Kitabı oku: «Silken Embrace»

Sometimes the goal is worth the chase

Vying with many in the race

When you’re heart to heart and face-to-face

Forever enjoying his silken embrace.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Copyright

Chapter 1

“Good morning, Terrell.” The attractive Drake Community Center employee’s eyes sparkled with admiration and interest while traveling the length of his body.

Terrell Drake returned her greeting with a smile and a wink, aware of but unaffected by the blatant flirtation. He wasn’t cocky. At least not more than the average Drake man. He was simply used to it; he’d affected the female species this way his entire life.

“Hey, Tee, what’s up, man?”

“It’s your world, Luther, I’m just trying to navigate it.”

He bumped fists with the community center’s executive director and kept it moving. Months ago when his mother had asked him to volunteer at the center as one of its assistant directors, he’d balked at what he thought would cramp his style. He’d been wrong. The joy that came from seeing a struggling student solve a math problem, or properly knot his tie, or curtailing a would-be bully’s antics and have him see reason was beyond anything Terrell could have imagined. He actually looked forward to the three days a week he spent at the center. Walking into this after-school and summertime haven for more than a hundred children always made him feel good.

He reached the T-shaped end of the hallway and turned right toward the gymnasium. What he saw next made his heart skip a beat and wonder who owned the booty that, like sunshine, had just brightened up his world.

“Wow.”

The owner of said gluteus maximus stopped, paused for a beat, then turned to look at him.

Wait, did I just say that out loud?

If he were to judge by her reaction and the look at her face? That would be a yes.

But that his slip caused her to turn was worth whatever was about to happen. The woman looked as good from the front as she did from the back. Better even. Her heart-shaped face was almost totally devoid of makeup, natural, the way Terrell preferred. She had big brown eyes, a pert nose and pleasingly plump lips to match her generous cleavage. All kinds of sexy oozing through that frown. Time to turn on the Drake charm. Terrell whipped out a smile that could sell toothpaste and closed the distance between them with a confident stroll.

“Good afternoon.”

Her perfectly arched brow raised a notch. “According to whom?”

He had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

“You should be.” Her voice remained stern but he noticed a spark in her eyes.

He determined that he could get lost in those eyes. Holding out his hand, he said, “Terrell.”

She paused just long enough to make him nervous, and then extended her hand. “Aliyah.”

“Like the singer?”

Her scowl deepened as she shook her head and pulled back her hand. “No. Like myself.”

“I meant no offense, was a real fan of her music.” Terrell could deliver spot-on compliments in his sleep. Not today. From the look on her face, he’d just added insult to injury. He shifted his position to regroup and was just about to unleash his arsenal of amorous acclamations when he noted that Aliyah’s weren’t the only eyes watching him intently. He looked to her right, and down.

“Hello there, little man.”

“Hi.”

“What’s your name?”

“Kyle.”

Terrell held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kyle. I’m Mr. Drake.”

The kid sized him up openly with a face that would do any poker player proud. “Are you my teacher?”

“I work with teenagers. How old are you?”

“Five.”

“Five? Are you sure?”

He looked at Aliyah, who nodded. “He’s big for his age.”

“You might be raising a football player.” She shrugged at his observation. “Are you here for the Progeny Project?”

“Is that what the mentorship program is called?”

“Yes, the Progeny Project.”

She nodded. “We’re here for that, and perhaps some of the activities the center offers. Kyle’s young, but he’s smart and easily bored. I’d like to get him enrolled in as many as are available to him.”

“I can help with that. Follow me.” He noticed that she hesitated. “Do you have another question?”

“I’m waiting to follow you.”

She said it with just the hint of a smile. Terrell nodded his understanding. Any other brother would have assumed her hesitancy was because of what had happened moments earlier. Terrell knew the truth—time for her to check him out.

He placed a hand on Kyle’s shoulder, encouraging the young boy to walk beside him. “Are you as smart as your mother says you are?”

Kyle nodded. “Yes.”

“Confident, too,” Terrell said with a laugh. “I like that.”

They reached the end of the hallway. He led her to a set of double doors, and followed her into the general office area, where registrants were enrolled and files were kept. This area also housed three offices, including the one Terrell used when he was at the center.

“Hello, handsome!”

“Good afternoon, Miss Marva.” Terrell walked around the counter and embraced the slight, older woman with graying hair tucked into a neat bun. The powder blue pantsuit she wore was topped off with pearl earrings and a matching necklace. Very classy. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Marva laughed, entwining her arm with Terrell’s as she looked into his eyes. “I’d say you’re welcome if the compliment was meant for you. It wasn’t.” She looked at Kyle. “It was for this handsome young man standing by the pretty lady.”

This statement won smiles from both Aliyah and her son.

“Whoa!” Terrell grabbed his heart. “You wound me!”

“You know what they say about assumptions. You brought that on yourself.”

“I guess I did.” He looked at Kyle. “She was talking to you, handsome young man.”

Aliyah encouraged her son. “Say hello to Miss Marva, Kyle.”

“Hello,” he said shyly, before hiding his face behind his mother’s skirt.

“Aliyah is here to enroll her son in Progeny, and to learn more about what our center offers.”

“Wonderful! We’ll get this young man signed right up.”

“I will leave the two of you in Miss Marva’s capable hands.” He pulled out a card and presented it to Aliyah. “If you have any other questions about the center or our programs, anything at all, please feel free to contact me.”

She nodded curtly, then smiled as she returned her attention to Miss Marva.

Terrell reached the door and turned. “One more thing.”

He watched her shoulders rise and fall before turning sideways to face him. “Yes?”

Their eyes met. The air sizzled, all but crackled between them. An unspoken, as yet unacknowledged attraction existed in each gaze.

“Never mind. Have a nice afternoon.”

A little over an hour later, Terrell returned to the office. He walked behind Miss Marva, grabbed her by the shoulders and smushed her hair with his chin. “Get on away from me with that foolishness,” she playfully chided, swatting blindly behind her while Terrell dodged and laughed. With a final squeeze, he let her go and walked to a set of file cabinets. Opening one, he began browsing through folders.

“May I help you, Mr. Drake? I know you think you own the world, but this office is my domain.”

He retrieved a file, set it on top of the others and opened it. “You’re absolutely right about that, Miss Marva. I’ll soon be out of your way.” Finding the desired document, he pulled out his phone. “I had to run earlier and just want to follow up on our latest registrant, Mr. Kyle—” a glance at the paperwork “—Robinson.”

Miss Marva folded her arms, her mouth now as twisted as her lovely chignon. “And just what kind of follow-up do you think is needed?”

“The general kind, you know, answering any questions his mother may have regarding our program.”

“Mmm-hmm. I’ve known you since you were crawling, Terrell Drake. And I am sure that the questions you want to ask that pretty lady have nothing to do with this center.”

He tapped a button on his phone, placed the paper in the folder and placed the folder back in the file cabinet. “They absolutely do.” He struck a professional pose—chin up, back straight. “And if those questions get asked over, say, a glass of wine or two, well—” he shrugged “—all the better, wouldn’t you say?”

Marva’s mouth untwisted into a lovely smile. “I’d say you’re full of it and then I’d tell you to take her out and have a nice time. She seems like a sweet girl.”

“Thank you, Miss Marva.” After a quick look around, he lowered his voice. “And...let’s keep this between us, okay?”

“I appreciate your stating the obvious, but this old trap has never sprung a leak.”

Terrell went into his office, closed the door and tapped the number he’d entered into his phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Aliyah. It’s Terrell, from the community center.”

There was a pause. “Yes?”

“I had to rush out earlier and wanted to call and make sure everything regarding your son’s enrollment went smoothly.”

“Oh.” Another pause. “Yes. The administrator, Miss Marva, handled everything just fine. Gave us a little tour and explained the program. We’re all set.”

“Good, that’s real good.”

A second ticked by. And then another.

“Is there...anything else?”

“Actually, Aliyah, there is. I’d like you to help me do something. Though it isn’t very difficult, it doesn’t happen often.”

Suspicion coated the words she delivered. “Like what?”

“I’d like you to give me a second chance to make a first impression.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

“I know. But I’d like to do it anyway—prove I’m not the cad my comment may have led you to believe. Something simple, say, dinner tonight. Casual. Jeans.”

“I guess I can do that.”

Terrell sat back with a satisfied smile.

“As long as regarding one thing we’re perfectly clear. The part of my anatomy you found so intriguing will not be on the menu.”

Chapter 2

Later that night Terrell was still thinking about Aliyah, surprised and a bit annoyed that she’d stayed on his mind. Sure, she was fine, but so were all the other women he’d dated. She was intriguing, but it was something more. An indefinable trait Terrell couldn’t quite identify. He shrugged, focusing back on the computer screen and the news website he’d pulled up. It was just dinner. No big deal. That’s why he’d suggested they meet at the Cove Café, the town’s family-friendly diner, instead of the more upscale Acquired Taste or the always remarkable Paradise Cove country club. He didn’t want to come off as trying to impress or anything. Why would he? Good looks aside, she was the parent of a student at the community center, with attitude to boot. Not mixing business with pleasure was Playboy Rulebook 101. With all of the women constantly trying to hook up with him, was a get-to-know-you dinner with her perfectly formed buns worth the messiness to his personal life that decision could potentially cause?

Yes.

Terrell ignored this answer that popped into his head, and the excitement that flowed through his other head as well. He wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend and had enough friends with benefits to keep him more than satisfied.

So why was he taking Aliyah to dinner?

By the time he’d broken out his favorite pair of jeans, paired them with a navy button-down complemented by a platinum bracelet and thin chain, whipped out his solitaire diamond stud, removed his five-o’clock shadow and splashed on an exclusive blend of designer cologne, he’d convinced himself that he was just being a nice guy. That and he was hungry. Everyone had to eat, right?

He gathered his wallet and keys, and was heading to the door of his west wing suite when the estate’s intercom sounded in his room.

“Terrell?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Are you joining us for dinner, dear?”

“No. I’m heading out.”

“Dinner meeting?”

He paused. “Something like that.”

“Oh, I see. Have fun on your date, dear.”

“Who said anything about a date?”

The sound of Jennifer’s light chuckle made him smile. “Indirectly, you did. ’Bye now.”

“’Bye, Mom. Love you.”

“I love you more.”

* * *

Aliyah pulled into the crowded parking lot, found a space and cut the engine. Grabbing a sweater from the backseat to ward off the slight October chill, she was pleasantly surprised to see the café Terrell had suggested was a homey-looking diner and not a swanky five-star restaurant. After getting Kyle enrolled in the community center’s fall program she’d returned home, gone online and typed Terrell Drake in the search engine. What she’d seen there would impress most women. She was no exception. But it hadn’t made her excited to meet him. She was all too familiar with men like him. Those who had the world by the tail, and thought they ruled it, from a family that practically owned the town or at least helped build it. One brother a grape grower and rancher and another one the mayor? Elite affiliations and country clubs for sure. The more she’d read, the more she’d been tempted to cancel their meeting. When he’d called and boldly requested dinner, and she accepted, it was to possibly secure a west coast casual who could periodically scratch her sexual itch. It had been months, she had been busy and a woman had needs. But now? With his lifestyle sounding so much like the ex whose family made it clear that she didn’t and could never fit into their world? Why pull the scab off of a sore still healing? Because the attraction she’d felt in the community center office earlier was greater than her fear. So here she was.

She saw him right away, standing in a bar area with a group near the hostess stand. As she neared them he turned and reached for her, forcing the two women standing in front of her to step aside and let her through. Two men greeted her cordially and then walked away. The two women remained: appraising, waiting.

He made the introductions. Greetings were exchanged. He looked at Aliyah. “Shall we?”

“Yes.”

“Ladies.” With a nod goodbye in their direction, he placed a hand on the small of Aliyah’s back as they followed the hostess to a corner booth.

But the ladies followed, hot on their heels.

“Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

Aliyah shook her head. “Not at all. Have GPS, will travel.”

“That system does make it easier.”

The woman closest to her, a cute brunette with expressive gray eyes, cleared her throat. “Where’d you drive from?”

Aliyah looked at Terrell, then turned to address the woman behind her. “Davis.”

“You live there?” asked the woman who’d been fawning over Terrell when she walked in, and when introduced had offered a smile about as real as a three-dollar bill. The obvious competition, had Aliyah been in the hunt for a handsome, wealthy, well-built, charismatic, sexy example of male magnificence. She wasn’t. So Nosy Nancy had nothing to worry about. And no need to know her business.

They reached the booth. Aliyah sat without answering. The server immediately came over. “Is this who you were waiting for, Terrell?”

“Yes, it is.”

She placed menus in front of Aliyah and Terrell, then looked at the women. “Do y’all need menus?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The server looked between Terrell and Nosy, from whom the simultaneous answer had come.

“It will just be Aliyah and myself tonight,” Terrell said. “My friends were just leaving.”

“Oh, okay.” Expressive Eyes gave a general wave. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.” She walked over and joined the two men who’d left Terrell to sit at the bar.

“Speak for yourself,” Nosy Nancy said, before looking at Terrell. “Are you going to scoot over or get up and let me in?” He didn’t move, just looked at her. “This isn’t a date, is it? I mean, you’re at the Cove Café for goodness sake, so obviously—” she looked at Aliyah “—it’s no big deal.”

So this was how it went down in Terrell’s hometown? Girlfriend didn’t know but the poised, polite chick in front of her was east coast all day long, where people kept it real. She could switch it up and hurt her feelings. But instead, Aliyah ignored her. Why spar with someone trying to crash into where she had been invited? She casually picked up her menu and began to browse.

Terrell’s voice remained low and casual, but his eyes were those of someone who’d had enough. “You have a nice evening...okay?”

“Oh. Okay.” She flung long black hair over her shoulder and adjusted a nice designer bag over store-bought boobs. “Sorry I upset you, Alicia. Terrell and I go way back, to preschool almost.”

The misspoken name was intentional, and catty. Aliyah knew that, and offered advice instead of correction. “Don’t be sorry.”

Terrell’s brief but knowing smile did things to her insides. The man was dangerous, too sexy for her own good. With no man in her life for the past few months, she wished he were on the menu she held. He had her so distracted she barely noticed Nosy mosey away.

“Sorry about that.”

Aliyah’s eyes turned devilish. “Don’t be—”

“Stop it!” He laughed. “You know you’re wrong. Clever, though.”

“I learned from the best—been dealing with girls like her since I was fourteen.”

“In Davis?”

“No. On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where I went to private school on a scholastic scholarship.”

“You’re from New York?”

She nodded. “Brooklyn, more specifically. Born and bred in Prospect Heights.”

“But smart enough to go to school with the rich and privileged.”

“Yes, and at times that was most unfortunate. I watched girls who had everything become jealous of one who had nothing.”

He sat back, observing her keenly. “That’s not true. You’ve got a lot.”

“Yes, well, there’s that.”

“I’m not talking about your physical generosities...”

“Ha!”

“I’m talking about you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“But you make a brother want to know you. And that’s what I’m talking about.”

“Looks like you’re a brother who knows everybody, and who everybody knows.”

“It’s one of the downsides of living in a small town. And one of the reasons I don’t eat here often even though the town’s dining options are limited. Everybody thinks they know you well enough to get all up in your business, even uninvited.”

“Most women who act like that have a reason for doing so.”

“She doesn’t.”

Aliyah shrugged. “Not my monkey, not my circus.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning whatever is between you two is not my concern. I just hope this place serves a good burger.”

“It’s not the best one in town but you won’t be disappointed.”

As if on cue, the server came over to take their orders.

Conversation halted as Aliyah perused the menu. Terrell watched. She noticed. “Clearly you’ve already decided what you want to order.”

“Absolutely,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I already know exactly what I want.”

She rolled her eyes. He didn’t know, but the action matched the roiling of her stomach as she took in the curly long lashes that framed chocolate-brown orbs, his cleanly shaven angular face and cushy lips. He smiled when she ordered the Cove Classic: double-patty cheeseburger, coleslaw and fries.

“Make that two,” he told the server, letting her walk away before he refocused his attention on Aliyah. “I love it. A woman with a healthy appetite and not afraid to show it.”

She fixed him with a sultry look of her own. “Oh, yes. I have a very healthy appetite.”

Check, and checkmate.

“So tell me about yourself, Aliyah Robinson.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Since you live in Davis, how’d you learn about our center here in Paradise Cove?”

“A good friend recommended it. Her youngest son is enrolled there. She watches Kyle for me. So it works out.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lauren Hensley. Do you know her?”

“No. But I’m only there three days a week, tutoring and mentoring teenaged boys between thirteen and sixteen years old. A buddy of mine named Luther works with your son’s age group.”

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a guy who tutored teens.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. You just don’t look the type.”

“What type do I look like?”

Like the type of man I need to take home. Tonight. “Let me think about that.” The honest answer remained unspoken, but a hint of it showed in her eyes.

“Is UC what brought you to Davis?” She nodded. “With all of the great schools on the east coast, why that school?”

“The residency program.”

His brow rose in surprise. “You’re a doctor?”

“Not for at least another two and half years. I’m in residency as an anesthesiologist.”

“Impressive. Fine, smart...and you wonder why those girls were jealous.”

“Things look much differently when you’re fourteen.”

“Indeed.”

The server brought their drinks. Aliyah took a sip of her frothy root beer. Terrell had opted for real beer, and took a healthy swig from the bottle.

“Ever been to New York?”

“I’ve spent a little time there. My younger brother is going to NYU.”

“What’s he studying?”

“He’s getting his doctorate in psychology.”

“Oh, so you’ll have a doctor in your family as well.”

“We already do. My cousin’s wife is a doctor in San Diego. But yes, Julian, hands down, is the brains in my family.”

“Are you the brawn?”

He smiled. “Is that your answer for my type?”

“No, but if forced to fight I think you could hold your own.”

“Ha! Thanks, I think. My family owns a realty and consulting company. I handle sales.”

He was being humble. Due to her internet sleuthing, Aliyah knew he was a director in what appeared to be a very profitable company, heading up the sale of corporate and commercial properties throughout the state. A rich, successful, confident man who was also unassuming? Maybe he could scratch her itch after all.

“Is that how you ended up in Paradise Cove?”

“My grandfather settled here after leaving the military, went in with a partner and bought up a lot of land at a time when it was a buyer’s market. After college, my dad correctly predicted that metropolitan expansion would push the population this way. So he acquired more land in this area, got his real estate license and partnered with a contractor to build homes. Thirty years ago, where we sit now was nothing but farmland. Now, we’ve got Paradise Cove and, next to it, Paradise Valley, where my brother Warren now manages and co-owns that initial land my grandfather purchased.”

“Not many people of color can claim such historical ties and land ownership. You must be proud of what your grandfather and father have done.”

“I’m proud of my entire family.”

Conversation continued. The flow was easy. The food was good, the flirtations continuous. She told him a little more about Kyle, and about the teacher/mentor-turned-friend, Lauren, who’d encouraged Aliyah to choose UC Davis for her residency. She also let him know that while her body was in California, her heart still bled Brooklyn. She was a New York Jets fan for life. Aliyah ascertained that Terrell’s extended family was a close-knit one, that he was a member of the Raider Nation, but—that glaring offense aside—there was substance behind the sexiness. It was clear that neither wanted the night to end. But for Aliyah, it had to. She had a son to pick up and an early surgery to assist with in the morning.

She placed her napkin on the plate. “Thanks for dinner. The food was delicious.”

“What about the company?”

She shrugged, reached for her glass. “It was all right.”

“Ha! Just all right, huh?”

“Yep.” She finished the last of her soda. “Just all right.”

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told a time or two.”

“Well, hopefully I made a better first impression the second time around.”

She blessed him with a smile. “You did.”

“Enough for you to go out with me again?”

She reached for her purse. “Maybe. But tonight’s good time has come to an end. I have to be up early in the morning.”

Terrell reached into his wallet and tossed a couple bills on the table. They stood and together walked out of the restaurant. He passed his shiny sports convertible and continued to her car.

“So, what kinds of things do you like to do?”

“I’m pretty adventurous and open to new things. There’s probably not many things I wouldn’t try at least once.”

Her quick once-over suggested he was included in this statement.

“Is that so?” They reached her car. He opened the door. Before she could get in, he cut her off and pressed her against the metal. “What about Friday night?”

She didn’t back down. She pressed back. “I have to work this Saturday. I’m off on Sunday, though.”

“Then what about Saturday night?” He ran a strong, large hand down her arm, before resting it lightly on her hip.

“Highly likely, if I can arrange a sitter. But not here, in your town. I’m not up to watching you fend off women all night and if insulted again, I might not act as civilly as I did tonight.” She pressed a hand against his shirt, and met a chest as solid as steel. “You work out.”

“I do. As tight as your body is, looks like you do, too.” Their bodies were close, their faces, too, so much so that their breaths mingled.

“Can’t say much for crunches and treadmills—” she slid a finger down the side of his face “—but there are certain ways I like to exercise.” She gently pushed him away and got into the car.