Love So Heavenly (A Clean Christian African American Romance)

by Shannon Gardener

  “What will you be doing?” he asked her huskily. He had not touched her but it felt like he had.

  “Shopping with my girlfriend and going to church.” She replied; her breath caught inside her throat. He was too near.

  “I will be staying home and trying to forget about you,” he told her bluntly, causing her to look up at him startled. “I don’t know if that will work, but it’s worth a try,”

  “Don’t,” she murmured. “You’re my boss.”

  “I have told myself that a thousand times and it’s not working.” He lifted a hand and gently traced her cheek. Faith wanted to step back but she could not – it was as if she had been turned to stone.

  “Try harder,” she whispered.

  “I can’t, I don’t want to,” he murmured, pulling her towards him. “I have wanted to do this ever since you marched inside here that afternoon demanding a job.” He bent his head and tasted her lips; his movements slow and unhurried. Faith sighed and opened her lips under his. He acted; plunging his tongue inside her mouth. Faith leaned against him weakly, one hand going to the front of his shirt as she returned his kiss with fervor. With a groan he pulled her closer in his arms; his erection obvious against her.

  With a muffled oath, he pushed her away from him; his breathing labored; his hands burrowing through his hair. “Go please,” he told her achingly.

  Faith hesitated for a moment and then turned and left; her legs unsteady. She sat outside in the car for what seemed like an eternity, just trying to get back her bearings. His mouth was still branded on hers and she could still feel his body against hers.

  She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly. She had never been in a relationship with a man before – mostly because she had never seen one she wanted to spend time with; not even in church and she had been too busy trying to carve out a career for herself and spending as much time as possible with her mother.

  But now, Joshua had stirred up feelings inside her that she had not thought possible; and she had broken the cardinal rule: Never have anything sexual to do with someone you work with; most of all your boss.

  *****

  Joshua stared at her through the window. He watched as she eventually fired up the engine and backed out of the small parking lot. And all the time he had wanted to go out there and haul her out of the car and finish what they had started; but he stayed put – it was not a good idea to get involved with someone working for him and most of all she was a child of God and that meant wedding bells would soon be chiming. He raked a hand through his hair; stifling a groan as he remembered how she felt against him and how much he had wanted to take her right there on his desk; as cliché as that sounded.

  Taking a deep breath; he made a resolution that from now on he was going to be professional. She was doing such a good job – he could not afford to lose her – all he had to do was curb his libido – God help him.

  Chapter 4

  “You’re quiet. What’s eating you?” Maureen asked curiously, giving her friend a puzzled glance. They had started at ten o’clock and it was now nearing noon and they still had not found anything suitable.

  “Just tired, I guess. Business is picking up.” Faith forced a smile on her stiff lips. She had not been able to sleep; her body betraying her and leaving her aching for a man who was her boss.

  “You’re sure that’s all?” Maureen persisted.

  “I am sure,” Faith told her firmly. “How about this one?” she asked, determined to turn the conversation away from her. They had come to their fourth store and were looking through the racks. She held up a simple off-white dress with three quarter sleeves and flared skirt with lace overlaid.

  “It’s perfect,” Maureen gasped, grabbing the dress from her friend’s hands. “I love it! Hopefully they have it in my size.” She was always bemoaning the fact that not only had Faith gotten the looks but the shape as well, leaving people like her with little or nothing to work with. She hurried into the changing room and Faith went through the clothes rack aimlessly, determined to keep from thinking of Joshua. Maybe she should start calling him by his surname to make it less personal.

  Maureen came out of the changing room and struck a pose. The dress looked as if it was made for her. The fabric clung and hugged her ample figure in all the right places. She had gone through all the usual excitement when she had first gotten married and it had not worked out – this time she was determined to let it stay simple.

  “Perfect,” Faith said in admiration, giving the girl’s straight shoulder length hair a critical once over. “You’re going to need to cut your hair.”

  “How short?” Maureen asked suspiciously, her hand going to her light brown hair.

  “Not too short, don’t worry,” Faith grinned at her. “You need to live a little, I am sure Mark will appreciate it.”

  “I am already living fine, thank you.” She retorted, going back into the changing room to take off the dress.

  They paid for the dress and Faith bought a few blouses and pants to wear to work; then they left to go and have lunch.

  “I can’t believe I am getting married again,” Maureen said shaking her head as she dipped a fry in the ketchup on her plate. She had been toying with going on a diet but had given it up after two days.

  “Try and remember that this is going to be different than the first one,” Faith reminded her; sipping from her glass of lemonade. She had decided to have the baked chicken and wild rice.

  “I know,” Maureen said with a wave of her hand. “But it’s just that I had sworn I would never be tied down to a man this way again.”

  “You love him don’t you?”

  “I have never loved anyone more except Jesus but my first marriage was so awful that I tremble sometimes to even consider going through it again.” Maureen shook her head.

  “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Faith murmured.

  “I hate it when you quote your mother,” Maureen told her dryly.

  “I am actually quoting the Bible,” Faith grinned impishly. “It’s just that Mom was always saying we do not know what the future holds so we should never say this or that won’t happen.”

  “You’re right I guess,” Maureen agreed. “Mark is such a gentle soul and he loves me very much – here’s to second chances,” she grinned raising her glass of iced tea.

  “To second chances,” Faith murmured, touching her glass against her friend’s. They finished eating and left. Maureen said she was going to meet Mark to discuss the seating arrangements and Faith drove home with the intention of doing some tidying up.

  *****

  Monday morning came quickly. She had gone to church the day before and had helped out with the youth group which had been her mother’s department and it always brought back poignant memories and left her feeling sad and alone. She had declined the invitation from Maureen and Mark to have dinner with them because she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She had ended the day by cooking macaroni and cheese and then retired at seven thirty.

  She glanced briefly in the mirror to check her appearance. She had decided to wear one of the blouse she had bought on Saturday, a bold green and blue print with short sleeves and earrings to match with green pants and blue shoes.

  He was there already and Faith felt her heart skip a beat as she stared at him. He was wearing a light blue long sleeved dress shirt and black pants and she found herself remembering his hands holding her against him. With a determined lifting of her chin, she strode over to her desk, her heels making a clicking sound on the glossy tiles. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully, dumping her oversized pocket book on the desk.

  “Good morning,” he answered; his hazel eyes following her movements as she slid around her desk. He continued staring puzzled as she bent her head and closed her eyes; her lips moving silently.

  “What was that?” he asked as soon as she was finished.

  “I was praying,” she told him casually, booting up her computer. His eyes were caught on her
blue green earrings as she moved her head to look for something on her desk.

  “I see,” he said, apparently lost for words. “You do that much?”

  “Pretty much,” she answered, stopping to look at him.

  “Oh,” he looked at her for a moment and then turned to go inside his office. “Oh that Gladys lady called a few minutes ago to find out if you had found anything for her yet.” He said as soon as he reached the door.

  “What did you tell her?” Faith asked, avoiding his eyes.

  “I told her I would let you call her as soon as you came in,” he told her nonchalantly.

  “Why don’t you say it?” Faith demanded.

  “Say what?” he asked casually, leaning against the door jamb, his heavy brows raised. “That I was right, there was no way you will ever find someone to employ her?”

  “Never is a long time,” Faith told him flippantly, reaching for her list of things to do and her phone book. “And you have an eleven o’clock appointment with the CEO of that manufacturing company; maybe you could ask if they wanted a well-qualified accountant while you’re at it.”

  “I am going to do no such thing,” he told her firmly, turning and going into his office. This time he did not close the door and Faith shook her head and smiled, men.

  The day was very busy. They had acquired quite a few customers; most of them walk in and several had called over the phone to make inquiries. She had called Gladys back and told her to hang in there she was still looking for something for her and she was sure that she would soon find it. The woman sounded so heartened that Faith found herself hoping and praying she would hear of something very soon.

  She made a folder of the company’s particulars including the amount of clients they had managed to find jobs for and handed it to Joshua as he was heading out.

  “What’s this?” he asked, pulling on a matching lightweight jacket to his pants.

  “Something you need for your meeting,” she told him, also handing him a small packet with business cards. “You can hand out some of those when you get there – you never know. Oh, and remember to mention Gladys.” She added, careful to avoid looking at him.

  “Thanks,” he told her. He hesitated before leaving causing Faith to look at him curiously.

  “You are quite an asset, do you know that?”

  “Of course I do,” Faith said with a grin, her dimples peeking out, causing his heart to do a somersault. “Now go before you're running late.” She said waving him away and turning back to the computer screen.

  It was almost one o’clock before she realized she had not eaten anything since hurriedly gulping down coffee and French toast this morning. She went into the small kitchenette and poured herself some coffee and grabbed a croissant from the tray of baked goods a grateful Mrs. Fuller from Fuller’s Bakery had delivered just this morning. Faith had sent her a girl whom she said was perfect. For the moment, the office was empty and she had turned down the jazzy music that had been playing all morning and just sat at her desk and took a breath. It was a very tiring and hectic job but she loved it and she found herself smiling at how she had practically bulldozed herself into the place and in two weeks had made her stamp. Her mother would have been so proud.

  Joshua came in and found her with her head resting against the back rest of her chair. Her eyes popped open as soon as the door opened and stared at him. Her guard was down and she looked vulnerable like a very young girl, her eyes limpid with drowsiness. “How was the meeting?” she asked him as he stood just inside the doorway.

  “We have a new client,” he told her slowly coming over to her desk with a paper bag in his hand.

  “That’s great!” she exclaimed, every ounce of drowsiness disappearing as she sat up excitedly. “Did you ask him about Gladys?”

  “I did,” he smiled, he could not help it, her enthusiasm was contagious. He handed her the bag and the savory smell wafted and tantalized her taste buds.

  “What’s this?” she asked, peeking inside the bag.

  “Fast food.” He told her with a grin. “I figured you would be hungry.”

  “I am,” she eagerly dove into the bag and took out a juicy burger. “What did he say about Gladys?”

  He watched in amusement as she bit into the burger without thought of delicacy. “He wants her to come in and he will place her as an accounting clerk.”

  She gave a whoop of joy and putting the burger down she got up and flung her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his hair roughened cheek. It was only when she noticed how stiff he had gone that she realized she had behaved totally inappropriately. She stepped back immediately and sat back down, avoiding his eyes. “Thanks,” she murmured demurely, picking up a fry and nibbled on it.

  “No problem,” he told her softly, “You can call her and tell her to be there tomorrow at nine.” With that he strode inside his office, leaving her staring miserably at her half eaten meal. Before she had time to think too much about what had happened; two people came in and she went and dealt with them and before long she was caught up inputting some information into the computer.

  She called Gladys and gave her the good news and the woman tearfully told her thanks so many times that Faith had to tell her enough.

  She got a call for Joshua and sent it through to his office and called a company to place a few temps. It was almost six o’clock before she finally finished and she knocked on his door to let him know she was leaving.

  He opened the door and came out; leaning against the doorjamb; his hands in his pockets. “You look tired,” he observed, searching her face.

  “Thanks,” Faith said dryly, a hand going to her hair that had fallen out of the bun she had piled on top of her head.

  “Don’t be so touchy,” he drawled. “Even tired you still look beautiful; nothing could change that.”

  “You need to stop talking to me that way,” she told him, backing up a little.

  “I told myself that over the weekend.” He straightened up from his relaxed pose and came towards her. “In fact, I told myself that you’re the employee and I am the employer and never the twain shall meet but I was fighting a losing battle.” He was right in front of her. “You’re too beautiful for my piece of mind,” he lifted her chin; his eyes taking in her beautiful coffee and cream skin and large dark eyes. “I dream about you,” he continued, rubbing a thumb against her full lower lip, causing her to tremble. “I think about you and argue with myself about the absurdity of doing what I am thinking of doing right now. Tell me to stop,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please.”

  But she couldn’t. She could not say a word if her life depended on it. He bent forward and took her lips with his; his breath feathering against her mouth as he delved inside her mouth. Faith felt as if she was about to collapse and he pulled her closer to him; half lifting her as he attacked her mouth as if he was a man starving and in need of sustenance. Her arms went around his neck and with a muffled oath he wrapped his arms around her small waist. He put her away from him a little bit only to reach his hand inside her blouse and cup her breast straining at her bra. Faith shuddered as his finger rubbed her nipple and she whimpered; not knowing what she wanted but realizing she needed more. He bent his head and took the hardened nipple inside his mouth pulling on it and rolling it between his tongue. Faith cried out, her head thrown back, her hands buried into his soft hair.

  He broke away abruptly, his breathing shallow, his hands clenched at his sides. “I want you so much I am having a hard time thinking straight,” he told her tightly. “Come home with me and let me love you.”

  Faith felt the fog lifting from her brain and holding down her head she started to button up her blouse. “I can’t,” she told him huskily, her hands unsteady as she tried to put the button inside the hole.

  “Why?” he demanded.

  “I don’t have to give you an answer,” she told him, her head lifting. “I don’t owe you anything.”

  “We can’t go on like this Faith,” he told h
er tightly.

  “Do you want me to leave?” she asked, staring at him defiantly.

  “No,” he told her wearily. “I don’t want you to leave but you must know what is happening between us – we are like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.”

  “I’ll just be at my professional best from now and keep my distance,” she told him decidedly.

  Joshua stared at her incredulously and then he burst out laughing. “If you think that is going to make us stop thinking about each other then you must be very naïve.” He told her dryly.

  She bent her head and bit her lip. “It won’t?” she asked.

  “Of course not; don’t you know?” he asked looking at her puzzled. Then understanding dawned as she continued to stare down at her hands.

  “Dammit!” he exploded, causing her to jump a little. “You’ve never been with a man have you?”

  “So what?” Faith said defensively; twisting her hands in front of her. He had come over and stood in front of her, lifting her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

  “So that when we make love I’ll know to be gentle,” he told her softly.

  Faith stared at him as if mesmerized. She had expected him to say that making love to a virgin was totally out of the picture so he had thrown her for a loop.

  “We are not going to,” she whispered.

  “We are,” he answered, his hand holding her chin gently. “It’s only a matter of when. Go home Faith before I forget you’re a virgin and my office is not the proper place for your first time.”

  Faith stepped back and without saying a word, she fled. She got home in record time and flung herself on her bed, her body trembling in the aftermath of the onslaught of his mouth on her nipples. She kept reliving the experience over and over in her head and could not believe that he had such an effect on her. She had been kissed a few times before but nothing could compare to the way he made her feel. With a ragged sigh she got up and pulled off her clothes, wincing as her bra rubbed against her sensitive nipple.