Wait for Me (2 page)

Kenya held a hand up, head tilted. “A branch overseas is major. If this is true the possibilities for growth is tremendous. Girl, when does it go public?”

Julia peered off to the right, drumming a finger to her chin, seeming to think about her answer. “About a month.” 

This would open major doors for her. The opportunities to work overseas had never been an option. But company policy stipulated that new positions were mandated for a year. She took a breath and rubbed her neck. Whatever happens won’t happen overnight, giving her time.

“Could you imagine working in another country?” Julia squealed. “If they open one in Ireland, you could hook up with hunky Blakemore.”

“That ship has sailed, Julia and…” Knock, knock. Pushing away from her desk to stand she called out, “Come in.” The door swung inward revealing the security guard standing in her doorway with a big box filled with color. Kenya licked her lips, excited.

Julia jumped up and spun around at Kenya’s reaction. Kenya came around the desk, smiling. “You got the right office, Ralph…I hope.” All she could see were the man’s trousers, but she knew his voice, behind the large bouquet of flowers made out of fruit. She gushed, mouthwatering from the sweet aroma filling her office.

“Kenya Claiborne,” the security queried from behind the gift.

Moving across the floor to the luscious fruit she frowned, “Ralph, don’t play with me. Why didn’t you give me those earlier in the lobby?” She wanted to bounce on her heels.

“You ladies are so impatient,” he grumbled behind a sweet smile. “These just came…” He said, setting the sweet fruit on her desk. “Sign here.” He pointed to the line on the paper.

She scribbled her name, and then watched him press a finger to his earpiece, waving at her as he left her office. 

Ripping off the plastic, she removed the floral pick holding the rectangle card. The words could have dripped blood the way they read.

Ms. Claiborne,

Refusal

Never leave a paper trail.

Now it’s a deposit from you to me.

Will the bank believe you weren’t extorting?

Possibly a bribe to get a new client?

New option: Keep him busy.

Tell Jonathan about our little arrangement and his mother will be visiting Ireland in a box.

Enjoy the sweets, Sweet Lady.

BB

“They’re from him, aren’t they, Sixteen Dozen?” Julia asked, saddened. 

If only. “Not exactly,” she said, folding the stiff card slipping it into her dress pocket. “From his father.”

“Wait a minute…for what?” The paper crinkled under Julia rifling through the assorted fruit. “You and Sixteen Dozen aren’t a couple so I doubt they’re poisoned. I don’t get it,” Julia said.

Kenya scratched behind her ear, shook her head and wanted to scream. How long is this gonna go on? “He got the deposit I returned. Get this…he’s got me for a large deposit if I don’t keep Jonathan busy.”

“Are you fu…”Julia dropped off, staring at Kenya with narrowed eyes. Kenya, that could ruin your financial career…or worse, end it.”

“He wants me to keep him busy, whatever that means.” Complaining, she threw her hands in the air. “Jonathan’s not a child needing parental supervision, and I’m not some robot who can,” taking a breath, Kenya scratched the spot behind her ear where Jonathan would speak against when he’d held her against his chest, and closed her eyes to the warm memories flooding her body. “I can’t play with his emotions, Julia…or mine.”

Julia glanced at Kenya’s degree on the wall then the name plate on her desk as if to remind her of all that’s at stake if she doesn’t play ball with crazy Brian. “Kenya, I understand, but—”

Touching her name plate, she said hesitantly, “There’s no but, I can’t ask him to give up his mother’s property to the man that’s made Sophie’s life a living hell and cheated on her in front of her son.”

Shaking her head, she eyed Julia selecting a strawberry, “That’s ridiculous. What makes him think Jonathan would even listen to you?”

“Nothing,” she said, fisting her hip.

“Julia, how am I supposed to move on when I get stuff like this?” Kenya glared at the contents. The sweet smell tempted her resistance. He’d never poison something that could be traced back to him. She popped a sweet piece of cantaloupe in her mouth. Grabbing a napkin from her desk drawer, Kenya eased down on the corner of her desk, dabbing the juices from her lip. She situated the basket of fruit on the desk blotter. “What am I gonna do?”

Julia became hesitant, casting a quick look over her shoulder toward the door before fixing a curious gaze on Kenya. “Did you ever look into what Morgan said? About him being a killer?”

She tried. After meeting Brian, the possibility became too real and that scared her.

“Honey, tell him the truth. He obviously cares about you and he’ll understand.” Julia nabbed a strawberry and closed her eyes in ecstasy as she sucked on the fruit. “Are you kidding me…these are delicious, Kenya."

“What should I do about his father’s threat?” The threat must’ve been real because she hasn’t heard from the man since she’d stopped seeing Jonathan.

Julia stood licking her fingers. “Take that away before I eat my weight in fruit.” They laughed as Julia picked up her coat and gloves from the chair beside the door. “Either way Jonathan’s gotta know.”

“Wait. I’ll walk out with you,” she offered, covering the basket with the plastic. Kenya saved the file she’d opened on the laptop. Snow had started to thicken outside and she still needed to go by the grocery store. The freeway bottlenecked at six mile in about fifteen minutes. She had to get out of there.

“Stzz,” Julia sucked in a breath then yelped after opening the door.

Kenya became startled by the sudden noise. She felt his presence; she just knew. Her body slowly elevated until their eyes locked. Her body accelerated to a feverish pitch. Exhaling slowly Kenya couldn't let him witness his effect on her; she failed miserably. Oh God, I'm going to need new panties. Julia tossed her a wide eyed stare then whirled back around to the man in the doorway. 

“Hi, you must be Jonathan Blakemore,” Julia greeted while extending her hand. “I’m Julia Hernandez.”

Kenya went still at his large frame filling her doorway and clutched the desk to keep from collapsing into a puddle.

“My pleasure, Julia,” he admitted and gave Kenya an appraising once over with his eyes from the pulse at the base of her throat, down to her ankles where his brow lifted before he lifted his gaze to her face. “I’m flattered Kenya still speaks of me…good or bad,” he muttered under soft eyes. 

Her attention crawled up to his feathered bronze hair above his ears. Absently, she flashed back to a time when she'd play in his moist hair at the temple from their lovemaking. Tense, heat ran up her neck. Jonathan’s loving making had always left her sated for days.

“Jonathan,” she started, voice breathy seeing the man she loved yet pushed out of her life. “Here, Julia, take these.” Walking toward Julia, Kenya tried signaling her by tossing stares off to the left in Jonathan’s direction. She set the basket in her arms. “Take these to the cafeteria for me, please. It’s too much for one person.”

Julia’s attention darted from the basket to Kenya to Jonathan. “Ah, o-kay, sure,” she agreed, suspiciously shooting quick glance around the room. “Explain later.”

“I’ll call you later,” Kenya said. 

Julia slipped out between the doors, leaving Kenya alone with him. Jonathan indicated the leftover wrappings on the desk from the basket.

“A rep…” she filled in before the truth popped out of her mouth.

He made a noise low in his throat. “You look good, Kenya.” Strolling deeper into the room, Jonathan held a department store bag. “Getting ready to leave?” he asked and Kenya backed into her desk’s edge, bumping her hip.

“What are you doing here? I mean, how did you get up without a pass?” It took all her strength not to run into his arms and kiss those amazing lips. Man, he looked good. She smoothed a hand down her dress before resting back on the desk, his appreciation of her curves didn’t go unnoticed. The tip of his tongue running across his lip said he came for more than conversation. “Where’s your visitor’s name badge?”

Jonathan held his lapel open on his suit where the temporary visitor’s sticker perched in his breast pocket with the adhesive covering, still affixed to the back.

A hint of a smile pushed at her lips. He wouldn’t put the sticker on his suit. That fit her Jonathan all right.

She ducked her head suppressing a giggle. “You’re supposed to stick that onto your clothes, so everyone can see it.” 

No one smiled like Jonathan and he gave her one full and bright and loaded with lust. “I’ll remember that next time I’m not wearing a thousand dollar suit. I came to see you Kenya. Actually I came to give you this.” Holding out the bag, Jonathan leaned forward.

She dragged her stare from his flushed face to push away from the desk and cross the short distance between them. His scent alone gave her goose bumps.

“What’s that?” Nodding toward his hand, she let her eyes run over the bag then up to meet his hooded stare. She held her shoulders back and stood tall, clasping her hands in front of her hips. Lord, he made her nervous.

“Your gloves, you left them up north. Benjamin sent them to the courthouse downtown.”

“Benjamin.” She sighed in surprised, darting her attention from his eyes to the bag. How sweet. She slipped her hand beneath the handle. Jonathan caught her hand, squeezing her fingers between his. She held her breath. He eased in inches from her face; lifting a hand, he stroked it down one shoulder.

“We can do this here or somewhere private,” he said and Kenya heard the edge of a warning. Something darker sat behind those blue eyes, not just blue, but aluminum blue. Flecks of burgundy, forest green and dark brown revealed themselves under the bright fluorescents the longer you stared—hypnotizing.

Why did he affect her this way? “Do what, we’re not a couple?”

“You’re testing my patience,” he warned. “That lame ass excuse you gave me in your apartment won’t fly. We’re clearing this up today.”

Anxious, she slipped her iPad into its cover then set it inside her rolling cart on the floor; she then raised her eyes toward him. “There’s nothing to clear up.”

“Last chance to go somewhere private,” he warned openly, translation, hurry up or find yourself pinned to the desk.

She blew out a breath then pivoted around to grab her things. Jonathan took her rolling suitcase handle and waited for her at the door. She let her stare flit over his hard body as he shrugged on his over coat. The chocolate wool trench lay perfectly over his large shoulders.

Turning her back to him, she slid her arms into her coat as he held it out for her. Grabbing up her purse, she caught the door by the edge and pulled it partially closed behind them. “Are you gonna decide where private is too?” She groaned, nodding as they crossed down the multi-colored carpeted hallway passed open office doors where her co-workers sat eyeing the show. The woman in the office beside hers glanced up and winked at Kenya. The next business day would be full of questions.

“The penthouse,” he said, holding the elevator door open, ushering her inside. Jonathan threaded their fingers together, hers automatically curling into the warmth of his grip. Fear of Brian’s threat never reached her heart. However, Morgan's little news article didn’t help, especially since the Internet held no assistance in her finding any more on the case of the three missing men in Ireland that supposedly worked for him.

She said nothing as they exited the building and crossed to the glass parking structure. Peering around, she felt as if someone watched her. Too coincidental receiving the basket with the scathing message just as Jonathan mysteriously shows up in her office. Brian might’ve had Jonathan tailed. Kenya reached in her purse, retrieved her garage access card and went to swipe it through the little metal box. 

“Kenya.” She halted, and then turned on her heels. He took the card and slid it through the slot, pushed the metal bar, then handed her the card. “I don’t know what I did to push you away from me, but I’m still a gentleman. I’ll wait until I see your car before I pull off.”

“Thank you…Jonathan,” she barely recognized her voice and knew it was the impact of having him this close to her senses…and her mouth. Brian’s threat was real.

~~~~

Close to a month ago when Kenya had announced they were over, Jonathan put three of his men on her trail and all the reports were the same: home by seven each evening after visiting her parents, or dinners with Julia. If there had been another man, he never surfaced. He’d had enough avoidance. Only Kenya could tell him the truth.

Walking through the lobby of his building, Jonathan with his hand on Kenya's back nodded to the concierge. The silver doors of the elevator parted and he followed her inside. When the doors closed, he stepped behind her with his hands on her shoulders. 

“Let me take your coat, it’s warm in here.” He waited a full thirty seconds before he felt her unbuttoning it; gently she brushed the purse straps from her shoulder. He stood with his hands above her arm. He slipped the coat from her tailored dress. A whiff of her soft scent rose to his nose, not the perfume, but the clean scent of her skin. “You smell nice.” The gentle plane of her back curved against his chest while his mouth moved impatiently along her face. He swept the soft hair slipping through his fingers with his other hand to spill over her shoulders, resting his chin on her shoulder. He raised his eyes to the elevator floors numbers going by in glowing lights over the doors and wished they slowed enough for him to enjoy the moment.