Dragon Song (7 page)

They fell together in a trembling heap on the bed. Stone cupped her close to him in his arms as if she was something precious. Tielle knew enough about certain men, those who had learned all ways in pleasing a woman. These men understood that a part of a woman’s sexual fulfillment included her need to be cuddled. If Tielle was ignorant of this natural part of who Stone was, she would think he cared, and she’d be like all the other silly women out there who fell in love after one sexual encounter.

Relieved that she knew better, she settled into his arms to enjoy the embrace for what it was. Stone kissed her temple, and they fell asleep together.

Chapter Nine

Tielle slouched in her seat at the back of the room. Of all classes she had to take today, anatomy had to be the one scheduled after that incredible time she had with Stone. The man had the sexual appetite of a beast too. A couple times through the night, he’d awakened her because he was hard. She couldn’t believe a man could go that long and that often without a break. It was unnatural. And yet, she’d enjoyed every second.

“All except the aching muscles afterward,” she mused.

“Ms. Williams, you have something to add?” her instructor queried.

Embarrassed, she sank lower in her seat. “Um, no, thanks. Carry on.”

The man droned on and on, but each picture of a bone flashed on the overhead projector made Tielle remember how Stone had touched her there. Before the class was over, she’d worked herself up to the point of wanting to call Stone and beg him to come take the edge off.

But she’d lost enough of herself in their last session. In the light of day, when her libido wasn’t ruling her every decision, she’d vowed that if she and Stone ever had sex again, she would teach
him
a thing or two. Men bowed to her wishes and begged her to let them come when she went to bed with them. She was that good, she knew, so to let Stone get away with how he’d made her putty in his hands could not be forgiven.

After class, Jamie met her in the hall, and they headed toward the café on the other side of campus where they’d eat lunch. Jamie yawned, obvious circles under her eyes. Tielle smirked.
“Late night?”

“It’s not what you think.” Jamie groaned. “I was up late finishing a paper. You know I’m doubling up so we can finish school together. I cannot wait. I’m going to sleep for a week straight and then start full time at the hospital.”

“Hm, I hear you,” Tielle agreed. She wasn’t about to tell Jamie why she was equally exhausted. They’d missed their get together on Sunday because Jamie was doing home assignments and Tielle was recovering from Stone. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fished it out. A blush stole into her cheeks at the message from the man who hadn’t been far from her mind from the moment she met him.

Jamie tried to see. “Who’s got you looking like a fourteen year old? I swear if you were lighter, you’d be red hot, Tielle Williams!”

Tielle sucked her teeth. “Girl, please. You know I’m not like that. No man can get that close to me.”

“So it’s a man.” Jamie stopped walking and put her hands on her hips, her backpack teetering on her shoulder. “I can’t believe you didn’t share. You said it didn’t work with Joe, that you weren’t ‘feeling him’, so who is that texting you?”

Tielle didn’t want to admit it. They’d agreed Stone was not in the running to become a lover simply because a man like him was dangerous to a woman’s equilibrium. But she’d been unable to resist. She tapped the fingertips of one hand against her leg, feeling the sore muscles in her arms. What had they been doing to make her arms hurt? She couldn’t remember. The ache was most prominent between her legs and in her thighs, but that was a satisfying ache, one that testified that she’d come like twelve times before the night was over. Should she tell? She couldn’t. Jamie would get mad and not trust her. Worse she might think Tielle was a whore.

“Look, don’t get mad, okay?” she told Jamie. “It’s…” She chewed on her lip.

“I’m your friend. I like to think we’re close enough to be sisters. Tell me,” Jamie demanded. “You’ve been there for me, and I’m going to be there for you no matter what. Even through the dumb ass decisions.”

Tielle laughed. “Thanks a lot.”

Jamie waited.

Tielle sighed. “It’s Stone.” At her friend’s blank look, she described him, and comprehension came right away. No woman could forget a man like Stone.

“Him!”
Jamie shrieked. “He’s dangerous, Tielle. You can look at him and practically see the string of discarded women behind him, all with broken hearts. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out some of them had killed themselves over him.”

Rolling her eyes, Tielle chuckled.
“Dramatic much?
Girl, I’ve never had a broken heart, and I’m not planning to have one now. I keep a tight hold, and ain’t
no
man going to bring me down. You know this, Jamie, so trust me. I like him. He’s insane in bed, and I want to play a little longer. If my heart starts beating faster when he comes into the room, I’ll dump him.”

“Uh huh.”
Jamie appeared unconvinced, but she gave in. “I am willing to bet your heart kicked it up when you got that text, judging by the way you blushed. But okay, tell him if he hurts you, I’ll cut his heart out with a scalpel and feed it to my dog.”

Tielle grabbed her friend’s arm and dragged her toward the café. “You don’t have a dog, and you’re in nursing school not learning to operate, you nut. Where would you even get a scalpel?”

Jamie grinned. “Well, as to that…there’s this doctor….”

“Ah hell, here we go.” Tielle shook her head. “Save it until we get something to eat. I’m starving.”

* * * *

Tielle scrutinized the two sexy garments she held in her hands trying to decide which she wanted to buy. “I like this one best, but I don’t want anything which has honeymoon in its title,” she said to herself.

“Agreed,” Stone said, walking up behind her. “Although I admit I’d love to see you in that open crotch thong.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. She liked him in this way too, gentle and sweet, still arrogant, but much more conscious of what she enjoyed. They had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now, and Tielle didn’t remember having such a blast with a man. Her heart did kick up a notch when Stone entered a room where she was, and she couldn’t wait to hear back from him after he left her apartment each morning. Already she’d broken her promise to Jamie, but she couldn’t help it.

When Stone was there, it was like they played a little game of dominant and submissive. Tielle gave over control to Stone, and he took it. He commanded her and made her body sing. He’d even spanked her a few times, shocking her by bringing her to orgasm that way. She could forget about making decisions, struggling with bills, school, and whatever else stressed her out for the short period they were together. After he rose in the morning, and left, Tielle would go back to her normal self, her rigid schedule of existence. For now, that’s how she liked it.

Stone interrupted her thoughts. “I’ve raided your lingerie drawer, remember, and I don’t see why you have to have more. You have some nice pieces at home.”

“Yes, but I’ve modeled most of those for you, and you’ve ripped a few to shreds.
I need replacements.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Hm, I guess I should foot the bill in replacing them.”

“Not on your life.” She shoved the credit card he’d slipped out back at him. “I support myself. Let’s not rehash that lecture about men like you.”

He frowned. “I thought I disabused you of that notion.”

She eyed him from head to foot, taking in his expensive
everything
—even his haircut.
“Yeah, no.
You reinforce that theory every time you step through the door. I’ve got this, thanks.”

Tielle noted the frustration in his face but ignored it. She checked the price tags on both garments. “You know what, fuck it, I’m getting both.” She winked at him. “After all, I’m saving tons of lunches and dinners with you taking me out to eat. It’s like you never heard of a home-cooked meal.”

He flared his nostrils. “I think I’d be open to it if you could actually cook.”

“Oh no you didn’t.”
She laughed and punched him in the chest. He pretended to be hurt. The truth was, his body must have steel lining the inside like Wolverine from X-Men, because it was for sure, she couldn’t do damage to that hardness. “I said I make a mean omelet, and you seemed to like it the way you shoveled it into your mouth the other day.”

“Mm, yes, but I can’t live off of egg. So we go out to eat.”

She waved her hand and headed toward the register to pay. “Whatever, Stone. One of these days, I’m taking you to a diner Jamie and I go to all the time. The food is incredible—and affordable for the average person.”

When she glanced back at him, he looked doubtful, but she wasn’t paying Stone any mind. Before she was done with him, she’d get him out of that bougie attitude.

The following day between classes, she and Jamie relaxed on a couch outside their next class. Tielle lay with her head back and a wet cloth over her aching eyes. She hadn’t slept much over the last few days, and both her assignments and her health was suffering. She groaned, popping a couple of pills to ease the pain in her head. Everyone couldn’t live a life of leisure like
Stone,
or rather take off for weeks at a time from work just because he wanted sex. Must be nice, she mused.

“We’re almost done, Tielle. You can’t blow this last bit,” Jamie reminded her.

Tielle yawned. “Don’t I know
it.
” What’s more she needed to get a bit of her own back too. Stone had been commanding too much of her time. On top of that, while she liked how he took control and made her do what he wanted in the bedroom, she couldn’t let the man think that was how it would always be. Her schedule did not revolve around him, and he couldn’t just call and say he was coming over whenever he wanted. She would not be reduced to waiting desperately for his call. She knew men. At some point, he wouldn’t call, and she’d be sitting there suffering, all because she let him define their relationship. “Hell no,” she muttered.

Jamie peeped at her through half-closed lids. “Hell, no what?”

“Oh nothing.”

* * * *

Tielle waited until the weekend to assert herself with Stone. She knew it would be difficult because all the man had to do was
touch
her or look at her a certain way, and she’d be putty in his hands. To her disgust, she still blushed whenever he sent her dirty texts or when she saw his name pop up on her phone display. Things were getting out of hand. She was used to setting the pace of her relationships.

When Stone called on late Friday, Tielle didn’t answer. Her stomach knotted, and she chewed a nail as she stared at the phone. Everything in her screamed “grab it, this could be your last chance to be with him” but she held on. A few minutes after the phone stopped ringing, a text came up. She read it. “Why didn’t you answer? Call me.” She rolled her eyes. He had a nerve thinking she should jump at the snap of his fingers.

A half hour later, the phone rang again. Tielle had been busy cleaning her already neat apartment. She kept it in order in case Stone came by, but to avoid calling him, she’d scrubbed the kitchen floor, cleaned the bathroom, and washed the windows. In the bedroom, she was trying to determine if she should reorganize her closet when Stone called.

She took her time going to the phone. On the fourth ring, she answered, feigning annoyance. “Hello?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for a while.” His tone spoke volumes about how pissed he was she’d been hard to reach.

Gratified, she said, “Oh sorry about that. I’m deep in studying right now. I have an exam coming, and I can’t afford to flunk it. What did you want?”

“What did I want?” She could almost see him blinking in confusion. She covered the mouthpiece and tried to suppress her laugh. At the same time, the twinge of guilt that assailed her made her wonder. She tamped it down. Stone grumbled but continued. “I will be there around ten and—”

“Oh no, I can’t tonight. Like I said, this exam is important for my career.” She paused and sucked in a deep breath. “In fact, with the amount of information I will need to absorb, this entire weekend is out. I’ll call you next week, ’kay?” She threw him a kiss over the line and disconnected.

Almost shaking at how she’d lied and risked losing the one man that got her heart
pumping,
Tielle snapped the phone up again and dialed Jamie. She could make it through tonight, but the entire weekend was another story. Not that she needed sex every day. She didn’t. The fact was Stone had all but taken over her life. She’d have to get used to having more time again. They’d shopped together, eaten together, and everything else the last few weeks. She’d neglected her buddy Jamie, and not one time had her friend complained.

“Hey, girl,” Tielle said when Jamie answered.
“Busy tomorrow?”

“Like when?”

“Lunch time.”

“Nope, open all day after eleven. You know I do my best studying before then. After that, I’m shot.”

Tielle laughed. “Good. Let’s do lunch. I’m feeling like trying Jaunted tomorrow.”

Jamie squealed. “Oh wow, we’ve
been wanting
to check out that restaurant. But the prices…”

“Forget the prices. If you can’t swing it, I’ll help you out. I have a couple extra dollars this month. I want to stretch out a little.”

Jamie sucked her teeth. “Sounds like you’re getting spoiled by that man of yours. Where’s he? Busy this weekend?”

“Hey, I don’t live in his pocket. And I realized I’ve been neglecting my girl. You don’t want to go? I know
it’s
last minute, and you could have plans or something. I’ll understand if you do.” Tielle crossed her fingers that Jamie didn’t have a prior engagement.

“No, way.
Are you nuts? I’m there. Let’s go to Jaunted. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.”

“Me too,” Tielle admitted. “Okay, I’ll swing by there and we can go from your house at twelve. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

They ended the call, and Tielle stood in front of her closet stuffed full of various sizes of clothing. She’d gone from a size sixteen to a size six and everywhere between, over and over again. Nowadays, she managed to hold at a size fourteen, and she was happy with it. Her curves were generous but still sexy.

“Well, I guess it’s a night of more cleaning,” she announced to the empty room. With luck, she could exhaust herself and then drop into bed, not waking up until time to meet Jamie.