by Carmen Green
“Why do you think things didn’t end well?” she asked. “Everybody isn’t trying to commit a crime, you know. You are not the only law-abiding citizen of this world.”
“I never said that.” Byron offered her half his sandwich.
She refused. “I know—”
He sat down on the chair, bit, chewed, and swallowed. “I see the worst of people, Tia. It’s natural for me to think that something might have happened. So straighten me out. Isn’t that what you want to do? Tell me something good came from your best friend being locked up in the Atlanta Psychiatric Center.”
She sipped her wine. “She went over to Sonny’s house to give him something. I have no idea what, but we both know she was a bit off yesterday. Anyway, I was having dinner with a friend, and I got a call from Sonny that Megan was at his house and to come get her.”
Tia grew quiet, and Byron kept his emotions to himself.
Jealousy tightened his jaw even as he ate his food, but he found solace in the fact that at this hour of the morning, she was sharing a meal with him.
He took another bite of his meat loaf sandwich and chewed.
She poured him a glass of water from the refrigerator, and he drank. Their fingers touched, and he promised himself that if he touched her again, tonight wouldn’t end in a platonic manner. “How did she end up at the APC?”
“It turns out Sonny’s wife, Vivian, is a psychiatrist. She spent time with Megan, and by the time I got there, she was sitting on the porch, comforting Megan. Vivian suggested Megan go to APC and talk to someone.” Tia shrugged. “Megan agreed.”
“You were okay with that?”
“Yeah.” She said the word as if it were a question, then began to look worried. “That was the right thing to do, right? Megan’s going to be fine. I didn’t let her sign herself in for life, did I? I shouldn’t have trusted Vivian, should I have? She’s the other woman. Oh, my goodness! I’m supposed to be looking out for Megan’s best interests, and I’m listening the woman who stole her man. Crap!”
“Tia, don’t do this.”
Tia dropped her wineglass into the sink and was almost at the front door when Byron snagged her wrist. “Tia, Megan is where she needs to be.”
“What if she changed her mind? What if she thinks I put her there? She’s going to be mad as hell. I have to go get her. I don’t have many friends.” Her voice broke. “I mean I need her—”
Byron pulled Tia close, her back against the wall, and closed his mouth over hers. She struggled for a second; then her upper body pressed into his bulletproof vest.
As much as the vest was supposed to protect, it was powerless against the effect of Tia’s passion. He felt her heat, desire, and wanting. It seeped in between his second and third rib and spread like a virus until his whole body was bent into her like a sunflower to the sun.
His mouth scoured hers, their tongues tangling in the first steps of mating. “She’ll be fine,” he kept hearing himself say, until Tia kissed him into urgent, passionate silence.
Lightning and thunder shook the town house, and Byron took that to mean no matter how much he wanted Tia, he had to let her go.
Tia was as tumultuous and bold as thunder, as unpredictable as lightning. She was not a woman he needed to handle on a daily basis. Making love to her now would lead them further down a road that ultimately was a dead end. But it didn’t have to be a dead end, his subconscious told him.
Byron leaned his forehead against hers, their breath moving between them.
Don’t look at me, he silently pleaded.
Her eyes could force him to his knees.
She tipped her head sideways, looked up, and licked his lips. Then she bit him.
Byron nearly lost it.
He took her hips in his hands. Damn, he did enjoy the contents of her Tweety Bird pajamas.
His lips trailed down her neck, and she leaned to the side, giving him better access.
He was strong, he told himself. He could leave her alone.
Summoning all his willpower, Byron gave her bottom one final, extended caress. “I’d better get going.”
Tia’s fingers began a tuneless song on his neck. She acted as if she didn’t hear him. “You just got here. You’ve got at least thirty-five minutes. Stay at least another fifteen.”
He hardened. “Tia, nothing with me is fifteen minutes short.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said honestly, her hands trying futilely to find an entrance point to his skin. When she couldn’t get to him, she used another tactic.
Her left leg played tricks with the back of his legs while she moved his right hand to the heart-shaped curve of her bottom.
His hand naturally contracted in place. “That’s a little better,” she murmured. “How about this?”
She placed his other hand at her waist, eased up the bottom of her pajama top, and exposed the cranberry center of her nipple. Then she gave him a come hither smile.
His mouth watered.
Perching on her toes, Tia wound her arms around his neck. Her tongue darted out and laved his lips in one slow, convincing lick.
Byron slid both hands inside her pajama pants, cupped her bottom, and raised her higher. Nothing in the world felt better than this.
“Strip,” she told him.
There were rules regarding how one’s lunch hour was supposed to be used. Byron was aware of every one of them. But he’d been following rules all his life, and they’d gotten him exactly where he was right now: at the crossroads between right and wrong.
Tia kissed him until his thoughts were as scrambled as the letters on the Soul Train letter board.
“I should go,” he said.
“You’re on your lunch break.”
“I’m not eating, Tia,” he reminded her.
“You could be,” Tia informed him innocently. “I’m quite delicious. I taste like desire and satisfaction.”
Another level of control snapped. Byron tried to raise another weak objection when Tia licked his lips again. He tried again, and she licked him again.
He forgot why he was trying to leave and what he was trying to say. All he could think about was the woman in his arms, and how this next step felt almost natural.
“Are you hungry, Officer Rivers?”
Byron felt himself melting, like brown sugar under a steady stream of warm water. “Extremely.”
“Then you’ll stay with me,” she said softly, as if the decision were up to her alone. She encouraged his fingers to caress her breast.
Byron guided her closer. “We don’t have much time. I have to leave soon. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Tia licked him again, and this time, her tongue made sensual love to his until he was not only befuddled, but breathless. Her mouth trailed down his jaw to his neck, where she stopped at his Adam’s apple. His head fell against hers, and she kept up her sensual assault, leaving tiny, wet kisses under his chin, then going back to his mouth.
Byron throbbed against her, and he realized he held her so tightly against him, it was a wonder that she could breathe, let alone seduce him.
“Don’t worry about being fair to me,” she finally whispered.
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m getting mine right now. Leaving,” she said sassily, “won’t be fair to you.”
Byron didn’t think it was possible to get any harder than he was, but he felt as if all the blood in his body were centered between his legs.
“My room is the last door on the left.”
Byron carried Tia down the hall and laid her gently on the bed. It took him just a couple of minutes to unbuckle and undress.
He turned and stopped.
Tia was still clad in her Tweety bird pajamas. “They’re nice,” he said, “but not how I imagined us at this point.” He kneeled on the bed beside her.
“I thought you’d like to unwrap your special gift.”
Byron pulled Tia by her foot and stripped her naked.
“I always enjoy the wrapp
ing,” he explained, as he explored her body with his tongue, making her shake with uncontrollable pleasure. “But I always enjoy what’s inside more.”
Splaying her on the bed, Byron found he loved the delicious contours of the body he’d dreamed about countless nights. Tia’s body was shapely, her skin so soft he would have been content to taste her until the early morning light.
He kissed her stomach, the inside of her thighs, the soles of her feet, her mouth. Every bit of her intrigued him, and Byron wanted to make love to Tia in such a way that her mind and body remembered him forever.
Leaning up, he caressed her until his name came from her mouth in breathless pants. He lavished kisses on her breasts and neck, giving her pleasure. Then his mouth touched the center of her body. Her legs moved restlessly.
Tia was his. “Turn over,” he told her.
She rolled onto her stomach, trusting him, spreading her legs. Tia whimpered as he reached beneath her, caressing her G-spot.
He loved the sounds she made, the tiny sighs, the moans and groans of pleasure, the way she whispered his name, and the way she cried “Yeeeeesss” when she came. Even her purr of satisfaction after her orgasm made his heart go flip-flop.
“Condom?” Byron asked.
Tia slid on her belly to the edge of the bed and pulled a packet of five from the drawer.
“That’s ambitious,” he told her, with a smile, as he rolled one on.
“Then we’d better get back to it.”
Tia climbed into his lap, and as their bodies joined, their gazes met and held. For every second that he looked into her eyes, his heart equated that to ten years that he would love her.
Byron trusted that emotion and lost all concept of time, wanting to stay with her forever.
Looking down at their union, he saw that she was indeed shaved clean, and inexplicably, he grew harder.
A guttural laugh came from her throat. “You’re going to split me in two.”
“We can stop,” he said, her nipples grazing his lips.
“Not on your life.”
“Good,” he breathed into her mouth. “That’s good.”
He lowered his hand and began to stroke her. Tia started to climax, one wave after another. She cried out, her mouth devouring his, her nails raking his body, until he felt himself climbing the mountain to bliss.
“Harder,” she cried.
Byron moved faster, deeper; then Tia surprised him and clamped his sex with hers.
Reason failed him, and his plan for taking her there one more time blew away as a magnificent orgasm thrust him over the edge.
Chapter Twenty
Tia spun her chair around at work, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Life was good. Even through the hardship and all she’d been through, life was finally getting better.
Her cell phone beeped, and she grabbed it. “Tia Amberson.”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Megan? How are you, Sweetie?”
“Fine. Getting better. You?’”
“Good. Really good.”
“Since you have my house to yourself, right?”
Tia smiled. “I’d rather you be there, too. How are you?”
“Good. I think I’m going to come home in the next day or two.”
“That’s great news. I’ll pick you up. What time?”
“Well, actually, I have a ride.”
“Oh,” Tia said, crestfallen. Maybe Megan was upset about Tia not breaking her out of the APC. “So Rachel is going to bring you home. I’ll grab some Chinese food.”
“I haven’t heard from Rachel, but, well, it’s Kirk.”
“Kirk?” Tia sat up straight, and a gentle smile softened her voice. “You go crazy and get a hunk. Dang, girl. You got skills.”
Megan laughed, sounding like her old self. “I haven’t talked to him. We’re not really allowed contact from the outside. I got all your messages, though. I really appreciate you taking care of me the way you did.”
“Meg, you’re my girl. If you’re having a bad day, I am, too. I’m there for you. So, what’s the deal with Kirk?”
“I haven’t seen him since I got here, but every day he brings flowers and leaves me a note. Nothing serious. Just that he’d like to be my friend. Yesterday he said he got a ticket for almost causing a traffic accident. He let a squirrel cross the road.”
Tia and Megan burst out laughing.
“Aw. He’s got a good heart,” said Tia.
“He’s so not from Georgia,” Megan replied, sounding just like her old self. “Now you know, if I’d said that to Rachel, she’d be quoting some statistics about how squirrels cause accidents and kill people.”
Tia chuckled. Rachel always had been full of shit.
“You talked to her?” Megan asked.
“No,” Tia replied, “and I don’t want to talk about her now. Hey, Meg, I need to ask you something. Seriously.”
“Shoot. Then I have to go. I have group therapy in ten minutes, and I need to go wash my face. What’s up?”
“Did you go to my old place and get my other purses?”
“First, it’s not your old place. It’s your place, period. Second, yes, I did.”
Tia closed her eyes. On the one hand, she was grateful to her friend, but Megan could have gotten her in a lot of trouble.
“I know it was wrong, and you don’t have to worry about me getting into your business again,” said Megan. “I’ve learned I need to read all the signs that are happening in my life and stay focused on me. Did you want to say something, Tia?”
Tia exhaled as she looked at her computer screen. She had mail from her anger management friends.
“Enough has been said, friend. So you think tomorrow is the big day for you to come home?”
“Yes. The food here is lousy. Don’t forget about the Chinese. No MSG. It could interact with these new meds I’ve been put on.”
For someone who’d never had a sick day from work, Megan sure was handling her mental situation with maturity and class.
In a way, Tia felt shame at her reaction to her breakup with Dante. Then she remembered all that had happened to get Megan to this point.
She realized they’d traveled different roads but were where they were supposed to be.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Megan. Take care of yourself.”
“Thanks, Tia. Hey!”
“What is it, Sweetie?”
“I love you. I never say that, and I should.”
Tia’s eyes teared. “Me, too. Bye,” she whispered and hung up.
Tia covered her eyes and let the gentle emotion pass. This was so unlike her. Crying at work. Because Megan said she loved her. Although they weren’t related by blood, Megan was the sister Tia never had. She vowed to look out for her more.
Glancing at the clock, she quickly clicked her computer mouse and went to eBay. She’d sold three more bags. She now had all the money she needed for an attorney. Congratulating herself, Tia exhaled. Her life was changing quickly. Ever since she’d let go of the revenge theory.
Hurriedly, she glanced at the clock and opened her e-mail.
Tonight’s the night!
The plan was for Ginger to convince her husband that she was taking him to a five-acre lot and to make him believe she was onboard with his new lifestyle. Then she’d tell him that she was going to build them a house so he and his wives could live happily in Georgia. Once Ginger and her husband got to the newly razed lot, where there was no one for miles, the class would perform the intervention.
Before the night was over, they’d get Mr. Infidel Gary to sign the divorce papers. Then Ginger would be free.
That wasn’t so bad, Tia thought. She scrolled down and gasped at the note left expressly for her.
Keep Byron busy until at least midnight. It’s been confirmed that he’s off work tonight. Don’t let us down.
The sound of hurried steps made Tia close her e-mail and bring up her station’s weather news.
She stood and stretch
ed, walking around, getting a feel for the morning. Making love to Byron had been a treat she was glad she hadn’t denied herself. He was all man, and being that close to him, so intimately, made her heart weak.
Heading back to her cubicle, she saw the crown of Vic’s head. He searched frantically through his desk, then sat down, a bunch of papers strewn all over the desktop and floor.
Tia stopped. “Lose something?”
“More like somebody took something. It was right here.” He started tearing up the desk again, then stopped. He looked crestfallen, and Tia didn’t know what to do.
“Vic, is there some way I can help?”
“Give me back the money!”
“I wish I had money to give. I’m in the middle of some serious financial challenges—”
“Okay, whatever, Tia. We all know you’ve got issues. But let me just say, you’re just wrong.”
Vic stomped past her, leaving Tia outside his cube, alone. Looking around, she searched for someone who could explain what was going on. But it was still early, and most of the staff wouldn’t start trickling in for another fifteen minutes.
Tia picked up the papers and put them in Vic’s side drawer before going to her cubicle.
Honestly, he’d hurt her feelings, but she was going to keep that to herself. There was a logical explanation for his behavior, and eventually, he’d come and apologize.
Settling down to review the overnight weather updates, Tia was pulling data from the computer and fax machine when she turned around and ran into Alison.
Blond hair streamed down Alison’s shoulders, and she enjoyed flicking it. She tossed her hair over one shoulder, then the other, and then back again.
Tia sighed. Alison looked like a horse. “Something I can do for you?”
“You’re wanted in the break room,” said Alison.
“Why? It’s my turn to sit in on the Doppler enhancements meeting.”
More hair tossing. “That can wait. This can’t.”
Alison threw out her hand for Tia to go ahead of her. Giving the woman a measuring look, Tia decided to go to the break room. This was obviously important.
She pushed the door open. All of the coworkers from her floor were standing around the room, looking uncomfortable. No one met her gaze. Not even Vic.
