TAMING THE BEAST: An Alpha Male (4 page)

Chanise ended up being too busy to have dinner with Jake again before his appointment on Thursday. When he came into the office for his counseling session, she immediately felt awkward. Seeing him there in the office reminded her of the potential conflict of interest in dating one of her father's patients. She was sure that her father wouldn't approve, and she didn't want him to find out. At least not yet. Not until she found out if the relationship was going anywhere or not.

Jake walked over to the window and leaned through it, giving her a kiss. She pulled back, giving him a look that was a mixture of happiness and annoyance. “Not while I'm at work,” she said. She grabbed the sign-in clipboard and poked it against his chest.

“What? I can't give my girl a kiss when I see her?”

“I'm not 'your girl' when I'm in the office,” she said. She wasn't even sure if she was “his girl” at all, but she certainly couldn't afford to act like a love-struck fool while she was at work. She used the clipboard to shove him back until he leaned out of the window and took it from her hands. “Sign in, please.”

“I still need to sign in?” He frowned at the clipboard. “Come on. It's not like you don't know who I am.”

“It's for our records. If you don't sign in and the system doesn't get updated right, your paperwork might get screwed up. And then you stay on suspension, remember?”

Jake sighed and took the pen. He signed in and handed back the clipboard. Though instead of going back to sit down in the waiting room, he leaned his elbows on the windowsill, grinning at her.

“I've got work to do,” Chanise said, giving him an annoyed look.

Jake glanced back into the waiting room. “There's no one here but me.”

“That doesn't mean I don't have work.” Chanise gestured to the reports on her computer screen. “I do a lot more here than just checking in patients.”

Jake glanced at the screen, and then shrugged. “Can't that wait? I'll only be out here a few minutes before I have to go speak to your father.”

At the reminder that Jake knew of her relationship to his counselor, Chanise leaned in close and whispered, “Don't mention anything about us to him. I don't want him to know we're seeing each other.”

“Why?” Jake frowned. “What, you think he won't like you dating a white guy?”

Chanise wasn't sure how her father would react to the news of her dating a white man. She doubted he would truly have a problem with it—her father was as progressive as it comes—but there were more important matters she was concerned with. “Because he might have to stop being your counselor if he knows you're dating his daughter. It would be a conflict of interest.”

“Ahh.” Jake frowned and rubbed his chin. “Gotcha. I've only got a few weeks left before my mandatory time is up. Though...”

“What?” Chanise frowned.

“Well.” Jake shrugged, lowering his eyes. “I was thinking about keeping up with it. I mean, after coach doesn't need me to anymore. I think it's good for me.”

“That's excellent,” Chanise said. “I'm really glad that you're getting something out of your counseling. Though you'll probably need to find a new counselor if we keep seeing each other.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Jake's shoulders slumped. “You think maybe your dad will be able to recommend someone good?”

“I'm sure he…”

She cut off when her father came out of his office. Jake stood up straight, stepping away from the window. Dr. Johnson opened the door to the waiting room and waved Jake over. “Jake, it's good to see you again. I'm ready whenever you are.”

Jake flashed Chanise a brief smile before heading down the hall to the counseling room. Chanise sighed and sat back in her chair. She felt like she was dancing a little too close to something potentially hazardous. Both for her relationship with her father, and for Jake's career and his chances of getting off his suspension.

Chanise lost track of time while Jake was in his counseling session. She was busy going over scheduling and taking care of some other paperwork, so Jake's hour passed by before she even realized it.

When Jake left the counseling room, he stood straight, his body unusually stiff. There was a strain clearly visible on his face, and his eyes were a bit red. Chanise could only assume that he had had another small emotional breakdown during the session.

But after he took a few steps down the hall, it looked like this one had been worse than usual. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against the wall, trembling. Chanise got up from her chair and hurried down the hall, reaching up to touch his cheek.

He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes. He sniffled and wiped the tears away, clearing his throat. “I'm fine,” he said.

“No, you're not. Come here.”

She took his hand and led him back to the break room. It was the only place that would really be private since there was another patient in the waiting room. She sat him down in one of the chairs and grabbed some tissues. Jake dabbed at his eyes, but there was a determined look in his eye. He held himself tense, trying to hold on. Like he was afraid to let his tears flow in front of her.

Chanise sat next to Jake and took one of his hands in both of hers. She squeezed his hand and whispered softly, “Jake, it's okay. I've seen you cry before. You don't need to be ashamed.”

“This is different,” he said.

Chanise smiled sadly. “Why? Just because we're seeing each other now?”

Jake sat up a bit straighter, but the strain behind his eyes only seemed to intensify. “I can't break down in front of you.”

“Why not?”

“Because that's not what men do.”

Chanise sighed. She ran her fingers across the back of Jake's hand. “You think I won't see you as a man if you cry? Even after everything I've told you?”

“I know you don't see it that way,” Jake said. “But you weren't raised the way I was. My dad never cried. I never for once in my life saw him cry. And even on his...” He choked back a sob. “On his death bed, he didn't cry. And didn't want me to. When it looked like I was going to break down, he just said, 'I don't see what everyone is making such a fuss about.'”

He leaned forward as if the weight he was bearing was too much to carry any longer. “He had a stroke, and all he could think about was what a hassle everyone was being, getting all emotional over him.”

Chanise moved closer and put an arm around Jake's shoulders. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know. When did he...?”

“Just a few months ago,” Jake whispered.

“Ahh.” It suddenly made sense to Chanise. Why Jake had suddenly started lashing out. Why he'd gotten suspended. From what she had read in the news, he had previously had a perfect record. The incident that had gotten him suspended was, apparently, the only time he had ever acted out or broken the rules. She would read comments online from his teammates, who had all said he wasn't a violent guy. That he was a leader, that he kept the team together. They all wanted him back, even the ones who had been involved in the brawl.

She had read one comment by a player who had been directly involved in the fighting, and he had said, “Sometimes things get tense, and then it gets rough. Nobody holds a grudge. You brush it off, you shake hands, and you get back to the game. Because we're teammates.”

She tried to imagine Jake letting himself cry in front of his teammates. He would never be able to—she was sure. They were the ones that insisted he be macho, that he act like a beast, like the alpha dog. Even when, deep inside, he was just a scared boy who had lost his father.

“Come here, baby,” Chanise whispered.

She took Jake's face in both hands and gently pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his. She tasted the saltiness of his tears on his lips. He kissed her tenderly at first, timidly. As if he were afraid to touch her. But she pulled him closer, letting him know with her touch and with her kiss that it was okay. When his hands gently touched her sides, uncertain what was and wasn't okay, she reached up and took hold of his hands, moving them to her hips. He squeezed her tight, massaging her ample curves with his strong, muscular hands.

His hands started to roam higher, caressing her full, firm breasts. Chanise pulled back from the kiss with a gasp, closing her eyes. Jake leaned closer and kissed her neck, nibbling at her soft, caramel skin. She bit her lip, holding back a moan. Her mind shouted at her to stop. She couldn't do this. Not here. Not at her father's office. Her dad was right down the hall, and he could walk in on her at any moment.

Another part of her said that he was probably already speaking with his next patient. He would be busy for the next hour or more.

“Chanise,” Jake whispered. He kissed her ear. She ran her fingers through his silky hair. He leaned lower, planting a trail of kisses down her neck to her chest. He started pulling at her blouse, undoing the top button.

Chanise opened her mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't come out. She wanted this. Needed it. And she knew it had to be now. If she waited, it could be days before she felt Jake's touch again. She couldn't bring him home to her apartment when she had her daughter there. Not yet, anyway.

“Hold on, baby,” Chanise whispered. She got up and peeked out the door. There was no one in the hall.

She pulled the door shut and locked it. The only other person who might try to get in was her father, and he rarely came into the break room after lunch, even when he wasn't with a patient.

She turned back to Jake. He looked at her with eagerness, his eyes roaming over her generous curves.

She licked her lips, savoring the moment. Then she started to unbutton her blouse slowly.

Jake smiled. The tension and sadness were gone from his eyes, replaced with eager lust. He rubbed himself through his pants while she slipped off her blouse, exposing herself.

“God, Chanise,” he said.

She moved forward, lowering herself to her knees. “Shh, baby. We need to be quiet.”

Jake just grinned. He unzipped his pants while she took off her bra. She put her hands on his knees, looking at his crotch, waiting for him to show her what she had been waiting for.

He pulled it out and reached out, caressing her dark black curls. He pressed a hand against the back of her head and pulled her forward. She looked up into her eyes and opened her mouth, taking him in. He threw his head back, groaning through clenched teeth.

She reached up and took him in her hand, working him hard and fast. She didn't know how much time they had, and this wasn't the moment for slow, intimate lovemaking. There would be time for that later, when they were alone in Jake's apartment, with no restraints and no limitations. But now, there in her father's office, all she wanted was to get fucked.

Once she had him hard enough and worked up enough, she pulled back. Jake pushed her down onto the ground, unzipping her pants and pulling them off faster than she ever could have herself. She had worked him up into a frenzy, which was exactly what she wanted. What she needed. He knelt between her legs and leaned forward, then he thrust himself inside of her.

She grabbed Jake's shoulders and pulled him down on top of her. He thrust into her in quick, hard movements, burying his face in her neck to stifle his moans. She held him close, closing her eyes and focusing on the sensations pouring through her. It had been such a long time since she'd had a man inside of her. Years. And as much as she had loved her husband, he had never taken her this hard or this fast. He had never been so powerful, so in control. It thrilled her and drove her to the edge.

Jake's movements started to become more erratic as he neared his climax. He leaned back, propping her legs on his shoulders, so he could reach between her legs with his fingers and push her over the edge. She grabbed her blouse and bit down on the fabric hard to quiet her moans as he pushed her past the point of no return.

When it was finished, Chanise laid there for a moment, clinging to Jake. Then she heard voices in the hall. She didn't know how long they'd been in the break room, between talking earlier and then fucking. She suddenly worried that her father's session had finished earlier than she had expected.

She pushed Jake off her and whispered, “Get dressed!”

They hurried to pull on their clothes. Chanise didn't even bother with her bra, instead tucking it into one of the break room's cabinets to get it out of sight. She straightened her clothes and patted her hair, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. Then she peeked out into the hall.

Her father stood down by her desk. Chanise gestured for Jake to stay put as she left the break room and headed down the hall.

“Chanise, there you are,” her father said. “Mrs. Williams needs to reschedule next week's appointment. Can you take care of that for her?”

“Sure thing.” Chanise sat down at her desk, smiling at Mrs. Williams, who stood in the waiting room, looking at her through the window.

She got the appointment booked as quickly as she could, glancing over her shoulder every few moments to see where her father was. She thought he had gone into the office, but just as she was finishing up with Mrs. Williams, she saw him walking down the hall towards the break room, his coffee mug in his hand.

She quickly handed Mrs. Williams her appointment slip, then hurried down the hall, trying to beat her father to the break room. “Dad, wait!”