“What the fuck are you talking about? This ain’t new for me. It took me a while to go after what I wanted because of the fear of rejection.”
“Fear of rejection? You had a fear of rejection from a woman….yeah right.”
“Yeah I did—just like you fear being rejected by a woman with a brain. But, to reiterate an old topic, I don’t have problems with women of any kind; I love them all, but I have my preferences.”
“I have preferences too!” Nick snorted. “And, I don’t fear smart women.”
Slamming the locker door shut, he frowned. “Prove it, Nick. I dare you to date a woman that can count past three.”
“This ain’t about me but you!”
“Wrong again, it’s about you and your bigoted way of thinking lately, and until you change, there is no need for us to talk anymore unless it has to do with work.”
Exiting the locker room, hot air filled Jonathan’s cheeks as he took the stairs to the weight room. His cellphone rang in the pocket of his basketball shorts. “Yeah,” he snapped meanly.
“Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?”
The sultry and desirable tone of Gabrielle’s voice filled his ear. “No, I just had a few words with an idiot but I’m cool. I thought you would be in church this morning.”
“I overslept and didn’t make it. What are you doing?”
He rested against the railing of the stairs to talk on the phone. “I’m at the gym right now.”
”Jonathan, has your doctor released you to exercise?”
“I’m not lifting weights or anything—I’m walking the treadmill and maybe going for a jog around the track. I gotta keep in shape.” The long pause on the line heightened his interest. “If you aren’t in church, what are your plans for today?”
“I was thinking I would make brunch for us at my place, and you could bring a movie and a nice bottle of wine for us to enjoy.”
A smile broke across his face taking his anger for Nick away. “Let me make sure I’m talking to the right Gabrielle King before I accept the invitation.”
“I’m the one and only. Well, why don’t you think it over and call me back after you’re done at the gym.”
“The gym can wait; where do you live?” He asked returning to the locker room.
“Got it; I’ll see you shortly.” He clicked off the phone and hurriedly dressed.
“Where you going, man?” Anthony came through the door bouncing a
basketball.
“Gabrielle called and invited me to brunch at her place.”
“Sweet—she’s warming up to you.”
“The fact she made the first move could mean she is. Anthony, I owe you for being the better man and letting me pursue this.”
“Who am I to stand in the way of true love? Are you packing?”
Jonathan narrowed his brow. “What?”
“You know! Do you have packing, shields—condoms, man!”
“Not here but we’re only having brunch; I don’t want to rush things with her.”
Anthony went to his locker pulling out a box. “Take these just in case. You might be taking things slow but she might have other ideas on her mind.”
Jonathan took two off the strip handing Anthony the box. “I’ll take two just in case.”
Anthony shook his head giving him the rest of the strip. “You gotta learn to be prepared. What if she gets feisty after the first two times, then what?”
Hesitantly he took the strip tucking it in his gym bag. “I won’t ask why you keep these in your gym locker, but thanks.”
“Have you seen the women that come in this place?”
“Yeah and you have to stop looking at them; you have a woman now,” he joked.
“What I have is a headache whenever she’s around. Have fun at brunch and do everything I would do.”
“Yeah—I’ll make sure to eat all the grapes from the fruit bowl.”
*****
Gabrielle placed the fresh vase of flowers on the table and removed the case containing her grandmother’s silverware from the cabinet to set the table carefully.
Happy with the outcome she lowered the oven temperature and went to the bathroom to finish curling her hair.
Her reflection in the mirror showed a happy person. She hadn’t entertained a man in months and couldn’t wait for Jonathan to arrive. He had broken her will. He had managed to cut through her wall and bring her back to life with one kiss. She could only imagine what else he could do if they actually had sex. She felt herself moisten at the mere thought and shook the image from her head.
Going into the bedroom, she threw off her robe and slipped into a cream-colored silk camisole that showed off her perky breast. Taking a lacy black thong from the drawer, she pulled them up her freshly waxed legs adjusting them in place. A pair of denim blue skinny jeans finished her look. She admired her look in the mirror. She wasn’t rail thin but shapely thin. She stood 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighed 130
pounds. Her hips were her best asset with the sexy plumpness that had men doing a double take. While her breasts were her weakest feature, they were perky, but weren’t as big as she would like. Blessed with her mother’s genes, she filled a 32C-cup and would never fill anything larger without implants.
Satisfied with the casual look, she straightened the bed, fixed her makeup and slipped on a long sweater to cover her body; she didn’t want to expose too much of herself to him before they ate. She slipped into the black fuzzy slippers she normally wore around the house. The slippers didn’t match her attire but she didn’t want to wear heels and her pedicure was too fresh to hide with socks.
She patted her chest to ease the racing. “Slow it down, girl. He’s just a man, don’t get carried away.” The timer on the oven went off indicating the cinnamon buns were ready. The sweet aroma filled the kitchen making it smell like a holiday. Spreading the icing on each bun, she set the platter on the table and got the pre-cut bags of fruit and a carton of eggs from the fridge. She would make the eggs when Jonathan arrived.
Midnight scurried between her legs. She shooed him away with her foot. “I can’t play at the moment, Midnight, we have company coming and I want you to behave,” she said dumping the fruit in a decorative bowl. Feeling confident about possibly jumpstarting her love life again, she clicked on the small CD player sitting on the kitchen counter to fill the room with Beyonce singing Love On Top.
Gabrielle danced and sang along with the song placing four sausage links in a skillet. She put the remaining eight in the pan not sure how much Jonathan ate. He was a big man and probably ate more than one or two sausages for breakfast. With the breakfast meat going she went to the pantry to get the ingredients to make the French toast casserole.
She passed the backdoor to get to the pantry. Pulling the curtain aside, she looked outside; it was snowing. She sighed heavily. “Why! Dang it! It was seventy-degrees yesterday and today it wants to snow! I hate Cleveland weather,” she grumbled gathering her items.
*****
Jonathan shifted to 4-wheel drive and slowed his speed as the snow fell heavier.
It was mid-morning on a Sunday and not many cars were on the road to help melt the snow and no snowplows were around either. The eastside of Cleveland was always hit hardest in the winter and Gabrielle lived in the snowbelt area of Mayfield Heights. He exited 271 East at Mayfield Road to come to a crawl. The traffic was lined bumper to bumper on the off ramp.
He took his cellphone from the holster and dialed Gabrielle’s number drumming his fingers on the steering wheel waiting for her to answer. Finally she did on the third ring. “Hi, I’m stuck in traffic not far from you. I think there is an accident up ahead.”
“I was getting worried you wouldn’t be able to make it. I can’t believe how hard the snow is falling.”
“A little snow ain’t about to keep me away. But, I think I will take a walk to see if there is anything I can do to help.”
“You are a fireman and I wouldn’t expect you to sit
in your car and not do something.
I’ll keep the food warm until you get here.”
“I won’t be long. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me either. Jonathan, be careful. You’re lungs are still healing and the cold can cause them to collapse very easily.”
“Stop worrying. I’m only going to make sure no one is hurt.” Pulling over to the curb, he got out of the truck and went to the back unlocking the compartment that held emergency supplies. Taking a few tools and a small extinguisher he walked up the ramp to investigate.
As he suspected there was a two-car accident blocking the intersection. No police were on scene and both cars had been heavily damaged. An older man pulling on a door fell to the ground. Jonathan ran over to assist.
“Are you okay?” The Asian man’s English was broken and he barely understood what he was saying. “Slow down. I’m a fireman and here to help.”
The man’s voice was high with excitement. “My wife, she stuck in car.”
Jonathan went to the passenger’s side of the car that was damaged the worst.
The older woman was awake but trapped in the backseat of the car. “I’m going to get you out, so relax.”
Other civilians rushed over to help. He asked they check on the ETA of police and rescue squads while he worked to free the woman from the wreckage. Using a crowbar, he was able to wrench the door ajar slightly. “Do you speak English?”
“Yes,” the woman nodded.
“Good, are you hurt?”
“No,” she shook her head.
“Okay, you’re wedged in there pretty tight and I can’t get the door open any further. I’m going to bring you out through the rear window.” He removed his coat covering her head. “Bend over on the seat to avoid the breaking glass.”
Police arrived on the scene yelling at Jonathan to get off the rear of the car. “Get down! Rescue is on the way.”
Jonathan continued to work yelling back. “I’m a Cleveland firefighter and know what I’m doing! One of you could give me a hand getting her out.”
Together they were able to free the woman who appeared unharmed and
grateful for the rescue. She bowed thanking Jonathan and handing him his coat.
Slipping it on, he collected his tools from the ground when the Chief of the Mayfield Fire Department handed him a piece of paper.
“I need you to read this over and sign it.”
“I didn’t see the accident. I’m actually parked down the ramp.”
“You were in the right place at the right time. Thanks for your help. What department are you with?”
“Company 30,” he said feeling the stiffness settle in his side.
“Ah the infamous Superman station of all the Cleveland fire houses. You think fast on your feet.”
Jonathan chuckled. “I didn’t realize we were known outside of our district. Are the occupants of the other vehicle okay?”
“Yeah; the old man spun out of control hitting them. Thank goodness neither car was moving at a high rate of speed”
“Chief, this might be a busy day for you. I gotta get going; I’m late for a very important date.”
*****
An hour later, Jonathan rang the doorbell to the small brick ranch-style home.
He figured Gabrielle would live in an apartment since she was single and worked different hours. He could hear music streaming through the closed door as he waited.
Gabrielle opened the door with her beautiful smile. His heart thumped a little harder at the sight of her. She unlatched the screen door allowing him access inside her home. “Come in, its’ freezing out there.”
“I didn’t think I would ever get here. That accident took over an hour to clear.”
“Did you have to magically rescue anyone?” She asked taking his coat.
“Indeed I did. I extracted a woman from a badly mangled car.”
Her face dropped. “Oh my god, is she okay?”
“She wasn’t hurt, just shaken a bit. Damn, I forgot the wine in the truck.”
“Come to the kitchen when you come back in.”
He returned in seconds taking his shoes off in the small alcove, he followed his nose to the kitchen. “You have a nice place. I expected you to live in an apartment not a house.”
“I have a cat and I like to play music loud sometimes; so I figured a house would work better for me.”
He came behind her. The visual of her plump buttocks and slim waistline had him wanting to reach out and touch her. “Did I mention you look delicious and the food smells good, too?”
With a slight turn of her head over her shoulder, she said, “No you didn’t but thank you. Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving. I worked up a good appetite freeing that civilian, and I don’t even get paid for doing it,” he said with a chuckle.
“Your payments are shown by the gratitude showered on you by those you’ve helped. Have a set and I will fix you a man-sized plate to fill your appetite.”
“Gratitude doesn’t pay the bills but it’s all good. You cooked a lot of food. You aren’t going to fix yourself a saucer-sized plate to keep from eating in front of me, are you?”
“Heck no! I like to eat and have no shame in getting my grub on,” she sniggled.
He unfolded the napkin placing it on his lap. “A real woman I can relate too.
You’re beautiful, smart, sexy, and can cook. Why aren’t you married or at least in a steady relationship?”
Sipping the orange juice, she looked over the rim of the glass. “I could ask you the same. But in my case, I haven’t found the right man and I guess I’m a little difficult to be with when it comes to long-term relationships.”
“How are you difficult? Do you turn into a raging she-devil after the initial phase of getting to know each other is over?”
“Hardly. I tend to work a lot and it kills the romance. I’ve been told I put work before the relationship. I’m going to be honest with you, Jonathan. I’ve haven’t been in a relationship in a long time and the longest relationship I’ve ever been in only lasted six months.”
“Gabrielle, don’t try an’ scare me away before we get started. I’m not asking you to run down your history to me. I work a lot too. Since I’m single, I do trades to take on extra shifts for guys that have families—so I know how it is to work a lot. As it is, my hours are different. It seems I’m at the fire station more than I am at home.”
“How have you been dealing with being on medical leave the last few weeks?”
“I’m dealing with it better than I thought. I didn’t realize I was exhausted physically. The time off has recharged my batteries and given me time to catch up on stuff just sitting around the apartment collecting dust.”
“My vacation is coming this Spring and I can’t wait.”
“What are you going to do on your time off?”
“I have brochures stashed in my drawer at work of Jamaica and Montego Bay. I want to go lie on the beach of either of those places and do nothing for seven whole days.”
“Are you alone basking on either one these beaches?”
“I am alone since I never make it past my probation period for dating.”
“Your problem is you’re not dating the right type of man.”
She propped her chin on the backs of her hands. “Here we go—you’re going to say, you are the man I should be dating.”
He raised his eyebrow and clicked his tongue to say, “In a nutshell—yup.”
“How do you know that? We could be different as night and day, Jonathan. I won’t dispute the attraction is strong, but once that has lifted what if there is nothing left underneath?”
He scooted the chair away from the table throwing the napkin on the plate.
Taking the few steps to where she sat, he reached a hand out to her. Gabrielle took it not knowing what to expect. Her pulse kicked into high gear when he drew her near.
She could smell his scent; feel his breath on her forehead. She want
ed him more than any man she’d ever encountered in her adult life.
“Do you trust being alone with me?”
Her mouth was dry with anticipation. “Yes.”
“I’m opening myself up to you. Do what you want with me, Gabrielle.”
“What?”
“I want you to do whatever is on your mind to me. If you want to throw juice in my face—then do it.”
“I’ve never heard of doing anything like this. Is this a test of some sort?”
“You’re being apprehensive. You have already warned me about your failed relationships so I’m giving you the opportunity to do whatever you want to me and walk away. But, if you come back, then, I know there is more lying underneath to be explored.”
“You’re crazy and I’m not doing this,” she said huffing.
“Admit you’re scared there might be more and you don’t want to face it.”
“I’m not scared of anything. I didn’t get where I am by being scared to take chances.”
The glaze of his hazel eyes never left hers. He concentrated on the actions running through her head. He could almost hear her thinking. Gabrielle stood frozen to the floor. She’d gone tit-for-tat from day one with him, and now she had him on her territory and at her mercy.
Frowning, she bit her bottom lip. “I’m not apprehensive. You want to know what I really want to do to—well I’m about to show you!”
She shoved him against the counter lifting his t-shirt. Kissing his stomach, her fingernails clawed at his hard chest. Her tongue traced a line from the middle of his chest to veer over and tease a flat nipple. She could hear him sucking in a breath as she flicked and suckled his nipple with her tongue.
Jonathan gritted his teeth balling his fingers in her hair. Her light biting at his body was driving him insane. Pulling her to stand straight, his lips descended on hers.
Parting her lips with his tongue, he sought hers to play. His hands roamed over her back and down lower to squeeze her plump derriere.
She moaned deep in her throat when his hands instantly came up to her breasts twirling her nipples with his thumb through the silky fabric. In one swift move he pushed the sweater down to expose her shoulder kissing the softness of her skin, moving his lips up to her neck and biting her earlobe gently.
Smoke Page 7
