Not This Time (2 page)

This woman seemed secure
enough to take him on for the short time she'd be in town. That
rocked for him. Without her shoes, the top of her head reached his
nipples. The red dress accentuated her curves, especially her ass.
Nice, high, round and firm-looking. His cock twitched in
excitement. Black women's ages were always harder to gauge. He
placed her in her mid-thirties, much younger than his forty-one.
Sharp, intelligent eyes peered from her heart-shaped face. A full
lower lip, slightly larger than the upper, teased his imagination,
he wanted to taste all of her right now.
Patience
. What was it about her that
drew him like an infant to a nipple? Sitting across from her, he
pretended to read his menu. He'd have the steak dinner, he'd had it
before. Only this time, she'd be dessert. He just had to convince
her to be on the menu.

“
Have you eaten here
before?” She asked in a husky tone.

No, I've never been between
your legs, but I hope to be real soon
.
“Yes, the steaks and chicken dishes are pretty good. Can't go wrong
with those.” He shifted to get comfortable.

“
Thanks. I think I'll have
the chicken picata with a salad.” She nodded and placed the menu to
her right.

He nodded as the waiter placed two glasses
of water and a basket of warm rolls on the table. “We're ready to
order.” The waiter nodded and took out his pad. Frank waved at her,
signaling she should go first. He wanted to hear the huskiness of
her voice again. It called to something in him. It'd made him sit
his big ass down in a bar, when he knew he needed to leave before
nightfall. He'd been in too many late night driving accidents to
leave this late, it wasn't his favorite thing.

Yet, something dark and primitive unfurled
when he gazed down at her. His mind drew all sorts of erotic
images. Seeing her so close to his cock in the bar had sealed her
fate for the night, he liked the visual and decided her lips around
his rod was the right thing to do. He hadn't counted on her being
so damn sexy and hungry. Her full lips tilted at the corners at his
stare, letting him know that having her in his bed tonight wouldn't
be automatic. She was no submissive.

So, he’d revised his strategy. Now they sat
at dinner, but all he could see was his cock between her breast, in
her mouth, and then the tight sheath below. Conversation, although
a necessity, bored him. Action, the need for it, prompted him
toward civility and the niceties. He didn’t consider himself a
Dominant, like his twin brothers who lived an alternative
lifestyle. A slave or submissive didn’t interest him, especially
24/7, but he admitted, to himself at least, that all of the
O'Connor men were dominant to a point.

There was a baseness in them, almost
primitive, that pushed them to conquer. As the oldest, he'd like to
think he was more level-headed, more polished, more flexible. Then
there were times like this, when all he wanted was to pick this
woman up, sling her over his shoulder and take her to a quiet spot,
and screw the challenge out of her. The need burned in him. The
more she acted as though it didn't matter, as if tonight might not
happen between them, the harder his need pressed to prove her
wrong. Damn. He was in trouble. In the few minutes of their
acquaintance, he knew they'd butt heads.

“
Sir?”

Frank heard the waiter over the rushing wind
of his growing need. “I'll have the steak, medium rare – juicy.” He
winked at her. “Veggies, no potato.” He handed the menu to the
waiter, then took a sip of water to cool his raging hard on. The
pain in his groin increased. There was no more room in his pants. A
quick glance around the near empty room eased his tension. Fewer
eyes to see his condition. It'd been years since anyone had evoked
such a strong reaction from him. For that alone, he owed her a
good, solid fuck.

They sat staring at each other as if they
were in a poker game. Neither moved nor spoke. A loud crash from
the kitchen area broke the stare-fest.

“
What are your plans for the
evening?” he asked, although anything other than being with him was
the wrong answer.

“
I'm going to get some rest;
it's been a long day.” The huskiness of her voice soothed and
aroused him.

Although her mouth spoke, his eyes fastened
on the twin pointed peaks on her chest. “Tired?”

“
Not really.”

“
Good. I'd hate for you to
be worn out so soon.” He smiled as her brow rose.

“
So soon? It's been a long
day.” Her lips tilted at the corners letting him know she was game,
but he'd have to work for it.

“
Perhaps, but the day
wouldn't be complete without seeing some of Philadelphia's better
sights.”

She leaned forward slowly, licking her lips.
His eyes followed the trail of moisture glistening in the dim
light.

“
Better sights, is that what
they're calling it these days?” The teasing glint in her eye set
off a spark in him. He liked this one.

“
Yeah, you should see
Liberty Hall at night,” he said straight-faced. “There's nothing
quite like it.”

“
I have. And you're right,
it's ridiculously beautiful. Oh well, since I've already seen it,
my night will be less eventful.” She glanced up as the waiter
placed their drinks on the table.

“
Part of the beauty is
buried in the guide, the one that unleashes the untapped depths of
our relics. You haven't seen anything in Philly, if you haven't
seen it with me.” He trapped her with his gaze. Tonight belonged to
them, his eyes dared her to refuse.

Veronique enjoyed the cat and mouse banter
with the hunky stranger. For a moment, she felt young and carefree.
It'd been a while since she'd been so ardently pursued; it did
wonders for her ego. Most of the men of her acquaintance lacked the
hard-core alpha appeal that rolled off her dinner date in waves. No
one she knew would throw out such a challenge.

“
You're probably right,” she
agreed.

He nodded and visibly relaxed. “I'd like to
spend more time with you tonight.”

Really? I hadn't
guessed
. “Are you married?”

He frowned and held up his hand. “No.”

She waited a beat. “Aren't you going to ask
me?”

He shook his head. “You're not the type to
cheat. I think you'd say fuck it and walk away.”

Since he was right, she didn't comment.
“Children?”

“
Not yet.”

“
I'm here for two more days.
What do you think you can show me that I haven't already
seen?”

His eyes darkened as they stripped her
naked.

Exposed, she battled the panic rising inside
her. It wasn't fear that he'd hurt her physically, she wouldn't
have accepted his dinner invite if she'd picked up those vibes. It
was his uncanny ability to pinpoint her needs that rattled her. Her
week had been hellacious and for numerous reasons, many she’d
blocked from her mind, she didn’t want to be in charge. Tonight,
she needed a strong, assertive man. Someone confident in himself to
chart their course and give her what she desired. So far he'd hit
the ball, the only thing left was to reach the bases.

“
Veronique.” His voice
deepened. Her thighs clenched. “I'm not sure if two days between
your legs, tasting and pounding your pussy, will satisfy your
hunger for this cock I plan to give you tonight, but it'll be a
start.”

Chapter 2

Veronique beamed, loving his confidence. Her
wet panties applauded his balls and waited to be tossed aside for
the main event. Although many bragged, few had conquered or
accomplished what he’d claimed. He got ten points for being bold
enough to tell her his plans within the first hour of their
meeting. For the first time in a long while, she was interested in
the man behind the big dick. Normally, faces and pedigrees blended
into a bland pool of vanilla, leaving her disinterested
afterwards.

Frank seemed different. Confident and cocky,
her favorite combinations, if he delivered. She wanted to know more
before she allowed him to prove himself between the sheets.

First off, his age. She couldn’t tell.
Stabbing her chicken, she glanced at him. “Which Luther Vandross
song is your favorite?”

Frowning, he answered right
away,
“Never Too Much.”
His features relaxed. “Yours?”

“
House Is Not A
Home.”
The man was quick. “What about Al
Greene?”

“
Still In Love With
You.
You like Al Greene?”

Her brow rose. She didn’t really care for
the man’s music, Barry was her icon, but Frank shouldn’t question
her taste, not yet anyway. “Yeah, I like Al Greene. What’s wrong
with him?”

He shook his head and bit into the steak.
Her eyes tracked the movement. Who knew watching a man chew a piece
of meat could be so sexy?

He grinned and took a sip of water.
“Sometimes women take it personally when celebrities do things they
feel are immoral. I understand his woman caught him cheating and
clocked his ass.”

Cheating was a taboo subject for her. It
never came up, especially with a potential fling. After her
husband’s fiasco, she refused to allow anyone close enough to her
heart, so infidelity was a non-issue.

“
Was she wrong?” Damn what
was the matter with her? She needed to stop this line of
questioning. Why give him a path to lie. Most men cheated, although
they had all types of excuses and names for it. As an attorney,
she’d heard them all.

He shrugged. “I don’t know the circumstances
so I can’t say. You can’t believe what you read in the papers these
days.”

“
True, but what if she’d
caught him cheating? Would she have been wrong?” Since he didn’t
offer his opinion, like so many others had, she simply
had
to know where he
stood. Odd, but true.

He took a moment, searching her face as
though he could read more into her question.

Her face burned at the inappropriate dinner
discussion, but she refused to look away.

“
If they were in a
monogamous relationship, I mean if both of them agreed to that,
then she had every right to be mad enough to kick his ass. However,
I don’t think she had the right to hit or burn him. Just as I don’t
think he had the right to hit her or do anything to cause her
physical discomfort.”

“
Obviously, you’ve never
caught anyone you love, cheating or messing you over. Rational
thought flies out the window on a long round-trip ticket. In the
meantime, emotions take over, they kick in, and before you know it,
something stupid’s happened. Professional shrinks call these
episodes, crimes of passion.”

Veronique’s face warmed at his stare. Their
journey to the bedroom left little room for embarrassment, so she’d
speak her mind. After this week, she’d never see or talk to him
again.

“
Do you like Fifty-cents?”
He asked.

“
What?”

“
Not what. Who. He’s a
rapper?” He leaned back in his chair, watching her face.

She shrugged and continued eating. “Never
heard of him. You like his music?”

“
No. Just wondered.” He
paused. “You’re wrong.”

“
I am?” Her brow rose.
Somewhere along the line, he’d flunked first date class. Rule
number one, never tell a woman you plan to screw, she’s wrong. It
doesn’t matter at this point, red could be blue, until after you
scored. Hell, even women knew that rule.

“
Yeah. Someone I cared about
deeply, cheated on me. I was much younger, but still, I knew how I
felt. Thought I knew how she felt. Back then, I worked hard
building my company.”

“
What do you do?” Damn,
she’d broken another rule applying to her flings; never get to know
much about them.

“
I own a landscaping
company.”

She nodded, impressed that he was
self-employed. That took a lot of work and courage. “I’m sorry, go
on.”

“
Like I said, I worked hard
trying to build something for my future. I thought she was
on-board. One day, she walks in, claims she’s pregnant and wants to
get married.” He gazed at her. “I’m not against doing the right
thing, but she seemed desperate and demanded we tie the knot
immediately. I wasn’t ready, so I told her to wait until after the
baby was born. I knew neither of our families would care
when
we did the deed. You
know what I mean?”

She nodded. Her parents had thrown her out
the house when they discovered she got knocked-up in her teens. Her
baby daddy disappeared faster than the morning dew. She wound up
staying in homeless or unwed mother centers, and later miscarried.
Right now, she wasn’t feeling very sympathetic toward him.
Hopefully, he’d clear this up or she’d be heading to her room
alone.

“
Well, she freaked and left
town without telling anyone, not even her family knew where she’d
gone. A month later, my brothers and I tracked her down. She was
staying with some dude in a house near the mountains. The guy was
shocked and scared when I showed up. I planned to kick his ass for
touching what I’d considered mine. I didn’t. He claimed they’d been
dating for over a year, she wasn’t pregnant, and they were making
plans to get married. She’d given him an ultimatum and fool that he
was, he caved. After he explained the deal, I looked at her and cut
her off. She was dead to me.”