Heart's Desires (10 page)

CHAPTER 15

Jake knew Charlie was mad at him by the way she was dragging him to the office.  Once they were in the office, she shut the door and put her hands on her hips.

              With a quirked brow and pursed lips, Charlie had some questions for Mr. Jacob Cameron.  “What the hell was that, Jacob?  That man is my boss.”

              “What was what, Heart?”  Jake said, his eyes wide with mock innocence.

              Charlie threw her hands up in exasperation. “You know what the hell I’m talking about, Jacob,” Charlie said, angrily poking his chest with her finger. “You practically told my boss I would need the day off because you were going to fuck me into a coma!”

              Jake chuckled, but his laugh died off when he saw that Charlie was serious.  “Awww, baby, I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but he was asking for it when he called you ‘sweetie’ and ‘his girl.’”  Jake bent down to get eye to eye with Charlie.  He smiled slowly and caressed her face with tenderness.  “Honey, you should know that that shit right there is
not
ok.  I don’t give a fuck
who
he is.  He will never be able to disrespect our relationship.”

              Charlie just shook her head.  “Jacob, you can’t go all caveman on my boss.”

              “He was being disrespectful, Heart. That shit is not ok,” Jake stated again, slowly.

              Charlie let out a breath.  “I know that he was being disrespectful and you’re right, it wasn’t ok, but you didn’t let me handle it. I’ll talk to Lorenzo about boundaries, but this is still my job, and it’s important to me.”

              Jake understood where Charlie was coming from.

“I will never let anybody disrespect you or us, Heart,” he repeated, his tone serious. “You know what kind of man I am, Heart.”  He held his hands up to stop Charlie from talking.  “I, however, understand that this is your job, and I embarrassed you, so for that I am truly sorry.” 

Jake pulled Charlie close to him, giving her a slow hug.

              “You promise you’re sorry?  I mean it’s not like you to just apologize,” Charlie said suspiciously, looking up into Jake’s gorgeous face.

              Jake chuckled again.  “Yes, honey, I’m sorry.  I was wrong, but so was that asshole.  So you better talk to him fast because he was a little too comfortable touching you and calling you pet names.”

              She nodded in agreement.  “To be honest, he has never done that before.  I’m pretty sure that was more for you than it was for me.”  Charlie shook her head in exasperation.  “You guys and your pissing contests.” 

She stepped out of Jake’s arms and started gathering her things while continuing to shake her head.  She couldn’t believe two grown ass men would behave in such an immature manner.

              “Do you accept my apology, Heart?”  Jake asked in a husky tone as he walked up behind Charlie and wrapped her once again in his embrace. He kissed her neck and nuzzled into her sweet smell, a mixture of cherries and something else that was distinctively Charlie.

              “You know I can’t stand it when you’re upset, honey.” Jake continued to nuzzle and kiss her until he felt her soften and lean into his arms.  Her body told him she forgave him before she could even utter a sound to voice her acceptance.

              “Yes, of course I forgive you, Bear.  Just let me handle it next time, ok?”  Charlie sighed, moving her head more to the side to give Jake better access to her neck.

              Jake knew that she’d forgiven him because she called him Bear and not Jacob.  She only called him by his full name when she was serious, or seriously mad.  “Good.  Now let’s get out of here and get you fed, and then we’ll go pick up some clothes for you and go back to my place.”

              Charlie nodded in agreement with no argument.  Jake was shocked by the turn around in Charlie’s attitude.  She was quickly accepting that they were a couple and he was ecstatic that her heart was now so open to him.

***

              Lorenzo was irked by the episode with Charlie.  Although she was evasive saying they should keep things professional, she never outright said she wasn’t interested in him.  And she for sure never said anything about having a boyfriend.  Then, this big motherfucker came in like a bull in a china shop staking his claim. 

Lorenzo shook his head; Charlie was a beautiful woman, but there were plenty of beautiful women around, and he didn’t go after someone who was taken already because he knew all too well that shit could get messy real quick.  He had plenty to deal with already, and he didn’t need that kind of headache.

The last thing he needed was drama.  Plus, Charlie was a great accountant and he trusted her, and that was something he wasn’t willing to give up.  Loyalty was hard to come by.

              Lorenzo had a moment of clarity.  He didn’t have time to think about Charlie and her asshole boyfriend.  He had some serious matters to attend to, starting with the payroll problem. Lorenzo suspected his cousin Tommy may have planted someone in his business to launder money, but he needed to know how long the laundering had been going on to know if Tommy had anything to do with it. 

              Everything seemed on the up and up; the numbers were always correct at the end of the month, but his long time accountant, Mr. Simms, noticed a surge in funds around the middle of every month.  Before he retired, Mr. Simms let Lorenzo know about the discrepancies, but they all stopped as soon as he started actively looking for them.

              Then Tommy showed up wanting to use Lorenzo’s club as a front for running guns and drugs.  Lorenzo wasn’t a saint, he had done plenty of horrible shit in his life, but his business was legit, and he wasn’t going back to the life that had cost him his younger brother, Sergio.

              Lorenzo shook his head, trying to dispel the dark thoughts.  Any thoughts of his brother always pissed Lorenzo off.  He absolutely hated being reminded that he wasn’t there for his brother, and that had caused Sergio to die.  Hell, he’d moved thousands of miles away to try to forget, but now that Tommy showed up, he was constantly being hit with a barrage of memories. He had to figure out what Tommy’s end game was, and have him get the fuck out of Texas and back to Jersey before Lorenzo went back on his promise to his uncle and took care of Tommy himself.  After all, he didn’t need Lorenzo’s clubs to run his shit through. There was a reason he was trying to suck him back into the family after all this time.

***

             
Jan saw the scene with Charlie, Lorenzo, and the handsome giant.  She wasn’t sure who he was, but she was now positive that Charlie was no longer in the running for Lorenzo’s attention, not that she was ever worried about not being able to get attention from a man.  If the furious expression the man gave Lorenzo when he touched Charlie was any indication of his feelings, then Lorenzo better tread lightly.

              Jan couldn’t figure it out. 
What in the hell was so special about Charlene Heart? 

Jan snickered at her thoughts.  She’d called her by her full name on purpose, just to piss her off.  Jan was pretty positive that Charlie knew that fact, because although Jan didn’t want to admit it, and she refused to say it out loud, Charlie was very intelligent.  That was why she needed to find out what in the hell Charlie was doing on this “project” for Lorenzo.  Jan couldn’t let some silly ass number-cruncher figure out what was going on. It was the easiest cash she had ever made in her life, and she’d be damned if she let some bitch come in and mess up her money.

              Jan saw Charlie and her friend leave through the back door.  The man was even more attractive than she first thought.  He had a rugged sexiness to him that any red blooded woman couldn’t resist.  He was tall and muscular, and his tattoos peeked out from beneath the round neck t-shirt, but she couldn’t make them out because of the leather jacket he wore.

              A gray t-shirt was stretched tight across his muscular chest, and his jean clad ass was toned and sexy.  He had a short beard that was darker than his dirty blonde hair, but it was his emerald green gaze that would hold admirers captive. That was why Jan was standing and staring at the couple instead of trying to find Lorenzo to see how much he knew about her little operation.

              Jan suspected he didn’t know a lot since she was still working; hell, the fact that she was still breathing said a lot.  Lorenzo didn’t take too kindly to disloyalty. 

              Just when she turned her attention away from the retreating couple to find Lorenzo, she bumped into his rock solid chest, and she instantly heated and flushed at the contact.

              “Oh sorry, I was just looking for you. Do you have a minute to talk?”  Jan fluttered her lashes and seductively pushed out her breasts.

              “No, Jan, I don’t have time right now,” Lorenzo curtly responded. “I’m on my way to a meeting.  We can talk tomorrow.”  Lorenzo never broke stride as he sauntered through the club and out of the front door.

CHAPTER 16

              Jake and Charlie went to her favorite TexMex restaurant, MiCocina. They sat at a high top table at the bar. They ate, talked, and relaxed. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time.  She couldn’t believe she’d been stressing herself out over not giving Jake a chance.  It wasn’t as though he was hurting for attention from the opposite sex.  Charlie saw the longing looks other women gave him, as if he was the tastiest thing on the menu.  What the hell was she thinking running from this gorgeous man? Now, she couldn’t wait to tell the world this fine ass man was hers.  She shook her head and smiled.

              “What are you over there smiling about?”  Jake asked Charlie.  His face glimmered and was alight with curiosity.

              Charlie smiled up at him.  “I’m just thinking about how dumb some decisions that I’ve made truly were.  I’m glad I stopped running.”

              Jake smiled, and his dimples showed through his beard as he got up and came to her side of the table.  He moved the tall stool around so he could stand between her legs, and softly caressed her face with the back of his hand. Jake then leaned down and captured her lips in a soft, loving kiss.  The kiss wasn’t hard and passionate like the kisses they so often shared, and it wasn’t possessive and full of lust.  This kiss was different from all the others.  It was the beginning of the love they both felt.

              Once the kiss ended, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes.  Both of them contemplated what to say next, but neither one wanted to scare the other. Finally, someone cleared their throat and broke the spell. Charlie turned slowly to see who interrupted their intense encounter and saw a petite female with caramel colored skin and a short bob. She definitely was a pretty woman, and Charlie had no idea who in the hell she was.

              Jake was really annoyed at the interruption, and when he saw who it was that had disturbed them, he was
definitely
annoyed.  Stacy Shaw, his ex who had cheated with his best friend four years earlier, was standing in front of him as though he owed her some sort of explanation. 

              Jake started to ignore her, but Charlie was looking at her curiously with a hint of annoyance on her beautiful face.

              “Jacob, I see you are doing well.”  Stacy’s eyes flickered between him and Charlie, and she gave them both a look of disgust.

              “Why are you here?  Better yet, why are you here talking to me?”  Jake questioned dryly, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of showing his emotions.

              “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your little… friend?”  Stacy was looking directly at Charlie with a snarl on her face, not even trying to hide how she felt about seeing Charlie in Jacob’s arms.

              Charlie quirked her eyebrow and slowly looked at Jake.  He knew she was five seconds from popping Stacy in her mouth.  He smirked at the thought, which made Charlie smirk as well. 

              Jake leaned in and gave Charlie a slow, lingering kiss. One of reassurance. When he leaned back, a slow grin graced her kiss swollen lips. He wanted to kiss her again, but an unladylike snort of disgust stopped his movements.  Both he and Charlie turned their attention back toward their unwelcomed guest.

              “I’m pretty sure that having sex in a restaurant is frowned upon,” Stacy remarked, her hands on her hips. She looked mad enough to spit nails.

              “Look, lady, I don’t know what the hell your problem is with my man, but you are interrupting my quality time, so what I suggest you do is find whoever the hell you came here with, and ruin their good time,”  Charlie stated, giving Stacy her full attention.  Charlie didn’t want to make a scene, but this chick had two point five seconds to step before she moved Jake out of the way and slapped the taste out of her uppity ass.

              Stacy harrumphed, ignoring Charlie. She looked directly at Jake as she continued to talk.  “It’s been a long time, Jacob. I just thought maybe we could catch up, and maybe clear the air.”

              Jake noticed that Charlie was clenching her fists slowly, so he stepped even closer to her, effectively trapping her in her seat. He winked at her and caressed her arms in a slow up and down motion, calming her down. He slowly turned his gaze to Stacy. 

“Did you forget how we left things, Stacy?  The last time I saw you, your ass was half naked and tonguing down my best friend.”

              In response to Jake’s statement, Stacy
clutched at her chest and let out a fake gasp.  Charlie rolled her eyes.
This bitch is beyond dramatic
, Charlie thought as she cut her eyes at Jake to gauge his reaction. His face displayed no sign of his feelings, but the fury in his eyes gave him away.

“Well that was rude and uncalled for,” Stacy stated incredulously.

             
Charlie whipped her head around to glare at Stacy.  This woman had the nerve to come in and interrupt her date with her rudeness, acting as if Jake had done something to wrong her when this entire time, she was the one that cheated on Jake, and with his best friend no less!

              “Jacob that was a long time ago.  Can’t you just let it go and move on? Jesus!”  Stacy continued, unaware that she sounded like a complete dumbass.

             
This bitch! 
Charlie thought, as she sat up a little straighter.  She wanted to get a good look at the entitled woman standing in front of her before she laid her ass out.

              Jake took a deep breath and released it.  Seeing Stacy in the same place he was after all these years didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.  He actually didn’t feel anything; no animosity, no anger, no longing for what might have been.  He felt absolutely nothing.

Well, almost nothing.  He did feel irritated as hell.  Stacy was disrupting his attempts to get Charlie relaxed so he could get her home and do all kinds of fantastically naughty things to her.

              Charlie cleared her throat, bringing Jake out of his dirty thoughts.  He saw the knowing look on her face, and he gave her the biggest dimpled smile before turning back to the annoyance that was his ex.

              “Look, Stacy, I don’t know what you want, and honestly, I don’t give a fuck.  We’re not friends and we’ll never be friends. We don’t have any reason to catch up, so take your ass on.”

              Stacy was shocked at the language Jake had used to speak to her.  He was never this harsh.  She’d expected him to at least be cordial after all they’d shared.  Plus, it had been four years!

              “I see you’re still holding on to feelings from the past, but I wanted you to know…”

              Jake cut her off mid-sentence.  “I’m not holding on to shit, Stacy.  You are an untrustworthy individual that I had the misfortune of encountering; lesson learned.”  Jake faced Stacy fully, making sure she understood him.  “You are impeding on my time with my woman, and I don’t appreciate the intrusion.  Look, I don’t care who in the fuck you are.  Shit, you could’ve been fucking Santa Claus, and I would be just as pissed because again you are interrupting my time with my woman!”

              Charlie chuckled, stopping Jake mid rant. She stroked his beard and he instinctively leaned into her hand and visibly relaxed.  But Jake’s relaxed state was short lived as Brian approached the table.

              “It just keeps getting better,” Jake mumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. 
What the hell were these two even doing in Texas?

              Brian stopped short when he recognized Jake.  He became flustered and looked at Stacy wide eyed.

              “Uh, Stacy our table is ready.”  Brian didn’t acknowledge Jake or Charlie as he spoke.

              “I’m coming. I just ran into Jacob, and thought I would stop and catch up,” Stacy nonchalantly replied.

              Brian finally acknowledged Jake with a small head nod. Then his eyes landed on Charlie, and as he took in her smooth chocolate skin and beautiful face, he couldn’t disguise the look of lust that shadowed his brown eyes.  Jake noticed Brian’s perusal of Charlie, and he could’ve let it slide, but he just didn’t have it in him.

              “Brian, you’re looking miserable.  Must be the company you keep.”  Jake addressed the other man, knowing he wouldn’t have the balls to comment.  Yeah, it might have been immature, but Jake didn’t owe these two assholes anything.

              Charlie saw the look Brian was giving her, and it made her uncomfortable. She also noticed how tense Jake was; his muscles bunched under his gray shirt as he continued to look at the unwanted visitors.

              Stacy cleared her throat, getting Brian’s attention.  She was clearly annoyed, and stared at him before turning her attention back to Jake and Charlie.

              “As I was saying, I was just catching up with Jacob and his little friend here.”

              “I’ve had about enough of this bitch,” Charlie said to Jake, letting him know that her civility was rapidly disappearing with every word the woman uttered.

              “Yea, me too, baby.  You ready to go?”  Jake smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her softly.

              “Are
you
?”  Charlie questioned seriously.  Her inquiry was more about the closure of the situation than actually leaving the restaurant.

              “Yeah.  I’m completely done here, nothing left to be said.” He kissed her again and smiled. Jake knew exactly what his honey was asking him.

              Both Brian and Stacy stood, listening and watching the exchange.  Stacy huffed when she realized she wasn’t going to get to say what she wanted.

              “I’m glad you’re ready because with all this kissing, you’re making me all hot with your sexy ass.”  Charlie winked at him and slid off the seat.  Her tight, curvy body pressed against his muscular toned chest and abs. Jake kissed her cheek and grabbed her hand, threw some money on the table to cover the bill, and led her from the restaurant, leaving Stacy and Brian standing and staring in disbelief as they watched the couple depart.

              “What in the hell was that?”  Brian angrily asked Stacy.

              “I was just trying to give him some closure, that’s all.”  Stacy pouted at Brian.

              Brian didn’t believe for one second that his wife was trying to give Jake closure.  He knew there was a possibility that she was still harboring feelings for Jake even after all this time, but she was his wife now, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way.

              “Well, I hope he got closure, and I hope you got it as well because we’re leaving today to go back to Georgia, and I’m sure you won’t get another chance,”  Brian said, looking at his wife suspiciously.

              “Of course, sweetie.”  Stacy gave Brian a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she walked in front of him to proceed to their table.

              Brian knew his wife, and she always got whatever she wanted.  Hell that was how he ended up with his best friend’s girl.  He regretted hurting Jake, but he honestly loved Stacy, and he was going to get her back to Georgia and as far away from Jacob Cameron as he possibly could.