Risking It All

by Ambrielle Kirk

  “Okay.”

  The kiss he gave her on the hand before closing the door sealed their deal...the deal that could cost her everything.

  **

  The next morning, she was in the office preparing the contract offer that Quinton had placed on the property. As she looked across the table at Quinton, she hoped that the reason for his sudden business adventure and plan to move to Atlanta was not because of her only. She needed to tell Quinton that she couldn’t promise him anything, especially where Michael was involved.

  “Should I cross my fingers and hope for the best,” Quinton smiled, tapping the pen on the conference table looking at her.

  “This is a pretty good offer. If it comes back unaccepted, we’ll just be prepared to negotiate a little.”

  Julissa got up and placed the contract face down on the fax machine. They both watched as the fax went through.

  “By the way, I got that second job offer that I was looking for. I have about a week to accept.”

  “Wow. Congratulations.” Julissa smiled. “You seem hesitant, though.”

  “Not at all. I’m only hesitant about going back home to pack and then hauling all my stuff up here. Luckily some of the guys are coming down to support me and help pack.”

  “It’s been over a year since I last moved, but I have to agree…it is a hassle.”

  “Are you living with your boyfriend?” Quinton asked out of the blue.

  Julissa nodded. “You seem shocked.”

  “No, just that…I thought…you aren’t married or anything, so I didn’t expect…anyway, it doesn’t matter.” Quinton mumbled.

  “Well, that’s pretty much all we can do for now.” Julissa turned away from the fax. “If I hear anything, I’ll call you immediately.”

  It was time for Quinton to go. She wasn’t about to converse with him at her place of employment with her nosey boss, Martha, within earshot, in the next office.

  When Quinton arrived at the office, Julissa didn’t know if the women in the office were staring because he was drop-dead gorgeous or that he was oddly intrigued with Julissa, or both. The point was, there were curious ears right outside her door.

  Quinton got up and she walked him out the door. This time, he noticed several smiles from some of the nosey women peering over their cubicles as he passed by.

  “I’ll call you if I hear anything, Mr. Brennan,” Julissa spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear her.

  “I will be waiting for your call, Ms. Lorenzo,” Quinton shot back at her, smiling.

  Julissa wanted to giggle at the sound of being called by her last name by someone she was clearly on a first name basis with, but she decided against it. It would look too suspicious.

  Chapter Five

  They learned that the owner’s accepted Quinton’s offer the next morning, with closing pushed up from twenty to fifteen days. Quinton was ecstatic and felt a little better that the first property he would buy in Atlanta would require little renovations and repair, while at the same time generating income for him while he settled down.

  After a staff meeting at the office, Julissa checked her voicemail and confirmed that Michael, Quinton, and Shanice were in her missed calls in her cell phone. The only one that left a message was Shanice requesting a call back.

  “Hello?” Shanice always answered the phone fairly quickly whenever she called.

  “It’s Julissa, you called?”

  “Yeah? What’s up?”

  “Nothing. Heading home. Just finished up at the office.”

  “I heard you helped Quinton find that property that he’s about to buy.”

  “Yeah. Word sure does travel,” Julissa said, with exaggeration and all. It didn’t surprise her. After all, she did have a very close nit group of friends.

  “Oh, you know Brian tells me everything. He’s trying to get back with me, you know?”

  “How does Brian know Quinton?” The name sounded familiar to Julissa, but she couldn’t put a face to it.

  “Brian and Ed are best friends, remember?” Shanice said, as if she were supposed to already know that.

  Quinton did tell Julissa that he and Ed had been meeting up during the lunch hour most every day to hang out. Maybe word had gotten around quickly because of that. “Oh.”

  “Anyway, I called to ask if you wanted to come chill out tonight. Brian and Ed are taking Quinton out for a night on the town to celebrate. Brian asked me to bring a few friends.”

  “Well…” Julissa started.

  “You know you want to. We all know that Michael is out of town on business. Come on, I promise I’ll tell Brian that you coming means no advances whatsoever from Ed.”

  The one thing that Shanice didn’t know was that Ed was the least of her worries. “Alright.”

  “Good. We’ll pick you up at nine. My friend, Olivia, is the designated driver.”

  Julissa waited until she was home and settled to call Quinton.

  “Hi, Q.”

  “Hey. I don’t know how many times I should thank you for your help.”

  “You’ve already said thank you enough. Besides, I only showed you the property, now it’s up to you to make it work for you.”

  “Well, I’ll be leaving for Florida tomorrow afternoon. I plan on being back in Atlanta well before it’s time to go to close.”

  “Well, take your time. You’ve got a lot of packing to do, don’t you?” Julissa hoped that he was still planning his move to Atlanta.

  “Not nearly as much. I live in a small condo on Miami Beach. I’ve already found a way to make things easier. What my friends don’t raid my condo for, I’ll probably end up donating to the salvation army.”

  Julissa walked into her closet and began pulling outfits out for tonight. “Good idea.”

  “A few of us are going out for drinks and I wanted to ask if you’d like to come along. They’re Richard and Christina’s friends. Some are the same people from the wedding party. No one would suspect—”

  “I already know about it. My friend, Shanice, called to invite me already. And yes, I’ll be there.”

  “Well, great…that was easy.”

  “See you there?”

  “I’ll see you there.”

  **

  Julissa didn’t know what it was, but she was feeling good tonight. Maybe it was the weather and how it was the perfect night to go out. Maybe it was the fact that everything seemed to be going so right and the past few days had been the best worry-free days ever since she could remember.

  “I’m ready to get my paaartay on,” Shanice’s friend, Olivia, proclaimed.

  “Me, too. At least we don’t have to worry about the guys. We already got some waiting there for us,” a girl named, Renee, said from the backseat of Olivia’s Hummer.

  Between herself, Shanice, Olivia, and Renee, the four of them were on a mission to have fun tonight. The only person missing was Christina. But, Julissa was sure that Christina was having more fun than all of them with her new husband in more ways than one.

  Olivia pulled into the entrance of the lounge and had her Hummer valet parked. The moment they stepped into the place, they were already moving to the beat of the latest hit song.

  “Brian said they got a VIP section by the bar. Let’s hurry up. I’m ready to order some drinks.” Shanice led the way to the back of the crowded lounge and club. Folks were nearly shoulder to shoulder, conversing and dancing. There was a dance floor and a bar on the roof top, which is where they were headed. Each VIP section was no more than a rounded booth seat complete with table and was privately sectioned off with a long velvet privacy curtain. She remembered coming here with Shanice and Christina a couple months back.

  “There they are.” Shanice pointed at the guys.

  Quinton, Ed, Brian, Leroy, and Tracey were already seated with drinks in hand. They were engrossed in conversation and didn’t see them until they were in front of the table.

  “Ladies…How are we?” Ed greeted them.

  “Hey, guys,”
Shanice replied. “These are my friends, Olivia and Renee. You guys already know Julissa.”

  Everyone exchanged greetings. Julissa blushed when she noticed Quinton’s eyes remained on her the whole time. She broke the glance and turned away.

  “This DJ is tight,” Renee said, bobbing her head up when yet another hit blasted the speakers. “I don’t know why you guys aren’t on the dance floor.”

  “Waitin’ for y’all…,” Leroy said, suggestively eyeing all the cleavage that was purposely on display at the top of her tube top.

  “Oh, well…here we are then,” Renee shot back, smiling.

  “Well, are you guys gonna invite us to sit down or what? We didn’t come here to stand up and watch you guys sit around the table,” Julissa commented, smiling.

  “Ooooh, well excuse us.” Ed looked down at her heels. “What? Hubby let you out the house with them four inch stripper heels you got on? That’s what’s wrong with you girls…you come to the club in ten inch heels and your feet hurt as soon as you step out the car.”

  “Ed, puhlease…number one, I have no hubby and number two, believe me when I get ready to, I can work the hell out of some heels. Believe that.”

  Her quick reply seemed to shut him up, yet he still managed a smirk.

  All three girls squeezed into the booth. Brian waved the server back over and ordered a round of drinks.

  “So, Quinton, is it?” Renee said. “I heard that you bought some real estate here in Atlanta. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you very much. I’ve been telling the guys that it’s about time that I come back to my roots, where I was born and raised, so this is just the first step.”

  “Oh, so you’re moving permanently?” Shanice asked.

  “I’m gonna give it a shot.”

  “What else do you do for a living, Quinton?” Renee asked, flirtingly.

  Everyone knew Quinton was up for grabs, so Julissa didn’t blame her.

  “I program computers.”

  “Oh, so you’re brainy smart,” Renee replied.

  Both Quinton and Ed laughed, as if they shared an inside joke. “Brainy smart? If that’s what you want to call it. I’ve been into programming since high school, so I’ve been doing it for quite a long time.”

  The server bought their drinks, cutting the conversation geared toward Quinton short. As usual, Shanice and Julissa ordered a shot in addition to their favorite mixed drinks.

  “For Christina…,” Shanice and Julissa chimed together, tapping their shot glasses.

  “Who’s probably making us god mommies as we speak,” Shanice chimed in.

  They both giggled as they took the shots to the head, oblivious to the guys staring at them.

  “Are you two trying to drink us under the table or something?” Brian asked.

  “No, we promised to drink one for Christina if we went out without her,” Julissa answered, starting on her mixed vodka drink.

  “Don’t listen to the two of them. When Shanice and Julissa get together, they become two wild ass women,” Ed teased. “She’s a different chick all together when she’s not around that jerk, Michael.”

  “Hey!” Julissa protested. “Michael is not here to defend himself.”

  “Alright, sorry.” Ed held up his hand, getting her drift. “I like the Lissa when she’s not with Michael. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

  “You’ve made ya point, Ed,” Julissa replied, literally throwing daggers.

  Shanice tapped her on the shoulder, asking if she wanted to join the rest of the girls in the restaurant to freshen up.

  “We’re going to the ladies room. We’ll be on the dance floor in a few if you men would like to join us,” Renee said, as they got up.

  “I would have told Ed off for calling Michael a jerk. He doesn’t know Michael like that,” Shanice said, when they were in front of the mirrors checking their hair and makeup.

  “Ed’s always acted that way towards Michael,” Julissa said.

  “He and Quinton are too fine. You can tell they come from the same bloodlines,” Olivia exclaimed, reapplying her lip gloss.

  “I agree. Quinton is the total package. My pussy was getting wet just looking at him. And those lips looked scrumptious. He can get it anytime, girlfriend or not,” Renee said, adjusting her tube top.

  It didn’t take them long to make it out to the dance floor to mingle. The three of them were dancing together, but before long they became separated in the thick crowd.

  She swayed and rocked her hips from side to side, letting her mind drift off to enjoy the moment. As soon as she thought she was free to enjoy the music by herself, a man tried to dance with her. She wasn’t with all of that; she was only here to have fun.

  “You want to dance?” The unsuspecting male whispered into her hair.

  “If you can keep your hands to yourself,” Julissa remarked.

  “What? You married or something?” The guy asked, suddenly stepping in front of her, still dancing.

  “Do you see a ring on my finger?”

  “Damn! Feisty! I like that,” The guy continued two-stepping in front of her. “What’s your name?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I would. You’re sexy as hell. You already got a man?”

  “Yeah.” Just as Julissa said that, she felt a pair of hands wrap her waist.

  “You alright?” It was Quinton.

  “Whoa, man. Sorry. Didn’t know.” The guy was gone just like that.

  “Thanks. I owe you one,” Julissa said.

  “What?”

  “You ran that guy off.”

  “Is that good or bad?” Quinton teased.

  Julissa playfully swatted his shoulder. “It’s a good thing.”

  “I was gonna ask you for a dance, but I don’t want to get turned down like that,” Quinton said.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t. I like you enough,” Julissa said.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  They danced to the beat, and Julissa moved her body as if she and Q were the only one on the dance floor. He was actually a very good dancer. On beat with the music. Even did more than the two-step.

  Not one time did Quinton’s eyes leave her face and body. Julissa wasn’t used to so much eye contact and intimate attention. Something about the moment was captivating and there was intimacy that she had never felt before.

  When the upbeat song went off, a slow song came on. The lyrics flowed through the speakers causing couples to pack the dance floor. Not wanting to be the only couple with such a wide gap between them, Julissa stepped in closer to Quinton and he placed his arms around her waist. She followed suit and her hands went up to his back. The tension between them became intense and the way his eyes locked on hers made her feel as if she was going to faint right there on the dance floor.

  “You alright?” he whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “You got kind of stiff all of a sudden. Loosen up, Julissa. I promise I won’t bite.” Quinton pulled her even closer into his pelvis, and his lips were touched her earlobe. “It’s okay…”

  His words were comforting and reassuring. Julissa closed her eyes and pretended that nothing else existed except for her and Quinton. She pretended that this moment was theirs alone. How could his presence cause every nerve in her body to pulse in excitement? Maybe it was the way he rested his head lightly on top of hers, causing her to feel warm and protected. Or maybe it was the way her head fit perfectly on his chest, her ears pressed to his heart so she could feel it beating. It could have even been the way he held her body so securely to his while expertly moving to the slow beat of the music. His rhythm was on point. He never missed a beat. It was as though he were slowly seducing her right on the dance floor.

  She became more aware of the bulge in his pants as it brushed against her.

  “You feel so good, Julissa,” he mumbled into her hair.

  “You too, Q.”

  He let go of her hand and then then slid it behind her to touch the skin
exposed by her back-less leather dress. His hands felt hot against her, but yet she shivered at his touch. An icy hot sensation consumed her.

  “Q, I think I need to sit down. The dance floor has gotten a bit claustrophobic.”

  “Sure, let’s go.” Quinton grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd and off the dance floor.

  The section they reserved for the night was empty. Julissa slid in the booth, Quinton behind her.

  “Can I get you a drink to cool off,” he offered.

  “Water. Perrier, if they have it, please.”

  When he was gone, she pulled the curtains around the booth for privacy and retrieved a small cloth from her handbag to dab at the light perspiration on her face and chest.

  The feeling of intense desire for Quinton was too much. It prohibited her from thinking and acting rationally. She closed her eyes for a moment and took deep breaths in and out, attempting to bring her body temperature back down to normal.

  Quinton peeked around the curtain, smiling. He placed two bottles of Perrier on the table, opened hers, and poured it into a glass.

  “Thank you.” The cool water was refreshing and cooled her, but still something else raged hot inside of her. The water wasn’t the only thing she wanted.

  He downed his entire glass. “No need for thanks. You know, I’m going to miss you while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” Julissa said, nervously. Yes, she would certainly be hoping for his quick return.

  “Good. I don’t want to have to chase you down either. Because as soon as I get back, I need to find someplace to live.”

  She grinned. “Oh, that’s right. I think I can fit you into my schedule.”

  “You’re a tease. I like it.” Quinton moved closer to her, his arms propped up behind her on top of the booth seats. “I find that most women who tease openly are also the same in the bedroom. Is that true about you?”

  Julissa blushed at the sudden change in direction of the conversation. “I’m not like most women, Q, but, I bet you would like to find that out for yourself.”

  “Yes, I would,” he answered, softly. He looked over his shoulder, reached behind him and slid the curtains completely closed. “I’m going to do something, Julissa, and you probably will never forgive me for it.”