A Lesson on Love

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “What a pleasant surprise.”

  Jerry glanced down from the top of the ladder, recognizing the sultry voice of a woman he hadn’t seen in almost a year.

  “Hey, what’s up, girl?” He placed the wire cutters in the side pocket of the tool belt hanging low around his waist and climbed down the ladder. Dana Brooks was the last person he expected to see.

  “When my mother told me that she had called in an electrician, I thought of you, but had no idea that you’d be the person to show up.”

  “I hadn’t made the connection that you were related to Mr. & Mrs. Brooks. So how have you been? It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes, it has. Too long.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and one of his hands went automatically to her waist as they hugged. Against his will, Jerry inhaled her familiar scent.

  Cashmere Mist, a Donna Karan fragrance that he’d once purchased for her. They’d had a good time whenever they hooked up, but now, the way her hands trailed down his chest and to his waist felt wrong on so many levels.

  But before he could move back, Dana brushed her lips over his, as if she had every right to do so. All types of warning bells sounded through his head. There’d been a time her touch wouldn’t have phased him, but now he had too much at stake.

  When her fingers went lower and she cupped him, squeezing his package, he sucked in a breath and grabbed hold of her hand. “Don’t.”

  She met his gaze. One perfectly arched brow lifted upward, and surprise sparkled in her eyes. Her mouth twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, but more of an overconfident smirk on her full, red lips.

  “Okay, so this is new,” she murmured when he stepped back.

  This moment was almost comical. Him…uncomfortable? That was unheard of. Rarely, if ever, did he back away from a woman, especially a beautiful one. Dressed in business attire, Dana wore a light-blue blouse with the top two buttons undone. It revealed just enough cleavage that wouldn’t be considered indecent in an office, but he knew what lay beneath the thin material. Large breasts.

  Beautiful.

  Full.

  Soft breasts.

  He might not be interested in her, but he couldn’t deny that she still had the body of a seductress. She was an enticing woman in the tight, straight navy-blue skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her thick, shapely legs and sky-high shoes added to the look. But Jerry had no desire to flirt and charm her the way he would’ve done any other time.

  Today was the first of many days that he was on a mission to ensure that the changes in him could be seen and felt by everyone who knew him well. And Dana knew him well.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were shooting down my advances. But I know better.” Each step she took forward, he took a step back as if they were practicing a dance routine. “There’s no way in hell the Jerry Jenkins I know, the one who would pull a woman into a bathroom stall and fuck her senseless, would turn down all of this,” she said, her hands squeezing her large breasts before skimming over her body and stopping at her wide hips.

  In his heart, he belonged to another woman, Rayne. But damn if his dick didn’t twitch with the way this woman caressed her body. He had seen her naked countless times and watching her now reminded him of her curves, her softness, and her intoxicating scent.

  Yet, with those thoughts came thoughts of Rayne. A woman who didn’t give a damn that he was crazy about her and refused to give them a chance to get to know each other better. But that didn’t stop him from believing she was the one for him.

  Crazy? Maybe. But Jerry had no intention of messing up any chance he had with her. Besides that, he was in his customers’ home. All he needed was for her folks to return while he ravished their daughter’s tempting body.

  Between his feelings for Rayne, and his impending promotion, he had too much at stake to screw it up for some tail. Tail he’d already had. The thought was like ice water being poured over his head, rolling down his body and freezing every part of him before landing on the floor.

  Dana’s hands went to the buttons on her blouse, unbuttoning one and then another, revealing a lace bra the same color as her top.

  “Come on, Jerry. Quit playin’. We can get in a quickie before my mother returns and before I have to get back to work.”

  Jerry sidestepped her and glanced at his watch, then pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He wanted to make sure he was still on schedule and could be finished on time. He also wanted some backup.

  Not trusting his common sense, he shot a quick text to his cousin Martina, knowing she was working in the area. The discomfort he was currently feeling with Dana’s presence and his wayward thoughts were real. But he had too much to lose if he chose wrong in this situation.

  Dana had always been easy when it came to him, willing to give him whatever he wanted. With the slightest encouragement, she’d hike up her skirt and drop her panties, assuming she was wearing any, and Jerry had no intention of finding out.

  Within seconds, Martina responded to his text.

  On my way.

  A sigh of relief slipped between his lips and when he looked up, his gaze met Dana’s. She stopped moving, her hands on her hips as her eyes narrowed in on him.

  “What was that all about?” she asked motioning toward his cell.

  Jerry held up the device. “I’m on a time crunch and was checking in with my supervisor.”

  Now she was glaring. “I’m offering up myself to you and you’re texting your boss?”

  He shrugged, slipping his phone into the front pocket of his jeans. “Listen, baby. I mean…Dana. I ain’t gon’ lie. You’re still one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met.” Her expression softened, and she let her arms drop to her sides, a sweet smile covered her ruby red lips. “There are two things going on here. First of all, I’m working. I have to finish this job by a certain time. Secondly, I’m involved with someone.” Okay, so that was a little lie, but in reality, his heart belonged to Rayne whether she knew it or not. Nothing was going to change that. Not even fine-ass Dana. “So you and me…ain’t gonna happen.”

  She closed the distance between them. “You being involved with someone never stopped us before.”

  In the past when he was involved with someone, it was just a hook up. One that both parties understood meant nothing.

  “You know better than anyone that we were just having a good time.”

  “That may be true, but that doesn’t mean that the women you were with didn’t feel like they were the only one in your life. So—”

  “None of that matters to me right now. I’m not that guy anymore, Dana.” He didn’t care that he and Rayne were currently just friends. He believed those words and spoke them with enough conviction that anyone hearing him would believe them.

  “That’s bullshit,” Dana spat.

  Okay, maybe not, but that didn’t make them any less true.

  “You’re incapable of being with just one woman, and if this chick you’re involved with believes otherwise, she’s a damn fool.”

  Anger rolled inside of him. He didn’t have to explain himself or his feelings for Rayne to anyone, but right now that’s exactly what he wanted to do. But then he thought about what Liam said about showing a woman versus telling them. That went for Rayne and any of the women in his past.

  “Me on the other hand,” Dana continued. “I understand the type of man you are. You love women, and we love you. You’re a freak in bed, capable of bringing a woman pleasure with only a—”

  The doorbell rang before Dana could finish and not a moment too soon. The last thing Jerry wanted to hear out of her mouth were details of how he pleasured a woman.

  He removed his tool belt and set it on the floor. “That’s probably for me.” He headed down the long hallway to the front of the house, glad to see Martina on the other side of the glass door. He didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know that Dana had followed him. Now he had to figure out how to play this. He never asked Martina to come t
o his rescue, mainly because she loved giving family members a hard time, especially when they were in a bind.

  “Hey, what’s up?” he greeted, being sure to make eye contact, hoping she could read his desperation.

  “You tell me.” She walked in like the badass she was, looking him up and down, probably trying to hold back a smart-ass comment since they had an audience. Her amused gaze took in Dana, who stood a few feet away, before returning to him. “I came to see what was taking you so long on this job. Now I see. Was this job…too much for you?”

  Jerry fought back a laugh. “Of course not. I can handle anything thrown my way. This job is just a little…trickier than usual. Wanna come see.”

  “Lead the way.”

  They walked down the hallway, slowing when they reached Dana.

  “Dana, this is one of my bosses, Martina. MJ, this is Dana, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks daughter and an old friend.” Both women greeted each other with a nod before he and Martina continued to where he was working.

  “Hey, um, Jerry,” Dana said from behind them. “I’m gonna get going. It was good seeing you. I’ll be in touch.”

  “It was good seeing you again, Dana, but I think we’ve said all we needed to say.”

  Instead of acknowledging his words, she smirked again. “Nice meeting you Martina. You two have a good day.”

  The moment the door closed behind Dana, Martina whirled on him. “What the hell, man? Yo punk-ass called me in here to run a woman away?”

  “I was trying to get out of a sticky situation and figured I’d call in reinforcements.”

  “Yeah, tell it to someone else.” She laughed, shaking her head while looking up at the holes in the ceiling where recessed lights were going. “It’s been a while since I’ve had anything on you. Sunday brunch is going to be fun, especially when I tell everyone that you’re afraid of women. And why is that?”

  Jerry rolled his eyes. “I’m not afraid of anyone.”

  Each week, the family was expected to show up at his grandparents’ estate for Sunday brunch. Their family was close and their grandmother wanted to keep it that way, often saying that a family who eats together, stays together. Most made it a point to be there every week, but whenever any of her grandchildren didn’t show, come Monday morning they could expect a call from her.

  But no matter what defense Jerry used right now with Martina, it wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t believe the truth. Whatever he said, come Sunday, she’d embellish the truth anyway to make her story about him more humiliating. She was good at her ruthlessness. But with that, she was also the first to come to any of their rescue if needed.

  Jerry put his tool belt back on and moved the ladder to the next ceiling hole. “You can go now.”

  “But what if your black widow comes back? Who will save you?”

  Jerry chuckled. And it begins.

  “Can’t you just forget that I asked you to come by and run interference?”

  “Hell no.”

  “Then can you just leave so I can get this job done before five?”

  “I could, but it would be more fun to stick around and pick on—”

  “Bye, MJ. Don’t let the doorknob hit you where the good Lord—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’m out, but this isn’t over.”

  “I’m sure.”

  *

  Hours later, Jerry brought his truck to a screeching halt in Rayne’s driveway and jumped out. She was going to kill him. She only had twenty minutes to get to work. Not only was he late, but he had waited until the last possible minute to call and let her know that he was on his way.

  Before he could knock, Rayne’s door swung open. “If I’m late for work, I’m blaming you. Why would you volunteer to drop me off if—”

  On impulse, Jerry’s arm around went around her waist. He placed a lingering kiss on her soft lips, not surprised by the electrical charge of desire that shot through his body. If an innocent kiss stirred something this wicked inside of him, he could only imagine what it would be like when they finally made love.

  He broke off the lip-lock suddenly. Maybe kissing her hadn’t been the smartest thing to do, but seeing those angry eyes, did something to Jerry. The need to kiss the worry off her face was stronger than the plan to go slow with her.

  “I’m sorry. Not about the kiss but about being late,” Jerry said when he released her.

  Rayne remained in the doorway staring at him with wide eyes, her fingers hovering near her lips. For a moment neither of them spoke, and Jerry was sure he had just ruined any chance of them getting together. But damn if he didn’t want to kiss her again. But he wouldn’t, at least not right now.

  “Grab your things so we can go. Where’s Ladybug?”

  After a slight hesitation she said, “I already took her to Mrs. Addy’s house. Um…maybe you taking me to work isn’t a good idea. I can call a—”

  “Rayne? Do you want to stand here arguing with me or get to work on time?”

  “But…” She looked unsure then huffed out a breath. “Fine. Let’s just go.”

  Within minutes they were on their way. A couple of miles into the drive and Rayne still hadn’t spoken and stared out of the passenger side window. Jerry would rather her chew him out instead of giving him the silent treatment, but what had he expected? He would’ve been mad too if someone had offered to take him somewhere, actually insisting on it, but then didn’t show until late.

  Splitting his attention between Rayne and the road, he reached over and covered her hand with his. “Listen, I messed up. I know I promised to be home on time. But I got caught up at work trying to finish a project and lost track of time. I know I should’ve called you sooner than I did, but I didn’t want you to make other arrangements.”

  Rayne hadn’t wanted to impose and had told him that morning that she would find a way to work, but he had insisted on taking her. The more time they spent together, the more time he wanted to spend with her. Besides, he liked having her depend on him. Maybe it was chauvinistic, but it felt good to help her out.

  “I hope you know I would never intentionally go back on my word, or make you late for work.”

  “I know but… When you’ve been disappointed as much as I’ve been, it’s hard to trust that someone will follow through on a promise.”

  Damn. Way to make me feel even more like crap.

  Jerry squeezed her hand before releasing it. He didn’t know everything about her past, but considering how standoffish she’d been when first moving to the neighborhood, he knew she had a story. Each time he asked about her life in San Antonio, where she had lived before moving to Cincinnati, she’d share just enough to make him want to know more. Or she shut down.

  Whatever Rayne left behind, or whatever she was running from, had shaken her pretty good. If Jerry ever planned to have a future with her, he couldn’t afford to let her down again. He wanted her to trust and depend on him.

  Minutes later, he turned into the parking lot of the factory and sped toward the entrance. When she went for the door handle, he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “Sit tight. I’ll get that for you.”

  Jerry hurried to the passenger side. The truck was taller than most and he extended a hand to help her down. “Ten-thirty, right?” he asked of the time she was scheduled to get off of work.

  Rayne nodded, staring at him, then quickly looked away but not before he saw pain in her eyes.

  Ah, man. “Hey.” He moved closer and put his hand at the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “What’s wrong? If this is about me being late, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know I cut it close, but—”

  “I know. It’s not…” She bit down on her bottom lip, blinking several times. “I’m just… It’s just that…besides my friend Charlee and Mrs. Addy, you’re the only other person I can depend on and…” She waved away the rest of her statement. “Don’t mind me. I’m trippin’. Thanks for dropping me off. Actually, thanks for all you do for me and Stormy. I mean that. I don�
�t say it enough, but I really do appreciate you.”

  Relief flooded through Jerry. “So does this mean that you’ll finally go out to dinner with me?”

  “Oh, no. That hasn’t changed, especially since you were late.” Her words were spoken teasingly.

  “All right, but just so that you know, I’m not giving up.” Not caring if she tried pushing him away, he pulled her close. “And for the record, you and Ladybug mean a lot to me. Anything I do for either of you is my pleasure.” He placed a kiss on the side of her head and reluctantly released her. “I’ll be here when you get off.”

  Jerry watched as she hurried to the building. She reached the door, but stopped and glanced back. His heart leaped in his chest when she smiled at him before going in.

  Shaking his head, he chuckled as he climbed back into his truck. All it took was a smile, and she had his chest sticking out, making him feel like her hero. What would happen when she finally agreed to go out with him?

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m so happy,” Stormy squealed, jumping up and down near the kitchen counter where Rayne was mixing pancake batter.

  “You act as if it’s your birthday,” Rayne said, amused that her daughter was excited about them cooking breakfast for Jerry.

  Rayne hadn’t seen much of him, not since a week ago when he dropped her off at the repair shop. But since then, he hadn’t been far from her mind. Yes, she’d been temporarily ticked at him for almost making her late for work that one day, but that hadn’t lasted long. Her heart swelled thinking about how he’d gone beyond the call of duty while her car was out of commission.

  And then there was that kiss. That sweet, innocent, unexpected kiss that had her body tingling long after they pulled apart. She had no idea what possessed him to cover her mouth with his, but since he hadn’t made a big deal about the gesture, Rayne tried not to either. That didn’t mean that she hadn’t thought about it every day since.

  There was just something about Jerry. He was hard to resist. Sure, he was good-looking, nice and had a wonderful sense of humor, but it was more than that. He was overwhelmingly intriguing. He had a way with people, making everyone he met feel as if they were the most important person in the world. At least that’s how he made her feel.