Read Her Little Black Book Online
Authors: Brenda Jackson
Her Little Black Book (20 page)
He heard a little distress in her voice. “Okay. Tell me what you need from me.”
She didn't say anything for a moment, and then, “To slow down. I need time and space. You overwhelmed me from the first. You're still overwhelming me. And last night, I took risks with you that I've never taken before. Even now I can't believe that I did it, and what's so strange is that I don't have any regrets.”
Lake wondered if she knew why she'd done it, why she didn't have any regrets. Did she have any clue why the thought of him fathering her child didn't bother her, like the thought of her mothering his child didn't bother him? Last night while he'd held her in his arms as she slept, he
had thought about everything they had shared, every single thing they had done. There had been a reason for such madness, and he was more than convinced that it hadn't entirely been due to lust. But she would have to figure those things out on her own.
had thought about everything they had shared, every single thing they had done. There had been a reason for such madness, and he was more than convinced that it hadn't entirely been due to lust. But she would have to figure those things out on her own.
“We started out as lovers before becoming friends,” he heard her say, breaking into his thoughts. “Mainly because you're convinced that in the end you'll get the same resultâa marriage between us. What I need is for us to be friends,” she said in a low voice.
He frowned. “I thought that we were.”
She chuckled. “We're lovers. We're good in bed together, but when push comes to shove, we're miles apart because you see a future for us and I'm just getting used to what's happening now. Today. I can't think that far ahead yet.”
He nodded, trying to keep up with her. Trying to get a grasp on what she was saying, although he had a fairly good idea. And he didn't like what he was hearing. “So you don't want us to see each other anymore, is that it?” he asked.
“No, that's not it, Lake. I just think we need to slow the pace down a bit. We've known each other for three weeks and have spent two nights together, and if I let it happen, we will be spending a third and a fourth. We're not building a relationship; we're having an affair.”
“No,” he said tensely. “I want more.”
“I want to believe that.”
And even after the two nights they had spent together, he was amazed that she still didn't. He leaned
closer to her over the table and asked, “And if last night left you pregnant?”
closer to her over the table and asked, “And if last night left you pregnant?”
She shook her head. “That's not a possibility, since I'm on the pill.”
He smiled. “There are always possibilities. Nothing is one hundred percent sure.”
“I know, but I honestly don't think we'll have that to worry about,” she whispered.
Lake figured that now was not the time to tell her that if she was pregnant, he would want the baby as much as he wanted her. But then he'd made that clear last night. “Okay,” he said. He would give her space while he worked on another strategy. “Starting now, there will only be friendship between us. Until you say otherwise.”
Courtney gave him what he perceived as a relieved smile. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Be careful what you ask for.
Two days later, and Courtney was questioning her decision regarding Lake. When she had confided in Sonya and told her what she'd done, her cousin had gone ballistic. Men were extinct, Sonya had exclaimed. Good ones were rare, hard to find. When you found one, you didn't do something real stupid like throw him back out there. You did that to the rejects. The ones who weren't worthy of your time, attention, or body. Sonya had gotten vocal. She had gotten loud. She'd truly been pissed. Letting Lake go had been plain stupid, she had said over and over. Then after Sonya had finally calmed down, she had
explained that she nearly lost Mike by not accepting what he was trying to get her to see. They had a future together. And she didn't want Courtney to make the same mistake.
explained that she nearly lost Mike by not accepting what he was trying to get her to see. They had a future together. And she didn't want Courtney to make the same mistake.
Okay, Courtney admitted, there was a possibility she had screwed up, big-time. Maybe she should have handled things differently. But still, it was important to her that she and Lake build a relationship outside of sex. He had called yesterday to give her a status on the client who was interested in purchasing some of Jetrica's work. The call had been short. He'd been very cordial. Nice. A part of her, the part that would throb in the wee hours of the night, missed spending time with the naughty Lake.
So here it was a Friday night and things were just like before. She had no date. No man to call her own. Okay, it was her fault, she would admit that much. But it wasn't like she had actually sent him away. She'd only asked that they be friends first. Friends did go out on occasion, so why hadn't he called to invite her to go somewhere? Friends just didn't have sex every single night. Could it be that's all he had wanted from her all along?
She picked up the TV schedule to see what was coming on the tube tonight, and then the phone rang. She reached over and picked it up. “Yes?”
“Hello, friend.”
Flutters went off in her stomach at the sound of the voice. He had called. She dropped down on the sofa. She doubted her legs could hold her up. “Hi, Lake, how are you?”
“Fine. I was sitting around not doing anything and wondered if you would like to go out with me? Nowhere
fancy. Just somewhere to grab a burger and fries. Maybe go to a movie as friends.”
fancy. Just somewhere to grab a burger and fries. Maybe go to a movie as friends.”
She threw her head back and laughed. This was what she wanted. “Yes. I'd love going out with you.”
“Good. I'll be by in an hour.”
“I had a nice time this afternoon with you, Peggy,” Willie said when they reached her front door.
She turned and smiled up at him. “And I had a nice time with you, as well. I can't remember the last time I spent an entire day at Disney World.” She chuckled. “I think Sonya had to have been around ten. Needless to say, when we left the park that day, I swore when she went back she would be old enough to take herself. She wanted to ride on just about everything that was there.”
He grinned down at her. “Oh, like you did today?”
Peggy couldn't help but laugh. She would admit that she had persuaded him to join her on a lot of the rides. For the first time in years, she had felt young and full of life. And each time she had caught him looking at her the way a man looked at a woman he was interested in, she had felt
attractive. Toni had been right. Although she couldn't understand why, Willie was interested in her. There had to be a number of other women who would love the attention ⦠not that she didn't. She just didn't feel worthy. It's not like she was a knockout or anything like that. She would think he'd want a much younger woman. Maybe not so young as Joe's child bride, but definitely a woman in her forties or early fifties.
attractive. Toni had been right. Although she couldn't understand why, Willie was interested in her. There had to be a number of other women who would love the attention ⦠not that she didn't. She just didn't feel worthy. It's not like she was a knockout or anything like that. She would think he'd want a much younger woman. Maybe not so young as Joe's child bride, but definitely a woman in her forties or early fifties.
“Okay, what's going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
She smiled up at him. Another thing she liked about him was that he was free with compliments. “I was thinking that it's still relatively early,” she said, glancing at her watch. “It's a little before seven. Would you like to come in and visit for a while?”
He held her gaze. “Are you sure that won't be putting you out? You have spent the majority of the day with me.”
“Yes, and I loved every minute,” she said, smiling.
He gave her a dazzling smile, and she felt a stirring in her stomach. “Then I would love to visit with you some more.”
Courtney's chest tightened at the sound of the doorbell announcing Lake's arrival. How did you backpedal and become friends with a man who just a few nights ago had been your lover in the most intimate way possible?
That's for you to figure out since this entire “just friends” thing was your idea, she muttered to herself as she
headed for the door. But no matter what one part of her
mind was thinkingâas well as the dress-down she'd gotten from Sonyaâshe wanted to believe she was doing the right thing. Her parents' marriage initially had been based on lust and not love, and her unexpected conception didn't help matters. Over the years, she doubted they had ever truly been friends, and she prayed it wasn't too late. She hoped their trip to Hawaii was just the beginning.
headed for the door. But no matter what one part of her
mind was thinkingâas well as the dress-down she'd gotten from Sonyaâshe wanted to believe she was doing the right thing. Her parents' marriage initially had been based on lust and not love, and her unexpected conception didn't help matters. Over the years, she doubted they had ever truly been friends, and she prayed it wasn't too late. She hoped their trip to Hawaii was just the beginning.
She opened the door to find a handsome Lake Masters standing there smiling at her. She returned his smile and fought back the urge to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck and devour his lips. No, she couldn't do that, since they were just friends.
“Lake,” she greeted. “Won't you come in.”
“Sure.”
She stepped aside for him to enter, taking in his arousing male scent. “I just need to grab my purse off the table.” She quickly crossed the room.
“You look nice.”
She got her purse and turned around. “Thanks. You look good, too.”
He chuckled. “Appreciate the compliment.”
She could give him others, she thought, when she walked back across the room to him. She could tell him how good he smelled and how nice he was built. She could also mention how good it felt when his bare flesh touched hers or how butterflies went off in her stomach just from the sound of his voice.
“I'm ready,” she said, thinking her voice sounded rather breathy and deep.
“All right.”
For a split second, she thought his gaze turned hot and intimate. She blinked and the look was gone. Had she imagined it, or did he have that sort of control of his emotions?
“I thought that we would go see a movie, as well. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes, that's fine.”
“Good.”
He then led the way to the front door, and the one thing she noticed was that he hadn't taken hold of her hand as he usually did. She missed the contact.
“I think I'm going to get up early tomorrow and join you in the fitness room.”
“Huh.” Ron, who was lounging on the sofa in his hotel suite flipping channels with the remote control, glanced over at his wife. He hoped he had heard her wrong.
“I said that I'm going to the fitness room with you tomorrow. I need to start doing something. I've been eating a lot this week. Maybe the treadmill will do me some good.”
He sat up. “Yes, but are you sure you want to work out that early? I'm there before seven.”
She gave a half laugh. “Yes, I'm sure. In fact, I plan to spend the entire day with you tomorrow and for the rest of the trip. We only have a few days left before we fly home.”
“Sweetheart, you don't have to do that,” he said, his mind thinking about those few days he had left without getting a blow job. He was a true addict.
“I know I don't have to, but I want to. And to make
sure, I plan on going to bed early tonight. That way I can get up when you do in the morning. But now I plan on visiting the salon downstairs. I want to get my nails done.”
sure, I plan on going to bed early tonight. That way I can get up when you do in the morning. But now I plan on visiting the salon downstairs. I want to get my nails done.”
He got up off the sofa and crossed the room to her. He took her hands in his and looked at her nails. “There's nothing wrong with your nails; they look fine.”
She smiled. “I want to change the color of the polish.”
He cleared his throat. “Will you be gone long?”
“Not too long. Why do you ask? Do you have something you want us to do later?”
“Nah, I was just asking. Take your time. While you're gone, I might go play a game of golf or something,” he said.
His pecker was throbbing, since it knew just what that
something
was. If he couldn't get satisfied in the morning, then he would contact Ashira now. He just hoped she was in her room. Her afternoons were usually free, since that's the time he spent with Barbara. Damn it to hell, his wife had messed up his pleasure schedule.
something
was. If he couldn't get satisfied in the morning, then he would contact Ashira now. He just hoped she was in her room. Her afternoons were usually free, since that's the time he spent with Barbara. Damn it to hell, his wife had messed up his pleasure schedule.
Ashira felt herself coming apart under David's mouth when his tongue continued to lick her inside out. If they were giving a prize to the woman who'd come the most in a given week, she bet that she would win hands down. This had been some vacation, and she appreciated Ronnie for bringing her. As long as she could put up with his grueling sex in the morning, her afternoons belonged to her ⦠and David. Oh, and she couldn't forget Evan, another guy she had met a few days ago. But unlike David,
she hadn't invited Evan up to her room. They had done the thing in his room on a day his wife had taken a trip to one of the other islands to go sightseeing.
she hadn't invited Evan up to her room. They had done the thing in his room on a day his wife had taken a trip to one of the other islands to go sightseeing.
She heard the phone, wondering who would be calling and figured it could be only one person. “Don't stop,” she all but screamed at David when he pulled his mouth away. “Ignore it.”
He smiled up at her before leaning back down and settling his mouth back on her. She sighed in contentment when his frisky tongue went to work on her again.
Anger flared in Ron's eyes. Where the hell was Ashira? Granted, he had never tried contacting her in the afternoons before, but hell, she should be at his beck and call no matter what time it was. That suite he was paying for her to stay in wasn't cheap.
He dropped back on the sofa, thinking she was probably out shopping, spending more of his money. She had a lot to make up to him, whether it was here or when they got back to Orlando. There would be payday. He grabbed the remote off the table. His pecker was still throbbing. He needed to do something. It would be taking a huge risk, especially if Barbara was around and wanted to be clingy, but he needed to get a quick fix from Ashira and bad.
Since she had arrived on the island a few days before they had, she would be leaving the island before they did. He wanted some time with her before she left. But at the moment, thanks to Barbara, he couldn't figure out just how he was going to fit it into his schedule.
He jumped off the sofa when he heard the sound of his cell phone ringing and raced across the room to get it, hoping it was Ashira calling him back. He frowned when he recognized the caller ID. It wasn't Ashira. It was Melissa. Why the hell was she calling him?
Angry beyond belief, he didn't give her a chance to say anything and blared into the phone. “Listen, bitch, stop calling me. I don't want you anymore. Get it? And if you call me again I'm going to file harassment charges and you'll be locked up.”
He clicked off the phone and hoped like hell that he'd heard the last of her.
“So tell me about Peggy Morrison.”
Peggy glanced over at Willie. They were sitting on her back patio that overlooked a huge lake. Some of her neighbors had taken their boats out, and they watched as they made their way through the still waters. “I'm divorced and have been for almost four years now.”
“Are you and your husband still friends?”
Not hardly.
She shook her head. Deciding to provide him with an honest answer, she said, “No, we are far from being, friends especially since our marriage ended because he was unfaithful.”
She shook her head. Deciding to provide him with an honest answer, she said, “No, we are far from being, friends especially since our marriage ended because he was unfaithful.”
He held her gaze. “I'm sorry.”
“Thanks, but I'm over it now. It took me a while, though. We had been married for over thirty years. He met a woman and decided he wanted her more than me. So he asked me for a divorce to marry her.”
Willie didn't say anything for a moment, and then he said, “I can't imagine a man leaving you for another woman.”
She appreciated his comment. “Well, he did. But then what I failed to tell you about the woman was that she was younger than our daughter. So I guess in his book, he felt he was getting a good deal.”
“Well, the clock is ticking for the both of them,” Willie said quietly. “Your husband is aging, and so is she. Right before each other's eyes. You have to have more in a marriage than looks and lust. There has to be love.”
She agreed. “I truly thought we had that. I also thought we were the perfect family. He showed me just how wrong I was.”
“No, it sounds like he was the one who was wrong. I loved, honored, and cherished my wife until the day she died. I never put another woman before her, was never tempted to. When we said âtill death do us part,' I meant it.”
Peggy thought Joe should have meant it as well, but he hadn't.
“I understand you recently were the mother of the bride.”
Willie words cut into her thoughts. “Yes,” she said, smiling proudly. “Sonya got married a last month. It was a beautiful wedding.”
“And I'm sure you were a radiant mother of the bride.”
“Thank you,” she said, holding his gaze. She wanted to think he wasn't saying the words merely to be kind. That he really meant them.
She watched him glance at his watch, and then he
looked back at her and said, “How would you like to take in a movie tonight?”
looked back at her and said, “How would you like to take in a movie tonight?”
She lifted her brow. “A movie?” She said the words as if she'd never heard them before.
He chuckled. “Yes, a movie. It's still fairly earlyâat least too early for the teenagers. Believe it or not, they start to arrive at midnight. I noticed more and more kids don't have curfews. Kelly did when she was growing up. I didn't allow her to be out past eleven.”
She and Joe had had a similar curfew time for Sonya, Peggy thought.
“If we go to the movies, I prefer not being there with a bunch of teens. Some of them have no respect,” Willie said.
She had to agree. It had been ages since she'd gone to the movies, and then one night Barbara had talked her into going and they ended up leaving the theater before the movie had ended. There had been more action going on around them than on the big screen.
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes.” She pushed herself to her feet and smiled over at him. “I'd love to go.”
He stood up, as well, close beside her. “And I'd love to take you.”
At that moment, Peggy became aware of just how close they were standing, and then as if her lips were finally getting something they had wanted all day, he lowered his head and she leaned up and met him halfway.
Surprise and excitement rammed through her body the moment their lips touched, and it seemed that his fitted perfectly against the fullness of hers. Then he began
kissing her in a way that she had never been kissed before. She felt her heart racing and heat flaming through her body, and then when she thought she was about to go up in smoke, he slowly released her mouth.
kissing her in a way that she had never been kissed before. She felt her heart racing and heat flaming through her body, and then when she thought she was about to go up in smoke, he slowly released her mouth.
He then took the tip of his finger and traced it along her cheekbone as he stared deep into her eyes. He smiled. “I like kissing you, Peggy Morrison,” he said huskily against her moist lips.
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