Authors: Marilyn
Why the hell do you keep harping on a man whose last name you don’t even know?
You wanted to be fucked. He wanted to fuck. He fucked you. End of story. Game over. Move the hell on already.
She wandered into her bedroom to study her reflection. The uncertainty and anxiety in her gaze annoyed her.
He’s not interested but other men have been and will be.
Stop thinking with your pussy and
m
ove the hell on!
She turned away from the mirror.
Later that night, she exited the restroom adjacent to the movie theater and nearly walked into Carter, who was on the verge of entering the men’s bathroom, which was adjacent to the ladies’.
They stared at each other in silence. Should she say hello and quickly walk away? Or should she pretend not to recognize him? He probably picked up so many women he wouldn’t even remember her. She started to turn away.
He reached out a hand to touch her arm. “Kira!”
Pleased that he actually did remember her, she turned back to face him, her heart pounding with anticipation and excitement.
He smiled. “What a nice surprise. How are you?”
Lord she loved the way he smiled at her as if she were the most attractive woman in the world. “I’m fine. How are you?”
“I’m okay.” He slid his hand down her arm to touch hers.
She suppressed a shudder.
He glanced over her shoulder. “Are you alone?”
She nodded, suddenly glad that Mark wasn’t there. “Are you?”
He shook his head. “I’m here with a friend.”
She wasn’t sure what quirk of fate had conspired to leave him dateless the night they met, but it certainly wouldn’t happen again. “Then I won’t keep you.”
He linked his fingers with hers to prevent her from turning away.
A jolt of desire shot through her. She met his gaze. “I doubt if your friend would appreciate your holding hands with another woman.”
“I probably should tell you that the friend in question is male. Not female. “
Thank God for small favors.
“I see.”
“He’ll understand if I dump him in favor of buying you a drink.” He caressed her hand and stepped closer. “Can I dump him?”
There was no mistaking the look of desire in his dark gaze, but clearly he had no more interest in buying her a drink than he’d had the night they met. Now, like then, he wanted sex. As did she. But it had taken nearly three weeks before she managed to fall asleep without first lying awake thinking about him.
Her inability to forget what should have been a meaningless one–night stand indicated that if she weren’t careful, he could break her heart with very little effort. Sharing another meaningless night of sex with him would be insane and only increase the likelihood of her getting hurt.
“Maybe another time.” She disengaged her hand from his.
“There’s no time like the present,” he said, stepping in her path.
There was no time like the present for falling too hard for a man to whom she meant nothing. She’d been there and done that with Tyrone. It had taken seven months for her to get over him. She wasn’t willing to invest another seven months of heartache for a single night of lust with Carter – no matter how much she wanted to. “Maybe another time,” she said again before she flashed a brief smile and walked away from him.
She heard him swear softly and tensed. Had he followed her or even called out to her, she would have reconsidered. He did neither.
Afraid of running into him again, she decided to forgo seeing the movie. She returned home and sat on her small balcony sipping a glass of wine and trying not to think about Carter. Hell, she didn’t even know his last name. He might even be a married man on the prowl for all she knew. Eve’s Garden was the ideal place for married men looking for a little pussy on the side.
The thought of having possibly allowed a married man to bed her, upset her. He hadn’t worn a ring, but that meant absolutely nothing. She’d been too damn horny to even ask if he were married. How had she allowed her need for sex to get so out of hand?
She shook her head. He didn’t give off married man vibes. It was as she lay in bed thinking about him that night that she decided walking away from him had been a mistake – especially since she’d ended up lying awake thinking about him anyway.
Chapter Four
“Why did you let her just walk away?”
Two nights later, Carter crumpled his beer can and tossed it across his patio before looking at the man seated beside him. “I asked her twice to have a drink with me. She refused both times. What did you expect me to do? Toss her over my shoulder and kidnap her?”
“I’ll tell you what I didn’t expect. That’s for you to allow the woman you’ve obsessed over for…how long? Three…four weeks to just walk away without making a real effort to change her mind.”
He stared into the dark night instead of meeting Dan’s gaze. “Who says I’m obsessing over her?”
“I do.”
“And who the hell are you?”
“Your best friend. Remember me?”
“Vaguely. Look, she didn’t leave me much choice and unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see me.”
“But you were thrilled to see her?”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say thrilled.”
“I would.”
Carter didn’t respond.
“She might have wanted you to persuade her. You know some women like being chased—especially when a passable looking Native American male is doing the chasing.”
He shook his head. “I’m a little old to pursue a woman who doesn’t want to be pursued and what the hell do you mean passable looking? I happen to know most women find me damned attractive.”
“What the hell have you been drinking? A man never gets too old to pursue a woman until he’s dead. And yes you’re passable—no damned more. Thinking anything else is pure delusion on your part.”
He laughed.
“But looks aside, we both know that you should have made more of an effort to change her mind, Carter. Besides, after taking endless shit from Jill, you kicked her ass out after spending just one night with her.”
“The hell I did! I gave Jill up because I was tired of her standing me up and we both know she was fucking on the side. Besides, she was too damned young for me anyway.”
Dan shook his head. “Don’t hand me that shit. You gave her up because this new woman rocked your world.”
He frowned. Sometimes best friends were more trouble than they were worth. They generally knew when you were less than honest and didn’t mind calling you on it. They also had a tendency to push you to do things that you might
need
to do but might not
want
to do for very good reasons; like keeping your emotions under your complete control.
“You’re delusional, Dan.”
“The hell I am. Let’s face it, old son, you’re not getting any younger. And if you’re going to give marriage another chance there’s no time like the present.”
He turned to stare at Dan. “Are you out of your mind? Eve’s Garden isn’t exactly the first place a man thinks of when he decides it’s time to settle down again.”
“I guess you have a point there. After all, what man wants a relationship with a woman who hangs around Eve’s Garden picking up strange men for one–night stands?”
He narrowed his gaze. “What the hell are you talking about? She doesn’t hang around there picking up strange men.”
“Since when?”
“Since never! The night we met was her first time there.”
“How do you know that, Carter?”
“I know because she told me.”
Dan stared at him as if he had lost his mind. “She told you?”
“Yes! She did.”
“And you believed her?”
“As a matter of fact, I did and do.”
“No shit.”
“No shit. There’s no need looking at me like that. Just because I believe she doesn’t sleep around doesn’t mean I want to marry her or that I’m obsessed with her. I am not obsessed with her. As for marriage, been there, done that. Got two kids and a divorce decree to prove it.”
“I have a divorce under my belt as well, but that doesn’t mean I’m not game to give marriage another try when I meet the right woman. When our marriage was good, it was very good. When it wasn’t, it wasn’t terrible. So I’m game to try again. So are you—or so Jill thought—as did I.”
“I never did or said anything to Jill to make her think I wanted to marry her.”
“So you were just using her?”
“We used each other! Need I remind you that I am very happily divorced?”
“Are you?”
“Yes. I am. I like being able to see and sleep with whomever I want without some hysterical woman accusing me of cheating on her.”
“Then why did you shack up with Jill if you didn’t want something more serious than a strictly sexual relationship?”
He gave Dan a cool, silent stare.
“We both know you never slept with anyone else while you were with her until you met Kira. So I have to feel that even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re ready to settle down again into a serious relationship. You just need to find the right woman.”
He sighed. There was no point in arguing with Dan—when he just might be right—in a year or two. “And you think a full-figured black woman is the way to go?”
“Damn right I do, but it doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what that imagination and desire of yours thinks of her. Or what your heart tells you.”
He arched a brow. “My heart? What the hell was in that beer you were guzzling that makes you think my heart is in any way involved?”
“I’m as sober as I’ve ever been and I know when a woman has gotten to you. Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, we both know she’s gotten to you. I think you should ask her out and see where it leads–even if it’s only to get her out of your system once and for all.”
He shook his head and parted his lips.
Dan held up a hand. “Please, don’t bother trying to tell me she’s not in your system. If she wasn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“She’s…a diversion…a very sweet one but that’s all.”
“The hell she is. If that’s all she was I wouldn’t know that she’s a human resource manager or where she lives. Face it, Carter, you can’t stop talking about her. Now I can see from the annoyed look on your face that you don’t want to talk about this anymore. Fine.”
“Finally you have something right.”
Dan grinned. “Consider the subject closed for now, but don’t delude yourself into thinking you can dismiss the effect she’s had on you as easily as you’re ending this conversation.”
He frowned. “Will you give it a rest already?”
“I will after you answer one question truthfully.”
“And what’s that?” he asked wearily.
“Have you broken out Al Green yet?”
What a beautiful time we had together.
He and Dan had always considered Al Green’s songs music to enjoy while falling for a woman who was more than a casual acquaintance. Although he had admittedly found himself humming some of his favorite Al Green love songs, he hadn’t actually listened to any lately.
“No,” he said shortly.
“Hmm. Then consider the conversation rested— for now.”
While lying sleepless later that night he reluctantly acknowledged that Dan was right. His inability to forget her was sheer insanity, but he had to admit that he needed to get her out of his system permanently. Fortunately, he had a means of contacting her that did not require another visit to Eve’s Garden. He drifted to sleep with the melody of
You Ought to be With Me
by Al Green in his thoughts.
* * *
After a long week filled with sexual frustration, Kira left work one Friday night and found Carter waiting in the parking lot. Once her heart stopped racing, she compressed her lips. Damn. He would show up on a Casual Friday when she wore baggy jeans, flat shoes, and very little makeup.
He on the other hand looked very attractive in a dark suit and a white shirt unbuttoned at the neck. Oh well, it was no use worrying about things she couldn’t change. She would just make the best of the unexpected opportunity of seeing him again.
“Hello, Kira. Remember me?”
It would take more than a few weeks to forget him. “Vaguely,” she said.
He smiled. “At least you do remember me.”
“What brings you here?”
“You do.”
Hell yeah, handsome. That’s what I’m talking about.
“I do?”
He nodded. “I know it’s very short notice, but would you have a drink with me?”
Hell yeah
. “When?”
“Right now.” He glanced around. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
“What boyfriend?”
“You know. The big, dumb blond one I first saw you with. Your peeping tom bodyguard.”
She frowned. “If you’re referring to Mark, he’s my friend, but he’s not my
boyfriend
. Nor is he dumb or a peeping tom.”
“Are you sure? He was extremely protective of you.”
“Yes he is protective of me.”
“So?”
“So I think I’d know if he were my boyfriend. Don’t you? “
He shrugged. “Do you like white guys, Kira?”
Was he one of those minority males who had a cultural problem with non-Caucasian women dating white men? “I don’t have anything against them since my best friend is white.”
“So is mine, but? Please tell me there’s a but.”
“But I’ve never gone out of my way to date a white man.”
“But you have dated one?”
“Briefly.”
“Why only briefly?”
“I prefer black men.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Have you ever dated a Native American male?”
“No,” she admitted, but God knew she wanted to date one—him.
“So this will be a first for both of us.”
While she wasn’t sure if his first would be dating a black woman or a full figured one, she tingled with pleasure. His words clearly indicated that he wanted and expected them to date. Against all common sense, she wanted him in her life.
“And since Blondie isn’t your boyfriend, he doesn’t have any standing to object to anything the two of us might do together.”
Damn. She liked the sound of his last remark and she wanted to have a drink with him, but she couldn’t allow him to think she’d tolerate mean-spirited remarks about Mark. “Before we get off on the wrong foot, I think I should remind you that he’s my best friend. Disparaging him in any way is going to put a damper on the night for me.”