Smoke (16 page)

“Jon, don’t go shaking the weave from Sandra’s head trying to get her to confess she’s abusing her daughter; you gotta do this with coolness. We’re involved with a couple of youth groups; we’ll start inviting Amira to come hang out. The more time we spend with her the more she will open up.”

“Seriously, Anthony—Sandra will want to come along. She doesn’t hide she’s interested in me again since you dumped her. I’m not trying to ruin what I can have with Gabrielle.”

“My advice would be to tell Gabrielle everything if you plan on helping Amira. I told Melanie about it and she agrees with me. She wants to help.”

Jonathan leaned over dropping his head down. “How do I tell my new

girlfriend I want to spend time with another woman and her kid?”

“Gabrielle will probably offer to help. I’m hitting the showers.”

“Yeah, I’m right behind you.”

*****

Sandra waved to Amira as she exited the school. Inside the car she buckled her seat belt and waited for Amira to do the same. “So how was your day?”

The young girl’s head never lifted as she started at the floor of the car. “It was okay.”

“Amira, I’m talking to you and it is not polite to look away when someone is talking to you.”

Amira’s big brown eyes lifted towards her mother and in a small voice she said,

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“It’s okay, baby; next time remember to make eye contact. How did Jonathan do at career day?”

“He did good; all the kids had questions for him.”

“That’s great, baby. Did you let your friends know he was going to be your daddy?”

“No,” she said as her eyes filled with confusion.

“Would you like Jonathan to be your father? I think he would be a great father for you; more so than that lying Anthony.”

Amira didn’t answer but saw the change in her mother’s eyes as she peered at her through the rearview mirror.

Upset the child didn’t respond, Sandra yelled. “I asked you a question! Do you want Jonathan to be your father?”

“Yes, Mom, I do,” she answered cowering closer to the door of the car.

“I’m not going to hit you in front of people; how stupid do you think I am! But, when we get home, I want you to call him. Amira, you better get him to our house somehow or you will regret it.” Sandra’s eyes shrunk to narrow slits.

“Mom, I have a sleepover tonight, remember.”

“Dammit! Alright, I have to think of another plan. Not one word of our

conversation is to be said to your friend; do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Banging on the steering wheel Sandra threw the car into reverse and backed from the space driving recklessly.

*****

After dinner Gabrielle and Jonathan retreated to the living room to watch

television. Jonathan stroked Gabrielle’s shoulder as she lay across his lap. He’d managed to keep his composure lively when his mind often drifted to Amira. He remembered the sleepover and for a few minutes, was relieved to know the child was safe somewhere else until he could figure out what to do.

He checked his watch after realizing Gabrielle had fallen asleep; it was close to eleven. Taking his feet off the coffee table, he shook her shoulders. “Babe, wake up.

I’m getting ready to go home.”

Gabrielle stirred, turning over on his lap. “Why are you leaving?”

“So you can get to bed and I’m beat too. Those young boys put a hurting on me and Anthony playing basketball today.”

She sat up folding the afghan over the arm of the sofa. “We can go to bed, if you want.”

“Is that an invitation to stay the night?”

“Jonathan, are we going backwards and pretending we haven’t slept together already? We can actually go to bed and not have sex,” she said stretching the kinks from her back.

He stood up. “Okay, let’s retire for the night.”

A few minutes later Gabrielle appeared from the bathroom dressed in a soft orange silk nightie. She slid beside him fluffing her pillow to get comfortable. “This has been a long week. I was assigned Nick to my caseload. When he is able, I will be treating him.”

Jonathan folded his arms behind his head. “Has he come out of the coma?”

“Yes. He’s being kept medically sedated and still on a ventilator but he can respond to commands. Baby, he was at the hospital for you; why aren’t you or Anthony there for him?”

“Gabrielle, this whole thing with Nick is complicated. I swear I will try to explain it to you one day.”

“Okay, but what else is bothering you. You have been distant all evening. Have I done something?”

“You noticed. I thought I was doing a pretty good job keeping it from you.”

“You haven’t; so tell me what’s wrong.”

He turned on his side putting his arm around her. “How did you know orange was my favorite color?”

“I guess I’m psychic. Tell me what happened, Jonathan. I don’t want to start our relationship with secrets between us.”

“What’s on my mind doesn’t have to do with us. Anthony laid some

information on me today that took me by surprise.”

“Whatever it is it must be serious.”

“It is. He thinks Amira is being abused by her mother. I thought he was talking nonsense but he said he’s noticing a pattern in Amira that he used to have when he was abused by his dad.”

She sat up. “What kind of abuse? Is she beating her child?”

“He thinks its verbal abuse. He wants me to get Amira to talk about it.”

“Do it, Jonathan. If that child is being abused, maybe her father should know what is going on.”

“We’re not sure if the father is in the picture. Amira doesn’t mention him and Anthony said Sandra never talked about him either.”

“That little girl lights up every time she is around you. It’s obvious you are offering her a missing element in her life. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I want you to be patient with me. We’re just getting to know one another and already I’m asking you to let me spend time with another woman in order to help a child.”

The cringing nag in her head had gone dormant for nearly a day, suddenly sprung forward. “How can I say no when so much rides on Amira’s well-being; she is more important at the moment.”

“Don’t say it like I’m not gonna be around. Gabrielle, you come first and I will make time for you—for our relationship.”

“Um-hum,” she said turning over.

He kissed her shoulder caressing her arm with his hand; she moved away.

“Gabrielle, c’mon are you mad?”

Pulling the comforter over her shoulder she closed her eyes. “No, I’m just tired.

Goodnight, Jonathan.”

“Are you too tired for me to do this?” His hand cuddled around her waist to caress her belly moving upward to cup her breast tweaking the nipple until it hardened.

He could feel her body tremor through the fabric of her nightie but she made no effort to give into his seduction.

Gabrielle remained still not giving him the satisfaction of letting him know the arousal was getting the better of her. He pressed his nude body in close to her backside; rubbing his hardness against her behind. She moved over closer to the edge of the bed, only he moved with her not releasing his hold.

Turning her on her back, he slipped the thin straps of the nightie around her shoulders blades pushing it down to her waist. He trapped her upper body beneath him so she couldn’t move away from. He licked around her nipple, taking it in his mouth to suck gently before switching to the other to do the same.

Gabrielle refused to return his seduction. She wasn’t mad with him for wanting to help a child in need, but the thought of him spending time with Sandra Rhodes was unsettling her nerves. The woman could not be trusted and with their relationship being new she was liable to do anything she could to get her claws into Jonathan.

Jonathan continued to manipulate her nipples with his lips and tongue. Using his hands to wander beneath her panties, her attitude was not responding physically but her body was. He parted her clamped thighs enough to slip a finger inside her moist folds. A sharp breath escaped her lips allowing him to slide his tongue insider her mouth when he kissed her. Her body relaxed allowing him to slip another finger inside to join the first.

Gabrielle new it was pointless to fight and gave into his temptation. The man was a master at seduction and she wasn’t fooling herself into believing she wasn’t interested in making love to him.

Jonathan felt the current shift in his favor as she kissed him back. Moving on top of her, he entered her in on swift motion causing her to bite lightly on his shoulder. He growled as she closed tightly around him sucking him in deeper. He grinded his hips against her pelvis in a slow rhythm making love to the woman he already knew he would not be able to live without.

Gabrielle pushed at his shoulders. “Jonathan, you have to stop now,” she rasped.

“I can’t,” he grunted putting his hands under her hips pumping harder. “You feel so damn good.”

An orgasm blindsided her; rocking her body in unison with his. Resting on top of her, Jonathan closed his eyes then opened them wide. “Holy shit!” He exclaimed looking down at her.

“I tried to stop you.”

He rubbed his forehead with his fingers disgusted with himself. “How close are you?”

“I should be safe this time.”

“See what you do to me, woman! I lose control when I’m around you.”

“Is this all we will do, Jonathan?” She asked pulling her nightgown over her head. “I just want to make sure I have it correct so there won’t be any misconceptions.”

“Is this our first fight?”

“No this is not a fight but a clarification.”

“What do we need to clarify, Gabrielle; just tell me what I’ve done wrong so I can apologize and we can move past it?”

“A lot of this is me talking. I know I wanted us to get to know each other and move slow but, all we’re doing is having sex when we’re together.”

“Before I put my foot in my mouth, is this a good or bad thing for you?”

“Jonathan, I’m saying I don’t know anything about you. Our time together is limited and if we spend all of it in bed, where will we find the time to see if we’re compatible outside of the bedroom?”

“Wait, our time is limited? Why is our time limited?”

She paced the bedroom. “You said you want to spend time with Sandra Rhodes in order to help Amira. How are you going to do that unless you use your time off work to spend with them?”

“First off I don’t want to spend my days off with Sandra. I’ll have to be around her in order to get close to Amira.”

She ran her hand through her short hair saying, “Same difference, Jonathan. She will be with you and Amira.”

“What happened to you looking forward to embracing our relationship?”

“I obviously spoke out of turn. Sandra is interested in you, and for my own piece of mind, I have to end this before my heart gets caught in the middle of a tug of war that I have no chance in winning.”

“Gabrielle, what the hell happened? I can help Amira and not have a damn thing to do with her mother. As far as the sex, yeah it does seem we hit the bedroom a lot, but I have every intention in getting to know you. I’ve already learned the intimate and fun sides of you and, now I’m seeing more of an insecure side you’ve never shown.”

“I’m learning more about you. You are very sincere when it comes to kids and I applaud you for that. You also stand your ground when you make a decision. I have to do the same.”

“Dammit! I also know what I want and Sandra ain’t it—you are. I’m okay if you want us to stop having sex until you’re more comfortable with me; I can do that. I will do whatever you want me to do, Gabrielle—but don’t end it. What we have is special.”

She rubbed the cold chill running down her arms. “I wanted what we were starting to be special, too.”

“Pulling on his boxers, he went over to her. “Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is I think we should stop with everything until you figure out what is going on with Amira.”

The deep scowl on his face darkened his color. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

She took a step back for space. “You lean a lot about a person after you’ve spent time with them. Sandra Rhodes might not be the woman we think she is, but very intriguing and with Amira already tugging at your heart strings, this ready-made family might be hard for you to walk away from. I’m going to take a bath.”

Jonathan felt the weight of her words crashing over him. What she said held truth, but not for him. Reaching for her arm, he stopped her from leave. “Gabrielle, that won’t happen. If you have a better way for me to handle this, by all means, tell me.”

“I don’t because without proof of the abuse, there is only speculation. I’m sure you will get to the bottom of what is going on with Amira and I pray she isn’t being abused—no child deserves that treatment.” She wiggled her arm from his grasp and took her robe from the chair saying, “You know, it is mighty funny how Anthony didn’t volunteer to stay with Sandra to help Amira. He is perfectly happy making sure his rekindled relationship with Melanie stays secure while letting you risk losing yours.”

Jonathan flopped down on the bed, covering his head with this hand. Gabrielle might have been young in age but wiser beyond her twenty-nine years. She was protecting herself from possibly being hurt and he couldn’t blame her.

*****

Jonathan opened the bedroom door. Gabrielle was sleeping peacefully and he hated to wake her. Sitting the tray on the dresser, he lit the single candle and placed the one yellow rose in the vase. He chose the yellow rose because of her tattoo and figured it held a symbolism for her.

Quietly he picked through the stack of CD’s sitting next to the small portable player on the dresser. According to the selection, she favored R&B singers like Toni Braxton, Beyoncé and other singers that sang the best of soulful love songs.

Choosing a Brian McKnight CD, he turned the music down to a soft level after Gabrielle stirred on the bed. Carrying the tray over to the bed, he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead. “Wake up sleeping beauty.”

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes tighter together blocking the sunlight filtering the room. “What time is it?” She asked in a sleepy voice.