by Taylor Love
“Yeah, what?”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Same here, and that makes four things I’ve agreed with you on tonight. I must be incoherent.”
“Obviously.” She was grinning ear to ear. “Get some rest, like immediately okay. Let me know when you arrive safe tomorrow.”
“Can do. Good night Professor.”
Hanging up, Janae finished the rest of her glass, doing a silent toast to his accomplishment. The conversation had her keyed up for several reasons, so maybe the alcohol would help her sleep. The validation that he wanted to see her still made her giddy. Soon she would be able to kiss his lips, be held in his strong arms—Janae couldn’t freaking wait!
Chapter Twenty
THE WEEKS FLEW BY AND before she knew it the Saturday date night had arrived! Janae picked a place in his city, making him joke it was because the food was better in Southfield, but that wasn’t why. Janae was hoping the date would end in bed, but he didn’t need to know that. Her mother always said keep a man guessing at least a little.
Truth be told, she was also curious about his place. A person’s living style could tell you a lot about their personality. Your home was your solace after all. She knew her space reflected her simple taste. Decorated with clean lines and muted colors in most of the rooms, though her bathroom and office showed another side of her. Bright and even whimsical is how she would describe it. Her mother hated the stark contrast to the rest of the house, but that was neither here nor there. Her mind was focused on knocking the socks off, literally of the man she was driving to meet.
Janae had declined his offer to pick her up. In her mind she was going to his spot tonight, not the other way around. Giving in to a hint of vainness, she went shopping for a dress to impress him. Rationally she knew there was suitable stuff in her packed closet. But it was something empowering about buying something new that gave a woman confidence. So the suggestive red drape dress gracing her body was just the thing to get her excited, and she was optimistic it would do the same for Damond.
It had a V-neck that was just shy of being scandalous and a surplice knot at the waist, drawing attention to the flair of her hips. The material was clingy but not skintight, moving with the motion of her body. She loved it! Shella had given it a thumbs up when Janae sent it to her before buying.
The dress was short sleeved which was a gamble with Michigan’s April weather, but she did have a wrap in the car since most restaurants were chilly. She wanted to be sexy, not uncomfortable. Janae arrived early to Bacco Ristorante, nervous at the possibility of being late. Not wanting him to even consider she would stand him up. After texting him she was in the parking lot, Damond asked where she was parked so he could walk her in.
She had lucked up on a spot in the front, near the door, informing him that if he was nearby he might get the empty spot next to her. Less than a minute later his familiar car pulled in. Sending him a quick wave, Janae had no clue if he could see her through the heavily tinted windows. Why men liked to drive around like they were in the witness protection program she would never know. Stopping the rambling in her own head, Janae stepped out clutching her small purse. His back was to her for a moment as he got out, and she held her breath as he walked over.
“Hi, Damond.”
He didn’t respond, just studied her from the three-inch heeled stiletto’s to her bare legs, up over her fluttering stomach before lingering on her barely contained breasts.
“Fuck dinner.” Were his first words of greeting.
“You know, I was thinking the same thing.” She laughed, the tension broken even while a different kind took its place. “I am hungry...but not for anything in that restaurant.”
Just then a light sprinkle of rain started to fall but neither reacted.
“You’re getting all wet. Where’s your umbrella?” Damond’s voice was thick, taken over with lust.
“Doesn’t matter, I was already wet anyway...”
He tried to snatch her close, but she evaded those talented hands. Knowing that once they touched, public decency would fly out the window.
“Damond, I really think we should go to your spot, before any contact takes place.”
“You are a really smart lady. Follow me, I’m about ten minutes up the road.”
JANAE FELT LIKE A LIVE wire as she followed close behind him on Ten Mile. Apparently, he was as excited as she was because he ran a yellow light twice. She hoped neither of them got pulled over. Not worried about getting a ticket, she just didn’t want to get delayed from getting to his bed, floor, couch—wherever they ended up.
She couldn’t have written a better scene than what actually happened. She was like a junkie who had been clean for a few months, who suddenly came face to face with their addiction. Where the control you had stored up turned out to be nonexistent. He apparently was her drug of choice and she was getting a hit tonight no matter what!
Damond knew she probably thought he was a nut, running lights and taking corners fast. Honestly, he would have gone faster but he was afraid he’d lose her and didn’t want to waste time giving directions. Shit, he just wanted to be inside her as soon as possible. Damond was glad he’d thrown a condom in his pants pocket, even though it hadn’t made sense at the time. It wasn’t as if he planned to take her on the restaurant table. But hell, his intuition had been telling him it was better to be prepared than lose out on an opportunity.
He was hard enough right now to slide the prophylactic on, and considered doing it at the last light before his house. Would that make him a weirdo or just plain sprung? Like he had zero muthafucking self-control. Damond didn’t really care what it said about him. He just didn’t want to freak her out and ruin anything.
“Go for it, man.”
Hyping himself up he did the deed, glad for his tinted windows so no one could see what he was doing. Handling himself only made it worse, making it more of a task getting his willy back in his dress pants than popping it out had been. Damond had never been so happy to pull into his condo as he was now, despite his brain having to remind his hand to put the car in park as it rolled a little.
“Get a grip.” He mumbled to himself, watching her park.
Hurrying over with the thought to offer his suitcoat as protection since the rain was still coming down, but Janae stepped out with a wrap held over her head so he just took over the duty as he led her quickly to the door. The rain wasn’t falling hard, but still the pair ended up damp by the time he ushered them in. Only to throw his keys and the cape to the floor as he spun her around to claim the mouth he’d been missing in an all-consuming kiss.
They stumbled forward, both divesting themselves of shoes, while she pulled at his tie and attacked his shirt buttons. All in between her throaty laughter and his low growls. He managed to unzip her dress and unhook the bra without breaking the kiss. His suit jacket and shirt were wrenched off his shoulders and when her hand went to the front of his pants they finally drew apart.
She squeezed his manhood softly. “Damond...you never said a proper hello to me.”
“Baby, I’m about to give you the only hello that matters in just a few more seconds.”
He steered her towards the bedroom between more kissing, groping and teasing. Once inside she rid him of his belt allowing his pants to finally drop. Kicking them away Damond backed up enough to tug her dress off, and when it pooled to the floor he was surprised again.
“You don’t have any damn panties on!” Shock vibrated in his voice.
“And you are somehow already strapped up.” Janae observed. “I’d say we’re about even.”
Damond let out a laugh that came from his soul. This vibrant woman could match his wit and was never afraid to challenge him. Pulling her close again his hand parted her thighs to test her earlier statement. She was wet alright, and he was willing and ready.
“You are so fucking hot. So damn sexy.”
Boosting her up until she wrapped those welcoming leg
s around him, Damond guided his cock to her opening and slid home. And by god, that’s exactly what it felt like. Her walls shaping him like it had a memory. Both cried out in contentment, at the long awaited connection.
THEY DIDN’T LEAVE THE bed for a long time, until finally Janae rolled over and groaned.
“I don’t want to get up but the bathroom is calling.”
“The hall to your right, first door.”
“Thanks. Do you have a t-shirt I can slip on?”
“You don’t need one, you’re coming back to this bed.”
“I’d like a shirt please.” She said patiently, ignoring his tone.
“Use whatever you want, my dresser is right there.” Damond scratched his chest. He was drained pun intended, but this time in a good way. They had worn each other out.
“Can you get it for me?”
“Let me get this straight.” He looked at her like she was insane. “You want me to get out of bed to get you a shirt, so you can get out of bed. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why in the world would I d-”
“I’d like to go to the bathroom sometime this year please.” Janae interrupted.
“Damnit.” Mumbling he rolled out of bed, stomping over to the dresser.
He’d been dreading this, the moment she realized his ass was hooked. If tonight was any indication of what regular “outside cabin” Janae was like, then he was in trouble. Just look how she was ordering him about for idiotic stuff, but he wasn’t going out quietly. Tossing her one of his oversized shirts he took a figurative swing.
“Funny, since someone made me get up I suddenly have to use the bathroom myself.”
“Damond!” Janae sputtered, rushing to get the shirt over her head.
By the time she did he was long gone. Sighing with equal parts annoyance and amusement, she got up. Their reunion had exceeded her expectations, because she loved how being around Damond made her feel. No other man so passionately wanted her, told and showed her that she was sexy. It was an ego boost that did wonders for her own sexual confidence and libido.
Walking to the kitchen on a quest for water, she quickly ran a glass from the tap. Parched wasn’t a word that did justice to what she was feeling. The two had taken making up for lost time to another level. Janae would need to replenish all those calories burned. Which was why she was standing there looking in his fridge when he finally joined her.
“Damond, you should be ashamed at how empty this is.”
“I just got back. I emptied it out before I left, so nothing would spoil.”
“You’re been back for two weeks.”
“Yeah, but after a day of sleeping I got back to work. I have two books to revise, remember.”
“I know but still,” she insisted. “I’m hungry for food now.”
“I’ll order us something, what do you want? Most places deliver around here.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to the bathroom. You know what I like.” Janae said while walking off.
Damond decided to order from a rib and chicken place that he knew delivered fast and tasted great. Making sure to get a salad or she’d complain about not having anything healthy to eat. He did know his Janae. Well, he thought he did. Until she came tonight looking like a siren the devil sent to torture him. When she came back wearing his shirt that looked like a nightgown on her, he thought about flipping it up and bending her over. Somehow he managed to just relay what he’d ordered instead, getting a nod of approval at his choices.
“Will you show me around real quick? I’m curious to see the place.”
As he walked her around, she became intrigued. Janae had expected all dark masculine colors and those were here but mixed with bright modern prints on the walls. His furniture even had a funky contemporary vibe going on. She liked it! It really expressed who he was. Daring, confident, creative but conversely muted at times.
“You did a great job decorating your place. It fits you.”
“Thanks.” Damond blew out a breath. “But I didn’t pick most of it.”
“Really? Who did?”
“Veronica.” He said shortly, walking into the bedroom to finally throw on some clothes before the food came.
“Oh...”
“That sounded like a loaded oh, something on your mind?”
“Tell me about your relationship. How’d you meet? You never...talked in detail about her at the cabin.”
“Shit, Janae not much to tell. I met her on one of the rare times I went to a club with a few friends. We hit it off, started dating. Six months later she moved in and started changing everything. It looked good so I left it. That’s it.”
The knock on the door saved her from having to respond, and she let it go as they ate. But in her mind six months kept running through her head. He’d liked his ex-girlfriend enough to let her move in after only six months.
Chapter Twenty-One
JANAE STAYED THE NIGHT and the next day, in which the only clothes she wore was his various shirts. She didn’t get into her dress again until Sunday evening when they finally had dinner at the same restaurant. The food was delicious, and she enjoyed ogling Damond in his dress clothes. The man cleaned up like nobody’s business! He tried to get her to stay another night but she had her own work to do. Her book revisions had only been sent off to her editor recently, which put her behind on her class planning.
So after prying herself from his goodbye kiss, she went home. The month of May hit and they found themselves settling into a routine around her “Intro to Psychology” class which took place Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They usually met at least once during the week on one of her off days for lunch or dinner, often followed by some quality time. Every weekend found them shacking up at one of their homes. Damond had teased her mercilessly about her sunshine inspired bathroom the first time he’d seen it.
Along with classes and her relationship, she had spent weeks accepting and denying changes from the editor. That was before looking over the entire thing again to make sure her corrections hadn’t caused any new mistakes. A week and a half before June rolled in, she was sending the last draft off to the peer-review team and holding her breath for the outcome. She got the input back way quicker than she thought, but was thankful because that meant as June was ending, her book was finally complete and she was able to send it off to the printers. Dr. Janae Williams, Ph.D. had a solo book to her name!
Damond insisted on taking her out to celebrate.
Honestly, she would have preferred to stay home with him and relax with a movie. But she didn’t want to diffuse his enthusiasm and it was nice to have someone besides her family to celebrate her success like their own. This time she picked McVee’s, a place neither had to get really dressed up for. Though she put on a nice sundress that could work as casual or semi dressy. In the middle of dinner she flagged down their waiter and asked if they had any champagne on the menu. When it was brought to the table she turned to Damond.
“I want to make a toast.” She was a little buzzed off the cocktails and it was starting to show.
“You do? This should be interesting.”
“To us! Two authors who completed their books and didn’t kill each other or anyone else.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Damond clinked his glass against hers. “You know, that sounds like a good idea for a book.”
Janae couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Everything sounds like a good idea for a book to you.”
“The price you pay for dating a writer. Plus, don’t act like I don’t see you taking notes from time to time on folks, me mainly. We’re fodder for each other’s work.”
“You’re right, but at least all my research subjects are protected. The lawyers insist on it.”
“Not mine. I’ve definitely killed off some real life folks in my books. Now back to this killer writer. Think about it, every time he gets writer’s block, he takes out his anger and aggression on some unsuspecting person. Or maybe only people who he think
s is stifling his creativity.”
Janae loved hearing the excitement in his voice when a new idea grabbed his attention. He was like a kid who’d just discovered a new flavor of candy.
“Okay, but why can’t it be a woman? I think she’d have more folks to be angry at. Her male competitors who don’t take her seriously, publishers who undervalue her stories. Maybe even fans of her genre that give her a harder time than her counterparts. I got it! It can be an unreasonable bad review that sets her off the first time, in addition to the writer’s block.”
Damond stroked his chin in thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair. Then suddenly sat forward grabbing her hands across the table.
“See this is why I keep you around. That is a great twist. You get into the “why” of the killer’s brain even more easily than I do.”
“Thanks for the compliment...I think,” she said drolly.
“Your welcome.”
Damond leaned over the table giving her a quick kiss, before sitting back down and pulling out his pad to start writing notes. Janae shook her head and smiled before standing up.
“Let me leave you alone with your mistress. Going to the bathroom, be right back.” Getting a nod in response she went off to do her business.
DAMOND KNEW JANAE HATED to see his notebook come out, but also knew she understood. Just like at the cabin he took it everywhere with him. He knew most authors used the recording function on their phones for spur of the moment ideas. Or even the notes app. For whatever reason, he preferred hand writing them down. At the end of the day it didn’t hurt, and gave him a chance to use that neat handwriting his mother had drilled into him.
The only time Damond was guaranteed not to let his mistress, as Janae called it interrupt, was when they were getting down. Once they started on that path nothing distracted him from her. He was feeling really lucky tonight to have found someone who got both him and his writing. While she may have thought a few things annoying, she made an effort to understand and accept that it was just part of his process. The total opposite of Veronica. That woman had complained about the time and focus his writing took from her, that the notebook made her feel in second place.