10
Equal Time
RomeâWednesday, July 1, 12:30 p.m.
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I
reckoned that this slow-'n'-easy, taking-it-light, one-day-at-a-time style just ain't me. I was a go-for-it, see-what-happens and suffer-the-consequences kinda guy, ya know? A gambler, you could say. Go for broke, bet it all on black, dive in the deep end, jump first, look laterâthat was me.
It was how I ran my company and how I wanted to run my love life.
What I was saying was, the date with Jewel was real nice last Friday, and we had a great time with Chase Saturday. It was nice to see the two of them hanging out. Chase liked her, and she was good with kids, always cool to see. Did my heart good for a little minute.
But I played it cool the whole time, a little teasing but not really pushing to get some play. All of which was tight and all but I don't want it to be another two weeks before I get to hold her hand again, know what I'm saying? We been on the phone every little spare second. I was putting the puzzle of Jewellen Rose Capwell together bit by bit.
So, I figured, couldn't hurt to get a look at another side of Miss Jewel, check if I liked it as much as the others. I wanted to take a look at Ms. Capwell, the career woman, in action. Little free time today, so I decided to roll by the J and take a look-see.
I pulled up to her office building. Nice. Five-story building off Central Expressway. Covered parking, a little landscaping with a contemporary feel. Sounding like a tour guide, right? Hey, I got an artist's eye. I noticed things.
Her office was on the fifth floor. Classy, discreet brass sign by the door. I walked into the reception area; two people were filling out forms, one guy was looking real bored, and there was a little white girl behind the desk.
“Hi, can I help you?” She flashed me that polite what-can-I-do-for-you smile.
I leaned up against the desk. “Yeah, is Miss Jewel in?” She blinked at the name. I guess no one else calls her Miss Jewel.
“Do you have an appointment, sir?” She gave me the once over, sizing a brother up. Ha! Just came from a meeting, had my Italian silk suit on. Navy with a gray pinstripe. Bruno Magli black lace-up oxfords, purple custom-tailed shirt with French cuffs and links, Kenneth Cole paisley tie. By the look on her face, I knew I passed her test.
“Nope, I wanted to surprise her, take her out for lunch.” Her eyes opened way up like I was speaking Greek or some shit. Damn, the woman never went out to lunch?
“Oh, well, one moment.” She picked up her phone and hit a button. “Miss Capwell, sorry to disturb you, but there's a gentleman here who says he wants to take you out to lunch?” She listened to the reply and looked up at me. “Yes, ma'am, he is ... yes, he does ... I can't tell from this angle, but I'm sure that describes him. Yes, ma'am, I'll tell him.” She looked back at me. “She says you sure are one for surprise visits and will you please go on back.” She pointed. “Take a left here; it's the last office at the end of the hall.”
I grinned and looked at her nameplate. “Thank you, Suzanne. You've made my day.” I took off down the hallway, glancing round some. Gray and mauve, cool and sophisticated, yet another side of Miss Jewel. I came up on the last door and knocked.
“Come in.”
I swung the door open. Now this was something else. Rich mahogany furniture mixed with navy and burgundy leather, lots of plants everywhere and with a few art pieces thrown in. I saw a Monet print and an African figurine. Now, I had only a second to take all of that in, 'cause right about then, Miss Jewel swiveled round in her chair. Nice! Be damned if baby didn't look good. She was on the phone, but she looked up at me and waved me forward. “Sit down for a minute,” she mouthed, and motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk.
I wasn't having any of that. I came around the desk and took her hand and pulled her out of the chair. My girl was sharp! Had on a navy suit with one of them short skirts that wrap around and some sort of bright blue silky shirt with a V in the front. Now, I done told ya how I feel about those Vs on this girl. Lord have mercy, baby got the high-heel pumps working. With some kind of ankle strap. Hair all curly, falling down round her face. And makeup! She liable to hurt somebody looking this good. I twirled her around and she laughed.
She talked into the receiver in her hand. “Listen, Renee, I understand what you're saying and all, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Tammy is always gonna make a play for anything with pants on. No, really, she tried to make a play for my dad once. You gotta just ignore it. Besides, Gregory wouldn't touch her with a pole. Don't start inventing shit. You and Greg are hanging in there just fine. Listen, Roman's here so ...”
I loved the way she called me Roman. Just her and my moms. I sat down in her chair and pulled her down into my lap. She curled right up like she'd been there a million times before. Damn, she was sweet. I took the phone out of her hand.
“Renee, this is Rome.” Jewel just smiled and leaned farther into me. The things I could do with this little honey. Umm, made
me
wanna holler!
Jewel flicked on the speaker so she could hear. “Hiya, Rome. Whassup?”
“Ain't nuthin' going on but the rent; you know how it rolls. Uh, listen, Jewel and I fittin' ta jet, right? So, could she like get back to ya?” What I wanted to say was “Quit trippin', manage ya own neurotic life, and let Jewel have one of her own.” But I chilled. I liked Renee (sort of), but she was too damn mood swingy for me. And needy. She needed Jewel, she needed Greg, she needed to be fly all the damn time, she needed attentionâshe needed a lot o' shit.
“You trying to corrupt my girl?” She sounded like she was sorta teasing and sorta not.
“Renee!” Jewel rolled her eyes.
Renee tried to play the innocent role, like she wasn't trying to start some shit. Enough she was trying to jack up her own love life, she had to mess up Jewel's too? “What?” Renee sounded all hurt and shit. “I gotta right to know! You don't ever take time out in the middle of your workday! I just wanna know what the occasion is.”
“Seems to me like she was taking time out to talk to you.” No one said shit for about a minute. I looked right at Jewel the whole time. I could tell she understood I was trying to set the rules straight up. If we were gonna do this thing, I deserved at least equal time to what she spent hanging with the girls. At the very least.
Finally, Renee came across with a fake little laugh. “Yeah, I guess that's true. Well, y'all have a nice time. I'll call you at home later, girl.” She hung up the phone ... abruptly.
Jewel reached over, flicked the speaker off, and settled back. “You trying to tell me something, player?”
I wrapped one arm around her, and she rested an elbow on my shoulder, bringing her hand up to touch the side of my face. Miss Jewel had a nice touch. She tried to play all tough, but she was a cuddler at heart. I liked that.
I tipped her face up to mine. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Her voice was kinda quiet and sexylike.
I tilted my forehead forward so it leaned against hers. “Equal time, baby.” Her eyes met mine for a second before drifting shut. I couldn't resist; I brushed my lips against hers. “Ya understand?” I brushed again, very softly. Then I leaned back.
Her eyes flew open, and she looked at me, seriously. “So we're gonna do this dating thing?” Her fingers traced along my face, my jaw, my neck. She really was a toucher. Almost like she couldn't help herself from exploring. Cool how a simple touch could move something deep inside.
I answered her. “Oh yeah, we gonna do this thing.”
“Like exclusively or are we still playing the field?”
I frowned. I didn't like the way she said that. Like she was going to have to clear out a whole bull pen of brothers for my ass. Before I could ask her what the hell she meant by that, she traced a finger, then her lips across my forehead.
“Quit frowning, Roman. I was asking to be sure of
you
. I haven't played the field in so long, shit, I forget how to get to the ballpark! And I doubt I remember how to get from base to base!” She laughed. Her laugh was a rich sound, like chocolate bubbling on the stove.
I smirked; it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I grabbed her face and brought it close again. “Batter up.” I laid one on her. I guessed those kisses on the cheek and little teasing kisses today had her thinking I was kinda slow in
this
field. Not this boy! My lips told her I meant business, and she kinda gasped in surprise. The minute the mouth was open, I was in for the prize. I was in this kiss to find out a little about the sensual side of Miss Jewel and to let her understand a little about where I was coming from. What I was bringing to the table, ya know?
I slid my tongue in and out in slow, deliberately unpredictable strokes. Then I'd pause for a minute and lick round those lips, take a nibble here, a nibble there. I was hitting her with some of my best tricks. She made a sorta kittenish sound in the back of her throat before she dove into the kiss with enthusiasm. Go 'head, Miss Jewel. We had a little thrust-and-parry action going on for a while there.
Going on instinct, I shifted her round so she was kinda straddling me and leaned back. The chair tilted back, and the change of angle pressed her pretty tight up against me. I wrapped both arms round her to bring her closer and settled back into the kiss. She smelled good, like something tropical. Her chest felt real good against mine. For real, I didn't know whose hips started grinding first. Okay, maybe I started a second before she did. What I did know was that one minute I was going slow and easing along real cool, and the next minute I was rock hard and ready to rumble. Time to chill.
Damn. I let out a groan of my own. I sure didn't wanna stop, but our first time together was not going to be in this damned chair in her office!
I ordered my hips to quit moving and put my hands on hers to stop her. Immediately, she lifted her head and took a deep breath. I lifted her chin so I could see her face; I liked what I saw. Flushed cheeks, eyes bright, lipstick smudgedâlittle pleasure, little struggle for control, no regrets. “That was at least first base, Miss Jewel.”
She let out a quick laugh. “Yeah, it started coming back to me.” She blinked. “If you hadn't stopped, I'd planned on rediscovering home.”
I really groaned this time. “Don't say that. I came to
take
you to lunch, not
have
you for lunch.” I looked away from her before I changed my mind. The message light was blinking on her phone. “Your light's blinking.”
“What?” She turned and almost fell out of the chair before I caught her. I tilted the chair back up, and she hopped out of the chair. “Damn, boy, you're dangerous!”
“What?” Now I was confused. I been called a lot of shit but
dangerous
? Never.
She shot me a look as she tried to brush wrinkles from her skirt. Silk was nice but it sure did wrinkle all to hell. “Yeah, dangerous. One kiss and I forget I'm running a business here.” She smiled at me. “You ought to bottle whatever it is you've got, boy.” I reached for her again to show her exactly what I
did
have, and she sidestepped me with her hand out. “Stay over there for a minute now; don't play.”
She picked up the phone and hit a button. “Suzanne, what's up?” She listened for a sec. “Okay, send him back; it'll only be a minute.” She hung up and reached for a folder on her desk. “Potential client dropped by,” she explained to me.
“Lunch another day?” I asked her. I knew what it was like trying to run your own place.
She looked over at me in surprise. “No way, unless you're in a hurry. This'll only take a second.”
“Why ya think I'm not in a hurry, Miss Jewel?”
She opened the folder and smirked. “You didn't kiss like a man in a hurry.”
She had me on that one. “You want I should make myself scarce while you do your client thing?”
“Nope. I suspect you came to see me in action. Why don't you hang out and watch?” She shot a little smile in my direction.
“You think you know it all, doncha, Miss Jewel?” I teased.
Her tone was real serious when she answered, “No, but I do hope to find it all out, Roman LaChayse.” She looked back down at her folder.
Ya gotta like a girl like this, huh? I walked over to the conference table in the corner and sat down to watch her. I sat back to enjoy the view.
Suzanne walked in. “Mr. Collins to see you, Miss Capwell. Can I get anybody anything?” She looked at me, and I could tell she was wondering who the hell I was.
Jewel and I shook our heads as the guy walked in. When he cleared the door, I stood up. He looked over at me. “Roman? What the devil are you doing here?” William Collins and I shook hands.