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Patricia flipped the phone closed and continued to drive, the traffic picking up, she moved out onto Interstate 20.
A little more than a half an hour later she pulled into an exclusive sub-division of expensive homes. She drove around back where there were still a gang of trees and wooded area and parked in a driveway. She stood out of her ride, and was greeted by the smell of people cooking out.
She was at Marc Jacob’s crib, her home away from home since her dad died. Marc was five years older than Patricia’s twenty-eight, and he stood over her, with dark hair, dark eyes, and eye lashes too thick to be wasted on a man. She was wildly attracted to him from the moment their eyes met at the courthouse. She knew, not only by his fly suit, but his demeanor that he was a lawyer, or someone important, and surely not a defendant. Her stroll was too composed, no bright-eyed look.
Marc understood the power his looks had but he wasn’t conceited. Instead he was always so cool, and he was an overconfident pain in the ass when it came to his work as an attorney, which she liked in a man.
Marc was so much like her father. He was a born leader, a take-charge kind of man who made instant decisions and issued orders, expecting them to be obeyed. The time she had spent with him had taught her so much about him, certainly enough to make her fall head over heels in love.
She hadn’t dated for nearly a year when they met and he was the first man to make her feel tempted to be alone with.
There was no denying the chemistry between them, and while she might just have wanted a one-night affair to quench her desires, he craved something far more long-term with her. Over the ensuing months he’d come to realize that she was the kind of woman he’d been searching years to find. She was genuinely smart and caring, inherently sensual, and she didn’t have one eye on being his wife and the other eye on his bank account and all that his money might be able to buy her.
But she now realized she had barely scratched the surface. There were still volumes to learn, depths to investigate and understand. But in what capacity was she going to explore this man.
Marc was going to let her do it her way, she was sure. He just wanted to be with her, he told her. In his actions, he proved that he loved her independence, assertiveness, competitive, and combative, but every once in awhile he knew she would lean on him; and he was always there, no question.
After a month of fooling around, movies, home dinners that were merely preludes to sex, and no serious dates or talks, he told her he loved being with her.
They woke up together one morning and his gaze locked onto her eyes. “I’m afraid I am falling in love with you,” he said.
“Do you know what love is?” Patricia asked softly.
“Yes, I do. I messed with the words and been hurt by the feeling enough to say yes I do know what love is.”
Marc Jacob heard the car come to a halt. He came through the house to greet his lady. He opened the door to find her there.
“Hey,” Patricia said softly.
“Hey you,” Marc smiled. Come on in.”
He had the grill out back fired up and was prepping the meat and veggies like a New York chef. She had to admire that she was coming to his house after a long day and he was thoughtful enough to make dinner.
Marc moved toward the living room. Marc caught her hand and pulled her beneath the mistletoe. He kissed her gently and after a brief hesitation she kissed him back.
“This is how you get free kisses in your own house?”
“Nope. I put that up just for you. So I can get you to kiss more than that little bit you be giving.”
“No. Really now?”
“True.
“Maybe you are just lip greedy.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her face with soft pecks, from cheek to cheek, stopping at her lips to nibble. She surrendered, wrapping her arms around his neck. It hit her suddenly, she wanted him, and she had been turned on that fast.
She took hold of his manhood under his jeans. “I want some of this.”
He grinned, “I guess so. You holding it pretty tightly. But let me remind you, I ain’t with quickies.”
“Do like you do.”
She had to pant when he swiped her off her feet and carried her up to his room. When he laid her down on the bed he stood tall and began undressing. “I am hungry, the grill is going, today, just this once, I have to do you in under an hour.”
“Shut up. You wasting time.”
A half an hour later, Patricia came back down stairs wearing his robe.
“God, I love this house.
“Me too. You acting like you haven’t been here before.”
“Still, it’s nice and big and cozy. You doing pretty nicely for yourself.”
“Why thank you. Your cribo is pretty nice too.”
“Thanks. But I wouldn’t have the house had my dad not passed away.”
She steals a slice of green pepper off the grill. She fought the searing with her fingers and then by blowing while chewing.
“You would have had any house you wanted. You got it going on.”
“Maybe in a decade,” she said, chewing. “The food smells good.”
“Grab the salad dressing out of the fridge.”
“Sure,” she said, but she felt funny. Why was he so comfortable with her? He didn’t say please, as if they were an old married couple. Was it because he liked her? Because they had slept together more than 20 times in the two months they knew each other?
Plate in hand, Marc gets the steaks. He returns to find Tricia setting their plates.
“Steaks in the middle of the week, you living nice, Mr. Jacobs.”
“Money make a Black be like that. How did everything go at court?” Marc asked, as he plopped down beside her.
“Sweet. Like it was supposed to.”
“It’s nearing time for the party.”
Patricia nodded. She knew he was asking, just like everybody else, he wanted to know if the party was on.
“I only met your dad once, but I liked him.”
“I miss him.”
“I bet you do. He was cool. How’s your mom?”
“She’s good, thanks. She should be better now that we have decided to throw the party.”
“Oh, cool. That would be good for her. Great.” Marc sat, “so you and your brothers came to an agreement?”
“Something like that.”
“You and your brothers are doing the right thing.”
“I think so. I hope so,” Adam almost choked, almost in tears. “I gotta call David.”
Marc watched her go into the house. He admired her slim, shapely body as much as the strength she right then didn’t know she possessed. She’ll be okay, he thought, and he vowed to help her get through it.
Patricia suddenly remembered she had to call David and let him know the great news.
“I gotta call Dave,” she sighed annoyingly.
Marc nodded.
She stepped away from Marc and felt his eyes follow her. She snuck a look to see his eyes were pleading, caring. Shit, he cares all the time, she thought.
“Baby sister.”
“What you doing, robbing our people with the high ass prices?” She joked. Since they were little, David’s voice, his joyful way of conversing had always put Tricia at ease.
“That’s how we do it. What’s cracking?”
“We are definitely doing this. The party is on. I just talked to Adam. He wants to do it.”
“Really now?”
“Yeah we coming over tomorrow to discuss the details. He is planning to do most of it himself.”
“Yeah, he thinks it will make him mayor to have control of the party. He act like I don’t see what’s going down. It don’t matter though.”
“What about momma?”
“Oh. I don’t know. She is still fighting the depression. So me, I think she needs the big party atmosphere, for real.”
“Me too,” she sighed. “I gotta go. I am at Marc’s.”
“Whoa, Mr. Marcus. Tell him I said hi.”
“Stop calling him that. He gets geeked-up like he got it like the real Mr. Marcus.”
“He better not have it like no porn star. Not with my sister.”
“Shut up. See you.”
David put his cell in his pocket and made the announcement.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” LaQuan jumped in the air and pumped his fists.
“Okay now buy a toothbrush.”
Ginata laughed. She came closer to David from the aisles. “Well, I was hoping for this.” David didn’t get it, despite the sparkle in her eyes. “I gotta make a call,” she took her tiny pink phone out and dialed a number.
“And who are you calling?”
She sensed a pang of jealousy and liked it.
“I am not going alone this year. I am going to have me a date. Last year I couldn’t even get a look, let alone a dance, from you.”
“Really now?”
“Yes, you were all over that kissing cousin of yours.”
“Please.”
LaQuan squealed.