Southern Love

by Synithia Williams

  She left the reception early, no longer feeling up to having dinner with any potential clients or associates. As much as she hated to admit it, the sight of Malcolm with Tangy ruined her appetite. She was jealous in a way she’d never been with Brad.

  Brad! She hadn’t thought of him once. I bet he’s not out with some other woman. He’s probably at home waiting on me to call.

  When she got to her room, she saw she had four missed calls from Brad. She looked at the clock. It was only eight-thirty, but she didn’t want to call him back. What was she doing? She had a good man back home, so why was she obsessing about one that was completely off-limits? Because you’re a sucker for a man who makes you feel the way he does, her inner voice chimed.

  She’d to call Brad tomorrow and tell him she was willing to work things out. It was better to work on a relationship with someone who cared about her than to stress over a nonexistent relationship with a man who was only good for sex.

  An hour-and-a-half later, after showering and ordering a sandwich from room service, Kenyatta was lying in bed watching television. She was dozing off when there was a knock on the door. She knew who it was, and knew she shouldn’t answer it, but she got out of bed and opened the door.

  “I need to talk to you.” He spoke quickly in a tone both urgent and firm.

  “There’s nothing to talk about, Malcolm. You ran into an old flame and spent the night catching up with her.”

  Malcolm shook his head and held up his hands. “I slept with Tangy ten years ago. I was barely out of undergrad and full of myself. I haven’t seen her since I left the firm.”

  She tossed her head and shrugged. “Well then, I guess you guys have a lot of catching up to do.”

  He looked over his shoulder. “Will you let me inside? I don’t want to have this conversation in the hallway.”

  She looked around him and saw a few people she recognized from the conference. Against her better judgment, she stepped back and let him in.

  She didn’t move far into the room and glared at him as he stood against the door. “Malcolm, I don’t care when you slept with Tangy. It’s none of my business if you slept with her or half of the women in our office.”

  His brow crinkled. “Kenyatta, I don’t sleep with my coworkers. Not anymore. That situation with Tangy happened when I was twenty-three. I’ve kept my relationships out of the office since then. It gets too complicated if things go wrong.”

  “Well, now you’ve explained yourself and we can say good night.”

  She reached around him to open the door, but he moved to block her. “I’ve done a good job of not mixing business with pleasure.” His eyes met hers. “Until you started working for me.”

  Kenyatta’s pulse raced. She wanted to step away — run away — and tell him to stop saying things that made it so easy for her to forget he was everything she didn’t want in a man. But, her feet didn’t move a millimeter when he took a small step toward her.

  “I think you should go.” Her voice was soft, breathless and completely contradicted with her words.

  Malcolm took another step, bringing him close enough for his chest to brush against her breasts. “Say it like you mean it.”

  She stared into his eyes. The heat in his gaze touched her just as much as a caress. Her eyes lowered to his lips and she remembered what kissing him felt like. She wanted him to kiss her again. It was foolish, and it was wrong, but she wanted him.

  He reached out and slowly ran his fingers through her hair until he cupped the back of her head. Kenyatta knew things were getting out of hand and she opened her mouth to stop him. “I think … ”

  He cut her off when he brought his head down slowly and barely touched her lips with his. Her words died on her lips. She didn’t pull away when he ran his tongue lightly over her bottom lip. Blood rushed through her veins. Her breasts felt heavy, aching for his touch, while liquid heat shot from where their lips met to the core of her womanhood.

  He continued to tease her mouth, slowly kissing and lightly sucking her lips until she pressed herself against him, begging for more. Finally, he deepened the kiss and pulled her tight against him. The burning passion — she’d convinced herself she could live without — flowed through her body as his tongue caressed hers. All coherent thought fled from her mind, as all she could do was taste, touch, and feel Malcolm.

  This kiss was different from the first. He kissed her as if she was the sweetest, most luscious thing he’d ever tasted — like an expensive chocolate reserved only for rare occasions. Kenyatta was aware of him turning her and pressing her against the wall. His body was flush against hers and she delighted in the feel of him against her. Desire, hot and molten, flowed through her body.

  She moaned softly when he reached beneath her tank top and cupped one of her breasts. She pressed closer to him when he gently brushed his thumb across her already aching nipple. He broke the kiss to taste her neck and shoulders, before lifting her tank top and leaning down to take her nipple into his mouth.

  Desire coursed through Kenyatta’s body when he began to suckle gently. Heat pooled between her legs causing her core to tremble. When he moved to give the other breast the same attention, she whimpered. This was how it was supposed to be. This was what you were supposed to feel for the man you married. She had tried to ignore these feelings and act as if they didn’t matter, but feeling Malcolm’s hard body and warm mouth on her felt … divine … natural … right. Why had she ever tried convincing herself she could live without this? She reached down between their bodies and began to work the fastenings of his slacks.

  He pulled away from her breasts and stared into her eyes. She didn’t think she could get any hotter until she saw the desire reflected in his gaze. She fumbled as she continued to try to undo the button of his slacks, feeling both desirable and unsure if what she were doing was the right thing to do. She smiled triumphantly when she got the button of his pants free, but the moment was fleeting. He quickly placed his hands over hers and slowly pulled away.

  He placed his forehead on hers and breathed deeply. “Kenyatta, we can’t do this.”

  It took a second for his words to sink in. She gave him a bewildered look, but his eyes were closed. “What?”

  He took a few more deep breaths before opening his eyes and pulling back. “We can’t do this. It would be a mistake.”

  Shame, icy and immediate, washed over Kenyatta. Her breasts were still bare, and she was clinging to him like a whore, when he’d pulled away. She moved aside quickly and covered herself. Of course, they shouldn’t be doing this. He was her boss. He had a girlfriend. She had Brad.

  “No, we shouldn’t. You’re right. You’re my boss, and this would cause problems in the office.”

  “That’s not what I mean.” He reached for her, but she moved away.

  “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have let you in. You should go.” She reached for the door.

  “Kenyatta, we need to talk. I’m not trying to push you away — ”

  “Yes you are, and you should. This wouldn’t work out, and we know it. Lust and desire is all it is, and that only leads to trouble.” She pushed him out of the way and jerked opened the door. “Please leave.”

  He tried to touch her, but she moved away. “No, please just go.”

  She was so embarrassed she wanted to cry, but she refused. To do so would only give credibility to how much he affected her.

  “Kenyatta, you don’t understand — ”

  “Yes, I do. Now go.” She pointed toward the hallway.

  Malcolm walked out, and she slammed the door. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life! She’d been ready to fall into bed with him after a few words and kisses, just as she’d done in her past with disastrous consequences. She felt just as gullible at twenty-eight as she’d been at nineteen. The humiliation sank in as she sat on th
e bed and squeezed her eyes shut to try to stem the flow of tears.

  She cried for all of two minutes before reason took hold. Malcolm was upset when she kicked him out. He said he wasn’t trying to push her away, even though that was what he’d done. Had he meant something else? Part of her brain said it didn’t matter if he meant something else. Jumping into bed with her boss was not a good idea. She didn’t need the example her mother gave her to know that, but what he made her feel was unlike anything she’d felt before. Ever. Maybe she should have let him explain. Why had he stopped?

  She jumped up from her bed and sprinted to the door. She didn’t want to give herself time to think about what she was doing. If Malcolm wanted her as much as she wanted him, then she had to know.

  When she stood in front of his door, she took a deep breath to steady her breathing. She couldn’t go back after this. When he opened the door, he would know she was crazy about him. She only hoped he would feel the same.

  Kenyatta lifted her hand to knock, when a sound on the other side caused her to pause. She placed her ear against the door. The sound of sex assailed her ears and her heart plummeted. He’d left her room not even ten minutes ago and he was already fucking someone else! It was Chad all over again. The humiliation from earlier came back with a vengeance, accompanied by white-hot anger. Not at Malcolm — he was a man, and she shouldn’t expect any different from him — but at herself. She had once again let passion rule her life and had set herself up for failure. Her mom was right; Brad was right. She was throwing away something good for something that wasn’t real. Tears burned her eyes as she ran back to her room.

  Chapter 13

  Malcolm’s eyes scanned the conference area for Kenyatta. He spotted her near the stairwell talking to the same man from the night before. When her eyes met, his she glared at him before turning away. He sighed and headed her way. He expected her to be upset about his abrupt ending, but he refused to go through the day without explaining.

  Telling her to stop must be the stupidest thing he’d ever done in his life. He could only imagine how badly his brother would clown him for leaving a hot and ready woman because his morals took control. He hadn’t pushed her away because he wanted to, but because it wasn’t the right time. He’d fantasized about sleeping with her for three years, and he didn’t want to finally let it happen in a rush in a hotel room. She deserved more than a fling during a work conference.

  His plan was to go home, break up with Jessica, and find a way to transfer himself or assign Kenyatta to another supervisor. He couldn’t go on acting as if he didn’t want her. If she were free from Brad, he would not miss the opportunity to see where this could go.

  Tangy stepped in his path, but he brushed her aside and continued toward Kenyatta. Stopping to speak with Tangy would only make it harder for him to explain. He’d turned down her come on the night before and wasn’t in the mood to do it again.

  When he reached Kenyatta, he placed his hand on the small of her back. She stiffened and shifted away slightly, but his hand remained and his body followed.

  He looked at the man she’d been talking too. “Excuse me, but I need to speak with Kenyatta quickly before her presentation.”

  The guy nodded. “No problem. Kenyatta, I’m looking forward to your presentation.”

  Her lips raised in a stiff smile at the man as he walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to Malcolm. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Either follow me to the stairwell, or we can have it out here.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue. When she looked around at the crowd then looked at him he saw resignation in her eyes. “Fine.”

  He gently applied pressure to her lower back and led her to the stairwell. He led her down one flight to keep them out of sight. He couldn’t help but admire the way her H20 button up shirt and pencil skirt hugged her figure. She smelled of lavender again, bringing to his memory the feel of her body pressed against his and the sweetness of her nipple in his mouth.

  His eyes met hers and he saw desire mirrored there before she closed her eyes and turned away.

  He rushed to stand in front of her. “Kenyatta, we need to talk about last night. I need to explain why I stopped.”

  Kenyatta looked at her watch and turned away again. “Malcolm, the presentation is in a few minutes. I need to go.” She glared at him. “And there’s nothing to explain. It was a mistake, and it shouldn’t have happened.”

  He moved again to be in front of her. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  She tried to walk past him, but he stepped closer, pinning her against the wall. “I misspoke when I said what we were doing was wrong.” She bit her lip and he bit back a groan. “The timing was bad, but not the kiss.”

  Kenyatta looked away. “Yes, the timing is bad. You had previous arrangements.”

  Confused, he frowned. “What are you talking about? I didn’t have other arrangements. I spent the rest of the night thinking about you.”

  She laughed bitterly. “Really? Were you thinking of me while you screwed Tangy last night?”

  He took a step back. “Tangy? I went to dinner with Tangy and some old coworkers last night. After dinner, I came straight to your room. I didn’t see her again until this morning.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Malcolm. I came to your room last night. I was stupid enough to want to hear your explanation. Instead, I hear you and Tangy. Having sex.” She tried to move away, but he blocked her again.

  “There was no one in my room last night except me.” He didn’t know who’d lied and told her he slept with Tangy, but she was the last person he’d wanted last night.

  “I know what sex sounds like. I may not be doing a lot of it myself, but I’m not that forgetful.”

  Malcolm continued to frown before comprehension — and embarrassment — dawned. He laughed quietly and turned away. He had ordered porn on pay-per-view and given himself a hand job. All the while thinking about Kenyatta’s body against his and how damn good her breasts had looked the night before.

  “You think this is funny.” Disbelief and anger colored her tone.

  He continued to laugh. “Yes, in a way. Kenyatta, I wasn’t sleeping with Tangy or anyone else last night.” He turned to face her. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before dropping his hand and saying in a rush. “When I left you, I was so damn frustrated that I … ”

  She crossed her arms. “You what?”

  He rubbed his chin. “I ordered porn on pay-per-view and took care of myself. You must have heard that.”

  He watched as first shock, and then relief flashed across her face. She continued to eye him warily and he knew she was struggling to believe him. He didn’t believe he’d actually told her. But, he’d rather her know he got off to her image than think he left her room and slept with Tangy.“You were … ”

  He smiled sheepishly. “Jacking off? Yes.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “It’s a convenient story.”

  “I’ll show you my hotel bill if you don’t believe me. I wasn’t thinking about Tangy or anyone else when I kissed you last night, or after I left. I can’t think of anyone but you.” He reached out to touch her chin. “Have dinner with me tonight. We can talk about everything without feeling rushed.”

  “What’s to discuss, Malcolm? You’re still attached, we work together, I’m still with … ”

  He interrupted her with a kiss. He gently pulled her lower lip into his mouth, asking for entrance, and, instantly she parted her lips. His tongue met hers as he slowly deepened the kiss.

  After he was sure she was only thinking of him he slowly pulled away and kissed the side of her mouth. “Don’t mention his name. Please, just have dinner with me,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her soft brown eyes looked into his. He saw the battle going on insi
de of her. He held his breath as he waited for her to answer. She lifted her head and excitement welled in him that she was about to agree when someone above them cursed and slammed the door. They jumped apart like teenagers caught by their parents. They both held their breath as they waited to see if someone was coming down the stairs. When no one appeared, they turned back to each other.

  “I’ve got to get ready for the presentation.” She moved to go up the stairs. “We’ll talk later.”

  He reached out to take her hand “At dinner?”

  “I’ll think about it.” She pulled her hand away. “Come to my room later.”

  He nodded and watched her hurry up the stairs. He’d love to put his hands around the neck of whoever interrupted them. But he had the rest of the week to work this out. He was no longer going to deny how much he wanted Kenyatta, and he was ready to do whatever was necessary to explore what was between them.

  Chapter 14

  Kenyatta ran up the stairs and back into the conference hall. She wanted to go to dinner with Malcolm, but she didn’t trust herself or the situation. Relationships should be easy, she thought, not as confusing as this. She smiled to herself when she remembered his confession. He put a lot on the line admitting to that, and she was grateful. The knot that formed in her chest when she’d thought he’d slept with Tangy eased and all she felt was a giddy excitement about the rest of the conference.

  “Oh, Ms. Copeland, there you are.” Kenyatta turned to see a short man with unruly brown hair and glasses. Sam Hall, the conference director, smiled as he approached her. He was the head of the National Water Quality Association and the leading expert on water quality issues. His organization put together this yearly conference.

  “We were looking for all of the speakers; your session is starting soon.”

  Kenyatta smiled at him and followed him to the Salon. “Good, I’m ready to start.”

  “I’m looking forward to your presentation. When I read your abstract, I was impressed with the results you and your company achieved. We’ve wanted to expand our reach to the Southeast. Maybe we can sit down later and discuss some possibilities.”