Chapter 19
Nydia tapped a key on the laptop and forwarded the payroll data for her last account. She’d spent most of the day doing payroll for the three restaurants, and now that she had completed the task, the owners of the restaurants only had to print out and sign paychecks. She had also electronically filed the tax forms for the third quarter, which kept various tax bureaus from issuing penalties.
While recuperating from surgery, she’d enlisted her father to drive her to each of the restaurants, where she spent hours training the owners to submit the information on their employees’ work hours on their computers, which eliminated the need for her to retrieve the data in person. They’d installed time clocks that tracked the cumulative number of work hours, which they forwarded to Nydia at the end of each payroll period. Rolling her head from side to side, she attempted to relieve the stiffness in her shoulders from sitting in the same position for hours.
Her cell phone rang and she picked it up, smiling. “Hola.”
It had been two days since she’d last spoken to Lamar. After the Toussaint gathering she had returned to the hotel with Jasmine and Cameron. She’d thrown herself into her work to keep her mind off the man who unknowingly had her thinking of him when she didn’t want to; he had invaded her sleep, and she experienced erotic dreams that left her shaken from sensations reminding her why she was born female. Nydia lost count of the number of times she’d picked up her cell to call him and invite him to spend the night with her, but in the end threw herself into her work.
“Hello to you, too,” Lamar crooned, singsong. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No. In fact I just finished working and planned on ordering room service, and then turning in early to watch a movie.”
“Would you like to eat out?”
Nydia smiled. Lamar was giving her the opening she wanted. “I’m too wound up to be a good dining partner. I need to stay in and relax. But I wouldn’t be opposed if you’d come and eat with me.”
There was a pregnant pause before Lamar said, “Do you still want to order room service, or should I bring something?”
“I’ll order, Lamar. What do you want?”
“Surprise me.” His velvety laugh caressed her ear.
“You may regret saying that.”
“No, mijo. I never regret anything I say. You should know that by now.”
“You’re right about that. What’s on your calendar for tomorrow?”
“Chillin’,” she drawled.
Lamar laughed again. “How long do you plan to chill?”
“At least two days.”
“I’m taking the rest of the week off, so I’m available if you want to visit Cajun country.”
Nydia swiveled on her chair and stared at the rain sluicing down the windows. It had begun raining earlier that morning and was predicted to continue for the rest of the week. “I don’t want to go out in the rain.”
“What’s the matter, brown sugar? Are you afraid of melting?”
“Yes. I’m a Leo, a cat, and we don’t like water.”
“What do you suggest we do?”
“Come and hang out with me and I’m certain we can come up with a few things to do to keep us occupied.”
There came another pause. “If I come and stay with you, you know what it means?”
“I know exactly what it means, Lamar.”
“If that’s the case, give me time to pack a bag and pick up a few things before I come over. Meanwhile, wait about thirty minutes before you order room service.”
“What can you eat?” Nydia asked him.
“Everything but sushi. I’m allergic to raw fish.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“Luego, mi amor.”
Nydia ended the call. Lamar calling her his love lingered with her as she walked into the bathroom to shower. She knew inviting him to live with her in the suite for the next two days would definitely be a turning point in their relationship. Her attempt to hide her feelings for Lamar behind witty and what she deemed skillful repartee had failed miserably. She was in love with the single father, wanted to marry him and become the mother Kendra had lost. She knew she could never replace the girl’s mother, and she wouldn’t pretend to. Nydia wanted Kendra to trust her enough to confide in her, and together they would navigate the bumpy road from adolescence to adulthood.
* * *
Nydia opened the door to Lamar’s knock, her smile telling him silently that she was glad to see him. A mass of damp curls framing her face had replaced the sleek hairstyle. She stepped aside, and he walked into the suite and set his overnight bag on the floor. His hands circled her waist as he lifted her effortlessly off her feet.
It had only been two days since he last saw her, but it felt as if it had been twenty-two or even longer. He still could not believe how much she had become a part of his life so that he wanted and needed to see her every day. He loved listening to the timbre of her voice, which was a sultry contralto. He also loved her catlike eyes with pinpoints of shimmering green and gold he found mesmerizing. And since meeting Nydia he had come to curse his eidetic memory, because he was able to recall everything about her down to the tiny beauty mark on her left shoulder.
He inhaled the light floral scent on her bare skin when he buried his face against the column of her neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Nydia tightened her hold on his neck. “It’s only been two days since we last saw each other,” she whispered in his ear.
“It wouldn’t have been two days if I’d asked to come over Sunday night.”
“And I would’ve said no because I had work to do and didn’t need any distractions.”
He set her on her feet. “I’m a distraction?”
Nydia cradled his face between her hands. “You would’ve been, because I needed to do payroll for my accounts.”
Lamar kissed the end of her nose. “I stand corrected. There’s nothing worse than working and not getting paid.”
Walking over to the chair in the entryway, Lamar sat and unlaced his favored Doc Martens. Nydia was right about the weather. A tropical depression had stalled over the Gulf with the prediction of rain for several days. He had looked forward to touring Cajun country with Nydia; however, the weather had conspired against them. Spending time with her in her hotel suite definitely had its advantages, because it would give him the opportunity to determine whether he wanted to ask her to marry him. It was no longer about whether they were sexually compatible but whether they were like-minded and their personalities well suited to each other.
His concern whether his daughter would accept Nydia was without merit; she talked incessantly about how much she liked her and how much she enjoyed their cooking lessons.
Lamar unzipped the bag and removed a bottle each of red and white wine and a corkscrew. “I didn’t know what you ordered, so I decided to bring both.”
Nydia took the bottles from his outstretched hands and placed them on the table she had set with place settings for two. She smiled at Lamar over her shoulder. “I ordered ahi tuna tartare, sushi, and sashimi.”
Lamar’s eyes grew wide. “I told you—”
“I got you good!” Nydia said, cutting him off. “I know you’re allergic to raw fish, so I ordered roast herb chicken, smothered cabbage, sweet potatoes, and cornbread.”
“That sounds delicious and . . .” His words trailed off with a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” Lamar opened the door, and a waiter pushed a cart with covered dishes into the suite. He stood off to the side while the young man placed the dishes on the dining area table.
“Please ring the kitchen when you’re finished, and I’ll come back and pick up everything.”
Lamar nodded and slipped him a bill. “Thank you.” Waiting until the man left and closing the door behind him, he turned and smiled at Nydia. She appeared so young and fresh with her bare face, tank top, drawstring cotton pants, and sock-covered feet. “I’m going to go and wash my hands.”
* * *
Nydia stood at the table, waiting for Lamar to return from the bathroom. When he walked in carrying a bag, the enormity of what they would share hit her like a punch to the nose. It definitely was a wakeup call as to the turn her life had taken. She was going to share a bed and her body with a man who’d come into her life like a rising fog that cloaked her in a protective cocoon from which she had nothing to fear. He’d become her protector, her knight in shining armor, and he was so different from any other man she’d met or known.
She’d discovered him to be as candid as she was—something she admired because she never had to guess what he was thinking. He was loyal to his daughter and his business partners and always cognizant of their feelings and opinions. She had checked off two of her prerequisites: he liked women and was solvent. The remaining one was their sexual compatibility. A secret smile parted her lips when she realized she wouldn’t have to wait too much longer to determine whether she could check off the last one.
Sex was important for Nydia, even though she did not think of the lack of it as the ultimate deal breaker. She knew she could continue to see Lamar without sleeping with him. She’d known some couples who had satisfying relationships where sex wasn’t a paramount factor. Love and respect for each other was. Her mother had confessed that it had taken nearly two months of marriage before she learned to enjoy making love with her husband. Unlike her mother, Nydia would not come to Lamar a virgin, but a woman who knew her body and how to use it to bring herself and her partner ultimate physical satisfaction.
Her eyes caressed his tall, toned body in a black long-sleeved tee and matching jeans. “Which wine do you want?”
He neared the table and picked up the corkscrew. “The choice is yours.”
“White.”
Lamar reached for the bottle. “White it is.”
* * *
Dinner had become a leisurely affair when Nydia had dimmed the lights in the living area and tuned a radio to a station featuring cool jazz. She kept him entertained with stories about her relatives in Puerto Rico and on the mainland. She revealed that her brother Joaquin was gay; he and his husband lived in Nebraska and had adopted two boys who’d spent most of their lives in foster homes.
“Good for him. Unfortunately there are too many children in foster care who need a forever home.”
Nydia gave him a direct stare. “Would you ever consider adopting a child?”
“I would if I was a single father.”
“How about if you were married?” she asked.
A dark eyebrow lifted slightly as Lamar stared at the food on his plate. “That would depend on my wife.” His head popped up. “We both would have to agree; otherwise it wouldn’t work.” It was his turn to give Nydia a long, penetrating stare. “Would you ever think of adopting a child?”
“Of course. My mother wants more grandchildren, and she has been nagging me to get married and have a baby, but I told her that I didn’t have to be married to have a baby.”
“Should I assume that didn’t go over too well with her?”
“Not at all. My mother is old school when it comes to family. She believes in dating, marriage, and babies, in that order.”
Leaning back in his chair, Lamar stared at something over Nydia’s head. “What would she say about you dating a widower with a daughter?”
“There isn’t anything she could say, because she’s never told me who I could or couldn’t date. Even though she wasn’t too fond of my ex, she never interfered.”
“Are you saying she would approve of you marrying me?”
Nydia stared at him. Nothing moved on her, not even her eyes. “Are you asking me to marry you?” The query was barely above a whisper.
Whenever he thought about Nydia the notion of marrying her was always a possibility, but now that he’d asked her he couldn’t retract it. “I was just asking hypothetically.”
Nydia shook her head. “There is nothing hypothetical about a marriage proposal. Either it is or it’s not.”
Lamar knew she had backed him into the proverbial corner. He knew he was falling in love with Nydia, but there were other factors to consider. Did she like him enough to even consider becoming his wife? Even though she and Kendra appeared fond of each other, that didn’t translate into her being willing to assume the responsibility of being a mother to her.
“Yes.”
The single word had come from a place Lamar did not know existed. He’d never acted on impulse, but there was something about Nydia that made him do and say things that were so foreign that he had begun to doubt himself.
Nydia closed her eyes for several seconds, and when she opened them they were a deep, verdant green. “You propose marriage when we’ve only kissed a few times.”
“That’s because whenever I want to kiss you, you push me away.”
“That’s only when Kendra is present. What message would that send, Lamar?”
He nodded. “You’re right about that.”
“I know I’m right.”
“Do you always have to have the last word?”
“No, but—”
Lamar held up a hand, stopping her comeback. “Can you please be quiet for a few minutes while I explain myself?” He smiled when she nodded. “I’ve fought my feelings for you from the very moment I saw you get out of Jasmine’s minivan.”
“And that’s when you had your hard-on.”
Lamar shook his head in exasperation. “I thought you weren’t going to say anything.” Nydia pantomimed zipping her lips. “I know now that I shouldn’t have told you about that, but that’s neither here or there. I like everything about you, Nydia. You make me feel things I’ve never experienced with any other woman I’ve known. You’re always so positive despite whatever craziness that’s going on in your life. You make me laugh when I don’t feel like laughing, and you make it so easy for me to love you.”
“You love me,” Nydia said in a quiet voice.
Lamar smiled. “Yes.”
She blinked once. “Why?”
His smile vanished. “You have to ask me why when I just told you why I want and need you in my life?”
“What about Kendra? Have you asked her whether she’s willing to share you with me?”
“No.”
“Then I suggest you do, Lamar, because I refuse to become a part of a situation with a girl who resents me because she believes I’ve taken her father from her.”
“I’ll talk to her, but only after we announce our engagement.”
“There’s not going to be an engagement until we work through a few things. First of all, this is happening much too quickly for me, and I’m still trying to sort out my feelings for you.”
“Do you think you could love me?” Lamar asked Nydia.
“Don’t be silly. Of course. Do you realize we still haven’t dated in the traditional sense, and you’re already talking about engagements and marriage?”
Lamar knew she was right. He did not know why he was rushing her into something she wasn’t quite ready for, but he did not want to lose her. “I’m sorry, mi amor. I have no right to put pressure on you, especially after what you’ve gone through with that jackass of an ex-boyfriend. I’ll give you all of the time you need to either accept or reject my proposal.”
Pushing back her chair, Nydia stood up and came around the table. She sat on Lamar’s lap and buried her face against his neck. “You have to know that I’m falling in love with you, otherwise I wouldn’t continue to see you. I haven’t had the best luck when it comes to men, so if it doesn’t work out with us, then I’m done with them.” He listened intently as Nydia told him about the man who’d taken her innocence and then deceived her by not telling her he was married. His mouth covered hers in a healing kiss while silently communicating that she could trust him, that he would love and protect her.
Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and Lamar’s heart turned over when he recognized vulnerability in Nydia for the first time. The beautiful, smart, and sassy woman had just shown him another side of her bubbly personality. And as much as he wanted to make love to her he didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was like this.
“Go to bed, sweets. I’ll take care of all of this.”
Moisture separated her long lashes. “Are you sure?”
He kissed her nose. “Of course I’m sure. Go and relax and I’ll be in soon.”
Nydia slipped off his lap and walked in the direction of the bedroom, his eyes following her retreat. He cursed the men who’d used her for their own selfish motives. Her college instructor and her singer-boyfriend were predators who’d exploited her generosity, and Lamar prayed it would not become a replay with him.
There were times when he wished that he’d remarried, if only to give Kendra a mother, because he did not understand all that went into raising a daughter. Nydia had run down the list that she’d been told when dating, and it had frightened him because of the dangers a young girl could be faced with when dealing with a boy. The year he turned thirteen his father had given him “the talk” about the changes going on in his body and about not having sex until he felt he was mature enough to deal with the consequences if he did get a girl pregnant. Becoming a baby daddy was never a thought for Lamar, and he always made certain to use a condom whenever he slept with a woman. There were several classmates who’d short-circuited their chances of attending college when a girl told them she was pregnant with their baby.
He recalled the time he’d broached the subject of where babies came from with Kendra, as he cleared the table, and she stopped him abruptly when she said the health teacher at school had talked to the girls about their bodies. He’d felt awkward talking to her about sex, and it was the one of the many times he wished Valerie had been alive to have the conversation with her.
Lamar recorked the bottle of wine and stored it in the mini fridge. He’d noticed Nydia’s eyelids drooping before she finished her first glass, and knew it was either the wine or she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.
Picking up the house phone, he dialed the kitchen and requested someone retrieve the dishes he’d placed on the floor outside the door. Unlike some hotels, the staff at the Louis LaSalle had established and maintained a reputation for impeccable lodgings and fine dining.
Lamar glanced at the clock on the microwave. It wasn’t quite eight-thirty and too early for him to go to bed, so he decided to sit up and watch television. He found a channel featuring a Black-ish marathon and settled down to watch the entertaining sitcom about a successful black father with a beautiful wife and five children living in an upscale California neighborhood.
After six episodes he turned off the television, retrieved his toiletry bag from the carry-on, and went into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. It was after eleven when he finally slipped into bed next to Nydia. She stirred slightly but did not wake up. Sharing a bed with her seemed as natural to Lamar as breathing. He lay there trying to imagine being married to her, and somehow the images weren’t as clear as he’d hoped they would be. She wanted time and he would give her time, because now that she was going to live in New Orleans, distance was no longer an impediment to their relationship.
* * *
Nydia opened her eyes and saw a sliver of daylight coming through the partially closed bedroom drapes. She shifted and turned over to find Lamar smiling at her. She couldn’t believe she’d slept so soundly that she hadn’t known he was in bed with her.
“Good morning.”
He winked at her. “I was waiting for you to wake up.”
She stared up at him through her lashes, unable to make out his expression in the diffused light. “How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to know that you snore.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, sweets. I’ve done my share of snoring whenever I drink too much. Where are you going?” he asked when she sat up.
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
Lamar also sat up. “I’ll join you.”
Her jaw dropped. “You will not. You can use the other bathroom near the entryway.”
He folded muscular arms under his head, bringing her gaze to linger on his toned upper body. The sheet had slipped down over his midsection, and she could make out the outline of his penis under the fabric. It was obvious that Lamar slept in the nude.
“Don’t take too long,” he called after her when she made her way into the en suite bath.
Nydia managed to complete her morning ablution in record time, and when she returned to the bedroom she discovered Lamar wasn’t there. The numbers on the bedside table read 6:50. If she were still working for Wakefield Hamilton, she would have been showered and dressed and ready to walk out the door to take the express bus down to the Financial District. She had given up riding the subway to lower Manhattan after several groping incidents. She was in bed when Lamar returned in a pair of boxers. He got in next to her and brushed a light kiss over her lips. She tasted mint on his mouth, indicating he, too, had brushed his teeth.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked.
Lamar pulled her into his arms. “Like a baby.”
Nydia smiled. “Me, too.”
He sniffed her hair. “What kind of shampoo do you use? Your hair always smells wonderful.”
“It’s made with argan oil.”
She shifted to get into a more comfortable position, her arm resting over his flat belly. Nydia closed her eyes. Lying beside Lamar seemed the most natural thing to do, and she wondered what it was about this man that had changed her inside and out. She’d become a romance novel heroine and he her hero. Not only had she fallen in like with him, but she was also in love with Lamar Pierce. At that moment she experienced a sense of peace she never had before with a man with whom she had been involved, and in that instant if he had asked her to marry him again, she would have said yes.
“What are you thinking, sweets?”
“How happy I feel right now. I don’t think you realize how good you are to and for me.”
Lamar twirled a curl of her hair around his finger as his chest rose and fell in an even rhythm. He smiled. “I feel the same way. I’m glad I waited for someone like you to come into my life.”
“Has it been lonely for you, Lamar?”
“No. If it had been, then I would’ve looked for a woman to fill the void. I have Kendra and my work, and that is enough to keep me occupied during my waking hours.”
“How about at night? Didn’t you get tired of sleeping alone?”
“I did in the beginning. Being married to a flight attendant meant there were nights when I did go to bed alone, so I suppose I was used to it.”
“Do you miss her?”
Lamar’s fingers stilled. “There are times when I do, but I know I’ll never forget Valerie completely because whenever I look at Kendra I’m reminded of her.”
Nydia shifted again, straddled his body. “I don’t want you to forget her. And what I don’t want is for you to ever compare me to her, because I’ll always come in second. Valerie was your first love and the mother of your firstborn, and that is something I’ll never be able to duplicate.” She gasped when Lamar flipped her over onto her back.
“I don’t want to talk about Valerie.”
She met his eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”
The corners of his strong mouth tilted as he smiled. “Us. Just you and me, and what I want to do with you.”
Her smile matched his. “And what’s that?”
“This.”
Nydia did not have time to react when his hands searched up the top of her pajama set and with a minimum of effort pulled it over her head. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath when he lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers. She exhaled an audible breath as he placed tender kisses at the corners of her mouth before increasing the pressure until her lips parted.
Nydia felt as if she had been drugged by Lamar’s clean, masculine scent, the warmth of his lips tasting hers, and the invisible pull that made her aware of him as a man; a man she not only wanted but also needed. His hands sent tremors racing along her nerve endings when he moved lower to suckle her breasts. Desire, hot and uncontrollable, held her captive as passion thrummed between her thighs. She was ready for Lamar, ready for whatever the future held for them.
* * *
Lamar forced himself to go slowly as he opened the drawer of the bedside table on his side of the bed and removed a condom. He placed it on the pillow next to Nydia’s head. He prayed there would come a time when he would be able to make love to her without a barrier of latex between them, but that would only happen if they were married.
He relieved her of the floral pajama pants, tossing them at the foot of the bed. He couldn’t pull his gaze away from the perfection of her petite nude body. Lamar touched the faint scar on her right side with his forefinger. “I’ll try not to hurt you,” he whispered.
Lamar did not realize his hands were shaking until he attempted to put on the latex sheath over his erection. He wanted their first time together to be not only extraordinary but also memorable, and he wanted to be the last man in her life.
Cradling her face between his hands, he searched her face in the light coming into the bedroom. “I want you to know that I want you now and I’ll want you tomorrow and every day thereafter, Nydia. And I want you to understand that this is not about sex.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I know that.”
His rapacious mouth charted a sensual path from her lips to her warm throat, shoulders, and breasts. He suckled her until she arched off the bed, and then continued his downward journey with the intent of tasting every inch of her silken skin. “Don’t, baby,” he cautioned when she reached for his head. Lamar felt her muscles tensing when his breath swept over the soft down covering her mound before he kissed her inner thighs.
* * *
Nydia was filled with foreign sensations that frightened her. The pulsing between her legs increased, growing stronger, hotter, until she feared climaxing as Lamar’s tongue was doing things to her body she had never experienced before. It was her first time for a man to put his face between her thighs, and she knew from the runaway beating of her heart and the soft flutters that were giving way to contractions that she was on the verge of having an orgasm.
“Lamar!” His name, torn from the back of her throat, faded as her head thrashed back and forth on the pillow. He wasn’t making love but torturing her.
He moved up her body and positioned himself between her trembling legs. They moaned in unison when he entered her, her arms going around his neck. She caught her breath as her tight flesh closed around his erection, bringing another rush of moisture from her body. Nydia held onto Lamar as if her life depended on him. Tears of joy leaked from beneath her tightly closed eyes as orgasms overlapped one another, each stronger than the last. It was as if she had waited all of her life for a man to bring her to heights of ecstasy where she was able to hold nothing back and surrender all of herself to him. She’d just returned from her last free-fall when Lamar buried his face against the pillow cradling her head and groaned out his own triumphant release.
He lay on her body, she feeling his strong heartbeats against her breasts. Nydia reached up and cradled his head, holding it as if she feared losing him. “I love you,” she whispered.
It was a full minute before Lamar replied to the entreaty torn from the depths of her heart. “I know, because I love you, too.”
She moaned in protest when he pulled out and left the bed. Turning on her side, she stared at the window as rain came down sideways. It was as if she was no different than her fellow innkeepers. They’d succumbed to the charm of New Orleans and its men. Hannah had St. John, Tonya had Gage, and Jasmine had Cameron. Now it was her turn with Lamar.
If anyone had predicted she would fall in love with a man with a child she would not have believed them. And when she married Lamar not only would she get a husband, but also a daughter. She was smiling when he returned and got into bed with her and pulled her buttocks to his groin.
“When can I expect seconds?” he whispered into her hair.
“I’ll let you know. After this, I know I have to go back on the pill.” Those were the last words she said before falling into a sleep reserved for sated lovers, unaware it would be a while before Lamar joined her.