OBSESSED WITH TAYLOR JAMES Page 5

  “Taylor, it is no different from what we do as attorneys. If I suspect something is not right, I have to investigate the truth before presenting my facts. Had I done that with Savannah, she would not have duped me. I would not have lost the confidence in pursuing a woman for a long-term relationship or believed any woman would want to hurt me unless I wronged them.”

  Taylor stood up. “I don’t know how anything will work between us, Mario. Will I have to check in a million times a day with you to prove I’m being faithful to you?”

  He shook his head. “You won’t have to do that, Taylor.”

  “Why not? I’m a woman; you don’t know my background.”

  He held his hands up to calm her down. “Please let me continue. There has been no woman I’ve wanted to pursue a serious relationship with until I met you.”

  She rolled her eyes upward. “Please. You don’t expect me to believe you have been celibate all these years then I come along and cure you of your trust issues?”

  “That is not what I’m saying. I’ve dated and kept a sexual presence, but never did I get attached to any woman during those trysts.”

  Taylor looked him in the eye. “How will I know you will not change and begin to suspect I am doing you wrong? I work in an office full of males. I have male friends, and I’m refusing to sleep with you.”

  “Your actions prove to me, you are being protective. I’m putting me on a limb telling you this, so I must trust you and I want you to trust me.”

  “Mario, I don’t know if I can be in a relationship with so much doubt in the air.”

  “I know, but because I have the same affections for you that Dillon has; I’m asking you to work with me.”

  “Great! You only want a friendship because that is all Dillon and I have.”

  “It is not all he wants. However, that is not my business to discuss. I can only speak for what I want. For the first time in years, I want more than just sex with a woman. I want you in my life, Taylor James.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t know what to say, Mario. I did want more before your confession. Honey, your scars have been rooted for years. How can I be sure you aren’t only lusting after me?”

  He walked around her inhaling the soft scent radiating from her body. He was falling in love with her, and he couldn’t stop it. Like a coward, he’d tucked his tail between his legs and left his family and friends due to the embarrassment of one woman. Now that he’d met Taylor, he had to endure the pain of reopening old wounds. He had to do that in order to love her fully.

  “Please, Taylor. Do not dispute what we have together so far. If sex with you was my only goal, I would not have revealed my secret because you would not need to know. I don’t take pride in the fact I was made a fool of myself and had to leave my life in Miami.”

  She nodded. “This is the real reason you’re in Cleveland. Mario, people eventually forget dumb mistakes we make when we’re young.”

  “They weren’t forgetting fast enough for me. I based my practice for my people. Word spread like wildfire in the Hispanic community. I could not stand the pity or the snickering. Plus she lived in the vicinity and I would see them on the street or in restaurants. The humiliation she put me through was painful but I still loved her. I had no choice but to leave to get over her and move on with my life.”

  She held her arms open for him. “Who am I kidding; I would have run the first opportunity I got.”

  He embraced her. “We can help each other, Taylor. You teach me to trust, and I will help you with your inability to maintain a healthy, long-lasting relationship.”

  She nestled her head on his shoulder. “We sound really messed up to be so put together career-wise.”

  “That seems to be the trend with successful people. Oh, and so you know, if I had really turned on the charm, I would have had you in bed by now.”

  She pulled away from him bending her unflawed eyebrows. “Don’t be so sure, Mr. Infante; I know when a man is only after sex.”

  “I disagree. You would’ve fell into my lure without a peep, but that is not what I want. I want this ride to happiness to be the best adventure you’ve ever had.”

  Taylor hugged him again. “This is going to be one wild adventure.”

  He didn’t want to mess her hair by running his fingers through it. But he loved the texture and the way it flowed across her shoulder blades. “I want this more than anything, Taylor.”

  “I do also, Mario.” She kissed him on the lips. “We better get to lunch.”

  He let her wipe the smudges of lipstick from around his mouth before releasing her. “I have a surprise for you tonight.”

  “I like surprises,” she cooed adjusting the long strap of her purse on her shoulder.

  “Meet me at the Pub say around 6:00pm? I will be done with my meeting and we’ll have drinks before your surprise.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “I’ll be there. Promise to call me if the meeting is longer than expected; I hate sitting at the bar alone. I don’t how I do it, but I manage to attract all the gold-tooth womanizers.”

  He laughed. “I promise I will be there at 6:00pm to protect you from the gold-toothed womanizers.”

  *****

  Mario checked his watch—it was 6:05pm. He entered the bar searching the crowd spotting Taylor immediately. As she had predicted, she was the only female sitting at the bar alone. A man sauntered over to her before Mario got there. He stopped walking and watched to see how she reacted to the stranger. If he wanted to be with Taylor, he had to know if she truly held his heart and soul close to her.

  His suspicions of Dillon were not at ease in his mind. However, their relationship had bonded long before he came into Taylor’s life, and he would not interfere or drive him away because of his jealousy.

  He watched Taylor smile pleasantly to the man as he took the stool next to her. Taylor’s shapely legs uncrossed and her body curved away from the man as he leaned in to talk to her. Her actions towards the man proved to him, she was not interested in him and was being polite.

  The man would not give up the effort to gain her attention. As he leaned closer, she moved to the empty stool next to her balancing her cell phone in her hand. She lifted her head high to scan over the heads in the bar. She then lowered it to pay attention to her phone.

  Mario jumped as his phone buzzed in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. He dug it out looking at the text message.

  Taylor: Where are you? A smooth-talker without a gold tooth is throwing me play. I need you to rescue me. Text back if you are close.

  He sent a quick reply tucking the phone in his pocket. He left the table when he saw Taylor reading her phone.

  He appeared on the opposite side of her kissing her cheek. “Sorry, to keep you waiting, amour,” he said noticing the puzzled expression on the man’s face.

  Taylor tilted her head receiving the peck on the cheek. “No problem, baby. This nice gentleman kept me company even though I told him I was content waiting for you alone.”

  The man said releasing beer remnants on his breath, “It was the least I could do. A beautiful woman sitting alone, at a bar, could easily attract scuzzy men to hit on her.”

  Mario extended his hand to the stranger. “Thank you for taking care of my lady. Please, let me buy you a drink for your trouble.”

  The stranger slid off the barstool. “I didn’t know the lady was taken when I approached her, but she was quick to tell me she was. Anyhow, you two enjoy your night. I’m off to find my wife,” he said.

  Mario pulled a business card from his pocket dangling it between his fingers. “You’re married and in a bar with your wife picking up women.—hmm, I’m a lawyer. I wonder if your wife would be interested in talking with me.”

  “Man, I’m just out having fun and not causing any problems,” he said leaving without taking Mario’s card or offer for a free drink.

  Mario sat on the empty barstool. “I guess he didn’t want me to buy him a drink.
”

  Taylor fingered her hair away from her face. “I’m sure disclosing you were a lawyer had nothing to do with that. He was done with me anyhow. My one word answers weren’t exactly conversation holders.”

  “I’m glad he kept it moving; I’d hate to make a scene in a public place. Are you drinking your usual Jack and Cola?”

  She nodded an affirmative. “Mario, you don’t have to spy to observe how I interact with other men.”

  He placed the order for a shot of tequila and a refill for Taylor with the barmaid. Returning his attention to her, he asked. “What are you talking about?”

  She lifted her head to him. “You’ve been in the bar for over ten minutes. Why’d you feel the need to watch me? Have you lost trust in me already?”

  Stunned she knew he’d been observing her, he tried to repair the damage. “Of course, I haven’t—I don’t trust other men around you. Taylor, you are a beautiful woman and men will sniff after you like a hound-dog on a hot trail.”

  “I see. So, you think I am too weak-minded to inform such hound dogs that I’m involved with someone?”

  He was at a loss for words and choked on his tongue. “No, baby….”

  She put her hand up to stop him from talking. “Don’t sugarcoat the obvious, Mario. We promised we’d work on our destructive tendencies. I plan on keeping my end of the bargain.”

  He reached for her hand, but she removed it placing it in her lap. He caressed her back instead feeling her take a breath and draw her body inward. His accent deepened as he apologized. “I’m deeply sorry. Now that you know why I am this way, I will need tolerance from you to work through my issues.”

  Taylor sipped her drink, crossing her legs again. Her red summer miniskirt crawled higher up her thigh with the motion. His eyes immediately, followed by his hand, touched her skin. The silkiness of her skin sent shooting sensations through his loins making his penis twitch against the fly of his pants.

  Taylor saw and ignored his twitch. She used the cocktail napkin to wipe the water ring left on the mahogany bar by her glass. “I know. I still don’t appreciate being spied on and will not tolerate it.”

  “Si, senorita, you are right.” Her striking brown eyes darkened as she glared at him. The long lustrous lashes fluttered as she smiled, lifting her mouth to curve those sexy lips. “Am I forgiven?”

  “This time you are, but don’t let it happen again.”

  “Gracias, it won’t.” He changed the subject. “So, shall we finish our drinks and go to your surprise?” He asked dangling tickets in front of her face.

  Her eyes widened. “You were able to get tickets for the Prince concert tonight? The show has been sold out for weeks.”

  “For you, I will get anything your heart desires.”

  “I love already how you spoil me.”

  “That is what a man does for the woman he adores. Dillon could learn a thing or two from me when it comes to romance.”

  Her facial expression evened as she shook her head. “Let’s not talk about them, okay?”

  Mario drank the shot of tequila in one gulp. He rubbed her cheek, lowering his head to kiss her neck exposed above the collar of her blouse moving to nibble on her earlobe. In Spanish, he whispered, “Vamonos de aqui. Tengo un problema que necesito resolvel y hay muchas personas alrededor de nosotros para haserlo aqui.”

  She pressed her forehead against his. “You know my Spanish is terrible. Translate what you said to me in English.”

  He propped his leg on the lower rung of the barstool. “Do I really need to translate what I said?”

  “No, you don’t.” She smiled placing a soft kiss on his lips. “But, you should see a doctor. You seem to have that problem a lot?”

  He moved his head looking at her confused. “Um-what, Taylor, what do you think I said?”

  “We don’t have time to discuss it. We have to get to the show. It would be impolite to keep Prince waiting,” she said sliding off the stool taking his hand dragging him behind her.

  Chapter 5

  One Month Later

  Taylor huffed and puffed, as she struggled to finish the last quarter-mile of her early morning run. She had not run in weeks, and her legs were feeling the burn from the lack of exercise.

  She could blame her laziness on being too busy at work, but she would not lie to herself; she was too busy playing with Mario Infante after work and on the weekends. The man had managed to sweep her off her feet with his romantic ways. They were taking it slow with the intimacy, but had come close only to stop and regroup.

  Without the sex, which was getting harder to avoid, they enjoyed late night dinners, dancing, long walks in the park and shopping. Mario was a tolerant when their dates ended with them cuddling and kissing on her sofa. He didn’t press her for sex when she pulled away when it got hot and heavy. He was understanding, and said it would happen when the time was right.

  A mile into her run, she’d made up her mind the time had come. The when and the where it would happen was the barrier standing in the way. Dreaming about him night after night and playing with him during day hours had her wondering what lay beneath the expensive suits and the silver tongue. He had the ability to tell what he could do; she finally wanted him to show what he could do.

  Taylor finally made it to her street, as the song playing on the iPod was the last on the playlist. She had different playlists she used for exercising depending on her mood. A short playlist lasted for an hour run and the longer playlists she used when she wanted to run for more than an hour. Today she used the short playlist until she regained her endurance for longer runs.

  She lived in a quiet bedroom community on Cleveland’s westside. There were hardly any children among the mostly working class residents who occupied modest homes with well-kept yards, but plenty of dogs. She did not have a dog to walk or run with, and therefore kept her running to daylight hours. Just because her street was quiet, it did not mean freaks did not lurk about.

  A few houses from her brick colonial, she noticed Dillon sitting on the stairs of the front porch. He was reading a book and drinking what looked to be coffee from a fast food restaurant.

  She picked up her pace to get to her house. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she pulled the buds of the iPod from her ears. “Hey, what are you doing here so early in the morning?”

  Dillon looked at her. “Wow, you do still live here. I was starting to wonder if you’d moved and didn’t tell me.”

  “It’s too early in the morning to be sarcastic,” she said squeezing by him to walk up the steps.

  He gathered up his belongings and followed her into the house. He loved Taylor’s style of decorating. It reflected her inner beauty and soul. The African artwork and statutes strategically placed around her modest home accented the modern furniture, and polished hardwood floors. The only carpeting was on the steps leading upstairs.

  Taylor was proud of her rich African-American history. She had photographs of family sitting on the mantle and inside curio cabinets. She also had very rare photographs of her family dating back as far as the 1800s. Her mother had given her pieces of furniture from her great-great grandparents that she kept protected from the elements in a climate-controlled warehouse until she had a house big enough to display everything.

  The one piece she loved and used was the hand-carved mahogany queen-sized bed her great-great grandfather made for his ill wife so she would have a peaceful place to sleep at night. Taylor had it restored and searched the internet for a dresser and other bedroom furniture of that era that came close to what he’d made to complete her bedroom. He’d been inside her home plenty of times, and knew the layout like the back of his hand.

  Dillon followed Taylor into the kitchen. “So, what have you been up to lately? I hardly see you anymore.”

  She held up one finger while she swallowed down the glass of cold water. Putting the glass in the sink, she said, “I see you every day at work.”

  “Really at work,” he said ditching the empty
coffee cup.

  “Yeah, it is a brief wave here and there, but at least I know you are alive and kicking.”

  He pulled a stool from under the kitchen island and sat down. “You know what I’m talking about. We don’t hang out anymore after work either. We haven’t had lunch together in months.”

  Taylor took an apple from the fruit bowl on counter and bit into it. The juice from the fruit dribbled down her lips and chin. Dillon’s reaction was silent as she licked her lips lapping up the sweetness of the apple’s nectar. Her long hair, braided in a ponytail, and tucked under the white sports band around her head, showed the natural beauty of her face that was void of makeup. The short black sports bra exposed a flat stomach glistening with sweat from the run. And the black spandex shorts emphasized her full hips. Those luscious hips that he desired to bare his children one day.

  She was talking, but his ears were not tuning into what she was saying. He was enthralled in her body and thinking what he wanted to do to her. Rumor around the office was she and Mario Infante were forming a close bond, but she denied it whenever he asked her questions about the two of them in the beginning, and dropped the subject as they drifted further apart.

  “Dillon, are you listening to me?”

  He snapped to reality when her voice penetrated his ears. “Huh…yeah, I heard what you said. So you want to go to a movie tonight. Just the two of us to get caught up on what’s been going on lately?”

  She bit the apple again tossing the remains in the garbage. “I can’t. I have plans this evening.”

  “Oh. Did you meet a new man and waiting to see how things shake out before you spring him on me?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Look nosy. My cousin Selma is having a baby shower. It’s going to be a night out with the girls. I haven’t had a girl’s night in a long time. In fact,” she said checking her watch. “I have appointments starting at noon. I need to shower and get changed.”

  “I remember Selma. She was always at your parent’s house when I would come over as a kid.”

  “She hung out with me and Sabrina all the time. Well she is married and expecting a baby soon.”