His laugh sounded relieved and triumphant. “See? I knew we were on the same page. I’m sorry I wasn’t sensitive to your concerns. I didn’t even think about any of the issues you expressed.”
That’s because he was a white man who typically wasn’t required to face the downfall of affirmative action, nor the haughty attitudes of most members of society. The couple who’d looked at her like they’d never seen a black woman in dress clothes before came to mind, and she understood why her perspective was so different from John’s. “It’s alright. For now, we’ve got to get this room put back together quickly, and I’ve got to get downstairs.”
“I have an idea. Go down, do what you need to do with Sean. I’ll stay here, and in about twenty minutes or so, I’ll head down and give word that I took a nap here because I had jetlag. It’ll cover our tracks, and your maintenance crew will take care of the mess.”
Adrianna was skeptical but agreed, just needing space right now. She peeked out the door to the room, found the hallway empty, and hurriedly stepped out. She made her way around the hall away from the elevators, wrapping back to the other side the long way so that, should anyone come out of their rooms or climb off the elevator, they couldn’t possibly know what room she’d been in.
This was a royal mess, and she felt nauseous at the danger involved. At the same time, the anticipation level was invigorating, and she couldn’t help but fantasize about where this might lead. Right now, she was grateful to be forming a contract of sorts that would take care of her physical needs without putting demands on her emotions. It meant she wouldn’t have to go a-hunting for someone she barely knew.
The world was at her fingertips, and she was going to share it with Terra as soon as she got Sean set up. Then, she was going to go home tonight and find something soothing to read, something hyper-dramatic that involved no sex, no love, and nothing but drama or maybe a little danger. She was thinking John Sandford, but she’d make the final decision when she got home.
CHAPTER 12
“Have you completely lost your mind?” Terra blustered.
Adrianna shushed her, glad they were in the far corner of the ballroom from the door to the interior of the hotel. “Do you have to be so loud? And yes, apparently I have lost my mind because I’m sleeping with my boss on a regular basis now, or that’s the intended outcome of all this.”
Terra rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.” Confused, Adrianna stared at her blankly until she grunted in frustration and explained, “You have told me how many times now that this John guy is sexy and sweet and smart. Then, you add what an amazing lover he is. We both know he’s successful and driven in life. Now, you add that he’s practically madly in love with you, and all you want is to sleep with him? I know you weren’t looking to fall in love, but if you were ever going to give it another chance, this sounds like the guy.”
Barely containing her anger, Adrianna seethed and spoke in a deceivingly low, calm voice. “I don’t want love in my life, Terra. It’s just another complication. There are enough of those right now to make me a neurotic mess. So, don’t ride my ass and tell me I should start a relationship with my boss.”
Snorting, Terra replied, “It’s a little too late for that now. I mean, even a sexual agreement is a standing relationship. You should really have thought about that before you slept with him a second time. That sort of shoved the idea of a one night stand or an accident right out the window of an eighty story building.”
Terra was not being very helpful at this moment, and while Adrianna had wanted to share the good news, she’d still had her reservations. Terra was making every one of her natural objections resurface with a vengeance. “I thought you were with me on this thing, Terra. Why are you trying to push me into something I’m not ready for?”
Terra opened her mouth to argue, then hesitated, sighing as if the fight had gone out of her. Instead, she pled, “Adrianna, the man sounds like the best thing that ever happened to you, and I don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime to find real love. Now, wait a minute before you just say no,” she continued preemptively. “Do me a favor. You don’t have a date to my wedding, and it’s in three weeks. Invite him to come with you. See what it’s like to be with him in a social situation, even if you ask him as just a friend, and then think a little harder about this, okay?”
That truly terrified her. Wedding dates were a big deal. “Couldn’t it be something smaller? Like, maybe just a double date for dinner?”
“I don’t have time for a date before the wedding, hon. And I’m sure you haven’t told anyone else about this little escapade of yours. So, ask him to come to the wedding with you and get over yourself. It’s a long period of time in a safe setting where everyone is happy and starry-eyed. If you don’t then I’ll set you up with Trent the cook from Tommy’s unit.”
Horrified, Adrianna stared at her. “You wouldn’t dare.” She’d met Trent once. He was an amazing cook, for military, but his ears stuck out far enough to earn him the nickname ‘Dumbo’, and his southern accent was so thick she couldn’t understand half of what he said. His sense of humor was very childish, too, and while all of that was fine and someone else might find it adorable, Adrianna couldn’t handle that, especially for several hours at a wedding in the dress Terra had chosen for her wedding party.
“Try me. Bring John. You’ll be a much happier maid of honor, I promise.” Terra ended the discussion, leaving Adrianna no wiggle room whatsoever.
As Terra walked the room, holding the map in her hand, and repositioned the dance floor, Adrianna tried to think of another reason to object to the plan. “You know, he calls me ‘Addy’.”
Terra froze, and she knew she’d hit the spot. But when Terra turned around with glossy eyes and a sweet smile, she lost her confidence. “Oh, he has a pet name for you. Adrianna, that’s sweet. He’s totally smitten with you. You’d have to have a heart of stone and ice to turn that away without at least giving the man a real chance.”
So much for strategically plotting to sabotage this whole idea. She would have no help, and she didn’t think she could do it alone. Resigning herself to the truth, Adrianna crossed her arms and pouted, giving snippy answers as Terra asked questions about where this or that should go, and why Adrianna hadn’t told her about this corner already having a permanent fixture and so on.
When she was finally done, Terra turned to her and said, “Stop riding the pity train. You look like a little school girl who spilled her milk and got in trouble when you pout. It’s not attractive.” Terra poked at her lip. “I know it’s hard for you, but you have to give in sometime. Maybe this is the one you’ve been waiting for without even knowing it. Tyrese was a horrible person, and that’s why no one really welcomed him in the flock to start with. Why don’t you see how everyone reacts to John? It’s a good way to judge character from an objective point of view.”
She had a point, but Adrianna’s fear of vulnerability had a strong hold on her. The worst part was, she was terrified of how attracted to John she was. It was entirely possible she’d let that overshadow the entire relationship, should she attempt one, and cause her to miss the signs that were there all along, the same way she’d overlooked the tips and hints that Tyrese wasn’t doing right by her. She’d ignore it all, and by the time she saw the light, she’d be madly in love and her heart would be shattered beyond repair.
She’d make this business trip and talk to John about how things were going to be between them, and she’d invite him to the wedding. After that, she was fully determined not to go any further than sex, and if something happened to alert her to having a problem with that working out, she’d drop the whole thing. It was just safer that way.
She took the elevator to her apartment and breathed in deeply as she entered, glad to be home, and she kicked her shoes to the side. She dropped her jacket on the floor and continued to peel items from her body as she moved toward the bedroom, choosing to lounge in her ro
be for the evening with her feet propped up. She stuck her feet in a pair of soft, fuzzy slippers and stopped by her book rack, searching the shelves till she found what she was looking for – the ‘Prey’ series by John Sandford. Winter Prey was a favorite, and there was nothing in there to provoke memories of earlier today, nor of worries she might have tomorrow. It would be fully relaxing, and she snuggled into the couch for a long night and a love affair with the book.
CHAPTER 13
Sitting at the dinner table in Corinne’s apartment with Corinne's date, whose name she couldn’t remember but who reminded her very much of Paul Wesley from The Vampire Diaries, Adrianna tried desperately to make her knee stop bouncing. Her nerves were on edge, with the wedding only two days away.
She hadn’t seen John the day after they’d destroyed the hotel room, though she’d messaged him to let him know that Sean had completely aced his exam, and he’d called her the next evening to let her know the details of the trip. He still agreed to maintain separate hotel rooms for each of them, and for that, Adrianna was more than thankful.
Of course, once they’d arrived, they’d sneaked into the same room and had wild, fulfilling sex every night of the trip. The days were very serious, and the two of them maintained a professional distance while Adrianna learned the ropes and the failings at the other hotels. But at night, Adrianna was just as guilty of lust as John, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. In Albany, they’d gone three rounds in one night.
And in the rental car on the way back to the City, she’d been so overwhelmed with her attraction to him that she’d nearly caused him to run off the road by blowing him while he drove. They’d been back for a little over a week, and she’d gone to his apartment once, spending the night even though she’d promised herself she wouldn’t. Now, they were going to be placed in a situation together where she was surrounded by her friends with neither the outlet of physical coupling nor the distraction of business. Could she handle it? Could he?
Corinne came back into the dining room to find Adrianna and Paul Wesley’s twin silent, and she gave Adrianna an irritated, encouraging look. For her part, Adrianna just wanted to laugh hysterically at the image of Corinne in an apron. She couldn’t remember the last time her friend had spent time in the kitchen that didn’t involve a three-minute microwave session.
Trying to play her role of mediator, Adrianna cleared her throat. “So, what is it that you do for a living?” She couldn’t address the doppelganger – pun intended – correctly because she didn’t know his name and didn’t really care. He seemed the dark, brooding, emo type, which was all the more reason to compare him to Stephan Salvatore.
His eyebrows drew closer together, which she wouldn’t have thought possible. “I work at NYU, in the library. I’m still working on my novel, and once that’s published, I’m moving to Europe.”
Adrianna bit her lip to keep from groaning, and she watched the terror on Corinne’s face at the complete beatnik image the guy presented. “That sounds nice.” She had no idea what else to say.
“Hey, Paris, do you like Broadway shows at all?” Corinne asked as she put a platter of what appeared to be baby shrimp in the middle of the table as an appetizer. Paris! No wonder she couldn’t remember the guy’s name!
He quirked a half smile, only the very corner of his mouth turning up. “I like some of the older, very heavy material, such as La Boheme and Les Miserables. But I have no patience for all these new renditions of rock music that are being touted as the greatest musicals of all time. It’s been the crime of the theatre for the last decade or so.”
This guy was truly morbid, Adrianna thought. Considering that The Lion King and Rent were two of her absolute favorites, she couldn’t disagree with him more. Corinne, on the other hand, smiled one of her bright, fake smiles. “I love Les Mis. It’s one of my favorite storylines of all time. Oh, but Phantom of the Opera has to be the best musical ever, in my opinion.”
He looked utterly horrified. “That’s a travesty, if you ask me. They turn the man who was burned into an abomination of nature and make him more supernatural than intelligent. If you’re going to rape the idea from an old tale, at least stick to the plot.”
Adrianna wasn’t sure how much more she could listen to, considering her current dilemmas that already weighed so heavily on her mind. In another situation, she may have been able to keep up with the banter in a polite, humane way, but tonight, she was afraid to open her mouth, fearing she’d lash out and irreparably shred this so-called human.
Apparently, though, she didn’t need to worry about making a graceful exit. Corinne placed her hands on her hips and glared at the illustrious vampire-wanna-be. “Listen, Paris, I thought your name was stupid when I started chatting with you online, but you at least had some poetic words and a decent profile. You’re sexy in that dark, mysterious way, but you are far too cocky for your own good, and you don’t just ride the lines at the edge of society; you trash them completely. People like you should live in tunnels underground and drink the blood of rats, since nothing else that humanity has to offer is good enough. Thank you for coming tonight, but get the hell out of my house.”
He stared for a moment, then, without a word, he stood and made his way to the door, closing it gently behind him. Adrianna realized her mouth was gaping as she locked eyes with Corinne, and they both burst out laughing. “Damn, girl, that was harsh.”
Corinne rolled her eyes as she tried to catch enough breath to speak. “He was Les Miserables. I don’t know what he said that tricked me into thinking he’d be great company and an even better lover.”
Adrianna held up her hands in a shrug. “I don’t know, but I told you online dating wasn’t the way to meet a guy. All you get is crazy Stephan Salvatore look-alikes who are just as brooding and miserable without the brains or the 160 years of experience in bed.”
Corinne giggled. “He did kind of look like him, didn’t he? Maybe that’s why I forgave him his flaws online. But I certainly didn’t see the Antichrist showing up at my house tonight. I’m sorry I put you in that situation. Although, you didn’t look like you were in a place to speak with him anyway. What’s going on with you?”
Adrianna didn’t want to get into specifics. “I’m just worried about the wedding. I want everything to go off as planned for Terra, and I’m bringing someone that, well, I haven’t exactly been on a date with yet.” She didn’t think road head and secret couplings in hotel rooms counted as dates.
Looking surprised, Corinne sat down and popped a shrimp into her mouth. “And who is this fellow?”
Swallowing a shrimp of her own and somewhat impressed that it was the right texture and had good flavor, she responded, “I’ll tell you more about him after you meet him, okay? I don’t want to skew your first impression.”
“Oh, no, have you been writing to convicts? Did you manage to get one on his way out of the can and ask him? Honey, they’re a lot of fun, but don’t bet on anything there.”
Adrianna actually laughed. “Corinne, only you are crazy enough to do something like that. It’s not a convict. Just wait and see. I want to get your honest opinion, and I’m not giving anything away that might persuade you one way or another.”
Wrinkling her nose in disappointment, Corinne didn’t protest. “Fine.” She ate another shrimp. “So, since it’s just us, you want to order a pizza to top off the shrimp?”
It sounded perfect to Adrianna, and she hit her speed dial to call out.
CHAPTER 14
If she’d thought the suits John wore on a daily basis fit him like a glove, Adrianna hadn’t seen his ‘dress’ suits yet. He was devastatingly handsome in the navy blue pinstripe he wore to the wedding over a baby blue shirt with a white silk tie that shone in the light. Adrianna had tipped him off to the color of the bridal party dresses, and he matched perfectly her navy blue strapless with the white ribbon around the empire waist.
She had to forcibly close her mouth to keep from drooling as he strode in
to the ballroom amidst the crowd, having not seen him at the wedding previously because she’d been stuck behind the scenes, reminding Terra to breathe. Now, though, more than an hour into the reception, everything was perfect, and she was actually enjoying herself with John at her side.
Currently, he was deep in conversation with the groom himself about hockey, with Tommy super excited about the upcoming season for the New York Rangers. It seemed to Adrianna that John already had one vote in his favor. To his credit, he was very social and personable, and when he’d danced with Terra, she’d watched her best friend beam in a way she typically only did for Tommy.
Adrianna didn’t know whether she should be reassured or nervous. After all, the sex between her and John kept getting better and better, and she certainly didn’t want to do anything to ruin that. She was happier and more satisfied than she’d ever been physically. But at the same time, she knew if all of her friends gave her a thumb’s up for John, she’d be getting daily – if not hourly – from all of them to take the next step. She wasn’t ready for that, and she still didn’t think she ever would be.
She was also aware that, on more than one occasion, the deal-breaker words had been on the tip of John’s tongue before he’d swallowed them after a particularly good intercourse. If he told her he loved her, Adrianna couldn’t keep up the farce. She refused to fall in love with the man, or with anyone else, and she couldn’t string him along and hurt him with false pretenses. He was a wonderful man, after all, and he didn’t deserve to have his heart torn from his chest.
The Boss's Baby (Interracial with Baby) (BWWM) Page 6
