More Than A Four Letter Word (13 page)

"I've made dinner
plans with a friend."

Julian had
plans of his own, and it involved him, Clarissa, and a bed.
"Really. Cancel them!"

Clarissa holds
the phone away from her ear; Julian never ceases to amaze her with
his arrogance. "Just because we did the hard and freaky on my desk
this morning doesn't mean you own me. Why would I just assume you
have plans for us tonight? Furthermore, I'm not cancelling my plans
for this evening so deal with it, asshole." She slammed the phone
down. She refused to be dictated to by any man including
Julian.

She looked at
her watch it was almost five o'clock, and she's going to leave a
few minutes early. Julian would have no compulsion about
confronting her in the lab, and she didn't want to deal with him
right now. She would have to face Julian tomorrow, but she's going
to enjoy her dinner with Randle tonight.

Julian couldn't
believe that Clarissa hung up on him. "Difficult woman!" Obviously,
she failed to realize what they did this morning is more than sex.
He claimed her as his woman. He has to make sure that she knows
what that means.

***

Clarissa arrives at home close to
five-thirty; she takes a quick shower dressing casually in jeans,
turtleneck, and a brown suede jacket. She didn't want to overdress
for a casual date, nor did she want to give Randle the impression
that she wanted his undivided attention. She leaves her condo in
plenty of time to meet Randle.

Garifuna's is located in a neighborhood that was quasi
commercial. It's a small restaurant; the walls painted in a warm
cinnamon color and the yellow tablecloths made it welcoming.
She spots Randle sitting
near the window, and he stands once he sees her. "Hi Randy. It
smells good in here I can't wait to look at the menu."

Randle smiled when Clarissa entered the
restaurant, but he's a little disappointed that she changed her
clothes. He wanted to get another gaze at her long lean legs; she
should wear skirts more often. Clarissa isn't his type, but if she
gives him the least inclination he would have sex with her in a
heartbeat.

Clarissa's eyes lit up as
she perused the menu. She ordered
Ginger Tea, Conch Fritters, and Ox Tail Stew. She
licks her lips in anticipation; she hasn't eaten ox tails in years.
She glanced at Randle, and he seemed to have difficulty deciding.
"I thought you've been here before."

Randle didn't
take his eyes off the menu when he answered her. "I've been here on
several occasions, but I still have problems narrowing it to what I
want. So don't be surprised at the amount of food the waitress
brings to the table." He ordered Coffee, Jamaican Jerk Chicken,
Chicken Tamales, Steamed Cabbage, and two slices of pound cake with
caramel.

"Two slices of
pound cake. Oh my God Randy I'll have to roll you back to your
car."

The waitress
took their menus and promised to come back with their appetizers
and drinks. "Don't judge me Clarissa, I'm a man with strong
appetites and I work hard at the gym every day so that I can eat
well. Besides, one of those slices of pound cake is for you, it
would be a sin to eat dinner here and not have dessert."

"Well thank you for looking out for me."

Randle reached for her hand. "I like looking
out for the ladies. By the way, could you stop calling me Randy?
Hearing that old nickname makes me feel like I'm ten years old. In
the presence of a beautiful woman, the last thing I want is to feel
like a child."

Clarissa moves her hands out of reach;
Randle's actions triggered her defenses. "Same old Randle, you're a
hopeless flirt. Tell me how are your mother and brother doing?"

"Well Craig lives in Los Angeles doing God
only knows what. Mom lives in Memphis and plans to retire from
teaching this year. She still harasses me about providing a
grandchild every chance she gets. Otherwise, she is doing quite
well. How about your family?"

"Every one's doing fine, they're still in
Orlando."

"I heard that you owned a business and were
getting married, so what happened."

He didn't waste any time discussing her
personal business. If he doesn't have any family still living in
Orlando, how does he know about her canceled wedding plans? She
isn't famous, and her wedding to Lawrence wouldn't have been the
wedding of the century or anything. She has a feeling that Randle
knows more about her than he's letting on.

Clarissa spotted the waitress bringing their
appetizers and drinks over interrupting their conversation briefly.
Randle did order a lot of food. She put hot sauce on her fritters
before launching her assault on her plate. Randle seemed to forget
about her presence as he carved his way through his food.

"What other reason do you have for moving to
Chicago, besides the job at Rosscom?" Randle paused before
answering.

"My fiancée died in an accident, and I
couldn't stomach living in Baltimore. A contact told me about the
position at Rosscom. So, I decided to leave Baltimore behind."

Something about Randle's story didn't ring
true. He just spoke of his fiancée dying as if it were a mere bump
in the road. "I'm sorry to hear that Randle. I didn't fare much
better with my fiancé, two weeks before our wedding I found out my
fiancé has more women than a WNBA team."

Randle tried to be interested in her hard
luck story. Women expect way too much from men. Men are not
monogamous by nature. He couldn't think of settling for one woman
when there were millions of women out there just waiting to be
sampled.

When Randle didn't respond to her lure, she
figured that he already knows way more about her life than she does
about his. She wondered what it would take to get Randle to expose
his hand. "Moving to Chicago is the best thing that happened to me.
After selling my company, I packed my bags and haven't looked
back." Randle raised his head for the first time since his food
arrived.

"You know what I don't understand. Why did
you sell such a profitable company? Maybe you just didn't have what
it takes to stay in the game. The gamer world is not an arena for
the soft or weak. Being a woman, I'm surprised you lasted as long
as you did."

Just as, Clarissa suspected, he knows more
information about her than he originally lets her believe. Come to
think of it, she is the only one who seemed genuinely surprised
when Randle bumped into her at Julian's party. Did he actively seek
her out?

"Yeah I took Rosscom for a pretty penny;
imagine my surprise when Julian offered me a job on the same day."
Randle swallowed his food too fast an almost choked. So, he didn't
know everything about her, including the fact that Julian actually
hired her.

"Julian Ross must have been impressed with
your resume. He scooped you up rather quickly. I wonder why a
wunderkind like you would be content to work as a security analyst.
They're a dime a dozen."

"Rather like salesmen; I mean I have never
even heard of a Director of Sales executive position before. What
did you have to do to swing that job?"

Randle gave Clarissa a shrewd glance; he
almost forgot that she's not as dumb as she looks. No matter she's
a woman and didn't have a clue to his real purpose in Chicago. He
would have to find another way into her computer lab. "Sorry to cut
this evening short Clarissa. I'm not feeling so good; I think I
need to head on back home."

"No problem Randle, I'll take my dessert
home." Clarissa watched Randle with narrowed eyes as he went to the
cash register to pay for dinner. He walked back to the table
sticking his wallet in his pants, after zipping his jacket he pause
briefly as if he would say something, but changed his mind. He
didn't say another word or walk her to her car. "Have a good night
Randle. I hope you feel better."

Randle waved at Clarissa wondering if he had
made a colossal mistake by inviting her to dinner. Instead of
making her relax, he probably made her suspicious. He got in his
car and hit the steering wheel; Clarissa was too smart for her own
good. "Bitch!"

***

Clarissa arrived at home a little after nine
o'clock. She unlocked her door shrugged out of her jacket and hung
it on the coat rack by the door. She tossed her purse on the table
next to the door. She experienced a brief wave of fear as she
notices the open curtains. Julian standing there staring out the
window facing Lakeshore Drive as if he owned the world. Darkness
filled the room with only the moonlight casting shadows, but she
would recognize his silhouette anywhere. He has the starring role
in her lustful dreams for the last five months.

Julian isn't angry. He knew Clarissa too well
to assume she would seek out another man. He has been waiting in
her condominium for hours trying to decide the best course of
action. "Did you enjoy your date?"

She turns on the lights in the living area as
he turned to face her. He's wearing the same suit from this morning
sans the tie. Clarissa expected a reckoning, but she thought she
would have until tomorrow before she has to deal with Julian. "How
did you get into my home?" She walks further into the room refusing
to be intimidated by him.

He looked at his watch and is pleasantly
surprised that Clarissa arrived home sooner than he expected. "With
my security background, breaking into your condo is easier than it
should have been. I followed your neighbors in and picked the lock.
Remind me to have someone install a new lock on your door." He
studied her face looking for any weakness and not finding one. "I'm
glad you have the good sense to cut your date short. I sure would
hate to beat a man within an inch of his life for having the
temerity to date my woman."

Clarissa snorted in disgust. "Your woman
indeed. I went to dinner with a friend. Is that what you were
expecting? You think that I'm such a slut that I would go from you
into the arms of another man?"

Julian regarded her with heated eyes; they
needed to discuss the parameters of their relationship. Right now
seemed as good a time as any. "You're not the type of woman who
would use jealously as a means of keeping her man in line. However,
I wouldn't put it past you to tease the lion at your own peril." He
took off his jacket and draped it across the loveseat. Then he
unbuttoned his shirt while walking towards her.

Clarissa swallowed several times. Julian
looked hell bent on showing her that he's the boss. She holds her
hands out in front of her as if she could ward him off. "Julian
today has been pretty rough, and I'm not in the mood to tame a lion
tonight." She didn't want to, but she found herself backing away
from Julian. His eyes were heavy lidded with lust, and she could
see the ever-expanding lump in his crotch.

"Take off your clothes Clarissa. I'm going to
show you what I had planned for you tonight before you decided to
deny our relationship by going out on a date. I may be a possessive
man, but I'm not insane. I realize that you have friends and family
that I'll have to share you. However, I won't let you hide behind
them when you refuse to deal with the reality of being my
woman."

Clarissa sucked in her breath. "Reality
Julian. What is the reality of fucking the boss, or should I say
consequences?" If anything, baiting him makes him move a little
faster. Before she knows what hit her, Julian braced her against
the wall. He quickly pulled the turtleneck over her head and
unsnapped her bra.

Julian hoisted her up, and she immediately
wrapped her legs around his waist. He looked into her eyes; he
could see anger and desire. This morning she gave herself to him
without holding anything back. Now she was afraid that she couldn't
trust him to love her the way she deserved. He understood that, and
it was the only thing keeping him from paddling her ass. He held
her tightly against the wall letting her feel his large
erection.

"You're my lover. My woman. I won't let you
deny what's between us. I claimed you as mine this morning, and
there's no going back. I know how to give you everything you want,
everything you need. Right now, I'm going to give you what your
body's begging for, and it won't be a quick release. You spoiled my
plans for this evening when you ran from me, and that's just
something I will not tolerate."

Clarissa didn't want to hear him talk
anymore. She pulled his head close to hers and kissed him with all
the passion stirring within her. Julian decides to take over the
kiss by prying his tongue into her mouth forcing her tongue to
mate. He tasted of whiskey and cinnamon. She moved back from his
kiss determine to have her say. "Show me what it feels like to be
your woman. I want the full experience, not just a quickie in my
office."

Julian growled deep in his throat. He carried
her to the last room down the hall, when he received no protest
from her, he assumed he got the bedroom right. Clarissa reached
around him and flipped on the lights. He barely noticed the decor;
his only focus is to enter the gates of her sweet, hot body. He let
her body slide down his as he pushed her back against the bed. He
pulled off her boots and yanked off her panties and jeans. As she
lay there on the bed, legs spread wide open, his gaze riveted on
her pretty pussy. She touched herself baiting him to claim her.
There is nothing more beautiful than a woman getting herself
off.

"Are you wet for me baby?"

"Yes." Clarissa whispered. "I've been wet for
you all day."

Julian snatched his shirt off dropping it on
the floor. He pulled handfuls of condoms out of his pocket and
tossed them on the bed. He smiled at the lift of her eyebrow. "I'm
a man on a mission, stuffing ten condoms in my pocket seemed
reasonable at the time." He toed off his shoes and removed his
socks before letting his pants and jockeys join the rest of his
clothes on the floor. "The way I feel right now, we'll end up using
every one of them."