Just One Look (Women of Substance) (10 page)

“I take it that’s your Narena.”

I clenched my jaw and ignored Manning’s question.

“I can see the attraction. She’s pretty and her lips look very kissable.”

I blinked, tore my gaze away from Narena to look at Manning. “What?”

He inclined his head in the direction of her table. “That is your Narena. Isn’t it?”

I’m all yours.
Her promise hadn’t meant shit—to either of us. “She’s with another man.”

“You’re with another woman.”

I glared at Manning. “That’s not helpful.”

“Neither is this state of denial you insist on trying to maintain. But enough about that. Her rack looks pretty damn awesome. Is it natural?”

“Why the hell are you staring at her breasts?”

“What straight man wouldn’t? There’s a lot more of her than I expected.”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“I would have thought so before I saw her but now I’m not so sure anymore. I have to say I can definitely see the attraction. There’s a lot of her but she’s damned pretty.”

“More than pretty.”

He turned his attention back to Narena. “I never realized what I might be missing by dating slender white women exclusively. I think it’s time I thought about expanding my dating horizons.”

“You do that but don’t even think about expanding them with her.”

He looked at me. “Why should you care who I expand anything with?”

The thought of Manning with her gutted me. “I don’t—as long as you don’t do it with her.”

“If I did, I really can’t see why it would be your business.”

“Don’t Manning. Please.”

He sighed and shook his head. “When has either of us ever dated the other’s ex?”

“Never,” I admitted, watching the man with Narena rise.

“I am almost certainly going to look into expanding my horizons in the near future, but not with your woman.”

I was too relieved to take issue with his calling her my woman. Besides, a part of me wanted to think of her as my woman. So why the hell was she with another man?

“You should get your ass over there and let her know you’re here and will not be standing idly by while she takes up with some guy who’s probably either gay or on the down low.”

I blinked. “You know him?”

“No but don’t women always suspect that a single men of a certain age is either gay or on the down low?”

“I believe they do but if it’s true in his case, she can deal with it herself. I’m taking Janine home and Narena is free to sleep with whoever the hell she likes—except you.”

“That’s absolutely understood, Andy.”

Janine and Marla returned from the ladies’ room.

Without allowing myself to glance across the room at Narena, Janine and I left the restaurant.

She brushed against me as we walked to my car. Once inside, she placed a hand on my inner thigh.

For some reason her removing all doubt about the fact that we were going to fuck annoyed me. While I appreciated a modern woman as much as the next man, I preferred to do the chasing in a relationship. I wasn’t overly fond of women who tried to back me up against the nearest wall to fuck me.

Janine kept her hand on my thigh, close to my cock on the drive to her apartment. Once she brushed her hand against my cock and damned if I didn’t think of Narena and how I loved feeling her soft warm hands on my naked body. I immediately dismissed thoughts of her and forced myself to think only of Janine. And sex—with Janine. Not Narena.

We only got a few feet inside her apartment before she pulled off her clothes and grabbed my tie to pull me close to her nude body.

I bent to kiss her.

Her soft, warm lips parted under mine and she wound her arms around my neck.

I slid my hands down her back to cup her ass. It was firm and small. I longed for a larger, rounder, softer ass rubbing against my hands. Her ass was nice but no comparison to Narena’s perfect one.

Stop it, Prescott. Stop thinking about Narena and just enjoy being with the beautiful, willing, naked woman in your arms.

She unzipped my pants and slipped her hand inside to hold my cock as we engaged in a heated lip lock. I was fully committed to spending at least a few hours with her right up until the moment she rubbed my cock against her pussy and whispered that she was all mine.

As I reached for my wallet to remove a condom, I heard another voice saying the same thing—to another man. A sudden unwelcome thought hit me with the force of a hammer—Narena might be about to or already allowing the man I’d seen her with to fuck her.

The resultant surge of anger and what I had to admit was jealousy at the idea killed my desire for Janine.

I stepped away from her and pushed my cock back into my briefs.

“You’re confused, lover,” she told me laughing. “You’re supposed to be removing your pants.”

I shook my head and slid my zipper up.

“You’re doing that backwards. You’re supposed to take your pants and all your other clothes off and get naked,” she teased.

“I know but this was a bad idea.”

Her smile vanished. “What?”

“I thought I was ready for this but I’m not.”

She stared at me. “Ready for what?”

To sleep with you or any woman who isn’t Narena.
“I’m sorry. I’m not in the mood,” I said.

“You got me aroused. You can’t just walk away now.”

“I have to.”

“What? Are you gay or something?”

I glared at her. How like a damned woman to think any man who wasn’t interested in her was gay! “Hell no I’m not gay!”

“Then what’s your damned problem? If you have problems getting it up, I have a very talented mouth.”

“I don’t have any damn trouble getting hard!” I snapped.

“Then just what the fuck is your problem?”

You! You’re not the right woman!
“I told you. I’m not in the mood.”

“Fuck you, you selfish bastard!” She shoved at my shoulders. “Get out and don’t waste another woman’s time trying to pretend you’re not gay!”

I didn’t have the time or the inclination to try to convince her I was straight. I had more importance things to worry about than what she thought about my sexual preference. Narena was with another man. And that was not working for me.

Narena

Just when I thought my Anderson addiction was history, I met his brother and all the raw emotions I’d thought I had discarded came rushing back to subdue and entangle my heart again.

Things were going fine for me emotionally until the night of Tyron and my first solo night out without Candi and Rob. We’d really clicked and enjoyed being together without any sexual tension or desire between us. One night when we were having dinner at my apartment, we even called his fiancée and we “met” during a video chat. She and I promised to write each other and she felt comfortable knowing that she wouldn’t need to worry about Tyron and I spending time together.

On our solo date, he talked about her. As I listened, I was dismayed to find myself regretting that Anderson and I had never developed a relationship that would allow him to speak of me as if his world revolved around me as Tyron’s clearly did about his fiancée.

Once I allowed myself to think of Anderson, I knew my night was ruined. Then I glanced around the restaurant and saw him seated across the room. My heart raced and I bit my lip. He was with another woman. Then the man turned and I realized it wasn’t Anderson. But the man looked so much like him, he had to be Manning Prescott.

He turned his head suddenly and looked straight at me.

After a brief glance, I looked away but not before I realized he must know who I was.

After several minutes of feeling as if he were staring at me, I got up and went to the ladies’ room. When I emerged, he stood outside the door. I started to walk past him but he stepped in my path with his hand extended. “Hi. I’m Manning Prescott and you are Andy’s friend Narena.”

“We’re not friends,” I said, ignoring his hand.

He arched a brow and kept his hand extended.

There’s no need to be rude and ungracious, Rena.
I placed mine briefly in his. Or at least that was my intentions but he clasped his hand over mine and gave me a warm smile so reminiscent of Anderson that my heart ached.

“I’m delighted to meet you,” he said.

Oh God. He looked like Anderson. He sounded like him. Looking at him left me longing for Anderson and forced me to face the fact that I was far from over him. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too,” I moistened my lips. “Is he here?”

“No.”

“How…how is he?”

“He’s had much better times. How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes you are,” he said, smiling.

After a moment, I realized he was flirting with me and laughed. “Thanks.”

“Tell me, are you dating again?”

I blinked. “Excuse?”

“I couldn’t help noticing you’re here with another man.”

Another man? He made it sound as if he’d caught me cheating on Anderson. Surely that meant Anderson had given him reason to feel that way. “He’s a friend.”

“With our without?”

I knew what he meant and was about to tell him to mind his business when I thought better of it. I didn’t want Anderson to think I was sleeping with another man.
Another man? Get a grip, girl. You can sleep with whoever the hell you like without worrying about what Anderson I-get-my-milk-free-Prescott thinks about it
! “Without,” I admitted.

He blew out a breath. “Damn I’m glad to hear that.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

He arched a brow and squeezed my hand. “Can’t you?”

Embarrassed that he seemed to know I still cared what his brother thought, I drew my hand from his. “It was nice to meet you,” I said.

“Is there anything you’d like me to tell Andy?”

I miss him like hell and want him to be my man
. I shook my head.

“Not even hello?”

“Not even that.” I flashed a quick smile and walked away.

I could barely contain my relief when he didn’t follow me. Seated at the table again, I made sure not to look in his direction again. Still, I was aware of him and his frequent looks in my direction. Half an hour later, Tyron and I said good night, he walked me to my SUV, and I drove home.

The brief encounter with Manning Prescott had unnerved me and filled me with fresh doubts and regrets. For him to know who I was without our ever meeting, Anderson must have mentioned me frequently or at least in sufficient detail to make quite an impression on him. Or was that just wishful thinking because I wanted to believe that to be the truth?

At home, I removed my make-up and took a soak in an effort to ease some of my tension. When the water cooled, I slipped on a robe and walked into the bedroom as the phone buzzed to signal that I had a visitor in the lobby.

It was after eleven. My heart thumped because I just knew it was Anderson. I picked up the phone. “Yes?”

“Narena, it’s Anderson. I know it’s late but I need to see you.”

Don’t see him. If you do the meager progress you’ve made in trying to get over him will be blown to hell. Don’t go backwards.
“You can call me tomorrow.”

“Yes I can but I’m in your lobby now.”

“Now is not a good time for me.”

“Are you alone?”

How was that any of his business? “Yes.”

“I need to see you tonight. Please.”

“I just got out the shower. I haven’t even had time to dry off and put on my night clothes.”

“I’ve already seen you nude,” he reminded me.

His words conjured up memories of feeling his big warm hands on my naked flesh and his lips on mine as his cock pumped in and out of my pussy. And even though I knew his interest didn’t extend beyond sex, I wanted to see him. I wanted us both naked and aroused in my apartment. I wanted to close my eyes and savor the delight of having his thick shaft stretching me again.

I should have stood my ground and refused to see him but the fear that I might never see him again if I did drove my decision. I hung up the phone and pushed the buzzer to release the lobby door.

I probably should have put on perfume and makeup. Instead, I stood by the entrance door with a hand pressed against my chest, struggling to hold tears of relief at bay when he rang the bell outside my door.

I took a long deep breath. “Yes?”

“It’s Anderson.”

I took another deep breath, opened the door, and stepped back.

He entered quickly, closing the door behind him.

Keeping my eyes tear free proved difficult when he placed a dozen roses on the hall table.

He leaned against the door. “I thought I was okay with our not seeing each other again.”

“And or should I ask but?”

“I saw you with him and I…I felt…the thought of his touching you and making love to you…I need to hit the reset button. Let’s start again.”

I blinked. “That was weeks ago when you saw me with Rick and in case you forgot, you ruined my relationship with him.”

“I’m very glad to hear that but I saw you tonight with yet another man.”

Yet another man? Anyone listening to him would think I was a whore who couldn’t keep her legs closed. I frowned. “Tonight? You saw me tonight? Where?”

“At the restaurant.

“I didn’t see you.”

“I know. You were clearly too wrapped up in him to even notice that there were other men in the restaurant!”

I stared at him, surprised at the hostility in his voice. “And I suppose you were there alone?”

“No.”

My having dinner with another man bothered him—even while he was out with another woman? Same shit. Different day.

“But when I saw you with him…”

“What?”

“When I saw you with him, I felt as if…” He took a deep breath. “I can’t handle you sleeping with other men. I thought I could but I can’t.”

The
admission choked me up. “Where does that leave us, Anderson?”

“I don’t know.”

“Has your view on commitment changed?”

He shook his head. “I can’t say it has.”

“Neither has mine so I don’t know why you’re here.”

“I told you why I’m here. I want to start again. Can we do that?”