Tender Touch (11 page)

His brown eyes flashed with annoyance.
“Guess Bill still has the connections to make a big
impression.”

“Hey, works for me. We got the grant because
of his inside knowledge.”

“Yeah, Bill always had a way of going around
the rules.” Damon took a deep drink from his water glass.

“What do you mean...? Oh, no,” Jade blurted
out. “Please, Lord, let me be hallucinating.”

“Alton, look. It’s our Jade. Hello,
sweetie!” Clarice pulled her husband along in her powerful wake
like a battleship. Alton Pellerin wore a look of apology. “Why,
isn’t this something.”

“Hello, Mama.” Jade tried not to sound as
horrified as she felt. “Hi, Daddy. How’ve you been?”

“Fine, darlin’.” Alton bent down to kiss
her.

“Who is this?” Clarice fixed Damon with an
appraising gaze that took him in from head to toe. A small nod
signaled her approval based on first impression.

“Mama, Daddy, this is Damon Knight. Damon,
my parents.”

“Happy to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Pellerin.”
Damon stood up and shook hands with Jade’s father. “Please join
us.”

Jade groaned inside. She was trapped in date
hell with no hope of escape. “Yes, do,” she said with a forced
smile.

For several minutes they exchanged small
talk. Clarice was the picture of grace as she skillfully extracted
information about how long Jade and Damon had known each other and
where they’d first met. Damon seemed not to notice he was being
pumped for details by a master. As she watched her mother, Jade was
sure anything she ate now would sit in her stomach like a hard
rock.

The waiter came back. “What’ll you folks
have?”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Clarice waved a hand with
great drama. “We wouldn’t dream of intruding on these young people.
Besides we’re meeting the Monroes for dinner. There they are.
Telma, over here.”

Telma and Caspar Monroe had been friends of
Jade’s parents for years. The handsome older couple played tennis
with the Pellerins, and they even took short vacations together on
occasion.

“This is Jade’s... friend,” Clarice said
with a significant look to Telma. “Marlene and Oliver Knight’s
oldest son.”

“My, my. How do you do.” Telma looked at him
with frank interest.

Damon seemed not to notice the stir he was
causing. He even appeared to be enjoying the attention of the women
as they made a fuss about his family tree. Caspar Monroe was a
retired professor who knew his father quite well. He went on to
tell several amusing anecdotes about Oliver’s exploits on the golf
course years ago. While Clarice and Damon were distracted, Jade’s
father leaned over to her.

“I tried to talk her out of this,” he said
in a low voice.

“It’s okay, Daddy,” Jade mumbled. Her tone
suggested just the opposite. “How in the world did she figure out
where...?”

“She’s better than any psychic. First place
she named when Telma asked where we wanted to go.” Alton kept an
eye on his wife to make sure she didn’t suspect he was talking
about her. “You know how your mother is, baby.”

“Oh, boy, do I,” Jade said. She watched her
mother with a growing sense of dread. When Clarice turned to her,
the feeling deepened.

“Why have you kept this darling young man
such a secret, Jade? He just has to come over for dinner.” Clarice
turned back to Damon. “Of course you will.” She patted his arms as
though to say that it was settled.

“Mama, we...” Jade wanted to pull herself
from this sinkhole. But how?

“Next Wednesday?” Clarice pretended not to
have heard her.

Damon smiled at Clarice. “Sounds fine, Mrs.
Pellerin. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Excellent.” Clarice beamed back at him.
“Now we’ll leave you two alone. Bye now.”

The foursome made their farewells and swept
off into another dining room. Jade began thinking of excuses to
cancel the dinner within seconds of her parents’ departure.

“Your parents seem very nice. And your
mother is charming,” Damon said.

“Yes, charming.”

“I’m looking forward to next Wednesday
already.”

“Oh, well. If you’re busy, I’ll understand.
I mean... don’t feel you have to come.” Jade took a deep
breath.

“You scared I’m going to do something awful
and embarrass you? I promise not to lick my fingers,” he
teased.

“No, that’s not it.” Jade moved her dinner
fork around on the tablecloth. “I just don’t want you to think I’m
pushing you to something more serious. Meeting parents takes things
to a whole new level.”

Damon put an arm around the back of her
chair and spoke close to her ear. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you’re
rushing me into anything. I want to go.”

“Really?” Jade looked up into eyes that
reminded her of warm summer nights and soft music.

“Really.” He grinned at her. “Things are
right on time.”

Jade was afraid to put too much into his
statement. Such enticing words could turn out to be lies. The pain
of another letdown would be unbearable.

“Then let’s agree that this dinner has no
significance attached to it. It’s only dinner.” Jade made herself
pull back from him.

“Fine. Now do you feel safe?”

“I didn’t feel threatened,” Jade blurted out
in a defensive tone then blushed.

“I understand,” he whispered low. “I’ve felt
the same. Getting your heart stepped on will do that to you.”

“Oh, Damon.” Jade wanted to grab this man
and drag him home to her bed. He was everything she wanted:
sensitive, sexy and kind. Those three attributes were like a
powerful aphrodisiac, working on her body with the force of a
nuclear blast.

“Like we said before, let’s take our time.
I’m looking forward to going slow with you,” he said, his voice
deep and sensuous.

“Yes—me, too.” Jade rested her temple
against his. The need to be hear him was so strong it pulled her to
him like a magnet.

He rested a hand on her thigh and caressed
it underneath the long, white tablecloth so no one else could see.
“But I’ve got to be honest, Jade. I’ve never wanted a woman the way
I want you. From the first day, I’ve thought about all the ways I’m
going to please you. You know what I mean?”

A little voice way down inside told Jade she
should be offended and slap his hand away. But that voice was soon
shouted down by the desire coursing through her. Another voice
said, “I felt it, too.” Jade was startled to hear the words come
out of her mouth. But the dark desire in his eyes made her glad
she’d said it.

The rest of the evening was more relaxed.
Jade marveled at how they could talk with ease about everything.
There were no awkward silences, no desperate search to fill in with
mindless chatter. Damon talked about his business with a sense of
pride in his father’s accomplishments. But his enthusiasm really
showed when he spoke of the Gracie Street Center. His commitment to
making life better for the residents of that neighborhood was
genuine. They talked at great length about the hopes and dreams he
wanted to come true for them, especially the children. Jade wanted
to do everything she could to help him. She now looked forward to
working on the grant like never before.

“I can’t wait to learn more in Washington.
People like Karl Dennis will be there. He’s got a fantastic program
that’s built on unconditional care and wrap-around services,” she
said.

“Tell me about it.”

“Unconditional care means they don’t
discharge people from their programs. In other words, some agencies
draw the line—say, if kids get arrested or pregnant—and stop
serving them. His agency makes a commitment to stick with that
child no matter what.”

Damon sat back and folded his arms. “That’s
an awesome concept. What’s wrap-around services?”

“It means you design the services to meet
around child or the family. If they need better housing, child
care, whatever, you get it. You don’t just focus on changing the
child’s behavior or the parents’, too, for that matter,” Jade
said.

“That sounds like something we’d want to get
into.”

“Then send Eddie. Like I said, this is a
tremendous opportunity for him. He could learn about other agencies
and network with experts.” Jade munched on the remains of her
French bread.

“We’ll see. Now are we ready for
coffee?”

“Bye, Jade. Damon, we’ll see you next week,”
Clarice called to them as she passed by. The others in her party
waved as well.

“I’ll be there,” Damon called back.

“Bye, Mama.” Jade’s cheerful goodbye was
genuine, much to her surprise.

“Now I’ve got some of the best Jamaican
coffee you ever want to taste. Shall we?”

“I thought you meant...”

“No demands, remember? I promise not to
bite.” Damon stood up and held out his hand. Jade took it and
followed him out.

The drive took them through an exclusive
neighborhood of luxury town homes and garden homes. Jade watched
the tail- lights of his Mercedes Benz. Woman, you have lost your
mind going over to the man’s apartment. Jade waited behind him at a
red light. Damon waved to her, smiling in his rearview mirror. Yet
she did not think of turning the car down a street and running off
into the night. That would be rude, she reasoned. She dodged the
thought that she was curious to see where he lived. The tiny
warning voice so familiar said he might be a crazed pervert for all
she knew.

“Now I’m really tripping,” Jade murmured.
“Why do I have to add mad drama to everything? This is a normal
invitation to end a pleasant evening with a congenial cup of
coffee.”

Jade considered the change of heart toward
her mother’s obvious intention to insert herself into Jade’s love
life. Clarice would no doubt try to interfere. Of course her mother
would see it as helping nurture a desirable match. Still Jade did
not feel the annoyance or grim resignation her mother’s
machinations usually inspired. Somehow she felt in control this
time. With Damon the pace of their relationship would not be
dictated by anyone—not even so formidable a woman as her mother.
That she could think of having a date over to her mother’s home
without getting a sick, dizzy spell was proof positive of the magic
Damon Knight had worked on her. When she got out of her car to walk
with him, Jade giggled.

“Okay, share the joke.” Damon led the way
into his living room.

“I was just thinking of my mother. She’s
probably already planning next Wednesday’s dinner. I get shivers at
the thought of what she’ll come up with.” Jade could well imagine
Clarice would pull out all the stops to impress Damon.

“Can’t cook?”

“Oh, she’s a great cook. But she has made
matchmaking her mission. And not just for her daughters, though
we’re her top priority.” Jade shook her head.

“That simply means she loves you and wants
the best for you.” Damon brought her a cup of coffee.

Jade had seldom seen her mother’s efforts to
mold her in that light. “I suppose so. Still, it can be very
aggravating.” When Damon sat close to her on the sofa, she forgot
her mother. And everything else.

“Tell me about it. My father can be a real
bull when he decides he knows what we should do. Trent, my younger
brother, still hasn’t been forgiven for not joining the family
business.”

“I see.” Jade did not see anything but the
even color of his skin. The delicate scent of his cologne—she
played a game of trying to identify it—was like heated spices.
Better think of something else quick or I’ll be all over him. “I
love your place.” She took regular breaths in an attempt to slow
her racing pulse when he turned away to look around.

“Thanks. My own feeble decorating
efforts.”

Jade admired the earth tones of red, forest
greens, beige and brown that blended so well. The sofa was brown
fabric with a pattern of leaves in fall colors. The carpet was a
dark green that blended well with the green and brown draperies.
Several small African sculptures were arranged with great taste on
the tables. She admired two prints of popular black artists that
were on the walls. He used a few items to great advantage. The
apartment was individual and inviting.

“Don’t be so modest. I love what you’ve
done.” Jade’s heart began to thump hard when a swell of a mellow
blues tune floated from the compact disc player. Johnnie Taylor’s
voice flowed like warm honey, making her squirm. When Damon came
back to sit beside her again, Jade sat rigid with
determination.

“I’m glad you like my place. Maybe that
means you’ll visit often.” Damon sat relaxed with his arm across
the back of the sofa. He did not attempt to touch her.

“Yes, it is attractive.” Jade was too
flustered to respond to his last statement. She made a great show
of looking at her watch. “Goodness, I hadn’t realized how late it
is. I’d better be going.”

Damon pulled her arm to him before she could
get up. He held her arm and took his time staring at the watch
face. Looking into her eyes, he stroked her skin. “Umm, only nine.
You have to rush off so soon?”

Jade’s throat went dry. Words would not
come. For several seconds she sat transfixed by his hypnotic gaze.
“Well, I’ve got lots to do at the office,” she said, forcing her
voice to work. “Uh- hmm, I need to get an early start before Bill
gets there.”

“I see,” he said in a quiet voice. Damon’s
gaze never wavered.

“Once he’s in the office, things get so
hectic,” Jade said in a small voice. Her heart was beating so hard,
she was sure folks in the next apartment must hear it.

“Guess you can’t stay a little while
longer.” Damon leaned toward her.

“I really should be going.” Jade’s voice was
no more than a whisper as Damon touched her bottom lip with his
thumb. His warm breath brushed her cheek as his face came within an
inch of hers. She shivered. “Damon.”

“Yes,” he murmured. Slowly he teased her by
rubbing his bottom lip against hers.