After Hours (4 page)

“Please tell me that Forbes didn’t stand up everyone for the photo shoot?” she asked, saving her latest chapter before turning off her computer. She prayed that her sixth sense hadn’t been taking a lunch break when she met Forbes.

****

Jametria made it to the location of the photo shoot in less than twenty minutes. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. After all of the trouble she went through to get a male model and now this shit had to come out of nowhere. The worst thing was Africa wouldn’t tell her what the huge problem was over the phone. All she did was demand that she get down there as fast as possible.

 “Africa, why are you in such a panic?” she asked, hurrying over her friend standing by a rack of clothes underneath a tree.

Taking off her sunglasses, Jametria tossed them into her oversized purse. She loved how the perfect Dallas sun beamed down on her bare arms, making her fall in love with her hometown more than she already was.

She couldn’t ever think about leaving home. Anytime she wanted to she could take her laptop out to her sun porch and spend the day working out there from sun up to sun down.

“The female model is running late,” Africa moaned, drawing her attention back to the discussion at hand. “Her agent called and told me Natasha’s plane was held over for security reasons. She might not even make it for another four hours. We can’t wait that long for her.”

“What?” Jametria screamed. “You can’t be serious. What am I going to do? I finally found the perfect guy and a female model isn’t going to be on there with him?”

This wasn’t happening to her.

“Hmmm…that isn’t true,” Africa hedged. “I didn’t have you rush down here for nothing.”

“Why do you look like you know something that I don’t?”

“Don’t freak out when I tell you this,” Africa said, taking a step closer to her. “I truly think it’s a wonderful idea, but you may not think so.”

Jametria held her ground. She didn’t take a step back from Africa; however, she watched her agent warily; it was something big that Africa was excited about.

“I promise I won’t freak out,” she agreed, depicting an ease she didn’t necessarily feel. She became more uncomfortable by the minute as Africa’s silence continued.

“Remember your promise.”

“Are you going to tell me or not?” Every fiber in her body warned her that she wasn’t going to like what Africa was about to tell her.

“The photographer suggested you could replace the female model.” The words rushed from Africa’s mouth and then she took two quick steps back.

“Have you lost your mind?” Jametria shrieked. “I can’t do anything like that. I guess we’ll have to cancel the photo shoot.”

Chapter Seven

Forbes jumped at the sounds of feminine screams coming from outside his trailer. Dropping his shirt on the floor, he charged out the door in total F.B.I. mode and raced down the steps. As he rounded the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks at what his gaze landed on. Jametria was standing there arguing with Africa.

Her sienna skin sparkled in the dark green sundress that hugged her body as if she had been poured into it. His attraction to the sensual young author was all wrong; it wouldn’t lead anywhere, not with him here to arrest her uncle, but he couldn’t help how his body reacted to her.

She had such a passion that he found most women lacked nowadays. She was a career woman on a mission and that alone made her hotter to him. Forbes got his body under control and went to see how he could find a way to calm Jametria down

****

“It won’t be as bad as you think. You’ve seen Ron’s work before and loved it,” Africa pleaded with her. “Why don’t you think he can do the same job for you?”

“I’m not a model and I have never wanted to be one. I have my dream job writing romance books. I don’t want to be on the cover of them. Hell, I don’t want an author photo and bio on the back flap.”

“Ladies, what seems to be the problem?”

Not now. I can’t deal with him with Africa bugging me about this.

“Forbes, thank you for your concern, but we have it under control,” Jametria replied, spinning around and coming face to face with the man she couldn’t stop dreaming about.

She couldn’t have stopped her mouth from falling open if someone had paid her. Tight black shorts cupped the most intimate part of Forbes and the rest of his tight, toned, incredibly tanned body was bare. The same confident gray eyes she loved the first time she laid eyes on him stared down at her with interest and a hint of something else.

“I heard the two of you all the way inside my trailer. I’m not sure if you’ve things under control or not,” Forbes countered. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s about? Maybe I can help you out.”

“The female model we wanted isn’t going to be able to do it, so Ron wanted Jametria to stand in, but she’s scared,” her best friend’s big mouth blurted out.

“I’m not scared,” Jametria denied, shooting Africa a silencing look. “I’m just not a model.”

“I have to disagree with you,” Forbes said, surprising her. “Your skin is flawless and those midnight eyes of yours could make anyone fall in love with you.”

She chewed on her lower lip and tossed her head back, taking a long look at Forbes. “You don’t have to flirt with me. You already have the cover.”

“Darling, I’m not flirting with you,” his rich, deep voice corrected. “I’m giving you an honest compliment. If I was flirting with you, I can promise you wouldn’t forget it.”

Jametria gasped as the heat in Forbes unexpected words made her heart race. As she paused to catch her breath, she started to see this photo shoot in a different light. It might be a lot of fun to have her body pressed against his.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” she agreed, secretly counting down the minutes until she got to touch Forbes’ half-naked body. “Where do I go and change?”

“There’s a trailer next to Forbes’,” Africa answered. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind showing you the way there.”

“She’s right. I would love to show you where to get undressed. Do you need my help getting out of your dress?”

Jametria knew she had the ability to flirt with the best of them so he better watch out. “I’ll let you know after we get there.”

“I guess I’ll just have to wait and see, won’t I?”

Taking her by the arm, Forbes escorted her away from a grinning Africa. She wondered who had really won the argument after all. “How long have you been here?”

“Around thirty minutes,” he answered, glancing down at her. “I was about to try on a shirt when I heard you fighting with Africa.”

Everything that made her a woman warned her against falling for Forbes, but he wasn’t a man to be disregarded. “Lucky shirt,” she whispered under her breath missing the heated look Forbes gave her.

Jametria was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t realize that Forbes had pulled her between the two trailers until it was too late. Her body was trapped between one trailer and him. His bare chest was burning a hole through the thin fabric of her sundress and it felt out of this world.

“What are you doing?” she gasped, trying not to show him how excited she was.

“I think we should get to know each other better,” Forbes answered, tilting her chin up with tip of his calloused fingers.

“Why?”

“Ron is looking for a hot steamy cover and we can’t give him one if we’re uncomfortable with each other,” he replied, pulling her body closer to his. “I think we need to practice.”

“Practice,” Jametria mused. “What kind of practice?”

“This,” Forbes whispered then kissed her.

Warning bells went off in her head, but Jametria pushed them aside as she wrapped her arms around Forbes’ wide shoulders, allowing herself to block out everything but their kiss.

His sensual lips were moist and firm as they demanded a response from her. Forbes’ mouth continued exploring the fullness of her mouth until she opened it, allowing his tongue entrance inside.

Standing on tiptoes, she deepened the hot assault even more with her own tongue. Shocked by her response to a man that she barely knew, but definitely craved with everything in her, Jametria blocked out her doubts. She was burning up for Forbes and even the light summer breeze blowing around their bodies wasn’t cooling her off.

Forbes’ talented lips left her mouth wanting more, and trailed a path of light kisses down her neck and over her bare shoulder until they stopped at her breasts. Grabbing the sides of her dress, Forbes gave it a firm tug and her breasts sprang free.

God, she must be losing her mind! She knew she should tell him to stop; however, she had wanted this since she laid eyes on him. “Shit, baby you’re so beautiful,” he praised before sucking her nipple and then drawing it into his wet mouth.

“Oh,” Jametria moaned, sliding her hands through Forbes’ thick hair. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” She was trying her best to see some kind of reason. They weren’t that far from the crew, anyone could walk right past and see them.

“Why not?”

His lips brushed against her swollen nipple as he spoke. “Are you afraid someone might see us?” Forbes asked, shoving her dress up to her waist. His eyes left hers and lowered past her waist and then he cursed. “Fuck, you aren’t wearing any panties. Are you trying to make me take you right here?”

“It’s hard to even wear a thong with this dress,” Jametria answered, then whimpered as Forbes reached down and eased one thick finger inside of her pussy. “It’s so snug.”

“I think you didn’t wear any panties just to taunt the hell out of me,” he accused, adding another finger. “Were you going to let me have a little peek?” Grabbing her leg, Forbes wrapped it around his waist, pressing his finger even deeper into her drenched body.

“No, I wasn’t going to do that.” Jametria moaned then bit down on her bottom lip so she wouldn’t scream.

Forbes’ finger was brushing over her clit, trying to push her to the end. It was getting harder for her not to scream at the top of her lungs. A light sweat covered her body from Forbes’ teasing touch. She had never been so turned on in her life. He was making her live a scene out of her romance books.

“Do you want to tell me what you were going to do instead?” he inquired, easing his fingers out of her body until she only felt the tips at her entrance.

“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far,” she confessed, squirming on his hand. “Please don’t stop.”

Ignoring her wishes, Forbes removed his hand from her throbbing body. He licked and sucked at her nipples, turning them into hard pebbles. “Baby, I wish I could but I can’t,” he apologized, then quickly fixed her dress.

“Why not?” she hissed, pissed that he hadn’t finished the job.

“I hear someone coming our way and I’m a jealous man. I don’t want anyone seeing how breathtaking you look right before you come.”

“Oh God,” Jametria whispered, trying to shove Forbes away from her, but he wouldn’t move. “Move before someone does see us.” She wouldn’t be able to live down the gossip.

Forbes leaned in closer to her until his warm breath brushed over her face. “I’ll move this time, but don’t ever shove me away again.” Moving back from her, Forbes winked at her and then turned around, walking off in the opposite direction.

Chapter Eight

Tyra’s hand kept inching closer and closer to his erection. The thought of her hand wrapped around his cock almost had Paul coming before it was time. No! He couldn’t let this happen…not here in his office. He wanted them to be on a huge empty bed with all the sheets flung to the floor giving him the chance to explore every inch of her delectable body. This wasn’t the time or the place for what he wanted to do.

“Tyra don’t.” Paul’s hand shot out preventing her from touching him. “We can’t do this here.”

Surprised brown eyes shot up to his. “You don’t want me to touch you?” she questioned in a soft voice.

Hell yeah! He wanted her hands all over every inch of his body but not a work. Anyone could walk in and see them and despite how much the idea made him hornier, he wasn’t going to put Tyra through office gossip.

“No…I don’t want you to touch me.”

Shaking off his grip Tyra stepped back from him so quickly that she almost stumbled. “Oh,” she whispered in a shaky voice. “I’m sorry I got the wrong idea. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to catch you with your pants down.”

Hearing the hurt in Tyra’s voice, Paul hurriedly fixed his clothing and stood up. “I want you to listen to me.” He couldn’t let her think that he didn’t want her. That was so far from the truth.

“Hey, it was an honest mistake. I guess.” She shrugged moving back even more until she was only inches from his closed office door. “How about we put this incident behind us? I can pretend it never happened if you can.”

“Tyra, listen to me. I don’t want you leaving like this. Stay and hear me out. You aren’t seeing the whole picture.”

“Paul, I wish that I could but I’m going to be late for my lunch date. I have to leave.” She spun around and went out his office door before he could stop her.

****

“Is that the ‘
Lost Love’
I keep hearing Africa tell everyone about?” Forbes asked, dropping into the seat across from her. She loved how he just had a natural charisma about him. It added so much to his masculinity.

 “I thought you would still be working on that last photo shoot,” she questioned, looking at him from the corner of her eye. She hadn’t seen him since the real female model showed up.

“I still can’t believe Carmen showed five minutes before we were about to get started. I really wanted to see you in that little red two-piece bikini,” Forbes’ confessed as his gray eyes raked up and down her body.

“I don’t know what Ian was thinking,” she replied, pretending her body wasn’t on fire from the scandalous looks Forbes was giving her. “He should have known better.”

“I heard Ron is an outstanding photographer. He appreciates a beautiful woman when he sees one.”