by Amore
Chapter 17
Alex felt Jada's withdrawal as soon as she rested her head in the car. She looked tired, but she was so beautiful. So passionate. So brave. God, he loved her. With all that she had been through that night, he just wanted to hold her. Make love to her. Never let her go. He reached out to hold her hand and she was tense, but did not let go. He felt an overwhelming need to wipe all those negative feelings away. He knew she needed to rest, but tomorrow they would talk. Really talk. He loved her and needed her in his life. He couldn’t begin to imagine what his life would have been like if he’d lost her.
At the hotel, everyone picked up on how tense Jada was. No one wanted to make the situation worse, so they moved about quietly and spoke in hushed voices.
“Jada, do you want me to sit with you?” Ami asked.
“No, Ami. Thank you. I’ll be fine. I’m just exhausted,” Jada said. “Kicking butt will do that to you.”
Everyone chuckled. Alex approached her slowly. “Jada, I really need to talk to you,” he said.
“Alex, not tonight, please. I just want to shower and lay down,” She said quietly.
Alex turned Jada to face him. He looked deeply into her eyes. He wanted her to see his soul. “I’ll give you tonight, but tomorrow, we talk.” He leaned down and kissed her. He meant for the kiss to be gentle, but it quickly turned passionate. Ty cleared his throat and Alex broke the kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jada turned and went to the bedroom.
“Ty, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ami asked. “On the balcony.” Ty and Ami crossed the room to the balcony while the others were casually discussing the evening’s events and preparing to leave. Alex sat on the sofa deep in thought, staring at nothing in particular. He didn’t want to leave her.
“I’m worried about Jada,” Ami began. “She was really withdrawn on the way back. Her grandmother told me once that she acted withdrawn when she lost her family. What do you think we should do?”
“Ami, I don’t know. What I do know is Alex loves that woman and is scared to death. I think he’s afraid she’s going to leave and never come back. I don’t think he can take that kind of heartbreak again,” Ty answered.
“Well, I’m thoroughly convinced that Jada loves him, too, but is afraid to admit it to him. Now with that crazy James and his antics, she may really be on her guard. She may even shut down completely and we can’t let that happen. Those two need each other.”
“How about this? Alex really wants some alone time with her, but tonight I realize that she is a little shaken. Let’s arrange a private dinner for them tomorrow. I’ll get Chris to occupy Alex for a while and convince him he needs to tell her he loves her. I’ll set up a romantic dinner at his house. I’ve got the key. You just get Jada to his house.”
“Alright, I’m on it. See you tomorrow.” She hugged her cousin. “Thanks, cousin.”
Everyone was preparing to leave the hotel. Alex sat listening to the shower water running, wanting desperately to be in there with Jada.
“Alex. Alex?” Ty called. “Let’s go. She’ll be alright. Ami is staying with her.”
“I need to stay,” Alex said quietly. “You need to get some rest. Let’s go.” Alex looked up at Ty. He was too tired to argue. He turned to
Ami. “Tell her I’ll be back, Ami. Please.” Ami touched Alex’s arm. “No worries, cousin. I’ll take good care of her for you, but just for a little while. Your job will be waiting for you.” Ami smiled and hugged him. “See you tomorrow.”
Moments later, the room was quiet and Reed was in the room next door. Taking a deep breath, Ami went into Jada’s room and sat on the bed. She waited for her friend to come out of the bathroom.
Sleep was a foreign subject to Alex. How could he sleep when Jada needed him? More than that, he needed her. The events of the evening proved to him, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her. All throughout the evening, he could not imagine not having her in his life. She was his perfect fit. She was his soul mate. Alex got up and headed downstairs to make a cup of coffee. It was going to be a very long night.
Ami was lying across Jada’s bed when she came back into the room. “Ami, what are you doing in here?” She asked.
“Where else would I be?” Ami asked honestly. “You don’t have to sit with me all night.” “Yes, I do.” “Ami.”
“Jada. You know good and well you need me tonight. I’m not leaving you, no matter how hard you try to push me out. Two crazies tried to take you out today. You are my girl and my sister. You are stuck with me.” Ami defiantly folded her arms across her chest and Jada smiled while shaking her head.
“What am I going to do with you?” Jada sat down on the bed next to Ami. Both ladies laid back and looked up at the ceiling. They were quiet for a long minute.
“That damn Rhonda is crazy,” Ami stated flatly, “but you sure kicked her ass.” After a short pause, both ladies laughed so hard their stomachs started to hurt.
Soon, the laughter died down and both ladies again resumed their study of the ceiling. Ami again spoke. “You know, Jada, you don’t have to be afraid.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ami propped herself up on one elbow so she could look directly at her friend. “I’m talking about Alex.” Jada rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
“I don’t want to talk about your cousin tonight, Ami.” She sighed.
“Yeah, well, you are going to have to talk about it some time. Considering neither of us will get any sleep tonight, it’s as good a time as any.” Ami reached over and grabbed Jada’s arm. “Come on. There’s a bottle of wine in the cooler.”
Jada studied Ami for a moment. Realizing Ami was not going to leave her alone, she got up. “Alright, Ami.”
Ami and Jada headed toward the living room of their suite. Ami ordered desserts from room service, and then changed into hot pink cotton lounge pants and a white fitted tee-shirt. As Ami and Jada settled down on the oversized sofa, there was a knock at the door. Ami jumped up. “Chocolate cake is here!”
Ami swung the door open, expecting to find the room service waiter. Reed was standing just beyond the threshold with the room service cart and a nervous looking waiter. He was wearing a pair of fitted jeans that hung low on his waist, threatening to expose whatever was beneath his belt buckle, and a perfect A-shirt. His sneakers looked brand new. His eyes were low and Ami started. “Reed! What’s wrong?”
Reed was momentarily dazed. He had seen Ami a million times, from dazzling to casual. She was beautiful, intelligent, and strong willed. He had always been attracted to her and was overjoyed when he received the call that he had the security job with her after his interview with her management team. He tried desperately to hide the way he felt for her, although he was sure his friends, The Love boys, knew. He had a job to do that her life depended on. He loved her casual look the best. The way she looked when she was wasn’t playing the Hollywood starlet. Her natural beauty.
“Reed?” Ami’s voice brought him back to the present. A lazy smile touched his lips and he saw Ami relax.
“You know better than to think room service was coming here and I didn’t know. Are you ladies alright? Does Ms. Jada need anything?” He asked, concerned.
Ami leaned against the frame of the door, crossed her arms under her breasts, and flashed her natural smile. Not the one she used when she worked, but the one that was all her. Reed breathed deeply as she spoke. “Reed Cooper, you are too good to me. What would I do without you?” Ami stood on tip toes to kiss Reed’s cheek. He leaned down slightly so she could reach him. “We are fine, thanks. You want some?” She offered.
Reed felt his body heat quickly rise from the contact of her feather soft lips on his face. “No thanks, Ms. Ami. I should get some sleep. Holla if you need me.” Reed turned to leave as the room service waiter wheeled the cart in.
“Reed,” Ami called after him. He turned to her with his alluringly dark eyes. “Quit calling me ‘Ms.’. Ami is fine.” She smiled.
Ree
d nodded in acceptance. “See you in the morning.” Reed knew no amount of push ups or sit ups would cure him that night. Ami was fast becoming a problem he would soon have to deal with. Otherwise, he would not only embarrass himself, but her in the process.
In the room, Ami and Jada had chocolate cake, strawberry cheesecake, ice cream, and lemon pound cake. “You know, if the tabloids saw this, the rumors would run rampant!” Ami chuckled as she shoved chocolate cake in her mouth.
“Please. You are beautiful and can drop weight by merely thinking about it. Me, on the other hand, a totally different story,” Jada countered, taking a bite of the cheesecake.
“Whatever,” Ami shouted, pointing her spoon at her. “You are just as gorgeous. I never did understand why you preferred to be behind the camera.”
“That’s just where my passion and interests are.”
“Passion and interest, hum,” Ami repeated slowly. “Is that how you feel about Alex?”
Jada paused. She picked up her wine glass and took a long drink. “He still scares me, Ami.” She put her glass down and sat back. “I know that I love him, but I have no idea how he feels about me. I’m not even sure I want to know. I’m so confused and it’s frustrating.” Jada stood and walked to the window. It was a beautiful summer night. “None of you will ever know how grateful I am that you all came for me. I was afraid that no one even knew I was missing from the party. Thank you for that.” She glanced over to Ami, and then continued to look out the window over the city. She suddenly turned to Ami. “I don’t want Alex to get his feelings mixed up with all the excitement of playing a hero.” Ami made a move to protest, but Jada held up her hands to stop her. “We deal with that stuff all the time, just in the films we make, Ami. I wouldn’t be able to survive if Alex got bored and walked away.” She turned back to the window.
Ami stood to join Jada at the window. “Listen, girlfriend. I think if you stop and look at the situation closely, you’ll see that Alex has more feelings for you than you think. He’s not shallow. He’s nothing like the guys in Los Angeles. You know that, you’ve said it yourself.” Ami turned Jada to face her. “Give yourself the chance to be happy. Give yourself the chance to love. You never know what might come of it.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Jada said quietly.
“Sure you can,” Ami said cheerfully. “You can do anything and the reason I know is because I’ve seen you do it.” Jada gave a weak smile. “Now, let’s finish this junk food. Tomorrow is a new day and a new challenge. I’ll be by your side, every step,” Ami finished.
Jada was glad Ami was confident, because she wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
Chapter 18
Jada and Ami sat up most of the night talking about their fears, life, and love. They had had deep conversations previously, but each bared their souls to the other that night. That one conversation elevated their relationship from friends to sisters.
“Have you ever been in love, Ami?” Jada asked as she leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think so. Having all these brothers and male cousins makes it a little difficult to meet a lot of guys.” Ami chuckled. “They love me, though, so I don’t mind. It was also a part of the reason I moved to Los Angeles. You know, I needed a little space. Living here on the east coast was too close to home. They could get to me too easily.”
Jada smiled as she listened to Ami. “Well, it is a little scary. Correction, it’s a lot scary. I don’t think I have felt this vulnerable since I lost my family. I have done a lot to deal with that situation, but I know I still have issues.”
“Well, it is a good thing no one is asking you to be perfect. I don’t think I could measure up if you were.”
Both of them looked at each other, and then shared a good hearty laugh.
“Thanks for being my friend and being here for me, Ami. You don’t know how much it means to me,” Jada finally said quietly.
“Yeah, whatever. Give me a hug.”
Ami and Jada embraced. Thoughts of doubt and uncertainty still swirled around Jada’s mind. Her insecurities still wouldn’t allow her to believe someone could totally love her and not leave her. She released Ami and smiled through her pain. “I’m going to lie down for a while. I’m really exhausted now. Love you, girl.”
“Love you, too. See you in a few.” Ami smiled.
Alex barely closed his eyes all night. There was way too much going on in his head for sleep. He didn’t want to leave Jada last night. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms. Wipe all her fears away. Love her. The emotions he felt for her were overwhelming. He would never let her out of his sight again. Life with her was his reality. His future was nothing without her in it. He decided he would take a quick shower and head back over to the hotel. He needed to see her.
Just as he was about to grab his keys and head out of the door, the house telephone rang. He contemplated letting it go to voice mail before he checked the caller ID to see it was Chris. Reluctantly, he answered the call. “Hey, Chris. I was on my way out. Make it quick,” He answered.
“Hey, Alex,” Chris answered a little shaky. He hated when Ty sent him on a mission, and especially when that mission involved Alex. He took a deep breath before he continued. This needed to sound good. “Some documents arrived this morning via a courier about the land in Atlantic City. They need to be returned in forty eight hours and I need you to decipher the legal mumbo jumbo.”
Alex sighed. “Right now, Chris? I was on my way over to Jada’s hotel.”
Chris paced the floor. In a way, he wasn’t lying. Some documents did come, that did require Alex’s review, but the time frame was more like two weeks, not two days. “You know I would not have called if it were not important. Apparently, there is someone else interested in the same property. We don’t want to lose this land on a technicality. This is a huge move for all of us, Alex.” Chris crossed his fingers. Again, technically he was not lying. There was another potential buyer out there. He had received a call yesterday to alert him that someone else was interested. He just did not know who.
“Fine, Christopher. I’ll be at The House in ten minutes.” “Thanks, big brother.” “Ummm, hmmm. I’m not hanging out with you all day. I have other business to attend to.” “I know. Thanks again. See you in a few.” The ringing telephone was insistent. Ty finally reached over and snatched the phone from its cradle. “This better be good,” He growled. “You and Ami better make this a lunch thing. I got Alex to come this morning to review the documents for Atlantic City. I’ll keep him as long as I can, but you two better move,” Chris spoke quickly. Ty jumped up. “What time is it?” “Nine thirty in the morning. I gotta go, and you better show up here.” “Alright, alright. I’m on it. I’ll call you.” Ty hung up the house telephone and snatched up his cell on the way to the bathroom. He pressed Ami’s speed dial code as he flipped on the light. She answered on the second ring.
“Good morning, cousin,” She sang into the phone.
Ty looked at it before he answered. “Stop with all the ‘happy happy’ so early in the morning. Listen, Chris just called. Alex in on his way to The House to review some documents we received. We got to get moving. I think we should change the location. I don’t think he will go back home before he sees Jada today. A friend of mine owes me a favor from a restaurant over on 2nd and Spruce Street. Get Jada there by one p.m.”
“Alright, cousin. See you there,” Ami said before she disconnected the call. She needed to go out for a minute. She wanted to get Jada something nice to boost her spirits before the lunch. She walked over to Jada’ bedroom door and knocked softly.
“Come in, Ami,” Jada responded, sounding fully awake.
Ami stuck her head in the door. “Late night, diva. Full day. You know how we do.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jada smiled.
Ami walked over and flopped on the bed. “I made a lunch reservation for us at one p.m. at this great little quiet spot in Old City. I have to step o
ut for a minute, but I’ll be back in time to get you.”
“What about Alex?”
“I told him we needed a sister minute. He will come see you tonight.”
Jada thought that was a little strange, seeing as how he did not want to leave the night before. Maybe he changed his mind and didn’t want to see her. Maybe all of this was just too much for him. She couldn’t blame him, because it was still overwhelming for her. “Alright, Ami,” She said with a sigh.
“Great. I’ll be back. Dial my cell if you need anything.”
Ty called in his favor and jumped in the shower. As he cleansed his body, he thought that the whole love thing was just too complicated. It always made you act out of character. It was much easier to just establish the rules up front, satisfy each other’s needs, and move on. Clean breaks kept life simple. As he washed his hair, he thought about the dark chocolate beauty he met at the party. He spent so much time being captivated by her essence that he did not remember asking for her name. How the heck was he supposed to find her?
Oh well, He thought as he stepped out and toweled himself off. The hunt for his next beauty would begin soon. He brushed his pearly whites, dressed in his usual jeans and a fitted tee shirt that showed off his perfectly sculpted body, and headed out the door.
He took a cab down to 2nd and Spruce Street and made the cabbie wait. He did not have time to fool around trying to hail another one when he came out. He walked inside the restaurant that resembled a brownstone from the outside, greeted his long time associate, and check out the arrangements he called in. Satisfied, he returned outside and headed to The House. He definitely needed to make an appearance there.
Ty greeted Lisa as he walked into The House, and made his way over to where Alex and Chris were in their usual place. “What’s up, fellas?” He greeted as if everything were as normal as could be.
Chris was visibly relieved. Ty was so much better at that stuff. “Hey,” He simply said.
