BWWM Interracial Romance 2: Open Heart (8 page)

He teased her for what seemed like an eternity before finally shifting against her, thrusting inside of her all at once, pushing past the initial resistance of her body as her inner walls tightened around him. Ashley wrapped her legs around his waist more firmly, trusting in Tony’s firm grip and balance to hold her up as she pushed her hips down against his, bringing his mouth around to hers to kiss him hungrily. The water sluiced over her body, adding to the sensation of the cool tile against her back, the friction between her skin and Tony’s, everything making her desire mount more and more by the moment. Her hands roamed over Tony’s body, and Ashley admired the way her darker skin looked against his pale flesh, everything hazed over by steam, almost surreal and dreamlike. She kissed everywhere her lips could reach, lapping the water from Tony’s neck and shoulders, nipping at the column of his throat. They moved together as one, and Ashley and Tony were both reduced to panting as they explored the heat between them, touching and tasting.

In almost no time—or so it seemed—Ashley felt her whole body tensing. She cried out, moaning Tony’s name over and over again as she reached her climax, gripping his body as tightly as the water would allow, her hands and legs slipping against his drenched skin as she scrabbled to hold onto him, waves of pleasure crashing through her. Tony reached his orgasm a few heartbeats later, thrusting wildly into her as his mouth found her lips, her neck, her shoulders. Ashley groaned at the feeling of his sticky-slick heat rushing into her as his cock twitched inside of her, his body tensing even as hers did, both of them gripped by pleasure so intense it might have been pain.

They managed to keep the delicious friction and buildup of pleasure going for hours, moving from the shower into the bed, and Ashley fell into a sated sleep finally, curled up with her cheek pressed to Tony’s chest, so thoroughly suffused with pleasure that she couldn’t even remember what the date itself had been. When she awoke the next morning, Tony was still there, holding her, his hands trailing over her body slowly and unobtrusively. He greeted her with a kiss, holding her tightly and caressing her everywhere.

In spite of the good time they had had, in spite of the fact that Ashley knew that she had never been with a man who satisfied her as thoroughly as Tony had managed on two separate occasions to do, Ashley left his house after agreeing to see him regularly without really knowing how she felt. He was so sweet, so spontaneous—and the date, which she could remember once more in the morning, had been pure inspiration. But she couldn’t imagine dating someone who wasn’t serious about his life, and nothing that she had seen of Tony convinced her that he took his life seriously. She was not so hard-hearted as to refuse to see him—or to contemplate leaving him hanging, when he was clearly interested in her—but she didn’t want to set herself up for heartbreak, and she had the suspicion that that was exactly what she was doing.

Tony was in his office, smiling to himself at a text message from Ashley, thinking with pleasure about their next date; he had made it his mission to take her out of her comfort zone—to cultural events that she would never have considered on her own, to restaurants that were out of her usual spending ability. He liked the freshness of experiencing things with someone who was completely new to it all. It wasn’t that Ashley was naïve; she was intelligent and well-educated, and she adapted quickly to any situation. It was that because she hadn’t become jaded from overexposure, she brought a perspective that Tony hadn’t considered. He wanted to explore his own limits, to find experiences that neither of them had had—things that he could learn about right next to Ashley, compare notes on.

It was a situation that he had never found himself in before, and some of his deep, growing feelings for Ashley were doubtless because of the incredible novelty of being with a woman who—while he knew she had feelings for him, while he knew she was attracted to him and wanted him—had a life of her own. She was dedicated to her job, passionate about it. Tony had thought on more than one occasion while they were together that there were moments when, in spite of her having a good time, she felt guilty at not being at the hospital. “Listen, Ash,” he had told her, when she confessed to worries about a particular patient, or concerns that there might be a backup in the ER, “You really can’t work all the time. You would stop being such an effective doctor if you got burned out. You need to rest and relax and take time away every now and then, and I’m determined to help you do that.” He hadn’t thought about where he really saw the relationship going, even after several weeks of their seeing each other at least once every few days. As far as he was concerned, Tony was enjoying himself and that was all that he needed.

“Mr. Beaumont?” The secretary buzzed in, interrupting Tony’s musings.

Tony picked up the handset and asked her what it was.

“Vince is here for you, sir,” she replied.

Tony felt a flash of something akin to irritation, but suppressed it, thinking that Vince had been his friend for years; he couldn’t hold one sloppy, drunken night against the man.

“Send him in,” Tony said, sitting back in his chair. Maybe Vince was coming to talk about a business opportunity—an investment, or something like that.

The older man came through the door, all smiles, and threw himself onto Tony’s couch.

“Tony, my boy!” Vince said.

Tony stood and walked around his desk, sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs next to the sofa. “It’s been too long. I suppose I can thank you for getting me home safely without a cab.” Tony nodded, smiling in spite of himself.

“What have you been up to since we last met?”

Tony shrugged. “I finally got to see Ashley again; we’re seeing each other pretty regularly now, once or twice a week. It’s been really good.”

Vince’s brow furrowed into a slight scowl. “Man, didn’t I tell you to stay away from women who aren’t even into you?” He shook his head. “I hope you’re at least keeping your options open.”

Tony shrugged again, feeling another flash of irritation at the suggestion. “I haven’t really needed to. I mean, I’m pretty happy with Ashley. We both have our separate lives, but I can’t think of anything else I enjoy more than hanging out with her. I’m taking her to a premiere next week—she doesn’t know it yet.”

Vince crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Tony in undisguised amusement and confusion. “I would never have thought I’d see the day when Tony Beaumont was happily whipped.”

Tony set his jaw, pressing his lips together to suppress the sharp retort that rose up. “Hey, I’m enjoying life. What have you been up to?”

Vince’s frustration began to subside and he grinned. “Took a trip to Italy a couple of weeks ago—fantastic time. Ended up on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, no idea how I got there, with some girl. She was sweet though, mouth like a hoover.” Vince flashed a grin at Tony. “She’d make you forget about little Miss Doctor in a heartbeat.”

Tony shook his head, trying to keep the smile on his face. “You got any good deals for me?” he said, deciding to change the subject.

Vince’s dark eyes flickered with uncertainty but he recovered. “I got a little opportunity you might be interested in; it’s a tech company, working in the green sector. My expert tells me their idea’s viable, scalable.”

Tony nodded slowly. Another tech company would round out his current portfolios quite well.

“Look, why don’t we blow this place and grab some dinner, get some drinks and talk it over? There’s a new club that just opened on Collins.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m not really about that life anymore, man,” Tony gave Vince a little smile. “You know how it is, nose to the grindstone to get to the next level.”

Vince’s brows came together again. “Aw, man, if you don’t have any fun what’s the point in getting to the next level? You need a night out—get your head straight. You don’t have any plans tonight anyway, do you?”

Tony sighed. “I don’t, but I was planning on getting an early night of it anyway.”

Vince’s jaw clenched.

“Look, Vince, I respect that you’re happy in your life, but it’s just not for me anymore.”

Vince’s scowl deepened. “I’m just trying to keep you loose, bud,” Vince said. “That doctor you’re seeing must be giving you prostate exams every night—you’ve got something stuck up your ass.”

Tony couldn’t ignore the insults anymore. He took a deep breath to keep from exploding completely in anger. “Vince, why do you need me to go out to have a good time? You just told me you had a great time in Italy on your own. I told you I’m happy with Ashley.”

Vince rolled his eyes. “You’re just letting yourself get pussy-whipped.”

Tony gripped the arms of his chair. “It seems to me like you need me to keep going out with you so you don’t realize how fucking stupid and shallow your whole life is.”

Vince stood up quickly, tense all over as if he was about to aim a fist at Tony’s face. “Hey, you’ll be back. Bitches like your career-minded doctor cut you loose the second you get in the way of them climbing the ladder. Just you wait—you’ll want to go on a weekend bender.” He shook his head and left without saying another word, slamming the door behind him.

Tony exhaled, rubbing at his temples and shaking his head. He hated the fact that he’d had to offend a man he considered a masterful businessman and a personal friend. He hoped that Vince wouldn’t stay angry; even above and beyond the help that Vince gave him in finding new businesses to invest in, the older man had been a good friend on several occasions. They had had wild times together, but Tony just couldn’t see the point in crazy nights that ended a week later, leaving his business barely managed and needing double-time hours to recover from.

Vince’s words rankled. Ashley wouldn’t leave him just because the corporate ladder called; she was dedicated to her job, but he knew she genuinely cared for him as a person. She might get busier, she might have to give him a rain check on the occasional date, but she understood his occasional need to reschedule too. It was an unspoken compromise between them.

He stared at the coffee table blankly, thinking that he may have seen the last of his long-time friend. Shaking his head, Tony stood and stepped back to his desk, sitting down heavily. He picked up his phone and saw another message from Ashley:
I just had a patient tell me he would give me ‘great investing advice’ if I would give him some pain pills sub-rosa. I told him I had a much better source.

Tony smiled to himself, warmed by the thought behind the text message. He decided that the only way to get Vince’s anger out of his mind would be to see the woman he was gradually accepting he cared for more than any other girlfriend he’d had. He’d surprise her, bring her a box of her favorite chocolates, and spend a few minutes talking to her. Maybe if she was getting off soon they could grab a coffee.

Instead of calling Ben, Tony got into one of his own cars, kept at the office for just such an expedient; it was fast and thrilling—a Tesla that he had fully customized, cherishing every detail. He made it to the hospital quickly after making a stop at the confectioner’s. He had brought Ashley to the shop during one of their dates, and had her sample just about everything in the store until she decided on a few favorites; he remembered the look on her face when she had tried the chocolate pear cordials, and knew that she had been absolutely blown away by them. He brought the box with him and walked briskly into the hospital, expecting to ask the guard to track her down for him; the guard had gotten to know him reasonably well.

Instead of the guard, he saw Ashley herself—with a tall man, hovering over her with a hungry look in his green eyes. The two were engaged in what was obviously a very intense conversation; Ashley’s entire attention was focused on the man, and he saw the tension in her body. A cold chill worked through Tony as he stared at them for a long moment. He had met a few of Ashley’s friends, and the man she was speaking to so intently was not among any of the friends he had met. Tony’s stomach churned and he heard Vince’s voice in his mind, telling him that career-minded women like Ashley would kick him to the curb when the corporate ladder called. There was obviously something between Ashley and the man, and all Tony could think was that he had to get out of there before she saw him. If she was cheating on him—not that they had defined their relationship, or discussed being exclusive—then the last thing he wanted her to see was the devastation on his face. Tony turned on his heel and left, quickly finding his car and throwing the box of chocolates in the passenger seat with no regard for their delicacy before he started the car and sped out.

Ashley had been shocked to see Kent waiting for her at the front of the hospital. The guard who called her hadn’t mentioned who it was that wanted to see her.

When Kent saw her he made for her immediately, not even waiting for her to come to him.

“Why won’t you answer any of my calls? Why won’t you even give me a chance?” he had asked right away, looming over her with a look between desperation and anger on his face.

“Why the hell would you keep calling me if you know I’m not going to answer?” she asked him, keeping her voice carefully low.

“I thought if I made it clear to you just how much I want us to be back together you’d eventually give me a shot to make things right,” Kent told her, his nostrils flaring, his face in hard lines. “What’s wrong with you? You told me you’d always love me—you didn’t even want us to get divorced in the first place!”

Ashley gave him a firm look as his voice rose. “If you’re going to talk to me, you’re not going to cause a damned scene. I work here, you know.”

Kent rolled his eyes. “You live here, you mean. Is that what it is? You fucking some doctor boy here?”

Ashley’s face flushed and she clenched her teeth, taking a deep breath to control herself. “It’s none of your business who I’m seeing. If you wanted to convince me to give you another chance, you’re really going about it the wrong way.”

Kent trembled, inhaling sharply. He closed his eyes and Ashley saw the effort it took him to calm himself down. “Look. I’m a desperate man, Ashley. I want to be with you. I need you to give me another chance.” His voice took on the wheedling tone that she had once loved—when it was turned to convincing her to try something new or to come to bed— but now it filled her with nothing but revulsion.

“You’re definitely a desperate man,” she conceded. “If you want me to give you another chance, you’d going to have to give me a reason to think it’s going to be any different. And anyway, you’ve missed the boat on your chance. I am seeing someone, in fact. I’m not interested in ever talking to you again.”

Kent’s eyes widened in shock. Before Ashley could react, he started to lunge for her, his hands coming up as if he wanted to hit her.

“Alex!” Ashley called out, unable to look and see where the security guard was.

She held Kent’s gaze. “You need to get out of here right now, Kent. I never want to see you again; I never want to hear from you again. Get the hell out of my life.”

Kent shook his head. “I’m not leaving until you agree to give me a chance,” he said.

Ashley stared at him in utter confusion; hadn’t she been unequivocal?

Alex jogged up, and Ashley caught sight of him in the corner of her eye, standing at her side. He pressed a button on his walkie talkie, and Ashley knew he was summoning backup.

“Alex, I need you to get this guy out of here. He’s not welcome here anymore—get a good picture of him and make sure he’s not even allowed on hospital property.”

Kent lunged for her again, but Alex intercepted him, grabbing the other man’s hand. Just when things would have devolved into a scuffle, Alex’s backup arrived, and between the three men, Ashley watched them bundle up Kent and drag him towards the security checkpoint right at the door. She knew they’d get his picture and distribute it so that he’d be kicked off of the property on sight if he ever tried to show up again.

Ashley went back to her rounds after her ex-husband was finally gone, trying to shake off her feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. It wasn’t that she was uncertain about finally cutting him definitively out of her life; she blocked his phone number even as she was walking back to the emergency department, and felt a flood of relief. It was just that she couldn’t understand why Kent was so insistent on getting back together with her. It was strange—Kent had been so clearly and obviously ready to never see her again when they had divorced, and for months afterward he hadn’t contacted her at all. It didn’t make any sense at all. His level of anger wasn’t the normal spurned man response. Try as she might, Ashley couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Her mind turned to thoughts of Tony, even as she moved from one patient to another. He hadn’t replied to her last text, but she wasn’t overly worried. She knew that his schedule was just as busy as hers, though in a different way. He had constant meetings, a lot on his plate. Ashley knew that he was working hard to make decisions to grow his company still bigger—that he wanted to increase revenues. She couldn’t understand everything that went into it, but then he didn’t understand the medical journals she read.

Ashley couldn’t help but compare the man she had been with to the man she was currently seeing. She may still have misgivings about Tony’s seriousness, but she had to appreciate the fact that he was perfectly accepting of her dedication and passion. He had encouraged her on more than one occasion to tell him outright if one of his dates interfered with her schedule—if she had something come up. The difference was so striking, and yet so simple; Tony understood the fact that she was happy at the hospital, that she wanted to be the best doctor she could be. He didn’t think she was a cold fish if she was too tired to want to do anything exciting.

For a long moment, Ashley toyed with the idea of calling him. She wanted an outside opinion on the situation with Kent; she hadn’t told Tony about her ex-husband at all—hadn’t even mentioned that she had been previously married—but she thought they had been seeing each other long enough for her to finally bring it up. It would be an awkward conversation, she knew, but it was worth having with him. She thought even if she didn’t ask what he thought about Kent, it would be nice to just hear his voice, to be reminded of his warmth and sweetness.

Before she could make up her mind to make the phone call, Ashley’s phone buzzed. There was a patient coming into the emergency room; a child who was coming in with a bizarre set of symptoms that seemed very close to a cardiac event. Ashley rushed to get ready to receive the patient. She forgot entirely about the idea of calling Tony.