by Pamela Yaye
Xavier didn’t want Ebony paying for meals. Or reminding him that she could afford it. She insisted on making the decisions and it bothered him greatly. Ebony had to learn to back off.
“I’m not mad at you, but I…”
Ebony smiled and Xavier lost his train of thought.
There was no denying it: he was hooked. He liked her a lot. More than his last three girlfriends combined. They had been great in their own right, but none of them had Ebony’s energy. Or confidence. Or sassiness.
The electricity that passed between them whenever they kissed had the potential to turn his life upside down. But Xavier welcomed the chaos. The woman standing before him in the off-the-shoulder top and fitted bell-bottom jeans, which hugged her full, very round bum like no other, was a tremendous woman. She had a personality and a way of thinking all her own. Ebony Garrett lived life by her own rules and played the game any way she saw fit. Xavier was drawn to her, and utterly helpless to resist her. But no matter how much he wanted her, he had to proceed with caution.
“Ebony, I think you’re a fantastic woman who I’d love to get to know better. But we need to straighten out a few things first. I don’t drive an expensive car. I don’t live in a six-bedroom palatial home, and I don’t have a six-figure salary.” Xavier locked eyes with her. “But I’m determined to reach the goals that I’ve set for myself. Everything I have I paid for with my own money. Ebony, I don’t need anyone taking care of me. If I invite you out for dinner, or take you to a show, I’ll pay for it. That’s what a man is supposed to do. If you think I’m not good enough for you because I’m not a wealthy executive—”
Ebony didn’t let Xavier finish. “I never said you weren’t good enough for me!” Her hands dropped to her sides, her face marred with frustration. One deep breath helped to clear her mind. “Don’t speak about what you don’t know, Xavier. I’ve never said, or insinuated, that I was better than you. Offering to pay for dinner wasn’t to embarrass you,” she reiterated for the fourth time in days. “If I had known my generosity would incite an all-out war, I would have kept my big mouth shut. Like I said that afternoon, picking up the check is no big deal. I do it all the time.”
Xavier was primed with a rebuttal, but the sound of chairs scraping across the floor and lively chatter coming from the kitchen forced him to hold his tongue. Now was not the time to be arguing with Ebony; the program was set to begin. “Let’s forget about this for now.”
Ebony would let it go for now, but this matter was far from over. “Are you coming with me to Q’s Joint on Friday night or have you changed your mind about that, too?”
Xavier had promised to be her date and he had a feeling things would get ugly if he attempted to back out now. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”
“We’ll talk then,” she said turning away. Ebony flung open the storage room door, rattling the small eight-by-ten space, and walked down the hall.
At one time, Q’s Joint had been a dilapidated-looking bar that served cheap food, entertained unsavory customers and enjoyed frequent visits by the local police. But all that changed when Kale Washington bought out the existing owner and poured a considerable sum of money into renovating the bar. The former professional baseball player had put Q’s Joint on the map. Now, almost three years later, it was the hottest place in town. The sensual lighting, polished decor, formal attire policy and twenty-five-dollar cover charge set the establishment apart from all the other nightspots.
Reclining in her buckskin chair, Ebony surveyed the crowd. Q’s Joint was a world all itself. College-aged women clad in slinky cranberry red cocktail dresses served drinks and appetizers; young athletes, who had tasted their first bit of fame, swaggered through the club with ten-men entourages; and scantily dressed women bounced from man to man like kangaroos. Simone T, a local pop singer with a number one hit single, pranced around the bar, her see-through lace one-piece outfit attracting attention from all four corners of the room.
Ebony returned her eyes to Xavier. He sat to her immediate left, discussing the nature of the NHL lockout with Opal’s friend Spencer Daniels. The pair had been engaged in an animated discussion for three-quarters of an hour, and although their topic of choice bored her to the point of falling asleep, she was stimulated by the rise and fall of Xavier’s voice. It was rich and strong. And turning her on in the worst way. She closed her eyes, and imagined his mouth on her lips. His hands on her breasts. His tongue working its way down the slope of her neck, then capturing a nipple in his mouth.
“Good evening. I’m Bliss. I’ll be your server for the rest of the night.”
Ebony opened her eyes, just as the waitress handed her a cocktail menu. The brunette rattled off a list of the night’s specials, her piercing blue eyes shifting casually around the room. Opal had excused herself to make a phone call, and the men were still arguing, so Ebony took the liberty of ordering a round of cocktails for the group. Handing the waitress her credit card, she said, “Charge everything to my account.”
The brunette nodded.
When she departed, Ebony took out her compact and discreetly checked her makeup. In the reflection of the mirror, she found Kale Washington watching her. His almond-shaped eyes glimmered under the bright lights of the bar, and he was wearing a wide smile. Vainglorious and overconfident, the multimillionaire thought he was God’s gift to women. The tabloids said he cheated on his wife and engaged in kinky sex with females half his age, but Ebony knew better than to believe rumors. She wasn’t keen on the man, but that didn’t mean she believed everything she read.
The show was set to start, but if Ebony didn’t go over and greet Kale, he would hold it against her. His wife, Amelia, was a regular at the boutique and the Hispanic beauty was one of Ebony’s favorite clients. She didn’t want to leave Xavier’s side, but she didn’t have much of a choice. This was business. Networking was the key to the game; it put her name out in the business world, and the more people she knew, the more opportunities would be afforded to her. Ebony wasn’t fond of Kale Washington, but he was somebody she had to be on friendly terms with.
Ebony found a smile as she made her way over to the bar. Watching Kale watch her was enough to make her laugh. His eyes were wide and his lips moist. It had been three months since she last saw the club owner, and there was no doubt in her mind that he wanted to catch up. Ebony cast a glance back at her table, relieved that Xavier and Spencer were still talking. Xavier was so busy arguing his point, he probably didn’t even notice that she had left the table.
“What do you think, Ebony?” Xavier turned to his right and was surprised to find her seat empty. His eyes moved carefully around the room. Befuddled, he watched as Ebony embraced a broad-shouldered man and then planted a kiss on his cheek. Xavier instantly recognized her companion. It was Kale “lady-killer” Washington.
Everyone knew who Kale Washington was. The former Twins pitcher smiled down from billboards, hawking everything from sneakers to medicine to cologne, and was a regular fixture around the city of Minneapolis. Visits to children’s hospitals, generous donations to inner city schools and hosting a baseball summer camp kept him in the newspapers and on the evening news on a weekly basis.
The ex-bad boy of the American Baseball League was living the American dream. Happily married to an ex-model, he had three cute kids, million-dollar homes on the East and West Coasts, commercial investments and a staggering net worth of 125 million dollars. The media said he had it all. Money. Fame. Power. And last month he had been named one of People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive.
Xavier suddenly felt insignificant. He told himself it had nothing to do with Ebony rubbing up against Kale Washington, but his heart knew differently.
Spencer pointed in the direction of the bar. “Is Ebony talking to Kale Washington? The Kale Washington?”
Xavier nodded absently.
“Damn! Ebony knows everyone!” Spencer smacked his hand on the table. He spoke with pure admiration. “The last time we were here she introduce
d me to Kevin Garnett. I almost passed out when he approached our table. He gave me a pound and everything. Cool guy.” Spencer nudged Xavier with his elbow. “Must be nice dating a woman who rubs elbows with stars and celebrities.” He dug around in his pocket, removed a wrinkled ATM receipt, then held it up for Xavier to see. “Think Washington will autograph this? Maybe I can send Opal over there when she gets back.”
Xavier inclined his head to the right, in the hopes of getting a better view of the attractive twosome. They were standing as close as Siamese twins, Ebony’s full breasts only a few inches from Kale’s chest. Chasing away feelings of jealousy, he leveled a hand over his shirt. He had no claims on Ebony. She was free to do as she pleased. Xavier thought for a moment. They weren’t a couple, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with her flirting with other men. He wasn’t.
Xavier kept a nervous eye on his date. He didn’t like seeing Ebony with Kale Washington. Or anyone else for that matter. He resented her popularity and the interest she received from other men.
A buxom waitress who would make Dolly Parton look flat chested bent down and set a cocktail glass before him. “Enjoy,” she said cheerfully, her breasts jiggling in his face.
Xavier shifted his eyes away from Ebony and Kale. “I didn’t order this.”
She flicked her head in the direction of the bar. “She did.”
Ebony knew he didn’t like to drink, but what did she do? Go ahead and order him a cocktail. He pulled out his wallet, took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to the waitress. “Can you take this back and bring me a glass of iced tea?”
“Keep your money. She prepaid for the drinks.” The waitress returned the cocktail to her tray and promised to return in a few minutes with his drink.
An ugly scowl worked its way onto Xavier’s mouth. Ebony was taking over again. She had taken the liberty of ordering for him, and if that wasn’t enough, she had paid the check—again. Xavier rubbed the side of his face. This was all too much. His life hadn’t been the same since he met her, and that bothered him. He wasn’t comfortable with change. Wasn’t comfortable being with a woman who garnered attention wherever she went.
Xavier checked his watch. Kale and Ebony had been talking for…for twelve minutes. Seven hundred and twenty seconds. Watching her from across the room stirred all sorts of desires within him. Her white sleeveless dress displayed her toned arms and slender legs. Xavier longed to have Ebony in his arms, and craved her touch in return. His mind lingered back to the afternoon they spent at the jazz festival. Just as he was about to revisit their impromptu make-out session, he turned away from his thoughts. Xavier faced the facts. Wherever Ebony Garrett was, trouble would soon follow. She used her sexy ways to entice as many men as possible and got a kick out of turning heads. Not his type of woman. Xavier wanted a good girl. A truthful, respectable woman who was ready to settle down and start a family. Ebony didn’t fit that description. She was dangerous and wild and a slice of temptation too captivating to resist. Like Eve and that damn apple.
The waitress returned with his drink. Xavier downed it in three gulps. After tonight, there would be no more dates with Ebony Garrett. She was bad news. Mind made up, he turned back to Spencer and asked him who he liked in the NBA finals. He gave Spencer his full attention, but every few seconds his eyes strayed to the bar. It was going to be hard severing ties with Ebony. They hadn’t known each other long, but he liked her immensely. No, he couldn’t second-guess himself now. It was over.
But at the end of the night when Xavier led Ebony through the lounge area, and caught the envious I-wish-she-was-my-woman stares the men fired his way, the last thing he was thinking about was severing ties with her. Her must-have body made her the desire of every man in the room. And when Ebony slipped her hand around his waist, Xavier’s chest puffed out like a hot air balloon. It felt good to have the best-looking woman in the bar on his arm. So what if she was a flirt? Did it matter that she craved attention? Xavier found Kale Washington through the crowd. Surprised to find the athlete watching them, he held Ebony a little tighter and guided her out of the bar.
Chapter 13
Ebony stepped inside the foyer, shut off the alarm and slipped off her high heels. She beckoned Xavier to follow her inside.
The image of Ebony in Kale Washington’s arms flashed in Xavier’s mind.
He hovered on the porch, wavering between the prodding of his heart and the deliberations going on in his mind. If he went inside, he’d probably fall back under her spell, but if he left without giving her the room to explain, he’d be judging her again. “Ebony, what kind of games are you playing?”
“I’m not playing any games. Like I told you before, what you see is what you get.” Ebony flicked on the hallway light to get a better look at Xavier. He didn’t look angry but there was no mistaking the harshness of his words.
“What I see is what I get, huh?”
Feeling the heat rise up the back of her neck, she unzipped her jacket and hung it up in the closet. “Out with it, Xavier. What’s your problem?”
He leveled the irritation in his voice; he didn’t want to come across as being hypersensitive or jealous. “You slink over to the bar, without bothering to say where you’re going, spend twenty minutes flirting with Kale Washington and then return to the table like nothing happened! Why did you bother inviting me tonight if you were going to spend most of night hanging out with other guys?” He added, “You know what your problem is, Ebony? You’re an insatiable flirt! Every time I turn my head, you’re batting your eyelashes at someone.”
Ebony’s first inclination was to tell Xavier to get out of her house. She didn’t like his tone and he had no right talking to her like that. She wasn’t a child and he wasn’t her father. What she did, where she went and who she spoke to was none of his business. He wasn’t her man. Or her husband. And since she didn’t remember them taking a trip down a rose-scattered aisle, exchanging vows or being pronounced as husband and wife in front of a roomful of family and friends, he had no say in who she spent her time with.
But instead of giving in to her temper, she held her tongue. Counting to ten calmed her nerves and cleared her head. In the painfully long silence, Ebony revisited his accusations and thought back over the night. Ebony couldn’t take issue over what Xavier had said; he was right.
Visiting with Kale had been inconsiderate. She hadn’t even realized that her quick hello had lasted almost a half hour. But when Kale got to making jokes, it was hard to leave. He plied her with compliments, shared humorous tales about his days in the major leagues and had a way of making her feel like he was really listening to her. She enjoyed his company, and the more time that ticked off the clock, the more she thought the rumors about him were just that—rumors. He nattered nonstop about his wife and children and had mellowed out considerably since the last time she’d come by the club.
Ebony closed the space keeping her from Xavier. Licking her lips, but managing to do it with just the right amount of sensuality, she smoothed her hands over his chest. Ebony wished Xavier would put them both out of their misery. He wanted her. She wanted him. It was as simple as that. “Are you attracted to me?” she asked, her eyes flitting over his lips. “Do I turn you on?”
Xavier swallowed. Where did that come from? he thought, clearing his throat. He paused, unsure of what to say. He wanted to say no, wanted to deny his true feelings, but Ebony would see right through him.
“I think you’re charming and—”
“That’s not what I asked you.” Ebony reached up and traced a finger gently over his lips. “Answer the question,” she ordered.
Xavier shut his eyes, reveling in her touch. Before he gave in to his desires, he recognized the attack for what it was: another one of her tricks. She had been touchy-feely all night and her ever-changing erotic arsenal had kept his head spinning. Ebony was always misbehaving. When she wasn’t rubbing her perky D-cup breasts against his forearm, she was stealing kisses or “accidentally” grazing a h
and across his crotch. Now this.
Disobeying his flesh, which was screaming out for some kind of sexual release, he stepped out of her reach.
Permitting her eyes to wander over his perfectly formed physique, she dropped her voice to a sexy whisper. “Do you think I’m sexy, Xavier? Do I turn you on? Do you want to make love to me tonight?”
“Enough!” he said, holding up his hands to silence her. He sounded defeated when he spoke, as if he had already lost the battle. “Who wouldn’t be attracted to you, Ebony? You’re stunning. Your honesty is refreshing and you’re fun to be with, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for each other. I think—”
Ebony had Xavier up against the door before he could finish his thought. She circled her arms around his neck, parted her lips and then smothered his mouth with her lips. Pressing herself against him, she lightly caressed the back of his head. Ebony reveled in the moment. The heat of his mouth, the feel of his chest against her breasts and his hands gliding up her back only intensified her need. Encouraged by his muffled moans, she dipped her tongue further into his mouth.
Mouth-to-mouth, chest to chest, they pleased each other with their hands and lips. Xavier dug his hands into her hair, drawing her closer.
Ebony nibbled on his bottom lip like it was a piece of fruit. Her nipples strained against her dress, aching for his touch. Xavier stroked Ebony through her clothes, eliciting a grunt from her mouth.
“Let’s…go…upstairs,” she managed. “We’ll be more…much more comfortable…in my…bedroom.”
Xavier was tempted, like Adam had been in the Garden of Eden that fateful day, but he couldn’t follow Ebony upstairs. Not tonight. Making love to someone you loved and respected was one of God’s greatest gifts. He was wildly attracted to her—the plump lips, dark exotic eyes, tight curves—but he wanted to know her on a deeper level. There was no doubt in his mind that when the time was right, the sex would be great. He desired every inch of her delectable frame, but he didn’t love her. Xavier was waist-deep in lust, and although he’d acted on those feelings in the past, he wouldn’t tonight. Freeing himself, he used his fingers to erase all traces of her lipstick from his mouth.
