The last time he’d seen her was Saturday night and after three days it angered him to admit he had missed her. When he received her email he thought not to come, but he was scheduled to leave on a flight in the morning and he wanted to hear what she had to say. The brothers’ visit asking his intentions towards her had him wondering. Now she stood here looking sexier than sin asking how my day was. “My day was exhausting,” he finally replied.
His words were so long in coming she wondered if she should leave. The look on his face was intense and she wasn’t sure if she should continue with her plan. “You know,” she smiled, “It’s late. We can talk another time.” She turned to walk out of the door but he called out to her.
“Diamond, we are here. I’d like hear what you have to say.”
Although there was an edge to his voice she wondered if he knew how musically he spoke her name. That encouraged her, for only a man with passion for her could make it sound so sensuous. Gathering her will, she turned back. “All right,” she began. “I’m attracted to you,” she exhaled, “very-very attracted to you. I have been since the first day we met and if you were honest with yourself you would admit that you are attracted to me also.” She stepped forward and bit her bottom lip.
He swallowed trying to concentrate on her words and not the signals her body was sending.
“With that in mind, I have a proposition for you.”
He sat up straight, “Really.”
“Yes, really.”
“I’m listening.”
She inhaled and pushed forward. “The other night in the restaurant you said something that I did not appreciate at the time, but I now realize is true.”
“Which was?”
“You said I would not know how to satisfy a man like you.” She paused. “And you are right, I don’t know how. So teach me.”
“What?” He was sure he did not get her meaning.
“Teach me how to satisfy you.”
“Satisfy me how?” The curiosity had his heart racing, echoing in his ears.
“The way a woman would satisfy a man.”
“Physically?”
Shifting her footing, she firmly replied, “Yes.”
Yes, he had heard her right. He prayed he was the only man she had ever made the ridiculous proposal to. “What makes you think I can teach you?”
Smiling seductively she replied, “You are a very accomplished man Zackary. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. Even teach an inexperienced woman like me to satisfy an unapproachable man like you.”
The temptation to take her up on her offer was strong, but he wouldn’t. For his own sanity he couldn’t. But he was curious to see how far she would go. Did she have any idea what she was asking for? He tilted his head to the side, “How far would you go to satisfy me Diamond.”
“Excuse me?” There was a chill in his voice that made her hesitate.
“You’re an intelligent woman, and you heard my question. How far would you go to learn?”
“As far as you are willing to take me.”
Damn, that’s tempting. But, he had to teach her a lesson. You don’t go around giving grown men proposals like that. A different type of man would take advantage of her. “Really? Take off your jacket.”
Diamond hesitated, not sure what to do. She wanted this man, but her nerves were shaky. She had never disrobed for a man before. Reaching up she began to remove her jacket.
Zack had no idea what she would do, he hoped she would turn and run out the door. But, she didn’t. When she began to remove her jacket he lost his temper and yelled. “Are you in the habit of going around offering your body to men? Is this what you are about?” He slammed his fist on the desk as he shot up from the chair. “Are you so desperate to get a man that you are willing to do anything they ask?”
“No,” she replied, shocked by his sudden outburst of questions.
“Standing here with you about to remove your clothes, you want me to believe that answer? You should never be so desperate for a man to be willing to do any and everything he asks just to have him. The answer is no to your proposition and don’t ever assume your body is that irresistible.”
It took her a minute, but then Diamond realized she had never been so insulted or angry in her life. Here she was offering her heart to this man and he had the audacity to insult her, accuse her of being desperate for a man. Didn’t the fool understand she was desperate for him, not just any man—just him. Well she was not going to allow his fears to stop her. She stomped over and leaned across his desk. “You, Mr. Davenport are a one hundred percent, unadulterated ass.” She turned and walked towards the door.
“Stop,” he commanded without the volume raised. He walked to where she paused in mid motion near the door. Taking a battle stance, he crossed his arms over his chest. “You dare to call me a name after you just stood here and offered me your body. There are names for women like that; stop acting like you are one of them, because you’re not. And another thing you just used two phrases that mean the same thing.” Her eyebrows as well as her blood pressure elevated. “I would think a woman with the intelligence you claim would have a vocabulary range that would afford her the ability to use words without repeating herself.”
Stepping closer to bring herself toe to toe with a man who had grown men shaking in their boots, she looked up, placed her hands on her hips and proceeded to give him a full range of her vocabulary. “You want words, how about pompous, ostentatious, egotistical, arrogant, overbearing, exasperating, aggravating jerk!”
The vicinity of her lips to his was more than he could take. Without a second thought, he seized her arms and captured her lips with his. Anger the likes of which Diamond had never experienced began seeping through her veins. She parted her lips to tell him just that, and his mouth took complete control.
The touch of her lips softened under his relentless assault. His intent was to teach her a lesson for using that mouth against him. Somewhere during the kiss, the initial intent was lost. Once she began to relax her lips, he released his grasp of her arms and moved his hands to her waist. She parted her lips to speak and he plunged in, taking care to explore all the regions within. He pulled her closer as her hands enclosed around his neck, bringing their bodies intimately together. He knew the moment she felt his rising desire, but instead of pulling away she stepped even closer. The softness of her breasts touched his chest. The thin tee shirt offered no defense. The contact caused such a surge through his body he began to grow harder against his zipper. He ran his hands down the sides of her breasts, then across her nipples and they hardened against his touch. Her uncontainable moaned response ignited a fire in him. He pinned her body between him and the wall and lifted her until the junction between her thighs reached his manhood, which was growing by the minute. He groaned at the touch and she moaned. Holding her in place, he reluctantly released her lips and kissed her neck, moving lower to the crest of her breast until reaching what he sought. Through the silk blouse, he enclosed the tip of her nipple between his lips. Her moan echoed his pleasure of the touch. He moved the lower part of his body more intently against hers as she held his head securely to her. It wasn’t enough; he had to touch her just this once. He guided her to the plush carpet and took the assault inside her blouse. Pushing the lace bra aside, he took the hard nipple into his mouth and savored the taste. Both their breaths caught at the gentle tug of his lips, as their desires heightened.
Things were getting out of control, he had to stop. His conscience would not allow him to leave her in this state. He eased her skirt up her legs. Roaming up her thighs he could not ignore the silky feel of her skin. A groan lodged in his throat, but he wasn’t surprised to find no stockings and a thong underneath. His hands rested at her center as the heat and moisture penetrated his senses. Perspiration was forming on his forehead as he switched to the nipple on the other breast which he had now taken captive. She raised her body and held his head as if she was afraid he would pull away. That
was exactly what he needed to do. But he couldn’t—wouldn’t leave her like this. He had to give her the release she needed and then he would let her go.
His finger touched the core of her first, then she gasped as his finger entered her. Lord he loved the way she was responding to him. Her body was as uninhibited as her mouth was. It was clear his assault down below in addition to that of her upper body was sending her into overload. “Zackary,” she cried out. He left her breast, kissed the throbbing vein in her neck and whispered in her ear, “ride it out, precious—ride it out.” She did. She raised her hips to the motion of his finger and thumb that was fondling her core. The feel of her eagerly rising to him made it difficult to ignore his own need, but he would. This was for her. With his free hand, he held her hands above her head and continued to whisper in her ear. “Let it go, don’t be afraid, release for me Diamond. I want to feel you lose control.” He kissed her right below her ear and that was all she wrote. She shattered beneath him, like glass from a broken window. He captured her lips and held her while she rode the waves. As her ride eased, he rolled away from fear of his own desire taking over. They both laid still on the carpet in his office until their breathing returned to normal.
Zack was the first to recover. Standing, he held his hand out to her. When he helped her up, she stared at him with a bewildered look. He disregarded it, avoiding her eyes and began to right her clothes. As he smoothed her skirt into place he teased, “Now, I know how to shut you up.” He fixed her blouse, then tossed her hair neatly over her shoulders. “Lesson number one, don’t ever tease a man.” They stared at each other for a long moment. “Go get your things. I’ll meet you at the elevator to walk you to your car.”
The next morning Zack was on a plane to Los Angeles. He needed to inspect some granite he wanted to use in one of the homes at Davenport Estates. The memory of the night before played through his mind. Never had a woman stirred so much desire in him. The thirty-minute cold shower did not quench the wanting, nor did the dream that followed. Turning the page in the sales catalogue, he was grateful for this trip. The time and distance would cure the longing to touch her again. A smile tugged at his lips. If he were willing to open his heart, she would be his choice. He liked her spunkiness and determination. The most troubling fact was he loved the way she responded to his touch. Her pleasure intensified his. There was no way he could tell her or anyone how the look on her face when she exploded in his hand, touched him. Male pride, the likes of which he had never known, surged through him when she opened her eyes and the look of wonder brightly shined through. Even afterwards when he was adjusting her clothes, the remnants of what she felt rendered her speechless. Now, hours later, the moment was still on his mind. Truth be told, she was right. He had had an immediate attraction to her the first day they met and it had only intensified since then. It would be easy to take what she was offering until he got his fill of her and then let her go. But she was X-Man’s friend; Samuel and Joshua’s little sister, an employee at his company and worst of all a woman you would love, not leave. That sealed the discussion in his mind.
L
Diamond stood at the window of the model house, looking out the window of the office. It was magnificent. The five bedroom home was a dream house and Zack had built it. One thing was for sure, Zackary did wonderful work with his hands, not only on wood but on her as well. The work he did the night before still had her body soaring just thinking about it. “Diamond,” Pearl called out again. She turned to her sister. “You called me over here and now you want to ignore me.”
Smiling shamelessly, she apologized. “I’m sorry Pearl. My mind was somewhere else.”
“Or on someone else. Tell me what happened.”
She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should tell Pearl all or a clean version. Since high school Pearl has had a hatred for men regardless of how good they were. However, if she wanted to get good advice, she had to tell all. She was glad Samuel couldn’t make the meeting for fear of what his reaction would be.
She relayed to Pearl all that had happened, word for word, action by action, kiss by kiss and waited for her to explode. When her sister stood and joined her at the window, she was surprised at her gentle tone. “Well, that was pretty decent for a man.”
Diamond turned to her sister, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Come sit down. Let’s talk on the up and up.” As they took a seat at the table in the office Pearl exhaled. “This is not going to be easy so let me get it out and don’t ask any questions until I’m done. From what you just told me, Zack put your best interest at the forefront, that indicates to me he cares about you. See, men are dogs. If you put a bone in front of a dog, he is going to snatch it up and gnaw on it until all the flavor is gone and then he will bury it away, out of sight out of mind.” Pearl exhaled then covered her sister’s hands that were folded in her lap. “Zack didn’t do that. He could have taken your offer, enjoyed himself until he was tired, pushed you to the side and moved on. Instead he became angry that you’d lower yourself to do what you did and then he turned you away with some very good advice. Those are the actions of someone who cares. To add to the mix, when your hormones kicked in he still could have taken what you offered this one time, then sent you away. But he didn’t. According to you he took control of the situation, let you know he was apparently very attracted to you, and then made sure you were satisfied without satisfying himself. That’s the action of an unselfish lover. Any woman would be fortunate to have such a man.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me. But men like this don’t come around for me.” She looked at her baby sister and smiled, “But it seems one has for you. You should do all you can to grab and hold on to him. It’s just that the way you are going about it will not work on a man like him. He’s going to have to discover his feelings for you. You can’t shove it down his throat.”
Diamond agreed. “After last night, I know I don’t want to play a game with Zack. I want to feel all that he has to give.”
“Girl don’t be stupid. You have to play the game, just not the one you planned.”
Diamond looked sideways at her sister who had a silly grin on her face. “Do you have a game in mind?”
“I’m so glad you asked. It’s called the attack of the Lassiter Sisters. You see men tend to want what they can’t have.”
“Daddy said something similar.”
“That’s because he’s a man and he knows how mom caught him.”
Diamond frowned, “I don’t know Pearl. Games have a way of backfiring on you. Look what happened last night. If I didn’t learn anything else, I know Zack doesn’t like games.”
“He’ll like this one. Because you are going to give him exactly what he wants.”
“But he wants space.” Diamond said confused.
“And that’s what you are going to give him.”
Chapter 10
Three weeks had gone by since Zack had entered his office or seen Diamond face to face. The week he spent in LA was torture, for she slipped into his dreams every night. Once he returned things were a little easier, he was busy and she seemed to be keeping her distance. When he stopped by Doc’s last Saturday night, Lee and Doc told him Diamond and her sisters had come by a few times. Doc said Diamond apologized for causing a little ruckus the last time she was there. Of course he blamed all of it on him, but Zack didn’t mind, he knew his actions had been a little out of line. All the same it was thoughtful of her to apologize for something she could not control.
He only knew one of the sisters, Ruby, and had seen Pearl in the news with J.D. Harrison, the Attorney General of Virginia, but he had never met the other sisters. According to Lee, each one of them was a woman you would turn your head twice to see. And the youngest one, they call Phire; he said she was just that, a ball of fire. Zack laughed at his friend’s description of the Lassiter sisters. But today he was only concerned with one.
“Hey big brother, you are looking good in Ar
mani. Must be a special occasion,” Xavier said smiling as he took a seat in front of Zack’s desk.
“What’s up X-Man? I checked out the design for The Tower.” He shook his head, “You are a deep brother and I’m not saying that because I love you. It’s real.” Xavier stared at his brother as if he had grown two heads. Zack looked behind him to see if something was there and then turned back to his brother. “What’s wrong?” he asked with a concerned face.
“You just said you love me,” Xavier stammered out.
Frowning, Zack waved him off, “You know I love you.”
“Damn, you said it again. I mean I know, but you just never said it.”
“Well, now I have.” Sitting back in his chair, he asked, “When are you going to cut your hair?”
Now, this was the Zack he knew and loved. “My locks—never. You ready for the meeting?”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to everyone’s report.” He hesitated, “Is everyone here?”
“Yes Diamond is here and she will give her report.” Zack looked up from the papers on his desk and gave his brother a warning stare. “Look, why don’t you ease up on her. She is one of the best people I know and she is one of my closest friends. I hate that you two are at odds with each other.”
“I’m not at odds with her.”
“Well what do you call it? Every time she opens her mouth you jump down her throat. You got her to the point that she’s calling in each morning to see if you are in before she decides if she is working in the office or at the site. I asked her to come with me the other night to Doc’s to hear you play and she refused because she knows you don’t want her around you. She met a major milestone and was going to have her assistant present the information at the board meeting because she did not want to cross you. Let up on the sister Zack. She is damn good and she has made a lot of money for Davenport Industries.”
Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series) Page 8
