Wait for Me (21 page)

"I represent Universal Banking, Mr. Spencer. Let's work on getting these schools properly handled."

He said nothing, just kept his attention focused on her and she could hardly tear her peripheral from Jonathan’s table. Where had he gone? David had angled back in his chair intently watching her. Kenya pulled out a pen and jotted a few notes on the corner of one of the sheets of paper in the folder to give herself someplace to look beside either of the men eyeing her, then brought her head up.

“May I inquire which companies you're considering? They might already have a connection.”

David Spencer steepled his fingers over his plate and spoke low. “Some are confidential, you understand. Not everyone likes to announce his or her investments. I can tell you one of your local inner city hospitals is backing the project.”

Kenya dug into her pasta salad, listening to him then sat back, dabbing the napkin over her mouth. 

"We can also suggest financial advisors for your company as well, Mr. Spencer."

"I'm back to Mr. Spencer. Either I royally stepped over the line or on some toes."

Toes, feet, and hands, but she wouldn’t tell him that.

"May I suggest a financial advisor to help with businesses in the area? With so many companies you'll need to stay on top of whom to steer away from."

"Guess it's the toes I've stepped on. All right Ms. Claiborne…business it is," He straightened his bow tie and put on his business face, "Actually, Blakemore Financial Consulting has given us great direction in the past to one of our other reps," he paused, "now that I think about it. Blakemore steered us away from a potential, let's say future money pit of overpriced inner city homes that would eventually become a financial burden to many families. A bad investment."

How could he know without being in someone's pocket? "So you know Jonathan Blakemore better than you stated earlier?"

"No, one of our staff works with one of his advisors. I've never met Mr. Jonathan Blakemore before today. Like I said I did business with Jamie Blakemore in Ireland."

Kenya slid her gaze around the space and noticed Jonathan's table still empty. Her heart sank.

“Well Universal Banking services a number of hospital and medical facilities in the area including the medical district down town. If it will help persuade you to do business with our bank, I can assure you all your customers will receive the same level of professionalism and care as we will handle your account with or any account.”

“It was an encouraging lunch, Ms. Claiborne. I see a long future with your bank.”

“Building relationships is how I understand your needs.”

“My flight leaves Friday, so I will look forward to your email with the projections."

Finishing their lunch, she allowed David to escort her to the valet. He waited until they brought her car around before walking off to his rental car. She needed to bake. She jumped in her car and headed for Kroger's to pick up some chocolate and butterscotch chips. She had to tell Jonathan and knew it would be a long night. She wasn't ready to have this talk with him, but the situation forced her hand. Her beast liked peanut butter cookies. Brian played his hand and she walked right into it arms wide.

Baking relieved stress and seeing Jonathan's handsome sexy strong…everything, she could bake for an entire school district's bake sale.

Chapter Ten

Jonathan set the parking brake and reclined in the Bentley, letting the smooth jazz relax him before he got inside her apartment. Adjusting the tent in his trousers, he watched the rain change to snow on the windshield, the air getting colder outside.

Kenya brought out the gentleman along with the fighter in him and she got to see both in Ireland. Not surprised she couldn't handle the darker side of his world.

It still bothered him; on a man-to-man level, this other man had her attention through lunch. This man worked for Brian and here she met with him. The moment she introduced them and he heard the name Global Learning he knew there was a connection between him and Brian. Jamie had a meeting with this company in Ireland. They wanted Blakemore to invest into their company and have them provide the programs for the local schools in the area.

Pissed Kenya wouldn’t accept his calls and David knowing her Jonathan had tried walking away to get her out of his system but he couldn’t. The time came to fix this…tonight. Her little phone show made him even madder. After what happened in the tunnel, he needed her by his side.

Sitting there getting a hard-on wasn’t getting it either. Pushing open the door, he got out of the car, closed the door behind him, eyeing the cars up and down the street. Didn’t notice any car he hadn't seen before. David didn’t try and go home with her. Wise man.

Putting on his gloves, he turned from the blowing snow to cover his face with his scarf, before crossing the street.  Moving swiftly  through her lobby Jonathon entered the elevator. Moments later exiting out onto her floor, he strode to her door .

Rapping twice on the door of her apartment, he removed his gloves, slapping them against his palm repeatedly. Metal scratching over the door said she was unchaining the door and when she finally opened it, he lost the patience he clung to and picked her up kicking the door shut with the heel of his dress shoes. 

Kenya bundled against his chest Jonathan crossed the space to her kitchen setting her on the counter. Kenya stared at him and grasped the back of the bar stool stepping onto the seat. He shoved it a way with his foot. “Don’t move,” he ordered, as flour, eggs and butter slid against the back splash beside the stove. Cookies. She had baked. Eyeing her, he scanned the silky, black satin dress caressing her hips and small waist. Not a dress…her slip. She hadn’t bothered to get fully undressed. He’d rattled her composure just seeing him in the restaurant.

“Jonathan, let me explain.” Kenya held a hand out then dropped it.

“I’m beyond explanations. All I want is for you to sit there and listen.” Kenya sat arms folded the swells of her breast pushed up high in the silky slip.

Locking the door, he yanked his scarf and coat off. Tossed them over on the sofa and pushed her legs apart to stand between them. Her silky slip praised every sweet curve of her body; hugging her hips the farther, he pushed it up her legs. Slipping his fingers up her bare thighs, when his fingers touched silk, he brought her to the edge of the counter his hands full of silk clad hips. He didn’t know whether to throttle her first or kiss her until she begged him to stop.

“If you won’t hear what I…”

"Not—one—word," he breathed against her throat, kissing the sweet skin her frantic pulses jerking beneath his touch. “Just wait for me, Kenya, that's all I asked…wait for me. I get to our suite expecting to find you there and my woman's gone."

“I can’t…” He placed his hand over her mouth, shaking his head.

“Not—one—word, Kenya!” he bit his words trying to gather his rationale. “You’re so independent. Stop fighting me all the damn time.”

Quiet filled the space and they sat there clinging to one another. He rubbed his forehead over her shoulder, his heart in a twisted knot in his chest. “This is the second time you’ve left me Kenya. You’re all I got, Mo Ru’n and I’m not going away, and you’re not leaving me.”

Kenya’s warm breath blew over his shoulder.

“I couldn’t stay, Jonathan, and if you give me a chance I’ll explain why.”

He prided himself on his patience, dealing with obstinate clients through the years. He’s even worked out issues with men he didn’t share the same language with, and here Kenya would give him an ulcer being independent. Inhaling her scent, he nodded into her neck, coaxing her to talk.

"First, can I ask about Seamus—what are the doctors saying?" His grandfather got to his woman. "Jonathan, please, I’m kicking myself for not answering your calls and finding out about Seamus. Is that what you wanna hear? Don’t use my love for him to punish me."

"Seamus is stable, but no signs of movement. The family's been with him all this time and the doctors are keeping him comfortable."

"You can see I'm okay and can handle what I have going on. Go handle your family, Jonathan. You can't take care of everybody."

“I’m your man and as long as we’re together you being in pain means I’ve failed as your comforter, and as your protection.” He looked up and down her body on the barstool. Something had changed about her; she appeared softer, curvier.

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need—”

“Save that line for boys pretending to be men. It’s my job is to protect you. Whether you’re capable or not hasn’t changed my role as a man in this relationship.” 

“You think making love to me will alleviate my worry each time you leave the house? Unless you got Ibuprofen pumping from your body it doesn’t, Blakemore.”

His grip tightened on her hips until she sighed in pain. “I’m the one being medicated by your touch. The intoxicating taste of your body. Yes, I used you, used your body, Kenya. I used every damn inch of your sweet body to ease the ugly of my life. I use your smiles because they’re honest and they’re aimed at me. I crave your hugs because I never learned to trust the caress of a woman, until you. If you’re looking for an apology…it’s not coming. You’re mine, deal with it.”

Kenya palmed her hand along his chiseled face." And you're mine, deal with that!" She rubbed her thumbs over his ears.

"Then why did you leave Ireland? You can't run or leave every time something doesn't…" he trailed off looking at her trying to be tough and cold. Her soft brown eyes he loved to watch after he'd made love to her for hours, now held pain, and fear from his hands. "Cion…Tell me why you left, babe."

"Because things happened."

"What's more important than me fighting for us?"

"I didn’t say more important and it pained me to leave you. You can't take care of everything alone, Jonathan. I left because I could do more good here than pacing that suite with Sophie."

"So…" he said running a hand over his neck, exasperated. Obviously, he'd missed something. “Tell me what exactly, Kenya?” 

"While pacing that suite with Sophie I started to put things together."

Jonathan held her waist lowering her hips down to the bar stool settling himself between her smooth thighs running his hands over her bare legs. "What things came together?"

"David Spencer is the client Brian tried to bribe me with saying I'd get the account if I sold you out."

"The man you met with today?"

Kenya nodded. "In Ireland, Julia text me that Global Learning asked for me specifically, as their rep." Kenya touched his throat playing with the collar of his sweater. "Honey, I'm still in training, no one would ask for me specifically."

"So Brian thought when you came to Ireland with me, you changed your mind and was on his team?" 

"I guess. I had to get back to the States and cut Brian's hold on me. After questioning David I found out Reinhart, my former boss, was Brian's go to person. Brian promised her Blakemore as a customer if she made certain David became my client through the bank."

"There were so many channels to throw anyone looking off any connections to Brian."

“If David chose to play dirty I'd have walked, but he didn’t. The program is legitimate, but the way he came to request me wasn't. He took the opportunity to get closer to Blakemore funding through me."

Loved the way she stood up for what she believed in even with him.

"Spencer's legit. Brian duped Reinhart into choosing you specifically to use as a way to get me to sign over the land. When it didn’t work he threatened to use the return deposit to show you embezzling from the bank unless you kept me out of the way."

She rubbed her arms as if a chill ran down her skin. "Brian has been working both sides of this. One of Brian’s people referred global Learning to Blakemore Investments. Now that Jamie has had a meeting with GL, Brian can use it to show your involvement in redirecting their funds from that inner city housing development then him working with me. Put you and me together with the returned deposit and we come off as an embezzling team."

"And without my former accountant, Graham, to pressure for answers, it's Brian's clean slate against ours full of finger prints."

"And Graham hasn't taken the bait…I mean the money in the account?" The buzz of the oven timer had them turning at the same time. Kenya pulled on a big red oven mitt then moved to the stove to remove a tray of cookies. She set it on the stove and his mouth watered seeing they were peanut butter. She knew he'd be there. Those were his favorite and he loved how she thought of the little things. Kenya set the mitt on the counter and stood before him. "Do you think one of the farmers tipped him off to the plan?"

Reaching up he cupped a hand to her cheek, then told her, "Graham was found with his throat slashed last week in Lagos."

Her mouth fell slack as she clutched her throat. Kenya touched his arm. "Jonathan, no! This has gotten beyond dangerous. Brian is crazy and whoever did this could just as easily come after you. He may not have been working alone and possibly his partner turned on him."

Jonathan said, "Nobody's coming for me, Detective Claiborne." Kenya’s shoulders relaxed and he could see she started to let her guard down. "I can't send one of my men, he knows everyone. After the press dies down I'll send in someone new."

"Jonathan, just let me ask Randall. He's going home to Nigeria tonight," Kenya suggested, giving her attention to the clock on the stove. "It's 4:30 now, he leaves in a few hours. He has friends and family allover. No one will blink an eye to him asking questions. ."

"I don’t want you owing another man favors."

"Again, you're fighting my help, Blakemore. Ask him yourself that way I don’t owe him anything…apartment 12b."

He couldn't fight her logic. What other choice did he have?

"I'll ask." Jonathan sat on the stool when Kenya moved back to the cabinet, pulled out a cookie rack, and began setting the warm goodies on the wire grid. She sank against him when he stood at her back but continued to empty the tray. He'd wait.