Redemption (Iris Series) (21 page)

She was groaning and gasping, frozen in the midst of the pulsations between her legs, and bucking her hips up higher and higher.  Eventually she let her legs drop back down onto the sofa, her body feeling overly sensitized.  She was gulping for air, trying to get her bearings again.

“Baby,” Jon moaned.  “I can’t wait to fuck you.  I seriously can’t wait to be so deep inside you and feel your muscles clench around me and suck at my cock,” he growled.  “I fucking
cannot
wait.”  He was breathing heavily too, and she could only imagine what his own time decompressing had been like.

“You and me both, baby,” she breathed.  “You’re gonna burn me up.  I know it.”

“We’re almost there, gorgeous.  The wait is gonna make it that much sweeter.”

“I know,” she sighed, finally coming down from her climax.  “I know.”  She cleared her throat.  “I’m meeting with Janie tomorrow before going over to the precinct, so I’ll just meet you and everyone over there, okay.”

“Okay, babe.  Tomorrow is ten days left.  When tomorrow is over, it will only be nine more days.”

She smiled, and laughed lightly.  “Yup.  We got this.”

“Yan?”  He sounded hesitant.

“Yeah?”

“Nothing,” he said after a pause.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.  Sleep well, okay, baby?”

“You know it, champ.  You, too.”

“Bye, babe.”  Then he disconnected.

She lay there, wishing she could tell him she loved him.  She almost thought he was going to say something important just then, but maybe that was wishful thinking on her part.  She’d hoped.  But she knew it was too fast.  She would be counting the days toward
that
moment, too.

The next day, Ayanna and Janie spent a good chunk of time at Janie’s place.  The kitchen and its vast array of commercial grade appliances were perfect for
The Local Yokel
.  Her place was great.  Stream lined with industrial flare, exposed brick, large windows—it was the epitome of the New York City loft.  They continued talking about Ayanna’s role and the various upcoming events that had been booked, big moneymaking ones that would push the business toward profitability. 

They were already dressed in workout gear
. Janie was wearing snug leggings over her shapely legs and a bright colored sports bra with a fitted tank top over it.  Her long and curly strawberry blonde hair was back in a ponytail, and she was all boobs and curves.  It was too bad the man she secretly had a thing for wasn’t going to be at this self-defense class. There was no way he’d see her as a sister in that get up.

Ayanna also had on leggings, coupled with a fitted racer back tank top and built-in bra.  She wore a peach colored one because Jon had liked her in the tangerine colored dress the other night.  She was turning into the biggest dork.

By 5pm, they were arriving at the 9th Precinct on the Lower East Side where Michael Callahan served as a detective, and where the self-defense class was set up.  Because Janie was Michael’s sister, she was recognized immediately at the front desk and they were taken down to the gym where the officers worked out.

When they walked in, Michael was already there along with Ryann and Jeremy.  Luke and Tiffany Daniels, the twin brother and sister who grew up with all of them were also there.

As Ayanna scoped out the gym, she couldn’t help but note the men in the group, all easily three or four inches over six feet tall.  There must’ve been something in the water the year they were conceived because all three of them were taller than the average guy.  All in great shape, they each had distinctly different looks about them.  It appeared that Jeremy and Luke wouldn’t be participating in the class since they looked to be dressed for dinner already. 

Jeremy McCallister, Ryann’s significant other, had short thick brown hair and dark green eyes.  Chiseled good looks with scruff always found on his face, he had an intense and animalistic look about him.  Certainly handsome enough to be on any movie poster, he was dressed in gray flat front slacks and an Armani black t-shirt with black slip-ons on his feet.  As the son of famous New York artist Tabitha Lowe
, but an art dealer and gallery owner in his own right, he’d been considered one of Manhattan’s most eligible bachelors until he saw Ryann. He pursued Ryann with a vengeance and snatched her up in record time.  Now living together in his brownstone, the two were starting their lives together.

Luke Daniels had darker hair that hung a touch longer than his childhood friend’s, artfully wavy and slicked back from his face.  With arresting light blue eyes and very black rims
around the irises, they were the first feature that one noticed when looking at him.  Ayanna seemed to remember hearing that his dad was British and his mom was from Spain, which explained his olive toned skin.  His striking eye color coupled with his skin tone and dark hair gave him a European look, and the fact that he was a CEO for a major fashion conglomerate only added to his appeal.  Dressed impeccably but simply in stylish navy slacks and a fitted textured pale lavender button down with colorful silk tie, his fashion flair only added to his heartthrob status.

Michael Callahan, however, was a completely different animal.  Janie’s brother was dressed for rolling around on the mat in his NYPD t-shirt and sweatpants, and there was no doubt he was ready for action.  He was the playboy of the bunch with his Robert Downey, Jr. good looks mixed in with a playfulness that immediately drew women to him.  He was an outrageous flirt and extremely sexual, always charming and touching the women around him.  A demonstrative man to say the least, he was forever hugging and kissing, and Ayanna loved him dearly for the simple fact that he’d saved Ryann’s life four weeks earlier.

The last of the bunch was Tiffany Daniels-Hewitt, a tall striking woman with coloring that matched her twin brother’s.  Long black hair was secured in a clip on her head and she was dressed for the occasion in designer workout gear.  She was a sweet, brilliant socialite with a conscience and tended to babble when she was nervous, which was really quite a thing to watch.  The last time Ayanna had seen Tiffany was at the gathering for Ryann a couple of weeks earlier with the rest of the folks who had stopped by to check on Ryann’s recovery.  Ryann’s doctor, Drew Huntington had been there, and watching Tiffany use up all of the oxygen in the room with her nervous chatter while fluttering around was a sight to behold.  All those around her found her endearing and irresistible.  There was no doubt Tiffany had found the light skinned African American doctor attractive, and now that she was divorced from that cheating asshole of a politician, she was free to pursue other men to her heart’s content.

As soon as the group noticed Ayanna and Janie walk in, two things immediately happened. 

One, Ryann walked over to hug and welcome them. 

Two, Luke Daniels zeroed right in on Janie with his pale blue eyes.  And if Ayanna read the situation correctly, she would say she’d just discovered the identity of the man whose attention Janie had been trying to snag.

And boy, did she snag it.

Ah yes, this was gonna be fun.  Janie, who was playing it cool, didn’t pay Luke any mind and hugged Ryann, taking part in some small talk until her brother came over to welcome them.

“Geez La-fuckin’-weez, Janie.  Your tits are practically poppin’ outta that thing,” he muttered.

Ayanna, Tiffany and Ryann all smacked him simultaneously.

“Ow!” he yelled, cowering slightly.  “I was just making an observation!” he whined.

All three women said at the same time, “Well don’t!”

He guffawed.  “I wasn’t insulting her.  Janie knows she looks awesome.  I was just sayin’.”  He turned to Janie.  “I don’t think I’ve seen you in workout clothes since you’ve lost the weight.  You always have the chef jackets on and they usually hide everything.”

He reached his arm around her neck and pulled her in to kiss the top of her head, then gave her a noogie. 

“You’re such a pain in the ass, Mike,” she mumbled against his shirt.

“Yup.  Just realizing my baby sis isn’t a baby anymore.  You’re a little hottie.  It’s disconcerting for big brothers to see their baby sisters that way.  Cut me some slack, would ya?”

Janie sighed and released herself from his grip, then rolled her eyes.

By this time the rest of the crew had meandered over. 

Luke remained quiet, but watched the conversation and gave Janie a “hey babe” and kissed her on the cheek. 

Ayanna did a quick calculation knowing Luke and Tiffany were the same age as Jeremy, and Janie was the same age as her.  There were probably four or five years between them, with Janie at 28, and Luke at around 32 or so.  If they’d all grown up together it was no wonder Luke had seen Janie as a baby sister given the age difference.

Jeremy also gave a round of hugs turning to Ayanna and hugging her as well.

“I guess this self-defense class is coming at the perfect time.  You doing okay after the other night?”

“Yeah.  Thanks for asking,” she said squeezing his hand.

“I’m glad Jonathan was there for you,” he said with a serious look.

Ryann interjected.  “Just the same, Ayanna had the guy flattened even before Jonathan got there.”

“True.  But it
was
nice to have him there.  He burst in right after I nailed the guy in the gonads,” Ayanna said with a smile.

“Thatta girl,” Jeremy smirked.  “Always aim for the nuts, ladies.”

Jeremy turned to Janie, giving her a special hug.

Ayanna hung close to Ryann, but they were both listening to his conversation with his cousin.

“You know, cuz,” he said to Janie on the side while the others were talking, “you really do look good.  I know it’s been a couple of years since you’ve lost the weight, but I don’t know if I’ve ever said how proud I am of you.  You’ve worked your ass off, literally and figuratively, and you deserve all the ogling you get from the men,” he chuckled.  “Just watch out for some of ’em.  We can be assholes when we’re around a beautiful woman.”

Ryann jumped in.  “Yes, they can, Janie.  He knows that of which he speaks,” she smiled giving Jeremy a pointed look.

He chuckled then grabbed Ryann to him.

“You saw past my assholish ways, you know.”

“That’s only because you wouldn’t leave me the hell alone.  I had no choice,” she muttered with a grin teasing at her lips.

He shrugged.  “Hey, I saw something I wanted, and I went after it.”

“Yes, you did and I couldn’t be happier,” Ryann said, leaning up to kiss him.

Jeremy took it one step further and dipped her, kissing her dramatically.

“I’m gonna have to learn some moves today to keep you at bay,” Ryann giggled when he let her back up.

“Give it your best shot, baby,” Jeremy murmured, looking like he was about to swallow her whole.  “I’ll look forward to it.”

Ryann blushed as she often did when flustered, then cleared her throat.

Ayanna loved watching them.  She smiled, so happy that her BFF found a great man to love and who equally adored her in return.

She turned to Janie and cleared her throat, whispering, “So.  Umm, Luke?”  Ayanna punctuated the question with a raised eyebrow.

Janie looked back, her expression akin to one who’d just had her hand caught in the cookie jar.  Then she sighed, looked over to Luke who was talking to Michael and Tiffany, and nodded.

“Well,” Ayanna said, looping her arm through Janie’s, “I’d say you’ve given him something to think about.  And I guarantee you, it won’t be sisters.”  She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“That’s the idea, right?”

“Yup.  You got this,” she encouraged.

A movement caught Ayanna’s eye at the entrance of the gym.  She turned her head...and there he was. 

Her dream man.

Dressed in fitted, casual khaki slacks, a checked pale green button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and his slip on docksiders, Jonathan’s eyes latched onto hers then leisurely perused the length of her body.  The light smile touching his lips reached a full blown grin when his eyes made their way back up to hers again.

She excused herself from Janie and walked over to Jonathan, thinking about the night before and what they’d experienced together.  Ayanna’s breath caught in her throat as she arrived in front of him.

“Hey, you,” she breathed.

“Hey, yourself.”

“Do you know how difficult it is for me not to jump you right now?” she asked softly, licking her lips.

“About as difficult as it is for me not to throw you over my shoulder, take you somewhere, and fuck you silly,” he murmured, looking at her lips.

She let go of a nervous laugh and touched her ponytail. 

“Well.  Okay.”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Ten days and counting, sex goddess.”  Then he kissed her lips and wrapped his arms around her hugging her tight.

She was thrilled and a little surprised by the public display of affection.

He sensed her surprise and said while still holding her, “Just marking my territory for the other men in the room.  They’ve had plenty of time to make their moves at the last couple of gatherings.  You’re mine now,” he finished in a husky voice.