Resounding Kisses (4 page)

As Bella walked away, Ter saw the smug smile cross his brother’s face and he punched him in the stomach.

“Umph,” Grant complained, grabbing his stomach in fake alarm.

Ter didn’t have time to reply because Grant’s phone chose that moment to ring.

“I have to take this. It’s Sam. I’ll just step outside where it’s quieter,” Grant said and left while Ter scowled at him and whispered, “If you haven’t orchestrated this, I’ll eat an elephant.”

Within a few minutes of seeing her, he was left alone with Ivy and for some reason, he felt awkward. She was nothing like the type of woman he usually went for and that surprised – and scared – the heck out of him. How was he supposed to deal with a woman who didn’t fawn over him like his groupies and probably had more brains than all of them combined? What brilliant things should he say to get her attention?

He shouted over the music so she could hear him, “Can I buy you a drink? Please?”
So much for being brilliant and unique, good job, Ter.

A shy, almost timid, cute little smile transformed her face. It made her look…cute, and he had the strongest urge to trace her full lips with his finger. She nodded and reached out a hand to stop the waitress just walking by. “Could I get a dirty martini, please?”

Ter gasped at her drink choice. A dirty martini? Most of the females he hung out with preferred the girly drinks. Strawberry daiquiri. A Cosmopolitan. And the way she’d pronounced the word dirty had his muscles tighten with tension. “That’s an unusual choice for a woman,” he said.

He met her eyes and the temperature in the room climbed another notch. “Maybe I am an unusual woman?”

“That you are. But a very beautiful one.”

She stared at her fidgeting hands and didn’t answer him. It was true. Even though Ivy had downplayed her feminine side so much – she almost looked sexless in her boxy suit, low heels, her tied back hair, no jewelry, and neutral makeup – he still found her the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. He observed her for a moment, deciding it was her inner strength that attracted him the most.

From what he’d experienced, Ivy was a woman who knew what she wanted and had no qualms about going for it. Here was a woman he couldn’t push around like the groupies who followed him and his band around like puppies. Puppies he’d grown tired of.

Ivy, in contrast, had already proven she was willing and capable of standing up to him and calling him on his bullshit. Aside from his mother and his twin, Reese, no woman had that kind of relationship with him. He hadn’t allowed it.

The sexual tension between them was building with each passing moment and he thought of another, more brilliant comment he could make. Thankfully, the waitress brought the ordered drink and Ivy took a sip with her full kissable lips and then licked the liquid from her upper lip. His pulse ratcheted up and his brain cells went on vacation. “So, are you from New York?”
Another brilliant line, you’re really doing your best today.

Ivy seemed amused and she gave him a small smile and a nod. That smile warmed his entire body as it transformed her from tough business woman to sexy, yet vulnerable girl. “My family moved to New York City when I was six.”

She didn’t elaborate, but there was something in her voice that led him to believe there was much more to the story. Before he could ask, she continued to speak, “I’m the third of five children–”

Ter grinned and interrupted her. “I come from a big family as well. Do your siblings all live in the city?”

“Most of them. And my parents still live here.” She continued to tell him about her siblings and their career choices, both successes and failures. Ter listened intently, finding her even more lovable when she was talking about her family. “What about your family?” she asked.

“I have three brothers and two sisters. You’ve already met Grant, he’s two years older than me. One of my sisters is also my twin, and we’re the second youngest.”

“A twin? I don’t think I’d like being that close to one of my siblings. Don’t get me wrong,” she told him, “I love them to pieces, but they can be a pain in the ass as well.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Is Bella your sister?”

“No,” Ivy answered. “She’s my best friend, but she can be as much a pain as my siblings.”

Ter laughed. “Because she left you here with me?”

“Maybe.”

He captured her eyes with his and a fondness overwhelmed him when he saw the vulnerability and insecurity in there.

The waitress stopped by their table. “Can I get you guys anything else?”

Ter looked at her and then told the waitress, “No. It looks like we’re all good.” When she handed him the tab, Ivy tried to grab it.

He put his hand over hers and took the slip of paper with his other hand, waiting to say anything until the waitress had left.

“Wait.” His arm was still tingling from having touched her and he took a breath to try and control the shock waves of delicious desire that had descended straight to his groin. “I want to toast.”

Ivy looked at him with question marks in her eyes, but she dutifully lifted her glass. “What are we toasting to?”

“To your friend and my brother. Because they left me alone with the most beautiful woman on earth.”

Despite the low lights in the bar and her dark skin, he believed to see her blushing. The blushing might be his imagination, but the heat radiating off of her in waves wasn’t.

She hid a sheepish smile and took a sip of her drink. When she set her glass down, her full, curvy lips were damp and Ter couldn’t resist the temptation to bend forward to kiss those luscious lips. She had the softest, most enticing lips.

Ivy didn’t retract or protest. On the contrary, she leaned into him, opening her lips so that his tongue could take possession of her mouth. He used his foot to pull her stool closer to him, to cup her head between his hands as he deepened the kiss. She tasted like Martini and olives, and sensual sweetness.

He licked over her full upper lip before he slipped his tongue inside her willing mouth, exploring every corner. Losing himself in a thousand sensations, he savored the soft texture of her cheeks, the hardness of her teeth, and the rippled roof of her mouth.

Her taste and the smell of her intoxicating perfume sent shivers of desire down his spine, and he wanted to give himself over to her completely. He didn’t release her until they were both panting for breath.

“You taste as wonderful as you look, Ivy.” Ter said and glanced into her chocolate brown eyes, but this perfect moment was disturbed by a beep of his cell phone. He kept her gaze as he withdrew it from his pocket, then he glanced down at the screen to find a text from Grant –
Want me to come back or better not?

Ter didn’t bother to hide his smile and Ivy asked him, “What’s put that look on your face?”

“Apart from the most phenomenal kiss in my life?” He showed her his phone. “My brother just asked if I want him to come back, or if he better not.” After reading the text, her face hardened and she swallowed the remainder of her drink in one gulp.

“Tell him to come back. I have to leave. Thank you for the drink.” Without giving him a chance to waylay her or protest, she slipped off the stool and disappeared, blending into the crowd before he could react.

Ter took a moment to process the happenings and then sent a text to Grant –
Meet you outside.

Ivy found Bella at a table near the door and she grabbed her arm, hauling her from the bar without saying a word.

“Ivy!”

She continued to drag her friend down the sidewalk until Bella finally dug her heels in and refused to move another step.

“Damn it. Stop. What in the hell is wrong with you?” Bella asked, her voice indicating that she was done being dragged around without a very good reason.

Ivy stopped and released Bella’s arm, trembling heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She looked at Bella and realized how crazy she’d just acted.

“God. Sorry, Bella.”

“What happened?” Bella asked, her voice much calmer now.

“His brother left,” Ivy told her, as if that explained everything. She started walking towards their apartment building with Bella right beside her.

“I saw that. And?”

“And nothing. His brother left and that left us all alone.”

Bella’s eyes twinkled. “It looked like you two were having a good time.”

Ivy squirmed under her friend’s stare. “Maybe a bit. Okay, a lot. He asked me about my family and actually seemed interested to hear about them. You know, he’s so different from his public image, and he didn’t once talk about his success. He told me about his siblings and his twin sister, and…”

“And then he kissed you.”

“You saw that?” Ivy asked, aghast.

“I think most of the bar saw that. It was hot.” Bella fanned her face for emphasis.

Ivy stopped and buried her head in her hands and groaned. “It was. Gosh, he’s a fantastic kisser, and the way he looked at me with his wells of emerald green eyes.”

“So, I can assume it wasn’t the way he kissed. What then?”

Ivy dropped her hands. “His brother texted him.”

They had reached their building and Bella dug her keys from her purse and unlocked the door, gesturing for Ivy to enter first. “How can a text from his brother ruin everything? I don’t get it.”

“He asked if he should come back or not.”

Bella laughed out loud. “Doesn’t sound like a horrible thing to me. It’s basically the same thing I told you. Text me if you want me to come back. What’s wrong with it?”

“Everything.” Ivy was steaming.

“Gorgeous hunk.” Bella made dreamy eyes. “He didn’t look like the soft and loyal guy, caring for his adult brother. Did you see his biceps and broad chest? Too bad he’s already taken.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “Bella, you are incorrigible. Is everything you look for in a man huge muscles and talent in the sack?”

“For now, yes. I have enough stress at my work, I need my guys to release all that pent up energy. So what was wrong with that text?”

Ivy answered, “It was discriminating.”

Bella looked at her, absolutely stunned. “Honey, how in the world could that be discriminating?”

Ivy crashed in a corner of the couch. Bella joined her, propping her feet up on the coffee table and slipped her high heels off. She grabbed her left foot and massaged it, moaning in pain.

“He insinuated I’m nothing more than a sex object,” Ivy answered.

Bella glanced up and paused her foot massage to say, “Honey, you need to calm down. Please. I don’t understand why you’re getting so worked up over a text message. It’s not a case for the equal opportunity commissioner, I assure you.”

“You didn’t see it,” Ivy argued.

“And you did?” When Ivy nodded, Bella laughed. “I think it’s kind of sweet he showed you the text in the first place. He must be serious about you.”

That thought didn’t help Ivy at all. She was still angry. At herself. At Bella. Even at Grant and she didn’t know why. She slid off the corner of the couch to the cushions and watched Bella rubbing her foot.

“Why do you wear those killer heels when they make your feet hurt?”

Bella sighed. “Oh, Ivy. Sometimes I think you’re a lost cause. I wear them because they make me feel sexy and powerful and they make men drool over me. It’s a nice change. Having to be strong all the time isn’t how you win the battle.”

“This is not a battle. I want a man to love me for who I am and not for how I look, and definitely not for my shoes.”

Ivy and Bella had discussed this particular topic so many times, it was getting old. Bella would go out with any guy who asked. Ivy, on the other hand, had a ten-point checklist she used to score a man with.

The only problem with her infamous list was that she’d yet to meet a guy who scored higher than a five. A five was only fifty percent and that meant she was settling. Ivy didn’t settle.

She sat on the couch and wondered if maybe, just maybe, Bella was right. She needed a real man in her life. A man who could pin her with his stare and turn her insides to mush just as quick. A man who’d had her hot and bothered since the first time she laid her eyes on him. A man like Terrence. But a man like him would see through her smoke screen.

Bella interrupted her thoughts. “Earth to Ivy. I can see your smoke signals. You need to give men a chance to like you first.”

“So what’s not to like about me?” she growled at her friend.

“Honey, everything about you is to like. I love you, but that’s because I know the true Ivy, not the tough, ball-busting, successful intellectual property rights lawyer.”

“I need to be that persona, to appear strong, and come across more masculine and in control than my male counterparts. Blend in. Become one of them. I want to be seen as a brilliant lawyer, not a sexualized female.”

Bella took her hand. “Let’s assume for one moment you’re right, which I believe you aren’t. Blend in, beat’em with their own weapons, blah, blah, blah. This might work in your professional life, but to attract the right kind of guy into your private life, you have to show him your true self.”

Ivy scrunched her nose pensively while Bella continued, “What kind of guys have you been attracting? Weaklings and men who want to be dominated by you. Who left all the decisions up to you. Who let you control the relationship.”

“Hmm. Maybe you’re right.”

“I am right.” Bella said with a triumphant grin. “And what happened with those guys?”

“They ended up boring me to death. I soon grew tired and dumped them.”

Bella jumped up and down on the couch. “See. Terrence Paxton wouldn’t bore you to death.”

Ivy had to giggle. Thinking back to her last – and only – three intimate partners, they’d all been weaklings. Their idea of sex had been lackluster at best and she’d decided no sex life was better than one that bored her to tears. Somewhere out there would be a guy who made all ten points of her list and rocked her world.

Now, Bella on the other hand, took sex and guys too lightly. She could date a guy, sleep with him, and then move on without blinking an eye. Maybe it was because she worked in a predominantly female industry. She didn’t have to blend in or compete with a bunch of men. Or maybe it was because her father was a well-known businessman in New York City and Bella had been given lots of leeway since she was his daughter.

Ivy wasn’t sure what it was, but there were times, like today, where she envied Bella’s ability to just be in the moment.
Maybe it’s because your parents were nobodies and raised you to live a quiet, non-confrontational lifestyle.

Ivy’s parents had immigrated from Africa. Things had become untenable under a new dictator and they fled the country, seeking refuge in the United States when Ivy was six years old.

In Africa, her father had been a well-respected teacher, but after coming to America, he’d had to start from zero and they’d been dirt poor during her childhood. The memories rose to the surface and she closed her eyes to try and stave them off.

But they wouldn’t be ignored. She remembered how she’d become responsible for their dinner at the age of six. Her parents would lift her up so she could climb into a trash dumpster of a nearby supermarket. She would
dive
for food, hoping to find enough to assuage everyone’s hunger for another day.

The experience had fostered an unyielding will in her to become successful. Never again would she be subject to living on other’s trash.

She had few memories of her years in Africa, but the one that stuck out in her mind was the idea that girls didn’t count. Her older cousins hadn’t been allowed to go to school because they had to help their mother in the household and take care of the younger siblings. Her male cousins, though, all went to school and they’d had very few chores to do after that, the brunt of the workload falling to the females.

It was the fate of most of the girls in her village, and although her father had been a teacher, her oldest sister Thalia had suffered the exact same fate. There just wasn’t enough money to send everyone to school. Her mother had to work in the fields, which left Thalia to take care of the younger siblings. Her gut churned with rage at the injustice girls had to endure, not only in her birth country.

Ivy counted herself lucky her parents had come to the United States when she was so young. She’d been allowed to go to school and she’d always been the best student in her class. All her efforts had paid off with a full ride scholarship to study at Columbia. Her parents would have never been able to afford such an education for her, and taking out several hundred thousand dollars in student loans would have been impossible and foolish.

She’d worked hard and graduated with honors; then she had entered the work force. She’d thought things would be different here, but they weren’t. Not really. Women still didn’t have the same opportunities for advancement that men had, and they had to work twice as hard to keep up with their male counterparts. It was unfair, no matter which way one looked at it.

While in law school, she learned the hard way that she had to be better than her male colleagues to see the same success. She’d stopped wearing as much makeup, and had taken to dressing as masculine as possible, just to try and even out the odds. Working in intellectual property rights, a purely male field up until recently, she had adapted the characteristics and persona of a man. She had learned to blend in. To beat them at their own game.

It was tiring to say the least, and she sighed heavily as the weight of her daily existence dragged her down.

Bella grinned at her from the other end of the couch “Honey, you need to go for that man. For once, forget that stupid scoring list and just go have some fun. Something tells me he knows how to have fun.”

“Goodnight,” she murmured, rising from the couch and heading towards her own bedroom. She’d go to sleep and dream about him, and maybe tomorrow she would take Bella’s advice. Maybe.