Page 13 of Divine Sense
She came back into the dining room with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, face washed, and wearing her new clothes. The way they hugged her body was sinful and I reminded myself for the third time that she was a client and had to remain as such.
“Thank you for the clothes,” she offered sheepishly as she reentered the kitchen. Kendall had purchased her a matching lavender workout set which looked like it included a pair of leggings and matching top. On her feet were a pair of slides I don’t remember asking for, but Kendall must have thrown in for good measure. The way the color of the set complimented her onyx colored hair took my breath away.
“You’re welcome. Would you like some food?” I had plated some of what I had been making and was about to sit at the table when she came back down.
“I’d love some.” She gave me a small smile and followed me towards the dining table that was just off of the kitchen. It was weird having her sitting here as this table was really only ever used when my friends came over to play D and D. They couldnotfind out about this or else I would never hear the end of it. I set the plate down in front of her and placed a napkin on my lap. My mama always taught me proper table manners and I wasn’t about to slack on them now.
“What is this?” she asked as she picked up her fork and poked the food on her plate.
“It’s my mama’s morning hash. It’s basically anything you would eat for breakfast thrown together into a casserole dish. I haven’t made it in ages but it’s the best hangover food. Soaks up all the alcohol.” I gave her a small nod as I took a bite of the dish. Mama would always cook this for us when we were sick or were trying to eat what was in the fridge before it went bad. In college, I made it when I was hungover because it always made me feel better. I watched her take a bite and when the food hither tongue, she moaned in satisfaction. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she took another bite and the look of pure bliss on her face almost made me come in my pants.
“This issogood,” she moaned again before doing a little shimmy in her seat which caused me to chuckle.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it! It reminds me of something Ms. Ruthie would make me when my parents were gone growing up.” The way she spoke about the woman I remember meeting at her house made my heart swell, the love she felt for her was in her voice.
“Ruthie is a nice woman, I remember meeting her when I came to your home earlier this week,” I recounted before taking another bite. She stared off into the distance as if lost in a memory and had a small smile on her face.
“Ms. Ruthie is more than a nice woman, she’s an actual saint. She practically raised me when I was little. She doesn’t have any family and was more of a mother to me than my own mother was…” her voice trailed off. Before I could say anything, she cleared her throat and spoke again, “The food is wonderful, thank you for making it.”
We both continued to eat in silence before she put down her fork and looked at me. With her arms crossed in front of her, she studied me from across the table as I continued to eat.
“Something wrong?” I asked without looking up. I could feel her eyes on me and tried to play it cool.
“No, I just have a wondering.” I glanced up as she gave me a pointed look from her chair and cocked her head at me.
“A wondering? A wondering about what?”
“A wondering about why you had someone buy me these clothes. And a wondering about why you feel like you need to be professional with me. And a wondering if you do this for all the girls you bring home with you.”
“That’s three wonderings,” I pointed out, finally settling my eyes on hers. They narrowed fiercely and she leaned on the table with her elbows, not breaking eye contact.
“Excellent counting skills, Jack.” When she raised her brows at me, I took that as my signal to answer her questions.
“I asked Kendall, my secretary, to buy you the clothes because yours reeked of puke and alcohol. I remembered you wearing something similar the first time we met and figured if you liked them, you could keep them and wear them again. If you don’t like them, you can return them for something else or just keep the cash.” She leaned back in her chair as I spoke. “As for being professional, I don’t see my clients…personally,and try to maintain a level of professionalism at all times. And finally, no, I don’t do this with ‘all the girls I bring home with me.’ I haven’t brought a girl home with me in over a year.”
“What’s wrong, you broken or something?” Her tone resembled that of a bratty child and I wanted nothing more than to show her just how not broken I am. The invitation of her smirk felt like bait, luring me in, hoping to catch me. I stood from the table to clear our empty plates and leaned down to bring my face level with hers.
“I can assure you, flower, I have no issues performing.” Her eyes burned into mine like hot embers and I tried to ignore how she licked her lips, pausing for just a second with her tongue at the corner of her mouth. The moment swelled with obvious desire and heat and I needed to walk away from it fast before I got burned. Forcing myself to stand up, I walked into the kitchen and set the dirty plates inside the sink.I’ll deal with those later when she’s not sitting at my kitchen table like a fresh meal waiting to be consumed.Walking back into the dining room, I noticed a fresh shade of rose in her cheeks.
“You ready to go? I’ll drive you home.”
We drove in silence as I took her back to her place which was on the river. She lived in The Boroughs which was a section of town in the northern part of the city in a brand new townhouse which was part of a recent development effort the city was making. She directed me through the streets of downtown and when we reached her place, I hopped out of the car first and she watched as I made my way around the side of the car and pulled her door open for her. She squinted her eyes at me for half a second before she took the hand I was offering her and stepped out. My hand encased hers with ease and hugged it like a long lost companion.
“Thanks for picking up the phone last night. I’m sorry again for bothering you, I?—”
I cut her off and took the edge of her chin in my fingers, tilting it up so she had to look at me. “Don’t apologize. I told you to call me if you needed anything and I’m glad you did. I’d do it again if you needed me too.”
Her eyes scanned my face and dashed to my lips more than once. She pressed her lips together into a tight line, nerves and unease mixing together on her face.
“Can you maybe not mention this to my parents? Like I told you before, my mother is skittish and would lose her mind if she knew what I did last night.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded her head at me in thanks, finally pulling her chin from my hand. After a beat, she turned and started towards the door of her townhouse when she stopped midway and turned to look at me again. The words she wanted to say just on the cusp of her half upturned lips and piercing green eyes.
“What’s that look for?” I asked, cocking my head at her.
“I have another wondering,” she answered, her voice a mix of mischief and tease.
