***
“And you have absolutely no idea who he is?”
Dominique smiled as she met her sister Michelle’s stare. Although only separated in age by two years, they were actually many more years apart in their way of thinking. Michelle was a rebel – always had been and always would be. While growing up she had enjoyed making waves and resisting authority, which had caused their parents many sleepless nights. Owning a travel agency was the best thing, since she would never be able to tolerate having a boss.
Unlike Michelle, who took defying orders to heart, for Dominique following rules and regulations had been easy. She had been unresisting and manageable, and she strongly believed in and respected authority. Deciding on a career in law had been a natural for her to make.
“No, I have no idea who he is, since we haven’t been introduced. I’ve only seen him while out jogging.”
“Well, he can’t stay in motion forever. He has to come to a standstill at some point in time. And when he does, make sure you’re there and find out everything there is about him.”
“Are you suggesting that I follow him around the park waiting for this grand opportunity?”
Michelle grinned. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting, if that’s what it’s going to take. Heaven forbid, but if I got up at six in the morning to go running around some park, I would definitely use my time running behind something worth my while. And from what you’ve told me, this brother is to die for. However, instead of dying I’d much rather you go after a piece of him instead. But you’ll never come close to even claiming a pinch if you don’t make the first move.”
Dominique raised her eyes to the ceiling. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Michelle was the youngest. “And why do I have to make the first move?”
“Because some men don’t know what’s good for them, and it’s up to us to show them.”
“So I’m supposed to come on to him?”
“Yes, I’ve done it several times.”
Dominique didn’t find that hard to believe. Michelle went after whatever it was she wanted, and consequences be damned. “I have to really think about using that approach, Michelle. Whereas it might work for you, it may not work for me.”
“Suit yourself. I’m just trying to help by giving you sound, workable advice. This is the first time you’ve mentioned anything about a man since Kenneth, and that gives me hope. I can’t wait to tell the folks and Gramma and Grampa. They’ll be so thrilled.”
Dominique wished Michelle had not brought up her former fiancé. The last thing she wanted to remember was the man who had confessed – a mere week before their wedding – that another woman was having his baby. Although that had been over a year ago, the pain of his betrayal was still there. And she knew her parents, grandparents, and Michelle had been concerned that she hadn’t dated since then. “Don’t get everyone’s hopes up too high, Michelle. I merely mentioned that I happened to notice this guy.”
“Yeah, but at least you’re back to noticing, and that’s good. I suggest the next time you see him that you do more than just notice him. If I were you I would do something, just about anything, to get his attention and to let him know you’re interested. Some men are too dense to figure these things out on their own. You have to give them a clue.”
Dominique shook her head, smiling. “I‘ll think about it.”
“Do more than think, Dom. This guy might be one you don’t want to get away.”
Dominique inhaled and decided not to tell Michelle she had thought the very same thing about Kenneth when she had first met him and boy had she been wrong. So wrong that she wondered if she would ever get it right again. She glanced at her watch. “Lunch was great, but I have to go. I’m due back in court at one.”
“Then by all means scat,
Your Honor
. It definitely wouldn’t do to have your humble servants waiting.”
***
“So you saw her again today?”
Jordan Prescott folded his arms across his broad chest and smiled up at the man standing at his desk looking down at him. Royce Parker was someone he had known since his high school days, and was the person instrumental in him relocating to Florida. Tired of doing a little more than shuffling papers and handling miniscule cases the senior attorneys hadn’t wanted to be bothered with, Jordan had taken Royce up on his offer to leave New York and move to Orlando and work for the prestigious law firm of Smith, Hammond and Rowe. So far he had not regretted the move, and after this past week it seemed things were definitely beginning to look even better.
“Yes, I saw her again.”
“And?”
“And she was jogging, which didn’t provide me with any time to hold a conversation.”
“But you did check out her hand?”
Jordan’s smile widened. He decided not to tell Royce that her hand hadn’t been the only thing he had checked out. “Yes, I checked out her hand, and there wasn’t an engagement ring or a wedding band.”
“Good. So now it sounds like the coast is clear and it’s okay to move ahead and plan your next strategy. When do you go jogging again?”
Jordan shook his head. Royce made it sound like meeting the woman was some sort of military maneuver. “I jog every day, but I think she only jogs twice a week.”
“Umm, so chances are you probably won’t be seeing her any more this week.”
“Probably not.”
“But if she’s noticed you like you’ve noticed her, then there’s a possibility she might add an additional day to her jogging schedule.”
“Yes, there is that possibility.” Jordan grinned at the way Royce thought he had everything figured out. And chances were he had. The same age as he was, thirty-five, Royce was a die-hard bachelor and an expert on dating, since he had been doing the dating thing a lot longer than he had. Jordan had gotten out of commission – four years, to be exact – when he had fallen in love with and married another attorney. It might have worked with some folks, but for him marrying another person with the same demanding profession had been a huge mistake, one he would never make again. He didn’t see another marriage in his future, but was interested in meeting someone and entering into a solid and exclusive relationship. The risk of AIDS made the thought of having multiple bed partners a bit scary, to say the least. Besides, he didn’t need several bed partners to keep him happy. All he needed was one really good one. And he had a feeling that the woman who’d caught his eye while he was out jogging was capable of setting his body on fire. He was burning up just thinking about her.
“Well, I’d better get back to work. I have a date with Kincaid this week, and I’d best be prepared.”
“Who?”
“Judge Kincaid. She’s the sistah I was telling you about who found favor in the governor’s eyes, and was appointed to fill the spot of an older judge who retired early due to health reasons.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jordan remembered how Royce had sung the woman’s praises by saying she was tough but fair. She also expected a lawyer to have his stuff together when he entered her courtroom. And, according to Royce, the way she had handled the more experienced good-old boy attorneys as well as the up and coming, wanna-make-a-name-for-themselves hot-shots had earned most people’s respect. Being the youngest woman on the bench – and an African-American too – definitely had not been easy for her. But now, three years and a landslide victory later, she was doing the job the tax payers had elected her to do.
“You’ll have your day in court with her, Prescott,” Royce was saying. “If I’m not mistaken, she’s the one who’ll be hearing the Masons’ case.”
When Royce walked off, Jordan was left alone with his thoughts. They moved away from Judge Kincaid and immediately went back to the woman who’d been jogging. Would she modify her schedule and show up another day this week, as Royce thought she would? The thought of seeing her again sent a surge of adrenaline flowing through him. He shook his head. Over the years he had seen his share of beautiful women, and it surprised him that any woman could have that much of an effect on him. Especially a woman whose name he didn’t even know. But the one thing he did know was that there was something about her that had given him a voracious sexual appetite. The very thought appalled him, because until now he’d never known such a need could exist. He tried convincing himself that the reason he was in such a state was because he hadn’t slept with a woman in over six months. But a certain part of him throbbed against such a notion. He knew exactly what had him in such a bad way, and could not place the blame on anything or anyone else.
He looked forward to going jogging in the morning and hoped that his sexy mystery lady didn’t disappoint him.
D
ominique leaned over to tighten the strings on her shoes, appalled that she was actually taking Michelle’s advice and running behind a man. She checked her watch. She was a little early, but already other joggers had begun arriving. She tried not to look nervous or anxious as she began doing her stretches.
What if he doesn’t show up today?
What if ….
Before that second thought could formulate in her mind she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned, she saw him. He seemed to suddenly emerge out of the shadows of the predawn morning. At one point she could see him clearly; then, when sensual heat drifted over her, her vision became somewhat hazy. Even from a distance of thirty or more feet he was eliciting an extreme reaction from her.
She thought it would be best to try and ignore him for now. Not feeling capable of standing on wobbly legs any longer, she eased her body down to the thick, grassy surface to do some additional stretches. Sitting on her bottom and bending her body to touch her toes, she tried dismissing him from her mind and found she couldn’t. Especially when he was the main reason she had gotten out of bed to be here at this hour. She loved coming to the park and did so often, walking around, feeding the pigeons, sitting on a bench to appreciate the things around her and to stay connected with the normal side of life that she didn’t often find in her courtroom. Tuesday and Thursday mornings were her normal days to jog. She had never jogged on a Friday morning before. Instead she much preferred taking advantage of getting a little extra sleep before going to work. She made it a point never to schedule her first case on Fridays before ten.
As she continued to do her stretches, her body got tense instead of relaxed. She inhaled and then exhaled but didn’t have a chance against the pulsating heat throbbing fast and furious through every part of her body.
Jordan sucked in a deep rush of mid-September air when primal recognition made his breath catch. Royce had been right: It seemed his mystery lady had modified her schedule. He had spent a good majority of the night and that morning thinking about her and hoping that he would see her today. And now she was here and wasn’t in motion, which gave him a chance to make his move before she got on her feet and took off jogging.
He walked toward her with determination, hoping she would be receptive to getting to know him the way he wanted to get to know her. Although his movement toward her had been quiet, when he got within five feet of her she turned and looked his way. Their gazes caught, locked, and held with an incredible force. He could have gotten hit by a bolt of lightning and doubted he would have felt it. The only thing he felt was desire, so deep within his body it was almost painful. He halted for an earthshaking moment and shook his head to clear it. And when he started walking again, closing the remaining distance separating them, his breath froze in his lungs and every muscle in his body tightened. When he discovered he could breathe again, he took in a deep gulp of air and came to a stop in front of her. Her scent – sweet, warm, and sensual – surrounded him in the early morning air, causing his nostrils to flare in deep male regard.
The only thing he could do was look down at her as he struggled to collect himself. That effort took him a few seconds, and then he said, “Hello. I’m Jordan.”
He watched as she sat up from leaning back on her arms to slowly extend her hand out to him. “Hello, Jordan. I’m Dominique.”
Dominique inhaled slowly as she allowed her eyes to drink in the sight of the man standing over her, up close and personal. Just as she’d thought the very first time she had seen him, he was an impressive display of masculine perfection. Besides jogging, whatever else the brother was doing in the way of physical fitness was well worth the effort, because he was definitely built.
Her gaze moved slowly down his broad shoulders and solid chest toward a very flat abdomen. The athletic shirt he wore stopped just above his naval, and she felt goose bumps forming on her arms when her attention was drawn to the thin line of dark, curly hair that ran from his naval and dipped low into his running shorts. Then there were his muscular thighs that looked hard as steel, and legs that appeared solid and strong. She suddenly felt her head spinning in female admiration as she darted her eyes back to his face.
His features were just as pleasing. His hair was cut short and his skin was the color of rich, dark, chocolate. In her line of work she was used to seeing handsome men come into her courtroom, mostly attorneys dressed in tailored, name-brand, fashionable clothes. But she had never seen a man so striking and so incredibly sexy. The bones of his face were lean and angular, and he had dark eyes fringed with sinfully long lashes. His nose was a perfect size, and his mouth had a shape that made her think of doing something like kissing it.