Chapter 5

 

Sabrina walked into the cool comfort of Coolios, a well-established eatery on South Beach known for its international cuisine, lavish decor, and variety of music. The walls were lined with photos of music and film stars who’d visited the establishment. If Jamison wanted to make a good impression, he’d been successful.

He had opened the door for her with an appreciative smile. She and Melissa had gone through both their limited wardrobes to come up with her ensemble of a form-fitting burgundy colored dress, multicolored sandals with a hint of dark red, and matching jewelry. She’d managed to get her hair in a loose bun atop her head with tendrils hanging in the back.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She couldn’t keep the grin from her face. The man was serious eye candy in his fitted jeans and light yellow and red print shirt with rolled up sleeves showing the tail end of his tattoos. There was a hint of curl in his hair. An indefinable aura of ‘don’t mess with me' surrounded him as his eyes swept over her and then the immediate crowd.

There were two hot Latino men in line behind them, one brushed against her backside and winked. Jamison leaned back and spoke softly but in a deadly voice. “You touch her again and your boy will be carrying you home. Your choice.” He stared the man down until his friend pulled him away toward the bar.

Sabrina wasn’t sure what kind of woman it made her, but she was totally turned on by his harshly spoken words and promise of violence. Her heartbeat surged and her clit throbbed at the dangerous undertones in his voice. Perhaps this is what she’d been missing before in her dates because no one had ever got her this hot without touching her. I am so bad.

“We’re ready,” he said to the hostess, who beamed and handed two menus to another female.

“Sasha will see you to your table. Enjoy your meal at Coolios.”

Since he didn’t address his previous actions, neither did she. They were seated at an upstairs table that overlooked the lower area and had a fantastic view of the water.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked as soon as she sat down.

“White wine would be nice.”

He nodded and gave the hovering waiter the order.

“This is breathtaking.” She looked around, meaning it.

He sat back in his chair watching her with a slight grin. “I’m glad you like it.”

The next visual sweep of the restaurant was done with a managerial eye. Without intending to, she always compared other eateries to the one she managed. If she saw something she wanted to use, she’d introduce herself to the manager to ask questions. Most times, the managers were more than willing to share information with her. With the thought of Nikki’s new business venture at the forefront of her mind, she decided to bring the new restaurateur here to check out the competition.

“What did you do when you left here?”

“Huh?” She pulled back from her imaginings as she faced him. “What?”

He repeated the question.

“I went to college in Tallahassee.”

“Nice area. I have family there,” he said, his accent more pronounced.

“Can I ask you a question?” Melissa had gone online and done a quick research, so she knew there were white Jamaicans. “Are you Jamaican?” This had been their first guess.

His eyes widened a bit. “Yes. What about you?”

“What?” The waiter placed a glass of wine in front of her along with a glass of water for each of them.

“I’m German, Portuguese, Jamaican, with a few other bloodlines thrown in. You?” He asked.

“Panamanian, African American, Puerto Rican, Cherokee Indian, Bahamian, and European. I think that’s all of them, but you never know.” She picked up her menu, but looked at him over the top. “I didn’t know Germans lived in Jamaica. Are there a lot of them?” She had been curious when Melissa read Jamaica was a real melting pot. All types of ethnicities lived on the island.

“My roots are mixed. I was born in the states, but lived most of my early childhood in Jamaica. I came back to the states in the ninth grade. I still have the accent and speak patois, the language of my people.”

“Is that what you were speaking earlier today?”

“Yes. Me talking me business on de phone.” He grinned as he slipped into his native tongue.

She frowned. “My sister has an ear for languages; I bet she doesn’t know that one.”

“What about you? How many do you speak?” He took a sip of the water.

“Just two. English and Spanish. I can’t write in Spanish though. You?”

“Three. English, Spanish, and Patois. I’m learning Italian and French. I like the way the words sound.”

She tried to think of something to break the silence. “Did you work on cars in Jamaica?”

“Some. There’s not as many cars over there. What made you go into restaurant management?”

“My internship was at a restaurant. I enjoy the organized chaos.” She shook her head, smiling at the memory. “I like the challenge of getting the proper mix of staff, supplies, and customers for a predetermined outcome. It’s like baking a cake.” She shrugged. “Making it work is a serious high for me, it’s a little quirk of mine.”

“Quirk?...” he shook his head and grunted. “No, genius. Few people do it and enjoy it. I hired someone to deal with accounting and ordering my supplies. It’s not my thing.”

“I hear that a lot,” she said, smiling at his reaction. So many people thought she was weird because she enjoyed taming the beast of management. As long as she had free rein to work the magic, she loved the adrenaline rush.

The waiter came and took their order. “You trained as an engineer and own an auto repair shop? How’d that happen?”

He chuckled and she realized she enjoyed seeing him smile. It sent a tiny thrill through her.

“The two are not so different. I knew I wanted to work with my hands, but I needed to understand the inner mechanical workings of cars. My engineering coursework prepared me for that. I worked for a dealer for a few years, took classes, became a specialist, and then branched out on my own. Haven’t looked back since.”

You never left Miami after high school?” she asked, primarily to hear his accent. It was sexy and seemed so improbable coming from his lips.

“My parents are here, they’re getting older. I’m an only kid so I stay close. Plus, I always wanted my own shop. I opened the one in Kendall first, and then two years later, opened the one down south. I don’t get to go away as much as I used to, because of both shops.”

“At least you met your goals. Was the dealer angry when you left? ”

Jamison nodded. “Not at first, but after I opened the second shop he threatened to sue saying I stole his customers.”

“Did you?”

“Naw, I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving, I worked out the notice and left without a client base other than people I did work for on the side. Word got out I did good work, and wouldn’t cheat anybody. Folks started coming around. It wasn’t til I opened the second shop I started seeing cars I had worked on when I was at the dealer.” He paused, took a long pull from his beer and looked at her.

“What about you? You meet your goals?”

Just as she was about to give her standard response, she looked at him. This wasn’t idle conversation for him. Jamison Volks’ interest was genuine. Unaccustomed to this type of sincerity this early in the game, she smiled. “Yes. I’ve met most of the goals from high school.”

“You answered that like you weren’t sure.”

Again she was struck by the unusualness of the conversation. Why did he want to know her personal business? It’s not like they were going to be friends or lovers.

“I’m curious why you think that,” she said, instead of addressing the question.

“I have always been curious about you. In high school you were so different from a lot of the other girls. Pretty, no question. But there was this…this something that always made me think beneath the smiles you were…not sad per se, I think discontent is a better word. Like you showed people one thing, but it wasn’t you.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, we can talk about something else.”

Sabrina couldn’t speak and wanted to bow to the waiter in gratitude for showing up with their plates at that moment. Alarm bells rang in her mind, there was more to Jamison Volks than she first imagined. She’d allowed his semi-thuggish appearance to influence her judgment that he was simply a fine, sexy, good looking man, but he was no light-weight and she needed to remember that. They ate in companionable silence as she rehearsed her no commitment speech in her mind. Normally, she’d have given it by now, but she waited to make sure it was necessary. Jamison might not be interested in anything more than a good time, and strangely enough, she was okay with that.

“Dessert?” the waiter asked, clearing the table.

The large portion of chicken cordon bleu had been excellent and she was stuffed. She refused anything more.

“They have music and dancing next door, would you like to go?” Jamison asked.

She thought about it, but she wouldn’t get to hear him talk and she loved his sexy accent. “No. Not tonight. I don’t plan to stay out late. Plus, tomorrow’s a work day for you.”

“I know. I’ve got a classic Rolls coming in this weekend and I’m clearing my schedule to work on it.” He hooked his thumb in his pocket and stared into her eyes. “Let’s go for a ride. I can put the top down and we can drive around a bit.”

It was a balmy night and she was tempted. “My car –”

“Will be fine where it is. An hour or two tops. It’s still early and the weather’s finally decent.”

With her sister’s encouragement to have fun in the back of her mind, and her natural curiosity, she nodded. “Okay.”

Within twenty minutes they were on US-1 heading south. The wind brushed against her face and snatched the pins from her hair. Laughing, she pulled out her faithful hairbands and secured her long tresses.

He drove with expert precision, well within the speed limits. Eventually, they pulled onto the grounds of their former high school and parked in student parking near the auditorium. She took a moment and looked around. Everything looked the same, yet different. A sense of homecoming swept over her. Her heart raced as memories from this very parking lot streamed through her mind. Things had been fun, exciting, and back then she had been so determined to make her mark on the world and not follow in her parents' footsteps. So many plans and dreams had been made and discarded on these grounds.

After unbuckling her seatbelt, she stepped out the car. “I don’t think I’ve been back since I graduated.” She glanced back at him. “You? Do you come here a lot?”

“No. I’ve come for a few games or to see Mr. Gaines, my old CAD teacher, but other than that, I haven’t come back. Not much to come back for if you think about it.” He leaned against the car.

“That’s right, opening businesses, and working on Rolls, you’ve been busy.” She spun to face him. Her breath hitched at the hungry look in his eyes. Most men changed their expressions when they were caught staring, but Jamison never broke eye contact. A tingle of awareness inched down her spine.

She moved closer. “Am I right? You’ve been busy,” she whispered.

Her eyes tracked his tongue as it swiped across his lips. “Yeah. But not too busy.” He reached out and pulled her close against him. Their bodies aligned perfectly as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“What does that mean?” She held her breath as his head dipped lower.

“I was never too busy to see you.” His lips brushed across hers.

Her lids lowered at the exquisite feeling of his large palm stroking her back. Heat radiated beneath his hand, she shivered at the unexpected but delightful throbbing in her core.

He nibbled her lower lip and then slid his tongue across her seam. She pushed against his chest, unsure why, but at the moment it seemed the safest thing to do, until his hand covered hers.

Inhaling, she opened her mouth and his tongue slid inside. His arms tightened around her waist. For some weird reason, the solid thump of his beating heart eased her concern that they were standing in public, beneath the glaring light, kissing for all to see.

Their tongues battled.

Then he sucked hers lightly and it was all over. There was nothing hotter than a man who knew how to kiss.

They broke apart, gasping for air for a few seconds, and then he kissed her again, and again. His hand tangled in her hair, holding her exactly where he wanted her. Normally she’d back him up. No one played in her hair, but the way he touched and stroked her had her mind in a tailspin.

Panties wet, she couldn’t believe how much she wanted this man. Beyond reason, she was ready to drop her drawers and be filled by the long thick rod he’d been rubbing against her the past few minutes.

“Yuh sweet,” he moaned in her ear.

“Ummm.” She searched out his mouth for another mind-blowing kiss.

Mi canna do dis heer. Mi wan see yuh agin,” he said, his accent thickening.

The only thing she registered was his tongue was no longer in her mouth and his hands were still holding her around the waist. She hadn’t been aware she was rubbing on him like she was in heat. He pulled her hair and looked down in her face. It took a moment to understand he was talking to her.

“What?”

He coughed and took a deep breath. “This is not the place to do anything else.”

She blinked. “You think I want to do more? More than a kiss?” She stepped back but stopped when she realized her hand was down the front of his pants. Face on fire, she jerked back as though burned.

He winced at her movement and then straightened himself. What in the world was she doing? She didn’t know him, not really. “I’m acting like some kinda horny freak.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he murmured.

Face on fire that she’d said the words aloud and worse he heard her, she swallowed hard, determined to salvage her tattered pride. “I’m…” She pointed at his groin, the place that had been home to her wayward hand a moment ago. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean –”

His raised brow stopped her. She fell silent and wrapped her arms around her waist. Damn, she was twenty-eight acting like she was eighteen. This was not okay. She didn’t behave like this. Women who lost control, lost everything. Stop thinking. Feel.

“I hated to stop but there are cameras all in the parking lot and people run the tracks at night.” He sent her a roguish grin. “But hey, mi cock es su cock any time, any place.”

Embarrassed, she laughed rather than make a big deal out of it. Following his lead, she stepped back to the car and made light of what just happened. “You say that now. You better be careful, I may take you up on it one day.” She didn’t look at him as she slid into her seat.

“Please do.”

She smiled and glanced at him. He wasn’t smiling. Instead his dark eyes were focused on her lips. “Jamison?” She wasn’t sure what she was asking, but she felt the need to connect with him again.

Slowly, his eyes met hers. “I mean that.”

Speechless, she nodded. Having sex with him was not a conversation she wanted to have. Not right now anyway. Granted his kisses were hot, and he was smart and sexy. But she was leaving in five days, no four days. She had avoided casual sex all her life, now was not the time for a quickie with a German Jamaican.

She averted her eyes and spoke softly. “Okay. I’ll let you know.”

He squeezed her hand. “Thanks, I’ll hold you to that.”

 

<<<<>>>>

 

That night, Sabrina made it home in record time. “I guess you didn’t get any,” Melissa said as Sabrina threw her keys in the bowl near the front door.

Sabrina took her time straightening her dress before she looked at her sister. “No…no I didn’t.” Her voice shook a bit at the end. She prayed her sister didn’t catch it.

“Brina? What happened?” Melissa asked, concerned.

She pulled the bands from her hair and ran her fingers through her tangled strands. “Nothing much. Dinner was good, and then we went for a drive and wound up at our old high school.”

Melissa’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like fun. How’d it feel being back on your old stomping grounds?”

“It was great. It’s the first time I’ve been back since graduation.”

“Did you guys make out under the bleachers?” Melissa asked with a snort.

They walked into Sabrina’s bedroom. “No. In the parking lot.”

Melissa spun around, pointed at her, and then flopped on the bed. “Talk woman.”

Sabrina shrugged. “Help me get out of this.”

“He should be helping you get out of this,” Melissa grumbled as she moved to assist.

“I just met him today.”

“You guys went to high school together and you think he’s hot. Plus, you fussed over your appearance like it mattered, and most importantly, you were nervous over how he’d react when he saw you.”

All those things were true, but that wasn’t enough to drop her panties for a guy. “There’s time and I don’t want to rush into anything. What if he’s married? Or bi-sexual? Or into some kind of freaky stuff.”

“Aw, come on. You’re the freak, I should warn him about you.” Melissa walked back to the bed and flopped down. “This is the first in a long time I’ve seen you attracted to somebody. I say go for it.”

“Go for what?”

Sabrina spun around. Melissa jumped up and ran to their youngest sister, Angela, as she walked in the room. After shrieks of welcome and hugs were exchanged, the three of them sat on the bed, just as they’d done so many nights while growing up.

“Okay, spill,” Angela demanded, looking at her and then Melissa. “What should Brina go for?”

“A guy from high school took her to dinner tonight and she was all nervous,” Melissa said before Sabrina could respond.

Angela’s eyes widened. “Somebody made you nervous?”

“Not really—”

“Yes, really,” Melissa countered. “I think she went out with my future brother-in-law tonight.”

Sabrina’s head snapped up. “What?” How’d Melissa jump from dinner, pass dating and hit marriage?

Melissa nodded sagely as she leaned back on the bed. “I’m good at matching other people. It’s just my own men I suck at. And the way he made you feel after one meeting… I just think there’s a lot of potential there. That’s all.”

“What’s his name?”

“Jamison Volks.”

Angela’s dark eyes widened and then she burst out laughing. “Only you. Only you would come to town and start shit without realizing what you’re doing.”

“What?” Melissa asked with a confused smile. “What’d she do?”

Sabrina looked at her youngest sister with a raised brow. This was one time she hadn’t done anything except go to dinner. “Yeah, what’d I do?”

Angela tapped her on the nose. “First, tell me what you think of him…and don’t lie.”

Sabrina thought back on their time together. He’d been dangerous, sexy, solicitous, making sure she had everything she wanted. He'd listened as she talked, asked pertinent questions and even offered a few ideas. “He’s nice. I had a good time. We kissed some.”

“Did you like it? Did he make you burn?” Angela asked.

Remembering her hand in his pants, stroking his dick, Sabrina nodded. “Yeah, it was…intense.”

“Good. Remember that.” She looked at Melissa. “No matter what, we are going to remind her of what she just said, deal?”

“Deal.” Melissa said with a bit of excitement that was totally over the top considering Angela hadn’t spilled the beans yet.

“Will you just tell me what I did?” Sabrina asked, exasperated by the delay.

“Jamison Volks? Tall, green eyes, tanned muscular body, gorgeous reddish-brown hair, and sexy as all get out smile? Angela asked. Her smirk was getting on Sabrina’s nerves.

“Hold up,” Melissa said, turning toward their youngest sister. “You date him or something? Because that was a serious playback of his rack and grill.”

Sabrina nodded, wondering what the hell that was all about.

Angela laughed. “Nope. He was hot in high school, still is I guess. I just wanted to be sure he was still smoking.” She touched Sabrina with her index finger and pulled it back fast as though it burned, and blew on it.

Sabrina laughed. “You’re still crazy.”

“Missed you too, sis,” Angela said, sending her a crooked smile. “Anyway, here’s what happened. Jamie was screwing this sister named Carla. He only dates black girls. You might remember her…” She looked at Sabrina and then Melissa. “Real pretty Haitian chick. Dark, kinda short, big smile, big boobs and ass. She was in theatre production. She works for Channel Four now.”

Sabrina had no idea who Carla was and shook her head.

Angela continued. “Carla was crazy about him, she and her bestie used to hang out together a lot, doing doubles and stuff. Her bestie got pregnant and claimed Jamie was the father.”

A jolt of disappointment shot through Sabrina. She shouldn’t be surprised, at twenty-eight, she was the oddball within her very small circle of friends and sorority sisters. Most of her friends had at least one kid or had been married. At least she hadn’t had sex with Jamison, that’d be a worse blow.

“Well, that’s low,” Melissa said, leaning back on the bed.

“Hold up,” Angela said, her face serious. “Don’t judge a brother. The best friend went after him at a house party. He was drunk, knocked out. She blew him, got on top, and then screwed him. Stupid fool forgot or didn’t care they always video those parties to put on YouTube.”

Shock raced up Sabrina’s spine. Her hand flew to her mouth. “You lying.”

Angela’s smile widened. “Nope. Shit hit the fan. Jamie saw the video and was pissed. Carla went ballistic and kicked her bestie’s ass. Folks talked about that shit for weeks. The bestie disappeared for a while, then came back and told Jamie she was preggos. He went apeshit again. I think having a kid with someone you had sex with is one thing, but having a baby with someone who took advantage like that… he had a right to be pissed. From what I heard, he never liked her, not even as Carla’s friend.”

“Chances are he knew she liked him, guys can sense that,” Melissa said.

“I can’t…that’s just low. Why would she do that?” Sabrina asked, mystified.

Angela shrugged. “Who knows? After she had the baby, a boy I heard, the blood test confirmed the child was his. He and Carla stopped dealing, but not because of that. For something else I guess. He has nothing to do with his baby’s mama. From what I heard, she’s cray-cray and follows him around, trying to use the baby to get him to spend time with her. She’s trying to be the Cosbys, but that ain’t happening.”

“It’s cause he’s got money,” Melissa said. “Carla probably told her he was good in bed and that he had money. Worse, Carla probably told Elise Jamie treated her like a queen and she wanted what her friend experienced.”

“You might be right, there’s a limit on what you should tell your friends about your man. I heard he was real generous with Carla, took good care of her,” Angela said meeting Sabrina’s stare.

Sabrina eyed her sister. “How do you know all this? Jaleesa and Mika keeping tabs on our former classmates?” she asked mentioning two of Angela’s close friends.

“They keep me updated. But I see people and they appreciate that I actually see them as individuals. I talk to people. It’s called being friendly, and outgoing. You should try it, you’d be surprised how much you’d know about your hometown.”

Heat flooded Sabrina’s face. “I see people and talk to people, too –”

“But you didn’t know Jamie. And I know I pointed him out to you at least once in high school. You were so focused on what you wanted and where you wanted to go in life…” Angela held out her hands. “Not that that’s a bad thing. You accomplished what you set out to do, college, business career, home, independent…you checked all those off your play card. But you missed a few things along the way, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Who’s the bestie?” Melissa asked.

“What?” Sabrina said, mentally fumbling with the changes in conversation.

Melissa eyed her. “The bestie who had Jamison’s son. I want to know who’s the crazy woman he’s dealing with. Mario’s mama is soooo lucky I’m not like that,” she mumbled.

Angie brightened.

Sabrina recognized the glint in her sister’s eye and held her breath.

“Elise Heiss.”