4
Ireally don’t understand why you’re tripping about all ofthis.”
Mandisa rolled her eyes silently as Kandi braided extensions into Mandisa’s hair. Of course her friend couldn’t understand why Mandisa was so upset. Kandi lived life as it came. She didn’t plan too far ahead, and she didn’t dwell on the past. Unfortunately, life didn’t afford Mandisa the luxury of living withoutcares.
“Kandi.” Mandisa sighed. “He’s a perfect stranger. A man who could turn out to be a threat to everything my mom built. I can’t just take him at his word that he’s not trying to screwme.”
“I don’t think you really have to worry about that, considering he’s already screwedyou.”
Mandisa huffed in frustration. This is what she got for sharing the details of her evening with Slade with herfriend.
“Mandisa, I think you’re making more of this than there needs to be. You may not know every detail about Slade’s life, but at any time when you were with him, did you ever feelunsafe?”
Mandisa had experienced a myriad of emotions and sensations while in Slade’s presence: levity, excitement, curiosity, desire, necessity. “No, I didn’t feel unsafe withhim.”
“What about when he took you back to his hotel room? Were you worried for your safety then? What did you feel when you two were in bedtogether?”
Musing over Kandi’s last question left a heavy pause in theair.
“Mandisa?” Kandi asked as she stopped braiding and walked around to kneel in front of a seated Mandisa. “Hey, did something happen last night? Did he do something to you,Mandisa?”
Mandisa shook her head quickly. “Not in the way you mean. He was a perfect gentleman.” Warmth traveled from the center of Mandisa’s chest, beaming outward to the rest of her body as she called up memories from the few hours spent in Slade’s arms. “It’s so strange, Kandi. I’ve known this man less than five days, yet when we were in his hotel room, it didn’t feel like meaningless sex. He was tender, considerate, passionate, all the while taking care of my needs, not seeming at all concerned with hisown.”
“And you have a problem with thiswhy?”
Okay, out loud she did have to admit her concerns sounded ridiculous. How many women, herself included, had she heard voice their desires for a man to treat them the way Slade treatedMandisa?
“That sounds like lovemaking to me,” Kandi added. Her lips lifted in an impishgrin.
“Honestly, Kandi, that’s what it felt like.” If she were honest, that was the thing that made the entire experience unsettling. She was expecting a quick roll in the hay accompanied by a couple of simple orgasms. What she’d received was a total mind-body experience that touched the recesses of her spirit every time Slade brought her toclimax.
Mandisa looked up at her friend to see a soft smile on Kandi’s face. It was familiar, beaming with all sorts of affection and encouragement that Mandisa needed at thismoment.
“Mandisa,” Kandi continued. Her words were soft and measured, intended to calm and soothe. “Don’t you think you deserve this? After everything you’ve been through since you found out Ms. Sadie was sick, don’t you deserve something light andfun?”
Light and fun she could do. However, this thing with Slade didn’t feel all that light. She shook her head, trying to silence the doubts running around her mind. Kandi was right, Slade had been nothing but a gentleman. She didn’t have to worry about her safety—not her physical safety,anyway.
“Come on and finish braiding my hair,” Mandisa whined playfully. “I’m not going anywhere for the next three weeks without a protectivestyle.”
Kandi gave Mandisa’s shoulder a playful push and returned to her perch behind Mandisa, quickly returning to the intricate braiding pattern she’d been in the middle of creating. Mandisa allowed the repetitive movements of Kandi’s fingers in her hair to lull her into needed calm.All of this is going to turn out fine. Everything will be okay.Now if she could just believe the mantra she was chanting in her head, all would be right with theworld.
* * *
Slade waited in the private hanger, glancing every few moments at his watch. He seemed to be doing a good deal of that when it came to Mandisa. Waiting and patience weren’t really Slade’s strong suit. He’d made her a good offer. He was confident in that. Slade always made good business deals. It was never his objective to cheat the person or entity sitting across the table from him. Although he knew the idea was sound, he also understood Mandisa was going to fight him tooth and nail forthis.
He couldn’t blame her. This was a family business, something she worked on with her late mother. He understood the sentiment. He understood what it was to want to be close to the loved ones you’d lost by clinging to the things they’d left behind. He was doing the very same when it came to Logan Industries. The difference? He actually enjoyed his job and the company. Mandisa didn’t really seem to be sharing the sameexperience.
He also couldn’t see the sense in her maintaining so much stress to keep a cosmetics business running. He enjoyed looking at pretty lips and eyes just as much as the next man, but was it truly worth sacrificing so muchfor?
He didn’t like the idea of Mandisa being stressed. Slade couldn’t pinpoint why her stress level was such a concern, but remembering their conversation in bed made him want to help her any way he could. This buyout was the best way he could helpher.
“Whatever you’re thinking about looks about as fun as a rootcanal.”
Slade’s smile was tugging at his lips before he had a chance to lay eyes on her. “Glad to see you made it, darlin’.” He stood up slowly, and tipped his hat to her. “Forgive me, but I can’t seem to remember what I was thinking of. The sight of you just resets mybrain.”
He allowed his hungry gaze to slide down and then up the length of her body and took the vision she made in. A trendy pair of white tennis shoes whose tops were covered by the bottoms of her jeans adorned her feet. Long thick legs covered in dark-wash denim accented the deep curves of her hips, thighs, and ass. The dark fabric of her jeans in perfect balance with the red fitted T-shirt that read “Brooklyn Strong” across her full bosom. The entire outfit was the perfect mix of comfortable andsexy.
He pulled his eyes up to her face and noticed she’d changed her hair from the shoulder-length coils he’d loved running his fingers through to what appeared to be an endless amount of small, long braids that fell nearly to herwaist.
