Meeks raised his head slightly and gazed into Francine’s desire-filled eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said before taking her lips again. Meeks released her again but only long enough to add, “Truth be told, I’ve wanted to do that for years.”
Right or wrong, Francine wanted him in this moment more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. Pushing aside all doubt and fear from her mind, she slid her arms up and around his neck. “Is that all you’ve wanted to do?” she asked, kissing the corner of his jaw.
“Hell no,” he said, his voice deep and commanding. Meeks swept Francine off her feet. “And tonight’s only the beginning.”
Chapter 12
The beautifully lit Houston city skyline, blanketed by stars, pierced Francine’s wall of windows and illuminated the bedroom. The setting was the perfect ambiance for what would prove to be a night to remember.
Meeks placed Francine on her feet next to her bed and began to kiss her along her jawline, her neck and her collarbone. “Breathe, Cine,” Meeks reminded her on a soft laugh.
Francine released the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
Meeks took Francine’s mouth again and again, leaving no doubt as to what would happen next. He pressed his forehead against hers. “We’ve been fighting this thing between us for years, and frankly, I don’t have the strength or the will to fight it any longer. If you don’t want this to go any further, Cine, you need to say so now...right now.”
Meeks raised his head and gazed into Francine’s eyes. He had made his decision as to how far he was prepared to take things with her; he was done denying what he wanted...needed. Now he had to give Francine the opportunity to come to that same conclusion, and he was praying that she would.
Francine tightened her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. She kissed him under his chin and on the corner of his mouth. Francine ran her tongue over his lower lip, rose up on her tiptoes and pulled his face closer. She whispered in his ear, “Let me show you just how much I want this...how much I want you.”
Meeks felt as though his heart was about to explode. It took everything in him not to take her where she stood but he knew she deserved better; they both did. He wanted to savor every single moment with her.
Meeks lowered the zipper on her dress and kissed the smooth skin underneath. She stood before him in a red lace strapless bra and panties, her dress pooling at her feet. Meeks fisted his hands to keep from reaching for her. He stood and enjoyed the view for several moments—the rise and fall of her breasts, the slight shiver she didn’t even try to hide and the way she bit down on her lip. Meeks watched as Francine reached behind her back, unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. His eyes widened and his sex was hard as steel.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” Meeks said with a slight crack in his voice. “Cine....”
Francine smiled and reached for his shirt but before she could grab it, Meeks dropped to his knees before her.
“Oh...oh,” Francine whispered.
Meeks kissed Francine down her stomach, along the top edge of her panties and down her hip. He reached up and cupped her breasts, running the pads of his thumbs over her nipples and squeezing gently. A soft moan escaped Francine’s throat at the same time her eyes fluttered and closed.
Meeks slowly lowered Francine’s panties, removing first one leg, then the other. He swung her left leg over his shoulders and ran his tongue and nose up and down her inner thigh, breathing in her scent. He dropped her leg and repeated the ritual with her right leg; only this time, Meeks’s hands gripped her butt and he kissed Francine at her core. She threw her head back as her hips met each thrust of his tongue.
“Oh, Meeks...yes!” Francine screamed as she ran her hands through the fine hair on his head. Meeks used his teeth and tongue to send Francine over the edge, keeping his mouth on her until the tremors stopped.
Francine dropped her leg, collapsed back onto her bed and took several breaths. Meeks stood over her, giving her a wicked smile as he began to unbutton his shirt.
“Damn you. Two can play that game, you know,” she said, smirking.
Francine propelled herself forward, unbuttoned his pants and lowered his zipper. Meeks’s erection sprang proudly forward. Her smile faltered a bit. “My goodness... I’m not sure you’ll fit,” she said with a worried look on her face.
Meeks ran the back of his hand slowly down the side of Francine’s face. “It’s okay, baby...it’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Francine took him in her hands and began to gently massage his shaft, paying special attention to its tip. She leaned forward and brought him into her mouth, as much of his length as she could handle. Francine licked, sucked and pulled, closing her eyes as though she was lost in the moment. She found a rhythm that nearly brought Meeks to his knees.
Meeks pushed against Francine’s shoulders and regretfully extracted himself from her mouth. “You keep that up and we’ll be done before we get started.”
Francine lay back on the bed and laughed.
Buzz... Buzz... Buzz.
Francine sat up on her elbows. “What in the world...who could that be?” she asked as she started to get up.
“No, you stay put,” Meeks ordered as he grabbed his pants, putting them on as he made his way to the door.
Francine ignored the order and reached for his discarded shirt and followed him to the door.
Meeks opened the door to their nervous-looking doorman, Stan. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but Miss Farrah called—”
“Farrah, is everything all right? Did something happen?” Francine asked as she came up behind Meeks.
Of course she wouldn’t stay put. Meeks glanced over his shoulder to find a bare-legged and barefoot Francine with her hair tousled about her head, wearing his shirt—a shirt that was barely buttoned and hanging off her like an oversize dress. Meeks’s heart sped up and he gripped the door handle, quickly moving to block Stan’s view.
“What’s going on?” Meeks asked, turning his attention back to Stan.
“Miss Farrah’s fine, but she tried to call...both of you. She told me to come to the door.”
“What happened, Stan?” Meeks’s frustration was clear.
“There seems to have been some type of incident at the theater.”
“What kind of incident?” Francine asked as she reached for her cell phone.
“Sh...she didn’t say. She only said that you should get back down there,” Stan stammered.
“Thanks,” Meeks said, sending the man on his way.
“Farrah, what the hell’s going on?” Francine asked into her cell’s speaker phone as she made her way back to her bedroom.
“Tiffany’s stalker struck. She’s fine, just a little shaken up. I think you need to get back down here. You’ll want to see this.”
“We’re on the way,” Francine said, not thinking as she continued to change into their uniform.
“We...” Farrah said before Francine disconnected the call.
“I’ll go change and meet you in the parking garage in ten minutes,” Meeks said, heading for the door. “We’ll take my Porsche.”
“Of course we will,” she said to his retreating back.
* * *
Within thirty minutes of speaking to Farrah, Meeks and Francine were once again pulling up to the Alley Theatre.
“I’ll go find Robert and Farrah and see what’s going on. You go find Tiffany. I’m sure she’ll feel much better with you holding her hand,” Meeks instructed as he exited the car.
“Like hell,” Francine declared, following suit. “This is my case, Meeks. Remember? I’ll find Farrah and Robert and only after I know what’s happening will I go comfort Tiffany. Besides, you heard Farrah...she’s fine.”
Knowing Meeks would be on her hee
ls, Francine turned and mounted the steps two at a time, spotting her sister in the lobby. “What’s going on, and where’s Tiffany?”
“I sent her home with Jasmine,” Farrah explained.
“You what? Before I could make sure she was okay?”
Farrah gave a nonchalant wave. “Jasmine had everything under control,” she replied.
The sisters started staring at each other but Robert quickly spoke up. “Now, now, you have to share with the rest of the class,” he said, standing next to Farrah. “I know you’re concerned but trust me, Tiffany’s fine.”
Francine held up her hands. “Okay, what happened?”
Farrah sighed. “Somehow Tiffany’s stalker got past all our defenses to leave her a very special gift. It was Jasmine who noticed something was out of place before we did, but not before Tiffany found herself opening an unwanted surprise.”
“What was it?” Meeks asked, frowning.
“Follow me. You have to see for yourself.” Robert led the group to a small storage room off the lobby.
“This room was empty and locked when we did our initial sweep,” Farrah reassured.
Robert opened the door and switched on the light. Francine’s eyes grew wide as saucers. A small round table stood with a clip lamp attached that was switched on, spotlighting several photos of both Tiffany and a man’s—presumably the stalker’s—private body parts spread across the table with a single black rose lying across it next to a propped card that read, “We’ll be together soon.”
Francine approached the table slowly. “Has the scene been processed yet?”
“Of course, our team took care of everything. We’ll send the report to our contact over at the police department,” Farrah said, handing her sister a pair of gloves. “I knew you’d both want to see this in person, so after they took pictures, videotaped and processed the room for prints, DNA and blood, I had them leave everything as is.”
“Unbelievable,” Francine said as she examined the photos.
“Tiffany got a text telling her she had another surprise waiting for her and she should go check it out alone.”
“Did she recognize the name or number of the person texting?” Meeks asked as he circled the table so he too could examine the pictures.
“Nope, she just assumed it was all part of the celebration. Jasmine saw her go off on her own and she went after her, but she’d already opened the door before she could reach her,” Farrah replied, shaking her head. “Tiffany fainted as soon as she saw the pictures.”
“Poor thing,” Francine said.
“Jasmine thought she saw someone that looked off, so she sent Nick after him while she secured the scene and made sure Tiffany was okay. As you can imagine, she was a mess,” Robert advised.
Meeks’s forehead creased. “Jasmine didn’t give chase?”
“Nope, she took care of Tiffany and let our team handle it, just as she should have,” Robert confirmed, giving him a knowing smile.
“And...” Francine’s eyebrows stood at attention.
“And unfortunately we lost him in the crowd outside, but he dropped his hat. We’ll process it. You never know.” Robert gestured for a couple of their men to join them.
“Let’s get this stuff back to the office so we can start examining it. See what it gives us.” Meeks gave Robert a small nod, giving him the okay to have their men start packing up the evidence.
Francine noticed the exchange and rolled her eyes. “I should go check on Tiffany,” Francine offered, hating how both turned on and frustrated Meeks could make her.
“That’s really not necessary. Jasmine had the paramedics check her out before they left, and I called Dr. Perry and had him go by her place to make sure she’s okay and give Tiffany a sedative so she’ll be out for a while. Jasmine agreed to stay with her.”
“Did she now?” Francine said, failing to hide the irritation she felt. She didn’t understand why Jasmine doing her job aggravated her.
“Cut her some slack, Cine. She did great tonight,” Farrah said, defending Jasmine.
“You’re right,” Francine admitted. “She really did prove that she can be a team player. And having an extra set of eyes on this case isn’t such a bad idea, after all.”
The team spent the next several hours back at the office going over all the evidence they’d collected as they recapped the events of the evening before finishing for the night. Francine and Meeks stood close to each other as they rode up in the elevator in silence. The backs of their hands grazed before his pinky finger captured hers.
“My place is closer,” Meeks said, reaching for her as the elevator doors opened.
Francine thought it was best if she and Meeks didn’t try to recapture their missed opportunity...not tonight, anyway. No matter how badly she wanted him, she didn’t want their first time together to feel artificial.
Francine stopped Meeks from reaching for his keys. “I think we should call it a night. It’s late and we have an early day tomorrow.”
Meeks slowly slid the back of his hand down the side of her face. “You sure about that?”
Francine laughed and her forehead fell to his chest. Her mind knew she was making the right decision, but her rebellious body had other ideas. Meeks sighed, wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed Francine on the temple and walked her to her door.
“Good night,” Francine whispered before lowering his face down to hers for a kiss that made clear they had unfinished business.
Chapter 13
Francine walked into her kitchen, towel-drying her wet hair with her robe secured to her frame, to find Meeks standing there dressed in the company’s uniform, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“I see you let yourself in. You know, we all exchanged keys for emergency purposes,” she said, heading for the coffeepot only to be handed a cup by Meeks.
“Good morning to you, too. French vanilla cream, just the way you like it,” he said with the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
“Good morning and thank you for the coffee,” she said before taking a sip from her cup.
“Now as for my unexpected visit, I figured we should talk about what happened before things get too crazy today. Toast?” he asked, gifting her with that sexy smile she loved and handing her a couple of slices he’d just buttered.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a bite.
“So, about last night,” they chorused.
“You go ahead,” Francine offered before taking another bite of her toast.
“How about we not have ‘the talk’?” Meeks suggested, using air quotes to emphasize his point.
“What...why not?” she asked.
“Is it really necessary? I mean, we’re adults and while last night was a unique experience for both of us, I’m sure we can find a way to get past it—”
“Oh, God!” Francine turned her back on Meeks and went to the living room and perched on the sofa.
Her heart sank. Had she imagined everything they’d said to each other? Everything they felt? Had she misinterpreted the whole experience? She fought back the tears that stung the backs of her eyes. Francine refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to her.
“Wait...what?” Meeks asked as he followed her into the living room and kneeled down before her.
A lone tear that Francine could not hold back fell. “Baby, what is it? Why are you so upset?” he asked, a confused expression marring his handsome features.
“Don’t call me that,” Francine murmured, trying to turn her face away, only to have it held captive by his two large hands.
“Cine, please, what is it?” he begged, his eyes searching hers for answers.
“What is it? You just said you regretted what happened between us last night. Thank goodness we didn’t take that final step,” s
he said, desperately trying to hold the pieces of her heart together.
“I never said that,” Meeks replied, dropping his hands to her arms, as though he’d just been shocked but somehow knew he couldn’t break their connection.
“You did, you said you wanted to get past it...get past last night,” she said, angrily swiping away another wayward tear. “Like it was some....my God, what was I thinking?”
The thought of Meeks regretting what they’d shared—the words she’d secretly hoped and waited years to hear, the intimacy, things she had thought were just the beginning—was so painful that Francine was barely holding it together. She tried to extract herself from his hold, but he put a steel-like grip on her arms.
Meeks released a deep sigh and the corner of his mouth curved upward. He took Francine’s face in the palms of his hands. “Cine, the only thing I regret about what happened between us last night is that we didn’t get to finish what we started. I meant everything I said last night. I’m done fighting my feelings for you,” he said before devouring her lips and kissing her passionately.
When Meeks finally let her up for air, she blinked several times to clear her vision. “But you said—”
“I was talking about Jasmine,” Meeks said, anticipating her question.
“Jasmine,” she said, frowning up at him.
“Yes, Jasmine being forced on us by Tiffany’s management team, considering our history and all.”
Francine had been so elated about the new developments between them—even if she had no idea where it was going—that she’d forgotten about everything else.
“Oh...that,” she said as she wiped away a fresh set of tears.
“Yes...that,” he said before giving her a kiss that left no doubt about how much he wanted her.
Francine sighed. “Just so I’m clear—last night was...?”
“Just the beginning. I know we have some differences that we need to work through, but I’m willing to give it a shot. That is...unless you feel differently than I do,” he said, smirking.
Francine put her arms around his neck and kissed his nose and then his lips. “I think I can handle a beginning,” she replied, smiling. “The rest, I’m sure we’ll figure out.”
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