“Oh, you’re home,” LaToya said, looking his way. She cast a bright smile at him and waved her silver spatula. “Come help us. You can take the bread out of the oven while Zach sets the table.”
Obediently, Zach jumped down from the island and went to the cupboard to retrieve the plates. “Hey dad,” he said in a chipper tone.
“Hello, Zach,” Mitch said, noting his son’s ease with the English language today. Elaine was always so hard on him about his language skills. He had always thought the woman went overboard with her lectures on using proper English, especially when she set such bad examples for him in every other way.
LaToya raised her brow at him. Mitch looked great as normal. A statue of confidence. Even after working ten hours, he looked resilient and painfully handsome.
He went over to the stove, put on his mitten and pulled out fresh bread as she had instructed. The warm aroma lit up the kitchen. Setting it down on the oven, he looked over at LaToya and mouthed thank you.
“Welcome,” she said, putting the cut veggies into the stew that she was cooking.
He stood beside her, almost arm-to-arm and refused to move. He liked being beside her. It made him stand taller.
“How was work?” she asked nonchalantly.
“Great,” he answered with a grin. He hadn’t been asked that in a while. Running his hand through his chocolate curls, he stopped at the top of his head and scratched it. The muscles in his arms protruded out, even in his red, plaid shirt. “How was your day with Zach?” he asked her, feeling his son looking at the two of them without turning around.
“Nice.” She looked up at him and put down her utensils. “You have a very sweet son. He was easy to watch.”
“I’m not sweet,” Zach said as he set the table. He looked over at the pair with a stern glare.
LaToya grinned. “He’s a man’s man, huh?”
“Oh yeah,” Mitch said, watching her cook. He liked the way that she moved around the kitchen. He liked the way that she moved period.
She picked the utensils up again and began to stir her food carefully. Her body bent into the stove, causing her behind to stick out. He looked. Nice. Really nice.
Tasting the stew from her silver spoon, she reached for a bottle of paprika and doused a little in the pot. Mitch watched her mouth. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her lips. He’d never kissed a pair so full and inviting. Evidently, his thoughts were a little too readable, because she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. Her long lashes batted at him. He tried to redirect. “You know how to get around a kitchen, don’t you?”
“I love to cook. Can’t you tell,” she said, scooting him out of her way. “Dinner will be ready in a minute. Zach, go and wash up.”
“Alright,” he said, finishing the table. “There, it’s ready.” He looked at the table proudly. It was set for three tonight, instead of a lonely pair. Tilting up on his tiptoes, he meshed his hands together in complete satisfaction of his masterpiece.
Mitch looked at his son and nodded. “Good job.”
“Thanks. You too,” the boy said with a clever grin.
LaToya looked on quietly and felt a twinge of pride herself. It’s the simple things that make a family happy, she thought to herself.
As soon as Zach ran out of the kitchen, Mitch turned to LaToya. There was a glimmer in his eye as if he was about to say something that might ruin everything. LaToya instantly recognized it. She side-stepped past him and went to the refrigerator to give him some space and to grab the butter.
She clenched the cool handle of the refrigerator door and looked blankly inside. “I’m not trying to win you over, Mitch. I’m just trying to be your friend,” she said softly, shaking her head. Reaching inside, she grabbed the butter and closed the door.
A sly grin crossed his lips. “You’re doing both, LaToya. You’re my friend and something else, but I just can’t place it yet.” He reached over to the wine rack and pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay. Opening the bottle, he poured it carefully into a glass and passed it to her. She took it and leaned against the countertop across from him.
“That other thing would be your cleaning lady. Remember?”
“Outside of that.” He winked at her. “You’re something else to me. You’re something else to this house.”
She let a smile crack from the side of her full lips but quickly hid it by biting them. “You didn’t tell me that you had a black wife.”
Startled, he quickly gulped down his remaining wine. Without looking at her, he answered in a gruff tone, “I didn’t think it was important.” He poured another glass quickly. “And she’s my ex-wife.”
“I pegged you as having a petite little blonde for a wife.”
“Really?” Mitch shook his head. “Everyone automatically assumed that when we were married. There would always be the shock and awe when I brought her to a dinner party with members from the firm. Then it would be quickly dismissed. You know. They would be like, oh he’s a foreigner. He doesn’t know how things work. But I’m not like that. I feel like I should be allowed to love who I want to love. No questions asked.”
“I guess you got a lot of flack for it, huh?”
“Not as much flack as I did for her leaving me for the pediatrician.”
The thud of the bottle against the granite tabletop made LaToya chuckle. He was still sensitive about that evidently. She moved on for now.
“I missed a client tonight. So, I’m charging you double,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“It’s worth it. I’ll pay triple.” He didn’t smile, but he gave her a wicked gaze. His green eyes raced her body in one suggestive sweep.
“Fine. I’ll invoice you.” She didn’t smile but her eyes did. She took a sip of the wine and held the glass under her chin.
***
After dinner, Zach lazily made his way up to his room after giving LaToya a hug and thanking her for a delicious meal. They were all stuffed and ready to retire, including LaToya, who hadn’t planned to stay so long. Just like Mitch to keep me here another night with something, she thought to herself.
Grabbing her cleaning baskets and backpack, she walked to the door with Mitch trailing closely behind her.
He watched her as she walked. Her sway was confident and seductive. Her hips were curvaceously full and led to a plump middle and long back. Her dark skin gave contrast to the pink t-shirt she was wearing. He looked at the nape of her neck and the curly hair that trailed from her braids pulled in a tight, perfect bun. Everything about her was delicate. Her almond shaped eyes, her careful chin, her high cheek bones, her perfectly unblemished, dark chocolate skin – it all made her face unique. The small diamonds sparkling in her ears brought more attention to the startling whites of her eyes, the perfect white teeth hidden behind full lips and the fine, conservative taste of a self-made woman.
As she got to the door, he reached for the knob but didn’t open it. Looking down at her, into her warm, big brown eyes, he suddenly couldn’t breathe. She was different. Everything about her was different from what he had known. She was so strong, so sure of herself, until it made him feel safe. Wasn’t he the man? Wasn’t he supposed to have that type of effect on her?
“Mitch, the door,” she reminded, looking at his hand.
“Thanks again for tonight,” he said in a low whisper, searching for the right words to say.
“You’ve said that about one hundred times. You are welcome.” She smiled. It was becoming hard to even be short with him.
He opened the door slightly, then closed it and leaned against the entry so that she could not pass.
“If I attempt to kiss you, will you kick my ass?” he asked with a playful grin. His accent was thick now.
“Probably,” she said sighing. “These baskets are sort of heavy. Just let me go home, Mitch. I’m tired. I told you what you’re feeling is just the rebound...”
“Oh shut up with that, woman,” he said quickly.
Leaning into her, he gr
abbed her arms quickly before she could protest and pulled her into him. Firmly, he held her warm body close to his and met her lips with a curious kiss, searching her warm, sweet, full mouth with his own. She tasted delicious, like a sweet, expensive delicacy. She tried to fight, tried to pry away, but she finally gave in. His cologne, his lips, his touch, it all released into her. She went limp, dropping the baskets on the floor beside them.
Mitch thought that she might try to hit him, but instead, she wrapped her strong hands around him. He could feel her nails trailing in his curly hair. She moaned. It was a frail cry of sensual pleasure that spoke to the deepest of his sexual desires.
The small recognition of her touch made him hard. He pressed against her, kissing her deeper, tasting more of her. Feeling her thick, full bosom against him, he lost himself in her mouth, in the fleshy feel of her minty tongue.
Sucking it, savoring it, he kissed her until he had made his point. When he released her, her beautiful eyes were still closed shut, covered by long lashes that curled over each other.
He swallowed hard and prepared to be slapped. However, when her eyes finally flitted open, she only licked her lips and took a deep breath.
LaToya thought of that great book, Waiting to Exhale. She thought of Terry McMillan when she opened her eyes. She felt like she was floating, like the sun had re-emerged in the middle of the night. His lips were still wet, still ready. She licked her own and felt a silky warmness between her hot thighs that caused her knees to shake.
“I’m certain that this is not a rebound thing. I...I just had to make that point clear. Now, can I carry your things to your car for you since they are heavier tonight than usual?” he asked, realizing there was little more than he could say decently. He visibly panted, fought not to pursue her.
“Sure,” she whispered, opening the door for herself.
She was still in a daze, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. Plus, there was a child here. She had to go. Even though she wanted to stay and see what else Mitch could do well, she simply had to leave.
Chapter Five
It was a rainy Sunday morning and Elaine was due back at any moment. Relaxing in front of the television, Mitch and Zach watched a soccer game while eating leftovers from LaToya’s huge meal on Friday.
Buckets of water splashed against the window and wind beat against the shutters. But the tranquil calmness inside made both of them forget about the weather. Today, they were happy.
It had been a long time since the house had been spotless for his visitation with his son. Mitch appreciated the fact that they could dwell in the large space without falling over boxes and papers. He watched his son relaxed and enjoying their time together and felt a sense of ease that he had not felt since Elaine left.
Resting his head back on the couch, he closed his eyes and thought involuntarily of LaToya’s warm mouth again. He could feel her hot breath on his skin and the taste of her marvelous, velvety tongue. The hair began to rise on his arm and goose bumps formed. He had kissed LaToya. The thought made him lick his lips, trying to recall every sensation again, but nothing would do. He needed the real thing.
Glancing over at his cell phone, he grabbed it up and went into the other room. The phone dialed and rang for only a minute, then LaToya answered. Her voice was sweet and calming.
“Hello,” she said smiling.
“LaToya,” Mitch swallowed hard. “What are you doing?”
“Sitting in my library reading.”
“You have a library?” He looked in the media room at the large television mounted on the wall and suddenly felt inferior.
“I guess you could call it that. It’s mine. So, that’s what I call it.”
“Do you have some huge mansion on a hill?” he joked.
LaToya laughed. “My house is smaller than one part of your downstairs.”
“But I bet it’s beautiful.”
LaToya looked around the room and shook her head. “I think so.”
Mitch took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I’d like to see it.”
There was silence on the line.
“Your library, I mean,” he said, running his hand through is hair.
“I know what you meant,” she said softly. “I’m trying to decide if that’s a good idea or not.”
“You’ve seen my place. Why shouldn’t I see yours?”
“Because it’s unprofessional, and I’m attempting really hard to keep your business, Mitch O’Keefe.”
Mitch smiled. So, it was hard for her too. “I want to see you again, and I don’t want to wait. Can I come over to see your library and talk to you?”
“Aren’t you babysitting?”
“Well, it’s not really babysitting. He’s my kid.” He scratched his head again and looked in the room at his son still watching the game. “Plus, he’ll be gone in just a bit. Then, I’ll be here alone, and I don’t have anything to do today. And even if I did...”
“Mitch, you’re rambling.”
“I know. Can you help me out? Say yes.”
There was silence on the phone.
“Yes.” She finally gave in to his pleas. “I’ll text you my address. What time?”
“As soon as Elaine arrives.”
“About what time will that be?”
“Three.”
“Okay. I’ll see you at four,” she answered
“3:30,” he replied. “And not a minute later.”
She giggled. “Fine. 3:30 it is.”
***
Usually when Elaine arrived to Mitch’s house, there was always a heated argument laced with hurtful words, pleas and confusion. She braced herself for the torture of a broken marriage as she rang the doorbell. What would he have to say today? she thought.
Nervously, she looked back at her fiancé, who was sitting in the car looking out the window at her, awaiting the drama and ready to attack. His car sat idly with the lights on her while the windshield wipers made swift evolutions back and forth on the glass as she stood in under her large pink umbrella in the downpour of rain.
Annoyed, she rang the doorbell again, taking out her frustration on the small, glowing button. After a large crack of thunder behind her made her nearly jump out of her shoes, the door quickly swung open and smells of food, bleach and cinnamon potpourri met her. She was speechless. For the first time since the disaster, she caught a glimpse of the Mitch she knew many years ago.
Behind him, was a glow of candles and dim lights. Around him was a glow of happiness. With a bright, telling smile on his perfectly shaped lips, Mitch called for Zach to get his bags because his mother, not Elaine, had arrived to pick him up. Hands out of his pockets and his wedding ring off, he invited her in.
“Hi Elaine,” he said warmly. “How was your trip? Please come in. It’s raining.”
Elaine was speechless. Clutching her purse, she looked back at Felix and then stepped very carefully inside out of the rain into the foyer.
This time she looked around the house and noticed that it was immaculate. She had missed that fact a few days before, so taken by the dark, black woman, who claimed to be his cleaning friend.
“Is he already ready for us?” Elaine asked, surprised that Mitch had gotten him dressed and packed on time for once.
“Yes,” he said, looking down the foyer. “Zach, hurry, man.”
Elaine stood stupefied. “Are you alright?” she asked. “You look different.”
Mitch turned to her and shook his head. “I’m fine...perfect.” His Irish accent was thick and sexy. His baritone was only made sexier by the low, growl of his voice and the taut muscles that ran up his neck as he spoke.
Oh my God, he’s sexy again, she thought as she noticed also that he had started to work out again. Swallowing hard at his sudden appeal, the smell of his cologne, his overall confidence, she stumbled over her words. “Good. I mean, I’m glad that you’re well,” she said baffled. She wiped her wet bangs from her face.
The Ugly Girlfriend (The Lonely Heart Series) Page 5
