunning brown eyes. He followed her hand as it lightly swept over her bone straight, elbow length hair. Luke held her stare, transfixed in her hypnotic entanglement.
“You’re right,” Jacob said, interrupting their solid connection. “You’ll have five.”
Luke brought his eyes back to Jacob. “I have something else to ask of you,” he said. “All of you.”
“What’s up?” They all murmured.
Luke didn’t get a chance to respond before he felt Jasmine saunter closer to them. In his peripheral, he saw the curve in her hips shift and the spring of her dress stretch against her goddess-like silhouette. A layer of heat saturated his skin as she along with her triplet sisters Phoebe and Eden moved in sync, wanting to also be privy to what Luke would say next. His awareness of her was compelling, sending a ball of nerves spiraling through his ecosystem. He forced himself to respond to Jacob and not the rapid beat of his heart.
“I know that you all put your support behind Samuel Jenkins the last election cycle, and he will be running again to maintain his current seat. However, I’m asking you all to back me this time around. I would appreciate it and could really use your support, but this is in no way an obligation for you.”
The men all eyed each other speculatively. “Are you kidding?” It was Jordan Rose who spoke.
Everyone turned to him. “And here I thought you wouldn’t say a word this entire gathering,” Luke joked.
“And why is that?” Jordan asked.
“Because you do more thinking than you do speaking.”
The men all chuckled. Luke was right; Jordan was the one out of the bunch that took every angle about anything into consideration before making an informed decision. It was coded into his DNA that way.
“Yeah, but there’s nothing to contemplate in this instance. The thing about politics is knowing that the person behind the power is sincere and genuine about the role given to him.”
“Or her,” Jasmine added.
They all chuckled again. Jasmine was all about equal opportunities; she was currently organizing a list of candidates running for every political seat in Chicago. She had plans to contact them all and see where they stood on women’s equal pay. It was a war, and although a battle was won with the passing of the Equal Pay Act back in 1963, the provisions to set the rules in place still lingered to this day. And women were still being paid 80 cents on every man’s dollar. However, staggeringly enough, African American women were paid 63 cents on every man’s dollar.
“Or her,” Jordan added, glancing at his sister.
“Much better,” she said, moving her eye over to Luke. It was no secret between Luke and Jasmine that they shared a correlating bond. It had been there for longer than a decade, and neither of them denied it. The only obstacle that postponed their submission was the Rose men. Jasmine understood that being the sister of Luke’s best friend would complicate a relationship between the two. At least, that’s what she thought. Luke, on the other hand, was ready to risk it all for her, but instead of going after Jasmine full force, he waited, biding his time until the moment she was ready.
Jasmine drove her eye over his caramel brown skin, adoring the piercing intensity of his stare and the way his dimples deepened whenever she came near. The ecstatic energy that clung between them led a stinging path from his watchful eye to her sultry one. Often, Jasmine found herself daydreaming about what it must feel like to be wrapped in Luke’s arms, hidden beneath the comfort of his embrace. Too many times, she pictured their lovemaking, rocking against a headboard while her nails sank into his flesh with her head thrown back and her mouth wide open. Jasmine bit down on her teeth and attempted to sever their link, but Luke’s comprehensive gaze held her captive.
“Spoken like a true litigator,” Jacob said to Jordan.
“Do you disagree?” Jordan asked.
“Not at all. I think Luke is just being polite. He knows we would never back someone he’s running against.”
Luke snatched his gaze away from Jasmine with all the strength he could conjure. “I meant what I said,” Luke stated. “None of you are oblig—”
“Save it for someone who wants to hear it,” Jacob cut in.
“For sure,” Quentin added.
The rest of the men all agreed. Luke glanced to each of them and released a sigh he’d been holding. When his eyes fell back on Jasmine, he quickly acknowledged Phoebe and Eden with a glance.
“How about you ladies?” Luke asked. “If you need to think about it, I won’t hold it against you.”
Phoebe and Eden began to speak when Jasmine interrupted them. “I don’t know,” Jasmine drawled. She took another step toward Luke then pierced her eyes to a squint as she perused him from head to toe. Her feet moved one in front of the other, circling Luke in a slow stroll as if to get a three hundred and sixty-degree look at him. “What is your stance on women’s equal pay?”
Luke folded his thick arms, causing his broad shoulders to push muscle against the button-down shirt he wore.
“If a woman is working in the same field, doing the very things as her counterparts, I see no reason why she should be paid less. It’s discrimination flat out, but you do realize my role as mayor would not make me part of the senate or the house.”
“I do realize that.”
“Then there’s no way I could push the bill.”
“But you could get it into the proper hands of Congress.”
The corner of Luke’s luscious lips lifted. “Possibly.”
Jasmine rounded him one last time then stopped right in front of him. “That’s all that matters then.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
The question was masked in an undercover query. Just like that, Luke had flipped the tone of their conversation. Jasmine cleared her throat and took a minor step back.
“Certain,” she said.
Luke’s stern gaze punctured Jasmine, drowning her in a flood of heat.
“Well, let me say congratulations,” Phoebe added, stepping into the fold. She approached Luke with arms held out. “You have our full support. Let us know what you need, and we’re there.”
“Now that you mention it. The election is February twenty-seventh next year. I need thirteen thousand signatures to kick this thing off.”
“That’s all?” Jacob asked.
They all laughed.
“You’ll have that before tomorrow morning.”
Jacob held out an arm and slapped hands in a strong shake with Luke. Again, the room went up in cheers and congratulations. The full entourage was there, including the wives and a few close friends. Jasmine watched the men celebrate while taking a sip of her champagne and slipping a piece of her hair behind her ear. Deciding the bubbly didn’t quench the thirst she had, Jasmine retreated, disappearing into the kitchen. The expeditious getaway of her legs carried through the swinging doors, ferrying a brisk of wind with her arrival. Jasmine’s heart matched her swift escape,
and she ran right into the granite center island. Her hand braced against it, while simultaneously clutching the champagne flute in the other.
Why did Luke send her nerves into turmoil every time they shared the same space? One would think Jasmine was past accustomed to the feeling since she’d grown up wanting to be his lady, even in her younger years. But that was quite the contrary. She was attracted to him, and not just physically, but intellectually, too. Luke’s story was made of a fairy tale. The young black boy raised in the hood but made it out to one day go on and help build his community and become a professor and the mayor of the city. How cliché. And yet, here he was… everything Jasmine’s heart desired: strong, dedicated, driven, educated, and a good Samaritan.
Jasmine was tired of waiting and pretending there wasn’t anything between them. But what if dating him was a bad idea? How upset would her brothers become if they crossed that line?
“Jasmine?”
Jasmine glanced over to Norma, their housekeeper and the person she’d grown to love like a mother.
“You look like you could use this.” Norma handed Jasmine a fresh glass of champagne, and Jasmine happily accepted it.
“Thank you.”
Jasmine took a swig of the alcohol.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Jasmine wasn’t sure. She smiled into Norma’s aging face. “No, I’m fine.” Jasmine took another swig of her champagne then sat the glass on the counter. “Let’s rejoin the party.”
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