No Ordinary Romance

by Smith, Stephanie Jean

  Thomas laughed at Connie and kissed her as he stopped for a red light. "So I did good, huh?"

  "Oh Thomas you don't know how good." She stuck her tongue in his ear and sucked on the lobe.

  "Hey none of that while I'm driving. I didn't even know the significance of The Funk Brothers until Jenna called me."

  Connie settled back down into her seat for the short ride to The Holland Center. "What else did Jenna tell you?"

  "I don't know if I want to say. You might try to keep your friends from giving me pointers in the future. Let's just say that Jenna told me that it would make you truly happy to attend the concert."

  "Please, I know Jenna, more likely she said that buying tickets to The Funk Brothers was the surest way for you to get laid tonight." Thomas laughed aloud, and she knew she was on the right track. "Between you and me, I was a sure thing before I even knew about the concert."

  Thomas got lucky, he secured parking on Douglas Street, a block away from the Holland Center. He held the door open for her and grabbed her arm as they huddled on up the street. "I must have missed something in life, but I take it The Funk Brothers are a big deal."

  Connie stopped walking and turned Thomas to face her. "You're kidding right. Are you saying that you don't know about The Funk Brothers?"

  Thomas gave her a quick kiss and tugged her up the street. "Come on woman educate me."

  The Funk Brothers was the nickname of the session musicians who performed the music to most Motown Records recordings from the late 1950's until the mid 1970's. Momma Lettie was a diehard Motown fan, when I started playing the drums I used to listen to the drum introductions and cadences. Back then, I didn't know about the background musicians, it was all about the sound, not the musicians. I watched the documentary about The Funk Brothers, and I've been a huge fan ever since."

  As they entered The Holland Center, Thomas checked her coat and gave their tickets to an usher. The auditorium was filling up fast, and Connie was surprised by the location of their seats; up front and center, three rolls back. "You must have purchased these tickets last month."

  Once they took their seats, Thomas casually placed his hand on her thigh. "I've been trying to get next to you for months. If I thought a dancing monkey would get me closer to you, I would have bought one."

  Something clicked in place for Connie that she hadn't considered before. "You've got to be kidding me."

  Thomas immediately sensed that something wasn't right by the sudden frown on Constantina's face. "What's wrong?"

  "How long have they been feeding you information about my whereabouts?"

  Thomas swallowed before responding he could feel the violet eyes burning a hole through him. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't understand your question?" He moved his hand from her thigh and grabbed her hand. "The first time I saw you were sitting in a dunk tank at some school charity event. By the time I made it back to the tank, you were gone. The second time I saw you were at the grand opening party for Jenna and Samantha."

  Connie was at a loss for words. She remembered that event, she felt as if she were being stalked. "That was you following me around that night. I don't remember actually seeing you."

  "I have to admit, I was a bit of a cynic back then. I couldn't believe that someone like you really existed."

  "You make me seem like some sort of mystical character. What did I do that was so astounding that you couldn't believe I was real?"

  "You were absolutely fabulous, and you did nothing to bring attention to yourself. Every move you made was in difference to your friends. You didn't single anyone out, but you made everyone feel at ease, and you disappeared again before I could find out your name."

  Connie rubbed her thumb across his knuckles. "So is that when you started pumping my friends for information."

  The auditorium got dark, and Thomas moved in for the kill. "No. I became very enamored with you after you first appearance before the city council. At last I finally had your name, even that wasn't enough it didn't tell me the details I needed like if you were married or otherwise entangled."

  Connie felt the pull of his honeyed words in the pit of her stomach. "So that's when you used my friends to get next to me."

  "Shamelessly and I don't feel the least bit guilty." He kissed her exposed neck and enjoyed the rippled effect of her emotions. "I can feel your arousal; you want me bad, don't you. After the concert, I'm going to take you home with me for the weekend, and you won't see the light of day until Monday morning."

  "Do I have any say in the matter?"

  "No!"

  "I like a man who knows how to take charge."

  ***

  It was late in the morning when Connie woke up, she felt sore and well used. Thomas was an insatiable lover, and she enjoyed every minute. He was sleeping deeply with one hand braced on her stomach, his hold tightened when she tried to move. "Thomas, I need to get up."

  Thomas's green eyes pinned her down, and his hand didn't release her. He moved his hand to cup her breast until her nipple became erect. "What if I don't want to let you go?"

  "Then you're going to have a large puddle in your bed. Besides, it's time for you to wake up, and get me some food." Thomas threw the covers off the bed, his cock stiff with morning wood. He stroked himself his eyes glittering like emeralds as they rested on her body.

  "Baby I got all the nourishment you need right here, but I'll let you go relieve yourself."

  "Thank you for your permission master, I'll be sure to pay homage to your special parts when I return." She blew him a kiss and went down the hall to the bathroom.

  Thomas couldn't take his eyes from her body, her firm buttocks seemed to call to him. He often wondered if Constantina needed him half as much as he needed her. He wanted her, not for just a weekend, he wanted to lock her in his house forever.

  He could envision her pregnant with his children. He wanted a mate not just another lover. This relationship with Constantina was new, and he didn't want to fracture it with his demands. He got out of the bed and followed Constantina to the bathroom maybe if he asked nicely he could get lucky in the shower.

  ***

  Dressed in only a shirt and socks, Connie scoured Thomas's kitchen looking for food. "When you spent the weekend at my house I had plenty of food. Either we're going to have eggs for every meal, or you need to go grocery shopping."

  Thomas wrapped his arms around her waist as she set the plates on the kitchen table. "My only thought was holing up with you for the weekend. I didn't have time to go grocery shopping when I got into town yesterday."

  Connie pulled out of his arms and sat down at the table; she blessed her food and proceeded to eat her eggs and toast. "Okay sexy man, you're a ardent lover, but I'm a woman of strong appetites, and I need some food. So either you take your hot buns to the grocery store or you can take me home."

  Thomas winked at her as he sat down to eat. "I'm been called many things, but never hot buns. "Make me a list of what you want and I promise to go grocery shopping. Of course, you could come with me."

  "I'd love to go with you, but my kidnapper didn't bring me any clothes to wear."

  Thomas finished his breakfast; determine to get the shopping out of the way so they can go back to bed. "That wasn't a mistake, it was my goal to keep you naked and in my bed all weekend." He choked down his food and drank his juice. "While I'm getting dress, make up a quick list."

  Connie found a pen and paper and wrote out a few items she would need to get them through the weekend. She finished her breakfast and washed the dishes as promised Thomas was dressed and ready to go. "Stick to the list and no dallying at the store."

  Thomas like her attire, there was nothing sexier that Constantina running around in his shirt. "I'll be back as soon as I can, then we are going back to bed."

  "I'll be here waiting lover." Connie loved Thomas's house, he lived in a ranch style home in Florence. She could see the Mormon bridge from the kitchen window. She looked around his house; it was u
nmistakably a bachelor pad. There were pictures of his family on the walls, she recognized his mother and the man was probably his stepfather. The two other women in the photo were Thomas's sisters Charlene and Kimberly.

  She came across another picture; it was framed alongside a news article. It was an article about the Chisum Group and its first multi-million dollar deal. Oh no. She read the article and a sense of dread filled her body. Thomas was the CEO of the Chisum Group. That's not possible; he would have told her that he was the client bringing her the land swap deal. "He used me for a land deal." The last thing Connie wanted to do was face Thomas right now. She called a cab and put on her clothes from last night.

  Connie felt miserable she left Thomas a note, hoping that the cab would arrive soon. "How could I have been so stupid? Fifteen minutes later the cab pulled into Thomas's driveway. She stumbled down the stairs into the cab. She rattled off her address and rested her head against the back seat. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

  "Bad night lady."

  The cab driver frowned at her in the rearview mirror. "Bad breakup."

  ***

  Thomas realized that Constantina gave him strict instructions to follow the list, but he added a few items like chocolate syrup and flowers. He could see her squirming as he licked the chocolate syrup from her body. He sacked up his groceries and quickly deposited them in the car. This little trip shouldn't have taken more than thirty minutes. He looked at his watch; he'd been gone for more than an hour.

  He was so happy he began to whistle. He was lucky with his family, his job, and now he was finally lucky in love. He stopped whistling when the implications of his thoughts hit him. "I love her." He pulled into the garage, grabbed the two bags and entered the house from the kitchen.

  "Constantina I'm back." He put the groceries away and went in search of her. He hoped she was in bed because that's exactly where he wanted to be. He searched all over the house. Constantina where are you?" He came back into the kitchen and saw the note on the table. "Shit!"

  He called Constantina on the phone desperate to explain the situation with the land deal. The call went straight to voice mail, "Constantina, please call me back baby. There's a reason why I didn't tell you that I'm the CEO of the Chisum Group." He paced back and forth in the kitchen. He had to see her, and there was no point in waiting for her to return his call. He got in his car and headed to her house.

  The situation was dire; he couldn't believe that Constantina would think he would make love to her for a damn land deal. He should have told her the truth right in the beginning. Then he wouldn't be suffering right now. He couldn't lose her over this misunderstanding. He refused to lose her over this.

  ***

  Connie called Samantha and Jenna and told them about the situation with Thomas. Not even twenty minutes later, they both arrived at her house. She let them in the same time Thomas pulled into her driveway. "I don't want to talk to him right now." She left the living room and marched back to her bedroom.

  "Follow her Jenna I'll take care of Thomas." Samantha went back outside and waited for Thomas on the stoop.

  "Samantha I need to talk to Constantina. She's got the wrong idea about me, and I have to clear it up now before this situation sabotages our relationship."

  "Thomas I was rooting for you, but you messed up big time. Connie's not going to talk to you, she wants to be around her friends and call you every type of asshole in the book. Barging in her and trying to drag her back to your lair is not going to work. She has to digest everything first, and she'll call you when she's ready to talk to you."

  He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. "You don't understand Samantha; she's hurt because she believes that I would use her for a land deal. I would never do that to her, to us. I love her, and I don't want to lose her over this bull shit."

  Samantha really felt sorry for Thomas, but her first priority was Connie. "I'm sorry Thomas, my loyalty is to Connie. Give it a couple of days, let her calm down, and trust that she loves you enough to realize that you wouldn't use her to make a deal."

  Thomas ran his fingers through his hair, totally frustrated with the situation. He was tempted to drag Constantina out of her house and dump her into his car, whisking her back to his house. "Damn it Sam! In a couple of days, she could cut me off altogether."

  "Sorry Thomas. Don't make this any harder? I really don't want to call the police."

  Thomas gritted his teeth. "I'll do it your way for now." He got back into his car and drove away.

  Samantha gave a sigh of relieve, she remembered a similar situation with Mike and Jenna last year. Dealing with men in love, was like dealing with a wounded bear. She stepped back into Connie's house, she was going to find the underlying cause of this and get this relationship back on track. She found Connie on the bed crying, the last time she saw her in such a state is when Laura died.

  "Connie, Thomas is gone. He didn't want to leave, and I'm willing to bet that he'll be back. Why don't you pack a bag and stay at one of the condos for a while until you get your head together."

  Jenna sat down in the chair rubbing her belly. "Yes Con that sounds like a great idea or you could come home with me and stay."

  All of these tears were giving Connie a headache. "He lied to me; he told me that he wanted me to take the land for the foundation. All the while, he was planning to get his hands on my property to make a multi-million dollar deal. I should have known the way he kept prodding me to make the land swap deal. I'm so stupid I should have known better. No man has ever wanted me for me; it was something they wanted from me."

  Samantha sent a worried gaze to Jenna before sitting down on the bed. "Stop it Connie, I won't let you do this to yourself. He told me that he loves you, and he wanted to barge in here and take you away. I believe him Con. Why do you believe that a man like Thomas couldn't want you for you?"

  Connie didn't want to believe that Thomas could use her that way, but men didn't view sex the way women did. She had to go somewhere and think about her next step. Thomas would be back, the warrior inside him wouldn't let her hide from him. "He'll be back, and I don't want to be here when he does. Jenna it's sweet of you to offer to take me into your home, but I don't want to add more stress into your life. Sam I'll take you up on your offer to stay at one of the condominiums. If I stay here, Thomas will just keep coming back until I agree to talk to him. I have a lot of thinking to do first."

  Jenna and Samantha helped her pack up clothes for the week. Connie felt bruised, used, and betrayed. She checked her phone, there where ten messages from Thomas and one from Chad. She listened to the message from Chad; his grandfather's funeral was on Monday at 1:00, the First Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.

  "Samantha what time are you leaving for Des Moines on Monday?"

  "I was going to leave in the afternoon, but I can live sooner if you like."

  "The funeral for Chad's grandfather is at 1:00 on Monday. I'd like to ride down with you if that's okay, Beth will be joining us."

  "Sure Con. We'll leave at 8:00, which will give us plenty of time to check into the hotel and find the church."

  Connie started crying again, "I never thanked you two for being my only friends." She felt their arms wrap around her, and she began to feel at ease.

  "You can always call on us Con, that's what friends are for."

  "If you want we can have Allen and Mike go kick Thomas's ass."

  Connie began to laugh at Samantha's suggestion. "It's good to have friends during times like these."

  ***

  Chapter 12

  Thomas was a wreck, he tried to contact Constantina, but she wouldn't return his calls. He even went back to her house only to find it empty. He hadn't slept or eaten since she left him, he'd been walking around like an old wounded lion with a nail in his paw. If this was love, he didn't need it. He arrived at his office to see his secretary all in a tizzy. "What's wrong Caroline?"

  "Two gentlemen are here to see you, a Mr. Archer and Mr. John
son. I put them in your office."

  "Thanks Caroline, please hold all my calls, this may take awhile." He never met the husbands of Samantha and Jenna; he'd only seen them from a distance. One was a cop, and the other was a businessman from Seattle. If they were here to try to keep him away from Constantina, they would have a battle on their hands.

  He walked into his office and shut the door. "Gentlemen, I can't say it's a pleasure. Please state your business and be on your way."

  "He's got it bad Allen; he looks worst than you did when you first came to town all hot and bothered about Samantha."

  Allen was staring out the window when Thomas walked in the office. He had to agree with Mike's assessment; Thomas looked as he'd been run over by the Husker's defensive line. "Yes he's definitely in love with Connie. I'm Allen Archer, by the way, my jokester companion is Mike Johnson." We came here to help you win Connie back."

  Thomas watched the men with narrowed eyes. "Now why would you be willing to do that?"

  "Well it certainly isn't out of the goodness of our hearts. My wife and her friends are thick as thieves, and what hurts one of them, hurts them all. Basically, your debacled romance is interfering with our lives, so we came to help you get back with Connie."

  Mike had to chime in, "what Allen means is, you look as if you have been put through the wringer, and both of us know that feeling. Jenna, Samantha, and especially Connie are the sweetest most caring women, unless you happen to be the men in their lives. I could tell you stories about my courtship with Jenna that would give you gray hairs. Now we're expecting our first child and my wife can't handle any more stress."

  Thomas just glared at them, he wasn't a slouch at 6'2, but Allen had him by several inches. The cop had the build of like a linebacker. "So what are your big plans to get me and Constantina back together?"

  Allen picked an imaginary piece of lint form his suit. "Samantha tells me that you forgot to disclose that you were the CEO of The Chisum Group. Therefore, Connie thinks you strung her along just to make the land swap deal. Did she leave anything out?"