Temperatures Rising

by Brenda Jackson

  Before a frown could set in her face, Terrence lowered his head and took her mouth, laying claim to whatever biting words she was about to say, effectively wiping them from her lips. Once his tongue slid into her mouth, her response was instantaneous. And when his tongue began moving around her mouth in long, fluid strokes, he heard her moan.

  The sound made fire gush through his bloodstream, and he reached out and placed his arms around her waist to draw her closer. He then shifted his hand to cup her backside, liking the feel of that part of her in his hand even through her clothes. His tongue had been playing a cat-and-mouse game with hers, and when it was finally within her grasp, she surprised him and sucked on it in a way that nearly brought him to his knees. But he refused to buckle. He needed to stand upright to torment her mouth the way she was tormenting his.

  The palm of his hand glided sensuously back and forth over her cute bottom, kneading it tenderly, while at the same time the hardness of his erection pressed against her stomach. An ache throbbed to life inside him, and it wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge and have him take her right there on her desk.

  There was no telling how long they would have continued to kiss if there hadn’t been a loud knock on the door. Her breath caught the moment Terrence released her mouth. He watched as she breathed in deeply, fighting the urge to kiss her again.

  A knock sounded again, and she quickly went to the door, glancing over her shoulder before making a move to open it. Since a hard-on was something he knew couldn’t go away quickly, he decided to sit down on the love seat. “Go ahead and open the door, Sherri,” he said quietly. “I’m as put together as I can get under the circumstances.”

  Trying to recoup all her senses, Sherri took a deep breath before opening the door to find Prentice Sherman standing there. It was then that she remembered their meeting. She cleared her throat. “Prentice, sorry about this, but my meeting with Terrence has run over for just a bit. I’ll buzz you when we’re finished.”

  Prentice smiled. “Sure thing, Sherri. No problem. I’ll be in the break room,” he said before turning to leave.

  As soon as the door was closed, Sherri whirled around and stared at Terrence with eyes as sharp as daggers. “How dare you.”

  An innocent look appeared on his face. “How dare I what? Kiss you? In that case, how dare you kiss me back?”

  Inhaling a calming breath, or at least trying to do so, she ran her fingers through the mass of hair on her head. There was no way Prentice wasn’t suspicious about what they had been doing. First, it had taken two knocks before she had opened the door, and then there was no doubt in her mind that she probably looked like a woman who’d been pretty well kissed.

  “This is all a game to you, isn’t it, Terrence?”

  “Why would you think that?” he asked, getting to his feet.

  “Because it was my understanding that after our one night together there would be no more hitting on me. No more trying to get me in your bed. No more of anything. We did it.”

  Terrence couldn’t stop the smile that touched his lips when he crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Yes, we did do it, and it was done in a way that still leaves me breathless whenever I think about it. And for that reason, I need to spend more time with you. I need to do it again.”

  “No. Once was enough.”

  He shook his head. “No, once wasn’t enough for me, and from your response to our kiss, not for you, either.”

  She lifted her chin. “You’re imagining things.”

  Amusement darted across his lips. “Trust me, whenever I’m inside your mouth or inside your body, I’m dealing strictly with reality.”

  He checked his watch. “It’s getting late, so I’ll leave you to meet with Prentice. I’ll call you later to see if—”

  “Don’t.”

  He met her gaze, and she met his. “Why are you afraid of me?” he asked softly.

  “Leery is a better word, and like I said earlier, I refuse to participate in whatever game you’re playing.”

  He thought about the game they’d willingly played together two nights ago. Their naked bodies tumbling between soft cotton sheets…His mouth tasting the sweetness of her unlimited times with no threat of facing a time-out…Her body while her inner muscles clenched him inside of her, releasing him and then clenching him some more, milking him for everything he had…He no longer had to wonder how it would be to make love to her, because now he knew. That knowledge stirred his insides whenever he thought about it. It was the force behind the hunger, so intense and deep, it racked his senses. It was part of what was channeling his love, something he could admit to freely.

  “Do we understand each other, Terrence?”

  Her question regained his attention, and he felt it was important that she be the one to understand. He wouldn’t tell her that he had fallen in love with her until he had time to work on her heart. Whatever glass case she had surrounding it would be broken into tiny pieces. “Once wasn’t enough, Sherri. I want you again. And again. But I’m willing to give you time to adjust to the idea. I’ll see you on Friday.”

  And without giving her a chance to respond, he headed for the door.

  Chapter 9

  “H ave you been keeping up with the weather report?”

  Sherri glanced across the restaurant table at Kim and wiped her mouth before she spoke. “I can’t help but keep up with it. We have a meteorologist at the station, and I met with him today. At four o’clock the most recent update from the National Weather Service indicated there was a possibility that Ana could strengthen significantly when she emerges from Cuba’s north coast. If that happens, then she has a chance of becoming a hurricane and could pass near here.”

  “That’s scary.”

  Sherri nodded. Neither she nor Kim had ever lived in a place that was this close to a hurricane’s breeding ground.

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do. It’s all in the hands of Mother Nature, but I’m hoping it bypasses here,” Kim said.

  Sherri couldn’t help but agree. Deciding to change the subject, she asked Kim about the doctor she was dating. “He’s okay,” Kim said, shrugging her shoulders. “He’s been divorced twice and that might not be a good sign, but I’m willing to go out with him a few more times. He likes to have fun, and that’s good, although I think he’s also dating another doctor.”

  Sherri lifted her brow. “And how do you feel about that?”

  Kim shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me, since we’re not exclusive. What about you and the Holy Terror?”

  Sherri glanced over at Kim. “What about us?” Kim knew he had spent the night, so Sherri knew that wasn’t what she was inquiring about.

  “So you admit there’s an ‘us’?”

  Sherri shook her head. “No, it was a slip of the tongue, nothing more, although he evidently thinks there’s an us. We clearly went into that night knowing it was a one-night stand, but now he wants a repeat.”

  Kim’s eyes widened. “Really? Everything I’ve read said he doesn’t do repeats.”

  “Then what about that socialite he’d become involved with?” If anyone knew the details, Kim would. Her best friend lived and breathed the Internet when she wasn’t working. Sherri sometimes thought it was a wonder she’d never taken a job with the FBI, since Kim had such a keen investigative nature.

  “Oh, he only dated her those few times as a favor to her father, this real-estate tycoon on the island. Evidently she put more stock into the affair—if you really want to call it that—than Holy Terror did. After a few dates, when she began to get clingy, he cut her loose, but not before she’d told everyone they were engaged and he was having her ring sized. I’m told her lie pissed him off and he embarrassed her by retracting her claim. End of story.”

  Sherri took a sip of her drink and said nothing.

  Kim asked after a moment, “So what do you plan to do? You know how persistent he is.”

  Sherri nodded. Yes, she knew. “I’ll keep telling him no. Ev
entually he’ll get the message.”

  “Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t. I think you made quite an impression on him.”

  Sherri rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  She really didn’t care what sort of impression she might have made on Terrence. The bottom line was that a one-night stand was a one-night stand, and she had no intention of modifying their agreement.

  When the live band began playing, she decided to try and put any thoughts of Terrence from her mind, but she couldn’t help wondering what he was doing now. Had he not gone to the club tonight to meet the infamous Monica Kendricks like he’d said or had he gone?

  She wanted to kick herself for caring whether he went. And for caring about the man himself. Though she had admitted to having feelings for him, it was something he would never know. The man was too arrogant already.

  Terrence placed the book he’d been reading on the nightstand and then shifted positions in bed. He had just finished talking to Stephen, who told him the auhorities were gearing up for a mass evacuation because of Ana if one was officially called.

  The last time he had talked to Lucas was a few days ago. His friend was waiting for Emma to fly in, hoping she would make it before the flights got canceled. Terrence hadn’t wanted to tell Lucas not to hold his breath waiting for the woman since she had promised to fly in numerous other times and hadn’t made an appearance yet.

  Terrence smiled, thinking how his father, Olivia and Duan had called to make sure everything was okay. They had heard about the tropical storm on the radio and had been concerned.

  He had assured them that he was fine and that chances were the storm would shift and move in another direction. At least he was hoping that would be the case. The Dominican Republic was presently taking a beating, but all they were getting in the Keys was a lot of strong wind. Still, he knew that would be changing if the dark clouds were any indication.

  Speaking of dark, he couldn’t help but remember the dark frown that had been on Sherri’s face when he had walked out of her office earlier. To say he had riled her anger was an understatement.

  He shifted in bed again and decided the next time they made love would be over here at his place, in this very bed. No other woman had set foot in his bedroom, but he intended for her to be the first as well as the last. He wondered what she would think about that. In her current mood, she wouldn’t think much about it. She’d denounce the very idea that such a thing might ever happen. But whatever it took, he would make sure it happened.

  He would love to have her in bed beneath him when she wouldn’t be thinking at all, just enjoying the moment. He intended to have that and more. Sherri Griffin might be stubborn, but when it came to implementing plays and rushing them to the goal line, she would discover no one was better than him.

  He glanced over at the phone. He was tempted to call her, but he wouldn’t. He would give her a couple of days to get adjusted to the idea of what was going on between them. He had broken down her defenses once and intended to do so again.

  He wouldn’t be satisfied until he not only had Sherri in his bed, but had her as a permanent fixture in his life. He intended to make her his.

  Listeners, this is Prentice Sherman, meteorologist at WLCK, and this is another update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. All eyes are on Tropical Storm Ana. She has been responsible for at least four deaths in the Dominican Republic. It seems things aren’t favorable for us as forecasters have predicted that once Ana passes over Cuba, she will make landfall here in the Keys in two to three days, at which time it is expected she will reach hurricane status. Official evacuation plans are now under way. Residents and tourists are urged to heed evacuation directions.

  Sherri stood in her office and looked out the window. The wind had picked up, and the palm trees were swaying back and forth. Coming in to work, she had encountered more traffic on the roadway than ever. Everyone was taking heed of the weather warning. Ana was still a tropical storm but was expected to reach hurricane status by landfall in a couple of days. Since most of South Florida was in Ana’s path, the governor had already declared a state of emergency. This morning, tourists had been asked to leave the Keys, and those living in low-lying areas and mobile homes would be evacuating in a timely manner.

  She had spoken with Uncle Warrick earlier today and he indicated he would be staying put in Memphis and would depend on her to keep things running in his absence. A lot had been placed on her shoulders, but she was ready to handle things.

  The station had received a lot of calls from frantic listeners wanting to know what to do and where to go. According to Prentice, who had lived in the Keys all his life and was used to hurricane evacuations, the most important thing the station could do was to keep providing updates and to maintain business as usual. If they panicked, then the listeners would panic. For that reason, programming would remain the same, other than breaks for periodic updates on the storm. Terrence was due to hit the air in a few minutes.

  Terrence.

  She tried not to let thoughts of him overtake her mind. Today was the first day she had seen him since that time he had spent in her office. The day he had kissed her with a passion that made her toes curl. Earlier, she had held a meeting with everyone to advise them of her decision not to make any changes in programming.

  Like everyone else, he hadn’t said much, but she did notice the way he had looked at her and the smile he had given her. It was as if he’d known the importance of what needed to be done under her authority and was sending her his silent support. At least that’s what she assumed his smile had meant, but with Terrence one never really knew.

  She turned from the window when she heard the knock on her office door. “Come in.”

  Prentice stuck his head in. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know of our most recent update. Ana is now officially a Category One hurricane.”

  Sherri nodded. “And her path hasn’t shifted?” she asked, hoping that it had.

  He shook his head. “No, although she seems to be a slow-moving gal. She was expected to leave Cuba hours ago, but she has decided to linger. That’s good for us but bad for Cuba.”

  He looked at his watch. “Next radio update isn’t for another thirty minutes, during Sports Talk.”

  “Okay, and thanks. I know you’ve been putting in a lot of hours during the past couple of days, and it is appreciated.”

  He smiled and said “Thanks” before closing the door behind him.

  She did appreciate him. He was one of the first people Warrick had introduced her to. Prentice and his wife, Lucinda, were expecting their first child next month.

  Satisfied everything was running smoothly, she went back to her desk and turned on the console to listen to Sports Talk.

  “This is the Holy Terror and you’ve tuned in to another edition of Sports Talk at WLCK. Just in case you haven’t heard, Ana is now a Category One hurricane and forecasters have predicted the lady is headed our way. During today’s show we will give you periodic updates because the last thing we want you to do is get caught unawares.”

  He leaned back in his chair and said, “Today’s show will pick up where we left off when one of our listeners asked the question why there aren’t any cheerleaders for baseball. Phone in with your comments. We’re going to take our first call after the station identifies itself.”

  Terrence flipped the switch to break for a commercial and took that time to sip his coffee. He glanced around. At first when Warrick had talked him into taking the job, the small soundproof studio where the DJs broadcasted their shows and from where Sports Talk would be aired had bothered him. He was a man used to space. But over the past year he’d gotten used to it and actually looked forward to being inside the booth. It was peaceful, relaxing, and other than Mark, who was holed up in the glass-enclosed booth next to him, he was virtually alone.

  Alone with his thoughts.

  When he had seen Sherri earlier today, his reaction to her had been instantaneous. Immediately,
there had been a stirring in his gut, and his heart had pounded hard and heavy in his chest. She had called a meeting, and in that professional way of hers, she had brought everyone up to date on Ana.

  She had surprised everyone by actually dressing down today with her jeans and polo shirt. Still, she had managed to look professional anyway. This was the first time he’d seen her in jeans, and she looked good in them, especially the way the denim emphasized her curvy backside. He was going to have to encourage her to dress down more often.

  He sighed as he checked the commercial reel to find he had less than a minute left. He glanced over to see Mark looking through some girly magazine. According to Mark, Monica had shown up that night at Club Hurricane, and she was a looker. A woman in her thirties, she had seemed disappointed that Terrence hadn’t been there to greet her. Terrence had chuckled at that, thinking she would get over it.

  “Five seconds to airtime, Holy Terror.”

  Mark’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned his attention back to the business at hand.

  “Welcome back. This is the Holy Terror, and you’re listening to Sports Talk on WLCK. Today’s topic is why there aren’t cheerleaders for baseball.” He pressed the button for line one. “Okay, Stan, what’s your opinion?” Stan was a regular, and Terrence hadn’t been surprised he’d called.

  “Hey, Holy Terror, I think there aren’t any cheerleaders for baseball because of the danger,” Stan said.

  Terrence raised a brow. “Danger?”

  “Yes. A ball off a bat is more likely to hit a cheerleader and cause serious damage than a basketball, soccer ball or football.”

  Terrence nodded. “Um, you have a point there, Stan. Thanks for calling to provide your input.”

  He then clicked on line two. “Okay, next caller, what do you think?”

  “I think it’s a good question, and a good idea. It will get the fans into the game and give them something a lot prettier to look at than a player chewing tobacco and then spitting on the ground. How disgusting.”