music kept playing, she could barely recognize the songs from her own playlist.
She resented the sound of his zipper going back up. That meant the end of the magical moment. When she dared to look over her shoulder at him, she caught him making his way back to the mop and bucket, as if he’d just finished cleaning her office. He picked the scruffy hat from the floor and put it on his head. She couldn’t help but chuckle when he got it on the wrong way. He looked so ridiculous. He offered a tilted smile.
“Yas, I don’t care what time it is when you’re finished here. Come by my house as soon as you’re finished and spend the night with me. I’m a night owl. I’ll be awake.”
“What about—”
“Shhh,” he said softly. “I want to wake up to you in the morning.” He pulled at the collar of the orange jumpsuit and sniffed it, his lips still kinked in a smile. “Damn. I love your scent. I want it everywhere… I want it on my sheets, in my mind, imprinted on my soul.”
Just like that, he disappeared out the door. No warning. No goodbye. She heard the shuffling noise of him drifting away with the mop and bucket, and hated it when she could hear it no more. After gathering her senses, she stood back up and put her clothes on. The aching between her legs was his calling card of a job well done. She gathered the pens and other odds and ends from the floor including the phone. As she rounded the desk and sat down, she noticed two missed calls, one from Mike, her colleague. She was on pins and needles, afraid he’d tried to reach her upon his return.
Playing the voicemail back, she toyed with various lies to tell, something to get her off the damn hook. I’m just relieved he didn’t decide to come down to my office.
“Hey, Yasmine, it’s Mike. I am so sorry. I don’t think I’m going to make it back tonight. Tammy is still really ill. I was planning to just check up on her and return, but this cold of hers is pretty bad. I will be there at five in the morning to help make up for the time lost. I’m certain you’re still there burning the midnight oil. Thanks so much for all of your hard work! Again, sorry about this. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call or text.”
She sighed with relief and flopped back in her seat, a big smile on her face. Then… that smile faded.
He wants me to come by and spend the night. He wants to wake up to me in the morning…
Fear she couldn’t describe welled inside of her. She glanced at her calendar. It had been two months… Soon though, that worry was replaced with excitement and plans for the future. Goldie’s words of encouragement seeped into her mind.
Maybe he was telling the truth all along. I feel like Nixon truly wants this. He wants me… and I’m not just a conquest. This isn’t a game to him. I care about Nix so much… This has gone beyond sexual chemistry. I feel such a strong connection with this man. It’s like he truly gets me. Damn… I am falling for this man. And I’m falling hard. And no ‘safe word’ can save me from this…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Window of Opportunity
The night air smelled clean and crisp like fresh apples in the fall. Michigan Avenue teemed with people on a Saturday evening, both locals and tourists. Some were dressed to the nines, others in more casual attire going about their business – filling the restaurants, taking pictures and videos, flooding the bars and nightclubs to drown the stress of a long ass week in a shot of something strong or a pint of brew. The city was bubbling with life and energy. He loved it, sniffed it like cocaine and got high on life from just being at the place he called home. Nixon took Yasmine’s hand as they strolled along the sidewalk, taking in the sights – the final touch to an amazing date. They’d just finished watching an independent foreign film in the art district and he was still quite full from a late-night meal of Indian curry, rice, and garlic Naan bread, one of her favorites.
Yasmine was classy and earthy, all at the same time. A beautiful balance that made her remarkable, someone to study and hold his