“Aahh, I like it when you call ’em like you see ’em,” I teased.
“Always. I have to keep it real.”
“Well, Ashlee, I just wanted to give you a call to let you know how much I really enjoyed spending time with you yesterday. I know we were both disappointed that we didn’t get to take things on the physical level further than it went, but I believe that good things come to those who wait.”
“Really? So am I correct to assume you feel we should wait?”
“Whoa, slow down there. Don’t go putting words in my mouth that aren’t there.” I laughed. “I’m just saying that I like you. I see other times for getting closer in our future. I know you really wanted seafood last night and it didn’t quite work out that way, so let me make it up to you. Come to my place for dinner. I’ll cook up my specialty chicken and pasta. How does that sound?”
“You, cooking? I don’t know. Sounds kind of dangerous to me.” We both laughed. She continued. “Are you serious? You’d like to cook for me?”
“Sure would. What have you got to lose?” I asked just before quickly interrupting her response. “Uh…don’t answer that.” We laughed. “Scratch what I just said. Seriously, I’d be honored to cook a meal for you, Ms. Ashlee Anderson, and do anything else you might want me to do too.”
I could sense a smile in her voice. “Well, since you put it so nicely, I suppose I could put a little trust in you. I’ll also remember to bring a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, just in case of an emergency.”
We laughed and talked a bit more before I hung up to go grocery shopping. Ms. Ashlee Anderson was in for a treat. Oh, and I made certain to put condoms and vanilla ice cream on the shopping list.
CHAPTER 6
Ashlee
Sighing heavily, I gave up on searching the hotel room for my earring. I’d looked everywhere I thought my gold hoop could’ve been. Oh well, I stretched across the sofa in my white boy shorts and turned on the television. I smiled reminiscing about how Jay had made me come last night. I didn’t think I could have an orgasm like that with anyone other than Darius. And maybe Jay didn’t get his last night, but tonight I was gonna make it up to him in more ways than one. I was going to make him come like fireworks on the Fourth of July. God, I felt like a schoolgirl again. Was I falling in love? No, not love, but I was definitely in like with Mr. Jay Crawford.
I’d only been in love once, but the feelings being in love brought were at times overwhelming. When I was in love, I soared high on a high so high I never wanted to come down. There was a dance in my step—damn near skip, hop—and my heart jumped with joy at the mere thought of him. There was a smile underneath my smile. A loyalty that men envied because no matter how hard they tried to penetrate that sacred barrier, I refused them, each one, every time, staying faithful to my man. Unfortunately, the man I loved was no longer in love with me; otherwise, I’d be married to him by now. I wanted so badly to be somebody’s, but not just anybody’s, wife.
I motioned with my lips, “Move on, girl. You’ve got it bad,” then thought about Jay. I could fall hard for Jay. I could love him. And I know he wouldn’t let me hurt myself, because I felt secure with his touch. His voice. The way he exhaled my name…Ash-lee, into the air. Jay was sensitive too. I liked masculine men with a little sensitivity. Not only did Jay call me; he actually offered to cook on our second date. Now, Jay is a real man. Part of the real reason I decided to see Jay was to keep myself from obsessing over Darius. I glanced at my cell phone on the coffee table.
Don’t do it.
Whenever I wasn’t talking to Darius, which was all the time nowadays, the smallest thing would trigger my memory, causing me to think about him, especially when I had idle time.
Don’t do it.
Slowly, my head rotated side to side. Then faster, and even faster, wobbling my cheeks until I’d become dizzy. I grabbed my ears and screamed, “Stop it, Ashlee! Just stop it right now! Darius is out of your life! He doesn’t love you anymore! He’s going to marry Fancy!
“Over his dead body,” I whispered.
Why’d I say that? I didn’t mean that. Seeing Darius happy with anyone else other than me drove me crazy. Maybe I could be happy with Jay? I thought so. Why not? The knots in my stomach intensified my confusion.
My knees dropped to the carpet between the sofa and the coffee table. My palms slid from my ears to my cheeks. Cupping my face, I collapsed into a ball. Tears streamed between my fingers, drenching my knees, then wetting the carpet as I moped about the love I’d lost.
“Get your shit together!”
Bracing myself, one hand on the sofa, the other on the coffee table, I stood in the middle of the floor sniffling. “Stop it, Ashlee,” I whispered but wasn’t convinced. “It really wasn’t your fault.” I slid my forearm under my nose, then swiped the snot on the back of my boy shorts, barely missing wiping my ass.
Why me? Why did he have to use me?
I deserved for Darius to treat me better, but clearly I realized that I shouldn’t measure Jay to Darius, I thought, momentarily closing my eyes. As I inhaled long and slow, the rosy fragrance helped calm my nerves. Jay was selfless enough to treat me the way I wanted a man to treat me. With respect. Respect was always a good place to start. I smiled, picturing Jay in the kitchen wearing an apron. I laughed. Naw, Jay would never wear a silly apron.
Lowering the thermostat to sixty-five, I turned on the CD player and started running water for a shower. I’d kept Jay’s scent on me long enough. Retrieving the golden bottle from my purse, I downed two tablets with water and stepped into the shower. The meds did make me feel better. It was the side effects that freaked me out. Memory loss. Severe mood swings. Blackouts.
Lathering my body, I repeated ten times, “Let Jay love you more than you love him.”
I dried off, saturated my body with peach-scented body oil mixed with Nivea Skin Firming lotion, then slipped into a red-hot teddy, low-rise lace see-through matching slacks, and stepped into my sexiest clear-heeled open-toe stilettos. All for Jay, since he liked the color red. Gathering my hair into a ponytail, I lined my lips, slid a stroke of cherry shimmering gloss at the bottom, then meshed my lips together. I wanted Jay to focus on picturing my lips on his dick. Men were so visual and easy to please. I knew all the right things to do to get one. Finding and keeping the right one was my problem.
I packed my belongings in my suitcases, doubled-checked the bathroom, bedroom, and living room, to make certain I wasn’t leaving anything. One last attempt to find my gold hoop earring, but unfortunately I didn’t.
On my way out the door, I smiled. Skipped. “I’m going to see my new man,” I cheered on the empty elevator, admiring myself in the mirror. Arriving at the checkout desk, I slid the room key to the receptionist. “Ashlee Anderson. Checking out. Oh, and if housekeeping finds a gold hoop earring, please make sure it’s returned to this address,” I said, placing my driver’s license in front of the receptionist.
“Certainly, Mrs. Anderson,” she said, motioning to the bellman to take my bags.
Heading toward the valet desk, I didn’t bother correcting her on the Mrs. part. I stopped at the valet and asked, “May I have my ride?” handing the ticket to the attendant.
The okay-looking man, responded to my breasts, “Certainly.”
Waiting for him to return, I hummed, “Can’t nobody love me better than you,” while tapping my foot, then continued my groove. “The way you wrap your arms around me…” By the time my car rolled up, I was dancing.
Opening my door, the valet place my luggage in the trunk, then said, “Drive safely, Ms. Anderson,” as he slowly closed my door.
Seductively, I replied, “Thanks, love,” anxiously driving away to get to Jay’s house. A woman never tips a man under any circumstances. And a real man never takes money from a woman. Observing the street signs, I was in the southeast quad of D.C., so I pulled over and telephoned Jay.
“Hey—”
“Hi, handsome. I think I’m confused. What’s
your address again?”
“I live in…Ash-lee, I can come…” Jay paused, then said, “And get you, if you’d like.”
“Naw, I’ma get you tonight. Just give me directions.”
“For starters, I live in Alexandria, not D.C.—”
“Alex who?”
“Near the Pentagon Mall.”
“Aw, I don’t know why I assumed you lived in chocolate city,” I said, nodding. “I got you. I’m on my way.”
I hated the fact that D.C. had four quadrants with the exact same addresses and the only difference was the combination of north, south, east, and west. Once I found the freeway, I made it to Jay’s house within twenty minutes. As I was raising my hand to ring the bell, Jay opened his front door.
“Hey, lady. Damn!” He stepped closer, sniffing up my neck. “Peaches! You know, I love fruit. You smell edible, woman,” he said, leading me into his place.
Immaculate for a bachelor, I thought, glancing around the living room. “You just cleaned up, didn’t you? I bet if I opened the closet, all of your stuff would fall out.”
His body embraced mine, and then he tackled me to the Persian rug. Jay lay on top of me silently staring, then said, “You are so damn sexy. I want you to enjoy dinner because I can’t wait for my dessert.” His lips gently surrounded mine.
Vanishing into his embrace, I asked, “Can we skip dinner?” I wrapped my arms around Jay and held him, not wanting to let go.
“I’m not giving it up that easy, woman. Have a seat at the dinner table.” Jay raced into the kitchen, then returned with two glasses of champagne.
Using my better judgment, I set the champagne aside.
The table was preset with fresh white roses, place mats, silverware, and china. When Jay uncovered the dishes, grilled salmon, red potatoes, and broccoli sat before us. “Wow, I’m impressed. You prepared this?”
Piercing into my eyes, he lifted his eyebrows as his head lowered.
“Okay, okay,” I said, smiling while sampling the salmon. “Um, this is really good,” I mumbled, then asked, “Didn’t you say you just got divorced? Why’d she let you go?”
Jay choked on air. “Not tonight. Tonight is only about us. Besides, I don’t like reliving the exes with the nextes. You sistas take everything personally.”
Nodding, I said, “You’re right,” thinking how Darius used to be more than my lover; he was my friend since I was ten years old. And every time I talked about Darius, men instantly knew I was hopelessly in love. And I honestly didn’t want to discuss Darius, so I didn’t know why I asked Jay about his exes in the first place. We ate, joked, and laughed for almost an hour.
“What’s for dessert?” I asked, removing the plates from the table so I had an excuse to see his kitchen. Whoa, to my surprise all the dishes were washed. The stove was clean too. Jay was definitely a keeper.
“Dessert is in the bedroom,” Jay said, escorting me out of the kitchen.
Entering Jay’s bedroom, I glanced around. Two burning vanilla-scented candles. An iridescent lightbulb in one lamp, red in the other. I had to smile again as I unbuttoned one of his buttons, then kissed Jay’s chest. Unfastened another and licked his nipple. A third button unlatched and I teased his navel. Quickly Jay removed his shirt, pants, socks, underwear, and jumped into the bed underneath the red satin sheet. He clamped his hands behind his head, admiring my body.
“Damn, what’s the ru—”
“Hush. Now slowly take off your pants, and then model your lace teddy for me.”
I did as Jay asked, easing out of my slacks, bending over so he could see my ass. Then I pranced from one side of the bed to the other.
“Now unleash your ponytail and swing your hair.”
I did. Not too fast. Not too slow, whirling my hair into a seductive mess.
“Now unsnap your crotch. Then crawl on top of me. I want to look at you.”
When I pulled back the sheets, Jay’s dick sprang forward. I still couldn’t believe the size of that thing.
“This is all for you, Ashlee.”
This what? I thought. You and your dick or just the backed-up come in your balls? “When did you have time to put on a condom?”
“That’s not what you really want to know, Ashlee. Is it?”
I straddled Jay’s stomach. Leaning forward, I caressed his head and kissed his lips. Jay placed his hands on my hips, raising me into the air, then lowered me onto his bulging head.
Using my knees, I braced and then paced myself, inching down his shaft. The penetration was slightly painful, so breathing deeply I took my time, but I hadn’t had any real sex in forever, so I was determined to take in as much as I could.
“Damn, your pussy is so tight. I love this shit. No, don’t squeeze. She’s tight enough. You gon’ fuck around and make me come.”
Rocking back and forth, I moaned, “Oh, Jay. You feel so good,” repeatedly. “But she’s not squeezing you. I haven’t been with a man in over a year. Oh, Jay, you feel sooo good.”
“Ashlee, be quiet. You gon’ fuck around and make me, damn, come with me, Ashlee. I gotta get this first nut out of the way so I can…come with me!” Jay groaned. His eyes rolled to the top of his head.
“Not yet, Daddy. A few more minutes,” I pleaded, rocking on my spot, trying to come with Jay. Jay didn’t disappoint. After he got his first nut, minutes turned into hours and once again my ass was worn out. This time my pussy was sore from all the friction of six different positions, but I didn’t give a damn. My man did me right. Jay had come twice and me, well, I’d lost count. Afterward, Jay dozed off as we cuddled for an hour.
CHAPTER 7
Jay
The annoying sound of my alarm wailed like a banshee, startling both Ashlee and me. I threw a pillow at it, sighing in relief when the screeching sound somehow came to a halt. Although she appeared to be half asleep, Ashlee slid closer to me, burying her face in my chest and throwing her leg over my hip in an attempt to pin me to the bed. It was obvious she didn’t want me to move, and believe me, the feeling was mutual. I was truly at peace, happy for the first time since I came to D.C. Unfortunately I had an eight o’clock meeting with my new boss, so whether I wanted to or not I had to get up. I stroked Ashlee’s hair, then kissed her forehead. I couldn’t help running my hand down her side, then over her smooth bare ass. It was amazing that she looked just as sexy in the morning as she did when we finally went to sleep sometime around midnight last night. I caressed her ass again and she purred like a cat, exciting the hell out of me. The thought of making love to her one more time before I left for work weighed heavily on my mind. The only problem was it would have to be a quickie and I wasn’t sure if someone as classy as Ashlee would be a quickie kind of girl.
“Jay, I can’t begin to tell you how happy you’ve made me,” she purred again, breaking our silence.
I looked down at her face and she stared at me with those big beautiful eyes. She kissed my lips, gently sliding her tongue into my mouth as she pulled me closer. Obviously a quickie was not going to be a problem. I reached for a condom, then slid on top of her. Ashlee abruptly broke our kiss with a frown.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. What’s the rush?”
Ah, maybe a quickie wasn’t such a good idea, I told myself as I said, “I’ve gotta leave for work in about thirty minutes.”
“Baby, I hate the idea of rushing to make love.” She looked so sad as she said it.
“Hey, no problem. We’ll just wait till I get home. Give me something to look forward to while I’m at work. And, girl, you sure got something to look forward to.” I slapped her ass playfully, then smiled, making her blush, but it didn’t take long for her frown to take over her face again. “Now what’s wrong, you don’t like that idea?”
“No, it sounds real good. The only problem is I won’t be here when you get home from work. I’m going to be heading back to Dallas this afternoon,” she answered soberly.
“What? So so
on? I mean, why didn’t you tell me this last night?” A bit stunned, I pulled myself a few inches away from her. I wasn’t sure whether to be angry or sad. She’d really caught me off guard. I couldn’t believe my ears.
Ashlee looked a little taken aback as she sat up to face me. “Why? Would it have made a difference if I did? We’d still be right here where we are now, wouldn’t we? Or would you have said no to this and kicked me out?”
“Yeah. I mean…well…um…no.” I was dumbfounded and it took a few seconds to get my shit back together. “What I was trying to say was I feel like we haven’t spent enough time together. I mean…I really enjoyed last night, but I wanna get to know you too. It’s not just about the sex, Ashlee. And that doesn’t happen very often with me.”
She smiled, probably surprised by my honesty. “I feel the same way, Jay, but I need to get back—”
I cut her off. “I understand that, but does it have to be today? You can stay another day if you want to. I am worth it. Aren’t I?”
She kissed me again. “I’m sorry, Jay, but I have a nonrefundable ticket and an appointment I can’t miss. But this doesn’t mean I won’t be back. I like you, Jay, more than you may even think.”
I couldn’t believe how fast my heart was beating. What the hell was wrong with me? I was crushed. My stomach was starting to hurt. I felt like we were breaking up after a long-term relationship. Ashlee pulled my arm around her as she nestled her head on my chest. The room fell silent. Even though I knew she had to go, I kept trying to think of things that would help change her mind. I was definitely into Ashlee, but it was time to start distancing myself from her before things went too far and I couldn’t turn back.
“Jay…” Ashlee looked as if she was fishing for the right words to settle my uneasiness. Then out of nowhere she gave me this devilish grin as if a lightbulb had just gone off in her head. “Why don’t you just take the day off? My plane doesn’t leave till four this afternoon. We can sleep in and make love the entire afternoon. I’ll even make you breakfast in bed. What do you say?” She kept on grinning.
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