Slow Seduction (21 page)

“Keith, why are you here,” Jenisha sighed. He was the last person she wanted to see this early in the morning. She hadn’t slept well last night because she hadn’t told Clinton about Keith in the first place. Now her worst nightmare was standing in front of her and wanted to talk.

“No, I don’t want to talk.” She came out of her hotel room door and locked it behind her and brushed past Keith’s body. She headed for the elevators, wishing Keith would get the hint and leave her alone.

“Jenisha, please stop. There is something I have to tell you,” he said in a rush.

“What is it?” she exclaimed angrily, spinning around in the long hallway.

Looking down the hall, Keith said, “Do we have to do this here?”

Jenisha pushed the strap of her purse back on her shoulder. “This is a good place for whatever you need to say.”

Keith walked until he was within touching distance of her. “I wanted to know if you’re seeing anyone. If you aren’t, maybe you could give me another chance.”

Gasping, Jenisha took a step back, “You can’t be seriously asking me that question.” He reached out to touch her, but Jenisha slapped his hand away. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I’m in a very loving relationship with a man who means the world to me.”

“Oh,” Keith grumbled. sliding his hands into his slacks. “How close are you two really? Is there any chance I could get you back?”

She couldn’t believe this was happening to her, not now when everything was going so perfectly with her life. “Keith, if you had really cared about me, you wouldn’t have left me at the altar. I’m sorry you haven’t found someone yet and I have. Clinton means more to me than you ever did.”

Jenisha wanted to soften the blow, but she didn’t know how. “I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but I felt you needed to know this. So, please finish your convention and have a nice trip back home.” She laid her hand on Keith’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “Let’s leave the past where it is.”

Keith pulled her to him and then kissed her lightly on the lips. “You’re an extraordinary woman. I wish you all the happiness in the world, and if you ever need anything, please call me.” He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her.

She stared at the card as Keith walked down the hall and out of her life. Shaking off the shock of her past coming full circle, she shoved the card into her purse and pulled out the rental car keys. She had a fun trip planned today.

Standing in line at the Butterfly Pavilion and waiting to buy her ticket, Jenisha could barely keep her excitement under control. Before coming to Denver, she had researched places to visit in case some of her meetings got cancelled or changed to different times. It still amazed her how the butterflies arrived in special packages and were allowed to transform from caterpillars to butterflies.

Jenisha had always loved them as a child and tried to catch them while running across the grass after them. Her parents knew butterflies could keep her entertained for a while, so they planted flowers that drew the gorgeous winged beauties to them. She loved getting up during the summer and counting them out in the backyard. So, finding a place like this was a dream come true.

After finally paying for her ticket, Jenisha went to watch them being released and was totally engrossed in their elegance. They included the Blue Pansy, the Clipper, the Sailor, Common Lacewing, Gulf Fritillary and her favorite, the Giant Swallowtail. Pulling out her camera, she took several photos to add to her scrapbook back home, knowing Clinton would laugh at her childhood love.

Taking a few more pictures, she left, wanting to visit another place she found on her internet search. Getting in her car, she drove to the Tattered Cover Page Book Store. She just wanted to look around the place. It had some many things inside including a coffee shop and a restaurant. She knew Clinton would love this place.

Ordering a cup of coffee, she sat down at a table and thought about her encounters with Keith. How in the hell did she tell Clinton about him? She knew Clinton would be jealous and get angry at her for not telling him about Keith sooner. But, if she didn’t tell him, the truth had a way of coming out. She had first hand experienced with this being around True and Hayward.

She was happy everything worked out for them in the long run. They were truly a good-looking couple with two angelic sons. Blowing on her coffee, Jenisha took a small sip and wondered how things were going for Clinton back at Bryant. He had been calling her and saying how well things are moving along with the renovations to the school.

Yesterday it had rained so they weren’t able to do anything, so he had stayed at home working on crosswords puzzles and thinking about her. He still wanted to visit her. She told him she would be home in two days. A smile spread across her face. She really would be back tomorrow.

While she was at the Butterfly Pavilion, the hotel had called and told her the rest of the teacher conference had gotten cancelled. After hanging up with them, she had called the airport and booked an earlier flight, allowing her to be back in Clinton’s arms hours sooner than he expected. Finishing off the coffee, Jenisha left the bookstore and went back to the hotel to pack. She couldn’t wait to get back home to the man she loved.

After a long day at work, Clinton entered his house and heard music coming from the bedroom. At first he thought he was hearing things. Shit, he hoped it wasn’t Robin. He had been fighting off the seductive looks and touches at work, and he wasn’t in the mood to be nice anymore.

Shoving open the door his eyes slowly slid up and down the goddess standing in front of him wearing red underwear and a bow tied around her appetizing breasts.

“Surprise,” Jenisha whispered seductively, winking at him.

Sitting down his briefcase, Clinton walked into the room, dazed to see Jenisha looking so tempting in red. “Baby you aren’t suppose to be here,” he said playing with the bow tied at her chest.

“Are you saying you want me to leave?” she questioned.

His answer was to start nibbling her ear and cupping her tight butt in his hands. He yanked her to his body. “Does it feel like I want you to leave?”

“Well, your mouth just says one thing and your body is saying something totally different,” she pointed out. “I don’t know which one is telling me the truth.”

Clinton pulled Jenisha up, tossed her on the bed and growled, “You should always listen to my body. It’s always knows what is best for me when it comes to you.” He started pulling at her bow, slowly revealing the secrets he longed for the past week. Finally, the bow was on the floor were he wanted it. Slowly, he took one breasts into his mouth lovingly.

Later in bed with Jenisha wrapped in his arms, Clinton muttered, “I’m so happy you’re back home in my arms, but why didn’t you call me?”

Jenisha turned so they were face to face. “I thought I should surprise you with a gift. Did you like my gift, sweetheart?”

Running his hands down her smooth back, Clinton kissed her quickly. “Yes, it’s the best gift I received in a very long time,” he admitted. “I just have a question how you got into my house without a key?”

“I was very handy as a child and taught myself how to pick a lock. Now, it’s something I’m not proud of now, but back then I loved open things to find what was on the inside,” she ended with a giggle.

He laughed at his beautiful girlfriend then kissed her on the forehead. “You are really full of surprises, Miss Roman.”

Jenisha knew this was the best time to tell him about Keith. Clinton’s temper was the calmest when he was in bed with her or right after making love. Touching his face softly, she brought his eyes to her. “I have to tell you about something that happened on my trip in Colorado.”

“What happened? Did you run into an ex-boyfriend,” Clinton joked.

“No, it was more like an ex-fiancée,” Jenisha corrected.

Leaning back from her warm body, Clinton searched her eyes, but he realized she wasn’t joking. He eased away from her to sit up in bed. “I didn’t know you had been engaged before,” he accused. “Do I know who he is?”

Wrapping the sheet around her, Jenisha sat up in the bed, “No, you don’t personally know him,” she answered quietly.

“Damn it, are you going to give me his name or not!”

Flinching, she stared back at him saying in a rush, “Keith Rogers.”

“Keith Rogers, the rodeo star from San Antonio,” he fumed. Clutching the sheet tighter, she nodded. Clinton sat up on the side of the bed, running his fingers through his hair. “What happened between the two of you in Colorado?” he demanded in a heated voice, wanting answers.

“Nothing,” she assured him.

“Do you really expect me to believe that,” he yelled, getting out of the bed.

With the sheet still wrapped around her, Jenisha got out of the bed and rushed to the other side to console his ego. “I swear nothing happened.”

He didn’t want to listen to reason. The woman he loved spent three days with her ex-fiancée and she expected him to believe nothing happened. How dumb did Jenisha think he was?

“Maybe you planned the trip all along to have a fling with him to compare who was a better lover,” Clinton assured.

The slap sounded very loud in the empty room, and he felt the sting of the hit. If it hadn’t left a bruise on the side he was lucky. He didn’t know that Jenisha had it in her to even slap him.

Jenisha shook her hand which was hurting from the blow. “You bastard,” she cried. “How could you say something like that to me?”

Clinton touched his stinging cheek. “Don’t ever think you can hit me again, precious. I don’t let any woman hit me, and that includes you.” He picked up his discarded clothes and started to get dressed.

“I think you need to get dressed and go home,” he stated after he was completely dressed. Clinton raked his eyes over Jenisha’s half-clothed body before he went out the door, slamming it behind him.

Jenisha stared at the door, shocked by Clinton’s reaction to her confession. Why wouldn’t he believe nothing happened on her trip? She loved him too much now to even think about looking at another man. Thoughts of sleeping with any other man but him never entered her mind.

Fighting back tears, she got dressed in record time, finding everything but her favorite bracelet she loved. She had looked everywhere except under the bed. Getting down on her hands and knees, Jenisha looked under the bed and found her bracelet and something else that caused her hand to shake.

Picking up the bracelet along with the other item, Jenisha slid from under the bed. She held it in the palm of her hand and she couldn’t believe her eyes. Clinton was yelling at her, accusing her of sleep around when the bastard was cheating on her.
Damn it!
Snatching the rest of her items off the bed, Jenisha flung open the door and raced down the hall to confront Clinton with her evidence.

“How dare you judge me when you’re the one having sex with someone,” Jenisha screamed at Clinton from the hallway.

Clinton tossed the pencil on the living room table, “What are you talking about?” He was trying to come to terms with the fact he might have jumped to the wrong conclusion about what Jenisha told him in the bedroom. He was waiting for her to come out so he could apologize and work things out.

“Don’t try to lie to me. I found the earring!” Jenisha hissed. “God, you know how much she hates me and you couldn’t wait until I left to sleep with that drunk.”

Clinton rose from the couch, not liking what he was hearing coming from Jenisha’s lips, “What are you accusing me of? I know you don’t think I slept with Robin while you were gone.”

Jenisha flung the something at him and he caught it in midair. “Are you saying she was never in your bedroom while I was gone?”

He examined the small, dangling gold earring, remembering Robin was wearing it the night she came to flirt with him. “Listen,” he said walking slowly toward Jenisha.

Hurt tore through her body. “No, I don’t want to hear any lies from you because I was the one who believed your words of love and commitment.”

“Jenisha, don’t get upset over…” Before he could finish she had brushed past him out the front door and out to her car parked further down the street.

“Jenisha…wait,” he yelled after her. She never looked back as she got into in her car and drove off, racing down the street.

Clinton slammed the door and rested his head on the cold surface. He knew Robin had set him up, wanting Jenisha to find that earring. He had to find Jenisha and explain about the earring. But, upset as she was right now, she wouldn’t listen to a word he said. He would just catch her at work tomorrow.

Resting against the wall the next day, Clinton waited for Jenisha to arrive at her classroom. He had been standing there for the last twenty minutes and there was still no sign of her. After a restless night’s sleep, he figured out she would never cheat on him with another man. Once again his quick temper had gotten him in trouble. Hopefully Jenisha was in a forgiving mood this morning.

Glancing to the left, he noticed her coming down the hall, looking as striking as usual in a long gray skirt with a leather belt, snug black shirt under a short black jacket and carrying a big black purse. “Good morning, gorgeous,” Clinton said as she unlocked the door and entered her classroom.