• • •
Mike took a sip of his scotch. If he wasn’t driving he would down the entire thing again. Being around Sonya always did this to him, made him hornier than hell while at the same time grating on his last nerve. He remembered a time they had gotten along; it was in the beginning when they were too busy concentrating on ways to get Jesse and Carla back together. Then it seemed with that task accomplished, they automatically began concentrating on each other. They fought like hell against the attraction that oftentimes wanted to take over their bodies, minds and good old common sense. They were still fighting it. Now it seemed that things were so bad, they had declared a full-scale war. At thirty-six he was too old for such battles.
“You have forty seconds, Mike.”
He glanced over at her. He could do a lot in forty- seconds, especially with that luscious mouth of hers. “Jesse’s birthday is the first of next month,” he finally said when he knew he was almost down to two seconds. “And Carla’s the end of next month. I thought it would be nice if you and I got together and gave a birthday party, around the middle of the month, for the both of them.”
He watched one of her arched brows rise. “A birthday party?”
“Yes.”
He then watched her features; saw the softening around her lips, the sparkle in her eyes and knew she liked the idea. But then his traitorous gaze saw other things. He saw a very beautiful and desirable woman with medium brown hair that was cut short in a sassy style, intelligent dark eyes, skin that reminded you of chocolate cappuccino and a nicely shaped mouth that he liked to look at. His gaze always came back to that. Her mouth. It was a mouth he had tasted once when he’d managed to snag one quick, hot kiss off her.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mike,” she said smiling. “And if we shoot for the middle of the month, they won’t suspect a thing.” Her smile widened. “Yeah, I think we can pull something over on them.”
“We’ve done it before.” He decided to remind her of a time when they had gotten along while doing so.
She met his gaze and he knew she was remembering. “Yes, we did, didn’t we?”
“We worked well together as a team when we had a common goal.”
He knew she couldn’t deny that. “Yes, we definitely had a common goal then. I’m glad we did. They are so happy together. There’s so much love there.”
He couldn’t help but register the look in her face when she said the L word. He had long ago figured out that there was more to Sonya Morrison than she liked to show. It was a side she fought not to reveal. He’d seen it come out a few times around Carla, but otherwise she kept it well hidden, preferring him, and probably most men she encountered, to see her as an emotionless bitch who didn’t want any more from them than they wanted from her.
But he was able to see beyond that, could get beyond that with her, and figured deep down she knew it, which was why she fought so hard to keep him at a distance. And up until last week he had respected her wishes. But something Carla had let slip had changed his mind. If what he’d heard was correct, then Sonya was celibate and had been since that day he had stayed overnight at her place. Nothing happened; although he figured Carla and Jesse assumed something had. But the truth of the matter was that nothing had happened.
Except for a kiss he could not forget.
She had been babysitting Craig and Jessica while Carla and Jesse had flown away to the Bahamas for the weekend. Jessica had gotten into a crying fit for her daddy. It seemed that nothing Sonya did could calm the little girl.
Sonya was well aware that during those times when Jessica wanted her Da-Da that her godfather Mike was the next best thing. Even now he couldn’t believe how after receiving Sonya’s call on his cell phone, he had left Susan Lowes’ bed around midnight to race down Interstate 4 to Sonya’s condo where he had spent the night on her sofa, fully clothed, with little Jessica sleeping on his chest.
The next morning while the kids were eating breakfast in the kitchen, Sonya had walked him to the door and thanked him for coming over and saving her sanity. It was then that they’d shared their first kiss. What started out as an innocent peck on the lips from her turned into something else once their mouths touched.
They were in each other’s arms in one second flat; kissing, touching, and grinding their bodies against each other. But it was the kiss–the first time he inserted his tongue into her mouth that still made him hard remembering it. He had taken her mouth with a ferocious hunger that he hadn’t been used to, and she had done more than just offer her lips. She let him lay claim to her mouth while she laid claim to his. She kissed him back with no reservation and with the same greediness.
If it hadn’t been for Craig’s calling out to Sonya for more cereal, he would have been driven to take her quick and hard against the damn wall. It seemed as if once their mouths had connected, it had unleashed desires and frustrations that they had fought so hard to keep under wraps.
Like they were fighting to do so once again.
In his mind, if she hadn’t slept with a man since his kiss that could possibly mean something. Just like he could admit that the kiss they had shared that night was the reason he hadn’t slept with a woman since that night…which was driving Susan Lowes crazy since she was always hot and ready for his body.
But his body only wanted the woman sitting in the bar stool next to him. And he knew although she fought to deny it, she wanted him as well. He could tell. Her breasts were a dead giveaway. Even with a bra restraining them and a silk blouse hiding them, he knew from the way they were pressed against her blouse that they were puckered up, hard, and were ready for his tongue to get a taste. And there was that scent her body emitted, one that worked like an aphrodisiac with him. It wasn’t the first time he’d encountered it and each time he did so, he was nearly driven crazy.
He cleared his throat. “So, are you with me on this?”
She smiled again and he knew that she didn’t have a clue he had an ulterior motive for wanting her to work with him on this party. He planned on unwrapping her, layer by layer, until there was nothing left but bare skin. Naked skin.
“Yes, definitely,” she responded by saying. “Already my mind is filling up with loads of ideas.”
So was his. And they were ideas that were so hot and steamy if she looked down at his crotch, she would see just how thinking about those ideas was affecting him.
“We can split the cost right down the middle on everything.”
Her words interrupted his thoughts and he started to disagree and decided doing so would lead into a long drawn out argument; something he didn’t want. But giving in too easily might start her to thinking since he usually never did. At the moment he didn’t want her to get suspicious of anything. “I think since it was my idea it should be an 80/20 split,” he said, taking another sip of his drink.
“No, 50/50,” she countered, like he’d figured she would do.
“What about 60/40,” he said right back at her.
She glared at him and it took all he had not to reach for her and kiss that glare right off her lips. “50/50.”
“60/40, Sonya.”
She then raised a frustrated gaze to the ceiling then said snappishly, “Fine. Have things your way.”
He fought back a smile. Sonya Morrison didn’t know what having things his way fully entailed. But she eventually would.
Sonya glanced down at her watch. It was noon and Mike had called a few days ago saying they should meet today for lunch to plan their strategy. So where was he?
Letting out a frustrated sigh she pulled her cell phone out of her purse to check again. There were no missed calls, no text message and not one voicemail message. Did the man think she didn’t have anything to do with her time but to sit at a booth in P.F. Chang and wait for him to appear? He might own his own business, but she was employed by someone else, and she and her boss, Alfred Ballard, weren’t getting along.
It never failed, whenever his wife start giving him hell
, he seemed to retaliate and give his office staff hell. Personally, she was getting fed up with it, but she was quick to remember that Myron and Associates paid her a good salary as a marketing consultant. She could complain but what good would that do when Larry Myron thought Ballard was the golden child ever since he had landed the Disney account.
She almost jumped when her phone rang and thinking it was Mike she said, “Look here, buddy. I don’t like being stood up.”
“Neither do I.”
Sonya chuckled when she quickly recognized the sound of the person’s voice. “Mom, sorry, I thought you were Mike. We were supposed to meet for lunch to discuss plans for Carla and Jesse’s birthday party. I think I mentioned something about it to you last week.”
A few moments later she nodded. “Yes, I’m doing okay. What about you?”
She could tell her mother was doing fine and was glad for it. She recalled how just a little over two years ago things hadn’t been that way. Her mother had nearly driven her crazy after her father had divorced her for another woman…a much younger woman, one younger than his only daughter! Peggy Morrison had gone into a state of depression that had lasted an entire year or so before she had finally realized she was better off without the asshole. Sonya loved her father, but she would hurt inside every time she thought about what he’d done to her mother–his wife of over thirty years.
While she was listening to her mother go on and on about the sales she had caught yesterday at the Millennia Mall, she noticed Mike walking in. She also noticed how the women in the establishment–especially the four sitting at a table in the front – began salivating at the mouths.
“Mom, Mike’s here now. I have to go. I’ll chat with you later.” She clicked off her cell phone and suddenly felt a snarl forming on her lips and then caught herself. Hell, he wasn’t her man so there was no reason for her to get jealous. The most they’d ever done was kiss. No big deal.
Okay, it was a big deal even though she’d convinced herself on numerous occasions since that morning that it truly wasn’t. But she would be hard pressed to explain why, even now, she could still pick up his flavor, which she was convinced, had gotten ingrained in the taste buds of her tongue.
She recalled in a biology class she’d taken in college, the professor saying that there were sensors on the sides of your tongue. If that was true then Mike had definitely tapped into hers.
She watched him pass the women’s table, only giving them a fleeting glance. Their eyes followed him, probably licking every inch of his back, spine, ass, you name it. They were taking it all in, lusting after every body part his shirt and slacks covered.
Sonya smiled at the look on their faces when he came and stood at her table; making it evident she was his date. She could just imagine what was crossing their minds…Ebony and Ivory. Chocolate and vanilla. Jungle fever.
“Sorry I’m late, something came up.”
His words interrupted her thoughts and her gaze left the four pair of staring eyes to look up at Mike. “You could have called.”
He shook his head as he sat down. “Honestly, I couldn’t. I had to take an unexpected trip to L.A. yesterday and just flew back in. I came directly here from the airport.”
She knew Mike wasn’t just a regular private investigator, he owned a multi-million-dollar business whose home office was based in Los Angeles. His clientele included people in the entertainment business, politicians and well-known individuals. Although he had opened an East Coast office here in Orlando, he still traveled to the West Coast a lot to take care of business.
“Okay, I’ll let you slide this time.”
A smile touched his lips from corner to corner. “I appreciate that.” He leaned back in his chair. “So, did you decide on a day for the party?”
She glared at him a little tiffed. The least he could have done was ask how she was doing. She could kick herself for even caring. The reason they were meeting today was strictly business…sort of. As long as she thought it was for business then she couldn’t think about how it would feel to wrap her tongue around his again.
“How does February fourteenth sound as a day for the party?” she asked.
He stood to pull out his BlackBerry and then shook his head. “Not good. That’s Brandy and Grey’s wedding anniversary, and I recall Grey saying he planned on taking Brandy away for the weekend. If we have it that night then they won’t be able to attend.”
Sonya nodded. Brandy Masters was a close friend of Carla’s and she knew Carla would want to have her there. “Okay, what about the following weekend? Do you think that will work?”
He checked his BlackBerry again and then glanced back at her as he sat down. “Yes, I think that will work.”
“Good. I’ll check with Amber to make sure she and Cord don’t have anything planned for that weekend as well.” Amber was another one of Carla’s close friends. Brandy, Carla and Amber met when the three joined a professional group of businesswomen called Savvy Sistahs Who Mean Business.
Sonya thought she had come a long way upon hearing the two women’s name. There had been a time, back in the day, when Carla was just forming friendships with Brandy and Amber that Sonya had gotten jealous of their friendship. Now she considered Brandy and Amber her friends as well.
“What about the guest list?” she asked. “How many people we invite will determine where we would want to have the party. I can talk to Brandy to see if the ballroom of the St. Laurent is available for that night.”
Brandy and her husband Grey owned a five-star hotel on Sand Lake Road, right off the interstate. A year ago, they had left the running of it to the hotel manager and had moved to Atlanta to open a Bed and Breakfast. When that proved successful, they had opened several other Bed and Breakfast inns in other major cities and had built three additional hotels in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. Now the couple was back and had made Orlando their permanent home.
“Good point,” Mike said, thinking. “What do you think? I suggest it just be a cozy affair and invite only their closest friends.”
“I agree. In that case the St. Laurent would be too large. We could have it at my place…or even yours. It’s bigger than mine.”
He lifted a brow. “How do you know that? You’ve never been to my place.”
She shrugged. “When you moved in last year, Carla mentioned what a nice and spacious condo you had purchased.”
“Oh.”
She had hated admitting she and Carla discussed him at times. “But you don’t need to feel obligated to have it at your place,” she decided to add.
“It’s no problem, but I suggest you come by and check it out to make sure the set up will work for whatever you have in mind.”
“That sounds like a good idea. When can I drop by?” she asked.
“Anytime. I’ll be home later this afternoon if that will work.”
“It will.”
“Good.”
“Now what about lunch? I’m starving.”
“Sorry,” she said getting to her feet. “But I can’t stay. My lunch hour is almost up.”
He glanced up at her. “That’s why you should come to work for me. I’m very flexible with my employees’ time.”
He had offered her a job at his company before, when he’d first opened his East Coast office. There was no way she could work for him. They would take the concept of sexual harassment to a whole other level. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll see you later. And I promise to call before I come over today.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But I will.”
“Suit yourself.”
She started to say something snappy and then thought better when she glanced over at the table of women-the ones that had been mooning over Mike earlier-and saw looks of envy in their eyes. She could be a real nice person and stop at the table on her way out, tell them he was free, he wasn’t hers, and they could have him. But another part of her just couldn’t be that nice.
• • •
Mi
ke watched Sonya leave the restaurant and continued watching her as she crossed the parking lot to her car. The woman had a walk that did something to his libido with every step she took.
“Would you like a menu, sir?”
He glanced up at the waiter. It was on the tip of his tongue to say what he really wanted was Sonya Morrison, in his bed, naked, on her back while he dragged his mouth over every inch of her body, before finally getting to the part he craved the most. Her most feminine part.
“Sir?”
He was jolted back to reality. “Yes, thanks. I would like a menu.”
Sonya had no idea why she’d felt compelled to go home after work, take a shower and change clothes before going to Mike’s place. What she should have done, she thought, as she walked up to his front door, was to do what she’d originally planned and stop by on her way home from work. But no, for some reason she wanted to look and feel fresh.
She glanced down at herself. She might feel fresh, but she looked like a hoochie. A sophisticated hoochie at that. When was the last time she wore a mini skirt with killer heels? And her blouse –praise God– was so short that a section of her belly was showing, openly displaying her navel ring. At least her stomach was flat and firm and wasn’t hanging out.
Just what was she trying to prove? That if you had it you should flaunt it? Well, with the length of her skirt, if she had to bend over Mike was liable to see it all. At least the little she had under it. She had even pulled out her skimpiest pair of panties. And all for what?
To get a rise out of Mike, what else?
Besides, she liked seeing his vivid blue eyes turn a deep, sharp navy because of her. And for some reason she wanted to see how tight his control was. That was one thing she’d never had the courage to test. But tonight, she would.
She pressed his doorbell and seconds later his voice came through the intercom system by the door. “Who is it?”
THE SWEETEST TABOO (BENNETT SERIES 2.5) Page 2
