healing-hearts (24 page)

The counter stopped Yasmine from retreating any further.

They stood toe to toe, as he reached his hand out and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. Her pulse beating rapidly on the side of her throat, he watched it, timing his own and finding it beating to the same rhythm. Before she could say anything to distract him, he leaned in and connected his mouth to hers. The kiss was magnetic. It seemed to pull all of his thoughts of how wrong this was and the knowledge that it would not lead anywhere out of his mind. Jason deepened the kiss and still couldn’t seem to get enough.

Yasmine’s moan of enjoyment encouraged him. Aiming to level the playing field Jason lifted Yasmine’s petite frame up onto the countertop. His hands now had better access to what was within reach and he located the hem of her T-shirt and began to explore the soft skin underneath.

As Jason’s mouth continued its onslaught of attention, his hands moved up her tiny ribcage to her full, firm breasts that were held captive in a lacy bra.

~ML~

His kiss wrapped her in a lust-filled fog, but the feel of Jason’s hands molding her breasts caused her to shudder with need.

“Jason, what are we doing...?” she asked in between Jason’s ardent kisses.

“Kissing, sweetie...” Jason began to nibble on her bottom lip as his hands made quick work of the fastening located in the front of her bra.

“We should...stop...” She stammered and her breath hitched, as his thumbs began to brush across her erect nipples.
That feels so good,
she confessed to herself.

“I know...Yasmine,” Jason groaned as he gave her mouth one last thorough kiss before he lowered his head to her breast capturing one pert bud in his eager mouth.

His sensuous mouth seemed to worship each of her breasts in its attention.
Ahh, I love this,
she thought as her body tingled from her breasts down to her sex, every place yearned for re-acquaintance.

Gripping the back of his head she urged him not to stop as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Taking full advantage of the position, Jason went to his knees, pressing his face firmly against her aching sex restrained behind the lacy triangle at the front of her panties. He pushed her skirt to her waist and discovered she wore thongs.

Winking, he removed them then grasped her full hips sliding her to the edge of the countertop toward his mouth.

“Hmm, intoxicating,” he moaned.

She panted as Jason’s considerate mouth loved her to ecstasy. His tongue slide between her slick folds, stroking and toying with the opening at her core, only to retreat and swirl around her distended clit, urging her gyrating her hips toward his clever mouth. He was persistent and unrelenting in his attention. When he grabbed her hips, held her firm and flushed to his face as he suckled the taut bud of her desire, her body tensed, then released and shattered into erotic oblivion.

Deep in the throes of climax, she was vaguely aware of Jason unzipping his jeans and entering her body in one deep, hip raising thrust that made her breath catch in her throat.

There was no finesse in the way Jason submerged his manhood within her heated sex. As he rotated his hips, caressed her sensitive spot with his bulbous head and rigorously pumped his solid length into her, Yasmine knew this was not going to be the same slow, gentle loving Jason, she had known on their wedding night. This was the all-consuming side of him. He left her no choice but to concentrate fully on the man deep inside of her, touching her soul. Jason serenaded her senses, commanding her to release all to him.

The utter abandonment of their coupling brought them to an almost simultaneous trembling climax.

They were still wrapped in each other’s arms and basking in the aftermath of the lovemaking when they were startled apart by the sound of Yasmine’s doorbell.

Ding. Dong.
It sounded again.

Yasmine watched Jason snag a paper towel from the wooden spool and turn his back to her. She didn’t hesitate as she slid off the counter and grabbed her underwear from the floor.

“I’m sure that’s the furniture guys. I’ll get the door, you take your time”, Yasmine heard him say as he tossed the wadded paper in the trash and headed toward the front door.

Feeling awkward and self-conscious about what had just happened, Yasmine didn’t respond as she rushed into the downstairs bathroom.

~ML~

“Charmagne Shakoor, I take it?” An hour later, after the furniture deliverymen had come and gone, Yasmine opened her front door to their last applicant for the part-time nanny position.

Charmagne was buxom in form, Yasmine’s height, in her early thirties and a dark skinned woman who was the color of tropical wood. She had wide, cat-shaped mahogany eyes, thick curly lashes, high cheekbones, short jet-black hair and a smile as big as her bosom, showing beautiful white teeth.

“I sure am.” She spoke in a jubilant voice.

The sound of it made Yasmine smile and she liked the woman instantly.

“Come in, please. I’m Yasmine Richardson and this is my husband Jason.” She escorted the woman over to the couches where Jason was sitting with the clipboard of questions they had created.

Jason stood up when they approached and shook the other woman’s hand before they all took their seats.

“It’s very nice to meet you both.” The woman sat on the loveseat located at a ninety-degree angle beside the couch. “Please, call me Charmagne,” she requested, as she handed them a copy of her resume.

After the pleasantries, Jason asked, “Tell us about your experience working with children and which age groups you’re more comfortable around.”

“Well, first of all I have four nephews from fourteen to seven and a niece that is thirteen. I took care of all of them when they were smaller in the evenings while my sister and brother in-law were getting their restaurant off the ground. I worked in a daycare center part-time while I was in college and for the last five years I have been a kindergarten teacher.”

“So, do you plan to leave that job?”

“For heaven’s sake, no.” She laughed good-naturedly. “I love my job.”

“Then why do this? Aren’t you married or don’t you have children of your own?” Yasmine asked.

“I’m married to a man I’ve loved since I was sixteen. But he’s a longshoreman who works well into the night, we only get to see each other on the weekends, so it makes for some very lonely long nights.”

“And children?” Jason asked, in reference to the question she had left unanswered.

“God just saw fit to give me fifteen new kids every year.” She held the sweetest smile on her face.

Satisfied with the answer, Yasmine questioned, “So, how are you going to do this job if you’re at work all day?”

“It was my understanding, ma’am, that you only need a part-time caregiver from two until six in the evening, because the children will be at a daycare during the morning.”

“That’s correct.” Jason assured her.

“Well, the private school where I work at lets the kindergartners out at twelve. There aren’t any afternoon sessions. I’m finished by one and on my way home by one thirty at the latest. Have you chosen a daycare center?” Charmagne asked.

“We’re sending them to Step-by-Step; which is fifteen minutes from the house.”

“I know them well. A friend I went to college with owns it with her mother. She’s planning to take it over in a few years when her mother retires.” Charmagne pondered for a moment. “Matter fact, it will take me twenty minutes to get to it from school and about thirty minutes if I was coming from my house on down days at the school.”

Yasmine was glad to hear that. It would be nice to have both of their child providers familiar with each other and on good terms.

She and Jason asked Charmagne about discipline and meal plans, activities and a variety of other questions and all of them the woman answered to their liking. She had even done what the other applicants had not, asked about the children and their personalities.

They told the woman about the children and the circumstances in which they would be acquiring them.

When the interview was over, they shook her hand and showed Charmagne to the door, telling her they would have their decision made by Monday.

“So, what do you think?” Jason asked Yasmine after the woman had driven away in her full size sports utility vehicle, and they had closed the door.

“I’d like to offer the job to her.” Yasmine gave him a broad smile.

“So, would I. Can you contact her references on Monday and if everything checks out call her and offer her the position?”

“Yes.”

Tension filled the room as she and Jason stood staring at each other in silence.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Yasmine knew what he was referring to, but wanted to let the situation drop. “No, we just need to forget about it and leave it alone.” She walked deeper into the living room, until she stood in front of the mantel, gazing at their picture.

“Can we honestly do that?” Jason asked.

No
, Yasmine’s body screamed. “Yes.” Her mouth lied.

“Remember, we already tried that before. Evidently it didn’t work.”

“We’ll just try harder.” She turned around to gaze at him, still standing across the living room with his hands slid into his back pocket and elbows akimbo at his sides. Stopping him, before he could make any further arguments, Yasmine continued, “Look, Jason it’s getting late and I’m tired. I’m going to bed. Are you staying tonight?”

“The way I’m feeling right now, I think it would be best if I went back to my apartment,” his voice was quiet, tinged with anger.

Yasmine’s heart sank a little. She told herself she was glad she wouldn’t have to fight the sexual pull always between them tonight. Silently, she admitted to herself that a part of her longed to be held in his arms through the night.

“Are you coming by here tomorrow?”

“Probably not. Just call me when you hear from La-Tonya about when we can pick up the kids.”

There her heart went again, lowering another notch.

Yasmine nodded, not trusting her voice to speak now.

“G-night, Yasmine.”

“Good night, Jason.”

She watched him exit the house without another word, locked her door, and went to bed.

She’s the kind of woman that makes a man make love in a heavy rain and not care that he’s getting wet or chancing pneumonia. She’s worth it.

Jason thought to himself as he and Yasmine drove to the orphanage to pick up the twins. She had called him in the morning two days ago at work and told him that the children would be ready by noon on Wednesday for pick up. The afternoon of the same day, they had met for lunch at the orphanage and gave the news to the children. He could tell by the tension around Yasmine that day; she had been nervous that the children wouldn’t want to come and live with them. But, her fears had been useless, because from moment they had told the twins they had begun jumping up and down with excitement asking when they could leave.

He hadn’t spoken to her since then and they had barely exchanged ten words when he had picked her up.

He knew he should have called her during the week, but the only thing he could think about was being with her in a way she wouldn’t allow. Tonight would be the first night they would share a bed since Williamsburg.
If she isn’t nervous about that...hell, I sure am
.

He pulled up to Angelic Refuge and parked the car. He walked around to her side of the vehicle and opened the door.

Once they entered the house they heard, “
Misr
Jason,
Mizz
Yazz-men
,
Misr
Jason,
Mizz
Yazz-men
...,” being cheered repeatedly by the twins in unison.

When they stopped in front of them standing with Ms. Andrea by her office door, Jessica asked ecstatically, “Are we going home
vif
you tonight?”

“Why, yes you are, my sweeties.” Yasmine stooped down before them.

Coming down to the twins level also, Jason asked, “Are you both all packed and ready to go?”

“Yes, our bags are in
dair
.” Joshua excited, pointed inside Ms. Andrea’s office.

“If I can have you all step inside to sign a few more papers, you all can be on your way.”

They all migrated into the smaller area where Jason and Yasmine signed the release paperwork and then the group was on their way home.

~ML~

“
Dis
is my room?” Jessica asked as she stood at her bedroom door, not entering yet.

When they took Joshua over to his room, he raced inside and immediately started to jump on the bed.

“All boy.” Jason back down to Jessica’s room, standing beside her as she stared transfixed into the room.

Jessica spoke in an awestruck quiet voice. “
Dis
is my room, by
myshelf
?”

“It sure is, baby girl.” Jason kneeled placing himself on eye level with the three-year-old girl.