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Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Betting On Love
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“Taking advantage of women seems to be a trait of his. He duped Jade into investing in his restaurant, and when he started seeing a profit, he dumped her.”
“That's why you should never go into business with someone you're sleeping with.”
“Or hire them as an attorney.”
“Shut up. That was different.”
James reached for the cake that the server had set in the middle of the table. “People do strange things in the name of love and then get upset when it blows up in their faces.”
“That's the James I know and love. Mr. Cynical.” Maurice reached for a hunk of cake and shook his head at his brother. “So, you two going out again?”
“Yep. We're going to say a proper good-bye.”
“Don't mess around and fall in love,” Maurice said in between bites of cake.
“That's the last thing that's going to happen,” James declared.
 
 
Jade floated to her room. But her bubble was burst as soon as she saw Serena and Kandace waiting for her. “What?” she asked her friends.
“The question is, what are you doing?” Serena asked. “You don't know this guy from Adam's alley cat, and you're acting like a teenager in love.”
“Lust,” Kandace said. “Have you forgotten that you have bigger fish to fry?”
“Aren't you the same people that told me to come here and have an adventure?” Jade asked as she slipped her electronic key card in the lock. “Matter of fact, had you not put that silly condom in my purse, James and I might have never hooked up, Serena.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You need to focus. We have the funding that we need to purchase that restaurant in Charlotte right from underneath Stephen. You also have the means to tie his funds up in so much red tape that his little restaurant in Atlanta will be forced to shut down. We should be on a plane right now.”
Jade opened her door, and her friends followed her into her room. “Another day and a half is not going to kill us. Besides, I have a date tonight.”
Kandace and Serena groaned. “You know what?” Kandace said. “You're a glutton. What do you even know about this guy, besides how good the sex is?”
Jade smiled despite herself. “James is a special guy. I can feel it. But there's no need for you two to worry. Tonight is good-bye for James and me.”
Kandace and Serena exchanged knowing looks. “Where does James live again?” Serena asked.
“Charlotte,” Jade replied.
“Doesn't sound like good-bye to me, especially since we're trying to open a business there,” Kandace said.
“Ladies, are we going to do some shopping this morning, or are you two going to stand here and critique my life?” Jade asked exasperatedly. “Where's Alicia?”
“I think she's playing baccarat again. You're not the only one having a Vegas fling,” Serena said, with a snort.
CHAPTER 6
Once again, James was on the losing end of a poker game with the players. It didn't matter, though, because he knew he'd be a winner once he met up with Jade and they headed out for their date.
“You need to let that stripper play for you all the time,” Homer said.
“She's not a stripper,” James said as he pushed away from the table.
“She could be,” Homer replied, licking his lips. “I'm still trying to figure out how you landed that.”
“Don't be jealous, because your oversize gut and the milewide gap between your teeth run all the pretty ones away,” James said as he patted Homer's ample stomach.
The other men at the table laughed and Homer scowled.
“Whatever, man,” Homer snapped. “The only reason women want to get to know you is that your last name is Goings.”
Any other day James would've reached over the table and attempted to strangle Homer for that comment. But at the moment, the only thing he wanted to do was get ready for his date with Jade, so he simply left the room.
James knew that Jade didn't want to get next to Maurice, like so many other women who'd tried to latch on to him in the past. After tonight he was sure that he'd never see her again. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that, because a part of him wanted to know everything about her, and the other part just wanted one more night with her in his arms.
I don't even know this woman to be going on like this. I need to take it for what it is, a vacation fling,
he thought as he entered his suite.
 
 
Jade paced the floor in her room as she searched for the perfect dress. She wanted James's jaw to drop to the floor when he saw her in the lobby, but if she didn't hurry, she'd be late. After another few moments of pondering what to wear, she decided on a slinky red dress with a V-shaped back and a neckline that was so low, she needed double-sided tape to keep from having a Janet Jackson-esque malfunction.
She reached down and strapped on her red sandals with the three-inch heels and prayed that James didn't have a lot of walking in mind for their date. Taking a glance at herself in the full-length mirror on the bathroom door, she smiled. Serena had a flair for picking out sexy clothing, and there was no way she would wear an outfit like that in Atlanta, where people expected her to be prim and proper or, as her friends called her, a doormat.
She'd allowed Stephen to walk all over her, but she'd also thought he loved her and that they were building the restaurant for their future. Stephen's future just didn't include her, but some eye candy that he felt enhanced his image. His new woman made up for what she lacked in brains with silicone breasts. Snarling at the thought of Stephen and his new woman, Jade recalled how she'd found out that she'd been replaced.
Serena and Alicia had shown up at her doorstep early one Friday morning, armed with coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
“Hey, girls,” Jade had said, blissfully unaware of the devastating news that they'd come to deliver.
Alicia had been the one to speak first. “Mocha latte with skim milk and no whipped cream. It's your favorite, right?”
“What's going on? You think coffee is the nectar of Satan,” Jade had replied, ready to laugh at the thought of Alicia standing in line at Starbucks.
Serena, who had been uncharacteristically silent, spoke up. “There's an article in the paper about Stephen's restaurant and his plans to expand.”
“Great. We did that interview weeks ago. It's about time the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ran this story.” Jade reached out for the paper, but Serena didn't hand it over. “Serena, give me the paper.”
Alicia had motioned for Jade to take a seat on the sofa. “This isn't going to be pretty or easy for you to take. Serena, give her the paper.”
Jade had never been more confused than she was when she read the article about Stephen and his empire. She remembered talking to the reporter about their planned expansion into North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, but who in the hell was the woman draped over him like a wet spandex bathing suit? She'd read the woman's name, but it was her title, “fiancée and business partner,” that stood out the most.
“This can't be right,” Jade had said as she stared at the picture. “Why is this woman in this picture, pretending to be me?”
“Because Stephen is a spineless punk, and he used you to get what he wanted, your investment in his sorry-ass restaurant,” Serena had explained. “I say we roll up there and kick his ass.”
Jade, feeling as if her entire world had just crumbled, had dropped the paper on the floor as she'd sobbed silently. It had taken her about twenty minutes to pull herself together, assure her girlfriends that she could handle this situation on her own. With red, puffy eyes and anger flowing threw her veins, she'd driven to Stephen's restaurant and stormed inside, ignoring the hostess as she bolted toward the office she and Stephen shared. When she'd opened the door, she found him and his new love on top of the desk, kissing like horny teenagers.
“Well, isn't this just cozy,” Jade had said.
The two had pulled apart and looked at Jade.
“Who is this woman?” Stephen's lover had asked.
“A former employee,” he'd replied coldly. “Jade, what is the meaning of this? Why are you storming into my office as if you have some right to be here?”
“You son of a bitch. I have fifty thousand reasons to be here. Employee? I thought I was supposed to be your fiancée!”
Rising to his feet, he'd stepped up to Jade. “You need to leave. You were my bookkeeper.”
“Bookkeeper? That's all I was to you?”
“Yes, and I'd like it if you'd leave. My fiancée and I are busy.”
Jade had slapped him as hard as she could. “Bastard! Give me my money back.”
“We made a deal, and your money is tied up in—”
She'd slapped him again and then stormed out of the office. Her next trip had been to her lawyer, who told her there was nothing she could do to get her money back because they hadn't signed a contract.
A few days later, she and her girls had hopped on an overpriced flight to Vegas.
Jade shook her head, trying to clear away the ugly thoughts of her life.
I'm going to deal with Stephen when I return to Atlanta. But right now I'm going on my date.
She grabbed a sheer red wrap, draped it across her shoulders, and headed to the lobby.
When she found James standing near the front desk, dressed in a black tuxedo, carrying a dozen red roses, her breath caught in her chest. He looked as dashing as 007 himself, and the cocksure grin on his lips added to his appeal.
He strode over to her, smiling and holding the flowers and a pair of Toni Braxton show tickets out to her. “You look beautiful,” he said.
Taking the roses in her arms, she willed her heart to slow down before saying, “You clean up well yourself.”
“I have a car outside, and I'm ready to show you the world.” James looped his arm around Jade's waist, and she knew that this was all a dream. Men didn't act like this, at least not the ones she knew or fell for.
“This is really nice,” she said as they walked out to the limo that was waiting for them.
“Well, I figured that we should at least party like we're royalty this weekend,” James said as the driver opened the door for the couple.
“James, this is too much.” Jade eased onto the supple leather seat of the limo and closed her eyes. “We're just going to dinner, right?”
“Nope. Just relax and enjoy the ride, all right?” he said, with a wide smile. “Tonight, I'm your host, so be a good guest, okay?”
“If you say so,” she replied, with a smile that matched his. “It's not often that I give up control.”
“And that sounds like a problem to me,” James said as he eased closer to Jade and wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her closer to him as the driver peeled off from the curb.
The limo meandered slowly down the Strip, but neither of the passengers cared about the sights, the bright lights, or the people milling about. James locked eyes with Jade, drinking in her quiet beauty and trying to keep his hormones under control. That was hard to do because he knew what was underneath that dress. He knew that she had the softest breasts and the sweetest-tasting nipples that he'd ever put in his mouth. The passion and desire that were building in the backseat of the limo made him want to forget Toni Braxton and dinner, rip her clothes off, and make love to her until the sun rose.
“You're quiet,” Jade said, breaking off their stare.
“So are you.”
“This is weird,” she said. “Because all I can think about right now is how much I want to hear Toni Braxton sing ‘Breathe Again.'”
“Really?” James asked, not really buying it. He could feel the electric undercurrent that she was giving off and knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
I can't believe I just said that lame crap,
Jade thought as she looked out of the window. Had she been honest, she would've told James that she'd always had a fantasy about having hot sex in the back of a limo. Of course, that fantasy wasn't going to happen, because she didn't want him to think that she was just a piece of sex. They were supposed to be taking the time to get to know each other, well, as well as they could over a few days. Sucking on her bottom lip, Jade turned to James and leaned against his shoulder. She knew this was a fantasy, a weekend affair.
 
 
Maybe we should skip the concert,
he thought as he took her hand in his.
“What's the fragrance that you're wearing?” James asked.
“It's just some jasmine oil,” she replied, her voice wavering as she closed her eyes and melted against him.
James took a deep breath, filling his nostrils with Jade's intoxicating scent. Damn, he wanted her. He wanted her more than he needed to take his next breath. Unable to control his desire any longer, he cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips on top of hers. Her lips were soft and tasty. A soft moan escaped her throat as his tongue danced into her mouth. With his hands firmly around her waist, Jade closed her eyes and lost herself in his kiss. She gripped his shoulders, sucking his tongue as if they would never have the chance to kiss again.
Pulling back, James looked at Jade with lust and desire in his eyes. “You know, I really don't give a damn about seeing Toni Braxton when you kiss me like that,” he said.
“James,” she moaned as he slipped his hand between her thighs. Her womanly core throbbed with anticipation as his fingers danced around the waistband of her lace panties. “We'd better stop before ... ooh.”
He dipped his finger in her wetness, touching the spot that he'd found the first time they'd made love. With his free hand, he raised the window between the driver and the backseat. “I want you so bad,” he groaned. His erection pressed against his zipper, and the deeper he buried his finger inside Jade, the harder he became. “But I promised you a special night out.”
Jade reached back and unzipped her dress. “I want you, too,” she said as he pulled her onto his lap.
With hands faster than the eye, James reached underneath her dress and pulled her panties off. Jade was hot, and James felt the heat from her body immediately. In short order, he unzipped his pants, and Jade helped him push them down to his ankles. James's erection made a tent in his silk boxers, which brought a smile to Jade's face. She couldn't remember the last time that a man had wanted her as much as James did. Stephen had never made her feel desirable. Sex between them had been as bland as filling out income tax forms. How was it possible that she and this stranger had so much sizzle that they couldn't keep their hands off one another?
And speaking of hands, James knew just what to do with his, especially when he touched her back ever so gently, running his long fingers up and down her spine. He treated her body as if it was precious, worthy of adoration. Closing her eyes as James brushed his thick lips across her navel, Jade moaned in delight. James pulled her dress and strapless bra from her body in a quick motion, then laid her on the supple leather seat.
For a few moments, he just marveled at her body. To say she was perfect was an understatement. Her skin was softer and smoother than her silk dress. With his index finger, he traveled down her tantalizing frame. She placed her hand in the center of his chest as he covered her body with his lean, muscular one.
“This isn't really who I am,” she breathed. “I don't just go around sleeping with men in the name of fun and games.”
James gently kissed her cheek. “Jade,” he said. “I'm not making any kinds of judgments. We're adults, and there isn't anything I want right now more than you. And I'm going to want you tomorrow and the next day, too.”

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