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“Not just any doctor but an anesthesiologist, specifically. The reason? Shannon’s mom.”
“Was she an anesthesiologist?”
Aliyah nodded. “My seventh-grade summer, I was selected for a math-and-science program that paired students from different schools to work on a project together. I was paired with this geeky, slightly chubby girl named Shannon. We were best friends from day one. So much so that she invited me to her birthday party. She lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. That train ride took me to another world and changed my life.
“After that day, I spent several more at her house. One time we were in her room and I was asking how her family lived the way they did. Where they got so much money. Her mother was walking by and answered, ‘We worked for it.’ I asked her what she did and she told me that she was an anesthesiologist. Right then and there, I decided that’s what I’d be, too. Of course, had I known that such a declaration was going to cost me twelve additional years of my life after high school, I would have chosen Shannon’s father’s career instead.”
“What did he do?”
“Worked in finance. On Wall Street. He’s retired now. They both are. Shannon still lives in the home I visited but her parents spend most of their time in their villa in France.”
“Do you like what you do?”
“I love it. Money and the lavish lifestyle I saw at Shannon’s house is what sparked my interest. The satisfaction I found during the educational journey to my goal is what’s kept me here.”
“You’ve accomplished a lot. As a single mother, it couldn’t have been easy.”
“I’m not used to easy. Anytime I think of quitting I remember those on the block who chose differently, and are no longer with us. I never want Kyle to experience what I saw growing up. He’s my motivation.”
Dinner arrived. The conversation changed. From the appetizer to dessert, the food was as decadent as Aliyah’s thoughts had been ever since Terrell’s promise to satisfy her. They left the restaurant, and just when she thought the night couldn’t get any better Terrell surprised her with tickets and backstage passes to see one of her favorite artists, Janelle Monáe. The show was rocking, so much so that Aliyah was almost able to ignore all the attention Terrell received from the ladies. Even if she were interested in a serious relationship, which she wasn’t, Terrell wouldn’t be on her short list. Relationships were hard enough. One with walking temptation wrapped around fifty shades of sexy would be impossible.
After spending time with the singer backstage, Terrell placed his arm around Aliyah and pulled her to his side. They walked toward the exit. “Ms. Robinson?”
She placed an arm around his waist. “Yes?”
“Have you enjoyed the evening so far?”
“Are you kidding? This has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“It makes me happy to hear that.”
“I’m happy that you’re happy.”
He stopped and turned to her. “Then only one question remains.”
“What’s that?”
“Should our next destination be the airport, to take you home and kiss you good-night at the door, or my place here in San Francisco, away from Paradise Cove’s prying eyes?”
She leaned into him. “Mr. Drake, I want you to take me wherever you can fulfill your promise of leaving me fully satisfied.”
They couldn’t reach the Drake place fast enough.
“Wow.” Aliyah stepped inside, immediately noticing the city view from their high perch in the hills. “This is beautiful.”
Terrell came up behind her, kissing her temple as he wrapped her in his arms. “So is this.”
She turned into him, desire in her eyes. The evidence of his desire was a little farther down.
“You know what I’ve been wanting to do all night?”
“Probably the same thing on my mind.”
Their heads moved in unison toward a mutual destination. The kiss was soft, purposeful, their lips rubbing against each other in a casual get-to-know. Terrell’s hands went on a journey of discovery, meandering over her shoulders, down her back and to the top of bootyliciousness. Aliyah, who at five-five had always preferred a tall man, relished how her five-inch heels made it possible to easily wrap her arms around his neck. With a swipe of her tongue against his lips, she intensified the exchange.
He sucked it in, an act that weakened her knees.
After a long moment, they came up for air. Terrell mumbled against her hair, “Damn, you feel good.”
“So do you.”
“You taste good.”
“Mmm.”
“I want to taste more of you.”
“What are you waiting for?”
He grabbed her hand and led them to the couch. Once seated, he pulled her to his lap. The fit was perfect, as if they’d been designed for each other. The kiss resumed—slower, hotter, wetter. Tongues twirling, slow and easy, hips grinding in the same rhythm. Terrell caressed Aliyah’s arm, running his hand down the length of it, coming back up to cup her breast. Seconds more, and he eased down the fabric and palmed the warm flesh beneath. His thumb brushed against a rapidly hardening nipple. Aliyah arched her back, encouraging him to move faster, to take more. Instead he stopped, hugging her tightly before sitting back to look into her eyes.
“What?”
“Girl, I don’t know what it is about you. You’ve got me so turned on!”
“And that’s a problem.”
“No. I just...”
“Just what.”
“I just want to make sure that you’re ready for this. That this is what you want.”
“You gave me a choice. I’m still happy with the one I made.”
“I want you, too. But I don’t want something done in the heat of the moment to change how we are with each other. I like you. I want you. But I also respect you. I don’t want you to feel bad afterward.”
Aliyah rolled off of him and stood. “Look,” she began, pulling her top over her head and tossing it on the floor. “We are two clear-thinking, intelligent, consenting adults who came here for the same reason.” She reached behind her and unclasped her bra. It joined her top on the floor. Her breasts swayed invitingly, nipples protruding in invitation to be licked. She undid her jeans button and unzipped them before sitting on the couch to remove her shoes. “There will be no regrets, no guilt trips and no expectations. I am as uninterested in a steady relationship as I’m sure you are. Now—” she raised her legs to him “—will you help me take off these jeans and show me what that mouth is good at besides talking?”
She watched his eyes light up and become predatory as he reached for first one leg of her jeans and then the other, removing denim to reveal smooth, flawless skin that reminded him of a favorite childhood drink. Hot chocolate. He stood. She watched. His eyes never left hers as he removed his shoes, shirt and pants. Placing his hands on the band of his boxers, he paused just a moment before pulling them down and stepping out of them in one fluid motion.
“Oh, my goodness,” Aliyah cooed, staring unabashedly at eight thick inches of penis perfection. “Is that all for me?”
“All for you, baby. Sit back.”
He started at her toes. No preamble, no warning. Just sucked one into his mouth. So nasty, yet so decadently nice. Leisurely placed kisses continued from her ankle to her knee, up the outer and inner sides of thigh. She spread her legs in invitation, though there was none needed. His index finger was already working itself between her thong’s elastic edge, already teasing her moistening folds as his tongue teased the slip of satin covering her treasure. Aliyah hissed and moaned, swirling her hips against his tongue to increase the friction and douse her desire.
Her actions were rewarded when Terrell slipped his tongue beneath the thong and kissed the satin of her skin. Lapping, nipping, licking, tasting her over and again. Aliyah threw back her head in ecstasy. The man was a maestro, playing her passion with precision and skill. Sweet torture that she wanted to stop, that she hoped would go on forever.
But she wanted more.
“Stand up.”
No answer. His tongue was busy doing other things. She chuckled, placed her hands on the sides of his head and gently pulled him away from her. “Stand up.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Just do it.”
He complied. In an instant Aliyah was on her knees, fondling the massive weapon that had made her mouth water. She licked its length, outlined the perfect mushroom tip with her tongue, took him in, slowly, fully.
“Aliyah.” Spoken like a promise, or a prayer. “Baby...” He pulled back. “You’re driving me crazy. I’ve got to be inside you, now.”
He reached for protection and then sat on the couch. Aliyah climbed on top of him and slowly, oh, so slowly, eased down on his massive shaft, allowing the delicious friction to heat up her insides. He pulled a nipple into his mouth and reverently cupped the butt that began this journey. Squeezing. Kneading. Grinding. Thrusting. Hard and fast, then slow and easy. Riding one wave of ecstasy after another, resting only long enough to ride again.
Later, they moved to the master suite, where the vastness of the four-poster, king-size bed offered a whole new realm of possibilities. They explored them all, each matching the other’s voracious appetite with their own unbridled enthusiasm. Each had clearly met their match.
When Aliyah returned to earth from a shattering climax that brought her near tears, she cuddled in the crook of Terrell’s arm, listening as his own heartbeat slowed and returned to normal.
“Terrell.”
“Yes, Ms. Robinson.”
“That was frickin’ amazing.”
He laughed, pulled her even closer. “So you’re saying I took care of you properly?”
“Yeah, you were all right.” Said in that lazy, drawn-out way she’d heard the teens do it.
This answer lifted his head from the pillow. “Just all right?”
“Yes.” He grunted. She smiled into the darkness, doubting his sexual prowess had been called anything less than amazing his entire life. If indeed it had happened, whoever said it had lied. “Terrell?”
“Yes, Aliyah.”
“Can you be all right again in the morning?”
His deep-throated chuckle was the last thing she heard before falling asleep.
Chapter 5
He awoke to her lips kissing his manhood, her glory spread before him like a gourmet buffet.
“Good morning!” he said.
She purred, occupied.
“You sure know how to wake a man up.”
She knew how to do more than that. Working magic with her tongue and fingers caused all talk to cease until after they’d showered. After drying off, they strode down the stairs in their toned, naked glory and retrieved the clothes that last night had been tossed aside.
Terrell reached for his boxers. “What do you want for breakfast?” She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Girl, stop!”
“Ha!”
“Dang! I never thought I’d meet someone who liked sex more than I do.”
“I would apologize for wearing you out but truthfully, I’m not at all sorry.” She zipped up her jeans and reached for her bra. “It had been a while.”
“I could tell.”
“Shut up!”
They laughed, sharing a comfortable camaraderie that some couples never experienced, even after being together for years.
“Seriously, though. What do you feel like eating?”
“Something quick. I want to spend the afternoon with Kyle.”
“Hey, why don’t the two of you come over for brunch?”
“You cook?”
He put up his hands. “Oh, no. I’m allergic to the kitchen. I’m talking about coming over to my parents’ house, where we have brunch every Sunday.”
She smiled. “No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
“Um, this isn’t a meeting-the-family kind of situation, remember?”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that. Friends get invited over all the time.”
She gave him a look. “Even more reason not to be woman number whatever showing up.”
“Wait! Not those kinds of friends.”
“Then what kinds of friends?”
“Friends who I really like. Not just anyone. I don’t invite booty calls over to my mama’s house, for instance.”
“Something tells me that to do that your mama would have to have a really big house.”
“Ha!”
“I appreciate the invite but would rather grab something quick and casual on the way to the airport. Are we leaving now?”
“Wow, she uses me all night long, wrings every ounce of strength from my body, then tosses me aside with the first light of morning.”
“No, I used you some more at the first light of morning. It’s almost ten o’clock.” Sliding on her shoe, she walked over and gave him a peck on the lips. “I’m going to use the restroom and then I’ll be ready to go.”
Terrell reached for his phone to call the pilot, shaking his head as he watched Aliyah leave the room.
A short time later they arrived at the airport, takeout orders from an organic café in hand. Stan greeted them cheerfully. “Breakfast for me? Terrell, you shouldn’t have.”
“Good. Because I didn’t.” They laughed. “Give me a minute to heat this up and get situated, all right?”
“Sure. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
Ten minutes later they were in the air, speeding toward Paradise Cove...and reality.
“That was delicious.” Aliyah finished off the last of her egg white omelet and swiped her mouth with a napkin. “Everything about this weekend was oh-so tasty!” She reached over and placed a hand on Terrell’s arm. “Thanks again for inviting me out. It was just the date I needed. The last few months have been busy—securing the job, finding a house, moving across country. And that’s after a jam-packed schedule, four years of killer courses to get my degree.” She sighed, looked away. “And everything else.” A second, and then she turned back to him. “I didn’t realize how long it had been since I totally relaxed and enjoyed myself. But I was able to do that with you.”
“I’m happy that you’re happy, and enjoyed myself as well.”
She pulled out her phone and they were both soon busy texting, answering messages and emails that last night had been ignored. Casual conversation flowed in between, making the forty-five-minute flight back home seem much shorter.
They landed. He walked her to her car, shared a quick kiss and hug. Terrell opened her door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“How so?”
“Your son. The center. Our tutoring and activity program?”
“Actually, no. I came to enroll him and scope out the place. Since everything I saw met with my approval—” she paused, giving him a slow once-over “—Lauren, his babysitter, will likely handle it from here on out.”
“Then when am I going to see you?”
“Soon.” She got into her car, gave a quick wave and was gone. He watched her car turn on to the street and speed away, and wondered why his heart seemed to go with her.
He knew just who to call for the answer, and wasn’t surprised when just as he thought this, his phone rang. That whole twin-radar, two-halves-of-the-same-whole sort of thing. He tapped the speaker button. “Tee.”
“Hey, Tee.” It was his sister, Teresa.
“I was just getting ready to call you.”
“I know. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this weekend?”
“No trouble, sis.”
“That’s not the vibe I’m getting. Who is she?”
“The mother of one of the new students at the center. Her name is Aliyah.”
“All right, Silky.”
“Ha!” It had been a while since Terrell had heard this high school nickname. “What made you call me that?”
“Hearing that Cindy was divorced and living back in PC. Remember that cheer she made up after hearing that was your nickname?” She adopted a high-pitched voice. “Terrell Drake, with all the moves, a voice like silk and twice as smooth.”
“Please, sis. Spare me the memory. Crazy that you brought it up, though. I ran in to her while meeting Aliyah for dinner.”
“Was she pushy, as usual?”
“She basically invited herself to join us for dinner. What would you call it?”
“Ha! Cindy was in love with Silky.”
“Girl, stop.”
“What about the rule we made? Don’t reach where you teach!”
“I wasn’t reaching.”
“What, she kidnapped you?”
“She gave me a second chance to make a first impression, which led to a third one.”
“What was her first impression? Never mind, just start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
“Well, sis, it all started when I turned the corner and saw this wonderful behind.”
“Oh, Lord.”
“Perfectly proportioned on this amazing body.”
“And you just had to have her phone number.”
“As one of the center’s volunteer faculty, it was my duty to follow up on the new enrollee and make sure all had been handled properly. That’s all...”
“Oh, so that’s what was on your mind? Duty? I thought it was booty.”
Terrell could only laugh at the truth. He continued, filling her in on how he got busted and why he felt he at least owed her dinner. How cool and down to earth Aliyah was and how conversation flowed.
“Before the first date was over, I knew I wanted a second one. She did, too, but not in Paradise Cove.”
“With Cindy’s tactless antics, who could blame her?”
“I was glad she felt that way.”
“Unlike all the others in PC, who’d make sure your date was somewhere public where everybody would know they’d been with a Drake.”
“Well, you know.”
“Unfortunately, yes, I do.”
Terrell chuckled. “Anyway, last night we went to San Francisco. Dinner, concert, a night on the hill. I’m driving home from the airport now.”
“Sounds like a top-tier Drake date. What didn’t she like?”
“She loved it. Said it was the best time she’d had in a while.”
“Oh, so now you’re afraid she’ll stalk you at the center, wanting exclusivity?”
“No, exactly the opposite. She made it clear that this was just a sex thing, basically—wouldn’t even accept my invitation to Sunday brunch.”
“Wow, Tee, she sounds like you!”
“I knew you’d say that.”
“Because it’s true!”
“The way she dismissed me, so casually, made me feel like a used piece of meat. I need to call every girl I sent home after the deed was done and apologize.”
“No apology needed if that’s all they expected. Clearly that’s what your girl thought last night. But from the sound of your voice and the words left unspoken, you might be the one who ends up stalking her!”
“Tee?”
“What?”
“Go wrestle a bear.”
“Ha! I love you, too. And for the record while I’ve grown to love Alaska, I’m still afraid of the wild.”
“No matter what, Tee, you’ll always be city. I need to run. Tell Atka I said what’s up.”
“Will do.”
Chapter 6
Aliyah signed out of her FaceTime account, happy that she’d been able to see and speak to her whole family. These days, finding her parents and four siblings all home at the same time was rare. It made her miss New York, but it also allowed her to see that all of her hard work was paying off. She hadn’t gone to college and blazed a trail of success just for herself. She’d done it so that the four hardheads looking up to her—three brothers and one sister, all younger—could have a clear example of how to avoid life’s pitfalls and go for one’s dreams. The two oldest brothers were excelling in college. The younger brother and sister still made her nervous, entranced by the smoke and mirrors of quick money and instant success. Gangs constantly courted her six-foot-plus brother. Pretty-boy tough guys wanted to date her gorgeous sixteen-year-old sister. Avoiding neighborhood temptations was hard. But so far, they’d succeeded.
After a final check on Kyle, Aliyah turned out the lights and climbed into a bed that suddenly felt too big and too empty. She’d stayed busy on purpose, had filled her entire day with one project or event after another. All to keep her mind occupied and not think of Terrell. But now, with the house quiet, and her lying down, images and memories of San Francisco assailed her. She couldn’t ignore them as she’d done to Terrell’s earlier phone call. Thinking of the message he’d left made her tingle and smile at the same time. It was simple. Three words. They’d thrummed like a mantra in her head all day.
I want more.
She did, too. And she planned to get it, as much as she could. Hands down, he was the best she’d ever even dreamed about having. If he were a drug, she’d need rehab. Already. After just a few days. So she needed to find a way to assuage her appetite while guarding her heart. She wasn’t looking for commitment. If she were, someone like Terrell Drake would not be a likely candidate. It’s why she’d never considered a serious relationship with her childhood friend, turned lover. He was tall, handsome and virile, with enough charisma to fill the Atlantic—characteristics that were great for a good time and a roll in the hay. Not the best for a committed relationship. She never worried about Ernest. Turned out he was an arrogant, superficial, self-centered a-hole. But as far as she knew, he was faithful. Even jerks could have one good trait.
She changed positions, fluffed her pillow and settled down in search of sleep. As it came, the mantra continued.
I want more.
The next morning, Aliyah’s phone rang at 7:00 a.m. Given her family lived on the east coast, this was not an unusual occurrence. She reached over, eyes still closed, and answered.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Ms. Robinson.”
Her eyes flew open. “Terrell?”
“I wish I could say I’m sorry for waking you up, but what I really feel bad about is that I’m not there with you.”
“You’re such a playboy,” she said with a chuckle, rolling over and getting out of bed. She left the room in search of tea.
“Is that what I am?”
“Absolutely.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Where do I start? It could be that woman-magnet sports car you drive. Or the daggers shot at me by every woman who saw us together in the Cove Café. Or better yet, what about the woman who invited herself to our table?”
“Hey...”
“No, wait, I’m not done. Let’s not leave out the lover’s lair you own in San Francisco and perhaps in other major cities as well. Lastly, add a handsome face, a killer bod and skills in the bedroom and you have all the attributes of the perfect player.”
A pause and then, “Are you done now?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“Good. Because your reasoning is skewed.”
“How so?”
“Just because a man takes care of himself and has nice things doesn’t mean he’s a playboy. As for what happened in the café, that’s just small-town nosiness and Cindy being Cindy.
“Yours was a new, unrecognized face in a town where everyone knows everybody, and everyone wants to know my business. Your being with me made you my business. I’m sure the grapevine is still buzzing with questions about who you are.”
“Hmm.”
“And for the record, the house in San Francisco is not my lair. It is a family property. We all stay there when in town, as do some of our friends and colleagues. However, I do not apologize for being particularly fond of the opposite sex, and especially interested in the one I’m talking to right now, the one who didn’t return my call from yesterday.”
“Terrell, it’s early in the morning. You hardly gave me a chance.”
“Whenever you see my number on the screen, you are to call me back immediately.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’m going to come over and spank you just right, and love you ’til you holler and throw up both your hands.”
She laughed. “Don’t you have to be at work or something?”
“I’m already here. What about you? Are your hours as erratic as I hear they can be for medical doctors?”
“Right now, even more so. Tuesday through Thursday I’m in residency at UC Davis Medical Center, then I intern at a local hospital, Living Medical, on Monday and Friday. And there’s still studying to do on top of all that. Which is why this past weekend was so appreciated.”