by Katie Dowe
*****
Noelle was drowsy and pleasantly exhausted from lack of sleep and her body felt as if it had been in a battle, but she felt wonderful! She had refused his offer to make her breakfast and had made her escape before he could persuade her to stay longer. She should arrive at nine and in order to do so she would have to take a quick shower and get dressed, but she spent a few minutes in the shower reliving last night and this morning, her flesh tingling and a smile on her lips. She had no intention of entering into a relationship with Jerrold, but the argument lacked conviction! She was attracted to him and furthermore she liked him a lot! She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and stared at her naked body. She still looked the same, but she was different, she felt different! Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she closed her eyes as she remembered his lips on her nipples! With an impatient sigh, she shook her head and went to get some clothes to put on! She had to get to work!
*****
Noelle tried to concentrate on the team member she was attending to when Jerrold came into the large room that afternoon. All through the morning she had been looking out for him and hiding her disappointment when she did not see him come in. Now that he had, strolling into the room with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, an intense look on his face as he looked at her, she was as clumsy as a newborn baby. She forced herself to concentrate on what Michael was saying to her and tried to block out the acute awareness of the man who had shown her so much pleasure last night and early this morning. She had come in a little late and had apologized to her dad and went straight to work. There had been a slight scare a few minutes ago when a team member had not been able to keep anything down, but he had been rushed to the hospital and was being monitored.
She stiffened when she saw Jerrold making his way over to her as soon as Michael left and forced herself to act normal, even though the look in his cobalt blue eyes made it hard for her to do so!
“Hi,” he whispered softly as he sat on the chair at her desk.
“I am working!” she hissed.
“I won’t be long.” His eyes wandered over her face. “How are you?”
“Jerrold-”
“I spent the time you left thinking about you and missing you, darling.”
“Stop it!” She looked around wildly, wondering if anyone else was hearing what he was saying.
“I want to see you later.”
“No.”
“I am not moving until you say yes.”
Noelle sent him a fulminating look. “Will you go away if I do?”
“I promise.”
“Then yes. Now go away.”
“Later, darling,” His eyes dropped to her lips and Noelle felt the heat invading her body and her lips parting. His eyes lifted to hers and for a moment, neither of them could move. He got to his feet abruptly, breaking the spell, his hands trembling slightly. Without a word, he hurried away leaving her to take deep breaths before she could continue working!
Jerrold hurried into the men’s room and making sure no one else was around he went to turn on the tap and splashed cold water onto his face. He tore off a piece of paper towel and dabbed at the water, realizing that his hands were trembling. “Jesus!” he muttered as he stared at himself in the mirror. He had not touched her, it had merely been a look and it had affected him so much! He braced his hands on the counter and took several deep breaths before he could leave the bathroom. He waited a few more minutes, willing the erection to deflate, a grim smile on his lips. He should not have gone over to her, but he had not been able to resist doing so!
Chapter 8
He slowly pulled her out of her self-imposed isolation. She had no idea how he did it, but she found herself letting him take her one night on the court. She was scandalized that it actually happened, but it was one night when he waited for her to finish working and the others had left including her dad. He had taken her out onto the court, and he had lifted her to shoot the ball and his touch had started to heat her skin and then his. He had started to kiss her and then he had pulled her down and had started undressing both of them. She had protested at first, telling him someone could come in at any time, but he had told her that everyone had already left. He had made love to her on the floor and had her calling out his name as she reached her peak. Afterwards, he had held her fast in his arms even when she had tried to get up and get dressed. She had fallen asleep in his arms and had woken up in the early hours of the morning in a panic when she realized that they were still lying on the court. But she realized that she was not the same person she had been before he came into her life and she could not deny it to herself, she certainly could not lie to him about it. He had noticed and she had seen the look on his face when he realized that she was coming closer and closer to saying yes to the relationship he was craving from her. December had come and gone, and it was the almost the middle of January.
“Please come with me.” He turned to look at her as she pulled the sheets over her naked body. He had just finished making love to her and she was sated and drowsy. In just a few weeks, she realized that she could not stay away from him or resist his lovemaking.
“You already know my answer to that. Stop asking,” she told him, but her argument was not holding conviction like before. She had no idea how he had done it, but he had broken down her reserves and she was a totally different person.
“I am not going to stop asking,” he told her quietly, propping his head on his hand as he looked at her, admiring the curves of her body beneath the sheets. He had fought like hell to get her to stay over at his place whenever she came over, but she had started doing it because he had done it in such a way that she had not noticed. He trailed a finger down her arm and almost smiled as her flesh quivered. His hand drifted down and took her hand in his. “Tell me what you are afraid of.”
“I am not afraid-” She shook her head at that. “You are a jo- I mean an athlete, a famous basketball player. You are handsome and rich, and I am damaged and insecure and-”
“I don’t care.” He put a finger over her lip. “You are making excuses, Noelle, and I am not going to settle for that.”
“Give me some more time,” she insisted, pushing his hand away and ignoring the heat curling in the pit of her stomach. It happened whenever he touched her, and she found it very hard to even think straight! He confused her and no matter how much she tried to tell herself that he was who he was, and she had been terribly hurt by someone like him, it did not make a difference. The minute she saw him, she started having those feelings that spiraled out of control whenever he was near her.
“I am not him,” he told her quietly as he sat up against the pillows at his head and looked at her. “I am just asking you to trust that I will never hurt you the way he did. I love you-” He stopped as she climbed off the bed and reaching for the robe, she pulled it on over her naked body, taking the time to knot the string as if it was the most important act in the world.
“I need something to drink,” she muttered.
“There is a mini fridge right over there.” He indicated the corner of the room.
“I also need some space,” she added as she walked swiftly from the room.
Jerrold dug his fingers into the tousled strands of his hair. He had not meant to blurt it out like that. He had had every intention of taking his time and easing her into what they had now. He knew she was skittish and scared, and he had decided to give her time. He was getting frustrated about not being able to be seen with her in public. He had to stand around and watch the members of his team flirt with her, with Jermaine being the most persistent. He had found himself becoming more physical towards the man he considered to be his friend and all because he was going after the woman he was in love with! It was not his fault! Jermaine was just doing what any normal red-blooded man would when faced with a beautiful woman: he and the others, even the ones who wives of their own! He could not blame them, but he did, and he had to try his best not to show his jealousy when
he saw her with them and forced to watch the flirting. He swung his legs off the bed and grabbed his robe to put on before he went to find her.
She was sitting on a stool around the marble counter, sipping from a glass of water. She looked up when he came in. “I need space, Jerrold.”
“I know.” He slid onto the stool opposite to her and met her eyes. “I said something that you were not prepared for and I cannot take it back even if could. You are just going to learn to deal with it.” He rubbed the back of his neck in a weary gesture. “I just want you to believe me.”
She continued to sip the water as she eyed him. “I really don’t have to believe anything,” she told him coolly. “Just go away.”
“No,” he told her resolutely. “I am not going anywhere. You are going to see me every single day except when I have to go out of town which I really want you to come with me when I do so. I told you that I love you and I meant it, Noelle. I don’t expect you to tell me that you love me in return right now, but one day you will and when you do, I promise you that we will spend the rest of our lives proving that love to each other.”
“You do have a way with words.” She put the glass down and stared at him, clenching her hands to stop the trembling. “I cannot deal with this right now, Jerrold.”
“I know.” He forced himself to sound mild. “I have time and I will wait.”
She stumbled to her feet. “I cannot deal with this right now! I am going back into the bedroom and please do not follow me.”
Noelle paced the length of the room in agitation, her thoughts jumbled and confused. He had told her that he loved her, and she was so damaged that she could not even accept an avowal of love from a man who most women would kill to be with! She lifted her hands and dug her fingers through her thick dark hair tumbling around her shoulders as she let go. She stiffened as she heard him behind her. “I said I needed space!”
But he ignored her and placing his hands on her shoulders he turned her to face him, his cobalt blue eyes taking in the confusion on her beautiful face and the way she avoided his eyes. “That’s the last thing you need and the only thing I am not willing to grant you.” One hand lifted to cup her cheek and stroked the skin tenderly. “I am not going anywhere and I am afraid that I cannot give you the space you claim you need because I need you and you need me-”
“Stop!’ she whispered, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I-”
His head bent swiftly and cut off the rest of the words as he buried his mouth on hers, his hands drawing her into his arms as he crushed her lips with his. He felt the tremors in her slender body and also felt when she tried to resist him, but it was only for an infinitesimal moment before she surrendered to the passion swirling between them. Minutes later, he lifted her and took her back to bed where he made sweet and prolonged love to her that had her crying on his chest!
*****
“Darling, you are not eating,” her father chided her as she pushed the string beans around on her plate. It was the Sunday after which Jerrold had told her that he was in love with her, four days of which she had tried to ignore the words hammering inside her head and trying not to be incinerated each time he even look at her.
“I am not particularly hungry, Dad,” she told him as she returned his gaze. “It is not a reflection on your excellent cooking by the way. And I thought that Marj would have joined us for dinner.”
“She had to go out of town for the weekend and besides I wanted to spend some time alone with you.” He frowned at her. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” She shrugged as she pushed the plate away. “I am just feeling under the weather a little bit.”
He reached across the counter and placed the back of his hand to her forehead. “You do not have a temperature.” He took his hand away and searched her face. “Does this have anything to do with the way a certain member of the team who cannot keep his eyes off you?”
Her eyes flew to his. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” she hedged.
“Jerrold Littman cannot seem to keep his feelings hidden and even though he tries to mask his emotions especially when he sees the other team members trying their best to get your attention, he cannot.”
“They are typical jocks, Dad, determined to chase any woman they think worthy of the chase. I can handle them.”
His expression was inscrutable as he continued to stare at her. “Jerrold Littman is not your typical jock and I think you know that. I also think that you feel something for him, and you are running away from it.”
“Dad, you have such a vivid imagination.”
“He also enlisted my help in trying to convince you to let him court you,” he told her mildly.
Noelle stared at her dad in shock. “He had no right!”
“The man is desperate, and he came to me,” Robert told his daughter as he pushed his own plate away. “That man is crazy about you and you need to learn to accept that, honey.”
Noelle ran the tip of her finger over the glass of water in front of her. “I am not there yet,” she muttered. “And I asked him to wait on me. He had no right to tell you anything.”
“I watched you suffer over the years for what those children did to you and I watched my wonderful daughter slowly turned into a recluse, and then when you came into your looks the remnants of what happened to you remained and took control of your life. I saw that over the years even though you have managed to make a career for yourself, your personal life is another matter. You are changing and I think that is as a result of Jerrold Littman.” He reached over and took her hands in his. “Let him in, honey, and start to heal finally.”
*****
“Littman, what an unexpected pleasure!” A voice boomed behind him as he made his way to the bar to have himself a much-needed drink. He closed his eyes briefly before turning around with a forced smile on his face. He had decided at the last moment to go to the club today after Noelle had told him that she was having dinner with her dad. They had not spoken of his hasty admission of love since that night and he had not brought it up again, but it was out there and was hanging over their heads like the blasted sword of Damocles and it was not something he could unsay. The Elite Club was practically empty, and Jerrold had a feeling that it was due to the impending storm later today.
“Tristan Clarke.” He acknowledged the man with a nod of his head. “How are you?”
“Better now that I have seen you,” the jowl faced man said with a wide grin as he gestured toward the bar. “It seems we have the same idea. I was hoping that I would catch up with you and discuss that business I had proposed to you some time ago.”
Jerrold took a seat reluctantly and nodded to Marty for him to get his special while Tristan ordered a beer. Tristan had been to see him to get one of his sons onto the team and had been pleading with him for the past three months. In the past, Jerrold had managed to avoid him by putting him off, but he had a feeling that the man would not be put off this time.
“I have seen that the team will be playing in Atlanta next week,” he murmured.
“Yes.”
“My boy watches every match and records every move made by you and the others. He practices every day and I am pretty sure that if given the chance he could make the team.”
“I don’t make those decisions, the coach does.”
“Man, you own the team,” Tristan said with a careless wave of his thick fingers. “I am prepared to invest heavily into the team if that is what it takes.”
“Tryouts are not until April,” Jerrold said reluctantly.
“Just say the word and Tristan, Jr. will be ready and waiting. Now let’s talk about the financial aspect of it.”
*****
Jerrold spent the night at the club. He had finally escaped the conversation with Tristan and had grabbed something to eat in one of the dining rooms, his appetite a little off before he turned in. She had not called him, and he had been hoping against hope that she would have. He shifted on the pillow
s and closed his eyes, bringing back to memory Friday night when he had made love to her and the feel of her warm sensuous body beneath his. He sighed raggedly and realized that the love he had for her was growing more and more!
*****
“It’s the game of the season, McRae, and rumor has it that this is the last game that team owner and member Jerrold Littman will be playing before he retires from the game.”
“I must say, Devonte, the man has had a splendid record throughout the years he has been a basketball player. There is a consistency about him that lends the word ‘professionalism’ an entire new dimension. Jerrold Littman has been playing the sport since high school and has only gotten better. He has been compared to giants such as Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neil and continues to prove himself with every single game he has been in.”
“We are yet to prove that the rumor is true and efforts to get a peep out of the team’s PR people has proven to be useless. But whether this is his last game or just a rumor of that matter, we are certainly looking forward to seeing Littman and his teammates playing their usual best.”
Noelle gave up all pretense of doing housework as she listened to the commentators and sat down in front of the television set to watch the man who invaded her thoughts every second of the day, having eyes only for him. She had been with him two nights ago and knew he had wanted to ask her to come with them but had not done so because he had been afraid that her answer would be no. Her hungry eyes wandered over his handsome face as the camera panned a close up of him. For a moment, he turned and looked directly into the camera and her heart slammed inside her chest as she wondered if he was looking directly at her! His blue eyes seemed to meet hers and she went still as he continued to stare into the camera before it swung from him to include the other team members. Noelle passed her hands shakily over her hair and sat back against the cushions. Her dad had gone with the team, but she had declined to go and was regretting it now. She watched as they warmed up and then stood around listening to instructions from the coach. The game was scheduled to begin in another half hour and the camera alternately swung from the players to the commentators as they gave their take on all the players involved. Noelle got up then and tried to concentrate on what she needed to do around the apartment. She had been spending so much time with Jerrold at his apartment that hers had been neglected. Now that he was away for the weekend gave her the chance to do a general cleaning up. But she could not concentrate on the simple task of cleaning out the refrigerator and getting rid of the things that had gone bad since she had not eaten at her place in weeks. He was waiting for her to tell him that she wanted a relationship with him, and she could not do that. She was able to be in his arms and give in to the incredible passion that existed between them and could have a conversation with him, but she could not allow herself to go out in public with him and she knew it was killing him each time he was with her. But something kept stopping her and she knew there was going to come a time when he was going to give up on her and she was dreading that day! She was damaged and the damage went very deep and she could not help herself. Oh, she wanted to tell him yes, to go out on a proper date with him, to the movies or to dinner or to another country as he had offered, but she was not there yet. Her head snapped up as she heard the whistle blow indicating that the game was about to begin. She left what she was doing and took her position on the sofa, her heart pounding as she watched the match begin. She watched with pride and anticipation as the ball was passed to him and he dribbled, his movements swift and lithe, the muscles in his arms bunching as he quickly dodged his opponent and passed the play to another team member. He had told her when he was playing his entire focus was on the ball he had in his hand and the person he needed to pass it to. “Not even thoughts of you can break that concentration, darling,” he had teased her.
