The Heat Between Us

She’d gone off on him for not returning her phone calls and proceeded to call him every name in the book. Then Jamal had dried his face with a napkin and stood up and handed her a dollar.

“Maybe this will help you buy a clue as to why I didn’t call.”

It had been funny to Michael, even as a part of her wondered if this was what it would be like dating a playboy like Jamal.

But they weren’t dating.

“What are you giggling about?” Mimi asked as she dropped her phone in her purse.

“Nothing as exciting as whatever Brent was saying to you.”

“He was reminding me that we shouldn’t be late for lunch.” The smile on her friend’s face told Michael that was not all he’d said. “Come on, MJ. Leave those files and let’s get moving. You know how traffic is around here.”

“Yeah. But you’re driving since you made me run this morning.”

“And we’re running tomorrow as well, so get ready for it.”

Michael groaned as she rose to her feet. “I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait for you to go back to New Orleans.”

“Whatever. You know you miss me when I’m not here. And luckily for you, once my travel series is over, I’ll be back in Atlanta full-time. That means we can run every morning.”

“No, ma’am.”

Mimi rose to her feet and told her friend that she and Brent would see her at the restaurant in about an hour. Before MJ could tell her friend goodbye, her phone rang.

Monday was actually turning into a busy day for her.

Finally, after she wrapped up her calls and reports for her clients about their marketing campaigns, it was time for lunch.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that Michael had been clamoring to try the new West End restaurant, Sunshine Café, she wouldn’t have agreed to be the third wheel on Brent and Mimi’s lunch date. She started to tell her friend not to become that married woman who was always trying to hook up her single friends.

Mimi and Brent were the perfect couple, in her opinion. He was the calm where Mimi was the storm and it worked for them. Her friendship with Jamal was a bit like that. The more time they spent together, the more she found things to really like about him.

The fact that he was a foodie and found the most off-the-beaten-path restaurants in the city always made her smile. She hoped that she could introduce him to a place for a change.

If only he wasn’t such a playboy...

Walking into the restaurant, she smiled when she saw Mimi waving for her. “Brent got held up on a case at work,” she said when Michael made it to the table. “This place seems really nice.”

“I know. I was hoping to tell Jamal about it, since he is always finding cool places for us to eat around the city.”

Mimi laughed. “Were you expecting him for lunch? Because here he comes.”

Michael turned toward the door and smiled when she saw him walking her way. Their eyes locked and Michael’s heart rate increased. Relax, she told herself.

Jamal Carver was a beautiful, yet rugged, man. His caramel-brown skin was smooth as silk and that goatee gave him the right mix of tough and sexy. His bedroom eyes gave hints of mystery and sex, and that brilliant smile just made her melt every time. Even if she tried to deny there was an attraction between them that went beyond friendship.

Then he had a body that seemed chiseled from mythological marble and wood, crafted by a sensual deity for pleasure and desire. But since she wasn’t the friends-with-benefits type, she kept her wanton thoughts under wraps.

“Hello, ladies,” he said when he reached the table, then leaned in and gave Michael a kiss on the cheek.

Mimi smiled. “Jamal, what are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d check this place out and I see that great minds think alike,” he said then winked at Michael as he took a seat across from her.

“And here I was hoping to scope it out and bring you someplace new for a change,” Michael replied.

“Have you all ordered yet?” Jamal asked.

“No, and I’m going to go,” Mimi said as she waved her phone, a peculiar gleam in her eye. “Brent wants me to meet him at the office.”

Jamal and Michael shared knowing glances. “Umm, huh,” Michael said. “I bet he doesn’t need you.”

“Anyway. You two enjoy—lunch, that is,” Mimi said as she rose to her feet and sauntered away.

“Were we set up or what?” Michael asked.

Jamal shrugged innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You know how I love new restaurants.”

“Sure you do,” she quipped. “How’s your Monday going?”

“It just got a thousand times better,” he said with a wink. Michael felt herself blush.

“Glad I could help,” she said. “Hopefully this place is as good as it smells.”

Jamal reached across the table and took her hand in his. “What are you doing tonight? I have something I want to show you.”

“What?”

“Why would I tell you now?” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Shivers of delight attacked her spine as his fingers caressed her. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t held her hand before, but today felt different. She slipped her hand from underneath his, urging her heart to return to its normal pace.

“Because I hate surprises.”

“Too bad. About nine, meet me at my place.”

“Jamal, I... Okay.”

“Don’t get all excited on me,” he quipped.

“Oh, stop,” she said with a giggle.

A few moments later, a waitress appeared at the table to go over the day’s specials. Michael decided to go with the shrimp, chicken and grits, while Jamal was a bit more adventurous and chose a crawfish jambalaya pie.

“Wow,” Michael said. “Now, that was a bold choice.”

“Have to try it first to see if I don’t like it.”

She nodded in agreement. “But if you don’t, my grits are so off-limits.”

“Just selfish. But I’m sure this food is going to be amazing. If not, I have good company.”

“Flattery is not going to get you a spoonful of my grits,” she joked. Michael liked being with him—laughing was so easy. But she couldn’t and didn’t want to risk her heart again or get hurt. Jamal was everything that she knew wasn’t good for her. A playboy. Would he even want to settle down with one woman? Could he?

“MJ?” Jamal said, breaking into her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Where did your mind go?”

“Work. A client who came in today wants to do a citywide jazz fest.”

“Mmm, that could be a logistics nightmare, depending on how many venues you plan to use.”

“Not when I know a dream team that can help.” Michael smiled. “First Line of Defense, perhaps.”

“I’d be happy to help, but I have to be honest with you. We had an incident over the weekend.”

“What happened?”

He told her about the shooting at the concert and how his team hadn’t been able to prevent it. “Ten years in business and nothing like this had ever happened.”

“People make mistakes, Jamal.”

“But this is bigger than a mistake. Someone died.”

“And that’s not your fault.”

“Wish I felt that way,” he said as the waitress made her way to the table with their food.

* * *

Jamal was silent until he and MJ took their first bite of food. Then they were singing the praises of the dishes and Jamal wasn’t thinking of last night’s tragedy. “These are the best grits I’ve ever had!”

Jamal nodded in agreement. “And the corn bread is tender and sweet. Reminds me of something else.”

She rolled her eyes. “And what would that be?”

“You.”

“Jamal, you probably say that to all of the girls.” Michael wiped her mouth with her napkin.

“Being that you’re the first girl I’ve eaten with here, you’re the only one who gets treated to this.”

“For now.”

“This is officially going to be our spot. It’s going to be MJ and Jamal’s, not the Sunshine Café. Should I carve our names in the table right now?”

She hid her grin as she shook her head. “You’re a mess.”

“And? If I was Joe Regular, you wouldn’t be here with me, now would you?”

She smiled and nodded. “You’re right. And that pie looks delicious.”

“It is.” Jamal held a fork full of his savory meal out to her. When Michael closed her lips around the fork, he was jealous. That fork had what he wanted. Michael’s lips and tongue. Then Michael moaned. He could make her moan like that. She just needed to give him the chance.

“So good.”

Jamal nodded. “Like I said, this is our spot. And for the record, I want points for sharing my food.”

She nodded. “Ten points for sharing your food. Only if the dessert is as good as the entrées.”

Jamal slowly allowed his eyes to roam over Michael’s lithe body. “Where does it all go?”

“What?”

“The food.”

“Burns off in the gym. You should join me for one of my morning workouts.”

Jamal laughed. “You’re not ready. Have you forgotten that I’m a marine?”

“Sounds like you’re challenging me and I’m always up for a challenge. You haven’t learned from that spades game at Brent’s place?”

“Yeah, but you won’t have your partner in crime Mimi this time. Name the time and the place.”

“Six a.m., Anytime Fitness in midtown.”

“Hope you like burpees.”

Michael rolled her eyes. “I’m the burpee queen. Hope you like losing.”

“Want to know a secret? Brent and I let you ladies win that day because he wanted to get in Mimi’s pants.”

“That’s bull and you know it. Brent was going to get into her pants win or lose. When you guys want a rematch, we’re not hard to find.”

Why did she have to say “hard”? Thinking about her in a pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra made him harder than a brick. “I hear you talking, beautiful. But this time we will show no mercy. Brent already has his woman.” And soon enough, I’m going to get mine.

“And just like Mimi, I don’t like to lose.” Michael winked at him then waved for the waitress.

“Yes, ma’am?” she asked as she approached the table.

“Do you have a dessert menu?”

“Of course. I’ll bring it right over to you.”

Michael looked at Jamal with a smile on her lips. “I hope they have chocolate cake.”

“With lots of icing.” He winked at her, and then his cell phone rang. When he saw Brent’s name, he started to ignore it, but he excused himself from the table and took the call.

* * *

Michael watched as Jamal walked away, talking on the phone. Part of her wondered if it was one of his women. This is stupid. If I can’t trust him, why am I here?

The waitress returned to the table and handed her a menu. “Is that your man? Because, girl, you are lucky.”

“Oh, we’re just friends.”

The waitress’s mouth dropped open. “Does he know that?”

“Well aware. Question—do you guys have a chocolate cake?”

She nodded excitedly. “And it is very good. Moist, and the icing is homemade.”

“I need two big slices.”

The waitress nodded and smiled as Jamal walked back toward the table. “He has the hots for you,” she whispered to Michael. “You better take advantage of it before I do.”

Michael offered her a mock salute. “I’ll take that under advisement.”

Jamal sat down and placed his hand on top of Michael’s. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries.”

“That was Brent. He had news for me about the shooting this past weekend. So far, it looks as if we have a legal standing if lawsuits start piling up because the promoter should’ve...”

Michael threw her hand up. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. You get phone calls.”

Jamal shook his head then polished off the last of his pie. “Did you find anything you liked on the dessert menu?”

“Oh, yeah. I think it’s coming our way right now.” She nodded toward the waitress.

“That’s some good-looking cake,” he said as the waitress set the hunking slices on the table.

“Just wait until you taste it.” The waitress gave Jamal a wink and Michael felt a twinge of jealousy. Was this woman really flirting with him in front of her face? But then again, she’d just told her that she and Jamal were only friends.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any milk, would you?” Michael asked, wanting to send her away.

“Soy, almond or regular?”

“Definitely almond with a side of ice.”

The waitress turned to Jamal. “Can I get you some milk as well?”

“No, just some water.” When the waitress left, Jamal took a glance at Michael as she took a big bite of her cake slice. “I know you aren’t going to eat all of that.”

She stuffed it in her mouth and smiled. “Mmm.”

Jamal followed her lead and took a big bite of the cake as well. It was good, but when he saw a drop of chocolate on Michael’s bottom lip, he didn’t care about how the cake tasted because he wanted to taste her.

“What?”

Jamal leaned forward and wiped the chocolate from her lip with his thumb. “Just a drop of chocolate on your face.”

Chapter 3

Michael shivered at the feel of Jamal’s thumb against her lip. Something about his touch just made her body tingle. She wanted him, but knew it probably wasn’t a smart thing to want. Playboys were like leopards—their spots didn’t change simply because you wanted them to.

“Th-thanks,” she said.

“No problem. Got to keep that pretty face clean. Or you could’ve used that shot to market this cake.”

“They haven’t hired me yet, so no free advertising.”

“You’re hard-core, huh?” He stuck his finger in the chocolate icing and brushed it across her full bottom lip. Just as he was about to lean in and kiss the confection away, Michael beat him to it and licked the chocolate herself.

“Okay, this icing is so good that I would give them a shout-out for free.”

“How nice of you,” he said. “Don’t forget to meet me at nine tonight.”

“For a surprise, right?”

Jamal kissed her hand. “Yes. And, no, I’m not telling you what it is. But I do have to run. I have a meeting in the heart of the city and I’m about to be late.”

“Have a good meeting and I guess I will see you tonight.”

“Come on—you can’t act like that.”

“Here’s the second surprise—if I show up or not. And you should probably save your seduction skills for someone else.” MJ nodded toward the waitress who was clearing a table not far from theirs. “She’d like it, I’m sure.”

Jamal pulled out his wallet and left enough cash on the table to pay for their meals. “You think I’m trying to seduce you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re telling me that you’re not?”

“Babe, if I was trying to seduce you, you’d be in my arms right now. Just make sure you’re not late tonight.” He winked at her then headed for the door.

Michael watched him walk away and realized that he was right. She’d see him at nine, and no matter what his surprise was, she was going to enjoy it. Be happy about it and pretend that it didn’t make her heart and soul melt.

“I’m in so much trouble,” she muttered as the waitress walked over with her glass of milk.

* * *

Jamal hopped into his car and drove to the Atlanta Metro Credit Union. He was meeting with the head of security there to revamp their security protocol. As he walked into the building, his mind was on MJ’s lips. That woman wore that chocolate like the most delicious lipstick. He’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her and taste that sweetness on her. But she was faster than he’d expected and had licked the chocolate away.

Seeing her tongue pass over that full bottom lip had made his blood pressure rise off the charts. What was it about this woman that made him want her so badly? Maybe it was because she told him no or the fact that she didn’t act like the typical Atlanta women he’d dated. She didn’t think that three dates meant they were in a relationship or that the fifth date meant an engagement ring was coming next.

MJ was the exact opposite. She didn’t take herself, or what they had going on, seriously. At first, he’d enjoyed it. Felt as if he could be himself around her. He could be silly. He could be serious. They could talk politics in one sitting then turn around and debate about who the best comedian of all time was. Jamal had never found that range of conversation with another woman.

And the woman liked football. When he’d scored two tickets to the Atlanta Falcons season opener, he’d taken MJ with him and she’d been an avid fan of the game. Especially the star cornerback. Jamal had been impressed because most women he’d taken to a game knew only the quarterback and maybe a wide receiver or two.

“Defense wins championships, and the way Atlanta looks right now, we’re going to the big game!” Michael had said at the end of the game.

“It’s just the first game of the season.”

“You have no faith.”

“I know we have Carolina twice this season and their offense is finally as explosive as their defense,” he’d said.

“Please. We’re going to eat them up.”

Smiling at the memory, Jamal walked up to the receptionist and asked for Craig Franklin.

* * *

Michael returned to her office and decided to throw herself into work. She didn’t want to think about Jamal, but in the silence of her office, all she could do was think about him. If his finger was any indication, his kiss would be damn near deadly. Shivering, she wondered if anything would happen beyond the heat between them. Would the fire burn out and she end up like the woman who tossed that drink in Jamal’s face?

“Nope. I’m not going to let that happen.” Logging on to her computer, Michael did immerse herself in her work for about thirty minutes, and then her phone rang. When she saw Mimi’s number, she answered because she was going to give her BFF a small piece of her mind.

“You’re not slick, Mimi.”

“What are you talking about? I had to meet my husband.”

“Sure you did. You and Brent aren’t slick at all.”

“I had no idea that Jamal was going to show up at lunch. That was all Brent because he said his boy was having a bad day.”

“And I’m supposed to be the make-him-feel-better girl?”

“It worked, didn’t it? I don’t get you two.”

“Wait a minute! You were totally against me getting serious with Jamal and called him a rebound.”

“And you said you guys weren’t serious.” Michael could imagine her friend’s eyebrow raised to the heavens. “So, what’s the problem here?”

“We’re friends, Mimi. Just friends. I don’t understand why people don’t get that. And I’m not looking for another dead-end relationship that is going to end up with me looking like a fool again.”

“You like him more than you want to admit. Michael, remember the words of wisdom you used to give me? Time to take your own advice. Stop running and go after what your heart wants.”

Michael rolled her eyes. “Because you took my advice, Mimi?”

“Umm, well, had I listened to you about that Fast Love post, I would’ve never had the chance to get close to Brent and fall in love with him. And you wouldn’t have met Jamal. Then you’d still be sitting here pining for Nic.”

“That’s not true.”

“What part isn’t true? You meeting Jamal or still trying to show Nic that you’re in love with him.”

“Let’s put Nic in the past, where he belongs. I wasted a lot of time trying to make him think we should’ve been a power couple. I own that. I’m over that.”

“Then why are you working with him?”

“Contract.”

Mimi sucked her teeth. “So.”

“And if this event is as big as I want it to be, this is going to mean more high-profile clients, more big events and the success I’ve been chasing.”

“You’re already successful. You run this city,” Mimi said.

“From your mouth to God’s ear. People know I’m Mimi’s friend, but they have no idea what I can really do.”

“Whatever. How was the food at the café, though?”

“Amazing, and the dessert was superb. Maybe you and Brent should go there for dinner, since you guys set up that bogus lunch.”

“For the record, it didn’t start that way, but if you must blame someone, blame Mr. Law and Order. He told Jamal where we were having lunch.”

“Oh, there you go. Let me tell you something, Mimi Collins-Daniels. If I read your blog and see any parts of me and Jamal on there, I’m going to hurt you.”

“You mean like real names?”

“Don’t play with me, Mimi!”

“All right, I’ll try.”

Michael sighed. “You better do more than try.”

“You have my word, unless something really juicy happens. And don’t say anything else, because I do write about myself on my blog.”

“What does that have to...? Mimi, my brand isn’t like yours, and if you...”

“Let me stop playing with you. I won’t do it. And you better be ready to run in the morning.”

Michael grinned. “About that run. I’m going to work out with Jamal in the morning.”

“Ooh. With or without clothes?”

“Stop it. We’re going to the gym. And he wants me to come see him tonight.”

“You mean he wants to go on a date?”

“It’s not a date. It’s a...”

“D-A-T-E! Stop living in the land of denial. You two are getting to be annoying.”

“Spoken like someone who has been annoying for years.”

“And on that note, I’m hanging up.”

“I love you, Mimi,” Michael said through her laughter. After hanging up, she opened a file on her computer and started planning logistics for the jazz festival. When she typed in security, the only company she could think of to handle the job was First Line of Defense. Michael picked up the phone and called Jamal.

Voice mail.

“Jamal, this is MJ. Give me a call when you get a chance. I have a proposal, a business proposal, for you. I wanted to discuss it with you before I see you tonight, if possible. Thanks.”

* * *

Jamal shook hands with Craig Franklin. “You’ve been really lucky,” Jamal told the bank CEO.

“And I don’t want to continue to press my luck. Your security ideas are just what we need to make the bank more secure from inside and outside jobs.”

“You also shouldn’t give an employee access to the video system. Not saying that you have someone stealing from you, but you have to be proactive instead of reactive.”

“Makes sense. I look forward to your report and I’m sure the board will agree to the project.”

Jamal nodded. “Let me know when you guys want me to get started and I’ll send my tech team in.”

The two men walked to the lobby and shook hands again. “Looking forward to working with you,” Craig said.

Jamal nodded and told his client goodbye. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he pulled it out and smiled when he saw a missed call and voice mail from MJ. If she was trying to back out of his surprise evening, he was not going to allow it. Tonight, he’d show her a side of him no other woman had ever seen.

Once he got into the car, Jamal listened to Michael’s message. Business proposal? Interesting, he thought as he called her back.

“Hey, Jamal. I hope you got my message.” Michael’s voice was like a sweet song that he wanted to keep on Repeat.

“I did. Do you want to meet tomorrow and talk about it?”

“Aren’t we getting together tonight?”

“Just looked at my watch and First Line of Defense is closed.”

“Jamal.”

“MJ. Listen, you do too much. Tonight, we’re going to relax and not say a word about your proposal.”

“All right. But you are considering it, right?”

“I’ll tell you in the morning. When’s a good time for us to get together?”

He could hear the keys on her computer moving at a rapid pace. “I have an opening at nine forty-five.”

“That’s about the time I have breakfast. Want to see if the Sunshine Café has better eggs than West Egg?”

“No, but I’ll meet you at West Egg because those potatoes are just amazing.”

“Good. See you later,” he said.

“And what are we doing tonight?”

“You’ll see when you get there. ’Bye, MJ.”

* * *