by Jamilia Fair
I'm tempted to just keep quiet, but I can see that she's concerned about her daughter’s happiness. "We're doing great so far, Janice. Your daughter is an amazing woman and I'm lucky to have found her."
She smiles. "She's happy?"
"As far as I can tell, yes, she's happy. I hope she's as happy as she makes me."
Janice reaches out and touches my hand and gives it a squeeze. "Do you love her?" she questions, gazing into my eyes.
I'm caught off guard by her question, but the answer 'Yes' instantly flashes through my mind. YES! YES! YES! That three-letter word is on replay in my mind as I think about Janice's question and it scares me. We've only known each other for five months now and have only been dating for less than three of those months, and yet, when I'm asked if I love her, 'Yes' is the first word that drives to the front of my mind.
I swallow the lump in my throat as Janice takes a seat in front of me. "Jeremiah, I know it's early and that I shouldn't have asked, but—"
"Yes." I take a deep breath and release it. "I love your daughter."
Her eyes widen as a full-blown smile spreads across her lips. "Really?"
I nod.
"Yes, I love her and it scares the hell out of me."
"Why does loving my daughter scare you?" Her brows furrow in confusion.
"Because I've known her for less than six months, and yet, the moment you ask me if I love her, the first word that came to my mind was yes." I run my fingers through my hair. "Not 'I don't know' or 'How do I answer that' or 'Oh, shit, what do I say', but 'Yes'. I can honestly say that I love your daughter and I don't know how it happened."
She smiles again, then rises to her feet and moves to place her hand on my cheek. "Love is scary, I know, but it is also worth fighting for. Don't allow something you've not known scare you out of your future." She leans down, kisses my temple, then walks away.
I'm left to sit with my thoughts for a moment before I hear my name being called. I look up to see Keisha heading in my direction, so I push to my feet.
"Keisha."
"Hey, I forgot you eat here," she says with a smile.
I pull her into an embrace. "What are you doing here?"
She draws back. "They have the best eggs and french toast in the city."
I nod in agreement.
"Are you waiting for someone?"
Again, I nod. "My girlfriend."
"Oh, I don't want to—"
"It's fine. She won't be here for another five to ten minutes." I move back to my seat. "That gives us some time to catch up."
She hesitates, but finally sits down. "So, how have you been these last five years?"
"Good. After I had Jake, I moved us to Indiana for a while, then we moved back here," she says with a shrug. "What about you? What have you been up to these last five years?"
"Well, after you and I broke up, I moved to Atlanta for a year and a half before I moved to Italy for about a year before moving back here." I smile at her. "I've been a working man ever since."
"You've always been a working man, Jeremiah," she says before the smile on her lips is replaced with a frown. "About what happened between us, Jeremiah, I am so sorry."
I hold up a hand to stop her. "Keisha, please, don’t. What happened between us is in the past." I reach across the table and touch her hand. "There is no need to bring up the past."
She nods. "So, how are things with you and your girlfriend?"
"Everything's great so far. She's the best thing to ever happen to me."
"How long have you been dating?"
I pull my hand away from hers and smile. "We've known each other for four months, but we've been dating for less than two of those months."
She looks down at her hands, then back up at me. "Do you love her?"
I nod. "Yes, I do."
She smiles. "That's great. I'm glad you're happy and you've found someone."
"So am I." I turn my head to look out the window before a thought rushes to the front of my mind. "Hey, how's Jake?" I turn my attention back on her and she looks caught off guard, startled even.
"Wha-what?" She starts fidgeting in her seat.
"Your son, Jake, how is he?" I sit back in my seat. "The little guy kind of left an impression on me."
A nervous chuckle escapes her lips. "Yeah, he, uh, he does that."
I cock my head to the side. "Keisha, are you all right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Well, you started fidgeting in your seat the moment I asked about Jake," I point out before leaning forward on the table. "Is there something going on? Is everything all right? Do you need anything?"
She shakes her head vigorously. "Oh, no, Jeremiah, everything is fine. I think I'm just stressed from work."
I knew she was lying. I could always tell when she was lying and it seems as if she's forgotten that. "Have you forgotten that I can tell when you're lying, Keisha?" The corners of my lips tilt up in a smile.
Her cheeks flush red beneath her light brown-colored skin. "I guess I did," she says, all the while avoiding my gaze.
I go to question her again, for the truth, but I see Tabitha walk into the diner out of the corner of my eye. I don't try and hide the smile that spreads across my lips when she meets my gaze and crosses the diner to where I am.
"Hey." I stand to meet her.
"Hey." She leans forward and kisses my lips. "I'm sorry I took so long to get here. Kyle was being an ass by making me stay to finish the data entry files he was responsible for."
"Just give me the word and I'll fire his ass."
She shakes her head and smiles. "No, I'm not going to do that. I can handle Kyle."
I go to say something else, but she turns from me to look at Keshia. "Hello, I apologize for being so rude, my name is Tabitha Davenport." She holds her hand out to Keisha.
Keisha smiles and pushes to her feet. "Don't worry about it. My name is Keisha Ward. It's nice to meet you, Tabitha."
"So, how do you and Jer know each other?" Tabitha questions.
Keisha casts me a quick look before looking away. "Um, Jeremiah and I dated a few years back."
"Oh, so you're his ex? Wow, you're very pretty," Tabitha says, shocking us both.
"Um, thank you. So are you."
"Thank you. So, will you be joining us for lunch?"
Keisha shakes her head. "Oh, no. I don't want to impose."
Tabitha shakes off her jacket and throws it over her arm. "Nonsense. You wouldn't be imposing."
"Thank you for the offer, but I really must be going. I have to pick Jake up from school," she says before picking up her purse. "It was nice running into you, Jeremiah."
"Yes, it was."
She then looks at Tabitha. "It was really a pleasure meeting you, Tabitha. You could have been rude to me for sitting here with Jeremiah, but you weren't. Thank you."
"We're all adults here. There really is no need for anyone being disrespectful."
Keisha nods with a smile. "The two of you enjoy your day."
"You, too, Keisha," I say before she turns and walks away.
"I like her," Tabitha says as she takes a seat at the table. "She's very pretty."
I take my seat across from her. "I think you're far prettier."
She chuckles and shakes her head. "So, tell me about her. What's she like?"
For the next ten minutes, we talked about Keisha and her children. We talked about me meeting Jake, and seeing Melissa for the first time. We both were surprised by how many things they had in common and how alike they were in more ways than one. Tabitha really seems to like her and seems genuinely interested in getting to know more about her, which shocked the hell out of me. I mean, what woman wants to get to know her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend? Apparently, Tabitha Davenport. I even told her the reason behind our break up.
"Thanks, momma," she says as Janice places her cup of tea down in front of her. “How long ago were you two together?"
"Five years."
She nods. "How
old is Melissa?" she questions.
"If I remember correctly, she's fourteen."
"And Jake?"
"He's five."
A thoughtful look spreads over her face. "You're positive he's five?"
I nod. "Yeah, he just had a birthday not too long ago. Why?"
"I know this is sudden and completely out of the blue, but…" She looks out the window for a moment, then meets my gaze. "Do you think Jake could be your son?"
Her question caught me off guard. "What?"
"You heard me, Jeremiah."
"No, Jake isn't my son."
"Are you sure?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Because you said the two of you broke up five years ago, and Jake is five."
"So?"
"So, you also said when you met him, you felt an unexplained need to be near him. And you even said when you asked Keisha about him, she got all fidgety."
"Yeah, but…"
I can’t figure out what to say because what she said made a whole lot of damn sense. If Jake were my son, it would explain why I felt the need to know more about him and why Keisha seemed nervous about me asking about him. But he can't be my son, could he? Keisha would have told me if I'd fathered a child.
"Look, I know you said she stepped out on you, but there is still a possibility that you could be that boy’s father."
I shake my head. "No. Keisha would have told me if she were pregnant."
Tabitha shakes her head. "She stepped out on you, Jer. She already felt ashamed and guilty for it. She probably thought you'd blow up on her and deny her child." She sighs. "Or, she probably didn't want you to feel like she'd trapped you. Jer, women do crazy things when they're scared and when they want to protect their child."
"Why would she have to protect my son, if he's my son, from me?" I ask with furrowed brows.
"Because that child would be a constant reminder of her stepping out on you. Every time you looked at that child, you'd have that little voice in the back of your mind wondering if the other man is the father. That alone can cause any man, or woman, to mistreat a child."
I frown. "I would never mistreat an innocent child."
"Maybe she didn't know that at the time."
I run my fingers through my hair and sigh. "What if he is mine? What am I going to do?"
She reaches over and takes my hand. "We can figure that out when the time comes, but as of right now, you are going to need to talk to Keisha," she says. "Not right now, but soon. Give yourself time to take in the possibility of being a father. You need to prepare yourself for every possible outcome."
I look down at her hand on mine, then look into her eyes. "You said we," I point out.
She smiles. “Well, that is, if you still want me when that time comes."
I grasp her hand in mine and bring the back of her hand to my lips. "I'll always want you."
After our talk at the diner, Tabitha and I moved to the comfort of my office where she worked on a few things from my laptop while I sorted out a few things myself on my office computer. I couldn't stop thinking about what she'd said about there being a possibility of Jake being my son. I could be a father. That thought angered me. If Jake is mine, that means Keisha kept me away from my son for the first five years of his life, five years I'll never get back. It made me wonder what she told him about me, if I'm even his father, and why I wasn't around.
"Hey."
I look up to see Tabitha staring down at me. "Yeah?"
"You're frowning."
"I'm sorry," I say as she moves to sit on my desk in front of me. I move forward and wrap my arms around her middle and lay my head in her lap. "I just have a lot on my mind."
She runs her fingers through my hair, her nails massaging my scalp, which elicits a growl from deep in my chest. My eyes drift close as she adds her other hand into my hair and gently massages my entire scalp. The growls and groans that escape my lips can't be helped. It just felt too damn good.
"Jer?"
"Yes?" I growl.
"I know what else could help you relax," she says.
"What?" I ask.
She starts moving, pushing herself off my desk, and I draw back. I give her a look of confusion as she stands to her feet in front of me. She just smiles at me before leaning down, grabbing both arms of my chair and lowering her lips to mine. I instantly fuck my tongue into her mouth. I can still taste the strawberry banana smoothie she had for lunch and I wanted more. I grab her face and pull her closer, fucking my tongue deeper into her mouth as her hands rest against the nape of my neck. She lets out a soft moan when I pull at her bottom lip with my teeth. And so, I do it again so that I can hear her moan again.
Suddenly, she pulls away. I go to grab her, but she swats my hands away. "What are you doing?" I hiss, irritated that I wasn't still kissing her.
"Let me show you."
I watch, now with wide eyes, as she lowers herself onto her knees in front of me. I stare at her as she unbuckles my belt, unbuttons my pants, then slides the zipper down. She holds my gaze as she reaches inside and palms my rock-hard dick, and moves her hand along it. After a moment, she finally looks down.
“Oh, shit," she gasps.
I can't help but smile. "Not what you expected from a white man, is it?"
She tilts her head to meet my gaze. "No. It's just not what I expected at all. I don't believe in the misconception that white men have small dicks. Never have." Her gaze falls back on to my raging dick. "Damn. You have to be at least ten or eleven inches."
I smile. "You know dick sizes."
She chuckles and licks her lips. "No. I'm just good with math, and measurements."
A violent shiver went through me at the sight of her licking her lips. I want that tongue and those plump lips wrapped around dick so badly. I want to watch it disappear into her mouth and feel it hit the ring at the back of her throat.
"Don't move."
I freeze. I silently watch as she slowly lowers her head and brushes her lips with the tip of my dick. Her lips feel hot against me. I want, need, more. As if she read my mind, she touches the tip of her tongue to the succulent flesh.
"Tabitha," I grunt out. I don't even recognize the sound of my voice.
She looks up at me from under hooded eyes and I suck in a breath at the pure raw desire in her eyes. After a moment of not moving, she opens her mouth and takes the tip into her mouth, wraps her lips around it and bathes the head with her silky wet tongue. A deep growl erupts from deep in my chest at the same time my hips jerk, forcing another inch into her hot mouth.
"Fuck, Tabitha. That feels so fucking good."
Having her watch me watch her while she pleases me turns me on even more. There's something about a woman, my woman, watching me while she pleases me that just makes me hot all over. It makes me want to run my fingers through her hair, hold her head steady and fuck her mouth. Hard. Fast. Deep. I try and keep my hands on the armrests, but when she ducks her head forward, my dick sliding along her hot tongue and deeper into her mouth, I can't hold off any longer.
I run my fingers through her hair, palming the back of her head, and hold her head steady. Like before, she reads my mind and sticks her tongue out as I retract, flex my hips and thrusts my hips forward, sliding my dick deeper into her mouth. A shudder of pleasure shoots through me the moment I feel the tight ring of her throat enclose around the tip of my dick. I groan uncontrollably at the sensation of her hot mouth around my dick.
Pulling out a few inches, after she lets out a squealing noise, I look down at her bright eyes shining with arousal. "Am I hurting you? Do you want me to stop?"
She shakes her head and answers me by ducking her head, once again, and sucking me in harder and deeper. "Oh, fuck! That's right, baby," I hiss when my dick leaps in her throat. "Take in as much as you can."
Her response is to push me deeper. It is in this moment that I know I can’t stop. Her mouth is heaven. "Stick your tongue out, baby." She does as I ask. "Breathe thr
ough your nose," I instruct her as I pull out a few inches, then thrusts back into her mouth.
I lose myself for a minute, everything becoming a distant memory as I take pleasure in fucking her sweet mouth and she exceeds every one of my expectations. Not once, since she took me into her mouth, has she made a gagging sound. She took inch after inch after inch without delay. That thought sends me over the edge. I explode in her throat, roaring loudly, as pleasure rips through me. I quickly look down into her beautiful face and my entire body shudders and I gasp uncontrollably as I watch her throat convulse as she swallows each new shot of my cum.
"Damn it, woman. What are you doing to me?" I growl, taking her face in my hands.
She slowly removes her mouth from my dick and looks up at me. "Did you like it?"
"What the hell kind of question is that?" I ask incredulously. "I fucking loved it. I never would have guessed you were so talented with your mouth."
A smile spreads across her lips. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've never done that before, so I didn't know how good or bad I would be."
She's still on her knees, almost under the desk, when I duck my head to kiss her lips. "No woman has ever made me cum that quickly before, or so hard." I stare deeply into her eyes. "I'm definitely not letting you go. Not with that sinfully good mouth of yours."
She chuckles. "I can say the same about you."
Suddenly, someone knocks at my door. Instead of waiting for me to tell them to come in, they open the door anyway and I sit up in my chair. I quickly fix myself before they open the door completely.
"Jay." I look up to meet Jessica's blue eyes. "Do you have a minute?"
I cast Tabitha a quick glance before meeting her gaze once again. "Uh, sure. What did you need, Jess?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go—"
Tabitha sneezes.
Loudly.
"Who is that?" Jessica questions with furrowed brows.
After a moment of silence, Tabitha moves out from beneath my desk and is on her feet in a matter of seconds. She casts a shocked Jessica a quick glance before running her hands down the length of her pencil skirt, then moving to fix her blouse. Once she is satisfied, she turns her gaze on to me.
