by Amy Brent
Chanise laughed, shaking her head. “I can only imagine.”
She kissed him, and just when she was about to pull back, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Jake held her tight for a long, sensual moment, and then started lowering her back onto the bed.
Chanise tensed, glancing at the closed door. “Deena is in the living room.”
Jake smirked. “We'll just have to be quiet.”
She smacked his chest. “Jake! You're terrible.”
He chuckled, climbing on top of her and using his knees to spread her legs. “It's okay, babe. She won't know what we're doing.”
Chanise wanted to protest, but Jake started kissing her neck, then trailing kisses down her chest. She lost her voice, unable to find the words to protest. She knew it was risky to do this with her daughter in the other room, but she wanted it.
She whimpered when Jake started unbuttoning her blouse. “Are you sure you can be quiet?”
Jake leaned back, pulling off his shirt, and then unbuttoning his pants. “Trust me, babe.”
She closed her eyes and lay back while he pulled off her pants. He climbed on top of her and started rubbing his hardness against her. She moaned, burying her face against his neck to stifle the sounds. She wanted to cry out, wanted to beg him to fuck her, but she needed to keep quiet. Somehow, it made the experience all the more thrilling and dangerous, like that afternoon down at the office.
She pulled Jake tighter against her. His moans sounded so loud in her ears. She whispered to him, “Quiet, baby. Quiet.”
He reached down and grabbed her hips, thrusting deeper and harder. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling herself up to meet him with each thrust. Her hands slid into his silky hair and she held him close. He planted soft kisses against her caramel skin, kissing her face, her neck, and her shoulders. Each little kiss sent shivers through her body.
Chanise started to tense, feeling the rush overpowering her. She glanced at the door, certain that she had heard Deena calling to her, but it was too late to stop now. She whispered into Jake's ear, “Come on, baby. Give it to me. Hurry.”
Jake didn't need any more encouragement than that. He grunted and thrust hard against her, letting out a moan loud enough to be heard through the closed door. Chanise clung to him for a few moments, sweating and trembling. Then she got up and hurried to the door, pressing her ear against it.
Jake followed her to the door. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “It's fine, babe. She didn't hear anything.”
Chanise let out a sigh of relief, touching a hand to her chest. Then she turned and smacked Jake on the arm, though she was grinning the whole time. “You horn dog,” she whispered.
“What can I say?” he said, grinning. “I can't get enough of you.”
* * *
The next day at work, Chanise received an alarming phone call. She was in the middle of wrapping up the next week's schedule when the phone rang. When she answered it, an unfamiliar man asked for her by name.
“Yes, this is Chanise Johnson,” she said, already starting to worry.
“This is Robert Phillips, with the NFL investigatory committee for Jake Stone. I was wondering if I would be able to set up a meeting with you and Dr. Johnson.”
Chanise's hands started to tremble. “What...what about?”
“Well, I'm sure you're aware of Mr. Stone's suspension and the conditions of his reinstatement to the team?”
“Yes, I am.”
“In order for us to verify that Mr. Stone did indeed go through the mandatory counseling sessions he was required to attend, we need to come down there and ask you a few questions. To make sure that everything was on the up and up.”
“All right,” Chanise said, her voice trembling. “But you should know, Jake and I, our relationship, it really had nothing to do with—”
“Ms. Johnson,” Robert said, “it's really best if we discuss this matter in person. I need to get an official statement from you, and from Dr. Johnson. And I'll need to take a look at your records.”
“All right. I mean, I'll have to clear this with my father...”
“Of course. How about we set up an appointment for next week?”
“Okay. I guess that would be fine.”
She was on the phone with Mr. Phillips for a few more minutes, working out the details. Then she had to call her father in to talk with him and confirm everything. They set up a meeting for Monday morning, in between her father's counseling sessions. Mr. Phillips said he would come down to the office to speak with them directly, but he assured them that the meeting wouldn't take long.
Chanise was a nervous wreck all weekend. She called up Jake to tell him about the meeting. He assured her over and over again that it would be fine, that it was simply the league's way of going through all of the proper procedures. But not matter how much he tried to reassure her, she couldn't fight the tension that had built up inside of her. She was so scared that she would do something wrong, or say something wrong, and that it would end up costing Jake his career.
When Monday morning finally came around, Chanise couldn't focus on any of her work. She just sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen, unable to get anything done. When a man carrying a briefcase finally walked through the waiting room door, she let out a sigh of relief. At least, she told herself, the waiting was finally over.
Her father greeted Mr. Phillips in the waiting room, and then led him back to his office. Chanise joined them, taking one of the chairs in front of her father's desk, while Mr. Phillips took out the other. He pulled a small tablet computer from his briefcase and set it up on the desk with a foldable keyboard. They went through all of their introductions, and he asked them for personal details that he needed for the report, including their names, home addresses, and phone numbers.
“Okay,” Robert said, once the initial questions were over. “I just need to ask a few questions to clarify everything we've already been told by Mr. Stone. Just to confirm that your story matches his.”
Chanise started to feel nervous again. She hoped that Jake had kept his story to the simple truth. He certainly hadn't told her she needed to say anything other than exactly what happened.
“Dr. Johnson,” Robert said. “Can you tell me when exactly you learned of the relationship between your daughter and Mr. Stone.”
“It was a week ago Sunday,” Dr. Johnson said. “My granddaughter told me about it, and I confronted my daughter about it right away. I told her right then that I wouldn't be able to be Jake's counselor anymore.”
“And you had no idea that anything was going on before that.”
“None. I wouldn't have approved of it if I had known.”
“And when did you terminate your professional relationship with Mr. Stone?”
“The very next day,” Dr. Johnson said. “I called him up and explained that I wouldn't be able to be his counselor anymore, and I referred him to a colleague of mine, Dr. Nguyen.”
“And do you have copies of all of your records of the time Mr. Stone was your patient?”
Dr. Johnson pulled out a folder and handed it to Robert. “That's everything. Appointments, sign-in sheets, receipts for his insurance company, all the standard paperwork.”
Chanise let out a small sigh of relief that she had forced Jake to keep signing in. It seemed like such a small thing, but it was possible that it would make all the difference.
Robert flipped through the pages in the folder and then tucked it into his briefcase. “All right. And Ms. Johnson. Can you tell me, in your own words, how your relationship with Mr. Stone started?”
“All right.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. “We first met when he started coming in for his appointments. At first, we just talked. And he flirted with me a lot.”
“It was Mr. Stone who initiated romantic contact with you?”
“If that's what you want to call it,” Chanise said. “I just call it being hit on.”
&nbs
p; “Were his advances unwanted?”
Chanise frowned. “That's not what I said.”
“I just want to make sure we have the details right.”
“Look, he flirted with me, and at first, I didn't think I should get involved with him because he was a patient. But then we decided to go out for coffee.”
“How long had he been coming here by that point?” Robert asked.
“A few weeks.”
“At any point, did Mr. Stone try to use his relationship with you to compromise your integrity?”
“What?” Chanise asked, a shocked look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, did he try to get you to alter any records, anything like that?”
“Don't be ridiculous!” Chanise crossed her arms. “Our relationship had nothing to do with his counseling sessions. Nothing at all. He just liked me. We liked each other. So we had coffee. Then dinner. Then things started to get serious.”
“And were you aware of the conflict of interest?”
“Yes,” Chanise said. “He and I talked about it, and we knew he was going to need to switch counselors. We were planning on telling my father anyway, if he hadn't found out.”
“All right.” Robert typed a few notes into his tablet, and then skimmed through his list of questions. “I just have one last question. And thank you for your patience with this. I understand this is a difficult situation, and you must not like having your personal life probed in this way.”
“No, I really don't,” Chanise said, frowning at him.
“I'm really sorry about that,” Robert said. “I hope you understand I'm just doing my job.”
“She understands,” Dr. Johnson said. “What was your question?”
“In your personal opinion,” he asked, “do you believe that Mr. Stone had any other motivations in initiating a relationship with you, beyond romance?”
“What does that mean?” Chanise asked.
“It means. Do you think he was considering his career or his suspension, or thinking that getting close to you would help him cheat his way past the mandatory counseling sessions? That he might be able to use you to alter the paperwork, or to say that he had attended sessions when he hadn't?”
“No,” Chanise said. “No, absolutely not. The only thing on his mind was me. Was us. He was attracted to me, and that was it. He didn't want to use me. I'm certain of that.”
“Thank you, Ms. Johnson.” Robert typed in a few more notes, and then he folded the keyboard, closing his tablet. “I appreciate your help and your directness. I'm sorry again if these questions were in any way upsetting to you. But we had to investigate this fully.”
He got up to leave. Chanise rose to her feet as well. “So, is that it? Is Jake going to be allowed to play again?”
“I can't say,” Robert said. “My job is only to investigate the situation and file a report. Mr. Stone will be informed if and when the suspension is lifted.”
“Thank you, Mr. Phillips,” Dr. Johnson said. “I'll see you out.”
Chanise sat back down while her father led the investigator out of the office. When her father returned, he sat across from Chanise. “I don't think there's anything to worry about,” he said. “Though I certainly hope that next time, you think things through more before you do something like this.”
Chanise shrugged, giving her father a bashful smile. “I know, Dad. But I couldn't help it.”
“You feel that strongly for him?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
He reached over and patted her on the knee. “Well, then. You make sure to keep a hold of him then. No use getting into such a mess over a man if you let him get away.”
* * *
A few weeks passed without any word about Jake's suspension. Jake and Chanise continued seeing each other each week, and they even had dinner one night with Chanise's father, making Chanise feel like maybe her dad actually approved of the relationship. Some nights, Jake came over to Chanise's apartment and spent time with her and Deena. He even brought some Pixar videos with him when he visited so that they could all do a movie night together with something Deena would enjoy. Other nights, Deena spent the night with her Grandpa so that Jake and Chanise could get some much-needed alone time together.
One night, when Chanise arrived at Jake's place for a private dinner date, he greeted her at the door with a bottle of champagne in his hand. “Great news, babe,” he said, popping the cork. Foam poured out of the tip of the bottle, spilling all over the hardwood floors.
Chanise stepped back to avoid getting any champagne on her dress. “Careful with that, sweetie,” she said.
“Oops.” Jake set the champagne bottle down on the coffee table, then ran into the kitchen to get some towels. He came back and knelt down, sopping up the champagne. “But like I was saying, great news.”
“Is it about your suspension?”
Jake looked up at her and grinned. “I just got the official notice today. I'm off suspension. I'll be able to start playing again by mid-season.”
“Oh, that's wonderful.”
Jake rose to his feet and she gave him a hug, squeezing him tight. “I'm sorry about almost getting you into more trouble,” Chanise said.
“Nah, it's okay,” Jake said. He tossed the towel into the kitchen, barely getting it to land on the kitchen table. “I was the one who went after you, even when I knew it could get me into trouble. I knew what I was doing.”
He poured the champagne and they sat on the couch together, sharing a toast. “So, what now?” Chanise asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you've got your career back,” Chanise said. “But what about the rest of it? What about us?”
“What about us?” Jake asked. “I mean, I thought everything was going great.”
“Is that enough for you?” She frowned at him, toying with the stem of her champagne glass. “Just to be dating, and having things going great?”
“Do you want something more?” Jake set down his champagne glass, giving her a serious look.
“Eventually, yes. I'm not asking you for a proposal. But I want to know where this relationship is heading. I've got my daughter to consider.”
“And Deena's great,” Jake said. “I love her. She's an awesome kid.”
“She's a kid who needs stability in her life. I need to make sure I can provide that for her.”
“Well, I've been thinking about that,” Jake said.
“You have?” Chanise's eyebrows rose.
“Yeah, sort of. I mean, about us, and all. I've been thinking that maybe I should look into getting a place outside the city. I mean, living in the city is great and all. It's an amazing view.” He gestured to the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city. “But it's not really the best place for settling down or anything. Not that I'm ready to settle down yet, exactly. Just, you know, I want to get myself into that place. Where I'm ready to.”
“So you want to move?” Chanise frowned, not sure where he was going with this.
“Yeah. And I was thinking.” He took her hands in his, looking deep into her eyes. “I was thinking, maybe if I move, maybe you could move, too. With me, I mean. Move in with me.”
Chanise froze, her hands trembling. “Are you serious? Is that what you want?”
“Yeah. And then down the line, who knows.” He smirked, giving a little shrug. “It's the first step, though. I mean, I've never lived with a woman before. Hell, I've never had a relationship last this long before. So I want to do it right.”
Chanise was stunned. She stared at him, not sure what to say.
“So,” Jake asked, a hesitant look on his face. “What do you think?”
Chanise smiled. “I think yes. Definitely yes.”
A TASTE OF LOVE
"Please?"
Nicole Peart hated begging. She especially hated begging from Mark Tremain, and the smug satisfaction across his face when she did. But desperate times called for desperate measu
res, and all that: she needed a job, and his restaurant was hiring. Line cooks—hardly the glamorous chef positions she’d been hoping to snag when she went to culinary school and spent two years learning to fillet a fish with one smooth sweep and how to julienne a carrot into perfect matchsticks. She’d spent hours studying the chemistry of sugar and there were things that she could do with food that had her instructors drooling, and they promised to write her glowing recommendations to whatever restaurant she wanted to work in.
There was just one thing that had gone wrong with her plans to move to New York and find a job as some kind of chef—her mother had gotten sick, and it had always been just the two of them. So she stayed, and moved back to their house, learned to prepare medications and treatments with the same efficacy that she deboned a steak with. But money had always been short between them, and the last round of treatments had wiped out the last of her mother’s savings—Nicole was now the one in charge of paying the mortgage and keeping the lights on. It was now week three, and the problem with small-town America was that there were only so many jobs to be had.
"I don't know," Mark said now, the smirk crossing his face again. She fought back the urge to smack him. She wondered what she'd been smoking when she'd agreed to date him in the first place. He was good-looking, with that rugged brooding look that Marlon Brando had perfected, but his features were finer, more delicate. His accent was some kind of African accent that had the ability to shoot itself straight into the primitive reptilian brain, and even now she had to suppress the little urge to make googly eyes at him. It was why she’d consented to a second date with him, even after the first date had ended with her in tears because he’d insulted the wait staff and servers at the restaurant to the point where it embarrassed her, until she agreed to let him loosen her strapless dress to the point where it was this close to falling off of her—she knew the waiter got an eyeful of her tits, at any rate. That was the name of the game with him. He'd taken immense pleasure at nearly-exposing her in public, teasing strangers with the never-fulfilled promise of a glimpse of pussy or her breasts. The second time it happened she dropped him right then and there, but that didn't mean that he'd forgotten--or forgiven. "Are you wearing anything underneath that skirt?" he asked.
