“Good morning, Opal,” he said in a businesslike tone.
Following his lead, she replied, “Good morning, D’marcus. Welcome back.”
He smiled. “Thank you and it’s good to be back. Please hold all my calls until my meeting is over.”
“Yes, sir.”
She almost laughed out loud when he glared at her. Keeping a straight face, she then said, “Yes, D’marcus, I will do that.”
The meeting lasted all of three hours. When the department heads left, D’marcus remained in his office because he had several important phone calls to return.
Opal went to lunch and, when she returned, the phone system on her desk indicated that D’marcus was still on the phone. Since he had skipped lunch as usual, she had picked him up a sandwich and soda at the deli downstairs.
Easing his door open she stepped into his office to place his lunch on his desk. He glanced up at her and smiled as he continued his phone conversation. She then slipped back out the door, as noiselessly as she had entered.
It was approximately thirty minutes later when he came on the intercom and said, “Opal, will you step into my office for a minute, please.”
She had been in the middle of typing a report. She saved the data and closed down the screen, noticing her hands were shaking. This would be the first time she would face him alone since returning to town after they had become intimate.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked into his office with her notepad in her hand as professionally as she could manage. “Yes, D’marcus?”
She saw that he had finished his lunch and was leaning against the front of his desk. He stared at her for a moment before saying, “Come here for a moment but please lock the door first.”
Her heart began pounding furiously in her chest as she did as he asked, then crossed the room, coming to a stop in front of him. “Yes?”
“Thanks for lunch.”
“You’re welcome.”
He took the notepad from her hand and tossed it on his desk. He then reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. “I missed you,” he said huskily. “Probably more than I really should have.”
She smiled because he actually looked confused at that. “Poor baby,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that I missed you just as much?”
“A little. But I’d really feel a lot better if you give me a kiss to show me just how much you missed me.”
“Umm, I can handle that.”
She leaned forward and brought her lips just inches from his and then she darted her tongue out of her mouth for a quick sweep of his lips. She felt him shudder, heard his quick intake of breath and felt the hardness of his erection pressed against her middle. She smiled and then went in for the kill.
She captured his mouth with hers, hungrily, aggressively, choosing her moves carefully, one stroke at a time, opening herself up to all the emotions she felt. They were emotions she was transferring to her kiss. She knew he felt it when he began responding, proving that, when it came to sexual matters, he was a master.
His tongue captured hers, sucked on it, held it tight, stroked it, did all kinds of erotic things to it. This kiss was what fantasies were based on. It was what dreams were made of. And he was giving both to her. Blood hadn’t flowed this freely in her veins since she’d left California.
Knowing it was time to come up for air, she pulled her mouth away. But not before tracing the outline of his lips with her tongue.
“Come to my place later,” he whispered against her moist lips.
“It has to be later,” she said quietly. “I’m going to a prayer meeting at church tonight.”
He nodded. “Then, afterward?”
“Yes.”
She took a step back. “I need to get back to work.”
He chuckled. “So do I but I don’t know how I will after that kiss.”
She gave him a saucy look. “But I’m sure you’ll manage.”
When she got to the door he said, “Oh, by the way, Dashuan Kennedy is supposed to show up within the hour.”
She knew the reason D’marcus was meeting with the young man. “All right. I’ll send him in when he gets here.”
“Yes, you do that.”
She smiled over her shoulder as she left his office.
Dashuan arrived an hour late and walked in as though he expected her to get up from her desk and bow at his feet. “Your boss is supposed to see me,” he said cockily, leaning a hip against her desk. “Let him know I’m here.”
Opal gave him a crisp glance. “Certainly.” She then punched a button on the intercom on her desk and said, “D’marcus, Dashuan Kennedy is here to see you.”
“All right, please send him in.”
She glanced back up at Dashuan. “You can go in now.”
Instead of moving, he continued to stand there. He had his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
She lifted a brow. “Is anything wrong?”
He chuckled in a way that actually grated on her nerves. “No, nothing is wrong. I just noted you call him D’marcus. It’s not Mr. Armstrong anymore?”
“What?”
“That Saturday I was here for that meeting, every time you addressed him it was Mr. Armstrong. What happened?”
His question as well as his observation annoyed her. “Nothing happened. D’marcus decided he wanted us to operate on a first-name basis.”
An all-knowing, cocky smile touched the corners of Dashuan’s lips. “Oh, that’s how it is, huh?”
Opal refused to give him the benefit of an answer to that. “D’marcus is waiting. I suggest you go on in, Mr. Kennedy.”
His cocky smile turned into a frown. “Whatever.” He then turned away from her desk and opened the door to D’marcus’s office.
In less than twenty minutes, he was storming out of it, saying in a raised voice, “You’ve made a huge mistake, Armstrong, and I’m going to make sure it’s something you live to regret.”
Chapter 16
“I thought you would never get here,” D’marcus said, opening the door and gently pulling Opal inside his home.
His mouth quickly captured hers and she responded immediately, not resisting when he lowered her to the carpeted floor.
“Aren’t you going to give me a tour of your home?” she asked when he began removing their clothes.
He smiled at her. “Later. Right now I want to concentrate on giving you something else.”
When he had her completely naked, he leaned back on his haunches and looked at her. Unable to help himself he reached out and began touching her. First, he went straight for her breasts to give them his full attention. Moments later, his mouth joined his hands as he cherished that part of her. Then he hungrily moved to her stomach. It was flat, smooth, soft. He drew circles around her navel with both his fingers and his tongue. Then he eagerly moved lower, to the part of her he desperately needed to taste. Reaching down, he cupped her thighs and lifted her up to meet his mouth in a very intimate kiss.
“D’marcus!”
He held her tight when she began squirming beneath his mouth. But, when his tongue went deeper, she held on to him for dear life, holding his head to her, refusing to let him go anywhere, which he had no intention of doing until he’d gotten enough of her. Something he doubted he could do in this lifetime.
When he felt her shuddering beneath his mouth, he continued to hold her until the last tremor had left her body. Then he stood and reached for the condom in his pants pocket and put it on.
“Now I’m going to show you just how much I missed you,” he said, rejoining her on the floor.
“I thought you already did.” She held out her arms to him. “Show me again.”
And he did.
Emotions rammed through Opal with every stroke he made into her body. Sensations she knew she could only feel with him were seeping through her pores and her pulse rate was increasing at an alarming rate. And all because of D’marcus
and what he was doing to her, what he was sharing with her.
“D’marcus!”
“Opal!”
They came simultaneously, reaching the pinnacle of sexual height together as they clung to each other. Something had snapped, making them shudder uncontrollably, making them shatter into tiny pieces.
It was on the tip of Opal’s tongue to tell him how much she loved him, but she held back. Those were words she could never share with him no matter what. So she thought them to herself, pressed the feelings deeper into her heart and when, moments later, he pulled her into her arms and held her close in his arms, she held him in hers, as well. If she could never tell him she loved him, then she was determined always to show it. Maybe one day he would accept the love she had to offer.
“Dashuan was pretty upset when he left the office today,” she said as they sat at his kitchen table drinking hot tea. After making love they had gotten dressed and he had given her a tour of his home. It was decorated beautifully, but it lacked warmth.
“Yes, and I wish I could say he’ll get over it, but I can’t. There is something about him that I can’t put my finger on.”
Opal smiled. “You mean besides him being just outright rude, obnoxious and conceited?”
D’marcus grinned. “Yes, besides that. I’m hoping the suspension without pay will give him something to think about. He’s used to spending money, so I think we hit him where he lives, so to speak.”
“I don’t like that threat he made against you today,” she said softly.
D’marcus shrugged. “Don’t worry about it because I’m not. Kennedy’s all mouth.”
Then, as if wanting to change the subject, he said. “So, how’s the packing coming along?”
She grinned. “It’s coming. I still have a lot to do.”
“You’ve contacted movers?”
“No, I’m basically using my family and some friends.”
He nodded. “Will they be able to handle everything?”
“Just about. You’ve seen my place. I don’t have a lot.”
“You have a nice place. I could tell it’s where you’ve made your home. This, on the other hand, is just a place where I eat and sleep.”
His words touched Opal deeply. He had his home in California which he’d said he really didn’t consider home, either. She wondered if he would ever live somewhere that he’d think of as home.
“Don’t do that.”
She glanced over at him. “What?”
“Bunch up your forehead like that. It means you’re in deep thought about something.”
She tilted her head. “And how do you know that?”
“I used to watch you a lot in our meetings. I could always tell when you were about to come up with an idea or a suggestion.” His comment surprised Opal. She’d never realized he had been studying her that closely.
“And then there are the times you have a tendency to tap your fingers. That lets me know when you’re annoyed about something.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Umm, so you think you can read me well?”
“I think so.”
“So what do you think this means?” she asked, standing up and slowly removing her blouse.
He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “That’s easy. It means you want some more of what I gave you earlier.”
“And this?” she said stepping away from the table and shimmying out of her skirt.
“Same thing.” He looked her up and down. “You are one brazen woman.”
“If I am then it’s your fault. Before you came into my life I was the tamest person you could ever meet. And now I’m doing things I’ve never done before.”
“But you’re doing them with me,” he pointed out, getting up from the table to remove his shirt.
“Yes, and that’s why I said it’s all your fault.”
“Okay, if you have to place the blame somewhere,” he said, coming around the table toward her.
“I do.”
“Then, I don’t mind being it,” he whispered softly, before pulling her into his arms. “Have I ever told you how much I enjoy seeing you naked?”
“No, I don’t think you have.”
“Then, let me go on record here and now. Opal, I enjoy seeing you naked.”
“Thanks.”
And then he kissed her and she felt it all the way to her toes. He released her mouth and, before she could catch her breath, he swept her up into his arms and headed toward the bedroom.
Saturday, midmorning, Opal stood with her hands on her hips as she stared at all the boxes that cluttered her living room. D’marcus had encouraged her to take yesterday off work so today wouldn’t be too hectic. She had taken the day off, but the day was still hectic. Her sisters and cousins had shown up bright and early, bringing breakfast with them. Amber had convinced her that no one could possibly do any work on an empty stomach, which was the reason they had brought so much food.
At least they also brought reinforcements in the way of family friend Luther Biggens. Even Reverend Kendrick surprised Opal and came by, saying he was available to help out until noon, then he had to leave to counsel a couple planning to get married.
Not surprisingly, that announcement set off a heated debate between Pearl and the minister as to whether or not such a thing was still needed in this day and age. Opal rolled her eyes. It seems Pearl would pick the least little thing to do or say to get on Reverend Kendrick’s last nerve.
“It was nice of the reverend to drop by to give us a hand,” Opal heard Ruby say behind her.
She turned to her sister in time to hear Pearl say, “Well, I’m glad he’s gone. Listening to him on Sundays is bad enough.”
Opal shook her head. “What do you have against Reverend Kendrick, Pearl? You seem to deliberately argue with him about something whenever he’s around.”
She shrugged. “Can I help it if we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things? Besides, the man is too traditional. Even our former minister, God rest his soul, wasn’t always shoving family values down your throat. Reverend Kendrick makes it seem like it’s a sin and a shame to have fun. I bet he wouldn’t give a party girl a second look.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Of course he wouldn’t. He’s a minister. I certainly wouldn’t want some floozy as the first lady of our church. I hope, if and when he does find a wife, she’s someone to complement him.”
“You would think that way,” Pearl said glaring at her sister.
Opal knew it was time for her to intervene. Before she could open her mouth to do so, the sound of a masculine voice stopped her. “Need any more help?”
She jerked around to find D’marcus standing in her doorway looking at her with a very sexy smile on his face.
“I like your family,” D’marcus said later that day after Opal had finally gotten moved into her new home. “Even the one who thinks I’m a tyrant seems nice.”
Opal couldn’t help but laugh. If he liked her family then she felt comfortable telling him they liked him, as well. After finding a private moment to rake her over the coals for not leveling with them about her relationship with D’marcus, they’d told her that they thought he was even more handsome up close and that he seemed like real people. She figured they thought that way because Luther liked him. Luther had been a close friend to the family for so long her sisters trusted his judgment in most things. They probably figured, if Luther hit it off with D’marcus, then they should like him, as well.
D’marcus looked around. “Where did everybody go?”
Opal smiled. “They left to bring back food. One thing you’ll discover about my family is that they like to eat.”
He chuckled. “I noticed.”
She knew he was recalling how at lunchtime Luther had gone to a chicken place and brought back an entire bucket of chicken with all the trimmings. Everyone had stopped to eat and only once their stomachs were full did they get back to work.
“I will say this about your family
,” D’marcus said, “they know how to work together.”
“Yes, once they stopped disagreeing about where I should place my plants. It really doesn’t matter since I have so much more space here.”
Opal was glad she had made the move. She had met a couple of her neighbors already and they seemed to be older, settled couples, not like the party animals from her last place. “I appreciate you coming over to help. You really didn’t have to do it.”
“Not help my best girl? Are you kidding?” he said grinning.
Opal smiled, wishing he thought of her as his only girl. But she knew that was too much to hope for. “Are you going to hang around for dinner? They should be back soon.”
He shook his head. “No, I need to head out. Williams and Hennessy are coming over and we’re looking at video footage of a college basketball game. There’s a kid who has really caught our eye.”
He pulled her closer into his arms. ‘What’s on your agenda for tomorrow?”
“I’m going to church and then I’ll be having dinner with my family. Would you like to attend church with me?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
She could tell from his expression that going to church was a touchy subject, but she refused to let it go. “When was the last time you went to church?” she asked him.
He answered right away. “Six years ago.”
Not since his fiancée had died. She’d bet the last time he’d set foot in a church had been when he’d attended Tonya’s funeral. “Okay, but if you change your mind, call me. But you have to catch me early because I also attend Sunday school.”
“I won’t be changing my mind.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go. If it’s okay, how about if I drop by tomorrow just in case there’re some framed portraits or pictures you want hung on the walls.”
She grinned, knowing his interest in coming over to her place tomorrow had nothing to do with hanging pictures on her wall. “By all means, please do so. And, since you’re willing to be so handy, I’m sure there’re a number of other things I can get you to put together.”
In Bed With Her Boss (Kimani Romance) Page 13
