Infiltrating Your Heart (19 page)

“Thank you for bringing me.”

“Anytime, Mercedes. I’ll have your
car fixed, okay?”

I nod. Gabriel made me accept his
help while we were on the way here. I told him where my car is.

With a smile, I turn around and walk
to the house. It takes me a few seconds to register the steps that sound behind
me. I turn around, eyebrows furrowed.

“Gabriel? What are you doing?”

Gabriel looks confused by my
question.

“I’m not about to leave you alone
after you told me that a thug was watching you.”

I blink twice, feeling quite
incredulous. Then I let out a nervous laugh.

“Please, Gabriel. Do you honestly
think someone will go to the trouble of tracking me down? I’ll be fine. For the
record, I’ve got less than thirty bucks on me.”

Gabriel frowns, considering the
situation.

“I don’t mind missing work to keep
you safe. They can keep going without me for today.”

I must say, I find Gabriel’s concern
flattering.

“You’ve already done more than I asked
for. Besides, my father’s there. Imagine what he’ll think if I show up with a
handsome stranger.”

A faint smile breaks at the corner of
Gabriel’s lips.

“Okay, you’re right,” he says,
shaking his head. “I’m getting a little carried away.”

I giggle. Without thinking, it seems,
Gabriel’s hand moves to my chin. He pulls up so I look at him.

“Stay safe anyway, Mercedes.”

I nod, feeling butterflies in my stomach.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t miss work on my
behalf.”

Sighing, Gabriel agrees with a nod.

“I’ll see you later,” he says. His
hand brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. After that, Gabriel turns
around and walks back to his car. I watch as he gets inside. Gabriel rolls down
the window and waves at me before leaving.

Unable to shake off my grin, I walk
to the house. I like that Gabriel’s concerned about me. It may be over the top,
but it’s great. Little by little, I’m infiltrating his heart. Patrick will know I was right.

Patrick.

As I enter the house, a new thought enters
my head. Patrick is a calculating ass. For a moment, I wonder if he had my
tires slashed just so I’d end up with Gabriel. But I remember that there were
too many variables to control. I don’t think Patrick would be such a bastard.

Dad emerges from the kitchen as I
leave my purse atop the coffee table.

“Hi, princess,” he tells me, leaning
on the doorway. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“I just had car trouble, Dad.”

“I could see that. Who was that man
who brought you here? I’ve never seen him before.”

“He’s a new friend.”

Dad nods once.

“You seem to be making plenty of
friends lately.”

I grin. He must be referring to the Mayor.

“What can I say? You can make lots of
friends when you’re a waitress.”

Dad chuckles, and sits down on the
sofa. His expression changes to concern.

“You know I’m looking for a job, right?”

That triggers a reminder: I’m
supposed to find a job as a waitress, or Gabriel will get suspicious. Yikes. I
couldn’t have lost my car at a worse time. It’s sheer luck that I have another
one.

A split second later, I register what
my father said.

“What? Dad, you need to rest.”

“I need to take a bit of the burden
off your back. I’m not useless.”

“I don’t think you are, Dad. You know
that I don’t mind taking care of you.”

“Baby, I want to help too. To be
honest, I’m surprised you’ve managed this long with your job.”

I can’t do anything except shrug.

“The pay is decent enough.”

“Another thing I don’t like is that
you work at night. Can’t you ask them to change your shift? I shudder at the
thought of some thief cornering you in a dark alley.”

I let out a hysterical cough. If only
my father knew that that actually happened.

“Sometimes, I’m requested to show up
during the day,” I say. That part’s true. Some clients just want the
companionship of an attractive female.

“Have you applied for any jobs?” I
ask.

“I’m looking into it.”

I rub my chin.

“Is there food? I’m hungry.”

“Yes. There’s teriyaki chicken and
rice.”

One of the things I like most about
my father is that he can cook. He won’t win any awards, but at least eggs and
bacon isn’t the limit of his culinary talents.

I’m glad
I don’t have to eat in a rush. If I were as poor as I look, I’d have to board a
city bus. It gets here in around fifteen minutes. Luckily, I can have Lynette
give me a ride to my apartment, or get a taxi.

~*~
Gabriel

On my way to my place, I arranged
for Mercedes’s car to be serviced. Ciara has a mechanic friend, and I’ve
requested his help.

Just before I get to the next
intersection, my phone rings. The caller ID tells me it’s Roderick. I put the
call on speaker.

“Afternoon, friend. What’s up?”

“Are you still working?”

“No. I’m heading back home. Why?”

“I’m with Evelyn right now. She says
that she’s ready to decide which house to buy. Will you join us?”

“Of course. Are you at her house?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be right there, then. See you
in a few.”

I hang up and turn to the next
intersection, heading for Evelyn’s place now.

As I drive, I’m deep in thought. Soon,
I’ll be proposing to Evelyn and moving in with her. A month ago, I wouldn’t
have had any doubts. Now, Mercedes is in the picture. And as much as I wished
she meant nothing to me, she’s a part of me now.

Unfortunately, Mercedes will have to
remain a friend. There can’t be more between us. Even if her body drives me
crazy, I can’t act on my desires.

I arrive at Evelyn’s door. She opens
it and stands aside to let me in.

“Sweetheart,” she greets me. I smile
and then lean forward to kiss her. “Come help me pick a house.”

“Whatever you wish, my lady.”

Roderick is sitting on the sofa,
waiting for us. He’s got a stack of papers in front of him on the coffee table.

“We’re down to how many choices?” I
ask as Evelyn and I sit down.

“Five,” Roderick says.

I clear my throat. Knowing Evelyn, I
half expected her to have brought the list down to a dozen choices.

“Okay, let’s see.”

Roderick hands me five printouts with
a photo and details on the houses. Evelyn and I look over them. After some
going back and forth, we both agree on the same option. Roderick nods.

“House number three,” he says. “I’ll
get in touch with the realtor in charge.”

“Better do it quickly,” Evelyn
replies. “We can’t have someone else buying the house before we do.”

“No worries. Leave it to me.”

Roderick stands up. Evelyn and I do
the same. I shake hands with him.

“Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll ensure you get
the best deal.”

“One question: if we decide to make
alterations to the house, how do the finances change?”

“That’s not the realtor’s business.
You just get in touch with them and buy the house. If you want to make any
changes, you need to contact an architect.”

Evelyn nods.

“All right. That’s all we needed to
know.”

“If you have any more questions, feel
free to call me. I’ll be glad to help you with anything you need.”

“We’ll do,” I tell Roderick. “Give us
a call when you get in touch with the realtor.”

“Sure. I’ll see you both later.”

I lead Roderick to the door. After he
leaves, I turn back to Evelyn. Her expression is joyful.

“Baby, we’re going to live together!”
she says.

I can’t help but smile.

“Yes, we are,” I tell Evelyn, walking
toward her. We lock in an embrace. “Amazing how time flies.”

“Yeah. I’d swear it was only last
weekend when I first ran into you at the college hallway.”

“I remember that, too,” I say. I’m
glad Evelyn isn’t seeing my face just right now. I’m having trouble recalling
what she was wearing the first time we met. Boyfriends should remember that
stuff, right?

“Living with you will be a dream come
true,” Evelyn says. She faces me, and then her gaze drops to my lips. I lean
down and kiss her.

Just then, an errant thought creeps
into my head. I find myself remembering what it feels like to kiss Mercedes.
She stole a kiss from me. I really want to do the same to her.

As if she noticed some change in me,
Evelyn breaks the kiss. She looks at me.

“Is something wrong, sweetheart?”

I put on a poker face. Evelyn can
never find out that there’s another woman in my life.

“No. It’s nothing.”

Evelyn smiles, looking as if she’s
had an idea.

“Stress, huh? Well, I know just the
cure for it.”

“Do tell me.”

Evelyn grabs my arms. She leads me
all the way to her bedroom. When we’re at the foot of the bed, she starts to
unbutton her blouse. I reach forward and slowly caress down her arms. I then go
for a kiss.

“You’re a genius,” I tell Evelyn. She
giggles. I move down to plant light kisses on her neck. My hand travels to the
sweet spot between her thighs. I rub the folds there. Evelyn lets out a moan.

“Baby, I need you now,” Evelyn tells
me a few moments later. I know what she means. Moving lower, I pull down her
skirt. Then I tug at her panties until they’re almost to her knees. Evelyn sits
on the bed.

Without any more words, I go down on
Evelyn. Her eyes widen with pleasure. Her hands fist the bed sheet as I lick
her folds, until I get to her clit.

At that moment, I get the thought
that I just love my woman. I wonder why the hell I could even think about
Mercedes.

“Oh, don’t stop, don’t stop!” Evelyn
pleads. I continue to pleasure her sweet spot. In less than a minute, Evelyn
goes into a shattering orgasm. I stop a few seconds before she recovers. By
then, I’ve moved up on top of her. My lips lock with hers. She responds with
such passion.

“Let’s get you out of those clothes.
Now.”

I smile,
happy to oblige.

~*~
Mercedes

True to his word, Gabriel has my car
repaired quickly enough that I don’t have to take Scarlet’s Infiniti to school.
I was glad when a guy who works at the auto shop showed up in the early morning.
My old car was there on the driveway. It looked great…too good that I’m
suspicious.

Now, with the light of the morning,
the changes are more noticeable. Apart from brand-new tires, it appears Gabriel
also paid for a cleanup and a paint touchup. I can’t help but feel warm inside.
I’ve never had a man care for me this way. It feels nice.

Before going to classes, I have lunch
with Nadine at a restaurant near the school.

“Hi,” I greet when I approach her
table. Nadine looks up and smiles.

“Hi, friend!” she says, standing up.
We hug each other. “I ordered for you.”

“Thanks,” I say. We both sit down.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you out
yesterday, Merci. I had no way to get out of that test.”

“Don’t worry. We’re good.”

“What happened to your car, anyway?”

“I just got a flat tire.”

At that moment, a waiter arrives with
our food. We thank him, and start eating after he leaves.

“Did you get Albert to help?” Nadine
asks.

“Albert? No, he had his phone off.
Gabriel came to pick me up.”

Nadine raises her eyebrows.

“You called him?”

I nod, flashing a smile.

“Oh, girl. You must tell me
everything.”

I knew this was coming.

“I didn’t see why I shouldn’t ask him
to help me,” I admit. “I thought it would be a good excuse to get closer to
him. Get to know him better.”

“You’re genius, friend. Did anything
happen?”

“No. Not that I’d give you all the
gory details. But Gabriel got me new tires and a paint job.”

“Wow. He paid for that? Gabriel must
be more into you than we thought.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Gabriel
almost insisted on staying with me. At my father’s house.”

Nadine’s jaw drops.

“With your father there?”

“Yes. I had to ask Gabriel to go.
What do you think Dad would think if a stranger showed that kind concern for
me?”