Slow Seduction (18 page)

“If you didn’t mean to say that, what did you want to express to me?” he questioned. “Because it sounded like ‘hands off Miss. Roman while she’s at work being a prim and proper school teacher. But you can touch and talk to her all you want as soon as the last bell rings and no one else is around.’” Clinton shoved his hands in his pockets to lean against the wall, waiting for her answer.

“Sweetheart, I was trying to protect you from Mark’s vindictive ways. If he had a clue you were important to me, he would find a way to get back at you. I don’t want you in his path of destruction,” she told him, hoping to reach him.

“I love you so much and don’t want anything to happen to you. I still feel there isn’t something right about him,” she confessed. “I get very uneasy around him and he was too agreeable before the break. I always feel like he’s up to no good. I don’t want you taken off this job,” she confessed in a low whisper.

Clinton closed his eyes, praying he heard Jenisha correctly. Moving slowly away from the wall, he pulled her into his arms. “Please say those words again, baby.”

She looked up and was fascinated by the pure love shining from his dark green eyes. “What words would those be?” she teased. Clinton gave her a little shake.

“Woman, you know what words I want to hear,” he said.

Jenisha touched his face with her soft hands, “Clinton, I love you. You mean so much to me and I hope we’ll have an amazing future together,” she finished.

He bent to kiss her and Jenisha stood on tiptoes to met him halfway, but Clinton stopped, not allowing their lips to touch. “Wait, didn’t you say no kissing on school time,” he pointed out with a devilish smile.

She pulled his face down the rest of the way mumbling, “Just shut and kiss me.” Clinton did as she asked.

Robin’s head was down in a file, which caused her to almost run into the couple kissing in the empty hallway. Holding back a gasp, she hid beside one of the lockers, watching Jenisha and Clinton with venom. She would break them up no matter what the cost. Jenisha wouldn’t have him when the school year ended.

It would be much easier for her to land him if Clinton wasn’t so in love with the dark, long legged beauty. Shee needed a distraction from Jenisha and soon. Or she would never get a chance with him.

Walking backwards, she turned around and went back the way she came. She wouldn’t tell Principal Kimball about this. Robin knew he wanted Jenisha hurt, but if there were anyway that she could save Clinton, she would do it. She didn’t give a damn what happened to Jenisha. Jenisha deserved anything that Principal Kimball had planned for her.

Clinton removed Jenisha’s arms from around his neck. “Baby, I think you have about eight minutes to get back to your class.”

Opening her eyes, she looked at him with a shine to her eyes. “What time do you want to have lunch,” she asked.

“I can’t have lunch with you today. I’m having lunch with Jim and Dave to discuss a few things about the project. They will be here tomorrow to start opening up walls.”

“Why can’t I have lunch with you?” Jenisha questioned. “I’m sure Jim and Dave wouldn’t mind.”

How did he explain this to her so she wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that he was overly jealous. “Precious, I rather you didn’t spend a lot of time around Dave. He’s too attracted to you. I laughed it off in Stamford, but I won’t do it again.”

The corner of Jenisha’s mouth kicked up into a smile and her eyes got a twinkle in them. He hated when she looked at him like that. “Are you jealous?”

“Yes, I’m always jealous when I see other men looking at you,” he admitted. “I want to make you wear a sign that says ‘Hands Off: Property of Clinton Campbell.’”

Smiling, Jenisha turned away from him. “I don’t mind wearing a sign if I can put a sign on you too. I think I might become a little jealous with you working so close to me.”

She quickly spun back around to face him. “What if I walk up to you talking to a gorgeous teacher and she’s flirting with you?”

He knew there wasn’t another teacher in this entire school that could get his attention like Jenisha. “Tell her that I belong to you.”

“Don’t tell me to do that because I will you know,” Jenisha taunted, spinning back around and heading in the direction of her classroom.

Clinton stared at the back of Jenisha as she walked away from him. His heart pounded in his chest at the thought of the beautiful woman in front of him becoming his wife.

“Okay, tell me how your Spring break was,” Becky asked Jenisha over lunch. They had decided to let the class eat then play outside after Jenisha came back from dropping the bus forms at Principal Kimball’s office.

“There isn’t much to tell,” she answered with a hint of a smile.

Becky hit her with a celery stick. “Don’t you hold back on me. I can tell something big happen because you ran from class to find him.”

Jenisha twisted around on the bench to face Becky. “Okay, Clinton took me to meet his father in Stamford, CT. I didn’t have a clue he was taking me there.”

She watched Becky as her eyes grew huge inside her face and the celery stick dropped from her hand. “You have to be kidding me. What else happened? Was his father surprised you were black?”

Jenisha took a bite of her turkey sandwich and shook her head. “No, I don’t think it matters to him. He just wanted to make sure I was in love with his son.” She swallowed the food in her mouth and continued. “I could tell they have a very close bond with each other. He said he would be happy to welcome me to the family.”

Becky slid closer to her on the bench and placed her hand on her arm. “Are you saying that Clinton proposed you,” she yelled. A couple of teachers stopped talking and turned to look at them. Jenisha quickly hit Becky on the arm.

“Shh….don’t talk so loud,” she hissed, nodding toward to the two teachers who glanced away from them. “No, he hasn’t said anything about getting married, but I wouldn’t say no if he were to ask.”

“Well, you better hurry up and make him ask because I know several teachers here have their eye on your handsome contractor,” Becky replied, lowering her voice. “I overheard a conversation in the bathroom. You know Brittney Thurston, the new music teacher. Well, she’s planning to wait for him after school. She’s going to ask him out on a date, and said she won’t take no for an answer.”

“So, she’s trying to win the bet about who will get him first,” Jenisha asked.

“Britney thinks she can have any man she wants. You have to prove her wrong, Jenisha,” Becky coached.

“I’m not going to spy on Clinton after school. I trust him to do the right thing about Britney or any other teacher who flirts with him,” Jenisha replied, confident in the love that Clinton had for her. “He’ll tell them he’s already in a relationship with a wonderful woman.”

Becky stared at her. “I have to admit that when you’re around he doesn’t see anyone but you. I guess you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh no, here comes Principal Kimball,” Becky moaned. “I can’t stand him. Don’t look, but he’s headed our way.”

Jenisha knew the moment he arrived because she felt his breath on the back of her neck. He walked around the front of the table and stood beside Becky. “Here are the papers you wanted signed. Sorry I wasn’t able to do it when you came to the office, but I was having a meeting with Mr. Campbell.”

She quickly concealed her expression so Principal couldn’t see her reaction to Clinton’s name. “He has nothing but praise for you. If I didn’t know better I think you might have put a spell on the poor man.”

Jenisha kept her cool and comment light. “I’m not a witch, Principal Kimball,” she teased back with a fake smile. “You know I’m a second grade teacher.”

Mark’s eyes hardened at her. Without saying another word, he tossed the papers on the bench and left. Becky pushed the remainder of her food away. “I think I lost my appetite.”

“He has that effect on you,” Jenisha admitted. Picking up the papers, she looked over them to make sure he had signed in all the right places.

“I still can’t believe he agreed to this,” Becky commented, taking the papers from her hand.

“I know. I was really shocked myself.” Jenisha noticed her class getting restless on the playground behind Becky. “Well, I think it’s about time we took them back in.”

“Maybe today would be the best time to let them test out those internet computers games,” Becky suggested.

“Becky, you are very smart,” Jenisha grinned. “I can finish grading the surprise math test and you can work with them on that.”

Standing up, Jenisha told her class to line up and counted heads to make sure everyone was there before she took them back inside. On the way back to class, she spotted Clinton walking in the hallway with two men she didn’t know. She tried not to look at him but couldn’t resist the urge.

Making eye contact with him, she smiled. Clinton only acknowledged her with a slight nod in her direction and pointed out something to the man closest to him.

Jenisha shook off the instant hurt and continued down the hallway. After getting the first eight children set up on computers, Jenisha told the rest to practice the alphabetic poem from earlier. Sitting at her desk, she pulled out a red pen and started grading the math tests, pushing the experience with Clinton to the back of her mind.

“Goodbye, Miss Roman,” a female student yelled on her way out the door.

“See you tomorrow, Melissa, and remember to let your Dad read the note I put in your backpack.”

Melissa stopped in the door to look back at her with a smile on her face. “Okay, I’ll tell him about it tonight at dinner.” Melissa waved at Jenisha one last time and ran out the door to her father standing in the hall.

“What a long day,” Becky complained, picking up papers off the floor. “I didn’t think I would be able to get Brian Smithson off the computer so Melissa could have a turn. He really loved those computer games.”

“I know,” Jenisha answered, stacking papers inside her desk. “I think we found something he might enjoy doing for the few months of school we have left. Remind me tomorrow to send a note along with instructions home to his parents. It might be a family thing they can do together along with his reading assignments. Have you noticed how he raises his hand to read more in class now?”

“Jenisha, you are a wonderful and caring teacher and that’s why the parents and children love you so much,” Becky pointed out.

Placing a piece of loose hair from her braid behind her ear, Jenisha replied, “You didn’t have to say that.”

Becky picked up her purse then laid a hand on Jenisha’s shoulder. “I only speak what is the truth. Now, hurry up and leave so you can have fun with your good looking boyfriend.” Becky waved at her before walking out the door.

Jenisha didn’t want to see Clinton right now. Picking up the information she needed to take home, she locked her classroom door and left the school. But instead of going home, she went to the library.

Clinton stood at Jenisha’s front door holding flowers and dinner for her. He rung her doorbell for the fourth time, wondering were she was. He knew she was probably mad at him for him not speaking to her back at school. That was why he brought dinner.

Sitting the items by the door, he sat down on the porch swing, massaging his temples and thinking about the teacher who followed him out to his car. Hell, he had never met such a pushy woman. She truly didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer. She wouldn’t leave him alone until he told her he was in a relationship with Jenisha. She had back away from him like he was crazy and rushed over to her car to drive off way over the speed limit.

He was about to give up and leave when Jenisha pulled up into he driveway. Stepping off the porch, he walked over to her. Opening the car door he bent down to kiss her. “Where have you been?”

Clinton stepped back so Jenisha could get out of the car. She shut the car door and went around his body. “I had to take care of a few things. I didn’t know we had plans,” she answered.

Moving past him, Jenisha went up the front steps to her house without even waiting for him to follow her. He frowned at her back and hurried behind her. “Are you still mad at me?”

Jenisha unlocked the door without answering him. She picked up the flowers and food and them into the house. He went into the house behind her, shut the door and turned the lock. Standing in the entranceway, he watched her in the kitchen as she removed their dinner from the bags. She didn’t look happy with him and he knew why.

“Baby, I couldn’t smile back at you in the hallway without wanting to kiss you,” he muttered, easing into the kitchen. He had to make her understand he wasn’t ignoring her on purpose. “Your smiles always make me want to kiss you, don’t you know that?”

Jenisha sat the counter of steamed rice on the table and stared at him. “You have never told me that before,” she whispered.

Clinton walked the rest of the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t want you to know what kind of hold you have over me.”

“What do my kisses do to you,” Jenisha asked, kissing him fully on the lips then nibbled at his bottom one.

“They make me want to make love to you all night long and forget the rest of the world exists.”

“Hmmm…maybe I should kiss you again and see how it turns out,” she uttered.

Their lips were within mere inches of each other when the doorbell broke them apart. “Wait right there and I’ll see who it is,” Jenisha said.

Clinton stood in the living room, watching Jenisha walk to the door and hoping she could get rid of the person quickly.

Unlocking the door, Jenisha opened it and got the surprise of her life. “Charisma,” she screamed, hugging her other best friend beside True. “What are you doing here? I thought you moved overseas?”

“I hated it there, so I moved back last week,” Charisma Miles answered, returning her hug. “I came by here earlier, but you weren’t home.”

“Don’t stand out there bring your butt in here, girl,” Jenisha said, pulling Charisma into the house.

Charisma walked in to find a very handsome man in Jenisha’s living room. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all,” Jenisha replied, smiling at Clinton as she closed the front door. “I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Clinton Campbell.” She waved her hand in Clinton’s direction as she stood next to Charisma. “Clinton, meet the one and only Charisma Miles, a woman that can do anything she puts her mind too.”

“Nice to meet you,” Clinton said with a nice smile as he came across the room.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Charisma answered as Clinton stopped in front of her.

“If you have a date I can come back tomorrow,” Charisma said, turning back toward the door.

“No, I was leaving. I’ve got things to get done before tomorrow,” Clinton answered, taking his car keys out of his pocket.

“Baby, what about dinner?” Jenisha asked, pointing to the food on the table.

“I can get something and take it back home. Why don’t you enjoy it with Charisma?” Clinton kissed Jenisha on the mouth and left.